{"event_trigger":"April_2004 Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, leader of Hamas, is killed by an Israeli missile attack. (CNN) (BBC)","document":"GAZA CITY (CNN)  -- Abdel Aziz Rantisi, the leader of the militant group Hamas in Gaza, was killed Saturday in Gaza City by an Israeli missile strike, Israeli officials and Palestinian security sources said.\nAn Israeli helicopter launched the strike on Rantisi's car, the sources said, also killing two others -- one of them a bodyguard. Rantisi was taken to a hospital, where he died shortly afterward.\nRantisi was one of Hamas' most high profile figures, often speaking to international journalists, but he only assumed the mantle of the leader of Hamas in Gaza last month -- after Israel killed the group's founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.\nAn Israeli Foreign Ministry official confirmed that the missile strike was a targeted killing. \"This evening, in a security forces operation in the Northern Gaza Strip, the IDF targeted a car carrying the leader of Hamas, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who is directly responsible for the killing of scores of Israelis in numerous terror attacks,\" a statement from the Israel Defense Forces said.\nA huge explosion was heard in Gaza City, and half of the city lost electricity.\nIsraeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir said this was not the first time Israel has targeted Rantisi.\n\"We tried to do it a few months ago. At that time, he managed to run away. This time we got him,\" Meir said.\n\"Somebody who is sending suicide bombers to kill innocent Israelis is a legitimate target for the government of Israel,\" he told CNN.\nTen other people were injured, Palestinian medical sources said.\nWhen news of the killing swept through the territory, thousands of Hamas activists spilled into the streets.\nChief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat condemned the killing, saying: \"We hold the Israeli government fully responsible for the consequences of such actions.\n\"At the end of the day, violence will breed more violence, hatred will breed more hatred.\"  Rantisi was appointed to head Hamas in Gaza after the group's founder and spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, was killed last month in an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City.\nThe military wing of Hamas vowed to deliver 100 \"unique\" responses in retailiation and called all of its cells to be ready for the promised responses. The statement said the Palestinian people should not worry about there being a response but that it would take time to prepare it well. The strike came hours after a Palestinian suicide bomber launched an attack in the Erez industrial zone Saturday, killing a border police officer and wounding three others.\nAl Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Hamas claimed responsibility for that attack.\nAn Al Aqsa spokesman identified the bomber as Fadi al-Amudi of Beit Lahaya, in northern Gaza near Erez. An Israeli army official said the bomber had worked in the zone for the past two years. He died at the scene.\nA second attacker, from Hamas, tried but failed to enter the industrial zone, an Al Aqsa source said. The military said it knew nothing about a second bomber.\nHamas is a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization whose military wing has admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. Al Aqsa is a military offshoot of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement that has attacked military and civilian targets in Israel, and in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. Both are considered terrorist organizations by Israel and teh United States.\nThere is heavy security around the busy industrial area, where the bomber detonated explosives at an entrance where the workers are checked before they can go to their jobs.\nAt least 2,900 entered Erez on Saturday. The zone was closed as a result of the bombing, and it is not known when it will reopen. Many Palestinians work there.\nThe Erez industrial zone was closed for several days in January after a female suicide bomber killed four Israelis at a checkpoint there. Ten other people were wounded in that blast.\nThe attack came three days after President Bush met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Washington.\nIn that meeting, Bush endorsed Sharon's plan to withdraw all Jewish settlements and troops from Gaza and all but six blocs of Jewish settlements from the West Bank. (Full story)","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Gaza City"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Abdel Aziz Rantisi"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["missile strike"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":["Israeli"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2004 Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan dies at the age of 93 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. (SF Chronicle) (BBC) (Reuters)  (Washington Post)","document":"Sunday, June 6, 2004; Page A01 Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th president of the United States, who transformed the Republican Party and substantially defined the terms of contemporary political debate during two momentous terms in office, died yesterday afternoon. He was 93.\nTen years after Reagan announced his Alzheimer's disease in an open letter to the American people, he reached the end of his long twilight at his home in Bel Air, Calif., in the company of his wife and their children.\n\"My family and I would like the world to know that President Ronald Reagan has passed away,\" former first lady Nancy Reagan said in a written statement. \"We appreciate everyone's prayers.\"\nPresident Bush received the news shortly after 4 p.m. Eastern time; he was in Paris and had just left a dinner with French President Jacques Chirac. In Washington and California, plans were quickly implemented for the capital's first presidential funeral in more than 30 years.\nPlans call for Reagan's body to lie at his presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif., early this week and then travel by Air Force One to Washington on Wednesday, where he will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. Late in the week, probably Friday, there will be a funeral procession with horse-drawn caisson from the Capitol to a spot near the White House. From there, a hearse will carry the casket to Washington National Cathedral for a funeral officiated by the newly nominated ambassador to the United Nations, John C. Danforth, an Episcopalian minister and a former Republican senator from Missouri.\nThe body will then be flown back to California to be buried at the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Official plans will be announced this morning, a library spokesman said.\n\"This is a sad hour in the life of America,\" Bush said after speaking with Nancy Reagan by telephone. \"A great American life has come to an end. Ronald Reagan won America's respect with his greatness and won its love with his goodness. He had the confidence that comes with conviction, the strength that comes with character, the grace that comes with humility and the humor that comes with wisdom.\"\nBlinking back tears, Bush added: \"He always told us that for America, the best was yet to come. We comfort ourselves in the knowledge that this is true for him, too. His work is done. And now a shining city awaits him.\"\nIt was an almost unbelievable life, a melodrama, a rags-to-riches tale, a multi-part saga written by someone with boundless imagination and an infinite sense of the possible. Born in tiny Tampico, Ill., educated at Eureka College in nearby Dixon, Reagan was a radio sportscaster, a Hollywood B-movie star, host of a TV variety show, a soap salesman, a motivational speaker, governor of California and -- starting at age 53 -- arguably the most important American political figure since Franklin D. Roosevelt.\nSo it was no wonder that he believed all things were possible, from the collapse of the Soviet Union, which he predicted even when the clash of superpowers seemed near its most menacing point, to the complete disarmament of all nuclear arsenals, which Reagan proposed in a stunning arms-control summit near the end of his administration. What seemed to some as naivete struck others as good old gumption.\nReagan was a champion salesman of the American dream, mayor-for-life of the land he called \"a shining city on a hill.\"\n Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry said, \"Ronald Reagan's love of country was infectious,\" and he praised the late president for his \"goodwill in the heat of partisan battle.\"\n \"Even when he was breaking Democrats' hearts, he did so with a smile and in the spirit of honest and open debate. Despite the disagreements, he lived by that noble ideal that at 5 p.m., we weren't Democrats or Republicans, we were Americans and friends,\" said the senator from Massachusetts.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["93"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Ronald Wilson Reagan"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday afternoon"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["president"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["Alzheimer's disease"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2004 President of Austria Thomas Klestil  dies of a heart attack, just two days before he was due to leave office. (BBC)","document":"He had suffered a heart attack at his home in the Austrian capital on Monday. His security guards tried to revive him before he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.\nPresident Klestil's death came less than two days before was due to leave his largely ceremonial post after two six-year terms in office.\nSocial Democrat Heinz Fischer, who was elected in April, will take up office in his stead.\nCareer diplomat\nKlestil took up the Austrian presidency in 1992 after a successful career as a diplomat.\nHe replaced Kurt Waldheim, who had been tainted by revelations that he had served as an officer in a German army unit which had committed war crimes during World War II. Mr Klestil repaired much of the damage done to Austria's image abroad by the scandal surrounding Waldheim, including expressing sympathy with the victims of the Holocaust in a speech to the Israeli parliament in 1994.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["at his home in the Austrian capital"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Klestil"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["President"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["heart attack"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2009 Brenda, a transsexual named in a sex scandal involving former Lazio governor Piero Marrazzo, is found burned alive following a fire at her Rome flat. (BBC) (The Daily Telegraph) (Reuters)","document":"'Brenda', a transsexual prostitute linked to a sex and drugs scandal which brought down the prominent Italian politician Piero Marrazzo, has been found burned to death in her apartment.\nPolice are investigating what may have started the fire which engulfed the Brazilian prostitute, known only as Brenda","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["apartment"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Brenda"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["prostitute"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["burned"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2009 Maurice Clemmons, suspect in the 2009 shooting of Lakewood, Washington, police officers, is shot dead by police in Seattle. (BBC)","document":"Assistant Police Chief Pugel said the officer opened fire as the suspect tried to flee\nA policeman investigating a stolen car on a Seattle street shot dead the man accused of gunning down four police officers at the weekend, US police say.\nMaurice Clemmons, aged 37, was killed in Seattle early on Tuesday, said Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel. He said the officer recognised Clemmons and told him to stop, before opening fire after the suspect tried to flee. Four people have been arrested for allegedly helping the suspect elude authorities during the two-day manhunt. The victims - Sgt Mark Renninger and officers Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold and Greg Richards - were singled out as they did paperwork at a cafe in a suburb of Tacoma, near Seattle, on Sunday morning. 'Increasingly erratic'\nAssistant Police Chief Pugel told a news conference that Clemmons was found by a patrolman who stopped at about 0245 local time on Tuesday for a routine check on a car reported stolen hours earlier. He said that while the officer was making inquiries about the vehicle, which was unoccupied with the engine running, he noticed a movement behind him. He turned to find a man he believed to be Clemmons. The officer ordered the man to stop and show his hands, but the suspect tried to run away, said Assistant Police Chief Pugel. \"He wouldn't stop. The officer fired several rounds,\" he said, adding that the police officer had not been wounded. Mr Pugel also said that Clemmons was found to be carrying a handgun taken from one of the dead officers. He also had a recent gunshot wound in the abdomen, believed to have been inflicted by one of the dying officers who shot at Clemmons as he fled. Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County sheriff, said in addition to the four people arrested on suspicion of helping Clemmons since Sunday, up to seven more could soon be in custody. \"Some are friends, some are acquaintances, some are partners in crime, some are relatives. Now they're all partners in crime,\" he said, according to the AP news agency. Officials are trying to establish what prompted Clemmons to shoot the police officers on Sunday. Clemmons' behaviour had been described as increasingly erratic in the past few months, AP said. Mr Troyer told the Tacoma News-Tribune newspaper that the suspect had indicated on Saturday night \"that he was going to shoot police and watch the news\". Parole row\nA reward of $125,000 (£76,000) had been offered for information leading to his arrest. Police in the US state of Washington had been storming potential hiding places of Clemmons and patrolling streets with dogs. They surrounded a house in a Seattle late on Sunday following a tip that Clemmons was inside. After an all-night siege, a Swat team entered the home and found it empty. But police said Clemmons had been there. The case sparked anger across the US after it emerged that Clemmons had been released from prison despite a history of violent crime. His 95-year sentence in Arkansas was commuted in 2000 by then governor Mike Huckabee. Clemmons quickly reverted to crime. He was back in prison in 2004, but released again later that year. On Monday, Mr Huckabee said he took responsibility for making Clemmons eligible for parole, describing the case as a failure of the justice system.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Seattle"]},{"role":"Age","values":["37"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Maurice Clemmons"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["opened fire"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":["Police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2020 U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, dies at the age of 87. (NPR)","document":"                    Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — here in her chambers during a 2019 interview with NPR's Nina Totenberg — died on Friday at the age of 87. Shuran Huang/NPR\n                                    hide caption\nSupreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — here in her chambers during a 2019 interview with NPR's Nina Totenberg — died on Friday at the age of 87. Follow NPR's coverage of Ginsburg's death and the political aftermath here. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the demure firebrand who in her 80s became a legal, cultural and feminist icon, died Friday. The Supreme Court announced her death, saying the cause was complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas. The court, in a statement, said Ginsburg died at her home in Washington, D.C., surrounded by family. She was 87. \"Our nation has lost a justice of historic stature,\" Chief Justice John Roberts said. \"We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her, a tireless and resolute champion of justice.\" Architect of the legal fight for women's rights in the 1970s, Ginsburg subsequently served 27 years on the nation's highest court, becoming its most prominent member. Her death will inevitably set in motion what promises to be a nasty and tumultuous political battle over who will succeed her, and it thrusts the Supreme Court vacancy into the spotlight of the presidential campaign. Just days before her death, as her strength waned, Ginsburg dictated this statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: \"My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.\" She knew what was to come. Ginsburg's death will have profound consequences for the court and the country. Inside the court, not only is the leader of the liberal wing gone, but with the court about to open a new term, the chief justice no longer holds the controlling vote in closely contested cases. Though Roberts has a consistently conservative record in most cases, he has split from fellow conservatives in a few important ones this year, casting his vote with liberals, for instance, to protect at least temporarily the so-called DREAMers from deportation by the Trump administration, to uphold a major abortion precedent and to uphold bans on large church gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic. But with Ginsburg gone, there is no clear court majority for those outcomes. Upcoming political battle\nIndeed, a week after the upcoming presidential election, the court is for the third time scheduled to hear a challenge brought by Republicans to the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. In 2012, the high court upheld the law in a 5-4 ruling, with Roberts casting the deciding vote and writing the opinion for the majority. But this time the outcome may well be different. That's because Ginsburg's death gives Republicans the chance to tighten their grip on the court with another appointment by President Trump so conservatives would have 6-3 majority. And that would mean that even a defection on the right would leave conservatives with enough votes to prevail in the Obamacare case and many others. At the center of the battle to achieve that will be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In 2016, he took a step unprecedented in modern times: He refused for nearly a year to allow any consideration of President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee. Back then, McConnell's justification was the upcoming presidential election, which he said would allow voters a chance to weigh in on what kind of justice they wanted. But now, with the tables turned, McConnell has made clear he will not follow the same course. Instead he will try immediately to push through a Trump nominee so as to ensure a conservative justice to fill Ginsburg's liberal shoes, even if Trump were to lose his reelection bid. Asked what he would do in circumstances such as these, McConnell said: \"Oh, we'd fill it.\" So what happens in the coming weeks will be bare-knuckle politics, writ large, on the stage of a presidential election. It will be a fight Ginsburg had hoped to avoid, telling Justice John Paul Stevens shortly before his death that she hoped to serve as long as he did — until age 90. \"My dream is that I will stay on the court as long as he did,\" she said in an interview in 2019. \"Tough as nails\"\n1 of 9\nShe didn't quite make it. But Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nonetheless a historic figure. She changed the way the world is for American women. For more than a decade, until her first judicial appointment in 1980, she led the fight in the courts for gender equality. When she began her legal crusade, women were treated, by law, differently from men. Hundreds of state and federal laws restricted what women could do, barring them from jobs, rights and even from jury service. By the time she donned judicial robes, however, Ginsburg had worked a revolution. That was never more evident than in 1996 when, as a relatively new Supreme Court justice, Ginsburg wrote the court's 7-1 opinion declaring that the Virginia Military Institute could no longer remain an all-male institution. True, Ginsburg said, most women — indeed most men — would not want to meet the rigorous demands of VMI. But the state, she said, could not exclude women who could meet those demands. \"Reliance on overbroad generalizations ... estimates about the way most men or most women are, will not suffice to deny opportunity to women whose talent and capacity place them outside the average description,\" Ginsburg wrote. She was an unlikely pioneer, a diminutive and shy woman, whose soft voice and large glasses hid an intellect and attitude that, as one colleague put it, was \"tough as nails.\" By the time she was in her 80s, she had become something of a rock star to women of all ages. She was the subject of a hit documentary, a biopic, an operetta, merchandise galore featuring her \"Notorious RBG\" moniker, a Time magazine cover and regular Saturday Night Live sketches. On one occasion in 2016, Ginsburg got herself into trouble and later publicly apologized for disparaging remarks she made about then-presidential candidate Trump. But for the most part Ginsburg enjoyed her fame and maintained a sense of humor about herself. Asked about the fact that she had apparently fallen asleep during the 2015 State of the Union address, Ginsburg did not take the Fifth, admitting that although she had vowed not to drink at dinner with the other justices before the speech, the wine had just been too good to resist. The result, she said, was that she was perhaps not an entirely \"sober judge\" and kept nodding off. The road to law\nBorn in Brooklyn, Ruth Bader went to public schools, where she excelled as a student — and as a baton twirler. By all accounts, it was her mother who was the driving force in her young life, but Celia Bader died of cancer the day before the future justice would graduate from high school. Then 17, Ruth Bader went on to Cornell University on a full scholarship, where she met Martin (aka \"Marty\") Ginsburg. \"What made Marty so overwhelmingly attractive to me was that he cared that I had a brain,\" she said. After her graduation, they were married and went off to Fort Sill, Okla., for his military service. There Mrs. Ginsburg, despite scoring high on the civil service exam, could only get a job as a typist, and when she became pregnant, she lost even that job. Two years later, the couple returned to the East Coast to attend Harvard Law School. She was one of only nine women in a class of more than 500 and found the dean asking her why she was taking up a place that \"should go to a man.\" At Harvard, she was the academic star, not her husband. The couple were busy juggling schedules and their toddler when Marty Ginsburg was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Surgeries and aggressive radiation followed. \"So that left Ruth with a 3-year-old child, a fairly sick husband, the law review, classes to attend and feeding me,\" Marty Ginsburg said in a 1993 interview with NPR. The experience also taught the future justice that sleep was a luxury. During the year of her husband's illness, he was only able to eat late at night; after that he would dictate his senior class paper to her. At about 2 a.m., he would go back to sleep, Ruth Bader Ginsburg recalled in an NPR interview. \"Then I'd take out the books and start reading what I needed to be prepared for classes the next day.\" Marty Ginsburg survived, graduated and got a job in New York; his wife, a year behind him in school, transferred to Columbia, where she graduated at the top of her law school class. Despite her academic achievements, the doors to law firms were closed to women, and though recommended for a Supreme Court clerkship, she wasn't even interviewed. It was bad enough that she was a woman, she recalled later, but she was also a mother, and male judges worried she would be diverted by her \"familial obligations.\" A mentor, law professor Gerald Gunther, finally got her a clerkship in New York by promising Judge Edmund Palmieri that if she couldn't do the work, he would provide someone who could. That was \"the carrot,\" Ginsburg would say later. \"The stick\" was that Gunther, who regularly fed his best students to Palmieri, told the judge that if he didn't take Ginsburg, Gunther would never send him a clerk again. The Ginsburg clerkship apparently was a success; Palmieri kept her not for the usual one year, but two, from 1959-61. Ginsburg's next path is rarely talked about, mainly because it doesn't fit the narrative. She learned Swedish so she could work with Anders Bruzelius, a Swedish civil procedure scholar. Through the Columbia University School of Law Project on International Procedure, Ginsburg and Bruzelius co-authored a book. In 1963, Ginsburg finally landed a teaching job at Rutgers Law School, where she at one point hid her second pregnancy by wearing her mother-in-law's clothes. The ruse worked; her contract was renewed before her baby was born. While at Rutgers, she began her work fighting gender discrimination. The \"mother brief\"\nHer first big case was a challenge to a law that barred a Colorado man named Charles Moritz from taking a tax deduction for the care of his 89-year-old mother. The IRS said the deduction, by statute, could only be claimed by women, or widowed or divorced men. But Moritz had never married. The tax court concluded that the Internal Revenue Code was immune to constitutional challenge, a notion that tax lawyer Marty Ginsburg viewed as \"preposterous.\" The two Ginsburgs took on the case — he from the tax perspective, she from the constitutional one. According to Marty Ginsburg, for his wife, this was the \"mother brief.\" She had to think through all the issues and how to fix the inequity. The solution was to ask the court not to invalidate the statute but to apply it equally to both sexes. She won in the lower courts. \"Amazingly,\" he recalled in a 1993 NPR interview, the government petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court, stating that the decision \"cast a cloud of unconstitutionality\" over literally hundreds of federal statutes, and it attached a list of those statutes, which it compiled with Defense Department computers. Those laws, Marty Ginsburg added, \"were the statutes that my wife then litigated ... to overturn over the next decade.\" In 1971, she would write her first Supreme Court brief in the case of Reed v. Reed. Ruth Bader Ginsburg represented Sally Reed, who thought she should be the executor of her son's estate instead of her ex-husband. The constitutional issue was whether a state could automatically prefer men over women as executors of estates. The answer from the all-male Supreme Court: no. It was the first time the court had struck down a state law because it discriminated based on gender. And that was just the beginning. Ginsburg (left) joins the only three other women to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court — Sandra Day O'Connor, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — in a celebration of O'Connor, the first woman justice, at the Newseum in Washington in 2012. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP\n                                    hide caption\nGinsburg (left) joins the only three other women to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court — Sandra Day O'Connor, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — in a celebration of O'Connor, the first woman justice, at the Newseum in Washington in 2012. By then Ginsburg was earning quite a reputation. She would become the first female tenured professor at Columbia Law School, and she would found the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. As the chief architect of the battle for women's legal rights, Ginsburg devised a strategy that was characteristically cautious, precise and single-mindedly aimed at one goal: winning. Knowing that she had to persuade male, establishment-oriented judges, she often picked male plaintiffs, and she liked Social Security cases because they illustrated how discrimination against women can harm men. For example, in Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld, she represented a man whose wife, the principal breadwinner, died in childbirth. The husband sought survivor's benefits to care for his child, but under the then-existing Social Security law, only widows, not widowers, were entitled to such benefits. \"This absolute exclusion, based on gender per se, operates to the disadvantage of female workers, their surviving spouses, and their children,\" Ginsburg told the justices at oral argument. The Supreme Court would ultimately agree, as it did in five of the six cases she argued. Over the years, Ginsburg would file dozens of briefs seeking to persuade the courts that the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection applies not just to racial and ethnic minorities but to women as well. In an interview with NPR, she explained the legal theory that she eventually sold to the Supreme Court. \"The words of the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause — 'nor shall any state deny to any person the equal protection of the laws.' Well that word, 'any person,' covers women as well as men. And the Supreme Court woke up to that reality in 1971,\" Ginsburg said. During these pioneering years, Ginsburg would often work through the night as she had during law school. But by this time, she had two children, and she later liked to tell a story about the lesson she learned when her son, in grade school, seemed to have a proclivity for getting into trouble. The scrapes were hardly major, and Ginsburg grew exasperated by demands from school administrators that she come in to discuss her son's alleged misbehavior. Finally, there came a day when she had had enough. \"I had stayed up all night the night before, and I said to the principal, 'This child has two parents. Please alternate calls.' \"\nAfter that, she found, the calls were few and far between. It seemed, she said, that most infractions were not worth calling a busy husband about. The Supreme Court's second woman\nIn 1980, President Jimmy Carter named Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["87"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Ruth Bader Ginsburg"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["Court Justice"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2020 Deceased Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose in the United States Supreme Court Building. She is both the first woman and the first Jewish American to receive such an honor. (BBC)","document":"Mourners have been honouring the judge and liberal icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she lies in repose at the US Supreme Court in Washington.\nGinsburg, an advocate for gender equality and civil rights, died on Friday, aged 87, from cancer. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered remarks on Wednesday as her casket rested just outside the courtroom where she served for nearly three decades.\nPresident Donald Trump will pay his respects at the top court on Thursday.\nSince her death, makeshift memorials have been set up outside the Supreme Court. Flowers, photographs, candles and signs have lined the steps.\nThe second woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice, Ginsburg will on Friday become the first woman to lie in state at the US Capitol. She will be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery.\nSpeaking before Ginsburg's flag-draped casket in the Supreme Court's Great Hall earlier, Chief Justice Roberts said her life was \"one of the many versions of the American dream\".\n\"Ruth wanted to be an opera virtuoso but became a rock star instead,\" he said during the private ceremony, noting her battles against gender discrimination throughout her career.\nThe daughter of Jewish immigrants, Ginsburg struggled against sexism for decades. She graduated top of her class at Columbia Law School but received no job offers. She later remarked: \"I struck out on three grounds: I was Jewish, a woman and a mother.\" The history-making jurist joined the top US court in 1993, where she continued to advocate for equality and was known for delivering scathing dissents. Ginsburg was fond of joking that there would be enough women on the nine-seat Supreme Court \"when there are nine\".\nAs family, friends and colleagues memorialised her inside the nation's highest court, outside, crowds awaited their turn. Later on Wednesday, due to Covid-19 concerns, her casket was moved to rest in front of the steps so that people could pay their respects outdoors.\nMr Trump has said he will nominate a new justice this week to take Ginsburg's seat. Democrats have criticised the move, saying the process ought to wait until after the 3 November presidential election. Ginsburg's \"most fervent\" last wish, according to her granddaughter, was to not be replaced until after the election.\nThe US top court is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between state and federal governments, and final appeals to stay executions.\nIn recent years, the Supreme Court has ruled on key issues including marriage equality, abortion access and immigration.\nWith one vacancy due to Ginsburg's passing, the bench's ideological balance remains tilted to the right, favouring conservatives in a 5-3 split. Ginsburg tributes: 'A warrior for gender equality'","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["87"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Ruth Bader Ginsburg"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["judge"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["cancer"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2020 Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al–Sabah dies at the age of 91. Crown Prince Nawaf Al–Ahmad Al–Jaber Al–Sabah is named his successor. (BBC) (Al Arabiya)","document":"Kuwait's Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, has died at the age of 91, state media report.\nHis 83-year-old half-brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed, has been named by the cabinet as his successor.\nIn July, Sheikh Sabah was flown to the United States for medical treatment following surgery for an unspecified condition in Kuwait that month.\nHe had ruled the oil-rich Gulf Arab state since 2006 and had overseen its foreign policy for more than 50 years.\nHe was dubbed the \"dean of Arab diplomacy\" for his efforts to restore relations with states that backed Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, when Kuwait was invaded by Iraqi forces.\nThe emir also often acted as a mediator in regional disputes, including the ongoing diplomatic stand-off between Saudi Arabia, its allies and Qatar.\nKuwait similarly refrained from intervening in Syria's civil war, instead hosting several donor conferences for humanitarian aid. \"Today we lost a big brother and a wise and loving leader... who spared no effort for Arab unity,\" Jordan's King Abdullah II wrote on Twitter in Arabic.\nAbu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates, tweeted: \"Sheikh Sabah epitomised wisdom, tolerance, and peace and he was a great pioneer of Gulf cooperation.\"\nUN Secretary General António Guterres called the emir \"an extraordinary symbol of wisdom and generosity, a messenger of peace, a bridge builder\".\nTiny, oil-rich and vulnerable, Kuwait has long been both an ally of the West and dependant on it for protection. Britain has twice sent troops to defend it from its giant neighbour Iraq, first in 1961 and then in 1991 as part of the massive US-led Desert Storm campaign to expel Saddam Hussein's forces. Despite being ruled by ageing men from the long-standing Al-Sabah dynasty, Kuwait has one of the more lively political scenes in the Arab world, with elected MPs able to call government ministers to account. This has sometimes led to political paralysis. The ruling family also took on conservative religious opinion by pushing for women to be allowed to vote and run for political office. In recent years Kuwait has been seen as a calming, mediating force in the region, helped by the late emir's decades of experience as foreign minister. The succession is thought likely to be a smooth one.\nSheikh Sabah's death was announced on state television on Tuesday afternoon by the Minister of Emiri Diwan (Court) Affairs, Sheikh Ali Jarrah al-Sabah.\n\"With the utmost sadness and grief for the Kuwaiti people, the Islamic and Arab world and people of friendly nations, the Emiri Diwan mourns the death of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, the emir of Kuwait, who is now next to God\" he said. Sheikh Jarrah did not give a cause of death.\nBorn in 1929, Sheikh Sabah was the great-grandson of the founder of modern Kuwait, Mubarak al-Sabah, who signed a \"Treaty of Friendship\" with Britain in 1899 that saw it become a protectorate.\nSheikh Sabah became Kuwait's foreign minister in 1963 - two years after Britain recognised Kuwait's independence - and held the position until 1991, following the end of the seven-month-long Iraqi occupation.\nHe was reappointed foreign minister in 1992 and served until 2003, when he was named prime minister by his half-brother Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad. Sheikh Sabah became Kuwait's ruler himself in 2006, after Sheikh Jaber died and his cousin Emir Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah stepped down just nine days into his rule as parliament moved to depose him on health grounds.\nKuwait - which has a population of 4.8 million, including 3.4 million foreign workers - has the world's sixth-largest known oil reserves and is a major US ally.\nThe emirate's parliament has the most powers of any elected body in the Gulf and opposition MPs openly criticise the Sabahs.\nHowever, the ruling family retains full control over key government and executive posts and the emir has the last say in political matters. He also has the power to override or dissolve parliament, and call elections.\nSheikh Sabah dissolved parliament or reshuffled his cabinet a number of times after lawmakers sought to question or submit votes of no confidence against senior ministers, including members of the ruling family. Kuwaiti ruler hospitalised for medical checks","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["91"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["ruler"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2011 Former Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Andrzej Lepper is found dead in what police suspect is a suicide by hanging. (WBJ) (The Telegraph)","document":"Andrzej Lepper, leader of Self-defense (Samoobrona), former deputy prime minister, deputy parliamentary speaker and minister of agriculture was found dead in his Warsaw office on Friday August 5. It was reported that police who found him said Mr Lepper committed suicide by hanging. He was 57 years old.\nMr Lepper was one of Poland's most controversial politicians, a populist who wasn't shy of the cameras.\nIn recent years, he had been dragged down by the “Sex Affair” scandal, in which he was accused of demanding and receiving “benefits of a sexual nature” from a subordinate.\nHis nearly 20-year political career ended in practice with the 2007 ejection of his party from Parliament.\nHere is what WBJ wrote last year, when it seemed Mr Lepper's political career was at an end:\nA pig farmer by trade, Andrzej Lepper got started in politics shortly after the end of communism. Hyperinflation during the 1989-1992 period was ruinous for Poland’s agricultural sector, and many farmers faced spiraling debt payments. Around this period there were a number of “angry farmer” organizations, but Lepper’s – the “Self-defense of the Republic of Poland,” a trade union and party founded in 1992 – was perhaps the most successful.\nMr Lepper adopted Leszek Balcerowicz, the architect of Poland’s “shock therapy” program, as his arch-nemesis of choice. His slogan, “Balcerowicz must go,” became synonymous with the unrest caused by economic transformation. Indeed, Lepper’s flair for the dramatic was never more evident than when he addressed Mr Balcerowicz – in a 2001 book he stated, for example, “there exists in Poland a gynecologist who performs bloodless abortions – this is Balcerowicz. This is economic abortion.”\nThroughout the 1990s Mr Lepper and Self-defense participated in strikes, road blockages and other forms of semi-violent protest. But the 2001 parliamentary elections marked a turning point, with the party taking a stunning 10 percent of the vote and entering Parliament for the first time.\nThe secret of Self-defense’s success was fear. Having endured a hard decade of economic transition, many Poles were anxious about EU accession. Mr Lepper seized on this, voicing doubts – sometimes more, never less – on issues including: the sale of land to foreigners, especially Germans; foreign ownership of banks; respect for the sanctity of the church; abortion; and Western phobia of Poland’s Eastern neighbors.\nThis high-profile euroskepticism distinguished Self-defense from most other parties at the time. According to data from European Social Surveys conducted in Poland in 2002 and 2004, only supporters of the League of Polish Families were more anxious about accession than Self-defense voters.\nAnd yet the very source of Self-defense’s strength in this period – euroskepticism – later proved its Achilles’ heel.\nFall from ‘grace’\nIn the 2005 presidential election, Andrzej Lepper came in third, with 15 percent of the vote. Self-defense, meanwhile, was third in the parliamentary elections, taking more than 11 percent.\nScarcely two years later the party took less than two percent of the vote, exiting Parliament.\nThe reason for its downfall was three-fold. First, the public had grown weary of Andrzej Lepper and his serial press conferences, many of which lacked discernible purpose. So too had Self-defense’s larger partner in government, Law and Justice (PiS). Tired of Mr Lepper’s unreliability and erratic behavior, PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński gambled (and lost) on early elections.\nThe third major cause for Self-defense’s collapse was that the anxiety which accompanied EU accession had, by 2007, largely subsided. Poland’s farmers, the losers of economic transformation, were in fact net beneficiaries of accession. Hence crumbled Lepper’s support base.\nGoodbye, Mr Lepper\nSince the 2007 elections, the “scandal-a-month” tempo of politics has slowed to one or two a year, providing a measure of blessed relief for the country and its neighbors. The comedic void left by Mr Lepper has been partly filled by Civic Platform MP Janusz Palikot, who has proven himself an extremely capable harlequin but who lacks Mr Lepper’s populist touch and ideological disorientation.\nToday’s politicians are, by contrast, a boring lot – there’s no one to publicly profess admiration for Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels and the habit of referring to one’s self in the third person seems to have gone out of fashion. Quite frankly, some of the raucousness has fled the political scene. And that’s a very good thing.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["his Warsaw office"]},{"role":"Age","values":["57"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Andrzej Lepper"]},{"role":"Date","values":["August 5"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["deputy parliamentary speaker and minister of agriculture"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["suicide by hanging"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2012 Sir Rex Hunt, who was Governor of the Falkland Islands at the time of the 1982 invasion dies aged 86. (BBC)","document":"Sir Rex Hunt, who was governor of the Falkland Islands during the Argentine invasion in 1982 which triggered the Falklands War, has died aged 86.\nA statement said Sir Rex, who had retired to Stockton on Tees, died in hospital on Sunday night.\nThe Legislative Assembly of the Falklands said he would be forever remembered for his years of service. He was captured by the Argentine invasion force during the Falklands War and expelled from the islands.\nHe was granted the Freedom Of Stanley in 1985 to recognise his contributions to the islands.\nSir Rex, who grew up in Redcar in North Yorkshire, took up his post as governor of the island in 1980.\nAfter Argentine forces landed on the islands in  April 2 1982, Sir Rex took the difficult decision to order the token group of British marines defending the territory to surrender.\nHe put on his full ceremonial uniform and told the invading commander: \"You have landed unlawfully on British territory and I order you to remove yourself and your troops forthwith.\"\nThe Argentines, who call the islands Las Malvinas and say they are an integral part of their country, expelled Sir Rex to Uruguay, and he was later flown back to spend the war in the UK.\nThe islands recapture was completed by a British task force on June 14.\nSir Rex, who had joined what was then called the Colonial Service in 1952 after service in the RAF, continued to serve as Governor of the Falkands until 1985.\nInterviewed in 2007, he was full of praise for the prime minister of the time Margaret Thatcher and the First Sea Lord Sir Henry Leach for acting swiftly to dispatch a task force to recover the islands.\n\"I had been told that there was no possible way of getting the Argentinians out of the Falklands if they had got there first.\n \"It was certainly Margaret Thatcher and Admiral Leach who changed the attitude of the rest of them altogether.\n\"He said we could have it (the Task Force) ready by Sunday and that was just what Maggie Thatcher wanted to hear.\n\"Thank goodness we had a decent person in charge, she got it going.\"\nHe added: \"The first thing I said to people, giving speeches here [in the UK], was that it was worth it and I have never had a word back from any of the people who went there - no matter how badly injured - who said it wasn't worth it - not one.\"\nDavid Cameron has lead tributes by saying: \"Sir Rex Hunt should be a hero to everyone in Britain.\n\"His courage, resolve and judgement fired the spirit of the islanders and the British people to stand up to aggression and to defend the rights and freedom of the islanders.\"\nRoger Edwards, on behalf of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands, said it had received the news of his death with \"great sadness\".\nHe said: \"Sir Rex will forever be remembered in the islands for his years of service as governor, and particularly for his courage and dignity in facing the Argentine invasion in 1982.\n\"A loyal friend of the Falkland Islands, he served for many years as chairman of the Falkland Islands Association and as president of the UK Falkland Islands Trust. \"His passion and commitment to the Falkland Islands will be sorely missed. The thoughts and deepest sympathies of all Falkland Islanders are with his family and friends at this sad time.\"\nThe Foreign Secretary William Hague added: \"Like the islanders themselves, he demonstrated great courage and fortitude in the face of Argentine aggression during the Falklands conflict. \"After the conflict, he contributed to the transformation of the islands into a vibrant, modern and successful democracy.\"\nThe issue of the Falkland Islands, which are 7,780 miles from the UK and 1,140 miles from Buenos Aires, has again become prominent in the last year, with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez reasserting her country's claim to the islands.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospital"]},{"role":"Age","values":["86"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Rex Hunt"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday night"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["governor of the Falkland Islands"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 Jovan Belcher, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs American football team kills himself at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, after reportedly killing his girlfriend. (The Telegraph)","document":"American media reported that the 25 year-old was involved in an earlier shooting a few miles away. He was named by local police as Jovan Belcher, a linebacker for the Kansas Chiefs, who was born in New York but had been playing for the team since 2009. The club confirmed that \"an incident\" had occurred at the Arrowhead stadium on Saturday morning. Kansas City police spokesman Darin Snapp told AP news agency that authorities were told early on Saturday morning that a woman had been shot, five miles away from the Arrowhead complex. The woman was believed to be his girlfriend. Upon arriving, Mr Snapp said that police witnessed a black male in a car with a handgun to his head talking to two Chiefs officials. Police then heard a gunshot. American football player Javon Belcher (Getty Images) ","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["25 year-old"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Javon Belcher"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["football player"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 Jacintha Saldanha, a nurse at a London hospital, who took a hoax call from 2Day FM prankers about the Duchess of Cambridge, is found dead in a suspected suicide. (BBC) (The Independent) (Daily Mail)","document":"Jacintha Saldanha is understood to be the first person heard during the hoax call from presenters pretending to be the Queen\nFind your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile\nA nurse who was duped into transferring a prank call from two Australian radio presenters at the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge for severe morning sickness was found dead yesterday in a suspected suicide.\nJacintha Saldanha, 46, a nurse at the King Edward VII's Hospital in central London, answered the call at 5.30am on Tuesday from the Sydney-based 2Day FM station, whose DJs pretended to be the Queen and Prince Charles. Ms Saldanha put them through to a colleague who provided details of the Duchess's condition.\nMs Saldanha was found unconscious at a nurses' residence close to the private hospital in Marylebone at about 9.35am and despite the efforts of paramedics could not be revived. Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious, and a source said officers were investigating whether she had taken her own life. Mental health experts cautioned against any assumptions about factors contributing to her death. The nurse, a mother of two children, who started working at the hospital in 2008, is the first member of staff heard to answer on a recording of the hoax call from presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian.\nMs Greig, seeking to impersonate the Queen, asked to be put through to \"my grand-daughter\", prompting Ms Saldanha to reply: \"Oh yes, just hold on ma'am.\"\nThe hospital, which is rated as one of London's best private medical establishments and has a reputation for closely guarding the privacy of its patients, spoke of its shock and \"very deep sadness\" at the death of Ms Saldanha, whose partner and two sons live in Bristol. Her family said last night: \"We as a family are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha.\"\nIn a statement, the hospital said: \"She was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular with all of her colleagues.\n\"We can confirm Jacintha was the victim of a hoax call to the hospital. The hospital had been supporting her throughout this difficult time.\"\nLord Glenarthur, the hospital's chairman, added: \"This is a tragic event. Jacintha was a first-class nurse who cared diligently for hundreds of patients during her time with us.\"\nThe radio prank, which was pre-recorded and vetted by lawyers from the radio station before it was broadcast, was picked up by media worldwide and was acutely embarrassing for the hospital, which has a long history as the hospital of choice for the Royal Family.\nIn a statement earlier this week, the hospital's chief executive John Lofthouse condemned the prank, adding: \"We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously and we are now reviewing our telephone protocols.\"\nMr Lofthouse added: \"I think this whole thing is pretty deplorable; our nurses are caring, professional people trained to look after patients, not to cope with journalistic trickery of this sort.\"\nThe hospital offers its VIP patients private lines that are connected directly to their rooms, but the Australian DJs were able to reach the Duchess's personal nurse via the switchboard in an apparent breach of procedure.\nIt is understood that Ms Saldanha, who was registered to practice in Britain in July 2003, had not been disciplined or suspended by the hospital.\nShe answered the hospital's phone line in her role as duty nurse because there was no receptionist manning the switchboard at the time of the call.\nSt James's Palace said that neither Prince William and his wife nor any royal staff had complained to the hospital about the prank, adding that they had offered their \"full and heartfelt support\" to staff and to the nurses involved.\nThe couple, who had to announce that they were expecting their first child sooner than planned after Kate was admitted to hospital with acute morning sickness on Monday, said they were \"deeply saddened\" by Ms Saldanha's death. A spokesman at St James's Palace said: \"Their Royal Highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII's Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha's family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time.\"\nWhile little information about Ms Saldanha's mental health was available, nurses' leaders last night suggested that there could be a link between her death and the prank.\nDr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: \"It is deeply saddening that a simple human error due to a cruel hoax could lead to the death of a dedicated and caring member of the nursing profession.\"\nIn a statement, the ambulance service said: \"We were called at 9.25am this morning to an address on Weymouth Street. We sent two ambulance crews and a duty officer. Sadly the patient, a woman, was dead at the scene.\"\nThe owners of the Sydney radio station said last night that the two presenters were \"deeply shocked\" at the nurse's death and had agreed to stop broadcasting until further notice.\nThe Samaritans can be contacted on 08457 90 90 90.\nKing Edward VII: The hospital where it happened\nKing Edward VII's Hospital, one of London's premier private hospitals, is used to hosting VIP patients for Rolls-Royce medical care in conditions of high security. It has at various times accommodated the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales as well as other members of the Royal Family.\nIt has 58 en-suite rooms with flatscreen televisions and wi-fi and three operating theatres. It boasts on its website of a \"strong tradition of excellence in nursing\" and says unlike many hospitals \"most are permanently employed by us\". It claims never to have had a case of the hospital infections MRSA or Clostridium difficile and has won awards for the cleanliness of its wards and standard of food hygiene. The hospital was founded in 1899 and started life in a house belonging to Agnes Keyser who, with her sister, nursed sick and wounded officers returning from the Boer War.\nIt continues to offer subsidised care to people in the services and their spouses: its full name is the King Edward VII 's Hospital Sister Agnes. It has been treating the Royal Family since it opened and its patron is the Queen.\nJeremy Laurance\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":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["nurses' residence"]},{"role":"Age","values":["46"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Jacintha Saldanha"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["nurse"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["suicide"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 Jacintha Saldanha, a nurse at a London hospital, who took a hoax call from 2Day FM prankers about the Duchess of Cambridge, is found dead in a suspected suicide. (BBC) (The Independent) (Daily Mail)","document":"A nurse at a London hospital who took a hoax call about the Duchess of Cambridge has been found dead.\nThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said in a statement they were \"deeply saddened\" by the death of the nurse, named as Jacintha Saldanha.\nKing Edward VII hospital paid tribute to \"a first class nurse who cared diligently for hundreds of patients\".\nDetails of the pregnant duchess's medical condition were unwittingly revealed to two Australian DJs.\nMel Greig and Michael Christian, from Sydney radio station 2Day FM posed as the Queen and Prince Charles in a call early on Tuesday morning.\nRhys Holleran, chief executive of SCA, the company which owns the station, said in a statement the pair will not return to their show until further notice out of respect for Mrs Saldanha.\nThe duchess had been admitted on Monday for acute morning sickness, and was discharged on Thursday.\nBBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said he understood Mrs Saldanha - who was staying in hospital accommodation close to King Edward VII hospital - was the person who answered the call from the Australian DJs and was not the nurse who discussed the duchess's medical condition.\nMrs Saldanha, a duty nurse who was married with two children, answered the telephone because it was 05:30 GMT and there was no receptionist on duty.\nThe BBC understands Mrs Saldanha had not been suspended or disciplined by the hospital.\nThe BBC's Nicholas Witchell said it had been suggested to him that she had felt \"very lonely and confused\" as a result of what had happened.\nThe St James's Palace statement said the duke and duchess \"were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha's family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time\".\nA palace spokesman later added that \"at no point did the palace complain to the hospital about the incident\".\n\"On the contrary, we offered our full and heartfelt support to the nurses involved and hospital staff at all times.\"\nIn a statement outside the hospital, King Edward VII chief executive John Lofthouse said: \"We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital.\n\"The hospital had been supporting her throughout this difficult time.\"\nHe said Mrs Saldanha, who had worked at the hospital for more than four years, \"was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular with all of her colleagues\".\n\"Everyone is shocked by the loss of a much loved and valued colleague,\" he added.\nRoyal College of Nursing chief executive Dr Peter Carter, meanwhile, said it was \"deeply saddening that a simple human error due to a cruel hoax could lead to the death of a dedicated and caring member of the nursing profession\".\nScotland Yard said officers were called at 09:35 GMT on Friday after reports of a woman found unconscious at an address in Weymouth Street, central London. She was pronounced dead at the scene.\nPolice said the death was not being treated as suspicious.\nIn a statement, Mrs Saldanha's family said they were \"deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha\". They have requested privacy from the media.\nThe prank call was pre-recorded before it was assessed by lawyers and broadcast on 2Day FM.\nSpeaking on their show, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, called it the \"easiest prank call ever made\" and described their mock British accents as \"terrible\".\nIn the call, another nurse was tricked into revealing specific confidential information about the duchess's medical condition.\nThe DJs later apologised saying they were \"very surprised that our call was put through\".\n\"We thought we'd be hung up on as soon as they heard our terrible accents.\n\"We're very sorry if we've caused any issues and we're glad to hear that Kate is doing well.\"\nThe Twitter accounts of both presenters have been deleted and all references to the prank call recording removed from the 2Day FM website.\nSCA said on its Facebook page the company was \"deeply saddened by the tragic news\" and had extended \"our deepest sympathies to her family and all that have been affected.\" On Tuesday, hospital chief executive John Lofthouse said he had \"received advice that what the Australian broadcasters did may well have broken the law\".\nBut he added: \"On the other hand they've apologised for it so we're going to have a long and careful think about what, if anything, we do.\"\nThe Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) has said it had received complaints about the call.\nRadio station 2Day FM has previously been in trouble with Acma for incidents including one when a 14-year-old girl revealed on air that she had been raped.\nHoax call fools duchess hospital\nOne Covid vaccine dose cuts hospital risk by 75%\nBut the number of Delta variant cases recorded in the UK has risen by 79% in a week, figures show.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Jacintha Saldanha"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["nurse"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 British astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore, presenter of The Sky at Night for over 55 years, dies aged 89. (BBC)","document":"He \"passed away peacefully at 12:25 this afternoon\" at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, friends and colleagues said in a statement.\nSir Patrick presented the BBC programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of the same television show ever.\nHe wrote dozens of books on astronomy and his research was used by the US and the Russians in their space programmes.\nDescribed by one of his close friends as \"fearlessly eccentric\", Sir Patrick was notable for his habit of wearing a monocle on screen and his idiosyncratic style.\nSir Patrick presented the first edition of The Sky at Night on 24 April 1957. He last appeared in an episode broadcast on Monday.\nA statement by his friends and staff said: \"After a short spell in hospital last week, it was determined that no further treatment would benefit him, and it was his wish to spend his last days in his own home, Farthings, where he today passed on, in the company of close friends and carers and his cat Ptolemy.\n\"Over the past few years, Patrick, an inspiration to generations of astronomers, fought his way back from many serious spells of illness and continued to work and write at a great rate, but this time his body was too weak to overcome the infection which set in, a few weeks ago.\n\"He was able to perform on his world record-holding TV programme The Sky at Night right up until the most recent episode .\n\"His executors and close friends plan to fulfil his wishes for a quiet ceremony of interment, but a farewell event is planned for what would have been Patrick's 90th birthday in March 2013.\"\nPatrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore was born at Pinner, Middlesex on 4 Mar 1923.\nHeart problems meant he spent much of his childhood being educated at home and he became an avid reader. His mother gave him a copy of GF Chambers' book, The Story of the Solar System, and this sparked his lifelong passion for astronomy. When war came he turned down a place at Cambridge and  lied about his age to join the RAF, serving as a navigator with Bomber Command and rising to the rank of Flight Lieutenant.\nBut the war brought him a personal tragedy after his fiancee, Lorna, was killed when an ambulance she was driving was hit by a bomb. He never married.\nSir Patrick, who had a pacemaker fitted in 2006 and received a knighthood in 2001, won a Bafta for services to television and was a honorary fellow of the Royal Society.\nHe was a member of the UK Independence party and, briefly, the finance minister for the Monster Raving Loony Party, and attracted some controversy for his outspoken views on Europe and immigration.\nHis other TV credits include the role of Gamesmaster in the 1990s computer games show of the same name. BBC science correspondent Pallab Ghosh said Sir Patrick's appearance sometimes aroused as much comment as his astronomy: \"He was six-foot-three, and was once described as having 'an air of donnish dishevelment', with his raised eyebrow, scarcely-brushed hair and poorly-fitting suits. \"His enthusiasm was unstoppable, and on occasions he would talk at 300 words a minute.\"\nQueen guitarist Brian May, who published a book on astronomy written with Sir Patrick, described him as a \"dear friend, and a kind of father figure to me\".  He said: \"Patrick will be mourned by the many to whom he was a caring uncle, and by all who loved the delightful wit and clarity of his writings, or enjoyed his fearlessly eccentric persona in public life.\n\"Patrick is irreplaceable. There will never be another Patrick Moore. But we were lucky enough to get one.\"\nTelevision presenter and physicist Professor Brian Cox posted a message on Twitter saying: \"Very sad news about Sir Patrick. Helped inspire my love of astronomy. I will miss him!\"\nThe acting director general of the BBC, Tim Davie, said his achievements at the corporation \"were unmatched\", adding that Sir Patrick will be missed by his \"countless fans\".\nUKIP leader Nigel Farage said: \"Since I first met Sir Patrick when he dominated a UKIP stage in 1999, he has been a friend and an inspiration - not only to us in UKIP, but across the country and around the world.  Today we have seen the passing of a true great, and a true Englishman.\" And Dr Marek Kakula, public astronomer at Royal Observatory in Greenwich, described him as a \"very charming and hospitable man\".\n\"When you came to his home he would always make sure you had enough to eat and drink. He was full of really entertaining and amusing stories.\n\"There are many many professional astronomers like me who can actually date their interest in astronomy to watching Patrick on TV, so his impact on the world of professional astronomy as well as amateur is hard to overstate.\"\nObituary: Patrick Moore\nIn pictures: Life of Sir Patrick Moore\nSky at Night colleague's tribute\nTributes paid to Sir Patrick Moore\nSir Patrick Moore: Your memories\nThe Sky at Night\nAs it happened: One Covid vaccine dose cuts hospital risk by 75%\nBut the number of Delta variant cases recorded in the UK has risen by 79% in a week, figures show.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["at his home in Selsey"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Patrick Moore"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["astronomer"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 Mohammad Musa Rasouli, the police chief of Afghanistan's Nimroz Province, is killed by a roadside bomb while returning home from Herat Province. (AP via Yahoo! News)","document":"KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan police say a roadside bombing has killed the police chief of a southern province.\nA police official in Nimroz province, Obaidullah, says the attack took place on Monday morning in the western province of Herat. Obaidullah, like many Afghans, only goes by one name.\nHe says the vehicle with the chief of Nimroz province struck a bomb while driving back from Herat.\nThe police chief, Gen. Mohammad Musa Rasouli, was seriously wounded in the blast and rushed to the hospital, where he died of his wounds.\nRasouli was going back to his job to Nimroz after a short break in Herat province.\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.\nA mannequin is set to board the Orion spacecraft to gather information. NASA is taking a vote from the public on what to name the mannequin.\n“It’s a real freedom to forgive,” Charles Fain said. It took 20 years after his exoneration and release for this to happen.\nSen. Ted Cruz said Thursday he hopes Matthew McConaughey doesn't run for Texas governor as he might pose a \"formidable\" challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott.\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.\nUsing perplexing language and trying to confuse their constituents is just the latest strategy issued by Republicans attempting to enact policy.\nThe four survivors were seen struggling to stay afloat.\nRep. Ronny Jackson on Thursday said he's circulating a letter among House GOP colleagues calling on President Joe Biden to take a cognitive test.\nAnna Kern, who got a breakthrough infection in April, said she was struggling to return to work and was dealing with extreme fatigue.\nIf Gov. Ron DeSantis really cared about the meth-addiction problem in Florida, he would not be looking for solutions among immigrants at the Texas or Arizona borders, where he has no jurisdiction to enforce immigration law or run drug stings.\nThe Supreme Court has handed Republicans the perfect opportunity to lay down their weapons. Attacking this health care law is both cruel and futile.\nClippers coach Tyronn Lue experimented all season with rotations and personnel because of injury problems. Their adaptability has paid off vs. Jazz.\nThe officer in the Portland crowd-control team faces an assault charge after last year's race riots.\nA state park in northwest Florida on the Gulf was on high alert Thursday after a swimmer was bitten by a shark.\nThe suspect charged with killing Aiden Leos, 6, in a suspected road rage incident told police he shot at the car, according to prosecutors.\nThe 27 EU member states, including France, Italy, and Germany, agreed to allow nonessential travel from the US.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["western province of Herat"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Mohammad Musa Rasouli"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday morning"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["police chief"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["bomb"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 Former United States Senator Arlen Specter, who was vital in several United States Supreme Court nominations, dies at the age of 82, due to complications of non–Hodgkin's lymphoma. (AP via Yahoo! News)","document":"HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — For most of his 30 years as Pennsylvania's longest-serving U.S. senator and prominent moderate in Congress, Arlen Specter was a Republican, though often at odds with the GOP leadership.\nHe helped end the Supreme Court hopes of former federal appeals Judge Robert H. Bork, who was nominated by President Ronald Reagan. Decades later, he was one of only three Republicans in Congress to vote for President Barack Obama's economic stimulus.\nHis breaks with his party were hardly a surprise: He had begun his political career as a Democrat and ended it as one, too.\nIn between, he was at the heart of several major American political events. He rose to prominence in the 1960s as an assistant counsel to the Warren Commission, developing the single-bullet theory in President John F. Kennedy's assassination. He came to the Senate in the Reagan landslide of 1980 and was a key voice in the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of both Bork and Clarence Thomas.\nSpecter died Sunday died at his home in Philadelphia from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, said his son Shanin. He was 82. Over the years, Specter had fought two previous bouts with Hodgkin lymphoma, overcome a brain tumor and survived cardiac arrest following bypass surgery.\nIntellectual and stubborn, Specter took the lead on a wide spectrum of issues and was no stranger to controversy.\nIn one of his last major political acts, Specter startled fellow senators in April 2009 when he announced he was joining the Democrats. He said he was \"increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy,\" though he said the Democrats could not count on him to be \"an automatic 60th vote\" that would give them a filibuster-proof majority.\nHe had also concluded that he was unlikely to win a sixth term as a Republican, and his frankness about why he returned to the Democratic Party was packaged in a powerful TV ad by his primary opponent, then-U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, who hammered away at the incumbent as a political opportunist.\n\"My change in party will enable me to be re-elected,\" Specter says in TV news footage used in the ad.\nThe announcer ends the ad saying, \"Arlen Specter changed parties to save one job — his, not yours.\"\nDemocrats picked Sestak, a retired Navy vice admiral, over Specter in the 2010 primary, ending his decades of service. Sestak lost Specter's seat to conservative Republican Rep. Pat Toomey in the general election by 2 percentage points.\nSpecter rose to prominence in the 1960s as an aggressive Philadelphia prosecutor and during his time on the Warren Commission.\nIn 1987, Specter helped thwart Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court, earning him conservative enemies who still bitterly refer to such denials as being \"borked.\" But four years later, Specter was criticized by liberals for his tough questioning of Anita Hill at Thomas' Supreme Court nomination hearings and for accusing her of committing \"flat-out perjury.\" The interrogation, televised nationally, incensed women's groups and nearly cost him his seat in 1992.\nSpecter took credit for helping to defeat President Bill Clinton's national health care plan — the complexities of which he highlighted in a gigantic chart that hung on his office wall for years afterward — and helped lead the investigation into Gulf War syndrome, the name given to a collection of symptoms experienced by veterans of the war that include fatigue, memory loss, pain and difficulty sleeping. And following the Iran-Contra scandal, Specter pushed legislation that created the inspectors general of the CIA, which later exposed Aldrich Ames as a Soviet spy.\nBut he was not afraid to buck his fellow Republicans.\nAs a senior member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, Specter pushed for increased funding for stem-cell research, breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and supported several labor-backed initiatives in a GOP-led Congress. He also doggedly sought federal funds for local projects in his home state.\nIn 1995, he launched a presidential bid, denouncing religious conservatives as the \"fringe\" that plays too large a role in setting the party's agenda. Specter, who was Jewish, bowed out before the first primary because of lackluster fundraising.\nSpecter's irascible independence caught up with him in 2004. He barely survived a GOP primary challenge from Toomey by 17,000 votes of more than 1.4 million cast. He went on to easily win the general election with the help of organized labor, a traditionally Democratic constituency.\nSpecter was diagnosed in 2005 with stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. Announcing the diagnosis with his trademark doggedness, Specter said: \"I have beaten a brain tumor, bypass heart surgery and many tough political opponents and I'm going to beat this, too.\"\n\"Arlen Specter was always a fighter,\" Obama said in a statement Sunday. \"From his days stamping out corruption as a prosecutor in Philadelphia to his three decades of service in the Senate, Arlen was fiercely independent — never putting party or ideology ahead of the people he was chosen to serve. He brought that same toughness and determination to his personal struggles.\"\nSpecter wrote of his illness in a 2008 book, \"Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate,\" saying he wanted to let others facing similar crises \"ought to know they are not alone.\"\nCancer handed him \"a stark look at mortality\" and an \"added sense of humility,\" Specter told The Associated Press.\nBorn in Wichita, Kan., on Feb. 12, 1930, Specter spent summers toiling in his father's junkyard in Russell, Kan., where he knew another future senator — Bob Dole. The junkyard thrived during World War II, allowing Specter's father to send his four children to college.\nSpecter left Kansas for college in 1947 because the University of Kansas, where his best friends were headed, did not have Jewish fraternities. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1951 and Yale law school in 1956. He served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1953.\nFriends say his childhood circumstances made him determined, tough and independent-minded. Specter considered his father's triumphs the embodiment of the American dream, a fulfillment that friends say drove him to a career in public life.\nHe entered politics as a Democrat in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, when he was an assistant district attorney who sent six Teamsters officials to jail for union corruption.\nWorking on the Warren Commission in 1964, Specter was the chief author of the theory that a single bullet had hit both Kennedy and Texas Gov. John Connally, an assumption critical to the conclusion that presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. The theory remains controversial and was the subject of ridicule in Oliver Stone's 1991 movie \"JFK.\"\nAfter working on the Warren Commission, he returned to Philadelphia and challenged his boss, James Crumlish, for district attorney in 1965. Specter ran as a Republican and was derided by Crumlish as \"Benedict Arlen.\" But Crumlish lost to his protege by 36,000 votes.\nSpecter lost re-election as district attorney in 1973 and went into private practice. Among his most notorious clients as a private attorney was Ira Einhorn, a Philadelphia counterculture celebrity who killed his girlfriend in 1977.\nFinally, in 1980, Specter won the Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican Richard Schweiker, defeating former Pittsburgh Mayor Pete Flaherty.\nAfter leaving the Senate in January 2011, the University of Pennsylvania Law School said Specter would teach a course about Congress' relationship with the Supreme Court, and Maryland Public Television launched a political-affairs show hosted by the former senator.\nHe also occasionally performed standup comedy at clubs in Philadelphia and New York. He played squash nearly every day into his mid-70s and liked to unwind with a martini or two at night.\nA funeral was scheduled for Tuesday in Penn Valley, Pa., and will be open to the public, followed by burial in Huntingdon Valley, Pa.\nSpecter is survived by his wife, Joan, and two sons, Shanin and Steve, and four granddaughters.\n___\nAssociated Press writers Ron Todt in Philadelphia and Lara Jakes contributed to this report.\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.\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.\nMore than 100 people whose boats were moored at the marina during last year’s storm said they shouldn’t have to foot the bill on repairs.\nHart said in an interview with Romper that his children are aware of the \"gift and a curse\" that celebrity brings.\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,\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.\nThe musician-comedian behind \"Inside\" has made offensive jokes in the past, but has demonstrated a clear desire to become a more thoughtful artist.\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.\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.\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 couple went to the cliff to watch the sunrise.\nDuring more than five years of harassment, about 30 pieces of mail with homophobic names on them were sent to the couple’s home in Massachusetts.\n“12 Mighty Orphans” opens nationwide to positive reviews, audiences are seeing Lane Garrison’s talents\nIt wasn’t the Emancipation Proclamation, but rather “General Order No. 3”\nThe \"Daily Show\" correspondent Jordan Klepper confronted Mike Lindell about his conspiracy theories during the Frank Free Speech Rally in Wisconsin.\nStepp and his wife spent 19 days in the hospital with Alli.\nThe stars of 'Black Widow' assembled Friday to discuss the thrice-postponed film — and wound up pitching another Marvel movie concept entirely.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["his home in Philadelphia"]},{"role":"Age","values":["82"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Arlen Specter"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["senator"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 Former King of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk dies in Beijing at the age of 89. (BBC) (AFP via Channel News Asia)","document":"Norodom Sihanouk, the former Cambodian king who was a key figure through decades of upheaval, has died. The former king died at a hospital in the Chinese capital, Beijing, after having a heart attack. He had been in poor health for several years. Sihanouk, who was 89, came to the throne in 1941 and led Cambodia to independence from France in 1953.\nDespite long periods of exile and his abdication in 2004 due to ill health, he remained an influential figure.\nSihanouk abdicated in 2004 in favour of his son, King Norodom Sihamoni. \"His death was a great loss to Cambodia,\" said his assistant and relative Prince Sisowath Thomico. \"King Sihanouk did not belong to his family, he belonged to Cambodia and to history.\"\nHis body is expected to be returned to Cambodia and go on display for three months in the capital Phnom Penh before an official funeral at the royal palace. King Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen have flown to Beijing to accompany the late king home. A statement from China's foreign ministry hailed Sihanouk as a \"great friend of the Chinese people\". Japan's top government spokesman said without him \"there could not have been success in the Cambodian peace process\".\nBorn in 1922, Sihanouk was the eldest son of King Norodom Suramarit and Queen Kossamak.\nEducated at French schools in Saigon and in Paris, the Nazi-controlled Vichy government in France crowned Sihanouk king of Cambodia in 1941, bypassing his father in the hope that the 18-year-old could easily be manipulated.\nHowever, after the war Sihanouk embarked on an international campaign aimed at ensuring independence for Cambodia.\nIt was achieved without bloodshed in 1953 - after nearly a century of French rule. Two years later Sihanouk abdicated in favour of his father and became both prime minister and foreign minister of his country.\nHe tried - but failed - to keep the country from the Cold War conflict that engulfed South East Asia in the 1970s. When a US-backed coup installed Lon Nol as Cambodia's leader, Sihanouk - by then alienated by US bombing raids on Vietnamese communist guerrillas inside Cambodia - was forced into exile in Beijing. It was from there that he struck an ill-fated deal with the emerging Maoist rebel force, the Khmer Rouge. When the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975, Sihanouk returned as head of state but was subsequently detained. He remained confined to the royal palace for most of the four years of the regime's rule, during which time an estimated 1.7 million people died. People were killed or worked and starved to death, as the Khmer Rouge emptied cities and forced Cambodians to work on the land. Sihanouk later condemned the Khmer Rouge for the deaths of the Cambodians, including of several of his own children.\nWhen Vietnamese forces ousted the Khmer Rouge, Sihanouk went again to Beijing. He was to remain outside the country for 13 years, as Cambodia faced civil war and the struggle to rebuild from economic devastation. When the UN in 1991 persuaded the Vietnamese to withdraw and set Cambodia on the road to democracy, Sihanouk returned, and was again crowned king in 1993. His role was increasingly one of broker between Cambodia's warring political factions. But as the country slowly worked its way towards political stability, Sihanouk's health steadily worsened. In 2004, he announced he would step down in favour of one of his sons, the little-known Norodom Sihamoni. The former ballet dancer was crowned king in October 2004. After that, Sihanouk spent much of his time overseas, in Beijing and Pyongyang. But he remained a prominent national figure who - although criticised as autocratic and elitist, and blamed by some for his initial endorsement of the Khmer Rouge - symbolised constancy through Cambodia's years of violence. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospital in the Chinese capital"]},{"role":"Age","values":["89"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Norodom Sihanouk"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["former Cambodian king"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["heart attack"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel—the first star of adult cinema—dies. (BBC)","document":"Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel, who starred in the 1974 erotic French film Emmanuelle, has died aged 60.\n\"She died during the night during her sleep,\" her agent, Marieke Verharen, told the AFP news agency.\nThe actress, who had cancer, was admitted to hospital in July after suffering a stroke.\nEmmanuelle, which told the story of a sexually promiscuous housewife, spawned numerous sequels and played in a cinema on the Champs-Elysees for 11 years.\nReleased in 1974, the soft-focus French film was one of the first erotic movies to be shown in mainstream cinemas.\nKristel herself attributed its success to the changing censorship laws of the era.\n\"In a lot of countries the light went on, and that contributed very much to the success,\" she said.\nIn the UK, however, the film was eventually given the restricted X-rating, having suffered heavy cuts. The unedited version did not appear in the country until 2007.\nKristel went on to star in several Emmanuelle sequels, as well as more mainstream films - many of which, like Lady Chatterley's Lover and Mata Hari, played on her reputation as an erotic film star.\nBorn in Utrecht, Holland, in 1952, Kristel grew up with her younger sister Marianne in Room 21 of The Commerce Hotel, which her parents owned.\nConvent-educated, she fled her strict Calvinist upbringing for Amsterdam as a teenager, where she worked as a secretary and a waitress before becoming a model. Aged 21, she won two beauty competitions - Miss TV Holland and Miss TV Europe - and, shortly afterwards, was encouraged to pursue acting by her boyfriend, Belgian author Hugo Claus.\nShe had already appeared nude in the film Because of the Cats, when she stumbled into the audition for Emmanuelle, having been sent to a casting call for a soap powder commercial next door.\nSpeaking to The Evening Standard in 1994, she said she had no problem convincing director Just Jaeckin of her suitability for the part.\n\"He asked me to take my dress off,\" she said. \"Luckily it was an easy dress to take off. \"It had spaghetti straps which I just slipped over my shoulders and it just fell off. I carried on talking and smoking in the nude. I was not inhibited at all. I'd done nude modelling and he thought I was very graceful.\"\nSet in Thailand, the film was based on the erotic novel by Emmanuelle Arsan. It told the story of a bored wife, who had followed her diplomat husband to Asia, and filled her time with romantic trysts.\nOn release, Emmanuelle inevitably caused controversy. It was banned in Paris, where it was supposed to have its premiere, for six months. But it also made Kristel a star.\nShe spent seven years in Hollywood, appearing in such films as The Concorde: Airport '79, and Private Lessons. But the actress, whose parents were both alcoholics, soon found herself addicted to drink and drugs.\n\"I sometimes needed a shot before doing certain scenes,\" she said. \"It definitely comforted me and gave me courage. But then it turned out that I almost couldn't start a day without a drink.\"\nBy this time she had left Claus, with whom she had a son, for British actor Ian McShane. Their relationship was volatile. In her autobiography, she described it as \"awful - he was witty and charming but we were too much alike\".\nFurther relationships followed. She wed American millionaire Alan Turner, who ended their marriage after five months, telling Kristel he had made a terrible mistake. Her second husband, would-be director Philippe Blot, persuaded her to bankroll his films. They were disastrously received. Kristel said she left the marriage with $400 (£247) to her name.\n\"If I'd known then what I know now, I probably wouldn't have gone ahead with any of the relationships I was involved in, with the exception of Hugo,\" she told the Daily Mail in 1993.\nShe stopped appearing nude on screen in the 1980s because her son, Arthur, was being \"teased at school\", but returned to the Emmanuelle series in 1994, in a direct-to-video sequel where she appeared, fully-clothed, reminiscing about the exploits of her younger alter-ego.\nAfter leaving America, she retreated to the South of France to paint, specialising in female portraits and pictures of roses. She was diagnosed with both throat and lung cancer in the early 2000s and fought the disease over the last decade.\nHer agent declined to say whether Kristel died at home or at hospital, but said her funeral would be private.\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["60"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Sylvia Kristel"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["actress"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["cancer"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 Yash Chopra, one of India's most influential filmmakers, dies from dengue fever in Mumbai. (BBC)","document":"One of India's most influential film-makers, Yash Chopra, has died from dengue fever in Mumbai, aged 80.\nOver five decades, Chopra, dubbed the King of Romance, gave Bollywood some of its biggest blockbusters. His film studios Yash Raj Films helped establish some of Indian cinema's biggest names, including Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.\nIn his tribute, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described Chopra as an \"icon of Indian cinema\". Yash Chopra will be remembered as the man behind some of Bollywood's most watched films, known not just in India but around the world, says the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan in Mumbai.\nChopra died in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on Sunday and was also suffering kidney ailments, according to Dr Prakash Jiyavani.\n\"It is sad news that Yash is no more among us,\" close family friend Amit Khanna, chairman of Reliance Big Entertainment, told AFP news agency.\nSinger Lata Mangeshkar said: \"He made me sing in all his films. He was a jovial person... Even when he was angry, he simply kept quiet.\"\nIn his tribute, Prime Minister Singh said Chopra had entertained many generations \"with his rare creativity\".\n\"His flourish to essay romance and social drama was unmatched,\" the prime minister said, adding that the filmmaker had established the international reputation of Indian cinema.\nYash Chopra started his film career working for his brother before establishing Yash Raj Films and going on to produce more than 40 movies - 22 of them as director. Chopra was behind major hits including Deewar (Wall), Dil To Pagal Hai (Heart Is Mad) and Chandni (Moonlight).\nOn his birthday last month, he said Jab Tak  Hai Jaan (Till I am Alive) - being released next month - would be his last movie as a director. Bollywood icon Yash Chopra dies, aged 80\nBollywood romcom still showing\nYash Raj Films\nUN calls for end of arms sales to Myanmar\nIn a rare move, the UN condemns the overthrowing of Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for an arms embargo.\nThe ethnic armies training Myanmar's protesters. VideoThe ethnic armies training Myanmar's protesters\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":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital"]},{"role":"Age","values":["80"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Yash Chopra"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":["Prakash Jiyavani"]},{"role":"Profession","values":["film-maker"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["dengue fever"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 Former United States Senator and 1972 Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern dies at the age of 90 in Sioux Falls. (The New York Times)","document":"George McGovern, the United States senator who won the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1972 as an opponent of the war in Vietnam and a champion of liberal causes, and who was then trounced by President Richard M. Nixon in the general election, died early Sunday in Sioux Falls, S.D. He was 90.\nHis death was announced in a statement by his family. He had been moved to hospice care in recent days after being treated for several health problems in the last year. He had a home in Mitchell, S.D., where he had spent his formative years.\nAn earlier version of this obituary misstated Mr. McGovern's age when he won the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1972. He was 49, not 50.\nAn obituary on Monday about George McGovern, the United States senator who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1972, misstated his wife’s maiden name in some editions. She was Eleanor Stegeberg, not Stageberg. The obituary also referred incorrectly in some editions to a World War II mission in which Mr. McGovern, a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, crash-landed his plane after it was struck by enemy fire. His navigator was not killed in that incident. And the obituary misstated the number of great-grandchildren who survive Mr. McGovern. There are eight, not one.\nDavid E. Rosenbaum, a Washington correspondent for The New York Times, died in 2006.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Sioux Falls"]},{"role":"Age","values":["90"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["George McGovern"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["senator"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 Somali poet, playwright and songwriter Warsame Shire Awale is killed in Mogadishu. (BBC)","document":"Popular Somali poet, playwright and songwriter Warsame Shire Awale has been killed in the capital, Mogadishu.\nHe was shot by unknown gunmen near his home on Monday evening.\nMr Awale wrote and acted in radio plays critical of the militant group, al-Shabab, who he accused of misleading people in the name of Islam. The National Union of Somali Journalists says he had received death threats because of his work and songs calling for people to join the police.\nMohamed Mohamed, from the BBC's Somali Service, says Mr Awale had contributed to the Somali arts scene for more than 30 years.\nHe also worked for Radio Kulmiye and had recently become popular with young Somalis who enjoyed his comic plays urging them to reject violence and join those working for the UN-backed government.\nHe had long been a member of the police band, renowned before the civil war for its performances - and had in more recent times been writing tunes encouraging people to join the struggling police force.\nMr Awale, who was in his 60s, is the 18th person to have worked in the media to be killed this year in Somalia.\nAl-Shabab has claimed responsibility for killing more than 10 journalists this year. One of them was beheaded in Mogadishu.\nThe group was expelled from Mogadishu more than a year ago by African Union troops and the Somali army but its al-Qaeda-aligned fighters still launch frequent attacks in the city.\nSince the overthrow of President Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, Islamist militants and its neighbours all battling for control of the country.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Mogadishu"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Warsame Shire Awale"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday evening"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["poet, playwright and songwriter"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["shot"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":["Al-Shabab"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2011 Renowned Swiss climber Erhard Loretan is killed after falling off a mountain in the Swiss Alps on his 52nd birthday. (BBC) (The Guardian)","document":"Renowned Swiss climber Erhard Loretan has died in a climbing accident in the Swiss Alps on his 52nd birthday.\nSwiss police say Loretan was leading a client up the summit ridge of the Gruenhorn, in the Bernese Alps, on Thursday afternoon when the pair fell.\nThe climber died at the scene, while his Swiss client was flown to hospital in a serious condition.\nLoretan was one of the few people to have reached the summits of all 14 mountain peaks above 8,000m (26,247ft).\nBut his career was blighted by a family tragedy just before Christmas 2001, when he killed his own infant son by shaking him to death to stop him crying.\nThe two climbers fell for unknown reasons at a height of 3,800m, up the  4,043-m peak, police from the Swiss canton of Valais said. It was a fall of 200m, according to Swiss newspaper La Tribune de Geneve. Loretan, originally from the canton of Fribourg, began climbing at the age of 11.\nHe scaled his first 8,000-m peak, Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, in 1982.\nOver the next 13 years, he climbed the other 13.\nHis 1986 ascent of Mount Everest, without bottled oxygen, by night and in just 40 hours, stunned the mountaineering world.\nThat same year, he climbed 38 Swiss peaks in 19 days, La Tribune de Geneve reports.\nHe told L'Objectif magazine in 1995 that he had an \"extreme fear of death\" but his fear kept him crucially alert when climbing.\nFor the manslaughter of his son of seven months, Loretan was convicted and given a suspended sentence of four months in 2003.\nHe said he had shaken the child for just a couple of seconds to stop him crying, then put him to bed and the crying had stopped. He later called an ambulance.\nThe case's notoriety led to new research showing many parents were unaware that infants can die from being shaken for only a few seconds, because of weak neck muscles, the Associated Press news agency recalls.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Swiss Alps"]},{"role":"Age","values":["52"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Erhard Loretan"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday afternoon"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["climber"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2011 Claude Choules, the last known combat veteran from World War I, dies in Perth, Western Australia. (AP via MSNBC) (BBC)","document":"The world's last known combat veteran of World War I, Claude Choules, has died in Australia aged 110. Known to his comrades as Chuckles, British-born Mr Choules joined the Royal Navy at 15 and went on to serve on HMS Revenge.\nHe moved to Australia in the 1920s and served in the military until 1956.\nMr Choules, who had been married to his wife Ethel for 76 years, was reported to have died in his sleep at a nursing home in his adopted city of Perth.\nHe is survived by three children and 11 grandchildren. His wife died three years ago.\nMr Choules' 84-year-old daughter, Daphne Edinger, told the Associated Press news agency: \"We all loved him. It's going to be sad to think of him not being here any longer, but that's the way things go.\"\nBorn in Pershore, Worcestershire, in March 1901, Mr Choules tried to enlist in the Army at the outbreak of WWI to join his elder brothers who were fighting, but was told he was too young. He lied about his age to become a Royal Navy rating, joining the battleship HMS Revenge on which he saw action in the North Sea aged 17. He witnessed the surrender of the German fleet in the Firth of Forth in November 1918, then the scuttling of the fleet at Scapa Flow. Mr Choules remembered WWI as a \"tough\" life, marked by occasional moments of extreme danger. After the war he served as a peacekeeper in the Black Sea and in 1926 was posted as an instructor to Flinders Naval Depot, near Melbourne. It was on the passenger liner to Australia that he met his future wife.\nHe transferred to the Royal Australian Navy and after a brief spell in the reserves rejoined as a Chief Petty Officer in 1932. During World War II he was chief demolition officer for the western half of Australia. It would have been his responsibility to blow up the key strategic harbour of Fremantle, near Perth, if Japan had invaded. Mr Choules joined the Naval Dockyard Police after finishing his service.\nBut despite his military record, Mr Choules became a pacifist. He was known to have disagreed with the celebration of Australia's most important war memorial holiday, Anzac Day, and refused to march in the annual commemoration parades.\nHe took a creative writing course at the age of 80 and recorded his memoirs for his family. They formed the basis of the autobiography, The Last of the Last, which was published in 2009.\nThe last three WWI veterans living in Britain - Bill Stone, Henry Allingham and Harry Patch - all died in 2009.\nAnother Briton, Florence Green - who turned 110 in February and was a waitress in the Women's Royal Air Force - is now thought to be the world's last known surviving service member of WWI. An American veteran, Frank Buckles, died earlier this year.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["nursing home in his adopted city of Perth"]},{"role":"Age","values":["110"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Claude Choules"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["veteran"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2011 A worker at the Fukushima power plant dies while working on crisis-fighting operations. (Mainichi Shimbun) (CNN)","document":"TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A worker at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant died Saturday after collapsing while carrying materials as part of crisis-fighting operations, the operator said.\nIt is the first time a worker has died at the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. since the March 11 mega earthquake and tsunami triggered a series of radiation leakage accidents there. The cause of his death was not immediately known.\nNo radioactive substances have been detected on the man, who was in his 60s, and he apparently sustained no injuries, the utility said. The man had started working at the plant on Friday and was wearing protective gear at the time of the accident. He was exposed to radiation totaling 0.17 millisievert.\nThe man, an employee of a subcontractor, collapsed about one hour after he began working at 6 a.m. Saturday with another worker at a waste disposal processing facility. He was unconscious when he was taken to a medical room inside the plant past 7 a.m. and was confirmed dead at a hospital in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, the utility and other officials said.\nThe other worker has not complained of health problems, the company added.\nThe accident occurred as the company continued Saturday work to install a new cooling system at the No. 1 plant, where much of the fuel in the core has melted after being fully exposed.\nIn other moves, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the central government will consider special legislation aimed at compensating local residents and businesses that suffered damage from the Fukushima nuclear crisis.\nKan said the government will carry out such compensation \"with great responsibility\" in a meeting with Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato, who asked the prime minister to take legislative steps because the current laws do not take into account damage stemming from misinformation regarding radioactive contamination of food produce.\nChief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano had earlier told a news conference that special legislation would be possible to create jobs and promote the agricultural and livestock industries in areas severely affected by the nuclear crisis.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["waste disposal processing facility"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["worker"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2011 Tenerife's randomly beheaded British woman is named by her family as 60–year–old Jennifer Mills–Westley. (BBC) (The Guardian)","document":"The British woman stabbed and beheaded in a shop on the Spanish island of Tenerife has been named by her family as 60-year-old Jennifer Mills-Westley.\nHer daughter Sarah said she was \"full of life, generous of heart and would do anything for anyone\".\nShe said her mother was enjoying her retirement, travelling between Tenerife and France and visiting her other daughter in Norfolk.\nSpanish media said a Bulgarian man, 28, was arrested in Los Cristianos. Witnesses said a man entered a Chinese supermarket in a shopping centre and stabbed then beheaded her, before dropping the head outside.\nHe appeared to choose his victim at random, according to a local official.\nMs Mills-Westley's daughter Sarah said: \"Mum retired a number of years ago and was fully enjoying her retirement travelling between Tenerife and France where she spent time visiting her daughter and grandchildren, and her other daughter in Norfolk.\n\"She was full of life, generous of heart, would do anything for anyone. \"We now have to find a way of living without her love and light and we would ask at this difficult time for some privacy as we try to come to terms with our loss.\"\nMs Mills-Westley, a grandmother of five from Norwich, retired to Tenerife after working as a road safety officer at Norfolk County Council. Leader of the council Derrick Murphy said the news was \"absolutely devastating\" for those who used to work with her.\n\"We offer our sincere and deepest sympathies to Jenny's friends and family, in particularly her two daughters and five grandchildren,\" he said.\n\"As you can imagine, the terrible news obviously has come as a great shock to us... she was an incredibly well-respected member of the staff.\"\nMs Mills-Westley's former neighbour, Stella Watts, said she was a \"kind, lovely lady\" who used to take her to hospital to visit her sick partner.\nLocal officials have been analysing CCTV footage of the attack which shows a man walking into the supermarket - which sells Chinese food and tourist souvenirs.\nWitnesses said the man attacked the woman without saying a word.\n\"Apparently this gentleman without any motive or any reason... entered the shop and then cut this woman's neck and took the head in his hand outside,\" said local councillor Manuel Reveron. A security guard then managed to wrestle the man to the ground, he said.\n\"I parked my car and saw a man running out with something bloody in his hands and a security guard chasing him,\" one witness was quoted as telling local radio.\n\"He threw it to the ground, it almost hit me and what he had been carrying was a woman's head.\"\nIn a video posted on YouTube, Colin Kirby of Tenerifemagazine.com said security guards held down the suspect until the police arrived.\n\"The security and the police had to hold people off - they were queuing up - they were trying basically to kick the hell out of the guy,\" he said.\nChristina Perez, a legal representative at a nearby court, said she and her colleagues ran indoors for safety.\n\"Everybody is shocked. It's a very safe area. You can usually go anywhere you want in the day or at night. This is really not normal.\"\nPolice sources told Spanish media the suspect had a police record.\nDominica Fernandez, of the Regional Interior Ministry, said the attack appeared to be random and that the suspect was well known in the area.\nRegional newspaper La Opinion said the suspect had received treatment at the psychiatric unit of a local hospital in February after being involved in previous violent incidents.\nThe BBC's Maddy Savage said this kind of violence was extremely rare in the Canary Islands which attract more than 10 million tourists each year. A Foreign Office spokesman said: \"We are in touch with the next of kin and are providing consular assistance.\n\"Consular officials in Tenerife are in contact with local authorities about this tragic incident and our condolences go out to the family at this difficult time.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["in a shop on the Spanish island of Tenerife"]},{"role":"Age","values":["60-year-old"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Jennifer Mills-Westley"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["stabbed and beheaded"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":["a Bulgarian man"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2011 A man who plunged to his death from a seventh–floor balcony in Brisbane, Australia was participating in the internet craze of \"planking\", Australian police have said. (BBC)","document":"Australian police say a man who plunged to his death from a seventh-floor balcony on Sunday was participating in the internet craze of \"planking\".\nPlanking involves someone lying flat on their stomach in unusual and sometimes dangerous situations, and posting photographs on social media websites.\nPolice said the dead man, in his 20s, fell from a balcony railing in Brisbane while a friend photographed him.\nThe man's name has not been released pending notification of his family.\nThe craze has gone viral in recent weeks, with one Facebook page boasting 90,000 fans and hundreds of photos of people lying on chimneys, escalators, camels, and other objects.\n\"This morning we have seen a young man take this activity a step further and attempt to plank on a balcony,\" said Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett.\n\"Unfortunately he has tragically fallen to his death.\"\nQueensland police last week warned \"plankers\" of the dangers of the activity, after a man was caught allegedly planking on a police car.\nThe 20-year-old was charged with being on police equipment without lawful excuse.\nSergeant Matthew Russell, of Gladstone police, told the Brisbane Courier-Mail newspaper that planking could be dangerous, and practitioners may find themselves charged with \"unauthorised high risk activity\".\n\"While we appreciate the activity is light-hearted fun, putting yourself and others at risk and breaking the law will not be tolerated,\" he said.\nMr Barnett said the death on Sunday is \"what we've been fearing\".\n\"As planking gains popularity, there may be more injuries and potentially further deaths,\" he said.\nFacebook: Planking\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.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Brisbane"]},{"role":"Age","values":["20"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["fell from a balcony"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2011 Former Iranian football player and manager Nasser Hejazi dies at 61 after a bout with lung cancer. (ISNA)","document":"The 62-year old Iranian football star has been dealing with lung cancer since one and a half years ago. He was sent to hospital as watching local match between Esteghlal and Pas soccer teams as his disease reappeared.\nThe Iranian soccer legend died as being hospitalized in Kasra hospital.\nNasser Hejazi was born in 1949. He was one of the most famous football players in Iran. He was goalkeeper of Iranian national football team in 1960's and 1970's and won for two times in AFC Asian Cup, one time in Asian Games and was in 1976 Summer Olympics and 1978 FIFA World Cup.\nIn 2000, the Asian Football Confederation ranked him the second best Asian goalkeeper of the 20th century.[1]\nHe was head coach of Esteghlal from 1996 to 1999 and later in 2007 and won Azadegan League and Hazfi Cup and runner up in AFC Champions League.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Kasra hospital"]},{"role":"Age","values":["62-year old"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["football player"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["lung cancer"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, dies after suffering a massive heart attack in Florida. (NBC Sports/MSNBC)","document":"NEW YORK - He was baseball's bombastic Boss. He rebuilt the New York Yankees dynasty with sky-high payrolls and accepted nothing less than World Series championships. He fired managers. Rehired them. And fired them again. He butted heads with commissioners and fellow owners, insulted his players and dominated tabloid headlines - even upstaging the All-Star game on the day of his death. George Michael Steinbrenner III, who both inspired and terrorized the Yankees in more than three decades as owner, died Tuesday of a heart attack at age 80. \"He was and always will be as much of a New York Yankee as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and all of the other Yankee legends,\" baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. Once reviled by fans for his overbearing and tempestuous nature, Steinbrenner mellowed in his final decade and became beloved by employees and rivals alike for his success. Steinbrenner was taken from his home to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Fla., and died about 6:30 a.m, a person close to the owner told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not disclosed those details. \"George was a fierce competitor who was the perfect fit for the city that never sleeps - colorful, dynamic and always reaching for the stars,\" former President Bill Clinton said. Yankees captain Derek Jeter added: \"He expected perfection.\" Slideshow  George Steinbrenner: 1930-2010New York Yankees owner known as \"The Boss\"more photos\nmore photos\nIn 37 1/2 years as owner, Steinbrenner whipped a moribund $10 million team into a $1.6 billion colossus that became the model of a modern franchise, one with its own TV network and ballpark food business. Under his often brutal but always colorful reign, the Yankees won seven World Series championships, 11 American League pennants and 16 AL East titles, going on spectacular spending sprees that caused Larry Lucchino, president of the rival Boston Red Sox, to dub Steinbrenner's Yankees the \"Evil Empire.\" He moved the Yankees from their tradition-rich \"House that Ruth Built\" into a new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium. Call it the \"House the Boss Built.\" He appeared there just four times: the April 2009 opener, the first two games of last year's World Series and this year's home opener, when Jeter and manager Joe Girardi went to his suite and personally delivered his seventh World Series ring. \"He was very emotional,\" son Hal Steinbrenner said then. Steinbrenner's larger-than-life outbursts transcended sports and made him a pop culture figure whose firings were parodied on the TV comedy \"Seinfeld\" and even by Steinbrenner himself in commercials. \"George was The Boss, make no mistake,\" said Berra, the Hall of Famer who ended a 14-year feud with Steinbrenner in 1999. \"He built the Yankees into champions, and that's something nobody can ever deny. He was a very generous, caring, passionate man. George and I had our differences, but who didn't? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much.\" Steinbrenner's death, about 14 hours before the first pitch of the All-Star game in Anaheim, Calif., was the second in three days to rock the Yankees. Bob Sheppard, the team's revered public address announcer from 1951-07, died Sunday at 99.\nSlideshow  Gone, not forgottenTake a look at notable sports deaths of 2010.NBCSports.com\nNBCSports.com\nA video tribute was shown and players bowed their heads during a moment of silence before the national anthem was played at Angel Stadium. Jeter and the Yankees wore black armbands, and the U.S., Canadian and California flags were lowered to half-staff.\nNew York was 11 years removed from its last championship when Steinbrenner, then an obscure son of an Ohio shipbuilder, headed a group that bought the team from CBS Inc. on Jan. 3, 1973, for about $8.7 million net. Forbes now values the Yankees at $1.6 billion, trailing only Manchester United ($1.8 billion) and the Dallas Cowboys ($1.65 billion). \"He was an incredible and charitable man,\" Steinbrenner's family said in a statement. \"He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again.\" He ruled with obsessive dedication to detail - from trades to the airblowers that kept his ballparks spotless. When he thought the club's parking lot was too crowded, Steinbrenner stood on the pavement - albeit behind a van, out of sight - and had a guard check every driver's credential. But he also tried to make up for his temper with good deeds and often-unpublicized charitable donations.   Steinbrenner dies at 80Steinbrenner dead after massive heart attackCelizic: 'Boss' was dictator, and world championHBT: Don't whitewash what Steinbrenner wasNewsweek: The most hated man in baseballHBT: Red Sox to hold moment of silence for Boss  'A very sad day,' Darryl Strawberry says  Yankee fans show their respect to late ownerClassic Steinbrenner: Witty quotes from 'Boss'Newsweek: Remembrances of the BossInteractive: Steinbrenner timeline  |    Images  Was Steinbrenner greatest owner in sports?Mailbag: Readers react to Steinbrenner's deathTimeline: All 27 World Series titles by YankeesHis rule was interrupted by two lengthy suspensions, including a 15-month ban in 1974 after pleading guilty to illegal contributions to the re-election campaign of President Richard Nixon. Steinbrenner was fined $15,000 and later pardoned by President Ronald Reagan. He also was banned for 2 1/2 years for paying self-described gambler Howie Spira to obtain negative information on outfielder Dave Winfield, with whom Steinbrenner was feuding. Through it all, Steinbrenner lived up to his billing as \"The Boss,\" a nickname he clearly enjoyed as he ruled with an iron fist. While he lived in Florida in his later years, he was a staple on the front pages of New York newspapers with his tirades. Steinbrenner was in fragile health for the past 6 1/2 years, resulting in fewer public appearances and pronouncements. He fainted at a memorial service for NFL great Otto Graham in December 2003, appeared weak in August 2006 when he spoke briefly at the groundbreaking for the new stadium, and became ill while watching his granddaughter in a college play in North Carolina that October. At this year's spring training, he used a wheelchair and needed aides to hold him during the national anthem. Sponsored links","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["80"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["George Michael Steinbrenner"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["Boss"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["heart attack"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Former Balochistan senator Habib Jalib is shot dead outside his home in Quetta, leading to riots and widespread mourning. (BBC) (The News International)[permanent dead link] (Xinhua)","document":"A former senator from the Pakistani province of Balochistan has been shot dead in the provincial capital, Quetta.\nHabib Jalib was killed by two unknown gunmen outside his home in the Musa colony, police said.\nHe was the Balochistan National Party's secretary general. Angry supporters chanted slogans and protested against the killing in Quetta.\nAnother Baloch politician, National Party's Maula Bukhsh Dashti, was assassinated in Turbat town on Sunday.\nHis attackers escaped on a motorbike. 'Despicable act'\nMr Jalib was a Moscow-educated lawyer with a reputation as an intellectual and an articulate politician.\nPolice say they are investigating whether Wednesday's was a targeted killing.\nProtests over the killing have forced several shops in Quetta to shut down.\nAll schools and colleges, including Balochistan University, will remain closed for two days. A large number of police and security personnel have been deployed in the city to keep peace.\nPresident Asif Ali Zardari condemned the assassination, describing it as \"a heinous and despicable act\".\nNo group has said it carried out the attack and it remains unclear who might have shot Mr Jalib.\nThe BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says the National Party has been under pressure from separatists in Balochistan to abandon using political means to achieve its goals.\nSeparatist groups in the province have carried out targeted killings of their opponents but they have also been blamed for killings which they deny, our correspondent says. Pakistan's shadowy security agents are also frequently accused by Baloch politicians of orchestrating targeted killings of popular leaders and then blaming insurgents.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["outside his home in the Musa colony"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Habib Jalib"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["secretary general"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["shot"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Senior Indian Army officer Major A. K. Thinge is killed in battle in Kashmir. (BBC) (The Times of India) (Indian Express) (People's Daily)","document":"A senior Indian army officer has been killed in an ongoing gun battle with militants in Indian-administered Kashmir.\nMajor AK Thinge died after he and his men came \"under heavy fire\" in Poonch, an army spokesman said.\nSeven other soldiers, including a colonel, were injured.\nDespite a decline in violence in Kashmir in recent years, there are fears that militants are trying to regroup in the region. Hundreds of thousands of Indian troops are based in Kashmir to fight a two decade-old insurgency against Indian rule. An army spokesman said it was not clear whether the militants had crossed the Line of Control which divides Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and is close to the Beri Rakh region where the gunbattle is going on.\n\"The operation will continue. We have tightened the security cordon in the area.\"\nHe said the troops had come under heavy fire from the militants as they were preparing to launch an operation to flush them out.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Indian-administered Kashmir"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["AK Thinge"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["army officer"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":["militants"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Greek investigative journalist, blogger and broadcaster Sokratis Giolias is killed after being shot more than 15 times outside his home in Ilioupoli, Athens ahead of the publication of his report into corruption. (BBC) (Aljazeera) (Reuters) (The Washington Post)","document":"A Greek investigative journalist has been shot dead outside his home in Athens in an attack linked by police to leftist militants. Sokratis Giolias, 37, was shot more than 15 times in the Athens neighbourhood of Ilioupoli.\nAccording to colleagues, he had been about to publish the results of an investigation into corruption.\nPolice said ballistics tests tied the killers' guns to previous attacks by the Sect of Revolutionaries.    They had initially discounted the idea that leftist militants might have killed Mr Giolias. The Sect of Revolutionaries (SR) has threatened members of the media in the past. Last year they attacked the headquarters of private broadcaster Alter TV, without causing any injuries.\nNo group has yet said it was behind the killing of Mr Giolias.\nMr Giolias was head of news at private Athens radio station Thema FM, and wrote on a popular news blog, called Troktiko.\n\"Somebody wanted to silence a very good investigative reporter who had stepped on a lot of toes with his stories,\" said Panos Sobolos, president of the Athens journalists' union.\nGreece's parliamentary speaker Philippos Petsalnikos expressed \"outrage and grief at this heinous and murderous act\".\nThe BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens says while gangland murders are frequent occurrences in Greece, attacks on journalists are rare.\nThe last such murder was in the mid-1980s, when the guerrilla group November 17 killed a conservative newspaper publisher.\nMr Giolias was apparently killed by a professional hit team, our correspondent says. Police are looking for two or three gunmen who, masquerading as security personnel, and wearing bullet-proof vests, called at the journalist's apartment and summoned him into the street on Monday morning, he says.\nTheir getaway car was later found abandoned and burned.\n\"The ballistic investigation showed that the guns used in the assassination today... have been used in attacks claimed by the Sect of Revolutionaries,\" police said in a statement.\nEmerging after the riots which raged in Greece in December 2008, the group said it had killed an anti-terrorist police officer who was shot dead in June 2009.\nAfter the gun and bomb attack on Alter TV, the group accused the media of manufacturing news and attempting to ensure the public remained obedient to the state.\n\"Journalists, this time we came to your door, but next time you will find us in your homes,\" SR said.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["outside his home in Athens"]},{"role":"Age","values":["37"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Sokratis Giolias"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["journalist"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["shot"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 The United Kingdom's oldest person, a Gateshead great–great grandmother, dies at the age of 111. She would have been 112 next month. (BBC)","document":"Eunice Bowman, who was born in 1898 and has seen six monarchs on the throne, died peacefully in her sleep at Hillside Grange Care Home in Gateshead. The 111-year-old, who was widowed twice, had six children, 17 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.\nGuinness World Records confirmed she was the UK's oldest person. She put her long life down to never smoking.\nMrs Bowman worked in a fish and chip shop well into her 80s and said \"a tipple of honey\" helped keep her going.\nShe lived on Tyneside for most of her life and lived independently until two years ago, when she moved into the home where she died on Friday. Eunice was born in Lancashire on 23 August 1898, the second of 12 children. When she was interviewed by the BBC on her 111th birthday, she said: \"I've had a very happy life.\"\nIn about 1905 the family moved to the north-east of England so her father Thomas could find work and they settled in Felling.\nWhen World War I broke out she went to work for the Armstrong munitions factory in Newcastle and the money she earned was used to help her family.\nIn 1919 she married Robert Pearson and they had four children. He contracted tuberculosis in 1928 and died.\nWhen World War II started two of Eunice's sons, Norman and Thomas, enlisted into the Army and one was sent to Africa and the other to France. Both returned after the war and went back to their jobs in the shipyards.\nIn 1941 Eunice married Frank Bowman and had two children - Sheila, who died as a child, and Ann, who was born in 1945. Frank died in 1950.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Hillside Grange Care Home in Gateshead"]},{"role":"Age","values":["111-year-old"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Eunice Bowman"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 A worker at a Foxconn subsidiary undergoes a fatal fall from a dormitory building in Foshan, Guangdong. (BBC) (Philippine Daily Inquirer) (Reuters India) (The Sydney Morning Herald)","document":"BEIJING—A worker at an affiliate of technology giant Foxconn died Tuesday in south China after falling from a dorm building, state media said, after a spate of similar deaths hit the Taiwanese firm this year.\nFoxconn -- which assembles Apple's iPhone -- has seen a series of suicides in its Chinese plants this year that has put the spotlight on conditions for millions of factory workers in the \"workshop of the world\".\nA total of 11 Chinese employees have committed suicide this year at Foxconn plants by jumping from buildings, including 10 in the southern city of Shenzhen.\nIt was unclear whether the latest death was also suicide.\nThe official Xinhua news agency said the 18-year-old fell from the sixth floor of a building belonging to Chimei Innolux Corp.\nCo-workers said the young man was an intern from the northern province of Hebei and had only started the summer job in Foshan city last month, the report said.\nXinhua said the local government and police had confirmed the death and a manager at Foxconn in Shenzhen, which is not far from Foshan, also verified the information. The cause of death is being investigated.\nA spokeswoman for Chimei told Dow Jones Newswires that the worker was not directly employed by the firm but by an outsourced human resources company.\nLabor rights activists have blamed suicides at Foxconn -- the world's largest maker of computer components and a supplier to leading brands such as Dell and Nokia -- on tough working conditions in its factories.\nBut company founder Terry Gou has said none of the suicides was directly work-related and that he was cleared by Chinese authorities of any wrongdoing in the period up to the suicides.\nFoxconn, which employs an estimated 400,000 workers in Shenzhen alone, has reacted to the suicides by giving its staff there a pay rise of 67 percent, to 2,000 yuan (around 290 US dollars) a month, effective from October 1.\nThe company has also announced it will upgrade dormitories in Shenzhen in a bid to prevent more suicides.\n                  ","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["south China"]},{"role":"Age","values":["18-year-old"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["worker"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["falling from a dorm building"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Unidentified gunmen on motorcycles fatally shoot  Indian civil rights campaigner and environmentalist Amit Jethwa in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. (BBC)","document":"Unidentified gunmen in the western Indian state of Gujarat have shot dead a civil rights campaigner and environmentalist, police say. They say two men on a motorcycle attacked Amit Jethwa as he left a building in the city of Ahmedabad on Tuesday evening. Mr Jethwa campaigned against illegal mining, which is a major problem in a number of Indian states. His father said he had received death threats before he was killed.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["western Indian state of Gujarat"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Amit Jethwa"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday evening"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["civil rights campaigner and environmentalist"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["shot"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Cécile Aubry, French film star, writer and ex–wife of Moroccan prince Si Brahim El Glaoui, dies. (BBC)","document":"French film star Cecile Aubry, who also wrote the popular 1960s TV series Belle and Sebastian, has died aged 81.\nAubry, who had lung cancer, died near Paris, her family said.\nAfter being signed up by 20th Century Fox aged 20, Aubry went on to star in films like Manon (1949) and The Black Rose (1950), alongside Orson Welles.\nShe later married a Moroccan prince, and started writing. Their son, Mehdi, played the lead role in Belle and Sebastian.\nIt was broadcast on French TV in the 1960s, before being picked up by BBC One and turned into a Japanese animated version in 1981 titled Meiken Jolie.\nSet in the French Alps, the holiday classic recounts the adventures of an orphaned boy of six and a huge white dog that roams the mountains. Belle and Sebastian also gave its name to the Scottish indie pop band.\nCecile Aubry on IMDB\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["near Paris"]},{"role":"Age","values":["81"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Cecile Aubry"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["lung cancer"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Salon.com claims Irish teenager Phoebe Prince, driven to suicide by high school bullies in the United States, had serious psychological problems long before her death. (The Sydney Morning Herald)","document":"An Irish teenager who killed herself after being bullied by students at a US high school had serious psychological problems long before her death, an investigation by a US website claims.\nThe report into cyberbullying by Slate.com raises questions about the severity of the charges facing six students in relation to Phoebe Prince's suicide - including statutory rape - and doubts about the apparent zealousness of the District Attorney in prosecuting them.\nBullied ... Phoebe Prince\nReporter Emily Bazelon also criticised the US media on their coverage of the 15-year-old's bullying experience at South Hadley High School in Massachusetts, suggesting they simplified a complex situation that went far beyond bullying.\n\"My investigation into the events that gave rise to Phoebe's death, based on extensive interviews and review of law enforcement records, reveals the uncomfortable fact that Phoebe helped set in motion the conflicts with other students that ended in them turning on her,\" wrote Bazelon, who is a senior editor at Slate.com and a senior law research fellow at Yale University.\n\"Her death was tragic, and she shouldn't have been bullied. But she was deeply troubled long before she ever met the six defendants. And her own behaviour made other students understandably upset.\"\nBazelon said her research led her to believe that schools, parents, students and law enforcement struggle to cope with bullying cases and do not know how to deal with bullies.\n\"The charges against the students show how strong the impulse is to point fingers after a suicide, how hard it is to assess blame fairly, and how ill-suited police and prosecutors can be to punishing bullies,\" she wrote.\nIn her article, Bazelon details Phoebe's journey from Ireland to the rural Massachusetts town where she attended South Hadley, and on how she missed her father, who had separated from her mother and remained behind in the UK.\nShe questions stories that Phoebe was pushed to hang herself by \"the South Hadley Six\", as the bullies came to be known, writing that \"even kids who are relieved that Phoebe's death has pushed the school to do more to prevent bullying don't recognise the storyline that took hold in the media\".\n\"Phoebe's death has been turned into this Lifetime movie plot. It's so unlike what actually happened,\" one student told Bazelon.\nShe also suggested that District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel may have stretched the law, and that \"it's hard to see how any of the kids going to trial this fall ever could have anticipated the consequences of their actions, for Phoebe or for themselves\".\n\"Should we send teenagers to prison for being nasty to one another? Is it really fair to lay the burden of Phoebe's suicide on these kids?\" Bazelon wrote.\nThe charges against the students show how strong the impulse is to point fingers after a suicide, how hard it is to assess blame fairly, and how ill-suited police and prosecutors can be to punishing bullies\nMs Scheibel said that, when she announced the charges against the six students earlier this year, that Phoebe's suicide was \"the culmination of a nearly three-month campaign of verbally assaultive behaviour and threats of physical harm\".\n\"The investigation revealed relentless activity directed towards Phoebe, designed to humiliate her and to make it impossible for her to remain at school,\" Ms Scheibel said.\n\"The bullying, for her, became intolerable.\"\nsmh.com.au\n* Support is available for anyone who may be distressed by calling SANE Helpline 1800 18 7263; Lifeline 131 114; Salvo Crisis Line (02) 8736 3295.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":["had serious psychological problems long"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Phoebe Prince"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["suicide"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2021 Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, a young protester who was shot in the head last week, dies from her injuries, the first death since the opposition to the coup began and as pressure on the military mounts. (Reuters)","document":"(Reuters) - A young woman protester in Myanmar died on Friday after being shot in the head last week as police dispersed a crowd, her brother said, the first death among opponents of the Feb. 1 military coup since demonstrations began two weeks ago.\nNews of the death came as baton-wielding police and soldiers broke up a procession of people carrying banners of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the northern town of Myitkyina and thousands returned to the streets of the main city of Yangon.\nMya Thwate Thwate Khaing, who had just turned 20, had been on life support since being taken to hospital on Feb. 9, after she was hit by what doctors said was a live bullet at a protest in the capital, Naypyitaw.\n“I feel really sad and have nothing to say,” said her brother, Ye Htut Aung, speaking by telephone.\nProtesters set up a shrine for her on a pavement in Yangon, with pictures, flowers and the flag of Suu Kyi’s party.\n“I’m proud of her and I’ll come out until we achieve our goal for her,” Nay Lin Htet, 24, told Reuters.\nFriday marked two weeks of daily demonstrations against the military’s seizure of power and its detention of veteran democracy campaigner Suu Kyi.\nThe protests throughout the ethnically diverse country have been more peaceful than the bloodily suppressed demonstrations during nearly 50 years of direct military rule up to 2011.\nBut police have fired rubber bullets several times to break up crowds, as well as water cannon and catapults. The army says one policeman has died of injuries sustained in a protest.\nRelated Coverage\nSee more stories\nThe U.N. office in Myanmar and international rights groups called on the security forces to avoid using force.\nIn Myitkyina, police and soldiers sent protesters scattering down a street lined with shops, video on social media showed.\nRights activist Stella Naw said about 50 people were detained but later released.\nThere have been clashes in Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State, over the past two weeks with police firing rubber bullets and using catapults to disperse crowds.\nPolice in Yangon sealed off the city’s main protest site near the Sule Pagoda, setting up barricades on access roads to an intersection where tens of thousands have gathered this week.\nHundreds of people gathered at the barricades anyway and several thousand formed a procession at another site.\nThe demonstrations have at times taken on a festive air and LGBT rights campaigners marched in Yangon while in the second city of Mandalay, chefs set up melons carved with the message “Justice for Myanmar”.\n‘SYMBOLIC’ SANCTIONS\nAs well as the protests, a civil disobedience campaign has paralysed much government business and international pressure is building on the military.\nBritain and Canada announced new sanctions on Thursday and Japan said it had agreed with India, the United States and Australia on the need for democracy to be restored quickly.\nThe junta has not reacted to the new sanctions. On Tuesday, an army spokesman told a news conference that sanctions had been expected.\nThere is little history of Myanmar’s generals giving in to foreign pressure and they have closer ties to neighbouring China and to Russia, which have taken a softer approach than long critical Western countries.\nJunta leader Min Aung Hlaing was already under sanctions from Western countries following the 2017 crackdown on the Muslim Rohingya minority.\n“Sanctioning military leaders is largely symbolic, but the moves to sanction military companies will be much more effective,” said Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign UK group.\nBritain froze assets and imposed travel bans on three generals and took steps to stop aid helping the military and to prevent British businesses working with the army. Canada said it would take action against nine military officials.\nAfter decades of military rule, businesses linked to the army have a significant stake across the economy, with interests ranging from banking to beer, telecoms and transport.\nThe army seized back power after alleging fraud in Nov. 8 elections won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, detaining her and other top party members and halting a transition to democracy that had begun in 2011. The electoral commission had dismissed the allegations of fraud.\nMyanmar’s Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said 521 people had been detained, with 44 released, as of Thursday.\nSuu Kyi, 75, faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as charges of illegally importing six walkie talkie radios. Her next court appearance has been set for March 1.\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospital"]},{"role":"Age","values":["20"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["shot"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":["police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2021 President John Magufuli dies of heart complications, which are believed to have resulted from COVID-19. Vice President Samia Suluhu is expected to succeed him and become Tanzania's first female president. (Al Jazeera)","document":"Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan announces death of 61-year-old after weeks of uncertainty over his health and whereabouts.\nTanzanian President John Magufuli has died, the country’s vice president announced, after weeks of uncertainty over his health and whereabouts.\nIn a televised address to the nation late on Wednesday, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said the 61-year-old president had died of a “heart condition”, which he had suffered for 10 years at a hospital in Dar-Es-Salaam.\nFlags flew at half-mast in Tanzania, as the country began a 14-day mourning period.\nMagufuli had first been briefly admitted to the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute on March 6, but was subsequently discharged, Hassan said on state television. But he was rushed to hospital again on March 14 after feeling unwell.\nAfter the death was announced, opposition leader Zitto Kabwe said he had spoken to Hassan to offer condolences for Magufuli’s death.\n“The nation will remember him for his contribution to the development of our country,” Kabwe said in a statement published on Twitter.\nAccording to Tanzania’s Constitution, Hassan, 61, should assume the presidency for the remainder of the five-year term that Magufuli began serving last year after winning a second term. She is set to become the country’s first female leader.\nThe announcement of the president’s death came after government denials that the president was ill. Pressure mounted to explain his almost three-week absence from public view, which sparked panic and rumours he was seeking treatment abroad for COVID-19.\nMain opposition leader Tundu Lissu, shot 16 times in a 2017 assassination attempt and exiled in Belgium, described Magufuli’s death as “poetic justice”, insisting his sources said he had succumbed to COVID-19.\n“Magufuli died of corona. That is one. Number two, Magufuli did not die this evening. I have information from basically the same sources which told me he was gravely ill, I have information that Magufuli has been dead since Wednesday of last week,” he told Kenya’s KTN News, using local slang for the virus.\nThis is a modal window.\nBeginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.\nEnd of dialog window.\nA vocal COVID-19 sceptic, Magufuli had last appeared in public on February 27 and top government officials had denied that he was in ill health, even as speculation swirled online that he was sick and possibly incapacitated from the disease.\nMagufuli had long downplayed the severity of COVID-19, urging Tanzanians to pray, use steam inhalation and embrace local remedies to protect themselves from the respiratory disease.\nTanzania stopped releasing infection numbers in April 2020, weeks before Magufuli declared in June that the country was coronavirus-free due to divine intervention.\nHe refused to wear a face-mask or take lockdown measures. But a week before he was last seen, Magufuli conceded the virus was still circulating, after the vice president of semi-autonomous Zanzibar was revealed to have died of COVID-19.\nNicknamed the “Bulldozer”, Magufuli was elected in 2015 on promises to tackle corruption and boost infrastructure development.\nHowever, a slide into authoritarianism, which saw a crackdown on the media, civil society and opposition, raised alarm among foreign allies and rights groups.\nHis re-election last October was dismissed by the opposition and some diplomats as a sham due to alleged rigging, the blocking of foreign media and observer teams and an oppressive military presence.\nSome analysts said that Magufuli had dealt a crushing blow to democracy in one of Africa’s most stable nations.\nHowever he also won plaudits for expanding free education, rural electrification and investing in infrastructure projects such as railways, a hydropower dam set to double electricity output and the revival of the national airline.\nHis government passed a raft of laws to increase Tanzania’s stake in its mineral resources and demanded millions in back taxes from foreign mining companies.\nBut it was Magufuli’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic which cast his leadership style into sharp relief.\nCritics said that Magufuli’s dismissal of the threat from COVID-19, as well as his refusal to lock down the country, may have contributed to many unknown deaths.\n \nMagufuli was born in Tanzania’s northwestern Chato district, on the shores of Lake Victoria, where he grew up in a grass-thatched home, herding cattle and selling milk and fish to support his family.\n“I know what it means to be poor,” he often said.\nHe was awarded a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Dar es Salaam and also spent some time studying at Britain’s University of Salford.\nMagufuli was a member of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has been in power since independence from Britain in the early 1960s.\nA member of parliament since 1995, he held various cabinet portfolios, including livestock, fisheries and public works, where he earned the “Bulldozer” moniker.\nMagufuli was married with five children.\nOpposition party says it knows ‘for sure the president is ill’, even as government calls on citizens to ignore rumours.\nPrime Minister Kassim Majaliwa says President John Magufuli is ‘around, healthy, working hard’ amid COVID allegations.\nAfter months of downplaying deadly disease, government officials have urged people to take precautions and wear masks.\nPresident John Magufuli has not been seen in public for about two weeks, raising suspicion he is receiving medical care.\nFollow Al Jazeera English:\nWe understand that your online privacy is very important and consenting to our collection of some personal information takes great trust. We ask for this consent because it allows Al Jazeera to provide an experience that truly gives a voice to the voiceless.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["61-year-old"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["John Magufuli"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday of last week"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["President"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["heart condition"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2021 Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas, the opposition presidential candidate, dies from COVID-19 on a plane en route to France for treatment, a day after the election. (Al Jazeera)","document":"Kolelas died in a medical aircraft that was taking him to France for treatment, his campaign manager said.\nGuy Brice Parfait Kolelas, leading opposition presidential candidate in Republic of Congo’s election, died on Sunday, a day after the country went to the polls.\nKolelas was hospitalised on the eve of the elections and died of COVID-19 as he was being taken to France for treatment, his campaign director Christian Cyr Rodrigue Mayanda told AFP news agency on Monday.\nKolelas “died in the medical aircraft which came to get him from Brazzaville on Sunday afternoon”, added Mayanda.\nOn Saturday, a family member told the Associated Press that Kolelas was receiving treatment at a private hospital in the capital Brazzaville after contracting the coronavirus.\nKolelas skipped his final campaign event on Friday after telling some reporters a day earlier that he feared he had malaria.\n\nA video circulating on social media dated Friday showed Kolelas, 61, wearing an oxygen mask and with a blood pressure cuff on his arm as he lay in a hospital bed.\n“My dear compatriots, I am in trouble. I am fighting death,” the candidate said in a weak voice after removing his oxygen mask. “However, I ask you to stand up and vote for change. I would not have fought for nothing.”\nKolelas finished runner-up to leader Denis Sassou Nguesso in the 2016 presidential election with about 15 percent of the vote. His father, Bernard Kolelas, was briefly Congo’s prime minister in 1997 during the country’s civil war.\nThe opposition figure has been particularly critical of the incumbent leader in recent days, declaring that the Republic of Congo had become “a police state”.\nKolelas was seen as the main rival to Nguesso, who has lead the central African country for a total of 36 years.\nMayanda called on Kolelas’ supporters to rally at 1100 am local time (1000 GMT).\n“We’ll continue to count the ballots. He was ahead in a number of areas,” he said.\nProvisional election results are not expected for days, but Sassou Nguesso is widely expected to win.\nGuy Brice Parfait Kolelas says he’s ‘fighting death’ after being diagnosed with COVID-19 on eve of presidential vote.\nPresident Denis Sassou Nguesso seeking to extend his 36-year reign, but critics allege vote will not be free and fair.\nLongtime president expected to see off challenge from six other candidates and win Sunday’s vote.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["medical aircraft"]},{"role":"Age","values":["61"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["COVID-19"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2021 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dies at home in Windsor Castle aged 99. He was the longest-serving Royal Consort of the United Kingdom. (The Independent)","document":"Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has died at the age of 99, Buckingham Palace has announced.\n“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said in a statement on Friday.\n“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”\nBoris Johnson led tributes to Prince Philip, who was married to the Queen for 73 years, saying: “He helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”\nMourners gathered outside Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace to lay flowers in tribute on Friday, while flags at the palace and all government buildings were lowered to half mast.\nGun salutes marking his death will take place across the UK and at sea on Saturday. Saluting batteries will fire 41 rounds at one round every minute from 12 noon in cities including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced.\nAll election campaigning across the UK has been suspended following the death. Parliament will be recalled from recess on Monday, a day earlier than scheduled, to allow for further tributes.\nA period of mourning will see planned government announcements cancelled. The government is advising the public not to gather or leave flowers at royal residences, and to continue following lockdown rules.\nAn online book of condolence has been made available on the royal website for those who wish to send a personal message, while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s website has been transformed into a memorial page.\nPrince Philip will not have a state funeral nor lie in state for the public to pay their respects, the College of Arms announced, with arrangements revised to meet Covid restrictions. His body will rest at Windsor Castle ahead of a service at St George’s Chapel.\nPhilip at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee\nThe Duke of Edinburgh officially retired from public duties in 2017, having spent more than seven decades supporting his wife as her consort in a role that defined his life.\nHis remarkable life spanned nearly a century of European history, starting with his birth as a member of the Greek royal family and ending as Britain’s longest-serving royal consort.\nHe married Elizabeth in 1947, playing a key role in modernising the monarchy in the post-war period after she became Queen in 1952 – becoming the one key figure she could turn to behind the walls of Buckingham Palace.\n“He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” the Queen said in a rare personal tribute to Philip made in a speech marking their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.\nThe Queen and Prince Philip together in 2011\nAs a Greek prince, his early years were marked by upheaval after his family went into exile following a military coup in Greece which overthrew his uncle, King Constantine I.\nHis childhood lacked stability and he moved between relatives in France and Britain, eventually going to Gordonstoun School in Morayshire, Scotland.\nThe former naval officer admitted he found it hard to give up the military career he loved and take on the job as the monarch’s consort in 1952, for which there was no clear-cut constitutional role.\n“There was no precedent. If I asked somebody ‘What do you expect me to do?’, they all looked blank – they had no idea, nobody had much idea,” he said in an interview to mark his 90th birthday.\nThe Queen and Prince Philip after the coronation of 1953\nPhilip spent four weeks in hospital earlier this year for treatment for an infection and to have a heart procedure, but returned to Windsor in early March.\nSome royal watchers have argued that his absence from a frontline role in recent years due to his declining health has played a role in some of the monarchy’s recent travails, such as the crisis of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, and their decision to give up royal roles.\nIn private, he was often regarded as the head of his family, but protocol obliged the man dubbed “the second handshake” to spend his public life literally one step behind his wife.\nHe took a typically irreverent view of his own retirement in 2017, telling a guest who said he was sorry he was standing down: “Well, I can’t stand up much longer.”\nHe was known to be an occasionally irascible figure, with a strong propensity to speak his mind, and become famed in the press for a series of gaffes made at official engagements.\nHe once warned a group of Scottish students in China that they would become “slitty-eyed”. During a visit to a Glasgow factory, he pointed to a fusebox of loose wires and said it looked like it had been installed by an “Indian”.\nSome royal observers believe his propensity to speak his mind meant he provided much-needed, unvarnished advice to the Queen.\n“The way that he survived in the British monarchy system was to be his own man, and that was a source of support to the Queen,” royal historian Robert Lacey said.\n“All her life she was surrounded by men who said ‘yes ma’am’, and he was one man who always told her how it really was, or at least how he saw it.”\nPrince Philip and the Queen in 2007\nIt was widely assumed that he was critical of Diana’s use of broadcast interviews, including one in which she accused Charles of infidelity. But letters between Philip and Diana released after her death showed that the older man was supportive of his daughter-in-law.\nPhilip’s final years were clouded by controversy in the royal family. His third child, Prince Andrew, was embroiled in scandal over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a US financier who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.\nAt the start of 2020, his grandson Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America to escape the media scrutiny that they found unbearable.\nThe Duke of Edinburgh’s Award will likely to be judged Philip’s greatest legacy. Aimed at both able-bodied and disabled youngsters, it became one of the best-known self-development schemes for 14 to 24-year-olds.\nIn 2013, celebrated the 500th Gold Award presentation ceremony, the duke joked with one group who told him of their hardships on their expedition: “You were meant to suffer, it’s good for the soul.”\nThe Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said the nation “has lost an extraordinary public servant”. “He will be remembered most of all for his extraordinary commitment and devotion to the Queen,” said the opposition leader.\n“Their marriage has been a symbol of strength, stability and hope, even as the world around them changed – most recently during the pandemic. It was a partnership that inspired millions in Britain and beyond.”\nMourner adds flowers outside Buckingham Palace\nScotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon, Wales’ first minister Mark Drakeford and Northern Ireland’s first minister Arlene Foster all paid tribute to Prince Philip following the news of his death.\nAmong the world leaders paying tribute, US president Joe Biden said he sent his “deepest condolences” to the Queen, the royal family and all the British people.\n“Over the course of his 99-year life, he saw our world change dramatically and repeatedly. From his service during the Second World War, to his 73 years alongside the Queen, and his entire life in the public eye, Prince Philip gladly dedicated himself to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth, and to his family.”\nIndia’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, hailed his sense of public service, while Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, said Philip “embodied a generation that we will never see again”.\nNew Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said her thoughts would be with the Queen at this “profoundly sad time”, and Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, described the Duke of Edinburgh as a “man of great purpose and conviction”.\nThe BBC has said planned programming had been suspending following the death, while ITV also announced changes to its schedules.\nJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies\nPA Wire\nPhilip at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee\nPA\nThe Queen and Prince Philip together in 2011\nAP\nThe Queen and Prince Philip after the coronation of 1953\nPA Wire\nPrince Philip and the Queen in 2007\nPOOL/AFP via Getty Images\nMourner adds flowers outside Buckingham Palace\nAFP via Getty Images\n        The Establishment want to us to revere this man, because the monarchy is so important to them. Most people (I'm sure) are mildly dis-interested - our lives are important.\n                Monarchy is a total anachronism and should be abolished as in most countries around the world...\n                Don't see your argument on this one at all.\n                And replace it with a presidency? How boring is that?                 Pablo with your forename  and spelling inability,I guess you may be a Mexican , with much experience of drug fuelled career criminals\n                It is the job of the electorate, not the royal family, to tell the government what to do. We live in a democracy, not a dictatorship.                 Blame the government and those who voted for it.                 but unlike all those shiftless Drs and nurses, coppers and teachers he did a life of service and supported his wife from his humble homes with only a few hundred winter breaks to warmer climes in late model limos.He was unashamed to be a white supremacist and look down on inferior non Graeco Germans like teh Africans Welsh , Scots, Irish and English, a shining example Andrew must have learnt so much from such a pole model.\n                How long is this going to go on for? I turned to 6 Music for some normality but it's only playing sad music. What is this  - North Korea? This country really needs to grow up.                 Only in Scotland poor things !\n                A job offer?\n                Fair enough , Phil had a \"good inning's\", He didn't quite make a \"century\" ,run out on the last over . . .                 For people wanting to show whatever feeling's they have towards Phil and the royals ,all well and good ,their perogative and I respect their viewpoint ! Don't necessarily agree with any of it, but who the hell am I .\n                But really the media circus surrounding this \"passing\", and time that is and will be given on TV , in the physical paper's any online news outlets, etc etc etc is just  \"overpowering\" !\n                Well hopefully this means that a.Republic of Great Britain is not far off. I read some of Philips \" witty \" quotes in the Telegraph. He was rude, offensive, racist, sexist and arrogant. I met the news of his passing with a profound Meh. Time to lose the Monarch and the Aristocracy, and the House of Lords. Anachronisms all.\n                Labour are not in power\n                If being a republic means mimicking the US political system, then no thank you. Give me a constitutional monarchy any day.                 Perhaps you should try persuading the voters. They could put the left wing in power.                 He'll not get his telegram from the queen then.                 Perfect<He He!\n                I thought there’d be a bit of a reprieve after Newsnight and normal transmission would be resumed. Not a chance! Another blooming profile of HRH. I can’t stand any more, I don’t drink but I might decide to give it a go, if it’s going to be like this for much longer!                 Choice would be a fine thing. All BBC licence channels were blitzed for no good reason. Even the weather and news. But they have an appalling record of focusing single-issue news in recent years anyway.                 A confirmed insomniac, I managed to sleep through Newsnight \" last night' after a few whiskeys\n        Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["99"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Philip"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["Prince"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2021 Giorgos Karaivaz, a notable Greek journalist, is shot dead by two gunmen near his home in Athens. The murder appears to be connected to Karaivaz's investigations. (Al Jazeera)","document":"Two individuals on a motorbike shot veteran crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz multiple times in southern Athens district of Alimos, police say.\nA prominent Greek journalist has been shot dead near his home in the capital, Athens, in a rare crime targeting a member of the media that shocked colleagues and drew widespread condemnation.\nGiorgos Karaivaz, who specialised in crime reporting and worked for private station Star TV, was returning home from work when he was ambushed by two individuals on a motorbike shortly after 2pm on Friday.\nPreliminary reports said the perpetrators used a weapon with a silencer as they fired multiple rounds. Seventeen bullet casings were collected from the scene in Alimos, a southern Athens suburb, according to reports.\n“I tried to park my car where he lay. I thought someone had fainted. He was lying face down … blood was flowing onto the sidewalk,” a woman who lives in the neighbourhood told reporters.\nPolice have launched a manhunt for the unidentified assailants. There were no immediate reports of a possible motive, however, police said the murder was clearly carefully planned.\nFlowers were left on the spot where the slain journalist, who worked for several Greek newspapers and broadcast media in a career that spanned decades, fell.\n“I can’t even process this information, I’ve known this man for 32 years,” fellow Star journalist Vaios Syrros said during the station’s afternoon news show.\n“Truly shocked,” Greek journalist Stelios Nikitopoulos wrote on Twitter.\nA statement on Karavaiz’s blog said: “The founder and owner of bloko.gr is no longer with us.\n“Somebody chose to silence him, to stop him with bullets from writing his stories,” it said.\nGovernment spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni said the murder “shocked us all”, adding that authorities are “already investigating the case”. Syriza, the main opposition party, demanded perpetrators be brought to justice.\nEchoing the call, the journalists’ union expressed its “deep sorrow” in a statement and stressed it will “defend the freedom of the press and the unimpeded work of journalists against any pressure and threat”, including “against mafia practices and criminal plans”.\nThe Media Freedom Rapid Response, a project which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in Europe, said it was “horrified by this killing, which from current information appears to bear all the signs of a targeted assassination”.\nIt added: “Regardless of the motive, the killing of Giorgos Karaivaz is a tragic event for the journalistic community in Greece and a dark day for media freedom in the European Union.”\n“I am deeply shocked following reports that journalist Giorgos Karaivaz was shot dead in Athens,” vice president of the EU commission in charge of values and transparency, Vera Jourova, said in a tweet.\n“My thoughts are with his family and colleagues. Justice should be served, and the safety of the journalists should be guaranteed,” she added.\nKillings of journalists are rare in Greece.\nIn 2010, radio manager, blogger and investigative journalist Socratis Giolias was also shot dead outside his home in Athens.\nMexico was the deadliest, with eight journalists killed, followed by Iraq, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, RSF says.\nBlanket bans on protests that restrict freedom of expression and assembly cannot be justified, rights groups said.\nReporter Dimitris Psarras has spent decades investigating one of Greece’s most violent far-right groups, Golden Dawn.\nFollow Al Jazeera English:\nWe understand that your online privacy is very important and consenting to our collection of some personal information takes great trust. We ask for this consent because it allows Al Jazeera to provide an experience that truly gives a voice to the voiceless.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["near his home in the capital"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Giorgos Karaivaz"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["reporter"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["shot"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2021 The first secretary at the Swiss embassy in Tehran, Iran, is found dead after accidentally falling from the tower where she lived. (BBC)","document":"A senior member of staff at the Swiss embassy in Tehran has died after falling from the high-rise building where she lived, Iranian media report.\nAn emergency services spokesman told Mehr news agency that the 51-year-old woman was first secretary at the embassy but did not give her name.\nPolice in the Kamraniyeh area alerted paramedics on Tuesday morning but she had been \"dead for a while\", he said. The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed an employee had died in an accident.\n\"The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and its head Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis are shocked by the tragic death and express their deepest condolences to the family,\" a spokesperson said. The ministry added that it was in touch with the family and Iranian authorities.\nIt gave no further information about the circumstances of the death, citing data protection and privacy reasons.\nThe Iranian foreign ministry also expressed its condolences, according to the state news agency Irna. The ministry added that the death was under investigation by the relevant authorities and that the results would be made public soon.\nIrna's report cited the emergency services as saying that suicide had already been ruled out.\nSwitzerland has represented US diplomatic interests in Iran since Washington and Tehran severed relations shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.\nSwitzerland launches humanitarian channel to Iran\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["51-year-old"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["A senior member of staff at the Swiss embassy"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["first secretary"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["falling from the high-rise building"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2021 A police officer is shot dead during a narcotics raid in Avignon, France. (Reuters)","document":"PARIS, May 5 (Reuters) - A French police officer has been shot dead in the city of Avignon during an anti-narcotics operation, Prime Minister Jean Castex said.\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Avignon"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["police officer"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["shot"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2017 Retired Croatian Army general Slobodan Praljak, upon hearing at a UN tribunal that the international tribunal upheld his war crime conviction, drinks a small vial that apparently contained poison, and later dies in a hospital in The Hague. (The New York Times) (The Guardian)","document":"Former commander Slobodan Praljak drank from bottle moments after judges upheld 20-year sentence in The Hague\nFirst published on Wed 29 Nov 2017 11.00 GMT\nA former Bosnian Croat general has died after drinking a phial of poison while standing in the dock at a UN tribunal in The Hague, where his war crimes sentence of 20 years was upheld.\nSeconds after the judges had delivered their decision at the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Wednesday, Slobodan Praljak shouted out angrily: “Praljak is not a criminal. I reject your verdict.”\nThe 72-year-old then raised a small brown bottle to his lips, and drank it in full view of the cameras filming the hearing. “I just drank poison,” he said. “I am not a war criminal. I oppose this conviction.”\nAs court officials surrounded the white-haired and bearded Praljak, the presiding judge, Carmel Agius, immediately ordered the proceedings to be suspended. The curtains screening the courtroom were abruptly closed to the public.\nWithin minutes, an ambulance arrived outside the tribunal, while a helicopter hovered overhead. Praljak was taken to hospital but officially declared dead a few hours later.\nAn investigation is likely to be launched into who supplied him with the poison and how he could have smuggled the bottle into court through what should have been strict security at the longest-running war crimes tribunal in The Hague. An official statement from the ICTY said: “Mr Slobodan Praljak, one of six defence appellants in the Prlić et al case, passed away today in HMC hospital in The Hague. “During the public pronouncement of the appeal judgment the appeals chamber confirmed his conviction and affirmed Mr Praljak’s sentence of 20 years of imprisonment. Immediately thereafter, Mr Praljak drank a liquid while in court, and quickly fell ill. “Mr Praljak was immediately assisted by the ICTY medical staff. Simultaneously an ambulance was summoned. Mr Praljak was transported to a nearby hospital to receive further medical assistance where he passed away. “In accordance with standard procedures, at the request of the ICTY, the Dutch authorities have initiated an independent investigation which is currently ongoing. The tribunal has extended its condolences to the next of kin.”\nThe Croatian prime minister, Andrej Plenković, had earlier confirmed Praljak’s death after it was initially reported on Croatian state TV and offered his condolences to the family.\nPlenković said: “His act, which we regrettably saw today, mostly speaks about a deep moral injustice towards six Croats from Bosnia and the Croatian people ... We voice dissatisfaction and regret about the verdict.”\nDutch police have declared the courtroom a crime scene.\nThe unprecedented disruption came as judges were handing down their ruling in the appeals case of six former Bosnian Croat political and military leaders accused of war crimes during the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.\nPraljak was charged with ordering the destruction of Mostar’s 16th-century bridge in November 1993, which judges in the first trial had said “caused disproportionate damage to the Muslim civilian population”.\nA symbol of Bosnia’s devastation in the war, the Ottoman-era bridge was later rebuilt. The city experienced some of the worst of the Croat-Muslim clashes, with nearly 80% of its eastern area destroyed in the fighting. In their ruling, the judges allowed part of Praljak’s appeal, saying the bridge had been a legitimate military target during the conflict. They also overturned some of his convictions but refused to reduce his overall sentence. The case has been keenly watched in Zagreb, and the appeal judges said that all six men, who had been found guilty of taking part in a scheme to remove Bosnian Muslims, “remained convicted of numerous and very serious crimes”. Praljak had already completed a significant proportion of his sentence. Before the Bosnian conflict, he had been a writer and film director.\nOne lawyer who has defended suspects at the ICTY said it would be easy to bring poison into the court. Toma Fila, a Serbian lawyer who has frequently defended suspects at the UN war crimes court in the Netherlands, said that security for lawyers and other court staff was “just like at an airport”. He said: “They inspect metal objects, like belts, metal money, shoes, and take away mobile phones”. But, he said, “pills and small quantities of liquids” may not be picked up. Earlier in the proceedings, the judges had upheld a 25-year prison term against Jadranko Prlić, the former prime minister of a breakaway Bosnian Croat statelet, Herceg-Bosna, and a 20-year term for its former defence minister Bruno Stojić.\nThe 1992-95 war in Bosnia, in which 100,000 people died and 2.2 million were displaced, mainly pitted Bosnian Muslims against Bosnian Serbs, but also saw brutal fighting between Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats after an initial alliance fell apart. The proceedings on Wednesday came a week after the judges imposed a life sentence on the former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić, whose ruthlessness in the conflict earned him the title of “butcher of Bosnia”.\nHerceg-Bosna, backed by the government of the Croatian nationalist leader Franjo Tuđman, was formally dismantled in 1996 as part of the peace deal that ended the war. The “president” of Herceg-Bosna, Mate Boban, died in 1997 and Tuđman in 1999, leaving Prlić the highest-ranking Bosnian Croat official to face prosecution for the crimes.\nCommenting on Praljak’s actions, Tuđman’s son, Miroslav, said it was a “consequence of his moral position not to accept the verdict that has nothing to do with justice or reality”.\nNick Kaufman, a former prosecutor at the ICTY, said: “When deprived of authority over the masses and the attention which formerly fuelled their ego and charisma, such defendants can often be extremely resourceful with the little power they retain.”\nThe ICTY charged Praljak and his co-defendants in 2004. The six surrendered with Croatia under pressure to comply with the court in return for joining the EU. The ICTY closes its doors on 31 December, having indicted and dealt with 161 people. Praljak is not the first defendant to die in ICTY custody at The Hague. The former Croatian Serb leader Milan Babić killed himself at the nearby Scheveningen detention centre in 2006. Another Croatian Serb, Slavko Dokmanović, was found hanging from the door of his cell in 1998.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospital"]},{"role":"Age","values":["72-year-old"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Slobodan Praljak"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["Former commander"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["poison"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2017 Retired Croatian Army general Slobodan Praljak, upon hearing at a UN tribunal that the international tribunal upheld his war crime conviction, drinks a small vial that apparently contained poison, and later dies in a hospital in The Hague. (The New York Times) (The Guardian)","document":"PARIS — The court session in The Hague was meant to be the final act of a decades-long legal process over the atrocities of the Bosnian and Croatian wars. Instead, it descended into confusion and, ultimately, death.\nAs judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia were delivering rulings on Wednesday on appeals related to Croatia’s involvement in the 1992-95 Bosnian conflict, one of the six defendants, Slobodan Praljak, who was standing, addressed the court.\n“Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal,” he declared slowly and deliberately in Croatian, just moments after judges upheld Mr. Praljak’s 20-year jail sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity. “I reject your judgment with contempt.”\nIn a scene befitting the theater director Mr. Praljak had been before the Bosnian war erupted, he pulled out a small container, raised it to his lips and ostentatiously swallowed the contents. He then said, “I have taken poison.”\nMr. Praljak, a tall, distinguished-looking man with silver hair and a goatee, was taken from the courtroom, and the hearing was suspended. Guards seized the container. The curtains that divide the court from the public gallery were drawn.\nIt was an exceptional moment in a room that has been the scene of ritual courtesy among robed lawyers, of witnesses choking on stories of torture and rape, and of once powerful men hurling insults at judges. But never a staged suicide.\nMr. Praljak, a former general, 72, later died in a Dutch hospital, according to Nenad Golcevski, a tribunal spokesman. “Mr. Praljak drank a liquid while in court, and quickly fell ill,” the court said in a statement.\nMany questions, however, remained unanswered, including the most significant one: How did Mr. Praljak obtain poison and smuggle it into the tightly secured courthouse?\nAs is typical, the defendants were transferred to the courtroom from a detention center within a high-security Dutch jail compound near The Hague on Wednesday morning. They are driven into the tribunal building through an underground parking lot, escorted by guards. Detainees have no contact with the public gallery, and any visitors who meet with them in jail — including lawyers, family and friends — pass through a security check.\nDutch investigators and police officers declared the courtroom a crime scene and are carrying out an independent inquiry. Mr. Praljak’s suicide is the third by a defendant facing the tribunal, but the previous two had taken their lives in the court’s detention cells.\nJudges upheld the sentences against all of the six defendants, but the suicide of Mr. Praljak — the most senior member of the group — quickly overshadowed those decisions.\nBefore the Bosnian and Croatian wars, Mr. Praljak had been a theater and film director and a writer. He joined the Croatian Army as a senior official when it was formed after the country achieved independence in 1991. He was eventually named commander of the Croatian forces fighting in Bosnia.\nHe was a key figure, in particular, during the long siege and shelling of the ethnically mixed city of Mostar. The siege was the most widely publicized Croatian military action during the war and included the destruction of the town’s 16th century stone bridge. At the time, he was the main liaison between political and military leaders in Croatia and the Croatian force fighting in Bosnia.\nMr. Praljak had been convicted of a number of crimes, and while the appeals judges on Wednesday overturned some parts of his conviction, they did not reduce his sentence.\nThe hearing also drew attention to Croatia’s often-overlooked role in the Bosnian war.\nThe tribunal has for the past 24 years largely focused on the dominant Serbian role in the conflict, most recently sentencing Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander, to life in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.\nBut Croatia, trials at the tribunal have shown, also orchestrated brutal ethnic cleansing to seize Bosnian lands once the Yugoslav federation began to disintegrate in 1991.\nSlobodan Milosevic of Serbia and Franjo Tudjman of Croatia held secret talks early in 1991 to divide Bosnia. Mr. Mladic, court records showed, had at least two subsequent meetings to discuss the partition with his Croatian counterparts.\nForces led by Mr. Mladic moved first, in 1992. But the next year, Mr. Tudjman’s campaign to occupy lands that he claimed were historically Croatian kicked into gear. Croatia used militia forces to terrorize non-Croats and force them to flee, tactics similar to Mr. Mladic’s, though there was less coldblooded killing, and the numbers of prisoners and refugees were smaller. Mr. Tudjman died in 1999, before the tribunal had completed his indictment.\nProsecutors said militias that were funded and staffed by the Croatian government, and following its orders, rounded up non-Croatian men, imprisoning up to 10,000. Women and the older people were abused, raped and, in some cases, killed. Tens of thousands fled. Most of the victims were Bosnian Muslims, also called Bosniaks, but Serbs and Roma people also suffered.\nThough none of the trials involving Croatia concerned the killings on the scale carried out by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica or Sarajevo, a dozen ethnic Croats have been convicted by the tribunal for crimes related to their campaign of violent ethnic cleansing.\nThe session on Wednesday delivered a judgment that was much anticipated in Zagreb: it involved six Croats sentenced to prison terms of 10 to 25 years for their roles as military or political leaders during the Bosnian campaign. The judges threw out some parts of the convictions but said all six “remained convicted of numerous and very serious crimes.” They affirmed all the sentences.\nBoth the prosecution and the defense had brought appeals against the judgments handed down against the men.\nProsecutors had sought longer sentences and affirmation from the tribunal that the Croatian government funded and controlled the militias inside Bosnia, following direct orders from Mr. Tudjman.\nThey offered evidence that included extensive records kept by Mr. Tudjman of his conversations, meetings and telephone calls, released to prosecutors after his death, and documents showing that his government sent funds, vehicles, weapons and senior military commanders to run the operations in Bosnia.\nThe defense sought the release of the accused or reductions in their sentences.\nBut the main objective of the Croatian government appeared to be to clear the name of Mr. Tudjman, his defense minister, Gojko Susak, and the commander of the army at the time, Janko Bobetko. Croatian authorities have contended that the three, who have all since died, played no role in the Bosnian violence and were not, as an earlier judgment found, part of a “joint criminal enterprise.” But the appeal did not clear them and upheld the existence of a “criminal enterprise.” Both within Bosnia and in neighboring Croatia, Croatian officials have characterized their actions as defensive.\nTheir reaction to the appeals and the drama on Wednesday indicated, however, that many of the wounds from the conflict remain fresh.\nCroatia’s prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic, denounced the ruling, promising to seek ways to challenge it, and expressed sympathy for Mr. Praljak’s family. Dragan Covic, the Croatian member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, declared that Mr. Praljak’s suicide had been “most honorable.”\nThe tribunal’s chief prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, expressed satisfaction, however, that the judges upheld rulings that the six men in court, “together with senior Croatian officials including President Franjo Tudjman, wanted to seize territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to establish a Croatian entity and facilitate the reunification of the Croatian people.”\nThe Dayton Peace Accord, which officially marked the end of the war in Bosnia, created a complex political structure devised to share power between the country’s Serb, Bosniak and Croat ethnic groups.\nThe timing of the latest ruling was unrelated to last week’s sentencing of Mr. Mladic. But the pair of decisions amounted to a historic moment for the tribunal, with the Croatia judgment expected to be its final act before it closes at the end of the year. It was established by the United Nations Security Council in 1993. A small appellate court will handle pending appeals and the retrial of Serbia’s former intelligence chiefs.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Dutch hospital"]},{"role":"Age","values":["72"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Slobodan Praljak"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["former general"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["poison"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2017 The last King of Romania, Michael I, dies at the age of 96. (BBC), (Reuters)","document":"BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania’s former King Michael died in Switzerland at the age of 96 on Tuesday, the Royal House was quoted by Digi 24 TV as saying on Tuesday.\nKing Michael of Romania withdrew from public life because of illness in 2016.\nA cousin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, Michael was forced to abdicate in 1947 after the post-war Communist takeover of Romania and has lived in exile in the West for decades. He underwent surgery for leukaemia and cancer.\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Switzerland"]},{"role":"Age","values":["96"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Michael"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["former King"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2017 Prominent Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo dies.  (BBC)","document":"Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, who was China's most prominent human rights and democracy advocate, has died aged 61. The activist had been serving an 11-year prison term for \"subversion\" and was recently moved to a hospital for treatment for terminal liver cancer.\nA university professor turned tireless rights campaigner, Mr Liu was branded a criminal by authorities.\nThe Nobel Committee said the Chinese government bore a \"heavy responsibility for his premature death\".\nThe campaigner was repeatedly jailed throughout his life. When not in prison, he was subject to severe restrictions while his wife, Liu Xia, was placed under house arrest.\nMr Liu died \"peacefully\", surrounded by his wife and other relatives, a doctor who treated him said. His final words to Liu Xia were: \"Live on well,\" the South China Morning Post reported.\nLiu Xiaobo played a significant role in the Tiananmen Square student protests of June 1989, which ended in bloodshed when they were quashed by government troops. He and other activists negotiated the safe exit of several hundred demonstrators, and have been credited with saving their lives.\nHe was subsequently placed in a detention centre and released in 1991.\nMr Liu's campaign to free those detained during the Tiananmen Square protests landed him in a labour camp in north-eastern China for three years, but he was permitted to marry poet Liu Xia there in 1996. He was later freed, and continued to campaign for democracy.\nThe 11-year jail term was handed down in 2009 after he compiled, with other intellectuals, the Charter 08 manifesto. It called for an end to one-party rule and the introduction of multi-party democracy.\nMr Liu was found guilty of trying to overthrow the state. He was a pro-democracy figurehead for activists outside mainland China, although many of his compatriots were unaware of his struggles because the authorities rigorously censored news about him.\nWho was Liu Xiaobo?\nThe activist in his own words\nThe dissident won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for his \"long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China\", but he was not permitted to travel to Norway to accept it. He was the second person to receive the award while in prison - the other was the German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who won in 1935 while incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp.\nChina media silent on Liu Xiaobo death\nLove that survived a labour camp\nBy Carrie Gracie, China editor\nChinese authorities refused Liu Xiaobo's dying request to be allowed to travel abroad for treatment. Instead he died as he had lived, under the close watch of the one-party state. The life and death of this Nobel laureate underline the cost of political defiance in China. Liu Xiaobo had enjoyed a comfortable early career as a university professor, but the massacre which followed the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests was the fork in his path.\nWhere many gave up demanding democracy, he stood firm and was jailed repeatedly. When he won the Nobel, he was serving a prison sentence for subversion. A furious Beijing subsequently placed his wife under house arrest.\nOnly in a hospital ward in the last days of his life have this suffering couple been reunited, to be parted again by his death.\nMore from Carrie Gracie\nIn the weeks leading up to his death, Mr Liu's case became mired in international controversy. Several Western countries urged China to allow Mr Liu to leave the country to seek palliative care elsewhere. A German and an American doctor who recently visited and examined him in a hospital in the north-eastern city of Shenyang said he would be able to travel abroad. But Chinese medical experts insisted that he was too ill to travel.\nMr Liu's condition deteriorated shortly after he was admitted to hospital, according to Shenyang's First Hospital of China Medical University.\nIn a brief statement, Shenyang local officials said that Mr Liu had suffered multiple organ failure, and that efforts to save the activist had failed.\nAt a press conference, Teng Yue'e, the doctor who led the team treating Mr Liu, said: \"He was not in any pain at that moment, he was very much at peace, because all of his relatives said their goodbyes beforehand.\"\nLiu Xiaobo memorialised in social art\nCoverage on mainland China has been muted - with only a few short reports in English. Xinhua and CCTV news have issued short statements on their English sites stating that Liu Xiaobo, \"convicted of subversion of state power\", has died.\nCommunist Party mouthpiece Global Times said Mr Liu was \"a victim led astray\" by the West. \"The Chinese side has been focusing on Liu's treatment, but some Western forces are always attempting to steer the issue in a political direction, hyping the treatment as a 'human rights' issue,\" the Global Times added.\nOfficial Chinese-language news sites on the mainland appear to have steered clear of reporting the story altogether. Social media users have also noticed attempts from government censors to mute reaction online.\nMany comments appear to have been deleted, including messages with \"RIP\" or candle emojis, popular when commemorating someone who has died. China media silent on death","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["61"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Liu Xiaobo"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":["Teng Yue'e"]},{"role":"Profession","values":["university professor"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["terminal liver cancer"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2017 Singer Barbara Weldens, whose recently released first album had won several awards, collapses and dies on stage while singing in Festival Léo Ferré in Gourdon in southwestern France. The 35–year–old singer  and poet  apparently was electrocuted. (BBC) (The Quebec Times)[permanent dead link]","document":"She had been performing at a church in the picturesque village of Gourdon, in the Lot region of the south-west, when she collapsed. Storms were reported in the area at the time.\nWeldens, 35, suffered an apparent cardiac arrest and emergency services were unable to revive her.\nShe had released her first album this year and had won several awards.\nShe had become a singer after growing up in the circus, according to her website. Among her biggest influences was the singer-songwriter Jacques Brel. In 2016, she won the young talent award at the Jacques Brel festival.\nShe collapsed at about midnight on Wednesday while singing in a local festival. Investigators were looking at electrical equipment on the stage to find out what caused the apparent electrical fault. Weldens regularly performed with a pianist and acoustic guitarist and was in the middle of a tour. She was due to give further concerts in France and Belgium in the coming months.\nAlthough little known, her February 2017 album Le grand H de l'homme (Man with a capital M) had brought national acclaim. A review on the Mediapart website praised the \"softness of the melodies\" and \"the femininity and masculinity\" of her work.\nShe told Midi Libre newspaper last year: \"I've always written poems, even when I was little. Then I took piano lessons as a teen. All I wanted to do was compose\".","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["church"]},{"role":"Age","values":["35"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Weldens"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["singer"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2017 Charlie Gard, an infant with a rare genetic condition known as mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, dies at the age of 11 months. (BBC) (Sky News)","document":"The terminally ill baby's mother pays tribute to \"our beautiful little boy\", adding: \"We are so proud of you Charlie\".\nBy  Adam Parris-Long and Greg Heffer, News Reporters  Saturday 29 July 2017 03:32, UK\nCharlie Gard has died following his near year-long battle with a rare genetic disease.\nHis life support was withdrawn at a hospice, a day after the High Court ordered his transfer from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).\nIn a statement, his mother Connie Yates said: \"Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie.\"\nGOSH said everyone at the hospital \"sends their heartfelt condolences to Charlie's parents and loved ones at this very sad time\".\n:: Pope leads tributes to 'little Charlie'\n It’s with great sadness that we have to inform you that Charlie passed away earlier this afternoon. Connie has released a brief statement: ‘Our beautiful, little boy has gone. We are so proud of you, Charlie.’ We ask that everyone respects the family’s privacy at this difficult time, but we would all like to say a huge thank you to everyone for your continued support. ???\nA post shared by #charliesfight (@charliesfight) on Jul 28, 2017 at 11:48am PDT\nBorn a \"perfectly healthy\" baby on 4 August last year, Charlie's fight against a rare inherited disease generated headlines around the world.\nHis parents' legal bid to transfer their son from GOSH to the US for experimental treatment attracted the support of both the Pope and President Trump.\nBut, with UK courts consistently agreeing with Charlie's doctors that keeping him on life support was not in his best interests, his mother and father ended their high-profile legal battle on Monday.\n:: Timeline - Parents' battle to save Charlie Gard\nConnie Yates and Chris Gard lost a subsequent High Court bid to secure their son several days of life-support treatment, with GOSH describing their plans as not \"in any way viable\".\nPlease use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player\nMs Yates said she was \"shocked\" by the ruling, adding that GOSH had \"denied us our final wish\".\nCharlie is believed to have been only the 16th person to ever be diagnosed with infantile onset encephalomyopathy mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS).\nHis condition meant he had a decreased number of the cells needed for respiration and energy production in muscles, the liver and brain.\nCharlie could not move his arms or legs, was only able to breathe through a ventilator, had deafness and suffered severe epilepsy.\nAfter finding an American doctor willing to offer the boy experimental treatment, Ms Yates set up a crowdfunding page in January in order to pay for the trial therapy.\nAfter attracting celebrity backing and widespread support on social media, the \"Charlie's Fight\" campaign went on to raise more than £1.3m through donations from more than 84,000 people.\nHowever, in April, a High Court judge agreed with GOSH that the experimental treatment was \"very unlikely\" to work and ruled doctors could withdraw all treatment except end-of-life care in the \"best interests\" of Charlie.\nCharlie's parents launched unsuccessful appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court and failed to convince European judges to take on the case.\nTheir fight returned to the High Court in early July, so judge Mr Justice Francis could consider any new evidence.\nDuring the hearing, Ms Yates broke down as the parents were told by a GOSH representative that a new scan on their son made for \"sad reading\".\nPaying tribute to their son following the end of their legal challenge on Monday, Ms Yates and Mr Gard described him as an \"absolute warrior\".\nMr Gard said: \"Mummy and Daddy love you so much Charlie, we always have and we always will and we are so sorry that we couldn't save you.\n\"We had the chance but we weren't allowed to give you that chance. Sweet dreams baby. Sleep tight our beautiful little boy.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospice"]},{"role":"Age","values":null},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Charlie"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":null},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["genetic disease"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2017 Haruo Nakajima, who portrayed the monster Godzilla from 1954 to 1972, dies at the age of 88. (Daily Mail)","document":"By Dailymail.com Reporter  Published:  03:56 BST, 8 August 2017   |  Updated:  20:27 BST, 8 August 2017    24\nView  comments\nHaruo Nakajima, the actor who played movie monster Godzilla over two decades of Japanese cinema, died at 88.\nThe Yamagata, Japan native first wore the famed bodysuit of the movie monster in the 1954 film Godzilla, which was released stateside as Godzilla, King of the Monsters.\nNakajima was featured in movies such as Eagle of the Pacific and Seven Samurai prior to landing the career-defining part, for which he had to don a 100-plus pound suit that was made of concrete.\nScroll down for video \nGone but not forgotten: Haruo Nakajima, the actor who played movie monster Godzilla over two decades of Japanese cinema, died Monday at 88 \nSpeaking with Great Big Story in March, he revealed that the reason the heavy concrete was used instead of rubber was because of a shortage of the latter stemming from World War II.\n'It was so heavy and hot, and with the lighting, it was even hot to touch it,' he told Great Big Story. 'I was sweating all over my face, but I did the best I could.'\nHe said he visited the zoo in Tokyo to get a feel for how to move around like the monster by observing 'big animals, like elephants and gorillas.'\nMemories: The venerated performer was snapped at a 2014 convention in San Francisco \nHistorical treasure: Nakajima was snapped next to the heavy outfit he wore in 1965 \nNakajima subsequently went on to play Godzilla a series of sequels, including 1955's Godzilla Raids Again, 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla, 1954's Mothra vs. Godzilla, 1969's All Monsters Attack and 1972's Godzilla vs. Gigan, his last film in the role. He also worked as a stunt choreographer on many of the franchise films.\nIn addition to his efforts in the role of Godzilla, Nakajima was featured as King Kong in 1967's King Kong Escapes. Nakajima, a regular on the monster convention circuit, released his memoirs, Monster Life: Haruo Nakajima, the Original Godzilla Actor, in 2010.\n'In the end, the Godzilla I played remains on film forever,' he told Great Big Story. 'It remains in people's memory and for that I feel really grateful.' \nLaunching pad: Godzilla, King of the Monsters was the first film in the famed Japanese series\n\t    Share what you think\n          The comments below have not been moderated.\n      The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["88"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Haruo Nakajima"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["actor"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2017 The Spanish Attorney General José Manuel Maza unexpectedly dies of an illness in Buenos Aires at the age of 66. (BBC)","document":"Spain's attorney general José Manuel Maza has died suddenly in Argentina, where he was attending a conference. He was 66. Earlier on Saturday he had been reportedly taken to an intensive care unit with a kidney infection.\nLast month, Mr Maza called for charges to be brought against Catalan leaders, following a banned independence referendum in the region. Spain's political leaders have been paying tribute.\nIn a tweet (in Spanish), Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy expressed his \"deepest condolences\" to Mr Maza's family and friends. Justice Minister Rafael Catalá described Mr Maza as an extraordinary lawyer and public servant.\nMr Maza was appointed Spain's attorney general in November 2016.\nBy the BBC's James Reynolds in Barcelona\nJosé Manuel Maza's sudden death has shocked the Spanish political establishment. He'd been heavily involved in the constitutional crisis here in Catalonia. Mr Maza had decided that the Catalan separatists' attempt to break away from Spain was a criminal matter. This decision to prosecute found widespread support in Spain's conservative government. Mr Maza's death may not change Spain's legal policy towards the deposed Catalan politicians.\nRight now, the main target of the prosecution, deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, remains in Belgium - from where he is contesting Spain's request to extradite him.\nSpain calls for Catalan rebellion charges\nCatalan crisis in 300 words\nWhat next for Spain?\nHardliner Raisi set to be new Iran president\nVote-counting shows Ebrahim Raisi - Iran's top judge - has so far received 62% of the vote.\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Argentina"]},{"role":"Age","values":["66"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["José Manuel Maza"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["attorney general"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2008 US Diplomat John Granville, working for the United States Agency for International Development in Sudan, is murdered. (AP via Google News)","document":"This undated photo provided by the US Agency for International Development shows John Granville, center.  Granville was shot and killed early Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008 by gunmen in a passing car who cut him off as he was being driven home in Sudan's capital. Sudanese officials insisted it was not a terrorist attack but the U.S. embassy said it was too soon to determine the motive. (AP Photo/USAID)\nBy  MOHAMED OSMAN  –  3 days ago KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudanese authorities on Wednesday questioned witnesses in the slaying of an American diplomat who was shot by gunmen in a drive-by attack in the capital.\nSudanese officials insisted the shooting was not a terrorist attack but the U.S. Embassy said it was too soon to determine the motive.\nJohn Granville, 33, an official for the U.S. Agency for International Development, was being driven home at about 4 a.m. Tuesday when another vehicle cut off his car and opened fire before fleeing the scene, the Sudanese Interior Ministry said.\nThe diplomat's driver, Abdel-Rahman Abbas, was killed. Granville initially survived the attack with five gunshot wounds, but died after surgery, said Walter Braunohler, the public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum.\nSudanese police said they have questioned a number of witnesses from the scene of the attack \"and investigations are continuing based on their statements,\" the state news agency SUNA reported Wednesday.\nThe driver's family said the two victims had been heading home from a New Year's party at the home of a British diplomat. One woman who lives near the site of the attack, Nimat Malik, told a Sudanese newspaper she rushed to help the American.\nShe said Granville told her, \"I am dying, I need help.\" She told the paper she had some medical training and wanted to try to stop his bleeding using her robes, but others bystanders warned her that she could later face trouble for tampering with evidence.\n\"But I saw the need to help him so I got the police car to take him to hospital to receive medical assistance,\" she told the paper.\nThere has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, and U.S. and Sudanese officials investigating the shooting have not specified any suspects.\nThe Sudanese government often drums up anti-Western sentiment in the media. But attacks on foreigners are rare in Khartoum, where an American diplomat was last killed in 1973.\nGranville was working to implement a 2005 peace agreement between Sudan's north and south that ended more than two decades of civil war, USAID said.\nUSAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore said the two men killed \"were serving the common interests of the U.S. and the Sudan in bringing peace and stability to a country that has long been wracked by violence and conflict.\"\nGranville's family in Buffalo, N.Y., said he was committed to his work in Africa.\n\"John's life was a celebration of love, hope and peace,\" a family statement said. \"He will be missed by many people throughout the world whose lives were touched and made better because of his care.\"\nRep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo-area congressman, said Granville knew his work put his life in danger.\n\"He told his mom several times ... that it's dangerous, what he's doing, but he wouldn't want to be doing anything else,\" said Higgins, who spoke with Granville's mother, Jane Granville, after her son's death.\nSudan's Foreign Ministry said the incident was \"isolated and has no political or ideological connotations\" and pledged to bring the culprits to justice.\nBut Braunohler, the embassy spokesman, said it was \"too early to tell\" whether the attack was related to terrorism.\nThe shooting came a day after a joint U.N.-African peacekeeping force took over control in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, where more than 200,000 have died in a conflict that began in 2003. Al-Qaida has called for a \"jihad\" or holy war, in Sudan against the peacekeepers.\nBut al-Qaida has shown little overt presence in the country in recent years since the Sudanese government threw out Osama bin Laden in the late 1990s.\nAl-Qaida was blamed in the 2002 assassination of an American USAID officer, Laurence Foley, who was gunned down outside his home in Amman, Jordan.\nHumanitarian aid workers have come under increasing attack in Darfur by the region's multiple armed groups, but such attacks have not been known to take place in Khartoum. In any case, Granville's work appeared to be focused on providing aid for Sudan's south, well away from Darfur.\nThe U.S. government has been a vocal critic of the Arab-dominated government's attacks on ethnic Africans in Darfur. A government-allied militia known as the janjaweed has been accused of the bulk of atrocities in the Darfur conflict, including rapes and razing of ethnic African villages.\nIn the latest step to pressure Sudan's government on Darfur, President Bush signed legislation to allow states and local governments to cut investment ties with Sudan because of the Darfur violence.\nGranville is the first U.S. diplomat to be killed in Sudan since the 1973 assassination of U.S. Ambassador Cleo Noel, slain along with senior embassy officer George Curtis Moore by the Palestinian Black September militant group.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Sudan's capital"]},{"role":"Age","values":["33"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["John Granville"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Jan. 1, 2008"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["diplomat"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["shot"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2008 Hezbollah commander Imad Mugniyah is killed by a bomb attack in Damascus, Syria. (Reuters)","document":"BEIRUT (Reuters) - Senior Hezbollah commander Imad Moughniyah, on the United States’ most wanted list for attacks on Israeli and Western targets, has been killed by a bomb attack in Damascus, the Lebanese group said on Wednesday.\nA TV grab from al-Manar Hezbollah TV shows an undated portrait of slain leader Imad Moughniyeh. REUTERS/al-Manar Hezbollah TV\nHezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, accused Israel of assassinating Moughniyah by planting a bomb in his car. Tehran blamed Israel and condemned the attack as an act of “state terrorism”. Washington welcomed his death.\nIsrael denied any involvement in the killing, seen as a major blow to a group whose last confrontation with the Jewish state was the 34-day war of 2006.\nMoughniyah, 45, was killed late on Tuesday. He had long been on a list of foreigners Israel wanted to kill or capture and had been top of Washington’s wanted list before al Qaeda’s Osama bin Laden emerged as an enemy of the United States.\n“His killing is a huge blow to Hezbollah,” Magnus Ranstorp, terrorism expert at the Swedish National Defence College, said.\nIn his first official reaction to Tuesday’s killing, Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Majeed condemned the attack as a “terrorist act” and said that an investigation was under way.\n“Syria condemns this cowardly terrorist act and presents its condolences to the Lebanese people and to the family of the martyr,” the official SANA news agency quoted Abdel Majeed as saying.\nMoughniyah was implicated in the 1983 bombings of the U.S. embassy and U.S. Marine and French peacekeeping barracks in Beirut, which killed over 350 people, as well as the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and the kidnapping of Westerners in Lebanon in the 1980s.\nThe United States indicted him for his role in planning and participating in the June 14, 1985, hijacking of a U.S. TWA airliner and the killing of an American passenger.\n“The world is a better place without this man in it. He was a cold-blooded killer, a mass-murderer and a terrorist responsible for countless innocent lives lost,” State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said.\n“One way or another he was brought to justice,” he said.\nRelated Coverage\nSee more stories\nHezbollah, a strong political and military force in Lebanon, called followers to his funeral on Thursday.\n“After a life full of jihad, sacrifices and accomplishments ... Haj Imad Moughniyah ... died a martyr at the hands of the Israeli Zionists,” Hezbollah said.\nMoughniyah’s coffin, draped in a Hezbollah flag and flanked by four men in military uniform, was laid in a hall where his family and leaders of the Shi’ite group received condolences.\nThe 2006 war with Israel was triggered by a Hezbollah cross-border raid in which two Israeli soldiers were captured.\nAccording to Israeli intelligence assessments, Moughniyah was involved in planning the operation. He had also once been head of the security network of Hezbollah, a group which emerged in the early 1980s during Lebanon’s civil war.\nIsrael accuses Moughniyah of planning the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and of involvement in a 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in the Argentine capital that killed 28.\n“He was not only being targeted by Israel, but also by the Americans and many other parties,” said former Mossad head Danny Yatom on Israel Radio. “He was one of the terrorists with the most amount of intelligence agencies and states chasing him.”\nMoughniyah had been a very tough target to track, he said. “He behaved with extreme caution for many years. It was impossible even to obtain his picture. He never appeared or spoke before the media.\n“His identity was hidden. His steps were hidden. He behaved with extreme caution, and that was the reason it was difficult to get to him for so many years.”\nThe United States tried to detain Moughniyah several times,\nincluding a 1995 attempt to arrest him when the plane he was traveling was due to stop in Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials refused to allow the plane to land, diplomats say.\nThe attack occurred at an upmarket district housing an Iranian school, a police station and a Syrian intelligence office. Witnesses said that scores of police and intelligence officers rushed to the site. A police truck towed away the destroyed car, a new model Mitsubishi Pajero.\nSenior Hamas officials, including leader Khaled Meshaal, live in exile in Damascus.\n“Israel rejects the attempts of terror elements to attribute to Israel any involvement in this incident,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office said in a statement.\nMoughniyah is thought to have been commander of Islamic Jihad, a shadowy pro-Iranian group which emerged in Lebanon in the early 1980s and was believed linked to Hezbollah.\nIslamic Jihad kidnapped several Western hostages, including Americans, in Beirut in the mid 1980s. The group killed some of its captives and exchanged others for U.S. weapons to Iran in what was later known as the Iran-Contra scandal. Among those killed was the CIA’s station chief.\nMoughniyah’s brother was killed in a car bomb in Beirut in 1994. Reports at the time suggested Imad had been the target. Moughniyah had spent much of the 1990s in Iran.\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Damascus"]},{"role":"Age","values":["45"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Imad Moughniyah"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["Senior Hezbollah commander"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["bomb attack"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2008 The last French veteran of World War I, Lazare Ponticelli, an Italian immigrant who lied about his age to join the French Foreign Legion and fight in the trenches, dies at 110. (BBC News)","document":"President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the death on Wednesday, paying tribute to the last \"poilu\", as French WWI veterans were known. \"Today, I express the nation's deep emotion and infinite sadness,\" he said. Mr Ponticelli, originally Italian, had lied about his age in order to join the French Foreign Legion in August 1914,\naged 16, Mr Sarkozy said. There are a handful of surviving WWI veterans from other countries, including British pilot Henry Allingham and Austro-Hungarian artillery man Franz Kunstler. France's oldest surviving WWI veteran, Louis de Cazenave, died in January, also aged 110. The last of Germany's veterans from the war died also died in January. Day of remembrance","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["110"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Louis de Cazenave"]},{"role":"Date","values":["January"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["veteran"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2012 Paul McBride QC, Scotland's most senior lawyer, is found dead in a hotel room while on a visit to Pakistan. (BBC)","document":"The leading Scottish lawyer and QC Paul McBride has died suddenly while on a visit to Pakistan.\nHe was reported to have died in his sleep in a hotel room. He was 47.\nMr McBride had a high public profile. Two men are currently on trial in Glasgow accused of sending suspected parcel bombs to Mr McBride and other leading supporters of Celtic football club.\nHe was a board member of the Scottish Legal Aid Board.\nIt is understood that Mr McBride was in Pakistan on business.\nSupt Faisal Gulzar of Lahore police said: \"We got the call at around 2.30-3pm. Mr McBride was found dead in a room of the Pearl Continental in Lahore.\n\"At this stage we think he died of natural causes and do not suspect any foul play. We have checked CCTV footage from the hotel and carried out initial investigations.\n\"A post-mortem will take place. We will wait for the results before taking further action.\"\nAnother leading Scottish lawyer, Aamer Anwar, who was in Pakistan with Mr McBride, told BBC Scotland he had become concerned about Mr McBride after failing to reach him on the phone after several attempts.\nMr Anwar said Mr McBride had been feeling unwell and he persuaded hotel security to break into the QC's room to check if he was all right.\nMr Anwar added: \"Security came into the room with me - I thought he was asleep.\"\nOfficials in Pakistan have told the BBC they believe Mr McBride may have died as a result of a heart condition.\nA statement issued by Jack Irvine on behalf of Mr McBride's family said: \"Paul died in his sleep last night in a hotel in Pakistan and at this time we would ask you to respect the privacy of his family.\n\"There will be no further statement in the meantime.\"\nMr McBride was appointed a QC at the age of 35, said to be the youngest QC ever appointed in the UK.\nHe was called to the Scottish Bar in 1988 and has been involved in many high profile criminal cases in Scotland.\nMr Irvine added: \"I understand Paul was found dead in bed this morning. He had been in Pakistan for a few days and I am uncertain when he was to return to Scotland.\n\"The family have asked that they are not troubled at this distressing time.\"\nLord Advocate Frank Mulholland and Solicitor General Lesley Thomson said in a statement: \"We are very saddened by the awful news that Paul has died in his sleep overnight in Pakistan.\n\"This is devastating news for his partner Gary, family and his friends. We offer our sincere and deepest sympathies to them.\"\nBrian McConnachie QC, Vice-Chair of the Faculty of Advocates Criminal Bar Association, said: \"Everyone is absolutely stunned and deeply saddened by his death.\n\"Paul was very young and had achieved a tremendous amount in such a short space of time and undoubtedly had a great deal more to achieve both legally and no doubt in other fields.\"\nMr McBride is a former member of Labour and the Scottish Conservatives.\nHe left the Scottish Conservatives last June after Ruth Davidson was elected to lead the party north of the border.\nFirst Minister Alex Salmond paid the following tribute: \"This is sad and shocking news. Paul McBride was an outstanding Advocate, and a very substantial public figure in Scotland.\n\"Paul's genius lay not just in applying his first-class mind to the complex procedures of Scots Law, but also his unrivalled ability to explain and promote the laws of Scotland to a wider public.\"\nCeltic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell issued a statement on behalf of the club.\nHe said: \"This is tragic news. Paul was a very good friend of Celtic and someone who cared passionately about the club. His passing is clearly a great loss and he will be sadly missed.\n\"The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic are with Paul's family at this very difficult time.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hotel room"]},{"role":"Age","values":["47"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Paul McBride"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["lawyer"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2012 Frank Sherwood Rowland, the winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for warning about the depletion of the ozone layer, dies in the US state of California. (AP via Yahoo News)","document":"LOS ANGELES (AP) — F. Sherwood Rowland, the Nobel prize-winning chemist who sounded the alarm on the thinning of the Earth's ozone layer and crusaded against the use of man-made chemicals that were harming earth's atmospheric blanket, has died. He was 84.\nRowland died Saturday at his home in Corona del Mar of complications from Parkinson's disease, the dean of the University of California, Irvine's physical sciences department said Sunday.\n\"We have lost our finest friend and mentor,\" Kenneth C. Janda said in a statement. \"He saved the world from a major catastrophe: never wavering in his commitment to science, truth and humanity and did so with integrity and grace.\"\nRowland was among three scientists awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize for chemistry for explaining how the ozone is formed and decomposed through chemical processes in the atmosphere.\nThe prize was awarded more than two decades after Rowland and his post-doctoral student Mario Molina calculated that if human use of chlorofluorocarbon, a byproduct of aerosol sprays, deodorants and other household products was to continue at an unaltered rate, the ozone layer would be depleted after several decades. Their work at UC Irvine built upon findings by atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen.\nTheir prediction caught enormous attention and was strongly challenged partly because CFC's non-toxic properties were thought to be environmentally safe. Their work gained widespread recognition more than a decade later with the discovery of the ozone hole over Earth's polar regions and leaders of nations worldwide began to act to ban or curb usage of the chemicals.\n\"It was to turn out that they had even underestimated the risk,\" a Nobel committee said in its award citation for Rowland, Molina and Crutzen.\nMolina said his former mentor never shied from defending his work or advocating a ban on CFC.\n\"He showed me that if we believe in the science ... we should speak out when we feel it's important for society to change,\" Molina told the Associated Press.\nHis work on ozone depletion made Rowland a prominent voice for scientists concerned about global warming.\n\"Isn't it a responsibility of scientists, if you believe that you have found something that can affect the environment, isn't it your responsibility to do something about it, enough so that action actually takes place?\" Rowland said at a White House climate change roundtable in 1997.\n\"If not us, who? If not now, when?\" he asked.\nRowland, who was known by those who knew him as \"Sherry,\" was survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Joan, a son and a daughter.\nScarlett Johansson says her character was treated like \"a possession or a thing\" in Iron Man 2.\nKim Jong Un addressed North Korea's government on Thursday, where he \"stressed the need to get prepared for both dialogue and confrontation.\"\nNothing is more important for our democracy than ensuring that Trump does not escape justice forever simply because he was once elected president.\nKim Kardashian married former NBA player Kris Humphries in a televised wedding in 2011. The couple split up 72 days later.\nIn 2016, then-89-year-old activist Opal Lee marched 1,400 miles from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, DC, to raise awareness about Juneteenth.\nIt’s like a coin flip: risk contracting COVID-19 — and potentially​ becoming a long-hauler — or getting vaccinated.\nKate Middleton is known for recycling some of her best looks, but she's not the only royal who likes to rewear outfits.\nThe police report alleges the officer did not call for medical attention for the victim.\nFor a hopelessly divided ideological court, the Supreme Court seems to be saying a lot in one voice about the law and its own institution\nComedy CentralUnlike Jimmy Kimmel, The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper couldn’t get the MyPillow guy to come to him. So he did what he does best and went to the MyPillow guy.In his latest field piece from MAGA world, the long-serving correspondent traveled to Mike Lindell’s “free speech Woodstock” in Wisconsin with the hope of interviewing some of the election truthers who are still holding out hope that Donald Trump will return to the White House this summer. He likely never could have imagined tha\nIt’s like a coin flip: risk contracting COVID-19 — and potentially​ becoming a long-hauler — or getting vaccinated.\nErin Schaff/ GettyThe Affordable Care Act has survived its third Supreme Court challenge and is still the law of the land.Most importantly, it did so with the support of four conservative justices–Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas, Kavanaugh, and Barrett, who voted with three liberals to dismiss the case, California v. Texas, for lack of standing.They didn’t do this to save Obamacare–indeed, Justice Thomas wrote a concurring opinion maligning the law and the Court’s previous examinations\nGettyTwo teenage brothers from New Jersey are facing a murder charge after a Pennsylvania state trooper stumbled upon them trying to dump the body of a murder victim in an isolated area in the middle of the night, authorities said Thursday. Joshua Gamble, 17, and Anthony Gamble, 19, are said to have left their hazard lights on when they parked their two vehicles along the side of a road in a rural area of Bucks County, about 55 miles from their home in Somerset, New Jersey. The hazard lights led\nSinger Katy Perry and her fiance, actor Orlando Bloom, released an ad on Thursday depicting a dystopian future in which \"democracy is dead.\"\nOfficials don’t know how long the body was there.\nThe former House Speaker will travel to South Carolina on Friday with U.S. Tim Scott, a popular GOP figure.\nAlun Cairns, the ex-Secretary of State for Wales, will earn nearly £360 an hour to provide advice to a Singaporean firm that owns over 120 jobcentres.\nGov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has promised to veto a Republican measure that would restrict voting by mail.\nOnlyFans model Karley Stokes said that after she posted her poolside photo, a security guard arrived to escort her group out of the Florida property.\nGerrit Cole said gripping the ball is \"so hard\" after his first start since MLB announced a strict penalty for pitchers who use sticky substances.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["his home in Corona del Mar"]},{"role":"Age","values":["84"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["F. Sherwood Rowland"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["chemist"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["complications from Parkinson's disease"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2012 Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria, the leader of Egypt's Coptic Christian community, dies of cancer at the age of 88. (BBC)","document":"Egypt's Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III has died at the age of 88, state television has announced.\nThe leader of the Middle East's largest Christian minority was reported to suffer from cancer that had spread to several organs.\nCoptic Christians make up 10% of Egypt's population of 80 million.\nAfter attacks on Coptic Christians in recent years, Pope Shenouda urged officials to do more to address the community's concerns.\nPope Shenouda led the church, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, for four decades.\nHis political adviser Hany Aziz told Reuters news agency that Shenouda \"died from complications in health and from old age\".\nHe had returned recently to Egypt after seeking treatment abroad.\nPope Shenouda was born Nazeer Gayed into a devout Christian family on 3 August 1923 in Asyut, Upper Egypt, and became a monk in 1954, taking the name Shenouda.\nAfter Pope Cyril died in 1971, Shenouda was enthroned as Pope of Alexandria.\nHe fell out with President Anwar Sadat, who in 1981 sent him into internal exile. He was allowed back to Cairo by President Hosni Mubarak four years later.\nThe BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says Pope Shenouda sought to protect his Christian community amid a Muslim population by striking a conservative tone and lending tacit support to President Mubarak's rule.\nWhoever succeeds him now faces the task of reassuring the Coptic community as the Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood look on the verge of sharing power in Egypt for the first time, our correspondent says.\nMany younger Copts will now be looking for a leader who can help redefine their community's role in a rapidly changing post-Mubarak Egypt, our correspondent adds.","event_type":"Famous Person - Death","arguments":[{"role":"State Before Death","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Age","values":["88"]},{"role":"Deceased","values":["Shenouda III"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Doctor","values":null},{"role":"Profession","values":["Pope"]},{"role":"Death Reason","values":["complications in health and from old age"]},{"role":"Perpetrator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"A Viking Archaeologist Shares 6 of the Most Fascinating Finds From a Slew of Recent Discoveries Made in Melting Ice","document":"Global warming has unlocked hundreds of Viking artifacts from the ice of the Norwegian mountains in recent years. In November, archaeologists from the Secret of the Ice project, part of Norway’s Glacier Archaeology Program, discovered 68 arrows spanning a period of 6,000 years—a record for any frozen archaeological site—on the Langfonne ice patch, an ancient Viking hunting ground. A few months earlier, scientists announced discoveries that had been frozen in the rapidly melting Lendbreen ice patch, which was once part of a Viking trade route. Ice patches tend to preserve artifacts frozen inside them, but they grow and shrink with the seasons, allowing melt water to displace objects from where they were originally lost. “We get angry reactions to our finds from climate science deniers all the time,” Lars Pilø, the lead archaeologist on the Secret of the Ice project, told Artnet News. “The whole idea that one can disprove the climate science behind global warming with archaeological finds shows a stunning level of ignorance.” A 1,300-year-old arrow from the peak period of hunting at the Langfonne ice patch. Photo courtesy of Secrets of the Ice. The newest arrows were the best preserved, while the oldest arrows had been displaced due to seasonal melting over the millennia and were heavily damaged from exposure to the elements. The ice patch, which first formed around 5,600 BC, currently measures just 30 percent of the area it covered 30 years ago, and 10 percent of its size during the Little Ice Age that ended in the mid 1800s. As melting accelerates, archaeologists are in a race against time to recover artifacts as they are freed from the ice, before they dry out and rapidly begin to deteriorate. We spoke to Pilø about some of the most interesting artifacts recovered from the ice in recent years, how Vikings used the items, and what they tell us about the mountain pass and the people who traveled over it.   A tinderbox found in the Lendbreen pass. Photo by Espen Finstad, courtesy of Secrets of the Ice. “The tinderbox contained a wooden stick and small bits of resin-filled wood. It is not dated or analyzed yet. It is probably an accidental loss, since it is complete. We think that it is likely to date to the Viking Age or the Medieval Period (500 to 1000 years old), but it could also be younger—or older.”   The horse snowshoe found in the Lendbreen pass. Photo by Espen Finstad, courtesy of Secrets of the Ice. “Horse snowshoes are known from historical sources. However, to our knowledge, this is the first horse snowshoe found on an archaeological site. We have two more such snowshoes from Lendbreen that are less well preserved. The snowshoe was used when the snow was either powdery or rotten, so winter or spring/early summer. They are not necessary when the snow is firm. Losing one of them would make crossing the snow more difficult, depending on the snow conditions.”   The Lendbreen tunic, which dates to the year 300, is the oldest piece of clothing ever found in Norway. Photo courtesy of Secrets of the Ice. “The tunic is made from wool, which was spun and woven. It survived because it has been inside the ice for most of time since it was lost. Clothing is also known from glaciated mountain passes in the Alps. One reason they were left there could be hypothermia. When people are freezing to death, they become very warm in the final stage, which can lead to undressing—a paradoxical behavior.”   A wooden whisk, radiocarbon-dated to the 11th century AD found in the Lendbreen pass. It was perhaps secondarily used as a tent peg, as such whisks were rarely pointed. Photo courtesy of Secrets of the Ice. “The whisk is a kitchen utensil used for stirring [foods like] porridge. It is probably an accidental loss on the route between the main farm and the summer farm. Such whisks are still made today, but they are usually not pointed, so this artifact may have been used secondarily for another purpose, perhaps as a tent peg.”   A wooden bit for a goat kid or lamb, radiocarbon-dated to the 11th century AD, found in the Lendbreen pass. Photo courtesy of Secrets of the Ice. “It is a bit for young animals, mainly goat kids and lambs, to stop them from getting milk from their mothers. Identified by local elders, who used such bits (in juniper) until the 1930s. Ours is also in juniper, but radiocarbon-dated to the 11th century AD. It is a testimony to farm animals having used the Lendbreen pass”   A distaff found in the Lendbreen pass. Photo by Espen Finstad, courtesy of Secrets of the Ice. “This distaff is made from birch and is 1200 years old. It’s from the pass area at Lendbreen. A similar distaff has been found in the Oseberg Viking ship burial. Distaffs are tools used to hold the wool while it is being spun. Perhaps someone was spinning wool while walking the long route between the farm and the summer farm? Or it could have been an accidental loss.”","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["archaeologists"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["the Lendbreen pass","Lendbreen pass","Norwegian mountains"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["In November"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["A wooden whisk, radiocarbon-dated to the 11th century AD","68 arrows spanning a period of 6,000 years","A tinderbox","the Viking Age or the Medieval Period (500 to 1000 years old)","The horse snowshoe","A wooden bit for a goat kid or lamb, radiocarbon-dated to the 11th century AD"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":["the Secret of the Ice project, part of Norway’s Glacier Archaeology Program"]},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Gas pipe workers in Peru uncover the remains of eight people buried 800 years ago","document":" Gas pipe workers have discovered the remains of eight people, who were buried alongside musical instruments and food in Peru 800 years ago. Bodies of adults and children had been covered in plant material before being buried, at the site in Chilca, Peru, which is about 37 miles (60km) south of Lima.  Workers laying gas pipes found the remains with corn, dishes, and a variety of wind instruments, including flutes, placed around them. Cecilia Camargo, an archaeologist hired by the Calidda gas company, whose workers made the discovery, said it provides information on pre-Hispanic Chilca. Food, artefacts and ancient funeral bundles containing the remains of eight inhabitants were uncovered by workers of the gas distributing company Calidda, during the installation of natural gas pipes in Chilca, Peru The remains, buried approximately 800 years ago, belonged to the Chilca culture, a small pre-hispanic village that remained isolated from other pre-hispanic cultures in its territory The history of Chilca dates back to about 7000 BCE, with houses discovered going back as far as 5800 BCE, according to archaeologists.  The recently discovered remains were of people alive around 1220 CE, during the rise of the Inca empire, but are said to belong to the Chilca culture, which remained isolated from other pre-Hispanic cultures in the area. The Incan empire reigned until the Spanish arrived in the sixteenth century, when the Hispanic-era began. Some of the eight people found in the shared tomb had been buried with shells on their heads, and had bags in which coca leaves, traditionally chewed as a stimulant, are kept.  Workers of the same company found another 30 ancient bodies in Chilca in 2018 as part of efforts to lay gas pipes. For nearly two decades, workers for Calidda, building gas lines across Peru's capital, Lima, have found themselves unearthing a treasure trove of history. The history of Chilca dates back to about 7000 BCE, with houses discovered going back as far as 5800 BCE, according to archaeologists Peruvian workers laying gas pipes found the remains with corn, dishes, and a variety of wind instruments, including flutes, placed around the bodies Archaeologists have been working through the remains to better understand the people that lived in the pre-Hispanic village  An ancient purple corn kernel (left) was found with the bodies, along with music instruments, other food items and objects (right), although the team are still working through the bundle of 800 year old artefacts  Workers of the same company found another 30 ancient bodies in Chilca in 2018 as part of efforts to lay gas pipes  In 2018 the team came across four burials accompanied by ceramics from a pre-Incan civilization. Two years earlier, they found the bodies of farmers who had been among the first wave of Chinese immigrants in the 19th century.  'Lima literally sits atop a cultural bank,' with one layer of history atop another, Alexis Solis, an archaeologists working for Calidda national gas, said last year. The Colombia-based company says it has installed about 6,000 miles (10,000 kilometres) of natural gas lines across Lima over the past 16 years. As part of this effort, it has reported about 300 archaeological finds, some of them 2,000 years old and spent $2 million on the archaeological effort. Some of the eight people found in the shared tomb had been buried with shells on their heads, and had bags in which coca leaves, traditionally chewed as a stimulant, are kept A flute and basket of corn kernels were among the items found within the shared tomb, according to archaeologists   Peruvian law requires that archaeological discoveries be reported and turned over to the Culture Ministry, but some developers haven't followed the law. In 2013, workers for real estate developers destroyed a 4,500-year-old pyramid-shaped structure on the edges of the capital city Lima. Lima is located in a valley irrigated by three rivers fed from the Andes, and housed human civilisations thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in 1535.  It is scattered with cemeteries, irrigation canals, structures and ancient roads, with thin, vulnerable layers of deposited earth separating vastly different eras. 'The physical difference between the present and antiquity is but a few centimeters,' Solis said in an interview last year. The Inca, also spelled Inka, were a people indigenous to South America who, at the time of the Spanish conquest in 1532, ruled an empire that spanned from the northern border of modern Ecuador to central Chile.  Establishing their capital at Cusco (a city in modern-day Peru) in the 12th century, the Inca began a campaign of expansion in the early 15th century which would see some 12 million people come under their rule. Much of the information we have today comes from the written records of Spanish conquistadores as the Inca passed on their history through story telling and other oral traditions. Machu Pichhu is the best-known site remaining from the Inca Empire, once the largest and richest in the Americas Best known for the brutal practice of human sacrifice, the Inca Empire is also notable for its advanced agricultural techniques, unique art and architecture.    At its peak, the Inca Empire was the largest and richest in the Americas. Its downfall is thought to have come about through rebellion, disease and the Spanish invasion.  The most famous and perhaps best-preserved site that remains from Inca times is the citadel of Machu Picchu, located in Peru.    ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["Gas pipe workers"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["Chilca, Peru, which is about 37 miles (60km) south of Lima","Peru"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["the remains of eight people","musical instruments and food","800 years ago","corn, dishes, and a variety of wind instruments, including flutes"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Sharjah Ruler briefed on treasure trove found by archaeologists","document":"Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, was briefed on the latest archaeological discoveries found by historians working in the central region of the emirate. All photos: Wam Sharjah’s Ruler has been briefed on the latest archaeological discoveries found by historians working in the central region of the emirate. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi was shown a Roman key and 32 swords dating to the third or second century BC, which were found in Mleiha. Archaeologists at Sharjah Archaeology Authority also showed Sheikh Dr Sultan a white glazed-pottery jar with some green spots. It contained Abbasid dirhams dating back to the 10th century AD. The treasure trove of 409 coins was unearthed in February, and was described as hugely significant. Sharjah Archaeology Authority has unearthed an ancient jar filled with hundreds of priceless coins. The coins came from a large geographical area, encompassing Africa in the west, and the Transoxiana region in the east, and from several eras, including the Caliph Abu Ja’far Al Mansur, Muhammad Al Mahdi, Harun Al Rashid, Muhammad Al Amin and Abdullah Al Ma’mun. There was also a penny from the era of Caliph Al Mahdi. Dr Sabah Aboud Jasim, SAA’s director-general, said the discovery showed evidence of the early Abbasid presence in the region. Excavations in Mleiha have also uncovered 32 iron swords of various shapes dating back to the third and second century BC, and an iron key dating back to the Roman period. This is considered one of the most important artefacts discovered by the Authority. Mleiha Archaeological Centre opened for visitors in 2016 and charts the region’s history back to the Stone Age. The Mleiha area is of huge archaeological importance and was a centre of trade and commerce on the Arabian Peninsula.","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi","Sharjah Archaeology Authority"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["Mleiha","Africa in the west, and the Transoxiana region in the east"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["February"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["32 iron swords of various shapes dating back to the third and second century BC","a Roman key and 32 swords dating to the third or second century BC","some green spots. It contained Abbasid dirhams dating back to the 10th century AD","The treasure trove of 409 coins","an ancient jar filled with hundreds of priceless coins"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"A Modest Stone Relic Has Led Archeologists to the Tomb of a Depraved Ancient Chinese Emperor Famed for His Cruelty and Enormous Harem","document":"Thanks to a 1,840-year-old stone vessel, archaeologists have identified the tomb of Liu Zhi, one of China’s last Han emperors and a particularly brutal and hated ruler known for ordering the deaths of unwitting palace officials and their families. The written evidence had already suggested that the second-century AD leader, known also as Huan, was buried in a mausoleum near the Baicaopo Village in Henin Province’s city of Luoyang. That theory was bolstered significantly when archaeologists recently realized the 10-inch-tall, two-foot wide artifact was dated by its inscription. It reads “made in the third year of Guanghe,” a title for Liu Zhi’s successor Liu Hong, who would have been responsible for constructing his final resting place. “Together with the previous documents about the location of the emperor’s tomb, the discovery makes us almost certain that it is the tomb of emperor Liu Zhi,” excavation leader Wang Xianqiu told Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency. The ancient cemetery in Luoyang believed to be the final resting place of Han Emperor Liu Zhi. Photo courtesy of Luoyang City Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. Ruling from 146 to 168, first under the regency of Empress-Dowager Liang Na and her brother Liang Ji, Liu Zhi was known for allying with a politically influential group of eunuchs to execute officials—including Liang Ji and his family—and consolidate his power. Weakened by Liu Zhi’s alienation from the traditional ruling class, the Han Dynasty subsequently collapsed in 220, splitting into three warring states, notes Smithsonian Magazine. The city of Luoyang was the dynasty’s capital. The site first came to archaeologists’ attention in 2007, when the government announced plans to build a railroad there. Local historians turned to ancient literature, according to the London Times, which suggested it may have been home to an imperial tomb. Excavations have been underway since 2017, and have uncovered a cemetery featuring over 100 tombs, as well as a well and drainage channels. The imperial mausoleum is laid out like an underground palace, with a courtyard, homes, roads, and patios that the History Blog reports may have been staffed by living guards, cemetery administrators, and perhaps concubines.","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":null},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["near the Baicaopo Village in Henin Province’s city of Luoyang"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["a 1,840-year-old stone vessel"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["a cemetery featuring over 100 tombs","a well and drainage channels"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Inca breakthrough after mummy discovery on Andes stunned researchers: 'So well preserved'","document":" The discovery was heralded as one of the finest and \"perfect\" of its kind. Researchers climbed 22,000 feet up into Argentina's portion of the Andean mountains onto the world's tallest active volcano before stumbling across the remains. What they found was astonishing: a female teenager, around 13 years old, wrapped in a blanket pressed tightly around her crouched body, along with another girl and boy believed to be four or five years old. Taken away for analysis, the remains were found to be 500 years old, placing their identities as Inca, the great empire which dominated South America until Europeans arrived at the end of the 15th century. Despite being buried under about 1.5 metres (5ft) of rock and earth, their internal organs look perfect on a CT scan — as if they had died only recently. Dr Johan Reinhard, an archaeologist who helped lead the team, at the time said the remains were, \"the best preserved of any mummy I've seen\". He recounted his momentous 1999 excavation during the Smithsonian Channel's documentary, 'Mummies Alive: The Inca Maiden', 16 years later. Reaching the peak of Mount Llullaillaco, he said: \"All of a sudden I heard this guy cry out, 'Mummy!'.     \"When she first came out of the ground, she was completely wrapped up. \"We couldn't see any part of her body, but the textiles were just outstanding, and they were so well preserved.\" The biggest surprise came when they removed her wrappings. As Dr Reinhard gently worked his way down from the top, a full head of hair appeared. He said: \"We had to talk while we were doing it — it was if we were afraid at some level we might wake this mummy up because she seemed so alive. \"But nothing had the impact of when we uncovered her hands — it was probably one of the most powerful experiences I've had in my life, because those hands were perfect.\" JUST IN: US deal struck to restart CO2 production as EU chiefs hold meeting   The maiden's hands — as she was later called by researchers involved with the work — had all the details of a living hand, their skin, creases and nails were all intact. Preserved along with her was a spectacular collection of artefacts, including ceramics, figurines and textiles. Everything appeared \"totally untouched\", not a colour had faded in any of the materials, nor had any of the relics been damaged or changed in any way since they had been buried hundreds of years ago. Since the initial discovery, extensive research had seen the maiden's story take a sinister turn. In 2013, scientists revealed that drugs and alcohol played a key part in the months and weeks leading up to the children's deaths. Tests on one of the children, a teenage girl, suggest that she was heavily sedated just before her demise. Dr Emma Brown, from the department of archaeological sciences at the University of Bradford, said: \"The Spanish chroniclers suggest that children were sacrificed for all kinds of reasons: important life milestones in the lives of the Incas, in times of war or natural disasters, but there was a calendar of rituals too.\" DON'T MISS Archaeology breakthrough after researchers found new human species' [REPORT]Bermuda Triangle probe boost after 80-year-old shipwreck discovery [INSIGHT]Bermuda Triangle investigators find ‘best evidence we’ve seen’ [ANALYSIS]     The international team of researchers used forensic tests to analyse the chemicals found in the children's hair. They discovered that all three had consumed alcohol and coca leaves (from which cocaine is extracted) in the final months of their lives. Historical records reveal that these substances were reserved for the elite and often used in Incan rituals. An analysis of the teenage girl's hair – which was considerably longer than the hair of the other victims — revealed further details. She was likely considered more valued than the younger children because of her virginal status. Tests on her long braids revealed that her coca consumption increased sharply a year before her death.   The scientists believe this corresponds to the time she was selected for sacrifice. Earlier research also revealed that her diet changed around this point too — from a potato-based peasant diet to one rich in meat and maize. Dr Brown told the BBC: \"From what we know of the Spanish chronicles, particularly attractive or gifted women were chosen. \"The Incas actually had someone who went out to find these young women and they were taken from their families.\"   The results also revealed that the girl ingested large amounts of alcohol in the last few weeks of her life. It suggests she was heavily sedated before she and the other children were taken to the volcano, placed in their tombs and left to die. In the case of the maiden, there was no sign of violence. Dr Brown added: \"In this case we think with the combination of being placed in the grave with the alcohol and the cold ‒ the mountain is over 6,000m above sea level ‒ she would have passed away quietly.\"  ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["Researchers"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["22,000 feet up into Argentina's portion of the Andean mountains"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["collection of artefacts"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["a female teenager","and boy","500 years old"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Archaeologists find stunning 3,000-year-old gold mask in China - and the internet turns it into a meme","document":"The huge cache of relics were discovered in six ‘sacrificial pits’ along with other treasures made from gold, bronze, ivory, jade and bone. But only the mask has since found online stardom Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile The gold mask has been found along with 500 relics dating back about 3,000 years, unearthed at the renowned Sanxingdui Ruins site An extraordinary archaeological discovery in China has captured the imagination of the country’s netizens, with a 3,000-year-old ceremonial gold mask finding a new lease of life as a meme online. The culturally significant artefact was among a huge cache of 500 Bronze-Age relics unearthed , at the site of the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins. Along with fragments of gold masks, the archaeologists discovered bird-shaped gold ornaments, gold foil, bronze head portraits foils and artefacts made from ivory, jade and bone. But it was the mysterious half-face gold mask that stole the spotlight on Chinese microblogging site Weibo and inspired an array of memes and videos. A hashtag that translates as “Sanxingdui gold mask photo editing competition” has been viewed about 4 million times on Weibo, according to BBC News. Read more: Several users superimposed the facemask with other popular icons while they praised it as “stunning” and “beautiful”. The face mask was morphed with Japanese action figure Ultraman, popular Japanese cartoon Hello Kitty, a panda and even an alien. Officials at the museum for Sanxingdui also joined in the fun and shared their own version of the meme -  a picture of the mask completing the outline of a teddy bear’s face - as well as a promotional animated music video, showcasing the mask and other artefacts. “Good morning, we've just woken up, apparently everyone's been busy doing some Photoshopping?” the museum said as it shared its own meme. Researchers believe the discovery of the artefacts could shed more light on the ancient Shu civilisation, which ruled the area before 316 BC but left scant written records. All the items were found in six “sacrificial pits”, where Shu people are believed to have offered sacrifices to their ancestors and the earth. The rectangular-shaped pits were discovered between November 2019 and May 2020, according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). The gold mask weighs 280 grams (0.6 pounds) and is estimated to be made of 84 per cent gold, according to NCHA. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies The gold mask has been found along with 500 relics dating back about 3,000 years, unearthed at the renowned Sanxingdui Ruins site Shutterstock ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":null},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["Sanxingdui Ruins site","six ‘sacrificial pits’"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["bird-shaped gold ornaments, gold foil, bronze head portraits foils and artefacts made from ivory, jade and bone","500 relics dating back about 3,000 years","The huge cache of relics","other treasures","a 3,000-year-old ceremonial gold mask"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Early human migrations from Africa dating back 400,000 years discovered in Al-Nufud desert","document":"RIYADH — The Heritage Commission Wednesday announced the most recent archaeological discoveries made in the north of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, revealing evidence of early human migrations from Africa to Arabia beginning about 400,000 years ago.The migrations were repeated over multiple time periods dating back 300,000, 200,000, 130,000-75,000 and 55,000 years, representing the longest record of early human presence in Arabia, and underlining the significance of the region in the developments of human civilization outside of Africa.The discoveries were the result of efforts by a Saudi international mission in partnership with specialists from the Heritage Commission, the Max Planck Institute of Germany, King Saud University, and several distinguished international universities and research centers.The archaeological excavation uncovered the remains of stone tools and fossilized animal bones within layers of dry lakes in Al-Nufud desert in the northwest of the Kingdom.At the site of Khall Umayshan, on the outskirts of Tabuk region, artifacts dating back around 400,000 years were found, including Acheulean axes, which are considered the oldest dated archaeological remains in Arabia.Eminent scientific journal Nature has published Wednesday a study that examined the history of several layers of sediment from the ancient lakes at the sites of Jubbah and Khall Umayshan in the Nufud desert, representing rainy periods experienced by Arabia.The study revealed the various stages of human presence in the area, and the characteristic differences among the inhabitants as evidenced by the archaeological remains of each period, including the emergence of new stone industries.Significantly, the study contributed to identifying the time periods of the moderate climates during which these human migrations took place from Africa to Arabia.The study also revealed the existence of Acheulean stone industries dating back 200,000 years, a time period that is relatively recently compared to counterparts in southwest Asia.This indicates the uniqueness of Arabia environment in shaping the cultural features prevailing at the time. The study confirmed the use of the archaeological sites for stone tool-making activities rather than as areas of habitation.The site of the Nufud desert's Khall Umayshan, on the outskirts of Tabuk region, is considered a unique archaeological site of Arabia owing to its multiple archaeological layers containing environmental information from different periods.A study of the deepest layer at the site, which dates back around 400,000 years, revealed Acheulean axes, which are the oldest dated archaeological remains in Arabia. The layer above it contained small stone axes dating about 300,000 years.Above this layer, stone tools as well as the first indications of the manufacturing technique known as Levallois, which was dated back to 200,000 years ago were found. The following two layers, dated at 125,000-75,000 and 55,000 years were distinguished by a distinctive Levalloisian technique.The Acheulean civilization continued until the humid periods of the late Middle Pleistocene, which were contemporaneous with Levallois industrial technology at the end of the Acheulean period.These stone industries are unique in their technical characteristics and differ from their counterparts in the eastern Mediterranean. The study showed that the Levallois industry in the Nufud desert is closer in features to its counterpart in East Africa.The excavation of animal skeletal remains revealed the presence of hippopotamus and other bovine bones over multiple time periods, confirming the existence of an environment rich in water and dense vegetation in the north of Arabia, which corresponds to a large extent with the prevailing climatic conditions in North Africa.The research team was able to identify five waves of human migration to Arabia from Africa, corresponding to improved climatic conditions and reduced drought.The discovered stone industries, two of which date back to the Acheulean civilization and three to the Middle Paleolithic period, revealed details confirming the differing characteristics among these human groups.The scientific team also presented the results of the archaeological study of the Jubbah site in Hail region, an ancient lake that contained archaeological layers similar to those found at the site of Khall Umayshan.The study again provided information about the climatic conditions experienced by the region in prehistoric times.The published scientific study, appended by a 120-page report of office, laboratory and field procedures that were carried out, utilized the latest technologies and scientific methods and brought together the efforts of researchers from a number of national and international institutions to reach the most accurate conclusions about the civilizational history of human groups in Arabia. — SPA","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":null},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["the north of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia","Al-Nufud desert in the northwest of the Kingdom"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["remains of stone tools and fossilized animal bones","artifacts dating back around 400,000 years","Acheulean stone industries dating back 200,000 years","small stone axes dating about 300,000 years"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2020","document":"Archaeologists have announced the discovery of a giant Ice Age structure built from the remains of at least 60 mammoths at the Kostenki-Borshevo archaeological complex. The giant circular structure has a diameter of 12.5 metres and was built around 25,000 years ago during the peak of the last Ice Age (called the last glacial maximum), when communities were mainly mobile hunter-gatherers. This would make the monument one of the oldest known mammoth bone buildings, compared to similar structures that date from 22,000 years ago. Find out more Archaeologists Find Large Neolithic Structure at Durrington Walls Archaeologists from the University of Bradford have announced the discovery of a large prehistoric site at Durrington Walls near Stonehenge in England. The archaeologists found a series of Neolithic shafts that date from around 2500 BC and stretch for 2km around the Durrington Walls and Woodhenge monuments. The shafts are around 10 metres in diameter and reach a depth of 5 metres. Archaeologists believe they were used along with an internal post line to mark a boundary and to guide worshipers to the monuments. Find out more Ornate Treasures Discovered in Tomb of Silla Princess Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of grave goods in the tomb of a Silla Princess, buried in the city of Gyeongju, in the North Gyeongsang Province of South Korea. The latest discoveries consist of a gilt-bronze crown, gold chest ornaments, gold earrings and pendants, gilt-bronze ornaments, gold and silver bracelets, an ornamental silver knife, and hundreds of stones from the strategy board game Baduk (also called Go). Find out more More Than 100 Painted Coffins Have Been Found at the Ancient Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara Egyptian antiquities officials have announced the discovery of almost 100 ancient coffins – some with mummies inside them – and around 40 golden statues from the Ancient Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara. The wooden coffins and other objects were buried during Egypt’s Late and Ptolemaic Periods, which together lasted from 664 to 30BC. Find out more Largest And Oldest Maya Monument Discovered With LiDar Archaeologists from the University of Arizona have made the monumental discovery of a giant Maya plateau, possibly the largest and oldest Mayan monument discovery to date using LiDar. The monument, measuring almost 4600 feet long at a height of 30-50 feet is located at the recently discovered site of Aguada Fénix located in Tabasco, Mexico near the border to Guatemala. Find out more Archaeologists Discover Lost Capital of Ancient Maya Kingdom A team of researchers from Brown University and Brandeis University has discovered the lost ruins of a Maya capital in the backyard of a Mexican cattle rancher. Associate professor of anthropology, Charles Golden and bioarchaeologist Andrew Scherer believe that the site (now named Lacanja Tzeltal) was the capital of the Sak Tz’i’ kingdom, located in what is today the state of Chiapas in south-eastern Mexico. Find out more Ancient String Discovery Sheds Light on Neanderthal Life The discovery of the oldest known direct evidence of fibre technology using natural fibres to create yarn is reported in Scientific Reports this week. The finding furthers our understanding of the cognitive abilities of Neanderthals during the Middle Palaeolithic period (30,000-300,000 years ago). Bruce Hardy and colleagues discovered a six-millimetre-long cord fragment consisting of three bundles of fibres twisted together and adhering to a 60-millimetre-long, thin stone tool. Find out more Over 6000 Ancient Tombs Discovered by Archaeologists in China Archaeologists excavating in Chengdu, Sichuan province have discovered over 6000 ancient tombs spanning more than 2000 years. The tombs date from various dynasties and were discovered during construction works for the Sichuan Xinchuan Innovation and Technology Park. Excavations began in 2015, but the results of the ongoing discoveries have finally been announced by the Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. Find out more Archaeologists Discover Earliest London Elizabethan Playhouse Archaeologists from the UCL’s Institute of Archaeology have discovered the remains of what may be the Red Lion, an early Elizabethan playhouse built around AD 1567. The Red Lion was a purpose-built playhouse in the yard of the Red Lion, a farmhouse east of Aldgate near Mile End. This was to be the first known attempt to provide a purpose-built playhouse in London for the many Tudor age touring theatrical companies, in particular staging a young Shakespeare’s plays in the 1590s. Find out more Early Big-Game Hunters of the Americas Were Female According to Research For centuries, historians and scientists mostly agreed that when early human groups sought food, men hunted and women gathered. However, a 9,000-year-old female hunter burial in the Andes Mountains of South America reveals a different story, according to new research conducted at the University of California, Davis. Find out more","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["Archaeologists"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["Tomb of Silla Princess","the Ancient Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara","Chengdu, Sichuan province","the Kostenki-Borshevo archaeological complex","Durrington Walls near Stonehenge in England","Gyeongju, in the North Gyeongsang Province of South Korea"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["25,000 years ago","a series of Neolithic shafts that date from around 2500 BC","Ornate Treasures","a gilt-bronze crown, gold chest ornaments, gold earrings and pendants, gilt-bronze ornaments, gold and silver bracelets, an ornamental silver knife, and hundreds of stones from the strategy board game Baduk (also called Go)","mummies","around 40 golden statues","Egypt’s Late and Ptolemaic Periods, which together lasted from 664 to 30BC"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":["the University of Bradford"]},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["Over 6000 Ancient Tombs","a giant Ice Age structure","a large prehistoric site","hundreds of grave goods","More Than 100 Painted Coffins"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old ancient city in Iraqi desert","document":"The new discovery is in Dhi Qar, southern Iraq, home to many archaeological sites including ziggurat temples, ancient burial grounds, and the so-called Home of Abraham (pictured) Photo: Aziz1005 An ancient urban settlement believed to date back to pre-Babylonian times has been uncovered in a desert in southern Iraq. According to the Middle Eastern news site Al-Monitor, a group of Russian archaeologists and Iraqi colleagues made the discovery on 24 June in the Tell Duhaila area in Dhi Qar governorate, around 30km from the ancient city of Ur. The find joins a list of more than 1,200 archaeological sites in the region—some yet to be excavated—in what was once part of the delta of Mesopotamia, often referred to as \"the cradle of civilisation\". \"According to initial speculation, the city could be the capital of a state founded following the political collapse at the end of the ancient Babylonian era [around the middle of the second millennium BC], which caused the systematic destruction of the Sumerian civilisation’s urban life,” the head of the Russian excavation, Alexei Jankowski-Diakonoff, told Al-Monitor. The team began their research in the area in 2019. Artefacts uncovered at the site include an oxidised arrowhead, traces of stoves and clay camel statues dating back to the early Iron Age. Speaking of the significance of the site, Jankowski-Diakonoff says that it \"reveals the first development in agriculture using silt in Mesopotamia\" adding that it \"contains remains of the material from the period that preceded the emergence of the Sumerian civilisation\". The remains of an ancient oven were uncovered in the excavations © Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Jankowski-Diakonoff says further investigation at the site may potentially reveal items with cuneiform writing in an \"undisturbed archaeological context\", which would be \"extremely important\". From October, teams from international universities and museums, including 10 Italian, American, French, British and Russian missions, are scheduled to explore the vast area of Dhi Qar. Amer Abdel Razak, the antiquity director in Dhi Qar, told Al-Monitor that the site had been discovered and registered with the Dhi Qar Antiquity Department as \"an extremely significant archaeological site\" ahead of the Russian team's arrival in Iraq. However, without funding and support from the Iraqi government, it often falls on foreign archeologists to excavate the land. The head of the Culture, Tourism and Antiquity Committee in the Iraqi parliament, Sumaya al-Ghallab, says that the country needs to secure \"the necessary funds and protection for excavation teams\" and create \"a strategy for an excavation and research process covering the entire archaeological map in Iraq\".","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["a group of Russian archaeologists and Iraqi colleagues"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["Tell Duhaila area in Dhi Qar governorate, around 30km from the ancient city of Ur"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["24 June"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["An ancient urban settlement believed to date back to pre-Babylonian times","an oxidised arrowhead, traces of stoves and clay camel statues dating back to the early Iron Age"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"PM Modi pays tribute to Georgia's Saint Queen Ketevan, lauds Goa for preserving her relics","document":" Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to Georgia's Saint Queen Ketevan during his monthly Mann ki Baat program pointing out how \"extremely emotional\" the people of the country are for her. India's External minister Dr S Jaishankar had visited the country earlier this month and handed over the relics of St Ketevan who was martyred in Iran in 1624. PM recalling the \"very interesting and very emotional event\" of handing over the relics said that the development imparts \"new strength to India-Georgia friendship\" and \"the words that were said in praise of India in this ceremony are indeed very memorable.\" The ceremony that took place at the Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral saw the participation of Georgia's top political and religious leaders including the President, PM, and His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. St Queen Ketevan's relics were found in St. Augustine Convent in Old Goa, India in 2005. DNA analysis by the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad at the instance of the Archaeological Survey of India confirmed its authenticity. It is believed her relics were brought to Goa in 1627. PM said that the \"ceremony has not only strengthened the relations between the two nations but as well as between Goa and Georgia.\" He explained that \"this is an extremely emotional topic for the people of Georgia. That is why keeping in mind their historical, religious, and spiritual sentiments, the Government of India decided to gift a part of these relics to the people of Georgia.\" The relics have reached Georgia back after more than 390 years. In the past, in September 2017, relics were sent to Georgia for almost a year and were returned to India in September 2018. Lauding Goa, PM said, \"I would like to thank the people of Goa for preserving this unique side of the shared history of India and Georgia. Goa has been the land of many a great spiritual heritage. Saint Augustine Church is a UNESCO's World Heritage Site – a part of the Churches and Convents of Goa.\" EAM's visit was the first visit by an Indian external affairs minister to the country since it became independent in 1991. Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagarishvili and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had met in New Delhi on 11 May 2000.","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":null},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["St. Augustine Convent in Old Goa, India"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["2005"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["St Queen Ketevan's relics"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Discovery in Moroccan Cave Provides Clues On Genesis of Clothing","document":"Rabat - 62 bone tools dating between 90,000 and 120,000 years ago that were used to process and smooth animal skins, have been found in a cave in Morocco. Scientists on Thursday said the artifacts were unearthed in the Contrebandiers Cave, located roughly 250 meters from the Atlantic coastline in the town of Temara.  The discovery indicates that humans created specialized tools from bones, skinning animals and then using the tools to process skins for fur and leather. The new discovery may be the oldest proxy evidence for clothing found in archaeological records.  The tools were made from animal bones, and scientists also identified a pattern of incisions on the bones of three small carnivore species - a fox, jackal and wildcat - indicating they had been skinned for fur, not processed for meat.  The bones of antelope and wild cattle indicated that the skins of these animals may have been used to make leather, while the meat was eaten. Back in July of this year, archaeologists in Morocco announced the discovery of north Africa’s oldest stone age hand-axe manufacturing site, dating back 1.3 million years. The finding pushed back the beginning of the Acheulian stone-tool industry, associated with the human ancestor Homo erectus, by hundreds of thousands of years in north Africa. The discovery was made during excavations at a quarry on the outskirts of Morocco’s economic capital, Casablanca. In addition, a skull, teeth and bone fragments were discovered near Marrakech in 2017, and were estimated to be about 300,000 years old, making them the oldest human remains ever discovered.  Once again, this discovery changed archeologists and historians' understandings about our species and defied preconceived theories on Human genesis. ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["archaeologists in Morocco"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["a cave in Morocco","the Contrebandiers Cave","near Marrakech"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["July of this year","2017"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["62 bone tools dating between 90,000 and 120,000 years ago","north Africa’s oldest stone age hand-axe manufacturing site, dating back 1.3 million years","a skull, teeth and bone fragments","about 300,000 years old"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Melting Glaciers Have Exposed Frozen Relics of World War I","document":"Artifacts from the White War — a battle between Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops that took place in the forbidding heights of the Alps — are on their way to a museum.  As glaciers melt and shrink in the Alps of Northern Italy, long-frozen relics of World War I have been emerging from the ice. They include cups, cans, letters, weapons and bones with the marrow sucked dry. They were found in cave barracks not far from the frigid summit of Mount Scorluzzo, which reaches more than 10,000 feet over sea level in Northern Italy, near Switzerland. ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":["glaciers melt and shrink in the Alps of Northern Italy"]},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":null},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["the forbidding heights of the Alps","cave barracks not far from the frigid summit of Mount Scorluzzo"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["relics of World War","cups, cans, letters, weapons and bones with the marrow sucked dry"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Human remains found at Williamsburg archaeology dig","document":"Human remains have been discovered in an archaeological dig at the site of a historic African American church in Colonial Williamsburg, experts announced Monday. A worn upper front tooth and what is probably a finger bone were unearthed during excavation at the site of the old First Baptist Church, one of the oldest such churches in the country and the earliest African American church in Williamsburg, experts said. The remains were found in what was left from an excavation at the site in the 1950s and probably came from a grave that was inadvertently disturbed in that process, experts said. The current dig has located what appear to be two graves. Archaeologists believe there may be more. The grave shafts have not yet been explored, but descendants of the church’s earliest members said they want the archaeology to continue to try to learn who the deceased were, and honor them. The church was organized in 1776, and had buildings on the site in 1855, and perhaps as early as 1818. Colonial Williamsburg bought the old church and tore it down in 1955. A new church funded by the sale was built about eight blocks away in 1956. The original site was paved over in 1965. The bell from the old church was used to dedicate the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington in 2016. Descended from the enslaved, this family helped open the African American museum The remains were discovered this month, Jack Gary, Colonial Williamsburg’s director of archaeology, said Monday. The spot is an area where oral tradition holds that past church members were probably buried behind the old structure on Nassau Street. The announcement came during an online meeting with Gary; Michael Blakey, director of the Institute for Historical Biology at William & Mary; Connie Matthews Harshaw, president of the church’s Let Freedom Ring Foundation; and descendants of church members. “We would like to know as soon as possible how many grave shafts there are,” Harshaw said. “At the end of the day we want to find out who they are and if possible connect any surviving descendants to those burials.” Gary and Blakey said that could be difficult but they were honored to have the community’s go-ahead to continue the dig. Community member Donald Hill asked whether the experts knew when the graves were dug. One way to tell would be “to excavate down to the remains themselves and see what materials are inside the grave shafts,” Gary said. “Looking at things like coffin hardware, the handles that are on coffins, they can give us dates.” “Looking at, also, any clothing remains on the individual could give us a potential date for when they were buried,” he said. Dennis Gardner, who was born two blocks from the dig site and attended the old church, said, “I think we should explore for additional graves and see what we … find and then after that I think we should determine what we want to do with the remains.” Blakey said about 70 small bone fragments had been recovered from the site. In most cases it was not clear whether they were human or animal. “These are … unidentifiable, tiny fragments,” he said. But they also found what is probably a finger bone, “very likely a human bone,” and the lone upper front tooth, he said. Wear on the tooth was “extreme,” he said. Tulsa mass grave might be from 1921 race massacre The dig at the site began last September. In November, archaeologists announced that they had found evidence of at least two graves, along with artifacts such as a fragment of an ink bottle, a porcelain piece of a doll’s foot and a building foundation. In 1953, when the church planned to build an adjacent annex, a member of the congregation, “Sister Epps” (most likely Mrs. Fannie Epps) said her great-grandfather was buried where the annex was supposed to go, researchers have written. The graves were found right where the annex was started, but never finished. The dig paused for several weeks in late fall 2020 and resumed in January. Gary said Monday that it would continue “as soon the rain stops.” According to the congregation’s tradition, the church goes back to the time when enslaved and free Black people began meeting secretly in the woods nearby to pray and listen to a minister named Moses. Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia from 1699 to 1780, and by 1775, more than half of its 1,880 residents were Black, most of them enslaved, according to the late historian Linda Rowe. The church congregants had to meet in remote locales outdoors because it was dangerous for Black people to gather in numbers anywhere, for fear of arousing White suspicions of revolt. Church tradition has it that a local White businessman, Jesse Cole, while walking his lands one day, came upon the congregation meeting and singing in an outdoor shelter made of tree limbs and underbrush. Moved by the scene, he offered them a carriage house he owned on Nassau Street, according to Rowe. On that spot in 1855, a stately new brick church was built with a steeple and Palladian windows. On that site, the archaeologists are now trying to resurrect a vanished past. Read more: Archaeological dig unearths one of earliest remains of the enslaved in Delaware DNA on ancient tobacco pipe links Maryland enslaved site to West Africa Hundreds died on World War II ‘hell ships.’ Now there’s an effort to identify the dead. ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":null},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["the site of a historic African American church in Colonial Williamsburg"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["1950s","this month"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["a finger bone","A worn upper front tooth","70 small bone fragments"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["Human remains"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2nd set of historical human remains discovered at Lockport construction site","document":"More historical human remains have been discovered near the St. Andrews lock and dam site in Lockport, Man., after an initial discovery was made late last month during construction in the area. Peguis First Nation Chief Glenn Hudson said early investigations suggest the remains belong to two teenagers, found within a few feet of each other. \"To find two bodies that close together, I'm sure there are others in that area,\" he said. The province is now investigating in accordance with provincial laws, Hudson says, and carbon dating will be carried out to find out more about when the teens may have lived and died. Last month, police were called to the area on the banks of the Red River, 27 kilometres north of Winnipeg, after human remains were discovered while work to the bridge on the dam structure was being done. They were determined to be archeological in nature, RCMP said at the time.  A second set of remains was found on Sept. 10, Hudson said, and elders from Peguis First Nation held ceremonies for each, lighting a four-day sacred fire.  The area is part of the traditional lands of Peguis First Nation. Peguis's reserve was relocated from the former St. Peter's reserve site, which was north of Selkirk. \"There are other descendants in the area — the Métis, obviously, and going back, Brokenhead [First Nation] also has used that area in the past. These are things that we're trying to research and figure that out,\" said Hudson. Construction work in the immediate area has been stopped while archeologists investigate, Hudson said. The investigation may also extend into Lockport Provincial Heritage Park, which is just metres away from where the remains were found. The area is one of Manitoba's most important archeological sites, with findings dating back to the 1400s. It's where the earliest known evidence of farming on the Canadian prairies was found, and is the farthest north where evidence of farming prior to European settlement in North America has been documented.  Hudson said Peguis First Nation was not made aware of the construction work before it began, and hopes in the future they will be consulted about projects in their traditional areas. Hudson said one of the teens found was buried along with buffalo and birch-bark artifacts. \"[They] must have been wrapped in a buffalo robe and birch bark. That's something that indicates that the individual is Indigenous,\" said Hudson. \"It tells us that the individual was a very special person within the family group.\" In a Friday news release, Peguis First Nation said early investigation involving the first set of remains shows the person had tuberculosis — a disease that came to Canada with European settlers in the 1700s and still impacts many Indigenous people to this day. \"It had a very negative impact on some of our tribes and some of our people in the area, and that's something we continue to try to understand, in terms of colonization and the impacts of it,\" Hudson said. CBC News has reached out to the Manitoba Heritage Resources Branch — which handles investigations into human remains that are discovered — for comment but has not yet received a response.  The discovery of unmarked graves of children near former residential school sites across Canada has led to public outcry and demands for more searches school sites. Hudson said investigations are continuing into whether the teens could be connected with any residential school sites. \"It shows a much-tainted history that has happened here in Canada,\" he said. \"Having these bodies discovered, especially two young teenagers so close together, it questions whether there are more out there.\" Once carbon dating is completed, Hudson says Peguis will look at repatriating the remains to their traditional burial grounds north of Selkirk. ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":null},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["near the St. Andrews lock and dam site in Lockport, Man"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["late last month"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["historical human remains"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"About 1,600 pieces of metal movable type were found inside a pot excavated ecently in Gongyeong-dong, central Seoul","document":"About 1,600 pieces of metal movable type were found inside a pot excavated recently in Gongyeong-dong, central Seoul. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION] The metal movable type was found inside a pot and other relics were found around the pot. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION] Some of the discovered Yeonju metal movable type blocks. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION] The excavated type bocks include ones that are presumed to be Gapinja, created in 1434 under King Sejong's orders. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION] Fragments of jujeon, a visual scale used to indicate time on a water clock [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]                                         ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":null},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["inside a pot excavated","in Gongyeong-dong, central Seoul"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["recently"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["About 1,600 pieces of metal movable type"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Palaeolithic cave paintings found in corner of NCR could be among oldest","document":"Archaeologists have discovered cave paintings in a rocky and forested corner of Haryana, not far from the national capital, that they believe belong to the Upper Palaeolithic age, which could potentially make them one of the oldest cave arts in the country. The caves are nestled amid a maze of quartzite rocks in the Aravalli mountain ranges, just outside the national capital, and a stone’s throw from the region’s only surviving patch of primary forest, a holy grove called Mangar Bani. While the residents of Manger village, and adjoining villages such as Selakhari, say generations have been aware of the paintings, it is only recently that the Haryana government’s museum and archaeology department took note of them. It sent a fact-finding team to the area in the last week of June. “So far, cave paintings in Delhi-NCR have only been found here. Most pre-historic sites have been traced in the Aravalli region. The paintings are yet to be dated but at least some of them belong to the Upper Palaeolithic period in all likelihood. We are viewing the paintings in continuation with the Soanian culture which has been found in Shivalik hills, Narmada and Aravallis,” said Banani Bhattacharyya, deputy director of the department of archaeology and museums. The team encountered cave paintings comprising images of human figurines, animals, foliage, and geometric, some that have paled over time, but others that are still very visible. It also encountered rock art and open-air ceremonial sites. While some could be spotted in the open air, a majority of them are on the ceilings of the rock shelters. The findings may well change the history of Haryana. The Upper Paleolithic Age began around 40,000 years ago and lasted till around 10,000 years ago. Bhattacharyya, who was part of the team, said the discovery is extremely significant. “Though tools from the Palaeolithic Age have been identified earlier in parts of the Aravallis, it is for the first time that cave paintings and rock art of a large magnitude have been found in Haryana.” To be sure, the findings have to be validated, dated, reviewed, and published. The department plans to undertake further explorations in the area. The caves and the paintings themselves are reminiscent of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, which is home to the oldest known cave art in India, dating back to the Mesolithic Age (around 10,000 years ago). The Mangar cave art is 20,000-40,000 years old, according to Bhattacharyya, but this is something that can be established through archaeological dating. Experts also use qualitative techniques, by comparing the cave art to other cave art, and that found in other excavations. While explorations and excavations in the Aravallis have been undertaken in the past, it is for the first time that cave paintings at the current site have caught the attention of researchers. Bhattacharyya believes the site may have possibly remained relatively undiscovered over the years due to thick vegetation. “Stone age tools and technology dates to a particular time period. We explore what tool belongs to which time period. In sites such as these, we can conduct dating by studying the pigment. The pigment contains proteins (mainly organic material) which can be dated. At present, we are dependent on typo-technological dating. Tools such as hand cleaver, blade, evolve with types. Starting from the Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic then Upper Palaeolithic, we see the evolution here. We have found significant remains from Lower Palaeolithic till Middle and Upper Palaeolithic period too,” she explained. Most of the paintings are ochre, but some are white. Experts say cave paintings in white are usually from a later stage (early contemporary era), while Stone Age paintings are more often than not, ochre. “Stone age paintings generally use red and ochre colours. Stones of these colour used to be available locally and inhabitants crushed the stones for preparing the colour for paintings,” said Bhattacharyya. Palaeolithic artefacts have been reported earlier from various parts of Delhi and Haryana. In 1985-86, Dilip Kumar Chakrabarty and Nayanjot Lahiri surveyed and mapped prehistoric sites in Delhi and Haryana. They traced 43 sites. In 1986, AK Sharma discovered the Palaeolithic site of Anangpur in Faridabad. ASI later undertook excavation at the site. Sharma was accompanied by former joint director general of ASI SB Ota and other experts from ASI’s prehistoric branch. Ota said that while the Aravallis are known for prehistoric remains starting from the Lower Palaeolithic period, unlike Central India and other places that are rich in rock paintings, no rock paintings have been found in Aravallis until now. “That engravings formed part of Aravallis was known through earlier publications but what was not known so far was the presence of paintings in rock shelters. The paintings never got washed away due to these rock shelters. We do not know the date at the moment but this is a clear indication that there must have been many more paintings which might have been destroyed over time,” he said. Ota emphasized the need for conservation after investigations and assessment of the importance of the paintings. “The Aravallis demonstrate the earliest evidence of the stone age which we call the Lower Palaeolithic Acheulean culture. The area can be easily protected since the Aravalli hills also derive protection from various Supreme Court orders. This can be done after experts assess the cultural and archaeological value of the site.” The Aravalli’s are India’s and the world’s oldest mountain range, and have been ravaged by time, the elements, and increasingly over the past few decades, man. Ashok Khemka, principal secretary to government, archaeology and museums department, Haryana, said that while a team from the department has conducted a preliminary study, further investigations will be undertaken since the site requires extensive documentation. He said the department will grant protection status to Mangar forest. “We will definitely be giving the Mangar Bani forest state protection under the archaeological act because of the presence of a large number of stone age cave paintings that have been found there. The paintings date back roughly 20-30,000 years. We will be issuing orders for protecting the entire Mangar Bani forest under section 4 of Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1964.” Khemka said his department plans to hire scholars from the region for an extensive survey. “We will be hiring a team of research scholars who are experts in prehistoric cave paintings. Locals and a few research scholars from the nearby universities will also be involved in the extensive survey.” Shalaish Baisla, an archaeology student and independent researcher, said he had spotted tools and cave paintings from the prehistoric age in Mangar. He added that the area needed immediate protection. “There are individuals who have commercial interests in the area. It is crucial that the site is granted protection, even before any research is undertaken.” Residents of Mangar and other villages in the area say they know of the paintings, but that their historical importance eluded them. Hamid, a resident of Selakheri, said: “We know that these paintings must be quite old. It’s evident if you look at them. However, one can’t understand or make sense of symbols or the writing. They have gathered dust over the years.” He uses only one name. Shaukat Ali, a septuagenarian, said that he has seen the paintings over years. “People go there regularly, particularly women -- for grazing goats or routine walks. The caves are a part of our lives...” Sunil Harsana, an activist from Mangar village, said that while the forest needed protection, it was crucial to ensure that protection did not remain on paper alone. “A heritage site has been found here. It is crucial that experts conduct the necessary investigations and ensure that people are made aware of the significance of the site. These sites need to be protected so that future generations are able to understand the history of the region,” said Harsana.","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["Archaeologists","AK Sharma"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["a rocky and forested corner of Haryana","the Aravalli mountain ranges","Faridabad"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["1986"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["the Upper Palaeolithic period","The paintings date back roughly 20-30,000 years"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["cave paintings","the Palaeolithic site of Anangpur"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Great Pyramid artefact found in Aberdeen","document":"from inside the Great Pyramid in Giza – the other two being a stone ball and a hook. These three items are collectively known as the Dixon Relics, after the engineer Waynman Dixon who discovered them inside the pyramid’s Queen’s Chamber in 1872. While the ball and hook went to the British Museum, the cedar was donated to the University of Aberdeen in 1946 by the daughter of James Grant, a physician from Methlick, Aberdeenshire, who assisted Dixon with his exploration of the pyramid. After its donation, the wood’s location was forgotten until Abeer Eladany, a curatorial assistant at the University of Aberdeen, found it while conducting a review of the university’s Asia collection. The wood had been placed in an old cigar tin with the Egyptian flag emblazoned across it, so Abeer, who is originally from Egypt herself, knew at once that this item was unlikely to be Asian in origin. Commenting on her discovery, Abeer said: ‘Once I looked into the numbers in our Egypt records, I instantly knew what it was, and it had effectively been hidden in plain sight in the wrong collection. I’m an archaeologist and have worked on digs in Egypt but I never imagined it would be here in north-east Scotland that I’d find something so important to the heritage of my own country!’ Soon after the discovery was made, a sample of the wood was sent for radiocarbon dating, but due to COVID-19 the analysis was delayed. The results have just recently come in, though, and show that the wood probably dates to 3341-3094 BC – more than 500 years earlier than the presumed date of the Great Pyramid’s construction. The reason for this discrepancy is not immediately apparent, but it could be that the wood was from the centre of a particularly long-lived tree. Alternatively, as wood was fairly scarce in ancient Egypt, it may have been treasured and reused over many decades. Further analysis will hopefully provide some more clues. This news article appears in issue 372 of Current Archaeology. To find out more about subscribing to the magazine, click here. ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["engineer Waynman Dixon","Abeer Eladany, a curatorial assistant"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["the University of Aberdeen","inside the pyramid’s Queen’s Chamber"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["1872"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["the wood","the Dixon Relics","3341-3094 BC – more than 500 years"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":["the University of Aberdeen"]},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Archaeologists Unearth Sprawling Roman Ruins Unlike Any Found in the U.K.","document":"An ancient complex in Yorkshire may have been a luxury villa, a religious sanctuary or a mixture of both  Archaeologists in the English town of Scarborough have discovered the foundations of what may have been a luxurious Roman villa. The complex appears to be the first of its kind found in Britain—and possibly the only known example in all of the former Roman Empire, reports Joe Cooper for the Yorkshire Evening Post. “This is a really exciting discovery and definitely of national importance,” Keith Emerick, inspector of ancient monuments at Historic England, tells the Guardian’s Alexandra Topping. “I would say this is one of the most important Roman discoveries in the past decade, actually. Easily.” The Scarborough site housed a complex of buildings, including one with a circular central room and several rooms leading off of it, as well as a bathhouse. The structures’ unique layout has never been recorded in Britain before, according to a statement. “We’ve spoken to a number of leading Roman academics about it and we’re all trying to find a comparable site and we are struggling,” Emerick tells BBC News. “So in that sense it is really significant. It’s really exciting as well.” In the statement, Historic England suggests that the buildings were a high-status home or a religious sanctuary. The site may have combined both uses, or shifted from one to another over time. “[I]t is something like a religious building that is almost like a gentleman’s club, there’s a bathhouse as well,” Emerick tells BBC News. “So it’s a really interesting hybrid building at the moment.” Per the York Museums Trust’s History of York, Romans arrived in the city of York—about 40 miles southwest of Scarborough—around 71 A.D., more than 25 years after establishing a province in southern Britain. York served as the Romans’ local seat of government between 208 and 211, under Emperor Septimius Severus, and again under Constantine the Great in 305. The city remained an important provincial capital until the turn of the fifth century, when Roman forces left Britain. Other ancient sites of interest in the county of Yorkshire include the former city of Isurium Brigantum, where two Roman mosaics remain standing in their original positions, and a camp and possible Roman road, both of which are found in the moorlands just northwest of Scarborough, notes Britain Express. Housing developer Keepmoat Homes hired archaeologists to investigate the site ahead of construction. As Grace Newton reports for the Yorkshire Post, researchers had expected to find Iron Age and Roman remains at the site, but they had no idea just how significant these discoveries would turn out to be. Keepmoat has now amended its plans to avoid building houses over the archaeological site. Instead, the area will be maintained as open space within the housing development. Historic England plans to seek scheduled monument status for the site, in addition to funding more archaeological work there. “This is a remarkable discovery which adds to the story of Roman settlement in North Yorkshire,” says Karl Battersby, corporate director of business and environmental services at the North Yorkshire County Council, in a separate statement quoted by CNN’s Jack Guy. “Work by North Yorkshire archaeologists has already established the buildings were designed by the highest quality architects in Northern Europe in the era and constructed by the finest craftsmen.” Battersby adds that further study will investigate what the building complex was used for and why it was built so far from other Roman centers. ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["Archaeologists in the English town of Scarborough"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["Britain"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["a complex of buildings, including one with a circular central room and several rooms leading off of it, as well as a bathhouse"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["the foundations of what may have been a luxurious Roman villa"]}]}
{"event_trigger":" The Liangzhu archeological site, hailed as one of the most important relic sites of the Neolithic Age in China","document":"Among the exquisite jade objects unearthed at the Fanshan site, there is a unique type, shaped like trident. The Liangzhu archeological site, hailed as one of the most important relic sites of the Neolithic Age in China, is a window to one of the world's oldest civilizations. Named after the locale where its evidence was first discovered, Liangzhu Culture dates back as much as 5,000 years and is thought to have lasted about 1,000 years. In Yuhang District of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, the core area of Liangzhu Culture, the Archeological Ruins of Liangzhu City are listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The ancient culture showcases the significance of Yangtze River basin in the origin of Chinese civilization. Experts believe that Liangzhu is an early regional state with a unified belief system based on rice cultivation. The site was initially excavated by Shi Xingeng who worked at West Lake Museum in Zhejiang Province, predecessor of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, in 1936. Shi was not a professional archeologist, but an assistant at the department of natural science. In May 1935, Shi participated in the excavation of a site in the Gudang area of Hangzhou. A stone axe with holes found there captured Shi's attention as he had seen similar ones in his hometown Liangzhu Town. Grave-robbing was prevalent in his hometown. Many stone and pottery shards were scattered around the holes dug by grave robbers. With the support of Dong Yumao, curator of the West Lake Museum, Shi led three rounds of excavation in Liangzhu Town from December 1936 to March 1937. A large number of relics including stoneware and pottery shards were found, proving the existence of an ancient civilization. The Lugou Bridge Incident, a battle between the Chinese army and Japanese invaders on July 7, 1937, suspended his research. After many setbacks, Shi published the book \"Liangzhu\" in Shanghai in 1938. However, he died of scarlet fever one year later. In 1959, the term \"Liangzhu Culture\" was proposed by distinguished archeologist Xia Nai. The discovery of Liangzhu Culture gives solid physical evidence that Chinese civilization extends back 5,000 years. Experts divide the Archeological Ruins of Liangzhu City into three areas: The central area is a palace site that spans 30 hectares, which was surrounded by the walled area spanning around 300 hectares. Outside of the walled area, remains are found over about 800 hectares. To the north and west lies the ancient hydraulic system, which comprised 11 dams. Archeologists also found sacrificial altars on Yaoshan Mountain and Huiguan Mountain. Liangzhu Culture is considered one of the most important Neolithic jade cultures in China. Tremendous jade artifacts have been unearthed. They were designed into various forms, such as cong, or tube, bi, or disc, and yue, or axe. Instead of practical utensils, the objects are closely associated with burial rites. The sacrificial vessels were often buried with the dead. On the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Liangzhu site, archeologists found 11 tombs, which experts suggested belonged to the nobility, at the Fanshan site in Liangzhu Old City. The tombs were about 3 meters long, 2 meters wide and 1.3 meters deep. More than 3,500 relics were unearthed, including pottery, stoneware, ivory artifacts, lacquerware and jade objects. The number of jade objects accounted for more than 90 percent. Among the exquisite jade objects, there is a unique type, shaped like trident. They were often placed on the occupants' heads. Experts believe the trident was a headpiece placed on the crown or attached to hair. They always coexisted with jade yue. It suggested the instruments were used to memorialize the ruling class, which revealed Liangzhu Culture was highly stratified. The lower end of the jade trident plaques is arc-shaped whilst the middle prong is parallel to or lower than the prongs on two sides. Some jade trident plaques are carved with the highly stylized patterns of birds and beasts on one side and a few are carved on two sides. Relic M14:135, for example, is embellished with finely engraved zoomorphic masks, which feature a pair of eyes detailed by swirls encircling two sockets, on the middle part. On its left and right sides are the patterns of birds, which are also incised with spiral lines. The plaques has attracted much speculation. Some experts like Liu Bin, director of Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, think that the object is an embodiment of a bird, which Liangzhu people worshiped. People can get a look at the unique cultural relics at the Liangzhu Museum and the Zhejiang Provincial Museum.  ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["archeologists","Shi Xingeng"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["Yuhang District of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province","Outside of the walled area","Yaoshan Mountain and Huiguan Mountain"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["May 1935","On the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Liangzhu site"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["pottery, stoneware, ivory artifacts, lacquerware and jade objects","A large number of relics including stoneware and pottery shards","Liangzhu Culture dates back as much as 5,000 years","sacrificial altars","Tremendous jade artifacts","More than 3,500 relics"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":["West Lake Museum in Zhejiang Province"]},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["remains","11 tombs"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Top Ten Most Spectacular Greek Archaeological Discoveries of 2020","document":"Despite the many and varied challenges of the past year as the nation and the world struggled with the pandemic and all its ramifications, 2020 was another banner year for Greece in the realm of archaeology. Let’s discover top 10 of most spectacular Greek archaeological discoveries of 2020. Home to some of the most spectacular finds on earth, the country offered up yet more treasures from its brilliant past in digs from the bottom of a well in Athens to artifacts found under the pumice at Akrotiri on the Greek island of Santorini. While all the nation’s archaeological sites were forced to shut down during the two lockdown periods — and suffered tremendous losses of revenue due to global travel restrictions even when they were open — the ancient Greek city of Mycenae experienced yet another shock when a wildfire tore through the site. However, the damage there was thankfully slight, and important archaeological work was still being carried out at many other sites around the country, with many new Greek archaeological discoveries coming to light. Another significant milestone of 2020 was the new lighting scheme for the Athens Acropolis, with energy-saving LED lighting and new spotlights showing the Parthenon’s many features to great effect. A new lift and paved walkways also greatly improved access to the iconic site. Another historical site of enormous importance to Greece is the shipwreck off the tiny Northern Sporades island of Peristera, offering such a hoard of underwater treasures that it is often called the “Parthenon of Shipwrecks” for its stellar importance to the understanding of Greece’s past. This underwater site was opened to scuba divers for the first time ever in the summer of 2020, with those who prefer to stay on land able to visit a nearby museum on the nearby island of Alonnisos, which exhibits artifacts and dioramas of the site. The recent construction work on Aeolus Street in Athens has uncovered some astounding archaeological treasures from ancient Greece, on which the Ministry of Culture has now begun restoration (top photo). The news of the recent discovery of the head of the Greek god Hermes, lying since antiquity at a depth of just 1.3 meters (4 feet 4 inches) under the feet of Athenians as they went about their daily business, was reported around the world. This was perhaps the most spectacular find of all this year due to its location, with the priceless treasure lying just under the pavement of the busy Athens thoroughfare. Greek archaeologists unearthed an ancient aqueduct and thousands of objects and artifacts dating from Hellenistic and Roman times during the excavations for the expansion of the Athens metro line to Piraeus. Many of the objects were made of wood and were preserved in water at the bottom of a well. The household objects, including wooden furniture, are extremely unusual finds considering the carbon-based material of which they were made. Some of the artifacts will frame the permanent exhibition that will be set up in the metro station called “Municipal Theater” in Piraeus, which is currently under construction. Foremost among all the treasures found was an exquisite headless statue — which was found at the bottom of an ancient well (pictured above). Archaeologists posit that the destruction of the objects may have occurred during the Roman invasion of the area. The exhibition will include other ancient artifacts, in addition to the Hermes, along with a model copy of the aqueduct, and an authentic pebble floor from the classical / Hellenistic era which was found during the excavations. Exquisite pottery was unearthed at Akrotiri, the ancient settlement on the Greek island of Santorini, early in 2020. Most of the Greek archaeological discoveries at the site are related to the everyday life of the people who lived on the island before the volcanic explosion which destroyed most of the island — and subsequently, the Minoan civilization on Crete. A perfectly-preserved shell-shaped vessel demonstrated the high level of artistic achievement in that civilization, in what was perhaps the most endearing find of all, showing that art was made for art’s sake even on the remote island in the days of antiquity. Among dozens of other new findings, the Ministry of Culture noted that an inscription, consisting of Linear A syllables and an ideogram, was found written in ink on an object which is most likely related to the use of a building, also uncovered in the Akrotiri dig. Showing another side of Greek history, a curse tablet, showing imprecations against an unfortunate man called Pytheas, was unearthed at the bottom of a well in Athens’ downtown neighborhood of Kerameikos (Ceramicus) by archaeologists from the German Archaeological Institute of Athens. A total of thirty well-preserved curse tablets dating back to the Classical period (2,500 years ago) were found in an ancient well which was originally discovered back in 2016, when other everyday objects — but not the tablets — were found. The ancient tablets have curses engraved on them which Athenian citizens would pay to have made against other people, a practice which was relatively common in ancient Greece. Four of these rectangular grave sites in Ilia, all lined with rocks, and three extremely large funerary containers, called pithoi, were found at the site, as well as an individual coffin covered by ceramic tiles and a marble grave stele. Inside one of the pithoi, which were so large that they were often used as coffins themselves, archaeologists discovered an ornately decorated bronze urn, together with its base The urn features a floral design on its handles and lion heads fill the space between its handles and its rim. A bronze mirror with a relief was also found in the funerary container. Theopetra Cave in Thessaly, Central Greece, was formed in the Upper Cretaceous period, 137,000,000 – 65,000,000 years before the present time. The cave that was created in the limestone there has been inhabited since the Middle Paleolithic period, and new findings give new insight into the lives of those early peoples. According to archaeologists, the cave is likely to be the place of the oldest human construction on earth, as findings indicate that the shelter was inhabited as early as 130,000 years ago. Neolithic residents of the cave ate wheat and cultivated barley, olives, lentils and wild pear, among others. They ate some meat, mostly from domesticated sheep and goats (which account for 60 percent of the bones found), and also kept cattle, pigs and at least one dog. About 11 percent of the bones found at the cave belong to deer, wild boars, bears, hares, wildcats and badgers, all of which were hunted. Bones from a bear, for example, astoundingly still bear knife marks. The community also made its own jewelry, drilling holes into deer-like teeth and shells from the nearby river. The remains of beeswax were also found in the community. The newest findings show that an estimated 43 people lived in Theopetra Cave during the Neolithic era. A proto-Byzantine-era skull which was discovered by anthropologists in the Paliokastro area on Thasos island shows signs of complicated surgery, in one of the more shocking examples of what was discovered this year in all of Greek archaeology. The skull, which dates from the early Byzantine period — the fourth to the seventh century AD — bears traces of surgery that are “incredibly complex,” according to researcher Anagnostis Agelarakis, Ph.D., who teaches at Adeplhi University. The discovery was made by an Adelphi University research team led by Agelarakis. A total of ten skeletons, of four women and six men, were found and studied. They are likely to be persons of high social status. “According to their skeletal-anatomical features, both men and women lived physically demanding lives…The very serious trauma cases sustained by both males and females had been treated surgically or orthopedically by a very experienced physician/surgeon with great training in trauma care. We believe it to have been a military physician,” the report says. Archaeological excavations conducted in July of 2020 revealed the remains of an even older temple building found at the shrine to Asclepius, the god of medicine, in the vicinity of the Tholos at the ancient site of Epidaurus, outside Athens. The partially-excavated building, which is dated to about 600 BC, consists of a ground floor with a primitive colonnade and an underground basement chipped out of the rock beneath. The floor is an intact pebble mosaic, which is one of the best-preserved examples of this rare type of flooring to survive from this era. The find is also considered significant because it predates the impressive Tholos building in the same location, whose own basement served as the chthonic residence of Asclepius, and which replaced the newly-discovered structure after the 4th century B.C. This shows that the worship of Asclepius at Epidaurus began much earlier than previously thought and had the same chthonic features, while altering what is known about the history of the region in general. Archaeologists from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Thessaly discovered yet more important artifacts this summer on Vryokastraki, the small rocky islet near the Greek island of Kythnos, once home to a significant city in the early Byzantine period. Well-preserved ceramics, jewelry, and female figurines were discovered in the sanctuary, leading experts to believe that there was an important cult to a female deity there. The finds, only recently released in an announcement by the Greek Ministry of Culture, also include many epigraphical remains that detail the history of the island, which was continuously inhabited from the 12th century BC until the 7th century AD. One of the inscriptions, which are considered “very important” by scholars, describes a pirate named Glafketis who took control of Kythnos in the 4th century BC. According to the recently discovered artifact, Glafketis had support from the Macedonians, but was eventually forced out of power by the Athenians. Finally, in a find that far predates human history but is nevertheless just as fascinating, fourteen petrified trees were found as a result of excavations for rainwater drainage pipes  in an area near Sigri and in the region of Lesvos island’s Petrified Forest this year. The area was declared as a Protected Natural Monument in 1985 but the additional trees that were found this year were extremely old, dating back to 18 million years ago. The trees were killed by blasts of gas from the volcanic explosions and then covered by ash. Extensive heavy rains then flooded the area, sweeping away both the ash and sections of tree trunks. The giant mudflows blocked valleys, and the tree trunks piled up in successive layers, where they became fossilized. Professor Nikos Zouros, director of the Petrified Forest of Sigri Museum said of the summer 2020 discovery, “The trunks were in a very good state of preservation – they are impressive logs laid on successive strata, one above the other.” ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["archaeologists","anthropologists"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["Akrotiri","the Greek island of Santorini","Greek","the bottom of a well in Athens’ downtown neighborhood of Kerameikos (Ceramicus)","the shrine to Asclepius","an area near Sigri and in the region of Lesvos island’s Petrified Forest","Paliokastro area on Thasos island","Vryokastraki"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["this summer","this year","early in 2020","2016","July of 2020"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["Well-preserved ceramics, jewelry, and female figurines","a curse tablet","The skull, which dates from the early Byzantine period — the fourth to the seventh century AD","A proto-Byzantine-era skull","A total of thirty well-preserved curse tablets dating back to the Classical period (2,500 years ago)","Exquisite pottery","three extremely large funerary containers, called pithoi","an individual coffin covered by ceramic tiles and a marble grave stele","bronze urn","A bronze mirror","about 600 BC","more important artifacts","fourteen petrified trees","18 million years ago"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":["Department of Archaeology at the University of Thessaly","German Archaeological Institute of Athens"]},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["the remains of an even older temple building"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Pilbara discoveries see archaeologists call for greater protection of submerged heritage","document":"Researchers say submerged Indigenous heritage needs greater protection, on the back of significant sites being discovered in Western Australia's Pilbara region. They say some time between 7,000 and 18,000 years ago, the world's sea levels rose and covered millions of square kilometres of land. Now the Deep History of Sea Country (DHSC) project team has mapped the seabeds, inter-tidal zones and coastline around the Dampier Archipelago in search of more submerged Aboriginal heritage sites. While this is common practice across Europe, there has been little work done here in Australia. Flinders University's associate professor in maritime archaeology, Dr Jonathan Benjamin, said the DHSC team had uncovered a new inter-tidal stone quarry, a stone tool manufacturing site, as well as coastal rock art and engravings at North Gidley Island and Cape Bruguieres. \"It's quite interesting to wait for the tide to drop and then go and get wet up to our ankles and knees in some places and find material that's underwater but it's clear as day [that] it's archaeological material [that has been] produced by human beings,\" he said. Dr Benjamin said there were hidden artefacts all around Australia's coastline. \"[These discoveries are] significant because there hasn't been a lot of material found in the sea from the ancient Aboriginal occupations around Australia's coast,\" he said. Last year, an international team of archaeologists who make up the DHSC team — from Flinders University, the University of Western Australia, James Cook University, Airborne Research Australia and the University of York — discovered Australia's first underwater Aboriginal heritage site off the Pilbara coast. \"In the one sense, they tell us that people lived in that part of the world,\" Dr Benjamin said. \"Well, we know that people have lived in the Pilbara for at least 28 [thousand], maybe 30,000 years. \"I suppose the novelty here — and the significance with the sites — is that once you open up the marine environment to exploration, and to study, and to management, you realise [that] we have an entire archaeological landscape that's invisible to the naked eye.\" Dr Benjamin said it was important that this underwater heritage, which is just starting to be uncovered, was protected. He said the Australian Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 currently favours colonial history, automatically providing protection for shipwrecks which are 75 years old. However, he said, this automatic protection did not apply to Aboriginal underwater cultural heritage. \"Probably the maritime archaeology community and the policymakers need to have a real robust conversation about what heritage we value and whether we should value one particular type of heritage over another,\" Dr Benjamin said. \"In Western Australia, the state doesn't automatically protect underwater cultural heritage, so it has to be applied for and, so, there is still some room to grow I think here.\" He said that, if Western Australia followed the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, that would give blanket protection to any artefacts or sites that were more than 100 years old.   A spokesperson for the federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment said the Australian government supported the recognition and protection of Indigenous heritage, including Indigenous cultural heritage found under water. \"The Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 protects all types of underwater cultural heritage in Commonwealth waters, including shipwrecks, sunken aircraft and Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander underwater cultural heritage,\" the spokesperson said. In addition to using divers and aerial-based laser scanning, scientists talked to the local Pilbara community to garner stories and tips about where to find any underwater heritage sites. \"The local Aboriginal community, as well as boat skippers and beach users and people from the local community gave us ideas of where we should be going to look to find sites … on land and the inter-tidal zone and then fully underwater,\" Dr Benjamin said. He said the team had worked in conjunction with the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation. \"Essentially there is a lot of traditional knowledge out there,\" he said. \"There are oral histories — from not just the Pilbara, but also from all over Australia — which talk about the drowning of cultural landscapes and the inundation of places people used to call home.\" Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation CEO Peter Jeffries said the research had confirmed his people's beliefs and stories about country and explained where their ancestors lived and why they moved. \"Interestingly, the inscriptions and rock art depicting sea animals right on, or near, water now — would have been coastal living areas that were previously dry ground and safe for sleeping on,\" Mr Jeffries said. \"These areas are now right on the water's edge, or under water, and non-habitable. \"For Australia, and the world, this is a fantastic find for us all to celebrate. \"We look forward to further investigations and research on our sea country and expect to find many more artefact deposits, in particular, if our stories are anything to go by.\" Dr Benjamin said he hoped the work would continue with all islands and archipelagos around the country needing to be investigated. ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["DHSC team"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["Western Australia's Pilbara region","North Gidley Island and Cape Bruguieres"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["a new inter-tidal stone quarry, a stone tool manufacturing site","coastal rock art and engravings"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Archaeologists unearth ‘ancient Egyptian Pompeii’ near Luxor","document":"CAIRO, April 8 (Reuters) - Archaeologists said on Thursday they had uncovered a large ancient pharaonic city that had lain unseen for centuries near some of Egypt’s best known monuments. The city was built more than 3,400 years ago during the opulent reign of Amenhotep III, one of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, the Egyptian archaeologist overseeing the excavations, Zahi Hawass, said. The team began searching for a mortuary temple near Luxor in September, but within weeks found mud brick formations in every direction, Zahi Hawass said in a statement. They unearthed the well-preserved city that had almost complete walls and rooms filled with tools of daily life along with rings, scarabs, coloured pottery vessels and mud bricks bearing seals of Amenhotep's cartouche. \"The city's streets are flanked by houses ... some of their walls are up to three metres high,\" Hawass said. The excavations lie on the West Bank of Luxor near the Colossi of Memnon, Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum, or mortuary temple of King Ramses II, not far from the Valley of the Kings. A new archaeological discovery is seen in Egypt, in this undated handout photo. Zahi Hawass Center for Egyptology and High Council of Antiquities Joint Mission/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES \"This is a very important discovery,\" Peter Lacovara, director of the US-based Ancient Egyptian Heritage and Archaeology Fund, told Reuters. The state of preservation and the amount of items from everyday life brought to mind another famous excavation, he added. \"It is a sort of ancient Egyptian Pompeii and shows the critical need to preserve this area as an archaeological park,\" said Lacovara, who has worked at the Malqata palace area for more than 20 years but was not involved in the excavations. The site contains a large number of ovens and kilns for making glass and faience, along with the debris of thousands of statues, said Betsy Bryan, a specialist of Amenhotep III's reign. \"Just to locate the manufacturing centres opens up the detail of how the Egyptians under a great and wealthy ruler such as Amenhotep III did what they did. This will furnish knowledge for many years to come,\" she added. The city extends west to the ancient workmen's village of Deir el-Medina, Hawass said. According to historical references it included three of Amenhotep III’s palaces and the empire’s administrative and industrial centre, Hawass’s statement added. ","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["Archaeologists"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["near some of Egypt’s best known monuments","near Luxor","on the West Bank of Luxor near the Colossi of Memnon, Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["more than 3,400 years ago","tools of daily life along with rings, scarabs, coloured pottery vessels and mud bricks","a large number of ovens and kilns","debris of thousands of statues"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["a large ancient pharaonic city"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mysterious carvings and evidence of human sacrifice uncovered in ancient city","document":"The stones didn’t give up their secrets easily. For decades, villagers in the dust-blown hills of China’s Loess Plateau believed that the crumbling rock walls near their homes were part of the Great Wall. It made sense. Remnants of the ancient barrier zigzag through this arid region inside the northern loop of the Yellow River, marking the frontier of Chinese rule stretching back more than 2,000 years. But one detail was curiously out of place: Locals, and then looters, began finding in the rubble pieces of jade, some fashioned into discs and blades and scepters. Jade is not indigenous to this northernmost part of Shaanxi Province—the nearest source is almost a thousand miles away—and it was not a known feature of the Great Wall. Why was it showing up in abundance in this barren region so close to the Ordos Desert? Ancient China From Above: China's Pompeii When a team of Chinese archaeologists came to investigate the conundrum several years ago, they began to unearth something wondrous and puzzling. The stones were not part of the Great Wall but the ruins of a magnificent fortress city. The ongoing dig has revealed more than six miles of protective walls surrounding a 230-foot-high pyramid and an inner sanctum with painted murals, jade artifacts—and gruesome evidence of human sacrifice. Before excavations were suspended earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, archaeologists uncovered 70 stunning relief sculptures in stone—serpents, monsters, and half-human beasts that resemble later Bronze Age iconography in China. Even more astonishing: Carbon-dating determined that parts of Shimao, as the site is called (its original name is unknown), date back 4,300 years, nearly 2,000 years before the oldest section of the Great Wall—and 500 years before Chinese civilization took root on the Central Plains, several hundred miles to the south. Shimao flourished in this seemingly remote region for nearly half a millennium, from around 2300 B.C. to 1800 B.C. Then, suddenly and mysteriously, it was abandoned. (Discover a fortress in Sri Lanka that was swallowed by the jungle.) None of the ancient texts that have helped guide Chinese archaeology mention an ancient city so far north of the so-called “cradle of Chinese civilization,” much less one of such size, complexity, and intense interaction with outside cultures. Shimao is now the largest known Neolithic settlement in China—its 1,000-acre expanse is about 25 percent bigger than New York City’s Central Park—with art and technology that came from the northern steppe and would influence future Chinese dynasties. Together with recent discoveries at other prehistoric sites nearby and along the coast, Shimao is forcing historians to rethink the beginnings of Chinese civilization—expanding their understanding of the geographical locations and outside influences of its earliest cultures. “Shimao is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of this century,” says Sun Zhouyong, director of the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology and leader of the dig at Shimao. “It gives us a new way of looking at the development of China’s early civilization.” The first impression of Shimao, even as a partially excavated site in the barren hills above the Tuwei River, is of a city designed to face constant danger. The city was built in a conflict zone, a borderland dominated for thousands of years by warfare between herders of the northern steppe and farmers of the central plains. To protect themselves from violent rivals, the Shimao elites molded their oblong 20-tiered pyramid on the highest of those hills. The structure, visible from every point of the city, is about half the height of Egypt’s Great Pyramid at Giza, which was built around the same time (2250 B.C.). But its base is four times larger, and the Shimao elites protected themselves further by inhabiting the top tier of the platform, which included a 20-acre palatial complex with its own water reservoir, craft workshops, and, most likely, ritual temples. Radiating out from Shimao’s central pyramid were miles of inner and outer perimeter walls, an embryonic urban design that has been echoed in Chinese cities through the ages. The walls alone required 125,000 cubic meters of stone, equal in volume to 50 Olympic swimming pools—a huge undertaking in a Neolithic society whose population likely ranged between 10,000 and 20,000. The sheer size of the project leads archaeologists to believe that Shimao commanded the loyalty—and labor—of smaller satellite towns that have recently been discovered in its orbit. More than 70 stone towns from the same Neolithic era, known as the Longshan period, have now been unearthed in northern Shaanxi province. Ten of them are in the Tuwei river basin, where Shimao is located. “These satellite villages or towns are like moons circling around the Shimao site,” Sun says. “Together they laid a solid social foundation for the early state formation at Shimao.” Shimao’s fortifications are astonishing not just for their size but also for their ingenuity. The defensive system included barbicans (gates flanked by towers), baffle gates (allowing only one-way entry), and bastions (a projecting part of the wall allowing defensive fire in multiple directions). It also employed a “mamian” (“horse-face”) structure whose angles drew attackers into an area where defenders could pummel them from three sides—a design that would become a staple of Chinese defensive architecture. (Here's why ancient fortifications in Europe had melted stone walls.) Inside the stone walls, Sun’s team found another unexpected innovation: wooden beams used as reinforcement. Carbon-dated to 2300 B.C., the still-intact cypress beams represented a method of construction that scholars previously thought had only begun in the Han Dynasty—more than 2,000 years later. The most grisly discovery came underneath the city’s eastern wall: 80 human skulls clustered in six pits—with no skeletons attached. (The two pits closest to the East Gate, the city’s principal entrance, contained exactly 24 skulls each.) The skulls’ number and placement suggest a ritual beheading during the laying of the wall’s foundation—the earliest known example of human sacrifice in Chinese history. Forensic scientists determined that almost all of the victims were young girls, most likely prisoners who belonged to a rival group. “The scale of ritual violence observed at Shimao was unprecedented in early China,” says Li Min, an archaeologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has visited and written extensively about Shimao. The skulls at Shimao foreshadowed the massive human sacrifice that became what Li calls “a defining attribute of Shang civilization” many centuries later (from around 1600 to 1046 B.C.) before succeeding dynasties put an end to the practice. The skulls are just one indication that the East Gate marked the entrance to a different world. Anyone walking across the threshold—above the buried sacrificial pits—would have been awed by more immediately visible signs. Several stone blocks in the high terrace walls were carved with lozenge designs, making them appear like enormous eyes gazing down at the East Gate. Wedged into the stone walls at regular intervals were thousands of pieces of black and dark green jade, shimmering ornaments that served both to ward off evil and to project the power and wealth of Shimao elites. The abundance of jade artifacts suggests that Shimao, with no source of its own, imported large quantities from distant trading partners. Despite its seeming remoteness today, Shimao was not insulated from the outside world. It exchanged ideas, technology, and goods with a wide range of other cultures, from the Altai steppe to the north to coastal regions near the Yellow Sea. “What is significant is that Shimao, along with many other areas, shows that China’s civilization has many roots and does not emerge just from the growth in the Central Plains on the middle Yellow River,” says Jessica Rawson, a professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology at the University of Oxford. “Several features were taken from the world beyond even today’s northern China—for example, stone structures, that have more relation to the steppe than to the Central Plains. Other features are herded animals for subsistence, oxen and sheep and metallurgy. These are actually very important technologies that China adopted and incorporated seamlessly into their culture.” Many artifacts found at Shimao could only have come from distant lands. Besides the jade, archaeologists also found the remains of alligator skins, which must have come from a swampier region much farther south. Alligator-skin drums were likely used during ritual ceremonies, one sign of the vital role music played in Shimao palace life. (A 1,150-year-old tomb in China reveals first evidence for polo—on donkeys.) Another discovery flummoxed Sun and his team: 20 identical pieces of bone, thin, smooth, and curved. The archaeologists guessed that these were combs or hairpins, until a musical scholar deduced that the bones were the earliest examples of a primitive reed instrument known in Chinese as the mouth reed and more colloquially as the Jew’s harp. “Shimao is the birthplace of the mouth reed,” says Sun, noting that the instrument spread to more than 100 ethnic groups across the world. “It is an important discovery that provides valuable clues to explore the early flows of population and culture.” Only a small fraction of Shimao has been excavated so far, so the discoveries keep coming. Along with the stone carvings uncovered last year, archaeologists found evidence of human busts and statues that were once set into the walls around the East Gate. We are only beginning to understand what the carvings might signify, says UCLA’s Li Min, but the anthropomorphic representations are “a very innovative and rare attempt.” So much about Shimao remains cloaked in mystery, including its name. Archaeologists are still trying to understand how its economy functioned, how it interacted with other prehistoric cultures, and whether its elites possessed a writing system. “That would solve a long-standing mystery,” says Sun. There are some clues, however, to why Shimao was abandoned after 500 years. It wasn’t earthquake, flood, or plague. A war might have helped drive them out, but scientists see more evidence that climate change played a pivotal role. In the third millennium B.C., when Shimao was founded, a relatively warm and wet climate drew an expanding population into the Loess Plateau. Historical records show a rapid shift from 2000 to 1700 B.C. to a drier and cooler climate. Lakes dried up, forests disappeared, deserts encroached, and the people of Shimao migrated to parts unknown. The once-distant tongue of the Ordos Desert now laps at the banks of the Tuwei River, just below the entrance to Shimao. The ancient site is shrouded in dust and rocks and silence. Yet, after 4,300 years, one of the world’s oldest cities is no longer lost to history, no longer abandoned. Its stones have given up a precious load of secrets, challenging our understanding of the earliest period of Chinese civilization. Many more revelations are sure to come.","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["archaeologists"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["the dust-blown hills of China’s Loess Plateau"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["70 stunning relief sculptures in stone","painted murals, jade artifacts—and gruesome evidence of human sacrifice"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":["a 230-foot-high pyramid and an inner sanctum"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Melting Ice in the Alps Has Revealed World War I Relics","document":"At a park in the Italian Alps, researchers have unearthed a trove of World War I relics that was previously hidden beneath layers of ice and frost. The fascinating discovery is also a sign of a scary climate future. The team came upon the findings in a cave just below the peak of Mount Scorluzzo in Adamello, Italy. During the war, the cave was a shelter for Austrian soldiers. It’s now part of the outdoor White War Museum in Stelvio National Park. Researchers have long known the shelter existed, yet they were only able to get into it in 2017 when the surrounding glacier melted enough to clear a path. Since then, more ice has melted and researchers have also chipped 78 cubic yards (60 cubic meters) of ice out of the cave. Last month, the museum’s team was able to pull out 300 artifacts, including coins, helmets, weapons, and even corpses. “It was very exciting,”  Stefano Morosini, historian and coordinator of heritage projects at Stelvio National Park, wrote in an email. “No one had been there since 3rd, November 1918. [It was] a sort of time machine.” The researchers were aided in their quest to excavate the cave by the climate crisis. Rising temperatures have taken their toll on snow and ice across Europe. The find is part of a growing trove of artifacts appearing on the receding edges of glaciers and ice patches across the continent (and other formerly frozen parts of the world for that matter), including some dating back thousands of years. “The entrance of the cave shelter was hidden and closed by ice,” said Morosini. “When the ice started melting it was possible to slither on the upper part of the barrack” and jump down into it.  The artifacts show that the soldiers had a “poor daily life,” said Morosini. During the war, they were forced to endure below-freezing temperatures. Hypothermia took many of their lives as did getting swept away by avalanches and falling on the treacherous ice and rocks in the Alps. The soldiers also didn’t seem to have many supplies with them, so they were forced to be thrifty. In the image below, for instance, the object on the far left is a ladle made out of an old can, according to Morosini. Today, conditions in the Italian Alps are still cold, but less so than they were 100 years ago. Thanks to climate change, the European Alps have heated up by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial temperatures, which is faster than the global average. Mountains tend to heat up faster because when snow melts, it shows the dark-colored rocks underneath it, which absorb more sunlight and warmth. This warming is causing ice to melt, permafrost to thaw, and lessening the snowfall that covers the mountains back up. Between 1960 and 2017, the Alps snow season shortened by 38 days.  The region has also seen at least 15% of its glaciers retreat since the year 2000, and research shows at least half of the Alps’ glaciers could disappear this century. The cave site isn’t the only piece of World War I history to melt out of Stelvio National Park’s ice. Over the years, for instance, dozens of corpses have been recovered from the region, sometimes by unexpecting parties. A hiker found a soldier’s remains on the Adamello glacier last summer. Spooky. The researchers would likely have never come upon these artifacts if it weren’t for all of these climate impacts in the region. “The findings in the cave on Mount Scorluzzo give us, after more than 100 years, a slice of life at over 3,000 meters (9,843 feet) above sea level,” the White War Museum said in a statement.","event_type":"New Archeological Discoveries","arguments":[{"role":"Reasons for the Formation of the Historical sites","values":null},{"role":"Archaeologist","values":["researchers"]},{"role":"Discover Location","values":["a park in the Italian Alps","beneath layers of ice and frost"]},{"role":"Discover Time","values":null},{"role":"Artifacts and Their Chronology","values":["a trove of World War I relics","300 artifacts, including coins, helmets, weapons, and even corpses"]},{"role":"Archaeologist Organization","values":null},{"role":"Historical Sites","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Transcript of Biden’s Speech After Kabul Airport Attack","document":"The president mourned the U.S. service members and others killed and addressed those responsible: “We will hunt you down and make you pay.”\nThe following is a transcript of President Biden’s remarks on Thursday about an attack at the Kabul, Afghanistan, airport that killed scores of people, including at least 12 U.S. service members.\nIt’s been a tough day. This evening in Kabul, as you all know, terrorists attacked — that we’ve been talking about, and worried about, that the intelligence community has assessed — has undertaken an attack by a group known as ISIS-K. Took the lives of American service members standing guard at the airport, and wounded several others seriously. They also wounded a number of civilians, and civilians were killed as well.\nAdvertisement\nBASIC SUBSCRIPTION\nSpecial offer:\nGet unlimited access for $0.50 a week.\n$2.00 $0.50/week\nBilled as $8.00 $2.00 every 4 weeks for one year\nSUBSCRIBE NOW\nYou can cancel anytime.\nBy buying your subscription with Apple Pay, you consent to our Terms of Service and our Terms of Sale, including the Cancellation and Refund Policy, and you acknowledge our Privacy Policy.  You will be automatically charged the introductory rate every four weeks for one year, then the standard rate every four weeks thereafter. Sales tax may apply. You will be charged in advance. Your subscription will continue until you cancel. You may cancel at anytime. Cancellations take effect at the end of your current billing period.\nNo commitment required. Cancel anytime.\nLimited time offer. This is an offer for a Basic Digital Access Subscription. Your payment method will automatically be charged in advance every four weeks. You will be charged the introductory offer rate every four weeks for the introductory period of one year, and thereafter will be charged the standard rate every four weeks until you cancel. Your subscription will continue until you cancel. You can cancel anytime. Cancellations take effect at the end of your current billing period. The Basic Digital Access Subscription does not include e-reader editions (Kindle, Nook, etc.), NYT Games (the Crossword) or NYT Cooking. Mobile apps are not supported on all devices. These offers are not available for current subscribers. Other restrictions and taxes may apply. Offers and pricing are subject to change without notice.\nThis is an offer for a Basic Digital Access Subscription. The Basic Digital Access Subscription does not include e-reader editions (Kindle, Nook, etc.), NYT Games (the Crossword) or NYT Cooking. Mobile apps are not supported on all devices. These offers are not available for current subscribers. Other restrictions and taxes may apply. Offers and pricing are subject to change without notice.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Biden"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["President"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Biden Takes His 'America Is Back' Message To The World In Munich Speech","document":"                    President Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House to virtually address the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday.\n                                                                        Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images\n                                    hide caption\nPresident Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House to virtually address the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday.\nUpdated at 12:45 p.m. ET\nPresident Biden on Friday sought to turn the page on former President Donald Trump's \"America First\" ethos, declaring \"America is back\" and vowing to rebuild trust with European allies by working on challenges like arms control, COVID-19 and climate change.\nIt was Biden's first speech since taking office aimed at an international audience. He spoke from the White House to a virtual crowd at the Munich Security Conference — a who's who of global national security officials — who he has met with many times in person over his decades in public life.\n\"America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back, and we are not looking backward. We are looking forward together,\" Biden said. He called the partnership between Europe and the United States \"the cornerstone of all we hope to accomplish in the 21st century.\"\nBiden didn't mention Trump by name, but alluded to his fights with NATO allies, and pledged his support to that alliance. \"I know the past few years have strained and tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined — determined — to re-engage with Europe, to consult with you, to earn back our position of trust and leadership,\" he said.\nEarlier, Biden met virtually with G-7 leaders about COVID-19. He said the United States would chip in $4 billion to COVAX, a fund run by Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, and the World Health Organization, which aims to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to 92 low- and middle-income countries.\nWay forward on Iran\nThe Munich address comes a day after his State Department said the United States would be willing to attend a meeting with European partners and Iran to \"discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program\" — the first signs of movement toward talks about rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump had quit. It was not immediately clear whether Iran would agree to meet.\n\"We're prepared to reengage in negotiations with the P5+1 on Iran's nuclear program,\" said Biden, referring to the five members of the UN Security Council and Germany, which have negotiated with Iran in the past.\n\"We must also address Iran's destabilizing activities across the Middle East, and we're going to work in close cooperation with our European and other partners as we proceed,\" he said, though he did not lay out a specific timetable for Iran talks.\n                In his 2009 address to the Munich conference, when he was vice president, Biden said he wanted to \"set a new tone\" for America's relations with the world.\n                                                                        Johannes Simon/Getty Images\n                                    hide caption\nIn his 2009 address to the Munich conference, when he was vice president, Biden said he wanted to \"set a new tone\" for America's relations with the world.\nCalling out China, Russia\nBiden has made many trips to the Munich Security Conference over the decades as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As vice president, he led three U.S. delegations to the conference, making a pilgrimage there for the Obama administration's first foreign trip in 2009.\nThat year, he sought to soothe relations strained by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. \"I come to Europe on behalf of a new administration, and an administration that's determined to set a new tone not only in Washington, but in America's relations around the world,\" Biden said.\nBut the difference this time is how shaken allies have been by Russian interference and a move toward nationalism, said Charles Kupchan, author of Isolationism: A History of America's Efforts to Shield Itself from the World.\n\"What is new here is that Americans and Europeans are still in shock about the illiberalism and the populism and the nativism that have infected political life on both sides of the Atlantic,\" said Kupchan, a former Obama official who is now at the Council on Foreign Relations.\nBiden told allies they needed to do more to compete with China by investing and working together on innovation, intellectual property, trade rules, and technology policy \"U.S. and European companies are required to publicly disclose corporate governance structures and abide by rules to deter corruption in monopolistic practices. Chinese companies should be held to the same standard,\" Biden said.\nBiden also called out Russia as a \"bully\" and said allies needed to work together to counter Moscow's efforts to destabilize democracies.\n\"We are in the midst of a fundamental debate about the future direction of our world. Between those who argue that — given all of the challenges we face, from the fourth industrial revolution to a global pandemic — autocracy is the best way forward and those who understand that democracy is essential to meeting those challenges,\" Biden said. \"Historians will examine and write about this moment. It's an inflection point. And I believe with every ounce of my being that democracy must prevail.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Biden"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":["Mandel Ngan/AFP"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the East Room of the White House"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["virtually"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Full Text: Xi Jinping's Speech on Boosting Common Prosperity","document":"· Receive breaking news alerts · 7 days free for new iOS subscribers· Exclusive CEIC data available in-app\nXi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, addressed China’s commitment on common prosperity at the 10th meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs in August. Excerpts of the speech were published by party journal Qiushi Friday. Here is the full text:\nSince China launched the reform and opening-up policy, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has conducted a thorough review of the historical experience of both positive and negative aspects, gaining a much deeper understanding that poverty is not socialism. Therefore, the CPC has broken the shackles of the traditional planned economy system and allowed a portion of people and regions to become prosperous first, ultimately liberalizing and promoting the development of productive forces. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has kept abreast with new changes in the era, put the step-by-step realization of common prosperity for all in a more important position, pushed forward with coordinated regional development, taken powerful action to safeguard and improve people’s livelihoods, won the decisive battle against poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects, laying a solid foundation for common prosperity. So far, China has ushered in a historic stage to tirelessly realize common prosperity.\nNow, China is marching toward the second centenary goal into a great modern socialist country in all respects. To act in the evolution of the principal contradiction in Chinese society and better fulfil the ever-growing expectation of the people for a better life, the CPC should put the focus of promoting people’s well-being on boosting common prosperity to strengthen the foundation for the Party’s long-term governance. High-quality development relies on high-quality workers. To increase total factor productivity and cement the driving forces for high-quality development, the only way is to promote common prosperity, raise the income of urban and rural residents, and improve human capital. Currently, the world is facing a prominent issue of income inequality. In some countries, the wealth gap and middle-class collapse have aggravated social divisions, political polarization and populism, giving a profound lesson to the world. China must make resolute efforts to prevent polarization, advance common prosperity and realize social harmony and stability. Meanwhile, we must have a clear understanding that unbalanced and inadequate development remains prominent in China, and the disparities in development between rural and urban areas, between regions, and in income distribution remain substantial. A new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is a powerful driving force for economic development and imposes a significant impact on employment and income distribution, including some negative effects that must be effectively solved.\nCommon prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese-style modernization. The common prosperity we are pursuing is for all, affluence both in material and spiritual life, but not for a small portion nor for uniform egalitarianism.\nEfforts should be made to conduct in-depth research on staged objectives and promote common prosperity by stages. By the end of the 14th Five-year Plan, we will march in confident strides toward common prosperity for all and gradually mitigate income inequality and narrow consumption gaps. By 2035, we will make more remarkable and substantive progress toward achieving common prosperity for all and effectively ensure equitable access to basic public services. By the middle of the 21st century, we will basically achieve common prosperity for all and reduce the income and consumption gaps between urban and rural areas to a reasonable range. Efforts should be made to formulate an action plan for promoting common prosperity and work out scientific and feasible indicator systems and evaluation mechanisms in line with national conditions.\nTo realize common prosperity, we should adhere to the following principles:\nEncouraging hard work and innovation. Happiness is achieved through hard work. Meanwhile, common prosperity depends on hard work and wisdom. We should safeguard and improve people’s livelihood while pursuing development, give top priority to high-quality development, create more favorable and equitable conditions for the people to receive better education and improve their development capabilities, enhance human capital and professional skills throughout society and improve people’s abilities to get employed and start a business and their competence to prosper. We should prevent the ossification of social class, shape a development environment that provides chances for more people to become wealthy and avoid “involution” and “lying flat.”\nAdhering to the basic economic system. As China is still in the primary stage of socialism, we must work unswervingly to both consolidate and develop the public sector and encourage, support and guide the development of the nonpublic sector. We must uphold the dominant role of the public sector and common development of economic entities under diverse forms of ownership, exert the important role of the public sector in promoting common prosperity and promote healthy growth of the nonpublic sector of the economy and workers in the sector. We should allow a portion of people to become rich first, encourage them to help those still lagging behind and focus on encouraging entrepreneurial individuals who work hard, engage in lawful operations and have the courage to start their own businesses. We do not advocate becoming rich through side doors, and we will deal with violations in accordance with the law.\nDoing everything within our capacity. A scientific public policy system should be established to make the “cake” bigger and form a pattern of equitable distribution for all. Efforts should be intensified, and more practical measures should be taken to enable the masses to have a greater sense of gain. Meanwhile, we must recognize that the development level of our country still lags far behind that of developed countries. We plan by considering both needs and possibilities and improve people’s well-being based on economic development and financial sustainability. We should not aim too high and make promises that cannot be fulfilled. Instead of taking on everything, the government should focus on carrying out programs that are general, inclusive and guarantee basic needs. Even if we become more developed and financially stronger in the future, we should not set excessively high goals and provide excessive guarantees, in order not to fall into the trap of “welfarism” that encourages laziness.\nAdvancing step by step. As common prosperity is a goal that requires long-term efforts and cannot be achieved overnight, its long-term nature, arduousness and complexity should be fully estimated and realize the goal step by step. Even some developed countries have not achieved common prosperity yet, and the gap between rich and poor is instead becoming increasingly serious due to problems in their social systems, although they have been industrialized for centuries. Therefore, we need to be patient, take solid steps and improve the effectiveness of our work. Great efforts should be made to construct the demonstration zone for common prosperity in Zhejiang and spur all local governments to explore effective paths in light of local conditions, sum up experience and gradually implement the corresponding plans. The general idea is to adhere to the concept of people-centered development; promote common prosperity in high-quality development; correctly handle the relationship between efficiency and fairness; make basic institutional arrangements for the planning of primary distribution, redistribution and tertiary distribution; increase the intensity and accuracy of regulation such as taxation, social security and transfer payments; expand the proportion of the middle-income group, increase the income of the low-income group, rationally regulate high incomes and ban illegal incomes to form an olive-shaped distribution structure; facilitate social fairness and justice; accelerate the all-round development of people; and enable all people to make solid progress towards the goal of common prosperity.\nFirst, identifying a more balanced, coordinated and inclusive development path. The socialist market economy should be improved at a faster pace as a way to make development more balanced, coordinated and inclusive. Development should be more balanced among different regions through the implementation of regional major strategies and regional coordinated development strategies; the transfer payment system should be improved; differences in per capita fiscal expenditures among regions should be narrowed and support should be increased for less-developed regions. The coordinated development of industries should be strengthened; the reform of monopoly industries should be accelerated; and the coordinated development of the finance and real estate sectors with the real economy should be advanced. Support should be rendered to the development of small and midsize companies, and an enterprise development ecosystem in which large, midsize and small enterprises are interdependent and mutually reinforcing should be fostered. 　\nSecond, endeavoring to expand the middle-income group. Priority should be given to solving key problems, and measures should be taken accurately to allow more low-income people to enter the middle-income group. Higher education graduates are one important part of those who are expected to enter the middle-income group. The quality of higher education should be enhanced so that students can be armed with expertise and useful knowledge that help them meet the needs of social development as soon as possible. Technical workers also constitute an important part of the middle-income group. Efforts should be stepped up to train skilled talent, raise their salaries and attract more highly competent people to join the ranks of skilled workers. Small and midsize company owners and self-employed people are important sources that contribute to entrepreneurship-based prosperity. The business environment should be refined their tax and dues burdens should be reduced; and more market-based financial services should be offered to help them maintain stable operations and increase incomes. Rural migrant workers in cities are an important source of the middle-income group. The reform of the household registration system should be deepened, and the schooling of trailing children of rural migrant workers should be properly resolved so that they can migrate to cities without worries and find stable jobs. The salaries and benefits of civil servants, especially front-line civil servants and civil servants at the grassroots level and grassroots-level employees of state-owned enterprises and public institutions should be appropriately raised. Urban and rural residents’ incomes from housing, rural land and financial assets should be increased. 　\nThird, facilitating equal access to basic public services. Priority should be given to supporting the low-income group for common prosperity. Inclusive human resources investment should be increased to effectively reduce the education burden for needy families and make children from low-income families more educated. The systems of elderly care and medical security should be improved, which will help gradually narrow the gap in financing and security benefits between workers and residents, urban and rural areas, and raise the level of basic pensions for urban and rural residents. The system for subsistence allowances should be improved by speeding up efforts to narrow the differences in social assistance standards between urban and rural areas, thus raising the subsistence allowances to guarantee the basic livelihood of the people. Furthermore, the housing supply and security system should be perfected. We must keep in mind that housing is for living in, not for speculation, and need to encourage both housing purchase and renting by adopting city-specific policies. To this end, we need to improve the long-term rental policy and supply more government-subsidized rental housing with a focus on addressing the concerns of new arrivals.\nFourth, intensifying the regulation and adjustment of excessive income. While protecting legitimate income according to law, it is necessary to prevent polarization and eliminate unfair wealth allocation. In this regard, we should take many measures, like rationally regulating excessive income, improving the personal income tax system, standardizing the management of capital income, actively and steadily promoting the legislation and reform of real estate tax while ensuring the good completion of pilot projects, intensifying tax regulation in consumption links, expanding the scope of consumption tax collection, strengthening the standardized management of public welfare and philanthropy, improving preferential tax policies, encouraging the high-income group and enterprises to return more to society, cleaning up unreasonable income, enhancing the management of income distribution in monopoly industries and state-owned enterprises, rectifying the order of income distribution, and eliminating distribution chaos such as increasing the income of senior executives in the name of reform, resolutely prohibiting illicit income, curbing the power-for-money deal and cracking down on the acquisition of illegal income through insider trading, stock market manipulation, financial fraud and tax evasion.\nAfter years of effort, we have explored a complete range of solutions to poverty alleviation, but we still need to explore and accumulate experience on how to help people prosper. We must attach importance to the protection of property rights, intellectual property rights and legitimate wealth acquisition, resolutely oppose the unlimited sprawl of capital, draw a negative list of access to sensitive areas and strengthen anti-monopoly supervision. Meanwhile, we need to mobilize the zeal of entrepreneurs and promote the standardized and healthy development of all kinds of capital. Fifth, promoting common prosperity of the people’s spiritual life. Being highly consistent with pursuing the all-round development of the human being, the cause of promoting common prosperity requires strengthening the guidance of core socialist values, enhancing patriotism, collectivism and socialist education, developing public cultural undertakings, and improving the public cultural service system, thus constantly meeting the diversified, multi-level and multi-faceted spiritual and cultural needs of the people. To provide a good public-opinion environment for the cause, we should strengthen the guidance of public opinion in promoting common prosperity, clarify all kinds of vague understandings and prevent a rush to succeed and fear of difficulties.\nSixth, promoting common prosperity in rural areas. As a hard nut to crack, promoting common prosperity in rural areas needs greater effort. However, it is inappropriate to set unified, quantitative indicators as we do for poverty alleviation. The key to common prosperity in rural areas is to consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, strengthen monitoring and early intervention for people who are prone to falling into poverty again, and give counties out of poverty a leg up to get them going, thus ensuring that large-scale return to poverty and new poverty do not occur. In addition, we should comprehensively advance rural revitalization, speed up agricultural industrialization, make good use of rural assets and increase farmers’ property income, thus helping more rural residents to acquire wealth through hard work. In the meantime, efforts should be made to develop rural infrastructure and public service systems and improve the living environment in rural areas. In my opinion, pursuing common prosperity, like building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, is a general concept that involves all aspects of the society across the country and is not proposed for only urban areas or rural areas, or east, central or west regions, insomuch that putting forward indicators requires overall consciousness. To achieve common prosperity for 1.4 billion Chinese people, we must take concrete, long-lasting actions. It does not mean simultaneous prosperity for everyone or the same level of affluence across the country. The degree of prosperity of different groups and regions and the time of achieving prosperity may vary. Common prosperity entails a process of moving forward amid developments and must be constantly promoted for continuous success.\nDownload our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.\nGet our weekly free Must-Read newsletter.\nWeekend Long Read: Raising Personal Income Key to Achieving Common Prosperity\nIn Depth: What’s Standing in the Way of ‘Common Prosperity’?\nParticipation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 5th Eastern Economic Forum Discussed in Moscow\nGet exposure for your startup at RISE 2020\nCreditEase’s Tang Ning: China’s Wealth Management Market is Undergoing Five Major Shifts\nMeet 5 of the best startups selected to represent China at the largest technology event in Asia","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Xi Jinping"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["August"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["app","party journal Qiushi Friday"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Taiwan President Rebuffs China's Xi Jinping in Most Defiant Speech Yet","document":"Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen rebuffed Chinese leader Xi Jinping in her most defiant speech yet on Sunday after the latter gave a competing address in which he extolled the Communist Party and its plans for the island's future.\nIn 5,000-word remarks for the 110th anniversary of the Republic of China (ROC)—Taiwan's formal name—Tsai called on her citizens to be \"masters of our own destiny,\" in a speech her spokesperson described as a heartfelt message from a president who is no longer running for reelection.\nHer address came 24 hours after China's Xi spoke at length to mark the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, the event—originating in the central Chinese city of Wuhan—that led to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the ROC. Xi referenced \"a republic on Chinese soil\" but didn't name the ROC, which the People's Republic of China (PRC) considers to be over, despite its de facto existence in Taiwan.\nIn words that were meant to be heeded by Taiwan's government as well as its people, Xi linked his Taiwan ambitions to the \"rejuvenation\" of the Chinese nation, calling \"unification\" of the island \"the general trend of Chinese history\" and \"the common will of all Chinese people.\" He also reiterated China's intention to rule Taiwan under a Hong Kong–style \"one country, two systems\" formula.\nHe struck an overall softer tone by emphasizing unification by peaceful means, saying it serves both China and Taiwan. Beijing's officials, however, continue to remind their counterparts in Taipei that China will never renounce the use of force to achieve their goal.\nXi also concluded with a stark warning about loyalty to China, saying: \"Those who forget their heritage, betray their motherland, and seek to split the country will come to no good end; they will be disdained by the people and condemned by history.\"\nIn Tsai's prepared remarks the next day—described by commentators as the strongest of her presidency so far—she didn't shy away from speaking out against China's military intimidation and political isolation of Taiwan.\n\"But the more we achieve, the greater the pressure we face from China,\" Tsai said, following her praise for Taiwan's part in global health contributions and its shoring up of the global semiconductor supply chain. \"So I want to remind all my fellow citizens that we do not have the privilege of letting down our guard.\"\n\"We call for maintaining the status quo, and we will do our utmost to prevent the status quo from being unilaterally altered,\" she said, before repeating her desire for meaningful dialogue with Beijing \"on the basis of parity.\"\nShe added: \"We hope for an easing of cross-strait relations and will not act rashly, but there should be absolutely no illusions that the Taiwanese people will bow to pressure. We will continue to bolster our national defense and demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves in order to ensure that nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us.\"\nChina's plan for Taiwan \"offers neither a free and democratic way of life for Taiwan, nor sovereignty for our 23 million people,\" she argued.\nTsai committed to four positions that she called \"the bottom line and common denominator\" most widely accepted by the people of Taiwan. Among them were the insistence that the ROC and PRC \"should not be subordinate to each other\" as well as Taiwan's commitment to \"resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty.\"\nThe future of Taiwan, Tsai said, \"must be decided in accordance with the will of the Taiwanese people\"—a direct rejection of Xi's view that Taiwan's future as a province of China is the \"will of all Chinese people.\"\nTsai concluded her remarks with a pledge to push constitutional amendments and institutional reforms that will preserve Taiwan's democratic system.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Tsai Ing-wen"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday","24 hours after China's Xi spoke at length to mark the Xinhai Revolution of 1911"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Taiwan President"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Xi Jinping’s Remarks on the Sound Development of China’s Digital Economy","document":"· Receive breaking news alerts · 7 days free for new iOS subscribers· Exclusive CEIC data available in-app\nEditor’s note: At a group study session of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo on Oct. 18, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech stressing the sound development of China’s digital economy. Here are the key points of his remarks during the study session.\nIn the speech, President Xi Jinping said, that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC Central Committee has attached great importance to developing the digital economy, built China’s strength in cyberspace, implemented the national big data strategy, expanded the economic cyberspace, supported internet-based innovations and promoted deep integration of the internet, big data, artificial intelligence and the real economy. Beyond that, efforts have been made to build a digital China and a smart society, promote digital industrialization and industrial digitization and develop digital industrial clusters with international competitiveness. China has seen rapid digital economic development with remarkable fruits. In particular, since the Covid-19 outbreak, digital technologies and the digital economy have played a vital role in supporting the fight against the pandemic and work and life resumption.\nXi highlighted that developing the digital economy is a strategic option to seize opportunities brought by a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. First, the healthy development of the digital economy will be conducive to the building of a new development paradigm. Digital technologies and the digital economy are able to advance the fast mobility of various resource factors and the expedited integration of diverse market entities and help market entities rebuild an organizational model so as to achieve cross-sector development, break space-time limit, extend the industry chain, and unclog domestic and international economic circulations. Second, the healthy development of the digital economy will facilitate the building of a modern economic system. The digital economy of high innovation, strong penetrability and wide coverage is not only a new economic growth point but also a pivot for the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, which can be an important engine to build a modern economic system. Third, the healthy development of the digital economy will help the country develop new competitive advantages. In the current era, digital technology and the digital economy are key areas of international competition that can provide prioritized opportunities for the global scientific and technological revolution and industrial change. China should seize these opportunities and pioneer the leading areas for future development. Xi pointed out that efforts must be made to enhance research on core technologies in important areas and adhere to the key of independent innovation. China should give full play to the advantages of its socialist system, the new system of pooling national resources and strengths and the super-large-scale market, so as to improve the ability of basic research and development of digital technology. In addition, efforts are called for to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields and accelerate the development of biosecurity-related science and related technologies toward greater self-reliance. These efforts will help firmly grasp the autonomy of the development of the digital economy.  Xi stressed that China should speed up the construction of new infrastructure, strengthen its strategic layout and accelerate the building of a high-speed, ubiquitous, intelligent and comprehensive digital information infrastructure that integrates space and ground, and the cloud and the internet, so as to make the main structure transmitting information on economic and social development available. China will comprehensively promote industrial and large-scale applications, focus on making breakthroughs in key software, make the software industry bigger and stronger and enhance the innovation and supply capacity of key software technologies. Xi pointed out that it is necessary to promote the integrated development of the digital economy and the real economy, grasp the direction of digitization, networking, and intelligence and promote the digitization of manufacturing, service, agriculture, and other industries. Meanwhile, internet technology should be used to carry out omni-directional and full-chain transformation of traditional industries and improve total factor productivity, thus giving full play to the role of digital technology in magnifying, superimposing and multiplying economic development. China should promote the deep integration of the Internet, big data and AI technologies with industries, and expedite its efforts to cultivate a number of enterprises that apply special, sophisticated techniques to produce unique and novel enterprises that rank top in the respective field. China should promote the development of digital industries in key areas, focus on the strategic high ground, and rely on major technological breakthroughs and development needs, to enhance the competitiveness of the industrial chains in key links, improve the supply chain systems for key industries, and accelerate the replacement of old products and services with new ones.\nXi stressed that China should regulate the development of the digital economy, insist on promoting and laying equal emphasis on the regulation of development and supervision, and in the development of regulation, and ensure the mutual promotion between development and regulation. China should improve the market-access system, the fair competition review mechanism and the fair competition regulation system to establish an all-around, multi-level, three-dimensional regulation system, thus achieving ex-ante, interim and ex-post supervision of all chains and sectors. China should correct and regulate the behaviors and practices that may harm the interests of the people and impede fair competition in the development process, prevent platform monopolies and disorderly expansion of capital, and investigate and prosecute monopoly and unfair competition cases in accordance with the law. China should protect the legitimate rights and interests of platform workers and consumers. In addition, China should intensify its efforts in tax supervision and tax audits.\nXi also pointed out that China should strive to improve the governance system for the digital economy, laws and regulations and policy systems, and institutional mechanisms, as well as raise the modernization of the country’s digital economy governance system and governance capacity. China should also improve the responsibilities of competent departments and regulatory agencies, make the division of work clear and ensure their mutual cooperation. Regulatory technology and means must be improved and enhanced to enable full-process regulation and governance for innovation, production, operations and investment. The responsibilities and obligations of platform-based enterprises should be clarified, and an industry self-regulatory mechanism should be established. Social supervision, media supervision and public supervision should be carried out to promote synergy. Efforts should be made to improve national security systems and institutions. Theoretical research on the development of the digital economy should be strengthened, and countermeasures and suggestions should be put forward on issues involving digital technology and the development of the digital economy. China should actively participate in international cooperation on the digital economy, engage in negotiations with international organizations on topics related to the digital economy, carry out bilateral and multilateral cooperation on digital governance, maintain and improve the multilateral digital economy governance mechanisms, and put forward China’s solutions and spread China’s voice in a timely manner.\nXi pointed out that, as the digital economy is relevant to the overall development of the country, it is important to put a lot of effort into the top-level design and system and mechanism building for the development of China’s digital economy, strengthen situation analysis, seize opportunities, and gain the initiative. Leading officials at all levels should improve their thinking ability and professional competence in the digital economy, build up their skills in developing the digital economy, enhance safety awareness, and promote the digital economy to better serve and integrate it into the new development paradigm. It is also necessary to improve the digital literacy and skills of all people and the whole society, thus laying a solid social foundation for the development of China’s digital economy.\nThe article is a translation from the Chinese readout of the president’s remarks released by the state-run Xinhua News Agency.\nDownload our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.\nGet our weekly free Must-Read newsletter.\nParticipation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 5th Eastern Economic Forum Discussed in Moscow\nGet exposure for your startup at RISE 2020\nCreditEase’s Tang Ning: China’s Wealth Management Market is Undergoing Five Major Shifts\nMeet 5 of the best startups selected to represent China at the largest technology event in Asia","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Xi Jinping"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Oct. 18"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a group study session of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["app"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"As high-stakes climate summit begins, Biden apologizes for U.S. withdrawal from Paris accord","document":"Queen Elizabeth II says ‘none of us will live forever’ as she urges climate action and statesmanship South Africa has one of the most coal-intensive economies in the world. Can it change?\nBiden to ask Congress to set aside $3 billion for climate adaptation\nChinese President Xi offers no new commitments in written comments to COP26 conference\nIndia vows to boost renewables, hit ‘net zero’ emissions by 2070 Marshall Islands pleads with world leaders to save country from rising seas\nIn Scotland, Biden apologizes for Trump’s decision to pull out of Paris accords\nDavid Attenborough calls on world leaders to “rewrite our story” White House official not worried about looming Supreme Court climate case\n\"The eyes of history are upon us,” Biden tells summit Prince Charles takes his environmental bona fides to COP26\nJohn Kerry, Gina McCarthy launch U.S. Center at COP26\nBoris Johnson spells out what 2, 3 and 4 degrees of global warming look like — and it’s not pretty\nBoris Johnson compares climate crisis to a James Bond film U.N. secretary general: ‘We face a moment of truth’\nQueen Elizabeth II says ‘none of us will live forever’ as she urges climate action and statesmanship South Africa has one of the most coal-intensive economies in the world. Can it change?\nBiden to ask Congress to set aside $3 billion for climate adaptation\nChinese President Xi offers no new commitments in written comments to COP26 conference\nIndia vows to boost renewables, hit ‘net zero’ emissions by 2070 Marshall Islands pleads with world leaders to save country from rising seas\nIn Scotland, Biden apologizes for Trump’s decision to pull out of Paris accords\nDavid Attenborough calls on world leaders to “rewrite our story” White House official not worried about looming Supreme Court climate case\n\"The eyes of history are upon us,” Biden tells summit Prince Charles takes his environmental bona fides to COP26\nJohn Kerry, Gina McCarthy launch U.S. Center at COP26\nBoris Johnson spells out what 2, 3 and 4 degrees of global warming look like — and it’s not pretty\nBoris Johnson compares climate crisis to a James Bond film U.N. secretary general: ‘We face a moment of truth’\nA global summit convened in Glasgow, Scotland, widely seen as the most important international climate negotiations since the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, began on Monday with speeches by world leaders, including President Biden, who warned that climate change is “ravaging the world.” In remarks at a smaller meeting just after his formal speech, he apologized for the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord under former president Donald Trump. “I guess I shouldn’t apologize, but I do apologize,” he said.\nHere’s what to know\nGLASGOW, Scotland — Queen Elizabeth II appealed to world leaders gathered at the climate conference to engage in “true statesmanship” and work together as “the time for words has now moved to the time for action.”\nIn an video address played at an evening reception for presidents and prime ministers, the monarch said she hoped the summit would be “one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment and achieve true statesmanship.”\nElizabeth said she hoped leaders would leave the summit with “a determination, a desire and a plan to address the impact of climate change and to recognize that the time for words has now moved to the time for action.”\nThe 95-year-old monarch had planned to attend the reception in person but was ordered to rest by doctors.\nThe speech was recorded at Windsor Castle, where she is living, on Friday afternoon.\nThe queen paid tribute to “my dear late husband,” Prince Philip, quoting from a speech he gave in 1969 voicing concern about the levels of pollution. She also singled out her son Prince Charles, who addressed world leaders on Monday, and her grandson Prince William, who is at the summit with some of the finalists from his Earthshot Prize.\n“I could not be more proud of them,” she said.\nThe queen specifically referenced young activists, saying, “I have drawn great comfort and inspiration from the relentless enthusiasm of people of all ages — especially the young — in calling for everyone to play their part.”\n“None of us will live forever,” she said in closing. “But we are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our children’s children, and those who will follow in their footsteps.”\nSouth Africa is negotiating with a handful of wealthy nations about how to overhaul its ailing electricity sector in what could become a model of climate finance for other countries heavily dependent upon coal plants.\nThe showcase plan, which could cost as much as $15 billion, would not only provide financial support for the state-owned utility, but also backing for broader economic and social change — known as a “just transition” — in a deeply divided and unequal society. The plan could help persuade other developing nations, mostly in Asia, to shelve plans to build as much as 243 gigawatts of new coal plants.\n“We think it could be a very important feather in the cap of this COP if broad outlines are announced that could provide a template for other country-scale transactions,” said Mike Muldoon, managing director for innovative finance at the Rockefeller Foundation. “We think this is one of the only solutions that meets the scale of the challenge.”\nSouth Africa, whose economy is one of the most coal-intensive in the world, wants to steer investment into renewables and start shutting down its aging fleet of 15 coal-fired, carbon-spewing power plants, which supply 84 percent of the nation’s electricity.\nPresident Biden will work with Congress to set aside $3 billion a year by 2024 in financing for adaptation to climate change in developing countries, the White House said Monday.\nThe sum, which will go to protecting the world’s poorer citizens from rising seas and temperatures, is part of the $11.4 billion Biden already requested at the United Nations General Assembly in September.\nThe White House said the $3 billion set aside would reduce the impacts of climate change on people most vulnerable to its effects. “These impacts are already being felt, making investments in developing countries’ climate resilience more urgent than ever,” the White House said.\n“President Biden recognized the need to increase support for adaptation, which is already costing developing countries an estimated $70 billion a year,” said Ani Dasgupta, president of the World Resources Institute, a research nonprofit organization. “However, the $3 billion in support for adaptation is not additional to the $11.4 billion already pledged by the Biden administration.”\nDasgupta said “we hope the United States will work toward increasing and balancing adaptation and mitigation finance as called for in the Paris agreement.”\nThe White House said the $3 billion would go to a new umbrella program called President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience, or PREPARE, which will work with several different agencies, including the Agency for International Development, multilateral development banks, the Development Finance Corp., and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.\nGLASGOW — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday offered no new commitments to the U.N. conference to combat climate change, submitting only a terse written statement for the record as he skipped an in-person visit to the gathering in Glasgow.\n“China will continue to prioritize ecological conservation and pursue a green and low-carbon path to development,” Xi wrote, offering no specifics other than a promise to release concrete plans for peaking his country’s emissions in 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.\n“I hope all parties will take stronger actions to jointly tackle the climate challenge and protect the planet, the shared home for us all,” he said.\nXi’s absence was a disappointment for many of the policymakers who have gathered from around the world for two weeks of negotiations, a sign of limited Chinese ambitions for the conference, known as COP26. And since China, the world’s factory, is the biggest source of greenhouse gases, the outcome of the climate conference may not live up to its ambitions as one of the final chances to avert warming before it spirals out of control.\nThe Chinese president has not traveled outside of the country since early 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.\nIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday committed his nation — the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases — to massive investments in renewable energy by the end of the decade in an effort to move away from its reliance on fossil fuels.\nModi pledged that the nation of nearly 1.4 billion people would install 500 gigawatts of non-fossil energy by 2030, and that India would meet half of its energy demands from renewable sources by the same time.\nThe prime minister, as expected, also committed India to a target of “net zero” emissions by 2070 — two decades later than the mid-century goal that many advocates had hoped the country would pursue.\nModi used part of his statement to underscore that India had fulfilled its promises under the 2015 Paris climate accord and that it would continue to shift to more climate-friendly policies going forward.\n“Today, the entire world acknowledges that India is the only big economy in the world that has delivered both in letter and in spirit on its Paris commitments,” Modi said in remarks at the opening of COP26.\nBut he said the nation’s continued shift away from fossil fuels — like that of other developing countries — would require significant amounts of financing and technical support from the developing world.\nRising sea levels could sink buildings and flood much of the Marshall Islands, but the country’s climate envoy refuses to accept the scenario experts describe as a looming reality: She wants world leaders to step up.\n “I don’t think it should be acceptable to any person in this world to write off a country,” Tina Stege told Sky News at the COP26 summit that started Monday in Glasgow, where dozens of heads of states and government are gathering Monday for climate negotiations.\nHer country does not have the luxury of waiting. The central Pacific island nation, home to nearly 60,000 people, is already reeling from droughts and flooding while it prepares what she calls “a survival plan.”\nBut like many of the countries hardest hit by climate change, the Marshall Islands needs help and money. While developed nations had pledged more than a decade ago to mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poorer ones cope with climate impacts, they have fallen short, according to the United Nations.\nPresident Biden on Monday apologized for President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord, saying it had set the world back.\n“I guess I shouldn’t apologize, but I do apologize for the fact that the United States and the last administration pulled out of the Paris accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit,” said Biden, speaking briefly at a side meeting of world leaders at the COP26 climate summit.\nBiden had pledged that his administration would attempt to make up for the Trump administration’s four years spent turning away from policies meant to address climate change.\nHe made the remarks just after his opening address, at a meeting titled “Action and Solidarity — the Critical Decade.” He said that the United States has a special responsibility to lead on climate, noting that the country is responsible for a huge part of the problem. “I want to emphasize again, those of us who have deforested a long time ago, those of us who have taken actions a long time ago to cause the problems we have, we have to be ready to step up,” he said.\nBiden said he has a sales job to do among some voters back home about the importance of reducing emissions. “That’s the next big case I have to make,” he said.\nGLASGOW, Scotland — British naturalist Sir David Attenborough made a passionate plea for world leaders to “rewrite our story,” warning that those who could be impacted by catastrophic climate change were not “some imagined generation” but “young people alive today.”\nAttenborough is a beloved figure in Britain — and beyond — who has entranced generations with his globally popular natural history documentaries.\nHe has been dubbed the “people’s advocate” for COP26.\nAttenborough began his speech to assembled world leaders in Glasgow with a history lesson. For the last 10,000 years, he said, the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere has been relatively stable, offering humanity predictable seasons and reliable weather.\nThis meant that “civilization was possible, and we wasted no time in taking advantage of that,” he said. “The global temperature has not wavered over this period by more plus or minus one degrees Celsius — until now.”\nHe said that humanity was in “trouble” and the story was not merely one of instability, it was also about inequality. “Those who’ve done the least to cause this problem are being the hardest hit,” he said.\nThere was still time to turn “tragedy into triumph,” however. “We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth. We now understand this problem. We knew how to stop the number [of carbon emissions] rising and put it in reverse.”\n“In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed a terrible decline,\" said the 95-year-old documentary maker, peering out at the crowd. \"In yours, you could, and should, witness a wonderful recovery. That desperate hope — ladies and gentlemen, delegates, excellencies — is why the world is looking to you and why you are here.”\nWhite House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy said on Monday that she was not worried by the Supreme Court’s decision to take up a case challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to limit greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants.\n“I mean, the Supreme Court takes up a lot of cases, and we’ll have to wait and see. But as you know, the Clean Air Act is pretty flexible. And there’s many opportunities for us to get at … pollutants like greenhouse gases,” McCarthy told reporters at COP26, the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.\n“Part of the value, I think, of the Build Back Better framework and those resources is that regulations are important, but they’re not the only way to get a home run here. And so I fully expect we’ll have regulatory tools, and we’ll be able to use them,” she added.\nThe Supreme Court on Friday granted a request from 19 Republican-led states and the coal industry to consider their challenge to the EPA’s authority to curb greenhouse gases from power plants, which could threaten a key plank of President Biden’s climate agenda.\nThe Republican-led states are trying to prevent Biden’s EPA from issuing the type of sweeping emissions controls that were proposed by the Obama administration.\nThe Supreme Court put former president Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan on hold in 2016, and it was never implemented. The Trump administration’s attempt to repeal and replace the plan — known as the Affordable Clean Energy, or ACE, rule — was rejected by a federal appeals court in Washington.\n“We have to wait a while to have the Supreme Court speak to this. But I have a lot of confidence,” McCarthy said. “You know, the ACE rule is no longer around because the courts made it defunct. Perhaps that will have an impact on the decision-making of the Supreme Court.”\nMcCarthy was addressing reporters after an event at the U.S. Center, a physical space in the COP26 conference venue where the Biden administration is hosting panels.\nDuring the event, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) noted that her state has taken aggressive steps to rein in planet-warming pollution, such as by imposing a fee on emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Democrats in Congress are considering including a methane fee in their $1.75 trillion social spending bill, despite opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.).\nLaToya Cantrell, the Democratic mayor of New Orleans, said she awoke to the dangers of global warming in 2018, when a single heavy rain event dumped five inches of water on the city that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “I knew then that the impact of climate change would truly be the framing of my term as mayor of New Orleans,” she said.\nIn brief opening remarks at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, President Biden told world leaders that the Earth is at an inflection point, with limited time left to prevent significant warming to the planet.\n“This is the decisive decade.” he said.\nBiden’s presence alone signals a major change in U.S. policy after four years under former president Donald Trump’s turn away from climate issues.\nThe president touted his legislative agenda, saying that it would provide the resources and legal framework to make good on the U.S. pledge to reduce emissions by at least 50 percent in the next decade. But while Biden had hoped to come to Glasgow with his agenda approved, but its fate remains uncertain.\nBiden also sought to frame the global increase in energy prices — which has prompted him to push for more oil production in the short term — as a reason countries need to move to renewable energy sources in the long term.\n“We must view it as a call to action,” Biden said.\nWhile he did not mention Trump by name, Biden did reference his predecessor, who pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate accord.\n“The United States is not only back at the table, but hopefully leading by the power of our example,” Biden said. “I know it hasn’t been the case and that’s why my administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words.”\nThe president also stressed the need to provide financial support to less-developed nations, which are bearing much of the burden of the effects of climate change.\nHe concluded his remarks: “God bless you all, and may God save the planet.”\nGLASGOW, Scotland — Britain’s future king, Prince Charles, told world leaders at the U.N. climate summit on Monday that they should seek solutions to global warming in nature.\n“After billions of years of evolution, nature is our best teacher,” the Prince of Wales said. “In this regard, restoring natural capital, accelerating nature-based solutions and leveraging the circular bio-economy will be vital to our efforts.”\nUnlike the presidents and premiers who will be speaking at the Scottish Event Campus, the prince has spent his life developing deep thoughts about sustainability, organic farming, biodiversity — and the sanctity of Nature, which the prince always capitalizes in print.\nUnlike the others, Charles has no real power over laws or budgets. But the 72-year-old, ruddy-cheeked royal in the immaculately tailored pinstripes is a potentially powerful voice on climate change — now, and when the heir apparent takes the throne some day as the 21st century’s first eco-king.\nThe question: Will the people listen to him?\nTop officials from the Biden administration on Monday announced the launch of the U.S. Center at COP26, as the White House released a long-term strategy for eliminating America’s carbon emissions by mid-century.\nJohn F. Kerry, President Biden’s special presidential envoy for climate, told a crowd of diplomats, journalists and others that the U.S. Center did not exist at previous United Nations climate summits under former president Donald Trump.\nKerry said the science is clear on the need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, the more ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris agreement.\n“The scientists have made it clear as a matter not of politics, not of ideology … but as a matter of mathematics and physics,” he said.\nKerry noted that the Biden administration on Monday unveiled a long-term strategy to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. He said the document was a “companion” to the United States’ previously released commitment under the Paris agreement, known as a nationally determined contribution, or NDC.\nWhite House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy drew applause and laughter from the crowd when she cracked jokes in her characteristic thick Boston accent.\nMcCarthy said Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by “well over” a gigaton. “And for all those whispering, ‘Well how much is that,’ I’ll tell you it’s well over a billion tons,” she said.\nMcCarthy said that even though the Trump administration “didn’t particularly like to talk about climate change,” America has continued to reduce its planet-warming pollution. She added later: “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re kicking butt on offshore wind.”\nGLASGOW, Scotland — In an attempt to stir world leaders into action, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vividly outlined the difference that a seemingly small rise in global temperatures could make.\nThe landmark eco-summit in Glasgow is widely seen as a crucial moment when countries must deliver on the Paris agreement in 2015, when leaders agreed to pursue efforts to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius than in preindustrial times.\n“Two degrees more, and we jeopardize the food supply for hundreds of millions of people, crops wither, locusts swarm,” he said.\nOne degree more, and the extreme weather patterns the world is already seeing will get a whole lot worse.\n“Three degrees, and you can add more wildfires and cyclones, twice as many. Five times as many droughts, and 36 times as many heat waves,” he said.\nHe continued, “Four degrees and we say goodbye to whole cities — Miami, Alexandria, Shanghai, all lost beneath the waves.”\nAlok Sharma, the COP26 president, has said that the Glasgow summit is the “last, best hope” to keep 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach.\nGLASGOW, Scotland — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson compared the world’s climate crisis to a James Bond movie, arguing that the planet is \"one minute to midnight” on the doomsday clock — a situation with which the fictional spy is very familiar.\n“We are in roughly the same position, my fellow global leaders, as James Bond today — except that the tragedy is this is not a movie, and the doomsday device is real,” he said at the start of his address to 120 leaders from around the world.\n“Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change,” he said, “it’s one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock, and we need to act now.”\nJohnson also referenced climate activist Greta Thunberg, though not by name, when he said that all the promises made at previous COP conferences, “will be nothing but blah blah blah, to coin a phrase” unless the Cop26 in Glasgow is “the moment we get real about climate change.”\nJohnson urged leaders to make specific pledges on “coal, cars, cash and trees” — his oft-repeated slogan for top climate priorities for the summit — and said that leaders should not “fluff our lines,” warning that the younger generations will “not forgive us.”\n“If we fail, they will not forgive us. They will know that Glasgow was the historic turning point when history failed to turn.”\nThe latest from Glasgow\nAfter two weeks of talks in Glasgow, diplomats from almost 200 countries have agreed to ramp up their carbon-cutting commitments, phase out some fossil fuels and increase aid to poor countries on the front lines of climate change. Read the full agreement here.\nMore on the causes and effects climate change: How we know global warming is real | How climate change is making parts of the world too hot and humid to survive | The undeniable link between weather disasters and climate change More on climate change solutions: Tracking Biden’s environmental actions | The world’s biggest plant to capture CO2 from the air just opened in Iceland | Why we shouldn’t give in to climate despair | Costa Rica’s environmental minister wants to build a green economy. She just needs time.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Biden"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["President"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Xi Jinping sends message to US on China’s rising power in Boao address","document":"    Tony Walker 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.\nLa Trobe University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.\nView all partners\nChinese President Xi Jinping’s muscular speech to the Boao Forum Asia annual conference was clearly designed to send a signal to the United States that China regarded the change of administration as an opportunity for a renewed dialogue on contentious issues.\nXi did not take a backward step in his remarks, which emphasised a shifting international power balance. He avoided directly naming the US in his relatively brief address opening the forum, but America was clearly in his sights.\nHe wants the Biden administration, and the international community for that matter, to accept China not only as an emerging superpower but also as an equal in addressing global challenges. In a telling statement, Xi said:\nGlobal governance should reflect the evolving political and economic landscape.\nThis is shorthand for saying that because of its growing weight economically and militarily, China expects to be given its due.\nThe title of Xi’s speech, Pulling Together Through Adversity and Toward a Shared Future for All, was clearly designed to emphasise China’s global leadership aspirations.\nXi did not make specific reference to widening criticism of China’s human rights abuses in its Xinjiang region, its interference in Hong Kong in contravention of its undertakings to the UK, its pressure on Taiwan, and its assertiveness in the South China Sea.\nHowever, building international displeasure on all these issues formed a backdrop for a speech that warned against countries “bossing others around”. This was a clear reference to the US at the head of a global coalition increasingly exercised about China’s provocative behaviour.\n      Read more:\n      Why China's attempts to stifle foreign media criticism are likely to fail\nXi also spoke of the dangers of “decoupling” global economies. He called for greater global integration.\nHis speech to the Boao forum is more than usually significant this year. It marks an important statement by a Chinese leader early in a US administration, and also comes just days before a climate summit to be hosted by US President Joe Biden.\nXi will participate in the summit along with other world leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin.\nThe Biden multilateral climate summit could hardly represent a sharper contrast with the “America First” policies of the previous Trump administration.\nOn the face of it, this is a positive development.\nSignificantly, Xi devoted a section of his speech to climate issues.\nWe will build a closer partnership for green development. We will strengthen cooperation on green infrastructure, green energy, and green finance.\nXi’s reference to a green agenda comes days after the US and China resolved to fight climate change “with the seriousness and urgency that it demands.’’\nAmerica’s climate czar, John Kerry, and his Chinese counterpart resolved to strengthen cooperation in combating global warming in three days of talks in Shanghai.\nThe Shanghai climate accord, ill-defined though it might be, represents the most positive development in Sino-US relations since the Obama administration left office in 2017. At the very least, it indicates a willingness by Beijing and Washington to work together on issues that require global coordination.\nBiden has made it clear he will press for more ambitious greenhouse gas emission targets. He is expected to allude to these at the climate summit that will be held virtually.\nXi’s choice of the Boao Forum for a keynote enabled him to set the stage, from China’s perspective, for his participation in the Biden event, given expectations the US will seek to reassert a global leadership role.\nThe Boao forum has evolved since it was first held on Hainan Island 20 years ago, to the point now where it is described as the \"Asian Davos”.\nThis is a reference to the World Economic Forum gathering held in the Swiss town of Davos each year, to which political and business leaders gravitate.\nThe Chinese version is important in the sense Beijing regards it as a counterweight to Davos, which is dominated by Americans and Europeans.\nThe forum this year has some 2,000 participants. The heads of the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations addressed it by video link.\n      Read more:\n      Australia has a great chance to engage in trade diplomacy with China, and it must take it\nProminent American business figures in attendance include Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla’s Elon Musk, Blackstone’s Steven Schwarzman, and Bridgewater Associates’ Ray Dalio.\nThe convening of the forum, after it was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, and amid tensions surrounding the US-China relationship, give the event added significance. The number of high-level attendees underscores the complexities of China’s fractious relationship with the rest of the world.\nThe world might want to distance itself, given disquiet about China’s various provocations. But the international community can hardly ignore economic realities. China, whose economy is on fire with growth rates in double digits, is contributing about one-third to global growth.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Xi Jinping"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Chinese President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Boao Forum Asia annual conference"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["video link"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Xi Jinping Speech at the 2021 Far East Economic Forum","document":"Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the opening ceremony of the plenary session of the Far Eastern Economic Forum via video link on Friday.\nThe forum is an important stage for regional leaders to discuss the development of Russian Asia and its integration into neighboring economies, such as China, Mongolia, Japan, and South Korea.\nThe following is the translated text of Xi’s speech, which didn’t contain anything specifically new, but did underline the continuing and intended cooperation between China, the Belt & Road Initiative, and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).\nThe EAEU is a free trade bloc that includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia and stretches from West China to the borders of the European Union. China signed a free trade agreement with the EAEU in 2018; however, discussions on tariff reductions are still ongoing. When these are finalized, the trade and development implications for North-East China, and the Provinces of Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang will be significant.\nXi’s speech followed that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose address contained much more on the intentions to develop the Russian Far East, with the introduction of business and personal tax and investment incentives. These will also have a knock-on effect on the development of China-Russia bilateral trade. Putin’s speech can be read over on our Russia Briefing portal here.\nChina-Russia bilateral trade is growing and is currently at about US$120 billion per annum with both countries setting goals to reach US$200 billion by 2024.\nFar East Russia also takes on greater significance in these contexts when considering that the North-East Asian economies of Japan and South Korea, together with China, are members of the upcoming RCEP free trade agreement and all have strong ties with Far East Russia.\nXi’s speech is as follows:\nJoin Hands to Overcome Current Difficulties, Plan for Future Development and Write a New Chapter for Far East Cooperation\nYour Excellency President Vladimir Putin,\nLadies and Gentlemen,\nFriends,\nI wish to thank President Putin for his gracious invitation. It is a great pleasure to address the Eastern Economic Forum again after three years.\nToday marks the 76th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On 25 August, I spoke with President Putin on the phone. We both agreed that the international community must defend firmly the victorious outcomes of World War II, safeguard the truth of history, and stay committed to taking history as a mirror to open up a brighter future.\nEarlier in June, President Putin and I had a successful video meeting. Together, we announced the extension of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and reached new common understandings on major issues such as strengthening China-Russia strategic coordination and advancing bilateral practical cooperation across the board. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era boasts strong momentum and broad prospects.\nAs we speak, the international landscape is going through profound transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic keeps raging with frequent flare-ups, and the world economy faces a daunting recovery. This presents regional cooperation in Northeast Asia with both stern challenges and important opportunities. It is only right that all parties ground themselves in regional realities while adopting a global perspective, join hands to tide over the difficult time and plan for common development.\nWe need to offer each other help to overcome the pandemic challenge. We need to intensify cooperation in vaccine research, development, and production, provide more public goods to the international community, firmly reject any politicization of COVID vaccines and origins-tracing, and strive to build a global community of health for all.\nWe need to redouble our efforts to advance mutually-beneficial cooperation. We need to deepen the collaboration between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, support the innovative development of the digital economy, jointly tackle global climate change, and promote social and economic development in the region.\nWe need to form synergy to safeguard regional peace and stability. We need to narrow differences and build consensus through dialogue and exchanges, embrace the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, and work for a harmonious and tranquil homeland for us all.\nThis year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and China has started a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country. We are ready to work with all parties to uphold true multilateralism, advocate trust and harmony, promote win-win cooperation, and march with firm steps toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind.\nThank you.\nAbout Us\nChina Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done so since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.\nDezan Shira & Associates has offices in Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, United States, Germany, Italy, India, and Russia, in addition to our trade research facilities along the Belt & Road Initiative. We also have partner firms assisting foreign investors in The Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh.\nPrevious Article « Hong Kong Plans To Join RCEP, Jointly Invest In Belt & Road Initiative Economic and Trade Co-operation Zones\nNext Article Belt and Road Weekly Investor Intelligence, #45 »\nDezan Shira & Associates´ brochure offers a comprehensive overview of the services provided by the firm. With its team of lawyers, tax experts, auditors and...\nAs a legitimate tool for reasonable tax planning and cost saving, tax incentives play an important role. Companies also use tax incentives as a useful...\nA firm understanding of China’s laws and regulations related to human resources and payroll management is absolutely necessary for foreign businesses in...\nOver the last few months, China has been quickly expanding the pilot program on electronic special value-added tax (VAT) fapiao (hereafter special VAT...\nAn Introduction to Doing Business in Hong Kong 2021 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in Hong Kong. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan...\nSince the formulation of the GBA Initiative in 2017, business communities have placed high expectation on the coordinated development among GBA cities, as the...\nDezan Shira & Associates helps\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbusinesses establish, maintain,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand grow their operations.\nThis week's BRI Investor Intelligence looks at this year's Far Eastern Economic Forum, due diligence in ASEAN, and incentives in Indonesia's SEZs.\nSeptember 7, 2021\nIn \"Economy & Trade\"\nPresident Xi Jinping's \"Belt Road Forum\" attracted 29 foreign heads of state an representatives from more than 130 countries and 70 international organizations. Find out what we learned from the forum in this Op-Ed by Chris Devonshire-Ellis.\nMay 23, 2017\nIn \"Economy & Trade\"\nChina has clear objectives in Asia and beyond, evident in speeches made at international forums such as APEC.\nJuly 19, 2021\nIn \"Economy & Trade\"\nChinese President Xi Jinping has taken the remarkable step of offering free trade with China to members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a political, economic, and security group comprising Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.\nJune 12, 2017\nIn \"Economy & Trade\"\nStay Ahead of the curve in Emerging Asia. Our subscription service offers regular regulatory updates, \t\t\tincluding the most recent legal, tax and accounting changes that affect your business.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Xi Jinping"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Chinese President"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["video link"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"China’s Xi Jinping to speak at a U.S.-led climate summit on Thursday","document":"BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping will give a speech Thursday via video conference at a global leaders climate summit organized by U.S. President Joe Biden, state media said Wednesday.\nMany expected the leaders of the world’s two largest economies — and the largest carbon polluters — to have their first meeting on the sidelines of the summit as tensions between the two countries simmer. Since taking office in January, Biden has called China the “most serious competitor” to the U.S. as he maintains former President Donald Trump’s tough stance on Beijing.\nXi and Biden spoke by phone in February, just ahead of China’s Spring Festival.\nReducing carbon emissions is one of the few areas China and the U.S. have said they could cooperate on, and aligns with Xi’s announcement last year that the Asian nation aims to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030.\nOver the weekend, the U.S. and China jointly issued a broad statement on how the two countries would work together to “tackle the climate crisis.”\nThe statement followed two days of talks in Shanghai between U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua.\nOn Tuesday, Xi said at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia that China would support “green” development, particularly regarding the Belt and Road Initiative. Critics say the infrastructure development program is part of Beijing’s attempt to increase its influence among less developed countries in the region.\nXi did not mention the U.S. by name in his speech, but said big countries should behave responsibly and that China would not seek hegemony or “a sphere of influence.”\nThe announcement Wednesday that Xi would attend the climate summit comes more than three weeks since Biden invited 40 world leaders to attend the two-day meeting set for Thursday and Friday.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Xi Jinping"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":["state media"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Chinese President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["BEIJING"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["video conference"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Full Text: Remarks by Chinese President Xi Jinping at Climate Ambition Summit","document":"Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the Climate Ambition Summit via video link on Dec. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)\nBEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday delivered a speech via video link at the Climate Ambition Summit.\nPlease see the attachment for the translation of the full text of the speech.  Enditem\nFull Text: Remarks by Chinese President Xi Jinping at Climate Ambition Summit\n   Building on Past Achievements and Launching a New Journey for Global Climate Actions\nStatement by H.E. Xi Jinping\nPresident of the People’s Republic of China\nAt the Climate Ambition Summit\n12 December 2020\nYour Excellency Secretary-General António Guterres,\nDear Colleagues,\nIt gives me great pleasure to join you in this Climate Ambition Summit. Five years ago, world leaders showed utmost political resolve and wisdom and adopted the Paris Agreement on climate change. Since then, the implementation of the Paris Agreement has received extensive international support and participation. At present, the international landscape is evolving more rapidly and COVID-19 is triggering deep reflections on the relationship between man and nature. The future of global climate governance is drawing greater attention. In this context, I wish to make three proposals:\nFirst, we need to close ranks and make new advances in climate governance that features cooperation and win-win. In meeting the climate challenge, no one can be aloof and unilateralism will get us nowhere. Only by upholding multilateralism, unity and cooperation can we deliver shared benefits and win-win for all nations. China welcomes all countries’ support for the Paris Agreement and their greater contribution to tackling climate change.\nSecond, we need to raise ambition and foster a new architecture of climate governance where every party does its part. Following the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, all countries need to maximize actions in light of their respective national circumstances and capabilities. At the same time, developed countries need to scale up support for developing countries in financing, technology and capacity building.\nThird, we need to boost confidence and pursue a new approach to climate governance that highlights green recovery. Mountains and rivers green are mountains of silver and gold. It is important to encourage green, low-carbon ways of life and production, and seek development opportunities and impetus from green development.\nChina has made important contributions to adopting the Paris Agreement and has made active efforts toward implementing it. I announced in September that China would scale up its nationally determined contributions and adopt more vigorous policies and measures. We aim to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Today, I wish to announce some further commitments for 2030: China will lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by over 65 percent from the 2005 level, increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25 percent, increase the forest stock volume by 6 billion cubic meters from the 2005 level, and bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2 billion kilowatts. China always honors its commitments. Guided by our new development philosophy, we will promote greener economic and social development in all respects while pursuing high-quality development. We will take solid steps to implement the targets just announced, and contribute even more to tackling the global climate challenge.\nColleagues,\nAs a Chinese poem reads, “Heaven does not speak and it alternates the four seasons; Earth does not speak and it nurtures all things.” Earth is our only and shared home. Let us build on past achievements, work together to make steady progress in implementing the Paris Agreement, and launch a new journey for global climate actions.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Xi Jinping"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":["Xinhua"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Dec. 12, 2020"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Chinese President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["BEIJING"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["video link"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Full text of Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks at the 27th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting","document":"Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the 27th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting via video link, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)\nBEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech titled \"Working Together for an Asia-Pacific Community with a Shared Future\" at the 27th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on Friday in Beijing via video link.\nPlease see the attachment for the translation of the full text of the speech.\nFull text of Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks at the 27th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting\nWorking Together for an Asia-Pacific Community with\nA Shared Future\nRemarks by H.E. Xi Jinping\nPresident of the People’s Republic of China\nAt the 27th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting\nBeijing, 20 November 2020\nThe Right Honorable Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin,\nDear Colleagues,\nIt gives me great pleasure to join you via video link. I wish to thank Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the Malaysian government for hosting the meeting.\nThe past 30-plus years since the inception of APEC has seen rapid evolution of the international landscape and profound transformation of global governance. It has also witnessed a sea change in the Asia-Pacific region.\nOver the past three decades and more, APEC cooperation has kept deepening and made substantial progress on many fronts. Guided by the Bogor Goals, we have steadily enhanced regional economic integration. We have advanced trade and investment liberalization and facilitation in tandem with economic and technical cooperation, with a view to realizing mutual complementarity and balanced development of the “two wheels” of APEC cooperation. We have advocated open regionalism and developed an APEC approach of voluntarism, consensus-building, flexibility, pragmatism and incremental progress. Over the years, the Asia-Pacific has weathered two financial crises and lifted over one billion people out of poverty. It has become a leading and most dynamic powerhouse of the global economy, playing an active role in building an open world economy, upholding the multilateral trading system, and spearheading economic globalization.\nThree decades on, both the world and the Asia-Pacific are experiencing profound changes, a process further accelerated by COVID-19. The world economy is in the doldrums. Economic globalization is encountering headwinds. Unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise. Balancing equity and efficiency, growth and distribution, and technology and employment is getting more difficult. The wealth gap remains a common sight. The global governance system faces new challenges. For the first time in decades, the Asia-Pacific as a whole registered negative economic growth. Protecting people’s health and reviving the economy are two formidable tasks we have to take on. Where should Asia-Pacific cooperation be heading? The answer bears on the development of our region, the well-being of our people, and the future of the world at large.\nOne priority on this year’s APEC agenda is to unveil the post-2020 vision, a pathway toward our goal of building an Asia-Pacific community. This should be taken as a new starting point for us to begin another phase in Asia-Pacific cooperation, sustain the strong momentum of development in our region, and embrace a future of shared prosperity. Together, we can build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future featuring openness and inclusiveness, innovation-driven growth, greater connectivity, and mutually beneficial cooperation.\nFirst, we need to stay open and inclusive. The world economy is like the Pacific Ocean around us — It admits water from various rivers, and connects different parts of the world. As such, it has acquired a vast magnitude and enormous vitality. The approach of pursuing cooperation as equals and resolving differences with mutual respect is what essentially makes economic development and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific possible. Throughout the years, APEC has committed itself to deepening regional economic integration and made significant progress in implementing the Bogor Goals. It has also played an important role in steering the evolution of the multilateral trading system. Yet it must be noted that free and open trade and investment cannot be achieved overnight. It is important that the Asia-Pacific should remain the bellwether in safeguarding peace and stability, upholding multilateralism, and fostering an open world economy. We must stay as determined as ever to support the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, promote free and open trade and investment, and make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all. Continued efforts are needed to press ahead with regional economic integration for the early realization of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). China welcomes the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and will favorably consider joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).\nAs we continue to work on free and open trade, we should pay no less attention to economic and technical cooperation. We need to further implement the APEC Strategy for Strengthening Quality Growth and the Action Agenda on Advancing Inclusion, and accommodate the concerns of developing members. We need to address in particular the special needs of women and some other communities, and support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Such efforts will contribute to inclusive and sustainable growth. China will host a seminar on advancing economic inclusion through trade and investment to look for suggestions on how trade and investment policies could deliver broader benefits to people. China looks forward to working with all parties to follow up on those suggestions.\nSecond, we need to pursue innovation-driven growth. The digital economy represents the future direction of global development, while innovation has fueled the economic takeoff of the Asia-Pacific. We need to proactively seize the opportunities of our times and fully harness our region’s abundant human resources, solid technological foundation, and enormous market potential to gain a new competitive edge and open up new possibilities for the betterment of our people’s lives. The APEC Internet and Digital Economy Roadmap should be implemented in full to spur the dissemination and application of new technologies, strengthen digital infrastructure, and close the digital divide. We need to improve economic governance and foster an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for businesses. This year, China has conducted an APEC case study on smart cities, which we hope will contribute to the formulation of guidelines on smart cities and offer an example for innovative urban development across the region. China calls for experience sharing among APEC members on how to control COVID-19 and achieve economic recovery with digital technologies. China also calls for improving the doing-digital-business environment, energizing market players, and tapping the potential of the digital economy. Such efforts will bring fresh impetus to economic recovery in our region. Next year, China will host a workshop on digital technology-enabled poverty alleviation, in a bid to unleash the role of digital technologies in eradicating poverty in our region.\nThird, we need to enhance connectivity. Connectivity is a vital basis of regional economic integration and an essential underpinning for interconnected development of the world. The ongoing pandemic further highlights the importance of connectivity. We need to continue to implement the APEC Connectivity Blueprint to facilitate the smooth, safe and orderly flow of people, goods, capital and data and achieve a seamlessly connected Asia-Pacific. China has opened “fast tracks” with fellow APEC members like Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore to facilitate the movement of people during the pandemic, and more will be done to complete a network of such arrangements. In this connection, it is important to promote the mutual recognition of the COVID-related health information of international travelers. China is ready to take active and well-thought-out steps with all other parties to set up “green lanes”, which will help make customs clearance more efficient, unclog bottlenecks, and reconnect disrupted links. We may also promote the creation of international cooperation platforms on industrial and supply chains to ensure the safe and smooth operation of industrial and supply chains in our region and beyond. We need to pursue greater complementarity among the development plans and connectivity initiatives of different parties to forge a bigger synergy. On China’s part, we hope to work with all partners in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, which we believe will set up a bigger platform for connectivity in the Asia-Pacific and inject a stronger impetus into the economy of our region and the wider world.\nFourth, we need to promote mutually beneficial cooperation. The Asia-Pacific economies have a high degree of mutual complementarity and enjoy deeply intertwined interests. Our economic cooperation has never been a zero-sum political game in which one gains at the expense of the other. Rather, our cooperation has provided us with a development platform to ensure what we each do can be mutually reinforcing and beneficial to all. There is a Malay proverb that goes, “bukit sama didaki, lurah sama dituruni”, which means to climb the hill together and go down the ravine together. It aptly captures the spirit of our Asia-Pacific family. COVID-19 serves as another reminder that only solidarity and cooperation can enable us to prevail over challenges. We need to deepen the Asia-Pacific partnership featuring mutual trust, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation and follow the approach of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. We need to keep raising the level and scope of our regional cooperation to achieve shared prosperity for the whole region. It is important that we advance practical cooperation on the basis of consensus, properly manage differences and disagreements, and keep Asia-Pacific cooperation in the right direction to ensure APEC’s sound development in the long run.\nAt this very moment, fighting COVID-19 is the most pressing task for us all. We must step up research and development of vaccines and related exchanges, and work harder to make the vaccines a global public good to improve their accessibility and affordability in developing countries. For that purpose, China has joined the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX). We support APEC in strengthening policy exchanges and capacity building in the areas of public health and MSMEs. China has made a telemedicine initiative to give people in poor and remote areas access to timely and quality medical services. We hope these efforts will contribute to anti-epidemic cooperation and economic recovery.\nChina highly values the role of APEC. We will continue to support the organization’s development, and with our root struck deep in the Asia-Pacific, we will continue to serve its development and prosperity.\nColleagues,\nThis year, the Chinese people have exerted strenuous efforts to score a major strategic achievement in controlling COVID-19. Working with other countries in these trying times, China has contributed its wisdom and resources to the global fight against the coronavirus. It has shared with various parties full experience on containment and treatment and done its best to assist other countries and international organizations. All these are among the concrete actions we have taken toward building a global community of health for all. At the same time, we have coordinated COVID-19 control with economic and social development at home, and scaled up macro policy response so that the Chinese economy could stabilize, pick up, and steadily upgrade. In the first three quarters of this year, China’s GDP grew by 0.7 percent, on course to register positive growth for the whole year. It is also worth noting that by the end of this year, we will have lifted out of poverty all rural residents living below the current poverty line.\nThe recently concluded Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee adopted recommendations for formulating China’s 14th five-year plan. The plenum underscored that China will finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects within the set time frame, and will embark on a new journey next year toward fully building a modern socialist country. Based on a scientific analysis of the new stage of China’s development, we will stay committed to the new development philosophy, and actively foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. China will build a new system of open economy of higher standards and create a more attractive investment and business environment.\nTo conclude, China is ready to work with all other parties in the Asia-Pacific to build and share a brighter future of peace and prosperity for our region and get ever closer to the goal of a community with a shard future for mankind.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Xi Jinping"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":["Xinhua"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Nov. 20, 2020"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Chinese President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Beijing"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["video link"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The 2021 college commencement speech for our times","document":"Lots of schools, lots of commencement addresses this spring, closing out a school year that was, you have no doubt heard ad nauseam, like no other.\nNot only did graduates finish their senior year doing work remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic, but they are taking their place as adults in a country dealing with both the consequences of former president Donald Trump’s assault on America’s democratic institutions, and a national racial reckoning sparked by the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Blacks at the hands of police.\nTo be sure, this year’s commencement season was marked with joyous celebrations and traditional words of encouragement, praise and advice from speakers — for example, John Legend told the graduates of Duke University to let “love be your north star.”\nBut one particular speech perfectly captured the times we are living through — the one (see transcript in full below) delivered by former Washington Post executive editor Martin Baron to the graduates of Suffolk University at a ceremony held at Fenway Park in Boston. (Yes, Baron was my boss for eight years.)\nBaron, who has been as powerful an advocate for the First Amendment as any American in recent years, spelled out what the graduates are facing in today’s America, and he charged them with this:\nBaron has given a series of speeches on free speech and the First Amendment in recent years, including one last year at Harvard University’s commencement, which you can read here.\nHere’s the full transcript of Baron’s 2021 Suffolk University commencement speech:\nThe greatest commencement speech that wasn't\nFive very funny commencement speeches\nSchools reopening: Safety concerns | Fall “normalcy”  | CDC’s road map | Inside Biden’s reopening promises\nCurrent school year: Staying at home | Asian American students missing from classrooms | Schoolchildren struggling with mental health\nHigher ed: Living on campus during the pandemic | Education Department extends pause on federal student loan payments | Mental health crisis on college campuses\nThe latest DMV news: Random coronavirus testing at D.C. schools | Alexandria adopts 3-foot distancing in classrooms | In-person learning expands in D.C., but mostly at wealthiest schools | Four days a week of in-person learning in Fairfax We want to hear from you:\nTell us how school reopening is going: Parents, guardians and teachers | Students\nFinancial aid: How has the pandemic affected how you’ll pay for college?\nThe most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Martin Baron"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["former Washington Post executive editor"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Fenway Park in Boston"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["Post"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Laurene Powell Jobs echoes late husband Steve Jobs in commencement speech: ‘Let his words guide you as they’ve guided me’","document":"Laurene Powell Jobs delivered the commencement address on Monday to the University of Pennsylvania 2021 graduation class.\nIn her speech, she echoed the advice her late husband, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, gave her.\n“Steve used to say your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work,” Powell Jobs said.\n“And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Let his words guide you, as they’ve guided me,” she said.\nPowell Jobs also encouraged students create their own set of values and practices to shape their lives and careers.\n“They don’t have to be grandiose but they must be regular. Make space for them and make time. Tend to your soul and to your community, infuse your values into every part of what you do and how you live,” she said.\n“Your values should be like your fingerprints, proof of where you have been and what you have touched.”\nPowell Jobs is the founder and president of the Emerson Collective, an umbrella organization for her philanthropic and business endeavors that focus on education, immigration, climate and cancer research and treatment. She is also an alumna of Penn, earning her B.A. in political science from the College of Arts and Sciences and a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School.\n“Laurene is a most inspiring example of the leadership, philanthropy, and advocacy of Penn grads determined to make a positive impact on our society and world,” University of Pennsylvania president Amy Gutmann said in a press release.\nDuring the commencement ceremony, Powell Jobs also received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree, the release said.\nDon’t miss: John Legend to Duke University grads: Don’t submit to ‘zero-sum thinking’ to get ahead\nThis story has been updated to include remarks from Powell Jobs’ commencement speech. Get Make It newsletters delivered to your inbox","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Laurene Powell Jobs"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["the founder and president of the Emerson Collective","an alumna of Penn"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the University of Pennsylvania 2021 graduation class"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["inbox"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Robert A. Iger Delivers Commencement Address at the University of Texas at Austin","document":"Read a transcript of the speech delivered by Robert A. Iger, Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board at The Walt Disney Company, during the 138th spring commencement at UT Austin, May 22, 2021. The following is the speech delivered by Robert A. Iger, Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board at The Walt Disney Company, during the 138th spring commencement at UT Austin, May 22, 2021. Good evening! President Hartzell, Chairman Eltife, members of the faculty and staff, parents and family members, graduates. It is so great to be here, all together in one place! To the Class of 2021, congratulations! You got through a year of quarantines, Zoom classes, masks, nasal swabs, and more take-out food than you thought you’d eat in a lifetime—and you’re graduating! That’s cause for a big celebration under normal circumstances, but this year’s commencement is even more special. You know, I’ve thought a lot about what I would say to all of you tonight, which brought me back to my own commencement, 48 years ago…. and I quickly realized I couldn’t remember who the speaker was—I actually think only about 6% of people can recall who spoke at their graduation! Fortunately, you all have phones with cameras, so there’s a chance, half a century from now, you’ll look back at photos and remember that it was me who spoke to you. While I don’t recall much about that day, what I do remember is that, as a young college graduate, I had utterly no idea where my life would take me. I certainly never dreamed I would one day be asked to give a commencement address. So, to President Hartzell and everyone here, let me say, ‘Thank you.’ It truly is an honor and a pleasure for me to stand on these hallowed Forty Acres and be a part of this special day. I also didn’t know I was going to have four children, one of whom is here, graduating. His name is Max, and he’s probably terribly embarrassed that I’m even mentioning him—but how could I not?! I will simply say: he absolutely loved his time here at UT, and he even has a bit of a Texas accent – which is a good thing for a kid from California! He received a phenomenal education. His mother and I are very thankful for that. And he’s made a number of really wonderful friends, and I am certain they will remain connected for the rest of their lives. I’m also pleased to say that Max’s brother, Will, has decided to go to UT as well, and so we’ll soon have two Longhorns in the family, which we’re very excited about! Today is and will always be one of those significant days in your life. In many ways it is an ending, but it is also a beginning, which probably feels a bit overwhelming for some of you. There’s no doubt this is an extraordinary, somewhat unsettling time to be a young person starting out. There are tough challenges at the global and community levels, and no easy answers. But, it is an exciting time, too. Our world is changing at a faster pace than many thought possible. A lot has been disrupted, but so much has been created. There are new industries, new businesses, new and different jobs, and exciting places to find those jobs, like right here in Austin. We are immersed in invention and innovation. These dynamic, rapidly changing times, even with the myriad challenges we’re facing, present great opportunity for your generation. And tonight, I thought I would share some advice, some lessons on how to make the most of that opportunity. You know, the two questions I’ve been asked most often over the years are: “Who’s your favorite Disney character?” and “What is the biggest single factor that contributed to your success?” The answer to the first question is Tinkerbell, in case you’re wondering. The answer to the second is: boldness. And if ever there was a time to be bold, it is now! One of the most valuable things I’ve learned from my own experiences, as well as from mentors and friends is that the only way to accomplish meaningful things in life is by acting boldly. Being timid has never gotten anyone anywhere. Of course, boldness is more than just not being timid. It means taking swift and significant action in the face of fear or uncertainty. It means standing with courage and conviction when confronted with tough or unpopular choices. It means having an unwavering commitment to honesty, integrity and doing the right thing. It means having a deep and abiding curiosity about people, places, ideas and the willingness to try something altogether new. And being bold requires ambition and a willingness to dream big! When you are in your early twenties, as many of you are, there is no such thing as having dreams that are too big. Your possibilities are enormous. My advice—be optimistic. Be confident and have faith in yourself and your abilities. Believe your dreams are achievable, and don’t let anyone tell you they’re not. You also need to be resilient. Fortunately, you’ve already proven you are, after getting through what has been an historically difficult year….and graduating! All of these qualities – resiliency, ambition, curiosity, optimism and a willingness to dream big – will serve you well and enable you, not only to make the most of opportunities, but also contend with other challenges, including failure. By the way, failure is not the end of the world, or even the end of the road! When I was your age, I dreamed of being a network anchorman. And after graduating from college, I got a job at a small TV station as a weatherman and planned to work my way up. Unfortunately, I quickly realized I was a terrible weatherman, and I didn’t have a chance at fulfilling my ultimate dream. So, at the ripe old age of 23, I decided to quit my job and do something completely different. It was a bold move—given that I had no idea what the future held. I ended up getting a job at ABC as a low level, and I mean really low-level production assistant….and not long afterwards, my boss called me into his office, and told me I was unpromotable, giving me two weeks to find another job! My career was off to a bit of a rough start, it would seem! In my first two years, I failed as a weatherman and a guy I worked for told me I wasn’t good enough to ever be promoted. Fortunately, he was wrong—I got another job…a promotion, and the rest, as they say, is history. The fact is, there will be setbacks and naysayers along the way. So what? That’s life! Nearly every successful person has struggled or failed at some point. Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, the company he founded. The guy who made the decision has since called it ‘one of the biggest regrets of his life.’ No kidding! Walt Disney was fired from one of his first jobs as a newspaper artist because the editor felt he “lacked imagination” and “had no original ideas.” Can you believe that? Walt failed a number of times over the years, however – always the optimist – he never stopped dreaming big and being bold. And I’m proud to say we have continued his legacy. In fact, as President Hartzell noted in his generous introduction, we have been bold deal makers throughout my tenure. But, the heart of our boldness has always rested in our storytelling. Some years back the talented people at Pixar pitched us a film about the very special cultural tradition of Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. It was filled with colorful characters, folk art and great, authentic music, all set in a textured, beautiful world. Then we heard from skeptics who thought it was narrow and so culturally dependent that it would never resonate globally. The opposite proved true. Coco touched people’s hearts everywhere it was released, because it celebrated the diversity of the human experience and the beauty and liveliness of the Mexican culture. A similar situation arose with a film I know many of you saw, Marvel’s Black Panther, the film I’m most proud of. It was pitched by a talented Black director, Ryan Coogler, as a Black superhero story with a predominantly Black cast, and, once again, many believed it would fail. Of course, they were completely wrong! Black Panther was groundbreaking—a hugely successful film that became a cultural phenomenon, and a powerful force for good. One bold decision changed the way people see heroes, and had a lasting impact on the world! So, no matter how you choose to contribute, whether through the stories you tell, the career you pursue, or the important changes you help bring about, our world needs your generation to be bold! To take on ambitious projects. To address the challenges facing us today, and not just on a grand scale. Just imagine if everyone in your generation did one bold thing, even something relatively small—the collective power of those millions of actions would be massive! And if any of you doubt your power, just look at all you’ve accomplished here at UT! Look, for example, at the incredible work you’ve done in response to the most pressing challenge of our time, the COVID-19 virus. You have developed critical parts of the vaccine in your research labs, and you’ve played a key role in getting local communities, including underrepresented communities, vaccinated. “What starts here changes the world.” You’re already doing it! You leave here today arguably better able and better equipped to change the world than any generation before you—thanks to the amazing technological tools at your disposal, tools you are adept at using. Use them to construct rather than destruct. Build understanding, respect and tolerance. Be bold and fight the evils of hatred and contempt. Be a force for good in our world. And help to ensure all people have access to the kinds of opportunities that may lead to greater fulfillment, satisfaction and success. Be builders not destroyers of truth and civility. And never, ever stop believing you can make a difference. As Steve Jobs said: “The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”\nYou know, one of the most curious things about life is the speed with which it passes. I know this is a hard concept for young people to grasp. But just think about how fast your time here at UT flew by. Here I am, at 70, and it feels like just yesterday I was 22 years old with big plans and a lifetime to accomplish them. Looking back, I could never have imagined I would have the incredible opportunities I’ve had over the years. It’s been quite a journey, one for which I am exceedingly grateful. All of you have so much of life ahead of you. And while I’m exhorting you to be doers, to get out there and change the world, I also hope you enjoy the experience. Sure, there will be tough days, perhaps some really tough days even. But there will also be lots of good days, lots of great days. And tons of pleasant surprises….like meeting the love of your life, who most of you haven’t met yet. Or having children. Or discovering a passion. Or finding a great job, that leads to a great career. As I reflect on my life, I hesitate to suggest I’d change much, because life has been really good to me. But I know this—if I could do it all over again, I would take time to appreciate things more. It’s the equivalent of smelling the roses, but it’s more than that—it’s not sweating little things or getting mad at petty nonsense. It’s not about wasting time, but having license to be frivolous every so often. It’s that incredibly valuable ability to savor the beauty of your life, and all of the happy, fulfilling, and cool parts of it. My sincere hope is that all of you will embrace life, embrace it enthusiastically! Enjoy the beauty of a summer day or the most delicious pizza you’ve ever eaten—I love pizza! Go for a spin on your bike, take salsa lessons, eat dessert….go to Disneyland!","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Robert A. Iger"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 22, 2021"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board at The Walt Disney Company"]},{"role":"Location","values":["UT Austin"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"'We need you badly': Biden gives first commencement address as commander in chief at Coast Guard Academy","document":"NEW LONDON, Conn. – President Joe Biden challenged the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s graduating class on Wednesday to “go out and be the future” in a rapidly changing world.\n“We need you badly – that’s not hyperbole,” he said. “You’re ready.”\nBiden’s address to the 240 men and women in the academy’s graduating class marked his first commencement address as commander in chief.\nAs a bright morning sun beamed down, Biden saluted as he began to walk through the cordon of cadets that stretched across nearly half of Cadet Memorial Field to get to the outdoor stage. Soon after Biden took his place on the unshaded stage, cannons were fired 21 times.\nThe graduating class, which included seven international cadets who will serve in their home countries’ armed forces, sat in white folding chairs socially distanced in front of the stage. The ceremony was closed to the public and fewer guests were allowed to attend because of the COVID-19 pandemic.\nAfter teasing the crowd that he was going to speak for four hours in the hot sun, Biden addressed the graduates and their guests for roughly half an hour.\n“Is the sun getting to you?” he joked at one point when the expected applause for a reference to the Navy didn’t quickly materialize. Taking the hint, the crowd clapped.\nBiden continued the long-standing tradition of absolving any cadets on restriction for minor conduct offense. “You have no idea how much I wish I had been able to do that at my graduation,” said Biden, a graduate of the University of Delaware.\nBiden noted the cadets’ long list of accomplishments, which he said included getting a haircut that showed every bump on their head. Of the class motto, “We are the future,” Biden said: “I don’t think you have any idea how profound that assertion is. The world is changing. We’re at a significant inflection point.”\nStriking a serious tone, Biden said the U.S. has to take an active role in setting the norms of conduct, shaping them around democratic values and not autocrats. “Your mission will become even more global and even more important,” he said.\nHe listed “disruptive actions” of nations like China and Russia, stopping illicit drug shipments at sea and protecting sovereignty in the Indo-Pacific region as among the challenges facing the U.S.\n“No class gets to choose the world into which he graduates,” he said. “The challenges you’re going to face in your career are going to look very different than those who walked these halls before.”\nBut “we've proven there's not a single thing we cannot do as a nation when we do it together,” he said.\nMore:Biden tells Netanyahu he expects 'a significant de-escalation today' with path toward cease-fire\nThough Biden’s remarks were his first to a service academy as president, the speech marked a return visit. He addressed the academy’s 2013 graduating class, when he was vice president.\nPresidents and vice presidents deliver commencement speeches to the U.S. military academies on a rotating schedule. Vice President Kamala Harris is delivering the keynote speech at the U.S. Naval Academy this month.\nRear Adm. Bill Kelly, the academy’s superintendent, called Biden's address \"a memorable event for our community, as well as a great opportunity to showcase the academy and the city of New London on a national stage.”\nPresident Donald Trump used his 2017 speech to tell the Coast Guard cadets that \"adversity makes you stronger.\" And, he said, he should know.\n\"No politician in history – and  I say this with great surety – has been treated worse or more unfairly,\" Trump said.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Joe Biden"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the U.S. Coast Guard Academy","Wednesday"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Lake Highlands High Valedictorian Pulls Switcheroo on Commencement Speech","document":"Paxton Smith got one speech approved and then — surprise! — read another about abortion rights. You know the drill. Every valedictorian has to get her speech approved before she delivers it at commencement. You can’t let high school kids — even really smart, hardworking, responsible kids — just get up and say whatever they want to say. That leads to chaos and rioting.\nSo Paxton Smith, the valedictorian of Lake Highlands High School’s Class of 2021, with her 104.93 average, submitted her speech ahead of Sunday’s commencement ceremony at the high school stadium. It was about media and how much of it she consumes and how that consumption has shaped the way she sees the world.\nBut another matter kept nagging at her. She couldn’t stop thinking about the “heartbeat bill” that Gov. Greg Abbott had signed into law last month. The law prohibits abortions as early as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant, and it matters not if the pregnancy results from incest or rape. Abortion rights activists say it is the most restrictive law in the country. It will go into effect in September.\nThe more Smith thought about it, the more she was drawn to the conclusion that there was nothing more important that she could address with her time at the microphone.\nSmith talked to her three parents about her decision. Two of them read her new speech and approved; the third wasn’t thrilled but agreed to keep quiet.\nShe’s an outgoing person by nature, but knowing what sort of reaction her remarks might spark filled Smith with trepidation leading up to Sunday. She practiced the speech again and again, to the point that she didn’t need to think about the words. On Sunday, as she climbed the stairs to the stage, her mind went blank.\nAt the lectern, with a shaky voice, she began by thanking one of her coaches. Then she pulled from her bra a single piece of paper, folded in quarters, and told people what was on her mind. Her voice grew stronger with each sentence. At the end of her three minutes, she was in full command of that stage.\nSee for yourself. Smith’s speech starts at the 4:30 mark:\nTwo days after her speech, Smith says, “It feels great. It also feels a little weird. Whenever I have opinions that can be considered political or controversial, I keep them to myself because I don’t like to gain attention for that kind of stuff. But I’m glad that I could do something, and I’m glad that it’s getting attention. It just feels weird for me personally, that I’m linked to the attention that the speech got.”\nSome of the attention she got, of course, was from administrators. She heard from a couple who initially said that the school could withhold her diploma, but nothing has come of that. Smith is headed to UT Austin and says she doesn’t yet know what she wants to study.\nI asked her if there was anything else she wanted people to know.\n“Oh, my goodness,” Smith said, as she considered the question. “Well, I would like them to know that they should register to vote for the next election and to stay involved in local elections because those have more power than I think the media gives them credit for.”\nFrom her lips to God’s and Gov. Abbott’s ears.\n***\nPaxton Smith\nValedictory Address\nMay 30, 2021\nAs we leave high school we need to make our voices heard. I was going to get up here and talk to you about TV and content and media because those are things that are very important to me. However, in light of recent events, it feels wrong to talk about anything but what is currently affecting me and millions of other women in this state.\nRecently the heartbeat bill was passed in Texas. Starting in September, there will be a ban on abortions that take place after 6 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of whether the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. 6 weeks. Most women don’t even realize they’re pregnant by then. And so, before they have the time to decide if they are emotionally, physically, and financially stable enough to carry out a full-term pregnancy, before they have the chance to decide if they can take on the responsibility of bringing another human into the world, the decision has been made for them by a stranger. A decision that will affect the rest of their lives.\nI have dreams, hopes, and ambitions. Every girl here does. We have spent our whole lives working towards our futures, and without our consent or input, our control over our futures has been stripped away from us. I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail me, that if I’m raped, then my hopes and efforts and dreams for myself will no longer be relevant. I hope you can feel how gut-wrenching it is, how dehumanizing it is, to have the autonomy over your own body taken from you.\nAnd I’m talking about this today, on a day as important as this, on a day honoring the students’ efforts in twelve years of schooling, on a day where we’re all brought together, on a day where you will be the most inclined to hear a voice like mine, a woman’s voice, to tell you that this is a problem. A problem that can’t wait. I refuse to give up this platform to promote complacency and peace, when there is a war on my body and a war on my rights. A war on the rights of your sisters, a war on the rights of your mothers, a war on the rights of your daughters.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Paxton Smith"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["the valedictorian of Lake Highlands High School’s Class of 2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the high school stadium"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Conservative Conversation + Podcasts","document":"Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day. There is no finer commencement speaker at any level than Purdue University’s President and former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. And not because his speeches are relatively short. Nor are they delivered in a flourishing style reminiscent of former Secretary of State and Harvard President Edward Everett, the other Gettysburg speaker in 1863, giving a speech for two hours that no one remembers. Oh, sure, there are other terrific commencement speakers. Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame comes to mind. Not to a college or university, but this short, memorable unsolicited speech via his Facebook page to trade school graduates and high school grads who forgo college for a trade. Delivered last year during the height of the pandemic, it is timeless. The speech President Daniels gave a few days ago on Purdue’s campus isn’t his first tour de force. In 2019, he raised eyebrows for this in that pre-pandemic commencement speech. It, too, is still relevant:\nAt other places, but I’m happy to say not yet at Purdue, students have demanded to be kept “safe” from speech, that is, mere words, that challenge or discomfit them. At one large university, one “study” purported to find a quarter of the student body suffering from PTSD because of an election outcome. Referring to such young people, someone has coined the distasteful but descriptive term “snowflakes.”\nSo, when Mitch Daniels speaks, I listen. Including these memorable lines from his 2018 speech. The so-called social media – I have come to think of it as “antisocial media” – enables and encourages hostility from the insulated enclave of a smartphone or a laptop. People say things to and about each other that they would never say face to face, or maybe even think, if they knew each other personally. Our various modern media lead us to, and feed us from information sources that reinforce our existing biases. They put us in contact with other tribe members, but rarely those who see things differently. We’re starting to resemble ominously our primitive forebearers, trusting no one outside the tribe. His 2020 speech – delivered to an empty auditorium during the height of the pandemic – discussed an outbreak of loneliness among his graduates’ generation. He does a magnificent job, every year, of putting his finger on the pulse not only of his students but capturing and confronting cultural challenges. His 2021 speech is no different. Purdue University President Mitch Daniels made these remarks during the spring commencement of May 15, 2021, on the West Lafayette, Indiana campus. This is copied from a favorite blog, The Federalist.com. This year, when I say I am happy to be here, I’m not just making small talk. If you’re like me, you’re happy to be anywhere after the year we’ve all been through. I wish we were over in Elliott Hall, celebrating your achievements individually as only Purdue does among schools our size. But this beats the virtual version we were forced to in 2020 and marks a long step back on the path to fully normal life. As we’ve never done an outdoor commencement before, we may have gotten a few things wrong. For one thing, way out here on the 50-yard line, it feels like we’ve carried that social distance thing a little far. However well it goes, like everything about your senior year, it will be one for the history books. For all the trouble and downsides, there can be some real value in living through a time like that. For decades to come, scholars and ordinary citizens alike will look back on your senior year, trying to identify its consequences, and imagine what lives so disrupted were like. As they do so, they will know more than we can now about the results of the choices today’s leaders made. They will reach judgments, with the benefit of hindsight, about the wisdom and maturity with which our nation handled the challenge of this particular pandemic. Odds are, not all those judgments will be favorable. Time will tell. An ability to comprehend and work with complex facts and data has always been part of a Purdue education. At least since the Industrial Age, that’s been an essential tool for a useful life of the kind at which Boilermakers excel. But that’s never been nearly so true as today. Massive amounts of information are being collected, intentionally by us and silently by the machines we invent and use in daily life. Interpreting its meaning, and discovering patterns within it, is perhaps the most important skill in the economy of 2021. Our faculty has determined that data analysis, as we now call it, should be as universal a part of a Boilermaker education as English composition. You’ll leave this stadium able to evaluate statistics and whether they are significant or meaningless. You’ll know better than to confuse correlation with causation. You’ll look at decisions critically, and holistically, understanding that any objective pursued too far eventually yields diminishing returns not worth their cost. That, just as medicines have side effects, almost all actions produce collateral consequences, often collateral damage. It doesn’t stretch a point to say that we wouldn’t be meeting here today without those skills. Keeping Purdue open last fall, so that you could stay on schedule and graduate today, required the daily examination of COVID-19 infection rates and patterns of its spread on and around campus. Prior to that, the decision to reopen at all involved a reading of the available data, which showed that people your age were at far less risk from the virus than from a host of other dangers. Starting soon, the decisions will be yours to make. In businesses you start or join, in causes in which you feel called to enlist, or in that most important of all organizations, the families I hope you will form. Wherever they are, the very essence of your coming leadership roles will lie in making hard choices. After weighing all the options, the competing priorities and the uncertainties that even the biggest databases cannot totally eliminate, others will look to you to choose. The risk of failure, of a hit to one’s reputation, or just that the gains don’t outweigh the costs, all these can deter or even paralyze a person out of fulfilling the responsibility someone has entrusted to them. Should I make this investment, or husband my cash? Take that job offer, or stay where I’m comfortable? Engage in this debate, or sit silently? Choose this life partner, or play it safe? This last year, many of your elders failed this fundamental test of leadership. They let their understandable human fear of uncertainty overcome their duty to balance all the interests for which they were responsible. They hid behind the advice of experts in one field but ignored the warnings of experts in other realms that they might do harm beyond the good they hoped to accomplish. Sometimes they let what might be termed the mad pursuit of zero, in this case zero risk of anyone contracting the virus, block out other competing concerns, like the protection of mental health, the educational needs of small children, or the survival of small businesses. Pursuing one goal to the utter exclusion of all others is not to make a choice but to run from it. It’s not leadership; it’s abdication. I feel confident your Purdue preparation won’t let you fall prey to it. But there’s a companion quality you’ll need to be the leaders you can be. That’s the willingness to take risks. Not reckless ones, but the risks that still remain after all the evidence has been considered. Great societies before us tended to look backward for their inspiration, to locate their golden ages in the past. Here our eyes have always been forward. Now signs abound of Americans losing that eagerness to move ahead boldly. Before the virus visited us, there were already troubling signs that fearfulness was beginning to erode the spirit of adventure, the willingness to take considered risks, on which this nation’s greatness was built and from which all progress originates. Rates of business startups, moving in pursuit of a better job, or the strongest of all bets on the future, having children, all have fallen sharply in recent years. And now there are warnings that the year 2020 may have weakened that spirit further. As early as April of last year, researchers at the Federal Reserve of St. Louis documented the “belief-scarring effects” of COVID-19. Psychologists proved a long time ago that we humans tend to overestimate how common terrible events are. Because they are terrible, we are more sure to hear about them, and we trick ourselves into believing that they are far more likely than they really are. Now we learn that such misconceptions can be long-lasting. The scarring effect is, the Fed’s economists tell us, “a persistent change in beliefs about the probability of an extreme, negative shock producing … long-lived responses to transitory events, especially extreme, unlikely ones.”\nFortunately, Boilermakers don’t scar easily. If Amelia Earhart had been intimidated by uncertainty, we wouldn’t know her name. If our recent board chair Keith Krach had stayed within the safe confines of a giant corporation’s career ladder, the world would not enjoy the huge efficiency breakthroughs of Ariba and Docusign. If Neil Armstrong, Gus Grissom and more than a score more Purdue astronauts had run from risk, humanity’s knowledge of its universe would be far short of its current boundaries. In the most jarring book of recent years, the Israeli philosopher Yuval Harari predicts that humans your age will live to see the “last days of death,” when the species we call Homo sapiens becomes “godlings” and immortal. He sees this happening through one of the same technologies at which this university excels: either biological engineering, or cyborg engineering, of our organic beings, or simply the complete replacement of humans by super intelligent machines. Immortality sounds good, until Harari points out the implications. One of them would be a total aversion to risk. As the author explains it, if you believe you can live forever, why would you ever take a chance of any kind? I hope that the experiences of 2020 left you with an attitude not of fearfulness but of confidence. Confidence that we can tackle hard problems, and that hiding from them is rarely the best course. That given a careful examination of the available facts and a thoughtful calculation of relative risks, we can overcome even the biggest obstacles and be the masters of our fates and our futures. As school started again at her campus, the provost of the University of Kansas sent a message to her students and colleagues that is relevant far beyond the present day or the recent pandemic. “In times of high anxiety,” she wrote, “it is human nature to crave certainty for the safety it provides. The problem with craving certainty is that it is a false hope; it is a craving that can never fully be met.”\nShe quoted the astronomer Carl Sagan: “The history of science teaches us that the most we can hope for is successive improvement in our understanding, learning from our mistakes … with the proviso that absolute certainty will always elude us.”\nMaybe the great historian Jacques Barzun summed it up best: “The last degree of caution is cowardice.”\nCertainty is an illusion. Perfect safety is a mirage. Zero is always unattainable, except in the case of absolute zero where, as you remember, all motion and life itself stop. You are leaving here ready for leadership. Your academic records say so. The history of Purdue graduates says so. The character you demonstrated this last year, when your embrace of the Purdue Pledge enabled this place to stay open at all, clearly says so. We expect, no, we know, that you will tackle leadership’s challenges as they present themselves to you. You’re taking with you the tools to weigh alternatives, balance priorities, assess relative risks. All you’ll need is the courage to act on the conclusions you reach. Now take that readiness into a fearful, timid world crying for direction and boldness, where the biggest risk of all is that we stop taking risks at all. Hail Purdue, and each of you. Refreshing, inspiring and important speech coming out of academia. For a change. Let’s hope the students take it to heart. Evening Kelly,\nWe like Purdue, our children went there, but Mitch did not take the risk to run for president when his leadership might have changed the course of politics and our country. To minimize suffering and to maximize security were natural and proper ends of society and Caesar. But then they became the only ends, somehow, and the only basis of law—a perversion. Inevitably, then, in seeking only them, we found only their opposites: maximum suffering and minimum security. –Walter Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz\n \nDavid Foster (View Comment):\nTo minimize suffering and to maximize security were natural and proper ends of society and Caesar. But then they became the only ends, somehow, and the only basis of law—a perversion. Inevitably, then, in seeking only them, we found only their opposites: maximum suffering and minimum security. –Walter Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz\n \nOne of my favorite books of all time. But it has been a long time since I have read it. This wisdom makes me want to read it again. Goosebumps.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Mitch Daniels"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 15, 2021"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Purdue University President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the West Lafayette, Indiana campus"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["blog, The Federalist.com"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Read SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell’s speech to 2021 graduates, urging US educational reforms","document":"SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell returned to her alma mater on Monday and delivered Northwestern University’s commencement address to the class of 2021. Speaking virtually, Shotwell gave Northwestern’s students an overview of her career, especially focusing on the nearly two decades that she’s worked for Elon Musk’s SpaceX. As one of the company’s first employees, she has been with SpaceX from its early startup days to now, a space company with nearly 10,000 employees and worth $74 billion. “The one accomplishment that we have that I am most proud of is helping to get our country flying astronauts again on American-made rockets and spaceships,” Shotwell said. She gave advice to graduates and also declared that she is “worried about our nation’s children,” saying the U.S. education system is “not preparing our children for their future.”\n“We are not giving all of our children an education that will shape them into resourceful and productive people that our country needs to remain relevant. Every child is a resource to better our future and our future will be driven by technology,” Shotwell said during her address. Shotwell received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1986 and 1988, respectively, from Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering, and currently serves on the university’s board of trustees. Northwestern also awarded Shotwell with an honorary degree. “Hey, Class of 2021, I’m incredibly proud to be your commencement speaker. Thank you, Morty [Schapiro] for inviting me, and thanks to the board and Lanny Martin, its chairman, for allowing me to speak, even though you guys know me for my six years of service on this board, and that this invitation is a tiny bit risky. But it is an honor to follow in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s steps. Last year she brought gravitas to this event, while she honored George Floyd and implored graduates to participate in our democracy. This is a special year to do the Northwestern University commencement. This is my 35th anniversary of my Northwestern University undergraduate commencement, and most importantly, Stephen Colbert, who also graduated from NU – or almost did – in 1986, did this speech exactly 10 years ago, and he predicted that the speaker for 2021 would be, and I quote, ‘a zoo parrot with a mortar board that has been trained to say congratulations.’ So here I am, Gwynne Shotwell, your zoo parrot, for the class of ’21; congratulations to you. Class of ’21, you have achieved something important. All graduations deserve a celebration but you, this class of 2021, have an even greater achievement: You not only survived but succeeded throughout the insanity of 2020 and into this year. You were able to focus and invest in your future during a period of immense suffering. But many of the issues that we face going forward will be different. I think highly dynamic social, political and economic situations are the new normal, and you are now better prepared to succeed in them. You have lived it and not just survived, but succeeded. Feel good about that and carry that new skill with you; I think you will use it. Okay, before I share a few jewels of my life lessons learned, there are a few things you should know about me to help put my remarks in context. I am a mother, a wife, a mechanical engineer, and nerd. We aren’t all nerds, but I’m proud to be one. I’m a longtime SpaceX employee and leader, an active listener, a rancher, of course a wildcat, and an aspiring winemaker. I love my country, even though it is flawed and I’m committed to helping resolve its social injustices. And I am desperate to be a grandmother, but my children aren’t cooperating in my vision, at least yet. My road to Northwestern started in Libertyville, Illinois, which is a small town north of the university – that’s where I grew up. I did very well in elementary and high school academics, and I also worked incredibly hard at having a full social life. I decided to be a mechanical engineer, after my mother took me to a Society of Women Engineers event when I was only 15 or 16. I applied only to Northwestern University School of Engineering. But it wasn’t because it was the best engineering school – I applied because of Northwestern’s richness in other fields. It was ranked among the top, or was the top at that time. This was important to me because as a teenage girl in the late ’70s – yep, I’m that old – I was terrified as being tagged as a nerd. Now I’m super proud to be one. I was accepted by Northwestern – I’m not sure I would be today, so I think I timed that properly – and I completed two degrees from this fine institution, a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in applied math. Though I criticize my engineering education as too theoretical. I think the best engineers are those that can put the theoretical to practice, and I got almost no practice as an undergrad. Northwestern highlighted the criticality of broad-based thinking. Just being good in math and science will not drive success. It’s whole-brain thinking brought to practice that does. I’m thankful that Dean Ottino has brought a strong focus of this concept and applied it so well here to Northwestern engineering. As I was building my own foundation in engineering, I also found time to build a family. I gave birth to and raised two extraordinary children who are better people than I, and could be president of the universe, rather than just being president of SpaceX. One is a double alum in mechanical engineering from Northwestern and one will be a double alum from Stanford, both in mechanical engineering and business. As a mother giving advice to potential future parents: Never tell your children what they should be when they grow up – they will in fact do the opposite. But you can be a good role model, or show them good role models, as my mother did for me – she was an artist. For the last nearly 19 years I have worked for one of, if not the, finest physicist and engineer, Elon Musk. He gave me the opportunity to help him grow SpaceX from 10 people to nearly 10,000 people, and from zero revenue to billions annually. I have helped bring the commercial launch business back to this country, along with the tens of thousands of jobs that come with it. The one accomplishment that we have that I am most proud of is helping to get our country flying astronauts again on American-made rockets and spaceships. We are now positioned to fly astronauts from all over the world on our Dragon spaceship and later this year we will fly the first all-civilian mission, where regular everyday people will travel to space on a multi-day journey around Earth. And this is just the beginning. I hope that I have helped create a path that allows humans to live on Earth, the moon or Mars, whichever their choice. I hope for a future where people can live even further out, amongst other star systems and galaxies. I often joke about wanting to meet other people and see otherworldly fashion. I know I won’t see that in my lifetime, but I hope that my work serves as a foundation or a small beginning to achieve that. Okay, so now that you know more about me, it’s time to share some advice. I’ll name three and then I’ll go back and talk about them. Set and try to achieve absolutely absurd goals, and don’t be afraid of failing, if you can’t achieve them. Work hard, really hard, and be helpful. Be kind, but at minimum, be respectful. Don’t be afraid to admit that if you fail, you were wrong and take a different path – or better yet, don’t even consider trying something and not getting the outcome that you want as failure. Consider it growth. When I was considering joining SpaceX back in 2002 I was struggling with a decision and drawing it out for weeks. It seemed so risky for me personally to join this little start-up, in an industry where none had ever succeeded. At the time I was a part-time single mother, and this was just too far out of my comfort zone. I was driving on the freeway here in L.A. when it finally hit me: I was being a total idiot. Who cares if I tried this job and either I failed or the company failed? What I recognized at that moment was that it was the trying part that was the most important. Try that risky thing, be a part of something exciting. I don’t want to imagine what my life and career would be like had I said no. I’m sure I would have been fine but I would not have been a part of this amazing company, working alongside such extraordinary people. Not taking that job would have been the fail. On a business level, SpaceX took massive reputational risks, mastering the technology and operations associated with landing a rocket. In fact we were continually criticized by our competitors and the media for these failures. I looked on these failures as a source of pride. Our very first attempt to land the rocket on a drone ship, we hit it. We didn’t land on it, but we hit the drone ship – that tiny target was hundreds of miles away from the launch site in a vast ocean. After about a dozen attempts we finally succeeded in landing that rocket and landing rockets has become almost routine for us. Still tricky, but it’s almost routine. And that technology has been enormously helpful to our business and is critical to establishing a settlement on Mars. If you can’t land the rocket, you can’t get people to the surface. Working hard and being helpful. I was hired as vice president of business development – that means head of sales. Well I did my job and we got customers, but then their missions needed to be managed and we needed an accounting and finance function because we actually were bringing in money, we needed to work closely with the launch ranges and get permission to be able to launch from them, so I took that on as well. And, as we demonstrated success, we needed a government affairs function to play defense for us in D.C., as our competitor started fighting us. I remember even vacuuming the carpets before a big customer event. In 2008, when we won our biggest contract to date – a nearly $2 billion effort from NASA to take science experiments and cargo to-and-from the International Space Station – Elon needed a partner, and he asked me to do it. I think it was in large part because I had kept growing my scope, being helpful in other areas to the company, all trying to do a great job. Being kind, but at minimum, you must be respectful. Note that almost everyone that you interact with every day is battling some demon or trying to get through some issue. Please consider this as you battle your way to work on the subway, as you’re hurrying through the lines at the grocery store, or as you get frustrated with someone in a meeting at work. At SpaceX we have a ‘no a------’ policy. These kinds of people – a------ – interrupt others, they shut down or co-opt conversation, and they create a hostile environment where no one wants to contribute. This is not a way to promote sharing good, innovative, and even outrageous ideas that are required to solve hard problems. In short, the best way to find solutions to hard problems is to listen harder, not talk louder. Embrace the ideas of your fellow workers, especially when they differ greatly from yours. Stuff that I’m not sharing lessons on but that I think are really important, especially to talk about in a commencement speech in 2021. I’m worried about a lot of things, but I’m not knowledgeable enough in these things to have any useful advice for you, at least not yet. However, I cannot in a commencement speech in 2021 fail to mention the things that I worry about knowing, that many are problems I want to help tackle in the future. I’m worried about our nation’s children. We are not giving all of our children an education that will shape them into resourceful and productive people that our country needs to remain relevant. Every child is a resource to better our future, and our future will be driven by technology. That is why I am so concerned about the science and math test scores that we have in this country. China scores first. Ireland – I just bring this up because it’s what my heritage is, my ancestors are from Ireland – scores 12th, and the United States ranks 25th. Worse than that, if there is a worse than scoring 25th in math and science as well as reading, is that the gap between our lowest scoring students and our highest scoring students is widening. We are not preparing our children for their future. I love this country and I’m worried about the widening, economic, social and racial divide which was amplified during the pandemic. Not addressing education for our youth is not helping that. We are not treating our neighbors with the respect that they deserve. We are not listening hard to each other and respectfully working on the really important issues that we face as a country and as a human race. I haven’t helped our country work on these issues yet – I whine a lot about it – and it’s time, probably in the very near term, for me to commit and help fix them. Maybe we can work on these things together. So I’ve given you some actual experience that taught me that more can be accomplished when crazy ideas are respected, listened to and evaluated. That being helpful and hardworking pays off; it did for me. And that wasting resources, especially human capital, is a moral and ethical sin. And that a small group of people, like those of us here at SpaceX, can change an industry, and by extension can help change the world. Growing up and even early in my career, my friends, colleagues and I focused on getting ahead with an aside or maybe even an afterthought that maybe we should do something good for the world.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Gwynne Shotwell"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Northwestern University"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["virtually"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"John Legend's Words of Wisdom For 2021 Graduates Are Too Valuable to Miss","document":"John Legend is setting our 2021 graduates up for success. On May 2, the \"Wild\" singer addressed Duke University graduates during a powerful commencement address. This marks John's first return to a massive audience since February 2020, and he prepared some valuable words of wisdom especially for the occasion. Everyone should take his advice to heart. John acknowledged that the class of 2021 didn't get the typical college experience. \"I feel your pain: You've lost something that you won't get back. I won't sugarcoat that — it sucks,\" he said. \"Over the past year, you were forced to pause, to see yourselves not just in competition with one another, but in community with each other.\" He continued, \"We all had to slow down, social distance, cover our faces, stop filling our days with maximum productivity and simply keep each other safe, keep each other alive, care for one another.\" John encouraged graduates to remember that this \"love should be your North Star. Let it guide you.\" Watch his full remarks, above.\n by  Navi Ahluwalia\n                                            7 hours ago\n                     by  Monica Sisavat\n                                            12 hours ago\n                     by  Kelsey Garcia\n                                            12 hours ago\n                     by  Alessia Santoro\n                                            13 hours ago\n                     by  Kelsey Garcia\n                                            13 hours ago\n                     by  Princess Gabbara\n                                            15 hours ago\n                     by  Chanel Vargas\n                                            1 day ago\n                     by  Naledi Ushe\n                                            1 day ago\n                                want more?\n                                    Get the Daily Inside Scoop\n                                Right in your inbox\n                    Customize\n                    Select the topics that interest you:\n                    By signing up, I agree to the Terms  and Privacy Policy  and to receive emails from POPSUGAR.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["John Legend"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 2"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["singer"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Duke University"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["POPSUGAR"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Gahan Endowed Professor of Entomology Jamie Ellis Commencement Speech For Summer 2021 Commencement","document":"Dr. Jamie Ellis is the Gahan Endowed Professor of Entomology in the Entomology and Nematology Department at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Jamie is an internationally recognized expert on honey bee biology and management. He received a B.S. degree in biology from the University of Georgia and a PhD in Entomology from Rhodes University in South Africa. Jamie’s appointment at UF/IFAS includes a three-way academic split between extension, research, and teaching responsibilities. To satisfy this appointment, Jamie directs the Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory (HBREL). The mission of the HBREL is to advance understanding of honey bees in Florida, the U.S., and globally, with the goal of improving the health and productivity of honey bee colonies everywhere. Jamie addresses this goal by conducting basic and applied research with managed and wild honey bees, communicating his findings to assorted clientele groups through diverse extension programming, and training future generations of bee educators, researchers, conservationists, and more. Jamie is among the most sought-after lecturers on beekeeping topics globally. Regarding his extension work, Jamie created the UF/IFAS Bee College and the UF/IFAS Master Beekeeper Program. As an instructor, Jamie supervises PhD and masters students and has contributed to the development of five courses on beekeeping at UF. Currently, Jamie and his team have over 30 active research projects in the fields of honey bee husbandry, conservation and ecology, and integrated crop pollination. Jamie has received many state, regional and national awards for his work with honey bees. These include the National and Southern Region Excellence in Extension Awards (American Association for Public Land Grant Universities), Roger Hoopingarner Award (American Beekeeping Federation), Roger E. Morse Award for Teaching/Extension (Eastern Apicultural Society), Ed and Elaine Holcombe Distinguished Speaker Award (Eastern Apicultural Society), Research Foundation Professor (University of Florida), Superior Accomplishment Award (University of Florida), Outstanding Specialist (Florida Association of Agricultural Agents), and Entomologist of the Year (Florida Entomological Society). Jamie is also a bi-vocational youth minister at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in High Springs, FL, where he lives with his wife (Dr. Amanda Ellis) and their four children. His speech for Summer 2021 Commencement is below: \n \nThank you for that introduction President Fuchs. Class of 2021, it is my honor and privilege to speak at your graduation. As I begin, I want to extend a hearty congratulations to you. What an accomplishment you have made, especially given the circumstances and obstacles before you. Parents, families, friends, I also thank you for supporting your student through this shared journey. Congratulations to you all. I have attended my own students’ graduations over the years. Correspondingly, I have seen different faculty members chosen for the honor of speaking at UF graduations. I have often wondered what qualifications it takes to be chosen to speak at graduation. Being now involved in the process, I have discovered that it takes none, really no qualifications at all. President Fuchs called me about two years ago when I was in a Walmart. I did not answer the phone, mainly because I did not want to extend my car’s warranty, but also because I did not know it was the President who was calling. Shortly thereafter, I listened to the voice message, heard it was the President, and returned his call, only to be invited to speak at the 2020 summer graduation. Honestly, I was relieved that the August 2020 in-person graduation was delayed. Our world was in the grip of an international pandemic, our country in the throes of social tension. I did not feel equipped to impart words of wisdom and encouragement in such a trying time. Furthermore, who am I to serve as speaker at your graduation? Literally, that same day, when I got home, I found out that the University of Wisconsin had just announced that JJ Watt (a professional NFL player) would be the speaker at an upcoming UW graduation. To make matters worse, I was given a white paper from the office of the President on how to develop graduation speeches. It was filled with excerpts from the graduation speeches of Bono, Steve Jobs, J.K. Rowling, and Steven Colbert. And you get me…not Tim Tebow, Erin Andrews, Abby Wambach, Caeleb Dressel, some guy named Steve Spurrier, Chris Collinsworth (my favorite NFL announcer! ), or the other UF greats. Man, did I feel inadequate. Nevertheless, the extra year gave me some time to think about what I feel is important to share with a group of individuals as accomplished as you. I have attended countless professional development workshops, seminars, lectures, etc. All have tried to teach and inspire excellence, “the quality of being outstanding or extremely good”. Our university strives for it. Excellence is preached from the mountaintops. It is the goal of many. While “excellence” worked for me for a while, I began to feel that it was not enough. I began to think about another personal characteristic that became much more appealing to me as I considered it further. That characteristic is exceptionalism, or “the tendency to deviate from the norm, extraordinary, rare, superior”. Let me share some life experiences to help you understand this concept. I have a recurring dream. In that dream, I am back in high school, usually involved in some sort of sport. I dream about not trying very hard in that sport, realizing that my time in school is near completion, and having no opportunity to do better. I wake up a bit ashamed that I did not try harder when I had the chance. I do not usually put much stock into dreams, but I do know why I have this dream. I played football my senior year in high school. In practice, we had a drill in which our coach ranked us from fastest on the team to slowest on the team. He then divided us into groups of three and made us race one another the entire length of the 100-yard field. If the designated fastest person in the group did not win, and the second-fastest come in second, etc., he made us all run the drill again. Unfortunately, rather than pushing us to run faster, my teammates and I ensured we finished in the order in which we were expected to finish so that we would not have to run the drill again. As you might guess, our team was not very good. Exceptional individuals do not cut corners. They embrace opportunities for self-improvement. My wife and I have four children. Unfortunately for them, I am always trying to get right with them what I got wrong with myself. My oldest two children played in a local basketball league earlier this year. At one practice, the coach taught them a new drill designed to teach passing skills. Like the drill I discussed for football, the basketball drill had a fundamental flaw because it offered an obvious shortcut that the kids on the team were quick to expose. When given the choice during the drill, most kids rushed to a position on the court that offered them the easiest way forward. That evening, I pulled my kids aside after practice and shared that you will never get better if you take the easier path in a course designed to grow you as an individual. I challenged my kids to choose only the positions on the court that required them to work harder than the other kids. Doing so, they would have the greatest opportunity to grow. The next practice, my daughter was on her way to the most difficult position for this drill, mind you - after recovering from appendicitis surgery, when the coach tried to get her to go to the spot most kids would rush to stand. She said she would rather go to the position she selected as it provided her the greatest opportunity for growth. I think quite a few people learned a lesson that day. Exceptionalism is giving your best effort in everything you do. I have tried to teach exceptionalism to the members of my team over my 15 years of being a faculty member at UF. It is somewhat difficult because we, by nature, are usually satisfied just to get the job done (I’m looking at you freshman chemistry), not necessarily get the job done well. I was on the pre-med track as an undergraduate before I decided to pursue a PhD. Most of my friends and roommates did go on to medical school. At that time, there were a couple of sayings that floated around our circle. One, in particular, impacted me: What do you call someone who graduates medical school with all C’s? “Doctor.”\nLooking back, I certainly appreciate the humor. However, I challenge the fundamental notion being taught in the statements. Merely passing a course when you can do much better is not a quality of exceptionalism. Be exceptional in all you do, when you make your bed, when you serve a client, when you teach a student, when you raise your children, when you serve your country, when you care for the sick, when you defend someone in court, when you invest in your own mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Be exceptional. Exceptionalism is being a person of integrity. Almost all exceptional individuals are people of integrity. A good practical definition of integrity is who you are when people are not looking. It is rooted in honesty and a strong moral grounding. Integrity is not something you can learn in the hallowed halls of a university. You cannot find it atop the Ivory Tower. It is not buried in an English composition book. It is not a play called from the sideline by Dan Mullen. It is something to which you must subscribe. I love my wife Amanda and, being born and raised in the south, tend to use many of the southern customs to honor her in our relationship. I hold the door open for her, let her go into a room first, etc. These are all easy to do because she is there watching when it happens. However, what she does not see is that I also set her place at the table first, even when no one is in the room. I fold her clothes first on the (admittedly uncommon) occasions I do the laundry. These and other habits like them are important to me because she is important to me. She does not always see what I do to honor her, or vice versa; but, if it is important at all, it is always important. Being a person of integrity, believing in something and following through with it – even when folks are not watching, is key to being exceptional. Exceptionalism thrives where purpose and community intersect. The President mentioned in his introduction of me that I study honey bees. I have been a beekeeper since I was 12. I developed a love for science in my teenage years and simply decided to put those two interests together when pursuing a career. Honey bees can teach you a lot about life. They are remarkable organisms, if I do say so myself. Honey bee colonies are composed of three types of bees: a queen, workers (also female) and drones (the males). All three bees have different tasks, different purposes. Queens lay the eggs. Drones mate with the queen. Workers, well, work. There can be as many as 50,000 or so individual bees in the colony, each working with purpose. In entomology, we refer to colonies of some social insects as “superorganisms”. The prefix “super” in this case means “above”. So, it implies a level of organization above that of the individual bee. We often think about colonies as collections of individual bees. However, the colony is a superorganism that, itself, functions like an organism.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Dr. Jamie Ellis"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Summer 2021"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["a PhD in Entomology","Professor of Entomology","an internationally recognized expert on honey bee biology and management","a bi-vocational youth minister"]},{"role":"Location","values":["University of Florida"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"John Legend to Deliver 2021 Commencement Address","document":"Duke will award honorary degrees to Legend, Barbara Arnwine, Jacquelyn Campbell, Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham and William K. Reilly during May 2 ceremony\n Multiplatinum-selling singer-songwriter, actor, producer and philanthropist John Legend will deliver Duke University’s undergraduate commencement address Sunday, May 2, in Wallace Wade Stadium, President Vincent Price announced Tuesday. Duke will also award Legend an honorary degree during the ceremony.\nIt will be a return to Duke for Legend, who performed on campus alongside Kanye West during the 2004 last day of classes (LDOC) concert. The first African-American man to achieve “EGOT” distinction, having earned Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, Legend is also an active philanthropist and supporter of criminal justice reform.\n“We are thrilled to have John Legend serve as our speaker at undergraduate commencement—and to have such an extraordinary group of honorary degree recipients, each of whom have made transformational contributions to our understanding of the world,” said Price. “I know that their example will excite and inspire our graduates, and I look forward to welcoming them on May 2.”\nLegend's single “All of Me” from the 2013 album Love in the Future was a Billboard No. 1 hit and is currently tied as the highest certified track in the history of the Recording Industry Association of America.\nBeyond his performing career, Legend is a principal of Get Lifted Film Co. and has been featured as a coach on The Voice since 2019. In 2015, he founded the nonprofit FREEAMERICA, a campaign to transform America’s criminal justice system and amplify the conversation about mass incarceration at the local, state, and national levels.\nLegend serves on the boards of directors of Harlem Village Academies and Management Leadership for Tomorrow, and on the advisory boards of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Teach for All.\nA native of Springfield, Ohio, Legend graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in English with an emphasis on African American literature.\nJoining Legend in receiving honorary degrees May 2 are four distinguished individuals who have devoted their careers to advocating for civil rights, addressing domestic violence, advancing African American history and protecting the environment. \nPresident Price will also present honorary degrees to civil rights leader and activist Barbara Arnwine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Professor Jacquelyn Campbell; Harvard University Professor of History and of African and African American Studies Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham; and former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency William K. Reilly.\n Barbara R. Arnwine, president and founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition, is internationally renowned for her contributions to critical justice issues including the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1991 and the 2006 reauthorization of provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Her work also includes women’s rights, immigrant rights, judicial diversity, criminal justice reform, racial profiling, health care disparities and LGBTQIA rights.\nA prominent leader in the civil and human rights community, Arnwine continues to fight for the preservation of affirmative action and diversity programs. She serves on the boards of directors of MomsRising and the African American Policy Forum. She also serves as co-chair and facilitator of the National Commission for Voter Justice, the Millennial Votes Matters Convenings and the Voting Rights Alliance. In late 2000, she created the Election Protection Program and in 2011 The Map of Shame of Voter Suppression. \nArnwine earned a bachelor of arts from Scripps College and a juris doctor from Duke University Law School, where she was one of the first African-American female students. \nAfter graduating from Duke, she worked on affirmative action policies and helped open new legal aid programs throughout North Carolina. Later, Arnwine became the executive director of the national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a group founded by John F. Kennedy. Her concern for women’s rights, and in particular, the rights of African-American women, led her to organize the National Conference on African-American Women and the Law.\nAmong her awards and honors are the Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion award (with co-honoree Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg); the Vince Monroe Townsend, Jr., Legends Award; the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Fearless Trailblazer Award; the Sojourner Truth, Woman of Truth award, the Gruber International Justice Prize, as well as the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. In recognition of her nationwide work to protect the voting rights of voters of color, in 2020 she was awarded the National Bar Association’s 2020 Heman Sweatt Award and the SCLC of Southern California’s 2021 Rosa Parks Award. \nArnwine has served as the Charles Hamilton Chair for the North Carolina Central University School of Law and has also taught at Columbia University School of Law and the University of California Los Angeles School of Law. Since 1994 she has served on the Duke Law School Board of Visitors (currently as an honorary life member) and in 2011 she received the school’s Charles S. Murphy Award, which honors a graduate’s commitment to the common good through work in public service or dedication to education.\n Jacquelyn Campbell, professor and the Anna D. Wolf Chair at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, is a national leader in research, advocacy, and policy in the field of domestic violence or intimate partner violence (IPV). The author or co-author of more than 300 publications and seven books on violence, health outcomes and nursing education, she is frequently sought by policy makers for her expertise regarding the health effects including health inequities of domestic violence on individuals, families and communities.\nIn 1985, Campbell developed the Danger Assessment, a widely used instrument that helps abused women and their advocates assess a woman’s risk of being killed by an abusive partner and informs individual health care actions and safety planning measures.\nCampbell was appointed to the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence and has testified before Congress and other local and state-level policy organizations. She was a member of the congressionally appointed U.S. Department of Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence.\nWell known for her collaboration with other nursing scholars and mentorship of nursing students, Campbell served from 2008 until 2017 as national program director of the Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Scholars program, providing research funding and leadership training for 60 outstanding junior academic nursing scholars. \nCampbell was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2000 and has been recognized with numerous awards and honors. The Duke School of Nursing has recognized her with the Contributions to Nursing Science Award, Outstanding Alumna Award and the Harriet Cook Carter annual lectureship.\nCampbell earned a bachelor of science in nursing from Duke, followed by a master of science in nursing from Wright State University and doctor of philosophy from the University of Rochester.\nShe is a member of the board of directors of Futures Without Violence, is an active member of the Johns Hopkins Women’s Health Research Group, and has served on the boards of five shelters including the House of Ruth Battered Women's Shelter.\nCampbell’s daughter Christina (Campbell) Endrud T’95, son-in-law Nikolas Endrud E’95, and son Bradley Campbell T’97 are all Duke graduates, and her granddaughter Grace Endrud is a current Duke undergraduate student (class of 2024).\n Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham is the Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, where she has been a tenured faculty member since 1993. From 2006 until 2013 she chaired the university’s Department of African and African American Studies, and in that role founded and coordinated its Social Engagement Initiative.\nFrom 2018 until 2020, she chaired Harvard’s History Department, the first African American to hold this position.\nA leader in African-American history, Higginbotham is the national president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, which was founded in 1915 by Carter G. Woodson, known today as the “Father of Black History.” Higginbotham began her teaching career as a public-school teacher in Milwaukee, Wis., and in Washington, DC, before moving to the university setting. At the special invitation of Duke University, she taught at the Duke Law School during the 2010-2011 academic year as the inaugural Visiting John Hope Franklin Professor of American Legal History.\nHigginbotham’s writings span the field of African-American history and are inclusive of women’s history and religious history. She is noted especially for her two theoretical conceptualizations: “the metalanguage of race” and the “politics of respectability.” Higginbotham thoroughly revised the classic African American history survey From Slavery to Freedom, which was first published by John Hope Franklin in 1947. She is the co-author with Franklin of this book’s ninth edition and most recently the tenth edition, which came out in June 2020.\nA pioneering scholar in African-American women’s history, she authored the prizewinning book Righteous Discontent: The Women’s Movement in the Black Baptist Church 1880-1920. She also co-edited with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the 12-volume African American National Biography. Most recently her article, “History in the Face of Slavery: A Family Portrait,” was featured in January 2021, when she was the honoree of the Winter Family Benefit of the New England Historical Genealogical Society and American Ancestors. Higginbotham received the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama in 2015 for “illuminating the African American journey.”\n William K. Reilly’s career has spanned public service, non-governmental organizations, and private sector finance. For more than 20 years he was a senior adviser to TPG Capital, an international investment partnership. During his tenure with TPG, he was the founding partner and CEO of Aqua International Partners, a private equity fund dedicated to investing in companies in the water sector. Before joining TPG, Reilly was the first Payne Visiting Professor at Stanford University.\nReilly served as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1989 until 1993, during which time he led efforts to pass a new Clean Air Act and headed the U.S. delegation to the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.\nFrom 1970 until 1972 Reilly was a senior staff member at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. President Bill Clinton appointed Reilly as a founding trustee of the Presidio Trust of San Francisco. President Barack Obama appointed him as co-chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, as well as to the President’s Global Development Council, for which he headed the working group on climate smart food security.\nHe served as president and later chairman of the board of World Wildlife Fund, president of The Conservation Foundation, and director of the Rockefeller Task Force on Land Use and Urban Growth.\nReilly is the chair of the board of advisors for Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and has chaired the boards of the Global Water Challenge and the ClimateWorks Foundation. He serves on the executive committee of the U.S. Water Partnership, the board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the board of the Union of Concerned Scientists. He has also served on several corporate boards, including those of DuPont, ConocoPhillips, and Royal Caribbean.\nHe served in the U.S. Army from 1966 until 1968, attaining the rank of captain. Reilly received his bachelor’s degree from Yale, doctor of law from Harvard Law School and master of science in urban planning from Columbia University.\nThis year’s commencement exercises in Wallace Wade Stadium will be open only to graduating undergraduate students and their pre-registered guests. The ceremony will be streamed for live viewing online at: https://commencement.duke.edu/.  More information about Duke’s commencement ceremony is also available at: https://commencement.duke.edu/.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["John Legend"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday, May 2"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["singer-songwriter, actor, producer and philanthropist"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Duke University"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon delivers Ohio State commencement address","document":"Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, delivered the commencement address today to thousands of graduates of The Ohio State University.\nHis message was broadcast during both ceremonies at Ohio Stadium.\nThe following is the full text of Dimon’s address:\nThank you, President Johnson, for the invitation to speak today. Thank you as well to the Board of Trustees and Chairman Gary Heminger.\nTo the graduating students, congratulations. You should be very proud of what you have achieved.\nAnd a very special congratulations to the parents. It probably seems like yesterday that you were holding your child in your arms for the first time. That child has now become a young adult with a college degree and is ready to face the world. All of the family members here today who provided the love and support over the last 20 years should also feel extremely proud of what they helped accomplished.\nJamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan ChaseI wish I could join you in person … because in the Zoom world, it’s impossible to replicate the joys of being physically together.\nOver the past 20 years, I’ve had the pleasure of making multiple trips to Columbus.\nThe city is always fun to visit and is one of JPMorgan Chase’s most important markets.\nIt is home to the Chase Innovations Center, where we develop our new and nimble mobile and digital products. We also have an office that’s housed in the McCoy Center on Polaris Parkway. It’s bigger than our headquarters in New York. In fact, it’s one of the largest offices anywhere in the world.\nAnd here is one other fun fact about Polaris campus: During the pandemic, we used the time, with little to no cars in the parking lot, to install solar panels. In July, when it is complete, it will furnish about 75% of the power needs of the entire complex.\nWe employ close to 20,000 people in Columbus – making us one of the top private sector employers in the area. And we’re still hiring, so if you don’t have a job yet – or even if you do – go to our website and explore the opportunities. We’re always happy to have more Buckeyes on our team.\nWhen JPMorgan Chase enters any community, we take great pride in being a responsible citizen at the local level. We serve large corporations and we lend to and support local businesses, like Schmidt’s restaurant, where I hope some of you will be going for a celebratory meal later today.\nYour celebration comes after a year that was extraordinary by any measure. We’ve been through a global pandemic, a global recession, unprecedented government actions, turbulent elections, and deeply felt social and racial injustice.\nIt’s been a time when each of us has faced difficult personal challenges, and a number of us lost loved ones. In our country at large, those among us with less were disproportionately hurt by joblessness and poverty.\nAll of you have been affected by COVID-19 in different ways. Your future is bright, but as you grow older it’s inevitable that you will face tough times and failure – both personally and professionally. We all do. How you deal with failure may be the most important thing in whether you succeed.\nYour graduation here today shows that you had resilience to persevere though a difficult period.\nIt’s important for all of you to understand this world you’re entering. Today, the United States and other countries are grappling with an array of critical issues. To name just a few: capitalism versus other economic systems; access to health care; immigration policy; the role of business in our society; and how, or even whether, the United States intends to exercise global leadership.\nWhile it is important to acknowledge the issues we face, we also need to recognize the exceptional strengths of our country.\nThese gifts have led to the most dynamic economy the world has ever seen, nurturing vibrant businesses large and small, exceptional universities, and a welcoming environment for innovation, science, and technology.\nAmerica has been and will continue to be a beacon of hope for the world and a magnet for the world’s best and brightest.\nWe should celebrate America’s exceptionalism, while also acknowledging our country’s flaws. You are all lucky to be graduating with a powerful education from a great university, but that’s not the case for everyone in our country today.\nWhile the average American high school graduates approximately 85% of its students, many of our inner-city schools don’t graduate half of their students and often don’t give our children an education that leads to a livelihood. No one can claim that the promise of equal opportunity is being offered to all Americans through our education systems.\nWe also need to make our nation’s health care system work better for everyone. U.S. life expectancy has actually declined in recent years, which is a product of the health challenges facing this country. And obesity, which is a main driver of diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart disease and depression, afflicts 42% of American adults as well as nearly 20% of children. This demands far more attention.\nWe also face significant sustainability challenges. Climate change is a critical issue of our time. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires collective ambition and cooperation across the public and private sectors. We have an opportunity to make the world a better place for ourselves, for our children and grandchildren, and for all the living things that share this planet with us.\nOne of the keys to meeting these challenges and others will be harnessing the power of new technologies. And we should remember that technological progress, while it has some downsides that need to be appropriately managed, is fundamental to human progress. Technology has been the driving factor in changing society for the better for hundreds of years: boosting living standards and fostering communication and convenience for people throughout the world.\nThe role young people can play …\nYou’re graduating at a moment when there’s great uncertainty in the economy, politics, and the world at large. But remember, that’s always been true – for your parents, grandparents and all prior generations.\nIt’s natural to be a bit intimidated by the uncertainty you do face. But I would urge you to see this as a moment of great opportunity.\nTake inspiration from Neil Armstrong, an Ohio native who was the first person to walk on the Moon. Fifty years ago, he spoke at Ohio State’s commencement and delivered a timeless truth: “Few rewards are as gratifying as discovery.”\nAs you move into the next stage of your life, you’ve probably been warned that college is not like real life. I would agree with that. I’m always hesitant to give advice because it sounds like I did everything right. And I can assure you that I did not. That said, let me offer you some advice based on about 40 years in the workplace.\nLearning is a lifelong pursuit. It’s your job to constantly learn and it doesn’t end now that you’re college graduates. Regardless of what you do in life, to be successful you need continuous learning and endless intellectual curiosity. I still spend about 50% of my time reading and learning. Reading history is fascinating. Shakespeare teaches us about human nature and the morning newspapers keep you informed of current events and the globality of the world.\nReading provides not just knowledge, but it teaches empathy, how organizations work, and how to work with people. And it’s even more important in today’s increasingly complex and rapidly moving world.\nThe other way to learn and the only other way to learn, which gets overlooked these days, is by talking to other people – ideally face-to-face. You can learn more from speaking to someone in 15 minutes than if you spend your life doing something. It can be explained to you, and you can learn from watching very good people and how they operate in difficult circumstances. I learned a lot of things about what to do – and what not to do – by watching other people.\nWe all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. Humility is the realization that those who came before you paved the way. Never fool yourself into thinking that your success is just your own.\nYour success is the result of your parents and family who sacrificed to give you a better life, your professors and administrators who helped you through your time here at Ohio State, your friends and neighbors who looked out for you and encouraged you.\nIn fact, this wonderful country whose bounties we benefit from was built by so many people who made endless and often the ultimate sacrifices … before we were even born. It’s important to respect what they have done and to be grateful for it.\nAs graduates of this world-class university, you each have what it takes to lead meaningful lives and to contribute to the lives of others. Doing that requires a grace and generosity of spirit … it requires compassion and treating everyone with respect … from CEOs to clerks … and it requires giving back.\nIn the words of the poem that I love by Rudyard Kipling:\nIf you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch…yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.\nThis is an exciting moment to be a young person armed with a first-class college education. The world is full of opportunity. And you are going to enrich this nation, and other nations, in many ways. One hundred years ago, Ohio State’s president, William Oxley Thompson, addressed the graduating seniors and told them something that still rings true today.\nCollege graduates, he said, are who “this country must turn to for a citizenship that is tolerant but not indifferent; loyal but not bigoted; aggressive but not conceited; alert but not alarmed.”\nAs you go about your life, remember your country. And regardless of what you do and what you achieve in life … try to leave everything and everyone that you touch a bit better than they are today.\nAnd you’ll not only have the kind of life you wish to deserve – you will also do your part to make this country and the world a better place for generations yet to come.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Jamie Dimon"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The Ohio State University"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["Ohio Stadium"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Basketball Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar will deliver Commencement address to Class of 2021","document":"NBA great and social justice advocate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will deliver the 2021 Commencement address for Washington University in St. Louis, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced in a video message to members of the class.\nWith guidance and approval from St. Louis regional health authorities, the university plans to hold in-person Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021 on May 20 and 21 on the Danforth Campus.\nDue to limitations on gatherings and crowd sizes due to COVID-19, however, the university will host multiple, smaller ceremonies on Francis Olympic Field in place of the traditional universitywide Commencement ceremony in Brookings Quadrangle. There will be a maximum of 500 graduates at each in-person ceremony, with two guests allowed per graduate.\nThe university also will welcome alumni from the Class of 2020 back to campus so they can participate in in-person Commencement ceremonies, planned for May 30. The Commencement speaker for the Class of 2020 ceremonies will be announced April 15.\nThe university’s May 15, 2020, universitywide Commencement ceremony in Brookings Quadrangle was canceled due to public health concerns in the midst of the pandemic. The university recognized the Class of 2020’s graduation through online ceremonies and celebrations last May.\nFor the graduates who are coming back to campus, the university plans to hold three ceremonies May 30 on Francis Olympic Field. A maximum of 500 graduates will be at each ceremony, with two guests allowed per graduate. The ceremonies will be livestreamed for alumni who are unable to return.\nCommencement will look and feel very different for both the classes of 2020 and 2021. In addition to the smaller, multiple ceremonies for each class, seating will be arranged to accommodate physical distancing. Graduates will not cross the stage, shake hands or receive diplomas during the ceremonies, and graduate students will not be hooded.\nWith the exception of the faculty marshals and Commencement volunteers, faculty and staff will only be invited to attend virtually. All graduates, guests and staff will wear face masks throughout the ceremonies, and everyone in attendance will be required to register in advance.\nAbdul-Jabbar’s address to the Class of 2021, which will be video recorded in advance to accommodate the multiple ceremonies, will be shown on large screens on Francis Field for those who are attending in person and livestreamed to graduates who are studying remotely during the spring. The university is expecting to host eight ceremonies.\n“I am thrilled that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, an inspiration both on and off the basketball court — since before and long after his phenomenal athletic career — will be addressing our graduates,” Martin said.\n“A Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and a prolific author, in addition to being the highest-scoring NBA player of all time, Mr. Abdul-Jabbar has used his platform to address racial justice and social equity issues everywhere,” Martin said. “He has demonstrated his commitment to improving others’ lives not just through his influential words, but through such actions as establishing a foundation that works with underserved communities, helping kids reach their full potential.\n“He achieved greatness in his chosen career, but he didn’t stop there,” Martin said. “He is a force for good and a wonderful example for our graduating students, who I’m sure will find his message uplifting.”\nThe university will award Abdul-Jabbar an honorary doctor of humanities degree during its 160th Commencement. Considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, Abdul-Jabbar is also a humanitarian, an author and an advocate for racial justice.\nThe 7-foot-2 Hall of Famer is famous for his trademark skyhook shot and dominating the NBA for 20 years with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a record 19-time NBA All-Star and a member of six NBA championship teams.\nHe remains the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, as well as its all-time leader in career victories as a player.\nBut as Abdul-Jabbar has said about himself, “I can do more than stuff a ball through a hoop; my greatest asset is my mind.” He has used it often for the greater good.\nHe has been an activist since just after graduating high school in New York, when he had an opportunity to ask Martin Luther King Jr. a question during a news conference. From that brief interaction with the civil rights leader, Abdul-Jabbar was inspired and has spent his life fighting against injustices like systemic racism and health, educational and employment disparities.\nAbdul-Jabbar founded and has served since 2009 as chairman of The Skyhook Foundation, whose mission is to “give kids a shot that can’t be blocked” by bringing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) opportunities to underserved Los Angeles communities.\nCamp Skyhook, the foundation’s flagship program, is an immersive experience in which middle schoolers from racially, culturally and socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods receive hands-on STEM learning outside their urban environment.\nIn 2016, President Barack Obama awarded Abdul-Jabbar the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. His other awards include the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s prestigious Double Helix Medal for his work in raising awareness for cancer research and the Lincoln Medal for his commitment to education and equality.\nA native of Harlem, Abdul-Jabbar earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1969 from the University of California, Los Angeles. He played on UCLA’s basketball team under Coach John Wooden from 1967-69, winning three consecutive NCAA championships. In April 1969, the Bucks selected him No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft and he played center for Milwaukee from 1969-1975. He led the Bucks to the NBA championship in 1971. He was traded to the Lakers in 1975 and played on five more championship teams until his retirement at age 42 in 1989.\nA decade after retiring as a player, Abdul-Jabbar returned to the sport as a volunteer assistant coach for one season of the Alchesay High School basketball team on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona. In an interview with the Arizona Daily Star about why he would take on such a position, the father of five said he was answering a nationwide call from retired Gen. Colin Powell for people to help their neighbors.\nHe further explained, “The neighborhood I was from was not a lot different from the reservation. Barrios. Ghettos. There were not good opportunities,” he said. “I want to get these kids thinking about college. If they have the talent to go on to play in college … I am walking proof that it can be done.” In 2000, he wrote a book about the experience, “A Season on the Reservation: My Sojourn With the White Mountain Apaches.”\nA New York Times bestselling author, he has written 15 other books, including two memoirs: “Becoming Kareem” for young readers and “Coach Wooden and Me” about his 50-year friendship with the famed UCLA coach. He received the 2012 NAACP award for his children’s book “What Color is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors.” Also in 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named him a U.S. cultural ambassador to promote the importance of education, social and racial tolerance, and cultural understanding around the world.\nAfter 50 years as an athlete and activist, he offers his perspectives as a nationally recognized speaker who regularly appears on the lecture circuit. A contributing columnist for newspapers and magazines around the world, he has been named Columnist of the Year at the Southern California Journalism Awards for the past five years.\nAmong his work in television, he was the focus of an HBO Sports documentary, “Kareem: Minority of One” in 2015, and a writer on Season 5 of Hulu’s “Veronica Mars.” He is producing a documentary for History, titled “Fight the Power: The Protests That Changed America.”\nCampus & Community\nStudents\nComments and respectful dialogue are encouraged, but content will be moderated. Please, no personal attacks, obscenity or profanity, selling of commercial products, or endorsements of political candidates or positions. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate comments. We also cannot address individual medical concerns or provide medical advice in this forum.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Kareem Abdul-Jabbar"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":["Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced in a video message"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 20 and 21"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["NBA great and social justice advocate","A Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and a prolific author","the highest-scoring NBA player"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Francis Olympic Field"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["livestreamed","video recorded","large screens on Francis Field"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"President Eisgruber’s 2021 Commencement Address “Together, Six Feet Apart”","document":"President Christopher L. Eisgruber applauds as he looks out on the crowd from the Commencement stage before his address “Together, Six Feet Apart.”\nPresident Christopher L. Eisgruber’s address “Together, Six Feet Apart,” as prepared for delivery at Princeton University’s Commencement ceremony on May 16, 2021. \nTradition allows the Princeton president to share a few thoughts each year with our graduating students at Commencement. I regard that as a great privilege in any year, but especially so in this one, when all of you have persevered valiantly and brilliantly to overcome unprecedented challenges.\nBy completing your studies amidst this awful pandemic, you have distinguished yourselves even by the standards of this University’s long and illustrious history. And in so doing, you have earned the right to participate in this unique and memorable Commencement ceremony, a ceremony that, I submit to you, provides a surprisingly apt metaphor for the past year.\nWe are together, gathered through creative planning, technological assistance, the tireless work of many people, and a fierce determination to mark with physical presence this important moment in your lives. And yet as we are together, we are also apart, masked, separated by carefully marked six-foot intervals, and denied the joyous embraces that we would ordinarily exchange on graduation day.\nSuch combinations of separation and sharing have permeated the last fifteen months. The separation is obvious. We have endured quarantines and lock-downs. We have learned the term “social distancing,” which — hard though this is to believe — almost none of us had heard two years ago. We have had to give up communal dining, large events, small parties, and interpersonal contact of many kinds. We have met and learned through video conferencing rather than in person.\nThe sharing may be less obvious than the separation but it is equally real. It begins with the separation itself, and, more generally, with losses that people throughout the world have endured over the past year. The losses inflicted by COVID-19 have undoubtedly differed significantly from person to person. They have also differed across racial and economic groups, reminding us once again of the need to dedicate ourselves to achieving genuine social justice, not only in this country but around the world.\nWe should recognize these disparities while also recognizing that in real and meaningful ways we have shared the anxieties and burdens of this pandemic with people not only throughout this stadium, or this country, but across social divisions, international borders, and, indeed, vast continents. We fight a plague without boundaries, and our experience informs connections we feel with those suffering from the terrible outbreaks afflicting India, South America, and other parts of the globe.\nTo take another, smaller piece of this phenomenon: you now share with other graduating college students throughout the world this year a parallel experience of disruption, constraint, challenge, persistence, and achievement in response to this pandemic. Rarely, if ever, has humanity experienced such durable and unfamiliar forms of loss so widely and simultaneously.\nThe last year has also involved sharing in a second sense. Though we have been unable to interact in person, we have connected online in ways that most of us would not have thought possible, and indeed that would not have been possible even a few years ago. Most of us are thoroughly Zoomed-out and eager to return to physical forms of togetherness, but I doubt that any of us will abandon entirely our new virtual mechanisms of communication.\nWe may perhaps find some wisdom about these newest aspects of human community by considering very old ideas about the topic. Two millennia ago, Aristotle observed that people must cooperate with one another because they cannot otherwise satisfy their most basic physical needs. But, he noted, once people are forced together by their physical needs, they inevitably begin discussing and pursuing ideas about human flourishing. His insight was that because we must make and break bread together, we must form a common good together. \nAs this year’s countless Zoom calls vividly illustrate, human technology has transformed, if not diminished or severed, this connection between the physical and intellectual realms of human activity. We can now interact politically, academically, artistically, and socially without ever being in the same room, the same state, or even the same country.\nWhat technology made possible, the pandemic made compulsory. For most of this past year, we were present to one another in only two dimensions, as flattened figures on screens, while our three-dimensional bodies inhabited vastly different spaces. We shared an emaciated world.\nIt is not enough. The fractious, irritated, angry state of our national politics testifies to that fact.\nSo too, more poignantly, does our presence in this stadium today. We could have deployed technological machinery to produce a whiz-bang virtual Commencement, which you could have watched from the comfort of your homes. We concluded — with your vigorous encouragement — that it would be better to sit in this cavernous stadium, arrayed across a giant field and surrounding bleachers, together, six feet apart.\nWe lose an essential dimension of the human when we cannot be together physically. If indeed people must forge a common good because we need to make and break bread together, the pandemic suggests that something like the reverse is also true.\nSimply put, our long, unwelcome separation teaches us this: to forge a common good together, we must break bread together. We must, in other words, relate to one another not just as disembodied intellects, interests, or ideologies, or as faces in Zoom boxes, but also as real, three-dimensional people who share basic needs and a common humanity.\nI hope you will bear that idea in mind as you venture into this strange, uncertain world post-Princeton and post-pandemic. I also hope that you will find ways to break bread and reconnect not only with one another but also with people far outside your own social circles. As the political philosopher Danielle Allen ’93 has urged in a passage that riffs on Aristotle, we must find ways to convey “the techniques and expertise of friendship” into “the rivalrous realm of politics.”\nWe must all recover, renew, and reinvigorate the genuinely human forms of connection so missing from our world over the last year and all too absent, even before the pandemic, from our country’s conversations about America’s common good. As you venture forth beyond this campus, I hope that you will seize the opportunity to build the genuine community that we so urgently need.\nThe journey that commences today will take you into a new and changing world. I am confident that you are well prepared for the challenge. You have excelled here, and you have persisted through the pandemic with extraordinary determination, creativity, intelligence, compassion, and courage. We will need your leadership, your vision, and your dedication to the service of humanity.\nOn behalf of the University, its faculty, administration, trustees, and alumni, I offer you best wishes as you go forth. We hope you will always consider this campus one of your homes, and that you will return often, so that we can be together again in the future — together again, without also being six feet apart! I, and all of my colleagues, extend our sincerest congratulations on this happy day to all of Princeton’s doctoral and master’s degree recipients and to Princeton University’s Great Class of 2021!  Congratulations!","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Christopher L. Eisgruber"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 16, 2021"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["this stadium","Princeton University"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Jimmy Dunne to deliver commencement address  to Notre Dame’s Class of 2021","document":"Jimmy Dunne, a University of Notre Dame Trustee and alumnus who in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, led the recovery of his company while also providing compassionate and meaningful care to the families of the firm’s employees who lost their lives, will serve as the principal speaker and receive an honorary doctor of laws degree at Notre Dame’s 176th University Commencement Ceremony on May 23. The ceremony will be held in-person for graduates and a limited number of guests in Notre Dame Stadium. “At a time when our graduates have had to show remarkable resilience in the face of the adversity of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jimmy is someone who personified resilience in the aftermath of the tragic events 20 years ago,” Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., said. “Through his example, as well as his words, he will send off our graduates with a powerful message about commitment, honor, integrity and perseverance.”\nAs one of the senior managing partners of Sandler O’Neill, Dunne was attempting to qualify for the U.S. Mid-Amateur golf tournament when the attack on the World Trade Center occurred the morning of Sept. 11.  Of the 171 Sandler O’Neill employees, 68 lost their lives that day, including Dunne’s mentor, Herman Sandler, and his best friend, Chris Quackenbush.\nDunne was determined to rebuild the firm. He took decisive action to care for the families of employees who died by paying the salaries and bonuses of those who perished, providing health care to the families and creating a college scholarship fund for the children who lost a parent. To date, the Sandler O’Neill Assistance Foundation is well on its way of providing full tuition for all of the children to attend colleges and universities across the country, including Notre Dame.\nWhen asked why he and others at the firm made the commitment to employees’ families, Dunne said: “We believed that what we did would echo for a hundred years in the families of our people, their kids and their grandkids. We knew how we conducted ourselves in those first few hours and days would define who we really were and what we stood for. If we were not honorable, then we stood for nothing.”\nUnder Dunne’s leadership in the years that followed, Sandler O’Neill grew to become the largest independent full-service investment banking firm focused on the financial services sector. Sandler O’Neill was acquired by Piper Jaffray in January 2020, to become Piper Sandler. Dunne is now vice chairman and senior managing principal of the investment bank.\nDunne has been a Notre Dame Trustee since 2010 and was chair of the University’s recent Boldly capital campaign. He and his wife, Susan, underwrote the construction of Dunne Hall, a men’s residence hall that opened in 2016, and were among the benefactors to the Irish Athletics Center, a practice facility for the football and soccer teams, and Rolfs Athletic Hall, the practice home for the Irish men’s and women’s basketball teams. Dunne was awarded an honorary monogram by the athletics department in 2019.\nAlong with their friends Rich and Connie Riley, the Dunnes endowed the Ann F. Dunne and Elizabeth M. Riley Director of Notre Dame’s Harper Cancer Research Institute to memorialize Jimmy’s and Rich’s mothers, both of whom lost their lives to cancer.\nThe Dunnes are the parents of three children, 2016 and 2019 Notre Dame graduates James and Christopher, and Jacqueline. \nThomas G. Burish, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost of Notre Dame from 2005 to 2020, also will receive an honorary degree at the University Commencement Ceremony. As the University’s provost, or chief academic officer, Burish worked with the deans, faculty, administration and others to advance Notre Dame’s role as a preeminent research university with a distinctive Catholic character that provides an unsurpassed commitment to undergraduate and post-baccalaureate education. In doing so he oversaw the many academic offices, programs and initiatives led by the Provost’s Office, including colleges and schools, institutes and centers, libraries, student advising, admissions, financial aid, the Registrar’s Office, Snite Museum of Art and DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.\nAmong the many notable advances made during Burish’s 15 years as provost were the doubling of research expenditures; investments in research clusters devoted to areas such as nanotechnology, global health, the environment, and advanced studies; creation of the Harper Cancer Research Institute and the IDEA Center at Innovation Park; strengthening of international programs through the creation of Global Gateways in Beijing, Dublin, Jerusalem, London and Rome; and the establishment of the Donald R. Keough School of Global Affairs, the first new college or school at Notre Dame in nearly a century.\nBurish graduated summa cum laude from Notre Dame in 1972 and earned master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology and clinical psychology from the University of Kansas. He was a distinguished professor at Vanderbilt University before serving for 10 years as its provost. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Burish was the president of Washington and Lee University for three years.\nCarla Harris, vice chairman of wealth management and senior client adviser at Morgan Stanley — as well as a celebrated gospel singer, speaker and author — will be awarded Notre Dame’s highest honor, the Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics.\nNotre Dame’s commencement Mass on May 23 will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by the University Commencement Ceremony at 11 a.m. Health and safety protocols, ticketing and other details are available here.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Jimmy Dunne"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 23","11 a.m"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["a University of Notre Dame Trustee and alumnus"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Notre Dame Stadium"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["in-person"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Dr. Anthony Fauci to deliver Emory Commencement address","document":"Dr. Anthony Fauci will deliver the 2021 Commencement address for Emory College of Arts and Sciences and receive the Emory University President’s Medal. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he will give his remarks virtually.\nPrint\nEmory ranks 5th among U.S. universities for infectious diseases program Jan.  12, 2021 Emory University Commencement\nElaine Justice404-727-0643elaine.justice@emory.edu\nUniversity, Community, Academics, People, Commencement Dr. Anthony Fauci will deliver the 2021 Commencement address for Emory College of Arts and Sciences and receive the Emory University President’s Medal. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his address will be given virtually and will be available to all Emory graduates and the university community via livestream. \nFauci has served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health since 1984, advising seven presidents on domestic and global health issues, including COVID-19.\n“I cannot think of a more inspiring person than Dr. Fauci to address the Class of 2021, whose Emory experience has been so dramatically shaped by the pandemic, and whose resilience and determination have inspired us again and again,” says Emory President Gregory L. Fenves. “During the past year, Dr. Fauci’s name has become synonymous with truth, clarity and medical expertise. As chief physician to our country in the midst of a pandemic, he has become one of the most trusted voices in medicine for millions of Americans, and we are excited to honor him as part of Emory’s 176th Commencement.” \nIn addition to his work on COVID-19, Fauci oversees an extensive research portfolio focused on infectious and immune-mediated diseases. As the longtime chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, he has made many seminal contributions in basic and clinical research and is one of the world’s most-cited biomedical scientists. \nFauci was one of the principal architects of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program that has saved millions of lives throughout the developing world. He has made seminal contributions to the understanding of how HIV destroys the body's defenses, leading to its susceptibility to deadly infections. He has also been instrumental in developing treatments that enable people with HIV to live long and active lives, and he continues to devote much of his research to the immunopathogenic mechanisms of HIV infection and the scope of the body's immune responses to HIV.\nHis honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and the Lasker Award for Public Service. He received an honorary doctor of science degree from Emory in 2003.\nFauci will become only the sixth person to receive both of the highest honors awarded by Emory — the honorary degree and the President’s Medal, which is conferred upon distinguished university guests whose impact on the world has enhanced the prospect of peace or enriched cultural achievement. Previous recipients of both honors include His Holiness the Dalai Lama; U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who is also Emory University Distinguished Professor; U.S. Rep. John Lewis; Ambassador Andrew Young; and epidemiologist Dr. William H. Foege, who is credited with devising the strategy to eradicate smallpox and also served on the Emory faculty.\n“Emory’s motto, ‘the wise heart seeks knowledge,’ is exemplified by Dr. Fauci’s many decades of public service,” Fenves says. “Indeed, it is his wise heart, and the knowledge he has provided, that have helped us get through a year like no other.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Dr. Anthony Fauci"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["virtually","livestream"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Tim Tebow will deliver commencement speech for Liberty University grads","document":"LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — On Friday, Liberty University announced a former NFL player known for his spiritual convictions will deliver the commencement speech for 2021 grads. Tim Tebow, a professional athlete, author, speaker, and philanthropist, will address graduates at the main commencement ceremony on May 15. The event will be virtual and will take place at the Center for Music and the Worship Arts Concert Hall and streamed on Liberty’s Commencement website.\nRELATED: Liberty University announces in-person graduation ceremonies\n“I’m excited to return to Liberty’s campus,” Tebow said. “Liberty is a special place, and they are doing great work in advancing His Kingdom. I’m honored to celebrate these new graduates, recognize their achievements, and encourage them to go out and impact this world.”\n“We are grateful that Mr. Tebow has accepted our invitation to join us for Commencement and excited to hear him address our graduates,” LU President Jerry Prevo said. “In all of his success, Mr. Tebow has never lost sight of God’s plan for his life. He is bold in professing his faith and serves others as unto the Lord. He is a prime example of a Champion for Christ.”\nTebow previously visited LU's campus; he spoke at Convocation in March 2013. RELATED: Tim Tebow retires from baseball after five years as minor leaguer","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Tim Tebow"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 15"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["a professional athlete, author, speaker, and philanthropist"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Center for Music and the Worship Arts Concert Hall"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["virtual","streamed on Liberty’s Commencement website"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Michael Bloomberg urges graduates to 'be present for others'","document":"Entrepreneur, philanthropist, three-term mayor of New York City, and Johns Hopkins University graduate Michael R. Bloomberg returned to campus to address the Class of 2021 at Commencement on Thursday, speaking to the graduates about \"the importance of togetherness\" after a year largely marked by virtual gathering amid the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\"Over the past year, we've gotten a good look at how digital technology cannot replace physical togetherness,\" Bloomberg said during remarks that lasted nearly 22 minutes. \"Not when it comes to being with family and friends, not when it comes to being with professors and classmates, not when it comes to attending a party or going to a museum, and not when it comes to interacting with colleagues and coworkers in whatever field you choose to pursue, whether it's science or medicine, engineering or business, the arts, or the military.\nThis was Bloomberg's third time offering the university's Commencement speech, and the first since 2010.\n\"I hope you will take one big idea with you, because it really could not be more important,\" he said. \"And that is simply, be present for others, in your careers and your personal lives. Because ultimately, it's only through the power of our relationships that we can fulfill our potential and that we can build teams capable of creating a society that is more just, more equal, more peaceful, and, in the words of our nation's founders, more perfect.\"\nOver the past 56 years, Bloomberg's unparalleled support for Johns Hopkins has immeasurably enhanced everything from the undergraduate experience, to campus infrastructure, to the possibility for scientific discovery, all in the name of ensuring that more young people from all backgrounds have access to higher education, making the world safer and healthier, and deepening the global reputation of his alma mater. During the Class of 2021's time at Johns Hopkins, Bloomberg made a historic $1.8 billion gift entirely for financial aid, allowing the university to permanently offer need-blind admissions and eliminate the need for student loans. Approximately 60% of the graduating class received financial aid supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.\nBloomberg's innovations in business, government, and philanthropy have made him a global leader on climate change, public health, education, and other critical issues facing America and the world. The founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg serves as World Health Organization Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions.\nBorn in Boston and raised in Medford, Massachusetts, he earned a BS in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, graduating in 1964. His first donation to the university, $5, came in 1965. Since then, Bloomberg has become the largest donor in the 145-year history of the Johns Hopkins institutions with his total giving to the university now exceeding $3.5 billion.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Michael R. Bloomberg"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Entrepreneur, philanthropist, three-term mayor of New York City, and Johns Hopkins University graduate"]},{"role":"Location","values":["campus"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"USC News","document":"Journalist and author Bina Venkataraman will share a message of courage amid crisis when she addresses USC’s 137th and 138th commencement ceremony May 14.\nTaking the long view of our individual lives and of humanity’s greatest challenges, Venkataraman, the editorial page editor of The Boston Globe, infuses her call to action with rich stories and rigorous truth-telling. Her 2019 book, The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age was named a best book of the year by Amazon, Science Friday and National Public Radio.\n“To a generation facing unprecedented challenges, Bina is a refreshing voice and a compass for charting an exciting and meaningful life,” said President Carol L. Folt. “The decades ahead call for a different approach to a world mired by climate change and conflict. Bina offers a way forward; she emboldens people to see their power amid crisis.”\nFollowing California’s health and safety guidelines, commencement will be held twice a day with limited capacity and distancing requirements over the course of nearly two weeks. For the first time since 1950, the ceremony will occur at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Each graduate will process across the stage for their diploma.\nThis commencement will honor not only the Class of 2021 but also the Class of 2020, whose ceremony was put on hold due to the pandemic.\n“This generation of graduates has already faced the grim realities of public health and planetary crisis,” Venkataraman said. “They have been forged in the fire, and that means they have extraordinary potential. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to address the USC classes of 2020 and 2021 at this year’s commencement. My aim is to impart what I’ve learned about how, even amid uncertainty and despair, we can boldly face the future.”\nVenkataraman will deliver her address on May 14 from the Coliseum.\nPrior to her role as the Globe’s editorial page editor, Venkataraman was a science journalist for the Globe and The New York Times and a fellow at New America. She served as senior advisor for climate change innovation in the Obama White House, where she forged partnerships across communities, companies and government to prepare for climate disasters. She also served as director of global policy initiatives at the Broad Institute. Since 2011, she has taught in the program on science, technology and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2019, she closed the TED mainstage in Vancouver with her talk, “The power to think ahead in a reckless age,” which has been viewed more than 2.5 million times.\nBorn in a small town in Ohio, Venkataraman’s endeavors have also included translating Spanish and English in emergency rooms, teaching writing to Harlem high school students, lobster fishing in Baja California Sur, working the graveyard shift at a hotel in the Arctic wilderness and cataloguing films for a cinema critic in Havana.\nFor more information and updates, visit commencement.usc.edu.\nMore stories about: Commencement 2021\nA series of ceremonies for undergraduate and graduate students is being planned at the Coliseum from May 14-25.\nThe event, held online due to the pandemic, recognizes that USC is above all else a community of scholars. Part 1 on Monday honored faculty members.\nThe event recognizes that USC is above all else a community of scholars. Part 1 on Monday honored faculty members; student scholars will be recognized Wednesday.\nThe selective awards recognize significant accomplishments by leading scholars in their fields.\nUSC/RAND study tracks obstacles for military veterans searching for housing. Los Angeles is home to 10% of the nation’s unhoused veterans.\nJohn Wilson is working to improve the well-being of Angelenos through two USC Dornsife Public Exchange projects — one involving urban trees, the other ensuring people have enough to eat.\nMariah Hill joined the school’s master’s program in June as the inaugural recipient of USC’s ViacomCBS HBCU Diversity in Journalism Scholarship. It creates a pipeline for Black journalists to both enter and lead newsrooms.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Bina Venkataraman"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 14"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["Journalist and author"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"This commencement speech had nothing but questions","document":"    James Glaser 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.\nTufts University  provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US.\nView all partners\nEditors note: At a special ceremony for first-generation college graduates at Tufts University, James Glaser, dean of the school of arts and sciences, gave a commencement speech comprised entirely of questions. The slightly edited text of the speech is as follows:\nWhat if I told you that because a university is a place of questions – and hopefully some answers – that I have decided to give my remarks to you entirely in the interrogative? Is this OK with you?\nAre you better off now than you were four years ago?\nWhat has happened in these four years? How much has changed?\nDid you experience great success? Did you experience failure, and if so, did you learn from it?\nDid it take perseverance, resilience, grit and a few all-nighters to get here?\nDid you become more civically involved?  Were you able to connect what you learned outside the classroom with what you learned inside the classroom?\nHave you looked at any of the work you did first year and said “Oh my God!”?\nDid we encourage you to question authority?\nDid you meet someone special?  Would you believe that my 5’1\" sister met her 5’4\" husband in a short story class?  Have you made lifelong friends?\nThrough your years in college, have you become more independent and confident and wise? And have you come to appreciate your parents and families more?\nDo you have gratitude for some of the staff and faculty who have taught you and mentored you and guided you?\nToward the future, will you keep in touch? Will you make a difference in whatever large or small way you are able?","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["James Glaser"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["dean of the school of arts and sciences"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tufts University"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Maria Taylor to deliver Commencement address","document":"ESPN reporter and UGA alumna Maria Taylor will deliver the University of Georgia spring undergraduate Commencement address. Her live remarks on May 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Sanford Stadium will be recorded and shared with graduates at the May 14 and May 15 ceremonies.\nDavid Lee, Vice President for Research at the University of Georgia, will deliver the address at the graduate ceremony on May 14 at 10 a.m. in Sanford Stadium.\nSince graduating from UGA in 2009 with a degree in broadcast news from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Taylor has risen through the ranks of sports journalism and is now in her seventh season as an analyst, host and reporter for ESPN. She later returned to the university to pursue her Master of Business Administration, which she completed in May 2013.\nA native of Alpharetta, Taylor played collegiate volleyball and basketball for UGA. She was named to the All-SEC volleyball team three times and was also a member of the USA A2 National Volleyball team.\nPrior to 2012, Taylor was a reporter and host for IMG College (now Learfield IMG College) at the University of Georgia for three years. She also appeared on various studio shows including “Dawg Report,” “SEC Men’s Basketball Tonight” and “SportsNite.”\nIn 2013, she was the sideline reporter on ESPN2’s weekly Saturday night prime-time college football telecast and covered the Orange Bowl for the second year. She also served as an analyst on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Show, NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Preview Show, and ESPN’s coverage of both the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and Women’s Volleyball National Championship for the previous two years.\nTaylor became the first African American woman to co-host College GameDay Built by The Home Depot in 2017. She was also tapped as the sideline reporter for ABC’s “Saturday Night Football.” She patrolled the sidelines for the College Football Playoff and National Championship games from 2018 through 2021. She previously served as the first female host of the SEC Network’s traveling college football show, “SEC Nation.” Prior to her role on “SEC Nation,” she helped launch the SEC Network as one of three studio hosts and worked as the SEC Primetime Saturday Night college football reporter.\nTaylor also co-founded Winning Edge Leadership Academy, a nonprofit dedicated to improving networking opportunities and providing training and professional development to people of color and women pursuing careers in the sports industry. Since 2015, the academy has helped more than 40 students to become the next generation of leaders in sports business.\nLee received his B.S. in biology from Stanford University and his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Washington. With the support of the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, he completed postdoctoral fellowships in biochemistry at Washington University and in pharmacology at the University of Washington.\nFrom 1983 to 1985, he was a senior scientist at Oncogen, a pharmaceutical company that was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb during this period. In 1985, Lee joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and a faculty member in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. In 1991, he was appointed Scientific Program Leader for Cell Biology in the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and he was appointed the head of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in 1998.\nIn 2005, Lee moved to the University of Georgia to become the vice president for research and executive vice president of the UGA Research Foundation, with an appointment as a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.\nLee has overseen a period of significant growth in research activity at UGA, with the university’s total research and development expenditures increasing from just over $300 million to nearly $500 million.\nHe has encouraged the expansion of research centers, including the Willson Center for the Humanities and Arts, and championed the growth of biomedical sciences, with UGA emerging as a national leader in infectious disease research.\nUnder Lee’s leadership, UGA has developed an efficient and effective technology transfer program and has been consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top universities for the number of commercial products reaching the marketplace. In addition, Dr. Lee co-led the university’s Innovation District Task Force and serves on the Innovation District leadership team.\nHe has served on the boards of several national organizations, including the Southeastern University Research Association, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Center for BioEnergy Innovation and Oak Ridge Associated Universities. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004.\nFor guests who are deemed at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 by public health officials or would like to view Commencement ceremonies remotely, the ceremonies will be streamed live at commencement.uga.edu.\nTickets are required for all ceremonies. The university’s Clear Bag Policy will be in effect. For more information on UGA’s Commencement ceremonies, visit https://commencement.uga.edu.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Maria Taylor"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":["https://commencement.uga.edu"]},{"role":"Date","values":["on May 13 at 7:30 p.m"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["ESPN reporter and UGA alumna"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Sanford Stadium"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["be streamed live at commencement.uga.edu"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall to deliver HPU's commencement speeches","document":"HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point University announced Tuesday that Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, will deliver Commencement addresses on May 7 and May 8.\nHigh Point University said they are committed to honoring the Class of 2020 and 2021 graduates with safe, in-person Commencement Ceremonies on Friday, May 7, and Saturday, May 8, at 10 a.m. Details about each ceremony can be found here. The graduation ceremonies will be streamed live here.\nFor the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app.\nMarshall has led an illustrious career and now serves as HPU’s Sports Executive in Residence, regularly visiting campus to mentor students and hosting students at the Mavericks headquarters for externships.\n“Cynt Marshall is an incredible leader who has risen to the top of her career in multiple sectors,” said Dr. Nido Qubein, HPU president. “Her life is a testament to the fact that your present circumstances don’t determine where you’ll go, they merely determine where you start. We look forward to the extraordinary insight and experience she will share with the HPU family.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":["High Point University","HIGH POINT, N.C"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday, May 7, and Saturday, May 8, at 10 a.m"]},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team"]},{"role":"Location","values":["High Point University"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":["in-person","be streamed live"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"'Shouldn't be allowed out of bed!' Joe Biden humiliated following bizarre rambling speech","document":"We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info\nPresident Biden delivered an error-ridden speech during an appearance in Illinois where he confused names, genders and places at an event intended to raise the importance of vaccines. But his handling of the speech sparked received heavy criticism for its haphazardness and confusing direction.\nSpeaking at the event, the President mumbled names and stuttered heavily as he reeled off his thanks to various figures for their work on vaccines in Illinois.\nBut in one bizarre moment, the President says: \"Ohio... Pennsylvania... the, the, the Illinois president Don Harmon!\"\nHe adds: “Erm, erm erm, Martin Moylan... and we have got great leadership…\"\nBut Sky News Australia's Alan Jones was having none of it as he slammed \"they shouldn’t let this bloke out of bed!\".\nJUST IN Now the US teams up with Japan against EU in fresh row due to explode this week\n    He added: \"What do you think Russia and China, let alone the Taliban are saying!”\nThe mishaps were however not the only howlers in what became a totally rambling address where Mr Biden ended up branding female Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot 'Mister'.\nWhile later on, the President of the United States confused a television for a telephone when he told viewers about a conversation he had with a hospital worker.\nHe said: “Last night I was on the television, on television…\nREAD MORE Joe Biden slammed as 'utterly incoherent' even with 'assistance of an autocue'\n  “I was on the telephone with a person at an emergency hospital ward.”\nThe struggling President can then be heard to suddenly shout “where is Tim\" as his disjointed speech takes a turn for the worse.\nDON'T MISS\nEU exit fears spark mass protests in Poland [INSIGHT]Russia copied AstraZeneca vaccine to create Sputnik jab [ANALYSIS]ISIS deputy captured by Iraqi forces in huge blow [LATEST]\n  The TV host then slams \"God help us\" as he watches footage where Mr Biden continues to get names and places mixed up before making a claim about employment in the USA.\nThe President's comments follow a visit to Illinois, a state he carried in 2020 by 1,025,024-votes.\nBut his visit comes at a time when his public approval rating has nose-dived.\nRasmussen's most recent poll suggested Biden's approval rating currently stands at -12 percent as the President rides out the legacy of the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and a spiralling employment crisis in the States.\n See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive.","event_type":"Famous Person - Give a Speech","arguments":[{"role":"Speaker","values":["Biden"]},{"role":"News Release Agency","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Speaker Status","values":["President"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Illinois"]},{"role":"Ways to Watch the Speech","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"LifePoint Health purchases post-acute services company Kindred Healthcare, commits to 3-year, $1.5B investment","document":"LifePoint Health is set to acquire post-acute healthcare services company Kindred Healthcare and invest $1.5 billion over three years across the combined organization, the Tennessee-based for-profit provider announced. The purchase adds 62 long-term acute care facilities, 25 inpatient rehabilitation facilities, more than 100 acute rehabilitation facilities and two behavioral health facilities to LifePoint, which already owns and operates 87 hospitals, over 50 post-acute service providers and facilities and a few dozen outpatient facilities. The resulting organization will staff roughly 77,000 employees across the U.S. LifePoint said it expects the deal to go through during the fourth quarter of 2021, pending regulatory review and other customary closing conditions. RELATED: HCA Healthcare CFO outlines M&A growth strategy, post-COVID hurdles facing the health system Although the terms aren’t being shared immediately, the system said it anticipates providing additional information on the acquisition—including financing, organizational structures and staffing updates—prior to the close of the transaction. LifePoint did note that no COVID-19 relief funds were used to finance the purchase. By purchasing Kindred, LifePoint said it will be creating a network capable of treating patients across the continuum of care. The system’s collection of community-based hospitals and other entry points will be positioned to connect patients to Kindred’s long-term acute care, rehabilitation and behavioral health services, the system wrote. LifePoint asserted in the announcement that the combination of their services was not driven by organizational cost savings but instead reflects an effort to “improve healthcare outcomes and access without increasing costs for patients.” The company also noted it would continue Kindred’s growth strategy of partnerships and joint ventures with well-known health systems, payers and other providers as it looks to push into new regions. “Kindred’s focus on healing and hope, provided through its long-term acute care hospitals, rehabilitation centers and most recently its behavioral health services—an important and growing need across the country—is highly complementary to the current LifePoint network,” David Dill, president and CEO of LifePoint, said in a statement. “We are honored to welcome Kindred’s talented group of employees and providers into the LifePoint family. We share a commitment to partnerships to benefit patients, and together, we will advance clinical and quality excellence, make healthcare more accessible and support healthier communities.” RELATED: Optum scoops up post-acute care company NaviHealth The announcement also included word that LifePoint would be investing $1.5 billion over a three-year period across the numerous communities that fall within the combined organization’s markets. More specifically, the money will be going toward technology, digital tools and other equipment that increases local access to services; projects aimed at improving care delivery and adding new access points to care; and professional growth among employees, particularly nurses and other front-line staff, LifePoint said. “Kindred and LifePoint have highly complementary capabilities and together we will be poised to further improve patient care across the healthcare continuum,” Benjamin Breier, CEO of Kindred, said in a statement. “The combination with LifePoint also creates enhanced career development and advancement opportunities for our Kindred teammates who have been the driving force behind our mission of delivering hope and healing to the most medically complex patients. We are excited to move forward and realize the benefits of this combination for our patients and their families, our joint venture partners and our team members.” RELATED: Humana to acquire onehome in bid to expand value-based home care Founded in 1985 as Vencor, Louisville, Kentucky-based Kindred’s history includes time as a public company on the New York Stock Exchange and a slew of mergers and acquisitions to grow its service offerings. The post-acute care company went private in 2018 with its $4.1 billion joint acquisition by Humana; TPG Capital; and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. Earlier this year Humana exercised its right to break off and purchase Kindred at Home, Kindred’s home health services business, for $5.7 billion while simultaneously divesting its share of Kindred’s remaining post-acute care offerings. Brentwood, Tennessee-based LifePoint Health was similarly taken private in 2018 when it was purchased by Apollo Global Management for $5.6 billion and merged with the private equity firm’s RCCH HealthCare Partners. Apollo said at the time that the merger would create a system with revenues exceeding $8 billion. LifePoint currently operates campuses across 29 states and staffs more than 53,000 employees. It had recently agreed to sell off three of its South Carolina hospitals and other facilities employing more than 2,300 staff to Prisma Health but, due to regulatory challenges, called off that deal in April.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["care company","healthcare services","home care"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the fourth quarter of 2021","Earlier this year"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":["1.5 billion","5.7 billion"]},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Humana","LifePoint Health","Kindred Healthcare","Optum","NaviHealth","onehome","Kindred at Home","RCCH HealthCare Partners"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"NACE International, SSPC Merge to Form Association for Materials Protection and Performance","document":"To create a unified voice for the corrosion control and protective coatings industries, a new association launched Jan. 6 at a global virtual event. The new organization, the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), was formed by a merger between Houston-based NACE International, The Corrosion Society, and Pittsburgh-based SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings. AMPP’s name, logo and other brand elements were revealed at the event led by AMPP CEO, Bob Chalker and the organization’s executive leadership. “AMPP brings together the world’s leading corrosion prevention and protective coatings organizations under one umbrella,” said Chalker. “With a vision to create a safer, protected, and sustainable world, the new association will focus on the future of materials protection and performance.” With more than 40,000 members in 130 countries, AMPP consists of two governance structures — AMPP, a 501(c)(6), and AMPP Global Center, a 501(c)(3). AMPP provides services to members in the areas of certification, accreditation, membership, advocacy and public affairs and AMPP Global Center focuses on standards, technical and research activities, conferences, events, education, training, publications and pre-professional programming. “No other organization offers the depth and breadth of materials protection and performance information, standards, education, certification and contractor accreditation programming that AMPP now provides,” said Tim Bieri, chair of the AMPP board of directors and vice president for Materials & Corrosion Engineering, BP America, Houston. “Through AMPP, we will be able to raise the level of excellence of our professional community and have a greater impact on society through our expanded network of members worldwide.” “I’m looking forward to bringing together the expertise that’s been instrumental in developing standards, training, publications, and other technical resources that support our members and advance our industry,” said Joyce Wright, AMPP Global Center’s chair and trade manager for strategy and innovation, Huntington Ingalls Industries – Newport News Shipbuilding, Hampton, Virginia. “With one voice contractors, owners, craftsmen, manufacturers, corrosion experts, consultants, and industry stakeholders, will do more to protect society across the globe.” While the AMPP staff has been working together seamlessly since October, some program details such as accreditation and certification continue to evolve. For the near future, NACE and SSPC accreditations and certifications will remain as they are currently. ","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Bob Chalker"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["corrosion prevention and protective coatings"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Jan. 6"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings","NACE International","The Corrosion Society"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Turkish-backed Syrian armed groups unify forces","document":"ALEPPO, Syria — The areas controlled by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the countryside of Aleppo in northwest Syria have recently witnessed the merger of a number of factions under new names. Most recently, on May 30, three military factions of the Syrian National Army (SNA) affiliated with the FSA in the countryside of Aleppo announced their merger under the name of the First Division. The factions that merged are the Ninth Division’s Brigade 143, Brigade 111 (Northern Brigade) and Brigade 112. A statement issued by these factions read, “In the framework of this restructuring operation within the ranks of the SNA and following the approval of the FSA’s First Legion and chief of staff, we announce our complete integration under the name of the First Division operating within the ranks of the First Legion.” In this context, Capt. Abo Jalal, commander of the newly formed First Division, told Al-Monitor, “This merger affirms our commitment to strengthen and support the SNA institution to achieve more progress. It reflects our insistence on defeating crime and protecting and preserving the dignity of the Syrian people who believe in the revolution and the struggle for liberation and change.” In a parallel event May 28, three SNA factions also announced their merger under the name of the 13th Division. A statement announcing the merger read, “As part of efforts to organize the ranks of the military forces, we, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Brigade, the Semerkand Brigade and al-Wakkas Brigade, announce our complete merger under the name of the 13th Division.” Col. Ahmed Hamadeh, military analyst and defected Syrian officer, praised the integration of the SNA factions. He told Al-Monitor, “This will positively reflect on the performance of armed factions in the battlefield. The reduced number of factions and the merger of small factions under a unified command will definitely lead to a better military organization and discipline. The SNA has three legions, and each legion includes a number of factions. The less factions there are, the more centralized the decision-making process will be.” He added, “The mergers take place in coordination between the leaders of the factions and the Ministry of Defense of the opposition’s [self-styled] interim government. When the merger agreement is reached, the minister of defense issues the relevant executive order. Each faction has to implement the administrative and military procedures related to this merger.”  A military official in the Ministry of Defense of the Syrian opposition’s interim government told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The merger between the factions is an administrative and organizational restructuring process within the SNA. We first discussed this step at the beginning of this year through consultations between faction leaders and officials in the Ministry of Defense.” He noted, “We are trying to take advantage of this period of calm to rearrange the internal ranks and prepare for any upcoming confrontation or battle with more efficient performance and organization than before.\" He pointed out that the interim government’s Ministry of Defense will continue its efforts in this context and integrate more factions to facilitate their leadership, organization and control of their members and prevent any violations. Col. Mustafa Bakkour, a Syrian army defector residing in Idlib, told Al-Monitor, “The SNA makes changes from time to time within its administrative structure for several reasons. These most notably include the formation of large military groups under one leadership and with one goal. These steps aim to avoid the multiplicity of authorities, conflicting decisions and competition among leaders. [The recent mergers] are a good call.” He said, “Since its establishment, the SNA factions have been working under the supervision of the Turkish army. I believe all organizational matters and decisions taken by the factions regarding mergers and other organization steps are with the direct support and blessing of the Turkish army, which aims to develop this military opposition institution.”  The SNA controls the countryside of Aleppo, in addition to the areas of Ras al-Ain in the northwest of Hasakah province, and Tell Abyad, north of Raqqa province. On Dec. 30, 2017, the formation of the SNA was established by a military group in the Syrian opposition. On Oct. 4, 2019, the head of the opposition’s interim government, Abdul Rahman Mustafa, declared the merger of the SNA and the National Liberation Front (NLF) into one army, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defense in the interim government. Speaking to the press in Sanliurfa, Turkey, Mustafa said back then that this army seeks to free Syria from corruption, sectarianism and dictatorship, and to defend Idlib, Hama and the countryside of Latakia. He added that the unified SNA will strive to “return Syrian land to Syrians.” As of 2019, the SNA included all the factions that were affiliated with it and formed in December 2017, in addition to 11 factions of the FSA-affiliated NLF that was established in Idlib in May 2018. The merger between the SNA and the NLF brought the number of overall fighters to 80,000, according to the interim government.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 30","May 28","Oct. 4, 2019"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["the First Division","the 13th Division","the Ministry of Defense"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["the SNA","the National Liberation Front (NLF)","the Ninth Division’s Brigade 143","Brigade 111 (Northern Brigade)","Brigade 112"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"COVID-19 spurs rise in hospital mega mergers, finds Kaufman Hall","document":"The number of hospital and health system mergers and acquisitions saw a sharp decline in the first quarter of the year, but the average transaction size soared, finds new analysis from industry consultant Kaufman Hall. This trend is a reversal from Q1 2020, when COVID-19 first began to take hold in the U.S. In total, there were 13 announced deals in Q1 2021, compared to 29 in 2020. Average seller size by revenue was $676 million due to a pandemic-induced rise in \"mega mergers\" (involving two companies with over one billion dollars in annual revenue) and transactions with seller revenues between $500 million and $1 billion. The scale of Q1 transactions led to a high number of hospital facilities, 72 total, included in the announced deals. There were a number of notable transactions recorded in the first quarter. OU Health, for example, signed a letter of intent to merge with the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine to create a fully integrated academic health system. And CommonSpirit Health announced the planned sale of 14 hospitals in North Dakota and Minnesota to Essentia Health – one tertiary hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, and 13 critical access hospitals. Meanwhile, UK HealthCare and King's Daughters Health System announced a joint-venture partnership that will expand access to tertiary-level services for residents of eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio. And Aspirus Health announced its plan to acquire seven hospitals in central and northern Wisconsin from Ascension Health. Average seller size by revenue for Q1 2021, $676 million, is well above historical averages for the first quarter and for recent year-end averages, and is the third highest quarterly figure Kaufman Hall has recorded in the past decade. The average size of the quarter's transactions is also reflected in total transacted revenue for the quarter, which at $8.8 billion is second only to Q1 2018 among historical first-quarter figures. For-profit health systems were the acquirer in two of the 13 announced transactions, academics were the acquirer in three, and religiously sponsored systems were the acquirer in two. Other not-for-profit systems were the acquirer in the remaining six transactions. WHAT'S THE IMPACT? The COVID-19 pandemic has affirmed the importance of transformation and again validated the pursuit of scale. Organizations are seeing new value in diversification, whether across markets or revenue sources. LifePoint's reported pursuit of Ardent Health Services would add more densely populated suburban and urban markets in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas to LifePoint's existing, rural-focused portfolio. In this and similar cases the market activity involves partnerships with health systems that have an established presence in their local markets. The decision to partner with health systems that have an established market presence remains a key driver, as another emerging trend is the significance of local market knowledge. While smaller health systems may not have the financial scale of larger multi-state systems, they may have intellectual bandwidth and an understanding of local issues that can be significant advantages. Partnering with these systems can leverage their knowledge and facilitate growth within local markets. CommonSpirit's and Ascension's transfer of assets to local systems in the upper Midwest ensures the continued vitality of these assets under the management of a more focused and regionally driven operator, the report said. This also allows larger systems with a national presence to reallocate their time, capital and resources to markets they deem essential to their organization's future success. THE LARGER TREND While Q2 data from this year is still incomplete, the second quarter of 2020 saw a slight dip in transaction numbers, with 14 recorded transactions in Q2 2020 as compared to 19 in the same period in 2019.  For Q2 2020, the aggregate transaction value was $12.26 billion, compared to $29.31 billion in Q1 and $137.29 billion in the second quarter of 2019. Until June 30, the value of global healthcare M&A was $37.68 billion for 903 deals. Since 2015, global healthcare M&A value has increased in every year except 2017, according to S&P Global. Kaufman Hall anticipates that COVID-19's impact will continue to influence partnership, merger and acquisition activity through the remaining quarters of the year.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["health system"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["OU Health","the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine","Aspirus Health","Ascension Health"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"National Pronto Association, Automotive Distribution Network Announce Merger","document":"Headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, Pronto Automotive Distribution Network will be led by Robert Roos as president and David Prater as executive vice president. The combined organization will represent more than 250 members in North America with an estimated revenue of approximately $5 billion annually. By on The leadership of National Pronto Association and Automotive Distribution Network announced today the merger of the two organizations. As of Jan. 1, 2021, the newly formed organization will be known as the Pronto Automotive Distribution Network. Headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, Pronto Automotive Distribution Network will be led by Robert Roos as president and David Prater as executive vice president. The combined organization will represent more than 250 members in North America with an estimated revenue of approximately $5 billion annually. Members will continue to market under the Pronto, Parts Plus and Auto Pride names. In addition, Pronto Automotive Distribution Network, together with Federated Auto Parts, will comprise the Automotive Parts Services Group (The Group).  “Pronto members and staff are excited to partner with the Network team. The similarities between our two groups are significant, making the transition into one company a much easier path,” said Roos. “This merger will benefit Network and Pronto members, as well as our valued vendor partners, by increasing our membership footprint throughout North America and helping to ensure our collective future viability. In addition, the merger will enhance our position within The Group, working alongside our partners at Federated. I can’t think of a better way to start off the new year.” “By forming the Pronto Automotive Distribution Network, we will have the ability to build on past success, make a greater impact in the marketplace, and identify more ways to benefit our members, supplier partners and associates,” added Prater. “Because the aftermarket is always evolving, taking this proactive step and merging two of the major program groups will help ensure our combined membership is well positioned to compete and achieve mutual success well into the future.”","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Robert Roos","David Prater"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["the Pronto Automotive Distribution Network"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Automotive Distribution Network","National Pronto Association"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"3 local development organizations merge to create Evansville Regional Economic Partnership","document":"EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Merging the Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce and two other agencies will create a leaner, more effective organization to recruit new local jobs and investment, officials said. The new organization is to be called Evansville Regional Economic Partnership. Its area of focus is Vanderburgh, Gibson, Posey and Warrick counties. The merger is to take effect April 1. Boards of the chamber, as well as Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville and the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana, voted Friday to approve the merger. Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave, a member of the Economic Development Coalition board, cast that board’s only vote against the merger. More:More solar farm developments are migrating to Tri-State as renewable energy demand grows The new organization will have co-CEOs — Tara Barney, CEO of the Southwest Indiana Chamber, and Greg Wathen, CEO of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana. GAGE has been without a full-time leader since Ellen Horan left in early 2020. All current employees with the three organizations, 24 in total, will stay on in the same or similar roles, according to officials. The three existing groups all have offices at Innovation Pointe on Main Street. That is where the newly merged agency will work. Barney said the new partnership will bring a coordinated approach to economic development outreach. She said one person involved in the merger discussions observed that with multiple organizations playing various roles, an investor or company eyeing this region “doesn’t know whose door to knock on.” The more unified effort will be better equipped “to deliver more of what our region wants and needs,” Barney said. “We want to set this region up as a place where people want to live and stay and hopefully move to.” Officials said local economic development efforts will be more regional in scope than they have been in the past. While rooted in four Indiana counties, the newly merged organization will partner with other Hoosier communities as well as with Kentucky communities when warranted. “County boundaries are irrelevant for businesses, residents and site selectors,” said Horan, who after leaving Evansville remained a part of the merger discussions. “It’s, 'What does your region bring to the table?' This is about setting up our organizations to be more effective as a region.” An executive committee of 21 people will determine the size and makeup of the new organization’s board, which could have at least 60 seats. Barney said it will have a representation of several constituencies, including small businesses, the education sector, elected officials and others. Musgrave, who noted her past involvement with and support of all three organizations, opposed the merger because of concerns about its structure. She said the county commissioners or council appoint a total of five people — three elected officials and two private citizens — to boards of the existing agencies. The new organization “reduces the county appointees to a single Commissioner, decreasing the input of Vanderburgh County government and citizenry,” Musgrave said in a statement. More:Online sales, new menus, safety matters: What Evansville restaurant owners hope for 2021 Vanderburgh County now contributes $150,000 annually to the Economic Development Coalition and another $150,000 to GAGE. Musgrave said having three elected officials overseeing the use of those funds as board members “creates a level of confidence that public tax dollars are being used for the benefit of Vanderburgh County taxpayers, which is not replicated in the proposed merger.” Musgrave said more than 100 people serve on boards of the three current organizations, and the reduction to 60 or so on the new agency’s board “leaves talent on the sidelines” and “reduces the variety of viewpoints represented.” She also objected to the board having six annual meetings rather than 12. The Rev. Adrian Brooks, a member of the Economic Development Coalition board and former member of the Chamber board, voted yes on the merger but also called for a greater emphasis on racial and ethnic diversity by the newly formed organization. The board of the new agency needs greater diversity, and so does its staff, Brooks said. Brooks said he supports the larger goals of the merger, such as a focus on regionalism, “but because we are seeking to recruit human resources along with enterprise into our community, we have to make sure that we project a diverse community where we utilize all talents and perspectives. Otherwise we’ll never reach full potential. You can’t exclude any of the demographics within our community and expect it to reach its full potential. “I thought they were receptive, and they assured me that my concerns would be resolved in their actions,” added Brooks, who is the pastor of Memorial Baptist Church and founder of Memorial Community Development Corp. “We have a responsibility to objectively say what our concerns are and hopefully people will behave in a positive way to bring positive outcomes.” Barney said diversity is a “huge priority” of the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, and this will be reflected in the new organization’s bylaws. “We need to be very intentional in this space,” Barney said of diversity. To Musgrave’s concerns, Barney said elected officials in all four of the involved counties will have their voices heard, “and any elected leaders should count on this organization.” More than 120 community leaders took part in Friday's votes creating the merger, Barney said. More:Holcomb voices support of I-69 bridge project; Henderson, Evansville officials react A news release announcing the merger contained comments of support from Vanderburgh County Commissioner Ben Shoulders, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Warrick County Commissioner Dan Saylor and Posey County Economic Partnership Executive Director Jenna Richardt. A merger of the local Chamber, GAGE and the Economic Development Coalition has been in the planning phase for the last few months. Officials said the newly formed agency's model is patterned after ones in similar cities. Barney said a Chamber-sponsored trip by local officials to Omaha, Nebraska, in 2019 provided impetus for the merger. Advocates said the merged organization will build on work done by its predecessors and strive to advance a region that’s seen minimal growth in the last several years. “By pooling and unifying essential economic development functions into a single structure, we have an opportunity to better serve the region with a bolder vision for the future,” Wathen said.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["April 1"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["Evansville Regional Economic Partnership"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["the Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce","two other agencies"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2 Pasadena Nonprofits Serving People With Developmental Disabilities Merge","document":"The nonprofit organizations AbilityFirst and FVO Solutions have finalized their merger with the goal of improving services for Los Angeles County residents with developmental disabilities, representatives announced last week. The new organization maintains the AbilityFirst name, but now includes the job placement resources of FVO Solutions Inc., formerly known as Foothill Vocational Opportunities, AbilityFirst said in a written statement. AbilityFirst CEO Lori Gangemi said the union represented a “major milestone” and came after “thoughtful discussion and due diligence.” “There is an incredible opportunity to expand each of our exceptional services while ensuring that people with disabilities and their families have a wider access to a variety of programs that can help to transform their lives,” she said. The expanded AbilityFirst aims to extend a variety of services to more than 2,000 area families affected by developmental disability, representatives said. “Through our enhanced programs we offer people with developmental disabilities employment preparation, training, and experience needed to lead full productive lives as active members of our community,” according to Gangemi. A cornerstone of FVO Solutions’ efforts has been its “enterprising manufacturing program,” in which the organization ran a facility along Fair Oaks Avenue that manufactures three-hole paper punches in partnership with the federal government, providing jobs and experience to workers with developmental disabilities. . “Now, with FVO Solutions under AbilityFirst, the organization provides its participants with wider access to FVO Solutions’ enterprising manufacturing program, which has been renamed to AbilityFirst Manufacturing Program,” the statement said. Helping secure employment for clients is a top priority, Gangemi said. “We want to get even more people working. We really feel that workplaces should be more inclusive of people with developmental disabilities and that that’ll just benefit the whole community at large,” she said. While the merger was only recently completed, the two groups have been working together since May, according to Gangemi. The boards of directors have been consolidated, with three members of the former FVO Solutions board brought onto the AbilityFirst Board of Directors, and two more named honorary board members, she added. “We’ve seen a lot of new enthusiasm and new donors coming in, and that’s been really helpful for both the organizations,” Gangemi said.  And then added expertise. They have  people that had different types of expertise than we had., and we’ve just been able to really come together quite nicely. It makes so much sense, because we had a shared mission and we were literally a few miles apart from each other here in Pasadena.” The need for services is growing, and the merging of the two organizations will better position outreach workers to make significant, positive impacts on peoples’ lives, according to a statement from AbilityFIrst. “The merger comes at a time when the unemployment rate is at a historic high as a result of the global pandemic,” the statement said. “Nearly 80% of individuals with developmental disabilities are unemployed adding to the growing number of unemployed people in Los Angeles. The merger will help address this issue directly.” “Together, AbilityFirst and FVO Solutions are better positioned to advocate for people with developmental disabilities in Los Angeles County and support efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion,” the statement added.  “The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for many companies and nonprofits, the merger of AbilityFirst and FVO Solutions allows the two organizations to consolidate operations, maximize operational efficiency by reducing duplicate expenses, and increase service to its participants by expanding programs.” Gangemi lauded the staff for their tireless efforts throughout the pandemic. “I am just so proud of our staff and the families that we work with for responding to this challenge. Our staff immediately came up with a wide variety of really engaging, meaningful remote programs that they’re doing, not only over zoom, but some of them are over just a basic phone call or FaceTime,” she said. “We’re meeting people where they are with the technology that they have, and some of it is letter writing,” Gangemi added. “We had drive-bys where they could come through to our center parking lot and pick up the supplies that they might need.” The new organization will remain based on AbilityFirst existing headquarters on Green Street. More information about AbilityFirst is available on the organization’s website at abilityfirst.org. ","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["services to more than 2,000 area families affected by developmental disability"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last week"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["AbilityFirst"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["AbilityFirst","FVO Solutions"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Hopkinton art organizations merge","document":"HOPKINTON — Two local art nonprofits have merged after at least nine years of separate operations. Enter Stage Left Theater (ESL), a community theater arts organization established in 2006, and the Hopkinton Center for the Arts (HCA), a community arts organization opening in 2011, have merged as of Sept. 15, according to a press release from the HCA.  The merger will allow each nonprofit to better structure resources and support the other, said the center. For patrons of HCA, this means they can receive new benefits, including discounts, to performances at the Enter Stage Left Theater. The theater, a mostly volunteer organization, has been the resident theater company at HCA since 2010, producing 10 to 12 productions a year. The HCA, at 98 Hayden Rowe St., offers more than 200 classes to more than 2,000 students each year, along with more than 50 productions and exhibitions a year. In 2015, the HCA underwent a major renovation and expansion, unveiling newly renovated classrooms, a 200-seat performance space and gallery spaces within the two-story barn. The center said it will also aid Enter Stage Left Theater with administrative staff and resources. The merger was planned between both boards of directors, and was spearheaded by HCA board Chair Janet Ceddia and Enter Stage Left Theater board President Rich Gazoorian. “ESL Theater has been a key partner for the HCA since the very beginning,” said HCA Director Kelly Grill, in a statement. “Both organizations have a shared vision and core values. ESL brings incredible energy, quality programming, and a dedicated group of creative volunteers to HCA.” ","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Janet Ceddia","Rich Gazoorian"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["arts organization"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 15"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["the Hopkinton Center for the Arts (HCA)","Enter Stage Left Theater (ESL)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Valley Strong Credit Union and Solano First Federal Credit Union set to merge in July","document":"Valley Strong Credit Union and Solano First Federal Credit Union announced their merger received regulatory approval as well as approval by majority vote of the Solano First Membership. The legal merger date for the two organizations is planned to be July 1. The biggest change at that time is Solano First will become a division of Valley Strong. From a member perspective, there will be minimal impact at legal merger date. Both organizations will continue to serve its respective members “business as usual” at their branch locations as they ramp up efforts to work on Solano First being fully integrated from a systems perspective in early October. Valley Strong’s Nick Ambrosini EVP/CFO and incoming CEO, effective July 1, will be the CEO of the combined organization. Solano First President/CEO Mike Warrell will be a Market President. All current Solano First team members will continue to have employment with Valley strong if they chose. Solano First’s merger with Valley Strong represents a partnership between two organizations committed to members and the communities they serve. As the financial services landscape continues to evolve, this merger allows Solano First to expand what it offers Members such as access to more products and services, more locations throughout the state of California, reduced costs and enhanced technologies. To stay up to date with the combined organization’s merger information you can visit their respective websites at www.valleystrong.com and solanofirst.com.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Nick Ambrosini","Mike Warrell"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["financial services"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 1"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Valley Strong Credit Union","Solano First Federal Credit Union"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Cancer Vaccines Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth And Change To 2030","document":" New York, Sept. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report \"Cancer Vaccines Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth And Change To 2030\" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06151678/?utm_source=GNW 9 billion in 2020 to $5.55 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.3%. The growth is mainly due to the companies resuming their operations and adapting to the new normal while recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $9.18 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 13%.The cancer vaccines market consists of sales of vaccines used for the treatment of cancers and related services by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that produce vaccines for cancer treatment.Cancer treatment vaccines, also called therapeutic vaccines are a type of immunotherapy, which stops tumor growth, destroys cancer cells and prevents the reoccurrence of cancers.The market consists of revenue generated by the company’s manufacturing cancer vaccines by the sales of these products.The cancer vaccines market covered in this report is segmented by type into preventive cancer vaccines, therapeutic cancer vaccines. It is also segmented by technology into dendritic cells (DC) cancer vaccines, recombinant cancer vaccines, antigen/adjuvant cancer vaccines, whole cell cancer vaccines, viral vector & DNA cancer vaccines, by cancer type into prostate, cervical, colorectal, throat, others and by end-user into cancer treatment centers, research institutes.The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.Alternative treatment methods and natural remedies are increasingly becoming popular globally and this is expected to have a negative impact on the revenues of cancer vaccines manufacturing companies.Treatments in the fields of homeopathy, Ayurveda, yoga, acupuncture, sujok therapy are gaining popularity and slowly replacing some traditional hospital practices.For instance, Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient Indian system of medicine uses a range of techniques and treatments for cancer.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some nations are still responding to plant-based treatment as their main medicine source and developing nations are using the benefits of natural compounds for therapeutic purposes, which is affecting the cancer vaccine sales.Also, the global homeopathic product market is projected to reach $18.6 billion by the end of 2027. This trend is expected to continue during the forecast period and limit the demand for cancer vaccines.In May 2020, Merck, a US-based pharmaceutical company, acquired Themis Bioscience for an undisclosed amount.The acquisition is expected to complement Merck’s capabilities in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of vaccines.Themis Bioscience is a pharmaceutical company that manufactures vaccines and immune-modulatory therapies developed using the measles virus vector platform based on a vector originally.The rise in the number of cancer cases across the globe is likely to contribute to the growth of the cancer vaccines market during the forecast period. According to the American Cancer Society, there were 1,7 million new cases and 0.6 million cancer deaths in 2019 in the USA. The four most common types of cancer worldwide are lung, prostate, bowel, and female breast cancer, accounting for 43% of all the new cancer cases. Therefore, the rise in cancer incidence rate globally is anticipated to boost the demand for the cancer vaccines market over the coming years.Companies in the cancer vaccines market are increasingly investing in preventive or prophylactic vaccines for cancer prevention.Prophylactic vaccines are designed to build immunity in a patient.A prophylactic or preventative vaccine involves introducing antigens into a person’s body.According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer was reported as the second-most common cancer in women with an estimation of 84% new cases worldwide.So far, there are 3 HPV vaccines currently present for the prophylaxis of cancers.Two among these will protect against both HPV 16 and HPV 18, which causes 70% of cervical cancer and the third vaccine prevents 3 more oncogenic HPV types, which further causes 20% of cervical cancers.These three vaccines include Gardasil and Gardasil9 by Merck and Cervarix by GSK. In April 2019, Bayer, through its investment arm Leaps by Bayer, has invested in a US-based biotechnology firm Khloris Biosciences, which is focused on developing prophylactic anti-cancer vaccines.The countries covered in the market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA. ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.__________________________  Every retail investor wants to ensure a solid portfolio return. The only question is, how? The stock market produces a vast mine of data, that by its nature forms a barrier to access. Some investors take a path of low resistance, and follow one or more market legends. These legends are the giants of the investing world, people like Steven Cohen. The billionaire trader behind Point72 Asset Management has shown that he can survive the vicissitudes of Wall Street. After recovering from Federal inve The economist and adviser at Allianz SE says high inflation is here to stay. Shares of Longeveron (NASDAQ: LGVN) were skyrocketing 72.9% as of 11:51 a.m. ET on Wednesday after more than doubling earlier in the day.  An epic short squeeze appears to be underway.  Longeveron announced on Nov. 18 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a Rare Pediatric Disease designation to experimental drug Lomecel-B in treating a rare congenital heart defect. Artisan Partners, a high value-added investment management firm, published its ‘Artisan International Value Fund’ third quarter 2021 investor letter – a copy of which can be downloaded here. A return of -2.84% was recorded by its Investor Class: ARTKX, -2.82% by its Advisor Class: APDKX, and -2.79% by its Institutional Class: APHKX for the third quarter […] Pfizer Inc has sued a longtime employee for allegedly stealing \"scores\" of confidential documents, including some related to its COVID-19 vaccine, as she prepared to jump to a competitor.  In a complaint filed on Tuesday in San Diego federal court, Pfizer said Chun Xiao Li breached her confidentiality agreement by uploading more than 12,000 files without permission to her personal accounts and devices from her company-issued laptop.  The alleged materials include a Sept. 24 \"playbook\" containing internal assessments and recommendations about the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer's relationship with its German vaccine partner, and presentations related to cancer antibodies. The Dow Jones gained. Oil stocks bubbled as Joe Biden tapped reserves. The Donald Trump SPAC took a dive. A Warren Buffett stock fell. MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia has demanded that 13 foreign and mostly U.S. technology companies be officially represented on Russian soil by the end of 2021 or face possible restrictions or outright bans.  The demand, from state communications regulator Roskomnadzor late on Monday, gave few details of what exactly the companies were required to do and targeted some firms that already have Russian offices.  Foreign social media giants with more than 500,000 daily users have been obliged to open offices in Russia since a new law took effect on July 1. On Wednesday, vaccine specialist Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX) had some positive news to report.  Novavax's news is that the company has formally applied for interim authorization of its NVX-CoV2373 (Covaxin) coronavirus vaccine from the Singapore Health Sciences Authority.  This follows recent similar filings throughout the world in such jurisdictions as the U.K., Canada, and the European Union (EU). In this article, we discuss the most recent investments of Bill Gates. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of these stocks, go directly to Bill Gates Portfolio: 4 Most Recent Investments. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust manages the endowment assets of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a private foundation founded […] (Bloomberg) -- While some of Cathie Wood’s biggest stock bets have taken a beating in recent months, the founder of Ark Investment Management LLC says she’s really concerned that her investors may be heading straight for the exits on the downward momentum.Most Read from BloombergBillionaire Family Feud Puts a Century-Old Business Empire in JeopardyAsia’s Richest Man Looks to Walton Family Playbook on SuccessionThe 24-Year-Old Aiming to Dethrone Victoria’s SecretThe Winners and Losers From a Year The cryptocurrency's growing applications make it less susceptible to the interest rates. Fresh on the heels of Rocket Lab’s third successful booster recovery, CEO Peter Beck said the next step will be attempting to catch the booster mid-air using a helicopter, likely within the first half of next year.  Rocket Lab recovered the first stage of its Electron launcher during an ocean splashdown last week, after the rocket delivered two BlackSky geospatial imaging satellites to low Earth orbit.  The company stationed a helicopter near the splashdown area during that mission, but only for reconnaissance purposes. In this article, we discuss the 10 blue chip dividend stocks with over 8% yield. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of these stocks, go directly to the 5 Blue Chip Dividend Stocks with Over 8% Yield. In an era of stock volatility and soaring valuations, the advent of inflation fears has added […] In this industry analysis article, we will take a look at the 15 most valuable data companies in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis of these companies, and go directly to the 5 Most Valuable Data Companies in the World. The rapid advance of modern-day computing has created industries that many would have […] Online gaming stock Roblox (NYSE: RBLX) bounced back from a two-day sell-off on Wednesday, closing the day up 8.2% -- not quite enough to erase the losses earlier in the week, but at least lessening the pain somewhat.  Oh, sure, some analysts will tell you that growth stocks sold off this week because investors got spooked over the risk of rising interest rates in the U.S. Since Friday's close, the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury notes has risen about 9 basis points.  While you can criticize the stock's valuation and its lack of profits according to generally accepted accounting principles, Roblox is actually a pretty significant cash generator, boasting more than $615 million in positive free cash flow generated over the past 12 months. In this article, we discuss the 11 best pipeline and MLP stocks to buy. You can skip our detailed analysis of the industry and go directly to read the 5 Best Pipeline and MLP Stocks to Buy. MLPs mainly operate in the energy industry, especially in pipeline construction. In the initial months of the pandemic, […] What happened Shares of Gap (NYSE: GPS) plunged 24% on Wednesday after the retailer's third-quarter results fell well short of investors' expectations. So what Gap -- which owns Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta, in addition to its namesake brand -- saw sales slip 1% year over year to $3. 2021 has been a fantabulous year for stock investors, with the S&P 500 returning 25% year to date. But here’s the bad news: all good things must come to an end, and the clock’s ticking down to the end of 2021. But here’s the good news, too: 2022 might also be not too shabby a year for stocks. Most of Wall Street’s pros believe we’ll see between 8% and 12% growth going forward. That’s a sound return, and in line with the market’s long-term overall gains. What investors need to do now is optimize The company had earlier said R1S would begin production at the Normal, Illinois plant in December, with the first deliveries expected in January.  Rivian has now started sending emails to customers to inform them that the delivery window has been changed to between May and July at the earliest, according to media outlets InsideEVs and Electrek.  Reuters could not independently verify the information, and Rivian was not immediately available for a comment. It's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and that means people across the U.S. are looking forward to a day off on Thursday and a weekend shopping frenzy for the remainder of their time off.  Many traditional retailers have been under a lot of pressure this week, but in the e-commerce world, things have never looked better for some companies.  In particular, shares of Etsy (NASDAQ: ETSY) and Global-e Online (NASDAQ: GLBE) were both jumping on Wednesday afternoon, and investors are hoping that what the two companies have done so far is just the beginning of a much longer growth surge.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["pharmaceutical company"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 2020"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Themis Bioscience","Merck"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"A Brief History Of Gasoline: Better Things For Deader Living … Through Chemistry","document":"As we will see throughout this series, the business of adding known deadly toxins like lead to an already dangerous product like gasoline would take a special kind of amorality and disregard for human life and the environment. America’s new corporate form proved uniquely suited to such reckless commercial endeavors. Like Standard Oil, with its long years of ruthless acquisition and gross pollution, an even longer history of antipathy to human life prepared DuPont, which would come to control General Motors for more than half a century, for its next assault on the world’s living things – the manufacture and marketing of leaded gasoline. Today, we look at the chemical giant’s past and the essential prologue for great misdeed it provided. People had been blowing things up happily enough for more than a thousand years before greatly expanded use of gunpowder during the 18th and 19th centuries arrived to catapult the explosive arts forward in dramatic fashion. Central to their development and expansion were the efforts of Eleuthére Irénée du Pont de Nemours, a French émigré to America. The organization he founded was to the low explosive which came to be known as black powder (a blend of charcoal, sulfur and nitrate, or saltpeter) and its many incendiary successor — up to and including atomic bombs — what John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil was to petroleum. Today we think of the enterprise Eleuthére founded as the progenitor of toxic “forever” chemicals like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, colloquially known as C8 and not to be confused with the 8th generation Corvette,) carcinogens pervasively used in Teflon, water repellant clothing and firefighting foam, and the subject lately of numerous lawsuits. But centuries before the slow, agonizing deaths their forever chemicals inflicted, famille du Pont were busy helping people kill people as quickly as possible. Following a brief prison stay in France for his reactionary views after the French Revolution, du Pont decamped to the United States in 1799, with his politician father, Pierre Samuel, and family, where they had friends in Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, among other founding fathers who’d made their acquaintance on missions to France. Observing that the newly independent nation’s explosives industry was backward compared to that of Europe, the du Ponts, who’d learned how to make gunpowder from Antoine Lavoisier — the so-called “father of chemistry” — before his beheading during the revolution, erected three years later America’s first black powder mill. Five miles north of Wilmington, Delaware, along the shores of the Brandywine River, it was an area (and state) they’d dominate for centuries. With blossoming American demand for gunpowder –vital to guns, cannons, road and field clearing, canal excavation and mining — the du Ponts prospered mightily, supplying explosives without hesitation not just to the government of their new homeland but to anyone who was buying, including America’s opponents, the British, in the War of 1812. Above all, their fealty was to profit at any price, a regrettable trait that has characterized the company, which supplied explosives to both sides of many wars — ever since. Growing volume meant accidental explosions were rising precipitously, not just on the world’s battlefields and in its mineshafts, but at the du Pont mill. Here, sudden disasters had grown so commonplace that the mill’s main structure was redesigned to accommodate them, with the new drawings calling for three sturdy stone walls and a single, relatively frail one, made of wood. In the event of an explosion, the wooden wall would instantly blow out, allowing the release of enough tension so as to permit the three stone walls to remain standing. The fourth, after its inevitable splintering, could be more easily and cheaply replaced. This and a related but grimmer certitude – a steady death toll among du Pont (later renamed DuPont) workmen when the wall blew out, along with frequent fatalities of the many unlucky (and often careless) users of its products — were prices the family willingly became inured to paying. For the du Pont clan was in the unseemly business of blowing things up and fatal incidents were necessarily going to be a part of their world. It is tempting to say that this ready acceptance of death and dying — not to overlook governmental and public acceptance of the firm’s general lack of remorse — is central to understanding DuPont’s history and corporate character. It surely helps to answer the nagging question of what was on their minds as they transitioned from powder into dangerous chemicals, or the compound tetraethyl lead they’d help place in gasoline, or later the scourge of petrochemical-derived plastics and PFOA and PFAS, all of whose health risks were recognized early on and known to them. It also bears mentioning that the du Ponts succeeded repeatedly in having their way with the world’s environment not just because they were insensitive, selfish creeps with very thick skins, which they were, but also on account of the fact that they were tops at their game, maintaining an uncanny edge through successive generations and hundreds of years, in imagination, technique, financial results and sheer chutzpah. Building upon the family’s early American success, Eleuthére’s university-trained grandson, Lammot, advanced the family fortune by revolutionizing black powder manufacture when he learned to substitute sodium nitrate for potassium nitrate. DuPont would go on to supply almost 40 percent of all the powder the Union used in the powder-fueled and legendarily deadly Civil War. Later, Lammot crucially defied company president General Henry duPont by setting off to manufacture (as the Repauno Chemical Company) a new, still more powerful explosive invented in 1866 by the Swedish industrialist, Albert Nobel. It was called dynamite and its manufacture called for mixing hugely volatile nitroglycerin — discovered by the Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero in 1846, — with silica, to make a more malleable and easily employed paste. The entire process, from start to finish, was fraught with danger as nitroglycerin suffered the impurities that frequently attended its manufacture badly, often causing it to explode at the wrong time. While the elder du Pont didn’t care for dynamite, the market did. Paradoxically, the mind-boggling power and gruesome deadliness of its explosive force was part of the appeal. A nitroglycerin explosion instantly achieves a temperature of 3,500 degrees centigrade, making it capable of melting diamonds or causing men and other, weightier matter to disappear instantly. Such enormous strength captured the imagination of a nation busy moving mountains, building railroad tunnels and dams and drilling for oil and other mineral riches deep beneath the earth’s huge and often unyielding surface. Which is not to mention the world’s armed forces which hastened to advantage themselves with stronger explosives. Numerous firms sprung up to supply burgeoning American demand, each claiming a patent-beating formula and a name like Hercules, Ajax, Vulcan, Samson or Neptune to uniformly convey the product’s explosive force by reference to mythology. Through the years, dynamite became a generic name, even as Nobel steadily improved his own original product’s strength and safety. He achieved a major breakthrough when he discovered that nitroglycerine could be transported with improved safety if frozen. The debugging of the explosive and the temptingly huge market for it led Repauno (since incorporated into the Eastern Dynamite Co.) and a vindicated Lammot to return to the du Pont fold, bearing nitro. Black-powder’s old champion had a new product, and DuPont was prosperous and well situated enough to enter the high explosive fray in the first tier. Ironically, it was a nitro explosion that would claim Lammot du Pont’s life along with five others when an 1884 experiment to accelerate production went horribly wrong. That nitroglycerin would inevitably lead to death and human suffering was not lost on any of the players. Like an early Robert Oppenheimer renouncing the atomic bomb he’d help develop during World War II, Sobrero was horrified by his own invention and repulsed by Nobel’s refinement of it, speaking out strongly against dynamite. With three-quarters of a century of powder-making behind it, DuPont, on the other hand, was emotionally prepared for the next step in explosive force. Dynamite was immensely useful in a world gone mechanical, dependent as it was on ever-greater quantities of raw materials and energy. Railroad builders loved dynamite, and among other reasons for its growing popularity was the fact that it could be readily formed into cylindrical shapes, which were ideal for stuffing down drill holes, such as the ones used in mining and petroleum production. Demand would never slacken. The construction of the Panama Canal (which didn’t open until 1914,) to give but one example, called for over 61 million pounds of high explosives alone. Recognizing that some degree of cooperation was useful in the cut-throat international world of high explosives manufacture, DuPont arranged to ally itself contractually with the powerful Nobel-Dynamite Trust Company, Limited in 1897, as David A. Hounshell and John Kenly Smith recount in Science and Corporate Strategy: DuPont R&D, 1902- 1980. In so doing, it not only afforded itself access to superior expertise, it established a pattern of “enlightened” cooperation and orderly market sharing which would extend to the rest of the international, largely German, chemical cartel, a jovial association that an ensuing two world wars failed to extinguish. As explosives technology matured, the duPont business became less of a milling operation and more of a chemical enterprise, leading to the establishment in 1902 of the firm’s first formal research and development facility. The corporate research era had dawned and in coming years DuPont would branch out of explosives, developing expertise in dyes, paints, textiles and industrial chemicals. Lest there be any question, it was hardly giving up on explosives, actively growing and maintaining these interests into the 1990s. But it was moving on. Also in 1902, control of the hundred-year-old firm passed to three thirty-something cousins, T. Coleman, Alfred I., and Pierre S. du Pont. Purchasing it from elder relations who apparently possessed little idea of what the company earned or what it might be worth, a new generation of duPonts had arrived to, once again, drag it into a changed and arguably nastier world. Despite a lack of management experience, they short-circuited their elders’ plan to sell out to a leading powder competitor, as Ernest Dale and Charles Meloy wrote in their 1962 article Hamilton MacFarland Barksdale and the DuPont Contributions to Systematic Management, paying only $2,400 in cash, or $800 apiece for their shares, backed by $12 million in bonds. Coming with more than 4,000 acres of prime river real estate in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as the New York Times reported, it was a pretty good deal. A new corporation was formed and within three years, the cousins, following a vigorous campaign of horizontal and vertical merger, had cornered 75 percent of the U.S. explosives market and taken what historians Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., and Stephen Salsbury called “a cartel of many family firms” and transformed it into a “modern, centrally administered corporation, with its own operating, sales, and auxiliary departments.” As historian Alfred Chandler wrote, “When Pierre joined the Du Pont Company in 1890 it was a loosely-run family gunpowder establishment with assets of $13,276,213 and an annual business of 4 percent of this amount. Through his astuteness and initiative in the areas of finance and management, the next 29 years saw Du Pont grow into a giant, vertically integrated corporation with assets of $308,846,397 and an annual business of $329,121,607.” Also central to DuPont’s growth was T. Coleman’s acquisitive nature and Hamilton Barksdale, an old Repauno retainer and self-styled management expert who while rising to DuPont’s presidency would integrate the many businesses acquired in a crash program of horizontal and vertical merger by establishing the central controls which distinguished DuPont, making it the envy of other corporatists. Among other things, Barksdale is credited with the first use of the modern corporation’s general executive committee. DuPont’s product lines when the cousins arrived were still few in number: black powder (a dying business); dynamite (a growing endeavor and quite profitable) and smokeless powder (just getting going, though shortly to prove very profitable.) But the company quickly became the archetypical 20th Century American corporation — not just because it was centrally administered and tightly run by expansionist owners. Classic status was guaranteed because DuPont was almost exclusively engaged in noxious and deadly businesses. Incorporated in Delaware, the state that took the mantle from New Jersey and reset the bar —first and always lowest — in governance of soulless corporate conduct, DuPont in large measure wrote the book (as well as the laws and codes) on the use of the newly empowered corporate form to pollute, that is, to avoid personal responsibility for actions that might otherwise create liability, sometimes criminal. It has shined for more than a century as one of the seminal American corporate polluters, thanks, in large measure, to the work of this generation of duPonts and their minions. For his part, T. Coleman, the eldest cousin, served as the new corporate entity’s first president, overseeing the acquisition of more than 100 companies, including several of its powder competitors. Pierre, born in 1870, was the youngest cousin. Graduated from MIT, he came back to Brandywine to run the firm’s expanded powder operation. A strong advocate of the diversification, he’d spend much of his early career “chained to a desk,” but would assume responsibility for the new corporation’s “Experimental Station” in 1908, having by this time also become DuPont’s treasurer, as Hounshell and Smith recount in their history of DuPont’s R&D. Alfred, who is credited with dreaming up the cousins’ purchase, started as a vice president, only to fall out with his relations, whom, he felt, were venturing too incautiously into new businesses. Ironically, Alfred’s own immoderate streak — evidenced in a marriage to a divorced cousin, (one of three trips to the altar,) and his notorious and vocal attraction to lunatical right-wing political campaigns — did not smooth matters with his partners. Though they held similarly strident views, they were not as readily prepared to be causing public scenes. In 1911 Alfred duPont was relieved of any responsibility for black powder manufacture at the Brandywine yards, and by 1915 he’d leave the company entirely, unsuccessfully suing Pierre and his now seasoned younger brother, Irénée, who’d quickly sailed up the ranks. When Coleman departed in the same year to pursue political aspirations, Pierre and Irénée would together take the reins from Barksdale, who’d assumed the presidency in 1913. Alfred, angered by perceived slights from other family members, exiled himself to Florida, where he publicly allied himself with the Ku Klux Klan. Not that he was alone in his extreme views. By way of example, in a speech before the American Chemical Society in 1926, company chairman Irenée duPont advocated the creation of a race of “supermen” controlled by mind-stimulating drugs. With great excitement he related a truly scary capitalist sci-fi fantasy for the assembled. “[B]y injecting proper compounds into an individual, we can make his character to order,” he proclaimed, for the purpose of heightening worker productivity and consumption. “Such a discovery could add some 50 percent to both our hours of production and our hours of pleasure, and by its complete accomplishment would greatly decrease the cost of housing and the capital per unit of production of all those factories which today do not operate on a twenty-four hour schedule.” Of course, that was well after the du Ponts helped sabotage a League of Nations disarmament conference during WWI, but before they supported an effort to overthrow the Franklin Roosevelt government or helped fund clandestine and violent, KKK-like, racist anti-union vigilante groups like the Sentinels of the Republic or the Black Legion, which killed labor organizers at duPont-controlled GM’s Ohio and Michigan factories. One of those murdered: the Rev. Earl Little, Malcolm X’s father, whose house was burned down earlier. In the years preceding the First World War, those in Washington decrying trusts had naturally turned on the “powder trust” DuPont now constituted. Huge income from powder (as many different varieties of explosives were then generically known) afforded DuPont numerous paths to diversification, however, in the period 1911-1921, an impulse tweaked when a federal prosecution begun four years earlier ended in DuPont’s 1913 conviction for restraint of trade in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The verdict forced it to break its black powder and dynamite business into three separate explosives entities, DuPont, Hercules and Atlas. As Pierre’s younger brother Lammot would later remark, dissolution “was a very powerful influence for branching out into other fields. “ Which they did, as Ernest and Meloy recount, under Barksdale’s watchful eye, the three explosives firms — separate on paper — continued to be enormously profitable for primary shareholders, who overwhelmingly remained the members of a family named… duPont. The following year, however, Pierre S. acquired his cousin T. Coleman’s many shares in DuPont, the elder cousin going on to become a United States Senator from Delaware and a leading light in the Republican National Committee. Serendipitously for Pierre and Irénée, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand meant World I would follow closely on the heels of this investment. Meaning there were suddenly even huger profits to be realized in smokeless powder, while at the same time there appeared to be a markedly diminished government interest in harassing monopolists with whom it now wished to conduct big business, like this maker of smokeless powder. DuPont, which had begun to diversify and even briefly planned on putting all its powder work into one plant, suddenly found itself expanding its facilities, from which it would go on to supply forty percent of all Allied munitions used in the Great War. Like Standard Oil, Dupont found military contracting in time of war worked well to first call off, then quarantine the dogs of government intrusion. It cannot be gainsaid, DuPont’s military custom increased at a furious rate, multiplying 276 times during the War. Sales and profits skyrocketed from $25.2 million and $5.6 million in 1914, to $131.1 million and $57.4 in net earnings in 1915, to $318 million in sales, with profits of over $82 million in 1916 – more than $2 billion today and more than the combined totals for all the years since the younger generation took the business over, fourteen years earlier. Between 1915 and 1918, employment at DuPont rose from 5,300 to 85,000, per Pap Ndiaye’s Nylon and Bombs: DuPont and the March of Modern America, while its profit through World War I totaled $250 million or activity equivalent to more than 126 years of its previous peacetime business. Before the War, the American firm had been on better than cordial terms with the German chemical industry, its longstanding alliance with the Nobel alliance pointing the way. But with the Royal Navy’s blockade of Germany, DuPont was presented with a rare opportunity to grow its chemical business by stepping into fields suddenly vacated by German firms. It could not resist. Sidelining the earlier idea of diversifying through homespun expertise in nitrocellulose as used in explosives, DuPont chose instead to forge headfirst into the vast unknown world of dyestuffs and related organic chemicals, for which major demand existed. DuPont had depended on Germany for diphenylamine – a component in smokeless powder but also an important dye intermediate. Now they’d be forced to learn to make diphenylamine themselves. Understandably, they wondered, why not make the dyes, too? DuPont’s dye factory, the Chambers Works — named after A.D. Chambers, who wrote the first internal report arguing for entry into the dyestuff market in 1915 — was erected in 1917. Over the course of the next several years it proceeded to answer the question why they shouldn’t have made dyes themselves. Built at DuPont’s new, 1,440-acre facility at Deepwater, N.J., along the Delaware River, in Carney’s Point, not far from Penn’s Grove, (the river town actor Bruce Willis once planned to save,) the Delaware Memorial Bridge and Wilmington, DE, Deepwater consistently lost money, making the location aptly named, historian David Hounshell and John Kenly Smith have observed, at least in its early years. Before long, the emergence and commercialization of two new products, tetra-ethyl lead and the refrigerant Freon, both of which were manufactured at Deepwater, would reverse the site’s financial fortunes, sending it reliably into the black while forever immortalizing it in the annals of corporate shame. Building a dye business from the ground up didn’t prove near so easy as the DuPonts had hoped, taxing their organization mightily. Still, when WWI ended, the company was enormously flush, and delighted that under the terms of Germany’s surrender, American industry was permitted to rifle through the files of the vanquished country’s leading industrial firms, free to pluck their chemical and manufacturing patents and secrets as victor’s spoils. The DuPont organization’s allegiance to its German competitors had not wavered during the war, however. The expectation and the reality were that close and coordinated relations could and would be resumed at the War’s end. At that time, a fair division of the world market could be concluded, with trade secrets freely exchanged in the purest warm and fuzzy spirit of mutual admiration and advantage. In the meantime, the reigning duPonts had decided the way to grow was to acquire more going concerns and inject into them their organization’s increasingly celebrated managerial and R&D magic. The advanced familiarity with organic chemistry acquired in the dye business led to the formation of an Organic Chemicals Department, as Hounshell and Smith recount, which would later help make leaded gasoline and Freon possible. In later years, DuPont would make billions and become one of the world’s largest chemical companies with discoveries in the new petroleum-based chemistry that would displace coal-based research, bringing to market synthetic fibers like nylon and rayon. But that would be many years after the riches of war allowed duPont interests to buy into in Billy Durant’s General Motors. The goal of Barksdale’s executive committee concept had been to prevent control of the corporation in one duPont’s hands, but ultimately power at the corporation rested in two sets of hands, those of Pierre and Irénée. Not only could they overrule the executive committee on relatively small matters, such as the firm’s uneconomic move some years later from Wilmington to the Empire State Building, a premium money-losing enterprise in which both Pierre and his one-time deputy John Jakob Raskob had invested. Often, the brothers would make really big decisions on their own, too, like moving the company into the automobile business, on their own, though Raskob, who’d begun as Pierre’s personal secretary in 1901 and ascended to become DuPont’s treasurer, then vice president of finance, was never far away. The company’s first entry into the new field of automobiles, still viewed as a dubious enterprise by many in the financial community, occurred in 1909, when it purchased the Fabrikoid Company of Newburgh, New York, the country’s largest maker of artificial leather, a material used in automotive seating. The purchase nominally sought to take advantage of DuPont’s surplus nitrocellulose capacity, but it brought the company closer to an industry that was to become the 20th Century’s largest.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["maker of artificial leather"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1909"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["DuPont","the Fabrikoid Company"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:","document":"UPDATED 15:19 EST / AUGUST 27 2021                                                by Maria Deutscher Cybersecurity provider IronNet Inc. today announced that it has completed its merger with special-purpose acquisition company LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. and is now publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. IronNet was founded in 2014 by former National Security Agency director General (Ret.) Keith Alexander. The company provides a cybersecurity platform that uses artificial intelligence to detect malicious activity. The platform also includes features that allow cybersecurity analysts to investigate breaches surfaced by the AI, map out the full scope of an incident and then take action to address the issue. IronNet uses an approach called Collective Defense to help information technology teams respond to cyberattacks more effectively. Collective Defense allows a group of organizations to share data with one another about new cyberthreats they encounter. If one of the organizations in the group is targeted by a previously unknown hacking tactic, it can share information on the cyberattack with the other members so they can prepare their network defenses accordingly. IronNet displays intelligence on threats in a visual dashboard that allows cybersecurity analysts to find compromised systems with point and click commands. An analyst can, for example, select their company’s Microsoft Access deployment in the dashboard to identify if there have been any hacking attempts targeting the system. They can access threat intelligence collected via IronNet’s Collective Defense technology in the same way.  IronNet’s platform is used by organizations in areas such as financial services, healthcare, telecommunications and energy. The company also has a presence in the commercial space sector. In July, IronNet launched Collective Defense Community for Space, which enables commercial space companies to share intelligence on cyber threats with one another. IronNet raised gross proceedings of approximately $136.7 million through the newly completed merger with LGL Systems Acquisition. The company will use the capital to support growth initiatives. Mergers with special-purpose acquisition companies, or SPAC mergers as such deals are commonly known, have in recent years become a popular way for tech firms to list their shares.  A SPAC is an organization set up by investors specifically to take another business public. The SPAC lists on a stock exchange through an initial public offering and uses the proceeds from the listing to buy an established private company. Once the deal is completed, the private company becomes publicly traded. IronNet is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IRNT. ","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["Cybersecurity","commercial space"]},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["IronNet Inc","LGL Systems Acquisition Corp"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two Sarasota architecture groups merge and hire former museum director","document":"Anne-Marie Russell, former executive director of the Sarasota Art Museum, is hired as the leader of combined new architecture organization Jay Handelman   | Sarasota Herald-Tribune Two organizations that have separately worked to promote greater appreciation for the history of architecture in Sarasota and its internationally recognized designs are merging into one called Architecture Sarasota. The Sarasota Architectural Foundation and the Center For Architecture Sarasota announced this week they are combining their operations and similar missions and have hired Anne-Marie Russell as the first executive director. Russell stepped down this month after six years as founding executive director and chief curator of the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College. Russell announced her plan to leave the museum in November.  More: Departing Sarasota Art Museum official sets path for future She will now be tasked with building on the roots of both organizations. The Center for Architecture operates an exhibition space in the historic Scott Building on Orange Avenue in downtown Sarasota, which will serve as the headquarters for the new organization. SAF is probably best known for its annual Sarasota MOD Weekend. SAF was founded in 2002 with a mission to increase awareness of the Sarasota School of Architecture, “helping to preserve or rehabilitate its irreplaceable buildings and demonstrating its relevance to the contemporary built environment.” CFAS was launched in 2013 “to provide a forum for today’s designers and to educate and to connect Sarasota with the rest of the design world.” Russell said the merger makes sense because of the “shared interest and shared mission of both organizations. They are already super aligned. There is one aspect that stewards the legacy of and produces scholarship around the Sarasota School of Architecture. And another aspect is to carry on the lessons, the ethics and aesthetics of the Sarasota School through to current practitioners.”","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Anne-Marie Russell"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["architecture"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["Architecture Sarasota"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Jay Handelman   | Sarasota Herald-Tribune"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Trade organizations for convenience stores and petroleum marketers announce merger","document":"The Ohio Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association and Ohio Association of Convenience Stores will merge into one organization. The merger, which takes effect in January, will create the Ohio Energy and Convenience Association (OECA). “We are thrilled the members of the Ohio Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association (OPMCA) endorsed the merger with the Ohio Association of Convenience Stores (OACS),\" said Ryan Howard, chief operating officer for Truenorth gas stations and board chairman for OPMCA. \"This monumental merger will allow the industry to speak with a single, unified voice about top priorities in a changing paradigm. Together, we will become a more forceful advocate for Ohio’s energy and convenience industry.\" Instead of one organization representing gas stations with convenience stores and another organization representing standalone convenience stores, the single organization will represent both types of entities. \"We rolled up our sleeves and mapped out a modern organization to promote public policy initiatives that will accelerate long-term industry growth,” said Jeff Erb, general manager of Saneholtz-McKarns convenience stores, president of the OACS board of directors and member of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants board of directors. The new organization will be an affiliate member of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants. The council will manage the day-to-day operations of the association. \"The energy and convenience industry is vital to our state’s economy and is essential for all Ohioans. The council is eager to serve this new, forward-looking group,\" said Gordon Gough, president and CEO, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Gordon Gough"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["Ohio’s energy and convenience industry"]},{"role":"Date","values":["January"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["Ohio Energy and Convenience Association (OECA)"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["The Ohio Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association","Ohio Association of Convenience Stores"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Axios And The Athletic May Merge Their Digital Media Brands","document":"Axios and The Athletic have held serious discussions in recent days about a merger of their digital operations, the Wall Street Journal reported. No financial terms were revealed in the account of the talks, but part of the talks is said to include a scenario in which the companies would anchor a portfolio of digital brands. That entity would then seek to go public via a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, a popular investment vehicle also known as a “blank-check” company. Both organizations have gained prominence a few short years after their founding, but via distinctly different routes. Axios, whose main focus is politics but also includes business and other categories, was launched in 2016 by former Politico staffers Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz. The company relied on free newsletters and online news to establish its brand, making money on events and, eventually, a TV deal with HBO. It has recently invested in local news sites.  Discovery Streaming And International CEO JB Perrette On Sports Missteps, Bundling Strategies And European Dynamics The company had more than $60 million in revenue last year and was profitable, the Journal said. The Athletic, by contrast, has emphasized subscriptions. The sports news organization has attracted more than 1 million subscribers to its $8-a-month service. As newspapers, magazines and now many digital outlets have hit rocky times and laid off staff, The Athletic has hired much of that talent, mounting a digital version of the once-fat sports sections of local papers. The bet that sports readers will be willing to pay to keep reading their favorites and get the latest scoop on their teams appears to have paid off in terms of valuation. A recent fundraising round valued the company at $475 million and it has raised $139.5 million in start-up funds to date, per the Journal. If combined, the two entities see potential for selling subscription products at higher rates to business clients, the report said. That could enable a larger entity to be less vulnerable to volatility in the advertising market. The strain of battling tech titans like Facebook and Google for a share of ad revenue has hit several former rising digital stars, resulting in a wave of consolidation in the past couple of years.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["news organization"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Axios","The Athletic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"IOGAWV and WVONGA to merge as one organization","document":"/ Updated: Dec 7, 2020 / 03:02 PM EST CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two West Virginia natural resource associations have announced that they are merging into one organization. According to the release, members of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia (IOGAWV) and West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association (WVONGA) voted to merge into one entity — the Gas and Oil Association of WV (GO-WV). “The natural gas industry and our state are stronger today than they were yesterday,” IOGAWV Board President Ben Sullivan said. “With the merger of these two great associations, the industry is better positioned now to advocate for public policy that will help grow this vital industry. We also have a singularly focused voice when it comes to publicizing our industry’s positive economic and environmental impact on this state, region, and nation. As our individual member companies are doing with their businesses, GO-WV will create operational efficiencies and savings at a time where commodity prices are depressed.” Officials explained that with the merger approved, a newly formed GO-WV board will work throughout the next few months to craft a new brand, consolidate offices and identify its agenda for the upcoming 2021 legislative session. IOGAWV Executive Director Charlie Burd will now become GO-WV’s executive director. “This is a historic moment,” said WVONGA Board President Thomas Westfall. “We celebrate and embrace this new association as we combine the strengths of two influential groups into one dynamic and powerful organization. In 2021, GO-WV will bring renewed vitality as we advance our state’s economy. The merger also provides a unique opportunity for sharing best safety and environmental practices across industry sectors.” This industry employs thousands in West Virginia and is responsible for more than $4 billion in state severance and property tax revenue since 2008. “West Virginia is blessed with enough gas for generations into the future,” Burd said. “This region helps provide natural gas to power plants, manufacturing facilities, and fertilizer to our farmers. Natural gas also is Earth’s cleanest burning fossil fuel. It provides affordable energy, reduces carbon dioxide emissions, and helps to create local manufacturing jobs.”","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Charlie Burd"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["natural gas industry"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["Gas and Oil Association of WV (GO-WV)"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association (WVONGA)","Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia (IOGAWV)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Hazon and Pearlstone Announce Merger; Jakir Manela Named As New CEO","document":"Becky O'Brien July 8, 2021 News Comments Off on Hazon and Pearlstone Announce Merger; Jakir Manela Named As New CEO Hazon, the largest faith-based environmental organization in the U.S., and Pearlstone, one of the largest Jewish retreat centers and Jewish outdoor education sites in North America, announced today that their boards of directors have unanimously approved a proposal to merge the two organizations, with Jakir Manela serving as the inaugural CEO. This impactful new organization will lead the JOFEE (Jewish Outdoor Food Farming & Environmental Education) movement and the field of Jewish retreating for years to come. The new national organization will be called Hazon, with Pearlstone serving as national headquarters based in Baltimore and with offices in New York and additional major impact hubs at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut and Hazon in Detroit. Both Pearlstone and Hazon have struck a deep chord engaging young children to senior citizens in immersive experiences integrating Jewish wisdom and inspiration, food and farm, song and spirit, community, sustainability, and justice. The shared mission is to lead a transformative movement deeply weaving sustainability into the fabric of Jewish life, in order to create a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable world for all. Through its own programs and a wide range of strategic partnerships, the merged organization will work to catalyze culture change locally, nationally, and globally. The combined organization will manage an estimated $12 million budget, over 200 staff, and will directly engage nearly 50,000 program participants annually. The merger is not premised on any job losses, and after extensive due diligence with our merger consultants at La Piana, leadership from both organizations expect the combined entity to be more impactful with integrated staff, systems, and programming. The first board chair will be Marina Lewin of New York and the vice chair will be Aaron Max of Baltimore. Nigel Savage The idea for this merger arose as Nigel Savage, Hazon’s founder and CEO, told the Hazon board in the summer of 2020 that he wanted to step down as CEO by August 2021. “Nigel founded Hazon 21 years ago, and under his leadership Hazon has steadily grown, evolved and thrived” says Marina Lewin, board chair of Hazon. “He steps down as CEO with our great gratitude, and great blessings for the future.” And at this point in Hazon’s history, we are delighted to welcome Jakir Manela, one of the outstanding leaders of this generation, as our next CEO. In his hands, the combined organization is entering the post-Covid era with a stable and growing team, strong programmatic momentum, growing revenues, and in solid financial shape.” Emile Bendit, Pearlstone’s board chair, said, “It is clear that Pearlstone and Hazon have deeply shared values, vision, mission, and culture. We have felt great resonance and alignment throughout the merger exploration and negotiations process, and we are all truly thrilled to see this merger come to fruition.” Jakir Manela Prior to becoming the Executive Director of Pearlstone in 2012, Jakir Manela was a recognized leader in the Jewish sustainability movement. Manela was trained at Isabella Freedman as a Teva Jewish outdoor environmental educator and then went on to launch Kayam Farm at Pearlstone in 2007. “Teva, Isabella Freedman, Hazon, and Pearlstone have changed my life in profound ways, and I’m now deeply inspired to help lead a movement that can change many more lives now and into the future.” says incoming CEO, Jakir Manela. “The JOFEE movement (Jewish Outdoor, Food, Farming & Environmental Education) is truly one of the most powerful forces in American Jewish life today, and together we are poised for exponential impact and culture change moving forward. None of this would be possible without Nigel’s visionary leadership, and I’m honored to take over the leadership of Hazon from someone who’s been a friend, a partner and a mentor for many years.” In a joint statement, founders Richie Pearlstone & Josh Fidler, past board chair P.J. Pearlstone, and President & CEO of the Associated Jewish Community of Baltimore, Marc Terrill, said: “We’ve watched Pearlstone go from an idea to a retreat center to a thriving institution that we have long believed has significance beyond the boundaries of the Baltimore Jewish community. We are thrilled that Pearlstone will now be the home of what we expect and intend will become one of the most exciting institutions in American Jewish life in the coming decade and beyond.” Nigel Savage, Hazon’s outgoing CEO, said, “I’m obviously deeply committed to Hazon. I’ve been to many retreats at Pearlstone and have watched it grow and thrive under Jakir’s leadership. I believe strongly in this merger, and it has been my very great pleasure to say privately to both boards and both staffs, and now very publicly, that I am simply thrilled that Jakir will be CEO of this new merged enterprise. I have known him, admired him and respected him for twenty years, and he has my full and complete support, now and in the future.” Nigel Savage will continue in a new part-time role with Hazon, based in Israel starting in January 2022. Beginning August 1, 2021, Jakir Manela will assume leadership in working with each board and staff to maximize our collective impact, begin operational integration, and work towards final merger closing in 2022.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":["not premised on any job losses"]},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Jakir Manela"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["JOFEE (Jewish Outdoor Food Farming & Environmental Education) movement and the field of Jewish retreating"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2022"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["Hazon"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Hazon","Pearlstone Announce"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Beaumont-Spectrum merger takes another forward step with formal integration agreement","document":"COVID-19 cases have spiked among children especially those under 12 who are unvaccinated. Here’s how to protect them. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health announced Thursday that they've signed a formal integration agreement, another step forward in a megamerger that would combine two of the state's largest hospital systems into a single massive operation. The new health system, temporarily to be named the BHSH System, would employ 64,000 people and operate 22 hospitals spanning the state.  The deal is to include Priority Health, an insurance plan that enrolls 1.2 million people under the Spectrum Health umbrella and which claims to be the fastest growing and second largest in Michigan.  More: Beaumont and Spectrum Health plan to merge, forming Michigan's biggest health system The health systems entered talks to merge in June, triggering state and federal regulatory review. “This is an important step forward to bring together our organizations to create a new system that improves the health of individuals throughout the state,\" said Beaumont Health President and CEO John Fox in a statement. \"We continue to receive positive feedback about what our teams can do together, and we are excited about the future.” As part of the deal, Fox will leave Beaumont, and Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Spectrum Health, will lead the newly merged health system.  More: Proposed Beaumont-Spectrum merger is like a marriage, experts say. This one might work. “We have worked together to develop a deeper understanding of each organization. I greatly appreciate the efforts of our teams, and I remain confident that together we will create an optimal health system,\" Freese Decker said in a statement.  The Federal Trade Commission reviews mergers of hospitals and physician groups to uphold antitrust laws, encouraging competition to drive down costs, improve care and foster innovation. The Department of Justice similarly reviews mergers of insurance plans. Both federal agencies have ruled against mergers in the recent past. In 2020, the FTC challenged at least five such deals,  Becker's Hospital Review  reported. If the plan passes regulatory reviews, the BHSH System is to have dual headquarters in Grand Rapids and Southfield. Beaumont and Spectrum hope to complete the deal this fall.  \"There are no overlapping areas in our market, and so there are no intentions right now of any closures for hospitals or services as a result of this integration,\" Freese Decker said in June, when talks of the merger began. \"In fact, we want to make sure we can continue to grow our services and so I expect things to continue as they are right now. \"I'm very confident that this combination to create a new health system would be very favorable to our state,\" Freese Decker said, noting that the health systems are not competitors based on the markets they serve, and only one health insurance plan will be involved in the creation of the entirely new nonprofit health system within Michigan.  Southfield-based Beaumont brings to the merger eight hospitals and about 33,000 employees in southeastern Michigan. It has 3,375 hospital beds, 155 outpatient sites and net revenue of $4.6 billion.  Grand Rapids-based Spectrum Health has 31,000 employees and 14 hospitals in western Michigan. It has 2,573 hospital beds, 150 outpatient sites and net revenue of $8.3 billion.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Tina Freese Decker"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["health systems"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["BHSH System"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Spectrum Health","Beaumont Health"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Citrus County Fire, Nature Coast EMS to merge starting Oct. 1","document":"As of Oct. 1, Nature Coast EMS and the Citrus County Fire Department will be merging. (Spectrum Bay News 9/Katya Guillaume) Citrus County Fire, Nature Coast EMS to merge starting Oct. 1 By Katya Guillaume Citrus County PUBLISHED 9:23 PM ET Sep. 18, 2021 PUBLISHED September 18, 2021 @9:23 PM  CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — Starting Oct. 1, Citrus County Nature Coast EMS and the Citrus County Fire Department will merge together as one county department.  What You Need To Know  Citrus County Nature Coast EMS and the Citrus County Fire Department are merging, effective Oct. 1  Proponents of the move say it will mean better continuity of care and better pay for EMT's Once the merger happens, Nature Coast employees will have to re-apply for their current positions Initially, Nature Coast EMS requested additional funds from the county government to help with wages, but the county responded by canceling the stand-alone nonprofit organization and combining it with the county's fire department.  “It was a surprise that it was going to happen so soon,\" said EMS professional development and outreach Battalion Chief Dan Brady. \"They gave us about 16 days to merge with fire rescue, but we have a great relationship with all of the people who work for fire rescue so there’s definitely going to be some speed bumps and some hiccups, but it’s going to be a good thing.”  And officials say it won't only be a good thing for employees, but for Citrus County residents as well.  “It brings continuity to patient care,\" said Citrus County Fire Chief Craig Stevens. \"First and foremost we want to make sure that we provide the best patient care to our residents and our visitors in Citrus county, and you have to have continuity with that.” The merger will also give paramedics and EMT's the salary bump they've been asking the county for for years. “That was the biggest struggle was getting the proper funding and everything will come under the county so they’ll be able to fix things quicker and get things squared away,” Brady said. Nature Coast employees currently make significantly less than EMT's and paramedics in surrounding counties. “Our plan to bring over to Nature Coast if they choose to apply for the positions with the county at the starting wage that Nature Coast was promising them with the increases and then of course most importantly is the benefits,” Stevens said.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["county department"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Oct. 1"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Nature Coast EMS","the Citrus County Fire Department"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Florida-based health care systems merge to create 'Empath Health'","document":"Although Empath Health is the new brand identity, corporate naming for the new organizations is still being decided. The two legacy hospices — Tidewell Hospice and Suncoast Hospice — will continue to operate under their existing brands.  Stratum Health System was created in 2015 as a not-for-profit health care network to support Tidewell Hospice, specializing in end-of-life and palliative care for people living with advanced illness and their families. Empath Health began in 1977 as Suncoast Hospice and has since grown to cater to pediatric patients, aging seniors and clients with HIV/AIDS.  Together, the two organizations will create a bridge between chronic, advanced and terminal care for its patients, executives said.  \"Our colleagues have a gift for connecting with those we serve, for entering into another person’s experience and bringing ease, care, and of course, empathy,\" Empath president President Jonathan Fleece said. \"The name 'Empath Health' feels like a natural progression for the Stratum colleagues because it is a name they have always embodied, and it now is a name they are proud to wear.\"","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["legacy hospices"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["Empath Health"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Tidewell Hospice","Suncoast Hospice"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two Sarasota Philanthropic Educational Organization chapters merge","document":"Chapters CE and CY realized that they would be stronger together and recently formed a merger. The group celebrated the merger at the newly renovated Phillippi Park Gazebo. The theme was “Chapters CE-CY Sailing Together.”  Since 1869, P.E.O. has helped more than 113,000 women pursue educational goals by providing over $366 million in grants, scholarships, awards and loans and the stewardship of Cottey College. Through membership, the P.E.O. sisterhood has brought together more than a half a million women who are passionate about helping women advance through education.","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":null},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["helping women advance through education"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Acquirer","values":null},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Chapters CE"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"5 things to know about Point32Health","document":"The entity that resulted from the merger of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care will officially be known as Point32Health, the insurers announced Wednesday. Here are things to note about the name and the organization's goals: The name is inspired \"by the 32 points on a compass\" and \"represents the role the organization plays in guiding and empowering its members and making a meaningful impact across the health care industry,\" according to a press release . The health plans, which merged in January, will serve about 2.2 million members across New England. Tom Croswell, the former president and CEO of Tufts Health Plan, is Point32Health's CEO, but... Cain Hayes, the president and CEO of the Pittsburgh-headquartered managed care organization Gateway Health, plans to step into that role July 5 . Despite the new name for the parent organization, the company said both the Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim brands \"will continue to appear in the marketplace for the foreseeable future.\" ","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Tom Croswell"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["health care industry"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["Point32Health"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Tufts Health Plan","Harvard Pilgrim Health Care"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Faraday Future Announces New Global Online-to-Offline (O2O) Direct Sales Organization and the First FF U.S. Sales Partner Following the Recent Signing of its Merger Agreement with Property Solutions Acquisition Corp. (PSAC)","document":"Faraday Future Announces New Global Online-to-Offline (O2O) Direct Sales Organization and the First FF U.S. Sales Partner Following the Recent Signing of its Merger Agreement with Property Solutions Acquisition Corp. (PSAC) Christian Gobber, Former Regional CEO at Maserati, leads Faraday Future’s Global Sales Strategy Faraday Future Signs Florida-based Jolta as First Sales Partner in the U.S., Establishing the First EV-Exclusive Retail Network FF will also Utilize China Harmony Group, a Leading Comprehensive Automobile Service Group in China Faraday Future will Bring to Market its FF 91 Using a Direct Sales Model Leveraging its Online Platform (APP, FF.com), Company-Owned Stores, as well as Partner-Owned Stores and Showrooms  April 14, 2021 08:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time LOS ANGELES--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Faraday Future (“FF”), a California-based global shared intelligent mobility ecosystem company, today announced its new global online-to-offline (O2O) direct sales organization, strategy, and sales partners, which will be led by Christian Gobber, Vice President, O2O Sales, User Ecosystem. Mr. Gobber is responsible for developing and executing the online to offline commercial strategy of FF. Mr. Gobber will be supported in China by FF China Chief Marketing Officer Morris Gao, former head of product and sales of Maserati China. FF will go-to-market using a direct sales model leveraging its online platforms (APP, FF.com), FF-owned stores, as well as partner-owned stores and showrooms for an asset-light sales network expansion. Having its own distribution network will allow FF to provide a seamless user experience and enable the company to deliver the highest level of price transparency to its users. As an FF distribution partner, Jolta locations will support FF’s online-to-offline direct sales model, vehicle delivery, charging, service, and other user operations activities. FF is targeting a future retail presence in the 20 top cities around the world. To date, the company has signed memoranda of understanding with sales partners including Jolta in the U.S., and China Harmony New Energy Auto Holding Limited (Harmony Group) in China, among others. Jolta is the first-ever electric vehicle “EV” dealership in the U.S., and Jolta’s EV dealership network plans to cover 15+ major U.S. cities by 2025 and 30+ by 2030. Harmony Group is a leading comprehensive automobile service group in China, which specializes in luxury and super luxury car brands sales and after-sales service, including Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati, BMW, Land Rover, etc. As of June 2020, Harmony Group has a total of 75 dealership outlets, covering 36 cities across China. As a testament to its confidence and commitment to FF, Harmony Group has also been a part of the PIPE investment group supporting FF along with other key mobility players in China. To provide FF users with a high level of after-sales and service resources, FF has also partnered with Formel D, one of the leading global after-sales providers, which has more than 10,000 employees and considerable experience in the industry. Mr. Gobber will be responsible for developing and executing the O2O commercial strategy of FF. Mr. Gobber is a luxury automotive executive with extensive experience in key global markets. Notably, he introduced Maserati to the Chinese market and in a nine-year period, turned it into the second largest market by volume and the first by profit. He later moved to the U.S. where he served as CEO of Maserati America during the introduction of the Levante SUV. In addition to the regional CEO roles in China and the U.S., Mr. Gobber held the position of global head of sales and after-sales, overseeing all commercial operations of Maserati’s subsidiaries. Prior to Maserati, he started his career in marketing at P&G and worked at Ducati. “I’m excited to lead the global O2O direct sales team as the company redefines the luxury EV market with the launch of our FF 91 flagship model,” said Gobber. “We expect to exceed our competition across every EV category, and our unique sales model allows us to fully capitalize on our U.S.-China dual-home market strategy.” “Christian and Morris bring their remarkable luxury automotive experience in the global markets which will be instrumental in driving sales for FF,” said Dr. Carsten Breitfeld, Global CEO of FF. “Establishing the new global O2O sales organization will be an important milestone to the FF sales system, which will effectively promote the realization of our unique and industry-leading sales concept.” FF is currently preparing to merge with Property Solutions Acquisition Corp. (“PSAC”) (NASDAQ: PSAC), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The previously announced merger agreement, expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, will result in the combined company listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the new ticker symbol “FFIE.” FF’s flagship electric vehicle (“EV”) – FF 91 – is planned to be launched within 12 months of the closing of the merger. As the only next-gen intelligent internet EV product, FF’s flagship EV, FF 91 will deliver a unique intelligent Internet electric mobility experience which combines extreme technology, ultimate user-experience, and a holistic ecosystem. Featuring an industry-leading 1,050 horsepower, and a 130-kWh battery with submerged liquid cooling technology, FF 91 achieves 0-60 mph in less than 2.4 seconds. Combined with a unique rear-seat intelligent Internet system, FF 91 delivers internet connectivity at high speed via its super mobile AP, achieves the industry's largest reclining seat angle of 60 degrees through its zero-gravity rear seats, and provides a revolutionary user experience designed to create a mobile, connected, intelligent, and luxurious third Internet living space and user mobility ecosystem platform. ","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Christian Gobber"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["global shared intelligent mobility ecosystem company"]},{"role":"Date","values":["in the second quarter of 2021"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["“FFIE."]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Faraday Future","Property Solutions Acquisition Corp. (PSAC)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Acosta and The CORE Group merge to form CORE Foodservice","document":"Jacksonville, Fla. (June 2, 2021) — Acosta BB #:197941 and The CORE Group, one of the most progressive foodservice sales agencies in North America, announce the creation of a reimagined, best-in-class North American agency focused on providing solutions for the foodservice industry’s new operating environment. This new business, CORE Foodservice, will bring together industry-leading capabilities from both Acosta and The CORE Group, creating a strategically resourced organization designed to meet the requirements of new customer behaviors and expectations. “This new business will become one of the centerpieces in the Acosta family of companies. CORE Foodservice will complement and leverage Acosta’s industry-leading retail sales and marketing capabilities to provide our clients with a powerful suite of progressive brand-building solutions and exceptional service,” said Brian Wynne, CEO of Acosta. CORE Foodservice was deliberately and proactively formed to provide enhanced execution and a greater competitive differentiation for its clients and customers. The business will tap into Acosta’s robust data and analytics capabilities to provide diner and shopper insights that can drive solutions for clients and their customers. John Goodman, who will become CEO of the combined foodservice business, said, “COVID-19 has changed market and operating conditions dramatically, sparking the need for innovation and new approaches that defy conventional selling models. Our dedicated segment structure with over 750 customer-facing associates extends our reach while balancing proprietary technologies with human-touch execution.” “This move structures us for today’s market realities and helps our clients to redefine and modernize their end-to-end selling processes,” Wynne continued. “Working in harmony with Acosta’s retail, eCommerce and marketing capabilities, CORE Foodservice will help clients accelerate sales growth and earn greater market share. I am excited to have John Goodman as CEO of this business and welcome him as a senior member of our global leadership team. Taylor Crown, who recently led Acosta Foodservice, will remain with the business, and following a transition period, will move to an executive role within our strategy and transformation team to focus on helping clients succeed as we integrate the two organizations.” ","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["John Goodman"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["providing solutions for the foodservice industry’s new operating environment"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["CORE Foodservice"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["The CORE Group","Acosta BB"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Minnesota credit unions that split up 81 years ago agree to merge","document":"SPIRE Credit Union and Midland Co-op Credit Union, which were created when Twin City Oil Co-ops Credit Union split into two organizations in 1940, plan to merge. The $1.8 billion-asset SPIRE, of Falcon Heights, Minnesota, announced Wednesday that members of the $11.4 million-asset MCCU, of Minneapolis, voted 97.25% in favor of combining the two institutions. The merger is set to take effect on Nov. 1. Their predecessor organization, Twin City Oil Co-ops, was founded by Midland Cooperative Oil Association employee Edgar Archer and his peers in 1934. “We are excited to serve and welcome back the Midland Co-op members to the SPIRE family,” Dan Stoltz, SPIRE president and CEO, said in the press release. “Our partnership is a triple win: a win for our employees, a win for our communities, and most of all, a big win for our memberships.” SPIRE recently merged with the $4.2 million-asset Central Hanna Employees Credit Union in Keewatin, Minnesota. Central Hanna employeesr voted 93.7% affirmative and the merger took effect Sept. 1. “We chose to partner with SPIRE for several reasons,” Becky Lindman, president of MCCU, said in the press release. “They are Minnesota-based and a well-known name; offer a full suite of products, services and branch locations for our members; have continually competitive loan rates and dividends; and provide easy and free access to ATMs, as well as drive-ups. Most of all, we chose SPIRE because they care about our members and our legacy.”","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Dan Stoltz"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Nov. 1"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["SPIRE"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["Midland Co-op Credit Union","SPIRE Credit Union"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Rise, Stand Strong merge to form Lumina Alliance","document":" Two Central Coast organizations merged this month to better serve people affected by intimate partner and sexual violence. Stand Strong and RISE now make up Lumina Alliance. They individually served people who oftentimes had overlapping needs and experiences, so the merger now allows people to get help in one place. \"We also have emergency shelters, transitional housing. We can help with case management, help people with anything going on in the courts, we have a legal department,” said Lumina Alliance CEO Jennifer Adams. There are no requirements to receive help from the organization. Services are provided at no cost, are confidential and can also be done in Spanish. \"At the beginning of the pandemic, the need or the request for services really dropped and it was really interesting because what we then heard from our law enforcement community was that their calls were really increasing,” Adams said. People were told to stay home as much as possible in the months following the start of the pandemic and away from work or schools where someone else could witness behavior, maybe intervene, or alert authorities of possible abuse situations. \"So there were more calls to the police because the violence escalated, and that was where they needed help in stopping the violence,” Adams said. People seeking help can call or walk into the office. Lumina has a 24/7 crisis line and on its website, there is a quick escape button which, when hit, will clear cookies on a browser, so the search cannot be tracked. “We have three shelters now, two in North County and one in San Luis Obispo,” Adams said, “and we have the capabilities of serving, and providing bed space to around 60 people.” Anyone can seek help at a Lumina shelter or with the organization regardless of documentation status, gender identity or sexual orientation. Last year, Rise and Stand Strong provided services to around 1,800 people. ","event_type":"Organization Merge","arguments":[{"role":"Merger Terms","values":null},{"role":"Head of the Merged Organization","values":["Jennifer Adams"]},{"role":"Organization Industry","values":["Central Coast organizations"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this month"]},{"role":"Acquirer","values":["Lumina Alliance"]},{"role":"Acquisition amount","values":null},{"role":"Acquiree","values":["RISE","Stand Strong"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"U.S. economy has grown bigger — and weaker — since 9/11","document":"Analysis: GDP figures show attempts to revive business investment have not got off to a flying start Last modified on Thu 12 Aug 2021 18.25 BST If Rishi Sunak hoped his massive tax giveaway in the spring budget to spur business investment would have quick results, the figures for the UK’s national income (GDP) in the second quarter will have proved to be a disappointment. The amount businesses spent on new kit for the office and machinery for the factory inched higher by 2.4%, but the rise left overall spending on investment 15.3% below pre-pandemic levels. A lack of business investment was Britain’s achilles heel after the 2008 financial crash, when most of the nation’s growth relied on consumers spending every penny they earned and more. The uncertainty created by the EU referendum and more than four years of debate about how – or even whether – to leave the trade bloc prolonged the agony. In the budget, the chancellor told businesses they would get £1.30 off their tax bills for every £1 spent over the next two years if the money was dedicated to buying new stuff. It seems that a general nervousness about the future means this particular policy has not got off to a flying start. The manufacturing industry nudged forward in June, though it registered only a 0.2% increase to leave factories 2.3% short of pre-pandemic levels of output. Construction firms went backwards for the third consecutive month and, most worrying of all, Britain’s trade with the rest of the world suffered a setback. This left the services industry to generate much of the 1% increase in GDP during June and 4.8% boost to GDP over the second quarter. Increases in advertising, eating out and a degree of normality in the health service, which began to open up to the public for non-Covid-19 consultations after more than a year of restrictions, helped to lift the services sector, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Worries about the ability of manufacturers and construction firms to produce stronger levels of output as the year rolls on are most likely misplaced. They are both experiencing shortages of materials and skilled staff that are likely to ease over the next few months, even if the struggle to replace eastern European workers in the construction industry persists for many years to come. However, almost a third of the UK’s GDP is linked to trade and that is suffering badly, with little clarity over when and how it will fully recover. The level of GDP remains 4.4% below pre-pandemic levels, and to recover without the age-old reliance on consumer spending, exports need to rocket. According to the ONS, while imports and exports of goods to the EU in May and June were above levels recorded at the end of last year, showing a recovery from leaving the single market and customs union, the value of goods exports in June was £14bn compared with about £17bn in 2019. Worse, the upwards trend reversed. Total exports fell 1.5% to £48.7bn in June and goods shipments declined 3.6%. Trade with the rest of the world was in an even more parlous state. Goods exports to everywhere outside the EU were consistently £2bn above the level of exports to the EU in 2019. Now they are below EU levels. Brexiters argue that a comparison with the final months of 2020, when the UK was still in the EU customs union, remain valid. But the ONS charts reveal trade dipped in October, November and December 2020 as Boris Johnson wrangled with his own party over how to leave the EU. Unsurprisingly, the biggest increase in trade can be traced from this period. Likewise, comparisons with February 2020 present a false picture. While it might be used more broadly as the benchmark by the ONS to measure the extent of the bounce back in GDP from pre-pandemic levels, trade was already sliding in January and February 2020 as China, South Korea and much of Asia began to shut down their economies. So the pandemic was already compounding Brexit uncertainty in the first two months of last year, to leave trade levels artificially low. Interestingly, in that time France has slipped from being the UK’s fourth largest trading partner to fifth largest behind the Netherlands. According to government figures, in the year to March, trade with France fell by almost a quarter.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["tax giveaway"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["fell 1.5% to £48.7bn","declined 3.6"]},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["services","Construction","manufacturing","advertising","health service"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["UK"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"T&T’s ‘invisible’ unemployed","document":"        Although the U.S. economy was officially in recession when the planes struck on 9/11, it bounced back quickly after the attacks. Growth slumped over the final months of 2001, but by January 2002 consumers and businesses had regained their nerve. Politicians and the press pointed to the rebound as evidence of America's resilience — a testament to the country's vaunted power of capitalist self-renewal.  Two decades later another threat, this one in the form of a virus crowned with spikes, would put tens of millions of Americans out of work virtually overnight, snuffing out the longest economic expansion in U.S. history.  The economy has since regained its footing, yet any claim that we are now made whole rings false. Like the grueling slog that followed the 2008 financial crisis, this latest recovery only papers over existing fault lines: inequality, political dysfunction, systemic racism and, perhaps most worrying, a withering public belief (at least in some quarters) in the merits of democracy.  In this light, events such as 9/11, the housing bust and the COVID-19 pandemic should be viewed less as the root causes of economic woe than as symptoms of deeper structural instability. This fragility has left millions of Americans — perhaps most Americans — vulnerable to the ordinary tremors of the business cycle, let alone the seismic episodes that increasingly rattle our way of life. This is what decay looks like.  Of course, fear that the U.S. is on the retreat — \"declinism,\" as such views are sometimes pigeonholed — is nothing new. Concerns over what some perceive as the nation's fading competitiveness, leadership voids and diminished standing in the world have long been a staple among economists, historians and many others. Often, these anxieties flare as other countries rise to challenge American hegemony (Japan in the 1980s, China today) and as the U.S. licks its wounds following foreign policy failures (Vietnam, Afghanistan). What's different now? Perhaps nothing. Great powers tend to go off course slowly and over many decades, like the British empire or the Soviet Union, as external shocks and internal strife gradually erode people's standards of living. History also suggests that those in charge are often the least willing and able to correct course if only because they are the most invested in steering dead ahead.  \"There's very little feeling of existential threat to political decision makers that would otherwise bring them to take personal risks on policy,\" Ian Bremmer, president of political risk consulting firm Eurasia Group, told CBS MoneyWatch. That will make it harder for the U.S. to address problems like inequality, he said. By contrast, many Americans appear to feel nothing if not existentially threatened by the soul-crushing economic insecurity that is a defining feature of life in much of this country today. A short, but by no means exhaustive, list of what accounts for that precarity: stagnant and volatile income, soaring education costs, spotty health care, feeble job protections, low union membership, inadequate supplies of affordable housing, and paltry retirement savings. As Yale University political scientist Jacob Hacker wrote more than a decade ago in his book \"The Great Risk Shift\": \"Increasingly, all of us — even those of us with good jobs and good pay, with children and spouses, with homes and college degrees — are riding the new economic roller coaster. And yet most of us seem to feel that we are riding it alone.\" One sign of the rot: the U.S. tax system, including massive cuts for the rich and corporations delivered by the Trump administration in 2018. Since 1980, the tax rate for people in the highest income bracket (in 2021, those earning at least $518,000 per year) has plunged to 37% from 70%. Over the same period, the top corporate rate fell to 21% from 46%, the lowest level since 1939, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.  Not surprisingly, how much the U.S. collects in taxes as a share of GDP has fallen to 16.3% from 18.5%. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the Trump tax cuts will add nearly $2 trillion to the nation's annual budget deficit over 10 years.  What such numbers really add up to is that the U.S. has less money to spend on real priorities, such as upgrading the country's decrepit infrastructure and shifting its economy away from fossil fuels. Another effect of this upward drift in wealth — one feeding into the political alienation evident across much of the American electorate — is a widening gap between rich and poor since 9/11. \"Changes in tax policy have turbocharged inequality, starting with  the Bush tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 and culminating with the  Trump tax reform of 2018,\" said Gabriel Zucman, an associate professor  of economics at the University of California, Berkeley and a leading  expert on inequality. \"The upshot is a tax system where, all taxes  included, billionaires now have lower effective tax rates than the  middle-class — a new engine of inequality.\" It's worth noting this engine not only increases the gulf between the 1% and 99%, it affects everyone. As of 2019, the top 25% of millennials, Generation X and baby boomers ranked by net worth owned at least three-quarters of their generation's financial assets, according to a new report by the National Institute on Retirement Security.  Inequality along racial and ethnic lines also distorts the economy and stifles growth. Over a 30-year period, gaps between White and minority Americans in employment, earnings, education and other measures have cost the U.S. nearly $23 trillion, according to a new paper from researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Boston University. Inevitably, of course, the economy is profoundly different now than it was 20 years ago. For one, by the broadest measure the economy has more than doubled in size: GDP today is approaching $23 trillion, compared with $11 trillion in 2001. Back then, companies like Exxon, General Motors and IBM reigned supreme, while Sears still remained a darling of investors. Today, the old guard has been eclipsed by Amazon, Apple, and assorted health and biotech players, reflecting the ubiquity of digital technology as well as the country's aging population and their consumer needs. Meanwhile, surging corporate profits in the years since 9/11 have pushed the stock market to new heights — arguably a sign of Wall Street's resilience since the attacks briefly shuttered the New York Stock Exchange. But beneath such surface advancements lies a troubling reality that the latest iPhone and runaway stocks can't fix: Two decades later, the nation is economically, culturally and politically divided in ways that pose fundamental questions about America's future. What will the next 20 years bring? Exotic financial instruments like the ones that helped cause the housing crash tend to immolate themselves, while vaccines have proved good medicine for the coronavirus.  But global warming is a planetary challenge, with all the complexities that entails. It's hard to shrug off the conviction that climate change is a cataclysm that will make all previous economic crises seem like passing squalls. The costs, already visible through the flames and floods that now mark our weather cycle, are at this stage nearly incalculable.  On the political front, battling climate change will almost certainly require abandoning the commonly held belief that gradual reform is preferable and embracing more urgent and transformative change. Carbon emissions are indifferent to political polls. The status quo is untenable.  Just as we look back on 9/11, and rue the missed chances to have stopped the attacks, future generations will study the current moment. Will they see a country that rose from the ashes, or just ashes? Former CIA directors, insiders and national security experts retrace the agency's steps around 9/11 and detail the mission to hunt down al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in \"Race Against Time: The CIA and 9/11.\" The special airs Friday, September 10 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and will be available to stream on the CBS News app and Paramount+ on September 11.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["urgent and transformative change"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["the U.S"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["structural instability","Exotic financial instruments"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"SDR proposals could help reset international monetary system","document":"labour force: Chart from the Central Statistical Office showing T&T’s labour force data as at June 2020. Flashback, January 2017: Petrotrin workers gather outside the entrance to the Point-a-Pierre refinery during a protest for higher wages. —Photo: TREVOR WATSON The Central Bank injected US$1.012 billion into the foreign … THE Tobago Business Chamber is urging the Government to remo… labour force: Chart from the Central Statistical Office showing T&T’s labour force data as at June 2020. Flashback, January 2017: Petrotrin workers gather outside the entrance to the Point-a-Pierre refinery during a protest for higher wages. —Photo: TREVOR WATSON In the 2021 Budget, Finance Minister Colm Imbert had said the goal of the Government was to boost jobs. But what exactly is the state of unemployment in Trinidad and Tobago? And if this figure is not readily available, how does a Government adequately plan for it to create opportunities for the unemployed? LAST week, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the Government had screened 21,656 applications for salary relief grants in 2021. The salary relief grants, valued at $1,500, were to support workers in the private sector whose jobs were affected by public health measures imposed by the Government in its management of the Covid-19 pandemic in T&T. The grant covered the period May-July. “As at September 10, 2021, payments have been made to 6,560 eli­gible applicants. The process continues,” Imbert said in Parliament. The difference between the number of people applying for the grant and those receiving payments is 15,096 people—all from the private sector in service industries. There is little data or research to give an accurate picture on these applicants: if they do not receive financial support from the State, how do they meet living expenses? Also suffering from a lack of data and research is the impact the lockdowns have had, or the actual number of people who have lost their jobs or of how many businesses closed their doors and left workers without jobs. The proposed National Statistical Institute, a proposal in the works for years, is still before a Joint Select Committee of Parliament. As it stands, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) is the official source of data in T&T. The last data it posted had unemployment at 5.1 per cent for the second quarter of 2020. With the country’s total labour force at 604,100, the CSO data has 31,100 unemployed and 21,300 identified as people without jobs and seeing work. In the category “Other unemployed” in the chart above, the figure stands at 9,000. Sourcing data In September 2020, the Sunday Express had sent questions to the Ministry of Labour to determine if it had any data on how the pandemic had affected jobs in the country. In December 2020, they respon­ded: “The ministry is currently preparing a report focusing on the impact of Covid-19 on jobs in the country. Data extracted from the social grant applications lodged at the NIB and the Ministry of Social Development will be utilised in the report. Additionally, reports of the same nature prepared by other stakeholders will be utilised to supplement this report.” In response to a question from the Sunday Express, Labour Minis­ter Stephen McClashie said: “The Ministry of Labour is not the source of truth on the unemployment statistics in T&T. That is the CSO.” He said what the ministry does is capture information on job vacan­cies in the public services and retrenchment notices. The Central Bank of T&T gathers data based on companies being closed. For example, when Petrotrin was closed, there was a speci­fic figure on jobs that were cut and retrenchment notices in the daily newspapers. Central Bank’s May Monetary Policy Report, published on July 16, observed that “labour market slack continues to pervade the economy despite the partial reopening”. “Constraints on economic activity were also reflected in the labour market as retrenchments climbed to 2,744 persons in 2020 compared to 1,530 persons in 2019,” the bank said in its 2020 Financial Stability Report, which was published on August 3. That report noted there was a significant exposure of financial institutions to the household sector. “Household debt levels contracted for the first time since its compilation (2003) on account of pan­demic-related containment mea­sures and the resultant slowdown in economic activity. Nevertheless, the stock remained high at just about 48 per cent of the banking sector’s loan portfolio. “Rising unemployment and depressed income levels, exacerbated by renewed restrictions, may have increased the financial sector’s vulnerability to households. While extended loan deferral programmes have helped cushion the immediate shock to banks’ financial soundness indicators, asset quality and profitability may become compromised as loan obligations become due following the end of moratoria,” it said. In a Newsday interview in 2019, director of the CSO Sean O’Brien had said labour force statistics are notoriously late because of the difficulty to get data. “If the non-response rate is too low, we have to replace that sample because the quality of the data is unreliable. We have to replace that district with another and then start over,” he had said. Labour force statistics, for example, are supposed to come out every quarter—at most, two quarters late. In T&T, they are four quarters behind. “People think that if the labour statistics are late, it’s just that the CSO isn’t bringing it out. But the CSO can’t just invent the data. We have to collect it from the source and if the source isn’t co-operating, you’re going to have these delays. We can’t give you data that’s not accurate. As you can imagine, accuracy and timeliness war against each other in this business.” Public sector So how does the public sector employment compare? Public sector workers have been paid their full salaries throughout the pandemic. In his Budget 2021, Imbert said the Government would look to fill all vacancies in the Public Service “Madam Speaker, in this post-­pandemic era, we are improving the efficiency of the public sector apparatus. With increasing techno­logy, digitisation and digitalisation, we are improving public sector performance while, at the same time, containing the growth in expenditure. “As we undertake diverse approaches to reform key institutional arrangements, utilising an e-governance ecosystem, we will transform workforce human resource management arrangements, we will change budget practices and procedures and we will introduce results-oriented approaches to policy execution. “Madam Speaker, we have been able to reduce our annual public expenditure to approximately $50 billion, with $10 billion being channelled to the direct Public Service of approximately 62,300 individuals. Furthermore, transfers to statutory authorities and State enterprises account for another 12,000-plus employees. “As an initial step, and in the context of our constrained revenue situation, we are freezing the filling of all vacancies in the public sector,” he had said. Imbert, in his Spotlight on the 2020 Budget contribution, said public sector salaries and wages cost taxpayers at least $20 billion a year, or about $1.5 to $1.7 billion a month. That includes direct charges, appropriated funds, transfers and subsidies, and statutory boards, and excludes the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). IDB report In the Inter-American Develop­ment Bank’s (IDB) second Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin for 2020, an article titled “The Pandemic Continues” noted severe pressures on T&T’s labour market because of Covid-19, with conditions especially difficult for lower-income households. The IDB gathered data from an online survey, in collaboration with Cornell University, which showed 67 per cent of low-income survey participants suffered a job loss du­ring the Covid-19 lockdown, compared to only 23 per cent of high-income households and 49 per cent of middle-income households. The survey also mapped business closures, with 60 per cent and 59 per cent of low and middle-income businesses closing, compared to 45 per cent among high-income. The report noted that labour supply was also heavily affected, observing that over the period January to May 2020, only 180 daily vacancy announcements were advertised in the non-energy sector, or half the number for the same period last year when 340 daily advertisements were recorded. The report noted, however, that recent, high-frequency unemployment data is “unfortunately lacking”, so it is not straightforward to estimate the employment impacts of the Covid-19 crisis. The survey also showed that Government’s social programmes have expanded, with more people being able to access the measures put in place to respond to the Covid-19 crisis, including food cards, salary relief grants and unemployment and rental assistance. But, the IDB said, there’s also potential to improve targeting as middle and high-income households received social benefits. The report concluded that the Covid-19 crisis will likely have medium-term economic conse­quences, which could involve sluggish economic growth, increased unemployment, rising public debt and sustained pressure on the country’s external accounts. “While Trinidad and Tobago has substantial financial buffers—the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund, large public sector assets, liquid sinking funds—to maintain macro-economic stability in the short term, these policies are no longer affordable in the medium term. “Engaging in economic diversification, enhancing the ease of doing business, improving public sector governance, mobilising non-energy revenue and streamlining government expenditures will be required going forward. At the same time, there is a need to protect the poor and vulnerable from the negative economic consequences of the Covid-19 crisis,” it said. The Central Bank injected US$1.012 billion into the foreign exchange market between January and October 2021, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said on Wednesday. Furthermore, the Government, through the Exim Bank, has provided access to a further US$524 million, which “led to a total intervention of US$1.536 billion in the forex market for the first ten months of this year”, he said. THE Tobago Business Chamber is urging the Government to remove restrictions on beaches, as t… MACHEL Montano’s chocolate company is one of three finalists that have been selected in the … At the age of nine, Sasha Jattansingh’s interest in the environment was piqued when she was watching news updates on the Rio Summit in 1992 with her father. Later, she did a school project on the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1989. LOCAL green energy company, Kenesjay Green Ltd (KGL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD) to explore the development of green project opportunities in Dominica, especially those that would leverage the island’s geo-thermal resources. Samir Baksh is the 2021 winner of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (TTAIFA) Top Male Producer. At 29, Baksh has already carved out a name for himself in the insurance industry. The competition level is stiff within the sector and the top prize is often won by senior members of the fraternity. With heightened international awareness of the issues relating to hazardous chemicals and waste, ozone depletion and biodiversity conservation, there has been increased global action to address these issues. Trinidad and Tobago has been no different.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["enhancing the ease of doing business","salary relief","fill all vacancies in the Public Service","containing the growth in expenditure","improving public sector performance","reform key institutional arrangements","utilising an e-governance ecosystem","transform workforce human resource management arrangements","change budget practices and procedures","introduce results-oriented approaches to policy execution","financial buffers","economic diversification","improving public sector governance","mobilising non-energy revenue","protect the poor and vulnerable"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["service"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":["5.1 per cent"]},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["Trinidad and Tobago"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":["Petrotrin"]},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19 pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The unemployment impacts of COVID-19: lessons from the Great Recession","document":"The International Monetary Fund’s special drawing right – the international reserve asset created in 1969 to prepare for a new dollar crisis – is undergoing a renaissance, with important worldwide repercussions. The announcement of by far the largest-ever increase in SDR allocations, which will greatly improve the liquidity of many developing nations, signals alignment between the US and China in a key area of global monetary power. The immediate reason behind the decision on 19 March by the G7 group of industrial nations was to help low- and middle-income countries hit by the pandemic. UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, speaking after a finance ministers’ meeting under the UK’s G7 presidency, said the new capital injection ensured that ‘no country is left behind’. Kristalina Georgieva, IMF managing director, said the planned SDR allocation – to be finalised next month – would accompany measures on ‘debt vulnerabilities’ and concessional finance. The action has wider significance. The US now agrees with using the IMF’s balance sheet to boost world liquidity. One side effect of the pandemic is that the IMF’s accounting unit is advancing beyond its status as an arcane currency basket – and could become an essential part of a future monetary reset. The G7 decision, already foreshadowed by agreement at G20 level, is likely to more than triple SDR allocations by at least $500bn. This reflects a change in US policy to back measures strongly advocated last year by China as well as leading European and African countries. G7 countries will coordinate with the IMF to explore how countries could ‘voluntarily recycle their SDR holdings to further support low-income countries’. This would open a new channel for rich nations with large reserves to distribute part of their plentiful SDR stocks to poor countries. The massive increase in SDR reserves – which can be converted into its five constituents: the dollar (42%), euro (31%), renminbi (11%), yen (8%) and sterling (8%) – indirectly boosts the Chinese currency’s international reserve role. As Geoffrey Yu of Bank of New York Mellon wrote in July 2020, ‘China may have an additional interest in pushing for a general [SDR] issue, as it is a shortcut to a significant de jure nominal increase in the global level of renminbi reserves.’ Janet Yellen, US Treasury secretary, has been a key architect of President Joe Biden’s emollient line on the SDR. In a letter to the G20 shortly after her appointment two months ago, she called for more SDR printing in a ‘truly collective and multilateral response’, urging G20 countries ‘to continue to take significant fiscal and financial policy actions.’ The new allocation, the first since 2009, reversed the Trump administration’s rejection last year of calls from European and African leaders for the IMF to create additional reserve assets to help emerging economies hit by the pandemic. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron joined Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to urge an immediate decision on SDRs. The IMF has been swamped by requests for financial assistance by dozens of countries, some of which face cumulative per capita income losses as high as 22% by 2022. With current IMF resources less than $1tn, extra liquidity supply is badly needed. This latest action underlines changes in the world economy since 2011, the last time emergency SDR use was discussed, at the start of the euro debt crisis. The US administration proposed that the Bundesbank release excess stocks to aid Greece. The Bundesbank opposed this idea strongly. Merkel refused to put pressure on the central bank to change its mind, citing Bundesbank independence introduced under Anglo-American stabilisation measures for post-war Germany. The SDR – brainchild of then French Finance Minister (and later President) Valéry Giscard d’Estaing – was conceived at a time when many countries, led by France, were converting surplus dollar holdings into gold. Under the Bretton Woods system, which broke down in 1971-73, the dollar would always be ‘as good as gold’. However the IMF’s unit has taken a long time to gain ground. In 2009, the United Nations suggested a new SDR-based ‘global reserve system’ – ‘feasible, non-inflationary, and … easily implemented, including in ways which mitigate the difficulties caused by asymmetric adjustment between surplus and deficit countries.’ That same year, Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China, proposed that the SDR could become the pivotal international reserve currency, disconnected from individual nations, as ‘the light in the tunnel for the reform of the international monetary system’. Now, as a result of Covid-19, the world’s monetary system based on national fiat currencies may be approaching a turning point. With the SDR revival, Zhou’s ‘light in the tunnel’ is shining a little brighter. Willem Middelkoop is the author of The Big Reset and the founder of the Dutch-based Commodity Discovery Fund. David Marsh is Chairman of OMFIF","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["SDR allocation","help low- and middle-income countries","new capital injection","urging G20 countries ‘to continue to take significant fiscal and financial policy actions.","urge an immediate decision on SDRs"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["world","developing nations"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["the pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Looming Stagflationary Debt Crisis","document":" Efforts to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus—particularly the closure of nonessential businesses—are having an unprecedented impact on the U.S. economy. Nearly 17 million people filed initial claims for unemployment insurance over the past three weeks, suggesting that the unemployment rate is already above 15 percent[1] —well above the rate at the height of the Great Recession. However, these aggregate statistics mask substantial variation across the country. Some cities, such as New York, are already experiencing full blown pandemics and non-essential business activity has been substantially halted. In other areas economic activity has slowed less. This variation represents the degree of spread of the virus, the timing and extent of the state and local response, and the sectoral mix of economic activity. Work by our colleagues suggests that metropolitan areas dependent on energy, tourism, and leisure and hospitality are likely to suffer greater slowdowns, while those that depend more on industry, agriculture, or professional services will suffer less.   Figure 1[2] displays the sum of initial claims for unemployment insurance filed during the weeks ending March 21, March 28, and April 4 for selected states as a share of the labor force[3]. As can be seen, in the hardest hit areas, the number of initial claims as a share of the labor force was double or triple that of the least affected areas. While some of the differential likely reflects variation in unemployment insurance systems across states, this explanation is unlikely to explain the entire differential. Since, as can be seen, the states with relatively more claims include those dependent on tourism (Nevada and Hawaii) and those which have been hard hit by the virus (Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Michigan), while those with few claims have low incidence of the virus. Hence, it does appear, at least to start, there has been an idiosyncratic aspect to how states, and implicitly metropolitan areas, are affected by the pandemic. Eventually, however, a shock of the magnitude of the novel coronavirus will certainly result in a national recession, affecting the entire country to a greater or lesser degree. In this post, we examine how shocks to the economy, like the one we are experiencing now with the coronavirus, play out at the metropolitan level, with a specific focus on the unemployment rate. We use as our laboratory the Great Recession, which started in metropolitan areas that were most affected by the housing bubble and bust, but then spread nationally. In line with previous research, we find that there is persistence in the unemployment rate across metropolitan areas. Idiosyncratic shocks disrupt these persistent differentials, but over time local economies adjust, and metropolitan areas tend to re-sort back to their previous place in the distribution. Our results also suggest that negative macroeconomic shocks tend to affect high-unemployment rate areas most harshly, and that strong macroeconomic performance helps to ameliorate not only the aggregate shocks, but also the differences across metropolitan areas. As has been well documented, the economies of metropolitan areas vary in structural ways, for instance based on their industrial mix, geography, demographics, and infrastructure. These structural differences result in persistent differences in labor market outcomes, including unemployment rates[4]. In Figure 2, we examine the persistence of the unemployment rate by metropolitan area. Each dot represents a metropolitan area, and dots are color coded according to their quartile in the distribution of unemployment rates in 2006. The x-axis denotes the metropolitan area’s unemployment rate in 2006 and the y-axis the area’s unemployment rate in 2018. These are both years at which the economy was near, but not at its peak. Figure 2 shows a clear, positive relationship between unemployment rates in 2006 and 2018: lower unemployment rates in 2006 are associated with lower unemployment rates in 2018. Notably this relationship holds across the entire sample, and also within the unemployment rate quartiles. Our results suggest that a 1 percentage point higher unemployment rate in 2006 is associated with a 0.6 percentage point higher unemployment rate in 2018. Moreover, the unemployment rate in 2006 explains 44 percent of the variation in the unemployment rate in 2018. In addition to the persistent characteristics that shape the economies of metropolitan areas over long periods, idiosyncratic events specific to metropolitan areas can also have a significant impact. Examples of these types of shocks include storms, like Hurricane Katrina, which reshaped New Orleans, or technical changes such as hydraulic fracturing, which made it possible to extract oil and gas from areas where they were previously inaccessible. These idiosyncratic shocks may or may not have long-lasting impacts. Figure 3 shows the distribution of metropolitan area unemployment rates over a fourteen-year period. The figure highlights five metropolitan areas. In 2006 these highlighted areas were in the first quartile of the distribution; meaning that these areas had lower levels of unemployment than 75 percent of the metropolitan areas displayed in the figure. By 2009, these five areas had unemployment rates that were in the top quartile of the distribution that year. While it is true that the unemployment rate on aggregate was also rising during this period (as can be seen by the fact that the unemployment rates of all the other metropolitan areas, represented by the light gray bars, move up), these areas were affected earlier and by more—a function of the fact that they were hit by a specific, negative idiosyncratic shock: the bursting of the housing bubble. These metropolitan areas are located in Florida and Nevada, states with large housing bubbles, and the specific metropolitan areas highlighted experienced large drops in local housing prices when the bubble burst in 2007[5]. Like the financial crisis, the current crisis also has an idiosyncratic component. As noted in the introduction, metropolitan areas first affected by the virus closed non-essential businesses earlier. Moreover, the economies of metropolitan areas reliant on tourism, leisure and hospitality, and energy slowed quickly as travel restrictions were imposed and global demand declined. Other areas with fewer cases of the virus and those with economies dependent on industry, agriculture, or professional services appear so far to have been less impacted. Interestingly, Figure 3 also illustrates that by 2018 these metropolitan areas that faced a negative shock from the bursting of the housing bubble had largely recuperated, with unemployment rates returning to levels similar to 2005/2006. This finding is in line with Blanchard and Katz (1992) who show that state-level unemployment rates tend to recover approximately five to seven years after experiencing a negative shock to employment. Note, this isn’t to say that adjustment is automatic—indeed specific policies geared at addressing idiosyncratic shocks may be necessary to help local areas cope when they face a crisis. Figure 4 plots the distribution of the unemployment rate by metropolitan area from 2005 to 2018, with dots of different colors and sizes identifying the quartiles of the unemployment rate distribution in 2006, as in Figure 2. (We make the dots different sizes to make it possible to follow the movements in the unemployment rates of the metropolitan areas from year to year.) There are several phenomena that can be observed in this graph. One is the central tendency of the metropolitan area unemployment rates—as a whole, are the unemployment rates relatively high or low in a given year—which reflects the state of the business cycle. The second is how disperse the unemployment rates are—are the unemployment rates across the metropolitan areas relatively similar (are they clumped together) or are they spread out, with some areas having high rates and others relatively low rates. And the third is the relative position of the unemployment rates of specific metropolitan areas—do metropolitan areas that have high or low unemployment rates to start remain in those positions over the entire time period. To help elucidate these points, we also show the mean, range, and variance of the unemployment rates for groups of years in Table 1. The first thing to note in Figure 4 is the impact of the Great Recession across metropolitan areas. As the recession gained full force in 2009, metropolitan unemployment rates as a whole began to increase. Second, the differences in unemployment rates across metropolitan areas widened in years in which the economy was underperforming. And, metropolitan areas that started off relatively disadvantaged tended to experience the highest unemployment rates during the recession. This information is summarized in Table 1, where we can see that the mean, variance, and range of the unemployment rate all increase substantially during the recession from the pre-recession period. Of course, this aggregate phenomenon is being laid on top of the idiosyncratic shocks we discussed previously, in particular, the bursting of the housing bubble. For instance, the metropolitan areas that we identified as having been particularly hard hit by the bursting of the housing are among those metropolitan areas captured by the yellow dots, which rise much more than average during the financial crisis and recession. But, as the economy recovered, and the aggregate unemployment rate fell, metropolitan area unemployment rates began to converge again. Many areas that saw the largest deterioration in their unemployment rates during the financial crisis and the Great Recession experienced substantial improvement. This finding is consistent with prior research demonstrating that strong macroeconomic conditions are particularly beneficial for workers that are disadvantaged in the labor market. Notably, the distribution of unemployment rates in 2018 looks fairly similar to that of 2005 and 2006. By this we mean that metropolitan areas with the lowest unemployment rates prior to the Great Recession (the yellow dots) tend to have lower unemployment rates in 2018 and metropolitan areas with the highest unemployment rates (the purple dots) tend to have higher unemployment rates. This is just another way of illustrating the result in Figure 2, showing the persistence of the unemployment rate across metropolitan areas over time, even in the face of significant idiosyncratic and macroeconomic shocks. Metropolitan areas have high (or low) unemployment rates for different reasons. First, there are structural causes—such as average education levels or industry mix—which mean that some areas tend to have high or low unemployment rates over time. Second, there are local idiosyncratic shocks that might cause metropolitan areas to see large but typically transitory increases or decreases in their unemployment rates. Finally, metropolitan areas are buffeted by the business cycle—aggregate shocks that play out similarly, although not identically, across metropolitan areas. The current crisis in which we find ourselves is no different. Before the pandemic reached our shores, metropolitan areas had distinct capacities to respond based on their structural differences. The impact of the virus will vary across metropolitan areas depending on their exposure and industrial mix. Finally, all metropolitan areas will experience the spillovers from the deep recession as economic activity is curtailed. Policymakers should take into account these different types of shocks that are buffeting localities, because they suggest different policies. Our results indicate that policies aimed at ensuring liquidity in financial markets now and stimulating aggregate demand once it becomes safe to engage in non-essential economic activity will have a broad positive impact on economic outcomes across metropolitan areas and will reduce disparities between them. However, some localities will require more help, either because they face a particularly pernicious impact from the pandemic or because long-standing structural factors make it particularly difficult for them to weather the economic headwinds we face. Our colleagues Louise Sheiner and Sage Belz show that state tax revenues declined by about 9 percent during the Great Recession and argue that recently passed legislation—such as CARES Act and FFCRA—does not provide enough funding to prevent states and localities from cutting spending. Similarly, our colleague Matt Fiedler and Wilson Powell III make the case for increasing the federal match rate for Medicaid in proportion to the amount that the state’s unemployment rate exceeds some threshold. And the Metropolitan program discuss policies that would bolster metropolitan areas by supporting small businesses. Becca Portman contributed to the graphics/data visualization for this blog. [1] This is a back-of-the-envelope calculation which assumes all initial claims translate into spells of unemployment. We take the number of initial claims from the weeks ending in April 4, March 28, and March 21 (16,780 thousand); add the number of unemployed people in March 2020 (7140 thousand); and divide by the March 2020 labor force: (16,780 + 7140)/162913 = 14.68%. Although it is not always the case that initial claims translate into spells of unemployment, this calculation is, nonetheless, most likely an underestimate of the unemployment rate as not all people who become unemployed are eligible to receive benefits and not everyone who is eligible for unemployment insurance applies. Moreover, this estimate likely understates the number of people who have tried to file claims in recent weeks, due to limitations with the state unemployment insurance systems which have been overwhelmed. That said, there is currently less certainty about the relationship between insured unemployment and aggregate unemployment because of changes in the unemployment insurance eligibility rules. [2] Note that the ratios in this graph should be interpreted with caution. We choose the total labor force as the denominator because recent legislation has changed the types of workers covered by unemployment insurance. However, this denominator likely overstates the number of people covered by unemployment insurance. The numerator is not without issues either. As mentioned above, it is likely to understate the number of people who have attempted to file claims, due to limitations with the unemployment insurance systems. [3] Claims data by metropolitan area aren’t readily available. [4] Katheryn Russ and Jay Shambaugh show that the persistence of the unemployment rate is related to the average level of education in a county. They find that counties with lower levels of education have higher levels of persistence. In other words, areas with lower, average education are more likely to get “stuck” with a high unemployment rate over time. [5] We also examine metropolitan areas that were in the fourth quartile of the distribution in 2006 and subsequently moved to near the bottom of the distribution in 2009. We find that these areas are mostly located in places with positive energy shocks.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["increasing the federal match rate for Medicaid","supporting small businesses"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["energy, tourism, and leisure and hospitality"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":["above 15 percent"]},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["metropolitan areas","the U.S"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["housing bubble and bust"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Economic Stewardship in Times of Crisis","document":"Years of ultra-loose fiscal and monetary policies have put the global economy on track for a slow-motion train wreck in the coming years. When the crash comes, the stagflation of the 1970s will be combined with the spiraling debt crises of the post-2008 era, leaving major central banks in an impossible position. NEW YORK – In April, I warned that today’s extremely loose monetary and fiscal policies, when combined with a number of negative supply shocks, could result in 1970s-style stagflation (high inflation alongside a recession). In fact, the risk today is even bigger than it was then. After all, debt ratios in advanced economies and most emerging markets were much lower in the 1970s, which is why stagflation has not been associated with debt crises historically. If anything, unexpected inflation in the 1970s wiped out the real value of nominal debts at fixed rates, thus reducing many advanced economies’ public-debt burdens. Conversely, during the 2007-08 financial crisis, high debt ratios (private and public) caused a severe debt crisis – as housing bubbles burst – but the ensuing recession led to low inflation, if not outright deflation. Owing to the credit crunch, there was a macro shock to aggregate demand, whereas the risks today are on the supply side. We are thus left with the worst of both the stagflationary 1970s and the 2007-10 period. Debt ratios are much higher than in the 1970s, and a mix of loose economic policies and negative supply shocks threatens to fuel inflation rather than deflation, setting the stage for the mother of stagflationary debt crises over the next few years. For now, loose monetary and fiscal policies will continue to fuel asset and credit bubbles, propelling a slow-motion train wreck. The warning signs are already apparent in today’s high price-to-earnings ratios, low equity risk premia, inflated housing and tech assets, and the irrational exuberance surrounding special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), the crypto sector, high-yield corporate debt, collateralized loan obligations, private equity, meme stocks, and runaway retail day trading. At some point, this boom will culminate in a Minsky moment (a sudden loss of confidence), and tighter monetary policies will trigger a bust and crash. But in the meantime, the same loose policies that are feeding asset bubbles will continue to drive consumer price inflation, creating the conditions for stagflation whenever the next negative supply shocks arrive. Such shocks could follow from renewed protectionism; demographic aging in advanced and emerging economies; immigration restrictions in advanced economies; the reshoring of manufacturing to high-cost regions; or the balkanization of global supply chains. Enjoy unlimited access to the ideas and opinions of the world’s leading thinkers, including weekly long reads, book reviews, topical collections, and interviews; The Year Ahead annual print magazine; the complete PS archive; and more – for less than $9 a month. Subscribe Now More broadly, the Sino-American decoupling threatens to fragment the global economy at a time when climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are pushing national governments toward deeper self-reliance. Add to this the impact on production of increasingly frequent cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure and the social and political backlash against inequality, and the recipe for macroeconomic disruption is complete. Making matters worse, central banks have effectively lost their independence, because they have been given little choice but to monetize massive fiscal deficits to forestall a debt crisis. With both public and private debts having soared, they are in a debt trap. As inflation rises over the next few years, central banks will face a dilemma. If they start phasing out unconventional policies and raising policy rates to fight inflation, they will risk triggering a massive debt crisis and severe recession; but if they maintain a loose monetary policy, they will risk double-digit inflation – and deep stagflation when the next negative supply shocks emerge. But even in the second scenario, policymakers would not be able to prevent a debt crisis. While nominal government fixed-rate debt in advanced economies can be partly wiped out by unexpected inflation (as happened in the 1970s), emerging-market debts denominated in foreign currency would not be. Many of these governments would need to default and restructure their debts. At the same time, private debts in advanced economies would become unsustainable (as they did after the global financial crisis), and their spreads relative to safer government bonds would spike, triggering a chain reaction of defaults. Highly leveraged corporations and their reckless shadow-bank creditors would be the first to fall, soon followed by indebted households and the banks that financed them. To be sure, real long-term borrowing costs may initially fall if inflation rises unexpectedly and central banks are still behind the curve. But, over time, these costs will be pushed up by three factors. First, higher public and private debts will widen sovereign and private interest-rate spreads. Second, rising inflation and deepening uncertainty will drive up inflation risk premia. And, third, a rising misery index – the sum of the inflation and unemployment rate – eventually will demand a “Volcker Moment.” When former Fed Chair Paul Volcker hiked rates to tackle inflation in 1980-82, the result was a severe double-dip recession in the United States and a debt crisis and lost decade for Latin America. But now that global debt ratios are almost three times higher than in the early 1970s, any anti-inflationary policy would lead to a depression, rather than a severe recession. Under these conditions, central banks will be damned if they do and damned if they don’t, and many governments will be semi-insolvent and thus unable to bail out banks, corporations, and households. The doom loop of sovereigns and banks in the eurozone after the global financial crisis will be repeated worldwide, sucking in households, corporations, and shadow banks as well. As matters stand, this slow-motion train wreck looks unavoidable. The Fed’s recent pivot from an ultra-dovish to a mostly dovish stance changes nothing. The Fed has been in a debt trap at least since December 2018, when a stock- and credit-market crash forced it to reverse its policy tightening a full year before COVID-19 struck. With inflation rising and stagflationary shocks looming, it is now even more ensnared. So, too, are the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, and the Bank of England. The stagflation of the 1970s will soon meet the debt crises of the post-2008 period. The question is not if but when.  Nouriel Roubini, Professor Emeritus of Economics at New York University’s Stern School of Business, is Chief Economist at Atlas Capital Team, CEO of Roubini Macro Associates, and Co-Founder of TheBoomBust.com. He is a former senior economist for international affairs in the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers during the Clinton Administration. He has worked for the International Monetary Fund, the US Federal Reserve, and the World Bank, and was Professor of Economics at New York University's Stern School of Business. His website is NourielRoubini.com, and he is the host of NourielToday.com. Before posting a comment, please confirm your account. To receive another confirmation email, please click here. “It’s not the high cost of living,It’s the cost of living high.” - My FatherRoubini speaks the truth. Of course, sailing uncharted financial waters makes the destination unknown, but that doesn’t mean those clouds on the horizon aren’t a storm warning. The party ends. The music stops. Always when we are having the most fun. Caveat Emptor                             Thanks so much for that bracing slap in the face. Dr. Doom is BACK! Not factored into Roubini's calculation is the full infrastructure proposal from Biden's administration, amounting to about $6 trillion over 8 years in new federal spending, which is about $750 bn/year, or 3.2% of GDP, which Biden claims will create 20 million good paying jobs. Stagflation, defined, is high unemployment. If this infrastructure plan is fulfilled there will be low unemployment. The American Rescue Plan, the Am. Jobs, and the Am. Families plan together provide a major investment in the underlying productive capacity. As far as funding goes, the total household net worth (assets minus all debt) stands at $130 Trillion, while the federal government spends about $5 trillion yearly -- the funding is available with a wealth tax and other higher tax rates on the extremely rich 1% to 5% who have received the benefits of about 40 years of economic expansion, leaving the other 95% less well off. I hope we recognize the justice in this scenario I've described, and all citizens jump at the opportunity. I doubt private capital will make productive investments -- finance mostly speculates with its cash, and corporations distribute 90% of profits to stock-buybacks and dividends, over 90% of all S&P 500 profits over the last 10 to 15 years says professor Lazonick, whose article won a best of year award from the Harvard Business Review. Profits have been allocated that way, leaving very little for wage raises and R and D. Roubini should describe his prediction in sharper terms that most of us can understand, he is sloppy in his description of factors, which detracts from his power of persuasion. The factors for inflation are very sketchy, and therefore not convincing. He's got a great reputation, though. In 2011 he published with co-authors, R. Hockett and Dan Alpert, a paper called \"The Way Forward\" which advocated a lot of public investment, a public jobs program, and he should do the same today. If it were an actual infrastructure investment plan, your comments might have some relevancy. But it isn't; It is a crony wish fulfillment bill more reminiscent of \"investment\" as practiced by Juan Peron and Maduro than Eisenhower and the Interstate Highway System. But never let facts stand in the way of your politics. I am sure that people like AOC (and maybe you?) still believe Venezuela, Cuba and Argentina are well run places doing good for the people, but sabotaged by the wicked Yankees. Let me remind of you the 1930s. Between 1931 to 1933 the economy shrunk by 27.8%, at 9.2% per year. In 1934 it shrank by 1.3%, and between 1935 and 1938, 4 years, it grew by 37.7%, or 9.4% per year. I went to the BEA.gov Table 1.1 to find those figures. The impetus was public investment. My argument is all about public investment, not throwing money away, but building and adding more services that people can stay healthy, housed, and pay bills. Roosevelt's New Deal transformed the nation, and also saved it. Unemployment dropped from 25% in 1933 to 9.6% in 1938. You should lighten up your analysis and take in the positive effects of public investment. The United Way does a study, ALICE, and this last December, 2020 (On Uneven Ground, name of report), it predicted that half (50%) of U.S. household would be ALICE, unable to afford seven basics: food, housing, utilities, healthcare, phone service, transportation, and if needed childcare. Find the report and read it. This country is struggling, and private investment has no profit opportunities to motivate investment that would result in a resurgence of aggregate demand. 40% of the households earned just 9% of total income, while the top 1% earned 20%. A worker in the lower 40% would have to work 22 years to match the income of a worker in the 1%. We have re-structuring to do, or we'll see a big failure. This is not some banana republic where public investment ends up in the officials' Swiss bank account. Well said! Stagflation? I’d bet Roubini $500 that call is dead wrong (my guess is as good as his). The FED wants higher inflation, and even the highly intelligent Professor Siegel predicted a month ago 20% inflation in the next 5 years (~4%pa). I believe there is no chance of that happening. Like Ed Hyman noted earlier this year in an interview on Wealthtrack, ever since about the 1980s, Supply seems to be consistently outpacing Demand. Most people are not aware of how, even a very small increase in supply can push prices down in most industries, and with such low interest rates supply is relentless. Everything depends on what central banks do. The Fed has inflation expectation just about where it wants them. Is that \"ultra loose\" policy. Not in my book. Will central banks push inflation higher if unemployment remains below 2020 levels or fall? That's what \"stagflation\" means. This does not detract from the implicit criticism of high structural deficits. Yes, that shifts resources from investment toward consumption and so is bad for long term growth, but low growth need not be accompanied by over-target inflation. He's crafty, shifty and always the pragmatist. My money says he's within 6 months of some sort of event. We'll see what we get when we get there but my intuition says his timing is right. He's more of an academic than a scaremonger                             Roubini’s track record is abysmal. He predicted a „hard landing“ for the Chinese economy after 2013. We‘re still waiting. In 2009 during an interview together with Professor Shiller, Roubini‘s advice was to stay away from stocks and stay in cash - turned out The worst advice possible (even permabear Shiller was advocating stocks). Roubini’s current prediction of higher inflation will probably turn out correct, because the Fed WANTS higher inflation.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["The American Rescue Plan","the Am. Jobs","the Am. Families plan","building and adding more services"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":null},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["negative supply shocks","loose economic policies","stagflationary debt crises","tighter monetary policies","consumer price inflation"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Motorists urged not to panic buy fuel; ‘10 days’ to save Christmas – as it happened","document":" The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated what happens when the government fails to deliver on what Americans expect and need. Americans believe that it is the responsibility of the U.S. government to keep its people safe and sound, invest for the future, and be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and well-regulated markets—in short, to create a fair system that gives everybody a shot at the American dream. Sadly, in recent years, the federal government has failed on most of these issues, as the concurrent public health crisis and deep recession wreak massive hardship for millions of families.1 Unsurprisingly, Americans are frustrated across the board, with 69 percent stating in a recent poll that the United States is on the wrong track when it comes to fiscal policy management.2 Budgets reflect values. And the Trump administration has shown its cards clearly regarding the federal budget. Three years ago, rather than actually address the dual problems of slow productivity growth and massive economic inequality, the administration, then-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI), and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rammed through Congress a massive tax cut, one that was heavily weighted toward the largest corporations and the wealthy. The legislation, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), was packed with budget gimmicks intended to mask its significant costs.3 In the process, it kept income and wealth inequality at record high levels and left unaddressed many issues that plagued families long before the pandemic: low wage growth, high health care and education costs, and growing indebtedness. Yet today, in the face of a devastating pandemic, many of the same congressional leaders are delaying the next legislative package of economically essential coronavirus relief on the grounds of the very deficits that the TCJA helped create.4 This is despite the overwhelming economic and popular consensus that fiscal policy must do “whatever it takes” to address the pandemic and take far bolder actions to build resilience in the face of coming climate shocks and systemic inequalities.5 Putting bare-knuckle politics aside, this issue brief considers how U.S. policymakers should assess fiscal policy in the era of COVID-19—and for at least the foreseeable future beyond the pandemic. In short, responsible fiscal policy in today’s economic reality may be best demonstrated by a government that serves taxpayers by investing in higher productivity, more financial security, expanded opportunity, and greater worker power; by securing inequality-reducing revenues; and by protecting the economy against likely financial, climate, and public health crises.6 The Center for American Progress’ recent research on budgets and fiscal policy focuses squarely on how policymakers can secure productivity growth, expand opportunity, and reduce inequality.7 Pursuing these goals can help create a virtuous cycle, whereby faster growth in the present, equitably shared, contributes to faster growth in the future. These investments are a top priority; when they are made with an eye toward increasing productivity growth and expanding opportunity, the stronger economy can itself make paying any interest on those investments easier. Consider the example of when doctors take out loans to attend medical school: Their higher future earnings from a lucrative career make it easier for them to pay off incurred loan debt. Investments in education, research, and infrastructure are just a few examples of taxpayer dollars that government puts toward future productivity and that yield expanded opportunity and reduced inequality. The combination of faster productivity growth and more economic equality will ultimately translate into a lower burden on taxpayers for any debt-financed investments. More people will have higher incomes than would otherwise be the case, increasing federal government revenue in the process. This does not mean that deficits will pay for themselves, but deficit-financed, well-designed investments will substantially lighten the load of the additional debt. The GI Bill that financed education for millions of veterans after World War II; the interstate highway system; government research that helped build the internet; federal research funding for pharmaceutical research to eradicate diseases and find new treatments; and the construction of the Tennessee Valley Authority, which broke the utility monopolies and lowered energy costs for millions of families and businesses, are just a few examples of investments that yielded productivity returns far beyond their upfront costs.8 However, it must be recognized that too many of America’s past investments have excluded people of color, undermining the broadly shared prosperity essential for long-term fiscal responsibility.9 Analogies to household borrowing are unavoidable tools for helping people understand financial matters, but they have significant limitations and even downsides when it comes to truly appreciating the operation of government borrowing. In particular, households often face obstacles in borrowing the money necessary to invest in their own futures, as the example of student loans amply highlights. They also have finite life spans where they borrow money to invest in education and housing early in their career; increase their earnings and savings if all goes well; and eventually enter retirement. Households typically aim to pay off all or most of their debt by the time they retire. Limited access to affordable debt and finite investment horizons mean that households cannot fully address all their needs and are left with a lot of financial risks. For example, many households, especially African American and Latinx households, end up with significant high-cost student and auto loan debt early in their careers, hampering their ability to buy a house or start a business.10 The federal government, in contrast, can borrow on highly favorable terms to finance necessary investments and has a much longer time horizon. It can thus address large, known but longer-term risks by temporarily increasing its borrowing. The federal government can borrow on more favorable terms for a number of reasons, including the size of the U.S. economy, the dollar’s role as the global reserve currency, and the role of public debt as the foundational asset of the financial system for liquidity, credit pricing, and other purposes. The federal government’s capacity and necessity to borrow are not only far larger than those of households but also fundamentally different. It can address key challenges such as borrowing and spending to counter the boom-and-bust cycles of the economy, for example, by supporting households and businesses hurt by the pandemic. It can also respond to financial, public health, and climate crises in its fundamental role of protecting people, boosting financial stability, and increasing productivity growth. When addressing federal budget matters, policymakers therefore should be cautious in using household analogies that drive questions such as, “Where will the money come from?” or “How will we pay it back?”—not because those questions cannot be asked or answered, but because the answer in the governmental context is so different from the answer in the household context.11 Protecting the country in times of national crisis—such as wars—has historically justified exceptionally heightened levels of debt, usually expressed as a ratio of debt held by the public to gross domestic product (GDP). And in fact, while wars waste a great many things—not the least of which is life—they have also resulted in productivity booms that are due in part to government investment in technological and manufacturing capacity and to productivity innovations that arise from what are commonly extremely tight labor markets during those periods.12 Indeed, the years following World War II saw the nation’s biggest boom in middle-class opportunity for workers—not including, by intentional policy design, Black workers.13 Public debts as a percentage of GDP declined as the economy grew more quickly, a reasonable level of worker wage growth and inflation were maintained, and the wealthy paid their fair share in taxes. Today, the pandemic-related economic crisis, systemic racism, and climate change all pose similar existential crises, and each demands a similarly robust response—one that increases technological and manufacturing investment and tightens labor markets by addressing the nation’s needs.14 Recent economic research highlights in particular the importance of investing, including through short-term deficits, to support workers’ productivity growth and a more equitable distribution of economic resources. This combination of faster growth and more equality could allow the nation to avoid the economic scarring that can come when a crisis dislocates workers for extended periods.15 The country is suffering from a deep and prolonged recession that is hurting families and businesses. Even though GDP growth rebounded from July 2020 to September 2020 and recovered most of the ground lost in the preceding months, people had 10.7 million fewer jobs in September 2020 than in February 2020, and the employed share of people ages 25 to 54 was only 75 percent—far below the 80.5 percent share in February and below any levels recorded from 2011 to 2019.16 Moreover, the labor market recovery is showing signs of slowing. Financially strapped households are already out of options when it comes to paying their bills. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 15.1 percent of renters had fallen behind on their rent at the end of September.17 The widespread and lingering economic pain from the recession will eventually hurt all kinds of businesses and further slow the recovery, unless Congress quickly enacts another large and well-targeted fiscal stimulus. The COVID-19 pandemic presents precisely such a case for a robust fiscal response to save lives and prevent the kind of sustained job loss that occurred for too many workers in the years following the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession, when fiscal austerity returned far too soon. The International Monetary Fund recently praised fiscal policy for doing “whatever it takes to save lives and livelihoods” as countries go through COVID-19 lockdowns, but it continued to emphasize the importance of smart investment: When the health crisis is contained, the emphasis will shift to exiting from exceptional government interventions and to ensuring the sustainability of public finances while building resilience against future shocks and addressing preexisting challenges such as inequalities and global warming.18 In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States will need to make significant investments to support job creation in so many hard-hit communities; build small-business opportunity nationally, especially in communities of color where the racial wealth gap has left families vulnerable to the dual onslaught of the public health crisis and the deep recession; address the climate crisis and so many other problems that have been neglected for far too long; and much more.19 Empowering worker power to collectively secure fair wages would also support the advancement of responsible fiscal policy. Because unions help raise wages, they support both economic security for workers and higher productivity, both of which have positive fiscal impacts.20 More fundamentally, worker power is important because unions have proved to be powerful tools in focusing workers on their essential interests as citizens in a democracy.21 Vibrant multiracial unions have also been essential to countering the threats of racism and racial division, which are proving to be dangerously powerful forces that undermine the very tenets of the United States’ economic and national strength nearly every day in President Donald Trump’s America.22 Consider systemic racial inequality. The protests against police brutality this summer have once again laid bare how any federal government response addressing the massive inequities highlighted by the pandemic will need to wrestle with the persistent and widespread racial wealth gap. The gap between Black and white families’ wealth serves as a key example. Black households typically own a fraction of the wealth of white households. In 2019, the last year for which data are available, the median wealth of Black families amounted to $24,100, or 12.8 percent of white families’ median wealth of $188,200.23 This lack of wealth has left Black families especially vulnerable in the pandemic as they are more likely to experience layoffs24 and higher health care costs due to a greater exposure to the coronavirus.25 They have fewer resources to cover the loss of income and higher health care costs, resulting in greater financial vulnerabilities and fewer opportunities to invest in their children’s remote learning.26 The pandemic thus made an already massive economic inequality much worse.27 Federal efforts to shrink the Black-white wealth gap must be part of any responsible fiscal policy and need to take several forms. First, the federal government should do no harm and avoid a return to fiscal austerity. Aggressive reductions in public services hurt many people of color in two ways: They lose access to stable, well-paying jobs with decent benefits that are often unavailable to them in the private sector, and they lose vital services in health care, education, transportation, and other areas.28 Next, the federal government needs to address the persistent exclusion of Black entrepreneurs and inventors from federal funding for research and development.29 Third, the federal government must make direct investments in raising wealth for Black families so that they can enjoy the same economic opportunities as white families. These direct investments can include regular savings for children until they reach age 18, commonly known as baby bonds; debt-free college; easier access to low-cost, low-risk savings options; and full enforcement of anti-discrimination and civil rights legislation in mortgage and housing markets.30 Without such investments, a large and growing share of the population will continue to face much harder and more widespread financial struggles than is the case for white families, and persistent and systemic inequality will continue to hamper inclusive, broad-based growth and drive social fracture and conflict—all of which is deeply harmful to fiscal policy. Climate change’s economic impacts are similarly stark. Communities of color will be the hardest hit when it comes to the effects of the climate crisis, but those impacts extend widely across the economy and all the way to the most powerful: The risk of a climate change-driven financial crisis grows every day that markets and regulators refuse to act on climate change.31 Already, weather-related natural disasters have taken thousands of lives and cost nearly half a trillion dollars in the past three years alone.32 This year’s fire season was so intense in the West that the skies of major American cities were darkened in broad daylight.33 Farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and others in the agricultural sector are feeling the pain of nature’s punishingly fast changes.34 The necessity of an overwhelming response on climate—one focused on a 100 percent clean energy target, a worker-centered approach, and environmental justice—grows more pressing by the day.35 Indeed, precisely because there is no silver bullet, trillions of dollars in federal investments need to be deployed across a wide range of initiatives—including research and development; safe and healthy infrastructure; worker and community transitions; rural conservation and sustainable agriculture; and special efforts to target communities that have historically carried an unfair burden from pollution. This is critical to addressing the existential challenge that is the climate crisis.36 Ultimately, smart investments that enhance productivity and protect people and the planet are fundamentally in furtherance of responsible fiscal policy in that they bolster the economic, social, and environmental foundations for growth and prosperity. This is not to say that structural deficits do not pose potential economic risks over the long term. As such, policies that undermine the country’s revenue base heighten those risks. Unfortunately, the mistakes of recent years have added up. In particular, the 2017 TCJA was predicated on cut-and-grow mythology that has time and again been proved wrong. The law also ignored independent scorekeepers and relied on budgetary gimmicks, leading it to be deficit-financed and have an effective price tag well north of the roughly $2 trillion official price tag should core features of the law get extended.37 The bulk of those funds were redistributed upward, going to the wealthy and to the largest, most profitable corporations, which have used their tax cuts not to invest in job creation or workers through new economic capacity or productivity, but instead to finance share buybacks and mergers and acquisitions.38 Quite simply, the tax cuts were a missed opportunity to make productivity-enhancing investments to build America’s future.39 And while billed as tax reform, the bill left untouched some of the most wasteful tax expenditures—such as the private equity so-called carried interest loophole. It even created some large new ones, such as the 20 percent deduction for business income earned through pass-through entities, the foreign-derived intangible income deduction that actually contains incentives to offshore production, and the opportunity zone tax shelter that provides extraordinary capital gains reductions for the wealthy but few guardrails to ensure that the investment funds benefit existing populations in underserved communities.40 More broadly, greater revenues are needed not only to support economic investments in middle-class job creation, climate change mitigation, and more, but also to play a role in directly reducing inequality. A return to more progressive rates of tax on high incomes, capital gains, and wealthy estates; stronger tax enforcement, especially with respect to the wealthy; and more are all important tools to create a fairer tax system.41 Closing irresponsible business loopholes, such as the pass-through tax loophole, and reversing the tax cuts for corporations that have brought corporate revenue well below historic and international norms are equally critical to countering the extraordinary accumulation of wealth and power at the very top.42 These changes will also generate more revenue to support vital programs that many American families need for their financial security and to enjoy equal economic opportunity. The 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession laid bare the connection between the banking system and fiscal responsibility: Not only did millions of Americans lose their jobs and homes, but the public debt and the Federal Reserve System’s balance sheets both rose dramatically. Essentially, America saw the socialization of much of the private sector debt that the banking system and capital markets had created but mismanaged, while unemployment and the real economy slowdown caused more fiscal outlays and a collapse in federal and state tax revenue.43 None of this was news to experts, who for years understood that financial fragility has strongly negative impacts on employment and macroeconomic outcomes, which in turn further exacerbates weaknesses in the financial system. Unfortunately, COVID-19 presents the risk of another financial crisis that requires sustained attention in order to avoid it.44 Critical funding markets broke down in March, and the Federal Reserve System has deployed extraordinary levels of emergency lending to support the financial system, corporations, and municipalities, acting in ways that even exceed what was done during the 2008 financial crisis.45 Moreover, banks remain exposed to homeowners who cannot pay their bills, to commercial real estate owners whose incomes depend on renters and small businesses that cannot pay the rent, and to other losses that may ripple through the economy. At particular risk are financial institutions and markets exposed to an increasingly highly indebted corporate sector, which includes an oil and gas industry that has struggled for years.46 If these issues are not addressed and financial risks become too large, the costs of a financial crisis fall squarely on the taxpayer, not only through the immediate draws on the federal government safety net but also through the real economy implications for recessions: a macroeconomic slowdown, more unemployment, fewer revenues, and higher expenditures. As the negative interaction between real economy downturns and financial sector fragility can produce unexpectedly large outcomes for employment and other macroeconomic variables, fiscal responsibility during the COVID-19 economic crisis demands a prudent approach to financial regulation.47 In simple terms, prudent financial regulation starts by ensuring core components of the financial system are regulated to take the risks necessary to serve their important real economy functions and not more. These include deposit-taking and lending for banks; securities underwriting and customer-focused trading for securities firms; and business and consumer insurance services for insurance companies. Banking organizations, for example, should not be engaged in taking high-risk, swing-for-the-fences bets on the ups and downs of the market, which do little more than fill the bonus pools of traders and executives at the expense of their customers and clients.48 All financial firms should maintain robust buffers in the form of loss-absorbing capital and high-quality liquid assets to help them weather the inevitable storms in the financial markets.49 Additionally, specific financial products and the markets in which they may operate—be they consumer loans, securities, derivatives, or otherwise—should be transparent and well-regulated to protect consumers and investors; to ensure fair and efficient markets for all market participants; and to otherwise support the maximum possible long-term alignment between those markets and the public interest, such as relating to worker empowerment, climate change efforts, racial justice, and more general environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters.50 In essence, prudent financial market regulation is a way to ensure that the federal purse will not be unduly taxed by another foreseeable and preventable crisis. To date, many of the reforms to bank capital, risk-taking, swaps, consumer protection, and more put in place by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 have helped to insulate the financial system from the pandemic’s economic impacts.51 Yet the Federal Reserve Board and other financial regulators have chipped away at the Dodd-Frank Act’s capital and other regulatory foundations in the years since its passage, exposing taxpayers to heightened risks of failed banks.52 Real-time choices made by regulatory leadership matter, too: Irresponsible capital releases for dividends or share buybacks, amazingly, were permitted to continue well into the beginning of the pandemic lockdown.53 Although the situation appears calm at the moment, continued attention is critical, as financial markets seem to be pricing in far higher losses in the corporate sector than they normally do.54 Additionally, the failure of Congress to pass sufficient fiscal support for families, small businesses, and states and local governments presents a continued risk to the financial system.55 Nor do the immediate risks to the financial system end with COVID-19. As was highlighted in a recent unanimous report by a climate-related risk advisory committee to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the already present harms of climate change, and the ensuing risks of a climate-related financial crisis, only make it more urgent that financial regulators get their houses in order.56 Key tools to address this challenge include enhanced climate-related corporate transparency, including the emissions financed by the financial sector; bank stress tests and capital regulation; transparency regarding ESG approaches by asset managers and asset owners; and a range of tools to promote the clean energy transition and small-business resiliency.57 Despite all the mistakes and wastefulness of recent years, America retains extraordinary fiscal advantages. The dollar remains the global reserve currency, and U.S. debt forms the foundation of the financial system and central banks around the world. In fact, in an era of low inflation and secular growth challenges, fiscal capacity may be far more robust than previously fathomed.58 But that does not mean it should be wasted. Instead, America’s taxpayer dollars should be deployed to create jobs, boost productivity, and address long-term challenges—and in doing so, secure America’s economic growth, social inclusion, and, indeed, fiscal strength. Paired with an approach to revenues that reduces inequality and a prudent approach to financial regulation, this would be a truly different path forward than the reckless one that America has been traveling—because at the end of the day, a responsible approach to fiscal policy means having a government that is accountable to, investing in, and faithfully protecting the American people. Andy Green is the managing director of Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress. Christian E. Weller is a senior fellow on the Economic Policy team at the Center and a professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["reversing the tax cuts","Investments in education, research, and infrastructure","increasing productivity growth and expanding opportunity","avoid a return to fiscal austerity","prudent approach to financial regulation","short-term deficits","support workers’ productivity growth","more equitable distribution of economic resources","exiting from exceptional government interventions","ensuring the sustainability of public finances","building resilience against future shocks","addressing preexisting challenges","support job creation","build small-business opportunity","address the climate crisis","Empowering worker power","Consider systemic racial inequality","shrink the Black-white wealth gap","make direct investments in raising wealth for Black families","addressing the existential challenge that is the climate crisis","enhance productivity and protect people and the planet","more progressive rates of tax on high incomes, capital gains, and wealthy estates","stronger tax enforcement","create a fairer tax system","Closing irresponsible business loopholes","emergency lending","Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act","Real-time choices","enhanced climate-related corporate transparency","bank stress tests and capital regulation","transparency regarding ESG approaches","promote the clean energy transition and small-business resiliency"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["oil and gas industry"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["United States"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["The COVID-19 pandemic","climate change"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Covid Trauma Has Changed Economics—Maybe Forever","document":"Some late news on the fuel situation.... British retailer EG Group is setting a purchase limit of £30 per customer buying fuel at its petrol stations. The limit on all fuel grades is meant to ensure sites keep “running smoothly” at a time of “unprecedented” demand and supply challenges, the Blackburn-based company says, after a day that saw queues at some petrol stations. But it won’t apply to heavy goods drivers, or emergency services vehicles. An EG Group spokesperson said: “Due to the current unprecedented customer demand for fuel and associated supply challenges we have taken the decision to introduce a limit of £30 per customer on all of our grades of fuel. This excludes HGV drivers and emergency services due to their vital role at this time. “This is a company decision to ensure all our customers have a fair chance to refuel and to enable our sites to carry on running smoothly. We kindly ask everyone visiting our sites to treat our colleagues, supply chain partners and customers with respect during these very challenging times. All of EG Group’s UK sites remain open and operational to serve customers.” Breaking:EG Group, which has 389 petrol stations, is imposing a £30 limit on fuel because of ‘unprecedented customer demand’It says this will give ensure ‘all our customers have a fair chance to refuelIt asks customers to treat staff with respect during challenging times ⛽️Breaking: EG Group is putting in £30 limit on fuel purchases of motorists (excluding emergency vehicles and HGV). Says it means “customers have a fair chance to refuel” & its 389 sites can run smoothly. Purchase limits put on loo roll, tins & pasta last year to stop panic  Time to wrap up. Here are our latest stories on the supply chain crisis that is gripping the UK tighter by the day, leading to problems delaying fuel, queues at the pumps, and warnings that prices in the shops will rise this autumn... with just 10 days to save Christmas.... Goodnight. GW  We would like to hear from new and experienced hauliers about the problems in the UK supply chains. We’d also like to hear views from other parts of the haulage industry, including employers about how they’re coping with the staffing crisis.  The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, which represents black cab drivers in London, says they’re seeking confirmation that taxis will still be able to access fuel set aside for essential services. As we start to receive more and more reports of petrol stations running dry we have contacted City Hall to request confirmation that taxis (as an essential service) remain on the emergency fuel supply register from September 2000.  Same as last time, certain stations are allocated fuel but only for essential users Reminder: the fuel suppliers say they’re adapting their delivery schedules to ensure sufficient supplies, and prioritising deliveries to stations with high demand, to limit disruption. Updated             at 6.47pm BST  The housing charity Shelter has warned that its helpline is being inundated with calls from people who are terrified of being evicted, as the gas price spike helps create a “perfect storm for homelessness”. A survey carried out by YouGov on behalf of Shelter found that 26% of renters already couldn’t keep their homes warm in winter, equivalent to 5.3 million people in England – even before the latest jump in bills. With energy prices rising, the furlough scheme ending on Thursday and Universal Credit being cut a week later, the charity has called for urgent action to protect renters from the threat of eviction and homelessness. Polly Neate, Shelter’s chief executive, said: “The triple whammy of the furlough scheme ending, cuts to Universal Credit and rocketing fuel prices may be the final straw for many renters barely hanging on to their homes. “We are facing a perfect storm for homelessness to rise, and the new housing secretary must get a handle on the situation before winter arrives.” As fuel costs surge, new data shows that 1 in 4 renters couldn't keep their home warm, even before the latest price hike.These soaring costs, combined with a cut to #UniversalCredit & the end of furlough, are creating the perfect storm for #homelessness to rise this winter. ? pic.twitter.com/i0GaxTXgNK No parent should have to choose between putting the heating on, food on the table or paying their rent – but that’s the reality right now. ☎️ Our helpline is already inundated with calls from people who are terrified of being evicted. Already hit hard by the pandemic, struggling renters urgently need a lifeline. The government must reverse its decision to cut #UniversalCredit and provide emergency grants to renters with crippling Covid-arrears to help pay off their debts. Updated             at 6.48pm BST  Here’s our Q&A on the causes of the crisis in petrol supplies, the possible solutions, and why the wider HGV driver shortage could last for a while....  Rowena Mason Ministers are poised to agree an extraordinary post-Brexit U-turn that would see foreign lorry drivers allowed back into the UK to stave off shortages threatening fuel and food supplies, my colleagues Rowena Mason and Rob Davies write: Boris Johnson ordered a rapid fix on Friday to prevent the crisis escalating. Ministers met in a bid to agree a short-term visa scheme permitting potentially thousands more lorry drivers from abroad to come to the UK. The prime minister is understood to have weighed in to demand a compromise from his warring cabinet, which was split over the issue, following scenes of chaotic queues at some petrol stations and warnings from suppliers that the shortage of fuel on forecourts could worsen. The shortage of up 100,000 heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers – exacerbated by the pandemic and Brexit – has also impacted the food sector and other industries. The British Retail Consortium warned on Friday that significant disruption to Christmas was “inevitable” unless the problem is contained in the next 10 days. The prime minister and his cabinet have publicly played down the extent of the problem. A senior government source said some ministers appeared keen to avoid the perception that Brexit was to blame, and were therefore reluctant to relax immigration rules. However, the Office of National Statistics revealed that millions of people were already facing empty supermarket shelves, with one in six struggling to find “essential” items. Amid growing alarm within government about the threat to supermarket and fuel supplies, ministers are poised to allow lorry drivers to come to the UK on short-term visas, probably for a number of months. On Friday night, cabinet sources insisted that discussions were still ongoing, but the plan was expected to be signed off over the weekend.... More here:  Here’s another example of a petrol station out of action today:  Meanwhile in the markets...stocks finished lower in London and across Europe, as investors awaited developments in the Evergrande debt crisis. China’s heavily indebted property developer moved closer to default today, after appearing to miss a deadline to pay $83.5m in bond interest to overseas investors. The uncertainty knocked almost 1% off European stocks, while the UK’s FTSE 100 dipped by 0.4% or 27 points. The pound also slipped Evergrande is now in uncharted waters and enters a 30-day grace period. It will default if that passes without payment. “These are periods of eerie silence as no one wants to take massive risks at this stage,” said Howe Chung Wan, head of Asia fixed income at Principal Global Investors in Singapore. “There’s no precedent to this at the size of Evergrande … We have to see in the next 10 days or so, before China goes into holiday, how this is going to play out.” And on Wall Street, Nike’s shares have fallen 6% after it also warned of delays during the holiday shopping season, blaming a supply chain crunch, and also flagged higher freight prices and rising input costs.  Car leasing provider LeaseCar.uk is also urging motorists not to panic buy fuel. A spokesman explains:  “We’re urging our customers not to fill up unless they have to. As we understand the situation there is no need to panic buy petrol or diesel. If the local fuel station doesn’t have fuel you should be able to find one nearby that does. Drivers should carry on as usual and not panic as filling up unnecessarily will only worsen the supply problem.” Updated             at 5.38pm BST  Jonathan Freedland has written about how Brexit – and the specific deal Boris Johnson negotiated with the European Union – is the central cause of the problems at petrol stations and in the shops. Here’s a flavour: Where once a haulier from Łódź might do a trip that took in Leicester and Lyon, the British leg is now so tangled in red tape as to be not worth the bother. We should hardly be surprised. As Sam Lowe, trade sage at the Centre for European Reform, puts it drily: “We did make a big decision to differentiate ourselves from our neighbours.” Or listen to Paul Kelly, a major and now struggling turkey supplier in Essex: “The reason we’re having all these issues is entirely because of Brexit and nothing else.” The issue in question is the shortage of labour: “The people who we used to have coming into the country to pluck and pack our turkeys: they’re no longer allowed in.” It’s as simple as that. And yet few dare say it so baldly. Note the words of Becton, Dickinson, the NHS’s main supplier of blood collection tubes, when asked to explain the shortage of sample bottles that led GPs to be told to stop performing blood tests for most of this month. The company blamed “transportation challenges” and “UK border challenges”. Hmm, border challenges. I wonder what those might be. It’s tempting for remainers to look at the forecourt queues or depleted supermarket shelves and say, “we told you so” – though if anything, “project fear” painted a rather less apocalyptic picture. Still, that tells only half the story. For one thing, as Lowe says, it was not “baked in” to the act of leaving the EU that, for example, we’d make it so much more difficult for hauliers to operate here. Instead, we are living with the consequences of the specific deal Boris Johnson chose to do with Europe. There were other options that would have kept us closer.... Here’s the full piece:  The RAC warns that motorists may face higher prices at the pumps soon, due to increasing oil prices rather than shortages. RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “The supply issues affecting a small number of petrol forecourts shouldn’t impact the prices drivers pay to fill up. “But unfortunately the price of oil, which has the biggest influence on what drivers pay the pumps, is continuing to rise at the moment. This may lead to fuel prices going up in the coming days which would be yet more bad news for drivers as a litre of unleaded is already over 21p a litre more expensive than a year ago.” Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 0.75% to hit $77.87 per barrel today - its highest level since October 2018. In mid-August it dropped to around $65/barrel, but has rallied since, settling at a three-year high last night. Brent crude oil settled at the highest price since the fall of 2018 today. Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. 'Government says we'll move heaven and earth as HGV crisis deepens' - is this the same government that said it was doing its best on Covid? Sadly, Bloody Stupid Johnson may indeed have been doing his best on Covid-19 The fundamental issue is that his best Is shite. (Except for cronies and party donors.) \"Moving Heaven and Earth\" = Increasing the Yorkie bar allowance to 2 bars per day. ...and the same government which said that Brexit would be 'the easiest deal in history'?... I advise all my British friends to stay off the roads for a while. According to the minister, there will be a LOT of inexperienced HGV drivers who were licensed via a streamlined test on the road in the near future. This sounds rather dangerous. I'd be more worried about the experienced drivers doing over time and pushed to deliver, deliver and deliver. My understand was that the streamling was achieved by cutting the gap between the different parts.My immediate question is where are they getting the examiners from the supervise all the additional tests they are supposedly putting on offer I read somewhere that the part of the test about backing up the lorry has been waived - or was this only under consideration? HGV driver shortage, farming Labour crisis are of course unique to the UK and entirely caused by Brexit. Leading industry figures are now openly saying this and bizarrely being largely censored by selective news editing. File under can't go on like this. All the things you mention are Brexit Benefits™!At least for the EU... The truth offends those people. If a news org or politician dared to say something contrary they would be cancelled. The extent and severity of the issue is what is unique. I'm sure some Leaver will be along to point out other countries with their own (lesser) issues. What happened to all those brexiters whose jobs were being taken by foreigners? Can't they drive the trucks? They can barely communicate in their native language, you expect them to be able to operate heavy machinery? They can mutter \"take back control\" and \"we want our sovrinty\" and completely fail to realise this is the end result. The risk that a pandemic would make matters worse should've been taken into account by cretins like Blowjobson and Govepuppet. But what do half-witted journos know? Too old, that's the problem. A huge share of them are pensioners. This government couldn't even keep their promise to move £350m to the NHS. I don't have any faith in their promise to move Heaven and Earth. UK pledges to ‘move heaven and earth’ to fix .....[you name it] Wouldn't it be easier to just join the Single Market? don't be mean...and anyway, they enjoy this \"wartime\" panto of shortages, belt tightening (yeah right) and rally to the flag bullshit. It warms their withered hearts It's possible the regime will restore a limited one way FoM for HGV drivers than give our electorate that right back. But that means admitting brexit is a failure. No doubt they'll have one of their payroll duckspeakers explain how offering temporary HGV visas Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Ingerland. Don’t need to move heaven and earth, just rejoin the EU. 100% Well, ask to rejoin the single market! Rejoining the EU is not an option in the foreseeable future. Indeed - rejoin EEA and sit quietly at the back of the room as an observer for a couple of decades, taking notes of what the laws of trade will be. Clearly, the government are at a crossroads between ideological belief and practical reality. I expect, as in all similar cases, the problem will be made worse by denial and delay as they try to make it it is not their fault. It isn't the French president who needs to get a grip, it is this shambolic shower. Studying power dynamics of religious cults helps to understand how this government works. Ideology can be endlessly reshaped to fit reality with new myths and self delusions. Don't expect any 'we were wrong' epiphanies, just more twisted dogma. The KoolAid is wearing off and they are floundering around trying to explain how they ended up in this horrific mess, because it couldn't possibly have been anything they did. The UK population, yes. This government, hmm, not so much. UK pledges to ‘move heaven and earth’ Chapeau! No doubt COVID has made things worse, but if it was the sole cause, even the primary one, there would be shortages here in the Netherlands too. I'm still trying to work out what there is a shortage of though, no-one seems to be able to provide an example. Shortage of 100000 lorry drivers leads to shortages of fuel, supermarket things, and everywhere else. Direct result of telling the east Europeans to f*ck off after brexit. Bottled water, long-life tomato juice (and other flavours), almost all fruit and vegetables, diesel and petrol. I have photographic evidence. Empty shelves. It's shocking. Also, the ONS today has official statistical government evidence that a huge number of people are finding shortages and a lack of variety in shops. Grant Shapps said on Sky News this morning that the HGV driver shortage has nothing to do with Brexit, and that Brexit has meant the supply crisis isn't as bad as it would have been if we'd stayed in the EU.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["a short-term visa scheme"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["fuel","food sector","Retail","transportation"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["UK"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["the pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Federal Reserve eyes 2022 rate rise","document":"Policymakers learned the lessons of 2008 and deployed a wider set of tools to help repair the damage from Covid. They know how to create a recovery, but can they manage the boom? Once ideas about how to manage the economy become entrenched, it can take generations to dislodge them. Something big usually has to happen to jolt policy onto a different track. Something like Covid-19. In 2020, when the pandemic hit and economies around the world went into lockdown, policymakers effectively short-circuited the business cycle without thinking twice. In the U.S. in particular, a blitz of public spending pulled the economy out of the deepest slump on record—faster than almost anyone expected—and put it on the verge of a boom. The result could be a tectonic transformation of economic theory and practice. The Great Recession that followed the crash of 2008 had already triggered a  rethink. But the overall approach—the framework in place since President Ronald Reagan and Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker steered U.S. economic policy in the 1980s—emerged relatively intact. Roughly speaking, that approach placed a priority on curbing inflation and managing the pace of economic growth by adjusting the cost of private borrowing rather than by spending public money. The pandemic cast those conventions aside around the world. In the new economics, fiscal policy took over from monetary policy. Governments channeled cash directly to households and businesses and ran up record budget deficits. Central banks played a secondary and supportive role—buying up the ballooning government debt and other assets, keeping borrowing costs low, and insisting that this was no time to worry about inflation. Policymakers also started looking beyond aggregate metrics to  data that show how income and jobs are distributed and who needs the most help. While the flight from orthodoxy was most pronounced in the world’s richest countries, versions of this shift played out in emerging markets, too. Even institutions like the International Monetary Fund, longtime enforcers of the old rules of fiscal prudence,  preached the benefits of government stimulus. In the U.S., and to a lesser extent in other developed economies, the result has been a much faster recovery than after 2008. That success is opening a new phase in the fight over policy. Lessons have been learned about how to get out of a downturn. Now it’s time to figure out how to manage the boom. FOR CENTURIES, theorists have pondered the recurring and inevitable swings that make up the business cycle. They’ve looked for causes in mass psychology, institutional complexity, and even weather patterns. According to the traditional laws of the cycle, it should’ve taken years for households to claw their way back from 2020’s sudden collapse in economic activity. Instead, the U.S. government stepped in to insulate them from its worst effects in a way that hadn’t really been tried before: by replacing the wages that millions of newly out-of-work Americans were no longer receiving from employers. In the aggregate, benefit checks made up for all the lost paychecks and then some—even though creaky systems for delivering unemployment insurance or one-time stimulus payments meant that many people  missed out. The scale of this innovation is apparent in what Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., has  called “the most amazing statistic of this entire period.” In the second quarter of 2020, a time when economic activity—­measured by the conventional gauge of gross domestic product—was shrinking at the fastest pace on record, U.S. household income actually went up. U.S. politicians moved rapidly because they could see the calamity that would result if they didn’t. But pandemic-era policies were also shaped by regrets, which had been building for a decade, over the response to the last crisis in 2008. In hindsight, economists have come to regard that response as lopsided and inadequate. Bank bailouts fixed the financial system, but little was done to help debt-burdened homeowners, and household incomes were allowed to fall. The new pandemic economics also shielded the financial system, but from the bottom up instead of the top down—a point repeatedly made by Neel Kashkari, who helped lead the rescue as a U.S. Department of the Treasury official in 2008 and who’s now head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. As their jobs vanished in the spring of 2020, Americans struggled to make rent, pay mortgages, and cover car payments. Without the government’s efforts to replace lost income, the health crisis that had already triggered a jobs crisis would have morphed into a financial crisis. “How have Americans been able to pay all their bills? It’s because Congress has been so aggressive” with fiscal stimulus, Kashkari  said in October on CNBC. “If they don’t continue that, these losses roll up into the banking sector, and nobody knows how big those losses will ultimately be.” After an initial burst of spending, many countries quickly pivoted to reining in their budgets in the years after 2008, driven by concerns about rising public debt—a trend that was most pronounced in Europe. In the U.S., state and local government cutbacks resulted in mass job losses. In both cases, relatively high unemployment and low growth rates persisted for much of the decade. In 2020 the doctrine of austerity went into rapid retreat all over the world. Germany, where politicians and central bankers have long been obsessed with fiscal discipline,  scrapped a rule requiring balanced budgets and dropped its opposition to joint borrowing with other euro-area countries. The IMF noted concerns about rising debt levels but said a bigger risk was that governments would curtail their spending too soon. In 2008, U.S. policymakers were overly selective about who should and shouldn’t receive aid and erred on the side of doing too little, according to Kashkari. In a Washington Post op-ed article published on March 27, 2020—the same day lawmakers passed the $2.2 trillion Cares Act, the main pandemic stimulus package—Kashkari reflected on those earlier efforts to help homeowners struggling to pay mortgages. “By applying numerous criteria to make sure only ‘deserving’ families received help, we narrowed and slowed the programs dramatically, resulting in a deeper housing correction, with more foreclosures than had we flooded borrowers with assistance,” Kashkari wrote. “The American people ultimately paid more because of our attempts to save them money.” By contrast, the logic of pandemic policy went more like this: Clearly no Americans thrown out of work by the pandemic—mostly low-paid workers in restaurants and other service industries—lost their jobs through any fault of their own. This made politicians comfortable supporting a big fiscal response. Unlike the Fed actions that dominated crisis firefighting in the past, government spending landed directly in people’s bank accounts. “If you can replace 100% of the lost income in a crisis like this, why don’t we replace 100% of people’s lost income in every cyclical downturn?” Even before Covid-19, the plight of low-paid workers was increasingly a  focus of economic policy. The depth of the Great Recession and the slow recovery—it took more than a decade to restore pre-2008 levels of ­employment—put issues such as economic inequality and racial justice in the spotlight. Wealth and income gaps, ­especially in the U.S., but in other developed countries, too, have been widening since the 1980s as government intervention in the economy was supplanted by an overreliance on the free market. Direct payments to low-income households could be a powerful new tool to protect people at the bottom of the economic ladder from the wealth destruction that always accompanies downturns. Now that they’ve been used in one recession, it will be hard to argue that they shouldn’t be used in the next one, according to J.W. Mason, an associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Read More: John Jay’s J.W. Mason on The New Economics “If you can replace 100% of the lost income in a crisis like this, why don’t we replace 100% of people’s lost income in every cyclical downturn?” he says. “What is the excuse for saying that because we have some sort of financial crisis—something’s gone wrong in the mortgage market, there’s been a stock market collapse—that ordinary people should see a fall in their living standards?” THE PROMINENCE of such transfer payments during the ­pandemic highlights another big shift in economics: the ­handover of power from monetary to fiscal policy and the receding role of the inflation-fighting central bank. In the early ’80s under Volcker, the Fed kept interest rates high to stamp out the double-digit inflation that had taken hold in the previous decade. One effect was to make it prohibitively expensive—in the eyes of policymakers—to pursue social goals by running government budget deficits. Now, after a long period of declining interest rates and largely absent inflation, the central bank is taking the opposite approach. Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues have been vocal supporters of deficit spending during the pandemic, and they’ve promised to keep interest rates near zero at least until pre-pandemic employment rates have been restored. In March 2020, as Congress met to authorize the largest fiscal package in history, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Powell encouraged her to “ think big” because “interest rates are as low as they’ll ever be.” Even a year later, with trillions of dollars more spending approved or in the pipeline, the Fed’s message hasn’t changed. As President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill was passing through Congress in March 2021, Fed officials played down the inflation risks. White House economists say that if their spending plans, including the $4 trillion infrastructure and child-care packages they hope to pass next, do end up causing unacceptable levels of inflation, then the Fed can always step in and clean up the mess. There’s a heated debate over how big of a risk inflation is. On one side, some economists and Wall Street investors point to households that are flush with cash as a result of pandemic stimulus and savings under lockdown—and itching to get out and spend the money in a reopening economy, as vaccination becomes more widespread. That’s a recipe for an inflationary boom, they say, an argument bolstered by April’s 4.2%  inflation rate, the highest since 2008. Bond-market measures of expected inflation over the next five years are also at decade-highs, though after adjustment for the Fed’s preferred gauge they still suggest an inflation rate around where the central bank wants it to be. Lawrence Summers, who served in the last two Democratic administrations (as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton and as director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama), says Biden has poured too much money into the economy relative to the size of the hole caused by the pandemic. “You need to be progressive, but you also need to get the arithmetic right,” he  said on Bloomberg TV in April. “I am worried that this program could overheat the economy.” Conservative economists share the inflation concern, but they have a deeper objection to the new direction under Biden and Powell. They think it’s in danger of losing sight of some fundamental laws of economics. “Fiscal policy has to confront the fact that we do have to pay for things in the long run,” R. Glenn Hubbard, dean emeritus at Columbia Business School who served as chairman of President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers,  said on Bloomberg TV on April 29. As for the Fed, its low-rates policy may struggle to deliver the desired level of employment in labor markets that are undergoing structural change as a result of the pandemic. “It’s an economy readjusting, and the Fed being easy isn’t going to help that,” Hubbard said. “It’s not really a matter of running the economy hot.” In the opposite camp are economists in the Biden administration and the Fed, along with most Wall Street ­forecasters, as well as the investors who buy inflation-­protected bonds. They all expect prices to stay relatively contained after a temporary spike. That view has been shaped by the decade before the pandemic. Higher inflation was supposed to show up in the early 2010s, as a result of post-crisis budget deficits and Fed money-printing—and in the late 2010s, when unemployment rates fell to the lowest levels in half a century. But it never did. Inflation has been declining all over the world for decades. MANY OF THE PEOPLE in charge of central banks, finance ­ministries, or economics departments have some  recollection of the inflationary 1970s and their aftermath. But their offices are increasingly staffed by younger economists who’ve never seen much price instability in the developed world—and who object to the single-minded focus on inflation at the expense of social priorities such as full employment and fairer distribution of income and wealth. These economists are more likely to see inequality as Public Enemy No. 1 than inflation. That kind of thinking underlies the Fed’s strategy review, which last year resulted in a new framework for setting interest rates. The central bank will let inflation overshoot its target for a while before raising rates instead of taking preemptive action that might risk choking off an economic recovery. The idea is that this will allow the benefits of growth to reach every corner of the economy—even people who typically don’t reap gains until late in an expansion, such as low-wage earners. That’s a reversal from 2015, when the Fed began raising rates even though unemployment among Black Americans was 8.5%, almost double the rate for White Americans. Biden’s team has embraced the new economics with fiscal proposals designed to combat inequality. He’s proposing higher taxes on the rich and more spending to benefit the poor, policies that have been out of favor since the ’70s. The administration is also backing a higher minimum wage, and there are signs that more generous unemployment benefits during the pandemic—­coupled with some workers’ reluctance to return to work during a health crisis—are already pushing employers in low-wage industries to raise wages. As rich-world policymakers take steps to reduce wealth disparities in their own countries, there’s a danger that the gap between those economies and those of the developing world is widening. Governments in poorer countries can’t spend as freely to help their populations during the pandemic without triggering inflation or scaring off international investors. The Group of 20, the main international gathering of the world’s wealthiest nations, has supported a  suspension of debt service payments for countries that request it, but private bondholders don’t have to accept it. Brazil and Turkey have been forced to raise interest rates to address surging inflation and the threat of capital flight, even though their economies are still getting squeezed by the pandemic. In a March report, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development listed some of the ideas that dominated global economic policymaking before the pandemic—­“austerity, inflation targeting, trade and investment liberalization, innovative finance, and labor market ­flexibility”—and described some of their negative effects: “This path led to a world of growing economic inequalities, arrested development, financial fragility, and unsustainable use of natural resources before the pandemic hit.” Of course, some say the new policies could come with damaging consequences of their own. The Fed’s low interest rates, for example, are often blamed for fueling rallies in assets such as stocks and housing that benefit the rich most and widen the wealth gap. And while the new economics has the makings of an updated framework to deal with recessions, it has yet to grapple with the potential problems posed by surging growth. Adherents believe that inflationary pressures, the kind that the policy paradigm from 1980 to 2020 was designed to contain, simply aren’t going to arise anytime soon. If inflation risks do materialize, there’s a debate about how they should be managed. Leaving the job to the Fed and a Volcker-style monetary policy would throw people out of work, hitting the most vulnerable the hardest. That would undermine the goal of achieving a more inclusive economy. Alternative methods, such as the one advocated by  Modern Monetary Theory proponents, are gaining traction. In the view of Stephanie Kelton, a professor at Stony Brook University in New York, the government should use fiscal and regulatory  tools to manage inflation instead of the blunt instrument of interest rates. For instance, incentives to manufacturers can help avert production bottlenecks that push prices higher, and payroll taxes can be adjusted when consumer demand needs to be pumped up or reined in. Post-pandemic, all of these discussions will likely range a little wider and freer than they might have a few years ago. “We’ve had a generation where we’ve had macroeconomic policymaking dominated by these obsessive fears of doing too much,” says Mason, the heterodox economist. “The fear of inflation lurking around every corner, the fear of government debt passing some poorly specified but frightening limit, the fear that too much assistance to people who are out of work will undermine work incentives.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["more spending to benefit the poor","austerity, inflation targeting, trade and investment liberalization, innovative finance, and labor market ­flexibility","channeled cash directly to households and businesses","let inflation overshoot its target for a while before raising rates","replacing the wages","higher taxes on the rich","buying up the ballooning government debt and other assets","short-circuited the business cycle","keeping borrowing costs low","scrapped a rule requiring balanced budgets","joint borrowing","Cares Act","keep interest rates near zero","1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill","a new framework for setting interest rates","raise interest rates","use fiscal and regulatory  tools to manage inflation"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["world","the U.S","Europe","Germany","Brazil","Turkey"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":["2020"]},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"REACT-EU: € 4.7 billion to support jobs, skills and the poorest people in Italy","document":" This is an audio transcript of the FT News Briefing podcast episode: Federal Reserve eyes 2022 rate rise Marc FilippinoGood morning from the Financial Times. Today is Thursday, September 23. And this is your FT News Briefing.  The Federal Reserve’s timeline for raising interest rates seems to be inching closer. And a US state department adviser defends the new security pact with the UK and Australia. Meanwhile, some big names are lining up behind a former Treasury secretary’s private equity fund. Plus, market analysts are debating whether the crisis at one of China’s biggest property developers could wreak havoc on global markets. The FT’s James Kynge reminds us that China is not a free market financial system. James KyngeThe government in Beijing says to the banks, OK, I need you to stop bailing out a certain property developer. Those banks cannot but follow the orders of the central government. Marc FilippinoI’m Marc Filippino, and here’s the news you need to start your day. [MUSIC PLAYING] The Federal Reserve meeting yesterday was a bit of a doozy. James Politi It was really quite important, possibly the most important meeting of the year. Marc FilippinoThat’s the FT’s Washington bureau chief James Politi pretty much summing it up. He said the Fed signalled it’s ready to start slowing its $120bn a month asset purchases. That’s the bond-buying programme to support the US economy during the pandemic. He also said the Fed’s starting to contemplate interest rate increases starting next year. James Politi The takeaway is that the Fed believes that the economy is sort of strong enough that it can live without massive monetary support. So it’s sort of brushing away some of the concerns about the Delta variant on the US recovery. It’s confident that sort of the fiscal policy environment will be conducive to stronger and more sustainable growth. And it shows the inflationary concerns that have flared up this year are not expected to deliver a sort of massive blow to the economy either. The Fed is confident that inflation will be transitory. It will start to raise interest rates maybe sooner than it had anticipated, but it does not expect any kind of stagflation scenario. Marc FilippinoSo, James, I got to ask, considering all the news that came out of yesterday, why were the markets so calm? The S&P was up just shy of a per cent, but usually markets hate the prospect of rate increases. They love low rates because it means cheap money sloshing around the economy. So, you know, what gives? James PolitiI think that, first of all, the idea of a tapering timeline beginning in November had been amply telegraphed, really, by the Fed and other Fed officials in the last few weeks. So that was expected. And on the interest rate increases, I think it’s true that it was a bit of a surprise to see the split, the sort of nine to nine split on the FOMC between those who believe the first interest rate increase will happen next year and those who think it will happen in 2023. I think that was a bit of a surprise, but I think markets and investors and economists are gradually becoming more accustomed to a slightly more hawkish Federal Reserve. Marc FilippinoThat was the FT’s Washington bureau chief James Politi.  Former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin just landed a big investment from SoftBank. Japan’s tech conglomerate has invested an undisclosed sum of money in Mnuchin’s new private equity fund. The fund’s worth two and a half billion dollars and it’s called Liberty Strategic Capital. SoftBank will join another big backer, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. A source told the FT that SoftBank’s move to invest in Mnuchin’s Liberty Strategic Capital was influenced by the Saudi fund, which is administered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. [MUSIC PLAYING] The big story in the markets this week has been the financial crisis and one of China’s biggest property developers, Evergrande. One of the things the saga illustrates is just how huge a role property has played in China’s economic growth story. The building boom has been extraordinary. But now, according to one eye-popping statistic, there’s enough empty apartment space to accommodate 90m people. So what are Chinese officials doing with all those unoccupied apartments (demolition sound)? They’re blowing them up. Well, at least in this case. You’re listening to the sound of a forest of half-built high-rises in south-west China crumbling after a demolition explosion. Here’s the FT’s James Kynge with some background. James KyngeThere has been the biggest migration in human history from rural areas in China to cities over the last 20 or 30 years. Hundreds of millions of Chinese rural residents have moved to the cities and therefore there had to be a big building boom to accommodate them. But the other side of it is the way that financing works in China is such that these are state-owned banks that are very reluctant to withdraw their credit from property developers, thereby causing those property developers to go bust. And so that has really been the reason why this oversupply of property has persisted for for several years now. Marc FilippinoSo, James, long-term demand is expected to fall, right? James KyngeThe Chinese overall population is not yet in decline, but it is moving towards decline. And because the number of women between the key childbearing ages of 22 and 35 is expected to decline by about 30 per cent over the next decade, people are predicting significant population decline over that 10-year period. And this means that there will be much less demand for the property that is already heavily oversupplied in cities across the country. And that leads to projections that many property developers, which have huge debts on their books, are facing a rather unsustainable future. Marc FilippinoSo, James, there’s another aspect to this. We recently learnt from our economics reporter in China, Sun Yu. He told us that local governments, like big cities, are really dependent on property sales. James KyngeThis is really the untold story, the truth about how local governments, several thousands of them all over China, finance themselves is really revealing and very much dependent on the property market itself. About one-third of the revenue that these local governments get comes from selling land to developers, which then, of course, use that land to build high-rise apartment blocks, etc. So if the developers are now in the state of facing a really lacklustre market, not being able to sell the property that they’ve built, they are not going to have the money available to buy the land. And that means that these local governments are going to face a really big hole in their balance sheets. And that will mean that they may not be able to finance the bonds that they have issued in order to build infrastructure all over China, which is another big part of China’s growth picture that we can see that this is already starting to happen. Marc Filippino So do you see a broader systemic crisis looming in China’s financial system, given how huge property is as a proportion of GDP? James Kynge When we talk about systemic crisis in China, we always have to bring in the enormous power of the Chinese Communist party because basically this is not a free market financial system. If the government in Beijing says to the banks, OK, I need you to stop bailing out a certain property developer, those banks cannot but follow the orders of the central government. So what we’re probably talking about is not a systemic problem in the sense that we would perceive it in the west, ie contagion. That type of scenario in China is quite difficult to give credence to. So it’s likely that there would be a much more gentle retreat of financing to property developers. But this would be managed in a way by Beijing that would not cause the collapse of, let’s say, several property developers or several hundred property developers and thereby bring about an economic crisis for the country. Marc Filippino James Kynge is the FT’s global China editor. [MUSIC PLAYING] UK prime minister Boris Johnson was in Washington this week and met President Joe Biden. It appears to have been a pretty happy visit coming off a week after the UK and the US joined Australia to form a new security partnership to counter China. The pact ruffled some feathers, though, including those of France. Australia cancelled a huge submarine contract with France and will buy nuclear subs from the US instead under the deal. Here’s US state department counsellor Derek Chollet with a little bit of context. Derek CholletThe capability of nuclear-powered subs in particular is substantial in the sense of their ability to project power throughout the Indo-Pacific. But also the deal over time could lead into other areas of military procurement, whether it’s artificial intelligence, quantum, all sorts of stuff that is going to help define the militaries of the future. Marc FilippinoThat was US state department counsellor Derek Chollet speaking with the FT’s Gideon Rachman. ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["slowing its $120bn a month asset purchases","gentle retreat of financing to property developers"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["property"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["the US"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"3 Financial Crises in the 21st Century","document":"A decade after the financial crisis, the casualties of the economic near-collapse are fading from memory. But that period of turmoil permanently altered the U.S. economy and the financial system. Here are 10 common questions about the crisis and its lasting impact: 1. What was the short-term impact of the financial crisis on the economy? The crisis was the worst U.S. economic disaster since the Great Depression. In the United States, the stock market plummeted, wiping out nearly $8 trillion in value between late 2007 and 2009. Unemployment climbed, peaking at 10 percent in October 2009. Americans lost $9.8 trillion in wealth as their home values plummeted and their retirement accounts vaporized. In all, the Great Recession led to a loss of more than $2 trillion in global economic growth, or a drop of nearly 4 percent, between the pre-recession peak in the second quarter of 2008 and the low hit in the first quarter of 2009, according to Moody’s Analytics. “It was such a shock to the economic system that it unleashed dynamics that we still don’t understand fully,” said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, an audit and advisory firm. 2. What has been the long-term impact on the economy? The U.S. economy has largely recovered. In late August, the U.S. stock market set a record for the longest-running upswing in its history, replenishing the retirement accounts of workers who stayed invested through bouts of volatility. Home prices have also rebounded, pushing total housing wealth to top the levels seen in the pre-recession peak. Unemployment is low, at 3.9 percent in July. “It’s fair to say the crisis was a financial calamity for homeowners everywhere, but now almost everyone has recovered what they lost in that downturn,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. Still, the recovery has not buoyed all consumers equally. Many workers have struggled to land jobs that paid as well as the positions they had before the recession. That shift, combined with the time spent out of work and other drops in productivity since the crisis, has led to a loss of about $70,000 in lifetime income for every American, according to an estimate from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. At the end of 2017, 4.4 million homeowners were underwater on their mortgage, meaning they owed more than their homes were worth, according to the real estate company Zillow. 3. Whatever happened to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? In 2008, the government seized control of the troubled mortgage giants as the housing market unraveled and the companies’ losses piled up. Taxpayers pumped billions into the companies, but over the past few years Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which buy mortgages from lenders and then package them into securities to sell to investors, have been spewing profits that feed into government coffers. Fannie Mae, for example, took $119.8 billion in taxpayer bailout money but has handed over $167.3 billion to the Treasury Department. The smaller Freddie Mac took $71.6 billion in bailout money and has turned over $112.4 billion in profits. The companies remain under government conservatorship, and there is little urgency in Congress to tackle the complicated task of determining their futures. Some proposals have called for Fannie and Freddie to be privatized, others to abolish them all together. Further complicating the fight: Some Wall Street investors say Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s profits should be going to shareholders and not the government. In the meantime, Fannie and Freddie still back about 60 percent of U.S. mortgages, and lawmakers appear hesitant to disturb the status quo, housing experts say. “There is a risk that if you get it wrong, you are really going to do damage to a market that is essential to millions of Americans,” said Michael Barr, a University of Michigan Law School professor who served in the Treasury Department in 2009 and 2010. 4. How did the crisis change the housing market? The housing market was ground zero of the crisis. The market crashed as homeowners with subprime and other troublesome loans defaulted at record levels. Home prices dropped, and millions lost their homes to foreclosure. The market has largely recovered, with home prices rising and far fewer people behind on their mortgages. Regulators have also established new restrictions on the types of loans banks could offer. “Remember ninja loans? No income, no assets, no problem? We have come a long way,” Brusuelas said. But the housing recovery has left behind low-income, low-credit-score borrowers, economists say. Rather than risk making loans to those buyers, banks have focused more intensely on those with pristine credit and buying more-expensive homes, they say. “There is pressure building to change this,” said Aaron Terrazas, a senior economist at Zillow. 5. Are there still “too big to fail” banks? Yes. In fact, many of the country’s biggest banks are bigger now than they were before the financial crisis. JPMorgan Chase has $2.5 trillion in assets, compared with $1.5 trillion in 2007. Bank of America has about $2.3 trillion in assets, compared with $1.7 trillion in 2007. The assets of Wells Fargo are near $2 trillion, more than double what they were right before the crisis. “If and when another crisis hits, the biggest players will be far larger than they were during the last crash,” according to a 2017 S&P Global Market Intelligence report. Some policymakers, including Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari, continue to call for a breakup of the big banks, but the idea has not gained much traction. Lawmakers considered trying to limit the size of banks while debating legislation to overhaul the financial industry but ultimately rejected the idea. Instead, the 2010 financial-overhaul law, the Dodd-Frank Act, handed regulators broad new powers to police the industry, and the biggest banks undergo the most intense scrutiny. “Essentially, too big to fail has been solved — taxpayers will not pay if a bank fails,” Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan, the largest bank in the country, wrote in a 2017 letter to shareholders. 6. What ever happened to Lehman Brothers? Many point to Sept. 15, 2008 — the day Lehman Brothers, then the nation’s fourth-largest investment bank, filed for bankruptcy — as a turning point in the crisis. After galloping to the rescue of other major financial institutions, the federal government drew the line with Lehman, allowing the firm to collapse. A decade later, a bankruptcy court is still wading through the wreckage. The bank’s trustee has sold thousands of its assets and paid out more than $130 billion to settle claims against it. But 365 former Lehman Brothers employees are still petitioning to recover millions in lost salaries and bonuses, potentially keeping the case in court for years to come. “When we started out ten years ago, we faced the chaotic conditions of a global liquidity crisis and had to make immediate decisions in the ‘Fog of Lehman,’ ” James W. Giddens, liquidation trustee for Lehman Brothers, said in a statement. “It was a monumental amount of work. We are proud that we were able to recover as many assets as possible for those distributions in an efficient and fair process.” 7. Did anyone go to jail for causing the financial crisis? No major bank CEOs were criminally charged with causing the financial crisis. Federal prosecutors considered cases against some high-profile figures, including Angelo Mozilo, the chief executive of mortgage giant Countrywide Financial, but ultimately didn’t pursue them. In 2013, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said that some financial institutions had become “so large” that it made it “difficult for us to prosecute them.” Prosecutors would have needed evidence that the high-ranking executives were personally involved in criminal conduct to bring a case, said Jacob Frenkel, a former federal prosecutor and a partner at the law firm Dickinson Wright. “Many of the decisions in institutions that gave rise to the financial crisis, and certainly the design of the aggressive practices and instruments that triggered the crisis, occurred at levels well below the big-name executives,” he said. Dozens of executives from smaller banks have been prosecuted by the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which was established to police firms that received bailout funds. But even SIGTARP has expressed frustration with the difficulty of prosecuting executives at the top firms. To be sure, the banking industry did pay a hefty price for the crisis — billions in fines. Bank of America, for example, paid a whopping $17 billion to resolve allegations that it knowingly sold faulty mortgage securities that contributed to the financial crisis. JPMorgan Chase paid $13 billion. 8. Is Wall Street still handing out big bonuses? Sort of. Wall Street bonuses are nearing record highs again. The average bonus payout reached $184,220 last year, a 17 percent increase compared with the previous year and the closest Wall Street has come in more than a decade to its all-time high of $191,360 in 2006, according to the New York state comptroller. Wall Street’s critics argued that excessive bonuses helping fuel the financial crisis, and Congress attempted to address the issue in Dodd-Frank, requiring regulators to establish new rules aimed at stopping executives from making risky financial bets to boost their pay and then collecting large bonuses before the fallout is clear. But the rules are years overdue and have yet to be finalized. Trump-era regulators are not expected to push the matter further. “Ten years after the crisis, the cause — venal pay incentives — remain unaddressed by Washington,” said Bart Naylor, a financial-policy advocate for the nonprofit consumer group Public Citizen. Industry officials say the proposed rules were too complicated and unnecessary. Banks have already addressed the problem, they say, noting that most bonuses are handed out over several years rather than all at once. 9. Did all the companies bailed out by taxpayers pay the money back? Pretty much. The Treasury Department injected $412 billion into banks, carmakers and other struggling companies through the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. As of the end of last year, it had collected everything it had paid out in bailout funds and then some, leaving the government with a profit of $12 billion. Only about half of the banks and other companies that the Treasury Department invested in repaid in full, said Christy Goldsmith Romero, head of SIGTARP. Some companies paid dividends and interest, which helped make up for the program’s losses on some companies, she said. Taxpayers, for example, lost about $11 billion on the bailout of General Motors. A few banks haven’t finished paying the government back. But they owe a total of less than $100 million, a small portion of the money loaned out. Also, TARP carved out billions to help distressed homeowners by paying banks to lower their interest rates and monthly payments. Big banks, including Wells Fargo, are expected to continue receiving money through that program until 2023. 10. Is the financial system safer than it was before the crisis? Generally, economists agree that the financial system is safer. The 2010 Dodd-Frank Act put new guardrails around the banking sector. The country’s biggest banks must now undergo periodic “stress tests” to prove they could survive another crisis and draw up “living wills” so that they could be dismantled in an emergency without requiring a taxpayer bailout. But Congress and regulators have recently begun loosening some of Dodd-Frank’s key requirements, allowing small and midsize banks to escape some of the most rigorous rules, for example. Critics warn that such efforts could make another crisis more likely. “Many holes in our financial regulatory system are now plugged,” said Aaron Klein, policy director at the Center on Regulation and Markets at the Brookings Institution. “Are we impervious to another crisis? No. It’s human nature. Cars are safer today than they were 30 years ago, but you can still get into an accident.” Jonnelle Marte contributed to this report. ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["Troubled Asset Relief Program","Dodd-Frank Act","established new restrictions on the types of loans banks could offer","loosening some of Dodd-Frank’s key requirements"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["wiping out nearly $8 trillion","lost $9.8 trillion","2 trillion","a loss of about $70,000"]},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["housing","banking","carmakers"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":["10 percent","3.9 percent"]},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["the U.S"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":["Lehman Brothers"]},{"role":"Start_Date","values":["Sept. 15, 2008","2007"]},{"role":"End_Date","values":["2009"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["homeowners with subprime and other troublesome loans defaulted","faulty mortgage securities","venal pay incentives"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Fed wins another round, but the endgame has not changed","document":"Kirsten Rohrs Schmitt is an accomplished professional editor, writer, proofreader, and fact-checker. She has expertise in finance, investing, real estate, and world history. Throughout her career, she has written and edited content for numerous consumer magazines and websites, crafted resumes and social media content for business owners, and created collateral for academia and nonprofits. Kirsten is also the founder and director of Your Best Edit; find her on LinkedIn and Facebook.  The 21st century has proven to be as economically tumultuous as the two preceding centuries. This period has seen multiple financial crises striking nations, regions, and—in the case of the Great Recession—the entire global economy. All financial crises share certain characteristics, but each tells its own unique story with its own unique lessons for the future. Read on to learn more about the three most notable financial crises the world experienced in the 21st century. Financial and fiscal crises can occur for a number of reasons and be caused by both internal and external factors. A crisis could emanate from within a nation's financial system or federal government. Conversely, an exogenous event, such as a natural disaster or global recession, could send a country into a financial and fiscal crisis. Although they may occur simultaneously, there are distinct differences between a financial and fiscal crisis. A financial crisis is a generalized term for systemic problems in the larger financial sector of a country or countries. Financial crises often, but not always, lead to recessions. If the U.S. banking sector collectively makes poor lending decisions, or if it is improperly regulated or taxed, or if it experiences some other exogenous shock that causes industry-wide losses and loss of share prices, that's a financial crisis. Of all the sectors in an economy, the financial sector is considered to be the most dangerous epicenter of a crisis since every other sector relies on it for monetary and structural support. A fiscal crisis, on the other hand, refers to a problem with government balance sheets. If a government's debt load creates funding or performance issues, it may be said to experience a fiscal crisis. A fiscal crisis could occur in the United States if, for example, the federal government borrowed too much money and found itself shut out of the credit markets. A fiscal crisis could also occur if a major credit rating agency downgraded U.S. Treasuries, or if the federal government needed to suspend payments due to a budget shortfall. A fiscal crisis can also occur following a recession and periods of high unemployment, which usually results in less tax revenue being collected, creating a revenue shortfall for the government. Excessive borrowing or debt during wartimes can also push a nation into a fiscal crisis if the country can't repay the debt due to damage to the country's economy and infrastructure. Financial and fiscal crises may occur independently or concurrently. It is possible for a government's fiscal crisis to bring about a financial crisis either directly or indirectly, particularly if the government responds improperly to its budget problems by confiscating savings, raiding capital markets, or destroying the value of the local currency. For example, the sovereign debt crisis that gripped much of southern Europe in 2010 was a fiscal crisis, but it wasn't a financial crisis.1 Remember, financial and fiscal crises may occur independently or concurrently. Argentine crises have been a familiar feature since the great financial panic of 1876. The country experienced its first crisis of the 21st century from 2001–2002, which involved the combination of a currency crisis and a financial panic. An unsuccessful hard currency peg to the U.S. dollar left the Argentine peso in disarray.2 Bank depositors panicked when the Argentine government flirted with a deposit freeze, causing interest rates to spike sharply.34 On Dec. 1, 2001, Minister of Economy Domingo Cavallo enacted a freeze on bank deposits.5 Families were locked away from their savings, and inflation rates hit an astronomical 5,000%.6 Within the week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced it would no longer offer support to Argentina as the country was deemed a serial defaulter.5 International authorities didn't believe proper reforms would actually take place. The Argentine government lost access to the capital markets and private Argentine financial institutions were cut off as well.5 Many businesses closed. Some foreign banks—which were a large presence—pulled out rather than risk their assets. The erratic and extreme nature of interest rates made it virtually impossible for any financial firm to function properly. The Argentine banking sector was lauded for its progressive regulations in the late 1990s, but that didn't stop the carnage of the 2001–2002 crash. By 2002, the default rate among bond issuers was nearly 60%.5 Local debtors didn't fare any better, and their subsequent nonpayments crushed commercial lenders. The government of Argentina didn't fare much better. With the economy in a downward spiral, high unemployment, and no access to credit markets, the Argentine government defaulted on $100 billion worth of its debt. In other words, the government walked away from investors that bought Argentine government bonds. With the economy struggling and uncertainty surrounding the stability of the federal government, investment capital fled the country. The result was a devaluation or depreciation of the Argentine peso as investors sold their peso-denominated investments for foreign holdings. It's common for emerging market economies to denominate their debt in U.S. dollars, and during a devaluation, it can cripple a country. Any debt that was denominated in dollars for the government, companies, and individuals increased significantly nearly overnight since taxes and revenue were earned in pesos. In other words, far more pesos were needed to pay off the same principal balance owed for the dollar-denominated loans due solely to the peso exchange rate devaluation against the dollar. Widely considered the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression, the global financial crisis in 2007-2009 ignited in the U.S. and spread across most of the developed world. Plenty has been written about the nature and causes of the Great Recession, but the essential story centers around major investment banks that overleveraged themselves using mortgage-backed securities (MBSs). The returns and prices of the banks' MBS instruments were predicated on rising home prices caused by an unsustainable asset bubble in the U.S. housing market. Falling housing prices created a chain reaction of defaults by bond issuers across the country, starting in subprime mortgages and eventually spreading throughout the entire MBS market. Unfortunately for international investment banks, the entire global financial system became increasingly interconnected in the 1990s and early 2000s. Junk securities backed by adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs)—many of which inexplicably received AAA ratings from Moody's and Standard & Poor's—permeated Japanese and European investor portfolios. The early stages of the crisis began in the second half of 2007, eventually peaking in September 2008. Several global investment banks were compromised, including Lehman Brothers, AIG, Bear Stearns, Countrywide Financial, Wachovia, and Washington Mutual. There were numerous bank failures in Europe as well, including Royal Bank of Scotland, which posted a $34 billion loss in 2008. RBS was one of the banks that the British government had to bail out with its $63 billion rescue package.7 The worst of the U.S. recession occurred in late 2008 and early 2009, but it took a few months for panic to hit Europe. Countries such as Greece, Ireland, and Portugal were hit hardest. However, the impact of the financial crisis wasn't limited to the U.S. and Europe. Global gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the total output of goods and services for all countries declined in 2009 to -1.67% from 1.85% in 2008, according to the World Bank.8 The Vladimir Putin-led Russian economy grew appreciably in the first half of the 21st century, thanks in large part to the thriving energy sector and rising global commodity prices. The Russian economy became so dependent on energy exports that nearly half of the Russian government's revenues were generated by the sale of oil and natural gas. But global oil prices took a nosedive in June 2014. The average price for a barrel of oil dropped nearly 40% in six months from the previous $100 threshold. The dip below $100 was noteworthy since that was the number that Russian officials estimated was necessary to keep a balanced budget. Putin exacerbated the energy problem by invading and annexing Crimea from Ukraine, resulting in economic sanctions from the U.S. and Europe.9 Major financial institutions, such as Goldman Sachs, began to cut off capital and cash to Russia. The Russian government responded with aggressive monetary expansion, leading to high inflation and crippling losses among Russian banks. As a result, economic sanctions were imposed by the U.S. and Europe as well as other countries, which included a ban on buying western technology to develop oil. Other sanctions included blocking Russian banks from obtaining capital from Europe or the U.S.10 The impact of the crisis and the sanctions on the Russian economy were significant. In 2015 the GDP declined by -1.97% from the year earlier. It wasn't until 2017 before the Russian economy posted an annual growth rate of over 1.5%, according to the World Bank.11 Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. \"Chronic Sovereign Debt Crises in the Eurozone, 2010–2012.\" Accessed Oct. 11, 2020. Gerald A. Epstein. \"Financialization and the World Economy,\" Page 289. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2005. Accessed Oct. 9, 2020. Gerald A. Epstein. \"Financialization and the World Economy,\" Page 293. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2005. Accessed Oct. 9, 2020. Gerald A. Epstein. \"Financialization and the World Economy,\" Page 304. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2005. Accessed Oct. 9, 2020.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["deposit freeze","bail out with its $63 billion rescue package","aggressive monetary expansion"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["declined in 2009 to -1.67% from 1.85% in 2008","34 billion","GDP declined by -1.97"]},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["Europe","Argentine","Russia","the U.S","the developed world","Greece, Ireland, and Portugal"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":["Lehman Brothers","Royal Bank of Scotland"]},{"role":"Start_Date","values":["2001","2007"]},{"role":"End_Date","values":["2002","2009"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["fiscal crisis","U.S. banking sector collectively makes poor lending decisions","improperly regulated or taxed","exogenous shock","government responds improperly to its budget problems","confiscating savings","raiding capital markets","destroying the value of the local currency","overleveraged","Falling housing prices","defaults by bond issuers"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Nine months after the health and economic crisis began, unemployment claims near record high","document":"Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell promised a taper, but not yet. Credit, currency and equity markets responded with a yawn. After nine months of taper talk from the American central bank, markets will not act until the Fed does. Join FXStreet senior analysts Eren Sengezer and Joseph Trevisani for a critique of the Fed's inaction.   Joseph Trevisani: The Fed got its wish yesterday. The taper is closer...Treasury rates were stable and equities didn’t tank. I wonder how long the Fed can keep this juggling act aloft? The taper is by definition a rate hike. As the Fed removes its massive support for bond prices, they will sink and Treasury rates will rise and commercial rates will follow. Eren Sengezer: It was surprising to see Chairman Powell saying that the bar for taper could be met as soon as the next meeting despite the fact that the policy statement refrained from delivering a timeline. Also, he doesn't seem concerned about the labor market after the dismal August jobs report. I guess Wall Street likes the underlying economic strength Joseph Trevisani: Yes.  The Fed's institutional bias is to bring rates higher. It is the same institution that hiked rates after years a zero from the financial crisis. Eren Sengezer: Do you think a rate hike will follow right after the QE is concluded? Joseph Trevisani: No.  And it shouldn't be necessary.  One the Fed is finished with its bond program...Treasury rates and market rates should be substantially higher. Eren Sengezer: That is the idea. The term \"stagflation\" has been making it rounds lately. The Summary of Economic Projections showed that policymakers are expecting Core PCE to ease to 2.3% in 2022 from 3.7% in 2021. Do you see a risk of a slowdown in activity with inflation holding above 2%? Joseph Trevisani: I have small faith in Fed projections on inflation.  In the Wall Street phrase, they are talking their book. US growth will slow, it is not going to continue at 6% or even 4.5%. Stagflation implies very low or zero growth and inflation. As for inflation, I think it continues between 3% and 4% next year... The sharp increases in energy costs, a basic input for every manufactured product and a strong influence on the overall economy, have only begun to work their way into consumer pricing. Eren Sengezer: Businesses are still struggling to find workers as well, which could also contribute to rising input prices. Joseph Trevisani: Exactly. There is the puzzle of high unemployment or at least workers who are officially unemployed and record numbers of empty jobs.  I think it is more than just extended insurance.  Likely the lockdowns accelerated economic and job changes that are not showing up in official figures. Eren Sengezer: Again, this brings back the question of how long it will take for the labor market to settle down after the structural changes it has to go through. Joseph Trevisani: It has already taken far longer and been far more costly, in terms of wages, than anyone anticipated.  The longer it continues, the greater the upward pressure on inflation.  The Fed knows this.  Look at the evolution of their PCE forecast this year...core 2.2% in March, 3.7% in September, six months later.  That does not speak of accuracy or understanding. The headline is worse, 1.8% in March, 4.2% in September. I am not trying to call out the Fed, but just to stress that the situation has evolved in unexpected ways, the labor market being the primary one. For the markets, equities are happy. Stocks are higher today and were yesterday. Monday's fall was China-related and that seems to have calmed down.  Beijing may not officially bail out Evergrande...but you can be sure they ordered it behind the scenes.  US Treasury rates are higher but they have a long way to go even to return to the first quarter range. So all in all the Fed must be happy.  Jerome Powell is very good at his job. Eren Sengezer: Speaking of Jerome Powell and him doing a good job... Do you think US Pres. Biden will reappoint him and would it be a big mistake if he didn't? Joseph Trevisani: I think he will. Biden has enough problems without creating another.  I think the Fed is viewed positively by the US electorate and that is a bit of a rarity for US institutions these days. Eren Sengezer: Well said. Joseph Trevisani: My own opinion is that he should be reappointed. Joseph Trevisani: The dollar has lost all of yesterday's altitude but the longer-term trend is still mildly positive, more so against the euro, the aussie and the kiwi than the Canada or the yen. At this point, after almost nine months of taper speculation, no amount of Fed talk is going to move markets.  Action is needed. Eren Sengezer: What about the GBP following the Bank of England's relatively hawkish outlook? Joseph Trevisani: Same issue for the BOE. Talk is a discounted commodity. Eren Sengezer: To me, it seems like the BoE is more concerned about inflation than the Fed is. Joseph Trevisani: I think it is. Inflation averaging is a get out of jail free card for Fed policy. Eren Sengezer: Let me get back to the Evergrande crisis. I agree that China will somehow bailout Evergrande. Is that a red flag though? Joseph Trevisani: No.  Markets believe in credit unit they don't.  I don't find the Chinese bailing out Evergrande much different than the US government having 23 trillion in debt. Joseph Trevisani: A default would upset markets, but I don’t think the Chinese will let that happen. Is there a possibility that there is a large property bubble in china...sure.  Will we ever know?  Not likely. Eren Sengezer: I think China is concerned about speculative movements in the real estate market as well as the widening income gap but it's difficult to say how they will deal with those problems due to the lack of transparency. Joseph Trevisani: True.  I think China is best viewed historically.  The current Beijing regime is essentially a new dynasty. Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page. If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet. FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted. The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice. EUR/USD is trading in a tight range near 1.1450 on Friday as the dollar consolidates its weekly gains. The data from the euro area showed that Industrial Production contracted at a softer pace than expected in September. Investors await US consumer confidence data.  GBP/USD is flirting with eleven-month lows near mid-1.3300s, undermined by the persistent strength in the US dollar across its main rivals. Fresh optimism on the Brexit front fails to deter the GBP bears. The focus remains on Brexit talks and US Consumer Sentiment data amid growing inflation worries. After posting impressive gains on Wednesday and Thursday, gold lost its traction on Friday amid unabated dollar strength and rising US Treasury bond yields. Ahead of the UoM Consumer Sentiment Index data from the US, XAU/USD is trading below $1,850. $5.6 billion in SHIB has been traded in the past 24 hours across exchanges. Bricks Buster, a mobile game, burns SHIB through ad revenue to reduce Shiba Inu's circulating supply. Analysts expect Shiba Inu is ready to make an explosive move and resume its uptrend. The troubled Chinese property developer, Evergrande, has threatened to cripple the Chinese property sector and despite the news that Evergrande has managed to meet a debt obligation, concerns linger in the markets.  ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["a taper","bring rates higher"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["US"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"A Chinese Black Swan that could spook markets","document":"The number of Americans collecting and applying for unemployment benefits is hovering near pre-pandemic records. By some measures, the figure still exceeds any historical precedent. The volume reflects deep and sustained pain for workers, nearly nine months after the health and economic crisis began. “The numbers we’re looking at now are [far higher than] anything we’ve seen before,” said Erica Groshen, a labor economist at Cornell University and former commissioner of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. “We’ve never seen a shock like this.” Around 5.9 million filed a “continued claim” for state unemployment insurance the week of Nov. 14, according to the Labor Department. Continued claims are a rough proxy for the number of people receiving benefits. Those figures are close to the prior peak — 6.5 million continued claims — set in March 2009 during the Great Recession. (These figures don’t reflect seasonal adjustments, to better compare statistics across time periods.) More from Personal Finance:For  student loan borrowers, monthly payments resume in JanuaryWhat to do before making a charitable donationCongress stalled on stimulus talks as millions face benefits cliff The current level, while down substantially from its pandemic high of nearly 23 million claims in May, is still nearly triple what it was in February. But taking a broader view of unemployment programs shows that the share of people receiving jobless benefits still well exceeds the prior Great Recession record. For example, there are 5 million workers who exhausted their allotment of traditional unemployment insurance and are receiving additional weeks of benefits via separate programs. There are also around 9 million self-employed, gig and other workers currently receiving benefits through the temporary Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. However, some measures, such as PUA, were created as part of the CARES Act federal relief law enacted in March and didn’t exist during prior recessions. Initial claims for jobless benefits are also elevated compared with past decades. There were around 828,000 initial claims for unemployment insurance filed the week of Nov. 21, according to the Labor Department. (Again, this figure doesn’t reflect a seasonal adjustment.) Initial claims are essentially first-time applications for aid. They may also reflect new claims filed by workers laid off for a second time during the pandemic. The current level is down from the peak of 6.2 million initial claims filed in early April, but around four times pre-pandemic levels in February. There are only a few times in history when initial claims peaked above the current level. Workers filed around 1 million initial claims in 1982 and again in 1983; 969,000 claims in 1975; 957,000 in 2009; and 882,000 in 1992. All those exceptionally high levels were set in January, when many temporary workers are laid off after the holiday season, and during or immediately following an economic downturn. In addition, there were another 312,000 workers who filed an initial claim through the PUA program the week of Nov. 21. Overall initial unemployment claims would still exceed those of past decades if such workers were counted.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program","the CARES Act federal relief law"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["Americans"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"China Property Crackdown Alarms Analysts as Economic Risks Grow","document":" In the last decade and a half, the essayist and author Nassim Nicholas Taleb popularized the term black swan in reference to an event that comes as a big surprise, particularly for the economy and the financial system. While the term has become popular, what the world seems to see more of are gray rhinos. A gray rhino, a term coined by Michele Wucker, an American policy analyst, is a highly probable large threat that is likely to hit the world at large at a certain point of time.    One such gray rhino is the Chinese company Evergrande, the second largest real estate company in the country. It is the most highly indebted real estate company in the world and has liabilities of around $300 billion. The company is facing huge cash flow issues and might not be able to service its liabilities, starting this week.    A Bloomberg report dated 15 September points out that the ministry of housing and urban-rural development of China has told banks that the Evergrande Group will not be able to pay its debt obligations which stand due as of 20 September. In a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange earlier this month, the company itself admitted to facing huge cash flow pressures.    The contract sales of properties sold by Evergrande have been coming down over the last three months, with sales falling from $10.75 billion in June to $5.71 billion in August ($1=0.15 Chinese yuan).    The month of September typically tends to be a good time for China’s real estate firms, but Evergrande expects the sales to continue declining during the month due to the negative media reports about the company. This decline in sales would “place tremendous pressure on the… cashflow and liquidity\" of the company.    To cut a long story short, China’s second largest real estate company, which claims to have 1,300 real estate projects across more than 280 Chinese cities, and which dabbles in everything from football to electric vehicles and health to mineral water, is in trouble. Some western commentators have even equated this to China’s Lehman Brothers (2008 financial crisis) moment. Will it come to that? An even bigger question, however, is how did a company, which is run by a man who was once the richest person in China, get into this situation? And will there be financial contagion due to troubles at Evergrande? Context to current crisis    The Evergrande Real Estate Group was founded by Xu Jiayin in 1996 in the city of Guangzhou, which is very close to Hong Kong.    In 1996, only 29% of the Chinese population lived in urban enclaves. By 2011, this had crossed 50%. In 2018, the urbanization rate was at 60%. In a May 2019 report, E-House, a company that offers real estate information services among other things, wrote: “During this period (1996 to 2008), an estimated 17 million people moved into the cities each year on average, fuelling demand for 8-10 million units of housing annually. Of those, an estimated four million units were first-time purchases.\"  Xu latched on to this opportunity. Given the fact that he was the new kid on the block with limited financial resources, he decided to concentrate on mass market housing. Operating on scale, by 2004, Evergrande had become one of the ten largest Chinese real estate developers in a market that had more than 24,000 players. In 2016, Evergrande became a Fortune 500 company. And in 2017, Xu became the richest man in China. He is now the tenth richest man in China.  Evergrande’s rise happened primarily because of what E-House calls the Evergrande model of “three highs and one low\" (high debt, high leverage, high turnover and low cost). And it is this model of high debt and high leverage that has now landed Evergrande in trouble.  Over the years, the Chinese home prices have risen. There are three major reasons for this. The first as we saw is the rural to urban migration, which created huge demand.  The second is speculation. As Thomas Orik writes in China—The Bubble That Never Pops: “For mom-and-pop investors, real estate was the only show in town. Bank deposits, with their below-inflation returns, looked unattractive. The roller coaster stock market, lurching between huge gains and massive losses, was too volatile to act as a store of value.\"  The third major reason is the government. As Orik writes: “For China’s government, real estate is the ballast that keeps the economic ship afloat.\" In fact, an estimate made by economists Kenneth S. Rogoff and Yuanchen Yang in an August 2020 working paper published by National Bureau of Economic Research in the US suggests that the real estate sector contributes around 29% of the Chinese gross domestic product (GDP).  This has happened primarily because the Chinese government controls many important aspects of the country’s real estate market.  As the E-House report referred to earlier points out: “The Chinese government controls key levers, including urban land, capital, infrastructure, and the pace of rural-urban migration. It can easily relax some of these levers to stimulate the economy in the short run.\" This is something that the government has done whenever the economy is lurching towards a slowdown.  Over the years, this fallback option has led to real estate getting more and more important in the Chinese economy. It has also pushed up prices, especially in the tier-1 cities.  All this has come at a cost. Real estate developers have become overleveraged over the years. As Orik writes: “Total debt for real estate developers came in at about 48.9 trillion yuan at the end of 2016, up from 10.5 trillion in 2008.\" Other than overborrowing, the Chinese real estate developers have also overbuilt.  At the same time, household debt to GDP ratio jumped from 18% in 2008 to 62% in 2020. Outstanding home loans make up for over 70% of this.  Other than increasing the financial risk in the system, the rise in home prices has also increased the gap between the haves and the have-nots, something that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been concerned about. At a key Communist Party of China Congress in October 2017, Xi said that “houses are for people to live in, not for speculation\".  The Chinese government, over the last few years, has been trying to control and put a lid on speculation in the real estate sector. Red lines  As a part of this overall strategy, in August 2020, the government imposed a guidance policy based on three red lines. The red lines refer to three financial ratios. As a January 2021 UBS report points out: “If the developers fail to meet one, two, or all of the ‘three red lines’, regulators will then place limits on the extent to which they can grow debt.\" A developer who met all the three red lines was allowed to increase the company’s debt by 15% per year.  The idea behind this is to control the rise of home prices and land prices and to bring down the amount of loans that are given to the real estate sector, given how systematically important the sector had become.  Evergrande failed the three red lines test earlier this year, thus limiting the ability of the company to continue raising debt. A Reuters report points out that the company hopes to meet the requirement by the end of next year. This has gone against the company’s high debt and high leverage strategy and created a liquidity problem for it, where it is finding it difficult to pay off its debt and other liabilities. It’s running short on cash.  The Chinese real estate market, much like the Indian one, runs on pre-sales. This involves the prospective buyer paying the full price of the house, which involves making a down payment and securing a home loan, before the unit is built.  An estimate made by Capital Economics suggests that Evergrande owes $195 billion to buyers. The money is for 1.4 million individual homes that the company has promised to build. The question is where did this money go? On this, only speculations can be made. A part of it could have gone into buying land. In its 2020 annual report, the company said that it has land reserves amounting to a total gross floor area of 231 million square metres, with an original value of $73.5 billion. The company has also diversified into many other businesses.  Over and above this, the company has raised money by selling wealth management products to around 70,000 investors, including its employees and suppliers. In fact, in the filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange earlier this month, the company admitted to two subsidiaries failing to repay wealth management products issued by third parties for an amount of $140 million. As per the ratings agency Fitch, the company also owes around $100 billion as trade payables. What’s the endgame?  According to Bloomberg estimates, the company has interest payments amounting to $669 million till the end of this year, a bulk of which is interest to be paid on dollar bonds issued by the firm.  In March and April next year, around $3.45 billion of its dollar bonds need to be repaid. These bonds are currently trading at 30 cents to a dollar, suggesting that the investors do not expect the company to repay a bulk of the money it had borrowed through these bonds. There is bound to be a haircut.  While the company can afford to default on its external liabilities, a similar situation cannot be allowed to play out domestically. As Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note in July: “China’s leadership is presumably reluctant to offer a bailout to Evergrande, given the desire to punish reckless behaviour by private entrepreneurs and discourage speculative property investment… But given the firm’s sheer size and systemic role, officials would step in to try to ensure an orderly restructuring in the event of a default.\"  One idea that is already being suggested is to use Evergrande’s massive land bank to settle liabilities. As the Capital Economics note points out: “The most likely endgame is now a managed restructuring in which other developers take over Evergrande’s uncompleted projects in exchange for a share of its land bank.\" The company is also looking to pay the investors in its wealth management projects by allowing them to bid for its property assets at steep discounts.  Hence, the aim is to ensure that the domestic liabilities are settled in an organized way. Also, while Evergrande is the second biggest Chinese real estate developer, the overall market continues to remain highly fragmented and as the ratings agency Fitch points out, the developer on its own had only 4% of the market share in 2020. Hence, “the risk of significant pressure on house prices in the event of a default would be low, unless the restructuring or liquidation of its assets become disorderly.\"  Further, while the Communist Party of China has been trying to control home prices, it also needs to make sure that prices don’t fall rapidly. In fact, Guo Shuqing, head of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, had warned in March that if home prices fall, people might suffer losses, leading them to default on their home loans and this would create economic chaos. As a result of these domestic compulsions, all the talk about financial contagion spreading into other Asian financial markets seems unlikely as of now.  To conclude, the real estate-led growth model in China needs to unwind. Other than overbuilding, the demand for homes in the years to come is likely to shrink. As Rogoff and Chang write: “The age group of 20-50 (years), who comprise the majority of homebuyers, keeps shrinking. The abolition of one-child policy effective from January 2016 is unlikely to reverse the downward demographic trend.\" Also, “urbanization has reached the point where home ownership is (now) over 90% among the 276 million urban households.\"  If economists writing for the National Bureau of Economic Research understand this, so do the leaders of the Communist Party of China. It’s just that unravelling this and ensuring a smooth landing is going to be very difficult and take a lot of time. Having said that, the Communist Party of China needs to ensure that the gray rhino does not become a black swan that could potentially affect the financial stability of other Asian nations, including India. The writer is the author of Bad Money. ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["control and put a lid on speculation in the real estate sector","three red lines"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["real estate"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["China"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The 2007–2008 Financial Crisis in Review","document":"(Bloomberg) -- Warnings that China’s campaign to cool its property market will go too far are multiplying.  Economists at Nomura Holdings Inc. are calling the curbs China’s “Volcker Moment” that will hurt the economy. The credit squeeze in the property sector is “unnecessarily aggressive” and may weigh on industrial demand and consumption, wrote colleagues at Bank of America Corp. A prominent Chinese economist cautioned of a potential crisis should home values drop below mortgages.  Stabilizing China’s housing market under the mantra of “housing is for living, not for speculation” is one of the many campaigns being waged by Xi Jinping as he seeks to reduce the cost of raising a family and defuse risks in the financial system. Yet it’s also one of the toughest goals to achieve given the vital importance of the sector to the economy -- the industry accounts for more than 28% of gross domestic output. The regulatory tightening appears to be working, after monetary easing last year spurred price gains. Property loans rose at the slowest pace in eight years in the first seven months of the year, according to the banking and insurance regulator, while home price growth dipped to a six-month low in July.  Efforts to enforce discipline among over-leveraged property developers are also biting. Property firms defaulted on $6.2 billion worth of high-yield debt through mid-August, or about $1.3 billion more than the previous 12 years combined, according to Morgan Stanley.  Yet concern is growing that the impact of such policies spiral out of control. Nomura sees property curbs accounting for more than half of the slowdown in economic growth in the second half of the year. Restrictions on the real estate market also affect the sale of construction materials, furniture and home appliances.   Reduced access to funding has exacerbated a liquidity crisis at China Evergrande Group. Moody’s Investors Service Inc. and Fitch Ratings both cut their ratings on the company deeper into junk this week, with the latter saying a default seems “probable.” Evergrande’s $305 billion in liabilities means any failure by the firm poses a threat to the financial system.  “A rapid slowdown in property sector activities could lead to a significant spillover effect,” wrote Bank of America’s Miao Ouyang and Helen Qiao in a Monday note. “While the motivation for such credit tightening was to stabilize leverage and rebalance the economy, the risk is rising for growth instability amid fast deleveraging.” China has in recent months targeted everything from mortgage approvals and rates for first time buyers, to home-rent growth in cities and the price premium for land. Chinese banks are being told to lower their lending to home buyers and several large cities recently suspended centralized land sales. Officials in May revived the idea of a national property tax.  “If one day the value of houses plunged below the mortgage value, people won’t even be able to repay their debt by selling the houses, and that would be a real crisis for the property market,” Li Yang, chairman of the National Institution for Finance & Development, was cited as saying by the official Economic Daily. Li spoke at a forum on Aug. 29. Perhaps the most visible shift has been the tightening of funding conditions for highly-leveraged developers, who rely on access to the bond market, bank loans and trust loans for liquidity. Once-prolific offshore issuer Evergrande hasn’t sold a single dollar note since January 2020. Yields on China’s dollar junk bonds, which are dominated by property firms, climbed last week to the highest level since the pandemic triggered a selloff in March 2020. Real estate firms made up around 30% of the first half’s defaults and some of their bonds are now blacklisted as collateral both onshore and offshore. Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. in August said it set aside $5.5 billion in provisions related to its investment in defaulter China Fortune Land Development Co. “Markets over the near term need to be prepared for a likely marked growth slowdown, more developer defaults and home foreclosures, and perhaps some turmoil in stock markets,” Nomura economists led by Lu Ting wrote in a report last month. There’s little sign so far that Beijing will pull back on its measures. According to Morgan Stanley, local governments may make adjustments depending on the conditions in their housing market, but they won’t be able to touch the “bottom lines” of home purchasing restrictions and caps on property prices.   “One of the key purposes of these recent regulatory measures has been to reduce liquidity-driven speculative flows into China’s property sector,” wrote Morgan Stanley analysts led by Kelvin Pang in a note last month. “We suggest that investors show caution during this period of China property sector regulatory reset.”","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["reduce the cost of raising a family and defuse risks in the financial system","lower their lending","suspended centralized land sales"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["property","housing","real estate","construction materials","furniture","home appliances"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["China"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Opportunity loss from corruption","document":"Marguerita is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®), Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®), and a Chartered Socially Responsible Investing Counselor (CSRIC). She has been working in the financial planning industry for over 20 years and spends her days helping her clients gain clarity, confidence, and control over their financial lives. The financial crisis of 2007-2008 was years in the making. By the summer of 2007, financial markets around the world were showing signs that the reckoning was overdue for a years-long binge on cheap credit. Two Bear Stearns hedge funds had collapsed, BNP Paribas was warning investors that they might not be able to withdraw money from two of its funds, and the British bank Northern Rock was about to seek emergency funding from the Bank of England. Yet despite the warning signs, few investors suspected that the worst crisis in nearly eight decades was about to engulf the global financial system, bringing Wall Street's giants to their knees and triggering the Great Recession. It was an epic financial and economic collapse that cost many ordinary people their jobs, their life savings, their homes, or all three. The seeds of the financial crisis were planted during years of rock-bottom interest rates and loose lending standards that fueled a housing price bubble in the U.S. and elsewhere. It began, as usual, with good intentions. Faced with the bursting of the dot-com bubble, a series of corporate accounting scandals, and the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Federal Reserve lowered the federal funds rate from 6.5% in May 20001 to 1% in June 2003.2 The aim was to boost the economy by making money available to businesses and consumers at bargain rates. The result was an upward spiral in home prices as borrowers took advantage of the low mortgage rates.3 Even subprime borrowers, those with poor or no credit history, were able to realize the dream of buying a home. The banks then sold those loans on to Wall Street banks, which packaged them into what were billed as low-risk financial instruments such as mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). Soon a big secondary market for originating and distributing subprime loans developed.4 Fueling greater risk-taking among banks, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in October 2004 relaxed the net capital requirements for five investment banks—Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER), Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS). That freed them to leverage their initial investments by up to 30 times or even 40 times. Eventually, interest rates started to rise and homeownership reached a saturation point. The Fed started raising rates in June 2004, and two years later the Federal funds rate had reached 5.25%, where it remained until August 2007.2 There were early signs of distress. By 2004, U.S. homeownership had peaked at 69.2%.5 Then, during early 2006, home prices started to fall. This caused real hardship to many Americans. Their homes were worth less than they paid for them. They couldn't sell their houses without owing money to their lenders. If they had adjustable-rate mortgages, their costs were going up as their homes' values were going down. The most vulnerable subprime borrowers were stuck with mortgages they couldn't afford in the first place. Subprime mortgage company New Century Financial made nearly $60 billion in loans in 2006, according to the Reuters news service. In 2007, it filed for bankruptcy protection. As 2007 got underway, one subprime lender after another filed for bankruptcy. During February and March, more than 25 subprime lenders went under. In April, New Century Financial, which specialized in sub-prime lending, filed for bankruptcy and laid off half of its workforce.6 By June, Bear Stearns stopped redemptions in two of its hedge funds, prompting Merrill Lynch to seize $800 million in assets from the funds.7 Even these were small matters compared to what was to happen in the months ahead. It became apparent by August 2007 that the financial markets could not solve the subprime crisis and that the problems were reverberating well beyond the U.S. borders. The interbank market that keeps money moving around the globe froze completely, largely due to fear of the unknown. Northern Rock had to approach the Bank of England for emergency funding due to a liquidity problem. In October 2007, Swiss bank UBS became the first major bank to announce losses—$3.4 billion—from sub-prime-related investments.8 In the coming months, the Federal Reserve and other central banks would take coordinated action to provide billions of dollars in loans to the global credit markets, which were grinding to a halt as asset prices fell. Meanwhile, financial institutions struggled to assess the value of the trillions of dollars worth of now-toxic mortgage-backed securities that were sitting on their books. By the winter of 2008, the U.S. economy was in a full-blown recession and, as financial institutions' liquidity struggles continued, stock markets around the world were tumbling the most since the September 11 terrorist attacks. In January 2008, the Fed cut its benchmark rate by three-quarters of a percentage point—its biggest cut in a quarter-century, as it sought to slow the economic slide.2 The bad news continued to pour in from all sides. In February, the British government was forced to nationalize Northern Rock.9 In March, global investment bank Bear Stearns, a pillar of Wall Street that dated to 1923, collapsed and was acquired by JPMorgan Chase for pennies on the dollar.10 By the summer of 2008, the carnage was spreading across the financial sector. IndyMac Bank became one of the largest banks ever to fail in the U.S.,11 and the country's two biggest home lenders, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, had been seized by the U.S. government. Yet the collapse of the venerable Wall Street bank Lehman Brothers in September marked the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history,13 and for many became a symbol of the devastation caused by the global financial crisis. That same month, financial markets were in free fall, with the major U.S. indexes suffering some of their worst losses on record. The Fed, the Treasury Department, the White House, and Congress struggled to put forward a comprehensive plan to stop the bleeding and restore confidence in the economy. The Wall Street bailout package was approved in the first week of October 2008.14 The package included many measures, such as a huge government purchase of \"toxic assets,\" an enormous investment in bank stock shares, and financial lifelines to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The amount spent by the government through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). It got back $442.6 billion after assets bought in the crisis were resold at a profit. The public indignation was widespread. It appeared that bankers were being rewarded for recklessly tanking the economy. But it got the economy moving again. It also should be noted that the investments in the banks were fully recouped by the government, with interest. The passage of the bailout package stabilized the stock markets, which hit bottom in March 2009 and then embarked on the longest bull market in its history. Still, the economic damage and human suffering were immense. Unemployment reached 10%. About 3.8 million Americans lost their homes to foreclosures.15 The most ambitious and controversial attempt to prevent such an event from happening again was the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010. On the financial side, the act restricted some of the riskier activities of the biggest banks, increased government oversight of their activities, and forced them to maintain larger cash reserves. On the consumer side, it attempted to reduce predatory lending. By 2018, some portions of the act had been rolled back by the Trump Administration, although an attempt at a more wholesale dismantling of the new regulations failed in the U.S. Senate. Those regulations are intended to prevent a crisis similar to the 2007-2008 event from happening again. Which doesn't mean that there won't be another financial crisis in the future. Bubbles have occurred periodically at least since the 1630s Dutch Tulip Bubble. The 2007-2008 financial crisis was a global event, not one restricted to the U.S. Ireland's vibrant economy fell off a cliff. Greece defaulted on its international debts. Portugal and Spain suffered from extreme levels of unemployment. Every nation's experience was different and complex. Several interrelated factors were at work. First, low-interest rates and low lending standards fueled a housing price bubble and encouraged millions to borrow beyond their means to buy homes they couldn't afford. The banks and subprime lenders kept up the pace by selling their mortgages on the secondary market in order to free up money to grant more mortgages. The financial firms that bought those mortgages repackaged them into bundles, or \"tranches,\" and resold them to investors as mortgage-backed securities. When mortgage defaults began rolling in, the last buyers found themselves holding worthless paper. Many economists place the greatest part of the blame on lax mortgage lending policies that allowed many consumers to borrow far more than they could afford. But there's plenty of blame to go around, including: The total number of bank failures linked to the financial crisis cannot be revealed without first reporting this: No depositor in an American bank lost a penny to a bank failure. That said, more than 500 banks failed between 2008 and 2015, compared to a total of 25 in the preceding seven years, according to the Federal Reserve of Cleveland.16 Most were small regional banks, and all were acquired by other banks, along with their depositors' accounts. The biggest failures were not banks in the traditional Main Street sense but investment banks that catered to institutional investors. These notably included Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns. Lehman Brothers was denied a government bailout and shut its doors. JPMorgan Chase bought the ruins of Bear Stearns on the cheap. As for the biggest of the big banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of American, and Morgan Stanley, all were, famously, \"too big to fail.\" They took the bailout money, repaid it to the government, and emerged bigger than ever after the recession. A number of smart investors made money from the crisis, mostly by picking up pieces from the wreckage. Bubbles occur all the time in the financial world. The price of a stock or any other commodity can become inflated beyond its intrinsic value. Usually, the damage is limited to losses for a few over-enthusiastic buyers. The financial crisis of 2007-2008 was a different kind of bubble. Like only a few others in history, it grew big enough that, when it burst, it damaged entire economies and hurt millions of people, including many who were not speculating in mortgage-backed securities. Federal Reserve. \"Open Market Operations Archive.\" Accessed Aug. 22, 2020. Federal Reserve. \"Open Market Operations.\" Accessed Aug. 22, 2020. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. \"All-Transactions House Price Index for the United States.\" Accessed Aug. 22, 2020. Brookings. \"The Origins of the Financial Crisis,\" Pages 7–8. Accessed Aug. 22, 2020. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. \"Homeownership Rate for the United States.\" Accessed Aug. 22, 2020. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. \"New Century Financial Corporation Files for Chapter 11; Announces Agreement to Sell Servicing Operations.\" Accessed Aug. 22, 2020 Michael C. Hill. \"Cannibal Capitalism,\" Page 44. John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Lindsey K. Hanson and Timothy J. Essenburg. \"The New Faces of American Poverty: A Reference Guide to the Great Recession,\" Page 18. ABC-CLIO, 2014. UK Parliament. \"The Nationalisation of Northern Rock,\" Page 3. Accessed Aug. 23, 2020. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. \"Bear Stearns: Merger Proposed—Your Vote Is Very Important.\" Accessed Aug. 23, 2020. FDIC. \"Failed Bank Information: Information for IndyMac Bank, F.S.B., and IndyMac Federal Bank, F.S.B., Pasadena, CA.\" Accessed Aug. 23, 2020. Federal Housing Finance Agency. \"History of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Conservatorships.\" Accessed Aug. 23, 2020. History. \"Lehman Brothers Declares Bankruptcy.\" Accessed Aug. 23, 2020. GovTrack. \"Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.\" Accessed Aug. 23, 2020.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["lowered the federal funds rate","coordinated action to provide billions of dollars in loans to the global credit markets","cut its benchmark rate","investment in bank stock shares","financial lifelines to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac","restricted some of the riskier activities","relaxed the net capital requirements","nationalize Northern Rock","The Wall Street bailout package","government purchase of \"toxic assets,","Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)","Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act","increased government oversight","maintain larger cash reserves","reduce predatory lending","lax mortgage lending policies"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["3.4 billion"]},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":["10"]},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["world","U.S","Ireland","Greece","Portugal","Spain"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":["Lehman Brothers","Bear Stearns","New Century Financial","IndyMac Bank","500 banks"]},{"role":"Start_Date","values":["2007"]},{"role":"End_Date","values":["2008"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["low-interest rates","rock-bottom interest rates","housing price bubble","loose lending standards","subprime crisis"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The fight over the debt ceiling has the potential to tank the U.S. economy—here’s what it means","document":"Two days ago, this broadsheet reported on Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua’s estimate of the total economic cost of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) cited a total cost of P41.4 trillion representing foregone growth drivers such as consumption, private investment, and human capital investment for 2020 and the next 40 years at net present value. Without the pandemic and economic lockdowns, the NEDA report shows what could have happened to the Philippine economy. Instead of gross domestic product (GDP) of P19.5 trillion in 2019 contracting to P17.9 trillion in 2020, it could have grown to P21.4 trillion. With economic scars, the 40-year opportunity cost combined would be equivalent to almost two years of output.  With foregone opportunities, NEDA believes that “it may take 10 years to catch up to pre-COVID-19 trajectory” in terms of financial investments. Corruption is another source of missed opportunities. This is more sinister because it is committed by those in authority, whether elected or appointed, and most probably supported by those around them. A pioneering study by Paolo Mauro (“The Effects of Corruption on Growth, Investment, and Government Expenditure”) of the IMF in 1997, nearly a quarter of a century ago, attempted to pin down the reality of public sector corruption. Mauro argued the obvious, that we should worry about corruption. He traced the seminal research on corruption all the way to the 1960s when economists preferred to call it “rent seeking.” Mauro concluded that quantifying the extent of corruption and putting value to it was rather difficult. Corruption is done in secret unless exposed by those with authority to audit relevant transactions. Joint annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in the 1990s invariably harped on governance and corruption, calling it a “cancer” that must be excised. The only available metrics of corruption were those supplied by private rating agencies based on the responses of locally consultants. No one could fault the results for being subjective because there was hardly any other option. The context of corruption is very interesting. ADVERTISEMENT Mauro explained, in the Fund’s simplified version, that “since much public corruption can be traced to government intervention in the economy, policies aimed at liberalization, stabilization, deregulation and privatization can sharply reduce the opportunities for rent-seeking behavior and corruption.” This fundamental cause resonates even in the Philippines today when reported cases of corruption involved official interventions that would thwart the tenets of competition and liberal markets. Liberalized importation of rice, for instance, made a handful of middlemen unhappy but all rice-eating Filipinos rejoiced when rice prices dropped and inflation weakened. Farmers have started to benefit from the support coming from the rice tariff collection. Sin taxes had an impossible time in Congress because big money was involved in sin products like liquor and cigarettes. Once they were in place, taxes from this source helped promote fiscal sustainability and the Philippine economy turned the corner before the pandemic. Corruption is indeed rent seeking because those who are bribed are policy makers who can make policies or change the regulations to suit the interests of the corrupting party. Mauro wrote that “throughout the world bureaucrats and people in authority are indefatigably maneuvering to position themselves in a tiny monopoly where they can be bribed for issuing a license, approving an expenditure or allowing a shipment across a border.” Another good material on corruption focusing on the Philippines is the article by Emmanuel S. Dios and Ricardo D. Ferrer, “Corruption in the Philippines: Framework and Context” published in January 2000. The authors used Susan Rose-Ackerman’s (“Corruption and Development,” 1998) table on types of corrupt states to show the interesting dynamics of corruption. Normally there are few bribers to a few recipients. Since there could be whistleblowers, one could spread the largesse to more recipients and produce a Mafia-dominated state. ADVERTISEMENT Transaction-wise, corruption targets bids, purchases, and auctions as well as sale of policies, laws, and regulations, among others. As example, corruption in public procurement results in bid-rigging, overpricing, or even over-purchasing. Sale of public policy involves changes in ownership rules. Like the pandemic, corruption has economic consequences. The literature contains instances when corruption could have some constructive use like incentivizing bureaucrats to perform better than without bribe. But its negative impact trumps its efficiency value. Recipients of public spending could lose what has been earmarked for them. Due to corruption, both investment and economic growth could drop. Like a tax, corruption discourages economic activity in a sense similar to what community quarantines do to business and mobility. Unlike a tax, corruption is unpredictable and unreliable. One of the parties may not deliver on his commitment. De Dios and Ferrer replicated Mauro’s approach and used his equations for the Philippines but with a great difference: the level of corruption is modified to mimic Singapore. This means if we are able to reduce the extent of this insidious practice, we could expect a 6.6 percentage point increase in the ratio of investment to GDP and a 1.65% increase in annual per capita GDP growth at that point in the past. In addition, revenues could drop and spending could get bloated resulting in unsustainable fiscal deficits. Under-provisioning of public goods and over-provisioning of something unwanted, or unnecessary, happen. ADVERTISEMENT How does the Philippines compare with other countries in terms of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index? Based on the table compiled by TAKE-PROFIT.ORG, in the last five presidencies, only President Fidel V. Ramos and President Benigno Aquino III managed to increase their scores from the year they started their administration to the end of their terms. For the year 2020, of the 180 countries assessed, the Philippines scored 34 points that brought it to 115th place. In the ASEAN, those which rated higher include Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Philippines was specially mentioned with these remarks: “with a score of 34, efforts to control corruption in the Philippines appear mostly stagnant since 2012. The government’s response to COVID-19 has been characterized by abusive enforcement, and major violations of human rights and media freedom.” We recall that in August 2019, before the pandemic, Deputy Ombudsman Cyril Ramos reported his personal calculation that the Philippine government lost around P1.4 trillion in the previous two years, or P700 billion a year, because of corruption. This was about 20% of the annual budget of the Philippine government. This were estimated as the equivalent of 1.4 million housing for the poor, medical assistance for around 7 million Filipinos, or a rice buffer stock for over a year. From another angle, somebody estimated that a kilometer of road, 11-meters wide or two-lanes on each side, would cost around P100 million. This means we could have additional 7,000 kilometers of road — that is all the way from Ilocos Norte to Bicol, seven times. Many years ago, the Department of Education estimated an average of about P1 million per classroom in the public school, although Senator Frank Drilon challenged this amount. Without corruption, we would have at least 700,000 classrooms more. Today, the anomaly in the Pharmally transactions with the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management could also involve corruption. Public documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission prove Pharmally is undercapitalized but it managed to win billions worth of contracts. Its deliveries were certified even without inspection. Its pricing was not exactly competitive. Rent seeking was clearly present. With a level playing field, the government would not have to pay more than necessary. Lost from these transactions that produced luxury cars, among others, were more kilometers of road, more classrooms, more medical assistance, or more rice buffer stock for our people. Obviously, following Rose-Ackerman scheme, the pandemic crisis presented an opportunity for corruption.   Diwa C. Guinigundo is the former Deputy Governor for the Monetary and Economics Sector, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). He served the BSP for 41 years. In 2001-2003, he was Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. He is the senior pastor of the Fullness of Christ International Ministries in Mandaluyong.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":null},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["contracting to P17.9 trillion"]},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["Philippine"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["the pandemic","Corruption","economic lockdowns"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Poverty fell overall in 2020 as result of massive stimulus checks and unemployment aid, Census Bureau says","document":"Politicians in Congress are currently in a staredown over the debt ceiling. Lawmakers must reach an agreement soon to allow the government to meet its payment obligations for Social Security, tax credits and military salaries, among other items. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the Treasury will likely run out of ways to pay its bills at some point in October. Democrats want to suspend or increase the debt limit through legislation. However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said that Democrats need to find a way to pass it without any support from the GOP. Democrats argue that raising the ceiling will simply allow the U.S. Treasury to pay for spending and tax cuts that were greenlit during the Trump administration, while Republicans say they won’t help lift the debt limit because of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending plan. Suspending or increasing the limit does not authorize any new spending. The Republican opposition may force Democrats to lift the ceiling on their own as part of the spending package, which they plan to pass without the GOP through budget reconciliation. The process requires only a simple majority in the Senate split 50-50 by party. So what does all this mean for you? Here’s what the debt ceiling is and how a failure to raise it could have far-reaching effects in the economy. Put simply, the debt ceiling is the maximum amount of money that the U.S. Treasury can borrow in the form of bond sales. This money is used to pay for a wide-ranging number of financial obligations each month, including Social Security payments, Medicare reimbursements and other programs like tax refunds. Without congressional permission to continue taking out debt — which is necessary because the government spends more money than it takes in via taxes — the Treasury can’t continue to fund its obligations. The debt limit has been regularly increasing since it was first introduced in 1917, and since 1960 the debt ceiling has been in some way raised or suspended 78 times under presidents from both parties, according to the Treasury’s website. It is currently suspended, and the Congressional Budget Office estimated in July that it needs to be raised from $22 trillion to $28.5 trillion. The Treasury also says that to fail to raise the ceiling, and as a result allow the government to default on its debts, “would have catastrophic economic consequences.” ″[The debt ceiling] is a century-old attempt to restrain federal spending,” Bankrate analyst Mark Hamrick tells CNBC Make It. ”[Raising the ceiling] is a necessary step to allow the Treasury to effectively engage in the expenditures which have already been approved by two branches of government.” If the government fails to suspend or raise the debt limit, the Treasury will be unable to raise the cash to pay its obligations. The U.S. has never defaulted on its debt before. Yellen said she was “confident” that the issue would be addressed in a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece. However, Yellen wrote that failing to do so would likely create “a historic financial crisis” that would result in “billions of dollars of growth and millions of jobs lost.” Other experts agree that defaulting would have wide-ranging effects throughout the economy. “It would be very disruptive for the banking system, for the financial system,” says Andrew Mies, founder and chief investment officer at wealth management firm 6 Meridian. That’s partly because banks are large owners of Treasury securities, he adds. In a fact sheet released earlier this month, the White House warned that a failure to raise the debt ceiling would cause unemployment to rise “and the labor market could lose millions of jobs.” When the country came close to a default on its debt in 2011, the S&P 500 sank more than 18%. But it’s not just the markets — other operations that rely on government funding would also slow down or be closed entirely. Child tax credit payments could stop being sent, along with other services like food stamps and Social Security. “Any venues that people use for public performances and concerts would get shut down,” Mies says. “If you’re waiting to get a passport, that would get slowed down. Any processing of any federal documents would get slowed down.” Beyond government operations being impacted, businesses that provide services for the government would suddenly see that cash flow dry up, Hamrick says. “The federal government is essentially a huge customer in the broader economy,” he says. “If the federal government stops paying on things, that means there will be all kinds of businesses that are all of the sudden facing a liquidity crunch of their own and the risk of business failure.” This business failure, in turn, can result in lost income for American workers. And depending how long the government’s spending is cut off for, it might spell trouble for millions of jobs. ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["suspend or increase the debt limit"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["banking"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["government to default on its debts"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"U.S. default this fall would cost 6 million jobs, wipe out $15 trillion in wealth, study says","document":" This brief is part of the Brookings Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project. Resilient markets for U.S. Treasury securities are essential to the strength and stability of the U.S. economy. Robust market liquidity reduces the interest rate on federal debt, ensures that Treasuries can be an effective safe haven when asset prices fall, and makes them the benchmark against which risky assets are priced. But recent events have called into question the resiliency of Treasury market liquidity in high-stress periods. For example, in March, as concerns spread about the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, the prices of Treasury securities fell alongside equity and corporate bond prices, breaking the typical flight-to-safety pattern. The Federal Reserve took aggressive, unprecedented actions to restore market liquidity and preserve the special role of Treasury securities. Financial regulators have started to consider potential regulatory changes that would reduce surges in demand for Treasury market liquidity under stress, especially by non-bank financial entities.[1] But the underlying problem is bigger than can be addressed solely by measures to reduce demand. We propose measures intended to increase the supply of bond market liquidity in times of stress. Reforms must address a fundamental structural change in the U.S. financial system: In recent years the rapid growth of the U.S. Treasury and other U.S. bond markets has outstripped the capacity of dealers, the traditional suppliers of liquidity, to meet liquidity demands in stress periods. Federal Reserve Board Vice Chair for Supervision Randal Quarles recently said that the rapid expansion of Treasury market debt in recent years “may have outpaced the ability of the private-market infrastructure to support stress of any sort.”[2] To enhance market liquidity in stress periods, we propose four complementary measures.[3 ]First, a new Federal Reserve standing repo facility that would serve as a backstop for the U.S. financial system by providing funding to regulated dealers based on U.S. Treasury and agency collateral; second, serious consideration of a mandate for wider use of central clearing for Treasury securities; third, targeted changes to bank regulations that may be limiting market-making while not materially improving the strength of these firms; and, fourth, collection and disclosure of data to better monitor funding risks and leverage of dealers and non-bank financial intermediation. These measures would enhance the resiliency of Treasury market liquidity by increasing the market-making capacity of dealers, which would allow them to accommodate clients’ needs in abnormal periods. The measures provide opportunities for smaller independent dealers to expand and could diversify the provision of liquidity on the margin. The measures also could reduce the procyclical pullback in market liquidity provision when asset prices fall. These reforms are necessary to meet the U.S. economy’s large and growing dependence on market-based financing. The public policy case for a backstop standing repo facility is the same as that for the discount window for banks. By establishing an ex ante facility to act as a lender of last resort to support credit provided by markets, the Fed will help to ensure a stable supply of credit to U.S. households, businesses, and governments and avoid severe contractions of credit in liquidity stress periods. However, a standing facility could create moral hazard, so dealers with access to the facility need to be prudentially regulated, and more information about dealer balance sheets and activities needs to be provided to regulators and to the public. Importantly, these reforms would reduce the likelihood of emergency interventions by the Fed in the future except in extreme circumstances. While the Fed quickly took actions that were necessary and successful in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the costs of ex post interventions for the Fed and for financial stability are likely to be greater than those under a well-designed backstop repo facility with pre-established rules.  U.S. bond markets have grown enormously in past decades (see Figure 1). In addition to the rapid growth in Treasury securities, corporate bonds have grown, outpacing bank loans to businesses, and agency securities remain substantial. Bond financing relies on market liquidity since investors want assurance they can sell a bond if they need to without having a material impact on its price. A growing share of corporate and other bonds are held in open-end funds, which rely on the liquidity of the bonds and Treasury securities to manage liquidity risk. In March, sales by open-end funds of both Treasury securities and corporate bonds to meet unprecedented investor redemptions contributed to the turmoil.[4] At the same time, broker-dealers, the traditional market makers, have substantially reduced their capacity since the global financial crisis (GFC), in part because some elements of the post-GFC regulatory framework have discouraged bank-affiliated dealers from allocating capital to market-making. Gross inventory positions of Treasury securities of broker-dealers have fallen significantly, from 10 percent in 2008 to 3.1 percent in 2019 of outstanding bonds. The share of corporate bonds held by dealers is less than one percent, down from eight percent in 2007.[5] Smaller inventories and less flexibility to respond to events because of stricter regulations and internal risk management processes suggest a risk of insufficient liquidity provision in stress. Moreover, the broker-dealer sector is concentrated, and nearly all of the very largest firms are affiliated with G-SIBs. The fact that the liquidity of these enormous markets depends on such a small set of such dealers raises concerns regarding market efficiency and financial stability.  Given the size of the U.S. Treasury, agency, and corporate bond markets, it is not realistic to expect the existing dealers to maintain the capacity to meet system-wide demands for market liquidity in stress periods, especially if demand spikes only infrequently. Back to top ⇑ The Federal Reserve functions as the economy’s lender of last resort, providing liquidity to prevent short-term disruptions from creating contractions in credit that can harm the real economy. Currently, only banks (and other insured depository institutions) can access the discount window, the Federal Reserve’s existing standing liquidity facility. That limitation was appropriate when it was mainly banks that provided credit to households and businesses. But for a U.S. financial system that has become heavily dependent on market-based finance, that limitation is now unnecessarily narrow. With more market-based finance, credit provision depends on market liquidity provided largely by broker-dealers that in turn depend on a stable and elastic funding supply through repos. No dealers have direct standing access to Federal Reserve liquidity. Bank-affiliated dealers have indirect access through their ability to borrow from bank affiliates with access to the discount window. However, for securities other than U.S. government securities, that indirect access is limited by section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act, and financing of Treasury securities is limited by supervisory expectations for resolution planning that discourage dealers from relying on funding from their affiliated banks. During the great financial crisis and the COVID-19 crisis, the Fed expanded access by creating emergency liquidity facilities for the small group of twenty or so primary dealers, allowing them to finance fixed-income securities through repo. This allowed the dealers to continue to fund their customers, supporting the flow of credit during these crises. However, other dealers did not have access even in emergency circumstances. Currently, only one-third of Treasury transactions are cleared through a central counterparty, limited by the clearing system’s concerns about counterparty risk and some counterparties’ hesitancies to bear the obligations associated with central clearing. While clearing is mandated for many other markets, including equities and Treasury futures, it is not for Treasury securities, and reasons for this distinction are unclear. The importance of bank regulatory capital constraints cannot be pinned down precisely, but the success of relaxing certain regulations in response to the COVID-19 crisis suggests that they constrained the provision of market liquidity. The Fed’s temporary relaxation of the supplemental leverage ratio (SLR) for bank holding companies in March, which excluded Treasury securities and central bank deposits at the Fed (“reserves”) – which were increasing with the Fed’s emergency liquidity responses – is believed to have helped ease the pressures on dealer balance sheets and thereby contributed to the improvement of market functioning. Back to top ⇑ We propose a four-part reform to enhance the resilience of Treasury market liquidity during stress periods. The first reform that we propose is for the Federal Reserve to create a standing repo facility, which would offer secured financing in stress periods to eligible broker-dealers under pre-established arrangements. Under existing law, the facility would be limited to repos of  U.S. government and agency securities (authority is provided by section 14 of the Federal Reserve Act).[6] Access to the facility would be open to both independent dealers and to bank-affiliated dealers that applied for access and agreed to meet a common set of prudential regulations established by the Federal Reserve in cooperation with the SEC and that were in sound financial condition. These regulations would be tailored to the size and complexity of the individual dealers, just as banking regulations are currently tailored. Financing would be provided at interest rates slightly above normal market rates in order to limit use of the facility to periods of stress and to limit excessive reliance by dealers on the standing facility. In addition, financing would be provided to dealers at market haircuts, rather than at higher levels reflecting stress, to avoid amplifying the stress. A standing repo facility, by providing a reliable source of alternative funding in periods of stress, would allow dealers with access to confidently provide liquidity to markets under stress, assuring them that they can fund any securities they purchase or finance. Combined with tailored regulations, the facility would enable and encourage more dealers to provide bond market intermediation in competition with the current dominant dealers, all of which are affiliates of G-SIBs. Indeed, a critical aim of these initiatives to enhance market liquidity is to reduce the considerable concentration of activity by encouraging more dealers to increase their capacity to provide market liquidity. Even though financing provided through the facility would be provided at penalty rates, an important and legitimate concern is that the creation of the facility could create moral hazard.[7]  Dealers with access to the facility might take on excessive leverage and maintain inappropriately small liquidity buffers. They may have less incentive to screen and monitor risks of their clients. As in the case of banks and the discount window, however, this concern could be addressed through prudential regulation of the dealers that have access to the repo facility. For bank-affiliated dealers, the existing bank regulatory framework already addresses these moral hazard concerns through, among other measures, capital and leverage requirements, regulation of counterparty exposures on repos (and securities loans, which are economically equivalent), and counterparty risk management practices with respect to those exposures. For independent dealers, however, the existing SEC standards alone may not be adequate for firms with access to a Fed standing liquidity facility. To better address the potential moral hazard, the Fed should work with the SEC to develop enhanced standards for those firms.[8] Those standards would need to be tailored to the size, business model, and risk profile of the dealers. Encouraging the expansion of other dealers could increase the breadth of liquidity provision on the margin. Second, we propose serious consideration of mandated central clearing of Treasury securities, starting with a study as proposed by Duffie (2020).  Broader central clearing would increase the supply of liquidity by the largest bank-affiliated dealers by easing constraints from existing capital and leverage requirements. The rules of the CCP should be designed to enhance the ability of smaller bank-affiliated and independent dealers to compete with the largest dealers. It might also eventually enable more all-to-all trading, which could reduce the need for dealer intermediation altogether by permitting investors to provide the flexibility in the system, as in the equity and Treasury futures markets. To be sure, central clearing raises concerns about concentrations of risk in CCPs, so it would make the risk management of CCPs and their regulation even more important. Third, we propose certain targeted regulatory changes to allow bank-affiliated dealers to increase the supply of liquidity to markets under stress without reducing their overall safety and soundness. Most importantly, there must be permanent changes to the supplementary leverage ratio (SLR). The modifications that the Federal Reserve made to temporarily exclude U.S. Treasury securities and reserves from the SLR calculation will lapse at the end of the first quarter of 2021. But the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet is now far larger than before the COVID crisis, and it is likely to continue to grow until the economy has recovered from the COVID shock. Thus, rescinding the exclusions would raise capital requirements, and the SLR would likely become the binding constraint on bank-affiliated dealer balance sheets rather than fulfilling its intended purpose as a backstop to their risk-based capital requirements. We propose that the temporary exemption of reserves from the supplementary leverage ratio be made permanent to reflect the large and growing balance sheet of the Federal Reserve. We posit that because reserve balances at the central bank are riskless, permanently excluding them would be appropriate. In contrast, we do not propose a permanent exclusion of Treasury securities, because they may pose interest rate risk not covered directly by risk-based capital requirements. The Federal Reserve would need to review whether the minimum SLR requirement needs to be increased in light of these exclusions. Alternatively, because any exclusions would make necessary continual evaluation of what is or is not risky, regulators could not permanently exclude reserves and instead lower the minimum SLR. But this alternative would be a less targeted way to enhance the provision of market liquidity and seems more likely to reduce bank safety and soundness. In addition, we propose replacing some of the higher static buffers of the enhanced SLR (eSLR) with a countercyclical component, which could be released in episodes of market-wide stress to support liquidity of Treasury markets. This would operate much like the new countercyclical capital buffer, which applies to the risk-weighted capital requirements that many countries released in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to support bank lending to households, businesses, and governments.[9] Fourth, we propose greater disclosure of the balance sheets and activities of dealers to monitor their financial condition and market shares. Greater disclosure of dealers’ financial conditions and activities could also help to address moral hazard concerns. We also propose collecting data for bilateral uncleared repo, a significant market for dealer-to-client funding, in order to better monitor leverage and funding risks in the nonbank financial sector. Back to top ⇑ Had these proposals been in place in March, they would have helped the financial system to better respond to the COVID crisis. The standing repo facility would have reduced the intensity of the dash for cash by investors because financing of Treasury securities on pre-specified terms was assured, albeit at penalty rates; dealers would have had greater capacity to meet the surge in demand for market liquidity. We believe the proposals can increase the provision of liquidity without adverse effects on the safety and soundness of dealers; would enable more effective competition with the current dominant dealers; and may reduce reliance on emergency actions by the Federal Reserve. Back to top ⇑ Patrick Parkinson is a Special Advisor at the Bank Policy Institute—a nonpartisan public policy, research, and advocacy group. The authors did not receive financial support from any firm or person for this article, and other than the aforementioned or activities listed on Nellie Liang’s expert profile, from any firm or person with a financial or political interest in this article. The authors are currently not officers, directors, or board members of any organization with an interest in this article. ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["preserve the special role of Treasury securities","wider use of central clearing for Treasury securities","reduce the considerable concentration of activity","encouraging more dealers to increase their capacity","fundamental structural change in the U.S. financial system","increase the supply of bond market liquidity","greater disclosure of the balance sheets and activities of dealers","better monitor funding risks and leverage","the temporary exemption of reserves from the supplementary leverage ratio be made permanent","temporary relaxation of the supplemental leverage ratio (SLR)","collection and disclosure of data","restore market liquidity","a new Federal Reserve standing repo facility","targeted changes to bank regulations","develop enhanced standards"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Conditions are ripe for repeat of 1970s stagflation and 2008 debt crisis","document":"The United States could plunge into an immediate recession if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling and the country defaults on its payment obligations this fall, according to one analysis released Tuesday. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, found that a prolonged impasse over the debt ceiling would cost the U.S. economy up to 6 million jobs, wipe out as much as $15 trillion in household wealth, and send the unemployment rate surging to roughly 9 percent from around 5 percent. Lawmakers in both parties agree that the debt ceiling must be raised to avoid economic calamity, but their standoff over how to do so has intensified. Despite the national debt increasing by close to $8 trillion under President Donald Trump, Republicans have been adamant that they will refuse to help Democrats increase the debt ceiling, in opposition to President Biden’s spending plans. The Treasury Department has said it will exhaust its “extraordinary measures” to pay the U.S. obligations sometime in October, giving lawmakers little time to act to head off calamity. Democrats unveil new plan to fund government, suspend debt ceiling as major showdown with GOP looms “This economic scenario is cataclysmic. … The downturn would be comparable to that suffered during the financial crisis” of 2008, said the report, written by Zandi and Bernard Yaros, assistant director and economist at Moody’s Analytics. The debt limit is the maximum amount of debt that Treasury can issue to pay the country’s bills. It was suspended from 2019 through the beginning of last month under a deal reached during the Trump administration. If Congress fails to increase the debt limit, Treasury would be unable to pay debts as they come due. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said earlier this week that such a default would be unprecedented in U.S. history. Moody’s “best estimate” is that this date is Oct. 20, although Treasury has not given a more precise day. At that point, Treasury officials would face excruciating choices, such as whether to fail to pay $20 billion owed to seniors on Social Security, or to fail to pay bondholders of U.S. debt — a decision that could undermine faith in U.S. credit and permanently drive federal borrowing costs higher. Failure to raise the debt limit would have catastrophic impacts on global financial markets. Interest rates would spike as investors demand a higher rate of return for the risk of taking on U.S. debt given uncertainty about repayment. An increase in interest rates would ripple through the economy, raising costs not only for taxpayers but also for consumers and other borrowers. The value of the U.S. dollar would also decline long term as investors questioned the security of purchasing U.S. treasuries. The cost of auto and home loans would rise. White House rules out concessions on debt ceiling while GOP refuses to help avert financial crisis “Stock prices would be cut almost in one-third at the worst of the selloff, wiping out $15 trillion in household wealth,” the Moody’s report finds. The market would rebound once the impasse is resolved, but some amount of the losses would be permanent. “Treasury yields, mortgage rates, and other consumer and corporate borrowing rates spike, at least until the debt limit is resolved and Treasury payments resume.” Both parties remain confident a debt ceiling breach will be avoided. Both White House officials and GOP lawmakers have insisted in recent days that the debt ceiling will be raised or suspended. But they are sharply divided over how that will occur. Republicans have insisted that Democrats should increase the debt limit on their own, because they are pushing trillions of dollars in new spending priorities. But Democrats have rejected that approach because current national debt levels, which require raising the debt ceiling, are due to an array of policy priorities from both parties. The debt ceiling would have to be raised or suspended regardless of the spending package being pursued by the Biden administration. The path forward is unclear. Congressional Democrats on Monday unveiled a plan to package the debt ceiling suspension with funding the federal government — which would otherwise shut down at the end of this month — along with emergency funding for disaster relief and Afghan refugee resettlement funds. Republicans are expected to block the measure, with even moderate GOP senators saying they will vote against that package as long as it includes raising the debt ceiling. Democrats will then face a choice about their next steps. Even resolving the matter before the debt ceiling is breached could hurt U.S. taxpayers and the American economy in the long term. The budget battles over the debt ceiling of 2011 and 2013 under the Obama administration created financial uncertainty and deflated business investment, costing the U.S. economy as much as $180 billion and 1.2 million jobs by 2015, according to Zandi and Yaros. Historically, both parties have come together to ensure the debt ceiling gets raised. Turning it into a political pawn would jeopardize international faith in the U.S. government, driving the cost of borrowing higher, even if it is not breached. “Brinkmanship around this whole process will be reflected in higher cost to taxpayers,” Zandi said in an interview. “There is a cost to doing this in a way that is not at least somewhat bipartisan.” ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["the debt ceiling will be raised or suspended","extraordinary measures” to pay the U.S. obligations"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["15 trillion in household wealth","180 billion"]},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":["9 percent"]},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["The United States"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["fails to raise the debt ceiling","country defaults"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Too Big to Fail","document":"Warning signs are there for global economy, and central banks will be left in impossible position Last modified on Fri 2 Jul 2021 11.01 BST In April, I warned that today’s extremely loose monetary and fiscal policies, when combined with a number of negative supply shocks, could result in 1970s-style stagflation (high inflation alongside a recession). In fact, the risk today is even bigger than it was then. After all, debt ratios in advanced economies and most emerging markets were much lower in the 1970s, which is why stagflation has not been associated with debt crises historically. If anything, unexpected inflation in the 1970s wiped out the real value of nominal debts at fixed rates, thus reducing many advanced economies’ public-debt burdens. Conversely, during the 2007-08 financial crisis, high debt ratios (private and public) caused a severe debt crisis – as housing bubbles burst – but the ensuing recession led to low inflation, if not outright deflation. Owing to the credit crunch, there was a macro shock to aggregate demand, whereas the risks today are on the supply side. We are thus left with the worst of both the stagflationary 1970s and the 2007-10 period. Debt ratios are much higher than in the 1970s, and a mix of loose economic policies and negative supply shocks threatens to fuel inflation rather than deflation, setting the stage for the mother of stagflationary debt crises over the next few years. For now, loose monetary and fiscal policies will continue to fuel asset and credit bubbles, propelling a slow-motion train wreck. The warning signs are already apparent in today’s high price-to-earnings ratios, low equity risk premia, inflated housing and tech assets, and the irrational exuberance surrounding special purpose acquisition companies, the crypto sector, high-yield corporate debt, collateralised loan obligations, private equity, meme stocks, and runaway retail day trading. At some point, this boom will culminate in a Minsky moment (a sudden loss of confidence), and tighter monetary policies will trigger a bust and crash. But in the meantime, the same loose policies that are feeding asset bubbles will continue to drive consumer price inflation, creating the conditions for stagflation whenever the next negative supply shocks arrive. Such shocks could follow from renewed protectionism; demographic ageing in advanced and emerging economies; immigration restrictions in advanced economies; the reshoring of manufacturing to high-cost regions; or the Balkanisation of global supply chains. More broadly, the Sino-American decoupling threatens to fragment the global economy at a time when climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic are pushing national governments toward deeper self-reliance. Add to this the impact on production of increasingly frequent cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, and the social and political backlash against inequality, and the recipe for macroeconomic disruption is complete. Making matters worse, central banks have effectively lost their independence because they have been given little choice but to monetise massive fiscal deficits to forestall a debt crisis. With both public and private debts having soared, they are in a debt trap. As inflation rises over the next few years, central banks will face a dilemma. If they start phasing out unconventional policies and raising policy rates to fight inflation, they will risk triggering a massive debt crisis and severe recession; but if they maintain a loose monetary policy, they will risk double-digit inflation – and deep stagflation when the next negative supply shocks emerge. But even in the second scenario, policymakers would not be able to prevent a debt crisis. While nominal government fixed-rate debt in advanced economies can be partly wiped out by unexpected inflation (as happened in the 1970s), emerging-market debts denominated in foreign currency would not be. Many of these governments would need to default and restructure their debts. At the same time, private debts in advanced economies would become unsustainable (as they did after the global financial crisis), and their spreads relative to safer government bonds would spike, triggering a chain reaction of defaults. Highly leveraged corporations and their reckless shadow-bank creditors would be the first to fall, soon followed by indebted households and the banks that financed them. To be sure, real long-term borrowing costs may initially fall if inflation rises unexpectedly and central banks are still behind the curve. But, over time, these costs will be pushed up by three factors. First, higher public and private debts will widen sovereign and private interest-rate spreads. Second, rising inflation and deepening uncertainty will drive up inflation risk premia. And, third, a rising misery index – the sum of the inflation and unemployment rate – eventually will demand a “Volcker moment.” When former Fed chair Paul Volcker increased rates to tackle inflation in 1980-82, the result was a severe double-dip recession in the US and a debt crisis and lost decade for Latin America. But now that global debt ratios are almost three times higher than in the early 1970s, any anti-inflationary policy would lead to a depression rather than a severe recession. Under these conditions, central banks will be damned if they do and damned if they don’t, and many governments will be semi-insolvent and thus unable to bail out banks, corporations and households. The doom loop of sovereigns and banks in the eurozone after the global financial crisis will be repeated worldwide, sucking in households, corporations and shadow banks as well. As matters stand, this slow-motion train wreck looks unavoidable. The Fed’s recent pivot from an ultra-dovish to a mostly dovish stance changes nothing. The Fed has been in a debt trap at least since December 2018, when a stock- and credit-market crash forced it to reverse its policy tightening a full year before Covid-19 struck. With inflation rising and stagflationary shocks looming, it is now even more ensnared. So, too, are the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan and the Bank of England. The stagflation of the 1970s will soon meet the debt crises of the post-2008 period. The question is not if but when.  Nouriel Roubini was professor of economics at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He has worked for the IMF, the US Federal Reserve and the World Bank.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":null},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["global"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["negative supply shocks","loose monetary and fiscal policies","central banks have effectively lost their independence","Covid-19 pandemic","stagflationary debt crises","tighter monetary policies","asset bubbles","consumer price inflation","protectionism","demographic ageing","immigration restrictions","reshoring of manufacturing","Balkanisation of global supply chains","Sino-American decoupling","climate change","cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure","social and political backlash against inequality","debts having soared"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Telangana CM directs Transport, Power Ministers to bring proposals to recover from financial crisis in next cabinet meeting","document":"\"Too big to fail\" describes a business or business sector deemed to be so deeply ingrained in a financial system or economy that its failure would be disastrous to the economy. Therefore, the government will consider bailing out the business or even an entire sector—such as Wall Street banks or U.S. carmakers—to prevent economic disaster. Perhaps the most vivid recent example of \"too big to fail\" is the bailout of Wall Street banks and other financial institutions during the global financial crisis. Following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Congress passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA) in October 2008. It included the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which authorized the government to purchase distressed assets to stabilize the financial system.12 This ultimately meant the government was bailing out big banks and insurance companies because they were \"too big to fail,\" meaning their failure could lead to a collapse of the financial system and the economy. They later faced additional regulations under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. Following thousands of bank failures in the 1920s and early 1930s, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created to monitor banks and insure customers' deposits, giving Americans confidence that their money would be safe in the bank. The FDIC now insures individual accounts in member banks for up to $250,000 per depositor.3 The dawn of the 21st century presented new challenges in regulating banks, which had developed financial products and risk models that were inconceivable in the 1930s. The 2007-08 financial crisis exposed the risks.  \"Too big to fail\" became a common phrase during the 2007-08 financial crisis, which led to financial sector reform in the U.S. and globally. Passed in 2010, Dodd-Frank was created to help avoid the need for any future bailouts of the financial system. Among its many provisions were new regulations regarding capital requirements, proprietary trading, and consumer lending. Dodd-Frank also imposed higher requirements for banks collectively labeled systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs).45 The 2007-08 financial crisis affected banks around the world. Global regulators also implemented reforms, with the majority of new regulations focused on too-big-to-fail banks. Global bank regulations are primarily carried out by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. Examples of global systemically important financial institutions include:6 Banks that the U.S. Federal Reserve has said could threaten the stability of the U.S. financial system include the following:7 U.S. Congress. \"The Causes and Effects of the Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy.\" Accessed Sept. 17, 2021. U.S. Congress. \"Public Law 110-343, Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008,\" Page 122 Stat. 3780. Accessed Sept. 17, 2021. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. \"About FDIC: What We Do.\" Accessed Sept. 17, 2021. U.S. Department of the Treasury. \"Designations.\" Accessed Sept. 17, 2021. U.S. Congress. \"H.R. 4173, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.\" Accessed Sept. 17, 2021. Financial Stability Board. \"2020 List of Global Systematically Important Banks (G-SIBs),\" Page 3. Accessed Sept. 17, 2021. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. \"Large Institution Supervision Coordinating Committee.\" Accessed Sept. 17, 2021.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["bailing out","Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA)","Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act","700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)","purchase distressed assets to stabilize the financial system","monitor banks and insure customers' deposits"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["banks","financial sector"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["the U.S","globally"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":["Lehman Brothers"]},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Saved by the bankers","document":" In October auto wholesales fall 25% and PVs by 27%: SIAM4 hrs ago India on right track for Skoda, being considered for next investment cycle: Chairman Skoda Auto Thomas Schäfer21 hrs ago Rising From Uncertainties Fool Proofing the Growth Momentum Rising From Uncertainties Bringing Continuity in Crisis 27 May 2020 The Transport Minister, Road Transport Corporations (RTC) Chairman and other higher officials requested the Chief Minister to help RTC to come out of its financial crisis in the high-level review meeting held on Tuesday. The eight-lane expressway will cover Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It noted the notification has clearly said that fitment of crash guards or bull bars was in violation of Section 52 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which prevents alterations in vehicles in variation to specifications mentioned in the registration certificate. Recommended by Colombia 225000+ Industry Leaders read it everyday Grappling with semiconductor shortage, October was a mixed bag for the passenger vehicle industry. Alto emerged as the bestselling car capitalising on Swift's decline but Tata was the big draw with two cars including the recently launched micro SUV Punch in the top 10.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":null},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["auto wholesales","PVs"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["India"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The quiet financial crisis","document":"                     Tech's positive impact on the economy, Gordon Brown on why we have to share vaccines with the rest of the world, Brazil's macho-man leader Jair Bolsonaro, and what it's really like growing up poor in the countryside. Plus, is it OK for protestors to break the law?, the women who took on Oxford philosophy and Armando Iannucci on why Remainers should stop moaning.                                      Urgent action is needed to tackle climate change and the COP26 summit presents an opportunity to reach a new international agreement. Our special report, produced in association with Natwest, Ricardo and RIBA, examines the challenges facing business and policymakers.                                   Andrew Adonis “In Conversation” with Michael Heseltine                               The Prospect Interview #205: Janine di Giovanni and the plight of Christians in the Middle East             Just like old times: quantitative easing has fundamentally changed the role of central banks everywhere © Oli Scarff/Getty Images During the pandemic central banks averted a financial collapse, but they can't admit how they did it Adam Tooze was once best known as a leading economic historian of the 20th century. The Wages of Destruction (2007) represented a major challenge to the conventional understanding of the Nazi war economy, while 2015’s The Deluge re-examined economic changes in the 1920s. Crashed, published in 2018, was his first book of contemporary economic history, covering the financial crisis and its aftermath. Shutdown, his new book, represents another shift, and transforms Tooze from being principally an economic historian to an analyst of contemporary global capitalism. If this is history, it is instant history, assembled not from archives but from journalism, podcasts and Twitter. Such works always run the risk of being a mere collage of snippets and facts. Shutdown, thankfully, avoids that trap. What sets it apart is Tooze’s ability to keep his eye on the big picture—and the long view. The genius of Crashed was to elucidate the intimate, but previously buried, connections between the banking crisis of 2008 and the Eurozone crisis of 2012-2015. Shutdown is equally illuminating on the events of March 2020—the month when the pandemic triggered a truly global economic crisis. Lockdowns caused a freefall in economic activity, with some of the steepest monthly declines in GDP ever recorded. But unlike in 2008 there is another very different story—that of a financial (as opposed to economic) crisis averted. Importantly, this is not just a story of the west: most emerging market economies were also spared a serious financial crunch. The question is: how was it done? The answer lies (partly at least) in the nature of modern central banking. One of the most confusing aspects of the last 15 years has been the shifting role of central banks. The model of independent central banks, generally targeting a certain level of inflation, grew out of the traumatic experiences of the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, the norm was for an independent central bank to manage the business cycle using interest rates to target a desired level of inflation. Fiscal policy, which dominated arguments about policy from the 1940s to the 1970s, took a back seat. Politicians, in effect, stepped away from the problem and handed the reins over to the technocrats. Underpinning this shift was the notion of “credibility.” Finance ministers, it was feared, could never be trusted because they would be tempted to overstimulate an economy before elections. Indeed, economists wrote papers on “deficit bias,” explaining how the interplay of political choices and elections could condemn even countries with intelligent citizens and honest rulers to imprudence. The great fear was of loose fiscal policy and rising inflation becoming politically impossible to grip. Technocrats, by contrast, would have more credibility when it came to controlling inflation, and that credibility was an economic virtue in its own right. Because if investors, firms, workers and unions haggling over wages all believed that an independent central bank would choke off inflation early, they would invest, employ, price and bargain in ways consistent with that. Consequently, policy would not have to be tightened so much. The expectation of firmly “anchored” inflation would thus become self-fulfilling. Crucial to maintaining this all-important credibility was said to be a separation between monetary policy and fiscal policy in general, and government debt management in particular. It hardly mattered that managing government debt had historically been a core purpose of central banks. In an era when central banks were supposedly single-mindedly focused on fighting inflation, “it was,” as Tooze puts it, “taken as axiomatic that central bankers must refuse to monetise government deficits.” Few things would be as damaging to credibility as the idea that money would be “printed” to fund government spending. As much as possible, in the pre-crisis world, central bankers tried to avoid even talking about fiscal policy, while politicians were expected to keep shtum about interest rates. That pre-crisis world now seems both rather quaint and very distant. In the post-Crashed world, as it were, monetary and fiscal policy have once more become linked. As demand and inflation collapsed in 2008 and 2009, central banks rapidly exhausted their regular ammunition against slumps by cutting interest rates to virtually zero. Meanwhile, discretionary fiscal policy, which in countries like Britain aimed for a brief stimulus in 2008 and 2009, was in most places rapidly refocused on public finance repair. And for all the earlier handwringing about “deficit bias,” voters mostly re-elected governments that promised a tight grip on spending. It was this potentially dangerously depressive combination—of exhausted monetary tools and austere fiscal policies—that jolted central banks into getting inventive. In the Eurozone, Japan and Switzerland interest rates were cut below zero and, in most developed economies, quantitative easing (QE) programmes began. A decade ago, these moves were called “unconventional policy”; today they are almost standard. Tooze is fascinating on the nature of this “new normal” for monetary policy in rich countries. QE is a reasonably straightforward process: a central bank electronically creates new money and uses this new cash to purchase assets from the private sector—mostly in the form of government bonds. But what exactly is this simple operation actually achieving? That is less clear: Ben Bernanke, head of the US Federal Reserve during the crash, once remarked that QE “works in practice, but not in theory.” It’s probably more accurate to say there are so many rival theories about how it might work, that it is hard to have faith in any of them. According to monetarist logic, increasing the supply of money should, all things being equal, lead to higher inflation. But all things are rarely equal. The more persistent threat facing the US, the Eurozone and Japan over the past decade (and in Japan’s case longer) has been undershooting inflation (or even outright deflation) rather than soaring prices.  There are those who argue that QE is a way to “beggar thy neighbour,” by debasing a currency until the point where a country can undercut rivals on price. There was much talk in the early 2010s of “currency wars” and aggressive devaluations, but if QE was genuinely a weapon in fighting for export markets then its value would diminish as other countries joined the party. Some argue instead that the major point of QE comes from the “portfolio rebalancing” effect. The banks, pension funds and insurance companies that sell their bonds to the central bank find themselves flush with cash, which then has to be put to work elsewhere. It pours into corporate bond and stock markets where, in the best scenario, it finances productive investment. At the very least, it pushes up the price of assets, which makes their owners feel richer and more inclined to open their wallets and start boosting spending across the economy.  Yet another argument about what made-up money does for the economy, however, would come to the fore in 2020: namely, over “fiscal QE.” In what central bankers insist is a mere side-effect, QE has suppressed the cost of rocketing government borrowing—both directly (since central banks tend to hand back the interest they receive on their debt to the fiscal authorities) and indirectly, by lowering the yield on newly-issued government debt. QE creates space for politicians to adopt a more adventurous fiscal policy by making the costs of servicing debt cheaper. The prospect of that happening, though, brings central banks out in a cold sweat: to them it reeks of “fiscal dominance” and loss of monetary policy independence. But in the Covid-19 emergency there were soon problems serious enough to overpower such anxieties. Not only did advanced economies experience unusually deep recessions as they locked down, but governments chose to absorb a large share of the hit through furlough schemes, emergency loans, grants, tax breaks and higher benefit payments. As Tooze catalogues, in 2020 some $18 trillion of government debt was issued by advanced economies—“the most spectacular surge in debt in peacetime.” And yet this huge ramping up in issuance was not accompanied by higher borrowing costs: 80 per cent of the total was issued with a yield of under 1 per cent and 20 per cent with negative yield. The amount of public debt may have ballooned, but the actual burden of servicing it fell. QE played a large part in this. The Bank of England, while loudly proclaiming it was not in the business of financing government, embarked on a QE programme which, month by month, almost exactly tracked the government’s borrowing requirements in 2020. An FT survey of the largest fund managers in the British government bond markets in January found that most believed the bank was engaged in fiscal QE—that is to say, absorbing and monetising government debt. “In two crises, little over a decade apart, central bankers have proved the extent of their ability to shape economic outcomes” It would be easy to look at the fiscal/monetary mix in 2020 and conclude, as Tooze puts it, that there was “a powerful synthesis of fiscal and monetary policy working in harmonious co-ordination to help fund a generous new social contract,” whether that new social contract took the form of much higher unemployment insurance, as in America, or the furlough scheme in Britain. But, as he argues, this is far too rose-tinted. For while QE may have helped fund new social programmes, it also helped catalyse an asset price boom which handed the affluent 10 per cent “a stimulus that dwarfed anything openly declared in the public accounts.” More importantly, the sea change in monetary/fiscal policy co-operation remains incomplete, confused and contested. Central banks insist they have not monetised government debt and will—eventually—sell it back to the private sector. As Tooze notes, previous attempts during the last decade to “normalise” monetary policy after the (supposedly) emergency measures after the global financial crisis ran into unpleasant reactions and worrying overspills. Whereas the QE of 2008-2019 was a rich country phenomenon, in 2020 it went global. On a more limited scale, it was to be found in the crisis responses of South Korea, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Hungary, Croatia, the Philippines, Mexico, Thailand, Turkey, India and Indonesia. As Tooze argues, such bond-buying in “emerging markets” would once have provoked panicked stories about hyperinflation and collapsing currencies; and yet “against the backdrop of gigantic interventions in the advanced economies, markets took the activities of [emerging market] authorities in their stride. The goalposts had shifted.” Recognising the crucial role played by central bankers in both 2008 and 2020 leads to some of Tooze’s most interesting conclusions. Central bankers, he says, are far from revolutionary; instead he compares them to Bismarckian conservatives trying to preserve a system in the face of upheaval. (“Everything must change so that everything remains the same.”) In two crises, little over a decade apart, central bankers have proved the extent of their ability to shape economic outcomes and “underwrite debt-fuelled speculation and growth.” As Tooze writes, there is no fundamental macroeconomic limit to the ability of this to continue; but it raises important political issues. The question is “whether technocratic governance can keep up and whether society and politics can handle it. Can it be democratised? If not, can it at least be legitimated?” These are big questions—ones that politicians, economists and thinkers will need to grapple with in the decade to come. With government debt burdens in the rich countries now swollen to heights last seen in the 1950s and 1960s, it is unclear if the neat division between fiscal and monetary policy of the early 2000s can be re-established. Indeed, as we saw in August, even mild rumours that central bank support might be withdrawn can trigger a market “taper tantrum.” Of course fiscal and monetary policy will not be the only thing troubling us in the 2020s. As Tooze writes, one of the most striking aspects of the crisis was the disparity between the scale of the costs incurred (trillions of dollars) and the price of the resolution (mere billions on vaccines). Countries need to find a way of turning the billions currently spent on research and development into trillions. “Otherwise, there is every reason to think that 2020 will be only the first of an increasingly unmanageable series of global disasters.” A depressing thought. What further complicates the picture is that the world needs to adjust at a time of rising geopolitical tension and a shift to what Tooze calls “a centrifugal multipolarity.” The task of decarbonisation would be tough enough without rising Sino-American competition.  There will be plenty more books to come on the global economy of 2020. Few will be as timely, as wide-ranging or as clear as Shutdown.       Duncan Weldon is Britain economics correspondent at the Economist. His book, “Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through,” is out with Little, Brown in August","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["quantitative easing (QE) programmes","quantitative easing","absorb a large share of the hit","furlough schemes","emergency loans","grants","tax breaks","benefit payments","unemployment insurance"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":null},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["global","Britain","advanced economies","America","South Korea, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Hungary, Croatia, the Philippines, Mexico, Thailand, Turkey, India and Indonesia","emerging markets"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19 emergency"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"As permanent economic damage piles up, the Covid Crisis is looking more like the Great Recession","document":"The global COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in soaring infection rates, widespread lockdowns, record-shattering declines in output, and spiking poverty. But, in addition to these trends, a quieter crisis now gaining momentum could jeopardize economic recovery prospects for years to come. The term “financial crisis” has long been associated with dramas such as bank runs and asset-price crashes. Charles Kindleberger’s classic books The World in Depression, 1929-1939 and Manias, Panics and Crashes, and my own work with Kenneth Rogoff, This Time Is Different, document scores of these episodes. In recent years, the term “Lehman moment” has stood out as a marker of the 2007-09 global financial crisis and even inspired a Broadway show. But some financial crises do not involve the drama of Lehman moments. Asset quality can deteriorate significantly as economic downturns persist, especially when firms and households are highly leveraged. Moreover, years of bank lending to unproductive private firms or state-owned enterprises (the latter is not uncommon in some developing countries) take a cumulative toll on balance sheets. Although these crises may not always include panics and runs, they still impose multiple costs. Bank restructuring and recapitalization to restore solvency can be expensive for governments and taxpayers, and new lending can remain depressed, slowing economic activity. The credit crunch also has distributional effects, because it hits small and medium-size businesses and lower-income households more acutely. To be sure, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to deliver many moments of unwanted drama, including soaring infection rates, widespread lockdowns, record-shattering declines in output, and spiking poverty. But, in addition to these trends, a quieter crisis is gaining momentum in the financial sector. Even without a Lehman moment, it could jeopardize prospects for economic recovery for years to come. Specifically, financial institutions around the world will continue to face a marked rise in non-performing loans (NPLs) for some time. The COVID-19 crisis is also regressive, disproportionately hitting low-income households and smaller firms that have fewer assets to buffer them against insolvency. Since the onset of the pandemic, governments have relied on expansionary monetary and fiscal policies to offset the steep declines in economic activity associated with broad-based shutdowns and social-distancing measures. Wealthier countries have had a decided advantage in their ability to respond, although a surge in lending by multilateral institutions has also helped to finance emerging and developing economies’ response to the health emergency. Unlike in the 2007-09 crisis (or most previous crises, for that matter), banks have supported macroeconomic stimulus with a variety of temporary loan moratoria, as the International Monetary Fund has documented in its Policy Tracker. These measures have provided some respite for households facing loss of employment and a decline in income, as well as for businesses struggling to survive lockdowns and general disruptions to normal activity (tourism-linked sectors stand out starkly in this regard). Financial institutions in all regions have granted grace periods for repayment of existing loans, and many have re-contracted loans in favor of lower interest rates and generally better terms. The understandable rationale has been that, because the health crisis is temporary, so is the financial distress of firms and households. But as the pandemic has persisted, many countries have found it necessary to extend these measures until 2021. Alongside the temporary moratoria, many countries have relaxed their banking regulations regarding bad-loan provisioning and the classification of loans as non-performing. The upshot of these changes is that the extent of NPLs may currently be understated, and for many countries markedly so. In many cases, financial institutions may be insufficiently prepared to deal with the hit to their balance sheet. The less regulated non-bank financial sector, meanwhile, has even greater exposure to risk (compounded by weaker disclosure). Adding to these private-sector developments, downgrades of sovereign credit ratings reached a record high in 2020 (see figure below). Although advanced economies have not been spared, the consequences for banks are more acute in emerging and developing economies where governments’ credit ratings are at or near junk grade. In more extreme cases of sovereign default or restructuring – and such crises are on the rise, too – banks will also take losses on their holdings of government securities. As I argued in March 2020, even if one or more effective vaccines promptly resolve the pandemic, the COVID-19 crisis has significantly damaged the global economy and financial institutions’ balance sheets. Forbearance policies have provided a valuable stimulus tool beyond the conventional scope of fiscal and monetary policy. But grace periods will come to an end in 2021. As the US Federal Reserve’s November 2020 Financial Stability Report highlights, policy fatigue or political constraints suggest that forthcoming US fiscal and monetary stimulus will not match the scale reached in early 2020. Many emerging markets and developing countries are already at or near their monetary-policy limits as well. As 2021 unfolds, therefore, it will become clearer whether countless firms and households are facing insolvency rather than illiquidity. Firms’ high leverage on the eve of the pandemic will amplify the financial sector’s balance-sheet problems. Corporations in the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China, are highly indebted and include many high-risk borrowers. The European Central Bank has repeatedly voiced concerns about the rising share of NPLs in the eurozone, while the IMF has frequently warned about the marked increase in dollar-denominated corporate debt in many emerging markets. Exposure to commercial real estate and the hospitality industry is another source of concern in many parts of the world. Balance-sheet damage takes time to repair. Previous overborrowing often results in a long period of deleveraging, as financial institutions become more cautious in their lending practices. This muddling-through stage, usually associated with a sluggish recovery, can span years. In some cases, these financial crises develop into sovereign-debt crises, as bailouts transform pre-crisis private debt into public-sector liabilities. The first step toward dealing with financial fragility is to recognize the scope and scale of the problem, and then expediently restructure and write down bad debts. The alternative – channeling resources into zombie loans – is a recipe for delayed recovery. Given the pandemic’s already huge economic and human costs, avoiding that scenario must be a top priority for policymakers everywhere.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["expansionary monetary and fiscal policies","temporary moratoria","relaxed their banking regulations","Forbearance policies","estructure and write down bad debts"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["banks","eal estate","hospitality industry"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["world","emerging and developing economies","Wealthier countries","the United States","China","eurozone"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["sovereign default or restructuring","firms and households are highly leveraged","COVID-19 pandemic","soaring infection rates","lockdowns","record-shattering declines","poverty","rise in non-performing loans (NPLs)","cumulative toll on balance sheets","credit crunch"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Central banks can prevent the next climate-sparked financial crisis","document":"Long-term unemployment helped define the Great Recession. Countless networks, relationships and skills that bound employee to employer were ripped apart in the global financial crisis. It took about eight years for the unemployment rate to recover from that brutal dislocation. Now economists fear it’s happening all over again. The devastating surge in unemployment in March and April was supposed to be temporary, as businesses shuttered to avert the greatest public health crisis in more than a century. Most workers reported they expected to be called back soon. But nearly half a year later, many of the jobs that were stuck in purgatory are being lost forever. About 33 percent of the employees put on furlough in March were laid off for good by July, according to Gusto, a payroll and benefits firm whose clients include small businesses in all 50 states and D.C. Only 37 percent have been called back to their previous employer. There were 3.7 million U.S. unemployed who had permanently lost their previous job as of July, according to the Labor Department. That figure doubled from February to June, held steady in July, and is expected to hit between 6.2 million and 8.7 million by late this year, according to a new analysis from economists Gabriel Chodorow-Reich of Harvard University and John Coglianese of the Federal Reserve Board. The economists’ most pessimistic estimate are uncomfortably close to the 8.6 million permanent unemployed seen after the Great Recession. Permanent unemployment and its cousin, long-term unemployment, are tremendous drags on an economic recovery. “We know that as people spend more time unemployed, their labor market skills atrophy, their connections to the employers weaken and many start getting discouraged and ultimately leave the workforce,” said Marianne Bertrand, a leading expert on the pandemic’s labor market and faculty director of the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at Chicago Booth School of Business. The first workers sidelined in the covid-19 crisis are now closing in on 26 weeks without work, a significant milestone after which the Labor Department considers them long-term unemployed. The ranks of the long-term unemployed could swell from 1.5 million now to between 4 million and 5.8 million by early next year, according to Chodorow-Reich and Coglianese. The gap between the optimistic and pessimistic scenarios is large, and the path we choose ultimately depends on whether the coronavirus can be contained. Over the past several weeks, lawmakers have been debating how much economic support is needed to limit the economic damage until the public health crisis eases. Republicans’ and Democrats’ differing views on how to limit the damage caused by long-term unemployment is undermining their ability to come up with a stimulus deal to replace the Cares Act. Sheila Frees, 59, of Reading, Pa., thought her unemployment was temporary — soon it will be both permanent and long-term. In March, Frees went on furlough as a part of the first wave of pandemic shutdown causalities. She waited patiently to be recalled to her job at a  department store until the end of June, when she was abruptly laid off. “They drag this on for so long, and you think you’re going back, and then you aren’t,” Frees said. “You weren’t going to come back. And they knew it. If you’re going to lay people off, do it quickly.” To be sure, the effects of long-term unemployment on the larger economy will be different compared with the last recession. This time, jobless benefits have been higher, at least from April through July, and public-health concerns around the novel coronavirus have effectively barred millions from working. “What’s clear about this particular crisis, compared to the Great Recession, is it’s affecting the least advantaged in society -- people who don’t have access to other safety nets or family resources,” Bertrand said. “It’s not clear how these people are going to be getting by.“ She added that could, paradoxically, also speed the recovery. The less-skilled, less-educated service workers who have been laid off may have an easier time finding an equivalent job in a different industry than the highly specialized workers who spent years after the Great Recession searching fruitlessly for a fit for their skills and education. The fate of the permanent unemployed is key to understanding the political debate that has prevented Congress and the White House from coming to a deal to extend more stimulus for the unemployed and small businesses. House Democrats are concerned about the long-term prospects of the unemployed, and they passed a bill in May that would extend the $600 in weekly enhanced unemployment benefits through January. Claudia Sahm, who worked at the Federal Reserve from 2007 through 2019, said the current crisis had gone from “unprecedented” to frighteningly similar to the Great Recession. “Initially, the layoffs were largely temporary,” said Sahm, who is now director of macroeconomic policy at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a  liberal think tank. “In recent months, we have seen the rate of permanent layoffs rise. And we should expect more as the relief expires and more small businesses fail and more families can’t go out and spend and more communities have to cut essential services.” Yet Republicans in the Senate, as well as the White House, remain optimistic that most job losses have been and will continue to be temporary. A White House Council of Economic Advisers report out this month estimated 81 percent of layoffs from February to May were “likely to be temporary rather than permanent,” citing Labor Department data. That said, the White House report acknowledged the dangers long-term unemployment pose to the economic recovery. “Before the covid-19 shutdown, the unemployment rate was below 4 percent, so we still have a long way to go in recovering lost ground. Therefore, it will be important to ensure that the decline in the unemployment rate continues over the next several months and that these temporary layoffs do not result in large permanent job losses,” the report said. Yet there are increasing signs that unemployment is becoming permanent. With every week that the pandemic rages, distressed businesses are looking at their balance sheets, and either laying off employees or closing entirely. Americans continue to avoid crowded entertainment, shopping and dining venues, and small-business revenue has slumped. Rent, utility and insurance payments loom, and revenue prospects remain uncertain. About 4 million U.S. businesses are expected to close this year, according to Oxxford Information Technology, which maintains a database of about 32 million businesses, nonprofits, government entities and farms. During that same period, only 1.3 million new businesses will be formed. Both figures are worse than those during the Great Recession, said Raymond Greenhill, Oxxford’s president. In just three months from April to June, the country lost 1.85 million businesses, and Greenhill expects the losses to continue well into 2021 as businesses struggle to obtain financing and to cover expenses while operating at reduced capacity. He saw a similar pattern in the Great Recession, when businesses failures kept piling up well after the recovery had officially started. In late May, a Census Bureau survey found that only 38 percent of business owners thought it would take six months or more to recover normal business operations. By mid-August, that number soared to 55 percent as most business owners lost hope for a speedy recovery. According to Columbia Business School economist Laura Veldkamp, some of these behavioral changes will become permanent. The pandemic, like the Depression and World Wars I and II, is fundamentally altering people’s tastes. Some businesses will be left behind, as consumers get accustomed to videoconferencing instead of commuting, and buying groceries and other goods online instead of braving stores, malls and restaurants. “This is a period of rapid technological change,” Veldkamp said. “We are changing the way business is getting done, we’re changing the way we’re shopping and the way we’re eating — we’re changing the way we’re having meetings.” As more businesses throw in the towel, more workers lose their connections to the labor market. Those connections — the years of skills, trust and social networks built up at particular employer — are exceedingly expensive and time-consuming to rebuild. That’s what economists are talking about when they talk about the dangers of “permanent” job loss. “There’s going to be such anxiety and such fear. Their self-esteem is impacted,” said Jane Oates, president of nonprofit WorkingNation and a former Obama Labor Department official. “Obviously, some of them are going to have to retrain and learn new skills, and many of them are going to have to switch sectors.” Frees, who had worked for five years as an administrative assistant, said she knows she’ll survive this recession, because she survived the last one — though it took a whole new set of skills to do so. After being laid off from her bookkeeping job during the Great Recession and struggling to find new work, she finally went to school and earned an associate degree. It was enough to get her work as an administrative assistant. Her new job paid less than the one she was originally laid off from, but after years of unemployment she was grateful to have any job at all. “You don’t realize that it’s comforting to get up every day and get dressed and go to work and come home and make dinner,” Frees said. “When you don’t have that? Wow! You feel like you’re out in the middle of the ocean waiting for somebody to throw you a raft.” In this recession, Frees said she believes workers like her could be adrift for a very, very long time. “I don’t think you can have a pandemic and think everything’s going to snap back to normal and we’ll be fine,” she said. “This will get worse before this gets better.” Almost a century ago, Saul Shorr founded what would later become Harold’s Kosher Market in northern New Jersey. His son Harold took over in the 1950s and focused on fresh meat. As the city of Paramus grew into one of the New York City metro area’s great retail hubs, Harold’s expanded into groceries and catered food, such as soups and pastrami sandwiches, that became fixtures at Super Bowl parties and brises. “People came from all over to shop here,” said Glen Shorr, the 66-year-old co-owner who grew up in the store. “I have customers that knew my grandfather. … I have some kids who used to work here that now come in with their kids.” Harold’s closed temporarily in April, when coronavirus cases were rising throughout New Jersey’s suburbs. Just recently, Shorr realized it no longer made sense to keep paying insurance, rent and electric bills when the future looked so uncertain. “It was kind of like the perfect storm,” Shorr said. “Everything just kept going wrong. After a while, you just say, ‘I can’t do it.’”  Harold’s has since donated vanloads of groceries to a local food bank. Shorr’s 12 employees, some of whom had been with the store for more than three decades, will now join the ranks of the permanently unemployed — those who say they no longer have a job to go back to. Heather Long contributed to this report. Coronavirus maps: Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Cases and deaths worldwide ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["unemployment benefits"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["entertainment, shopping and dining"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":["below 4 percent"]},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["the U.S"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["covid-19 crisis"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Lebanon Sinking into One of the Most Severe Global Crises Episodes, amidst Deliberate Inaction","document":"In 2008, as big banks began failing across Wall Street and the housing and stock markets crashed, the nation saw how crucial financial regulation is for economic stability — and how quickly the consequences can cascade through the economy when regulators are asleep at the wheel. Today, there’s another looming economic risk: climate change. Once again, how much it harms economies will depend a lot on how financial regulators and central banks react. Climate change’s impact on economies isn’t always obvious. Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of England, identified a series of climate change-related risks in 2015 that could shake the financial system. The rising costs of extreme weather, lawsuits against companies that have contributed to climate change and the falling value of fossil fuel assets could all have an impact. Nobel Prize-winning U.S. economist Joseph Stiglitz agrees. In a recent interview, he argued that the impact of a sharp rise in carbon prices — which governments charge companies for emitting climate-warming greenhouse gases — could trigger another financial crisis, this time starting with the fossil fuel industry, its suppliers and the banks that finance them, which could spill over into the broader economy. Our research as environmental economists and macroeconomists confirms that both the effects of climate change and some policies necessary to stop it could have important implications for financial stability, if preemptive measures are not undertaken. Public policies addressing, after years of delay, the fossil fuel emissions that are driving climate change could devalue energy companies and cause investments held by banks and pension funds to tank, as would abrupt changes in consumer habits. The good news is that regulators have the ability to address these risks and clear the way to safely implement ambitious climate policy. First, regulators can require banks to publicly disclose their risks from climate change and stress-test their ability to manage change. The Biden administration recently introduced an executive order on climate-related financial risk, with the goal of encouraging U.S. companies to evaluate and publicly disclose their exposure to climate change and to future climate policies. In the United Kingdom, large companies already have to disclose their carbon footprints, and the U.K. is pushing to have all major economies follow its lead. The European Commission also proposed new rules for companies to report on climate and sustainability in their investment decisions across a broad swath of industries in its new Sustainable Finance Strategy released July 6. This strategy builds on a previous plan for sustainable growth from 2018. Carbon disclosure represents a crucial ingredient for \"climate stress tests,\" evaluations that gauge how well-prepared banks are for potential shocks from climate change or from climate policy. For example, a recent study by the Bank of England determined that banks were unprepared for a carbon price of $150 per ton, which it determined would be necessary by the end of the decade to meet the international Paris climate agreement’s goals. The European Central Bank is conducting stress tests to assess the resilience of its economy to climate risks. In the United States, the Federal Reserve recently established the Financial Stability Climate Committee with similar objectives in mind. Central banks and academics have also proposed several ways to address climate change through monetary policy and financial regulation. One of these methods is \"green quantitative easing,\" which, like quantitative easing used during the recovery from the 2008 recession, involves the central bank buying financial assets to inject money into the economy. In this case, it would buy only assets that are \"green,\" or environmentally responsible. Green quantitative easing could potentially encourage investment in climate-friendly projects and technologies such as renewable energy, although researchers have suggested that the effects might be short-lived. A second policy proposal is to modify existing regulations to recognize the risks that climate change poses to banks. Banks are usually subject to minimum capital requirements to ensure banking sector stability and mitigate the risk of financial crises. This means that banks must hold some minimum amount of liquid capital in order to lend. Incorporating environmental factors in these requirements could improve banks’ resilience to climate-related financial risks. For instance, a \"brown-penalizing factor\" would require higher capital requirements on loans extended to carbon-intensive industries, discouraging banks from lending to such industries. Broadly, these existing proposals have in common the goal of reducing economy-wide carbon emissions and simultaneously reducing the financial system’s exposure to carbon-intensive sectors. The Bank of Japan announced a new climate strategy July 16 that includes offering no-interest loans to banks lending to environmentally friendly projects, supporting green bonds and encouraging banks to disclosure their climate risk. The Federal Reserve has begun to study these policies, and it has created a panel focused on developing a climate stress test. Often, policymaking trails scientific and economic debates and advancements. With financial regulation of climate risks, however, it is arguably the other way around. Central banks and governments are proposing new policy tools that have not been studied for very long. A few research papers released within the last year provide a number of important insights that can help guide central banks and regulators. They do not all reach the same conclusions, but a general consensus seems to be that financial regulation can help address large-scale economic risks that abruptly introducing a climate policy might create. One paper found that if the climate policy is implemented gradually, the economic risks can be small and financial regulation can manage them. Financial regulation can also help accelerate the transition to a cleaner economy, research shows. One example is subsidizing lending to climate-friendly industries while taxing lending to polluting industries. But financial regulation alone will not be enough to effectively address climate change. Central banks will have roles to play as countries try to manage climate change going forward. In particular, prudent financial regulation can help prevent barriers to the kind of aggressive policies that will be necessary to slow climate change and protect the environments our economies were built for. ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["green quantitative easing","executive order on climate-related financial risk","monetary policy and financial regulation","Sustainable Finance Strategy","central bank buying financial assets","modify existing regulations","no-interest loans to banks lending to environmentally friendly projects","supporting green bonds","taxing lending to polluting industries"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["banks","fossil fuel"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":["Mark Carney","Joseph Stiglitz"]},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["U.S","the United Kingdom","major economies","Japan"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["climate change","rising costs of extreme weather","lawsuits","falling value of fossil fuel assets","governments charge companies for emitting"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Australia in first recession for nearly 30 years","document":" Beirut, June 1, 2021 – Lebanon is enduring a severe and prolonged economic depression. According to the latest World Bank Lebanon Economic Monitor (LEM) released today, the economic and financial crisis is likely to rank in the top 10, possibly top 3, most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century. In the face of colossal challenges, continuous policy inaction and the absence of a fully functioning executive authority threaten already dire socio-economic conditions and a fragile social peace with no clear turning point in the horizon.  The Spring 2021 edition of the LEM, “Lebanon Sinking: To the Top 3” presents recent economic developments and examines the country’s economic outlook and possible risks. For over a year and a half, Lebanon has been facing compounded challenges: its largest peace-time economic and financial crisis, COVID-19 and the Port of Beirut explosion. As The Deliberate Depression (LEM - Fall 2020) already laid-out, policy responses by Lebanon’s leadership to these challenges have been highly inadequate. The inadequacy is less due to knowledge gaps and quality advice and more the result of: i) a lack of political consensus over effective policy initiatives; and ii) political consensus in defense of a bankrupt economic system, which benefited a few for so long. With a history of a prolonged civil war and multiple conflicts— Lebanon is identified by the World Bank as a Fragility, Conflict & Violence (FCV) State— there is growing wariness of potential triggers to social unrest.  The increasingly dire socio-economic conditions risk systemic national failings with regional and potentially global effects.  The World Bank estimates that in 2020 real GDP contracted by 20.3 percent, on the back of a 6.7 percent contraction in 2019. In fact, Lebanon’s GDP plummeted from close to US$55 billion in 2018 to an estimated US$33 billion in 2020, while GDP per capita fell by around 40 percent in dollar terms. Such a brutal contraction is usually associated with conflicts or wars. Monetary and financial conditions remain highly volatile; within the context of a multiple exchange rate system, the World Bank average exchange rate depreciated by 129 percent in 2020. The effect on prices have resulted in surging inflation, averaging 84.3 percent in 2020. Subject to extraordinarily high uncertainty, real GDP is projected to contract by a further 9.5 percent in 2021. “Lebanon faces a dangerous depletion of resources, including human capital, and high skilled labor is increasingly likely to take up potential opportunities abroad, constituting a permanent social and economic loss for the country,” said Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank Mashreq Regional Director. “Only a reform minded government, which embarks upon a credible path toward economic and financial recovery, while working closely with all stakeholders, can reverse further sinking of Lebanon and prevent more national fragmentation”.   Conditions in the financial sector continue to deteriorate, while a consensus among key stakeholders on the burden-sharing of losses has proved elusive. The burden of the ongoing adjustment/deleveraging in the financial sector is highly regressive, concentrated on smaller depositors, the bulk of the labor force and smaller businesses.  More than half the population is likely below the national poverty line, with the bulk of the labor force -paid in Lira- suffering from plummeting purchasing power. With the unemployment rate on the rise, an increasing share of households is facing difficulty in accessing basic services, including health care.    The LEM Spring 2021 also highlights in its Special Foci section two potential economic triggers that are under increased scrutiny, and which can have significant social implications.  The First Special Focus examines Lebanon’s foreign exchange (FX) subsidy for critical and essential imports, which presents a serious political and social challenge, and discusses when and how to remove it. The current FX subsidy is distortionary, expensive and regressive; its elimination and replacement with a more effective and efficient pro-poor targeted program would improve the balance of payments—meaningfully extend the time-till-exhaustion of remaining BdL reserves—while helping to cushion the impact on Lebanon’s poor. However, these would still be temporary, suboptimal solutions. Only a comprehensive and credible macroeconomic stabilization strategy can prevent the country from running out of reserves and being forced into a disorderly and highly disruptive exchange rate adjustment. The Second Special Focus of the LEM discusses the impact of the crises on four basic public services: electricity, water supply, sanitation and education. The Deliberate Depression has further undermined already weak public services via two effects: (i) it has significantly increased poverty rates, with a higher number of households unable to afford private substitutables, and thus becoming more dependent on public services; and (ii) it has threatened the financial viability and basic operability of the sector by raising its costs and lowering its revenues. The delivery of essential public services is critical to the wellbeing of residents. The sharp deterioration in basic services would have long-term implications: mass migration, loss of learning, poor health outcomes, lack of adequate safety nets, among others. Permanent damage to human capital would be very hard to recover.  Perhaps this dimension of the Lebanese crisis makes the Lebanon episode unique compared to other global crises. ","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":["foreign exchange (FX) subsidy","The Deliberate Depression","pro-poor targeted program"]},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["contracted by 20.3 percent","6.7 percent contraction","GDP per capita fell by around 40 percent in dollar terms"]},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["public services","electricity, water supply, sanitation and education"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["Lebanon"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["conflicts or wars","depletion of resources"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Addressing Climate-Related Financial Risk Through Bank Capital Requirements","document":"Australia's economy has plunged into its first recession in nearly 30 years, as it suffers the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 7% in the April-to-June quarter compared to the previous three months. This is the biggest fall since records began back in 1959 and comes after a fall of 0.3% in the first quarter. An economy is considered to be in recession if it sees two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Australia was the only major economy to avoid a recession during the 2008 global financial crisis - mainly due to demand from China for its natural resources.  At the start of this year, the economy was hit by falling economic growth due to an extreme bush fire season and the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak. More recently the shutdowns of businesses across the country have taken their toll, despite measures by the government and central bank to support the economy. This is the worst economic growth in 61 years due to a severe contraction in household spending on goods and services. 2020 will go down as a year to remember and a year everyone is already trying to forget! It's the year Australia technically lost its famous nickname as 'The Lucky Country' and fell into recession for the first time in almost three decades. GDP figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics have shown that the economy shrank by 7% in the last three months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. For young people who have recently joined the work force, this is something they've never experienced before. Australia has had a steady economy growth for decades with strong coal, iron ore and natural gas exports to a surging China. Tourism has also been a big driver of growth. But this year, the country was hit hard. Twice. When the bushfires ravaged through more than 12 million hectares, tourism was bashed and thousands of small business lost months of essential seasonal revenue. Then the coronavirus became a global pandemic. Australia closed down its borders and imposed strict social distancing rules. Nearly 1 million people lost their jobs as a result. I remember watching the long queues outside social and financial support offices back in March with people dazed at finding themselves in this situation perhaps for the first time in their lives. There's also an increasingly tense relationship with China, Australia's biggest trading partner. Australia has strongly and publicly backed a global inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in April which infuriated the Chinese government. Since then, Canberra and Beijing have exchanged political jabs and the Australian economy has felt the pinch. Scott Morrison's government has already pumped more than A$200bn (£110bn; US$147bn) in economic stimulus. Australia has fared better than many other nations around the world in controlling the virus and in subsequent economic slump but this country of abundance will have to face a much harsher reality for a few years to come. Australia last fell into recession in mid-1990 which ran into late 1991. But the coronavirus pandemic has been a major blow to the Australian economy, although the figure is slightly better than the 8% fall Australia's reserve bank had earlier forecast. Despite the severe drop in economic activity, Australia is doing better than most other advanced economies that have experienced bigger downturns. The US economy, the world's biggest, shrank 9.5% between April and June while the UK's shrank by 20.4% pushing it into recession as well.","event_type":"Financial Crisis","arguments":[{"role":"Policy Proposals","values":null},{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["shrank 7","a fall of 0.3","shrank 9.5","shrank by 20.4"]},{"role":"Affected Industries","values":["tourism"]},{"role":"Economists who Predicted the Crisis","values":null},{"role":"Unemployed Rate","values":null},{"role":"Affected Area","values":["Australia","The US","the UK"]},{"role":"Bankrupt Business","values":null},{"role":"Start_Date","values":null},{"role":"End_Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["extreme bush fire season","coronavirus outbreak"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Covid and cancer: A dangerous combination, especially for people of color","document":"LANCASTER, S.C. — Oncologist Kashyap Patel brandishes test results he’s eager to share with his patient, Tamaki Caldwell, showing that her advanced ovarian cancer, once the size of tennis balls, is in remission. Smiling, she says, “I’m going to frame this.”\nArrowRight\nIt’s a rare bright moment for Caldwell, 53, who knows she is in the fight of her life, one made significantly more arduous by the coronavirus pandemic. She started having abdominal pain last year — “it was like grab and release, grab and release” — but she didn’t see a doctor for months because of concerns about the pandemic and because she was taking care of her grandmother, who had covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.\nNow, after six months of chemotherapy, Caldwell feels “like somebody whopped me,” she said during a visit to Patel’s clinic in late summer. “But I did what I had to do.”\nAdvertisement\nStory continues below advertisement\nCovid and cancer are a menacing mix — for everyone, but especially for people of color from low-income communities. African Americans and Hispanics are about twice as likely as White people to die of covid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black cancer patients are at particularly high risk for complications and hospitalizations. Even before the pandemic, Black people had lower survival rates for many cancers compared with White people. Now, with the pandemic grinding on, many doctors fear those inequalities will worsen.\n“Covid put cancer and health-care disparities on steroids,” Patel said as he walked through his clinic, offering patients words of encouragement. “I have never seen this many people presenting at Stage 3 and 4.” Even for people like Caldwell, who responded to the treatment, he said, “Stage 4 cancer is like sitting on a volcano” because it frequently recurs.\nLast year, as the pandemic unfolded, millions of cancer screening and diagnostic tests were canceled and thousands of surgical procedures postponed, in part to protect patients. Researchers say the pause, and subsequent delayed diagnoses and treatments, will probably result in an increase in cancer deaths over the next several years — but they don’t know the extent.\nAdvertisement\nStory continues below advertisement\nJennifer S. Haas, a cancer prevention expert and primary care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said she and her colleagues have seen an unusually high number of advanced stomach cancers and esophageal malignancies over the past several months.\n“People have been trying to ignore symptoms for a year because they didn’t want to come in,” Haas said.\nCovid and cancer share risk factors that disproportionately affect people of color: higher rates of underlying conditions such as diabetes or hypertension; a lack of health insurance or access to a primary-care physician; and jobs that can cause health problems.\nMany of those most acutely affected are women, whose family responsibilities and financial stress can make it difficult to focus on their own health, doctors say.\nStory continues below advertisement\n“They have sacrificed themselves to deal with the needs of the family: Are my children getting schooling, how do I take care of the older adults in my life, how do I manage everything?” said Debra Patt, a breast cancer specialist in Austin and an executive vice president of Texas Oncology.\nAdvertisement\nLong after the pandemic subsides, she worries, some patients will be struggling with advanced cancer.\n“The effects of this will go on for years,” Patt said.\nOne of her patients, Christina Cook, a 44-year-old African American woman who lives in San Marcos, Tex., discovered a small lump in her right breast just as the pandemic unfolded last year.\n“It felt like a baby rock,” Cook said. “But I had bigger things to worry about.”\nStory continues below advertisement\nAs stores closed, Cook was busy looking for food, toilet paper and feminine hygiene products for her two daughters. She soon lost her job shuttling people from an apartment complex to Texas State University. Her younger daughter, a high school senior, was so miserable about the disruption to school and graduation festivities that Cook bought a cat to cheer her up.\nBy last December, the peach-size mass in Cook’s breast was extremely painful. When Cook, who was uninsured, sought care at a hospital, staffers said their ultrasound machine was broken, she said. At the urging of her older daughter, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic, where staffers quickly arranged for a mammogram, got her enrolled in Medicaid and helped her find Patt, who has been treating her for triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease more prevalent among Black women.\nAdvertisement\nCook is responding to treatment and plans to have a mastectomy in December.\n“But I’m terrified that I cut it too close, that I neglected myself too long and could have easily taken myself out,” Cook said.\nCrystal Whetstone, 37, one of Patel’s patients, said she found a dime-size lump in her right breast in spring 2020 but was too nervous about the coronavirus and too busy with two jobs — one in sales, the other running a dance studio called Diamond Divas — to get it checked. In addition, she was taking care of her 13-year-old son, who was struggling with remote school, and she was having trouble enrolling in Medicaid.\nStory continues below advertisement\nBy the time she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, “I had a big cluster of cancer,” said Whetstone, who wore a red T-shirt emblazoned with Mickey Mouse. Now, she requires more intensive treatment than if she had been diagnosed at an earlier stage.\nAdvertisement\nRecently, she and her son were diagnosed with covid-19.\n“I was stuck in bed for two weeks,” said Whetstone, who is still debating whether to get vaccinated.\nPatel, a 60-year-old native of western India, said patients with delayed diagnoses represent collateral damage from the pandemic. In addition to their lowered chances of survival, the cost of their treatment is much higher, often reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.\nStory continues below advertisement\nThe pandemic has dealt setbacks to cancer prevention efforts among people of color but also has compelled doctors to think of new ways to reach these communities.\nSophie M. Balzora, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health in New York, worries that the pause in colorectal cancer screening in early 2020 has hurt progress against the disease in Black Americans, the racial group most likely to be diagnosed with the illness and to die of it.\nAdvertisement\nFederally qualified health centers, which provide care to many low-income Americans, routinely hand out fecal immunochemical tests, called FIT and administered at home to detect blood in the stool, which can be an early sign of colorectal cancer. If the test is positive, a patient is advised to get a colonoscopy. During the pandemic, distribution of the tests was temporarily suspended, as were follow-up colonoscopies at many facilities.\nStory continues below advertisement\n“It is going to be a huge mountain to climb to get back to where we were” in narrowing disparities, Balzora said. “People will be diagnosed at a later stage and the later your stage, the worse your likelihood of survival.”\nKavita Patel, a health policy expert and primary-care physician who works at Mary’s Center clinic in Prince George’s County, Md., an area hit hard by the pandemic, said uninsured patients are facing major delays in getting colonoscopies and other tests. “I have written orders for mammograms eight months ago that have expired, and I have had to reorder,” she said.\nAdvertisement\nHaas at Massachusetts General said the lesson from the pandemic is that “maybe we shouldn’t expect everyone to come to doctors’ offices,” knowing that it is easier for people who are affluent and insured. She said more at-home tests, including for the human papillomavirus, a major cause of cervical cancer, would increase screening. Hospitals, including hers, are hiring more community health nurses to reach people outside of the hospital and doctors’ offices, she said.\nStory continues below advertisement\nOther groups are urging people of color and other patients to resume cancer screening , including the Community Oncology Alliance, which represents cancer doctors, and the nonprofit group CancerCare. Kashyap Patel is the president of the community oncologists’ group.\nWhen the pandemic hit last year, Patel, who is chief executive of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates, scrambled to keep treating patients while keeping them and his staff safe. He closed the Lancaster clinic for several months and referred his patients to his second clinic, in Rock Hill, S.C.\nPatel switched some patients from chemotherapy infusions to oral anti-cancer drugs to minimize the risks of in-person visits. Once coronavirus vaccines became available, he and his staff persuaded more than 150 patients and their relatives to receive the shots, including some skeptics who described the vaccine as “chemical warfare.” He added several hours to his clinics’ schedules to try to catch up with patients, while worrying about the stress on his staff.\nAdvertisement\nAnd he is trying to expand services, hoping to receive funding for mobile lung-cancer screening next year.\nThe coronavirus remains a serious threat in Lancaster County, which is an hour south of Charlotte and dotted with tobacco and corn farms and mobile homes. The positive rate for coronavirus tests is about 12 percent, about double the national average, according to the CDC. Less than half of the population in that county has been fully vaccinated, the CDC says.\nStill, Caldwell remains upbeat, praising Patel and her siblings for taking care of her. Looking back, she said, she “really had too much going on” to immediately react to the pain she now realizes was caused by cancer.\n“Hopefully, I am getting over this,” she said. “I am going to beat this and get back to my regular life.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["abdominal pain","blood in the stool"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Planned Parenthood clinic","bed"]},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Jennifer S. Haas","Kashyap Patel"]},{"role":"Date","values":["earlier this year","Recently"]},{"role":"People","values":["she and her son","Tamaki Caldwell","her grandmother","Christina Cook","Crystal Whetstone"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["by the virus"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"70-Year-Old Man Diagnosed With Breast Cancer At Delhi Hospital","document":"Increasing instances of male breast cancer are shattering the myth that the disease is restricted only to women.\nUpdated: October 29, 2021 1:03 am IST\nA major factor in delayed diagnosis of cancer is owing to a lack of awareness. (Representational)\nNew Delhi:\nA private hospital in the national capital recently diagnosed a 70-year-old man with breast cancer, according to a statement.\nIncreasing instances of male breast cancer are shattering the myth that the disease is restricted only to women. However, it remains rare occurrence in men and male breast cancer accounts for fewer than one per cent of all cancers diagnosed worldwide, it added.\nThe patient underwent modified radical mastectomy in September this year and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. He is responding well to the treatment and taking the cycles timely, said Dr Meenu Walia, Senior Director, Medical Oncology, Max Super Speciality Hospital in Patparganj.\n\"Male breast cancer is rare but an aggressive cancer. As per the American Cancer Society, a man's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about 1 out of 833 men. The outlook for male breast cancer is excellent if diagnosis is in the early stages,\" said Dr Walia.\nShe said that a major factor in delayed diagnosis is owing to a lack of awareness. “While many women know how to look out for changes that could indicate breast cancer, there is less awareness among men, which means they may be less likely to seek help in the early stages. Male breast cancer is most common in older men, though it can occur at any age,” she said.\nBreast cancer can affect men differently as they have fewer breast tissues compared to women. While it can make it easier to detect smaller lumps, however, it also means that the cancer has less room to grow within the breast. As a result, it may quickly spread to nearby tissues/organs, she said.\nPromoted\nListen to the latest songs , only on JioSaavn.com\nFor these and other reasons, around 40 per cent of men with breast cancer are diagnosed in stage 3 or 4, when the disease has already spread to other parts of the body. As a result, overall survival rates are lower for men than for women, she added.\n(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["A private hospital","Max Super Speciality Hospital"]},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr Meenu Walia"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["a 70-year-old man"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a lack of awareness"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"'Tiger King' Joe Exotic says he has been diagnosed with aggressive form of prostate cancer","document":"Updated 0455 GMT (1255 HKT) November 4, 2021\nJoseph Maldonado, also known as Joe Exotic, is seen here in 2013 at the zoo he used to run in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. Maldonado said this week that he's been diagnosed with prostate cancer.\n(CNN)\nJoseph Maldonado, known as Joe Exotic on the 2020 Netflix docuseries \"Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,\" has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, according to a letter written by Maldonado.\n\"It is with a sad face that I have to tell you the doctors called me in today to break the news that my prostate biopsy came back with an aggressive cancer. I am still waiting on the results from other test as well,\" he wrote in a letter provided to CNN by his attorney John M. Phillips.\n\"Right now, I don't want anyone's pity,\" he added.\n'Tiger King' Joe Exotic will be resentenced after a court order\nMaldonado has been undergoing medical treatment and tests for a host of issues, according to his attorney.\n\"The PSA test is a blood test used primarily to screen for prostate cancer. It was high. He finally obtained biopsies. They revealed cancer. Medical care is different in a prison environment and fewer options are available,\" Phillips said.\nRead More\nMaldonado was convicted in 2019 in a murder-for-hire plot against animal rights activist Carole Baskin as well as other crimes that include animal abuse. Baskin, who owns a tiger sanctuary in Florida and had secured a million-dollar judgment against him, had a longstanding feud with Maldonado that was chronicled in the \"Tiger King\" series.\nMaldonado is due to be resentenced following a court order in July. The US 10th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated Maldonado's 264-month prison sentence upon appeal.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["this week"]},{"role":"People","values":["Joseph Maldonado"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Grandmother given 12 months to live makes emotional plea for funding of clinical cancer trial","document":"Gaynor van der Walt was “enormously surprised” when she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in February this year and given only 12 months to live.\nThe 71-year-old grandmother of three had no related possible risk factors, like smoking, poor diet and lifestyle or family history of cancer.\nShe felt an “unbearable, “persistent” pain in her epigastric region, around her ribs and back and also lost about 10kg from a loss of appetite.\nWith the cancer being so difficult to detect, the Kensington Gardens resident saw a number of medical professionals in the year before her diagnosis.\nNine months on from her prognosis, Mrs van der Walt hopes to be selected for phase 1 clinical trials, run by the University of South Australia, for an experimental drug called Auceliciclib that targets certain enzymes and kills cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue.\n“If I could leave one legacy in my life it would be (to get) people who are able to donate towards this research and dig deep in their pockets. It would be wonderful,” she said.\nGaynor van der Walt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given 12 months to live. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe\n“I’m aware it’s a stubborn tumour and it doesn’t respond to chemo(therapy) like it should and this looks like groundbreaking research.\n“I would be very grateful to be part of the trial … but it’s about making people aware of the difficulty of treating pancreatic cancer and that more research needs to be done.”\nThe former nurse said all she wanted to do was to see her grandchildren grow up and watch them choose their path in life.\n“I have to accept that now. I wouldn’t have the healthy mindset I have if I dwelled too much on everything that’s been taken from me. I have to live in the now,” she said.\n“There have been times where I thought ‘why me when I’ve taken such good care of myself?’ but it’s just bad luck.\n“It’s devastating for both my girls. We don’t have easy lives and I’ve been the centre and core of keeping all of us going, so the disappointment to me is letting everyone down.”\nJohan van der Walt said there was an ‘uncertainty’ around their future and he would be ‘very keen’ for his wife to participate in the trial. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe\nHer husband of 25 years, Johan, 78, said it was “awful” having to watch his wife in pain but called her “an absolute star”.\n“If Gaynor is a suitable candidate and meets the criteria for the trial, I’d be very keen for her to participate,” Mr van der Walt said.\n“When she got the diagnosis, she was incredibly sick in the beginning.\n“It’s now nine months later (since the prognosis) and the fact she’s so well at the moment is a real gift, but it signifies we live in a bubble and it could burst at any time.\n“There is uncertainty about our future … it’s an absolute game changer.”\nUniSA head of drug discovery and development Professor Shudong Wang is one of the researchers who developed Auceliciclib. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes\nAbout 90 per cent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first five years of their diagnosis.\nJust last year, 466,003 people around the world succumbed to the disease.\nAuceliciclib, developed by UniSA head of drug discovery and development, Shudong Wang, was successfully trialled in animals and the researcher is hoping to recruit up to 10 pancreatic cancer patients for a human clinical trial.\nThe trial is subject to $350,000 being raised by the end of the year.\n“Pancreatic cancer is extremely difficult to diagnose at an early stage as there are very few symptoms,” Professor Wang said.\n“If it is caught early the malignant tumour can be surgically removed. However, once it spreads into other organs it is lethal, and chemotherapy and radiotherapy only buy patients a little extra time.”\nThe drug, taken as an oral tablet, has shown promising results in clinical trials to treat glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer.\nUniSA is launching a campaign to help fund this clinical trial and is accepting donations .","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["“unbearable, “persistent” pain in her epigastric region, around her ribs and back","lost about 10kg from a loss of appetite"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["February this year"]},{"role":"People","values":["Gaynor van der"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Like Casey DeSantis, Donna Deegan was 1st diagnosed with cancer at young age","document":"“It is a painful and fearful thing for anyone to hear those words: you have cancer,” Deegan says\nOctober 13, 2021, 6:58 PM\nUpdated: \nDonna Deegan\nJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Donna Deegan is a three-time breast cancer survivor.\nThe wife, mother of two and journalist who lives in Atlantic Beach, is possibly best known for her work toward raising breast cancer awareness. You’ve likely heard of her annual run -- the 26.2 with Donna, which is now a signature event of her organization, The Donna Foundation.\nIt should come as no surprise that Deegan’s heart sank when she learned Casey DeSantis, Florida’s first lady, was diagnosed with breast cancer.\n“It is a painful and fearful thing for anyone to hear those words: you have cancer,” Deegan said. “And I know as somebody who has spent a lot of time in the public eye that can be especially traumatizing.”\nGov. Ron DeSantis said it hasn’t been easy, but that his wife “is a very, very strong woman” as he spoke about the diagnosis for the first time publicly during a Tuesday news conference. Casey DeSantis, 41, is the mother of the couple’s three children.\nAd\nDeegan explained what it’s like for families and caregivers who first learn a loved one has been diagnosed. Like Casey DeSantis, she too was young when she was first diagnosed at age 38.\n“There’s a sincere sense of helplessness of how can I be the most helpful, what can I do to be there, how do I not be, you know, cloying and at the same time be helpful? It’s tough,” Deegan said. “It’s a difficult thing for those that are on the other side of it and, of course like Casey, I had very small children.”\nWhen she was first diagnosed, Deegan said, the first thing she thought about was the wellbeing of her children.\n“No matter what the prognosis, immediately your mind goes to your children, and will you be there for them, and what will they have to go through, and what will you share with them, and what should you not share with them,” Deegan said.\nThe diagnosis is life-altering for everyone and their families. But as Deegan noted, the experience can change someone’s perspective, for the better.\nAd\n“I think it can be positive in so many ways. You can find a courage and a strength that you never know that you had until you were faced with having to have it,” Deegan said. “I think you can really come to the fact of hey, you know what? Life is sweet and and short and we have to make the most of every moment and let’s jump out of bed every day and go, hey, we’re grateful.”\nNotably, Florida’s first lady’s diagnosis was announced in October -- Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And Deegan hopes that means more people will take Casey DeSantis’ diagnosis as a sign to focus on their own health.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["October","at age 38"]},{"role":"People","values":["Donna Deegan","Casey DeSantis"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Adele Roberts: Bowel cancer patients discuss diagnosis and treatment","document":"The news that BBC Radio 1's Adele Roberts has been diagnosed with bowel cancer has sparked an outpouring of support from listeners and fellow presenters.\nOther people who've also had bowel cancer are sending their support too.\nStudent Estera Bom was diagnosed last year, while Dr Philippa Kaye got her diagnosis in 2019.\n'Don't ignore it'\nEstera had never been in hospital before last year. She was studying interior design at De Montford university and says she she'd always been very healthy.\nThen, aged 21, she was told she has bowel cancer.\nWhen she was diagnosed in May 2020, she was told the disease was at stage two or three, but she says it only took a few months for the disease to develop into stage four - meaning it's more serious.\nThe cancer has also spread to her lungs.\nEstera's treatment started with chemotherapy and she's now looking into radiotherapy treatment. She hopes to have surgery in the next few months.\nMedia caption,\nBowel cancer: 'Let's talk about poo'\n\"It's very important to get things checked as soon as you feel like something's wrong,\" she says.\n\"You know when something's not right, and you shouldn't ignore that.\"\n\"My advice is: 'Don't lose hope. Your body is able to do amazing things.'\n\"The amazing medical side we have available to us with the NHS is such a big part of getting through cancer.\n\"But also your mind set is such a big part that gets you through it.\"\nImage source, Liz Isles\nAs a GP, Dr Philippa Kaye is used to caring for those suffering with illness and disease.\nThat was until 2019, when she was diagnosed with stage two bowel cancer at the age of 39.\nHaving a colonoscopy - a scan to check the inside of your bowels are healthy - she looked at the screen and \"saw the cancer myself.\"\nShe adds: \"I looked at the surgeon and his eyes came up to meet mine, and in that very moment I knew.\"\nIn a moment which she'll never forget, Dr Philippa says: \"My entire world changed.\"\nWhile the UK went into lockdown, she had surgery and chemotherapy. Luckily, she's now cancer-free.\nHow do you spot the symptoms?\nThe most important thing to look out for is a change in bowel habit, says Dr Philippa.\n\"Everyone has a bowel habit. You might go to the toilet every two days. Someone else might go four times a day.\n\"But if your bowel habit changes for more than three weeks, then that's something to see the doctor about.\"\nShe also suggests visiting a doctor if you have any abdominal pain for more than three weeks, if you can feel a lump, or you have blood in your poo.\n\"It doesn't matter if it's bright red on the toilet paper, or mixed in with the poo.\"\nA post shared by Adele Roberts (@adeleroberts)\nOther signs to look out for are losing weight unintentionally or feeling tired all the time.\n\"Having one of those symptoms doesn't mean you have cancer. It means you have a symptom that needs to be checked out.\n\"The earlier it is you get diagnosed the more likely it is that your cancer will be treatable.\"\nWhat if a friend or family member is going through cancer?\nDr Kaye says \"don't always try and fix it.\n\"That's our urge when people we love are struggling, we try and fix it and make it better. But actually what we actually want is just to be listened to.\"\nIf you, or someone you know, have been affected by cancer, information and support is available on the BBC's Action Line page .","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["abdominal pain for more than three weeks","feel like something's wrong","it's bright red on the toilet paper, or mixed in with the poo","feel a lump","have blood in your poo","losing weight unintentionally or feeling tired all the time"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last year","2019","May 2020"]},{"role":"People","values":["Dr Philippa Kaye","Adele Roberts","Estera Bom"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Henderson Silver Knights head coach diagnosed with cancer","document":"/ Updated:\nOct 28, 2021 / 05:26 PM PDT\nREGINA, SK – MAY 19: Head coach Manny Viveiros of Swift Current Broncos stands on the bench against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the Brandt Centre on May 19, 2018 in Regina, Canada. (Photo by Marissa Baecker/Getty Images)\nLAS VEGAS (KLAS)– Henderson Silver Knights head coach Manny Vierios announced Thursday that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.\nIn a statement on Twitter, he says “Unfortunately, I’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I had to take a leave of absence at the first part of the season.”\n? Silver Knights Head Coach Manny Viveiros on HSK Today:\n“Unfortunately, I’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I had to take a leave of absence at the first part of the season. We’ve been trying at the very early stages a game plan of what we want to do going forward.\n— Henderson Silver Knights (@HSKnights) October 28, 2021\n\"I’m going to be able to do that until about mid-December, and then I’m going to have to take another leave of absence for a short time to have the surgery done.\n— Henderson Silver Knights (@HSKnights) October 28, 2021\nRelated Content\nSilver Knights head coach taking medical leave of absence\nViveiros has been off since, before the start of the season with an undisclosed illness, Viveiros says he plans to prepare for surgery and hopes to have the surgery done by mid-December.\nLate Thursday the team announced that Head Coach Manny Viveiros will be back behind the bench starting Friday with an 11 a.m. puck drop against BAK.\nWe're thrilled to share that Head Coach Manny Viveiros will be back behind the bench starting tomorrow with our 11 a.m. puck drop against BAK.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"People","values":["Manny Vierios"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Woman, 23, diagnosed with terminal cancer after lump 'dismissed as hormonal'","document":"The family of a woman who has “untreatable” breast cancer claim doctors missed diagnosing her when they dismissed a lump in her breast as “hormonal”.\nTasmin Gooding, 23, of Ramsgate, Kent, was told her cancer was incurable after it was found to have metastasised to her neck, hips and spine.\nHer family have been left stunned, heartbroken and searching for answers as to how the cancer was missed despite Tasmin's best efforts.\nThe Goodings have a family history with the disease, which has seen Tasmin's mum survive breast cancer and her sister fight leukaemia at the age of just three, KentLive reports.\nBut in spite of all of this, doctors missed a possible early warning sign - a lump in Tasmin's breast, her family say.\nTasmin (right) with her sister Jo and brother Lewis\nTasmin's first appointment was in November 2020 after finding the lump, but due to the pandemic was unable to bring another family member with her.\nA biopsy and ultrasound were carried out at a hospital but the results came back showing a hormonal lump.\nTasmin did not receive a mammogram breast screening - used to find underlying signs of cancer or tumours that are too small to detect otherwise.\nAngela, Tasmin's mum, said: \"There was no mention of it at all about giving her a mammogram.\n\"She was actually told that it was highly doubtful that it's cancer because she was only 23, she was too young.\n\"I don't believe that - and now she's got three tumours in her breast and one in her arm pit.\"\nTasmin with her nieces Amelia and Lilly\nThe family became more concerned when Tasmin began to lose weight in the following months.\nHer mum continued: \"By the beginning of August 2021 she starts drastically losing weight, and we thought she was depressed, she'd split up with her boyfriend, she wasn't very happy.\n\"She'd actually moved into her own flat and we thought she was lonely - but then we noticed the weight loss was actually quite drastic.\n\"You know, she was showing bones and things like that.\"\nIn September, ten months from when doctors said her initial lump was abnormal, Tasmin found another in her armpit.\nShe was booked in for a second ultrasound of the tumour, but within an instant of it starting, the radiologist called for a biopsy to be prepared.\nTasmin with her nephew Harvey\nIt took just a few days for the results to come back. Angela said: “We got a phone call from the secretary changing her appointment time so she was the last of the day.\n\"They didn't want us coming out when there's people in the waiting room so they've given us the last appointment - obviously they're going to tell us something bad.\n\"But the other thing was they recommended that she brought somebody with her - and that answered it for me.”\nThe results showed that all three tumours that had been biopsied were cancerous. A PET scan in early October was taken to see whether it had spread, with an MRI to confirm the findings of the first scan.\nTasmin’s family discovered that what had first been thought to be treatable stage two breast cancer had spread and progressed in just the short period of time between November 2020 and October 2021.\nInstead, Tasmin was diagnosed with stage four cancer in her breast, that had spread to her spine, neck and pelvis - and was incurable and terminal.\nHer mum said: \"How could it have turned from a hormonal lump to stage four terminal cancer in 10 months?\n\"They must have missed it - and if they caught it the first time round she might have been able to get treatment and get rid of it.\n\"Now she's on palliative care and they can't give her a time limit as to how long she has left.\"\nShe said she was “on a time limit” with her daughter. \"She's only going to survive so long - she's not got any life ahead, she's never gonna grow old - she can't have kids.\"\nA GoFundMe page initially started by Tasmin’s colleague to get her through chemotherapy raised money for her to complete her bucket list.\nTasmin's sister Jo said: “It's amazing what people have done and shows how much she's loved.\n\"I asked her, 'what are the things you want to do for your bucket list', and she said, 'I just want to make memories with my family and friends and help the turtles from their nests to the sea’.\"\nJo continued: \"You know, she's blonde and she's funny and she's all about fake tan and makeup.\n\"That's the first thing she asked when I said about chemo - she wanted to know if she could still fake tan.\n\"She always looks at life in the right way.”\nThe GoFundMe has since cleared £12,000 - well clear of the initial £2,000 goal - giving Tasmin the chance to go travelling as she'd planned.\nHer mum and sister have shared her story to the hopes of raising awareness of breast cancer.\nAngela said: “We want to say to girls her age - any age - don't just take a doctor's word for it.\n\"Push, if you feel in your gut that there's something wrong.\n\"Always - if you're offered an ultrasound and a biopsy, they should always do a mammogram.\n\"My niece who's 21 wanted a check-up - and was told the only way she could do it is to pay £300 privately - and a lot of you can't afford £300.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["the weight loss was actually quite drastic"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Tasmin Gooding"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Hall of Fame Professional Wrestling Announcer Jim Ross Reveals Skin Cancer Diagnosis","document":"The 69-year-old Ross announced his diagnosis via Twitter, writing that he’s feeling great and ready to attack the disease. Ross added that he’s waiting on a radiologist study to determine the best treatment option, which will likely be radiation.\nThe longtime announcer said that he’ll still be on commentary for Saturday night’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.\n“On my way to Orlando for tonight’s @AEW Dynamite. Skin cancer confirmed. Waiting on radiologist study to determine best treatment. Likely radiation,” Ross tweeted. “Feeling great and ready to attack. Thanks for the support from so many.”\nThe diagnosis was made after Ross had a CT scan done on Thursday for an issue on his lower leg that he’s been dealing with for more than a year.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Ross"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Colin Powell had blood cancer that made it harder to fight infections, reports say","document":"Former Secretary of State Colin Powell reportedly had been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer that made it difficult to fight infections before his Monday death from what his family described as complications related to COVID-19.\nMore: Colin Powell, first Black secretary of state, dies from COVID-19 complications\nMultiple myeloma forms in white blood cells that typically help fight infections, according to the Mayo Clinic.  In multiple myeloma, cancerous cells crowd out healthy blood cells. Complications include frequent infections.\nPowell’s family said in a prepared statement that the former secretary of state and retired four-star general was vaccinated but died from complications related to COVID-19. The statement posted on Facebook did not reference any other health problems Powell was facing.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Colin Powell"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["complications related to COVID-19"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Former England captain Allan Lamb reveals prostate cancer diagnosis","document":"Former England cricket captain Allan Lamb has revealed on Twitter he has been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.\nThe South-African born batter urged people to get tested after being recently diagnosed himself.\nLamb made his Test debut for England in 1982 and went on to represent the country at three World Cups. He scored 4,656 runs in 79 Tests and enjoyed a 22-year first-class career from 1973 to 1995.\nI urge all men to go and get their PSA levels checked as prostate cancer so often goes undiagnosed. Having recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, I have just completed a month of treatment. Put your egos aside-don’t be ignorant about your health @Vitality_UK @ProstateUK\n— Allan Lamb (@AllanLamb294) October 31, 2021\nOn Twitter, Lamb said: “I urge all men to go and get their PSA levels checked as prostate cancer so often goes undiagnosed.\n“Having recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, I have just completed a month of treatment.\n“Put your egos aside-don’t be ignorant about your health.”\nSorry to read this, Lamby. Wish you a full and speedy recovery. Important message too. https://t.co/04JAzNWVHL\n— Gary Lineker ? (@GaryLineker) October 31, 2021\nHe has received support from the sporting world including Gary Lineker, who tweeted: “Sorry to read this, Lamby. Wish you a full and speedy recovery. Important message too.”\nProstate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. Many prostate cancers grow slowly and are confined to the prostate gland, where they may not cause serious harm.\nHowever, while some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may need minimal or even no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly.\nProstate cancer that’s detected early — when it’s still confined to the prostate gland — has the best chance for successful treatment.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["recently"]},{"role":"People","values":["Allan Lamb"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Doctors and patients offer hope for women with metastatic breast cancer","document":"/ Updated:\nOct 13, 2021 / 07:18 AM EDT\nCHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and October 13 is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.  This day focuses on the less common, but more deadly form of the disease.\nMetastatic breast cancer is when the cancer spreads, typically to the liver, lungs, bones or brain.\nMost women are diagnosed months or years after completing breast cancer treatment. Only about 6% are diagnosed with it first.  Angela Ferrell of Moyock is one of them.\n“I woke up one morning and the right side of my right breast was completely hard; I had no idea why, I just knew that it wasn’t a good thing,” Ferrell said.\nFerrell’s cancer is aggressive. Often missed on mammograms, it lies across her breast, unlike a typical lump.\nShe recalled the day she was diagnosed in 2018. “He (doctor) came in and he told me it was metastatic breast cancer and I also had bone cancer.”\nJeanette Demko was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.  It  metastasized years later. “I don’t even want to know where it is,” the 86 year old told us.\nThese women are living proof that metastatic breast cancer is no longer an automatic death sentence.\n“There is hope,” Dr.  Cristina Alencar said.\nDr. Alencar, an Oncologist with Virginia Oncology Associates, sees patients at the new Priority Toyota Cancer Center at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center . She said for every ten patients she sees, about two or three have metastatic disease. “More women are living longer with good quality of life,” she said.\nAccording to Susan G. Komen , about one-third of women live at least five years after diagnosis and some live longer depending on what type of cancer it is and what treatments are available.\nDr. Alencar said bone cancer seems to be the easiest to treat, while treatment is more difficult when cancer attacks an organ. “If we don’t know yet how to treat that type or the best way to treat we can enroll patients in clinical trials.” She said Virginia Oncology Associates currently has patients enrolled in nearly a dozen breast cancer trials.\nAngela’s cancer is treated with medication. “They told me I would deal with that for the rest of my life, but I have a rest of my life,” she told WAVY.\nPlaytime with her grandchild  is now a priority for Angela. Her painful bone cancer sometimes makes it difficult to walk, but she doesn’t complain.\nJeanette is also focused on living her best life.  She stays active with the Bra-Ha-Ha and exercises everyday.\nBra-ha-ha returns to Chesapeake\n“I don’t like to walk outside; I like to walk around Target,” she laughed.\nShe’s on her third kind of chemotherapy. She is keeping the faith and remaining fearless which, when it comes to breast cancer, is just what the doctor ordered.\nDr. Alencar tells women “Don’t be afraid!” of mammograms because the earlier cancer is found the better your chances, and if it is metastatic there is hope in new research and medications.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr.  Cristina Alencar"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2018","2015"]},{"role":"People","values":["Angela Ferrell"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"4 'rare' cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children found to date: MOH","document":"SINGAPORE: Four cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been reported to the Ministry of Health (MOH) to date, it said in a news release on Saturday (Nov 6).\nThese four cases are among more than 8,000 paediatric COVID-19 cases in Singapore since the start of the pandemic, and are \"considered rare\", the Health Ministry said in the statement released close to midnight.\nOf these four cases, one is in the children’s intensive care unit (CICU), one is in a general ward, and two have been discharged.\nTheir ages range from two months to eight years.\nAll four were admitted to hospital between October and November this year.\nThe four paediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome cases\nA three-year-old boy who was admitted to the National University Hospital CICU on Oct 16, 2021. \nHe had repeatedly tested negative in a PCR test, but serology test results indicated that he likely had a COVID-19 infection two to six weeks prior to the development of MIS-C.\nThe child has since recovered and was discharged on Oct 23.\n \nAn eight-year-old boy, who was admitted to the CICU of KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) on Oct 27, 2021. \nHe had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 on Sep 30. He has since recovered and was discharged on Nov 1.\n \nA four-year-old boy admitted to KKH CICU on Nov 1, 2021. As of Sunday, he remains in the CICU and his breathing is supported by mechanical ventilation. \nThe child previously tested positive for COVID-19 on Sep 24. The KKH paediatric teams are actively managing his care, said MOH.\n \nA two-month-old female infant admitted to KKH General Ward on Nov 3, 2021. She was previously admitted to KKH for COVID-19 infection on Oct 12, and discharged on Oct 19.\n\"The patient’s condition remains stable, with no oxygen requirements,\" MOH said.\nCollapse Expand\nAn international review in May, 2020 reported a MIS-C incidence rate of 0.14 per cent - meaning 14 in 10,000 cases - among all children with COVID-19 infection, said MOH.\n\"MIS-C is similar in presentation to Kawasaki disease which has been linked to various virus or bacterial infections, and occurs in 150 to 200 children a year in Singapore.\n\"Symptoms of MIS-C include persistent fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius for three days or more, with difficulty breathing, headache, neck swelling, rash, swollen hands and feet, conjunctivitis, diarrhoea, or abdominal pain,\" MOH said.\nAs the syndrome is linked to previous COVID-19 infection, measures such as wearing masks, hand hygiene and safe distancing measures remain important to reduce its risk, the Health Ministry added.\nDownload  our app  or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak:  https://cna.asia/telegram","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["persistent fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius for three days or more","difficulty breathing, headache, neck swelling, rash, swollen hands and feet, conjunctivitis, diarrhoea, or abdominal pain"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["CICU of KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH)"]},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Oct 16, 2021","Nov 1, 2021","Nov 3, 2021","Sep 30"]},{"role":"People","values":["A three-year-old boy","An eight-year-old boy","A four-year-old boy","A two-month-old female infant"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["previous COVID-19 infection"]}]}
{"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.\nOct 17, 2021, 5:00 am SGT\nOct 17, 2021, 8:51 pm\nLinette Lai\nWoman found out she had Covid-19 six hours before she planned to give birth\nSix 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. \nA 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.\nThe couple also have a two-year-old daughter.\nInitially, I thought it was a joke. She panicked. I saw tears coming from her eyes... I woke my entire family up.\nMr Lee Shao Hao\nMs Poh’s husband\nThey live with his parents, who are fully vaccinated.\nMs 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.\n“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?’”\nThey also looked up articles on whether vaccination was safe for pregnant women, and consulted their gynaecologist who gave them the green light.\nThroughout 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.\nMs Poh Wen Ching with her husband Mr Lee Shao Hao and their two children at their home on Oct 14, 2021. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR\nAfter the couple were found to have the virus, the rest of the family got themselves tested.\nThey ended up testing positive, but experienced only mild symptoms that subsided after three days.\nTheir 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.\nIn 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.\nread more\nIf mum gets Covid-19, will the unborn baby get it too?\nMs 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.\nAlthough 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.\nThe baby was not tested for Covid-19 as KKH told the family there was no need for it.\n“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.”\nHe 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. \n“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.”\nread more\nWoman who gave birth in isolation ward urges others to get Covid-19 vaccine\nHe also hopes that his experience will help reduce the stigma of being diagnosed with Covid-19.\nHis 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.\n“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.”\n• Over 85% of pregnant women who are hospitalised due to Covid-19 are not fully vaccinated.\n• About 20% of this group required oxygen supplementation, while 10 per cent required high dependency and intensive care.\n• As at Oct 1, no vaccinated pregnant woman has required oxygen or intensive care.\n \nMental health affected\nWhen 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.\nBut over the next few days, as her family members began developing a fever one after another, she knew something was wrong.\nThe 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.”\nThe family – most of whom were either unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated – ended up in different hospitals. This was before the home recovery programme was implemented.\nMadam 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.\nMeanwhile, her father was taken to a hotel for quarantine.\nAll their symptoms were relatively mild, with most of the family experiencing only a fever that faded after a day. The children were asymptomatic.\nMore on this topic\nMadam Umma herself experienced a four-day fever, and was hospitalised for eight days before being moved to a community recovery facility.\nThe experience left her on edge for a month, even after she had physically recovered. \nIn hospital, she asked to share a room with her 80-year-old mother, who was fully vaccinated, for emotional support. After her discharge, she avoided reading any news about Covid-19, and developed a fear of being reinfected.\n“If I used hot water to wash myself and my body felt hot after that, I would take my temperature to see if I had a fever. Even if I sneezed because of dust on the floor, I would be scared,” she recounted.\nI had a bit of a phobia... even small things made me anxious.\nMadam Umma\nMadam Umma’s mental health has since improved. She plans to take a second dose of the vaccine as soon as she is medically cleared to do so, and urged those who have not gotten their shots to do so. \n“Previously, I was a very brave person. Whenever anyone had problems, they would come to me and I would calm them down. But when it came to Covid, it was like I was the most cowardly person.\n“My mother, who was vaccinated, was strong and confident nothing would happen. But because I was not fully vaccinated, I was more worried.”\n• If proper precautions are taken, the level of household spread is less than 10 per cent compared with what Singapore is seeing in other settings, said Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, the Health Ministry’s group director of crisis strategy and operations.\n• An English study published in April also found that infected people who had taken just one dose of the Pfizer or Astra Zeneca vaccines were between 38 and 49 per cent less likely to transmit the virus to their household contacts, compared with those who were completely unvaccinated.\n \nHooked up in ICU \nFour days after testing positive for Covid-19, Mr Ng was in the National Centre for Infectious Diseases’ intensive care unit (ICU), hooked up to a tube of high-flow oxygen to help him breathe.\nThe 60-year-old’s blood oxygen level – which in a healthy person should be at least 95 per cent – had fallen to below 90 per cent.\nBut the medical issues the virus created had crept up so stealthily that Mr Ng missed the signs that he was in serious trouble.\nIt was his mother and sister, speaking to him over the phone the day after he tested positive, who first noticed the difference. They had temporarily moved out of their shared flat after he tested positive.\n“They said I was breathing heavily, which I myself did not know,” said Mr Ng, a stallholder at Chinatown Complex, which was closed for three days in early September after a virus cluster was found there. “I sort of sensed it, but not to the extent that I found difficulty in breathing.”\nI didn’t know I was breathing hard.\nMr Ng\nStallholder at Chinatown Complex\nHe had tested positive after a routine swab test on Sept 10, and called an ambulance the next day. After two days in the hospital’s general ward, he was transferred to intensive care.\nMr Ng, who wanted to be known only by his surname, said he was conscious at the time, and still did not have difficulty breathing – just some “discomfort”. \nBut the decision to move him made his family members very anxious, he recounted.\n“When they heard the word ‘ICU’, they thought it must be very serious,” he said. “They saw me wearing the (breathing apparatus) mask and were very worried.” \nHe was not able to give them regular updates due to his worsened condition. \n“I didn’t talk to them much. I was very tired and sleeping most of the time,” said Mr Ng, who otherwise texted or spoke to his family on the phone.\nMr Ng spent three days in the ICU – a relatively short time, given that some patients require intensive care for more than two weeks. Doctors believe he was protected from the worst effects of the virus because he was fully vaccinated. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["only a fever that faded after a day","a cough and runny nose that persisted for around 10 days","breathing hard"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH)","National Centre for Infectious Diseases’ intensive care unit (ICU)","a community recovery facility"]},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["six hours before she planned to give birth","Sept 10"]},{"role":"People","values":["the couple","Ms Poh Wen Ching","the rest of the family","Mr Ng"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Parent of child with MIS-C encourages others to take advantage of kids' COVID-19 vaccine","document":"Sarah Berestecky is one of many parents happy to be setting appointments and said it was a hope she had been holding on to for the past year.\nREAD MORE | Hamilton County health officials answer common questions about vaccinating kids 5-11  \nThe mother of three’s experience runs deep. \n\"You know I'm so relieved and excited and all of those things but it's a little bittersweet for us,\" Berestecky said.\nElijah, her 10-year-old, was diagnosed with Multi-Inflammatory Syndrome, MIS-C, shortly after getting the virus.\nThe disease attacked his gastrointestinal system, brought on a rash and a consistent fever.\n\"Knowing that could have prevented all of those things from happening. We'll be able to protect our kids from not just COVID but other things that develop out of COVID,” she added.\nApril Kapu, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and a dean at Vanderbilt, spoke about the improvements made with this age group's rollout and that it would benefit many families.\n\"Particularly families that have grandparents at home, or family members that are immunocompromised and then also for children to be protected and to protect their teachers and community members,\" Kapu said.\nThings to know:\nThe pediatric dose is 10 micrograms, one-third of the adult dose.\nChildren should take two doses 21 days apart.\nKapu added that while the most common symptom is a sore arm, \"some have said that they have had some mild side effects like a fever, or somebody, aches or fatigue but it's been very minimal.\" \nAccording to the Centers for Disease Control, the virus has impacted at least 1.9 million children since the start of the pandemic and has hospitalized some and killed others.\nThe Hamilton County Health Department Pediatric Clinic at 921 East 3rd St. will offer the vaccine Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 921 East 3rd St. by appointment only.\nThe Sequoyah Health Center at 9527 W Ridge Trail will offer the vaccine for established primary care patients by appointment only.\nThe Homeless Healthcare Center at 730 E 11th St. will have walk-in appointments for those who qualify.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["a rash and a consistent fever"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Elijah"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["getting the virus"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Straits Times","document":"SINGAPORE - When Ms Siti Hawa Mohd Najib's two-month-old daughter started projectile vomiting - \"like the Merlion\", as she put it - she panicked.\n\"I told my husband, this is not normal,\" the 40-year-old bank teller told The Sunday Times.\nAs it turned out, her baby girl, Aaisyah Humaira, tested positive for Covid-19 the next day - Sept 24.\nMs Hawa's second of four daughters, Aqilah Shazwani, 12, was the first to contract Covid-19 in the family of six. She developed symptoms after coming home from her PSLE listening comprehension examination on Sept 17 and tested positive two days later.\n\"Because Aqilah's ART (antigen rapid test) was negative at first, we thought it was just a normal fever. So we still mingled and ate together,\" she said.\nBoth Ms Hawa and her husband, Mr Muhamad Firdaus, 41, are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.\nBerita Mediacorp first reported Ms Hawa's story on Thursday (Sept 30).\nWhile Aqilah was kept under home isolation, Aaisyah was rushed to the National University Hospital (NUH) the day she tested positive. She was admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit.\nAaisyah had to undergo blood tests and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab. The baby is too young to receive medication.\n\"I cried because as a mother, this was too much to handle,\" Ms Hawa said.\nOn Sept 25, Ms Hawa and Mr Firdaus tested positive for Covid-19. Ms Hawa was warded in NUH, while her husband isolated himself at home.\nShe said: \"I developed a sore throat and itchy eyes. My asthma was getting quite bad and my chest was in pain and felt heavy. I have asthma, diabetes and hypertension, so I was worried that with all these conditions, Covid-19 could affect me badly.\"\nStill, Ms Hawa continued to breastfeed Aaisyah.\nAaisyah Humaira in the neonatal intensive care unit. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MS SITI HAWA MOHD NAJIB\n\"She slept and cried more than usual. It seemed like her body and throat hurt,\" she said.\n\"Luckily, I'm fully vaccinated, so my breast milk has antibodies, which is why I think Aaisyah managed to recover so quickly.\"\nBoth mother and daughter tested negative for Covid-19 on Tuesday and were discharged from NUH.\nMs Hawa added: \"Those days in the hospital were very exhausting and stressful. My husband plays a big part in taking care of Aaisyah, so she was more cranky without him around. The video calls kept me sane and gave me strength to look after Aaisyah.\"\nHowever, the family has yet to be reunited as Mr Firdaus remains isolated in his room until Oct 5.\nTheir two other daughters, Athirah Firzana, 10, and Aaliyah Falisha, 15, were not infected.\n\"All of us are quite sad without Daddy at the dinner table; my kids really miss their father a lot. But we still video call often,\" Ms Hawa said.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["projectile vomiting","a sore throat and itchy eyes"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home","NUH","National University Hospital (NUH)"]},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept 24","two days later","Sept 25"]},{"role":"People","values":["Ms Hawa and Mr Firdaus","Aaisyah Humaira","Aqilah Shazwani"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Straits Times","document":"SAO PAULO (REUTERS) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's son and two members of his Cabinet said on Friday (Sept 24) that they had tested positive for Covid-19, bringing to four the number of close aides diagnosed since the far-right leader's trip to the United Nations.\nAgriculture Minister Tereza Cristina, Solicitor-General Bruno Bianco and Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro all confirmed their diagnoses via social media or press representatives.\nThe news comes three days after Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga announced that he had tested positive while on a trip to the UN General Assembly in New York.  Mr Queiroga remained behind in the United States to quarantine.\nMr Eduardo Bolsonaro was also part of his father's delegation to New York. He tweeted that he had tested positive for Covid-19, adding that he had been vaccinated with the first dose of the Pfizer shot.\nThe Agriculture Minister, who was not part of the delegation that visited New York, reported her diagnosis the week after meeting with Group of 20 ministers in Italy.\n\"I have tested positive for #Covid19. I am fine. I have cancelled all my in-person meetings and will remain isolated during the medical guidance period,\" she said on Twitter.\nMs Cristina was vaccinated against Covid-19.\nMr Bianco's press office said he is asymptomatic and isolated, adding that he had taken the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.\nPresident Bolsonaro, a vaccine sceptic who claims not to have taken the shot himself, said during his weekly live-stream on Thursday that he knew two vaccinated people in Brasilia who had contracted the virus recently, without naming them.\n\"Today it came to my knowledge that two well-known people here in Brasilia have contracted the virus. I have spoken to both of them on the phone,\" said Mr Bolsonaro, who is in isolation since he came back from New York due to Mr Queiroga's diagnosis.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["United States"]},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Jair Bolsonaro's son and two members of his Cabinet","Marcelo Queiroga","Ms Cristina"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Straits Times","document":"SINGAPORE - A possible Covid-19 cluster has surfaced at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, with a nurse infected and likely infections in a doctor and three patients in a general ward.\nThe Health Ministry said that one of the three new Covid-19 community cases on Wednesday (April 28) was a nurse from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).\nThe 46-year-old Filipino woman was deployed at Ward 9D, a general ward.\nShe developed a cough, sore throat and body aches on Tuesday, and sought medical treatment at TTSH, said MOH.\nHer test result came back positive for Covid-19 infection on the same day, and she was warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).\nHer serology test result is pending.\nShe received her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Jan 26 and the second dose on Feb 18.\nThe vaccine is effective in preventing symptomatic disease for the vast majority of those vaccinated, but it is possible for vaccinated individuals to get infected, said the ministry in a statement.\nTTSH has locked down the affected ward, and tested the patients and staff who had been in the ward.\nThe hospital said late Wednesday night that it is also tightening its ward visiting policy till further notice as a necessary precaution to contain the situation and protect its patients and staff.\n\"We are tightening our ward visiting policy till further notice, allowing only two pre-registered visitors throughout a patient's stay,\" it said in a Facebook post. \n\"We will monitor the situation and review our policy accordingly. We will also be swabbing all staff in the main hospital’s ward block.\"\nSo far, MOH said it has detected four more cases in TTSH who have tested preliminarily positive for Covid-19 infection. These are a doctor and three patients who were being cared for in the same ward.\nAs a precautionary measure, all staff who treated the infected patients, as well as all visitors, patients and staff working in Ward 9D will be placed under quarantine, it said.\nEpidemiological investigations and contact tracing are ongoing.\nAs it is conducting further testing for these four cases, they have not been included in Wednesday's case count, MOH explained.\nThe Straits Times understands that one of the patients found to have tested positive for the virus is a 72-year-old woman who had been warded at the hospital since April 20.\nShe had been admitted to Ward 9D - a C class ward - for rheumatoid arthritis and developed a cough and fever on Sunday.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["cough, sore throat and body aches"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["TTSH","Ward 9D - a C class ward","Ward 9D"]},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"People","values":["a doctor and three patients","a 72-year-old woman"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Straits Times","document":"SINGAPORE - Seven family members of a 38-year-old Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer who was earlier diagnosed with Covid-19  are confirmed to have the virus, and were likely to have caught it during a gathering last Sunday (April 25).\nThe Health Ministry (MOH) gave this update on Thursday night, adding that all seven had already been placed under quarantine when their diagnosis was confirmed.\nThe eight of them had gathered for a meal, when transmission was likely to have taken place, MOH said.\nThe ICA officer, who works in Changi Airport Terminal 1, had been one of the unlinked cases that the ministry announced on Wednesday.\nThe seven cases in the new family cluster, all of them Singaporean, are:\n- A 32-year-old nurse who works at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). She is the wife of the ICA officer, but does not work in wards affected by the TTSH cluster. MOH said its investigations do not show a link between her and the TTSH cluster, but the ongoing testing of all staff in the hospital's wards will serve as an additional check.\n- A 39-year-old male who works as a private hire driver and a security officer at the Ion Orchard mall. He developed a cough on April 28.\n- A three-year-old boy, who is the nephew of the ICA officer. He was last at school on April 22, and developed a fever on April 28.\n- A housewife, 33, who was asymptomatic.\n- A retiree, 72, who is the father of the ICA officer and lives in the same household. He was asymptomatic.\n- A 65-year-old man who works as a telephone operator at Goodwood Park Hotel. He was asymptomatic.\n- A technical officer at SP PowerGrid, 38. He developed a cough and body aches on April 28.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["a cough","a fever"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last Sunday (April 25)"]},{"role":"People","values":["Seven family members of a 38-year-old Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["during a gathering"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Straits Times","document":"SINGAPORE - A Singapore Polytechnic (SP) student has tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday (May 15).\nThe patient is a second-year student from the Media, Arts and Design School, and was last on campus on Tuesday, SP said in a statement on Sunday. \nAccording to a Ministry of Health (MOH) press release on Sunday night, the boy works part time at an arts and craft shop in Westgate.\nHe developed a fever, cough and headache on 13 May and sought medical treatment at a GP clinic the next day, where he was tested for the virus.\nHis test result came back positive for Covid-19 infection on 15 May and his serology test result is pending.\nThrough contact tracing, MOH has issued quarantine orders to students and staff who had been in close contact with the infected student. Some of these include his classmates, SP said.\nThe areas of campus that the student had visited have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.\n\"We have advised the students concerned to monitor their health closely and will give them our fullest support to ensure that there is minimal impact to their learning through home-based learning,\" SP said.\n\"As a further precautionary measure, for the next two weeks starting Monday (May 17) to Friday (May 28), the labs and practical classes for all Year 2 students from MAD will be conducted online if suitable, or deferred till a later date,\" it added.\nSP said it will conduct all lectures and tutorials online, while necessary labs, practical sessions and final year projects will be conducted in-person with the necessary safe management measures in place.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["a fever, cough and headache"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["15 May"]},{"role":"People","values":["a second-year student"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Straits Times","document":"SINGAPORE - A four-year-old boy whose breathing is being supported by mechanical ventilation in the children's intensive care unit is one of four children in Singapore who developed a rare form of inflammatory syndrome linked to Covid-19.\nThese four cases were among the 8,000 paediatric Covid-19 cases in Singapore since the start of the pandemic, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a statement on Saturday night (Nov 6).\nKnown as the multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C for short, it is a condition where different body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidney, brain and eyes, can become inflamed.\nMOH said MIS-C has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease, which has been linked to various viral or bacterial infections and occurs in 150 to 200 children a year in Singapore.\nKawasaki disease is an illness that results in inflammation in blood vessels throughout the body and mostly affects children younger than five years old.\nThe symptoms for MIS-C include persistent fever above 38.5 deg C for three days or more, with difficulty breathing, headache, neck swelling, rash, swollen hands and feet or abdominal pain.\nThe boy in the children's intensive care unit was admitted to KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) on Nov 1. He had previously tested positive for the coronavirus on Sept 24. He is being cared for by KKH paediatric teams.\nOf the remaining three cases, one is a two-month-old girl who was previously admitted to hospital for Covid-19 on Oct 12 and discharged on Oct 19.\nShe was later admitted to hospital again on Nov 3 for the inflammatory syndrome. Her condition remains stable, with no oxygen support needed. \nThe other two cases are two boys, aged three and eight, who have recovered and been discharged from hospital.\nThe younger boy was admitted to the children’s intensive care unit on Oct 16. He had repeatedly tested negative for Covid-19, but his serology test results indicated that he was likely infected by the coronavirus two to six weeks prior to contracting MIS-C. He was discharged on Oct 23.\nThe eight-year-old boy was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Sept 30 and was admitted to the children’s intensive care unit on Oct 27. He was discharged on Nov 1.\nMOH said an international review from 26 countries in May last year reported that 14 in 10,000 children with Covid-19 infection contracted MIS-C.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["persistent fever above 38.5 deg C for three days or more, with difficulty breathing, headache, neck swelling, rash, swollen hands and feet or abdominal pain"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH)"]},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["KKH paediatric teams"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["four-year-old boy","a two-month-old girl","two boys"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Straits Times","document":"SINGAPORE - For over a decade now, Madam Kong Ching Mei, 71, has been the sole caregiver of her daughter, who has bipolar disorder; her younger sister, who has schizophrenia; and her husband, who is recovering from cancer.\nYet, she still finds time to volunteer with mental health advocacy organisation Silver Ribbon Singapore.\nOn Saturday (Nov 13), Madam Kong was one of 15 volunteers who were recognised for their long service with Silver Ribbon  in a virtual ceremony.\nMadam Kong stays resilient with her strong faith and is tenacious in learning more about her loved ones' mental health conditions so that she can empathise with them and identify warning signs.\nIn 2013, Madam Kong first realised that something was amiss when her only child, now 44, started to throw jewellery and wads of cash out of the window one day.\nThat was one of her daughter's episodes of mania and she was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, after Madam Kong sought help from Silver Ribbon.\nAfter each of her daughter's counselling sessions with the charity's executive director, Ms Porsche Poh, Madam Kong would have long discussions with Ms Poh to find out more about her daughter's condition.\n\"Madam Kong will come with a list of questions and ask me: 'How can I support my daughter? Why does my daughter behave this way? Why did she relapse this time?' She's a very good student and scribbles notes,\" said Ms Poh, 50.\nMadam Kong's daughter tends to enter into episodes of mania in the night. When this happens, she would go out drinking, visit karaoke bars and spend money excessively.\nEngaging in risky behaviour, such as spending cash excessively, during manic episodes is a key symptom of a person with bipolar disorder. She will also go through periods of depression.\nTo keep an eye on her daughter during these periods, Madam Kong would stay up at night. But on one such night a few years ago, she drifted off, jolting awake to a ruckus in the kitchen.\nHer daughter was brewing green bean soup in a large pot and cooking porridge in another. She had also ordered 1,000 pastries from a bakery over the phone.\n\"I asked her why she cooked so much and she could always give her reasons. When this happens, I know her illness has relapsed and won't ask further,\" said Madam Kong in Mandarin.\nThe next morning, Ms Poh took Madam Kong's daughter to the Institute of Mental Health, where she was warded.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["throw jewellery and wads of cash out of the window","go out drinking, visit karaoke bars and spend money excessively","risky behaviour"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Institute of Mental Health"]},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["2013"]},{"role":"People","values":["her daughter"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"After family members contracted COVID-19, Ozzy Osbourne says worshiping Satan protected him from virus","document":"The Grammy Award-winning heavy metal icon credited Satan for covering him during the pandemic, even as close family members contracted COVID-19.\nThis June 11, 2018 file photo shows musician Ozzy Osbourne, left, and his wife Sharon Osbourne at the Metal Hammer Golden God awards in London. (Vianney Le Caer / Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)\n“My wife had the virus; my daughter had the virus and I never got it,” he told Metal Hammer. “Being a devil worshiper does have its good points!”\nIn December, the Black Sabbath frontman’s longtime spouse, Sharon Osbourne , tested positive for the deadly disease, which has claimed the lives of over 700,000 U.S. citizens to date. The 69-year-old Emmy Award winner posted on Instagram that she had a “brief hospitalization.”\nMonths earlier, the couple’s son Jack Osbourne revealed that his toddler daughter Minnie Theodara had tested posted for COVID-19.","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Sharon Osbourne","Ozzy Osbourne"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"COVID-19: Patients with mild symptoms may hesitate to see a doctor; experts urge public to be vigilant","document":"SINGAPORE: Many who fall sick with milder respiratory symptoms may hesitate to see a doctor immediately because they are not sure if they are really ill, said doctors and experts. \n“It's quite common for someone in the early phase of symptom onset to be unsure whether it’s the start of a cold or whether it’s just, say, a dry throat from being a bit dehydrated,” said vice-dean of research at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Associate Professor Alex Cook. \n“What would trigger me to check it out would be if I had multiple symptoms, so it’s probably an infection and not fatigue or something, or if the symptom persisted longer than a day or two. In that case, it’s important to go get it checked out.”\nThis comes after it was revealed that several cases linked to the police para-veterinarian at the K-9 unit, or the Case 59280 cluster, had developed possible COVID-19 symptoms but had not sought medical treatment.\nOn Sunday (Jan 17), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that Case 59365, a 44-year-old male Singaporean, an administrative officer who works at the same location as the police para-vet developed a dry throat on Jan 7 but had not sought medical treatment. \nA 44-year-old female Singaporean who is a family member of the administrative officer also developed a fever and chills on Jan 9, and subsequently loss of smell and taste on Jan 13, but had also not sought medical treatment. \nAnother two cases related to the cluster announced on Monday - the spouse and another family member of the administrative officer - had also developed symptoms, including a loss of taste, respiratory symptoms and diarrhoea, but did not seek medical treatment. \nOn Tuesday, MOH reported an 8-year-old male Singaporean - the child of the administrative officer and his spouse - tested positive for COVID-19, after developing a fever while in quarantine. The primary school student is the seventh person linked to the K-9 unit cluster. \nTwo cases reported on Wednesday had continued to go to work despite being ill with symptoms like sore throat, difficulty breathing and loss of smell and taste. They were part of a new workplace cluster involving four colleagues.\n\"We strongly urge everyone to do their part to reduce the risk of transmission. Those who are unwell, including those showing early/mild symptoms, should be socially responsible and seek medical attention immediately,\" said MOH on Tuesday.\nREAD: What we know so far about the COVID-19 cluster linked to the police para-vet\nSOME PATIENTS STILL FEEL WELL\nDoctors and experts CNA spoke to said that many patients with mild symptoms may not want to see a doctor just yet because they still feel well and do not want to be exposed to sick people at the clinic. \n“It takes effort to make an appointment, travel there and wait. Another reason is lack of awareness, some may think that people with COVID-19 should have fever with cough at least,” said Dr Ling Li Min, an infectious diseases physician at the Rophi Clinic.\nIn general, patients with mild acute respiratory infection symptoms often do not visit the doctor immediately, said Dr John Cheng, head of primary care at Healthway Medical Group. \n“Even in pre-pandemic times, many prefer to monitor their conditions at home first before heading to the clinic,” he said. \n \n“Right now, there are various reasons as to why some patients may delay seeking medical help. Some reasons include the fear of taking a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, the inconvenience posed by the five-day MC, or even simply to avoid going to the clinic for minor illnesses to reduce the risk of exposure.” \nBut there are also patients who visit clinics immediately when they feel ill as they would rather not risk developing a more severe infection or infect their loved ones, said Dr Cheng. \nNUS's Assoc Prof Cook told CNA: “Outside of the pandemic, it’s not unusual to ‘tahan’ mild colds or flus, to use folk remedies or over-the-counter medication, and wait for it to resolve by itself, which most respiratory infections do.” \nMaking masks mandatory and symptom screening at companies reduces the risk from people who are asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic - exhibiting a few symptoms - but continue their day to day lives, he added. \n“Obviously it’s better to reduce your activity if you know you have a symptom of cold or flu but haven’t yet gone to the doctor,\" said Assoc Prof Cook.\nThe symptoms may also be similar to regular allergies or other non-infectious causes of cough, sore throat or running nose, said president of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Paul Tambyah. \n\"That is why it is best to go to the same GP or have a regular doc who will know if you are someone with a tendency for allergic rhinitis or some other cause for the symptoms.\" \nMedical leave entitlements are also a worry for patients with mild symptoms, said Dr Lim Kim Show, a family physician at Life Family Clinic. \n\"Some of them would not want to get extended medical leave because that may actually affect the medical leave entitlement for the year,” he added. \nNoting that for patients who present with mild acute respiratory infection symptoms and are asked to take the swab test, Dr Lim said doctors will issue medical leave of three to five days to ensure the patients get enough rest and to wait for the results of the swab test. \n“So that three to five days of medical leave actually do affect the decision of some patients not to come forward at the first instinct of having any respiratory symptoms,” he added.\nREAD: COVID-19: Pilot to reopen nightclubs, karaoke outlets delayed amid rise in community cases\nSTAY VIGILANT AND SEE A DOCTOR\nWhile many with mild symptoms might hesitate to visit a doctor, experts and doctors urged individuals to stay vigilant and go for a check-up if symptoms do arise. \n“I’m quite sure that, right now, most people with mild cold or flu symptoms do not actually have COVID-19, but some other infection,” said Assoc Prof Cook. \n“However, the risk is there, as in the police admin officer’s case, and while most mild COVID-19 infections will resolve on their own, there’s a real and substantial risk that it might spread to someone vulnerable who could be much more seriously ill.”\nIt can be \"tricky\" to decide when to see a doctor when the patient has non-specific symptoms, said Dr Tambyah. \nFor example, if the patient has any links to or is working in a high-risk profession in contact with travellers, they should take minor symptoms a bit more seriously and see their regular general practitioner who can make an assessment based on examination and the patient's history, he added. \n\"I think that the best approach is to rest for a day and if not better the following day, see a doctor. Of course, if one works for a company which requires an MC for even a day of rest, then there is no choice but to see the doctor on the first day and potentially get a swab and a three-day SHN (stay-home notice).\"\n“I would urge people even with mild symptoms to be tested straight away. We clearly have a problem and now is the time to stamp it out,” said Professor Dale Fisher, senior consultant at NUH and Chair of the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. \nIf an individual tests positive, this gives contact tracers a chance to find any other cases, he said, adding that unlinked community cases are “very dangerous” and need to be found quickly. \n“Of course most people aren’t very sick so it’s easy just to rest. But in the interests of not allowing COVID-19 to pick up again in Singapore, then being diagnosed is crucial,” said Prof Fisher. \n“I know most of us would not like the isolation if found to be positive but it really is for the community good. I think it’s a critical point at the moment.”\nIndividuals should look out for symptoms including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, pains, loss of taste or smell, runny nose, said Dr Ling. They may also have nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea. \n“The message is any acute respiratory symptom with or without fever, regardless of severity, (they should) see a doctor,” he added. \nA loss of taste and smell are “characteristic symptoms” of COVID-19, since these do not usually occur with other viruses, said Assoc Prof Cook. \n“But it’s important to remember you don’t have to have one of those hallmark symptoms for it to be COVID-19: The symptom profile overlaps a lot with that of influenza or common cold viruses, so the only way to be sure is through a test.” \nAdditional reporting by Soon Wei Lin.\nDownload  our app  or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak:  https://cna.asia/telegram","event_type":"Famous Person - Sick","arguments":[{"role":"Symptom","values":["loss of taste, respiratory symptoms and diarrhoea","a dry throat","loss of smell","a fever and chills"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Illness","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"People","values":["the spouse and another family member of the administrative officer","A 44-year-old female","an 8-year-old male Singaporean","a 44-year-old male Singaporean","his spouse"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Sana Khan opens up on marrying Mufti Anas, says she prayed years for a man like him","document":"Sana Khan recently opened up on her marriage with Mufti Anas and said that she had prayed for years for a man like him. She also revealed what attracted her towards him.   Mufti Anas and Sana Khan got married last month. Sana Khan, who recently got married to Surat-based man Mufti Anas, has finally opened up on her marriage. She also revealed what drew her to her husband. The couple tied the knot in November. WHAT DID SANA KHAN SAY? Talking to Times of India, Sana Khan said that it was not an overnight decision to marry Mufti Anas. She said, “I have prayed for years for a man like him in my life. What I liked best about him is that he is shareef and unn mein haya hai. He is not judgmental. He had said this to me, ‘Agar koi achhi cheez gutter mein gir gayi hai toh uske upar aap 10 baalti bhi paani daal do, woh saaf nahi hoti hai. Par aap usko gutter se baahar nikaal kar ek glass paani daal do, woh saaf ho jaati hai’ (If something falls in the gutter, you cannot clean it even with 10 buckets of water.. But when you take it out, it can be cleaned with one glass of water). That had a lasting impact on me.” A post shared by Saiyad Sana Khan (@sanakhaan21) WHAT DID SANA’S HUSBAND MUFTI ANAS SAY? Mufti Anas also told TOI that he never forced Sana to quit showbiz . He said, “She announced on Instagram around six months ago that she has taken hijab. People thought that it’s because of the pandemic and no work, but she always wanted to detach herself from what she was doing. I wanted her to give it some time, but she was certain. In fact, I was shocked, too, when she announced that she was quitting the industry.” He added, “I prayed to God that I want to marry Sana and he heard my prayers. I feel that I wouldn’t have been this happy if I had married anybody else. Sana is not full of herself. She is affable, forgiving and has a clean heart. I always wanted a girl who complemented and completed me. People still ask me how I got married to an actress, but yeh chhoti soch ke log hain (they are narrow-minded people). It’s my life and no one should comment on it. People are free to think that we are a mismatched couple, but only we know how compatible we are.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Mufti Anas"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last month","November"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Sana Khan"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"13 incredible LGBTQ celebrity weddings: Elton John, Ellen DeGeneres, Samira Wiley and more","document":"Chloe Best Gay celebrity weddings: Elton John and David Furnish, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi and more A-list same-sex weddings. Ever since same-sex marriages were legalised in the UK in 2014 and across all 50 states in America in 2015, we've seen several of our favourite celebrity couples – from Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi to Tom Daley and Dustin Lance-Black – tie the knot in beautiful ceremonies that prove #loveislove. REVEALED:  Most expensive (and totally jaw-dropping) celeb engagement rings  Ian Waite and Drew Merriman Former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Ian Waite married his partner Drew Merriman at Woburn Abbey on 22 July 2017, and shared their big day exclusively with HELLO! magazine . With family and friends including Zoe Ball, Craig Revel Horwood, Anton du Beke and Carol Kirkwood in attendance, it was unsurprisingly a day to remember. \"It was the best day of my life,\" said Ian. \"It's been absolutely brilliant. It was so emotional to walk into the ceremony and see friends and family looking towards us.\" John Barrowman and Scott Gill Dancing on Ice judge John Barrowman entered a civil partnership with his partner Scott Gill in December 2006, hosting a small ceremony in Cardiff attended by friends and family. In 2013, they became one of the first gay couples to marry in California, just one day after the California Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex weddings. Michelle Hardwick and Kate Brooks Emmerdale 's Michelle Hardwick and Kate Brooks eloped to Memphis, Tennessee in September 2019, where they married at Elvis Presley's Graceland chapel. Sharing a photo of herself and her bride both wearing white and standing in front of Elvis Presley’s former home, Graceland, Kate wrote: \"In over 100 degrees heat, on Tuesday 10th September, I became Mrs Brooks.\" RELATED: The Emmerdale cast share their wedding and engagement photos Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black Olympian Tom Daley married his fiancé Dustin Lance Black at Bovey Castle , Devon, on 6 May 2017. Sharing a photo from their big day on Instagram two days later, Tom wrote: \"On 6th May 2017, I married the love of my life @dlanceblack. We shared the day with 120 of our closest friends and family, from Texarkana to Plymouth! Thank you to everyone who made this weekend the most special weekend of our lives!\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Ian Waite","Michelle Hardwick","Lance Black"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":["friends and family"]},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["22 July 2017","6 May 2017","September 2019"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":["Woburn Abbey","Elvis Presley's Graceland chapel","Bovey Castle , Devon"]},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Tom Daley","Drew Merriman","Kate Brooks Emmerdale"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The 20 biggest celebrity divorces that defined the decade","document":"It’s been a whirlwind decade for high-profile celebrity divorces, with Hollywood’s elite golden couples breaking the hearts of millions upon going their separate ways. In some cases, these celebrities’ dissolving marriages created buzz (and protracted court battles) that lasted longer than their unions and served up plenty of fodder for gossip blogs and mags. They also generated their own pop-culture lexicon, with terms such as “conscious uncoupling,” TomKat and Bennifer entering and exiting the vernacular — and the all-too-familiar “irreconcilable differences” popping up in nearly every divorce petition. Although far from all-inclusive, our list includes the major celebrity divorces that defined the decade and kept news outlets’ entertainment ink flowing. It’s organized by the date the erstwhile couple announced their split, separation or intention to divorce.  Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson (2010)  Before he became Deadpool and she embodied Black Widow, this super pair was married for just over two years. They announced their split in 2010 after rumors they’d grown apart. Their joint statement even bore some of Reynolds’ signature wit: “While privacy isn’t expected, it’s certainly appreciated.” How they’ve moved on: They both remarried with kids, and Johansson divorced again (baby daddy Romain Dauriac in 2014). Reynolds married actress Blake Lively , with whom he costarred in 2011’s “Green Lantern,” and they have three daughters . Johansson is engaged to “Saturday Night Live’s” Colin Jost.  Jesse James and Sandra Bullock (2010)  Coming off her triumphant Oscar win, Bullock learned that her reality-star husband of five years had cheated on her with multiple women. She stayed essentially admirably silent during the scandal and filed for a Don’t Mess With Texas-style divorce that was finalized in only 60 days . How they’ve moved on: James got engaged to tattoo artist Kat Von D, but they called off the wedding , and he’s since married his fourth wife ; Bullock has adopted a son and a daughter , was nominated for a second Oscar and is in a relationship with photographer Bryan Randall . Advertisement Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore (2011)  On the weekend of their sixth anniversary, Moore premiered a new movie in New York and Kutcher, her 1-years-younger husband, cheated on her in San Diego. Moore announced the next month that they were divorcing. The split was finalized in late 2013, with him paying her a bit more than was legally required. How they’ve moved on: Kutcher married his “That ’ 70s Show” costar Mila Kunis in 2015 and now has two kids. In September, Moore, who released a buzzed-about memoir this year, told WSJ Magazine, “I’m focusing on my relationship with myself.” 5 Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez (2011)  The Latin-pop power couple married in 2004 and reportedly clashed over personal and professional issues before announcing their split in 2011 . However, they’ve remained amicable in the public eye as they co-parent twins Max and Emme. How they’ve moved on: Their divorce wasn’t finalized until 2014 , which gave both stars ample time to begin other significant relationships. Anthony married model Shannon de Lima in 2014 and divorced her in 2017. The “Hustlers” star dated former backup dancer Casper Smart on and off and is now engaged to baseball legend Alex Rodriguez.  Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian (2011)  Kardashian’s marriage to NBA player Humphries, her second partnership, came and went in 2011, lasting only 2 days . Humphries accused Kardashian of fraud and wanted an annulment but ultimately agreed to a divorce. Finalized in 2013, the split took eight times as long as the union. How they’ve moved on: Well before her divorce was final, Kardashian announced she was pregnant with Kanye West’s child. They married in 2014 and have four kids. Humphries auctioned off Kardashian’s engagement ring in 2013 and announced his retirement from the NBA this year. 7 Russell Brand and Katy Perry (2011)  Advertisement Perry and Brand hit it off in September 2009 while rehearsing for the MTV Video Music Awards. They started dating and he popped the question that New Year’s Eve during a trip to India. A traditional Hindu wedding, also in India , came in October 2010, followed relatively swiftly by the couple’s reported realization that they had different priorities in life. So yeah, they clashed, and she was out on her California Dreams tour for almost all of 2011. Two years to the day after getting engaged, Brand texted Perry to say he was filing for divorce . How they’ve moved on: Brand declined to take any of the $44 million Perry had earned during their marriage, despite being entitled to half. In 2017, Brand married Laura Gallacher, whom he had dated on and off since 2007, and they have two daughters. Perry dated John Mayer and Diplo before meeting Orlando Bloom in 2016. They got engaged in February and said they would marry in December.  Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise (2012)  Cruise and Holmes got engaged after dating for a whirlwind seven weeks in 2005, then welcomed daughter Suri and had a Scientologist wedding ceremony in Italy the next year. Five and a half years later, Holmes surprised him by filing for divorce . The couple, who had a prenup, had a signed settlement 11 days later . How they’ve moved on: Holmes, who has returned to the Catholic Church, has primary custody of Suri and was romantically linked to Jamie Foxx on and off for six years; since his third divorce, Cruise has released eight movies, with a “Top Gun” sequel set for 2020 .  Caitlyn Jenner and Kris Jenner (2013)  After more than two decades of marriage, the “momager” and the 1976 Olympic gold medalist known as Bruce Jenner announced in late 2013 that they had been living apart for a year. Their union was over. The next year the terms of their split were set , and in early 2015 they were officially unmarried. How they moved on: Caitlyn Jenner announced her transition in April 2015, did two seasons of the docuseries “I Am Cait” and stayed part of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” into 2017. Kris Jenner has been dating Corey Gamble , 25 years her junior, since meeting him at a 2014 party in Ibiza, Spain.  Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom (2013)  Advertisement The two dated for a month and were married for four years, then Kardashian filed to end her marriage to Odom after the former NBA star’s struggles with drugs and women got to be too much. But two years later, after he almost died at a Nevada brothel and was looking at a long rehabilitation, they retracted the divorce papers , which had been stuck awaiting a judge’s signature . The divorce was eventually finalized at the end of 2016. How they moved on: Kardashian had a daughter with basketball player Tristan Thompson in 2018 then broke up with him this year amid a cheating scandal involving half-sister Kylie Jenner’s former best friend. Odom, who had had a couple of relapses after his 2016 trip to rehab, got engaged in November to health and life coach Sabrina Parr after three months of dating.  Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin (2014) (Colin Young-Wolff / Invision / Associated Press) Paltrow and Martin’s split introduced the widely panned term “ conscious uncoupling ” to millions. The Oscar winner and Coldplay frontman announced their unorthodox split after more than 10 years of marriage on Paltrow’s website Goop in a very Goopy way: “We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.” How they’ve moved on: The two remain publicly amicable, even sibling-like , as they co-parent daughter Apple and son Moses. He’s since dated a bevy of stars, including actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Dakota Johnson, and she married “Glee” and “The Politician” showrunner Brad Falchuk in 2018.  Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey (2014)  They of the repeated, over-the-top vow-renewal spectaculars went their separate ways in 2014. The Grammy-winning songstress and the former “America’s Got Talent” host wed in the Bahamas on April 30, 2008, weeks after they started dating. Exactly three years later, they welcomed “dem babies” — twins Moroccan and Monroe. How they’ve moved on: The Queen of Christmas is busy setting all kinds of Guinness World Records . She was also briefly engaged to billionaire James Packer. He seemingly hasn’t moved on too much, publicly professing his love for his ex-fiancee this year by saying that he’d only ever remarry his “dream girl” Carey.  Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck (2015)  The picture-perfect “Daredevil” costars announced their split nearly 10 years after tying the knot. The actors, who are parents to daughters Violet and Seraphina and son Sam, had been separated long before a nanny scandal erupted and questions about Affleck’s sobriety surfaced. Garner has continued to help the “Justice League” actor through a few stints in rehab . They’ve remained amicable even when she infamously shaded him in a 2016 Vanity Fair interview, saying, “When his sun shines on you, you feel it. But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it’s cold. He can cast quite a shadow.” Advertisement How they’ve moved on: Garner keeps endearing the at-home cooks with her “Pretend Cooking Show” on Instagram and has been linked to businessman John Miller since 2018. Affleck has dated “Saturday Night Live” producer Lindsay Shookus on and off.  Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert (2015)  It was the abrupt and unexpected divorce that shook the country-music community to its boots — and a Twitter-verse that had grown accustomed to the longtime couple, married for four years, playfully shutting down tabloid rumors about their relationship online. Many questioned if love was even real after this split and pointed fingers at a bevy of unsubstantiated cheating rumors. How they’ve moved on: Mama’s (and papa’s) broken heart didn’t last all that long. Shelton quickly began dating his “The Voice” costar Gwen Stefani, who was also going through a high-profile split, and is still dating her. Lambert secretly married NYPD Officer Brendan McLoughlin in early 2019.  Michelle Rounds and Rosie O’Donnell (2015)  O’Donnell began dating executive-search consultant Rounds in mid-2011, and that December the talk-show host announced to her studio audience that they were engaged. The couple married in New York the following June , right before Rounds got surgery to remove gastrointestinal tumors, but separated in November 2014. O’Donnell filed for divorce, and it was settled by October 2015. After a court battle , the comic had full custody of the child they’d adopted together. How they’ve moved on: In late 2019, after a one-year engagement, O’Donnell split from Elizabeth Rooney, the Army veteran 23 years her junior whom she’d been quietly dating since 2017. Rounds married Krista Monteleone in late 20 and had a child with her, then died by suicide in September 2017. 16 Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani (2015) (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Not long after Shelton and Lambert called it quits, this ’90s music power couple announced their breakup after nearly 13 years of marriage. The No Doubt frontwoman and the Bush rocker came to the mutual decision that although they would “no longer be partners in marriage, we remain partners in parenthood and are committed to jointly raising our three sons in a happy and healthy environment.” How they’ve moved on: Stefani was quickly linked to her “The Voice” costar Shelton , who has stepped into the pseudo-stepdad role quite nicely. The two also released a few duets together, including “Nobody but You” earlier this month. Rossdale has been linked to model Natalie Golba. Advertisement Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (2016) (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Just as Pitt and Jolie’s A-list pairing began with a bang on the set of 2005’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” the union abruptly dissolved in the same manner. The longtime couple got engaged in 2012 and wed at their French chateau in 2014 — at the behest of their six children. But the union devolved , was dissected along with Jolie’s 2015 directorial effort “By the Sea” (that costarred the couple) and was capped by allegations of abuse in 2016. The decision to divorce was made “for the health of the family,” they said. How they’ve moved on: They really haven’t. Not completely anyway. When she filed for divorce in 2016, Jolie requested full physical and joint legal custody of their brood, which Pitt objected to. The mega celebrities have yet to finalize the complicated split despite saying they would do so privately.  Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (2016) (Joel Ryan / Associated Press) Depp and Heard were married for only 15 months when she filed for divorce in May 2016. Days later she got a temporary restraining order, alleging he’d physically abused her . The TRO expired and the couple reached an agreement in August , with Heard announcing she would donate her $7-million divorce settlement to two charities. Then she got upset when Depp sent it directly to the charities himself. Their divorce was official in January 2017. How they’ve moved on: Heard has dated several people since the split, including Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX founder. Depp, 55, was reportedly dating Polina Glen, a 24-year-old Russian dancer he met last year, but she dumped him in November. He has also sued his ex-wife for defamation, seeking $50 million in damages.  Anna Faris and Chris Pratt (17) (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images) This one hurt all the goofballs and fans of “Take Me Home Tonight” out there. The “Mom” star and “Parks and Recreation” alum announced their separation in August 2017 after about eight years of marriage and settled their divorce in late 2018. They share a son, Jack. How they’ve moved on: Faris was linked to cinematographer Michael Barrett shortly after announcing her split and has repeatedly shared her reluctance to remarry . Pratt has continued his ascent into superstardom, headlining major franchises such as “Jurassic World,” “The Lego Movie” and Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. He officially joined the Kennedy dynasty last summer when he married Katherine Schwarzenegger, the daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger. 20 Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux (2018) (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Advertisement After 15 months of dating and a three-year engagement , Aniston and Theroux got hitched in August 2015 at a birthday party for him that turned out to be a surprise wedding . The marriage didn’t last as long as the engagement, but they said they were still “best friends” when they announced their split in December 2018. How they’ve moved on: They’ve remained good friends. The East Coast guy and the West Coast girl follow each other on Instagram. He was at her “Friendsgiving” party the day before Thanksgiving this year. And their individual dating lives, if they exist, haven’t been made public. It’s all good.  Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth (2019)  Cyrus and Hemsworth started dating in 2008 when they costarred in the Nicholas Sparks movie “The Last Song,” then dated off and on until they got married in December 2018 , just a month after the Malibu wildfire destroyed their home. The next August they split , announcing that they “still remain dedicated parents to all of their animals they share.” How they’ve moved on: Hemsworth has moved back to the Australian town where older brother Chris lives and has been spotted with several women. Cyrus had a fling with Kaitlynn Carter , Brody Jenner’s ex-wife, and is now coupled with singer Cody Simpson, another Aussie.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Reynolds","Romain Dauriac"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Scarlett Johansson","Blake Lively"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Joe Gorga tells Melissa he’s ‘done’ with their marriage on ‘RHONJ’","document":"Melissa and Joe Gorga’s marriage problems came to a head in the new “RHONJ” midseason trailer . The Gorgas got into an explosive argument about their changing relationship, with Melissa suggesting they were growing apart before saying, “I’m not going to give up what I want to do in life. You’re holding me back.” Joe then shot back, “Listen, go be whatever you want to be in life. We’re done.” In February, Melissa, 42, told Page Six that she and Joe were in a “good” place after going through a rough patch in their 16-year union. “Listen, I’m not gonna deny that we went through a rough, like year-and-a-half, and I would say it started right before the pandemic,” she explained. “I feel like as I become more and more independent in certain ways, it really is a struggle for him. I hate that. It shouldn’t be a struggle and it really is. And we really go through it and we’re very raw and real and honest with it. So you’re going to have to see how that all unfolds. But it’s very real for us.” Melissa and Joe Gorga’s marital problems were featured in the “RHONJ” midseason trailer. Their marital issues also carried into Melissa’s relationship with her co-stars, as she yelled at Margaret Josephs and Dolores Catania in the trailer, “I don’t need anyone calling my husband chauvinistic because whatever you think I’m dealing with, it’s probably more!” Earlier in the season, Melissa told her co-stars while in Lake George that she was uneasy in her marriage . The couple tied the knot in 2004 and have three children: Antonia, 15, Gino, 13, and Joey, 10.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Joe Gorga"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["2004"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Melissa"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"34 Celebrity Spouses Who, No Offense To These Spouses, You May Have Never Seen Before","document":"They met in 2000 on the set of the movie The Mexican. He was a camera operator. Mario Magnani / Getty Images 13. Christina Aguilera's fiancé, Matthew Rutler: Christopher Polk / Getty Images They've been engaged for seven years. Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images, 14. Aaron Paul's wife, Lauren Parsekian: Jerod Harris / Getty Images Michael Tran / FilmMagic / Getty Images 15. Steve Martin's wife, Anne Stringfield: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images They met when she was assigned to fact-check one of his pieces for the New Yorker in the mid-2000s. Michael Buckner / Getty Images 16. Billie Joe Armstrong's wife, Adrienne Armstrong: Ethan Miller / Getty Images They've been married for 26 years. Frank Trapper / Corbis via Getty Images 17. Will Ferrell's wife, Viveca Paulin: Steven Ferdman /  They met in acting class in 1995. Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images 18. Matt Damon's wife, Luciana Barroso: Valerie Macon / Getty Images Matt met Luciana while she was bartending in Miami. Michael Hickey / Getty Images 19. Joy Behar's husband, Steve Janowitz: Sean Zanni / Getty Images They've been married since 2011. Walter Mcbride / WireImage / Getty Images 20. Lisa Kudrow's husband, Michel Stern: Todd Oren / Getty Images They've been married since 1995. Ron Galella /  21. Salma Hayek's husband, Francois-Henri Pinault: Jean-baptiste Lacroix / Getty Images Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images 22. Zoe Saldana's husband, Marco Perego: Jean-baptiste Lacroix / Getty Images They've been married since 2013, have three kids, and are raising them in a gender-neutral environment.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Matthew Rutler","Aaron Paul","Steve Martin","Billie Joe Armstrong","Will Ferrell","Matt Damon","Steve Janowitz","Michel Stern","Francois-Henri Pinault","Marco Perego"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["since 2011","since 1995","since 2013"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Christina Aguilera","Lauren Parsekian","Anne Stringfield","Adrienne Armstrong","Viveca Paulin","Luciana Barroso","Joy Behar","Lisa Kudrow","Salma Hayek","Zoe Saldana"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani get marriage license","document":"The couple received their marriage license on Tuesday in Oklahoma — where the country singer, 45, has his own ranch — Page Six can confirm. Stefani, 51, and Shelton have 10 days from when they filed for the marriage license to say “I do,” per Oklahoma law, meaning a wedding is imminent. And it could be as soon as this weekend: Sources told TMZ that Shelton, Stefani and her three sons flew out to Shelton’s home state on Friday after he finished filming for “The Voice” and that they’ll be sending their private plane to pick up the rest of Stefani’s immediate family. In December, a source close to the couple explained that Shelton — with some help —built a chapel on the grounds of his ranch with the express purpose of using it for their wedding ceremony . But the pair threw something of a red herring out earlier this month when Stefani was snapped wearing what appeared to be a diamond wedding band next with her engagement ring in photos exclusively obtained by the Post. This, after  posting a photo of herself  online just the day before captioned, “SHE’S GETTING MARRIIIEEEED.” Stefani and Shelton began dating in 2015 following their splits from Gavin Rossdale and Miranda Lambert , respectively. Shelton quietly proposed to the “Hollaback Girl” singer in October with a huge, 6- to 9-carat, round solitaire diamond set on what appeared to be a platinum band.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Shelton"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":["a chapel on the grounds of his ranch","Oklahoma"]},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Stefani"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Celebrity Couples With Staying Power","document":"Many famous couples do have happy marriages, despite celebrity gossip to the contrary. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are just a few of Hollywood's successful relationships. Medically Reviewed Anyone who reads celebrity gossip magazines knows how precarious relationships can be in Hollywood and other realms of the rich and famous. Another week, another split, another cover story. However, not all celebrity couples are destined to break up . In fact, quite a number of A-list stars revel in having a happy marriage to their longtime partner. The 10 couples that follow are among the most famous household names. Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman These two movie stars first met in 1953 while performing in the Broadway play Picnic, but it wasn’t until they starred in the film The Long Hot Summer that they began a relationship and fell in love. They married on Jan. 29, 1958 in Las Vegas and had three daughters together (Newman already had a son and two daughters with first wife Jacqueline Witte). The happy marriage for this celebrity couple lasted for 50 years, until Newman’s death in 2008. Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan Like many celebrity couples, actor Michael J. Fox and actress Tracy Pollan first starred together (in the popular TV sitcom Family Ties) before getting married in 1988 and having four children. Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991 and went public with the news in 1998. He launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000 to raise money for research funding and awareness of the disease. His efforts have actually been helped by positive coverage in celebrity gossip magazines. Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith Jada Pinkett and Will Smith first met in 1990 when she auditioned to play Smith’s girlfriend on his sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She didn’t get the part, but over time their relationship blossomed. Their lavish wedding at the Cloisters near Baltimore was the subject of celebrity gossip. Their happy marriage has resulted in two children (Smith also has a son from a previous marriage). Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Actress and co-host of TV’s morning show Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly Ripa and her husband actor Mark Consuelos are another example of celebrity couples in a happy marriage. Maybe location makes a difference for celebrity couples — rather than living in Hollywood, they reside in New York City where Live is produced. The duo first met on the set of the soap opera All My Children and have three children: Michael, Lola, and Joaquin. Iman and David Bowie Rock stars and models seem to be a common relationship combination, yet Iman and Bowie are arguably the most famous of such celebrity couples. The Somalian supermodel turned cosmetics mogul and the English rock musician wed in 1992. According to the BBC News, Iman has a tattoo of a Bowie knife on her ankle in honor of her husband. They have a daughter, Alexandria Zahra, born in 2000. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Most of us know actor Tom Hanks from his blockbuster movies , ranging from comedies such as Big and Forrest Gump to dramas including The DaVinci Code and Saving Private Ryan. Ironically, it was during the filming of one of his lesser-known films, Volunteers that he started a relationship with co-star Rita Wilson. Their happy marriage began in 1985 and they have two children (Hanks also has two children from a previous marriage). Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman Danny DeVito is best known for his role on the TV show Taxi and in movies such as Batman Returns and Get Shorty. He’s also directed many films, including The War of the Roses about a destructive relationship in the divorce process. However, in his private life, DeVito has been in a happy marriage since 1982 to actress Rhea Perlman, one of the stars of the hit TV show Cheers. This celebrity couple has three children. Denzel Washington and Paulette Pearson Washington Like many other celebrity couples, Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta Pearson met on the job. In their case, work was filming the TV movie Wilma in 1977, about the legendary African-American athlete Wilma Rudolph. The relationship culminated with a wedding on June 25, 1983, and their family includes four children. Washington has starred in a variety of notable films over his impressive career, including American Gangster, Malcolm X, and the recent The Book of Eli. Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick Generally avoiding celebrity gossip, actor Kevin Bacon has been married to actress Kyra Sedgwick since 1988, and they have two children. Like many celebrity couples, the pair finds a happy balance between their work and private lives. Bacon has been in a wide range of films including Footloose, Apollo 13, JFK, and Murder in the First. Sedgwick stars in TNT’s long-running TV drama, The Closer. Faith Hill and Tim McGraw Singer Faith Hill has won a variety of awards, including five Grammys, and sold more than 30 million records worldwide. Her husband, singer Tim McGraw, has had more than 30 No. 1 singles and sold more than 40 million albums. These country music superstars are another example of a celebrity couple with a strong relationship and a happy marriage — they have been married since 1996 and have three children. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Paul Newman"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Jan. 29, 1958"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":["Las Vegas"]},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Joanne Woodward"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"30 Stars Who Got Married In 2020 Amidst The Coronavirus: Scarlett Johansson & More","document":"Despite the ongoing 2020 pandemic, love won for stars like Scarlett Johansson. So many celebs like her opted not to push back their weddings to 2021, bringing a much-needed spark of joy to a painful year. A worldwide pandemic has proved the age-old saying: true love always perseveres. While the rapid spread of COVID-19 in 2020 meant celebrities could no longer host grand weddings in foreign countries or intimate, mask-less affairs with their families and famous friends, that didn’t stop stars from having their dream weddings — safely, of course.  Some stars cancelled their grandiose plans in favor of safer, small-scale ceremonies, while others carried on with their dream weddings but with safety measures in place, like Cynthia Bailey . And there were the celebrities who just went ahead and put a ring on one another in secret, like Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost ! No matter how they celebrated their nuptials, they made 2020 just a tiny bit brighter with their love. Scarlett Johansson & Colin Jost  Scarlett and Colin were one of the couples who opted for the classic secret wedding — and they didn’t even announced it themselves! Instead, the Avengers star and Saturday Night Live comedian revealed their nuptials through a post on Meals On Wheels America’s Instagram page on Oct. 29, 2020, in an attempt to encourage fans to donate to the non-profit that helps delivers meals to older and “vulnerable” people amid the pandemic. “We’re thrilled to break the news that Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost were married over the weekend in an intimate ceremony with their immediate family and loved ones, following COVID-19 safety precautions as directed by the CDC. Their wedding wish is to help make a difference for vulnerable older adults during this difficult time by supporting @mealsonwheelsamerica,” the post read. Scarlett and Colin began dating in 2017, and were engaged by May of 2019. Emma Stone & Dave McCary A post shared by @davemccary La La Land star Emma Stone and former Saturday Night Live director Dave McCary also didn’t care to announce their marriage. Instead, a report from PEOPLE that surfaced on Sept. 26, 2020 confirmed the happy news! The report arrived two weeks after the couple was seen wearing matching bands on the ring fingers of their left hands. Emma met Dave while hosting an episode of SNL in 2016, and their relationship became public in 2017. Dave revealed that they were engaged in Dec. 2019 with a photo of Emma’s ring, which you can see above! Cynthia Bailey & Mike Hill A post shared by Cynthia Bailey (@cynthiabailey) The Real Housewives of Atlanta star made some adjustments so that she could still have an upscale wedding with sportcaster Mike Hill at the Governors Towne Club in the gorgeous countryside of Acworth, Georgia on Oct. 10, 2020. Although 210 guests reportedly attended the nuptials , there were “many rules and regulations” planned ahead of time (like socially-distanced seating), which Cynthia revealed to Page Six. Cynthia dazzled in a Nneka C. Alexander gown from Brides by Nona, Badgley Mischka shoes and a Bridal Styles Boutique headpiece to walk down the aisle. Both Cynthia and Mike even wore matching face shields as an extra safety precaution. The bride’s RHOA family was in attendance for the special day, of course: Kenya Moore ,  Kandi Burruss  and Eva Marcille were all bridesmaids! Cynthia and Mike met on an episode of Steve Harvey ‘s talk show that aired in April of 2018, and Mike proposed in July of 2019. John Cena & Shay Shariatzadeh  John Cena ‘s marriage to software company product manager Shay Shariatzadeh was actually revealed through court documents! HollywoodLife obtained a marriage license from the couple, which showed that they had tied the knot in Tampa, Florida on Oct. 12, 2020. It was the cherry on top for their whirlwind romance! They were first linked together in March of 2019, when John was spotted on a date with Shay in Vancouver where he was filming his movie Playing with Fire (Shay is from Canada). However, an engagement was never announced — making their secret wedding even more of a surprise! Larry David & Ashley Underwood Photo Credit: Alex Berliner/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David tied the knot with television producer Ashley Underwood on Oct. 7, 2020 in Southern California, per a report from PEOPLE . Larry and Ashley — who had met at the birthday party of Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen in 2017 — started living together in Larry’s Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles in 2019. Jordan Fisher & Ellie Woods Photo credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA Jordan Fisher tweeted that he was “off to get MARRIED” on Nov. 19, 2020 — and that’s exactly what he did! The Work It star married his childhood best friend Ellie Woods on Nov. 21, 2020 “in front of family and friends,” according to a report from Us Weekly . The location of the nuptials wasn’t disclosed, after Jordan and Ellie initially had plans to tie the knot in Hawaii. “Obviously as things have moved and shifted, but my goal is that happy wife, happy life. My goal is that she is thrilled about everything that’s going on. Ultimately, we both just want to get married,” Jordan EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife in Oct. 2020. He added, “I don’t really care where or when or how — we’re looking we’re looking forward to stepping into that new phase of our lives.” Raven-Symoné & Miranda Pearman-Maday A post shared by Sophia? (@ravenhasmyheart) That’s So Raven star Raven-Symoné revealed that she married social media manager Miranda Pearman-Maday in a surprise social media post on June 18, 2020 (they had married two days beforehand). The pair tied the knot in the garden of legend Debbie Allen, famous for her role on Grey’s Anatomy!  “I got married to a woman who understands me from trigger to joy, from breakfast to midnight snack, from stage to home. I love you Mrs. Pearman-Maday! Let’s tear this world a new a–hole!!!,” Raven-Symoné gushed in her announcement post. Stassi Schroeder & Beau Clark A post shared by Stassi Schroeder Clark (@stassischroeder) Vanderpump Rules stars Stassi Schroeder and Beau Clark were another pair of famous newlyweds who postponed plans of a destination wedding. Instead, they exchanged vows in a backyard ceremony on Oct. 7, 2020 — with a baby on the way! In the wedding announcement post, Stassi revealed that their “Italian dream wedding” would “hopefully” still happen in 2021. Stassi and Beau have been dating since the end of 2017, and Beau popped the question at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in July of 2019. Kelly Dodd & Rick Leventhal  The Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd took her wedding with Fox News reporter Rick Leventhal outdoors in a ceremony in Santa Rosa, California on Oct. 10, 2020. Kelly broke tradition by wearing a black gown for the picturesque ceremony, which you can see photos of here . Rick also shared a photo of the seats at the wedding for the friends and family attending, which were notably close together. Kelly had previously apologized for once saying that the the pandemic was “God’s way of thinning the herd.” Alex Pettyfer & Toni Garrn A post shared by Alexander Pettyfer (@alexpettyfer) After proposing to model Toni Garnn in Dec. 2019, Magic Mike star Alex Pettyfer revealed that he and Toni finally got married in an Instagram post shared on Oct. 4, 2020! The newlyweds happily flashed their matching wedding bands in the post. “Mr & Mrs Pettyfer,” Alex captioned the sweet snapshot. Brittany Snow & Tyler Stanaland  The wedding of Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow to Tyler Stanaland was perfect! It happened in mid-March of 2020 — so, right at the beginning of the pandemic — at Cielo Farms, an estate in Malibu. Brittany later reflected on the nuptials in an Instagram post in July of 2020, writing, “In early March, before we knew how much we’d miss hugs and live in our sweatpants, I got to marry my favorite person. The whole world shut down a few days later & we were stunned at the timing. “We knew we felt incredibly lucky to have found each other but we had no idea how lucky it would be to get married right before a monumental time in our history. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong that day… but it was absolutely and impossibly perfect. I knew on that day, more than ever before, there was no one else I’d rather hold my hand while in the middle of a (life) hurricane.” The two began dating in 2018, and got engaged in Feb. 2019. Lily Allen & David Harbour A post shared by Queen of MySpace (@lilyallen) Singer Lily Allen and Stranger Things star David Harbour had a classic Las Vegas wedding — complete with an Elvis Presley impersonator! While wearing a retro-inspired Dior mini dress, Lily said “I do” to the actor at the Graceland Wedding Chapel on Sept. 7, 2020. They had just obtained their marriage license one day prior, according to a court document reviewed by HollywoodLife. Lily and David have been romantically linked to one another since Aug. 2019. Niecy Nash & Jessica Betts A post shared by Niecy Nash (@niecynash1) Claws star Niecy Nash surprised the world with one incredible Instagram post. Not only did she come out , but she revealed that she had tied the knot with singer Jessica Betts . Niecy and Jessica exchanged vows in a small California ceremony on Aug. 29, 2020, five months after Niecy finalized her divorce with her second husband of nine years, Jay Tucker. Debby Ryan & Josh Dun  Disney Channel alum Debby Ryan and musician Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots tied the knot on the border between 2019 and 2020 (so, the coronavirus pandemic had not yet spread to the U.S.). But Debby didn’t even reveal that the wedding had happened until she did an interview with Vogue in May! “We began to flirt with the idea of having a destination party celebrating the new decade, then decided in December to get married [in Austin] on New Year’s Eve, and just keep dancing until after the ball dropped,” the Insatiable star told the magazine, after getting engaged in Dec. 2018. Bindi Irwin & Chandler Powell  As the daughter of the late animal-loving legend Steve Irwin, Bindi Irwin got married in the perfect location: the Australia Zoo! Bindi revealed that she tied the knot with her “best friend” Chandler Powell in a “small ceremony” at the zoo on March 25, 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. The wedding venue was also where Bindi and Chandler first crossed paths years ago in 2013: Bindi was giving tours at the zoo, while Chandler was visiting the area for a wakeboarding competition! They became engaged in July of 2019.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Colin Jost"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":["their immediate family and loved ones"]},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["over the weekend"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Scarlett Johansson"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Inside Jeezy and Jeannie Mai’s Intimate Wedding Ceremony at Their Home in Atlanta","document":"Emmy award–winning TV host and activist Jeannie Mai and Grammy-nominated recording artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Jeezy were married in an intimate ceremony at their home in Atlanta on March 27, 2021, one year after their engagement. The couple met when he was a guest on her daytime talk show The Real. “Years later, he asked me out on a date,” Jeannie remembers. “We shared a romantic sushi dinner in Los Angeles and salsa danced the night away. Later that evening, he asked if I could picture spending the rest of my life with him. And crazy enough, I could.” In March 2020, the couple was forced to cancel a planned trip to Vietnam, where unbeknownst to Jeannie, Jeezy had planned to propose. Instead, he put together a special quarantine Vietnam-themed date night, in honor of her home country, at his house in Los Angeles that ended with him popping the question in front of the fireplace. She said, “Yes!”  The couple wanted to get married at Lake Como or in the South of France. “We were really looking forward to having all of our friends and family there to celebrate,” Jeannie says. “But we had to change all of our wedding plans due to COVID. After Jeezy’s mother unexpectedly passed, we quickly learned that life is too short. And at the end of the day, Jeezy and I really just wanted to become husband and wife. So we decided to turn our original wedding into a mini-mony, where we exchanged our vows in front of our immediate family and a few close friends.” In order to make their event as safe as possible for everyone in attendance, they required negative COVID-19 test results from those traveling in two days prior to the wedding. In addition to that, on the day of the ceremony, they provided COVID-19 tests for everyone attending. “Once everyone was tested and confirmed negative, our guests were shuttled to the surprise location—our home,” Jeannie says. The couple worked with Suzanne Reinhard to plan everything. “She followed through with our details exactly as requested and minimized any stress,” Jeannie notes. “She made it so enjoyable!” Jeannie always knew she wanted to wear a dress by Galia Lahav, and conceptualizing the look was one of her favorite parts of the wedding planning process. “I collaborated with my stylist Lisa Cera and the Galia Lahav atelier to custom design the layers and the perfect hue,” Jeannie says. “The finished product was everything I envisioned.”  Cera searched high and low for matching nude appliqués and hand-placed them on the dress for an especially unique design. “For hair and makeup, I wanted a sleek and graceful finish, along with a bit of drama,” Jeannie says, “so Lisa and I worked on a handmade headpiece with a 15-foot Galia Lahav veil. My hairstylist, Kristen, impressively sewed this into my hair.” Jewelry was kept minimal, and the bride’s friend Rosalina Lydster created diamond and morganite drop earrings that tied everything together. Jeezy also wanted a custom design for the wedding day, so he called upon his favorite tailor, Teofilo Flor , and stylist Kris Shelby to create a champagne blush suit that projected strength and sophistication but with a bit of playfulness too. Meanwhile, guests were asked to wear off-white, a color that, to the couple, represents the peace in their union.  The service took place in the open garden at the couple’s home against a backdrop of magnolia, birch, and maple trees—a setting that was both intimate and familial. “Everywhere you went, there were tall glass candles lighting your path,” Jeannie says. “And, we had a live band, Trap Jazz, perform our favorite songs.” As guests arrived, cell phones were checked at the door before everyone descended downstairs towards the open garden.  After each family member proceeded down the aisle, the father of the groom laid a single pink rose on a seat reserved for the late Sharon Denise Jenkins, Jeezy’s mother. Author and pastor John Maxwell waited at the altar as Jeezy made his way down the aisle to “I Can’t Stop Loving You” by Kem. The bride followed afterwards to “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees. Then, Jeannie’s brother kicked things off with a twist on tradition—the Vietnamese tea ceremony. “He led Jeezy and I in a ritual performed at Vietnamese weddings,” Jeannie remembers. “In this ceremony, we honored our parents by pouring tea as a gesture to welcome Jeezy into my family, and me into his. Then we paid our respects to our parents and ancestors by bowing four times, each one symbolizing a significant gift in the life that they have provided us with.”  Following the tea ceremony, the couple exchanged vows of commitment and then sealed it all with a kiss. Afterwards, Jeezy surprised Jeannie by having Tyrese serenade them for their first dance to “Sweet Lady.” “The entire night was filled with speeches and funny memories from all our guests,” the bride says. “Not to be outdone, my mother, Mama Mai, kicked off the after-party with a special performance of her own.”  To continue the celebration, the group ultimately moved the after-party into the couple’s lounge, where guests were gifted custom monogrammed Cozy Earth pajamas and slippers. “Jeezy and I changed into our own special matching Versace silk pajamas,” Jeannie says. “And then we danced the night away to our favorite hits, feeling cozier than ever.”   “I got dressed by myself before I walked down the aisle,” Jeannie says. “The quiet calms me, and I was so thankful to be in our very own home as I got ready.”  Photo: Denis Reggie “I’m ready for my new life,” Jeezy says, pictured here before the ceremony. Photo: Denis Reggie  “I envisioned this gown before it was even made,” Jeannie says. “I can’t believe it turned out so perfect. It’s the most beautiful gown I have ever seen.” Photo: Denis Reggie  “I couldn’t wipe this smile off my face all day,” Jeannie says. “I was going to meet my husband in moments.”  Photo: Denis Reggie  “These stairs are our favorite place in our home,” Jeannie says. “They symbolize our aspiration to help each other grow.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Jeezy"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":["Galia Lahav"]},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["March 27, 2021"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":["their home in Atlanta"]},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Jeannie Mai"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Ben Higgins and Jess Clarke, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson and More Celebrity Couples Who Waited to Have Sex Until Marriage","document":"To each their own. While Ben Higgins and Jessica Clarke are making headlines for their decision to abstain from sex until they tie the knot, they are hardly the first celebrity couple to make the public declaration. Back in the ‘90s, Jessica Simpson ’s decision to save herself for marriage was a hot topic. The singer opened up about how her relationship with now ex-husband Nick Lachey was affected by her choice in her 2020 memoir, Open Book. “It gave America a story line to follow,” she wrote. “The sexy virgin and the long-suffering, but still understanding, hot prince. … Nick loved the fact that I was so strong in my faith … [But] I would get so frustrated, asking God to take the blindfold from his eyes and help him find a spiritual center.” Still, Simpson admitted that she was tempted before their October 2002 nuptials. “One time, he hugged me, and I thought I was just going to burst into flames,” she recalled in Open Book. “I had to push him away, not because I didn’t trust him, but because I was teetering on the edge of just giving in.” After the twosome got married, Simpson felt like she owed it to the public to open up about her experience. “I’d built up this anticipation in my mind that the first time I had sex with my husband had to be this transcendent experience where the heavens parted,” she wrote. “What I didn’t know then is that everyone’s first time is awkward, and that is part of it. And that it’s OK, but at the time, it’s tough to understand. I had joined a long line or virgins in my family who said yes to forever for that one experience.” Simpson and Lachey ultimately went their separate ways in 2005. While he married Vanessa Lachey in 2011, the fashion designer and Eric Johnson exchanged vows in 2014. Both Simpson and Lachey have three kids with their second spouses. “In terms of my marriage to Eric, I have never felt more myself or more free,” Simpson told Us Weekly in February 2020. “Eric and I have a true mind, body [and] soul connection. I am most certainly in this marriage and this life with Eric by my side with free will!”","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Ben Higgins","Nick Lachey","Eric Johnson"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":["second"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October 2002","2011","2014"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Jessica Clarke","Jessica Simpson","Vanessa Lachey"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Music mogul Scooter Braun separates from wife Yael","document":"Music mogul Scooter Braun has separated from his wife of seven years, Page Six has learned. Sources say Braun — who famously discovered Justin Bieber and even more famously got into an public fight with Taylor Swift over her master recordings — has been through a rocky patch with mining heiress Yael Cohen Braun, and they’ve decided to take a break. But insiders tell us that, in spite of persistent rumors doing the rounds in the music industry, there are currently no plans for them to divorce. “They’re friends,” said an insider. They are still living together at the moment. The pair have been playing happy families on Instagram lately, with Scooter recently posting a picture from their wedding to mark their July 6 anniversary, and showing off shots of them with their kids over the holiday weekend. Scooter Braun and his wife, Yael Cohen Braun, step out for a red carpet event on June 10, 2021. Insiders say the imminent separation has been common knowledge among pals for more than a month. They reportedly began dating in 2013, and have three kids: Jagger, 6, Levi, 4, and Hart, 2. Scooter Braun and Yael Cohen Braun are pictured in 2020 at an event for his client Justin Bieber. Getty Images Scooter, 40, became something of a villain in the music world after he acquired Swift’s masters as part of his company Ithaca Holding’s purchase of her label, Big Machine — apparently against the songstress’s wishes. Swift later called him an “incessant, manipulative bully,” although Scooter has since claimed he offered to sell the tapes to her. He later sold them for a reported $300 million. Scooter, who also manages Ariana Grande, was instrumental in organizing a benefit that raised $13 million after a bomb went off at her concert in Manchester, UK.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Scooter Braun"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["July 6"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Yael Cohen Braun"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Nicolas Cage Marries Riko Shibata in Surprise Las Vegas Wedding: ‘We Are Very Happy’","document":"The Leaving Las Vegas star and his new wife met over a year ago in Shiga, Japan. Riko Shibata and Nicolas Cage during their wedding. Courtesy of The Wynn Hotel Photos from the wedding, obtained by Us, showed Cage and Shibata standing beneath a lush green arch with candles and fairy lights around them. After they said their “I dos,” their rep said they enjoyed “a small celebration” with their guests. Cage’s marriage to Shibata is his fifth. In March 2019, he and Erika Koike called it quits four days after they wed in Las Vegas . The California native was granted a divorce two months after he filed for an annulment, claiming he was too drunk to “understand” his vows. Legal documents obtained by Us at the time suggested the makeup artist also failed to disclose “the full nature and extent of her relationship with another person” at the time of their marriage. Additionally, Cage was not made aware of “the full nature and extent of her criminal history,” according to his filings. Read article Cage and Koike were first linked in April 2018 after they were spotted on vacation together in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Oscar winner was also previously married to Patricia Arquette from 1995 to 2001 and  Lisa Marie Presley from 2002 to 2004. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Nicolas Cage"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":["fifth"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1995","2001","2002","2004"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":["Las Vegas"]},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Riko Shibata","Erika Koike","Patricia Arquette","Lisa Marie Presley"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"New kind of royals: On third anniversary, Harry and Meghan embrace revolutionized royal roles","document":"Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan of Sussex   celebrate their third wedding anniversary Wednesday as royals in the process of reinventing themselves, devising new hybrid roles no other senior British royals have ever inhabited . Can they achieve all they desire? \"I personally feel Harry and Meghan are going to be just fine; what we don't know is the ramifications for the British royal family,\" says Nicoletta Gullace, associate professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, who specializes in modern British history. Still, it's a question no one could have imagined asking on May 19, 2018, when Harry married the former Meghan Markle in a joyful ceremony  at Windsor Castle that blended American grace with British pageantry.  On Wednesday, to mark their anniversary, the couple announced that their  Archewell Foundation and one of their charity partners, World Central Kitchen , would build a new community relief center in Mumbai, India, now dealing with a devastating second wave of COVID-19.  \"During future crises, these centers can be quickly activated as emergency response kitchens – or vaccination sites – and through calmer times they can serve as food distribution hubs, schools, clinics or community gathering spaces for families,\" according to a statement on the Archewell website. After their wedding, the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex were instant superstars. The empathetic ginger prince and the ambitious biracial actress were the face of the modern monarchy, a couple who could help connect a 1,000-year-old institution with millions of young British citizens of color and billions more in the Commonwealth around the globe.  They were going places, all agreed. No one thought they would just go .  But within two years of the wedding , they had thrown over their roles as working royals and fled to America in search of financial independence and freedom from the royal hierarchy.  They're not going back .  Even Madame Tussauds London has moved their wax figures out of the British royals exhibit , which includes Queen Elizabeth II and brother Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, to a glitzy new \"Awards Party\" zone, unveiled Monday . There they are center stage, surrounded by fellow Hollywood A-listers such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. Having swapped Frogmore Cottage for a Santa Barbara County mansion , they're living in Montecito as members of the celebrity elite. Their first child, Archie, is 2 and thriving , they're awaiting a baby girl  this summer and rolling out various charitable and entertainment deals . Meghan, 39, is publishing a children's book , while Harry, 36, is taking on new jobs , and both are making money as fast as they can. \"My take is they're picking up the torch of (Princess) Diana, creating a 'celebrity royal' role,\" says Gullace. \"What they're doing is very original in some ways – it's a modern blending of corporate deals, woke causes like mental health and women’s empowerment , and royal stardom, which is the secret sauce that makes everything they do so incredibly powerful.\"   'Feeding frenzy': Prince Harry criticized for calling First Amendment 'bonkers' What they're doing is actually unprecedented for any top British royal, says royal commentator Victoria Arbiter, daughter of a former press secretary to the queen who spent part of her childhood in Kensington Palace. \"They're trying to create a role in the U.S. that has not existed until now – they're still members of the royal family but they're not 'celebrities,' so what are they and why should we care? It's an interesting question in terms of deciding how to judge their success,\" Arbiter says. At the moment, the world is gobbling up every morsel about the Sussexes, and the media is happy to feed them, whether it's the caterwauling criticism of the British tabloids or the gushy reports in celebrity magazines . But will the media focus diminish if the transatlantic feuding, or the perception of feuding, dies down? \"They're keen to create a new niche for themselves but at the moment all anyone is interested in is their connection to the royal family,\" Arbiter says. \"I don't doubt their tenacity and desire to effect change, but how long will people remain interested when they stop talking about their pain  (in explaining their reasons for departing)? \"I worry looking ahead. I hope they and the family are able to find peace because family at the end of the day is all we really have.\" Princess Charlotte turns 6: See Duchess Kate's new birthday photo of the little royal The temptation is to compare Harry to ex-King Edward VIII , who abdicated in 1936 to marry a twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson, and spent the next 36 years in exile as the Duke of Windsor. But Harry is not an ex-king – he's not even an ex-prince – and so far he's not been idle.  What Harry and Meghan do have is royal charisma, which the royal family counted on to help promote the modern monarchy going forward, Gullace says. \"Now they're in Southern California hanging out with Hollywood royalty, but for the royal family, this is very disconcerting because suddenly (the Sussexes) are the most attention-getting members of the family,\" Gullace says. \"Not only are they popular, they are irresistible clickbait and anything they do or say garners enormous media attention, probably more than any other member including the queen.\" This tension echoes what happened when Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage fell apart in the 1990s and she emerged as a royal superstar , lobbing bombshell revelations and criticisms at her ex and the family before she died in a 1997 Paris car crash. Harry and Meghan: A timeline of the royal couple's relationship Here are the biggest moments from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship. Staff Video, USA TODAY Back in Britain, the family is trying to cope with Harry and Meghan's competing star power while also dealing with the personal rifts that have opened up between Harry and his father and his brother, after the couple's  shattering interview with Oprah Winfrey in March. Among other claims, the Sussexes told Winfrey they left Britain because of alleged racism in the media and within the family. They said that a senior royal they would not identify expressed concern about the color of Archie's skin, and Meghan suggested racism may have prevented Archie from receiving the title of prince. \"That can’t be unsaid and it's tremendously damaging to the British monarchy,\" Gullace says.  A long-planned unveiling of a statue of Diana by her sons on what would have been her 60th birthday on July 1 may be in jeopardy, in part because of the brothers' falling out, the pandemic and the possibility that Harry and Meghan's baby will be born in June.  A royal love story: Look back at Prince Philip's 73-year marriage to Queen Elizabeth II It didn't help when Harry, interviewed last week by Dax Shepard on his podcast , said he'd become fed up with his royal job in his 20s, suggested he suffered under his father's parenting style, and promised he wouldn't pass on \"genetic pain\" to his own children.   On Monday, some Americans were up in arms over his comment on the podcast that, as a Brit, he doesn't really understand the First Amendment but thinks it's \"bonkers\" nonetheless. One reason why Britain is so desperate to see the royal family reconcile and move past all this, Gullace says, is that the monarchy is much weaker without Harry and Meghan just as it enters an era of increasing skepticism about crowned heads. Will young people be on board once the throne passes to King Charles III, now 72? \"The nature of the attacks by (the Sussexes) at this particular moment in history when racial sensitivities are heightened is an issue of real concern, and Harry and Meghan called that genie up,\" Gullace says.  Why did Prince Philip's Land Rover carry his casket?  The story behind the strange hearse Because of his relative closeness to the throne (Harry is sixth in line), he and Meghan don't have the freedom of living like his cousins, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips Tindall, who also are grandchildren of the queen but have careers and less paparazzi attention.   \"You say 'the queen' anywhere in the world and everyone knows exactly who you're talking about,\" Arbiter says. \"The British royals are unlike any other in terms of reach and global popularity and the impact they have had on the world.\" Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview: Oprah Winfrey was 'surprised' at how much they divulged So back to the question: Can Harry and Meghan achieve what they desire in America? Possibly, Arbiter says, but probably only if they stop with the recriminations. \"Since cutting the chains, they have a beautiful house in a beautiful area, they have amazing opportunities, people are knocking down their doors, but they have to start looking forward and not at all the ways they feel slighted and let down,\" Arbiter says. \"Until they commit to moving ahead with the future, which promises to be phenomenal if they just embrace it instead of looking back, then everybody can find peace.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Prince Harry"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 19, 2018"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":["at Windsor Castle"]},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Duchess Meghan of Sussex"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Shortest celebrity marriages","document":"Blink and you missed it! Hollywood stars are known for falling in love quickly, and sometimes those relationships result in marriages that are over so fast, you might miss them! Let's take a look at some of Hollywood's shortest marriages, starting with these two… Keeping their romance low-key didn't save Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Esposito's marriage. The union was over just four months after they got hitched on Dec. 21, 2006.  RELATED: Celebrity weddings of 2020 Kim Kardashian West and Kris Humphries: married for 72 days Only 72 days after their filmed-for-television wedding on Aug. 20, 2011, Kim Kardashian West filed to end things with NBA player Kris Humphries. \"I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision,\" Kim said in a statement. \"I had hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don't work out as planned.\" Their divorce was ultimately finalized in April 2013. RELATED:  Famous couples who've worked together Nicolas Cage and Erika Koike: married for four days Actor Nicolas Cage married makeup artist Erika Koike in Las Vegas on March 23, 2019. Four days after Nic made Erika wife No. 4, the Oscar winner filed for an annulment . But 69 days later, a judge granted the exes a divorce instead. It wasn't Nic's only brief marital union… RELATED: Celebrity couples with big age gaps Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley: married for three months After a 10-day engagement, Elvis fanatic Nicolas Cage married The King's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in Hawaii on Aug. 10, 2002. Three months later, they headed for the Heartbreak Hotel. Divorce proceedings lasted longer than the marriage. Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley: married for 20 months Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley tied the knot on May 26, 1994, after a whirlwind romance of less than two months following the dissolution of her marriage to Danny Keough. \"It was one of the highest points in my life when things were going really well, and he and I were united,\" Lisa later told Oprah Winfrey of the marriage, which ended in January 1996. Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus: married for seven months Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth were on-and-off for a decade . They struck up a romance after meeting on set of the romance flick \"The Last Song\" in 2009, parted ways in 2013 and reunited in late 2015. They then tied the knot at the end of 2018. But just seven months later, the actor and the pop star announced that they'd split… again. In early 2020, a judge signed off on their divorce . Britney Spears and Jason Alexander: married for 55 hours During a trip to Las Vegas on Jan. 3, 2004, Britney Spears married childhood friend Jason Alexander in the Little White Wedding Chapel at 5:30 a.m. But 55 hours later, she filed to have the marriage annulled. Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett: married for 20 months Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett tied the knot on June 27, 1993, just three weeks after they met on the set of \"The Player.\" Their marriage wasn't much longer than their road to the altar: They separated in March 1995. Vanessa Morgan and Michael Kopech: married for six months On Jan. 4, 2020, following a six-month engagement, \"Riverdale\" actress Vanessa Morgan and MLB player Michael Kopech tied the knot. However, in July 2020 — just three days after Vanessa announced she was pregnant — news broke revealing the baseball star had filed for divorce in June after just six months as husband and wife. Jim Carrey and Lauren Holly: married for eight months In September 1996, funnyman Jim Carrey married \"Dumb and Dumber\" co-star Lauren Holly. However, their union didn't last long: Nine months later, Lauren filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Dennis Hopper and Michelle Phillips: married for eight days Dennis Hopper married Michelle Phillips on Halloween in 1970. Barely a week later, their marriage was over. \"Seven of those days were pretty good. The eighth day was the bad one,\" the actor told The New York Times of the week-long union. Mario Lopez and Ali Landry: married for two weeks After dating for six years, Mario Lopez and Ali Landry wed in a small ceremony in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on April 24, 2004. But Ali filed to annul the union just two weeks later when she found out that Mario had been unfaithful. Elisabeth Moss and Fred Armisen: married for eight months We forgot these two were ever even an item! Elisabeth Moss and Fred Armisen ended things in 2010 after eight months of marriage. According to the \"The Handmaid's Tale\" star, their union was far from perfect. \"Looking back, I feel like I was really young, and at the time I didn't think that I was that young,\" she told the Los Angeles Times . \"It was extremely traumatic and awful and horrible. At the same time, it turned out for the best.\" The \"Mad Men\" alum met the comedy star when she made a cameo on \"Saturday Night Live\" in 2008; they married the following year. \"I'm glad that it didn't happen when I was 50. I'm glad I didn't have kids. And I got that out of the way. Hopefully. Like, that's probably not going to happen again,\" she added. Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney: married for four months Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney met at the Tsunami Relief Telethon in January 2005 and tied the knot in the Caribbean on May 9, 2005. Four months later, Renee sought to have her marriage to the country star annulled. Nicky Hilton and Todd Meister: married for three months Nicky Hilton and financier Todd Meister (seen here with her sister, Paris Hilton ) tied the knot in Las Vegas on Aug. 15, 2004, but three months later, Nicky had the marriage annulled. Elizabeth Taylor and Conrad \"Nicky\" Hilton: married for nine months On Jan. 29, 1951, an 18-year-old Elizabeth Taylor wed Conrad Hilton. But their union was doomed by his penchant for gambling, drinking and allegedly abusive behavior, and the actress was granted a divorce just nine months later. She'd go on to have another seven weddings before her death in 2011. Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray: married for five months After dating for two years, \"One Tree Hill\" co-stars Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray tied the knot in an oceanfront ceremony in Santa Monica, California, on April 16, 2005. They separated after five months, and Sophia filed for an annulment in February 2006, citing fraud, after Chad allegedly cheated on her with Paris Hilton . It was denied and they soon divorced. They continued to work together until Chad left their show in 2009. Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd: married for nine months Jennifer Lopez met Cris Judd when he worked as one of her backup dancers. They married on Sept. 29, 2001, and it was over nine months later. Cher and Gregg Allman: married for nine days (and then some) Cher married Allman Brothers Band singer-songwriter Gregg Allman in June 1975 just three days after her divorce from longtime music partner Sonny Bono was finalized. However, nine days after tying the knot in Las Vegas, Cher filed to dissolve their union due to Gregg's alcohol and drug abuse issues. They reconciled, however, less than a month later — though Gregg then filed for divorce the following year … only to put it on hold after learning Cher was pregnant with their son, Elijah Blue. But it wasn't meant to be: Cher filed again in 1977 and their divorce was finalized in 1979. Milla Jovovich and Shawn Andrews: married for two months In 1992, model Milla Jovovich married actor Shawn Andrews, who played her on-screen boyfriend in the coming-of-age dramedy \"Dazed and Confused.\" The marriage, however, was annulled amid pressure from Milla's mother just two short months later (at the time, Milla was 16 while Shawn was 21). According to Milla, she went through with the vows because she wanted a bank card! \"Basically it was to prove a point to my [mother],\" she told the Mail on Sunday. \"I'd been working since I was 9, but I didn't have a bank card. I was a big girl as far as I was concerned and I wanted to establish myself as an adult, as I was working like one and being treated like one by everyone else. It wasn't about being in love, but when you're 16 you have to take three rights to make a left.\" Sinead O'Connor and Barry Herridge: married for 16 days Sinead O'Connor married Barry Herridge at a drive-through Las Vegas chapel on Dec. 8, 2011. She later admitted that she'd gone looking for drugs the same night — behavior that didn't go over well with her new husband, a drug counselor. They split 16 days later. Drew Barrymore and Jeremy Thomas: married for 19 days Drew Barrymore married Los Angeles bar owner Jeremy Thomas in March 1994, though after 19 days, the 19-year-old actress called it quits. \"I realized my mistake the day I married him,\" Drew later admitted. Drew Barrymore and Tom Green: married for five months Five months after marrying Drew Barrymore , Canadian comedian Tom Green filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Drew's first marriage — to bar owner Jeremy Thomas in 1994 — ended after just 19 days, and her third marriage to Will Kopelman, with whom she has two daughters, ended in early 2016 after three years. Kaley Cuoco and Ryan Sweeting: married for 21 months Kaley Cuoco and Ryan Sweeting got married on New Year's Eve in 2013 after just six months of dating. Barely a year later, reports that there was trouble in paradise began to emerge, and then just 21 months after they said \"I do,\" the marriage was over. Katy Perry and Russell Brand: married for 14 months Russell Brand filed for divorce from Katy Perry , citing irreconcilable differences, 14 months after their 2010 wedding. The split came on the heels of speculation that the two were having problems: They'd spent Christmas in different places — she in Hawaii and he in London — that year. Katy later claimed he ended the marriage in a text. Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria: married for 11 months Despite having dated for six years before walking down the aisle on July 17, 1999, Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria couldn't keep it together, thanks largely to the fact that both had never been busier career-wise than during the time they tried to be husband and wife. They split after 11 months of marriage. Charlie Sheen and Donna Peele: married for 145 days In September 1995, Charlie Sheen married model Donna Peele — though just 145 days later, they called it quits. That same year, Charlie was embroiled in a scandal after it emerged that he was a client of notorious Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss's escort agency. Frances Bean Cobain and Isaiah Silva: married for 21 months In September 2015, Frances Bean Cobain wed musician Isaiah Silva, to whom she'd been engaged since 2011. She filed for divorce in March 2016. Their breakup grew increasingly contentious over the course of the following months as Isaiah fought for possession of a guitar that belonged to his ex's late father, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, which he claimed Frances had gifted him. Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds: \"married\" for two weeks After dating for more than a year, Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds tied the knot in Bora Bora on New Year's Day in 2008. But as soon as the honeymoon kicked off, these two started fighting. They ended things two weeks later and it soon emerged that the wedding had not been legally binding. Colin Farrell and Amelia Warner: \"married\" for four months While she's currently married to \"Fifty Shades of Grey\" star Jamie Dornan, musician-composer Amelia Warner was previously linked to another famous actor — Colin Farrell ! Colin and Amelia had a wedding ceremony on a beach in Tahiti in 2001 and split four months later. It  \"Too fast, too young,\" Colin has said of their brief union. Amelia later told Britain's The Sun, \"We didn't actually get married … I think we've been too polite to deny it. We had a ceremony on a beach in Tahiti that was by no means legal and we knew it wasn't. It was just a thing we did on holiday. We went shark feeding and then we did that. We booked them both on the activities desk at the hotel.\" She added that the breakup was tough. \"It was a very intense and passionate relationship. It was heartbreaking when it ended.\" Pamela Anderson and Jon Peters: married for 12 days In January 2020, Pamela Anderson tied the knot for the fifth time, marrying \"A Star is Born\" and \"Batman\" producer Jon Peters — whom she'd briefly dated 30 years earlier — in a private ceremony in Malibu, reports revealed. The two shared their happy news with a gushing announcement in The Hollywood Reporter. But just 12 days later, she confirmed it was over. \"I have been moved by the warm reception to Jon's and my union,\" Pam said in a statement. \"We would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to re-evaluate what we want from life and from one another.\" It was then revealed that they'd not yet mailed their official paperwork to the county clerk's office at the time. \"Life is a journey and love is a process. With that universal truth in mind, we have mutually decided to put off the formalization of our marriage certificate and put our faith in the process,\" the \"Baywatch\" star added. Later in the year, Pam claimed they never married. Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon: married for two months Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon got hitched in Las Vegas in October 2007 during the three-hour break between the two magic shows in which she was starring as a magician's assistant. Just 69 days later, it was over. In January 2014, Pamela confirmed that she and Rick had remarried — but in July 2014, she filed to divorce Rick for the second time. Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson: married for 122 days Pamela Anderson couldn't make it work with Kid Rock either: 122 days after their nuptials on a yacht in St. Tropez on July 29, 2006, they both filed for divorce. Jeremy Renner and Sonni Pacheco: married for 10 months On Jan. 13, 2014, Marvel Cinematic Universe actor Jeremy Renner married model Sonni Pacheco, with whom he shares daughter Ava Berlin. Sonni filed for divorce less than a year later on Dec. 30, 2014, citing a separation date a month earlier. Their tumultuous split only got worse as they fought over custody, money and child support for years.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Kris Humphries","Bradley Cooper"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Aug. 20, 2011","Dec. 21, 2006"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Kim Kardashian West","Jennifer Esposito"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Popular Japanese actress Yui Aragaki and Japanese singer-actor Gen Hoshino to get married","document":"SINGAPORE - Popular Japanese actress Yui Aragaki and Japanese singer-actor Gen Hoshino announced on Wednesday (May 19) that they are getting married. In a joint release sent to Japanese media, the couple said: \"From here on, we hope to support each other and build a fulfilling life together.\" The A-list couple were the leads on the drama We Married As A Job (2016), which also filmed a New Year's special that aired earlier this year (2021). They played a couple in the hugely successful series, which was popular in the region. Hoshino, a multi-hyphenate known for his acting, singing and writing, said in a letter posted on social media: \"The last time I made such a public announcement was when I had to suspend my entertainment activities due to my bad health. To be able to share such happy news to those who worried about me then, and those who have supported me to this day - I am filled with gratitude.\" One of the most popular J-pop singers, the 40-year-old temporarily put his career on hold in 2012 due to bleeding in his brain. He is known for songs such as Koi, the theme song of We Got Married As A Job, which went viral in Japan when it was released. Aragaki, 32, rose to prominence in the tragic romance film Koizora (2007) and has since become one of the best-loved Japanese actresses, starring in series such as Legal High (2012 to 2013). She even earned the moniker of \"The Nation's Wife\" among fans in China. She said in an announcement on her official fan-club page: \"I've been in this industry since my teenage years thanks to the support of so many people. Filming on set is an exciting life filled with trial and error and so I've always hoped for a quiet private life. Still the day has come for me to announce something in my personal life.\" Aragaki has left her management agency LesPros Entertainment and will continue her entertainment activities in her own capacity. The news came as a surprise to the Japanese entertainment industry, as the A-list couple have largely kept their relationship under wraps. Aragaki, in particular, is known for keeping a tight lid on her private life. According to Aragaki's representatives, the two reconnected and began dating seriously after filming the New Year's special of We Got Married As A Job.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Gen Hoshino"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday (May 19)"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Yui Aragaki"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Ant McPartlin 'forking out £100,000 to pay for mates to attend his wedding'","document":"The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star will be signing off a huge bill as he is reportedly paying for 100 guests to stay at a £1,000 per night hotel at his nuptials     Alex Jones Calls Out Ant McPartlin Over Cameraman Faux Pas  Ant McPartlin will be looking at an even higher bill than anticipated following his wedding as he is reportedly shelling out a fortune to ensure his close friends can all attend his big day. The 45-year-old television host is due to become a husband for the second time when he ties-the-knot with 43-year-old PA Anne-Marie Corbett next weekend. And it sounds like Ant won’t be sparing any expense as he is reportedly planning to fork out over £100,000 on hotel bills to cover friends and family who want to attend. While it is possible the bill could soar even higher, if the lucky guests opt to send room service costs to the TV star as well. Details of Ant McPartlin and Anne-Marie Corbett's upcoming wedding suggest the TV host will pay a fortune so his guests can stay at a luxury hotel  A source whispered to the Mail on Sunday: “a grand stately home-turned-hotel in Hampshire will host a star-studded reception for Ant and his fiancee Anne-Marie Corbett on August 6 and 7.“ The report goes on to claim: “Ant is paying for 100 friends to stay at £1,000 per night and has told them to send the spa bill to his £5,000 per night honeymoon suite.” While the report also states that the accommodation for the big even is: “more expensive than The Ritz.” A report has suggested Ant will pay for 100 guests to stay at a £1,000 per night hotel on his big day ( Image: Javier Garcia/REX/Shutterstock) The reports of a high-cost wedding is at odds with previous reports which suggested the Saturday Night Takeaway star – who has been engaged to Anne-Marie since last Christmas – was hoping for something low-key. Reports last month suggested the pair were keeping the guest list to their closest friends and family members, with Ant’s TV partner, Declan Donnelly, acting as best man at a low-key wedding. A source previously said: “Neither of them want the razzmatazz of a showbiz wedding\" and that Ant and Anne-Marie were aiming to avoid the “glare of the spotlight”. Declan Donnelly is to fulfil Best Man duties at Ant's wedding next weekend  The freshly leaked plans, however, hint at a far more lavish event than previously expected. Last year, it was reported Ant had handed over more than half his personal fortune to first wife, Lisa Armstrong, following their bitter divorce. The TV host had married the 44-year-old make-up artist in 2006 – before he brutally walked away from their marriage after Lisa stood by him through drink and drug struggles. Ant and Dec set to launch 'life-changing game show with unique twist' Reports in January last year claimed Ant had given Lisa – who he confessed back in 2017 he had put “through hell” before he confronted his addiction problems by entering rehab – £31 million of his £50 million fortune. Ant’s personal and professional life were rocked as his marriage collapsed as he was involved in a drink-drive incident March 2018. With his second marriage now on the very near horizon, Ant has already braced himself for a future of happiness with a stag do. Ant's 11-year marriage to Lisa Armstrong collapsed in 2018  Back in June, the star rounded up 15 close pals – including best man, Dec – for a round of gold at Bearwood Lakes golf course in Sindlesham, Berks, as he enjoyed an alcohol-free bachelor party. A source said at the time: “Ant was having the time of his life, he and Dec were laughing and joking all the way around. “You could tell there was friendly competition between them, but they were still whooping each other on when one of them played a specially good shot.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":["over £100,000"]},{"role":"Husband","values":["Ant McPartlin"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":["the second time"]},{"role":"Date","values":["next weekend","2006"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":null},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["PA Anne-Marie Corbett","Lisa Armstrong"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Pregnant celebrity brides: Jennifer Garner, Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore and more","document":"Rachel Avery Pregnant celebrity brides who married while expecting a baby: Heidi Klum, Camila Alves, Lily Allen, Alicia Keys and Jessica Alba. From Jessica Alba to Drew Barrymore , there are actually quite a few celebrity brides who tied the knot while pregnant - Katy Perry even planned to say \"I do\" while expecting her first child, but the coronavirus pandemic caused her to postpone her wedding in Japan . Some expectant brides sported barely-there bumps and others were positively blooming, here are the incredible women who celebrated their big day while pregnant. SEE: The celeb brides who wore their wedding dresses twice Lily Allen and Sam Cooper Lily Allen had a non-traditional wedding to David Harbour in Las Vegas in 2020 but back in 2011 she married Sam Cooper in a quaint village wedding in Gloucestershire. The singer and her then-husband decided to announce their baby news at their wedding breakfast, and the bride showed off just a tiny hint of a bump. Lily Allen has a very small bump when she announced her pregnancy on her wedding day   Camila Alves and Matthew McConaughey  Brazilian model and designer Camila Alves married Matthew McConaughey at their home in Texas in June 2012. Camila was pregnant with their son Livingston who was born in the December of that year. The couple married in 2012 Heidi Klum and Seal Supermodel Heidi married singer Seal at his beachfront home in Mexico in May in 2005 while she was carrying their son Henry. The couple sadly split in 2014 and Heidi is now married to guitarist Tom Kaulitz. Heidi Klum also attended many star-studded events while heavily pregnant Jessica Alba and Cash Warren Jessica Alba met producer Cash Warren when she was filming Fantastic Four. The couple then married in 2008 in Los Angeles, three years after the film came out. Very heavily pregnant at the time, Jessica gave birth just one month after saying \"I do\". Super-bride Jessica Alba gave birth just one month after getting married Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz Alicia Keys set the bar high for glowing pregnant brides as she was over six months pregnant at the time. The singer married Swizz Beatz on the gorgeous French island of Corsica on 31 July 2010, and wore a gorgeous Vera Wang Grecian gown for her big day. The couple are still happily married and recently celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary, where Alicia revealed Swizz Beatz was her \"dream come true.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Sam Cooper","Matthew McConaughey","Seal","Cash Warren","Swizz Beatz","Tom Kaulitz"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":["Vera Wang"]},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["June 2012","2020","2011","May in 2005","2008","31 July 2010"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":["Japan","Las Vegas","a quaint village wedding in Gloucestershire","their home in Texas","beachfront home in Mexico","Los Angeles","French island of Corsica"]},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Heidi Klum","Camila Alves","Lily Allen","Alicia Keys","Jessica Alba","Katy Perry"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Karthik Sivakumar to Kajal Aggarwal: Popular celebrities who had an arranged marriageG48","document":"Updated May 20, 2021 | 15:08 IST There are few celebrities in the film industry, who chose arranged marriage over love marriage. Let us have a look at such couples who are now an inspiration to many young couples out there. Popular celebrities who had an arranged marriage  Key Highlights Few of our popular actors and actresses in have opted for an arranged marriage over love marriage Dhanush and Aishwarya got married after their parents believed that they make a good pair Kajal Aggarwal's parents decided to get her married to Gautam Kitchlu After working together in films, actors and actresses sometimes fall in love with each other. In Tamil cinema, we have seen witnessed such instances in the past. Most of our Tamil actors and actresses, who fell in love, end up getting married. But few celebrities ditched love marriage and went for an arranged marriage, as per their parents' wish. These celebrity couples are also an inspiration for many young couples out there. Let us look at some of the most popular South Indian celebrities who went for an arranged marriage.  Karthi and Ranjani  Actor Karthi had a lavish wedding with Ranjani. After giving a few hit films, Karthi was the most eligible bachelor in the town back in the day. While everyone was expecting that the actor would opt for love marriage like his brother Suriya, people got to know that he was getting married to Ranjini, as per his parent’s wish. Actor Karthi and English literature postgraduate Ranjani tied the knot in 2011. The wedding happened traditionally, with all the elders in the family blessing the couple.  Dhanush and Aishwarya  Actor Dhanush married superstar Rajinikanth’s first daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth in a private ceremony. The wedding took place in 2004, November. Dhanush and Aishwarya tied the knot in a traditional South Indian ceremony and are now proud parents of two lovely sons. Before they got hitched, media reports suggested that they were seeing each other. And all of a sudden, on one fine day, both their parents met and decided that the duo should get married.  Dulquer Salmaan and Amal Sufiya Dulquer Salman is still a heartthrob for many girls. His marriage came as a huge shock due to his female fans. Dulquer and Amal Sufiya got married, on October 22, 2011. It was more like a love-cum-arranged marriage, the actor said in one of his recent interviews. Though they both met each other first, they went to their parents and informed, got their permission, and married each other with their blessings. The couple now has a daughter, and they are an inspiring couple for the young married couples out there. Arya and Sayyeshaa Arya was a lover boy of Tamil cinema. The actor took part in a reality show Enga Veetu Mapillai to find a life partner. But the actor couldn’t find one and eventually, the show received a lot of criticism. After this show, there was surprising news that Arya and Sayeshaa are planning to get married. Reports suggested that Arya’s parents went to Sayeshaa's family with the proposal. And eventually, this couple got married and they are living a happy married life now. Kajal Aggarwal and Gautam Kitchlu Kajal Aggarwal got married to Gautham Kitchulu last year post-lockdown. Their wedding ceremony was held on a grand note in Mumbai. Gautham Kitchulu is a businessman. Kajal’s parents had taken the initiative of getting her married to Gautham. Kajal is one actress who gives more importance to family and particularly her parents. So, she left the decision to her parents, and now she is happily married to Gautham. They both went on a dreamy honeymoon trip to the Maldives, and those pictures went viral on the internet.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Gautam Kitchlu","Karthi","Dhanush","Rajinikanth","Sayeshaa","Dulquer Salmaan"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["October 22, 2011","2011","in 2004, November","last year"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":["Mumba"]},{"role":"Witness","values":["all the elders in the family"]},{"role":"Wife","values":["Dhanush","Kajal Aggarwal","Ranjani","Aishwarya","Amal Sufiya","Arya"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The marriage that defined a generation: A love letter to Kimye","document":"Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have long drawn as much ridicule as sincere interest, but if reports the pair are \"over\" prove true it marks the end of a generation's ultimate celebrity couple. The pair’s ever-pending “divorce” has provided tabloid fodder for years, but months of prolonged rumours lent the New York Post’s report - that Kim had hired “divorce attorney to the stars, Laura Wasser” and that the couple were “in settlement talks” - some veracity. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at the Met Gala in 2019. Credit:AP According to the Post’s sources, Kardashian - eager to become a lawyer and serious about her work campaigning for prison reform - had tired of West’s presidential fantasies, while West had become “increasingly uncomfortable and irritated by the Kardashians’ over-the-top reality star lives”. In a paragraph that perhaps summarises public perception of the couple’s tacky eccentricities, the writing on the wall had been there since Kanye’s no-show at Kim’s “$1 million-plus 40th birthday in Tahiti last October”. “He showed up late and left early, he wouldn’t appear in any of their Instagram shots,” a source told the Post. “All he did was bring over the hologram of her [dead] father Robert Kardashian, then got out of there as fast as he could.” What is it about Kimye that’s provoked such bizarre fascination? For starters, there's the scale. Happier times. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in the Bound 2 video clip. “You have Kanye, this Grammy Award-winning artist who sold a lot of albums joining with a very high-profile celebrity family,” says Dr Chin Jou, senior lecturer in American history at the University of Sydney. “People have always been interested in celebrities, it’s just that now there are particular platforms to follow the minutiae of their daily lives on social media and Kim and that family obviously understood that with their reality show.” Advertisement With Kanye’s megalomaniac tendencies and Kim’s shameless exploitation of her private life in Keeping Up With the Kardashians, people have tended to look at their relationship as something grotesquely beyond reality. It’s telling that the overwhelming response to the divorce reports on Twitter was fevered anticipation from old-school Kanye fans for the renewed emotional depth of his next post-divorce album. Isn’t one 808s & Heartbreaks enough? Besides, Kanye’s a Christian now. The overriding perspective on Kimye has been negative, a punchline - two narcissists in union, indulging vanity in the service of their celebrity. It’s a view not without some backing: Kim’s segue from Paris Hilton sidekick to global icon was infamously launched by a sex tape; Kanye, for all his creative genius, earns more headlines off the stage. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on their wedding day in 2014. Credit:Instagram “Kanye’s persona is a provocateur, from the very beginning of his work. His story is as old as the story of the romantic genius,” says Dr Theresa Senft, senior lecturer in media studies at Macquarie University. “And on the other side we have Kim Kardashian. I’m always fascinated when people start by saying the only reason she’s famous is for a sex tape, because there’s lots of people who’ve had a sex tape and you don’t know their names.” Personally, I’ve never understood the animosity. They’re obviously ridiculous and exceedingly too much, but who doesn’t want that from a celebrity couple? Imagine complaining that a superstar couple is too wild. These people would’ve lost their marbles about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Despite the circus, there were moments of tenderness that punctuated the supposed artificiality of their relationship, like the time West halted a concert in New York after learning Kardashian had been robbed at gunpoint in Paris, or in July when, following a raucous speech announcing his run for presidency that drew widespread ridicule, Kardashian publicly defended West’s behaviour amid his ongoing struggle with bipolar disorder and “the stigma and misconceptions about mental health”. It’s understandable that public fascination has centred on the pair’s outlandish excess, but as far as celebrity couples go, genuine love and support also marked their relationship. Did you forget about the time Kanye gifted Kim a roomful of roses and a live Kenny G solo for Valentine’s Day? Kanye West and Kim Kardashian on the red carpet in 2018.  “They’re an American phenomenon,” says Dr Senft. “To some degree all celebrities are vehicles for having larger cultural conversations, but that particular marriage really exemplifies it, be it conversations about race, gender, political affiliations, class, religion or mental health. “The defining thing about that couple is that people love to hate them, but where you enter into that conversation says more about you than them.” Five Kimye moments we won’t forget The wedding: The pair’s May 2014 nuptials took place at a 16th century fort in Florence, but the rehearsal dinner was at Versailles. Happy Valentine’s Day: Kanye’s Valentine gift to Kim in 2019? Just a roomful of roses and a personal Kenny G solo. Bound 2: The music video for Kanye’s Yeezus single featured the pair dry-humping on a motorcycle. “I wanted to take white trash T-shirts and make it into a video,” West later explained. Taylor Swift feud: A pop feud went to new bizarre heights when Kim posted excerpts of a leaked phone call featuring Swift okaying West’s controversial Famous lyrics. Wouldn’t Leave: Kanye’s deeply emotional Ye tribute to Kim praised her for standing by him following his bipolar-induced TMZ fallout.","event_type":"Famous Person - Marriage","arguments":[{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Husband","values":["Kanye West"]},{"role":"Invited Person","values":null},{"role":"Wedding Dress Designer","values":null},{"role":"How Many Times Get Married","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 2014"]},{"role":"Wedding Venue","values":["a 16th century fort in Florence"]},{"role":"Witness","values":null},{"role":"Wife","values":["Kim Kardashian"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2021 PDC World Darts Championship","document":"\n\nThe 2021 PDC World Darts Championship[1] (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2021 William Hill World Darts Championship) was the 28th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The collapse of the BDO in September 2020 and subsequent postponement of the World Darts Federation-sanctioned event meant that this edition was the first undisputed World Championship in the sport since 1994. The event took place at the Alexandra Palace in London from 15 December 2020 – 3 January 2021. [1]\n\nPeter Wright was the defending champion, after defeating Michael van Gerwen 7–3 in the 2020 final. [2] However, he was eliminated in the third round after losing 4–3 to Gabriel Clemens, who became the first ever German player to reach the fourth round. Wright's exit was the earliest loss by a defending champion since Phil Taylor also lost in the round of 32 at the 2014 edition. Gerwyn Price won the World Championship for the first time in his career, beating Gary Anderson 7–3 in the final. As a result of winning the title, Price took over from Michael van Gerwen as world number 1. [3]\n\nSteve Beaton played in a record 30th consecutive World Championship (including the BDO version), breaking the record he jointly held with Taylor, but lost in the first round to Diogo Portela. James Wade hit his first World Championship nine-dart finish and the first PDC World Championship nine-darter since 2016 in his third round defeat to Stephen Bunting. The 2021 PDC World Darts Championship was the 28th World Darts Championship to be organised by the Professional Darts Corporation; and the fourteenth to be held at Alexandra Palace, London. It was held between 15 December 2020 and 3 January 2021, the culmination of the 2020 Professional Darts Corporation season. [4] 96 players competed in the championship, with the thirty-two highest ranked players on the PDC Order of Merit being seeded to the second round, and the next thirty-two highest ranked players from the 2020 PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit and thirty-two players from the various qualifiers going into the first round. [5]\n\nUK government regulations following the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom allowed Tier 2 areas, including London, to hold sporting events with up to 1,000 spectators indoors. [6] The Professional Darts Corporation announced that the World Championship would be the first PDC event in the United Kingdom to allow fans, since the UK Open in March 2020. Fans attending the event were not allowed to wear fancy dress and 'football style' chanting was prohibited. [7] With London subsequently moving to Tier 3 on 16 December, it meant that the tournament was held behind closed doors for all sessions barring the opening night. [8]\n\nMichael van Gerwen, the runner-up in the 2020 PDC World Darts Championship and winner of the 2014, 2017 and 2019 championships, was top of the two-year PDC Order of Merit and number one seed going into the tournament, having won the UK Open and Players Championship Finals titles in 2020. The reigning champion from 2020 Peter Wright was second seed, having additionally won the 2020 European Championship; and 2020 World Grand Prix champion Gerwyn Price was the third seed. As well as Van Gerwen and Wright, three other previous PDC world champions qualified as seeds, two-time champions Gary Anderson (13th seed) and Adrian Lewis (21st seed), and 2018 champion Rob Cross as 5th seed. Two champions of the BDO World Darts Championship qualified as seeds; three-time BDO champion and 2020 Premier League Darts winner Glen Durrant was the 12th seed with 2014 BDO champion Stephen Bunting in 26th. [5]\n\nThe top seeds below Van Gerwen, Wright and Price were 2019 World finalist Michael Smith, Rob Cross, 2019 UK Open champion Nathan Aspinall, 2020 Grand Slam and European Championship finalist James Wade, 2019 World Grand Prix finalist Dave Chisnall and 2020 World Matchplay winner Dimitri Van den Bergh. 2020 Grand Slam of Darts winner José de Sousa was seeded 14th. [5]\n\nDamon Heta, in his first full year as a full PDC tour card holder, was the highest-ranked non-seed on the 2020 PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit. Two-time BDO World Champion Scott Waites qualified for the PDC World Championship for the first time, and was one of two former BDO Champions to qualify through the Pro Tour, alongside Steve Beaton, the 1996 BDO champion, competing in a record-breaking 30th consecutive World Championship. [5][9]\n\nAs well as Waites, six other players from the Pro Tour made their PDC Championship debuts; Mike De Decker, Martijn Kleermaker, Maik Kuivenhoven, Jason Lowe, Ryan Murray and Derk Telnekes. [9] Other players to qualify via the Pro Tour included 2020 World Grand Prix finalist Dirk van Duijvenbode and 2012 PDC World Championship runner-up Andy Hamilton. [5]\n\nThe international qualifiers were heavily impacted by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, with a number of qualification tournaments being cancelled. The North American Darts Championship was cancelled, with the place being given to Danny Lauby, the winner of the 2019 CDC Continental Cup. [10] The cancellation of the Oceanic Masters resulted in a second place being given on the Dartplayers Australia tour; and the cancellation of the New Zealand championship saw the place instead being given to the top player on the Dartplayers New Zealand tour, Haupai Puha. [11] The qualifiers for India and South America were both cancelled, with the Indian place going to the Indian Darts Federation number one Amit Gilitwala, and the South American place being given to Diogo Portela, who had won the South American qualifier the three previous years it had been held. [12]\n\nThe PDC Asia Tour was fully cancelled, with the four places being awarded to the winners of one-off qualification events in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines. [13] The Tom Kirby Irish Matchplay as well as qualifiers for Southern Europe, Western Europe, and Central Europe were not held in 2020; with these places being given to the final Pro Tour holders qualifier. One further change saw the two qualification events for female players being replaced with the new, four-event long, PDC Women's Series, with the top two players over those events – four-times BDO Women's World Champion Lisa Ashton and Deta Hedman – qualifying for the World Championship. [14]\n\nThe final six places – four from uncompleted qualifiers and two as planned – were given to the winners of an event for Tour Card holders held at the conclusion of the PDC Series. Four places were reserved for players from the UK and Ireland and two from the rest of the world; a change from previous years where the places were unassigned. [12] The six players to get through the qualifier included Jamie Lewis, a former World Championship semi-finalist. [15]\n\nThirteen players from international qualifiers made their PDC World Championship debuts; Bradley Brooks, Cameron Carolissen, David Evans, Edward Foulkes, Amit Gilitwala, Dmitriy Gorbunov, Deta Hedman, Nick Kenny, Danny Lauby, Haupai Puha, Toru Suzuki, Di Zhuang and Niels Zonneveld. [9]\n\nMartijn Kleermaker withdrew from the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 on 20 December. As the first alternate Josh Payne had been in close contact with someone who had also received a positive test; Kleermaker's first round opponent Cameron Carolissen received a bye. [16]\n\nThe top 32 from the PDC Order of Merit began the competition in the second round. The 32 highest ranked players on the PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit (not already qualified) and 32 qualifiers from around the world began in the first round. [17]\n\nOrder of Merit[18] Second Round (Seeded)\n\n\n\nPro Tour Order of Merit[18]First Round\n\n\n\nInternational QualifiersFirst Round\n\n\n\nAll matches were played as single in, double out; requiring the players to score 501 points to win a leg, finishing on either a double or the bullseye. Matches were played to set format, with each set being the best of five legs (first to three). A rule which has been in place for previous tournaments, where the final set had to be won by two clear legs, was removed in order to prevent sessions overrunning. [21]\n\nThe matches got longer as the tournament progresses:\n\nThe prize money for the tournament was £2,500,000 in total – the same as in the previous year. The winner's share was £500,000. [23]\n\nThe top quarter of the draw saw number one seed Michael van Gerwen defeat Ryan Murray in the second round,[24] before a 4–0 win over Ricky Evans qualified him for the fourth round. [25] In that round, Van Gerwen came from 3–1 down and survived two darts at the bullseye from Joe Cullen to win in a sudden death last leg and reach the quarter-final for the fifth consecutive year and the eighth time overall. [26][27] Number eight seed Dave Chisnall reached his third PDC World Championship quarter-final after wins over Keegan Brown,[28] Danny Noppert[26] & Dimitri Van den Bergh.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["7–3"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["3 January 2021."]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the Professional Darts Corporation"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Michael van Gerwen","Gary Anderson","Stephen Bunting","James Wade","Diogo Portela","rit","Lisa Ashton and Deta Hedman","Peter Wright","Gabriel Clemens","players from the various qualifiers"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["from 15 December 2020"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2021 PDC World Darts Championship","the 2021 William Hill World Darts Championship","the 2020 PDC World Darts Championship","the UK Open and Players Championship Finals","the 2020 European Championship","the BDO World Darts Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Gerwyn Price"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["at the Alexandra Palace in London"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":["The collapse of the BDO in September 2020"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1992 Rugby League World Cup Final","document":"The 1992 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between Great Britain and Australia on 24 October 1992 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Australia won the final by 10 points to 6 in front of an international record crowd of 73,631. Australia, the defending champions, won the Rugby League World Cup for the 7th time. The crowd of 73,631 at Wembley set a new international rugby league attendance record, eclipsing the previous record of 70,204 established during the first test of the 1932 Ashes series at the Sydney Cricket Ground. [1]\n\nThe Mal Reilly coached Great Britain started their World Cup campaign on 11 November 1989 when they defeated New Zealand 10–6 at Central Park in Wigan. Until the Final, The Lions won another 4 games while losing 3. Nine of the 17 selected players for the Lions were from the 1992 RFL champions Wigan. Australia began their World Cup campaign with a 22–14 win over New Zealand in the third test of the 1989 Trans-Tasman series in Auckland on 23 July 1989. The Bob Fulton coached Kangaroos would win all 8 of their qualifying games. Seven of the players selected for Australia were members of the Brisbane Broncos 1992 NSWRL premiership winning team. Australia were the defending World Cup Champions and had won all three World Cup Finals since 1975. The Kangaroos had won the 1988 Rugby League World Cup Final 25–12 over New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland. In the fortnight prior to the World Cup Final (following the 1992 NSWRL Grand Final), the Australians embarked on a mini three game tour of England, essentially using the games as selection trial for the Final at Wembley. The Australians wore a non-traditional mostly white jumper with a green and gold diamond pattern in the shape of Kit supplier Umbro. [citation needed]\n\nThe Australian squad for their WCF Tour was:\nMal Meninga (c), Allan Langer (vc), Tim Brasher, Willie Carne, John Cartwright, Bradley Clyde, Brad Fittler, David Gillespie, Brad Godden, Michael Hancock, Paul Harragon, Chris Johns, Glenn Lazarus, Bob Lindner, Graham Mackay, Steve Renouf, Mark Sargent, Paul Sironen, Kerrod Walters, Kevin Walters, Steve Walters. Of the selected squad, only team vice captain Allan Langer, Paul Sironen and David Gillespie had played in Australia's 1988 World Cup Final win over New Zealand. All three would go on to play in the Final at Wembley playing in the same positions and wearing the same numbers (7, 11 and 14 respectively) they had done four years earlier at Eden Park. Before the final, Australia and Great Britain had played each other 119 times, with Australia winning 57 times, Great Britain 57 and 5 draws. Australia had not lost a test series or a World Cup to Great Britain (or England) since the 1972 World Cup. Australia and Great Britain had met in three previous World Cup Finals; 1970 at Headingley Stadium in Leeds (won 12–7 by Australia), 1972 at Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France (the game finished in a 10–10 draw but the Lions were awarded the Cup after finishing on top of the table), and 1977 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (won 13–12 by Australia). As they had done in 1988, Australia won the right to host the World Cup Final. However, in the interests of rugby league and although they were confident of a sell-out if the game was held in Australia after capacity crowds attended all three Ashes Series tests earlier in the year against Great Britain, with the potential for a much larger attendance since at the time Lang Park in Brisbane could only hold 32,500, and the Sydney Football Stadium could only seat 42,500, the Australian Rugby League (ARL) agreed to the Rugby Football League (RFL) hosting the final at the 82,000 capacity Wembley Stadium in London. [citation needed]\n\nThe first half of the World Cup Final was a tight affair. The Lions took the lead early thanks to a penalty goal from Deryck Fox after a spilled bomb in front of the posts by debuting Kangaroos fullback Tim Brasher. Fox put up an attacking bomb and Brasher was tackled by Lions fullback Joe Lydon as he attempted to catch the ball. From there Steve Renouf dived on the loose ball that was only 2 metres in front of the posts and was ruled to be offside. From then on Fox and Kangaroos captain Mal Meninga traded penalty goals until the half with Great Britain going into the break with a 6–4 lead. Great Britain were lucky to have a full complement on the field from about the 20 minute mark of the final after hooker Martin Dermott had caught Australian five-eighth Brad Fittler with an elbow to the face. [citation needed] However Dermott was cautioned by referee Hale rather than sent off. While Meninga kicked a penalty goal, Fittler went to the sidelines where he was cleared of serious injury and returned to the game without being replaced. At half time, Kangaroos doctor Nathan Gibbs diagnosed a hairline fracture of his cheek bone, but cleared him to play on. Great Britain wasn't without its own problems though. Early in the first half fullback Joe Lydon picked up an ankle injury and he would be eventually replaced by Alan Tait in the second half. The Lions would also lose centre Gary Connolly to a leg injury which would see him replaced by a former Welsh rugby union international, John Devereux. [3]\n\nInto the second half the match was becoming a struggle with neither team seriously threatening the others line. The closest either team came to scoring was when Australian winger Willie Carne looked to have scored in the corner but the final pass from Meninga was ruled forward. The home side were still leading 6–4 with only 12 minutes remaining. [4] The only try of the match was then set up by Australian replacement back Kevin Walters who, with a clever cut-out pass, put his Brisbane Broncos teammate Steve Renouf into a gap not covered by replacement Lions centre John Devereux (Walters had replaced lock forward Bradley Clyde who left the field with a dislocated shoulder). Renouf, in his debut test for Australia, then raced 20 metres to score in the corner. [5] Meninga's sideline conversion of Renouf's try gave Australia what would be a match winning 10–6 lead. The rain started pouring midway through the second half and Australia was able to hold Great Britain out and maintain their lead until the final siren. Australian hooker Steve Walters was named the man-of-the-match for the 1992 World Cup Final. [6]\n\nThe match was broadcast into the United Kingdom by the BBC with commentary from Ray French and Alex Murphy. The match was telecast live late at night throughout Australia on the Nine Network, with commentary provided by Ray Warren and former Australian test players Peter Sterling and Paul Vautin, with sideline comments from Chris Bombolas. The game broke Australia's midnight-to-dawn television ratings record which was set a year earlier by the rugby union's 1991 Rugby World Cup Final in which Australia had defeated England at Twickenham Stadium in London. [7]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["10 points to 6"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Great Britain","Australia"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["on 24 October 1992"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 1992 Rugby League World Cup final"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Australia"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["at Wembley Stadium in London, England."]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1995 Rugby League World Cup Final","document":"\n\nThe 1995 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1995 Centenary World Cup tournament and was played between England and Australia on 28 October 1995 at the Wembley Stadium in London, England. Australia won the final by 16 points to 8 in front of 66,540 fans. Australia, the defending champions, won the Rugby League World Cup for the 8th time. The pre-match entertainment for the Final was provided by British rock group Status Quo. 1995 was the year of the Super League war, with the new Super League causing a split in Australia. As a result, the Australian Rugby League did not select any player who had signed with Super League (though they did not stand in the way of any SL aligned country from selecting players who were playing in Australia). As 100% of Australia's squad was sourced from Australian Rugby League-aligned players, several test players from the successful 1994 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France were not selected for the World Cup, though a number of the team had played in the 3-0 Trans-Tasman Test series win over New Zealand earlier in the year. After being overlooked for representative games during the year, Super League aligned Canberra Raiders players Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart, Steve Walters, Bradley Clyde, Brett Mullins and David Furner, took the ARL to court during 1995 in a bid to be able to play in the World Cup. The courts found in their favour and ordered the ARL to consider all players for selection regardless of who they were aligned to. However, as one unnamed ARL official was quoted as saying, the ARL were only forced to consider Super League players, not select them. Just how many, if any, Super League players were actually considered for selection remains unknown and speculation remains that behind closed doors no Super League player was actually considered for selection. Without the Super League players, many thought that the Kangaroos would be a second-string side despite their series whitewash over the SL aligned New Zealand earlier in the year. England, coached by Phil Larder and captained by Wigan's Denis Betts, had surprised in the opening game of the tournament when they defeated Australia 20–16 at Wembley. England won all three of their group matches. England defeated Wales 25–10 in the Semi-final at Old Trafford to advance to the Final. The Bob Fulton coached, Brad Fittler captained Australians began their World Cup defense with shock 20–16 loss to England at Wembley in the opening game of the World Cup. After this the Kangaroos remained undefeated including a then world record 86–6 win over rugby league minnows South Africa. Australia defeated New Zealand 30–20 in the Semi-final at the McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield. The game had gone into extra-time after the score was locked at 20-all at the end of the regulation 80 minutes. England won the coin toss and Australia's Andrew Johns kicked off the match. In England's first set with the ball Australia were penalised for their skipper Brad Fittler's high tackle on Andrew Farrell. From the resulting good field position England were able to force a line drop-out and get another set of six in Australia's half of the field when Brett Dallas was judged to have caught the ball in the field of play before being tackled by Paul Newlove. At the end of the second set, Radlinski put up a high kick, which Australia's fullback Tim Brasher failed to secure and Jim Dymock was penalised for regathering the ball when off-side (the referee ruled that Brasher had knocked on, though replays suggested Martin Offiah got a hand to the ball). Bobbie Goulding kicked the penalty goal from fifteen metres out, giving his side a 2–0 lead. [2] From Australia's resulting kick-off, Andy Farrell tried to trap the ball with his foot but it bounced off upfield and with his teammates failing to react, it was regathered by Andrew Johns only two metres out from the English try line. On the last tackle of the ensuing set, Johns at first receiver put a perfectly weighted grubber kick into the left-hand corner of England's in-goal area where winger Rod Wishart dived in and got a hand on it,[3] giving Australia the first try of the match in the seventh minute. [4] Johns then converted the try from the touch-line and the Kangaroos were leading 6–2. [5] A few minutes later England were penalised around the centre of the field and Johns attempted the kick at goal but missed. With the game now swinging from end to end, Johns conceded a penalty close to the goal posts and Goulding's kick bounced off the uprights but went in,[2] so England were trailing 4–6 by the eighteenth minute. A few minutes later England conceded a penalty in front of their goal posts and Johns kicked Australia to an 8–4 lead. Shortly after, Martin Offiah made a break from 15 metres inside his own half and raced 60 metres down along the left sideline with Dallas and Steve Menzies (a second row forward who almost ran down the flying winger) in pursuit and was contentiously ruled to have been taken over the sideline 5 metres out by a desperate Tim Brasher tackle as he threw the ball back into the field for Paul Newlove to toe ahead and dive on, though television replays suggested that Offiah had managed to release the ball before he went into touch. [6] After a high shot from Andy Farrell on Mark Carroll, Johns kicked another penalty giving Australia a 10–4 lead at the thirty-minute mark. Just before the half-time break England conceded another penalty in the ruck but Johns' kick missed so the score remained unchanged at the break. [7]\n\nAfter making their way into good attacking field position, England played the ball ten metres out from Australia's goal-line where centre Paul Newlove at dummy-half ran the ball at the defence of Terry Hill and Brett Dallas to force his way through to score in the left corner. [8] The sideline conversion attempt by Goulding missed so England trailed 8–10 after five minutes of the second half. [6] Around the ten-minute mark the game was interrupted by a topless female streaker. [9] The play continued swinging from one end of the field to the other, with neither team able to capitalise on their scoring opportunities for the next twenty minutes. Australian interchange player Jason Smith was blood binned and had to return to the bench. A few minutes later the Kangaroos had made their way deep into England's half when, on the last tackle, the ball was moved through the hands and eventually flicked passed back from Johns as he was being tackled to the feet of Brasher who kicked it ahead to the try-line. [8] Both fullbacks then scrambled to get to the ball and the referee ruled that Brasher had grounded it, awarding Australia a try. [6] Johns converted the try so Australia lead 16–8 with just over ten minutes remaining. England forward Karl Harrison then had to come off the field with an injured arm. A few minutes from full-time Australian forward Mark Carroll was sent to the sin-bin for an infringement in the ruck. The remainder of the match extended into additional injury time but was played with no further points so Australia retained the World Cup with a 16–8 victory and their fifth consecutive world title. 21-year-old Andrew Johns was named man-of-the-match. [10] Kangaroos coach Bob Fulton had named the young half as the team hooker, and he did indeed pack into the scrums. However Johns played at halfback in general play with Geoff Toovey having the dummy-half duties, necessary because Toovey had actually injured his neck during the tournament and simply could not pack into the front row in the scrums. [11]\n\nFollowing the match Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex presented Kangaroos captain Brad Fittler with the Cup and each of the players with medals. [12][7] During the 1990 Kangaroo Tour, an 18-year-old Fittler had reportedly broken protocol when he had said \"G'day dude\" to Prince Edward's father, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh when the team had met the Duke as part of the tour. History allegedly repeated itself as Fittler was heard to say \"Thanks dude\" to Prince Edward when receiving the World Cup on the Wembley balcony.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["16 points to 8"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["England","Australia"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["on 28 October 1995"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 1995 Rugby League World Cup final"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Australia"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["at the Wembley Stadium in London, England."]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2012 Summer Paralympics","document":"\n\nThe 2012 Summer Paralympics, the 14th Summer Paralympic Games, and also more generally known as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), that took place in London, United Kingdom, from 29 August to 9 September 2012. These Paralympics were one of the largest multi-sport events ever held in the country after the 2012 Summer Olympics, and until the date the  largest Paralympics ever: 4,302 athletes from 164 National Paralympic Committees participated, with fourteen countries appearing in the Paralympics for the first time ever. The lead-up to these games prominently emphasized the return of the Paralympic movement to its spiritual birthplace: in 1948, the British village of Stoke Mandeville first hosted the Stoke Mandeville Games, an athletics event for disabled British veterans of the Second World War held to coincide with the opening of the Summer Olympics in London. They were the first-ever organized sporting event for disabled athletes and served as a precursor to the modern Paralympic Games. [1][2] Stoke Mandeville also co-hosted the 1984 Summer Paralympics with Long Island, New York, after its original host, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, pulled out due to financial issues. [3]\n\nOrganizers expected the Games to be the first Paralympics to achieve mass-market appeal, fuelled by continued enthusiasm from the British public following the country's successful performance at the Summer Olympics, awareness of the United Kingdom's role in the history of the Paralympics, public attention surrounding South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius (who had recently become the first double amputee to compete in the Summer Olympics alongside able-bodied athletes), a major marketing campaign instituted by the Games' local broadcaster, and growing media coverage of Paralympic sport. The games ultimately met these expectations, breaking records for ticket sales, heightening the profile of the Paralympics in relation to the Olympics, and prompting IPC president Philip Craven to declare them the \"greatest Paralympic Games ever. \"[1][4]\n\nA total of 503 events in 20 sports were held during these games; for the first time since their suspension after the 2000 Paralympics, events for the intellectually disabled were also held in selected sports. For the third Summer Paralympics in a row, China won the most medals overall, with a total of 231 (95 of them being gold), followed by Russia and Great Britain. As part of a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee established in 2001, the winner of the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics was also to host the 2012 Summer Paralympics. [5] At the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, the rights to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were awarded to London. [6][7]\n\nAs with the Olympics, the 2012 Summer Paralympics were overseen by LOCOG and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). LOCOG was responsible for overseeing the staging of the games, while the ODA dealt with infrastructure and venues. [8][9]\n\nThe Government Olympic Executive (GOE) within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was the lead Government body for co-ordinating the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. The GOE reported through the DCMS Permanent Secretary to the Minister for Sports and the Olympics Hugh Robertson. It focused on oversight of the Games, cross-programme management and the London 2012 Olympic Legacy. [10]\n\nThe 2012 Summer Paralympics used many of the same venues as the 2012 Summer Olympics, along with two new locations such as Eton Manor for wheelchair tennis and Brands Hatch for road cycling. [11] London's purpose-built Olympic venues and facilities, including the Olympic Village itself, were designed to be accessible as possible so they could easily accommodate the Paralympics. Some venues also contained additional accessible seating areas during the Paralympics. [11][12]\n\nTransport for London (TfL) operated the Paralympic Route Network (a downsized version of the Olympic Route Network operated during the Summer Olympics) to facilitate road traffic between venues and facilities. The network provided 8.7 miles (14.0 kilometres) of lanes specifically reserved for Paralympic athletes and officials. [13] TfL continued to operate its Get Ahead of the Games website during the Paralympics, which provided updates and advice for commuters during the Games. [14] Prior to the Games, concerns were raised by TfL commissioner Peter Hendy that London's transportation system might not be able to handle the Paralympics adequately. He feared that the end of the school summer holiday (which fell during the Games) would result in increased traffic, and that commuters might not heed traffic warnings or change their travel behaviour as they had during the Olympics. [15]\n\nSevenoaks railway station was designated as the preferred station for spectators travelling to watch the cycling at Brands Hatch. Organisers chose Sevenoaks over the closer Swanley railway station because of its \"existing step-free access and excellent transport links\", and because Swanley did not yet have a wheelchair lift. Whilst organisers did not believe that Swanley would be able to have wheelchair lifts installed by the start of the Paralympics, the station finished their installation by early August 2012. [16]\n\nThe formal handover occurred during the closing ceremony of the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, when Mayor of London Boris Johnson received the Paralympic Flag from Mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong. This was followed by a cultural presentation by Britain, which was similar to its presentation during the Olympics' closing ceremony. It featured urban dance group ZooNation, the Royal Ballet, and Candoco, a physically integrated dance group, all dressed as London commuters and waiting for a bus by a zebra crossing. A double-decker bus drove around the stadium, guided by Ade Adepitan, to music composed by Philip Sheppard. The top of the bus was open and folded down to show a privet hedge featuring London landmarks such as Tower Bridge, The Gherkin and the London Eye. Cherisse Osei, drummer for Mika, and Sam Hegedus then performed, before the top of the bus folded up into its original form, sporting multi-coloured Paralympic livery. [17] Both the Paralympic and Olympic flags were formally raised outside of London's City Hall on 26 September 2008. British Paralympians Helene Raynsford and Chris Holmes raised the Paralympic flag. [18][19]\n\nOn 8 September 2011 Trafalgar Square staged International Paralympic Day, hosted by Rick Edwards, Ade Adepitan and Iwan Thomas, to coincide with a visit to London by representatives of the IPC. The event featured showcases and demonstrations of the 20 sports that would feature during the Games, with some sessions also made inclusive to people with hearing disabilities. It also included appearances by Paralympic athletes Oscar Pistorius, Ellie Simmonds and Sascha Kindred, and the unveiling of a bronze statue of Pistorius by Ben Dearnley. British Prime Minister David Cameron and London's mayor Boris Johnson also appeared. [20][21]\n\nTwo days later on 10 September, supermarket chain Sainsbury's and Channel 4 presented Sainsbury's Super Saturday, a family event at Clapham Common. The event featured showcases of Paralympic sports, and a concert featuring pop music acts including Nicola Roberts, Olly Murs, The Wanted, Will Young, Pixie Lott, Dappy, Sugababes, The Saturdays, Chipmunk and Taio Cruz. [22][23]\n\nChannel 4—broadcaster of the 2012 Summer Paralympics in the United Kingdom—held a multi-platform advertising campaign to promote its coverage. The broadcaster sought to change the public perception of the Paralympics, encouraging viewers to see them as an \"event in its own right\", rather than as an afterthought to the Olympics. The campaign included television adverts, online content, and billboard advertising, some of which carrying the slogan \"Thanks for the warm-up\". [24]\n\nAs part of the campaign, Channel 4 produced a two-minute-long trailer for its coverage entitled Meet the Superhumans, which was directed by Tom Tagholm with input from Deborah Poulton, 2012 Paralympic Project Leader and Alison Walsh, Editorial Manager of Disability, both at Channel 4. The trailer, set to Public Enemy's song \"Harder Than You Think\", focused on the competitive and \"superhuman\" aspects of Paralympic sport, while acknowledging the personal events and struggles that reflected every athlete's participation in the Games. Meet the Superhumans premiered on 17 July 2012, airing simultaneously on 78 different commercial television channels in the UK (which included rival channels ITV and Sky1). [25][26]\n\nThe advert was met with critical acclaim: Adweek's Tim Nudd declared it \"the summer's most stunning sports commercial\",[25] while Simon Usborne of The Independent felt it was \"an act of branding genius\" and \"a clear bid to bring the Paralympics from the sporting wings to centre stage. \"[26] The advert was seen by an estimated audience of 10 million viewers; Channel 4's marketing and communications chief Dan Brooke estimated that reaction to the advert through social media was double that of the première of the BBC's trailer for its Olympics coverage. [25][26]\n\nMeet the Superhumans won a Golden Lion award at the Cannes Lions Festival in June 2013, losing the overall award to the railway safety PSA Dumb Ways to Die.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["9 September 2012"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["4,302 athletes from 164 National Paralympic Committees"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["from 29 August"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["wheelchair tennis","road cycling"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2012 Summer Paralympics","the London 2012 Paralympic Games"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["in London, United Kingdom"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Dillian Whyte vs. Oscar Rivas","document":"Dillian Whyte vs. Óscar Rivas was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between Dillian Whyte and Óscar Rivas for the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title. The event took place on 20 July 2019 at The O2 Arena in London. After the fight, it was reported that Dillian Whyte tested positive for a substance banned by UK-Anti Doping (UKAD) during training for the fight. [1] However, UKAD released a statement in December 2019, fully exonerating Whyte of any wrong-doing. [2]\n\nFollowing his eleventh-round knockout victory over Derek Chisora, Whyte called out unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Joshua, who was unusually booed by many of those present at The O2 Arena, said: “If Deontay Wilder is serious and he is going to fight Tyson Fury and doesn’t want to become undisputed champion, Dillian, you will get a title shot.\" On 12 January 2019, Whyte revealed that he had turned down a \"severe lowball\" offer from Joshua to fight him in a rematch. Whyte did not reveal the figure, however, he claimed it was lower than what he received against Chisora in December 2018. Whyte claimed the Joshua fight \"was dead\" and he was to look at other options, including a potential fight with Dominic Breazeale for the interim WBC belt but Breazeale challenged Deontay Wilder for the world title. [3]\n\nNABF, IBF International, and WBO-NABO champion Rivas, had enhanced his reputation as a danger man following his brutal knockout of the former world title challenger Bryant Jennings in January. Whyte survived a ninth-round knockdown to take a unanimous decision victory, with two of the judge's scorecards showing 115-112, and the third 116-111. [4]\n\nThree days after the bout it was revealed that Whyte tested positive for a substance that is banned by UK-Anti Doping (UKAD) during the pre-fight training, but also gave negative results on all tests administered by the Voluntary Anti Doping Association. His promoter Eddie Hearn urged fans to \"wait for the facts\" before judging the fighter. [5] In the same month, upon hearing the news of the adverse findings, the WBC provisionally suspended Whyte's interim champion status and removed him from their rankings pending an investigation. [6] On 6 December 2019, UKAD released a statement fully exonerating Whyte of any wrong-doing, stating; \"UK Anti-Doping and the professional boxer, Dillian Whyte, can today jointly confirm that Mr Whyte was charged with an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) earlier this year, but that this charge has now been withdrawn. The charge was brought after a sample provided by Mr Whyte on 20 June 2019 indicated the presence of two metabolites of a steroid. UKAD initiated an investigation with which Mr Whyte cooperated fully. UKAD has accepted the explanation provided by Mr Whyte and, in accordance with the UK Anti-Doping Rules, the charge against Mr Whyte has been withdrawn. \"[7]\n\n^Note 1 For WBC interim heavyweight title \n\n^Note 2 For vacant WBA Continental heavyweight title \n\n^Note 3 For WBA Continental cruiserweight title \n\nThis boxing-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Dillian Whyte","Óscar Rivas"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["on 20 July 2019"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["boxing"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["Dillian Whyte vs. Óscar Rivas"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Whyte"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["at The O2 Arena in London"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2015 Rugby World Cup Final","document":"\n\nThe 2015 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match to determine the winner of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, played between reigning champions New Zealand and their rivals Australia on 31 October 2015 at Twickenham Stadium in London. New Zealand beat Australia 34–17, winning the World Cup for a record third time, and becoming the first team to retain the Webb Ellis Cup. This match saw a new record for tries in a Rugby World Cup Final with the teams combining for five, surpassing the previous record of four scored in the 1987 final. It was only the second final between two teams from the Southern Hemisphere, the previous one being South Africa's win over New Zealand in 1995. [2]\n\nHaving been in band 1 in the draw, New Zealand were placed as the top team participating in Pool C. They began their tournament with a steady performance against Argentina, earning a 26–16 victory (though having been 13–12 down at half time) in front of a then-record crowd of 89,019 at Wembley on 20 September. On that day, their starting XV was the most experienced ever. [3] Their performance remained steady four days later with a 58–14 win over Namibia in which they scored nine tries. [4] On 2 October, they faced Georgia – their first ever encounter – at the Millennium Stadium, with Julian Savea scoring a hat-trick to help New Zealand to a 43–10 win. New Zealand's last pool match was on 9 October, with their performance improving to reach a successful 47–9 victory over Tonga, which included a try by Ma'a Nonu who earned his 100th test cap during the match. [5]\n\nIn the quarter-finals, the All Blacks faced France, the last team to beat New Zealand in a Rugby World Cup match (in the quarter-final stage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, also at the Millennium Stadium). However, New Zealand crushed France 62–13, the highest winning margin in a World Cup knockout game since their win over Wales in 1987. [6] Julian Savea scored a second hat-trick in the rout, equaling Jonah Lomu and Bryan Habana's record of eight tries in a World Cup. [7] New Zealand reached the final after defeating South Africa 20–18 in a tight semi-final on 24 October, where New Zealand became the first ever nation to make four Rugby World Cup finals, having previously made the 1987, 1995 and 2011 tournament deciders. [8]\n\nHaving also been in band 1 in the draw, Australia were placed as the top team in Pool A, and began their campaign with a 28–13 win over Fiji in Cardiff. Head Coach Michael Cheika, who had only been in charge of the team since 22 October 2014, had been open about the short four-day turn-around between Fiji and Uruguay, and openly admitted he would field two different starting XVs against either team. [9] Had it not been for an injury to James Slipper in the Fiji game, Cheika would have followed this through; instead, he made 14 changes for the match against Uruguay. [10] On 27 September, they crushed Uruguay 65–3, scoring 11 tries, including two each for Sean McMahon, Ben McCalman and Drew Mitchell. They then went on to defeat hosts England at Twickenham, with Bernard Foley scoring two tries, kicking all three conversions and scoring all four penalties in a record 33–13 win. On 10 October, Australia won 15–6 against Wales in the last game of the pool stage; no tries were scored in the match — the first time this had happened since 1947 — but Foley scored five of the six penalties that he took. During the match, Australia successfully defended for nearly 10 minutes with two players in the sin bin, a period of play that was widely referred to in the media as potentially \"defining\" the Australian campaign. [citation needed]\n\nAustralia nearly lost their quarter-final match on 18 October, requiring a controversial last-minute penalty from Foley to beat Scotland 35–34. [11] The decision by referee Craig Joubert to award a penalty was later deemed incorrect by World Rugby, who issued a statement saying Joubert should have given a scrum instead. [12] Despite this, Australia went on to the semi-final and faced Argentina. They defeated the Pumas 29–15, to reach the final,[13] to become the second team, after New Zealand, to make four Rugby World Cup finals, having previously played in the 1991, 1999 and 2003 finals. New Zealand played with most of the possession and territory early in the match. After eight minutes, Dan Carter scored the first points in the match, putting New Zealand ahead 3–0. [14] In the 15th minute New Zealand fullback Ben Smith knocked the ball on, and from the resulting scrum New Zealand were penalised when their front row collapsed allowing Bernard Foley to tie the scores. Referee Nigel Owens awarded a penalty to New Zealand after Sekope Kepu's made a high tackle on Carter,[15] with Carter converting the penalty to give New Zealand a three-point lead. At the kick off Wallabies lock Kane Douglas injured his knee jumping for the ball and was replaced by Dean Mumm. At 26 minutes Wallabies centre Matt Giteau suffered concussion tackling All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick and was replaced by Kurtley Beale. At 27 minutes Carter stretched New Zealand's lead with another penalty goal. The first try was scored just before halftime with New Zealand winger Nehe Milner-Skudder touching down in the corner. Carter converted giving New Zealand a lead of 16–3 at the end of the first half. [16]\n\nTwo minutes into the second half, New Zealand's replacement centre Sonny Bill Williams offloaded the ball to Ma'a Nonu who beat a handful of Australian defenders to score a try, extending the lead to 21–3. In the 52nd minute, New Zealand fullback Ben Smith was sin-binned after tip-tackling Australia's Drew Mitchell. [17] While Smith was in the sin-bin, Australia ran in two tries – the first to number eight David Pocock from a driving maul, and the second to centre Tevita Kuridrani following a kick to score. Foley converted both tries to bring Australia within four points with 16 minutes remaining. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Carter scored a drop goal from 40 metres to open up the gap to seven points. Several minutes later, New Zealand were awarded a penalty, with Carter converting long range to give New Zealand a 27–17 lead. Needing to score quick tries to stay in the match, Australia lost the ball, which was kicked ahead by Ben Smith, allowing Beauden Barrett to chase and score the clinching try. Carter converted the try to make the final score 34–17. [18]\n\nNew Zealand became the first team in the History of the Rugby World Cup to successfully defend their title after eight editions of the tournament. They also became the first team to win three Rugby World Cups, previously winning the 1987 and 2011 editions, both of which were held on home soil, making this occasion the first time that New Zealand won the tournament on foreign soil. [19]\n\nMan of the Match:\nDan Carter (New Zealand)\n\nAssistant referees:\nJérôme Garcès (France)\nWayne Barnes (England)\nTelevision match official:\nShaun Veldsman (South Africa)\n\nNotes:\n\n\n\n\n\nAt the closing ceremony on 31 October, English singer Laura Wright sang World in Union. This was followed by the handover to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Prince Harry presented the Webb Ellis Cup to winning captain Richie McCaw after the match, once the team's name had been engraved on the base of the trophy.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["34–17"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["New Zealand","Australia"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["on 31 October 2015"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2015 Rugby World Cup Final"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["New Zealand"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["at Twickenham Stadium in London."]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2000 European Cross Country Championships","document":"The European Cross Country Championships is an annual international cross country running competition. Organised by the European Athletic Association, it is the area championships for the region and is held in December each year. The championships was inaugurated in 1994 in Alnwick and the venue for the championships changes each year. Unlike the World Championships for the sport, the European Cross Country Championships consists of six races in age categories, with separate senior, under-23, and junior races for both men and women. There are individual and national team medals awarded in each race. In the team competition, the top three from a team of up to six are scored. [1]\n\nThe first edition of the competition featured only senior races and 180 athletes took part. Men's and women's junior (under-20) races were introduced at the third edition in 1996 and under-23 races were added to the programme in 2006. [2]\n\nUpdated after 2019, including the team rankings for each category and the mixed relay. Only individual gold medals (men and women). Update at 2019 edition.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the European Athletic Association"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["in December each year"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["running"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The European Cross Country Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Final","document":"The 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (formerly called the IIHF U20 World Championship)[1] was the 38th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship (WJHC), hosted in Malmö, Sweden. The 13,700-seat Malmö Arena was the main venue, with the smaller Malmö Isstadion the secondary venue. It began on December 26, 2013, and ended with the gold medal game on January 5, 2014. [2]\n\nFinland defeated host team Sweden in the final 3–2 in overtime and won their first gold medal since 1998, as well as their third gold medal in total. It was also their first medal in the tournament since 2006. Sweden earned their second consecutive silver medal, their ninth silver medal in total, as well as their third consecutive medal in the tournament. For the first time since 1979–81, Canada failed to capture a medal for the second consecutive year by losing the bronze medal game 1–2 to Russia, who captured the team's fourth consecutive medal at the tournament. The 2014 tournament marked the first time since 1998 that all three medalists were European teams. A total of 144,268 spectators attended the 31 games, setting a new attendance record for IIHF World Junior Championship tournaments hosted in Europe. 12,023 spectators attended the gold medal game, setting a new record for a single IIHF World Junior Championship game in Europe. [3]\n\nThe playoff round was expanded to eight teams (again), with group leaders no longer getting a bye into the semifinals. The first time since the 2002 tournament. The IIHF selected 12 referees and 10 linesmen to work the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship\n\nThey were the following:[4]\n\n\n\n\n\nA change in format was implemented for the Top Division. The four best ranked teams from each group of the preliminary round advanced to the quarterfinals, while the last placed teams from each group played a relegation round in a best of three format to determine the relegated team. [5]  This format was last used in 2002, except the current tournament will not incorporate playoff games to determine places five through eight. A player is eligible to play in the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships if:[6]\n\nIf a player who has never played in IIHF-organized competition wishes to switch national eligibility, he must have played in competitions for two consecutive years in the new country without playing in another country, as well as show his move to the new country's national association with an international transfer card. In case the player has previously played in IIHF-organized competition but wishes to switch national eligibility, he must have played in competitions for four consecutive years in the new country without playing in another country, he must show his move to the new country's national association with an international transfer card, as well as be a citizen of the new country. A player may only switch national eligibility once. [7]\n\nAll times are local (UTC+1). The relegation round was a best-of-three series. Norway lost two games and was relegated to Division I for 2015. GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalties In MinutesSource: IIHF.com\n\n(minimum 40% team's total ice time)\n\nTOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = ShutoutsSource: IIHF.com\n\nReference: [1]\n\nNote that due to the lack of playoff games for determining the spots 5–8, these spots were determined by the regulation round records for each team. Source:\n1\n2\n3\n\nThe Division I A tournament was played in Sanok, Poland, from 15 to 21 December 2013. [8]\n\nThe Division I B tournament was played in Dumfries, Great Britain, from 9 to 15 December 2013. [9]\n\nTeam Great Britain was disqualified due to use of an ineligible player and was relegated to the 2015 Division II A. [10]\n\nThe Division II A tournament was played in Miskolc, Hungary, from 15 to 21 December 2013. [11]\n\nThe Division II B tournament was played in Jaca, Spain, from 11 to 17 January 2014. [12]\n\nThe Division III tournament was played in İzmir, Turkey, from 12 to 18 January 2014. [13]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["3–2"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["on January 5, 2014"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Sweden","Canada","Russia"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["on December 26, 2013"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Ice Hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Finland"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["in Malmö, Sweden"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2002 European Badminton Championships","document":"The European Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton Europe (BE). The first of these competitions was held in 1968. The competition was held once every two years to determine the best badminton players in Europe. European Mixed Team Badminton Championships usually started prior to the individual championships until it was split in 2009. From 2017 on the European badminton championship is held annually except for the year with European Games. Since 2008, it is being graded as a Grand Prix Gold tournament by the Badminton World Federation. [1][2]\n\nThe table below gives an overview of all host cities and countries of the European Championships. On 15 January 2008, Manchester of England won the bid to stage the 2010 event which saw the separation the team event into different championships. [3] Starting from 2017, the championship will be an annual event except for the year with European Games. The 2020 edition in Kyiv, Ukraine, had to be cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic and the hosting rights of the 2021 edition is reallocated to Ukraine again. [4]\n\n* Russian medals included medals won by the USSR and the CIS\n* German medals included medals won by West Germany\n\nBelow is the list of the most ever successful players in the European Badminton Championships:","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the Badminton Europe (BE"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Badminton"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The European Badminton Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2013 Oddset Hockey Games","document":"The 2013 Oddset Hockey Games was played between 6–10 February 2013. The Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Russia played a round-robin for a total of three games per team and six games in total. Five of the matches were played in the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and one match in the Ice Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Finland won the tournament for the fourth time. The tournament was part of the 2012–13 Euro Hockey Tour. All times are local (UTC+1 for the games in Sweden, and UTC+4 for the game in Russia). GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes; POS = PositionSource: [1] \n\nTOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = ShutoutsSource: [2] \n\nBest players selected by the directorate:[1]\n\nTournament All-Star Team selected by the media: \nGoaltender:  Alexander Salak \nDefencemen:  Ilya Nikulin,  Ville Lajunen\nForwards:  Juhamatti Aaltonen,  Sergei Mozyakin,  Evgeny Kuznetsov","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["10 February 2013"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["The Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Russia"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["between 6"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2013 Oddset Hockey Games"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["n the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden","the Ice Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1998 IAAF World Road Relay Championships","document":"The 1998 IAAF World Road Relay Championships was the fourth and final edition of the global, international marathon relay competition, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). [1] The event took place on 18–19 April in Manaus, Brazil with the participation of 222 athletes from 28 nations. The women's race took place on Saturday 18 April, starting at 9:00 AM Amazon Standard Time, and featured twelve national teams comprising a total 72 athletes. [2] The men's race took place on Sunday 19 April, also starting at 9:00 AM Amazon Standard Time, and featured 25 national teams comprising a total 150 athletes. [3]\n\nEach national team consisted of six athletes, who alternately covered six stages to complete the 42.195 km marathon distance. The first, third and fifth stages were of 5 km, the second and fourth stages were of 10 km, and the final stage covered the remaining 7.195 km. [4] Rather than using the traditional baton associated with relay races, athletes passed a wrist band to their compatriots at end of each leg. [5] Prize money totalling US$420,000 was awarded to the athletes of the medal-winning teams: $120,000 for the winning team, $60,000 for the silver medallists and $30,000 for third place, with the winnings split evenly between the team's six athletes. [6][7]\n\nThe Ethiopian and Kenyan teams took the top two spots in both races, with the Ethiopian women being victorious in a time of 2:21:15 hours and the Kenyan men coming out on top in a time of 2:01:13 hours. These represented two title defences, as both teams won those races at the previous edition in 1996. Romania took the bronze medals in the women's race and the host nation, Brazil, came third in the men's race – the second time it reached the podium after being men's runners-up at the 1996 championships. [8][9]\n\nThe women's race took place in difficult weather conditions, with high humidity and a temperature around 34 degrees Celsius (93° Fahrenheit). Kenya's Jackline Maranga led the pack in the first stage at 15:39 minutes, with Ethiopia's Yimenashu Taye 19 seconds in arrears and Japan's Takako Kotorida another 20 seconds back. On the second leg Gete Wami overhauled Kenya's Jane Omoro to put Ethiopia in first place, while Alina Tecuţă had the second fastest time to bring Romania into third place. Ethiopia extended its lead in the third leg through stage winner Genet Gebregiorgis and Miyo Nakano brought Japan to third again. [6]\n\nA strong leg four by Cristina Pomacu returned Romania to third place and Alla Zhilyaeva won the stage to bring Russia back up the ranks. Ayelech Worku cemented Ethiopia's lead by completing the fifth stage eleven seconds faster than Kenya's Naomi Mugo, now over a minute behind, while Romania's Constantina Diță pulled further away from fourth-placed Japan. Kenya's Sally Barsosio attempted to close down Ethiopia's Merima Denboba in the final leg, but was unable to do so, finishing over half a minute behind the Ethiopian despite her leg of 24:09 minutes. The conditions severely affected some of the teams: Russia trailed by three and a half minutes in the first leg due to Yelena Motalova struggling,[6] Mexico's Judith Ramirez took nearly seven minutes longer than Russia's Zhilyaeva to finish her 10K fourth leg, and Ecuador's Sara Nivisela took nearly four minutes longer to complete the 5-kilometre fifth leg than did Ethiopia's Ayelech Worku. [8]\n\nThe following morning, the weather conditions proved a little more amenable to the male runners, with humidity dropping to 85% and the temperature falling to 28 degrees Celsius (82° Fahrenheit). John Kibowen led off the Kenyan team as front runner and was narrowly edged out by Ethiopia's Million Wolde in the first stage, with both recording 13:44 minutes for the 5 km, and a battle for third emerged between Brazil's Elenilson da Silva and Portugal's Hélder Ornelas some 15 seconds adrift. Stage two saw Kenya emerge as clear leaders as Paul Koech gained 49 seconds on his Ethiopian rival Ayele Mezgebu. Behind them, Japan's Tomoaki Kunichika pulled level Alberto Maravilha (Portugal) and Tomix da Costa (Brazil) in the chase for third as the athletes neared the mid-point. [9][7]\n\nBenjamin Limo completed the fourth leg 24 seconds faster than the rest of the field to keep Kenya's lead. Brazil's Ronaldo da Costa gained a ten-second gap in third, with Japan (Masatoshi Ibata) and Portugal (Angelo Pacheco) both slowing in fourth and fifth. Tom Nyariki made it three consecutive stage wins for Kenya in the fifth leg, gaining over 40 seconds over second placed Ethiopian Tesfaye Tolla. Elijah Mutandiko's 33-minute 10K leg (second fastest of the stage) brought Zimbabwe into fifth place, as Portugal fell back. Ethiopia rallied in the fifth stage with Fita Bayisa running 5 km in 14:16 minutes to draw nearer to Kenya's John Kosgei. A poor run from Ethiopia's Alene Emere saw Kenyan Paul Malakwen Kosgei ease to victory with over two and a half minutes to spare. Consistentcy saw Brazil claim third place, with Sergio Goncalves da Silva finishing around a minute after the Ethiopian. Zimbabwe's Abel Chimukoko had the second fastest time of the final stage, which saw his mostly-barefooted team overhaul Japan for fourth place by a margin of three seconds. Denmark's Jorgen Gamborg failed to complete his last leg – the only athlete at the competition to do so – meaning his team was eliminated. [9][7]\n\nKey:\n  Fastest in stage\n\nKey:\n  Fastest in stage","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["2:21:15 hours","2:01:13 hours"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["19 April"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Brazil","Kenyan","Romania","Japan's Takako Kotorida","Russia","Portugal","Zimbabwe","Ethiopian rival Ayele Mezgebu","apan's Tomoaki Kunichika","Mexico","Ecuador","Denmark"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["18"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["marathon relay"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 1998 IAAF World Road Relay Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["The Ethiopian"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Manaus, Brazil"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1983 Overseas Final","document":"The 1983 Overseas Final was the third running of the Overseas Final as part of the qualification for the 1983 Speedway World Championship Final to be held in West Germany. The 1983 Final was run at the Belle Vue Stadium in Manchester, England, and was the second last qualifying round for Commonwealth and American riders. [1]\n\nThe Top 10 riders qualified for the Intercontinental Final to be held at the White City Stadium in London. Manchester's own Phil Collins won the Overseas Final. This motorcycle speedway competition-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Manchester's own Phil Collins"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["motorcycle speedway"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 1983 Overseas Final"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Manchester's own Phil Collins"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Belle Vue Stadium in Manchester, England","West Germany."]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1991 European Super Cup","document":"\n\nThe 1991 European Super Cup was the 16th European Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) and contested by the winners of the previous season's European Cup and Cup Winners' Cup competitions. The match was played on 19 November 1991 and featured the 1990–91 European Cup winners, Red Star Belgrade, and Manchester United, winners of the 1990–91 Cup Winners' Cup. It was meant to be played over two legs, but due to the political unrest in Yugoslavia at the time, UEFA decided that only the leg at Manchester United's home, Old Trafford, would be played. The match kicked off at 19:15 GMT, in front of a crowd of 22,110. Red Star Belgrade were the better team in the first half, but had two attempts cleared off the line by Manchester United players, and missed the goal with their other shots. In the second half, Red Star started the stronger of the two again, but United improved, playing counter-attacking football. In the 67th minute, Brian McClair scored the only goal of the game, a close-range rebound after a shot by Neil Webb. United went close to adding a second goal, but the game finished 1–0, giving Manchester United their first and only European Super Cup title. Red Star Belgrade qualified for the Super Cup as the winners of the 1990–91 European Cup;[1] they had beaten Marseille 5–3 on penalties in the final in Bari, Italy, after the match had finished 0–0 after extra time;[2] that game was described as \"the most boring final match in European Cup history\" by one of the Red Star players, Siniša Mihajlović. [3] The other Super Cup place went to Manchester United, winners of the 1990–91 European Cup Winners' Cup, having upset the strong favourites Barcelona 2–1 in the final in Rotterdam, Netherlands. [4] It was the first Super Cup appearance for either side; although Manchester United had won the European Cup in 1968, the Super Cup had not been established at that point. [5]\n\nIt was the first time that Manchester United and Red Star Belgrade had met in a competitive match since their 1957–58 European Cup quarter-final. [6] After beating Red Star 5–4 on aggregate, the aircraft on which the Manchester United team were travelling home crashed on its third attempt to take off from Munich-Riem Airport. In total, 23 people were killed in the Munich air disaster, including eight of the United team, three staff members and eight journalists; a further two players never played football again as a result of the injuries they suffered. [7] The Manchester United manager at the time of the disaster, Sir Matt Busby, was in attendance at the Super Cup, while Red Star manager Vladica Popović had played against Manchester United in 1958. [6]\n\nTypically, the Super Cup was played over two legs, but due to the volatile situation in Yugoslavia, which was in the midst of civil war, UEFA decided that they would not play in Belgrade. As a result, only one match was played, at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground. [8] A further consequence of the political unrest was the dismantling of the Red Star team. The journalist Jonathon Aspey described their European Cup-winning team as one that \"oozed class and represented to the West what Eastern football can be\",[2] but by the 1991–92 season, five of the starting line-up from the European Cup final had joined other clubs. [6] The game was originally scheduled to kick off at 20:00 GMT, but a week before the match, it was brought forward to 19:15. [9] Manchester United went into the tie missing two of their regular players; club captain Bryan Robson was suspended, while Paul Parker was injured. The United manager, Alex Ferguson, also chose to rest Ryan Giggs. [10] Ferguson came up with at least three different versions of the team line-up leading up to the match, as he tried to comply with UEFA's limitations on foreign players. He was eventually told that any foreign players signed prior to 3 May 1988 could play, and up to four non-English players signed since then. This change allowed him to add his Danish goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, back into the team, at the expense of 16-year-old English winger Ben Thornley. [6]\n\nFor Manchester United, the Super Cup was their only chance to win a European trophy in the 1991–92 season; they had been knocked out of the Cup Winners' Cup in the second round earlier in the month, losing 4–1 on aggregate to Atlético Madrid, thus failing to retain their title. [11] In contrast, Red Star were still in the European Cup, having won in each of the first two rounds. [12] In the lead-up to the match, Ferguson said, \"If we can defeat one of the best teams in Europe, it will be a real boost for us. \"[10]\n\nThe match was played at Old Trafford, in front of a crowd of 22,110,[13] roughly half the capacity of the ground,[6] and Manchester United's lowest home attendance of the season. [14] The Times' reporter at the game, Stuart Jones, explained that the match was played primarily for a television audience, and was more of a friendly match for the two sides. [13] Manchester United had the first chance of the game in the second minute, when they were awarded a penalty by the referee, Mario van der Ende; a free kick from the right wing was hit to the far side of the penalty area by Lee Martin, where the ball was met by Gary Pallister, only for his header back across the box to be blocked by the arm of Red Star centre-back Miodrag Belodedici, who received a yellow card for handball. Manchester United captain Steve Bruce placed the penalty kick to the right of Red Star goalkeeper Zvonko Milojević, who palmed the ball round the post. [13] United had another chance at goal four minutes later, when Milojević saved a shot from Mark Hughes. [6] Manchester United's attacks in the first half were slow and laboured, rarely piercing Red Star's defence. Meanwhile, the Red Star forwards, Dejan Savićević and Darko Pančev, each broke through the United defence with quick, purposeful attacks. [13] Pančev just missed the goal with a 20-yard volley, before heading wide from a free kick. [6] Twice, attacks from Savićević and Pančev beat United's goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, but were cleared off the line by Gary Pallister and Clayton Blackmore. [13] Another header from Pančev went narrowly wide just before half-time, and the score remained 0–0. [6]\n\nThe travelling side continued to have the best of the play at the start of the second half: Savićević just missed the target with two angled shots. [15] United, playing a counter-attacking game, started to have more success. In the 67th minute, Neil Webb dribbled the ball around Savićević on the edge of the box, and hit a shot that was deflected by Milojević onto the post. The ball rebounded to McClair, who put it into the net from close range, giving United a 1–0 lead. [6] According to the Irish Independent, Manchester United played better after the goal, and had further chances to double their advantage; Blackmore hit a long-range shot that was parried by Milojević, while Giggs could only hit the goalkeeper with an effort and a volley from Hughes was saved near the ground by Milojević at his near post. [15]\n\nAssistant referees:\nCees Bakker (Netherlands)\nJef van Vliet (Netherlands)\nReserve referee:\nEddie Lomas (England)\n\nMatch rules\n\nBoth Manchester United and Red Star Belgrade earned an estimated £200,000 from the match, primarily from the television broadcast rights. [13] Manchester United won their first and, as of 2021, only European Super Cup;[16] they later lost the 1999, 2008 and 2017 Super Cups. [5] \nRecalling the match later, Pančev said that although United had a good team, he felt that Red Star Belgrade were unlucky not to win. [17] Ferguson, who was full of praise for the Red Star team, said: \"They certainly have the talent and the imagination to do well and I think they are coming good at the right time. \"[18] The Red Star Belgrade team continued to be dismantled; within two years, almost all of their European Cup-winning side had left the club. According to Aspey, \"an era had ended before it had even begun. \"[2] Red Star have not appeared in the European Super Cup since.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["5–4"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations)"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Red Star Belgrade","Manchester United"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["on 19 November 1991","at 19:15"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["football"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 1991 European Super Cup"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Manchester United"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2010 World Lacrosse Championship","document":"\n\nThe 2010 World Lacrosse Championship was held between 15–24 July. This international men's field lacrosse tournament organized by the Federation of International Lacrosse took place in Manchester, United Kingdom. This was the third time that the tournament was played in Greater Manchester, after the 1978 and 1994 championships. The United States captured their ninth gold medal, defeating Canada 12–10 in the championship game. [1] Paul Rabil of Team USA was named tournament MVP. [2] Australia earned its fourth-straight bronze medal by defeating Japan 16 –9. A record 29 nations competed at the event, eight more than the 2006 WLC in London, Ontario. The 101 games were held at the Armitage Centre, Manchester University's sports grounds. [3][4]\n\nFor the first time, a FIL World Lacrosse Festival ran alongside the world championships from 17 to 22 July. 48 teams from around the world competed in 8 divisions from U16 to Grand Masters. [5]\n\nThe Iroquois Nationals' participation in the championships was prevented in a dispute over their passports. [6] The team sought to travel on Haudenosaunee passports, but the United Kingdom government would not allow it because of increased passport security requirements. [7] The United States Department of State initially also refused to allow the passports, but later granted the team a one-time waiver to travel to the tournament. However, the U.K. would not issue the team visas. [8]\n\nInitially, the Iroquois were hoping to be able to travel, and agreed to forfeit their first game against England. Because it was the opening game of the tournament, organizers arranged for the host team to play Germany in an exhibition match instead. [9] However, just before game time, the FIL decided to move Germany to the Blue Division and the Iroquois to the Plum Division, making the England-Germany match an official one. [10] The Iroquois team did not officially withdraw from the tournament, and would have been allowed to play its remaining games should it have resolved its passport difficulties in time. [11] On 18 July, the FIL announced that the competition schedule had progressed too far to allow Iroquois to compete in the tournament. [12] Each of the other three Plum Division teams were given 1–0 forfeit victories over the Iroquois team. For pool play, nations were separated into seven divisions according to strength, the top six teams were placed in the Blue Division, and the other teams were put in six divisions of four. Each of the thirty nations were eligible to win the championship. Each division played round-robin games for ranking to determine which tournament brackets they would be placed in. The Blue Division originally consisted of the top six teams from the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship, but Germany was moved up to replace the missing Iroquois team. The first and second place teams from the Blue Division advanced to the tournament semifinals. The third and fourth place teams advanced to the quarterfinals. The fifth and sixth place teams were placed into the 5th through 8th place classification bracket. Canada's 10–9 win over the United States marked the first time that the American team lost a preliminary round game in any world championship, and only its third loss overall. [13] Both teams ended up advancing to the semifinals. Japan, Australia, and England all finished 2–3 in the Blue Division and 1–1 in head-to-head matches against each other. All three games between the teams were close, with two going into overtime. Japan and Australia advanced to the quarterfinals based on goal differential in those matches. Starting on 19 July, all teams except for the Blue Division moved to one of three intermediate brackets: either the upper, middle, or lower bracket. The upper bracket included the six first-place finishers from each division as well as the top two second-place finishers. These teams were still eligible for the World Championship and could have finished anywhere from 1st to 16th in the tournament. By winning two games in the upper bracket, Scotland and Netherlands advanced to the quarterfinals. The middle bracket included the remaining four second-place finishers and the top four third-place finishers. These teams could have finished anywhere from 9th to 24th in the final rankings. The lower bracket included the remaining two third-place finishers and the six fourth-place finishers. These teams could have finished no higher than 17th in the final rankings. On 21 July, Finland beat Poland 13–7 to advance to the 9th–12th place bracket, sending Poland to the 13th–16th place bracket. Italy beat Switzerland 7–6 to advance to the 17th–20th place bracket, while Switzerland entered the 21st–24th place bracket.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["12–10"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["24 July"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the Federation of International Lacrosse"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["The United States","Canada","Japan","The Iroquois","Germany","England","Poland","Switzerland","Scotland and Netherlands","Finland","Italy"]},{"role":"MVP","values":["Paul Rabil of Team USA"]},{"role":"Start Time","values":["between 15"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["field lacrosse"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["Australia","The 2010 World Lacrosse Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["The United States"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["in Manchester, United Kingdom."]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2009 World Netball Series","document":"The 2009 World Netball Series was the inaugural tournament of the World Netball Series. The 2009 Series was held at MEN Arena in Manchester, England from 9–11 October, and was the first major trial of the new FastNet rules that were announced by the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) in 2008. New Zealand won the 2009 tournament with a 32–27 victory over Jamaica in the gold medal playoff. [1]\n\nThe 2009 World Netball Series was played under FastNet rules, which were designed to make games faster and more television-friendly, with the ultimate aim of raising the sport's profile and attracting more spectators and greater sponsorship. [2][3][4] Netball is now following in the footsteps of cricket and rugby in providing a shorter version of the game to appease existing netball fans and grab the attention of new ones. [5][6] It was organised by the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA), in conjunction with the national governing bodies of the six competing nations, as well as the Manchester City Council, England Netball, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and UK Sport. [7] The Manchester City Council and UK Sport also contributed funding for the inaugural tournament. [8] The Co-operative Group were announced as title sponsors for the 2009 Series. [9]\n\nThe 2009 World Netball Series was telecast in Australia by Network Ten; in Jamaica by Television Jamaica;[10] in New Zealand by TV ONE; and in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports. The 2009 World Netball Series was a new and exciting opportunity for those that have wanted to support netball to assist in making the series a success. This recent event has enabled a number of local and international companies to get behind the new concept of FastNet netball. [11] The following were the sponsors for the 2009 World Netball Series:\n\n-The Co-operative Group who assists with the netball development in the UK. -ASICS U.K and Ireland provided netball shoes for this event in that performance and movement is crucial. -Shock Absorber sports bra is an essential piece of clothing for any netball player. As well as the 2009 World Netball Series the shock absorber bra is also involved in the development of England's senior team, Under 21 and Under 19 Netball teams. -Manchester City Council. -The North West Development Agency (NWDA). -UK sport. -The International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) is the sole recognised federation for netball. Currently, over 60 National Netball Associations are affiliated to IFNA, grouped into 5 Regions – Africa, Asia, Americas, Europe and Oceania, then each have their own regional federation. -England Netball is the governing body for enhancing the netball in England. It is a company limited by guarantee and comprises approximately 3,000 Clubs and some 68,000 affiliated members. Netball is largely driven by the efforts of many volunteers operating at a national, regional, county and community level, and the England netball association can help with this. -Gilbert are the exclusive supplier to IFNA as well as New Zealand, Australia, Jamaica, South Africa, Scotland Wales, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Malawi Nigeria and USA Netball. -Monkhouse Intersport sold exclusive merchandise for the 2009 World Netball Series. -Matalan retail\n\n-Slazenger S1 Sports Drink is the official sports drink of the 2009 World Netball Series. -Manchester Evening News Arena. It is sometimes described as the ‘voice of Manchester’ for anything that is occurring there, like the 2009 world netball series. The 2009 World Netball Series required a number of volunteers to make this event happen. Without the time and energy volunteers give, this series would not have been possible. Here are the volunteer's roles that the 2009 World Netball Series required. [12]\n\nMatch Statistics\n-Updating scores on The Co-operative World Netball Series website and providing score sheets for teams. Programme Distributors\n-Operating the programme sales desk. Informing spectators of promotional offers and competitions. Handling money and ensure that it is stored securely. Accreditation Crew\n-Distribution of Accreditation passes and welcome packs. Production of additional passes. Runners\n-On hand to assist the Operations Manager e.g. ice baths, moving equipment etc. Media Liaisons\n-Ensure that media requirements are met throughout the event. Carry out any other duties that may be reasonably required e.g. basic office admin assistance. VIP reception\n-Greet VIP's and direct them to the designated VIP area. Support the VIP Manager and carry out any other duties that may be reasonably required. VIP host\n-Look after VIP's throughout the event in the designated VIP area. Support the VIP Manager and carry out any other duties that may be reasonably required. Stewards\n-Ensure public, players and officials are directed to the correct areas and do not enter restricted areas. Check that event staff, officials and spectators are in possession of the correct accreditation pass or tickets. Ball Patrol \n-A vital part of officiating team. Active role in ensuring game runs smoothly.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["32–27"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["11 October"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA)","the Manchester City Council, England Netball, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and UK Sport","the national governing bodies of the six competing nations"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Jamaica"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["from 9"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Netball"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2009 World Netball Series"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["New Zealand"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["at MEN Arena in Manchester, England"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1914 World Allround Speed Skating Championships","document":"The 1914 World Allround Speed Skating Championships took place at 14 and 15 February 1914 at the ice rink Frogner Stadion in Kristiania, Norway. Oscar Mathisen was defending champion and succeeded in prolonging his title. Oscar Mathisen became World champion for the fifth time. He is together with Clas Thunberg and Sven Kramer holder of the record of fifth World Allround titles. Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[1]\n\nFour distances have to be skated:\n\nThe ranking was made by award ranking points. The points were awarded to the skaters who had skated all the distances. The final ranking was then decided by ordering the skaters by lowest point totals. One could win the World Championships also by winning at least three of the four distances, so the ranking could be affected by this. Silver and bronze medals were awarded.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["15 February 1914"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["at 14"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 1914 World Allround Speed Skating Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Oscar Mathisen"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the ice rink Frogner Stadion in Kristiania, Norway."]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1922 World Allround Speed Skating Championships","document":"The 1922 World Allround Speed Skating Championships took place at 18 and 19 February 1922 at the ice rink Frogner Stadion in Kristiania, Norway. This was the first championship after the first world war. The previous championship was 8 years ago this is why there were so many skaters who took part for the first time. Oscar Mathisen was defending champion but did not defend his title. Harald Strøm became World champion for the first time. Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[1]\n\nFour distances have to be skated:\n\nThe ranking was made by award ranking points. The points were awarded to the skaters who had skated all the distances. The final ranking was then decided by ordering the skaters by lowest point totals. One could win the World Championships also by winning at least three of the four distances, so the ranking could be affected by this. Silver and bronze medals were awarded.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["19 February 1922"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["at 18"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 1922 World Allround Speed Skating Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Harald Strøm"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the ice rink Frogner Stadion in Kristiania, Norway."]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1975 Women's European Volleyball Championship","document":"The 1975 Women's European Volleyball Championship was the ninth edition of the event, organised by Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball. It was hosted in several cities in Yugoslavia from 18 to 25 October 1975, with the final round held in Belgrade. The tournament was played in two different stages. In the first stage, the twelve participants were divided into three groups of four teams each. In the second stage, two groups were formed, one containing the winners and runners-up from all first stage groups (six teams in total) to contest the tournament title. A second group was formed by the remaining six teams which played for position places (7th to 12th). All groups in both stages played a single round-robin format.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["25 October 1975"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["18"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Volleyball"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1975 Women's European Volleyball Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["several cities in Yugoslavia","Belgrade"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1991 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships","document":"The 1991 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (1991 WJHC) was the 15th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was held in various communities in Saskatchewan, Canada. Canada won its second consecutive gold medal, and fifth overall, while the Soviet Union won silver, and Czechoslovakia the bronze. The 1991 tournament was a round-robin format, with the top three teams winning gold, silver and bronze medals respectively. Norway was relegated to Pool B for 1992. Eight teams contested the second tier in Tychy and Oswiecim Poland from December 27 to January 5. It was played in a simple round robin format, each team playing seven games. Germany was promoted to Pool A and Denmark was relegated to Pool C for 1992. Eight teams contested the third tier in Belgrade Yugoslavia from December 27 to January 5. It was played in a simple round robin format, each team playing seven games. Greece's national junior team made their debut this year. North Korea was promoted to Pool B for 1992.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Canada"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["the Soviet Union","Czechoslovakia"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Ice Hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1991 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (1991 WJHC)"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Canada"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["various communities in Saskatchewan, Canada"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1997 IIHF European U18 Championship","document":"The 1997 IIHF European U18 Championship was the thirtieth playing of the IIHF European Junior Championships. Played April 12 to the 20th, in Znojmo and Trebic, Czech Republic. Switzerland shocked everyone by opening the tournament with wins over the Czechs and the Russians. Although they tired by the end of the tournament, their win over Slovakia assured them of their first (and only) medal in the European Juniors. Germany, losing the best of three series in overtime, was relegated to Group B for 1998. Kauppinen, a defenceman, set a record for the lowest point total to lead a tournament. Played March 21 to the 30th, in Maribor and Celje, Slovenia. Norway was promoted to Group A, and Slovenia was relegated to Group C, for 1998. Played March 12 to the 16th in Miercurea-Ciuc and Gheorgheni, Romania. Great Britain was promoted to Group B and the Netherlands was relegated to Group D, for 1998. Played in Belgrade, Yugoslavia from March 4th to 9th. The hosts completely dominated, with forward Csaba Prokec scoring 29 points in their 5 games. [1]\n\nYugoslavia was promoted to Group C for 1998.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Czechs","Russians","Slovakia"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1997 IIHF European U18 Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Switzerland"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships","document":"The 2001 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred as the 2001 World Junior Hockey Championships (2001 WJHC), was the 25th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The tournament was held in Moscow and Podolsk, Russia from December 26, 2000 to January 5, 2001. The Czech Republic won the gold medal for the second consecutive year with a 2–1 victory over Finland in the championship game, while Canada won the bronze medal with a 2–1 overtime victory over Sweden. All times local (MSK/UTC+3). All times local (MSK/UTC+3). Kazakhstan was relegated to Division I for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. † Overtime victory. January 2\n\nMinimum 90 minutes played. The following teams took part in the Division I tournament. This group played in Landsberg and Füssen, Germany between December 10 and December 16, 2000. Latvia was relegated to Division II for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. France was promoted to the Top Division for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The following teams took part in the Division II tournament. This group played in Elektrėnai and Kaunas, Lithuania between December 30, 2000 and January 3, 2001. All times local (EET/UTC+2). Estonia was relegated to Division III for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Slovenia was promoted to Division I for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The following teams took part in the Division III tournament. This group played in Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia between January 4 and January 8, 2001. All times local (EET/UTC+2). Australia was relegated to Division III Qualification for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, but did not participate again until 2003. Netherlands was promoted to Division II for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The following teams took part in the Division III qualification tournament. This group played in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg between April 26 and April 28, 2001. Iceland was promoted to Division III of the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["2–1"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["January 5, 2001"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Finland"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["from December 26, 2000"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Ice Hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2001 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred as the 2001 World Junior Hockey Championships (2001 WJHC)"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Czech Republic"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Moscow and Podolsk, Russia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships","document":"The 2002 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred as the 2002 World Junior Hockey Championships (2002 WJHC), was the 26th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The tournament was held in Pardubice and Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, from December 25, 2001 – January 4, 2002. Russia won the gold medal with a 5–4 come-from-behind victory over Canada in the championship game, while Finland won the bronze medal with a 5–1 victory over Switzerland. All times local (CET/UTC+1). All times local (CET/UTC+1). France was relegated to Division I for the 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. † Overtime victory. ‡ Shootout victory. Minimum 40% of team's ice time. The following teams took part in the Division I tournament. This group played in Kapfenberg and Zeltweg, Austria between December 9 and December 15, 2001. Germany was promoted to the Top Division for the 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Due to a restructuring of the tournament, no team was relegated from Division I, which in the 2003 tournament consisted of 12 teams in 2 groups. The following teams took part in the Division II tournament. This group played in Zagreb, Croatia between December 30, 2001 and January 3, 2002. All times local (CET/UTC+1). Japan,  Denmark,  Latvia, and  Croatia were promoted to Division I for the 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Due to a restructuring of the tournament, no team was relegated from Division II, which in the 2003 tournament consisted of 12 teams in 2 groups. The following teams took part in the Division III tournament. This group played in Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia between January 5 and January 9, 2002. All times local (EET/UTC+2). Due to a restructuring of the tournament, all teams were promoted to Division II for the 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, which consisted of 12 teams in 2 groups.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["5–4"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["January 4, 2002"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Canada"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["December 25, 2001"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Ice Hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2002 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred as the 2002 World Junior Hockey Championships (2002 WJHC)"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Russia"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Pardubice and Hradec Králové, Czech Republic"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2005 IIHF World Championship Division II","document":"The 2005 IIHF World Championship Division II  was an international ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The tournament was contested from April 4 to April 16, 2005. Participants in this tournament were separated into two separate tournament groups. The Group A tournament was contested in Zagreb, Croatia. Group B's games were played in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro. Croatia and Israel finished atop of Group A and Group B respectively, gaining promotion to Division I for 2006. While Turkey finished last in Group A and Iceland last in Group B and were relegated to Division III for 2006. [1][2]\n\nAll times local. List shows the top ten skaters sorted by points, then goals. Source: IIHF.com\n\nOnly the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes are included in this list. Source: IIHF.com\n\nAll times local. List shows the top ten skaters sorted by points, then goals. Source: IIHF.com\n\nOnly the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes are included in this list. Source: IIHF.com","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["International Ice Hockey Federation"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["April 4 to April 16, 2005"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["ice hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2005 IIHF World Championship Division II"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Croatia and Israel"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Zagreb, Croatia","Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2008 European Junior Swimming Championships","document":"\nThe European Junior Swimming Championships is an annual swimming competition for European swimmers organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation and held over five days. [1] The competitor age for females was 15 to 16 years; for males it is 17 to 18 years until 2015. [1] From 2016 the competitor age is for females 14 to 17 years and for males 15 to 18 years. [2]\n\nUntil 1989 the European Junior Diving Championships was held together with European Junior Swimming Championships, and even since then has sometimes been co-hosted with the European Junior Swimming Championships, for example in Palma de Mallorca in 2006. A stand-alone European Junior Swimming Championships was not held in 2015; instead the junior swimming events formed the bulk aquatics program at the 2015 European Games. European Games champions and medalists for that year were simultaneously treated as champions and medalists of the European Junior Swimming Championships for the purposes of 2015. All records were set in finals unless noted otherwise. All times are swum in a long-course (50m) pool. (updated after the 2011 edition)","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":["five days"]},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the Ligue Européenne de Natation"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["swimming"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["European Junior Swimming Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2009 Summer Universiade","document":"The 2009 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXV Summer Universiade, was celebrated in Belgrade, Serbia from July 1 to 12, 2009. The event has also been organised by a range of co-host cities mostly in Vojvodina (Serbian Autonomous Province), close to Belgrade. It was the largest sporting event ever to be organised by the city. At this Universiade the biggest star was the Russian rhythmic gymnast Evgeniya Kanaeva, who won 5 gold medals. Russia was the leading nation in the medal table, with the most gold medals (27) and most medals (76). The bidding process for the 2009 Summer Universiade games began in early 2004. Together with Belgrade another two cities bid for the event – Monterrey in Mexico and Poznań in Poland. Working in Belgrade's favour were the various major sporting events the city was awarded to host in the upcoming 2005, 2006 and 2007 such as EuroBasket 2005, the 2005 European Volleyball Championship, the 2006 European Water Polo Championship, and the European Youth Olympic Festival 2007. Furthermore, the city launched two unsuccessful candidate bids to organize the Summer Olympic Games: for the 1992 Summer Olympics Belgrade was eliminated in the third round of International Olympic Committee voting, with the games going to Barcelona. The 1996 Summer Olympics ultimately went to Atlanta. [1][2]\n\nOn 10 January 2005 in Innsbruck, Austria, Belgrade was announced as the host of the 2009 Summer Universiade. The ceremony of the host city announcement was attended by the now deceased Belgrade mayor Nenad Bogdanović. The mascot of the 2009 Summer Universiade is a sparrow bird. The organisers chose the sparrow not only because of its symbolic ties to the host city but also because it represents a fast, dynamic and skillful bird, attributes needed for those competing at Universiade. The mascot received a new more modern look in 2009 and a competition began to name the Belgrade sparrow. The three final names for the sparrow were published in the Serbian media in April 2009, with the finalists being Srba, Cvrle and Dživdžan. The final voting was left to the 10,000 Universiade volunteers who overwhelmingly chose the name \"Srba\". [3]\n\nThe 2009 Summer Universiade took place in 69 venues across Belgrade and near bycities Inđija, Novi Sad, Obrenovac, Pančevo, Smederevo, Vršac and Zrenjanin. [4] Obrenovac hosted the water polo and volleyball competition, Inđija, Pančevo and Vršac the basketball, Novi Sad the athletics and volleyball, while Zrenjanin hosted the swimming competition. The venue for each sport can be found on the official website of the 2009 Summer Universiade in Belgrade. The opening and closing ceremonies took place at the Belgrade Arena, with a capacity of 20,000. A range of sports halls have undergone intense reconstruction to meet standards for the Universiade games. A number of venues were also newly constructed. Belgrade Arena\n\nRed Star Stadium\n\nBelgrade Fair\n\nSRC Tašmajdan\n\nSPENS (Novi Sad)\n\nMillennium Center (Vršac)\n\nThe Universiade Village was home to all athletes participating at the 2009 Summer Universiade games. Often referred to as Belville, the village has been newly built and comprises 14 buildings containing modern apartments. The Belville complex consists of a residential area comprising 120,000m², commercial and business facilities comprising 34,800m² and educational facilities comprising 6,100m². The complex also includes 22,000m² of office space. The Belville complex was completed in May 2009 and officially opened in June 2009. 2000 Apartments have been offered for sale in spring of 2008, and the new owners will be allowed to move in during October 2009. Each building has been named after a flower. They are Iris Marigold, Dandelion, Violet, Lily of the Valley, Sunflower, Mimosa, Cyclamen, Gillyflower, Syringa, Jacinth, Rose, Tulipa, and Lily. During the construction of the village it was the largest development site in the Balkans. It is located in New Belgrade with the closest venues to it being Belgrade Arena (basketball and table tennis), EXPO XXI (wrestling and taekwondo) and TK Gazela (tennis). 2009 Summer Universiade village\n\n2009 Summer Universiade village under construction. The host broadcaster of the 2009 Summer Universiade was Serbia's RTS, the national broadcasting corporation. It used its first and second channel to broadcast the games as well as its digital channel. The games were produced and broadcast in high definition television. Eurosport provided cable broadcasting to European nations. [5]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["12, 2009"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Belgrade","a range of co-host cities mostly in Vojvodina (Serbian Autonomous Province)"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["July 1"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2009 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXV Summer Universiade"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Evgeniya Kanaeva"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Belgrade, Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2011 Canoe Sprint European Championships","document":"The Canoe Sprint European Championships (or European Canoe Sprint Championships) is an international canoeing and kayaking event organized by the European Canoe Association (ECA). It was first held in 1933 in Prague under the auspices of the International Canoe Federation. In 1997, the European Championships were resumed, and now take place annually. The most titled athlete of the European Championships is Hungarian Katalin Kovács, who has 26 gold medals and 16 silver medals in her record. Among men, the number of wins is led by German Ronald Rauhe and Russian Maxim Opalev, who won the European championships 14 times. Source:[1]\n\nThe following table lists all the medals won by each nation since the 1933 edition. Exhibition events are not included in this ranking. 3 events in 2019 Paracanoe European Championships not included in the medal table due to lack of participation. This following table lists athletes that have won multiple medals since the 1997 edition (updated until 2011).","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["European Canoe Association (ECA)","International Canoe Federation"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["1933"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["canoeing and kayaking"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["Canoe Sprint European Championships (or European Canoe Sprint Championships)"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Ronald Rauhe","Maxim Opalev"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Prague"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2011 World Shotgun Championships","document":"The ISSF World Shooting Championships are governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. World Shooting Championships began in 1897, after the successful 1896 Summer Olympics, and although the ISSF was not founded until 1907, these early competitions are still seen by the organization as the beginning of a continuous row of championships. By this logic, the 2006 competition in Zagreb was called the 49th ISSF World Shooting Championships. These championships, including all ISSF shooting events, are held every four years since 1954. For the shotgun events only, there is an additional World Championship competition in odd-numbered years. These extra competitions are not numbered. In running target, there will be World Championships in Olympic years. The World Championships were held each year from 1897 to 1931, with the exception of the years 1915–1920 (interruption by World War I) and 1926. From 1933 to 1949, they were held biennially, although the 1941–1945 competitions were canceled (again, because of world war). The current schedule, with large World Championships only every four years, was adapted in 1954. Originally, 300 metre rifle (in various positions) was the only discipline on the programme, despite many other events having been included in the Olympics. In 1900, 50 metre pistol was added. This programme was in use until 1929, the only change being the addition of 300 metre army rifle, with mandatory use of the host nation's army weapon, in 1911. The 1929 championships in Stockholm saw the addition of most of the remaining events from the Olympic programme: 100 metre running deer, 50 metre rifle and trap. 25 metre rapid fire pistol had to wait until 1933. Immediately after World War II, 300 metre standard rifle (with more strict rules than 300 metre rifle but less than 300 metre army rifle) was added along with 25 metre center-fire pistol and skeet. There was also briefly a combined 50 and 100 m rifle competition. Specific women's events began to be slowly added from 1958, although women had previously, and at times successfully, been allowed to compete alongside the men. The last remaining army rifle event and 100 metre running deer were dropped in 1966, the latter in favour of 50 metre running target. 50 metre standard rifle was also added for both men and women, but was soon dropped for the men due to the similarity to 50 metre rifle. The 1970 World Championships in Phoenix added airgun events, 25 metre standard pistol and the mixed running target competition. 10 metre running target was added in 1981. For the 1994 competitions in Milan, a number of profound changes were made. First, junior competitions were added (like the senior championships, these are only held every four years); they had previously been tested in the special shotgun and airgun championships. Second, there were no longer medals awarded in single positions in the 300 metre and 50 metre rifle matches (except for the prone position, which has its own match). Third, double trap had been introduced five years earlier in Montecatini Terme and now made its way into the large championships. With only minor additions, the 1994 programme is still in use. Special shotgun championships were first held in 1934, and since 1959 they are held biennially so that in these events, there are either Olympic Games or World Championships each year. The original event was trap; skeet was added in 1950 and double trap in 1989. It was in this kind of championship that the first woman won a World Championship medal in shooting: Carola Mandel (USA) in 1950. Women got their own competitions in 1967. Running target events have been sporadically included; the last time was 1983. As a compensation for the 2005 loss of Olympic status for 10 metre running target however, it has been decided to hold provisional World Championships in 10 metre running target and 50 metre running target in Olympic years, starting in 2008. 5 Edition (1961, 1967, 1973, 1975, 1983) of shotgun and running target was held simultaneously. From 1979 to 1991, there were seven special airgun championships, including 10 metre air rifle, 10 metre air pistol and sometimes also 10 metre running target. This kind of championship has been discontinued. This table was calculated for the senior current events only. Last updated after 2009 World Running Target Championships. This table was calculated for the senior events only, including both current and discontinued events. Last updated after 2019 World Shotgun Championships. [1]\n\nIn this list the multiple medalists only individual of all-time who has won at least 7 gold medal. [2]\n\nIn this list the multiple medalists (individual and team) of all-time. [3]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["1897"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["shotgun"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["ISSF World Shooting Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":["1915–1920","1926","1941–1945 competitions were canceled"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":["(interruption by World War I","because of world war"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2012 European Women's Handball Championship","document":"The 2012 European Women's Handball Championship was held in Serbia from 4 to 16 December. Originally the tournament was scheduled to be held in the Netherlands but on 4 June 2012 the Dutch Handball Federation withdrew from the organization. Subsequently, the European Handball Federation (EHF) launched a new bidding process and eventually selected Serbia as the new host on 18 June 2012. Montenegro captured their first title by defeating defending champion Norway 34–31 in the final. [1]\n\nInitially on its meeting on 27 September 2008 the EHF awarded the championship to the Netherlands, beating the bids of Germany and Serbia. [2] This could have been the second time for Netherlands to host the tournament,[3] however, on 4 June 2012 the Dutch Handball Federation announced they are unable to organize the European Championship. [4] A day later the EHF re-launched the host selection process;[5] ten nations had shown interest in organizing the competition, including Croatia, Denmark, Iceland, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Sweden. [6] Romania added their interest the day after. [7] On 18 June 2012 the EHF granted the organizational rights to Serbia and also disposed of the fate of the Dutch national team. Since Serbia, the new host already qualified for the European Championship, the place reserved for the host nation was passed to Iceland as the best non-qualified team and the Netherlands were pulled out from the tournament. [5]\n\nFive venues in four cities had been selected to host the matches:[8]\n\n\n\nQualification matches were played from September 2011 to June 2012. Following the new system introduced for the 2010 Men's Championship, all teams were included in the qualification round, except Netherlands who were hosts before the withdrawal. [4] Teams were divided in 7 groups and the two top ranked teams from each group qualified. 12 referee pairs were selected:[10]\n\n\n\n\n\nThe draw was scheduled to be held on 6 June 2012 at 14:00 local time in Rotterdam, Netherlands. [11] The draw procedure was announced on 15 May. [12][13] It was canceled because of the withdrawal of the Dutch Handball Federation. [4] The draw was rescheduled to 22 June 2012 in Monaco. [5] The pots were new assigned due to the removal of the Netherlands and the addition of Iceland. [14]\n\nThe draw was held on 22 June 2012. [15] The playing schedule was released on 13 July. [16][17]\n\nAll times are local (UTC+1). FT: 33–33 ET: 8–5 \n\nFT: 24–24 ET: 4–4, 3–6 \n\n\n\n\n\nSource: SportResult.com\n\n\n\nSource: SportResult.com","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["34–31"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["16 December"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Serbia"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Norway"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["4"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Women's Handball"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2012 European Women's Handball Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Montenegro"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2013 World Women's Handball Championship","document":"\n\nThe 2013 World Women's Handball Championship, the 21st event hosted by the International Handball Federation, was held in Serbia on 6–22 December 2013. [1]\n\nBrazil defeated Serbia 22–20 in the final to capture their first title and thus becoming the first nation from the Americas and only the second non-European country (after South Korea) to win the title. [2]\n\nFive venues in four cities had been selected to host the matches:[1]\n\n\n\nSouth Korea was the other applicant for the championship. [citation needed] The decision to select Serbia as the host was announced on 2 October 2010. [citation needed]\n\nThe draw was held on 15 June 2013 at 11:30 local time. [3][4]\n\nAll times are local (UTC+1). [5]\n\nTwenty-four participating teams were placed in the following four groups. After playing a round-robin, the top four teams in each group advanced to the Knockout stage. The last two teams in each group played placement matches. If two or more teams have finished tied on an equal number of points, the finishing positions were set to be determined by the following tie-breaking criteria in the following order\n\nFT: 18–18 Pen: 5–3 \n\nFT: 26–26 ET: 3–3, 4–2 \n\nThe final was played at the Kombank Arena between Brazil and the host Serbia and was attended by 19,467 spectators. [8][9] Referees of the match were Spain's Andreu Marín and Ignacio García. It was the first final ever for both teams with Brazil's previous best result being fifth place at the 2011 World Championship and third place for Serbia at the 2001 World Championship (then as FR Yugoslavia). Both teams advanced to the final after playing in Group B of the group stage with Brazil winning their match in the third round 25–23. On the way to the final in the knockout stage Brazil defeated the Netherlands, Hungary and Denmark, while Serbia won its matches against South Korea, Norway and Poland. The game started with an early 3–1 lead for the Brazilians, but Serbia came from behind to level the result and took control of the match with an 8–6 lead. Serbian players had the last lead in the match at 10–9 before Brazil went on with a 4–0 run to take a three-goals lead 13–10. The Serbian team scored before halftime to make it 13–11 at the break. In the second half, Brazil started furiously scoring three goals in a row to extend the lead to a margin of five making the result 16–11 in their favour. The Serbians did not give up and managed to cut their opponent's comfortable lead to only one goal with a 4–0 series. One of the driving forces for the comeback was the goalkeeper Katarina Tomašević who saved two penalties in one minute. [9] The final entered with a tied result at 19–19 in the last four minutes. Brazil scored to take the lead, which was answered with an equaliser brought by Andrea Lekić to make it 20–20. However, the Brazilian team took the lead once again and after Dragana Cvijić missed to score for her team, Ana Paula Rodrigues scored to finish the match and set the final result 22–20. [8][9] Alexandra do Nascimento with six and Cvijić with five goals were the best scorers for the both finalists. Brazil became the first South American country to win the World Women's Handball Championship and only the second non-European (after South Korea) to do so. [10]\n\nAccording to the IHF. [11]\n\nBrazilFirst title\n\nTeam roster: Fabiana Diniz, Alexandra do Nascimento, Samira Rocha, Daniela Piedade, Amanda de Andrade, Fernanda da Silva, Ana Paula Rodrigues, Bárbara Arenhart, Elaine Gomes, Mayssa Pessoa, Karoline de Souza, Eduarda Amorim, Deborah Nunes, Mariana Costa, Mayara Moura, Deonise Cavaleiro.Head Coach: Morten Soubak. Chosen by team officials and IHF experts: IHF.info\n\n\n\nSource: IHF.info\n\nSource: IHF.info","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["22–20","3–1","8–6","10–9","4–0","13–10","13–11","16–11","19–19","20–20"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["22 December 2013"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Serbia"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Serbia","South Korea, Norway and Poland","Netherlands, Hungary and Denmark"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["6"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2013 World Women's Handball Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Brazil"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2014 IIHF World Championship Division II","document":"\n\nThe 2014 IIHF World Championship Division II was a pair of international Ice hockey tournaments organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Group A was contested in Belgrade, Serbia, running from 9 to 15 April 2014 and Group B was contested in Jaca, Spain, running from 5 to 11 April 2014. [1] Divisions II A and II B represent the fourth and the fifth tier of the Ice Hockey World Championships. All times are local (UTC+2). Source: IIHF.com\n\nList shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals. GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalties in Minutes; POS = PositionSource: IIHF.com\n\nOnly the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list. TOI = Time on Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = ShutoutsSource: IIHF.com\n\nAll times are local (UTC+2). Source: IIHF.com\n\nList shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals. GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalties in Minutes; POS = PositionSource: IIHF.com\n\nOnly the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list. TOI = Time on Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = ShutoutsSource: IIHF.com","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["15 April 2014","11 April 2014"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["International Ice Hockey Federation"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["9","5"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2014 IIHF World Championship Division II"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Belgrade, Serbia","Jaca, Spain"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2016 Euro Beach Soccer Cup","document":"The 2016 Euro Beach Soccer Cup was the fifteenth edition of the Euro Beach Soccer Cup, one of Europe's main, regular international beach soccer championships, organised every two years by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW). It was held in June 2016, in Belgrade, Serbia, the first time the country has hosted and played in a BSWW sanctioned event. [1]\n\nEight nations took part which were the best nations in Europe based on their finish in last years 2015 Euro Beach Soccer League, plus hosts Serbia. France, however, pulled out and were replaced by Hungary. The competition reverted to being a straight knock-out tournament instead of involving a group stage first as in the previous edition in 2014, with classifying matches to determine the final standings of those who didn't reach the final. Spain were the defending champions, accepting the invitation to play, but lost in the quarter finals, ultimately finishing seventh. Portugal won the championship, claiming their seventh crown, their first in 10 years. Italy reached their first final, finishing as runners-up. The following teams took part in the tournament. [2]\n\nAll times are CEST (UTC+2)\n\nMain tournament bracket\n\nClassification matches\n\nThe winners proceeded on in the main tournament into the semi-finals. The losers progressed into a series of classifying matches to determine the standings of fifth down to eighth place. The losers of the classifying semi finals contested 7th place. The winners of the classifying semi finals contested 5th place. The losers of the main tournament semi finals contested 3rd place. The winners of the main tournament semi finals contested the championship final.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW)","Serbia"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Eight nations"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["June 2016"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2016 Euro Beach Soccer Cup"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Portugal"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Belgrade, Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2016 Women's European Water Polo Championship","document":"The 2016 Men's European Water Polo Championship was held in Belgrade, Serbia. [3][4]\n\nSerbia won their seventh, and third straight, title by defeating the Montenegro 10–8 in the final. Hungary captured the bronze medal after a 13–10 win over Greece. [2]\n\nFor the first time, the tournament will be contested by 16 countries (12 previously). The 16 teams qualified as follows:\n\nThe 16 teams were split into four groups of four teams. All teams advance to the knockout stage, from which on a knockout-system will be used to determine the final positions.. The draw was held on 4 October 2015. [5][6]\n\n Serbia Italy Montenegro Hungary\n\n Croatia Spain Greece Romania\n\n Netherlands France Russia Germany\n\n Georgia Malta Turkey Slovakia\n\nAll times are local (UTC+1). [7]\n\nSource: wpbelgrade2016.microplustiming.com","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["10–8"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Serbia Italy Montenegro Hungary\n\n Croatia Spain Greece Romania\n\n Netherlands France Russia Germany\n\n Georgia Malta Turkey Slovakia","16 countries"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2016 Men's European Water Polo Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Belgrade, Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2017 IIHF World U18 Championship Division II","document":"The 2017 IIHF U18 World Championship was the 19th IIHF World U18 Championship and was hosted by Poprad and Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia. The tournament was played from 13 to 23 April 2017. Finland entered the tournament as the defending champions and once again advanced to the final, but this time they lost to the United States. All times are local. (Central European Summer Time – UTC+02:00)\n\nThe four best ranked teams from each group of the preliminary round advance to the quarterfinals, while the last placed team from both groups plays a relegation round in a best of three format to determine the relegated team. [1]\n\nList shows the top ten skaters sorted by points, then goals. GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalties In MinutesSource: IIHF.com\n\nOnly the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes are included in this list. TOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = ShutoutsSource: IIHF.com\n\nMost Valuable Player\n\nAll-star team\n\nSource: IIHF.com \n\nIIHF best player awards\n\nSource: IIHF.com \n\nThe Division I A tournament was played in Bled, Slovenia, from 7 to 13 April 2017. The Division I B tournament will be played in Bled, Slovenia, from 15 to 21 April 2017. The Division II A tournament was played in Gangneung, South Korea, from 2 to 8 April 2017. The Division II B tournament was played in Belgrade, Serbia, from 13 to 19 March 2017. Australia achieved the unusual distinction of being promoted in consecutive years. The Division III A tournament was played in Taipei, Taiwan, from 21 to 27 March 2017. The Division III B tournament was played in Mexico City, Mexico, from 17 to 19 March 2017.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["23 April 2017"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Poprad and Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["13"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2017 IIHF U18 World Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["the United States"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2018 EuroLeague Final Four","document":"The 2018 EuroLeague Final Four was the concluding EuroLeague Final Four tournament of the 2017–18 EuroLeague season, the 61st season of Europe's premier club basketball tournament, and the 18th season since it was organised by Euroleague Basketball. It was the 31st Final Four of the modern EuroLeague Final Four era (1988–present), and the 33rd time overall that the competition had concluded with a final four format. The Final Four was played at the Štark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, on 18 and 20 May 2018. [2]\n\nOn 26 October 2016 Euroleague Basketball announced that the Final Four would be held in the Štark Arena in Belgrade. [2] It is designed as a universal hall for sports, cultural events and other programs. It was the first time the EuroLeague Final Four was hosted in Belgrade, or in the country of Serbia. The Arena's total floor area is 48,000 square metres. For sports, it has a regular seating capacity for fans of 18,386, and also has 70 luxury boxes, which include a total of 860 seats. [3] The arena's cost was estimated at €70 million. [4] Štark Arena is a member of the European Arenas Association (EAA). [5]\n\nCSKA Moscow finished the regular season as the number one seed, after having a 24–6 record. In the quarter-finals, the team played another Russian side in Khimki. CSKA won the series 3–1 over Khimki, after a controversial 88–89 win in Game 4. [6] In the United League season, CSKA was in second place while battling for the first seed. Fenerbahçe finished second in the regular season and defeated Kirolbet Baskonia in the quarter-finals. Fenerbahçe reached the Final Four for a fourth straight year. Head coach Željko Obradović had the opportunity to win his tenth EuroLeague title, a record for most titles by a coach. Madrid battled injuries during the regular season, as Sergio Llull, Ognjen Kuzmić and Rudy Fernández missed most of the games. As a five-seed, the team beat Panathinaikos in a controversial quarterfinal series, 1–3. The star player for Madrid during the season was Luka Dončić, who led the league in Performance Index Rating (PIR), and was later a top-three pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Dončić's games during the Final Four were televised in the United States, by NBA TV. In the 2017–18 ACB season, Real Madrid was the number one seed. In the regular season, Žalgiris qualified as the sixth seed. Žalgiris won the series over favored Olympiacos, 3–1. For EuroLeague Legend Šarūnas Jasikevičius, this was his first visit to the Final Four as a head coach and also for the club since 1999. In its domestic LKL season, the club dominated as well, as it was in a secure first seed. Russian champions CSKA Moscow returned to the Final Four to make it their seventh consecutive semi-final appearance. CSKA guard Sergio Rodríguez would play the semi-final against his former club, which he won the EuroLeague title with in 2015, as well as the EuroLeague MVP award in 2014. Real Madrid would play its fourth Final Four in five years. The match would be a re-match of the 2017 third-place game. During the regular season, both teams won their respective games at home, with this game being considered a Real Madrid home game. 0\n\nDefending champions Fenerbahçe Doğuş returned to the Final Four to make it their third straight appearance. Led by head coach Željko Obradović, the all-time record holder for most EuroLeague championships won by a head coach, it defeated Kirolbet Baskonia 1–3 in the quarter-finals, to clinch a semi-final spot. Žalgiris Kaunas qualified for its first Final Four in 20 years, as the last time the team participated was in 1999, where it claimed the championship as well. The club beat Olympiacos 3–1 in the play-offs, despite not having home court advantage. 0\n\n\n\n0\n\n\n\n0","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["20 May 2018"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":["CSKA guard Sergio Rodríguez"]},{"role":"Start Time","values":["18"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2018 EuroLeague Final Four"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Štark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division II","document":"\n\nThe 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Division II consisted of two tiered groups of six teams each: the fourth-tier Division IIA and the fifth-tier Division IIB. For each tier, the team which placed first was promoted to the next highest division, while the team which placed last was relegated to a lower division. The tournaments were a round-robin tournament format, with two points allotted for a win, one additional point for a regulation win, and one point for an overtime or game winning shots loss. To be eligible as a junior, a player cannot be born earlier than 1998. Division IIA was held in Dumfries, United Kingdom, while Division IIB was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia. The Division IIA tournament was played in Dumfries, United Kingdom, from 10 to 16 December 2017. As a result of the tournament, Japan was promoted to Division IB, and the Netherlands was relegated to Division IIB. All times are local (UTC). GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes\nSource: IIHF\n\n(minimum 40% team's total ice time)\n\nTOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts\nSource: IIHF \n\nThe Division II B tournament was played in Belgrade, Serbia, from 10 to 16 January 2018. As a result of the tournament, Spain was promoted to Division IIA, and Turkey was relegated to Division III. All times are local (UTC+1). (minimum 40% team's total ice time)","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["16 December 2017"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["the fourth-tier Division IIA and the fifth-tier Division IIB"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["10"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Division II"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Japan","Spain"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Dumfries, United Kingdom","Belgrade, Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2019 FINA Men's Water Polo World League","document":"The 2019 FINA Men's Water Polo World League was the 18th edition of the annual men's international water polo tournament. It was played between October 2018 and June 2019 and opened to all men's water polo national teams. After participating in a preliminary round, eight teams qualified to play in a final tournament, called the Super Final from 18–23 June 2019. [1][2][3]\n\nIn the world league, there are specific rules that do not allow matches to end in a draw. If teams are level at the end of the 4th quarter of any world league match, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout. Teams earn points in the standings in group matches as follows:\n\nSource:[4]\n\nSource:[5]\n\nAll times are UTC+2. All times are UTC+2. All times are UTC+2. Source:[6]\n\n\n\n\n\nGojko Pijetlović, Dušan Mandić, Ognjen Stojanović, Sava Ranđelović, Miloš Ćuk, Duško Pijetlović, Nemanja Vico, Milan Aleksić, Nikola Jakšić, Filip Filipović , Andrija Prlainović, Stefan Mitrović, Branislav Mitrović, Radomir Drašović, Strahinja Rašović. Head coach: Dejan Savić.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["June 2019"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["all men's water polo national teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["October 2018"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["men's international water polo"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2019 FINA Men's Water Polo World League"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2019 IIHF World U18 Championship Division II","document":"The 2019 IIHF U18 World Championship Division II were two international under-18 ice hockey tournaments organised by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The Division II A and Division II B tournaments represent the fourth and the fifth tier of the IIHF World U18 Championship. The Division II A tournament was played in Elektrėnai, Lithuania, from 7 to 13 April 2019. [1]\n\nAll times are local. (Eastern European Summer Time – UTC+3)\n\nSource: IIHF \n\nThe Division II B tournament was played in Belgrade, Serbia, from 25 to 31 March 2019. [2]\n\nAll times are local. (to 30 March: Central European Time – UTC+1, 31 March: Central European Summer Time – UTC+2)\n\nSource: IIHF","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["13 April 2019","31 March 2019"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["7","25"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["ice hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2019 IIHF U18 World Championship Division II","The Division II A and Division II B tournaments","The Division II B tournament","The Division II A tournament"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Elektrėnai, Lithuania","Belgrade, Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"UEFA Euro 1976 final tournament","document":"\n\nThe 1976 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Yugoslavia. This was the fifth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 16 and 20 June 1976. Only four countries played in the final tournament, with the tournament consisting of the semi-finals, a third place play-off, and the final. This was the last tournament to have this format, as the tournament was expanded to include eight teams four years later. It was the only time that all four matches in the final tournament were decided after extra time, either on penalties or by goals scored. This was also the last tournament in which the hosts had to qualify for the final stage. Czechoslovakia won the tournament after defeating holders West Germany in the final on penalties following a 2–2 draw after extra time. Antonín Panenka gained fame for his delicately chipped penalty which won the tournament for Czechoslovakia, the country's first European Championship title. [1]\n\nThe qualifying round was played throughout 1974 and 1975 (group phase) and 1976 (quarter-finals). There were eight qualifying groups of four teams each. The matches were played in a home-and-away basis. Victories were worth two points, draws one point, and defeats no points. Only group winners could qualify for the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals were played in two legs on a home-and-away basis. The winners of the quarter-finals would go through, to the final tournament. This was the first time the Soviet Union did not qualify for the finals tournament. At the final tournament, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. All times are local, CET (UTC+1). There were 19 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 4.75 goals per match. 4 goals\n\n2 goals\n\n1 goal\n\n1 own goal","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["16 and 20 June 1976"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Only four countries played in the final tournament"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1976 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Czechoslovakia"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Yugoslavia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"EuroBasket 1961","document":"\n\nThe 1961 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1961, was the twelfth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Eighteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) entered the competition. The competition was hosted by Yugoslavia. The event was held at the Beograd City Fair. [1]\n\n\n\n1. Soviet Union: Jānis Krūmiņš, Gennadi Volnov, Valdis Muižnieks, Maigonis Valdmanis, Viktor Zubkov, Armenak Alachachian, Yuri Korneev, Vladimir Ugrekhelidze, Aleksander Petrov, Aleksander Kandel, Viacheslav Novikov, Albert Valtin (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)\n\n2. Yugoslavia: Radivoj Korać, Ivo Daneu, Slobodan Gordić, Radovan Radović, Nemanja Đurić, Vital Eiselt, Sreten Dragojlović, Marjan Kandus, Miha Lokar, Miodrag Nikolić, Zvonko Petričević, Željko Troskot (Coach: Aleksandar Nikolić)\n\n3. Bulgaria: Viktor Radev, Mincho Dimov, Ljubomir Panov, Georgi Panov, Atanas Atanasov, Ilija Mirchev, Petko Lazarov, Tsvetko Savov, Khristo Tsvetkov, Khristo Donev, Radko Zlatev, Stefan Stojkov (Coach: Veselin Temkov)\n\n4. France: Jean-Paul Beugnot, Henri Grange, Christian Baltzer, Bernard Mayeur, Michel Rat, Lucien Sedat, Jerome Christ, Michel House, Michel le Ray, Andre Goisbault, Jean-Claude Vergne, Andre Souvre (Coach: André Buffière)","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Yugoslavia"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Eighteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1961 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1961"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Beograd City Fair"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"EuroBasket 1975","document":"The 1975 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1975, was the nineteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. 1. Yugoslavia: Krešimir Ćosić, Dražen Dalipagić, Mirza Delibašić, Dragan Kićanović, Zoran Slavnić, Nikola Plećaš, Željko Jerkov, Vinko Jelovac, Damir Šolman, Rato Tvrdić, Rajko Žižić, Dragan Kapičić (Coach: Mirko Novosel)\n\n2. Soviet Union: Sergei Belov, Alexander Belov, Ivan Edeshko, Alzhan Zharmukhamedov, Mikheil Korkia, Aleksander Sidjakin, Valeri Miloserdov, Yuri Pavlov, Aleksander Boloshev, Aleksander Salnikov, Vladimir Zhigili, Aleksander Bolshakov (Coach: Vladimir Kondrashin)\n\n3. Italy: Dino Meneghin, Pierluigi Marzorati, Carlo Recalcati, Renzo Bariviera, Renato Villalta, Ivan Bisson, Lorenzo Carraro, Fabrizio della Fiori, Marino Zanatta, Gianni Bertolotti, Giulio Iellini, Vittorio Ferracini (Coach: Giancarlo Primo)\n\n4. Spain: Juan Antonio Corbalán, Wayne Brabender, Clifford Luyk, Rafael Rullan, Luis Miguel Santillana, Manuel Flores, Carmelo Cabrera, Cristóbal Rodríguez, Jesus Iradier, Miguel Angel Lopez Abril, Juan Filba, Miguel Angel Estrada (Coach: Antonio Díaz-Miguel)","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["FIBA Europe"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1975 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1975"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"EuroBasket Women 1954","document":"The 1954 European Women's Basketball Championship was the 4th regional championship held by FIBA Europe for women. The competition was held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and took place June 4–13, 1954. The Soviet Union clinched their third consecutive gold medal, with Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria winning silver and bronze, respectively. The teams where divided in two groups of three and one group of four. The first two from each group would go to the Final Round that determined the first six places. The remaining teams went to the Classification Round to determine the seventh-to-tenth spots.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["13, 1954"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["FIBA Europe"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["June 4"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1954 European Women's Basketball Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["The Soviet Union"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Belgrade, Yugoslavia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"EuroBasket 2005","document":"\n\nThe 2005 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2005, was the 34th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. It also served as Europe qualifier for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, giving a berth to the top six teams in the final standings. It was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Sixteen national teams entered the event under the auspices of FIBA Europe, the sport's regional governing body. The cities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Podgorica and Vršac hosted the tournament. It was the third time that the championship was hosted by the city of Belgrade (previous times were in 1961 and 1975). Greece won its second FIBA European title by defeating Germany with a 78–62 score in the final. Germany's Dirk Nowitzki was voted the tournament's MVP. Belgrade, the capital of Serbia and Montenegro, was the main stage of the EuroBasket 2005 action. The Pionir Hall hosted Group C's six preliminary round games, while the Belgrade Arena hosted the competition following the preliminary round. This was the third time that championship was hosted by the city of Belgrade. Belgrade previously hosted the European basketball championships in 1961 and 1975. Podgorica's Morača Sports Center hosted Group B, where six games were played. Being in Montenegro, it is the farthest locale from the central venue. Novi Sad, nicknamed \"The City of Sports\", is the capital of province of Vojvodina and home to the Spens Sports Center. The six Group D games were played there. Vršac was home to Group A during the tournament, and also had a total of six games played in the 5,000-person capacity Millennium Center. Of the sixteen teams that participated in EuroBasket 2005, hosts Serbia and Montenegro the top four teams from EuroBasket 2003, Lithuania, Spain, Italy and Greece qualified directly. Greece took the place of the French team, which was the fourth-placed team in EuroBasket 2003. The other eleven teams earned their berths via a qualifying tournament. Germany\n Italy\n Russia\n Ukraine\n\n Bulgaria\n Croatia\n Lithuania\n Turkey\n\n Bosnia and Herzegovina\n France\n Greece\n Slovenia\n\n Israel\n Latvia\n Serbia and Montenegro\n Spain\n\nAt the start of tournament, all 16 participating countries had 12 players on their roster. Points[3]\n\n\n\nRebounds[4]\n\n\n\nAssists[5]\n\n\n\nSteals[6]\n\n\n\nBlocks[7]\n\n\n\nMinutes[8]\n\n\n\nOffensive PPG[9]\n\n\n\nRebounds[10]\n\n\n\nAssists[11]\n\n\n\nSteals[12]\n\n\n\nBlocks[13]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["25 September 2005"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["FIBA Europe","Belgrade, Novi Sad, Podgorica and Vršac","Serbia and Montenegro","The Pionir Hall"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Germany\n Italy\n Russia\n Ukraine\n\n Bulgaria\n Croatia\n Lithuania\n Turkey\n\n Bosnia and Herzegovina\n France\n Greece\n Slovenia\n\n Israel\n Latvia\n Serbia and Montenegro\n Spain","Sixteen national teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":["Germany's Dirk Nowitzki"]},{"role":"Start Time","values":["16 September"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2005 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2005"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Greece"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Montenegro","Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2019 IIHF World Championship Division II","document":"The 2019 IIHF World Championship Division II was an international ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The Group A tournament was held in Belgrade, Serbia, from 9 to 15 April, and the Group B tournament in México City, Mexico, from 21 to 27 April 2019. [1]\n\nSerbia and Israel won the Group A and B tournaments, and were promoted, while Belgium and North Korea finished last and were relegated. [2] Israel's Eliezer Sherbatov was the scoring leader, with 15 points. 4 referees and 7 linesmen were selected for the tournament. [3]\n\n\n\n\n\nAll times are local (UTC+2). Source: IIHF.com\n\nList shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals. GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalties in Minutes; POS = Position\nSource: IIHF.com\n\nOnly the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list. TOI = Time on Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts\nSource: IIHF.com\n\n4 referees and 7 linesmen were selected for the tournament. [4]\n\n\n\n\n\nAll times are local (UTC−5). Source: IIHF.com\n\nList shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals. GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalties in Minutes; POS = Position\nSource: IIHF.com\n\nOnly the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list. TOI = Time on Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts\nSource: IIHF.com","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["15 points"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["15 April"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":["21 to 27 April 2019"]},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the International Ice Hockey Federation"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Serbia"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["9"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2019 IIHF World Championship Division II","the Group B tournament","The Group A tournament"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Serbia and Israel"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Belgrade, Serbia","México City, Mexico"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Belgrade","document":"The 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Turin was one of three 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for Men. The tournament was held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy, from 4 to 9 July 2016. The national teams of Greece, Mexico, Iran, Tunisia, Croatia, and hosts Italy were drawn into the tournament. Croatia qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics after defeating hosts Italy in the final. The Pala Alpitour was chosen as the main venue for the tournament. The arena hosted the ice hockey events at the 2006 Winter Olympics\n\nThe following referees were selected for the tournament. [7]\n\nAll times are local (UTC+2).","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["9 July 2016"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Italy"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Greece, Mexico, Iran, Tunisia, Croatia, and hosts Italy"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["4"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Croatia"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments","document":"The 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments were the four basketball tournaments that were contested by 23 national teams, where the top teams earned a place in the 2020 Summer Olympics basketball tournament. They were originally scheduled to take place from 23 to 28 June 2020 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to 29 June to 4 July 2021. [2]\n\nThe cities of Victoria, Split, Kaunas and Belgrade hosted the tournaments. [3]\n\nThere were four qualifying tournaments, each producing a team which was qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The format consisted of 24 national teams divided into four tournaments of six teams each, with the winning team from each event qualifying for the Olympics. The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments included the 16 best-placed non-qualified teams from the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and two highest-ranked countries per region in the FIBA World Ranking. On 19 September 2019, FIBA announced those teams, which are Angola and Senegal (Africa), Mexico and Uruguay (Americas), China and Korea (Asia-Oceania), and Croatia and Slovenia (Europe). New Zealand initially qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament by virtue of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. On 26 February 2021, Basketball New Zealand announced that they would pull out of the tournament. On the same day, FIBA announced that they would be replaced by the Philippines as the next-best team from the Asia-Oceania region in FIBA World Rankings. [4][5]\n\nSenegal had been initially included in the Belgrade Tournament, but it was forced to withdraw before the start due to several COVID-19 positive cases, and not being replaced by any team, lowering the number of participants to 23. [6]\n\nThe draw for the Olympic qualifiers took place at The House of Basketball in Mies, Switzerland on 27 November 2019. [7][8]\n\nThe latest ranking before the draw served as the basis to determine the pots for the draw (seeding in brackets). In each tournament, group A consists of one team each from pots 1, 4 and 5, while group B consists of one team each from pots 2, 3 and 6. [9]\n\n Serbia (6) Greece (7) Lithuania (8) Russia (9)\n\n Czech Republic (10) Brazil (11) Italy (12) Poland (13)\n\n Croatia (14) Turkey (15) Slovenia (16) Puerto Rico (17)\n\n Germany (18) Dominican Republic (19) Venezuela (20) Canada (21)\n\n Mexico (25) China (26) South Korea (30) Philippines (31)\n\n Angola (32) Tunisia (33) Senegal (35) Uruguay (43)","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["4 July 2021"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Victoria, Split, Kaunas and Belgrade"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Angola and Senegal (Africa), Mexico and Uruguay (Americas), China and Korea (Asia-Oceania), and Croatia and Slovenia (Europe)","Serbia (6) Greece (7) Lithuania (8) Russia (9)\n\n Czech Republic (10) Brazil (11) Italy (12) Poland (13)\n\n Croatia (14) Turkey (15) Slovenia (16) Puerto Rico (17)\n\n Germany (18) Dominican Republic (19) Venezuela (20) Canada (21)\n\n Mexico (25) China (26) South Korea (30) Philippines (31)\n\n Angola (32) Tunisia (33) Senegal (35) Uruguay (43)","Philippines","23 national teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["29 June"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":["23 to 28 June 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":["due to the COVID-19 pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"W.A.K.O. World Championships 2001 (Belgrade)","document":"W.A.K.O. World Championships 2001 were the joint thirteenth world kickboxing championships (the other was held earlier that year in Maribor, Slovenia) hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization. It was the second championships to be held in Serbia and Montenegro (the Europeans had been held here back in 1996) and was open to amateur men and women across the world. There were three styles on offer at Belgrade; Full-Contact, Low-Kick (men only) and Thai-Boxing (men only). The other typical styles, Semi Contact, Musical Forms etc., had taken place at the sister event in Maribor. By the end of the championships Russia was the strongest nation overall, followed by Belarus in second and hosts Serbia and Montenegro in third. The event was held over five days in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, starting on Wednesday, 21 November and finishing on Sunday, 25 November 2001. [1][2]\n\nFull-Contact is a form of kickboxing where both punches and kicks are thrown with full force with strikes below the waist prohibited. Most matches are settled by either a point's decision or referee stoppage and like most other amateur contact sports, head and body protection is compulsory. More detail on Full-Contact rules can be found on the W.A.K.O. website. At Belgrade both men and women took part in the style with the men having twelve divisions ranging from 51 kg/112.2 lbs to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs, and the women had seven ranging from 48 kg/105.6 lbs to over 70 kg/+143 lbs. [3]  Notable winners included was Roman Romanchuk who would also have some success in amateur boxing and Fouad Habbani who made the successful transition to Full-Contact having won gold in Light-Contact at Maribor. By the end of the championship Russia was by far the most successful country in the category winning seven golds and six bronzes in both male and female competition. [4]\n\nLow-kick is a style of kickboxing which is similar to Full-Contact, allowed strikes (punches and kicks) to be thrown at full force, with the only difference being that strikes are also allowed to the legs of the opponent. Fights are mainly won by a point's decision or by a referee stoppage, with head and body protection mandatory for all contestants. More details on the rules can be found at the W.A.K.O. website. [5]  At Belgrade the category was open to men only with twelve weight divisions ranging from 51 kg/112.2 lbs to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs. The most notable gold medallist was Ivan Strugar who won yet another gold medal (sixth overall) at a W.A.K.O. championships, while future K-1 MAX and Superleague fighters (and brothers) José Reis and Luis Reis won bronze. By the end of the championships the host nation Yugoslavia was the strongest country in Low-Kick winning five gold, one silver and one bronze. [6]\n\nThai-boxing (more commonly known as Muay Thai is the most physical style of kickboxing in which the contestants use punches, kicks, elbows and knees to attempt to defeat their opponent, often by referee stoppage or via a point's decision. As with other forms of amateur kickboxing, participants must wear head and body protection. At Belgrade the category was open to men only with twelve weight divisions ranging from 51 kg/112.2 lbs to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs. Notable winners included Andrei Kulebin winning the first of what would later be many world titles and future It's Showtime 77 MAX world champion Dmitry Shakuta. As with the last world championships Belarus proved to be absolutely dominant once more in Thai-boxing, going one better this time by picking up an incredible nine gold medals. [7]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["Sunday, 25 November 2001"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":["five days"]},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Serbia and Montenegro","the W.A.K.O. organization"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["open to amateur men and women across the world"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["Wednesday, 21 November"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Semi Contact, Musical Forms etc.","Full-Contact, Low-Kick (men only) and Thai-Boxing (men only)","Light-Contact"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["W.A.K.O. World Championships 2001"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Belarus","Russia","Andrei Kulebin"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Serbia and Montenegro"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1982 Men's World Open Squash Championship","document":"\n\nThe 1982 Audi Men's World Open Squash Championship is the men's edition of the 1982 World Open, which serves as the individual world championship for squash players. The event took place in the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham in England from the quarter final stage onwards. The event lasted from 6 November until 16 November 1982. Jahangir Khan won his second consecutive World Open title, defeating Dean Williams in the final. The early rounds were held at squash clubs throughout cities and towns in Britain including matches in Colwyn Bay, Blackpool, Bradford, Leeds, Wanstead, Basingstoke, Ilkeston and Colchester. The tournament was held at the NEC in Birmingham from the quarter finals stage. [1]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["16 November 1982"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["6 November"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["squash"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1982 Audi Men's World Open Squash Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Jahangir Khan"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham in England"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1987 European Athletics Junior Championships","document":"\n\nThe European Athletics U20 Championships (formerly named the European Athletics Junior Championships up to 2015) are the European championships for athletes who are under-20 athletes, which is the age range recognised by the IAAF as junior athletes. The event is currently organized by the European Athletic Association. The history of the biennial athletics competition stems from the European Junior Games, which was first held in 1964. The event was first sanctioned by the continental governing body, the European Athletic Association at the following edition in 1966 and after a third edition under the games moniker it was renamed to its current title. [1][2]\n\nMedal table includes 1970–2021 Championships. Medal table includes 1964–1968 Championships.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["athletes who are under-20 athletes"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["1964"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["European Athletics U20 Championships (formerly named the European Athletics Junior Championships up to 2015)"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1987 Men's World Open Squash Championship","document":"\n\nThe 1987 ICI Perspex Men's World Open Squash Championship is the men's edition of the 1987 World Open, which serves as the individual world championship for squash players. The event took place in Birmingham in England from 11 to 20 October 1987. Jansher Khan won his first World Open title, defeating Chris Dittmar in the final. [1]\n\nJansher Khan won the first of eight world titles. Gamal Awad received a one-year ban for a physical assault upon the referee Paul Danby. The assault took place during the first round match between Awad and Cerryg Jones.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["20 October 1987"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["11"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1987 ICI Perspex Men's World Open Squash Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Jansher Khan"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Birmingham in England"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1999 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final","document":"\n\nThe 1998–99 season of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup club tournament was the last season of the competition before it was abolished. Lazio won the final against Mallorca to earn their only title in the competition. Chelsea were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the semi-finals by Mallorca. TH Title Holders\n\nRudar Velenje won 2–0 on aggregate. Helsingborg won 5–0 on aggregate. Lausanne-Sport won 7–2 on aggregate. CSKA Kyiv won 3–2 on aggregate. Apollon Limassol won 5–4 on aggregate. Genk won 9–1 on aggregate. Haka won 3–0 on aggregate. Levski Sofia won 9–2 on aggregate. Liepājas Metalurgs won 4–3 on aggregate. Rapid București won 8–2 on aggregate. Heart of Midlothian won 6–0 on aggregate. Amica Wronki won 5–0 on aggregate. MTK won 10–1 on aggregate. Maccabi Haifa won 3–1 on aggregate. Spartak Trnava won 3–0 on aggregate. Copenhagen won 10–0 on aggregate. Partizan won 2–1 on aggregate. Lokomotiv Moscow won 5–1 on aggregate. Braga won 4–0 on aggregate. SV Ried won 3–0 on aggregate. Maccabi Haifa won 4–3 on aggregate. Panionios won 5–1 on aggregate. FK Jablonec 97 3–3 Apollon Limassol on aggregate. Apollon Limassol advanced after winning the penalty shootout 4–3 (2 Apollon and 3 Jablonec kicks were saved).' Lausanne-Sport 3–3 Lazio on aggregate. Lazio won on away goals rule. Partizan 2–2 Newcastle United on aggregate. Partizan won on away goals rule. Chelsea won 1–0 on aggregate. FC København won 6–1 on aggregate. Vålerenga I.F. 2–2 Rapid București on aggregate. Vålerenga I.F. won on away goals rule. Beşiktaş J.K. won 4–2 on aggregate. SC Heerenveen won 4–1 on aggregate. Varteks won 2–0 on aggregate. The game was played in Brussels as Genk's stadium did not meet UEFA requirements. Genk won 6–1 on aggregate. Before the game the delegate of Hearts complained about the non-standard goal height, and the referee measured it to be one centimetre lower than regulation. Hearts agreed to play the game anyway. Mallorca won 2–1 on aggregate. The game was played in Brussels as Genk's home stadium did not meet UEFA requirements. Lokomotiv Moscow won 3–2 on aggregate. Maccabi Haifa won 5–3 on aggregate. Panionios won 4–2 on aggregate. Lazio won 3–2 on aggregate.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["3–2"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Chelsea"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1998–99 season of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup club tournament"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Chelsea were the defending champions"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2003 IBF World Championships","document":"The 2003 IBF World Championships were held in the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, United Kingdom, between 28 July and 3 August 2003. The championships had originally been planned to take place from 12 May-18 May, but were rescheduled following the international outbreak of SARS. [1]\n\nThis edition also rewarded the points for the players to collected for the qualification to 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. International Badminton Federation decided to split the IBF World Championships and the Sudirman Cup as separate tournaments starting from 2003. Canada, China, England, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands were the countries interested in hosting the tournaments. [2] England later announced as host for the first standalone world championships. [3]\n\n  *   Host nation (England)","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["3 August 2003"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["England"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Canada, China, England, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands","2003 IBF World Championships"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["28 July"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":null},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":["12 May-18 May"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, United Kingdom"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":["the international outbreak of SARS"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2010 European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships","document":"The 29th European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held from 21 to 25 April 2010 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. The senior and junior events are different. During the senior's qualification the top eight teams progress to the team final, and the top eight gymnasts (two per nation maximum) on each apparatus qualify for the individual finals. After the qualification for the juniors the team medals and places are awarded. Unlike the seniors in this event the top 24 gymnasts (two per nation maximum) compete in the all around final. Oldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors\n\nOldest and youngest competitors","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["25 April 2010"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["21"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Men's Artistic Gymnastics"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["29th European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["National Indoor Arena in Birmingham"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship","document":"\n\nThe 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship was held in Birmingham, Great Britain from 7 to 17 July 2010. Both the men's and women's tournaments were held. The Championships was a qualifying event for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. [1]\n\nDylan Alcott \nJeremy Doyle \nJustin Eveson \nMichael Hartnett \nTristan Knowles \nBill Latham \nJohn Mcphail \nGrant Mizens \nBrad Ness \nShaun Norris \nTige Simmons \nBrett Stibners  \nCoach: Ben Ettridge\n\nLaurent Blasczak \nAudrey Cayol \nJerome Courneil \nRoger Deda \nJerome Duran \nFranck Etavard \nFrederic Guyot \nNicolas Jouanserre \nDavid Levrat \nBertrand Libman \nSofyane Mehiaoui \nLudovic Sarron \nCoach: Franck Belen\n\nEric Barber \nJoseph Chambers \nJacob Counts \nNathan Hinze \nJeremy Lade \nMatthew Lesperance \nJason Nelms \nMichael Paye \nPaul Schulte \nMatthew Scott \nSteve Serio \nWilliam Waller \nCoach: James Glatch\n\nSarah Castle \nJennifer Chew \nCarlee Hoffman \nDarlene Hunter \nMary Allison Milford \nCaitlin Mcdermott \nDesiree Miller \nRebecca Murray \nChristina Ripp \nNatalie Schneider \nStephanie Wheeler \nAndrea Woodson-Smith \nCoach: David Kiley\n\nMareike Adermann \nSilke Bleifuß \nAnnabel Breuer \nHeike Friedrich \nSimone Kues \nMaria Kühn \nMaya Lindholm \nBirgit Meitner \nMarina Mohnen \nEdina Müller \nGesche Schünemann \nAnnika Zeyen \nCoach: Holger Glinicki\n\nMarni Abbott-Peter \nElaine Allard \nChantal Benoit \nTracey Ferguson \nTara Feser \nKatie Harnock \nNancy Lafleche \nJanet McLachlan \nKendra Ohama \nCindy Ouellet \nJessica Vliegenthart \nElisha Williams \nCoach: Bill Johnson\n\nEach of the 12 men's and 10 women's teams selected a squad of 12 players for the tournament. Athletes are given an eight-level-score specific to wheelchair basketball, ranging from 0.5 to 4.5. Lower scores represent a higher degree of disability. [2] The sum score of all players on the court cannot exceed 14. All times local (UTC)\n\n\n\nAll times local (UTC)","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["17 July 2010."]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Dylan Alcott \nJeremy Doyle \nJustin Eveson \nMichael Hartnett \nTristan Knowles \nBill Latham \nJohn Mcphail \nGrant Mizens \nBrad Ness \nShaun Norris \nTige Simmons \nBrett Stibners  \nCoach: Ben Ettridge\n\nLaurent Blasczak \nAudrey Cayol \nJerome Courneil \nRoger Deda \nJerome Duran \nFranck Etavard \nFrederic Guyot \nNicolas Jouanserre \nDavid Levrat \nBertrand Libman \nSofyane Mehiaoui \nLudovic Sarron \nCoach: Franck Belen\n\nEric Barber \nJoseph Chambers \nJacob Counts \nNathan Hinze \nJeremy Lade \nMatthew Lesperance \nJason Nelms \nMichael Paye \nPaul Schulte \nMatthew Scott \nSteve Serio \nWilliam Waller \nCoach: James Glatch\n\nSarah Castle \nJennifer Chew \nCarlee Hoffman \nDarlene Hunter \nMary Allison Milford \nCaitlin Mcdermott \nDesiree Miller \nRebecca Murray \nChristina Ripp \nNatalie Schneider \nStephanie Wheeler \nAndrea Woodson-Smith \nCoach: David Kiley\n\nMareike Adermann \nSilke Bleifuß \nAnnabel Breuer \nHeike Friedrich \nSimone Kues \nMaria Kühn \nMaya Lindholm \nBirgit Meitner \nMarina Mohnen \nEdina Müller \nGesche Schünemann \nAnnika Zeyen \nCoach: Holger Glinicki\n\nMarni Abbott-Peter \nElaine Allard \nChantal Benoit \nTracey Ferguson \nTara Feser \nKatie Harnock \nNancy Lafleche \nJanet McLachlan \nKendra Ohama \nCindy Ouellet \nJessica Vliegenthart \nElisha Williams \nCoach: Bill Johnson"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["7"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Britain"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2011 Trampoline World Championships","document":"The 28th Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships were held in Birmingham, England, from November 17–20, 2011 at the National Indoor Arena. This event was the first qualifying round for the 2012 Olympics which was held in London. The top 8 men and women automatically earned their nation quota places for the Olympics, subject to a maximum of two quota places per nation. A further 16 of each sex will get a second chance to earn a quota place at the London test event in January 2012 for a further five spots. The men's individual trampoline final was held on November 19. The men's synchro final was held on November 20. The men's trampoline team final was held on November 18. The men's double mini final was held on November 20. The men's double mini team final was held on November 19. The men's individual tumbling final was held on November 20. The men's tumbling team final was held on November 19. The women's individual trampoline final took place on November 20. The women's synchro final took place on November 19. The women's trampoline team final took place on November 18. The women's double mini final was held on November 20. The women's double mini team final was held on November 19. The women's tumbling team final was held on November 19.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["20, 2011"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["November 17"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 28th Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Birmingham, England","National Indoor Arena"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2021 All England Open","document":"The 2021 All England Open (officially known as the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships 2021 for sponsorship reasons) was a badminton tournament which took place at Arena Birmingham in England from 17 to 21 March 2021. It had a total purse of $850,000. The 2021 All England Open became the second tournament of the 2021 BWF World Tour following the postponement of the 2021 German Open due to the ongoing pandemic. It was part of the All England Open championships, which had been held since 1899. This tournament was organized by Badminton England and sanctioned by the BWF. [1]\n\nThis international tournament was held at Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, England. [1]\n\nBelow is the point distribution for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF World Tour Super 1000 event. [2] This tournament would not be calculated in qualification ranking of 2020 Summer Olympics. The total prize money for this tournament was US$850,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations. [1]\n\nOn 17 March 2021 night local time, BWF stated that all Indonesian players competing in the tournament, including all three who had won in the first round, were withdrawn from the tournament after 20 of 24 people from the team were contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service via e-mail, and were required to enter 10-day isolation. They were contacted by the NHS after someone on the same inbound flight from Istanbul to Birmingham with the team was tested positive for COVID-19. [3][4] The entire team was forced to walk on foot from the arena to the hotel as their shuttle service was prevented from taking them to the hotel. [5]\n\nThis sparked controversy between Indonesian players and the BWF. The Indonesians protested because 3 Indian players who are tested positive before the tournament,[6] though 24 hours later tested negative after self testing,[7] were allowed to play on the tournament, while all of Indonesian team members had tested negative for the virus. [8] The start of the tournament itself had been delayed for five hours after 7 of COVID-19 results were deemed inconclusive. [9] The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) also stated that Turkish badminton player Neslihan Yiğit and her trainer who were on the same flight with the Indonesian team from Istanbul to Birmingham, but Yiğit was allowed to continue her tournament. [10] On 18 March noon local time, Yiğit was announced to had also been withdrawn from the tournament by the BWF. [11]\n\nEarlier, the first round of the men's doubles between Indonesians Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan and English pair Ben Lane and Sean Vendy sparked backlashes because of an arrangement where the service judge on duty, Alan Crow, was also English. [12] However, according to the rules, BWF never explicitly prohibits a technical official to officiate a match involving athletes from the same country with the technical official against athletes from another country. [13]\n\nIndonesian National Olympic Committee also alleged unprofessional and discriminatory treatment by BWF, as Indonesian team are not allowed to use lifts and take the bus by the organizers. [14] On 22 March, the president of BWF Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen officially apologizes to Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister for the circumstances faced by Indonesian team during the event. [15]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["21 March 2021"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Neslihan Yiğit"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["17"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["badminton"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2021 All England Open (officially known as the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships 2021"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Arena Birmingham in England"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Birmingham bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games","document":"The Birmingham bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games was a bid by Birmingham, England and Commonwealth Games England to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. [1] On 21 December 2017 it was announced that the bid has been successful. [2]\n\nBirmingham was actually planning to bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. On 13 March 2017, Commonwealth Games Federation stripped Durban, South Africa of their rights to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games and reopened the bid process for the 2022 games. [3] On 19 June 2017 Birmingham announced its bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games along with unveiling of its bid logo. The bid had the full support of: Birmingham City Council;[4] three regional local enterprise partnerships (Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership; Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership; Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership); the West Midlands Combined Authority, the West Midlands Growth Company and the newly elected Mayor of West Midlands, Andy Street. [5] Four-time Olympic gold medallist and multiple world champion Sir Mo Farah and CEO of Aston Villa F.C. Keith Wyness also supported the bid. [6][7]\n\nBirmingham has also bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympics, but Barcelona was selected. Birmingham has a track record of delivering large international sporting and cultural events, such as:[1]\n\nBirmingham has a wealth of existing sports venues, arenas and conference halls that were ideal for hosting sport during the Games. 95% of the competition venues were already in place for the 2022 games. [1] Alexander Stadium which will host the ceremonies and athletics will be renovated and the capacity will be increased from 12,000 to 50,000 seats. A 400-metre warm up track will also be developed. This would leave the stadium well placed to become the home of UK Athletics, hosting all the major national and international competitions after the Games. [8]\nAthletics\n\nJudo\n\nTable Tennis\n\nFreestyle Wrestling\n\nPara Powerlifting\n\nHockey\n\nPara Swimming\n\nDiving","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Birmingham, England"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Athletics\n\nJudo\n\nTable Tennis\n\nFreestyle Wrestling\n\nPara Powerlifting\n\nHockey\n\nPara Swimming\n\nDiving"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The Birmingham bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1993 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships","document":"\n\nThe Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Birmingham, Great Britain, in 1993. There was no team competition at this meet; gymnasts competed in the all-around and event finals only. The competition took place between 13 April and 18 April. The opening ceremony took place on 12 April. For the first time the opening ceremony took place at a different venue to the actual competition. The opening ceremony took place at the National Indoor Arena and the competition took place at the National Exhibition Centre. 57 nations took part. This was the most countries that any gymnastics world championships had had at the time. This was the first time that the nations which formed the Soviet Union competed under their own state. This was the first time that the artistic world championships had been held in Great Britain. Another significant format was that this was the first world championships to have only 24 gymnasts in the all around with 2 gymnasts per nation instead of 3. This format happened again in a world championships at the 2003 world championships and has remained at this format ever since.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["18 April"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["only 24 gymnasts in the all around with 2 gymnasts per nation"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["1993","13 April"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["all-around and event finals only"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Birmingham, Great Britain"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships","document":"The 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Birmingham, United Kingdom on 11 October 2009. It was the final event of the International Association of Athletics Federations' 2009 World Athletics Series. [1]\n\nThe city of Birmingham was selected by the IAAF Council after a presentation by UK Athletics and the Birmingham City Council. [2] It was the third time the championships were held in Great Britain, after the 1992 event on Tyneside and the 2001 edition in Bristol. [3] A number of events were scheduled to coincide with the Championships: a three-day convention for Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, as well as an IAAF press conference to discuss the future and progression of the sport. [4]\n\nIn addition to the main World Championship races, the Birmingham Half Marathon started thirty minutes after the women's World Championship race. Organised by Birmingham City Council and sponsored by EDF Energy, it was the second edition of the mass race which attracted over 9000 runners in 2008. [4] A total of 12,068 people signed up to run the Birmingham Half Marathon. [5]\n\nA total of 47 IAAF member federations sent athletes to the championships, the highest number since the 2002 edition. [4]\n\nThe men's race and women's race started at BST 9.00 am and 9:30 am, respectively. [6] The course passed through Birmingham city centre and the city's southern suburbs, Centenary Square acting as the start and end point of the race. Highlights along the route included Cannon Hill Park, Cadbury World and the Bournville model village, Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Victoria Square and the Bull Ring. [7] The course is largely straight and flat, although there is an abrupt descent and ascent at the start and finish of the route, and slight rises and falls between the 10 and 16 km marks around Selly Park. [8]\n\nEritrean runner Zersenay Tadese, who had won the last two World Half Marathons as well as the 20 km race in 2006, announced that he would attempt to defend his title and his chances improved after world leader Patrick Makau Musyoki was not listed from the Kenyan squad. [9] The defending women's champion Lornah Kiplagat did not attempt to defend her title due to a knee injury, and three-time champion Paula Radcliffe filled the void, aiming for a record fourth title. [10] However, she too withdrew from the event due to tonsillitis, dealing a blow to the host nation's chances. [11][12]\n\nTadese was the outright favourite of the men's race, with his greatest challenge coming from Kenyans Sammy Kitwara, Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich and Bernard Kiprop Kipyego, Ethiopians Tilahun Regassa and Dereje Tesfaye. Dathan Ritzenhein, Fabiano Joseph Naasi and Marilson dos Santos were other outside chances. The Kenyan and Eritrean men's teams were favoured for the gold and silver team medals, while the team's from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda were suggested as possible bronze medallists. Unusually, Qatar (whose team placed third in 2008) did not send any runners to the competition. [13]\n\nIn the women's race, Kenyan Mary Jepkosgei Keitany was the favourite in the absence of Kiplagat and Radcliffe. Keitany went into the championships as the world's leading half marathon runner, having run 1:07:00 seconds earlier in the season, and the race was seen as a chance for her to make her mark over the distance. The next fastest runner that season was her compatriot Philes Ongori, although her time of 1:07:50 was some way off Keitany's. Two more possible medallists, Filomena Cheyech and Caroline Cheptanui Kilel rounded out a strong Kenyan squad. The Ethiopian team was missing two of their best runners (Dire Tune and Aselefech Mergia), but Abebu Gelan and Aberu Kebede were still in medal contention. The Japanese athletes, Yukiko Akaba and Yurika Nakamura, looked to maintain Japan's past podium form in the team competition. New Zealand's Kim Smith was regarded as an unknown quantity, as she was moving to the road competitions after much success on the track. [14]\n\nAt the pre-race press conference the IAAF General Secretary, Pierre Weiss, lamented the relative lack of interest in the competition, vocalising the IAAF's dissatisfaction with the number of competing athletes and federations. He acknowledged that the competition's prize money was not at parity with other top level marathons. Wilson Kipketer, the 800 metres world record holder, pointed out that the standard of Europe's long-distance runners had been largely surpassed by other region's athletes, most notably by Africa. Kipketer argued that Europeans were not making the most of their sporting facilities and were \"not training properly or timing and planning their seasons properly\". Ed Warner, chairman of UK Athletics, agreed that a rethink was needed in terms of training and mindset. [15]\n\nDetailed reports on the event and an appraisal of the results were given both\nfor the men's race[16][17] and for the women's race. [18][19]\n\nComplete results were published[20] for the men's race,[21][22] for the women's race,[23][24] for men's team,[25][26] and for women's team. [27][28]\n\n†: Inga Abitova from  Russia was initially 9th\n(1:09:53), but her competition results were annulled, beginning October 10,\n2009, because of breaking anti-doping regulations. [29][30]\n\n†: The team from Russia was initially ranked 3rd (3:31:23), but fell behind Japan after the disqualification of Inga Abitova. The participation of 157 athletes (98 men/59 women) from 39 countries is reported. [20]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Tadese","Kenyans Sammy Kitwara, Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich and Bernard Kiprop Kipyego, Ethiopians Tilahun Regassa and Dereje Tesfaye. Dathan Ritzenhein, Fabiano Joseph Naasi and Marilson dos Santos","Kenyan Mary Jepkosgei Keitany","Philes Ongori","Filomena Cheyech and Caroline Cheptanui Kilel","Yukiko Akaba","Yurika Nakamura","Kim Smith"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["11 October 2009"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Birmingham, United Kingdom"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1995 World Netball Championships","document":"\n\nThe 1995 World Netball Championships was the ninth edition of the INF Netball World Cup, a quadrennial premier event in international netball. It was held in Birmingham, England and featured a record 27 teams. [1][2] South Africa returned to competition after the abolition of apartheid. One of the star players of the tournament was South African shooter Irene van Dyk. Australia claimed their seventh title. [3]\n\nSource:[5]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["27 teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1995 World Netball Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Australia"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Birmingham, England"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1998 Fed Cup Americas Zone","document":"The Americas Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 1998 Fed Cup. The nine teams were first randomly divided into three pools of three teams to compete in round-robin competitions. The nine teams were then divided into three new pools based on their placing in their first pools, which would be used to determine each team's overall placing in the zonal group. The team that finished first overall would be promoted to the World Group II Play-offs, while the teams that finished eighth and ninth would be relegated to Group II for 1999. The sixteen teams were divided into two pools of eight. The top team from each pool then moved would advance to Group I for 1999.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["nine teams","sixteen teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The Americas Zone","the 1998 Fed Cup"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Brasília Open (beach volleyball)","document":"Brasília Open is a beach volleyball event that is part of the Swatch FIVB World Tour. It happens annually in Brasília, Brazil. [1]\n\n\n\nThis article about a volleyball competition is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This article about sports in Brazil is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["Brasília Open"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Brasília, Brazil"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira","document":"UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira  (also known as  UFC Fight Night 170 and  UFC on ESPN+ 28) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 14, 2020 at Ginásio Nilson Nelson in Brasília, Brazil. [2][3]\n\nA lightweight bout between former interim UFC Lightweight Championship challenger Kevin Lee and Charles Oliveira served as the event headliner. [4]\n\nA middleweight bout between Brad Tavares and The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 heavyweight winner Antônio Carlos Júnior was scheduled for the event. However, Tavares was forced to pull out of the fight due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. [5] He was replaced by Makhmud Muradov. [6] In turn, Júnior suffered an unspecified injury and the bout was cancelled from the event. [7]\n\nA women's strawweight bout between Paige VanZant and Amanda Ribas was scheduled for the event. However, VanZant was forced to pull out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury. VanZant requested to reschedule the bout one month later, but Ribas decided to remain at the event and Randa Markos stepped in as the replacement. [8]\n\nA flyweight bout between Su Mudaerji and Bruno Gustavo da Silva was scheduled for the event. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, Mudaerji was forced to withdraw from the event as he would not travel to prepare for the fight and was replaced by promotional newcomer David Dvořák. [9]\n\nAt the weigh-ins, Lee weighed in at 158.5 lb, 2.5 lb over the lightweight non-title fight limit of 156 pounds. He was fined 20% of his purse and his bout with Oliveira proceeded as scheduled at a catchweight. [10]\n\nOn March 12, the UFC announced that this event would take place behind closed doors (for the first time in the promotion's history) after Ibaneis Rocha, the governor of the Federal District (where Brasília is located), announced that large gatherings will be suspended or closed for a period of 5 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] Both the UFC's planned Thursday media day and Friday ceremonial weigh-ins were cancelled ahead of the card, with the official early morning weigh-ins being the only official fighter obligations that remained ahead of fight night. [1] In response, UFC president Dana White stated \"We [The UFC] always go overboard with health and safety, and that’s what we’re going to do here\", although none of the fighters were tested for the COVID-19 virus by the commission leading up to the event. [11][12]\n\n[13]\n\nThe following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. [14]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Charles Oliveira"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["March 14, 2020"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["a mixed martial arts event"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira  (also known as  UFC Fight Night 170 and  UFC on ESPN+ 28)"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Ginásio Nilson Nelson in Brasília, Brazil"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1895 European Figure Skating Championships","document":"The European Figure Skating Championships (also called \"Europeans\") is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European champion. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The event is sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and is the sport's oldest competition. The first European Championships was held in 1891 in Hamburg, Germany and featured one segment, compulsory figures, with seven competitors, all men from Germany and Austria. It has been, other than four periods, held continuously since 1891, and has been sanctioned by the ISU since 1893. Women were allowed to compete for the first time in 1930, which is also the first time pairs skating was added to the competition. Ice dance was added in 1954. Only eligible skaters from ISU member countries in Europe can compete, and skaters must have reached at least the age of 15 before July 1 preceding the competition. ISU member countries can submit 1-3 skaters to compete in the European Championships. Although they have not been held continuously, the European Championships is figure skating's oldest championship. [1][note 1] The first European Championships were held in 1891 in Hamburg, Germany. [2] It featured one segment, compulsory figures, with seven competitors, five from Germany and two from Austria. [3][4] The event was sponsored by the Austrian and German skating federations, after they combined to become one federation. [5] All the medalists were from Germany; Oskar Uhlig won the first gold medal, Anon Schmitson came in second place, and Franz Zilly was third. [3][6][4] The second European Championships were held in Vienna in 1892. The event had ten competitors: one from Hungary, two from Germany, and seven from Austria. It included two segments, compulsory figures and free skating. It was also sponsored by the German/Austrian federation. [7] Austrian Eduard Englemann won the gold medal, Hungarian Tibor von Földváry came in second place, and Georg Zachariades from Austria was third. [8]\n\nThe next European Championships was held in 1893 in Berlin; it was the first time the event was under the jurisdiction of the International Skating Union (ISU), which was formed in the summer of 1892. The championships were sponsored by the Berlin Skating Club, and like the previous two years, was organized by the German/Austrian federation. [9] There were eight competitors: three from Austria, two from Germany, and one each from Hungary, Sweden, and Norway. Englemann is listed as the gold medalist; Henning Grenander from Sweden came in second, and Zachariades came in third. [10] Figure skating historian James Hines called the 1893 European Championships \"clearly a success from a skating standpoint\",[9] but it also marked figure skating's \"first major controversy\", due to \"different interpretations of the scoring rules, which could result in a tie depending upon one's interpretation of them\". [9] The Berlin Skating Club declared Grenander the winner, but the ISU declared Englemann the winner. The problem was never resolved, but in 1895, the ISU declared the 1893 results invalid. ISU historian Benjamin T. Wright said that the controversy \"nearly led to the demise\" of the newly-formed ISU. [11]\n\nThe next two European Championships, 1894 and 1895, \"experienced a marked decrease in participation, perhaps a result of the scoring debacle\". [9] In 1894, five skaters competed in Vienna. Engelmann won his third Europeans gold medal, Austrian Gustav Hügel came in second, and Földváry came in third. In 1895, which was held in Budapest, three skaters competed, with one withdrawal. Földváry won the gold medal, Hügel again came in second, and Gilbert Fuchs from Germany came in third. [12][13] There were no European Championships for two years, which Hines speculated was because of the small number of contestants in 1894 and 1895, although the competition returned in 1898. [1] Hines also reported that the European Championships were again interrupted in 1902 and 1903, \"for lack of ice\". [3] By the beginning of World War I, 20 European Championships were held. [14] There were three more interruptions of the European Championships: between 1915 and 1922 due to World War I, between 1940 and 1946 due to World War II, and in 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [15][16]\n\nFigure skating historian James Hines reported that \"perhaps the most bizarre incident in the history of competitive figure skating occurred at the 1930 European Figure Skating Championships in Slovakia\". [17] The competition's referee was not certified by the ISU and the Yugoslavian judge \"was a replacement who served falsely\"[17] under the name of a judge who was certified. The irregularities were discovered after the competition was over, so the ISU nullified the results and ordered the competition reskated. The winner of the original competition, Joseph Silva from Czechoslovakia, was not able to compete in the second competition. Karl Schäfer from Austria won the reskate and is listed as the gold medalist. [17]\n\nOnly men competed at the European Championships until 1930, which is when women single skaters and pair skating were added. All members of the ISU, not just skaters from Europe, were allowed to compete at Europeans until 1948. [18]{{refn|group=note|After Barbara Ann Scott from Canada and Dick Button from the United States had won Europeans in 1948 (Eva Pawlik of Austria and Hans Gerschwiler of Switzerland had been awarded the silver medals) the competition was restricted to European skaters. [19][20][21][note 2] Ice dance was added to Europeans in 1954. [23] The first time the U.S.S.R. sent skaters to the European Championships was in 1956. [24] Competitions were held in outdoor rinks until 1967 when the ISU ruled that both the European and World Championships be held in covered ice rinks. [14]\n\nOnly those competitors who are \"members of a European ISU Member\"[25] are eligible to compete in the European Championships. According to the ISU's Constitution, in order to be eligible to compete in international senior competitions, ISU senior championships, and the Olympics, skaters must have \"reached at least the age of fifteen (15) before July 1 preceding the Events\". [26] Each ISU member country can send at least one competitor per discipline, if they earn the minimum total element scores, which is determined and published each season by the ISU, during the current or during the immediately previous season.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["eight competitors: three from Austria, two from Germany, and one each from Hungary, Sweden, and Norway"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["1891"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance","figure skating"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["European Figure Skating Championships (also called \"Europeans\")"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Englemann","Oskar Uhlig"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Europeans"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1909 European Figure Skating Championships","document":"The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. Men's competitions took place on February 7–8 in Stockholm, Sweden. Ladies' competitions took place on January 23–24 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. Lily Kronberger was the only competitor. Pairs' competition took place on February 8 in Stockholm, Sweden. Judges:\n\nJudges:\n\nJudges:\n\nO. C. Thorstensen voted the top two couples exactly the same (each 1.5 placings) and the other three couples also exactly the same (each 4 placings).","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["8","January 23–24"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Lily Kronberger"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["February 7","February 8"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["figure skating competition","Men's competitions"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["World Figure Skating Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Stockholm, Sweden","Budapest, Austria-Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1921 Hungary v Poland football match","document":"The 1921 football game between Hungary and Poland was a historic event for the Poles. Even though Hungary won the match, the game helped Poland establish its national football team in the tense political aftermath of World War I. Once an ancient kingdom, from the years 1772 to 1795, Poland was partitioned by its three powerful neighbours—Russia, Habsburg Austria, and Prussia. As the result of the partitions, Poland disappeared from the map of Europe for 123 years. Despite several insurrections, the Poles did not manage to win back their independence throughout the 19th century. In the fall of 1918, when World War I came to an end, several Central European nations, including Poland, regained independence. The newly reestablished country quickly started to organize not only its political administration, but also its sports organisations. Envoys of several football clubs, which had previously existed under either Prussian, Russian, or Austrian rule, met in Warsaw on 20 and 21 December 1919, thus establishing the Polish Football Association. In the years 1919 and 1920, Poland fought several wars with its neighbours, including the Polish-Soviet War, the Polish-Ukrainian War, the Polish-Lithuanian War, the Great Poland Uprising, Silesian Uprisings, as well as border conflicts between Poland and Czechoslovakia. Under the circumstances, no soccer games took place. Only when these conflicts were over, starting in spring of 1921, did the first games for the Championships of Poland take place, with the Cracovia club winning the first title. To establish itself among other European football federations, Polish officials started to look for a potential opponent for a friendly international game. This was not easy as relations with almost all neighbours were strained due to the recent conflicts. Also, as the Polish national team had never before appeared as such on the field, other nations were simply not interested in playing with an unknown opponent. Polish officials asked the Austrians whether they would be interested in a friendly international match, but never received a response. They were considering playing either France or Sweden, but in 1921 the Hungarians came forward with an offer, asking whether Poland would like to face their national team around Christmas of 1921. This was happily accepted by the Poles, as Hungary was regarded as a strong team. Some speculate that the then-Polish coach, Imre Pozsonyi from Hungary, used his influence to convince his fellow countrymen to get in touch with the Poles. Some searches even claimed that due to the long time friendship between two countries so the Hungarian team accepted to play with Poland. In November 1921, Polish officials and Coach Pozsonyi chose 22 players who became the members of the first Polish National Football Team. These players took part in a few warm-up games in Kraków, and after a few weeks, 13 players were chosen. These athletes, who in most cases did not know each other, boarded the train on 16 December, and after a 36-hour journey in 3rd class cars, reached Budapest. This is the list of Polish players who came to Budapest and the clubs they represented: \n\nIn reserve there were two additional footballers:\n\nApart from players there were some officials in the party: coach Imre Pozsonyi, president of PZPN dr. Edward Cetnarowski, PZPN's prof. Jan Weyssenhof as well as several journalists. The game took place on 18 December 1921, at the Hungaria Stadium in Budapest. For the Hungarians, this was just another friendly game. Since 1902, their national team had already played about 80 international matches, so the hosts did not treat this match in a special way. For the Poles however, it was a historic 90 minutes; for the first time ever, 11 players were to appear on the field dressed in jerseys emblazoned with the white eagle of Poland. The audience turnout was not impressive. Only around 8,000 spectators showed up, which was a disappointment; at previous games there usually were up to 30,000 supporters. This may have been due to the weather, as the ground was slushy. As a result of the weather, the turf was wet and muddy, which proved to be an advantage for the Poles. The Hungarians, regarded as first-quality dribblers, were unable to play their fast, energetic style. In the 18th minute, Jenő Szabó of Hungary scored what would be the only goal of the game. The Hungarians had another chance to score in the 41st minute, but Karoly Fogl’s penalty kick missed the goal. From what can be gathered, the home team should have scored more goals than one, but the Poland's goal keeper played an extraordinary game. The final blow of the referee, the Czech-German Karl Grätz, was welcomed with relief by both sides. The Hungarians were happy because they had won, while the Poles were pleased because the defeat to a renowned opponent was not as severe as some had predicted, and the match had helped to establish them on the international football scene.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["18 December 1921"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1921 football game between Hungary and Poland"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Hungaria Stadium in Budapest"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1963 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships","document":"The Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships[1][2] are the world championships for the sport of rhythmic gymnastics. The tournament is promoted and organized by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). It is one of the three tournaments in rhythmic gymnastics officially organized by FIG, as well as the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup and the gymnastics competitions at the Olympic Games (in collaboration with the IOC and the federation of the country organising the Games). [3] The first edition of the World Championships was held in 1963, a time when the sport was known as modern gymnastics. The current program of the World Championships contemplates both individual and group performances. In even non-Olympic years and the year before the Olympics, a team event is also contested. Two events are not competed at the World Championships anymore: individual rope and free hands. There is a clear dominance of post-Soviet republics at the World Championships, namely Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Successful nations also include Bulgaria, Italy and Spain, the last two of which are mostly dominant in group events. The only non-European nations to successfully achieve medal positions at the World Championships are Japan, China, North Korea and South Korea; other medal-winning nations — Azerbaijan and Israel — though geographically located in Europe and Asia, compete at the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. [4]\n\nDominant nations include Soviet Union (as well as its subsequent independent states, namely Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Azerbaijan) and Bulgaria. 1963-2019\n\nBoldface denotes active rhythmic gymnasts and highest medal count among all rhythmic gymnasts (including these who not included in these tables) per type.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["1963"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1968 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final","document":"The tenth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1967–68 season. The competition was won by Leeds United over two legs in the final against Ferencváros. It was the first English victory in the competition, despite sides from the country having finished as defeated finalists on four previous occasions. English clubs went on to win the cup on the final four occasions it was contested. Ferencváros won 5–3 on aggregate. Bordeaux won 9–4 on aggregate. Fiorentina won 5–0 on aggregate. Napoli won 5–1 on aggregate. Leeds won 16–0 on aggregate. Bologna won 2–0 on aggregate. Dinamo Zagreb won 5–2 on aggregate. Sporting CP won 3–2 on aggregate. Hibernian won 6–4 on aggregate. Leeds won 3–2 on aggregate. Bologna won 2–1 on aggregate. Dundee FC, Rangers FC, Athletic Bilbao and Bologna received byes to the Quarter-Finals. Leeds won 2–1 on aggregate. Bologna won 2–0 on aggregate. Leeds won 2–0 on aggregate. Ferencváros won 5–4 on aggregate. Leeds won 2–1 on aggregate. Leeds won 1–0 on aggregate.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["2–0","2–1","1–0"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The tenth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Leeds United"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1982 World Rubik's Cube Championship","document":"The 1982 World Rubik's Cube Championship was a competition for speedsolving the 3×3×3 Rubik's Cube. It was held in Budapest, Hungary, on 5 June 1982. [1] Contestants selected from 19 countries took part. [1] Minh Thai from the United States of America was the winner with a best time of 22.95 after three attempts for each contestant. The top attempt of three was taken as the competitor's score. [2] First prize was a gold-plated Rubik's Cube. [1]\n\nWriting shortly afterwards, David Singmaster who was one of the judges, described the competition as being efficiently organized, although at one point power for the TV and the display timer failed in the middle of a trial. [3] The cubes were selected by Ernő Rubik himself, and according to Singmaster \"competitors described them as pretty good\". [3] However, writing around 20 years later, Jessica Fridrich who had participated in the contest, criticised the cubes for being \"really hard to turn and were not prepared for serious speed cubing\". [4]\n\nThis competition was the first officially recognised competition of its kind. The next competition was held in 2003 in Canada, with many differences to the competition structure and many other puzzles being added other than the Rubik's Cube. [5]\n\nThe results were:[3]\n\nWR = World Record\n\nER = European Record\n\nAsR = Asian Record\n\nSAR = South American Record\n\nNR = National Record","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["22.95"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Contestants selected from 19 countrie"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["5 June 1982"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["speedsolving the 3×3×3 Rubik's Cube"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 1982 World Rubik's Cube Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Minh Thai"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1983 Ice Hockey World Championships","document":"\n\nThe 1983 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in West Germany from 16 April to 2 May. The games were played in Munich, Dortmund and Düsseldorf. Eight teams took part, with each playing each other once. The four best teams then play each other once more with no results carrying over this time, and the other four teams played each other again to determine ranking and relegation. This was the 49th World Championships, and also the 60th European Championships. The Soviet Union became world champions for the 19th time, tying Canada, and won their 22nd European title. Promotion and relegation was effective for 1985 as the IIHF did not run a championship in Olympic years at this time. Nations that did not participate in the Sarajevo Olympics were invited to compete in the Thayer Tutt Trophy. Italy was relegated to Group B. Played in Tokyo 21–31 March. The United States was promoted to Group A, and both Romania and Yugoslavia were relegated to Group C.  Additionally, the USA, Poland and Austria earned berths in the Olympics. Fourth place Norway had to play off against the Group C winner (the Netherlands) to fill the final Olympic spot. [1][2]\n\nPlayed in Budapest 11–20 March. The champion earned the right to playoff against Group B fourth place for a berth in the Olympics. The Netherlands and Hungary were both promoted to Group B, \n\n\n\nThe final standings of the tournament according to IIHF:\n\nThe final standings of the European championships according to IIHF:\n\nList shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["2 May"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Eight teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["16 April"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1983 Ice Hockey World Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["The Soviet Union"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["West Germany","Munich, Dortmund and Düsseldorf"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships","document":"The 1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at the Kincsem Park on March 26, 1994. A preview on the event was given in the Herald,[1] and a report in The New York Times. [2]\n\nComplete results for senior men,[3] junior men,[4] senior women,[5] junior women,[6] medallists, \n[7] and the results of British athletes[8] were published. An unofficial count yields the participation of 760 athletes from 60 countries. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published. [8]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["760 athletes from 60 countries"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["March 26, 1994"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary, at the Kincsem Park"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2001 World Allround Speed Skating Championships","document":"The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world. The event is held over two days, with all skaters entering the first three distances (500 m, 3000 m and 1500 m for women; 500 m, 5000 m and 1500 m for men) and the best eight skaters over these distances getting to ride the last event (5000 m for women; 10 000 m for men). The results of the races are converted to points, and the skater with lowest total score wins the championship. The International Skating Union has organised the World Allround Championships for Men since 1893 (unofficial Championships were held in the years 1889–1892) and the World Allround Championships for Women since 1936 (unofficial Championships were held in the years 1933–1935). Since 1996 the men's and women's World Allround Championships are held at the same time and venue. * unofficial World Championships \n\nSource: SpeedSkatingStats.com[1]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":["two days"]},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["speed skating"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The World Allround Speed Skating Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships","document":"The 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) were held in the Budapest Arena, Hungary between March 5 and March 7, 2004. A total off 139 countries were represented by 677 athletes at the championships. [1]\n\nIt was the second visit of the championships to Budapest having previously visited there 15 years earlier in 1989. The newly built 13,000 capacity arena was built on the site of a former stadium that was destroyed by fire in 1999. This was the last World Indoor Championships where the 200 m event was contested. The event was discontinued as the tight bends involved in running indoors left athletes drawn to run on the inside lanes with minimal or no chance of winning. 2001 | 2003 | 2004 | 2006 | 2008\n\n2001 | 2003 | 2004 | 2006 | 2008","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["March 7, 2004"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["139 countries were represented by 677 athletes"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["March 5"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Budapest Arena, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2008 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone","document":"The Europe/Africa Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2008 Fed Cup. The fifteen teams were divided into three pools of four teams and one pool of three. The four pool winners took part in play-offs to determine the two nations advancing to the World Group II Play-offs. The nations finishing last in their pools took part in play-offs, with the two losing nations relegated to Group II in 2009. The seven teams were divided into one pool of three teams and one of four teams. The winner of each pool played the runner-up of the other pool to determine which two nations would be promoted to Group I in 2009. The nations finishing third in their pools took part in play-offs with the losing nation relegated to Group II in 2009, along with the nation finishing fourth in the pool of four teams. The eleven teams were divided into one pool of five teams and one pool of six. The top team of each pool progressed to Group II for 2009.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["fifteen teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2008 Fed Cup"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2008 World Interuniversity Games","document":"The 2008 World Interuniversity Games were the tenth edition of the Games (organised by IFIUS, and were held in Budapest, Hungary, from October 6 to October 10, 2008. With Budapest as host city, 2008 marked the first time the Games took place outside Western Europe. The host of 2008 was the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). Teams participated in seven competitions (four sports). For the first time the Basketball Women competition was held. Results of the Final Round:\n\nResults of the Final Round:\n\nResults of the Final Round:\n\nFootball Men\n\nFootball Women\n\nFutsal Men\n\nBasketball Men\n\nBasketball Women\n\nVolleyball Men\n\nVolleyball Women","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["October 10, 2008"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["October 6"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["the Basketball Women"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2008 World Interuniversity Games"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2013–14 EHF Women's Champions League Final Four","document":"\n\nThe 2014 EHF Women's Champions League Final Four was the final stage of the 2013–14 EHF Women's Champions League, the 53rd season of Europe's premier club handball tournament organized by European Handball Federation. The event was the first Final Four tournament in the competition's history, having been introduced in November 2013. It was played at the László Papp Budapest Sports Arena in Budapest, Hungary on 3–4 May 2014. The Executive Committee of the European Handball Federation (EHF) opened the bidding process for the organization of the event on 24 July 2013. [1] The EHF received four bids until the deadline of 10 September 2013, including three from Hungary, all of them naming the László Papp Budapest Sports Arena as the possible host arena; and one from Slovenia, that proposed the Arena Stožice. [2]\n\nIn the first round the bids of Nexus Communications and SportConcept were eliminated, leaving the application of RK Krim Ljubljana and the joint bid of Hungarofest and the Hungarian Handball Federation in competition. [3] After close examinations of the remaining bids, on 21 November 2013, the EHF Finance Delegation on behalf of the EHF Executive Committee awarded the organization rights to Budapest. [4]\n\nFT: 16–16 ET: 4–6","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["4 May 2014"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["3"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2014 EHF Women's Champions League Final Four"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["at the László Papp Budapest Sports Arena in Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2014 European Women's Handball Championship","document":"\n\nThe 2014 European Women's Handball Championship was the eleventh continental tournament for women's national teams, organized by the European Handball Federation. The second jointly hosted edition in the competition's history took place in Hungary and Croatia from 7 to 21 December 2014. [2]\n\nNorway won their sixth title after beating Spain 28–25 in the final. [3] Sweden defeated Montenegro 25–23 to capture the bronze medal. [4]\n\nNorway's victory ensured their qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, they later won the 2015 World Women's Handball Championship, vacating the European champion Olympic berth which fell to Spain as the runner-up. The two next-best placed teams, Sweden and Montenegro, earned spots in the Olympic Qualification Tournaments. Initially there were two applicants for the tournament, Slovenia and Turkey, with none of them having the experience of organizing a continental event before. However, both candidates withdrew their offers later, thus the host nation could not be selected on the 10th Ordinary EHF Congress between 24 and 25 September 2010 as it was planned. [5]\n\nInstead, the European Handball Federation re-launched the bidding process. As a result, six federations (Croatia, Hungary, Iceland, Slovakia, Sweden and Turkey) showed intention to host the championship. Until the final deadline of 28 January 2011, EHF received three bids from four federations:[6]\n\nAfter a thorough analysis, Slovakia was excluded from the race first, as they failed to ensure a minimum of four arenas that meet the strict criteria for the European Championship. [7] The EHF Executive Committee decided between the two remaining aspirants on its meeting on 9 April 2011, awarding the right to host the 11th Women’s EHF European Handball Championship to Hungary and Croatia. [2]\n\nThe draw was held on 19 June 2014 at 13:00 local time in Zagreb, Croatia. [8][9]\n\n12 referee pairs were selected:[10]\n\n\n\n\n\nThe playing schedule was released on 4 June 2014. [11]\n\nAll times are local (UTC+1). All times are local (UTC+1). All times are local (UTC+1). Note: As Norway later qualified for the olympics as World Champions, the qualification slot went to the runner up instead and Montenegro qualified for the qualification tournament instead of Spain. The all-star team and awards were announced on 21 December 2014. [1]\n\nSource: SportResult.com\n\nSource: SportResult.com","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["28–25"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["21 December 2014"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Spain","Sweden","Montenegro"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["7"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2014 European Women's Handball Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Norway"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Hungary and Croatia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2014 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship","document":"The 2014 IIHF World Women's U18 Championships was the seventh World Women's U18 Championship. The tournament was played at two Icecenter Rinks in Budapest, Hungary, from 23 to 30 March 2014. [1][2][3]\n\nThe teams played a best-of-three series. Hungary are relegated to the 2015 Division I.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalties In MinutesSource: [1]\n\n(minimum 40% team's total ice time)\n\nTOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = ShutoutsSource: IIHF.com\n\nBest players selected by the directorate:\n\nSource: [2]\n\nThe Division I \"A\" tournament was played in Füssen, Germany, from 29 March to 4 April 2014. [4]\n\nThe Division I Qualification tournament was played in Krynica-Zdrój, Poland, from 18 to 23 March 2014. [5]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["30 March 2014"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Hungary"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["23"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2014 IIHF World Women's U18 Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["two Icecenter Rinks in Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2014 Women's European Water Polo Championship","document":"The 2014 Men's European Water Polo Championship was held in Budapest from 14–27 July 2014. [2]\n\nThere were 12 teams in the 2014 championships. They qualified as follows:[2]\n\nThe structure of the championships is that there were two groups of six teams followed by a knockout phase. The first three teams in each group qualified to compete for the championship, with the first-place teams given a bye to the semifinals. The last three teams in each group played a classification tournament for 7th–12th place. The draw was held on 9 March 2014. [3]\n\n Montenegro Italy Greece Romania Russia Georgia\n\n Serbia Hungary Germany Croatia France Spain\n\nThe schedule was announced on 10 May 2014. [4][5]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["27 July 2014"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["12 teams","Montenegro Italy Greece Romania Russia Georgia\n\n Serbia Hungary Germany Croatia France Spain"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["14"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2014 Men's European Water Polo Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2016 European Lacrosse Championship","document":"The 2016 European Lacrosse Championship was the 10th edition of the European Lacrosse competition for national teams. It was played in Budapest, Hungary from 28 July to 6 August 2016. [1][2]\n\nThe draw was held in Budapest on 10 January 2016. [3]\n\nThe four first qualified teams (England, Ireland, Sweden and Netherlands) were placed directly into groups A to D respectively. The other 20 teams were divided into five pots according to its position in the 2012 European Championship. [1]\n\n Germany (5th)\n Scotland (6th)\n Finland (7th)\n Israel (8th)\n\n Czech Republic (9th)\n Wales (10th)\n  Switzerland (11th)\n Slovakia (12th)\n\n Italy (13th)\n Norway (14th)\n Belgium (15th)\n France (16th)\n\n Spain (17th)\n Latvia\n Poland\n Austria\n\n Russia\n Denmark\n Slovenia\n Hungary","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["6 August 2016"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["England, Ireland, Sweden and Netherlands","Germany (5th)\n Scotland (6th)\n Finland (7th)\n Israel (8th)\n\n Czech Republic (9th)\n Wales (10th)\n  Switzerland (11th)\n Slovakia (12th)\n\n Italy (13th)\n Norway (14th)\n Belgium (15th)\n France (16th)\n\n Spain (17th)\n Latvia\n Poland\n Austria\n\n Russia\n Denmark\n Slovenia\n Hungary"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["28 July"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2016 European Lacrosse Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2016 European Table Tennis Championships","document":"The European Table Tennis Championships is an international table tennis competition for the national teams of the member associations of the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU). First held in 1958, the ETTU organised the European Championships every two years in even-numbered years until 2002, when they changed to odd-numbered years. Since 2007, the competition has been contested annually. [1]\n\nThe Championships include seven events: men's singles, doubles and team; women's singles, doubles and team, and mixed doubles. From 2009 until 2013, the mixed doubles tournament was organised separately from the other events. In 2015, the ETTU announced that from 2016 the Championships would feature only individual events (men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles) in even-numbered years, with only team events taking place in odd-numbered years. [2]\n\nThe European Youth Table Tennis Championships were first held in 1955 in Stuttgart. The tournament has been held yearly (except 1960, 1963, 1964). Juniors (under 18) and Cadets (under 15). [1]\n\n(2)\n\n(2) Oksana Fadeyeva(2)\n\n(details)\n\n(2)\n\n(details)\n\nsilver and bronze medals not complete","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["table tennis"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The European Table Tennis Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2017 World Aquatics Championships","document":"\n\nThe 17th FINA World Championships (Hungarian: 2017-es úszó-világbajnokság) were held in Budapest, Hungary from 14 to 30 July 2017. [1][2]\n\nOn 15 July 2011, at the biennial General Congress of FINA in Shanghai, the host-city of the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, Guadalajara, Mexico was announced as the winning bid. Kazan, Russia was awarded the 2015 Championships in the same vote, whereas the rival bid from Hong Kong, China was left unrewarded. Guangzhou (China) and Montreal (Canada) withdrew their bids shortly before the vote. In February 2015, Mexico withdrew from hosting the world championships with organizers saying they could not afford the $100 million price tag that goes with hosting the multi-sport aquatic event. [3] On 11 March 2015, it was announced that Budapest would host the 2017 Championships. [4] The city was originally slated to host the 2021 edition. [5]\n\nThe logo of 2017 World Aquatics Championships was inspired by water and Hungarian folk art. The White water roses Lali (male) and Lili (female) in swimming costumes were selected as mascots of championships. [6] Slogan of the championships is Water, Wonder, Welcome. The Hungarian National Bank issued a commemorative version of the 50 Ft circulation coin on the occasion of the 17th FINA World Championships to be held in Hungary. [7] and Hungarian Post produced 200,000 stamps and the commemorative booklet with envelope and stamp of first day mail cancellation. [8]\n\nThe two main competition venues are located in Budapest: Danube Arena, a brand-new indoor swimming pool complex for swimming and diving on the eastern bank of the Danube just north of Margaret Island, and the existing Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Stadium, on Margaret Island itself, for water polo. Open water swimming events are held at Lake Balaton. [9] High diving and synchronised swimming are held at temporary venues in Budapest. A total of 75 Medal events are held across six disciplines. *   Host nation\n\nIn the United States, NBCUniversal holds rights to the event. [10][11] Events shall be televised on NBC, NBCSN, and the Olympic Channel. [12] In the UK, the championships have been shown on the BBC Red Button and BBC Two.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["30 July 2017"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Budapest"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["14"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["imming","water polo"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 17th FINA World Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final","document":"\n\nThe 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final was the final match of the 2018–19 UEFA Women's Champions League, the 18th season of Europe's premier women's club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Women's Cup to the UEFA Women's Champions League. This was the first time since the final is played as a single match that a host city for the Women's Champions League final was not automatically assigned by which city won the bid to host the men's Champions League final, although the same association is still allowed to host both finals by the UEFA bid regulations. It was played at the Groupama Arena in Budapest, Hungary on 18 May 2019,[6] between French side Lyon and Spanish side Barcelona. Lyon won the final 4–1 for their fourth consecutive and sixth overall UEFA Women's Champions League title. [7]\n\nIn the following table, finals until 2009 were in the UEFA Women's Cup era, since 2010 were in the UEFA Women's Champions League era. Lyon, which hold the record for most titles (five) and most consecutive titles (three), are the first team to reach eight finals and four consecutive finals. Barcelona were the first Spanish team to reach the final, and the first women's side whose men's team have also won the Champions League. [8]\n\nThis is the first time a major international women's final is held in Hungary. [9]\n\nThe stadium is the home ground of Hungarian club Ferencváros. Due to UEFA regulations regarding naming rights of non-tournament sponsors, the stadium was referred to as the \"Ferencváros Stadium\" in all UEFA materials. For the first time ever, an open bidding process was launched on 9 December 2016 by UEFA to select the venues of the club competition finals (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Women's Champions League, and UEFA Super Cup). [10][11] Associations had until 27 January 2017 to express interest, and bid dossiers must be submitted by 6 June 2017. UEFA announced on 3 February 2017 that six associations expressed interest in hosting,[12] and confirmed on 7 June 2017 that two associations submitted bids for the 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final:[13]\n\nThe following associations expressed interest in hosting but eventually did not submit bids:\n\nThe bid evaluation report was published by UEFA on 14 September 2017. [14] The Groupama Arena was selected as the venue by the UEFA Executive Committee on 20 September 2017. [15][6]\n\nNote: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away). Tickets were available for sale for 1,000 HUF, 700 HUF, and 500 HUF. [16]\n\nOn 1 May 2019, UEFA announced that Anastasia Pustovoitova of Russian would officiate the final. She was joined by Russian compatriot Ekaterina Kurochkina and Petruţa Iugulescu of Romania as assistant referees. The fourth official for the final was Hungarian Katalin Kulcsár, joined by fellow countrywoman Katalin Török as reserve official. [2]\n\nThe \"home\" team (for administrative purposes) was determined by an additional draw held after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, which was held on 9 November 2018, 13:00 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. [17][18]\n\nPlayer of the Match:\nAda Hegerberg (Lyon)[1]\n\nAssistant referees:[2]\nEkaterina Kurochkina (Russia)\nPetruţa Iugulescu (Romania)\nFourth official:[2]\nKatalin Kulcsár (Hungary)\nReserve official:[2]\nKatalin Török (Hungary)\n\nMatch rules[20]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["4–1"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["French side Lyon and Spanish side Barcelona"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["18 May 2019"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Lyon"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2019 FINA Women's Water Polo World League","document":"The 2019 FINA Women's Water Polo World League was the 16th edition of the annual women's international water polo tournament. It was played between November 2018 and June 2019 and open to all women's water polo national teams. After participating in a preliminary round, eight teams qualified to play in a final tournament, called the Super Final from 4–9 June 2019. [1]\n\nIn the world league, there are specific rules that do not allow matches to end in a draw. If teams are level at the end of the 4th quarter of any world league match, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout. Teams earn points in the standings in group matches as follows:\n\nSource: FINA\n\nAll times are CET (UTC+1). All times are CET (UTC+1). All times are CET (UTC+1). All times are CEST (UTC+2). All times are CEST (UTC+2). [2]\nAll times are AWST (UTC+8). [2]\nAll times are AWST (UTC+8). All times are CEST (UTC+2). All times are CEST (UTC+2). [3]\nAll times are CEST (UTC+2). [4]\nAll times are CEST (UTC+2). [4]\nAll times are CEST (UTC+2). [5]\nAll times are CEST (UTC+2). [3]\nAll times are CEST (UTC+2). [4]\nAll times are CEST (UTC+2). [4]\nAll times are CEST (UTC+2). [6]\n\n\n\n\n\nAmanda Longan, Maddie Musselman, Melissa Seidemann, Rachel Fattal, Paige Hauschild, Maggie Steffens (C), Jamie Neushul, Kiley Neushul, Aria Fischer, Kaleigh Gilchrist , Makenzie Fischer, Alys Williams, Ashleigh Johnson, Jordan Raney, Stephania Haralabidis. Head coach: Adam Krikorian. [4]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["June 2019"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["all women's water polo national teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["November 201"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2019 FINA Women's Water Polo World League"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2019 IIHF Women's World Championship Division I","document":"The 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship was an international Ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was contested in Espoo, Finland from 4 to 14 April 2019. [2]\n\nThe United States won their ninth title (and fifth consecutive) after a shootout win over Finland. [3] Canada claimed the bronze medal by defeating Russia 7–0. [4]\n\nAfter the 2017 tournament, it was announced that tournament would expand to ten teams for 2019, having been played with eight teams since the first tournament in 1990, except in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009, where nine teams played. The 2004 edition featured nine teams when Japan was promoted from Division II but no team was relegated from the top division in 2003, due to the cancellation of the top division tournament in China because of the outbreak of the SARS disease. [5] Two teams were relegated from the top division in 2004, going back to eight teams for 2005, but due to the success of the 9-team pool in 2004, IIHF decided to expand again to nine teams for 2007. [6] Reverting to eight teams after the 2009 tournament. [7] To bring the tournament to ten teams, Czech Republic which had lost the 2017 Relegation Round, stayed in the top division. Joined by Division I Group A Champions, Japan (2017) and France (2018)\n\n23 games were played in the main arena, while six games were played at a secondary rink. The ten teams were split into two groups according to their rankings. In Group A, all teams advanced to the quarterfinals and three teams from Group B advanced. The bottom two Group B teams were relegated. From the quarterfinals on, a knockout system was used. 12 referees and 10 linesmen are selected for the tournament. [8]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEach team's roster consists of at least 15 skaters (forwards, and defencemen) and 2 goaltenders, and at most 20 skaters and 3 goaltenders. All ten participating nations, through the confirmation of their respective national associations, had to submit a \"Long List\" roster no later than two weeks before the tournament. The schedule was released on 20 August 2018. [9][10]\n\nAll times are local (UTC+3). During the final between the United States and Finland, it appeared Finland had won 2–1 in overtime after a game-winning goal to win their first World Championship. [11] However, Finland celebrated on the ice before the Video Goal Judge initiated a video review. The goal was reviewed for over ten minutes and eventually overturned. The IIHF released a press statement the next day citing rules 186 and 183ii as the reasons for overturning the goal. [12] The United States went on to defeat Finland 2–1 in shootout. It was later announced that Finnish Ice Hockey Association would pay the Finnish team the bonus allotted for winning a gold medal, instead of the silver medal bonus. [13]\n\n\n\nSource: IIHF.com\n\nSource: IIHF.com\n\nList shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals. GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalties in Minutes; POS = Position\nSource: IIHF.com\n\nOnly the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list. TOI = Time on Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts\nSource: IIHF.com","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["14 April 2019"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Finland"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["4"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["The United States"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Espoo, Finland"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2020 UEFA Super Cup","document":"\n\nThe 2020 UEFA Super Cup was the 45th edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The match featured German club Bayern Munich, the winners of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, and Spanish club Sevilla, the winners of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League. It was played at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary on 24 September 2020. [5]\n\nThe match was originally scheduled to be played at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal, on 12 August 2020. [6][7] However, after the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe caused the postponements of the previous season's club finals, the UEFA Executive Committee chose to award the rescheduled Champions League final to Portugal, and postponed and relocated the Super Cup to Budapest. [8][9]\n\nFollowing discussions with its 55 member associations on 19 August 2020,[10] the UEFA Executive Committee decided on 25 August 2020 to use the 2020 UEFA Super Cup as a pilot match for which a reduced number of spectators, up to 30% of the capacity of the stadium, can be allowed in, and it became the first official UEFA match to have spectators since their competitions were resumed in August 2020. [11]\n\nBayern Munich won the match 2–1 after extra time to secure their second UEFA Super Cup title. [1]\n\nThe Estádio do Dragão was scheduled to stage its first ever UEFA Super Cup match. It had hosted the UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2019 UEFA Nations League Final. The city of Porto and Portugal as a whole, however, had seen one Super Cup match before in 1987, as the now-demolished Estádio das Antas hosted the second leg. This was the first UEFA club competition final hosted at the Puskás Aréna and the second for Budapest and Hungary, having hosted the 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final at the Groupama Arena. Prior to the relocation, the stadium had been selected as one of the hosts for the UEFA Euro 2020 as well as hosting the 2022 UEFA Europa League Final,[12] before being rescheduled to 2023. [8][13]\n\nAn open bidding process was launched on 8 December 2017 by UEFA to select the venue of the UEFA Super Cup in 2020. Associations had until 12 January 2018 to express interest, and bid dossiers had to be submitted by 29 March 2018. Associations hosting matches at UEFA Euro 2020 were not allowed to bid for the 2020 UEFA Super Cup. UEFA announced on 15 January 2018 that nine associations had expressed interest in hosting the 2020 UEFA Super Cup. [14]\n\nThe Estádio do Dragão was selected by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Kyiv on 24 May 2018. [16][6]\n\nThe UEFA Executive Committee relocated the match to Puskás Aréna in Budapest at their meeting on 17 June 2020. [8]\n\nTickets were on sale for the general public until 9 September 2020. [17] Moreover, 3,000 tickets were available for the supporters of each team. In total, 15,500 tickets were sold. [18] Strict hygiene measures, including social distancing and wearing of face masks when social distancing could not be respected, were in place during the match. Ticket holders from overseas had to present proof of a negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR test performed within three days of entry, and had to leave the country within 72 hours after their entry. Despite Hungarian government insisting that the match would be safe to attend, there was opposition to the decision to have spectators. Hungarian politician Ildikó Borbély called the game an \"unacceptable experiment\", while Minister President of Bavaria Markus Söder urged Bayern fans not to travel, fearing that the match could turn into a \"hotbed for COVID-19 to spread\". Hungarian Medical Chamber advisor, epidemiologist András Csilek, stated that the Chamber also considered it wrong, saying that it \"carries unnecessary risk adding\" and \"shouldn't be allowed\". [19]\n\nOn 15 September 2020, UEFA named English official Anthony Taylor as the referee for the match. Taylor had been a FIFA referee since 2013, and previously worked as one of the additional assistant referees in the 2014 UEFA Super Cup, 2015 UEFA Europa League Final, 2016 UEFA Champions League Final and UEFA Euro 2016 Final. He was joined by his fellow countrymen, with Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn as assistant referees, Stuart Attwell as the video assistant referee (VAR) and Paul Tierney as the assistant VAR. Israeli referee Orel Grinfeld served as the fourth official. [2]\n\nSevilla were awarded a penalty after 13 minutes when Ivan Rakitić was blocked and bundled over in the penalty area by David Alaba. Lucas Ocampos scored the penalty shooting to the left corner to put Sevilla ahead. Leon Goretzka made it 1–1 in the 34th minute, with a side foot finish to the left corner of the net after a take down assist from Robert Lewandowski. [20]\t\nThe game went into extra time, with substitute Javi Martínez getting the winner for Bayern in the 104th minute with a powerful header to the top left corner of the net when the ball fell to him, after Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had punched the ball back into play. [21]\n\nThe Champions League winners were designated as the \"home\" team for administrative purposes. Man of the Match:\nThomas Müller (Bayern Munich)[1]\n\nAssistant referees:[2]\nGary Beswick (England)\nAdam Nunn (England)\nFourth official:[2]\nOrel Grinfeld (Israel)\nVideo assistant referee:[2]\nStuart Attwell (England)\nAssistant video assistant referee:[2]\nPaul Tierney (England)\n\nMatch rules[23]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["2–1"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Budapest"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["2019–20 UEFA Champions League, and Spanish club Sevilla, the winners of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["24 September 2020"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2020 UEFA Super Cup"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Bayern Munich"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":["the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal, on 12 August 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":["COVID-19 pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2021 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament","document":"The 2021 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament is the second regional qualifying tournament for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The event was held from 18 to 21 March 2021, in BOK Sports Hall, Budapest, Hungary. [1][2][3][4]\n\nA total of 36 athletes secured a spot in the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, Japan. Two spots were given to each of the weight classes in every event. This allows a total of 12 available spots for each event. Every winner and runner-up per class were awarded their place for wrestling, at the 2020 Summer Olympics. [5] Quota places are allocated to the respective NOC and not to competitor that achieved the place in the qualification event. 18–19 March[6]\n\n18–19 March[7]\n\n18–19 March[8]\n\n18–19 March[9]\n\n18–19 March[10]\n\n18–19 March[11]\n\n20–21 March[12]\n\n20–21 March[13]\n\n20–21 March[14]\n\n20–21 March[15]\n\n20–21 March[16]\n\n20–21 March[17]\n\n19–20 March[18]\n\n19–20 March[19]\n\n19–20 March[20]\n\n19–20 March[21]\n\n19–20 March[22]\n\n19–20 March[23]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["21 March 2021"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["36 athletes"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["18"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2021 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["BOK Sports Hall, Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2021 Men's Junior World Handball Championship","document":"\n\nThe 2021 IHF Men's Junior World Championship would have been the 23rd edition of the tournament, to be held in Budapest, Hungary in 2021. It would have been second time that Hungary hosted the championship after 2005. On 22 February 2021, the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1]\n\nGreece, Hungary and Romania were bidding to host the 2021 Men's Junior World Championship. The championship was awarded during the 36th IHF Congress at Antalya, Turkey on Saturday, 11 November 2017. [2]\n\nGreece was the host of the 1991 Men's Junior World Handball Championship and the 2011 Men's Junior World Handball Championship. Greece was awarded with the 2021 Men's Youth World Handball Championship. Hungary hosted the 2005 Men's Junior World Handball Championship and was host of the 1982 World Women's Handball Championship. Hungary was also co-host of 1995 World Women's Handball Championship. Romania hosted the 1962 World Women's Handball Championship, 1977 Women's Junior World Handball Championship and also awarded with 2020 Women's Junior World Handball Championship. In 2018, the IHF Council agreed to increase the number of teams participating in world championships for senior, junior and youth in both genders – from 24 teams to 32 starting in 2021. The goal was to provide an opportunity for more nations to gain experience on the biggest international stage.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Greece"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2021 IHF Men's Junior World Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":["On 22 February 2021, the tournament was cancelled"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":["the COVID-19 pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2022 European Men's Handball Championship","document":"\n\nThe 2022 EHF European Men's Handball Championship will be the 15th edition of the tournament and the second to feature 24 national teams. It will be co-hosted in two countries – Hungary and Slovakia – from 13 to 30 January 2022. The bidding timeline is as follows:[1]\n\nOn 4 May 2017 it was announced that the following nations had sent in an official expression of interest:[2]\n\nHowever, when the deadline for submitting the final bids was over, the following applications had been received: \n\nOn 20 June at the 14th ordinary EHF Congress held in Glasgow, Hungary and Slovakia were selected to host the competition. Denmark and Switzerland withdrew their bid shortly before the vote. Following is a list of all venues and host cities which will be used. The qualification for the final tournament took place between January 2019 and May 2021. The two host teams, Hungary and Slovakia, and the two best placed teams from the previous championship, Spain and Croatia, were automatically qualified, leaving a total of 44 national teams to compete for the remaining 20 places in the final tournament. The competition consisted of three rounds: two qualification phases and a relegation round. The first qualification phase involved teams that did not participate in the second round of the 2020 qualification tournament. The two best teams advanced to a relegation round, where they were joined by the best European team from the 2019 IHF Emerging Nations Championship and the three worst ranked fourth-placed teams from the second round of the 2020 qualification. The three winners of the two-legged relegation round matches advanced to the second and last qualifying phase, joining the remaining 21 teams that participated in the 2020 championship and the remaining eight teams that were eliminated in the second round of the 2020 qualification. Note: Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year. The official logo and slogan was unveiled on 25 January 2020 at the EHF Extraordinary Congress In Stockholm. The logo includes the national colours of both host nations – red, green, white and blue, forming the handball and an eye, relates closely to the event's motto \"Watch Games, See More\", highlighting the many opportunities for fans around the six venues. [5]\n\nThe draw took place in Budapest on 6 May 2021. [6][7]\n\nThe seedings were announced on 3 May 2021. [8] The organizing countries had the right to allocate one team to each of the groups they were hosting due to potential spectators' interest. Hungary (assigned to group B) selected Croatia (assigned to group C) and Slovenia (assigned to group A), while Slovakia (assigned to group F) selected Germany (assigned to group D) and the Czech Republic (assigned to group E). All times are local (UTC+1). [9]\n\nPoints and goals gained in the preliminary group against teams that advance will be transferred to the main round. The teams ranked fourth in each group after the completion of the preliminary round matches will be ranked 18 to 24, while teams ranked third in each group after the completion of the preliminary round matches will be ranked 13 to 18 according to the number of points won in the preliminary round. Places seven and eight will be attributed to the two teams ranked fourth in the groups, places nine and ten to the two teams ranked fifth in the groups and places eleven and twelve to the two teams ranked sixth in the group according to the number of points won by the respective teams after completion of the main round matches. Places one to six will be decided by play–off or knock–out.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["30 January 2022"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Hungary and Slovakia"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["44 national teams to compete for the remaining 20 places"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["13"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2022 EHF European Men's Handball Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Glasgow"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2023 World Athletics Championships","document":"\n\n\n\nThe 2023 World Athletics Championships (Hungarian: 2023-as atlétikai világbajnokság), the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, are scheduled to be held from 18 August to 27 August 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. [2][3]\n\n* Indicates the athletes only competed in the preliminary heats and received medals. * Indicates the athletes only competed in the preliminary heats and received medals. * Indicates the athletes only competed in the preliminary heats and received medals. The championships will be held in the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, which will be built, and have a capacity of 36,000. In the United States, television rights to the championships belong to NBC Sports. [4]\n\n\n\nThis athletics and track and field article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["27 August 2023"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["18 August"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2023 World Athletics Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2024 European Women's Handball Championship","document":"The 2024 European Women's Handball Championship will be held in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland in November and December 2024. [1] This will be the first tournament to feature 24 teams. The vote took place on 25 January 2020 at the EHF Extraordinary Congress in Stockholm. The solo bid of Russia was eliminated in the first round, leaving the joint bids of Austria/Hungary/Switzerland and Czech Republic/Poland/Slovakia. The final round Austria/Hungary/Switzerland was awarded the event over Czech Republic/Poland/Slovakia by 7 votes with 28–21. This handball competition article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["December 2024"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["24 teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["November"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2024 European Women's Handball Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Austria, Hungary and Switzerland"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2027 World Women's Handball Championship","document":"The 2027 World Women's Handball Championship, the 28th event hosted by the International Handball Federation, will take place in Hungary in 2027. [1] It will be the main qualifying event for the women's handball tournament of the 2028 Summer Olympics. [2]\n\nThe bid includes the following four host cities/venues:\n\n^ 1. To bear in mind the 2028 Summer Olympics, the IHF Council awarded the United States with wild cards for the 2025 and 2027 World Championships. [3][4]\n\n^ 2. If countries from Oceania (Australia or New Zealand) participating in the Asian Championships finish within the top 5, they will qualify for the World Championships. If either finishes sixth or lower, the place would have been transferred to the wild card spot.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["2027"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2027 World Women's Handball Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Athletics at the 1949 World Festival of Youth and Students","document":"The 2nd World Festival of Youth and Students featured an athletics competition among its programme of events. The events were contested in Budapest, Hungary, between 15 and 21 August 1949. Mainly contested among Eastern European athletes, it served as an alternative to the more Western European-oriented 1949 Summer International University Sports Week held in Merano the same year. [1]\n\nThe women's events provided the most prominent top level athletes. Hungary's Olga Gyarmati, the reigning long jump champion from the 1948 Summer Olympics, won her specialist event along with a silver medal in the 80 metres hurdles. The 1946 European Championships high jump silver medallist Aleksandra Chudina also won in her speciality and medalled in four other events as well. Several of the competing athletes went on to compete at the 1952 Summer Olympics three years later. A handful of participants were later among the top in their field, including: Leonid Shcherbakov (1950 and 1954 European triple jump winner), Yevgeniy Bulanchik (1954 European hurdles champion) and 1952 Olympic medallists Vladimir Kazantsev, Yuriy Lituyev and Klavdiya Tochonova.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["21 August 1949"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Hungary's Olga Gyarmati"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["15"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2nd World Festival of Youth and Students"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Athletics at the 1951 World Festival of Youth and Students","document":"The 3rd World Festival of Youth and Students featured an athletics competition among its programme of events. The events were contested in East Berlin, East Germany in August 1951. Mainly contested among Eastern European athletes, it served as an alternative to the more Western European-oriented 1951 Summer International University Sports Week held in Luxembourg the same year. [1]\n\nThe calibre of the competition improved at the 3rd edition of the competition, with six athletes successfully returning and defending their titles from the 1949 competition. Among the most prominent of these was Leonid Shcherbakov, the triple jump winner at the 1950 European Athletics Championships a year earlier. [2] European bronze medallist Olli Partanen was runner-up in the discus throw to AAA Championships winner Ferenc Klics. [3]\n\nThe 1948 Olympic long jump champion Olga Gyarmati won the 200 metres but was defeated in her Olympic event by Aleksandra Chudina who won four individual titles; her other victories came in the 80 metres hurdles, high jump, and women's pentathlon. [1] The women's throwing events here presaged the 1952 Summer Olympics, as shot put winner Galina Zybina and discus throw champion Nina Ponomaryova added Olympic gold to their World Student titles. [4] Six other medal-winning Soviet athletes reached the Olympic podium the following year: Nadezhda Khnykina, Klavdiya Tochonova, Vladimir Sukharev, Levan Sanadze, Vladimir Kazantsev and Yuriy Lituyev. [5] The Soviet Union was dominant at the event, winning all but seven of the 34 events on offer. [1]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["August 1951"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 3rd World Festival of Youth and Students"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["East Berlin, East Germany"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2nd unofficial Chess Olympiad","document":"The second unofficial Chess Olympiad was a team chess tournament held in Budapest from June 26 to July 15, 1926, during the third FIDE Congress. [1] Six teams applied to contest the team tournament but Austria and Czechoslovakia withdrew before the start. Hungary won the tournament ahead of Yugoslavia, Romania and Germany. Several individual tournaments which also featured international participation were held at the Congress. Ernst Grünfeld of Austria and Mario Monticelli of Italy won the strongest individual event, a sixteen-player round robin sometimes referred to as the first \"FIDE Masters\" tournament. Another sixteen players of mixed local and international backgrounds competed in a second round robin, won by Max Walter of Czechoslovakia. Edith Holloway of the UK won the women's tournament, and Sandor Zinner won an open tournament contested by the local Hungarians. [2]\n\nThe final results were as follows:\n\nMax Walter of Bratislava won this sixteen-player round robin with a score of 11½ out of 15. Balázs Sárközy of Budapest finished in second place with a score of 10½, and Anatoly Chepurnov of Vyborg scored 9½ to finish third. [3]\n\nEight women from London, Vienna and Budapest competed in a round robin. Edith Holloway of London won the tournament scoring 6½ out of 7, while Paula Wolf-Kalmar and Gisela Harum of Vienna both scored 5½ to tie for second and third places. [3]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["11½ out of 15","6½ out of 7"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["July 15, 1926"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Six teams"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["June 26"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The second unofficial Chess Olympiad"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Edith Holloway","Max Walter","Hungary","Sandor Zinner"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"EuroBasket Women 2015","document":"The 2015 European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 2015, was the 35th edition of the continental tournament in women's basketball, sanctioned by the FIBA Europe. The tournament was co-held in Hungary, which hosted the championship for the fifth time after 1950, 1964, 1983 and 1997, and Romania which hosted it for the second time after 1966, on 11–28 June 2015. The event was hosted by more than one country for the first time. [2][3][4][5]\n\nSerbia won their first title by defeating France 76–68 in the final. [6]\n\nInitially six member federations expressed their intention to organize the tournament: Belarus and Lithuania, who applied a joint bid;[7] Hungary, Israel, Serbia and Spain. [8] Lithuania later refused the plan of a joint bid[9] and eventually two countries submitted an official candidation, Belarus and Hungary. The final decision was made by the FIBA Europe Board on 18 December 2011 in their meeting in Munich, which awarded the organization rights to Hungary by majority vote. FIBA Europe president Ólafur Rafnsson was on the opinion that \"it was an excellent choice as Hungary has tradition in basketball and especially in women's basketball.\" Attila Czene, State Minister for Sport of the Ministry of National Resources was also pleased, stating that the European Championship great opportunity to upgrade and expand the infrastructure, as Hungary's aim \"is to invest in sport and basketball is a main team sport.\" \"As a former Olympic champion, I am happy that we can reintroduce team sport in Hungary. Basketball is a bit behind handball right now and we are trying to close this gap, with 2015 we can start making progress\" – he added. [3]\n\nRomanian Basketball Federation has announced that FIBA Europe board has granted them the rights to co-host EuroBasket Women in 2015 with Hungary. Originally Hungary applied to host and was awarded the tournament as the only host country. According to the announcement current plan has Romania hosting groups in Cluj-Napoca, Oradea and Timișoara. [4][5][10]\n\nThe qualification was held from 7 June 2013 to 25 June 2014. The draw was held on 29 November 2014 in Budapest, Hungary. [11][12]\n\nThe seeding was announced on 20 November 2014. [11] According to the FIBA Europe regulations the participating nations are seeded based on their record in EuroBasket Women 2013 final tournament (shown in brackets for first 6 teams) or EuroBasket Women 2015 qualification (shown in brackets with symbol Q). [11]\n\n Spain (1)\n France (2)\n Turkey (3)\n Serbia (4)\n\n Belarus (5)\n Czech Republic (6)\n Croatia (Q1)\n Slovakia (Q2)\n\n Lithuania (Q3)\n Ukraine (Q4)\n Poland (Q5)\n Latvia (Q6)\n\n Montenegro (Q7)\n Russia (Q8)\n Sweden (Q9)\n Italy (Q10)\n\n Great Britain (Q11)\n Greece (Q1st)\n Hungary (host)\n Romania (host)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Ana Dabović \n Céline Dumerc\n\n Sandrine Gruda\n\n Alba Torrens \n Sonja Petrović","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["76–68"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Hungary","Romania"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["France"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["women's basketball"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["2015 European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 2015"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Spain","Serbia"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2006 European Aquatics Championships","document":"The 2006 European Swimming Championships were held in Budapest, Hungary, from 26 July – 6 August 2006. Disciplines include swimming, diving, synchronised swimming (synchro) and open water swimming. European Water Polo Championships for 2006 were also organized by LEN, but held separately. Competition dates by discipline were:[1]\n\n  *   Host nation (Hungary)\nCompetition dates for Swimming were: 31 July – 6 August. [1][2] All swimming events contested in a long-course (50m) pool; with morning sessions (preliminary heats) beginning at 09:30, and evening sessions (semifinals and finals) beginning at 17:00. Event format was:\n\nEvent order for evening sessions was:\n\nWR= World Record (and by default also new European, Championships and National records for those involved); ER= European Record (and by default also new Championships and National records); CR= Championships Record\n\nCompetition dates for Diving were: 1–6 August 2006. [1]\n\nCompetition dates for Synchro were 26–30 July 2006. [1]\n\nCompetition dates for Open Water were 26–30 July 2006. [1]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["6 August 2006"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Hungary"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["26 July"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["swimming, diving, synchronised swimming (synchro) and open water swimming"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2006 European Swimming Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2014 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone","document":"The Europe/Africa Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2014 Fed Cup. The sixteen teams were divided into four pools of four teams. The four pool winners took part in play-offs to determine the two nations advancing to the World Group II Play-offs. The nations finishing last in their pools took part in relegation play-offs, with the two losing nations being relegated to Group II for 2015. The eight teams were divided into two pools of four teams. The two nations placing first and second took part in play-offs to determine the two nations advancing to Group I. The nations finished last in their pools took part in relegation play-offs, with the two losing nations being relegated to Group III for 2015. The twelve teams were divided into four pools of three teams. The four pool winners took part in play-offs to determine the two nations advancing to Group II for 2015.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":null},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The Europe/Africa Zone"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Hungary 7–1 England (1954 association football friendly)","document":"\n\nHungary v England (1954)  was an international football game played on 23 May 1954. The game was played between the Hungary national football team—then the world's number one ranked team and the Olympic champions—and the England national football team, hailing from the birthplace of the game of football and reputed \"Kings of Football\". [1] The game was a return fixture from the 1953 game in the old Wembley Stadium, where Hungary had beaten England 6–3. [2]\n\nEngland approached the game in the hope that the 6–3 result had been an aberration; instead, Hungary provided a masterclass of football, and thrashed England 7–1. [3]\n\nUnder the stewardship of Gusztáv Sebes, Hungary had been unbeaten since May 1950, and had won the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. They were rated the number one team in the world by FIFA and were firm favourites for the 1954 World Cup. England were rated the number four team in the world by FIFA, but were still existing in a climate of complacency; the Football Association (FA) saw their country as the originators of the game and assumed English players were technically and physically superior to their foreign counterparts. Coaching and tactical advances from abroad were ignored, with the English national side and the majority of clubs persisting with the outdated WM formation. Manager Walter Winterbottom had no prior managerial experience in professional football, and did not pick the England squad: that role remained with the FA's selection committee, who frequently displayed little or no consistency in their choice of player. Hungary had visited England in 1953 and delivered a 6–3 thrashing at Wembley—the first time a foreign team outside the British Isles had beaten England on home soil. The result had sent a shockwave through English football, with several prominent managers and players such as Matt Busby, Don Revie, Bill Nicholson and Ron Greenwood realising that the English game had to adapt if the national team was to compete at the highest levels. The FA on the other hand viewed the defeat as a \"one-off\", and retained Winterbottom and an outdated WM formation for the return game in Budapest. The match was played on 23 May 1954 at Nepstadion in Budapest[2] in front of a 92,000 crowd. The England team lined up in its usual WM formation, and included captain Billy Wright, goalkeeper Gil Merrick, winger Tom Finney and inside forward Ivor Broadis. Centre forward Bedford Jezzard was given his debut England cap. The Hungarian team lined up in the 4–2–4[4] formation pioneered by their coach, Gusztáv Sebes. József Bozsik played in the deep lying midfield position, with Nándor Hidegkuti free to roam between midfield and attack. Ferenc Puskás and Sándor Kocsis were the strikers, with width being provided by Zoltán Czibor and József Tóth. Hungary dominated the game; England were unable to obtain the ball for much of the time, and when they did they were unable to make any inroads against a fitter and more tactically adept Hungary side. No lessons had been learnt from the 6–3 defeat at Wembley; England were drawn out of position time and time again. Mihály Lantos scored for Hungary after 10 minutes; Ferenc Puskás added a second goal seven minutes later, before Sándor Kocsis made it 3–0 on 19 minutes. [2] England were simply outclassed and outplayed for the rest of the half. The second half continued in same vein; Kocsis added his second goal on 57 minutes, Nándor Hidegkuti scored two minutes later, Toth added a sixth and Puskas scored the final Hungarian goal on the 71st minute. It was a wretched tactical performance by England, with the sole highlight being Ivor Broadis scoring with a hooked shot when the Hungarians were 6–0 up. [2]\n\nThe final result was Hungary 7 England 1—this still ranks as England's heaviest footballing defeat. [2]\n\nThe result confirmed what many in the English football world had suspected after the 6–3 defeat at Wembley: that England were no longer a major footballing force, and that the English game needed to look to the continent for tactical and training advances. [5]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["7–1"]},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["England","the Hungary national football team"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["23 May 1954"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["football"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["Hungary v England (1954)"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Nepstadion in Budapest"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2018 IIHF World Championship Division I","document":"The 2018 IIHF World Championship was an international ice hockey tournament hosted by the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Herning. The IIHF announced the winning bid on 23 May 2014. [1][2] South Korea made its debut at the World Championship, having played in the lower divisions previously. [3]\n\nSweden won their second consecutive and eleventh overall title after defeating Switzerland in the final. [4] The United States won the bronze medal game, defeating Canada 4–1. The official mascot of the tournament was a duck, inspired by the Danish writer and poet Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale about The Ugly Duckling. [5]\n\nThere were two bids to host this championship. [6]\n\nThe decision was announced on 23 May 2014. The final tally was 95-12 in favor of Denmark. [1][2]\n\nThe seeding in the preliminary round was based on the 2017 IIHF World Ranking, which ended at the conclusion of the 2017 IIHF World Championship. [8]\n\nDenmark and Sweden played in separate groups, Denmark at the Jyske Bank Boxen while Sweden at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen. [9]\n\n\n\n\n\nEach team's roster consisted of at least 15 skaters (forwards, and defencemen) and 2 goaltenders, and at most 22 skaters and 3 goaltenders. All 16 participating nations, through the confirmation of their respective national associations, had to submit a \"Long List\" no later than two weeks before the tournament, and a final roster by the Passport Control meeting prior to the start of tournament. 16 referees and linesman were announced on 21 March 2018. [10][11]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe schedule was released on 8 August 2017. [12]\n\nList shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals. GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalties in Minutes; POS = Position\nSource: IIHF.com\n\nOnly the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list. TOI = Time on Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts\nSource: IIHF.com\n\nSource: IIHF.com\n\nSource: IIHF.com","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Herning"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Switzerlan"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["ice hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2018 IIHF World Championship"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Sweden"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2023 UEFA Europa League Final","document":"\n\nThe 2023 UEFA Europa League Final will be the final match of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League, the 52nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 14th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The match will be played at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary in May 2023. [1] Due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final, the final hosts were shifted back a year, with Budapest instead hosting the 2023 final. [2]\n\nThe winners will earn the right to play against the winners of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League in the 2023 UEFA Super Cup. The match will be the first UEFA Cup/Europa League final to be held in Budapest, and the second final in the competition's history to be held in Hungary after the 1985 first leg. The final will also be the third UEFA club competition final to be held in the city after the 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final and the 2020 UEFA Super Cup,[2] making it the fourth overall UEFA club final in Hungary. The stadium was also chosen as a venue for UEFA Euro 2020, where it will host three group stage matches and a round of 16 fixture. [3]\n\nThe Puskás Aréna was selected as the final host by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 2 March 2020. [4]\n\nOn 17 June 2020, the UEFA Executive Committee announced that due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final, Budapest would instead host the 2023 final. [2]\n\nThe \"home\" team (for administrative purposes) will be determined by an additional draw to be held after the quarter-final and semi-final draws. Match rules","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["Budapest"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["May 2023"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["football"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2023 UEFA Europa League Final"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":["2023"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":["postponement and relocation of the 2020 final"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"W.A.K.O. World Championships 1985 (Budapest)","document":"W.A.K.O. World Championships 1985 Budapest were the joint fifth world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by the Hungarian Sport Karate Union. The organization was under some strain at the time and had split into two separate factions due to politically differences, meaning there were two separate world championships being held on the same date - with an event in London also taking place. These political differences would, however, be resolved and the organization would come back together the following year. It was the first ever W.A.K.O. championships to be held in Eastern Europe. The event was open to amateur men, and for the first time ever, women were allowed to compete (this was the same for the London event). The men had two categories, Full-Contact and Semi-Contact, while the women competed in Semi-Contact only. Unlike London there was no Musical Forms although there was an additional Semi-Contact team event. Some countries was allowed more than one competitor in certain weight categories in the men's and women's events due to limited numbers and some competitors in the men's events competed in more than one category. By the end of the championships, the top nation in terms of medals won was France, Great Britain were in second with Italy in third. The event was held in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday, 2 November 1985 in front of an estimated 20,000 spectators. [1]\n\nAs with the London event there were ten weight classes in Full-Contact although some of the division were slightly different at the heavier end of the spectrum - ranging from 54 kg/118.8 lbs to over 87 kg/+191.4 lbs. All bouts were fought under Full-Contact rules with more detail on the rules being provided at the W.A.K.O. website - although be aware that the rules may have changed slightly since 1985. [2]  One of the notable winners was Chiarrochi who had also won a gold at the 1983 world championships, while compatriot Olivier Gruner (who would later have a career as an actor in Hollywood) won silver in the 75 kg category. France was the top nation in Full-Contact by the end of the championships, winning three golds and four silvers. [3]\n\nBalog \n\nSemi-Contact differed from Full-Contact in that fights were won on points given due to technique, skill and speed, with physical force limited - more information on Semi-Contact can be found on the W.A.K.O. website, although the rules will have changed since 1985. [4]  In the men's division there were seven weight divisions ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbs to over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs. By the end of the championships the top nation in men's Semi-Contact was Great Britain with two golds and one silver medal. [5]\n\nAs with the London event, for the first time ever women were allowed to compete at a W.A.K.O. championships. The only category on offer was Semi-Contact with just two weight divisions; under 60 kg/132 lbs and over 60 kg/+132 lbs. The rules were similar to the men's - a full version can be found on the W.A.K.O. website although be aware that the rules will have changed somewhat since 1985. [6]  Due to the somewhat smaller amount of nations competing some nations were allowed more than one competitor per weight division. By the end of the championships Hungary was the strongest nation in women's Semi-Contact, winning one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. [7]  There was also an additional team event of which Great Britain came away with gold. [8]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the W.A.K.O. organization"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["Saturday, 2 November 1985"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["kickboxing"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["W.A.K.O. World Championships 1985 Budapest"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Chiarrochi"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"W.A.K.O. World Championships 1993 (Budapest)","document":"\n\nW.A.K.O. World Championships 1993 in Budapest were the joint ninth world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by Hungarian kickboxing president Richard Leyrer. As with the 1985 world championships the organization had suffered a temporary split due to political differences, and a previous event had been held in Atlantic City earlier in the month. These political differences would be resolved in the near future and the organization would be re-united. The Budapest event was open to amateur men and women from across the world - with 500 participants taking part from 47 countries. The styles on offer were Full-Contact, and for the first time ever at a W.A.K.O. championships, Low-Kick (more information on the styles can be found in the relevant sections below). Another first was that women could now take part in Full-Contact kickboxing, whereas before they could only take part in less physical styles. At the end of a very competitive championships, Poland were the top nation in terms of medals won, with Morocco a very close second and France just behind in third. The event was held in Budapest, Hungary over four days, starting on Thursday, 25 November and finishing on Sunday, 28 November. An estimated 3,500 spectators attended the championships. [1]\n\nMaking a re-appearance to a W.A.K.O. world championships after being absent at London 1991, Full-Contact involved the participants trying to win the contest either by points or by stoppage – more detail on the rules can be found at the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that they may have changed slightly since 1993. [2]  The men had twelve weight classes ranging from 51 kg/112.2 lbs to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs, with several new divisions being added, while, for the first time ever, women were allowed to participate in Full-Contact at a W.A.K.O. event, with six weight divisions ranging from 48 kg/105.6 lbs to over 65 kg/+143 lbs. Poland was the strongest country in Full-Contact with four gold, one silver and one bronze medal by the end of the championships. [3]\n\nMaking its debut at a W.A.K.O. championships, Low-Kick is similar to Full-Contact kickboxing only differing in that it allowed kicks below the knee - more detail on Low-Kick rules can be found at the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that there may have been some rule changes since 1993. [4]  Only men were allowed to participate in Low-Kick with twelve weight classes ranging from 51 kg/112.2 lbs to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs. A notable winner was Andrei Dudko (who would later win the K-1 USA Championships 2000) taking gold in the +91 kg division. Morocco were the strongest nation in Low-Kick winning four gold medals. [5]","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":["Sunday, 28 November"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":["four days"]},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the W.A.K.O. organization"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["Thursday, 25 November"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["kickboxing"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["W.A.K.O. World Championships 1993"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Andrei Dudko"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Budapest, Hungary","Budapest"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2001 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup","document":"The 2001 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup was the 4th edition of the Women's Hockey Junior World Cup. It was held from May 14 to May 26, 2001 in the CeNARD, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. South Korea won the tournament for the first time after defeating Argentina 4–3 in a penalty shoot-out following a 2–2 draw in the final. Defending champions the Netherlands lost the third-place match to Australia 2–0. Each continental federation received a number of quotas depending on the FIH World Rankings for teams qualified through their junior continental championships. Alongside the host nation, 15 teams competed in the tournament. As per statistical convention in field hockey, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws. There were 195 goals scored in 56 matches, for an average of 3.48 goals per match. 12 goals\n\n7 goals\n\n6 goals\n\n5 goals\n\n4 goals\n\n3 goals\n\n2 goals\n\n1 goal","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":["4–3","2–2 draw"]},{"role":"End Time","values":["May 26, 2001"]},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["Argentina"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["May 14"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2001 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["South Korea"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the CeNARD, in Buenos Aires, Argentina"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2014–15 Men's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals","document":"The 2014–15 Men's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals took place in June and July 2015. A total of 20 teams competing in 2 events took part in this round of the tournament playing for 7 berths in the Final, played between 5–13 December 2015 in Raipur, India. This round also served as a qualifier for the 2016 Summer Olympics as the 6 highest placed teams apart from the host nation and the five continental champions qualify. 11 teams ranked between 1st and 11th in the FIH World Rankings current at the time of seeking entries for the competition qualified automatically, in addition to 9 teams qualified from Round 2. [1][2] The following twenty teams, shown with final pre-tournament rankings, competed in this round of the tournament. All times are Argentina Time (UTC−03:00)[3]\n\nBelow are the 11 umpires appointed by the International Hockey Federation:\n\nAll times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00)[5]\n\nBelow are the 10 umpires appointed by the International Hockey Federation:\n\nThe following goalscorers list comprises players from both events. There were 299 goals scored in 66 matches, for an average of 4.53 goals per match. 7 goals\n\n6 goals\n\n5 goals\n\n4 goals\n\n3 goals\n\n2 goals\n\n1 goal\n\nSource: Buenos Aires Antwerp","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":null},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":null},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["June and July 2015"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["Hockey"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 2014–15 Men's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals"]},{"role":"Champions","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"1921 UCI Road World Championships","document":"The 1921 UCI Road World Championships (the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale) took place in Copenhagen, Denmark on 4 August 1921. It was the first official World Championships organized by the UCI. The championships were only for amateur men. Four men per nation could participate. Sweden won the nations classification (total time of the first four riders per nation) ahead of France and Italy. The course was 190 km with the finish in Glostrup. [1]\n\n\n\nThis cycling-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.","event_type":"Sports Competition","arguments":[{"role":"Score","values":null},{"role":"End Time","values":null},{"role":"Lasting Time","values":null},{"role":"Host Country","values":["the Union Cycliste Internationale"]},{"role":"Contest Participant","values":["France and Italy"]},{"role":"MVP","values":null},{"role":"Start Time","values":["4 August 1921"]},{"role":"Competition Items","values":["bicycle road racing"]},{"role":"Game Name","values":["The 1921 UCI Road World Championships"]},{"role":"Champions","values":["Sweden"]},{"role":"Postpone Time","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Copenhagen, Denmark"]},{"role":"Postpone Reason","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Niue to join Asian Development Bank","document":"Niue to join Asian Development Bank\n5:04 pm on 21 December 2018\n\n\nNiue has passed legislation to join the Asian Development Bank.\nThe Asian Development Bank (ADB) is an Asia regional development organization dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific. Photo: AFP/ Jay Directo\nMP O'Love Jacobsen said Niue's assembly voted overwhelmingly in support of joining the development bank on Thursday.\nShe said it will cost the government nearly $US100,000 per year to be a member.\nMs Jacobsen said Niue should tread carefully with loans from the bank so future generations aren't left with debts to pay.\nTags:\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":null},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Effective Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["Asian Development Bank"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":null},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Niue"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Niue joins the ADB","document":"The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is an Asia regional development organization dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific. Photo: AFP/ Jay Directo\nThe Asian Development Bank says Niue faces serious challenges in achieving sustained social and economic development.\nNiue has become the Bank's latest member.\nThe ADB said this new relationship would help the Bank work closely on building and strengthening Niue's economic growth.\nThe Bank said the economy grew by an average of 3.6 percent each year from 2012 to 2016.\n\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":null},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["Niue faces serious challenges in achieving sustained social and economic development"]},{"role":"Effective Date","values":null},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["Asian Development Bank"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":null},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Niue"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Niue, a tiny island nation in the Pacific, is ADB's newest member","document":"MANILA — The Asian Development Bank has just welcomed Niue, the tiny Pacific island nation that sits northeast of New Zealand, as its newest member. But there are questions on what a huge financial institution can do on an island with a population of just over 1,600.\n“It's still at early stages. But what was very clear is that there [is a] very close set of common interests in Niue and in what we're doing already in the [Pacific] region,” said Emma Veve, director of the social sectors and public sector management division at ADB’s Pacific regional department.This includes renewable energy solutions, which is of interest to many of ADB’s Pacific member countries, she explained. Initial discussions had highlighted the need to strengthen its central government systems around finance and state-owned enterprises and improve connectivity issues such as in transport and telecommunications.\nBut in the next weeks and months, bank and Niue officials will be embarking on a series of in-depth discussions to better determine where they can work together. It will be an opportunity for the bank to share its processes, and the range of services it can offer Niue, from knowledge sharing to capacity building.\nVeve, who’s visiting Niue this week, will discuss with government stakeholders, but also talk with the private sector and public enterprises there and “listen to what they're interested in,” she said.\nThe plan is to identify which of ADB’s existing regional technical assistance Niue would like to be a part of since that can be achieved fairly quickly, Veve said. She also hopes to discuss ADB’s private sector development initiative, where the bank can help Niue’s government strengthen laws to make the environment more attractive for business investment.\nFor any consulting opportunities, ADB will need to classify the country first according to its creditworthiness and develop a country operations business plan, which may not be due until sometime next year. But, Veve said, there could be some consulting opportunities later in the year in Niue as part of its regional work.\nIncreased interest in Niue\nThe country’s ADB membership comes a few months after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans for new diplomatic posts in several islands in the Pacific, including Niue. The so-called “Pacific pivot” by Australia is perceived by some experts as the bilateral donor’s countermove to perceived rising Chinese interest and influence in the region.","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":["Emma Veve"]},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["the bank can help Niue’s government strengthen laws to make the environment more attractive for business investment"]},{"role":"Effective Date","values":null},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["Asian Development Bank"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":null},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Niue"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Niue joins Asian Development Bank as latest member","document":"Niue joins Asian Development Bank as latest member\n3 years ago Editor\nNiue has become the Asian Development Bank’s latest member.\nThe Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank has approved the membership of Niue as the bank’s 68th overall member and 49th from the Asia and Pacific region.\nThe Asian Development Bank is an international development finance institution dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through assisting its members and partners by providing loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and economic development.\n“We welcome Niue as ADB’s newest member. This new relationship will bring Niue into the development community and help ADB to work closely on building and strengthening economic growth that benefits all Niueans,” said ADB President Takehiko Nakao.\nThe Niuean Government applied for membership in the Asian Development Bank last year where the Premier traveled to Manila, Philippines to hold talks with board members and the ADB President.\nThe Premier has stated if the application is successful, this is a historical step for Niue. The Government had applied two times before and were unsuccessful in both times.\nShare this:\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":null},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["This new relationship will bring Niue into the development community and help ADB to work closely on building and strengthening economic growth that benefits all Niueans"]},{"role":"Effective Date","values":null},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["Asian Development Bank"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":["Takehiko Nakao"]},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Niue"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Kosovo becomes member of UEFA, paves way for FIFA application","document":"By Brian Homewood\n3 Min Read\nBUDAPEST (Reuters) - Kosovo was accepted as a member of UEFA on Tuesday, becoming the 55th member of European football’s governing body despite strong opposition from neighbouring Serbia, from which it declared independence in 2008.\nA member of the Kosovo media team celebrates outside the convention centre where the European football group UEFA admitted Kosovo as its newest member in Budapest, Hungary, May 3, 2016. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh\nTwenty-eight of UEFA’s members, the minimum necessary, voted in favour of Kosovo and 24 against after a long and sometimes heated discussion at UEFA’s Congress.\nThe decision opens the way for Kosovo to join global football body FIFA, at a vote next week, and take part in the 2018 World Cup qualifying competition.\nKosovo President Hashim Thaci wrote on his Facebook page: “Kosovo in UEFA! The best news for countless fans in our republic. Now we will play in international championships, some games will be won some will be lost but no one will ever keep us out from green fields.”\nIt was not immediately clear whether FIFA would allow Kosovar players who have already played for another national team to switch nationalities.\nFIFA rules do not allow players to change allegiance but there has been speculation that it could allow a one-off for Kosovo. This would have a big impact on Switzerland and Albania both of which have contingents of players with Kosovar roots.\nIn Switzerland’s case, that includes some of their top players like Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri and Valon Behrami.\nSlideshow ( 3 images )\n“We have asked FIFA the question in a very direct way and we would like to receive a clear answer but before we do I can’t say anything about this,” said UEFA legal director Alasdair Bell.\nAlbanian FA president Armand Duka said he supported Kosovo’s bid in any case. “We have players of Kosovar origins and might be afraid of losing them, but this is not the issue,” he told the Congress.\nBefore the vote, Serbian FA president Tomislav Karadzic had urged the Congress to reject the application, saying it was a case of politics interfering with sport.\n“This is a political, not a footballing proposal,” he said. “It would create tumult in the region and open a Pandora’s box throughout Europe.”\n“Football must not cross the particular line of changing the borders of any country and accepting the self-proclaimed Kosovo republic would be crossing such a line.”\nAlthough Serbia does not recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state, it signed an accord in 2013 aimed at settling relations as a condition for its own progress towards European Union membership.\nUEFA statutes say that membership can be granted to any football association “based in a country which is recognised by the United Nations as an independent state.”\nBut Bell said a literal reading of that article “would not make sense from a legal point of view.”\n“The United Nations has no competence to recognise states; states recognise states; you are either a member of the UN or not, the fact you are not a member of the UN does not mean you are not a state; this is a legal matter,” he added.\nKosovo were allowed to play friendlies with restrictions by FIFA in 2014 and have met several teams including Haiti and Turkey.\nAdditional reporting by Zoran Milosavljevic in Belgrade, Fatos Bytyci in Pristina and Marton Dunai; Editing by Hugh Lawson\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":["Alasdair Bell"]},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Effective Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["UEFA"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":["Kosovo President Hashim Thaci"]},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Kosovo"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Kosovo accepted as member of Uefa after Congress vote","document":"\nKosovo accepted as member of Uefa after Congress vote\n\nUefa members vote 28-24 in favour of admission\nKosovo now likely to apply for Fifa membership\nA delegation member of Kosovo celebrates Uefa’s decision in Budapest. Photograph: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images\nA delegation member of Kosovo celebrates Uefa’s decision in Budapest. Photograph: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images\nReuters\nTue 3 May 2016 12.46 BST\nLast modified on Mon 20 Feb 2017 11.44 GMT\nKosovo was accepted as a member of Uefa on Tuesday, becoming the 55th member of European football’s governing body despite strong opposition from neighbouring Serbia, from which it declared independence in 2008.\nUefa’s annual congress voted by 28 votes to 24 to accept Kosovo’s application. Two votes were declared invalid.\nRead more\nKosovo journalists outside the hall cheered the decision, which means teams from Kosovo can enter European club and national team competitions and paves the way for the republic to apply for Fifa membership .\nThe Kosovo president Hashim Thaci wrote on his Facebook page: “Kosovo in Uefa! The best news for countless fans in our republic. Now we will play in international championships, some games will be won some will be lost but no one will ever keep us out from green fields.”\nBefore the vote, the Serbian FA president Tomislav Karadzic had urged the Congress to reject the application, saying it was a case of politics interfering with sport.\n“This is a political, not a footballing proposal,” he said. “We are facing a stern test, we must say no to politics, no to divisions that are maybe detrimental.\n“It would create tumult in the region and open a Pandora’s box throughout Europe.”\nKosovo will apply next week to join Fifa and could play in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers if accepted.\nKosovo were granted permission two years ago to play friendly matches but with restrictions, which included a ban on displaying national symbols or playing national anthems at games.\nTopics\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":null},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Effective Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["Uefa"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":["Hashim Thaci"]},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Kosovo"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Kosovo has been admitted as the 55th member association of UEFA","document":"Kosovo's national team have played friendlies against nations including Haiti and Turkey in the past. \nARMEND NIMANI/AFP/Getty Images\nKosovo has been admitted as the 55th member association of UEFA following a vote at the European governing body's congress in Budapest, a call that has led to outrage from Serbia with the nation saying it will fight the decision by all legal means.\nTwenty-eight of UEFA's members -- the minimum necessary -- voted in favour of Kosovo and 24 against, with neighbouring Serbia, from which it declared independence in 2008, leading the opposition. Two votes were declared invalid.\nSerbia's Foreign Ministry said the vote in favour of Kosovo's acceptance \"is a warning that we live in the world of interest and politics, and not justice and rules.\"\nThe decision means Kosovo could now also join FIFA, with a vote due next week, and take part in 2018 World Cup qualifying, which begins this September.\n\"I welcome our 55th member,\" UEFA general secretary ad interim Theodore Theodoridis said in a statement . \"It was a very democratic process, and very open discussions [took place] between the national associations. We respect the result of the congress [vote].\"\nKosovo has been seeking international recognition through sports since declaring independence from Serbia in 2008.\nSerbian officials said they will file a complaint with the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport because, they said, Kosovo's membership is against UEFA's statutes.\n\"The foundations of European soccer were shaken today. This could lead to serious divisions in the continent's competitions,\" Serbian ruling party official Marko Djuric said. \"They can only dream that our fight is over and that their UEFA membership is definite.\"\nUEFA backed the nation's case after resisting previous efforts by FIFA in 2012 to allow its national and club teams to play opponents from other countries.\nKosovo were permitted to play friendlies with restrictions by FIFA in 2014 and have come up against several nations since then, including Haiti and Turkey.\nKosovo President Hashim Thaci wrote on his Facebook page : \"Kosovo in UEFA! The best news for countless fans in our republic. Now we will play in international championships, some games will be won some will be lost but no one will ever keep us out from green fields.\"\nFIFA rules do not allow players to change international allegiance, but there has been speculation that the governing body could permit Kosovar players who have already represented another nation to switch nationalities.\nA number of Switzerland players, such as Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri and Valon Behrami, all have Kosovar roots, as does Belgium international Adnan Januzaj.\n\"We have asked FIFA the question in a very direct way and we would like to receive a clear answer but before we do I can't say anything about this,\" UEFA legal director Alasdair Bell is quoted as saying by Reuters .\nInformation from the Associated Press was used in this report.\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":["Theodore Theodoridis"]},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Effective Date","values":null},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["UEFA"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":["Kosovo President Hashim Thaci"]},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Kosovo"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Gibraltar given full Uefa membership at London Congress","document":"Gibraltar given full Uefa membership at London Congress\n\n\n\n\nGibraltar has been accepted as a full member of Uefa, European football's governing body.\nThe application was approved on a majority vote at the organisation's congress in London, with no votes against and no abstentions.\nThe British Overseas Territory off the south coast of Spain has a population of just under 30,000.\nGibraltar will be allowed to enter qualifying for the 2016 European Championship.\nThe territory tried to join Uefa in 2007 but the bid was controversially rejected. Spain opposed the move and threatened to boycott both club and international competitions if it succeeded.\nGibraltar football facts\n600 registered players\nSix teams in Gibraltar Premier Division - Lincoln FC (the 2012-13 champions), St Joseph's FC, Man United FC, Lynx FC, Lions Gibraltar, Glacis FC.\nFirst bid to join Uefa rejected in 2007 when only England, Wales & Scotland voted in favour.\nOnly three of Uefa's 52 associations voted in favour of Gibraltar - the English, Welsh and Scottish Football Associations.\nPreviously Gibraltar, which has six top-division teams and 600 registered senior players, had been told it could not join Uefa as it was not a country recognised by the United Nations.\nIt was accepted as a provisional member of Uefa in October 2012 and that membership has now been ratified.\nSpain continues to claim sovereignty over the territory, which has been ruled by Britain since 1713 under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht.\nThe European Union has put pressure on Spain and Britain to resolve the issue of Gibraltar's status. Both sides, under the Brussels Process launched in 1984, have attempted to reach an agreement.\nBut Spain's insistence on eventually acquiring full sovereignty, and Britain's determination to retain full control of Gibraltar's military base, have been among the stumbling blocks.\nUefa president Michel Platini has confirmed that Gibraltar and Spain will be kept apart in qualifying groups.\n\"Gibraltar will not play qualifying matches with Spain - we also have this situation with Armenia and Azerbaijan,\" Platini said.\nGibraltar head coach Allen Bula\nBorn: 4 January 1965\nRepresented country from Under-15 to Under-21 level\nPlayed for Gibraltar United, St Joseph's and Glacis United\nFormerly the head of football development and academy manager at Slovakian first division club MFK Kosice\n\"This is a momentous occasion for football in Gibraltar. Uefa membership means that we can begin the next chapter of Gibraltarian football,\" the president of the Gibraltar Football Association, Gareth Latin, said.\n\"At last we'll be able to show the whole of Europe that we can match the best with football of a high standard and entertaining style.\"\nAllen Bula, head coach of Gibraltar's national side, would relish the chance to play the country's neighbours.\n\"I always said I would love to play Spain. I would play them any day, anywhere, any time,\" Bula told the BBC's World Football programme earlier this year.\n\"When I took over the national team I had one purpose - to show Europe and the world that what Spain were saying about us, that we were only in it for political reasons and that we didn't have any quality, was a load of rubbish.\n\"They have not let us progress, we've never given up and now we are ready to show Europe what we are made of.\"\nGibraltar becomes the smallest Uefa member in terms of population, behind San Marino (just over 32,000), Liechtenstein (approximately 37,000) and the Faroe Islands (just under 50,000).\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":null},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Effective Date","values":null},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":["English, Welsh and Scottish Football Associations"]},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["Uefa"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":null},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Gibraltar"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Gibraltar becomes Uefa's 54th member despite Spain's past objections","document":"\nGibraltar becomes Uefa's 54th member despite Spain's past objections\n\nApplication rejected first in 1999 and most recently 2007\nVictories in court of arbitration paved way for move\nGibraltar should soon be hosting senior football matches after being admitted fully to Uefa. Photograph: Design Pics Inc/Rex Features\nGibraltar should soon be hosting senior football matches after being admitted fully to Uefa. Photograph: Design Pics Inc/Rex Features\nPress Association\nFri 24 May 2013 13.52 BST\nGibraltar have become Uefa's 54th member nation after the European ruling body voted for its inclusion at its congress in London.\nThere had been opposition from Spain but the Gibraltar FA won a case at the court of arbitration for sport obliging Uefa to accept the British overseas territory as a member.\nThe Uefa president Michel Platini said that Gibraltar would be kept apart from Spain in qualifying for Euro 2016. \"Gibraltar will not play qualifying matches with Spain – we also have this situation with Armenia and Azerbaijan,'' he said.\n\"This is a momentous occasion for football in Gibraltar,\" said Gareth Latin, president of the Gibraltar FA. \"Uefa membership means that we can begin the next chapter of Gibraltarian football.\n\"At last we'll be able to show the whole of Europe that we can match the best with football of a high standard and entertaining style.\n\"It will open up a whole new world of opportunities for our highly skilled young footballers. This is one of our greatest sporting moments.\"\nGibraltar's first application, in 1999, had been rejected in the face of intense opposition from Spain, who feared that if Gibraltar were to be admitted to Uefa, it would set a precedent that could inspire similar claims from separatist Basque or Catalan teams.\nThe last vote was in 2007 when only three countries supported Gibraltar's application and Spain threatened to withdraw all its teams from Uefa competition if Gibraltar were admitted.\nTopics\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":null},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["the European ruling body voted for its inclusion"]},{"role":"Effective Date","values":null},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["Uefa"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":null},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Gibraltar"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"AFC Congress approves NMIFA’s membership","document":"Thu, 28 Oct, 2021\nAFC Congress approves NMIFA’s membership\nKuala Lumpur: Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, congratulated the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association (NMIFA) on becoming the 47th full Member Association of the AFC at the 30th AFC Congress today.\nThe online Congress, which observed a minutes’ silence of respect for Diego Armando Maradona and the legends of Asian football who have passed in the last year, approved the application of the NMIFA, which has been an Associate Member of the AFC since July 2009.\nThu, 28 Oct, 2021\nAFC Champions League (East) – Quarter-finals: Ones to Watch\nDoha: The clock is ticking down towards the 2020 AFC Champions League (East) quarter-finals with Beijing FC to face Ulsan Hyundai and Vissel Kobe up against Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a pair of exciting match-ups on Thursday. \nA number of players have shone for the four sides so far in Qatar, with performances that have helped their respective teams reach the quarter-finals and keep the dream of being crowned 2020 Continental champions alive.\nWith Thursday's encounters fast approaching, the-AFC.com has selected four players who could be the difference between making the semi-finals or heading home.\nThu, 28 Oct, 2021\nUlsan Hyundai FC, Beijing FC set for heavyweight AFC Champions League quarter-final clash\nDoha: One of the AFC Champions League’s two remaining unbeaten records must come to an end when Ulsan Hyundai FC and Beijing FC face off in Thursday's quarter-final at the Al Janoub Stadium.\nIt looms a blockbuster battle worthy of a continental decider, but the clash between two of the East zone’s two most impressive outfits comes at the quarter-final stage, with one of the pair set to be abruptly eliminated.\nThu, 28 Oct, 2021\nSuwon Samsung Bluewings in the way as Vissel Kobe seek to extend dream AFC Champions League run\nDoha: Japan’s Vissel Kobe will be aiming to keep their dream AFC Champions League debut going when they take on Korea Republic’s Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the quarter-finals at Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday.\nThe two sides had met twice in the group stage with Kyogo Furuhashi’s added time strike winning the first leg for Vissel Kobe back in February and Suwon Samsung Bluewings responding with a 2-0 win on the final matchday that sealed their place in the knock-out stage at the expense of Guangzhou Evergrande.\nThu, 28 Oct, 2021\nAFC Champions League (East) – Quarter-finals: Forwards in Form\nDoha: The 2020 AFC Champions League (East) has reached the business end of the campaign with just four teams remaining in the quest to join the Islamic Republic of Iran's Persepolis in the final on December 19. \nTuesday's quarter-final draw pitted Vissel Kobe against Suwon Samsung Bluewings while Beijing FC are to face Ulsan Hyundai in what promises to be a thrilling pair of match-ups on Thursday.\nAhead of the games, the-AFC.com has selected a forward from each side who could be the difference when it comes to securing a place in the 2020 AFC Champions League semi-finals.\nThu, 28 Oct, 2021\nVote for your AFC International Player of the Week\nKuala Lumpur: In a season where many of Asia’s leading lights have shone bright, no seven-day period has featured as many outstanding performances as the one just completed.\nIn a week of hat-tricks and history, the continent’s international stars were in unstoppable form. This week’s 10 contenders produced a combined total of 15 goals, four assists and countless other highlights, with several other worthy candidates unlucky not to be nominated.\nSo just who was Asia’s best player outside the continent? Here are our perfect 10 from December 3 to 9.\nThu, 28 Oct, 2021\nShaikh Salman: AFC Congress is the perfect stage to show our unity in these exceptional circumstances\nManama: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, will chair the 30th AFC Congress, which will be held online for the first time, on Wednesday, December 9, 2020.\nShaikh Salman explained that the AFC Congress is the perfect stage to show Asian Football family unity, which has allowed the AFC to continue its development and work even during the most uncertain times and allowed the building of partnerships.\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":null},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Effective Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["AFC"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":["Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa"]},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Australia completes move from Oceania to Asia","document":"This was published 16 years ago\nAustralia completes move from Oceania to Asia\nJuly 1, 2005 — 10.00am\n, register or subscribe to save articles for later.\nNormal text size\nSoc: Australia completes move from Oceania to Asia Soccer Aust Asia Nightlead\nBy Mike Collett\nFRANKFURT, June 29 Reuters - FIFA's executive committee today ratified Australia's migration from the Oceania confederation (OFC) to the Asian confederation (AFC), a move that will have a major impact on soccer in both regions.\nAustralia had not been expected to be given approval to join Asia until September when FIFA's Congress meets in Marrakech, Morocco.\nBut the executive committee saw no reason to wait until then, said FIFA president Sepp Blatter today.\n\n\"All the participants were happy with the move and this being the case, the executive committee approved it under the statutes. It did not need to wait for Congress,\" he said.\nBlatter added: \"The Oceania delegates have thought for many years that Australia was too powerful and blocked the way of the other 11 countries.\n\"Now New Zealand, and the Pacific islands at least have a chance. They can go it alone, I am sure it will be a success.\"\nMohamed Bin Hammam, the AFC president, said: \"The FIFA executive committee decided to allow Australia to move now and I am very glad it has happened.\n\"It makes sense from both the Oceania point of view and for Asia it is good that we have another strong country,\" he said.\nAustralia now becomes the 46th member of the AFC and its new status should have a hugely beneficial impact on the development of soccer in the country.\nThe move will also end a series of mis-matches which have included Australia crushing Pacific island nations American Samoa 31-0 and Tonga 22-0 in World Cup qualifiers in the past few years.\nAt the same time it will give Australia a far more realistic chance of reaching future World Cup finals -- something they have not done since 1974 in West Germany.\nAustralia have usually won the Oceania zone qualifying competition with ease -- and then faltered in a two-legged playoff against South American or Asian opponents.\nThis way they can afford to lose some matches like every other nation does during the 18-month long qualifying campaign -- and still get through to the finals.\nThe announcement was made on the day Australia coach Frank Farina stepped down from his job after three straight defeats by his team in the Confederations Cup.\nAustralia are still hoping to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany through their traditional route, but will be an Asian nation for the 2010 qualifying campaign ahead of the finals in South Africa.\nReuters gab\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":null},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Effective Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["Asian confederation (AFC)"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":["Mohamed Bin Hammam"]},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Australia"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Venezia promoted to Serie A","document":"Venezia promoted to Serie A\nDate:27th May 2021 at 11:16pm\nWritten by: Euan Burns\nVenezia gained promotion to Serie A for the first time in 19 years at the expense of Cittadella, after a 1-1 home draw in the second leg of their playoff final against Cittadella.\nThe Arancioneroverde won the first leg 1-0, but drew 1-1 in Venice as they were reduced to 10 men in the first half. The Cittadella goal was scored by Federico Prioa as he seized on a loose ball in the box.\nDespite constant Cittadella pressure, Venezia broke with two minutes of stoppage time to play and Riccardo Bocalon sealed the promotion by making it 2-1 on aggregate.\n\n— Venezia FC (@VeneziaFC_EN) May 27, 2021\nBoth teams showed attacking intent in the first 25 minutes, but it was Cittadella who made the vital breakthrough. A low pass into the box caught the Venezia defence napping, and Prioa was able to poke the ball beyond Niki Maeenpaeae.\nThe situation got worse for Venezia after 36 minutes, when Mazzochi was shown his second yellow card in the space of a minute. After the first yellow for a foul, he immediately put in a heavy tackle on another Cittadella player and gave referee Daniele Orsato no choice.\nThe second half was filled almost entirely of Cittadella as they tried to capitalise on the extra player. With the tie level at 1-1 on aggregate, it was Venezia who would still go through as they finished the Serie B season with two more points than Cittadella.\nVenezia showed impressive attacking intent towards the end of the game, choosing not to invite pressure. It paid off when Bocalon poked home a low cross with almost the last kick of the game.\n\n\n","event_type":"Join in an Orgnization","arguments":[{"role":"Organization Leader","values":null},{"role":"Annoncement Date","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["after a 1-1 home draw in the second leg of their playoff final against Cittadell"]},{"role":"Effective Date","values":null},{"role":"Join Conditions","values":null},{"role":"Organization Members","values":null},{"role":"Organization Name","values":["Serie"]},{"role":"Declarer","values":null},{"role":"Countries Joined the Organization","values":["Venezia"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Six Vietnamese pro–democracy activists are sentenced to up to six years in prison for \"spreading propaganda\" against the government. (BBC) (UPI) (Reuters India)","document":"HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Oct. 9 (UPI) --  Vietnam has begun sentencing several political activists for publicly but peacefully calling for democracy and an end to government corruption.\nA diplomatic source has told media outlets that so far two people have been sentenced in the closed-session trials in Hanoi and the port of Haiphong, including a former school teacher.\nThe unnamed source said Vu Hung, 43, was sentenced to three years for, most notably, hanging a banner around 10 feet long over a Hanoi bridge in July 2008 upon which he demanded multiparty democracy. Vu Hung along with several other activists was arrested in September last year on charges of spreading propaganda against the state, according to human-rights group Amnesty International.\nA poet, Tran Duc Thach, has also been sentenced to three years in prison and seven more activists will face trial later this month, according to brief media reports.\nThe judge reportedly said Vu Hung, a high school physics teacher before his arrest, was a danger to society. Vu Hung's comment was simply that he wanted only for his voice to be heard.\nAmnesty International has been calling for their release from prison since last year and has been compiling information about their physical and mental condition from fellow prisoners who have been set free.\nVu Hung, married with two children, was causing most concern to Amnesty because of reports of his ill health, several visits to hospitals and alleged beatings. His whereabouts while in prison were not known for two months before the trial began this month.\nHe is also one of 14 people arrested in April 2008 during peaceful demonstrations against Chinese policies as the Olympic torch relay passed through Ho Chi Minh City. He was then beaten by police before being released, Amnesty said.\nThe current trials are the latest in a series that the government has been pursuing since the protest movement Bloc 8406 was created three years ago.\nSince then Amnesty believes at least 30 dissidents have been handed long prison sentences, and an unknown number of dissidents are languishing in jail under what is called pre-trial detention.\nIn 2006 the government liberalized Web access in the country but found it being used for protest purposes. An initial clampdown only increased the use of the Web as a vehicle for protest, particularly by Bloc 8406 members and supporters.\nBloc 8406 is a loose coalition of political activists and pressure groups within Vietnam who advocate for democracy reforms. The name comes from the date of the Bloc 8406 democracy manifesto, on April 8, 2006. Originally it was signed by 118 dissidents calling for a multiparty state, but support has grown into the thousands, analysts have said. A prominent supporter is longtime activist and Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly, 64.\nThe communist government has considered Van Ly a thorn in its side since it took control of the country in 1975. He was sentenced in March 2007 to eight years in prison for his support of Bloc 8406.\nThe protest group's trademark is that of a brief video clip on the Web where people, old and young, are interviewed, often in the streets and holding up protest signs with \"Freedom\" written in English.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["three years in prison","long prison sentences"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Vu Hung","Tran Duc Thach"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["hanging a banner around 10 feet long over a Hanoi bridge in July 2008 upon which he demanded multiparty democracy","spreading propaganda against the state"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Six Vietnamese pro–democracy activists are sentenced to up to six years in prison for \"spreading propaganda\" against the government. (BBC) (UPI) (Reuters India)","document":"HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam jailed six people on Friday for advocating democracy after similar sentences to three others earlier in the week, moves that analysts say look choreographed to deter dissent in the run up to a major Communist meeting.\nThe six, including a leader of a banned pro-democracy group called Bloc 8406, were sentenced in one trial in the port city of Haiphong to prison terms ranging from two to six years for “conducting propaganda against the state”.\nEarlier in the week, three people were convicted of the same crime in separate back-to-back trials in the capital Hanoi, and handed jail terms of three to four years.\nAll nine had hung banners on bridges in the two cities calling for multi-party elections in Vietnam. Prosecutors argued that such actions were illegal because pluralism would constitute a violation of the Vietnamese constitution, which says the Communist Party leads the state and society.\nThe trials were “bundled together for maximum deterrent effect”, said Carlyle Thayer, a Vietnamese politics expert at the University of New South Wales Australian Defence Force Academy.\n“It is no coincidence that renewed repression coincides with advance preparations for the 11th Party congress. Party conservatives are trying to stem pressures to step up the pace of political reform in order to remain in power.”\nThe Vietnamese Communist Party holds a national congress once every five years to draw up a socio-political blueprint and make leadership changes. The 11th congress is due to take place in January 2011, and experts say jockeying is already under way.\nSophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, also linked the trials to the upcoming congress, calling the Vietnamese government “an intransigent and unaccountable regime that knows it can get away with flagrantly violating the rights of its citizens”.\n“It’s essential that Vietnam’s donors weigh in directly with government authorities at the highest levels to strongly condemn Vietnam’s latest assault on free expression,” she said.\nThe trials have attracted the attention of several Western governments concerned about Vietnam’s human rights record and were attended by a handful of foreign diplomats.\nBut from an investor’s perspective, they are unlikely to cause alarm, economists said. Political stability has been one of Vietnam’s selling points.\n“Does it make people feel queasy? Probably. But right now my feeling is that the government probably has pretty good control of things,” said one banker at a U.S. investment bank who declined to be identified by name.\nMost investors know what they are getting into here, said one economist. “As long as there isn’t massive underlying dissatisfaction with the government, and no possibility of social instability, their investments will be fine,” she said.\nBut Thayer said there appears to be concern among some in Vietnam’s leadership about growing dissent.\n“Those promoting repression have been unnerved both by the revival of dissent by Bloc 8406 members and by the growing coalescence of dissent across different issues such as human rights, bauxite mining and relations with China,” he said.\nThe trials were scheduled earlier but postponed, analysts say, so they would not coincide with President Nguyen Minh Triet’s trip to the United Nations and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem’s meeting two weeks ago with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["prison terms ranging from two to six years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["one trial in the port city of Haiphong"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["conducting propaganda against the state"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Six Uyghurs are sentenced to death over riots in the western region of Xinjiang, China in July. (China Daily) (BBC) (Bernama) (RIA Novosti)","document":"URUMQI: Six men who were convicted of murder and other crimes in the July 5 riot in Xinjiang were sentenced Monday to death after a first-instance trial, and another man was jailed for life.\nAbdukerim Abduwayit, Gheni Yusup, Abdulla Mettohti, Adil Rozi, Nureli Wuxiu'er, and Alim Metyusup were sentenced to death at the Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi.\n\nAll seven men had been convicted of murder, and some of them were also convicted of arson or robbery.\nThe seven were the first to be sentenced over the riot, which left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 injured in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.\nAbdukerim Abduwayit killed five innocent people with dagger and pipe wrench during the riot. He also set fire to a downtown building, forcing 13 people to jump off the building to escape and causing an economic loss of more than 260,000 yuan (38,067 U.S. dollars).\nIn the second case, Gheni Yusup led Abdulla Mettohti, Adil Rozi and Nureli Wuxiu'er in beating four people to death and injuring another. They smashed and looted shops and vehicles.\nAbdulla Mettohti and others also set a grain and oil shop ablaze, killing five people who were hiding inside and causing an economic loss of 1.37 million yuan.\nIn the third case, Alim Metyusup and Tayirejan Abulimit together killed three people and seriously injured one person. They also robbed the victims of their mobile phones.\nAlim Metyusup together with other mobs killed another two people and set fire to houses, resulting in an economic loss of more than 50,000 yuan.\nThe public prosecutors presented testimonies of witnesses, autopsy reports and other evidences at the court, and played monitoring video of the scenes of crimes.\nThe defendants provided explanation against their charges and their lawyers defended at the court.\nMore than 400 people, including legislators, political advisors, family members of the defendants and victims, and journalists, observed the court hearings.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["sentenced to death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Abdukerim Abduwayit, Gheni Yusup, Abdulla Mettohti, Adil Rozi, Nureli Wuxiu'er, and Alim Metyusup"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["murder and other crimes"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 A Zimbabwean court orders a senior MDC official, Roy Bennett, back to jail on terrorism charges. (Al Jazeera) (South Africa Times)","document":"A judge in Mutare magistrate's court granted an application by state prosecutors for Bennett, 52, to be indicted in the High Court for alleged possession of weapons with intent to commit banditry, insurgency and terrorism.\nHis case had been due to be heard by the Mutare court but prosecutors said it should be heard by the higher court because of the seriousness of the charges.\nThe move saw Bennett's bail automatically revoked.\n\"I commit the accused to prison. If there is any defect in the process, the accused should raise it with the High Court,\" magistrate Lucy Mungwari said, handing down ruling in a crowded courtroom.\nA visibly shocked Bennett, clad in khaki trousers, brown shoes and a check shirt was immediately whisked away by prison guards.\nBennett is treasurer of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC and a former white farmer, who was named by Tsvangirai for the post of deputy agriculture minister in the country's power-sharing government.\nOn the day the new cabinet was sworn in in February he was arrested and charged with plotting terrorism. The charges were later downgraded. Bennett denies the charges.\nThe MDC reacted angrily to Bennett's re-imprisonment, with party spokesman Nelson Chamisa calling it a \"serious abuse of the law which will affect the coalition government.\"\n\"It is no longer prosecution but persecution,\" Chamisa charged, warning the MDC would not \"sit and watch this abuse go on.\"\nBennett's lawyer Trust Maanda said he was trying to secure his client's release.\nBennett's trial had been due to start on Tuesday in the Mutare court. It is now set down for next week in the High Court.\nThe MDC accuses the Mugabe-loyal attorney general's office of conspiring to keep Bennett, whose farm was seized by Zanu-PF loyalists during the country's controversial land reform campaign - out of government.\nDespite the MDC being in government, its members continue to be harassed, routinely detained and charged in suspicious circumstances.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["in the High Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":["next week"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["possession of weapons with intent to commit banditry, insurgency and terrorism"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 A Japanese convict who served seventeen years in prison for the murder of a four–year–old girl pleads not guilty during a retrial. (BBC)","document":"A Japanese man who spent 17 years in jail for the murder of a four-year-old girl has now pleaded not guilty in a retrial of his case.\nToshikazu Sugaya, 63, was released earlier this year after fresh DNA tests showed that evidence found at the murder scene did not match his DNA. He was sentenced to life in jail after saying during a police interrogation that he committed the crime. He later retracted this statement, saying it was made under duress. Human rights groups have criticised Japan's system of police interrogations, where suspects can be detained and questioned for up to 23 days without the presence of a lawyer. The conviction rate in Japan is more than 99%, and a recent report by Amnesty International criticised the system, saying some of these convictions were based on confessions extracted from suspects against their will. Appearing at the Utsunomiya District Court on Wednesday, Mr Sugaya said he had nothing to do with the 1990 murder. He then asked the court why he had been made to suffer 17-and-a-half years in jail for a crime he did not commit. The retrial is expected to last about six months, but prosecutors are expected to ask the court to acquit Mr Sugaya as quickly as possible.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["pleaded not guilty in a retrial of his case"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Toshikazu Sugaya"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["the murder of a four-year-old girl"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Rosanna Al–Yami, a female journalist in Saudi Arabia, is sentenced to sixty lashes and a two–year travel ban for her involvement in a controversial sex programme. (BBC) (CNN) (The New York Times) (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) (Reuters)","document":"In Saudi Arabia a female journalist has been sentenced to 60 lashes for having worked for a television network that is banned from broadcasting in the country. The network aired a programme in July containing a Saudi man's sexual confessions. Earlier this month he was sentenced to 1000 lashes and five years in prison. Four other people involved in the programme were also sentenced to lashes and jail terms.\nThe Saudi-owned network, LBC, broadcasts from Lebanon, but attracts many viewers in Saudi Arabia. Although the convicted journalist was not involved in the programme, she was sentenced on the grounds that she had worked for the network while it did not have an operating licence.\nHour-by-hour programme guide\nMore about our programmes What's on this week Complete shortwave frequency schedule Dutch and international news roundup, distributed daily at 16.00 UTC. Please click the link and  send the email message. Dutch Press Review: of the leading Dutch newspapers every weekday. Programme preview. What's on guide. Please click the link and  send the email message. Media Network Newsletter, published each Thursday. You can find daily updates on the  Media Network Weblog.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["60 lashes"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["female journalist"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["having worked for a television network that is banned from broadcasting in the country"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Rosanna Al–Yami, a female journalist in Saudi Arabia, is sentenced to sixty lashes and a two–year travel ban for her involvement in a controversial sex programme. (BBC) (CNN) (The New York Times) (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) (Reuters)","document":"(CNN) -- A Saudi court sentenced a female journalist Saturday to 60 lashes for her work on a controversial Arabic-language TV show that aired an episode in which a man bragged about his sex life, two sources told CNN.\n The court in Jeddah also imposed a two-year travel ban on Rosanna Al-Yami, according to a Saudi Information Ministry official, who could not be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media. The ban prevents her from traveling outside Saudi Arabia.\nThis official identified Al-Yami as a fixer, who helps journalists obtain stories, and a coordinator for Lebanese Broadcasting Corp., the network that aired \"A Thick Red Line,\" a popular show on social taboos.\nOn one episode, a Saudi man, Mazen Abdul Jawad, bragged about sex and got into trouble with Saudi authorities for his boasts. Abdul Jawad was put on trial and sentenced to five years in prison and 1,000 lashes.\n Suleiman Al-Jumeii, the attorney who represents Abdul Jawad, also confirmed the sentence against Al-Yami, saying he believes she is the first Saudi journalist ever to be sentenced to lashes.\nWhile the charges include involvement in preparing the program, she was not involved in setting up the episode in which Abdul Jawad appeared, the lawyer said.\nAl-Jumeii doesn't represent Al-Yami, but he said he is keeping tabs on all aspects of cases dealing with \"A Thick Red Line.\" The lawyer is attempting to pursue an appeal for his client and get his case heard in a special court that deals only with media matters.\nCNN has attempted to get comments from Al-Yami and her attorney.\nAbdul Jawad, a 32-year-old airline employee and divorced father of four, spoke openly about his sexual escapades, his love of sex and losing his virginity at age 14 on \"A Thick Red Line.\"\n That episode caused an uproar in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia, where Shariah, or Islamic law, is practiced. Premarital sex is illegal, and unrelated men and women are not permitted to mingle.\nSaudi authorities shut down the Lebanese network's offices in Jeddah and Riyadh after the interview aired a few months ago. Abdul Jawad was arrested shortly after the program aired and charged with violating Saudi Arabia's crime of publicizing vice.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["60 lashes","a two-year travel ban"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["A Saudi court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Rosanna Al-Yami"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["her work on a controversial Arabic-language TV show"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 The trial of Japanese singer and actress Noriko Sakai begins in Tokyo. (Xinhua) (BBC) (Japan Today)","document":"More than 6,000 people have queued for the 20 seats in a Tokyo courtroom's public gallery to see a famous Japanese singer and actress go on trial.\nNoriko Sakai, 38, has pleaded guilty to using and possessing illegal drugs. The case has gripped Japan since August when her husband was arrested and she went on the run for a week before turning herself in to the police. Prosecutors say she took amphetamines in July and that police found a small amount of the drug in her Tokyo home. In Monday's hearing, she pleaded guilty to possessing 0.008 of a gram of a stimulant drug and of using drugs too. Police say that after she went on the run, more drugs were found in her apartment. Prosecutors said they wanted an 18-month prison term for Ms Sakai. 'Miserable'\nShe told the court that using drugs had been her own decision, Kyodo News agency reported. \"It was a very thoughtless act,\" she added. She said she wants to divorce her husband and make a fresh start in nursing care for the elderly. \"I must correct myself. I feel miserable,\" she said. Her husband is being tried separately on similar charges. Ms Sakai rose to fame in 1987 after releasing a single, Otoko no Ko ni Naritai, a few days before her 16th birthday. Known as Nori-P during her early career, she began to use her real name after turning to acting in the 1990s. One of her most acclaimed roles came in the TV melodrama Hitotsu Yane no Shita.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["a Tokyo courtroom"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Noriko Sakai"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["using and possessing illegal drugs"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":["an 18-month prison term"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 South Korean cloning scientist Hwang Woo–Suk is convicted of fraud over his stem cell research. (BBC) (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) (The New Zealand Herald)[permanent dead link]","document":"A court in South Korea has convicted the disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk of fraud in his stem-cell research. He was given a two-year prison suspended for three years.\n \nIn 2004, Hwang shot to fame when he published a paper in the US journal \"Science\", claiming to have created the world's first stem-cell line from a cloned human embryo. The claims raised hopes of new treatments for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Parkinson's. Seoul showered Hwang and his team with money and honours; he was awarded the title of \"Supreme Scientist\".\n \nBut his reputation was tarnished in 2005 when it was revealed that he had accepted human eggs from his own researchers. In 2006, an investigative team ruled in a report that his findings were fake and that he had produced no stem cells of any kind. By using human eggs, he breached a law on bioethics which bans illegal human egg transactions.\n \nThe revelations shocked the South Korean nation and the government stripped him of his license to carry out stem cell research. While on bail during the trial, Hwang focused on animal cloning and his work in creating Snuppy (Seoul National University puppy) has been independently verified.\n \nThe prosecution demanded a four-year suspended sentence against the scientist, but the court said Hwang had not misappropriated research funds for personal profit.\n.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["a two-year prison suspended for three years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["A court in South Korea"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Hwang Woo-suk"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["breached a law on bioethics which bans illegal human egg transactions"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 South Korean cloning scientist Hwang Woo–Suk is convicted of fraud over his stem cell research. (BBC) (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) (The New Zealand Herald)[permanent dead link]","document":"A South Korean court has convicted the disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk of embezzlement over his stem cell research.\nHe was given a two-year sentence suspended for three years. The 56-year-old scientist's work had raised hopes of finding cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's. But his research was declared bogus in 2005, and he was put on trial the following year for embezzlement and accepting money under false pretences. Hwang's research made him a South Korean hero until revelations that it was false shocked the nation. \"He was guilty of fabrication,\" the Seoul court said, adding that Hwang illegally diverted a portion of the money he received for non-research related purposes. Prosecutors had demanded a four-year prison term. But despite the conviction for embezzlement, Hwang was cleared of separate fraud charges and the judge found that he had \"truly repented for his crime\". His two-year sentence has been suspended for three years. Awe, then shock\nAs soon as his colleagues at Seoul National University had concluded Hwang's work had been \"intentionally fabricated\", Hwang resigned and apologised. \"I sincerely apologise to the people for creating shock and disappointment,\" he said, after his fall from grace in 2005.\nThe real concern here is that there is damage to South Korea's international scientific reputation as a result of all this. The claims he made back then held out real hope for sufferers of diseases like Parkinson's and cancer that these stem cell breakthroughs really would lead to improvements in medical care.\nHowever he maintained that the science behind his work was sound, and that his country's scientists were still leading the field. \"I emphasise that patient-specific stem cells belong to South Korea and you are going to see this,\" he said. The controversy caused shockwaves in South Korea, where the cloning pioneer was once widely considered a national hero. However, Hwang and his team claimed to have created the world's first dog clone in 2005, an achievement which was independently confirmed. Since 2002, he received $40m (£23m) in grants from the science and technology ministry alone. In May 2005, Hwang published a paper in the journal Science, saying his team had extracted material from cloned human embryos that identically matched the DNA of 11 patients. It was claimed such a technique could be the key to providing personalised cures for diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.\n But an investigating university panel said that all 11 sets of data were derived from only two stem cell lines. The panel said it still did not know whether those two stem cell clusters had actually been cloned. \"Based on these findings, data in the 2005 Science journal cannot be regarded as a simple accidental error but as intentional fabrication made out of two stem cells,\" the investigators said. \"This is a serious wrongdoing that has damaged the foundation of science,\" it said. Scandal had earlier erupted when Hwang was forced to step down as chairman of South Korea's World Stem Cell Hub, after admitting that eggs for research were donated by his own female colleagues, in breach of guidelines. The South Korean government stripped him of the license to carry out stem cell research in 2006, citing \"ethical problems\". In his defence, Hwang has denied ordering his researchers to falsify results, saying at least one of them deceived him. He has also denied he intentionally embezzled research funds, saying that absent-mindedness was to blame for any flawed book keeping. Hwang still works in animal cloning at a local institute.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["a two-year sentence suspended for three years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["A South Korean court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Hwang Woo-suk"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["embezzlement over his stem cell research"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 The Church of Scientology in France is convicted of organised fraud. (France 24) (The Times) (Al Jazeera)","document":"A Paris court on Tuesday convicted the two principal institutions of the Church of Scientology in France of “organised fraud”, but stopped short of banning the group’s activities in France.\nThe court also levied fines totalling 600,000 euros and handed suspended prison sentences to four French Scientology officials. Scientology’s leader in France, Alain Rosenberg, received a two-year suspended sentence and a fine of 30,000 euros.\nIt did not, however, ban the organisation’s activities.\nThe two key Scientology institutions – known in France as The Celebrity Centre and the Spiritual Association of the Church of Scientology - were ordered to pay the fines for financially preying on Scientology’s vulnerable followers in the 1990s.\nReacting to the news shortly after the verdicts were announced, George Fenech, president of Milivudes, a French anti-cult group, told FRANCE 24 that the fines and prison sentences were appropriate, and that he hoped Scientology’s activities would eventually be stopped in France.\nFenech predicted that “in the future, if Scientology commits more illegal activities, it could be dissolved by a court.”\nThe case was launched by two plaintiffs, who claimed that they were defrauded of over 20,000 euros and 49,500 euros each for costly materials they claim they were coerced into buying.\nAn intricacy of French law prohibiting courts from dissolving organisations convicted of fraud meant that Scientology could not be totally banned in France, though the law has since changed.\nScientology is officially considered a “sect” in France, but claims it is a legitimate religion and denies any charges of embezzlement. A lawyer for the Church of Scientology has said it plans to appeal the verdict.\nThe Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by American science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. It is officially recognised as a religion in the United States, and counts among its members a number of popular culture celebrities, such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Lisa Marie Presley.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["A Paris court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["organised fraud"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 China confirms it has executed 2 Tibetans over unrest last year. (Angola Press) (The Guardian) (The Hindu)","document":"The Chinese government has confirmed it executed two Tibetans for deadly arson attacks during last year's unrest in Lhasa – the first reported judicial killings in the region for six years.\nA foreign ministry spokesman, Ma Zhaoxu, said two men had been put to death, and declined to provide further details. Overseas Tibetan groups have identified the dead as Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak.\nLobsang Gyaltsen was sentenced to death this year for an arson attack that killed a shop owner in Lhasa, according to a report at the time by Xinhua news agency. Loyak was handed the same penalty for starting a blaze at a motorcycle shop that killed five people, the agency said.\nThe US-funded Radio Free Asia said Lobsang Gyaltsen was allowed a visit by his mother before he was executed. \"I have nothing to say, except please take good care of my child and send him to school,\" he was quoted as telling her.\nThere has been no confirmation of two other executions reported last Thursday by the campaign group Free Tibet.\nThe British Foreign Office minister Ivan Lewis condemned the executions. \"We respect China's right to bring those responsible for the violence in Tibet last year to justice.\n\"But the UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, and we have consistently raised our concerns about lack of due process in these cases in particular,\" he said.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["sentenced to death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["arson attacks"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 English Premier League footballer Marlon King is convicted of sexual assault, imprisoned and sacked by his club Wigan Athletic F.C. (BBC) (The Times)","document":"Premier League footballer Marlon King has been jailed for 18 months for sexually assaulting a woman - and will be sacked by Wigan Athletic.\nThe striker was repeatedly \"cold-shouldered\" by the student in a bar in London, Southwark Crown Court heard. King was convicted of sexually assaulting the woman and causing actual bodily harm at the bar last December. Following sentence, the jury heard the player had 13 previous convictions, including violence against women. During the trial, the court heard he groped his 20-year-old victim and then punched her, leaving her with a broken nose. 'Gratuitous violence'\nThe father-of-three, from Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, had insisted it was a case of mistaken identity. But he was convicted by a majority of 10-2. The assault happened at the Soho Revue Bar at a time when he was on loan with Hull City. King was celebrating two occasions - his wife's latest pregnancy and the scoring of a winning goal - with a night out in the West End. Prosecution lawyer Roger Daniells-Smith said King had struck up a conversation with his victim by saying: \"Don't you know who I am? I'm a millionaire.\" The court heard she replied: \"I don't care who you are; take your millionaire-self away from our table.\" He groped the woman and she told him: \"Don't do that, it's not nice. Don't touch me.\" King was warned off her again but he continued to stroke the woman's hair and then told her she was not in his league, the court heard. After she pushed him in the chest, King lost his temper and a moment of \"completely gratuitous violence\" led to him \"smashing\" the victim to the floor, jurors were told. Two other people standing beside him were also knocked away as a result of the force of the blow he inflicted. Several witnesses testified that King was responsible, despite his denial. They included a football coach who insisted the 29-year-old Jamaican international was the assailant. Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan said King \"was finished with football\" at the club. \"We will now be in the process of severing his contract,\" he told BBC Radio 5 live. \"To say the least, I am really, really disappointed.\" Mr Whelan continued: \"It's really upsetting and it just sets such a bad example for any youngster coming through who wants to be a professional footballer.\" In 2002 King, then playing for Gillingham, served five months of a two-year prison sentence for handling a stolen car before being released on appeal. Other previous convictions include dishonesty and a range of motoring offences, including drink-driving. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["18 months","sexually assaulting a woman"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Marlon King"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["sexually assaulting the woman and causing actual bodily harm"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Rwandan man Désiré Munyaneza is given a life sentence in Canada for his role in the Rwandan genocide under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. (BBC) (CTV)","document":"A Rwandan man convicted of war crimes has been jailed for life by a Canadian court, without the prospect of parole for 25 years.\nDesire Munyaneza, 42, was found guilty in May in the first court case brought under Canada's 2000 War Crimes Act. He was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in 1994. The sentencing judge said the law considered the crimes committed by the accused to be the \"worst in existence.\" Judge Andre Denis described the sentence, the harshest possible, as \"severe\". The trial took place over two years, and heard emotional testimony from 66 witnesses about the atrocities. 'Boost for survivors'\nMunyaneza was accused of leading a militia whose members raped and killed dozens of Tutsis, and of orchestrating a massacre of 300-400 Tutsis in a church. His lawyer has said he will appeal against the conviction. Munyaneza arrived in Canada in the 1990s and tried to claim asylum - but the authorities rejected his claims. He was arrested in 2005 in a Toronto suburb after allegations emerged that he had been a militia leader during Rwanda's civil conflict. Rwandan Jean-Paul Nyilinkwaya said: \"The fact that he was found guilty is a very big boost for the survivors. Everybody there is desperate for justice.\" Mr Nyilinkwaya, who now lives in Canada, was instrumental in Munyaneza's capture, according to Associated Press news agency.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["jailed for life","Andre Denis"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["without the prospect of parole for 25 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["a Canadian court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Desire Munyaneza"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2009 An Italian court convicts 22 CIA agents and 2 Italian agents over the kidnap of Muslim cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr in Milan in 2003, in the first court case challenging the CIA's \"extraordinary rendition\" programme. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (CNN)","document":"ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Nearly two dozen Americans -- most thought to work for the CIA -- were sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday by an Italian court for their role in the seizing of a suspected terrorist in Italy in 2003, the prosecutor in the case told CNN.\nThe Americans did not appear for trial and are not in custody, but the ruling could effectively make them international fugitives.\nThe trial was the first to deal with a practice that human rights groups call \"extraordinary rendition.\" They say the United States has often sent suspects to countries that practice torture.\nWashington acknowledges making secret \"rendition\" transfers of terrorism suspects between countries but denies using torture or handing suspects over to countries that do.\nThe case centered on the extraordinary rendition of a Muslim cleric, Osama Mustafa Hassan Nasr, or Abu Omar.\n He was seized on the streets of Milan, Italy, in 2003, transferred to Egypt and tortured, he said. He was suspected of recruiting men to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan and was under heavy surveillance by Italy's intelligence agency.\n Prosecutors said he was nabbed by a CIA team working with Italian intelligence officials.\nThe verdict \"shows governments and institutions that the fight against terrorism has to be carried out in accordance with the law. There are no shortcuts,\" Spataro told CNN.\nThose who were found guilty were ordered to pay Abu Omar 1 million euros ($1.48 million) and his wife 500,000 euros.\nA total of 22 Americans were each sentenced to five years in prison for their role in his abduction. Another -- Robert Seldon Lady, whom prosecutors said was the CIA station chief in Milan -- was sentenced to eight years in jail, prosecutor Armando Spataro told CNN.\nCases were dismissed against three other Americans, including Jeff Castelli, the man assumed to be the CIA station chief in Rome at the time, because they had diplomatic immunity from prosecution. Spataro said he may appeal that ruling.\nCases were also dismissed against the former head of Italy's intelligence service and his deputy because of state secrecy provisions.\nTwo other Italians were sentenced to three years in jail for aiding the plot.\nSabrina De Sousa, one of the American defendants, was \"saddened, angered and dismayed\" by the ruling, her lawyer told CNN.\nShe felt the U.S. government had \"stabbed her in the back,\" Mark Zaid said. \"We understand why the Italians did what they did. They were following their laws. But at the end of the day, representatives of our United States government abroad were let down and left alone by their own government.\"\nDe Sousa, a career diplomat, is suing the State Department over the case, Zaid confirmed. She has never said she worked for the CIA.\nCIA spokesman George Little said Wednesday: \"The CIA has not commented on any of the allegations surrounding Abu Omar.\"\nBut U.S. officials confirmed to CNN when the case first broke that the CIA was involved in the rendition of Abu Omar from Italy to Egypt. The officials never disclosed the number of Americans involved or their names.\nPentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell responded to the verdict as it applied to an Air Force officer, Lt. Col. Joseph Romano III, who was among the Americans sentenced.\nThe Pentagon had asserted jurisdiction over the incident under the NATO Status of Forces Agreement, a position that the Italian minister of justice supported, Morrell said.\n\"We are clearly disappointed by the court's ruling,\" Morrell said. \"Our view is that the Italian court has no jurisdiction over Lt. Col. Romano and should have immediately dismissed the charges.\"\nThe American Civil Liberties Union, a persistent critic of Washington's extraordinary rendition program, demanded the United States match Italy's actions.\n\"The decision in Italy underscores the need for the United States to hold its own officials accountable for crimes committed under the 'extraordinary rendition' program. It is shameful that the first convictions of this kind came from a foreign justice system, where those convicted are not likely to serve their time,\" said Steven Watt, staff attorney for the ACLU Human Rights Program.\nItalian authorities originally indicted 26 Americans and five Italians in 2007 for kidnapping in the matter.\nThe Italians included the former head of Italian intelligence, Nicolo Pollari, and one of his deputies. They testified in preliminary hearings that Italian intelligence played no role in the alleged abduction.\nNone of the Americans is in custody in Italy and the Italian government did not ask for their extradition; they were tried in absentia.\nFormer CIA analyst Michael Scheuer told CNN in the past that the Italian military secret service had approved the operation involving Hassan, and CIA sources who refused to be named told CNN in 2005 that the agency had briefed and sought approval from its Italian counterpart for such an abduction.\nThe Italian government of the day -- which was led by Silvio Berlusconi -- vigorously denied having authorized Hassan's kidnapping, which it called illegal. Berlusconi has since returned to power.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["five years in prison"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["Italian court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["seizing of a suspected terrorist in Italy in 2003"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2009 An Italian court convicts 22 CIA agents and 2 Italian agents over the kidnap of Muslim cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr in Milan in 2003, in the first court case challenging the CIA's \"extraordinary rendition\" programme. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (CNN)","document":"An Italian judge has convicted 23 Americans - all but one of them CIA agents - and two Italian secret agents for the 2003 kidnap of a Muslim cleric.\nThe agents were accused of abducting Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, known as Abu Omar, from Milan and sending him to Egypt, where he was allegedly tortured. The trial, which began in June 2007, is the first involving the CIA's so-called \"extraordinary rendition\" programme. The Obama administration has expressed its disappointment at the convictions. \"We are disappointed by the verdicts,\" state department spokesman Ian Kelly said in Washington. He declined to comment further pending a written opinion from the judge, but said an appeal was likely. Three Americans and five Italians were acquitted by the court in Milan. Symbolic ruling\nThe Americans were all tried in their absence as they have not been extradited from the US to Italy.\nThe CIA's Milan station chief at the time, Robert Lady, was given an eight-year term, while the other 22 Americans convicted - one of them a US air force colonel - were sentenced to five years in prison. Lawyers for the 23 Americans said they would appeal against their convictions. The two Italian agents, who were convicted as accomplices to kidnapping, were given three-year prison terms. The court also ruled that those convicted must pay 1m euros ($1.5m) in damages to Abu Omar and 500,000 euros to his wife. CIA spokesman George Little in Washington declined to comment on the convictions, telling the Associated Press news agency: \"The CIA has not commented on any of the allegations surrounding Abu Omar.\" Secrecy laws\nItalian prosecutors said Abu Omar was taken as part of a series of extraordinary renditions carried out by the CIA - when terror suspects were moved between countries without any public legal process.\nThey told the court he had been kidnapped in daylight on a Milan street in February 2003 and flown to Germany, and then Cairo, where he was held for years until being released without charge. Judge Oscar Magi acquitted the CIA chief for Rome, Jeffrey Castelli, saying he was protected by state secrecy rules, as were the former head of Italy's military intelligence agency, Nicolo Pollari, and his deputy, Marco Mancini. Mr Pollari, who resigned over the affair, told the court earlier this year that documents showing he had no involvement in the kidnapping were classified under secrecy laws. Prosecutor Armando Spataro rejected the argument that legal provisions could shield those accused from prosecution, saying any agreement to carry out a kidnapping was \"absolutely against Italian law\". He had sought a 13-year jail term for Mr Castelli and Mr Pollari and 12 years for Robert Lady. Activist group Human Rights Watch welcomed the verdict, saying it sent \"a strong signal of the crimes committed by the CIA in Europe\". Spokeswoman Joanne Mariner said: \"For us, this first case puts the war on terror on trial.\"","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["Abu Omar"]},{"role":"Court","values":["An Italian judge"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["abducting Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2009 Prosecutors begin cross examining former Liberian President Charles Taylor at his war crimes trial. (Reuters) (BBC) (AllAfrica.com)","document":"THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Prosecutors at the U.N.-backed Sierra Leone court will start cross-examining Charles Taylor on Tuesday, challenging the former Liberian president on his denials of weapons trading in exchange for “blood diamonds.”\nFormer Liberian President Charles Taylor sits in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) prior to the beginning of his defence case during his trial in The Hague in this July 13, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Robin van Lonkhuijsen/United Photos/Pool\nTaylor, 61, has denied all 11 charges of instigating murder, rape, mutilation, sexual slavery and conscripting child soldiers during the intertwined wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone in which more than 250,000 people were killed.\nThe first African ruler to stand trial for war crimes, Taylor will end his testimony on Tuesday after taking the stand in his own defense on July 14, arguing the case against him was full of lies and that he tried to broker peace in the region.\n“My government negotiated the peace in Sierra Leone,” Taylor said under questioning from his defense counsel on Monday.\nTaylor has vehemently denied supplying arms to Sierra Leone rebels, saying the British and U.S. governments were involved in the supply of weapons to the region as both countries wanted him ousted from power in Liberia. He says he was the fall guy in an intelligence plot designed to lead to his destruction.\nIn 2001, the United Nations Security Council imposed a new arms embargo on Liberia, first introduced in 1992, after a U.N. report found that Liberia smuggled arms to Sierra Leone in return for diamonds with Taylor’s “permission and involvement.”\nProsecutors say Taylor armed and directed Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels to win control of neighboring Sierra Leone’s diamond mines and destabilize its government to boost his regional influence during the country’s 1991-2002 civil war.\n“We will directly challenge Mr. Taylor in three ways -- on the accuracy, the truthfulness and the completeness of his testimony,” said acting prosecutor Joseph Kamara.\nProsecutors called 91 witnesses before wrapping up their case in February. In often disturbing detail, witnesses described amputations and murder of children.\nRelated Coverage\n“RACIST TRIAL”\nTaylor’s trial, being held in The Hague for security reasons, is the last before the U.N.-backed Sierra Leone court after an appeals ruling last month confirmed jail terms of up to 52 years for three former rebel commanders.\nTaylor has denied claims from a close aide he had a pregnant woman buried alive behind his mansion in Monrovia in a ceremony designed for him to keep power. He has also dismissed involvement in the cannibalism of a human heart.\n“You have a leader eating people, burying pregnant women, and it’s not racist? It is. This is beyond racism,” he said in September.\nBut prosecution spokesman Jeremy Waiser rejected Taylor’s claims of racism or that he was made to be a scapegoat.\n“If there were a playbook of standard procedures for those accused of the worst atrocities, chapter one would be to distract attention from the charges to claim the trial is some sort of plot from other individuals and nations,” Waiser said.\nOnce the cross-examination of Taylor is completed, the defense will call other witnesses. A ruling is expected in the first half of 2010.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["the U.N.-backed Sierra Leone court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Charles Taylor"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["weapons trading in exchange for “blood diamonds"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2009 Prosecutors begin cross examining former Liberian President Charles Taylor at his war crimes trial. (Reuters) (BBC) (AllAfrica.com)","document":"Charles Taylor decided to leave the Liberian presidency for asylum in Nigeria because he wanted peace in his West African homeland, he today told Special Court for Sierra Leone judges in The Hague.\n\"I decided that I will leave for the sake of peace,\" the accused former Liberian president said.\nIn August 2003, as rebel forces advanced on the Liberian capital Monrovia with an aim of unseating Mr. Taylor, the former president agreed to step-down as president. He left Liberia in August 2003 and relocated to Nigeria, where he lived until March 2006 when he was transferred to the custody of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. In his testimony today, Mr. Taylor explained the circumstances surrounding his departure from Liberia and the unsealing of the indictment against him by the Special Court's Chief Prosecutor.\nHis concern for the suffering of the Liberian people caused by rebel forces was the motivating factor in his decision to step down from power, Mr. Taylor said today, which he announced to other West African leaders during peace talks in Ghana in 2003.\n\"I told them that if I am the problem in Liberia, I'll go and tell the people that look, I will leave,\" he said.\nLiberian Observer\nAfter giving this assurance in the office of the Ghanaian president, an announcement was made that the then Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, David Crane, had issued an indictment against him.\n\"Everybody was upset. The meeting almost came to an end,\" Mr. Taylor said.\nThe accused former president said that he still kept his word. \"I promised them that I will still step down,\" he said.\nWest African leaders assured Mr. Taylor that they would inform the United Nations Security Council that the indictment was \"unacceptable\" and that it would be \"quashed,\" he said.\n\"I was informed that the UN Security Council will meet and the indictment will not stand. It was based on that assurance that I got on the plane and returned to Liberia,\" Mr. Taylor explained.\n\"Following my return to Liberia, between June and August, there are series of negotiations going on. Obasanjo [Nigerian president] finally comes to Liberia and he assures me that he had spoken to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and they had assured him that the indictment will be quashed,\" he said.\nOn the strength of this promise, Mr. Taylor said he left Liberia for Nigeria in August of 2003.\nMr. Taylor accused the United States of involvement in a covert plan with his former vice president Moses Blah to overthrow him while he was holding peace talks with West African leaders in Ghana. \"My return to Monrovia that night destroyed the whole plan,\" he said.\nAsked by his defense counsel about his impression of the indictment, Mr. Taylor said that \"my own point is that the issue of regime change had been put in place.\"\nIn discussing the circumstances surrounding his indictment, Mr. Taylor reaffirmed a common position he has taken in the past: that his trial is \"political\" and \"racist.\"\nThese themes reemerged when Mr. Taylor and his defense counsel, Courtenay Griffiths, discussed the 2006 statement delivered before the United States House of Congress sub-committee on Africa by Mr. Crane.\nMr. Crane was quoted as telling US officials that \"unsealing of the indictment was a deliberate plan on my part to publicly strip this war lord of his power by my signature. My intent was to humble him and humiliate him before his peers.\"  Testimony further centered on Mr. Crane's admission that he gave copies of Mr. Taylor's indictment to US government officials two months before unsealing it. (Both of these statements by Mr. Crane had also been raised by Mr. Griffiths as part of his opening statement back in July).\nIn his response to Mr. Crane's actions, Mr. Taylor today told the judges that \"a decision had been taken for regime change in Liberia and this whole thing had been political, not legal. He was reporting to his bosses.\"\nAlso in his testimony today, Mr. Taylor denied prosecution allegations that he had secret bank accounts in which huge amounts of money had been kept. He challenged the prosecution to release details of the accounts.\nMr. Taylor also told the court that he played an honest-broker role in securing the release of over 500 peacekeepers who were held hostage by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in Sierra Leone in 2000.\nMr. Taylor is accused of providing support to RUF rebels who waged an 11-year war on the government and people of Sierra Leone. It is alleged, among other things, that Mr. Taylor occupied a position of control over RUF rebels and that he could have prevented or punished rebel forces crimes against the people of Sierra Leone — including crimes of sexual violence, murder and recruitment of child soldiers. Mr. Taylor has denied all 11 charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law against him.\nMr. Taylor has been testifying as a witness in his own defense since July 14, 2009. He is expected to finish his direct-examination on Tuesday, after which the prosecution will start his cross-examination. During cross-examination, the prosecution is expected to challenge Mr. Taylor on the \"accuracy, truthfulness and completeness\" of his testimony.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["Special Court for Sierra Leone"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Charles Taylor"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["sexual violence, murder and recruitment of child soldiers"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2009 A Russian–born German man is sentenced to life imprisonment for fatally stabbing Marwa El–Sherbini in a court, an attack that caused uproar in the Muslim world. (AP) (NY Times) (Deutsche Welle)","document":"BERLIN — The German man who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian woman to death in a Dresden courtroom was found guilty on Wednesday and given a life sentence.\nThe killing of the woman, Marwa al-Sherbini, a 31-year-old pharmacist, attracted worldwide attention and led to demonstrations in Egypt. The man, Alexander Wiens, 28, was convicted of killing Ms. Sherbini on July 1 in front of her 3-year-old son and her husband, whom the killer also stabbed as he tried to defend her.\nThe Dresden court said that because of the seriousness of the crime, Mr. Wiens would not be eligible for early release, which in most cases is available after 15 years in Germany. Prosecutors accused the defendant of acting out of xenophobia. Mr. Wiens, a German citizen who was born in Russia, admitted to the stabbing but not to a racist motivation.\nThe dispute that led to the killing began a year earlier, in August 2008, on a Dresden playground when Ms. Sherbini asked Mr. Wiens to let her young son use a swing he was sitting on. Mr. Wiens made racist insults against Ms. Sherbini, who wore a head scarf, calling her a “terrorist” and an “Islamist.”\nMs. Sherbini called the police. It was after she appeared as a witness in the case that Mr. Wiens took a seven-inch knife from his backpack and attacked her and her husband, Elwy Okaz, in the courtroom.\nMr. Wiens stabbed Ms. Sherbini at least 16 times, the police said, and her husband at least 15 times. The police, responding to calls for help, mistakenly shot Mr. Okaz in the leg instead of the attacker.\nThe shooting of Mr. Okaz, a research scientist, was just one of many details, including the lax security at the courthouse and a week of silence about the case by the German government, that led to an outcry in the Arab and Muslim worlds, where Ms. Sherbini was sometimes known as the “head scarf martyr.” Protesters chanted “Down with Germany” on the streets in Egypt, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran denounced the country’s “brutality.”\n“Everybody was shocked,” Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, the Egyptian ambassador to Germany, said in a telephone interview from Dresden, where he went to hear the verdict announced. “Egyptians were shocked because of the circumstances of the murder. Even the government here took a while to understand the implications of such a heinous crime.” Mr. Ramzy praised the judge and the prosecution, both for their conduct and for handing down the maximum sentence possible under German law, but he said that the uproar in the days after the murder was understandable.\n “Mistakes may have been made,” Mr. Ramzy said, “but at the end of the day, justice has been served.”","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["a life sentence"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["Marwa al-Sherbini"]},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Alexander Wiens"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["killing Ms. Sherbini"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2010 Omar Bakri Muhammad is sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court in Lebanon. (BBC)","document":"The radical Muslim cleric, Omar Bakri Muhammad, has been sentenced to life in prison by a military court in Lebanon.\nHe told the BBC from his home in Tripoli that he had been informed by his lawyer of the verdict on Thursday.\nHe had been tried in his absence by the court, accused of forming a militant group with the purpose of weakening the Lebanese government. He strenuously denied the accusation.\nLebanese officials have confirmed the sentence, but he has not been arrested.\nBakri Muhammad, who was born in Syria and also holds Lebanese nationality, has been told he has 15 days to appeal.  He was among 54 people sentenced, to varying terms of imprisonment, the officials said. About half are already in prison.  Bakri Mohammad told the BBC he had never been informed about the case or asked to attend the court.\n\"I have never received any notifications, not even a warrant of arrest - everything was in my absence,\" he said.\n\"When I heard about [the trial] one and a half years ago, I did contact many officers, many people in the securities, in the army... and they said, 'If you do not receive a warrant of arrest officially, do not worry.' \"So now I am receiving a sentence for life for a crime I never committed.\"  Bakri Muhammad lived in the UK for nearly 20 years after seeking political asylum in 1986 and being granted indefinite leave to remain.\nThe self-styled \"sheikh\" ran the radical Islamist group, al-Muhajiroun, from north London until it was disbanded in 2004. After the July 2005 London bombings, he caused a media storm when he declared that the only people he blamed were the British government and public. The next month, Bakri Muhammad left the UK on what he described as a holiday to see his mother in Beirut. While abroad, the British government used existing powers to exclude him, saying his presence was \"not conducive to the public good\".\nThe decision did not affect his family, including his seven children.\nAt the time, Bakri Muhammad said he had never preached violence, and had run a \"purely ideological, political campaign\" in the UK. But he also vowed that he would never return the UK because of the \"evil policies adopted by the British Government\". \n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["life in prison"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["a military court in Lebanon"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Omar Bakri Muhammad"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["forming a militant group with the purpose of weakening the Lebanese government"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2010 British author Alan Shadrake is jailed for six weeks in Singapore for contempt of court. (The Guardian)","document":"A court in Singapore today sentenced the British author Alan Shadrake to six weeks in prison after he was earlier found guilty of contempt over claims in his book about city-state's application of the death penalty.\nShadrake, 76, was also fined US$15,400 (£9,600) over allegations he made in Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore's Justice in the Dock, which claimed that the state bowed to foreign influence and favoured the wealthy and well connected in deciding who should hang.\nThe features a profile of Darshan Singh, the former chief executioner at Singapore's Changi prison, as well as interviews with human rights activists, former police officers and lawyers.\nProsecutors representing the attorney general's office had demanded a three-month jail term, claiming that Shadrake's book had cast doubt on the impartiality, integrity and independence of the judiciary.\nAccording to Amnesty International, Singapore, a country of nearly 5 million, has the highest per capita rate of executions in the world, having put to death more than 420 people since 1991.\nIn a 2004 report, Amnesty said the death penalty was disproportionately used against migrant workers, drug addicts and poorer people.\nIn finding Shadrake guilty of contempt of court earlier this month, Singapore's high court judge, Quentin Loh, said the book contained \"half-truths and selective facts; sometimes outright falsehoods.\"\nShadrake, who suffers from an irregular heartbeat and a serious colonic illness, offered a qualified apology last week, but stood by the claims made in his book. His lawyer, M Ravi, said earlier this month that his client should have been censured rather than jailed.\nLoh dismissed Shadrake's last-minute apology as \"nothing more than a tactical ploy to in court to obtain a reduced sentence\" – the longest given for contempt of court in Singapore, according to reports.\nLoh said Shadrake would have to serve an additional two weeks in prison if he failed to pay the fine.\nShadrake's trial has reignited debate over Singapore's alleged use of contempt laws to stifle dissent and punish journalists deemed to have insulted the authorities.\nIt was not clear if Shadrake would appeal against his sentence. He also faces separate charges of criminal defamation, punishable by a maximum of two years in prison and a hefty fine.\nShadrake was arrested on 18 July after attending an event to launch his book in Singapore. In a recent interview with the Guardian, he admitted one minor inaccuracy in his book, but insisted the rest was \"devastatingly accurate\".\n\"They know the book is accurate, which is why they're going to all this trouble,\" he said.\nHe added that he was undeterred by the prospect of going to prison: \"This story is never going away. I'll keep it on the boil for as long as I live. They're going to regret they ever started this.\"","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["six weeks in prison","maximum of two years in prison and a hefty fine","fined US$15,400 (£9,600)"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["Singapore's high court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Alan Shadrake"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["contempt over claims in his book about city-state's application of the death penalty"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2010 Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani is convicted on one count of conspiracy in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for his role in the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya. (New York Times)","document":"The first former Guantánamo detainee to be tried in a civilian court was acquitted on Wednesday of all but one of more than 280 charges of conspiracy and murder in the 1998 terrorist bombings of the United States Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.\nThe case has been seen as a test of President Obama’s goal of trying detainees in federal court whenever feasible, and the result seems certain to fuel debate over whether civilian courts are appropriate for trying terrorists. The defendant, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, 36, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to destroy government buildings and property. He was acquitted of four counts of conspiracy, including conspiring to kill Americans and to use weapons of mass destruction.\nBecause of the unusual circumstances of Mr. Ghailani’s case — after he was captured in Pakistan in 2004, he was held for nearly five years in a so-called black site run by the Central Intelligence Agency and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba — the prosecution faced significant legal hurdles even getting his case to trial.\nAdvertisement\nOn the eve of Mr. Ghailani’s trial last month, the government lost a key ruling that may have seriously damaged its chances of winning convictions.\nIn the ruling, the judge, Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court in Manhattan, barred prosecutors from using an important witness against Mr. Ghailani because the government had learned about the man through Mr. Ghailani’s interrogation while he was in C.I.A. custody, where his lawyers say he was tortured.\nThe witness, Hussein Abebe, would have testified that he had sold Mr. Ghailani the TNT used to blow up the embassy in Dar es Salaam, prosecutors told the judge, calling him “a giant witness for the government.” The judge himself recognized the significance of excluding the witness when he said in his ruling that Mr. Ghailani’s status of “enemy combatant” probably would permit his detention as something akin “to a prisoner of war until hostilities between the United States and Al Qaeda and the Taliban end, even if he were found not guilty.”\nMr. Ghailani, who remains in custody, faces 20 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 25.\nAdvertisement\nThe unexpected verdict by the anonymous six-man, six-woman jury came on the fifth day of deliberations. On Monday, the prospect of a deadlock was raised when a juror asked to be removed because she was alone in her view of the case and felt she was being attacked by other jurors. After the verdict on Wednesday, the jurors were to be taken from the courthouse by federal marshals and were unavailable for comment. Mr. Ghailani’s lawyers, including Peter E. Quijano, Steve Zissou, Michael K. Bachrach and Anna N. Sideris, had argued that their client was innocent and had been duped into assisting in the terrorist conspiracy.\n“This verdict is a reaffirmation that this nation’s judicial system is the greatest ever devised,” Mr. Quijano said outside the courthouse. “It is truly a system of laws and not men, where, in the shadow of the World Trade Center, this jury acquitted Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani of 284 out of 285 counts.” Throughout the case, Mr. Ghailani seemed at ease with his lawyers, smiling frequently. After the verdict was read, he hugged them warmly. The verdict came after a four-week trial in which prosecutors built a circumstantial case to try to establish that Mr. Ghailani had played a key logistical role preparing for the Tanzania attack. They said the evidence showed that he helped to buy the Nissan Atlas truck that was used to carry the bomb, and gas tanks that were placed inside the truck to intensify the blast. He also stored an explosive detonator in an armoire he used, and his cellphone became the “operational phone” for the plotters before the attacks, prosecutors contended.\nThe attacks, orchestrated by Al Qaeda, killed 224 people, including 12 Americans, and injured thousands of others. Advertisement\nThe Ghailani trial was the second stemming from the 1998 embassy attacks. In 2001, four Qaeda operatives were convicted of participating in the same conspiracy; in that trial, prosecutors were able to use three of the defendants’ statements, made to the F.B.I., in which they incriminated themselves in the plot. In Mr. Ghailani’s trial, prosecutors chose not to introduce any of the statements Mr. Ghailani made when he was interrogated while in C.I.A. custody and at Guantánamo, although prosecutors told the judge the statements amounted “to a confession” of his role in the embassy plot. Defense lawyers argued that the statements had been coerced and were inadmissible.\nPreet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that his office would seek a life sentence for Mr. Ghailani.\nMr. Bharara expressed his “deep appreciation for the unflagging commitment, dedication and talent of the agents who so thoroughly investigated this case and the prosecutors who so ably tried it.”\nAs the proceeding ended, the prosecutors, including Michael Farbiarz, Harry Chernoff, Nicholas Lewin and Sean S. Buckley, approached Mr. Ghailani’s lawyers, shaking hands and exchanging quiet words.\nAlthough the government’s loss on significant counts will undoubtedly test the Obama administration’s resolve on using civilian courts, Judge Kaplan issued two major pretrial rulings that allowed Mr. Ghailani’s prosecution to go forward and could ease the way for future detainees, like Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the professed 9/11 mastermind, to be tried in federal court. In May, the judge rejected a motion by Mr. Ghailani’s lawyers seeking dismissal of charges on grounds that his torture while in C.I.A. custody was outrageous government misconduct. And in the summer, the judge ruled that Mr. Ghailani’s years of detention before being brought into the civilian system had not violated his constitutional right to a speedy trial.\nAdvertisement\nMr. Mohammed has been detained since 2003, and accusations of torture, including waterboarding, would most certainly be raised in his case.\nThe verdict drew strong reaction from family members who had attended the trial. Susan F. Hirsch, whose husband, Abdurahman Abdalla, was killed in the Tanzania attack, said she was grateful for the jury’s efforts, but added, “I can’t help but feel that the evidence in the case would have been stronger had Ghailani been brought to trial when he was captured in 2004.”\nSue Bartley, who lost two family members in the Nairobi embassy attack — her husband, Julian L. Bartley Sr., the consul general; and her son, Julian L. Bartley Jr., a college student who was an intern — said she was “disappointed in the jury.”\n“I think our prosecuting attorneys had the evidence,” she said. “I’m not sure that this jury understood what was in front of them.”\nJudge Kaplan told the jurors they had demonstrated that “American justice can be rendered calmly, deliberately and fairly by ordinary people, people who are not beholden to any government, not even ours.”\n“It can be rendered with fidelity to the Constitution,” he added. “You have a right to be proud of your service in this case.”\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Lewis"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["Federal District Court in Manhattan"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["one count of conspiracy to destroy government buildings and property"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2013 Former Chinese Railways Minister Liu Zhijun is given a suspended death sentence for corruption. (BBC)","document":"A Chinese court has given former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun a suspended death sentence for corruption and abuse of power, state media report.\nLiu was accused of accepting bribes totalling more than 64m yuan ($10m; £6m) over 25 years. Prosecutors said he awarded government rail contracts in return for bribes.\nLiu is the most high-profile official to be tried and found guilty of corruption since Xi Jinping became China's leader earlier this year. Mr Xi has called for a crackdown on corruption, vowing to tackle it from the powerful \"tigers\" at the top to the \"flies\" at the bottom of the Communist Party.\nChina's railways ministry, once a powerful department, was disbanded in March. It had been criticised for a series of safety scandals, and faced allegations of fraud which were uncovered by government audits.\nLiu was convicted by a court in the capital Beijing on Monday, state-run Xinhua news agency said.\nHe was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, deprived of his political rights for life and jailed for 10 years, Xinhua said, quoting the court verdict. His personal property will also be confiscated.\nDespite his sentence, he is not expected to face the death penalty - suspended death sentences are normally commuted to life imprisonment in China.\nLiu was suspended from the Communist Party last May, following allegations that he embezzled funds and received bribes when handing out contracts for China's high-speed rail project.\nDuring the trial, prosecutors argued that he had helped 11 people win contracts and promotions in return for bribes.\nThe indictment reportedly said that Liu's \"malpractice\" led to \"huge losses of public assets and damage to the interests of the state and people\". Liu began his tenure as railways minister in 2003 and led a multi-billion dollar investment programme expanding the rail network.\nChina's high-speed railway network, said to be the largest in the world, has been plagued with safety scandals involving a series of accidents.\nA deadly crash in Wenzhou city in July 2011 killed 40 people and caused a national outcry. At least two government audits - one released in 2010 and another in 2013 - showed evidence of fraud and irregular accounting in the handling of government funds.\nIn March, China dissolved the railways ministry in a raft of measures aimed at boosting government efficiency and tackling corruption, placing its functions under the transport ministry.\nLiu is the most high-profile official to be tried and found guilty of corruption since Xi Jinping became China's president in March. But a host of other relatively senior officials, both at a central and provincial level, have also found themselves under investigation. In May, China announced that it was investigating Liu Tienan, formerly the top official at the body responsible for planning China's economy, for \"serious disciplinary violations\".\nAllegations against Mr Liu first surfaced in December, after an investigative journalist alleged that he made questionable financial deals, fabricated his academic record and threatened to kill a former mistress.\nLast month, Lei Zhengfu, a former official at the centre of a sex tape extortion scandal, was jailed for accepting bribes. And earlier this month, state media announced that a high-level provincial official in Inner Mongolia was also under investigation for \"serious disciplinary violations\" - which is often code for corruption. News of the former rail minister's verdict generated extensive discussion on China's microblogs, with many users scathing about what they saw as a relatively light sentence.\n\"How long do you think it'll be before he's out again?\" user Clockwork Monkey wrote on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like website in China.\n\"Liu Zhijun wasn't sentenced to death, because if he was, a whole batch [of officials] would have to die,\" user 2011 Varyag wrote. \"Chinese law is a freak!\"\nMany users on Sina Weibo mocked a Xinhua report that described Liu's sentence as \"a demonstration that everyone is equal before the law\" and that \"both the 'tigers' and 'flies' are being tackled\".\n\"The 'tigers' can't be killed, and the 'flies' can't be eliminated,\" user Hu Shengjie Scarf wrote.\n\"If Liu Zhijun was a regular railway employee, rather than the former railways minister, would his life really have been spared?\" user Concerned about the World's Wellbeing wrote.\nHowever, there were a few voices in support of Liu's verdict.\nA user going by the name of The Unsilent Majority wrote: \"A suspended death sentence is still considered a light sentence? What on earth has Liu Zhijun done that deserves a certain death penalty? ... Our bosses today are not so weak or silly as to let public opinion pressurise the judicial system.\"","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, deprived of his political rights for life and jailed for 10 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["A Chinese court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Liu Zhijun"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["corruption and abuse of power"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2013 Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is convicted of embezzlement from a state–owned timber company. (The Guardian)","document":"The Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has arrived in Moscow after being released from custody, declaring that he is going to win the capital's mayoral election.\nSpeaking through a bullhorn to hundreds of supporters at Moscow's Yaroslavsky station on Saturday, Navalny thanked them for their help in winning his release while an appeal is heard against his five-year sentence for embezzlement.\n\"I realise that if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be standing here for the next five years. You have destroyed a key privilege that the Kremlin has been trying to keep that it is their alleged right to say to any person: 'Arrest him on the spot,'\" said Navalny, who claims that the case against him was concocted for political reasons.\nNavalny was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzlement on Thursday in Kirov, but prosecutors unexpectedly asked for his release the next morning. They said that keeping him behind bars during the appeals process of his conviction would deprive him of his right to run for office.\nA day before the conviction, Navalny, 37, was registered as a candidate for the 8 September Moscow mayoral election, running against the incumbent Sergei Sobyanin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin. Navalny's support is mostly limited to the urban middle class and youth.\nAn opinion survey in early July by the independent Levada polling centre showed Navalny attracting only about 8% support among voters in the mayoral election.\nHundreds of police blocked Navalny supporters from the platform of the Moscow railway station where his overnight train from Kirov arrived, but Navalny shouted over the police lines: \"We are going to run in this election and we will win\". His supporters replied: \"We are the power.\"\nNavalny, a lawyer and blogger, is one of the most visible and charismatic leaders of the opposition to Putin and the governing United Russia party. His description of United Russia as the \"party of crooks and thieves\" has become a signature phrase of the opposition.\nThe Kremlin denies clamping down on critics or using the courts to persecute them. Putin remains Russia's most popular politician despite the largest wave of street protests against his 13-year rule that were led by Navalny in 2011-12.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["five-year sentence"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Alexei Navalny"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["embezzlement"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2013 Raif Badawi, the editor of a Saudi Arabian website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia, is sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes for founding an Internet forum that \"violates Islamic values and propagates liberal thought.\" (Reuters via New York Daily News)","document":" RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The editor of a Saudi Arabian social website has been sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes for founding an Internet forum that violates Islamic values and propagates liberal thought, Saudi media reported on Tuesday.\n Raif Badawi, who started the \"Free Saudi Liberals\" website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia, has been held since June 2012 on charges of cyber crime and disobeying his father - a crime in the conservative kingdom and top U.S. ally.\n Al-Watan newspaper said the judge had also ordered the closure of the website.\n France was concerned by the sentence and remained committed to \"freedom of opinion and of expression\", the foreign ministry said in a statement. Officials from the Saudi National Society for Human Rights could not be reached for comment.\n Badawi's website included articles that were critical of senior religious figures such as the Grand Mufti, according to Human Rights Watch.\n The watchdog said in December that Badawi faced a possible death sentence after a judge cited him for apostasy, but Al-Watan said the judge dropped the apostasy charges.\n Apostasy, the act of changing religious affiliation, carries an automatic death sentence in Saudi Arabia, along with other crimes including blasphemy.\n Badawi's wife denied her husband had expressed repentance before the judge on Monday at a court in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. \"The judge asked Raif 'Are you a Muslim?' and he said 'Yes, and I don't accept anyone to cast doubt on (my belief)',\" she wrote on Twitter.\n The world's top oil exporter follows the strict Wahhabi school of Islam and applies Islamic law, or sharia.\n Judges base their decisions on their own interpretation of religious law rather than on a written legal code or on precedent.\n King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's ruler, has pushed for reforms to the legal system, including improved training for judges and the introduction of precedent to standardize verdicts and make courts more transparent.\n However, Saudi lawyers say that conservatives in the Justice Ministry and the judiciary have resisted implementing many of the changes announced in 20","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["seven years in prison and 600 lashes"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Raif Badawi"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["founding an Internet forum that violates Islamic values and propagates liberal thought"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2013 United States v Bradley Manning: United States Army private Chelsea Manning (legally Bradley Manning) is sentenced to 35 years in jail for providing classified material to WikiLeaks. (ABC News America)","document":"Aug. 21, 2013 — -- FT. MEADE, Md. -- Bradley Manning, the Army private convicted of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the website WikiLeaks, was sentenced to 35 years in a military prison today.\nPfc. Manning will also be reduced in rank to private, forfeit all pay and allowances and receive a dishonorable discharge.  He will serve his prison sentence at the military's detention facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.\nManning, 25, expressed no emotion as a military judge  announced the sentence. His defense attorney, David Coombs, later called Manning a \"resilient young man\" who  comforted the weeping members of his defense team after the sentencing.\n\"You get this guy and he looks to me and he says, \"It's OK. It's all right.  Don't worry about it. I know you did your best. It's going to be OK. I'm going to be OK. I'm going to get through this,'\" he said.\nBradley Manning Guilty on Most Charges, but Not Aiding Enemy\nAs is customary in the military justice system for prison sentences longer than 30 years,  Manning will be eligible for his first parole review after  serving 10 years of his sentence.  But Coombs believes he could be eligible for parole after seven years because of the 1,294 days credited by the judge toward his sentence.\nManning has served 1,182 days during pre-trial confinement and was also credited with 112  days for the treatment he received at the Marine brig in Quantico, Va.\nCoombs said he will ask the convening authority in the case to reduce the sentence.  He also intends to submit a request to the secretary of the Army next week asking President Obama to pardon Manning or at least commute his sentence to the time he has already served.\n\"The time to end Brad's suffering is now,\" Coombs said at a news conference in Hanover, Md. \"The time for the president to focus on protecting whistleblowers instead of punishing them is now. The time for the president to pardon PFC Manning is now.\"\nCoombs read a statement from Manning that will be included in the request to the president.\n\"I understand that my actions violate the law. It was never my intent to hurt anyone. I only wanted to help people. When I chose to disclose classified information, I did so out of a love for my country and a sense of duty for others,\" Manning said in the statement.\nManning also said that if he is denied a pardon, \"I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society.\"\nManning, a former Army intelligence analyst, was convicted July 30.\nHe was found guilty of 20 of the 22 charges he faced, mostly for espionage, theft and fraud. But the judge found him not guilty of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, which carries a life sentence.\nThe 20 charges originally carried the possibility of 136 years in prison, but judge Col. Denise Lind later granted a defense motion that reduced the potential maximum sentence to 90 years.\nAt the end of the sentencing phase of the trial, Army prosecutors said Manning should serve at least 60 years in prison.  But Manning's defense attorney argued that he should not serve more than 25 years.\nIn his closing arguments during the two-week sentencing phase, Manning's defense attorney, David  Coombs, continued to portray Manning as a naïve young soldier who believed he could change the world.\nCoombs said Manning had \"pure intentions\" in releasing the documents to WikiLeaks. \"At that time, Pfc. Manning really, truly, genuinely believed that this information could make a difference.\"\nBut in court documents released earlier this week that explained her verdicts, Lind  said Manning's conduct  \"was both wanton and reckless.\"  She added that it \"was of a heedless nature that made it actually and imminently dangerous to others.\"\nManning last week apologized for his actions in a short statement he read during the trial's sentencing phase.    \"I'm sorry that my actions hurt people,\" Manning said. \"I'm sorry that they hurt the United States.\n\"When I made these decisions, I believed  I was going to help people, not hurt people.\"\nHe said he was sorry for the \"unintended consequences\" of his actions and offered that with hindsight, \"I should have worked more aggressively inside the system.\"\nAlthough he acknowledged that \"I must pay a price for my decisions and actions\" he also expressed the hope to \"return to a productive place in society.\"\nJulian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, said Manning's apology was a \"forced decision\" aimed at reducing his potential jail sentence.  In a statement, he said the apology had been \"extorted from him under the overbearing weight of the United States military justice system.\"\nThe court-martial began  three years after Manning was first detained in Iraq for suspicion of having leaked the video of a 2007 Apache helicopter attack that killed several Iraqi civilians. He was subsequently charged with the leak of 750,000 documents that were a mix of U.S. military battlefield reports from Iraq and Afghanistan and diplomatic cables.\nThe release of the documents has been described as the most extensive leak of classified information in U.S. history.\nDuring the nearly two-month court martial, prosecutors presented detailed computer forensics of Manning's computer activity during his deployment to Iraq in late-2009 to mid-2010. They said the evidence showed that within weeks of his arrival in Baghdad, Manning had begun searching classified military computer networks for materials that were of interest to WikiLeaks.\nIn their unsuccessful bid to show that Manning had aided the enemy, they said some of the battlefield reports were found on computers belonging to Osama bin Laden.  The computers had been seized during the U.S. military raid that killed the al Qaeda leader.\nManning's initial detention at the Marine brig at Quantico, Va., became the subject of controversy after jailers deemed him a suicide risk.\nNow being held at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Manning was forced to remain in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day and on a few occasions he was required to remain naked. His attorneys said the treatment merited dismissing the case against him because it amounted to cruel-and-unlawful punishment.\nAfter a lengthy pre-trial hearing late last year, judge Lind found there was validity to some of the allegations and reduced any potential prison sentence by 112 days.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["reduced in rank to private, forfeit all pay and allowances and receive a dishonorable discharge","reduced any potential prison sentence by 112 days","35 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Bradley Manning"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":["the military's detention facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kan"]},{"role":"Accusation","values":["leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the website WikiLeaks"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2013 British businessman Gary Bolton is sentenced 7 years for selling fraudulent bomb detectors. (BBC)","document":"A businessman who sold fake bomb detectors around the world has been jailed for seven years.\nThe devices made by Gary Bolton, 47, were simply boxes with handles and antennae, the Old Bailey heard. The prosecution said he sold them for up to £10,000 each, claiming they could detect explosives. The trial heard the firm had a £3m annual turnover selling the homemade devices. Bolton, of Redshank Road, Chatham, Kent, had denied two charges of fraud.\nAs he passed sentence, Judge Richard Hone QC described the equipment as \"useless\" and \"dross\" and said Bolton had damaged the reputation of British trade abroad.\nThe court was told Bolton knew the devices - which were also alleged to be able to detect drugs, tobacco, ivory and cash - did not work, but continued to supply them to be sold to overseas businesses. They were made at Bolton's home and the premises of his company Global Technical Ltd, near Ashford, and sold in more than a dozen countries, including Mexico and Thailand. One purchaser X-rayed a device and found nothing inside the box, the court was told.\nIn 2010, a Home Office defence expert tested Bolton's GT200 detector at the request of the Office of Fair Trading and found it had \"no credibility as an explosive detector\" because it had no functioning parts.\nJudge Hone said Bolton maintained the \"little plastic box\" was a piece of working equipment, selling it to scores of international clients - including for use by armed forces - despite evidence proving it was \"useless\".\n\"You were determined to bolster the illusion that the devices worked and you knew there was a spurious science to produce that end,\" he said.\n\"They had a random detection rate.  They were useless.\n\"Soldiers, police officers, customs officers and many others put their trust in a device which worked no better than random chance.\n\"The jury found you knew this but you carried on. Your profits were enormous.\"\nJurors found Bolton guilty of a charge of making an article for use in the course of fraud and one of supplying an article for use in the course of fraud, between January 2007 and July last year.\nThe prosecution told the court Bolton had another fraudster's fake bomb detector in his house. It was produced by James McCormick.\nIn a separate case, McCormick, 57, of Langport, Somerset, was jailed for 10 years in May for selling more than 7,000 fake detectors. A confiscation hearing against Bolton is due to be held next year.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Richard Hone"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["seven years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Gary Bolton"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["sold fake bomb detectors around the world"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2010 Former Iraqi minister Ali Hassan al–Majid, also known as Chemical Ali, is sentenced to death for the Halabja poison gas attack. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)","document":"Ali Hassan al-Majid, a former Iraqi official known as Chemical Ali, has been sentenced to death for ordering the gassing of Kurds.\nIt is the fourth time that Majid, an enforcer in Saddam Hussein's regime, has been sentenced to death. He has also been convicted of the killings of Shia Muslims in 1991 and 1999 and for his role in a campaign of genocide against Kurds in the 1980s. His latest sentence is for a gas attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988. It is believed that 5,000 people died in the attack, most of them women and children. Iraqi jets swooped over Halabja and for five hours sprayed it with a lethal cocktail of mustard gas and the nerve agents Tabun, Sarin and VX. Majid was a cousin of Saddam Hussein, and earned his nickname after his use of poison gas. The Al-Iraqiya channel said Majid would be killed by hanging. The Iraqi High Tribunal also sentenced former defence minister Sultan Hashem to 15 years in prison for the Halabja attack, a court official said, quoted by Reuters. The BBC's Jim Muir, in Baghdad, says that for Kurds, Halabja is the single most traumatic atrocity they suffered during Saddam Hussein's long campaign against them in the 1980s and they had wanted Majid to face justice for it. It is believed Iraqi authorities will now want Majid executed without delay. However, he does have the right of appeal, our correspondent adds. Majid was captured in August 2003, five months after US forces invaded Iraq. He was sentenced to hang in June 2007 for his role in a military campaign against ethnic Kurds, codenamed Anfal, that lasted from February to August of 1988. In December 2008 he also received a death sentence for his role in crushing a Shia revolt after the 1991 Gulf War. In March 2009 he was sentenced to death, along with others, for the 1999 killings of Shia Muslims in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. The Iraqi High Tribunal was set up to try former members of Saddam Hussein's mainly Sunni government and was the same one that sentenced the former president to death.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["sentenced to death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["The Iraqi High Tribunal"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Ali Hassan al-Majid"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["ordering the gassing of Kurds"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2010 Former U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel James Fondren is sentenced to three years in prison for providing classified documents to Chinese spy Tai Shen Kuo. (BBC)","document":"A former Pentagon official has been sentenced to three years in prison for passing classified information to a Chinese spy.\nJames Fondren, 62, provided \"certain classified defence department documents and other information\" to a friend, who turned out to be a Chinese spy. The judge said the information passed on caused little or no harm to US national security. Fondren, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel, is appealing. His lawyer argued that Fondren did not know that Tai Shen Kuo, a naturalised US citizen from Taiwan, was a spy. But prosecutors say that \"Fondren was aware that Kuo had maintained a close relationship with an official of the People's Republic of China\". Fondren is the former deputy director of the US Pacific Command's Washington Liaison Office, a position which reportedly afforded him \"top secret\" security clearance. The sentence comes at a time of heightened tension between the two countries, with Beijing warning on Friday that Washington's criticism of its internet controls could harm ties between the two countries.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["three years in prison"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["James Fondren"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["passing classified information to a Chinese spy"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2010 Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as \"Chemical Ali\", is executed. (BBC News)","document":"Ali Hassan al-Majid, a former Iraqi official known as \"Chemical Ali\", has been executed by hanging, a government spokesman has announced.\nMajid, an enforcer in Saddam Hussein's regime and his cousin, had earlier been sentenced to death four times for genocide and crimes against humanity. Earlier this month, he was sentenced to death for ordering the gas attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988. It is believed that about 5,000 people died in the attack. Iraqi jets swooped over Halabja and for five hours sprayed it with a lethal cocktail of mustard gas and the nerve agents Tabun, Sarin and VX. Brutality\nHis hanging could be seen as helping national reconciliation and the closing of an ugly chapter. But Sunnis, who were empowered under Saddam and among whom many have felt disenfranchised since his overthrow, may see Majid's demise as an act of revenge rather than one of justice.\n             Majid was \"executed by hanging until death\", Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement \"The execution happened without any violations, shouting or cries of joy,\" he added, in sharp contrast to Saddam's death on the gallows in 2006. Iraqi state television, al-Iraqiya, broadcast pictures of what it said was the execution of Majid, although the BBC has not yet confirmed the authenticity of the images. News of the hanging came shortly after three suicide car bombs struck in central Baghdad. It was not immediately clear whether the attacks were linked to his execution. Majid was first sentenced to hang in June 2007 for his role in a military campaign against ethnic Kurds, codenamed Anfal, that lasted from February to August of 1988. In December 2008 he also received a death sentence for his role in crushing a Shia revolt after the 1991 Gulf War.\nIn March 2009 he was sentenced to death, along with others, for the 1999 killings of Shia Muslims in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says Majid could have been hanged earlier - after his first death sentence for the Anfal campaign. But it was important to Iraqi Kurds to see him convicted of the Halabja attack, seen as one of the worst atrocities of Saddam Hussein's regime. No remorse\nOur correspondent says there will be great rejoicing or, at the very least, quiet relief among both Iraq's Shia and Kurdish communities, which have suffered greatly at his hands. There was a mixed reaction from ordinary Iraqis to news of the execution. \"I give my condolences to the Iraqi people on the death of Ali Hassan al-Majid, who was killed by traitors and hooligans,\" said a resident of Majid's home town, Tikrit. But Baghdad resident Ali Suhail said the execution was just: ''He had executed so many people. So he deserves to be executed.\" A resident of Halabja also said he was pleased: ''We, the families of those killed in the attack on Halabja, are very pleased to hear that Ali Hassan al-Majid was executed. \"Once again we call upon the Iraqi people and government to be united and serve the Iraqi people and families of those killed in poison gas attack.\" Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Majid - the King of Spades in the US military's pack of cards of most-wanted Iraqis - was arrested in August 2003. He has refused to express remorse at any of his trials, insisting that he was acting in the interests of Iraqi security. The Iraqi High Tribunal was set up to try former members of Saddam Hussein's mainly Sunni government and was the same one that sentenced the former president to death. Footage of Saddam's execution in December 2006 was posted on the internet. It showed the dictator being confronted by opponents who jeered and clapped as he was being hanged.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["sentenced to death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Ali Hassan al-Majid"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["ordering the gas attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2010 Vietnamese author Pham Thanh Nghien, who criticised the ruling Communist Party, is sentenced to four years in prison for spreading propaganda against the state. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)","document":"Dissident writer Pham Thanh Nghien has been jailed for four years in Vietnam after being found guilty of spreading propaganda against the state.\nNghien was also sentenced to three years under house arrest at the trial in the northern city of Haiphong, her lawyer told the BBC. She was the latest of several Vietnamese dissidents to receive harsh sentences in recent weeks. Last week four activists were jailed on charges of subversion. Nghien was arrested in September 2008 after criticising Vietnam's policies towards China over disputed maritime claims. She had displayed two banners at her home and posted pictures of the protest on the internet. But those charges were dropped before the trial and she was tried for her writing and interviews with foreign media groups in which she criticised the government. The BBC's Nga Pham in the region says the guilty verdict was largely expected and has been seen as part of a large crackdown on activism. Clampdown criticism\nNghien - who was given an award by US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 2008 for her pro-democracy activism - was charged under Section 88 of the penal code, which critics say criminalises peaceful dissent. The one-day trial was closed to western media and diplomats and her lawyers said her mother was also prevented from attending. Her conviction comes a week after four people, including prominent human rights lawyer Le Cong Dinh, were found guilty of trying to overthrow the Communist government. The four men received sentences of up to 16 years on charges of subversion. Our correspondent says the trials show a concerted effort by the government to send the message that no form of political dissent will be tolerated, especially with an important Communist Party Congress due next January.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["jailed for four years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Pham Thanh Nghien"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["spreading propaganda against the state"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2010 Tunisian journalist Taoufik Ben Brik, who criticised the country's leader and who is, according to Amnesty International, a \"prisoner of conscience\", loses his appeal against a six–month prison sentence for assault. (BBC) (France 24) (Taiwan News)","document":"A Tunisian journalist critical of the country's leader has lost his appeal against a controversial six-month prison sentence, his lawyer said.\nTaoufik Ben Brik was convicted in November of assaulting a woman in public, but rights activists say the charges were fabricated to silence him. Amnesty International has described Mr Ben Brik as a \"prisoner of conscience\" and condemned his sentence. Tunisia has been ruled for 23 years by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Officials deny fabricating the case against the journalist. Mr Ben Brik is said by his family to be in poor health. He has been in custody since October. He was convicted of knocking a woman to the floor, punching and kicking her, swearing at her and deliberately damaging her car. \"The judge... has confirmed the six-month sentence on Ben Brik,\" defence lawyer Radhia Nasraoui told Reuters news agency outside the court in the capital, Tunis.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["lost his appeal against a controversial six-month prison sentence"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":["Radhia Nasraoui"]},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Taoufik Ben Brik"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["assaulting a woman in public"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2010 China sentences Tan Zuoren, who investigated poor construction after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, to five years in prison for \"inciting subversion of state power\". (BBC) (The Washington Post) (Radio Television Hong Kong)","document":"A Chinese activist who investigated whether shoddy construction contributed to deaths in the 2008 Sichuan quake has been sentenced to five years in jail.\nTan Zuoren was formally charged with inciting subversion in connection with the bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. But human rights groups say the real reason for the action taken against him was his investigations. Many school children were among the 80,000 people killed in the earthquake. Tan's wife, Wang Qinghua, said the verdict was \"ridiculous\". \"This isn't justice,\" she said as she left court. 'Subversion'\nTan was arrested while preparing a report into the collapse of school buildings during the Sichuan quake. \"He was sentenced to five years in prison for inciting subversion of state power and deprived of his political rights for three years,\" said one of his lawyers, Pu Zhiqiang. \"There were no charges related to the quake. All of the proceedings were linked to 4 June (1989),\" Mr Pu told AFP news agency by telephone. Tan's supporters and the London-based rights group Amnesty International has said that his independent investigation was probably the real reason for his detention. Roseann Rife, of Amnesty International, said it was unusual that the quake was not mentioned in verdict. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Roseann Rife: \"He was detained for exercising freedom of expression\"\nShe said Tan had strong public backing for his work after the quake and the authorities risked a backlash if they convicted him over that. Tan's trial in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, was adjourned without a verdict in August last year. Tan's brother said that while he had not agreed with Tan's actions at the time, he knew he had \"always worked for society and for the country\". \"I think that as a citizen, you can't change the reality of society. But today, I have to stand up for him and support my younger brother. Now I understand him,\" said Tan Liren. 'Step backwards'\nThe verdict and sentence, thought to be the maximum possible, was then read out in less than 10 minutes on Tuesday. Mr Pu said his client planned to appeal.\n\"I think this is a very important case for China... It shows the Chinese legal system has taken a big step backwards. Tan's 'crime' was entirely one of speech, of conscience,\" said Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who has also campaigned for earthquake victims. Mr Ai, who compiled a list of the children who died in the quake, was roughed up when he travelled to Chengdu to attend the August trial. A Hong Kong television crew was also prevented from attending that trial and had their hotel room searched under the pretext that they were hiding drugs. Several thousand school buildings collapsed during the earthquake, fuelling angry allegations by parents that corruption had led to poor construction standards. In many of the affected towns, schools collapsed but other nearby buildings withstood the quake. Government officials promised an investigation while, at the same time, pressurising parents to keep their grief - and anger - to themselves. Tan asked internet users and people who had lost their children in the quake to help compile a detailed database of the victims. He also asked volunteers to detail any evidence of poor construction at the schools.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["five years in jail"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":["Pu Zhiqiang"]},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Tan Zuoren"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["inciting subversion in connection with the bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2010 Indonesia's former anti–corruption chief Antasari Azhar is sentenced to 18 years for the murder of a businessman. (Jakarta Post) (CNN)","document":"           Former Corruption Eradication Commission chief Antasari Azhar, accompanied by his daughters Dita (center) and Ajeng, takes his lunch Thursday on the sidelines of his sentencing in a murder trial at South Jakarta District Court.  \nA court has found former antigraft chief Antasari Azhar guilty of masterminding the murder of businessman Nasruddin Zulkarnaen, dismissing speculation of a political plot during the trial. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Thursday, the same as an earlier verdict given to one of the five hitmen in the same case. The court ruled there were no considerations in favor of  Antasari,  for whom prosecutors had sought the death sentence.    Earlier the South Jakarta District Court also sentenced three other defendan...","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["18 years in prison"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["South Jakarta District Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["murder trial"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2010 Indonesia's former anti–corruption chief Antasari Azhar is sentenced to 18 years for the murder of a businessman. (Jakarta Post) (CNN)","document":"Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Hundreds of photographers, camera crews and journalists pushed and shoved each other at the South Jakarta District Court trying to catch a glimpse of the man at the center of a crime that has captivated a nation.\nDressed in a yellow floral shirt, neatly groomed hair and glasses, Antasari Azhar looked composed and respectable, carrying the air of a man who used to run the country's powerful anti-corruption agency.\nHis wife and family sat in the front of the packed courthouse in stifling heat, appearing exhausted. This has been their life since Antasari Azhar's arrest in May 2009.\nThe 56-year-old Antasari was charged with ordering the shooting murder of wealthy businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen over a love triangle involving the businessman's third wife.\nAntasari sat patiently and with little expression as the three judges read out the 179-page judgment over six hours.\nWhen they finally announced the guilty verdict, he maintained his composure. His wife, however, wept when they read out the 18-year sentence. The prosecution had sought the death penalty. The wife of victim Nasrudin, aged 22, who appears in photos with Antasari on her Facebook page, worked as a female golf caddy. Prosecutors said the woman and Antasari were having an affair, and when Nasrudin found out, he threatened to blackmail the anti-corruption boss.\nNasrudin, a director of pharmaceutical company PT Putra Rajawali Banjara, was found dead in his car, after being shot in the head through the driver's window while leaving a golf course on the outskirts of Jakarta.\nAntasari maintained his innocence, claiming he was the victim of a set-up. As boss of the Corruption Eradication Commission, also known as KPK, he claimed he gathered a long list of enemies while putting many of Indonesia's elite and high profile government officials behind bars.\nHis attorney, Juniver Girsang, said they plan to appeal the verdict and he alleged that police had fabricated evidence against his client.\n\"We are very disappointed with the verdict, we thought we would get a fair and just judgment,\" he said, alleging: \"The police and the prosecutor have succumbed into the plot\" to bring Antasari down.\nThe prosecution is considering an appeal of the sentence.\nBefore his two-year tenure as anti-corruption chief, Antasari worked as a public prosecutor and was involved in the pursuit of convicted murderer Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of the late President Suharto.\nKPK was set up during the presidency of Megawati Sukarnoputri. The body has become even more powerful and effective under current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who made anti-corruption reform his key platform for re-election last year. He told the public, \"Let's make our system clean.\"\nBut this case has come as a major blow to his presidency and his track record on stamping out corruption.\nDanang Widoyoko, of Indonesian Corruption Watch, said the public was fed up with the culture that allows corruption in everyday life. But he said he was also encouraged by the number of people who take to the streets to protest against it.\n\"I'm quite optimistic of Indonesian corruption eradication. Not because we have KPK, but because our people will not tolerate it anymore. People unite on this issue regardless of whether their students, laborers or farmers. They come together to fight against corruption.\"","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["18-year sentence"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["South Jakarta District Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["ordering the shooting murder of wealthy businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":["the death penalty"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2010 Five men are imprisoned for up to 28 years, after being convicted over the 2005 Sydney terrorism plot. (BBC) (ninemsn)","document":"Five Sydney Muslim extremists convicted of plotting a terrorist attack in Australia have been jailed for maximum terms ranging from 23 to 28 years.\nJustice Anthony Whealy noted the men remained dangerous and unrepentant, appearing to \"wear their imprisonment like some kind of badge of honour\".\n\"Each man's conviction was that the plight of Muslims in other lands demanded violent action in this country to redress those wrongs and, through fear and panic in the community, to change the government's policies,\" he said.\nWhile NSW police welcomed the sentences, the distraught sister of the youngest conspirator said the 23-year-term imposed on him was more than murderers received.\nAt the end of the nation's longest terror trial last year, a NSW Supreme Court jury found the men guilty of conspiring to commit an act or acts in preparation for a terrorist act, between July 2004 and November 2005.\nIn sentencing the men on Monday, Justice Whealy outlined their plot which included stockpiling firearms, ammunition, chemicals and laboratory equipment.\nThey also had recipes for making explosives, as well as other instructional material including the \"Sniper Handbook\".\nAll five had a \"vast quantity of extremist or fundamentalist material\" including images glorifying the 9/11 hijackers and images of \"heroes of the jihadist movement\".\nSome had material showing the executions of hostages or prisoners by mujahideen, which were \"particularly brutal and graphic\".\n\"It is impossible to imagine that any civilised person could watch these videos,\" the judge said.\nThe common material showed the men each had the  mindset of \"You kill us, so you will be killed. You bomb us, so you will be bombed\", he said.\nJustice Whealy said the evidence did not establish that any firm conclusion had been reached about the nature of the action or its target.\nBut he was satisfied they all intended that the action would at the very least \"cause serious damage to property\".\nWhile he could not conclude they intended directly to kill, the judge said it was clear that \"the fanaticism and extremist position taken by each offender countenanced the possibility of loss of life, if that were to occur\".\nThey were motivated by \"an intolerant and inflexible fundamentalist religious conviction\", he said.\nThe enterprise had been \"very deliberate and very determined\", while the \"defiant and brazen nature of its activity was very significant\".\nThe judge said the criminality involved in the enterprise fell \"only marginally short of the most serious case\", which would have attracted a life sentence.\n\"There is a wide range of material that has never been recovered,\" he noted.\nThe eldest conspirator, a 44-year-old businessman, was jailed for a maximum of 28 and a minimum of 21 years.\nThe judge referred to his police interview answers which \"showed a very high level of defiance, dislike and anger\" towards the Australian government and its policies overseas.\nAnother man, 36, received a maximum of 27 and a minimum of 20 years three months.\nAccording to a psychologist, the man said he had become disenchanted with his lifestyle in his early 20s and started to practise Islam, attending five prayer meetings or sessions a day.\nThe man's 32-year-old nephew and another conspirator, a 40-year-old man, were each jailed for a maximum of 26 years, with a non-parole period of 19 years six months.\nThe nephew developed an interest in the Koran from 19956 onwards and attended the Prayer Hall at Lakemba twice a day during the past decade.\nWhile the judge was satisfied that he attended a training camp in Pakistan in 2001, he said this did not aggravate the conspiracy offences.\n\"It established in him a jihadist mentality that was later to be reflected in some of his radical views and intolerant attitudes,\" he said.\nThe youngest conspirator, 25, was jailed for a  maximum of 23 years with a non-parole period of 17 years three months.\n\"I accept his involvement came about because of his involvement with men who were older and more senior than he,\" he said.\nNevertheless, he had \"deliberately thrown his lot in with those men\".\nMeanwhile, family members have criticised the hefty sentences handed out in Sydney's terrorism trial, saying murderers get less.\n\"That's a very big sentence,\" said the sister of the youngest of five Muslim men sentenced to maximum terms of between 23 and 28 years.\n\"Not even murderers get sentenced that much.\n\"Twenty-three years, that's half of his life,\" she said of the sentence imposed on her 25-year-old brother.\n\"It's not fair to him, our community or our religion.\"\nRelatives of some of the other men yelled out expletives as they heard the sentences via closed-circuit TV outside the court room at Parramatta in western Sydney.\nOne woman began sobbing as two men shouted \"f***\" and left the building.\nThe sister, who said she attended every day of the 10-month trial, said she believed her brother was innocent.\n\"He was not planning any mass murder or terrorist attack,\" she said.\n\"He is no extremist; the only extremists are people like ASIO, they go way deep.\"\nShe said the jail sentences would only serve to strengthen the faith of the convicted men.\nThey would not cause a divide between Muslims and non-Muslims in the Australian community, or incite any other Muslims to take extremist action, she said.\nShe read out a poem dedicated to her brother that said in part: \"They handcuffed your spirit, they stole your freedom, they locked you up for a crime you didn't commit, they locked you up because you fit the script.\"\nShe said her brother would have \"the last laugh\" because the truth would come out before God on judgment day.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Anthony Whealy"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["maximum terms ranging from 23 to 28 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["a NSW Supreme Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["plotting a terrorist attack in Australia"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2010 Former New York City police chief Bernard Kerik is jailed for four years on tax fraud. (BBC) (Boston Globe) (The Daily Telegraph)","document":"Former New York City police chief Bernard Kerik, hailed as a hero after the 9/11 attacks, has been sentenced to four years in jail.\nKerik pleaded guilty in November to eight charges, including lying to the White House and tax evasion. He lied while being vetted for the post of homeland security chief in 2004. Federal judge Stephen Robinson said the fact that Kerik, 54, used the attacks for \"personal gain and aggrandisement\" was \"a dark place in the soul for me\". Kerik's admissions in November were part of a plea bargain which helped him avoid a maximum potential sentence of up to 61 years in jail. But the judge still went beyond the sentence of between 27 and 33 months recommended by prosecutors. Jacuzzi\nKerik has already agreed to file amended tax returns and pay $188,000 (£120,600) in restitution. As well as making false statements to the White House and other federal officials, Kerik admitted accepting a $250,000 payback in the form of house renovations from a company to which he gave a city contract. The company installed marble bathrooms, a jacuzzi and a new kitchen in Kerik's apartment in the upmarket New York suburb of Riverdale. He also admitted tax crimes including failing to report more than $500,000 in taxable income between 1999 and 2004. Mr Kerik had been hailed as a national hero following the 9/11 terror attacks and was nominated for the post of the head of the Department of Homeland Security under the Bush administration in 2004. But he withdrew his name from consideration for the role after he was accused of failing to pay taxes, and of having extramarital affairs.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Stephen Robinson"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["four years in jail"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Bernard Kerik"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["eight charges, including lying to the White House and tax evasion"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2010 Swiss businessman Max Goeldi, who hid in the Swiss embassy in Libya for 19 months during a diplomatic argument, is taken away in handcuffs and thrown into jail while his colleague Rachid Hamdani is deported. (BBC) (The Guardian) (Reuters)(The Daily Telegraph)","document":"One of two Swiss businessmen who sought shelter at the Swiss embassy in Libya amid a diplomatic row is being transferred to jail, an official says.\nThe man, Max Goeldi, was driven from the embassy in handcuffs. He faces four months in jail on immigration offences. The second man, Rachid Hamdani, who has been cleared, was to leave the country. The case against the two is widely thought to be retaliation for the arrest of one of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's sons in Geneva. Last week Libya stopped issuing visas to citizens from many European nations, prompting condemnation from the European Commission. 'Storm the embassy'\nGoeldi faces a four-month prison sentence after being convicted of violating immigration rules. His initial 16-month sentence was reduced on appeal. Libya set a deadline of midday on Monday for Goeldi's handover, and authorities stepped up their presence outside the embassy as the deadline approached, the BBC's Rana Jawad reports from Tripoli. Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger was cited by Reuters news agency as saying the Libyan police had threatened to storm the embassy if the deadline was not met. \"Last night there were many intense phone calls,\" he was quoted as saying at an EU meeting in Brussels. \"It was announced there was a deadline - either hand over the convicted Swiss citizens or the embassy would be stormed.\" He said EU ambassadors had gone to the embassy to show solidarity before \"the situation was calmed and an escalation avoided\". Pardon request\nLibya's Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Khaled Kaim, said Goeldi was being taken to the Ain Zara jail near Tripoli, an \"open prison\" where he would be allowed visits. Goeldi's lawyer told Swiss TV that his client would request a pardon.\nMr Hamdani left the embassy hours earlier. A lawyer said the businessman, who holds dual Swiss and Tunisian nationality, was heading by car to Tunisia. Analysts suggest the charges against the two were brought in retaliation for the arrest of Mr Gaddafi's son Hannibal and his wife, Aline Skaf, in Geneva in July 2008. They were accused of assaulting two servants while staying at a luxury hotel in the Swiss city, though the charges were later dropped. Libya retaliated by cancelling oil supplies, withdrawing billions of dollars from Swiss banks, refusing visas to Swiss citizens and recalling some of its diplomats. In the same month that the Gaddafis were arrested, Libyan authorities detained Mr Hamdani, who works for a construction company, and Goeldi, the manager of an engineering firm. The two were later released on bail before being convicted in absentia while sheltering in the Swiss embassy in Tripoli in December. Libya's move to stop issuing visas came after Switzerland allegedly blacklisted 188 high-ranking Libyans, denying them entry permits. It covers Switzerland but also 24 other nations in the Schengen zone, which includes European countries that have abolished mutual border controls.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["four months in jail","leave the country"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Max Goeldi","Rachid Hamdani"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["immigration offences"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2010 The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) jails Lieut–Col Eprem Setako, the Ministry of Defence's former head of legal affairs, for 25 years after finding him guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. (BBC)","document":"The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has sentenced the former head of legal affairs at the Ministry of Defence to 25 years in prison.\nLieut-Col Eprem Setako was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. He was convicted of ordering the killing of at least 30 people at a military camp in 1994. Hutu extremists killed some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the 100-day genocide. \"The Chamber found that Setako ordered the killings on 25 April 1994 of 30 to 40 Tutsis at Mukamira military camp in Ruhengeri prefecture and around 10 other Tutsis there on 11 May 1994,\" said a statement posted on the ICTR's website. Setako, 60, was acquitted of other charges of complicity to commit genocide, murder as a crime against humanity and pillage as a war crime. He was arrested in the Netherlands in 2004, before being transferred to a UN facility in Arusha, Tanzania, to face the charges. Prosecutors said he had armed and trained militiamen and ordered them to kill Tutsis in several areas.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["25 years in prison"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Eprem Setako"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["genocide and crimes against humanity"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2010 Burma's Supreme Court rejects an appeal by detained National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against an 18 month extension on her house arrest. (Times of India) (CBC) (MSN Philippines)","document":"Singapore said Friday it was disappointed that Myanmar's Supreme Court had rejected an appeal by democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her extended house arrest.\n\"It is of course very disappointing that her appeal did not succeed,\" the foreign ministry said in a statement.\nSingapore said a dialogue between Myanmar authorities, Suu Kyi and other political groups before planned elections this year would offer \"the best prospects for national reconciliation and the long-term political stability.\"\nMyanmar's military rulers have promised to hold a vote this year under a \"roadmap to democracy\" but have not set a date.\nThey have repeatedly rejected international appeals for Suu Kyi to be released ahead of the elections.\nSuu Kyi, who has spent most of the last two decades locked up, had her incarceration lengthened by 18 months in August after being convicted over a bizarre incident in which a US man swam to her lakeside home.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["rejected an appeal by democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her extended house arrest"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["Myanmar's Supreme Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["a bizarre incident in which a US man swam to her lakeside home"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2010 A Cairo court orders the retrial of Hisham Talaat Moustafa and Muhsin Sukkari who were sentenced to death for killing Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim in Dubai in 2008. (BBC) (The Daily Telegraph) (The Guardian) (The Los Angeles Times) (Houston Chronicle)","document":"Egypt's highest court has ordered the retrial of a tycoon and an ex-policeman who were sentenced to death for killing a popular Lebanese singer.\nThe tycoon, Hisham Talaat Moustafa, was found guilty last year of paying Muhsin Sukkari $2m (£1.3m) to kill Suzanne Tamim in Dubai in July 2008. The court overturned their murder convictions on procedural grounds. The case has received much attention, as it involves a member of an elite often seen as being above the law. Thursday's ruling prompted cheers and clapping from the billionaire tycoon's relatives in the Cairo courtroom. Tapes questioned\nMr Moustafa, 50, was a hugely powerful business tycoon, a high-profile member of the ruling party and a friend of the son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.  The Court of Cassation has not yet detailed the reasons behind its decision. The case will now return to a criminal court later in the year. In the meantime questions will undoubtedly be asked whether Mr Moustafa has escaped the gallows because of his position in society.\nHe is close to the president's son, Gamal Mubarak, and a former member of the ruling National Democratic Party's policy-making committee.\nWhen Egypt denied Dubai's extradition request during the investigation, the Dubai police sought assurances from Egypt that it would pursue the case; and given the huge media attention the Egyptians had little option but to comply. There will certainly be suspicions in some quarters that pressure has been put on the courts or the judges.\nIn the past, corporate cases of manslaughter or corruption have been cut short because those facing the charges were associated with the ruling class.\n             He had a relationship with Ms Tamim, who had found fame as the winner of an Arabic television talent show. Prosecutors at the murder trial last May said that when Ms Tamim spurned Mr Moustafa's offer of marriage, he plotted to kill her. Mr Sukkari, a security guard at a hotel owned by Mr Moustafa, was said to have travelled to Dubai, where he stabbed Ms Tamim to death at her flat. Defence lawyers had handed a 422-page document to judges outlining 41 arguments for a retrial. During the original trial the prosecution played tapes of phone calls between the two suspects. In the transcript the two talk about where and how to commit the murder. But defence lawyers have said they are fake. They also argue that at a crucial early stage of the case, Mr Sukkari did not have a lawyer. Appeal lawyers also claimed the Dubai police investigation into the murder was flawed. Dubai police gave the Egyptian authorities DNA evidence linking Mr Sukkari to the scene of the murder. They said he was also caught on CCTV leaving Ms Tamim's apartment block. A Dubai shoe shop also identified Mr Sukkari as the man who bought a shoe which left a bloodstained print in the flat where Ms Tamim's body - her throat slit - was discovered. In Mr Sukkari's Egyptian apartment, police found the money they said Mr Moustafa had given him.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["Suzanne Tamim"]},{"role":"Court","values":["Egypt's highest court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Hisham Talaat Moustafa"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["killing a popular Lebanese singer"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2010 Fiji imprisons eight men for an assassination attempt on Commodore Frank Bainimarama in 2007. (BBC) (The Washington Post) (Bangkok Post)[permanent dead link] (The Sydney Morning Herald)","document":"Fiji has jailed eight men for between three and seven years for attempting to kill the country's military leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, in 2007.\nSentencing the men, Justice Paul Madigan said had the men's plot succeeded the consequences for the Pacific nation were \"unthinkable\". But critics have said the men did not have a fair hearing in court. Cmdr Bainimarama seized power in Fiji in a 2006 coup and has said elections can only be reinstated in 2014. The eight men were arrested in November 2007 over the alleged plot against Cmdr Bainimarama and four senior military and cabinet officials. Justice Madigan said Fiji had been in \"a very fragile state\" at the time of the plot. \"Had this plot succeeded, the consequences are unthinkable,\" the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying. \"There has been no evidence before this court of any thought given to the fate of the average Fijian should the country be suddenly rid of its president, prime minister and army. \"The plans of the accused were totally self-serving, thoughtless and greedy.\" Elections on hold\nThe longest sentences were given to indigenous leader and former politician, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata and businessman Sivaniolo Naulago. New Zealander Ballu Khan was also arrested in 2007, but had charges against him dropped. He said the men had never plotted to kill the leaders. \"We are dealing with Fijian judiciary here. It's not an independent judiciary,\" Mr Khan told Radio New Zealand. \"None of them should be going to jail, they should have never been tried in the first place. The military people should have been in the dock and being charged.\" Mr Bainimarama became interim prime minister of Fiji in 2007 and pledged to hold elections within two years. But he has since said constitutional reforms are needed and he not now call elections until 2014. Critics charge that under Cmdr Bainimarama's rule, Fiji has suspended the constitution, detained opponents and suppressed freedom of speech. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Paul Madigan"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["three and seven years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["attempting to kill the country's military leader"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2012 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange loses his appeal in the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom against extradition to Sweden on rape charges. (BBC) (AP via ABC News America)","document":"Britain's Supreme Court has endorsed the extradition of WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange to Sweden, an important turning point in the Internet activist's controversial career.\nAssange, 40, has spent the better part of two years fighting attempts to send him to the Scandinavian nation, where he is accused of sex crimes.  The U.K. end of that struggle appeared to come to a messy conclusion Wednesday, with the nation's highest court ruling five to two that the warrant seeking his arrest was properly issued — and Assange's lawyer arguing that the case should be reopened.\nSupreme Court President Nicholas Phillips, speaking for the majority, acknowledged that Assange's case \"has not been simple to resolve,\" but that the court had concluded that \"the request for Mr. Assange's extradition has been lawfully made and his appeal against extradition is accordingly dismissed.\"\nAssange won't be extradited immediately no matter what happens. His lawyer, Dinah Rose, stood up after the verdict to say that the decision was based on evidence that was not argued during the appeal and requested time to study the verdict further with an eye toward trying to reopen the case.\nPhillips said he would give Rose two weeks to make her move.\nEven if the Supreme Court refuses to reopen the case, Assange could appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, although extradition experts have said that route wasn't likely to block his removal to Sweden in the long run.\nAssange is best known for revealing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. documents, including a hard-to-watch video that captured U.S. forces gunning down a crowd of Iraqi civilians and journalists that they'd mistaken for insurgents. His release of a quarter-million classified State Department cables outraged Washington and destabilized American diplomacy worldwide.\nBut his secret-spilling work came under a cloud after two Swedish women accused him of molestation and rape following a visit to the country in mid-2010. Assange denies wrongdoing, saying the sex was consensual, but has refused to go to Sweden, claiming he doesn't believe he'll get a fair trial there.\nSwedish lawyer Claes Borgstrom, who represents the two women who accuse Assange of sex crimes, expressed relief at the Supreme Court's decision, but said the British judicial system should have dealt with the case more quickly.\n\"I think they should have resolved this earlier,\" Borgstrom told The Associated Press, adding that the long wait had been stressful for his clients.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["his appeal against extradition is accordingly dismissed"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["Britain's Supreme Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["sex crimes"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2012 A court in Cairo, Egypt, finds former president Hosni Mubarak and former interior minister Habib al–Adly guilty for complicity in the killings of demonstrators in the 2011 revolution that ousted Mubarak and both are sentenced to life in prison. Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, are all acquitted on separate corruption charges. (BBC)","document":"An Egyptian court has sentenced ex-President Hosni Mubarak to life in prison for complicity in the killing of protesters during last year's uprising.\nThe 84-year-old is the first former leader to be tried in person since the start of the Arab Spring in early 2011.\nEx-interior Minister Habib al-Adly also got a life sentence, but the acquittal of four high-ranking interior ministry officials sparked fury.\nHuge crowds of protesters have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square.\nDemonstrations have also been reported elsewhere.\nMubarak and his two sons were also acquitted on separate charges of corruption. But as Mubarak was being transferred to prison, he suffered a \"health crisis\", Egyptian state TV reported. After the verdict was read out, scuffles erupted in court.\nOutside the building, Mubarak's sentencing was initially greeted by celebrations from relatives of those killed, according to the BBC's Yolande Knell.\nBut the joy soon turned into angry shouts and protesters clashed with riot police as the crowd learned that four high-ranking interior ministry officials, including former deputy interior minister and head of state security, Hassan Abd El Rahman, had been acquitted. Two other regional directors of security were also acquitted.\nThere have been several calls for demonstrations. Immediately after the announcement, crowds gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which was a leading focus in the protests that toppled Mr Mubarak. There were also protests in Suez and Mansoura.\nAs Mubarak was being transferred from the courthouse to the hospital of Tora prison, near Cairo, state television reported that the former president suffered a \"health crisis\". The BBC's Jon Leyne says that Mubarak has had regular health lapses in the past. Since his trial began last August, he has been held in the International Medical Centre outside the capital, as his lawyer said he was in poor health. Tora prison is where a number of figures from the former government are serving jail sentences for corruption and reports say Mubarak has now been admitted to the hospital there. His sons, Alaa and Gamal, are to remain in detention despite their acquittal because they are to go on trial on charges of stock market manipulation.\nIn his preamble, Judge Ahmed Refaat insisted the 10-month trial had been a fair one.\nHe spoke of the Mubarak era as \"30 years of darkness\" and praised what he called \"the sons of the nation who rose up peacefully for freedom and justice\".\nAnnouncing the verdicts, the judge then said Mubarak and Adly had failed to stop security forces using deadly force against unarmed demonstrators. Mubarak, who ruled the country from 1981 to 2011, had faced a possible death sentence over the killing of about 850 protesters.\nThe ruling comes as political tensions are rising in Egypt between the two rounds of voting in a presidential election.\nCorrespondents say many of Egypt's revolutionaries are bitterly disappointed by the choice they now face - between a Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohammed Mursi and Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq.\nThe Muslim Brotherhood - the main opposition force under Mubarak's rule -  condemned the verdict and urged a meeting between key political forces to discuss the trial's outcome. A spokesman called for a retrial and said the prosecutor failed to \"carry out its full duty in gathering adequate evidence to convict the accused\".\nBut Mr Shafiq said that the verdicts \"must be accepted\", adding that the rulings would serve as a lesson for future presidents.\nThe first leader toppled during the Arab Spring was Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, who was found guilty in absentia of drugs and gun charges in July.\nLibyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed by rebels in October. Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh received immunity from prosecution after handing over power in November.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["life in prison"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["An Egyptian court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Hosni Mubarak"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["complicity in the killing of protesters during last year's uprising"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2012 The defence of imprisoned U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning receives a boost with a ruling by the judge presiding over his trial at Fort Meade in Maryland ordering the Obama administration to hand over several documents the government had hoped would remain confidential. (The Guardian)","document":"Bradley Manning, the US soldier accused of being the source of the biggest leak of state secrets in American history, has won a partial victory in his battle to force the government to disclose vital information that could help his defence. The judge presiding over his trial at Fort Meade in Maryland has ordered the US government to hand over several confidential documents relating to the massive leak to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.\nIn particular, the Obama administration must now disclose to Manning's lawyers some of the damage assessments it carried out into the impact of the leak on US interests around the world. Should those assessments reveal that the US government found that the fallout from WikiLeaks was limited, that could be used by Manning's defence to argue his innocence against some of the charges he faces, such as aiding the enemy. If the soldier is found guilty, the information might then prove invaluable in reducing any sentence.\nAs a result of the ruling, Manning's defence team was handed the main findings of a state department investigation into the impact of WikiLeaks on Tuesday evening.\nThough the information has not been made public, it is likely to include the assessments of embassies across the globe of the effects on their work of the publication of hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables. In addition, Manning's defence lawyers will now also be able to see a redacted report into WikiLeaks by the defence intelligence agency. It was also revealed that the FBI carried out its own inquiry into the leak of confidential material to WikiLeaks, which the Manning's defence lawyers will also now pursue.\nNews of the breakthrough over the damage assessments came in the first of three days of pre-trial hearings at Fort Meade. The proceedings are being attended by Manning, who sits in full military uniform flanked by his civilian lawyer David Coombs and two military defence lawyers.\nThe ruling marks an important legal victory as well as a confidence boost for Manning as he approaches a full court martial in September. The army private, who was arrested two years ago outside Baghdad, faces 22 charges with a maximum sentence of life in military custody. It also vindicates Manning's faith in Coombs, who has conducted a robust defence against seemingly endless prevarication and sleight of hand on the part of the military prosecution. Coombs on Wednesday made a spirited appeal to the court for an end to what he called the government's attempt to play \"hide the ball\". Coombs protested that whenever he asked the government for specific information he was told he was being too broad. He gave one example of having requested documents emerging from a review carried out by the House of Representatives oversight committee under its chairman, Darrell Issa. \"Short of telling the government that the documents are in a red file in Darrell Issa's third drawer, beneath his Bible, you can't get much more specific than my request,\" Coombs said.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":["innocence"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Bradley Manning"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["being the source of the biggest leak of state secrets in American history"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2012 A military judge at Fort Meade in Maryland rejects dropping charges against imprisoned U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning and says his trial would likely be delayed by two months until November. (Press TV) (The Guardian) (Voice of America)","document":"Bradley Manning has failed to persuade a military judge to throw out half of the counts against him in a pre-trial hearing before his court martial for allegedly leaking hundreds of thousands of state secrets to WikiLeaks.\nColonel Denise Lind, presiding over the proceedings at Fort Meade in Maryland, rejected a defence motion that 10 of the 22 counts against the US soldier should be dismissed. The decision leaves Manning facing a possible sentence of life in military custody for allegedly having been the source of the WikiLeaks publications that included war logs from Afghanistan and Iraq, video footage of a US helicopter attack on civilians and diplomatic cables from around the world.\nThe ruling came at the end of the third day of hearings at Fort Meade that have been dominated by complaints from Manning's lawyers that he is not being allowed a fair trial. The soldier's lead civilian lawyer, David Coombs, told the court that Manning's military prosecutors had been lapse in their obligation to hand over evidence that could help him defend himself.\nAs a result of the legal tussles, the judge ordered extra pre-trial hearings to be scheduled and made it clear to the prosecution that they had to step up their efforts to provide full disclosure of materials to the defence that could help Manning prove his innocence or reduce any sentence. As a result, the full court martial will be delayed from September to November or possibly January.\nBut Lind refused to meet a request on the part of the defence to throw out many of the charges against Manning. Two of the 10 that Coombs had asked to be dismissed related to the soldier's access to closed military computers.Manning was employed as an intelligence analyst at the Forward Operating Base Hammer outside Baghdad between 2009 and 2010. His job was to pore over databases relating to insurgent activity in Iraq and search for patterns of behaviour that would aid his military commanders in the framing of strategy.\nIn the pursuit of that work, Manning was authorised to enter the closed computer network known as the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, or SIPRNet. Yet he is charged with having \"exceeded authorised access when he accessed those classified government computers for an unauthorized or expressly forbidden purpose.\"\nManning's defence team objected to that more expansive interpretation of the term \"authorised access\", arguing that he was clearly permitted to use the computer network and that his purpose for doing so was irrelevant to the charge. The judge agreed with that legal interpretation, but said she did not have sufficient evidence to dismiss the two counts.\nHer nuanced ruling, however, puts the onus on the prosecution to up its game in pressing these two counts at trial.\nLind also rejected a defence motion to dismiss a further eight counts. The defence argued that the charges, that all relate to unauthorised possession and disclosure of classified information, were so vaguely worded as to be unconstitutional. In these cases, the judge disagreed and allowed the charges to stand.The delay in the preparation for trial means that by the time Manning does finally face a jury he will have already been in custoy for almost three years. He was arrested on 26 May 2010 and is now being held at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Bradley Manning"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":["Fort Leavenworth in Kansas"]},{"role":"Accusation","values":["leaking hundreds of thousands of state secrets to WikiLeaks"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2012 Jamaican \"drug lord\" Christopher \"Dudus\" Coke is sentenced to 23 years in a U.S. prison. (BBC)","document":"Notorious Jamaican drug lord Christopher \"Dudus\" Coke has been sentenced to 23 years in a US prison, the maximum sentenced he faced.\nCoke, 43, pleaded guilty to drug and gun-trafficking charges in August 2011.\nA five-week operation to capture him in 2010 saw clashes in Jamaica's capital, Kingston, in which scores died.\nHis Kingston-based criminal organisation trafficked marijuana, cocaine and firearms and enjoyed protection from Jamaica's ruling party.\nWhen Coke was first indicted in the US in 2009, Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding initially fought his extradition, arguing that it was based on flawed evidence. Mr Golding's parliamentary constituency is in West Kingston's Tivoli Gardens, the district Coke's Shower Posse and the Presidential Click had controlled.\nBut after months of delays and amid growing local and international criticism, Mr Golding agreed to extradite Coke and signed an arrest warrant.\nCoke was handed 20 years on the trafficking charge and three for conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon.\nCoke had written a letter to the judge ask for leniency, describing good deeds he said he did for slum-dwellers in Tivoli Gardens.\nIn court on Friday, he sat stoically in grey prison clothes, and briefly told Judge Robert Patterson: \"I am a good person\".\nProsecutors argued Coke terrorised and destroyed anyone who interfered with his drug operation, and several women abused by his gang in Jamaica begged the judge for a harsh punishment.\nBut many of his supporters in impoverished parts of Kingston describe him as a benefactor.\nEarlier this week, prosecutors had said Coke was so powerful that he enjoyed \"virtual immunity from the reach of law enforcement.\" Coke's lawyer, Stephen Rosen, said he believed Coke would be released in his 60s and allowed to return to his home country.\nHe said his client will not appeal against the sentence.  Jamaica divided on role of 'Dudus' Coke","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["23 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":["Stephen Rosen"]},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":["a US prison"]},{"role":"Accusation","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2012 Financier and cricket mogul Allen Stanford is sentenced to 110 years in prison after siphoning billions from investors. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)","document":"Disgraced tycoon Allen Stanford has been sentenced to 110 years in jail for operating a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of more than $7bn (£4.5bn).\nThe scheme was described as one of the largest in US history.\nIn court, Stanford denied any guilt, telling the judge at his sentencing hearing: \"I did not defraud anybody.\"\nA Texan banker, Stanford rose to prominence outside the US when he bankrolled international cricket competitions in the UK and Caribbean.\nBut after the collapse of his agreement to stage Twenty20 cricket in England, his financial empire began to crumble amid investigations by US regulators.\nForbes Magazine listed him as the 605th richest man in the world in 2006.\nHowever, since his arrest in 2009 he has spent three years in detention after being denied bail.\nStanford's Ponzi scheme centred on his banking operation based in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua.\nSome 30,000 individual investors were swindled, it was alleged. Prosecutors failed to find as much as 92% of the assets Stanford International Bank claimed to have.\nIn his statement in court on Thursday, which ran for some 40 minutes, he told the judge: \"I'm not here to ask for sympathy or forgiveness or to throw myself at your mercy.\n\"I did not run a Ponzi scheme. I didn't defraud anybody.\"\nUS District Judge David Hittner, who presided over Stanford's trial, called Stanford's actions  \"egregious criminal frauds\" during the hearing.\nTwo victims of the scheme spoke during the hearing, including Angela Shaw, who told the court Stanford was worse than convicted Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff because he preyed on middle-class investors.\n\"He stole more than millions,\" Ms Shaw said. \"He stole our lives as we knew them.\"\nHis sentence is 40 years shorter than the jail term handed down to Madoff, who pleaded guilty in 2009 to a Ponzi scheme targeting wealthy investors.\nStanford was convicted in March on 13 of 14 charges against him, despite his lawyers attempting to shift most of the blame on his chief financial officer.\nProsecutors had asked for a 230-year sentence, with defence lawyers arguing for a lenient term of 44 months.\nThree other former executives at Stanford's company are awaiting trial, while a former Antiguan financial regulator is expected to be extradited to the US for related charges.\nWhile a jury has cleared the way for access to about $330m in stolen funds sitting in Stanford's frozen bank accounts across Canada, England and Switzerland, legal wrangling could make it years before investors recover any of that money.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["110 years in jail"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Allen Stanford"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["operating a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of more than $7bn (£4.5bn)"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2012 Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga is sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, after Lubanga's conviction of recruiting and using child soldiers and other human rights violations during the Ituri conflict on March 14. (BBC)","document":"Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga has been sentenced to 14 years in jail for recruiting and using child soldiers in his rebel army in 2002 and 2003.\nTaking into account time in custody, he will now serve a further eight years.\nIn March, he became the first person to be convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since it was set up 10 years ago.\nThe conflict between ethnic groups in Ituri, north-eastern DR Congo, is estimated to have killed 60,000 people.\nLubanga led the Union of Congolese Patriots, an ethnic Hema militia which was active in the war that started in the Ituri region and its main town of Bunia in 1999.\nThis was a local conflict within the wider DR Congo war, which left an estimated five million people dead - mostly from hunger and disease.\nThe Lubanga case is closely related to the current fighting in DR Congo, where forces loyal to Gen Bosco Ntaganda are threatening the main eastern city of Goma.\nGen Ntaganda is accused of the same crimes as his erstwhile ally Lubanga and his M23 group resumed its rebellion shortly after Lubanga was convicted, amid mounting calls for Gen Ntaganda to be arrested.\nDuring the trial, the court heard how Lubanga would go to people's homes and ask them to donate something for the war effort. He would ask for cash, a cow, or for a child to fight for his rebel army.\nThe court also saw video footage of Lubanga at a training camp, galvanising children as young as 10. Another video showed young children working as bodyguards.\nLubanga was arrested in March 2005 by UN peacekeepers, along with other militiamen.\nHe showed no emotion as he was sentenced.\nHe cried as he was transferred to The Hague in March 2006.\nJudge Adrian Fulford praised the former warlord for his conduct and co-operation throughout the trial, the BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague says.\nBut he was highly critical of the former prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, she says, accusing him of making errors, failing to submit evidence to support his claims and allowing his staff to give misleading statements to the press. He was also critical of the way he had used witnesses.\nDuring the trial, the court heard from former child soldiers, including one who had been sent into battle. When he came face to face with Lubanga in the dock, he crumbled and was unable to present his evidence.\nIn June, Mr Moreno-Ocampo said he was asking for a \"severe sentence\" of 30 years.\nHe said the prosecution was requesting a sentence \"in the name of each child recruited, in the name of the Ituri region\".\nSpeaking outside court, the victims' legal representative, Franck Mulenda, said he was satisfied with the sentence.\n\"There's a sort of public revenge, revenge of justice, because the victims couldn't have revenge on their own,\" he said.\nBut the question of compensation still needed to be resolved, he added.\nMike Davis, from the human rights organisation Global Witness, said that the sentencing of Lubanga was an \"important development\" but that it sounded like \"a rather low sentence in relation to the crimes that he committed\".\nCongolese government spokesman Lambert Mende agreed that he should have been jailed for longer but said it was a \"positive signal\" for peace in the region.\n\"It's useful in teaching those who, after Lubanga, still play at being untouchable warlords,\" he said, reports the AFP news agency.\nBut Lubanga's sister, Angele Zasi, said he was innocent and did not deserve the 14-year sentence.\n\"Everything that has happened in the Ituri province hasn't been caused by Thomas Lubanga only,\" she told BBC Afrique. \"On the contrary, he saved the people of Ituri. The international community knows the reality but they don't want to be fair.\" Both sides now have 30 days to appeal.\n.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["14 years in jail"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["International Criminal Court (ICC)"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Thomas Lubanga"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["recruiting and using child soldiers in his rebel army in 2002 and 2003"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2012 John Terry is found not guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. (The Guardian)","document":"The former captain of the England football team, John Terry, has been found not guilty of racially abusing the QPR defender Anton Ferdinand during a vigorous exchange of insults in a match last year.\nAt the end of a four-day trial, the chief magistrate, Howard Riddle, cleared the 31-year-old Chelsea captain of a racially aggravated public order offence.\nTerry left the court shortly after the verdict, making no comment. He was cheered by a small group of Chelsea supporters. Speaking outside the court, his lawyer, Dan Morrison, said: \"[John Terry] did not racially abuse Mr Ferdinand and the court has accepted this.\n\"John would like to thank his legal team for their hard work and his family, friends and Chelsea Football Club for their support.\"\nThe Chelsea chairman, Bruce Buck, said: \"We are pleased that John can now put his mind to football and go back to training and do what he's done for many years.\"\nFerdinand's parents, who had attended every day of the trial, made no comment.\nThe trial focused on words spoken by the centre-back during a heated altercation with Ferdinand, 27, after a penalty appeal.\nIn his verdict, Riddle said there was \"no doubt\" that Terry had uttered the words \"fucking black cunt\" during the final stages of the match at Loftus Road last autumn. He had done so in anger, he said.\nBut it was \"impossible to be sure\" both of what Terry said and what Ferdinand had said to him.\nRiddle concluded: \"It is therefore possible that what he [Terry] said was not intended as an insult, but rather as a challenge to what he believed had been said to him. In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty.\"\nDefending the decision to bring the case to court, Alison Saunders, the chief crown prosecutor for London, said: \"The very serious allegation at the heart of this case was one of racial abuse. It was our view that this was not 'banter' on the football pitch and that the allegation should be judged by a court. The chief magistrate agreed that Mr Terry had a case to answer, but having heard all of the evidence he acquitted Mr Terry of a racially aggravated offence. That is justice being done and we respect the chief magistrate's decision.\"\nBut fans criticised the fact that the trial had taken place. \"What a waste of time. What a waste of taxpayers' money. The case should never have been brought,\" David Johnson of the Chelsea fanzine CFCUK told the BBC.\nLord Ouseley, chair of the Kick It Out campaign against racism in football, said it would now see if the Football Association would investigate the allegations. \"Kick It Out notes the decision reached and now awaits the pronouncements from the Football Association to any subsequent investigation into the matter. It will be interesting to hear from other organisations this will impact on, from governing bodies to leagues and clubs, and how they deem matters like this to be dealt with in the future,\" he said.\nFootage of the exchange in the 84th minute of the match on 23 October last year was seen by more than 2 million Sky viewers, and uploaded to YouTube.\nUnbroadcast video taken for Chelsea FC training purposes was also examined as part of the case.\nDuring the crucial eight seconds that cameras were on Terry, his mouth is obscured at times by his Chelsea team-mate John Obi Mikel. The prosecution alleged Terry used the words \"Fuck off, fuck off\", \"yeah, yeah\", \"and\", \"you fucking black cunt, fucking knobhead\".\nThe prosecutor Duncan Penny suggested this was Terry responding to a \"slow fist pump\" gesture by Ferdinand, relating to an alleged affair between Terry and the ex-girlfriend of Terry's former team-mate Wayne Bridge, Vanessa Perroncel. Penny told Riddle the \"and\" could have been Terry saying \"and yours\", referring to Ferdinand's girlfriend.\nTerry had \"snapped\", when his \"blood was up\" after being \"goaded\" by Ferdinand over the alleged affair, Penny had argued.\nGeorge Carter-Stephenson QC, for Terry, said the words were uttered because Terry was repeating \"by way of sarcastic exclamation\" an accusation he perceived Ferdinand had made on the pitch to him that he had called the QPR player \"a black cunt\".\nFerdinand denied saying that on the pitch to Terry. His account was: \"He called me a cunt, and I called him a cunt back. And he gave me a gesture as if to say my breath smelled. I said to him: \"How can you call me a cunt? You shagged your team-mate's missus, you're a cunt.\"\nThe case was unusual in that the chief prosecution witness, Ferdinand, had not himself complained of racial abuse. Police proceedings were initiated as a result of a single complaint made by an off-duty police officer watching the game on television. The prosecution said it was \"straightforward racial abuse\" and the words had been uttered by way of insult. Ferdinand had not heard the words spoken by Terry, and only saw footage about one hour after the game, at 7pm in the QPR players' lounge when his then girlfriend showed him a YouTube video that had been posted. Even then, despite telling the court he would have been \"livid\" if he had heard it on the pitch, he did nothing.\nThe remarks were \"very hurtful\", he said, though he believed the matter should have been handled by the Football Association.\nAshley Cole, Terry's Chelsea and England team-mate, said he believed the case should never have come to court. \"I think we shouldn't be sitting here,\" he said, in the witness box.\nCole was called as a \"reluctant\" witness, and admitted the case had caused him conflict. He said he was a close friend of Terry's, but also close to Ferdinand's brother, Rio, and had known the Ferdinand family \"for a long time\". He said he had not clearly heard comments made by Ferdinand, but believed he saw him say \"Bridgey or black\".\nThe 31-year-old left-back told the court that, during the final few minutes of the game, which QPR won 1-0, Terry had spoken to him about Ferdinand. \"He said: 'He thinks I'm being racist', or something along them lines.\"\nThe defence said nobody on the pitch had heard Terry's words, and he was the only witness to what he had said. Neither was there footage of what Ferdinand had said. It was possible, the defence said, that Terry had misinterpreted Ferdinand saying \"Bridge\" or \"black\", or he had heard a voice in the crowd say \"black\" simultaneously with Ferdinand moving his lips.\nAfter the game, Terry asked Ferdinand to the Chelsea dressing room. Terry said he asked him: \"'What happened out there, geez? Was you accusing me of calling you a black cunt?' – my exact words – and he said: 'No, not at all.'\" Terry then said \"good\" and the two agreed it was \"just handbags, innit\".\nThe timing of the dressing room meeting was a crucial part of the case. Ferdinand believed it to have been 45 minutes after the whistle. Terry thought 15 minutes, just enough time for him to have a quick shower and \"do my hair\". Cole estimated it to be between 25-30 minutes. It was crucial because of the suggestion that Terry may have seen the YouTube footage before calling in Ferdinand to \"smooth it over\" and \"put it to bed\".\nEvidence from the driver of the Chelsea team coach seemed to put the time of the team leaving at around 6.30pm. The defence dismissed the YouTube evidence, saying it was not possible to determine when exactly the video would have been available to view.\nDuring an FA interview five days after the match, Terry agreed: \"If you watch the video and me, watching the video, you can quite easily say that that doesn't look good.\" But, he said, it had to be viewed \"in the context of what I thought Anton accused me of\".\nAt his trial Terry stressed he had issued his statement, giving his version of events, before seeing any footage \"because I had nothing to hide\" and he knew \"there was nothing out there that would show that I had done anything wrong\". As to \"snapping\", it was \"almost two years on\" [after the affair allegation] \"and I'd heard it a million times before\", said Terry, who was \"shocked and angry\" at what he believed Ferdinand had accused him of.\nAt times, it was difficult to remember who was on trial. Ferdinand's parents, Janice Lavender and Julian Ferdinand, sat in the public gallery as Carter-Stephenson attacked their son's testimony, claiming: \"Ferdinand is fundamentally unreliable in terms of conversations and events\".\nReminding the court Ferdinand \"did not wish to be here\", Penny said the case would \"follow him for the rest of his career\". What was in it for him? Penny asked. \"You may wish to ask the question whether he was brave in choosing to give evidence\".","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["not guilty"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":["Dan Morrison"]},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["John Terry"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["racially abusing the QPR defender Anton Ferdinand during a vigorous exchange of insults in a match last year"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2012 David Burgess, already serving life imprisonment on two counts of murder, is given a fresh life sentence after being convicted of the 1966 murder of Yolande Waddington, a nanny from Berkshire, England. (BBC)","document":"A convicted child killer has been found guilty of the murder of a teenager in Berkshire 46 years ago.\nYolande Waddington, 17, was found strangled in the village of Beenham in October 1966. David Burgess, 64, was jailed for life in 1967 for the killing of nine-year-old girls Jeanette Wigmore and Jacqueline Williams in Beenham.\nHe was charged with Yolande's murder following advances in DNA techniques and convicted after a five-week trial.\nThe jury at Reading Crown Court convicted Burgess by a majority verdict of 11 to one. Jurors had been deliberating since Monday.\nSpeaking on behalf of the family outside court, Yolande's brother Giles Waddington broke down as he read from a statement.\nHe said: \"We're grateful that justice has now been completed and that Yolande's murderer has been identified after more than 45 years.\n\"Yolande's murder had a traumatic and irreversible effect on our family life and has cast a long shadow over nearly five decades.\" Yolande had only recently moved to the village to work as a nanny at a farm when she was killed.\nShe was last seen alive at the Six Bells pub on the evening of Friday, 28 October 1966.\nDuring the trial, the jury heard Yolande's naked body was discovered in a ditch beside a farmer's barn two days later.\nShe had been stabbed and strangled and tied up with a jumper knotted around her face.\nBlood from Yolande's attacker had been found on a number of items, including her comb and hair band.\nDetectives from Scotland Yard were sent to Beenham to help with the investigation and carried out the first ever mass blood screening, with samples taken from 200 males in the area aged between 16 and 60.\nA sample supposedly from Burgess was also taken, but it failed to meet one of the tests and was deemed not to be a match.\nPolice believe he may have got someone else to give a sample on his behalf or the specimen was labelled incorrectly.\nLast year, Thames Valley Police carried out a review into the case and using a new technique obtained a partial DNA profile which matched Burgess's.\nPete Beirne, the force's principal investigator of cold cases, said: \"David Burgess has never accepted his guilt despite confessing to the crime to prison officers on three separate occasions. \"He has never fully explained how or why he killed Yolande.\"\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["Yolande Waddington","Jeanette Wigmore and Jacqueline Williams"]},{"role":"Court","values":["Reading Crown Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["David Burgess"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["the murder of a teenager in Berkshire 46 years ago"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2012 Four people are sentenced to death for their involvement in a bank fraud scandal in Iran. (BBC)","document":"Four people have been sentenced to death for their roles in Iran's biggest-ever bank fraud scandal.\nTwo other defendants received life sentences, while 33 more will spend up to 25 years in jail, the chief prosecutor was quoted as saying.\nThe scandal involved forged documents reportedly used by an investment company to secure loans worth $2.6bn.\nPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year denied allegations that his government was involved.\nThe identities of the defendants have not been made public.\nThe case broke in September 2011 when an investment firm was accused of forging documents to obtain credit from at least seven Iranian banks over a four-year period.\nThe money was reportedly used to buy state-owned companies under the government's privatisation scheme.\nAs part of their probe, authorities froze the assets of an Iranian businessman thought to be the mastermind behind the scam.\nThe BBC's Sebastian Usher said the firm at the heart of the scandal had moved from a small start-up capital to being worth billions of dollars.\nThe affair fuelled weeks of political infighting between Mr Ahmadinejad and Iran's ruling hierarchy of clerics.\nEconomy Minister Shamseddin Hosseini scraped through an impeachment vote in November after conservative hardliners accused him of failing to take action over the fraud.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["sentenced to death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Four people"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["their roles in Iran's biggest-ever bank fraud scandal"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2012 20 people are jailed in China on charges of terrorism in the Xinjiang region. (The Hindu)","document":"Chinese authorities have jailed 20 people in far-western Xinjiang who they said were from five terrorist groups involved in “spreading separatism” through the Internet, amid a “strike hard” campaign that officials have launched to counter recent unrest in the Muslim-majority region.\nThe 20 people had “plotted violent attacks in an attempt to split Xinjiang from China”, the Communist Party’s official People’s Daily newspaper said in a report on Thursday. They were sentenced to jail-terms ranging from 18 months to 15 years following a court hearing held last month, which fell on the third anniversary of violence in the region that left close to 200 people dead.\nFour of those charged had “illegally made bombs and trained others to prepare for the terrorist attack under the name of ‘protecting them from Han nationalities,’” the report said, referring to the majority Han Chinese ethnic group.\nThe report said the others had “published books and videos containing violence to incite ethnic hatred and provoke a so-called ‘holy war’ against the nation.” All 20 people were understood to have been Uighurs, the ethnic Turkic Muslim group native to Xinjiang.\nTen people, the report said, had appealed the ruling, which had later been upheld by a higher court on July 13.\nChina has blamed Uighur separatists – some of whom, officials have said, had links to groups based in Pakistan – for carrying out violent attacks last year that left at least 40 people dead in the cities of Kashgar and Hotan, two cities near the far-western border with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).\nRiots in the capital in Urumqi in July 2009 that left at least 197 people killed were also blamed by the authorities on separatist groups, although Uighur scholars have said the unrest was sourced in rising resentment between locals and the increasing number of Han Chinese migrants. Some Uighurs have accused the government of inflating the terror threat to curb religious activities and restrict freedom of\nexpression, with separatism charges invoked, in the past, to jail Uighur journalists and activists.\nIn April, China launched a “strike hard” campaign, which included increased monitoring of the Internet, to target separatist groups. At a government meeting earlier this year, the Communist Party secretary in Xinjiang, Zhang Chunxian, said officials would “work more closely with the masses to detect terrorist activity”, adopt a “tougher stance” to incidents of violence, and monitor religious activities.\nThat same month, the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing released a list of six “wanted” terror suspects, alleged to be members of the extremist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), some of whom were\nbased in Pakistan. Chinese officials blamed Pakistan-trained separatists for the attacks in Hotan last year, following which Xinjiang Governor Nur Bekri claimed that extremists in the region had “a thousand and one links” to Pakistan.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["ranging from 18 months to 15 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["20 people in far-western Xinjiang who they said were from five terrorist groups"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["spreading separatism"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2011 A Chinese court upholds an eight year sentence for \"stealing state secrets\" for Chinese American geologist Xue Feng. (BBC) (Bloomberg)","document":"The eight-year jail sentence of a Chinese-born American geologist has been upheld by a Chinese court.\nUS Ambassador Jon Huntsman urged China to \"immediately\" release Xue Feng, following a hearing in which Mr Xue appealed against the conviction.  He was convicted last July, after a two-and-a-half year trial, on charges of stealing state secrets. His case is one of many in which ethnic Chinese with foreign passports have been jailed on similar charges.\nThe BBC's correspondent in Beijing, Martin Patience, says this case has come to symbolise the country's use of state secret laws to protect powerful business interests. Xue Feng, 44, was detained in 2007 after negotiating the sale of an oil industry database to his employers, an American consultancy company.  Mr Xue said the information he had acquired about China's oil industry was publicly available. He claimed he had been tortured while in detention.\nOther cases include that of the Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu, now imprisoned in Shanghai, and several Hong Kong residents detained in business disputes.\nOur correspondent says the judiciary in China is not independent, and high-profile trials are often susceptible to government influence.\nThe Beijing High People's Court proceedings were brief and a statement was read out denying the appeal for a sentence reduction for Mr Xue.\n\"They rejected all our arguments,\" his lawyer, Tong Wei, said outside the courthouse.\nThe jail term handed down was described by his lawyer as \"very heavy\". Mr Xue was also fined 200,000 yuan (£19,500; $30,000). \"I'm extremely disappointed in the outcome, although it wasn't completely unexpected,\" Mr Huntsman said.\n\"We ask the Chinese government to consider an immediate humanitarian release of Xue Feng, thereby allowing him to get back to his family and to his way of life,\" Huntsman told reporters outside the court.\n\"This case has been brought up in every single meeting that I've been involved with for almost two years. \"We'll not let this one go,\" he added.\nOur correspondent says that Washington had hoped that Xue Feng would be freed last month, ahead of President Hu Jintao's visit to the US.\nMr Xue had arranged the sale of an openly available database about China's largely state-controlled oil industry to his US consulting firm IHS Energy, now known as IHS inc. The geologist has claimed that interrogators burned his arms with cigarettes and hit him on the head with an ashtray.\nThree Chinese nationals were also sentenced for illegally providing intelligence abroad.\nDraft regulations released by China's government last year defined business information held by state firms as state secrets. Legal observers have also voiced concern that China's courts are ignoring legal procedures when dealing with sensitive cases. They say that in Xue Feng's case, the time it took to reach the verdict delivered last July breached China's own legal time limits.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["denying the appeal for a sentence reduction for Mr Xue"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["The Beijing High People's Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Xue Feng"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["stealing state secrets"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2011 United States militant nativist Shawna Forde of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps is sentenced to death in Arizona for her role in the murders of Raul and Brisenia Flores. (AP via AZCentral), (USA Today)","document":"Arizona border vigilante Shawna Forde has been sentenced to death for the 2009 murders of a 9-year-old girl and her father during a robbery to fund her militia.\nForde, 43, of Everett, Wash., becomes the third woman on the state's death row.\nLast week, a Tucson jury convicted her of two counts of first-degree murder for the slayings of Raul \"Junior\" Flores and his daughter Brisenia in their home near the Mexico border in May 2009.\nShe was also found guilty of one count of attempted murder for wounding the girl's mother and of assault and robbery. After being shot, the girl's mother wounded one of the attackers, who faces trial with several others.\nThe Arizona Daily Star writes that Forde \"once boasted she was going to take her Minutemen group to the 'next level.'\"\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["sentenced to death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Shawna Forde"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["the 2009 murders of a 9-year-old girl and her father during a robbery to fund her militia"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2011 Four men from Xinjiang in western China are to be executed following convictions for terrorism in the region last year. (BBC) (The Times of India)","document":"Four men have been sentenced to death for a series of deadly attacks in Xinjiang, China's state-controlled media has reported.\nThe attacks, which occurred between August and November last year, killed nine people and wounded 15.\nThe Xinjiang Daily website said the sentences had been approved by China's highest court, meaning they could be carried out at any time.\nXinjiang, in China's north-west, hosts an ethnic Uighur separatist movement.\nThe worst attack, on the outskirts of Aksu near China's border with Kyrgyzstan, took place on 19 August last year.\nA vehicle crammed with explosives was driven into a crowd, killing seven people and wounding others.\nThis incident has been attributed to two of those facing the death sentence, named as Tuerhong Tuerdi and Abudula Tueryacun.\nAkeneyacun Nuer has been convicted of killing a policeman in the city of Khotan in November. Abudukaiyoumu Abudureheman was found guilty of killing two people in Xinjiang's Hami region late last year with a home-made gun, the Xinjiang Daily said.\nThe four men are assumed to be Uighur separatists seeking independence from Chinese rule.\nIn 2009, deadly ethnic riots erupted in Xinjiang after tensions flared between the Muslim Uighur minority and the Han Chinese. There have also been a number of blasts in Xinjiang in the past, which the government blames on Uighur separatists.\nBut Uighur activists and human rights groups accuse Beijing of using the issue to crack down on Uighur dissidents, who have complained that waves of Han Chinese migrants have marginalised the Uighur culture. China has poured troops into Xinjiang, which borders Central Asia, since the unrest in July 2009 in Urumqi which left about 200 people dead.\nRights group Amnesty International says more than 1,000 people have been detained in the wake of the violence. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["sentenced to death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["China's highest court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["deadly attacks in Xinjiang"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2014 Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood are sentenced to eight years in prison for the 2011 beating of Bryan Stow. (NBC)","document":"Two men charged in the beating of SF Giants fan Bryan Stow pleaded guilty Thursday and accepted plea deals. Stephanie Chuang reports.\nTwo men charged in the beating of a San Francisco Giants fan pleaded guilty Thursday and accepted plea deals in the March 2011 opening day attack at Dodger Stadium before family members delivered emotional statements about how the attack changed their lives.\nLouie Sanchez, 31, pleaded guilty to a felony count of mayhem and was  sentenced to eight years in prison for the attack on Bay Area paramedic and father of two Bryan Stow. Marvin Norwood, 32, pleaded guilty to  assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and was sentenced to  four years behind bars, but prosecutors said he will \"walk out of here immediately\" because of time served.\nAs part of the plea agreement, all other charges against the men were dropped. Both men had originally been charged with mayhem,  assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury.\n\"The years that you spend in prison is what you cretins deserve,\" said David Stow.\nStow, 45, suffered serious injuries, including brain damage, in the parking lot assault and receives medical care at home. The family has posted updates on Stow's condition on Support4BryanStow, including a Feb. 14 post in which they said, \"We recently shaved  Bryan’s head and it was shocking to see the damage to his skull. Seeing him stare at himself in the mirror was heartbreaking. Watching him touch the shunt that protrudes on the right side of his skull, the slightly sunken in left side and all the deep scars was heartbreaking.\"\nThursday's hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom included victim-impact statements from Stow's family. Stow's father called the sentence \"insignificant compared to what Bryan must endure.\"\n\"I envy those people who can forgive others who commit crimes against their loved ones,\" said Stow sister Bonnie Stow. \"I'm not one of those people.\"\nThe judge also addressed Sanchez --- who appeared to smile as the judge spoke -- and Norwood, seated in blue jumpsuits at a table in front of the bench. \"Rarely, do I comment, but this is the kind of case that demands it,\" said Judge George Lomeli. \"Even now, with your smirks, you show no remorse.\n\"Not only did you blindside Mr. Stow, you continued to hit him on the head and kick him in the head. You're complete cowards.\"\nThe reported plea agreement is the latest twist in a case that led to criticism of stadium parking lot security measures and then-Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. More than seven months after the attack and after a series of decisions by Major League Baseball that went against him, McCourt was forced to sell the team to Lakers great Magic Johnson and his Guggenheim Baseball Management partners.\nThe investigation included a re-examining of clues after the arrest of a parolee who was later released. The Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division was eventually brought in after the exoneration of Giovanni Ramirez, once called the \"prime suspect\" in Stow's beating.\nThe investigation then turned to Norwood and Sanchez. Witnesses testified during the preliminary phase that Sanchez was intoxicated and looking for a fight with Stow, seated nearby, and at least one other fan during the rivalry game. After the game, Stow and his friends encountered Sanchez and Norwood twice in the Dodger Stadium parking lot, according to court documents.\nIn an Opposition to Bail Reduction filed in August 2011, prosecutors outlined their version of events on the night of the attack. Sanchez attacked Stow from behind and Norwood joined in the attack, authorities said.\nMORE: Giants Go to Bat for Bryan Stow\nThe attack included what one Stow friend described as \"full wind-up\" kicks to Stow's head after he was knocked to the ground.\nNorwood was characterized as the \"lesser of two evils\" as prosecutors explained why he did not receive the same sentence as Sanchez, considered the primary aggressor.\nThe witnesses could not positively identify either defendant as an attacker, something defense attorneys said weakened the case against Sanchez and Norwood. But identification is not an issue because both defendants made statements that connect them to the beating, according to prosecutors.\nThe Stow family is expected to move forward with a civil lawsuit, scheduled for trial in May, against the Dodgers and McCourt over security measures. The family and supporters called for civility among fans after the attack, a cause joined by the Dodgers and Giants organizations.\nThe judge also brought up fan safety concerns during the sentencing hearing. \"You are the biggest nightmare for individuals that attend public events, such as sporting events or concerts,\" Lomeli he said.\nIn a statement, the Dodgers said the team is “pleased that the culpable parties have finally accepted responsibility for their actions.”\nCiting the pending civil case, the team declined further comment.\nThe last time Stow was seen in public was when he and his family were invited to the last game of the Giants’ season back in September. Fans gave him a standing ovation when they saw him on the Jumbotron.\nNBC Bay Area reached out to the Giants for comment, but the team declined to comment.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["eight years in prison","four years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Louie Sanchez","Marvin Norwood"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury","parking lot assault","the attack on Bay Area paramedic and father of two Bryan Stow"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2014 An Egyptian court sentences 26 people to death in absentia for plotting attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal. (NBC News)","document":"  Death sentences were handed down to 26 people Wednesday by an Egyptian court for plotting attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal, a judicial source told Reuters.\nNone of the accused were in court to face the charges so they were tried in absentia, Reuters reported.\nThe defendants were accused of \"founding and leading a terror group that aimed to attack people's freedom, damage national unity and (attack) the Suez canal waterway\", another source told agency AFP.\nThe case has now been referred to the Grand Mufti, Egypt's top government cleric, who has the power to commute the death sentences if they contradict Islamic law. The canal, which runs between Port Said and Suez, is a vital global trade route between the Red Sea and Mediterranean and is seen as a prize target for insurgents looking to destabilize the Egyptian economy.\nAn Islamist insurgency has gained momentum since the army overthrew president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July. A subsequent crackdown on Islamists and liberals saw hundreds killed and thousands jailed.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["Death sentences"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["an Egyptian court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["plotting attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2014 The two men convicted of the murder of Lee Rigby are sentenced to life imprisonment, Michael Adebolajo without the possibility of parole, and Michael Adebowale with the possibility of parole after 45 years. (BBC)","document":"Michael Adebolajo has been given a whole-life term and Michael Adebowale has been jailed for a minimum of 45 years for murdering Fusilier Lee Rigby.\nAdebolajo, 29, and Adebowale, 22, drove into Fusilier Rigby with a car before hacking him to death in Woolwich, south-east London, in May last year.\nThe judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said Adebolajo's was one of those \"rare cases\" warranting a whole-life term.\nThe pair were absent during sentencing after a fracas in the dock. As Mr Justice Sweeney began to sentence the men they started shouting and scuffling with court security guards. They had to be forced to the ground and were removed from court.\nFusilier Rigby's family wept as Adebolajo shouted \"Allahu Akbar\", and Adebowale called out \"that's a lie\" as the judge told them their extremist views were \"a betrayal of Islam\".\nOne relative needed medical treatment after the outbursts. The judge later apologised for the fact that the family had to witness what happened in the dock.\nSentencing the killers in their absence, the judge said they had been convicted on \"overwhelming\" evidence of the \"barbaric\" murder of Fusilier Rigby.\nThe British Muslim converts had \"butchered\" the 25-year-old soldier, he said.\nAdebolajo was the leader of the \"joint enterprise\", the judge said, but Adebowale played his part \"enthusiastically\".\nMr Justice Sweeney said the pair carried out the murder \"in a way that would generate maximum media coverage\".\n\"He had done absolutely nothing to deserve what you did to him\", the judge said. The pair created \"a bloodbath\", he went on, adding: \"You both gloried in what you had done.\n\"Your sickening and pitiful conduct was in stark contrast to the women at the scene who tended to Lee Rigby's body and challenged what you had done.\"\nSpeaking outside court, Det Insp Pete Sparks, police liaison officer for Fusilier Rigby's family, read a short statement on behalf of the family saying \"no other sentence would have been acceptable\". \"We feel satisfied that justice has been served for Lee\", the statement said.\nHome Secretary Theresa May said the sentences showed \"extremist behaviour of any kind will never be tolerated in Britain\".\n\"Our thoughts are of course with Lee Rigby's family, who have endured unimaginable heartbreak over the last nine months. I hope they will take some comfort from this judgment.\"\nSue Hemming, head of special crime and counter terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service, said Adebolajo and Adebowale had \"revelled in one of the most appalling terrorist murders I have seen\".\n\"Not only was the attack brutal and calculated; it was also designed to advance extremist views,\" she said.\nAnd Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, said the sentences reflected the \"true horror\" of Fusilier Rigby's murder.\nEarlier, Fusilier Rigby's wife Rebecca said her young child would grow up to see images \"no son should have to endure\".\nHer statement was one of those from Fusilier Rigby's family, read out by prosecutor Richard Whittam QC ahead of the sentencing.\nMrs Rigby said she had accepted her husband's life would be at risk when he was deployed to Afghanistan, but not when he was at home.\n\"When you wave someone off you accept that there is a chance you will never see them again. You do not expect to see this on the streets of the UK,\" she said.\nThe court also heard part of a statement from the soldier's stepfather, Ian Rigby.\nHe said: \"After all he'd been through in Afghanistan, all Lee was doing was walking through London. After seeing the television, you just can't comprehend it.\"\nAdebolajo and Adebowale faced whole-life jail terms after a Court of Appeal ruling last week upheld judges' right to jail the most serious offenders in England and Wales for the rest of their lives.\nEarlier during the hearing, counsel for Adebolajo, David Gottlieb, warned an indeterminate sentence could \"create a martyr\".\nMr Gottlieb also said Adebolajo was \"not so depraved or wicked that he is incapable of redemption\", adding the murder \"shares the characteristics of a religiously aggravated crime\".\nHe said Adebolajo had intended to die and still believed he should be put to death. Adebolajo had claimed he was a \"soldier of Allah\" and the killing was an act of war.\nBut Mr Justice Sweeney rejected his mitigation, saying Adebolajo had \"no real prospect of rehabilitation\".\nCounsel for Michael Adebowale, Abbas Lakha QC, told the court the killing was \"horrific\" but was not a case \"where the offending is so exceptionally high that Mr Adebowale must be kept in prison for his life\". He said: \"The right and proper sentence is one which does leave open the possibility of release in the future. Any other sentence would be inhuman.\" Addressing Adebowale during sentencing, the judge said: \"I am persuaded that the combination of your lesser role, your age and your pre‐existing and continuing mental condition mean that it is not appropriate in your case to impose a whole-life term.\"\nFusilier Rigby, from Middleton, Greater Manchester, was murdered as he returned to his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London on 22 May 2013. He died of multiple cut and stab wounds.\nAdebolajo and Adebowale drove into Fusilier Rigby at 30 to 40mph, before dragging him into the road and attacking him with knives and attempting to decapitate him with a meat cleaver.\nOutside court, three people were arrested as far-right protesters gathered while the pair were being sentenced.\nSupporters of the British National Party and the English Defence League gathered around a makeshift gallows constructed in the street and held placards calling for the capital punishment to be restored.\nProtesters cheered when the sentences were announced.\nA City of London Police spokesman said two men were arrested, one on suspicion of actual bodily harm and one for affray.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Sweeney"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["a whole-life term","jailed for a minimum of 45 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["Fusilier Lee Rigby"]},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Michael Adebowale","Michael Adebolajo"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["murdering"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2014 A French court sentences former Rwandan army captain Pascal Simbikangwa to 25 years for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. (BBC)","document":"A French court has jailed former Rwandan spy chief Pascal Simbikangwa for 25 years over the 1994 genocide.\nIn a landmark trial, Simbikangwa was found guilty of complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity. It was not immediately clear whether his lawyers would appeal.\nSimbikangwa, 54, who is paraplegic after a car crash, was arrested in 2008 while living under an alias on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte.\nHe is the first man to be convicted in France in connection with the genocide in Rwanda 20 years ago.\nSome 800,000 people - mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus - were killed over a period of about 100 days. He had denied the charges against him.\nProsecutors had asked for life imprisonment for Simbikangwa, branding him an ethnic \"cleanser\" who was radically committed to his work and a \"man capable of the worst\".\nHis lawyers said the trial was politically motivated and described witnesses as unreliable and guided by spite.\nSimbikangwa, who rose to be third in command in Rwanda's intelligence services, was specifically accused of inciting, organising and aiding massacres, particularly by supplying arms and instructions to Hutu militia who were manning road blocks and killing Tutsi men, women and children.\nSimbikangwa served under President Juvenal Habyarimana, an ethnic Hutu whose death in a plane crash in April 1994 triggered the violence.\nSimbikangwa was tried under French legislation that allows universal jurisdiction for genocide and other heinous crimes committed by foreigners abroad. Rwanda's current Tutsi-led government has long accused France - an ally of Mr Habyarimana's then regime - of aiding the genocide.\nBut in recent years there has been a thaw between the two countries. A new genocide unit within the Paris prosecutor's office also helped to pave the way for the trial. Of the two dozen or so cases linked to the Rwandan genocide being investigated in France, one involves the widow of President Habyarimana. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["25 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["A French court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Pascal Simbikangwa"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["the 1994 genocide"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2014 A court in Minya, Egypt, sentences 528 supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi to death for a range of offenses including murdering a policeman and attacks on people and property.  It is the largest mass death sentence handed down in recent history anywhere in the world. (BBC) (The Independent)","document":"Outrage as court hands out the biggest mass death sentence in recent history to alleged members of the Muslim Brotherhood\n\nAn Egyptian court has sentenced 528 alleged supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood to death, in the largest mass death sentence handed down in recent history, anywhere in the world.\nThe sentence is the latest blow in a crackdown which has sent the Brotherhood reeling since the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi – a prominent member of the organisation – in July last year.\nDefence lawyers at the court in Minya, south of the capital, Cairo, claimed they were neither given time to review the evidence against their clients, nor cross-examine witnesses for the prosecution.\nOne of those sentenced to death, accused of a violent attack on a police station which left one officer dead, was Assem Mohamed Ahmed, a 34-year-old man paralysed on one side of his body, according to his brother Ahmed Mohammed, a mechanic.\nAssem is one of more than 400 of the defendants who are not currently in detention. Another is Sayyef Gamal, 20, a medical student at Minya University, who said that he could not have participated in the attack on the police station in Minya, Upper Egypt, because at the time it occurred, in mid-August last year, he was fleeing police attacking a sit-in in Cairo, several hundred miles away.\nThat sit-in, calling for the return of Morsi, was cleared on 14 August, leading to the deaths of more than 900 people. The violence of the clearing sparked attacks on both police and Christians in Minya and elsewhere, including the attack which Sayyef is now accused of participating in.\nSayyef now moves discreetly between safe houses, watching the news, and hoping for a reversal of the verdict at a retrial.\nA senior Brotherhood figure, Ibrahim Moneir, denounced the verdicts, warning that abuses of justice will fuel a backlash against the military-backed government that replaced Morsi.\n“Now the coup is hanging itself by these void measures,” he said, speaking to the Qatari-based Al Jazeera television channel.\nThe sentence was being viewed as exceptionally harsh, even in Egypt’s polarised climate. But some lawyers support the judge’s decision.\n“It’s good that terrorists be sentenced to death,” said Gamil Dorgham, a Cairo-based lawyer.\nThe Muslim Brotherhood was designated a terrorist organisation in December, although the government has produced no evidence to support its designation.\n“This decision is not a final one, but if it were final, it’s all right. You have to know we are fighting terrorism. We have to deter them,” Mr Dorgham said.\nNathan Brown, a professor at the George Washington University in Washington, and an expert on Egypt’s judiciary system, says the verdict is likely to be lessened.\n“If it were implemented in its current form, that would shock me even more than the verdict itself,” he said.\nDespite the outlandish harshness and volume of the verdicts, several features of the case have become typical of the widening crackdown on Morsi’s Brotherhood and the secular opposition.\n At least 16,000 people have been arrested since July, according to state officials, and thousands have been tortured, according to the monitoring group Nation Without Torture.\nThe accused and their lawyers also routinely complained of judicial abuses, according to Heba Wanis, of another monitoring group, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.Amnesty International said that it was the largest simultaneous mass death sentence handed down in memory, anywhere in the world.\n“There is no case that we are aware of that is of this magnitude,” said Jan Wetzel, a death penalty researcher at Amnesty.\n“It’s grotesque, using death sentences like small change.”\nMaha Sayyed, 30, a teacher, said she believes her husband Ahmed Eid, a lawyer, was detained in an act of revenge after he secured the release of four of his clients accused of participating in Brotherhood-related activities.\n“We want to talk about that case with those four guys,” one security officer said to him, according to his wife, before arranging the meeting that led to his arrest.\nNow he is one of the more than 100 people who are in custody, accused over the police station attack.\nThe 528 sentenced on Monday were among more than 1,200 Muslim Brotherhood supporters accused of participating in the violence in Minya. Many of the remainder are due in court today, including Mohamed Badie, the Supreme Guide of the Brotherhood – its most senior figure.\nEgypt’s judiciary repeatedly clashed with Mohamed Morsi during his year in power, and was one of the pillars of the alliance which deposed him on 3 July, replacing him with the then head of the Supreme Constitutional Court.\nThe Brotherhood has accused judges of aiding the crackdown through harsh and politicised verdicts.\n“We have become used to decisions like this from the courts,” said Ahmed Shaheeb, a lawyer for 25 of the defendants.\nMr Shaheeb’s own brother Hossam fled the country after being accused in the same case.\nProfessor Brown believes, however that most verdicts are arrived at without interference from the state, but that deep problems nonetheless skew the system.\n“First, the security apparatus seems unscrupulous and that is where evidence comes from,” he said.\n“Second, large parts of the judiciary seem to have been spooked by the Morsi regime, sometimes for good reason and sometimes not. That seems to have clouded the judgement of many.\n“And third, the judiciary has a world view that is very respectful of law but also one that can be less than liberal, especially when the law is less than liberal or there is a perceived threat to judges’ own self-image as pillars of order and justice.”\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["the court in Minya, south of the capital, Cairo"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["528 alleged supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["The violence of the clearing sparked attacks on both police and Christians in Minya and elsewhere"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2014 A court in Minya, Egypt, sentences 528 supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi to death for a range of offenses including murdering a policeman and attacks on people and property.  It is the largest mass death sentence handed down in recent history anywhere in the world. (BBC) (The Independent)","document":"A court in Egypt has sentenced 528 supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to death.\nThey were convicted of charges including murdering a policeman and attacks on people and property.\nThe group is among some 1,200 Muslim Brotherhood supporters on trial, including senior members.\nAuthorities have cracked down harshly on Islamists since Mr Morsi was removed by the military in July. Hundreds have been killed and thousands arrested.\nThey are expected to appeal.\nThe verdict now goes to Egypt's supreme religious authority, the Grand Mufti (a senior Islamic scholar), for approval or rejection. Campaigners say that while death sentences are often handed down in Egypt, few have been carried out in recent years. The final trial session will not be held until 28 April, so there is some time left before the sentence is confirmed and there will be time to appeal in that period, says the BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo.\nThe Muslim Brotherhood has denounced death sentences and Washington expressed shock and concern.\nThe court in Minya, south of the capital, Cairo, issued its ruling after only two sessions in which the defendants' lawyers complained they had no chance to present their case.\nLawyers have accused the presiding judge of \"veering away from all legal norms\" and denying justice to the accused, our correspondent adds. They were convicted, among other charges, of the murder of the deputy commander of the Matay district police station in Minya. Some 147 suspects were in court for the trial - the others were convicted in absentia, reports say.\nThe court also acquitted 16 other defendants. The attacks took place in August after security forces broke up two camps of pro-Morsi supporters in Cairo, killing hundreds of people.\nMr Morsi was ousted by the military last July following mass street protests against his government. He is facing four separate trials\nThere has since been a severe crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood group, as well as on other activists seen as hostile to the military-backed interim government.\nThe Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organisation and authorities have punished any public show of support for it.\nA second group of 700 Morsi supporters is due to go on trial on Tuesday.\nThe Muslim Brotherhood's spokesman in London, Abdullah el-Haddad, told the BBC the sentences showed that Egypt was now a dictatorship.\n\"It may be just a threat message and there will be appeals to the court and the decision of the court will change, but this is the new Egypt after the coup. This is the new dictatorship that [army chief and defence minister Field Marshal] Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is trying to establish.\"\nMr Haddad said the Muslim Brotherhood's general guide Mohammed Badie was among those convicted, though other reports say Mr Badie is only due in court on Tuesday.\nThe US government also questioned how the defendants could have had a fair trial in just two court sessions - one of which was Monday's sentencing.\n\"It sort of defies logic,\" said Marie Harf, deputy US State Department spokeswoman, adding that Washington was \"deeply concerned\" and \"shocked\".\n\"Obviously the defendants can appeal, but it simply does not seem possible that a fair review of evidence and testimony consistent with international standards could be accomplished with over 529 defendants in a two-day trial,\" she said.\nDefence counsel Mohamed Tousson claimed the judge rushed to sentencing after being angered by a lawyer's request for his recusal at Saturday's opening hearing.\n\"He got very angry, and adjourned the trial for sentencing,\" Mr Tousson said, adding \"It's a huge violation of defendants' rights.\"\nEgypt's foreign ministry defended the court's handling of the trial, saying the sentences had been \"issued by an independent court after careful study of the case\".\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["court in Minya, south of the capital, Cairo"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["murdering a policeman and attacks on people and property"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2014 A United States court overturns the conviction of Andrew Auernheimer (known as weev), who was sentenced to 41–months in prison in 2010 for hacking the AT&T website, stealing millions of iPad user e–mails. (PC World)","document":"Andrew Auernheimer, known online as “weev,” has won an appeal against his conviction for exploiting a vulnerability in AT&T’s website to collect the email addresses of Apple iPad users. The 2010 incident earned him a 41-month prison sentence.\nThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit overturned the verdict on Friday, finding that the venue where Auernheimer was charged and prosecuted was not appropriate because the alleged offenses did not happen there. It did not consider the other grounds for the appeal.\nIn June 2010, Auernheimer, a member of a Web security group called Goatse Security, together with a man named Daniel Spitler, exploited a vulnerability on the AT&T website to collect the email addresses of 114,000 new Apple iPad owners who had registered their devices with the telecommunication provider.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Andrew Auernheimer"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["overturned the verdict"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2014 Former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi is sentenced to 1 year of community service for his conviction of tax fraud. (Los Angeles Times)","document":"ROME -- Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was ordered Tuesday to spend a year performing community service among the elderly as his sentence for committing tax fraud at his media conglomerate.\nThe decision by a Milan judge spares Berlusconi, 77, a sentence of house arrest. But the former premier, who has dominated Italy’s political scene for two decades, will see his movements restricted just as his center-right party gears up for elections to the European Parliament next month.\nThe billionaire media tycoon was convicted last year in a complex case involving overpayments at his Mediaset television company. In November, he was expelled from the Italian Senate because of his legal problems, despite a vigorous campaign to persuade fellow senators to let him remain.\nHe was handed a four-year prison sentence for the fraud conviction, which was reduced to one year as part of Italy’s efforts to relieve overcrowding in its jails. Partly in light of Berlusconi’s age, confinement to his home or community service were put forward as alternatives to spending the time behind bars.\nBoth the prosecution and defense reportedly urged the court to order Berlusconi to perform community service, either among the disabled or the elderly. He must now spend four hours a week working at a center for the elderly, among men and women who are essentially his peers.\nHe must also spend the majority of his time in Lombardy, in northern Italy, where he lives in a lavish residence. But he is allowed to spend between Tuesday and Thursday of each week in Rome, which could be key to his continuing political ambitions.\nAlthough his conviction bars him from holding office, Berlusconi remains a significant force in Italian public life as the head of his center-right Forza Italia party. The party has fallen out with other conservative groups with which it once formed a coalition, but Berlusconi has been hoping for a strong showing at the polls for the European Parliament at the end of May.\nHow much campaigning he will be able to accomplish with the constraints imposed on him remains to be seen. His reputation as a wily operator skilled at going around the rules is legendary here.\nBerlusconi, who served as prime minister three times, has consistently maintained his innocence of the many charges that have been laid against him at various trials throughout the years. He insists that his legal woes are the work of left-wing judges determined to bring him down, and has compared the “persecution” he faces to that experienced by Jesus.\nBesides his fraud conviction, he has also been found guilty of paying a teenage girl for sex and using the power of his office to try to cover it up. He has appealed that conviction.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["spend a year performing community service"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Silvio Berlusconi"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["tax fraud at his media conglomerate"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2014 Five people are sentenced to death and 37 others given prison sentences for their roles in the 2003 bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (BBC)","document":"A Saudi court has sentenced five men to death for their role in three suicide bomb attacks on expatriate residential compounds in Riyadh in May 2003.\nAnother 37 people were given imprisoned for between three and 35 years.  The attacks, which left 39 foreign nationals and Saudis dead, were part of a campaign by an al-Qaeda offshoot that aimed to destabilise the Gulf kingdom.\nThe authorities subsequently launched a three-year crackdown on the jihadist group, imprisoning thousands of people.\nAlthough al-Qaeda has since struggled to operate in Saudi Arabia, a number of Saudis formed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in neighbouring Yemen in 2009 and have become senior operatives.\nThe five men sentenced to death on Sunday have not been named.\nHowever, the Sabq news website said they had been found guilty of rigging the car bombs used to attack the residential compounds.\nThe Saudi Gazette newspaper reported that one was a former guard at al-Hayer prison who had \"sheltered one of the wanted terrorists\" and been involved in a gun battle with police at an apartment complex in 2003.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["death","imprisoned for between three and 35 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["A Saudi court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["their role in three suicide bomb attacks on expatriate residential compounds in Riyadh in May 2003"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2010 Italy awaits the outcome of a trial which could imprison Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi's senior adviser, Marcello Dell'Utri, for 11 years. (The Independent)","document":"Italy was yesterday tensely awaiting the outcome of a trial which could send Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's right-hand man to jail for 11 years.\nMarcello Dell'Utri, a 68-year-old politician from Palermo in Sicily, has been a close friend of Mr Berlusconi since university days, and was the co-founder with him of the media magnate's first political party, Forza Italia. But in a case that was launched by prosecutors 16 years ago, soon after the end of Mr Berlusconi's brief first spell in government, he is accused of having for many years been the media magnate's go-between with the Sicilian Mafia, ensuring his boss's new party received vital support from the mob on the island.\nMr Dell'Utri is appealing the nine-year jail sentence given him at the first trial. But during the appeal the Palermo prosecutors demanded an extra two years' jail, citing what they claimed was further evidence of his guilt.\nThe encounters of Mr Berlusconi and Mr Dell'Utri with high-ranking Mafia gangsters, and Mr Berlusconi's decision to employ one of them, Vittorio Mangano, as a stable boy at his villa north of Milan, are well documented. What is disputed is what the meetings over the years signify. The defence claims there is no proof they mean anything. The prosecution maintains there is convincing evidence of criminal collusion. Mr Berlusconi has described Mangano as a \"hero\" for his refusal to give investigators any information about their relationship. The mafioso died in 2000.\nAdding to Mr Dell'Utri's woes are recent claims by a new Mafia super-grass, Gaspare Spatuzza, that the Sicilian lawyer-turned-politician was involved in negotiations with the Mafia which culminated in the mob's decision to blow up Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, two investigating magistrates who had done more than any before them to break the Mafia. The magistrates were killed in 1992.\nSumming up last week, the prosecution made no bones about the trial's importance. \"You must take a historic decision,\" Nino Gatto told the three-man bench, \"not only from a judicial point of view but for our country\" which could either clarify who is responsible \"for having bathed our country in blood\", or could \"destroy\" that possibility. \"Power is on trial here,\" he went on, \"power that has tried to distort [the trial] and evade being put on trial.\"\nBut Mr Dell'Utri's lawyer disagreed. \"Here you don't have to write history but apply the law,\" Sandro Sammarco retorted tartly. Mr Dell'Utri, who in another Mafia-related case was sentenced to two years' jail for tax fraud, said in an interview published yesterday that the case was built \"on fanatical theories, on non-existent theories, on nothing\".\nWhile Mr Berlusconi would surely shrug off another guilty verdict as further malicious work by the so-called \"red togas\" he has long identified as his mortal enemies, the condemnation of his closest colleague would do further damage to his international reputation. Which is why, according to the gossip in Palermo's huge and oppressive Tribunale building, a lot of trouble has been taken to obtain a bench of judges who could be relied on to see that his friend walks away a free man.\nSo rancorous have these rumours grown that the judges read out a highly unusual statement in court last week. \"We are indifferent,\" they declared, \"to media pressure and answer only to the law and our consciences\": which gave Sicilian cynics even further grounds for betting that after this 16-year case, which, Mr Dell'Utri says, \"has destroyed my life\", he would emerge exonerated.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["jail for 11 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Marcello Dell'Utri"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["having for many years been the media magnate's go-between with the Sicilian Mafia"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":["extra two years' jail"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2010 Five Muslim American students sentenced to serve 10 years in a Pakistani prison for conspiracy to commit attacks and raising funds for terrorism, appeal their conviction. (Reuters) (CNN) (Voice of America)","document":"ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Five American men sentenced last week to serve 10 years in a Pakistani prison on terrorism charges appealed against their conviction Monday, their defense lawyer said. The five Americans, all students in their 20s, were sentenced Thursday for contacting militants online and plotting attacks by a court in Pakistan, fighting its own battle with Islamist radicals.\n“We believe all evidence we produced in their defense were not considered by the court and it relied on prosecution witnesses,” defense lawyer Hassan Katchela told Reuters.\nThe appeal will be heard by the Lahore High Court, but no date has been set for the hearing.\nWaqar Hussain Khan, Ahmed Minni, Ramy Zamzam, Aman Yemer and Umar Farooq were each charged with five counts of conspiracy, raising funds for terrorist acts, planning war against Pakistan, directing others to launch attacks and attempting to cross the Afghan border illegally.\nThey were detained in December in Pakistan’s central city of Sargodha, 190 km (120 miles) southeast of Islamabad.\nImmediately after last week’s court appearance, Deputy Prosecutor Rana Bakhtiar said the men were convicted on two counts each, with one carrying a 10-year sentence and the other carrying five years, to be served concurrently. They were also fined a total of 70,000 rupees ($820).\nBakhtiar said the court issued the 10-year sentences for conspiracy and five years for raising funds. The other charges were dropped. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["serve 10 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":["Hassan Katchela"]},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":["a Pakistani prison"]},{"role":"Accusation","values":["terrorism"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2010 Iran sentences two officials to death and nine others to fines and floggings for the deaths in custody of three protesters during the 2009-2010 Iranian election protests. (AP) (BBC) (Tehran Times) (Ynetnews) (Voice of America)","document":"An Iranian court has sentenced to death two people charged with killing three anti-government protesters in prison.The court announced the verdicts Wednesday for the unnamed suspects.  Nine other people were sentenced to flogging or prison terms.  A tenth person was acquitted. The case stems from protests by political opposition groups, who said prisoners were abused, tortured and killed in the Kahrizak prison during the post-election unrest that followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election last year.  Many of those arrested during the protests were held at the facility. In December, Iranian authorities acknowledged for the first time that Kahrizak prison officials beat to death at least three detainees arrested during post-election unrest.  The acknowledgment followed months of denials.The detainees killed included Mohsen Rouhalamini, the son of a prominent politician.Kahrizak prison has been closed since last August on the order of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said the facility was not up to required standards. Opposition and human rights groups say Iran arrested hundreds of protesters in the aftermath of the election.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["flogging or prison terms","death"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["An Iranian court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["killing three anti-government protesters in prison"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Former Argentine military ruler Jorge Rafael Videla goes on trial. (BBC)","document":"Former Argentine military ruler Jorge Videla has gone on trial for the murders of more than 30 political prisoners in 1976. The 84-year-old, who is already serving a life sentence for abuses committed during military rule, is one of more than 20 defendants. A presidential pardon given to him in 1990 was recently overturned by the supreme court. Up to 30,000 people were tortured and murdered between 1976 and 1983. As the head of the military junta until 1981, Videla is considered to have been the main architect of what became known as the \"Dirty War\".\nThe case now being heard relates to the killing of a group of left-wing activists who were taken from their jail cells in the central city of Cordoba and shot dead shortly after the military took power. The army said at the time that they were killed while trying to escape. Now 84 and with prostate cancer, Videla was sentenced to life in prison for torture, murder and other crimes in 1985 when many of Argentina's military leaders were tried for human rights abuses. He was pardoned in 1990 under an amnesty given by the president at the time, Carlos Menem. In April the supreme court upheld a 2007 federal court move to overturn his pardon, restoring Videla's convictions and clearing the way for other new cases against him. Since he is already serving a life sentence, any new conviction will not mean more years of prison, the BBC's Candace Piette reports from Buenos Aires.\nBut the prosecution hopes the trial in Cordoba will bring some relief to the families of the dead, our correspondent says.\nThe families of the victims are being represented by Miguel Ceballos, a lawyer whose father was among those killed. \"When they came looking for my father at the prison, he knew he would be killed,\" he said.\n\"He said goodbye to his friends and left a photo of his family so they could tell us what happened.\"\nDuring his five-year administration, Videla organised the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Argentina's victory was used to try to clean the international reputation of the military government at a time when reports of massive human rights violations had been seeping out, our correspondent says.\nVidela also faces charges in Italy, Spain France and Germany for the murder of some of their citizens in Argentina.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["life sentence"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Jorge Videla"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["the murders of more than 30 political prisoners in 1976"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Authorities in China sentence Chinese–American geologist Xue Feng to 8 years in prison for \"selling state secrets\"; the U.S. expresses \"dismay\" at the sentence. (BBC News) (CNN)","document":"A Chinese-born American geologist has been sentenced to eight years in jail in China for stealing state secrets.  Xue Feng, 44, was detained in 2007 after negotiating the sale of an oil industry database to his employers, an American consultancy company.  Mr Xue said the information he had acquired about China's oil industry was publicly available. He claimed he had been tortured while in detention.\nThe US embassy said it was \"dismayed\" and called for his immediate release. The jail term handed down was described by his lawyer as \"very heavy\". Mr Xue was also fined 200,000 yuan (£19,500; $30,000). Mr Xue's crime was to arrange the sale of an openly available database about China's largely state-controlled oil industry to his US consulting firm IHS Energy, now known as IHS inc. The geologist has claimed that interrogators burned his arms with cigarettes and hit him on the head with an ashtray.\nThe US Ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman, was at court for the sentencing, in a show of high-level US concern over the case.\nThe embassy later issued a statement saying it was dismayed and urged China to grant Mr Xue \"humanitarian release and immediately deport him\".\nThree Chinese nationals were also sentenced for illegally providing intelligence abroad.\nLi Yongbo was sentenced to six years in jail, and Chen Mengjin and Li Dongxu were both given two-and-a-half-year sentences. The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Beijing says that after this case foreign businesses in China are likely to tread even more warily when dealing with information about state firms. Draft regulations released by China's government earlier this year defined business information held by state firms as state secrets. Legal observers have also voiced concern that China's courts are ignoring legal procedures when dealing with sensitive cases. In Xue Feng's case the two-and-a-half-years it has taken to reach a verdict they say breaches China's own legal time limits. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["eight years in jail","fined 200,000 yuan (£19,500; $30,000)"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Xue Feng"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["stealing state secrets"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Authorities in China sentence Chinese–American geologist Xue Feng to 8 years in prison for \"selling state secrets\"; the U.S. expresses \"dismay\" at the sentence. (BBC News) (CNN)","document":"Beijing, China (CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy here says it is \"dismayed\" by a Chinese court decision sentencing a U.S. citizen to eight years in prison for violating state secrets law.\nIn a written statement Monday, U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman called for the release of Dr. Xue Feng, a naturalized U.S. citizen, who in addition to the prison sentence was fined about $29,500 for allegedly providing intelligence abroad.\n\"I was at the courthouse this morning when Dr. Xue Feng was sentenced to eight years and fined 200,000 RMB. I am disappointed, \" Huntsman said in a written statement. \"I believe the time has come for Dr. Xue, who has already been detained for two and a half years, to be released,\" he said.\nHuntsman -- who has visited Xue in prison -- urged Chinese authorities to release the accused U.S. citizen \"in the spirit of justice\" and to \" allow him to be returned home and be reunited with his family.\"\nThe University of Chicago's Dr. David B. Rowley, Xue's former professor who has rallied for his release, said he was \"shocked\" by the sentencing and claims that Xue is languishing in prison on vague charges. \"I find this whole thing just unbelievable in no small part because the rationale is just so thoroughly flawed,\" Rowley said.\nXue \"has always been a straight shooter,\" Rowley said. \"He was not ... a wheeler-dealer type.\" He is \"an honest, hard worker and this came as a real surprise to him as well.\"\nXue was working in China as a leading geologist for the Colorado-based IHS Consulting firm, a global provider of energy-related information, Rowley said, and the information Xue was privy to did not include state secrets.\nWhile Rowley said he was not privy to the specific database mentioned in Xue's indictment, the University of Chicago professor said the pieces of information commonly contained in such databases are not state secrets.\n\"These types of databases usually contain information related to the petroleum potential of a given area, and that might include what wells already have been drilled and information on the geology and geophysical or underlying structure of these areas. That's pretty much it,\" he said.\nXue's job as a leading consultant for IHS involved acquiring and reselling this type of data, Rowley said.\nHe said that as a petroconsultant, Xue thought he was viewed favorably by the Chinese because he was able to sell to Chinese officials similar data from countries in which the Chinese had drilling interests.\nRowley said Xue had resigned from IHS at the time of his arrest and believed that the warnings issued by Chinese officials concerning the database were not issued against him, but against his employers, he said.\n\"IHS is extremely disappointed at the news and is very sympathetic to the situation. We are continuing to work with our advisors on the issue,\" said IHS spokesman Ed Mattix.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["eight years in prison","fined about $29,500"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Dr. Xue Feng"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["violating state secrets law"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 Men at Work are forced to give away 5% of their \"Down Under\" royalties after a Sydney court rules they plagiarised a flute solo from \"Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree\". (The Guardian) (BBC) (The Daily Telegraph) (Sky News)","document":"A judge has ordered Men At Work to hand over royalties from the 1983 hit single Down Under after earlier ruling they had plagiarised a children's song.\nThe Australian band must pay 5% of money earned from the song since 2002 as well as future royalties.\nLarrikin Music, which owns the copyright to Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, had sought 60% of royalties.\nThe company argued successfully that Down Under's flute riff was stolen from Marion Sinclair's original song.\nSinclair, an Australian teacher, wrote Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree more than 70 years ago. It has since been sung by generations of Australian school children.\nLarrikin Music, which is owned by London's Music Sales Group, bought the rights to the classic folk song in 1990, following Sinclair's death in 1988.\n\"I consider the figures put forward by Larrikin to be excessive, overreaching and unrealistic,\" Federal Court Justice Peter Jacobson said in his ruling.\nThe court did not specify what 5% of the royalties would represent in Australian dollars.\nDown Under - the story of an Australian backpacker touring the world - reached number one in Australia, the US and the UK, and remains a popular favourite at national events.\nColin Hay, who co-wrote the song with fellow bandmate Ron Strykert, has said any reference to Sinclair's folk song was \"inadvertent, naive, unconscious\". ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Peter Jacobson"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["hand over royalties from the 1983 hit single Down Under"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["plagiarised a children's song"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 New Zealand environmental activist Peter Bethune is given a two year suspended sentence in a Tokyo District Court for his role in boarding a Japanese whaling ship. (The Sydney Morning Herald) (The Guardian) (BBC) (CNN)","document":"(CNN) -- Anti-whaling activist Peter Bethune was given a two-year suspended prison sentence and five years' probation Wednesday by a Tokyo district court judge for his role in boarding a Japanese whaling ship.\nBethune was found guilty on five charges, ranging from assault against whalers to trespassing into a whaling vessel. Bethune had previously pleaded guilty to all charges but assault. He could have received up to 15 years behind bars on charges.\nBethune testified during his trial in May that he had no intention of hurting anyone when he protested Japan's whale hunt.\nThe New Zealand activist from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said that he believed the bottles of butyric acid he threw at the Shonan Maru 2 whaling ship were non-toxic and would not harm anyone.\nProsecutors said the butyric acid burned two crew members of the Japanese whaling fleet, but Sea Shepherd called it a harmless, albeit rancid, liquid. Butyric acid is found in rancid butter and vomit.\nAt the May hearing, he tearfully described the January collision between the Shonan Maru 2 and the Sea Shepherd's multi-million-dollar speedboat, the Ady Gil. The crash sunk the Ady Gil, which Bethune captained.\nWeeks later, Bethune jumped aboard the Shonan Maru 2 and attempted to make a citizen's arrest of the captain. He was arrested and brought back to Japan to face criminal charges.\n\"I admit that I boarded the Shonan Maru, but I believe that I have good reason to do so,\" he said. \"I admit that I fired the butyric acid.\"\nBethune's case is the first time a Sea Shepherd activist has been tried in a Japanese criminal court in the group's long-running battle with Japan's whalers in the icy waters of the Antarctic.\n\"It's encouraged us. It's certainly motivated us, and we're going back to the Southern Ocean with far more support than ever,\" said Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd founder. \"I hope that we'll be much more effective because of it.\"\n\"Pete Bethune is a hero in New Zealand,\" Watson added. \"He's a hero worldwide to people who want to see the end of whaling.\"\nJapan annually hunts whales in the Antarctic, despite a worldwide moratorium on whaling, under the loophole that a country may legally do so if its purpose is scientific research.\nSea Shepherd has claimed the science argument is a sham, noting that the whale meat then gets sold in Japanese markets and served in restaurants.\n\"They're targeting endangered whales in an established international whale sanctuary in violation of the Antarctic treaty,\" Watson said. \"They're criminals.\"","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["a two-year suspended prison sentence and five years' probation"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["a Tokyo district court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Peter Bethune"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["his role in boarding a Japanese whaling ship"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2010 New Zealand environmental activist Peter Bethune is given a two year suspended sentence in a Tokyo District Court for his role in boarding a Japanese whaling ship. (The Sydney Morning Herald) (The Guardian) (BBC) (CNN)","document":"A court in Tokyo has handed a suspended sentence to an environmental activist after finding him guilty of assaulting a Japanese whaler and obstructing the country's whaling fleet.\nPeter Bethune, who was a member of Sea Shepherd, a marine conservation group, was given two years in prison, suspended for five years, amid tight security at the Tokyo district court.\nHe was also found guilty of trespassing, vandalism and possession of a knife. Bethune, who did not speak during today's hearing, is expected to be deported to his native New Zealand within days.\nAfter the verdict, Bethune said he was relieved and thanked his legal team in Japan.\n\"I am truly sorry for all the trouble and worry this has caused my family and am desperate to get back home to see them,\" he said. \"I also want to thank all the supporters worldwide who have been sending messages and signing petitions, and the media, who have been keeping this story in the public eye.\"\nThe 45-year-old was arrested after boarding the Shonan Maru 2, the fleet's security vessel, from a jet ski in darkness in February.\nHe had boarded the vessel to protest the sinking of his speedboat, the Ady Gil, in a collision the previous month.\nHe had intended to carry out a citizen's arrest of the captain and hand him a US$3m bill for damage to the protest boat, which sank. Instead Bethune was detained and then arrested when the ship returned to Japan in March.\nBethune accepted four of the charges but denied the most serious charge of assault. He had been accused of throwing bottles of butyric acid – rancid butter – at whalers last winter during one of several confrontations between the fleet and campaigners in the Antarctic.\nLast month the victim of the assault told the court that the attack had left him with facial burns.\nA small group of rightwing protesters demonstrated outside the court and labelled Bethune a terrorist, with some urging the court to give him the death penalty.\nDuring his trial Sea Shepherd said Bethune would no longer take part in the group's campaigns because he had violated its principle of \"aggressive but non-violent direct action\" by taking a bow and arrows with him.\nWhile in detention in Tokyo he indicated he no longer wished to take part in anti-whaling activities.\nSea Shepherd's founder, Paul Watson, is on an Interpol wanted list for ordering Bethune to board the Shonan Maru 2. There are Japanese allegations that the group's actions put whalers' lives at risk.\nJapan launched a crackdown against anti-whaling protesters following a winter of bitter confrontation in the Southern Ocean that forced the fleet to return to port with barely half its intended catch of minke whales.\nDespite the 1986 International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling Japan is permitted to kill nearly 1,000 whales each year for what it calls scientific research.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["two years in prison, suspended for five years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["A court in Tokyo"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Peter Bethune"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["assaulting a Japanese whaler and obstructing the country's whaling fleet"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2009 A Cambodian court sentences a Thai man on charges of spying for Thailand to 7 years imprisonment. (Thai News Agency) (Financial Times)","document":"BANGKOK, Dec 8 (TNA) – A Cambodian court on Tuesday sentenced a Thai national to seven years in prison and fined him 100,000 baht (US$3,000) for stealing flight information details of ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra.\nSiwarak Chutipong, an employee of Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS), was found guilty of spy charges. His mother Simarak Na Nakhon Panom, attending the trial on Tuesday, burst into tears and gave no comment to the media regarding her reaction to the Khmer court verdict.\nIt is expected that Mr Siwarak’s mother and his lawyer will seek a royal pardon to help free him.\nFormer Thai prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh earlier drafted a letter to seek a royal pardon for Mr Siwarak, in another attempt to help him.\nMr Siwarak was arrested by Cambodian police a month ago on charges of stealing information on the flight schedule of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and passing it to a Thai diplomat in Phnom Penh.\nMr Thaksin spent five days in Cambodia in early November in his new role as an economic adviser appointed by the Cambodian government.\nThe former Thai prime minister was ousted in a coup in 2006, and was found guilty in absentia on violating conflict of interest regulations in helping his wife to buy land from a state agency at a reduced price. He was sentenced to two years in prison by the Thai Supreme Court. (TNA)  Political News : Last Update : 18:00:38 8 December 2009 (GMT+7:00) Archives\n•  PAD signature campaign to impeach 102 MPs • Hun Sen to visit disputed border: Thai Deputy PM  • PM chairs security meeting as Cambodian premier plans border visit • Government braces for security threat • Thailand's Red Shirts rally against coup at military camps • Red Shirts plan nationwide rallies at military barracks • Five coalition parties announce go-ahead to amend Constitution  \nBANGKOK, Dec 8 (TNA) – A Cambodian court on Tuesday sentenced a Thai national to seven years in prison and fined him 100,000 baht (US$3,000) for stealing flight information details of ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra.\nSiwarak Chutipong, an employee of Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS), was found guilty of spy charges. His mother Simarak Na Nakhon Panom, attending the trial on Tuesday, burst into tears and gave no comment to the media regarding her reaction to the Khmer court verdict.\nIt is expected that Mr Siwarak’s mother and his lawyer will seek a royal pardon to help free him.\nFormer Thai prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh earlier drafted a letter to seek a royal pardon for Mr Siwarak, in another attempt to help him.\nMr Siwarak was arrested by Cambodian police a month ago on charges of stealing information on the flight schedule of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and passing it to a Thai diplomat in Phnom Penh.\nMr Thaksin spent five days in Cambodia in early November in his new role as an economic adviser appointed by the Cambodian government.\nThe former Thai prime minister was ousted in a coup in 2006, and was found guilty in absentia on violating conflict of interest regulations in helping his wife to buy land from a state agency at a reduced price. He was sentenced to two years in prison by the Thai Supreme Court.  ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["seven years in prison and fined him 100,000 baht (US$3,000)"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["A Cambodian court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"Court Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["stealing flight information details of ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2009 A Vietnamese court sentences a former dissident army officer, Tran Anh Kim, to five years in prison on charges of subverting the government. (VOV News.vn) (AFP)","document":"            Updated :\n            6:54 PM, 28/12/2009\nTran Anh Kim – a resident living in the Red River delta province of Thai Binh – has been sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison on a charge of carrying out activities to overthrow the people’s administration.\nKim will be also placed on probation in Thai Binh for another 3 years after serving in prison, the provincial people’s court said in its verdict delivered on December 28. More than 30 local and foreign reporters attended the trial. Kim, who was born in 1949 and lived in Tran Hung Dao ward, Thai Binh city, was prosecuted by the provincial people’s procuracy for taking part in activities in an attempt to topple the people’s administration. According to the indictment, Kim registered to join the so-called Democratic Party of Vietnam wishing to change the political regime in the country. In June 2009, he was appointed Vice General Secretary of this organisation. He also joined the outlawed organisation Bloc 8406, calling for struggles for democracy and human rights, aimed at bringing down the current administration. He had since written stories and published them on the Internet, demanding a dismissal of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese state. Kim admitted that he had many times answered the foreign media distorting the political situation in Vietnam and inciting extremist petitioners to cause socio-political disturbances. The judge stated that this was a serious case which threatened national security and that it was no longer a case of Kim himself as it showed close collusion between local opposition organisations and overseas Vietnamese reactionaries living in exile to oust the people’s administration.              ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":["December 28"]},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["probation in Thai Binh for another 3 years","5 years and 6 months in prison"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["the provincial people’s court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Tran Anh Kim"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["carrying out activities to overthrow the people’s administration"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2010 The Supreme Court of Peru upholds a 25 year prison sentence for former President Alberto Fujimori, convicted of mass human rights violations. (Andina) (AFP) (RTT News)","document":"The term was handed down last April for ordering the security forces to carry out killings and kidnappings. Fujimori, who led Peru from 1990 to 2000, returned from exile in late 2007 to face his accusers. It was the first time a democratically elected Latin American leader was found guilty of human rights abuses in his own country. Fujimori had denied overseeing a death squad as part of a \"dirty war\" against suspected Maoist Shining Path guerrillas in the early 1990s. But he was convicted of directing the killings of 25 people, following a 15-month trial. Fujimori is serving three other concurrent prison sentences. In September last year, he was found guilty of illegally tapping phones and bribing journalists, businessmen and opposition politicians. Last July, he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years for giving $15m (£9.3m) in state funds to his spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos. And in 2007, he was sentenced to a six-year term on separate charges of abuse of power. After his government was brought down in 2000, Fujimori escaped to Japan, where his parents were born, and lived in exile for seven years. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["seven-and-a-half years","six-year term"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Fujimori"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["giving $15m (£9.3m) in state funds to his spy chief","abuse of power"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2010 50–year–old Chinese journalist Li Junqi is imprisoned for 16 years after accepting bribes for his part in a mass three–month cover–up of a coal mine disaster in Hebei in which 35 people, including a rescue worker, were killed prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. (China Daily) (Press Trust of India)","document":"A 50-year-old journalist has been sentenced to 16 years in jail for taking bribes to cover up a mine disaster in Hebei province in July 2008.\nLi Junqi, former director of the Hebei bureau of Farmers' Daily, is believed to be the first of the 10 reporters involved in the scandal to receive criminal punishment.\nThirty-four miners and a rescuer died after a blast ripped through the Lijiawa mine in Yuxian county on July 14, 2008, three weeks before the start of the Beijing Olympics.\nRelated readings: CCTV reporter sentenced for taking bribe\nFollowing a State Council probe into the accident, the 10 journalists confessed to taking bribes, resulting in the prosecution of 48 local officials.\nThe identities of the 10 journalists have not been made public, but reports claim Guan Jian, a Beijing journalist from China Internet Weekly, and Li were among them.\nLi was jailed 10 years for taking bribes. He was slapped with a six-year term for corruption on Oct 23 last year by the Chicheng court in Hebei. The Intermediate People's Court of Zhangjiakou upheld the verdict on Dec 31, Li's lawyer Zhou Ze told China Daily yesterday.\nAccording to the verdict, after the mining accident, Li went to Yuxian county to acquire information and asked the local government for a 200,000-yuan \"subscription fee\" for not reporting the accident.\nLi received the money on Aug 23, 2008, and handed over the cash to the cashier of Farmers' Daily in the name of a propaganda fee on Aug 26, the verdict said, adding that the money was not recorded in the newspaper's account and Li had the freedom to use the money.\nInvestigations further revealed that from October 2006 to May 2008, Li received nearly 100,000 yuan from the newspaper illegally, the evidence of which was produced to convict him on charges of corruption. Li's wife Lu Jianping and his lawyer Zhou said they will file an appeal against the verdict in the Supreme People's Court soon.\nZhou maintained his client did not take bribes. \"The Yuxian government paid him the money as subscription fees and my client had no reason to refuse. We cannot conclude that Li took bribes ... too many factors can go into a newspaper's final decision,\" he said.\nZhou said the reporter did not have the authority to decide whether or not to report an incident. \"Li was the chief of the Hebei bureau and his major duty was to increase local subscriptions and attract advertisements.\"\nLi's wife said if her husband wanted to take bribes he could have easily made more through advertisement money.\nThe incident is believed to be the latest in a series of journalistic scandals in China.\nLast year, two journalists and 26 people posing as journalists were accused of accepting bribes to cover up a mine accident, in which a worker was killed, in Shanxi province.\nXia Xueluan, a professor of sociology at Peking University, suggested the establishment of an independent supervision administration for the media to prevent such scandals.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["16 years in jail"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Li Junqi"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["taking bribes to cover up a mine disaster in Hebei province in July 2008"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"What Florida man's Capitol riot sentence means for other defendants","document":"Tampa resident Paul Hodgkins, who was photographed marching onto the Senate floor during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, was sentenced to eight months in federal prison last week. He got a huge break. It’s not likely to happen to other convicted Capitol rioters. Hodgkins’ sentence was lighter partly because he pleaded guilty. But something else was missing from the case. Hodgkins’ sentence was lighter partly because he pleaded guilty. But something else was missing from the case — an aggravating factor present in many of his fellow defendants’ cases. First, Hodgkins took the well-traveled path taken by other famous infamous criminals, such as Michael Cohen, or Felicity Huffman. He raced to court and pleaded guilty as fast as he could, to get the best possible deal. In the highly-structured federal sentencing scheme, pleading guilty early earns an offender valuable bonus reductions. Hodgkins admitted that he committed the crime of corruptly obstructing and impeding the certification of the Electoral College vote count, which was an “official proceeding” under the law. On one axis of the federal sentencing chart is the gravity of the crime the defendant committed. On the other axis is the defendant’s criminal history, which is almost as important as the crime itself. A defendant with no criminal history can expect to be in the lowest category of sentencing for that particular crime. In federal sentencing, it’s good to be what they call a “zero.” Hodgkins and his lawyer agreed with the government that his crime warranted a sentencing range of 15-21 months under the federal sentencing guidelines. Had Hodgkins not accepted responsibility, his sentencing range would have been 24-30 months. (Defense attorneys complain this is really a “trial penalty”: if a defendant exercises the constitutional right to trial, he won’t get that “acceptance of responsibility” bonus.) But either way, Hodgkins got just eight months, which is seven months under the lowest end of the guideline range of 15 to 21 months. So how, and why, did that happen? First, the “how?” In 2005, the Supreme Court held that mandatory sentencing guidelines violated a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial. That decision rendered the sentencing guidelines advisory, and just one factor among several that district courts consult. A court may now sentence below — or above — the guidelines, as long as the court thinks it is necessary to achieve a sentence “sufficient, but not greater than necessary” — whatever that means. Next, the “why?” Courts must avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among defendants with similar records who are guilty of similar conduct. But there really is no such thing as “similar conduct” here, at least not from a historical perspective. Even the prosecutors in Hodgkins’ case conceded that the Jan. 6 crimes are unprecedented. They defy comparison. With nothing to compare it to, the judge in this case had a lot of discretion. The prosecutors argued to the court that to try to mechanically compare other defendants charged under this statute prior to Jan. 6, “would be a disservice to the magnitude of what the riot entailed and signified.” The prosecutors also admit that “Hodgkins is one of the first to be sentenced, and thus, there is no apt comparison.” With nothing to compare it to, the judge in this case had a lot of discretion. Maybe Hodgkins’ argument swayed the court here. He said he only walked into the Capitol an hour after the Congress had recessed. He said he was just following the crowd. He said he did not have any direct contact with law enforcement. He said he neither touched nor damaged anything inside the Capitol. Maybe that helped. More likely it was this: According to his lawyer, Hodgkins did not go onto social media to brag about his involvement in the riots. If so, he avoided the unofficial “galactic stupidity” sentencing enhancement (my term). This unwritten penalty booster does not appear in the sentencing guidelines. But it is directly related to the rise of social media and cameras in everyone’s phones. Defendants who celebrate their crimes with selfies or online posts can expect judges to often impose harsher sentences. No one will have much sympathy for them. If convicted, the other Capitol defendants who preened about their crimes on social media should not expect a “below-guidelines” sentence like Hodgkins got. It’s very possible Hodgkins’ reduction is one that federal law doesn’t recognize yet: the absence of moronic online behavior.  Danny Cevallos is an MSNBC legal analyst who practices in the areas of personal injury, wrongful conviction and criminal defense in Pennsylvania, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands at the law firms of Cevallos & Wong in Pennsylvania and Edelman & Edelman in New York, where he is of counsel.  ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["eight months"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":["Danny Cevallos"]},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":["a sentencing range of 15-21 months"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Paul Hodgkins"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":["federal prison"]},{"role":"Accusation","values":["corruptly obstructing and impeding the certification of the Electoral College vote count"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The College Admissions Scandal: Where Some of the Defendants Are Now","document":"Dozens of parents and others have pleaded guilty. Here’s what happened to a few of them. By Sophie Kasakove The first two people to stand trial in the college admissions bribery scandal were found guilty on Friday. But the two defendants, Gamal Abdelaziz, a former casino executive, and John Wilson, a private equity investor, both parents, joined a list of dozens of figures who have received judgments through plea agreements in the case that federal investigators call Operation Varsity Blues. The investigation into the admissions scheme, in which parents funneled millions of dollars through William Singer, a private admissions counselor, to increase their children’s chances of getting into universities like the University of Southern California, Yale, Stanford and Georgetown, has also involved coaches, exam administrators and others. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Gamal Abdelaziz","John Wilson"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":["on Friday"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["college admissions bribery"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Chauvin May Face Longer Sentence Over ‘Cruel’ Actions and Abuse of Power","document":"Because the judge ruled there were aggravating factors in the murder of George Floyd, he is allowed to sentence Derek Chauvin to up to double the 15-year state guideline. By John Eligon [Follow live news coverage of Derek Chauvin’s sentencing hearing.] Saying that Derek Chauvin was “particularly cruel” for killing George Floyd slowly, the Minneapolis judge who oversaw Mr. Chauvin’s murder trial issued a ruling on Wednesday that could significantly increase the amount of time the former police officer spends behind bars. In the six-page opinion, Judge Peter A. Cahill said prosecutors had proven that Mr. Chauvin had abused his position of trust and authority, treated Mr. Floyd with particular cruelty, and committed his crime in the presence of children and with the active participation of at least three other people. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Peter A. Cahill"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["George Floyd"]},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Derek Chauvin"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["killing George Floyd"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":["double the 15-year state guideline"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Lodi man gets sentence deferred, sexual assault charge dismissed","document":"A former Prairie du Sac man entered a deferred prosecution agreement Tuesday after being charged with third-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct in Sauk County Circuit Court. Dibble Brett R. Dibble, 33, of Lodi, had initially faced more than 10 years in prison. The sexual assault charge was dismissed on a motion from the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office. Dibble entered a no contest plea for the misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Prosecution will be deferred for 12 months. If Dibble meets the conditions of the agreement, the case will be dropped. A signature bond of $2,000 will remain in place during the agreement, though it was amended to remove the condition that he not have any contact with the person he allegedly assaulted. According to the criminal complaint, Dibble went to a man’s Prairie du Sac home Sept. 8 and when granted access, he began grabbing the other man and trying to take his pants off. The man told police he had tried to get away from Dibble by running into other rooms and attempting to shut the door but was eventually cornered, where Dibble began to engage in a nonconsensual sex act. The man said he was able to push Dibble away and get to another space. He said that Dibble also approached him with a multi-tool that had a knife, scaring him given the assault. When he tried to get away, Dibble pushed him while at the top of a staircase but he didn’t fall. The man went outside. Dibble followed and the man tried to get back into home and lock the door, but Dibble pushed back. The man said Dibble punched him in the stomach and left. Devin J. Schroeder, 25, of Madison, talks to his attorney, Mark Frank, during his sentencing hearing Wednesday at the Sauk County Courthouse. Albart B. Shores, 59, of La Crosse, enters the courtroom Sept. 30 for his sentencing hearing in Sauk County Circuit Court. A jury found him guilty of all counts against him in a deadly crash from Oct. 2018 along Interstate 94/90 in the town of Delton in which Shores was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.09%. Sauk County Assistant District Attorney Rick Spoentgen argues for Devin J. Schroeder, 25, of Madison, to receive a prison sentence of 16 years for charges of arson and burglary during a sentencing hearing Wednesday at the Sauk County Courthouse. Amber Lundgren, center, appears in December 2019 in Sauk County Circuit Court with attorneys Andrew Martinez, left, and Taylor Hart. Robert Pulvermacher turns to the family of Harold Johnson, the 88-year-old Pulvermacher admitted to stabbing to death in January 2019, to say he was sorry during his sentencing hearing Dec. 1 at the Sauk County Courthouse. A computer streams the sentencing hearing of former Baraboo pastor William A. Metzger from the jury assembly room Monday in the Sauk County Courthouse. Defense attorney Jeremiah Meyer-O'Day tells the jury in April that his client, Albart B. Shores of La Crosse, was not responsible for a car accident that resulted in the deaths of two men in October 2018. Shores is charged with six felony counts of homicide by use of a vehicle. Amber Lundgren enters the courtroom before a preliminary hearing in January 2020 at the Sauk County Courthouse. Lundgren is facing a lifetime prison sentence for the death of 37-year-old Westfield resident Christopher Lytle. A Medflight helicopter lands on City View Road north of Baraboo after a head-on collision in October 2019. Two people were taken to the University of Wisconsin Hospital and were described as in \"serious condition\" by Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister. Robert M. Pulvermacher appears in January 2019 in Sauk County Circuit Court after he was captured in the early hours of Wednesday morning on the east side of Madison. To his right is Baraboo attorney David Susens. Amber Lundgren, right, sits quietly crying next to her attorney Andrew Martinez during a preliminary hearing in January 2020 at the Sauk County Courthouse. Lundgren faces life imprisonment for a first degree intentional homicide charge after admittedly shooting a man in September 2019. Albart B. Shores, 58, La Crosse, stands while masked and behind a plastic divider beside his attorney, waiting for the jury to enter the courtroom April 19 at the Sauk County Courthouse for the first day of his trial. Shores was charged with six felony counts of homicide by use of a vehicle in relation to a fatal October 2018 crash. Sauk County Assistant District Attorney Rick Spoentgen addresses Circuit Court Judge Patricia Barrett during a proceeding in December 2019 regarding a first-degree homicide case against Amber Lundgren, center right, as she sits alongside her attorneys Andrew Martinez, center, and Taylor Hart. Robert Pulvermacher, right, listens as family members of Harold Johnson, an 88-year-old Pulvermacher stabbed to death in January 2019, read statements about how the murder has affected their lives during Pulvermacher's sentencing hearing Dec. 1 at the Sauk County Courthouse. Amber Lundgren, 35, right, sits with her attorney Andrew Martinez during a proceeding Thursday at the Sauk County Courthouse. Former Sauk County Supervisor William Wenzel, right, speaks during his sentencing hearing in February 2020 as his attorney Christopher Van Wagner listens. Sauk County Circuit Judge Michael Screnock jokes while giving a speech about newly appointed District Attorney Mike Albrecht as he sits with his son, Henrik, during a swearing-in ceremony Friday at the county courthouse. Judge Wendy Klicko confers with defense attorney Andrew Martinez, left, and Assistant District Attorney Rick Spoentgen, right, in July 2019 in Sauk County Circuit Court during the sentence hearing on sexual abuse charges for Riley M. Roth, 18, of Reedsburg. Sauk County Assistant District Attorney Rick Spoentgen gives an opening statement in April at the county courthouse in the first day of the homicide trial of Albart B. Shores, a La Crosse man charged with vehicular homicide. Sauk County Sheriff's Detective Drew Bulin answers questions from District Attorney Michael Albrecht during a preliminary hearing over a homicide case in January 2020 at the Sauk County Courthouse. William Wenzel, right, appears in August 2019 in Sauk County Circuit Court alongside defense attorney Christopher Van Wagner. Wenzel stood mute and pleaded not guilty to five felony charges of possession of child pornography. Sauk County Sheriff's Deputy Matthew Tate tells local children and families about K-9 Jennings during the Baraboo library's pet expo July 22 at Ochsner Park in Baraboo. Mike Albrecht takes the oath of office as the newly appointed district attorney with his son, 11-month-old Henrik, as he is sworn in by Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Barrett during a ceremony in November 2019 at the Sauk County Courthouse. Det. Lt. Chris Zunker of the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office speaks May 10 during Sauk County's Respect for Law Day observance in front of the courthouse in downtown Baraboo.  Reporter A Loganville man, who had been charged with multiple counts regarding the sale and possession of methamphetamine within the last year, was sen… A Reedsburg man was charged with arson after telling police officers that he started a Joker mask on fire in his home because he didn’t like it. One of two Reedsburg men was sentenced for his part in sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in February 2020. Officials from the Baraboo Police Department said the person they believe responsible for an armed robbery Thursday has been captured. A man charged in July with attempted homicide after allegedly stabbing another man during a fight outside of a J-1 student housing building in… Sauk County tax rates are set to drop for homeowners due to a decrease in more than $1.8 million in debt, the final installation payment for c… Plans have been ongoing to understand the future function of the Baraboo Fire Department and the Baraboo District Ambulance Service as officia… Disagreement over the placement of solar panels by members of the Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Regional Airport Commission killed plans for a 1.2 m… Organizers and presenters of the Conserve Sauk Film Festival agreed Saturday, during the second ever event, that it exposes attendees to new i… A Baraboo man who entered into a plea agreement with the Oconto County District Attorney’s Office after being charged with reckless homicide i… A Baraboo man was released on a $1,000 signature bond Friday after being arrested in Reedsburg. A man who was sentenced to prison in August for exposing two children to sex acts and genitalia now faces charges of sexually assaulting a chi… Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Barrett issued an arrest warrant Friday for a Baraboo man charged with sexually assaulting an unconsc… After being spotted drinking a beer while driving, a Reedsburg man was sentenced Friday for a fifth drunken driving offense. A Fitchburg man arrested in the Sauk Prairie area after a police officer found cocaine in his car was recently sentenced for two separate case… After the initial case was dismissed due to his preliminary hearing not being held within legal time limits, a Baraboo man was recently senten… A Baraboo man who had initially faced 46 years in prison for burglarizing a local business more than once in February was sentenced Friday to … Karissa L. Litscher, 44, appeared in Sauk County Circuit Court for a sentencing hearing where Judge Wendy Klicko sentenced her to seven years … .","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["more than 10 years","16 years"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":["Mark Frank"]},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["Devin J. Schroeder","A former Prairie du Sac man"]},{"role":"Court","values":["Sauk County Circuit Court","the Sauk County Courthouse"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Albart B. Shores","Dibble Brett"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":["Sept. 8","Tuesday","Sept. 30"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["The sexual assault","arson and burglary"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Adelaide cafe owner Logan Ernest Conway,  who sexually exploited child employee, seeks lenient sentence","document":"The lawyer for a cafe owner who sexually exploited a child waitress has urged an Adelaide court to hand down a lenient sentence, saying her client lacked the social skills to date adult women. Logan Ernest Conway, 33, pleaded guilty to the persistent sexual exploitation of a child. During sentencing submissions, the District Court heard maintaining that unlawful relationship was the worst decision Conway ever made and he regretted it \"completely\". His lawyer, Indiana Davis, told the court Conway's life started to derail when he failed his music education degree. \"Music remained the real passion in his life,\" she said. \"He was looking forward to a career in that degree; he felt as though he nothing but an enormous HECS debt to show for it and felt as if he had no career prospects. \"He felt fairly hopeless about his future both in the career and romantic fronts.\" The court heard Conway then opened a cafe in Adelaide's south with his mother, despite having no \"aptitude for or enjoyment of hospitality\". Ms Davis said Conway ran the cafe working 12 hours a day, seven days a week for three years, but took no fewer than 10 days off from work in that time. Yet after paying for several casual staff to help, Conway did not make minimum wage. The court heard Conway lived with his mother and spent all of his time in the cafe. \"It was in this context that he met the complainant, who had been employed at the cafe as a waitress,\" Ms Davis told the court. \"And he then made the extremely ill-judged decision to become physically involved with her and then start a relationship with her. \"He was at that point probably at the lowest point in his life and the complainant was able to meet his need for positive attention. \"The relationship … was unquestionably wrong and he acknowledges that and takes full responsibility for the relationship.\" She said he was too scared to end the relationship because he feared it would cause the matter to be reported to police. The court heard Conway made \"full and frank\" admissions to police and was deeply ashamed and embarrassed by his offending. Ms Davis told the court Conway had not been diagnosed with \"paedophilic disorder\" but \"lacked the social skills to confidentially date adult women\". She said he was an adult who \"behaved appallingly\" and accepted all responsibility. Ms Davis said her client was unlikely to reoffend and wanted to participate in rehabilitation, but that was only available to him in the community, not in prison. She asked for her client — who had otherwise lived a \"normal, hard-working and productive life\" — to receive a merciful sentence that was lower than the minimum 10 years in jail, along with a lower-than-normal non-parole period. Prosecutor Azaara Perakath told the court Conway was aware of the age of the victim at the time, as well as the impact and consequences of the relationship. The court received no victim impact statement. Judge Jane Schammer will sentence Conway later this month. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Jane Schammer"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["minimum 10 years in jail, along with a lower-than-normal non-parole period"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":["Azaara Perakath"]},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":["Indiana Davis"]},{"role":"Victim","values":["a child waitress"]},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":["lower than the minimum 10 years"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Logan Ernest Conway"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["the persistent sexual exploitation of a child"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Suspended sentence sought for Wallaceburg sex worker who fatally stabbed client","document":" A Wallaceburg sex worker who fatally stabbed a Dover Township man who wanted to have sex with her despite her refusal should receive a suspended sentence, her lawyer argued Friday. A Wallaceburg sex worker who fatally stabbed a Dover Township man who wanted to have sex with her despite her refusal should receive a suspended sentence, her lawyer argued Friday. Laura Joy made her sentencing submission in Superior Court in Chatham in the trial of Kourtny Audette. Audette, 28, pleaded guilty Aug. 6 to manslaughter in the death of Nick Laprise on April 18, 2018. In an agreed statement of facts read in court Aug. 6, Crown attorney Rob MacDonald said Audette worked as an escort and that Laprise had been a client of hers. Laprise arranged to visit Audette on April 18, 2018, and showed up at her Wallaceburg home, MacDonald said. An hour later, police received a 911 call about a stabbing at the home. Before the 911 call, Audette phoned her father and stepmother, who came to the home, court heard. Audette’s stepmother said Audette told her that she told Laprise that she didn’t want to have sex but he wouldn’t stop and she stabbed him. Joy told Justice Paul Kowalyshyn that the situation was tragic and these cases are sometimes the hardest to determine a sentence. She noted a young man, who was a father and son, was taken in the prime of his life. Joy shared details about Audette’s life, including that she grew up in a broken home where some physical abuse took place and she was later sexually assaulted by an older man. These incidents and others have contributed to the post-traumatic stress disorder Audette suffers from, Joy said. She said the facts of the case show her client said no to a sex act that she did not want to do and “reacted with one fatal stab wound.” Joy argued the sentence should take that into account. “Provocation has to be considered as there is a triggering requirement for provocation.” Joy pointed out Audette has spent three years, six months and 20 days in custody. If given 1.5 days credit for her time in custody, that would equal five years and four months as of Friday, Joy said. She noted Audette’s guilty plea does assist in terms of court resources, particularly during COVID when courts are “extremely stressed.” Joy told the court Audette has worked hard to improve herself while in custody, including completing high school and earning a few university credits. Joy suggested a suspended sentence would be appropriate penalty, noting it allows for the longest period of probation – three years – which is useful to help someone be reintegrated into society. “This is a young woman who acknowledges and is remorseful for her conduct,” Joy said, “and unfortunately, she cannot change the tragedy, but she’s certainly doing everything in power to ensure that she gives back to society, and that something like this never happens again.” But Natalie Laprise outlined the repercussions of her son’s death in a victim impact statement read by MacDonald. “I’m having a hard time to find the words to tell you how Nicholas’ murder has impacted my life, because there are no such words to describe the pain, anger and despair that I felt from his murder,” Natalie Laprise said. She said her son’s murder took everything from her, including his laughter, his face, his caring hugs, helpfulness and thoughtfulness. “It took my sense of life, shattered my whole existence and took my joy and happiness.” Laprise described her son as a “kind, gentle soul,” who loved making people laugh and helping others. “He was a big part of my world,” she said, recalling how her son stopped by often “just to give me a hug or say, ‘Hi.’” Laprise said her family will never be the same without Nick in their lives. “I am confident these words will never be strong enough to explain to you the loss we have suffered, because of his untimely, unfair death.” Joy noted it was a powerful statement, but raised a concern with the reference to the term murder. “I appreciate that there is a legal significance,” Kowalyshyn said, adding it is the perspective of a family member. Joy said the pain the Laprise family is going through is recognized, adding Audette and her stepmother instructed her to express that they are “deeply, deeply sorry for the tragedy that has occurred that finds us in this position.” A delay in court starting prevented the Crown from making its sentencing submissions. The matter returns to court on Nov. 19, when it was originally expected Kowalyshyn would render a decision on Audette’s sentence. The judge said the proceedings will begin with the Crown making its submission and “we’ll see where that takes us.” Court heard Audette would also like to address the court, before she returned to custody at the South West Detention Centre in Windsor. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Kowalyshyn"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":["Laura Joy"]},{"role":"Victim","values":["Nick Laprise"]},{"role":"Court","values":["Superior Court in Chatham"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":["a suspended sentence would be appropriate penalty, noting it allows for the longest period of probation – three years"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Kourtny Audette"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":["Friday","Aug. 6"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["manslaughter"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Highland man who failed to complete community payback order for hitting woman on the face lucky not to receive prison sentence, Inverness Sheriff Court hears","document":" AN Inverness man who failed to complete a 150-hour community payback order for attacking his partner has been instructed to do 180 hours of unpaid work. The order imposed on Reece MacLeod (26), of St John’s Avenue, Inverness in March was revoked at Inverness Sheriff Court and replaced it with a new one. Sheriff Ian Cruickshank gave MacLeod a stiff warning that he was fortunate not to receive a lengthy prison sentence for breaching the old order. He told MacLeod that a review of his progress would be carried out in four months’ time. MacLeod admitted assaulting the woman on December 5, 2019 by slapping her on the face and pushing her over a couch in Birchwood Court, Inverness. Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood told the court at an earlier hearing that the pair had been smoking substances when an argument broke out.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":["Birchwood Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["MacLeod"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":["December 5, 2019"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["assaulting the woman"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Six-month sentence for former journalist, INM director Michel Venne","document":" Former director and founding member of the Institut du nouveau monde was convicted of sexual assault of Léa Clermont-Dion when she was 17. Former journalist Michel Venne was sentenced Tuesday to six months in prison for having sexually assaulted documentary filmmaker Léa Clermont-Dion, but won’t be behind bars for long. Venne’s lawyers quickly asked for Venne to be released pending an appeal of the guilty verdict rendered in June. The Court of Appeal agreed to hear the challenge in September. The former director and founding member of the Institut du nouveau monde, 61-year-old Venne was found guilty of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of Clermont-Dion when she was a 17-year-old intern at the institute in August 2008. The six-month sentence was a joint recommendation of the Crown and defence, and was accepted by Quebec Court judge Stéphane Poulin. Venne will also have to register as a sex offender for 20 years. After the sentencing, Venne was escorted, handcuffed, out of the courtroom. The date of the appeal of his sentence has not been set and could take several months. Venne’s lawyers say there were errors of law in Poulin’s ruling. Clermont-Dion asked for a standard publication ban to be lifted allowing her to publicly disclose her identity. After the guilty verdict, she issued a statement saying she wants for the “shame to change sides.” ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Stéphane Poulin"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":null},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["Léa Clermont-Dion"]},{"role":"Court","values":["Quebec Court"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":["The six-month sentence"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Michel Venne"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["sexual assault and sexual exploitation"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"DuPage County man gets 50 year sentence for sexually assaulting and murdering his ex-wife","document":"GLEN ELLYN, Illinois - A suburban man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for sexually assaulting and murdering his ex-wife. The DuPage County State's Attorney said that Jose Granados, 43, killed Nancy Bustos in October 2011 in an apartment in Glen Ellyn. Then he fled to Mexico until he was extradited back to DuPage County in 2017. Bustos was the mother of their children. Her body was found in the apartment's bathroom. She had been strangled. Granados will be required to serve 100% of the murder sentence and 85% of the Sexual Assault sentence before being eligible for parole. He will receive credit for time served in the DuPage County Jail.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":["2017"]},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["50 years in prison"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["Nancy Bustos"]},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Jose Granados"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":["the DuPage County Jail"]},{"role":"Accusation","values":["sexually assaulting and murdering his ex-wife"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Man convicted in Bob Evans shooting sentenced to life in prison without parole","document":"    The man convicted of shooting and killing a former girlfriend while she was working at a local Bob Evans restaurant in April was sentenced today in court. 55-year-old Richard Nelson was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Nelson was found guilty on October 22 of aggravated murder in the shooting death of Rebecca Rogers, 38. The shooting happened while the victim was at work. Police told Fox 8 Nelson pursued Rogers into a hallway at the back of the restaurant where she was shot multiple times. About six to eight employees and a half dozen customers were inside when shots rang out about 9:30 a.m. on April 16. 9-1-1 callers reported frightened customers and employees hiding under tables. No one else was shot or injured. Rogers was rushed to a local hospital where she later died of her injuries. Nelson fled out of a back door but was apprehended by police a short time later in East Canton. Prior to the shooting Nelson already had a lengthy criminal history which included at least three prior arrests for domestic violence, assault and obstruction.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":null},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["life in prison without parole"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":["Rebecca Rogers"]},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Richard Nelson"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":["October 22"]},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["aggravated murder"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two former Policemen who were recently found guilty of raping a woman ","document":" In handing down the 25-year jail sentence to each of the suspects, Justice Jo-ann Barlow said she considered the circumstances of the trauma and breach of trust the incident caused to the victim. The Judge also said there was no remorse shown by the convicts. Two former Policemen who were recently found guilty of raping a woman when she visited a Police station to file a report, were both slapped with a sentence of 25 years in jail today. During the trial, the victim testified that she was attacked and raped in a washroom in the station by the two police officers. The two ex-cops, 29-year-old Delon Chapman and 35-year-old Leon Ashby both appeared virtually before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow for their sentencing.  The incident took place in 2018 at the Turkeyen Police station. Just before the Judge handed down the sentence, the Attorney for the two convicts requested a lenient sentence while insisting that his clients are both fathers who can be rehabilitated and placed back into society. The two men have maintained their innocence from the time they were charged. They were found guilty by a jury a few weeks ago. The Prosecution asked the Court to consider the nature and gravity of the charges and the prevalence of sexual violence that plagues society. The Prosecutor reminded the Court that the men were placed in a position to serve and protect as Police Officers, but instead, they went against their oath. In handing down the 25-year jail sentence to each of the convicts, Justice Jo-ann Barlow said she considered the circumstances of the trauma and breach of trust the incident caused to the victim. The Judge also said there was no remorse shown by the convicts.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Sentence","arguments":[{"role":"Judge","values":["Jo-ann Barlow"]},{"role":"Detention Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Judgement Result/Prison Term","values":["the 25-year jail"]},{"role":"Prosecution Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Release Time","values":null},{"role":"Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Victim","values":null},{"role":"Court","values":null},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Defense Lawyer","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["29-year-old Delon Chapman and 35-year-old Leon Ashby"]},{"role":"Court Time","values":null},{"role":"Prison","values":null},{"role":"Accusation","values":["raping a woman"]},{"role":"The Sentence Claimed by the Prosecutor's Lawyer","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Rice University Receives $100 Million Gift From Moody Foundation","document":"McNair Hall at Rice University. The Moody Foundation has given Rice $100 million for a new student ... [+] center and a student support endowment. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma) Rice University announced on Wednesday that it had received a $100 million gift from the Moody Foundation. The gift ties the record for the largest private gift in Rice’s history, matching a $100 million donation from the Robert A. Welch Foundation to establish The Welch Institute, which focuses on advanced materials research. Rice will use the Moody gift to build a new student center - the Moody Center for Student Life and Opportunity - which will replace the existing Rice Memorial Center. Plans call for it to be designed by Sir David Adjaye of Adjaye Associates, an architect whose other works include the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. A portion of the gift will also create endowments supporting student opportunity and success, both as part of the center and in other areas of the university. “As a Rice University alumna, I know this gift will have a profound and lasting effect on the campus and its students,” said Elle Moody, a trustee of both the Moody Foundation and Rice University. “This investment is supporting much more than just a building. We’re investing in every student, so they have access to pursue any endeavor whether it’s leadership, artistic, athletic, global or more.” PROMOTED Rice enrolls about 4,000 undergraduate students and a bit more than 3,000 graduate students. Under its growth plan, Rice’s undergraduate enrollment would reach 4,800, and its graduate enrollment would also increase so that total enrollment would stand at about 9,000 students by fall 2025. Currently ranked the nation’s 24th best national university by Forbes, Rice is one of the smaller elite research universities in the U.S. The new student center will be a central element in Rice’s recently announced plans for a 20% expansion of the undergraduate student body by fall 2025. In addition to the new student center the Rice enrollment growth plan includes: The planned expansion follows an approximately 35% increase in undergraduate enrollment between fall 2005 and 2013, in addition to growth in Rice’s graduate programs. If it achieves its 2025 goal, Rice will have seen its student body grow by about 80% in two decades. Part of the growth stems from the increasingly generous financial aid that Rice has introduced, known as the Rice Investment.  Ground-breaking for the new student center project is expected in early 2022. Some components of the existing student center such as the chapel and the cloisters will be integrated into the new design. Construction is expected to be finished in late 2023. About the Moody Foundation The Moody Foundation was established by W.L. Moody Jr. and Libbie Shearn Moody in 1942. William Moody was an entrepreneur from Galveston, Texas, who founded a bank and an insurance company, in addition to his charitable foundation. Across the years, the Foundation, with assets in excess of $1 billion, has pledged and awarded more than $1.8 billion in grants to various organizations throughout the state of Texas, including several other gifts to Rice. The Moody Foundation operates under the direction of a board of three trustees: Frances Moody-Dahlberg, Ross Moody and Elle Moody. ","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["Rice University"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["the Moody Foundation"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["100 million"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"PECO establishes $250,000 recovery fund for those affected by Tropical Storm Ida","document":"A kayaker poses for a photo under a highway sign when paddling down a portion of Interstate 676 after flooding from heavy rains from hurricane Ida in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 2, 2021. Photo: Branden Eastwood/AFP via Getty Images. The recovery fund is part of a growing effort to further support organizations helping individuals, families and communities impacted by the storm.  PECO has announced that it is establishing a $250,000 recovery fund to provide further relief efforts to communities affected by Tropical Storm Ida. As part of the effort, PECO, and Exelon — its parent company — will donate $100,000 to the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania and Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia for essential supplies, overnight shelter stays and first aid needs; an additional $100,000 will go directly to organizations across Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties providing temporary housing, food and supplies, and financial assistance to individuals and families; and the remaining funds with be allocated to other counties and community partners on an as needed basic. The organizations that will receive the funding are as follows: “Supporting our customers and the communities we serve is one of PECO’s most important responsibilities,” said Mike Innocenzo, PECO president and CEO, in a press release. “With the $250,000 provided by PECO’s Recovery Fund, the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Salvation Army, and counties can assist more individuals and families throughout the Greater Philadelphia region with the essentials needed to not only persevere but recover.” Since the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ida, the Red Cross has provided more than 250 overnight shelter stays, distributed nearly 2,100 relief supplies and served more than 3,500 meals and snacks to various Pennsylvania counties.  Red Cross disaster workers have also provided care and comfort to over 850 impacted individuals.  “Tropical Storm Ida devastated communities in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and we’ve helped thousands of hard-hit residents in their darkest hours,” said Guy Triano, Regional CEO for the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania. “Powered by the generosity of PECO, dedicated Red Cross volunteers and employees are still working around the clock to deliver relief to survivors of Tropical Storm Ida. The Salvation Army has also taken part in the ongoing relief efforts, deploying 12 mobile feeding units from Philadelphia to State College, Pennsylvania. It serves meals in four shelters across the Delaware Valley, providing 150-200 meals per seating, along with cleaning supplies to some of the hardest-hit areas. “This generous donation from PECO will allow us to serve more of our neighbors in need,” said Luke Rodgers, Divisional Emergency Disaster Service Director at the Salvation Army. In addition to the financial contributions, PECO employees are also helping to clean up the region’s public green spaces that were severely damaged. On Saturday, Sept. 18, PECO employee volunteers assisted with a campus cleanup at Brandywine Conservancy in Chadds Ford, and on Friday, Sept. 24, PECO’s Electric Ops team members will provide volunteers for the Schuylkill River Development Corporation’s post-Tropical Storm Ida cleanup efforts. ","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":["flooding from heavy rains from hurricane"]},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania and Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["PECO, and Exelon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Philadelphia, Pennsylvania"]},{"role":"Funding","values":["100,000"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"PBGC's multiemployer outlook greatly improves after help from Congress","document":"The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.'s multiemployer program outlook has substantially improved following passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, according to the agency's fiscal year 2020 annual report. Last year's report projected a very high likelihood of the program's insolvency by September 2025 and near certainty by September 2026. In the latest report, released Monday, the most pessimistic scenario projects the fund to go insolvent in fiscal year 2036, while optimistic scenarios project the fund to remain solvent indefinitely. The median projected insolvency year is now fiscal year 2055, according to the report. \"While future reforms would help improve the long-term health and resilience of the multiemployer system overall, ARP has provided a financial lifeline, and the effects of that are clear,\" PBGC Director Gordon Hartogensis said in a news release. \"The difference between these projection reports and reports from recent years is night and day; and that is great news for the millions of workers, retirees, and their families who rely on the agency.\" The American Rescue Plan Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March, in part created a federal assistance program for struggling multiemployer funds. Under the act, a multiemployer plan is eligible for special financial assistance if it satisfies one of four criteria: it has been in critical and declining status in any plan year beginning in 2020 through 2022; it has had its benefits suspended as of March 11; it is in critical status, has a modified funding ratio below 40%, and has a ratio of active-to-inactive participants of less than 2 to 3; or it became insolvent after Dec. 16, 2014, but as of March 11 has not been terminated. The PBGC estimates that, on average, a total of $97.2 billion in special financial assistance will be distributed to 268 plans, according to the report. The PBGC in July unveiled an interim final rule detailing the requirements for special financial assistance applications and related restrictions and conditions on plans that receive aid. As of Sept. 30, 2020, the multiemployer program had a deficit of $63.7 billion, but the report projects that on Sept. 30, 2030, the deficit will be $6.7 billion. The PBGC's single-employer program, with a net financial position of $15.5 billion as of Sept. 30, 2020, has been on more stable footing in recent years. The report projects the single-employer program will have an estimated net financial position of $49.9 billion on Sept. 30, 2030. The projected growth over the upcoming 10-year period is due primarily to projected low claims activity with premium revenue exceeding the cost of claims, the report said.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["struggling multiemployer funds"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["The American Rescue Plan Act"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["97.2 billion"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"More than 1,500 Afghan evacuees could be resettled in New England in coming months","document":"More than 1,500 Afghan evacuees could be resettled in New England in the coming weeks and months, as immigrant and community organizations work to secure housing and funding for their anticipated arrival. Following the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan after the 20-year Global War on Terror, about 65,000 evacuees are expected to come to the U.S. by the end of September via a program called \"Operation Allies Welcome,\" which includes translators, drivers and others who aided the U.S. military, as well as those who fear retribution from the Taliban. The Biden administration began notifying state officials last week how many of the first group of nearly 37,000 Afghan evacuees their states can expect. Massachusetts is slated to see approximately 900 evacuees. The International Institute of New England (IINE) is preparing to settle around 150 of them in the Lowell area – where a small Afghan population is already established – while the mayor of Worcester has said his city is prepared to take 300 to 350. The Jewish Family Service chapters of MetroWest and Western Massachusetts have said they hope to house 150 evacuees in Framingham, Springfield and Pittsfield. The Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island – the only agency in that state authorized to resettle refugees – will welcome at least 150. Catholic Social Services has said it is also interested in resettling Afghans in Rhode Island. In Concord, New Hampshire, the Ascentria Care Alliance is planning to welcome 100 Afghans, while the IINE looks to bring some to nearby Manchester, as well. Right before the deadline:With last plane out of Kabul, America's 20-year war in Afghanistan is over The Vermont chapter of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants got the go-ahead last week to welcome up to 100 evacuees, while Catholic Charities Maine has also been approved to resettle 100. And in Connecticut, approximately 310 are expected. In a statement last Thursday announcing the news, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said his state has a \"moral obligation\" to help Afghans who assisted the U.S. in the War on Terror. The refugees, he said, will also \"strengthen communities, schools, our workforce, culture and economy.\"    Julieann Cofone, director of public relations and communications at Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, said it expects to receive at least a week’s notice before an individual or family arrives, but a general timeline is unknown. “This is a humanitarian crisis of near-epic proportions,\" said Dorcas Executive Director Kathy Cloutier in a statement. Information about incoming evacuees is changing daily.  At least 150 evacuees:Afghans expected to arrive in Rhode Island in coming weeks Afghans currently en route to the U.S. are undergoing security vetting and screening in countries such as Bahrain, Germany, Kuwait, Italy, Qatar, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. Others have arrived at U.S. military bases. Thousands of people are still trying to flee Afghanistan, including U.S. citizens and those with green cards.  The Department of Homeland Security says the government is \"working around the clock\" to screen and vet vulnerable evacuees, \"consistent with the dual goals of protecting national security and providing protection for vulnerable Afghans.\"  Most Afghan nationals will be \"paroled\" into the U.S. for a period of two years, designated as humanitarian parolees. Once they are paroled by Customs and Border Protection, they may be eligible to apply for immigration status. As designated humanitarian parolees – and not refugees – they are currently ineligible for federal aid. 'Urgent needs':White House asks Congress for billions in emergency funds for Afghan resettlement According to the State Department, the Afghans who have completed the Special Immigrant Visa process – for which they are eligible if they worked with U.S. forces – have two resettlement options: an agency can match them to a location based on family information, as well as cost of living, housing availability, employment opportunities, and strong resettlement services; or they can list a person who they would like to be resettled near, \"but it is very important to be aware of the cost of living and housing availability.\" The State Department has recommended 19 cities for the resettlement of Afghans, none of which are in New England – though organizations in all six states have been granted approval to welcome them. Lowell, Massachusetts has the largest community of Afghan refugees in New England, where IINE has settled nearly all of its 330 Afghan refugees since 2014. Many arriving Afghans will join family members already living in Lowell and nearby communities, said Diane Shohet, IINE director of development and communications. The refugee experience is a \"very unique way of migration,\" said Omar Bah, founder of the Refugee Dream Center in Providence, Rhode Island, in that it's forced by traumatizing factors such as war, violence, torture and rape. \"You leave with nothing,\" said Bah, who is a torture survivor and refugee from The Gambia in West Africa. \"Many people are in refugee camps in other countries. The lucky ones end up in the United States, but that is not the end of the journey. It's the beginning.\" Bah fled The Gambia in 2006 after the national police force declared a manhunt for him because of his work as a journalist. He arrived in Rhode Island in 2007. Arriving Afghans will require myriad services, such as English language instruction, youth mentorship, housing, health promotion and legal assistance – all offered by the Refugee Dream Center. A huge piece, Bah said, and perhaps one of the most important, is friendship.  \"You probably don't even know the name of the city you are going to until the day before you arrive,\" he said.  \"A first focus is to get them to feel at home. Home is where you feel welcome and connected to the community.\" The Refugee Dream Center serves about 500 people at any given time, but during COVID-19, its client base spiked to 2,000 as more people needed help. According to the Boston Globe, arriving Afghan evacuees will receive a cell phone, housing and $1,250 from the federal government. Most of the other money needed must be raised through donations, because the newcomers' designation is short of refugee status.  \"A significant number of evacuees will not be immediately eligible for public assistance,\" said Jeff Thielman, CEO of the International Institute of New England, in a recent newsletter. \"These individuals will need case management, direct financial support, English language training, and more.\" IINE will require at least $3 million to resettle Afghans in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Shohet said, and that figure could increase if more evacuees end up coming to the region.  Community effort: Mayor says Worcester ready to welcome more than 300 refugees from Afghanistan Worcester, Massachusetts Mayor Joseph Petty has said his city is organizing with several community partners and private enterprises to coordinate housing, education, health care and mental health resources – and that will need funding. \"We estimate the costs at about half a million dollars and we're going to try to raise that money,\" Petty said earlier this month. The United Way of Central Massachusetts, for example, has already donated $100,000 from the funding it received last year from billionaire Mackenzie Scott.  Residents, faith leaders and legislators from Acton and surrounding communities are also trying to set up networks to support arriving Afghans. An informal meeting was held last week. 'Moral obligation to help':Vermont approved to welcome up to 100 Afghan refugees \"This is the largest effort I've seen in my senate district,\" said state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton.  Some organizations have urged Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker to set aside money for services for Afghans, from either the federal American Rescue Plan Act or the state's fiscal 2021 surplus.  Shohet said people can support IINE in its resettling efforts by donating to provide direct financial support to the evacuees, as well as funding legal assistance and the hiring of new case management staff. \"We estimate that each evacuee will need $1,000 per month from private sources for at least six months to meet basic needs,\" she said. People can also volunteer by providing housing, airport pickup, apartment setup, food distribution and pro bono legal services. Since news has spread that Afghans will arrive in Rhode Island at some point, Bah said many people have reached out to the Refugee Dream Center to donate clothing, toiletries and school supplies.  Dorcas last week also put out a call for cash donations, volunteers and housing offers.  A new national effort emerged last week called Welcome.US to assist Afghan families, supported by former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Through Welcome.US, people can donate time and resources, offer short-term housing through Airbnb, or sponsor individual families in their journeys.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["The United Way of Central Massachusetts"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last year"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["billionaire Mackenzie Scott"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["100,00"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"UW emergency pandemic aid creates equity, could use more vetting","document":"The University of Wisconsin recently started distributing $28.6 million in emergency pandemic aid to students. The money comes from the third round of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund in the American Rescue Plan Act Congress passed in March, which allotted UW $53.4 million in spending money. UW is required to distribute at least $26.7 million directly to students for personal use, but decided to spend $900,000 more than that total on students. In a press release, UW said the funds would be sent to “students facing the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” with $7.7 million going directly to more than 6,500 high-need students whose financial needs are outlined in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms. Of those students, more than 4,600 were Federal Pell Grant recipients. The remaining $19.1 million left over in the student fund is eligible for all UW students to receive through an emergency form where they can describe their reasons for needing extra money. This means the majority of money is easy for students to access, which can be good or bad, depending on how ethical the student body is. As COVID-19 crisis increases wealth gap, WI must reform social welfare programsWhether we realize it or not, the pandemic has changed our lives forever. It changed our ways of learning, working, Read… Let’s not forget how important this money is for the 6,500 high-need students that immediately qualified through their FAFSA status. The COVID-19 pandemic made paying rent nearly impossible, and increased medical and living costs, crippling savings for the working class. The ARPA was in part designed to help college students pay for these costs as they attend university. UW is accomplishing that goal for the 6,500 students that desperately need the money. These students get timely access to a few thousand dollars and can use it for anything from tuition to personal costs. Even in the “all students” bracket, UW is helping many students who aren’t in the high-need bracket but still face financial difficulties. The middle class tends to fall short of qualifying for financial aid through FAFSA, despite being unable to keep up with the nearly 25% increase in tuition costs over the past ten years, and the openness of this fund changes that. In this sense, it’s also easier for international or undocumented students to access funds quickly, which is rare, as FAFSA requires correspondence with the government. The Office of Student Financial Aid Communications Manager Karla Weber Wandel said all students who submitted applications to the open fund received money. “We’ve been able to provide some emergency grant to each student that has made a request,” Wandel said. “Students get to choose if they want these funds applied to their student account balance or if they want the amount directly refunded to them.” Silent Crisis: How small business foreclosures spell disaster for the USIt is no secret that the entire world is facing an insurmountable crisis. With almost 90,000 COVID-19 cases and counting Read… These payments are a glimpse at universal basic income proposals popularized by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. All students are afforded a base-level financial safety net while some less affluent ones are given additional support. The emergency pandemic aid marks UW’s first major step towards equity that universities often fail to achieve, despite groups like Associated Students of Madison previously calling for an expanded and more consistent student payment system. But, the easy access to this aid also has its downsides. The emergency request form only requires that students create an itemized list of their financial needs, followed by a “brief statement explaining your current financial emergency.” There’s also a short survey students must fill out, which includes vague statements such as “concerned about covering future expenses.” As a public school, UW has minimal data on its students who don’t need financial aid and don’t fill out the FAFSA form when they apply to the school. This leaves the Office of Student Financial Aid with a mere paragraph to determine if a student should receive money that a financially desperate student could use to avoid eviction or pay for critical medicine. While it’s not immediately possible to prove that some students are lying on their emergency request forms to receive money they don’t necessarily need, it’s conceivable these students are potentially using money the university could set aside for others with serious financial difficulties. A recent example of government money finding its way to the rich is the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Small, minority-owned businesses had trouble accessing the Paycheck Protection Program while massive chain restaurants — like Ruth’s Chris or Shake Shack — could easily take money from the fund. The Act also provided far more than the $1,200 each American received to millionaires and billionaires through tax breaks. American Rescue Plan shows hope as the country reaches one year of a pandemicWith the COVID-19 pandemic coming up on its one year anniversary, the United States has faced a devastating number of Read… Calling for a UW surveillance campaign to determine a student’s real financial status would only prohibit some students in that middle class category from receiving needed money. Instead, a more rigorous vetting process for students to receive this money would ensure fluffy wording doesn’t open the door for them to receive money they might not need. Direct financial aid can be an equitable opportunity to support both working and middle class students through easy access to money. In the future, UW needs to establish a more robust way to determine who gets these funds. Students not in the high-need bracket should have to show up for in-person interviews and outline a spending plan for their funds. Or, students could be required to reveal a partial picture of their financial status to apply for these funds. These policies would discourage any wealthy students who may be looking to take advantage of the situation from doing so. In a perfectly moral society, we wouldn’t have to worry about students taking money they don’t need. But, if the pandemic has proved anything, it’s that people are flawed. This article was published Sep 15, 2021 at 8:00 am and last updated Sep 11, 2021 at 12:34 pm ","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":["emergency pandemic"]},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["students"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["the third round of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund in the American Rescue Plan Act Congress"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The University of Wisconsin"]},{"role":"Funding","values":["28.6 million"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"President Biden Proposes Free College Tuition And A Big Increase In The Pell Grant","document":"President Biden proposed a big increase in financial aid funding for college on April 28, 2021. The American Families Plan will provide free tuition at community colleges and increase the maximum Federal Pell Grant by about $1,400, but the President’s proposal does not address student loan forgiveness. The American Families Plan proposes free community college tuition, a $1,400 increase in the Pell ... [+] Grant and doubling the TEACH Grant. The specific higher education proposals are as follows: The cost of these proposals is about $300 billion over ten years. Other proposals include universal pre-school for 3 and 4-year-old children, paid family and medical leave, unemployment insurance reform and extending the child tax credit. PROMOTED The American Families Plan will cost a total $1.8 trillion over ten years, including $800 billion in tax relief for middle-class families. President Biden proposes to increase taxes on the wealthy to cover the cost of these and other proposals in the American Families Plan, including tax relief for middle-class families. ","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["community colleges"]},{"role":"Date","values":["April 28, 2021"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["The American Families Plan"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Complexities of Free College","document":"Scholars argue in a new report that implementing a nationwide free college program is more complicated than it sounds and there are better ways for the government to support low-income students. (Note: This article was updated to reflect corrections that mischaracterized aspects of the Third Way report. The report is part of an ACADEMIX series, not the ACADEMIX Upshot series, as originally reported. The report was also focused on four-year colleges, not two-year colleges, as originally reported.) A new report argues that a national free college program for four-year institutions would be fraught with political obstacles, implementation challenges and equity concerns, and it offers alternative policy solutions to ease the financial burdens of paying for college faced by low-income students. The report, from the center-left think tank Third Way, is the latest in the ACADEMIX series “composed of research-driven papers that translate academic findings on the key issues facing higher education into a highly readable and relevant format for federal policymakers.” There are now several hundred free college programs across the country, according to the report. President Biden has proposed a national program that would guarantee two years of tuition-free community college. Christopher R. Marsicano, co-author of the report and an assistant professor of educational studies and public policy at Davidson College in North Carolina, supports the idea of a free college plan, especially one targeting low-income students, but he doesn’t believe free college has a “snowball’s chance in hell of passing through Congress.” “I think there’s a push, especially on the left, to frame college affordability as a free-college-versus-anything-else issue, which I think makes the political right bristle at the idea of doing anything around college affordability, because free college would be sort of the antithesis of free market forces in education,” he said. “We are supportive of federal investment in higher ed. We just understand that we have an affordability crisis on our hands, and at this point, what we need to do is get anything passed that will help students.” The report asserts that a model that uses federal funds to cover tuition costs after states pay a portion -- like the plan Senator Bernie Sanders proposed in 2016 -- might penalize states that invest more in higher education. For example, Virginia appropriates $5,701 per student to educate 303,000 state residents enrolled in public institutions in the commonwealth, while North Carolina appropriates $9,018 per student for 392,000 students. Because Virginia’s net tuition is higher, however, it would receive more federal funds per student than its share of the tax base, despite spending less, according to the report. The ways in which different states could come out as “net winners and losers” make the politics around free college “really interesting and muddy,” said David Feldman, co-author of the report and a professor of economics at the College of William & Mary. “Free college is a nice bumper sticker, but try writing the bill that puts it together and you see that the interests all of a sudden aren’t so simple.” Morley Winograd, president of the Campaign for Free College Tuition, said states have invested in free tuition programs for years and the report presents an argument about a problem that “doesn’t exist.” He also noted that the concerns outlined in the report about free four-year college are less relevant to the most current Biden administration proposal for free college being discussed, which is focused on community college. Under a free college plan proposed by the Obama administration -- on which Winograd suspects Biden's plan is modeled -- “states who have already spent a good deal of money on making college tuition-free, such as California and others, would be able to use the per-student reimbursement rate from the feds to further lower the cost of attending college by addressing some of the cost-of-attendance issues that don’t get addressed otherwise,” Winograd said. “It provides an incentive for states to invest further in their higher education system.” Winograd called the report “deceptive” and took issue with the assertion that there isn't enough political will to implement a federal free college program. He pointed to a national poll of Americans conducted by the Campaign for Free College Tuition in January and February, which found that 81 percent of respondents support the idea of a federal program that provides two years of free community college tuition. He believes the poll results signals broader political will to implement free college programs. “They’re arguing against a thing that is politically viable,” he said. The report suggests that underresourced institutions could suffer financially from a nationwide free college program, as well, because as the cost of providing an education fluctuates, they would not be able to increase revenue through tuition, and lawmakers may feel less pressed to fund higher education. Private institutions could also suffer, said Marsicano. Low-income students can take advantage of federal financial aid at any higher education institution, but most free college proposals would not help low-income students pay for a private university, he added. “Under our plan, students have more choice,” he said. “There are some really great private schools out there that are as affordable as publics, that have better four-year graduation rates than publics, that perform very well for low-income students and especially students of color. Under most free college programs, those institutions lose out, which means that those students who have chosen those generally smaller, generally high-touch educational environments also lose out.” The report offers a set of recommendations that the authors believe to be more expedient. The authors suggest increasing the maximum federal Pell Grant by more than $1,400 to target low- and middle-income students and forming a federal-state partnership in which states that spend a certain amount per student are eligible for a block grant. They also propose a federal subsidy for underresourced institutions serving low-income students based on how many Pell dollars the institutions take in. The subsidy would begin to phase out as an institution’s endowment per student reaches a certain threshold. It would also take into account student success metrics. Feldman, the report's co-author, said the federal government has traditionally focused its efforts on helping individual low-income students through federal financial aid. He believes implementing a nationwide free college program now would be a “radical departure” from the government’s current role that wouldn't provide the most expedient help for students and is focused on college access to the detriment of student success. The report “is designed to introduce people to how complex it is to get the federal government this deeply into the funding of what historically is a state-level responsibility,” he said. “It is possible, but I think many people think it’s just like you wave a wand and we transform a system that’s evolved over 200 years into something brand-new. It’s not easy to do that.”    Don't have an account yet? Create Account. Remember your password? Log in now. Have questions? See FAQs.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["303,000 state residents","392,000 students"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Sponsor","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["North Carolina","Virginia"]},{"role":"Funding","values":["5,701 per student","9,018 per student"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Ex-NPA rebels, residents of Bacolod village avail of gov’t aid","document":"GOV’T AID. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia (center), with village chief Ricky Mijares (left) and DILG-Bacolod Director Ma. Joy Maredith Madayag (right), join the beneficiaries of medical and burial assistance in Barangay Banago, during the distribution rites held at the Banago Elementary School I Gym on Sept. 22, 2021. The financial aid was sourced from the funding received by Banago as an insurgency-cleared village under the Barangay Development Program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO) BACOLOD CITY – Residents of Banago village in this city are availing of various benefits from the government after receiving a funding of PHP20 million under the Local Government Support Fund - Support to Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). Data from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) showed that Banago is now cleared of insurgency after being once a hotbed of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) movement in this city. As of Friday, the barangay has lined up six projects for the use of the BDP funding. Banago village chief Ricky Mijares said the status of Banago as an insurgency-cleared barangay has opened many opportunities for its residents. These include such projects as the construction of a multi-purpose evacuation center, burial assistance, medical assistance, educational or scholarship program, livelihood program, and training assistance. “Out of the 61 barangays in Bacolod City, only Barangay Banago has been awarded the PHP20 million. I would like to thank the national government, especially President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. This is a big help for us since almost 80 percent of our population is poor or indigent, particularly those living in the coastal area,” he added. On September 22, about 111 marginalized residents received financial aid amounting to PHP511,000 in rites led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia and DILG-Bacolod Director Ma. Joy Maredith Madayag at the Banago Elementary School I Gym. Of the number, 77 received medical assistance while 34 got burial aid. Last June, 25 residents of Barangay Banago have been chosen as beneficiaries of the Project Banago Alternative and Sustainable Livelihood Initiatives for Development or BASLID under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The trainees attended the Cookery National Certificate or NC II training at the TESDA Regional Training Center in Talisay City. Among the beneficiaries are alias “Bebing”, who became a messenger of the CPP-NPA when she was only 19, and was married to a combatant who died in an encounter, and alias “Ed”, once a sakristan (acolyte), who became a communist rebel in northern Negros. “Now, I realize that the government was there – even before – helping the people. Government assistance is really accessible now. The local government unit is reachable. People should seek help from the barangay if they are in need,” Bebing, a beneficiary of livelihood training, said in an interview. “These training (courses) are a big help to enhance my skills, ideas, and be refreshed again because it’s been a long time since (I learned something new).” She realized the years spent with the CPP-NPA were wasted years and she doesn’t want her children to be lured into it. “Even with my second husband, who also has a background in the movement, I told him we wasted our time. We could have contributed more to the community. But it is not too late,” she added. “I have kids and I guard them so they will not be recruited by the movement.” Ed, a beneficiary of medical and burial assistance, said the root cause of the armed revolution is economic crisis and this could be addressed by providing the people with basic needs. “We would like to thank President (Rodrigo) Duterte who intensified the campaign to counter the insurgency in the Philippines by providing the basic needs of the people. During the Duterte administration, he addressed these problems, especially here in Banago. Before the revolutionary forces were really present and felt here,” he added. Some students in the village also received educational assistance, including college student JJ Tauban. “This is one step for me and a big help towards achieving my dreams. It’s an honor and a privilege to receive such help from the government,” she added. Each insurgency-cleared barangay has been allocated an assistance of PHP20 million under the BDP, a hallmark program of the NTF-ELCAC with the end goal of bringing development to former conflict-prone communities. The BDP is directed to rehabilitate and develop 822 barangays formerly established as guerilla fronts of the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front (NDF) in several parts of the countryside. Each barangay is allotted PHP20 million for their respective projects, for a total of PHP16.44 billion allocated funding. The BDP budget goes directly to local government units from the Department of Budget and Management. The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The NDF has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA)    ","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":["an insurgency-cleared village under the Barangay Development Program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict"]},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["about 111 marginalized residents"]},{"role":"Date","values":["September 22"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["Banago"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["PHP511,000"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The next big Democrat-GOP battle","document":"Democratic lawmakers unveiled plans to overhaul the recall rules enshrined in California’s constitution — a move that did not go over well with Republicans. No sooner did one recall battle end than another began. Less than a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom defeated an attempt to oust him from office, Democratic lawmakers unveiled plans to overhaul the quirky recall rules enshrined in California’s constitution for the past 110 years — a move that did not go over well with Republicans. Sen. Josh Newman of Brea — who was himself recalled in 2018 — jumped right in with two constitutional amendments, including one that would make it more difficult to qualify recalls for the ballot. Assemblymember Marc Berman of Los Altos and Sen. Steve Glazer of Orinda — who lead the Legislature’s election committees — took a more measured approach, saying they want to hold a series of bipartisan hearings to examine possible changes to California’s recall process. But it’s unclear how much buy-in they’ll get from the GOP, for whom recalls might represent one of the few roads to power in deep-blue California, CalMatters’ Ben Christopher reports. Reformed or not, the recall has already dealt a blow to the California GOP. Conservative talk show host Larry Elder decimated the other replacement candidates — an indication that Trump-like politicians continue to be immensely popular with the party’s base but not with the broader swath of voters needed to win in California. And the two prominent GOP elected officials in the race — Kiley and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer — have so far each received less than 10% of votes cast on the ballot’s second question. In a sign of how repellent the Republican label has become for many Californians, Kiley and businessman John Cox, the GOP’s nominee for governor in 2018, received fewer votes than Brandon Ross, a politically unknown Democratic doctor who had his medical license suspended and said he had been addicted to opiates, CalMatters’ Laurel Rosenhall reports. Newsom, meanwhile, appears to be trying to show Californians they made the right choice by keeping him in office. On Wednesday, he visited an Oakland school to tout the state’s progress on school reopenings and awarded $138 million in local fire prevention grants. Local governments also seem to be implicitly endorsing Newsom’s campaign strategy of doubling down on vaccine and mask requirements. Los Angeles County on Wednesday announced plans to require proof of vaccination to enter indoor bars, wineries, breweries, nightclubs and lounges, a day after Contra Costa County said customers of indoor restaurants, bars and gyms must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to enter. A Message from our Sponsor The coronavirus bottom line: As of Tuesday, California had 4,380,566 confirmed cases (+0.2% from previous day) and 67,001 deaths (+0.3% from previous day), according to state data. California has administered 48,160,068 vaccine doses, and 68.5% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated. Plus: CalMatters is tracking the top 21 bills state lawmakers sent to Newsom’s desk. A Message from our Sponsor 1. CHP towing policy draws scrutiny The California Highway Patrol has ordered more than 50,000 month-long holds on cars driven by unlicensed motorists since 2017 — the year a federal court declared the practice unconstitutional, according to a new investigation from CalMatters’ Byrhonda Lyons. The state police agency is now facing at least three lawsuits for allegedly violating the Fourth Amendment, which protects the public from unreasonable searches and seizures of property. It’s also confronting pushback from advocates who argue the policy criminalizes poverty, noting it can cost roughly $2,000 to have a car towed and held for 30 days. Still, for law enforcement, legislators and other drivers, keeping unlicensed motorists — who account for 19% of fatal crashes nationwide — off the roads is a public safety imperative. 2. College students feel housing crunch How much are California’s college students in need of housing? As just one example, so many students at UC Santa Barbara can’t find a place to live that lounges are being repurposed into makeshift rooms and the university is planning to offer hotel vouchers to students, EdSource reports. Awaiting Newsom’s signature is a bill that would give public colleges and universities $500 million for building affordable housing or renovating existing properties. Although that sum could rise to $2 billion over the next three years, it will likely amount to nothing more than a rounding error in the huge sum of students’ total need, CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn reports. Case in point: The total amount of money allocated to UC wouldn’t even cover the cost of one housing project at UCLA. 3. PG&E sued for wildfire damage — again More than 200 victims of the Dixie Fire sued PG&E on Wednesday, two days after a federal judge grilled an employee about whether the beleaguered utility could have shut off electricity earlier to a power line suspected of sparking the blaze. The Dixie Fire, which destroyed the Gold Rush town of Greenville, is the second-largest blaze in state history at nearly 1 million acres. In other fire news, the KNP Complex Fire burning in Sequoia National Park came within one mile of the Giant Forest on Wednesday. The forest is home to many iconic giant sequoias, including General Sherman, believed to be the world’s largest tree by volume. We are dedicated to explaining how state government impacts our lives. Your support helps us produce journalism that makes a difference. Thank you! A Message from our Sponsor CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Newsom defeated the recall — now what? Importance of investing in community colleges: Newsom should sign legislation that would be a critical down payment for students seeking financial aid, writes Daisy Gonzales, acting chancellor of California Community Colleges. Racial justice starts with birth justice: It’s time for California to address the root causes of persistent disparities in Black maternal and infant health, argue Natalie Berbick, Kamilah Davis and Daphina Melbourne, the Perinatal Equity Initiative leaders of Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Alameda counties, respectively. Newsom: RFK admiration shows ‘where I might be leaning’ on Sirhan Sirhan parole. // Politico Sonoma County district attorney overwhelmingly beats recall attempt. // San Francisco Chronicle Residents want to recall Santa Clara County supervisors. // San José Spotlight Superior Court judge reprimanded for partisan posts on Gascón recall, gun control. // San Francisco Chronicle CalPERS sent pension checks to more than 20,000 dead retirees, audit says. // Sacramento Bee 4 more LAPD officers suspected in false gang-labeling scandal. // Los Angeles Times California prison officer accused of ambush in mask dispute. // Mercury News LAUSD rejects proposal to allow police officers back on school campuses. // Daily News ‘Pool testing’ to combat COVID on campus grows popular in California schools. // EdSource National Guard deployed to Kern County amid third coronavirus surge to relieve strain on local staff. // Bakersfield Californian Mills College trustees cement merger that will end women-only education in Oakland after 170 years. // San Francisco Chronicle Growing uncertainty in the Central Valley. // New Yorker        ","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["public colleges and universities"]},{"role":"Date","values":["over the next three years"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["500 million","2 billion"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"California Budgets $500 Million for More Student Housing Amid Growing Shortage","document":"Free tuition is great, and California excels at that compared to the rest of the country. But with rents sky high, affordable housing has become the chief expense for most students — and relief is harder to come by. Lawmakers have a plan for that: They’ve poured $500 million into this year’s state budget so that public colleges and universities can build affordable housing or renovate existing property. The plan – part of a commitment of $2 billion over three years if the Legislature fully funds it — may seem like a massive sum, but the amount of housing the money can build is likely a rounding error in the total need for the state’s students. “It’s a drop in the bucket, but every drop counts,” said Dana Cuff, a UCLA professor and director of CityLab, an urban design research center. The housing program that lawmakers approved last week and that is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s expected signature is new — part of the heap of surplus cash in the state budget this year. The governor initially proposed $4 billion for student housing but it got halved during negotiations with the Legislature. The deal: If the full-time requirement slows down applications from community colleges, “we can adjust in the future,” said Nancy Skinner, a Democrat and state senator from Oakland who chairs the Senate’s budget committee. That would require another act of the Legislature to change the terms of the housing program, but she doesn’t rule out that the promise of cheaper rent may compel more community college students to enroll full-time if their campuses take up the money. A full-time schedule means graduating faster, but often students can’t attend that many classes because of work obligations. The argument for more student housing is a political no-brainer — only one Republican lawmaker voted no on the measure. It “relieves pressure on student housing costs while simultaneously increasing supply around universities and helping to improve housing affordability in these areas in general,” said H.D. Palmer, spokesperson for Newsom’s Department of Finance. But the housing problem besetting all of higher education boils down to an elementary-school math problem: Building homes for students costs a lot, arguably hundreds of thousands of students need affordable units, and all that adds up to an amount that far exceeds what the state is providing in its housing plan. Surveys show that a large number of students lack reliable housing options, which means they live in cars, couch-surf, temporarily reside with family or seek other options that make their lives unstable — a terrible recipe for doing well in school. More than a third of students reported some version of housing insecurity in California, according to a 2019 survey by the California Student Aid Commission. But that masks the range of strife depending on the student. More than half of community college students in Los Angeles experienced housing insecurity, a 2016 survey found. Community college students are often older and have less income, so their economic and social safety nets are more threadbare. But even at the University of California, 16% of those surveyed were housing insecure and 6% of students who receive federal aid grants because of their lower-income status experienced a bout of homelessness.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["public colleges and universities"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this year"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["California"]},{"role":"Funding","values":["500 million"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"This Is Not a Good Time to Fall Off the College Track. Students Are Doing It Anyway","document":"Fewer than 2 in 5 students scheduled to graduate high school this spring have so far applied for college financial aid—a more than 9 percent drop from this time last year—increasing concerns that students will be unable to continue on to higher education amid a massive economic recession.  Before 2020, financial aid rates had been ticking up slowly following years of state efforts to increase the number of students going to college. Yet even then, students in high-poverty schools were found to have fewer supports and be less likely to apply for financial aid than students in wealthier schools. After the pandemic set in, every state lost ground and the gaps in college access for poor students and students of color have worsened. So far this school year, students in schools with high concentrations of low-income students and students of color saw the biggest drops in completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, according to ongoing analysis by the nonprofit National College Attainment Network. FAFSA allows students to access billions of dollars in federal loans, grants, and work-study programs, as well as qualify for state and college financial aid. (The federal student aid office is expected to release additional data on February and March applications later this month.) High-poverty schools eligible for federal Title I money saw a more than 12 percent decline in FAFSA applications this February compared to the same time last year. The year-to-year decline for non-Title I schools, in comparison, was 7 percent. Likewise, schools with a high percentage of students of color had a 14.6 percent drop in financial aid applications during the same time, roughly three times the decline seen in low-minority schools. That bodes ill for turning around a college-going gap that started in the wake of the pandemic, when 56 percent of 12th graders int the Class of 2020 completed FAFSA by the June extended deadlines, compared to 57.2 percent in 2017-18. NCAN has found students who complete the form are 84 percent more likely to enroll in higher education, and the poorest 20 percent of students are 127 percent more likely to be enrolled in college the fall after they graduate high school. “The COVID pandemic quarantine and recession happened so quickly that it wasn’t as if families could plan ahead or make these decisions about how they were going to balance [higher education and family needs],” said Bridget Terry Long, dean and professor of education and economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a longtime FAFSA researcher. “And now ... families are still in crisis, and it just takes up a lot of parents’ and students’ energy to plan.” Individual communities’ responses to the pandemic have affected students’ college planning decisions, too. A new study in the journal Educational Researcher looked at FAFSA applications in California from March to mid-August of 2020. It found that low-income communities and communities of color saw sharper dives in financial aid applications than the country as a whole during that time. But after accounting for demographics, the study found FAFSA applications rose in communities that had higher-than-average unemployment during the first months of the pandemic. Long suggested that these boosts in financial aid interest could suggest that not only graduating seniors but unemployed adults were competing for college financial aid. Similarly, NCAN has found suburban communities had significantly higher FAFSA rates than rural or urban communities. In the near term, competition for money and admission at some highly selective colleges may increase, according to Anthony Carnevale, the director of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. “I know at Georgetown that the applications have doubled,” he said, which may worsen equity problems for low-income students. “Rich kids don’t stop going to college, so this is going to play out by race and income.” “The issue now in education, K-12 or higher ed, is everybody is hunkered down in their silos. … We have a youth-to-adult transition for which there are no maps,” Carnevale said. “The only through-line is counseling and student services, because if you supply those along the way you can connect the dots [for students] and move people. … but there is no plan to fund that at all.” Before the pandemic, many schools had started to experiment with online and mobile supports for high school students and recent graduates, but more recent research has raised questions about popular interventions intended to “nudge” students to stay on track to enroll in and enter college. For example, a new federal study looked at 4,800 graduating students in the federal college-access program Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) from 2015 to 2017, before the pandemic. Half of the students were randomly assigned to receive customized text messages reminding them of upcoming deadlines and offering to connect them to an adviser for support. Students did receive the texts and use them to connect with their high school advisers—but the staff had average case loads of 40 students enrolling in and attending eight different colleges. In the end, the study found students who received the texts were no more likely to enroll and attend college in the fall after graduation—or to persist in college if they did enroll—than students who got no “nudges.” “Early studies of low-cost, text-message-based advising generated enthusiasm because of their potential to help improve college access,” researchers concluded. “However, accumulating evidence indicates the messaging is only effective in a small set of situations.” Long said efforts to simplify the FAFSA have improved application rates, but research shows students’ relationships with counselors, teachers, and others who can walk them through the process are more important to completion. As schools have been forced to move away from in-person FAFSA workshops during social distancing, students and their families have found it harder to get questions answered and concerns resolved. “If you think about low-income, first-generation students, having that assistance is quite important for understanding this complicated system, with complicated questions,” she said. “Some of these families aren’t used to having bank accounts and filling out mortgages, and say this is the first time that you’re dealing with this kind of complex financial form, and it’s very high stakes.” The financial aid data do show some reason for optimism once students have matriculated into college. From October through December, the monthly financial aid renewals—applied for by students with existing Pell grants or other aid—were about 9 percent higher month over month than they were for the same period last year, before the pandemic started. That suggests students who entered college committed to pursuing a degree, even though higher education officials have expressed concern that current students have experienced more stress from class disruptions and class format changes. That’s in line with the California study, which found that early declines in financial aid applications among college upperclassmen and graduate students last spring recovered and ended up 8 percent higher by August 2020 than they had been in previous years. Coverage of the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need is supported in part by a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, at www.jkcf.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.A version of this article appeared in the March 10, 2021 edition of Education Week as This Is Not a Good Time to Fall Off the College Track","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["students"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["FAFSA"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["billions of dollars"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"After A Pandemic Year Filled With Uncertainty, Lawmakers Set To Raise Colorado Higher Ed Funding","document":"Updated Monday 3:30 p.m. When Colorado started to feel the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, public colleges and universities were one of the first on the chopping block to reduce the state’s anticipated revenue shortfall.  A year later, their budgets have been restored to pre-pandemic levels, and then some. Joint Budget Committee Vice Chair state Rep. Julie McCluskie said higher education institutions are getting a total funding increase of $100 million. “I'm really proud of the fact that through a lot of discussion and collaboration with our institutions, we were able to bring forward this increase for them this year,” she said. Several restorations to the budget aim to close the equity gap that persists in higher education. This year’s “Long Bill” could include funding for a statewide officer that oversees educational equity. Angie Paccione, who leads Colorado’s Department of Higher Education, said her office secured funding for the position last year, but it fell through due to pandemic budget shortfalls..  The Chief Educational Equity Officer would assist in the department’s goal to have 66 percent of Coloradans attain a postsecondary degree by 2025. While the position wouldn’t focus on minority populations, Paccione said they will be an inherent focal point since people of color in Colorado are disproportionately less likely to hold a degree than a white resident. “We're strictly focused on equity, which is success. And that means credential completion,” Paccione said. “So we are going to assist all of the institutions on making sure that the students of color that enroll also graduate. It's not enough to just enroll a diverse student population.” Earlier this year, higher education leaders signed their yearly unified letter to lawmakers with a funding request. This year, Metropolitan State University Denver’s logo wasn’t attached to the letterhead. Instead, MSU’s president Janine Davidson made a separate request. She asked for $50 million over five years, which would be used to help underrepresented students earn their degrees. This year, with an additional $8.5 million budgeted for MSU, she said they got pretty close. “The underrepresented minorities and the low-income and the first-generation students have traditionally gotten less money per student from the state for whatever reason,” Davidson said. “For the legislators in the long bill to explicitly say that they're going to try to correct that and begin to make efforts to correct that was a big win for those students.”  Higher education leaders have praised lawmakers for helping to restore the budget, but in some cases, it still isn’t enough. While scholarship funds have increased, some students will still have to pay higher tuition.  Public universities are permitted to raise tuition by three percent for the next school year. The University of Colorado system voted to take advantage of that allowance, but used federal stimulus dollars to temporarily keep rates flat for a year. Others, like the Colorado Community College System, voted to keep tuition flat despite a decrease in enrollment. Several boards have yet to vote on next year’s tuition. Greeley’s University of Northern Colorado got approved for an even steeper tuition increase. The university, which is one of the more affordable four-year institutions in Colorado, said the state’s proportionately low funding of higher education puts them in a position where a rise in student revenue is needed to fund vital programs. UNC president Andy Feinstein said a seven percent increase would provide an additional $4.7 million.  “Of that $4.7 million, half of that will be reinvested into institutional financial aid. So half will be going back to support our most neediest students. In fact, 30 percent of our students will not be paying any tuition and fees at all. The rest of those funds will be invested in student success initiatives,” Feinstein said. The 2021 budget projects universities will receive a total increase of about $130 million of tuition revenue. It also includes a projected increase of $11 million in mandatory student fees. The Long Bill presents a victory for the state’s higher education advocates, but it also represents a perennial problem in Colorado — the state’s fiscal structure leaves little room for funding colleges.  Even with this year’s increase in funding, Colorado’s universities operate with significantly less state appropriations than peers in other states. McCluskie said that the problem may be inherent, thanks to TABOR. “I think the challenge is that the complications with TABOR limitations mean that we are constantly having to look at a finite number of dollars, a limited pie, and having to divvy it up across so many priorities in this state,” McCluskie said. “When we look to try and fund, say, higher education at a much higher level, it means we've got to take dollars away from some of these other very important departments.” MSU’s Davidson said she’s happy with the budget, but she hopes next year’s will continue to help dig higher education out of the financial hole it’s in. “A big looming issue is the deferred maintenance and capital needs for a lot of our universities and MSU Denver in particular,” she said.  Campuses like CU Boulder, MSU and UNC have millions of dollars worth of deferred maintenance on their campus. In some cases, students find themselves paying higher fees that aim to remedy the issue.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["higher education institutions"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday 3:30 p.m"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["100 million"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Faster, fit-for-purpose and fraud-proof: Digitalizing financial aid distribution","document":"  The Meheba Refugee Camp in north-western Zambia is home to 12,000 refugees [1], each of whom rely on money from international aid organizations to survive. Not long ago, these funds took up to 10 days to reach the refugees’ pockets. Today, they can arrive within an hour.      This change reflects a larger transformation in how aid is delivered globally. Nearly one-third of the world’s poorest people [2] live in countries that experience regular humanitarian crises such as natural disaster, disease and displacement by armed conflicts. Often, the first aid to arrive is physical: food, blankets, medicine and other emergency supplies. While this is vital to save lives at the beginning of a humanitarian crisis, the need soon shifts to financial aid in order to sustain them. Physical to financial aid   That reality is reflected in the data. In 2018, total international humanitarian funding reached $28.9 billion, up an estimated 30% ($6.7 billion) since 2014.[3] The enduring challenge, however, has been distributing those funds safely, on time and to the right people. In regions suffering humanitarian crises, physical transportation infrastructure is often limited or even non-existent. Where it does exist, usage costs ‒ including security arrangements in some cases ‒ can make the cost prohibitively high.      The benefits are enormous when aid is delivered and disbursed in an efficient and timely manner. Financial stability and independence start to take hold, and consumer spending patterns emerge. As local economies experience growth, new job opportunities arise. Over time, a helpful development cycle can emerge.    To overcome the challenges of aid delivery, many development organizations have begun relying on mobile money, prepaid cards, e-vouchers and digital wallet solutions. Standard Chartered plays a key role in this, working with aid organizations, public sector bodies and development agencies to provide financial infrastructure such as cash management, payments and foreign exchange services.    Standard Chartered has also beefed up its ability to accelerate the speed and ease of aid distribution in crisis situations by enabling expedited account opening and securing priority access to funding. The bank also offers a blockchain-based cross-border wallet remittance service in partnership with Ant Financial.[4] Using AlipayHK in Hong Kong and GCash in the Philippines, this service enables Filipino workers in Hong Kong to send money back home in real time, providing a convenient, secure and affordable way for overseas Filipino foreign workers to support families in need back home. Financial inclusion and financial controls   Standard Chartered sees an opportunity to do even more. Already, the bank has rolled out mobile money solutions in more than 10 markets that are home to vulnerable communities. So long as the telecoms infrastructure supports this digital initiative, further expansion is planned.   In Zambia’s Meheba Refugee Camp, a vast area spread across nearly 700 square kilometres, a Standard Chartered mobile money solution is enabling the rapid disbursement of cash to the refugees. This solution – jointly developed by the bank and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – was awarded the 2018 Banker Magazine Bank of the Year Award for Financial Inclusion.    The UNHCR pays a monthly physical cash stipend to each household in the camp, and prior to the rollout of the mobile money solution, refugees travelled to regional distribution centres to receive the funds. Once there, they would queue for up to 10 days before receiving the money, preventing them from engaging in more productive economic activities. At the same time, the large volume of cash payments proved extremely difficult to accurately audit, raising governance challenges around the process.    To address this, Standard Chartered began working with mobile money partners to distribute SIM cards and register eligible beneficiaries for mobile money. Under this programme, UNHCR pays stipends directly to beneficiaries through Standard Chartered’s Straight2Bank Wallet platform. Payments can now happen in a flash and can be easily and fully audited. Refugees, instead of having to queue for days on end, now receive their funds within an hour. Balancing risk, regulation and need   Although mobile money and other digital cash solutions are increasingly prevalent, gaps remain, especially in high-risk countries where international banks are unable to operate directly. Through digitization and partnerships, Standard Chartered is helping to meet urgent humanitarian needs whilst strictly adhering to international sanctions and regulatory requirements, as well as donor needs for transparency and accountability.    In Somalia, Standard Chartered has a long-term partnership with Al Amal Express Exchange to disburse funds for the humanitarian sector. For this high-risk country, the bank has created a cash disbursement transaction model for its development organization clients. This is fully supported in the bank’s systems, processes and controls – including sanctions screening.    Successfully screened transactions are transmitted to the bank’s local service provider Al Amal Express Exchange through an application programming interface (API). Funds are distributed to beneficiaries, and payment status data is returned for automatic confirmation and reconciliation, giving users full visibility over the end receipt of funds.   Standard Chartered’s mobile cash payment services are being used by development organizations around the world. ChildFund, a charity that helps deprived and vulnerable children through sponsorship programmes, uses the bank’s Straight2Bank Wallet service to deliver funds to the charity’s vendors and staff, to support beneficiaries directly.[5] Jhpiego, a charity affiliated with John Hopkins University and dedicated to mother and child health, is using Straight2Bank Wallet to instantly disburse cash to beneficiaries in Kenya.[6]   The bank’s regulatory, operational and technological expertise – coupled with on-the-ground knowledge across developing and frontier markets – have been instrumental in helping development organizations meet their humanitarian objectives. The result? Secure, timely and transparent aid delivery solutions, helping vulnerable people gain a new measure of financial independence and supporting the welfare of vulnerable communities. SC-Article-banner-780-rotate [1] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Meheba Refugee Settlement Profile, 30 November 2018. [2] Global Humanitarian Assistance, Key trends in global humanitarian assistance 2019, extreme poverty defined as those living on less than $1.90 per day, page 1, para 1.[3] Global Humanitarian Assistance, Key trends in global humanitarian assistance 2019, page 1, para 3. [4] We have been appointed by Ant Financial as core partner bank for its new blockchain cross-border remittance service, Standard Chartered press release, 25 June 2018.[5] Finextra.com, ChildFund to utilise Standard Chartered Straight2Bank wallet service, 03 November 2014. [6] Business Chief, Straight2Bank: the mobile banking solution driving growth in the developing world, 15 June 2018.  About the Authors Karby Leggett, Global Head of Public Sector and Development Organisations, Standard Chartered  Based in Singapore, Karby became the Head of our Public Sector and Development Organisation (PSDO) team in June 2019, responsible for the Bank’s coverage of Ministries of Finance, Central Banks, Development Organisations and other Government related institutions across our global footprint. He was previously the Head of the Asia PSDO Business. Prior to his expanded role, Karby ran the Capital Markets business in the Greater China & North East Asia region. Before joining Standard Chartered, Karby worked at Goldman Sachs where he oversaw the firm’s Europe, Middle East and Africa sovereign ratings advisory and risk management. Karby has over 20 years of experience in capital markets, finance, risk management and sovereign ratings advisory and international affairs including a decade during which he worked as a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. Karby has lived in China, Korea, Japan and the Middle East, and speaks fluent Mandarin. Katharine Steger – Regional Head, Europe, Public Sector and Development Organisations, Standard CharteredBased in London, Katharine is European Head of Public Sector and Development Organisations client coverage, responsible for relationships with clients including sovereigns, quasi-sovereigns, central banks, public pension funds, supranationals, microfinance institutions, humanitarian and development agencies and NGOs. Previously Katharine had a global remit in Standard Chartered’s Public Sector and Development Organisations team. Operating as COO for the segment, she worked on strategy, risk management and thematic issues, with focus areas including blended finance, microfinance and development priorities.  She also managed European client relationships, predominantly sovereigns, development organisations and NGOs. In prior roles Katharine was Deputy Chief of Staff for the Group Chief Executive, responsible for external affairs; managed Standard Chartered’s relationships with international organisations, policy engagement and thought leadership platforms, building the Bank’s profile among decision makers and opinion leaders; and prior to that had a number of roles focussed on environmental finance & management, sustainability and project management.  sponsor-SC-article-footer-600 Disclaimer This material has been prepared by Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), a firm authorized by the UK’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority and PRA. It is not independent research material. This material has been produced for information and discussion purposes only and does not constitute advice or an invitation or recommendation to enter into any transaction. Some of the information appearing herein may have been obtained from public sources and while SCB believes such information to be reliable, it has not been independently verified by SCB. Information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Any opinions or views of third parties expressed in this material are those of the third parties identified, and not of SCB or its affiliates. SCB does not provide accounting, legal, regulatory or tax advice. This material does not provide any investment advice. While all reasonable care has been taken in preparing this material, SCB and its affiliates make no representation or warranty as to its accuracy or completeness, and no responsibility or liability is accepted for any errors of fact, omission or for any opinion expressed herein. You are advised to exercise your own independent judgment (with the advice of your professional advisers as necessary) with respect to the risks and consequences of any matter contained herein. SCB and its affiliates expressly disclaim any liability and responsibility for any damage or losses you may suffer from your use of or reliance on this material. SCB or its affiliates may not have the necessary licences to provide services or offer products in all countries or such provision of services or offering of products may be subject to the regulatory requirements of each jurisdiction. This material is not for distribution to any person to which, or any jurisdiction in which, its distribution would be prohibited. ","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["2018"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["total international humanitarian funding"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["28.9 billion"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"State aid: Commission approves award of slots at Paris-Orly airport to Vueling in context of Air France’s recapitalisation","document":"The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com The European Sting is Your democratic, independent and top quality political newspaper specialized in European Union News. Unique Features: iSting & Harry Sting Newsletter | European Sting TV This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has ranked Vueling first among the air carriers that have applied for the portfolio of up to 18 daily slots at Paris-Orly airport. These will be made available by Air France to remedy possible undue competition distortions following its recapitalisation by the French State, as approved by the Commission in April 2021. As a result of today’s decision, Vueling will obtain the 18 daily slots at Paris-Orly airport and start operating new routes as of November 2021. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “Following an open procedure, Vueling will obtain 18 of the daily take-off and landing slots at Paris Orly airport, currently held by Air France. This will enable Vueling to expand its activities at this highly congested airport, helping to ensure fair prices and increased choice for European consumers. It also helps ensure the significant capital support to Air France enabled the airline face financial difficulties resulting from the coronavirus outbreak, without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market.” Air France’s slots commitment On 5 April 2021, the Commission approved French plans to grant up to €4 billion for the recapitalisation of Air France through its holding company. The measure was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework, provided in particular that France implemented additional measures to preserve effective competition. A Monitoring Trustee was appointed by Air France and its holding to monitor and ensure compliance with the different commitments under the Commission’s decision. In this context, France offered commitments in relation to Paris-Orly airport, where Air France has significant market power. The airport is structurally highly congested, meaning that airlines cannot get access to the take-off and landing slots that they request for their operation at the airport. These commitments consist in Air France making available up to 18 slots per day at Paris-Orly airport to a competing carrier, to enable the lasting entry or expansion of a competing carrier at this airport, to the benefit of consumers. In addition, the commitments require that the competing carrier obtaining Air France’s slots bases at Paris Orly airport the aircraft using these slots. The award of the slots to Vueling Under the commitments, the Commission has to approve the competing carrier to which Air France’s slots are made available, following a transparent and non-discriminatory procedure. The call for proposals was published by the Monitoring Trustee on 25 June 2021. A number of carriers have participated in the call for proposals. The Commission, assisted by the Monitoring Trustee, has assessed in detail the proposals received, giving priority to carriers already operating a base at Paris-Orly airport, and further ranking the proposals based on the level of capacity and connectivity that carriers would achieve using the slots made available by Air France. Based on this assessment, the Commission has ranked Vueling’s proposal first. Vueling has now priority to conclude with Air France the agreement giving access to the slots that will allow Vueling to expand its operations at Paris-Orly airport and offer new flights as from November 2021. Background Vueling is one of Europe’s leading low-cost airlines, with special relevance in the Spanish domestic market, as well as in France and Italy. Vueling belongs to International Airlines Group (IAG), which also includes Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Level. Vueling has a fleet of over 100 planes. Air France is a major network airline operating in France. With a fleet of over 300 planes, Air France plays a very important role in the French economy, in terms of employment and connectivity for many French regions including those overseas (Départements et Régions d’outre-mer “DOM-TOM”). Under the Temporary Framework, for recapitalisation measures of more than €250 million to companies holding a significant market power in a given market, Member States must propose additional measures to preserve effective competition. A non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under case number SA.59913 in the State Aid Register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues will have been resolved. New publications of State aid decisions on the internet and in the Official Journal are listed in the Competition Weekly e-News. (Credit: Unsplash) This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved French plans to grant up to €4 billion for the recapitalisation of Air France through its Holding company. The measure was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager,… In \"European Union News\" (Credit: Unsplash) This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The European Union and the State of Qatar today signed a comprehensive air transport agreement, upgrading rules and standards for flights between Qatar and the EU. The agreement sets a new global benchmark by committing both sides… In \"European Union News\" (Credit: Unsplash) This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Following dialogues with the Commission and national consumer protection authorities, 16 major airlines have committed to better information and timely reimbursement of passengers in case of flight cancellations. The Commission had alerted the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC)… In \"European Union News\" ","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["Air France"]},{"role":"Date","values":["5 April 2021"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["the Commission"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["4 billion"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Bloomsburg University providing COVID-19 financial aid to all students","document":"/ Updated: Sep 2, 2021 / 11:20 PM EDT BLOOMSBURG, COLUMBIA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Bloomsburg University announced on Thursday, they have received federal COVID-19 relief funding. This funding would provide financial assistance in the form of block grants and special conditions awards to all students, due to the financial impact of the pandemic. According to BU, they received $10.7 million as part of the American Rescue Okan and Higher Education Emergency Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III). The grants may be used for anything students needs for the cost of living at the school and for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, tuition, food, housing, healthcare, or child care, according to reports. Scott Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre closed, detailed inspection needed Bloomsburg University stated the grants will range from $200 to $1,250 for the 2021 fall semester and will be based on expected family contributions from submitted FAFSA forms. Students who did not submit a FAFSA form will receive the minimum amount of $200. A portion of the funding will be set aside to fund special conditions awards for students with emergency needs related to the pandemic that may arise during the academic year.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":["the financial impact of the pandemic"]},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["all students"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["federal COVID-19 relief funding"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["10.7 million"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Policies on student loans and for-profit colleges","document":"President Joe Biden is under pressure from the left to cancel large swaths of outstanding federal student loan debt. Miguel Cardona said he wanted Federal Student Aid to “renew its focus on streamlining access to and management of federal financial aid, easing the burden of student debt and carefully stewarding taxpayer dollars.” | Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP 03/15/2021 05:28 PM EDT  Progressive activists are frustrated that President Joe Biden is not moving more quickly to scrap Trump-era Education Department policies on student loans and for-profit colleges, and they’re pressing his administration to be more aggressive. Biden is under pressure from the left to cancel large swaths of outstanding federal student loan debt, a high-profile fight expected to blow up in the coming months. The new president has rejected the most far-reaching proposals, such as writing off $50,000 per borrower, but the White House has said it’s reviewing how to proceed on the issue. In the meantime, progressives are escalating a more under-the-radar battle over how the Biden administration is managing the day-to-day operations of the federal government’s $1.5 trillion student loan portfolio and regulating student loan companies and for-profit education firms. “New leadership in the White House and the Department of Education means there is an ample opportunity to transform and reinvigorate” the Office of Federal Student Aid, a coalition of groups wrote in a letter being sent to newly confirmed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain on Monday. “To do so, DeVos appointees at FSA must be replaced by strong advocates of student borrowers’ interests.” The progressive groups, led by Demand Progress Education Fund and the Revolving Door Project, outlines a range of concerns with who has been selected, or might be selected, for key roles overseeing student loans and investigations into colleges. Justice Democrats, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a group allied with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Our Revolution, a group tied to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), are among the groups signing on to the letter, which was shared with POLITICO. Progressives are raising a slew of issues: They view some key Education Department officials as insufficiently aggressive or too tied to corporate interests. The Biden administration has continued to defend DeVos-era policies on student loans and for-profit colleges in court. And the Education Department hasn’t yet taken steps to undo Trump administration restrictions on the amount of loan forgiveness for defrauded borrowers or rescind a legal opinion shielding student loan companies from state regulators. Mark Brown, the DeVos appointee who had been serving as top student aid official, resigned earlier this month with more than a year left on his term, following weeks of pressure from consumer and labor groups as well as Warren. Brown’s departure clears the path for the Biden administration to appoint a new student aid chief. By MICHAEL STRATFORD Cardona immediately tapped Robin Minor, a longtime career official, to serve as the acting student aid chief. But progressive groups said that the appointment of Minor was disappointing. They said Minor, who is the office’s chief compliance officer, oversaw problems with student loan forgiveness claims and loan servicing in ways that went “against the interest of student borrowers.” The progressive groups also criticized the administration for keeping Lisa Bureau, who reports to Minor and as the student aid office’s director of investigations, taking issue with her previous work at a law firm representing colleges dealing with Education Department regulatory issues. Cardona said in a statement following Brown’s resignation that he wanted Federal Student Aid to “renew its focus on streamlining access to and management of federal financial aid, easing the burden of student debt and carefully stewarding taxpayer dollars.” The Biden administration is searching for a permanent student aid chief, who is appointed by the education secretary for a several-year term and not subject to Senate confirmation. The job was once a relatively obscure government management post, but it has become increasingly politically contentious in recent years. And the political jockeying over the next chief has already begun. Progressives are targeting a potential candidate for the job, Abigail Seldin, over her work for Education Credit Management Corporation, a widely-criticized student loan collection company that has also purchased troubled for-profit college campuses in a sale brokered by the Obama administration. Seldin developed a college cost calculator that she sold to ECMC and became the firm’s vice president of innovation and product management. She now runs a charitable foundation focused on higher education equity and has discussed the job with Biden administration officials, according to a person familiar with the conversations. Proponents of Seldin for the role say the criticism is unfair and that her work at ECMC was unrelated to its student loan business. She most recently funded an online tool to help college students petition their institutions for additional financial aid. Beyond the personnel moves, the Biden Education Department’s positions in court on higher education issues have also drawn the ire of some liberals. Last month, the Biden administration jointly filed a motion with DeVos’ personal attorney to fend off an attempt to compel the former secretary to testify in a class-action lawsuit over the Trump administration’s lengthy delays and sweeping denials of student loan forgiveness claims . The court filing , which was submitted by a Biden administration political appointee, said that the borrowers suing for loan relief had engaged in “harassment” and a “PR campaign.” By MICHAEL STRATFORD The Biden administration is also still defending lawsuits brought by Democratic attorneys general and other groups related to DeVos’ rollback of a rules aimed at cutting off federal funding to low-performing programs at for-profit colleges and other career schools and making it easier for students defrauded by their college to have their debts canceled. And the Education Department hasn’t yet heeded calls from Democratic state officials to rescind DeVos-era policies, sought by the student loan industry , that declared federal student loan servicers off limits to state regulators and restricted investigators’ access to information about the companies. “They should be moving faster — I know they just got a secretary but there’s so much that doesn’t rise to that level that they could be doing,” said Toby Merrill, director of Harvard Law School’s Project on Predatory Student Lending, which frequently sued the Education Department under the Trump administration, including several cases over a student loan forgiveness program for defrauded students known as borrower defense. Merrill said she’s sympathetic to the decimation of staff at the department over the past four years and recognizes the slow pace of government rule-making. But she said that she would hope the department would change its approach to how it handles individual claims for loan forgiveness, for example, which wouldn’t need a new regulation. “It’s unbelievably outrageous that a whole list of policies and easy-to-change positions persist,” she said. Merrill’s group has urged the department to completely erase the debts owed by former students of Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech, two massive for-profit colleges that collapsed during the Obama administration. “We’ve got to push from the get-go because we don’t have time to wait for the new administration to do the right thing,” she said. Education Department spokesperson Kelly Leon said the administration is focused on assisting student loan borrowers. \"Helping students access federal aid and protecting student borrowers are critical parts of the Department’s mission and ones the Department takes seriously,\" Leon said in a statement. \"The agency will continue looking for ways to best fulfill these priorities.\" The complaints from the left of the Biden administration’s early handling of student loan issues stands out because progressives have largely praised much of Biden’s approach over the past several months, including his passage of the sweeping $1.9 trillion Covid relief law. But it also comes as the Education Department’s student aid office braces for a series of major tasks in the coming months — even before any new administration policy prerogatives. The unit will be in charge of hammering out new contracts with loan servicing companies to collect federal student loan payments. It will be tasked with a Congressionally-ordered major overhaul and redesign of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. And more immediately, the office will be responsible for managing the unprecedented restart of monthly loan payments for some 40 million Americans who are benefiting from pandemic relief that Biden has extended until Sept. 30.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["student loans and for-profit colleges"]},{"role":"Date","values":["03/15/2021"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["President Joe Biden"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["1.9 trillion"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Recent changes that could make paying for college more affordable","document":"Updated:  Tags:  Consumer Reports , consumer , Money , Morning Show Paying for college is always a challenge, especially during the current pandemic, but new rules may help ease that financial burden. Paying for college is a challenge even in the best of economic times. So when more challenging times came with the pandemic, as they did for millions of Americans, affording a degree became significantly harder. But Consumer Reports explains that recent changes could make school more affordable. This unprecedented time has also been a catalyst for significant changes that could make higher education more affordable and student debt easier to manage. Many private schools whose enrollment was hurt by the pandemic are aggressively discounting tuition and fees to attract new students and retain current ones. A study shows that on average, undergraduates got a record 48 percent discount on tuition and fees in the form of scholarships, grants, and fellowships in the 2020-21 school year from private schools.  And Congress has given colleges a 36 billion dollar pot of money to distribute in emergency financial grants—money that doesn’t have to be paid back—to students hurt by the pandemic. This aid will help keep people in school who are struggling financially and prevent them from going deeper into debt. Eligibility varies by school, so you should check with your financial aid office to see how it works. The pause on student loans was extended until the end of January. Also, the American Rescue Plan signed into law in March includes a provision that makes all student loan forgiveness tax-free through 2025. The Department of Education has also streamlined the process for people with a total or permanent disability to apply to have their loan discharged. Talk with your loan servicer if you think you fall into one of these categories to make sure the new rules are being applied in your case.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["colleges"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the 2020-21 school year"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["a 36 billion dollar pot of money"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Pounce at opportunity to use federal funds to improve indoor air quality","document":"This search is limited to articles published in the last three years. For a more comprehensive search of every issue, please visit our digital magazine page . Type your search term above Pounce at opportunity to use federal funds to improve indoor air quality Hopefully, many higher education institutions will use these funds to invest in indoor air quality projects. When they do, it is important that they invest wisely. By: Brian Lee | September 22, 2021 (AdobeStock) The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a fact that those of us working in school facilities and building maintenance have long known, that many of our nation’s higher education institutions are Brian Lee is Vice President of Engineering and Asset Solutions at Aramark. in need of significant upgrades to improve indoor air quality. Improving indoor air quality is critical to protecting students and faculty from new variants of COVID, not to mention fighting off the annual flu and other common illnesses. Additionally, improved indoor air quality can positively impact alertness, attendance, and student performance. It is actually not surprising that indoor air quality in schools is a problem. Funding education has been and will continue to be a challenge for society. Given funding shortages in education, we have seen a growing backlog of deferred maintenance projects at the college and university levels, a problem exacerbated by the fact that as much as  75 percent  of higher ed facilities are in the range of 30 to 40 years old. And as schools prioritize projects when funding does become available, taking steps to improve indoor air quality often falls to the bottom of the list, as more visible repairs such as painting, plumbing and lighting take precedence. Fortunately, a window of financial opportunity has now opened to address indoor air quality in schools across the country. As part of the $1.9-trillion American Rescue Plan enacted in March to help the country recover from the pandemic, Congress included $40-billion for higher education institutions. While roughly half of that funding is designated for providing emergency financial aid grants to students, the rest will likely be available for schools to use for other needs, including building upgrades. And additional funding for colleges and universities is likely to be included in the reconciliation bill soon to be debated in Congress, which could pass later this fall. Hopefully, many higher education institutions will use these funds to invest in indoor air quality projects, perhaps their first in decades. When they do, it is important that they invest wisely.  In recent months, we have seen a surge in advertisements for products and technologies that promise a quick fix for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other pathogens. Many of these are based on employing reactive ions or reactive oxygen technology to clean the air. While some of these products may offer limited benefit, there is  little  independent evidence of their effectiveness. And in some cases, health  experts  and independent testing labs have recommended against their use, noting that they can generate secondary pollutants or byproducts, possibly posing a new threat to safety. The reality is that no two school facilities or classroom settings are exactly alike. Each requires an independent assessment to determine the quality of the indoor air, the cause of any problem and the recommended solution for improving air quality. The best approach involves a layered solution to air disinfection, which can include a combination of increasing the flow of outside air, controlling temperature and humidity, enhancing filtration to achieve MERV 13 levels, and installing proven room-based air cleaning solutions, such as HEPA filtration units and upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI or GUV). This multi-pronged strategy to reduce airborne transmission of pathogens is recommended by the  CDC  (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and ASHRAE (formerly the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers). With colleges and universities fully reopening for in-person learning this fall, students, parents, and faculty are rightly concerned about the indoor air quality in America’s classrooms and academic facilities. As federal dollars designated for education-related pandemic response begin to flow, now is the time for our higher education institutions to make the investments needed to improve indoor air quality. We can’t afford to wait for the next pandemic. We have the technology and the financial resources to do this right and to do it now.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":["the pandemic"]},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["higher education institutions","students"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March"]},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["the $1.9-trillion American Rescue Plan"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["1.9-trillion"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Four Priorities To Watch From President Biden’s $750 Billion College Proposal","document":"(Free) Community Colleges: It is no surprise that the Biden administration is putting the needs of community colleges at the top of its policy agenda. First Lady Jill Biden, a community college faculty member, has long been a champion of free tuition at community colleges. The free college agenda is built on a foundation of states’ “promise programs” which have been championed by former Obama administration undersecretary for education, Martha Kanter. It is expected that a free community college program would provide tuition-free access to two-year programs, nationwide, for all learners including part-time students, adults and Dreamers. The administration’s ‘free community college’ proposal may be the first test of their goal towards bipartisanship. The College Promise movement was actually seeded in Republican-governed Tennessee, but has become an initiative championed by Democrats in Washington and so far has failed to get support from Congressional Republicans.  The pandemic has revealed more than the need for learners and workers to upskill, but it has also revealed that the technology in place at many community colleges is out-of-date. To that end, the administration is calling for greater investment in technology, allowing institutions to ensure learners can access courses and programs. Job Training Programs & Credentials: Taking their commitment beyond free community college, the Biden administration is also committed to putting additional resources into short-term training programs. This $50 billion investment would be focused on “high-quality” job-skills training programs that would ensure a seamless pathway between community colleges and other partners including industry, government and high schools. Additional grant dollars for community colleges would also be available to support student success through advising, additional staff and clarity around transfer and articulation policies. These policies would ultimately help students move from short-term programs into a degree-granting program, allowing the learner to build (or stack) their credentials toward alignment with career aspirations. Federal Student Financial Aid: At the top of many presidential policy agendas has been a commitment to double the Pell Grant. And the Biden administration is no different. Yesterday, acting assistant secretary Cooper noted that the president is committed to doubling the maximum Pell Grant to support low-income students. Cooper, a longtime champion for the Pell Grant program and deep subject matter expert in the mechanics of the federal financial aid programs, noted that the Pell Grant should be better aligned with inflation to ensure that its value does not diminish, as some have argued has happened in the last few decades. And while the administration has already put a pause on borrowers’ loan payments as a result of the pandemic, there is a further commitment to ensuring student loan repayments do not exceed five percent of a borrower’s discretionary income. The administration has also proposed to forgive federal student loans after 20 years of payments. While President Biden has proposed broader forgiveness for up to $10,000 for some borrowers, there is increasing pressure from Democratic Congressional leaders to increase the level of loan forgiveness. While it remains unclear whether the forgiveness level will grow, the current pause on loan payments has given the administration valuable time (until September) to determine their path forward.  Perhaps the most notable reform proposed by the administration is to grant Dreamers access to federal financial aid, by fully reinstating DACA. While some states - such as my home state of Colorado - provide access to state aid for Dreamers, federal financial aid has long been a barrier for many Dreamers who seek financial assistance to pursue higher education. Restrictions on For-Profit Education: Not surprisingly, the Biden administration is proposing further restrictions and regulation of for-profit education providers. And, while the details of the plan have not been shared, the Democratically-controlled House Committee on Education and Labor included further restrictions around the 90/10 rule for for-profit providers in their budget reconciliation package this week. The 90/10 rule currently caps the percentage of revenue a for-profit institution can receive from federal financial aid (90% from federal Title IV sources, 10% from other non-federal sources). It has long been debated whether other federal sources such as GI Bill benefits should be included in the ratio (Democrats argue this is a ‘loophole’ and historically, Republicans have fought to preserve the current calculation). The change proposed in the House reconciliation package now re-elevates the debate around what federal sources should be included in the ratio, such as workforce funds to employer tuition benefits. One thing is clear: the Biden administration has prioritized ‘consumer protection’ from ‘predatory institutions’ that have ‘left graduates and nongraduates with mountains of debt, and very few opportunities.’ The question remains whether this sentiment will extend to all institutions, regardless of tax status. The postsecondary education agenda and the team that will lead the work over the next four years should become more clear as Secretary-elect Miguel Cardona is expected to be confirmed by the Senate before the end of the week.","event_type":"Financial Aid","arguments":[{"role":"Aid Reason","values":null},{"role":"Beneficiary","values":["community colleges"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Sponsor","values":["“high-quality” job-skills training programs"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Funding","values":["50 billion"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Nobel Prize: Economist finds out about win when neighbour knocks on the door","document":"Receiving an unexpected knock on the front door in the early hours of the morning does not usually bring good news - but it is how one man found out he had won a Nobel Prize.  Economist Paul Milgrom won the prize for economics, alongside his colleague Robert Wilson. But the prize's organisers had been unable to reach Mr Milgrom, so Mr Wilson took it upon himself to let his colleague know about their win. \"You know, I was asleep and my phone is set not to take calls from unknown numbers,\" Mr Milgrom said. \"So, they never got through to me. \"But there came to be a knock at my door and my co-winner, Bob Wilson, who also lives across the street, came over and was knocking at my door and saying, 'Paul, wake up! You've won the Nobel Prize !'\"  Mr Milgrom stammered for a moment before saying: \"Wow.\" Security footage at Mr Milgrom's home captured the moment he found out in the early hours of the morning.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Paul Milgrom","Robert Wilson"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":null},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["Nobel Prize"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["economics"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"John B. Goodenough just became the oldest person, at 97, to win a Nobel Prize","document":"Most 97-year-olds would probably feel accomplished just getting out of bed in the morning. John B. Goodenough, 97, just won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded for work on lithium-ion batteries that 'revolutionized our lives' Goodenough won the award alongside Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for their contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries. Goodenough is the oldest person to win a Nobel Prize. Arthur Ashkin was the previous record holder , having won the Nobel Prize in physics in 2018 at age 96. \"Live to 97 (years old) and you can do anything,\" Goodenough said in a statement. \"I'm honored and humbled to win the Nobel Prize. I thank all my friends for the support and assistance throughout my life.\" Born in 1922 in Jena, Germany, Goodenough earned a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1952, according to the Nobel Foundation . He went on to work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then at the University of Oxford, where he served as the head of the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, according to the University of Texas at Austin, where he now works.  It was at Oxford that Goodenough made the groundbreaking discovery that helped him win the Nobel, UT Austin officials said in a news release. 'The foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society' Whittingham developed the first functional lithium battery in the early 1970s, but Goodenough was able to double the battery's potential in 1980 by using lithium cobalt oxide as the cathode of a lithium-ion battery, the foundation said. Using Goodenough's cathode as a basis, Yoshino created the first commercially viable lithium-ion battery five years later. John B. Goodenough still works, developing new polymers in his lab. \"Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionised our lives since they first entered the market in 1991,\" the Nobel Foundation said in a statement. \"They have laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society, and are of the greatest benefit to humankind.\" From laptops to smartphones, lithium-ion batteries power some of the most commonly used devices. Electric vehicles were made possible because of the development of these batteries, and wireless communication has flourished because of the technology. \"I'm extremely happy the lithium-ion batteries (have) helped communications around the world,\" Goodenough said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. \"We are indeed happy that people use this for good and not evil.\" Goodenough serves as the Virginia H. Cockrell Centennial Chair of Engineering in the Cockrell School at UT Austin. Even at the age of 97, he continues to develop new polymers and battery concepts with researchers in his lab. He is now largely focused on developing all-solid-state batteries as they can offer better safety, according to Arumugam Manthiram, a longtime colleague from UT Austin.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["John B. Goodenough","Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino","Arthur Ashkin"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":["University of Texas at Austin"]},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["their contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries","work on lithium-ion batteries that 'revolutionized our lives"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["Nobel Prize"]},{"role":"Date","values":["just","2018"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["chemistry","physic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2 Nobel Prize winners in 2020 had ties to Edmonton","document":"EDMONTON --   A former Edmontonian is part of a team of people awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. Brenda Barton, a graduate of MacEwan University's Public Relations program, is now country director for the United Nations World Food Programme in Sri Lanka. The WFP was chosen by the prize committee for \"its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.\" The programme feeds 100 million people each year in some of the most dangerous areas of the world. \"It's amazing. It's humbling, it's exhilarating,\" Barton told CTV News Edmonton. \"It really is recognition for the work that we're doing every day.\" She said the organization's work in often invisible but is vital for people affected by drought, floods and civil war. It is also an important part of staying healthy and fighting the spread of COVID-19. Barton isn’t the only 2020 Nobel Prize winner with Edmonton connections. University of Alberta virologist Michael Houghton was also awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Houghton won the prestigious award for his discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1989, along with colleagues Qui-Lim Choo and George Kuo. Thanks to the discovery, new tests were developed for blood donations that helped eliminate the virus from the blood donation supply by 1992. By 1996, annual reported transmission of the virus had dropped by more than 80 per cent. Since then, antiviral therapies have been developed that will cure 95 per cent of hepatitis C carriers, making this the first chronic viral illness that can be cured. He also developed a successful vaccine for the SARS virus in 2004. Houghton was recruited to the U of A in 2010 as the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Virology as part of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology. In 2012, he and his team developed a vaccine for the virus that is known to cause cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and liver cancer. About 20 to 30 per cent of people who suffer from hepatitis C develop severe liver disease. The vaccine is now in late pre-clinical testing. “Michael Houghton’s achievement cannot be overstated,” said University of Alberta president Bill Flanagan. “Dr. Houghton has made this world a better place. As president of the University of Alberta, the institution where he has dedicated his time, I am thrilled that his work has been recognized in this way.”","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Michael Houghton","Brenda Barton","Qui-Lim Choo and George Kuo"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":["University of Alberta","MacEwan University","United Nations World Food Programme in Sri Lanka"]},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict","\"its efforts to combat hunger","his discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1989"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["Physiology or Medicine"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Fredline Events has been adjudged the Best Events Vendor of the Year for the Northern Region","document":"Fredline Events has been adjudged the Best Events Vendor of the Year for the Northern Region at the just ended 3rd edition of the 2021 Ghana Event Industry Conference (GEIC) Gala and Awards night held at the Labadi Beach Hotel. The prestigious award was in recognition of the company’s dedication and commitment to building the events industry as well as being a highly respected advocate for best practices in the tourism sector. Speaking to the media after receiving the award, CEO of Fredline Events, Adeline Amenga-Etego expressed gratitude to the Board and Leadership of the GEIC, her staff and cherish clients. “I am very overwhelmed for such a wonderful recognition. I started this fifteen years ago and today I thank God for such a moment. I dedicate this award to my clients and staff for always pushing the brand this far. I am indeed grateful”, she said. Adeline Amenga-Etego took the opportunity to urge government to keep investing in the event sector to ensure proper standards in all aspects. “I want to take this opportunity to call on government and all stakeholders involved to constantly support the creative art industry so we can bring out the best in our industry”. This year’s Ghana Event Industry Conference (GEIC) organized by the Event Vendors Association of Ghana (EVAG) was on the theme “Resilience, Rethink, Redefine and Recreate”. The platform which was created for operators in the event industry is to pull resources from each other and also promote high level of ethics within the events industry as well as ensuring that management maintains high standards. The event was filled with fun and excitement as guests enjoyed amazing performances from Kojo Antwi, Kuame Eugene, Adina and Camidoh.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Fredline Events"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["the company’s dedication and commitment"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["the Best Events Vendor of the Year"]},{"role":"Date","values":["just"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Labadi Beach Hotel"]},{"role":"Award Field","values":["events industry"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Winners Of The Seoul Drama Awards 2021","document":"The Seoul Drama Awards 2021, hosted by Park Eun Bin and ASTRO ‘s  Cha Eun Woo , took place on October 21 at MBC’s Public Hall. The Seoul Drama Awards is an annual international drama festival that celebrates dramas from around the world. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, this year’s ceremony was held without an audience and without face-to-face contact. The entire event was live-streamed via YouTube. This year’s Grand Prize went to JTBC’s “Missing Child” by director Jo Yong Won, who also won Best Director, while the drama’s main actor Park Hyuk Kwon won Best Actor. “Vincenzo” took home the Excellent Korean Drama award, with Song Joong Ki taking an award for his acting in the drama. Below is a list of tonight’s winners: Grand Prize: “Missing Child” (South Korea) Serial Drama Golden Bird Prize: “ The Penthouse ” (South Korea) Serial Drama Silver Bird Prize: “ Go Ahead ” (China) Mini-Series Golden Bird Prize: “The Investigation” (Denmark) Mini-Series Silver Bird Prize: “The Bad Kids” (China) TV Movie Golden Bird Prize: “Frederica Montseny, the woman who speaks” (Spain) TV Movie Silver Bird Prize: “This House is Mine” (Germany) Short-Form Drama Golden Bird Prize: “Passengers” (Russia) Short-Form Drama Silver Bird Prize: “Delete Me” (Norway) Best Actor: Park Hyuk Kwon (“Missing Child” – South Korea) Best Actress: Elle Fanning (“The Great” – United States) Best Director: Jo Yong Won (“Missing Child” – South Korea) Best Screenwriter: Russell T Davies (“It’s a Sin” – United Kingdom) Jury’s Special Prize: “Bonus Vacation” (Malaysia), “Atlantic Crossing” (Norway), “The Pit S4” (Turkey) Most Popular Foreign Drama: “I Told Sunset About You” (Thailand), “Signal” (Japan) Asian Star Prize:  Marcus Chang (Taiwan), Sakaguchi Kentaro (Japan), “PP” Krit Amnuaydechkorn (Thailand), Amanda Manopo (Indonesia)","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Park Hyuk Kwon","Jo Yong Won","“Missing Child”","“Vincenzo”","Song Joong Ki","“ The Penthouse","“ Go Ahead ” (China)","“The Investigation” (Denmark)","“The Bad Kids”","“Frederica Montseny, the woman who speaks”","“This House is Mine”","Short-Form Drama Golden Bird Prize","“Passengers”","“Delete Me”","Elle Fanning","Russell T Davies","“Bonus Vacation” (Malaysia), “Atlantic Crossing” (Norway), “The Pit S4” (Turkey)","“I Told Sunset About You” (Thailand), “Signal” (Japan)","Marcus Chang (Taiwan), Sakaguchi Kentaro (Japan), “PP” Krit Amnuaydechkorn (Thailand), Amanda Manopo (Indonesia)"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["his acting in the drama"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["the Excellent Korean Drama award","an award","Grand Prize","Mini-Series Golden Bird Prize","Best Actor","Best Director","(South Korea) Serial Drama Golden Bird Prize","Mini-Series Silver Bird Prize","TV Movie Golden Bird Prize","TV Movie Silver Bird Prize","Short-Form Drama Silver Bird Prize","Best Actress","Best Screenwriter","Jury’s Special Prize","Most Popular Foreign Drama","Asian Star Prize"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October 21"]},{"role":"Location","values":["MBC’s Public Hall"]},{"role":"Award Field","values":["international drama"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"FIFA's The Best awards 2021: When it is, nominees, favourites & everything you need to know","document":"The next iteration of FIFA's The Best awards is nearing, and here's what you need to know about the ceremony & more\nFIFA's The Best awards recognise the greatest individual talents across football, with the Best Men's Player and Best Women's Players set to be honoured.\nPrevious winners of the Best awards have included Robert Lewandowski and Lucy Bronze, and attention will turn to which players will be celebrated this year.\nGoal has what you need to know about the Best awards ceremony, when it will take place, which players are nominated and more.\nThe Best awards will take place on Monday January 17, 2022.\nThe next iteration of the ceremony will be a little late, as it is usually held in October, September and December.\nLast year, the awards ceremony took place on Thursday December 17, 2020, with proceedings getting started at 6pm BST (1pm ET). It was a virtual event due to public health restrictions in place across the world.\nReturn to top\nFIFA will stream The Best awards 2021 on its various media channels, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, as well as its official website.\nReturn to top\nNominees have not yet been announced for the 2021 award.\nThe voting process will begin on Monday November 22 and end on Friday December 10, 2021.\nPlayers such as Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho are expected to be among the favourites for the award, with N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Romelu Lukaku also likely to be in the mix.\nReturn to top\nNominees have not yet been announced for the 2021 award.\nBarcelona stars Alexia Putellas and Jennifer Hermoso are considered strong contenders after a stellar season with the Catalan side.\nReturn to top\nAt each The Best awards ceremony, the FIFPro World 11 is also announced, confirming the best 'dream team' of the season.\nThe award, which is voted for by professional footballers across the world, takes into account performances between October 8, 2020 and August 7, 2021.\nPlayers from Chelsea and Manchester City have a strong claim for inclusion, as do individuals from the Italy and Argentina national teams following their respective continental successes.\n? It was a special day at @LFC's Training Centre? FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger handed over #TheBest FIFA Men's Coach trophy to Jürgen Klopp & the FIFA @FIFPRO World11 trophies to @Alissonbecker, @TrentAA, @VirgilvDijk & @Thiago6? Congrats to all! pic.twitter.com/7xyJOwivT8\n— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) Return to top\n  Return to top\nLionel Scaloni's side are the latest team to have booked their place in Qatar - here is the full list of nations who will be joining them\nGoal takes a look at the biggest transfer news and rumours from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and around the world\nThe man who brought the Netherlands international to the UK was also involved in the development of Kieran Tierney, Wilfried Zaha and Jamal Musiala","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Jürgen Klopp"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":null},{"role":"Host","values":["FIFA"]},{"role":"Award","values":["The Best awards","TheBest FIFA Men's Coach trophy"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday January 17, 2022"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["football"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Vanderbilt Hustler","document":"Light streams into the Frothy Monkey locations in The Nations. (Claire Gatlin/Hustler Staff)  Claire Gatlin, Staff WriterNovember 9, 2021\nThe Nashville Scene, an alternative weekly newspaper focusing on art, culture and events in Nashville, releases an annual “Best of Nashville” issue each October, granting awards to businesses, people and places across many different subjects. \nThere are awards for the more eccentric “Writers’ Choice” category, featuring awards like  “Best Place to Have Lunch With Your Opinionated Foodie Co-Workers” (Assembly Food Hall), “Best New High-Rise” (The Collegiate Gothic Tower on Vanderbilt’s Campus), “Best Bagel (Weekdays)” (H&S Bagel) and “Best Bagel (Weekends)” (Nicky’s Coal Fired).\nThe “Readers’ Poll” category awards recipients based on votes, including awards like “Best College Sports Team” (Vanderbilt Baseball), “Best Ice Cream” (Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams) and “Best Religious Leader” (Soccer Moses). This year—and in many years past—Frothy Monkey was deemed “Best Coffeehouse” by the readers, followed by Crema Coffee Roasters and Humphreys Street. \nTo celebrate, Frothy Monkey popped champagne on their Instagram. In a statement to The Hustler, the coffee shop expressed their gratitude for the award and for their community.\n“We are humbled and honored to have been voted Best Coffeehouse for the eighth time since 2013. Although we have grown to be much more than a typical coffeehouse, the warmth and approachability of coffee and coffee culture are always at the core of what we do,” Frothy Monkey said. “It really is our people who make us the best! Our mantra is ‘Take care of each other.’ When you are taking care of your team and your work family as well as taking care of our guests, they take care of us as well. We have felt that more than ever in the past 18 months.”\nFrothy Monkey is a favorite among Nashville locals and tourists alike, and you are sure to find it packed any day of the week full of students studying, creatives working and people chatting. (It is rumored that Harry Styles has visited the place, and if that is not enough of an enticement for you, I don’t know what is.) The coffee shop has six locations, including the original 12South location, Downtown Nashville, The Nations, East Nashville, Franklin and Chattanooga Southside. Each location has its own distinct charm while still providing Frothy Monkey’s classic charm, warmth and comfort. \nAside from a welcoming atmosphere, Frothy Monkey also offers a vast menu, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, alongside countless coffee options. Some of my favorite items are their Rosemary Honey Latte and California breakfast platter, and they even have rotating seasonal beverages to enjoy. Right now, coffee lovers can sample the Hansel & Gretel and Bourbon Butterscotch drinks, or try the Apple Orchata for a caffeine-free treat. \nThis welcoming atmosphere and enticing menu earned Frothy Monkey several other awards and recognitions including Nashville Livestyle’s Best Coffee Shop award and a place on USA Today’s list of the 10 best “iced coffee drinks for an afternoon pickup.” While this is not Frothy Monkey’s first award and it certainly will not be its last, this gesture proves that Frothy Monkey is a beloved staple for many of the people who call Nashville home. Time to go grab another latte!  Claire Gatlin ('24) is a student in Peabody College studying Human and Organizational Development, along with Political Science. She currently serves as a staff writer for the Life section and staff photographer for the Multimedia section. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, reading and rollerblading. You can reach her at claire.a.gatlin@vanderbilt.edu.\n","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Frothy Monkey"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["It really is our people who make us the best"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Best of Nashville” issue"]},{"role":"Award","values":["“Best Place to Have Lunch With Your Opinionated Foodie Co-Workers” (Assembly Food Hall), “Best New High-Rise” (The Collegiate Gothic Tower on Vanderbilt’s Campus), “Best Bagel (Weekdays)” (H&S Bagel) and “Best Bagel (Weekends)” (Nicky’s Coal Fired)","“Best Coffeehouse"]},{"role":"Date","values":["each October"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Nashville"]},{"role":"Award Field","values":["art, culture and events"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Kazakhstan’s Darezhan Omirbayev Wins Best Director Award at 34th Tokyo International Film Festival","document":"NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh director Darezhan Omirbayev won Best Director Award for his “Akyn” (“Poet”) movie at the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival, held from Oct. 30 through Nov. 8, reports Kazakhfilm press service.\nThe Tokyo International Film Festival is included in A-category film festivals, which means it is truly prestigious.  Photo credit: kazakhfilmstudios.kz\nThe Tokyo International Film Festival is considered to be one of the largest world film festivals along with Cannes, Venice and Berlin. It is also one of the two Asian festivals accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF).\nOverall, there were nine sections at the festival, and the jury was led by the French actress Isabelle Huppert, who ranked second on the New York Times list of the greatest actors of the 21st century.\nThe film, premiered at the festival, was presented among 15 other films from China, South Korea, Japan, Iran and Azerbaijan.\n“Akyn” centers around a Kazakh poet who struggles with the fear of being irrelevant and misunderstood among people, who are focused only on the development of modern technologies. The script was based on “The Author’s Evening” story by German writer Hermann Hesse.\n“We were so impressed by how vividly he expressed his creative identity in the film and by the freedom of his narrative. We were also delighted by the excellence and maturity of his reflections on the role of film and other arts in modern society. It’s a film about poetry, about how difficult it is to be a poet in a world that doesn’t appreciate this kind of art. Independent filmmakers face the same problem and so can relate. The film resonates strongly with those who care about art and the contribution it makes to our human community,” jury member Chris Fujiwara explained.\nOmirbayev could not attend the award ceremony, but he thanked the festival organizers and noted it was a victory for the entire film group. “I am very pleased there are people among the jury and audience who understood our film and honored it with such a high award. Only time may assess a work of art last – and until time is passed, we have to show our new films at such forums.”\nAs a film director, Omirbayev has made 10 films so far. Since 1988, he has worked at the Kazakhfilm studio. He was recognized at such prestigious film festivals as Locarno, Karlovy Vary, Venice and Cannes.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh director Darezhan Omirbayev"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["Akyn” (“Poet”) movie"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["Best Director Award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from Oct. 30 through Nov"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tokyo"]},{"role":"Award Field","values":["film"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Somers Isles Trading Wins Best New Store Award","document":"The Somers Isles Trading Company Ltd won the Best New Store Award on a worldwide stage in the DFNI Frontier Awards 2021.\nA spokesperson said, “Every year the Frontier Awards celebrate the very best of innovation, creativity and excellence within the global travel retail sector. The 2021 winners were announced in a live ceremony in Cannes on 27th October 2021.\n“Against extremely strong competition from six other leading brand entries including Bahrain Duty Free, CTC-ARI, Cyprus Duty Free, GMR Kannur Duty Free Services and the DFS Samarataine Paris Pont-Neuf store, who were highly commended, The Somers Isles Trading Company Ltd won the Best New Store Award for its’ Love Bermuda entry.\n“Winning in this category on a worldwide stage is all the more remarkable given that the runner up to Somers Isles was Samarataine Paris Pont-Neuf by DFS. Owned by LVMH and located in the heart of Paris, the 20,000 m2 store cost over $200MM to develop and was opened by President Macron earlier this year.\n“The Somers Isles Trading Company was awarded the retail contract in the new state-of-the art passenger terminal at the L.F. Wade International airport in Bermuda which opened in December 2020. The Somers Isles Trading Company was founded and developed by Bermuda resident, CEO and entrepreneurial owner, Rhona Sutton.\n“Ms. Sutton’s vision was to set a new standard in airport retail and to create a truly outstanding customer experience. Love Bermuda stores celebrate the colour, vibrancy and life of Bermuda in a space where the customer experience is created through a welcoming environment, lovingly designed products, friendly people and excellent service. The Love Bermuda environment reflects the beauty and ‘sense of place’ of Bermuda where all senses are stimulated, including sight, sound, taste and smell.\n“Somers Isles researched the customer profile in detail and created a carefully curated mix of products designed to appeal to visitors and local Bermudians equally. In addition to the brand story, each Love Bermuda product has its own story to tell and is designed to celebrate the history and culture of the island.\n“An enticing range of gifts and treats for women, men and children was created with uncompromising attention to detail. A bespoke champagne, wine and spirits range was hand picked by Somers Isles’ in-house connoisseur, while a carefully edited range of International brands was selected to surprise and inspire customers and reflect the ethos to offer “brands we love, brands with stories and brands with purpose.”\n“Somers Isles and Love Bermuda are proud to showcase the ranges of many local Bermudian brand owners and artisans, several of whom have never had a presence at the airport. Their stories are told in the iconic Moongate [the symbol of good fortune and love] created to provide a prominent feature for their brands.\n“Ms. Sutton’s talented design and product development teams in London and New York work closely with a customer focussed Bermuda based team to support the realisation of the vision.\n“While the onset of Covid-19 significantly impacted the numbers of flights and passengers, customer response to Love Bermuda shops and product ranges has been extremely positive. The key measure of conversion [numbers of customers buying] and average spend per customer have significantly exceeded expectations and industry benchmarks.”\nRhona Sutton, Founder & CEO of The Somers Isles Trading Company Limited says: “Our vision was to set a new standard in airport retail by offering an elevated, curated and memorable experience designed for travellers to and from the beautiful island of Bermuda. The Love Bermuda brand was developed especially for Bermuda and to blend the best of the local brands and artisan creativity.\n“I am delighted that we have won this incredible award so soon after opening our stores in December 2020. To do so against such strong competition especially the LVMH owned DFS Samarataine store in Paris is really quite overwhelming. I’m sure that the worldwide recognition from our win will contribute to raising the profile of Bermuda as a wonderful travel destination.\n“I am delighted that in being recognised with this award, I am also able to thank Skyport for the opportunity and for believing in us and the capability of our teams in Bermuda, London and New York to deliver on our vision.\n“As an entrepreneur and business founder, I’m thrilled to collaborate with so many Bermudian business owners and to champion the locally designed and produced brands. Through this exciting and challenging project, I’ve learnt more than ever the importance of believing in our vision and our ability to deliver.\n“Knowing that I have a supportive and committed team and brand partners and businesses both in Bermuda and Internationally is vital to me. I am extremely grateful and want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who are on this journey with us, especially those who have been on board from the beginning”.\nAaron Adderley, Skyport President says: “We selected The Somers Isles Trading Company as our retail concessionaire for Bermuda’s new terminal because of the bespoke and innovative proposal created by Rhona Sutton and her team.\n“We were thrilled to open the retail and duty free shops almost a year ago as they offer our passengers luxurious, quality items and many unique options from Bermudian artisans. This award is well deserved and we could not be happier for the Somers Isles Trading Company team. Love Bermuda truly takes the concept of Travel Retail to a new level.”","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["The Somers Isles Trading Company Ltd"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["Love Bermuda entry"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["the Best New Store Award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["27th October 2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Cannes"]},{"role":"Award Field","values":["global travel retail sector"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Amitabh Reza Chowdhury-directed film Rickshaw Girl won the top prize at the Schlingel International Film Festival 2021 held in Germany","document":"Cultural Correspondent  | \t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t  \t\t\tPublished: 20:32, Oct 18,2021\t                        \t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t\t | Updated: 21:48, Oct 18,2021\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe poster of Amitabh Reza Chowdhury-directed film Rickshaw Girl. -- New Age photo\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\nAmitabh Reza Chowdhury-directed film Rickshaw Girl won the top prize at the Schlingel International Film Festival 2021 held in Germany, said a press release.\nThe film won the SLM Top Award in the Junior Film category at the festival, which was held from October 9 to October 16.\nThe festival featured 77 feature films and 116 short films.\nRickshaw Girl revolves around Naima, a painter of traditional motifs, and her struggles. It is based on Mitali Perkins’ 2007 best-selling novel Rickshaw Girl, which was chosen by New York Public Library as one of the 100 best children’s books in the past 100 years.\nBangladesh-born American writer Sharbari Z Ahmed, who has earned plaudits as a screenwriter for ABC’s TV show ‘Quantico,’ has written the screenplay for the film.\nRickshaw Girl is Reza’s second feature film, which stars Novera Rahman, Naresh Bhuiyan, Allen Shubhro Gomes, Momena Chowdhury, Champa and others.\nEarlier, Rickshaw Girl had been selected for the Mill Valley Film Festival in the United States and the Durban International Film Festival.\nMore about:\nSign up to exclusive daily email\nAdvertisement\n  Opu breaks silence over marrying Shakib\n  Shakib Khan banned for life\n  I want to be a serious actor: Ziaul Roshan\n  Shaon sues Bunty under sec 57\n  Aynabaji: Some flaws but fabulous overall!\n  It is our responsibility to make films on Liberation War: Bhabna\n  Tanvir Mokammel, Morshedul Islam awarded lifetime honour\n  Rehana Maryam Noor hits local cinemas\n  Rehana Maryam Noor bags 2 APSA awards\n  Nonajoler Kabbo screened at COP26","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["directed film Rickshaw Girl"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":null},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["the SLM Top Award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from October 9 to October 16"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Germany"]},{"role":"Award Field","values":["Junior Film"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Afghan athlete Ghulam Murtaza Saleh won a taekwondo gold medal after six victories in Pakistan’s G-1 Taekwondo Championship 2021.","document":"Afghan athlete Ghulam Murtaza Saleh won a taekwondo gold medal after six victories in Pakistan’s G-1 Taekwondo Championship 2021.\nSaleh defeated four of his Pakistani rivals, one Albanian and an Egyptian athlete to earn the gold medal in the competition.\nAfter his second victory Saleh continued with injuries to his leg and succeeded in winning the top prize. \nThe Pakistan’s G-1 Taekwondo championship was attended by representatives from 15 countries with a total of 422 athletes.\nPakistan’s taekwondo federation hosted this championship in Islamabad city.\nThe Pakistan’s G-1 Taekwondo championship was attended by representatives from 15 countries with a total of 422 athletes.\nAfghan athlete Ghulam Murtaza Saleh won a taekwondo gold medal after six victories in Pakistan’s G-1 Taekwondo Championship 2021.\nSaleh defeated four of his Pakistani rivals, one Albanian and an Egyptian athlete to earn the gold medal in the competition.\nAfter his second victory Saleh continued with injuries to his leg and succeeded in winning the top prize. \nThe Pakistan’s G-1 Taekwondo championship was attended by representatives from 15 countries with a total of 422 athletes.\nPakistan’s taekwondo federation hosted this championship in Islamabad city.\nMeanwhile, Kabul residents believe that people are suffering from so many problems in Kabul and electricity’s shortage will increase the…\n       Herat and Ghor are two provinces in western Afghanistan where girls are allowed to attend secondary and high school.  \nThe talks appeared to yield no immediate outcomes, but gave the two leaders opportunity to nudge their relations away from icy…","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Afghan athlete Ghulam Murtaza Saleh"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":null},{"role":"Host","values":["Pakistan’s taekwondo federation"]},{"role":"Award","values":["a taekwondo gold medal"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Islamabad city"]},{"role":"Award Field","values":["Taekwondo"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Marie Curie is still remembered with great respect among the world's greatest scientists.","document":"Marie Curie is still remembered with great respect among the world's greatest scientists. She did not even care for her life for science and continued to experiment with radioactivity after it became a dangerous form after it was discovered, and regardless of her life, she is the only woman in the world to have been awarded the Nobel Prize twice. But she is called more for serving an excellent personality and humanity. She is still remembered on her birthday on November 7. Their radioactive discoveries are said to be the basis of modern science.\nWork Mass: Madam Curie preferred to work in the Age Lab and spent most of her time in the lab.  Not only that, but she also spends her life around studies. She also worked as a governing worker in the early days and studied tuition because of her interest in studies. Between studies and even after that she faced economic challenges in life. In Paris, she had so few clothes that she wore all her clothes in winter to escape the cold. Yet her highest expenditure was on experiments.\nNobel Prize records: Madam Curie also holds many unique records about the Nobel Prize that no one has ever broken. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. Even today, she is the only woman to have won two Nobel Prizes and won Nobel prizes in two different fields.  In 1955, her daughter Irene also won the Nobel Prize. She is thus the only woman whose children won the Nobel Prize. Not many people know that Madam Curie won the first Nobel with her husband.\nTwo special discoveries: Madam Curie discovered two new elements Polonium and Radium. After receiving the Nobel Prize in the purification of radium in 2011, she devoted her time to the development of X-ray radiography during World War I. After which she devoted a lot of her time to the use of radioactivity in the medical field.\nRaima Sen turned 42, still a virgin\nBipin Chandra Pal, the father of revolutionary ideas\nChandrashekhar Venkataraman made India famous in the world of science\nNews Track is a leading provider of news, information and entertainment across broadcast television, mobile platforms, digital media and Print media serving consumers and advertisers in strong local markets, primarily in the Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh states. The company's operations include India's First ON WHEEL NEWS CHANNEL, News Paper, Event Management, and Marketing and their associated digital and mobile media services.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Marie Curie","her daughter Irene"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["Two special discoveries: Madam Curie discovered two new elements Polonium and Radium"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["the Nobel Prize"]},{"role":"Date","values":["In 1955"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Socionext America wins Best of Sensors 2021 Award for its SC123X Series radar sensors","document":" Hungry to solve your latest design roadblock? Register for Sensors Innovation Week: Winter Edition This free virtual event, taking place this December 13-15, will cover the latest applications and trends across sensors, IoT, connectivity, and electronic devices to enable you to conquer your latest design challenges - register now!\nSensors Converge and Fierce Electronics presented the Best of Sensors Awards at the Sensors 2021 Conference and Expo on September 23\nThe 2021 Best of Sensors Award in the embedded technologies category went to Socionext America for their SC123x Series all-in-one 24GHz radio-controlled FMCW radar sensors.\n\"Socionext is honored to be nominated by Sensors Converge for our 24GHz radar sensing technology in the 2021 Best of Sensors Awards embedded technology category,\" said Teruaki Hasegawa, head of Socionext's IoT & radar sensing unit. \"Radar sensors enable a wide variety of applications for monitoring, process control, and human safety. The company is committed to the advancement of sensing technology for improving people's lives in many ways.\"\nThe SC123x series of sensors features wide area detection (30 feet range with a 120-degree field of view), compact form factor (9 x 9 x 1 mm footprint), and ultra-low power operation (0.5mW average power consumption). They combine a high level of integration into a single integrated circuit, and their full CMOS-based semiconductor design helps lower manufacturing costs and reduce power consumption.\nThe SC123x series was designed for use in advanced smart home devices. Some of its applications include video doorbells, video conference systems, security cameras, air quality monitors, lighting, dash cams, appliances, home electronics, and more.\nRadar has many advantages over traditional sensing technologies. Consider the video doorbell devices that are starting to become popular. The SC123x series allows users to set up a distance threshold to monitor people and objects entering or exiting the area in front of the video doorbell. The SC123x series 24GHz radar sensor can detect objects within a 120-degree field of view and a range of up to 30 feet.\nThe SC123x sensor can determine the detailed distance of an object in its field of view and track both its distance and movement in real-time. Once the object has passed the distance threshold, the smart device can use the information provided by the radar to trigger an alert for the homeowner as well as trigger the built-in camera to start recording video.\nDesign kits are now available for both the 24GHz and 60GHz sensing units. The evaluation kits come with the necessary USB cable, sensor code library, GUI-based evaluation software, the evaluation software operation manual, API specifications, and sample source code for the API.\nSocionext was founded in 2015 from the system IC organizations of Fujitsu and Panasonic and is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. The company combines world-class expertise, decades of experience, and the resources of two successful companies with a proven track record in the electronics industry. Socionext is a leading supplier of standard and customizable SoC solutions for industrial, consumer, and automotive markets. Socionext America is the company's U.S. branch headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is one of the world's leading fabless ASIC suppliers.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Socionext America"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["their SC123x Series all-in-one 24GHz radio-controlled FMCW radar sensors"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Sensors Converge and Fierce Electronics"]},{"role":"Award","values":["the Best of Sensors Awards"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 13-15","September 23"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"ClearOne BMA 360 Beamforming Microphone Array Wins 2021 AV Technology Magazine InfoComm Best in Market Award","document":"The world’s most technologically advanced beamforming microphone array ceiling tile celebrates its fifth industry accolade since its groundbreaking introduction in October 2020\nA dramatically new approach to precision beamforming achieves distortion-free, full 360-degree coverage of any room shape and seating arrangement using ClearOne Audio Intelligence. (Photo: Business Wire)\nSALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ClearOne (NASDAQ: CLRO), a leading global provider of audio and visual communications solutions, today announced that for the second time in two weeks, the ClearOne BMA 360 with Voice Lift and Camera Tracking technology has been recognized by industry consultants and integrators for product innovation. The innovative beamforming array ceiling tile microphone has been awarded a 2021 AV Technology Magazine InfoComm Best in Market Award.\n“We are honored and thrilled to be recognized by AV Technology”\nThe AV Technology InfoComm Best in Market Awards honor outstanding products launched in 2021 by manufacturers of professional AV products and solutions who did not exhibit at InfoComm 2021. Winners were selected by a panel of judges and editors who reviewed nominations and chose the winners on a point score against a range of criteria as determined by the editor of AV Technology.\n“We are honored and thrilled to be recognized by AV Technology,” said ClearOne Chair & CEO Zee Hakimoglu. “Throughout the past two years, we have seen the style of meetings and conferences take many different forms – from fully remote to a hybrid combination, and now even in-person once again. We developed the BMA 360 to offer an innovative audio solution that meets all remote, hybrid and in-person needs, enabling better meetings in practically all situations.”\nThis accolade is the BMA 360’s fifth industry award since its trailblazing launch last fall – having already received the 2020 Sound & Video Contractor Magazine Innovation Product Award, 2021 TNT (Top New Technology) Award, TMC 2021 Communications Solutions Product of the Year Award, and 2021 SCN Product Installation Award.\nThe BMA 360 is the world’s most technologically advanced beamforming microphone array ceiling tile with Voice Lift capability delivering unrivaled audio performance and deployment ease. It’s the industry’s only ultra-wideband, frequency invariant beamforming mic array with uniform gain response across all frequency bands. With FiBeam™ technology, conference participants experience natural and full-fidelity audio across all beams and within a single beam. And with the BMA 360’s deep sidelobe beamforming, DsBeam™, unparalleled sidelobe depth below -40 dB, results in superior rejection of reverb and noise in difficult spaces for superb clarity and intelligibility.\nFurther advancements in adaptive steering enable the BMA 360’s impeccable coverage of each conference participant as well as support for Camera Tracking and Voice Lift. For Voice Lift applications, the combination of ClearOne’s beamforming plus feedback cancellation technologies provide up to a 20 dB boost in gain before feedback compared to an omni mic.\nIn addition to the advancements in beamforming technology, the BMA 360’s 6G Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) delivers unmatched per-beam full-duplex audio performance. On-board audio algorithms, like noise reduction, filtering, and Automatic Level Control, eliminate the need for per-beam processing in a DSP mixer - requiring fewer DSP mixer resources. Robust built-in amplifiers, configurable as 4 x 15 Watt or 2 x 30 Watt, provide flexibility for driving loudspeakers. ClearOne’s breakthrough technologies, FiBeam, DsBeam, and 6G AEC combine to create VividVoice™, a significant advancement for professional conferencing.\nAV Practitioners benefit from the ClearOne architecture, which makes installation foolproof, and setup and configuration a breeze. End users benefit from the reduced overall system cost for maximum ROI and unbeatable audio.\nThe BMA 360 sets another industry standard for exceptional mic pickup distance and system gain.\nLearn more about the BMA 360 here.\nAbout ClearOne\nClearOne is a global market leader enabling conferencing, collaboration, and network streaming solutions. The performance and simplicity of its advanced, comprehensive solutions offer unprecedented levels of functionality, reliability, and scalability. Visit ClearOne at www.clearone.com.\nBob Griffin\nGriffin360\n+1 212 481 3456 x16\nbob@griffin360.com\nClearOne BMA 360 Beamforming Microphone Array Wins 2021 AV Technology Magazine InfoComm Best in Market Award","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["The innovative beamforming array ceiling tile microphone"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["been recognized by industry consultants and integrators for product innovation"]},{"role":"Host","values":["AV Technology Magazine"]},{"role":"Award","values":["a 2021 AV Technology Magazine InfoComm Best in Market Award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["outstanding products launched in 2021 by manufacturers of professional AV products and solutions who did not exhibit at InfoComm 2021"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"UT Austin Ranked Best Texas School for Veterans, Wins Gold Award from Texas Veterans Commission","document":"AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin is the No. 1 school for veterans in Texas, according to U.S. News & World Report, and was recently honored with a gold medal designation from the Texas Veterans Commission.\nEstablished by the State of Texas, the Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Gold Award recognizes universities that provide excellence in education and related services that significantly contribute to the academic success of student veterans and military-connected students.\nThe U.S. News veterans ranking is a subcategory of the publication’s overall national undergraduate rankings, which placed UT Austin at No. 10 among all U.S. public universities. In the veterans subcategory, UT Austin ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 16 among all U.S. universities.\n“Providing world-class teaching and mentoring resources to veterans is a top priority and point of pride at The University of Texas,” said UT Austin President Jay Hartzell. “Both of these recognitions underscore our continued commitment to supporting our student veterans and their families.”\nThe university is home to more than 475 military veterans, and nearly 1,300 students are spouses or children of current or former military members. The university supports these students through a variety of programs including veteran education benefits support, veteran-centered academic support, career services, health care resources, a dedicated veteran/military space on campus, and a full-time staff dedicated to our veteran and military-affiliated students.\n“Our veterans are exceptional leaders, students and assets to the university,” said Jeremiah Gunderson, retired staff sergeant and director of Student Veteran Services. “The needs of student veterans are diverse, so our goal is always to serve them through a holistic approach that supports both their academic and personal goals.”\nThe university’s support of military personnel and veterans is evident across campus, with a long history and wide range of institutes and research initiatives that support military objectives and technological innovation. Most notably, UT Austin’s partnership with the Army Futures Command has established the university as a hub for research dedicated to modernizing the U.S. Army. Additionally, UT Austin recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Space Force to provide advanced research and workforce development.\nThe Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness collaborates with veteran and family service organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to develop solutions to address military service-related trauma and the challenges of transitioning from military to civilian life. It also provides service-learning opportunities to student veterans seeking careers in military medicine and military social work.\n“The University of Texas has long been a world-class destination and partner for our nation’s military, veterans and their families — a fact that is further confirmed by our recent No. 1 ranking and gold award,” said Joseph Kopser, special adviser for military leadership and strategy policy at UT. “Our commitment is displayed every day by researchers, faculty and staff who work tirelessly to support strategic military objectives and improve the lives of those who have served.”\nSituated in the heart of the state’s capital and with access to a booming culture of innovation in Austin, the university is uniquely positioned to offer strategic support, groundbreaking research and job opportunities to the military community and veterans. Austin was recently named the No. 5 city in the nation for veterans by U.S. News & World Report.\nBoth the U.S. News & World Report ranking and the TVC Gold Award come as UT Austin is increasingly recognized as a top school for veterans nationally. The university was recently named the best school for veterans in Texas and No. 6 nationally by career website Zippia.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["The University of Texas","the Texas Veterans Commission"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["provide excellence in education and related services that significantly contribute to the academic success of student veterans and military-connected students"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["a gold medal designation"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Max Fried Wins Second Consecutive Gold Glove Award, for Best Defensive Pitcher","document":"The Jewish star pitcher won his second straight Gold Glove Award, given to the best defensive player at each position in each league, on Sunday night, five days after he pitched the Atlanta Braves to the franchise’s first World Series championship in 26 years.\nThe 27-year-old left-hander beat out fellow finalists Zach Davies of the Chicago Cubs and Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies for the award.\nSince he became a full-time starter in 2019, Fried leads all big-league pitchers with 16 defensive runs saved, a metric that measures the number of runs a player saves or costs his team compared to an average player. He led all National League pitchers with 6 DRS in 2021.\nFried has also gained a reputation for his strong pickoff move — which involves throwing to a base to catch a player with a long lead. He ranked second in the NL with six pickoffs in 2021.\nMax Fried's pickoff move caught him leaning. pic.twitter.com/YqTK9PP24K\n— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) June 12, 2021\nFried joins Atlanta Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Phil Niekro as the only Braves pitchers to win multiple Gold Glove Awards. Maddux is the all-time MLB Gold Glove leader with 18, including 10 consecutive wins as a member of the Braves. Niekro, known for his legendary knuckleball, won five.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Fried","The Jewish star pitcher"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["given to the best defensive player at each position in each league"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["second straight Gold Glove Award"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Chris Stapleton takes 6 at CMA Awards, Combs wins top prize","document":"NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chris Stapleton was the big winner with six trophies including song and album of the year and Luke Combs claimed the biggest prize with entertainer of the year at the Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday night.\nStapleton won song and single of the year for “Starting Over” and album of the year for his record of the same name. He walked away with two more trophies as a producer on the single and album. He then won male vocalist of the year for the fifth time and it appeared he would sweep the night before Combs swooped in and kept it from becoming a coronation. “I don’t deserve to win it,” an emotional Combs said as he accepted the entertainer of the year trophy from Alan Jackson, “but I’m sure as hell glad that I did.” At times it seemed Stapleton, who also performed twice, was on the stage all night.\n“Man, amazing,” the soft-spoken singer with the long beard, never one for speeches, said after he won his last award. “I’m running out of words. He came into the night the top nominee along with Eric Church, who was shut out. Along with Stapleton and Church, Combs beat out Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who opened the ABC telecast with a medley of her hits, including “Kerosene,” “Mama’s Broken Heart” and “Gunpowder & Lead.”\nIt was a night of big emotions for many winners. The Brothers Osborne won vocal duo of the year for the fourth time. Lead singer T.J. Osborne, who came out as gay this year, appeared to be holding back tears as he accepted. “It’s been a roller coaster of a year, especially for me emotionally, and for you all to support me, it’s been incredible,” he said from the stage. Allen was openly tearful as he became the second Black performer to win new artist of the year. “I want to thank my father who’s no longer with us for introducing me to country music,” Allen said. He recalled spending the last of his money to be able to see pioneering Black country artist Charley Pride at the CMAs in 2016, then getting to perform with Pride on last year’s show. Pride died of COVID-19 a month later. Darius Rucker in 2009 was the first Black artist to win the award.\nOld Dominion won vocal group of the year for the fourth-straight time. Carly Pearce wept as she won female vocalist of the year for the first time.\nPearce, competing in an all-female category, was the only woman to take the stage and claim an award during the ceremony, now in its 55th year. Gabby Barrett was the night’s most nominated woman with four nods, but the “American Idol” alum was shut out. The ceremony represented a return to normal for the show. It was back in front of an audience at its usual home, the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, after last year’s ceremony was held at a crowd-free Music City Center because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n“We’re following all the health protocols to keep everyone safe,” host Luke Bryan said during his opening monologue. “And we’re all vaccinated,” he said, “or not,” asking the awkwardly laughing audience, “anyone?” Moments later he was joined on stage by his “American Idol” co-hosts Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, who sneaked up on him from behind. “I have hosted other awards shows,” Bryan told his “Idol” co-hosts, pretending to be surprised. “I can handle this myself.” Perry answered, “Yeah, we’ve seen them, that’s why we’re here.”\nThey then helped him present the first award to Stapleton. The CMAs are always heavy on performances and this year was no exception, with more songs than awards. Church was surrounded by flames on the stage as he belted out “Heart on Fire.” Pearce and Ashley McBryde then took the stage for a duet of “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.” Underwood and Jason Aldean dueted on their current hit “If I Didn’t Love You” and real-life friends Kane Brown and Chris Young will sang their hit duet “Famous Friends,” which was nominated in three categories but failed to take an award. In winning album of the year, Stapleton beat nominees including Morgan Wallen, who was caught earlier this year yelling a racial slur. The CMA Board of Directors disqualified Wallen from individual awards, but he could still win for his work.\nWallen, who was not in attendance, got the biggest cheer by far of all the album nominees from the arena crowd. Had he won, it would have come during a show that featured diversity and inclusiveness in country music.\nIn addition to the speeches by Allen and Osborne, who also brought up his sexuality during the duo’s performance, Stapleton joined Jennifer Hudson to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin and the country songs she recorded with a rousing, gospel-style rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Night Life.” And Mickey Guyton was joined by Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards for her anthem of Black self-acceptance, “Love My Hair.” ___","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chris Stapleton","Luke Combs"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["Stapleton won song and single of the year for “Starting Over” and album of the year for his record of the same name"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["six trophies including song and album of the year"]},{"role":"Date","values":["on Wednesday night"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["Music"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"This Spanish Cheese Was Just Named 'World's Best'","document":"Our planet has a new best cheese — at least according to the 33rd World Cheese Awards held as part of this week's ongoing International Cheese Festival taking place in Oviedo, Spain.\nOlavidia, a soft goat's cheese from the Spanish producer Quesos y Besos (Cheeses and Kisses), topped the list of 4,079 entries from 45 countries to claim the coveted title of \"best cheese in the world\" which hasn't been awarded since 2019 due to COVID-19.\n\"We are a small humble cheesemaker in Jaen,\" Silvia Pelaez, head cheesmaker of the six-employee company officially called Lacteos Romero Pelaez, said according to CNN. Jean is located in Spain about 500 miles south of where the awards took place.\n\"We've been making cheese for less than five years, so we never imagined we could win the world's biggest prize in cheese so soon,\" she said after the victory. \"Everything we do is inspired by our love for our family, including the name of the business itself, Quesos y Besos, so this is such a special moment for us. We've made it our mission to encapsulate the essence of our family in all of our cheeses, so to have such recognition from the World Cheese Awards judges is an incredible achievement and truly overwhelming.\"\nOlavidia takes the torch from Rogue River Blue which was the first American cheese to claim the title when the awards were last held in Bergamo, Italy in 2019.\nAs for this year's winner, British judge Jason Hinds billed the goat's cheese — which was produced in 2017 — as \"unlike anything I've seen before.\" He continued, \"Its appearance is so original and it didn't let me down. It's unctuous, seductive, pillowy, warm and comforting.\" Organizers explained that the cheese was \"matured with Penicillium Candidum and a layer of olive stone ash running through its middle,\" explaining the product's distinct black stripe.\nAnd if you don't think a cheese competition can be exciting, CNN explains otherwise: This event had a dramatic finish. For the final round of judging, 16 judges are all assigned a single cheese to support. After presenting that cheese's attributes, all 16 judges then taste it and then raise a card showing their score from one to ten. These votes happen one at a time, and Olavidia was the final cheese to be discussed. Its 103 points made for a last-minute victory, surprising the previous leader (and therefore second-place cheese) Fromagerie Berthaut, a soft French cheese washed with the spirit Marc de Bourgogne that received 98 points.\n\"As the World Cheese Awards was founded over three decades ago to showcase the work of small artisan cheesemakers, it gives me immense pleasure to see a tiny family-run cheesemaking business taking top honors once again,\" John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organizers of the World Cheese Awards, stated. \"It's an incredible feat to stand out in a field of over 4,000 cheeses from every corner of the world, but Quesos y Besos' Olavidia clearly had everything; delivering an exceptional appearance, aroma, texture and flavor, along with bags of originality.\"","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Olavidia, a soft goat's cheese from the Spanish producer Quesos y Besos (Cheeses and Kisses"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["Quesos y Besos' Olavidia clearly had everything; delivering an exceptional appearance, aroma, texture and flavor, along with bags of originality"]},{"role":"Host","values":["John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organizers of the World Cheese Awards"]},{"role":"Award","values":["the 33rd World Cheese Awards"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Oviedo, Spain"]},{"role":"Award Field","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Lionel Messi nominated for IFFHS Men's World Best Playmaker 2021 award","document":"Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain superstar, Lionel Messi is widely considered as the greatest player in the history of the sport, with the striker winning numerous professional and individual honours during his career so far, including a record six Ballon d'Or awards.\nMessi is on the verge of winning another honour as the striker has been nominated for the IFFHS Men’s World Best Playmaker 2021 award, joining the likes of Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric and Barcelona midfielder Pedri in the shortlist for the award.\nThis is not the first time that the 34-year-old has been nominated for the honour as he has won the award four times so far in his career. However, he has not had the best of times this year for the French giants, failing to register an assist for his new club following his move as he has not played much as a playmaker.\nLeo Messi is nominated for the Best Playmaker in the world for 2021, presented by the International Federation of History and Statistics (IFFHS). ?? pic.twitter.com/L9WdYeR0cc\nThe Argentinian icon did have notable success in this area of play with Barcelona last season and in the 2021 Copa America tournament with Argentina and it will be interesting to see whether he picks up his fifth such honour.\nIFFHS Men's World Best Playmaker 2021 - List of candidates 1) Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona/PSG)  2) Pedri (Spain, Barcelona)3) Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium, Manchester City) 4) Luka Modric (Croatia, Real Madrid) 5) Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark, Tottenham Hotspur)6) Mason Mount (England, Chelsea)7) Sergio Oliveira (Portugal, Porto) 8) Bruno Fernandes (Portugal, Manchester United)","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":null},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":null},{"role":"Host","values":["the International Federation of History and Statistics (IFFHS"]},{"role":"Award","values":["the IFFHS Men’s World Best Playmaker 2021 award"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["sport"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"‘Best Biotech’ Prix Galien USA Awarded to GBT’s Oxbryta","document":"Oxbryta (voxelotor), Global Blood Therapeutics’ first-in-class oral therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD), has won the 2021 Prix Galien USA Award for best biotechnology product.\nThe award is among the health industry’s most prestigious honors, and recognizes an outstanding product that has improved patient well-being and impacted human health.\nProven to stop the sickling and destruction of red blood cells in SCD, Oxbryta was selected from a pool of 19 candidates by a panel of 12 academia and industry members — which includes five Nobel Prize winners.\n“The Prix Galien Foundation’s recognition of Oxbryta is a testament to the importance of this innovation for a patient community that has suffered from limited treatment options for far too long,” Ted W. Love, MD, president and CEO of Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT), said in a press release.\n“With the potential to modify the course of this disease, we are proud that Oxbryta is able to help many people with SCD today and in the future,” Love said.\nOxbryta previously had been awarded industry honors, including the 2020 National Organization for Rare Disease (NORD) Rare Impact Award for Industry Innovation and the 2020 National Xconomy Award for Breakthrough Drug of the Year.\nIt is the first approved therapy that directly suppresses the underlying biological mechanism of SCD, which is caused by mutations in the HBB gene that encodes hemoglobin. This protein carries oxygen in red blood cells, and when mutated, tends to form clumps, or polymerize, leading to the sickling and destruction of red blood cells.\nThe sickling process results in hemolytic anemia — low hemoglobin levels due to red blood cell destruction — that compromises oxygen transport and delivery to tissues and organs throughout the body. By blocking hemoglobin polymerization, Oxbryta improves oxygen delivery throughout the body and potentially modifies the course of SCD, according to the company.\nIn 2019, the therapy received accelerated approval in the U.S. to treat SCD patients ages 12 and older. As a condition of this approval, GBT is currently evaluating Oxbryta’s ability to lower stroke risk in up to 224 SCD children, ages 2–15, in the placebo-controlled Phase 3 HOPE-KIDS 2 study (NCT04218084).\nDue to the critical need for SCD treatments, Oxbryta has received various designations in the U.S. that supported and accelerated its development. These included breakthrough therapy, fast track, orphan drug, and rare pediatric disease designations. The therapy also has been granted promising innovative medicine designation in the U.K., and has been named an orphan drug and a priority medicine in Europe.\nThe European Medicines Agency is currently reviewing GBT’s application, which seeks full marketing approval of Oxbryta in Europe for SCD patients, ages 12 and older.\nIn the U.S., GBT also is asking regulators to expand the therapy’s use to treat SCD in children as young as 4. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing the company’s request under priority review. A decision is expected no later than Dec. 25.\n“Receiving the prestigious Prix Galien Award is a tremendous honor,” Love said of the award. “We are grateful to all the patients, their families, and physicians, as well as the entire GBT team for their tireless dedication in making this recognition possible.”\nGet regular updates to your inbox.\n3 W Garden St\nSuite 700\nPensacola, FL 32502\nWebsite: bionews.com\nEmail: info@bionews.com\nPhone: 1-800-936-1363\nThis site is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Oxbryta (voxelotor), Global Blood Therapeutics’ first-in-class oral therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD)"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["Proven to stop the sickling and destruction of red blood cells in SCD"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["2021 Prix Galien USA Award for best biotechnology product"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["the health industry’s"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The best cruises of 2022, according to U.S. News & World Report","document":"U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday published its ranking of the “best” cruise lines of 2022.\nThe publication evaluated 17 cruise lines through a combination of expert evaluations (30%), traveler reviews (50%) and health ratings published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program (20%).\nScores were then analyzed by category to determine winners, ranked highest to lowest, in six areas.\nThe 2022 rankings for best valued cruises are:  \nHere, average daily rates accounted for 60% of scores, while expert, traveler and health ratings accounted for the other 40%. Cruise lines with average daily rates of $300 or more did not qualify for this category.\nCelebrity Cruises was named the best cruise for the money. It’s part of the Royal Caribbean Group, which also operates Royal Caribbean International, which took home a “Silver Award” in this category.\nWi-Fi, tips and drinks — like cocktails, wine and specialty coffees — are included in most Celebrity cruise bookings, however the cheapest rates can be purchased without them. Right now, a four-day cruise from Miami to the Bahamas is around $440 per person, including taxes, for an inside state room.\nAlso on the list: Princess Cruises (No. 6), Costa Cruises (No. 7) and MSC Cruises (No. 8).\nSmaller cruise lines — with ships that fit hundreds rather than thousands of guests — dominated U.S. News’ luxury rankings list.\nViking, a cruise line based in Basel, Switzerland, is no stranger to accolades. It topped U.S. News’ luxury list last year too — despite Chairman Torstein Hagen indicating he isn’t a fan of the word.\n“I have outlawed the use of the word ‘luxury’ … I think we are elegant, we are … understated and hopefully timeless,” he said at a naming celebration for seven new river boats in March 2019, according to cruising website QuirkyCruise.com.\nAlso on the list: Silversea Cruises (No. 6) and Oceania Cruises (No. 7).\nAwards for the best cruises for those traveling in twos are:  \nViking dominates this category due to its “adult-focused environment and luxurious and romantic amenities, such as fireplaces in each ship’s common area and private verandas in every stateroom,” according to a U.S. News & World Report’s press release.  \nTo qualify for this category, at least 62% of a cruise line’s online traveler reviews must be made by couples.\nMost luxury cruise lines allow kids, though they often don’t cater to them the way the larger lines do. Viking, however, doesn’t allow children at all. \nThe company previously welcomed kids aged 12 and older to cruise, but as of 2018, all guests must be 18 or older to board.\nAlso on the list: Celebrity Cruises (No. 6), Oceania Cruises (No. 7), Silversea Cruises (No. 8), Cunard Line (No. 9) and Holland America Line (No. 10).\nThe top-ranking cruises for families for 2022 are:\nDisney dominates the family cruise category, as it has every year since U.S. News started ranking cruises in 2013.  \nThe company has five ships: Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy and its latest, Disney Wish, which is scheduled to launch in summer 2022. The ship is also set to introduce Disney’s first “attraction at sea” — 760 feet of water slide tubes with Mickey Mouse-themed music, lighting and special effects.\nAlso on the list: Costa Cruises (No. 6).\nIt’s a clean sweep for Disney in this category too. Disney has been named the top cruise line in the Caribbean for the past eight years, according to U.S. News & World Report.\nLiving up to its name, the Miami-based Celebrity Cruises partners with well-known names in the arts and entertainment industry. It’s newest ship, Celebrity Beyond, has Gwyneth Paltrow as its “wellbeing advisor” and a restaurant created by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud, according to its website.  \nAlso on this list: Regent Seven Seas Cruises (No. 6), Holland America Line (No. 7), Carnival Cruise Line (No. 8), Norwegian Cruise Line (No. 9), Oceania Cruises (No. 10), Princess Cruises (No. 11) and MSC Cruises (No. 12).\nWith another win, Viking tops three of U.S. News’ six categories, this time for its presence in the Mediterranean. In every instance, it is followed by Seattle-based Seabourn Cruise Line, Carnival Corporation’s ultra-luxury brand.\nSeabourn has five ships, which hold between 450-600 passengers and cruise to more than 400 destinations. As part of a multi-year agreement, the cruise line has contributed more than $1.5 million to support UNESCO, which grants its guests “unique access” to more than 170 World Heritage Sites, according to its website.   \nAlso on the list: Oceania Cruises (No. 6), Crystal Cruises (No. 7), Costa Cruises (No. 8), MSC Cruises (No. 9), Silversea Cruises (No. 10), Holland America Line (No. 11), Norwegian Cruise Line (No. 12), Princess Cruises (No. 12), Royal Caribbean International (No. 13) and Cunard Line (No. 14).\nThough mass Covid-19 outbreaks early in the pandemic exposed health concerns surrounding cruising, a new survey indicates travelers may not abandon ship travel after all.  \nBefore the pandemic, 2% of prior cruisers said they wouldn’t cruise again, while as of August 2021, 4% said the same, according to an ongoing survey conducted by U.S. News & Report.\nThe pandemic hasn’t scared off non-cruisers either. Pre-pandemic, 62% of people who had never cruised indicated they wanted to try it. Now, 61% of people say the same.\nSentiments may be softening with time too. Before the pandemic, about 10% of people that had never cruised said they “never” would. According to the survey, this number rose to 17% in June 2021, but fell to 14% by August.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":null},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":null},{"role":"Host","values":["U.S. News & World Report"]},{"role":"Award","values":["Celebrity Cruises","Silver Award"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["cruise lines"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"3D-printed furniture & transformable lights win 2021 DDP best design award","document":"from bespoke furniture made using 3D-printing to flexible home office lighting, the 2021 DDP best design award recognizes seven best products from south korean collaborations that prompt healthier lifestyle changes. the winners were selected by seoul design foundation and city mayor oh se-hoon from a total of 162 candidates. each presenting new, innovative ideas, the designs were created through the union of the country’s most creative-minded designers and the manufacturing abilities of small businesses.\nall images courtesy of DDP design fair\nthe 2021 DDP best design award is one of the main programs of the annual DDP design fair, now in its third edition. held from 19-25 october at the DDP art hall 1, the occasion not only unites creatives and manufacturers through the literal exhibitions but also design enthusiasts attending and being inspired by the showcase. the platform is an opportunity for designers to realize ideas whilst enabling small business owners to increase the value of their products; creative thinkers are paired with manufacturing and business possibilities. the seoul metropolitan government and seoul design foundation actively supports these collaborations.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":null},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["seven best products from south korean collaborations that prompt healthier lifestyle changes"]},{"role":"Host","values":["DDP design fair"]},{"role":"Award","values":["the 2021 DDP best design award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from 19-25 october"]},{"role":"Location","values":["at the DDP art hall 1"]},{"role":"Award Field","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"WJXT’s Positively Jax effort wins national EPPY Award","document":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Among several awards Graham Media Group stations took home at this year’s national EPPY Awards was a win for WJXT’s Positively Jax campaign.\nWe are grateful that our efforts to highlight people and efforts that help others and make our community a better place to live received the group’s “Best cause marketing/corporate social responsibility campaign” award given to websites with more than 1 million impressions.\nThis year, there were more than 400 entries across more than 40 categories in the EPPY Awards. Those entries were from large and small world-wide media companies that include local news publishing, broadcast networks, cable news and sports networks, international pure-play websites, niche content publishers and numerous colleges and universities.\nWe’re in good company. Other winning websites include the Boston Globe, CNN and ESPN.\nOther Graham Medial Group stations received top recognition, as well as taking the finalist spot in several categories:","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["WJXT’s Positively Jax campaign"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":null},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["Best cause marketing/corporate social responsibility campaign” award"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["large and small world-wide media companies"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mattel Tops 2022 ‘Toy of the Year’ Award Finalist List","document":"Mattel leads the toy industry for the third year in a row with a record seventeen ‘Toy of the Year’ Award finalist nominations\nMattel Tops 2022 ‘Toy of the Year’ Award Finalist List (Graphic: Business Wire)\nEL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) today announced that the company’s portfolio of toys has received a record-breaking seventeen finalist nominations across more than a dozen categories for The Toy Association’s 2022 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. For the third year in a row, the company leads the industry in the number of finalists, which include toys from American Girl®, Barbie®, Fisher-Price®, Hot Wheels®, Masters of the Universe®, Polly Pocket® and additional licensed properties and games.\nThe full list of Mattel’s nominated products are as follows:\n“Mattel truly has the best talent, dedicated to creating the best toys in the world,” said Richard Dickson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Mattel. “We could not be more proud of our people, our products and the industry we play in. Each day, we are driven by the gratifying experience of designing toys that deliver joy, magic and memories for kids.”\n“By teaming with best-in-class retail partners we are able to deliver Mattel’s incredible products that excite and deliver on our mission to empower children to explore the wonder of childhood,” said Steve Totzke, Global Chief Commercial Officer, Mattel. “Leading The Toy Association’s Toy of the Year finalist list is a testament to the strength of our portfolio of iconic brands and world-renowned licensed partnerships. Congratulations to all finalists who are dedicated to uniting fans of all ages through play.”\nAdministered by The Toy Association, the TOTY Awards are held annually to showcase the top toys, games, and children’s properties of the year. The awards program is a critical fundraiser for The Toy Foundation (TTF), which provides philanthropic support and the vital commodity of play to children and families under stress and in dire situations, across the country and globe.\nWinners in each category will be announced at the TOTY Awards event on Friday, February 18, 2022, along with the overall “Toy of the Year” winner and “People’s Choice” winner based on consumer votes. The celebration will kick off the 118th Toy Fair New York, which also includes the induction of toy industry trailblazers into the esteemed Toy Industry Hall of Fame. Voting for the awards begins today at ToyAwards.org.\nAbout Mattel\nMattel is a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain, and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, UNO®, and MEGA®, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music, and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. Visit us online at mattel.com.\nAbout The Toy Association™\nwww.toyfoundation.org / www.toyassociation.org / www.thegeniusofplay.org / www.playsafe.org\nFounded in 1916, The Toy Association™, Inc. is the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The Toy Association leads the health and growth of the U.S. toy industry, which has an annual U.S. economic impact of $98.2 billion, and its roughly 1,000 members drive the annual $32 billion U.S. domestic toy market. The Toy Association serves as the industry’s voice on the developmental benefits of play and promotes play’s positive impact on childhood development to consumers and media. The organization has a long history of leadership in toy safety, having helped develop the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 40 years ago, and remains committed to working with medical experts, government, consumers, and industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe and fun play.\nAs a global leader, The Toy Association produces the world-renowned Toy Fair New York and Toy Fair Dallas; advocates on behalf of members around the world; sustains the Canadian The Toy Association; acts as secretariat for the International Council of Toy Industries and International Toy Industry CEO Roundtable; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America’s widely emulated ASTM F963 toy safety standard.\nAbout the Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY)\nThe Toy of the Year Awards, known as the “Oscars” of the toy industry, annually recognize the top toys and games on the market. Finalists are nominated from within the industry and selected by a panel of expert judges. Winners are decided by votes cast by the public (at ToyAwards.org) and members of the industry. The TOTY Awards are administered by The Toy Association, with 100% of the program’s proceeds benefiting The Toy Foundation and its goal of delivering millions of brand-new toys to children in vulnerable situations.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":null},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":null},{"role":"Host","values":["The Toy Association"]},{"role":"Award","values":["Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2022","February 18, 2022"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["toy industry"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"TPG readers select the top cruise lines of the year at the 2021 TPG Awards","document":"This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.\nCruising is back after a 15-month hiatus due to the pandemic, and for a second straight year, we’re giving away a number of awards to worthy cruise lines — as voted on by TPG readers. With the restart gaining steam and a lot of exciting developments on tap for next year, which brands are taking home hardware in 2021?\nRead on for more details on this year’s cruise line winners.\nWhile some cruisers want nothing to do with big ships, they nevertheless hold wide appeal for many travelers thanks to the array of options on board. And it’s only fitting that this year’s award recipient just happens to operate the largest vessels on the planet.\nAfter taking home the inaugural award as the best big-ship cruise line in 2020, Royal Caribbean is retaining its crown. The line officially restarted North American sailings — with a number of changes — in June 2021, and the sheer scale of Royal Caribbean’s fleet dwarfs many others. The line has nine of the 20 largest ships in the world, including its amenity-packed Oasis class vessels. The Wonder of the Seas is the newest of the line’s megaships, slated to launch in March 2022 and capable of housing nearly 7,000 passengers.\nRoyal Caribbean also made waves (pun intended) with its recent announcement of the Ultimate World Cruise — a nine-month odyssey that will take guests to all seven continents, 65 countries and 150 different destinations. Of course, voting was already completed by then, but TPG readers clearly felt that the line was doing things right — hence its repeat victory in this category.\nRelated: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Royal Caribbean cruise\nMassive vessels may appeal to some, but enjoying a cruise on a midsize ship (one that still boasts an array of amenities) is a very viable alternative. And here again, the winner is a familiar one.\nDisney has defended its title as the best cruise line operating midsize ships. Despite a fleet of just four vessels, the line has a lot to offer customers. From Broadway-caliber shows to first-run movies and an array of character interactions, boarding a Disney cruise can be a dream come true for families and other fans of the company’s films and attractions.\nBut the line isn’t resting on its laurels. Its newest ship — the Disney Wish — is slated to set sail on June 9, 2022, the first of three new ships that will join the fleet in the coming years. And based on what TPG has seen, it’s going to take the Disney cruising experience to an entirely new level.\nRead more: 3 things we learned while previewing food from Disney Cruise Line’s new ship, Disney Wish\nAnd then there are the small ships, those lines that typically cater to luxury travelers and can visit smaller ports of call. And since the first two awards were repeats, why not keep the trend going?\nViking won the award as the best small-ship cruise line for the second-straight year based on votes from TPG readers — and it’s not hard to see why. The perennial favorite is best known as a river line, but it began adding upscale oceangoing ships in 2015. These vessels operate with a “no nickel-and-diming” philosophy; all fares include onboard Wi-Fi, a shore excursion in every port and beer and wine with lunch and dinner.\nIt’s easy to understand why travelers would enjoy their time on a Viking ship — and why readers voted for it in for 2021.\nThis was a new cruise award for 2021. With some river cruise lines able to start sailing earlier than larger ocean ships, it made sense to recognize the best (according to readers).\nWhile Viking won the award for the best small ships at sea, the candidates it beat out were oceangoing companies. Viking actually got its start on the river, and it now boasts more than 60 river cruise vessels, making it the leader in the English-speaking market. It currently offers voyages in Europe, Asia and Egypt — though it will soon set sail on the Mississippi River.\nAs a result, readers felt that it deserved this honor, too.\nRelated: The 10 most exciting new river cruise ships of 2021\nAs The Points Guy, we can’t give out a handful of cruise awards without mentioning loyalty, so our final readers’ choice category for 2021 is for the line with the best loyalty program. And if the previous repeat winners hint at a trend, you won’t be disappointed.\nThe line with the megaships kept its title as offering the best loyalty program in the cruise world. The Crown & Anchor Society features six distinct levels, each of which confers an array of benefits for frequent guests. This includes discounts on cruises, onboard specials and even access to special events on the ship.\nIt’s not in the same ballpark as an airline or hotel loyalty program (there’s no option to earn points and then redeem them), but it can nevertheless make cruising a lot more comfortable for those who regularly sail with Royal Caribbean — so readers voted it as the best.\nRelated: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean cruise ships and itineraries\nThe cruise line winners at the 2021 TPG Awards are a familiar bunch — as all of last year’s recipients defended their titles. But that doesn’t mean the readers got them right. Do you agree with these selections? Be sure to tune in to Thursday’s Facebook Live panel discussion at noon Eastern Time as we discuss that very question.\nFeatured image by The Points Guy\nWelcome to The Points Guy!\nEarn 50,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants in the first three months of card membership.\nWith Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.\nEditorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.\nDisclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.\nDon't take off without TPG\nStay in the know for all things travel — news, tips and deals.\nMany of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising policy page for more information.\nEditorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.\nWelcome to The Points Guy!\nThe credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising policy page for more information.\nEditorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Royal Caribbean is retaining its crown"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["the sheer scale of Royal Caribbean’s fleet dwarfs many others. The line has nine of the 20 largest ships in the world, including its amenity-packed Oasis class vessels"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["award as the best big-ship cruise line"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["cruise line"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Cutting Edge Design Concepts that were granted the 2021 Red Dot ‘Best of Best’ Award","document":"You can’t envision any future without conceptualization. Concepts have always interested us and have been the backbone of Yanko Design because they present an image of products, technologies, experiences, and consequently, futures. They showcase an inventiveness and creativity that’s truly worth appreciating and that’s where we see a massive overlap of interest with our friends who host the Red Dot Design Concept Awards.\nThis year’s Red Dot Design Concept Awards: Best of Best honors some exciting concepts. Whether it’s the cutting-edge technology used in consumer electronics, or in the health sector, or design that uplifts user experiences and environments, Red Dot’s Best Of Best is our annual go-to for designs that speak of creativity, cross-discipline collaboration, and marvelous execution. Here are a few of our favorites from this year’s Red Dot Design Concept Award: Best of Best! Scroll right to the bottom to see which project won the Luminary Design Award! You saw it here first!\nClick here to view more Award-winning designs from the 2021 Red Dot Design Concept Award.\nCognixion One is the world’s first wearable speech-generating device, combining a Brain-Computer-Interface with Augmented Reality to enable communication in those with disabilities like never before. Three context-aware, predictive keyboard options, radial sentence builder tools, and an integrated AI assistant are all powered by 6 occipital-placed electrodes and 4G mobility, enabling comfortable use and functionality to the wearer, who’s presented with a new, intuitive way to communicate with the world. Designed for tetraplegic users with communication disabilities, the technology is usable in any position, in any environment.\nDesigned by the eponymous California-based startup, the Canoo Pickup Truck is a modular electric pickup designed for a variety of scenarios. Unveiled just this year, the new pickup emphasizes modularity and looks to maximize its utility. It has tables folding down around the vehicle, various hidden storage areas, and numerous charging points on the exterior of the truck. The pickup will offer over 200 miles of range with an option between a dual- or rear-motor configuration. Currently in its concept stage, the Red Dot Best of Best Award-winning vehicle is slated to go into production by 2023.\nDesigned for hybrid workplaces, Flowspace is an innovative little private pod for solo working in crowded offices. Draped in gray felt, Flowspace comes with automated privacy panels that create a hybrid of a conventional desk and round pod. As currently conceptualized, each pod comes with its own desktop computer, desk, and stool. The desktop computer’s monitor spans almost the entire panel inside the pod, making it an ideal screen for heavy workloads and even presentations. The pod itself comes in two halves to combine and provide plenty of privacy amidst busy work zones. Whenever you want to get back to the WFH grind, Flowspace creates a temporary sanctuary for focus and deep work.\nHere’s a question nobody probably ever thought of… how do deaf and mute people communicate with voice assistants? Or specifically, with smart speakers? It’s a question that Jinni, a sign-language-based smart assistant, hopes to answer. Equipped with a camera that can read sign language inputs, and a large screen that can communicate with its user, Jinni brings the power of virtual assistants to a subset of people that are often ignored when designing mainstream tech. Just as the smart speaker is a ubiquitous little gadget in homes, Jinni hopes to do the same for the deaf and mute communities, giving them the same access to life-changing tech.\nMollie is an adorably playful salt-and-pepper shaker tool that embodies Zen aesthetics for an interactive seasoning experience. Designed to look like a shaker, it makes the act of ‘shaking’ salt or pepper over your meals much more fun and engaging… although be careful, it’s pretty easy to get carried away and end up with an over-salted meal! Ultimately, Mollie introduces a new playful facet to eating and preparing food!\nThe Newlane ‘Flip Clip’ is a truly packable helmet designed to make carrying headgear easy and convenient. The helmet’s patented design features a flippable top that turns its dome-shaped form into a frisbee that’s easier to stash in bags, carry under arms, or place inside the cargo space in scooters. Measuring 81mm in thickness when closed, the helmet’s bulkiness gets reduced by 50%, making it much more convenient than traditional bulky helmets that can be cumbersome to carry around.\nEnvisioned by UK-based creative consultancy Seymourpowell, the Virgin Galactic Spaceship Interior provides a unique customer experience that is suitable for a zero-G environment, elevating access to the view of Earth from Space while ensuring safety within a strict weight budget. Designed for the VSS Unity (which embarked on its first fully-crewed sub-orbital mission with Richard Branson on the 11th of July), the interiors provide space for 6 passengers and come with 12 large, porthole-style windows, 6 of which are positioned directly next to the individual passenger seats, offering a stellar view. The cabin interior is also complemented by icy hues of white, silver, and teal, intended to be reflective of space itself and the Earth below.\nFounded as a research startup with the mission of empowering the blind, .lumen just unveiled their first wearable, a head-worn gadget for the visually impaired, that mimics the helpful characteristics of a guide dog. The guide dog, unanimously seen as a good solution, has multiple drawbacks – high cost of training, and most blind people can’t take care of guide dogs on their own. Due to this, there are only around 20,000 guide dogs for 40 million blind people. The Red Dot Luminary Award-winning .lumen offers a much more scalable solution to solving the daily problems of the visually impaired. Designed to sit on heads the way a VR or AR headset would (without obstructing the eye region), the .lumen glasses can do three things incredibly well. It can understand an environment, its objects, their positions/movement in 3D; it can then compute interaction paths to wanted objects, or generally, based on context; and finally, the glasses can transmit information to the blind using haptic and auditory impulses.\nClick here to view more Award-winning designs from the 2021 Red Dot Design Concept Award.\nYou’ve heard about fidget toys, but have you ever heard about fidget lighting? The Accordion Lamp from Gingko is the perfect example of a lighting design…\nHiding a safe behind a picture frame is too 1980s… this picture frame hides a secret whiteboard behind it, for you to jot down your clever…\nI, just like all of you, am waiting for the pandemic to end so I can go on a vacation. I am not even talking about…\nBetween all the cords, flash drives, cables, power adapters, and plugs we gotta travel with to make your devices interoperable, there’s hardly any room left for…\nRemember when you wanted to blast music on your speaker at home but your dad kept yelling at you to keep it down? How about if…\nYou may remember Light, the company that launched a smartphone-sized point-and-shoot with as many as 16 camera modules that covered the entire back of the phone….\nWe’re an online magazine dedicated to covering the best in international product design. We have a passion for the new, innovative, unique and undiscovered. With our eyes firmly focused on the future.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["lumen"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["lumen offers a much more scalable solution to solving the daily problems of the visually impaired"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["Red Dot Design Concept Awards"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["Design Concept"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Jabil Optics Wins Best of Sensor Award 2021","document":"ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jabil Inc. (NYSE: JBL) is pleased to announce that their innovative omnidirectional sensor won the Best of Sensors 2021 award in the Optical & Cameras category. The award highlights cutting-edge advancements and achievements that are moving the sensors industry forward.\n“After reviewing all of the Best of Sensors award submissions, it is clear that the sensors industry continues to thrive with new, innovative solutions”\n“After reviewing all of the Best of Sensors award submissions, it is clear that the sensors industry continues to thrive with new, innovative solutions,” said Charlene Soucy, senior director, Sensors Converge. “The goal of our program is to honor and promote wide recognition of the industry’s most transformative technologies and teams. Congratulations to this year’s award winners.”\nThe awards program was created to spotlight the year’s best innovations, technologies, teams and individuals in the sensors industry. Submissions were judged based on the value to the marketplace, the impact of the problems it solves or issues it addresses, and the uniqueness of the design. The judges for the Best of Sensors awards were Jack Gold, J. Gold Associates, LLC; Roger Grace, Roger Grace Associates; Matt Hamblen, Fierce Electronics; Catherine Liao, Blumio; and Brian Zahnstecher, PowerRox.\nThe innovative time-of-flight (ToF) depth sensor from Jabil Optics offers, with its industry-leading 270° x 60° field of view (FOV), an advantage over existing solutions in the market. The narrow fields of views of conventional ToF sensors forces industrial mobile robotics platforms to integrate multiple sensors for collision avoidance. In contrast to the conventional solution of using multiple ToF sensors, the extremely wide FOV of the omnidirectional sensor removes the need for integrating multiple sensors and subsequently the complexity of stitching multiple point clouds and the challenges of maintaining the alignment and calibration of multiple sensors. The ground-breaking, solid-state design is one of several sensing systems Jabil’s optical business unit (Jabil Optics) is designing to support lower-cost autonomous mobile robotics and collaborative robotics platforms.\n“We are honored to receive this Best of Sensors award,” said Ian Blasch, senior director of business development, Jabil Optics. “We see this award as external validation of the high-quality design capabilities coming from our Jabil engineering and design teams. The omnidirectional sensor is one of many novel sensors Jabil is architecting for our robotics, industrial and automotive customers.”\nFor nearly two decades, Jabil Optics has been recognized by leading technology companies as the premier service provider for advanced optical design, industrialization and manufacturing. Jabil Optics designers, engineers and researchers specialize in solving complex optical problems for its customers in 3D sensing, augmented and virtual reality, action camera, automotive, industrial and healthcare markets. Additionally, Jabil Optics customers leverage expertise in product design, process development, testing, in-house active alignment, supply chain management and manufacturing expertise from Kasalis, a technology division within Jabil.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["their innovative omnidirectional sensor"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":["ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jabil Inc. (NYSE: JBL)"]},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["The innovative time-of-flight (ToF) depth sensor from Jabil Optics offers, with its industry-leading 270° x 60° field of view (FOV), an advantage over existing solutions in the market"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["the Best of Sensors 2021 award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["Optical & Cameras"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Everbridge Wins 2021 Top Tech Award for Company Culture","document":"BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Everbridge, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVBG), the global leader in critical event management (CEM), today announced recognition as a Tech Top 50 company by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC) for its Company Culture. MassTLC honored Everbridge for the array of resources and opportunities the company offers its “Bridger” workforce – from wellness workshops and volunteer time off to employee resource groups and virtual social events.\n“Maintaining a strong company culture for our Bridgers, as many work remotely during this post-pandemic period, remains a priority for us”\nMassTLC previously named Everbridge Growth Company of the Year, and recognized the company for its business accomplishments and significant impact on helping organizations respond to the coronavirus pandemic\n“The resiliency of the tech ecosystem in this region enables the innovation and leadership that makes Massachusetts so special,” remarked MassTLC CEO Tom Hopcroft. “It is an honor to recognize companies like Everbridge, a thriving local leader with a global footprint that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of its team.”\nSince the beginning of 2020, and the onset of the pandemic, Everbridge ensured a safe, global workplace environment while continuing to bolster company culture through virtual workshops and new channels for employees to communicate with one another remotely. Everbridge employees, or “Bridgers,” across the globe leverage volunteer time off (VTO) to participate in community-service activities with organizations including Team Rubicon, Cradles to Crayons, Habitat for Humanity, as well as supporting the CDC Foundation, which Everbridge partnered with in April 2020. As part of its Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging initiatives, Everbridge employee resource groups celebrate and empower its many communities across the company.\n“Maintaining a strong company culture for our Bridgers, as many work remotely during this post-pandemic period, remains a priority for us,” said Cara Antonacci, VP of Global People & Culture at Everbridge. “We’re learning and adapting every day to meet and exceed the needs of our team and are thrilled to receive this recognition for our efforts.”\nIn 2020, Everbridge became a signatory for MassTLC’s Tech Compact for Social Justice, committing to make continued change towards equality and belonging in its organization.\nIn 2019, MassTLC named Everbridge the Growth Company of the Year, selecting the company from hundreds of nominations across 16 award categories, and recognizing it for revenue growth, customer acquisition and employee hiring.\nThe latest MassTLC award caps off a broader period of recognition for Everbridge including winning eight Comparably Awards and ranking as the third highest-rated public cloud computing company to work for during COVID-19 by global investment firm Battery Ventures. Additional recognition for Everbridge includes winning a 2021 Service to the CitizenTM: Champions of Change Award in the Industry category for the deployment of its Return to Work and vaccine distribution software solutions across the U.S. over the prior year. Everbridge also received Best Customer Experience Award from The Help Desk Institute (HDI), Frost & Sullivan’s Critical Event Management (CEM) Technology Leadership Award, and certification as a Great Place to Work® for the second consecutive year by the Global Authority on Workplace Culture.\nAbout Everbridge\nEverbridge, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVBG) is a global software company that provides enterprise software applications that automate and accelerate organizations’ operational response to critical events in order to Keep People Safe and Organizations Running™. During public safety threats such as active shooter situations, terrorist attacks or severe weather conditions, as well as critical business events including IT outages, cyber-attacks or other incidents such as product recalls or supply-chain interruptions, over 5,800 global customers rely on the Company’s Critical Event Management Platform to quickly and reliably aggregate and assess threat data, locate people at risk and responders able to assist, automate the execution of pre-defined communications processes through the secure delivery to over 100 different communication modalities, and track progress on executing response plans. Everbridge serves 8 of the 10 largest U.S. cities, 9 of the 10 largest U.S.-based investment banks, 47 of the 50 busiest North American airports, 9 of the 10 largest global consulting firms, 8 of the 10 largest global automakers, 9 of the 10 largest U.S.-based health care providers, and 7 of the 10 largest technology companies in the world. Everbridge is based in Boston with additional offices in 25 cities around the globe. For more information visit https://www.everbridge.com/\nCautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements\nThis press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated opportunity and trends for growth in our critical communications and enterprise safety applications and our overall business, our market opportunity, our expectations regarding sales of our products, our goal to maintain market leadership and extend the markets in which we compete for customers, and anticipated impact on financial results. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and were based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management. Words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “believe,” “target,” “project,” “goals,” “estimate,” “potential,” “predict,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “intend,” variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. Our actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to: the ability of our products and services to perform as intended and meet our customers’ expectations; our ability to successfully integrate businesses and assets that we may acquire; our ability to attract new customers and retain and increase sales to existing customers; our ability to increase sales of our Mass Notification application and/or ability to increase sales of our other applications; developments in the market for targeted and contextually relevant critical communications or the associated regulatory environment; our estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth may prove to be inaccurate; we have not been profitable on a consistent basis historically and may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future; the lengthy and unpredictable sales cycles for new customers; nature of our business exposes us to inherent liability risks; our ability to attract, integrate and retain qualified personnel; our ability to maintain successful relationships with our channel partners and technology partners; our ability to manage our growth effectively; our ability to respond to competitive pressures; potential liability related to privacy and security of personally identifiable information; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, and the other risks detailed in our risk factors discussed in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including but not limited to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on February 26, 2021. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We undertake no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.\nAll Everbridge products are trademarks of Everbridge, Inc. in the USA and other countries. All other product or company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":null},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":["BURLINGTON"]},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["the deployment of its Return to Work and vaccine distribution software solutions across the U.S. over the prior year"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Help Desk Institute (HDI)","Global Authority on Workplace Culture"]},{"role":"Award","values":["Best Customer Experience Award","Frost & Sullivan’s Critical Event Management (CEM) Technology Leadership Award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"ATEN Recognized with Next TV NAB Best in Market 2021 Award","document":" ATEN Technology, Inc., the technology leader and global manufacturer of KVM and AV/IT connectivity and management solutions, today announced its UC9040 StreamLIVE™ PRO All-in-one Multi-channel AV Mixer has been recognized with the Next TV NAB Best in Market 2021 Award.\nThe StreamLIVE™ PRO is a portable, all-in-one, multi-channel audio/video mixer device that integrates a 1080p video capture, video recorder, video switch, stream broadcaster, video converter, video splitter, and audio mixer into one compact box to eliminate the hassle of working with different AV equipment. The StreamLIVE™ PRO makes HDMI video sources broadcast for higher quality livestream to CDN platforms such as YouTube Live, Facebook, and Twitch.\n“We are honored to be recognized by Next TV NAB for this award,” said Christian Young, Product Manager, ATEN. “The Best in Market recognition further underscores ATEN’s commitment to developing and bringing to market high-quality products such as UC9040 StreamLIVE™ PRO to resolve the challenges independent livestreaming broadcasters face.”\nAdditionally, the StreamLIVE™ HD provides an intuitive app, OnAir™ Pro App, making it easy to monitor, edit image layouts, and DVE, PiP or PbP settings. There are eight stunning DVE transitions including circle drop, window slice, polka dot, circle open, fade, heart, cross hatch and random square. The StreamLIVE™ PRO is PC and software-free. It supports Android APP, simultaneous streaming and recording, Restful API control and OnAir remote control application support with Chromebook. Its well-designed control panel makes livestreaming operations seamless. Video and audio levels can be monitored and previewed before going live with a web broadcast. Simply connect video/audio sources, and an Ethernet with an ATEN app-installed iPad / Android tablet, to livestream quickly and easily.\nThe StreamLIVE™ PRO has an ergonomic and practical design, flexible enough to fit all independent livestreaming broadcasting environments. With a rich feature set, the StreamLIVE™ PRO addresses the challenges that independent livestreaming broadcasters encounter and provides an easy-to-use solution.\nATEN’s UC9040 StreamLIVE™ PRO is available for purchase and shipping now through ATEN’s distribution and reseller partners: http://www.aten.com/us/en/where-to-buy/. For more information, product features and technical specifications, visit: https://www.aten.com/global/en/products/usb-&-thunderbolt/content-creation/uc9040/\nAbout ATEN Technology, Inc.\nATEN Technology, Inc. is the technology leader and global manufacturer of KVM and Pro AV connectivity solutions, and the U.S. subsidiary of ATEN International Co., Ltd. (TWSE: 6277), established in 1979. A certified member of the HDBaseT Alliance, holding over 630 industry patents, ATEN offers integrated KVM, Professional Audio (Pro AV) and Intelligent Power solutions, across all industries including corporate, commercial, government, industrial, entertainment, educational and retail environments. A technology-first company, ATEN’s advanced ability to quickly develop customized solutions in KVM, Pro AV, PDU, USB and data communication lines allows the company to build products that connect, manage and optimize electronics based on customer need. ATEN’s comprehensive portfolio of innovative, reliable products is available worldwide, with local U.S support.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["UC9040 StreamLIVE™ PRO All-in-one Multi-channel AV Mixer"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":["ATEN Technology, Inc"]},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["The StreamLIVE™ PRO makes HDMI video sources broadcast for higher quality livestream to CDN platforms such as YouTube Live, Facebook, and Twitch"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["Market 2021 Award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["technology"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"N-able Wins Comparably Award for Best Companies for Compensation","document":"DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--N-able, Inc. (NYSE: NABL), the purpose-built technology partner for managed services providers (MSPs), announced today that the company won an award for Best Compensation (Large Companies) in 2021 from Comparably, one of the fastest-growing compensation, culture, and career monitoring sites in the U.S.\n“We know that our N-ablites are the key to our success and we strive to provide an exceptional experience across the globe. Compensation is just one of many important aspects of our overall N-ablite Value Proposition that we will continue to expand upon.”\nThese awards were determined by employees, who anonymously rated compensation at their place of employment. The answer to each question was given a numerical score, and then compared to companies of similar size across the U.S. No fees or costs were associated with participating.\n“We are honored to be recognized as one of the winners in this category alongside a number of other amazing companies,” said Kathleen Pai, chief people officer, N-able. “We know that our N-ablites are the key to our success and we strive to provide an exceptional experience across the globe. Compensation is just one of many important aspects of our overall N-ablite Value Proposition that we will continue to expand upon.”\nWhen asked what they liked most about their compensation package, many employees made positive comments on the excellent healthcare benefits, 401K matching, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and robust bonus payout structure.\n“In order to recruit and retain top talent today, companies need to provide competitive compensation across the board,” said Jason Nazar, co-founder/CEO, Comparably. “The Best Compensation list recognizes companies like N-able, who understand that investing in their employees will motivate them to do a great job and help drive the business forward.”\nAbout N-able\nN-able empowers managed services providers (MSPs) to help small and medium enterprises navigate the digital evolution. With a flexible technology platform and powerful integrations, we make it easy for MSPs to monitor, manage, and protect their end customer systems, data, and networks. Our growing portfolio of security, automation, and backup and recovery solutions is built for IT services management professionals. N-able simplifies complex ecosystems and enables customers to solve their most pressing challenges. We provide extensive, proactive support—through enriching partner programs, hands-on training, and growth resources—to help MSPs deliver exceptional value and achieve success at scale. n-able.com","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["N-able, Inc"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["We know that our N-ablites are the key to our success"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Comparably"]},{"role":"Award","values":["an award for Best Compensation (Large Companies)"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["Compensation"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"iQmetrix Wins 2021 Best Tech Workplace Culture Regional Award","document":"CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--iQmetrix, North America’s leading provider of telecom retail management software, is proud to announce that the company has won its regional award category for Best Tech Work Culture (Small to Mid-Size Employer) in the 7th Annual Timmy Awards. This awards program from Tech in Motion celebrates the best technology workplaces across North America, with hundreds of regional finalists, and tens of thousands of votes selecting the regional winners. iQmetrix won its category in Charlotte, N.C., where the company has its U.S. headquarters.\n“We are proud to honor these companies that have adapted to a constantly shifting environment and continued to thrive in 2021.”\n“Winners of Best Tech Work Culture have proven to be the best in their city at inspiring innovation and bettering the lives of their tech teams,” said Mandy Walker, Executive Director of Tech in Motion’s founder Motion Recruitment. “We are proud to honor these companies that have adapted to a constantly shifting environment and continued to thrive in 2021.”\nThe regional win means iQmetrix is now shortlisted for the Best Tech Work Culture (Small to Mid-Size Employer) in the North American 2021 Timmy Awards, which are judged by industry leaders from companies such as Netflix and Paypal.\nKrystal Ho, Vice President of Global People and Culture at iQmetrix, said, “We’re extremely proud of our incredible workplace culture, which is based on self-management principles that allow every employee to bring their authentic selves to their roles and to thrive in their careers. At iQmetrix, we are united by our shared values, with a focus on diversity and inclusion, while also knowing how to have a great time in our awesome offices and at our amazing company getaways and events. We’ve found this culture brings out the best in our team members, and we couldn’t be happier to celebrate this regional Timmy Award win.”\niQmetrix will now go up against the 10 other regional Work Tech Culture winners in the 2021 Timmy Awards Ceremony on October 28. After the success of last year’s virtual show, the event will once again be an entirely digital experience honoring the top workplaces the tech world has to offer. To attend the ceremony or learn more about the awards, visit the Timmy Awards website.\nAbout iQmetrix\niQmetrix’s intelligent retail management software is designed to power the telecom industry. Our software is built around enabling telecom retailers to deliver a buy-anywhere strategy through multi-channel inventory management and digital retail solutions; make data-driven decisions using robust reporting; and unify storefronts and digital channels for a consistent customer experience, in-store, online, and anywhere else.\nFor 20 years, we’ve been passionate about helping the leading brands in telecom to grow by providing best-in-class software, services, and expertise that enables them to adapt and thrive. Our retail management solutions powered $15.5BN in sales last year, and are used by 425,000 telecom retail professionals across 1,200-plus clients. iQmetrix is a privately held software as a service (SaaS) company with offices in Canada and the U.S. For more information, please visit www.iqmetrix.com.\nAbout Tech in Motion Events\nTech in Motion is a North American events series that brings local tech community professionals together to connect, learn and innovate. What started as a small collaboration in 2011 by IT recruiting firm Motion Recruitment grew into an organization of over 250,000 members across 14 chapters in North America including Boston, Dallas, NYC, Philadelphia, DC, Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, LA, and more. Visit techinmotionevents.com for more information about notable speakers, sponsors, and events.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["iQmetrix"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":["North America"]},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["Best Tech Work Culture"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["7th Annual Timmy Award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October 28"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["best technology workplaces"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Wins Motor1 Star Award For Best Luxury Vehicle","document":"Luxury is hard to define, especially in the automotive space. It takes more than soft leather and a stylish exterior to meet the mark. In our case, we looked at a number of different factors when deciding on the best all-around luxury vehicle as part of our first-ever Motor1.com Star Awards.\nComfort played a big role in that decision, naturally, but beyond that, the winner of this prestigious honor needed to have the proper equipment, offer sublime ride quality, and pack loads of style with equal amounts of tech. We should note that we limited our finalists this year to vehicles under $150,000 – so no Rolls-Royce, no Bentley, etc. Although most everyone associates luxury with the best of the best, it still needs to be somewhat attainable, at least for our purposes. Maybe we'll have a \"Best Uber Luxury Vehicle\" category next year… we'll see.\nWith that in mind, we narrowed down the category to the two highest-scoring luxury vehicles we drove this past year: The 2021 Genesis G80 and the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Both of these cars meet our definition of luxury and offer style, technology, and comfort in spades. But after vigorous testing in the hills of Santa Clarita, California, we editors gave the S-Class the Motor1.com 2021 Star Award for Best Luxury Vehicle in a near-runaway victory. Here’s why.\nThe 2021 Genesis G80 ascended in epic fashion into the luxury space. The slinky design is nearly perfect to our eye, the cabin is luxurious, and with a bevy of beautiful and functional technology inside, the G80 scored 9.7 out of 10 possible points in our review.\nWhile you can get the G80 with a base turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, good for a modest 300 horsepower, we opted for the more powerful twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 for our test. That engine offers a robust 375 hp and 391 pound-feet, which propels the G80 to 60 miles per hour in about 5.6 seconds. But the G80 isn't a performance car – it's all about the experience, with a fully independent suspension delivering a sublime ride and excellent stability.\nThe latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class, unlike the Genesis, builds upon years of luxury dominance with a new user interface, an elegant exterior design, and inarguably the most upscale cabin outside of a Bentley or Rolls-Royce. The high-end sedan also scored 9.7 out of 10 points in our review, meaning this would be an interesting rivalry. \nThe new MBUX infotainment setup features a 12.8-inch display that projects beautifully out of the center console. Things like \"Hey, Mercedes\" voice functionality and augmented-reality navigation carry over from previous Benzes, and the new rear-wheel steering gives the S-Class an impressive turning radius and strong performance in the mountains. So while it may be the \"old-school\" option of the two – by name only – the S-Class still wows us after all these years.\nOur testing took us to the mountainous roads of Santa Clarita, California, where each editor spent four days driving the Genesis G80 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class back-to-back. During that time, we monitored things like ride quality, comfort, and performance, while taking styling and technology into account at the same time.\nThe driving route itself spanned several varied 25-mile loops starting at our base of operations. The path included plenty of twists, different types of pavement, and even a few dirt pullovers (you know, for due diligence). Both cars also served as popular support vehicles while testing other vehicles, ushering editors to and fro shooting locations or serving as shuttles for dinner runs.\nAlthough these two cars are priced far apart – the Mercedes costs double the Genesis – we looked at the options sheet and determined which one offered the best value for its asking price. And while both the G80 and S-Class delivered on their promise of features, comfort, and performance, the Mercedes stood out as the winner after a number of days driving it.\nThe 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class takes the iconic luxury formula and ups the ante. During our test, the one thing we noted immediately was the difference in ride quality between the two cars. The G80 has a slightly rougher but more responsive suspension, while the S-Class soaks up the pavement with cloud-like cushiness. Point to Mercedes.\nThe two cars drew relatively evenly in the seating department up front, both featuring high-quality leather on nearly every inch and ample support. But the S-Class has freaking pillows for headrests and a world-class massage system, while its ultra-comfy second row makes it the more luxurious option of the two, thanks to its ultra-supple leather and adjustable outboard seating positions, including a passenger-side seat that hides an available ottoman on certain trims. Although it still has a bench in the back, the folks sitting in the window seats are even more spoiled than those up front.\nIn terms of technology, the S-Class and its updated MBUX display proved nearly unbeatable – even as good as the tech inside the G80 was. Perched atop a gorgeous 12.8-inch central touchscreen, MBUX is even cleaner and easier to use for 2021, with a more streamlined home screen and better features. The screens responsiveness made navigation easier and faster, even if we liked the iPod-style clickwheel in the Genesis. Things like augmented-reality for the navigation and head-up display, the “Hey, Mercedes” voice command system, a bevy of ambient lighting options, and a truly stellar Burmeister audio system make the S-Class the easy choice.\nAnd finally, performance. The Mercedes-Benz S580’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 makes 496 horsepower and 516 pound-feet, while the G80’s twin-turbo 3.5-liter engine only produces 375 hp and 391 lb-ft – there’s a 300-pound difference between the two, but at 4.4 seconds to 60, the Merc is half a second quicker than the G80. But power wasn’t the only thing that put the S-Class on top; with rear-wheel steering and a highly adaptive suspension, the S-Class felt more composed in the turns. Most importantly, the S-Class’ V8 is a paragon of refinement and smoothness while the G80’s V6 makes its presence more obvious in most situations.\nAll in all, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Genesis G80 are two of the best options in the luxury segment. These two sedans offer style, luxury, and performance in spades. But if you want the best of the best, Mercedes-Benz still does it better than anyone else.\nStay tuned for much more on the first annual Motor1.com Star Awards. As always, we welcome your feedback at feedback@motor1.com.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["Genesis G80"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":null},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["Here’s why.\nThe 2021 Genesis G80 ascended in epic fashion into the luxury space. The slinky design is nearly perfect to our eye, the cabin is luxurious, and with a bevy of beautiful and functional technology inside, the G80 scored 9.7 out of 10 possible points in our review"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Award","values":["Motor1.com Star Awards"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["automotive space"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Sibanthracite receives ‘Best Coal Exporter to China’ award","document":"The Sibanthracite Group has received the ‘Best Supplier of Coal Products to China in 2021’ award in the Coal Mining Enterprises category. The award was bestowed by one of China’s information research portals, Mysteel.com., owned by China’s leading consulting company, Shanghai Ganglian E-Commerce Co., Ltd. The award was given to Sibanthracite for high product quality, consistent growth of supplies and precise performance of contractual obligations, which confirms that the company is the leading supplier to the China market.\nChina is the world’s largest importer of coal and the largest sales market for Sibanthracite. Supplies to Chinese customers grow every year. For the first nine months of 2021, the company exported 6.659 million t to China. This was an increase of 49% compared to the same period in 2020.\nMysteel.com. awarded Sibanthracite with the same award last year for the results of 2020.\n“Sibanthracite is once again highly appreciated by its customers and partners. Despite the marker volatility the company has demonstrated consistent product quality and remains a reliable partner,” said Zhu Junhong, Chairman of the Board of Shanghai Ganglian E-Commerce Co., Ltd.\n“The Chinese market has historically been a strategic one for us. We are happy that the course we have taken brings its results – growth of supplies and prestigious awards. It’s a pleasure that the work of our team has been highly appreciated. We will do our best to develop our supplies to China while demonstrating our best qualities as a supplier and a partner,” added Sergey Melnikov, Sibanthracite’s General Director.\nRead the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/27102021/sibanthracite-receives-best-coal-exporter-to-china-award/\nAllegiance Coal Ltd has announced the first New Elk cargo of metallurgical coal was loaded and sailed last week from the Port of Guaymas in northern Mexico, to China. Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below):\nThis article has been tagged under the following:\n                                                    China coal news\n                                                                                                    Russia coal news\n                                                                            This content is available to registered readers of our magazine only. Please sign in or register for free.","event_type":"Awards Ceremony","arguments":[{"role":"Winner","values":["The Sibanthracite Group"]},{"role":"Employed Institution","values":["China"]},{"role":"Award Reason","values":["for high product quality, consistent growth of supplies and precise performance of contractual obligations, which confirms that the company is the leading supplier to the China market"]},{"role":"Host","values":["one of China’s information research portals, Mysteel.com"]},{"role":"Award","values":["‘Best Supplier of Coal Products to China in 2021’ award"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Award Field","values":["Coal Mining Enterprises"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Main Roads was already recommended to review speed limit at Kalgoorlie crash site","document":"Main Roads WA has confirmed there was already a recommendation to review the speed limit for a section of the Goldfields Highway where a fatal crash occurred last week. Farzaneh Zandiyyeh was killed in the incident at the intersection of Boorara Road and the Goldfields Highway on August 25. The T-intersection is a key connection between the KCGM Super Pit, which is the city's main employer, and the rest of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Dr Zandiyyeh, who held a PhD in mine engineering, was employed as a geologist at the mine site.  WA Police said the single mother died after her Toyota Rav4 and a road train travelling on the highway collided. She leaves behind twin 12-year-old boys who are now under the care of their grandmother. Main Roads told the ABC a recommendation was made in March 2019 that the 80kph speed limit be reviewed for that section of the highway. The agency received another report in March this year making the same recommendation. \"The report makes a recommendation into reviewing the speed limit along the bypass to be a consistent speed, which Main Roads are currently considering,\" it said in a statement. Between 2015 and the end of 2020, there were three reported crashes at the T-intersection, including an incident in which two people were hospitalised. Main Roads said it would investigate whether road factors contributed to Dr Zandiyyeh's death and what improvements could be made. \"Main Roads does not have any future works planned for this intersection but will work with the City of Kalgoorlie, who are responsible for Boorara Road, and the mine operators to investigate what improvements can be undertaken to reduce the risk of further crashes at the intersection,\" the agency said. Northern Star Resources owns the KCGM Super Pit. The ABC understands Dr Zandiyyeh was leaving work to meet her sons when the incident occurred. The company said it was \"deeply saddened\" by the loss and that Dr Zandiyyeh was a much-loved colleague at its KCGM operations. KCGM general manager Nick Strong said Northern Star was in close contact with her family and would be providing assistance wherever possible. \"This is an incredibly difficult time for her family, friends and our people who were close to Farzaneh,\" Mr Strong said. \"We will continue to provide support to her family and colleagues.\" ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Farzaneh Zandiyyeh was killed"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last week","August 25"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Goldfields Highway","intersection"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["WA"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Woman dies after truck crash on Gingin Brook Road in Neergabby","document":"A female driver has died after colliding with a truck near Gingin. The woman, 69, received fatal injuries after her white Hyundai collided with a white-and-red Kenworth prime mover just after 2.30pm on Friday along Gingin Brook Road in Neergabby. She was travelling west along the road and the 51-year-old male driver of the prime Mover was travelling east when the two vehicles collided. The male driver received minor injuries. First responders arrived at the scene shortly after but the woman could not be saved. Police are investigating the circumstances around the incident and asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a truck","white Hyundai","a white-and-red Kenworth prime mover"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["male driver"]},{"role":"Date","values":["after 2.30pm on Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Gingin Brook Road in Neergabby"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"An accident in a stolen car left him catastrophically injured, but Trey was refused compensation","document":"It was a cool spring morning in October 2019, the sun was rising and 25-year-old Stephen Lindrea was driving fast. Weaving between lanes in a black Toyota ute as he headed south of Perth on Western Australia's Kwinana Freeway, Lindrea rounded a bend and lost control. The ute rolled, tumbling several times before coming to rest on the freeway's median strip. Kwinana Fwy CLOSED southbound at Lakes Road, Stake Hill due to a CRASH -  All traffic to exit at Lakes Rd - AVOID THE AREA - https://t.co/EX9sf2A7gm #perthtraffic pic.twitter.com/HgalWqQLYT Lindrea received only minor injuries. But his passenger, 22-year-old Trey Flick, was not so lucky. The RAC rescue helicopter flew Trey to Royal Perth Hospital, where he received treatment for serious injuries to his head and legs. He survived but his injuries have left him unable to talk or walk. Since the accident, the Insurance Commission of WA (ICWA) has paid the costs of Trey's medical treatment and ongoing care. Yet despite his extensive injuries, Trey is not entitled to the full compensation. The ICWA has decided that Trey is not entitled to compensation under the compulsory third party scheme (CTP), which would cover him for economic loss as well as pain and suffering. Why? Because the ute was stolen — and CTP compensation is not paid out to people injured in the process of committing a crime. But some, including Trey's lawyer and family, are questioning whether this rule is being applied fairly. At the time of the crash, Trey was visiting Perth from New South Wales, spending a few months with family. But, due to his injuries, he has not been able to return home and is living in a nursing home in WA. His injuries are catastrophic. \"He can't do anything now,\" Larry Flick, Trey's grandfather, tells ABC RN's The Law Report. \"All he does is lie in the bed all day. He just lies in the bed and he can't do nothing.\" Trey's lawyer Kenneth Rukunga says the young man will never walk again. \"The nature of the fractures in his spine is such that he will have no function of his lower limbs and, depending on his recovery process, [he's] quite unlikely to have a function of his bowel and bladder,\" Mr Rukunga says. Trey had a tracheotomy and cannot speak. \"The only way he's going to learn how to communicate is through the use of technology, so an iPad is what he's using at the moment,\" Mr Rukunga says. \"He needs 24 hours, seven-day-a-week supervision, care and assistance.\" Trey's medical treatment and care has been paid for by the WA Catastrophic Injuries Support (CIS) scheme The CIS scheme, introduced in 2016, covers those involved in West Australian motor vehicle crashes where fault hasn't been established. Trey's family are supporters of the scheme. Trey and his father Nathan feature in a video about the scheme for ICWA explaining what supports and ongoing treatments Trey receives. The scheme provides lifetime treatment and support for crash victims suffering from catastrophic injuries — such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries or severe burns. But Mr Rukunga says the CIS scheme only covers \"simplified care and assistance\" and his client would have been better off if his claim for compensation under CTP had also been accepted.  The motor injury insurance scheme, Mr Rukunga says, covers economic loss, loss of superannuation, the cost of home modifications and further care and assistance not covered by the CIS. \"Your claim is going to be significantly larger when liability is accepted for your injuries compared to what you get … within the [CIS] catastrophic scheme,\" Mr Rukunga says. After the accident, Lindrea was jailed for burglary, possession of cannabis and dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm. Trey was not charged. However, WA Insurance Commissioners denied Trey motor accident insurance because he was deemed to be engaged in a joint criminal enterprise at the time of the accident. The family dispute this. Larry says the insurance commissioners' decision that Trey was involved in the theft does not appear to be \"based on much\". \"We don't know whether Trey knew the car was stolen. We didn't know if Trey stole the car or whatever,\" Larry says. Questions around whether a driver is liable to someone jointly involved in a criminal enterprise have been tested in Australian courts before. In 1998, a teenage girl and several others stole a car after a night out. The driver of the car crashed it into a pole, killing one of the nine passengers and catastrophically injuring the teenager. The High Court ruled that the driver was liable for the teenager's damages, because the girl had pleaded with the driver to stop the car and let her out — but he had refused. The girl was considered to have withdrawn herself from the joint criminal enterprise and so she was able to recover damages from the driver. This case was raised in the Supreme Court of NSW Court of Appeal's consideration of a 2013 incident where a woman was seriously injured when the car she was a passenger in collided with a telegraph pole. The court found she was unable to recover damages from the owner/driver of the vehicle. Informative, jargon-free stories about law reform, legal education, test cases, miscarriages of justice and legal culture. This is because all four occupants of the vehicle had been involved in the purchase and consumption of methamphetamine that evening. There was nothing to suggest the woman had withdrawn from the joint criminal enterprise — in fact she had paid for the drugs. In Trey's case, Mr Rukunga says, it is simply not known whether he was a willing participant in the joint criminal enterprise or not. \"The evidence that we've received to date is that he [Trey] was not aware that the vehicle was stolen,\" the lawyer says. He says Lindrea originally said he and Trey stole the ute together but Lindrea later changed his story. \"People that were present at that time — unfortunately, they are minors— have said, more than once, that Trey was not involved in the stealing of that vehicle.\" Mr Rukunga says in cases where there are unknowns, such as Trey's, an insurance commissioner should not just decide that there had been a joint criminal enterprise. \"We can't turn our minds away from those people simply because we think maybe — not that we've got any proper valid evidence — we just think maybe there was a commission of a crime,\" he says. \"We should be looking into it ... and addressing every single channel that we possibly can. And that's what we're supposed to do, as officers of the court.\" In response to questions from the ABC, the Insurance Commission of WA (ICWA) said it could not comment on particular decisions. However a spokesperson said that, in determining eligibility, the ICWA considers crash report forms, police reports, photos and/or videos, vehicle damage reports, statements from those involved in accident and witnesses, investigation reports and medical reports. The spokesperson also stressed that the Compulsory Third Party (CTP) scheme is designed as a common law scheme to compensate someone who was injured due to the fault of another person. \"The CIS scheme exists to ensure people with catastrophic injuries receive lifetime treatment, care and support irrespective of who was at fault in the crash,\" the spokesperson says. Larry and Mr Rukunga both say they have not asked Trey if he knew the vehicle was stolen. But Larry says, even if Trey was involved in the theft, people shouldn't be quick to judge. \"There are a lot of people that are given second chances in life and they turn their lives around after being criminals themselves,\" he says. \"Just one mistake can really ruin you. We know Trey's no angel but he's still our kid, he's still our baby boy.\" Larry hopes that Trey may be able to leave the nursing home one day. \"I would like him to have his own house set up where he can walk in and have all the stuff in his house … that suits his needs so he can at least have a little bit of comfort and enjoyment for the rest of his life.\" Get more stories that go beyond the news cycle with our weekly newsletter. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a black Toyota ute"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Lindrea","22-year-old Trey Flick"]},{"role":"Date","values":["morning in October 2019"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Perth on Western Australia's Kwinana Freeway"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["rounded a bend and lost control"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Lesmurdie fatality: Woman, 23, killed in Perth Hills power pole crash, driver in hospital","document":"A young woman has died following a major car crash in the Perth Hills this morning. Emergency services were called after a gold Hyundai Accent crashed into a power pole along Welshpool Road East, near Melaleuca Road, in Lesmurdie about 11.25am. A 23-year-old passenger received critical injuries and was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital, where she died a short time later. The male driver, aged in his 30s, was taken to St John of God in Midland for treatment on minor injuries. In pictures supplied to The West Australian earlier today, a gold sedan could be seen blocking two lanes of traffic along the busy road in the moments after the crash. The driver’s side of the car was severely dented, with the passenger side completely totalled. Traffic was banked up in the area for several hours, with Welshpool Road east-bound closed between Crystal Brook Road and Tonkin Highway. It has since reopened and traffic is flowing. Major Crash detectives are investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a gold Hyundai Accent","a gold sedan"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A young woman has died","A 23-year-old passenger","The male driver"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning"]},{"role":"Location","values":["in the Perth Hills","pole along Welshpool Road East, near Melaleuca Road, in Lesmurdie about 11.25am"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital","St John of God"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Malaga: Driver suffers critical injuries after crashing into pole, roads closed","document":"A crash in Perth’s north has caused traffic mayhem this afternoon, closing down an intersection in Malaga. Emergency services were called to the horrific crash site at the intersection of Beach and Camboon roads where a white car collided with a pole. The soul occupant of the vehicle received critical injuries in the crash, which unfolded just after 1.30pm. St John Ambulance remain at the scene. No other injuries have been reported. Roads have been closed in the area with traffic blocks in place. The intersection has been shut down for several hours now while police investigate. It is expected to remain closed for several more hours and motorists are advised to avoid the area as traffic is heavy. Today’s crash comes after a young woman died Wednesday after an incident in Lesmurdie. Emergency services were called after a gold Hyundai Accent crashed into a power pole along Welshpool Road East, near Melaleuca Road, in the Perth Hills about 11.25am. A 23-year-old passenger received critical injuries and was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital, where she died a short time later. The male driver, aged in his 30s, was taken to St John of God in Midland for treatment on minor injuries. Major Crash detectives are investigating today’s crash. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers or make a report online. Sign up for our emails","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a young woman died","The male driver"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this afternoon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Perth’s north","Welshpool Road East, near Melaleuca Road, in the Perth Hills"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital","St John of God"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Major Crash detectives"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"One Woman Dead After Collision At Intersection of Court St. & Rd. 88","document":"Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 59F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 41F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.  Updated: November 12, 2021 @ 5:06 am SPOKANE, Wash- Maxine Davis was a beloved member of the Spok… Pasco, WA - In 1942, the Pasco Airport was Naval Air Station… PASCO, WA Pasco Police say they were dispatched to a collision involving two cars Saturday night around 7:13 pm. The crash happened at the intersection at Court St. and Road 88.  This is a developing story, which means information could change. We are working to report timely and accurate information as we get it.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["two cars"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday night"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Court St. and Road 88"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["WA Pasco Police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Young mother Darrylleen Koolmatrie KILLED in Lesmurdie car crash weeks after giving birth","document":"A young mother has died, only three weeks after giving birth to her first child, in a horrifying crash in Perth’s hills. Darrylleen Koolmatrie was killed in Lesmurdie on Wednesday when the gold Hyundai Accent her partner was driving crashed into a power pole along Welshpool Road East about 11.25am. Ms Koolmatrie’s grandmother Joyleen Koolmatrie is now looking after her three-week-old son and has been left heartbroken by her death. “I can just remember saying ‘no, no, no, no’, I don’t know how long I was saying that,” she told Nine News on Friday night. The great grandmother emotionally recalled one of the last conversations she had with Ms Koolmatrie. “She kept saying to me ‘Nan I made this beautiful little baby, I made this beautiful little baby,” she said. “Yes you did.” Ms Koolmatrie’s 30-year-old partner was driving the car at the time. He received minor injuries from the crash. In pictures of the crash supplied to The West Australian, a gold sedan could be seen blocking two lanes of traffic along the busy road in the moments after the crash.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A young mother has died","Darrylleen Koolmatrie was killed"]},{"role":"Date","values":["three weeks after giving birth to her first child","Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Lesmurdie"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Teenager in critical condition after Port Kennedy motorbike crash","document":"A teenage motorbike rider is fighting for life after colliding with a car in Port Kennedy last night. Emergency services were called to the crash at 5.42pm after reports a motorcycle, travelling southbound on Warnbro Sound Avenue, and a Nissan Patrol, travelling north on the same road, collided near Blackburn Drive.  The 18-year-old male rider of the motorcycle received serious injuries and was taken to Royal Perth Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition. A woman in her 50s driving the Nissan Patrol was uninjured and is assisting police with inquiries. Major Crash detectives investigating the crash have called on anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online here.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a car"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A teenage motorbike rider"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last night"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Port Kennedy"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":["A woman in her 50s driving the Nissan Patrol"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Major Crash detectives"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"One Person Dead After Semi vs. Car Collision Near Sunnyside Sunday Morning","document":" WSP says one person is dead after a semi vs. car collision at the intersection of SR 241 and Arrowsmith Road Sunday morning.  One car was going eastbound on Arrowsmith Road, 3 miles north of Sunnyside. A semi-truck was going northbound on SR 241. The driver of the car did not yield and hit the semi-truck.  The person driving the car died on scene and the two passengers in the semi-truck were uninjured. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a semi vs. car","A semi-truck"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["one person is dead","The person driving the car"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday morning"]},{"role":"Location","values":["intersection of SR 241 and Arrowsmith Road"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["the two passengers in the semi-truck"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Perth traffic: Man changing tyre seriously injured in Mitchell Freeway crash","document":"A young man is fighting for life in hospital after a being hit by a car on Mitchell Freeway. It is understood the 21-year-old man was trying to change a tyre on a white Mitsubishi Outlander on the side of the freeway when he was struck just after 5am. Police said a white Toyota Prado was travelling north on the freeway when it ploughed into the Outlander, which was stopped in the northbound emergency lane near the Karrinyup Road overpass. The driver of the Outlander, a 32-year-old man, was uninjured, however his 21-year-old male passenger — who was changing the tyre — suffered serious injuries. He was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital by paramedics, where he remains in a critical condition in the ICU. The 38-year-old male driver of the Prado was uninjured. The crash has forced the closure of northbound lanes. Major Crash investigators are conducting an examination of the scene and are appealing for any witnesses to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report the information online at crimestopperswa.com.au.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a car","white Mitsubishi Outlander","a white Toyota Prado"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["21-year-old male passenger","A young man"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Mitchell Freeway"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":["The driver of the Outlander, a 32-year-old man","The 38-year-old male driver of the Prado"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Major Crash"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Rosebery man arrested in connection to 2019 fatal WA crash","document":"A man who allegedly fled to the NT after allegedly being involved in a fatal crash two years ago while high on drugs in WA has been arrested on an interstate warrant, NT Police said. Detectives with the Major Crash Investigation Unit arrested the 36-year-old man this morning at his Rosebery residence. NT Police said he will be charged with dangerous driving causing death and driving while impaired by drugs and will face court in Western Australia. The man will appear first at the Darwin Local Court today. Detective Senior Sergeant Brendan Lindner said Western Australian Major Crash detectives will go to Darwin to make an application to the NT Courts to extradite the man back to Perth, where he will appear before the WA Courts to face the charges. NT Police did not give further details on how many were killed during the 2019 road incident. They also did not explain why it took two years to locate the man and carry out the arrest. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["two years ago"]},{"role":"Location","values":["WA"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["high on drugs"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["NT Police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Cyclist dead after horror crash with school bus on Ocean Drive in Bunbury","document":"A cyclist has died and another was injured after being hit by a school bus on a coast road in Bunbury this morning. South West Insp. Steve George said the bus was travelling on Ocean Drive about 8.30am when it collided with the cyclists — killing a 63-year-old woman — at the corner of Upper Esplanade before coming to a stop at the Bunbury Recreation Ground 100m away. The 66-year-old female bus driver and the hurt cyclist — a 64-year-old woman — were taken to hospital for treatment for non-life threatening injuries.. Police said that four schoolchildren were on the bus — three from Bunbury Senior High School and one from College Row — but were not hurt. Police have fenced off a section of the recreation ground oval and closed part of Ocean Drive. Upper Esplanade is closed between Scott and Symmons streets and Ocean Drive is shut between Scott and Clifton streets. A detour is in place but pedestrians and motorists are encouraged to avoid the area and travel with caution.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a school bus"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A cyclist has died and another","63-year-old woman"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning","8.30am"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a coast road in Bunbury","the corner of Upper Esplanade"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["four schoolchildren"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"3 Car Collision on SR-16 Causing Traffic Problems In Gig Harbor","document":"GIG HARBOR, WA — A 3 car collision is causing some major headaches for commuters in the Gig Harbor area Tuesday. According to WSDOT, the crash happened on eastbound SR-16 near Swede Hill. The cars have been removed, and there have been no reports of injuries, but the backup will likely remain: Gig Harbor Police say a number of drivers have pulled off the highway only to find that Harborview Drive is also closed, which is causing a cascade of backups through the city. Police are urging drivers already on SR 16 not to make the same mistake, and to stay on the freeway. Harborview Drive was closed in both directions starting Tuesday morning between Stinson and North Harborview. It will remain closed through Friday. For drivers not using SR 16, the city has provided a few detour suggestions around the closure, shown in the image below: The closure is part of an ongoing improvement project to install new underground utilities along Harborview Drive. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["A 3 car collision"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Gig Harbor area","eastbound SR-16 near Swede Hill"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Gig Harbor Police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2 Hurt after Head-On Collision on Hood Canal Bridge [Seattle, WA]","document":"SEATTLE, WA (September 22, 2021) – At least two people sustained injuries after a head-on collision on Hood Canal Bridge last Saturday. The collision happened around 3:00 p.m., in the area of Hood Canal Bridge. According to reports, a 48-year-old Jeep Wrangler driver was going east on the bridge but lost control when the surface turned from a grated roadway to pavement and crossed the centerline then collided head-on with a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. Responding officers located the Wrangler passenger, a 54-year-old Seattle man, injured and taken to St. Michael Medical Center-Silverdale. While, the Wrangler driver escaped the crash without injuries. Paramedics also rushed the Hyundai driver to St. Michael Medical Center-Silverdale with unspecified injuries. A 64-year-old Hansville woman passenger in the Hyundai also escaped injury. Furthermore, CHP said both vehicles were totaled that caused road closure for several hours for cleanup and investigation. Investigators are trying to find out if speed played a role. However, an active investigation is underway. One small driving mistake can easily lead to a dangerous car accident. This is why it is important to drive defensively and always abide by all driving laws. Keep your attention on the road, follow the speed limit, and never drive under the influence of altering substances. Moreover, always be prepared and check your vehicle before traveling. It is important to have strong legal representation on your side when injured in a head-on crash. Reach out to the car accident lawyers at Sweet James today. With 20 years of experience in the field, they know what it takes to help you win your case. Call them at (800) 975-3435 for a free and confidential case evaluation. You can reach them 24 hours a day and 7 days a week through email, text, and online chat. Lastly, click here to request a police report.  If you or your family are involved or affected by this accident and would like the official Police Report of this incident, Sweet James may be able to help.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["2020 Hyundai Elantra"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["54-year-old Seattle man"]},{"role":"Date","values":["September 22, 2021","last Saturday","3:00 p.m"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Hood Canal Bridge"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["St. Michael Medical Center-Silverdale"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":["Wrangler driver","64-year-old Hansville woman passenger in the Hyundai"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Driver who fled Trenton crash before deputy’s death charged","document":"TRENTON, Maine (WABI) - A man involved in a crash in Trenton that lead to the death of Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy Luke Gross is facing charges. State police say 20-year-old Thorin Smith of Bar Harbor is charged with leaving the scene of an accident, illegal use of drug paraphernalia and illegal possession of alcohol by a minor. Deputy Gross responded to the crash off Route 3 about 4:30 a.m. Thursday. We’re told Smith had already driven off by the time Gross arrived. Gross started gathering crash debris on the side of the road when he was hit by a pickup truck from behind and killed. Authorities say Gross had parked his cruiser in the westbound breakdown lane with his emergency lights activated. He was also wearing a high visibility traffic vest. About 9 a.m. Thursday, State Police found Smith not far from the crash site, sleeping in his car.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy Luke Gross"]},{"role":"Date","values":["about 4:30 a.m. Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Trenton"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["leaving the scene of an accident, illegal use of drug paraphernalia and illegal possession of alcohol by a minor"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["State Police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"One man dead, another critically injured in separate road crashes over the weekend","document":"A man has died and another person was critically injured in two separate crashes in the State’s south over the weekend. A 43-year-old man has died in Cowaramup overnight after he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree. The man was driving east on Brockman Road North when his red Toyota Land Cruiser left the road near Clews Road, and struck a tree just after 7.15pm last night. The man could not be revived and died at the scene. Major crash detectives are investigating the incident and asking anyone with dash-cam footage to upload it directly to the Western Australia Police Evidence Submission Portal for the Cowaramup Fatal Crash. Anyone with information regarding this crash, or who saw the red Toyota Land Cruiser driven before the crash, is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report it online. A serious crash occurred in South Yunderup on Friday just after 5.40pm when a blue Kawasaki motorcycle and a silver Toyota Corolla hatchback collided lunging the motorcyclist off his bike. The two vehicles were travelling west on South Yunderup Road in the same direction when they collided near the intersection of Willow Gardens. The impact of the crash dislodged the 32-year-old motorcyclist from his bike. He received critical injuries and was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment. He remains in a stable condition in hospital. The 28-year-old driver of the Toyota Corolla was not injured in the crash. Anyone with dash-cam footage or other vision relating to the crash is asked to upload it directly to the Western Australia Police Evidence Submission Portal for the Serious Traffic Crash in South Yunderup. Major Crash detectives are investigating and anyone with information, or who say the two vehicles driving before the crash, is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report it online.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a blue Kawasaki motorcycle and a silver Toyota Corolla hatchback"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A man has died","another person"]},{"role":"Date","values":["over the weekend","after 7.15pm last night","Friday just after 5.40pm"]},{"role":"Location","values":["South Yunderup","State’s south"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":["The 28-year-old driver of the Toyota Corolla"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Western Australia Police","Major crash detectives"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"One dead after car crashes into pillar at Willeri Drive overpass on Roe Highway in grim night on WA roads","document":"The southbound lane of Roe Highway at the Willeri Drive overpass in Canning Vale was closed this morning after a fatal two-car crash about 5am. One of the vehicles — a white Isuzu MU-X travelling south-west on Roe Highway — left the road and hit a concrete pylon that supports the Willeri Drive overpass. Tragically, the 26-year-old man behind the wheel died from his injuries. Anyone with information regarding this crash, or who saw the Isuzu MU-X travelling in the area, is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report the information online. Dash-cam or other vision can be uploaded directly to investigators via this link. The tragedy came after a crash in Rivervale on Knutford Avenue where the driver ran off the road, veering into another car, then going though a fence. No one was hurt in the accident. And at 11pm last night, a car hit a tree at the intersection of Dunderbar and Elizabeth roads in Wanneroo.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a white Isuzu MU-X","a concrete pylon"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["about 5am"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Roe Highway at the Willeri Drive overpass in Canning Vale"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Perth traffic: Chaos on WA roads after multiple crashes","document":"There has been chaos on WA roads this morning with emergency services responding to numerous incidents across Perth and regional areas. Early this morning the RAC rescue helicopter was sent to a serious crash in Perth’s north-east, where a driver was left trapped inside his car after it ploughed into a tree on Northam-York Road about 5.15am In Joondalup, a light pole has fallen across the road at Collier Pass and Barron Parade after a crash about 6.45am. Both St John Ambulance and Western Power are responding. Further south in Hope Valley paramedics are at the scene of a two-car crash on Rockingham Road at Anketell Road. Initial reports suggest there has been minor injuries. Just after 7am a road train with three trailers rolled in the remote town of Kumarina on Great Northern Highway. Police say no one was injured in the incident but the Department of Fire and Emergency Services on the way to help clean up the scene.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["two-car"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning","5.15am"]},{"role":"Location","values":["WA roads","Collier Pass and Barron Parade","on Rockingham Road at Anketell Road"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"WA road toll: Man dies in Williams crash as four people killed in five days on WA roads","document":"A man has died after his car hit a tree in Williams in what has been a horror run on WA’s roads after four people lost their lives over the past five days. Police said the crash happened about 4.20 pm on Thursday , when a dark coloured Holden Sedan was driving South West on the Williams-Collie Road, towards Collie. It is understood the 51-year-old driver lost control of the car and it veered off the road and ploughed into a tree just outside the Williams townsite. The driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, suffered serious injuries and died at the scene. On Monday, a 45-year-old mother-of-three died after a crash in Boodarie in Port Hedland. A Holden Viva sedan she was driving and a road train transporting three trailers were driving north on the Great Northern Highway, near Quartz Quarry Road when they collided just after 6am. The female driver died from her injuries at the scene, while a 48-year-old man and three children, aged 17, nine and eight were treated at Hedland Health Campus for minor injuries. Less than 24 hours earlier, two women died during another crash in Argyle. Police said about 2.30pm on South Western Highway, near Knights Road, a Kia Rio Hatchback was driving south and a Subaru Forrester was travelling north. A 47-year-old woman behind the wheel of the Kia Rio and a 23-year-old woman driving the Subaru died at the scene after their cars collided. The female passenger in the Subaru, also aged 23, suffered serious but non life-threatening injuries. So far this year 55 people have died on WA roads — the highest road fatality toll during this period since 2016. Major crash investigators are investigating all three crashes and are appealing for witnesses to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report the information online at www.crimestopperswa.com.au. Dash-cam or mobile phone vision relating to this crash can be uploaded directly to investigators via this link: https://wapf.au.evidence.com/axon/citizen/public/fatalcrashwilliams-collieroad","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["Holden Sedan"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["The driver","A man has died","four people lost their lives"]},{"role":"Date","values":["4.20 pm on Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Williams-Collie Road","Williams","Boodarie in Port Hedland"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Hedland Health Campus"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["51-year-old driver lost control of the car and it veered off the road"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Major crash investigators"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Family's fatigue warning after crash kills boy, injures two others in remote WA","document":"The family of a 12-year-old boy killed in a car crash in Western Australia's Great Southern region say drivers must take fatigue seriously. Eh Htoo Wa was killed late on Saturday night when the vehicle he was travelling in with his brother and his brother's partner rolled and hit a tree on Gnowangerup-Broomehill Road about 130 kilometres north of Albany. The crash  has devastated the small community of Katanning, where the boy lived with his family, who are  Karen refugees from Thailand. Eh Htoo died at the scene, the teenage driver remains in a coma with critical injuries, while his brother also suffered injuries. His death was the 12th on Great Southern roads in just four months. Eh Dee Ler Moo, the wife of Eh Htoo's second brother Cree Hen, said the family was devastated. \"My husband is very upset, he hasn't eaten since,\" she said. The Major Crash unit is investigating but it is believed fatigue may have played a part as the accident happened at 11.25pm. \"When you drive, drive safely and do not drive tired,\" Ms Moo said. \"Fatigue is a really dangerous thing, you've got to take it seriously.\" Ms Moo said Eh Htoo had been a \"really brave and outgoing person\", who was very bright and left a lasting impact on people. \"As soon as he stepped into a room he would brighten it up,\" she said. \"He would give you a smile no matter what situation he was in … he was just loved by everyone.\" The family arrived in Katanning in 2012 after coming to Australia as refugees in 2009. Ms Moo said the family had been overwhelmed by the support of the community and emergency services. \"We are very thankful to the people who are supporting us,\" she said. \"We'd like to thank the people who have donated to us, we're really thankful to everyone. \"People coming to our house … people will come from his school, his teacher came to our house to mourn with us. We have a lot of support.\" The Major Crash unit has urged anyone with information or dashcam footage to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a 12-year-old boy killed in a car crash","Eh Htoo Wa","the teenage driver"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday night"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Western Australia's Great Southern region","Gnowangerup-Broomehill Road about 130 kilometres north of Albany"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two people trapped in multiple car crash along Forrest Highway, Eaton","document":"One person has been airlifted to Perth while another has been taken to Bunbury hospital after a car rolled in head-on collision just outside Eaton in WA’s South West. The incident occurred along Forrest Highway near the intersection of Hynes Road, just before 10.30am. Emergency services rushed to the scene with initial reports that two people were trapped in a vehicle and four people had been hurt. The RAC Rescue helicopter was dispatched and three St John Ambulance crews were sent to the scene to treat those involved in the crash. A DFES spokeswoman said Career and Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service firefighters from Eaton, Australind and Bunbury attended the incident and freed one person from a car. She also said one person was flown to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment while another was taken to Bunbury Regional Hospital by road.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["four people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["before 10.30am"]},{"role":"Location","values":["outside Eaton in WA’s South West","Forrest Highway"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Bunbury hospital","Royal Perth Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Death of two teenagers brings WA weekend road toll to five","document":"Two teenagers have died after a car they were travelling in crashed in Western Australia's South West on Saturday night, taking the state's weekend road toll to five.  Police said the car was travelling along Brownes Road, in Coolup — a rural lane about 100 kilometres south of Perth — at about 8:00pm when it left the road and rolled several times. The 17-year-old female driver and a 17-year-old male passenger both died at the scene. Two other passengers were injured. The state's two rescue helicopters were sent to the crash scene, with one transporting a 17-year-old boy to Royal Perth Hospital and the other a 10-year-old boy to Perth Children's Hospital The 17-year-old boy was in a serious but stable condition on Sunday morning, while the 10-year-old boy was listed as stable. All of the people in the car were known to each other and were locals. In a statement, WA Police asked anyone who witnessed the crash — or saw the Holden Commodore in the lead-up to the accident — to come forward. Police are also investigating a fatal hit and run crash on Mandurah Road in Golden Bay in the early hours of Sunday morning. A 37-year-old Rockingham man was found dead lying in the northbound lane, just north of the Dampier Drive traffic lights at about 2:45am. The two crashes come after two women died and three people were seriously injured in a crash on WA's notorious Bussell Highway on Friday afternoon. A 54-year-old Bunbury man has since been charged in relation to that incident. He will face court charged with counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of causing grievous bodily harm. Another double fatality on same section of Bussell Highway claimed the lives of husband and wife Jim and Sabine Mather earlier this month. Construction work to widen the busy road to two lanes in each direction began in September. Deputy Police Commissioner Col Blanch called on people to be careful on the roads, especially as teenagers flock to the South West for leavers celebrations this week. \"We've had a tough year, we've all had a tough year — obviously better than other states — but certainly it's still been a tough year,\" he said. \"People will be out there, trying to get out and enjoy the summer in WA. \"No-one needs to be in a hurry. You don't need to overtake people. \"Pay attention to the roads. You've got to really pay attention to what's going on. \"Families themselves are horribly affected [by crashes] for years. \"I can only implore people: Just really pay attention on the road because it's tragic what's happened here in WA.\" ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["The 17-year-old female driver and a 17-year-old male passenger","Two other passengers","Two teenagers have died","two women died and three people were seriously injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday night","Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Western Australia's South West","Bussell Highway"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital","Perth Children's Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["WA Police","Deputy Police Commissioner Col Blanch"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Perth woman airlifted to RPH after road accident where metal pole smashed through windscreen from truck","document":"A woman in her 50s is in a serious but stable condition after a metal pole smashed through her windscreen in the State’s south this afternoon. The woman was driving on Albany Highway 30 kilometres north of Williams when a metal pole came loose and flung from the truck in front of her and smashed through her windscreen. She was transported in a rescue helicopter to Royal Perth Hospital, where she remains in a serious but stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, including a serious arm injury. Two other occupants inside the car remained uninjured, a spokesperson from St John Ambulance confirmed. Police and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services attended the scene just after 12:30pm this afternoon near the intersection of Albany Highway and Marradong Road. The RAC chopper was called to a similar emergency in Lower Chittering soon after today, where a man in his 20s received facial injuries after a tow strap came off and struck him in the face. Just after 1:30pm this afternoon, St John Ambulance and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services were called to the scene along Chittering Valley Road. The chopper was stood down and the man was taken to St John of God in Midland in an ambulance, where he remains in a stable condition. It is believed the tow strap was flung from a trailer driving in front of the man and smashed through his window, but St John Ambulance could not confirm at this time.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["this afternoon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["State’s south","Albany Highway 30 kilometres north of Williams"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":["Two other occupants inside the car"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a metal pole came loose and flung from the truck in front of her and smashed through her windscreen"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Police and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Child killed, four others hurt in Fitzroy Crossing crash off WA's Great Northern Highway","document":"A child has been killed and four others have been injured in a crash in Western Australia's Kimberley. WA Police said a gold Nissan X-Trail turned off Great Northern Highway and rolled on a sand track in Fitzroy Crossing about 9:55pm last night. Seven children aged between 12 and 16 were travelling in the four-wheel drive vehicle at the time and one — a 12-year-old girl — died at the scene. Four others were treated in hospital for injuries. Major Crash is investigating the accident. Anyone who may have seen or has dash cam footage of the crash, or who saw the vehicle travelling in the area beforehand, has been urged to come forward. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a gold Nissan X-Trail"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A child has been killed and four others","Seven children aged between 12 and 16 were travelling in the four-wheel drive vehicle at the time and one — a 12-year-old girl — died"]},{"role":"Date","values":["about 9:55pm last night"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Western Australia's Kimberley","Fitzroy Crossing"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["turned off Great Northern Highway and rolled on a sand track"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["WA Police","Major Crash"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two die in separate crashes in Pingrup, Kumarina after deadly day on WA roads","document":"Two people have lost their lives in separate crashes after a deadly day on WA’s roads. A man died at the scene of a crash in the State’s north last night when his ute collided with a prime mover about 7.40pm on the Great Northern Highway, about 40km south of Kumarina, a town located between Meekatharra and Newman. Police said the prime mover with three trailers was travelling north when it crash happened. Major crash detectives will travel to the scene this morning to investigate. TEEN ARRESTED AFTER FREEWAY PURSUIT Earlier in the day, an elderly woman died and an elderly man was rushed to hospital after their car crashed into a tree in the Great Southern. The tragic crash happened about 12.30pm, when a grey Nissan X-trail veered off the road and ploughed into a tree on Chester Pass Road in Pingrup. The 73-year-old woman died at the scene, while a 78-year-old man suffered serious injuries and was taken to Katanning Hospital. There have been 42 fatalities on WA roads so far this year, according to the Road Safety Commission. The two recent crashes bring the regional road toll to 28, while 14 of the fatal crashes have been in the metropolitan area. Major crash officers are investigating and have appealed for witnesses to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report the information online at crimestopperswa.com.au. Dash-cam or mobile phone vision relating to this crash can be uploaded directly to investigators here.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["ute collided with a prime mover"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Two people have lost their lives","an elderly woman died","The 73-year-old woman"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last night","7.40pm"]},{"role":"Location","values":["on WA’s roads","the Great Northern Highway, about 40km south of Kumarina, a town located between Meekatharra and Newman"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Katanning Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Four rushed to hospital after horror crash on Great Eastern Highway in Cunderdin","document":"The RAC rescue helicopter was flown to Cunderdin after a car crashed into a tree, injuring four people on Friday afternoon. Firefighters were called to the scene around 3.15pm, following reports of the crash on Great Eastern Highway near the Mussared Road intersection. St John Ambulance attended the crash site and rushed two patients to Northam Hospital, and one to Cunderdin Hospital. The fourth patient was flown to RPH by the rescue chopper. The extent of their injuries was unknown at the time.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a car"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["four people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday afternoon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Great Eastern Highway"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Northam Hospital","Cunderdin Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Kimberley children injured in second stolen car crash in a week","document":"Three children have been critically injured in an allegedly stolen car crash in Western Australia's north, less than a week after another allegedly stolen car with seven children rolled killing one girl and critically injuring four others. The boys aged 12, 14 and 16 years were travelling in a vehicle that had been stolen from the town of Wyndham on Friday night. Police said the underage driver lost control of the Land Cruiser on the Victoria Highway about 40 kilometres west of Kununurra, causing the vehicle to roll several times. One boy remained in a critical condition in hospital in Perth, while the other two were in Royal Darwin hospital in a critical condition. The crash came less than a week after a 12-year-old girl was killed while travelling in a stolen car that rolled near Fitzroy Crossing with seven children on board. The death has led to another round of grief, blame and threats of payback in the central Kimberley. WA Police were trying to dampen down tensions and did not comment on whether the driver involved in the fatal crash has been charged. The escalation of at-risk behaviour by children in the Kimberley has prompted calls for more government support. Last week Shire of Derby-West Kimberley Shire President Geoff Haerewa urged local families to take ownership of the situation. Both crashes are being investigated by officers from the WA Police Major Crash squad. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Three children","one girl"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday night"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Western Australia's north"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Darwin hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["Victoria Highway about 40 kilometres west of Kununurra"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Truck and ute crash reduces Tonkin Highway to two lanes in Bayswater","document":"Paramedics are treating a man in his 60s after a ute crossed into oncoming traffic and smashed into a road train in Bayswater this morning. The major crash has seen Tonkin Highway reduced to a single lane in both directions, with footage of the wreck showing a white ute on the wrong side of the road, sandwiched between a barrier and a large truck. St John Ambulance arrived at the scene of the crash first, calling the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and WA Police for backup at about 11.40am. Two fire crews from Kiara are at the crash site and are attending to a fuel spill while police manage traffic on the northbound and southbound lanes after Guildford Road. It is unclear whether the man in his 60s who paramedics are treating was in the truck or the car, however, it is believed his injuries aren’t life threatening.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a ute"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a man in his 60s"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a road train in Bayswater"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["on the wrong side of the road"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["WA Police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"'Horrific' three-car collision near Boyanup kills Bunbury grandmother Denise Pelusey and 2yo Zeak Boxall","document":"South West police have said an off-duty officer was one of the first to rush to help in a horrific three-car crash which killed a 57-year-old woman and a two-year-old boy, and left five others injured. Investigations into crash continue Police confirmed South West local Denise Pelusey and Zeak Pelusey-Boxall died in the collision on South Western Highway, near Boyanup, on Sunday afternoon. A 39-year-old woman was flown to Royal Perth Hospital with critical injuries, while four children aged between three and 12 years, were taken to Bunbury hospital. South West Traffic Police officer-in-charge Craig Clarke said an off-duty police officer came across the confronting scene on his way home from work and, with members of the public, rushed to help. \"He'd finished his duties, was on his way home to spend some time with his family and came across this horrific scene,\" Sgt Clarke said. \"My understanding is he's assisted with CPR on some of the injured parties as well.\" Sgt Clarke said the crash was among the most difficult that experienced local traffic officers had faced \"[They] have said it's the most confronting scene that they've had to deal with, in terms of its entirety and its complexity … particularly when you have young children involved,\" he said. \"One officer attending actually has a two-year-old son … and as much as [police] try to hide it, when I spoke to them it was clear it had taken its toll on them.\" Sgt Clarke said members of the public and other emergency volunteers had all worked to help at the scene and urged people to look after themselves. \"The efforts of everyone there that came across that were phenomenal and everyone deserves a big thank you for that,\" he said. Investigations are continuing into the crash, which was the second double fatality road crash in the region in as many weeks, after young couple James Mather and Sabine Mather were killed on Bussell Highway on November 1. Denise Pelusey worked for the Department of Justice as a community corrections officer in Bunbury. A department spokeswoman said senior staff had offered sincere condolences to Ms Pelusey's family. \"Support is being offered to her colleagues at this difficult time,\" she said. So far this year, 133 people have died on West Australian roads — 82 of those in regional WA. Recent statistics from the Road Safety Commission showed 17 people had died last month, making it the deadliest month of the year. The figure was 70 per cent higher than October last year. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["three-car"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["killed a 57-year-old woman and a two-year-old boy, and left five others","South West local Denise Pelusey and Zeak Pelusey-Boxall"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital","Bunbury hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["South West police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Pier Street crash: One dead, several taken to hospital after major crash in CBD","document":"A man believed to be in his 70s is dead and several people were rushed to hospital after a car ploughed through alfresco seating on Pier Street in Perth’s CBD on Friday night. It is understood the initial crash was between a white Toyota Corolla and a black SUV just before 6.30pm — with the collision then impacting pedestrians and several other cars outside My Place Bar and Restaurant.  At least four vehicles were hit during the horrifying incident — with one flipped onto its roof — in the trail of destruction. It is understood the man who died was a bystander on the street. The driver of one of the cars, who is in his 60s, is being treated in hospital and assisting police with enquiries. A 41-year-old man remains in Fiona Stanley Hospital in a serious condition. Four other men, believed to be in their 20s, were also taken to hospital with injuries. Two have now been discharged. Scott Allpress was walking past Pier Street when the crash happened. “It was carnage, I was walking down the street when I just saw this car flying past me,” Mr Allpress said. “He then just lost it and crashed through dining tables and chairs of a restaurant and smashed into other cars. “As I was walking through it just looked like they were shooting a movie it was that bad … it just didn’t seem real.” Another witness told The West Australian all he heard was people screaming and loud bangs as he was walking down Hay Street. “People were yelling and screaming and one person was shouting, ‘My leg, my leg.’ It was horrific,” the witness said. “Everyone just started running and this car was upside down on the road. It lost its tyre and everything. “It was carnage. Absolute carnage. The car was flying so fast through the street.” Another witness told The West he was sitting at the My Place Bar and Restaurant moments before the impact of the crash. He reports it was a white car that was travelling the wrong way down Pier street when it collided with the black four-wheel drive. “The car was driving and it was clearly lost or dumb. It ran through all the pedestrians sitting at the bar and the black car crash into it,” he said. He also reported the black Toyota was travelling “extremely fast” and had “run through a red light.” DFES have blocked off both sides to Pier Street, with hotel guests staying at the Seasons of Perth unable to enter the hotel until the crash site is cleared. Owner of the Ikhwan Cafe, which is several doors down from the My Place bar, said she heard several loud bangs then someone yelling “call an ambulance”. “I walked out and there was a person getting CPR on the floor, with 3-4 other people on the floor as well. They were all diners at the bar,” she said. “The car was flying, all my customers said he was going so fast and then rolled several times.” The cafe owner said the driver looked to be a man and that “a few other people were in the car with him.” “People just started running to help. The driver of the car looked ok, there were people trying to talk to him. Other people were very badly injured but, the car hit them before it rolled,” she said. Sign up for our emails","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a white Toyota Corolla and a black SUV","At least four vehicles"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A man believed to be in his 70s is dead and several people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday night","before 6.30pm"]},{"role":"Location","values":["alfresco seating on Pier Street in Perth’s CBD"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Fiona Stanley Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Man killed in Anketell Road, Kwinana Freeway crash in Mandogalup","document":"The 27-year-old had been driving east on Anketell Road in Mandogalup when his maroon Ford Fairlane left the road and smashed into a tree. Sadly the man died at the scene. Police are yet to determine what time the horror collision near Kwinana Freeway unfolded last night, stating the wreck was only discovered by passing motorists just before 8.30am on Thursday morning. According to earlier reports, firefighters were called to the scene upon the discovery of the driver to help free him from the smashed car. St John Ambulance were also called to the scene. Major crash officers investigating the incident are in the process of examining the scene and are appealing for witnesses to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report the information online. Dash-cam or mobile phone vision relating to this crash can be uploaded directly to investigators here.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["maroon Ford Fairlane"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["27-year-old"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["left the road and smashed into a tree"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Major crash officers"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"WA woman, 28, killed in South West crash lost brother in road accident 15 years ago","document":"A young woman who was killed in a car crash in WA’s South West region on the weekend also lost her brother in a vehicle accident, 15 years ago. Jacqueline Waa was killed when the Toyota Hilux she was driving near Boyanup struck a tree after coming off the road on South Western Highway, The West Australian reports. The 28-year-old had grown up in Busselton and according to her Facebook page, now lived in Bunbury and worked for Repco. In 2006, her brother Kori Waa also died in a road accident after he was run over on Vasse Highway. According to The West, Kori had been going to the toilet when the driver of the car he’d been travelling in drove off and left him, as a joke. The 20-year-old decided to lay down as he waited for his friends to come back and was then tragically struck by another vehicle. A number of friends have taken to Facebook to pay tribute to Jacqueline, remembering her as someone whose “heart was gold”. “Absolutely shattered and lost for words. Rest peacefully my beautiful Jerry Can,” one friend said. “My heartfelt condolences go out to Jacqui’s family, close friends, the Busso community and my Repco work colleagues.” “It still hasn’t set in that you aren’t coming to work on Wednesday,” another added. “To say my heart is shattered is the lightest way to put it. Who am I supposed to have beers with at the hollow after work and who’s going to give me a cuddle when I really need it. “I’m beyond heartbroken and stuck. This world is never going to be the same without your gorgeous smile and bubbly attitude.” A third friend said she said brought joy to life and everyone in it. “Your heart was gold and I can’t thank you enough for the friendship we had and the precious memories we shared,” they wrote. “Fly high you crazy beautiful angel, I know you’re up there shining your glow on us.”","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["the Toyota Hilux"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A young woman who was killed","Jacqueline Waa was killed"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the weekend"]},{"role":"Location","values":["road on South Western Highway"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Car pursued by police smashes into East Perth traffic light pole causing multi-vehicle crash","document":"A police pursuit has resulted in a chaotic crash scene in Perth at the intersection of East Parade and the Graham Farmer Freeway. Four cars were waiting at a red traffic light when a car being chased by police drove into the intersection, knocking a traffic light onto the stationary vehicles. The driver of the car being pursued was taken into custody and another man was transported to Royal Perth Hospital for assessment. A massive police and emergency services response was launched with about 30 police officers present, including traffic officers and several detectives. The dark-coloured hatchback had been involved in an incident in Guildford earlier in the morning and police were actively searching for the driver. It is alleged the man later drove past detectives in Guildford and when they tried to stop him, he took off before crashing into the traffic light and several cars. St John Ambulance officers and Main Roads staff also attended the scene. WA Police Inspector Mike Sparkman said it was \"very fortunate\" no one else was hurt. \"And because of the time of the day, it's caused a bit of traffic chaos,\" he said. The director of Main Roads Metropolitan Operations, Peter Sewell, also attended the crash scene. He said Main Roads staff were helping to close surrounding roads before isolating the electricity supply to the overhead traffic light. \"We expect to be here for three or four hours yet,\" he said. Mr Sewell said the traffic light would be replaced over the weekend at night to avoid being overly disruptive. He said it was a major intersection and that if Perth was not in the middle of a COVID-19 lockdown, the traffic would have become a \"total mess\" by 4:00pm. \"Currently, we have 35 per cent less traffic on the road, so we're a bit lucky in that way,\" he said. Motorists have been asked to avoid the area. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Perth at the intersection of East Parade and the Graham Farmer Freeway"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["WA Police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Man dead, four taken to hospital after car crashes into alfresco restaurant in Perth CBD","document":"A man in his 70s is dead and four people are injured after a car mounted a kerb and rammed a parked car into a group of people at a restaurant in Perth's CBD on Friday night. Police say a Land Rover was being driven on Pier Street, near Murray Street, about 6:30pm when it mounted the footpath and struck a parked Corolla, propelling it into a group of alfresco diners. The Land Rover continued, driving a short distance before rolling, hitting another parked car and landing on its roof. A man, 71, was killed and four people — including the driver — were taken to Royal Perth Hospital by ambulance, while others were treated at the scene.  The driver, a 60-year-old man, was taken into custody and charged with dangerous driving causing death in circumstances of aggravation and no authority to drive. He remains in a serious condition in hospital. Several other cars were also hit.  Priyesh Adatia was having a drink with friends across the road from where the car is believed to have mounted the footpath. He said the car missed him by less than a metre and showered the group in debris. \"[My] instant response was run over there, just to make sure there's no kids in the car,\" he said. \"We were trying to talk to him and he actually made movements, he was groaning and moaning a bit so we couldn't understand what he was saying. \"He was responsive … and we just kept him talking while the ambulance crew arrived.\" Mr Adatia said he would take a few days off work to process what had happened. \"I've never come across anything like that, ever,\" he said. \"It was horrific because it was just people screaming … it was a very traumatic experience.\" The driver, who is from the Wheatbelt town of Walebing, was due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court today via a bedside hearing, but was too unwell to attend. A duty lawyer told the court the man was heavily sedated and unresponsive.  No application for bail was made. The man was remanded in custody and is due to appear in court by videolink on Monday.  ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a Land Rover","a parked Corolla"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A man, 71, was killed and four people — including the driver"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday night","about 6:30pm"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a restaurant in Perth's CBD","on Pier Street, near Murray Street"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Daliak crash: Five people including toddler seriously injured in Great Southern Highway collision near York","document":"An 82-year-old man is fighting for life at Royal Perth Hospital following a horror crash in York yesterday that left five people — including a toddler— with serious injuries. The crash took place along Great Southern Highway in Daliak, west of York, just after 4.30pm yesterday when a Jaguar S-Type sedan was driving east, and collided head on with a Honda Jazz hatchback travelling in the opposite direction. The 82-year-old driver of the Jaguar remains fighting for life in hospital after suffering critical injuries at the scene. The 34-year-old male driver of the Honda, as well as a three-year-old boy in the vehicle, received serious injuries. The man remains in a serious but stable condition at RPH. Two other passengers, a 32-year-old woman and a 28-year-old woman, were also injured in the horror crash. WA Police are currently investigating and asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a Jaguar S-Type sedan","a Honda Jazz hatchback"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["An 82-year-old man","five people — including a toddler"]},{"role":"Date","values":["4.30pm yesterday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Great Southern Highway in Daliak, west of York"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["travelling in the opposite direction"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Police investigate third fatal crash in WA during the Easter break","document":"Police are seeking witnesses to a fiery crash in the Perth Hills in which a 31-year-old motorcyclist died. The Kelmscott man was riding a white Husqvarna motorbike eastbound on Jarrahdale Road about 3.45pm on Monday when he left the road and hit a tree near Kingsbury Drive in Jarrahdale. The bike went up in flames and set nearby bushland alight, which firefighters later successfully extinguished. The motorcyclist suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene, with the cause now under investigation. His death was the third on WA roads during the Easter break, after a 22-year-old man was found dead on a road in Bedfordale by a member of the public on Saturday morning, and 41-year old father Jared Smith was killed in a collision with another car on Indian Ocean Drive on Saturday afternoon. WA Police major crash investigators are urging anyone with information regarding the crash or who saw the white Husqvarna motorcycle beforehand to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online. Anyone with dash-cam or mobile phone vision relating to the crash is asked to upload it to police. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["31-year-old motorcyclist"]},{"role":"Date","values":["about 3.45pm on Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Perth Hills","Jarrahdale Road"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"One person dead as car crashes into pole in Mundijong","document":"At man has been killed in a single-car crash in Perth’s southern suburbs in the early hours of Sunday morning. Major crash detectives will attend the scene of the serious crash, which happened just after 4am in Mundijong. It’s believed two people were in the silver BMW sedan, which hit a pole near the intersection of South Western Highway and Pruden Road. The driver suffered massive injuries in the crash and died at the scene. The road was closed this morning, but has since been reopened. Any one who saw the crash should should call CrimeStoppers on 1800 33 00. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["single-car","silver BMW sedan"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["At man has been killed","The driver suffered massive injuries in the crash and died"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday morning","after 4am"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Perth’s southern suburbs","Mundijong"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Fatal crash on Bussell Highway in Ludlow claims two lives, three seriously hurt","document":"Two women have died and three people have been seriously injured after a crash on a notorious stretch of road on the Bussell Highway near Ludlow, in Western Australia's South West. Police said two cars and a truck were involved in the horrific collision about 3:45pm (WST) on Friday. It is not clear how the tragedy happened. One person was taken by helicopter to hospital in Perth and two others were transported to a local hospital. It's the second fatal crash on the highway in the past fortnight. Earlier this month, a married couple died in a crash on the same stretch of road, leaving their four children orphaned, while just days ago a two-year-old and a 57-year-old woman died in a double fatality on the nearby South West Highway. In an update on Saturday, police said the two women who died were aged 51 and 58. South West Police Superintendent Geoff Stewart said it was still not clear how the tragedy happened. \"Two of the vehicles were travelling in opposite directions and that resulted in two people losing their lives,\" he said. \"These crashes happen for a reason because of what people do, so please drive safely and drive to the conditions of the road.\" Superintendent Stewart said a number of locals stopped to help at the scene which he described as \"confronting\". Three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash. The Bussell Highway is the major road linking Bunbury to the popular holiday destinations of Busselton and Margaret River. A 2019 survey compiled by insurer RAC labelled the Bussell Highway the most dangerous road in regional WA due to its lack of overtaking opportunities and traffic separation. Road works are currently underway to widen a section of the highway between Capel and Busselton that is notoriously dangerous and busy, particularly on weekends and during holidays. Earlier this month, Superintendent Stewart told the ABC he was concerned about the coming tourist season, which was expected to be busier than usual. \"We're going to see more vehicles and it concerns me greatly,\" he said. He urged people to drive to the conditions, avoid distractions, wear seatbelts and to avoid taking risks behind the wheel. The crash comes as thousands of school leavers head to the South West this weekend along the same stretch of road. Superintendent Stewart urged parents to talk to their teenagers about road safety before they left. \"We're about to be inundated with thousands of novice drivers coming down here for leavers, \" he said. \"Mum and dad — tell them to drive safely, drive to the conditions. \"We've got a number of extra police in the area — particularly on the roads — to make sure that people are doing the right thing and they're going to go home.\" ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["two cars and a truck"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Two women have died and three people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["about 3:45pm (WST) on Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a notorious stretch of road on the Bussell Highway near Ludlow, in Western Australia's South West"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["hospital in Perth","a local hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Man dies in horror Kwinana Freeway crash near Nambeelup","document":"A man has died and a woman is seriously injured after a horror rollover on the Kwinana Freeway last night. The man was with a woman and two children travelling in a white Nissan X-Trail southbound near Pinjarra Road in Nambeelup when the car smashed into a steel barrier about 6.50pm. The 34-year-old man died at the scene while a 27-year-old woman in the front passenger seat was flown to Royal Perth Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition. Two children — a six-year-old and a five-year-old girl — were taken to Perth Children’s Hospital. Both children are believed to have non life-threatening injuries. About 40km away in Atwell, another crash saw the left lane of Kwinana Freeway southbound closed from Lakes Road to Pinjarra Road and the right lane of Russell Road westbound.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a white Nissan X-Trail"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A man","a woman","Two children — a six-year-old and a five-year-old girl"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last night","about 6.50pm"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kwinana Freeway","near Pinjarra Road in Nambeelup"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital","Perth Children’s Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["smashed into a steel barrier"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"WA road worker Scott Files has driver safety message after car smashes into him","document":"A road worker has pleaded with drivers to take more care after almost being killed in a collision in Perth’s south. Scott Files was struck by a car while he was repairing road damage from weekend storms. The crash near Mandurah was so bad his workmates thought he’d been killed. The 37-year-old father of five doesn’t remember the moment he was struck by a car while working on Sunday night. “I woke up after about 30 seconds, tried standing up after being catapulted by the car,” he said. Scott was facing sideways and was hit directly in the hip area. He survived, but with multiple fractures, a shattered leg and internal injuries. Now, it’s a long road to recovery for the road worker, who was just trying to keep drivers safe. The crash has highlighted the dangers facing road workers. When signs ask drivers to slow down and take care, this is the reason why. “The public has just got to be more aware of their surroundings and read the signs,” Scott said. “They’re there for a reason, they’re there to keep us safe. “At the end of the day, you just want to go to work and be able to come home to your family.”","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A road worker"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Perth’s south","near Mandurah"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["Scott"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Chloe Lee, 10, loses fight for life after horror WA crash that also seriously injured her family","document":"A young girl’s parents have tragically kissed their baby goodbye after a horrific car crash that also injured them and her younger brother.  A 10-year-old girl has died after a horrific car crash that also seriously injured her younger brother and parents in Western Australia. The crash happened just after 9.30am on Sunday in Williams, in the state’s Wheatbelt region, when the family’s car ploughed into a tree. Geoff Lee, 44, his wife Sommar, 42, daughter Chloe and eight-year-old son Declan had to be cut from the car and flown to hospitals in Perth. According to a GoFundMe page set up by family friend Barbara Wilkinson, young Chloe suffered head and spinal injuries, and was placed on life support at Perth Children’s Hospital. Mr Lee suffered broken ankles, spinal injuries and various internal injuries, while Ms Lee had a broken pelvis, legs and wrist, and severe lacerations to her face. Declan received cuts and bruises all over his body. “Geoff explained that Chloe will remain on life support until he and Sommar are stable enough to be transported to the children’s hospital to kiss their baby girl goodbye,” Ms Wilkinson wrote. Police confirmed on Wednesday that Chloe had died. The Lee family are well known in the Townsville and Caboolture areas in Queensland, and were an integral part of the St Peter’s Primary School. They only recently moved to Western Australia for a change of life and better work opportunities. “The family will be under significant financial pressure due to Geoff not being able to work and costs associated with the accident,” Ms Wilkinson wrote. “Sommar and Geoff have expressed their wish to return Chloe to her home town of Caboolture for a funeral so that her friend’s and relatives have the opportunity to commemorate her short life.” Tributes have been posted by strangers and people close to the family. “Chloe, thank you for being Lilly’s first true friend! Thank you for the sleepovers, the late night giggles, the endless amount (of) memories and for being her partner in crime. We will cherish those memories forever,” Chantelle Herrmann wrote. Tejay Page wrote: “Chloe was my friend at my old school and I feel very sad for her … I remember being at her birthday party and what a fun time I had.” More than $26,000 has so far been raised to help the family. An Australian hospital has found home births are perfectly safe, depending on what type of pregnancy you have. The marine search for a missing diver has been suspended, as police turn their attention to finding his equipment. Two anti-vaxxers have been charged with attempted fraud after going to extreme measures to avoid the Covid jab.","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A young girl’s parents","their baby"]},{"role":"Date","values":["after 9.30am on Sunday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Williams, in the state’s Wheatbelt region"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Perth Children’s Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["the family’s car ploughed into a tree"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two 27-year-old women die in Perth crash amid horror start to WA Day weekend","document":"Three people are dead and two others are in hospital after four separate road crashes across Western Australia at the start of the long weekend. Two women died after a crash in Perth's south, with police still looking for the passenger of one of the vehicles involved. Police said around 7:40pm, a Toyota Landcruiser was travelling north-west on Ennis Avenue in Cooloongup, in the city's south, when it collided with a Nissan Micra that was turning right off the same road. The driver of the Nissan, a 27-year-old woman from Success, was taken to Rockingham Hospital but died a short time later. The 27-year-old female passenger, from Cooloongup, died at the scene. The driver of the Landcruiser, a 50-year-old man, failed to stop and was arrested a short distance from the crash site. He was taken to Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) and was assisting police with their enquiries. Police are searching for the male passenger of the Landcruiser, who is not believed to be injured and has not been seen since the crash. A man in his 30s also died overnight on Friday after a motorbike crash in Perth's north. Police said the man ran off the road into the retaining wall of a home in Quinns Rocks about midnight. He died at the scene. Meanwhile, two people were taken to hospital in Perth following separate single-vehicle crashes overnight on Friday. About 3:15am, a car driving down Great Eastern Highway, in the Perth hills suburb of Darlington, veered off the road into a tree and caught fire. The 19-year-old male driver was taken to RPH with serious injuries. Another person was taken to RPH by helicopter after a crash in the south-west town of Allanson, near Collie. WA Police Minister Michelle Roberts described the crashes as \"absolutely devastating\". \"Only on Thursday, I was standing there ahead of the long weekend asking people to drive courteously on the roads, to take care, to be aware of the weather conditions which make it more hazardous on the roads,\" she said. \"To now find that we've got three people deceased in the last 24 hours, and others seriously injured, is just tragic. \"My heart goes out to those families, particularly to the families of those two 27-year-old women in Cooloongup, the news for them must just be absolutely devastating and heartbreaking.\" Mrs Roberts said it was concerning that in two of the other crashes, it appeared a car hit a tree. \"Again, it's a reminder that on country roads — and Darlington has that country road feel, too — you have to be really careful. \"The most common fatality in those circumstances is a car veering off the road into incoming traffic, or a tree.\" Mrs Roberts said it was especially important to drive safely over the long weekend, given the easing of intrastate border restrictions which allowed people to travel further. \"I understand people are excited to be back out on the roads, and some of them will be travelling quite long distances,\" she said. \"Take care on the roads, show some courtesy, slow down, have breaks in your trip.\" Amid the tragic start to the WA Day long weekend, many road users seeking to leave the city were delayed by construction works in the CBD. The southbound lane of the Mitchell Freeway was blocked off at 10:00pm on Friday, due to works on the Hay Street bridge. The freeway lane may be shut until 2:00pm on Monday, according to Main Roads. The bridge, which has been subject to a number of disruptive hits by trucks, is being raised from a 4.6-metre clearance to a 4.85-metre clearance. Main Roads WA acting metro executive director Peter Sewell told ABC Radio Perth that many people travelling away from the city had left on Friday to avoid traffic. \"Yesterday afternoon, from lunchtime, around 70,000 vehicles headed to the south and around 40,000 headed to the north,\" he said. \"I think the grey nomads squealed their tyres on their driveways trying to get out of the city, there were a lot of vans heading north, they've all been waiting with bated breath.\" Mr Sewell said it was hoped the works could be completed ahead of schedule, possibly by Sunday night, to minimise disruptions on Monday as holidaymakers returned to Perth. ","event_type":"Road Crash","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Number of Vehicles Involved in the Crash","values":["a Toyota Landcruiser","a Nissan Micra"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["The driver of the Nissan, a 27-year-old woman from Success","Three people are dead and two others","The 27-year-old female passenger, from Cooloongup"]},{"role":"Date","values":["around 7:40pm"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Perth's south","Ennis Avenue in Cooloongup, in the city's south","Western Australia"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Perth Hospital (RPH)","Rockingham Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"The US withdrawal from the Iran deal: One year on","document":"On 8 May last year, US President Donald J. Trump announced that the United States would pull out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which sets limits on Iran’s nuclear programme to ensure that it cannot produce nuclear weapons. Despite the US withdrawal, the JCPOA remains in force; it is a multilateral agreement to which seven of the original eight parties still adhere. When they arrived at the agreement in July 2015, the parties to it were Iran, the USA, China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union. A few days after the JCPOA was agreed, it was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.\nThe JCPOA limits Iran’s uranium enrichment programme until 2030 and contains monitoring and transparency measures that will remain in place long after that date. Along with other international experts, SIPRI’s assessment from the outset has been that the agreement is technically sound with robust verification procedures. The International Atomic Energy Agency is responsible for monitoring Iran’s JCPOA implementation. It has consistently found that Iran is fully living up to its undertakings. In short, well-crafted and properly implemented, the JCPOA closes off Iran’s pathway to nuclear weapons, should it decide to go in that direction.\nHowever, Saudi Arabia, Israel and most US Republican politicians opposed the agreement. Donald Trump made abandoning the deal a keynote of his 2016 election campaign. Like most other critics, he has described as major flaws the JCPOA’s temporary nature and its lack of controls on Iran’s ballistic missile programme. He is also highly critical of Iran’s actions in Syria and elsewhere in the region, which he characterizes as its ‘malign behaviour’.\nThis makes it clear that, rather than an evidence-based technical objection to the agreement or its implementation, the US decision to withdraw from the JCPOA was a political measure aimed against Iran. The time-limited nature of the JCPOA is by no means unique—the major US-Russian strategic arms control agreement, for example, expires in 2021. It is normal in such cases to find an appropriate opportunity to discuss extending the agreement.\nRegardless of its views about Iran’s regional policies and actions—or, indeed, about the policies and actions of its regional rivals such as Israel and Saudi Arabia—the US withdrawal from the JCPOA is ill-conceived and regrettable for many reasons. It undermines the value of multilateral diplomacy and raises questions about the sanctity and sustainability of interstate agreements. Furthermore, it challenges the authority of the UN Security Council, which has unanimously passed a resolution endorsing the JCPOA and calling on all UN member states as well as regional and international organizations to take action to support the agreement’s implementation. US withdrawal from the JCPOA risks seriously weakening trust and confidence in international institutions and arrangements that are essential parts of the global security architecture. In particular, the US action undermines the global effort for nuclear non-proliferation by sabotaging an important and effective anti-proliferation agreement. It is to be hoped that the remaining parties to the JCPOA will find ways to support its continued implementation.\nSubscribe to receive SIPRI updates\nSTOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL\nPEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE\nSIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On 8 May last year"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","the United States"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two years after JCPOA withdrawal, Americans are less safe, the Middle East less peaceful","document":"An international research institute that provides objective information on military, geopolitical and geo-economic developments that could lead to conflict\nWe promote the development of sound policies that further global peace and security.\nOur world-class researchers produce independent analysis to advance a wider understanding of global security, geo-economics and geopolitics\nWe offer individuals, corporations and governments alike unique networking opportunities, as well as exciting career opportunities for the brightest global talent\nWe produce timely, evidence-based analysis and comment on the news shaping the global strategic agenda\nMark Fitzpatrick @MarkTFitz\nAssociate Fellow\n12th May 2020\nOn 9 May, the second anniversary of the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that ‘Americans are safer and the Middle East is more peaceful than if we had remained in the #JCPOA’. Any way one looks at it, this is demonstrably untrue. The truth is the opposite.\nOn the nuclear front, President Donald Trump’s withdrawal prompted Iran to suspend its adherence to all of the limits imposed by the JCPOA, something the Trump administration thought was unlikely. In September 2018, a senior administration official told the International Crisis Group that the US could ‘have our cake and eat it too’, in other words, violate the agreement while Iran abided by it. Continuing to uphold those limits, as Iran did up until a year ago, would have meant it remained at least a year away from being able to produce a weapon’s worth of highly enriched uranium. Instead, the so-called breakout period is now about six months. Iran has not pulled out of the deal entirely. It still accepts the enhanced inspection requirements and participates in the oversight mechanisms of the JCPOA. It also pledges to return to full compliance if it receives the economic benefits provided for in the accord. On the peace front, over the past year, Iran has attacked Saudi oil facilities, seized tankers, sabotaged other oil tankers, fired ballistic missiles at a joint US–Iraqi base, and reportedly encouraged militia groups that have repeatedly attacked US forces in Iraq. All of this malicious activity stems from the breakdown in relations that Trump instigated. The region is less peaceful and Americans less safe as a consequence.\nOn the economic front, Trump’s re-imposition and reinforcement of nuclear-related sanctions has certainly weakened Iran. Oil exports have fallen from 2.5 million barrels per day to a few hundred thousand, which it has to sell at a discount below the already depressed global price.  The economy shrank by 7.65% in 2019 and is projected to fall another 6% this year. Iran’s unprecedented request for US$5 billion of emergency funding from the International Monetary Fund to fight the coronavirus pandemic remains under discussion amidst US efforts to block it. Causing economic duress is the only metric by which Trump and his enablers have any grounds for claiming tactical triumph. But how bleeding Iran makes Americans safer and the region more peaceful defies logic. Two imaginative theories are proposed. The first is that economic duress will cause the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) to give way to a regime that is democratic, peace-loving and pro-American. According to Trump associates, such as his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and former national security advisor, John Bolton, the exiled Mujahedin-e-Khalq group (MEK) is the ideal vehicle for this would-be miraculous transition, even though the MEK is neither democratic nor peaceful, has a record of terrorism and near zero support in Iran itself. Fundamentalist opponents of the IRI are fond of fearmongering claims that Iran is on the verge of economic collapse and have repeated this incessantly for over two years. But having lived under sanctions for four decades, Iranians have acquired resilience. Moreover, the institutions that bind the IRI together – the conservative clergy, the Islamic Republican Guard Corps (IRGC), the courts and the other elements of the security apparatus – remain as firmly in control as ever. In the unlikely event that regime change were to transpire, the new leadership would almost surely come from the ranks of these groups. Iran would be even more vengeful and antagonistic.\nA more sophisticated, but equally mistaken, theory behind the ‘bleed Iran’ policy rests on the notion that war with the IRI is inevitable sooner or later. In anticipation of this coming conflict, the argument goes that it is best to weaken Iran now in whatever way possible. Maximum pressure is thus designed to force Iran not to the bargaining table, but to the beggar’s bush. The obvious fallacy behind this line of thinking is that war is by no means inevitable, but acting as though it is can make conflict a self-fulfilling prophecy. In the absence of a US provocation, Iran has no reason now, or in the future, to attack the US or its forces. This is not to absolve Iran for the deaths it has caused to many American soldiers in Iraq over the years, nor to suggest that the IRGC is a benign organisation – it is deadly and ruthless. The IRGC, however, does not threaten the US homeland. The very real differences that the US has with Iran can be addressed through peaceful means of diplomacy, coalition-building and deterrence, the latter backed by the proportionate use of force as needed. Among these tools, the Trump administration prioritises physical threats, giving short shrift to negotiation and partnerships. Yet Iran hardly seems deterred, as witnessed by its harassment of US warships in the Gulf last month.\nPompeo’s false boast that Americans are safer and the Middle East more peaceful as a result of Trump’s move two years ago is pure propaganda. Withdrawing from the JCPOA was an atrocious foreign-policy mistake.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["the Iran","the US"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Trump: U.S. 'Will Withdraw' From Iran Nuclear Deal","document":"                    \"The fact is this was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever have been made,\" President Trump said Tuesday from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House.\n                                                                        Evan Vucci/AP\n                                    hide caption\n\"The fact is this was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever have been made,\" President Trump said Tuesday from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House.\nUpdated at 6:36 p.m. ET\nPresident Trump announced Tuesday that he has decided to exit a 2015 multinational agreement in which Iran agreed to limit its production of nuclear weapons material.\n\"I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal,\" Trump said.\nHe said the U.S. will reimpose economic sanctions that were lifted as part of the U.S. commitments made in the deal.\nThe U.S. has been repeatedly waiving sanctions that curtail Iran's oil sales, but those sanctions waivers faced a Saturday deadline, prompting Trump's move Tuesday.\nTrump made the announcement during a speech at the White House.\n\"The fact is this was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever have been made,\" he said.\n\"It didn't bring calm, it didn't bring peace, and it never will,\" he also said.\nSpeaking in a nationally televised address, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called Trump a \"bothersome creature.\" Rouhani also said Iran would attempt to hold talks with the other world powers in the deal to see whether the agreement can be continued. But if it can't, he said, Iran's atomic energy organization is prepared to restart nuclear activities.\nAlso speaking in a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement is historic. Netanyahu thanked Trump for his \"courageous leadership\" and \"commitment to confront the terrorist regime in Tehran.\"\nIn a statement, Saudi Arabia said it \"supports and welcomes the steps announced\" by Trump. \"The Kingdom also supports reinstating economic sanctions on the Iranian regime.\"\nTrump's repudiation of the agreement was called \"misguided\" by former President Barack Obama, whose administration negotiated it. In a joint statement, the leaders of Great Britain, France and Germany, which all signed the agreement, expressed \"regret and concern.\"\nSpeaking slowly and deliberately, Trump did not mention his predecessor by name but clearly had the Obama administration in mind.\nTrump called the agreement, which was drafted along with U.S. allies, \"poorly negotiated.\"\nThe president also said that at a time when the U.S. \"had maximum leverage, this disastrous deal gave Iran many billions of dollars, some of it in actual cash,\" which Trump called \"a great embarrassment to me as a citizen and to all citizens.\"\n\"It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement,\" Trump said, calling it \"defective at its core.\"\nTrump justified his decision by citing what he sees as flaws in the deal. He called the sunset provisions of the agreement, which allow Iran to resume its nuclear enrichment program when the agreement phases out by 2030, \"totally unacceptable.\" If allowed to stand, he said, the agreement would spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. \"Everyone would want their weapons ready by the time Iran had theirs,\" the president warned.\nTrump also criticized the agreement's inspection provisions, which he called inadequate, and its failure to prevent Iran from building ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.\nIn a statement, Obama, who rarely addresses actions of his successor, said the agreement is working and \"has significantly rolled back Iran's nuclear program.\"\nWalking away from it \"turns our back on America's closest allies,\" the former president said.\nObama added, \"In a democracy, there will always be changes in policies and priorities from one Administration to the next. But the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America's credibility, and puts us at odds with the world's major powers. Debates in our country should be informed by facts, especially debates that have proven to be divisive.\"\nThere are few issues more important to the security of the US than the potential spread of nuclear weapons or the potential for even more destructive war in the Middle East. Today’s decision to put the JCPOA at risk is a serious mistake. My full statement: https://t.co/4oTdXESbxe\nTrump said he consulted extensively with U.S. allies in Europe and in the Middle East. \"We are unified in our understanding of the threat,\" Trump said, \"and in our conviction that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.\"\nThe path ahead is unclear. In their statement, British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the U.S. to \"do everything possible to preserve the gains for nuclear non-proliferation brought about\" by the agreement \"by allowing for a continued enforcement of its main elements.\"\nThe leaders also encouraged Iran \"to show restraint in response to the decision by the US; Iran must continue to meet its own obligations under the deal, cooperating fully and in a timely manner with IAEA inspection requirements.\"\nThe three European leaders also said they remained committed to the agreement. \"We urge all sides to remain committed to its full implementation and to act in a spirit of responsibility,\" the trio said.\nFrance, Germany, and the UK regret the U.S. decision to leave the JCPOA. The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.\nAfter his remarks, Trump signed a presidential memorandum that he said reinstates \"the highest level\" of economic sanctions on Iran and said any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also face sanctions.\nTrump also declared Tuesday that \"America will not be held hostage by nuclear blackmail.\"\nThe president added that his action \"sends a critical message\" that the U.S. \"no longer makes empty threats.\" Instead, Trump explained, \"when I make promises, I keep them.\"\nTrump also announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on his way to North Korea for talks in preparation for a planned summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. \"Plans are being made, relationships are building, hopefully a deal will happen,\" Trump said.\n                Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses a rally against the Iran nuclear deal on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on September 9, 2015, in Washington, D.C.\n                                                                        Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images\n                                    hide caption\nThen-presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses a rally against the Iran nuclear deal on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on September 9, 2015, in Washington, D.C.\nThe top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee criticized Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran pact.\n\"With this decision President Trump is risking U.S. national security, recklessly upending foundational partnerships with key U.S. allies in Europe and gambling with Israel's security,\" Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a statement. \"Today's withdrawal from the [deal] makes it more likely Iran will restart its nuclear weapons program in the future.\"\n\"The governments of Iran, Russia, and China will seize this opportunity of self-imposed U.S. isolation to continue major weapons sales, deepen economic ties, and further challenge the United States and Europe not only in the Middle East but in other areas like North Korea,\" Menendez also said.\nRepublicans praised Trump's action. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said that \"the Obama-era agreement\" was \"deeply flawed\" and that Trump's announcement was \"as strong statement that we can and must do better.\"\nHouse Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., responded on Twitter with a substantial thread of criticism of the president's decision.\nTrump faced a May 12 deadline to decide whether to continue to waive certain sanctions that would prevent countries or companies from buying oil from Iran. Imposing the sanctions would effectively breach the deal.\nThe president has repeatedly bashed the Iran nuclear agreement, calling it one of the worst deals he has ever witnessed. During his presidential campaign, Trump had promised to \"dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran.\"\nThe 2015 agreement with Iran was negotiated by the Obama administration and signed by the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, China and Russia.\nAs a part of the deal, Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear weapons program and ongoing inspections in return for relief from economic sanctions.\nCritics of the deal argue that it gave away too much without addressing other critical issues, including Iran's development of ballistic missiles and its support of destabilizing actions in the Middle East.\nThere are also concerns that certain provisions of the deal are not permanent, potentially allowing Iran to restart its nuclear program.\nAfter entering office, Trump continued to have harsh words for the deal, but he had stopped short of actually pulling the United States out of the agreement.\nThere were disputes in the White House and the Cabinet about how to handle the Iran deal. Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former national security adviser H.R. McMaster both backed staying in the agreement, a view that put the officials at odds with Trump.\nThe recently confirmed Pompeo and new national security adviser John Bolton are much more hawkish on Iran.\nEuropean allies had urged the president to stick with deal, despite his misgivings. Macron, who was treated to an official state visit at the White House last month, said the agreement could be kept in place while the countries work to craft a new and more comprehensive pact.\nEven some opponents of the deal in Congress said it would be best to remain in the agreement until something better was put in place.\n\"I believe the best path forward at this point is to continue pushing to fix these flaws as we enforce the hell out of the deal,\" said Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the head of the House Foreign Affairs committee, in a statement before Trump's announcement.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["Great Britain, France and Germany"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["2015 multinational agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","the United States"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"What Trump’s JCPOA withdrawal means for India","document":"Guidance for the Brookings community and the public on our response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) »\nLearn more from Brookings scholars about the global response to coronavirus (COVID-19) »\nOver the last few years, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has sought to deepen its relationships in the Middle East (or what Delhi calls West Asia). It has continued its predecessors’ approach of maintaining links with Israel, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (both the Qatar and Saudi/UAE wings), and Iran. Arguably, the latter is the least significant of the three for India—and definitely less crucial than India’s partnership with the United States for Indian interests. Nonetheless, for Delhi, Iran is important because of a) India’s energy interests, and b) connectivity to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Both could be affected by the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the JCPOA, which Modi in an India-Iran joint statement two years ago said represented a “triumph of diplomacy and sagacity.” In its response today, New Delhi was careful not to condemn the U.S. action—but it will not welcome the step, particularly as it comes at a time of global and regional flux and uncertainty.\t\nIran is India’s third-largest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It has recovered some of its market share in India after sanctions caused it to fall from second place in 2008-09 (accounting for 17 percent of Indian oil imports) to seventh place in 2013-14 (accounting for 6 percent of Indian oil imports).\nIndia, which is the third-largest global oil consumer and imports three-quarters of its oil, will be assessing how the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran might affect this supply. Delhi will want to find a way to maintain as much of this supply as it can—including by seeking exemptions if possible. But, if it has to comply with sanctions, the system is better prepared, having done so before. Indian officials will even try to see if this development could represent an opportunity. Iran, for whom India is the second-largest market, might offer it better terms to try to maintain its market share. Delhi could take this up to an extent if, as it has done in the past, it can pay in rupees. Or it could ask Saudi Arabia or the UAE or Kuwait to make a competing offer. In reducing imports last year to force a much-delayed Iranian decision to give an Indian company the development rights to a gas field, Delhi has shown that it is willing to use its leverage.\nIndian private- and public-sector companies that are engaged in importing oil or subsidizing downstream companies—or are involved in the Iranian sector—will also be assessing the impact on their operations and their bottom lines. Many of these companies have interests in the United States that they will also need to factor in to their next steps.\nBeyond the bilateral energy questions, the Indian government will be closely watching the impact of this step on oil prices, since that has implications for the Indian economy. And with a general election due in the next year (not to mention some crucial state elections in the meantime), Modi will also be concerned about the political implications of any oil price increase.\nThe country and the Modi government have benefited from lower oil prices over the last few years. When Modi took office, the price for the Indian crude basket was $108.05 per barrel; just before the Iran deal, it was $57.19 per barrel; and by the end of 2015, it was $33.36 per barrel. This gave India’s economic policymakers more fiscal space and Modi more political space—both of which will be hurt by much higher prices. Oil prices have already crossed $70 per barrel.\nMy colleague Samantha Gross has indicated that energy markets have already priced in a U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and that there is sufficient spare capacity to absorb the expected loss of Iranian oil. Much will depend, according to her, on whether Riyadh, Moscow, and others decide to increase production (they might have little incentive to do so at the moment); whether American producers can do so given certain infrastructure constraints; and the state of affairs in producers like Venezuela and Iraq (if Tehran retaliates there, for example, that could affect its production levels and global prices).\nDelhi will also be concerned about the impact on its regional connectivity plans that have been driven by both geopolitical and geoeconomic interests. In the absence of a corridor through Pakistan, India has seen Iran as a potentially crucial transit route to Afghanistan and Central Asia (and eventually via the International North South Transport Corridor even further). This objective—and China’s base in Djibouti and its role in developing the Pakistani port of Gwadar—has shaped India’s desire to invest in upgrading the Iranian port of Chabahar. Arguably more than energy trade, this has led to increased bilateral engagement, including Modi’s May 2016 visit to Iran and President Hassan Rouhani’s February 2018 visit to India.\nWhile the Chabahar initiative was in the works for years, the JCPOA (and potential Chinese competition) gave it new momentum. In 2016, Modi committed to spending $500 million on the project. Since then, ministers have exchanged visits, and there have been two related Afghanistan-India-Iran ministerials, as well as a trilateral transit agreement and Indian wheat shipments to Afghanistan via the port. Nonetheless, the project has continued to suffer delays—in identifying a private sector partner, for instance. There have also been reports that Tehran has expressed interest in Chinese investment in the port (though this might be negotiating tactic). And Trump’s latest move will only further complicate India’s plans.\nIt is worth keeping in mind that the India-Afghanistan airfreight corridors have made this transit route via Iran less indispensable, and Taliban gains might have made it less feasible anyway.\nThe exact impact on Indian energy and connectivity interests will depend on the fine print of the sanctions re-imposition, on whether India can get exemptions (the U.S. response when India shipped wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar, for example, was relatively measured reflecting a greater understanding of India’s position and its role in Afghanistan), on the alternate oil supply picture, and on the feasibility of alternative payment mechanisms that Delhi and Tehran have tried to put in place.\nThe Trump administration’s withdrawal from JCPOA would not have come as a surprise to the Indian government. Delhi knew it was a possibility when President Trump was elected. It is likely that Modi indeed discussed this scenario in recent conversations with French President Macron, British Prime Minister May, and German Chancellor Merkel, as well as fellow oil importers in Asia (Japan and China).\nBut there’s a difference between knowing that Trump twists might be around the corner and having to deal with them (or like them). Washington’s JCPOA withdrawal is not an unmanageable problem for India, but it creates complications that will require it to expend time and resources that are already in short supply. For Delhi, it will also add another difficult item to the U.S.-India agenda. Officials on both sides are already grappling with economic frictions, and trying to minimize the impact of congressional sanctions on Russia on India’s ability to pay for its defense purchases from that country and on American defense companies’ ability to sell to India.\nThe JCPOA withdrawal will also reinforce concerns about U.S. reliability. And it will have broader implications for the Middle East, a critical region for India. Moreover, Delhi will worry about it creating more space for China in Iran and the region more broadly. Finally, the Modi government will see the U.S. withdrawal as adding to the global uncertainty that has been affecting its geopolitical, economic, and political options.\nDespite these Indian concerns, don’t expect public wrangling with the United States. Delhi has other strategic interests at stake with Washington, and will see private discussions with U.S. counterparts as a more effective way of safeguarding its Iran-related interests. It might even use its willingness to comply with sanctions as leverage with the United States to secure more crucial objectives. In addition, Delhi will engage with Tehran to try to mitigate the impact of the American step. It will, moreover, continue its interactions with other key oil producers, including Iraq, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, as well as discussions with fellow consumers. And Delhi will engage with Berlin, London, Paris, and other European partners to manage the fallout, giving added impetus to the Modi government’s stepped-up outreach to Europe.\nOrder from Chaos\nA how-to guide for managing the end of the post-Cold War era. Read all the Order from Chaos content »","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the JCPOA"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","U.S"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Iran deal: Trump breaks with European allies over 'horrible, one-sided' nuclear agreement","document":"President says he will impose ‘highest level of economic sanctions’ on Iran as Tehran vows: ‘We won’t allow Trump to win’\nFirst published on Tue 8 May 2018 20.40 BST\nDonald Trump has announced he will impose “the highest level of economic sanctions” on Iran, violating an international nuclear agreement and a UN resolution, breaking decisively with US allies in Europe, and potentially triggering a new crisis in the Gulf.\nIn a statement at the White House, Trump said this decision meant that the US would “exit the Iran deal” agreed with other major powers in 2015, and warned that “any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could be strongly sanctioned”.\nHe then signed an executive order reimposing sanctions on any foreign company that continues to do business with Iran. The order gives companies 90-day or 180-day grace periods to extract themselves from existing Iranian contacts or face punitive US measures.\nIn July 2015, Iran and a six-nation negotiating group reached a landmark agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that ended a 12-year deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear programme. The deal, struck in Vienna after nearly two years of intensive talks, limited the Iranian programme, to reassure the rest of the world that it cannot develop nuclear weapons, in return for sanctions relief.\nAt its core, the JCPOA is a straightforward bargain: Iran’s acceptance of strict limits on its nuclear programme in return for an escape from the sanctions that grew up around its economy over a decade prior to the accord. Under the deal, Iran unplugged two-thirds of its centrifuges, shipped out 98% of its enriched uranium and filled its plutonium production reactor with concrete. Tehran also accepted extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has verified 10 times since the agreement, and as recently as February, that Tehran has complied with its terms. In return, all nuclear-related sanctions were lifted in January 2016, reconnecting Iran to global markets.\nThe six major powers involved in the nuclear talks with Iran were in a group known as the P5+1: the UN security council’s five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – and Germany. The nuclear deal is also enshrined in a UN security council resolution that incorporated it into international law. The 15 members of the council at the time unanimously endorsed the agreement.\nOn 8 May 2018, US president Donald Trump pulled his country out of the deal. Iran announced its partial withdrawal from the nuclear deal a year later. Trump's successor, Joe Biden, has said that the US could return to the deal if Iran fulfilled its obligations.\nSaeed Kamali Dehghan, Iran correspondent\nThe leaders of the UK, France and Germany, who are also parties to the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, issued a statement soon after Trump’s declaration expressing their “regret and concern” and emphasising their “continuing commitment” to the deal.\n“We urge the US to ensure that the structures of the JCPOA can remain intact, and to avoid taking action which obstructs its full implementation by all other parties to the deal,” the statement said.\nIn a separate tweet, the French president Emmanuel Macron warned: “The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.” Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, said he believed the agreement could still survive if other negotiating partners defied Trump. But Rouhani warned that he has instructed the country’s atomic energy agency to prepare to restart enrichment of uranium at an industrial level in a few weeks’ time should the deal collapse completely. “This is a psychological war, we won’t allow Trump to win. I’m happy that the pesky being has left the [agreement],” the Iranian president said.\nIranian lawmakers set a paper US flag on fire at parliament on Wednesday morning, shouting, “Death to America!”. Iran’s parliament speaker said on Wednesday that “Trump only understands the language of force”.\n“Trump’s abandoning of the nuclear deal was a diplomatic show,” Ali Larijani said. In his White House remarks, Trump called the Iran agreement “a horrible one-sided deal that should never, ever have been made”. He said: “It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it never will.”\nEven before Trump made his announcement at the White House, tensions were visibly rising. The Israeli military warned of “irregular activity of Iranian forces in Syria” and ordered bomb shelters to be readied in the Golan Heights. Moments after the president’s declaration, explosions were heard near Damascus and Syrian official media claimed government positions had come under Israeli air strikes.\nIn reintroducing sanctions, Trump referred to claims by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel had documents detailing past Iranian work on nuclear weapons development.\nNetanyahu, who has been a vocal critic of the deal and called for Trump to “fix it or nix it”, said on Tuesday: “Israel fully supports President Trump’s bold decision today to reject the disastrous nuclear deal with the terrorist regime in Tehran.”\nHe said Israel opposed the deal as it “paves Iran’s path to an entire arsenal of nuclear bombs”.\nThe “removal of sanctions under the deal has already produced disastrous results,” Netanyahu said. “Israel thanks President Trump for his courageous leadership,” he added.\nBoth Trump and Netanyahu are under significant domestic pressure. Trump is under scrutiny for possible collusion with Russia during the presidential election campaign, and for paying hush money to a porn actor who claims to have had sex with him. The Israeli prime minister is the subject of several police corruption inquiries.\nJohn Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, said the sanctions would apply immediately to new deals, but that companies would have three or six-month grace periods to get out of existing contracts.\nThe US Treasury issued a factsheet providing a timetable of restoration of sweeping sanctions against global companies trading or investing with Iran.\nBolton said that the US would also cease to abide by the UN security council resolution that endorsed the July 2015 deal. He said: “We are not using the provisions of UNSC 2231 because we are out the of the deal.”\nThe announcement marks a decisive break from the nuclear deal that the US agreed in July 2015 with its main European partners along with Russia, China and Iran, in which Tehran agreed to significant curbs on its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. The deal was endorsed by a UN security council resolution soon afterwards.\nBarack Obama, whose administration negotiated the deal, described Trump’s violation of the agreement as “a serious mistake”. “Without the JCPOA, the United States could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East,” he said in statement.\nTrump’s unilateral and dramatic withdrawal is likely to raise tensions rapidly in the Middle East, already inflamed by conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.\nMuch will now depend on reaction in Tehran, where hardliners have campaigned against the agreement and pressed for Iran to revive a full range of nuclear activities and throw out UN inspectors.\nThe other parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran have said they will try to keep the deal alive, but it is far from clear that will be possible in the face of the sanctions that Trump has reintroduced, targeting companies around the world for doing business with Iran.\nThe decision represents a rejection of repeated, concerted entreaties by Washington’s European allies to keep faith with the nuclear deal. Trump made his announcement a day after the UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson, returned home after an abortive round of last-minute lobbying for the JCPOA in Washington.\nThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, and Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, had come to the White House in the weeks before. Their failure to sway Trump was a striking measure of how little influence Europe has on this White House, which has sided instead with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on a major strategic decision.\n“There is a question now about how aggressive Europe wants to be to keep the deal alive,” said Peter Harrell, a former senior state department sanctions official now at the Centre for a New American Security. “Without an active effort by the EU to keep European companies in Iran and resist US pressure, you will see big companies leaving.”\nThe JCPOA, agreed in Vienna in 2015, led to a rapid and drastic reduction in Iran’s nuclear programme. It reduced its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98% to just 300lbs, far below what would be required if it attempted to make enough fissile material for a single bomb.\nIran also took down about 13,000 of its centrifuges, leaving just over 5,000 of its oldest-model machines in place. It ceased all enrichment at its underground facility at Fordow, which – like other Iranian nuclear sites - was put under continuous international monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA had repeatedly confirmed that that Iran was in compliance with the restriction it had agreed to in 2015.\nWhile Iran’s arch foes in Israel and Saudi Arabia welcomed Trump’s decision, signatories to the existing deal vowed to plow ahead without the US.\nThe European Union’s chief diplomat Federica Mogherini, who helped oversee the accord, insisted it was “delivering on its goal which is guaranteeing that Iran doesn’t develop nuclear weapons”.\n“The European Union is determined to preserve it,” she added.\nRussia’s foreign ministry said it is “deeply disappointed by the decision of US President Donald Trump to unilaterally refuse to carry out commitments” under the deal.\nKarim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, warned: “By withdrawing from the JCPOA, Trump hastens the possibility of three disparate but similarly cataclysmic events: an Iranian war, an Iranian bomb or the implosion of the Iranian regime.”\n“Iran looms large over major US national security concerns including Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, cyber, energy security, terrorism, & obviously nuclear proliferation,” Sadjadpour said in a tweet. “The opportunities for direct conflict are numerous.”\nAfter announcing the abrogation of the Iran deal, Trump insisted he would press ahead with his bid to reach a nuclear agreement with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, at a summit expected to take place in the coming months.\nHe revealed that the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, was on the way to Pyongyang, apparently to finalise arrangements.\n… as you're joining us today from Hong Kong, 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. Unlike 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. We 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":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["the UN","China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – and Germany"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","the US"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Trump declares US leaving ‘horrible’ Iran nuclear accord","document":"WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the landmark nuclear accord with Iran on Tuesday, abruptly restoring harsh sanctions in the most consequential foreign policy action of his presidency. He declared he was making the world safer, but he also deepened his isolation on the world stage and revived doubts about American credibility.\nThe 2015 agreement, which was negotiated by the Obama administration and included Germany, France and Britain, had lifted most U.S. and international economic sanctions against Iran. In exchange, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear program, making it impossible to produce a bomb and establishing rigorous inspections.\nBut Trump, a severe critic of the deal dating back to his presidential campaign, said in a televised address from the White House that it was “defective at its core.”\nU.S. allies in Europe had tried to keep him in and lamented his move to abandon it. Iran’s leader ominously warned his country might “start enriching uranium more than before.”\nThe sanctions seek to punish Iran for its nuclear program by limiting its ability to sell oil or do business overseas, affecting a wide range of Iranian economic sectors and individuals.\nMajor companies in the U.S. and Europe could be hurt, too. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that licenses held by Boeing and its European competitor Airbus to sell billions of dollars in commercial jetliners to Iran will be revoked. Certain exemptions are to be negotiated, but Mnuchin refused to discuss what products might qualify.\nHe said the sanctions will sharply curtail sales of oil by Iran, which is currently the world’s fifth largest oil producer. Mnuchin said he didn’t expect oil prices to rise sharply, forecasting that other producers will step up production.\nIran’s government must now decide whether to follow the U.S. and withdraw or try to salvage what’s left with the Europeans. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he was sending his foreign minister to the remaining countries but warned there was only a short time to negotiate with them.\nLaying out his case, Trump contended, “If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons.”\nThe administration said it would re-impose sanctions on Iran immediately but allow grace periods for businesses to wind down activity. Companies and banks doing business with Iran will have to scramble to extricate themselves or run afoul of the U.S. government.\nMeanwhile, for nations contemplating striking their own sensitive deals with Trump, such as North Korea, the withdrawal will increase suspicions that they cannot expect lasting U.S. fidelity to international agreements it signs.\nFormer President Barack Obama, whose administration negotiated the deal, called Trump’s action “misguided” and said, “The consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers.”\nYet nations like Israel and Saudi Arabia that loathed the deal saw the action as a sign the United States is returning to a more skeptical, less trusting approach to dealing with adversaries.\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s announcement as a “historic move.”\nTrump, who repeatedly criticized the accord during his presidential campaign, said Tuesday that documents recently released by Netanyahu showed Iran had attempted to develop a nuclear bomb in the previous decade, especially before 2003. Although Trump gave no explicit evidence that Iran violated the deal, he said Iran had clearly lied in the past and could not be trusted.\nIran has denied ever pursuing nuclear arms.\nThere was a predictably mixed reaction from Congress. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said the Iran deal “was flawed from the beginning,” and he looked forward to working with Trump on next steps. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, slammed Trump in a statement, saying this “rash decision isolates America, not Iran.”\nIn a burst of last-minute diplomacy, punctuated by a visit by Britain’s top diplomat, the deal’s European members had given ground on many of Trump’s demands for reworking the accord, according to officials, diplomats and others briefed on the negotiations. Yet the Europeans realized he was unpersuaded.\nTrump spoke with French President Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jinping about his decision Tuesday. Hours before the announcement, European countries met in Brussels with Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs, Abbas Araghchi.\nIn Iran, many are deeply concerned about how Trump’s decision could affect the already struggling economy. In Tehran, Rouhani sought to calm nerves, smiling as he appeared at a petroleum expo. He didn’t name Trump directly, but emphasized that Iran continued to seek “engagement with the world.”\nThe first 15 months of Trump’s presidency have been filled with many “last chances” for the Iran deal in which he’s punted the decision for another few months, and then another. As he left his announcement Tuesday, he predicted that Iranians would someday “want to make a new and lasting deal” and that “when they do, I am ready, willing and able.”\nEven Trump’s secretary of state and the U.N. agency that monitors nuclear compliance agree that Iran, so far, has lived up to its side of the deal. But the deal’s critics, such as Israel, the Gulf Arab states and many Republicans, say it’s a giveaway to Tehran that ultimately would pave the way to a nuclear-armed Iran.\nFor the Europeans, Trump’s withdrawal constitutes dispiriting proof that trying to appease him is futile.\nAlthough the U.S. and Europeans made progress on ballistic missiles and inspections, there were disagreements over extending the life of the deal and how to trigger additional penalties if Iran were found in violation, U.S. officials and European diplomats have said.\n___\nAssociated Press writers Matthew Lee, Jill Colvin, Zeke Miller and Ken Thomas in Washington and Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["Germany, France and Britain"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The 2015 agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","the U.S"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"President Trump Announces U.S. Withdrawal from JCPOA; U.S. Sanctions on Iran Will Be Re-Imposed Following Wind-Down Periods","document":"On May 8, 2018, President Trump announced that the United States would cease its participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The JCPOA, often referred to as the “Iran Nuclear Deal,” was implemented in January 2016 between the P5+1 (i.e., the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council—China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom—plus Germany) and Iran. The agreement brought sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for Iran’s compliance with key nuclear-related commitments.\nIn making this announcement, President Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) that instructs relevant agencies responsible for administering U.S. sanctions on Iran to “re-impose sanctions lifted or waived in connection with the JCPOA as expeditiously as possible.”1 The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued guidance on the implications of U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, including the specific sanctions that will be re-imposed, their timing, and general and specific licensing policies with respect to Iran.\nAs detailed further in this alert, this decision will have significant implications for businesses that benefited from U.S. sanctions relief under the JCPOA.\nOn January 16, 2016, the group of nations called the P5+1 (i.e., the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council—China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom—plus Germany) implemented the JCPOA with Iran. Pursuant to the agreement, Iran was required to dismantle much of its nuclear program and grant international inspectors access to its nuclear-related facilities. In exchange, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations agreed to lift nuclear-related secondary sanctions that had been crippling the Iranian economy.\nSanctions relief by the United States through the JCPOA was largely limited to what are known as “secondary sanctions”—a series of measures codified in U.S. laws that authorized the U.S. government to impose sanctions on foreign companies engaging in certain activities involving Iran, even when such activities have no U.S. jurisdictional nexus. The nuclear-related secondary sanctions implemented with the JCPOA included those that targeted activities key sectors of the Iranian economy, including Iran’s financial, energy, petrochemical, shipping, shipbuilding and automotive sectors. The United States also revoked several executive orders authorizing sanctions on Iran and took action to remove more than 400 individuals and entities that had been previously designated for their involvement with Iran’s nuclear program from OFAC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (“SDN List”).\nThe United States, however, preserved the core U.S. embargo on Iran administered by OFAC pursuant to the Iran Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR). This embargo retained U.S. “primary sanctions” on Iran, which restrict U.S. persons (and non-U.S. entities owned or controlled by U.S. persons) from engaging in virtually all business involving Iran unless authorized pursuant to an OFAC license or through a statutory exemption.\nAs a candidate, President Trump ran on a platform in opposition to the Iran Nuclear Deal. He described the JCPOA as “one of the worst deals [he had] ever seen” and stated that he would “rip it up” if elected. However, following the election, the Trump administration did not take action to renegotiate or otherwise undermine the JCPOA. Rather, President Trump maintained the status quo by waiving secondary sanctions at required 120- and 180-day intervals, and preserved several key authorizations to conduct Iran-related business pursuant to general and specific licenses, such as General License H (GL-H), which authorized non-U.S. persons owned or controlled by U.S. persons to engage in Iran-related business otherwise restricted by the ITSR.\nIn October 2017, however, the Trump administration revived its hardline stance in opposition to the JCPOA. During that month, President Trump refused to certify that the JCPOA was in the national interest of the United States2 and charted a new U.S. strategy toward Iran, which called on Congress and U.S. allies to “fix” the “terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal.”3 The President identified the following areas that needed to be addressed by Congress and U.S. allies: (1) a requirement that Iran allow immediate inspections at all sites requested by international inspectors; (2) Iran’s development and testing of missiles; and (3) elimination of the “sunset clause” of the JCPOA. The President has also called on U.S. allies to “take stronger steps with us to confront Iran’s other malign activities” (e.g., support for terrorist groups, Iran’s cyber threats, human rights violations and threats to international shipping). President Trump also threatened to “terminate” the agreement if this did not occur—a decision that he said could be made unilaterally by him “at any time.”4 For more information, see our November 2017 alert available here.\nOn January 12, 2018, President Trump faced a decision on whether to renew waivers of secondary sanctions for the fourth time under his presidency, and continue U.S. sanctions relief pursuant to the JCPOA. President Trump issued the waivers, but said he was doing so “in order to secure our European allies’ agreement to fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal.”5 He went on to say that this would be the “last chance” for the Iran Nuclear Deal and threatened to cease U.S. participation in the JCPOA if a supplemental agreement was not reached by the next waiver deadline on May 12, 2018.6 For more information, see our January 2018 alert available here.\nBetween January and May 2018, representatives from the U.S. State Department and political directors from the United Kingdom, France and Germany (“the E3”) met on numerous occasions to address the three issues above; however, the parties were unable to reach consensus on a supplemental agreement acceptable to the Trump administration. In addition, major shake-ups in the Trump administration—most notably the resignation of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (who favored staying in the JCPOA) and the appointments of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, two Iran hawks who favored withdrawing from the JCPOA, as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, respectively—were likely key contributing factors to this outcome. Several commentators have speculated that the Trump administration post-Tillerson had no intent to engage in bona fide negotiations with the E3.\nOn May 8, 2018, President Trump announced that he was withdrawing the United States from the JCPOA following a wind-down period. This announcement was coupled with the issuance of a NSPM directing the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to prepare for the re-imposition of all U.S. sanctions lifted or waived in connection with the JCPOA, “as expeditiously as possible and in no case later than 180 days from the date of the NSPM.”7\nIn making the announcement, President Trump called the JCPOA a “disastrous deal” and a “great embarrassment.”8 He stated that a supplemental agreement had “not materialized” and was thus “making good on [his] pledge to end U.S. participation in the JCPOA.”9 He further stated that the United States “will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction” on the Iranian regime and stated that “[a]ny nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States.”10 In addition, the President remarked that while exiting the JCPOA, his administration would work with “allies to find a real, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear threat.”11\nInternational reaction to the announcement by President Trump was swift. Shortly after, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany emphasized their continued commitment to the JCPOA and stated that their countries intend to remain parties to the agreement.12 The United Kingdom, for example, stated that it fully supports expanding its trade relationship with Iran and encouraged businesses to take advantage of the commercial opportunities that arise.13 High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini also stated that “[a]s long as Iran continues to implement its nuclear related commitments, as it is doing so far, the European Union will remain committed to the continued full and effective implementation of the nuclear deal.”14 Finally, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani issued a statement that the United States was in breach of the JCPOA, but that it would seek to remain in the deal.15\nThe announcement to cease U.S. participation in the JCPOA will be accompanied by the re-imposition of sanctions that were lifted or waived in connection with that agreement. Pursuant to OFAC guidance, these sanctions will be imposed following either a 90-day or 180-day wind-down period depending on the activities subject to sanctions. The FAQs also provide guidance with respect to implications on certain specific and general licenses, activities authorized during the wind-down periods and potential future measures.\nOn August 6, 2018, the U.S. government will re-impose several bases for secondary sanctions that were waived pursuant to the JCPOA. These secondary sanctions target the activities by non-U.S. persons in the following areas:\nOn November 4, 2018, the U.S. government will re-impose several bases for secondary sanctions that were waived pursuant to the JCPOA. These secondary sanctions target the activities by non-U.S. persons in the following areas:\nIn addition to re-imposing sanctions as discussed above, OFAC will also take action with respect to specific and general licenses that were issued in connection with the JCPOA.\nThe U.S. government has issued waivers necessary “to provide for an appropriate wind-down period.” OFAC states in its FAQ that it plans to keep these waivers in place during the duration of the applicable (90- or 180-day) wind-down periods and states that “non-U.S., non-Iranian persons are advised to use these time periods to wind-down their activities with or involving Iran that will become sanctionable at the end of the applicable wind-down period.”\nNotably, OFAC does not foreclose the possibility that non-U.S. companies could continue engaging in business, or even enter into new business, during the applicable wind-down periods. Instead, OFAC states that “when considering a potential enforcement or sanctions action with respect to activities engaged in after August 6, 2018, or November 4, 2018, as applicable, OFAC will evaluate efforts and steps taken to wind down activities and will assess whether any new business was entered into involving Iran during the applicable wind-down period.” This implies that OFAC would look unfavorably upon new business that may be conducted during the applicable wind-down period, and such new business would be an aggravating factor in the event that an independent basis exists after the applicable wind-down period to pursue a potential enforcement or sanctions action.\nOFAC also clarified that non-U.S. and non-Iranian persons are authorized to receive payment after the applicable wind-down period for goods or services fully provided or delivered to Iranian counterparties before the applicable wind-down period ends. This also applies to receipt of repayments for loans or credits extended to an Iranian counterparty. In order to receive payment, the transaction at issue must be pursuant to a written contract entered into before May 8 and consistent with U.S. sanctions at the time into which it was entered (including exclusion of U.S. persons or the U.S. financial system, unless otherwise authorized).\nOn November 5, 2018, OFAC intends to re-designate on the SDN List all persons listed pursuant to Executive Order 13599 who meet the definition of “government of Iran” or “Iranian financial institution” (“EO 13599 List”).20 Notably, with respect to secondary sanctions, OFAC states that activity involving persons removed from the SDN List on January 16, 2016 “could be sanctionable to the extent they are outside the scope of the wind-down waivers issued by the State Department.”21\nIn addition to the above, the U.S. government intends to re-impose sanctions pursuant to Executive Orders 13574, 13590, 13622, 13628 and 13645 that were lifted via Executive Order 13716. These sanctions target activity by non-U.S. persons and foreign financial institutions involving sanctioned persons and the energy sector of Iran. OFAC states that when these sanctions are re-imposed, they will be subject to a wind-down period that expires either on August 6, 2018 or November 4, 2018, depending on the activity.22\nThe announcement on May 8, 2018 does not revoke or amend the scope of the following frequently used general licenses authorizing Iran-related business:\nIt is important to note that OFAC may choose to revoke or amend these authorizations in the future.\nThe decision by the United States to re-impose sanctions on Iran that were waived or lifted pursuant to the JCPOA will have far-reaching impact on U.S. and non-U.S. persons that have benefited from sanctions relief over the course of the prior two years. This decision also drastically changes the risk calculus for all companies contemplating new opportunities that potentially intersect with Iran or Iranian parties.\nIt remains to be seen how the E3, Russia and China will respond to the United States’ clear challenge of their decision to adhere to the JCPOA, and, particularly, whether these countries will take any concrete action—such as through blocking statutes, trade disputes or otherwise—to attempt to protect their nation’s companies that are doing business with Iran under JCPOA-based sanctions relief.\nIf you have any questions concerning this alert, please contact:\nShiva Aminiansaminian@akingump.com+1 310.552.6476Los Angeles\nMahmoud Baki Fadlallahmfadlallah@akingump.com+971 4.317.3030Dubai\nJasper Helderjasper.helder@akingump.com+44 20.7661.5308London\nJonathan C. Polingjpoling@akingump.com+1 202.887.4029Washington, D.C.\nTatman R. Saviotatman.savio@akingump.com+852 3694.3015Hong Kong\nWynn H. Segallwsegall@akingump.com+1 202.887.4573Washington D.C.\nChiara Klauichiara.klaui@akingump.com+44 20.7661.5342London\nJohann Straussjstrauss@akingump.com+971 4.317.3040Dubai\n \n1 Presidential Memorandum, Ceasing U.S. Participation in the JCPOA and Taking Additional Action to Counter Iran’s Malign Influence and Deny Iran All Paths to a Nuclear Weapon (May 8, 2018), https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/ceasing-u-s-participation-jcpoa-taking-additional-action-counter-irans-malign-influence-deny-iran-paths-nuclear-weapon/ (NSPM).\n2 This is required by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (INARA). INARA, which was enacted on May 22, 2015, requires the President to certify every 90 days that Iran is in compliance with the JCPOA and that continued suspension of sanctions is vital to U.S. national security interests.\n3 White House, Statement by the President on the Iran Nuclear Deal. January 12, 2018.\n4 Id. 5 Press Release, White House, Statement by the President on the Iran Nuclear Deal (Jan. 12, 2018), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-iran-nuclear-deal/.\n6 Id. (“This is a last chance. In the absence of such an agreement, the United States will not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal. And if at any time I judge that such an agreement is not within reach, I will withdraw from the deal immediately.”).\n7 See NSPM, Section 3; FAQ 1.1. Regarding the Re-Imposition of Sanctions Pursuant to the May 8, 2018 National Security Presidential Memorandum Relating to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/jcpoa_winddown_faqs.pdf.\n8 Press Release, White House, Remarks by President Trump on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (May 8, 2018),  https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-joint-comprehensive-plan-action/. (“May 8 Trump JCPOA Remarks”).\n9 See NSPM, Introduction.\n10 See May 8 Trump JCPOA Remarks.\n11 Id. 12 Press Release, The Prime Minister’s Office, Joint Statement from Prime Minister May, Chancellor Merkel and President Macron Following President Trump’s Statement on Iran (May 8, 2018), https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-from-prime-minister-may-chancellor-merkel-and-president-macron-following-president-trumps-statement-on-iran.\n13 Department for International Trade, Doing Business in Iran: Trade and Export Guide (May 8, 2018),   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/doing-business-with-iran/frequently-asked-questions-on-doing-business-with-iran#challenges-and-risks-of-doing-business-in-iran.\n14 Press Release, European Union External Action Service, Remarks by HR/VP Mogherini on the Statement by US President Trump Regarding the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) (May 8, 2018), https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/44238/remarks-high-representativevice-president-federica-mogherini-statement-us-president-trump_en.\n15 Erin Cunningham & Bijan Sabbagh, Iran to Negotiate with Europeans, Russia and China about Remaining in Nuclear Deal, Wash. Post (May 8, 2018),  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-prepared-for-all-scenarios-if-trump-nixes-nuclear-deal-officials-say/2018/05/08/531047a0-5241-11e8-a6d4-ca1d035642ce_story.html?noredirect=on.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom—plus Germany"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On May 8, 2018"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","the United States"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Consequences of the U.S. Withdrawal from the JCPOA","document":" The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”\n Renewables are widely perceived as an opportunity to shatter the hegemony of fossil fuel-rich states and democratize the energy landscape. Virtually all countries have access to some renewable energy resources (especially solar and wind power) and could thus substitute foreign supply with local resources. Our research shows, however, that the role countries are likely to assume in decarbonized energy systems will be based not only on their resource endowment but also on their policy choices.\n As the United States emerges from the era of so-called forever wars, it should abandon the regime change business for good. Then, Washington must understand why it failed, writes Stephen Walt.\n Full event video and after-event thoughts from the panelists.\n All Past Events\n\tSeminar\n                                      -   Open to the Public\n              Wed., May 16, 2018\n                                 |  10:00am\n                                        Belfer Building - Starr Auditorium, Floor 2.5\nWith President Donald Trump's unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Iranian nuclear agreement (JCPOA), the future of the deal is under serious question. Please join the Iran Project and The Project on Managing the Atom (MTA) for an expert-level roundtable analyzing the ramifications of this decision and the how leading international and regional players will react to these latest developments.\n About\nWith President Donald Trump's unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Iranian nuclear agreement (JCPOA), the future of the deal is under serious question. Please join the Iran Project and The Project on Managing the Atom (MTA) for an expert-level roundtable analyzing the ramifications of this decision and the how leading international and regional players will react to these latest developments.\nThis panel discussion will include Gary Samore, Executive Director for Research at the Belfer Center; Sahar Nowrouzzadeh, Joint Research Fellow at the Belfer Center's Iran Project and Project on Managing the Atom; Hassan Ahmadian, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Belfer Center Iran Project; Steve E. Miller, Director, International Security Program; and other speakers TBA. Moderated by Belfer Center Iran Project Director, Payam Mohseni.\nPresident Trump wants to isolate Iran and put it under the limelight as a threat to international peace and security in order to deprive Tehran from the benefits it sought from the JCPOA. But he is playing his cards in the worst way possible. By reinstating sanctions, he has already thrown much of his leverage against Iran away. This is not to say that Tehran will benefit from the collapse of the JCPOA – and surely not from the reinstating of sanctions. What Trump did, however, is to create challenges for the United States internationally and therefore can be of diplomatic value to Tehran for three reasons: first, instead of targeting Iran through its traditional leadership role in global multilateral arrangements, he unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement and disregarded the advice of European allies. Therefore, rather than bear the brunt of global pressure, Iran will have to confront a “rogue” US administration according to some Iranian analysts – with the world sympathizing with Tehran. In particular, Trump preferred his controversial partners in the Middle East--Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both of whom are facing domestic challenges at home--over traditional American allies in Europe. Second, Trump set himself up on the losing side of the JCPOA, with the US being the irresponsible party wrecking the agreement and Iran being the party honoring its words. Third, he bridged the gap between anti-American propaganda and the official U.S. position for the Iranian public as the United States is playing into Iran’s official narrative. One can barely hear a voice criticizing the Iranian government inside the country as the blame is squarely placed on the United States for the probable collapse of the deal\nPresident Trump’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA and openly violate the provisions of the agreement may not quite be a gift to Tehran, but it is at least as damaging to the United States as it is to Iran. It isolates the United States and positions it as the wrecker of the deal. It discredits the United States as a trustworthy negotiating partner – at least with Iran, if not more broadly. It divides Washington from its European allies, all of whom are deeply opposed to this move. It creates an opening for Iran to collaborate more closely with Europe, Russia, and China in arrangements that will exclude the United States. It offers Iran the opportunity to escape from the confining limits and intense scrutiny put in place by the JCPOA. It will require the United States to seek additional sanctions in an environment in which there is little sympathy for the US position and some respect for Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA. It raises the prospect of a world in which US sanctions are ineffective while Iran’s nuclear program steadily advances. It signals a return to the purely confrontational approach that for more than a dozen years failed to halt Iran’s nuclear progress. Iran may attempt to salvage the deal by continued cooperation with the other parties to the agreement, but if not then Trump’s decision will have created a world in which Iran’s nuclear program is much less constrained and much less inspected – and he will have paid a high price to do so.\nPresident Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal is a strategic mistake with three major consequences: 1) it greatly undermines U.S. national interests by eroding its credibility, by splitting the United States from its European allies and the international community, by upending an agreement that effectively blocked Iran’s nuclear aspirations at the weapons level, and by wasting billions of dollars of political, financial, and human capital the United States invested to reach the JCPOA. 2) It erodes the pillars of the rules-based international system as it questions the independent power and diplomatic credibility of European states, especially if they are not able to safeguard the deal from American violations. Likewise, Trump’s decision undermines the value and significance of multilateralism and international institutions, especially those operating towards the global nuclear non-proliferation regime such as the IAEA. And, 3) it marks a turning point in the post-revolutionary history of modern Iran as the first major bitter experience of the country’s youth with the United States and the first direct public negotiation with America--inflaming Iranian nationalism, undermining the value of engaging the West, and shifting the domestic discourse to a hardline position. This was a gift to Ayatollah Khamenei as it undermines the platform of moderate President Rouhani, claiming he was right to tell everyone not to trust the Americans. Now Khamenei will turn to undermine the credibility of the Europeans by turning all eyes on the EU powers, before Iran uses the U.S. violation and withdrawal of the agreement to move beyond the deal.\nOne of the key questions for U.S. policymakers will be how Iran’s nuclear and perhaps broader national security decision-making will be impacted by Trump’s decision, particularly as it was made in isolation from our P5+1 and EU partners and despite Iran’s verified compliance. After all, we’ve known for many years that Iran does not face insurmountable technical barriers to producing nuclear weapons, as the U.S. intelligence community has repeatedly confirmed publicly. Therefore, Iran’s political will and the result of a cost-benefit analysis of what it views as its core national security interests will continue to be a central question. Among the likely consequences of today’s decision will be that our ability to influence or incentivize Iran’s nuclear decision-making in a manner favorable to U.S. interests will be severely undermined going forward.\nPresident Trump thinks he can crash the nuclear deal, reimpose international economic sanctions, and force Iran to negotiate a better deal. He is mistaken. For now, Iran will try to salvage the JCPOA with the other parties to the deal (the Europeans, Russia, and China), promising to retain nuclear constraints if the other parties give assurances that they will resist secondary US sanctions. Over time, however, as secondary sanctions reduce the flow of economic benefits to Iran, Iran will threaten to unwind nuclear constraints under the JCPOA. However, Iran will be cautious to avoid nuclear actions that risk provoking a US military response. The ultimate Iranian objective is to avoid a confrontation until the 2020 elections, in hopes that Trump will not be re-elected.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Iranian nuclear agreement (JCPOA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["the United States","Iran"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Anadolu Agency","document":"  Moscow is 'deeply disappointed' by U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, said a Russian Foreign Ministry statement on Tuesday.\nPresident Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. Tuesday from its participation in the landmark nuclear agreement world powers struck with Iran in 2015. 'We are extremely concerned that the United States is once again acting contrary to the opinion of the majority of states and exclusively in its own narrow-minded and opportunistic interests, in flagrant violation of international law,' said the Foreign Ministry statement.\n'Washington's actions are a serious violation of the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], they bring international discredit to the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], which was proving its high professionalism throughout the realization of the JCPOA,' the statement said.\nRussia will not abandon the JCPOA and is open to talks with other participants of the Iran nuclear deal, it added.\nTrump opted not to extend sanctions relief on Iran ahead of a May 12 deadline, vowing instead to re-impose the U.S.'s nuclear-related economic penalties.\nThe 2015 nuclear agreement placed unprecedented restrictions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions, but Trump has consistently railed against it since he began his bid for America's highest office, repeatedly claiming it is the 'worst deal' he has ever seen.\nAll of the U.S.'s negotiating partners -- the U.K., France, Germany, Russia, China and the EU -- had agreed that maintaining the JCPOA was the best way to reign in Iran's program.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["the U.K., France, Germany, Russia, China and the EU"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","the U.S"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Impact of U.S. Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal","document":"The Situation: On Tuesday, May 8, 2018, President Trump announced that the United States has withdrawn from the Iran Nuclear Deal and will fully reimpose its suspended sanctions targeting Iran.\nThe Result: All currently suspended U.S. sanctions in respect of Iran, including sanctions applicable to non-U.S. persons, will be reimposed by November 5, 2018.\nLooking Ahead: The reimposition of U.S. sanctions will have limited impact on U.S. companies. However, foreign companies majority-owned or controlled by U.S. persons must now begin winding down any Iran-related activities. In contrast, the impact of the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on non-U.S. companies is less clear, and as the international response develops, non-U.S. companies will increasingly face a complex compliance landscape.\nAs reported earlier this week, on May 8, 2018, President Trump announced that the United States will reimpose, after specified wind-down periods, all nuclear-related sanctions lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (\"JCPOA\") (commonly known as the \"Iran Nuclear Deal\"). As a result, the U.S. sanctions regime will revert to its pre-JCPOA scope by November 5, 2018.\nIn light of the comprehensive U.S. primary sanctions that remained in place after implementation of the JCPOA, President Trump's announcement will have little impact on U.S. companies. In contrast, foreign subsidiaries of U.S. organizations and their non-U.S. counterparts face a dramatically changed compliance landscape. With the reimposition of U.S. extraterritorial, or secondary, sanctions, non-U.S. companies must navigate increasingly complex terrain as they assess continued engagement with Iran, compliance with U.S. sanctions, and the pending response of the other JCPOA signatories. Immediate Impact\nThe background of the JCPOA, the resulting international sanctions relief, and President Trump's criticism of the deal are, at this point, well-known (see \"Iran Nuclear Deal Reached; Sanctions Remain in Place,\" \"Implementation Day Triggers Significant Changes to International Sanctions Against Iran,\" and \"Potential Options for U.S. Sanctions on Iran Under the Trump Administration\"). Although the policy implications of President's Trump's announcement may be subject to debate, the immediate impact is clear. In connection with the announcement, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (\"OFAC\") issued Frequently Asked Questions setting out a staged reimposition of U.S. sanctions over the next 90 to 180 days (subject to any extension that may be put in place by the United States at a later stage).\nFollowing a 90-day wind-down period ending on August 6, 2018, the United States will reimpose its secondary sanctions targeting activities related to:\nDuring the same period, the United States will revoke the following authorizations:\nFollowing a 180-day wind-down period ending on November 4, 2018, the United States will reimpose its secondary sanctions targeting activities related to: Effective November 5, 2018, the United States will also revoke General License H (and any subsequent wind-down authorizations issued in connection with that general license), which previously authorized foreign entities majority-owned or controlled by U.S. persons to engage in most transactions involving Iran. It appears all other Iran-related general and specific licenses, including licenses issued under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (\"TSRA\"), issued by OFAC will remain unaffected.\nFinally, no later than November 5, 2018, the United States will redesignate all persons who had been removed, through the JCPOA, from the List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons and/or other U.S. sanctioned parties lists.\nConsequently, by November 5, 2018, the United States is currently expected to have reimposed all sanctions that had been lifted pursuant to the JCPOA.\nNear- and Long-Term Implications\nAs a practical matter, the reimposition of U.S. sanctions suspended under the JCPOA will have limited impact on U.S. companies. As noted in our prior Alerts and Commentaries, substantial U.S. sanctions in relation to Iran have remained in place and continued to prohibit U.S. persons from engaging, directly or indirectly, in virtually all transactions or dealings with Iran without authorization.\nThe reimposition of U.S. sanctions will, however, have immediate impact on non-U.S. organizations that are majority-owned or controlled by U.S. persons and on U.S.-linked aviation companies. As noted above, the United States intends to revoke all specific and general licenses issued in connection with the JCPOA \"as soon as administratively feasible,\" including General License H and aviation-specific licenses issued under the JCPOA SLP and General License I. In their place, OFAC intends to issue authorizations that will likely narrowly authorize only activities necessary to wind down previously authorized activities. Companies that rely on these authorizations should immediately reassess their existing Iran-related activities, including in-process and pending transactions, in order to prepare to wind down Iran-related activities and ensure compliance with U.S. sanctions during the wind-down period.\nThe near- and long-term implications of President's Trump announcement for non-U.S. companies are less clear. Non-U.S. persons are not, with limited exceptions, subject to U.S. primary sanctions. However, U.S. secondary sanctions provide for an array of penalties that, in effect, foreclose access to U.S. markets—a meaningful deterrent for non-U.S. companies. The United States appears poised to rigorously enforce the renewed sanctions and has advised non-U.S. companies to begin winding up soon-to-be sanctionable activities to \"avoid exposure to sanctions or an enforcement action when the applicable wind-down period ends.\" Continued engagement with Iran will therefore become an increasingly fraught proposition for non-U.S. persons, and one that may be further complicated by the international community's response to the United States' withdrawal.\nIn that regard, following President Trump's announcement, the European Union has reiterated its commitment to \"the continued full and effective implementation of the JCPOA,\" as long as Iran meets its nuclear-related obligations, adding that it \"is determined to work with the international community\" to preserve the deal. Although the European Union has not yet indicated any measures it may implement to preserve the JCPOA, it suggested earlier this year that it may expand its Blocking Regulation—Council Regulation (EC) No. 2271/96 of November 22, 1996—to protect EU-based organizations doing business in Iran following any U.S. withdrawal. The Blocking Regulation was adopted in 1996 by the European Union (European Communities at the time) in response to the extraterritorial application of U.S. sanctions against Cuba, Iran, and Libya. It prohibits EU companies from complying with blocked sanctions \"whether directly or through a subsidiary or other intermediary person, actively or by deliberate omission.\" The importance of the Blocking Regulation in the last decade has been limited. This would change if the scope of its application is expanded to cover the U.S. secondary sanctions in relation to Iran, possibly protecting EU companies from enforcement of U.S. judgments or administrative decisions giving effect to the secondary sanctions. Historically, enforcement of the Blocking Regulation has generally been very limited, but expanding its scope now has the potential to lead to increased enforcement actions across Europe. An expanded Blocking Regulation would, however, place EU companies squarely between the competing demands of U.S. sanctions and EU and national requirements. The European Union may also try to negotiate an exemption for EU companies from the reimposition of the U.S. sanctions. The prospects of relief for EU companies under either approach remains uncertain. China and Russia have likewise consistently reaffirmed their commitment to the JCPOA, and in a joint statement last month confirmed their \"unwavering support\" for the deal. In light of current tensions between the United States and Russia and China, it seems unlikely that the U.S. withdrawal will lead Russia or China to alter its commitment to the JCPOA or have a substantial impact on Russian and Chinese business interests in Iran. As the international response to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA develops, non-U.S. companies should take steps to protect their interests in light of the pending reimposition of U.S. sanctions. In particular, non-U.S. companies should reassess their Iran-related activities to determine their potential liability under the soon-to-be imposed U.S. secondary sanctions and/or any potential blocking statutes; open dialogues with their financial institutions, insurers, and other service providers regarding any Iran-related activities; and, significantly, prepare to possibly wind down any potentially sanctionable Iran-related activities in order to move promptly to comply with U.S. secondary sanctions, if warranted.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["Russia and China"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Iran Nuclear Deal"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On Tuesday, May 8, 2018"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","the United States"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Trump pulls U.S. out of 'disastrous' Iran nuclear deal, will restore sanctions","document":"President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the U.S. will pull out of the landmark nuclear accord with Iran, dealing a profound blow to U.S. allies and potentially deepening the president's isolation on the world stage.\n\"The United States does not make empty threats,\" he said from the White House in a televised address.\nTrump's decision means Iran's government must now decide whether to follow the U.S. and withdraw or try to salvage what's left of the deal. Iran has offered conflicting statements about what it may do — and the answer may depend on exactly how Trump exits the agreement.\nTrump said he would move to reimpose all sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 deal, not just the ones facing an immediate deadline. This had become known informally as the \"nuclear option\" because of the near certainty that such a move would scuttle the deal.\n\"At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction. That a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program,\" Trump said. \"Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie.\"\nHe cited intelligence documents published last week by Israel, saying those documents \"conclusively\" showed Iran's \"history of pursuing nuclear weapons. The fact is, this was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made.\"\n\"It didn't bring calm, it didn't bring peace and it never will.\"\nAccording to Reuters, most of the material the Israeli prime minister presented was from before the 2015 accord was finalized. Netanyahu did say, however, that Iran had added to its \"nuclear weapons knowledge\" since then.\nSupporters of fixing the agreement had hoped Trump would choose a piecemeal approach that could leave more room for him to reverse himself and stay in the deal if he could secure the additional restrictions that European nations tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with him.\nStill, the administration planned to allow a grace period of at least three months and possibly up to six months so that businesses and governments can wind down operations that will violate the reimposed U.S. sanctions.\nA slower withdrawal process could allow more room for Trump to reverse course later and decide to stay — if he secures the additional restrictions on Iran that European nations tried unsuccessfully to negotiate to prevent him from withdrawing.\nIndeed, as administration officials briefed congressional leaders about Trump's plans Tuesday, they emphasized that just as with a major Asia trade deal and the Paris climate pact that Trump has abandoned, he remains open to renegotiating a better deal, one person briefed on the talks said.\nTrump has lambasted the 2015 agreement, which was brokered by former president Barack Obama's administration, since his days as a presidential candidate.\nOn Tuesday, Obama said Trump's move was a \"serious mistake\" and \"misguided,\" especially because Iran has been complying with the deal.\n\"The consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America's credibility, and puts us at odds with the world's major powers,\" Obama said.\nThere are few issues more important to the security of the US than the potential spread of nuclear weapons or the potential for even more destructive war in the Middle East. Today’s decision to put the JCPOA at risk is a serious mistake. My full statement: <a href=\"https://t.co/4oTdXESbxe\">https://t.co/4oTdXESbxe</a>\nWithout the deal, the U.S. \"could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East,\" Obama said.\nHe added that the deal remains a model for what diplomacy can accomplish, including when it comes to North Korea.\nWatch to see more of Trump's statement.\nFormer U.S. secretary of state John Kerry, who played a key role in the Obama administration's effort to craft the deal, also said that withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal \"doesn't make sense.\"\nKerry, speaking at a gathering on food innovation in Milan on Tuesday, says he challenges anyone to find an agreement tougher than the one in place now.\nUnited Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called the deal a \"major achievement in nuclear non-proliferation and diplomacy\" and said he was \"deeply disappointed\" with Trump's decision. \nGuterres called on all other UN member states to continue to support the Iran agreement.  \nFrance, Germany, and the UK regret the U.S. decision to leave the JCPOA. The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that France, Germany and the U.K. \"regret the U.S. decision\" and that \"the nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.\"\nMacron said that they would work on a \"broader\" agreement \"covering nuclear activity ... and stability in the Middle East, notably Syria, Yemen and Iraq.\"\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday reiterated Canada's support for the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).\n\"Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons,\" Freeland said in a statement, adding that the 2015 deal put Iran's nuclear program under a \"rigorous and unprecedented international verification regime by the International Atomic Energy Agency.\"\nFreeland's statement said while the deal isn't perfect, it has \"helped to curb a real threat to international peace and security.\"\nThe foreign minister also noted that Canada has condemned Iran's ballistic missile program and maintains sanctions targeting it.\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani reacted quickly to Trump's announcement in a live address on state television, saying there is a \"short time\" to negotiate with the countries remaining in the nuclear deal and he will be sending his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to meet with them.   \nRouhani warned Iran could start enriching uranium \"in the next weeks.\"  \nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, praised Trump's decision, calling it a \"historic move.\"\nNetanyahu, a leading critic of the deal, said leaving it unchanged would be \"a recipe for disaster, a disaster for our region, a disaster for the peace of the world.\" ","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","the U.S"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Trump Withdraws from the Iran Nuclear Agreement: What Comes Next","document":"After reluctantly implementing the Iran nuclear agreement—also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—for over a year, President Trump announced today that he is pulling the United States out. He described the agreement as “a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made” and signed a presidential memorandum directing federal agencies to “re-impose all United States sanctions lifted or waived in connection with the JCPOA” within 180 days. Trump stated that the United States “will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction” against Iran.  The announcement came just days before the first of several statutory deadlines that would have required the president to extend waivers in order to continue suspending nuclear sanctions lifted as part of the implementation of the JCPOA. This post offers some preliminary thoughts on what to watch for next from a legal perspective. How We Got Here  Under the JCPOA, the United States committed to lifting a range of economic sanctions imposed over Iran’s nuclear program. The Obama administration implemented that commitment on Jan. 16, 2016 (“implementation day”). President Obama exercised statutory waiver authorities granted to the president by a number of statutes that imposed sanctions on Iran: sections 212-213 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act; sections 1244-1247 of the Iran Freedom and Counter Proliferation Act; section 1245(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2012, also known as the Kirk-Menendez Amendment; and section 4(c)(1)(A) of the Iran Sanctions Act (as amended). Those waivers have to be renewed every 120-180 days, depending on the statute. In addition to exercising statutory waivers, Obama rescinded a number of executive orders that imposed nuclear sanctions against Iran—specifically, Executive Orders 13574, 13590, 13622, and 13645, as well as sections 5–7 and 15 of Executive Order 13628. The administration also de-listed a large number of persons and entities designated as Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Foreign Sanctions Evaders, as well as other persons and entities that appeared on the Non-SDN Iran Sanctions Act List. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) maintains all of these lists.  SDN designations also trigger secondary sanctions, such as those provided for in the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA) and the Iran Freedom and Counterproliferation Act (IFCA). The Congressional Research Service has succinctly described these secondary sanctions as “largely clos[ing] the U.S. economy to third-country entities that conduct transactions with Iran-related SDNs.”\nThe Obama administration maintained that the JCPOA was a non-legally binding political commitment, notwithstanding the agreement’s endorsement by U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231. Therefore, Obama could conclude the agreement on his own without Senate approval.  Criticizing the legislative branch’s exclusion from the process of concluding the JCPOA, Congress enacted the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA), which required the president to submit any nuclear agreement with Iran for congressional review and created a mechanism for congressional oversight over the implementation of the agreement.\nAdditionally, INARA requires the president to certify every 90 days that Iran is in compliance with the JCPOA and that it remains in the U.S. interest to suspend sanctions as part of the implementation of any agreement. If the president does not provide the required certification, Congress can (but is not required to) re-impose sanctions under expedited procedures provided for in INARA within 60 calendar days of the certification deadline. Such expedited procedures are also available if the president reports that Iran has materially breached the agreement. On Oct. 13, 2017, while rolling out a new Iran strategy, Trump announced that he would not provide the required certification under INARA. That announcement, however, did not immediately impact the implementation of the JCPOA, as the president renewed the statutory sanctions waivers shortly thereafter. Nor did the administration re-issue the rescinded executive orders or re-designate de-listed persons and entities. And Congress did not move to re-impose nuclear sanctions either.\nIn Jan. 2018, when the time came to renew the statutory waivers once again, President Trump indicated that this would be the last time. He posed an ultimatum to the other parties to the JCPOA, demanding that the agreement be “fixed” as a condition of continued U.S. participation. Specifically, he wanted a revamped JCPOA that would apply greater pressure on Iran for its ballistic missile activity and its various other activities in the Middle East and elsewhere. Trump also demanded the removal of the agreement’s sunset clause, which provides that limitations on Iran’s nuclear program would be lifted after 15 years of successful implementation (i.e., in 2030). It is noteworthy that the agreement as written clearly states that, even after those limitations are lifted, Iran must never purse nuclear weapons.    Despite their strong support for the JCPOA in its current form, the European parties to the agreement have made an effort over the past several months to address Trump’s demands. They have also attempted to dissuade Trump from following through on his pledge. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced support for the JCPOA in their recent visits to Washington, D.C. and the United Kingdom has also stressed the importance of maintaining the agreement. Today’s announcement clearly indicates that these efforts to reach a compromise failed. By contrast, Israel led the charge against the agreement, complete with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s theatrical presentation of material that Israeli agents obtained pertaining to Iran’s nuclear weapons program, which President Trump referenced the presentation and the materials in his statement. Many commentators dismissed this material as a rehashing of widely known facts, though it is difficult to tell without actually reviewing it in detail.\nWhat’s Next?\nThe multiple deadline-induced crises created by the Trump administration have produced volumes of commentary about the motivation behind Trump’s insistence on pulling out of the JCPOA and the political and strategic wisdom of doing so. I will not address these questions here. Instead, I will focus on the immediate legal implications of Trump’s announcement and what we should be looking out for over the coming days and weeks. There are three potential legal components of the implementation of the U.S. withdrawal: the bilateral component, the process for terminating the JCPOA under its own terms, and the U.N. Security Council component.\n1. The Bilateral Component Trump’s decision not to extend the statutory sanctions waivers will result in those sanctions being gradually re-imposed beginning on May 12. If Congress is interested in protecting the JCPOA, legislators may theoretically be able to push through legislation that would lift those statutory sanctions, but there is scant evidence that this is a politically viable option. As previously mentioned, in order to restore Iran sanctions to their pre-JCPOA state (and potentially add more sanctions), the Trump administration will need  to take additional measures, including re-issuing executive orders and re-designating de-listed persons in entities. Section 3 of the presidential memorandum signed today by Trump instructs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to do just that as soon as possible and “in no case later than 180 days from the date of this memorandum.” Separately, the Treasury Department issued a guidance describing the pace at which it will be reinstating various sanctions over the 180 days.\nThe direct effect of such re-designations will probably be limited, because Iranian persons and entities have likely already removed their assets from the jurisdiction of the United States. But the indirect effect of the re-designations could be significant, as they may trigger secondary sanctions that penalize third parties for doing business with Iranian nationals by restricting their access to the U.S. market (more on this below).  2. Termination Under the JCPOA\nThe JCPOA itself contains provisions on dispute resolution (paragraphs 36-37 of the main text of the agreement, annexed to the text of resolution 2231). Any party can—but is not required to—raise a compliance issue through that dispute resolution mechanism, which includes a Joint Commission, ministerial-level consideration, and consideration by an Advisory Board created by the JCPOA (something akin to an arbitration). However, paragraph 36 of the JCPOA states that: If the issue still has not been resolved to the satisfaction of the complaining participant, and if the complaining participant deems the issue to constitute significant non-performance, then that participant could treat the unresolved issue as grounds to cease performing its commitments under this JCPOA in whole or in part and/or notify the UN Security Council that it believes the issue constitutes significant non-performance.\nWhether it chooses to first raise the issue of U.S. non-compliance through this mechanism or not, Iran would be well within its rights to stop implementing its own JCPOA obligations once the United States re-imposes nuclear sanctions. But Iran might also choose to continue implementing the agreement together with the other parties without the United States. Immediately after Trump’s announcement, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany issued a joint statement making clear their intention to continue implementing the agreement. Russia and China have indicated that they intend to stay in the JCPOA as well. And Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has indicated that Iran will enter into negotiations with these other parties on remaining in the JCPOA. This leaves the United States in a precarious position: isolated from the other parties to the agreement, whose nationals will continue doing business with Iran while U.S. nationals will be barred from doing so.\nA key source of friction will likely be the re-activation of U.S. secondary sanctions, which would target European and other companies and intuitions that do business with Iran. European officials are reportedly already examining options to protect European companies and individuals from U.S. sanctions.  One such option is a so-called EU “blocking regulation,” which would prohibit compliance with U.S. secondary Iran sanctions. The EU has introduced a blocking measure in the past to counter U.S. extraterritorial sanctions against Cuba and Iran.   3. The U.N. Security Council Component\nU.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the JCPOA, also terminated all the previous resolutions concerning Iran’s nuclear program: resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008), 1929 (2010), and 2224 (2015). At the same time, however, operative paragraphs  11-12 of Resolution 2231 created what became known as a “snap-back” mechanism. The mechanism allows a single party to the JCPOA to trigger a process to re-impose Security Council sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program. Operative paragraph 11 further provides (emphasis added):\n[The U.N. Security Council] [d]ecides, acting under Article 41 of the Charter of the United Nations, that, within 30 days of receiving a notification by a JCPOA participant State of an issue that the JCPOA participant State believes constitutes significant non-performance of commitments under the JCPOA, it shall vote on a draft resolution to continue in effect the terminations in paragraph ‎7 (a) of this resolution [which lists the resolutions to be terminated under the JCPOA] . . . .\nIn other words, if a party to the JCPOA notifies the U.N. Security Council that “significant non-performance of commitments under the JCPOA” have occurred, the council is required to vote on a resolution to continue the suspension of Security Council sanctions. Operative paragraph 12 then provides:\n[The Security Council] [d]ecides, acting under Article 41 of the Charter of the United Nations, that, if the Security Council does not adopt a resolution under paragraph ‎11 to continue in effect the terminations in paragraph ‎7 (a), then effective midnight Greenwich Mean Time after the thirtieth day after the notification to the Security Council . . .  all of the provisions of resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008), and 1929 (2010) that have been terminated pursuant to paragraph ‎7 (a) shall apply in the same manner as they applied before the adoption of this resolution . . . .\nThus, if the Security Council does not vote to continue suspending sanctions concerning Iran’s nuclear program, those sanctions will automatically resume within 30 days of the notification. It is not clear that the U.S. has a basis for notifying the Security Council that Iran is in “significant non-performance” of the JCPOA. While the presidential memorandum mentions two instances of Iranian non-compliance, the IAEA and the other parties to the agreement have repeatedly emphasized that Iran is generally in compliance with its obligations. The U.K., France and Germany reiterated that Iran is in compliance with the JCPOA in their statement today. If the U.S.  does attempt to trigger this “snap-back” mechanism, however, it appears that there is little the other members of the Council can do to prevent Security Council sanctions being re-imposed. Even if the notification of non-performance were completely baseless, the U.S. veto power would likely block any attempt by the other members of the Council to pass a resolution that would continue the suspension of  relevant U.N. sanctions. In their statement, the U.K., France and Germany seemed to plead with the U.S. not to activate the snap-back mechanism at the Security Council. “We call on the US”, they said, “to do everything possible to preserve the gains for nuclear non-proliferation brought about by the JCPoA, by allowing for a continued enforcement of its main elements.” If the U.S. only re-imposes bilateral sanctions, the JCPOA might survive without it. But if U.N. sanctions are re-imposed, it is doubtful that the agreement would survive. Trump’s memorandum does not explicitly mention triggering the “snap-back” mechanism.   Finally, there is the question of whether United States itself violated its international legal obligations by pulling out of the JCPOA (as opposed to its political commitments to Iran and the other parties). Other parties to the JCPOA have argued that the agreement is legally binding by virtue of its endorsement by the U.N. Security Council. As previously mentioned, however, that was not the position of the Obama administration and commentators have doubted whether resolution 2231 in fact transformed the commitments included in the JCPOA into binding international law. The fact that the part of the JCPOA that outlines those commitments is entitled “Iran and E3/EU+3 will take the following voluntary measures within the timeframe as detailed in this JCPOA and its Annexes” (emphasis added) supports this latter position.  Conclusion Trump’s move today was a long time coming. Its immediate consequences will be the gradual re-application of statutory sanctions over the coming months. Additional measures to impose sanctions by executive order may take up to six months, according to today’s presidential memorandum. One of the main questions now is whether the JCPOA can survive the U.S. withdrawal. Whether the United States decides to move to re-impose U.N. Security Council sanctions will no doubt be critical in this regard. If Security Council sanctions remain suspended, the other parties may be able to continue implementing the agreement if they so choose.  But it will be incredibly difficult to keep the agreement alive if the full scope of the comprehensive sanctions regime that existed prior to the JCPOA is reinstated. Another major question is how the other parties to the agreement might respond to U.S. secondary sanctions. What is clear is that all the other parties to the JCPOA intend to stay in the agreement notwithstanding the U.S. withdrawal. And it is doubtful that Trump’s move will encourage any international cooperation on increasing pressure on Iran and addressing all the negative aspects of its behavior. If anything, it may undermine such cooperation. © 2021 The Lawfare Institute","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["the United States","Iran"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Read Trump's Speech Withdrawing From the Iran Deal","document":"On Tuesday, the president said that the U.S. will pull out of the agreement and reinstate sanctions on Iran.\nOn Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions on the country. The agreement—which was reached by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany, along with the European Union, in July 2015—lifted sanctions on Iran in return for the country halting its nuclear program. Trump has long been vocal in his opposition to the deal, calling it a “horrible agreement,” an “embarrassment,” and, a day before his announcement, “very badly negotiated.” Trump’s decision to reinstate sanctions on Iran puts the U.S. at odds with its allies, who have indicated that they plan to stay in the deal.\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani recently said that if the U.S. exits the deal, “it will quickly see that this decision will be a regret of historic proportions.” However, the debate as to the best course of action is a heated one: Some argue that the deal isn’t effective, while others say that withdrawing risks provoking an unnecessary crisis.  \nHere, a full transcript of Trump’s remarks.\nMy fellow Americans, today I want to update the world on our efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The Iranian regime is the leading state sponsor of terror. It exports dangerous missiles, fuels conflicts across the Middle East, and supports terrorist proxies and militias such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda.\nOver the years, Iran and its proxies have bombed American embassies and military installations, murdered hundreds of American servicemembers, and kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured American citizens. The Iranian regime has funded its long reign of chaos and terror by plundering the wealth of its own people. No action taken by the regime has been more dangerous than its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means of delivering them.\nIn 2015, the previous administration joined with other nations in a deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program. This agreement was known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. In theory, the so-called Iran deal was supposed to protect the United States and our allies from the lunacy of an Iranian nuclear bomb, a weapon that will only endanger the survival of the Iranian regime.\nIn fact, the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and, over time, reach the brink of a nuclear breakout. The deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on our end in exchange for very weak limits on the regime’s nuclear activity and no limits at all on its other maligned behavior, including sinister activities in Syria, Yemen, and other places all around the world. In other words, at the point when the United States had maximum leverage, this disastrous deal gave this regime—and it’s a regime of great terror—many billions of dollars, some of it in actual cash. A great embarrassment to me as a citizen and to all citizens of the United States.\nA constructive deal could easily have been struck at the time, but it wasn’t. At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear-energy program. Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie. Last week, Israel published intelligence documents, long-concealed by Iran, conclusively showing the Iranian regime and its history of pursuing nuclear weapons.\nThe fact is, this was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made. It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it never will. In the years since the deal was reached, Iran’s military budget has grown by almost 40 percent, while its economy is doing very badly. After the sanctions were lifted, the dictatorship used its new funds to build nuclear-capable missiles, support terrorism, and cause havoc throughout the Middle East and beyond.\nThe agreement was so poorly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime could still be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in just a short period of time. The deal’s sunset provisions are totally unacceptable. If I allowed this deal to stand, there would soon be a nuclear-arms race in the Middle East. Everyone would want their weapons ready by the time Iran had theirs.\nMaking matters worse, the deal’s inspection provisions lack adequate mechanisms to prevent, detect, and punish cheating—and don’t even have the unqualified right to inspect many important locations, including military facilities. Not only does the deal fail to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but it also fails to address the regime’s development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads.\nFinally, the deal does nothing to constrain Iran’s destabilizing activities, including its support for terrorism. Since the agreement, Iran’s bloody ambitions have grown only more brazen. In light of these glaring flaws, I announced last October that the Iran deal must be either renegotiated or terminated. Three months later, on January 12, I repeated these conditions. I made clear that if the deal could not be fixed, the United States would no longer be a party to the agreement.\nOver the past few months, we have engaged extensively with our allies and partners around the world, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. We have also consulted with our friends from across the Middle East. We are unified in our understanding of the threat and in our conviction that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.\nAfter these consultations, it is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement. The Iranian deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapon. Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.\nIn a few moments, I will sign a presidential memorandum  to begin reinstating U.S. nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime. We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States. America will not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail. We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction and we will not allow a regime the chance death to America to gain access to the most deadly weapons on Earth. Today’s action sends a critical message. The United States no longer makes empty threats. When I make promises, I keep them. In fact, at this very moment, Secretary Pompeo is on his way to North Korea in preparation for my upcoming meeting with Kim Jong-Un. Plans are being made, relationships are building, hopefully a deal will happen, and with the help of China, South Korea, and Japan, a future of great prosperity and security can be achieved for everyone.\nAs we exit the Iran deal, we will be working with our allies to find a real, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear threat. This will include efforts to eliminate the threat of Iran’s ballistic-missile program, to stop its terrorist activities worldwide, and to block its menacing activity across the Middle East. In the meantime, powerful sanctions will go into full effect. If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before.\nFinally, I want to deliver a message to the long-suffering people of Iran: The people of America stand with you. It has now been almost 40 years since this dictatorship seized power and took a proud nation hostage. Most of Iran’s 80 million citizens have sadly never known an Iran that prospered in peace with its neighbors and commanded the admiration of the world. But the future of Iran belongs to its people. They are the rightful heirs to a rich culture and an ancient land and they deserve a nation that does justice to their dreams, honor to their history, and glory to their god.\nIran’s leaders will naturally say that they refuse to negotiate a new deal. They refuse and that is fine. I probably would say the same thing if I was in their position. But the fact is they are going to want to make a new and lasting deal, one that benefits all of Iran and the Iranian people. When they do, I am ready, willing, and able. Great things can happen for Iran and great things can happen for the peace and stability that we all want in the Middle East. There has been enough suffering, death, and destruction. Let it end now. Thank you. God bless you.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany","the European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Iran nuclear deal"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On Tuesday"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","the U.S"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"President Announces Withdrawal From JCPOA and Reimposition of Nuclear-Based Sanctions on Iran","document":"On May 8, 2018, President Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement reached in July 2015 between Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany in which Iran agreed to curtail its nuclear program in exchange for phased economic sanctions relief. A White House Fact Sheet indicated that Iran entered the JCPOA in bad faith, citing Iran’s destabilizing role in conflicts throughout the Middle East, continued development of its ballistic missiles, support for terrorist organizations, and human rights abuses. The JCPOA and the United Nations Security Council Resolution that endorsed the deal included mechanisms for implementing a sanctions “snapback” in the event of a JCPOA violation, but the Trump Administration elected to withdraw unilaterally from the JCPOA without relying on these procedures.\nTo implement the withdrawal, President Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NPSM) directing the Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State to “immediately begin taking steps to reimpose all United States sanctions lifted or waived in connection with the JCPOA.” The NPSM called for all sanctions relief pursuant to the JCPOA to be rescinded within 180 days. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Trump Administration officials have explained that primary and secondary sanctions will be reimposed after 90- or 180-day “wind-down” periods, depending on the business activity, and that failure to halt sanctioned activity by the end of the wind-down period would risk “severe consequences.”\nOn May 8, OFAC published a statement providing additional details regarding the reimposition of sanctions. OFAC also published new FAQs detailing subsequent expected changes to the Iran sanctions program pursuant to the president’s directive and the US withdrawal from the JCPOA.\nBackground\nThe United States made several changes to the US Iran sanctions program pursuant to the JCPOA. Most US “secondary” sanctions on Iran – which impose restrictions on non-US persons for doing business in certain sectors of the Iranian economy, or with certain Iranian entities or individuals – were lifted or waived during the time of the US government’s participation in the JCPOA. In addition, several hundred Iranian companies, individuals and vessels were removed from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List administered by OFAC. While most aspects of the comprehensive “embargo” on trade between the United States and Iran remained in effect during the JCPOA, the United States issued limited authorizations for US persons to conduct additional business with Iran for the import of certain foods and carpets from Iran and, in some circumstances, for the export of commercial passenger aircraft, parts and services to Iran. The US government also authorized non-US subsidiaries of US companies to conduct certain business with Iran under General License H issued by OFAC.\nAs a presidential candidate, President Trump took the position that the JCPOA represented a “bad deal” for the United States, and President Trump promised to renegotiate the deal if elected. In April and July 2017, pursuant to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (INARA), the Trump Administration certified Iran’s continued compliance with the JCPOA. However, on October 13, 2017, President Trump announced a strategic review of the JCPOA, stating that he “cannot and will not” continue to make certifications under INARA. In January 2018, when the Trump Administration issued the periodic waivers of statutory sanctions required to provide JCPOA sanctions relief, President Trump declared that the US would not issue any additional periodic waivers unless the United States’ European allies negotiated a “supplemental agreement” that strengthened the JCPOA. On May 8, 2018, despite having “engaged extensively with our allies and partners around the world,” President Trump announced that the US would withdraw from the JCPOA. \nReimposition of Sanctions\nPresident Trump’s NSPM indicates that “all” of the sanctions waived or lifted under the JCPOA will be reimposed. These changes most likely will be implemented through new Executive Orders (EOs) from the president; termination of the periodic statutory sanctions waivers that have been issued by the Secretary of State; and changes to licenses, licensing policy, and the SDN list that will be made by OFAC. While there are numerous questions still outstanding about how the new sanctions may be implemented on a practical level, it is clear that the greatest impact of the reimposition of the sanctions will be on non-US entities, including non-US entities owned or controlled by US persons.\nConsistent with the approach that the US government has taken in several other sanctions programs, the Trump Administration softened the impact on businesses of “immediate” reimposition of sanctions by establishing a series of wind-down periods for different types of sanctionable conduct. In the post-announcement press briefing, State Department officials noted that the wind-down periods would “allow both US companies [and] foreign companies as well to end contracts, terminate business, get their money out of wherever the sanctions target is – in this case, Iran.” The stated goal of the wind-down periods is to reduce the impact of sanctions on business and avoid “unintended consequences on our allies and partners.” \nThe statement and the FAQs issued by OFAC on May 8 provide additional important details on the mechanics for reimposing sanctions, although a number of issues will require further clarification and detail.\nSecondary Sanctions Secondary Sanctions Subject to 90-day Wind-down Period\nIn FAQ 1.2, OFAC explained that a number of secondary sanctions will be reimposed after a 90-day wind-down period that ends on August 6, 2018. These sanctions apply to the pre-JCPOA sanctions that had been in place in the following business activities and sectors, as well as sanctions on “associated services” related to these activities and sectors:\nAlthough the administration has not provided more specific information regarding the sanctions that will be reimposed, some of the specific sanctions that appear most likely to be reimposed at the end of this 90-day wind-down period include:\nFAQ 1.2 indicates that business “undertaken pursuant to the US sanctions relief provided for in the JCPOA” that is related to activities and sectors specified in the FAQ should wind down prior to August 6, 2018.\nSecondary Sanctions Subject to 180-Day Wind-down Period\nIn FAQ 1.3, OFAC indicated that other secondary sanctions will be imposed after a 180-day wind-down period prior to reimposing sanctions on the following entities, sectors, and activities, as well as sanctions on “associated services” related to these entities, sectors, and activities:\nAgain, while the administration has not provided more specific information regarding the sanctions that will be reimposed, some of the specific sanctions that appear most likely to be reimposed after this 180-day wind-down period include:\nFAQ 1.3 indicates that business “undertaken pursuant to the US sanctions relief provided for in the JCPOA” that is related to activities and sectors specified in the FAQ should wind down prior to November 5, 2018.\nPrimary Sanctions\nAviation Sector Activity\nIn FAQs 4.1 and 4.2, OFAC indicated that it will no longer consider new or pending license applications under the Statement of Licensing Policy for Activities Related to the Export or Re-export to Iran of Commercial Passenger Aircraft and Related Parts and Services (JCPOA SLP). With respect to the specific licenses issued under the JCPOA SLP that are currently operative, FAQ 4.2 indicates that OFAC expects to revoke these licenses and replace them with “authorizations to provide for a wind-down period that will end on August 6, 2018.”\nIn FAQ 4.3, OFAC indicated that it also expects to revoke, “as soon as is administratively feasible,” General License I, which authorized US persons to enter into, and to engage in transactions that are ordinarily incident to the negotiation of and entry into, contingent contracts for activities eligible for authorization under the JCPOA SLP. In place of General License I, OFAC expects to issue a revised authorization for a 90-day wind-down of activities authorized pursuant to this General License.\nFAQs 4.1 and 4.2 indicate that OFAC will still consider applications pursuant to the safety of flight licensing policy set forth in 31 C.F.R. § 560.528.\nGeneral License H\nNon-US entities owned or controlled by US persons will no longer be authorized under OFAC General License H to engage in certain activity related to Iran. FAQ 4.4 explains that General License H will be revoked “as soon as is administratively feasible,” and will be replaced with a more narrowly scoped authorizations to allow US-owned or US-controlled foreign entities, to engage in all transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to wind down activities that were previously authorized by November 4, 2018. After November 4, 2018, US-owned or US-controlled foreign entities again will be required to apply for specific licenses from OFAC in order to conduct nearly any activity related to Iran.\nIranian-Origin Foodstuffs and Carpets\nOFAC FAQ 1.2 indicates that “following the 90-day wind-down period that ends on August 6, 2018, the US government will revoke” the JCPOA-related authorizations for activities related to the importation into the United States of Iranian-origin carpets and food stuffs and certain financial transactions general license at 31 C.F.R. §§ 560.534, 560.535. In FAQ 2.1, OFAC indicates that “[a]s soon as administratively feasible, OFAC intends, via Federal Register publication, to replace” these licenses with “more narrowly scoped authorizations to allow US persons and, as appropriate, US-owned or US-controlled foreign entities, to engage in all transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to wind down activities.”\nOther Issues Related to Sanctions Reimposition\n“New” Business During the Wind-Down Periods\nThe US government’s posture with respect to “new” business with Iran during the wind-down periods is not clear. On the one hand, statements have been made by the National Security Advisor and by a State Department official indicating that “new” contracts are precluded during the wind-down period. On the other hand, OFAC’s guidance is not clear on this point, and could be read to suggest that new activity is not prohibited, so long as it is completed during the wind-down period.\nOFAC FAQ 2.2 states, “Can I engage in new activity involving Iran if the activity will not extend beyond the relevant wind-down period?” OFAC’s response does not provide a direct answer to that question, but reiterates that entities engaged in activity consistent with the JCPOA should take steps to wind-down that activity by the applicable wind-down dates. OFAC’s response notes that “[w]hen considering a potential enforcement or sanctions action with respect to activities engaged in [after the wind-down dates] OFAC will evaluate efforts and steps taken to wind-down activities and will assess whether any new business was entered into involving Iran during the applicable wind-down period.”\nThe Treasury Department’s statement notes that the State Department has issued “necessary statutory sanctions waivers” to allow for the wind-down periods for secondary sanctions, although the waivers have not been made public. Treasury’s statement and OFAC’s FAQs also indicate repeatedly that, “as soon as is administratively feasible,” OFAC expects to replace existing licenses with new authorizations to allow the wind down of transactions and activities. (It is possible that the revised licenses and authorizations issued by OFAC will provide further clarity on this point.) Treasury’s statement further notes that “at the end of the 90-day and 180-day wind-down periods, the applicable sanctions will come back into full effect.”\nPost-Wind Down Period Payments\nEven after the applicable wind-down periods, FAQ 2.1 notes that OFAC will allow certain payments to non-US, non-Iranian persons that fully delivered goods or services to an Iranian counterpart before the end of the relevant wind-down period in fulfillment of a written contract or agreement that was entered into before May 8, 2018, provided that the transaction was in compliance with applicable sanctions laws at the time. The FAQ notes, however, that US persons and the US financial system cannot be involved in such payments. It is not clear from the FAQs whether or how the wind-down provisions would apply to payments for purchases of goods or services from Iran. \nRe-designation of SDNs\nPursuant to the JCPOA, OFAC moved many entities that met the definition of “Government of Iran” or “Iranian financial institution” from the SDN list to a newly-established “List of Persons Identified as Blocked Solely Pursuant to Executive Order 13599” (the EO 13599 list). Other persons were removed from the SDN list and were not added to any other OFAC lists.\nIn FAQ 3.1, OFAC indicated that it expects to return the “Government of Iran” or “Iranian financial institution” entries from the EO 13599 list to the SDN list no later than November 5, 2018. The FAQ further states that beginning on November 5, 2018, activities with “most persons” moved from the EO 13599 List to the SDN List will be subject to secondary sanctions, and that such persons “will have a notation of ‘Additional Sanctions Information – Subject to Secondary Sanctions’ in their SDN List entry.”\nFAQ 3.2 states that, no later than November 5, sanctions will be reimposed “as appropriate” against other persons removed from OFAC sanctions lists as of the date of the JCPOA. Persons against whom sanctions are reimposed and who are subject to secondary sanctions will also have a notation of “Additional Sanctions Information – Subject to Secondary Sanctions” in their SDN List entry.\nOfficials from the State Department clarified that the re-designation of individuals as SDNs will not occur overnight, stating that OFAC’s “aim is to relist all of those individuals and entities by the end of the six-month wind down” period. The officials went on to state that this was done both “for practical reasons, but also for policy reasons,” including to allow for a full six-month wind-down of energy-related and petroleum-related activities.\nPrior Guidance\nFAQ 1.5 clarifies that, due to the change in policy, OFAC’s new guidance regarding Iranian sanctions supersedes past FAQs (most notably, the lengthy FAQs issued by OFAC in January 2016) to the extent that they are inconsistent. Among other things, the explanation of wind-down periods in the new FAQs supersedes the explanation from the earlier FAQs.\nUS Sanctions Implementation Issues to be Monitored\nA number of issues critical to US Iran sanctions policy bear careful monitoring moving forward:\n“Enforcement” of US Iran Sanctions\nMultiple US government officials have suggested that the Trump Administration will aggressively implement and “enforce” the reimposed sanctions. Secretary of State Pompeo stated that “sanctions will go into full effect and will remind the Iranian regime of the diplomatic and economic isolation that results from its reckless and malign activity.” In a press briefing held by unidentified senior State Department officials shortly following the announcement, the State Department emphasized that the purpose of the reimposition of sanctions was to target companies that do business with Iran. One of the State Department officials noted that the Trump Administration wanted to rebuild the “extensive architecture of secondary sanctions” that was used previously as “leverage” to engage with countries “to partner with us to build the economic isolation of Iran.” Secretary of the Treasury Mnuchin has also indicated at a US Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on May 22, 2018, that the administration has “communicated with our European partners” that the administration will be enforcing the secondary sanctions against Iran.\nThat said, sanctions implementation and “enforcement” is resource-intensive and will fall to the State Department and OFAC at a time when the agencies also face demands to implement sanctions on Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, and in other areas of the world. It is a practical reality that the administration will need to prioritize its resources, and it remains to be seen how Iran secondary sanctions implementation will compare to these other priorities.\n“Significant Reduction” Exceptions\nAccording to FAQs 5.1 and 5.2, OFAC will reimpose sanctions on foreign financial institutions that help conduct or facilitate the purchase of Iranian crude oil pursuant to section 1245(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. However, there is an exception from these sanctions for countries that have “significantly reduced” imports of Iranian crude oil. The “significant reduction” exception in Section 1245(d)(4)(D) of the NDAA by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, applies if the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and other agencies, has determined that the country with primary jurisdiction over the foreign financial institution has significantly reduced its purchases of Iranian crude oil during a specified period of time. Notably, the president already fulfilled the first requirement of the exception when he announced on May 14, 2018 that there is a sufficient supply of petroleum and petroleum products from countries other than Iran to permit a significant reduction in the volume of petroleum and petroleum products purchased from Iran by or through foreign financial institutions.\nWhile petroleum-related sanctions take effect on November 4, 2018, the State Department will evaluate and make determinations at the same time as to whether foreign countries have made a “significant reduction” in the volume of their purchases of Iranian crude oil. If so, certain imports of Iranian petroleum or petroleum products would not be considered sanctionable if specific criteria were met. As a result, OFAC advised countries seeking that exception to reduce the volume of crude oil purchased during the 180-day wind-down period, and OFAC noted that reduction can be demonstrated by the quantity and percentage of reduction in purchases or the termination of contracts for future delivery.\nSignificant reduction exceptions were previously granted in 2012 and 2013. However, it is difficult to draw on these prior exceptions as guidance as the circumstances were substantially different than now (e.g., the EU in 2012 imposed a prohibition on the importation from Iran of crude oil and petroleum products).\nWaivers\nAlthough the administration has made clear that it does not expect to issue further broad waivers of the statutory secondary sanctions on Iran, administration officials have not necessarily foreclosed the possibility of granting waivers for particular transactions or projects on a case-specific basis. The Secretary of State is provided the delegated authority to issue waivers under the ISA, the NDAA, and IFCA, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and (in some circumstances) with other officials. Waivers of sanctions may be issued for a time-limited period of 120 days to one year, depending on the statute, and pursuant to the criteria set forth in each statute. Absent further significant policy developments, we do not anticipate that the administration will issue many waivers.\nAdditional US Sanctions\nThe US government clearly is intent on imposing new sanctions designations under existing authorities. On May 31, OFAC continued its steady stream of new Iran-related designations with designations against three entities and five individuals for their alleged roles in serious human rights abuses, the operation of information technology that facilitates monitoring or tracking that could enable serious human rights abuses, and censorship activities that limit the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly. This was the sixth new series of Iran sanctions designations announced by Treasury since President Trump’s May 8 decision to withdraw from the JCPOA. For example, on May 15, 2018 OFAC designated the governor and a senior official of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) for CBI’s funneling of money on behalf of the IRGC-QF to Hezbollah. On May 22, OFAC designated five Iranians for their role in providing ballistic-missile expertise and weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen on behalf of the IRGC-Qods force. On May 24, OFAC announced new designations targeting procurement networks and aircrafts associated with Mahan Air and other designated Iranian airlines. In total, OFAC designated nine individuals and entities as SDGTs pursuant to EO 13224 for procuring export-controlled US origin goods for sanctioned Iranian airlines and 31 aircraft in which persons previously designated under EO 13224 have an interest. The rapid pace of these new designations shows that the administration is actively pursuing a variety of mechanisms through which to pressure Iran in addition to the sanctions being rolled back as part of the JCPOA withdrawal.\nIn addition, it will be important to monitor whether the US creates any new sanctions to cover additional industries or activities beyond those that will go back into effect with the JCPOA. During the period preceding the JCPOA, the Obama Administration and the US Congress took numerous actions to expand the scope of US secondary sanctions on Iran. Presumably the Trump Administration and Congress will also consider taking additional actions to expand the scope of US primary and/or secondary sanctions. (In a speech given after the withdrawal announcement on May 21, 2018, Secretary of State Pompeo said that the new sanctions will “indeed end up being the strongest sanctions in history when we are complete.”)\nIt is also unclear whether the Trump Administration will consider narrowing some of the Iran sanctions licenses that were in place prior to the JCPOA. These include General License D-1, which authorizes certain exports to Iran of hardware, software and services incident to personal communication, and General License J-1, which authorizes the temporary sojourn of civil aircraft into Iran, among others.\nForeign Policy Issues That Could Impact US Iran Sanctions\nFuture of JCPOA\nThe future of the JCPOA is unclear. Most countries and international bodies, with the exception of Saudi Arabia and Israel, have expressed disapproval of the US decision to withdraw. In particular, the European Union has pledged continued support for the JCPOA. Following two meetings between High Representative Federica Mogherini and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, Ms. Mogherini gave prepared remarks affirming all participants’ commitment to the JCPOA and reiterating their regret at the withdrawal of the United States.\nMs. Mogherini added that discussions had commenced with a view to arriving at solutions over the next few weeks for a number of matters, including (1) maintaining and deepening economic relations with Iran, (2) effective banking transactions with Iran, (3) the continued sale of Iran’s oil and gas products, and (4) further investments in Iran.\nOn May 23, Iran’s supreme leader laid out a number of demands that Europe must meet for Iran to remain in the JCPOA. The demands included creating mechanisms to safeguard EU-Iranian trade and Iranian oil exports. Ayatollah Khamenei also said that Germany, France, and the UK must pledge not to seek negotiations on Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional activities – topics they had previously discussed with US negotiators. He also warned that Iran could resume certain nuclear-related activity if Europe did not meet these demands.\nIf the JCPOA were terminated, UN Security Council sanctions could automatically come back into force, which would further complicate the position of those countries seeking to remain economically engaged with Iran.\nEU Blocking Regulation\nOn May 18, the EU Commission announced the launch of the formal process to activate the EU blocking regulation (Council Regulation (EC) 2271/96) by updating the list of US sanctions on Iran falling within its scope. The Commission starts the process after receiving unanimous informal support from the leaders of the EU Member States to a package of measures that the Commission has proposed to protect the interests of EU companies investing in Iran and to demonstrate the EU’s commitment to the JCPOA. As part of the package, in addition to reactivating the EU blocking regulation, the Commission:\nIn order to activate the EU blocking regulation, the Commission will be amending the list of non-EU laws set out in the Annex to the Regulation 2271/96 by adding to that list the reimposed US sanctions on Iran.\nOnce the reimposed US sanctions are added to the Annex, the EU blocking regulation requires companies incorporated in the Member States to notify the Commission within 30 days whenever the renewed US extraterritorial sanctions directly or indirectly affect the economic or financial interests of the company. EU companies will also be prohibited from complying with the extraterritorial effects of US sanctions identified in the EU blocking regulation. The EU blocking regulation allows EU companies to recover damages in EU courts from persons causing damages as a result of the sanctions. Finally, the EU blocking regulation nullifies the effect in the EU of any foreign court judgments or decisions of administrative bodies which are based on the reinstated US sanctions.\nThe activation of the EU blocking regulation could be viewed as a political statement rather than an effective legal tool that the EU companies will be able to rely upon. At the same time, the EU blocking regulation could become an element of discussion between the EU and the US to try to mitigate the impact of the implementation of the reinstated US sanctions on Iran. But it also will complicate the situation of EU companies that will potentially face Member State enforcement of the EU blocking regulation, and in particular the prohibition on complying with US extraterritorial measures.\nA “New” Iran Deal?\nThe White House has outlined a broad list of requirements to which Iran must agree prior to receiving sanctions relief, including halting the development of a nuclear weapon:\nEchoing earlier criticism of the JCPOA, President Trump also called for an international “coalition of nations” to deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon and to counter the totality of the regime’s malign activities. Iran is unlikely to agree to the above comprehensive list of demands, suggesting either that the Trump Administration is taking a strong initial position for the purpose of negotiation or that the administration does not see an opportunity to reach a good faith agreement.\nNational Security Advisor John Bolton emphasized in a press briefing shortly after the US announcement that the United States was prepared to discuss “a much broader deal addressing all aspects of Iran’s conduct that we find objectionable.” On May 18, the State Department Director of Policy Planning held a teleconference news briefing regarding Iran and the JCPOA withdrawal. The State Department official added that a new deal would “involve[] a range of things around [Iran’s] nuclear program, missiles, proliferating missiles and missile technology, and support for terrorists, and its aggressive and violent activities that fuel civil wars in Syria and Yemen.” In the speech given after the withdrawal announcement on May 21, 2018, Secretary of State Pompeo reiterated the above conditions of any new agreement with Iran. He also stated that the United States was prepared to “end the principal components of every one of our sanctions against the regime” if Iran took actions which benefitted the Iranian people.\nTo date, Iran has categorically rejected negotiating a new or broader deal, and the EU and US allies have not indicated their support for any such US initiative.\nWe will continue to monitor and report on developments as the US government provides additional guidance and works to form an international coalition to implement the reimposition of sanctions pursuant to its withdrawal from the JCPOA. Further commentary is available on the Steptoe International Compliance Blog. You can also follow us on Twitter (@SteptoeIntlReg).","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 8, 2018"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":["Iran’s destabilizing role in conflicts throughout the Middle East, continued development of its ballistic missiles, support for terrorist organizations, and human rights abuses"]},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["the United States","Iran"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"President Trump Withdraws From JCPOA; Reimposes Iran Sanctions—Six Key Takeaways","document":"On Tuesday, May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would not sign a 120-day waiver of U.S. sanctions against Iran, effectively withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Although the United States is one of six signatories, including China, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Iran, President Trump’s unilateral decision to withdraw from the agreement puts the fate of the JCPOA in jeopardy.\nThe implications for the region and for U.S. foreign policy more broadly are profound, but, more immediately, President Trump’s decision triggers an end to U.S. sanctions relief granted as part of the agreement.\nPrior to January 2016, U.S. so-called “secondary sanctions” exposed non-U.S. persons, including non-U.S. subsidiaries of U.S. companies, to civil and criminal liability if they did business in certain Iranian business sectors or with particular Iranian individuals and entities. The JCPOA lifted certain specified provisions and also established a permissive licensing policy for U.S. persons seeking to engage in certain, favored activities, such as export of commercial aircraft. However, most “primary” sanctions—those applicable directly to U.S. persons—remained in place.\nIn his announcement, President Trump also stated that the United States will implement new sanctions against Iran. In conjunction with the announcement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued FAQs explaining the impact of the presidential decision and also holding out the prospect of additional measures.\nSix Key Takeaways\n1. The Wind-Down Period Starts Now.\nBecause many businesses entered into commercial relationships and activities in reliance on the JCPOA sanctions relaxation, and consistent with usual practice when sanctions are imposed, OFAC has established two wind-down periods—of 90 and 180 days, respectively—within which newly prohibited activities involving Iran that were consistent with the JCPOA relief must be ended.\nMeasures that will be re-imposed at the end of the 90-day wind-down period include:\nSanctions on the purchase or acquisition of U.S. dollar banknotes by the Government of Iran;\nSanctions on Iran’s trade in gold or precious metals;\nSanctions on the direct or indirect sale, supply or transfer to or from Iran of graphite, raw or semi-finished metals such as aluminum and steel, coal and software for integrating industrial processes;\nSanctions on significant transactions related to the purchase or sale of Iranian rials, or the maintenance of significant funds or accounts outside the territory of Iran denominated in the Iranian rial;\nSanctions on the purchase, subscription to, or facilitation of the issuance of Iranian sovereign debt;\nSanctions on Iran’s automotive sector;\nA ban on the importation into the United States of Iranian-origin carpets and foodstuffs and certain related financial transactions; and\nActivities undertaken pursuant to specific licenses or “General License I” to allow export or re-export of aircraft and related parts.\nMeasures that will be re-imposed at the end of 180 days include:\nSanctions on Iran’s port operators and shipping and shipbuilding sectors, including on the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), South Shipping Line Iran and their affiliates;\nSanctions on petroleum-related transactions with, among others, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO), and the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), including the purchase of petroleum, petroleum products or petrochemical products from Iran;\nSanctions on certain transactions, including the provision of specialized financial messaging services, by foreign financial institutions with the Central Bank of Iran and designated Iranian financial institutions;\nSanctions on the provision of underwriting services, insurance, or reinsurance; and\nSanctions on Iran’s energy sector.\n2. Non-U.S. Subsidiaries of U.S. Persons Must Exit Iran.\nOne key change as a result of the President’s decision is the end of OFAC’s “General License H,” which authorized “an entity owned or controlled” by a US person and “established or maintained outside of the United States . . . to engage in transactions, directly or indirectly, with the Government of Iran or any person subject to the jurisdiction of the Government of Iran.” The revocation of General License H will be effective November 5, 2018.\n3. U.S. Persons Operating Under JCPOA Licenses Must Wind Down Their Activities.\nPursuant to the JCPOA, OFAC issued licenses to U.S. persons to engage in certain, designated activities. Those activities must now be wound down, and, for U.S. persons, all payments must be received not later than the end of the applicable wind-down period. (That is an interesting distinction from how non-U.S. persons are treated. Those entities engaged in activities that are now prohibited nonetheless may continue receiving payment after the wind-down date, so long as they have fully performed their underlying contractual obligations by that date.)\nThe implications of this change are significant. For example, Boeing previously announced a deferred deal—pursuant to an OFAC license—to sell as many as 80 aircrafts to Iran Air for $16.6 billion. Companies with licenses for Iran-related activities should assess any outstanding financial commitments and contracts and analyze the feasibility of finalizing these deals within the authorized wind-down period.\n4. Even Non-U.S. Persons Are Impacted.\nBusinesses with no operations in the United States that operate in a country that will continue to uphold the JCPOA also must consider winding down all Iranian operations. As recent OFAC enforcement actions suggest, U.S. authorities have been aggressive in pursuing broader theories of liability against companies with no U.S. operations. For example, OFAC has now widened its enforcement to target foreign non-financial companies that “cause” U.S. persons to violate sanctions by making U.S. dollar-denominated payments through the U.S. financial system to sanctioned jurisdictions or parties. Given the ever-broadening scope of liability, non-U.S. companies must be mindful of how the new sanctions may affect their business.\n5. Some Authorizations Remain Unaffected – for Now.\nAt the same time, sanctions relief that pre-dates the JCPOA—such as “General License D-1,” which authorizes transactions relating to personal communications—remains in effect. In assessing the impact of today’s action, it is important to differentiate between those pre-JCPOA measures and the liberalizing measures that are being withdrawn.\n6. It Is Necessary To Be Nimble.\nThe Trump Administration action illustrates what has become emblematic of sanctions compliance in recent years: it is necessary to be nimble. Once a relatively straightforward exercise targeting a defined group of countries, with little change from year to year, U.S. sanctions compliance over the past several years has become increasingly complex. The focus of many efforts has shifted from nations to individuals or entities, and the variety of tools employed has become more diverse.\nAt the same time, the identities of countries that are the subject of sanctions also has undergone significant change—with the removal of Sudan, the addition of many sanctions targeting Russia and the relaxation and now reimposition of sanctions against Iran. Compliance professionals could be forgiven for experiencing professional whiplash.\nThe new Administration action will require substantial retrofitting of many companies’ compliance programs, back to a pre-JCPOA posture, while remaining alert to the potential new sanctions the Administration has promised.\nFor more information concerning the president’s announcement and its implications, please contact any of the below members of Paul Hastings’ National Security and Global Trade Controls practice.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["China, United Kingdom, Germany, France"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On Tuesday, May 8, 2018"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["the United States","Iran"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Reactions to President Trump’s Decision to Withdraw From the Iran Nuclear Deal","document":"[This] decision is not an endpoint. Rather, it provides an important opportunity to apply further diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran in order to both prevent the regime from ever acquiring a nuclear weapons capability and to push back against its expanding regional aggression.\nIt is our collective responsibility to forge a bipartisan consensus to ensure America’s lawmakers stay focused on that effort. This cannot be achieved by one bill, one initiative or one announcement. It requires a long-term strategy, backed by the bipartisan support of Congress.\nIn the months and years ahead, AIPAC will work with Democrats and Republicans to ensure that our government applies all the tools necessary to counter Iran’s nuclear and regional ambitions. The gravity of the moment and the imperative to definitively end Iran’s ability to acquire a nuclear weapons capability demand that we remain focused on this effort.\nThe AJC issued a statement saying that despite opposing the 2015 JCPOA because of its flaws — no binding provisions on ballistic missile development, no focus on Iran’s destabilizing regional behavior, weaknesses in the coverage of the inspections regime and a dangerous sunset clause — it had hoped working with European allies, the deal could be improved.\nAccording to its statement, the decision by Trump was “profoundly regrettable. Despite our many reservations, we had nonetheless hoped to see the deal ‘fixed,’ not ‘nixed,’ at this stage of the game.\n“We can only hope that this action by the President, significant as it is, will not end the effort to find common ground. The last thing anyone should want is a wedge driven between the U.S. and our European partners, as Iran would inevitably become an unintended beneficiary. And given Iran’s current and future threats to regional and global security, that should be an outcome no one in the U.S. or Europe wants.”\n“President Trump’s misguided and ill-conceived announcement weakens the United States, damages American credibility with its allies and puts the entire world at risk,” said Ameinu National President Kenneth Bob. “The agreement with Iran was working, according to American and Israeli security experts. The deal’s opponents, while extremely vocal, have never been able to articulate a practical alternative to this negotiated settlement,” he added.\n“It is our fervent hope that America’s European allies and Iran will endeavor to keep the JCPOA alive and prevent Iran from resuming its uranium enrichment program that was halted under the agreement. It’s difficult to understand how leaving the JPCOA makes the United States, Israel or any other country any safer. Just the opposite, we are now closer to a war in the Middle East than we have been for many years.”\n“While there is a legitimate debate to be had about the wisdom of withdrawing from the Iran deal, President Trump’s announcement — in clear opposition to the wishes of the P5 +1 countries, particularly the United States’ E3 allies Britain, France, and Germany — is concerning. Any effort to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power will require buy-in from American allies, and withdrawing from the nuclear agreement in an effort to get Iran to agree to tougher terms going forward is only a viable tactic if there is a formulated and multilateral Plan B in place.\n“Safeguarding American and Israeli security cannot be accomplished if foreign policy is conducted as an extemporaneous exercise based upon campaign sloganeering rather than well-crafted policies. What is critical now is not only to think through how best to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions in check, but to also prevent the divisiveness that characterized the debate in the American Jewish community during the lead up to the Iran deal’s formulation. Rather than relitigate previous battles, it is imperative to focus on what comes next.”\nThe Israel Policy Forum is a N.Y.-based American Jewish organization that works for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “The Jewish Policy Center applauds President Trump for withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran entered the agreement hiding its prior nuclear weapons program and unwilling to allow inspections of its military facilities and has since possessed too many centrifuges and too much heavy water. Furthermore, Iranian cooperation in military facilities with North Korea made it impossible for the United States to certify, as the JCPOA requires, that a) Iran is “transparently, verifiably and fully implementing” the agreement; and b) “has not taken any action, including covert activities, that could significantly advance its nuclear weapons program.\n“France, Germany and the United Kingdom have made intensive efforts to bring Iran closer to compliance, but they failed.\n“Withdrawal from the JCPOA is not the end of the process. The president and America’s allies must find ways to protect the United States, Europe, and the Middle East from Iranian aggression — both nuclear and non-nuclear. But we believe President Trump has taken a decision that is responsive to the situation and vital to the national security interests of the United States.”","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["Britain, France, and Germany"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the JCPOA"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","America"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Columbia | SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy","document":"The US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is now complete. Though the sanctions recently reimposed largely date from the Obama administration, the Iran policy of the United States now belongs only to Donald Trump.\nIndeed, though some in his orbit may argue that the United States is laboring still under the problems created by the JCPOA, the confidence of the Trump administration in withdrawing from the agreement was based in no small part on the assertion that US partners would come along with the United States regardless of their own views or interests. Likewise, the United States bet that Iran probably would not retaliate immediately by restarting its nuclear program and that, if it did, the United States would come out of the resulting crisis much the better for matters. These two positions will be tested on the world stage in the coming months.\nHow Iran, US allies, and US competitors react to the stresses brought about by Trump’s decision will have far-reaching impacts for geopolitics, global energy markets and security, and financial markets. This brief outlines five guideposts to watch out for over the next year as the situation between Washington and Tehran inevitably heats up.\nFor some, the reimposition of US sanctions is the last word in an argument about foreign compliance and cooperation: now that the measures are in place, corporate compliance officers will do much of the work by forbidding transactions with Iran that even come close to the line, much less cross it. By virtue of the power of the US economy, banks and companies will forego business with Iran. Those few who resist will either be sufficiently marginal so as to make little difference or quickly put back in line by tough US enforcement.\nThe reality is a bit more complex. To be sure, this story is true for global banks and companies. Those institutions have been sufficiently scared by the imposition of large fines against banks that violated US sanctions in the past that they are unlikely to challenge the United States. The risk/reward calculations inherent in the limited amount of business possible with Iran—even after the JCPOA was agreed upon—were insufficient to prompt major investment before Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement. The retreat of those that had considered or consummated investments in Iran has been clear and unambiguous; they will not be returning to Iran any time soon.\nBut this is only part of the picture. Two other issues will complicate US enforcement.\nFirst, the fact that Europe has decided not to cooperate with the United States in restarting pre-JCPOA sanctions will make the US enforcement effort that will now be required far more complex. Prior to the JCPOA, the United States and Europe were on the same side of the debate. Though some European—and, indeed, even US—companies were prepared to flout sanctions in order to make a buck in Iran, the United States and Europe were largely able to work together to police this behavior. The few designations that the United States made against European entities were limited largely to front companies or were made with the direct participation and support of European governments. For this reason, the imposition of sanctions was largely a conflict-free affair with Europe. A few cases did bubble to the surface in the 2010–2015 time frame—most especially the BNP Paribas sanctions. Generally, however, the facts were agreed upon and commonly understood even if the punishments were sometimes controversial.\nNow, the United States and Europe have no such luxury. In fact, the European Union is directly courting potential sanctions evaders through the construction of a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) that may facilitate transactions that the United States would consider to be sanctionable. It remains to be seen whether this will in fact be the case or if the SPV will instead simply manage legitimate humanitarian transactions that otherwise find securing banking services hard. But even the possibility highlights a significant point: Europe will not help the United States police its nationals in their business with Iran. For those in Europe who find Iran an attractive place to do business and can identify ways to obtain essential services like banking and shipping, the United States will be left with few tools to stop them.\nSecond, the United States will have to add Europe to a list of other complex enforcement cases, like those of Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. It will further stretch US enforcement officials, in particular, and will increase demands on US intelligence gathering and on the lawyers and experts who assemble the sanctions packages that make designations of individuals and entities a reality. For every entity or individual that gets through the net, the United States will face the domestic pressure of whether it is doing enough and the international risk that those on the outside of US law will see others making money and be willing to take their chances. (And, of course, the entire escapade will only add to dynamics that make sanctions overuse a real threat to the United States, as the author wrote about in a recent article with former Treasury secretary Jack Lew.) The United States may find in the years to come that its target list is growing notwithstanding its efforts and that its ability to respond quickly to new problems popping up will be impinged.\nTaken in combination with other global dynamics—not least the possibility of a major clash with Saudi Arabia over the apparent murder of Jamal Khashoggi—oil prices over the short to medium term could hold near recent levels that are higher than those seen over the past three years.\nOil prices impact enforcement because high oil prices would help Iran weather the storm directly (as more expensive oil means that selling fewer barrels only hurts in terms of opportunity cost rather than as an absolute matter) and increase the odds of sanctions evasion.\nAs noted in July, Iran’s sales of approximately 2.4 million barrels per day (bpd) earlier in 2018 were netting approximately $65 billion in revenue at $70 to $75 per barrel of oil. At $100 per barrel of oil, Iranian sales of only 1.5 million bpd would be worth a sizeable fraction of this amount, at approximately $55 billion annually; of course, the benefits to Iran would accrue in a scalable fashion with every dollar in increased oil prices. Iran would surely prefer one to the other, but—having apparently set national budget figures on $57 per barrel of oil—Iran can make do regardless.\nObviously, if the Trump administration were more successful in securing reductions, then the pressure on Iran would be that much greater. Cuts from Iran’s exports by as much as 1.6 million bpd have been discussed by some observers, and the decision of European, South Korean, and Japanese importers to go to zero in November was a direct result of aggressive US pressure in the second quarter of 2018. It is more than what the author assessed would be likely in February 2018, at least within the first year of sanctions reimposition. But it is questionable whether further deep cuts will be possible. As a matter of government policy, China and India have refused to consider going to zero, and their purchases may add up to as much as 1 million bpd—in other words, the same amount as the Obama administration achieved in 2012­­–2013. Turkey is also on the bubble of cooperation and compliance with US sanctions, having its own serious issues with the United States notwithstanding the release of Pastor Brunson in early October. If 1 million bpd in exports does become an Iranian floor, then it is hard to see Iran making deeper concessions on its nuclear program or much else—as will be discussed further below—but the effect will still be to increase market nervousness and threaten supply stability, especially since the Saudis have been increasingly open about how they and OPEC cannot close the supply gaps created by cuts to Iranian exports, the situation in Venezuela, and so forth.\nOf course, higher prices will also motivate some to take advantage of the offer of deep discounts that Iran is uncharacteristically advertising in a public way. Should 30­–40 percent discounts be offered by Iran, then they may find a way to bring some of their otherwise locked-in production and exports back to the market. This would come along with the possibility of creating downward pressure on oil prices—as supply itself would be increased, reducing at least some of the tension—but depending on how much evasion Iran would be utilizing in its exports, the effects on price could be muted. In the 2012–2013 experience, Iran utilized ship-to-ship transfers and may have exported oil off of anyone’s books. A similar approach today could result in oil getting to market but without necessarily creating the sense of stability that would allow prices to fall significantly.\nAll of this might be manageable for an Iran with deep pockets and a sustainable form of government. But for many US sanctions advocates, neither condition persists at this time in Iran. Iran is racked with protests and demonstrations due in some part to its poor economy. President Rouhani, having based his future on a sustainable international agreement for sanctions relief that would permit domestic reform, is now being criticized from all sides, not least a somewhat jubilant hard-line segment of the government that always decried the possibility of negotiations. That this segment includes Supreme Leader Khamenei himself only adds to the tremors presently gripping the Iranian government. Indeed, every bad news story in Iran should be expected to give rise in 2019 to rumors that a revolution in the country is imminent.\nBut as others—especially Suzanne Maloney, who literally wrote the book on postrevolution Iranian political economy—have discussed, this is not the first time that Iran has faced such challenges. Iranian economic leaders often note that Iran has suffered dozens of various economic crises since the revolution, and yet—still—they remain in charge. Some observers, such as Karim Sadjadpour, have argued that this is because the Iranian government retains a readiness to inflict violence on its population that the population is unwilling to absorb. But regardless of the source, Iranian political stability has been stronger than most regime opponents have hoped. This may not persist, particularly if the economy hits new lows or if an unexpected political event, such as Khamenei’s death, were to occur. However, safe betting remains that Iran will be able to muddle along, counting on international turmoil, the fact that oil remains a desired international commodity, and basic economic self-interest to keep some amount of international business activity flowing.\nIt is also worth noting that, even should Iran’s government fall, the idea that it would immediately transition to a stable, peaceful, liberal democracy is absurd, not least because the people most in a position to take control after such a crisis would be those in the security services, the most hard-line segment of Iran’s government.\nThough the likelihood of Iranian political stability may please some inside of the Iranian government or international community (particularly those concerned that the chaos of Syria or Afghanistan could spread to a country of 80 million people), it would likely present the Trump administration with a very serious challenge and threat. Contacts in the Trump administration have indicated that they anticipate regime collapse or, at the very least, regime rattling by early 2019. Even if they are talking up this possibility, the idea that imminent regime change is a possibility pervades the US policy approach. Secretary Pompeo’s criticism of John Kerry’s alleged interactions with Europeans and Iranians (e.g., arguing that Iran should not take steps that provoke the United States, such as nuclear restart) is indicative of a policy interest in the situation coming to a boil as quickly as possible. Why else would the Trump administration condemn a policy framework in which the United States would get to impose massive penalties on Iran while still retaining a core national security benefit in Iran’s nuclear restraint? Politics perhaps explain some of this. Far more compelling, however, is the possibility that Iran is hoping that a future US administration will be more prepared to negotiate with Iran in a serious fashion and is taking whatever steps it can now to avoid making major concessions or escalating the situation.\nA similar argument can be made from the administration’s effort to seek zero Iranian exports by November 4 and its refusal to use the formal JCPOA withdrawal process to reimpose UNSC sanctions on Iran in May. Taken in combination, they present a picture of an administration that is convinced that Iran is one or two quick shoves away from collapse.\nIf this line of reasoning is correct, then the possibility that Iran may soldier on in defiance of US efforts is potentially fatal for Trump’s Iran policy. Sanctions fatigue, frustration over high oil prices, and the ever-increasing turbulence in global political affairs will ensure that other problems come to the fore in 2019. Even if this is not the case, the Trump administration has other fish to fry. It may seek to bring matters to a head with Iran in 2019 regardless but especially if it senses that its opportunity is slipping away; indeed, an analogy to Venezuela may be apt here, as only months ago, it looked certain that the Maduro government would fall on its own only to remain fully in charge today. Syria could prove to be another example, as those who thought Assad’s regime would collapse on its own now face the prospect of negotiations over the future of Syria with Assad himself.\nAll of this could add up to a strong incentive on the part of the Trump administration to escalate matters with Iran in 2019. Iran will doubtless take steps that make it easier for the administration to do so, as the alleged plan for terrorist attacks in Europe over the summer makes clear. Iranian adventures in Syria and support for Yemeni Houthis launching rockets at UAE and Saudi Arabia will also buttress US claims that Iranian recklessness merits reprisal.\nBut it is hard to ignore that a US-driven escalation is also possible, particularly if leaders in Washington and in other US partner capitals (such as Jerusalem) come to the conclusion that their golden opportunity to make a real change in Iranian affairs may pass by. The result may be an increased willingness to contemplate more aggressive actions, such as military raids against Iranian nuclear or missile facilities, as well as to push back on Iranian activities in and around the Persian Gulf. Here, the possibility that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis may be replaced will be critical, especially if a more aggressive replacement were to be named.\nAnother possibility, of course, is that escalating tensions and flailing sanctions lead Trump himself to seek an alternative course of action: direct talks. Trump’s initiative with North Korea was prompted probably by his own expectation that direct negotiations with Kim Jung Un would result in a good deal. Trump has spoken publicly about his willingness to meet Rouhani, and allegedly, US officials have sought such a meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly. Senior officials such as John Bolton have made little attempt to hide their reluctance to engage in real talks with the Iranians and concern about what the North Korean process has wrought. Trump’s potentially open-minded approach to Iran may also convince these officials that they have to avoid an easily frustrated and temperamental president from seeking the political boost of another nuclear threat engaged.\nThis takes us to the last but perhaps most important element for forecasting 2019: what Iran will do with its nuclear program. As predicted, Iran did not respond to US withdrawal by immediately restarting its nuclear program. Instead, Iran played for international support and time, which it has gained in spades. Multiple International Atomic Energy Agency reports indicating that Iran is in full compliance with its JCPOA obligations have only contributed to the real sense internationally that Iran is behaving while the United States is not.\nBut Iran’s temperate approach thus far should not obscure the very real chance that Iran will move to restart major aspects of its nuclear program in 2019. Iran’s leaders have made clear that, unless they get the full benefit of the JCPOA, they will have no choice, even though there are few intrinsic benefits of a restart in uranium centrifuge R&D, for example, at this point. Still, Iran will feel political pressure to do so. This will increase as economic costs mount in 2019, even if they are insufficient to threaten regime cohesion in any serious way.\nRather than abruptly withdraw from the JCPOA, Iran would probably test further the bounds of its JCPOA restraints, possibly by increasing its stocks of heavy water or enriched uranium, or even by restarting uranium centrifuge production in a serious way. Less than a full-fledged breakout may be judged by Iran to be a more moderate course of action, creating pressure on Europe and others to take what they can get from some Iranian restraint.  A “JCPOA minus” approach is far from ideal but, depending on its contents, may be desirable in contrast to an Iranian drive to restore its nuclear weapons breakout timeline to 1-2 months.   In some ways, such an approach might be the equivalent of stepping back to the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), the predecessor of the JCPOA that managed to serve as a decent basis for managing the Iranian nuclear program for nearly two years.  If doing so can create outlet for Iranian nuclear restart and renewed pressure against Iran in order to buy time and space for renewed negotiations – either by the Trump Administration or its successor after 2020 – then this might be a reasonable and attractive alternative to a renewed crisis.\nThat said, if Iran chooses to restart its nuclear program in full or in part, then this will create real pressure on Europe and other partners to get in line with US sanctions, particularly since it would also create a reason for the Trump administration to consider limited military strikes on key facilities. If Iran refuses to retaliate through nuclear expansion, then further infighting in Iran’s political leadership should be anticipated that would create pressure for other means of Iranian acting out.  Given Iran’s traditional method of doing so is to find ways of creating problems in the region, nuclear abstinence may give way to more regional provocations. \nFor this reason, even if the situation with Iran looks stable—albeit dangerous—by the end of 2018, there is every reason to expect that 2019 will be far more turbulent.\n***\nThe views represented in this commentary represent those of the author and not the Center on Global Energy Policy or Columbia University.\nThis work was made possible by support from the Center on Global Energy Policy. More information is available athttp://energypolicy.columbia.edu/about/mission.\nRichard Nephew is the author of The Art of Sanctions and an expert on the use of sanctions for deterrence and impact. He is currently serving in the Biden-Harris administration.\nJason Bordoff, Antoine Halff, and Richard Nephew offer insights on the attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil production and their potential impacts on energy markets, geopolitics, and energy security.\nIn his latest opinion column in Foreign Policy, Jason Bordoff examines the massive attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, arguing that “the attack on Abqaiq, the world’s most critical oil facility, is a stark reminder that the United States is not energy independent, nor can it go it alone when it comes to diplomacy in the world’s most critical oil-producing region.\"\nCGEP Senior Research Scholar Richard Nephew analyzes the conflict brewing in the Persian Gulf and offers four observations and expectations for the coming week.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["The US","Iran"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Potential Consequences of the U.S. Withdrawal from the JCPOA","document":"On May 8, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision to end the extension of waivers on nuclear sanctions against Iran, in effect, withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), almost a week before the deadline. Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 2015, the sitting president must suspend various sanctions every 120 to 180 days to allow the nuclear deal to continue. By not extending one of the waivers which was due to expire on May 12, Trump unilaterally withdraws from the deal since other parties, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1), will not follow the U.S. suit unless the Iranian side commits a clear violation of the agreement provisions. Nevertheless, this step increases the risk of the whole agreement being derailed since the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions eliminates key incentives for Iran to stay in. The agreement that was reached almost three years ago has significantly reduced a number of concerns of the international community about Tehran’s nuclear intentions while its breakdown has instead created many uncertainties.\nThe JCPOA, signed in Vienna in July 2015, effectively curbed Iran’s capability to go nuclear, at least until 2025, but has been under the constant threat since Donald Trump came to office in 2017. During his election campaign, Trump heavily criticized the nuclear accord and promised to renegotiate a “better deal” by putting more pressure on and demanding more concessions from Tehran. When the sanction relief was extended last time on January 12, 2018, President Trump warned that he would not renew any subsequent waivers unless “the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal” were fixed while also seeking support from the U.S. European allies to extract a better deal from Iran [Whitehouse, 2018]. In general, he expressed grievances over the following: the presence of the so called “sunset provisions” in the deal that will expire in 10 to 15 years; its failure to address the development of ballistic missiles by Tehran and Iran’s growing influence in the region, as well as the limitations on inspections of its military bases. Months following the January 12 announcement were marked by the diplomatic efforts of the European and other signatory nations to urge the United States to keep the JCPOA alive, with the German and French leaders, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron, as well as British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, each separately visiting Washington days before a final decision by Trump was made. During these talks, the Europeans acknowledged their concerns shared with Washington related to Iran’s ballistic missile program and its regional ambitions, but called the White House to consider these issues as separate from the nuclear deal. Perhaps, they were trying to convey the idea that the nuclear agreement despite its imperfections was working and using again the same leverage of economic sanctions and international isolation that previously brought Iran to the negotiating table is unlikely to bear any fruit and, on the contrary, might be destructive. China and Russia have similarly expressed their support for the JCPOA with the reports suggesting that their representatives together with diplomats from Britain, Germany, Britain are planning to meet in Vienna in the nearest future to combine efforts in salvaging the deal.\nFollowing Trump’s final announcement on May 8, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif declared that Iran would keep the agreement in place as long as the non-U.S. signatories could ensure full benefits of the deal for Iran. However, under the current circumstances saving the nuclear deal would be difficult. The re-imposition of nuclear sanctions against Tehran by the United States that will come into force by August 8, 2018, will target any country purchasing oil from Iran and financial institutions that have transactions with its banks. On May 16, the European Union (EU) leaders at their summit in Sofia discussed practical ways to keep Teheran’s oil and investment flowing. At present, the EU considers applying the 1996 Blocking Statute, the piece of legislation that bans its companies from complying with Washington-imposed sanctions and envisages compensations for affected firms doing business with Iran. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that this countermeasure is going to be effective in convincing the large European companies with major interests in the United States to continue doing business with Iran under the risk of being cut off from access to the U.S. market. Moreover, the U.S. sanctions are expected to reduce the production of the Iranian oil to 500,000 barrels per day as they would restrain purchases from Japan, South Korea and European nations [Nephew, 2018]. As a result, Tehran may start experiencing a recurrence of the pre-deal sanctions regime when its economy went from 6.6% of economic growth in 2010 to a 1.5% decrease in 2015 when the sanctions were in their full force. These possible implications may significantly reduce Iran’s incentives to remain committed to the JCPOA as one of the main motivations behind its accession to the agreement was breaking the international isolation and reviving its economy. Therefore, there is a fear that the renewed U.S. sanctions might induce the Iranian leadership to withdraw from the agreement. At present, moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is under increased pressure from his domestic political rivals, including the Revolutionary Guard, who have been opposed to the deal since the beginning of the negotiation process with the world’s major powers.\nA potential collapse of the accord that has helped to constrain Iran’s capability to go nuclear for at least next 15 years and greatly reduced the chances of a direct military confrontation between the United States and Iran might have grave consequences for an already delicate balance of power in the Middle East. On May 10, shortly after Trump’s abandonment of the deal, a direct military exchange between Israel and Iran took place in Syria that if escalated further may inflame the entire region. Moreover, it is expected that, if the nuclear accord breaks down, Teheran could relatively quickly resume the production of highly enriched uranium, the material used for building nuclear weapons [Cordesman, 2018]. On May 21, newly appointed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo presented the U.S. administration’s Iran strategy that envisages putting maximum pressure on Tehran unless it meets Washington’s 12 demands ranging from halting its missile and nuclear program to ending interventions in the Middle East affairs [U.S. Department of State, 2018]. Nevertheless, with the JCPOA derailed and Iranian hardliners gaining an upper hand in Tehran, there is no evidence that Washington’s new strategy of trying to get more with offering less is going to work. As a result, experts warn, the United States may be left with the choice of either letting Iran advance toward the capacity to build a nuclear bomb or going to war in an attempt to stop it [Z. Beauchamp, 2018].\n \nReferences:\nWhite House. (2018). Statement by the President on the Iran Nuclear Deal. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-iran-nuclear-deal/. Accessed on 14.05.2018.\nNephew, Richard. (2018). Trump and the End of the Iran Deal: Oil Market Implications. Center on Global Energy Policy. Retrieved from http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/pictures/CGEPTrumpEndIranDealOilImplications218.pdf. Accessed on 16.05.2018.\nU.S. Department of State. (2018). After the Deal: A New Iran Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2018/05/282301.htm . Accessed on 22.05.2018.\nCordesman, Anthony. (2018). Iran and the May 12th Deadline: Finding Winning Compromises. CSIS. Retrieved from https://www.csis.org/analysis/iran-and-may-12th-deadline-finding-winning-compromises . Accessed on 14.05.2018.\nBeauchamp, Zack. (2018). Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, explained. Vox.com. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/world/2018/5/8/17328520/iran-nuclear-deal-trump-withdraw . Accessed on 21.05.2018.\nNote: The views expressed in this blog are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the Institute’s editorial policy.\nAbulkhairkhan Zhunisbek is a research fellow at the Eurasian Institute of the International H.A Yassawi Kazakh-Turkish University. He graduated from Abylai Khan Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages with a Bachelor in International Relations. He obtained his master’s degree in Diplomatic Studies at the University of Oxford through the Bolashak scholarship. His thesis “ Political Economy of Oil: the case of Kazakhstan” received distinction mark. Prior to joining the ERI, he worked for governmental and international organizations.\nTel: +7 (727) 279 97 94\nFax: +7 (727) 279 24 26\nE-mail: info@eurasian-research.org\nAddress: Almaly district, Mametova 48, 050004 Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN\nTo receive the latest updates and latest posts enter your email\n Name (required)\n  Email (required)\n  Sign me up for the newsletter!\n18 Kasım 2021 tarihinde Ukrayna’nın ADASTRA Araştırma Merkezi Direktörü Viktor Karvatskyy “Development Prospects of Ukrainian Gas Sektor” başlıklı online seminer verdi. https://youtu.be/LvH_prDV4QE4","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":["(P5+1)"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On May 8, 2018"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iran","U.S"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"President Trump announced today the United States’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action","document":"President Trump announced today the United States’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and initiated plans to re-impose nuclear-related sanctions that had been suspended under the terms of the 2015 nuclear agreement.\nPresident Trump ordered the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to prepare immediately for “the re-imposition of all of the U.S. sanctions lifted or waived in connection with the JCPOA,” making clear that the snap-back of sanctions will be comprehensive and not, as some commentators had predicted, in piecemeal or partial fashion.\nThe announcement has significant effects for non-U.S. persons, who will again find themselves subject to the possibility of secondary sanctions for engaging in a wide variety of business dealings with Iranian counterparties. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published initial guidance establishing wind-down periods for activities involving Iran that were commenced pursuant to JCPOA sanctions relief.\nNon-U.S. persons (including non-U.S. subsidiaries of U.S. persons) engaging in activity undertaken pursuant to the U.S. sanctions relief provided for in the JCPOA should take steps necessary to wind down those activities by either August 6, 2018 or November 4, 2018, as applicable, to avoid exposure to restrictive measures under U.S. law.\nWind-Down Periods\nNon-U.S. persons conducting sanctioned transactions with Iranian counterparties after the wind-down periods could face penalties including restriction from accessing the U.S. financial system and capital markets; blocking of all property and interest in property that are in the U.S. or under the control of a U.S. person; and prohibition from importing goods, technology, or services into the U.S.\nUnder the JCPOA sanctions relief, U.S. persons remained broadly prohibited from engaging in transactions with Iranian entities. However, the JCPOA also contained provisions suspending certain primary sanctions, permitting U.S. persons to engage with Iranian counterparties in a few specific contexts, including the importation of Iranian-origin carpet and foodstuffs, and the case-by-case exportation of commercial aircraft and related goods and services. Per OFAC guidance, these authorizations will likewise be revoked following a 90-day wind-down period.\nIn addition, OFAC announced that it would be revoking two General Licenses issued pursuant to the JCPOA: General License H, which permitted foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies to engage in certain business activities with Iran, and General License I, which permitted U.S. persons to enter into contingent contracts for activities permitted under the JCPOA. In addition, OFAC announced that it was removing from its website its Statement of Licensing Policy that reflected a favorable approach to licenses for passenger aircraft sales.\nOFAC clarified that it would permit non-U.S. persons “to be made whole for debts and obligations owed or due to them for goods or services fully provided or delivered or loans or credit extended to an Iranian party prior to the end of” the applicable wind-down period.\nOFAC stopped short of specifically prohibiting new Iran-related activity by non-U.S. persons, but noted that such activity must cease by the applicable wind-down period. OFAC further suggested that in the event of a potential enforcement action, the initiation of new Iran-related business following today’s announcement could serve as an aggravating factor.\nThis is a developing story, and we expect OFAC and other U.S. agencies to issue additional regulations, orders, and guidance in the coming days and weeks. In addition, of course, there were other parties to the JCPOA, and it remains to be seen whether those parties, particularly the E.U., will seek to preserve the JCPOA and push back against the threat of U.S. secondary sanctions by invoking their own sanctions, trade, and enforcement powers. As always, please feel free to contact any of our sanctions partners or your relationship partner at Shearman & Sterling if you have any questions.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":null},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Iranian","the United States"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"INF nuclear treaty: US pulls out of Cold War-era pact with Russia","document":"The US has formally withdrawn from a key nuclear treaty with Russia, raising fears of a new arms race. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.\nIt banned missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km (310-3,400 miles).\nBut earlier this year the US and Nato accused Russia of violating the pact by deploying a new type of cruise missile, which Moscow has denied.\nThe Americans said they had evidence that Russia had deployed a number of 9M729 missiles - known to Nato as SSC-8. This accusation was then put to Washington's Nato allies, which all backed the US claim.\n\"Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise,\" Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Friday.\n\"With the full support of our Nato allies, the United States has determined Russia to be in material breach of the treaty, and has subsequently suspended our obligations under the treaty,\" he added.\nRussia's foreign ministry confirmed the INF treaty was \"formally dead\" in a statement carried by state-run Ria Novosti news agency.\nBack in February, President Donald Trump set the 2 August deadline for the US to withdraw if Russia didn't come into compliance. Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended his country's own obligations to the treaty shortly afterwards.\nNato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the transatlantic alliance would \"respond in a measured and responsible way to the significant risks posed by the Russian 9M729 missile to allied security\".\nBut, he added, Nato \"does not want a new arms race\" and confirmed there were no plans for the alliance to deploy land-based nuclear missiles of its own in Europe.\nLast month,  he told the BBC that the Russian missiles were nuclear-capable, mobile, very hard to detect and could reach European cities within minutes.\n\"This is serious,\" he added. \"The INF treaty has been a cornerstone in arms control for decades, and now we see the demise of the treaty.\"\nUN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that \"an invaluable brake on nuclear war\" was being lost.\n\"This will likely heighten, not reduce, the threat posed by ballistic missiles,\" he added, urging all parties to \"seek agreement on a new common path for international arms control\".\nThis video can not be played\nAnalysts fear that the collapse of the historic agreement could lead to a new arms race between the US, Russia and China.\n\"Now that the treaty is over, we will see the development and deployment of new weapons,\" Pavel Felgenhauer, a Russian military analyst, told AFP news agency. \"Russia is already ready.\"\nThe demise of the INF treaty - the only disarmament agreement ever to eliminate a whole category of nuclear weapons - represents a significant  setback for advocates of arms control. That it comes at a time when the US is increasingly concerned by the threat from what it sees as a resurgent Russia is doubly unsettling. Neither Moscow nor Washington appears to value such treaties. The most important agreement of the old Cold War years - the New Start treaty - that limits long-range nuclear weapons is set to expire in February 2021. Its survival is far from certain.  The paradox is that arms control appeared unimportant after the collapse of the Soviet Union when tensions were low. Now that they are mounting again, disarmament agreements could have an important part to play in maintaining stability. Instead arms control is in crisis, just when dangerous new weapons technologies (involving artificial intelligence and high-speed \"hypersonic\" missiles) are being developed.\nIn 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the treaty no longer served Russia's interests.\nThat happened after US President George W Bush, in 2002, pulled the US out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which banned weapons designed to counter ballistic nuclear missiles.\nIn 2014, then US President Barack Obama accused Russia of breaching the INF Treaty after it allegedly tested a ground-launched cruise missile.\nHe reportedly chose not to withdraw from the treaty under pressure from European leaders, who said such a move could restart an arms race.\nThen last year, Nato supported the US accusations and formally accused Russia of breaking the treaty.\n\"Allies have concluded that Russia has developed and fielded a missile system, the 9M729, which violates the INF Treaty and poses significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security,\" a statement from Nato foreign ministers read.\nThe statement said the member nations \"strongly support\" the US claim that Russia is in breach of the pact, and called on Moscow to \"return urgently to full and verifiable compliance\".\nRussia denied the accusation and President Putin said it was a pretext for the US to leave the pact.\nThis video can not be played\nAmid worsening ties between Washington and Moscow, Turkey last month received the first parts of a Russian S-400 missile defence system despite opposition from the US.\nThe US has warned that Turkey cannot have both the S-400 anti-aircraft defence system and US F-35 fighter jets.\nTurkey and the US are Nato allies but Turkey has also been establishing closer links with Russia.\nTime running out for missile treaty - Nato head\nRussia suspends role in nuclear pact\nMuslim cleric shot dead after Uganda bombings\nGermany to place tighter curbs on unvaccinated\nState of emergency declared after Canada storm\nOne family, 40 failed border crossings. VideoOne family, 40 failed border crossings\nThe students taking the 'world's hardest' exams. VideoThe students taking the 'world's hardest' exams\nThe mums using Instagram to offer advice to new parents\nThe man who could be India's first gay judge\nAwkward conversations for US with its neighbours\nHow Ethiopia's once mighty army has been outflanked\n'I've seen irreversible change but hope too for planet'\nWhy Mexico is not prepared for the migrant caravan. VideoWhy Mexico is not prepared for the migrant caravan","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF)"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":["violating the pact by deploying a new type of cruise missile"]},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Russia","the US"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"U.S. to withdraw from nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, raising fears of a new arms race","document":"The Trump administration announced Friday that the United States will pull out of a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, ending a cornerstone Cold War agreement and raising fears of a new nuclear arms race in Europe and Asia.\nPresident Trump said Russia is violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a charge Moscow denies, leaving the United States at a disadvantage because of its own compliance at a time when global threats have changed considerably in the more than 30 years since the pact was signed.\n“We cannot be the only country in the world unilaterally bound by this treaty, or any other,” Trump said in a statement. “We will move forward with developing our own military response options and will work with NATO and our other allies and partners to deny Russia any military advantage from its unlawful conduct.”\nTrump administration gives Russia an ultimatum on Cold War-era arms treaty\nThe treaty has been a central element of Europe’s security strategy for more than three decades and its signing was considered a crucial moment in Cold War arms control, eliminating more than 2,600 missiles and ending a years-long standoff with nuclear missiles in Europe.\nBut the Trump administration has argued that Russia has not been complying with the pact since 2014 and that it puts the United States at a military disadvantage against China, which is not bound by the treaty.\nThe collapse of the pact highlights the cost of poor relations between Washington and Moscow, which even during the Cold War managed to hammer out mutually agreeable arms control pacts.\nThe withdrawal also signals the increasing peril treaties face in a Trump administration that emphasizes national sovereignty over international cooperation. In addition to withdrawing from the INF Treaty, Trump has also left the Iran nuclear deal and Paris climate accord and threatened to pull out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and World Trade Organization. His withdrawal from the INF Treaty has fueled concerns that he will decline to extend the main nuclear arms treaty with Russia and risk a return to the early days of the nuclear arms race.\nThe demise of the INF Treaty opens the door to the deployment of American intermediate-range missiles in Europe and Asia, potentially increasing the tension in a standoff with Russia and China. The United States so far has said none of the intermediate-range missiles it is considering deploying would carry nuclear weapons, an effort to tamp down fears that the treaty’s collapse will presage the proliferation of nuclear missiles across Europe and Asia.\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said that, effective Saturday, the United States will suspend participation in the agreement, starting a six-month countdown to a final U.S. withdrawal. That leaves a slim chance that Russia could end missile programs widely seen as a violation, salvaging the treaty.\nThe United States did not announce plans for any new weapons or shifts in missile deployments, but Trump administration officials did not rule it out down the road.\nTrump said he would like to see a “new treaty that would be much better” and apply to more nations, although chances of such an agreement are remote. Neither Russia nor China, whose military advances since the treaty was signed have changed the old Cold War calculus, would be likely to agree.\nWhat the INF Treaty means for the U.S. and Europe\n“The United States is hopeful that we can put our relationship with Russia back on a better footing, but the onus is on Russia to change course from a pattern of destabilizing activity, not just on this issue but on many others as well,” Pompeo said when announcing the decision Friday.\nRussia is violating the treaty with the deployment of a banned missile, according to the administration, while China never faced its constraints, deploying what a senior U.S. official said was more than 1,000 intermediate-range missiles banned by the treaty.\nRussia has in turn accused the United States of violating the INF Treaty through its missile defense systems in Europe, an allegation that the State Department has rebutted.\nThe Trump administration faced criticism among arms control experts for not doing enough to save the treaty and engaging in what critics described as a box-ticking exercise to negotiate with the Russians in recent months designed more to satisfy European allies than to save the pact.\n“Withdrawing from INF . . . isn’t the best way to punish Russia for its non-compliance,” Ivo Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, wrote in a Twitter post. “Rather, sticking with it is still the best way to keep a lid on Russian threat.”\nSome analysts have also faulted the Obama administration for not doing enough in its final years to induce Moscow into abiding by the treaty.\nRussia has said it wants to remain in the INF, and it blames the United States for the breakdown of the treaty. But a senior Trump administration official told reporters that Russia has in fact sought to get out of the treaty for years and began violating it after Washington refused its request to end the pact.\nRussian President Vladmir Putin is likely to continue seeking new arms control talks with Washington, in part because negotiating over nuclear arsenals puts Moscow on near-equal diplomatic footing with the much richer and better-armed United States, analysts say. Russia’s far more limited defense budget also incentivizes Moscow to avoid a full-fledged arms race.\nThere was no immediate response from the Kremlin, although Russian officials had earlier said they expected the U.S. announcement.\n“I don’t think we need to take tough countermeasures right now,” Andrei Krasov, deputy head of the defense committee in Russia’s lower house of parliament, told the Interfax news agency after Pompeo’s announcement. “We have a huge military potential anyway that can counter any threat.”\nThe Trump administration has signaled for months that it wants to end the agreement covering both nuclear and conventional ground-launch missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (311 and 3,418 miles).\nMany NATO diplomats have greeted the U.S. moves with resignation, saying they would prefer to preserve the arms control treaty but that they are now focused on limiting a new arms race.\nSenior Trump administration officials tried to emphasize that Washington is on the same page as its European allies, even though the White House faced criticism for Trump’s decision to announce the U.S. withdrawal on the fly last fall, before European allies had formally agreed that Washington should pull out.\nIn Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg offered alliance backing for the U.S. move, saying that it is Russia’s responsibility to start complying with the treaty again.\n“Russia is in material breach of the #INFTreaty & must use next 6 months to return to full & verifiable compliance or bear sole responsibility for its demise. #NATO fully supports the US suspension & notification of withdrawal from the Treaty,” Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter.\nThe death of the INF Treaty raises questions about the future of other arms control agreements, including the New START pact, which limits Russian and American deployed strategic nuclear warheads and expires in two years.\nRussian diplomats have said they are preparing for the potential end of that treaty, for which Moscow warns it would blame Washington.\n“I truly fear that the New START treaty may have the same fate as the INF Treaty,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Russian television before Pompeo’s announcement. “It may just expire on February 5th, 2021, and not be prolonged.”\nIf the White House and the Kremlin do not agree to extend New START, the decision would turn the clock back to an era when Washington and Moscow possessed nuclear arms with practically no agreed restrictions and would risk the return of a full Cold War-style arms race.\nThe push by the Trump administration to withdraw from the INF Treaty coincided with the arrival of John Bolton as White House national security adviser. Bolton oversaw the Bush administration’s withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia in 2002, paving the way for the erection of American missile defense systems that Russia long decried.\nThe INF Treaty has long been a bugbear for the former U.N. ambassador, who is a skeptic of international agreements and organizations he sees as constraining American power.\nIn a 2011 article in the Wall Street Journal, Bolton and ­co-author Paula DeSutter contended that the INF had outlived its usefulness. They cited a quote from the late French president Charles de Gaulle: “Treaties, you see, are like girls and roses: They last while they last.”\nLawmakers broke along party lines over the withdrawal announcement, although both parties called the pact flawed.\n“I completely support the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty due to Russian noncompliance,” Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement. “It’s a bad deal for America when Russia cheats and the United States complies.”\nDemocrats, however, warned that ripping up the treaty was the wrong way to steer Russia — or China — back into a treaty order more responsive to modern weapons and threats.\n“The Trump Administration is risking an arms race and undermining international security and stability,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement. “Russia’s brazen noncompliance with this treaty is deeply concerning, but discarding a key pillar of our nonproliferation security framework creates unacceptable risks.”\nTrump scoffed at that argument.\n“Honestly, I don’t think she has a clue; I really don’t,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I don’t think Nancy has a clue.”\nAnton Troianovski in Moscow, Michael Birnbaum in Brussels and Karoun Demirjian in Washington contributed to this report.\nHow the Kremlin crafted a popular brand: Putin\nIn the Middle East, Russia is back\nThe most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":["Russia has not been complying with the pact since 2014"]},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["the United States","Russia"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Trump says U.S. to leave key nuclear arms treaty with Russia","document":"The Trump administration moved Friday to withdraw from a key missile treaty with Russia that has formed a cornerstone of nuclear arms control efforts for decades, accusing President Vladimir Putin's government of breaching the pact and raising fears of a new Cold War-style arms race with Moscow.\nPresident Donald Trump, announcing the U.S. intent to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, said Russia had been violating the agreement \"with impunity.\"\n\"We cannot be the only country in the world unilaterally bound by this treaty, or any other,\" Trump said in a statement.\nHis tough words for Russia were echoed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said the U.S. would formally notify Moscow on Saturday that the U.S. will withdraw. Pompeo said Russia was in \"material breach\" of the pact and that NATO allies had \"stood with us in our mission to uphold the rule of law and protect our people.\"\n\"We provided Russia an ample window of time to mend its ways and for Russia to honor its commitment,\" Pompeo said. \"Tomorrow that time runs out.\"\nThe 1987 treaty bans deployment and required the destruction of ground-based missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers — or 310 to 3,410 miles — whose presence in Europe became a point of crisis during the Cold War. Signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the pact has been viewed for decades as a model for arms control agreements between major powers.\nBut the U.S. has accused Russia of violating the agreement since at least 2014, a charge that Russia denies. Senior Trump administration officials said Friday that they had tried 35 times through diplomatic engagements to bring Russia into compliance and had provided Moscow with specific days on which the U.S. believes Russia tested the banned missiles, only to be rebuffed.\nTrump had signaled in October that he planned to leave the deal, as U.S. diplomats sought to use that threat to coerce Russia into changing course and complying. Under the terms of the agreement, the withdrawal is not immediate: The U.S. will \"suspend\" its obligations starting Saturday but the withdrawal won't be complete until the expiration of a six-month window that ends in August.\nThat leaves open the possibility that Russia could still change course and the deal could be salvaged. Still, senior U.S. officials said they were not optimistic about that possibility.\nFor Trump, who has repeatedly vexed NATO with his threats to pull out of the alliance and his demands that members spend more on defense, the decision marked a rare point of agreement. The alliance issued a statement declaring that \"allies fully support this action.\"\n\"We urge Russia to use the remaining six months to return to full and verifiable compliance to preserve the INF Treaty,\" said NATO, formed by Western nations in the wake of World War II as a hedge against Soviet military power.\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized the move in a sharply-worded tweet.\n\"Yet another withdrawal from an accord by the Trump administration; this time the #INFTreaty,\" wrote Zarif, who also referenced the U.S. decision to withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. \"Seems this clique is allergic to anything w/ US signature on it. Message: Any deal with US govt is not worth the ink; even treaties ratified by Congress.\"\nThe Kremlin, ahead of Trump's widely anticipated announcement, said it viewed the decision with regret. While insisting it is complying with the treaty, Russia has accused the U.S. of violating the treaty itself, including through the use of armed drones that are not technically missiles but operate within the range prohibited by the treaty.\nNon-proliferation experts have warned that without the deal, the U.S. and Russia will have free rein to deploy land-based missiles.\nThomas Countryman, a veteran U.S. diplomat who now chairs the Arms Control Association, said that \"without the treaty, there is a serious risk of a new intermediate-range, ground-based missile arms race in Europe and beyond.\"\nBut senior officials said that despite pulling out, the U.S. didn't plan to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Europe and said the U.S. would continue to work with Russia to prevent such a competition.\nFor the U.S., the proliferation of intermediate-range missiles has become a growing concern because of China, which is not party to the treaty and not banned from deploying them. Senior U.S. officials said that China now has more than 1,000 of the missiles.\nThe demise of the deal could free the U.S. military to try to match China's capabilities in a bid to prevent the Asian power from gaining a significant military advantage. Still, U.S. officials describing the rationale behind Trump's decision insisted it was singularly about the threat from Russia, not China.\nTrump's decision to withdraw was broadly applauded by Republicans on Capitol Hill, who faulted former President Barack Obama for allowing Russia to cheat.\n\"It's a bad deal for America when Russia cheats and the United States complies,\" said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Added Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho: \"The time has come to set the treaty aside and develop alternative avenues toward the security the treaty once provided.\"\nYet while Democrats generally agreed that Russia was violating the treaty and that something needed to be done, they questioned whether the president had a strategy in place to keep an arms race at bay in the absence of the pact. They alluded to Trump's past move to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal as a sign that Trump didn't understand the importance of such arms control agreements.\n\"Today's withdrawal is yet another geostrategic gift to Vladimir Putin,\" said New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations panel.\nThe issue has also attracted attention from prominent Democrats eyeing or running in the 2020 presidential race.\nThe day before Trump's announcement, a group of Senate Democrats sought to pre-empt the president by introducing a bill opposing a withdrawal and warning of a potential new arms race. The group included Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.\nThe withdrawal also poses a delicate test for Trump's relations with U.S. allies in Europe, who agree that Moscow has been violating the treaty but have expressed concern that in its absence, the continent will be less safe, not more. EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini said Friday she did not want to see Europe \"going back to being a battlefield,\" where super-powers confront themselves.\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also took a more measured tone.\n\"It is important that disarmament and the international arms control architecture are put back on the international agenda,\" Maas warned Friday. \"Without the INF treaty there will be less security, but we need to take under consideration that the INF treaty was violated by the Russian side.\"","event_type":"Tear Up Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Agreement Members","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Tear Up Reason","values":["violating the agreement \"with impunity"]},{"role":"The Agency Who Broke the Agreement","values":["Russia","the U.S"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Brazil Battered by Drought","document":"Prolonged dry conditions have caused the worst drought in central and southern Brazil in almost a century, according to Brazilian government agencies. The drought is expected to cause crop losses, water scarcity, and increased fire activity in the Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands. Low water levels are noticeable around several lakes in the Paraná River basin, home to several hydroelectric dams and reservoirs that help power the region. Seven of the 14 main reservoirs nearby stood at their lowest levels since 1999. Brazil’s Electric Sector Monitoring Committee has eased restrictions on some hydroelectric dams in order to meet electricity needs and prevent power outages. The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured the images above of Lago das Brisas on the Paranaíba River on June 17, 2021 (right) compared to June 12, 2019 (left). Five nearby reservoirs recorded water levels more than two meters below average (1993-2002), according to the Global Reservoir and Lake Monitor. News reports state that water levels on the Paraná River are around 8.5 meters (30 feet) below average near the Brazil and Paraguay border. The low water could disrupt cargo ship traffic in the basin and make transportation of goods more expensive. May 7 - June 4, 2021JPEG The drier-than-normal weather is also affecting the production of important Brazilian crops such as coffee, corn, sugarcane, and oranges. A Brazilian agricultural consulting agency forecasted that  yields for the second corn crop  could hit a five-year low. Coffee production in São Paulo state was forecasted to drop as much as 20 to 30 percent from normal levels. The map above shows where vegetation is stressed due to lack of water. The Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) incorporates observations of land surface temperatures from NOAA satellites and observations of leaf area index from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites. ESI observations are a measure of evapotranspiration, or how much water is evaporating from the land surface and from the leaves of plants. Based on variations in land surface temperatures, the ESI map indicates how the rate of evapotranspiration from May 7 to June 4 compared to normal conditions. Brown areas indicate plants that are stressed due to inadequate moisture, even if their leaves have not yet wilted or turned visibly brown. Much of the stressed vegetation is located in key agricultural states including Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo, and Paraná. Many areas of Brazil have seen below-average rainfall since at least October 2019, according to government authorities. The November to March rainy season in 2020/2021 brought exceptionally low rainfall in the states of São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul. Scientists suggest the sparse rainfall was linked to the recent La Niña, which typically brings drier weather in the southern part of the continent. Brazil’s National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA) has declared a “critical situation” of water resources in the Paraná River basin from June to November 2021. The country’s national meteorological system also warned of water shortages for Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná and São Paulo through September 2021. NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and Evaporative Stress Index data from SERVIR. Story by Kasha Patel. ","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":["coffee, corn, sugarcane, and oranges"]},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":["Paraná River"]},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":["drop as much as 20 to 30 percent from normal levels"]},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["central and southern Brazil"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Prolonged"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["La Niña"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Drought leaves Afghans hungry as economic collapse looms - U.N.","document":"Siblings who arrived from Afghanistan with their families are seen at their makeshift tents as they take refuge near a railway station in Chaman, Pakistan September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Saeed Ali Achakzai/File Photo GENEVA, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Many Afghans were struggling to feed their families amid severe drought well before Taliban militants seized power last month and millions may now face starvation with the country isolated and the economy unravelling, aid agencies say. \"In the current context there are no national safety nets...Since the 15th of August (when the Taliban took over), we have seen the crisis accelerate and magnify with the imminent economic collapse that is coming this country's way,\" Mary-Ellen McGroarty, World Food Programme country director in Afghanistan, told Reuters by videolink from Kabul. In an August video provided by the WFP, Afghan women wearing head to toe-covering burqas and men in turbans line up for supplies at a U.N. food distribution centre in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. A bearded man leaves carrying a sack of 46 kilos (101.4 pounds) of fortified wheat flour on his back. \"There are no crops, no rain, no water and people are living in misery. This is a great mercy from God and it really helps poor and needy people,\" Delawar, who lives in Balkh province whose capital is Mazar, says in the video after getting rations for his family of eight. Food prices have spiked since the second drought in four years ruined some 40% of the wheat crop, according to the WFP. Millions of Afghans could soon face starvation due to the combination of conflict, drought and COVID-19, it has said. It has urgently appealed for $200 million, warning that WFP supplies will run out by October as winter sets in.  read more \"The situation that we have unfolding at the moment is absolutely horrendous and could morph into just a humanitarian catastrophe,\" said McGroarty. \"The Taliban depend on the U.N. and they know it - they can't feed the population,\" said another U.N. official who has worked in Afghanistan but declined to be identified. Moreover, civil servants' salaries are not being paid, the currency has depreciated, and banks have limited weekly withdrawals to $200 since the Taliban takeover, McGroarty said. WFP has maintained operations throughout Afghanistan and has been able to import food from Uzbekistan and Pakistan, reaching 200,000 people with supplies in the past two weeks, she said, and hopes to restore an air bridge to Kabul airport. 'PALLOR AND PAIN' McGroarty, an Irish aid veteran, has met some of the 550,000 Afghans uprooted by fighting and drought this year, now living in makeshift tents. In June, she visited food centres in Mazar that distribute wheat flour, oil, lentils and salt. \"I just see the grey and the pallor and the pain in their faces as now they have to put their hands out for something to be able to feed their children,\" she said. McGroarty, recalling Afghanistan's 2017-2018 drought, said: \"People are again faced with no food in the larder, no food to put on the table, having to sell the little bit of assets or livestock that they have to try to survive.\" A lack of both snow and rainfall has left \"fields of dust\" in drought-hit Mazar and Herat to the west, she said, adding: \"So it's just a tapestry of one crisis on top of the other.\" Malnutrition already affects one in two children under the age of five in Afghanistan, where 14 million people or one-third of the population faces \"acute food insecurity\", the WFP says. Its latest assessment says that 15 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces showed less food consumption in the last month, the worst-hit being Ghazni, Khost, and Paktika in the east. \"While a refugee outflow is not an immediate likelihood, food shortages, further insecurity and economic downturn could hasten such a scenario in Afghanistan,\" it said. Christine Cipolla, the International Committee of the Red Cross's regional director for Asia and the Pacific, said that fighting, drought and damage to essential services had triggered internal displacement. Critical infrastructure in Kunduz, Kandahar, and Lashkar Gah has been destroyed, she told Reuters. \"We have seen attacks on medical facilities, civilian homes, electricity supply, water supply systems - and all that will need to be repaired.\" Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox. The son of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, an early frontrunner for the May election, is facing a second petition seeking to bar him from the presidential race, centred on a tax evasion conviction nearly three decades ago. Two explosions hit the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least one person and wounding at least six, including three women, Taliban officials and residents said. ","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":["wheat crop"]},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["Afghanistan"]},{"role":"Date","values":["before Taliban militants seized power last month"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["lack of both snow and rainfall"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":["millions"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"More than a million people in drought-stricken Madagascar face food shortages","document":"In southern Madagascar, more than a million people urgently need food, and thousands face dire famine conditions. The region is normally hot and dry. But multiple years of severe drought have devastated harvests of maize, rice, and other staple crops on the African island. Massive dust storms and locusts have ravaged what few crops remain. “There’s very little sign of water. And there’s very little sign of vegetation as well,” says Shelley Thakral of the World Food Program, which provides emergency food aid. In the hardest-hit communities, she’s met people who have been forced to eat wild cactus leaves and tubers to survive. Rates of severe malnutrition have spiked, especially among children: “people living day in and day out, morning to night, every day, with empty stomachs,” Thakral says. As the climate warms, southern Madagascar is expected to grow even hotter, with more frequent droughts. “None of these people in the south have contributed to the climate crisis. They don’t drive cars. They don’t fly planes,” Thakral says. Yet she says the people of southern Madagascar are already suffering the impacts of climate change.","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":["maize, rice, and other staple crops"]},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["southern Madagascar"]},{"role":"Date","values":["multiple years"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["very little sign of water","climate change"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":["more than a million people"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"‘Droughts Don’t Cause Water Scarcity — People Do’: Experts Say Utah Needs To Permanently Reduce Water Use","document":"Utah is in the midst of its worst drought in decades. While state officials have focused on it to explain the water shortage Utah is facing, experts say there’s more to the story. Brian Richter owns a consulting firm called Sustainable Waters. He said droughts don’t cause water scarcity — people do. Richter said states in the Colorado River Basin, like Utah, are already using too much water based on the river’s average annual output. “We really need to take stock of how much water we’re using and what we’re using it for, and start a conversation about whether or not there are things we can do to lessen our dependence on those water supplies,” he said. Consumption exceeds the Colorado River’s annual flow most years, so suppliers pull water out of reservoirs like Lake Powell and Lake Mead to make up the difference. But that won’t work forever. In order to reduce Utah’s overall use and ward off future water shortages, state lawmakers need to step up, according to Zach Frankel with the Utah Rivers Council. He said one thing elected officials could do to help is force water suppliers to increase tiered rates across the state. Right now, Utahns pay some of the lowest rates in the West, according to Frankel. A 2010 analysis by the Utah Division of Water Resources found the average water rate in Utah was $1.34 per gallon. Only Idaho’s was lower, at $1.26. Meanwhile, Utahns use the highest amount of public supply water — meaning it’s delivered by a supplier like a city or service district. “When we make water really cheap, we make water use really high,” Frankel said. “It’s just consumer behavior.” The best way to increase rates, according to Frankel, is by bumping the price per gallon up significantly after a customer’s use passes a certain threshold. That way, costs only go up for high-use consumers. Frankel said water rates in Utah are also heavily subsidized by property taxes. His organization has tried to pass legislation to change that, but he said water service districts in Utah opposed the move. “If they raise the cost of water, they sell less water, then they’ll make less money,” he said. “They’re water salesmen at some level.” He said state lawmakers could also invest in infrastructure to stop agricultural water waste, like lining irrigation canals, rather than building expensive pipeline projects to move more water out of reservoirs.","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":null},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":["Colorado River","Lake Powell and Lake Mead"]},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["Utah"]},{"role":"Date","values":["decades"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["the water shortage"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"‘The next pandemic’: drought is a hidden global crisis, UN says","document":"Countries urged to take urgent action on managing water and land and tackling the climate emergency Last modified on Wed 25 Aug 2021 14.43 BST Drought is a hidden global crisis that risks becoming “the next pandemic” if countries do not take urgent action on water and land management and tackling the climate emergency, the UN has said. At least 1.5 billion people have been directly affected by drought this century, and the economic cost over roughly that time has been estimated at $124bn (£89bn). The true cost is likely to be many times higher because such estimates do not include much of the impact in developing countries, according to a report published on Thursday. Mami Mizutori, the UN secretary general’s special representative for disaster risk reduction, said: “Drought is on the verge of becoming the next pandemic and there is no vaccine to cure it. Most of the world will be living with water stress in the next few years. Demand will outstrip supply during certain periods. Drought is a major factor in land degradation and the decline of yields for major crops.” She said many people had an image of drought as affecting desert regions in Africa, but that this was not the case. Drought is now widespread, and by the end of the century all but a handful of countries will experience it in some form, according to the report. “People have been living with drought for 5,000 years, but what we are seeing now is very different,” Mizutori said. “Human activities are exacerbating drought and increasing the impact”, threatening to derail progress on lifting people from poverty. Developed countries have not been immune. The US, Australia and southern Europe have experienced drought in recent years. Drought costs more than $6bn a year in direct impacts in the US, and about €9bn (£7.7bn) in the EU, but these are also likely to be severe underestimates. Population growth is also exposing more people in many regions to the impacts of drought, the report says. Drought also goes beyond agriculture,said Roger Pulwarty, a senior scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a co-author of the report. He pointed to the Danube in Europe, where recurring drought in recent years has affected transport, tourism, industry and energy generation. “We need to have a modernised view of drought,” he said. “We need to look at how to manage resources such as rivers and large watersheds.” Changing rainfall patterns as a result of climate breakdown are a key driver of drought, but the report also identifies the inefficient use of water resources and the degradation of land under intensive agriculture and poor farming practices as playing a role. Deforestation, the overuse of fertilisers and pesticides, overgrazing and over-extraction of water for farming are also major problems, it says. Mizutori called for governments to take action to help prevent drought by reforming and regulating how water is extracted, stored and used, and how land is managed. She said early warning systems could do much to help people in danger, and that advanced weather forecasting techniques were now available. She said working with local people was essential, because local and indigenous knowledge could help to inform where and how to store water and how to predict the impacts of dry periods. The report, entitled Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction: Special Report on Drought 2021, was published on Thursday, and will feed into discussions at vital UN climate talksk known as Cop26, which are scheduled to take place in Glasgow in November.","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":null},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["now widespread"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["climate breakdown"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":["At least 1.5 billion people"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Drought in Madagascar","document":"The southern part of Madagascar, the island nation off the southeast coast of Africa, is facing its worst drought in 40 years. The lack of rainfall and other environmental factors have taken a toll on the region’s vegetation and agricultural production, leaving many in the region facing severe hunger. One way to detect healthy or stressed vegetation is with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The index, which uses data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, provides a measure of the health of vegetation based on how much red and near-infrared light it reflects. Healthy vegetation with lots of chlorophyll reflects more near-infrared light and less visible light. This map shows NDVI anomalies; that is, how the health or “greenness” of vegetation compared to the long-term average. The map compares the past year—July 25, 2020, to July 24, 2021—to the annual average from 2000–2015. Brown areas show where plants were more stressed than normal, and greens indicate vegetation that was healthier than normal. Southern Madagascar is now in its fourth consecutive year of drought, which has “wiped out harvests and cut off access to food,” according to a United Nations news article. In a typical year, the rainy season lasts from November through March. But recent years have brought below-average rainfall during this period, drying up water used for the irrigation of agriculture. Over the past five years, southern Madagascar has had only one good harvest. The persistent drought and devastation to farms has left more than a million people in southern Madagascar lacking reliable access to food. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) reported that much of the region is currently at crisis level for food insecurity (the third level on a five-level scale). Forecasters expect below-average rainfall from October through the end of 2021, which could elevate some areas, particularly around Ambovombe and Ampanihy, to emergency-level food insecurity (just below famine). A phenomenon known locally as “tiomena” (red wind) is exacerbating the situation. Migrating sand dunes and windblown sand can blanket farmland, crops, forests, and infrastructure. According to the United Nations, a series of strong dust storms this year left some crops buried under sand. NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Text by Kathryn Hansen. ","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":null},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["The southern part of Madagascar"]},{"role":"Date","values":["recent years"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["below-average rainfall"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":["more than a million people"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"‘Potentially the worst drought in 1,200 years’: scientists on the scorching US heatwave","document":"Researchers had long forewarned of this crisis and now they’re seeing their studies and models become real life Last modified on Wed 25 Aug 2021 14.43 BST The heatwave gripping the US west is simultaneously breaking hundreds of temperature records, exacerbating a historic drought and priming the landscape for a summer and fall of extreme wildfire. Salt Lake City hit a record-breaking 107F (42C), while in Texas and California, power grid operators are asking residents to conserve energy to avoid rolling blackouts and outages. And all this before we’ve even reached the hottest part of the summer. Among the 40 million Americans enduring the triple-digit temperatures are scientists who study droughts and the climate. They’d long forewarned of this crisis, and now they’re living through it. The Guardian spoke with researchers across the west about how they’re coping. Kathleen Johnson, CaliforniaAssociate professor of Earth system science at the University of California, Irvine I feel a little bit lucky because I’m in Orange county, relatively close to the coast – so the temperatures are not as severe here as they are in other parts of California and the west. I’m worried about this summer – this doesn’t bode well, in terms of what we can expect with wildfire and the worsening drought. This current drought is potentially on track to become the worst that we’ve seen in at least 1,200 years. And the reason is linked directly to human caused climate change. As a paleoclimatologist my main point, always, is that we are able to look into the past. By looking at tree rings and other paleoclimate records, we’re able to gain really important perspectives about how climate has varied and changed in the past. And having done that, it’s clear that what we’re experiencing now is not natural. This is undoubtedly being caused by human activities, by greenhouse gas emissions. The more we see these extreme events, piled on top of each other, and not just in the western US but globally, the more I think the reality of climate change becomes inescapable. And it feels absolutely overwhelming and sad. We are going to have less water, increased wildfires and more extreme heatwaves. But it’s also motivating. We need to continue to push for urgent action on climate change Daniel Swain, ColoradoClimate scientist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability,University of California, Los Angeles This is really, really bad. Here on the eastern side of the Rockies, here in Boulder, we’re seeing record high temperatures. That’s the case in other parts of the state and in other states. And we’re seeing smoke plumes – not from local fires but from fires in Arizona and Utah. I think for a lot of people, it’s traumatic. The fires we saw in the last couple of years were really awful, and this year it seems like we’re on that same trajectory. It kind of feels like deja vu. It does get rough sometime – talking about these things year after year. I live in the west, and all my family, pretty much, lives in the west. Most of my friends live in the west. It’s where I grew up, and seeing the landscape-scale transformations that are happening here, and seeing how it’s affecting people is overwhelming sometimes. But actually to me, the most distressing part is that this is very much in line with predictions. Climate scientists have been repeating essentially the same messages and warnings since before I was born. Climate change is a major contributor to, if not the dominant factor, in a lot of the changes that we’re seeing out west and elsewhere. And it just is going to keep getting worse unless we do something about it. And so far, you know, we have yet to do the kinds of things, on a large enough scale, that are actually going to make a meaningful difference. Katharine Hayhoe, TexasClimate scientist and chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy The extreme heat and the wildfires aren’t surprising. But it is just surreal to see what you only ever saw before in your research studies and models, actually happening in real life. And you’re almost dumbfounded by the speed at which your projections have become reality. Climate change is loading the weather dice against us. We always have a chance of rolling a double six naturally, and getting an intense record breaking summer heatwave. But decade by decade as the world warms, it’s as if climate change is sneaking in and taking one of those numbers on the dice and turning it into another six, and then another six. And maybe even a seven. So we are seeing that heatwaves are coming earlier in the year, they are longer, they are stronger. Still, public opinion data shows that there’s a disconnect, where even though about 72% of people in the US say global warming is happening, only 40% say that they think that it will affect them directly. But we actually did a recent study, looking at climate and weather extremes – and we found that really hot, dry conditions are the only thing that most people in the US directly connect to climate change. So right now is a really important time for scientists to communicate with the public that climate change is here, and climate action matters. Simon Wang, UtahProfessor of climate dynamics at Utah State University Yesterday, when Salt Lake City hit record temperatures, we went to one of our grad students’ back yards to barbecue some burgers and do some work. But it was so hot – oh my gosh, 107F (42C). So hot that, actually three out of five students’ computers overheated and broke. I was the first to throw in the white flag and ask to go home – I really hurting. As a meteorologist, of course this isn’t a surprise. The warming climate is making these dry, hot periods even drier and hotter. Since we’re in a drought, we don’t really have much moisture in the soil. And without that moisture, the sun really heats up the ground and the air much faster. So, really what we’re seeing in the south-west is, the ground is burning like a hotplate. And we’re standing on it. But you know, I actually feel kind of optimistic. In the restaurants and beer houses right now, everybody is talking about the weather, and how hot it is. And a few of them will even comment, “This is the new normal.” And I mean – we’re in Utah! Whatever people believe in, they know it’s really hot, and the climate is changing – and they don’t like that. These compounding extreme weather events are really bad – but they’re going to keep happening, no matter what. Maybe if there’s some good to come out of it, it’s that people are becoming more aware. And the sooner the general public starts to become aware of this issue, the sooner, hopefully, they’ll push for changes to address the crisis. So actually, if you saw me walking around outside this week, I probably had a smile on my face as I listened to some of these conversations.","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":null},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["the US west"]},{"role":"Date","values":["all this before we’ve even reached the hottest part of the summer","current"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["human caused climate change","caused by human activities, by greenhouse gas emissions"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Opinion: California Could Have  Water to Avoid Droughts, But Lacks the Political Will","document":"Droughts are a fact of life in California and shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Yet somehow we don’t seem capable of preparing for them. We are now in the second year of severe drought, and much of California’s agriculture, especially in the Central Valley, is facing devastation. The state Water Resources Control Board just voted on an “emergency curtailment” order that will prevent thousands of the state’s farmers from using major rivers and streams to irrigate their farms. Cutbacks on this scale are unprecedented and will affect our food supply. California agriculture produces one-third of the country’s vegetables, two-thirds of its fruits and nuts, and generates about $50 billion in annual revenue. We are the nation’s breadbasket, but this bounty is endangered by a lack of political will to build the water storage and conveyance facilities we so obviously need.","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":null},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["California"]},{"role":"Date","values":["second year of severe drought"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":["Central Valley"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Influenced People","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Farmers Race to Save Their Cattle From Canada’s Drought","document":"Smoke from forest fires hovers in the air over a dried-out field near Fisher Branch, Manitoba.Credit... Supported by By Vjosa Isai and Brett Gundlock Photographs by Brett Gundlock Thick gray smoke from distant forest fires hovers over pastures in Western Canada, some browned or barren because of a yearslong drought that has worsened since the Pacific Northwest’s record-breaking June heat wave. Field after field of ranchlands that keep the cattle fed have been stunted, parched or mowed down by an infestation of grasshoppers, with farmers running out of alternatives for food. Many rural municipalities in the provinces of Manitoba and Alberta have declared an agricultural emergency. ","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":null},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["Manitoba and Albert","Canada"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yearslong"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["record-breaking June heat wave"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Drought compounds humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as conflict intensifies","document":"SINGAPORE, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Millions of Afghans are struggling to put food on the table as prolonged drought disrupts supplies in a country reeling from a surge in violence as U.S.-led foreign troops complete their withdrawal. Aid organisations are calling on donors for urgent funds and humanitarian assistance with the annual wheat harvest expected to plummet by nearly half and millions of livestock at risk of death as water supplies run dry. \"It's a multiple shock,\" said Necephor Mghendi, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Afghanistan. \"Generally, there has been an impact on availability and distribution of food ... and the conflict is causing internal displacement, which means increased demand for resources in certain regions.\" The entire country is facing moderate to severe drought, President Ashraf Ghani said in late June, acknowledging that the national disaster management budget was not enough to cover what experts say is one of the worst droughts in decades in terms of geographic scale. \"We ... will not allow the country to face famine,\" Ghani said in a statement. \"Our effort is to address all districts, even those under the Taliban control.\" The Islamist insurgents have stepped up their campaign to defeat Ghani's U.S.-backed government as foreign forces leave after 20 years of conflict and have swept into numerous rural districts across the country. With very little functioning irrigation, Afghanistan relies on snow melting in its mountains to keep its rivers flowing and fields watered during the summer and snowfall last winter was again very low. Fahad Saeed, a climate scientist at Climate Analytics, said a La Niña phenomenon and a weakening jet stream moving weather systems more slowly across the planet could be factors behind Afghanistan's extremely dry weather. While it is difficult to link individual events to climate change, scientists agree that global warming driven by greenhouse gas emissions is contributing to extreme weather around the world. \"Afghanistan is a good example of climate injustice. It has historically no role in the climate change mess but they are bearing the brunt of it,\" Saeed said. Afghanistan was one of 23 countries the United Nations identified as \"hunger hotspots\" in a report last month, with at least 12 million people out of a population estimated at 36 million facing a food security crisis of not knowing when or where their next meal will come from. The IFRC is trying to raise US$16.5 million but has managed less than half of that, Mghendi said. \"It's a dire humanitarian situation that requires as much support as possible to get the very basics,\" Mghendi said. \"Every dollar will help somebody.\" ","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":["wheat"]},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":["plummet by nearly half"]},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["Afghanistan"]},{"role":"Date","values":["prolonged"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["La Niña phenomenon and a weakening jet stream","global warming"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Drought goes on for county, state","document":"FAIRMONT — Martin County remains in an extreme drought, along with a large portion of Minnesota, 35 percent, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. 75 percent of the state is only a step behind in what is classified as severe drought. The state entered a drought warning phase nearly a month ago in the middle of July. At that time the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources convened the State Drought Task Force, which comprises 21 state, federal, tribal, regional and local agencies and organizations with water-related responsibilities. According to the DNR, under current conditions, it would take at least five to eight inches of precipitation spread over the next month to significantly alleviate drought. This is up from July, where it was stated that it would only take three to five inches of rain over a two-week period. This level of drought presents obvious wildfire risks, very low river, lake and well levels, as well as a host of other issues. At the extreme drought level, emergency haying and grazing authorizations begin. According to information provided by the press office of U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Klobuchar and Senator John Thune (R-SD), recently sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting swift action from the department to ensure livestock producers have additional emergency haying and grazing options as the drought continues. The senators specifically asked for clarifications regarding emergency haying when the U.S. Drought Monitor designates D3 extreme drought conditions. “Livestock producers in Minnesota and South Dakota are particularly concerned about certain Conservation Reserve Program acres that are eligible for emergency haying and grazing under D2 conditions but are ineligible when a county moves to D3 conditions. When conditions on the ground worsen, producers already facing a shortage of hay and available grazing lands should be provided with more options–not fewer,” the senators wrote. The information also states that Klobuchar has worked to support Minnesota’s rural communities throughout the drought. Earlier this month, she successfully advocated for the USDA to allow producers to request emergency haying and grazing authorizations on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land. She also helped secure additional technical and financial assistance for farmers and livestock producers impacted by the ongoing droughts. A portion of the letter to the USDA reads as follows: We write in response to the significant concerns that we have heard from farmers and ranchers in our states about persistent drought conditions and the lack of flexibility on emergency haying when the U.S. Drought Monitor designates D3 extreme drought conditions.  We urge you to prioritize quick action to ensure that livestock producers have more emergency options as drought conditions worsen. Livestock producers in Minnesota and South Dakota are particularly concerned about certain Conservation Reserve Program acres that are eligible for emergency haying and grazing under D2 conditions but are ineligible when a county moves to D3 conditions.  When conditions on the ground worsen, producers already facing a shortage of hay and available grazing lands should be provided with more options–not fewer. Our understanding is that administrative policy changes were made earlier this year with respect to emergency haying of wetland restoration acres under D3 conditions.  We respectfully request clarification about those changes, and we urge you to prioritize quick action to ensure that livestock producers have additional emergency options as drought conditions worsen.  We look forward to working with you to ensure a quick recovery from the drought. ","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":null},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["large portion of Minnesota","Martin County"]},{"role":"Date","values":["entered a drought warning phase nearly a month ago"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Influenced People","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Google sets new water goals as droughts worsen","document":"A picture taken on December 6, 2016 shows Google Groningen logo for the office during the opening of the new Google data center in Eemshaven, near Groningen, Netherlands. Photo by VINCENT JANNINK/ANP/AFP via Getty Images With drought sucking the Western US dry, Google announced new plans to protect vital water resources. Google guzzles up water to cool its data centers, three of which are in the drought-stricken West. To offset its thirst, the company said that by 2030, it wants to replenish 120 percent of the water it consumes. Google guzzles up water to cool its data centers, three of which are in the drought-stricken West Google laid out three strategies to accomplish that goal: using water more efficiently in its operations, partnering with communities to make watersheds healthier, and offering its technologies as tools to predict and prevent water stress. The company has faced pushback from communities near its data center in South Carolina and a new one to be built in Arizona . Residents there were worried that Google would burn through too much of their water. Arizona farmers are already facing deep water cuts because of a historically awful drought . If Google succeeds in replenishing more water than it uses, it will become “water positive.” It’s the latest trend in environmental pledges from companies including Facebook and Microsoft . They’re all in a race with climate change, which is intensifying droughts in already parched places like California, Arizona, and Nevada. Ninety-five percent of Nevada, where Google has two data centers, is in a “severe” drought, according to the US Drought Monitor . And “severe” drought plagues more than 93 percent of California, home to Google’s headquarters. “I grew up in Muir Beach, California, and was fortunate to spend my childhood exploring its beautiful forests and streams. Today, these delicate ecosystems are threatened as the entire west coast of the U.S. is experiencing one of the worst droughts in recorded history,” Google chief sustainability officer Kate Brandt said in a blog post yesterday. Google’s water withdrawal — for data centers and its other operations — more than doubled from 2.5 to 5 billion gallons of water from 2016 to 2019, according to its most recent sustainability report. Over that time, the company invested more heavily in data centers behind its search engine, cloud computing, and YouTube. It now has some two dozen data centers scattered across the globe. There’s a delicate balancing act when it comes to managing energy and water use There’s a delicate balancing act when it comes to managing energy and water use at its data centers. Using water to cool servers uses up less electricity than blasting them with air conditioning. Since Google has also pledged to tackle climate change , it’ll have to cut down on its electricity use to slash its greenhouse gas emissions. But the company will now need to make sure it’s not using up too much water, either. To minimize how much water it needs for its data centers, Google recirculates the water through its cooling systems. It has also tried using seawater and reclaimed wastewater to do the job at some locations. To “replenish” more water than it uses, Google plans to invest in projects that restore or conserve resources in watersheds where it operates. A watershed is an area where water drains into a shared body like a river or lake. Initiatives that Google might support moving forward could include restoring wetlands and forests, or harvesting rainwater. To have the greatest impact, Google will need to focus efforts in watersheds that are struggling the most. Google is also working with environmental and research groups to develop a new app called Global Water Watch. It’s supposed to eventually provide “ world-wide, high-resolution, near-real-time ” water data to help communities better manage their resources. Google will continue to fund other water and conservation projects, it said in yesterday’s announcement. “How do we understand what is real action versus window dressing?” Keeping Google and other companies accountable for the promises they make will be the last piece of the puzzle. It’s critical that these companies disclose the progress they make toward their goals, E&E News reported in August. Less than a third of data center operators measure how much water they consume. “That is sort of the ultimate question in this space: How do we understand what is real action versus window dressing?” Simon Fischweicher, the head of corporations and supply chains at CDP North America, a nonprofit that works with companies and governments to measure their environmental impact, said to E&E News.","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":null},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":null},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["the drought-stricken West","California, Arizona, and Nevada"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 6, 2016"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Influenced People","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Idaho cities prepare for drought conditions to worsen","document":"Boise is feeling the effects of the dryness. Most of Ada County is considered abnormally dry while the rest of the state is in a moderate drought. Author: Katija Stjepovic (KTVB) Published: 10:09 PM MDT June 20, 2021 Updated: 9:02 AM MDT June 22, 2021 BOISE, Idaho — Drought conditions in Idaho continue to worsen as the weather warms. While conditions are worsening in other parts of Idaho, the city of Boise is hopeful the community will get ahead before it's too late. 2021 has been the 36th driest year on record for Ada County, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Water precipitation was down 1.4 inches from last year, totaling a mere 8.25 inches in Boise. \"We are taking this very seriously and we are starting to do some long-term planning to address these concerns,\" said John Roldan, the strategic water manager for the city of Boise. Along with most of Idaho, Boise is feeling the effects of the dryness. Most of Ada County is considered abnormally dry while the rest of the state is in a moderate drought. \"We are in the desert, droughts are normal,\" Roldan said. \"They happen. It's a cyclical process but with climate change, we are seeing this happen more frequently and it's projected to be in drought conditions for longer periods of time.\" The National Weather Service issued the following statement in May 2021 regarding Boise's drought conditions: Below normal spring precipitation and the early loss of snowpack have led to expanding drought conditions across Idaho. The latest seasonal drought outlook (May 20, 2021-August 31, 2021) indicates that drought will persist in areas already being impacted by drought, and drought development is likely across the rest of Idaho. Roldan said people can expect to see local ordinances regarding water conservation if Boise experiences another drought year. \"We are reviewing our ordinances right now and looking at ways to have smarter development if you are in an area that doesn't have surface water supply from an irrigation district,\" he explained. \"We also have irrigation district and canal companies that provide residence with surface irrigation water and we encourage that to be used whenever possible and preserve our groundwater for droughts like this.\" 70% of Boise's water comes from underground and 30% comes from the Boise River, according to Roldan.  In Meridian, the single source is groundwater. While the city is producing water at a sustainable rate, Meridian's Public Information Officer Stephany Galbreaith said increased demand, drought conditions or changes in the water supply could create possible shortages. \"Preparing water conservation programs now will help ensure Meridian has an adequate water supply as we continue to grow,\" she added.","event_type":"Droughts","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Damaged Crops & Livestock","values":null},{"role":"Related Rivers or Lakes","values":["the Boise River"]},{"role":"Production Cuts","values":null},{"role":"Areas Affected","values":["Boise","Most of Ada County"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"The Worst-Hit Area","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["Below normal spring precipitation and the early loss of snowpack"]},{"role":"Influenced People","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2021 Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, visits Cameroon this week. He hopes peace and reconciliation can be found in the country, which is struggling amid an armed separatist movement in the Southwest and Northwest regions. (Catholic News Agency)","document":"On a visit to Cameroon this week, the Vatican secretary of state said he is hoping that peace and reconciliation can be found in the country, which is struggling to resolve the Anglophone crisis amid violent conflict.\n“What we seek is peace and reconciliation in these regions and in the country, especially in this present situation where there are many other crises starting from the COVID-19 crisis,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin told local journalists late last week.\nThere is an armed separatist movement in the Southwest and Northwest regions of Cameroon, formerly the British Cameroons, which has led to the displacement of over 679,000 people.\nMore than 600,000 children have not been able to go to school in the two regions, and at least 3,000 lives have been lost during the four-year-long skirmishes. \nDuring a Jan. 29 press conference at Cameroon’s Unity Palace, Parolin expressed the Holy See’s desire to see an end to the protracted conflict in the two Anglophone regions.\nPeace “is the only condition to grow and achieve sustainable development everywhere,” he said.\n \n????\nToday, I had a cordial conversation with Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin who delivered a message of peace from His Holiness Pope Francis.#PaulBiya#Cameroon pic.twitter.com/k0riqmq0Eq\nAdvertisement\n \nThe cardinal gave the press conference after a Jan. 29 meeting with Cameroon’s President Paul Biya.\nParolin said that his meeting with the president focused on “all crises Cameroon is currently facing, especially the conflict in the Northwest and Southwest regions.”\n“I am here to show the attention and solidarity of the Holy Father Pope Francis towards the Cameroonian people, especially in these difficult moments,” Parolin added.\nAdvertisement\nThe secretary of state is in Cameroon through Feb. 3. On Sunday, Jan. 31, he offered Mass in Bamenda cathedral and bestowed the pallium on Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda.\nPallia are white woolen vestments adorned with six black silk crosses given to metropolitan archbishops. They symbolize the metropolitan bishop’s authority and unity with the Holy See.\nIn his homily, Parolin said: “The pope is well aware of the difficulties that you have experienced in recent years and which you are still experiencing. He implores the Lord’s consolation for you, especially for those who have been victims of violence or who, in this crisis, have lost friends and loved ones.”\n“Evil exists and Christ is able to defeat it. It is up to us to carry on this battle every day,” the cardinal said.\nHe encouraged the people of Cameroon to work to resolve the violence and division in their country by first uprooting the evil in their own hearts.\n“He who fights against the evil that dwells in his heart becomes a bearer of good and peace in his family, among his friends, in his community. He thus becomes a seed of hope for all,” Parolin said.\nUpon arriving in Cameroon on Jan. 28, Cardinal Parolin said: “I am very happy to be with you. We are going to ask God to bless this visit, to bless Cameroon and the Church of Cameroon.”\nBishop Abraham Komè, president of Cameroon’s bishops’ conference, noted that an offer by the Catholic Church in Cameroon to help mediate the Anglophone crisis “has been rejected and the request for the president to receive the bishops has so far remained not granted.”\n“We hope that God will take advantage of this visit to do good things for our country,” the bishop of the Bafang diocese said.\nThe crisis in Cameroon is rooted in the country’s colonial history. The area was a German colony in the late 19th century, but the territory was divided into British and French mandates after the German Empire’s defeat in World War I. The mandates were united in an independent Cameroon in 1961, but English-speakers have complained ever since of marginalization by the French-speaking majority.\nA separatist movement emerged in the Southwest and Northwest regions. Violence escalated in October 2020 when gunmen attacked Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba, in the Southwest Region, and opened fire on students in a classroom. Seven students aged 12 to 14 were killed.\nPope Francis appealed for an end to violence in Cameroon Wednesday after seven students were killed in an attack on a school in the city of Kumba.\nThe Vatican&rsquo;s Secretary of State kicked off a week-long trip to Cameroon on Thursday in which he will visit a region blighted by clashes&nbsp;between government forces&nbsp;and separatists.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Cardinal Pietro Parolin"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Cameroon’s President Paul Biya"]},{"role":"Date","values":["through Feb. 3. On Sunday, Jan. 31"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Cameroon"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"China has warned the US against crossing its “red line”","document":"China has warned the US against crossing its “red line” after an American ambassador visited Taiwan at the weekend, making it the first such official visit in the last 42 years.\nJohn Hennessey-Niland, the US ambassador to the pacific island nation of Palau, was part of the delegation that came with Palauan president Surangel Whipps for a five-day trip.\nIn 1979, the US severed ties with Taiwan in favour of Beijing. However, in the last few years amid growing tensions with China, the US has increased its activities with democratically-ruled Taipei, a move which has irked Beijing.\nOn Monday, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, while replying to a query about the US ambassador’s visit, said: “I want to stress that the one China principle is a universally recognised norm for international relations and a common consensus recognised, accepted and practiced by the vast majority of countries in the world.”\nHe emphasised that the Taiwan question is the “most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations.”\nRead more:\n“One China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations. China firmly opposes any form of official interactions between the US and Taiwan. This position is consistent and clear,” Mr Zhao said.\nThe spokesperson urged the US “to fully recognise that the Taiwan question is highly sensitive, and that it should abide by the one China principle and the three China-US joint communiques.\n“It must stop any official interaction with Taiwan, refrain from sending any wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces, stop any attempt to cross the bottom line, and properly handle Taiwan-related issues with prudence, lest it should damage China-US relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Mr Zhao cautioned the US.\nBut Taiwan’s foreign ministry welcomed the visit of the US ambassador and, on Monday, tweeted: “What a triumvirate! Minister Wu, President Whipps & Ambassador Hennessey-Niland are as one when it comes to trilateral cooperation. #Taiwan, #Palau & the #US are forces for good working together in promoting peace, security & prosperity in the #IndoPacific & around the world.”\nOn Monday, 10 Chinese military aircraft – eight fighter jets and two surveillance aircraft - entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone. On Friday, Beijing sent a similar sortie involving 20 aircraft. Over the past few months, Taiwan has repeatedly complained that China’s fighter aircraft have violated its air space.\nChina considers Taiwan its own territory and Taipei fears China could use force to bring it back under its control. However, despite Beijing's repeated warnings against Washington warming up to Taipei, the US has steadily increased its cooperation with Taiwan in recent years.\nIn 2020, the US approved the sale of weapons worth £3.69bn to Taiwan and last week Washington signed an agreement with Taipei to boost cooperation between their coast guards, a move to counter China.\nAdditional reporting by agencies\nJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies\nPalau President Surangel Whipps, Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu and US Ambassador to Palau John Hennessey-Niland attend a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan on 29 March, 2021\n","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["John Hennessey-Niland","Palauan president Surangel Whipps"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu"]},{"role":"Date","values":["weekend","on 29 March, 2021"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Taiwan","China","Taipei"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen shares a toast with Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. at a banquet in Taipei on Mar. 30, 2021.","document":"Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen shares a toast with Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. at a banquet in Taipei on Mar. 30, 2021. U.S. Ambassador to Palau John Hennessey-Niland is also present (seated, second from left).\nU.S. Ambassador to Palau John Hennesey-Niland became the first sitting envoy to travel to Taiwan in an official capacity since Washington cut formal ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979. Hennessey was accompanying a delegation from the Pacific Island nation of Palau, including Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr.\nThe visit coincides with the opening of a “travel bubble” between Taiwan and Palau, intended to promote safe travel with fewer COVID-related restrictions and create a boon for pandemic-hit tourism. Moreover, the presence of a U.S. official on this trip also provided an opportunity for Palau and the United States to display their solidarity with Taiwan amid ongoing diplomatic, economic, and military squeezing by the People’s Republic of China. Moreover, it also marked the first visit by a foreign leader to Taiwan since the global spread of the coronavirus.\nHennessey-Niland, who became U.S. ambassador to Palau in March 2020, expressed his support for the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, which was signed into force in April last year. The TAIPEI Act calls for the U.S. executive branch to strengthen trade and economic ties with Taiwan, help sustain Taiwan’s official diplomatic ties and support other partnerships, as well as maintain the island’s international space.\nIn a press release, the American Institute of Taiwan said the visit “reaffirms our commitment to strengthening U.S.-Taiwan-Palau cooperation by promoting democracy and good governance, countering climate change, advancing digital health, fostering women’s empowerment, promoting agricultural trade, strengthening coast guard cooperation, and enhancing Palau’s cybersecurity.”\nPalau is one of Taiwan’s 15 remaining official diplomatic partners, and one of four in the Pacific Island region (along with the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Tuvalu). Whipps, who was sworn into office in January, told Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) last month ahead of the visit that he had rebuffed overtures from Beijing last year to switch Palau’s diplomatic recognition. The Solomon Islands and Kiribati both broke ties with Taiwan in favor of China in 2019.\nEnjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.\n“I believe that we should be free to choose who our friends are,” Whipps said. “We value the relationship that we have with Taiwan and nobody should tell us that relationship should be severed,” he added. Whipps defeated incumbent Vice President and Minister of Justice Raynold Oilouch who had campaigned on switching ties to Beijing.\nThe new travel corridor’s first flight is set to take off on Thursday, with Whipps traveling to Palau with a group of 110 Taiwanese tourists. The initiative plans to have 16 flights a week on the route, with a goal of bringing the number of Taiwanese visitors to Palau to 100,000 annually.\nGet briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.\nThe opening of the travel bubble may offer Palau an economic lifeline, as its tourism sector accounts for more than 50 percent of its gross domestic product. The small Pacific Island’s tourism industry also suffered a setback several years ago when Beijing reportedly imposed a ban of sorts on Chinese tour groups to Palau. According to Palau’s Bureau of Immigration and the South Pacific Tourism Organization, the number of Chinese tourists had grown to 87,000 in 2015, up from around 630 in 2008. State-run Chinese tour agencies are allowed to offer group package tours to countries that the government has given Approved Destination Status. Although Palau has never been granted this status, tours continued to operate until late 2017 when officials sent a memo to travel agencies reminding them that group tours to places not on the approved list were illegal; the memo mentioned Palau by name.\nChina has a successful record of courting away Taiwan’s diplomatic partners. Since 2013, eight countries have switched their recognition to Beijing. Against the backdrop of mounting pressure, the United States has stepped up efforts and initiatives to boost interactions with Taiwan, while still in an informal realm. A report in the Financial Times in late March also suggests that Washington plans to loosen restrictions on contacts with Taipei, a move that would make it easier for diplomats to meet with Taiwanese officials and counterparts. Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had declared as much less than two weeks before he left office; it now appears the Biden administration will continue down the same path.\nAs expected, the official line from Beijing emphasized the one-China principle as the foundation of ties between Beijing and Washington, adding that the Taiwan question is the most sensitive issue in the bilateral relations. In light of the U.S. ambassador to Palau’s visit to Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian offered a more pointed rebuke: “It must stop any official interaction with Taiwan, refrain from sending any wrong signals to Taiwan independent forces, stop any attempt to cross the bottom line, and properly handle Taiwan-related issues with prudence, lest it should damage China-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” Still, it seems clear that the Biden administration is set on a course to reinforce and elevate its partnerships in part to stymie moves by Beijing that it perceives as coercive.\nSubscribe toDiplomat All-Access\n            Enjoy full access to the website and get an automatic subscription to our magazine with a Diplomat All-Access subscription.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr","U.S. Ambassador to Palau John Hennessey-Niland"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Tsai Ing-wen"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Mar. 30, 2021"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["China","Taiwan","Taipei"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The visit of Pakistan’s parliamentary delegation headed by National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser to Afghanistan has been postponed","document":"ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The visit of Pakistan’s parliamentary delegation headed by National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser to Afghanistan has been postponed.\nThe visit has been deferred in the wake of closure of Kabul International Airport due to security reasons.\nEarlier on October 23, 2020, a 17-member Afghan parliamentary delegation led by Speaker of the Wolsey Jirga (Afghan Parliament) Mir Rahman Rahmani arrived in Islamabad on the invitation of NA Speaker Asad Qaiser.\nDuring its stay, the Afghan delegation held meetings with Asad Qaiser, President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The delegation also had interactive meeting with the Members of Pakistan- Afghanistan Friendship group in National Assembly and senior government functionaries.\n \n","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Asad Qaiser","Pakistan’s parliamentary delegation"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Afghanistan"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2017 Pope Francis arrives in Yangon to begin a six-day trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, where he is expected to meet with the Rohingya people. (BBC), (Channel NewsAsia)","document":"Pope Francis has met Myanmar's military chief, as he begins the first papal visit to a country widely accused of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.\nGen Min Aung Hlaing denied any \"religious discrimination\" in a military campaign in Rakhine state.\nOfficials in the Buddhist-majority country are watching closely to see how the Pope responds to the crisis.\nHe has been urged by governments and rights groups to pressure them over their treatment of the Rohingyas.\nMore than 600,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar (also called Burma) for neighbouring Bangladesh since August when deadly attacks on police posts by Rohingya militants prompted a military crackdown in Rakhine state.\nAs part of his visit to the region, the Pope is also due to meet de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.\nAfter Myanmar, he will move on to Bangladesh to meet a small group of Rohingya refugees in a symbolic gesture. The 80-year-old pontiff has become known for his moderate views and willingness to denounce global injustice.  The Pope met military chief Gen Min Aung Hlaing within hours of arriving in Myanmar.\nGen Hlaing said he had told the pontiff that \"there's no religious discrimination in Myanmar and there's the freedom of religion\", according to his latest Facebook post. It is not known how the Pope responded.\nHe has previously used the term \"our Rohingya brothers and sisters\" while denouncing the violence, but Myanmar's sole Catholic cardinal has asked him to avoid using it on the trip, to avoid inflaming local feelings.\nVatican spokesman Greg Burke told reporters on Monday that Pope Francis was taking advice he had been given about using the term \"Rohingya\" seriously, adding: \"We will find out together during the trip... it is not a forbidden word.\"\nMyanmar officials do not use the term, instead labelling Rohingya as \"Bengalis\", and say they migrated illegally from Bangladesh so should not be listed as one of the country's ethnic groups. Bangladesh denies they are its citizens. Myanmar says the crackdown in Rakhine is to root out violent insurgents there, but the UN has described the violence as a \"textbook example of ethnic cleansing\" - a sentiment echoed by international critics.\nLast week Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal to return hundreds of thousands who have fled across the border, but aid agencies have raised concerns about any forcible return.\nDeal signed to return Myanmar Rohingya\nUS condemns 'ethnic cleansing' of Rohingya\nTales of horror from Myanmar\n","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Pope Francis"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Aung San Suu Kyi","military chief Gen Min Aung Hlaing"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Myanmar","Bangladesh"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2007 The first delegation from the Arab League comprising the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan visits Israel to talk about the Arab Peace Initiative. (BBC)","document":"They are trying to push forward an Arab peace plan that Israel has in the past treated coolly but which correspondents say it may now be willing to discuss.\nNew Middle East envoy Tony Blair said after visiting the West Bank he saw a \"moment of opportunity\" for peace.\n'Common ground'\nEgypt's Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Jordan's Abdel Ilah al-Khatib are presenting a long-standing Arab League initiative that was readopted at a meeting in Saudi Arabia recently.\nWe are extending a hand of peace on behalf of the whole region to you\n Abdel Ilah al-Khatib\nThe initiative offers Israel normal ties with all Arab states in return for a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, the creation of a Palestinian state and a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.  Israel dismissed the proposal on its launch in 2002, but has recently suggested it could be the basis for negotiations.\nMr Gheit said: \"We hope that upon our return, we would also convey to the Arab League the responses of Israel, and I hope that the responses will be positive.\"\nMr Khatib said: \"We are extending a hand of peace on behalf of the whole region to you.\"\nIsraeli PM Ehud Olmert is hosting the talks in Jerusalem\nIsraeli foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev welcomed the \"historic\" visit, saying: \"We are willing to engage on the basis of their initiative and hopefully find common ground.\"\nBut Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa denied the ministers were representing the organisation.\n\"They are not acting under the banner of the Arab League. They are not going on behalf of the Arab League nor have they been sent as delegates by the Arab League.\n\"They represent two Arab countries that for certain circumstances entered into peace accords and official diplomatic relations,\" he said.\nSome observers see the visit as part of growing diplomatic activity aimed at reviving the moribund Middle East peace process, says the BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem.\nIt suggests, they say, that peace is still possible if moderate forces work together.  But elsewhere, our correspondent says, there is deep pessimism about whether these steps are really leading anywhere, as well as concern about the massive divisions among the Palestinians.\nOn Wednesday, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper said Israel was considering an \"an agreement of principles\" with Palestinians that could establish a Palestinian state on 90% of occupied territory.\nThe paper said Israel would propose a tunnel linking the West Bank and Gaza, while  there would also be a territory exchange allowing Israel to keep its main Jewish settlements.\nBlair trip\nIn the US, King Abdullah of Jordan met President George W Bush at a private dinner in Washington.\nThe king urged Mr Bush to step up US efforts on Middle East peace.\nA US administration official said Mr Bush remained \"committed to two states, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security\".\nMeanwhile, Mr Blair, the former UK prime minister, is continuing his tour of the region.\nHe is due to visit Bahrain and Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. He said in the West Bank: \"I think there is a sense of possibility at the moment. I think this is a moment of opportunity.\"","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Egypt's Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Jordan's Abdel Ilah al-Khatib","Tony Blair"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Israel","West Bank"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2007 The United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates travel to the Middle East to offer increased aid to allies of the United States and to seek advice on Iraq. (Reuters)","document":"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates headed for the Middle East on Monday, armed with big military aid plans for allies and seeking their help with Iraq.\nSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates are seen in Crawford, Texas, May 21, 2007. The United States on Monday announced a proposed $13 billion military aid package for Egypt and a $30 billion package for Israel, along with plans to provide such aid to Saudi Arabia and Gulf states. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque\nRice said Washington planned to offer Egypt a $13 billion package and Israel a $30 billion deal -- increases on previous military funding -- over 10 years, as well as unspecified defense aid to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.\n“This effort will help bolster forces of moderation and support a broader strategy to counter the negative influences of al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran,” Rice said.\nOn a rare joint trip, the two Cabinet secretaries will hold meetings with leaders in Egypt and Saudi Arabia before going their separate ways to other destinations in the region.\nAdministration officials say the visit is meant to send a signal to long-standing U.S. allies in the Middle East that the United States remains committed to the region despite its problems in Iraq and the growing strength of Iran.\nThe Saudi package is expected to upgrade the country’s missile defenses and air force and increase its naval capabilities, a defense official told Reuters on Saturday. The package for Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries could reach $20 billion over 10 years, the official said.\nThe proposed packages still have to be approved by Congress and there is expected to be opposition by some lawmakers, particularly over assistance to Saudi Arabia, which critics accuse of not helping U.S. efforts in Iraq.\nU.S. officials have urged Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Arab countries to do more to support the U.S.-backed Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.\n“We need cooperation and help from all our friends in the area to deal effectively with the situation in Iraq,” Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said on Monday.\n“On Iraq, we would benefit, the Iraqis will benefit, the region will benefit from a more enhanced Saudi cooperation towards stabilizing the situation,” he told reporters.\nRelated Coverage\nMany Sunni-led governments harbor strong reservations about Maliki’s Shi’ite-led administration, believing it to be too weak to establish order in Iraq and too close politically to Shi’ite-dominated Iran.\nWashington wants clear statements from the leaders of Sunni Arab countries that they recognize Maliki’s government as a legitimate partner and that there can be no justification for insurgent and militant violence in Iraq.\n“No Sunni will help themselves by killing Shia, just as no Shia advances long-term Shia security by killing innocent Sunnis,” said a senior State Department official, briefing reporters ahead of the trip.\n“The message on all sides has to be very clear about this.”\nRice and Gates will meet ministers of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Jordan and Egypt in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday.\nThe council groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.\nU.S. officials have long made clear they would like neighbors to help more in stabilizing Iraq but the results of their efforts have been limited and analysts have questioned how much impact Rice and Gates can have on this trip.\nIn a speech in Cairo in April, Gates himself bluntly warned Middle Eastern countries that the consequences of a complete collapse of order in Iraq would be felt in the region well before it affected the United States.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Egypt and Saudi Arabia","the Middle East"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2007 Envoys from the United States, European Union and Russia visit Serbia and Kosovo seeking a solution to the Kosovo issue. (BBC)","document":"The US envoy, Frank Wisner, said \"every possible option\" for a compromise solution would be explored.\nThey will travel next to Kosovo for talks with ethnic Albanian leaders.\nThe UN Security Council failed last month to find consensus on the Serbian province's future. Its majority ethnic Albanian population wants independence.\nMr Wisner said he and his troika colleagues will \"leave no stone unturned\" in their search for \"a successful outcome, peace in the region and a better future for Serbia and Kosovo\".\nThe envoys met Serbia's President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who have rejected independence for Kosovo.\nSecurity concerns\nThe mostly-ethnic Albanian Kosovo has been under UN administration since a war in 1998-99 between ethnic Albanian separatists and Serb forces.\nEthnic Albanians want Kosovo to become independent. Serbs want the province to remain a part of Serbia.\nA UN proposal to provide a form of supervised independence was blocked at the UN Security Council last month by Russia, which is a close ally of Serbia.\nThe current round of talks are due to end in December, but Serbia and Russia have said there should be no time limit.\n\"We are going to support the Kosovo status process in order to help reach a compromise solution which can be endorsed by the UN Security Council,\" said the Russian envoy Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko.\nThe EU representative of the troika, the German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger said the talks had been a \"first business meeting\" for the troika.\nHe said on Thursday that the troika would not be making any new proposals but would be seeing whether the Serbian and Kosovo-Albanian sides had any chance of finding agreement over the long-term status of Kosovo.\nInternational officials in Kosovo have expressed concern that if the issue is not resolved in the near future, the security situation in the province could deteriorate.\nMany believe the talks chaired by the troika could be the last opportunity to find an agreement between the two sides, says the BBC's Nick Hawton in Sarajevo.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Frank Wisner","Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko","Wolfgang Ischinger"]},{"role":"Host","values":["President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Serbia","Kosovo"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2007 The President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad  visits Afghanistan on the first leg of a Central Asian tour before visiting the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Bishkek. (BBC)","document":"Mr Ahmadinejad, on a visit to Kabul, said that Tehran strongly supported the political process in Afghanistan. He held talks with his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, on the first leg of a tour that will also take him to Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.\nThis is Mr Ahmadinejad's first visit to Afghanistan since he was elected.\n'Serious doubts'\nKabul's main ally, the United States, recently alleged that Iranian-made weapons were reaching the Taleban.\n\"The same allegations are made in Iraq. They are saying that they discover some weapons,\" Mr Ahmadinejad said at a press conference he addressed jointly with President Karzai.\nIf Afghanistan can bring them [Iran and the United States] closer, that will be a great happiness for Afghanistan\n Hamid Karzai\n\"What is the reason? Why are they saying such things? Iran is a big country. I have serious doubts about this issue,\" he said.\n\"With all our force, we support the political process in Afghanistan,\" Mr Ahmadinejad said. He added that Iran's security depended on the situation in Afghanistan as the two nations shared a long border.\n\"For us, a secure and stable Afghanistan is the best,\" he said.\nPresident Karzai said Afghanistan's ties with Tehran were excellent and addressed the Iranian president as his brother.\nMr Karzai said his country was close to Iran and also a friend and strategic partner of the United States.\n\"If Afghanistan can bring them [Iran and the United States] closer, that will be a great  happiness for Afghanistan - but it depends on both sides,\" he said.  Mutual interest\nDuring his recent visit to the US, Mr Karzai said Iran had been playing a positive role in his country, putting him in dispute with President George W Bush.  Tehran helped to establish an interim government in Kabul after the fall of the Taleban and since then has donated large amounts of aid to Afghanistan.\nIssues of mutual interest include continuing reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Kabul's ongoing fight against Taleban insurgents, says the BBC's Pam O'Toole in Tehran.\nThe continuing presence of almost one million Afghan refugees in Iran and Tehran's current operation to expel other groups of Afghans who are living in Iran illegally are also key issues.\nFrom Afghanistan Mr Ahmadinejad will travel on to Turkmenistan, where he is expected to sign a number of co-operation agreements.  Mr Ahmadinejad's final port of call will be a meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation in Kyrgyzstan, where he is expected to bid for Iran's status to be raised from observer to full member.  While there he is due to hold talks with leaders of full members of the organisation, who include Russia and China.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Mr Ahmadinejad"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Hamid Karzai"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Afghanistan","Kabul"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2007 The APEC summit draws to a close with most leaders preparing to leave and the President of the United States George W. Bush having left. (ABC News Australia)","document":"The APEC summit in Sydney is drawing to a conclusion, with leaders working on their final statement.\nPrime Minister John Howard began this second leaders' retreat today on a warm note.\n\"I'd like on your behalf to wish many happy returns of the day to the President of Indonesia,\" he said.\n\"It's lovely that you've been able to spend your birthday in Sydney, Bambang.\"\nThe talks, being held without the US President who flew home last night, are concentrating on trade and the future of the Doha round of negotiations.\nEarlier Mr Howard and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued joint statements on climate change and energy security.\nLate yesterday the APEC leaders signed the so-called Sydney Declaration on climate change, including aspirational targets for improved energy efficiency and forest expansion.\nMr Howard has thanked Mr Abe for his support.\n\"It reflects the very close similarity of views between our two countries on these matters,\" he said.\n\"I record my appreciation for the strong support given by the Prime Minister in preparation of the Sydney Declaration.\"\nMost APEC leaders will be flying out of Sydney this afternoon.\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":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["the US President","Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe"]},{"role":"Host","values":["John Howard"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Sydney"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2008 United States Senator and Republican candidate to the 2008 presidential election John McCain makes a surprise visit to Iraq. (BBC News)","document":"Mr McCain - set to be the Republican's presidential candidate in November - will meet with US and Iraqi officials during his trip.\nMr McCain is also scheduled to visit London, Paris and Israel this week.\nThe senator is known for his strong support of current US policy in Iraq, and was one of the most prominent proponents of the \"surge\" strategy.\nEighth visit\nThis will be Mr McCain's eighth visit to the country since the US-led invasion began in 2003.\nHe is scheduled to hold meetings with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh and Gen David Petraeus, the commander of US troops in Iraq.\nDuring the rest of his tour he will meet British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicholas Sarkozy and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert\nHe is being accompanied on his trip by Senator Joe Lieberman and Senator Lindsey Graham, close allies of Mr McCain and fellow supporters of a continued US troop presence in Iraq.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Mr McCain","Senator Joe Lieberman and Senator Lindsey Graham"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Barham Saleh and Gen David Petraeus"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Iraq"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2008 German Chancellor Angela Merkel and half of her cabinet visit Israel in a move to upgrade bilateral relations (BBC News)","document":"She has chaired a joint cabinet session and will address parliament on Tuesday, in an unprecedented honour. Political, cultural, economic and social relations will all be strengthened, said a joint statement. In 60 years since the Nazi genocide of European Jews, Germany has become Israel's staunchest ally in Europe. The agreement institutes annual meetings at prime ministerial, ministerial and cabinet levels. Germany already has similar agreements with France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Russia. It is Israel's first such agreement with another state. Special responsibility\nBefore the cabinet session, Ms Merkel visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and eight ministers from each government. In recognition of Germany's responsibility for the Shoah, the German government underlines with the first German-Israeli consultations its determination for a joint shaping of the future\n Angela Merkel\nThey attended a memorial service for the Holocaust, or Shoah in Hebrew, in which six million Jews were killed by the Nazis during World War II. Signing Yad Vashem's guest book, Ms Merkel wrote: \"In recognition of Germany's responsibility for the Shoah, the German government underlines with the first German-Israeli consultations its determination for a joint shaping of the future.\" An invitation to address Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has in the past been reserved for visiting monarchs and heads of state. Some Israeli politicians have voiced objections to the speech being in the German language, which some Holocaust survivors and their descendants still find offensive. The visit focuses on Israeli-German ties, rather than the Palestinian question, but Mrs Merkel reiterated German support for a two-state solution at an arrival ceremony at Tel Aviv airport. Her government said last week that it would host an international conference to help the Palestinians prepare for statehood, and she spoke to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas by telephone before leaving Germany. What are these?","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Angela Merkel"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Ehud Olmert and eight ministers from each government"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Israel","the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2012 Valerie Amos, the United Nations Under–Secretary–General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, visits the Baba Amr district in the Syrian city of Homs. (BBC)","document":"UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has said parts of the Syrian city of Homs have been \"completely devastated\".\nShe said that it felt like the city had been closed down entirely.\nBaroness Amos visited the city on Wednesday, briefly entering the bombed-out Baba Amr district.\nAid teams have waited days to go there, but aid officials said most residents had gone to areas already getting aid. The government retook the district last week after fierce shelling. Activists say troops committed massacres since they entered. Damascus blames rebels for many deaths.\nInternational media organisations are heavily restricted in Syria, making it impossible to verify the claims of either side.\nThe rebel Free Syrian Army left the city last week in the hope, it said, of protecting civilians from further violence.\nMeanwhile there have been loud explosions and heavy shelling in Idlib, opposition sources said, amid fears the northern city could become the next major flashpoint as international attention is focused on Homs.\nOpposition groups said 39 people were killed throughout the country on Wednesday, of whom 26 were in Homs, six in Idlib, three in Deraa and two each in suburbs of Damascus and Aleppo.\nThe UN says more than 7,500 people have died as a result of the violence in Syria over the past 12 months.\nThe UN aid chief spent less than an hour in Baba Amr assessing its humanitarian needs.\nShe then moved on to other districts of the city, before returning to Damascus.\nBaroness Amos' said there were security issues in the city and that she heard gunfire there, her spokeswoman Amanda Pitt said.\n\"She says that the parts they saw were completely devastated,\" Ms Pitt said, quoted by AFP news agency. \"She said Homs feels like a city that has been completely closed down.\"\nShe was also not being allowed to enter opposition-held areas despite government assurances she could visit the whole country.\nThe Red Crescent has not yet been able to deliver any aid to Baba Amr.\n\"The Syrian Arab Red Crescent stayed inside Baba Amr for about 45 minutes,\" International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesman Hicham Hassan told Reuters news agency.\n\"They found that most inhabitants had left Baba Amr to areas that have been already visited by the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in the past week.\"\nHe said the ICRC aid had been delivering aid to other areas where people needed help, including Hama, Idlib, Deraa, areas on the outskirts of Damascus and the eastern city of Raqqa.\nStaff from the ICRC were not with them as they were delivering aid to the village of Abil outside Homs at the time permission was given, and it is unclear whether they will be allowed to follow the Red Crescent in.\nBaroness Amos has been urging the Syrian government to grant access to battle-scarred cities.\nShe is scheduled to meet the head of the Syrian Red Crescent, Abdulrahman Attar, on Thursday. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallim told her that the government would co-operate with her team and was trying to help civilians, according to Syrian state news agency Sana.\nUS President Barack Obama has described the situation in Syria as \"heartbreaking\" but said US unilateral military intervention in the country would be a mistake.\nHe said President Bashar al-Assad would fall, as other dictators had fallen, but the US would try to achieve this by working to isolate Syria.\n\"The notion that the way to solve every one of these problems is to deploy our military, that hasn't been true in the past, and it won't be true now,\" said Mr Obama.\nThe US says it is proposing a new UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to violence in Syria. Russia and China have vetoed two previous resolutions, saying they were unbalanced and only demanded the government stop attacks. China, however, announced on Wednesday that it had already removed most of its workers from the country.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Valerie Amos"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Abdulrahman Attar","Thursday"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["the Syrian city of Homs","Syria","Baba Amr district"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2012 Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Mexico and is greeted by thousands in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, and is also greeted by President Felipe Calderón. (BBC)","document":"Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in Mexico, at the start of his first visit to Spanish-speaking Latin-America.\nThe Pope was greeted by thousands in central city of Guanajuato, and welcomed by President Felipe Calderon.\nMr Calderon said the visit had enormous importance as Mexico was suffering greatly from drug-related violence.\nBefore his arrival, the Pope said it was vital \"to fight this evil\" and urged the young to renounce drugs. After Mexico, he will travel to Cuba.\nHe said Marxism there was no longer working.\nThe Pope said the ideology no longer corresponded to reality and called for \"new models\" to be found.\nHe made it clear that \"the Church is always on the side of freedom of thought and of religion\".\nBenedict was welcomed by cheering crowds at Guanajuato on Friday. Supporters at the airport chanted: \"Benedict, brother, you are now Mexican!\"\nThe pontiff then led a short blessing on a specially erected platform within the airport. But it was on the streets outside where Benedict was most eagerly awaited, the BBC's Will Grant in Mexico reports. All day under a hot sun, thousands of cheering followers - dressed in white and yellow T-shirts and waving flags - lined the route to the city of Leon to catch a glimpse of Benedict as he passed in the armour-plated Popemobile. Our correspondent says security is tight - with the federal police and military deployed in large numbers. The Pope is due to hold talks with President Calderon later on Saturday.\nHe will also spend time in the city of Silao, near Leon. On Sunday some 300,000 people are expected to attend Mass, and huge camp sites have been set up to give pilgrims somewhere to stay.\nEarlier, while on route to Mexico, Pope Benedict told journalists: \"I share Mexicans' joy and hope but also their anguish and grief,\" referring to the country's drug related violence, which has taken 50,000 lives in the past five years.\nOne Mexican supporter said: \"With this wave of violence that we're living, not just in individual states but across the country, the Pope's visit could be a great source of comfort.\"\nSome 88% of Mexicans - almost 100 million people - are Roman Catholic, and the Pope's predecessor, John Paul II, was a regular visitor to the country.\nOur correspondent says Pope Benedict is not regarded with the same affection yet, but there is undoubtedly excitement about the visit among the faithful.\nThe Pope faces sensitive issues in Cuba.\nThis week the campaign group Amnesty International reported that life was getting harder for dissidents there. Earlier this month, activists were evicted from a church they had occupied in the capital, Havana, demanding an audience with the Pope.\nIn Havana, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the government was open to opinions that differed from its own, in a reference to the Pope's comments that Marxism there was no longer working.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Pope Benedict XVI"]},{"role":"Host","values":["President Felipe Calderon"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Mexico","central city of Guanajuato"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Pope Benedict XVI left Rome on March 23, to begin the 23rd foreign trip of his pontificate","document":"Pope Benedict XVI left Rome on March 23, to begin the 23rd foreign trip of his pontificate, his 2nd visit as Pope to Latin America. He will be in Mexico from March 23 to 26, then travel to Cuba, returning to Rome on March 29.  As he boarded his morning flight from Fiumicino airport, the Holy Father appeared in public using a cane for the first time. Aides disclosed that he has been walking with a cane around the apostolic palace for several weeks, to ease discomfort from his arthritic knees.   Because of his advanced age, Pope Benedict has generally avoided long trips abroad. His schedule for this trip is relatively relaxed, allowing ample time for rest after the international flight. And he will not visit Mexico City, the nation’s capital, where the high altitude might tax his strength.  Instead the Pontiff will arrive Friday evening in the city of Leon. During his stay in Mexico the Pope is expected to address the problem of drug trafficking and the associated violence, which has reached frightening proportions in recent months. Some drug-trafficking gangs have announced an informal truce during the days of the papal visit. Archbishop José Guadalupe Martin Rabago of Leon has expressed confidence that Catholics will be able to attend papal events without fear of violence.    The Pope’s visit may also have implications for Mexico’s political situation, with presidential elections due this summer. Trailing in opinion polls, the ruling National Action Party (PAN) of President Felipe Calderon will hope to generate some excitement from the papal visit in a country where Catholicism remains strong even after years of aggressively secular rule.     From Mexico the Pope will continue on to Cuba, where he will face a different sort of political challenge. The Cuban government has shown a willingness to offer new scope to the Catholic Church, but opponents of the Castro regime fear that the government is co-opting the hierarchy, seeking to quiet complaints about human-rights violations. Church officials counter with the argument that negotiations have opened new vistas for religious activity, leading to greater freedom for all Cubans. Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, alluded to that argument when he said that Cuban officials must realize the need for “a climate of development, freedom, and reconciliation.”    During his stay in Cuba, the Pope is expected to meet privately with longtime dictator Fidel Castro, who is rumored to be seeking reconciliation with the Church as his health deteriorates.    ","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Pope Benedict XVI"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["March 23 to 26"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Mexico","the city of Leon"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Pope Benedict XVI is welcomed by Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his wife Margarita Zavala upon his arrival at Silao's international airport in Guanajuato, Mexico on March 23, 2012. ","document":"Pope Benedict XVI is welcomed by Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his wife Margarita Zavala upon his arrival at Silao's international airport in Guanajuato, Mexico on March 23, 2012. \nIf you were Mexico’s ruling party, and your presidential candidate was down by double digits in the polls three months before the election, you’d be looking for some divine help too. So President Felipe Calderón’s conservative National Action Party (PAN) is hoping the visit from Pope Benedict XVI, who arrives in Mexico today, March 23, will help resurrect the chances of its prez contender, Josefina Vázquez. The PAN is the Roman Catholic standard-bearer of Mexican politics, and the Pope’s three-day itinerary is confined to one of Mexico’s most Catholic and PAN-ista states, Guanajuato.\nBut the PAN shouldn’t expect any papal miracles from this visit – and in fact, instead of getting the lift it’s looking for, the party could experience some letdown. It’s no secret that the 84-year-old Benedict is an aloof theologian compared to his charismatic late predecessor, John Paul II, who wowed Mexico with five visits between 1979 and 2002. Beyond the personality issues, in the past decade the Catholic church has taken a steep fall from p.r. grace in Mexico, which has the world’s second largest Catholic population. The most serious sin has been a relentless series of revelations about the powerful clerical order known as the Legionaries of Christ, founded in Mexico by the late Rev. Marcial Maciel. Before he died in disgrace in 2008, Maciel faced increasing charges that he had sexually abused numerous young seminarians and children – including two sons he sired with a mistress.\nAt about the same time the Pope touches down in the city of León northwest of Mexico City, a new book will go on sale in Mexico – co-authored by some of Maciel’s past victims – that purports to add a new and troubling layer to the scandal. Titled La Voluntad de No Saber (The Will Not to Know) the book claims to expose documents that prove the Vatican knew about the Maciel problem as early as the 1940s but did nothing about it. Maciel, in fact, would go on to be a favorite of John Paul II – one of whose right-hand men was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI. He eventually had to force Maciel to resign as head of the Legionaries in 2005 and then from priestly ministry in 2006 as the abuse allegations mounted.\n(MORE: “Maciel Scandal Puts Focus On a Secretive Church Order”)\nThe Maciel ugliness helps explain why the Catholic church in Mexico – which for most of the 20th century chafed under the anti-clerical policies of the Mexican government, which didn’t re-establish ties with the Vatican until 1992 – has lost up to a fifth of its followers in the past two decades, as my colleague Tim Johnson of McClatchy News Service reports this week. Much of that flight has gone to Protestant Evangelical sects, which is why Benedict is expected to make Catholic “reconversion” in Mexico a central theme of his homilies there.\nJohnson also points out that many Mexicans are irked at the church, led in Mexico by the conservative Cardinal Norberto Rivera, archbishop of Mexico City, because of what they call its less than passionate concern about the country’s nightmarish drug war, which has seen more than 50,000 people murdered or missing since Calderón took office in 2006. They’re most distressed by reports that a number of Catholic priests and parishes have embraced donations from drug trafficking bosses – including Heriberto Lazcano, aka El Verdugo or The Executioner, head of the bloodthirsty Zetas gang, who funded the construction of a chapel in his home state of Hidalgo, near Guanajuato, complete with a plaque bearing his name.\nThere are, of course, a number of Mexican priests and bishops who are pushing the church to take a harder stand against the narco-violence – and some, like the Rev. Genaro García in Mexico state, who was murdered by narco-extortionists in January inside his church, have been victims. Church spokespersons tell TIME’s Dolly Mascarenas that getting the Mexican hierarchy more committed to the “effort of peace,” especially by supporting emerging victims groups lobbying the government for deeper police and judicial reforms, is high on Benedict’s agenda this weekend. (Some narcos have promised not to kill anyone during His Holiness’ stay in Mexico. Which of course just mean they’re giving themselves three days to reload. Memo: you’re still monsters.)\nBut even that can work against the PAN. If the Pope does make Mexico’s violence a prominent theme of his visit, it may only serve to remind Mexican voters why so many have moved away from Calderón and his party in the first place: the President’s bold but ill conceived military crusade against the drug cartels, which critics say has simply worsened the bloodshed. Other aspects of Benedict’s visit may also have the potential to alienate, including the fact that he won’t be stopping in Mexico City. The Vatican insists it’s because the metropolis’ altitude would be hard on the aging pontiff; but many speculate it’s because he’s displeased with the lead the city’s government, run for the past decade by the center-left Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), has taken in promoting reforms like gay marriage that defy church doctrine.\nEither way, it’s a toss-up whether the Pope’s visit will help the PAN chip away at the lead of Enrique Peña Nieto, the presidential candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico as a one-party dictatorship for 71 years until the PAN toppled it in the 2000 election. In the latest Mexican poll, Peña scored 33% compared to 22% for the PAN’s Vázquez and 14% for the PRD’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador. All three plan to attend the Pope’s Sunday mass in the city Silao – but it’s Vázquez whose campaign will be praying hardest that Benedict’s Mexico sojourn confers political blessing instead of backlash.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Pope Benedict XVI"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Felipe Calderon and his wife Margarita Zavala"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March 23, 2012"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Mexico","Silao's international airport in Guanajuato"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2012 As he arrives in Cuba to begin a three day visit there, Pope Benedict XVI offers a prescription for change. (Catholic World News)","document":"Pope Benedict XVI offered a prescription for change in Cuba as he arrived on Monday afternoon, March 26, to begin a 3-day visit there.    The Pope—who had said last week that Marxism has failed in Cuba—said that he was convinced “that Cuba, at this moment of particular importance in its history, is already looking to the future.” He said the future of the island nation should be shaped by “the fine patrimony of spiritual and moral values which fashioned the nation’s true identity, and he mentioned Cuban heroes like José  Marti and Felix Varela. Conspicuously missing from his list of great Cuban leaders was Fidel Castro.    As he arrived in Cuba, Pope Benedict recalled the historic visit by Pope John Paul II in 1998, saying that it “left an indelible mark on the soul of all Cubans.” That papal visit was “like a gentle breath of fresh air which gave new strength to the Church in Cuba,” he said.    Gently alluding to the contentious issue of Church-state relations in Cuba, the Pope said that his predecessor’s visit ushered in “a new phase in the relationship between Church and State,” and welcomed a “new spirit of cooperation and trust,” while noting that there were many areas still in need of improvement. In greeting the Pontiff, Raul Castro had asserted that the government welcomes the activity of the Catholic Church; the Pope’s words seemed design to convey that the Church would continue to press for greater freedom.     Pope Benedict also made it clear that he would speak for change in Cuba generally. He said “we can no longer continue in the same cultural and moral direction which has caused the painful situation that many suffer.” A revival of the Cuban nation must be a moral revival, he said, noting: “In the hearts and minds of many, the way is thus opening to an ever greater certainty that the rebirth of society demands upright men and women of firm moral convictions.”    “I carry in my heart the just aspirations and legitimate desires of all Cubans,” the Pope said. Without spelling out the political implications of those words, he issued an unmistakable call for change.    \n","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Pope Benedict XVI"]},{"role":"Host","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["on Monday afternoon, March 26"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Cuba"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2012 British Prime Minister David Cameron makes a historic visit to Burma (Myanmar), becoming the first British Prime Minister to visit that country. (The Independent)","document":"The Prime Minister David Cameron today called for sanctions against Burma to be eased as he made a historic visit to the country.\nMr Cameron is visiting Burma on the first part of his tour of South East Asia promoting United Kingdom interests abroad.\nThis morning Mr Cameron met with President Thein Sein and stressed that the Burmese government had to make their moves towards democracy 'irreversible'.\nLater, Mr Cameron met with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon.\nHe met the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in the garden of the villa where she spent 15 years under house arrest.\nSpeaking afterwards Mr Cameron said, \"I think it is right to suspend sanctions that there are against Burma,\" he said.\n\"To suspend them, not to lift them.\"\nMr Cameron continued, \"(Burma) shouldn't be as poor as it is, it shouldn't have suffered under dictatorship for as long as it has and things don't have to be that way.\n\"There is the real prospect of change and I'm very much committed to working with you in trying to help make sure that your country makes those changes.\n\"I met with President Thien Sein today and there are prospects for change in Burma and I think it is right for the rest of the world to respond to those changes.\n\"Of course we must respond with care, we must always be sceptical and questioning because we want to know those changes are irreversible, but as we have discussed, I think it is right to suspend the sanctions that there are against Burma - to suspend them, not to lift them - and obviously not to include the arms embargo.\n\"I do think it is important to send a signal that we want to help see the changes that can bring the growth of freedom of human rights and democracy in your country.\"\nAung San Suu Kyi said: “We still have a long way to go but we believe we can get there.\n\"I believe President Thien Sein is genuine about democratic reforms and I am very happy that Prime Minister Cameron thinks that the suspension of sanctions is the right way to respond to this.\n\"I support the lifting, rather than the suspension, of sanctions because this would be an acknowledgement of the role of the president and other reformers.\n\"This suspension will have taken place because of the steps taken by the president and other reformers.\n\"It would also make it quite clear to those who are against reform that should they try to obstruct the way of the reformers, then sanctions could come back.\"\nThe first Burmese general election in 20 years was held in 2010, it was followed by the establishment of a civilian government in 2011 - which was followed by a host of reforms, including the release of political prisoners.\nMr Cameron's visit to the country follows a trip by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in December of last year.\nThe British Prime Minister also told reporters that he had asked Miss Suu Kyi to visit Britain.\nShe responded by saying, “Two years ago, I would have said thank you for the invitation but sorry.\n\"Now I am able to say perhaps. That is great progress.\"\n","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["David Cameron"]},{"role":"Host","values":["President Thein Sein","pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Burma","South East Asia","Rangoon"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2012 Following a meeting with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon, Cameron calls for economic sanctions against Burma to be suspended in recognition of the changes taking place there. (BBC)","document":"David Cameron has said economic sanctions against Burma should be suspended in recognition of the changes taking place in the country.\nThe prime minister spoke after a meeting with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon.\nMs Suu Kyi welcomed his call and said the suspension of sanctions would \"strengthen the hand of the reformers\".\nMr Cameron is the first Western leader to visit Burma since her success in a series of parliamentary by-elections.\nHe is also the first UK prime minister to visit the country since it gained independence in 1948.\nEarlier, Mr Cameron met President Thein Sein and said the government had to demonstrate that moves to democracy were \"irreversible\".\nBurma was ruled for almost half a century by a military junta that stifled almost all dissent and wielded absolute power. The EU, US and other nations imposed sanctions.\nThe first general election in 20 years was held in 2010.    The installation of a military-backed, nominally civilian government in March 2011 and a series of reforms since - including the release of hundreds of political prisoners - has led to speculation that decades of international isolation could be coming to an end.\nSpeaking at a joint press conference with Ms Suu Kyi at the lakeside villa where she spent 15 years under house arrest, Mr Cameron said the arms embargo in place against Burma should remain in place, but it was right to suspend - not lift - the remaining sanctions.\nThey include an assets freeze imposed on nearly 500 people and restrictions on key industries such as mining and timber.\n\"[Burma] shouldn't be as poor as it is. It shouldn't have suffered under dictatorship for as long as it has, and things don't have to be that way,\" the prime minister said. \"I do think it is important to send a signal that we want to help see the changes that can bring the growth of freedom of human rights and democracy in your country.\"\nMr Cameron said it was right to respond to signs of change \"with care\", adding: \"All courses of action are full of risk, but I think this is the right step forward.\"\nHe also praised Ms Suu Kyi, calling her \"an inspiration for people across the world\".\nShe in turn welcomed his call for the suspension of sanctions, saying: \"We still have a long way to go but we believe we can get there.\n\"This suspension will have taken place because of the steps taken by the president and other reformers.\n\"It would also make it quite clear to those who are against reform that should they try to obstruct the way of the reformers, then sanctions could come back.\" EU foreign ministers are to discuss policy towards Burma on 23 April, and sanctions are due to expire on 30 April unless leaders choose to renew them.\nThe BBC's deputy political editor, James Landale, who is travelling with the PM, says the change in position by the UK makes it very likely that Europe will agree to lift the sanctions.\nSanctions safeguards\nBut he says Mr Cameron's move is a gamble - and some would call it too much too soon - because if there is any regression by the regime it will be difficult to get European nations to agree to reimpose sanctions once again.\nLabour shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said \"the sequenced lifting of sanctions along with careful monitoring of developments\" was \"a sensible way forward\".\nBut former Labour minister Baroness Kinnock, the chairwoman of the all-parliamentary group on Burma, sounded a note of caution, saying there must be \"clear measures in place to ensure that sanctions will be reimposed if there's no further progress\".\n\"So we need to see interim measures, we need to see deadlines, we need to see benchmarks,\" she told BBC Radio 4's World at One.\nWai Hnin, from the Burma Campaign UK, told the BBC the recent changes in the country were proof that sanctions were working, but there was still \"no democratic system in Burma yet\".\n\"To remove all the sanctions would be a little bit silly - I'm afraid that these changes will stop,\" she said.\nMr Cameron also revealed he had invited Miss Suu Kyi to visit Britain in June.\nShe said that two years ago she would have declined, knowing she would have been prevented from returning to Burma.\n\"Now I am able to say perhaps. That is great progress,\" she added.   Burma is the final leg of the prime minister's tour of South East Asia promoting UK interests.  Prior to arriving in Nay Pyi Taw, he stopped briefly in Singapore to meet its leader, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.\nTen members of the business delegation, which includes defence firms, accompanying Mr Cameron on his tour are also in Burma.\nHowever, Downing Street has insisted the visit is purely political and the businessmen will merely be carrying out \"cultural\" activities.\nMr Cameron is not the first major Western figure to visit the country - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a landmark trip to Burma in December 2011.\nHe is, however, the first sitting UK prime minister to do so - Anthony Eden, who later became PM, travelled there while foreign secretary, and Edward Heath visited after leaving No 10.\nCameron praises Burma's 'courage to reform'\nPM unveils Indonesia Airbus deal","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["David Cameron"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon","President Thein Sein"]},{"role":"Date","values":["on 23 April"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Burma"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2012 Salva Kiir, the President of South Sudan, visits the People's Republic of China seeking assistance to build an oil pipeline. (AP via ABC News)","document":"The president of newly independent South Sudan is lobbying China for investment in his country's oil industry and diplomatic support in an escalating conflict with Sudan that's threatening to become an all-out war.\nSudan and South Sudan, which broke away from its neighbor and became independent last year, have been unable to resolve disputes over sharing oil revenue and determining a border. Talks broke down this month, and a Sudanese military bombing in South Sudan killed at least two people Monday.\nChina's energy needs make it deeply vested in the future of the two Sudans, and Beijing is uniquely positioned to exert influence in the conflict given its deep trade ties to the resource-rich south and decades-long diplomatic ties with Sudan's government in the north.\nBoth have tried to win Beijing's favor, but China has been careful to cultivate ties with each nation. Like others in the international community, China has repeatedly urged the two sides to return to negotiations.\nPresident Salva Kiir is making his first visit to China since taking office. He opens a new embassy and meets Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday, and sees Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday.\nThe Financial Times on Sunday quoted South Sudan's lead negotiator Pagan Amum as saying Kiir would be seeking Chinese financing for a long-planned oil pipeline that would bypass Sudan. The report said Beijing has already pledged technical assistance for the pipeline, which would allow land-locked South Sudan an alternative export route for its large oil reserves.\nJiang Hengkun, a professor with the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, said that if the pipeline happens, China would contribute heavily, from labor to loans.\n\"China will surely participate in the construction,\" Jiang said. \"Chinese construction companies or oil companies can join the bidding for the project, while the Chinese government may provide development aids or loans to South Sudan government.\"\nJiang said the project was likely to take three to four years, or longer.\nZach Vertin, the senior analyst on South Sudan for the International Crisis Group, said that while the pipeline is sure to be the agenda, it's just one piece of what is expected to be a comprehensive bilateral cooperation. Vertin said China invited Kiir last year with the broad aim of cultivating political and economic ties with the new nation.\n\"Economic cooperation is first and foremost about oil, but also about a potential role for Chinese banks and commercial actors in financing and facilitating the closure South Sudan's colossal infrastructure gap,\" Vertin said in an email.\nThough Beijing's principal objective has been good relations with both Sudans, Vertin said the balance has proven delicate.\n\"Because the visit comes amid dangerous hostilities, Beijing will try to navigate a course that both satisfies its own interests and steers the parties toward peace,\" he said.\nDuring his five-day stay, Kiir may also seek to mend differences over the expulsion in February of a senior Chinese oil executive alleged to have helped Sudan divert the South's oil.\nJiang said kicking Liu Yingcai out of South Sudan may have been meant to prod Beijing into exerting more pressure on Sudan to stop the oil diversions but that it was unlikely to impact China-South Sudan relations in the long run.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Salva Kiir"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Hu Jintao","Li Keqiang"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday","Wednesday"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["China"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2012 U.S. President Barack Obama visits Afghanistan on an unannounced visit coinciding with the first anniversary of Osama Bin Laden's assassination by the U.S. Special Forces in Pakistan, signing an agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai outlining a continuing U.S. role in Afghanistan after 2014. (BBC)","document":"US President Barack Obama has signed a strategic agreement with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai on a previously unannounced visit to Afghanistan.\nThe 10-year accord outlines military and civil ties between the countries after the end of Nato's mission in Afghanistan in 2014. Mr Obama is also due to give a TV address to Americans back home. The visit coincides with the first anniversary of Osama Bin Laden's killing in Pakistan.\nIt was a year ago that US special forces carried out a raid on Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad and killed the leader of the al-Qaeda network.\nAfter Mr Obama's arrival, Mr Karzai said a post-war agreement would seal an \"equal partnership\" between Afghanistan and the United States, reports say.\nMr Obama added the cost of war had been great for both nations, adding he looked forward to \"a future of peace\".\nHe acknowledged there would be difficult days ahead for Afghanistan, but said the Afghan people were taking control of their own future.   Later, Mr Obama thanked US troops in Afghanistan, saying Osama Bin Laden got justice a year ago. He warned US troops of further hardship ahead in Afghanistan, but told them \"there is a light on the horizon\" after more than a decade of war.   The president called the agreement he signed with Mr Karzai \"a responsible transition to Afghans taking control of their own country\". He said the change would not happen overnight because the US would not risk the gains so many had sacrificed to achieve.\n\"The reason America is safe is because of you,\" he added.\nThe US is to designate Afghanistan as a major non-Nato ally, US officials are quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. Mr Obama will not make specific decisions on further reductions of US forces in Afghanistan until the autumn of 2012, the officials added.\nMr Obama is due to make his TV address from Bagram air base at 23:30 GMT.\nThe agreement is a first, symbolic step towards setting out a long-term relationship, says the BBC's Paul Adams in Washington. It is designed to reassure the people of Afghanistan that they are not about to be abandoned when Nato ends its operations there in 18 months. It is also meant to send a signal to the Taliban that it cannot simply expect to take over again when the Americans leave, our correspondent adds. This is President Obama's third trip to Afghanistan since taking office.\n","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Barack Obama"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Hamid Karzai"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Afghanistan"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2012 Pope Benedict XVI meets with a delegation from the Latin American Jewish Congress, and speaks about progress in relations between the two faiths in the past 50 years. (Catholic World News)","document":"Pope Benedict XVI met on May 10 with a delegation from the Latin American Jewish Congress, and spoke about the progress in relations between the two faiths in the past 50 years.    The Vatican II document Nostra Aetate provides “the basis and the guide for our efforts,” the Pope said. That document, he added, “not only took up a clear position against all forms anti-Semitism, but also laid the foundations for a new theological evaluation of the Church’s relationship with Judaism, expressing the confidence that an appreciation of the spiritual heritage that Jews and Christians share will lead to increasing understanding and esteem.”    In Latin America, the Pontiff observed, “dynamic Jewish communities” live in predominantly Catholic societies, and efforts to promote friendly relations between the two faiths continue. While a great deal remains to be done, he said, the fact that “we are jointly committed to a path of dialogue, reconciliation and cooperation is a reason for thanksgiving.”   ","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["a delegation from the Latin American Jewish Congress"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Pope Benedict XVI"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 10"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2012 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Yukiya Amano heads for Tehran to convince the Iranian government to co–operate with the agency. (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)(BBC)","document":"The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has said talks with Iran's top nuclear negotiator have been \"positive\", according to Iranian state TV.\nYukiya Amano, of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), met Iran's nuclear energy head Saeed Jalili.\n\"We held expanded and intensive negotiations in a good atmosphere,\" Mr Amano is quoted as saying.\nHis visit to Tehran came ahead of a meeting in Baghdad between six world powers and Iran on Wednesday.\nIran denies claims by Western nations that it is developing a nuclear weapon.\nIt has refused to provide the IAEA access to relevant sites, officials and documents for more than four years.\nA website for one of Iran's state news channels quoted Mr Amano as saying: \"Definitely, the progress of talks will have a positive impact on negotiations between Iran and P5+1.\"\nUK, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany - the so-called P5 + 1 - are due to take part in the Baghdad talks. \"I will not go into details but the agency has some viewpoints and Iran has its own specific viewpoints,\" he added.   Western diplomats quoted by Reuters news agency said Mr Amano would only visit Tehran if he believed a framework agreement to grant inspectors greater access was close.\nBy promising co-operation with the IAEA, Iran might be looking for leverage ahead of Wednesday's talks, they say.\nMr Jalili also sounded a positive note after the meeting.\n\"We had very good talks with Amano and, God willing, we will have good cooperation in the future,\" according to reports by Iranian state television.\nHowever, previous negotiations have ended in failure. In February, Iran refused the IAEA's request to let inspectors visit its military site at Parchin, south of Tehran, which is believed to be involved in the country's nuclear programme.\nWestern powers are concerned that Iran is using its civilian nuclear programme to mask efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. The UN, US, European Union, Canada, Japan and Australia are among those who have imposed sanctions on Iran to try to persuade the country to co-operate with the IAEA. Those measures target areas such as the sale of oil, arms deals, financial transactions and trade in technology that could be used for uranium enrichment.\nUS strike plan on Iran 'ready'\nInternational Atomic Energy Agency\nUN calls for end of arms sales to Myanmar\nIn a rare move, the UN condemns the overthrowing of Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for an arms embargo.\n","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Yukiya Amano"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Saeed Jalili"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Iran","Tehran"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2012 Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh makes the first official visit to Myanmar by an Indian PM since 1987. (BBC) (The Times of India)","document":"Manmohan Singh has held talks with Burmese President Thein Sein as he makes the first official visit to Burma by an Indian prime minister since 1987.\nThe two sides signed 12 agreements to strengthen trade and diplomatic ties. During his three-day trip, Mr Singh will meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose mother once served as Burma's ambassador to India. The two nations share a 1,600km (1,000 mile) border, but relations have often been uneasy.\nOn Monday, they signed agreements on border area development, air services, cultural exchanges, a $500m credit line between India's Export-Import Bank and Myanmar [Burma] Foreign Trade bank, and establishment of a joint trade and investment forum, the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder reports from the Burmese capital, Nay Pyi Taw.\nDelhi cold-shouldered Burma's military rulers during the 1990s, infuriating the generals by openly supporting Ms Suu Kyi.\nBut Mr Singh, who arrived in the Burmese capital on Sunday, has overseen a dramatic turnaround in Delhi's policy, and hosted former ruler Than Shwe on a state visit in 2010.\nEarlier, on his arrival in Burma, Mr Singh said: \"I am coming here after 25 years when the last prime minister of India visited here. We have centuries-old ties of religion, culture and civilisation with the people of Myanmar.''\nHe had earlier said he wanted \"stronger trade and investment links, development of border areas, improving connectivity between our two countries and building capacity and human resources\".\nMr Singh is the latest in a series of leaders to visit Burma as it embarks on a process of reform under the new government. India is particularly keen on gaining access to Burma's rich gas fields, many of them still unexploited. But it will have to stave off competition from China as well as other countries in Asia and the West which are also pouring in money, our correspondent says.\nIndia has already signed a number of deals for the exploitation of Burma's vast reserves of natural gas, and Indian firms are building ports and other infrastructure projects in Burma.\nA high-powered business delegation forms part of Mr Singh's entourage, including telecoms tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of mobile giant Bharti Airtel.\nLast week, India made a symbolic announcement that transport links would be improved, including the first official bus route across the border.\nIndia is now Burma's third biggest export market, behind China and Thailand.\nBut China still dominates oil and gas exploration in Burma and is involved in the construction of roads, pipelines and port facilities.\nAnalysts say India is desperate to counteract the influence of China in the region, and Mr Singh will be keen to stress the close cultural and historical ties between the two countries.\nBoth sides will also focus on issues of security, particularly along their border which is home to armed insurgent groups as well as drug traffickers, says our correspondent. UN calls for end of arms sales to Myanmar\nIn a rare move, the UN condemns the overthrowing of Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for an arms embargo.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Manmohan Singh"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Thein Sein"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Burma","Burmese capital"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao commences his three–day visit to North Korea, and is greeted at the airport by ailing leader Kim Jong–il. (BBC) (Xinhua) (Yonhap)","document":" Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was greeted at Pyongyang airport by the North Korean leader\nNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-il has made a rare appearance to greet visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, ahead of talks on nuclear issues.\nDuring his three-day visit, Mr Wen is expected to urge the North to resume international negotiations. North Korea withdrew from six-party talks in April and conducted a nuclear test in May, raising regional tensions. After arriving in Pyongyang on Sunday, Mr Wen began talks with Prime Minister Kim Yong-il. It was wrongly reported earlier that he had held discussions with the North Korean leader himself - who only came to the airport to greet Mr Wen. Correspondents say Mr Kim has been suffering from a serious illness and rarely greets visiting dignitaries, so this appearance is an indication of how seriously North Korea takes its relationship with China. 'Resolve problems'\nChina's foreign minister and Beijing's delegate to the six-party talks are accompanying Mr Wen on what state media called the \"goodwill visit\". Video footage of Mr Wen's arrival showed a welcome ceremony and him leaving the airport in a limousine motorcade. China hosts the six-party talks, which also involve the US, South Korea, Japan and Russia. It is North Korea's biggest trading partner and holds the greatest sway over the communist regime - which has in recent weeks indicated it could resume stalled talks. Last month, Chinese state media reported that Mr Kim had told a visiting Chinese envoy he was willing to hold dialogue on the nuclear issue and \"resolve the relevant problems through bilateral and multilateral talks\". Pyongyang has long sought direct talks with the US - which had until recently said negotiation should be via the six-party structure. Washington now appears to have modified its stance on bilateral talks somewhat in the hope of bringing North Korea back to the multilateral forum. North Korea agreed in February 2007 to abandon its nuclear programme in return for aid and political concessions It shut down its main reactor at Yongbyon in June 2007, but talks then became deadlocked over the issue of how its declaration of nuclear assets could be verified by its negotiating partners. Pyongyang then grew more belligerent, carrying out what its neighbours believe was a long-range missile test and then its second nuclear test.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Wen Jiabao"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Kim Jong-il"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["North Korea","Pyongyang"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 United States President Barack Obama delays a meeting with the Dalai Lama until after a visit to China. (The Washington Post) (The Times)","document":"In an attempt to gain favor with China, the United States pressured Tibetan representatives to postpone a meeting between the Dalai Lama and President Obama until after Obama's summit with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, scheduled for next month, according to diplomats, government officials and other sources familiar with the talks.\nFor the first time since 1991, the Tibetan spiritual leader will visit Washington this week and not meet with the president. Since 1991, he has been here 10 times. Most times the meetings have been \"drop-in\" visits at the White House. The last time he was here, in 2007, however, George W. Bush became the first sitting president to meet with him publicly, at a ceremony at the Capitol in which he awarded the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress's highest civilian award.\nThe U.S. decision to postpone the meeting appears to be part of a strategy to improve ties with China that also includes soft-pedaling criticism of China's human rights and financial policies as well as backing efforts to elevate China's position in international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund. Obama administration officials have termed the new policy \"strategic reassurance,\" which entails the U.S. government taking steps to convince China that it is not out to contain the emerging Asian power.\nBefore a visit to China in February, for example, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said advocacy for human rights could not \"interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate-change crisis and the security crisis\" -- a statement that won her much goodwill in Beijing. U.S. Treasury officials have also stopped accusing China of artificially deflating the value of its currency to make its exports more attractive.\nIn explaining their reluctance to meet the Dalai Lama now, U.S. officials told Tibetan representatives that they wanted to work with China on critical issues, including nuclear weapons proliferation in North Korea and Iran, said an Asian diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Administration officials also hinted that they were considering selling a new tranche of weapons to Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.\n\"They were worried about too many irritating factors all at once,\" said the Asian diplomat. \"They didn't want to have too many things straining the relationship.\" What is not clear is whether the administration was bending to specific Chinese demands or whether it decided unilaterally, in the words of one participant in the talks, \"to throw the Chinese a bone.\"\nA senior administration official denied that the Dalai Lama had sought a meeting with Obama in October and \"instead he would like to see him in December.\" He said it was \"counter-factual\" to assume that a meeting had been postponed. The official briefed a reporter on the condition that his name not be used.\nU.S. officials also said they are not pulling punches with the Chinese. They have, however, indicated that they want to try something new on Tibet, figuring that the old policy -- of meeting with the Dalai Lama regularly and calling for substantive talks between China and his representatives -- had achieved little. American officials told Tibetan representatives that \"this president is not interested in symbolism or photo ops but in deliverables,\" the Asian diplomat said. \"He wants something to come out of his efforts over Tibet, rather than just checking a box.\"\nTalks between China and representatives of the Dalai Lama, who fled China in 1959 after an anti-Chinese uprising, collapsed in 2008. There are signs that they might resume soon.\nWhat Did China Think?\nU.S. officials began to express doubts about the meeting between the Dalai Lama and Obama soon after the Group of 20 meeting in April when the United States and China agreed that Obama would visit Beijing later this year, the Asian diplomat said.\nBefore that White House and State Department officials had told Tibetan representatives that it was simply a matter of finding the right day, the Asian diplomat said. \"They said they would live with the meeting, would live with the Chinese being upset,\" he said. \"But then there was strong push-back.\"\nThe Tibetan representatives did not bend initially. So in May, retired U.S. diplomats got involved, meeting with prominent American friends of the Tibetan movement in an attempt to get them to exert pressure on the Dalai Lama and his representatives to relent, according to sources with direct knowledge of these interventions. Meanwhile, a string of Chinese delegations began contacting American academics and others close to the Tibetan movement in an effort to gauge whether Obama would have the meeting, said people who met with the Chinese. Ironically, according to participants in these talks, the Chinese had come to the conclusion that Obama was going to meet with the Dalai Lama in October and that the only issue was how the Tibetan leader would be received in the White House.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["the Dalai Lama"]},{"role":"Host","values":["President Obama"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["the United States","the White House"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visits Turkey to attend a qualifying match between the nations for the FIFA World Cup. Turkish fans boo the Armenian anthem. (BBC)","document":"Armenian President Serge Sarkisian has visited Turkey in a fresh step towards reconciliation between the two nations after nearly a century of hostility.\nIn the first such visit by an Armenian leader for a decade, he joined Turkish President Abdullah Gul at a World Cup qualifying football match. Turkish fans booed Armenia's anthem at the start of the game - which Turkey won 2-0 - in the western city of Bursa. Last week, Turkey and Armenia signed a historic accord normalising relations. Relations between the two countries have been overshadowed by bitterness since the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces during the First World War. Yerevan wants Ankara to recognise the killings as an act of genocide, but successive Turkish governments have refused to do so. Doves released\nSecurity was tight around the stadium as Mr Sarkisian and Mr Gul attended the match between Turkey and Armenia, following a dinner hosted by the Turkish president. Mr Sarkisian smiled as Turkey scored, while Mr Gul applauded, and the two were seen chatting. Despite appeals from loudspeakers for respect, jeering erupted when Armenia's national anthem was played at the start of the game. Earlier, a bus carrying Armenian journalists was pelted with stones by dozens of shouting fans, but no-one was injured. Some fans released white doves in a gesture of peace that drew applause in the stadium. Despite Turkey's win the outcome was of no significance as both teams are already out of the running for the 2010 World Cup finals. Last year, Mr Gul attended a game between the two nations in Armenia, kicking off a round of \"football diplomacy\" that eventually led to last week's accord. Under the agreement, Turkey and Armenia are to establish diplomatic ties and reopen their shared border. The accord still needs to be ratified by the parliaments of Armenia and Turkey. Last week, thousands of people protested against the deal in Yerevan. Armenians have campaigned for the killings to be recognised internationally as genocide - and more than 20 countries have done so. Turkey admits that many Armenians were killed but says the deaths were part of the widespread fighting that took place in World War I. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 because of its war with Azerbaijan, during which Armenian troops seized the Azeri region of Nagorno-Karabakh. On Sunday, Azerbaijan said Turkey should not have normalised ties Armenia without a deal over Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the opening of his country's border with Armenia would be tied to progress on the disputed region.","event_type":"Diplomatic Visit","arguments":[{"role":"Visitor","values":["Serge Sarkisian"]},{"role":"Host","values":["Abdullah Gul"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Country Visited","values":["Turkey"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2021 Sri Lankan Member of Parliament and former industry minister Rishad Bathiudeen is arrested, along with his brother, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for having connections with the perpetrators of the 2019 attack. (Arab News)","document":"COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s police arrested a top Muslim legislator Saturday in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks that killed 279 people, as pressure mounted to speed up the investigation.\nDetectives took Rishad Bathiudeen, leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Party (ACMP) and a former minister, into custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), police spokesman Ajith Rohana said.\nBathiudeen and his brother Riyaaj were arrested in pre-dawn raids on their homes in Colombo.\n“They were arrested under the PTA based on circumstantial and scientific evidence that they had connections with the suicide bombers who carried out the attacks,” Rohana said in a statement.\nA lawyer representing the brothers said a presidential inquiry had found no evidence linking them to the bombers and the arrests were a political vendetta.\n“The arrests are politically motivated,” lawyer Rushdhie Habeeb said in a statement, which highlighted how the ACMP had opposed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2019 elections.\nThe arrests came three days after the head of Sri Lanka’s Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, accused the government of allowing investigations to stall.\nNearly 200 people were arrested within days of the suicide attacks on hotels and churches by local Islamist extremists, but no one has been charged.\nRanjith, who led commemorations on the second anniversary of the Easter attacks on Wednesday, said he was “deeply saddened” by the lack of progress in the investigation.\nHe renewed his call for swift action against the perpetrators and said “political posturing and the need to safeguard alliances” was hindering the probe.\nBathiudeen’s party is a member of an opposition coalition, but three of his legislators defected to the government in October to amend the constitution and give Rajapaksa wider powers over the judiciary and legislature.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Ajith Rohana"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["a top Muslim legislator","Rishad Bathiudeen, leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Party (ACMP) and a former minister, into custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks that killed 279 people"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["pre-dawn raids on their homes in Colombo"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2021 The Syrian Democratic Forces reports that it apprehended a 39-member ISIL cell in Al-Hasakah, Al-Hasakah Governorate, a few days ago. The cell was reportedly planning an attack during Eid al-Fitr. (Rudaw)","document":"ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) dismantled an Islamic State (ISIS) cell of nearly 40 militants on Thursday in northeastern Syria, the force announced.\nThe SDF said its forces arrested the group, which included 39 members, in the countryside around al-Shuhail, in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor. The cell was believed to be planning an attack during the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.\nThe SDF said they also seized a large number of weapons and documents owned by the terror group. Kurdish security forces say they have destroyed several ISIS hideouts and detained a number of the militant group’s members in northeastern Syria in recent operations.\nThe SDF announced they arrested 14 ISIS members in Deir ez-Zor on Tuesday  and a media outlet affiliated with the SDF said Kurdish forces arrested a leader of the militant group in Hasaka on Sunday. The arrests follow a series of assassinations, targeting civilians, tribal leaders, and members of the SDF.\nThree SDF members were killed in separate attacks on Tuesday and Monday. Both attacks were carried out by unknown gunmen.\nISIS has been territorially defeated in Iraq and Syria but the militants continue to carry out bombings, hit-and run attacks and abductions on both sides of the border. The SDF and Syrian regime forces control separate areas of Deir ez-Zor province.\nKurdish-led forces announced in a statement that they concluded on Wednesday a four-day military operation against ISIS on the Syria-Iraq border, which was launched with the support of the global coalition.\nIn its weekly propaganda newspaper al-Naba, ISIS claimed it had conducted 12 attacks in Syria between April 29 and May 5, killing and injuring 17 people.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["an Islamic State (ISIS) cell of nearly 40 militants"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["in the countryside around al-Shuhail"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2017 Mikheil Saakashvili is arrested again by the National Police of Ukraine. He was on the run since December 5. He has been leading anti-corruption rallies against Petro Poroshenko. (RTL Nieuws) (BBC)","document":"Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been detained in Ukraine's capital Kiev, days after his supporters freed him from a police van.\nMr Saakashvili, who in 2015-16 served as regional governor in Ukraine under President Petro Poroshenko, has been leading anti-corruption rallies against his former ally. On Tuesday, he was dragged from his home in Kiev and arrested.\nHe has been calling for Mr Poroshenko's impeachment since his first arrest.\nThe authorities responded by giving him a deadline of 24 hours to hand himself in.\nMr Saakashvili is accused of receiving financing from a criminal group linked to ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.\nHis detention was part of an operation \"to disrupt a plan of revenge of pro-Kremlin forces in Ukraine\", Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said on Tuesday.\nProsecutors released audio and video recordings which they say proved he had received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the criminal group.\nMr Saakashvili said the recordings were fake.\nIf found guilty, he could face up to five years in jail.\nMr Saakashvili also faces the threat of extradition to Georgia, where he is wanted on corruption charges. He says the accusations are politically motivated.\nHe was governor of the southern Odessa region for 18 months after being appointed by Mr Poroshenko in 2015.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["leading anti-corruption rallies against his former ally","corruption charges"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Ukraine's capital Kiev"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2017 Turkish authorities have ordered the arrest of 105 people working in information technology who were believed to have been involved in the attempted overthrow of the government last year, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday. (Reuters)","document":"ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish authorities have ordered the arrest of 105 people working in information technology on suspicion of involvement in an attempted military coup a year ago, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.\nOver the last year, there has been a large number of police operations targeting people suspected of links to the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating the failed putsch on July 15.\nIn the latest operations focused on IT employees in both the private and public sectors, police have so far detained 52 people out of the 105 targeted by arrest warrants across eight provinces, including former staff from Turkey’s scientific research council TUBITAK and a telecommunications authority, Anadolu said.\nIt said the suspects were believed to be users of ByLock, an encrypted messaging app the government says was used by Gulen’s followers. Gulen has denied involvement in the attempted military takeover.\nOn Monday authorities issued arrest warrants for 72 university staff, including a former adviser to Turkey’s main opposition leader who staged a mass rally on Sunday to protest against a crackdown in the last year.\nLast week police detained 10 people, including the local head of rights group Amnesty International at a meeting on an island near Istanbul. Their detentions were extended for another seven days on Tuesday, a source close to the matter said.\nIn total, about 50,000 people have been arrested and 150,000 state workers including teachers, judges and soldiers have been suspended under the emergency rule imposed in late July.\nRights groups and government critics say Turkey has been drifting toward authoritarianism for years, a process they say has accelerated since the coup bid and a referendum in April granting President Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers.\nThe government says the crackdown and constitutional changes are necessary to address security threats. More than 240 people were killed in last year’s coup attempt.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Anadolu news agency","Over the last year, there has been a large number of police operations targeting people suspected of links to the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating the failed putsch on July 15"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["105 people working in information technology","52 people out of the 105"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["suspicion of involvement in an attempted military coup a year ago"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2017 The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant against Mahmoud al-Werfalli for the war crime of murder following the circulation of several videos in which he appears to oversee the execution of over 30 prisoners. (Al Jazeera)","document":"THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for a Libyan National Army (LNA)commander accused over the alleged execution of dozens of prisoners.\nProsecutors at the world’s permanent war crimes court are seeking Mahmoud al-Werfalli’s hand-over to face charges of murder during the armed conflict in Libya.\nAccording to the ICC, Werfalli “is alleged to have directly committed and to have ordered the commission of murder as a war crime” during seven incidents, involving 33 persons in June and July 2017 in and near Benghazi.\nThe LNA, which controls the eastern part of Libya, has been pushing to expand its presence in the central and southern part of the country where it has been vying for control with forces linked to the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli and other groups.\nThe United Nations called for the LNA to suspend Werfalli after a video in March allegedly showed Werfalli shooting dead three men who were kneeling and facing a wall with their hands tied behind their backs.\nThe LNA said it would investigate any potential war crimes but has not released any details of such a probe.\nIn June, two further videos appeared to show summary executions carried out by LNA fighters on his orders.\nThe ICC has jurisdiction over war crimes in Libya after a referral by the United Nations Security Council in 2011 and has been investigating alleged atrocities there.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Judges"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["a Libyan National Army (LNA)commander"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["execution of dozens of prisoners"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2017 Tampa, Florida police arrest Howell Emanuel Donaldson III and charge him with four counts of murder. (CBS)","document":"Updated on:  November 29, 2017 / 7:34 AM\n          / CBS News\n        Tampa police said Tuesday night they had arrested a 24-year-old man and that he would be charged with murder in four shooting deaths in the Seminole Heights neighborhood that had stoked fears of a serial killer in the area. \nHowell Emanuel Donaldson III, 24, will be charged with four counts of first degree, premeditated murder in the killings of Benjamin Edward Mitchell, Monica Caridad Hoffa, Anthony Naiboa and Ronald Felton, Tampa police chief Brian Dugan said in a press conference Tuesday.\nDonaldson was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at a McDonald's after another employee said he handed a gun to a manager, who then reached out to an officer in the building, CBS affiliate WTSP reports. \n\"When I think I found out there was a gun, and when we looked at his description, it was a little more than what we really had,\" Dugan said. \"It just felt right. I kinda had a feeling that we were going to get a break.\"\nInvestigators are still determining Donaldson's connection to the neighborhood, Dugan said.\n\"We're not sure why he was in this neighborhood,\" he said. \"We're not aware what he ties are and we don't know what his motive is. But there is a lot more to go.\"\nCBS News correspondent Manuel Bojorquez reports that Donaldson is from the Tampa area, but also has connections to New York. The New York Police Department confirmed overnight that he was arrested in Manhattan in 2014, but they wouldn't say for what. He also attended Saint John's University in Queens. \nPolice have been searching for the person - or people - responsible for shooting and killing four in the Seminole Heights neighborhood since Oct. 9. Police have said the shootings happened within close proximity to one another, aren't robberies and could be the work of a serial killer. \nPolice had increased patrols in the neighborhood and released surveillance videos of a hooded suspect. In a security video taken moments after 22-year-old Benjamin Mitchell became the first victim on Oct. 9, the suspect is running from the scene.  \n\"I've come up with four reasons why this person is running,\" Dugan said last month. \"One, they may be late for dinner. Two, they're out exercising. Three, they heard gunshots. And number four, they just murdered Benjamin Mitchell.\"\nTwo days after Mitchell was shot, Monica Hoffa, 32, was gunned down. And on Oct. 19, Anthony Naiboa, 20, was shot after taking the wrong bus home from his new job. Police patrolling nearby heard the gunshots and rushed to the scene to find Naiboa dead.\nPolice found the body of Ronald Felton, 60, in the street on Nov. 14.  Police said Felton had been walking across the street to meet someone when the gunman came up behind him and fired.   \nSeminole Heights is a working-class neighborhood northeast of downtown Tampa that's slowly becoming gentrified. Run-down homes sit next to renovated, historic bungalows, and trendy restaurants have sprung up near auto body shops.\nResidents and business owners have said there are car burglaries and fights between kids, but nothing like this.  The department has received more than 5,000 tips. Dugan says he's optimistic but acknowledged previous leads have led to nothing.\nDonaldson's arrest happened during the kick off for the first annual \"Light the Heights\" event, WTSP reports. \nThe holiday-themed effort to light every home with Christmas lights is the latest to brighten up the area with light – as well as some holiday cheer.\n\"We have a goal of having every house in our neighborhood lit up to bring a positive light to our neighborhood,\" organizer Courtney Bumgarnar told WTSP. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Police"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Howell Emanuel Donaldson III, 24"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["four counts of first degree, premeditated murder in the killings of Benjamin Edward Mitchell, Monica Caridad Hoffa, Anthony Naiboa and Ronald Felton, Tampa police chief Brian Dugan said in a press conference"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Manhattan"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2007 The United States arrests Zhenli Ye Gon, a Mexican citizen accused of making large amounts of crystal meth in a laboratory. (Reuters)","document":"MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The United States arrested on Monday a Mexican laboratory owner accused of helping make huge quantities of crystal meth, four months after police found $206 million cash in his Mexico City mansion.\nA picture taken from a video projected on a screen shows Zhenli Ye Gon, during a press conference held by his lawyers in Washington, July 18, 2007. The United States arrested on Monday the Mexican laboratory owner accused of helping make huge quantities of crystal meth, four months after police found $206 million cash in his Mexico City mansion. REUTERS/Jason Reed\nMexico’s attorney general, Eduardo Medina Mora, said U.S. authorities had confirmed the arrest of Chinese-born Zhenli Ye Gon.\n“We have received the news informally but confirmed by official sources that the arrest took place,” Medina Mora said on Mexican television network Televisa.\nMexico has requested the extradition of Ye Gon, the attorney general’s office said in a statement. He was arrested in the Washington suburb of Rockville, Maryland.\nIt was not immediately clear if the arrest was the result of Mexico’s request, although U.S. authorities had previously\nsaid no warrants had been issued for Ye Gon. Mexico now has 60 days to make its case for extradition.\nMexican police in March raided a mansion owned by Ye Gon and found wads of U.S. bank notes in bulging suitcases and overflowing closets.\nSeven people were arrested after that raid in the swanky Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood. It also turned up six Mercedes-Benz vehicles and pistols equipped with silencers, but Ye Gon escaped to the United States.\nYe Gon, a naturalized Mexican, is accused of importing through Mexican ports huge quantities of chemicals used to make the powerful stimulant crystal meth.\nYe Gon says he is an innocent victim of a government plot.\nMexican methamphetamine producers have muscled in on the U.S. market. So-called superlabs that mass produce the drug have sprung up across Mexico, where precursor chemicals like pseudoephedrine are more easily available.\nThe government recently clamped down sales of cough remedies that contain pseudoephedrine.\nPolice say a company run by Ye Gon illegally imported chemicals and that he was setting up a lab to make crystal meth, or methamphetamine, a powerful stimulant.\nYe Gon has caused a scandal in Mexico in recent weeks by saying a government minister forced him to hide the cash under threat of death during last year’s election campaign.\nPresident Felipe Calderon has deployed thousands of police and soldiers across Mexico to clamp down on drug cartels since taking office in December. So far, March’s raid of Ye Gon’s house has been the only high-profile bust.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["four months after police found $206 million cash in his Mexico City mansion"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["a Mexican laboratory owner"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["helping make huge quantities of crystal meth"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2007 Two men are arrested in Paris for stealing Pablo Picasso paintings from the apartment of his granddaughter. (AFP via ABC News Australia)","document":"Two men arrested for stealing Picasso masterpieces from the Paris flat of the artist's granddaughter were planning to sell the works for a fraction of their value, police say.\nPolice surveillance teams arrested the suspected thieves on Tuesday morning as they prepared to strike a deal with a would-be buyer - himself a convicted burglar - in the upmarket 16th arrondissement of Paris.\nThe trio, aged 45 to 60, are expected to be brought before a judge later on Wednesday (local time) to face possible charges.\nTwo paintings and a drawing by the Spanish master Pablo Picasso, together worth more than 50 million euros ($80 million), were taken from the Left Bank apartment of Diana Widmaier-Picasso as she lay sleeping on February 26.\nThe thieves made off with the 1961 Portrait of Jacqueline, depicting Picasso's second wife and Maya with Doll, a painting of the artist's daughter from 1938. The stolen drawing was called Marie-Therese at age 21.\nThe suspects, described by police as \"professional dealers in stolen goods,\" are thought to have been planning to sell the Picassos along with other stolen works on the European art market.\n\"They hoped to sell the works at a price well below their true value,\" said Loic Garnier of the BRB, an elite police unit that deals with serious crime.\n\"Two of the three stolen pieces are major Picasso works, and very easily recognisable. They would be extremely difficult to sell through official channels.\n\"This wasn't an amateurs' job, but I can tell these people were not art lovers.\"\nOfficers recovered the paintings - apparently in good condition - after a contact in the art world tipped off the OCBC, the French police unit dealing in stolen art.\nThe dealer said a Frenchman had offered to sell him a well-known bronze sculpture, stolen in Paris last month, according to the OCBC.\nTogether with the BRB, they mounted the surveillance operation that led to the arrests in western Paris.\nThe suspects were carrying the Picassos rolled up inside cardboard tubes at the time.\n\"We didn't want to turn the risk of seeing the works vanish. So as soon as we were sure they had them, we carried out the arrests,\" said Mr Garnier.\n\"The works are in good overall condition,\" he said, although they suffered slight damage from being rolled up the wrong way, with the paint on the inside, and too tightly.\nThe Portrait of Jacqueline has been slightly marked, but should be easy to restore.\nMaya with Doll, however, suffered some cracks and shows signs of being roughly removed from its frame.\nMaya with Doll is one of Picasso's classic oil paintings in bright shades of green, blue and red and depicting young Maya in pigtails holding a doll and a small wooden horse.\nMaya was Widmaier-Picasso's mother, who was the daughter of Picasso and Marie-Therese Walter, one of Picasso's many female companions.\n\"It is a sign of ignorance and stupidity to do such damage to works of art - these are unique pieces,\" said the OCBC's deputy head Bernard Darties.\nWidmaier-Picasso's lawyer Olivier Baraterie said the Picasso family were grateful for the police's work, and expected to recover the works within a fortnight.\nAccording to one source close to the investigation, the paintings were not insured because of the prohibitive sums demanded to cover them.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["planning to sell the works for a fraction of their value"]},{"role":"Police","values":["Police surveillance teams arrested the suspected thieves on Tuesday morning as they prepared to strike a deal with a would-be buyer - himself a convicted burglar - in the upmarket 16th arrondissement of Paris","oic Garnier of the BRB"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["on Tuesday morning"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Two men"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["stealing Picasso masterpieces from the Paris flat of the artist's granddaughter"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2007 Juan Carlos Ramirez–Abadia, Colombian cocaine trafficker boss of the Norte del Valle Cartel is apprehended in Brazil and faces extradition to the United States. The US Government had offered a reward of US$5 million dollars. (Reuters)","document":"SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian police on Tuesday arrested a man said to be one of Colombia’s most violent drug traffickers and wanted by U.S. authorities for shipping thousands of tonnes of cocaine to the United States.\nColombian citizen Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, considered one of his country's most important drug traffickers, is seen in these two undated photographs posted on the U.S. Department of State website. Brazilian police arrested Ramirez Abadia on August 7, 2007 in an operation against an international smuggling and money-laundering ring, officials said. Ramirez Abadia was arrested in a dawn raid on an apartment in the town of Aldeia da Serra, in Sao Paulo state, as part of an operation across six states, the federal police force said in a statement. REUTERS/U.S. Department of State/Handout\nJuan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, 44, was seized around dawn at an apartment in Aldeia da Serra, Sao Paulo state, in an operation against an international smuggling and money-laundering ring, a federal police statement said.\nThe U.S. State Department describes Ramirez Abadia -- nicknamed Chupeta, or lollipop -- as one of Colombia’s most significant cocaine traffickers and a leader of the Cali-based Norte del Valle cartel.\nIt says he is extremely violent and had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.\nIn a March 2004 indictment issued by a federal grand jury in Washington, Ramirez Abadia is accused of shipping about 500 tonnes of cocaine worth in excess of $10 billion from Colombia to the United States between 1990 and 2004.\nA federal police spokesman in Brasilia said the Supreme Court was processing a U.S. extradition request and if approved, Ramirez Abadia would be transferred to the United States.\nThe Brazilian police statement said Ramirez Abadia is suspected of ordering the murders of hundreds of people in Colombia and the United States, including police and informers.\nIt said the gang targeted in Tuesday’s sweep exported huge quantities of drugs to Europe and the United States and laundered the profits in Brazil via Spain, Mexico and Uruguay. It invested the money in real estate, including mansions and hotels, industry and cars.\nThe operation across six states followed a two-and-a-half year investigation.\nRamirez Abadia has been involved in drug trafficking since at least 1986, the U.S. State Department said. He was previously indicted in the United States in 1994 and 1996 but the Colombian government turned down extradition requests.\nHe has served prison time in Colombia but carried on his drug trafficking activities from behind bars.\nThe U.S. government says Ramirez Abadia also smuggled thousands of tonnes of cocaine to Texas, California and New York in the mid-1990s, setting up a financial network using a Colombian pharmaceutical distribution company as a front.\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":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Brazilian police arrested Ramirez Abadia on August 7, 2007 in an operation against an international smuggling and money-laundering ring, officials said"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Ramirez Abadia","one of Colombia’s most violent drug traffickers and wanted by U.S. authorities for shipping thousands of tonnes of cocaine to the United States"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["a dawn raid on an apartment in the town of Aldeia da Serra, in Sao Paulo state"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2007 Former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak, whose arrest ended her career, apologized to U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman, her former romantic rival and the woman she is accused of terrorizing. (Los Angeles Times)","document":"It had been almost seven months since Lisa Nowak and Colleen Shipman came face to face in a dark parking lot at Orlando International Airport.\nFriday they met again, this time before a television audience that tuned in to watch the latest developments in their courtroom drama.\nAmid a throng of national media, Nowak -- whose arrest ended her career as a NASA astronaut -- apologized to Shipman, her former romantic rival and the woman she is accused of terrorizing.\n“The past six months have been very difficult for me, my family and others close to me,” Nowak said after a five-hour hearing at the Orange County Courthouse. “I know that it must’ve also been very hard for Colleen Shipman, and I would like her to know how very sorry I am about having frightened her in any way and the subsequent public harassment that has besieged all of us.”\nShipman -- who attended part of Friday’s hearing and testified that she was still afraid of Nowak -- left hours before the apology.\nBut Kepler Funk, her attorney, was there for the news conference.\n“Sounds like an admission of guilt to me,” Funk said.\nNowak, 44, stood before the media and read her statement, the clicking cameras nearly drowning out her wavering voice. They were some of her first public comments since she became known as a criminal defendant rather than an astronaut.\nThe Navy captain, who was a mission specialist on shuttle Discovery’s flight in July 2006, is charged with attempted kidnapping and burglary with assault, punishable by up to life in prison if convicted. She’s also charged with misdemeanor battery. She has pleaded not guilty.\nFriday’s hearing -- aired live on Court TV -- ended with no resolution. Another hearing will be held.\nBut the key players in this public drama broke their silence under oath.\nNowak took the stand to explain the problems she has with wearing the court-ordered GPS monitoring device on her ankle, and told the court that a police officer never showed her a warrant to search her car.\n“He asked me many times for consent and said he would get a search warrant,” Nowak testified. “I thought he would search my car no matter what.”\nShipman’s attorney told the judge that Shipman hoped Nowak would have to continue wearing the monitoring device. Shipman, 30, lives in Brevard County, Fla., home of the space program.\nBut Nowak’s attorney, Donald Lykkebak, wanted to hear that from Shipman, who sat in the front row about 10 feet from Nowak. The Air Force captain spoke firmly, with little emotion, when Lykkebak asked her why she traveled to Houston, where Nowak lives, if she is so frightened by his client.\n“I traveled to Texas to visit my boyfriend, where I do feel comfortable and I do feel protected,” she said. She did not say if her boyfriend was Navy Cmdr. Bill Oefelein, the former astronaut who was the object of both women’s affections.\nShipman said that she was still afraid of Nowak and that the monitoring anklet made her feel safe.\n“When I’m home alone and there’s nobody there with me, it is a comfort,” Shipman said.\nNowak is free on $25,500 bail and wearing the tracking anklet as a condition of her release. She told the court it was bulky, uncomfortable and expensive -- the weekly rental rate of $105 reaching $3,000 so far.\nShe also said it prevented her from doing exercise she was required to do as a military officer.\nNowak promised to abide by all court orders if the device was removed, including not having contact with Shipman.\nAssistant state attorney Pamela Davis suggested Nowak could do certain exercises and had been able to function despite the inconvenience. She also dismissed the anklet’s expense.\n“You’re paying a media consultant -- fire the consultant,” she told Nowak.\nTestimony also addressed whether Nowak wore diapers to avoid stopping in driving straight from Houston to Orlando. Astronauts use them on shuttle missions, and that detail has made Nowak a punch line on comedy shows.\nIn June, Lykkebak called it “the biggest lie in this preposterous tale,” and criticized the media for circulating the story.\nOrlando Police Det. William Becton reiterated in testimony that he found three dirty diapers in a garbage bag inside the former astronaut’s BMW. He said Nowak told him she used them on the drive from Houston to Orlando to limit stops.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Orlando Police Det. William Becton reiterated in testimony that he found three dirty diapers in a garbage bag inside the former astronaut’s BMW"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Nowak"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["terrorizing","misdemeanor battery"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2007 French and Spanish police foil an ETA car bomb plot and arrest the man who is alleged to be the organisations top bombmaker and his accomplices. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)","document":"French and Spanish police foiled a car bomb plot by Basque separatist group ETA, netting its alleged top bomb maker and three colleagues in what analysts termed a major blow for ETA.\nSpanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba told reporters in Madrid the arrests in south-western France, during which police also seized explosives and detonators, were of \"enormous importance\".\nThey were the culmination of an operation begun when three other ETA suspects were arrested on the French side of the border in July in a vehicle carrying 165 kilograms of explosives, he said.\nMr Rubalcaba added the suspects had played key roles in a bomb attack at Madrid's Barajas airport last December that killed two people.\n\"To the question 'Were they preparing an attack?' the answer is yes, they were preparing a car bomb,\" Mr Rubalcaba said.\nThe quartet arrested in the joint Spanish-French swoop on a house in the town of Cahors included Luis Ignacio Iruretagoyena, who French and Spanish officials said was ETA's chief explosives expert.\nFrench deputy prosecutor Jean-Michel Bourles, said the house in Cahors, rented by the suspects, contained a workshop capable of making bombs \"able to make enormous explosions.\"\nMr Bourles added some 30 detonators had also been unearthed along with an explosive device packed with some 500 grams of pentrite, a powerful explosive, and other bomb-making equipment, including 200 kilograms of aluminium powder and 150 of ammonium nitrate.\nHe added police also seized two cars stolen in France.\nMr Bourles warned that despite the arrests \"it is evident ETA has a habit of very rapidly preparing people for this kind of mission\" in their place.\nThe arrests came barely a week after ETA carried out its first attack since officially ending a 15-month ceasefire on June 5 with operatives on August 26 blowing up a van outside a police barracks in Durango in the Basque region, slightly injuring two policemen.\n- AFP\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":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["some 30 detonators had also been unearthed along with an explosive device packed with some 500 grams of pentrite, a powerful explosive, and other bomb-making equipment, including 200 kilograms of aluminium powder and 150 of ammonium nitrate"]},{"role":"Police","values":["French and Spanish police"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["July"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["three other ETA suspects","Basque separatist group ETA","Luis Ignacio Iruretagoyena, who French and Spanish officials said was ETA's chief explosives expert"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["the joint Spanish-French swoop on a house","on the French side of the border"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2007 The interim Government of Bangladesh arrests former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia and her son on corruption charges. (BBC)","document":"Ms Zia was refused bail in a Dhaka court and jailed to await trial, her lawyer said. She faces charges of extortion and corruption.\nHer lawyer said he suspected her arrest was politically motivated.\nHours earlier, new corruption charges were made against another former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is already accused of extortion and murder.\nBangladesh has been under emergency rule since January, when the interim government cancelled elections. It has banned most political activity.\nThe interim government has arrested 150 politicians in what it says is a crackdown on corruption.\nBut one of her lawyers, Abdul Wadud Khandakerm, said Ms Zia's arrest was aimed at forcing her out of politics.\n\"She told the court that the case was fabricated, motivated, conspiratorial and fictitious,\" he said, adding that Ms Zia would return stronger than before.\nTight security\nMs Zia and her younger son, Arafat Rahman Coco, were led to court amid tight security after being arrested at her home at 0730 (0130 GMT).\nHundreds of police surrounded the court and thousands of Zia supporters gathered outside.\n                            KHALEDA ZIA KEY FACTS\n                        Born 1945\nMarries national hero General Ziaur Rahman in 1960, who was assassinated in 1981\n1991-1996: Country's first female prime minister\nPrime minister again from 2001 to 2006\nSeptember, 2007: Arrested and charged with corruption\nBangladesh stuck in limbo\nQ&A: Bangladesh crisis\nProfile: Khaleda Zia\nSecurity forces had surrounded the home since midnight (1800 GMT Sunday).\nMs Zia - leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party - is facing charges of corruption and abuse of power for allegedly using her influence to determine the operators of two state container depots in 2003, during her second term as prime minister.\nMr Coco is accused of pushing his mother to approve the deal. He is still being questioned by police and will remain in custody for seven days, lawyer Rafiqul Islam Miah said.\nEleven others are also named in the case, brought by Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission.\nMs Zia - who stepped down as prime minister in October 2006 - is also facing criminal charges connected with earlier tax evasion allegations.\nBitter rival\nOn Sunday, the anti-corruption commission filed charges against Ms Zia's bitter rival Sheikh Hasina, the head of the Awami League, accusing her of taking illegal payments from a private electricity firm totalling $435,000 (£215,000).\nSheikh Hasina was arrested in July\nThe commission said Sheikh Hasina had taken the money when she was in power between 1996 and 2000.\nSheikh Hasina denies all charges against her. She has been in custody since July.\nSix other people, including former senior officials, have also been charged.\nThis is the first charge brought against Sheikh Hasina by a government body, so is seen to carry more weight than the others, says the BBC's Mark Dummett in Dhaka. Sheikh Hasina is being held in a house in the parliament complex.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["at 0730 (0130 GMT)"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Ms Zia and her younger son, Arafat Rahman Coco","150 politicians"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["extortion and corruption"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2007 The New South Wales Police Force arrests 11 climate-change activists who attach themselves to coal-loading equipment at Carrington in Newcastle, New South Wales. (Sydney Morning Herald)","document":"Police have made 11 arrests after climate change activists attached themselves to coal loading equipment at a Newcastle coal terminal this morning.\nThe activists, from a group called People for Climate Action Now, used chains and locks to fasten themselves by the neck to four coal reclaimers at the Carrington coal terminal.\nThis follows a similar action in Victoria yesterday, when protesters broke into the Loy Yang power station and locked themselves to coal conveyor belts, disrupting power generation for seven hours.\nPolice were called to the Carrington terminal at 8am today, after reports that eight protesters had jumped over a fence to enter the terminal, a police spokeswoman said.\n\"Several protesters chained themselves by the neck to a coal loader ... [and] a number of others have been arrested,\" she said.\nA spokeswoman for the activists, Nicky Ison, said 20 activists entered the premises this morning but only five chained themselves to coal loading equipment.\nAll five were under the age of 23, and four were women, she said.\n\"They are locked on to the coal reclaimers, which take the coal from stockpiles and move it on to ships,\" Ms Ison said.\nThose arrested included the five who were chained to the coal loaders, she said.\nThe activists were protesting against the \"lack of action ... against climate change\" by world leaders gathered for this week's Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit, she said.\nCarrington coal terminal was targeted because it was one of the world's largest coal ports, she said.\n\"We are here to protest [against] the Bush and Howard climate change agenda, which will see no real action on climate change, no binding emissions target and will push a coal and nuclear agenda,\" she said.\nMs Ison said she was \"definitely inspired\" by yesterday's protests in Victoria but said the two protests were not \"co-ordinated together\".\nManagement at Port Waratah Coal Services, which operates the Carrington coal terminal, described the protest as \"grossly irresponsible\".\n\"We respect the right to protest, but also warn that trespassing at dangerous industrial sites presents obvious risks to the safety and lives of protesters, PWCS employees and police,\" PWCS general manager Graham Davidson said.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Police were called to the Carrington terminal at 8am today, after reports that eight protesters had jumped over a fence to enter the terminal, a police spokeswoman said"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["this morning"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Several protesters chained themselves by the neck to a coal loader","11 arrests","a number of others","the five who were chained to the coal loaders"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["at a Newcastle coal terminal"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2007 Officials from a UN–backed genocide tribunal detain Nuon Chea, the most senior surviving member of the Khmer Rouge regime. (BBC)","document":"Nuon Chea, now 82, was flown from his jungle home to the capital, Phnom Penh - and was later charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity\nHe will face Cambodian and foreign judges at a special genocide tribunal.\nHe was second-in-command to Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot from 1975-79, when some 1m people are thought to have died.\nNuon Chea, who was also known as \"Brother Number Two\", has spent the past few decades living freely in Pailin, the movement's former jungle headquarters.\nPolice and court officials went to his home near the Thai border early on Wednesday to question him, and issue him with an arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity.\n\"He was shaking. His legs looked like they would collapse,\" neighbour Sok Sothera told the French news agency AFP.\nNuon Chea was then taken under police escort to a helicopter for the flight to Phnom Penh.\n\"An initial appearance will be held today, during which he will be informed of the charges which have been brought against him,\" the UN-backed tribunal said in a statement.\nFive suspects\nBecause he was second only to Pol Pot - the regime's \"Brother Number One\", who died in 1998 -  Nuon Chea will be the most senior defendant to be tried by the tribunal.\n                            WHO WERE THE KHMER ROUGE?\n                        Maoist regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975-1979\nFounded and led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998 Abolished religion, schools and currency in a bid to create agrarian utopia\nBrutal regime that did not tolerate dissent\nMore than a million people thought to have died from starvation, overwork or execution\nBrutal Khmer Rouge regime\nA Thai-trained lawyer, Nuon Chea rose quickly through the ranks of the Khmer Rouge, as it grew from a small Maoist rebel group to a force capable of taking over the country.\nAnalysts say he had an important decision-making role in the regime, which instituted radical policies aimed at creating an agrarian utopia, but in reality caused the deaths of more than a million people through hunger, illness, overwork and execution.\nNuon Chea himself has consistently denied any responsibility for the deaths, but earlier this year he indicated he was ready to face the tribunal.\nAfter many long delays, the UN-backed trials are finally expected to begin next year.                             KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL\n                        Will try cases of genocide and crimes against humanity\nFive judges (three Cambodian) sit in trial court\nCases decided by majority\nMaximum penalty is life imprisonment\nBudget of $56.3m\nKey figures facing trial\nOnly one other suspect, Kang Kek Ieu - also known as Duch - has so far been detained.\nDuch, who was arrested in July, was in charge of the notorious S21 jail in Phnom Penh, where more than 17,000 men, women and children are thought to have been imprisoned and brutally tortured. Four other people are said to be under investigation. Their names have not been revealed, but are thought to include former president Khieu Samphan - who has been living next door to Nong Chea in Pailin - and Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary. Survivors have welcomed the charges against Nong Chea and Duch, but they have also expressed doubts about whether these elderly leaders will ever be brought to account for their deeds during the Khmer Rouge years. It is already too late to try Pol Pot, and the regime's military commander and one of Pol Pot's most ruthless henchmen, Ta Mok, died last year.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Police and court officials went to his home near the Thai border early on Wednesday to question him, and issue him with an arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Nuon Chea, now 82"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["war crimes and crimes against humanity"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2007 Burmese security forces raid several Buddhist monasteries arresting hundreds of the Buddhist monks who have led the protests. (BBC) (AP and Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald)","document":"Police are reported to have fired shots at demonstrators. Witnesses said at least one person collapsed. Witnesses said soldiers stormed six monasteries overnight, smashing windows and doors and beat the sleeping monks. About 200 Buddhist monks were reported to have been detained during raids on two monasteries in Rangoon.\nAs protests resumed, only a small number of monks could be seen among the crowd. Many of the protesters were heard chanting nationalist songs.\nKey locations of Rangoon democracy protests\nEnlarge Map\nTwo members of the National League for Democracy, the party led by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, were also arrested overnight.\nThere were also reports of raids in the north-east of the country.\nThe arrests come a day after five people were reported to have been killed when police broke up protests by monks and civilians. The military government has confirmed one death.\nBarricades\nIn Rangoon, security forces have set up barbed wire barricades around Shwedagon Pagoda and Rangoon city hall, two of the focal points for the demonstrations.\nThe junta are using dirty tactics - they don't fire guns but beat people with rifle butts","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Police","About 200 Buddhist","Two members of the National League for Democracy"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["two monasteries in Rangoon"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2007 Family members of deceased de facto president of Chile Augusto Pinochet are arrested in Santiago on charges of embezzlement. (BBC)","document":"They are accused of illegally transferring $27m (£13.2m) to foreign bank accounts during the general's time in power between 1973 and 1990. A judge ordered 17 other suspects to be held, including aides to Gen Pinochet.\nGen Pinochet died in December 2006 before he could stand trial on charges of corruption and human rights abuses.\nMore than 3,000 people were killed or \"disappeared\" during his military rule.\nPablo Rodriguez, the Pinochet family lawyer, said he was \"astonished\" by the decision, which he called \"illegal and abusive\".\nHe expressed confidence the ruling would be reversed on appeal.\nAides implicated\nGen Pinochet's 84-year-old widow, Lucia Hiriart, was taken to hospital with high blood pressure following her arrest.\nHowever, Judge Carlos Cerda said there were \"solid indications\" the accused had \"participated in the misuse of fiscal funds\". No-one in Chile is above the law\n Michelle BacheletChilean president\nJudge Cerda is investigating a case in which Gen Pinochet allegedly hid funds with the help of Washington-based Riggs bank. Suspects include Gen Pinochet's former personal secretary, Monica Ananias, and his lawyer Gustavo Collao. At least three retired army generals - Jorge Ballerino, Guillermo Garin and Hector Letelier - were also charged. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said she would await the court's decision \"with calm\".\n\"No-one in Chile is above the law,\" she said.\n                            RIGGS CASE\n                        2004 US probe into Riggs bank found Gen Pinochet held up to $8m in secret accounts there Accounts alleged to have been opened in names of his widow, children and associates\nFurther investigations found former ruler held some $27m in foreign accounts\nGen Pinochet charged with tax evasion and using false passports to open accounts abroad\nHis lawyers say fortune gained legally through savings, donations and accrued interest\nIn 2004 a US Senate investigation found hundreds of bank accounts in the name of Pinochet and his relatives at the bank. He was being investigated for tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement in relation to those funds.\nHis immunity from prosecution was stripped in 2000, sparking years of legal wrangling to try to bring him to trial for alleged human rights abuses and tax fraud. His lawyers said he was unable to defend himself for health reasons. In 2006, Gen Pinochet died of a heart attack aged 91 while under house arrest.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["However, Judge Carlos Cerda said there were \"solid indications\" the accused had \"participated in the misuse of fiscal funds\""]},{"role":"Police","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["aides to Gen Pinoche","Aides implicated\nGen Pinochet's 84-year-old widow, Lucia Hiriart","17 other suspects"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["corruption and human rights abuses","illegally transferring $27m (£13.2m) to foreign bank accounts during the general's time in power between 1973 and 1990"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Canadian pedophile suspect Christopher Neil, focus of a global hunt that ended in rural Thailand on Friday, will be charged with molesting underage children after being tracked down through his boyfriend’s phone","document":"BANGKOK (Reuters) - Canadian pedophile suspect Christopher Neil, focus of a global hunt that ended in rural Thailand on Friday, will be charged with molesting underage children after being tracked down through his boyfriend’s phone.\nPolicemen escort suspected Canadian paedophile Christopher Paul Neil to the national police headquarters in Bangkok October 19, 2007. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang\nThai police appealed for more victims to come forward after nabbing Neil at a rented house. Neil is also accused of raping young boys in Vietnam and Cambodia after being unmasked by nifty police computer work and hunted in a unique Internet appeal.\n“From pictures on the Internet, there were five to seven children under age 10 who have been abused by him, including one girl,” Deputy National Police Chief Wongkot Maneerin told a packed news conference in Bangkok.\nNeil, 32, caught in the northeast Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima, 250 km (150 miles) from Bangkok and well off the normal tourist trail, refused to answer reporters’ questions.\nPolice said Neil, who arrived in handcuffs at national police headquarters, his head covered by a blue T-shirt, had confirmed his identity to investigators but said nothing else.\nNeil was no stranger to Thailand, having once taught in a Bangkok language school, but his hiding place was revealed by a trace on the mobile phone of his 25-year-old Thai boyfriend, identified by transvestites in the seedy beach town of Pattaya.\n“They went together to different provinces, probably on the run, and the last call made was from Nakhon Ratchasima. So I sent my men there,” tourist police chief Chuchart Suwannakom told Reuters.\nThai police issued a warrant for Neil’s arrest on Thursday, a week after he fled South Korea, after two Thai teenagers accused him of paying for oral sex when they were nine and 14, grounds for prosecution under Thai law.\nNeil could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted in Thailand. Wongkot said he would be prosecuted in Bangkok, but left open the possibility he could be extradited once he had served his sentence.\nRelated Coverage\n“He has to be prosecuted in Thailand first,” he said.\n“SWIRLY FACE”\nCanada -- which can prosecute its citizens for child sex crimes committed abroad, but has rarely done so -- has not said if it plans to seek Neil’s extradition.\n“We are aware an arrest has been made and we will offer consular services as necessary,” a spokesman for the Canadian embassy in Bangkok said.\nCambodia said it also wanted to question Neil and would charge him if police there could put a case together.\n“We want to know did he really commit sexual abuses on Cambodia’s children and women,” Police Major General Keo Vannthan said. “If so it will lead us to locate the victims and we will file suit against him.”\nVietnam might also want to question Neil.\nDetectives in various countries had been trying to track Neil down since German police discovered photographs on the Internet three years ago of a man sexually abusing 12 boys in Vietnam and Cambodia.\nHis face had been scrambled with a digital swirling pattern, but German police computer experts managed to unravel the “Swirly Face” disguise and Interpol issued an unprecedented worldwide appeal through the Internet for information on who the man was.\nMore than 350 people came forward and Neil was identified by five sources from three different continents, Interpol said.\nNeil abruptly left South Korea, where he was teaching, after Interpol broadcast his cleaned-up photograph and flew to Thailand, where he was photographed with shaved head and glasses by airport security cameras.\nThailand and its neighbors immediately alerted border posts in case he tried to sneak across a land frontier as Thai police launched a manhunt to rival their search a year ago for JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Mark Karr.\nKarr was arrested in a run-down Bangkok hostel and sent back to the United States, where he was eventually cleared of any involvement in Ramsey’s murder, one of America’s most infamous unsolved crimes.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang\nThai police appealed for more victims to come forward after nabbing Neil at a rented house"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Canadian pedophile suspect Christopher Neil"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["molesting underage children","raping young boys in Vietnam and Cambodia"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["rural Thailand"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Thai police have arrested a suspected Canadian pedophile following a global manhunt launched when computer experts unscrambled digital photos allegedly showing him sexually abusing young boys","document":" BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai police have arrested a suspected Canadian pedophile following a global manhunt launched when computer experts unscrambled digital photos allegedly showing him sexually abusing young boys.\n\t\tCanadian teacher Christopher Paul Neil is brought before the media by Thai police Friday.\n\t\n Christopher Paul Neil was taken into custody early Friday in Nakhon Ratchafima, a town about 200 kilometers (130 miles) northeast of Bangkok, where he was allegedly attempting to contact underage boys, Maj. Gen. Wimol Pao-in said.\n \"Bingo! We've got him,\" the police chief told The Associated Press.  Neil, 32, kept his head covered with a blue shirt as he was paraded in front of a throng of photographers as he arrived in Bangkok, however he was made to sit -- head uncovered -- at a news conference a short time later.\n   The suspect sat silently and without expression as police officials spoke about the case.  Watch the suspect face the media »\n A police official explained that Neil did not want to speak at the news conference. Neil, with his head closely shaved but his beard apparently not shaved for several days, wore a T-shirt, jogging pants and sunglasses.\n He will be extradited to Canada after being prosecuted in Thailand, police spokesman Pongsapat Pongjaren told AP.  Interpol, the international police agency that issued a worldwide appeal for information in the case last week, said the suspect had been working as an English teacher in South Korea and flew from Seoul to Bangkok last Thursday.\n An arrest warrant issued in Thailand was based on the testimony of a boy who said he was lured to Neil's apartment in Bangkok by a Thai man, Wimol said Thursday, according to AP. The boy said Neil paid them for sex acts.\n Interpol also issued a worldwide alert after about 200 photographs showing a man sexually abusing 12 different young males were posted on the Internet.\n The photos, which authorities believe were taken in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2002 or 2003, had been digitally altered to disguise the man's face.  But German investigators were able to reverse the process and restore the images, and his picture was then distributed worldwide.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["photos allegedly showing him sexually abusing young boys"]},{"role":"Police","values":["Thai police"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["early Friday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Canadian pedophile"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Nakhon Ratchafima, a town about 200 kilometers (130 miles) northeast of Bangkok"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2007 Belgian authorities arrest 14 people the government calls Islamic extremists, who they say were plotting to free an al–Qaeda member from prison. (The New York Times)","document":"BRUSSELS — The Belgian authorities detained 14 people they described as Islamic extremists on Friday, saying they planned to use explosives to free a Qaeda sympathizer jailed for plotting an attack on an American air base. They said raids in 15 locations, mostly in Brussels, had turned up explosives and arms. In a speech, Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt warned, “Other acts of violence cannot be ruled out,” and security was stepped up in airports, rail stations and other public places. The United States Embassy in Belgium said in a statement that there was “a heightened risk of terrorist attack in Brussels,” but that it had no information on any specific targets. Europe in general is on alert for possible terrorist attacks during the holiday season. The recent bombing in Algiers has raised further concerns, particularly in Belgium and France, which have large north African populations. Terrorist cells linked to Al Qaeda are believed to have used Belgium as a recruiting ground and a source of fake passports and other documents. Experts have said that because if its sizable immigrant population and because it lies within a short drive of four other countries, it can be difficult for security services to track suspects. Advertisement\nUnder Belgian law, the authorities have five days to formally arrest the 14. According to the Belgian Interior Ministry, they intended to try to free Nizar Trabelsi, a former professional soccer player from Tunis who was arrested in Belgium shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States in 2001. Mr. Trabelsi was tried and convicted of planning an attack on the Kleine Brogel, a Belgian air base where about 100 American military personnel are stationed. He was sentenced in 2003 to 10 years. At his trial, Mr. Trabelsi claimed he had met Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and said he intended to kill American soldiers. Didier de Quévy, a lawyer who represented Mr. Trabelsi at his trial, said he no longer acted for him and had not spoken to him for about nine months. Mr. Trabelsi’s location was not made public, but an Interior Ministry spokesman, Peter Mertens, said he was “moved regularly.” Advertisement\nJail breaks are not unknown in Belgium. In October 2007, Nordin Benallal, a man convicted of several violent crimes, escaped from a high security prison in Ittre, some 20 miles south of Brussels, after a stolen helicopter crash landed inside the jail. In April 2007, two men posing as tourists hijacked a helicopter and flew into the yard of a prison near Liège, in the east of the country, to pick up an inmate. And in 1998, Marc Dutroux, who became infamous in 1996 when he was arrested and accused of abducting six young girls and killing four, escaped briefly from custody while being taken to court. A review of his handling revealed weaknesses in coordination between different arms of the police, and reforms were instituted. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["They said raids in 15 locations, mostly in Brussels, had turned up explosives and arms"]},{"role":"Police","values":["The Belgian authorities"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["14 people they described as Islamic extremists","the 14","Tunis"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Belgium","2001"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2008 Police in Zimbabwe arrest Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, the principal opposition party. (ABC News Australia)","document":"The lawyer for Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai say police took him away in the middle of the night for questioning about a demonstration planned for later today.\n\"The police are saying they want to know what he is planning to do today,\" lawyer Alec Muchadehama told Reuters.\nMr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) planned the march to press veteran President Robert Mugabe for a new constitution to guarantee parliamentary and presidential elections due in March are free and fair.\nThe MDC launched a legal challenge on Tuesday (local time) to a police ban on the march.\nMDC secretary-general Tendai Biti told Reuters that Mr Tsvangirai was picked up from his home in a suburb of the capital Harare by plain-clothes officers.\n\"He was picked up at around 4am (local time) in respect of the intended demonstration. His mobile phone is now off and we are really worried,\" he said.\nThe lawyer says police also detained another MDC leader, Dennis Murira.\nMr Mugabe has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980.\nMr Tsvangirai was last arrested in March 2007 along with dozens of opposition officials ahead of another planned march. He says police beat him up in custody. They deny this.\nPolice had initially granted permission for the march, which the MDC called to protest against a crumbling economy blamed on government mismanagement as well as to press for a new constitution.\nOn Tuesday, Mr Muchadehama said the Harare Magistrates Court would hear an application today on overturning the ban, which police say was prompted by fears the demonstration would degenerate into violence and looting.\n-Reuters\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":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["plain-clothes officers","Police had initially granted permission for the march, which the MDC called to protest against a crumbling economy blamed on government mismanagement as well as to press for a new constitution"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["the middle of the night","around 4am (local time)"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Mr Tsvangira","Zimbabwe"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["from his home in a suburb of the capital Harare"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2008 There are mass arrests in the United States and Italy in an anti–Mafia sweep including three suspected senior members of the Gambino crime family. (Reuters)","document":"NEW YORK (Reuters) - Police in the United States and Italy arrested 77 suspected members of the Mafia on Thursday, including some of its most wanted leaders, for an array of crimes going back more than 30 years.\nBig mafia roundup in New York\n01:52\nThe three-year joint investigation sought to prevent organized crime in New York and Sicily from reuniting their drug-trafficking and money-laundering operations, officials in both countries said.\nU.S. authorities rounded up 58 suspects with the help of an informant deep inside the Gambino crime family. Police said the source helped nail the three top Gambino members not already in jail.\nA U.S. grand jury indicted 62 suspects with charges including murder, extortion, loan-sharking, gambling, cocaine and marijuana distribution, money laundering, bribing labor officials and embezzling union funds, U.S. and New York state officials said.\n“Organized crime still exists,” New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo told a news conference. “We like to think it’s a vestige of the past. It’s not. It is as unrelenting as weeds that continue to sprout in the cracks in society.”\nThe U.S. investigation focused on the Gambino family once run by the late John Gotti. The indictment charges one Gambino family soldier, Charles Carneglia, with at least five murders dating to 1976.\nAssociates of the Genovese and Bonanno families were also arrested.\nMore than 300 Italian police were mobilized, mostly in Sicily, in an operation code-named “Old Bridge,” arresting 19 suspects and filing new allegations against four others already detained for separate crimes.\nItalian prosecutors said the operation sought to block the re-establishment of the New York-Palermo axis, which ran drug trafficking in the 1980s.\n“There was an attempt to rekindle ties between Cosa Nostra in Palermo and New York because the Sicilian Mafia wanted to get back into drug trafficking in a big way,” top anti-Mafia prosecutor Francesco Messineo told reporters in Rome.\nThe joint probe focused on the Inzerillo family, which was forced to leave Sicily in the 1980s after a Mafia turf war and rebased in the United States. They became known as “the runaways” and there was a split in the Sicilian Mafia over whether they should be allowed to return.\nAmong those arrested were suspects linked to Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who was arrested on November 5 in Sicily. He had become the new “boss of bosses” after the arrest in 2006 of Bernardo Provenzano, who had been on the run for 43 years.\nCaretaker Prime Minister Romano Prodi praised what he called a “brilliant operation against organized crime.”\nIn what appeared to be a separate operation in Naples, police arrested a suspected leading figure of that southern city’s criminal underworld on Thursday.\nVincenzo Licciardi, 42, purportedly a boss of the Camorra crime group, was arrested in a Naples suburb. He had been on the run since 2004 and was one of Italy’s 30 most wanted criminals, police said.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["U.S. authorities rounded up 58 suspects with the help of an informant deep inside the Gambino crime family","300 Italian police"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Thursday","2006"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["77 suspected members of the Mafia","58 suspects","the three top Gambino members","the Genovese and Bonanno familie","19 suspects","Bernardo Provenzano"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["drug-trafficking and money-laundering operations"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Sicily"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2008 The government of Morocco arrests 23 alleged terrorists, including Mustapha Moatassim, the Secretary General of Alternative Civilization, a political party recognized by the state. (Middle East Online)","document":"   RABAT - Moroccan police have arrested a police officer and two suspected Islamist extremists within hours of taking 23 members of a \"major terrorist network\" into custody, security officials said Tuesday.   Police said in a statement that their own officer, who worked at Casablanca port, was arrested for \"failure to respect professional secrecy (and) arousing the suspicions of other accomplices yet to be arrested.\"   The other men arrested on Monday included a politician, Mustapha Moatassim, the secretary general of a small, legal Islamist party, Al Badil Al Hadari (Alternative Civilisation).   On Monday, police announced they had dismantled \"a major terrorist network with Jihadist (holy war) roots, which was preparing to carry out acts of violence on the national territory,\" and put 23 people in custody.   They included the network's suspected leader Abdelkader Belliraj and police said they had probed \"the ramifications and connections of the network with others active in Morocco and abroad.\"   The three other arrests followed.   Moatissim's political party was legalised in June 2005, a decade after it was founded as an association. He then distanced it from radical movements in the north African kingdom.   \"We believe in democratic political rules and we don't contest the legitimacy of the regime,\" he said at the time.\nSyria troops storm Jisr Al-Shughur town\nTurkey offers Gathafi way out\nBahrain Shiites hold first mass rally since crackdown\nYemen's Saleh health 'bad' condition\nRefugees replace tourists at Tunisia's Djerba\nEgypt arrests Israel 'officer' on spying charges\nIraq MPs 'come to blows' in sign of tensions\nLibya conflict reaches oasis city of Sabha\nTurkey ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Moroccan police"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["On Monday, police announced they had dismantled \"a major terrorist network with Jihadist (holy war) roots, which was preparing to carry out acts of violence on the national territory,\" and put 23 people in custody","Monday","Tuesday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["a police officer and two suspected Islamist extremists","23 members of a \"major terrorist network\"","Mustapha Moatassim","Abdelkader Belliraj","The three other"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["failure to respect professional secrecy (and) arousing the suspicions of other accomplices yet to be arrested"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Morocco"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2012 Indian police arrest a freelance journalist for alleged involvement in a bombing incident last month in New Delhi targeting an Israeli diplomat's wife. (BBC)","document":"Police in India say they have arrested a Delhi-based journalist in connection with last month's bomb targeting an Israeli diplomat's wife in the city.\nA freelance Indian journalist has been arrested and is being questioned, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.\nA motorcyclist placed a device on the embassy car in Delhi at a traffic light on 13 February. The blast injured four people, one seriously.\nIsrael blamed Iran for the attack but Tehran has denied the charge.\nIndian officials have refused to point the finger while the investigations continue.\nSyed Mohammed Kazmi was arrested on Tuesday after investigations showed he had been in touch with a suspect police believed might have stuck a magnetic bomb to the diplomat's car, the Associated Press news agency quoted Mr Bhagat as saying.\nPolice said they had searched Mr Kazmi's house over the past two days to gather evidence, but gave no details of what they found.\nReports said Mr Kazmi, 50, was an Indian citizen who worked as a journalist for an Iranian publication.\nIn the attack in February, the wife of an Israeli defence ministry official was seriously wounded. She underwent spinal surgery in the city before she was flown to Israel.\nDavid Goldfarb, the spokesman for Israel's Delhi embassy, said the diplomat's car was close to the building on Aurangzeb Road when the explosion went off.\nOn the same day, a bomb underneath a diplomat's car in the Georgian capital Tbilisi was defused.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Police in India say they have arrested a Delhi-based journalist in connection with last month's bomb targeting an Israeli diplomat's wife in the city","police spokesman Rajan Bhagat"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["A freelance Indian journalist","Syed Mohammed Kazmi"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"March_2012 A man is arrested following a break–in at the home of the Irish minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, in Dublin. (BBC)","document":"There has been a break-in at the home of the Irish minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, in Dublin.\nIt is believed a man broke into Mr Shatter's home in south Dublin at about 23:30 GMT on Sunday.\nHe entered the house from the back but an alarm went off and he fled on foot.\nA man in his early 20s was arrested a short distance from the scene.\nHe is being held at Blackrock Garda Station under Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act and can be questioned for up to 24 hours.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["on Sunday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["A man in his early 20s","a man"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["south Dublin","a short distance from the scene"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2012 British police arrest five people in the English town of Luton on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. (BBC)","document":"Five men have been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, Scotland Yard has said.\nThey were arrested at separate addresses in Luton, Beds, in an \"intelligence-led\" operation, the Metropolitan Police added.\nThe men, aged between 21 and 35, are being held at a London police station.\nThe BBC understands there was no imminent threat to the UK, but the arrests are described as significant.  The arrests have been made under the Terrorism Act 2000 by unarmed Metropolitan Police officers assisted by Bedfordshire Police.\nA statement from the Bedfordshire force said \"there is no danger to the other nearby residents\" and the families of those arrested have been advised to find alternative accommodation while the searches continue.\nThe BBC understands the arrests were made as part of a Met Police anti-terrorism operation codenamed Nimrod.\nThe operation in Luton is linked to searches at five addresses in the town on 2 September 2011, although they may not be the same five as those where the arrests took place on Tuesday morning.\nTwo arrests over terror line hack\nTerror officers carry out raids\nHome - Metropolitan Police Service\nHome Page - Welcome to Bedfordshire Police\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.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["The arrests have been made under the Terrorism Act 2000 by unarmed Metropolitan Police officers assisted by Bedfordshire Police"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Five men","The men, aged between 21 and 35"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Scotland","at separate addresses in Luton, Beds, in an \"intelligence-led\" operation"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2012 An arrest warrant is issued for Premier League footballer Steven Pienaar after he failed to appear in court to answer speeding charges. (BBC)","document":"Everton footballer Steven Pienaar has been bailed after answering an arrest warrant issued when he failed to turn up in court on speeding charges.\nThe allegations, in Essex, against Pienaar, 30, were proven in his absence after he failed to attend Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday.\nHe was caught speeding twice, 11 days apart, on Lambourne Road, Chigwell.\nA judge ordered Pienaar be given unconditional bail for sentencing in Chelmsford next month.\nThe player's lawyer said his client had \"responded immediately\" to news of the warrant and made a \"pre-arranged visit\" to a police station in Cheshire.\nGwynn Lewis said Pienaar was \"totally unaware\" of the court date, after he moved to Merseyside in February.\nHe said the correspondence from the court had been sent to his old address in Essex.\nPienaar, whose address was given in court as Theydon Road, Epping, was charged with failing to disclose who was driving his Aston Martin DBS, which was captured exceeding the limit, on two separate days in October last year.\nThe South Africa international joined his former club Everton, on loan from Tottenham, in January.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["The player's lawyer said his client had \"responded immediately\" to news of the warrant and made a \"pre-arranged visit\" to a police station in Cheshire"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Everton footballer Steven Pienaar"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["speeding charges"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["on Lambourne Road, Chigwell"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2012 Lebanon confiscates a shipment of arms and ammunition meant for Syrian rebels and arrests 11 crewmembers. (BBC)","document":"The Lebanese navy is holding a Sierra Leone-registered ship and says it has confiscated a large consignment of arms and ammunition it was carrying.\nThe 11 crew members were detained after three shipping containers full of heavy and light weapons were found on the Lutfallah II.\nThe BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says it is believed the consignment was destined for the rebels in Syria.\nSome of the arms were labelled as Libyan, says Reuters news agency.\nThe ship's owner told Reuters it was due to unload in Tripoli, northern Lebanon.\nMilos Strugar, a spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) which assists Lebanon in preventing illegal arms entering the country, confirmed to the BBC that it was bound for a Lebanese port.\nTripoli is a hotbed of support for the Syrian opposition, and the authorities in Damascus have frequently complained about arms being smuggled from the areas into the country, our correspondent says. Violence has fallen in Syria since a ceasefire was put in place, but activist groups still counted some 40 deaths in fighting across the country over the weekend.\nThe dead included 26 civilians killed by government forces, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\nRussia has accused Libya of supporting the Syrian rebels and providing them with weapons.\nLebanese media say there was light, medium and heavy weaponry in the consignment.\nThe ship is reported to have begun its voyage from Libya, stopped off in Alexandria in Egypt, and then headed for the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon before it was intercepted. It is now being held at the port of Salaata near Beirut. AP news agency reported that the containers had been placed on Lebanese army flatbed trucks and taken away.\nThey are now being held under lock and key at an army base.\nThe owner of the Lutfallah II told Reuters that he was told the ship was carrying engine oil, and was unaware of any weapons. \"The law doesn't allow me to open and inspect the containers,\" he said.   He said the ship was originally asked to carry 12 containers of \"general cargo\" from Libya to Lebanon. After three days of delay it left only carrying the three containers, he told Reuters.\nOn Saturday Syrian rebel gunmen in inflatable dinghies attacked a military unit on the Mediterranean coast, with deaths on both sides, state media report.\nIt is thought to be the first rebel assault from the sea. The violence comes despite a shaky ceasefire in force since 12 April.\nSyria's official news agency Sana said a military unit had foiled a \"terrorist attempt\" to infiltrate the country overnight by boat in Latakia province.\nThe UN currently has about 15 observers in Syria monitoring a shaky ceasefire, which came into force on 12 April, and hopes to have the full advance team of 30 in place by Monday.\nViolence has been continuing despite the truce.\nOn Thursday UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that Syria's government was \"in contravention\" of a UN- and Arab League-backed peace plan.\nMr Ban has demanded that Damascus comply with the peace plan brokered by international peace envoy Kofi Annan without delay.\nThe Security Council has approved the deployment of up to 300 monitors. Norwegian Maj Gen Robert Mood, who is to lead the team, arrived in Damascus on Sunday.\n\"To achieve the success of Kofi Annan's six-point plan... I call on all to stop the violence and to help us on a continued cessation of armed violence in all its forms,\" Gen Mood told reporters.\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.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["three shipping containers full of heavy and light weapons were found on the Lutfallah II"]},{"role":"Police","values":["The Lebanese navy is holding a Sierra Leone-registered ship and says it has confiscated a large consignment of arms and ammunition it was carrying"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["11 crew members"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2012 Sudan arrests four foreigners in the disputed border region with South Sudan on accusations of spying. (Arab News)","document":"                Updated: Apr  29, 2012 11:40\n            KHARTOUM/JUBA: Sudan said it had arrested a Briton, a Norwegian and a South African on Saturday, accusing them of illegally entering a disputed oil-producing border area to spy for its enemy South Sudan.\nSouth Sudanese officials denied the allegations and said the men were working with the United Nations and aid groups clearing mines and had got lost in the remote territory close to the boundary between the two countries.\nSudanese army spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khaled said the three were arrested in Heglig - the scene of recent fighting between Sudan and South Sudan - traveling with a South Sudanese soldier in vehicles carrying military equipment.\n“It is now confirmed without any doubt that South Sudan used the help of foreigners in their attack on Heglig. These foreigners were doing military work such as spying out the areas ... They had military equipment ... They have a military background,” Sawarmi said.\nThe group had been flown to Khartoum, he added.\nA Reuters witness saw four men arriving on a civilian plane at Khartoum’s military airport.\nOne of the men, a Westerner, was wearing a t-shirt marked with the slogan “Norwegian People’s Aid. Mine Action South Africa.” Reporters were not allowed to talk to the men who were swiftly driven away in an unmarked white van.\nSouth Sudanese Information Minister Barnaba Benjamin dismissed the Sudanese account as “nonsense,” telling Reuters the men were workers for aid groups and the United Nations and had been clearing mines.\nSouth Sudan’s army spokesman Philip Aguer said military sources had told him a UN truck had got lost after leaving Paryang, just north of Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan’s Unity state, and was “caught by the Sudanese Armed Forces.”\nBritain’s Foreign Office in London confirmed the Briton’s arrest and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) South Sudan director Jan Ledang said one of its staff members had been detained.\n“We are trying to confirm the nationalities of the three and the aim and motivation of the three,” Norway’s ambassador to Sudan, Jens-Petter Kjemprud, told Reuters.\nMECHEM, a demining company and an arm of South Africa’s state arms company, Denel, said two of its employees, a South African and a South Sudanese, were arrested along with a United Nations employee.\n“We are working on a UN demining contract and our employees have full UN immunity,” MECHEM’s chief executive officer, Ashley Williams, said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters.\nThe United Nations mission in South Sudan said one of its officials had been taken to Khartoum with three other men, without going into further detail.\nMore than three weeks of border fighting between Sudan and South Sudan’s 1,800 km (1,100 mile) contested border has brought the African neighbors close to an all-out war, nine months after the South gained independence from Sudan under a 2005 settlement.\nSouth Sudan’s army seized Heglig earlier this month but announced a withdrawal more than a week ago, bowing to pressure from the United Nations.\nBenjamin said Sudan’s war jets dropped eight bombs on Panakuach in Unity state on Saturday. Sudan’s army could not be immediately reached for comment.\nBenjamin also said two SPLA soldiers has been killed on Friday after South Sudan repulsed an attack by what it said was a Sudanese-backed rebel militia near Malakal in its Upper Nile state.\nChina and the African Union (AU) have stepped up diplomatic efforts to try and bring Juba and Khartoum back to the negotiating table.\nThe United States circulated on Thursday a draft resolution at the UN Security Council that warns both states of sanctions if they do not comply with an AU seven-point peace plan. The deal urges both sides to cease hostilities within 48 hours and to withdraw troops from disputed areas.\nThe dispute has already halted most oil production in the two countries, damaging their fragile economies. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["a Briton, a Norwegian and a South African","the three"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["illegally entering a disputed oil-producing border area to spy for its enemy South Sudan"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Heglig"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2012 Nigerian police claim to have captured a senior commander of the radical Islamist militant group Boko Haram. (BBC)","document":"Nigerian police say they have arrested a senior commander of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The group has carried out numerous attacks across northern Nigeria, killing hundreds of people.  The detainee, Suleiman Mohammed, is said to be a Boko Haram commander in the northern city of Kano.  It has been the scene of several deadly attacks, including one on a church service two weeks ago that left 16 people dead.\nAnother attack in January killed more than 180. It has, however, been impossible to independently verify whether or not Suleiman Mohammed is indeed a key figure in the Boko Haram group, the BBC's Will Ross reports from Lagos.  The commissioner of police for Kano State said the man was with his wife and children in what he described as a hideout in Kano when he was arrested. Explosives, ammunition and guns were found there, police said. The suspect has been flown to the capital, Abuja, for questioning. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["however, been impossible to independently verify whether or not Suleiman Mohammed is indeed a key figure in the Boko Haram group, the BBC's Will Ross reports from Lagos"]},{"role":"Police","values":["Nigerian police","Explosives, ammunition and guns were found there, police said"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Suleiman Mohammed","a senior commander of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2012 The Ugandan army captures Caesar Achellam, a senior commander of the militant Lord's Resistance Army, in the Central African Republic. (BBC)","document":"A senior commander in the rebel Lord's Resistance Army has been captured by the Ugandan army, a spokesman has said.\nCaesar Achellam was seized on Saturday following a struggle between Ugandan soldiers and a group of 30 rebels.\nThe commander, whom Ugandan officials say is a top rebel military strategist, was captured in the Central African Republic, one of several nations where the Ugandan-led LRA operates.\nThe most notorious wanted LRA leader is war crimes suspect Joseph Kony.\nFollowing his arrest, Achellam told reporters: \"The general of the division, Caesar Achellam, who has fought in the jungle since 1984, is from now on in the hands of the Ugandan Army.\"\n\"My coming out will have a big impact for the people still in the bush to come out and end this war soon,\" he said.\nUgandan army spokesman Felix Kulaigye, meanwhile, said: \"The arrest of Major General Caesar Achellam is big progress because he is a big fish. \"His capture is definitely going to cause an opinion shift within LRA.\"\nThe commander's wife, his young daughter and a helper were also held.\nKony's global notoriety has increased in recent months because of the internet video Kony 2012, which has been watched tens of millions of times since it was posted online by the US advocacy group Invisible Children.\nHe is wanted by the International Criminal Court for rape, mutilation and murder of civilians, as well as forcibly recruiting children to serve as soldiers and sex slaves.\nThe UN's special representative for Central Africa said on Saturday that Kony was having to move constantly in order to evade capture.\nAbou Moussa said: \"Contrary to what Kony used to do - that he would stay one month, two months on the ground - he is now moving almost every other day which means the pressure is mounting on him.\"\nThe Ugandan army is being assisted in its hunt for Kony by soldiers from other African nations, as well as US special forces.\nThe strength of his LRA is estimated at between 200 and 500 fighters.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["the Ugandan army"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Caesar Achellam","A senior commander in the rebel Lord's Resistance Army","Joseph Kony","The commander's wife, his young daughter and a helper"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["rape, mutilation and murder of civilians, as well as forcibly recruiting children to serve as soldiers and sex slaves"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["in the Central African Republic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2009 Film director Roman Polanski is arrested in Zurich on a 31–year–old US arrest warrant. (BBC) (Angola Press)","document":"Film director Roman Polanski has been taken into custody in Switzerland and faces extradition to the US for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.\nMr Polanski, 76, was detained in Zurich on Saturday as he travelled from France to collect a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival. He is being held under a 2005 international alert issued by the US. Mr Polanski has been to Switzerland before, but this time US authorities apparently knew of his trip in advance. That gave them time to prepare the groundwork for his arrest and send a provisional arrest warrant to Swiss authorities, judicial officials said. A Swiss spokesman said the US would now have to make a formal extradition request. The director can contest his detention and any extradition decision in the Swiss courts, he added. Mr Polanski's lawyer, Georges Kiejman, said he planned to challenge his client's arrest. \"We are going to try to lift the arrest warrant in Zurich,\" he told France Info radio. \"The [extradition] convention between Switzerland and the United States is not very clear.\" Mr Polanski fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with an underage girl. He was initially indicted on six counts and faced up to life in prison. In recent years, he has tried to have the rape case dismissed, claiming the original judge, who is now dead, arranged a plea bargain but later reneged.\nEarlier this year, Judge Peter Espinoza agreed there was misconduct by the judge in the original case, but said Mr Polanski must return to the US to apply for dismissal. Mr Polanski's lawyers said he would not return to the US because he would be immediately arrested as a fugitive. The victim at the centre of the case, Samantha Geimer, has previously asked for the charges to be dropped, saying the continued publication of details \"causes harm to me, my husband and children\". She has also called the court's insistence that Mr Polanski appear in person \"a cruel joke\". 'Shock and dismay'\nThe Paris-born Polish filmmaker - who is also a French citizen - has not set foot in the US for more than 30 years. His Oscar for directing 2002 film The Pianist was collected by Harrison Ford, who had previously starred in his 1988 thriller, Frantic. France's culture minister said he was \"dumbfounded\" by Mr Polanski's detention in Switzerland. Frederic Mitterrand said he \"strongly regrets that a new ordeal is being inflicted on someone who has already experienced so many of them\". He added that French President Nicolas Sarkozy was \"following the case with great attention and shares the minister's hope that the situation can be quickly resolved\". The organisers of the Zurich Film Festival said Polanski's detention had caused \"shock and dismay\", but that they would go ahead with a planned retrospective of the director's work. A special ceremony is planned for Sunday night \"to allow everyone to express their solidarity for Roman Polanski and their admiration for his work\", festival managers said in a statement. Meanwhile, British author Robert Harris - who had been working with Mr Polanski on a film adaptation of his novel The Ghost - said he was taken aback by the weekend's events. \"One of the reasons I'm absolutely shocked and stunned by his arrest is that we have worked together extensively in Switzerland, where he has a home,\" Harris said. \"If he was such a wanted criminal why did they let him own a house and travel back and forth freely?\" But justice officials in both Switzerland and the US said the difference this time was that a provisional arrest warrant had been sent. William Sorukas, chief of the US Marshals Service's domestic investigations branch, told the Associated Press that investigators learned about the trip days in advance and were therefore able to prepare for an arrest. \"There have been other times through the years when we have learned of his potential travel but either those efforts fell through or he didn't make the trip,\" he said.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["1977","on Saturday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Mr Polanski","Film director Roman Polanski"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["having sex with a 13-year-old girl"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Zurich","Switzerland"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Abraham Lauhenaspessy (\"Captain Bram\"), a suspected kingpin people smuggler, is detained in Indonesia. (The Sydney Morning Herald) (The Australian)","document":"A PEOPLE-smuggling kingpin has been detained in Indonesia in a breakthrough in efforts to disrupt the latest wave of asylum seekers coming to Australia.\nAustralian authorities last night intercepted another boatload of suspected asylum seekers off Ashmore Island, the 33rd for the year. The 39 passengers and three crew will be transferred to Christmas Island. An Australian naval ship took part in rescue efforts earlier yesterday after two boats carrying suspected asylum seekers sent out distress messages from Indonesian and Malaysian territorial waters. The Minister for Climate Change, Penny Wong, said HMAS Armidale had contacted one of the vessels and established that those on board were safe.\n.\nThe Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will leave today for Jakarta, where he will seek a solution to the influx of asylum seekers into Australian waters.\nAbraham Lauhenaspessy, known as Captain Bram, was discovered among 254 Tamils refusing to leave a boat at the Indonesian port of Merak in West Java. He duped the Tamils, who paid $US4 million ($4.3 million) to be taken to Christmas Island, apparently because he wanted to avoid arrest in Australian territory where he would face 20 years' jail.\nMr Lauhenaspessy has brought more than 1500 asylum seekers to Australia since he emerged as a pivotal organiser of Indonesia's people smuggling in 1999. The spokesman for the Tamils, known only as Alex, told the Herald Mr Lauhenaspessy turned the boat around five hours' sailing time from Christmas Island because he missed a rendezvous with a smaller boat that was to pick him up.\n''There was a mix in the location for him to get off. If Bram had not turned the boat around we would have been at Christmas Island in five hours,'' he said by telephone from the boat. ''We are very upset this happened.''\nThe wooden boat was intercepted on October 11 by an Indonesian navy vessel heading away from Christmas Island.\nMr Lauhenapessy, who is about 60, has portrayed himself as one of the six Indonesian crew.\nThe asylum seekers say Mr Lauhenapessy was a key organiser on the boat who liaised with people smugglers in Malaysia, which they left on October 1. The Herald has confirmed Mr Lauhenapessy is in navy custody.\nMr Lauhenapessy, an Ambonese with strong links to a criminal network at Jakarta's main port, was a priority target for Australian Federal Police for more than five years. ''He was too slippery. We couldn't catch him,'' a federal police agent said yesterday. After eluding several elaborate sting operations by Australian and Indonesian police Mr Lauhenapessy was arrested in Jakarta in June 2007 after a joint operation between the federal and Indonesian police.\nHow he resumed his activities two years later highlights the different penalties for this crime between Australia and Indonesia.\nIn December 2007 an Indonesian court sentenced him to two years' jail and fined him the equivalent of $3110 on charges of hiding, protecting, harbouring or providing livelihood to people known to have entered Indonesia illegally.\nThe charges related to the arrival of 83 Sri Lankan asylum seekers in international waters off Australia in early 2007.\nAlex said he would be prepared to reveal all the details about the man he knows as ''Bram'' when the week-long standoff at the boat was resolved.\nAs conditions deteriorated on board over the weekend, the Sri Lankans ended a 52-hour hunger strike and said they would be prepared to go ashore if they had assurances about their future from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.\nThe Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said the Government's policies aimed to treat refugees humanely while deterring people from entering the country illegally.\n''We believe we've got the balance right through protecting our borders and deterring people from making risky and dangerous journeys, while treating people humanely,'' she said.\nBut the Opposition spokeswoman on immigration, Sharman Stone, said the flow of boat arrivals was ''back on full stream'' since the Government had softened its policy on asylum seekers last year.\nMeanwhile, a ship suspected of carrying 76 illegal migrants from Sri Lanka has been intercepted in the Pacific off Canada's west coast, police say.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Australian authorities last night intercepted another boatload of suspected asylum seekers off Ashmore Island, the 33rd for the year"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["last night"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["A PEOPLE-smuggling kingpin","Abraham Lauhenaspessy"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Indonesia","Ashmore Island"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Australian authorities offer a Aus$1 million reward in their search for a man suspected of ordering the murder of a vampire. (BBC)","document":"Australian police have offered a reward of Aus$1m ( US $926,000, £567,000) to find a man suspected of ordering the killing of a self-proclaimed vampire.\nMark Adrian Perry allegedly ordered the 2003 murder of Shane Chartres-Abbot, a prostitute who said he drank blood. At the time of his death, Mr Chartres-Abbot was on trial for allegedly raping Mr Perry's former girlfriend and biting off part of her tongue. Police in Victoria state say they believe Mr Perry is in Australia. A 'centuries-old vampire'\nMr Chartres-Abbot was shot in broad daylight in Melbourne, in front of his father and pregnant girlfriend. A man has already been convicted for carrying out the shooting, but Mr Perry - who is believed to have ordered the killing - is still at large. \"There will be some people who know where Perry is and $1m is a lot of money,\" said Victoria state police Det Insp Steve Waddell. Mr Chartres-Abbot had allegedly told Mr Perry's former girlfriend that he was a centuries-old vampire who drank blood to survive. Mr Perry was last seen in Queensland in 2007. Police said they believed he had changed his name and appearance.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Australian police have offered a reward of Aus$1m ( US $926,000, £567,000) to find a man suspected of ordering the killing of a self-proclaimed vampire"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Mark Adrian Perry"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["the 2003 murder of Shane Chartres-Abbot, a prostitute who said he drank blood","allegedly raping Mr Perry's former girlfriend"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Authorities in Venezuela arrest a number of people accused of being secret service agents from neighbouring Colombia, on charges of espionage. (El Universal) (Colombia Reports) (BBC)","document":"Western Hemisphere Francisco Arias Cárdenas, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Latin America and the Caribbean, announced the arrest of several agents from the Colombian Security Administrative Department (DAS) in Venezuela.\"In the next few hours, they will be presented to the press by the Ministry of the Interior and by security forces\" and they will be prosecuted by \"Venezuelan courts,\" Arias said.He added that the Venezuelan security forces found destabilization plans against \"the government, our people, and our democracy.\"Cárdenas reported the case a day after the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry filed a notice of protest against these activities. He also clarified that the note submitted on Monday had nothing to do with recent events in the state of Táchira.\"The note has nothing to do with what happened last weekend in Táchira. We deeply regret the death of these people, but a topic cannot be linked with another. The notice is related to what has been happening with members of the Colombian state security agency,\" the Vice Minister said.\n\t         \tCarolina ContrerasEL UNIVERSAL\n03:58 PM.\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Western Hemisphere Francisco Arias Cárdenas, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Latin America and the Caribbean"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["several agents from the Colombian Security Administrative Department (DAS)"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Venezuela"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2009 Authorities in Venezuela arrest a number of people accused of being secret service agents from neighbouring Colombia, on charges of espionage. (El Universal) (Colombia Reports) (BBC)","document":"Venezuela has announced the arrest of a number of people whom it accuses of being agents spying for Colombia.\nDeputy Foreign Minister Francisco Arias Cardenas said they were members of Colombia's DAS state security agency. He said they were \"captured carrying out actions of espionage\", without giving any further details. Ties between the two nations have been frozen since July when Colombia said it would let the US army use its military bases for anti-drugs operations. The agreement has caused alarm among some of Colombia's neighbours, who object to an increased US military presence in the region. When news of the deal first broke in August, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned that \"winds of war\" were blowing across the continent. 'Serious event'\nMr Cardenas said on Tuesday that Caracas would soon produce evidence to back up its claims in the spying row. \"Do not underestimate the importance of an event as serious and as grave as the capture of Colombian DAS security agents committing acts of espionage,\" he told reporters in Caracas. Colombia's ambassador to Venezuela, Maria Luisa Chiappe, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying she had no information about DAS agents working on Venezuelan soil. ","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["captured carrying out actions of espionage\""]},{"role":"Police","values":["Deputy Foreign Minister Francisco Arias Cardenas"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["a number of people"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["being agents spying for Colombia"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2009 Police in Italy detain two more suspected mafia bosses, one day after the seizure of their brother in a raid near Naples. (BBC) (France 24)","document":"Italian police say they have arrested two more suspected mafia bosses, a day after seizing their brother in a raid near the southern city of Naples.\nThey say Pasquale and Carmine Russo were detained in Sperone, some 30km (20 miles) east of Naples. Salvatore Russo, the head of a Camorra clan that bears his name, was held in a raid on a chicken farm on Saturday. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni described his arrest as \"a heavy blow for the Camorra\". Salvatore Russo, 51, is one of Italy's most wanted mafia fugitives, officials say. He had been on the run since being sentenced in 1995 to life in jail for murder and links to organised crime. 'Closing the net'\nPasquale Russo, 62, and his brother Carmine, 47, were arrested on Sunday morning at a farmhouse in Sperone, police say. Pasquale Russo is on the list of Italy's 30 most dangerous fugitives. He had been on the run since 1995 and is accused of murder and the disposal of bodies. His brother Carmine had been in hiding since 2007. On Saturday, Mr Maroni said police were \"closing the net on the super-fugitives\". The Russo clan, based in the town of Nola, had an iron grip on criminal activity in some 40 towns in the Naples areas, officials say. The Camorra operates in the Naples area and is believed to have about 5,000 members.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Italian police","Closing the net'\nPasquale Russo, 62, and his brother Carmine, 47, were arrested on Sunday morning at a farmhouse in Sperone, police say"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["a day after seizing their brother","Saturday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Salvatore Russo","Pasquale and Carmine Russo","two more suspected mafia bosses","Interior Minister Roberto Maroni"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["in a raid near the southern city of Naples","Sperone"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2009 Luigi Esposito, one of Italy's 30 most wanted men, is detained at a villa in Naples. (BBC) (ABC News)","document":"Italian police say they have arrested one of the country's leading organised crime figures, Luigi Esposito, in the southern city of Naples.\nMr Esposito is believed to be high up in the Nuvoletta Camorra clan and is one of Italy's 30 most wanted men.\nHe had been on the run since 2003.\nThree years ago he was convicted of drugs trafficking and associating with the mafia and sentenced to nine years in prison.\nPolice say Mr Esposito is the latest in a string of senior crime figures to be arrested recently in southern Italy.\nEarlier in the month, Pasquale Russo - mob boss and one of Italy's top 10 most wanted - was caught, along with two of his brothers.\nRusso had been on the run since 1993 and was convicted several times for murder and for association with the mafia.\nThe Russo clan controlled \"all the illicit activities in a vast area\" comprising some 40 towns in the Naples region, police said.\nThe Russo brothers had reorganised the structure of Naples' Camorra mafia in the early 1990s after the boss of the region, Carmine Alfieri, turned and cooperated with the authorities, and the Russos \"exercised absolute control over their territory\", police said.\nThe Naples Camorra, comprising several dozen families affiliated to often feuding clans, is believed to be 5,000-strong.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Italian police","Police say Mr Esposito is the latest in a string of senior crime figures to be arrested recently in southern Italy"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Three years ago","Earlier in the month"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["one of the country's leading organised crime figures, Luigi Esposito","Pasquale Russo - mob boss and one of Italy's top 10 most wanted","Mr Esposito","two of his brothers"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["in the southern city of Naples","southern Italy"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2009 Cambodia detains a Thai man on charges of spying for Thailand. (Bangkok Post)[permanent dead link] (Times Live South Africa) (Sina)","document":"The spy row blew up as Thaksin played a relaxed round of golf with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, underscoring Bangkok's powerlessness to make Phnom Penh extradite the billionaire and get him to serve a jail term for graft.\nSiwarak Chothipong, 31, who works for the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, was arrested and charged Thursday with supplying the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh with details of Thaksin's flight schedule, said Cambodian police officials.\n\"We sent him to the court yesterday and he was charged with releasing information related to the national security of Cambodia,\" national police spokesman Kirt Chantharith said.\n\"He tried to search for information related to the special flight of Thaksin in order to send it out of the country,\" he said, adding that police were investigating whether more people were involved.\nCambodian deputy national police chief Sok Phal said the spy allegations had prompted Phnom Penh to expel the Thai embassy's first secretary Thursday. Thailand reciprocated hours later. \"He (the first secretary) ordered the man to copy the schedule of Thaksin's return flight, and that's why he was expelled,\" Sok Phal told AFP.\nThailand rejected the \"malicious\" Cambodian accusations. \"It's not true. It is a malicious and false claim,\" Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told reporters before boarding a flight with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to a regional summit in Singapore. \"Thaksin feels he must destroy Thailand and collaborate with Hun Sen.\" The countries had already recalled their ambassadors last week, after Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006, was appointed economic adviser to Cambodia.\nThaksin arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday to take up the role and Hun Sen on Wednesday rejected Bangkok's formal extradition request for Thaksin, outraging the Thai government.\nThaksin met a group of supporters before playing golf with Hun Sen in the tourist hub of Siem Reap on Friday. Hun Sen and Cambodian officials laughed and applauded Thaksin's shot as he teed off first at the luxury Angkor Golf Resort.\nHe was due later to meet around 50 MPs from Thailand's main pro-Thaksin party, Puea Thai, who had crossed the border Friday, Puea Thai lawmaker Pongpan Sunthornrachai said.\nTelecommunications mogul Thaksin has pledged to help impoverished Cambodia but also hit out at the Thai government during a lecture in the capital Phnom Penh on Thursday, accusing Thai rulers of \"false patriotism\".\nCambodian officials have indicated he would leave the country Friday or Saturday and was not intending to live there. Thailand has put all talks and cooperation programmes with Cambodia on hold, torn up an oil and gas exploration deal signed during Thaksin's time in power and placed under review two road-building projects worth 42 million dollars.\nTensions were already high between the two countries following a series of deadly military clashes over disputed territory near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple on their shared border.\nThe row threatens to mar a weekend summit of regional leaders with US President Barack Obama, which both Abhisit and Hun Sen are due to attend.\nTwice-elected Thaksin fled Thailand in August 2008, a month before a court sentenced him to two years in jail in a conflict of interest case. He had returned to Thailand just months earlier for the first time since the coup.\nBut he has retained enormous influence in Thai politics by stirring up protests against the current government, and analysts said that in Hun Sen he had found a new way to push for a return to power.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Cambodian police officials","\"We sent him to the court yesterday and he was charged with releasing information related to the national security of Cambodia,\" national police spokesman Kirt Chantharith said.\n\"","Cambodian deputy national police chief Sok Phal"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Thaksin","Siwarak Chothipong, 31, who works for the Cambodia Air Traffic Service"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["supplying the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh with details of Thaksin's flight schedule"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"A fresh crackdown is under way against bloggers and activists in Vietnam as political tensions rise before a Communist Party Congress in January","document":"Hanoi: A fresh crackdown is under way against bloggers and activists in Vietnam as political tensions rise before a Communist Party Congress in January, observers say. In the latest arrest, Cu Huy Ha Vu, a prominent government critic, was held for \"propaganda against the state\", official television said yesterday.\nIt quoted the Ministry of Public Security as saying investigators found anti-state documents in Vu`s laptop and that he had advocated a multi-party system.\nLast year, Vu filed an unsuccessful court complaint against Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung over a controversial bauxite mine.\nAuthorities also rejected a bid by Vu`s law firm to represent at trial several Catholic parishioners convicted last month in connection with a dispute over a cemetery.      The Catholics, and now Vu, are among at least 17 community activists, dissidents and bloggers reported to have been convicted, arrested or charged since October 01.\nWhile critics outside the ruling Communist Party have been targeted, observers say there has also been criticism from within, over a scandal at state-run Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin).\nVinashin has been driven to the brink of bankruptcy and lawmakers in the communist-dominated National Assembly last week demanded answers.\nOne deputy, Nguyen Minh Thuyet, called for a vote of no confidence in the prime minister, who appointed the firm`s former chairman Pham Thanh Binh.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["investigators found anti-state documents in Vu`s laptop and that he had advocated a multi-party system"]},{"role":"Police","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["October 01"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["Cu Huy Ha Vu, a prominent government critic","at least 17 community activists, dissidents and bloggers"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["propaganda against the state"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"A press briefing to provide details of Cu Huy Ha Vu’s illegal actions against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam","document":"On the afternoon of November 6, Deputy Minister of Public Security Lieutenant General, To Lam and Head of the Investigation Agency Lieutenant General, Hoang Kong Tu, held a press briefing to provide details of Cu Huy Ha Vu’s illegal actions against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, under Article 88 of the Criminal Code. Evidence and documents seized by relevant agencies proved that Vu has produced  propaganda containing distorted information and libeling the people’s administration, calling for the overthrow of the regime and promoting pluralism, multiple party rule and foreign intervention which runs counter to the nation’s interest. Vu also has ties with anti-State elements and overseas hostile forces to Vietnam. He has granted more than 20 interviews to radio and newspapers belonging to anti-Vietnam reactionary elements overseas and given them his own documents to use in opposing the Vietnamese State.\nVu has also produced propaganda containing groundless, fabricated and distorted information on the State’s leadership and management to incite the public to rise up against the State and slandered Vietnamese State leaders. Vu’s arrest and the search of his home were conducted in accordance with the law. Further investigation into Vu’s wrongdoings are underway. Vu must also take responsibility for his extra-marital affair on the night of November 4 in Room 101 of  Mach Lam Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. At the press conference, Lt. General Tu affirmed that Cu Huy Ha Vu has a doctorate in law but he is not a lawyer. Chairman Le Van Dinh of the People’s Committee of Ba Dinh District where Vu resides said that Cu Huy Ha Vu was born in 1957 in the central province of Ha Tinh and is a permanent resident at 24, Dien Bien Phu Street , Dien Bien ward, Ba Dinh district in Hanoi. Vu has infringed upon the law many times over the past years, said the chairman, adding that Vu was also prosecuted by Ba Dinh police for assaulting and injuring people in 1986. In 2003, Vu was involved in a case of encroaching on a neighbour’s land to illegally build his house. According to Mr Dinh, Vu had a job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Institute of International Relations but he did not go to work so the ministry decided to sack him in 2009. In 2006, Vu nominated himself for the 12thNational Assembly election but his nomination was rejected by local residents.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":["Evidence and documents seized by relevant agencies proved that Vu has produced  propaganda containing distorted information and libeling the people’s administration, calling for the overthrow of the regime and promoting pluralism, multiple party rule and foreign intervention which runs counter to the nation’s interest","Vu also has ties with anti-State elements and overseas hostile forces to Vietnam","Vu has also produced propaganda containing groundless"]},{"role":"Police","values":["On the afternoon of November 6, Deputy Minister of Public Security Lieutenant General, To Lam and Head of the Investigation Agency Lieutenant General, Hoang Kong Tu, held a press briefing to provide details of Cu Huy Ha Vu’s illegal actions against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, under Article 88 of the Criminal Code"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":null},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["assaulting and injuring people in 1986"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2010 Authorities in Lebanon arrest Islamist preacher Omar Bakri Muhammed, days after a court sentenced him and 21 others to life imprisonment for carrying out \"terrorist acts\". (UPI) (Lebanese National News Agency) (Reuters)","document":"BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 14 (UPI) --  A radical Muslim cleric who once cheered the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States has been arrested in Lebanon, security officials confirm.\nOmar Bakri Mohammad was taken into custody at his home in northern Lebanon this weekend after being sentenced to life in prison Thursday as part of a massive case involving more than 40 individuals, Britain's Sky News said..\nMohammad, 50, was convicted for inciting murder, theft and weapons possession. Sky News said he had vowed to never spend a day behind bars.\nMohammad is a fundamentalist Sunni preacher who spent 20 years living in Britain. He had publicly praised the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and the so-called 7/7 attacks in England, which led to his expulsion in 2005.\nThe Syrian-born Lebanese national said he did not accept Lebanese law and would not turn himself in following the guilty verdict.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["security officials"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["this weekend","Thursday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["A radical Muslim cleric who once cheered the Sept. 11 terror attacks","Omar Bakri Mohammad"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["inciting murder, theft and weapons possession"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["Lebanon","the United States","his home"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2010 Italian police arrest fugitive Camorra crime boss Antonio Iovine. (BBC)","document":"Italian police have arrested a fugitive mafia boss who had been on the run for 14 years.\nOfficials said that Antonio Iovine, a senior figure in the Naples-based Camorra crime syndicate, was one of Italy's most wanted men.\nThe 46-year-old was arrested in a small villa in Casal di Principe, the gang's heartland north of Naples.\nHe is reported to have been discovered hiding in a wall cavity, and tried to jump off a balcony to evade arrest.\n\"It's a big success. A big blow [for the Camorra],\" Naples police chief Santi Giuffre said.\nHe said his force had been preparing for the arrest of Iovine, considered a leader of the Casalesi clan, for some time. Iovine was sentenced to life in prison in absentia earlier this year along with 15 other Camorra bosses, one of whom is still on the run.\nThey were found guilty of multiple counts, including murder and extortion.\nItaly's Interior Minister Roberto Maroni called it a \"great day for the fight against the mafia\".    Italian PM vows to defeat mafia\nItaly police in mafia crackdown\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["Italian police"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["a fugitive mafia boss who had been on the run for 14 years","The 46-year-old"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":null},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":["in a small villa in Casal di Principe, the gang's heartland north of Naples"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2010 Don Chu, an executive of a hedge fund networking fund Primary Global Research, is arrested on insider trading charges in the United States. (Reuters)","document":"NEW YORK (Reuters) - An executive of a California research firm was arrested on Wednesday on securities fraud and conspiracy charges after U.S. prosecutors accused him of arranging for inside information to be leaked to hedge funds, the latest development in an investigation of the industry.\nThe arrest of Don Ching Trang Chu of Primary Global Research stems from wiretaps and the cooperation of Richard Choo-Beng Lee, a hedge fund manager who pleaded guilty last year as part of the insider-trading prosecution of Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam and 22 other traders, lawyers and executives.\nChu, 56, also known as Don Chu, was accused in a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in New York of introducing hedge funds to corporate executives who gave them insider trading information.\nThe government scored a victory in the Galleon case on Wednesday when a judge ruled that telephone conversations of Rajaratnam’s that were secretly recorded by the FBI were admissible as evidence at his trial. Rajaratnam has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and securities fraud and is scheduled to go on trial on January 17.\nProsecutors have described the Galleon case as the biggest investigation of insider trading at hedge funds in the United States. The investigation has widened to include subpoenas of several funds with billions of dollars under management.\nIn subpoenas served on SAC Capital Advisors and other hedge funds and mutual funds, authorities have asked for information about so-called “soft dollar” deals, an arrangement in which a hedge fund client executes trades through a designated brokerage that has some relationship with an expert networking firm such as Primary Global.\nExpert networking firms take fees to match up hedge funds with experts in particular industries such as medicine, engineering and technology.\nThe investigation widened on Monday when FBI agents used search warrants to raid three hedge funds in Connecticut and Massachusetts.\nLee once worked for SAC Capital. There is nothing in Wednesday’s complaint accusing SAC Capital of any wrongdoing. A spokesman for SAC declined to comment.\nAuthorities are looking at funds established by former associates of SAC founder Steven Cohen, according to lawyers and people familiar with the investigation.\nA spokesman for Primary Global Research said in a statement that “based upon recent events, PGR has severed its relationship with Mr. Chu.”\nThe statement said Chu served as the firm’s liaison in Taiwan and that he had been with PGR for seven years.\nRelated Coverage\nChu, of Somerset, New Jersey, made a brief appearance before a magistrate judge in New York and was released on a bond of $1 million. Chu was not asked to enter a plea to the charges and both of his lawyers declined to comment.\nThe office of Manhattan federal prosecutor Preet Bharara said Chu had been scheduled to leave the United States for Taiwan on November 28. His lawyers said Chu had planned the trip to visit family. The court was told that Chu had surrendered his U.S. passport and agreed to surrender an expired passport issued by Taiwan.\nProsecutors said Chu had arranged for hedge funds to receive confidential information on companies including Atheros Communications Inc, Broadcom Corp and Sierra Wireless Inc.\nSierra Wireless said in a statement it intended to cooperate with prosecutors in the case.\nTelephone calls between Lee and Chu from July 14 to August 28 of last year were recorded by the FBI, according to the criminal complaint. It does not identify the brokerage that hedge funds were directed to by Primary Global.\nHowever, Primary Global owns a San Francisco-based brokerage called PGR Securities. A company representative declined to comment. The brokerage’s registration statement does not show any previous regulatory infractions.\nProsecutors claim that in 2008 and 2009. Lee struck up a relationship with Chu while Lee was working at Spherix Capital, a now-closed San Francisco fund that Lee managed with Ali Far.\nLee and Far have pleaded guilty to trading on inside information in the Galleon case and are cooperating witnesses.\nFar worked at Galleon for many years. Lee is a former trader and analyst at SAC.\nAs part of his cooperation agreement, Lee agreed to tell prosecutors of any insider trading he engaged in at SAC, which he left more than six years ago.\nLee’s lawyer, Jeff Bornstein, said: “My client is and continues to be cooperating to the best of his ability with the U.S. attorney and the FBI. Beyond that I don’t have a comment on the specifics.”\n","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["The office of Manhattan federal prosecutor Preet Bharara said Chu had been scheduled to leave the United States for Taiwan on November 28"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Suspect","values":["An executive of a California research firm","Don Ching Trang Chu of Primary Global Research"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["securities fraud and conspiracy charges"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2013 Nigel Evans, Deputy Speaker of the UK House of Commons, is arrested on suspicion of three counts of indecent assault. (BBC)","document":"Commons Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans has said he \"refutes all allegations\" after being arrested on suspicion of three counts of indecent assault. The 55-year-old answered bail following his arrest in May on suspicion of rape and sexual assault, and was told that he faced the additional allegations.\nAll the allegations involve men in their 20s.\nMr Evans, Conservative MP for Ribble Valley, will not resume his Speaker duties while inquiries continue.\nHe has previously denied any wrongdoing.\nThe original rape and sexual assault allegations are said to have happened in Pendleton between July 2009 and March 2013.\nThe new indecent assault allegations are claimed to have occurred in Blackpool and London between 2003 and 2011.\nA Lancashire Police spokesman said: \"A 55-year-old man from Pendleton in Lancashire has today answered his bail following his arrest in May on suspicion of rape and sexual assault.\n\"He has subsequently been further arrested on suspicion of three further offences of indecent assault. He will be interviewed about these allegations at a police station in Lancashire during the course of the day.\" He added: \"We take all allegations of a sexual nature extremely seriously and understand how difficult it can be for victims to have the confidence to come forward.\n\"As a constabulary, we are committed to investigating sexual offences sensitively but robustly, recognising the impact that these types of crimes have on victims.\"\nMr Evans spoke to the media as he left Preston police station on Wednesday afternoon after being released on police bail until 10 September.\nHe said: \"Clearly we want closure of this as soon as possible and I carry on assisting this inquiry fully and openly. \"I continue to refute all allegations and in the meantime can I say that I'm extremely grateful for the huge amount of support and love I've received from my family, my friends and my constituents and indeed people throughout the country  who have contacted me. So thanks very much, thank you.\"\nLast month Mr Evans dismissed the original allegations against him as \"completely false\", and said they had been made by two people he had \"regarded as friends\". Elected as one of three Commons Deputy Speakers in 2010, he has stepped aside from his duties in that role since his arrest, but has continued to work as an MP.","event_type":"CommitCrime - Arrest","arguments":[{"role":"Criminal Evidence","values":null},{"role":"Police","values":["A Lancashire Police spokesman said: \"A 55-year-old man from Pendleton in Lancashire has today answered his bail following his arrest in May on suspicion of rape and sexual assault"]},{"role":"Arrest Time","values":null},{"role":"Suspect","values":["The 55-year-old","Commons Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans"]},{"role":"The Charged Crime","values":["suspicion of three counts of indecent assault","rape and sexual assault"]},{"role":"Arrest Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary named as it remains of 36 known shipwrecks","document":"Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designated a swath of water between Milwaukee and Green Bay as the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary – aptly named because it contains the remains of 36 known shipwrecks, and perhaps dozens more that have yet to be explored. Kevin Cullen, president of the Wisconsin Underwater Archeological Association, says many areas such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Sheboygan are already listed under the National Register of Historic Places for their shipwreck discoveries. However, NOAA’s new sanctuary takes it a step further. “It adds another layer of protection and accessibility and notoriety to these world-class shipwrecks,” Cullen says. WBUR is a nonprofit news organization and our coverage relies on your financial support. Please give today. Cullen has been diving in Lake Michigan for years. He says nothing compares to the feeling of swimming in its chilly waters, dropping to about 40 degrees when you pass the lake’s second thermocline. Astonishing views of shipwrecks leave a memory of what once was. “You behold this hulk of a monstrosity,” Cullen says. “In some ways, some of them are graveyards. They carry and have carried humans on them that perished in pretty harrowing circumstances.” One of the stories the shipwrecks tell dates back to the 19th century when the Great Lake schooner Rouse Simmons failed to make its holiday delivery. The vessel, more commonly known as the “Christmas Tree Ship,” was built in 1868 and went down in 1912 on its way to Chicago carrying Christmas trees during a stormy night. The ship sank and took all 16 lives on board with it. Known as one of the oldest ships, the vessel still sits at the bottom of the lake. It can be found around the northern side of the new marine sanctuary. “Not only do [these ships] have truly sad stories,” Cullen says, “but they provide information for us to then recreate and relive what it was like to be on a 19th-century schooner here in the 21st century. However, the preservation of these shipwrecks depends on the circumstances in which the ships sank. “If it was a storm and it kind of capsized, then it's essentially a ‘shipwreck in a bottle’ preservation,” Cullen says. “Where the masts are still upright.” Due to the lake’s cold freshwater, it’s even possible for some well-preserved shipwrecks to float away like brand new. In saltwater, he says, marine boring worms cause wooden vessels to decay. But in Lake Michigan, ships that sank more than 200 years ago can be found at the bottom of its waters. Many of these antique vessels still haven’t been explored. Using modern sonar technology can help discover new shipwrecks, Cullen says. The Pere Marquette 18 is a long-sought shipwreck that was located by Cullen’s colleagues last year. Before using sonar technology to find the more than 400-foot-deep sunken steamship, his colleagues scoured over years of newspaper accounts and lined up maps and nautical charts. “We call it mowing the lawn,” Cullen says. “It's using sonar and boat patterns and you basically go back and forth until the target is reached.” To confirm the location of the missing vessel, the shipwreck hunters dropped a camera called a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) into the seemingly bottomless lake. “I think [the] exciting thing that NOAA will be able to bring in [is] new technologies that can access these wrecks in much more efficient ways”, Cullen says. “Maybe even [submarines] in the future, bringing humans down to these depths that we can't actually access with regular scuba gear.” Chris Bentley produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Todd Mundt. Xcaret Nunez adapted it for the web. This segment aired on July 13, 2021. Advertisement The governor has called a special legislative session this week to enact worker protections. Being a young mayor comes with challenges and opportunities. Government regulators are warning that if people don't upgrade in time, they won't be able to call 911 or use other emergency services. A judge in Connecticut ruled by default against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in a defamation lawsuit involving parents of children killed at Sandy Hook. The Spanish and Mexican vaqueros taught American cattle workers how to manage livestock. It all started with a simple cotton bag. Fewer than 40% of schools across the country have a full-time nurse. The memoir pairs photos of his life and career with thoughts and memories of those moments. ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["a swath of water between Milwaukee and Green Bay","sits at the bottom of the lake. It can be found around the northern side of the new marine sanctuary"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":["last year"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["took all 16 lives on board with it"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1912"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Christmas Tree Ship","The Pere Marquette 18"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"'Nothing but Problems': Shipwreck Teardown Now in Its Fifth Month","document":"When salvage crews in early November began cutting apart the capsized Golden Ray, a shipwreck the size of a 70-story office building with 4,200 cars within its cargo decks, they predicted the demolition could be wrapped up by New Year's Day. Months later, the job remains far from finished. Both ends of the cargo ship have been cut away and carried off by barges in a pair of giant chunks. But roughly three-fourths of the vessel remains beached on its side off St. Simons Island on the Georgia coast, where the South Korean freighter overturned soon after leaving port September 8, 2019. What caused the ship to flip is still being investigated, but an unstable load is suspected. \"It's been nothing but problems out here,\" said Andy Jones, a St. Simons Island resident who heads to the wreck site in his small fishing boat most days to monitor the demolition and post updates to a YouTube channel. \"It's a disappointingly slow pace.\" Salvage experts decided more than a year ago that the Golden Ray, measuring 656 feet (199 meters) long, was too big to remove intact. They settled on a plan to carve the ship into eight massive chunks, each weighing up to 4,100 tons (3,720 metric tons). They straddled the wreck with a towering crane with a winch and pulley system attached to 400 feet (122 meters) of anchor chain that acts as a dull sawblade, tearing through the ship's hull with brute force. Start to finish, each individual cut was supposed to take a single day. Taking into account time needed to load each severed ship section onto a barge and prepare for the next slice, the multiagency command overseeing the effort predicted the job would take eight weeks. It's turned out to be a lot harder. The first cut began November 6 and took three weeks. Lifting the ship's bow section revealed battered cars and SUVs in neat, layered rows on the interior decks. The second cut started a month later, on Christmas Day, and was finished in a week. Crews spent all of February attempting a third cut through the ship's engine room, a section fortified with thicker steel. After strain on the cutting apparatus forced extensive maintenance, the salvage crew stopped with the cut only about half finished. They spent days moving the crane to the other end of the ship, where they began cutting a new section while rethinking plans to complete the unfinished one. The ship's steel has proved tougher than anticipated, slowing the process, and crews have taken pauses to perform extra inspections and maintenance, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Himes, a spokesman for the multiagency command overseeing the demolition. \"If people are wondering when it is going to be done, we're doing it as quickly and as safely as can be done,\" Himes said. \"But quick takes a back seat to safety.\" He said it's possible the last chunk of the ship could head to the scrapyard by June, the first month of the Atlantic hurricane season. Workers have taken steps to make the cutting more efficient, using torches to remove strips of the ship's hull plating and form a guide for the cutting chain. They're also using a big mechanical claw to pluck cars from inside the ship to shed weight before sections are cut and lifted. Conservationists worry the longer the shipwreck stays in St. Simons Sound, the greater pollution threat it poses to the area's waterways, beaches and saltwater marshes. The wreck site is surrounded by a mesh barrier intended to contain debris for cleanup once the big sections get removed. Boats equipped with skimmers and absorbent booms stay on standby to mop up any leaking oil or other pollutants. Still, bumpers, tires and other car parts falling from the ship have been found on beaches. Birds have been found coated in oil. And though most fuel has been drained from the ship's tanks, there's concern that an estimated 44,000 gallons (166,500 liters) remaining could come gushing out once the cutting chain severs the ship's fuel line. \"The longer anything sits in the water, the ship or these cars, it breaks down,\" said Susan Inman, coast-keeper for the Altamaha Riverkeeper conservation group. \"You have lead paint on your ship. You have all these plastic pieces, hydraulic fluid. A lot of this stuff is just going to be around for years.\"","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["September 8, 2019"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Golden Ray"]},{"role":"Location","values":["St. Simons Island on the Georgia coast"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Surprise find at the bottom of Canandaigua Lake","document":"Canandaigua, N.Y. — More than 120 years ago, a steamboat sank to the bottom of Canandaigua Lake and was quickly forgotten. That is, until a Canandaigua man spotted it on his computer, and then found it in the water. Now, he’s sharing all he’s learned about The Seneca Chief. As a kid, Scott Hill developed a fascination for the water. “I often wondered what it would be like to pull the plug on the lake and see what it looked like without the water,” he said. “And it’s that that’s always kind of driven my quest.” It’s a quest to solve some mysteries, and he’s got the resume. Hill is the former commander of the Rochester Police Dive Team who later went to work for aerial imaging company Pictometry. He says the journey began one day in April 2014 as he was checking some imagery. “The water was crystal clear, gin clear,” he said, “but the other unique thing, it was dead calm. It was like glass. And so, as I started looking around, I was looking in the north end of Canandaigua.” “I saw this object,” he continued. “I said, ‘That’s a shipwreck.’” The coordinates, now on his phone, led him to The Seneca Chief. He says when the water is clear, it’s easy to see. Or, you can do what he did: dive down about 15 feet. “What I found was interesting,” he said. “It’s been out here over 100 years, just sitting there, and nobody’s ever stumbled across it until Pictometry took a picture of it.” He says the next step was to learn more about its story. Built in Buffalo, the ship was brought by rail to Canandaigua in 1888. It was made of steel, which was not common for the time. “It had limited use on the lake. But it was probably too small, only 50 feet long, to be a passenger boat,” said Hill. \"It was heavy, didn’t move that fast and, finally, it kind of outlived its usefulness.” Hill says The Seneca Chief sank in 1898, likely sent to the bottom of the lake on purpose, only to have its story revived more than a century later. The Seneca Chief was not Hill’s first underwater find. He and local shipwreck hunter Jim Kennard have found or explored hundreds in lakes across the northeast.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["the bottom of the lake"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["More than 120 years ago","1898"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["The Seneca Chief"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the bottom of Canandaigua Lake"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"La Girona: Investigation over suspected shipwreck theft","document":"The authorities are investigating the alleged removal of artefacts from a protected wreck of the Spanish Armada off the County Antrim coast. Reports were received that divers may have taken objects from La Girona, an Armada warship, which sank off Portballintrae in 1588. Access to the site of La Girona is restricted under the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973). Anyone diving the restricted area without a licence may be prosecuted. A marine patrol vessel will be doing regular inspections of the dive site over the rest of the summer to prevent any repeat. Stormont's Department for Communities, which looks after historic monuments, said it was investigating the incident. \"Over the July holiday period the department received a report of diving activity within the restricted area around La Girona and the removal of potential artefacts from the site,\" it said. La Girona is one of two wrecks in Northern Ireland waters that have special levels of protection under the law. The other is the World War One cruiser HMS Drake, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank in Rathlin Bay in 1917. Diving the HMS Drake does not require a licence but the removal of artefacts without the proper authorisation may constitute an offence. People diving wrecks around the coast have been asked to check the rules on the various wrecks. Anyone who sees people diving in the waters around La Girona is asked to contact the police on 101.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1588","1917"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["La Girona","HMS Drake"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the County Antrim coast","Rathlin Bay"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["The authorities"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Storms Reveal Two Historic Shipwrecks on England’s Eastern Coast","document":"Archaeologists have only gotten a “tantalizing glimpse” of the vessels, which are currently inaccessible due to Covid-19 restrictions Livia Gershon Daily Correspondent Winter storms on England’s Suffolk coast have uncovered the wrecks of two ships possibly dated to the 18th century or earlier, reports Katy Sandalls for the East Anglian Daily Times. Saxmundham resident Stephen Sugg and his wife were walking on Covehithe beach, located on England’s eastern coast, when they spotted a large section of a wooden vessel. “It was really nice to go and look at,” he tells the East Anglian. “It was quite impressive.” The remains of the ship’s hull are held together largely with wooden treenails, a type of fastening pin used between the 13th and 19th centuries, according to BBC News. Traces of the vessel were first uncovered three years ago but were subsequently hidden again by shifting sand and pebbles. Storms also revealed a portion of a second ship, similarly secured with trenails, at Thorpeness, about 20 miles south of Covehithe. As Sandalls writes in a separate article for the East Anglian Daily Times, Nicholas Mellor, the heritage conservation specialist who stumbled onto the Thorpeness wreck, initially assumed that the debris was driftwood. When he took a closer look, however, Mellor realized that it was part of a larger structure. “It’s got the curve of a large boat,” he tells the East Anglian. “It’s built incredibly solidly.” Mellor adds that the ship was likely either a warship or a collier, a type of bulk cargo ship that carried coal. So far, Covid-19 restrictions have prevented coastal archaeologists from visiting the wrecks to learn more about them. But Andy Sherman, discovery officer for the Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network (CITiZAN), tells BBC News that photographs shared by the public have offered a “tantalizing glimpse” of the ships. “It’s very exciting to see,” he says. “Hopefully they will still be there in three or four months so that we can do further investigations.” Based on available photographs, Sherman has confirmed that the Thorpeness vessel was held together with treenails. He says that the ship may have been made with an unusual technique employed by builders in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. “It’s difficult to tell from the photographs but this section of wreck appears to have double hull planking, which could be really exciting,” Sherman explains to BBC News. “This makes the vessel slightly more buoyant on one side and is really, really rare. Although the technique is known from historical writings there is only one well-known example in the U.K. archaeological record.” The discovery at Thorpeness has attracted much public interest, with almost 300 people tuning in to a March 4 online discussion organized by Mellor and 4D Heritage. According to BBC News, Mark Horton, an archaeologist at the Royal Agricultural University who took part in the event, suspects that the wreck is probably an 18th-century collier similar to the H.M.S. Endeavour. Sailed by James Cook on his 1768–1771 voyage to the South Pacific, the Endeavour was initially designed as a coal carrier. Cook and his crew adapted it for the journey, which ostensibly took them to New Zealand and Australia on a scientific expedition but also involved a secret mission: asserting Britain’s imperialist presence in the region, as Lorraine Boissoneault wrote for Smithsonian magazine in 2018. The Endeavour eventually made its way to the United States, where it sank off the coast of Rhode Island in 1778. No known colliers survive today, says Horton to BBC News, so the newly discovered shipwreck could yield important findings about this type of vessel. Mike Tupper, managing director of the International Boatbuilding Training College Lowestoft, is among the individuals who have visited the Thorpeness wreck in person. He tells BBC News that “the sheer size of it blew my mind.” The ship’s topside—constructed out of oak timbers—appears to have measured between 100 and 150 feet long, he adds. “If we can identify the species of oak, we’ll have a good idea of where it was made because back-in-the day, trees of this size—at least 150 years old—would not have been moved far as they were so heavy,” Tupper says. Like the Thorpeness ship, the wreck at Covehithe will have to wait for pandemic restrictions to be lifted before experts can fully analyze it. The vessel appears to sport thin metal sheathing plates that could be used to date it. “Unfortunately,” Sherman tells BBC News, “we can’t tie that down any further” without visiting the site. ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":["The remains of the ship’s hull are held together largely with wooden treenails, a type of fastening pin used between the 13th and 19th centuries"]},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["about 20 miles south of Covehithe","Covehithe"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["No known colliers survive today"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1778"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Thorpeness","The Endeavour"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the coast of Rhode Island"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["coastal archaeologists","Andy Sherman, discovery officer for the Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network (CITiZAN)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Deep sea robots will let us find millions of shipwrecks, says man who discovered Titanic","document":"A revolutionary new class of amphibious vehicle will transform the search for lost vessels on the ocean floor, says marine archaeologist Dr Robert Ballard He is the celebrated deep-sea explorer who discovered the Titanic, as well as the German battleship Bismarck and other historic sunken vessels around the world. Now Dr Robert Ballard is pioneering cutting-edge technology – autonomous underwater vehicles that will “revolutionise” the search for more than three million shipwrecks that lie scattered across ocean floors, according to a Unesco estimate. Many will offer new insights into life on board at the time of sinking, hundreds or even thousands of years ago. “We’re going to be finding them like crazy,” Ballard told the Observer. “It’s going to be rapid discovery because of this technology. New chapters of human history are to be read. “All the work I’ve done in the past in archaeology used vehicles that were connected to a ship. The ones that we’re building now are revolutionary new vehicles, able to work in extremely complex and rugged terrains – a new class of autonomous underwater vehicles that have their own intelligence and that are going to revolutionise the field of marine archaeology.” They are all the more extraordinary because they allow marine archaeologists to explore the ocean floor without needing to go to sea themselves. In the US, he recently undertook an expedition exploring Lake Huron and found an 1800s wreck – a search that was all done from land. “I don’t have to be on my ship now,” Ballard said. “We don’t even have to have ships. But I come because I want to get away.” The explorer, who has just turned 79, is on his 158th expedition, conducting a scientific exploration of the deep sea in the Pacific. National Geographic this month publishes his memoir, Into the Deep, in which he writes of a passion for ocean exploration that was inspired by Nemo, the fictional captain of the submarine Nautilus in Jules Verne’s classic novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Aged 12, he watched Disney’s screen adaptation: “It blew my mind … I wanted to be Captain Nemo. I wanted to walk on the ocean floor.” He now owns and operates the exploration vessel Nautilus, a state-of-the-art ship rigged for research in oceanography, geology, biology and archaeology, which can be followed by the public online. As a pioneer in the early use of deep-diving submersibles, he is particularly excited by the latest technology as it is far cheaper to operate. A mobile system that can go on smaller ships or work from the shore costs a few thousand pounds a day, rather than tens of thousands. The vehicles can travel to the deepest depths and stay down for days on end. They can also descend to a wreck much faster. “You can’t just instantly get to the deep bottom as a diver,” Ballard said. “You reach terminal velocity at about 100 metres every minute. To get to the Titanic, it took me 2½ hours to descend 4,000 metres. With these vehicles, it would have taken little over an hour.” While the technology is being used in marine research and environmental monitoring, the archaeological world has been slow to adopt it, he said: “It started in the military, like most of these advanced technologies. I served in the US Navy for 30 years, and I had access to a lot of technology that was classified and that slowly leaked out… the social sciences tend to lag in adopting new technologies because it’s not their strength.” For years, Ballard had dreamed of finding the wreck of the Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912: “In 1985, a top-secret navy assignment to explore sunken nuclear subs gave me the opportunity to follow that dream.” Asked if he would have found it sooner with this latest technology, he said: “Oh God, yes.” He is among marine archaeologists, scientists and geophysicists involved with a new “Dive & Dig” podcast series, presented by historian Bettany Hughes and funded by the Honor Frost Foundation.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["Lake Huron"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1800s","1912"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["the Titanic","Bismarck"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["marine archaeologist Dr Robert Ballard"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Shipwreck from 1880s revealed by shifting Lake Michigan water levels","document":"        A change in Lake Michigan water levels has revealed a shipwreck from the 1880s that is visible in western Michigan for the first time since 2018. Experts believe it's the wooden spine of the Contest, said Craig Rich, director of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association. The wreckage is along the shore in Muskegon County, near where the White Lake channel meets Lake Michigan. In 2018, major parts were seen for the first time since 1974, a result of changes in lake current, water levels and sand. Now the wreckage is visible again. \"The lake is a very living organism and it changes every day, basically,\" Rich said Wednesday. \"Things get covered and uncovered all the time.\" There was speculation in 2018 that the shipwreck was another schooner, the LC Woodruff. But experts subsequently settled on the identity as the 124-foot-long Contest, based on measurements and other findings, Rich said. According to the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, the Contest had a streak of bad luck even before its demise. Among the incidents: In October 1855, the ship suffered a collision in Lake Huron; in April 1868, it sprang a leak and lost cargo; and in September 1868, it sank and was raised, incurring a loss of $11,000. \"It's rare to get a glimpse of one,\" he said. \"It's a great little day trip for anybody who wants to visit that area.\" ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["western Michigan","along the shore in Muskegon County, near where the White Lake channel meets Lake Michigan"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":["2018","1974"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["September 1868"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["LC Woodruff"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Michigan Shipwreck Research Association"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Shipwreck Exposed by Erosion on Florida Coast Could Be 200 Years Old","document":"Erosion on a Florida beach has revealed a shipwreck that archaeologists say may be as much as 200 years old. As Jessica Clark reports for First Coast News, local Mark O’Donoghue was walking on Crescent Beach in St. John’s County on Saturday, as he does almost every day, when he saw “some timbers and metal spikes” sticking up through the sand. O’Donoghue reached out to the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), which sent researchers to investigate. After assessing the site, the team determined that they’d stumbled onto the wreckage of a vessel that likely ran aground on Florida’s northeast coast during the 19th century, when Crescent Beach looked decidedly different. “The sand dune wasn’t here when the ship wrecked,” archaeologist Chuck Meide tells First Coast News. “We know topography and the landscape of a coast changes a lot.\" He speculates that a storm eventually pushed the shipwreck far up on the beach, where sand formed around it. Based on the wooden timbers and iron fasteners, Meide tells Ryan Nelson of Action News Jax that the vessel was most likely a merchant ship. “It was probably a cargo ship, carrying goods, again in the 1800s,” he says. “Think of it kind of like a Walmart semi-truck: a ship that was carrying a bunch of, could be hardware, could be flour, could be all kinds of different commodities.” Meide posits that whoever operated the ship spoke English, as various parts of the vessel were “cut in feet and inches.” “[T]he keelson, for example, was 12 inches across,” he explains to Action News Jax. “So, that tells us that it is more likely to be an American ship, a Canadian ship or a British ship.” As waves rolled onto the beach at high tide on Saturday, more sections of the ship became visible. “A substantial part of the structure is still beneath what we can see,” Nick Budsberg, another LAMP archaeologist, tells Clark for a separate First Coast News report. Budsberg outlines several possible scenarios that could have brought the ship to the spot where it sat for centuries. “It might have been at the end of its life, and they ran it up on the beach and called it a day,” he says. “Or it is possible it wrecked further out to sea and a portion of the ship made it to the beach.” The archaeologists also found burn marks on some of the ship’s timbers. “My gut is telling me the burning happened after the ship wrecked,” Meide tells First Coast News. “Someone very well could have burned it for salvage purposes because then you shift through the ashes and pull out metal spikes and sell for scrap.” Writing on the LAMP Facebook page, the researchers say they will continue to study the timbers, both onsite and in the lab, to seek more information about the wood’s age and origin. Many beachgoers gathered to see the archaeologists studying the wreck. “We saw all the activity and asked what’s going on,” observer Lisa Snyder tells First Coast News. “We got to talk to some of the archaeologists. It’s just fascinating.” But the discovery also has a dark side: It reflects the growing problem of beach erosion, a natural phenomenon exacerbated by climate change. In a paper published earlier this year in Nature, scientists pointed out that almost half of Earth’s sandy beaches could vanish by the end of the century. Pat Lee, who lives near the spot where the shipwreck was discovered, tells First Coast News that the ship only became visible due to the massive loss of beach sand in recent years. “The wreckage there used to be under ten feet of sand,” he says. “In the last three years, we lost it. We lost it all. … It’s very cool to see the shipwreck. It is very disturbing to see the sand leave our beach.” Still, O’Donoghue tells Action News Jax that he’s excited to be part of a historical find. “It’s awesome!” he says. “The fact that we’re going to uncover it, or that LAMP [is] going to uncover it, and hopefully that it can be shared with future generations, it’s part of our history.” Meide says moving and preserving the wreck would cost millions of dollars, so for now, at least, it will remain on the beach. ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["Crescent Beach in St. John’s County"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["during the 19th century"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Florida’s northeast coast"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Lake Ontario shipwreck photos captured by Greece photographer","document":"Since 1974, when he was 13 years old, Jim Montanus has been fascinated by the Laura Grace, a wood tugboat that sank in Lake Ontario during a winter storm in 1918. But rarely had he glimpsed the 76-foot vessel, built in 1901 in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada, through anything but murky water. And never had he gotten a full view of the wreckage, mostly embedded in the lake floor about ¼ mile offshore from where Edgemere Drive and Long Pond Road meet in Greece — a site he said he’s snorkled to “dozens and dozens of times” throughout his life. Last week, though, the photographer said “a perfect storm” formed to give him an unobstructed view of the craft's remains, which are around 12 feet below the lake’s surface, from stem to stern. Actually, it was more of an anti-storm: a combination of relatively calm waters, dry conditions — which reduced runoff into the lake from the sediment-laden Genesee River — and an offshore breeze that allowed cold, clear water to push to the surface. All those circumstances created “perfect viewing conditions,” he said, “where you could see the outline of the entire boat so clearly. It’s amazing that so much of it is still there.” Montanus is known for his lakeside photography — “usually of sailboats or the Charlotte Pier at sunset. That sort of thing.” He had shot images and video of the Laura Grace before, both from the lake’s surface and beneath it, but only had been able to capture portions of the boat, like its prominent steam boiler. Jim Kennard, a shipwreck explorer who lives in Perinton, has chronicled 600 Lake Ontario shipwrecks and authored the book Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario, remembered diving to the Laura Grace during the 1970s, at which point, he said, “You could stand on the boiler and your head would be out of the water.” But as Montanus looked down at it from his small fishing boat, the Greece resident pondered a wider view. “It just occurred to me,” he said, “‘Why don’t I fly my drone?’” The next day, on June 9, amid more stellar weather, he did. From his fishing boat, he sent up his DJI Mavic 2 Pro over the wreckage site, and in about 20 minutes shot video and six or so stills. When he saw the results, “I was thrilled,” he said. “I was completely excited. I knew immediately they were the best pictures I’d ever gotten of that shipwreck.” He asked a couple of paddle-boarders who happened by to get into the frame to help illustrate the tugboat’s scale. “It was perfect,” he said. “They loved it.” Montanus used a polarizing filter on his drone's camera lens to reduce reflection from the water, but he didn't do much to enhance the images after the fact, he said. “I just went through the normal process that most photographers go through with color correction and brightness and contrast. All the normal standard adjustments that most photographers do.” The experience was a far cry from his first encounter with the Laura Grace, whose small crew is said to have survived, and which he learned about from a childhood friend he described as a “science nerd.” “When we were kids, a bunch of us went out to the lake in an attempt to find it,” he said. “We put on masks and snorkels and fanned out and swam around in a pattern trying to locate the ship. And I remember the first time I came upon it, seeing the big hull. It was kind of scary to come across something like that when you’re kind of young.” ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["the lake floor about ¼ mile offshore from where Edgemere Drive and Long Pond Road meet in Greece","around 12 feet below the lake’s surface"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["during a winter storm in 1918"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["the Laura Grace"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Lake Ontario"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Jim Kennard"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"TheJakartaPost","document":"            Two centuries-old shipwrecks packed with ceramics and other artefacts have been found off Singapore in a rare discovery that will shed light on the city-state's maritime heritage, archaeologists said Wednesday. The prosperous island nation has long been a key trading hub on global shipping routes connecting the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. The wrecks were found off Pedra Branca, a rocky outcrop east of Singapore, according to the National Heritage Board and think tank the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, which worked together on the project. The first wreck, discovered after divers accidentally came across ceramic plates in 2015, was carrying Chinese ceramics that possibly date back to the 14th century, when Singapore was known as Temasek. Some of the items were similar to artefacts found in archaeological digs on land, which showed that Singapore was a trading hub well before the arrival of British colonisers in 1819. Undersea excavations on the first wreck led to the discovery of the second, which is likely to be the Shah Munchah, a merchant vessel built in India that sank in 1796 while sailing from China to India. Items recovered from the second wreck ranged from Chinese ceramics to glass and agate objects, as well anchors and cannons, the heritage board and think tank said. The survey and recovery of artefacts from the two wrecks was completed this year. Such cannons were typically mounted on merchant ships used by the East India Company --- the trading behemoth through which the British empire expanded in Asia -- in the 18th and 19th centuries, they added. The vessel discovered in 2015 was the first ancient shipwreck to be found in Singapore's waters. It was carrying \"more Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain than any other documented shipwreck in the world,\" said Michael Flecker, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute's archaeology unit. \"Many of the pieces are rare, and one is believed to be unique.\" The Yuan dynasty existed in what is now China in the 13th and 14th centuries. Much of the Chinese cargo in the second wreck was destined for eventual shipping to Britain, said Flecker.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["Pedra Branca, a rocky outcrop east of Singapore"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":["2015"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1796"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Shah Munchah"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Singapore"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["the National Heritage Board and think tank the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Offshore Vessel Hits Platform at South Pars Field, Off Iran","document":"An offshore vessel has this week allided with an offshore gas platform in Iran's South Pars gas field, according to Pars Oil and Gas Company. The incident happened Wednesday when the vessel hit the SPD12B gas platform in the Persian Gulf. A photo shared by POGC shows a vessel could be a fast crew supplier-type. The company didn't share vessel details. According to POGC, there were no casualties and the deck of the platform was unaffected by the incident. POGC said the cause of the accident was under investigation, and that gas production from the platform continued uninterrupted.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["there were no casualties"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["this week","Wednesday"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Iran's South Pars gas field"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Seacor Power Update: Missed Weather Warnings & More From Coast Guard Hearings","document":"Months after the Seacor Power lift boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico, a hearing to investigate what led to the tragedy that left 13 of the 19 crew dead or presumed dead wrapped up on August 13. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation heard testimony from 31 witnesses, many of whom were part of search and rescue efforts. The purpose of the hearing was to put together a timeline of what happened and determine if a person or business was responsible for the Seacor Power disaster due to misconduct or failure in performing their duties. Knowing weather conditions and what warnings the crew received were important to figure out what factors contributed to the disaster. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation may also recommend enhanced safety regulations to prevent an accident like this from happening again. The hearing included testimony from two survivors, family of crew members injured or dead, U.S. Coast Guard personnel, representatives of the companies involved, and others who helped with search and rescue efforts. Firsthand accounts of the disaster painted a grim and terrifying picture, how the stormy seas and poor weather conditions added challenges to the already dire situation. But other factors that contributed to the disaster were revealed during the hearing, including a technical issue with the boat’s weather warning system. In addition to the investigation, survivors and family members of those who died in the Seacor Power boat accident have since filed several lawsuits. Talos Energy Inc., Seacor Marine LLC, and Falcon Global Offshore II LLC are cited in the lawsuits. The hearing for the Seacor Power boat accident revealed enough facts to create a timeline of events surrounding when: Coast Guard personnel who testified brought forward two key pieces of information. First, they explained the technical issue that inhibited the Seacor Power boat from receiving weather warnings and that it wasn’t reconnected until after the boat capsized. The crew had no way of receiving weather warnings due to the system’s failure. Another important piece of testimony was centered around the initial distress signal that prompted the Coast Guard to reach out to Seacor Power. The company representative told the Coast Guard false information – that the boat was still in Port Fourchon – but it wasn’t. Around half an hour later, a different representative called and said the boat capsized. The number of crew members on board was also incorrect at first. This confusion added unnecessary challenges to the situation. A witness who was part of a private helicopter crew that attempted to save crew members from the waters explained what he saw and experienced at the accident site. He described how the churning seas and high winds prevented them from immediately reaching crew members who were waving for help as they hung onto part of the boat. It took a few hours to rescue the surviving hypothermic crew because of poor weather. Falcon Global Offshore II LLC, Seacor Marine LLC, and Seacor Liftboats LLC have filed a civil suit under the Limitation of Liability Act. The use of the Limitation of Liability Act is common after maritime accidents. The lawsuit claims due diligence on the part of the three companies; the weather forecast was within their “safe operating limits,” the boat was “fit for service” at the time it left port, and unexpected weather changes ultimately caused the boat to capsize. They also claim the final decision to leave port was that of the captain, a fact that’s been widely debated. In the weeks following the accident, there was controversy around who was responsible for deciding to set sail after a storm had just passed through the area. Many speculated that the boat shouldn’t have left Port Fouchon, and blame was passed around to the boat owners, the company that commissioned it, and the captain. When companies file suits under the Limitation of Liability Act, claims related to the accident are limited to the total value of the boat and its freight. This would limit settlements with family and survivors of the Seacor Power disaster to a total of $5.67 million. The Limitation of Liability Act protects the companies involved but has been criticized throughout the years, with many citing it’s an antiquated law for today’s maritime industry. The emergence of weather technology and communications systems and improved health and safety measures have greatly decreased the type, frequency, and severity of risks crew faced when the Limitation of Liability Act was introduced in 1851. The Seacor Power boat tragedy on April 13, 2021, was one of the worst maritime accidents in recent history. Only six of the 19 crew were found alive during extensive search and rescue efforts that took place for weeks after the boat capsized. The Coast Guard’s Board of Investigation results are highly anticipated, and the National Transportation and Safety Board is expected to release its report in the coming months. ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":["weeks after the boat capsized"]},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["13 of the 19 crew dead or presumed dead wrapped up"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["August 13","April 13, 2021"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["Only six of the 19 crew were found alive"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["the Seacor Power"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Gulf of Mexico"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Fundraising Effort Launched After Offshore Tragedy","document":"OCEAN CITY — In typical fashion, the region’s fishing community is rallying around their own this week after a local angler perished in a suspected boat collision about 60 miles off the coast of Ocean City on Friday afternoon. Around 2 p.m. last Friday, Ocean City paramedics responded aboard a U.S. Coast Guard rescue boat for a serious trauma about 60 miles off the coast following a reported boat collision. A Coast Guard helicopter was also dispatched, along with a Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) rescue boat. The Maryland State Police Trooper 4 helicopter was also alerted to head to Ocean City on standby. The Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD) reported one patient suffered a head injury, while a second was reported to be in trauma arrest. Other private vessels in the area also responded to the area to assist with the rescue of passengers on the two vessels involved. According to an OCFD statement, one male patient suffered a minor head injury and refused treatment. A second patient, identified as Chris Ragni, Sr., was pronounced deceased by paramedics about 25 miles off the coast of Ocean City. The Coast Guard boat carrying the OCFD paramedic team returned to Ocean City around 4:50 p.m. on Friday. The cause of the injuries and reported boat crash are under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard. News of the boat collision offshore spread quickly through the area’s fishing community, but it wasn’t until later that it was learned the popular Ragni perished from the crash. The victim’s son, Chris Ragni, Jr., reported the tragic news in a social media post on Saturday. “As most of you know, my father Chris F. Ragni, passed away yesterday after a tragic boating accident while he was fishing yesterday with his buddies,” the post reads. “He passed away while doing what he loved to do, surrounded by his friends.” Ragni, Jr. in his post thanked those who were fishing with his father. He also thanked all the first-responders that responded to the scene and did their best to save his father’s life, along with the private Good Samaritan vessels that responded to assist. “Also thank you to everyone who arrived at the scene and assisted, especially the crew of the Leslie Anne and the Regulator,” the post reads. “And last but not least, the United States Coast Guard.” The local fishing community quickly responded in typical fashion through a GoFundMe page set up by Captain Kevin Denison of the 3 Amigos out of Indian River Inlet. “As most in our community know, tragedy struck on August 27, an accident at sea resulting in the loss of the local fishing legend, Chris Ragni, Sr.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":["U.S. Coast Guard","the crew of the Leslie Anne and the Regulator"]},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a local angler perished in a suspected boat collision","one patient suffered a head injury, while a second was reported to be in trauma arrest"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":["a Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) rescue boat","A Coast Guard helicopter","the private Good Samaritan vessels"]},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday afternoon","last Friday","August 27"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["about 60 miles off the coast of Ocean City"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["the U.S. Coast Guard"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1 dead, 1 hurt in Ocean City, Maryland, boat crash","document":" Updated: November 17, 2021 @ 3:04 am Tracking Covid-19 in and around Delaware The latest on Restore the Corridor Businesses in Delaware are hiring! A Maryland resident who recently returned from a trip to Afr… A 37-year-old Pennsylvania man is dead after police said he … One person is dead and another hurt after a boating collision off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland, Friday afternoon. Paramedics were called to an area roughly 60 miles off-shore for reports of a \"traumatic injury\" on August 27, 2021. The fire department said the injury was caused by two boats colliding. Once on scene, the fire department says they encountered two injured patients, one with a minor head injury. The other was pronounced dead by paramedics approximately 25 miles offshore. What led up to the accident has yet to be released. The cause of the injuries and reported boat crash are under investigation by the United States Coast Guard. WDEL is an institution which seeks to uphold the tenets of free speech, and improve its community by shining a light on the issues that most impact Delaware. With that said, this website should be used for civil discussion. Paraphrasing one of the world’s largest websites: Be courteous to others. Attack ideas, not humans. Treat others with basic decency. No personal attacks, hate-speech, flaming, baiting, trolling, witch-hunting, shilling, unsubstantiated accusations, or threats of violence. Do not post personal information about other individuals. ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":["The fire department","Paramedics"]},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["One person is dead and another hurt","two injured patients, one with a minor head injury. The other was pronounced dead by paramedics approximately 25 miles offshore"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["November 17, 2021","Friday afternoon"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["the United States Coast Guard"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Four missing after South China Sea offshore wind accident","document":"Offshore construction vessel in operation at Huizhou Gangkou I wind farm tilted with 65 people on board, according to reports Four people are missing at sea after an incident at the Shengping offshore construction vessel being used in the final phases of construction at the 400MW Huizhou Gangkou I Huizhou Gangkou I (400MW) Offshoreoff Huizhou, Guangdong, China, Asia-Pacific Click to see full details project in the South China Sea. According to reports by China’s official news agency, Xinhua, search efforts were continuing on Sunday (25 July) following the rescue of 61 of the 65 people who were on board the vessel when it tilted. Some 30 rescue vessels and helicopters were involved in the search operations, alongside the State Oceanic Administration's South China Sea Forecast Centre, which was tasked with making drift predictions for the missing people. The alert with the Guangdong Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Centre was raised at 11.26am, and by 3.30pm it was announced that 61 people had been rescued, but four were missing. Four missing after offshore platform accident in Guangdong. pic.twitter.com/85UFN7snf2 The wind turbine installation vessel Sheng Ping 001 had recently been converted from the jack-up offshore construction vessel Teras Fortress 2. It is owned by Tianjian Jincheng Offshore Engineering. China General Nuclear Power Group’s (CGN’s) Huizhou Gangkou I offshore wind farm has been under construction since December 2018. The first few turbines were brought online earlier this year.   ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":["Guangdong Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Centre"]},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":["rescue vessels and helicopters"]},{"role":"Missings","values":["Four people are missing at sea"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Tianjian Jincheng Offshore Engineering"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["the rescue of 61"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Huizhou Gangkou"]},{"role":"Location","values":["at the Shengping offshore"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Polish region revokes anti-LGBT declaration over loss of EU funding","document":"A region in southern Poland has revoked an anti-LGBT resolution under the threat of losing European Union funding. The regional assembly of Swietokrzyskie voted in a special session on Wednesday to revoke the resolution, which was first passed in 2019 by dozens of Polish muncipalities. It is the first time a region in Poland has abandoned the declaration of being an \"LGBT-free zones\". Poland's government had asked local authorities in several regions to revoke their largely symbolic anti-LGBT resolutions. Members of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party had supported the resolutions, which local communities said were intended to protect families based on unions of a man and a woman. But the appeal marked a reversal for the conservative government after the EU put on hold millions of euros of funding to the regions. The anti-LGBT resolutions were part of a backlash by rights activists, who said the \"LGBT-free\" designations made gays and lesbians feel unwelcome. The motion passed by Swietokrzyskie in 2019 had stated their \"opposition to the attempts to introduce LGBT ideology to local government communities and the promotion of this ideology in public life\". The measure also declared “deep disapproval and strong opposition to the attempts by liberal political and social circles to promote an ideology based on LGBT affirmation\". Swietokrzyskie had said such attempts were \"in clear contradiction to the cultural heritage and centuries-old Christian traditions not only of the region but also of Poland and Europe.” EU leaders had denounced the resolutions as discriminatory, and the EU Parliament reacted earlier this year by passing a resolution declaring the entire 27-member EU a “freedom zone” for LGBT people. Brussels had also suspended negotiations with five regions concerning the payment of funds from the cohesion recovery support programme. At the special regional assembly on Wednesday, 25 councillors approved the decision to withdraw from the controversial declaration, no one opposed it and three councillors abstained from voting. According to national media, Swietokrzyskie has now passed a new resolution stating that Poland’s Constitution guarantees parents the right to raise their children in accordance with their beliefs and views but also provides \"a guarantee of equality and fair treatment for all\". LGBT rights activists had been urging the EU to act more forcefully to protect them from discrimination, and they welcomed Wednesday's development. Activist Bart Staszewski called it a “great day for Poland and great success of activists and civil society. I am really moved.” Meanwhile, the liberal newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza said the region’s action marked \"a good day in the fight against discrimination\". On Monday, the Krakow region is reportedly set to consider a similar move. A privately-funded expedition has begun examining the wreckage of the MS Estonia ferry that sank in 1994. The search was commissioned by relatives of the victims of the disaster, in an effort to gain more information on the vessel’s fate. A total of 852 people were killed when the MS Estonia sank in September 1994, in Europe’s worst peacetime maritime disaster. The vessel was traveling overnight from the Estonian capital Tallinn to Stockholm in Sweden when it went down in heavy seas. Only 137 of the 989 people on board survived, while most of the victims were Swedes and Estonians. The 1997 official joint investigation by Estonia, Finland, and Sweden concluded that the ferry sank as its bow door locks failed in a storm, flooding the decks in just 20 minutes. But the latest dive, organised by an Estonia-based fund, aims to \"find answers to questions\" that official joint and separate investigations have failed to provide. The wreck of the MS Estonia lies on the seabed 80 metres below the surface in international waters near the Finnish island of Uto. The wreck in the Baltic Sea is considered a graveyard, which gives the area protection under law. The sinking has produced a number of conspiracy theories and some survivors say all previous research into the accident had hidden the real cause. A recent documentary raised further doubts by uncovering new holes in the ship's hull with a diving robot. \"Although during these decades numerous different investigations have been carried out, they have not been able to give the survivors and close relatives of the deceased exhaustive answers regarding the reason why Estonia perished,\" the Mare Liberum fund, said in a statement. The fund, which was created in July, said it would carry out the two-week dive expedition, costing around €800,000. The project will use a research vessel rented from the German company RS Offshore, equipped with four underwater robots, while four divers will provide support. One aim is to map the damage to the Estonia's hull, create a 3D scan of and study the surrounding area. The expedition is headed by Margus Kurm, a former Estonian state investigator into the ferry’s sinking. It wasn’t immediately clear what kind of stance the governments of Estonia, Finland, and Sweden would take about the parallel private expedition. A new official inquiry was launched in July and a dive by Estonian and Swedish authorities is expected in the spring of 2022. Kurm has promised to share his findings with the authorities, saying that private scrutiny could be \"constructive competition.\" \"This inquiry is very important for us to find the real reason why the MS Estonia sank,\" said Lennart Berglund, the head of a SEA group that supports victims' families in Sweden \"There will be no one from SEA or the Swedish side because it is still illegal for Swedes to participate in dives in Estonia,\" he added. A young French man has been fined for sending death threats to a former chief executive of Charlie Hebdo. The 20-year-old man was found guilty of sending death threats to the magazine's former HR director Marika Bret on Twitter. He was sentenced to fifty days of €20 fines each by the Paris Criminal court on Wednesday, as well as a €2,500 fine \"in compensation for moral damage caused\". If he fails to pay the fine, he will automatically be imprisoned to the corresponding number of days, the court added. The young man, who is unemployed, will also have to complete a two-day citizenship course. Prosecutors had earlier requested a six-month suspended prison sentence. The court heard that in December last year, he had sent a threatening private message to Marika Bret on Twitter. The defendant said he would \"cut her up like a pig\" and \"have her eaten alive by dogs that have been starving for days,\" prosecutors said. Bret, who has been living under police protection since the 2015 attacks, described the threats as \"words of unheard-of cruelty and barbarity.\" \"I will never, ever accept any death threat,\" she said. The defendant had claimed that he did not know about the history of Charlie Hebdo and had copied a message \"seen on a forum.\" But an investigation found that he had sent other hateful messages online, including towards the French Jewish community.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":["the ferry sank as its bow door locks failed in a storm, flooding the decks in just 20 minutes"]},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["the seabed 80 metres below the surface in international waters near the Finnish island of Uto"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A total of 852 people were killed"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["September 1994","1994"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["Only 137 of the 989 people on board survived"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["the MS Estonia"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["The 1997 official joint investigation by Estonia, Finland, and Sweden","A privately-funded expedition","the Mare Liberum fund","Margus Kurm"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Contractor Killed in Accident at Gulf of Mexico Offshore Facility -Operator","document":" STOCKHOLM, Nov 16 (Reuters) – Rock on the seabed may have gouged previously unknown holes in the hull of the ferry Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994. Philly Shipyard has won its first commercial newbuilding order since 2013 with an order for one Jones Act-compliant Subsea Rock Installation Vessel for U.S wind market from Great Lakes Dredge. The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) has made its latest accusation of Jones Act violations, this time involving a foreign ship of “illegally” transporting cargo off Virginia in support of.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1994"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Estonia"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Baltic Sea"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Offshore Worker Dies in Drillship Incident in U.S. Gulf of Mexico","document":"An offshore worker died last weekend in an incident aboard a Seadrill drillship deployed on a Kosmos Energy project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. \"At approximately 1:45 pm Central Time on January 24, 2021, Kosmos Energy learned about the fatality of an Allrig contractor on the Seadrill West Neptune drillship which is working on the Kodiak II well completion in Mississippi Canyon Block 727,\" Kosmos Energy said in a statement sent to Offshore Engineer. Richard Clark, President of Kosmos Energy’s Gulf of Mexico business unit said: \"No words can express the sorrow and pain that come when such a tragic event happens. On behalf of everyone at Kosmos Energy, my deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of the man who died. They have suffered a tremendous loss.\" In a separate statement sent to Offshore Engineer, Seadrill said the incident had happened at 13:30 Central Standard Time on January 24, 2021 and that all drilling activities on the rig have been suspended since. \"Seadrill is providing support to the West Neptune crew at this difficult time and wishes to express its condolences to the family of the deceased. The US Coast Guard and Bureau Safety and Environmental Enforcement were immediately notified and will undertake an investigation on the drillship in the coming days. Seadrill together with representatives from Kosmos Energy and Allrig will also undertake a root cause investigation,\" Seadrill said. Kosmos' Clark said that, as the incident is investigated and the facts come to light, the company will do everything to ensure this never happens again.  Neither Seadrill nor Kosmos have provided any details on the circumstances of the incident, however, Kosmos' Clark said initial learnings have already been shared with its peers in the region. \"We have already begun to share initial learnings from the incident with our peer companies, engaging with more than 20 operators in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico,\" Clark said. \"Kosmos Energy strives to maintain a safe operating environment, and this incident is of great concern to us. Our highest priority is to ensure the safety of our employees and contractors, and every possible action is being taken to assist in investigating the incident,\" the company further said. Allrig, the company whose employee died in an incident, sent the following statement to Offshore Engineer: \"We are extremely saddened to report that on January 24th, 2021 an incident occurred on the drillship West Neptune which resulted in the fatality of an Allrig contractor.\" \"Our thoughts are with the deceased’s family at this difficult time and we are currently providing ongoing support to them and to all other Allrig contractors and employees affected by the incident.\" Offshore Engineer has reached out to BSEE and Allrig seeking more info into circumstances surrounding the incident.   \"Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any additional comment at this stage,\" an Allrig spokesperson said.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["An offshore worker died"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["At approximately 1:45 pm Central Time on January 24, 2021"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Kosmos Energy"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["the Seadrill West Neptune drillship"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the U.S. Gulf of Mexico","Mississippi Canyon Block 727"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["The US Coast Guard and Bureau Safety and Environmental Enforcement"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Wind turbine installation vessel capsizes in Southern China","document":"A wind turbine installation vessel capsized off the coast of South China’s Guangdong on Sunday morning local time, causing close to 70 people to fall into the sea. The accident took place at around 11,00 hrs local time, near the Honghaiwan wind measurement tower in the Red Bay area of ​​Huizhou. The video (see below) shows the vessel, identified as Sheng Ping 001, formerly Teras Fortress 2, partially sunk next to the wind turbine transition piece. Rescue operations are underway and the number of casualties, as well as the cause of the accident, have not yet been reported. Chinese local media said that there were 67 people onboard. According to reports, 63 people have been safely transferred, and four people are still missing. The 2015-built vessel tilted and started flooding while working on the CGN New Energy offshore wind construction project. Hopefully all are safe. Courses will be more professional, Rates will come up for techs. They are so proud that don’t hire expats. However last time they asked step by step manual for jacking operations for one of Jack up vessel… That’s true. Chinese are so greedy and clueless in this business, that story of TF2 is just one of the case on media. Chinese will do everything, to get out of expats even by sacrificing if jack up rig  Meanwhile, they are so “good” in shipbuilding, that in few month TF2 will be on same location in “newbuild” condition with 1 expirienced master/oim with knowledge on geotech, preload/predrive requirements ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":["four people are still missing"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday morning local time"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["63 people have been safely transferred"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Sheng Ping 001"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the coast of South China’s Guangdong","near the Honghaiwan wind measurement tower in the Red Bay area of ​​Huizhou"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Unified Command may use another Seacor liftboat at accident site","document":"      Seacor Eagle moored in Houma, La., April 23, 2021. The crew and vessel were inspected by Coast Guard marine inspectors for readiness and approval to be used as an asset for the Seacor Power response. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Nicole Groll photo The Coast Guard suspended its search one week ago Monday for the remaining missing Seacor Power liftboat crewmembers eight miles south of Port Fourchon. Earlier this week, a Unified Command was established, comprised of representatives from the Coast Guard and Seacor Marine, for the salvage and wreck removal of the liftboat, including the safe removal of fuel and oil. The command is comprised of Coast Guard Capt. Wade Russell and Joseph Ruiz, a general manger with Seacor. The 234' liftboat was carrying a max potential of 35,000 gals. of fuel, lube oil, hydraulic and waste oil. There are no reported impacts to wildlife, and responders will continue to assess as work progresses. Seacor Marine, the responsible party, activated its response plan.  Coast Guard Marine Inspectors from Marine Safety Unit Houma and Lafayette inspected the Seacor Eagle liftboat for its ultimate use in the Seacor Power marine environmental response. Seacor Eagle was in drydock for repairs and the inspectors needed to go through the vessel top to bottom and ensure it was in safe and good condition. The inspection also included drills for the crew such as man overboard.  Underground oil lines are not compromised and are being monitored. There is an approximate one-mile safety zone around the scene to include a Federal Aviation Administration temporary flight restriction, and a marine safety information bulletin is being broadcasted. The NTSB and Coast Guard are investigating the incident. Seacor Marine, owners of the ill-fated liftboat Seacor Power that capsized in the Gulf of Mexico on April 13, confirmed that the body of Quinon Pitre, 31, was most recently recovered. No additional bodies have been recovered for more than a week Pitre is the sixth victim of the deadly capsizing. The other five bodies recovered have been identified. They are Ernest Williams, 69, of Arnaudville, La.; Anthony Hartford, 53, of New Orleans; James \"Tracy\" Wallingsford, 55, Gilbert, La.; Capt. David Ledet, 63, Thibodaux, La.; and Lawrence Warren of Terrytown, La. Seacor Power capsized in heavy weather about eight miles off the Louisiana coast. Of the 19 people onboard the Seacor Power that left Port Fourchon on Tuesday afternoon April 13, six are now dead, six have been rescued, and seven are still missing. The liftboat was reported to have left port just after a strong line of thunderstorms passed through the area in the early afternoon. Why it did so when more bad weather was expected is not known at this time. Gellert said the decision to \"go or no go is the captain's.\" Talos Energy, the company that the Seacor Power was working for at the time of the accident issued the following statement: \"Seacor Power was in port for service and inspections for several days prior to its departure. The vessel was not at a Talos facility and was fully under the command of its captain and Seacor Marine, including when to depart the port.\" Coast Guard watchstanders received an emergency position indicating radio beacon notification at 4:30 p.m. on April 13 of the distressed commercial liftboat. The watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast, which multiple good Samaritan boatcrews responded to. The crew of the 154' fast response cutter Glenn Harris arrived on the scene within 30 minutes of getting the emergency notification and rescued one person from the capsized vessel. A 45' Response Boat-Medium boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Grand Isle rescued another person and good Samaritan vessels on scene rescued four other people from the water. A small but intense low pressure system, known to meterologists as a wake low, passed through the area, creating hurricane-force winds of 80-90 mph and seas offshore of 7' to 9'. Though bad weather had been forecasted, the intensity of the storm took everyone by surprise,   The 265-class Seacor Power is a three-legged liftboat with a 49'x29'x5' working pad. It has a cargo deck capacity of 491 LT and a clear area of 11,000 sq. ft. It is outfitted with two cranes, port and starboard, each 185-ton capacity with 120' boom. The liftboat is powered by twin Caterpillar 3412 diesel engines, each producing 1,900 hp. The boat also has a bowthruster for added maneuverability. Ken Hocke has been the senior editor of WorkBoat since 1999. He was the associate editor of WorkBoat from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that, he was the editor of the Daily Shipping Guide, a transportation daily in New Orleans. He has written for other publications including The Times-Picayune. He graduated from Louisiana State University with an arts and sciences degree, with a concentration in English, in 1978. ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":["good Samaritan boatcrews"]},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":["one week ago Monday","within 30 minutes of getting the emergency notification"]},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["six are now dead"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":["fast response cutter Glenn Harris","A 45' Response Boat-Medium boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Grand Isle","good Samaritan vessels"]},{"role":"Missings","values":["seven are still missing"]},{"role":"Date","values":["April 13"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Seacor Marine","Talos Energy"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["six have been rescued"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Seacor Power"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Gulf of Mexico","about eight miles off the Louisiana coast"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Coast Guard Marine Inspectors from Marine Safety Unit Houma and Lafayette","The NTSB and Coast Guard","Coast Guard Marine Inspectors"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"BSEE Panel to Investigate Fatal Accident on Offshore Platform in Gulf of Mexico","document":"The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has established a panel to investigate the death of a worker at a Gulf of Mexico offshore platform earlier this month. The accident occurred May 15, 2021, at Eugene Island Block 158, Platform #14, which is operated by Fieldwood Energy. As reported by the company, the accident occurred during a non-emergency casing pressure test on a shut-in well. No other personnel were injured and there was no threat to the environment. The platform is located about 125 miles southwest of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico.  “Our sincerest condolences go out to the worker’s family and friends, said BSEE Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Lars Herbst.  “We are assembling a panel of experts who will conduct a thorough investigation into this tragic incident. We are committed to a complete investigation to determine the cause of the incident and to identify approaches that will enhance the safety of future operations.” A team of BSEE investigators, inspectors, and engineers will review information provided through operator, contract employees, witnesses, and subject matter expert interviews.  Investigators will also analyze any evidence from forensic testing. The panel will issue a report with its findings regarding the causes and make recommendations on how to strengthen existing safety measures once the investigation is completed. “Panel Investigations are critical in ensuring BSEE determines the cause, or causes, of an incident and develops recommendations for the offshore energy industry,” Herbst said. BSEE’s National Investigations Program is administered by its Safety and Incident Investigations Division in Washington, D.C. Join the 74,284 members that receive our newsletter. Have a news tip? Let us know.  The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate the sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Emmy Rose, releasing new imagery of the sunken vessel off Provincetown,... The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will hold a virtual public board meeting next month to consider the draft final report for the pipeline strike and subsequent deadly explosion and fire aboard... The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has deployed a team of investigators following last month’s fire on the containership ZIM Kingston off of Victoria, British Columbia. The announcement, made...  ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last month"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Emmy Rose","ZIM Kingston"]},{"role":"Location","values":["off of Victoria, British Columbia"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB)","The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two Killed by Leak Aboard FPSO off West Africa","document":"                        The Maritime Executive              BW Offshore, a provider of floating production services to the oil and gas industry, is reporting that two workers were killed in a gas accident aboard one of the company’s floating storage vessel off the coast of West Africa. According to a statement from the company, the incident occurred around mid-day while work was being performed on the FPSO Espoir Ivoirien. The two individuals were working inside one of the tanks on board when “there was a leak of hydrocarbons into the tank where the work was being performed.” Two fatalities were confirmed as a consequence of the incident. \"This is a tragic day for the families of the men we have lost, and our hearts go out to them,\" said Marco Beenen, the CEO of BW Offshore. The 155,000 dwt vessel, which was built in 1975, was converted in 2001 for use as an FPSO with a capacity of 1,100 Mbbl. The FPSO is operated by BW Offshore for CNR International. It has been operating on the Espoir field off Ivory Coast with its current lease running till 2022. The company reports that all of the personnel aboard have been accounted for and the next of kin of the two that were killed have been informed. Production has been shut down on the FPSO and the leak has been contained within the cargo tank. Both companies are cooperating with local authorities. BW Offshore owns a fleet of 15 FPSOs operating worldwide. The company says over the past 35 it has executed 40 FPSO and FSO projects.   ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["two workers were killed"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["BW Offshore"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["off the coast of West Africa"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Five hurt at Triton Knoll in second serious offshore wind vessel accident","document":"An investigation is underway after an accident at one of Europe’s largest offshore wind farm projects left five injured – becoming the second major incident to confine an installation vessel to port this month. The accident involving the Seaway Strashnov vessel took place on 8 May during foundation installation at the 860MW Triton Knoll project off eastern England. News of the incident has only just emerged, with few further details available. A statement from lead developer Innogy said: “An investigation is being carried out into the cause of an accident which happened overnight on Friday 8 May, involving five people who were working on the Seaway Strashnov for Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm. \"At the time, all five were airlifted to hospital for assessment and treatment. Three were discharged the next day and a fourth a few days later, while one person remains recovering in hospital. \"The Strashnov and its crew have returned to port while the investigation is underway. Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of all those involved, and to support the investigation team and the implementation of their findings.\" The incident is the second this month to confine an offshore installation vessel to port this month. Earlier in May Recharge reported how the Orion 1 that’s due to work on several big projects was damaged in a crane accident during testing, with several workers injured. A spokesman for Innogy told Recharge the developer expects the delays caused to foundation installation “can be contained within the overall contingencies allowed for in the project programme”. Triton Knoll will deploy 90 MHI Vestas off the county of Lincolnshire, with commissioning due in 2021. It will become the latest offshore wind giant in the UK North Sea, which is already home to the 1.2GW Hornsea 1 project that’s the world’s largest in operation. Innogy owns 41% of the project, with other investors including Japan’s J-Power (25%) and Kansai Electric Power (16%). The Strashnov had already been involved in installation the wind farm’s two offshore substations. Seaway Strashnov’s operator, marine contractor Seaway 7, told Recharge in a statement that the remaining crew are safe and returned to port in Rotterdam. “At the time, we mobilised our emergency response teams who were able to monitor and respond to the situation. Our priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all individuals involved. “We are working with the relevant authorities and all other involved parties to enable a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the incident. We would like to thank the emergency services for their support throughout the incident,” said the statement.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["five injured"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["8 May"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Innogy"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["the Seaway Strashnov"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the 860MW Triton Knoll project off eastern England"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Coast Guard to halt search for missing from capsized commercial boat off Louisiana","document":"April 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday was set to call off a week-long search for the remaining eight people missing after a commercial lift boat used to service oil rigs capsized in hurricane force winds south of Louisiana's Port Fourchon. The search will end at sunset on Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced at a midday news briefing. A total of 19 people were on board when the 129-foot (39-m) commercial vessel, Seacor Power, went over in rough seas in the Gulf of Mexico, eight miles (13 km) off Port Fourchon about 4:30 p.m. (2130 GMT) last Tuesday, April 13.   Six people had been rescued, five bodies were recovered and a search for the remaining eight will continue on Monday until sunset, the Coast Guard said. At the time of the accident, winds were about 80 miles per hour (129 km per hour) to 90 mph in 7- to 9-foot (2.74 m) seas. Of the survivors, two people were rescued by the Coast Guard and four others were pulled from the water by other vessels. For nearly a week, rescuers in Coast Guard cutters, aircraft and volunteer civilian boats have been hunting for the missing people. A lift boat, also called a \"jack barge,\" has extendable 250-foot (76.2 m) legs that can reach the sea bottom. The vessel is often used by energy companies for offshore construction projects or to service oil rigs. The vessel is owned by Seacor Marine, a transportation company based in Houston. ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["the Gulf of Mexico, eight miles (13 km) off Port Fourchon"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":["The U.S. Coast Guard"]},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["five bodies were recovered"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":["aircraft and volunteer civilian boats"]},{"role":"Missings","values":["eight people missing"]},{"role":"Date","values":["about 4:30 p.m. (2130 GMT) last Tuesday, April 13"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Seacor Marine"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["Six people"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["south of Louisiana's Port Fourchon"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two die on Espoir Ivoirien FPSO","document":"An accident on the Espoir Ivoirien floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, offshore Cote d’Ivoire, has caused two deaths. BW Offshore operates the FSPO for CNR International. The vessel operator said an incident had occurred at 13:30 local time. Work was being carried out in a cargo tank on the FPSO. BW Offshore reported hydrocarbons leaked into the tank, while work was being performed. The company has informed the next of kin, it reported. “This is a tragic day for the families of the men we have lost, and our hearts go out to them”, said BW Offshore’s CEO Marco Beenen. The companies have shut down production and contained the leak. They have accounted for all personnel. BW Offshore and CNR are co-operating with local authorities on the situation. Crude flows from the Espoir East and West reservoirs to the Espoir Ivoirien FPSO. The vessel is located between two wellhead towers, connected by flowlines. CNR has reported zero fatalities among employees and contractors during 2016-19. However, the company has reported a higher number of accidents in its international exploration and production unit than its North American units.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":["hydrocarbons leaked into the tank, while work was being performed"]},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["two deaths"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["at 13:30 local time"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["BW Offshore"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["(FPSO"]},{"role":"Location","values":["offshore Cote d’Ivoire"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Investigative Expedition Seeks Evidence at MS Estonia Wreck Site","document":"Relatives of the Estonia ferry disaster have organized a privately-funded expedition to look for clues into one of the maritime industry's deadliest peacetime tragedies. Over the weekend, 46 people set off from the Dutch port of Eemshaven on board research vessel Sentinel, headed for the wreck site off the Finnish island of Uto. “We have been preparing for the expedition for three months now and we remain optimistic. Our goal is to map all the damage suffered by the vessel, photograph and scan instances of such damage, as well as investigate the car deck and the surroundings of the wreck site,” said Margus Kurm, manager of the SA Mare Liberum, an initiative founded by relatives of the wreck victims. The Estonia is among the most controversial marine casualties in recent history. On the night of September 27, 1994, the ro/pax ferry got under way from Tallinn to Stockholm on a scheduled run. The weather was rough, with winds of up to 40 knots and waves of up to 20 feet. At about 0055 hours the next morning, passengers heard a loud bang. 15 minutes later, the vessel's bow visor came loose, leading to flooding on her vehicle decks. She rapidly listed to starboard, reaching 60 degrees over the course of the next 15 minutes. It was not possible to launch her lifeboats due to the heavy list, and passengers on the boat deck began to abandon ship into the water. At 0150, less than an hour after the first signs of trouble, she slipped below. Hundreds of people managed to abandon ship, but they had to contend with heavy waves and deadly temperatures until rescuers arrived. Despite the efforts of nearby vessels and multiple rescue helicopters, only 137 out of the 989 people on board Estonia survived.  “Although during these decades numerous different investigations have been carried out, they have not been able to give the survivors and close relatives of the deceased exhaustive answers regarding the reason why Estonia perished,” said Kurm. During the expedition, divers plan to conduct underwater research in order to investigate the shipwreck on the sea bottom. All evidence will be analyzed by Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, a forensic naval architect specializing in damaged vessel hydrodynamics and simulation.  The expedition is privately funded from donations at a cost of $930,000. The research vessel has been chartered from the German company RS Offshore, and comes equipped with four underwater robots. Last year, a private expedition organized by documentary filmmakers Henrik Evertsson and Linus Andersson found what appeared to be a 12-foot hole in Estonia's hull - an element that was not discussed in the official accident investigation. In response, Swedish authorities charged them with violating a 1995 treaty that protects the Estonia site from disturbance; in February 2021, a court in Gothenburg dismissed the charges.  ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":["nearby vessels and multiple rescue helicopters"]},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["the night of September 27, 1994"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["only 137 out of the 989 people on board Estonia survived"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Estonia"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Finnish island of Uto"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["the SA Mare Liberum"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Cape May lifeguard Norman Inferrera III dies after off-shore accident","document":"CAPE MAY - A 16-year-old lifeguard in the first summer of his dream job was fatally injured in an offshore accident here, city officials say. Norman V. Inferrera III was rowing in the ocean off the Reading Avenue beach when his boat was broadsided by a wave and flipped over around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, according to a statement from the city. Fellow lifeguards \"responded immediately\" to help Inferrera, who was unconscious in the surf, according to a statement released Saturday. According to a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of the lifeguard's family, Inferrera \"had to be resuscitated twice and (was) airlifted\" to the trauma unit at Cooper University Hospital, Camden. More:Two teenagers struck while trying to cross Cinnaminson highway More:Traffic accidents kill two in Cherry Hill and Magnolia The GoFundMe statement said the lifeguard died Friday night after suffering extensive injuries to his brain and other organs, as well as multiple broken bones. \"This summer champ was involved in many rescues including a four-year-old child,\" said the appeal, organized by the lfieguard's aunt, Kathleen Inferrera Price of Deptford. The online effort, with an initial goal of $15,000, had raised more than $120,000 by Saturday evening. Inferrera \"was loved by all in the lifeguard squad,\" said the appeal, which sought help for the family's medical expenses. Inferrera, a resident of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, whose family summered in North Wildwood, was in his first year with the Beach Patrol, said Cape May City Manager Mike Voll. Harry Back, chief of Cape May's Beach Patrol, said Inferrera \"had a permanent smile on his face and was living out his dream to be a lifeguard.'' Beach Patrol members from other communities were overseeing Cape May's shoreline in the wake of the tragedy, Voll noted. \"They're on the beach now,\" he said, adding the death of a lifeguard on duty was the first in his memory. \"We've had several communities reach out,\" he observed. \"There's such a camaraderie.\" The city is providing grief counseling services to its lifeguards. “No words can express the sadness suffered by all of our Beach Patrol family,\" said Cape May Mayor Zachary Mullock. \"Norman chose to protect others. He did so professionally and worked hard at it.,\" the mayor continued. \"That is an extraordinary attribute for anyone, especially at 16 years old.\" Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["around 11:30 a.m"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":null},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["off the Reading Avenue beach"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Fellow lifeguards"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Petronas: Baram Oil Production to Resume in Q3, after Ship Accident","document":"Malaysia’s state energy firm Petronas said on Monday it expects to resume full production at its Baram facilities, off the state of Sarawak on Borneo island, in the third quarter after halting output in October following an accident. Petronas declared force majeure at its Miri crude oil terminal on Oct. 29 as a result of the ship collision on Oct. 27 at the Baram field, a company spokesman told Reuters. Two crew of the Malaysian offshore support vessel MV Dayang Topaz died after their ship rammed into the Baram B oil platform in bad weather. “Rectification work is currently being carried out at the Baram facilities, which are expected to resume full production in Q3 2021,” it said. Separately, Petrofac, the operator of the Cendor terminal, offshore Peninsular Malaysia, declared force majeure at the hub on Dec. 4 due to a “technical malfunction”, Petronas said. “An investigation is ongoing and the Cendor terminal is currently on partial production mode,” Petronas said, without providing a timeline for when the terminal can resume full output.Reuters reported on the forces majeures last month.(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Jan Harvey and Barbara Lewis)","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Oct. 27"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Malaysia’s state energy firm Petronas"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["MV Dayang Topaz"]},{"role":"Location","values":["at the Baram field"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Offshore Lift Boat Flipped While Lowering Legs, Turning","document":"NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An offshore oil industry boat had begun to lower its legs and was trying to turn to face heavy winds when it flipped in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana last month, according to a preliminary federal report released Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board report does not discuss the cause of the deadly accident. Six people were rescued, six bodies were found and another seven are still missing and presumed dead. The full investigation could take up to two years. The 175-foot (53-meter) lift boat Seacor Power carried nine crew members, two galley staff, and eight offshore workers when it overturned in the Gulf of Mexico during hurricane-force winds on April 13, the report said. Lift boats have three or four legs, which tower above a boat that’s moving and can be lowered to the bottom to raise the vessel as a temporary offshore platform. A 7 a.m. weather report had predicted afternoon winds of 9 to 12 knots (10 to 14 mph, 17 to 22 kph), the report said. It said other vessels in the area reported winds of more than 80 knots (92 mph, 148 kph), heavy rain and building seas about 3:30 p.m., when the accident occurred. A rain squall passed over the boat as it moved into the Gulf’s open waters, and visibility dropped significantly. “Crew decided to lower the Seacor Power’s legs to the seafloor to hold the vessel in position until the storm passed. When the legs began to descend, the crewmember at the helm attempted to turn the vessel into the winds. Before the turn was completed, the Seacor Power heeled to starboard and capsized,” the report said. Several people were able to get out of a corner of the deckhouse that was above water but high winds and 10- to 12-foot (3- to 3.7-meter) seas hampered rescue efforts. One of the survivors was seriously injured, the report said. It said investigators have interviewed survivors, former crew members, owner and charterer representatives, vessel inspectors and surveyors, and search and rescue responders. “Investigators intend to return to the scene when the Seacor Power is salvaged to inspect the vessel and collect further evidence,” the report said. Numerous lawsuits have been filed against owner Seacor Marine. The boat is still where it overturned in the Gulf about 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Port Fourchon. Salvage workers finished removing about 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters) of diesel from its fuel tanks over the weekend, Petty Officer Cory Mendenhall, a Coast Guard spokesman, said Tuesday. He said officials haven’t decided whether to pump out hydraulic fluid and other petroleum products or leave those in tanks until the Seacor Power is on shore. About the photo: In this April 18, 2021 file photo, the capsized lift boat Seacor Power is seen seven miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. Volunteers searching for seven men still missing after the oil industry boat capsized on April 13 said they have found life jackets and other debris from the vessel. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["six bodies were found"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":["another seven are still missing and presumed dead"]},{"role":"Date","values":["April 13","last month"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Seacor Marine"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["Six people were rescued"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Seacor Power"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Gulf about 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Port Fourchon","the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["The National Transportation Safety Board"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Malaysia: Petronas Launches Investigation into Fatal Offshore Incident","document":"Malaysian oil and gas giant said Thursday it was investigating the cause behind the incident that happened earlier this week when the Dayang Topaz offshore vessel crashed into its platform at the Baram field, off Sarawak. \"A thorough assessment of the platform structures is being carried out. Petronas is committed to undertaking all the necessary measures to ensure that the platform structures remain safe and secure,\" the company said. According to Petronas, the company's investigations revealed that the incident did not cause any impact to the environment. \"Petronas will continue to work with the relevant authorities to monitor the situation and conduct further assessments to ensure any eventuality is addressed swiftly,\" the company said. During the incident on October 27, 2020, in which two crew members died, the vessel made contact with platform structures after its anchorwire gave way during adverse weather.  The vessel, owned by  Dayang Enterprise Holdings, was undertaking operational work at the Baram platform for Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB). In a statement on the day of the incident the vessel owner said: \"We wish to inform that the vessel, Dayang Topaz is not sunk and is still seaworthy. The vessel is adequately covered by insurance and the extent of the damage is yet to be determined. We thank all those involved in the search and rescue operation including our client and all relevant authorities for their gallant efforts.\" Per Reuters reports on Tuesday, the vessel was, at the time of the incident, carrying 187 crew, 125 of whom jumped into the sea when the accident happened, about 7.7 nautical miles (14.3 km) offshore, marine authorities said. Two died but the rest were rescued.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["two crew members died"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["earlier this week","October 27, 2020"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Dayang Enterprise Holdings"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["the rest were rescued"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["the Dayang Topaz"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Baram field, off Sarawak"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Malaysian oil and gas giant"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Contractor to pay millions as death toll spirals from tragedy offshore India","document":"Afcons and operator ONGC compensate for lives lost from vessels sinking at Mumbai High field while relatives reportedly consider legal action India’s state-owned Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and barge charterer Afcons are to pay compensation to the families of the victims and to the survivors of last week’s vessel sinking offshore India that has claimed the lives of at least 70 workers. Sixteen people are still missing as the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and ONGC continue their search operations for those still unaccounted for after Cyclone Tauktae slammed into the Mumbai High asset offshore India’s west coast. Afcons will give between 3.5 million rupees ($48,065) and 7.5 million rupees to families of those deceased and the offshore contractor said it would also establish a trust to support the education of their children. “The families of the deceased would receive a total compensation equivalent to balance period of service up to 10 years salaries through a combination of ex gratia pay-outs and insurance compensation,” said a statement from Afcons Infrastructure. ONGC said it would also pay immediate compensation of 200,000 rupees to the families of the deceased workers and those missing and 100,000 rupees compensation to survivors. However, unconfirmed local media reports claimed families of those impacted are considering legal action as they believe compensation of up to 30 million rupees ($412,000) could be awarded. \"We are saddened by the events and express our deep sorrow at the loss of life and pay our tributes to the BNVs (brave nature’s victims),\" said ONGC.","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":null},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":["the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and ONGC"]},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["claimed the lives of at least 70 workers"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":null},{"role":"Missings","values":["Sixteen people are still missing"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last week"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Ship No.","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["offshore India"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Malaysian workbarge sinks, 121 crew rescued","document":"An offshore workbarge sunk at the Baram field in Malaysian waters this morning, sparking a huge rescue operation. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has confirmed that offshore vessel Sapura Constructor reported that it had received an emergency signal from the sinking Dayang Topaz, located around 7.7 nautical miles from Kuala Baram, Miri.  The Sapura Constructor sailed to the area to track the exact location of Dayang Topaz, and found the ship sinking. 62 crew are reported to have still been onboard the vessel, while another 125 crew jumped into the sea. Maritime Rescue Coordination Center launched a massive search and rescue operation by sending out a number of rescue ships and coordinated nearby ships owned by Shell and Petronas to the site. So far, 121 crew have been rescued while one was found dead and four others are missing. The search and rescue operations are ongoing, while the cause of the incident is still under investigation. Photos seen by Splash indicate the ship hit a platform in the Baram field. The 2012-built vessel Dayang Topaz is owned by Malaysia’s DESB Marine Services, which is part of Dayang Enterprise Holdings. Panic kills! especially in an area full of sharks. It’s a wrong statement. The vessel did not sink. ","event_type":"Shipwreck","arguments":[{"role":"Shipwreck Reason","values":null},{"role":"State of the Hull","values":null},{"role":"Hull Location","values":["around 7.7 nautical miles from Kuala Baram, Miri"]},{"role":"Rescue Organizer","values":["The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency","Maritime Rescue Coordination Center"]},{"role":"Rescue Start Time","values":null},{"role":"Hull Discovery Time","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["one was found dead"]},{"role":"Rescue Tool or Method","values":["rescue ships and coordinated nearby ships"]},{"role":"Missings","values":["four others are missing"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning"]},{"role":"Ship Agency","values":["Malaysia’s DESB Marine Services"]},{"role":"Lost Contact Time","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["121 crew have been rescued"]},{"role":"Ship No.","values":["Dayang Topaz"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Baram field in Malaysian waters"]},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Nieuwmarkt riots","document":"The Nieuwmarkt riots (Dutch: Nieuwmarktrellen), also referred to as the Amsterdam metro riots, is a series of serious disturbances in the Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands. On 24 March 1975, which later became known as Blue Monday,[1]  and on 8 April 1975, protests against the planned demolition of homes[quantify] ended in confrontations with over a hundred municipal police supported by 500 military police. [2] The homes were considered by residents and protesters to be in good condition, but had to make way for the construction of the East Line tunnel of the Amsterdam metro. [3] This was needed because the construction of the 3.5 km tunnel was largely done by sinking large concrete caissons. [citation needed] As a result of the riots, the city council of Amsterdam decided to abandon further plans for additional metro lines. In 1980, the Nieuwmarkt metro station was opened. It is decorated with artworks that memorialize the turbulent times. [4]\n\n.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["protests against the planned demolition of homes"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["24 March 1975","8 April 1975"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Manningham riot","document":"\n\nThe Manningham riot was a short but intense period of racial rioting which took place from 9–11 June 1995, in the district of Manningham in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A series of widely publicised riots and racial disturbances have occurred in this part of Bradford since the mid-1990s, which have often been attributed to the segregation that has been identified between the various ethnic groups present in the city. [1] The riot of summer 1995 was limited to a relatively confined area of the city, but was seen as indicative of the circumstances which led to the later and more widespread Bradford Riot of July 2001. [1]\n\nThe rioting started after someone complained to police about two boys playing football in the street. [2] When officers arrived, the two youths refused to move on and were detained for what was seen as a very minor infraction and not given police until some time later. [3] The families of the two boys went to the police to protest and the situation deteriorated from there: 100 West Yorkshire Police officers were called in to help quell the trouble. [4] Other witness reports stated that the police had attempted to arrest and then successfully detained two youths who were in a crowd. One of the arrestees had entered a house and when the police gained entry, an allegation of an assault by the police against a woman with a baby was made. [5] The rioting that followed was estimated to have involved around 60 people. [6]\n\nAnother version of the catalyst to the rioting was when a crowd of 30 youths had gathered outside the Jamiyat Tablighul Islam mosque after Friday prayers. The police had tried to arrest one and his friends came to support him with the situation quickly escalating. [7]\n\nThe second night of the rioting (10 June 1995) saw rioters gathering around the Oak Lane police station in the city after peace talks between the police and the local community had broken down. At around 7:00 pm, the station was petrol bombed and stones were thrown with most windows in the station being smashed. Police had managed to disperse the crowd before trouble flared again at 9:00 pm. [7]\n\nMore rioting followed on 12 June with 300 police officers deployed on the streets with the rioting fizzing out after the Sunday. Over the course of the weekend, police made 21 arrests and numerous others on both sides had ended up in hospital with injuries. Assistant Chief Constable Norman Bettison, of West Yorkshire Police, stated that he saw a \"..community tearing itself apart,\"  and that \"the youths seem to be rising up as much against society and elders as against the police. The police are the anvil youth is beating out its frustration and anger on. Youth seems to be alienated from every conceivable part of the community from which it is drawn. \"[8]\n\nTwo weeks later, eight men who had been arrested during the riot had charges against them dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. Four men from the original arrest which sparked the riot remained on police bail. [9]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["someone complained to police about two boys playing football in the street"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["police"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from 9–11 June 1995"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the district of Manningham in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2009 Riga riot","document":"2009 Riga riot was a civil unrest in Riga, Latvia on January 13, 2009. The opposition and trade unions organized a rally requesting dissolution of the parliament. [1] The rally gathered some 10–20 thousand people. The rally was because of the recent economic crisis that struck Latvia in 2009 and made more than almost 70% of the Latvian population either poor or unemployed. Once one of the growing economies in Europe, Latvia was struck in 2009 by the crisis. In the evening the peaceful rally turned into a riot. Fifty people were injured and 100 arrested for overturning police cars and looting stores. [2] The crowd moved to the building of the parliament and attempted to force into it, but was repelled. [3]\n\nOn February 20, the cabinet of Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis was dissolved and Godmanis resigned his position as head of the government. [4]\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the recent economic crisis that struck Latvia in 2009 and made more than almost 70% of the Latvian population either poor or unemployed"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Fifty people were injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["The opposition and trade unions"]},{"role":"Date","values":["January 13, 2009"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Riga, Latvia"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2009 Malmö anti-Israel riots","document":"The 2009 Malmö Davis Cup riots were anti-Israel riots in the Swedish city of Malmö against a Davis Cup tennis match between Sweden and Israel on 7 March 2009. [1][2]\n\nIn February, the tennis match was decided by Malmö's red-green city coalition to be closed to the public, a decision that was heavily criticised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). [1][3][4] The Mayor of Malmö, Ilmar Reepalu, personally said he thought the game should not be played at all, and the decision was thus considered to be more politically motivated than to do with security concerns. [2][5]\n\nIn anticipation of protests, around 1,000 police officers sanctioned off a large area around the Baltic Hall tennis stadium to keep protesters and rioters away. [1] A reported 170 truck loads of pavement stones were transported out of the area before the protests, and three schools were closed. [6] In addition, for the first time in history, riot vehicles were brought in from Denmark. [2][7]\n\nThe match was initially met with protest of around 6,000 to 7,000 anti-Israel demonstrators, with speeches held by the leader of the Left Party, Lars Ohly, who while wearing a Palestinian scarf was seen holding a map of Palestine with Israel eradicated. [8][9] The demonstrators were joined by several hundred militants of which around 200 to 300 began attacking police with stones, fireworks and paint bombs. [1][2][10] The anti-Israel rioters included AFA anti-fascists, militant Islamists, organised neo-Nazis,[11][12][13][14] as well as activists from neighbouring countries. [15][16] Police eventually detained around 100 rioters, arresting ten. [17] An additional eighteen rioters were later identified and put on trial for their part in the riots,[18] with several convictions. [19][20][21][22]\n\nThe decision to close the tennis match to the public resulted in Malmö being banned from hosting tennis matches by the ITF for five years. [23] In addition to having to provide $15,000 in minimum gate receipts for the match, the Swedish Tennis Association was fined an additional $25,000. [23] The Swedish Tennis Association responded by issuing penalties to Malmö mayor Ilmar Reepalu for his involvement in the event. [24]\n\nThe protest and riots led to accusations of antisemitism in Sweden. [25][26]\n\nSwedish history professor Kristian Gerner described the situation as \"the worst crisis for Jews in Sweden since the Second World War. \"[7]\n\nA 2012 European Men's Handball Championship qualifier between Sweden and Israel set to be played in Karlskrona in June 2011 raised concerns due to the riots, and was considered for moving to another location by Swedish sports authorities. [27][28] The match was played as scheduled, with a minor anti-Israel demonstration being held. [29]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":["stones, fireworks and paint bombs"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["anti-Israel demonstrators"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2009"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Swedish city of Malmö"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2011 Chaozhou riot","document":"The 2011 Chaozhou riot (Chinese: 潮州6·6事件) began on the night of Duanwu Festival June 6, 2011 in Guxiang (古巷镇) Chao'an County, Chaozhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China. [1][2]\n\nOn June 1 a wage dispute took place at the Huayi Ceramics Factory (华意陶瓷厂) in Chao'an. [3] A Sichuan migrant worker couple and their son surnamed Xiong (熊), from Zhongjiang County Sichuan, went to the factory demanding unpaid wages of about 2,000 yuan. [2]\n\nThe father argued with the boss of the factory and was hurt in the forehead. [2]  His 19-year-old son Xiong suffered cuts to the feet and hands after being attacked by two employees of the factory. [4]\n\nThe boss of the factory surnamed Su (苏), surrendered Saturday and confessed to the crime. [3] He owed 61 workers 800,000 yuan in unpaid wages. [4] The other two suspects who carried out the attack were also arrested by the police. [5]\n\nBy June 2 more and more Sichuanese people from nearby areas began gathering for a movement. [2]  A few people in the beginning increased to thousands of people. [2]\n\nBy June 6 a protest was held at Guxiang involving 200 migrant workers at around 10pm. [6]  This turned into a riot with 18 people injured, 9 detained. One vehicle was set on fire, 3 cars were destroyed and 15 cars were damaged during the clash. [7]\n\nThe tension between Chaozhou (Teochew people) and Sichuan people have escalated to the point where the situation has been described as \"Battle of Chaozhou\". [8]  Different community groups have come out to protect themselves. There are fears of Sichuan citizens bombing their gas stations in Chaozhou. And fears of Chaozhou people in Sichuan getting attacked. [8]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["wage dispute"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["18 people injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Sichuanese people","Chaozhou people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the night of Duanwu Festival June 6, 2011"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Guxiang (古巷镇) Chao'an County, Chaozhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1999 Mauritian riots","document":"\n\nThe 1999 Mauritian riots were national-scale rioting and protests in Mauritius following the death of the popular \"seggae\" musician Joseph Réginald Topize, better known by his stage name \"Kaya\", in police custody. [2][3] The rioting lasted for four days from 21 to 25 February 1999. Four civilians and one police officer were killed in the riots with hundreds of people suffering injuries. It was the first incidence of mass rioting in Mauritius since the country's 1968 riots. [2] The riots resulted in a majority of the island's police stations being sacked by protesters with 250 prisoners escaping prison. [1] Many businesses were looted and substantial property damage was done with over 200 vehicles being set on fire. [3]\n\nFollowing independence and a period of ethnic riots shortly before independence, Mauritius experienced a thirty year period of peace and rapid economic growth. This, along with the efforts by Mauritian political and bureaucratic leaders to be inclusive of representatives of minority communities in policy-making, had the effect of reducing ethnic tensions. During this period the Hindu majority in Mauritius gained dominance within the government. The period of high economic growth also lead to significant wealth disparities despite overall increasing living standards for all Mauritians. The education system, although free and universal, was highly competitive and reliant on additional private tutoring; this resulted in widening economic inequalities by limiting access to higher education for poorer, often Creole, Mauritians. [2] In the 1990s, this phenomenon of exclusion became known as Malaise Créole. [4]\n\nThe popular Mauritian Creole seggae musician Joseph Topize (Kaya) was arrested on 18 February 1999 for smoking marijuana at a rally for its decriminalisation which had been organised by Rama Valayden at Edward VII Square, Rose-Hill. [5][6]  Kaya was a vocal proponent of Creole rights and was viewed as an important voice of the Creole community. [7]  On 23 February, three days after Kaya's arrest, he died in police custody. The fracturing of his skull led protesters to assume his death was the result of police brutality. The government denied allegations of brutality and blamed Kaya's death on meningitis. Mauritian prime minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam promised a full inquiry to investigate the incident. [1] At the time accusations of police brutality by the Mauritius Police Force was common with many vagrants being registered as having died whilst in police custody. [7]\n\nFollowing the announcement of Kaya's death riots erupted in the predominantly-Creole Roche-Bois neighbourhood of Port Louis, where Kaya was from. [7] Riots and protests quickly spread across the island. Numerous shops, public buildings, police stations, and vehicles were looted and set on fire by rioters whilst 250 prisoners were released by rioters from a local prison. Protesters and rioters blocked roads with burning tires. [1] The death of another Roche Bois musician, Berger Agathe, after he was shot 92 times by the police, further enraged rioters. Agathe was shot whilst appealing to police for calm. [7] An estimated 2,000 rioters participated in the disturbances. [8]\n\nMisinformation and rumours were rife. Instigators spread rumours of temples, mosques, and churches being attacked. Rumours were also spread of ethnic groups from Creole regions coming to attack other communities. This resulted in Creoles and Asian youths engaging in sporadic ethnic clashes in the streets. A number of homes where Creoles were in minority were burnt down and their occupants chased out of the area in sporadic acts of ethnic cleansing. [2] Following a judicial inquiry the court found that three officers have used excessive force disproportionate to the events and in breach of the Standing Orders of the Police Force and recommended sanctions against the three police officers involved. The family of late Berger Agathe was represented by counsel Dick Ng Sui Wa. For several days after the riots broke out there was a lack of centralised response by the authorities. There was no swift reaction from the relatively young Prime Minister, who had been elected in 1995 and was about to face general elections within a few months of the riots. [9] As the riots worsened, the absence of the head of security forces was felt; Commissioner of Police André Feillafé was overseas on holidays in Hawaii as his part of his pre-retirement celebrations. Feillafé had been promoted as Commissioner of Police after the dismissal of former Commissioner of Police Raj Dayal who was the main subject of a Commission of Enquiry led by Judge Bernard Sik Yuen. Sik Yuen's enquiry focussed on allegations of fraudulent practices with the Mauritius Police Force during the purchase of breathalysers and renovation of the main gates of police headquarters (Line Barracks). [10] [11] There was confusion within the police regarding who was in charge. [12] Eventually, it was the intervention of the President Cassam Uteem on Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation television that seemed to calm down spirits. [13] [14] [15]\n\nFollowing the riots the Mauritian government established a Rs 500 million (around US$ 20 million) Trust Fund for the Social Integration of\nVulnerable Groups that amounted to 1.8% of the government's total budget for the financial year 1999-2000. The purpose of the fund was to fund micro-projects for people in poor regions of the country to facilitate national reconciliation and social integration. [2]\n\nThe riots and resulting inter-ethnic conflict increased Hindu militancy. Some members of the Hindu community argued that intellectuals and church leaders were to blame for the riots for talking too much about the 'exclusion' of Creole Mauritians from broader Mauritian society, thereby misleading them about the real causes of the Malaise Créole. [16] The Mauritian Hindu religious and political leader Harish Boodhoo and 3,500 other Mauritian Hindu religious leaders founded the All Mauritius Hindu Conference (AMHC). The AMHC denounced perceived social criticism of Hindus and alleged that Roman Catholic Church was solely responsible for the problem of Creole exclusion. The AMHC rejected calls for dialog issued by the Catholic Church. The majority of Mauritian Creoles are Roman Catholics and the church is often seen as expressing grievances on behalf of that community. [2]\n\nA monument to the riot and Kaya's death, depicting two crossed guitars, stands at the entrance to the Roche-Bois neighbourhood of Port Louis. [17]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the death of the popular \"seggae\" musician Joseph Réginald Topize, better known by his stage name \"Kaya\", in police custody"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Four civilians and one police officer were killed in the riots with hundreds of people suffering injuries"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["four days from 21 to 25 February 1999"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Mauritius"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2016 Kaliachak riots","document":"\n\nRiots broke out in Kaliachak, Malda district in West Bengal, India on 3 January 2016. [1][2][3] The Muslims were protesting the remark of political leaders Kamlesh Tiwari, But the protest turned into riots, when Muslim mob of more than 1 lakh people attacked the police and vandalised the police station of Kaliachak area. [4][5][6][7]\n\nA section of that protest rally turned violent when infurious protestors tried to broke barricades and confronted the police and Border Security Force (BSF). Mob vandalized Kaliachak Police station, block development office and public property injuring 30 policemen. Several private and government vehicles including BSF and North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) vehicles were torched. The train service was disturbed as protesters blocked railway tracks at Khaltipur railway station. [8]\n\nHowever, in the subsequent investigation, it was found to be a rivalry among the poppy mafias who were present as protestors and attacked the Police and Border Security Force[9] as according to police about 1500 acre poppy field has been destroyed by the administration the previous week. [10]\n\nMalda district of West Bengal has a mixed population comprising Hindus and Muslims. According to 2011 Census of India, Malda district is one of such districts in India which has Muslim population comparable to the Hindu population where in Kalichak block Muslim population shares the major proportion. [11][12] This district also shares border with Indian state Bihar and Jharkhand, also an international border with Bangladesh. This place is considered to be a safe passage of illegal drug mafia as well as poppy traders. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) dating back to 1861, made homosexual sex punishable by law and carried a life sentence. In 2009, the High Court of Delhi found the law unconstitutional, effectively invalidating the ban. Four years later, on 11 December 2013, the Supreme Court reversed the lower court's decision, restoring the statute while leaving it to the Lok Sabha to amend the law. [13] Since re-criminalisation, several politicians, including former External Affairs Minister Shashi Tharoor[14] and Bharatiya Janata Party Finance Minister Arun Jaitley[15] opined in favour of legal decriminalisation. Jaitley opinionated to reconsider judgement on homosexuality by Supreme Court on 28 November 2015 at Times Literature  Festival in Mumbai. [16] On 2 December, Azam Khan, a Muslim senior politician of the Samajwadi Party and a member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly,[17][18] responded to Jaitley's speech by saying that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh members are homosexuals as they do not get married. [19] The next day, Kamlesh Tiwari who claimed to be the working president of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha called Prophet Muhammad the first homosexual in the world. [7] He was arrested in Lucknow on 3 December 2015. A case under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between groups on ground of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) was registered against him at Naka Hindola police station, Lucknow. Protest rallies, against his statement, were held by several Islamic groups across the nation, most of them demanding death by hanging. [20]\n\nIdara-e-Shariya and Anjuman Ahle Sunnatul Jamat, a Muslim organisation had held a protest gathering with prior permissions from concerned authorities in Kaliachak on 3 January 2016 demanding death by hanging of Tiwari which was attended by 30,000[8] to 2.5 lakh Muslims. [21][22][20] A set of people from the protest rally turned violent and vandalized Kaliachak Police station, block development office and public property. Several private and government vehicles including Border Security Force (BSF) vehicles were torched. An NBSTC bus was also torched on National Highway 34 leaving several vehicles stranded on the highway. Over 30 people including police officers were injured. The train service was disturbed as protesters blocked railway tracks at Khaltipur railway station. When police stopped protesters, the riot broke out. [8][22][21][23]\nAccording to some news reports, Shani Temple, Durga Temple and other Hindu temples were attacked at Baliadanga and around 25 houses and shops owned by both Hindus and Muslims were vandalized. \n\nKaliachak, a place near an international border, is considered as a passage of mafia and anti-socials of the neighboring states, and has become a depot of many anti-social activities. Crimes like keeping illegal arms, cultivation of poppy, dealing of fake note, illegal drag trafficking are rapidly growing in this region. According to some news reports, taking the scope of religious outrage local goons who had criminal cases against them attacked the police station to destroy the evidences against them. \n\nPolice had to fire 40 rounds in the blank in an attempt to control the mobs. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed to control the situation. RSS activist Gopal Tiwari was injured in firing. [30] After the violence, police have put in restrictions on people assembling by invoking section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure. Ten members of a BJP delegation led by sole party MLA of the state Samik Bhattacharya was stopped near Rathbari area as their appearance might fuel the agitation. The members arrested by the police were later released. Also three member fact finding team of BJP led by MP S. S. Ahluwalia was also deported from the Malda station. \n\nThe Malda chapter of the civil rights organisation, Association for Democratic Rights (APDR),[34] has issued a statement that last Sunday's incident cannot be called \"communal by a long shot.\" Malda district secretary of APDR, Jishnu Roy Chowdhury, has blamed miscreants for \"triggering\" unprecedented violence, which is \"a symptom of lawlessness in the State. \"[35]\n\nAccording to some news reports, illegal poppy cultivation and dealings are rampant in and around Kaliachak. Police and administration planned to destroy all the illegal cultivation of poppy fields, a part has already been done as well. It is suspected that poppy mafia are involved in this clash during the protest of the Muslims. According to police about 1500 acre poppy field has been destroyed by the administration the previous week. [36][37]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["Muslim mob of more than 1 lakh people attacked the police and vandalised the police station of Kaliachak area"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["injuring 30 policemen"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["police and Border Security Force (BSF)","Muslims"]},{"role":"Date","values":["3 January 2016"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kaliachak, Malda district in West Bengal, India"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mahara prison riot","document":"\n\nMahara prison riot was an arson attack which took place between the prison inmates and police officials from 29 November 2020 to 30 November 2020 at the Mahara Prison in Sri Lanka at the outskirts of the capital city of Colombo in Mahara. [1] As of 30 November 2020, 11 inmates were reportedly killed and about 117 inmates were severely injured during the prison riot. [2][3][4][5][6] Police guards opened fire to control the arson attack and also in order to prevent a jail break. A fire also spread from the Mahara fire following gun shots, and most of the deceased inmates succumbed to gun shots. [7][8] It was revealed that prison inmates set fire to the kitchens inside the prison facility and briefly took 2 wardens hostage. [7][4] The riots occurred following the rumours and speculations regarding the transferring of COVID-19 infected prisoners to Mahara Prison from other crowded prisons. Initially the prison inmates staged unrest demanding the officials and authorities to increase the PCR testing following the surge in COVID-19 cases in Sri Lankan prisons. Prior to the riots, around 12 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. [9][10]\n\nPolice spokesperson Ajith Rohana stated that prison inmates triggered the unrest which turned into a prison riot. He also indicated that the prison inmates attempted to break the walls of prisons in order to escape. He further mentioned that the police officers had to open fire in order to prevent the prisoners from escaping. Around two police officers were also injured and have been hospitalised. [7] Over 200 police commandos were deployed in the area and before the situation was brought under control. On 1 December 2020, it was reported that a further 36 prisoners were injured, bringing the tally to 107. [11][12] The riot which started on 29 November 2020 in the evening lasted until 30 November 2020 in the afternoon. [11]\n\nSri Lanka which was initially successful in handling the first wave of the pandemic, but recorded a sudden spike of COVID-19 cases starting in October after a fresh surge at Brandix, a popular apparel retailer, as well as at a fish market in Peliyagoda. The second wave of COVID-19 infections also took its toll in various prisons in Sri Lanka with over 1000 cases reported since October 2020. As a result, prison inmates staged hunger strikes and protests demanding for better treatment and healthcare facilities. According to several sources, Sri Lankan prisons were heavily congested with each jail having over 26,000 inmates. As of November 2020, two prison inmates died due to the coronavirus. [1]\n\nThe eight bodies of the prison inmates were taken to the Teaching Hospital in Ragama. The Inspector General of Police C. D. Wickramaratne requested the Criminal Investigation Department to conduct an immediate investigation and probe into the Mahara riots, to which a Senior Superintendent of police was appointed. [13][14] All 71 people, including 2 police officers, who were critically injured were admitted at the Ragama Teaching Hospital. [15] On 30 November 2020, Ajith Rohana revealed that one of the senior members of the Mahara Prison Hospital staff was the mastermind behind the prison riots. [16] The Minister of Justice Ali Sabry appointed a five-member panel to investigate the violence. [11]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["11 inmates were reportedly killed and about 117 inmates were severely injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the prison inmates and police officials"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from 29 November 2020 to 30 November 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Mahara Prison in Sri Lanka at the outskirts of the capital city of Colombo in Mahara"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Sunset Strip curfew riots","document":"\n\nThe Sunset Strip curfew riots, also known as the \"hippie riots\", were a series of early counterculture-era clashes that took place between police and young people on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California in 1966. [1]\n\nBy the mid 1960s, The Sunset Strip had become a place dominated by young members of the hippie and rock and roll counterculture. While this brought many artistic initiatives to the neighborhood, problems simultaneously arose in the form of alcohol and drug abuse and the disturbance of traffic. [2]\n\nIn 1966, the city's administration implemented a handful of measures to curtail the growing nuisance. They targeted the Strip's most prominent rock club, the Whisky a Go Go, forcing its managers to change its name to the Whisk . [3] Furthermore, annoyed residents and business owners in the district had encouraged the passage of strict (10:00 p.m.) curfew and loitering laws to reduce the traffic congestion resulting from crowds of young club patrons. [4] This was perceived by young, local rock music fans as an infringement on their civil rights, and for weeks tensions and protests swelled. On Saturday, November 12, 1966, fliers were distributed along the Strip inviting people to demonstrate later that day. [1] Hours before the protest one of L.A.'s rock 'n' roll radio stations announced there would be a rally at Pandora's Box, a club facing forced closure and demolition at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights, and cautioned people to tread carefully. [5] That evening, as many as a 1,000 youthful demonstrators, including such celebrities as Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda (who was handcuffed by police), erupted in protest against the perceived repressive enforcement of these recently invoked curfew laws. [4]\n\nThe unrest continued the next night and off and on throughout November and December. Meanwhile, the local administration had decided to get tough, and rescinded the \"youth permits\" of twelve of the Strip's clubs, thereby making them off-limits to anybody under 21. In November 1966, the Los Angeles City Council voted to acquire and demolish the Pandora's Box. [6] The club was eventually demolished in early August 1967. [7]\n\nAccording to Timeline's Matt Reimann, the riots anticipated a cultural rift that only grew in the coming years. [3] In this light, Bob Gibson, manager of the Byrds and the Mamas and the Papas reflected: \"If you had to put your finger on an event that was a barometer of the tide turning, it would probably be the Sunset Strip riots. \"[8]\n\nRegarding the importance of the Sunset Strip riots, The Guardian journalist Woody Haut argues that \"it was, if nothing else, an early salvo in the \"culture wars\", a battle which continues to this day (...). \"[9] He furthermore argues that the riot's most lasting effect had to do with the music that came out of the event. The incident provided the basis for the 1967 low-budget teen exploitation film Riot on Sunset Strip[citation needed], and inspired multiple songs:","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["annoyed residents and business owners in the district had encouraged the passage of strict (10:00 p.m.) curfew and loitering laws to reduce the traffic congestion resulting from crowds of young club patrons. [4] This was perceived by young, local rock music fans as an infringement on their civil rights"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["police and young people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1966"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"July 2009 Ürümqi riots","document":"\n\nThe July 2009 Ürümqi riots[12] were a series of violent riots over several days that broke out on 5 July 2009 in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), in Northwestern China. The first day's rioting, which involved at least 1,000 Uyghurs,[13] began as a protest but escalated into violent attacks that mainly targeted Han people. China's People's Armed Police were deployed and two days later hundreds of Han people clashed with both police and Uyghurs. PRC officials said that a total of 197 people died, most of whom were Hans,[10][7] with 1,721 others injured[8] and many vehicles and buildings destroyed. Many Uyghurs disappeared during wide-scale police sweeps in the days following the riots; Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented 43 cases[14] and said figures for real disappearances were likely to be much higher. [15]\n\nRioting began following the Shaoguan incident, a brawl in southern China several days earlier in which two Uyghurs had been killed. [16]The Chinese central government alleges that the riots themselves were planned from abroad by the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and its leader Rebiya Kadeer,[17][1] while Kadeer denies fomenting the violence in her fight for Uyghur \"self-determination. \"[18]\n\nChinese media coverage of the Ürümqi riots was extensive and was compared favourably (by Western media sources) to that of the unrest in Tibet in 2008. [19] When the riots began, telephone and internet connections with Xinjiang were cut off. In the weeks that followed, official sources reported that over 1,000 Uyghurs were arrested and detained;[10] Uyghur-run mosques were temporarily closed. [20] The communication limitations[21] and armed police presence remained in place as of January 2010. [22] By November 2009, over 400 individuals faced criminal charges for their actions during the riots. [11] Nine were executed in November 2009,[23] and by February 2010, at least 26 had received death sentences. [24]\n\nXinjiang is a large central-Asian region within the People's Republic of China comprising numerous minority groups: 45% of its population are Uyghurs, and 40% are Han. [25] Its heavily industrialised capital, Ürümqi, has a population of more than 2.3 million, about 75% of whom are Han, 12.8% are Uyghur, and 10% are from other ethnic groups. [25]\n\nIn general, Uyghurs and the mostly Han government disagree on which group has greater historical claim to the Xinjiang region: Uyghurs believe their ancestors were indigenous to the area, whereas government policy considers present-day Xinjiang to have belonged to China since around 200 BC. [26] According to PRC policy, Uyghurs are classified as a National Minority rather than an indigenous group—in other words, they are considered to be no more indigenous to Xinjiang than the Han, and have no special rights to the land under the law. [26] The People's Republic has presided over the migration into Xinjiang of millions of Han, who dominate the region economically and politically. [27][28][29][30]\n\nAt the start of the 19th century, 40 years after the Qing reconquest of the area, there were around 155,000 Han and Hui Chinese in Xinjiang and somewhat more than twice that number of Uyghurs. [31] A census of Xinjiang under Qing rule in the early 19th century tabulated ethnic shares of the population as 30% Han and 60% Turkic, while it dramatically shifted to 6% Han and 75% Uyghur in the 1953 census, however by 2000 the recorded population was 40.57% Han and 45.21% Uyghur. [32] Professor Stanley W. Toops noted that today's demographic situation is similar to that of the early Qing period in Xinjiang. In northern Xinjiang, the Qing brought in Han, Hui, Uyghur, Xibe, and Kazakh colonists after they exterminated the Zunghar Oirat Mongols in the region, with one third of Xinjiang's total population consisting of Hui and Han in the north, while around two-thirds were Uyghurs in southern Xinjiang's Tarim Basin. [33]\n\nAlthough current PRC minority policy, which is based on affirmative actions, has reinforced a Uyghur ethnic identity that is distinct from the Han population,[34][35] some scholars argue that Beijing unofficially favours a monolingual, monocultural model that is based on the majority. [26][36] The authorities also crack down on any activity that appears to constitute separatism. [35][37] These policies, in addition to long-standing cultural differences,[38] have sometimes resulted in \"resentments\" between Uyghur and Han citizens. [39] On one hand, as a result of Han immigration and government policies, Uyghurs' freedoms of religion and of movement are curtailed,[40][41] while most Uyghurs argue that the government downplays their history and traditional culture. [26] On the other hand, some Han citizens view Uyghurs as benefiting from special treatment, such as preferential admission to universities and exemption from the one-child policy,[42] and as \"harbouring separatist aspirations\". [43]\n\nTensions between Uyghurs and Han have resulted in waves of protest in recent years. [44] Xinjiang has been the location of several instances of violence and ethnic clashes, such as the Ghulja Incident of 1997, the 2008 Kashgar attack, widespread unrest preceding the Olympic Games in Beijing, as well as numerous minor attacks. [27][45]\n\nThe riots took place several days after a violent incident in Shaoguan, Guangdong, where many migrant workers are employed as part of a programme to alleviate labour shortages. According to state media, a disgruntled former worker disseminated rumours in late June that two Han women had been raped by six Uyghur men. [16][46] Official sources later said they found no evidence to support the rape allegation. [47] Overnight on 25–26 June, tensions at the Guangdong factory led to a full-blown ethnic brawl between Uyghurs and Hans, during which two Uyghur co-workers were killed. [48] Exiled Uyghur leaders alleged the death toll was much higher. [49] While the official Xinhua News Agency reported that the person responsible for spreading the rumours had been arrested, Uyghurs alleged that the authorities had failed to protect the Uyghur workers, or to arrest any of the Han people involved in the killings. [49] They organised a street protest in Ürümqi on 5 July to voice their discontent[16][17] and to demand a full government investigation. [50]\n\nAt some point the demonstration became violent. A government statement called the riots a \"pre-empted, organised violent crime [...] instigated and directed from abroad, and carried out by outlaws. \"[51] Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, said on 6 July that overseas separatist forces had taken advantage of the Shaoguan incident \"to instigate Sunday's unrest and undermine the ethnic unity and social stability\". [51] The government blamed the exiled independence group World Uyghur Congress (WUC) for coordinating and instigating the riots over the internet. [51] Government sources blamed Kadeer in particular, citing her public speeches after the Tibetan unrest and phone recordings in which she had allegedly said that something would happen in Ürümqi. [52] Chinese authorities accused a man who they alleged to be a key WUC member of inciting ethnic tensions by circulating a violent video, and urging Uyghurs, in an online forum, to \"fight back [against Hans] with violence\". [53] Jirla Isamuddin, the mayor of Ürümqi, claimed that the protesters had organised online via such services as QQ Groups. [54] China Daily asserted that the riots were organised to fuel separatism and to benefit Middle East terrorist organisations. [55][56] Kadeer denied fomenting the violence,[18] and argued that the Ürümqi protests and their descent into violence were triggered by heavy policing, discontent over Shaoguan and \"years of Chinese repression\", rather than by the intervention of separatists or terrorists;[57] Uyghur exile groups claimed that violence erupted when police used excessive force to disperse the crowd. [2][3]\n\nAll parties, then, agree that the protests were organised beforehand; the main points of contention are whether the violence was planned or spontaneous,[58] and whether the underlying tensions reflect separatist inclinations or a desire for social justice. [50]\n\nDemonstrations began on the evening of 5 July with a protest in the Grand Bazaar, a prominent tourist site,[50][4] and crowd reportedly gathering at the People's Square area. [59] The demonstration began peacefully,[17][54] and official and eyewitness accounts reported that it involved about 1,000 Uyghurs;[13][5][60] the WUC said approximately 10,000 protesters took part. [13]\n\nOn 6 July, XUAR chairman Nur Bekri presented an official timeline of the previous day's events, according to which more than 200 demonstrators gathered in People's Square in Ürümqi at about 5 p.m. local time, and about 70 of their leaders were detained. Later, a crowd gathered in the mostly Uyghur areas of South Jiefang Road, Erdaoqiao, and Shanxi Alley; by 7:30 pm, more than one thousand were gathered in front of a hospital in Shanxi Alley.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a total of 197 people died","1,721 others injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["5 July 2009"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), in Northwestern China"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2009 NK Široki Brijeg–FK Sarajevo football riots","document":"The NK Široki Brijeg–FK Sarajevo football riot refers to the riot involving the football clubs NK Široki Brijeg (supported mostly by Herzegovian Croat fans[1]) and FK Sarajevo (supported mostly by Bosniak fans[citation needed]) during a leg of the 2009 Bosnian-Herzegovian Premier League in the Herzegovian town of Široki Brijeg. During the riot members of Horde Zla (\"Legions of Evil\", a FK Sarajevo supporters group) and Škripari (a NK Široki Brijeg supporters group) confronted each other in altercations which subsequently spilled out to the majority of the town. Horde Zla burned cars and demolished shops while Škripari and residents of Široki Brijeg stoned Horde Zla buses and shot at supporters. Horde Zla also claim multiple counts of severe police brutality which led to the death of Horde Zla member Vedran Puljić from gunshot wounds. [2][3]\n[4]\n\nThere are conflicting reports about who started the violence. Horde Zla accused local residents and police for their mistreatment on their way to the match, saying that the incident was planned by local politicians and that their buses were separated and parked too far from the stadium which left them open to stoning and attacks. They also claim that initially there were only 30 local policemen present, and they did nothing to prevent the violence. [5] Local police and residents said Horde Zla fans were the first to attack. [6] According to local police officials, most of the regional police had earlier been sent to the nearby city of Mostar to prevent possible violence during the match between the rival Zrinjski and Velež clubs scheduled for the same day thus leaving the match in Široki Brijeg relatively ill secured. [5]\n\nSome 500 fans of the Sarajevo football club were present during the match in Široki Brijeg[5][7] as well as between 150 and 200 members of the Red Army (supporters of FK Velež closely aligned with Horde Zla). [8] According to Croatian media, members of Horde Zla have a history of starting riots in nearby Posušje[9][10]\nand that Horde Zla were involved in similar riots before. In September 1990 they had a conflict in Belgrade and they stabbed 2 members of Grobari (supporters of FK Partizan). [11] While Škripari have been accused by Bosnian media of harboring far-right Ustaše sympathies including displaying the Nazi swastika in their stands on multiple occasions. 31 people were injured in the riots, 6 of them severely. [citation needed] One member of Horde, named Vedran Puljić (a Sarajevo Croat),[12] was shot and subsequently died. [13] According to Zlatko Galić, the chief of West Herzegovina Canton police, Vedran Puljić had a record for multiple violations related to hooliganism. [14] Police arrested Oliver Knezović as a suspect of shooting Vedran Puljić. Knezović is believed to be a former member of  Kažnjenička Bojna unit of HVO. He reportedly fired at the FK Sarajevo supporters using a Kalashnikov automatic rifle. [15] Knezović escaped from prison only hours after he was apprehended. [15][16] Eight Široki Brijeg policemen were detained for allowing the escape of Oliver Knezović. [17]\n\nOliver Knezović fled to Zagreb, Croatia, where he would not be extradited to the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as there is no agreement on this issue between the two countries. He gave an interview for a local TV network, asserting his innocence. [18] After the interview Knezović surrendered to a Zagreb police station with his lawyer. [19] An autopsy revealed that Puljić was killed by a bullet from a police pistol. [20] Knezović reportedly had been shooting from an AK 47. [21][22] \nCiting unnamed police sources, some media reported that Knezović took the pistol from an officer before shooting Puljić. [23][24] Knezović said that he had taken the pistol but returned it to the policeman before the shooting. He later came to the police station, but escaped after claiming that the police were looking to arrest him for not only shooting at members of Horde Zla (which he does not dispute he did) but also for the murder of Vedran Puljić (which he claims was committed by someone else. [19] The policeman Dragan Vujović was also taken into custody in relation to the murder of Puljić. Citing unnamed police sources, some media reports claimed Vujović is being investigated as an accomplice to murder. [24] Other media reports said that Vujović's hands tested positive for gunpowder residue, which he purportedly claimed was due to his coming into contact with the large quantities of fireworks used that day. Some reports say that the policeman has failed a polygraph test in relation to the event. [24]\n\nSome members of Horde zla were arrested and put in custody. But after Horde Zla spokespeople claimed they had reports that those members were being mistreated in prison the Federal Minister Of Justice Mirsad Kebo had them transferred to Sarajevo and released. [10] This move was met with disapproval by citizens of Široki Brijeg. [25]\n\nDuring the following days many citizens had gathered in front of the West Herzegovina county headquarters. They blamed the violence on Horde Zla. Miro Kraljević, the mayor, addressed the audience giving them his support. The official representative of Škripari read a list of requests to the authorities of West Herzegovina county. The protesters left after a speech by Stanko Škorba, the president of the Union of handicapped people from the Homeland war. Škorba told them that the ministry of internal affairs has accepted to look into their requests. Although, he said, that does not mean that the Ministry necessarily sees these complaints as valid. The council of Široki Brijeg also held an extraordinary meeting. The counselors made a declaration denouncing the violence that occurred. [26]\n\nThe protests were repeated the same week. There were between 13,000 and 15,000[27] protesters. Besides citizens of Široki Brijeg the fans of Croat dominated clubs from Mostar, Tomislavgrad, Livno, Žepče, Kiseljak, Posavina and a number of people from Croatia attended. Representatives of Škripari demanded the resignation of Mirsad Kebo and Zvonimir Jukić. In Sarajevo, members of Horde Zla also organized citywide demonstrations.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["31 people were injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the football clubs NK Široki Brijeg (supported mostly by Herzegovian Croat fans[1]) and FK Sarajevo (supported mostly by Bosniak fans[citation needed"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2009"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Herzegovian town of Široki Brijeg"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Liverpool riot of 1916","document":"\n\nThe Liverpool Riot of 1916 also known as the Battle of Central Station was an event in Sydney, Australia where a large group of Australian soldiers rioted through the streets of Sydney and surrounding areas on 14 February 1916 and into the early morning of 15 February. Following Australia's entry into World War I, many Australian men volunteered to fight in Europe and were stationed in camps around Australia to receive military training before being shipped to the front. At 9.00am on 14 February 1916, at Casula Camp in Liverpool in Sydney's south west, it was announced to the recruits that the current training session would be extended into the evening, meaning a 27-hour stretch for some of the recruits. [1] Five thousand recruits refused to accept extra duty and went on strike to protest the poor conditions at the camp. The soldiers left the camp and marched towards the centre of Liverpool, where they were joined by other recruits from camps around the area. The number of protesters now reached as many as 15 000. They invaded a number of local hotels, drinking the bars dry, refusing to pay and started to vandalise buildings. [2]\n\nThe soldiers then gained control of Liverpool train station, overpowered the engineers and commandeered trains heading towards Sydney, where they began rampaging drunkenly through Sydney streets, smashing windows and targeting anyone with a foreign-sounding name, including Italian restaurants, even though Italy was an ally of Australia in the war. Shops and hotels were looted and people were forced to take refuge in churches to avoid the soldiers. Police reinforcements were called in and began battling the soldiers in the streets of Sydney. At Sydney's Central Railway Station, armed military guards found a group of over a hundred drunken soldiers destroying a toilet block and demanded they surrender. A shot was fired by a rioting soldier over the guards' heads and in response the guards returned fire, killing one soldier and seriously injuring eight others. This incident had a sobering effect on the soldiers and many began surrendering to police and military guards, although small bands of soldiers continued to cause damage throughout the night. Following the riot, described as the \"most disgraceful episode in our military history\", about a thousand soldiers were court-martialled and either gaoled or discharged from the army. [3] However, Australia was desperate for recruits to fight the war, so many soldiers escaped punishment and were sent overseas while the government, anxious to keep the image of the Australian digger as positive as possible, discouraged the media from covering the event. [4]\n\nAs a result of the riots, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania introduced 6.00 p.m. closing of hotels to guard against a repeat occurrence, matching South Australia's introduction the previous year. It was not until 1955 that New South Wales closing was extended to 10 p.m.[5]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["Australia's entry into World War I, many Australian men volunteered to fight in Europe"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["killing one soldier and seriously injuring eight others"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["group of Australian soldiers"]},{"role":"Date","values":["14 February 1916 and into the early morning of 15 February"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Sydney, Australia"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1956 riots in Iraq","document":"In 1956, riots took place in Iraq in support of Gamal Abdel Nasser during the Suez Crisis, and in opposition to political prisoners held by the regime of King Faisal II of Iraq. Communists and Nationalists took to the streets in Najaf, and soon after the protests spread to Mosul and Sulaymaniyah. In November, 2 demonstrators were killed and another wounded. In December, the riots spread to Hayy. The riots ended after they were dispersed by the police. [1]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["support of Gamal Abdel Nasser during the Suez Crisis, and in opposition to political prisoners held by the regime of King Faisal II of Iraq"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["2 demonstrators were killed and another wounded"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Communists and Nationalists"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1956"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Iraq"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2013 Trappes riots","document":"Riots broke out in Trappes, a suburb (banlieue) of Paris, France on 19 July 2013 after the police arrested a man who assaulted a police officer, who tried to check the identity of his wife wearing a Muslim veil on 18 July 2013. France officially banned face covering in public places in April 2011. [8] Although disputed by French Muslims, the law remains in effect. On 18 July a 21-year-old Muslim convert was asked by the police to remove her face-covering veil. Her husband tried to choke the officer and was detained. [1] The female was released on 20 July awaiting a court hearing. [1]\n\nThe incident is part of the Islamic scarf controversy in France. [9]\n\nOn 19 July hundreds of youths throwing rocks, reportedly mainly of North African ethnicity, attacked the local police station. [1]\n\nOn 20 July[5] 20 cars were burned in Trappes. [1][2][10]\n\n.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["police arrested a man who assaulted a police officer, who tried to check the identity of his wife wearing a Muslim veil"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["19 July 2013"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Trappes, a suburb (banlieue) of Paris, France"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2000 Kaduna riots","document":"The 2000 Kaduna riots were religious riots in Kaduna involving Christians and Muslims over the introduction of sharia law in Kaduna State, Nigeria. [1] It is unclear how many people were killed in the fighting between Muslims and Christians, that lasted with peaceful intervals from 21 February until 23 May 2000; estimates vary from 1,000 to 5,000 deaths. When in February 2000, the governor of Kaduna announced the introduction of sharia to Kaduna State, of which non-Muslims form almost half of the population,[1] the Kaduna branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) organised a public protest against it in Kaduna city. [2] Muslim youths then clashed with them and the situation spiraled out of control, with massive violence and destruction on both sides. [2] The violence happened in two main waves (sometimes referred to as \"Sharia 1\" and \"Sharia 2\"): a first wave from 21 to 25 February, with further killings in March, followed by a second wave from 22 to 23 May. [2] The initial violence left more than 1,000 people dead;[1][3] a judicial commission set up by the Kaduna state government reported the official death toll to be 1,295. [2] However, Human Rights Watch estimated the total number fatalities, including those from March and May and many from February the commission had not counted, to be much higher, somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000. [2] Several media reported a number of about or more than 2,000 deaths (and 2 to 300 deaths in May). [4][5] Eventually, the army interfered to end the bloody clashes when it became clear the police could not control them. [6]\n\nThese became the first so-called \"Sharia clashes\",[1] the start of the religious riots phase of the Sharia Conflict (1999–present).","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["introduction of sharia law"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["1,000 to 5,000 deaths"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Christians and Muslims"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from 21 February until 23 May 2000"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kaduna State, Nigeria"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1903 water riots","document":"The 1903 water riots took place at Port of Spain on March 23rd in the then British colony Trinidad and Tobago. As a result of the riots, the Red House, which was the seat of the Executive and Legislative Council was destroyed. At around 1900, Trinidad had a high consumption of water. In 1874 the yearly water consumption per citizen was twice as high as in London. [1] Following the building of national waterworks infrastructure, the Government passed an ordinance that increased the cost of water, enacting the installation of water meters in private homes. [2]  A number of public meetings had been held to protest the increase, culminating in a demonstration on 23 March in Brunswick Square, located outside the Red House. Protesters threw rocks at the building, smashing windows (including a historical stained glass window commemorating the arrival of Christopher Columbus) and causing members of the legislature to hide under tables for protection. The protesters then set the lower floor on fire, at which time police opened fire on the crowd, killing sixteen people, and injuring forty-two others (among which, two teenagers and one child). The fire completely gutted the Red House..","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the Government passed an ordinance that increased the cost of water, enacting the installation of water meters in private homes"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["killing sixteen people, and injuring forty-two others"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["rocks"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Protesters"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March 23rd"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Port of Spain"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Benton Harbor riots","document":"The city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA has had two major riots. On August 30, 1966, due to a fatal shooting,[1] residents rioted for six days. Governor George W. Romney dispatched troops from the Michigan National Guard, who stood down on September 5. [2][3]\n\nIn June 2003, several citizens in Benton Harbor rioted for two days when black motorcyclist Terrance Shurn, being chased by a police officer, crashed into a building and died. Rioters set five vacant and dilapidated houses in the worst neighborhood of Benton Harbor on fire, to express their overall frustration with conditions in their lives and in the city of Benton Harbor. Many Benton Harbor residents came out to see what was going on. As many as 300 state troopers and law enforcement personnel from neighboring communities were called to Benton Harbor. [3][4][5][6][7]\n\nIndirectly, the riot contributed to the Jimmy Carter Work Project being held in Benton Harbor and Detroit in 2005. Benton Harbor also experienced rioting in 1960, 1967, and 1990. [3]\n\n.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a fatal shooting","black motorcyclist Terrance Shurn, being chased by a police officer, crashed into a building and died"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["several citizens"]},{"role":"Date","values":["August 30, 1966","June 2003"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1981 Moroccan riots","document":"The 1981 Moroccan riots (Arabic: احتجاجات 1981 بالمغرب‎, also referred to as شهداء كوميرة The Bread Martyrs[1]), also known as the Casablanca bread riots,[2] broke out on May 29, 1981 in Casablanca, Morocco—a major event in the Years of Lead under Hassan II of Morocco. [3][4] The revolt was driven by price increases in basic food supplies. [3][4] This intifada was the first of two IMF riots in Morocco—dubbed the \"Hunger Revolts\" by the international press—the second taking place in 1984 primarily in northern cities such as Nador, Al Hoceima, Tetouan, and Ksar el-Kebir. [4][5]\n\nMorocco was ecoomically strained from six years in the Western Sahara War. [3] The cost of basic foods soared, with the prices of flour up 40%, sugar 50%, oil 28%, milk 14%, and butter 76%. [4] A general strike was organized in response. [3]\n\nThousands of young people from the impoverished shanty towns surrounding Casablanca formed large mobs and proceeded to destroy symbols of wealth in the city, including buses, banks, pharmacies, grocery stores, and expensive cars. [3] Police and military units fired into the crowds. [3] The government's official death toll was 66, while the opposition reported a much higher number of 637. Most of the fatalities were youths from the slums shot to death. [3]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["price increases in basic food supplies"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["The government's official death toll was 66, while the opposition reported a much higher number of 637"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 29, 1981"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Casablanca, Morocco"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mahabad riots","document":"1945–2000\n\n21st century\n\nOn 7 May 2015, ethnic Kurds rioted in Mahabad, Iran, following the unexplained death on 4 May 2015 of Farinaz Khosravani, a 25-year-old Kurdish hotel chambermaid. Khosravani fell to her death from a fourth-floor window of the Tara, the hotel where she worked. Anger mounted following reports that Khosravani died attempting to escape an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official who allegedly raped her. The rioters reportedly set fire to the hotel. [1] At least 25 people were wounded in the riot. [2]\n\nUnrest and violence spread to other Kurdish cities in Iran, such as Sardasht, where police clashed with hundreds of protesters on 9 May 2015. [3]\n\nOne protester was reportedly killed in the clashes, and that additionally, Kurdish insurgent group PJAK had attacked an Iranian checkpoint killing two Iranian personnel, according to PJAK. [4] According to ARA sources, as of May 11, the death toll climbed to 6 protesters killed. [5]\n\nIn response to the mass protests, the Iranian government reacted by executing an alleged 84 of its supporters and arresting dozens more. As a result, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan announced it was reviving its armed struggle early in 2016. [6]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the unexplained death on 4 May 2015 of Farinaz Khosravani, a 25-year-old Kurdish hotel chambermaid"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["At least 25 people were wounded","6 protesters killed"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["7 May 2015"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Mahabad, Iran"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2015 Ballabhgarh riot","document":"\n\n2015 Ballabhgarh riot refers to the attacks on 400 Muslim villagers of Atali village, Ballabhgarh, Haryana, India by a  Hindu mob. [1][2][3]\n\nThe incident took place May 25, 2015 in the village of Atali in Ballabgarh, Faridabad. According to the locals, the cause of the confrontation was a dispute over a 30-year-old mosque. In 2009 the Hindus of the village claimed that it was the property of the village Panchayat. The Muslims said the land belonged to the Waqf board. In March 2015, the Faridabad court ruled in favour of the Muslim community. The Hindus however, continued to raise objections, with some advocating the demolition of the mosque because it stood adjacent to a temple. [1][4]\n\nA mass of 2000 people attacked the village using swords, bricks, and fire as weapons of choice. [4] The mosque was torched and the Muslims of the village fled. Muslims believe that they were selectively targeted, citing instances such as the only shop burned in a vendor's market belonged to Muslim merchants and only the homes of Muslims were looted. An estimated 400 Muslims were displaced from their homes, many of them slept in the police station in the neighboring village of Ballabgarh. The following day, Muslims began to protest at the Ballabgarh police station because no one had been arrested in relation to the crimes. One month later, still no charges have been brought upon those who committed the attacks. [5][6]\n\n.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a dispute over a 30-year-old mosque"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":["swords, bricks, and fire as weapons"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the Hindus","The Muslims"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the village of Atali in Ballabgarh, Faridabad","May 25, 2015"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Paramakudi riots","document":"\n\nThe Paramakudi riots were a series of riots that happened from 10 to 13 September 2011 in Paramakudi, in the Ramanathapuram district. The riots were held in response to the detention of Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) leader John Pandian who was detained while heading to Paramakudi to commemorate the 54th death anniversary of Immanuvel Devendrar, a revolutionary leader from the Pallar caste. [1]\n\nOn 11 September, the second day of rioting, five rioters were killed and 50 injured. Two later died of their injuries. Hundreds of policemen were injured. Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Sandeep Mittal and Superintendent of Police, K. A. Senthilvelan and DSP Ganesan were grievously injured in the stone-pelting. [2] According to district collector Arun Roy, the police opened fire when the mob refused to disperse after an attempt to use tear gas. According to Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa Jayaram, \"What happened at Paramakudi was unfortunate and we are forming an inquiry commission under a retired high court judge to probe the whole incident\". [3] Justice Sampath commission justified the police firing without which there would have been loss of lives and state property. The report suggested that sensitive caste gatherings must be avoided. [4]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the detention of Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) leader John Pandian"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["five rioters were killed and 50 injured. Two later died of their injuries. Hundreds of policemen were injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["tear gas"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["from 10 to 13 September 2011"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Paramakudi, in the Ramanathapuram district"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1924 Kohat riots","document":"\nThe 1924 Kohat riots were major communal riots in Kohat in North-West Frontier Province, British India in 1924. In three days (9–11 September) of rioting, official statistics state that the total casualty-count was 155, of which the casualties of Hindus & Sikhs were more than three times that of the Muslims. Almost the entire population of Hindus living there, numbering 3,200, were evacuated and fled. It was described as a successful attempt to completely exterminate and erase the Hindu and Sikh communities in the region. In the surrounding villages, Hindus and Sikhs were also killed and had to flee the region although majority of them had already been exterminated by the Muslims. [1] Gandhi undertook a 21-day fast for Hindu-Muslim unity in October 1924. [2]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["the total casualty-count was 155"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Hindus and Sikhs","the Muslims"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1924. In three days (9–11 September)"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kohat in North-West Frontier Province, British India"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1987 Chapeltown riot","document":"\n\nThe Chapeltown riots of 1987 took place in the Leeds district of Chapeltown in West Yorkshire, England. Widespread rioting in Chapeltown also occurred in 1975 and 1981. During the 1981 riots, rioting took place not only in Chapeltown, but also in London, Birmingham and Liverpool. [1]\n\n\nThe riots of 1987 began Sunday, 21 June, when a black teenager, 17 year old Marcus Skellington, was arrested and beaten by police. [2][3] It is estimated that 70 teenagers participated in smashing shop windows, looting and attacking police officers 22 and 21 June. On 23 June, shops, cars, and windows were burned, bombed and stoned, including a sex shop which was completely burnt down. [3][4] The burning of the sex shop was particularly significant for two reasons. First, it was not widely supported or wanted by the local community and had been protested prior to the riots. Second, it was believed that the police carried out surveillance of the Hayfield Pub car park for marijuana dealing from above the sex shop, despite the sex shop operating illegally at times. [3]\n\n\n\n.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a black teenager, 17 year old Marcus Skellington, was arrested and beaten by police"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["police officers"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1987","Sunday, 21 June"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Leeds district of Chapeltown in West Yorkshire, England"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Atlanta prison riots","document":"\n\nThe Atlanta prison riots were a series of prison riots that occurred at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, United States in November 1987. The riot coincided with a similar riot at the Federal Detention Center in Oakdale, Louisiana. In the Mariel boatlift of 1980, over 100,000 Cubans migrated to Florida. By 1987, about 4,000 of these Cubans were incarcerated for lack of documentation or for committing crimes. On November 10, 1987, the U.S. State Department announced that Cuba had agreed to reinstate a 1984 accord that would permit the repatriation of up to 2,500 Cuban nationals. Consequently, 2,500 of the Cubans incarcerated after the Mariel boatlift would be deported. However, many of these Cubans preferred life in the United States, even behind bars, over life in Cuba. They rioted to express their anger over facing deportation, and they took hostages to try to negotiate a different fate. \n\nA State Department spokesman indicated that the Federal Bureau of Prisons was not notified of the pending agreement due to concerns about premature disclosure of the agreement, so they had little time to prepare for the backlash.\n\nThree days after the announcement, the detainees seized control of the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta. Their principal demand was that they not be repatriated to Cuba. The uprising lasted 11 days, involved more than 100 hostages, and burned down a substantial portion of the facility. \n\nDuring the riot, a single Cuban inmate was killed by a Correctional Officer. According to a prison spokesman, the officer shot the inmate to protect a fellow officer.\n\nThe Atlanta FBI, led by Weldon L. Kennedy, was called in to handle the negotiations and gather intel. After the hostage situation was identified, Special Operations soldiers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, were sent to advise the law enforcement authorities.\n\nFollowing negotiations, the majority of inmates voted to a surrender agreement on December 4, and the remaining hostages were released. [2]\n\nOf particular concern to the Federal Bureau of Prisons during the riots was the whereabouts of inmate Thomas Silverstein, who was serving a life sentence at USP Atlanta in an isolation cell, following his murder of Federal Prison Guard Merle E. Clutts, at USP Marion, in October 1983. The Cubans ultimately were able to drug Silverstein, who was loose among the prisoner population during the riots, and turn him over to the authorities while negotiations to end the riots were still ongoing. [5]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["to express their anger over facing deportation"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a single Cuban inmate"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the detainees","more than 100 hostages","a Correctional Officer"]},{"role":"Date","values":["November 1987"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2001 Jos riots","document":"\n\nThe 2001 Jos riots were riots involving Christians and Muslims in Jos, Nigeria, over the appointment of a Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed, as local coordinator of the federal poverty alleviation program. The clashes started on and lasted nearly two weeks, ending on 17 September. Some 1,000 people were killed during the riots. [2][3]\n\nReligious and ethnic conflicts have repeatedly occurred in Jos due to the city's geographical placement in Nigeria. Jos, the capital of Plateau State, is located in the middle of the country, which lies between the predominantly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south. Jos was also known for its job opportunities leading people from around Nigeria to move there for employment. The influx of people led to tensions between members of \"indigene\" (indigenous) ethnic groups and non-indigene ethnic groups (often referred to as \"settlers\").In June 2001 the federal government appointed a Hausa Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed, as local coordinator of the federal poverty alleviation program, leading indigene Christians to protest his appointment. [citation needed] Tensions turned violent on 7 September 2001, when a Christian woman attempted to cross a barricaded street outside a mosque during Friday prayers. It led to a conflict between her and a group of Muslims. The fight eventually spread to other parts of the city.\n\nFighting spread through various Jos neighborhoods and to surrounding communities.Property and even human beings were set on fire. Many houses, shops, mosques and churches were burned or damaged. Torched cars were left along the streets after the clashes. Christian leaders reported that Muslims spontaneously attacked Christians and burned churches, including three churches of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (presently known as, 'Church of Christ in Nations' COCIN), the main Assemblies of God church, and a Jos Apostolic Church. The military was eventually deployed and stopped the violence. [6] Local sources[who?] said the military's intervention and strict enforcement of the curfew helped end the clashes. \n\nThe 10 days of violence left approximately 1,000 dead.  Because of the large number of people killed in the clashes, a mass burial had to be arranged.  The riots caused the displacement of at least 50,000 civilians.  The authorities arrested several hundred people and set up a commission of inquiry, which identified people who were allegedly involved in the violence, but no one was successfully prosecuted. [3]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the appointment of a Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed, as local coordinator of the federal poverty alleviation program"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Some 1,000 people were killed","approximately 1,000 dead"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["non-indigene ethnic groups (often referred to as \"settlers\"","Muslims","\"indigene\" (indigenous) ethnic groups","Christians","Alhaji Muktar Mohammed","The military"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Jos","Jos, Nigeria"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2005 Macquarie Fields riots","document":"\n\nThe 2005 Macquarie Fields riots were a series of disturbances in south-west Sydney in February 2005 which were referred to as a riot by both the Parliament of New South Wales and the media. The riots were sparked by a high-speed police pursuit on 25 February through the Glenquarie housing estate in the south-west Sydney suburb of Macquarie Fields. The chase resulted in the driver, 20-year-old Jesse Kelly, crashing the stolen vehicle into a tree and killing his two passengers, 17-year-old Dylan Raywood and 19-year-old Matthew Robertson. Certain circumstances around the riots including the fatal police pursuit in a low-income area were seen to be a repeat of the riots that took place in Redfern, New South Wales during the previous year.\n\nThe accident sparked protests and accusations of police impropriety after Kelly's aunt Deborah falsely claimed police had rammed the car prior to the crash. Kelly eventually adopted the accusation, which was untrue.\n\nNew South Wales state premier Bob Carr mobilised hundreds of police, including heavily armed riot squads into the area. The violence that followed lasted four nights, involving at least 300 residents clashing with police. The rioters hurled rocks, bottles, bricks, petrol bombs, and set cars alight, injuring several officers.During a Parliamentary inquiry nine months later, NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney stated that the violence during the incident was not a riot when compared to incidents in Los Angeles or Paris, referring to the distinction between \"disturbance\" and \"riot\" as defined by Los Angeles Police Department police chief Bill Bratton,who had been visiting Australia at the time of the disturbances. The police were criticised at the time for not acting to quell the disturbances quickly enough, with some arguing the riots could have been ended in their first day had a more aggressive stance been adopted. The so-called 'soft' approach by police was put down to downsizing and a lack of training within the NSW Police Force that inhibited their ability to contain the ringleaders effectively. The police eventually made 55 arrests, including that of Jesse Kelly, who had fled the scene of the fatal car crash which preceded the riots. The suburb of Macquarie Fields suffered from a high unemployment rate of 11.3 per cent, more than twice the National average. [6] Of its 4,600 homes, 1,500 are housing commission projects and home to low-income and disadvantaged families. Criticisms have been made about this controversial cul de sac-style urban planning that left many residents with very little privacy. In October 2006, Jesse Kelly was formally charged after admitting two counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death and was sentenced to 5 years' jail.  In the same month a coronial inquiry officially cleared New South Wales Police of any responsibility for the riot. His aunt Deborah Kelly, who started the rumors that sparked the riots,[8] was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and with concealing a serious indictable offence. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a high-speed police pursuit on 25 February through the Glenquarie housing estate in the south-west Sydney suburb of Macquarie Fields"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["killing his two passengers","injuring several officers"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["rocks","bottles","bricks","petrol bombs"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["hundreds of police","police","at least 300 residents"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February 2005"]},{"role":"Location","values":["south-west Sydney"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1947 anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo","document":"The 1947 anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo were an attack on Syrian Jews in Aleppo, Syria in December 1947, following the United Nations vote in favour of partitioning Palestine. The attack, a part of an anti-Jewish wave of unrest across the Middle East and North Africa, resulted in some 75 Jews murdered and several hundred wounded.  In the aftermath of the riots, half the city's Jewish population fled the city. \n\nSyria gained independence from France in April 1946. The Haganah's illegal immigration operative Akiva Feinstein wrote in 1947 that the new Syrian government then commenced persecuting the Jewish minority, that all Jewish clerks working for the French bureaucracy were fired, and the government tried to stifle Jewish businesses. At the time of the United Nations vote on November 29, 1947, the Jewish community in Aleppo numbered around 10,000 and went back around two thousand years. \n\nAfter the vote in favour of the partition of Palestine, the government abetted and organised Aleppo's Arab inhabitants to attack the city's Jewish populationThe exact number of those killed remains unknown, but estimates are put at around 75, with several hundred wounded.[6] Ten synagogues, five schools, an orphanage and a youth club, along with several Jewish shops and 150 houses were set ablaze and destroyed.  Damaged property was estimated to be valued at US$2.5m.  During the pogrom the Aleppo Codex, an important medieval manuscript of the Torah, was lost and feared destroyed. The book reappeared (with pages missing) in Israel in 1958. Following the attack, the Jewish community went into a steep decline. Wealthy Jews escaped the day after the pogrom and many more fled in small groups in subsequent months.Their property was forfeited and on December 22 the Syrian Government enacted a law forbidding Jews from selling their property. As of 2012, no Jews live in Aleppo. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["Damaged property was estimated to be valued at US$2.5m"]},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["several hundred wounded","some 75 Jews","at around 75"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["a part of an anti-Jewish","Syrian Jews"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 1947"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Aleppo, Syria","Aleppo","across the Middle East and North Africa"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2017 Brazil prison riots","document":"The 2017 Brazil prison riots were a confrontation between two criminal organizations, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV), and their allies within prisons and peripheries of Brazilian cities. Its emergence is linked to the methods of the PCC to conquer new territories for drug trafficking, which involve the collection of insurance and economic centralization and whose rigid pseudo-state organization finds strong resistance from regional criminal organizations, with predominantly decentralized organization.\n\nThe confrontation has taken the form of prison rebellions culminating in massacres. At the end of 2016, the first rebellion took place in Roraima with dead detainees. On January 1, 2017, 56 prisoners were killed after a riot at the Anísio Jobim (Compaj) Penitentiary Complex in Manaus, Amazonas, in the northern region of the country. Members of two rival gangs of drug trafficking, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Família do Norte (NDF) (allied to the Comando Vermelho (CV)) clashed in what was considered the most violent massacre in the history of the Brazilian prison system since the slaughter of Carandiru (1992).\n\nThe next day, four more inmates were killed at another prison in Manaus. Five days later, 33 prisoners were killed in the Agricultural Penitentiary of Monte Cristo riot, located in the rural area of Boa Vista, Roraima, also in the North. According to Folha de S.Paulo, the massacre in Roraima was a response of the PCC to the rebellion commanded by the FDN in the Amazon.  Even more people were killed later on in the month. \n\nSome of the most recent riots within Brazilian prisons happened in January 2018 in the state of Ceara. These fights broke out because of rivaling gang members, The Guardians of the State and First Capital Command of São Paulo, being in such close quarters in the facility. This riot was just one in a series that has been occurring for a year and a half. At least 10 inmates were killed and eight were injured. The state of Ceara holds the highest number of inmates without conviction or sentencing throughout all of Brazil: two of every three inmates await trial. Inmates are notoriously more agitated throughout the process of awaiting trial, which may explain the high prevalence of fights at the Ceara facility.  \nYet another riot that took place in January 2018 was in the state of Goias. Authorities claim nine prisoners were killed and 14 injured; one victim being decapitated. 106 prisoners escaped with authorities only recapturing 29 of them after regaining control of the facility. This riot was yet another cause of rivaling gang members being in too close of quarters. In this case, a gang entered the housing unit of a rivaling gang, setting their mattresses on fire and firing off weapons. The staff claims to have moved in quickly to get things under control, but not before 106 of the facilities’ inmates escaped. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["he methods of the PCC to conquer new territories for drug trafficking"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["four more inmates","33 prisoners","56 prisoners were killed"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Família do Norte (NDF) (allied to the Comando Vermelho (CV)","the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC)","Comando Vermelho (CV)","inmates","their allies within prisons","peripheries of Brazilian cities"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the rural area of Boa Vista, Roraima, also in the North","Manaus","the Anísio Jobim (Compaj) Penitentiary Complex in Manaus, Amazonas, in the northern region of the country","Agricultural Penitentiary of Monte Cristo"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Dixmoor race riot","document":"The 1964 Dixmoor race riot, also known as the Gin Bottle Riot, occurred between August 15 and 17 in Dixmoor, Illinois. After a woman accused of shoplifting a bottle of gin was wrestled to the ground by the owner of the liquor store and arrested, black residents took to the streets in anger. They picketed the liquor store, but then attacked it, looting it and burning various nearby buildings. [2]\n\nOn August 15, 1964, Blondella Woods, a black woman and Chicago resident, was accused of stealing a bottle of gin from Foremost Liquors at 2240 West 147th Street in Dixmoor. When she tried to leave the store, owner Michael \"Big Mike\" LaPota and his employees wrestled Woods to the floor, reportedly to prevent her from fleeing or smashing liquor bottles. African-American witnesses recounted that LaPota and his employees beat Woods before she was arrested; she was taken to a hospital by police.\n\nThe next day at 11 a.m. on August 16, demonstrators picketed Foremost Liquors, protesting LaPota and his assault of Woods. They carried signs that read, \"Big Mike Must Go,\" \"Mike Beats Negro Women,\" and \"Dixmoor Police are Afraid of Big Mike.\" This protest escalated into violence and a riot.\n\nRioters attacked LaPota's liquor store first. After police arrived with firefighters with high-pressure hoses to protect the stores, the rioters began to attack passing motorists. They threw rocks, bottles, stones, and bricks, breaking car windows and windshields, and hurting drivers and passengers. State police fired small arms overhead while advancing toward the rioters. A total of 225 police officers from local, county, and state departments were called to the scene. Sheriff Richard B. Ogilvie, future Governor of Illinois, instructed police to broadcast over loudspeakers: \"If you shoot, we’re going to fire back.\" According to Ogilvie, the riot began around 8 p.m. on August 16 and was over by 2 a.m. August 17] An estimated 1000 people were involved in the protest and riot. 37 people were injured, and 25 people were arrested and booked at the Harvey, Illinois police station. \n\n\n\nThis Chicago-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["motorists"]},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a woman accused of shoplifting a bottle of gin was wrestled to the ground by the owner of the liquor store and arrested"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["37 people were injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["bottles","high-pressure hoses","rocks","stones","bricks"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["police","the rioters","rioters","black residents","demonstrators","firefighters"]},{"role":"Date","values":["between August 15 and 17"]},{"role":"Location","values":["LaPota's liquor store","Dixmoor, Illinois"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1948 Anti-Jewish riots in Oujda and Jerada","document":"The 1948 Anti-Jewish riots in Oujda and Jerada, the latter also known as Djerada or Jṛada, occurred on June 7–8, 1948, in the towns of Oujda and Jerada, in the northeast of the French protectorate in Morocco. In those events 43 Jews and one Frenchman were killed and approximately 150 injured at the hands of local Muslims. \n\nFrench officials argued that the riots were \"absolutely localized\" to Oujda and Jerada, and that it had been \"migration itself - and not widespread anti-Jewish animosity - that had sparked Muslim anger\". [3]\n\nRené Brunel, the French Commissioner for the Oujda region, stated that rioting began when a Jewish barber attempted to cross into Algeria carrying explosives. Brunel wrote that that atmosphere has \"overheated\" as a result of \"the clandestine passage over the border of a large number of young Zionists from all regions of Morocco trying to get to Palestine via Algeria. \"[4] The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Jewish emigration from Oujda to Palestine was a significant irritant to the local Muslim population, noting that \"It is characteristic that those in this region near to the Algerian border consider all Jews who depart as combatants for Israel. \"[4] Alphonse Juin, Resident General in Morocco, noted that \"the clandestine departure of Jews for Palestine ignited the anger already inflamed by professional agitators. \"[4]\n\nIt has also been suggested that the riots were sparked by an anti-Zionist speech by Sultan Mohammed V relating to the ongoing 1948 Arab-Israeli War, although others suggest that the Sultan's speech was focused on ensuring the protection of the Moroccan Jews.\n\nThe riots began in Oujda, which was at the time the main transit hub for Zionist emigration out of Morocco, given its proximity to the Algerian border (Algeria was at the time part of Metropolitan France), in which 5 Jews were killed and 30 injured in the space of 3 hours before the army arrived. The mob riots in the neighbouring mining town of Jerada were even more violent, with 39 deaths. \n\nAt the time, Morocco was still a French colony, and the French commissioner for Oujda, René Brunel, blamed the violence on the Jews for leaving through Oujda and for sympathizing with the Zionist movement.  The French League for Human Rights and Citizenship blamed the French colonial authority for their relaxed control in the area. Several officials from the local mining federation were tried in court for instigating the massacres and several were sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor, the others given lighter sentences. \n\nThe emigration of Jews out of Morocco to Israel quickly became a flood after the incident. 18,000 Moroccan Jews left for Israel the following year and 110,000 out of a total of 250,000 Jews in Morocco left between 1948 and 1956. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["when a Jewish barber attempted to cross into Algeria carrying explosives","an anti-Zionist speech by Sultan Mohammed V relating to the ongoing 1948 Arab-Israeli War"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["43 Jews and one Frenchman","approximately 150 injured","5 Jews","30 injured","39 deaths"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the Sultan's speech was focused on ensuring the protection of the Moroccan Jews","local Muslims","a large number of young Zionists"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June 7–8, 1948"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the towns of Oujda and Jerada, in the northeast of the French protectorate in Morocco","Oujda and Jerada"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Piersonstraat riots","document":"\n\nThe Piersonstraat riots (Dutch: Piersonrellen) occurred in 1981 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. After the city council decided to demolish a warehouse and houses in the city centre to build a parking garage, local activists and the squatters movemment combined to resist the eviction. This resulted in riots and the events have become part of Dutch history. The parking garage was not built. In 1981, after years of debate, the city council of Nijmegen decided to construct a parking garage at Piersonstraat in the centre of the city. This would entail the demolition of houses and the squatters movement intervened. On 15 February 1981, houses and a warehouse were occupied, in cooperation with the remaining local residents. \n\nAt first, there was opposition to the occupation and local youths came to attack the squats. Concerned citizens placed themselves between the barricades and the youths.  Radio Rataplan, a local radio station which was broadcast nationally by VPRO, communicated the squatters' messages and gained them more support. Vrijstaat de Eenhoorn (Unicorn Free State) was declared and Rataplan passed on the appeal to help barricade the buildings. Local shops were visited and encouraged to support the occupation otherwise their windows would be broken. \n\nThe eviction occurred on 23 February when 2,000 police officers and soldiers were deployed.  Firstly a helicopter flew overhead, dropping leaflets to communicate that the eviction about to start and stating that people should leave the area and if molotov cocktails were thrown, the police would return fire with live ammunition.  When people started to leave, a smoke bomb was thrown and in the confusion the police attacked, using tear gas and tanks to clear the buildings. A peaceful blockade of 200 people sitting down in the way of the police was batoned and serious disorder ensued. [2] Ultimately, the warehouse was demolished, the houses were not, and the parking garage was not built. ] The city saw protest marches every Thursday evening until May. \n\nFollowing the riots, official police reports were produced and the squatters movement released reflections. In 2006, an exhibition at De Stratemakerstoren museum called Pierson Mot Blieve! (Pierson must stay!) focused on the events and afterwards squatter archive materials were donated to the city archives.\nAfter thirty years, the state document archives were opened up and forty years after the riots, local shopkeepers recalled the severe economic hardship they faced in the months following the eviction.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the city council decided to demolish a warehouse and houses in the city centre to build a parking garage"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the squatters","the youths","local activists","the squats","Concerned citizens","2,000 police officers and soldiers"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1981"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Nijmegen, the Netherlands"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2006 Nukuʻalofa riots","document":"The 2006 Nukuʻalofa riots, also known as the Tongan riots,[1] started on 16 November, in the Tongan capital of Nukuʻalofa. The Legislative Assembly of Tonga was due to adjourn for the year and despite promises of action, had done little to advance democracy in the government. A mixed crowd of democracy advocates took to the streets in protest. The riots saw a number of cases of robbery, looting, vehicle theft, arson and various property damage. Riots broke out around 3:30 pm TOT as rioters threw stones, broke windows, and looted. By about 6:00 pm, rioters started setting buildings on fire. The first targets of the rioters were government buildings. Then they attacked enterprises, including some that were leased to ANZ Bank and those owned by the Prime Minister Feleti Sevele. A private shop selling mobile telephones and advertising for Tonfön (part of the Shoreline Group of Companies owned, at the time, by the royal family) was next. Rioters also attacked and burned the main office of the Shoreline Group of Companies, which was located one kilometer away from the small central business district. Several of the larger Chinese shops were targeted for looting and burning. Other shops, including one owned by ethnic Indians, were burned as well, but it is not clear if they were intentionally set on fire or caught fire from surrounding buildings. At about 6:00 PM TOT rioters torched the Royal Pacific hotel (owned by the Shoreline Group of Companies). The hotel was located on one of the main roads into the city. There are many commercial buildings on the thoroughfare, and the fire spread to some of those buildings as well. According to an article in Tonga Now, normally law-abiding Tongans of both sexes and all ages were participating avidly in the looting. However, some photoswould seem to indicate that the car-tipping and arson were the work of young men. This conception would be reinforced after a destroyed Chinese shop was vandalized with graffiti. At nightfall, the police and the Tonga Defence Services regained control of the central business district and were turning away anyone who tried to enter. Estimates of the damage varied. Some estimates said that 60 to 80% of the central business district was destroyed. \n\nIt was announced that eight bodies had been found in charred ruins.  Since most of the employees of the affected businesses managed to reach safety, news reports speculated that the dead were likely looters. It is not clear if the deceased have been identified or if identified, when their names will be released. The Tongan government declared a state of emergency. Only firefighters, police, utility workers, etc. were allowed inside a perimeter defined by Vuna road, ʻAlipate road, Mateialona road, and Tupoulahi road. Residents of that area could enter only after being searched. For the next month, gatherings of more than five persons were illegal in that area. Emergency laws gave security forces the right to stop and search people without a warrant. \n\nThe Tongan government promised reform. Popular elections were held in 2008, in which a majority of the Legislative Assembly were elected by popular vote. \n\nThe Chinese embassy chartered an airplane to evacuate Chinese nationals. \n\n110 soldiers and 44 police officers from Australia and New Zealand arrived to help the local police to establish order. The New Zealand army was to be in charge of airport security and the police were to protect the High Commission. The Australian contingent from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment were to assist and relieve exhausted Tongan police.\n\nA leader of the Tongan pro-democracy movement, MP 'Akilisi Pohiva, has criticised the intervention of Australian and New Zealand peacekeepers following the riots.\n\nSome businesses had temporarily relocated to the suburbs. Some looted items were returned. Police were guarding the telecommunications center and investigating mobile call logs. According to the Matangi Tonga newspaper, twenty-six arrests had been made and the number of deaths had been revised down to six. \n\nNukuʻalofa was by now largely peaceful. The town center was still cordoned off and heavily patrolled, but local shop owners and the like could easily get permission to enter the restricted area. Some Chinese shops which escaped damage were now open again. Major shops and banks, however, were still operating from temporary locations in the suburbs. Peace was believed to be restored and foreign forces began leaving. The forbidden area in town was reduced. Police had made 571 arrests.\n\nThe first business to rebuild and reopen was the Fung Shin supermarket, which opened in new premises on 19 December 2007. \n\nIn November 2008, rebuilding began with an anticipated three years of work for the infrastructure to be complete.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["The Legislative Assembly of Tonga was due to adjourn for the year and despite promises of action, had done little to advance democracy in the government"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["eight bodies","the number of deaths had been revised down to six"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["stones"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Rioters","rioters","firefighters, police, utility workers, etc","A mixed crowd of democracy advocates"]},{"role":"Date","values":["16 November","around 3:30 pm"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Tongan capital of Nukuʻalofa"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1964 Philadelphia race riot","document":"The Philadelphia race riot, or Columbia Avenue Riot, took place in the predominantly black neighborhoods of North Philadelphia from August 28 to August 30, 1964. Tensions between black residents of the city and police had been escalating for several months over several well-publicized allegations of police brutality.\n\nThis riot was one of the first in the civil rights era and followed the 1964 Rochester race riot and Harlem riot of 1964 in New York City. In 1964, North Philadelphia was the city's center of African American culture, and home to 400,000 of the city's 600,000 black residents. The Philadelphia Police Department had tried to improve its relationship with the city's black community, assigning police to patrol black neighborhoods in teams of one black and one white officer per squad car and having a civilian review board to handle cases of police brutality.\n\nDespite the improvement attempts of the Philadelphia Police Department, racial tensions had been high in Philadelphia over the issue of police brutality. The Philadelphia Tribune, the city’s black newspaper, ran several articles on police brutality which often resulted in white policemen being brought up on charges of brutality, only to be later acquitted.  The summer of 1964 was at the peak of the civil rights movement with rioting breaking out in black areas of other northern cities including New York City; Rochester, NY; Jersey City, NJ and Elizabeth, NJ stemming from allegations of police brutality against black residents. \n\nThe unrest began on the evening of August 28 after a black woman named Odessa Bradford got into an argument with two police officers, one black, Robert Wells, and the other white, John Hoff, because Bradford stopped the car while arguing with her boyfriend and refused to move out of the intersection at 23rd Street and Columbia Avenue.  The officers then tried to physically remove Bradford from the car. As the argument went on, a large crowd assembled in the area. A man tried to come to Bradford's aid by attacking the police officers at the scene, both he and Bradford were arrested. Rumors then spread throughout North Philadelphia that a pregnant black woman had been beaten to death by white police officers. Later that evening, and throughout the next two days, angry mobs looted and burned mostly white-owned businesses in North Philadelphia, mainly along Columbia Avenue. Outnumbered, the police response was to withdraw from the area rather than aggressively confront the rioters. Although no one was killed, 341 people were injured, 774 people were arrested and 225 stores were damaged or destroyed in the three days of rioting. Some of the tension was attributable to religion, with Black Muslims and black nationalists pitted against Black Baptist ministers who called for calm. \n\nThe riot was reported to have caused 4 million dollars worth of damages. Business activity in North Philadelphia declined even further after the riots, as many of the damaged or destroyed stores never re-opened for business. The riots also helped to facilitate the political rise to power of Frank Rizzo, who favored more punitive approaches to crime. In 1987, Columbia Avenue between Front and 33rd Streets was renamed Cecil B. Moore Avenue after the influential and often controversial Civil Rights leader. Although his role was limited, Moore has been regarded as a pacifying figure who helped quell the rioting. While present-day Cecil B. Moore Avenue is still largely impoverished, it has witnessed redevelopment, including expansion of the Temple University campus, such that the area around Broad Street is much more integrated with a predominantly educated population. A fictionalized version of the events of the Philadelphia riots of 1964 are depicted in the first season finale of the NBC television series American Dreams. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["4 million dollars worth of damages"]},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["several well-publicized allegations of police brutality","a black woman named Odessa Bradford got into an argument with two police officers"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["341 people were injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["police","black residents","a black woman"]},{"role":"Date","values":["August 28 to August 30, 1964"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Philadelphia","the predominantly black neighborhoods of North Philadelphia","black areas of other northern cities including New York City; Rochester, NY; Jersey City, NJ and Elizabeth, NJ"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Seattle Mardi Gras riot","document":"The Seattle Mardi Gras riot occurred on February 27, 2001, when disturbances broke out in the Pioneer Square neighborhood during Mardi Gras celebrations in Seattle, Washington. There were numerous random attacks on revelers over a period of about three and a half hours. There were reports of widespread brawling, vandalism, and weapons being brandished. Damage to local businesses exceeded $100,000. About 70 people were reported injured. Several women were sexually assaulted. One man, Kris Kime, died of injuries sustained during an attempt to assist a woman being brutalized. It was Seattle's second serious rioting incident in three years, the first being the 1999 World Trade Organization's Minister Level Conference On World Free Trade. Large crowds and some disturbances occurred during Mardi Gras leading up to the events of Fat Tuesday. The police department's lack of intervention during the disturbance led to allegations of police misconduct. Responses during and after the event by both the Mayor and Chief of Police were met with intense scrutiny. The violence led to a moratorium on large Mardi Gras celebrations in the city and tarnished the neighborhood's reputation. Pioneer Square was often described as the center of Seattle's nightlife at the time with its numerous bars and clubs. The neighborhood had been the site of Mardi Gras celebrations since  1977; with more than 90 civilians and 30 officers injured during disorders in 1979.  Festivities on the Friday and Saturday leading up to 2001's Fat Tuesday were broken up by police with the city's bicycle patrol at the forefront of squashing festivities. On Saturday, the Seattle Police Department estimated a total between 4,000 and 6,000 people gathered in the area after midnight. The crowd pelted the officers with rocks and bottles after a suspect was arrested for carrying a handgun. Windows were also smashed before the crowd was dispersed through the use of pepper spray, rubber bullets, and concussion grenades. The heavy-handed tactics led to complaints from event goers.Up to 2,000 people gathered in the neighborhood on Sunday evening with fewer incidents. Celebrations were also violent in Austin, Fresno, and Philadelphia that year. \n\nOver 4,000 party goers initially filled the neighborhood and its bars on Tuesday evening. Police estimated large crowds began forming in the central plaza at 9:00 pm and eventually spilled into the surrounding streets. The celebrations included drinking, dancing, and women baring their breasts for beads.Throngs of men began groping the women as they exposed themselves.Police estimated that the crowd swelled to anywhere between 5,000 and 7,000 people as the evening continued. \n\nSporadic fighting broke out at about 10:40 pm. Police donned riot gear and formed lines but rarely entered the crowd. Some arrests were made at the periphery of the neighborhood's main square. Cars were vandalized and overturned. Small fires were set and the windows of business were shattered.Police were then notified that young men were brandishing handguns and other weapons towards people. By midnight, groups roved through the crowd randomly attacking people along the stretch of Yesler Way between First and Second Avenues.  Paramedics were not able to reach some victims due to the lack of police control in the area. [8]\n\nThe police stood by and did nothing as a group assaulted a female teenager; when a bystander, Kris Kime, attempted to protect her, the group beat him to death. [9][10] Witnesses said Kime was struck and knocked to the ground as he tried to help the frightened woman who had fallen in the melee. Kime died of massive head injuries.  About 70 others were reported injured with 2 suffering gunshot wounds.\n\nAt 12:30 am, 25 to 30 young men advanced on a line of police. The police retreated while bottles and other debris were thrown. A team of bicycle officers made a quick charge toward the crowd with pepper spray before retreating. Fighting escalated with little police interference until shots were fired from within the mass of people at 1:30 am. With the assistance of an armored vehicle, police advanced on the crowd with tear gas, pepper spray, and flashbangs. The crowds were finally dispersed shortly after 2:00 am. \n\nThe day after the riot, local newspapers carried a picture of a black man with brass knuckles engaged in an assault which came to symbolize the riot. [13] An editorial in The Stranger said the incident was racially motivated and that much of the violence was directed at white civilians.Witnesses said gangs of black youth yelled racially charged slurs and sought white victims. Some eyewitnesses said that most of the attackers were black but that race was not a factor in who was victimized. According to the Seattle Weekly, police did not initially see the attacks as solely or even predominately racial violence.\n\nRacial issues overshadowed the sexual assaults that took place.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["Damage to local businesses exceeded $100,000"]},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["About 70 people were reported injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["tear gas, pepper spray, and flashbangs","bottles","pepper spray","rocks","handgun","rubber bullets","concussion grenades"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Up to 2,000 people gathered in the neighborhood","the officers","the crowd","The crowd","Large crowds","a total between 4,000 and 6,000 people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February 27, 2001","Sunday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Pioneer Square neighborhood during Mardi Gras celebrations in Seattle, Washington"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2012 Welikada prison riot","document":"\n\nThe Welikada prison riot was a prison riot that occurred on 9 November 2012 at Welikada Prison in Sri Lanka. The riot broke out during a search for illegal arms. The riot left 27 people dead and 40 injured.  The government has appointed a committee to investigate the riot. Welikada Prison, which has around 4,000 prisoners, has witnessed a number of violent riots in its history.  This prison riot was the worst in Sri Lanka's history since the 1983 riot, also at Welikada Prison, which left 53 prisoners dead. [3]\n\n around 300 commandos from the Special Task Force (STF), a paramilitary unit of the Sri Lanka Police Service, arrived at Welikada prison to assist prison guards searching for illegal arms, drugs and mobile phones. The search was first carried out in the \"L\" section which was home to hardcore criminals.  Despite protests from prisoners, the STF completed their search, recovering drugs and mobile phones from the cells.At around 4 pm the STF moved on to the \"Chapel Ward\" which was home to death sentence, life sentence and other long sentence prisoners. The STF commandos wanted to handcuff the prisoners but they objected and arguments and fighting broke out between the STF commandos and the prisoners. Some prisoners alleged that they had been stripped and beaten up. The prisoners started throwing stones and other objects at the STF. As the disturbance grew the STF tried to suppress the riot using tear gas but at around 4.30 pm prisoners working in the \"Bingo\" section broke into the main area and also started fighting with STF.The STF and the prison officials had to retreat from the prison. \n\nThe prisoners took control of the prison and a siege ensued during which some officials were held hostage by the prisoners. Numerous prisoners appeared on the prison's roof, some brandishing weapons. They started throwing stones at the STF who were now on the road outside the prison. They also threatened onlookers.\n\nThe prison was surrounded by the police and roads leading to the prison were closed at 5.45 pm. [4][2] At around this time the prisoners broke into the prison's armouries and took arms including assault rifles.At around 6.15 pm five prisoners broke out of the prison and tried to escape on a trishaw. They opened fire at the STF who returned fire killing four of the prisoners.  Over the next half an hour there was heavy gunfights between the prisoners in the prison and the authorities outside.  There was a power cut in the area at 6.25 pm which added more confusion to the situation. The authorities tried to storm the prison several times but had to withdraw after coming under fire from the prisoners. The army was called in, bringing with it an armoured car. The authorities had then planned to storm the prison at 8 pm but this had to be postponed due heavy rains. Eventually, at 2 am, the STF stormed the prison and took full control of the prison.\n\n27 people, all prisoners, had been killed and 40 injured (20 prisoners, 13 STF, four soldiers, one prison guard and two others).  Eyewitnesses, human rights groups and opposition politicians have alleged that some of the dead prisoners had been executed. A number of prisoners also escaped but most had been recaptured. \n\nThe prisoners may have had inside help – it's alleged that some prison guards had been selling contraband items to the prisoners and they weren't happy that the STF had been brought in to assist with the searches.\n\nThe police have defended their actions, saying \"By killing the prisoners who were armed, we prevented a much bigger disaster\".  Minister of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Chandrasiri Gajadeera announced on 10 November 2012 that he had appointed a three-member committee to investigate the riot. A second investigation is to be carried out by Prisons Commissioner General P. W. Kodippili. \n\nThe opposition has described the riot as a massacre and called for a parliamentary select committee to investigate the riot.  Civil rights groups have also called for an independent investigation.\n\nThe Asian Human Rights Commission has condemned the authorities actions and has called on the government to carry out a \"thorough and credible inquiry\" into the riot.  The European Union has urged the authorities to ensure that the investigations into the riot are carried out impartially and speedily. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["The STF commandos wanted to handcuff the prisoners but they objected and arguments and fighting broke out between the STF commandos and the prisoners"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["40 injured","left 53 prisoners dead","27 people","four of the prisoners"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["stones","stones and other objects","tear gas","assault rifles"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["prisoners","the STF","the prisoners","around 300 commandos from the Special Task Force (STF)","the STF commandos","The STF commandos"]},{"role":"Date","values":["9 November 2012"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Welikada Prison in Sri Lanka","Welikada Prison"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Agana race riot","document":"The Agana Race Riot (December 24–26, 1944) took place in Agana, Guam, as the result of internal disputes between white and black United States Marines. The riot was one of the most serious incidents between African-American and European-American military personnel in the United States Armed Forces during World War II. \n\nIn July 1944, the 3rd Marine Division and 77th Infantry Division sought to recapture Guam from the Japanese Army in a military campaign that cost 1,783 American lives and wounded 6,010 men. \n\nAfter the battle, the Allies developed Guam as a base of operations. Five large airfields were built by Seabees. B-29 bombers were flown from the island to attack targets in the western Pacific and mainland Japan. Guam continued as a station for the 3rd Marine Division. Racial tensions heightened in late August when the African American Marine 25th Depot Company arrived to start loading operations at the newly constructed naval supply depot. European Americans of the 3rd Marine Division, some new to the area, tried to prevent African American marines from visiting nearby Agana and its women.\n\nOver the next three months, racially motivated incidents and a pervasive pattern of discrimination caused tensions to rise between the two groups. A European American sailor shot and killed a \"black Marine of the 25th Depot Company in a quarrel over a woman; and a sentry from the 27th Marine Depot Company reacted to harassment by fatally wounding his tormentor, a white Marine. \"Each of these men was eventually court-martialed for voluntary manslaughter. A race riot erupted on Christmas Eve 1944 when rumors spread that another African American sailor had been shot and killed by a European American marine. \n\nOn December 24, a group of nine African American marines from the 25th Depot Company had been given 24-hour holiday passes (for exemplary service) to go into Agana, Guam. While they were in the city, white Marines opened fire on the men when they saw them talking to Chamoru women. The black Marines escaped and eight returned safely to their depot, but one was missing. In response, 40 black enlisted men loaded into two trucks and drove back to Agana to find the missing man. At the same time, an African American marine—who remained at the base—called the military police, warning them that the black Marines were on their way. The MPs proceeded to erect barricades across all the roads leading into Agana. When the trucks arrived at a roadblock, a standoff began. Eventually, tensions were calmed after a military police officer informed the black Marines that the missing man was found safe and returned to the 25th's camp. Satisfied, they turned their trucks around and returned to base. Around midnight on Christmas morning, a truck filled with armed European American marines drove into the segregated African American camp, and claimed that one of their Marines had been hit with a piece of coral thrown by someone from that camp. The standoff ended after the depot's commanding officer ordered the European American marines to leave. [4]\n\nRacial tensions continued on Christmas Day when an African-American enlisted man walking back to camp from Agana was shot dead by two drunk white Marines. Within hours, another black enlisted man was shot and killed by another drunken white enlisted man in Agana. Reports of the shootings reached the African-American company. After midnight on the early morning of 26 December, a jeep with white service members opened fire on the African-American depot. Camp guards returned fire, injuring a white MP officer. The whites in the jeep took cover and fled toward Agana, chased by a group of armed black marines.\n\nThe black Marines were stopped by white MPs at a roadblock outside Agana. They were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, rioting, theft of government property, and attempted murder. \n\nMajor General Henry Louis Larsen convened a court of inquiry to investigate the riot. Walter Francis White, executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was in Guam and participated in fact-finding during the investigation. He learned of the pervasive discrimination and harassment directed against the Black troops and testified to these incidents. Forty-three Marines were court-martialed, convicted and received prison terms of several years. Because of White's work, some white Marines were also charged and convicted for their part in the disturbances.  The NAACP later successfully campaigned with the Department of the Navy and, ultimately, the White House, to have the black Marines' guilty verdicts overturned, and they were released from prison in 1946. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["internal disputes between white and black United States Marines","racially motivated incidents and a pervasive pattern of discrimination"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["an African-American enlisted","another black enlisted man","white MP officer"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["European-American military personnel","African-American","an African American marine","white","white Marines","black United States Marines","a group of armed black marines"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 24–26, 1944"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Agana, Guam"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1999 L'Amicale riots","document":"The 1999 L'Amicale Riots started in the evening of Sunday 23 May 1999 in the capital city of Port Louis after angry supporters of Scouts Club vandalised several buildings as their team had lost a match against rival soccer club Fire Brigade. A few hours later a gambling house called L'Amicale caught fire, causing the death of 7 individuals who were trapped inside. This example of football hooliganism became known as L'Affaire L' Amicale in the years following the original riots.\n\nThe soccer match between Fire Brigade versus Scouts Club ended by 17:00 at Anjalay Stadium in Belle Vue. The club Fire Brigade had won the game with a score of 1–0 after being awarded a controversial penalty. This triggered protests and incidents amongst the supporters of the rival teams who were present at Anjalay Stadium. Sugar cane fields were torched in rural areas. When the supporters returned to the capital city of Port Louis they vandalised a number of buildings including the office of Mauritius Football Association, Emmanuel Anquetil building and the Pope Hennessy Police Station.\n\nBy 19:00 a gambling house known as L’Amicale, located along La Chaussée Street, became engulfed in flames with 275 people trapped inside after rioters threw \"Cocktail Molotov \" and fire bombs through the historic building's windows and cars on fire blocked all exits. Firefighters took hours to suppress the fire. Subsequently, inside the L'Amicale building 7 badly burnt bodies were recovered. The victims were Yeh Lin Lai Yau Tim, Jean-Alain Law Wing, Eugénie Lai Yau Tim, Catherine Lai Yau Tim, Jeannette Ramboro, Krishna Luckoo, and Abdoo Hakim Fawzi. \n\nHistorically the Scouts Club had been known as Muslim Scouts Club as all players and most of its fans were Muslims.  On the hand the Fire Brigade players and fans were mostly of Roman Catholic faith and of Creole ethnicity. Local authorities feared that the Port Louis riots would escalate into larger ethnic riots between Creoles and Muslims. Thus the government imposed an 18-month nationwide ban on all soccer games. Only the national team was allowed to play during this period.\n\nIn protest against the deaths and violence thousands of Mauritians marched in the streets. In total 25 arrests were made by local police during the week following the riots. On 20 November 2000 police charged 4 supporters of Scouts Club (Sheik Imram Sumodhee, Khaleeloudeen Sumodhee, Abdool Naseeb Keeramuth and Muhammad Shafiq Nawoor). They were subsequently trialled and sentenced by judge Paul Lam Shang Leen to 45 years in prison for burning the L'Amicale gaming house which caused the deaths of 7 persons trapped inside. \n\nA group of 12 lawyers consisting of former Attorney-General Rama Valayden, barrister Raouf Gulbul, Neelkanth Dulloo, Sanjeev Teeluckdharry, Sameer Hossenbaccus, Ravi Rutnah and 6 others compiled a report entitled Wrongfully Convicted which attempted to highlight flaws in the judgement against the Amicale Four. They released the report on 23 May 2013 in which they suggested that the arson of L'Amicale gaming house seemed to be the work of the Escadron de la mort (Squadron of Death) which was a gang of vigilantes who performed voluntary social work to combat drug traffickers but which had transformed into a radicalized sectarian group. \n\nBy 2015 their sentence was commuted to 18 years in prison by the Power Commission of Grace. Their release was scheduled for 17 March 2019 but in January 2018 their lawyers had sent a letter to Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to inform him of a “miscalculation of the prison administration.” The authorities thus granted their request. On 23 August 2018 the 4 convicted men were released from Riche Lieu Prison after spending 19 years there. \n\nGiven that several fires started simultaneously it is believed that they had been meticulously planned instead of being random events. As a result, firemen could not attend to all the sites at the same time as there were more than 100 calls asking for help. Rama Valayden has detailed other forms of evidence in his 2014 report Wrongly Convicted.  Soon after their acquittal some of the 4 accused supporters of the Scouts Club received threats in order to discourage them from seeking justice. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["angry supporters of Scouts Club vandalised several buildings as their team had lost a match against rival soccer club Fire Brigade"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["death of 7 individuals","7 badly burnt bodies","23 May 2013"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["Cocktail Molotov"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the supporters of the rival teams who were present at Anjalay Stadium","rioters"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the evening of Sunday 23 May 1999"]},{"role":"Location","values":["capital city of Port Louis","Anjalay Stadium","a gambling house known as L’Amicale, located along La Chaussée Street"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Waikeria Prison riots","document":"Riots at New Zealand's Waikeria Prison broke out between 29 December 2020 and 3 January 2021. At least twenty-one male prisoners, who were dissatisfied with poor living conditions, fought with corrections officers and lit fires which ultimately destroyed the building known as the \"Top Jail\". The riots came to an end following negotiations involving Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and the remaining sixteen prisoners surrendered and were escorted out by Waititi at midday on Sunday 3 January. Seventeen prisoners were later jointly charged with rioting, burglary using a weapon, and wilfully setting fire to property and endangering life. As of April 2021, all seventeen men have pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury, and are remanded in custody until early May 2021. \n\nWaikeria Prison is located in the town of Waikeria, 45 kilometres south of Hamilton in the Waikato. Built in 1911 with a capacity for 1,031 prisoners, it was once New Zealand's largest prison. In 2012, Prime Minister John Key announced the planned closure of several older prisons, based on lower needs after the creation of the new prison at Wiri, and ongoing maintenance concerns affecting the wellbeing of prisoners and staff. [4] Waikeria was kept open, but had several units closed, resulting in a capacity of 806 prior to the riots. \n\nIn 2017 an independent report found the prison in \"very poor condition\", and the prison's design was criticised for making inmate supervision difficult. Investigators found issues with hygiene, as well as \"significant influence\" from gangs and noted that \"violence was a regular part of prison life\" in the high security facility (also known as the \"Top Jail\"). \n\nBeginning on 29 December 2020, rioting in Waikeria prison led to a fire that caused extensive damage to the prison's top jail facility, with roughly 250 beds destroyed. At least 21 prisoners were involved in the rioting, who subsequently clustered on the roof of the top jail facility. Four subsequently gave up while 17 remained non-compliant. \nAccording to Stuff and The New Zealand Herald, those involved in the prison unrest included members of the Comancheros and Mongols gangs including five deportees from Australia. \n\nBy 30 December, 49 non-participating prisoners had been evacuated to other prisons while another 163 men were temporarily moved to other locations within the prison. Dr Rawiri Waretini-Karena, an independent adviser to the Department of Corrections, attributed the rioting to the lack of access to rehabilitative education and Māori culture.\n\nInmates and their relatives have also attributed the rioting to inhumane and unhygienic conditions including the lack of clean water and moldy bread.  On 30 December, Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot confirmed that damage to Waikeria's top jail facility had been substantial and that it was unlikely that prisoners would be accommodated there again. The top jail facility was scheduled to be replaced with a new facility in 2022. \n\nOn 2 January 2021, it was reported that the 16 remaining prisoners had accessed the weapons safe and improvised weapons. That same day, relatives of the prisoners along with Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi, New Zealand National Party leader Judith Collins, and National Parry correction spokesperson Simeon Brown called on the Minister of Corrections Kelvin Davis to intervene in the prison protest. Corrections officials had earlier denied Waititi, Brown and National MP Barbara Kuriger access to the prison, stating that they needed the permission of the Corrections Minister Davis. \n\nOn 3 January, the 16 remaining prisoners surrendered following negotiations involving Māori Party leader Waititi. During a press conference that same day, Corrections Minister Davis disputed claims that the prison uprising had been sparked by poor living conditions. Since the Waikeria top-jail building \"was not fit for anything,\" remand prisoners housed at Waikeria would be accommodated at other prisons around the country. The Government has launched two inquiries into the causes of the five-day Waikeria prison unrest while the Human Rights Commission had called for a further independent enquiry by the Ombudsman. Due to the damage caused by the prison unrest, closure of the top jail is imminent with the building due to be replaced with a new facility the following year.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["At least twenty-one male prisoners, who were dissatisfied with poor living conditions"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Inmates and their relatives","At least twenty-one male prisoners","corrections officers","At least 21 prisoners"]},{"role":"Date","values":["between 29 December 2020 and 3 January 2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New Zealand's Waikeria Prison"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Noakhali riots","document":"\n\nThe Noakhali riots were a series of semi-organized massacres, mass rapes, abductions and forced conversions of Hindus to Islam and looting and arson of Hindu properties perpetrated by the Muslim community in the districts of Noakhali in the Chittagong Division of Bengal (now in Bangladesh) in October–November 1946, a year before India's independence from British rule. It affected the areas under the Ramganj, Begumganj, Raipur, Lakshmipur, Chhagalnaiya and Sandwip police stations in Noakhali district and the areas under the Hajiganj, Faridganj, Chandpur, Laksham and Chauddagram police stations in Tipperah district, a total area of more than 2,000 square miles. \n\nThe massacre of the Hindu population started on 10 October, on the day of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja and continued unabated for about a week. It is estimated that 5,000 were killed hundreds of Hindu women were raped and thousands of Hindu men and women were forcibly converted to Islam. Around 50,000 to 75,000 survivors were sheltered in temporary relief camps in Comilla, Chandpur, Agartala and other places.Around 50,000 Hindus remained marooned in the affected areas under the strict surveillance of the Muslims, where the administration had no say. In some areas, Hindus had to obtain permits from the Muslim leaders in order to travel outside their villages. The forcibly converted Hindus were coerced to give written declarations that they had converted to Islam of their own free will. Sometimes, they were confined in others' houses and only allowed to be in their own house when an official party came for inspection. According to Dinesh Chandra, Hindus were forced to pay subscriptions to the Muslim League and jiziyah, the protection tax paid by dhimmis in an Islamic state.\n\nHaran Chandra Ghosh Choudhuri, the only Hindu representative to the Bengal Legislative Assembly from the district of Noakhali, described the incidents as \"the organized fury of the Muslim mob\". Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta and the former Finance Minister of Bengal, dismissed the argument that the Noakhali incidents were ordinary communal riots. He described the events as a planned and concerted attack on the minority community by the majority community.\n\nMahatma Gandhi camped in Noakhali for four months and toured the district in a mission to restore peace and communal harmony. However, the peace mission failed to restore confidence among the survivors, who could not be permanently rehabilitated in their villages. In the meantime, the Congress leadership accepted the Partition of India and the peace mission and other relief camps were abandoned. The majority of the survivors migrated to West Bengal, Tripura[10] and Assam. \n\nWhen elections were held in the provinces of India in 1937, the provincial power of Bengal come into the hands of the Muslims. But during the long British rule, Hindus were mainly in the seat of ruler (control of zamindari). They were also ahead in education and economics. As a result, Hindus did not take the rise of neo-Muslim politics well. Educated and financially advanced Hindus were forced to obey many new laws of the new Muslim government in various ways. One of which is manifested in many places including Noakhali. Just as Hindus were concerned about the political rise of Muslims, a section of Muslims was also looking for an opportunity to vent their old grievances against Hindu zamindars (Local rulers). And that was the opportunity they got at the end of British rule in India. \n\nMost of the school teachers were Hindus and they gave low marks to Muslim students' scripts for their communal mentality, attempts to bar Hindus from entering jobs, poor status of Muslims in Hindu-majority provinces, partition of Bengal, and the preposterously fanatic provocations by the Muslim League led to such a gruesome incident. The relationship between the Hindus and Muslims was very delicate. After this, the false news of a joint Hindu attack on Muslims in the Hindu-dominated Calcutta in retaliation to the attacks by Muslims on Direct Action Day spread exaggeratedly, adding fuel to the fire of previous accumulated anger. The Hindu-Muslim riots in Noakhali are believed to have been caused mainly by the resentment of Muslims against Hindus when the British rule was ending and the false news of massacre against Muslims in Calcutta and its outrage.\n\nCommunal tensions in Noakhali started soon after the Great Calcutta Riots between Muslims and Hindus. Though it was quiet, the tension had been building up. During the six weeks leading up to the disturbances in Noakhali, Eastern Command headquarters in Kolkata received reports indicating tension in the rural areas of Noakhali and Chittagong districts. Village poets and balladeers composed anti-Hindu poems and rhymes, which they recited and sang in market places and other public gathering places. \n\nOn 29 August, the day of Eid al-Fitr, the tension escalated into violence. A rumour spread that the Hindus had accumulated weapons. A group of Hindu fishermen were attacked with deadly weapons while fishing in the Feni River. One of them was killed and two seriously injured. Another group of nine Hindu fishermen from Charuriah were severely assaulted with deadly weapons. Seven of them were admitted to hospital. Devi Prasanna Guha, the son of a Congressman of Babupur village under the Ramganj police station, was murdered. One of his brothers and a servant were assaulted. The Congress office in front of their house was set on fire. Chandra Kumar Karmakar of Monpura was killed near Jamalpur. Jamini Dey, a hotel worker, was killed near Ghoshbag. Ashu Sen of Devisinghpur was severely beaten up at Tajumiarhat at Char Parvati. Rajkumar Choudhury of Banspara was severely assaulted on his way home.\n\nAll the properties of six or seven Hindu families of Kanur Char were looted. At Karpara, a Muslim gang armed with deadly weapons entered the house of Jadav Majumdar and looted properties worth Rs. 1,500. Nakul Majumdar was assaulted.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the resentment of Muslims against Hindus when the British rule was ending and the false news of massacre against Muslims in Calcutta and its outrage"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["5,000 were killed","hundreds of Hindu women were raped"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Hindus","the Muslims","the Muslim community","the Muslim leaders"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October–November 1946","10 October"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Noakhali","the districts of Noakhali in the Chittagong Division of Bengal (now in Bangladesh)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1965 Moroccan riots","document":"The 1965 Moroccan riots were street riots in the cities of Morocco, originating in Casablanca on March 1965. They began with a student protest, which expanded to include marginalized members of the population. The number of casualties incurred is contested. Moroccan authorities reported a dozen deaths, whereas the foreign press and the Union nationale des forces populaires (UNFP) counted more than 1000 deaths.\n\nHassan II became King of Morocco upon the death of Mohammed V on February 26, 1961. In December 1962, his appointees drafted a constitution which kept political power in the hands of the monarchy. Hassan II also abandoned the foreign policy of nonalignment and proclaimed hostility towards the newly independent, newly socialist nation of Algeria—resulting in the 1963–1964 \"Sand War\". \n\nThe Union nationale des forces populaires, under the leadership of Mehdi Ben Barka, expanded its membership and overtly opposed Hassan II. An allied student group, the Union nationale des étudiants du Maroc (UNEM) — which formed as a nationalist, anti-colonial group—now prominently criticized the monarchy. These groups and the regime launched into an escalating cycle of protest and repression which created the conditions for a major confrontation.Eleven UNFP leaders, accused of plotting against the king, were sentenced to death. Ben Barka escaped to France, where he served as a symbolic opposition leader in exile. \n\nBefore March 1965, the national minister of education, Youssef Belabbès, originated a circular preventing youth above the age of 17 from attending in the second cycle of lycee (high school). In practice, this rule separated out 60% of students. Although at that time, the Baccalauréat concerned only a small few (1500 per year), for the others it became a rallying symbol which set off the student mobilization. This decision provoked student unrest in Casablanca, Rabat, and other cities. \n\nOn March 22, 1965, thousands of students gathered on the soccer field at Lycée Mohammed-V in Casablanca. They were already numerous by 10 am. According to a witness, there were almost 15,000 students present that morning. \n\nThe goal of the assembly was to organize a peaceful march to demand the right to public higher education for Moroccans. Arriving at the street in front of the French cultural center, the demonstration was brutally dispersed by law enforcement. Without further provocation, they discharged their firearms. The students were thus compelled to retreat into the poorer neighborhoods of the city, where they encountered the unemployed. They agreed to meet again the following day. \n\nOn March 23, the students gathered again at the stadium of Lycée Mohammed-V. They were soon joined by their parents, workers, and the unemployed, as well as people coming from the bidonvilles (slums). This time, the assembly was not so peaceful. The advancing protesters vandalized stores, burned buses and cars, threw stones, and chanted slogans against the king. \n\nThe repression was swift: the army and the police were mobilized. Tanks were deployed for two days to quell the protestors, and General Mohamed Oufkir had no hesitation in firing on the crowd from a helicopter. \n\nThe king blamed the events on teachers and parents. He declared, in a message to the nation on March 30, 1965: \"Allow me to tell you that there is no greater danger to the State than a so-called intellectual. It would have been better if you were all illiterate. \"\n\nAfter the events of March 23, suspected dissidents including communists and Iraqi teachers were arrested. In April, Hassan II tried to reconcile with the opposition, receiving at Ifrane a delegation from the Union nationale des forces populaires, which included, notably, Abderrahim Bouabid, Abdelhamid Zemmouri and Abderrahmane Youssoufi. They proposed to form a government and demanded to transmit their message to Mehdi Ben Barka. But these discussions resulted in no concrete action. \n\nIn June of the same year, Hassan II declared a state of emergency, which lasted until 1970. UNFP continued to criticize the regime. On October 29, Mehdi Ben Barka was abducted and assassinated in Paris. Students in Casablanca rose again on March 23, 1966, and many were arrested. \n\nIn reference to these events, members of UNFP proceeded to create a Marxist–Leninist organization, Harakat 23 Mars (March 23 Movement), which much later gave rise in 1983 to the Organisation de l'action démocratique populaire—one of the founding elements of the Unified Socialist Party. Among the personalities who have been active within this movement, one finds the politician Mohamed Bensaid Aït Idder, the researcher and author Abdelghani Abou El Aazm, the consultant Amal Cherif Haouat, and the Belgian politician Mohammed Daïf.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a dozen deaths","more than 1000 deaths"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["stones"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["thousands of students","the students","their parents, workers, and the unemployed, as well as people coming from the bidonvilles (slums)","the army and the police","the protestors"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March 1965"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Casablanca"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1980 Kano riot","document":"The Kano 1980 riot was a riot in Kano, Nigeria led by Maitatsine and his followers and the first major religious conflict in postcolonial Kano. \n\nOver 4,177 civilians, 100 policemen and about 35 military personnel were killed, including Maitatsine himself, and is generally regarded as marking the beginning of the Yan Tatsine insurgency. Because of this, there was widespread impression that Nigeria's security and economy was threatened by illegal aliens and this belief was fueled  by the fact that other West African nationals had aided in armed robberies. Illegal aliens from Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Mali and Burkina Faso along with over 6,000 Nigerian Muslim fanatics killed over 100 policemen while injuring 100 policemen. The army was called and alleviated the situation before the fanatics could overrun the country. However, official sources state that illegal aliens did not cause the trouble.\n\nWhen President Shehu Shagari called for all the foreigners to leave Nigeria, it created the worst international crisis since the end of the civil war in January 1970 and implemented a search of commercial, industrial and residential buildings to ensure their departure which caused tension with neighboring countries and international allies. The United States State Department described Nigeria's actions as \"shocking and violation of every imaginable human right\". The European Economic Community also criticized it and Pope John Paul II called it \"\"a grave, incredible drama producing the largest single, and worst human exodus in the 20th century\". British politician Michael Foot sent a letter to the Nigerian High Commissioner in London, saying \"\"an act of heartlessness, and a failure of common humanity\". British newspapers also commented with The Guardian saying it was \"inhumanity, high-handedness and irresponsibility.\" South African politician P. W. Botha also criticized Shagari in the situation, comparing him to Adolf Hitler and other white right-wing groups said it was worse than apartheid in South Africa.\n\nFrench media such as the Jeune Afrique ran a front-page story \"La Honte (The Shame)\", saying the situation was \"an act of barbarism unparalled in the world\" while Ghana newspaper Ghanaian Times said it was an \"electoral gimmick\" by the National Party of Nigeria-controlled government to deflect attention from its failures so it could win the 1983 election and also said the illegal alien expulsion was \"create mass hysteria by infiltrating Sudan-trained mercenaries into Ghana to subvert the Ghanaian Government\". Ghanaian politician Jerry Rawlings said it was a \"calculated plot\" against the Ghanaian government.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["religious conflict"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Over 4,177 civilians, 100 policemen and about 35 military personnel were killed","killed over 100 policemen","injuring 100 policemen"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Maitatsine and his followers","Illegal aliens from Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Mali and Burkina Faso along with over 6,000 Nigerian Muslim fanatics","The army"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1980"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kano, Nigeria"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1955 Madaba riot","document":"The 1955 Madaba riot, sometimes also referred as the Madaba massacre took place in the predominantly Christians Jordanian town of Madaba, when a number of Christians were killed by Islamist rioters. \n\nThe riot seems to have begun in a dispute between Christian and Muslim taxi drivers, after which the Salt monastery was attacked by members of the Hizb ut-Tahrir, eventually transforming in into an all-out sectarian riot.  It is claimed that the event was instigated by the Muslim Brotherhood and Hizb ut-Tahrir. It was also claimed that a Jordanian Parliament Member, Muhammad Salim Abu al-Ghanam, was behind the eruption of the riot. \n\nWide-scale anti-Hashemite riots took place the same year in December, lasting for five days. Those came as a result of an attempt to bring Jordan into the Baghdad Pact. The riots were severe – foreign consulates were attacked and many people were killed and wounded throughout the country. The riots were quelled only with the military intervention of the Arab Legion and imposition of a curfew. As a result of the riots, the Majali government fell and the introduction of Jordan into the pact was cancelled. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a dispute between Christian and Muslim taxi drivers"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Christians","Muslim Brotherhood and Hizb ut-Tahrir","the Hizb ut-Tahrir","Islamist rioters","the military"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the predominantly Christians Jordanian town of Madaba"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1945 Anti-Jewish riots in Egypt","document":"The Balfour Day riots, took place between 2 and 3 November 1945. The riots began as anti-Jewish demonstrations on the 28th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. Rallies were organised by the right-wing Young Egypt Party and Hassan al-Banna's Muslim Brotherhood. Five Egyptian Jews and one Muslim policeman were killed in Alexandria, hundreds were injured in both Alexandria and Cairo, and an Ashkenazi synagogue was burned down. The Greek Orthodox patriarchate, Catholic churches and a Coptic school were also damaged in the riot. The police reacted quickly but were unable to prevent much of the violence.  However further demonstrations planned for the following day were largely suppressed. \n\nFollowing the riots, King Farouk of Egypt denounced the violence and met with Rabbi Chaim Nahum, whilst Prime Minister Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha also denounced the violence and visited a number of the riot sites,although Nukrashi cast blame on Zionists for having \"provoked such violent reactions\"\n\nGudrun Krämer writes that: \"Yet in spite of the Balfour Day riots of November 1945 and some isolated incidents occurring in their wake, the mass of the Egyptian population did not show signs of anti- Jewish feeling. The anti-Zionist campaign of militant nationalist and Islamic groups with its anti- Jewish overtones did not seem to affect the general public, nor did it lead to any government action directed against Egyptian Jews. \"\n\nNumerous acts of violence against Egyptian Jews followed in the later years, including the 1948 bombings of Jewish areas, which killed 70 Jews and wounded nearly 200, while riots claimed many more lives. In 1949, a bombing in the Cairo Jewish quarter killed 34 and wounded 80. During the 1950s, the Jews of Egypt were subjected to political instability due to ongoing Israeli-Egyptian conflict (particularly the Suez Crisis) and suffered sporadic violence, leading to the exodus of most of the community.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Five Egyptian Jews and one Muslim policeman were killed","hundreds were injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the right-wing Young Egypt Party","Hassan al-Banna's Muslim Brotherhood","The police","militant nationalist","Islamic groups"]},{"role":"Date","values":["between 2 and 3 November 1945"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Alexandria and Cairo"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1958 Notting Hill race riots","document":"\nThe Notting Hill race riots were a series of racially motivated riots that took place in Notting Hill, England, between 29 August and 5 September 1958. Following the end of the Second World War, Afro-Caribbean immigration to Britain increased. By the 1950s, white working-class \"Teddy Boys\" were beginning to display hostility towards black families in the area, a situation exploited and inflamed by groups such as Oswald Mosley's Union Movement and other far-right groups such as the White Defence League, who urged disaffected white residents to keep Britain white. \n\nThere was an increase in violent attacks on black people throughout the summer. On 24 August 1958 a group of ten English youths committed serious assaults on six West Indian men in four separate incidents. At 5.40 a.m., the youths' car was spotted by two police officers who pursued them into the White City estate, where the gang abandoned their car. Using the car as a lead, investigating detectives arrested nine of the gang the next day, after working non-stop for twenty hours. \n\nJust prior to the Notting Hill riots, there was racial unrest in the St Ann's neighbourhood in Nottingham which began on 23 August, and continued intermittently for two weeks. \n\nThe riot is often believed to have been triggered by an assault against Majbritt Morrison, a white Swedish woman,[4] on 29 August 1958. [5]  Morrison had been arguing with her Jamaican husband Raymond Morrison at the Latimer Road Underground station. A group of various white people attempted to intervene in the argument, and a small fight broke out between the intervening people and some of Raymond Morrison's friends. The following day Majbritt Morrison was verbally and physically assaulted by a gang of white youths that had recalled seeing her the night before. According to one report, the youths threw milk bottles at Morrison and called her racial slurs such as \"Black man's trollop\", while a later report stated that she had also been struck in the back with an iron bar. [8]\n\nLater that night a mob of 300 to 400 white people were seen on Bramley Road attacking the houses of West Indian residents. The disturbances, rioting and attacks continued every night until 5 September. The Metropolitan Police arrested more than 140 people during the two weeks of the disturbances, mostly white youths but also many black people found carrying weapons. A report to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner stated that of the 108 people charged with crimes such as grievous bodily harm, affray and riot and possessing offensive weapons, 72 were white and 36 were black.\n\nThe sentencing of the nine white youths by Mr Justice Salmon has been passed into judicial lore as an example of \"exemplary sentencing\" – a harsh punishment intended to act as a deterrent to others. Each of the youths received five years in prison and was ordered to pay £500. \n\nA \"Caribbean Carnival\", precursor of the Notting Hill Carnival, was held on 30 January 1959 in St Pancras Town Hall. Activist Claudia Jones organized this carnival in response to the riots and to the state of race relations in Britain at the time. The riots caused tension between the Metropolitan Police and the British African-Caribbean community which claimed that the police had not taken their reports of racial attacks seriously. In 2002, files were released that revealed that senior police officers at the time had assured the Home Secretary, Rab Butler, that there was little or no racial motivation behind the disturbance, despite testimony from individual police officers to the contrary. \n\nMajbritt Morrison wrote about the riots in her autobiography, Jungle West 11 (1964). \n\nThe Notting Hill race riots feature heavily in the film Absolute Beginners (1986) which was based on the book of the same name by Colin MacInnes. On 29 September 1958, Hot Summer Night (play) premiered in the UK centring on a white family struggling to accept their daughter's love for a black Jamaican man. When the play was later turned into the 1961 film Flame in the Streets, with Earl Cameron and Johnny Sekka, the climax revolves around a new riot sequence undoubtedly inspired by events in Notting Hill.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["an assault against Majbritt Morrison"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["six West Indian men"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["milk bottles","an iron bar"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the youths","a gang of white youths","some of Raymond Morrison's friends","black people","The Metropolitan Police","Oswald Mosley's Union Movement","other far-right groups such as the White Defence League","A group of various white people","the intervening people","a mob of 300 to 400 white people","many black"]},{"role":"Date","values":["between 29 August and 5 September 1958"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Notting Hill, England"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mrauk U riot","document":"\n\nOn 16 January 2018, a group of ethnic Rakhine locals in the town of Mrauk U, in Rakhine State, Myanmar, protested against a ban on an event that marked the 233rd anniversary of the Kingdom of Mrauk U's end. When the demonstration reached the local government office, some protesters began to riot, prompting police to fire into the crowd.  Seven protesters were killed, whilst twelve others were wounded. Authorities later stated that the decision to switch from rubber bullets to live ammunition was in response to protesters entering a government building and attempting to seize it. [3]\n\nAn annual event commemorating the 233rd anniversary of the Kingdom of Mrauk U's dissolution was planned to take place at 6:00 pm (MMT) on 16 January 2018.  It was organised by a local charity, and planned to have Aye Maung, a prominent Rakhine politician and member of the Pyithu Hluttaw, as a speaker.  Organisers had their event permit approved by Mrauk U's Department of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Conservation on 8 January, but Border Affairs Minister Phone Tint banned it and superseded the department's decision a day before the event, demanding that the organisers resubmit their permit after concerns regarding peaceful assembly and the location of the event on a national heritage site. \n\nHundreds of event attendees marched towards Mrauk U's police station at 7:00 pm on 16 January 2018, later joined by thousands of protesters, demanding that the event be allowed to take place. According to eyewitnesses, the group arrived at the police station thirty minutes later and began negotiating with policemen for 20 minutes, until the police told them that the district administration officials had banned the event and that there was nothing they could do. As a result, attendees and protesters began marching towards the district administration office.\n\nAt 9:30 pm, protesters reportedly began shouting slogans in support of the event and against the authorities who banned it in front of the office building.  Word spread that protesters had been arrested inside the building, and protesters began climbing over the surrounding fences. Police fired warning shots at the protesters and used megaphones to demand that the crowd disperse.According to the authorities, some protesters allegedly attempted to grab the firearms of two policemen, and 4,000 people began storming the office building and destroying property. The police responded by firing live ammunition at the crowd, killing seven protesters and wounding twelve. According to eyewitnesses and wounded protesters, policemen fired from both in front of and behind the crowd.\n\nThe office of the State Counsellor of Myanmar released a statement after the riot, stating that the police response was justified by the storming of the administration office by protesters. Locals in Mrauk U subsequently demanded an impartial and independent investigation into the riot. In response, the Rakhine State Government announced it would send two teams of investigators, one from the central government in Naypyidaw and one from the state government in Sittwe. \n\nEight protesters were detained in connection to the riot, and Aye Maung, who was supposed to speak at the event, was arrested[8] for allegedly supporting the Arakan Army, a Rakhine insurgent group.\n\nBo Bo Min Thaik, the former administrative officer of Mrauk U who resigned after the riot, was found stabbed to death in a burning car on the Yangon–Sittwe Highway near the village of Thayattcho on 31 January 2018. Authorities blamed the Arakan Army, but stated that there was no evidence linking the murder to the riot. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a ban on an event that marked the 233rd anniversary of the Kingdom of Mrauk U's end"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Seven protesters","twelve others"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["live ammunition","rubber bullets"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["protesters","the police","some protesters","a group of ethnic Rakhine locals","police","the local government office","Hundreds of event attendees"]},{"role":"Date","values":["16 January 2018"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the town of Mrauk U, in Rakhine State, Myanmar"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Evansville race riot","document":"Indiana National Guard  Evansville Police Department  Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department\n\nThe Evansville Race Riot occurred in July 1903 in Evansville, Indiana and was the worst riot in the city's history. The riots occurred after a black man shot and killed a white policeman and ultimately resulted in 12 deaths. \n\nOn July 3, an African-American man named Lee Brown, aka Robert Lee, had a dispute with another African-American man, Tom Berry, at a bar and attempted to return to the bar with a gun but was stopped by Louis N. Massey, the most senior policeman on the force. Massey attempted to arrest Brown but Brown shot and fatally wounded Massey, however Massey was able to fire back before dying, wounding Brown who eventually succumbed to injuries as well on July 31.  A mob of several thousand citizens (mostly all white) formed outside the Vanderburgh County Jail on July 6 and attempted to storm the jail with the intention of lynching Brown and 16 other black inmates. Around 200 militiamen then opened fire on the mob, killing and injuring several rioters. The crowd then began looting hardware stores of weapons and stormed into black neighborhoods in an attempt to expel black people from Evansville.  The rioting continued until July 10 and a total of 12 people died during the riot, with more than 40 others seriously wounded and about 2,000 of Evansville's 8,000 black residents fleeing the city. \nIt is unclear as to whether the mob or the militia were to blame for the deaths. Several accounts describe the escalation as coming to a head after a rock was thrown by someone in the crowd, at the militia, who in turn fired warning shots which caused chaos.\n\nExcerpt - \"Two more deaths added to the list. Frank Lamble and Charles Taylor pass away last night - first funeral held today. Two more deaths were added to the list of fatalities resulting from the shooting of Monday night, last evening Frank Lamble and Charles Taylor, passing away from the effect of the wounds received. This makes a total of nine deaths so far, and the list will most likely swell to ten. FRANK LAMBLE - The death of Lamble took place last evening about 5 o'clock at the Gilbert Sanitarium where he had been since the shooting. His death was caused by the bullet wound which struck him in the chin and ranged downward... He was unconscious from the first and never recovered sufficiently to talk of the occurrence or to give any information of how he was shot....\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a black man shot and killed a white policeman and ultimately resulted in 12 deaths"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a total of 12 people","nine deaths","killing and injuring several rioters","more than 40 others"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["rock"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the mob","A mob of several thousand citizens (mostly all white)","The crowd","Around 200 militiamen"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 1903"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Evansville, Indiana"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1980 St Pauls riot","document":"\n\nThe St Pauls riot occurred in St Pauls, Bristol, England on 2 April 1980 when police raided the Black and White Café on Grosvenor Road in the heart of the area. After several hours of disturbance in which fire engines and police cars were damaged, 130 people were arrested, 25 were taken to hospital, including 19 police and members of the press. The riot occurred against a background of increasing racial tension, poor housing and alienation of black youth. As a result of the disturbances local authorities and the national government began to pay attention to these issues. The Black and White Café was closed in 2004 and eventually demolished. Bristol in the 1970s had seen an increase in unemployment and a deterioration of race relations as the right-wing National Front party campaigned in local and national elections. St Pauls was blighted by the development of the M32 motorway, which split the area from the neighbouring district of Easton. Much of the housing in the area was in a poor state and local education services failed to cater adequately for the needs of either ethnic minorities or indeed many working class white communities. \n\nIncreasing use by the police of Sus laws to stop and search youths, predominantly those from the Afro-Caribbean community, raised tension. There was also an increase in racial harassment on local council housing estates, which was largely ignored by the housing department. \n\nIt is unclear why the riot started; some sources suggest that it was as a result of police ripping a customer's trousers and refusing to pay, others that they were attacked as they removed alcohol from the café which did not have a drinks licence. According to The Guardian newspaper, 100–200 black and white youths were involved.\nHowever other sources estimate the size of the crowd at about 2000. [4] The riot continued for many hours and caused much damage to a branch of Lloyds Bank and a post office. Several fire engines and 12 police cars were also damaged. At one point a police chief famously remarked: \"Surely we should be advancing, not retreating?\" 130 people were arrested and 90 were charged. The next day, The Daily Telegraph carried a headline stating \"19 Police Hurt in Black Riot\" and blamed lack of parental care. \n\nNineteen policemen and six other people were taken to hospital, including a cameraman and a photographer from the Western Daily Press. 16 of those arrested were prosecuted for riot, but all were either acquitted, had the charges dropped or were discharged after the jury failed to reach a verdict.Copycat riots in Southmead, a predominately white working-class council estate, occurred soon after the St Pauls disturbance.\n\nLater commentators suggested that poverty and the sus laws were more important causes of the riots than race.  The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee held a session in Bristol and Home Secretary William Whitelaw came to the city to hold meetings with the local authorities and representatives of the black community.  Relations between police and the local community remained tense and reached a low point in 1986 when 600 police raided the Black and White Café again in an action named Operation Delivery. It took intervention by local Member of Parliament William Waldegrave to persuade the police to scale down their policy of containment. \n\nThe Black and White Café had long had a reputation as a drug den and was allegedly raided more times by the police than any other premises in the country. [11] In 2003 Bristol City Council used its powers of compulsory purchase and in 2005 the building was demolished[12] and has now been replaced by new homes. \n\nWhen cabinet papers were released 30 years later, they showed that Home Secretary William Whitelaw had reported that the Chief Constable \"accepted that the police had made errors in the initial stages of the incident but [his] subsequent decision to withdraw all officers from the area for several hours had been the only one open to him at the time\". Whitelaw said that a full public inquiry was undesirable as it would only lead to the police being criticised for no good purpose, and that not every controversial matter should lead to such an inquiry. \n\n","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["police ripping a customer's trousers and refusing to pay","they were attacked as they removed alcohol from the café which did not have a drinks licence"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["25 were taken to hospital"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["police","100–200 black and white youths","the crowd at about 2000"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2 April 1980"]},{"role":"Location","values":["St Pauls, Bristol, England","the Black and White Café on Grosvenor Road"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1917 Potato riots","document":"\n\nThe Potato riots in June–July 1917 was a popular uprising in the Dutch capital city Amsterdam that was caused by the food shortage in the Netherlands during World War I.\n\nIn the beginning of the 20th century food was more within the reach of the workers. The First World War changed this. The Netherlands was a neutral country, but experienced discomfort and hard circumstances. Imports and exports of goods stagnated. Bread and other food was rationed and soup kitchens sprang up. A bread ration was established in January 1917. On 28 June 1917, there was a shortage of potatoes. It became known in the neighborhoods of Amsterdam that there was a ship with potatoes in the Prinsengracht, but these were for the army. In order to feed their families, the working women of the Eastern Islands and the Czar Peter Neighborhood plundered the ship. According to the Councillor Josephus Jitta, there was no overall shortage of food as the workers had an extra supply of rice provided. In the first week of July of that year, the unrest grew and the workers themselves also saw action. Warehouses and shops were looted. The police were powerless and the army acted. The revolt culminated in a battle on 5 July 1917, in which soldiers opened fire on a crowd that had gathered at the Haarlemmerplein. The revolt was beaten. There were nine dead and 114 people wounded.\n\nThe food situation deteriorated further in the last year of the war 1918. Many people lived on the brink of starvation and unemployment rose. The Spanish flu epidemic hit and killed thousands of people, weakened as they were by starvation. The armistice on 11 November 1918, came just in time for the Netherlands. For the workers another winter of hunger and cold was prevented, as well as an impending revolution.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the food shortage in the Netherlands during World War"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["nine dead","114 people wounded"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["army","soldiers","a crowd"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June–July 1917"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Dutch capital city Amsterdam","at the Haarlemmerplein"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Aldershot riot (1945)","document":"The Aldershot riot occurred on the evenings of 4 and 5 July 1945 when Canadian troops of the Canadian Army Overseas tired of waiting to be repatriated rioted in the streets of Aldershot in Hampshire, causing considerable damage to property. On Wednesday 4 July 1945 a rumour quickly spread among the 30,000 Canadian troops stationed in the area that three soldiers of the Canadian Army were in custody in Aldershot Police station. About five hundred Canadian soldiers travelled on foot from their barracks to the police station, smashing shop windows along the route. After receiving assurances that there were no Canadians in the jail, the crowd dispersed. Other rioters were simply bored with garrison life and got involved in protest at the delay in being returned home two months after the end of World War II in Europe.\n\nThe rioters returned again on the evening of 5 July and gathered in Princes Gardens before marching on Union Street, where they threw bricks and stones at cars, smashed the remaining undamaged shop windows, threatened shopkeepers and broke into a brewery where they helped themselves to the stock. The Canadian Military Police tried to forcibly quell the riot, which continued for more than two hours, ending around midnight. A Canadian officer who tried to send them back to their barracks told them, \"You are giving Canada a bad name. Canadians are getting a fair share of boats but the shipping position is most difficult. \" In total about £10,000 in damages was caused over the two evenings. In 2016 four postcards sent by Canadian soldier who had been an eyewitness to the riots were published for the first time. Canadian Trooper George Karkus described the riots to his parents stating that \"the boys got tired of waiting and some of them were waiting for two months.\" Karkus adds that 611 window frames were smashed and only £20 taken during the riots. He wrote that after the riots each Canadian camp had anti-riot squads, of which he was in one, while in Aldershot \"where two roads cross there were sixteen policemen, four on each corner they worked in groups of four but by then they moved a few thousand of the worst ones out things were kind of quiet. \"\n\nA Cabinet meeting held on 6 July discussed the riots of the previous two days, with Prime Minister Winston Churchill demanding to know \"Why could we not keep better order? Had we no British troops to call in to restore order? Where was our military police? Were we going to let these wild Canadians break up the homes of these poor innocent shopkeepers?\" Churchill's military adviser Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke replied that it would have been \"only as a very last resort that I should order British troops to rough handle Canadians who are giving trouble... In such cases Canadians must deal with their own nationals. Even British Red Cap police must be kept out of it. \"\n\nOne hundred Canadian soldiers were tried by courts-martial, and five received sentences ranging from two years with hard labour to seven years penal servitude. By 31 March 1946 the Canadian government had paid $41,541 to meet the costs of repairing the damage in Aldershot. Lieutenant-General John Percival \"Price\" Montague (1882-1966) of the Canadian Army Overseas believed that the riot's ringleaders were men who had volunteered for the Pacific Force in the expectation of being repatriated quickly calling these men \"...I cannot describe otherwise than as racketeers\". Of the soldiers convicted by courts-martial as a result of the riots three were Pacific volunteers. Most of the convicted men already had long records of misconduct. [6] In a gesture of forgiveness and goodwill the people of Aldershot granted \"the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot\" to the Canadian Army Overseas on 26 September 1945. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["about £10,000","41,541"]},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["Canadian troops of the Canadian Army Overseas tired of waiting to be repatriated"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":["bricks","stones"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["The rioters","Other rioters","Canadian troops","About five hundred Canadian soldiers","the crowd","The Canadian Military Police"]},{"role":"Date","values":["4 and 5 July 1945"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the streets of Aldershot in Hampshire","Princes Gardens","Union Street"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2021 Panguipulli riots","document":"The death of Francisco Martínez was a Chilean police incident in which the 27-year old street-juggler Francisco Martínez was shot to death by Chilean police forces in the southern city of Panguipulli. Various events of street demonstrations and episodes of violent rioting spread across the country of Chile after the event. \n\nFrancisco Andrés Martínez Romero (August 7, 1993 – February 5, 2021)[2] was 27 years old at the time of his death. His family lived in the Puente Alto commune, in Santiago, a city which he left at 18 years of age in order to live in various Latin American countries. \n\nIn 2015, he settled in Panguipulli, living on the streets and working as a street artist, juggler and craftsman. [4] In that city he was known as «Franco» or «Tibet», and participated in the mobilizations of the 2019 social outbreak.\n\nAccording to the testimony of his sister, Francisco suffered from schizophrenia.He was the uncle of a minor who was also involved in an episode of police brutality caused by the Carabineros on the Pío Nono Bridge in Santiago, also within the context of the social outburst. [6]\n\nAfter 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 5, 2021, in the city of Panguipulli, southern Chile, Francisco Martínez was juggling with machetes at the busy intersection of Martínez de Rozas and Pedro de Valdivia streets. At the scene, he was intercepted by a group of three Carabineros officials to carry out an identity check. The situation in which the events occurred, which triggered an argument between Martínez and the police, is not yet clear. In an act, still under investigation, Second Sergeant Juan Guillermo González Iturriaga fired several shots at the floor and at point-blank range at the body of Francisco, ending his life. During the altercation, Martínez had thrown himself against the policeman with the machetes. A nursing technician who was at the scene gave Martinez first aid and unsuccessfully performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. \n\nMartinez's death was recorded by a passerby and the video was broadcast through social media. The event generated several spontaneous protests in the main streets of Panguipulli during the afternoon of February 5. The demonstrations led to incidents during the night, with the Municipality of Panguipulli being completely burned down. Other buildings affected were the Chilean Post Office, the Local Police Court, the Civil Registry, and the ESSAL office. The protests ended with five people arrested. Rioting plagued the main streets of other cities as the manifestations entered its second day, with clashes with police becoming a frequent occurrence in Santiago. \n\nOn February 6, Martínez's body left the Panguipulli Medical Legal Service for Santiago, being honored by the local community. During that day, protests also took place in other cities of Chile, such as Antofagasta, Santiago, Concepción, Temuco and Valdivia. [10]\n\nOn the morning of February 7, Martínez's remains arrived in Bajos de Mena, Puente Alto commune, for his wake, which was attended by the singer Roberto Márquez, 16. His funeral was held the next day in the Parque El Prado cemetery. On February 8, protests over Martínez's death were also held in various cities in Chile, including Santiago, Valparaíso, and La Serena.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the 27-year old street-juggler Francisco Martínez was shot to death by Chilean police forces in the southern city of Panguipulli"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":["machetes"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Martínez","the police","police","group of three Carabineros officials","Second Sergeant Juan Guillermo González Iturriaga"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February 5, 2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the city of Panguipulli, southern Chile","in the main streets of Panguipulli","across the country of Chile"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1985 Handsworth riots","document":"\n\nThe second Handsworth riots took place in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, West Midlands, from 9 to 11 September 1985. The riots were reportedly sparked by the arrest of a man near the Acapulco Cafe, Lozells and a police raid on the Villa Cross public house in the same area. Hundreds of people attacked police and property, looting and smashing, even setting off fire bombs. Handsworth had been the scene of a less serious riot four years earlier, when a wave of rioting hit over 30 other British towns and cities during the spring and summer of 1981. Racial tension and friction between the police and the local ethnic minority communities was seen as a major factor in the riots. Handsworth had been predominantly populated by the black and Asian communities for around 30 years by 1985. Handsworth also had one of the highest unemployment rates in Birmingham. Two brothers (Kassamali Moledina, 38, and his 44-year-old brother Amirali) were burnt to death in the post office that they ran. Two other people were unaccounted for, 35 others injured, more than 1500 police officers drafted into the area, about 45 shops looted and burnt, and a trail of damage running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. As well as racial tension, unemployment was seen as a major factor in the riots; by the time of the riots, fewer than 5% of the black population to have left school that summer had found employment. The riots were the subject of John Akomfrah's award-winning documentary film Handsworth Songs. Filmmaker and artist Pogus Caesar documented the riots and owns an extensive photographic archive.They were depicted in reggae artist Pato Banton's song Handsworth Riots. And they were witnessed by Goldie and Bronx graffiti artists Brim, who documented the devastation in the documentary Bombin' (1987). The riots were the first of a series of similar riots across the country during the autumn of 1985, notably the Broadwater Farm riot in London which also resulted in a fatality (the murder of policeman Keith Blakelock).","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the arrest of a man near the Acapulco Cafe, Lozells and a police raid on the Villa Cross public house in the same area"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Two brothers","35 others injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["fire bombs"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["police","Hundreds of people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from 9 to 11 September 1985"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Handsworth district of Birmingham, West Midlands"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2003 Wrocław football riot","document":"The Wrocław football riot 2003 was an organised fight between Polish football hooligans in Wrocław, Lower Silesia Poland on 30 March 2003.  As a result of the incident, one person died, 229 hooligans were arrested and more than twelve were taken to the hospital. \n\nArranged football hooligan fights in Poland are known as ustawka. They became common in Poland in the late 1990s. \n\nEach club has a hooligan firm and from these, different firms form alliances, supporting each other in their fights with other firms. On 30 March 2003 a Polish Second Division game between Śląsk Wrocław and Arka Gdynia took place in Wrocław (Stadion Oporowska). Hooligans from Wrocław, Poznań, Kraków, Gdynia and Lubin all took part in the huge fight which was centred on Grabiszynska Street, 500 m  from the stadium, using knives, cleavers, wooden clubs and stones. Triad was defeated and fled from the place of combat. Wrocław police later stated that the fight had been pre-arranged, adding that \"They did not come to watch the game; they had made an appointment on their mobile phones to fight\". Local residents had to hide in houses, shops and buses as the fight, which lasted some hours spread through the city. When the police arrived some of the hooligans attacked them with stones, before the police restored order, using water cannons on the rioters.  After the arrival of a special police squad, the police finally surrounded most of the hooligans, ordering them to lie down, and 120 people were arrested. \n\nAmbulances took the injured to hospitals in Wrocław. A 24-year-old Arka Gdynia fan, named only as Mariusz B, who had been stabbed in the back, died in the hospital. Some witnesses claimed that he had fallen onto a street lamp, collapsed and was then beaten up. [2] Of those taken to the hospital most had stab wounds, as well as fractures and contusions. However, most refused hospital treatment as they believed they would be arrested by the police. Rydygier hospital confirmed that some had fled the hospital and that one had a broken leg, another's shoulder was dislocated. Still another had stab wounds in his thigh, but all three refused to be hospitalized and left. Others were seen at Babiński hospital with most of them also refusing treatment. \n\nIn a statement to the Polish State News agency, PAP, The head of the Polish Football Association, Michal Listkiewicz, blamed the violence on what he called \"bandits posing as fans\", adding that, \"They are murdering Polish soccer and all of our sport. \"\n\nWrocław Police Department announced that 229 hooligans were arrested. 100 were subsequently banned from football matches in Poland for three years. 120 were indicted on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon by the district prosecutor and 100 were found guilty. \n\nThe police had videotape evidence from the fight, which has been handed to them by a local man. And so they knew the circumstances of the killing of the Arka Gdynia fan who had died of knife wounds, which had been inflicted by a man, named only as Tomasz P, a Wisła Kraków fan, who a few months later was caught hiding under a false name in Rzeszów in southeastern Poland. In October 2005 he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the fight had been pre-arranged"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["one person died","more than twelve"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["stones","knives","cleavers","wooden clubs","water cannons"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["some of the hooligans","the police","the rioters"]},{"role":"Date","values":["30 March 2003"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Wrocław, Lower Silesia Poland"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2017 Baduria riots","document":"Baduria riot refers to incidents of communal violence between Hindus and Muslims in the Baduria town in Basirhat subdivision of the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal state of India. Tensions started rising after a social media post on Islamic prophet Muhammad and Kaaba by a 17-year-old student on 2 July 2017. The images were seen as objectionable and went viral in Baduria. He was later arrested. It is claimed that this violence was an outcome of local outrage of the Muslim groups, but according to some news sources and local media, villagers of Baduria, Basirhat and of its neighborhood claimed the rioters were outsiders.\n\nFollowing the post made on 2 July by the school boy, a mob of an estimated 5,000 people blockaded the Baduria police station, demanding that the accused be brought before the crowd. The post also resulted in an arson attack on the accused's house. He was arrested on the evening of 3 July 2017. The Muslim religious leaders of the area tried to pacify the rioters and urged them to retreat. However, the mob continued their vandalism, demanding the accused be handed over to them. \n\nThe Baduria police station was attacked and set ablaze along with several police vehicles on the night of 3 July. A violent mob put up road blockades at several places and attacked members of other community, besides destroying many shops. \n\nMuslim mobs set upon shops and houses belonging to Hindus in Baduria, Swarupnagar and Taki. Rath Yatras at several places were attacked.  Violent clashes were triggered between the two communities of Basirhat. [19] The Union government deployed four Border Security Force (BSF) companies containing a total of 400 personnel to check the violence in the region. Section 144 was imposed while the internet services were suspended.In retaliatory attacks on 6 July, Hindu mobs attacked a dargah and vandalised shops and houses in addition to clashing with the police. The office of a local TMC leader also comes under attack.On July 7, several Hindu temples were attacked by a Muslim mob of about 70-90 people. They also allegedly attacked and harassed Hindu families.\n\nAbout 25 people including 20 policemen were reported to have been injured in the violence.The house and party office of a local TMC MLA Dipendu Biswas was also set on fire by the rioters. A 65 year old died after being stabbed by the rioter mobs in the clashes while trying to return home. His son saved another villager, Fazlul Islam, whom he brought to hospital along with his father. \n\nDuring this riot, while Muslim mobs attacked house of the main accused, Muslim neighbors were seen calling fire service and protecting his home,while later it was found to be rumoured[27][28][29][30] where leaders of the local Muslim community tried to pacify the riot which proved to be a failed attempt. [31][32] Later, as sign of religious harmony, local Muslim community pooled money to help the affected Hindu neighbors targeted in this riot,[33][34][35] and both communities joined to restore normalcy in this area. \n\nVijeta Malik who is reported to be the Haryana State Executive Member of BJP allegedly posted a well-known scene of a Bhojpuri movie Aurat Khilona Nahi and cited it as an incident  in Baduaria clashes where Hindu women were severely abused and the crowd just watched. This fake news went viral. Despite several appeals from Kolkata and West Bengal Police, sharing of fake news continued and tensions were exacerbated. One Kolkata-based Bhabotosh Chatterjee, was arrested for sharing fake news and spreading communal hatred over the internet, and another three were held for spreading fake news via multiple social media profiles. In July, two FIRs[clarification needed] were lodged against a Delhi-based BJP leader Nupur Sharma for sharing fake news while the BJP IT cell secretary Tarun Sengupta was arrested in Asansol for posting ‘fake’ video on social media. The West Bengal Government ordered a judiciary inquiry on the fake news propaganda and the causes of the Baduria incident.  While responding to a PIL[clarification needed] filed in the Calcutta High Court, the State stated that around 71 people had been arrested and a total of 86 cases had been registered with the police in this matter. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a social media post on Islamic prophet Muhammad and Kaaba by a 17-year-old student"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["About 25 people including 20 policemen were reported to have been injured in the violence"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["a mob of an estimated 5,000 people","a Muslim mob of about 70-90 people","Hindus","Muslim mobs","Muslims","Muslim groups","Border Security Force (BSF)"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["The Baduria police station","the Baduria town in Basirhat subdivision of the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal state of India"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Jaffa riots (April 1936)","document":"The Jaffa riots of April 1936, refers to a spate of violent attacks on Jews that began on 19 April 1936 in Jaffa. A total of 14 Jews and 2 Arabs were killed during the riots. The event is often described as marking the start of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. British Mandatory authorities and other contemporary sources dated the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine to 15 April,the date of the Anabta shooting in which Arab followers of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam set up a roadblock on the Nablus to Tulkarm road, stopping  about 20 vehicles to demand cash and weapons; separating out 3 Jews from other occupants of the vehicles. The Arabs then shot the 3 Jewish men; only 1 survived.   The two killed Jewish drivers were Israel (or Yisrael) Khazan, who was killed instantly, and Zvi Dannenberg, who died five days later.The following day members of Irgun shot and killed two Arab workers sleeping in a hut near Petah Tikva. On 17 April, the funeral for Khazan was held in Tel Aviv, attracting a crowd of thousands, some of whom beat Arab passersby and vandalized property. \n\nOn 19 April, rumors spread in the Arab community that \"many Arabs had been killed by Jews\", and Arabs began to attack Jews in the streets of Jaffa.  An Arab mob marched on the Jewish-owned Anglo-Palestine Bank. The British Mandatory police guarding the bank defended themselves by firing into the mob, killing two of the rioters. This incited the mob to \"fury\" and Jews began to be killed in the streets. \n\nManuela Williams describes this as the \"peak\" event in a series of violent attacks leading up to the declaration of a general strike by the Arab Higher Committee. \n\nAccording to Aryeh Avneri, citing the History of the Haganah, the rioting broke out first among the Haurani dockworkers in Jaffa Port. [14] A mob of Arab men rampaged through the mixed Muslim, Christian and Jewish streets of Jaffa, killing and beating Jews and wrecking Jewish homes and businesses.\n\n11 people were reported dead in the first day's rioting. These included 2 Arabs \"shot by British police in self-defense,\" and 9 Jews, with dozens of others wounded, \"most of the Jewish injured bore knife wounds.  The rioting went on for a total of 3 days, it was finally suppressed by the British military. \n\nThe continuing threat of violence combined with the destruction of Jewish property and arson attacks that destroyed Jewish homes forced 12,000 Jews to flee Jaffa as refugees. 9,500 were housed by the Tel Aviv municipality, imposing a heavy financial burden on the city. Seventy-five temporary shelters were created in schools, synagogues, government and industrial buildings.    During May and June the Haganah was able to stabilize the security situation to the point where about 4,000 of the refugees were able to return to their homes.  Others found housing privately, so that by July only 4,800 remained in public refugee camps; 3,200 of these were utterly destitute.  By November, Jewish charities had placed even the destitute refugees in housing, and the refugee camps were closed. \n\nOne impact of the riot was the start of a political demand that the Jewish neighborhoods of Jaffa be separated from Jaffa and incorporated into Tel Aviv. \n\nChapter 11 of Leon Uris's bestselling 1984 novel, The Haj, is entitled Jaffa - April 19, 1936.  In The Blood of His Servants, Malcolm MacPherson writes of 19 April as the day when the Arab revolt on Palestine began, and a \"campaign of armed attacks\" started. In his 1968 book, Days of Fire, Shmuel Katz, a senior member of the Irgun, wrote of arriving in Tel Aviv from Jerusalem on 19 April to find the town in turmoil with reports of stabbing in nearby Jaffa.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["rumors spread in the Arab community that \"many Arabs had been killed by Jews\""]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["14 Jews and 2 Arabs were killed","killed two Arab","two killed Jewish"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["A mob of Arab","Jews","Arabs","members of Irgun","British military"]},{"role":"Date","values":["19 April 1936"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the streets of Jaffa","in the streets of Jaffa","hut near Petah Tikva"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May 2002 Belfast riots","document":"The May 2002 Belfast riots were riots that occurred in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. On Saturday May 2002, up to 800 people were involved in sectarian clashes beginning shortly after the Scottish Cup Final in which Rangers F.C. beat Celtic F.C. Petrol bombs and fireworks were thrown at Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers. That night 28 police officers and 10 civilians were injured, including two Protestant men who were shot. [1]\n\nThe PSNI fired 40 plastic baton rounds at rioters, which happened in and around Ardoyne, Crumlin Road and New Lodge. Two officers had serious injuries, one with a suspected fractured skull and another being treated for spinal injuries. Several homes around Whitewell Road came under attack. Both sides blamed each other for starting the violence. DUP MP Nigel Dodds and Progressive Unionist Party Assembly member Billy Hutchinson blamed republicans for starting the trouble, while a Sinn Féin councillor said the trouble began when 12 loyalists attacked nationalist homes with iron bars, and blamed the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) for orchestrating it. Another Sinn Fein councillor said the trouble began when loyalists threw bricks and bottles. \n\nOn a second night of violence, pipe bombs were thrown at police and three officers were injured in the middle of confrontations between loyalists and nationalists. A loyalist community worker said that the violence was a consequence of the shooting of two Protestants the night before. \n\nNorth Belfast had already seen tensions and violence up to that point in the year, including in both March and April 2002, the latter of which involved a bomb explosion. [3]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the Scottish Cup Final in which Rangers F.C. beat Celtic F.C"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["three officers","28 police officers and 10 civilians were injured, including two Protestant men who were shot","Two officers"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["Petrol bombs","fireworks","plastic baton","bricks","bottles","pipe bombs"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["loyalists","up to 800 people","rioters","republicans","the Ulster Defence Association (UDA)","nationalists"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday May 2002"]},{"role":"Location","values":["north Belfast, Northern Ireland","around Ardoyne, Crumlin Road and New Lodge"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1953 Lahore riots","document":"\n\nDecisive military suppression of riots\n\nThe Lahore riots of 1953 were a series of violent riots against the Ahmadiyya Movement, a faith marginalized in Pakistan, mainly in the city of Lahore, Pakistan as well as the rest of Punjab, which were eventually quelled by the Pakistan Army who declared three months of martial law. The demonstrations began in February 1953, soon escalating into citywide incidents, including looting, arson and the murder of somewhere between 200 to 2000 people,while thousands more were left displaced. According to the official inquiry conducted by the Punjab Government the actual number killed in these riots were around 20 people. The page one of the inquiry says \"Before the declaration of Martial Law, the police had to resort to firing in several places and at least two persons were killed on the night of 4th March and ten on 5th March, Sixty-six persons more must have been injured in the firing because that number of wounded persons admitted to the Lahore hospitals had gunshot wounds. The number of casualties admitted by the military to have been caused in quelling the disturbances in Lahore was eleven killed and forty-nine wounded. In some other towns also there were a number of casualties caused by firing by the police or the military.\". Official Unable to contain the increasingly widespread civil disorder, Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad handed over the administration of the city to the army under Lieutenant General Azam Khan, imposing martial law on 6 March. One of the major controversial differences between Ahmadis and mainstream Sunni and Shia Muslims is their different interpretations of Khatam an-Nabiyyin. Mainstream Sunni and Shia Muslims are awaiting the coming of the Mahdi and the Second Coming of Jesus and reject the claims of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad whom Ahmadis believe to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. The Ahmadiyya Community was a vocal proponent of the Pakistan Movement and were actively engaged with the Muslim league having strong relations with many prominent Muslim Leaguers and were opposed to the Congress backed Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. [4] After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Ahmadis prospered and reached many high ranking Government and Military positions in Pakistan, due to an extremely high Literacy rate. They held up stay as an important political force in Pakistan, due to its support for secularism and acted as a counterbalance to Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. This group was disillusioned and disorganized after 1947 and politically isolated. Even before partition one of its primary targets was the Ahmadiyya movement. However, in 1949, the Majlis-e-Ahrar launched countrywide campaigns and protests resulting in a ban on Majlis-e-Ahrar in 1954. Disturbances began after an ultimatum was delivered to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 21 January 1953 by a deputation of ulama representing Majlis-i Amal (council of action) constituted by an All-Pakistan Muslim Parties Convention held in Karachi from 16 to 18 January 1953. (Including Tehreek-e-Khatme Nabuwwat — under Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam) The ultimatum stated unless three demands were met:\n\n... Majlis-e-Amal would resort to direct action (rast iqdum). \n\nThe ultimatum was rejected and disturbances commenced. \n\nOn 6 March martial law was declared. Two people were killed by police prior to martial law and casualties \"admitted by the military\" caused in \"quelling the disturbances in Lahore\" were eleven killed and 49 wounded. \n\nMarking the military's first foray into civilian politics, the 70-day-long military deployment saw Lahore return to normalcy under Azam Khan's coherent leadership ; the Secretary General of the Awami Muslim League, Maulana Abdul Sattar Khan Niazi, was arrested and sentenced to death, but his sentence was subsequently commuted. The riots also brought unprecedented political consequences; Ghulam Muhammad first dismissed Mian Mumtaz Daultana from the post of Chief Minister of Punjab on 24 March, allegedly for manipulating the religious element in anti-Ahmadi violence for political benefits. Next on 17 April, using his special powers under the Government of India Act 1935, Ghulam Muhammad dismissed Prime Minister, Khwaja Nazimuddin and the entire federal cabinet. Muhammad Ali Bogra (Pakistan's ambassador to the United States) replaced him. Bogra, who did not know why he was being called back, took the oath as new Prime Minister within hours of Nazimuddin's dismissal.\n\nOn 19 June 1953 a Court Of Inquiry was established to look into disturbances, known as the Punjab Disturbances Court Of Inquiry. The inquiry commenced on 1 July and held 117 sittings. The evidence was concluded on 23 January 1954 and arguments in the case lasted to 28 February 1954. Conclusions were formulated and the report issued 10 April 1954. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["against the Ahmadiyya Movement","their different interpretations of Khatam an-Nabiyyin"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["the actual number killed in these riots were around 20 people","Two people","49 wounded"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the military","the Pakistan Army","the police or the military","police","mainstream Sunni","Shia Muslims","Ahmadis"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February 1953"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the city of Lahore, Pakistan as well as the rest of Punjab"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2014 Meerut riots","document":"\n\nOn 10 May 2014, a scuffle between two communities over construction of fence around well escalated into riots in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, a northern state of India As of 11 May, 3 people were killed and 50 injured, including a top police officer and two media persons.\n\nTwo local groups in Meerut were staking claims in a well which has been directed by court to be maintained at status quo. But, in-charge of nearby mosque had started to construct concrete fence around the well. The incident started at around 2 pm on 10 May in the Teer Gehran area of Meerut.  There have been various theories regarding the cause of violence. While Times of India reported that this construction of fence paved way for riots, the New Indian Express reported that installation of water facilitation centre was objected by members from Jain community arguing that it would affect their temple, which started the riots.\n\nWhile the cause of riot was uncertain, the argument between the two communities escalated into shouting of slogans against each other. Soon violence erupted and vehicles were set fire. Stone pelting and firing of arms were done by members of both communities.  Few police personnel who tried to control the mob faced injuries. \n\nOne person succumbed to bullet wound, while other injured were being taken to local hospitals. ]\n\nPolice sources stated that patrolling has been intensified. Six companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary and Eight companies of Rapid Action Force has been deployed to restore peace Shops were closed in the area due to rioting. \n\nCriminal Cases were registered against 200 people in connection with the riots and Nauchandi Mela has been wound up before its scheduled end. [10] According to Meerut SP Om Prakash Singh, the police have identified some criminals from a video footage. \n\nTwo persons were held [11] after the victim succumbed to injuries. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a scuffle between two communities over construction of fence around well"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["3 people","Few police personnel","One person","other injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["Stone"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["two communities","Two local groups in Meerut"]},{"role":"Date","values":["at around 2 pm on 10 May","10 May 2014"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Teer Gehran area of Meerut","Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, a northern state of India"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1990 Detroit riot","document":"The 1990 Detroit riot occurred on June 14, 1990 after the Detroit Pistons defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1990 NBA Finals. The rioting resulted in 8 deaths and is one of the worst sports-related riots in American history. On June 14, 1990, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 92–90 in Game 5 of the 1990 NBA Finals. The game was played at the  Memorial Coliseum in Portland, but over 21,000 Pistons fans watched the game on big screen TVs at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Pistons' home court. The event at The Palace remained peaceful, with only one arrest occurring. [1]\n\nThe game ended at 11:30 EDT and rioting quickly began afterwards. Looting was reported throughout city and at least 124 people were hospitalized for injuries, including 26 who had been shot, two had been stabbed and over a dozen who were beaten in front of riot police. Eight people were killed as well - 10-year-old Keith Brown, 9-year-old Frederick Moore, 15-year-old Alisha Stanfield and 21-year-old Sonny Deon Hogan were struck and killed after being struck by a Ford Thunderbird in front of a convenience store where they were celebrating. 41-year-old Bruce Burdett Thomas of Warren was charged with four counts of second-degree murder in connection with the incident. Several witness described the crash as deliberate. 19-year-old Michael Wilkins was shot and killed after an argument occurred in a parking lot, a 21-year-old man fell off a roof to his death and two other, pedestrians, one of them a 4-year-old boy, were killed in other auto accidents. A total of 141 people were arrested in Detroit.\n\nThe rioting spread to suburb areas. In River Rouge, 28 youths were arrested after they smashed the windows of several stores and a police car. In Roseville, a police car was pelted with beer cans and bottles, though no one was arrested. \n\nThe Pistons had won the NBA championship the year prior and little violence occurred, though violence occurred after the Detroit Tigers won the World Series in 1984. The rioting was the worst the city had experienced since the uprising of 1967. \n\nThis basketball-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the Detroit Pistons defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1990 NBA Finals"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["8 deaths","at least 124 people were hospitalized for injuries","Eight people"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["beer cans","bottles"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the Detroit Pistons","riot police"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June 14, 1990"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Meat riots","document":" Government of Chile\n\nThe Meat riot (Spanish: Huelga de la carne), in the Chilean capital Santiago in October 1905, was a violent riot that originated from a demonstration against the tariffs applied to the cattle imports from Argentina.\n\nThe establishment of the Buenos Aires-Mendoza railroad in 1885 ended the lengthy and costly trade with carts that connected these two regions of Argentina and facilitated cattle exports from the pampas to Chile, albeit in the last portion of the route the cattle had to walk over the high mountain passes of the Andes. [2][3] These imports resulted in a lowering of meat prices in Chile. [2]\n\nIn 1887 Sociedad Nacional de la Agricultura (National Agriculture Society), a landowners organization, proposed to put a tariff on the Argentine cattle that Chile was importing from Argentina. In 1888 the attempt to pass this as a law in the Chamber of Deputies was frustrated by several urban workers social organizations, the Democrat Party, and mine owners that protested against it. \n\nSociedad Nacional de la Agricultura continued to support the implementation of a tariff and in 1897 it was passed as a law in congress, principally as part of a protectionist law package.The package was supported by the Democrat Party, but in 1898 and 1899 it called for the abolition of the tariff returning to its old stance. In 1902 a series of demonstrations against the tariff took place. Scholar Benjamin  S. Orlove suggest that it was the rise of staple food prices that led to renewed protests against the tariff in 1905. This would have been because high staple prices would have led people to have less money available for buying meat. The prices of meat themselves remained stable in the period preceding the Meat riots. \n\nIn September 1905, members of the Democrat Party and several mutual aid societies of Santiago met to form an umbrella organization named Comité Central de Abolición del Impuesto al Ganado (Central Committee for the Abolishment of the Livestock Tariff). The new organisation called for a demonstration on Sunday October 22. [2] State authorities approved a demonstration route. [2] The plans for the demonstration spread through word of mouth and support from the centrist Catholic newspaper El Chileno. \n\nAt the place and time of meeting in Santiago on Sunday, it has been estimated that fifty thousand people gathered. Another estimate puts the number at twelve thousand of which at least 6000 belonged to the working class.Considering that Santiago at the time had 320 000 inhabitants, the demonstration was huge.  Apart from those that gathered in Santiago demonstrations were held all over Chile.\n\nFrom the meeting point at La Alameda, a demonstration group that included ten neighborhood associations plus 41 trade unions and mutual aid societies marched to Palacio de La Moneda where they planned to deliver a petition to president Germán Riesco. \n\nUpon arrival to La Moneda it was found that president Germán Riesco was not there. A minor group of protesters were told by government representative that the president was at his residence a few blocks away. This minority group marched to the residence where protest leaders were allowed to enter to deliver the petition document and to chat with the president. The chat went over to lengthy discussions. Meanwhile, the majority of the protesters were unaware of the meeting and thought that the president had turned his back on them by refusing a meeting. A rumour saying that the president had left Santiago spread. In this atmosphere violence erupted. Demonstrators attacked \"buildings and public structure\" and police attacked the demonstrators. \n\nPolice stations, private residences, telegraph and telephone lines were attacked and stores were pillaged. At 4-5 o'clock most workers retired from the city centre. By the same time the looting intensified. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a demonstration against the tariffs applied to the cattle imports from Argentina"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the Democrat Party","the majority of the protesters","demonstrators","police","several urban workers social organizations","mine owners","fifty thousand people","twelve thousand of which at least 6000 belonged to the working class","This minority group"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October 1905"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Chilean capital Santiago"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"University of Lomé riots","document":"The University of Lomé (French: Université de Lomé; abbreviated UL) is the largest university in Togo. Located in the city of Lomé, it was founded in 1970 as University of Benin (French: Université du Bénin) and changed its name to the University of Lomé in 2001. \n\nIn May 2011, the government of Togo ordered the indefinite closure of University of Lomé after students started riots demanding better conditions and food.  The riots began on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, and escalated through the rest of the week culminating in a clash on Friday between students and police which required the use of tear gas to disperse the roughly 500 rioting students. Authorities stated that the rioters were invading lecture halls, assaulting lecturers and other students, and destroying university property.  The university was closed on Friday, May 27, 2011. The head of the institution, Koffi Ahadzi Nonon, stated that the students were upset that the university had introduced a new academic system called LMD (translated as bachelor, master, doctorate),for which the students were unprepared. On May 26, 2011, the Embassy of the United States in Lomé, Togo, issued a warden message to U.S. citizens in Togo to avoid the university campus area until the riots had ceased and stating that tear gas may have been used on May 25, against the demonstrators. On June 6, an agreement between the university and the students was reached as students affirmed their commitment to the new LMD academic system and that the university would improve the students' living conditions.  On June 15, the head of student organization, the Movement for the Development of Togolese Students or MEET, was arrested for attempting to incite possible violent resistance. The head of Hacam — another student organization — condemned the actions of the head of MEET. \n\nOn July 8, students and government representatives signed a formal agreement allowing current students to continue on the classic academic system or switch to the LMD system at their option and which stated that the government would invest 2.4 billion CFA francs (roughly US$4,800,000) into the construction of new lectures halls and versatile teaching blocks at the University of Lomé and the University of Kara. \n\nCoordinates: 6°10′25″N 1°12′57″E / 6.173669°N 1.215866°E / 6.173669; 1.215866","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["demanding better conditions and food"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":["tear gas"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["students","police","rioters"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 25, 2011","Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2011 Northern Ireland riots","document":"\n\nThe 2011 Northern Ireland riots were a series of riots between 20 June 2011 and 16 July 2011, starting originally in Belfast, before spreading to other parts of Northern Ireland. They were initiated by the Ulster Volunteer Force. [1]\n\nThe sectarian violence began around 21:00 BST on the night of Monday 20 June, when a large number of loyalists made their way from the unionist Mount and Castlereagh Street areas to the nationalist Short Strand enclave. This provoked a response from the nationalists. [2] The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said that around 500–600 people were involved in the rioting. [3] According to the PSNI, the riots are said to have been initially instigated by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). [4][5]\n\nThe clashes saw various dangerous objects such as petrol bombs, bricks, bottles, fireworks and smoke bombs thrown by both sides in what police described as \"high-level, life-threatening, organised, serious and sustained\" attack by people \"hell-bent on disorder\".At one point six shots were fired from the nationalist Short Strand area followed by about five shots from the loyalist Pitt Park. Two shots hit a police Land Rover in what the PSNI claimed was attempted murder of their officers.  One officer suffered eye injuries when a laser pen was being used to blind officers.\n\nThe riots in Short Strand were described by politicians as the worst violence in the area in a decade. \n\nOn the Tuesday night, during further clashes between unionists and nationalists, about 700 people were involved. A photographer was shot in the leg by a gunman firing from the nationalist area, which police blamed on dissident republicans.\n\nBy Wednesday 22 June, discussions were held between community representatives, politicians, and loyalist and nationalist figures. The result was for both sides to police their communities to avoid further violence. [citation needed] Later that night the area was largely peaceful despite unionist and nationalist groups – held back by community marshals – being involved for several hours in a stand-off at the Mountpottinger Road end of the Short Strand until around 01:30 on Thursday morning.  Nationalist marshals intervened to stop nationalist youths attacking police Land Rovers. [7]\n\nA 20-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and assaulting police, which was followed on the Wednesday by the arrest of a 22-year-old man from West Belfast about the rioting. \n\nA riot broke out on 1 July 2011 in Castlereagh Street and Mountpottinger Road, where the police used water cannons again to stop rioting continuing into the night. \n\nOn 9 July, loyalist rioters attacked the PSNI in Ballyclare after the PSNI removed Union and paramilitary flags from outside a Catholic church.\n\nExpected riots broke out on 11 July and nationalist rioters attacked the PSNI in the Oldpark and Broadway areas of Belfast. The Royal Victoria Hospital's new £9 million extensions was damaged. It is believed shots were fired. \n\nMore expected rioting broke out the following day in nationalist areas of north and south Belfast following the annual Orange Order Twelfth of July parades. Trouble also broke out in Derry, where police claimed people as young as ten were involved. The PSNI were criticised for their handling of the riots. \n\nOn 15 July, police in Portadown came under attack with a riot involving around 100 people. Immigrants were forced to flee Northern Ireland when their home came under attack by loyalists in a Catholic area. [13] The next day, in Corcraine, Portadown, there was further unrest and rioting. [14]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["The Royal Victoria Hospital's new £9 million extensions was damaged"]},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a large number of loyalists made their way from the unionist Mount and Castlereagh Street areas to the nationalist Short Strand enclave","the riots are said to have been initially instigated by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["One officer","A photographer"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["petrol bombs","bricks, bottles","fireworks","smoke bombs","water cannons"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)","nationalists","the police","the Ulster Volunteer Force","the nationalists","a large number of loyalists","around 500–600 people","unionists","about 700 people","a gunman"]},{"role":"Date","values":["between 20 June 2011 and 16 July 2011"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Castlereagh Street and Mountpottinger Road","parts of Northern Ireland","Belfast","Short Strand"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Vondelstraat riots","document":"The Vondelstraat riots (Dutch: Vondelstraatrellen) were violent disturbances on Vondelstraat in Amsterdam, the Netherlands between squatters and the state in March 1980. It also involved the deployment of military tanks on the streets for the first time since World War II, and was one of the most serious disturbances involving squatters in the country. During the 1970s, squatting became increasingly prevalent in Amsterdam due to the lack of housing and the high number of decayed buildings in the city centre. Many of the squatters occupying land were youngsters from the baby boom generation, having trouble finding homes to live in. A previous riot in Amsterdam happened in 1966. Authorities did little to stop them before the events of 1980. Many riots occurred between the squatters and the authorities (overall referred to as Krakersrellen), the biggest being the Nieuwmarkt Riots in 1975. By the late 1970s the mood changed as politicians and real estate owners called for action against squatters. The mayor of Amsterdam at the  time, Wim Polak, decided to start cracking down on squatters. \n\nVondelstraat is a major street in the centre of Amsterdam and was the location of a large squatting squad that occupied property. On 29 February, the state evicted squatters from a building on the corner of Vondelstraat and Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat. Amid violent protests from hundreds of squatters, who reoccupied the building and built huge barricades, over a thousand police officers and soldiers were deployed to stop their actions. \n\nThe rioters threw objects and petrol bombs, and police responded with tear gas. Street fights continued until 3 March. A tank that was deployed, driven by Major Tom van Erk, managed to demolish the barricades. Calm returned that day. \n\nFifty police officers were hurt during the events. \n\nAnother huge squatting protest happened on 30 April 1980 during the coronation of Queen Beatrix. Other riots, albeit smaller, also happened in August, September and December, as well as in 1981 and 1982. In the late 1980s the squatting movement became less prevalent, particularly after the increase of house building in the city. In 2010, the Dutch parliament voted to ban squatting entirely. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the lack of housing and the high number of decayed buildings in the city centre"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Fifty police officers"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["objects","petrol bombs","tear gas"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["hundreds of squatters","squatters","the state","politicians and real estate owners","The mayor of Amsterdam","over a thousand police officers","soldiers","The rioters"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March 1980"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Amsterdam, the Netherlands","Vondelstraat"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2013 Uribana prison riot","document":"\n\nOn 25 January 2013, a riot began at Uribana prison in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Initial reports gave at least 50 people killed and over 120 people injuredand by 27 January a death toll of 61 was reported. Officials on the first day of the riot faulted media for breaking news in advance that the prison would be searched by the military. As the riot continued into a second day, human rights groups faulted overcrowding and conditions in the gang-dominated prison.\n\nThe riot was reportedly triggered by an announcement that, in an anti-gang measure, Venezuelan National Guard troops would be searching for weapons.  The inmates were reportedly waiting for the National Guard when they arrived. Most injuries were from gunshot wounds. Bodies have been described as unidentifiable due to their mutilation. Due to the mutilation, officials were charged for a violation of human rights. \n\nIn a press statement on the first day of the riot, minister of penitentiary services Iris Varela laid blame on the local media for reporting the prison search ahead of time, stating that many of the deaths were a \"settling of scores\" among rival prison gangs.Human rights groups blamed overcrowding and inhumane conditions, as well as poor execution and unnecessary force.  Unnamed critics of the government noted that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights had called on president Hugo Chávez in 2007 to relieve conditions there that put visitors, inmates, and guards at risk.  The inmates were temporarily removed as a result of two days of rioting.\n\n WikiMiniAtlas10°10′51″N 69°20′39″W / 10.18083°N 69.34417°W / 10.18083; -69.34417","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["overcrowding and inhumane conditions","an announcement that, in an anti-gang measure"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["at least 50 people","over 120 people injured","a death toll of 61"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["The inmates","Venezuelan National Guard troops"]},{"role":"Date","values":["25 January 2013"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Uribana prison in Barquisimeto, Venezuela"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1934 Constantine riots","document":"The 1934 Constantine riots was an anti-Jewish riot that erupted in the Algerian city of Constantine. The events have also been described as a pogrom. The cause of the Constantine pogrom has been debated for some time. What everyone seems to agree on is that the initial cause of the conflict was a confrontation between Eliahou Khalifa, a Jewish Zouave, and Muslim worshippers in a mosque next to his home. The Muslims said that Khalifa was drunk, and insulted Islam. A report by the Jewish authorities claimed he was not intoxicated, and that after getting into an argument with them, they had cursed his faith and he cursed them and their faith back. The French colonial authorities only reported the Muslim version of events, which most scholars believe is responsible for inciting the pogrom. \n\nThe background of the tension between Jews and Muslims in the city was rooted in the different manner in which Jews and Muslims has been treated in the Algerian state by the French colonial government.\n\nJTA reported on August 8, 1934:\n\n A scene of utter desolation and horror, of Jewish girls with their breasts cut off, of little children with numerous knife wounds and of whole families locked in their homes and burned to death, was described by a Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent, who succeeded in reaching this city today. \"It will take days before the world will obtain a true picture of all the atrocities committed by the Arabs during the pogrom on the Jewish quarter,\" the correspondent wired. \"The only comparison I can think of is the Palestine riots of 1929. I found Jewish girls with their breasts cut off, greybearded Jews stabbed to death, little Jewish children dead of numerous knife wounds and whole families locked in their homes and burned to death by the rioters.\" \"Just as in Palestine in 1929, the lists of the dead and injured run into the hundreds with no official estimates available. The hospitals are filled with Jewish victims and the doors of the hospitals are besieged with half-crazed wives and mothers seeking to ascertain whether their loved ones are among the dead or injured, or whether they succeeded in escaping the pogrom bands\". [6]","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["a confrontation between Eliahou Khalifa, a Jewish Zouave, and Muslim worshippers in a mosque next to his home"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["the lists of the dead and injured run into the hundreds"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Khalifa","Muslims","The Muslims","Jews","a Jewish Zouave","Muslim worshippers","the rioters"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Algerian city of Constantine"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2007 Villiers-le-Bel riots","document":"\n\nRiots in the Val-d'Oise department in France began 26 November 2007, following the deaths of two teenagers (Moushin S., 15, and Larami S., 16),[1]whose motorcycle collided with a police vehicle.  The circumstances recalled those that precipitated the 2005 unrest, which began in Clichy-sous-Bois when two teenagers lost their lives as they evaded arrest while hiding in an electrical substation. The unrest began when the minibike, on which the youths were riding, collided with a police vehicle. The families of the youths allege that police rammed the motorcycle and left the two teenagers for dead. The police deny this, saying that the motorcycle was stolen and was an unregistered vehicle not valid for street use, travelling at high speed, and that the youths were not wearing any protective headgear - an account, according to French newspaper reports, confirmed by two eyewitnesses.  A police investigation indicated that the motorcycle was in third (top) gear and that the police car was not going over 40 km/h (25 mph).\n\nImmediately after the incident, a hostile crowdformed around the spot of the road accident. Divisional Commissioner Jean-François Illy, in charge of Sarcelles area, had his car burned and was hit with iron bars as he was trying to defuse the situation, and was hospitalised with a fractured nose and ribs. \nHowever, the scene of the accident was kept untouched by the crowd .\n\nOver 130 policemen were injured during night-time riots and violent clashes, which began in Villiers-le-Bel in the Val-d'Oise department. Over 70 cars and buildings were burned, including a library, two schools, a police station, and several shops. According to Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie, several police officers were hit by shotgun pellets. One officer received a serious shoulder wound when a firearm projectile pierced his body armour and another lost an eye.  including six seriously wounded officers \"who notably were struck in the face and close to the eyes. \" One police officer said that thirty officers had been hit by shotgun pellets, and one hit by a \"bullet used to kill large game.\" He likened the situation to a \"guerrilla war\". \n\nAt least ten cars were burned and a fire broke out at a library in Reynerie, a suburb of the southern city of Toulouse. Eight rioters were arrested by the police on the night of 27 November. \n\nOn 28 November, President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was in China during the events, met Prime Minister François Fillon, Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie, and Justice Minister Rachida Dati for a security briefing.  The authorities decided not to give detailed account of the riots;[16] however, they announced that 39 people were arrested the night before. On 29 November, French suburbs stayed relatively calm after 1,000 riot police were deployed. There was no report of injuries. \n\nAn investigation has been opened against the rioters. Another has been opened concerning the accident. On 18 February 2008, 33 people were arrested, suspected of being rioters.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the minibike, on which the youths were riding, collided with a police vehicle"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["two teenagers","Divisional Commissioner Jean-François Illy","Over 130 policemen were injured","several police officers"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["shotgun","iron bars","firearm"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["police","The police","youths","a hostile crowd","the crowd"]},{"role":"Date","values":["26 November 2007"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Val-d'Oise department in France","Villiers-le-Bel in the Val-d'Oise department"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2005 Togo protests and riots","document":"\n\nThe 2005 Togo protests and riots were demonstrations and rioting against the results of the presidential election and Faure Gnassingbe's takeover of power. Protests began in February with protesters demanding new elections and the end of the Gnassingbe dynasty. Around 100 were killed before the elections, but after the 2005 Togolese presidential election around 500 protesters were killed by Togolese Armed Forces, assisted by military-trained Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) militias. Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadéma died on 5 February 2005, and the Togolese Armed Forces immediately installed his son Faure Gnassingbé as president. The Army Chief of Staff, Zakari Nandja, said this was meant to avoid a power vacuum. The following day on 6 February, President of the National Assembly of Togo Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba, who should have taken over as caretaker leader pending elections in 2 months per the Constitution of Togo, was dismissed and replaced by Faure Gnassingbe. The African Union (AU) described this as \"a military coup\" with both the AU and ECOWAS imposing sanctions on Togo.The Togolese government initially banned all protests for two months. However, about 1,000 people attended an anti-government rally in Lomé on 11 February 2005.\n\nGnassingbé lifted the government's ban on protests on 18 February and announced that there would be a presidential election in 60 days.  Opposition groups called on Gnassingbé to step down and held large protests in Lomé, Aného, Sokodé and Sinkanse. On 25 February, Gnassingbé, citing growing domestic and international pressure, announced he would resign as president, resulting in ECOWAS lifting sanctions. Opposition supporters objected to the appointment of Bonfoh Abass as interim president instead of Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba, accusing Abass of being too close to the Gnassingbé regime. \n\nThe United Nations estimated that between 400 and 500 people were killed in electoral violence and mass riots. In May 2017, around 35,000 Togolese citizens fled to Benin and Ghana, citing abductions and \nforced disappearances, which were believed to be politically motivated.\n\nThe amount of casualties is unclear but unofficial results and tallies are being reported. The United nations and Amnesty international have said that the military killed 150 protesters and the security forces and police killed 400 protesters. Government officials report that there are 22 deaths but opposition figures suggested there were 150-200 deaths. It is still unclear to this day about the casualties. Protesters have been describing the fear they’ve been living in for years and years after, protests started to protest. Anger is still growing on the streets. As of now, an investigation into the violence in Togo has been put in place and protests are banned.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the results of the presidential election and Faure Gnassingbe's takeover of power","protesters demanding new elections and the end of the Gnassingbe dynasty"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Around 100 were","around 500 protesters","between 400 and 500 people were killed","22 deaths","150-200 deaths"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the military","military-trained Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) militias","protesters","Togolese Armed Forces","about 1,000 people","the security forces","police"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2015 South African xenophobic riots","document":"\n\nOn 11 April 2015, several South Africans attacked foreigners in a xenophobic attack in Durban, South Africa, which extended to some parts of Johannesburg. Several people, both foreign and South African alike, were killed with some of the killings captured on camera. In South Africa, there is a sentiment prevalent among a sizable portion of unemployed South Africans that immigrants and expatriates from other parts of Africa who reside in South Africa are responsible for the high unemployment rate that South Africa has. This sentiment sometimes results in such South Africans attacking African expatriates and foreigners, as happened in 2008, with the ultimate goal of driving them out of South Africa. This sentiment is exacerbated by comments from public figures in support it. In this case, some have said it was sparked by an alleged statement by the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini demanding that all foreigners leave South Africa and \"go back to their countries\", leaving South Africa more jobs for the unemployed youth of South Africa. \n\nLocals looted foreigners' shops and attacked immigrants in general, forcing hundreds to relocate to police stations across the country. The Malawian authorities subsequently began repatriating their nationals, and a number of other foreign governments also announced that they would evacuate their citizens. More than 300 people were arrested.  On 18 April 2015 a photographer from the Sunday Times, James Oatway, photographed a brutal attack on a Mozambican man. The man, Emmanuel Sithole, died from his wounds.  Four suspects were arrested within days of the publication of photographs in the 19 April edition of The Sunday Times of the murder of Mozambican street vendor Emmanuel Sithole in Alexandra township the previous day.Sithole's name is not included in the official list of seven victims killed in the April 2015 attacks, including an Ethiopian, a Mozambican, a Bangladeshi, a Zimbabwean and three South Africans who were all killed in KwaZulu-Natal.\n\nDespite the government's insistence that Sithole's murder was not xenophobic, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was deployed in Alexandra township following the publication of the images.  On 23 April several thousand demonstrators marched through central Johannesburg to protest against a spate of deadly attacks on immigrants. They sang songs denouncing xenophobia and carried banners that read \"We are all Africans\" as migrant workers crowded balconies, shouting their support. \n\nIn all seven people including were reported dead as a result of the violence. The dead included both South Africans and foreigners. After the incident over 5,000 people took part in a rally held in Durban to show their displeasure with the attacks. \n\nFollowing this incidents many African countries had strained diplomatic relations with South Africa. Nigeria recalled its High Commissioner in South Africa following this event. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["by an alleged statement by the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini demanding that all foreigners leave South Africa and \"go back to their countries\""]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Several people","Mozambican man","seven victims","In all seven people including were reported dead"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["South Africans","Locals","several thousand demonstrators"]},{"role":"Date","values":["23 April"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Durban, South Africa"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2001 Harehills riot","document":"\n\nThe Harehills riot took place in the multi-ethnic Leeds district of Harehills (West Yorkshire, England) in 2001. The riot occurred after the alleged wrongful arrest of an Asian man by the West Yorkshire Police which was alleged to have been heavy-handed. More than 100 Asian, White, and Black youths were together involved in the six-hour-long rioting against the police.] The West Yorkshire Police later stated that any attempt to legitimise criminal behaviour by saying it is connected with racial tension or the style of policing is just an excuse for young males committing crime on the streets. It was the first rioting in Leeds since the Hyde Park riots of 1995.   The Police Officer involved in the alleged wrongful arrest was questioned, and later cleared of any wrongdoing.\n\nThe wrongful arrest allegations involved Hossein Miah, who was arrested over a suspicious tax disc. Miah alleged that the arresting officer pulled him from his vehicle causing him injury. The Police Complaints Authority cleared the officer of any charges relating to the incident, but expressed regret for \"any distress which has been caused to either Mr Miah or his family. \"\n\nSporadic unrest had already begun in the area when a hoax 999 call was made at 20:25 saying a police officer had been hit by a petrol bomb.   The police could not locate this, however the call lured them into Banstead Park, where they were met by a barricade of burning washing machines and furniture, looted from a nearby second hand shop. It was in Banstead Park where most of the confrontation took place, although the disturbances spread onto Roundhay Road, Roseville Road and smaller residential streets towards the south side of Harehills. By the time darkness had fallen the rioting had begun, and continued into the early hours of the following morning. After over 200 participants spent over seven hours rioting, the police managed to make enough arrests to quell the size of the crowd to a point where it dispersed and the police could regain control. Over the course of the rioting 26 cars were burnt out, two police officers and two journalists were severely injured, and a shop was set alight. Both police officers and members of the public were pelted with bottles and bricks. \n\nMany arrests took place following the rioting, local shops were advised only to secure their premises and not to reglaze, as the police feared more rioting would take place, however the riot seemed to be an isolated incident and the violence did not continue beyond 6 June 2001. On 7 March 2002, nine months after the riots, 25 men were imprisoned after being found guilty of their involvement in the riot.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["the alleged wrongful arrest of an Asian man by the West Yorkshire Police which was alleged to have been heavy-handed"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["two police officers and two journalists were severely injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["a petrol bomb"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the police","the West Yorkshire Police","More than 100 Asian, White, and Black youths","After over 200 participants"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2001"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the multi-ethnic Leeds district of Harehills (West Yorkshire, England)","Banstead Park"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1980 Miami riots","document":"Florida Army National Guard\n\nThe 1980 Miami riots were race riots that occurred in Miami, Florida, starting in earnest on May 18, 1980, following an all-white male jury acquitting four Dade County Public Safety Department officers in the death of Arthur McDuffie (December 3, 1946 – December 21, 1979), a Black insurance salesman and United States Marine Corps lance corporal. McDuffie was beaten to death by four police officers after a traffic stop. After the officers were tried and acquitted on charges including manslaughter and evidence tampering, a riot broke out in the Black neighborhoods of Overtown and Liberty City on the night of May 17. Riots continued until May 20, resulting in at least 18 deaths and an estimated $100 million in property damage. In 1981 Dade County settled a civil lawsuit filed by McDuffie's family for $1.1 million. The 1980 Miami riots were the deadliest since the 1960s and remained such until the 1992 Los Angeles riots twelve years later. In the early morning hours of December 17, 1979, a group of six white police officers stopped thirty-three-year-old McDuffie, who was riding a black-and-orange 1973 Kawasaki Z1 motorcycle. McDuffie had accumulated traffic citations and was riding with a suspended license. According to the initial police report, he had led police on an eight-minute high-speed chase through residential streets at speeds of over 80 miles per hour (130 km/h). In that initial report, four of the officers involved in the chase[a] claimed McDuffie had run a red light or stop sign and subsequently led police on an eight-minute chase. Sgt. Herbert Evans (who was not at the scene) added that McDuffie lost control of his motorcycle while making a left turn[ and, according to Officer Charles Veverka, McDuffie subsequently struck his head on the ground, after which he attempted to flee on foot. The officers caught him and a scuffle ensued in which McDuffie allegedly kicked Sgt. Ira Diggs, who wrote \"the subject was observed to be fighting violently. \"[3] Police drove a squad car over the motorbike to make the incident look like an accident.\n\nMcDuffie was transported to a nearby hospital where he died four days later of his injuries. McDuffie's ex-wife, who was planning to re-marry him on February 7, 1980, was on duty as a nurse's aide when he was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital The coroner's report concluded that he had suffered multiple skull fractures, one of which was 10 inches (250 mm) long. \n\nThe medical examiner, Dr. Ronald Wright, said McDuffie's injuries were not consistent with a motorcycle crash, and that if McDuffie had fallen off the motorcycle, as the police claimed, it did not make sense that its gauges would be broken. Wright said that it seemed that he had been beaten to death. ]:194\n\n \"In the process of arresting and handcuffing him, McDuffie's helmet was removed and he was thrown to the ground. Officers Ira Diggs, Michael Watts, William Hanlon and Alex Marrero proceeded to strike McDuffie in and around the head and chest with flashlights and nightsticks no less that five times. \"During this time, the defendants used their flashlights and nightsticks to repeatedly strike the motorcycle upon which McDuffie had been riding and which, at the time he was initially apprehended, was undamaged. \"At the instructions of Sergeant Herb Evans, the defendants subsequently reported that the injuries to McDuffie and damage to his motorcycle were the result of a motorcycle accident. There was no accident.\" — Capt. Marshall Frank, Metropolitan Dade County Department of Public Safety, Sworn affidavit, quoted in The New York Times (1979)\n\nOfficer Veverka made a sworn statement on December 26 that he had lied in the initial report.  According to Veverka's statement, after McDuffie stopped, Veverka pulled him off his motorcycle, and McDuffie responded by taking a swing at Veverka. More officers arrived shortly afterward and, according to Veverka, \"six to eight\" of them began beating McDuffie[9] with nightsticks and heavy Kel-Lite flashlights. Veverka said he tried to pull McDuffie out of the fracas, but was unable to. Captain Marshall Frank investigated the cover-up, and made a sworn affidavit which led to criminal charges against four officers. \n\nOfficer William Hanlon later testified that he had choked McDuffie to the ground with his nightstick before he managed to handcuff McDuffie. Hanlon testified that after McDuffie was restrained, Officer Alex Marrero struck McDuffie on the head with Marrero's Kel-Lite \"at least three times. It was very strong and very powerful blows. His entire face was covered with blood. \" Hanlon added he was the officer who had driven over McDuffie's motorcycle; Hanlon also gouged the pavement with a tire iron to simulate skid marks and threw McDuffie's watch into the gutter. A patrol car had been used to deliberately run over the motorcycle to break its gauges and make it seem that McDuffie crashed. Officer Mark Meier testified the high-speed chase had slowed to 25 miles per hour when McDuffie shouted, \"I give up\" and stopped. Meier said that between three and eight officers then surrounded McDuffie, pulled off his helmet and proceeded to beat him with nightsticks. He said that the officer struck him at least twice. By the end of the struggle, the officers had, in the words of medical examiner Dr. Ronald Wright, cracked McDuffie's skull \"like an egg\" using \"long, heavy blunt objects. This was a melee. \"\n\nThe acting director of the Dade County Public Safety Department, Bobby Jones, suspended three officers on December 27.Diggs, Hanlon, Marrero, and Watts were charged with manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence on December 28;[5] Evans was charged with being an accessory after the fact, and four other officers were suspended with pay. [8] Marrero was charged with second-degree murder on February 1, 1980.  Jones said that since 1973, the four accused of manslaughter had been cited in 47 citizen complaints and 13 internal affairs probes. Ubaldo Del Toro later was charged with being an accessory to the crime, as well as fabricating evidence; neither Evans nor Del Toro were involved in the stop.  Another officer was charged with tampering with evidence. :194 The eight officers involved were all dismissed from the force and five of them would go on to stand trial in March 1980 on various charges:\n\nBecause of the volatile atmosphere in Miami, which presiding judge Lenore Carrero Nesbitt had termed a \"time bomb,\"the trial was shifted to Tampa. Jury selection began on March 31, 1980.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":["100 million"]},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["an all-white male jury acquitting four Dade County Public Safety Department officers in the death of Arthur McDuffie"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["McDuffie","at least 18 deaths","he had been beaten to death"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["the officers","four police officers","three and eight officers","six to eight","McDuffie","a group of six white police"]},{"role":"Date","values":["earnest on May 18, 1980","December 17, 1979","the night of May 17"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Miami, Florida","the Black neighborhoods of Overtown and Liberty City"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1964 East Pakistan riots","document":"\n\nThe 1950 East Pakistan riots (Bengali: পঞ্চাশের পূর্ব পাকিস্তান দাঙ্গা) took place between Hindus and Muslims in East Pakistan, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of Hindus being killed in pogroms. In August 1947, British India was partitioned into the Dominions of India and Pakistan on the basis of religion. Pakistan was to become the homeland for the Muslims of former British India with a majority Muslim population. The province of Bengal with a marginal Muslim majority was also partitioned with the Muslim majority East Bengal going to Pakistan and Hindu majority West Bengal going to India. The Sylhet district of Assam was added to East Bengal after the Sylhet Referendum, where the majority voted for Pakistan. According to the 1941 census, East Bengal had 28% non-Muslim population, the majority of them being Bengali Hindus.  West Bengal has a 30.2% Muslim population, the rest were Hindus. The area comprising East Bengal, especially the Dhaka and Chittagong Divisions, had been witness to numerous instances of ethnic violence in the decades preceding the Partition. In the 1940s, the frequency and intensity of the riots increased as the movement for Pakistan gained momentum. In the last quarter of 1946, the Bengali Hindus of Noakhali and Tippera districts were subjected to a series of massacres, loot, arson, rape, abduction. They forced conversion to Islam, which came to be known as the Noakhali riots. Within a month after the Partition, the Janmashtami procession was attacked in Dhaka. [1] In 1948, the Dhamrai rathyatra and the Janmashtami procession was not allowed to be held. [1] In 1949, there were posters all over Dhaka against the Durga Puja. [1] The number of community pujas got drastically reduced. On the day of Vijayadashami hundreds of Hindu households were set on fire rendering around 750 Hindu families homeless. Santosh Chatterjee, a Press Trust of India (PTI) correspondent, was imprisoned on 25 November 1949 without any charges and released after a month.\n\nIn August 1949, atrocities on non-Muslims began all over East Pakistan and continued for three months. [3] In August, Muslim mobs along with the police and the Ansars attacked some Hindu villages in Beanibazar and Barlekha police station areas of Sylhet District. Houses were looted, destroyed and set on fire. Hindu villagers were assaulted and murdered. Hindu women were raped by the policemen. [4] Soon after the Hindus were attacked in the village of Bhandaria in Barisal District.  In Rajshahi District, Father Thomas Cattaneo reported that the Santhal villages were attacked, Santhal villagers were arrested and Santhal women were raped.  On 10 December, a Muslim mob attacked the Puthia Rajbari Palace in Rajshahi Division and forcibly took possession of the house and its treasures. \n\nOn 20 December 1949, four police constables raided the house of one Joydev Brahma in the village of Kalshira under Mollahat police station in Bagerhat sub-division in the district of Khulna, in search of some suspected communists, late in the night.  Failed to find any suspects the constables tried to rape the wife of Brahma. Her cry alerted him and his companions, who in a desperate bid to save her attacked two constables, one of whom died on the spot. The remaining two raised an alarm and the neighbouring people came to their rescue.  On the next day, the District Superintendent of Police arrived in Kalshira accompanied by armed police contingent and the Ansars and attacked Kalshira and other neighbouring Hindu villages mercilessly.  They encouraged Muslims from neighbouring villages to loot the Hindu properties. A number of Hindus were killed, men and women were forcibly converted. Images were broken and shrines were desecrated. [7] All the 350 homesteads in the village, except three, were demolished. The cattle and boats were forcibly taken away.  Within a month of the massacre 30,000 Hindus fled from Khulna to India.\n\nNachole was a police station in the Nawabganj sub-division of the Rajshahi district. During the Partition of India, the entire Nawabganj sub-division was transferred from Malda district, which went to India, to Rajshahi district that fell in Pakistan. The area under Nachole police station was the non-Muslim majority. It was inhabited by Santals and Bengali Hindu castes like the Kshatriyas, Bhuindas and Kaibartas. After the Partition, the Tebhaga Movement was brutally suppressed in the newly formed state of Pakistan. However, in Nachole, the movement was still alive through the covert activities of the leading operating from underground. From the autumn of 1949, the leaders began to succeed in implementing the Tebhaga principles through persuasion, coercion and in some cases, force. On 5 January 1950, five policemen from the Nachole police station were killed by the Santals in Chandipur village after they opened fire to disperse the villagers who had gathered to protest the arrest of one of the villagers. The Government of Pakistan responded to this incident by sending a 2,000 strong army contingent and the police and the East Pakistan Ansars on 7 January. They set fire to twelve villages, ransacked the huts and killed many villagers on their way to Chandipur. In Chandipur, they tortured the men, raped the women and set fire to the dwellings. Hundreds of Santals and Hindus were killed. At Rohanpur, Ila Mitra, one of the movement leaders, was arrested with hundreds of peasants. After being taken to the Nachole police station, they were tortured by the police to extract the name of the leaders.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["hundreds of thousands of Hindus being killed in pogroms","number of Hindus"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Muslims","a Muslim mob","a 2,000 strong army contingent and the police and the East Pakistan Ansars","police","the Ansars","Hindus"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["East Pakistan","Beanibazar and Barlekha police station areas of Sylhet District","Santhal villages"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1964 Rochester race riot","document":"The Rochester 1964 race riot was a riot that occurred in 1964 in Rochester, New York, United States. The African American population of Rochester grew during the 1950s and 1960s, increasing from 7,845 in 1950 to more than 32,000 in 1964, at the time of the riot. Much of that population growth came from the South, travelling north in hopes of better socioeconomic conditions. Black migrants were instead met with segregated schools, dilapidated housing, and an unemployment rate that was more than six times higher than the unemployment rate for whites.  Black residents suffered from constant public harassment and humiliation, often being referred to as \"bean pickers\" in a reference to black migrant workers in the area, as well as being denied housing throughout the city, with African Americans being funneled into the run-down Upper Falls neighborhood.  The Rochester race riot came at a time of heightened racial tensions and violence in the United States, occurring only a week after a major race riot in Harlem. At 10:00 p.m. on July 24, 1964, the Rochester Police Department (RPD) attempted to arrest an intoxicated black man at a street block party and dance on Joseph Avenue, in the Upper Falls neighborhood of Rochester. Police found 20-year-old Randy Manigault unruly and disorderly. They determined he was intoxicated and attempted to arrest him. Manigualt became combative and resisted arrest. Bystanders felt police were too forceful and started throwing bottles and bricks at police. Police then called for backup from the RPD, with a K-9 unit responding due to a shortage of other officers. Despite being against RPD practice to use police dogs on crowds, two police dogs were used to control the crowd. This use of police dogs seems to have played a part in starting the riot, with the presence of K-9 units evoking memories of violent police dogs being used against peaceful civil rights protesters in Birmingham, Alabama. [4]\n\nBy 11:30 p.m. all available officers had been deployed and were engaged with around 400 rioters. At 2:00 a.m., Rochester police chief William Lombard ordered officers to use riot weapons on the crowd. The riot had swelled to 2,000 people by 3:30 a.m. and looting had begun on Clinton Avenue, the main thoroughfare in Upper Falls. Governor Rockefeller declared a state of emergency by 9:00 a.m., with the event being officially dubbed a \"riot\" at that time. The chaos calmed during the day on July 25, 1964 before rioting resumed in force that night. \n\nOn July 25th six Black organizers, including 3 clergy members, brought Mayor Lamb a list of demands which, if met, would bring an end to the violence. These included a mayoral committee consisting of members of the Black community to oversee the police department, the deputization of \"responsible area residents\" and more resources allocated to Black businesses and workers. Mayor Lamb would not agree to deputize citizens.Meanwhile, violence had spread to other areas of the city by that evening, including Rochester's 3rd and 19th Wards. One man was killed when he arrived on scene wearing a helmet, stood in the street and was subsequently hit and dragged 100 feet by a passing car. \n\nThe last three deaths of the ordeal occurred on July 26th, when a helicopter used to survey the violence flew too close to a house on Clarissa Street, clipping the roof. The crash resulted in the death of the helicopter pilot and two residents of the house.Violence erupted in Rochester's Upper Falls neighborhood when demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at police, who responded with gunfire. The addition of over 800 National Guard troops brought an end to the violence. \n\nPeace was restored after three days, after Governor Nelson Rockefeller called out the New York National Guard.  By the time the disturbance was over, five were dead (four in a helicopter crash) and 350 injured.  Almost a thousand people were arrested and 204 stores were either looted or damaged. \n\nA police officer, Dominick D'Angelo, suffered a cut under his eye, but was able to remain on duty, and Dick Baumbach a reporter for ABC News was shot in the face, but it only grazed his facial structure.\n\nAlthough the riot was initially blamed on \"outside agitators,\" almost all the rioters arrested were from the local area, with only 14 people arrested who resided outside Monroe County. Third Ward Supervisor Constance Mitchell stated, \"I know the kids here. I know the hard ones and the good kids. And it was the good kids in my ward who first threw the bricks through the windows. Then the adults stepped in. This community just went insane. \" This led to a reappraisal of policies and practices which had not changed in face of a tripling of the black population in the previous 10 years. \n\nAt that time, most blacks held low-pay and low-skill jobs and lived in substandard housing, and Rochester was the last city in the State of New York to implement a public housing program.\n\nThroughout the decade following the riot, the City of Rochester acquired the land blighted by the riot, leveled remaining buildings, and removed or re-positioned many of the streets.One of the first housing projects built after the riots was the Chatham Gardens Apartments, which opened in 1965. ","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":["This use of police dogs seems to have played a part"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["One man","The last three deaths","five were dead","350 injured"]},{"role":"Weapon","values":["bricks","bottles","Molotov cocktails"]},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["Police","police","the Rochester Police Department (RPD","all available officers","around 400 rioters","2,000 people","800 National Guard troops"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1964"]},{"role":"Location","values":["street block party and dance on Joseph Avenue, in the Upper Falls neighborhood of Rochester","Rochester, New York, United States","Clinton Avenue"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"1914 Butte, Montana, labor riots","document":"The Butte, Montana labor riots of 1914 were a series of violent clashes between copper miners at Butte, Montana. The opposing factions were the miners dissatisfied with the Western Federation of Miners local at Butte, on the one hand, and those loyal to the union local on the other. The dissident miners formed a new union, and demanded that all miners must join the new union, or be subject to beatings or forced expulsion from the area. Sources disagree whether the dissidents were a majority of the miners, or a militant minority. The leadership of the new union contained many who were members of the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W. ), or agreed with the I.W.W. 's methods and objectives. The result of the dispute between rival unions was that the copper mines of Butte, which had long been a union stronghold for the WFM, became open shop employers, and recognized no union from 1914 until 1934. The Butte Miners' Union No. 1 was founded in 1878. In 1885, the Butte union hosted the organizing conference for the Western Federation of Miners (WFM)\n, and became the WFM's first chapter. The WFM took advantage of the \"War of the Copper Kings,\" a struggle of mine owners to control the copper mines at Butte. On one side was Marcus Daly; on the other side were William A. Clark and F. Augustus Heinze. Daly later sold out to the Amalgamated Copper Company, which was backed by Standard Oil directors William Rockefeller and Henry H. Rogers, but the feud continued. The union played one side off the other to win 8-hour work days and higher wages. But when Heinze sold his Butte holdings to Amalgamated Copper in 1906, the district became dominated by a single company, Amalgamated Copper, and the union lost its former advantage.\n\nIn 1907, the Butte Miners' Union had decided to increase wages to $4.00 per day, and $4.50 per day for shaft sinking. Previously, the union had been able to inform the management of its demands, and, for the most part, the union got what it wanted. But this time, the company pushed back. Instead of a raise, the company offered a sliding scale based on the price of copper. The agreement was not popular with the membership, so the local leadership simply did not put it to a vote. Leaders of the Western Federation of Miners such as Bill Haywood and Vincent St. John were instrumental in forming the I.W.W. in 1905, and the WFM quickly affiliated with the new union organization. The WFM became the I.W.W. 's \"mining section.\" When three WFM officers, Haywood, Pettibone and Moyer were accused of conspiracy in the murder of former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg, the IWW took it up as a cause celebre, held public rallies, and funded the legal defense. However, many of the WFM rank and file were uncomfortable with the open radicalism of the I.W.W., and wanted the WFM to maintain its independence. In the summer of 1907, the WFM withdrew from the I.W.W. Bill Haywood and Vincent St. John left the WFM to spend their time organizing the I.W.W. But the I.W.W. wanted its mining section back. In 1908, Vincent St. John tried to organize a stealth takeover of the WFM. He wrote to WFM organizer Albert Ryan, encouraging him to find reliable I.W.W. sympathizers at each WFM local, and have them appointed delegates to the annual convention by pretending to share whatever opinions of that local needed to become a delegate. Once at the convention, they could vote in a pro-I.W.W. slate. St. Vincent promised: \"… once we can control the officers of the WFM for the I.W.W., the big bulk of the membership will go with them. \" But the takeover did not succeed. Contrary to rejoining the I.W.W., in 1911, the Western Federation of Miners affiliated itself with the more conservative American Federation of Labor (AFL). In June 1914, a large number of Butte miners were dissatisfied with the Butte Miners' Union #1, a WFM local. The dissatisfied miners accused the leadership of the WFM local of stuffing ballot boxes in union elections, and of being in the pay of the Amalgamated Copper Company, which controlled all the important Butte mines. The Butte miners complained of special assessments imposed on them for strike funds in other districts. \n\nFinnish miners charged that the Irish-dominated union had allowed the Anaconda Copper Company to fire several hundred Finnish miners. The union objected, but failed to get the Finns reinstated, and the union was unwilling to call a strike over the matter. The Anaconda company had apparently fired the Finns for being socialists. The union had imposed a card system in the district, by which every miner had to show his paid-up union card when he showed up for his shift. Although the miners were staunchly pro-union, it was common for miners to fall behind in their dues, and the card system was unpopular. On June 12, 1914, two shifts of miners at the Speculator mine refused to show their cards, and staged an impromptu march to downtown Butte. The next day was a holiday: the anniversary of the founding of the Butte Miners' Union No. 1.","event_type":"Riot","arguments":[{"role":"Economic Loss","values":null},{"role":"Riot Reason","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Weapon","values":null},{"role":"Belligerents","values":["two shifts of miners","The Butte miners","the miners dissatisfied with the Western Federation of Miners local at Butte","Finnish miners","Butte mines","those loyal to the union local","the Irish-dominated union","the Anaconda Copper Company"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Butte, Montana"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"2 Killed, 2 Hospitalized After Gas Explosion in Collin County","document":"Two people are dead and two others are injured after an explosion Monday afternoon in Collin County, officials say.\nTwo people are dead and two others are injured after a natural gas explosion Monday afternoon in Collin County, officials say.\nThe explosion happened at about 3:35 p.m. in the 14000 block of Farm-to-Market 2756, just north of Farmersville, Collin County Sheriff's Office Assistant Chief Nick Bristow said.\nBristow said Atmos Energy subcontractors, employees of Bobcat Contracting and Fesco Petroleum Engineering, were doing pipeline maintenance when the explosion took place.\nTwo people were confirmed to have died at the scene and have been identified as 22-year-old Ethan Knight of Mesquite, Texas and 35-year-old Deric Tarver of El Campo, Texas. The latest news from around North Texas.\n Two other people were taken to area hospitals, Bristow said.\n“Honestly, I’m praying for their families and peace right now, because that was just out of nowhere, and for me, I’m just very thankful that it didn’t explode my whole neighborhood because that’s always been one of my fears,\" said Skylah Spradlin, whose home backs up to the property where the explosion happened.\nShe said was in her front yard at the time and heard the explosion. \"It lasted as long as a gunshot wound, but it was really close. It was like a really loud 'boom' like an explosion, but I honestly didn't expect it to be that. No screams, nothing, no smell, nothing,\" Spradlin said.\nShe was told to leave her home just in case, but came back after about 45 minutes.\n\"It really caught me by surprise, I was so shook, and I'm still kind of nerve wrecked right now to know that two people died out there, that's really sad,\" she said. “I was in my living room watching TV just relaxing I heard an explosion and I felt the shock wave also and it was simultaneous,\" said Stephen Coplen, whose property is also close by.\nThe explosion appeared to be an accident, Bristow said, but Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner asked the FBI to assist in processing the area because of their expertise handling post-blast scenes.\nAtmos Energy issued the following statement Monday night.\"Our prayers are with those who were affected by the events in Farmersville, Texas today. Out of respect for their privacy, we are not releasing any names or additional details at this stage.\"Our highly trained technicians continue to work with the fire departments and emergency first responders to monitor the situation and make sure the area is safe. Our number one priority continues to be the safety of the public, our employees, our contractors, and our natural gas distribution system.\"\nOfficials said the scene was secure by 5:30 p.m. Monday, but asked people to avoid the area.\nThe Wylie Fire Department, Collin County Sheriff's Office, Farmersville Police Department, Collin County Fire Marshall, Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI all responded to the incident.\nThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration has \"an open and ongoing investigation into this incident,\" U.S. Department of Labor spokesman Juan Rodríguez told NBC 5, adding that no other information will be available until the investigation is completed.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Two people are dead and two others are injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday afternoon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Collin County"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["area hospitals"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["FBI"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Firms responsible for 2014 gas explosions, court says","document":"The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday found that two companies who managed a network of pipelines were responsible for the 2014 Kaohsiung gas explosions, which left 32 people dead and 321 injured, and ordered them to pay about NT$240 million (US$7.92 million) in compensation to the victims.\nThe court determined that LCY Chemical Corp (李長榮化工) and China General Terminal & Distribution Corp (CGTD, 華運倉儲) were each carried 30 percent of the blame for the explosions, while the Kaohsiung City Government was 40 percent responsible.\nThe court found that the other defendant, CPC Corp, Taiwan (中油), was not liable.\nPhoto: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times\nThe ruling can be appealed.\nAlthough the Kaohsiung City Government was found to be 40 percent responsible for the disaster, it did not have to make a payment due to a provision in the law which imposes a two-year limit on litigation for financial compensation, the court said.\nVictims in the case signed an agreement that authorized the city government to file for compensation against defendants LCY Chemical, CGTD and CPC, and consequently the victims did not file a lawsuit against the city government and as a result the two-year limitation had expired, the ruling said.\nThe series of underground explosions began in Kaohsiung’s Lingya (苓雅) and Cianjhen (前鎮) districts shortly before midnight on July 31, 2014, following reports of gas leaks earlier that night.\nIn the aftermath, the city government reached an agreement with 3,140 victims of the disaster to file a civil lawsuit to seek compensation from LCY Chemical, CGTD and CPC.\nIn its defense, the city government cited financial redress it had paid to those affected by the disaster, as well as funds for rebuilding, but the judges deemed those efforts were not “financial compensation,” but were “public welfare and relief work in nature.”\nLCY Chemical spokesman Wei Cheng-cheng (魏正誠) said his company would consider filing an appeal “because we presented scientific evidence in court, but unfortunately the judges did not give it due consideration.”\nThe Kaohsiung City Government released a statement saying it would appeal the decision.\n“We will continue to fight for the rights of the victims ... In the end, the court may find the city government liable and ask it to pay compensation,” it said.\nIn affiliated litigation, the court rejected a case filed by LCY Chemical demanding that CPC pay NT$700 million in compensation for its role in the gas explosions.\nCPC had also filed a case seeking NT$94 million in compensation from LCY Chemical.\nThe court ruled in favor of CPC in that case and ordered LCY Chemical to pay NT$40 million.\n                                                                                Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said that it had responded to a request for chip supply chain information from the US Department of Commerce.\nTSMC said in a statement that it had submitted answers to a questionnaire issued by the department, which asked that it be completed and returned by yesterday to address a global chip supply shortage.\nThe chipmaker said that it did not disclose any confidential information about its customers.\nOn Sept. 23, the US government held a meeting with TSMC, Samsung Electronics Co, Intel Corp and other companies on progress made by the industry to address issues in                                    MUM ON ITINERARY:\n                                        The source said that if the US military airplane stays for three days, that would show Washington’s trust in Taiwan, despite the lack of formal ties                                        A delegation of US lawmakers visiting Taiwan has signaled the “strategic clarity” of Washington’s policy toward Taiwan, and they might visit Japan or South Korea next to promote the US’ Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a military affairs expert said yesterday.\nA US Navy C-40A aircraft, reportedly carrying six US lawmakers, on Tuesday afternoon departed from Manila and landed at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) later in the day.\nThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs later on Tuesday confirmed that a group of US lawmakers had arrived in Taiwan, while the American Institute in Taiwan referred reporters to the office of US Senator John Cornyn.\nCornyn                                    ‘A DOOR OPENED’:\n                                        The head of the European Parliament delegation that visited last week said Europe has increased cooperation with Taiwan because of China’s aggression                                        The head of a European Parliament delegation that visited Taiwan last week said there is now a consensus among European political factions that cooperating with Taiwan is important for the bloc, and that he would continue to push for closer bilateral ties.\nThe delegation, which visited from Wednesday to Friday, comprised members of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the EU, including Disinformation (INGE).\nIn an interview with French media outlet La Liberation in Taipei on Thursday, INGE President Raphael Glucksmann, who led the delegation, said that the visit was kept low-key before the delegation                                                                                                                    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said that it plans to roughly double its capacity expansion over the next three years to cope with rapidly growing demand for chips used in high-performance computing (HPC) applications and electronic devices.\nThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a global digital transformation as lockdowns led to a surge in demand for PCs and other devices that connect to the Internet, the Hsinchu-based chipmaker said.\nChip demand also rose due to increased usage of contactless payment tools and the growing popularity of electric vehicles, it said.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":["NT$240 million (US$7.92 million)"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["32 people dead and 321 injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["shortly before midnight on July 31, 2014"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kaohsiung’s Lingya (苓雅) and Cianjhen (前鎮) districts"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Where The Sopranos cast are now from tragic death and gas explosion to Mariah Carey video and Friends star","document":"Over eight years and six series, The Sopranos enthralled viewers as it followed the fortunes of the New Jersey Soprano family and their mobster dad Tony. \nDoling out violence and comedy in equal measures, the show began with mob boss Tony, played by James Gandolfini, going to therapy to help deal with his controlling mum.\nSoon it branched out into darker territory, changing the way TV shows were made and heralding a new genre of antiheroes. \nNow the cult series has been given a movie makeover with a prequel - The Many Saints of Newark - out in cinemas this week. \nWith Gandolfini’s son Michael in the lead role, the film delves into the gritty backstory of a young Tony Soprano. \nBut where are the cast from the original TV show today? Here we chart their success to date.\nJames Gandolfini starred as the troubled New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano through six seasons of the HBO series. \nWriter David Chase loosely based the protagonist on real-life gangster Vinny Ocean, boss of the New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family. \nGandolfini won the hearts of viewers with his nuanced turn as the anti-hero. \nHe scooped three Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and one Golden Globe for his turn. \nAfter the Sopranos ended in 2007, Gandolfini went into producing, but sadly died aged 51 on June 19, 2013 of a heart attack while on holiday in Rome. \nGandolfini was married twice to Marcy Wudarski and then to Deborah Lin. \nHe has two kids, Michael and Liliana. \nMichael will step into his dad’s shoes as he plays the younger Tony Soprano in the upcoming prequel film. \nAward-winning actress Edie Falco took up the role of Carmela Soprano, Tony’s soft-spoken but tough-willed wife. \nThe show became a launchpad for her career, and she took up the lead role in Nurse Jackie in 2009 after The Sopranos had ended. \nFalco wowed critics as Jackie Peyton, with one reviewer congratulating her on the “truly breakthrough female character”. \nNow 58, she still has a vibrant career as a movie and TV actress.\nHer latest role will be Hilary Clinton in the American Crime Story drama Impeachment. \nOnce voted the “ugliest girl in the sixth grade” at her school in Long Island, Lorraine Bracco embraced fame as a fashion supermodel for Jean-Paul Gaultier in 1974. \nBut she soon turned her sights to acting, and appeared as wry psychiatrist Dr Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos. \nBracco, now 66, went on to star in more gangster series, including Law and Order: Criminal Intent and as the narrator of the show I Married a Mobster. \nShe is also the owner of Bracco Wines, which has appeared on the TV show Top Chef. \nThe TV star married and divorced twice, first to Frenchman Daniel Guerard and then to actor Harvey Keitel. \nBracco has two daughters, one from each marriage.\nMichael Imperioli starred in the mafia movie The Goodfellas before taking on the role of Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos. \nMoltisanti is Tony Soprano’s protege and a member of the DiMeo crime family.\nThroughout the series he rises through the ranks in the New Jersey crime network. \nAfter starring in The Sopranos, Imperioli branched out into the arts, becoming a writer, director and musician as well as appearing in multiple films. \nHe has appeared in TV shows including the US version of The Office, Californication and Lucifer over the last decade. \nImperioli, now 55, is also the lead guitarist and vocalist for the band Zopa, which released their debut album La Dolce Vita last year. \nDrea de Matteo, now 49, joined the show as Christopher Moltisanti's glamorous fiance Adriana La Cerva. It was the New York born actor's first major role on screen - and helped launch her career. Hot on the heels of the HBO drama, de Matteo went on to star in a number of films including Prey for Rock & Role, The Perfect You and Swordfish. From there, she starred opposite Matt Le Blanc as Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina in the Friends spin off Joey. The actress has also had cameo roles in Desperate Housewives and Californication. In 2001, de Matteo began dating musician Shooter Jennings. The couple were engaged in 2009 and have a daughter, Alabama Gypsyrose Jennings, and a son, Waylon Albert Jennings.\nHowever, the pair split without ever getting married.\nIn 2015, de Matteo lost her New York flat, along with dozens of residents, when a gas explosion destroyed three buildings in East Village, Manhattan. In 2020, she and Chris Kushner began a rewatch podcast of The Sopranos called Made Women.\nIt was later renamed Gangster Goddess Broad-Cast. Beautiful and smart, Meadow Soprano is Tony and Carmela’s first born. \nPlayed by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, 40, Meadow sees through her dad’s claims that he is a waste management consultant, but sticks by her mobster family.\nBorn in New York, Sigler began acting aged seven when she took part in her first musical. \nAnd the actor’s career didn’t stop after The Sopranos. \nShe went on to star as Heidi Fleiss, the American upmarket madame, in Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss. \nSigler also had a cameo role in Mariah Carey’s single Through the Rain. \nThe actress is a passionate spokeswoman for the National Eating Disorders Association, after her own struggles with the illness while starring in the Sopranos. \nSigler married baseball player Cutter Dysktra in 2016. \nThey have two sons, Beau Kyle and Jack Adam Dykstra. \nActor and filmmaker Steve Buscemi, 63, joined The Sopranos cast as Tony Blundetto in Season Five. \nBuscemi is famed for his turn in gangster movies including Tarantino’s Resevoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction as well as major films such as Fargo and The Big Lebowski. \nHe has gone on to star in major movies such as Monsters Inc and in Armando Iannucci’s satire The Death of Stalin in 2017. \nAs one of America's most prolific actors, he often stars in about five movies a year.\nLooking back on The Sopranos, he said: “I feel really privileged to have been a part of it and to have worked that closely with it, as a director and as an actor. And as an audience member, I'm still in awe of the show.”\nEarlier this month it emerged Buscemi quietly joined the 9/11 firefighters to search for survivors in the rubble of the World Trade Center.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["destroyed three buildings"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["dozens of residents"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2015"]},{"role":"Location","values":["East Village, Manhattan"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Detroit pot dispensary swaying after road buckles, demolished on Tuesday","document":"Demo started Tuesday at Stash Detroit, a marijuana dispensary in southwest Detroit that was sitting on top of a section of the city that suddenly buckled over the weekend.\nDETROIT (FOX 2) - Stash Detroit has been torn down on Tuesday after it was damaged when Dearborn Street buckled over the weekend and, according to FOX 2's Charlie Langton, the building was swaying.\nThe southwest Detroit dispensary was damaged Saturday night when something caused the road to buckle. The business was also affected and a brick wall on one side of the business collapsed. By Sunday, things got worse when Dearborn Street began rising several feet in the air and the road was split in half. \nWhat's caused the damage is still not known but DTE has confirmed there was no evidence of an explosion.\nAt the intersection of Fort and Dearborn streets the investigation continues Tuesday into what caused the street to rise eight to 10 feet high and buckle.\n\"At this time, there is no evidence to indicate natural gas was the cause of the incident; a natural gas explosion did not occur. However, parts of DTE's gas and electric infrastructure were impacted by a water main break. DTE personnel are on-site to ensure public safety as well as the integrity of the natural gas and electric infrastructure systems.\"\nWATCH MORE: Officials don't know what caused road to buckle, destroying Detroit business\nOfficials said the ground swelled and experts told FOX 2 they've never seen anything like this before.\nThe building that houses Stash Detroit, a marijuana dispensary on Dearborn Street, will have to be demolished. General manager Nick Thomas was on duty that night and said it felt like an earthquake or an explosion. He said he got his employees out as fast as he could.\nThe city closed off the area and the business was obviously closed as well. But Thomas said the pot was an open target for thieves.\nStash Detroit Provisioning Center in southwest Detroit will be demo'd Tuesday after the earth underneath it pushed the building and the road up several feet. \"Everything that is inside is insured but (Sunday) night they did have people come in and ransack the place,\" Thomas said. \"They got away with almost all of our inventory.\"\nAdvertisement\nThe building demo started around 12:45 Tuesday afternoon. By 2 p.m., most of the structure was demolished.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday night"]},{"role":"Location","values":["intersection of Fort and Dearborn streets"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Couple face years of burns rehab after gas explosion at Gold Coast cafe","document":"The owner of an ill-fated cafe in Robina will need years of rehab and skin grafts, and is still fighting for life in an induced coma, according to his brother.\nChef James Rutland and his barista partner Jess Horsley had been setting up their \"dream\" cafe on Friday when a gas explosion left both of them with severe burns.\nA hospital spokesperson told the ABC Mr Rutland remains in a critical but stable condition, and Ms Horsley is in a stable condition at the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital.\nThe pair had moved up from Sydney last year to embark on their dream to open a cafe, but border restrictions have prevented their families from visiting them in hospital.\nThe couple in their twenties were setting up their business on Energy Circuit in Robina when the incident occurred.\nThe explosion, which police say was a non-suspicious accident, came from a gas bottle as the couple worked on the kitchen fit out.\nJohn Rutland said his brother James will need multiple skin grafts following severe burns to his face and torso.\n\"He'll be in [the coma] for a while,\" he said.\n\"Doctors haven't been able to tell us anything except it's day-by-day before they decide if they're going to take him out of the induced coma.\n\"I think it is going to be many years and surgeries for them both.\"\nMr Rutland said 23-year-old Jess Horsley has burns to 70 per cent of her body.\nMr Rutland said border restrictions have made things \"really tough\" for both the Rutland and Horsley families, who are in hotspot areas.\n\"It's pretty tough that they can't get there and be by their side because COVID,\" he said.\nMr Rutland said the family were devastated, as the pair were putting the finishing touches on their \"dream\" project.\n\"Shock's an understatement,\" he said.\n\"It was only a couple of weeks ago I was talking to them about how they're so excited about the cafe opening.\n\"It was only two weeks away from opening.\"\nHe said the couple are \"so in love with each other\" and were looking forward to their long-time ambition of working for themselves.\n \"They decided to open a little cafe and start a new life,\" he said.\n\"They moved [from Sydney] not even 12 months ago.\"\nA crowd-sourced fundraiser set up by Mr Rutland's family has raised close to $10,000 for the pair in less than a day.\nMr Rutland said the money will go towards rent, medical expenses, and their recovery.\n\"James and his partner Jess were in the final stages of setting up their dream when a gas explosion shattered not only their dreams but their lives,\" he said.\n\"I don't even know the simple things — if they've got toiletries or what they need — so it will be used to pay for their expenses [day-to-day].\"\nMr Rutland described his brother as \"all heart\", and a man who \"would do anything for anyone\".\nHe said it will be a \"long road\" until the couple are able to work again.\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":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["both of them with severe burns"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["ill-fated cafe in Robina"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Death toll rises to 2 people from Baltimore gas explosion","document":"Authorities in Baltimore say that a second body has been recovered after three row houses were destroyed by a natural gas explosion\nAt least 1 killed, 6 injured in Baltimore gas explosion\nBALTIMORE -- Two people are now confirmed dead following a natural gas explosion that destroyed three row houses in Baltimore and sent seven people to the hospital, authorities said Tuesday.\nA man was pulled from the debris shortly before 1 a.m. Baltimore Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams said at a morning news conference.\nFamily members identified him as Joseph Graham, 20, a student at Morgan State University who had attended a party at one of the row homes that was destroyed.\nSunshine Evans         told WMAR-TV that Graham, her nephew, was in the home with two other of her family members when the structure collapsed. They were rushed to the hospital, she said.\nIsaac Graham, an uncle of Joseph Graham, had         told The Baltimore Sun on Monday that his nephew attended a party with one of his best friends and decided to spend the night. He said his nephew was a “good kid” who was studying at Morgan State and recently launched his own clothing line.\nTy’lor Schnella, a friend of Graham’s, told the newspaper that he “was always the one that kept everyone uplifted, kept your spirits high.”\nFriends were in disbelief over his death.\n“Everyone was like, ‘Not Joseph.’ I would never think something like this could happen to him,” Schnella said.\nMorgan State said in a statement that Graham was a rising sophomore pursuing an electrical engineering degree. The university said it mourns “the tragic loss of life as a result of this calamitous event and offer our deepest sympathies to the Graham family.”\nMeanwhile, authorities have not identified a woman who was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after Monday morning’s explosion. Seven others were hospitalized, five in critical condition, said Adams, the fire department spokeswoman. The conditions of the other two were still being determined, she said.\nMore than 200 people in the neighborhood were affected by the blast, and about 30 have utilized temporary shelter since the explosion, she said.\nThe natural gas explosion leveled three row houses and ripped open a fourth, trapping people in the debris and scattering shards of glass and other rubble over the northwest Baltimore neighborhood of Reisterstown Station. Dozens of firefighters converged on the scene to free the injured.\n“It’s a disaster. It’s a mess. It’s unbelievable,” said Diane Glover, who lives across the street. Her windows where shattered and her front door was blown open.\nThe exact cause remains unknown, and the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. appealed for patience as they investigate. No gas odors were reported before the explosion, and BGE did not receive any recent gas odor calls from the block of homes that were damaged, the utility said in a statement late Monday.\nBGE also said it last inspected the area’s gas mains and services in June and July of 2019 and no leaks were found.\nBGE said in a statement on Tuesday that it was providing information to the Baltimore Fire Department and other investigators regarding \"the flows of gas and electricity on customer-owned equipment.”\nThe Baltimore Sun reported last year that dangerous gas leaks have become much more frequent, with nearly two dozen discovered each day on average, according to the utility’s reports to federal authorities. BGE has said it has thousands of miles of obsolete pipes that need to be replaced, an effort that would cost nearly $1 billion and take two decades, the newspaper said.\nBGE asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to approve a new gas system infrastructure and a cost recovery mechanism in late 2017 to pay for upgrades.\n“Founded in 1816, BGE is the oldest gas distribution company in the nation. Like many older gas systems, a larger portion of its gas main and services infrastructure consists of cast iron and bare steel – materials that are obsolete and susceptible to failure with age,” the PSC wrote in a 2018 order approving a modernization plan.\nThis area’s gas infrastructure was installed in the early 1960s. When aging pipes fail, they tend to make headlines. Last year, a gas explosion ripped the façade off a Maryland office complex in Columbia, affecting more than 20 businesses. No one was injured in the explosion early on a Sunday morning. In 2016, a gas main break forced the evacuation of the Baltimore County Circuit Courthouse. Under Armour Inc. had to evacuate its Baltimore office after a gas main break in 2012.\n———\nThis story has been corrected to show that Joseph Graham was a rising sophomore at Morgan State University, not a rising junior.\n———\nAssociated Press contributors include Mike Kunzelman in Silver Spring, Brian Witte in Annapolis, and Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["three row houses were destroyed","windows where shattered and her front door was blown open"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["At least 1 killed, 6 injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday morning"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Baltimore"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Baltimore Fire Department and other investigators"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mumbai: Kin of Lalbaug cylinder blast victims receive compensation","document":"The families of the two deceased and 14 injured in the LPG cylinder blast at Lalbaug on December 6 received compensation from the Mumbai collector’s office on Wednesday. The families of Sushila Bangera (62) and Karim (50) got Rs 2 lakh, while Rs 50,000 each went to those who sustained burn injuries.\nNine of the injured continue to remain critical with third-degree burns and face the risk of infection. The blast took place due to a leak in the cylinder. The incident happened on the second floor of Sarabhai chawl building in Lalbaug.\nThe room was owned by Mangesh Rane, owner of Rane Caterers, whose daughter’s wedding preparations were underway. The family was storing cylinders and raw material for cooking in the room when the leak happened. A fire spread through the common passage of the second floor, leading to an explosion.\nBangera, who was living alone in the chawl room, was critically injured and died the same day. Karim, who was Rane’s employee, suffered third degree burns and a chest injury. He died at KEM hospital on December 7.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":["Rs 2 lakh","Rs 50,000 each"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["two deceased and 14 injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 6"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Lalbaug"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Three injured in building collapse in Italy after gas explosion","document":"Three were injured in an explosion in Barletta collapsed after an explosion caused by a gas leak. The blast occurred about 60 kilometers north of Bari.\nItalian fire brigade said three people had been injured in the blast. One of the two injured men was the technician who had been called in to intervene on a defective gas cylinder.\nIn 2011, another building in the same area collapsed, an incident which killed four workers and a girl.\nIf you want to be the first to receive the latest news from Malta, download the Newsbook APP here.  ","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Three were injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Barletta","about 60 kilometers north of Bari"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Akwa Ibom Community Seeks Reparations for 2016 Gas Explosion","document":"The Obotim Nsit community in Nsit Ibom Local government area of Akwa Ibom state has expressed sorrow over the death and economical damages caused by the gas pipeline explosion that occurred in 2016.\nThe explosion, which happen about five years ago in Asang Community High School in the area, was attributed to a technical fault from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) gas pipeline which took the lives of over 28 people.\nSpeaking at a media briefing, the community head, Mr Eteidung Iniobong Akpan, lamented that since the gas pipeline explosion, the people have been having damage after damages as many houses have collapsed, and water from rains have remained black and unfit for use.\nHe said, “Most of our people are suffering from heart attacks. The roof of the Asang Community High School where the incident occurred has been ripped open and since then no conscious effort has been taken to renovate the school.\n“Recently, students writing WAEC exams in the school had to stop writing exams to allow the rain to stop because of the leaking roofs. There is no electricity in our community since then because the Seven Energy company ordered that the transformer be disabled to enable the fire which erupted from the explosion to be put out.”\nThe head of the Akwa Ibom community further explained that even after six years when the catastrophe happened, most of the residents in that area face a hard time breathing good air because of the polluted atmosphere of the community which has resulted in serious health challenges.\nMr Akpan thereafter requested a sum of N7.6 billion compensation from the company, on behalf of the community, to enable it to rehabilitate the area.\n“We are also urging the Akwa Ibom and federal government to intercede so that we have our lives back,” he appealed at the briefing.\n**Urges Investors to Set up Refinery in A/Ibom By Dipo Olowookere Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Maikanti Kacalla Baru, has engaged investors on the need to establish a refinery in Akwa Ibom State. Speaking at a two-day PENGASSAN Triennial Retreat/Synergy workshop held in…\nIn \"Economy\"\nBy Adedapo Adesanya Akwa Ibom State has received the official gazette from the federal government, signalling the approval for 50,000 hectares Liberty Oil and Gas Free Zone in the state. The Gazette of the approval was presented to Governor Udom Emmanuel by a delegation from the Oil and Gas Free…\nIn \"Economy\"\nBy Adedapo Adesanya   The Akwa Ibom State Government has disclosed plans to expand the Ibom Air operations to other African countries to enhance the state’s economy. This was disclosed by the state governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, in a state-wide broadcast marking the 33rd anniversary of the state, in Uyo,…\nIn \"Travel/Tourism\"\nLCCI Urges Better Blockchain Adaptation in Nigeria\nGroup Begs FG, Rivers to Rehabilitate Oyigbo-Afam Road\nPublished\non\nBy\nBy Adedapo Adesanya\nThe Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Mohamed Buba Marwa, has called for the removal of the clause which allows for the option of fines for drug offenders.\nThe NDLEA Act is currently undergoing amendment at the National Assembly and is expected to strengthen the deterrence effect of court prosecution and conviction.\nMr Marwa, while defending the 2022 NDLEA budget proposal before the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, said though he had visited the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Justice John Tsoho, on the issue of ridiculous options of fine given to some drug traffickers, and admitted that he believes the removal of the clause that allows judges to use discretionary powers to give options of fine would resolve the jigsaw.\nWhile defending the N38.1 billion 2022 budget proposal, Mr Marwa said though the allocation may not solve all the problems facing the agency, it is a great improvement on the previous budgets.\nHe used the opportunity to thank President Muhammadu Buhari, the Finance Minister, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; Attorney General and Minister of Justice, and more importantly, the leadership of the National Assembly and its committee on drugs and narcotics for giving the NDLEA the support needed to make the progress being talked about at the moment.\nIn his remarks, Chairman of the Committee, Mr Hezekiah Dimka, congratulated Mr Marwa on the “successes recorded by the agency since his assumption of office,” adding that “there is no doubt that his approach and manner of operations to the fight against drug trafficking and abuse on our shores is extraordinary.”\nOther members of the committee, including the Vice-Chairman, Mr Chimaroke Nnamani, expressed support for the good work the NDLEA is doing and promised to enhance and pass the budget to enable the agency to achieve greater feats next year.\nPublished\non\nBy\nBy Modupe Gbadeyanka\nThe Governor-elect of Anambra State, Mr Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has been congratulated by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) on his victory.\nOn Tuesday, November 9, 2021, Mr Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was declared winner of the Anambra State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).\nHe was announced as the winner of the exercise after the electoral body concluded the Ihiala local government poll after it was declared inconclusive last Saturday.\nAnambra State has 21 local councils and at the election, last Saturday, only 20 of the local governments were announced and due to violence, the Ihiala council was moved to Tuesday.\nBefore then, Mr Soludo had won 18 of the councils and yesterday, he picked the 19th, making INEC declare him as the winner of the poll.\nThe CNPP, in a statement on Wednesday, congratulated the world-renowned economist and again praised INEC for the transparent conduct of the polls and allowing the wish of the people to prevail.\nIn the statement signed by its Secretary-General, Mr Willy Ezugwu, the group counselled both the winner and the other contestants to join hands to turn the fortunes of the state around for the benefit of all the residents.\n“The contestants should accept the outcome and avoid the temptation of needless post-elections litigations that have become a trademark in Anambra State.\n“The CNPP believes that the majority has had their way while the minority has also had their say; that is democracy.\n“While we congratulate the winner, we urge him to constitute a unity government to speed up developments in Anambra State.\n“Prof. Soludo has all it takes to make Anambra State the Dubai of Africa he has always dreamt of.\n“Congratulations on your well-deserved victory,” the CNPP stated.\nPublished\non\nBy\nBy Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel\nAbout N200 million was generated by the Ondo State government in 2020 from Land Use Charge (LUC), the Ondo State Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS) has disclosed.\nChairman of the agency, Mr Tolu Adegbie, said during a sensitisation day in Akure, the state capital that the money was from owners of commercial and industrial properties in the state.\nAccording to him, the operational arm has recorded N120 million for this year and is hoping to collect about N250 million before the year runs out.\nThe ODIRS Chairman said, “Before the advent of Governor Akeredolu in 2017, the maximum amount collected from the LUC was about N7 million. The law was actually passed in 2014 by the immediate past governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.\n“In 2018 alone, we collected about N150 million; in 2019, we collected N180 million, and in 2020, we collected N200 million. This year, we’ve shared N120 million, and we are hoping to collect about N250 million before the end of the year.”\nExplaining how the charge helps extend development into the grass-root areas, he said, “The LUC law states that anything collected should be shared between the state and the local governments.\n“The state gets 80 per cent, and the local government gets 20 per cent. However, Governor Akeredolu had approved the increase of the share of the local government to 30 per cent while the state gets 70 per cent.”\nMr Adegbie then tasked residents of the state to pay their charges, warning that the state government will begin to sanction defaulters of its land use charge from Wednesday, December 1, 2021.\n“The year is running to an end, and this charge is paid annually, so a lot of people have not paid for a while, and we’ve been doing sensitisation on the television and radio urging them to come and pay.\n“We are giving them enough time. We are starting the enforcement in December, so people have a whole one month to pay their land use charge, and we employ everyone to pay,” he said.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["many houses have collapsed"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["took the lives of over 28 people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2016"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Asang Community High School"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mirpur gas explosion: Death toll rises to 3","document":"The death toll from Mirpur gas explosion incident rose to three following death of two burn injured on Friday morning.\nThe deceased were- Rina Akter, 50, Sumon, 40, and Rafiqul Islam, 35.\nAmong them, Rina Akhter died on Thursday while Sumon and Shafiqul succumbed to their injuries around 2:30am today at Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.\nResidential surgeon Doctor S M Ayub Hossain of the burn institute confirmed the matter.\nBesides, four others who were injured in the blast are in critical condition.\nSeven people, including a child, had received burn injuries in a fire following a gas riser explosion on the ground floor of a house in Section 11 in the capital's Mirpur area.\nThe incident took place around 12 midnight on Wednesday.\nLater, the injured were admitted to Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.\ngas explosion / Mirpur\nWhile most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["The death toll from Mirpur gas explosion incident rose to three","four others who were injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["around 12 midnight on Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["house in Section 11 in the capital's Mirpur area"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"It took over 3 hours to control Devarachikkanahalli fire; cause remains a mystery","document":"  The apartment complex fire at Devarachikkanahalli near Bannerghatta Road on Tuesday broke out following an explosion-like sound eyewitnesses said, which led fire personnel to initially believe the blaze may have been caused by a cooking cylinder blast. The disaster claimed two lives – Bhagyarekha, 59, and her mother Lakshmidevi, 82.\nHowever, Maruti, Regional Fire Officer, South, Fire and Emergency Services, who led the firefighting, said firemen had recovered two cooking gas cylinders from the kitchen of the flat and ruled out a gas leak as the cause of the fire. “It is a very preliminary stage to speculate on the cause of the fire at the flat. Only a detailed technical investigation can help us get that answer,” he said. As the flat was locked for six months and all electric appliances were switched on on Tuesday, this could have led to the fire, another fireman suspected. An electric short circuit usually doesn’t cause a blast, which was reported by eyewitnesses, officials said.\nThree fire tenders conducted firefighting operations for over three hours to bring the fire under control. “The furniture, cots and mattresses have all caught fire, adding to the blaze. However, we managed to contain the fire to the flat and not allow it to spread,” Mr. Maruti said.\nThe personnel also brought an aerial ladder and high-end rescue equipment to try and rescue survivors. However, the bodies of the two women who had died were charred and no one else was there in the apartment, so the ladder was not used.\nRamakrishna, Joint Commissioner, Bommanahalli Zone, BBMP, who visited the spot, said the apartment - Ashrith Aspire - had received a plan approval in 2015 and the building was completed and occupied two years later. “The apartment has 72 flats in a Ground + 3 row of towers, so it is not a high rise and hence the fire audit was not done. A probe on building bylaws will be taken up,” he said.\nResidents evacuated\nAs the fire broke out in the second floor flat at Ashrith Aspire apartment, all occupants of the72 flats at the time of the accident were evacuated. The residents were asked to not return to their homes for the day. While most shifted to their friends’ and relatives’ houses in the city, around 15 families who had nowhere to go spent the night at the clubhouse of a neighbouring apartment, where the BBMP and residents, arranged for food and bedding for the night.\nThough the fire was successfully limited to the flat where the accident occurred, smoke billowing out of the windows of the flat entered two flats above it. Fire and Emergency Services cut off power supply to the entire apartment to prevent any further accident. “By the time the fire was put out, it was already dark and as power was also not there, we haven’t been able to conduct a thorough physical and technical examination of the building and fire risks due to electrical circuits. So we have advised the residents to stay away till such an examination is completed,” a senior official said.\n HC notice to government on ill-treatment of elephant by religious institution\n“I was at the office when the accident occurred. My son was at home, he called and I rushed here. Our flat is diagonally opposite the flat where the accident occurred. We haven’t been able to go up and see. I hope our flat is not damaged,” said one of the residents to media persons.\n Our code of editorial values\nPrintable version | Nov 13, 2021 1:01:47 AM | https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/it-took-over-3-hours-to-control-devarachikkanahalli-fire-cause-remains-a-mystery/article36601296.ece\n© THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD.\nThe K.G. Halli police on Wednesday arrested a Nigerian national who works as an actor in the Indian film industry for allegedly peddling drugs in the ","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["claimed two lives"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["apartment complex fire at Devarachikkanahalli"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Flood Possibly Caused Gas Leak Before Rahway, NJ Home Exploded, Police Say","document":"RAHWAY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — Surveillance video captured the dramatic moment when a house exploded in Rahway early Thursday.\nNo one was inside, but a driver was hurt by flying debris.\nThe explosion leveled the house on River Road and at least three other homes were damaged.\n“I was asleep when it happened. My mom had to wake me up. Apparently people blocks from my house literally felt the vibration of the explosion,” said Adams Desir, a neighbor.\nWe’re told the family who lives at the house evacuated before it happened because of flooding.\nRahway Police said the explosion remains under investigation, but it appears flooding caused a gas leak that led to the blast.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["leveled the house","at least three other homes were damaged"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a driver was hurt"]},{"role":"Date","values":["early Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Rahway"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2 injured as another gas explosion rocks Abeokuta","document":"The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the explosion occurred barely 24 hours after one person was killed and another injured in a gas explosion at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library on Thursday.\nNAN reports that the Friday’s explosion occurred at the CSCC construction yard at Onikoko area of Abeokuta.\nTwo people were seriously injured while vehicles were destroyed by the explosion.\nIt was gathered that the injured victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.\nNAN also gathered that the explosion occurred from a cylinder filled with gas but not in use.\nThe explosion affected many buildings on the Onikoko -Adigbe axis, vehicles and a teacher in a classroom at St. Louis College, Abeokuta.\nThe state Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr Femi Ogunbanwo, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Kehinde Onasanya, and some other officials of the state, urgently visited the scene of the incident to assess the damage.\nMeanwhile, the state government has stopped sale of industrial gas to avert further explosions.\nOgunbanwo made this known during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abeokuta.\nThe commissioner said that the state government had put a temporary stop to sale of industrial gas in the state, as a result of multiple gas explosions in recent times.\nOgunbanwo said that all major stakeholders were expected to abide by the directive, warning that anyone selling adulterated gas products or violating safety protocols would face the full wrath of the law.\nHe said that Gov. Dapo Abiodun had been in consultations with relevant agencies of government and the Nigeria Police Force to investigate and bring to book those engaging in sharp practices that could cause gas explosion.\nThe Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, described the incident as ugly, urging that it must be nipped in the bud.\nEarlier, a team consisting of Ogunbanwo, Oresanya and some other government officials visited scenes of gas explosion and some gas plant outlets.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["vehicles were destroyed"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["one person was killed and another injured","Two people were seriously injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday","Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library","CSCC construction yard"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Ashrith Aspire fire: Cylinder blast didn't trigger blaze, electrical cause also unlikely","document":"A day after the fire accident at the Ashrith Aspire apartment complex in South Bengaluru claimed two lives, experts have determined that the inferno wasn’t caused by any cylinder explosion.\nForensic and fire experts, plus representatives of Indian Oil Corporation, zonal officials from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) who visited the site on Wednesday are yet to make their report public. However, authoritative sources say that neither a cylinder blast nor a short circuit was responsible for the fire.\nPolice and a senior fire department official told DH that two intact cylinders had been found in the charred apartment, which appears to rule out a catalyst for the explosion. “The two cylinders did not explode,” said the fire official. “Gas expands to double its volume if exposed to high external heat. But despite the high temperatures caused by the fire in the apartment, the cylinders did not explode because the temperature did not cross the critical threshold.”\nRead | B'luru fire: Son-in-law recalls attempt to enter flat\n“We are also looking to see if there was a gas leak from the regulator pipe that caused flames to erupt. Our report will be finalised by Thursday,” the official added.\nThe officials found that almost all the valuables in the apartment, including refrigerator, television set, furniture, clothes, electrical wirings and other electronic, electrical valuables, have been gutted in the fire. The refrigerator was found broken into pieces and police suspect the fire may have broken in it, but they are waiting for reports from officials.\nFamily torn\nSeveral family members of the deceased who visited the site on Wednesday speculated that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit. “It was a happy occasion for Lakshmidevi, 82, who had wanted to stay with her daughter Bhagya Rekha, 59, who had just returned from the United States,” said one member of the family.\n“Her grandson had just dropped her off at the apartment a day before. We never imagined it would end like this,” he said.\nBescom reportedly told the apartment Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) that an electrical cause could also be ruled out.\nRajendra Cholan, MD, Bescom, nevertheless stated that the final report on the matter is still pending. “Power has been restored at all units except those on either side of the destroyed flat,” he added.\nResidents started to return to the complex on Wednesday evening following a no-objection certificate from the BBMP and the electrical inspectorate. All had spent the previous night at the homes of relatives and friends. A group had been housed at the clubhouse of an apartment complex across the street.\n“The BBMP has said that it will help us clean up the apartments. Structural engineers will also be visiting tomorrow to assess damage to the building,” said Ranjith Kumar, president of the apartment RWA.\nOut of 75 units in the apartment complex, occupancy ranged between 60% to 70%, Kumar said, explaining that the balance was working remotely from their hometowns.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["all the valuables in the apartment, including refrigerator, television set, furniture, clothes, electrical wirings and other electronic, electrical valuables, have been gutted"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["claimed two lives"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Ashrith Aspire apartment complex"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Police and a senior fire department"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Gas explosion at Iran medical clinic kills 19","document":" Gas leak at Sina At’har clinic in northern Tehran kills 15 women and four men, say fire officials\nAn explosion from a gas leak in a medical clinic in northern Tehran has killed 19 people, Iranian state TV has reported.\nVideo posted online appeared to show more than one explosion and thick black smoke rising from the Sina At’har clinic.\nPeople in nearby Tajrish Bazaar rushed to the scene, impeding a rescue operation, authorities said. Videos on social media showed people gathered outside of the building.\nHamidreza Goudarzi, deputy Tehran governor, told state TV that a leak from medical gas tanks in the building was the cause of the explosion and fire.\nAuthorities initially said 13 people were dead, but Tehran fire department spokesman Jalal Maleki later told state TV the toll had risen to 19.\nState-run IRNA news agency also quoted Maleki as saying the dead included 15 women and four men. Maleki added that firefighters had rescued 20 people.\nState TV said there could be more explosions because there were a number of oxygen tanks remaining in the medical center.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["kills 15 women and four men"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Sina At’har clinic in northern Tehran"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":["20 people"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Virginia Gas Line Explosion Injures Workers, Damages Home","document":"Utility workers are hurt, a home is damaged and cars are destroyed after a gas line explosion and fire Wednesday in Northern Virginia, officials say. \nThree workers were taken to a hospital with burns and injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, the Fairfax County fire department said. Aerial footage from Chopper4 shows tall, orange flames leaping into the air and crews working for hours to get the blaze under control. \nPastor Don Jamison heard the blast just outside a window of his home. “I heard the explosion and went to the window and saw that the fire was going up, and then within a matter of a little bit, multiple explosions from the fuel tanks and the equipment went off,” he said. \nWashington Gas workers were doing scheduled repairs when the explosion occurred without warning in the 8100 block of Hooes Road, in the Springfield area, the fire department said. The blast rocked the neighborhood, and an emergency call was placed at about 12:30 p.m. \nThe workers were taken to hospitals, residents were evacuated from their homes, and crews spent hours trying to turn off the gas and prevent the flames from leaping to houses. \nJamison opened his nearby church, Sydenstricker United Methodist Church, to any neighbors who needed someplace to stay warm. Drivers were asked to avoid the area.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["a home is damaged and cars are destroyed"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Three workers were taken to a hospital with burns and injuries"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Northern Virginia"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"More from Telstra","document":"                    COMMENTATOR Brian Taylor has been flown to a Melbourne hospital with minor injuries after a gas explosion at his home in Victoria's Gippsland region.\nThe former Collingwood and Richmond forward turned broadcaster was working on a hot water service at his Walhalla property on Wednesday afternoon when there was an explosion.\nA Seven Network spokeswoman said the 59-year-old was taken to hospital for routine monitoring and observation and described his injuries as \"minor\".\n\"He's expected to make a full recovery and be back at work calling the footy this weekend,\" she said.\nThis is a modal window.\nBeginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.\nEnd of dialog window.\nThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.\nChannel Seven commentator Brian Taylor talks to Yolngu Radio as the team prepares to call the Dreamtime game in Yolngu Matha language\n\"We'll continue to check in with Brian and his family throughout the course of the afternoon.\"\nTwo CFA crews responded to reports of the explosion just after midday and determined there was no fire upon arrival before declaring the scene under control.\nThe Erica and District Fire Brigade said the \"minor gas explosion\" stemmed from a gas fridge.\n","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Brian Taylor"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday afternoon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["his home in Victoria's Gippsland region"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Melbourne hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Gas explosion leaves 12 dead, 138 hurt","document":"President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to rescue the injured after a gas explosion in Central China's Hubei province on Sunday morning.\nXi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, asked authorities to console the families of the casualties and investigate the accident in a timely manner.\nThe blast happened at around 6:30 am at a two-story building in Zhangwan district of Shiyan city. The first floor of the building is a market and some people live on the second floor.\nBy 14:30, rescuers pulled out 150 people from the debris, 12 of them dead and 138 injured, including 37 critically hurt. All the injured are receiving treatment at hospital.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["12 of them dead and 138 injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday morning","around 6:30 am"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Central China's Hubei province"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mumbai: Cylinder blast at Lalbaug chawl, 1 dead, 15 suffer burn injuries","document":"An LPG cylinder blast and subsequent fire at Lalbaug chawl killed one woman and injured 15 residents on Sunday morning. At least nine remain critically injured at hospitals with over 70 per cent burn injuries.\nWhile the blaze was brought under control within an hour by the Mumbai Fire brigade, the incident has left all injured with over 35 per cent burns. Twelve injured were rushed to KEM hospital and four others to Masina hospital. Of them, five are senior citizens and one a 13-year-old girl.\nThe fire, which started around 7.30 am, gutted four rooms on the second floor of the four-storey Sarabhai building at the chawl.\nSushila Bangera (62) lived alone on the second floor. Neighbours said her two brothers had died a few years ago and she was living off savings from tailoring work she had done earlier.\nShe suffered 80 per cent third degree burns in the fire. Doctors said she was intubated in the morning and admitted at KEM hospital’s plastic surgery department’s intensive care unit (ICU). “Her condition was very critical and she had also inhaled a lot of smoke. She succumbed at 7.45 pm,” said a doctor.\nThe blast occurred at a room occupied by Rane Caterers, where its owner Mangesh Rane was staying. Residents said wedding preparations were underway at the Rane household in an adjacent building, and several cooking gas cylinders were kept in the room to prepare food for the guests. A compliance team from F South ward office’s visited the spot to assess whether the caterer had violated norms.\nTwo in the Rane family, Mangesh Rane (61) and Yash Rane (19), are admitted at KEM hospital. Mangesh, hospital officials said, suffered 70 per cent to 80 per cent burns and remained critical. His statement is yet to be recorded by the police.\nTen families lived on the second floor where the fire began. Among those injured are five families whose rooms were closest to the blast site.\nAll four members in the family of Suryakant Ambike are critical with third degree burns. Suryakant’s daughter Vaishali and his 13-year-old granddaughter Trisha were visiting the family for a few days. The fourth person to be injured in the family was Bipin, Suryakant’s son. All are admitted at Masina hospital.\nAdjacent to Suryakant’s flat is Mahesh Munge’s room. Mahesh (56), his wife Mamta (48) and their son Prathmesh (27) all sustained burns and inhalation injuries. Mahesh and Prathmesh are critical while Mamta is stable.\nRoshan Andhari (40), a first floor resident, slept in a relative’s room on the second floor every night. On Sunday morning, he was asleep alone when the fire started. He suffered 70 per cent to 80 per cent burns on hands, back, legs and face and is admitted at KEM hospital’s ICU. His entire family managed to rush outside when the blast shook the building.\nChief Fire Officer Kailash Hivrale said: “Gas had started leaking from the room. It must have first accumulated in the room and then spread to the common passage. Residents said that when they smelled the gas, they informed the caterer owner. One of his workers opened the door and a spark led to the cylinder blast.”\nKiran Khatu, a third floor resident, said that Mangesh’s daughter is scheduled to be married and he had shifted cylinders and raw material for cooking in the room. “Initially, when a neighbour informed him about the smell, Mangesh ignored it. When the first cylinder burst, fire spread across the common passage. We then heard a huge explosion and rushed out,” he added.\nShiv Sena corporator Anil Kokil rushed to the spot and helped firemen to evacuate people. Later, he arranged the remaining residents to stay in a nearby hotel.\nKEM Dean Dr Hemant Deshmukh said: “All those admitted here have sustained serious injuries except two. We will have to monitor them for infection for a few days.” He added that one of the injured has also suffered a chest injury. “They all have inhaled smoke. We have kept ventilators on standby. A team of doctors from general surgery, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, chest medicine and ENT are monitoring the patients,” Deshmukh said.\nAn official from Masina hospital said the four injured persons, the Ambike family, under their care are admitted in the ICU. “A family of four, including parents, son and daughter, have been admitted to the specialised burns unit. While the father has suffered 94.5 per cent burns, the son has suffered 92 per cents burns, The mother and daughter have got 60 per cent burns each. All four are critical but hemodynamically stable,” the hospital spokesperson said\nLater in the day, Mayor Kishori Pednekar visited the building and KEM hospital. Civic officials said the fire spread to the second floor common passage and destroyed the wall between rooms 16 and 17. In one of the rooms, the entire window section was destroyed. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority has been directed to begin repair works, said officials.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["gutted four rooms","destroyed the wall","entire window section was destroyed"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["killed one woman and injured 15 residents"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday morning","around 7.30 am"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Lalbaug chawl"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["KEM hospital","Masina hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Fire in N.Macedonian COVID-19 hospital kills at least 14","document":"PRISTINA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Fourteen people were killed and 12 seriously injured when a fire broke out in a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients in the North Macedonian town of Tetovo late on Wednesday, the Balkan country's health ministry said on Thursday.\nThe prosecutor's office said DNA analyses would be needed to identify some of the victims, all of them patients in a serious condition. No medical staff were among the victims.\nThe total of 26 patients were accommodated in the COVID-19 hospital at the time of the fire, said Health Minister Venko Filipce.\n\"The remaining 12 patients with life-threatening injuries are being taken care at the Tetovo hospital,\" Filipce said on Twitter.\nPrime Minister Zoran Zaev said the fire was caused by an explosion, and that the investigation was under the way. Local media said that a canister with oxygen or gas may have exploded.\nPeople gather outside as emergency services attend a fire at a hospital for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, in Tetovo, North Macedonia, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski\nLocal media showed images of a huge blaze which broke out around 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) at the hospital in the town's west as firefighters raced to the scene. The fire was extinguished after a few hours.\nThe accident occurred on the day when North Macedonia marked the 30th anniversary of its independence from the former Yugoslavia. All official celebrations and events were cancelled on Thursday, said the office of President Stevo Pendarovski.\nCoronavirus cases have been on the rise in North Macedonia since mid-August, prompting the government to introduce stricter social measures such as health passes for cafes and restaurants.\nThe country of 2 million reported 701 new coronavirus infections and 24 deaths in the past 24 hours.\nThe town of Tetovo, mainly inhabited by ethnic Albanians, has one of the country's highest number of coronavirus cases.\nOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.\nSubscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.\nEurope has become the epicentre of the pandemic again, prompting some governments to consider re-imposing unpopular lockdowns in the run-up to Christmas and stirring debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame COVID-19.\nReuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.\nBuild the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology.\nThe most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs.\nThe industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals.\nInformation, analytics and exclusive news on financial markets - delivered in an intuitive desktop and mobile interface.\nAccess to real-time, reference, and non-real time data in the cloud to power your enterprise.\nScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks.\nAll quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Fourteen people were killed and 12 seriously injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["late on Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["makeshift hospital"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Death toll in China gas pipe explosion rises to 25 -state media","document":"BEIJING, June 14 (Reuters) - The number of people killed in a gas pipeline explosion in central China on Sunday has risen to 25, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.\nThe death toll from the blast in the city of Shiyan, in Hubei province, had stood at 12 on Sunday evening but another 13 victims without vital signs were found as of 1230 local time (0430 GMT) on Monday, CCTV cited an official from Hubei's emergency management department as saying at a press conference.\nThe search and rescue effort is continuing, the report said, adding that 138 people remained injured, 37 of them seriously.  read more Industrial accidents are not uncommon in China despite attempts to tighten safety after a series of explosions in the northern port city of Tianjin killed 173 people in 2015.\nIn 2013, an oil pipeline blast in Qingdao, in the eastern province of Shandong, killed more than 60 people, while an explosion on a gas pipe in Southwest China's Guizhou left eight people dead in 2017.\nOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.\nSubscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.\nU.S. President Joe Biden will hold a virtual meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday, the White House said, talks Washington hopes will create some stability amid increased tensions between the world's two largest economies.\nReuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.\nBuild the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology.\nThe most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs.\nThe industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals.\nInformation, analytics and exclusive news on financial markets - delivered in an intuitive desktop and mobile interface.\nAccess to real-time, reference, and non-real time data in the cloud to power your enterprise.\nScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks.\nAll quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["has risen to 25","138 people remained injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday evening"]},{"role":"Location","values":["city of Shiyan, in Hubei province"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Youth pumping helium into balloons killed in explosion","document":"A 19-year-old labourer who was pumping helium into balloons for a birthday party was killed when the cylinder exploded. The incident took place at an apartment on Langford Road, around 7.45 p.m. on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Dinesh, a resident of Parappana Agrahara.\nAccording to the police, one of the residents of the apartment had planned to celebrate her male friend’s birthday. She had ordered helium balloons from Dinesh and his friends who are selling them. Dinesh was filling the balloons near the entrance of the apartment when the blast occurred. “He sustained severe injuries and died on the spot. His friend who was with him, also pumping gas into the balloons, sustained injuries and was taken to hospital,” said a police officer.\nAn investigating officer said the woman who was organising the party had searched for them on the internet and booked them. “We have recovered a bag full of material and equipment used by Dinesh and his friend,” said the police officer.  ","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A 19-year-old labourer"]},{"role":"Date","values":["around 7.45 p.m. on Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["an apartment on Langford Road"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"‘Beyond Reckless’: Atlanta Attorneys Plan To Sue Arrive Perimeter Apts. After Explosion","document":"DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (CW69 News at 10) — Attorneys representing victims of an apartment explosion at the Arrive Perimeter Apartments in Dunwoody announced plans to file a lawsuit.\nThirty-year-old Jasmine Johnson had lived in Building 2 at the complex since February. She never could have imagined what happened Sunday afternoon. “There was a huge explosion, and I was thrown into the wall,” Johnson said. “I was so scared, and I’m thankful to my dog for waking me up.”\nThe explosion left 4 people injured and displaced several others. Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys represents Johnson and several other residents, and they plan to sue the property. “The complex and its management company Trinity played Russian Roulette with the lives of countless individuals, countless minority individuals,” said L. Chris Stewart, one of the attorneys. “Ms. Johnson’s going back and forth to the hospital. Surgery is in the future for her shoulder,” he said.\nThe attorneys say residents complained about a gas odor long before the explosion. “I had been smelling gas for two to three days. I thought it was coming from my parking garage, so to find out it was caused by something else is really disheartening,” said Johnson. “Clearly they have been ignoring these people. We’re gonna find out if it’s because they were minorities,” Steward said. “We find it really, really disturbing to know that they knew about this, failed to do anything to prevent it and then this explosion occurred,” said Madeleine Simmons, another attorney.\nThe City of Dunwoody shut the gas off on Monday, after finding two leaks that were not associated with this incident. They issued a statement Thursday night indicating, “All parties are doing their best to restore service as quickly as is safely possible.” “The fact that an apartment complex and their management company would not come out there and fix complaints of gas, which you know can lead to an explosion, is beyond reckless,” said Stewart. A lot of people need jobs right now. If you’re understaffed, hire someone, but this is not gonna keep happening here. You could have killed somebody,” he said.\nDeKalb County Fire and Rescue says it’s not investigating the explosion, since there was no fire. They say it’s up to the property’s insurance company to confirm if a gas leak officially caused it. The attorneys also referenced other maintenance issues residents have complained about that the property has allegedly not addressed, including dirty air ducts.\nCW69 reached out a second time to the Arrive Perimeter leasing office and Trinity, the property management company, and there was no immediate response.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["4 people injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday afternoon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Arrive Perimeter Apartments in Dunwoody"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Visakhapatnam Gas Leak: A Year on, Those Affected Continue To Suffer from Health Problems","document":"A year ago on May 7, toxic Styrene gas leaked from the South Korean entity LG Polymers India Private Limited at RR Venkatapuram in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district. The leak killed 15 people and over five hundred others were hospitalised. Victims who were exposed to the toxic gas still continue to face a variety of health problems.\nAs of now, a case is under trial in the Andhra Pradesh High Court against the management of LG Polymers and several government officials responsible for the disaster. The factory was sealed immediately after the accident as per the directions of the state government.\nBesides Venkatapuram, residents of colonies including Nandamuri Nagar, SC/BC Colony, Kamparapalem and Padmanabha Nagar were affected by the gas leakage.\nWhile LG Polymers had been operating this unit since 1997, it reportedly did not have the required environmental clearance till the time of the leak. Citing documents from the union environment ministry and the state environment department, The Caravan reported that LG Polymers “consistently evaded getting an environmental clearance for the factory by filing contradictory information about itself and taking months to file simple paperwork.” Further, despite being aware of this, senior officials in both, the state and central government, did not raise questions.\nVictims of the accident say that they continue to face health problems such as skin allergies, joint pain and eyesight-related issues. Srikanth of Venkatapuram, who underwent an ear surgery after the accident, said that he has been suffering from joint pain since then.\nAlthough the YSRCP-led state government had promised to set up a multispeciality hospital in the affected region, only a temporary primary health care centre was made available. However, a compensation of Rs one crore to the families of the deceased persons and Rs 25,000 to those who were hospitalised, was distributed by the state government.\nAccording to the findings of a state government appointed high-power expert committee that probed the accident, the root causes of the Styrene gas leakage were “poor design of the tank; inadequate refrigeration and faulty cooling system; absence of circulation and mixing systems; inadequate measures and parameters; poor safety protocol; poor safety awareness; inadequate risk assessment response; poor process safety management system; slackness of management; insufficient knowledge of the chemical properties of styrene, especially during storage conditions; total breakdown of the emergency response of the procedures; and safety protocol not being followed by the authorities during the lockdown period.”\nThere are serious concerns about the continuing inaction on the part of the state authorities, Human Rights Forum (HRF) said in a press release. “We recall that the high power expert committee had made important recommendations such as the need for a comprehensive industrial safety audit of all hazardous industries in and around Visakhapatnam. Till date, no such audit appears to have been undertaken,” it said.\nHRF further pointed out: “It is also not clear if the events of May 7 last year has woken up the authorities to the potential danger of locating hazardous units near residential areas. The operation and expansion of such a large Red Category hazardous industry in close proximity to a densely populated region was highly undesirable. However, the plant has not even been shifted out. Moreover, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has been relaxing regulatory requirements under the guise of enhancing ‘ease of doing business.’ The MoEF&CC should revisit all such notifications, if it is at all concerned about the safety of the people.\"\nVisakhapatnam-based C.H. Narsinga Rao, president, state unit of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said that the affected villagers and Left parties have protested for over a month near the premises of LG Polymers, seeking justice and action against those responsible. He demanded that the factory must be removed from the region and that a super-speciality hospital be constructed there.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":["Rs one crore","Rs 25,000"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["killed 15 people and over five hundred others were hospitalised"]},{"role":"Date","values":["A year ago on May 7"]},{"role":"Location","values":["South Korean entity LG Polymers India Private Limited"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["high-power expert committee"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Channel 7 footy commentator Brian Taylor recovering from gas explosion at Gippsland home","document":"Former football star and Seven commentator Brian Taylor is recovering after he was injured in a gas explosion at his home on Wednesday.\nTaylor, 59, was airlifted to hospital with burns to his face and neck.\nFootage shows Taylor, injured and clutching his face as paramedics wheeled him into a waiting ambulance.\nHe had only moved into his new Gippsland property on Wednesday and was trying to light a hot water service when it exploded.\n“After that, the shock sets in, but for the first three or four seconds, put the hair out, get out of there and get a wet towel on my face,” Taylor told 7NEWS.\n“All the locals helped, which was absolutely fantastic, that saved me from swelling or any blistering on my face.”\nTaylor said he was taken to hospital to make sure there was nothing wrong with his airways - and being airlifted was the only way that could happen.\n“Geographically, up here where we are, there’s no other way of getting to a major city hospital,” he said.\nTaylor is now back at his Gippsland home.\nSee Brian Taylor talking about the accident in the video below\n“I’ve got quite a big forehead now, it’s burnt right back to my hair and the old moustache got a bit of a touch up as well,” he joked.\nThe former plumber said he’d learned a valuable lesson.\n“My mum and dad always told me to never play with matches, and that’s very very true,” he said.\nTaylor was quick to praise the remarkable job done by the staff at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.\n“I’ve learnt there are a lot of good people out there doing a lot of fantastic jobs, and I’ve learnt that first hand, unfortunately,” he said.\nA spokesperson from the Country Fire Association has revealed that the incident did not cause a fire and was quickly brought under control.\nThe voice of Seven’s AFL coverage, fans will still hear his familiar tones when Port Adelaide takes on Geelong on Friday night.\nAsked how he would “call” the nasty incident like he was calling a footy game, Taylor had only two words to describe it.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Brian Taylor"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["his new Gippsland property"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["Alfred Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two still 'critical' in hospital following suspected gas explosion in Heysham","document":"Men are more heartbroken than women during a breakup, according to new study by Lancaster University\nLancaster named as the 9th best city to raise a baby in the UK according to Play Like Mum\nGeorge Arthur Hinds, aged two years and 10 months, died as a result of the incident.\nGeorge’s parents Vicky Studholme and Stephen Hinds were injured and have since been discharged from hospital.\nA man aged 44 and a woman aged 50 remain in hospital with injuries described as “critical”.\nPolice said enquiries under way into the cause of the suspected gas explosion on Mallowdale Avenue were expected to take ‘some weeks.’\nChief Insp Chris Hardy of Lancashire Constabulary, said: “This appalling incident has resulted in the loss of a young boy’s life and has left two others with very serious injuries. My thoughts today are with George’s family and loved ones at this sad time, as well as those others affected by this incident.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["loss of a young boy’s life","two others with very serious injuries"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Mallowdale Avenue"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"TheJakartaPost","document":"          Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.\n          Just click on the icons to get to the download page.\n  Or continue login with  A family of five was killed in a fire that engulfed their four-story house on Jl. Panyabungan in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, on Saturday night.\nAccording to Pematang Siantar Fire Department head Josua Sihaloho, police officers were looking into the incident but an initial investigation found that the fire started on the first floor where the family stored liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) canisters.\nJosua said the victims, 67 year-old Ameng, 39 year-old Yenti, 15 year-old Clarissa Kie, 12 year-old Kenrick Kie and 6-year-old Kenjiro Kie, were found in two different locations in the house.\n\"Four victims were found in a bedroom on the second floor and another victim was found in a bathroom on the first floor,\" Josua said.\nHe further stated that the firefighters struggled to put out the fire as explosions kept occurring from inside the building.\nAngga, a local resident, said that he heard an explosion coming from the house prior to the fire.\n\"I heard an explosion sound and saw fire burst out from the building,\" Angga told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.\nNur Hama, another local, explained that the fire started on the first floor of the building, which was used for storing LPG gas canisters.\n\"The fire started at around 7:40 p.m. We saw the family screaming for help from the second floor. They were trapped and could not get out of the building,\" Nur told the Post.\n\"However, we could not do much [to help them] as the fire got big so quickly and engulfed the entire house.” (nal)","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["engulfed their four-story house"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["A family of five was killed"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday night","around 7:40 p.m"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Jl. Panyabungan in Pematang Siantar"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Hampshire news: Five top stories you might have missed including an exploding van in Aldershot","document":"There has been a lot going on in Hampshire so you can be forgiven for missing some of the top stories online.\nMegan Stanley covered the distressing news that two teenage boys had been found with stab wounds in Aldershot on Monday. The boys suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital to be treated.\nIn another incident in Aldershot led to a woman being injured after a van exploded. The cause was thought to be leaking gas cylinders.\nREAD MORE: Person taken to hospital after Alton glider crash as air ambulance is called\nIn lighter news, readers have also been interested to learn more about the best restaurants in the county as well as about some of Hampshire's biggest names from sport and television. Here is a summary of the top stories from across HampshireLive:\nReaders have been particularly keen to find out which restaurants have been named the best in Hampshire, according to reviews from TripAdviser.\nThose commenting on their dining experience on the review website are asked to rank the food, service value for money, and atmosphere of the venues they visit and many of the county's restaurants have proved a hit with foodies.\nThe Golden Lion in Winchester, Huis in Portsmouth, and Tim's Bistro in Southampton all made it onto the list of best eateries.\nRead the full list here.\nOn Monday, two teenagers were taken to hospital after being found with stab wounds in Aldershot.\nThe two boys, aged 17 and 16, were described as having \"serious injuries\" when they were found at around 11pm.\nThey were taken to St George's Hospital in London for treatment.\nHampshire Constabulary have now launched an investigation and are asking anyone who may have witnessed the attack to come forward.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["a woman being injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Aldershot"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Report: One taken to hospital after explosion in Raleigh County","document":"RALEIGH COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — West Virginia fire marshals said investigators responded Sunday evening to an explosion in Raleigh County.\nWVVA reported that a natural gas leak caused an explosion at Judy’s lottery parlor on Route 119. The Beaver Volunteer Fire Department said there was a natural gas leak in a sewer line.\nThe TV station said one person was taken to the hospital.\nThe Beaver VFD said later that businesses in the area of the Plaza Strip Mall were allowed to reopen later in the day.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["one person was taken to the hospital"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Raleigh County","Judy’s lottery parlor on Route 119"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Lagos Government Resorts To Bribing Baruwa Gas Explosion Victims With N150,000 Over Fear Of N1.5billion Litigation","document":"He told SaharaReporters that the government has decided to bribe the victims who are at least 30 in number, with the sum of N150, 000 each without consulting the appropriate legal quarters.\nThe solicitor for the victims of October 8th, 2020 Baruwa gas explosion in Lagos, Akeem Fadun, has said the the state government is not ready to pay the N50 million demanded as compensation for each of the victims of the explosion.\nHe told SaharaReporters that the government has decided to bribe the victims who are at least 30 in number, with the sum of N150, 000 each without consulting the appropriate legal quarters.\nLagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu\n\"We're asking for N50 million each for the people that lost their lives. They now set up tent to bribe them with N150,000 each instead of approaching us for settlement,\" he said\nAfter complaining to the government about the impending risk the gas plant posed to them, the community residents had received a notification asking them to swear an affidavit to bear the cost of the removal of the plant before the gas explosion occurred.\nSee Also\nPolitics\nLagos Community Sues Government For Negligence, Demands N4 Billion Compensation For Victims Of Explosion\n0 Comments\n5 Months Ago\nAccording to reports, the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development had previously requested the community to pay a total sum of N749,500 to the government before the removal of the gas plant could take place.\nOn behalf of the ministry, Ajayi B.A.A ADTPS (TSD) wrote, \"I am directed to acknowledge your letter dated 5th of February, 2018 on the above subject matter and to inform that the subject matter is receiving the necessary attention.\n\"In response to to the letter, the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development on 15th March, 2018 acknowledged the letter but stated that residents had to pay before the ministry could effect the removal.\n\"However, you are to swear to an affidavit to bear the cost of removal if approval is granted.i. Six hundred and eighty thousand, five hundred naira only (N680,500) is payable to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban development. ii. Sixty-eight thousand, nine hundred naira only (N68,900) is payable to the Lagos State Government.\"\nView the discussion thread.\nSaharaReporters.com is an outstanding, groundbreaking news website that encourages citizen journalists to report ongoing corruption and government malfeasance in Africa. Using photos, text, and video dynamically, the site informs and prompts concerned African citizens and activists globally to act, denouncing officially-sanctioned corruption, the material impoverishment of its citizenry, defilement of the environment, and the callous disregard of the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":["N4 Billion"]},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["at least 30 in number"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Baruwa"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Plano house explosion that left 6 injured likely caused by gas leak, investigators say","document":"At least six people were hospitalized after a reported explosion at a Plano home on Monday afternoon.\nPLANO, Texas - Editor's Note: Tuesday 7/20 updates can be read here\nAn explosion that left six people hurt in a Plano neighborhood was likely caused by a gas leak.\nOn Tuesday morning, investigators with Plano Fire-Rescue returned to the site of the blast in the 4400 block of Cleveland Drive, located off Park Boulevard between Ohio Drive and Coit Road.\nThey determined the probable cause of Monday afternoon’s explosion was an isolated gas leak inside the home.\nThe force of the blast left the home in a flattened pile of wood and debris. The two houses on either side also have major damage and are uninhabitable.\nThe explosion was recorded by a doorbell security camera on a house across the street.\nOne person was inside the home and had to be pulled from the rubble and taken to the hospital. \nFive other people including three children were also hurt. They were all in a house next door.\nPolice have not given an update on their conditions but a neighbor told FOX 4 she saw the kids walking unassisted and climbing into an ambulance.\nAn explosion left several people hurt in a Plano neighborhood. Investigators returned to the scene Tuesday morning trying to figure out why the house blew up.\nNeighbors also said the blast happened during a thunderstorm. They saw a flash and heard a loud-shaking boom.\n\"I just happened to be looking out my window right as it happened and it was a big flash of bright light,\" said Taylor Reddick, who lives nearby. \"It had been lightninging a lot already, and I just saw a huge black smoke go up and debris go flying in the air. It all happened very fast.\"\nThe impact of the explosion was felt by people living a mile away. Many who walked to the scene were in disbelief.\nNeighbors said they can only imagine what it was like for the one person inside the home at the center of the explosion.\n\"It felt like a bomb going off. The whole house rumbled. Some of our ceiling kind of rattled and what not and there was dust and everything that kind of fell. It was pretty serious,\" Reddick said.\n\"We felt a huge just rumbling in the house and we thought it was just the storm going over us,\" added Holly Cortez, who lives nearby. \"You know, just praying for everyone involved. It’s very scary.\"\nInvestigators from Plano Fire-Rescue, Atmos, Oncor and the Plano Police Bomb Squad all came out to the scene. They found no evidence of hazardous materials or foul play.\nAdvertisement\nThey will continue investigating to determine if the storm played any role in the explosion and where the gas leak was located within the home.         ","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["the home in a flattened pile of wood and debris","two houses on either side also have major damage"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["At least six people were hospitalized"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday afternoon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Plano home"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Plano Fire-Rescue"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Rosenbauer To Exhibit At REAS 2021 In Brescia","document":"After the Civil Protect in September, Rosenbauer Italia will also present an extensive selection of Rosenbauer products at REAS 2021 from October 8 to 10. As an absolute highlight, the RT Revolutionary Technology can be experienced at the booth (No. C10-D9 in Hall 1).The Rosenbauer team is looking forward to the visit!\nEnforcer Pumper - Roseville Fire Department, CA\nCMC Pro Tip On How To Pass A Knot On Lower Through The Clutch Using An AZTEK\nSusanville Fire Department's Enforcer™ Ascendant® 107’ Heavy-Duty Aerial Ladder\nThere is a lot of studies and authority actions to have better responses after a natural disaster, including risk management, awareness, and preparedness especially in areas where there is a higher probability or risk of a disaster occurring.\nLack of risk management policies\nThere are countries around the world with strong policies and high investment in risk management, nevertheless, fire protection of buildings, critical infrastructure, industrial sites, and key parts of the supply chain of food and medicine is often overlooked when the authorities shape these risks management policies and plans.\nThere are several documented cases around the world of large fires starting immediately after a major earthquake, for example following the Great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 the city burned for three days.\nFire cases after a natural disaster\nIn 1989, four buildings were destroyed by a fire caused by a ruptured gas line due to the Loma Prieta Earthquake. In this event, the hydrant systems failed to impair the ability of fire brigades to control the fires.\nIn Japan, after the earthquake in April of 2011, a fire destroyed the Ichihara Oil Refinery and was controlled after 10 days, putting the communities around at risk and releasing toxic smoke into the air during all that time. The Fukushima area and the Daiichi Sankyo Onahama gas plant suffered dangerous fires as well.\nRecently, after the hurricane, Ida's six homes were burned in the community of Barataria in Louisiana, United States. I considered this a notable case because the fire brigades couldn’t reach the area. After all, the bridge that connected the main road to this community was affected by the water floods.\nFire Risks in Buildings after a Natural Disaster\nUsually, we link these risks to wildfires, but there is a high possibility that structural fires occur due to ruptured gas lines, arcing electrical wires, or even unattended candles that can be potential sources of ignition and destroy buildings, affect industrial sites or critical infrastructure and have adverse effects to the communities around, already highly affected by the disaster itself.\nEarthquakes, flooding, and landslides might block access to fire brigades impairing the ability to respond to these fires\nEarthquakes, flooding, and landslides might block access to fire brigades and affect water supplies impairing the ability of a city to respond to these fires increasing the risk of these fires propagating to the nearby structures.\nAfter the Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, in 1994 Los Angeles firefighters responded to around 110 earthquake-related fires. Main water pipes ruptured, making the firefighters draft water from swimming pools and limited water tankers available.\nCauses of increased response time\nWhen an earthquake occurs usually extensive structural damages occur, fire-rated constructions might fail to increase the possibility of fires propagating inside the structure. Sprinkler systems can be affected even though most laws and regulations around the world require that sprinkler pipes are designed to withstand the effect of an earthquake.\nAlso, electrical circuits inside a building can fail to cause arcs that might produce ignitions, power outages and broken wiring might affect the operation of fire detection systems as well, which means the time to respond is severely increased.\nFire and rescue emergencies\nExternal conditions like the wind or the presence of certain materials can aid the fire to spread before firefighting brigades arrive, and it is important to consider that after a natural disaster there are several different types of emergencies that fire and rescue departments need to respond to in parallel.\nMost countries around the world have enforced seismic codes over years, following devastating earthquakes like Haiti and Chile in 2010 these codes have been updated but there is a long way to bring the fire protection mentality embedded in risk management and resiliency plans of cities and communities.\nWhat to do?\nRisk management methods need to be developed to identify the most effective measures to increase the resistance capacity\nUsually, fire protection codes and regulations address fires as isolated events occurring inside a structure and they are designed to minimize the spread of fire within the building.\nSome like the sprinkler design and installation guidelines do include seismic protections but risk management methods still need to be developed to identify the most effective measures to increase the resistant capacity of infrastructure.\nThe design of risk management policies and resiliency plans should have a fire protection component with three main objectives:\nLife Safety: Impairment of life safety and loss of incoming lifeline services should not create unacceptable life safety hazards for the continued occupation of a building.\nProperty Damage: Loss of incoming lifeline services should not result in an unacceptable fire growth situation which could rapidly outstrip the ability to contain a fire\nFire Spread: Loss of incoming lifeline services should not result in an unacceptable level of risk of fire spread to adjacent buildings beyond the ability of firefighting.\nInstallation and maintenance fire detection systems\nOne component to this scheme of protection after natural disasters is the use of technology to prevent and detect the risk of fire, following the recommendations of worldwide recognized guidelines such as the NFPA 72, EN54, or ISO 7240 among others, but as I have mentioned before these guidelines address fires as isolated events, the next step should not only include fire protection as an integral part of building codes but to include these measures as an integral part of risk management and resiliency plans.\nNot only installation of fire detection systems should be enforced but in addition, regular maintenance must be highly relevant in the local codes in cities where there are higher risks of natural disasters. Ensuring proper evacuation procedures in place supported by clear messages using a Public Address system with full coverage is an important measure as well.\nfire protection measures\nFire-resistant designs aim to limit the impact of the fire and maintain a significant level of functionality\nAdditional technologies like seismic shut-off valves to cut gas and flammable liquids and prevent fires due to leaks in ruptured pipes should be implemented in these contexts in addition to the existing fire protection measures.\nBuilding codes have a strong focus on fire-rated construction and the use of fire stoppings on all vertical and horizontal openings, but when the structure fails there is the possibility of this protection failing as well. Fire-resistant designs aim to limit the impact of the fire and maintain a significant level of functionality afterward.\nRisk management plans\nIn cities with higher risks of natural disasters such as earthquakes, urban zoning should be considered when construction licenses for industrial sites and chemical plants are issued and the location of these types of buildings is being planned.\nAlso, authorities should maintain constant communication and collaboration with the managers of these facilities to include their emergency plans into the general risk management plans of the city. Fire load management is key in these environments.\nEvaluating codes for urban planning\nAs I mentioned before, water supply for fire brigades and water access can be impaired when a natural disaster occurs, this means not only the sprinkler system should be functional after the event but also larger water reservoirs than the regularly prescribed by existing laws should be available in places such as industrial or chemical plants.\nDetailed data and documentation of the most probable causes for ignition after an earthquake should be systematically documented to provide authorities information for urban planning and evaluation of existing codes and risk management plans.\nTrends for the Future\nIoT and cloud-based services for fire protection equipment open possibilities to address the challenges of fire protection\nThe adoption of the internet of things and cloud-based services for fire protection equipment opens a world of possibilities to address the challenges of fire protection linked to structure design and response to natural disasters. In the future, we could have IoT-enabled smoke detectors that allow systems to provide indoor geolocation and intelligent evacuation.\nRight now, there are companies implementing integration between earthquake detection and fire alarm panels, this could potentially lead to protection schemes seamlessly integrated.\nCreating a database\nAuthorities can use data of the existing facilities in a city, like high rise buildings, industrial sites, chemical plants, transportation and critical infrastructure, warehouses, food and medicine supply chain, hospitals among others to create real-time fire risk maps, collaborate with the managers of these facilities and create a database for fire departments and risk management plans.\nCloud-based technologies could allow real-time data fed to these plans to analyze the behavior of people and structures during and after a disaster, and ultimately design smarter and safer buildings and cities.\nIt is the legal duty of the responsible person in any building to make the evacuation of disabled people equal to that for able-bodied people, as Anthony Smith, Managing Director of Vox Ignis, explains. When the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was first introduced in 1995, it gave disabled people long overdue access to goods and services, education, employment, transport and accommodation. This was, subsequently, incorporated into the Equality Act in 2010.\nEvacuation of mobility impaired people\nSadly, despite its many benefits in access to goods and services, one area the act failed to address was the evacuation of mobility impaired people, in the event of an incident, leading to the Government and Disability Rights Commission to publish a guide of supplementary information for the fire risk assessment for Disabled People in 2007.\nThe guide highlighted that the Fire and Rescue Service’s role in fire evacuation is that of ensuring that the means of escape, in case of fire and associated fire safety measures provided for all people, who may be in a building, are both adequate and reasonable, taking into account the circumstances of each particular case.\nFire risk assessment of buildings\nIt is the responsibility of the person(s) having the responsibility for the building, to provide a fire safety risk assessment\nUnder current fire safety legislation, it is the responsibility of the person(s) having the responsibility for the building, to provide a fire safety risk assessment that includes an emergency evacuation plan for all people likely to be in the premises, including disabled people and how that plan will be implemented.\nAs a member of BSI FSH/12/5, which covers Voice Alarm and Emergency Voice Communication Systems, and as Managing Director of Vox Ignis, a manufacturer of disabled refuge and fire telephone systems, Anthony Smith has long lobbied for the amending of BS9991 and Building regulations approved document B1, to make it compulsory for dwellings above one floor to have disabled refuge areas, with an Emergency Voice Communications System (EVCS), as commercial buildings, ensuring residents can communicate with building management, in the event of an incident, such as fire.\nAs a member of BSI FSH/12/5, Anthony Smith has long lobbied for the amending of BS9991\nClear and secure communications vital in emergencies\nIn such emergencies, it is vital that communication is clear, secure, monitored and maintained. These systems can be the difference between life and death.\nIn the wake of the Grenfell disaster, many in the industry, including Anthony Smith, believed it would only be a matter of time until such critical amends were made. However, four years on, it looks as though the industry, fire services and general public may finally be seeing their persistent rallying result in action, transforming this outdated mandate.\nImportance of refuge areas in buildings\nLifts, escalators and platform lifts may have transformed the way that people with mobility issues access buildings\nWhile responsible building owners and there are some out there, are already establishing refuge areas in dwelling houses, the revision of BS9991 in the next year, could finally spell the end of such crucial health and safety measures being optional, and make it a requirement for residential buildings, but it will take a change to the Building Regulations Approved Document B1 to change the law.\nLifts, escalators and platform lifts may have transformed the way that people with mobility issues access buildings. However, more often than not, they are completely redundant in an emergency, which is why refuge areas hold the key to ensuring the safe and orderly evacuation of people from buildings, in the event of a crisis.\nKey role in promoting disabled refuge areas\nHere at Vox Ignis, we’ve witnessed this first hand. Working with property developers across the globe, we’ve helped establish disabled refuge areas, in a wide range of developments, from skyscrapers to hotels and high-rise residential towers, and are starting to be involved in projects in this country with residential towers, notably in Croydon.\nAlthough, in both of those instances, the client wasn’t bound by law to include EVCS for the disabled refuge areas in their developments, it goes to show that many forward-thinking and responsible developers are already embracing the latest in evacuation and fire safety technology, however, as an industry and as a nation, we can ill afford to rest on our laurels.\nOf the 72 people who died in the tragic Grenfell fire disaster, more than half of the casualties were adults with limited mobility or children, according to evidence shared in the latest phase of the inquiry, and we can only hope that, if the proposed revisions to BS9991 are approved, and Approved Document B1 is amended, we can finally put the relevant measures in place, in order to make high-rise residential buildings safer for all, once and for all.\nThe UK’s electric bus fleet is set to become the largest in Europe by 2024, with numbers projected to grow by almost 180%.\nRisks associated with fire safety\nThe primary technology fuelling our electric buses is the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, and, although much more sustainable, these batteries are bringing about fresh fire safety risks to the transport sector. If they become damaged in any way – through overcharging, mechanical failure, physical impact, or overvoltage, for example – the fire safety consequences can be severe.\nTraditional suppression systems, designed for combustion engines, will only go so far in effectively preventing fire risks for electric buses and coaches.  James Mountain, sales and marketing director, Fire Shield Systems, discusses the unique fire risks associated with EV bus fleets, and explores the practical steps managers, operators and OEMs can take to mitigate these.\nThe rising risk\nMajor cities like London, Coventry, and Oxford are pioneering the way for electric bus adoption. However, many cities across the UK are setting out clear measures through low-emission zones to improve public health and reduce air pollution, which is impacting the use of HGVs, buses, taxis, and private cars.\nThe ZEBRA scheme is making up to £120 million available to cities, which will deliver up to 500 zero-emission buses\nThe Zero-Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme is making up to £120 million available to cities, which will deliver up to 500 zero-emission buses. This supports the UK government’s wider pledge to introduce 4,000 zero-emission buses.\nAs the number of EV buses across the UK – supported by these government-backed schemes – is set to continue to grow exponentially over the next few years, we must be thinking about the implications of these vehicles on traditional fire safety measures.\nLi-ion batteries: A unique challenge\nMost commonly powered by li-ion batteries, EV buses and coaches are largely considered as a safe and sustainable alternative to traditional combustion engine vehicles. However, Li-ion batteries carry their safety risks, which – if not addressed carefully – can lead to much more severe risks for bus fleets and passengers.\nIf these batteries are exposed to high temperatures, overcharging, and mechanical failure or subject to physical impact, they can be caused by to internally short circuit. In turn, the battery then produces excess heat, triggering a chemical reaction within its cells. This is referred to as ‘thermal runaway’, a state where excess heat in a battery produces more heat, leading to ignition, carbon monoxide, and other toxic gas emissions, and, in some scenarios, large explosions.\nElectric battery fires\nAlthough electric battery fires are much less common, when they do occur, they can be highly dangerous\nWhen in thermal runaway, a battery can produce its source of oxygen from within its cells. This propels flames and makes traditional fire suppression methods less effective.\nAlthough electric battery fires are much less common than traditional combustion engine fires, when they do occur, they can be highly dangerous. For example, there have been several fires in Germany and China this year, which have led to multiple electric buses being destroyed while charging.\nMitigating the risk\nOEMs and bus operators can take several practical steps to manage the fire risks associated with electric fleets. These include:\n1) Charging\nLeaving buses to charge overnight brings about significant fire risks, as small battery components are building up and storing large amounts of energy. To minimize risk, OEMs and bus operators should put measures in place to monitor charging stations at all times while in use, and ensure fully-charged buses are immediately disconnected from charging points.\n2) Storage\nAdditional risk assessments are also necessary for EV bus storage and parking locations. This includes evaluating proximity to other vehicles and combustible materials, increasing space where possible.\nAs thermal runaway can sometimes take a period to take hold from the initial battery damage, impact from the operating day can sometimes only initiate thermal runaway as the bus is stored overnight. As such, parking and storage areas should be monitored continuously to address and mitigate any risks as soon as they arise.\n3) Suppression\nAs they pose unique fire risks, traditional fire suppression systems and techniques will only go so far as to prevent li-ion battery fires. Therefore effective protection requires a unique solution…\nNeed for a new suppression solution\nThe main goal for an electric bus suppression system should be to prevent thermal runaway\nThe main goal for an electric bus suppression system should be to prevent thermal runaway. In some situations, where this isn’t possible, the system should act to delay propagation, allowing ample time for passengers and drivers to evacuate, and the risk to be safely contained.\nFollowing extensive testing and research, Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection and RISE (Research Institute of Sweden), as part of an EU-funded initiative, have developed a new suppression solution that directly addresses the unique fire risks associated with electric vehicles.\nEarly warning system offerings\nWhile creating the new battery suppression system (Li-IonFireTM), the project partners explored all of the fire risks associated with battery spaces, including specific risks around charging, and processes for handling EVs and their batteries after impact, such as a crash.\nThis research revealed how, even with late deployment, the system can delay a battery from reaching thermal runaway, making the possibility of safe evacuation very high. The new suppression solution offers an early warning system, aided by spot cooling, to prevent thermal runaway from occurring, while containing and suppressing fire.\nA safer future for the UK’s electric buses\nAs the adoption of electric buses and coaches grows throughout the UK and beyond, ensuring fire safety measures keep pace is crucial in protecting lives, property, infrastructure, vehicles, and other valuable assets.\nStandards are slowly following change, but OEMs, vehicle maintenance teams, and operators all have a key role to play in ensuring the risks are managed effectively.\nCarbon Monoxide: Creeping Killer Caught In The Act\nFirefighters And Asbestos Exposure\nFlame-Resistant Fibers Combine Protection and Comfort for Firefighters\nOvercoming the Challenges of Fire Safety in the Paper Industry\nNittan Exhibited At The Fire Safety Event 2021\nFire Door Safety Week: COVID-19 And The Rise Of ‘Wedging Fire Doors Open’\nNFPA To Host Keeping Hazardous Environments Safe Conference, A Full-day Online Program Focused On Industrial, Chemical, And Emerging Tech Topics","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["four buildings were destroyed"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1989"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Loma Prieta"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Community remembers 70th an­niversary of Brighton gas line ex­plo­sions","document":"0 BRIGHTON, N.Y. — Tuesday marks 70 years since a gas line explosion rocked the Brighton area.\nIt was Sept. 21, 1951 when a house exploded in the 12 Corners area. It wasn't the last. Over the course of three hours, subsequent explosions and fires destroyed fifteen homes in all. Three people died.\nOfficials in Brighton remembering a string of house explosions that happened 70 years ago in the 12 Corners neighborhood. Three people died and dozens more were hurt after over pressurized gas lines exploded and set multiple houses on fire. #Roc @Brightonfd @SPECNews1ROC pic.twitter.com/MEDeQVifG4\nTown historian Mary Jo Lanphear says the sudden chaos of the day compares to a more recent tragedy.\n\"This event back in 1951 was just as awful to the people who lived here in this town then as 9/11 was to us when it happened 20 years ago,” Lanphear said. “That destruction coming out from nowhere was just unthinkable.\"\nLanphear says more documentation and pictures about that day are available at Brighton Town Hall.\nThe Salvation Army uses the donations to help people locally.\nIt's a great time to lace up and find your glide and enjoy the open ice with family and friends.\nThe sale begins Veterans Day and continues through Saturday.\nIt also simulates the challenges of everyday life, like crossing the street.\nSpecial Touch Bakery provides employment to people of all abilities.\nSix facilities are closing across the state, the latest in a line of prison facilities to be shuttered by New York in the last 10 years.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["destroyed fifteen homes"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Three people died","dozens more were hurt"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 21, 1951"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Brighton area"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Seven hurt in Willesborough house explosion","document":"Seven people have been injured after an explosion left residents trapped in a row of terraced houses.\nThe front of a property in Mill View, Willesborough, Kent, was totally destroyed in the blast, which started a fire on the street at 08:00 BST.\nTwo people were taken to hospital to London with serious injuries, South East Coast Ambulance Service said.\nFive others were taken to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford with injuries thought to be less serious.\nKent Police said \"a number of people\" were trapped in the rubble and rescued, but all residents are now accounted for.\nThe blaze is now under control, and the operation has been scaled back. Fire crews are working to extinguish any remaining hotspots and make the scene safe.\nThe cause of the fire is yet to be established but it is not being treated as suspicious.\nChantel Weller, from Osborne Road, adjacent to the road where the explosion occurred, said: \"We all felt our houses shake along this road. The whole house shook, and it felt like something had blown into the side of it.\n\"It wasn't very loud but it was a strange feeling.\n\"People said they thought it might be a gas explosion, and it looks like the houses have been evacuated\n\"The whole area is cordoned off.\"\nThe Salvation Army set up a centre at a local village hall to provide support to those whose homes were evacuated.\nPeople were advised to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed.\nAt its height, seven fire crews were called to the site, as well two road vehicles from the air ambulance.\nGas engineers were also brought in.\nAn update. pic.twitter.com/ZygUAdEBwd\nFollow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. South East Coast Ambulance Service\nKent Fire and Rescue Service\nKent Police\nHeart of Kent's busiest high street resembles a 'ghost town'\n‘I lost 10st in lockdown after ditching Haribo and biscuits’\nTeenager seeks help in middle of busy Tonbridge Road after gang make knife threats during attempted robbery\n28 new officers in Kent who passed their final exams are ‘Special’\nPub flushed with success following loo award\nNew 50mph speed limit enforced after biker's death\nInformation about BBC links to other news sites\nCrunch time as climate deal talks pass deadline\nDivisions remain over continuing subsidies for fossil fuels and financial help to poorer nations.\nSteve Bannon charged with contempt of Congress\nBritney released from 13-year conservatorship\nBBC's John Simpson in Taliban territory 20 years on. VideoBBC's John Simpson in Taliban territory 20 years on","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["The front of a property"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["Seven people have been injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["08:00 BST"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Mill View, Willesborough, Kent"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":["hospital to London","William Harvey Hospital"]},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"At least seven people were killed and another 50 people were injured after a powerful explosion ripped apart a three-storey building in central Dhaka on Sunday (June 27), Bangladeshi officials said, citing a gas pipeline as the likely cause.","document":"DHAKA (AFP) - At least seven people were killed and another 50 people were injured after a powerful explosion ripped apart a three-storey building in central Dhaka on Sunday (June 27), Bangladeshi officials said, citing a gas pipeline as the likely cause.\nPolice said the explosion was so forceful that it broke the windows of at least four moving buses, injuring dozens of passengers on board.\nDhaka police chief Shafiqur Rahman said at least seven people were killed in the explosion, though the fire service offered a lower death toll of three. Police and fire service officials said 50 people were injured.\n\"Fire service officers are at the scene. They will investigate the reason of the explosion. But primarily we believe methane gas accumulated and concentrated in the pipeline and then exploded in the ground floor,\" Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Syed Nurul Islam told AFP.\nHe ruled out foul play, saying the Bangladeshi capital has witnessed several similar explosions in recent years.\nWitnesses told local media the blast had reduced the building - which houses a restaurant, an electronics shop and several other stores - to rubble.\nBy signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.\nPolice said at least two adjacent buildings were also partially damaged.\n\"At least four of the injured are in critical condition,\" said Samanta Lal Sen, a top doctor at the Sheikh Hasina Burn Hospital, where a dozen of the injured were taken for treatment.\nA police bomb disposal unit rushed to the spot.\n\"We are analysing the nature of the explosion as the ground floor of the building was destroyed,\" unit leader Rahmatullah Chowdhury told The Daily Star.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":["ripped apart a three-storey building","broke the windows of at least four moving buses"]},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["At least seven people were killed","another 50 people were injured"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday (June 27)"]},{"role":"Location","values":["central Dhaka"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":["Police"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"There were 23 work-related deaths reported in the first half of 2021 compared with 16 recorded in the same period last year.","document":"There were 23 work-related deaths reported in the first half of 2021 compared with 16 recorded in the same period last year.\nMost recently, an explosion at the Tuas Incineration Plant on Thursday (Sept 23) left one man dead and injured two others.\nThe three Singaporean workers were performing maintenance work inside the electrical switchroom when the explosion occurred, said a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman.\nAbout 80 people evacuated from the premises. The cause of the fire is being investigated.\nAn electrical switchroom on the first storey was found to be smoke-logged, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). It noted that the fire involved a chimney fan switch in the electrical switchroom.\nThe incident, which took place in Tuas Avenue 20 at 3.15pm, adds to a growing list of deadly industrial accidents this year. Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad had previously referred to them as a \"very alarming trend\".\nA 25-year-old Bangladeshi worker fell 40m to his death at the building site of an upcoming warehouse - roughly equivalent to falling from the 14th floor of a housing block.\nHe was working on the building of a stairwell at the site and was crossing the gap between its walls when a structure used to bridge the gap gave way, said MOM.\nThe authorities are investigating but no foul play is suspected, the police said.\nA supervisor and another worker died after they entered a ship's ballast tank and collapsed in the confined space, likely due to lack of sufficient oxygen in the tank.\nThe supervisor, 31, had entered the tank without wearing appropriate protective gear or checking if it was safe. Some time after he collapsed, a second worker, 37, went in to help him, but also passed out.\nA third worker, 39, also collapsed after attempting to help the pair, but the man was rescued in time.\nThe Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council reminded workers not to open manholes of confined spaces without proper authorisation and to avoid attempting a rescue without proper protective equipment.\nThe council urged that at least one worker inside a confined space be equipped with a portable gas monitor to ensure sufficient ventilation.\nA 23-year-old Singaporean mover plunged seven storeys to his death after he fell backwards from a ladder over a parapet wall at a 10th-floor condominium unit.\nHe was moving and disposing of furniture and electrical appliances at said unit, at 5 Rodyk Street in River Valley.\nA Bangladeshi worker was conducting repair work on top of a lift carriage when it ascended and trapped him against the lift's guide rail structure in a building in North Bridge Road.\nIt took SCDF roughly six hours to extricate the man who was stuck between the lift carriage and the metal support structure of the lift shaft. The rescue team operated a slew of rescue equipment within the tight confines of the lift shaft.\nThe man was pronounced dead at the scene.\nIt was one of 11 work-related fatalities in February - the deadliest month with regards to workplace accidents since at least 2018 - leading the WSH Council to call for a safety time-out across the industry in order for necessary control measures to be implemented.\nThree men died from severe burns in 90 per cent of their bodies following an explosion in a Tuas industrial building on Feb 24. Ten other workers suffered burn injuries from the explosion.\nThe blast occurred on the premises of Stars Engrg, a contractor dealing with fire protection systems.\nThe force of the blast blew out the window panels in the building, caused the rear wall of the workshop to collapse, and ripped a large hole in the adjoining wall of the unit.\nThe blast was linked to a mixer machine that was bought from Chinese e-commerce retailer Alibaba in 2019. Leading up to the tragic accident, workers complained about oil leaks, heater damage and small fires in the machine.\nThe explosion damaged the mixer and its oil compartment was ruptured along the welding seams.\nThe three men were later identified as Mr Anisuzzaman MD, 29, Mr Subbaiyan Marimuthu, 38, and Mr Shohel MD, 23. They were remembered in a minute of silence during the opening of a court hearing on Sept 20.\nIn another accident in February, construction firm director Koh Kok Heng fell to his death after he slipped through an opening in the floor of a semi-detached house near Dunearn Road that was undergoing renovation.\nThe 53-year-old permanent resident, who was overseeing construction work at the two-storey house, landed on a staircase nearly 5m below.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["one man dead and injured two others"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday (Sept 23)"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tuas Incineration Plant"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"2016 gas explosion still killing our people — Akwa Ibom community laments","document":"Obotim Nsit community in Nsit Ibom Local government area of Akwa Ibom state has lamented that the effects of the gas pipeline explosion that occurred in 2016 in the community is still killing people and destroying economic trees and livelihoods.\nIt was gathered that the gas pipeline which run through the community from Ukanafun to Calabar, Cross River state, exploded at Asang Community High School in the area, killing more than 28 people and rendered the land unproductive.\n Addressing a media briefing in the community, the village head, Eteidung Iniobong Akpan noted that his people  have been suffering heart attacks while houses are still collapsing as a result of the incident.\nHis words, “Since the gas pipeline explosion we have been having damage after damages. Many houses have collapsed. Water from rains is always black and unfit for  use as a result of the gas emissions which is still in air.\n“Most of our people are suffering from heart attacks. The roof of the Asang Community High School where the incident occurred have been ripped open and since then no conscious effort has been taken to renovate the school.\n“Recently, students writing WAEC exams in the school had to stop writing exams to allow the rain to stop because of the leaking roofs. There is no electricity in our community since then because the Seven Energy company ordered that the transformer be disabled to enable the fire which erupted from the explosion to be put out.\n“We can’t even breath good air because the atmosphere of our community is still polluted. This has led to serious health challenges to the people” \nThe community leader disclosed that it has requested for N7.6billion compensation from the company to enable it clean up the mess and  therefore called on both the state and federal governments to come to the aid of the community.“We are also urging the Akwa Ibom and federal government to intercede so that we have our lives back” the village head appealed.","event_type":"Gas Explosion","arguments":[{"role":"Compensation","values":null},{"role":"Economic loss","values":null},{"role":"Casualties and Losses","values":["killing more than 28 people"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2016"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Obotim Nsit community in Nsit Ibom"]},{"role":"Attending Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Survivors","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null},{"role":"Accident Investigator","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2011 Tropical storm Arlene, the first of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, forms in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. (Houston Chronicle)","document":"The season’s first named storm, Tropical Storm Arlene, has spun up in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. It currently has 40-mph sustained winds.\nThe storm should come ashore along the Mexico coast sometime Thursday, likely south of Tampico, so it shouldn’t have time to strengthen into a hurricane.\nThe official forecast calls for the storm to reach wind speeds up to 60 mph before landfall. Of course intensity forecasts are challenging to make.\n\nNamed storms form, on average, about once every two years in the Atlantic during the month of June. Last year, of course, Hurricane Alex formed in June and struck Mexico in a similar location. It’s very rare to get such a powerful hurricane in June.\nForecasters believe that after Arlene comes ashore the tropics should be quiet for a week or two.","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":["the southwestern Gulf of Mexico"]},{"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":["Arlene"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["40-mph"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2011 18 children – 15 girls and 3 boys – are killed when lightning strikes a primary school in Masindi in the Western Region of Uganda. (BBC) (Uganda Monitor)","document":"At least 21 people perished on Tuesday evening when lightning struck three locations in different parts of Uganda, leaving a devastating trail. By 10:00pm on Tuesday night, 17 pupils and one student teacher had been pronounced dead by medics at Kiryandongo hospital, some 210km north of Kampala.  They had succumbed to severe burns suffered from the ferocious crash of thunder. The rise of death toll to 21, up from the 18 reported earlier was confirmed Wednesday morning. Dr. Jimmy Eyiiga, the Kiryandongo medical superintendent confirmed this morning that 18 pupils and one teacher from Runyanya Primary School, in Kiryandongo district are now dead. He added that other pupils who were not yet out of danger have been referred to Mulago National Referral hospital, for more specialized medical attention. Dr. Eyiiga however could not readily offer particulars of the referred victims.  Two other deaths have been reported in Eastern Uganda. Daily Monitor’s David Mafabi reports that  lightning struck a village in in Sironko district killing a 58 year old man identified as Hassan Wandulu. Mr Wandulu who had gone to visit a friend, Mr Aramanzan Dongo in Mpogo in Sironko was struck at about 3.00pm during a heavy down pour accompanied by hail stones on Tuesday evening, barely an hour before the Kiryandongo tragedy. Related Stories\nDeath to due lightning strikes then spread to Karamoja region, tucked away in north eastern Uganda, striking a school in Kotido district, killing another pupil instantly. Daily Monitor’s Steven Ariong reports that one pupil died on the spot while another one was left in unconscious during Tuesday lightning that struck some parts of Kotido district at around 4.30pm. The police spokesperson in Karamoja, Mr George Obia identified the victim as Raffle Lotyang who was a primary three pupil at Kotido Army Primary School. The devastation, which is by far the biggest since unseasonal heavy rainstorms descended on the country, formed the highlight of debate on the floor of Parliament yesterday as lawmakers put the government to task to explain what is going on. In the last one week, there have been several incidents of lightning strikes, which have left several people dead and untold damage, 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":["three locations in different parts of Uganda","some parts of Kotido district"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least 21 people","17 pupils and one student teacher"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Tuesday evening","around 4.30pm"]},{"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":"July_2011 Mexican authorities have confirmed 11 deaths from Tropical Storm Arlene. (AP via USA Today)","document":"Posted  | MEXICO CITY (AP)  — Mexican authorities have confirmed 11 deaths from Tropical Storm Arlene and the aftermath of floods, mudslides and overflowing rivers in central Mexico and Gulf Coast states.\n\nA city worker walks in flood waters at the Iztapalapa neighborhood Friday in Mexico City.\n\nA city worker walks in flood waters at the Iztapalapa neighborhood Friday in Mexico City.\nState civil protection officials say five people in Hidalgo, two young children in Mexico state and a rescue worker and woman in Veracruz were killed. Most died after being buried alive in their homes by mudslides or drowning in heavy currents while trying to cross swollen streams.\nThe state officials confirmed the deaths Saturday. They are in addition to two people killed in Tamaulipas on Friday.\nThe Atlantic season's first tropical storm dumped heavy rains for two days since Thursday. Weather reports warned of moderate to heavy rains for the rest of the weekend.","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 Mexico and Gulf Coast states","Hidalgo","Tamaulipas"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["11 deaths","five people","two 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":["Arlene"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2011 Drought fleers located at camps in Mogadishu are struck down by days of killer rain. (BBC)","document":"People who have fled the drought in Somalia to camps near the capital Mogadishu have now been hit by days of heavy rain.\nAid workers say five people, including three children, had died of exposure. A doctor told the BBC that people could not find shelter from the cold rain.  The victims have been displaced by a drought that has devastated large parts of the Horn of Africa.\nSome 10 million people are said to be affected across the region.\nOsman Duflay, a Mogadishu doctor, told the BBC's World Update programme that camp residents were facing \"disaster\".\n\"Especially the under-fives and the pregnant women, they're suffering from malnutrition and communicable disease like the measles, diarrhoea and pneumonia,\" he said.\nEarlier this week Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian affairs co-ordinator for Somalia, told the BBC that the country was close to famine.  \"The next few months are critical,\" he said.\nLast week Somalia's al-Shabab Islamist militia - which has been fighting the Mogadishu government - said it was lifting its ban on foreign aid agencies provided they did not show a \"hidden agenda\". The drought is said to be the worst affecting by the Horn of Africa's in 60 years.\nThe International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is reporting a dramatic rise in malnutrition rates even in the part of Somalia normally considered to be the breadbasket of the country. Somalia, wracked by 20 years of conflict, is worst affected.\nSome 3,000 people flee each day for neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya which are struggling to cope.\nUnited Nations refugee agency\nDisasters Emergency Committee\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":["People who have fled the drought in Somalia","five people","Some 10 million 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":"December_2012 The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Bopha rises over 900 with hundreds still unaccounted for. (AAP via News Limited)","document":"THE death toll from typhoon Bopha in the Philippines has climbed above 900, with hundreds still missing and 149,000 homes destroyed.\nTHE death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year has climbed above 900, with hundreds still missing, the government says.\nTyphoon Bopha killed 902 people mostly on the southern island of Mindanao, where floods and landslides caused major damage in nearly 2000 villages on December 4, the civil defence office said on Thursday.\nA total of 615 people remain missing, it said, a big reduction from the previous tally after rescuers found 296 tuna fishermen who had put to sea before Bopha made landfall.\nThe typhoon, the deadliest natural disaster to hit the Philippines this year, destroyed 149,000 houses.\nAbout 80,000 people remain in government shelters, where they face months in difficult, crowded conditions as relief officials look for safe areas to build permanent shelters.\nFifteen \"stress debriefers\" are at work in the 63 shelters still in operation to help survivors come to terms with the loss of relatives, homes and possessions.\nThe United Nations launched a $US65 million ($A61.86 million) global aid appeal for typhoon victims on Monday, saying more than five million people faced difficult conditions as they seek to rebuild their lives.\nThe death toll from Bopha could top the 1200 people who died last year when Tropical Storm Washi hit Mindanao's north coast.\nOriginally published asPhilippines typhoon death toll tops 900\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","the southern island of Mindanao"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["hundreds still missing","above 900","902 people","A total of 615 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":["Bopha"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 Cyclone Evan heads towards Fiji after causing at least three deaths and widespread damage in Samoa. (ABC Australia via Weatherzone) (TVNZ)","document":".\n\t\t\tMore than 2000 people are sheltering in evacuation centres in Fiji as Cyclone Evan lashes the country's northern islands. Fiji's Meteorological Office says storm force winds could be felt on the main island of Viti Levu by midday.But it says the Yasawa and Mamanuca will feel the worst of the cyclone, with a hurricane warning in force for both island groups.At 0300 local time (1400 GMT) Cyclone Evan was to the north of Vanua Levu, tracking south-westwards.Strong wind warnings are in force for the whole country and an alert for destructive seas has also been issued.Evan is 480 kilometres wide and packing winds of 230 kilometres per hour, making it the strongest cyclone to threaten the country in 20 years.Forecaster Terry Atalifo from Fiji's Meteorological Office, says the main island of Viti Levu will start feeling the worst effects of the category four system on Monday.\"There's a possibility that they could feel storm-force winds as this cyclone tracks south-westwards.\" he said.Authorities are trying to evacuate tourists and residents in low-lying areas.The international airport at Nadi is packed with people who have been evacuated from luxury resorts on outlying islands.But Fijian officials say with most flights already booked or rescheduled, holidaymakers have little chance of getting out before the storm arrives.Resort manager Gordon Leewar says his guests have decided to stay put and wait for the cyclone to pass.\"We have five couples on our property at the moment and they're really happy to stay, we've asked them whether they want to be evacuated but they've said 'no, we want to stay and we hope for the best'\".The Australian and New Zealand Governments say they are closely monitoring the movement of Cyclone Evan.Both countries say that their concern is for the safety of its citizens in Fiji, as well as the welfare of all Fijians.Canberra and Wellington say they are prepared to assist Fiji in all areas and remain on standby.Emergency services in Fiji are preparing for the worst, while Fiji's Navy has urged sea farers not to travel out to sea during disasters.Fijians living in low-lying areas have been urged to move to evacuation centres on higher ground.Fiji's Meteorological Office expects the cyclone to intensify briefly as it moves across the country, before weakening as it leaves Fiji.\"Within the next 24 hours we will see some slight intensification but [after that] we expect the system to weaken as it moves further south into cooler waters.\" Mr Atalifo said.On high alertThere are fears the category four cyclone could strengthen and generate winds of up to 300 kilometres an hour.A gale warning has been issued for Cikobia, Taveuni, Vanua Levu and nearby smaller islands and northern Lau group.A tropical cyclone alert remains in force for Viti Levu, Lomaiviti, Yasawa and Mamanuca group. A strong wind warning remains in force for rest of Fiji.Cyclone Evan is forecast to bring heavy rain, thunderstorms and flooding of low-lying coastal areas.People on the island of Vanua Levu, and the smaller island groups being urged to head to emergency and evacuation centres.Disaster managementFiji's interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has met with officials in Suva to discuss all aspects of disaster management before and after the cyclone.Mr Bainimarama has urged public servants in the northern and western division to remain at home and wait further instructions.\"Because this is the festive season, I ask you to consider cancelling social events and to act responsibly, all of us need a clear mind for what is bearing down on us.\"Only those working in essential services should be at work and they should liaise closely with their departments on this.\"Mr Bainimarama says the goverment is coordinating the provision of emergency supplies, including food and water to areas that are likely to be affected.Serious threatToday's briefing also saw the Fijian prime minister repeat his earlier , stressing the severity of the storm and the threat it posed to the country of 900,000 people.\"It has winds up to 180 kilometres an hour which may intensify, and if the weather forecasters are correct it will affect Fiji in a very damaging way, bringing about destructive winds and flooding,\" he said.\"I cannot stress how serious this is, every Fijian will be affected.\"Fiji's Permanent Secretary for Information, Sharon Smith-Johns, says many people have heeded the message and fled to higher ground.\"There are people that have already taken precautions. They know that they live in flood prone areas and they're moving to higher ground or moving in with relatives, so there is quite a lot of movement around Suva...and in the rural areas.\"EvacuationsMore than 20 evacuation centres have been set up in northern areas of Fiji, with centres also set up in the country's western division.\"We are advising people to move to high ground, those who are living in lower-lying areas,\" Asesela Biuviti of the national disaster management office said.People on the island of Vanua Levu, and the smaller island groups are already heading to emergency centresThe government says troops in all parts of the country are ready to help with recovery assistance and search and rescue operations.Ms Sharon Smith-Johns says the government feared Evan could be as devastating as Cyclone Kina which killed 23 people and left thousands homeless in 1993.\"This is going to be an extremely bad cyclone to hit us and probably the worse that we've seen since Cyclone Kina.\"It will be quite destructive. We've seen what's happened in Samoa and all we can do is be prepared here lucky we've had a week's notice of this,\" she said.\"All the agencies have been deployed, emergency services on standby, evacuation centres are open, rations have gone out.\"Now it's just a matter of continuing to clean up our own backyards and putting cyclone shutters up and waiting.\"Ms Smith-Johns has reiterated government's call for the public to refrain from unnecessary travel.\"Put your safety and your families' safety first and keep listening to the radio before attempting to move around.\" The cyclone appears to have bypassed northern Tonga, where it was expected to bring gale force winds and heavy rain to the country's northern islands.Destruction in Samoa Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has sent a message of sympathy to his Samoan counterpart, Tuilaepa Sailele.The confirmed death toll in Samoa from the cyclone has risen to four, with another eight people missing and feared dead after being swept away when Apia's main river burst its banks.\"We send our special prayers and condolences to those who have lost loved ones in the disaster,\" said Mr Bainimarama.\"Every Fijian has been shocked and saddened by the destruction caused by the cyclone to the homes and lives of ordinary people and Samoa's infrastructure.\"Mr Bainimarama says Fiji is on standby for any assistance. \t\t\t- ABC","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Forecaster Terry Atalifo from Fiji's Meteorological Office"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the main island of Viti Levu","the country's northern islands","Yasawa and Mamanuca"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["More than 2000 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["south-westwards"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["category four system"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Evan"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["230 kilometres per hour"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 Cyclone Evan hits Fiji with winds as high as 230 km/h, amid reports of flooding and structural damage at resorts and private homes. More than 8,000 people spend the storm in emergency shelters, including many foreign tourists. (Reuters) (AAP via SBS)","document":"                                  A boy sits on a table at the Christian Mission Fellowship church, which lost its roof during Tropical Cyclone Evan, in Malomalo December 18, 2012. \nDec 18 (Reuters) - More than 8,000 people, including foreign tourists, were evacuated to emergency shelters as Fiji was battered by a severe tropical cyclone, with winds topping 230kmh (140 mph) and floods damaging homes and resorts.\nThere were no reports of casualties as Tropical Cyclone Evan roared over the Pacific island nation on Monday, uprooting palm trees, tearing roofs off buildings and blowing down power lines.\nA category four storm, the second highest level, when it hit Fiji, Evan had weakened and moved about 160km (100 miles) south of the main island of Viti Levu by Tuesday morning, the Fiji Metrological Service said. The storm was forecast to weaken further as it headed into cooler southern waters.\nCyclone Evan killed at least four people in the islands of Samoa last week before setting its sights on Fiji, which relies on tourism and sugar exports.\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":["Fiji","Malomalo","the Pacific island nation"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["More than 8,000 people"]},{"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":["Evan"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["230kmh (140 mph)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2012 Tropical Storm Isaac forms in the Atlantic Ocean with tropical storm warnings in place for Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St Martin, St Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, Anguilla, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maarten, Culebra and Vieques. (AAP via News Limited)","document":"FORECASTERS say tropical storm Isaac continues to move west toward the Caribbean on a track that could possibly take it toward Florida, where the Republican National Convention is to be held next week.\nThe National Hurricane Center said Isaac had top sustained winds near 64km/h at 11pm EDT on Tuesday (1300 AEST on Wednesday) and was expected to strengthen.\nIt was 628 kilometres east of Guadeloupe and heading west near 29km/h.\nTropical storm warnings were issued on Tuesday for Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands and a swath of islands across the Caribbean including Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St Martin, St Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, Anguilla, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maarten, Culebra and Vieques.\nIt's too soon to gauge the storm's exact path.\nSome computer models forecast Isaac to head toward Cuba and then the US mainland, while others suggest a sharp northern turn in coming days near Puerto Rico before entering the open Atlantic.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["FORECASTERS","The National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands and a swath of islands across the Caribbean including Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St Martin, St Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, Anguilla, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maarten, Culebra and Vieques","Florida"]},{"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":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["near 29km/h"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Isaac"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["64km/h"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2012 Typhoon Tembin makes landfall on Taiwan. (AP via Yahoo! News)","document":"TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A powerful typhoon made landfall in southern Taiwan before dawn Friday, toppling trees and dumping torrential rain that flooded farmlands before roaring out to sea.\nNo casualties from Typhoon Tembin were immediately reported. Authorities had taken precautions, evacuating more than 3,000 people from mountainous, landslide-prone areas of Taiwan a day ahead of the storm.\nThe Central Weather Bureau said Tembin landed in coastal Pingtung County at 5 a.m. (2100 GMT), packing winds of 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour, before blowing out to the Taiwan Strait 2 1/2 hours later.\nMindful of a devastating typhoon three years ago that took 700 lives, Taiwan's military readied thousands of soldiers equipped with rubber boats and amphibious vehicles to help with relief efforts in areas impacted by Tembin's fury.\nAuthorities also ordered workers home in the eastern city of Hualien, where all flights were canceled. Schools were closed in several areas in the southeast.\nFarmers urgently harvested crops ahead of the storm's arrival, and many homes and businesses in eastern Taiwan boarded up their windows. Outdoor events to mark a special Taiwanese Valentine's Day on Thursday were canceled.\nAnother typhoon may threaten southern Japan over the weekend. Typhoon Bolaven has winds of 144 kph (89 mph) and may intensify, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The current forecast has the typhoon affecting southern islands, including Okinawa, on Sunday.\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 Taiwan","coastal Pingtung County"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["more than 3,000 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["before dawn Friday","at 5 a.m. (2100 GMT)"]},{"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":["Tembin"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2012 Typhoon Bolaven moves past the Japanese island of Okinawa en route to the Korean Peninsula. (BBC)","document":"A powerful typhoon has moved past the Japanese island of Okinawa, causing blackouts and forcing thousands of residents indoors.\nTyphoon Bolaven is forecast to be moving towards the Korean Peninsula and is likely to move west of Seoul.\nAt least four people were injured, but reported wind speeds on Okinawa and nearby Amami were lower than forecast.\nAbout 57,000 people on the islands were left without power, Japanese media reported.\nResidents had been told to stay at home and protect themselves against the strong winds and heavy rain.\nForecasters had predicted slow-moving Typhoon Bolaven could be the strongest storm to hit the area in over 50 years.\nPublic broadcaster NHK said gusts could overturn cars, while waves around the island could reach 12m (40ft).\nJapan's meteorological agency estimated wind speeds near the storm's centre at around 180km/h (112 mph), with extremely strong gusts reaching 252 km/h.\nBut NHK reported early Monday morning that the strongest gusts measured on the islands - on Amami, north of Okinawa - reached just 140km/h, according to the AP news agency.\n\"The winds weren't as strong as expected. We're glad there's no major damage so far,\" crisis management official Yoshimitsu Matsusaki was quoted as saying by AP.\nThe storm was expected to dump up to 350mm (20in) of rain on Okinawa and 250mm on Amami, NHK reported.\nAll domestic and international flights out of the island's Naha Airport have been cancelled.\nSome 200 households are already without electricity, and hundreds of people have taken shelter in public buildings on the island.\nHannah Bryan, who is visiting her sister in Okinawa from Britain, told the BBC that she and several others would try to weather the storm in her sister's house.\n\"We are planning on putting lots of duvets in the middle of the living room and staying together, away from the windows,\" she said\n\"It is really windy at the moment and it is getting stronger and stronger. The trees are bending outside.\"\nBritish tourist Paul Graham, whose flight out of Okinawa has been cancelled, said the streets in Naha were deserted.\n\"It is quite stormy at the moment, very windy and very wet. There is a canal nearby here, and there is concern about its levels in this weather,\" he told the BBC.\nTyphoon Bolaven comes just after Typhoon Temblin, which has caused widespread damage in Taiwan.\nThe latest typhoon is the 15th destructive storm of the season in East Asia. Tropical storm dumps rain on Cuba","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":["Japanese island of Okinawa","Korean Peninsula","west of Seoul"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least four people","About 57,000 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":["Bolaven"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["around 180km/h (112 mph)","252 km/h"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2012 Four people are injured and 85,000 households lose power as Sanba moves across Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures. (Kyodo News via Mainichi Shimbun)","document":"FUKUOKA (Kyodo) -- A powerful typhoon injured at least four people and caused blackouts to around 85,000 households in Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures Sunday, local authorities said.\nIn Okinawa, a 46-year-old man in Nago was hit by a board blown by strong wind, while 62,800 households were temporarily blacked out. As of 8 a.m., some 460 people had evacuated to public facilities to escape flooding, according to the authorities.\nBlackouts also affected around 22,200 households in four remote islands of Kagoshima Prefecture. In the town of Yoron, an evacuation advisory was issued to all 2,454 households.\nThe season's 16th typhoon, Sanba, with an atmospheric pressure of 925 hectopascals, was located at around 140 kilometers west-southwest of Amami-Oshima Island as of noon, and was moving northward at a speed of 25 km per hour, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.\nIt is likely that the typhoon will bring about extremely heavy rains in western Japan and the Tokai region centering on Nagoya through Monday, according to the agency.","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":["at least four people","a 46-year-old man","some 460 people"]},{"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":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["25 km per hour"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Sanba"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2015 At least six people die and dozens injured as major storms, packed with tornadoes, move through the American South and Midwest. Three people died when a tornado hit northern Mississippi, one was killed in Arkansas and two more in Tennessee. Officials continue  searching into the night for the missing. (CNN) (AP via The Washington Post) (Weather.com) (Reuters)","document":"(Reuters) - Southern U.S. states began digging out on Thursday after severe storms killed at least 11 people, and Mississippi declared a state of emergency in areas pounded by tornadoes.\nEmotional Mississippi governor confirms tornado casualties\n\nWith about 100 million Americans expected to travel over the Christmas holiday, the National Weather Service forecast isolated severe thunderstorms from the mid-Atlantic region to the Gulf Coast and record warmth in New York.\nThe storm system packed high winds and triggered more than 20 tornadoes in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Michigan on Wednesday, authorities said.\nA large tornado tore a 100-mile (160-km) path through northern Mississippi, demolishing or heavily damaging more than 100 homes and other buildings before plowing into western Tennessee, authorities said.\nMississippi Governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in areas affected by the storm, saying 14 tornadoes had touched down in the state. Bryant said seven people were killed and one person was missing.\n“Everybody is pulling together here in Mississippi today to help respond to this disaster,” Bryant said on CNN.\nHe said shelters had been set up and the full extent of the damage would not be known for several days. Mississippi authorities said some 40 people were injured and a 7-year-old boy was among those killed.\nThree people died in Tennessee and an 18-year-old woman was killed in Arkansas when a tree crashed into her house, authorities said.\nThirteen counties in Tennessee suffered severe damage, with a post office destroyed and a state highway washed out.\nEmergency crews in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee were searching for several people reported missing. Scores were injured in the region.\nA rare tornado touched down in Canton, Michigan, and about 15,000 homes in the state and neighboring Wisconsin were without electricity. The weather service issued a gale force wind warning for Lake Michigan, where waves could reach 15 feet (4.6 meters).\nAbout 500 flights were delayed or canceled at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport as the area was hit by a thunderstorm.\nMeanwhile, much of the northeast enjoyed balmy weather on Thursday, including New York, which surpassed its record for the warmest Christmas Eve reaching 71 degrees Fahrenheit (22 C).\nCold and snow were forecast on Christmas Day for the U.S. Northwest, including temperatures in the teens in Montana and snow likely in Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Nevada.\nOf the 100 million Americans traveling over the holiday, 91 million will use cars, according to the American Automobile Association.\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":["Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Michigan"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 11 people","seven people","one person"]},{"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":"December_2015 At least six people die and dozens injured as major storms, packed with tornadoes, move through the American South and Midwest. Three people died when a tornado hit northern Mississippi, one was killed in Arkansas and two more in Tennessee. Officials continue  searching into the night for the missing. (CNN) (AP via The Washington Post) (Weather.com) (Reuters)","document":"\nTornadoes and severe storms slammed parts of the South and Midwest on Wednesday leaving at least 14 dead—including a 7-year-old boy in Mississippi—injuring at least 40 others and leaving a trail of damage across the country. \n\nOn Thursday, heavy rain flooded parts of Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina causing mudslides, multiple road closures. It also shut down two stations on Atlanta's public rail system.\nOfficials in Mississippi have confirmed that four people were killed Wednesday evening in Benton County and two more in Marshall County and another in Tippah county in connection with the severe weather that swept through the area. One is still missing in Benton.\nHolly Springs coroner James Anderson told The Weather Channel that a 7-year-old boy was found dead in a van on Highway 7 outside Holly Springs in Marshall County. The boy's family was taken in unknown condition to a nearby hospital. Anderson didn't release any preliminary cause of death, but did confirm it was related to the severe weather in the area.\nThe three other deaths in Benton County were confirmed by the emergency management director for Benton County. The vicitms have not been identified, but Benton County Coroner Shane Ward said the dead are two men and one woman, all approximately in their 60s.\nAt least 40 people across six Mississippi counties were injured in severe storms, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.\nOne person—an 18-year-old woman—died in Arkansas. The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed 6 fatalities on Wednesday evening in Tennessee. A 70-year-old male and 69-year-old female were killed in Perry County while a 19-year-old female, a 22-year-old male, and another 22-year-old male died in Maury County. Another 22-year-old male was killed when storms hit Rhea County.\nThe preliminary estimated tornado count for Wednesday is at least 20, according to Dr. Greg Forbes, a severe weather expert at The Weather Channel. The greatest concentration of damage is in northern Mississippi and southern Tennessee.\nHere's a look at the other problems that have been caused by these storms so far.\nMississippi Governor Phil Bryant has declared a state of emergency for seven counties after deadly tornado outbreak Wednesday evening. \nThe National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down near Clarksdale, a town of 17,000 in Coahoma County in northwest Mississippi. A preliminary damage survey team has assigned at least an EF-3 rating for the tornado. \n\"I could see it coming,\" Clarksdale resident Michael Johnson told WREG. \"I was already outside, I could hear the sirens down from town — sounds like Learjets. Sounds like about 10 Learjets taking off.\"\nJohnson grabbed his brother-in-law and 8-year-old niece -- and even a family he never met driving down the road -- and they all took cover at his parents' home on Highway 322 as the tornado hit. \n\"The roof came off,\" Johnson told WREG. \"I was holding my dogs, and it was picking me off the floor. I am lucky to be alive. I get to see my kids.\"\nJohnson is alive, but his parents' home can't be saved. The roof caved in, and debris is everywhere. Even the Christmas tree was crushed.\nThe National Weather Service received reports that at least 15 homes just south of Clarksdale were severely damaged or destroyed. Clarksdale Mayor Bill Luckett told the Associated Press the only confirmed casualty was a dog killed by storm debris, but as many as 20 homes and a local airport were hit.\n\"I'm looking at some horrific damage right now,\" the mayor said. \"Sheet metal is wrapped around trees, there are overturned airplanes, a building is just destroyed.\"\nAt least two injuries were confirmed in Panola County, and the Sardis Fire Department reported several homes with major damage just north of town.\nAccording to the Benton County sheriff's dispatch, there was widespread damage, power outages, trees down and reports of people trapped in homes on Hamilton Road and Minor Bridge Road in Ashland. Dozens have been reported injured in Benton County. Mississippi Highway 5 is closed.\nIn Marshall County, where the 7-year-old child was killed, homes have been reported damaged and power lines downed near Mississippi Highway 4 and Mississippi Highway 7, located near the city of Holly Springs.\nThe Tennessee Department of Agency (TEMA) declared a Level III State of Emergency Wednesday night after at least two people were killed in severe storms in Tennessee. The deaths were confirmed by the Tennessee Department of Health. The victims are a man and woman from Perry County, but their identities have not been released.\nThe severe weather has caused isolated damage in a number of counties including Dyer, Hickman, Hardeman Madison, McNairy, Martin, Montgomery, Perry, Sumner, Wayne and Wilson counties, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.\nNashville Mayor Megan Barry had encouraged businesses to send employees home early Wednesday so they weren't on roads when the storms arrived.\nEarlier storms caused problems Monday, ABC News reported, when at least 10 people were injured by a falling tree on the campus of Vanderbilt University during a tour late Monday morning. Four people were hospitalized following the ordeal, and all are expected to recover, the report added.\nOfficials believe rain brought down the hackberry tree, as a statement from the university revealed the roots were still alive when it collapsed. About 120 prospective students and parents were on the campus tour, and witnesses said they heard a large cracking sound before the tree fell, News Channel 5 reported.\nA fast-moving line of storms delivered many 60-70mph gusts today and at least one tornado spin-up embedded along the line in Johnson County in Greenwood.\nAccording to the NWS, an EF1 tornado touched down near town Wednesday evening, leaving a damage track around a quarter of a mile wide and about a mile long, WTHR reports. \n\"We do have some damage back in the woods here with a lot of tall trees that are uprooted, and there's another house where the tornado started - that northwest section is totally collapsed and there are some other homes back in there that are damaged, but just some light roof damage,\" NWS meteorologist Dan McCarthy told the station.\nMcCarthy also said that damage to an animal hospital at SR 135 was consistent with a tornado. No one (including the animals) was injured, but there was extensive damage to the building, including the roof, which blew off.\nAt the Height of the storm Indianapolis Power and Light reported around 5,000 customers without power.\n Additional damage was reported in Noblesville, where at least 16 homes in the Twin Oaks subdivision were affected by high winds and heavy rain.  The storms also flipped an unoccupied mobile home in Noblesville along State Road 32. The sheriff's department says it hadn't been occupied in years.\nThe 18-year-old woman killed in Pope County, Arkansas has been identified as Michaela Remus, Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones said late Wednesday evening. \nThe Pope County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that Remus was killed Wednesday morning when a tree fell on a home northeast of Atkins. Her 18-month-old sister, also inside the home, was rescued by emergency personnel. \nThe toddler was transported to a local hospital, but his or her condition is unknown. Three other people were inside the home and escaped unharmed.\n\"It's terrible that this happened, especially at Christmas,\" Jones told the AP.\n\nWednesday afternoon, hail as big as baseballs fell in parts of eastern Arkansas, according to local storm reports.\nReports from the National Weather Service also revealed major damage to several homes Wednesday morning in Sharp County. Local law enforcement said those destroyed homes were in the Highland area.\nTrees and power lines were downed across Yell County, according to storm reports from the NWS Wednesday morning. It has yet to be determined if the damage was caused by a tornado or straight-line winds.\nGeorgia governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens Counties on Thursday following a severe weather system that led to significant flooding and damage in the state. \nHeavy rain in Atlanta flooded two stations on the the city's public rail system Thursday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority spokeswoman Saba Long said there were delays on all rail lines, and the Garnett and West End stations were closed.\n“Rail service between the Five Points and Oakland City stations has been terminated and a bus bridge has been established,” she said. “This will remain in effect until it is safe to resume rail service.”\nThe Cateret River is flooding parts of Ellijay, and swift water teams are assisting with rescues and evacuations, the NWS reports. \nTwo water rescues were in progress Thursday morning in the city of LaGrange in Troup County, where flooding has washed out at least six roads and three more are submerged. \nSecondary roads in Fannin County are flooding, and cabins along US Highway 76 are beginning to take on water. At least one county road has been completely blocked by a mudslide. \nAccording to the NWS, there is extensive flooding on a street in Carrollton, in Carroll County, with cars stuck in the water. Several roads in Pike County are flooded as well. \nThe storms also knocked out power around  the state. As of mid Thursday morning Georgia Power was reporting outages affecting more than 6,000 customers.  \nThe line of severe weather crossing the South has brought flooding and mudslides to Macon County, North Carolina Thursday morning. \nThe NWS is reporting that musdlides have covered at least three roads in Macon County and several other roads in the county are impassable due to high water. \nThe NWS has confirmed an EF1 tornado hit the town of Canton Wednesday evening, the first tornado ever recorded in Michigan in December. Rich Pollman, a warning coordination meteorologist for the NWS, said damage surveys indicate the twister was on the ground for only about two minutes, moving along at about 60 mph.\n“The track of the tornado was about 2 miles long and about 100 yards wide,” Pollman told the Detroit News. “We...discovered a lot of uprooted pine trees. At least four buildings had sections of their roofs blown away. Once high winds enter a building, they look for a way out.” \nAccording to the paper, the weather service said additional damage occurred near the intersection of Joy and Haggerty, where a metal roof was ripped off a gas station, but there were no reported injuries from the storm.\nConsumers Energy reported Thursday afternoon that more than 8,000 customers in western and northern Michigan were without electricity after the storms toppled trees, utility poles and power lines.\nThe storms dropped \nTorrential rainfall and strong thunderstorms moved through the Mobile area Wednesday morning, and many of the city's roads were flooded, making the morning commute difficult and dangerous.\nIn the small town of Loxley, across Mobile Bay, Mandy Wilson worked the cash register at Love's Travel Shop Wednesday morning, and she was sure to warn drivers to be careful as flooding worsened.\n\"It's very ugly; it's very scary,\" she told the Associated Press. \"There's an 18-wheeler turned over on I-10. There's water standing really bad. It's a really interesting way to spend Christmas Eve eve.\"\nThe town of Oakley, located just east of Decatur in central Illinois, reported storm damage to the roof of a church late Wednesday morning. An image of the damaged church was shared by a resident to the Facebook page of WAND-TV after the storms passed.\nIn southern Illinois, at least one home was destroyed as storms rolled through Mulkeytown Wednesday afternoon.\nA pair of tornadoes, both rated EF1, were confirmed Monday night in Rapides Parish as a line of storms moved through. The Lake Charles office of the NWS originally said three tornadoes were confirmed, but later said only two twisters hit the area Monday night.\n\nBoth tornadoes packed maximum winds of 95 mph, and one flipped a trailer southeast of Calcasieu, injuring the man inside, according to the AP. The second tornado was in progress less than a mile from Louisiana State University's Alexandria campus, destroying one home and leaving several others with minor damage, the NWS 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":["Mississippi","town of Canton","parts of the South and Midwest","parts of Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["four people","at least 14 dead","at least 40 others","At least 40 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Wednesday evening","Wednesday","Thursday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["an EF1"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["95 mph"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2015 Officials report the casualties from yesterday's  spring-like storm that triggered more than 20 tornadoes, destroyed homes, delayed and cancelled air flights, and caused power outages in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast have risen to at least 11 people killed with dozens injured. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant declares a state of emergency in areas affected by the storm. (NBC News) (Reuters)","document":" Follow NBC News Authorities raised the death toll Thursday night to 14 people, including a young boy, after a spring-like storm system swept across the Southeast.\nThe storms mixed with unseasonably warm weather, spawning tornadoes that killed people in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Dozens more people were injured.\nThe Tennessee Health Department said Thursday night that it had confirmed three additional deaths in Maury County, where the storm system created heavy rain and dangerous wind gusts Wednesday night. It said no further details were available.\nThe storms — which the National Weather Service called a \"particularly dangerous situation\" for an area that spanned eastern Arkansas, northwest Mississippi, northeast Louisiana and western Tennessee — destroyed homes and caused power failures Wednesday.\nThree other people were killed in Tennessee, where heavy rain continued to soak the eastern border but was expected to move out of the state late Thursday. A 22-year-old man who wasn't identified died in Rhea County. In Perry County, Annie Yzaguirre, 69, and Antonio Gomez Yzaguirre, 70, died, interim Sheriff Nick Weems told NBC News.\nThe youngest of the victims was a 7-year-old boy in Holly Springs, Mississippi, who was killed in a van on Highway 7 as storms swept through the town, according to Marshall County Coroner James Anderson. Tree limbs and debris covered the highway Thursday, and emergency crews worked to restore downed power lines.\nAt least six other people died in Mississippi. Four of the deaths were in Benton County, where another person was unaccounted for, officials said. Two were in Marshall County, and the other was in Tippah County.\n\"It is difficult, particularly this time of year, to see such damage and know that heartbreaks go along with that damage, that families have lost loved ones,\" Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. \"There's no good side to this, but at least the storm was not in highly populated areas, like a downtown.\"\nIn Atkins, Arkansas, 18-year-old Michaela Remus was killed when a tree crashed into the bedroom she was sharing with her 18-month-old sister. The toddler was taken to a hospital after being safely pulled out of the home by rescuers.\nRusty Russell, 34, a friend of Remus', told NBC News that \"she is one of those people that you would never hear a bad word about her. Just a true joy to be around.\"\nRemus died protecting her sister, he said.\n\"She was laying in bed with her 18-month-old sister. The way that she was laying actually shielded her sister,\" he said.\nMore than a dozen tornadoes were reported in Mississippi, and in the town of Clarkdale, hundreds woke up Thursday without homes for the holidays. Planes at a small airport were overturned by wind gusts. There were an unknown number of injuries, Clarksdale Mayor Bill Luckett told the Associated Press, but he said the only reported casualty in his town was a dog killed by storm debris.\n\"I'm looking at some horrific damage right now,\" Luckett said. \"Sheet metal is wrapped around trees; there are overturned airplanes; a building is just destroyed.\"\nRelated: 'Spring' Storms Spawn Twisters, Kill 7 in Southeast, Snarl Holiday Travel\nMulestor Johnson, 67, told the AP that a brutal storm tore his Holly Springs house from its foundation Wednesday. His belongings were strewn everywhere, and trees had crashed through trucks on his property, but no one was hurt.\n\"This right here is a mess, but I can't complain because we're blessed,\" he said.\nThe Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said at least 40 people were injured as the storms moved swiftly across the state. Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said some of the injuries included amputations.\n\"It's terrible that this happened, especially at Christmas,\" Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones told the AP.\nThe storm system was just one of many examples of unseasonable weather happening across the country. Along the Eastern Seaboard, many states were experiencing a balmy Christmas Eve, with temperatures in the 70s.\nMeanwhile, in parts of Georgia, including Atlanta, a flood watch was posted through Friday evening. Portions of southeast Alabama received rainfall that totaled 10 inches or more.\nThe rainy, gusty conditions — more reminiscent of June than December — spread north into the Midwest. Indiana emergency officials warned that outdoor Christmas decorations could turn into dangerous missiles and advised residents not to bother putting up inflatable decorations.\nThe strange weather is yet another manifestation of the unusually strong El Niño setting up shop off the West Coast, meteorologists told NBC News. Much of the eastern half of the country will spend a Christmas Day with temperatures in the 70s.\nAnd it couldn't come at a worse time, with nearly 1 in 3 of all Americans traveling this week for Christmas.\n\"We are seeing more than 100 million people will be traveling overall,\" Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for AAA, told NBC News. \"That's the first time we've ever hit that record.\"\nAccording to airline tracker FlightAware.com, more than 2,700 U.S. flights were delayed as of Thursday afternoon, and nearly 750 had been canceled.\nElizabeth Chuck is a reporter for NBC News who focuses on health and mental health, particularly issues that affect women and children.","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":["Mississippi","Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Dozens more people","three additional 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":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2015 The death toll in the spring-like, tornado-laden storms that began Wednesday in the American South has risen to 18 with additional tornadoes hitting north-central Alabama Friday and one outside of Dallas, Texas, today. (NBC News) (USA Today)","document":" Follow NBC News The death toll following days of tumultuous weather in the Southeast rose to 18 on Saturday, as flooding persisted and the threat of tornadoes lingered.\nThe body of a 5-year-old boy, who went missing Friday after the car he was in was washed over by floodwaters, was discovered in Alabama, according to the Coffee County Sheriff's Office. A man in his 20s, who was also in the car, is still missing, according to authorities.\nThe boy's death was the first confirmed in Alabama, but the wild weather in the region since mid-week had led to 10 deaths in Mississippi, six in Tennessee and one in Arkansas.\nAn additional 56 injuries were reported in Mississippi after heavy flooding, and more than 240 homes were destroyed or severely damaged, said Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn.\nA swath of the country from Northeast Texas to Ohio remained under flood watches Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.\nNorthern Alabama, which has been pounded by downpours since Wednesday, was under flood warnings Saturday night. Gov. Robert Bentley said the flooding led to the closure of 190 roads throughout the state.\nBentley, who has declared a state of emergency, toured heavily impacted areas and the shelters set up there on Saturday. He said the levees are expected to hold against the influx of water.\nInmates from an Alabama correctional facility three miles north of Montgomery, were evacuated in case the building took on flood waters, according to Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton.\nDozens of homes have been damaged or destroyed in the flooding, but a tornado that touched down in Birmingham Friday left minimal damage. Four people had been transported to local hospitals with minor injuries due to the tornado, Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Coker said.\nDamaging winds, hail, thunderstorms and possible tornadoes won't leave the southern part of the country until at least Monday, according to Weather.com.","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":["Mississippi","the Southeast","Northern Alabama"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["18","The body of a 5-year-old boy","An additional 56 injuries","Inmates from an Alabama correctional facility"]},{"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":"December_2015 At least 11 people are killed as tornadoes strike Dallas, Texas, and five people die in a flash flood in Illinois. A total of 34 people have died in this week's smörgåsbord of storms that started Wednesday. Mark Wiley of the National Weather Service says this rare run of December tornado storms in the South and Midwest, and spring-like temperatures across much of the North and East, in part to a strong El Niño. (USA Today) (AP via The Greeneville Sun)","document":"The death toll from a swath of tornadoes that roared through the Dallas area rose to 11 Sunday as the state struggled to combat heavy rains, floods and what was shaping up as an \"epic\" snowstorm.\n\"There will be an ongoing problem for the next 24 hours, but also for the next several days,\" Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news conference. He issued disaster declarations in four counties and pleaded with residents to stay off the roads.\nThe state's woes were a microcosm of the angry weather that has been targeting parts of the Midwest and South for several days. The toll already has been heavy this past week, with at least 36 deaths in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. And the weather system driving a string of killer tornadoes and flash floods was poised to continue Monday.\nTwo states away from Texas, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Sunday as heavy rains and flash floods affected much of the state. The severe weather has forced the Missouri Highway Patrol to help with dozens of water rescues and handle evacuations, according to a statement from Nixon's office. \"With more heavy rain expected tonight and tomorrow, state emergency management personnel will be working around the clock to keep Missourians safe,\" Nixon said.\nAlabama, Michigan State players thankful to avoid tornado\nHeavy snow was forecast from New Mexico all the way to Iowa, National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Oram told USA TODAY. On Sunday, snow and ice brought whiteout conditions and locked up roads across parts of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez declared a state of emergency, calling the weather issues there \"dire.\"\nWeather service meteorologist Mark Wiley said much the region can expect 8-16 inches of snow, with some isolated areas seeing 20 inches or more before the storm slides East sometime Monday\nFlight woes spread nationwide on busy post-Christmas Sunday travel day\n\"This is really going to be an epic snow in Texas,\" Wiley told USA TODAY. \"Throw in 50-mph winds and we are calling for drifts to 10 or 12 feet.\"\nOther areas will see brutal ice storms, he added. And there was the rain: Heavy rains that have paralyzed parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri were sweeping through the Dallas area and into parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Heavy rains and flooding were expected to bring more havoc to some of those areas plus Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, Oram said.\nAt least 11 tornadoes blasted through the Dallas area Saturday, a preliminary count that could rise or fall in coming days, Wiley said.\nHardest hit Saturday was Garland, Texas, a city of 230,000 people 20 miles northeast of Dallas, where eight people died and 15 were injured, police Lt. Pedro Barineau said. Most of the fatalities occurred on highways as multiple cars became caught in the severe weather, and several vehicles plunged as far as 17 feet from a bridge, authorities said. Barineau said 600 homes and businesses were damaged.\n\"It's total devastation,\" Barineau said. Three people, including an infant, died in Copeville, Texas, about 40 miles northeast of Dallas, according to the Collin County Sheriff's Office. In Ellis County, 40 miles south of Dallas, no deaths were reported, but County Judge Carol Bush said 15 homes were destroyed, and 100 homes, churches and businesses were damaged by at least one tornado.\nThe tornadoes that roared through Texas reached as high as EF-4, with winds reaching 175 mph, Oram said. This is the USA's first EF-4 tornado to strike in December in 15 years. It is also the farthest west a tornado of that strength has formed in December, according to the tornado research site U.S. Tornadoes..\nUntil the holiday season outbreak, only 10 people had died in tornadoes across the nation this year, the fewest number on record. Wiley blamed the rare run of December tornadoes in part on a strong El Niño that has been pushing spring-like temperatures across much of the North and East. El Niño also can take some blame for the snowstorm — another trait of the system is colder than normal temperatures in parts of the South, Wiley said.\nContributing: Doyle Rice and WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth\nThese are necessary for the website or application 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 or mobile device to block, but some parts of the site will not then work. These services do not store any personally identifiable information.\nThis allows us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.    All information collected is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow this service we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.\nThis enables the website or application to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages.    If you do not allow then some or all of these services may not function properly.\nThese may be set through our site by our content and advertising providers/business partners. They may be used alone and/or in combination with other information by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personally identifiable information (such as your name), but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device which may include assigning a unique identification code to you. If you do not allow, you will still see advertisements but they will not be targeted to your likes and interests. The chart below shows First Party Cookies placed on our sites to serve you targeted advertising and includes links with further information and opt out choices. To opt out of Third Party Targeting Cookies and other targeting identifiers, please see “Opting Out of Targeted Advertising”.\nFirst Party Targeting Cookies on the Site may include:\nThese are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site or application to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser or device across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visitor applications.    If you do not allow, you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["8-16 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee","New Mexico all the way to Iowa","the Dallas area","parts of the Midwest and South"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["11","at least 36 deaths","Missourians"]},{"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":"December_2015 The freak weather system responsible for heavy rain and tornadoes in the U.S., and high winds and rainfall in the British Isles, also has impacted the Arctic where the average winter temperature is normally around −20 °F (−29 °C). Temperatures around the North Pole have surpassed the 32 °F (0 °C) threshold for a brief moment, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Prediction Center, which is 50 °F (27.8 °C) higher than usual for December. (The Washington Post) (South China Morning Post) (Sputnik News)","document":"This story has been updated to include buoy measurements that confirm the North Pole temperature climbed above 32 degrees on Wednesday.\nA powerful winter cyclone — the same storm that led to two tornado outbreaks in the United States and disastrous river flooding — has driven the North Pole to the freezing point this week, 50 degrees above average for this time of year.\nFrom Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning, a mind-boggling pressure drop was recorded in Iceland: 54 millibars in just 18 hours. This triples the criteria for “bomb” cyclogenesis, which meteorologists use to describe a rapidly intensifying mid-latitude storm. A “bomb” cyclone is defined as dropping one millibar per hour for 24 hours.\nNOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center said the storm’s minimum pressure dropped to 928 millibars around 1 a.m. Eastern time, which likely places it in the top five strongest storms on record in this region.\n\n“According to the center’s records, the all-time strongest storm in this area occurred on Dec. 15, 1986, and that had a minimum central pressure of 900 millibars,” Mashable’s Andrew Freedman reported on Tuesday. “The second-strongest storm occurred in January 1993, with a pressure of 916 millibars.”\nAs this storm churns north, it’s forcing warm air into the Arctic Circle. Over the North Sea, sustained winds from the south are blasting at 70 mph, and gusting to well above 100 mph, drawing heat from south to north.\n\nAlthough there are no permanent weather stations at the North Pole (or really anywhere in the Arctic Ocean), we can use weather forecast models, which ingest data from satellites and surrounding surface observations, to estimate conditions at Earth’s most northern location.\nOn Wednesday morning, temperatures over a vast area around North Pole were somewhere between 30 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and for at least a brief moment, surpassed the 32-degree threshold at exactly 90 degrees North, according to data from the GFS forecast model.\nData from the International Arctic Buoy Programme confirms that temperatures very close to the North Pole surpassed the melting point on Wednesday. A buoy (WMO ID Buoy 6400476) at a latitude of 87.45 degrees North hit a high temperature of 0.7 degrees Celsius — or 33 degrees Fahrenheit.\n“Consider the average winter temperature there is around 20 degrees below zero,” wrote the Capital Weather Gang’s Jason Samenow on Monday. A temperature around the freezing mark signifies a departure from normal of over 50 degrees, and close to typical mid-summer temperatures in this region.\nIn other words, the area around the North Pole was about as warm as Chicago on Wednesday, and quite a few degrees warmer than much of the Midwest.\nMeanwhile in habitable areas around the North Atlantic, winds are howling and waves are rocking the coastline. In Britain, a week of excessive rainfall has pushed rivers and streams well beyond their banks, stranding vehicles and buckling bridges.\n[Rivers are rising to record levels in the Midwest, flooding is ‘major to historic’]\nIn a blog post on Monday, the U.K. Met office said that December has been a record-breaking month for rainfall in parts of the United Kingdom. A Christmas weekend storm brought up to 8 inches of addition rainfall on saturated soil. The Met Office listed just a small portion of the December records that were set this weekend, in some cases blowing away the previous December records by 10 inches.\nThis post has been updated to include the WMO ID number of the buoy that recorded temperatures above 32 degrees on Wednesday.\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":["NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["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":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["70 mph","above 100 mph"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2016 Hurricane Pali becomes the earliest hurricane on record in the central Pacific Ocean. It is currently no threat to land. (Weather Channel)","document":"\n \nPali became the earliest hurricane on record in the central Pacific Ocean on Jan. 11, 2016, later dissipating as a tropical system on Jan. 14. In addition to being a rare January hurricane, Pali also took a peculiar track close to the equator for a tropical cyclone.\nThis was on the heels of a historically active 2015 tropical season in the Pacific Ocean, including a Tropical Depression Nine-C, which formed near the end of the year and dissipated on Jan. 1, 2016.\n\nPali defied odds, strengthening to a Category 2 hurricane for a time, all while moving in an unusual southward direction across the low latitudes. Around the time of Pali's peak intensity on Jan. 12, the hurricane even displayed a fairly well-defined eye on satellite imagery.\nThe previous record for the earliest hurricane in the central Pacific was Hurricane Ekeka which reached hurricane status on January 30, 1992.\nDating to 1949, only two tropical storms had formed in the central Pacific in the month of January prior to Pali. Tropical Storm Winona was the first on Jan. 13, 1989, and the second was Ekeka on Jan. 28, 1992. Ekeka reached Category 3 hurricane intensity amidst the moderate El Niño of 1991-92.\nAccording to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, Pali's track south of 5 degrees North latitude was \"something rarely seen in the central Pacific.\"\nIn general, most tropical cyclones do not form within 5 degrees latitude of the equator, due to the weakness of the Coriolis force needed to help generate the low-level spin needed. \nHere are the \"closest to equator\" tropical cyclones of hurricane strength (74 mph or higher), according to hurricane specialist Michael Lowry.:\n1) Typhoon Vamei: 1.5 degrees North latitude in the western North Pacific basin (Dec. 27, 2001)2) Cyclone Agni: 2.7 degrees North latitude in the north Indian Ocean basin (Nov. 29, 2004)3) Hurricane Pali: 3.4 degrees North latitude in the central North Pacific basin (Jan. 13, 2016)\nPali traveled even further south, while weakening, finally dissipating as a tropical cyclone around 1.7 degrees North latitude.\nEl Niño played a role in the formation of this unusual tropical cyclone. According to the discussion issued Thursday Jan. 7 by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, \"This low-latitude out-of-season system has tapped into significant directional shear of the low-level winds, with an El Niño related westerly wind burst south of the system, and prevailing easterly trade winds to the north providing the large scale conditions conducive for development.\"\n\nIf this Pacific tropical storm wasn't strange enough, the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center's Serviço Meteorológico Marinho analyzed a subtropical depression off the east coast of Brazil in the South Atlantic earlier last week. There is also a low pressure system in the North Atlantic that could become a subtropical storm within the next week. Pali is just another rarity in what has been an odd last couple of weeks in the tropics.\nThe official 2015 hurricane season ended on November 30 in the central Pacific and does not begin in 2016 until June 1.\n\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":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["southward"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":["near the end of the year"]},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 2 hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Pali"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2016 Subtropical Storm Alex is located 785 miles (1,260 km) south-southwest of the Azores. Alex is one of just four tropical or subtropical storms to occur in January since 1851, the first year  records were kept. The hurricane season begins on June 1 of each year. Alex is expected to hit  the Azores on Friday with average rain  accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. (The Washington Post) (NHC)","document":"Amazingly, in the dead of winter, a rare hurricane is swirling in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.\nAlex, which was named a Subtropical Storm on Wednesday, has steadily strengthened over the past day and is making history as an extraordinarily rare January hurricane. The National Hurricane Center says Alex is the first Atlantic hurricane to form in January since 1938. (Hurricane Alice of 1955 first formed in late December, but lasted into January.)\nThe storm has peak winds of 85 mph, just about 5 mph shy of 1955’s Hurricane Alice, the strongest on record for the month.\nPositioned 490 miles south of the Azores, Alex is making a beeline toward the group of islands that sit about 900 miles west of Portugal. The Azores government has issued hurricane warnings for the most of the islands. Only 10 hurricanes on record have tracked within 200 miles of the Azores, all in August or September, notes The Weather Channel’s Jonathan Erdman.\n“Alex is in a rare spot for September, much less January,” tweeted Eric Blake, a forecaster at the National Hurricane Center. “It is only the 2nd hurricane on record to form north of 30N (latitude) east of 30W (longitude).”\nThe National Hurricane Center seemed stunned by Alex’s strength in its 10 a.m. discussion, writing: “Remarkably, Alex has undergone the transformation into a hurricane. A distinct eye is present, embedded within a fairly symmetric mass of deep convection.”\nAlex has strengthened over waters that are usually not warm enough to support hurricane activity. However, the contrast between the surface waters and unusually cold air at high altitudes has created a volatile corridor of air, fostering the storm’s development. “The resulting instability is likely the main factor contributing to the tropical transition and intensification of Alex,” the National Hurricane Center wrote in its 10 a.m. discussion.\nWhile the waters in which Alex has developed are, by themselves, not characteristically warm enough for hurricane formation, they are warmer than normal, helping the storm acquire tropical characteristics, according to Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters.\n“Between January 8 and 12, pre-Alex tracked generally eastwards over ocean waters that were 22 – 25°C (72 – 77°F); these temperatures were near-record warm for this time of year (about 2 – 4°F above average),” Masters wrote. “These temperatures were just high enough so that Alex was able to gradually gain a warm core.”\nMasters added that global warming must be considered as a player in the evolution of Alex. “It is unlikely that Alex would have formed if these waters had been close to normal temperatures for this time of year,” he wrote. “The unusually warm waters for Alex were due, in part, to the high levels of global warming that brought Earth its warmest year on record in 2015. Global warming made Alex’s formation much more likely to occur…”\nWhile Alex spun up in the Atlantic, another highly unusual tropical weather system for the time of year was setting milestones in the Pacific. A storm named Pali reached hurricane intensity in the central Pacific Ocean earlier this week, becoming the earliest hurricane to form in that region on record.\nLocated just 4 degrees in latitude north of the equator, Pali also became the third strongest storm to occur so far south on record in the northwest Pacific basin and the strongest storm to occur so close to the equator in the western hemisphere.\nPali’s strength and early formation were also supported by much-warmer-than-normal ocean waters in the Pacific, resulting from both this year’s strong El Nino event and ongoing climate warming.\nOn Wednesday, for the first time on record in January, the National Hurricane Center in South Florida and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, were issuing advisories for active tropical cyclones.\nWhen Alex was born Wednesday, it became the first named tropical weather system to form in the Atlantic during January since 1978. It was classified as a subtropical storm, one that exhibits a combination of tropical and non-tropical characteristics.\nAlex became the first named Atlantic storm almost six months ahead of average, which is on July 9.\nIn 2015, the first named storm, Ana, — which was also classified as subtropical — formed on May 7. Historically, only 0.5 percent of tropical storm activity has occurred prior to June 1.\n“Alex is only the fourth known [named storm] to form in this month in the historical record that begins in 1851,” the National Hurricane Center wrote Wednesday.\nCapital Weather Gang contributor Phil Klotzbach noted the three other January tropical cyclones occurred in 1938, 1951 and 1978. He said two other systems developed in December and survived into January: Alice in 1954-1955, which became a hurricane, and Zeta in 2005-2006.\nPost originally published at 4:13 p.m. Wednesday, updated Thursday morning\nCorrection, 9:20 a.m. Friday: An earlier version of this story  incorrectly stated the 1938 January hurricane was the strongest on record.  It should have said Hurricane Alice from 1955 was the strongest.\n.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["The National Hurricane Center","The Azores government"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the group of islands that sit about 900 miles west of Portugal"]},{"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":["Alex"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["85 mph"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2016 Hurricane Alex becomes the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic Ocean in January since 1938 with warnings issued for the Azores. (Weather Channel)","document":".\nA rare January Atlantic hurricane, Alex, made landfall in The Azores early Friday as a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center, and has now made the transition to a non-tropical low-pressure system in the northeast Atlantic Ocean.\nThe center of Alex made landfall on the island of Terceira in the central Azores around 9:15 a.m. AST Friday with maximum estimated sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the NHC. The Azores are a group of Portuguese islands located 800 to 900 miles west of Portugal's mainland.\nTropical storm-force winds were observed in parts of The Azores Friday. Santa Maria has gusted over 50 mph and Ponta Delgada has seen gusts approach 50 mph as of early Friday. \nAlex first became a hurricane in the eastern Atlantic Ocean Thursday, making it just the second hurricane on record to form in that basin during the month of January. The last hurricane that formed in the Atlantic during January was in 1938, according to NOAA's historical hurricane tracker database. Alex is also the first hurricane to occur in the Atlantic in January since Alice in 1955. Alice initially formed into a hurricane on Dec. 31, 1954, but then remained a hurricane into early January 1955.\nAlex became the strongest January hurricane on record Thursday when its winds reached an estimated 85 mph. This surpassed the 80-mph peak of both Alice and the 1938 hurricane.\n\nAlex was also only the second hurricane to form in any month in a zone of the eastern Atlantic Ocean east of 30 degrees west longitude and north of 30 degrees north latitude. Hurricane Vince in 2005 was the only other in the historical record.\nAll previous other hurricanes tracking within 200 nautical miles of The Azores in the historical record occurred in either August or September.\nAlex first formed as a subtropical storm Wednesday afternoon. A subtropical storm displays features of both tropical and non-tropical systems, including a broad wind field, no cold or warm fronts, and generally low-topped thunderstorms displaced from the center of the system. Sometimes subtropical storms can become fully tropical over the course of time as Alex's transition into a hurricane demonstrates.\n\nThe Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, but storms have, on an occasional basis, formed before and after that date.\nAccording to the National Hurricane Center, Alex's formation on Wednesday made it the first tropical or subtropical storm to form in January since 1978. It's also only the fourth known storm to form in January since records began in 1851. As mentioned earlier, Alex is also only the second known hurricane to form in the Atlantic during the month of January.\nBased on the long-term average, about once every 10 years, a tropical storm forms before June, most often in the month of May. This includes Tropical Storm Ana, which began as a subtropical storm in early May of 2015, eventually transitioning into a tropical system.\nLikewise, roughly once every 10 years, a tropical storm has formed in the month of December. Post-season and pre-season tropical systems are usually relatively weak, in part due to cooler sea-surface temperatures in the winter and spring months, limiting the ability for such storms to intensify.\nThe non-tropical low pressure system that formed into Alex was located off the Southeast coast Jan. 7.  On Jan. 8, the low then passed near Bermuda, where wind gusts topped out at 59 mph, causing sporadic power outages and disrupting air travel, the Royal Gazette reported.\nIn the days thereafter, the low moved east and southeast through the Atlantic as a hazard to marine interests with a large area of strong winds and high surf. Since Tuesday, the low took on more characteristics of a subtropical storm, and that's why the National Hurricane Center classified it as the first named storm of the 2016 hurricane season on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, Alex had made a complete transition into a hurricane.\nThis animation shows the non-tropical low that formed into Alex move east across the Atlantic Jan. 7 into Jan. 13\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 Azores"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["early Friday","around 9:15 a.m. AST Friday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":["the island of Terceira in the central Azores"]},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a tropical storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Alex"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["70 mph"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2016 Millions of people in the Mid-Atlantic states brace for a winter storm. (BBC)(CNN)","document":"A massive blizzard bringing more than 2ft (60cm) of snow and punishing winds is advancing up the US East Coast.\nMore than 50 million people across more than a dozen states have been warned to stay at home as it moves north.\nThe nation's capital, Washington, could lie under a record 30in (76cm) of snow by the time the storm passes on Sunday.\nAt least nine people have been killed and a state of emergency declared in 10 states. Transport services have been cancelled, and homes are without power.\nThe weather system affects a huge swathe of the country, from Arkansas in the south to Massachusetts in the north-east.\nSupermarkets ran out of food amid a rush for supplies before the first snowflakes fell on Friday.\nIn summary:\nThe US federal government closed down at noon on Friday as Washington's mayor, Muriel Bowser, warned this was a major storm with \"life and death implications\". President Obama is remaining at the White House.\nThe National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the worst of the snow would fall in the Washington area from the early hours of Saturday to the early afternoon, with winds of more than 50mph (80kph).\nIn a warning at 02:17 (07:17 GMT), the NWS tweeted that an \"intense snow band\" was moving through the area, \"expect rapid accumulations and near-whiteout conditions\". Residents in the capital and surrounding suburbs in Virginia and Maryland have been warned the snowfall could eclipse the district's record of 28in that fell during a two-day period in 1922.\nThe BBC's Laura Bicker, in Washington DC, says it feels as though the city is in hiding - the streets are empty and restaurants, bars and supermarkets remain closed. Residents have been told to find a safe place and stay there until the storm has passed. Some tips on surviving a snowstorm:\n1.Make sure you have at least three gallons of drinking water per person, per day\n2.Tape the windows with bubble wrap to keep the heat in\n3.Use your dog to measure the snowfall\nHow to prepare for a snowstorm\nWhy do so many people die shovelling snow?\nThroughout the night, people were taking to Twitter to post updates on snow levels and pictures under the hashtag #Snowmaggedon2016.\nIn Kentucky, the Red Cross erected shelters along Interstate 75 for the more than 3,000 people who became stranded after multiple crashes forced the closure of the highway.\nKentucky State Police tweeted that officers were taking water, fuel and snacks to the motorists, some of whom had been stuck for more than 12 hours.\nLocal TV reporter Caitlin Centner was one of those stranded. She told her station WKYT-TV: \"Every time it looks like there's light at the end of the tunnel, more accidents and slide-offs are occurring.\"\nIn Baltimore, teams of mental health specialists were working to bring some of the estimated 3,000 homeless people to shelter, the New York Times reported.\nSupermarket shelves in many areas were bare. In Baltimore, shopper Sharon Brewington remembered how she and her daughter were left with just noodles and water when the last big snowstorm struck in 2010.\n\"I'm not going to make that mistake again,\" she 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":["30in"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the US East Coast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["More than 50 million 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":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["more than 50mph (80kph)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2016 This potentially record storm, which is predicted to generate blizzard conditions through a third day on Sunday, has caused at least 10 deaths, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands, led to more than 8,300 canceled flights,  stranded many travelers on major highways and, with up to 70 mph winds, produced record-high tides along the Delaware and New Jersey shores. (NBC News) (Reuters) (ESPN)","document":" Follow NBC News A killer snowstorm paralyzed the East Coast on Saturday, effectively shutting down New York City and the nation's capital, while dumping as much as 3 feet of snow in other areas.\nAt least 19 people died in the mammoth storm, which canceled thousands of flights throughout the weekend.\nNew York City recorded its second-largest snowfall since 1869, with Central Park receiving 26.8 inches by midnight — 0.1 inch shy of tying the record 26.9 inches set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.\nBaltimore got a record 25.5 inches, breaking a daily record set in 1935, and a measurement of 22.3 inches of snow was taken in Washington, D.C. at midnight. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed all roads in New York City and Long Island at 2:30 p.m. Saturday as well as tunnels and bridges going to New Jersey. Above-ground sections of the subway and New York City buses stopped running.\nThe travel ban will be lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday, Cuomo said Saturday evening. \"We have made very good progress in cleaning the roads,\" Cuomo said in a conference call with reporters.\nWhile unusual, Cuomo said the shutdown was necessary because \"the storm was fast and furious, and we believe that safety is paramount.\"\nThere were three shoveling-related deaths in New York City, officials said. Two people also died while apparently using snow blowers on Long Island Saturday, police said. New York City Police said they had responded to 312 car accidents and 343 disabled vehicles across the city.\nWith travel prohibited, major landmarks and attractions quickly closed their doors. All Broadway matinee and evening performances were canceled, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art shuttered early.\nMeanwhile, in Washington, D.C., which is bracing for record snowfall, the North Lawn of the White House was bombarded by snowdrifts that were 20.5 inches high. The National Guard deployed 100 personnel in 30 Humvees to support local authorities.\nThe federal government closed its offices at noon Friday, and public transportation was shut down through Sunday. Monuments, normally teeming with tourists, were largely deserted.\nBy the time the storm is over Sunday, one in seven Americans from Kentucky to Connecticut could be under at least half a foot of snow, forecasters said.\nThe biggest snowfall was in rural Glengary, West Virginia, which got a whopping 40 inches as of 2:45 p.m., The Weather Channel said according to unofficial snow totals.\nRedhouse, Maryland, was second, with 38 inches by 1:30 p.m. Parts of West Virginia got up to 33 inches, and parts of Virginia got 30 inches by late morning, while Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, had 30 inches.\nIn Silver Spring, Maryland, which already had 20 inches of snow by morning, lightning and thundersnow lit up the skies, The Associated Press said.\nParts of Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Georgia saw 6 inches and more. Eight inches of snow fell at Nashville International Airport, the most since 1996, when Nashville got 8.7 inches, the AP said.\nFollow Live: Blizzard Blog Updates\nIn Philadelphia, which also shut down public transportation, officials said the city had 22.6 inches of snow just after 3 p.m.\nPlows not able to reach Philadelphia residential areas yet, maybe not until tomorrow #blizzard2016 pic.twitter.com/IEUwiQNdI6\nThe weekend winter wallop has knocked out power to hundreds of thousands, led to nearly 10,000 canceled flights and been blamed for at least 19 deaths, most of which were related to car accidents.\nBesides the five New York City deaths, six of the deaths were in North Carolina, two were in Kentucky and two were in Tennessee, and there was one each in Virginia, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.\nOne of those killed in Kentucky was a state Department of Transportation worker, who was fatally injured in a snow plow crash.\nPhoto Gallery: Pictures From the Storm\nBut the worst wasn't over yet. Strong winds that topped 30 mph and gusted to about 50 mph were blowing from Virginia to New York, the National Weather Service reported. In Maryland, all of Interstate 270 heading toward Washington, D.C., and part of I-70 were shut down.\nRelated: Good Samaritan Shot to Death Helping Stranded Driver in North Carolina\nThe snow began falling Friday, zeroing in on Kentucky. Drivers were stranded on a long stretch of Interstate 75 south of Lexington because of a string of crashes and blowing snow, state police and witnesses said.\nCoastal flooding was also a major concern. From Virginia to New England, high tides produced minor to moderate coastal flooding Saturday morning, with record surges in Delaware and the Jersey Shore.\nWith the next high tide happening Saturday evening just before 7:30 p.m., officials in Union Beach, New Jersey, issued a voluntary evacuation. A flood warning was in place in Ocean County until noon Sunday.\nThere were power outages, too. The worst affected area was North Carolina, where more than 148,000 customers were without electricity. More than 90,000 homes and business also lost power in New Jersey.\nElizabeth Chuck is a reporter for NBC News who focuses on health and mental health, particularly issues that affect women and children.","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","3 feet","26.8 inches","40 inches","38 inches","up to 33 inches","20 inches","6 inches and more"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["New York City and the nation's capital","the East Coast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least 19 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":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2016 This potentially record storm, which is predicted to generate blizzard conditions through a third day on Sunday, has caused at least 10 deaths, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands, led to more than 8,300 canceled flights,  stranded many travelers on major highways and, with up to 70 mph winds, produced record-high tides along the Delaware and New Jersey shores. (NBC News) (Reuters) (ESPN)","document":"NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York City emerged on Sunday from a massive blizzard that paralyzed much of the U.S. East Coast, while snowy gridlock gripped the nation’s capital and surrounding areas, where federal, state and local offices planned to remain closed on Monday.\n\nMidtown Manhattan sprang back to life on a bright and sunny Sunday as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight, digging out buried cars, heading to reopened Broadway shows and cavorting in massive drifts left by New York City’s second-biggest snowstorm on record.\nIn Washington, where a traffic ban remained in effect, the recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire metropolitan transit system closed through Sunday. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management said federal government offices in the Washington area would be shut down on Monday, along with local government offices and public schools in the District of Columbia and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs. Virginia and Maryland state offices also were ordered closed.\nEven so, many people were out in the street. Some skied and snowboarded down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial until security officials moved them on.\nThe monster weather system unofficially dubbed Winter Storm Jonas left at least 20 dead in several states, with most of the fatalities the result of traffic accidents.\nThe entire region seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that the worst was over.\n“For us, snow is like a normal winter,” said Viola Rogacka, 21, a fashion model from Poland, walking with a friend through New York’s Times Square. “It’s how it should look like.”\nTheaters reopened on Broadway after the blizzard forced them to go dark on Saturday on the recommendation of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.\n“We still have some areas that we have to do a lot more work on. But we’ve come through it pretty well,” de Blasio said on ABC’s Sunday program “This Week”. “We think we’ll be broadly up and running again at the city tomorrow.”\nRelated Coverage\nThe blizzard was the second-biggest snowstorm in New York City history, with 26.8 inches (68 cm) measured in Central Park by midnight on Saturday, just shy of the record 26.9 inches (68.3 cm) set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.\nAt least 13 people were killed in weather-related car crashes in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia on Saturday. One person died in Maryland and three in New York while shoveling snow. Two died of hypothermia in Virginia, and one from carbon monoxide poisoning in Pennsylvania, officials said.\nReinsurance company Munich Re said it was too early to estimate property losses from the storm.\nNew York state Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted a travel ban on New York City-area roads and on Long Island at 7 a.m. (1200 GMT) on Sunday. A state of emergency declared by Cuomo was still in place.\nMost bus and subway services operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were up and running again by 9 a.m. (1400 GMT), officials said. The agency was working on restoring full service on Sunday.\nThe MTA said Sunday night that seven of the Long Island Rail Road’s 12 branches would be fully operational by 5 a.m. on Monday, with partial service restored to an eighth branch. Those branches serve nearly 80 percent of the LIRR’s near 300,000 passengers.\nThe Metro-North rail line, which serves suburbs north and east of New York City, was restored on Sunday afternoon.\nA spokeswoman for the New York Stock Exchange said the market planned to open as usual on Monday. City schools also were set to open on Monday.\nOn the Upper West Side of Manhattan, grocery store shoppers picked their way through brown slush and over compressed snow and ice as they balanced their bags in their hands.\nDrivers tried their best to free cars that were encased in snow, but often found themselves spinning their wheels.\nOutside the city, suburban New Jersey resembled Vermont.\n“I’m not sure where I am right now because of all the snow,” said Patty Orsini, 56, a marketing analyst from Maplewood, New Jersey, at the nearby South Mountain Reservation. “It’s nice to be out today in the sun. Yesterday it was scary to be outside,” she said as she clipped on her cross-country skis.\nThe National Weather Service said 22.4 inches (57 cm) fell in Washington at the National Zoo, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport notched a record 29.2 inches (74.2 cm). The deepest regional total was 42 inches (106.7 cm) at Glengarry, West Virginia.\nWashington, which has a poor track record in dealing with snow, seemed unready for a return to its Monday routine after its largest snowstorm in decades, with major airports, public buses and subways completely shut down all Sunday. Metro trains were to begin limited service starting at 7 a.m. on Monday.\nWashington Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier issued a public apology for commuting headaches caused by the blizzard, which locals dubbed “Snowzilla.” She said crews had worked all night and Sunday, plowing main roads and were just getting to secondary roadways and neighborhoods.\nPublic schools were slated to be closed on Monday across much of the Washington and Baltimore region, with some shuttered through Tuesday.\nAll federal offices were to be closed on Monday and the U.S. House of Representatives canceled its voting until Feb. 1. The Pentagon canceled all its events.\nNevertheless, walkers, sledders, some cars and the occasional cross-country skier ventured into the dazzling white Washington landscape under a bright sun.\nPaul Schaaf, a 49-year-old helicopter pilot for Children’s Hospital in Washington, was biking 7-1/2 miles (12 km) to work for his overnight shift and planned to bike back to Arlington, Virginia, on Monday morning.\n“I have to get into work no matter what. And the best way to do it is on my bicycle with steel-studded snow tires,” he said.\nAt Dupont Circle, hundreds gathered to pelt each other with snowballs. Jomel Nichols, a tourist from Kansas City, Missouri, accompanying three exchange students and her daughter, was plastered with snow.\n“They all turned on me, as teenagers will do,” she told Reuters Television.\nMore than 3,900 airline flights were canceled on Sunday, and some 900 were called off for Monday, according to aviation website FlightAware.com.\nAmong New York-area airports, John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia were open, with limited flight activity expected on Sunday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.\nAbout 150,000 customers in North Carolina and 90,000 in New Jersey lost electricity during the storm, but most service had been restored by Sunday afternoon.\nOn Sunday, moderate coastal flooding was still a concern in the Jersey Shore’s Atlantic County, said Linda Gilmore, a county public information officer.\nAdditional reporting by Lisa Lambert and Susan Cornwell in Washington, David Gaffen, Sam Forgione, Barbara Goldberg and Robert MacMillan in New York, Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee; Writing by Bill Rigby and Steve Gorman; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Sandra Maler and Simon Cameron-Moore\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":["26.8 inches (68 cm)"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["New York City","the U.S. East Coast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least 13 people","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":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2016 The death toll from the blizzard rises to 38. (AP via ABC News America)","document":"At least 42 people have died as a result of the mammoth snowstorm that pounded the eastern U.S. The deaths occurred in car accidents, from carbon monoxide poisoning, and from heart attacks while shoveling snow:\nWASHINGTON, D.C. - 1\n—An 82-year-old man who died after going into cardiac arrest while shoveling snow in front of his home.\n———\nDELAWARE - 1\n— A U.S. Capitol Police officer, 44-year-old Officer Vernon Alston, died of a heart attack after shoveling snow at his Magnolia home.\n———\nKENTUCKY - 2\n— Kentucky transportation worker Christopher Adams died Saturday while plowing snow-covered highways.\n— Billy R. Stevens, 59, of Williamsburg, died in southeastern Kentucky when his car collided with a salt truck Thursday.\n———\nMARYLAND - 2\n— A 49-year-old man suffered cardiac arrest while shoveling in Abingdon on Saturday.\n— Officials in Prince George's County said a man collapsed and died Saturday while shoveling snow in Fort Washington.\n———\nNEW JERSEY - 3\n— Twenty-three-year-old Sashalynn Rosa, of Passaic, and her year-old son, Messiah Bonilla, died of carbon monoxide poisoning while sitting in a running car that had its tailpipe covered in snow. Rosa's 3-year-old daughter, Saniyah Bonilla, remains hospitalized in critical condition.\n— Police said Mary Wall, 64, died while shoveling snow on Saturday, but was not found until Monday afternoon when children returning home from school found her snow-covered body in Mahwah.\n———\nNEW YORK - 4\n— Al Mansoor, 66, was struck and killed by a snow plow clearing his driveway just after 2 p.m. Sunday.\n— Three people died while shoveling snow in New York City — one person on Staten Island and two people in Queens. Police announced the deaths but released no further details.\n———\nNORTH CAROLINA - 6\n— Six people have died in car accidents during the storm, authorities have said, including a 4-year-old boy who died Friday afternoon after the pickup truck carrying his family on Interstate 77 near Troutman spun out of control and crashed.\n———\nOHIO - 1\n— A teenager sledding behind an all-terrain vehicle was hit by a truck and killed Friday, the State Highway Patrol said.\n———\nPENNSYLVANIA - 7\n— Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania say David Perrotto, 56, died of carbon monoxide poisoning, apparently after his car was buried in snow by a passing plow.\n— A Halifax man suffered a \"cardiac event\" Sunday while shoveling, Dauphin County coroner Graham Hetrick told WHTM-TV.\n— Cesar Bourdon, 54, collapsed while shoveling in Allentown on Saturday night.\n— Geneva College soccer player Nate Ferraco was killed in a crash on an icy road near Evans City.\n— Richard Lapham, 70, died of cardiac arrest while using a snowblower at his Lancaster home.\n— Ronald Bernhard, 74, died of cardiac arrest while driving a tractor with a snowplow at his home in Elizabethtown.\n— Briahna Gerloff, 18, who was 8 months pregnant, died after shoveling snow in Pottstown. A family friend said Gerloff previously suffered from a heart ailment.\n———\nSOUTH CAROLINA - 4\n— Ruby Bell, 86, and her husband, 87-year-old Robert Bell, died in Greenville of probable carbon monoxide poisoning because of a generator filled the house with carbon monoxide.\n— The South Carolina Highway Patrol says a 44-year-old man was killed after being struck by a vehicle that slid out of control after hitting a patch of ice.\n— Jimmy B. Thomas, 61, was driving a car that ran off a road near Jonesville early Saturday afternoon, hitting a ditch and then a tree.\n———\nTENNESSEE - 2\n— A car slid off the roadway due to speed and slick conditions, killing the driver and injuring a passenger, the Knox County sheriff's department said.\n— A couple in a vehicle slid off an icy road and plummeted down a 300-foot embankment Wednesday night, killing the woman who was driving, said Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford.\n———\nVIRGINIA - 9\n— A man was killed on Saturday in a single-vehicle crash in Virginia Beach that police blamed on speed and icy road conditions.\n— Virginia Tech filmmaker Jerry Scheeler died Friday while shoveling snow outside his new house in Daleville.\n— A single-vehicle crash in Chesapeake claimed one life.\n— The medical examiner's office has confirmed five hypothermia deaths — in Hampton and Wise, Charles City, Gloucester and Henry Counties.\n— A 55-year-old man collapsed and died after walking home in Leesburg Saturday evening in the blizzard.","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 eastern U.S"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["56, died of carbon monoxide poisoning","a 44-year-old","a man collapsed and died Saturday","A man","Rosa's 3-year-old daughter","Twenty-three-year-old Sashalynn Rosa","A U.S. Capitol Police officer, 44-year-old Officer Vernon Alston","A 55-year-old","At least 42 people","Christopher Adams","Billy R. Stevens, 59","Mary Wall, 64","Six people","A teenager","Cesar Bourdon, 54","Geneva College soccer player Nate Ferraco","Richard Lapham, 70","Ronald Bernhard, 74","Briahna Gerloff, 18","Ruby Bell, 86, and her husband, 87-year-old Robert Bell","Jimmy B. Thomas, 61","the driver and injuring a passenger","A couple","Jerry Scheeler","one life","five hypothermia 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":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2016 Storm Gertrude impacts the British Isles, with 90mph winds knocking out power lines and causing travel disruption. (The Telegraph)","document":"The latest in a succession of storms since Christmas reaches Scotland and is expected to travel south throughout the day\nA gust of 132mph has been recorded at the top of Cairngorm as Storm Gertrude sweeps the country, causing power cuts and travel disruption. A rare red Met Office alert is in place for Orkney and Shetland with dangerous conditions expected throughout Friday. More than 13,000 homes have been left without power. Gusts of 91mph were recorded in South Uist, while on the mainland the Forth Road Bridge and Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire were hit by winds of 69mph. The Forth, Tay and Kessock bridges are all closed while ferry and train services have been affected. Speeds are expected to reach around 65mph in the Borders and the North East of England later in the day and pushing 80mph in North Yorkshire. Around 8,500 properties in Scotland lost electricity due to Storm Gertrude. Scottish Hydro said engineers were working to reconnect supplies in Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, the Western Isles, Skye and Oban but repairs would depend on the weather. Bridge closed due to very strong winds \nIn Northern Ireland, around 5,000 properties were left without power after high winds battered the region throughout the night. Severe gales, which gusted at up to 70mph, brought trees down on top of power lines and broke electricity poles. Emergency services were called out to two lorries blown over on the A96 near Huntly and on the M9 near Dunblane in the early hours. The extent of any injuries is not known. Drivers also had to avoid a trampoline blown on to the Newtonhill flyover near the A90 in Aberdeen at around 6am. Police Scotland said a member of the public moved it from the road and officers were not needed. A force spokesman advised people to peg down trampolines and garden furniture in high winds. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has almost 40 flood warnings in place covering Ayrshire, Tayside, west central Scotland and the Highlands. A landslip on the A82 at Letter Finlay between Spean Bridge and Invergarry caused a 150- mile (241km) diversion for journeys between Fort William and Inverness. Fallen trees are affecting many routes and the Forth, Tay and Kessock bridges have been closed. P&O Ferries said the Pride of Hull ferry, from Rotterdam, had been unable to berth this morning due to \"extreme weather conditions\". The ferry, which was due to arrive at the port in Hull at 7am, will attempt to berth again at around 2.30pm. In a tweet, the company said: \"Due to extreme weather conditions in Hull, the Pride of Hull is unable to berth. A further attempt will be made when the weather improves.\"\nA spokesman for P&O Ferries said the ferry had experienced winds of 60 knots this morning, which he described as \"rare\". He added that passengers on the evening service to Rotterdam would not be affected by this disruption. Met Office amber \"be prepared\" warnings are in place for Northern Ireland, Scotland and north west and north east England. Yellow \"be aware\" warnings for rain, snow and ice are in place across much of the UK. #StormGertrude is currently affecting the UK. Here are the current highest wind gusts as of 07:00am \nForecasters said: \"Winds are expected to widely gust 60-70mph, possibly up to 80mph along exposed coasts and over hills. \"Be prepared for the likelihood of difficult driving conditions and disruption to travel, such as cancellation to ferry services and bridge closures.\"\nA succession of storms since December has seen widespread flooding and major disruption to travel, with the latest front expected to continue through the weekend. All schools in the Northern and Western Isles have been closed and train and ferry services vastly reduced in Scotland. ScotRail is operating a limited service, with routes in the Highlands and west coast particularly affected. A828 Connel Bridge now closed. Large tarpaulin detached form HGV is in a dangerous position.\nOperators said hundreds of engineers will be deployed across the network to inspect lines, repair damage and reopen routes as quickly as possible. Phil Verster, ScotRail Alliance managing director, said: \"We will be withdrawing some services until the worst of the storm has passed. \"The safety of our passengers and workforce is our top priority and we cannot run services on these lines until our engineers have thoroughly inspected the network for any damage.\"","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 Ireland, Scotland and north west and north east England","Scotland","Orkney and Shetland"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["south"]},{"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":["Gertrude"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["60-70mph","132mph"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2016 Three people die after a tornado hits the town of Waverly, Virginia. (NBC 12)","document":"A 2-year-old boy, a 50-year-old man and a 26-year-old man were killed by severe storms in the town of Waverly and damaged at least five structures on Wednesday after, Virginia State Police confirmed.\nImmediately after the storm hit, neighbors and strangers joined forces in a frantic search to find the 2-year-old, at one point, he was nowhere to be found. As a community grieves the loss, they're also dealing with damage and the reality that re-building will take some time.\nWhen one hurts, we all hurt. That was the sentiment in a town that's still coming to terms with the realities of the day: death, destruction, andresolve to help each other get through the storm.\nAs first responders raced to find survivors, strangers on the road stopped to do their part.\n\"I was coming through maybe about 10 minutes before this happened and traffic was backed up,” said Joe Pryor, as someone frantically approached him. \"She asked us, ‘Hey, can you come help us look for this baby that's missing,'\" he said.\nPryor took to the woods in a desperate search to find a 2-year-old he didn't even know.\n\"Hear if we could hear the baby cry or something. You want to help. You don't know what's going on. It could be anybody. It could be me, my family, it could be anyone's. You just have to help,” Pryor added.\nThe boy was one of three people that took cover in a mobile home. Only the structure of it now stands after the storm ripped right through it.\n\"Pray each other's strength as we get through this tragedy,” said Pastor Terrence Green, who spent his day comforting others. Now, his church, Empowerment Temple is in ruins. \"Call the troops together and try to clean up some of the debris,” he added while trying to hold it together.\n\"It was heartbreaking but it could have been worse. We're still standing and it could've been worse. No way we can have church on Sunday but we'll make it,” he said. \"We’re going to come together as a community and just do what we can to rebuild.\"\nThe area described by neighbors as a war zone is now a ghost town as neighbors are being told to stay indoors through the night.\nEight people were injured in Waverly due to the storms.\nThere has been another confirmed death in Appomattox. The storms also knocked out State Police's ability to receive emergency calls in the area.\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 town of Waverly"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["A 2-year-old boy, a 50-year-old man and a 26-year-old man","Eight people","another confirmed death"]},{"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_2009 38 people are killed in collapsed school buildings and road accidents caused by heavy snowfall in China, the heaviest in 60 years. (BBC) (China Daily) (Times of India)","document":"BEIJING: Heavy snow has left 21 people dead in north and central China since Monday, the Ministry of Civil Affairs announced (MCA) Friday.\nThe ministry did not detail the causes of the deaths, but four children had been reported dead when two school canteens collapsed after heavy snow in Hebei and Henan provinces since Wednesday.\nAs of 5 pm Friday, more than 9,000 buildings collapsed and about 190,400 hectares of crops were affected, causing direct economic losses of around 4.5 billion yuan (US$659 million), the ministry said.\nOver 7.5 million people were affected by the snow, and close to 159,000 people had been evacuated from their homes and their stranded vehicles jammed on the roads, it said.\n\n \nIn addition, the MCA and the Ministry of Finance have allocated 20 million yuan (US$2.9 million) from the central budget to Shanxi and Hebei provinces to help reallocate those affected by the snow and help them build new homes.\nIn a circular issued on Thursday, the State Council, or Cabinet, noted that China was in a critical phase to deal with the global financial crisis and the A/H1N1 influenza, and called for stepped-up efforts to mitigate damages brought by the snow.\nLocal authorities should take measures to ensure supply of food, water, power, heating and gas to the public, and should check primary and middle schools, health centers, old folks' homes, and tourist sites for hidden dangers, said the circular.\nTimely help must be provided to people having difficulties in their lives, it said.\nMeanwhile, public security and traffic department should increase patrol on accident-prone parts of the roads, and should make all-out efforts to make sure expressways and highways stay in function, the circular said.\nAuthorities must also conduct thorough safety checks on power, telecommunications, and heating, water and gas supplying facilities, it said, urging weather forecast departments to publicize alerts for blizzards and temperature drops in time.\nHeavy snow began to fall Monday on northern and central Chinese provinces, including Hebei, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, Hubei and Shaanxi, and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.\nBeijing also experienced heavy snow, but no deaths had been reported so far.\nIn Shaanxi, major highways had reported traffic jams as some vehicles failed to work in low temperature. On the highway linking Xi'an and Shangluo cities, vehicles had been seen queuing dozens of kilometers in chilly winds.\nShenyang Taoxian International Airport in the northeastern Liaoning Province resumed operation at 1:20 pm after being closed at 7 am as snow stopped.\nBy 6 pm Friday, major highways that were closed earlier in China's Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Shandong, Henan and Shaanxi provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have reopened, according to the Ministry of Public Security.\nBut a new snowstorm hit the northeastern Jilin Province Friday, with an expected temperature drop of eight to ten degrees Celsius in the coming week. Jilin Provincial Meteorological Bureau has issued an alert, urging local residents to prepare for heavier snow in the coming two days.\nTwo major airports in Changchun and Yanji cities were closed in the morning and vehicles were moving like snails in the city proper amid falling snowflakes.","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":["Hebei and Henan provinces","north and central China"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["21 people","four children","Over 7.5 million people","close to 159,000 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":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2020 Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards declares a state of emergency for New Orleans and other parts of the state as it is expected that Hurricane Sally will make landfall as a strong hurricane on Tuesday. (CNN)","document":"Updated 0828 GMT (1628 HKT) September 15, 2020  (CNN)Hurricane Sally strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Monday, and there's a chance it will make landfall in southeastern Louisiana, a state still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. The City has issued a mandatory evacuation order for areas outside of levee protection, including Venetian Isles, Lake Catherine, and Irish Bayou. In areas outside the levee system, we may see storm surge between 7-11 feet. This evacuation order goes into effect at 6pm. \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":["outside of levee protection, including Venetian Isles, Lake Catherine, and Irish Bayou","southeastern Louisiana"]},{"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 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Sally"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2020 Hurricane Teddy strengthens into a Category 3 hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean and heads to Bermuda, which is recovering from Hurricane Paulette. (The Washington Post) (The Weather Channel)","document":"\nHurricane Teddy brushed Bermuda, then hammered Atlantic Canada as a post-tropical cyclone after helping to churn up several days of high surf, coastal flooding and rip currents on the U.S. East Coast and huge waves over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.\nBorn as Tropical Depression Twenty on September 12 between the west African coast and the Lesser Antilles, Teddy became a tropical storm on September 14, one of five active Atlantic named storms at one time. Teddy, then rapidly developed into a hurricane just after midnight on September 16, and topped out at Category 4 intensity the following afternoon.\nAfter threatening to become the second straight hurricane to strike Bermuda, Teddy's forecast trended sufficiently far-enough east to keep the center over 150 miles east of Bermuda on at its closest pass on September 21, but still close enough for the archipelago to see tropical-storm-force winds and bands of heavy rainfall.\nInstead of curling sharply northeast into the open North Atlantic, Teddy was diverted north toward the Canadian Maritimes, particularly Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Along the way, Teddy transitioned from a hurricane to an \"extratropical storm\" as it moves north of the Gulf Stream, gets a boost from a jet-stream plunge and combines with a cold front off the Eastern Seaboard.\nWith that boost from the jet stream, Teddy remained an intense storm and grew tremendously in size, regardless of what meteorologists call it.\nOn the afternoon of September 22, a NOAA hurricane hunter reconnaissance mission found Teddy's tropical storm-force wind field extended up to 550 miles from its center. NHC senior hurricane specialist Eric Blake noted its entire circulation was over 1,000 miles wide and referred to it as \"ginormous\" in an NHC forecast.\nTeddy generated massive waves over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.\nAccording to an analysis on September 22 from NOAA's Ocean Prediction Center, Teddy may have generated peak open ocean wave heights of 100 feet or more between Nova Scotia and Bermuda.\nTeddy prompted tropical storm warnings for the south coast of Nova Scotia and a portion of southwest Newfoundland.\nTeddy made landfall as a \"post-tropical cyclone\" on September 23 along the coast of eastern Nova Scotia, according to the National Hurricane Center. A peak wind gust of 90 mph was clocked at Grand Etang, and 73 mph at the Eskasoni First Nation, according to Environment Canada. At least 20,000 customers lost power in Nova Scotia from high winds. Storm surge flooding and heavy rain were also expected in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.\nEven though Teddy passed hundreds of miles east of the U.S., the hurricane in combination with strong high pressure was a major wave generator for the Eastern Seaboard, from the east coast of Florida to Maine and even Puerto Rico.\nWater levels 1 foot higher than normal were recorded as far north as Eastport, Maine, and 1 foot of inundation was also reported at the pier in Portland, Maine. Other minor coastal flooding swept into parts of the Jersey Shore, Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia Tidewater and North Carolina's Outer Banks, overwashing low-lying, flood-prone sections of North Carolina highway 12. Charleston, South Carolina, saw storm tides top out at major flood stage three straight days from Sept. 19-21, the first time this had been documented three days in a row in records dating to at least 1934, leading to flooding in the city's historic downtown and other areas near the South Carolina coast. It was the highest storm tides, there, since November 2018.\nWater levels along northeast Florida's coast east of Jacksonville were the highest since 2017's Hurricane Irma. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":["between the west African coast and the Lesser Antilles"]},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Atlantic Canada"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["east"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":["September 12"]},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a post-tropical cyclone","at Category 4"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Teddy"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2020 A rare Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone (medicane), with winds up to 120 km/h (75 mph), kills three people as it passes over Greece heading toward the island of Crete.  About 5,000 homes in Karditsa, Greece, were affected by flooding and heavy winds. One person is still reported missing. (BBC) (Greek City Times)","document":"Three people have died and two remain missing after a rare hurricane-like storm swept across Greece, flooding streets and homes and cutting power.\nHundreds of people became trapped as Cyclone Ianos, known as a \"medicane\" (Mediterranean hurricane), hit areas north of Athens before heading south.\nTrain services linking the north and south of the country were cut off.\nPrime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged that \"all the affected areas will have immediate support\". Mr Mitsotakis has sent three senior officials to the worst-hit central region.\nOn Sunday, the body of a man, a 62-year-old farmer, was found under the collapsed roof of his house in a village near Karditsa, north of Athens, officials said. Another man was found dead on his farm in the same region on Saturday, while the body of a woman was recovered from her flooded home in a nearby town, local media reported.\nTwo other people are still missing - one of them is a woman was swept away in her car, which has since been found empty, firefighters said. As Ianos churned eastwards overnight Friday and into Saturday, the city of Karditsa was lashed by winds of up to 120km/h (75mph) that brought down power lines and triggered landslides. About 5,000 homes in the city were reportedly affected by flooding, while roads were also damaged.\nTV images showed Karditsa badly flooded, with a bridge collapsed.\n\"We're dealing with a total catastrophe,\" said Nikolaos Gousios, a resident of nearby Farsala village.\nBy Saturday evening, the storm had reached the island of Crete, bringing heavy rainfall that flooded streets and properties. Footage on social media earlier showed huge waves lashing the beaches on the Ionian islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos as the storm headed in. Flights and ferry services were cancelled and tourists were advised to stay indoors. \"I call on citizens to remain vigilant for as long as this phenomenon lasts,\" Mr Mitsotakis warned those in its path, adding: \"What takes precedence now is protection of life.\"\nA boat believed to be carrying 55 migrants off the western Peloponnese was also reported to be in distress on Friday. However, the Greek coast guard told AFP news agency that the boat may have changed course after receiving no help.\nMedicanes - tropical-like cyclones - have only been categorised by meteorologists in the past 40 years, according to Kostas Lagouvardos, an expert at the Athens Observatory.\n\"Mediterranean cyclones or hurricanes have tropical characteristics like those in the Atlantic, but they often have a smaller volume and are less intense,\" he told AFP news agency.","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":["areas north of Athens before heading south","Greece"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["a man, a 62-year-old farmer","Three people","two remain missing","Hundreds 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":["Ianos"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2020 A rare Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone (medicane), with winds up to 120 km/h (75 mph), kills three people as it passes over Greece heading toward the island of Crete.  About 5,000 homes in Karditsa, Greece, were affected by flooding and heavy winds. One person is still reported missing. (BBC) (Greek City Times)","document":"Cyclone Ianos, has left three people dead and another reported missing, after the severe weather phenomena swept from the Ionian Islands through central Greece this weekend.\nThe casualties included an older woman pulled out of her house in Farsala, a farmer of Albanian descent, 63, and an older man whose roof collapsed in Kastania.\nAnother woman, 43, from Mouzaki is missing, after trying to escape the floods with her car which was found yesterday.\nIanos landed on the Ionian Islands on Thursday night, taking power out and causing extensive damage before moving east to the Peloponnese and central Greece, then to Crete.\nAccording to the Fire Brigade, they received a total of 2,450 calls for help or pumping out of water as of the evening of September 17, especially in the areas of south Ionian, western Greece, Central Greece, the Peloponnese and Thessaly. Some are ongoing. Firefighters also freed 942 trapped in various situations.\nOver the weekend, Civil Protection Deputy Minister for Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias has been touring the Ionian Islands of Kefalonia, Ithaca and Zakynthos, where the hurricane first landed in Greece on Thursday night.\nThe minister said that crews working round the clock in the midst of uprooted trees and infrastructure, and asserted the main power network would be restored in Zakynthos by nightfall.\nAccording to the electricity distribution operator DEDDIE, power is gradually restored on all three islands. In Kefalonia, the northern section of the island has the greatest issues of restoring power, and new power posts had to be set up. In Ithaca, the northern section is also the hardest to restore power to. Zakynthos has some power but there are extensive problems in the Agios Nikolaos area network, and its cemetery.","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 Ionian Islands","Peloponnese and central Greece, then to Crete","central Greece"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Another woman, 43, from Mouzaki is missing","three people","an older woman","a farmer","an older man"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["east"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["this weekend","Thursday 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":["Ianos"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2020 Two people are reported to be dead following the aftermath of Hurricane Delta in Louisiana. (CNN) (Global News)","document":"Back-to-back hurricanes in the space of six weeks left parts of Louisiana blanketed Sunday with tarpaulins, mangled metal and downed power lines — but not necessarily despair.\nUtility crews fanned out across the battered southwestern part of the state to restore electricity in the wake of Hurricane Delta, and residents began returning home along roads lined with debris and houses missing roofs. Some were grateful that the damage was not as bad as it could have been.\nA 70-year-old woman in Iberia Parish died in a fire likely caused by a natural gas leak following damage from Hurricane Delta, the Louisiana Department of Health said Sunday.\n\t\t\t\nLouisiana officials also blamed the death of an 86-year-old man on the hurricane. The St. Martin Parish resident died in a fire that erupted after he refuelled a generator in a shed, Gov. John Bel Edwards said. He said it didn’t appear the generator had cooled down before the man refilled it.\nA third storm-related death was reported in Florida, where a 19-year-old tourist from Illinois drowned after getting caught in a rip current caused by the storm off Destin, authorities said.\nRoughly 350,000 customers in Louisiana remained without power two days after Delta blew ashore near the town of Creole with winds of 100 mph (155 kph), slamming a part of the state still recovering from Hurricane Laura’s 150 mph (241 kph) onslaught on Aug. 27. Laura was blamed for 32 deaths, many of them caused in the storm’s aftermath by carbon monoxide poisoning from generators.\nThe remnants of Delta, meanwhile, dumped heavy rain on parts of Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.\nThe storm was also blamed for washing out a railroad track and causing the derailment of a freight train in the Atlanta area that sparked a small fire and briefly forced some residents from their homes. Two crew members were taken to a hospital for observation and later released.\nClair Hebert Marceaux lost her home in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, during Hurricane Laura and said the community was hard at work on rebuilding when Delta struck.\n“We can’t lose our momentum,” she said, though she added there was “utter devastation” in the area.\nRead more: \t\t\t\tLouisiana prepares a 6th time this year for hurricane impacts as Delta closes in\t\t\t\nMarceaux, who was born and raised in Cameron Parish, is the director of the community’s busy port, which hosts fleets of shrimp and crab boats and serves as a key link in the region’s oil and gas industry.\nVessel traffic was halted until port authorities and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers could take stock of the damage. Sunken boats, utility poles and other flotsam filled waterways.\n“We are still in an assessment phase,” Marceaux said, “but we will be limping along as best as we can.”\nLynn Nguyen and her four children fled to Fort Walton, Florida, ahead of the storm and returned home to Abbeville, Louisiana, on a circuitous route to avoid flooded roads. Her home was spared major damage, though a fence was flattened.\n“For the most part, I’m just glad I still have a job and a roof over my head,” said Nguyen, who works at a seafood market.\nEarnestine and Milton Wesley had decided to ride out Delta in their Lake Charles home, damaged by Laura. As the wind rustled the roof tarp above them, they grabbed it through the hole in the ceiling and held on tight. Water poured in, flooding their den.\n“We fought all night long trying to keep things intact,” Milton said. “And with God’s help we made it.”\nAfter blowing ashore, Delta moved over Lake Charles, a city where Laura damaged nearly every home and building. More than 8,000 Louisiana residents who evacuated because of Laura were still in shelters as of Sunday, Edwards said. Roughly 850 people were in shelters because of Delta.\nBefore Friday’s storm, the streets of Lake Charles were already lined with mountains of debris from the previous hurricane — soggy insulation, mouldy mattresses, tree limbs, twisted metal siding, ruined family treasures. Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter estimated hundreds of already damaged homes took on water from Delta, which dumped more than 15 inches (38 centimetres) of rain on the city over two days.\nDelta, the 25th named storm of an unprecedented Atlantic hurricane season, was the 10th to hit the mainland U.S. this year, breaking a record set in 1916, Colorado State University researcher Phil Klotzbach said.\nThe floodwaters surged up the Wesley family’s front yard, and they were terrified it would pour inside, but it stopped short of the door. It carried with it bags of trash and muck, swept up from their neighbours’ piles of debris from the prior storm.\n“The water was something else last night,” Milton said. “We’ve never seen it flood so bad out here, to the point I could have swam out here last night, that’s just how deep it was.”\nCalvan reported from Tallahassee, Florida; Associated Press contributors include Sudhin Thanawala and Sophia Tulp in Atlanta; Gerald Herbert in Lake Charles; Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland.","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 Louisiana"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["residents","A 70-year-old woman in Iberia Parish","an 86-year-old man","The St. Martin Parish resident","a 19-year-old tourist from Illinois","Roughly 350,000 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":["Delta"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["100 mph (155 kph)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2020 Tropical Storm Epsilon forms in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to bring storm-force winds to Bermuda later this week.  (Royal Gazette / Bermuda)","document":"Weather models predicted Tropical Storm Epsilon would gain strength and edge past east of Bermuda on Friday.\nForecasters warned wet weather, stronger winds and rough seas should be expected.\nThe National Hurricane Centre in the United States said the storm would be “at or near hurricane strength” as it passed the island.\nBermuda Weather Service forecasts showed Epsilon could build into a Category 1 Hurricane as early as Wednesday night.\nThe storm was 765 miles east-southeast of Bermuda at 6am today and moving at 3mph.\nThe BWS said Epsilon’s closest approach in 72 hours would be just under 200 miles east at 6am on Friday.\nBut the BWS warned Epsilon could move closer to Bermuda after that.\nAn update on the BWS website predicted that gale force winds would ramp up to storm force on Friday.\nTS Epsilon was said to be a “a potential threat to Bermuda”.\nJames Dodgson, a BWS forecaster, said yesterday: “Both Thursday and Friday are likely to see widespread rain and showers, especially on Friday.”\nHe added that several inches of rain were predicted “which could perhaps be the only benefit of this very inclement weather, given that Bermuda is currently running eight inches below average for the year-to-date”.\nMr Dodgson predicted that winds would increase over Thursday and Friday “and likely reaching towards storm force for a time on Friday”.\nHe added: “Given all the current model data, a tropical storm warning will likely need to be issued for this period.\n“Winds could gust hurricane force in and around showers and, given some specific tropical model guidance, it is not out of the question that a hurricane watch / warning may be required.”\nThe NHC said that a ridge was expected to build over the western and central Atlantic to the north of the tropical storm by midweek.\nUS forecasters added: “As the ridge slides eastward later this week, the cyclone should move west-northwestward to northwestward at a faster rate of speed.\n“This motion will bring the system close to Bermuda by late week and the interests on that island should closely monitor the progress of the cyclone.”","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Forecasters","The National Hurricane Centre","Bermuda Weather Service"]},{"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 Category 1 Hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["3mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Epsilon"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2020 Hurricane Zeta makes landfall near Cocodrie, Louisiana, as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph. In the process, it sets a new record for being the fifth named storm to make landfall in Louisiana in a single season, the previous record being four. (The New York Times)","document":"The storm, responsible for at least one death, was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall.\n  Hurricane Zeta Soaks Southeastern Louisiana  \nNEW ORLEANS — Hurricane Zeta lashed the Louisiana coast on Wednesday with heavy rainfall and powerful winds that officials feared could pulverize parts of New Orleans as the storm made landfall with Category 2 strength.\n“It’s coming fast, it’s coming strong,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell warned residents. She acknowledged that several storms had New Orleans in their projected paths this season only to shift before landfall, but this time, she said, the city would take a hit.\nHurricane Zeta is expected to make landfall in the United States Wednesday.\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":["Southeastern Louisiana","Louisiana coast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least one death"]},{"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":["Category 2"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Zeta"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 Typhoon Bopha makes landfall on the Philippines island of Mindanao with reports of floods and landslides. Authorities confirm at least 81 deaths amid widespread property damage. (AFP via MSN Malaysia) (ABC News Australia) (Reuters) (Bangkok Post)","document":"The state weather service said Bopha made landfall on Mindanao island's east coast at dawn, raking across the island of 10 million people, packing gusts of up to 210 kilometres (130 miles) an hour and bringing heavy rain.\nThere were no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage but Mindanao was in lockdown with residents of coastal and flood-prone areas moving into shelters as floods hit some areas.\nAviation and shipping were suspended, with 80 flights grounded and thousands of ferry passengers stranded at ports as the coastguard ordered vessels to stay in port, the civil defence office said.\nMore than 41,000 people had moved into nearly 1,000 government shelters across the island by early Tuesday, it said in its latest bulletin.\nThe commercial centre of Cagayan de Oro, one of Mindanao's largest cities, was hit by flooding as rivers overflowed following heavy rain.\nSchool holidays were declared in Mindanao and large areas of the central Philippines.\nPresident Benigno Aquino led calls for evacuations on Monday, saying: \"(Bopha's) destructive potential is no laughing matter. It is expected to be the strongest typhoon to hit our country in 2012.\"\nThe Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons a year, some of them destructive. Bopha is the sixteenth so far this year.\nIn August, nearly 100 people were killed and more than a million were displaced by heavy flooding caused by a series of storms.\nNineteen typhoons struck the country last year, of which 10 were destructive, leading to more than 1,500 deaths and affecting nearly 10 percent of the total population, according to the government.\nA leader of Myanmar's 2007 monk rallies has been arrested, an official said Tuesday, in his latest brush with the law since being freed from jail along with hundreds of other political prisoners this year.\nJohn Travolta and his \"Grease\" on-screen love Olivia Newton-John have recorded together for the first time in 30 years, making a Christmas album honouring the US star's late son Jett.","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":["Mindanao island's east coast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["10 million people","thousands of ferry passengers","More than 41,000 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["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":["Bopha"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 210 kilometres (130 miles)"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 Rescue crews head to areas of the Philippines severely affected by Typhoon Bopha. At least 283 are now believed to have died as a result of the storm, with 339 injured, hundreds more missing and over 87,000 evacuated. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (The Weather Channel) (New York Times)","document":"The death toll from a powerful storm battering the southern Philippines has risen to about 200, as rescue teams arrive in affected areas.\nAt least 156 people are known to have died in Compostela Valley province alone when Typhoon Bopha struck eastern Mindanao, local officials told the BBC.\nRescuers have reached most areas, but have had difficulty getting to some isolated communities. Many were evacuated ahead of the storm, now over the western island of Palawan.\nThe typhoon is expected to move out into the South China Sea on Thursday. Compostela Valley province was said to be the hardest-hit area. Neighbouring Davao Oriental province was also badly affected, with reports of about 50 people killed.  In Andap village, in Compostela Valley, water and mud rushed down mountainous slopes to engulf a school and a village hall serving as evacuation centres. At least 43 people were killed there, with more reported missing and injured - including soldiers sent to help with evacuations. \"The waters came so suddenly and unexpectedly, and the winds were so fierce - that compounded the loss of lives and livelihood,\" Compostela Valley Provincial Governor Arturo Uy told Reuters news agency.\nHe said water catchment basins for farms on top of the mountains had given way because of the torrential rains, sending down large volumes of water.\nHe added that the cost of damage to agriculture and infrastructure in Compostela Valley province could reach at least 4 billion pesos ($98m), with the typhoon destroying 70-80% of plantations - mostly bananas for export.\nJulius Rebucas, whose mother and brother were caught in flash floods in Compostela Valley, said: \"The last thing my mother said was 'I love you'. It's sad because I no longer have a family.\"\nDavao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon said roads to dozens of towns were impassable because of fallen trees and collapsed bridges, and getting into them was like \"running an obstacle course\". She said initial reports indicated that in one town, Cateel, 95% of the buildings had been damaged. Twenty-three people had drowned or were buried under fallen trees or buildings there, she said. Across the affected provinces, rescuers have also pulled out dozens of people from the mud, many of whom are now being treated in evacuation centres and hospitals. Most suffered facial wounds or limb injuries.\nDozens of domestic flights and ferry services in the central and south of the country were suspended, and schools and businesses were closed while the storm passed.\nBopha comes a year after Typhoon Washi killed more than 1,300 people in the southern Philippines.\nThe storm devastated the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan on the island's north coast.\nMany of those who died were sleeping as Typhoon Washi caused rivers to burst their banks, leading to landslides. Entire villages were washed away. .","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":["Compostela Valley province","the southern Philippines","eastern Mindanao"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["200","At least 156 people","about 50 people","At least 43 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":["Bopha"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 Three people are dead and 250 others forced to evacuate after wild weather including a tornado hits the city of Auckland in New Zealand. (Daily Telegraph) (AP via The Washington Post) (BBC)","document":"Three people have been killed as a rare tornado ripped through western suburbs of the New Zealand city of Auckland. The tornado struck Hobsonville and Whenuapai on Thursday afternoon, uprooting trees and taking roofs off houses. Nick Marshall-McCormack reports. Three killed as tornado hits NZ. Three killed as tornado hits NZ\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 of the New Zealand city of Auckland","Hobsonville and Whenuapai"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Three killed","Three people"]},{"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":"December_2012 The death toll from Typhoon Bopha rises to at least 418, with 383 still missing in southern Philippines. At least 179,000 others have been left homeless after the passage of the storm. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera) (BBC) (NDRRMC)","document":"More than 300 people have died and hundreds more are missing in the wake of Typhoon Bopha, which cut a swathe of devastation across the southern Philippines. Emergency teams are continuing to search for survivors while humanitarian and government agencies try to help those displaced by the storm.   Luiza Carvalho, a UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Manila, told the BBC that an estimated 200,000 people in 420 evacuation shelters were in need of food, water and medicine. '200,000 in evacuation shelters'","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 Philippines"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["More than 300 people","hundreds more"]},{"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":["Bopha"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2012 The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Bopha rises to 647 with 780 people still missing. (Al–Jazeera)","document":"UN asks for $65m for victims of Typhoon Bopha, as death toll rises to nearly 650.\n\nThe Philippines government and the United Nations are launching a $65m global appeal to help the victims of Typhoon Bopha that devastated the country’s south and left hundreds dead.\nLuiza Carvalho, country officer for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said on Monday that the funds would initially help provide food, water and emergency shelter to 480,000 people in the worst-hit areas.\nAt least 650 people have died, while millions are left homeless and in desperate need of food aid and other basic goods, the country’s disaster chief in Manila told Al Jazeera.\nBenito Ramos said that 647 bodies had been found and 900 people were still missing, including hundreds of fishermen.\nRescuers continued searching for bodies or signs of life under tonnes of fallen trees and boulders in the worst-hit town of New Bataan, where rocks, mud and other rubble destroyed landmarks, making it doubly difficult to search places where houses once stood.\n“This is a scale the Philippines has not previously seen, we’re talking about tens of thousands of homes destroyed across southeast Mindanao,” Joe Curry of Catholic Relief Service told Al Jazeera.\n“People live in fragile housing and when storms like this hit … it wipes out entire communities.”\nHundreds of refugees, rescuers and aid workers took a break on Sunday to watch the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight on a big TV screen, only to be dismayed by their hero’s sixth-round knockout.\nNearly 400,000 people, mostly from Compostela Valley and nearby Davao Oriental province, have lost their homes and are crowded inside evacuation centres or staying with relatives.\n“In my 15 years of service to the Red Cross, I have not seen such great destruction and devastation,” Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, told Al Jazeera.\n“Almost everyone there is homeless, there is no clean water … there is very limited medical care.”\nMissing fishermen\nFamilies and fishing companies reported losing contact with more than 300 fishermen at sea.\nRamos said the authorities were unprepared for the unprecedented weather in those areas worst affected, and that it was struggling to cope with the disaster.\n“Right now, we have some international organisations and governments assisting us, but our supplies are still insufficient at this moment,” he said. \nThe fishermen from southern General Santos city and nearby Sarangani province left a few days before Bopha hit the main southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday, causing deadly flash floods.\nRamos said the fishermen were headed to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and to the Pacific Ocean and there had been no contact from them for a week.\nHe said the coast guard, navy and fishing vessels had launched a search.\nBenigno Aquino III, the Philippine president, declared a state of national calamity on Friday, which allows for price controls on basic commodities in typhoon-affected areas and the quick release of emergency funds.\nTyphoon Bopha has re-developed in the South China Sea and now threatens flooding in the northern Philippines.\nTyphoon Bopha has re-organised and strengthened. The storm is now expected to cause  flash flooding in northern Luzon.\nThe Philippines strongest typhoon of the year makes landfall\nNumber of undernourished Filipinos has grown by two million in two years, even as it drops in neighbouring countries.\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":["town of New Bataan"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["the victims of Typhoon Bopha","650","647 bodies","900 people were still missing","Nearly 400,000 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":["Bopha"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 Aid workers and the United Nations raise concerns about rising food prices and increased cholera in Haiti, where Hurricane Sandy has killed at least 52 people. (Al Jazeera)","document":"Officials fear rising food prices and an increase in cholera cases in Caribbean nation where storm killed 52 people.\n\nAs Sandy caused havoc throughout the eastern US, the full extent of the storm’s damage was just beginning to emerge in the Caribbean nation of Haiti.\nThe UN warned that flooding and unsanitary conditions could lead to a sharp increase in cases of cholera, while aid workers are worried that extensive crop damage will mean that food prices will rise.\nExtensive damage to crops throughout the southern third of the country, as well as the high potential for a surge in cases of cholera and other water-borne diseases, could mean Haiti will see the deadliest effects of Sandy in the coming days and weeks.\nHaiti has reported the highest death from Sandy so far, as swollen rivers and landslides claimed at least 52 lives, according to the country’s civil protection office.\nMore than three days of constant rain left roads and bridges heavily damaged, cutting off access to several towns and a key border crossing with the Dominican Republic.\n“The economy took a huge hit,” Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe told Reuters news agency.\nHe also said Sandy’s impact was devastating, “even by international standards”, adding that Haiti was planning an appeal for emergency aid.\n“Most of the agricultural crops that were left from Hurricane Isaac [in August] were destroyed during Sandy,” he said, “so food security will be an issue.”\nSandy also destroyed banana crops in eastern Jamaica as well as coffee crops in eastern Cuba.\nRising food prices\nThe widespread loss of crops and supplies in the south, both for commercial growers and subsistence farmers, is what the Haitian authorities and aid organisations had worried about most.\nThe past several months have seen a series of nationwide protests and general strikes over the rising cost of living. Even before Sandy hit, residents complained that food prices were too high.\nA rise in food prices in Haiti triggered violent demonstrations and political instability in April 2008. Jean Debalio Jean-Jacques, the agriculture ministry’s director for the southern department, said he worried that the massive crop loss “could aggravate the situation”.\n“The storm took everything away,” Jean-Jacques said. “Everything the peasants had in reserve – corn, tubers – all of it was devastated. Some people had already prepared their fields for winter crops and those were devastated.”\nIn Abricots on Haiti’s southwestern tip, the community was still recovering from the effects of 2010’s Hurricane Tomas and a recent dry spell when Sandy hit.\n“We’ll have famine in the coming days,” Kechner Toussaint, the Abricots mayor, said. “It’s an agricultural disaster.”\nThe main staples of the local diet, bananas and breadfruit, were ripped out by winds and ruined by heavy rains.  \nIn the southwestern Grand Anse department, a boat that regularly comes from the capital Port-au-Prince to deliver supplies and pick up produce to sell in the capital had not come in more than a week because of the storm. The cost of basic things, such as fuel, had already jumped.\n‘Incalculable’ damage\nIn Camp-Perrin, a mountainous region in the southwest peninsula where Sandy’s first fatality was recorded after a woman tried to cross a swollen river, coffee planters lamented the loss of a harvest they were weeks away from collecting.\n“Coffee is the bank account of the peasants,” said Maurice Jean-Louis, a planter and head of a coffee growers’ co-operative in Camp-Perrin.\nRain flooded many storage areas as well, soaking coffee beans that were set aside for export. He called the damage “incalculable.”\nIn Port-au-Prince, Sandy destroyed concrete homes and tent camps alike, where 370,000 victims of the 2010 earthquake are still living.\nHaitian authorities said 18,000 families were left homeless in the disaster.\nAid organisations began reporting a sharp rise in suspected cholera cases in several departments, with at least 86 new cases alone coming from Port-au-Prince’s earthquake survivor camps, according to Juan Carlos Gustavo Alonso of the Pan American Health Organisation.\nMany communities are still cut off and only accessible by helicopter, he said, so the broader rise in cholera was “still too early to tell”.\nSince October 2010, a cholera outbreak has hit almost 600,000 people and killed more than 7,400 in Haiti.\nMillions without power, 15 people killed and widespread flooding reported in huge population centres in Sandy’s path.\nUp-to-the-minute reporting as Sandy continues its trajectory towards the East Coast of the US.\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 East Coast of the US"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["52 people","at least 52 lives","Millions","15 people killed"]},{"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":["Sandy"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"November_2012 The death toll in the U.S. attributed to Hurricane Sandy rises to at least 90, nearly half in New York City, as millions of people in the Northeastern United States continue to deal with power outages, gasoline shortages and sparse public transportation. (Wall Street Journal) (ABC News) (US News)","document":"Nov. 1, 2012— -- New Jersey and New York, struggling to recover from the wreckage of Sandy, were staggered today by a gas shortage and an overwhelmed transit system as more victims of the deadly storm were found.\nFour bodies were located on Staten Island, New York City's smallest borough and the one most exposed to the water. Two of the bodies were boys, aged 2 and 4, who were washed away from the roof of their family's car where their mother had put them to avoid the flood waters.\nSo far at least 19 people died from the storm on Staten Island. The deaths push the regional toll for Sandy's rampage to more than 80, according to the AP.\nThe region struggled to get back on its feet today and throughout New Jersey, the hardest hit state, motorists roamed for hours looking for a gas station that had power and still had gasoline. And when a station was located, the line to the pump could last two hours.\nJoseph McGinn, a spokesman for Sunoco, cited power outages, closed roads and supply disruptions as obstacles to keeping their stations supplied.\n\"We are working diligently to get all of our affected retail locations in New Jersey and New York back to full service as quickly as possible,\" McGinn said.\nThose with gas who had to commute into New York City encountered a major traffic jam at the Lincoln Tunnel, one of only two entrances to the city from New Jersey that hadn't been closed down because of damage from Sandy.\nTens of thousands of motorists tried to beat Mayor Bloomberg's edict that after 6 a.m. cars must have three people in them or be turned away, creating a pre-dawn line for the tunnel that was backed up for more than a mile.\nEven travel within the city was gridlocked as the mayor's three-passenger rule extended to bridges into Manhattan, making a trip from Brooklyn or Queens into the heart of the city last several hours.\n\nThe first limited bus and train services came to life, but many of the buses were quickly filled to capacity, creating enormous lines to get on them and forcing drivers to skip stops and roll past hordes of waiting passengers.\nIn Brooklyn, lines for buses at the new Barclays sports area wound twice around the block-long sports palace before getting near a bus. A typical wait this morning for a bus at the stop was an hour.\nNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recognized the seriousness of the transportation gridlock.\n\"I am declaring a transportation state of emergency and authorizing the MTA [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] to waive fares on rails, subways through the end of the week, Thursday and Friday,\" the governor said.\nNew York City buses serve 2.3 million people on an average day, and two days after the storm they were trying to handle many of the 5.5 million daily subway riders, too.\nHurricane Sandy: Full Coverage \"We are going to need some patience and some tolerance,\" Cuomo said.\nNevertheless, Cuomo assured New Yorkers, \"The worst is behind us.\"\nAt the worst of the storm's aftermath, 8.5 million people were left in the dark, but that number has been pared to 6 million, with outages as far west as Wisconsin and as far south as the Carolinas.\nThe Pentagon launched an airlift using 17 military cargo planes to bring a fleet of utility vechicles to the region to speed repairs. Utility crews have been traveling to the area by road to help out.\nCuomo also announced that FEMA will start the delivery of 1 million gallons of water and 1 million pounds of food to seniors running out of food in high-rise buildings without power.\nNew York's LaGuardia Airport reopened today, the last of the region's major airports to resume air service.\nBut schools remain shut throughout the region.\nSevere problems persisted with widespread flooding crippling Hoboken, N.J. Utility crews and tree crews worked to remove hundreds of trees that had toppled throughout New Jersey and were entangled with power lines and had pulled down utility poles.\nOn Wednesday night the Coast Guard confirmed to ABC News that an oil facility in Sewaran, N.J., owned by Motiva, spilled oil into New York harbor. Motiva said that two diesel storage tanks were damaged during the storm.\nMotiva released a statement to ABC News, saying, an \"unknown amount\" of diesel has been released and they are working with local agencies \"to conduct a thorough inspection and damage assessment of its petroleum terminals that were situated in the path of Hurricane Sandy.\"\n - Before and After Residents in Seaside Heights, Ortley, Ortley Beach, and Lavalette reported hissing noises coming from gas lines.\nMany residents are living in fear protecting what little they have left from the possibility of an explosion. In Brick Township, fire companies were standing by as officials awaited utility workers who would burn off and turn off the gas. While some officials downplayed the risk from fire, others gave a different estimate of the gas risk.\nHurricane Sandy: Full Coverage \"We have one main gas line that goes over to the island. We are trying to cut the main line to cut it for the [barrier] islands, said Rich Peterson of the county's Office of Emergency Management.\nOverall says Peterson, more than 500 have been rescued from the barrier islands as of Wednesday.\n\"Our biggest concern is we want to get everyone out of the barrier islands. People are still there.  We've gotten 500 people from two barrier islands. We have crews out there, zodiac boats, National Guard Blackhawk helicopters,\" he said.\nPresident Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie toured the devastated Jersey shore Wednesday  and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will travel to Connecticut and New York today to meet with state and local officials and view ongoing response and recovery efforts to superstorm Sandy.","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":["Staten Island","New Jersey and New York"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Four bodies","at least 19 people","80","8.5 million 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":["Sandy's","Sandy"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2011 The Downtown Tuscaloosa tornado passes over the University of Alabama campus close to the Bryant-Denny Stadium.(Times Daily) (The State)[permanent dead link] (WAFF)","document":"At least 15 are dead in Tuscaloosa after a massive tornado Wednesday according to the state Emergency Management Agency. The tornado continued on the ground to Birmingham, which took heavy damage and 11 more died in Jefferson County.\n\nThis is at least the second tornado in 12 days to touch down in Tuscaloosa.\n University Mall in Tuscaloosa also suffered extensive damage and businesses near the intersection of 15h Street and McFarland Boulevard were destroyed. The tornado narrowly missed the University of Alabama campus, which did not suffer any damage. \nCameras caught a massive tornado tracking through town.\nWindows were blown out of  several rooms and a waiting area at the Druid City Hospital but it is still functioning.\nClasses were canceled at the University of Alabama, which is located in the heart of Tuscaloosa. The university student newspaper, The Crimson White, reported power outages across campus.","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":["Tuscaloosa","Birmingham","Jefferson County"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least 15 are dead","11 more died"]},{"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_2011 Seven US states declare a state of emergency following heavy storms including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Oklahoma. (AFP via News Limited) (New York Daily News)","document":"Forty-five people were killed in Alabama alone, authorities said, and on Wednesday US President Barack Obama ordered the government to 'move quickly' to get search and rescue aid to the southern state.\nEarlier, states of emergency were declared in Alabama; Arkansas; Kentucky; Mississippi - where officials said 11 people were killed; Missouri; Tennessee; and Oklahoma.\nGovernors called out the National Guard to help with rescue and cleanup operations.\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":["Alabama; Arkansas; Kentucky; Mississippi","Alabama","Missouri; Tennessee; and Oklahoma"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Forty-five 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":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2011 The death toll from the storms reaches 290 with 194 dead in Alabama. (New York Times) (ABC News)","document":"Alabama Tornadoes: Freak Weather Assault April 28, 2011— -- The death toll approached 300 tonight from the tornadoes and thunderstorms  that tore through the South Wednesday night and early today.\nNOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, estimated there were 173 tornadoes Wednesday, a new record for a single storm system in modern times.\nPresident Obama called the loss of life \"heartbreaking,\" and promised those affected by the storms the full support of the federal government.\n\"We can't control when or where a terrible storm may strike, but we can control how we respond to it,\" Obama said during a press conference today at the White House. \"I want every American that's been affected by this disaster to know the federal government will do everything we can to help you recover and we will stand with you as you rebuild.\"\nThe twisters rampaged through cities like Tuscaloosa, Ala., forced a pair of nuclear plants to go off line, left thousands homeless and more than a million people without power.\nNOAA said it was the worst tornado outbreak since 1974, when storms killed 315 people. The deadliest tornado outbreak on record was on March 18, 1925, when 695 people died.\n\"In a matter of hours, these deadly tornadoes ... took mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors, even entire communities,\" Obama said.\nGeorgia Gov. Nathan Deal toured the tornado area this morning and said, \"It's hard to imagine nature can be this devastating.\"\nThe governor said it was a remarkably wide swath of twisters and noted there were multiple tornadoes in some areas.\nThe majority of the deaths reported so far have been in Alabama, where at least 195 people were killed. Mississippi recorded 32 fatalities, Tennessee had 33, Georgia at least 10, and Virginia had eight.\nHundreds more were injured. Of the 134 patients brought to the University of Alabama hospital in Birmingham, 40 were major trauma injuries, the hospital said.\nLoring Rue, M.D., chief of trauma surgery at UAB Hospital, said 134 patients came through the E.R.; 40 were major trauma injuries and 23 were admitted to intensive care units. In addition,10 surgical procedures were performed.\n\"The injuries were remarkable,\" Rue said, adding that people who were  in the comfort of their homes when the tornado struck were brought in with injuries doctors normally see in high-speed motor-vehicle accidents\nGreg Carbin, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said the area can expect mild weather for the next few days but he could not predict whether more killer tornadoes were on their way.\n\"May is usually the most active tornado month,\" Carbin said. \"Will it maintain the activity of April? We just cannot say.\"\nPresident Obama called Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley to express condolences over the deaths in his state and the White House announced that the president will stop in Alabama Friday to tour the wreckage while on his way to Cape Canaveral for the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour.\nPossibly the hardest-hit area was Tuscaloosa, where at least 32 people died. Early estimates indicated that the tornado that hit Tuscaloosa could have been on the ground for 176 miles, with winds between 167 and 200 mph.\nThe city was stunned by the devastation that not only hit homes and commercial areas, but also destroyed much of the city's public works infrastructure -- including the city's emergency management administration headquarters.\n\"We are critically short of men, material and equipment,\" Mayor Walter Maddox said at a news conference today.\nThe mayor asked people to stay off the streets and conserve water, and for gawkers to stay away. He said \"sightseers\" are only getting in the way of emergency crews.\n\"This is going to be a very, very long process\" of cleaning up and rebuilding, he said. \"During this time we ask for patience and we ask for prayers.\"\nAbout 2,000 Alabama National guard soldiers have been activated to help with search and rescue.\n\"There is some massive devastation out there,\" Gov. Bentley said. \"We have some people that are hurting.\"\nTwo nuclear power plants in Browns Ferry, Ala., had to be shut down after the storm damaged its transmission system. Emergency generators kicked in to cool down the reactors safely.\nIn Ringgold, Ga., near the Tennessee border, officials shut down major roads leading into the city because of what Catoosa County Sheriff Phil Summers said was \"downed power lines, broken gas lines and looting.\"\n\"There are lots of spectators and we are not allowing access inside of Ringgold at this time,\" the sheriff said.\nSummers said he saw the tornado in the air just before it touched down.\n\"It was something that I've never seen before except on TV. And like they say, there's a moment of silence and then you see the devastation,\" he said.\nThe sheriff said the tornado was in Ringgold for about five minutes and it continued into Tennessee. Five people died and police are looking for others whose homes were so badly damaged that \"only foundations are left,\" Summer said.\nChristopher England at the University of Alabama ran up to the roof of his building to videotape a devastating tornado as it hit Tuscaloosa.\n\"We just saw this massive huge mile wide tornado and we didn't know where it was going. We didn't know if it was coming towards us or away from us or what,\" he said.\nOne of the victims was an off-duty police officer in northern Mississippi who died while shielding his daughter from a falling tree on a camping trip. She wasn't hurt.\nABC News Radio, Michael S. James, Mike Marusarz, Jessica Hopper and the Associated Press contributed to this report.","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":["Georgia","Alabama","Tuscaloosa, Ala","Tennessee","Mississippi","the South","Virginia"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["approached 300","thousands","a million people","at least 195 people","32 fatalities","33","at least 10","eight","Hundreds more"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Wednesday night and early today"]},{"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":"May_2011 A tornado in the US town of Reading, Kansas kills at least one person and destroys 20 homes. (CNN), (KSN)[permanent dead link]","document":"(CNN) -- One person was killed and at least 20 homes destroyed after a weekend tornado that struck a town in eastern Kansas, state officials said. The storm also damaged another 200 homes around Reading, about 100 miles southwest of Kansas City, said Sharon Watson of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management. She said the agency received a report of a tornado touching down at 9:15 p.m. Saturday.\nStrong line of storms pummels Midwest; Missouri hard-hit\nThe agency said five others were injured in addition to the fatality, and power was knocked out to much of the town of about 250. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback issued a disaster declaration for 16 counties on Sunday, a step toward getting state and federal aid for the affected areas. \"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim and everyone impacted by this storm,\" Brownback said in a statement issuing the declaration.\nThe National Weather Service said the storm was caused by an EF-1 tornado, which packs winds of 86-110 mph. It was among several storms that hit the area between 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday, authorities said. \"The first significant calls of damage came in about 6:30 p.m. local in Shawnee County,\" Watson said. \"There was significant damage caused by large hail, which broke windows and broke tree limbs.\"\nIn Jefferson County, a mobile home was destroyed and an elderly couple was trapped inside, Watson said. She said first responders cleared the debris and rescued the couple, who was not hurt. CNN's Leslie Tripp contributed to this report.","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":["town in eastern Kansas","Midwest; Missouri"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["One person was killed","five others were injured"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["9:15 p.m. Saturday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["an EF-1 tornado"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["86-110 mph"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2011 Tornados hit the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, damaging scores of homes and killing at least one person. (AP via Saint Cloud Times)[permanent dead link] (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)","document":"Two days of threatening skies turned furious over the Twin Cities on Sunday, unleashing at least three tornado touchdowns in the metro area, killing one person in Minneapolis, injuring at least 30 others, knocking out power to thousands and leading to a curfew and school closings in north Minneapolis.\nThe massive, slow-moving storm also caused major damage in other metro communities, most significantly St. Louis Park and Fridley.\nIn the hardest-hit area, Minneapolis' Jordan neighborhood, downed trees, snapped power lines and pieces of roofs littered streets and yards. The smell of natural gas led police to call people out of some homes. Roads were blocked and residents scrambled to find loved ones; close to 200 or so people displaced by the storm made their way to an emergency shelter at the Northeast Armory, near Broadway and Central Avenue.\nMayor R.T. Rybak described the damage as \"widespread and significant\" after he and City Council President Barbara Johnson viewed it from a helicopter.\nRybak and Police Chief Tim Dolan said Sunday night that the three-day 9 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew was imposed to help emergency workers move around and to prevent looting of damaged homes and businesses.\nAt 9 p.m., commercial streets in north Minneapolis were all but deserted, although countless people continued working on fixing their homes in residential areas. Police reported no major problems.\nJust after the storm, about 22,000 Xcel Energy customers across the metro area were without power; by 8 p.m., that number had been cut roughly in half. Lack of electricity forced the emergency command center to be moved twice, and it ended up just across the Minneapolis border in Fridley. Xcel officials indicated that most power should be restored by midnight Monday but that some customers may not get it back until Tuesday or later because of significant structural damage to that area's electricity system.\nThe Hennepin County medical examiner's office said one person died near 37th and Fremont Avenues N. No details about that person or the circumstances of the death were immediately available, although there were reports that it was a man whose car was hit by a tree.\nAlso, 30 people were taken to hospitals. Two were critically hurt, 12 had moderate injuries and 15 minor injuries.\nSix public schools in the storm-damaged area of north Minneapolis -- Lucy Laney, Cityview, Nellie Stone Johnson, Hmong International Academy, Northstar and Plymouth Youth Center -- will be closed Monday, said Heather Peters, a Minneapolis schools spokeswoman. Other district schools will remain open.\nThe curfew covers an area from Interstate 94 west to Penn Avenue N. and from Plymouth Avenue N. to Dowling Avenue N. Residents were told to stay in their homes \"for their own safety,\" city spokesman Matt Laible said.\n\"We don't want any looting,\" Dolan said. \"There's property strewn all over. There are wires down. There's not much lighting. It's for people's safety and for the safety of people's property.\"\nA trail of wreckage\nSunday's tornado was the first to strike within the city of Minneapolis since a minor twister in south Minneapolis on Aug. 19, 2009. Sunday's damage appeared consistent with tornadoes rated EF2, which carry winds of 111 to 135 miles per hour. Only 10.7 percent of U.S. tornadoes are rated EF2, and only about 4 percent are stronger. On Monday, damage assessment teams from the National Weather Service will visit dozens of damage scenes and make a final pronouncement on the length, strength and number of tornadoes.\nThe havoc started about 2 p.m. in St. Louis Park, where a suspected tornado tore up the Cedar Trails Condominiums complex, forcing residents from the 35-building property.\nAt 21st and Queen Avenues N., firefighters went door to door after the storm to urge residents to leave because of reports of a gas leak. Residents told of seeing the tornado go through their yards.\n\"It went right between our houses,\" said Tiffany Pabich, who was napping just as the tornado passed through near 21st and Queen. \"A tree landed on top of my car. We smelled gas right away.\"\n\"Oh, my God, it's gone, it's gone,\" one woman said as she came across her badly damaged house at Russell and 21st Avenues N.\nThe large number of downed trees and traffic congestion caused by emergency vehicles, evacuees and people streaming into the area to gawk produced traffic snarls. Hundreds of people had to leave their homes on foot, many with children and pets in tow. Most were headed toward the police station on Plymouth Avenue, directed there by officers.\n\"We got out alive,\" one woman said as she herded six children down the road.\nUp the street, in an even more heavily damaged area, people started to clean up.\n\"It's a good thing we were in the basement at the time,\" said Zahra Ali, who escaped injury with her two daughters, ages 16 and 17. Power lines behind her home were down and nearly every window was damaged. Ali said her daughters were shaken but OK.\nThe city advised families looking for loved ones to go to the Northeast Armory, 1025 NE. Broadway, or call 651-268-8537. About 200 people were at the shelter Sunday. \"This is a distressed neighborhood to begin with,\" said Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner-Solon, who was at the armory. \"These people are suffering a tremendous loss.\"\nPeople continued to arrive, many of them dropped off by a Metro Transit bus with a \"rescue bus\" sign on it.\nThree Salvation Army mobile kitchens and crews set up shop, and one is expected to continue to operate Monday at 25 37th Av. NE. \"I've got 24 to 36 hours of back-up volunteers ready to go,\" said Drew Hasty, the Salvation Army's metro disaster manager.\nNear dusk, Steve Miller, 38, of Coon Rapids, and his family handed out sandwiches and water from his car trunk. \"Anybody need prayer? Anybody need Jesus?\" he called out, adding, \"I think people should realize when you see catastrophes on TV you should take them to heart, because you never know when it will strike you in your back yard.\"\nDamage in northern suburbs\nIn Fridley, the storm tipped over two Burlington Northern rail cars, sheared in half a stand of mature trees near I-694 and left extensive pockets of damaged homes and businesses.\nThe storm struck with quick fury. Peter Krueger and his 2-year-old son, Ezra, were looking warily out the front of their home on Panorama Avenue when the wind and rain suddenly picked up.\n\"It was just straight across -- a horizontal rain,\" said Krueger, who saw insulation, tree limbs and debris whip through the air as he gathered up his little boy and rushed downstairs.\nKrueger's neighbor Gretta Stritesky arrived home to find a tree had crashed through the roof and come to a rest on her bed. Somehow, Stritesky managed a smile at the room's odd mix -- leaves, rumpled sheets, shingles, a fuzzy pink blanket, all cast into an unnatural relief by sunlight peeking through the roof. \"My pillow is covered by this huge tree!\" she said.\nParts of the metro area were covered by five tornado warnings Sunday. Sirens blared as heavy clouds swarmed across the skies for the second day in a row.\nNational Weather Service meteorologist Jim Taggart said an increase in \"wind shear\" -- the movement of winds in contrasting directions -- along with increased moisture and warmth in the atmosphere Sunday triggered the tornadoes.\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":["city of Minneapolis","Minneapolis","the metro area","Twin Cities"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["close to 200 or so people","one person","at least 30 others","22,000 Xcel Energy customers"]},{"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":["EF2"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["111 to 135 miles per hour"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2011 The city of Joplin, Missouri, is hit by a tornado, causing \"major damage\" in the downtown area and at least 30 fatalities. (News Leader), (CNN), (News Leader), (Reuters via Yahoo News)","document":"Ryan Nicholls with the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management has confirmed there are 24 fatalities in the wake of a tornado touching down in Joplin. The number of injuries is unknown.\nDamage was widespread across the city's south side. John Campbell, operations director for the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed fatalities have been reported. Phone communications in and out of the city were largely cut off.","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":["across the city's south side"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["24 fatalities"]},{"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":["Joplin"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2011 The city of Joplin, Missouri, is hit by a tornado, causing \"major damage\" in the downtown area and at least 30 fatalities. (News Leader), (CNN), (News Leader), (Reuters via Yahoo News)","document":"A massive storm system dropped a tornado into the heart of Joplin on Sunday evening, carving a wide path of destruction and killing at least 24.\nSt. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin suffered a “direct hit” and crews worked in the aftermath to transfer at least 100 patients to area hospitals.\nFollowing the deadly storms, Gov. Jay Nixon activated the National Guard, dispatched Missouri's Disaster Medical Assistance Team and declared a state of emergency. State and local law enforcement agencies are coordinating search and rescue and recovery operations in the stricken areas.\nRyan Nicholls with the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management confirmed at least 24 fatalities in the Joplin area but the extent of the damage and the number of injuries was unknown late Sunday.\nThere were reports that debris from Joplin was falling all over Greene County. It ranged from hospital records to insulation.\nJohn Miller, a freelance photographer for the News-Leader, said he saw heavy damage.\n“The Home Depot is leveled,” Miller said. “The Wal-Mart is destroyed. Gas stations, buildings. Everywhere I could see was either heavily damaged or completely destroyed.”\nMiller said he saw search and rescue people in the Home Depot pulling people out of the wreckage. The roofs of two city fire stations collapsed.\n“I saw plenty of injured people,” Miller said. “I saw at least one dead. He was covered by a blanket.”\nMiller said people were taking clothing and water from Wal-Mart and giving them to storm victims.\n“I saw firefighters and paramedics pull a young girl out of a car at the Home Depot,” Miller said. “Part of the building had fallen on the car.”\nEmergency shelters were quickly established. Displaced families were shuttled to Missouri Southern State University. Greg Hickman, assistant director of emergency management for Newton County, said tornado victims with minor injuries were sent to Memorial Hall, and those with major injuries were transported to Freeman Hospital.\nJerry Williams, assistant vice president at Missouri Southern State University, said he heard the tornado coming in.\n“I took my wife into a closet under the stairs,” Williams said. “It sounded like a huge wind.”\nWilliams said the tornado blew away the gazebo on his house and a shed and damaged windows.\n“It's been quite horrific,” Williams said. “There are just areas that are flattened. Places are gone. It's like somebody dropped a bomb or something.”\nWilliams said this is the fourth tornado he's been in — but this one struck so close.\n“It's just a very damaged place,” he said. “It looks like the places you see on the news that you never want to see in your own city.\nDonald Davis, a Joplin resident, said he drove through Joplin shortly after the tornado hit and saw a damaged high school, churches and apartment complex.\nDavis said Joplin High School had its windows broken out and part of the roof missing.\n“Right across the street is a church,” said Davis, a nurse at the Freeman Cancer Center. “It’s demolished.”\nDavis said a Dillon’s grocery store also appeared demolished and the Hampshire Terrace Apartments.\n“They’re flattened,” Davis said. “You just can't believe it. There must have been 150 units. One lady had a bathrobe around her. Others just had blankets around them.”\nDavis said trees in the area of 20th to 15th streets had their leaves and bark peeled off.\nGreg Holt, 53, of Joplin said he heard about the tornado on TV and then the TV went off. He went outside.\n“I could see debris,” Holt said. “I could see the top of my neighbor's tree lift up and take off. I ran in the house. I grabbed pillows off the bed and laid down on the floor and prayed. I lay there until the noise went away. Then I went outside, and the whole front yard was covered with debris and trees and metal.”\nHolt, who characterized the result as “just total devastation,” said he could smell gas leaks everywhere.\nHolt's son-in-law, Jeff Law, 23, said he was at a friend's house and went in the storm cellar. After the tornado passed, he went outside.\n“I've lived in this neighborhood my entire life, and I didn't know where I was,” Law said. “Everything was unrecognizable. Completely unrecognizable. It's like Armageddon.”\nHolt said he saw a man lying by the side of the road “all twisted up. He was just covered in blood.”\nMike Stair, city editor of the Joplin Globe, said the damage is massive and the Joplin Globe has not been able to reach some of its employees.\nMark Schiefelbein, a freelance photographer dispatched to the area, said from the damage near the hospital was nearly one mile wide.\nThe tornado hit the hospital directly and a residential area to the north. The houses are completely destroyed with no walls standing.\nSchiefelbein said a woman was looking for her daughter, Jamie Haiar, who is nine months pregnant.\nThe mother said she has not been able to get into touch with her daughter, whose truck was home.\nFirefighters from Baker Township, Kan.., were helping her dig through the rubble in search of her daughter.\nA search dog from the Barton County Sheriff’s Department was going from car to car in the hospital parking lot nearby.\nDebris and downed power lines blocked streets in the vicinity, making it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through.\nA destroyed medical helicopter, which had no window and no blades, was next to the parking lot.\nPower outage was widespread, as street lights were out for miles, he said.\nNational Weather Service meteorologist Mike Griffin said the tornado touched down near Rangeline Road and Interstate 44 — near mile markers 10 and 11.\n“It went right through the center of town,” he said.\nToni Logan, a dispatcher for Triple A Taxi in Joplin, said two of the company drivers have volunteered for search and rescue duty. She said three regular customers called the cab company and asked to be taken to the police station to volunteer as well.","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":["St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin","the heart of Joplin"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 24","at least 100 patients"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday evening"]},{"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":"May_2011 Patients are evacuated from St John's Regional Medical Centre in Joplin due to damage caused by the tornado. (News-Leader)","document":"St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin is being fully evacuated, after the hospital was directly hit by a tornado Sunday afternoon, said Cora Scott, spokeswoman for St. John’s Health System in Springfield.\n“We are not sure of the safety of the building,” Scott said.\nDamage to the building is extensive, as its windows were blown out and its roof was taken off, she said.\nScott said patients from Joplin will be accommodated in St. John’s facilities in Springfield and surrounding area.\nShe said she is trying to get the number of affected patients tonight.\nScott said she had no information on a reported gas leak near the Joplin hospital.\nThe Joplin Globe reported online on Sunday night that emergency personnel were evacuating people near the medical center because of dangers posed by a broken gas main.\nThe Globe reported that buildings directly to the north and directly to the west of the hospital have been leveled.\nScott  said St. John’s hospital in Springfield is deploying ambulances and helicopters to Joplin tonight after sending emergency medical services to the ground.\n“We do have medical resources in Joplin,” Scott said.\nCoxHealth dispatched five EMS crews to Joplin, shortly after the tornado hit, said Laurie Duff, spokeswoman for CoxHealth.\nEach crew has two people.\nThe hospital is at standby to receive patients, but road closures has complicated transportation, Duff 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":["St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["patients from Joplin"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday 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":"May_2011 The search continues for survivors of the 2011 Joplin tornado as 1,500 people are unaccounted for in the US town. (New York Times)","document":"JOPLIN, Mo. — The sun shone for the first time in days on this devastated city on Tuesday, illuminating the full extent of the damage as rescue workers performed the grim task of searching for survivors and victims in buildings leveled by the United States’ deadliest tornado since modern record-keeping began. At least 122 people died, a number that seems likely to rise. An additional 1,500 people remained on the official list of those who remained unaccounted for, which ballooned in a flood of worried phone calls but is gradually shrinking as the names of the living and the dead are scratched 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":["survivors and victims","At least 122 people died","An additional 1,500 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":"May_2011 Powerful storms and tornadoes continue across the Central United States, claiming at least 10 more lives across Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma. (CNN)","document":" Piedmont, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas picked up the pieces after damaging storms and tornadoes moved through Tuesday night, but national weather forecasters predicted more severe weather Wednesday evening for parts of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys.\nAround 7:03 p.m. central time, trained weather spotters reported a tornado near midtown Memphis, Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service.\nTornado warnings were issued for eastern Arkansas, areas of western Tennessee and southeast Missouri. The jet stream disturbance that was partly responsible for Tuesday's tornado outbreak could cause storms on Wednesday eveningfrom Louisiana northeastward to the lower Great Lakes region, according to a statement from the weather service. Numerous tornadoes were expected to develop, accompanied by widespread damaging winds and large hail, in a region that stretches from northern Mississippi, across parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana, all the way to central and southern Illinois.\nHuge swathes of the region have face a \"particularly dangerous situation,\" according to designations by the weather agency. This means that destructive tornadoes, hail up to 3 inches in diameter, wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour and dangerous lightening are possible. This is bad news for an area still reeling from deadly storms that rolled through less than 24 hours earlier.\nFamily took cover, had no idea top floors were blown away\nSixteen people were killed by the latest string of severe storms. Ten were in Oklahoma, four in Arkansas and two in Kansas, authorities said.\nIn Arkansas' Franklin County, a tornado touched down shortly after midnight, killing at least two people, according to Tommy Jackson, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.\nThe two other deaths were in Johnson County, said Renee Preslar, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.\nIn Stafford County, Kansas, two motorists died when an uprooted tree slammed into their van, according to the state adjutant general's office.\nIn Oklahoma, seven people were killed in Canadian County, according to Sheriff Randall Edwards. Ronnie Funck, a spokesman for the county emergency management office, said more than 100 people were injured.\nTwo people died in Oklahoma's Logan County, and one was killed in Grady County, according to Cherokee Ballard with the state medical examiner's office.\nA 3-year-old who went missing during the ferocious weather in Canadian County remains unaccounted for. Ryan Hamil was with his mother and his siblings in their home when the storm hit, said Pam Capener, the boy's great-aunt. \"Cole, the 15-month-old, did not survive,\" she said. \"Cathleen, who is 5, is in the hospital in stable condition.\"\nTheir mother, Catherine Hamil, \"has a lot of broken bones, bruises and cuts, but I believe she's stable now, last I heard,\" Capener said. Hamil is pregnant, and her baby is due in October, she said. \"They did get the heartbeat of the baby yesterday, so the baby's stable.\" The children's father, Catherine's husband Hank Hamil, was out of town Tuesday but has returned and is searching for Ryan, Capener said. \"Last I heard, they're searching a 16-mile stretch,\" she said.\nShe added that she believes the family had taken refuge in a bathtub when the storm barreled through. \"I don't know if they were thrown out,\" she said.\nHow to help\nThe family has started a fund to raise money for hospital expenses. The Hamil Family Assistance Fund already had $2,225 in pledges even though it was created only Wednesday.\nTeams of rescuers were out Wednesday continuing the search on both land and water.\nBut there were unexpected tales of joy amid the devastation and destruction.\nIn Piedmont, Oklahoma, a family now has its beloved dog, Roxie, back, even if there isn't a home to bring her to. Frank Wood said he was forced to shut the door to their safe room Tuesday evening with Roxie still outside. \"I couldn't get her,\" he told CNN. \"The storm was basically just circulating right around the corner. I didn't really have a choice. She just kept running away from me. She was so scared and skittish.\"\nIn Joplin, a push to find missing When Wood and his two children emerged, the house had been ripped to shreds, and Roxie was nowhere to be seen.\nShe was found the next morning, however, at a work site nearly two miles from the Woods' family home. Chesapeake Energy worker David Franco scooped up the boxer and got Woods number from Roxie's tag.\nIt's been a historic tornado season in the U.S. More than 500 people have been killed, according to figures from the National Weather Service and local authorities. That makes 2011 the deadliest season since 1953, when 519 people were killed in twisters.\nOklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency Wednesday in 68 Oklahoma counties hit by the tornadoes and other severe weather. Only nine counties in the state were not included in the declaration.\n\"Our hearts go out to those who lost their loved ones in the storms last night, and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with all the families and communities that have been affected,\" Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said in a statement issued Wednesday.\n\"These historic storms have highlighted the incredible resolve of the American people, especially the first responders, emergency workers, firefighters, volunteers and neighbors who have been working around the clock for days to respond to these storms and conduct search and rescue efforts. Their efforts have been extraordinary,\" he said.\nChickasha, Oklahoma, is one of the towns where a tornado was spotted Tuesday night.\n\"Thank God we weren't (there),\" said Pastor Gary Rogers of the Grand Assembly of God church in Chickasha. \"No one was there.\" Half the church's roof was torn off, he said. Twenty-four hours later, the church would have been bustling with Wednesday activities, he said.\nChickasha is about 40 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.\nThe tornado \"came right past the store,\" said Chickasha AutoZone employee Nathaniel Charlton. \"They had a little debris thrown across the parking lot. It was on the ground, but it wasn't bad.\"\nThe tornado that passed through Chickasha also damaged several other communities.\nJeremy Morrison, a truck driver from McAlester, Oklahoma, was hauling a load of freight to Oklahoma City Tuesday night when he spotted a twister. He pulled over and started climbing out of his truck, preparing to enter a ditch for safety, when the tornado disappeared from his sight, he said. He then climbed back into the truck and was set to keep driving when the tornado suddenly struck, lifting the entire rig and throwing it onto its side.\nMorrison fell out of the window -- or was sucked out, he's not sure which. He said he ran to check on a nearby car, where he found two people hiding underneath. Morrison survived with a fractured shoulder bone, he said. His trailer was destroyed.\nAerial video of the incident was captured by CNN affiliate KOCO .\n\"We could see debris in the radar returns we were receiving, and that gave us a good indication the tornado was strong and large,\" said Steve Piltz, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Oklahoma, adding that the tornado was anywhere from a half-mile to a mile wide.\nThe powerful storms also struck Joplin, Missouri, where a weekend tornado killed more than 120 people, making it the deadliest single U.S. twister since modern record-keeping began 61 years ago.\nThe city was briefly under a tornado warning late Tuesday before it was raked by blustery winds and peppered with lightning.\nTwisters also brewed in Dallas and several northern Texas counties, according to the National Weather Service.\nAuthorities in Dallas reported an unidentified man died of electrocution. He was found Wednesday morning at an apartment complex, within an area that had fallen electrical wires. Police had previously established a perimeter around the area, but the man apparently entered after the perimeter was established, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said.\nThe storms disrupted air traffic, which could have ripple effects for air travel in parts of the country throughout Wednesday.\nAbout 140 flights were canceled Wednesday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, mostly due to the effects of hailstorms that moved through overnight. Neither the airports facilities nor terminals were damaged, according to a statement from the airport, but airlines were still conducting damage assessments, so the airport warned there could be further disruption to flight schedules. About 10,000 sheltered in the airport overnight, having been stranded by the storms, airport spokeswoman Sarah McDaniel said. Passengers and staff were forced to evacuate to designated shelters inside the airport as storms moved in, she said.\nAmerican Airlines and American Eagle had approximately 65 aircraft pulled from service because of weather damage Tuesday night, McDaniel said. Nearly 100 flights were canceled as of early Wednesday, she added. \"Some airlines are still assessing hail damage.\"\nSouthwest Airlines said Wednesday that it took eight aircraft out of service in Dallas for inspections and repairs because of damage from the weather, particularly the large hail. Operations at Love Field in Dallas were suspended for a time Wednesday night, spokesman Jose Torres said. The airport moved all passengers and personnel into an airport basement for an hour as winds kicked up and power was lost, Torres said.\nWhen people emerged from the basement, they found damaged aircraft and vehicles. Some passengers slept in that airport as well, Torres said.\nThe storms left a wide swath of destruction.\nCanadian County Sheriff Edwards said Piedmont, Oklahoma, was especially hard hit. \"There's more damage in Piedmont because it's the most densely populated area.\"\nA large tornado crossed I-40 near El Reno, destroyed residences and caused a gas leak at an energy plant west of the state capital, he said. Twenty injuries were reported in the area, but none were from workers at the plant, the City of El Reno Community Services Department said Wednesday.\nThe twister injured motorists on Interstate 40 and U.S. 81, Canadian County Emergency Management Director Jerry Smith said. There were reports of property damage in the area.\nAbout 1,200 people packed a shelter in Newcastle, a bedroom community near Oklahoma City, during the storm, City Manager Nick Nazar said. \"That saved lives.\"\nAbout 100 people were displaced, and 50 homes were rendered uninhabitable, Nazar told CNN. Two or three businesses were damaged, as was an elementary school.\nStatewide, at least 60 people were hurt and nearly 58,000 homes lost power, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.\nSome employees at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, briefly took shelter as a tornado approached, a spokesman for the National Weather Service told CNN.\nEmergency personnel were mobilized immediately after the storms, Oklahoma's governor said.\n\"The National Guard is out helping, our highway patrol, our health department, Salvation Army, Red Cross, all of our first responders are out across the state,\" Fallin said, noting the massive outbreak of tornadoes that lasted most of Tuesday evening.\n\"I've been in (public) office for 20 years. I've been through a lot of these natural disasters, but I've never seen this many in a short period of time.\"\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["forecasters","trained weather spotters"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Oklahoma","Arkansas","Kansas","parts of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys","Canadian County"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Sixteen people","Ten","four","two","seven people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Wednesday evening","Tuesday 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":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"City of Austin cancels festival, charity run days before events begin","document":"   by: Billy Gates, Tahera Rahman AUSTIN (KXAN) — Bat Fest 2021, an outdoor celebration of the famed Mexican free-trailed bats that reside underneath the Congress Avenue bridge, was canceled Wednesday after the City of Austin denied event organizers a special event permit. French Smith, the owner of Roadway Productions, the company putting on the event, said the cancelation came “out of nowhere with zero warning and no concrete explanation.” The event, featuring two music stages along with food vendors and arts and crafts booths, was scheduled for Saturday. Smith said his problem isn’t that the city denied the permit itself, it’s that they did it so close to the event. He said on Monday he received an email from the city saying everything with the event was good to go. “They led me to believe I would have no problem holding the event,” Smith said. Sunshine Run organizers say they were also notified by the city they had to cancel their in-person event last-minute. Organizers decided to go virtual. Smith said the COVID-19 safety plan associated with the event was already approved by the city, Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS. He reduced the original capacity of the event by half, bought hand sanitizer and masks and hired a sanitation company to disinfect areas of the event. He also removed a carnival to allow vendors more space to social distance, bought 14 temperature scanners to do checks and printed signage to remind people of COVID-19 protocols. “It’s just me and my wife, she’s pregnant, we have two kids and, you know, we’re left with the burden of this,” he said, saying that he’s lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. “We are shocked and devastated as this is a huge financial blow and harmful to our reputation as event producers,” Smith said in a statement on his company’s website. “Our livelihood was taken away with a single permit denial just shy of 72 hours prior to the event, a permit we filed for two years ago.” Smith said he also had alcohol permits from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in hand before the city denied the permit. He said the cancelation also has ripple effects for the more than two dozen vendors scheduled to set up at his festival– most of them local. “This was going to be my launch of my product line, my cards, for consumers,” said Harlow Russell, owner of Awesome 3D Cards, who has so far been focusing on business clients. He’s been handcrafting bat-themed cards for weeks, spending thousands of dollars on them as well as his booth for the festival. He said he supports COVID-19 safety protocol but he’s sad and mad by the sudden cancelation. When asked by KXAN for a response, the City of Austin said in a statement it denied the event’s permit “out of an abundance of caution” due to “public health conditions within the City of Austin.” Here’s the city’s statement, in full: “Due to public health conditions within the City of Austin, Austin Public Health (APH) and the Austin Center for Events (ACE) continue to evaluate the implementation of special events with due regard for safety. As we have seen over the last month with surging cases, the COVID-19 Delta variant is easily spread. In this current environment, some events cannot provide for or implement sufficient safety and health protocols necessary to prevent the spread. 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. For these reasons, APH and ACE have moved to deny the permit application for Bat Fest out of an abundance of caution. We must continue to work together to ensure that our community is protected during these trying times. Each and every person can do their part by protecting themselves and their loved ones by wearing masks and getting vaccinated.” After a follow-up to ask the city how many other special events permits it had denied, a city spokesperson replied with one example, Austin Pride. The Austin Center for Events helps facilitate events along with Austin Public Health and the city. On ACE’s website, it tells event organizers to fill out the required permitting paperwork and to “encourage their patrons to follow Health Authority guidelines and the recommendations outlined in the Bringing Events Back: Austin-Travis County COVID-19 Safety Guide for Venues & Special Events where possible.” Smith said he loves events, but doesn’t understand why other larger events have been allowed to continue and his was denied. He even asked the city if he should cancel his event when Austin Pride was called off. The city continued to say his event was still on, he said. “I love all events, but it is not right to shut down one and let the others continue,” he said. Smith said the event has been rescheduled for next year, and he’s in the process with his ticketing vendor to get refunds to everyone. He said an email with instructions on how to do that would go out to ticket holders Thursday. Russell hopes he can find another opportunity to expand his business. “I will find another way to launch my awesome 3D cards,” he said. When asked why an Austin FC match is still scheduled for this weekend, the city said those aren’t required for the stadium per the Special Events Ordinance. They say that’s also the same for events at Circuit of the Americas and Moody Amphitheatre at Waterloo Greenway. Live music venues are also holding events that don’t require special permits because they have annual sound permits, the city said. “One of the great things about the festival in the district is that we have the infrastructure, we have live music venues and comedy spaces that do this 24/7, day after day,” explained Cody Cowan, executive director of the Red River Cultural District hosting Hot Summer Nights. “And we don’t need any additional permits because they’re happening in already-licensed spaces.” He adds that they feel excited to be able to pull of their events this weekend when they know many others have been canceled. They’ve been working with the TABC to figure out what safety measures they can and cannot require in order to keep their liquor license. They are recommending attendees be vaccinated and wear masks everywhere, but are only requiring masks for indoor shows. “We have local musicians and local workers that have been largely unemployed for 18 months so, it’s going to be so great to get people back to work, help people pay rent this month– especially with all the cancellations that have happened,” he said. “As for ACL, we are monitoring the situation. It’s still over a month away and as we have seen things can change, for the better or worse, in a short amount of time,” a city spokesperson said. The city says for 2021, they’ve so far denied 26 permits. Most were due to not being submitted on time, code violations on the property and/or a wrong application submitted. They say they also rejected 29 others “for various reasons including, application not being required for activity/property or duplicate application.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Austin Pride","Bat Fest 2021","carnival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the City of Austin"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["denied event organizers a special event permit"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The Killers concert at Bell Auditorium, which had COVID vaccine requirements, is cancelled","document":"American rock band The Killers have cancelled their concert at Bell Auditorium that was scheduled to take place Sept. 30. In an email sent to ticket buyers, Augusta Entertainment Complex announced the cancellation, but no official reason was given.  Refunds will be issued to those who purchased tickets. The band, which recently released a new album, is set to still have shows in Newport, Ky., on Sept. 20; in Bethlehem, Pa., on Sept. 21 and at Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Del., on Sept. 24, according to the band's website. Concerts in Richmond, Va., on Sept. 25; in Raleigh, N.C., on Sept. 27; in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 28 and in St. Augustine, Fla., on Oct. 1 have also been cancelled by the band. More:The Killers to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination, negative test to see Augusta concert The concert was set to be the first one in Augusta to require those wishing to attend to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a negative test. The decision for the COVID-19 requirements was made by the band and the event organizers, Live Nation Entertainment. “We are taking every precaution we can during a difficult time for all involved,” Robert Reynolds, The Killers manager, said in an email to The Augusta Chronicle in August. “The band wants to perform. We don't want to have to cancel, and above all we want people safe.”  No statement has been released regarding the cancellations. The cancellation comes after the latest increase in area COVID infections, with area hospitals reporting record numbers of COVID patients, exceeding the surge in January. More:Georgia hits COVID-19 high as Augusta hospitals break overall records More:Two events canceled in Augusta due to COVID surge, but venues don't expect more to follow The concert is the second one to be cancelled in Augusta after Drivin N Cryin, a hard-rock band based in Atlanta, decided to postponed their concert at the Imperial Theater to a later date. According to the Augusta Entertainment Complex website, the following events are still scheduled to take place with no COVID-related requirements:","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 30","Sept. 25","Sept. 27","Sept. 28","Oct. 1"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Bell Auditorium","Richmond, Va","Raleigh, N.C","Charlotte, N.C","St. Augustine, Fla"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["no official reason was given"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Motorists urged by Number 10 to 'shop for fuel as usual' as BP shuts some petrol stations","document":"The company insists it has plenty of fuel but too few delivery drivers to keep up with demand as petrol provision becomes the supply chain problems described as a \"cocktail of chaos\". By  James Sillars and John-Paul Ford Rojas, business reporters  Friday 24 September 2021 07:49, UK Motorists have been urged by the government to \"shop for fuel as usual\" after BP said it had closed some of its petrol stations due to supply issues. The energy giant said tens of forecourts in its 1,200-strong network were experiencing shortages - blamed on the nationwide lack of HGV drivers - while rival Esso said a few of its sites were affected. Tesco said two of the 500 petrol stations it operates were currently affected, describing the impact as minimal and ensuring that supply is replenished whenever this happens. It is the latest in a series of supply chain issues being grappled with by ministers - after the separate issue of surging gas prices created a crisis in the energy sector and knock-on damage to carbon dioxide production, which has threatened to disrupt food processing. A spokesman for the prime minister said the government acknowledged that there were \"issues facing many industries across the UK, and not just in terms of HGV drivers\". He added that there was no shortage of fuel and that there was a \"very resilient and robust supply chain\". \"People should continue to shop for fuel as usual,\" the spokesman said.                   Global markets fall sharply on new virus variant fears                                   Lenders score own goal with collapse of sports broadcaster Arena                                   Amazon warehouses targeted by Extinction Rebellion in Black Friday protest                 Is Britain running on empty? Here's what we're short of The shortage of drivers is blamed on a confluence of issues including non-UK workers affected by Brexit, pandemic delays holding up HGV tests, and drivers being caught up in the \"pingdemic\" of COVID alerts earlier this year. Rod McKenzie of the Road Haulage Association told Sky News: \"This is a cocktail of chaos, and I'm afraid it's getting worse because the attrition rate is against us. \"We have got more drivers leaving than joining, so as every week goes by there's something new in the supply chain that's creaking and crumbling.\" Jim McMahon, Labour's shadow transport secretary, said: \"This is a rapidly worsening crisis that the government has failed to heed the warnings of for a decade, never investing in or valuing working class jobs.\" BP, which previously experienced similar disruption in July, said it was \"prioritising\" the sites experiencing shortages to ensure they are re-stocked first. In a statement, the company said: \"We are experiencing fuel supply issues at some of our retail sites in the UK and unfortunately have therefore seen a handful of sites temporarily close due to a lack of both unleaded and diesel grades. \"These have been caused by delays in the supply chain, which has been impacted by industry-wide driver shortages across the UK and we are working hard to address this issue. \"We continue to work with our haulier supplier to minimise disruption and to ensure efficient and effective deliveries to serve our customers. \"We apologise for any inconvenience caused.\"  Esso said a \"small number\" of its 200 Tesco Alliance retail sites - operated jointly with the supermarket chain and separate from the two mentioned by Tesco itself - were impacted. \"We are working closely with all parties in our distribution network to optimise supplies and minimise any inconvenience to customers,\" Esso said. \"We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience.\" Tesco said: \"We have good availability of fuel, with deliveries arriving at our petrol filling stations across the UK every day.\" Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons said they were not affected. Shell was also understood not to be affected. Gordon Balmer, executive director of the Petrol Retailers' Association - which represents independent forecourts across the UK, equating to 65% of the total - said some sites had confirmed delayed deliveries, but the issue appeared to be \"confined to London and the South-East and appear temporary by nature\". He said that with fuel demand still at only 92% of pre-pandemic levels, \"we believe there should be ample stock available at refineries and delivery terminals throughout the UK\". \"The PRA recommends that motorists maintain sufficient fuel in the tank to enable them to get to an alternative filling station in the rare instance that fuel is not available,\" Mr Balmer added. Logistics UK, which represents the logistics industry, said: \"Logistics UK is aware of reports that petrol supplies are currently being affected by the HGV driver shortage. \"The driver shortage is a very serious issue that needs urgent government and industry action to resolve, however, we urge people not to panic buy. \"The logistics industry is resilient and has proven capable of supporting shops, families and businesses during COVID-19, border closures and the first stages of Brexit, and will continue to serve the needs of the nation.\" The fuel delivery woes mark another front in the fight against supply chain disruption caused by the nationwide shortage of qualified HGV and tanker drivers - estimated at more than 100,000 by an industry body. It has formed part of the UK's growing inflation problem as pay rises - to attract more drivers and retain them - add to surging bills from stiff competition for the swift delivery of goods. Meanwhile, Tesco has warned the government that it was worried about the sight of empty shelves, caused by the driver shortage, prompting panic-buying ahead of Christmas. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. BP sources stressed that there was no shortage of diesel and petrol and that therefore the situation should not be described as rationing. However, a top BP manager was reported to have warned the government that the situation was getting worse. The company is understood to have expressed concerns about the driver shortage issue at a meeting with government officials last week. It warned then of a looming squeeze on the ability to get product from refineries to forecourts. The message from all fronts is clear: \"please don't panic\". And consumers really don't need to. While this is certainly a crisis, it isn't a crisis of fuel supply: there is plenty of the stuff, with demand still only at 92% of pre pandemic levels apparently. Panic buying would certainly make the situation significantly worse and the petrol stations that are closed probably won't be for that long - they're being prioritised for refuelling. The manager of one who I spoke to today said he expected a delivery before the day is out. There is a crisis of supply, but it's the supply of lorry drivers that's the problem. While it's been causing havoc in the supply chain for months, closed petrol stations brings it into critical focus. The problem is multi-layered: it's been partly caused by the pandemic, which has resulted in  a huge backlog in driving tests; partly by Brexit, with some migrant workers opting to go home; and partly because there's a shortage of younger workers coming up who find these jobs attractive. The industry has been clamouring for short-term visas to bring drivers over from the continent but thus far that's not been forthcoming. The question is how many disruptions like this can consumer confidence cope with? At what stage does potential shortages of food and Christmas presents, coupled with the ongoing energy crisis, make people nervous enough to respond? If panic buying takes hold, intervention from the government may be harder to resist. According to ITV News, the company's head of UK retail Hanna Hofer said it was important the government understood the \"urgency of the situation\", which she described as \"bad, very bad\", with BP having \"two-thirds of normal forecourt stock levels.. for smooth operations\". The Road Haulage Association has led calls for ministers to back down on their refusal to add EU drivers to the Shortage Occupation List which bypasses post-Brexit legislation on immigration. The boss of Iceland Foods used an interview with Sky News on Thursday to support the industry's position as supermarket, and other consumer brands, warn of the prospect of Christmas shortages without a flood of additional help to get supplies through. Ministers have argued that the driver problem is a Europe-wide issue, and it is providing additional support in the form of cutting red tape to aid recruitment and testing.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["some of its petrol stations"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["UK"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["shortage of younger workers coming up","Brexit","pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Year in Review: More Than 11,000 Fashion-Related Doors Shutter in 2020","document":"Rivet’s 2021 winter issue has dropped! This in-depth issue examines the steps the global denim industry is taking to minimize its impact on the environment, from implementing zero waste production and design processes to establishing greenhouse gas emissions goals aligned with the Paris Agreement. View Now    Covid-19 has accelerated a retail apocalypse years in the making. Retailers have been purging their store base since the Great Recession. Even after all those closures, they still have too many doors for current needs, especially in a world where even more consumers—newbies, if you will, to online shopping—have been forced to migrate to digital commerce during the coronavirus pandemic. And with customers staying home in a world where social distancing remains the mandate, retailers have even less need for their mall-based stores. After all, why bother when those locations become nonproductive due to foot traffic shortfalls. And for retailers who were teetering on the financial cliff at the start of 2020, high debt levels and nonexistent cash flow from temporary store closures certainly didn’t help. Fashion wasn’t exactly top-of-mind as consumers initially shifted their focus to purchases of essential items. Even when stores reopened, limited capacity was just one challenge. Many fashion firms had the wrong merchandise as consumers shifted their fashion focus to athleisure and more comfortable apparel. As a result, retailers in 2020 were forced to realign their store network and cull doors that no longer fit strategies for 2021 and beyond, while those with too much debt on the books had no choice but to either shut down operations or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection. So where are we now? So far, there were more than 11,000 reported fashion store closures—11,060 to be exact—in 2020 by mid-December, and that’s just for the banners that made news. That total surpassed the 9,300-plus stores that closed just in the U.S. across all retail categories in 2019. And there are many other nameplates globally that have not been accounted for. If the forecast of 100,000 retail doors that’s been projected to disappear by 2025 comes to fruition, shopping centers and strip malls could look very different in the near future. That’s especially true if we get close to the 20,000-25,000 stores that are projected to go dark this year. Here are the fashion retail and apparel companies that announced store closures in 2020: Number: 50 to 78 Backstory: Pointing to foot traffic challenges that may not reverse course for some time, DSW’s parent Designer Brands said it plans a 10 to 15 percent reduction of its store base. With a current store network of 524 U.S. stores, that would mean closing 50 to 78 doors. It also operates 145 stores in Canada. Number: 234 Backstory: The women’s budget chain filed its Chapter 11 petition on Dec. 4 to sell the business to TerraMar Capital. The company operated 558 stores at the time of its filing, but had already closed 137 stores last month. Days after its filing, Francesca’s said it would shutter another 97 stores. Number: 7 flagships Backstory: The specialty chain, which includes its teen Hollister brand, began the year with 15 tourist-driven locations and decided to pare down to eight flagship stores back in 2018 as part of its store optimization strategy even before the pandemic began in 2020. As for its mall-based locations, it has about 50 percent of its store leases up for renewal over the next two years, so even more locations are likely to close. Number: 133 Backstory: The company said it will close 133 Naturalizer-branded stores by the end of fiscal 2020. On a conference call after reporting third-quarter results last month, executives said the brand had been revamped and that this was a good time to exit some locations because those doors were tied to a now outdated positioning strategy. Number: 4, including one outlet location Backstory: The U.S. subsidiary of luxury brand Furla SpA saw its wholesale accounts get impacted by the closure of nonessential retailers, as well as a slowdown in consumer purchases at its stores. Luxury brand have been hit hard as tourism declined because of the pandemic. The company filed its Chapter 11 petition to get rid of leases and lower its debt. Before the filing, it operated six full-price freestanding stores and eight outlet locations. Number: 63 to 88, including 10 locations in Canada Backstory: The women’s specialty chain operates the nameplates Chico’s, White House|Black Market and intimates concept Soma. In November, it said it closed 28 stores thus far and planned to close another 25 to 50 locations. The company’s Canadian operations in August filed for bankruptcy, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The bankruptcy will result in Chico’s exit from Canada, as well as the closure of four Chico’s stores and six White|House Black Market doors in the Canadian market. Number: 350 Backstory: The company’s three main nameplates are its core Gap chain, Banana Republic and Old Navy. In October, it said it would close 220 Gap stores and 130 Banana Republic locations by 2023. The plan is to have 200 stores closed by the end of this year and another 75 locations in 2021. The balance of the targeted locations will close by the end of fiscal year 2023. Number: 200 The children’s apparel chain is closing at least 200 doors, or 25 percent of its store fleet. About 60 percent will be close by the end of 2021, and 80 percent by the end of 2022. Number: 13 Backstory: This off-pricer has been a long-time fan favorite of New Yorkers and tourists. The retailer said it was forced to shut down operations after insurance providers elected not to pay $175 million under policies to protect against business disruptions during the pandemic. The retailer operated 13 stores. Number: 40 to 50 Backstory: The company, which also operates the Aerie intimates nameplate, plans to shutter 40 to 50 locations for the year, with about 250 leases set to expire. It also has another 250 store leases that will come up for renewal next year, which means that more store closures could be on the agenda in 2021. Number: 281 Backstory: The 281-door department store operator had already let go of most of its employees when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection. It had been on the watch list of credit analysts for a number of years. The company’s intellectual property assets were sold to Retail Ecommerce Ventures for $6 million, a company that specialized in asset-light operations by owning retail business that sell online only. Recent acquisitions include Dressbarn and Pier 1. Number: 5 Backstory: The company in August said it would close its five store locations to focus on online operations. It also plans to increase the number of drop-off locations. Number: 16 Backstory: The company said it was closing all 16 stores, choosing to focus on its digital business. Number: 500 Backstory: Too much debt on the books from its $1.8 billion acquisition of competitor Jos. A. Banks Clothiers Inc. in 2014 was a huge problem, exacerbated by a lack of cash flow when stores closed temporarily to help curb the spread of Covid. The plan was to close up to 500 stores, leaving it with a store base of 775 doors. The company exited bankruptcy on Dec. 1. Former Ann Taylor parent Ascena Retail Group closed 1.623 doors across multiple banners when it filed its Chapter 11 petition. Number: 1,623 Backstory: The company had been struggling for several quarters, and had already sold a majority stake in Maurices and completed a wind-down of its Dress Barn operations. It denied that bankruptcy was even being considered, but then the impact of Covid and mandatory store closures ended up pushing the company into Chapter 11. At the time, the company said it would close 1,600 doors, with many locations connected to its decision to shutter its plus-size Catherines nameplate. Ascena later closed 23 more Justice doors. The company has since sold its nameplates Catherines to FullBeauty Brands Operations LLC for $40.8 million in September and Justice to Bluestar Alliance for $90 million in November. On Dec. 8, the bankruptcy court gave its approval for Ascena to sell its remaining brands—Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey—to private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $540 million. Number: 13 Backstory: The women’s chain filed its Chapter 11 petition in Delaware, and was later acquired in September by Newtimes Group for $12.2 million. It’s 13 stores closed due to Covid in mid-March and never reopened. The online site was relaunched on Dec. 17. Number: 378, including outlet locations Backstory: The company, which operates women’s apparel chains under the nameplates New York & Co., Fashion to Figure and Happy x Nature, filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition for bankruptcy court protection in 2020. Saadia Group acquired the New York & Co. and Fashion to Figure nameplates for $40 million, and will operate them solely as online businesses. Number: 162 Backstory: PVH Corp. operates the outlet stores for its Van Heusen, Izod, Arrow, Warner’s, Olga and Geoffrey Beene brands. The company in July said it would close all locations. Number: 51 Backstory: The storied seller of American apparel and accessories filed for bankruptcy court protection in July, and was acquired a month later by a joint venture between Simon Property Group and Authentic Brands Group for $305 million. Number: 11 Backstory: The women’s specialty chain said in July that it would close 11 locations, with plans to have 275 doors by the end of the year. Number: 420, with 170 locations to close in 2020 and 250 in 2021 Backstory: The Swedish fast-fashion chain decided to increase the number of stores it plans to close to 170 from 130 after posting a 23 percent drop in first-half revenues, and in October said it would shutter 250 doors in 2021. But the 250 locations represent just 6 percent of total doors. Number: 200 Backstory: The company closed the stores as part of its Chapter 11 restructuring. The brand was later acquired out of bankruptcy by Sparc, a joint venture between brand management firm Authentic Brands Group and mall operator Simon Property Group. Number: 57 Backstory: The denim fashion brand, based in Los Angeles, found its business disrupted by the Covid pandemic and filed for bankruptcy protection so its could reassess and restructure its store portfolio. It’s bankruptcy filing in Australia saw the shutdown of all 57 stores in August after failing to find a buyer. Number: 170 Backstory: Capri Holdings Ltd., which also owns the Versace and Jimmy Choo brands, is rightsizing its Kors store base over the next two years. Number: 300 Backstory: The store closures are projected to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2021, although 200 of those doors are expected to take place in the current fiscal year, as the retailer places a greater focus on digital commerce. The balance of 100 doors will close in 2021. Number: 71, comprised of 66 doors in the U.K. and 5 in Australia Backstory: The company fell into administration on June 30 and shuttered all stores. Number: 100 stores globally, primarily across North America and China Backstory: Sales productivity across its store network has fallen during the pandemic, and lease expirations give the company flexibility to downsize its retail footprint. Zara’s parent Inditex is closing 1,200 doors over a two-year period. Number: 1,200, or up to 600 stores annually in 2020 and 2021 Backstory: After reporting its first-ever quarterly loss in Q1, the Zara owner is focusing on store optimization as it works to integrate its store and online business. It’s also taking a closer focus on its supply chain to zero in on inventory management, and its using existing store networ to help with the  fulfillment of online orders. Number: 199, comprised of 110 Wilson’s stores and 89 G.H. Bass locations Backstory: The company restructured its retail operations after deciding to focus on its wholesale operation and its DKNY and Karl Lagerfeld Paris businesses. Number: 230 Backstory: The company filed for bankruptcy court protection in May, and shuttered 230 locations. It plans exit Chapter 11 before the end of the year with 500 stores still in operation. Number: 175 Backstory: The mass merchant closed six department stores before it filed its Chapter 11 petition and then closed 154 during its tour of bankruptcy court. It recently exited bankruptcy proceedings when the operating business was sold to its two largest landlords, Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management. On Dec. 17, the company confirmed the additional closure of 15 more doors. Number: 67 Backstory: The preppy chain, along with its Madewell concept, filed a bankruptcy petition in May. While it plans to reopen nearly 500 doors after temporary COVID-19 shutdowns, the retailer is looking to get out of 67 store leases over time. It already closed eight stores during its tour of bankruptcy proceedings. Number: 18 Backstory: The fashion brand is closing 18 of its stores, leaving just one open in New York City’s Meatpacking District. The brand is refocusing its business to an e-commerce model in the U.S. and Europe, and will continue with wholesale operations in China. The DVF Studio division in the U.K. in May filed for administration, the equivalent of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in the U.S. Number: 19, comprised of 16 full-line doors and all 3 Jeffrey stores Backstory: The retailer is restructuring its business following the impact from the coronavirus, with the closures “based on the needs of each market.” The company has also been reducing expenses by restructuring regions, support roles and its corporate organization. Number: 250 locations across the U.S. and Canada, including 238 in the U.S. Backstory: L Brands is restructuring the brand after Sycamore Partners backed out of a deal to acquire a 55 percent majority stake in the lingerie chain. Number: 738 Backstory:  A bankruptcy in May had the company liquidating 550 reopened stores. The retailer, which plans to liquidate its remaining stores as they are able to reopen, was in the middle of converting its department stores to its off-price nameplate Gordmans. The company is also in the process of selling its assets. Number: 40 Backstory: The retailer initially closed two locations earlier in the year, but rumblings in April indicated that could be trouble ahead following a reduction in headcount. Lord & Taylor, and its parent Le Tote, subsequently filed for bankruptcy in August and the initial plan was to liquidate 19 stores as the company tried to find a buyer for America’s first department store. It later upped the number of doors to close to 24, hoping to keep 14 in operation. Failing to find a buyer, a decision was made to liquidate and shutter all doors. Another 142 stores could close in a liquidation if last minute rescue attempts come to naught. Number: 61, including 11 in Ireland Backstory: After closing 22 stores in the beginning of the year, the retailer declared insolvency in April, representing its second tour of insolvency in one year. It has liquidated all 11 doors in Ireland,  and another 28 locations in the U.K. have been closed. However, the company failed to find a buyer and is slated to shut down its remaining 142 stores in the U.K. Whether that actually happens is unclear. Mike Ashley‘s Frasers Group is in last minute talks to rescue the bankrupt department store chain. This week, word surfaced that American brand management firm Authentic Brands Group is also in talks to possibly take over the ailing chain. Number: 60 Backstory: Another early victim of the coronavirus, this British fashion and homeware brand shut down all 60 stores in the U.K. Its Japanese counterpart also filed for bankruptcy protection shortly thereafter. Number: 40 Backstory: Germany’s biggest department store retailer filed for administrative insolvency, a victim of the Covid pandemic following mandatory store closures to help curb the virus.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["store","Chico’s, White House|Black Market and intimates concept Soma","Lord & Taylor","DSW’s parent Designer Brands","Francesca’s","Hollister brand","Ascena Retail Group","Le Tote"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2020 by mid-December","mid-March","May","in the beginning of the year","last month","August","since the Great Recession","November","2019","2018","temporarily"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Australia","Ireland","U.K"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["part of its store optimization strategy","coronavirus pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Victoria's Secret store closings: Retailer to close up to 50 stores while Bath & Body Works opens new locations","document":"After closing nearly 250 stores in 2020, Victoria’s Secret plans to permanently close between 30 to 50 more U.S. locations this year, its parent company L Brands announced Wednesday. L Brands also plans to open 49 new Bath & Body Works stores in the U.S. and one in Canada, according to information the company posted online as part of its quarterly earnings. The new stores are \"almost entirely off-mall\" locations, the company said, adding it plans to close up to 40 stores that are in malls. The Columbus, Ohio-based retailer says it is still planning to move ahead with plans to spin off its struggling Victoria's Secret brand into a separate company over the next six months. The New York Times reported this week that Goldman Sachs will begin formally pitching buyout firms about a potential takeover as soon as this week. Costco pay hike:Costco to increase its minimum wage to $16 per hour, but CEO says the average pay for hourly workers is $24 Does relief help go too far?With the economy healing, is Biden's $1.9T COVID-19 relief package too much? New Apple mini shops:Target to open Apple shops in select stores and offer more products online. Will your location get an upgrade? Sales of soap and hand sanitizer at Bath & Body Works helped L Brands post a record fourth quarter, the company said. The Columbus, Ohio-based retailer on Wednesday posted a profit of $860.3 million, or $3.03 per share, for the three months that ended Jan. 31, compared with a loss in the same quarter a year ago when L Brands wrote down the value of its Victoria's Secret operation. Sales rose 2% from a year ago to $4.8 billion. As has been the case since the coronavirus pandemic began, the company's sales have been driven by consumers stocking up on soap products along with home fragrance and body care products at Bath & Body Works while sales at Victoria's Secret have foundered. Last May, when stores were closed amid the pandemic, L Brands announced plans to permanently shutter up to 250 Victoria's Secret and up to 50 Bath & Body Works stores in the U.S. and Canada. Bath & Body Works ended up closing 30 U.S. stores in 2020 and opened 26 new stores outside of malls, a new top-tier mall location and remodeled 29. The company had been working on about 200 real estate projects a year but says it pulled back during the pandemic. \"We continue to closely evaluate all locations, especially more vulnerable centers, for risk of closure,\" the company said in a statement about Bath & Body Works. Macy's, Bed Bath & Beyond and J.C. Penney have announced 2021 store closings. Apparel retailer Christopher & Banks announced it would close all of its stores after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  COVID vaccine:CVS expanding COVID-19 vaccine to 6 more states: Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Louisiana Macy's store closures:Macy's plans to close more stores despite seeing online sales growth. Will your store shutter?","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Bath & Body Works","Victoria’s Secret","Macy's","parent company L Brands","J.C. Penney","Christopher & Banks"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2020","Last May","2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Kannapolis cancels National Night Out event due to COVID spike","document":"Residents can drop off coat donations at Kannapolis City Hall at 401 Laureate Way. The drive will also still run through Oct. 5.  The city of Kannapolis has canceled its National Night Out event due to the spike in COVID cases and low vaccination rates. In an email Wednesday morning, the city announced the cancellation. It read: “Due to the spike in COVID cases and the low vaccination rates in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, this event is canceled.” The event was to run from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, at Veterans Park. There were plans for free food, live music, children’s games and other group festivities. Atrium Health staff members also planned to be present with a mobile vaccine clinic. The city of Kannapolis fire and police departments are holding a new winter coat drive for children in grades K-12 in the Kannapolis community that ends the day of the event. Residents had been encouraged to bring coats to the National Night Out event. City officials said the drive is still happening. Residents can drop off coat donations at Kannapolis City Hall at 401 Laureate Way. The drive will still run through Oct. 5. This isn’t the first event canceled in Cabarrus County due to the spike in COVID cases. Earlier in the the month, the county announced that the 2021 Cabarrus County Fair was canceled due to community spread of COVID-19 and low vaccination rates. It was scheduled for Sept. 10-18. The fair is the largest annual event held at the county’s Arena and Events Center. Each year, up to 80,000 people make their way to the arena over a nine-day span. Cabarrus County has not only seen a surge in cases, but also an increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19. According to the Cabarrus Health Alliance, there are 131 COVID patients hospitalized in the county as of Sept. 15. That number has dropped slightly from the 154 patients who were hospitalized going into September. Atrium Health is also feeling the surge in cases across its system, with a 61% increase in COVID patients on life support in the past two weeks. There are about 246 COVID patients currently on ventilators, which is up 93 patients from Aug. 24. Of the 246 patients, 96% are unvaccinated. Cabarrus County’s vaccine rates haven’t seen a major increase since the start of the spike. For the eligible population, only 52.9% are fully vaccinated, with 57.5% partially vaccinated. Of the county’s total population, only 48% are at least partially vaccinated. That leaves 52% without or ineligible for a vaccine. CHA recently issued a Public Health Advisory requesting all residents and visitors to wear face coverings or masks when indoors or in crowded outdoor areas. The percent positive for testing has made a slight decline this past week. It’s now at 12.6%. At the beginning of the month, it had surpassed 15%. Local health leaders have cautioned that the current COVID-19 numbers the county is seeing are reaching those from the holidays between the end of 2020 into 2021. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Charges were brought against two teenagers involved in the fatal shooting that occurred occured two weeks ago near G. W. Carver Elementary School. Three men charged in attempted robbery and shooting at the Mt. Pleasant Sporting Goods & Pawn. Concord Fire responded to a residential fire on Barley St. SW Thursday. There were no injuries. The City of Kannapolis Police Department is now recruiting Public Safety Cadets. Nov. 17—On Tuesday, Nov. 16, Chief Superior Court Judge Peter Knight sentenced Damian Lewis Furtch, 36, of Atlanta, to 177-225 months (14 years, nine months to 18 years, nine months) in prison for trafficking in methamphetamine. According to court records and Tuesday's sentencing hearing, on Feb. 19, 2019 at around midnight, Henderson County deputies stopped Furtch for following a vehicle too ... A traffic stop in Rowan County led to a man being arrested on seven charges including drug possession and possession of a stolen fire arm.  A man is in custody and another still is on the run after a theft and vehicle chase Sunday afternoon in Morganton. Nearly $7,000 in fragrances was stolen. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["National Night Out event","2021 Cabarrus County Fair"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5","Sept. 10-18"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The city of Kannapolis"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["spike in COVID cases and low vaccination rates"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Uganda suspends more than 50 rights groups, citing non-compliance","document":"Authorities say the decision was made because the NGOs failed to comply with legislation covering their activities. Authorities in Uganda have suspended more than 50 civic groups for allegedly not complying with regulations, dealing a blow to hundreds of thousands of people who directly benefit from the organisations’ activities. The suspensions, which target agencies ranging from rights watchdogs to women’s groups, were announced on Friday by the government’s Non-Governmental Organization Bureau. “We have halted their operations,” the bureau’s Chairman Steve Okello said. The suspensions take “immediate effect” and will be enforced, the NGO Bureau said in a statement. It said the measures were taken in response to the groups’ violation of myriad regulations, including operating with expired permits, failing to file accounts, or failing to register with the authorities. Prominent rights group Chapter Four Uganda and election observer group CCEDU are among 15 facing indefinite suspensions. The government’s action will renew fears of an assault on civil society that grew before a charged presidential election earlier this year. Many of the affected groups have been in limbo for months, unable to carry out their regular activities after authorities suspended operations of a leading donor known as the Democratic Governance Facility, or DGF. “Unfortunately, in our failing democracy, anything can happen,” said Dickens Kamugisha, whose AFIEGO group that advocates good energy governance is among those suspended. “This is all part of the political harassment of citizens and the NGOs.”    He said he expected the suspensions to happen sooner after the DGF’s troubles, as well as multiple attacks on the offices of civic groups seen as critical of the government. DGF was launched in 2011 by Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the European Union as a five-year programme to support government and non-governmental groups working to promote human rights, strengthen democracy and improve accountability. Renewed in 2018 and with offices in the Danish embassy in Kampala, the capital, the fund says it aims to encourage Uganda to be a country “where citizens are empowered to engage in democratic governance and the state upholds citizens’ rights”. Some of the organisations ordered to close had also taken part in an election-monitoring operation on polling day in January, which was raided by security forces with several of their leaders arrested. The election saw President Yoweri Museveni returned for a sixth term in office after a violent campaign marked by the harassment and arrest of opposition figures, attacks on the media, and the deaths of several dozen people. Chapter Four executive director Nicholas Opiyo confirmed his group received the government’s order to close and described the situation as “serious”. Museveni, a US ally who has held power since 1986, has repeatedly accused unnamed Western nations and groups of interfering in the internal affairs of the East African country. Museveni won the January 14 polls with 58 percent of the vote while his closest rival, the singer and lawmaker known as Bobi Wine, had 35 percent, according to official results. Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, claims he won the election and Museveni’s victory was fraudulent.  This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window.  Constitutional court throws out anti-porn law whose provisions included a ban on wearing miniskirts in public. Each of the 529 lawmakers received $56,500 to get new vehicles, sparking outrage in the poor country. Police say weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko found days after he disappeared leaving a note saying he wanted to find work. Residents and civil society groups have been waging a legal battle against a sugarcane development project. Follow Al Jazeera English: We understand that your online privacy is very important and consenting to our collection of some personal information takes great trust. We ask for this consent because it allows Al Jazeera to provide an experience that truly gives a voice to the voiceless.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["more than 50 civic groups"]},{"role":"Date","values":["immediate effect"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Uganda"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the NGOs failed to comply with legislation covering their activities"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Ninety nine Red Balloons and one big problem: Singer Nena’s concert cancelled after Covid-19 comments","document":"The singer is attracting criticism after opposition to Germany’s pandemic restrictions Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile German singer Nena German pop star Nena won’t be singing about 99 Red Balloons or anything else this week in Bavaria after her concert in the southern town of Tüssling scheduled for Thursday evening was abruptly cancelled by its organisers – because of her increasingly vocal opposition to the government’s COVID-19 policies and unabashed flirtation with anti-vaxxers. Explaining its decision to scrap the concert at the last minute, the organizer in Bavaria said: “It can’t be denied any longer that Nena is quite evidently a supporter of certain ideologies”, according to a report in the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. The organiser said that there had been “more negative headlines in recent weeks” following her celebrated participation in a controversial open-air party “of the unvaccinated” with 4,000 coronavirus deniers on Saturday in a small southern town at Lake Katzenbach. “Hello sweethearts – it’s good to be here with you,” she told the anti-vaxxers. The organisers then pulled the plug for Nena’s concert in Bavaria and other cancellations may follow, according to German media reports. “Did Nena just destroy her career with the dubious appearances of the last few weeks?” asked the Abendzeitung newspaper in Munich. “We aim to spread joy and positive vibes with our concerts,\" the Tüssling concert organiser Oliver Forster said in a statement. \"This would have become difficult after the latest developments, so this step is unavoidable. This shouldn’t be a political stage.” Nena, 61, has been Germany’s most successful singers and songwriters for decades following her global hit “99 Red Balloons” in 1983 that warned ominously of the nuclear annihilation that could accidently be triggered during the Cold War between the United States with its allies and the Soviet Union with its allies. She has sold more than 25 million records during her long career, making her Germany’s most successful recording artist. In a post on her Facebook page on Wednesday, Nena wrote: “I don’t follow any ideology and reject everything that brings hate, fear and division. I remain open to meeting people, without bias.” Nena, now a grandmother whose music still strikes a chord with multiple generations, has been rather incongruously sending public messages of support to groups protesting the government’s corona restrictions through since last October. She criticised the “inhumane conditions prevailing” due to lockdown measures and thanked demonstrators at a large rally in Kassel in March for standing up to the government. At an open-air concert in Berlin last month Nena implored the audience to disregard social-distancing boxes set up to keep the crowd spaced apart, urging them to gather closer together in front of her stage. She later told the crowd that the organisers was threatening to cancel the show if they didn’t spread back out but hinted they should stay put. “I’ll leave it to your sense of responsibility to decide if you want to do that or not. Everyone is free to make their own decision just as everyone can make a free decision whether to get vaccinated or not.” She later urged the crowd to “Take back your freedom!” The concert was ended without any encores. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday evening"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Bavaria","southern town of Tüssling"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["her increasingly vocal opposition to the government’s COVID-19 policies and unabashed flirtation with anti-vaxxers"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two Montreal schools shut down this week due to COVID-19 outbreaks","document":"MONTREAL --   At least two Montreal elementary schools were shut down this week due to outbreaks of COVID-19.  The first closure that was confirmed happened at the Sainte-Odile Elementary School, located on Depatie Street in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, after all 530 students were sent home due to what the school described as “several” infections. The school did not provide the number of cases.  In a letter sent to parents on Monday and obtained by CTV News, the school said the closure will last until Sept. 24.  A virtual-classwork system hasn’t yet been fully implemented.  To ensure the school’s 530 students don't miss out on class work, those who needed computers to do work from home have now received them and virtual follow-ups will start tomorrow, said Alain Perron, a spokesperson from the school service centre. Perron also confirmed Wednesday evening that a second school, École Saint-Émile in Rosemont, will close this week due to a coronavirus outbreak. No other details were released.  The closures come as rapid testing appears to be ramping up in Quebec schools.  The education ministry said in an email to CTV News that rapid testing kits were delivered to school service centres in the Montreal area last week. \"It is up to them to distribute the tests to the schools concerned, including Sainte-Odile,\" said ministry spokesperson Bryan St-Louis.  \"Schools will be able to begin administering the tests before the end of the month, once they are ready.  The English Montreal School Board, which has one school in a designated hot zone, said Wednesday they have not yet rolled out rapid testing.  Rapid tests in schools are being rolled out to 10 regions in Quebec as infections driven by the more transmissible Delta variant continues to rise, but Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious disease specialist with the McGill University Health Centre, said it is just one tool in curbing the spread of the virus.  \"Could rapid testing have prevented the closure of [Sainte-Odile]? Perhaps, but I think we have to take a step back and say: could masking, and distancing, and bubbling or cohorting have prevented this?\" he said, adding that these basic measures, if properly enforced, are proven methods at preventing cases from spreading.  \"Rapid testing has a lot of advantages, but it needs to be used properly.\" Schools need to decide how teachers, who are being tasked with administering the tests, will use them -- whether it's for diagnosing a symptomatic student or for testing as a preventative measure, he said. \"You need to think about this and map out those strategies and train the schools ahead of time before you find yourself in deep waters.\" The Coeur-Immacule elementary school in Sherbrooke, Que. also closed down Monday, as  hundreds of schools have had COVID-19 infections so far during the fourth wave of the pandemic and have sent home classrooms.  Most children at that school were permitted to return Wednesday, school officials say, with the exception of eight groups that must remain in isolation. At Sainte-Odile, public health is asking all parents to bring their kids for COVID-19 tests, even if they aren’t considered high-risk, and to notify the school when the test is complete and when the results come back. While the closure is only expected to last through Friday, the letter to parents assured them that children who are infected or deemed high-risk will be required to do a longer quarantine period. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Sainte-Odile Elementary School","École Saint-Émile in Rosemont","The Coeur-Immacule elementary school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this week","Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Depatie Street in Ahuntsic-Cartierville","Sherbrooke, Que"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["outbreaks of COVID-19"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Prose and Kohn: Paddlers named to Team USA feel honored despite event cancellation","document":"The 2021 International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships were scheduled to be held in November in Hong Kong. It won't be taking place. The IDBF canceled the event out of COVID-19 concerns. The cancellation is a disappointment for every paddler with dreams of being named to Team USA and competing in it. The United States Dragon Boat Federation and its members are no exception, which is why the USDBF decided to fill out its Team USA rosters anyway. The selections were primarily made based on paddlers' performances at time trials held across the country, including one at Nathan Benderson Park in July.  Five members of the NBP Dragons team were named to Team USA. Paddlers Don Bickel and Doreen Clyne were named to the Men's Senior A (40 and older) small boat roster and the Women's Senior B small boat team, respectively. Angela Long, who is the head coach of the park's paddling program, was also named to the Women's Senior B small boat team. Mandy Kendall Boyers was named to the Women's Senior B standard team while Beth Turconi was named an alternate to the Women's Senior B standard team. Turconi was the park's first Team USA representative in 2019.  No, this quintet will not be competing in Hong Kong. But they're part of Team USA and they're proud of that fact, as they should be.  \"It's overwhelming,\" Clyne said of the honor. \"It's taking all of the work, all of the sacrifices and the training and the coaching, and making it a culmination. It takes a village. It's my efforts but it's also everyone who comes together on the team and pushes each other and strives to be the best they can be.\" Paddlers from the NBP Dragons and Survivors in Sync get in some practice before the Club Crew Championships, to be held Oct. 1-3 at Nathan Benderson Park. Bickel called the entire experience humbling and thanked the program's coaches, including Long, for challenging him and getting him to believe he could reach this point. All of the paddlers shared similar sentiments in that regard. It is clear that the members of this program view every individual victory as a victory for the team as well.  Clyne was emotional when discussing the program. Even though the World Championships are cancelled, the paddlers will get a chance to compete as the Dragons at the 2021 USDBF Club Crew Championships, which will be held at Benderson Park Oct. 1-3. Clyne said it will be wonderful to race for spots in the 2022 IDBF Club Crew Championships with her favorite people after all the encouragement they have given her.  \"There is a family bond here and we are at home here (at Benderson Park),\" Clyne said. \"To be paddling together is going to be awesome. Hopefully we will take home some hardware. To be going for goals like that together is what means so much.\"  It's a cliche for an athlete to say that their team is like a family, but for these paddlers, I can see it being true. Not only are the Dragons competing at the Club Crew Championships but so is Survivors in Sync, the park's dragon boat team made up of breast cancer survivors. Survivors in Sync doubles as a support group for many of its members. The entire sport is about encouragement and overcoming whatever is in your way as a team. It makes sense that even in individual accomplishments, like reaching Team USA, that the paddlers would have their teammates and coaches on their minds.  The Club Crew Championships are free for spectators to attend. Approximately 90 clubs will be participating. Not only will you see high-level dragon boating if you attend, but you'll be supporting the Team USA members who had their championship experience taken from them.   ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The 2021 International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships"]},{"role":"Date","values":["November"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Hong Kong"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["out of COVID-19 concerns"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Bonnaroo 2021 is canceled because of 'waterlogged' festival grounds","document":"After Hurricane Ida's remnants moved into Tennessee, heavy rain left Bonnaroo's campgrounds flooded Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2021. Jenna Gallegos via Twitter Pack up the tent, Bonnaroo faithful. The Manchester, Tenn. music festival isn't happening this weekend.  Organizers of Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival canceled the four-night event due to intense rainfall from Tropical Depression Ida.  Rain moved in late Monday and continued throughout Tuesday, causing saturated tollbooth paths and flooded campgrounds \"to the point that we are unable to drive in or park vehicles safely,\" according to a statement from Bonnaroo.  \"We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that we must cancel Bonnaroo,\" the festival said Tuesday via Twitter. \"While this weekend’s weather looks outstanding, currently Centeroo is waterlogged in many areas.\" The statement continued, \"We have done everything in our power to try to keep the show moving forward, but [mother nature] has dealt us a tremendous amount of rain over the past 24 hours, and we have run out of options to try to make the event happen safely and in a way that lives up to the Bonnaroo experience.\"  Bonnaroo takes place in Manchester, Tennessee, about 70 miles south of Nashville. A flash flood warning remains in effect for Coffee County until 1 a.m. The region expected to get three to six inches of rain from the remnants of Ida.  'UTTER pain': Festival-goers distressed after Bonnaroo gets canceled, but some find other plans Sam Herron, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Nashville, said Tuesday that just under three inches of rain had fallen around the Manchester area. “Of course it’s still raining down there, so probably another quarter inch of rain is expected to fall into the evening,” Herron said. This is the second consecutive Bonnaroo to be canceled. 2020’s fest was pushed back three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, then ultimately canceled. When Bonnaroo unveiled plans for a return in 2021, it was for September — marking the first time the festival has ever been scheduled outside of June.  Tickets to 2021 Bonnaroo sold out three weeks after on-sale; headliners for the now-axed event included Foo Fighters, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion and Tyler, The Creator.  Bonnaroo's post says all tickets purchased through Front Gate Tickets (i.e. directly through the festival) will be refunded \"in as little as 30 days to the original method of payment.\" 'Not something we expected to be possible' While the cancellation came as a shock to many, there were warning signs starting on Sunday, when Bonnaroo announced it would delay its campground opening by a day due to conditions. On Monday, they reported that areas of the campground were rendered \"unusable,\" and offered refunds to all ticket holders.  As the majority of its audience comes to Bonnaroo from outside of Tennessee (and 55% from beyond the southeast, according to a 2018 poll), Tuesday's announcement wasn't enough notice for some.  2021 ticket-holder Josh Petefish got word after driving eight hours with a traveling party of seven people that organizers cancelled Bonnaroo. He planned to join a camping group of 16, including travelers from New York, Minnesota and Colorado, – on The Farm. Petefish plans to regroup Tuesday night in Nashville, he said. He initially bought tickets for this weekend’s event in 2019. “We had some expectations that things wouldn’t be quite the same,” said Petefish, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa. “Maybe they would cut people off on a certain day ... being totally canceled is not something we expected to be possible.” He added, “Since we have all this camping gear we’ll find somewhere near here [to camp]. Any recommendations?”  'Safe and smart' The cancellation even came as a surprise to those who'd been working on the grounds ahead of the festival — like Jenna Gallegos of Wichita, Kan. 2021 is her fourth year working at Bonnaroo as a volunteer. Her compensation? Free meals and admission to the (now-canceled) festival.  Gallegos said work, including construction of festival areas, was continuing throughout Tuesday. \"Everybody's really heartbroken,\" she said. \"Honestly, it came very abruptly. My crew, we were literally working, and then Bonnaroo tweeted out that they canceled and didn't really tell anybody other than that. So we're very shocked. I mean, I feel like people are trying to stay in high spirits just because they're already here.\" Disappointment and sympathy was expressed by performers like Jason Isbell, who was set to return to the festival this weekend.  \"I’m sorry y’all had to make this choice but I believe it was the right one,\" he wrote on Twitter.  \"I was really REALLY looking forward to it, but ya gotta be safe and smart. Love to everybody on the crew with a broken heart today.\" \"Was really looking forward to my first Roo performance but this hurricane is no joke,\" tweeted Nashville rapper Daisha McBride. \"Sending love to everyone in its path.\" Bonnaroo ended Tuesday's announcement with a familiar refrain — confidently asserting their return next year. \"Please find ways to safely gather with your Bonnaroo community and continue to radiate positivity during this disappointing time. WE WILL SEE YOU ON THE FARM IN JUNE 2022!\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Manchester, Tenn. music festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["outside of June","this weekend","four-night","2020","September"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tennessee"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["intense rainfall from Tropical Depression Ida","coronavirus pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Lady A's Charles Kelley hospitalized for appendicitis, group cancels first concert of tour","document":"Country trio Lady A was planning to play their first concert in 16 months over the weekend, but as the group's Charles Kelley puts it, \"the ol’ appendix had other plans.\" Kelley was hospitalized for appendicitis last week, forcing Lady A to cancel its Saturday appearance at Lakefront Music Fest in Minnesota.  \"The minute he is cleared by his doctors, we will be back on the road to see y'all,\" bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood said in a note to their fans.  On Sunday, Kelley checked in via social media from the hospital, saying he was \"so bummed to have missed performing our first show back in Minnesota, not to mention in 16 months — that’s an understatement.\" A post shared by Charles Kelley (@charleskelley) \"(I) didn't even know what an appendix was until Friday when it sent me to the ER. Love y’all and be back soon enough.\" Last month, Lady A released the new album \"What a Song Can Do (Chapter One),\" and their 2021 tour is set to continue with two nights at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 16-17. \"What a Song Can Do (Chapter One)\" is also the first album the group has released since shortening their name from Lady Antebellum last year. That move led to an ongoing dispute with Seattle blues singer Anita White, who has been performing as \"Lady A\" since the 1990s. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Lakefront Music Fest"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Minnesota"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Kelley was hospitalized for appendicitis last week"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Northwest Middle School in Taneytown closed for in-person learning ","document":"Updated: 11:15 AM EDT Sep 22, 2021 (UPDATE 9/22): Northwest Middle School students will return to in-person learning Thursday.ORIGINAL STORY: Northwest Middle School in Taneytown closed for in-person learning Tuesday and will remain closed through Wednesday due to COVID-19 cases and close contacts, Carroll County Public Schools announced.|| COVID-19 updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info ||The district said it plans to resume in-person learning Thursday for students who have not tested positive or who have not been quarantined.\"According to the Health Department, closing the school temporarily will ensure that we are doing all we can to reduce the spread in the school and the community,\" the district said in a statement sent to 11 News education reporter Tim Tooten.A Carroll County Health Department mobile unit will be at the school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to test students from Northwest and its feeder schools, including Elmer Wolfe, Runnymede and Taneytown Elementary schools and Francis Scott Key High School. Testing will be by appointment only. Call 410-876-4645 until 5 p.m. Tuesday to make an appointment. This testing site is only for students at these schools.Others in Carroll County who need testing can find sites and other information online here.Virtual learning was initiated Tuesday morning, and students who are currently on quarantine should be attending classes virtually during this time.Sixth grade students who are attending Outdoor School this week should accept the invitation to the Outdoor School Google Classroom on their landing page. Students will attend virtually until school is back to in-person learning.The seventh and eighth grade Back to School Night scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday will now be held virtually via Microsoft Teams at this link.The district said school administration will be in contact with families regarding the return to in-person learning the day prior to reopening. TANEYTOWN, Md. — (UPDATE 9/22): Northwest Middle School students will return to in-person learning Thursday. ORIGINAL STORY: Northwest Middle School in Taneytown closed for in-person learning Tuesday and will remain closed through Wednesday due to COVID-19 cases and close contacts, Carroll County Public Schools announced. Advertisement || COVID-19 updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info || The district said it plans to resume in-person learning Thursday for students who have not tested positive or who have not been quarantined. \"According to the Health Department, closing the school temporarily will ensure that we are doing all we can to reduce the spread in the school and the community,\" the district said in a statement sent to 11 News education reporter Tim Tooten. A Carroll County Health Department mobile unit will be at the school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to test students from Northwest and its feeder schools, including Elmer Wolfe, Runnymede and Taneytown Elementary schools and Francis Scott Key High School. Testing will be by appointment only. Call 410-876-4645 until 5 p.m. Tuesday to make an appointment. This testing site is only for students at these schools. Others in Carroll County who need testing can find sites and other information online here . Virtual learning was initiated Tuesday morning, and students who are currently on quarantine should be attending classes virtually during this time. Sixth grade students who are attending Outdoor School this week should accept the invitation to the Outdoor School Google Classroom on their landing page. Students will attend virtually until school is back to in-person learning. The seventh and eighth grade Back to School Night scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday will now be held virtually via Microsoft Teams at this link . The district said school administration will be in contact with families regarding the return to in-person learning the day prior to reopening.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Northwest Middle School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday","through Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Taneytown"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 cases and close contacts"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Southwark School In South Philadelphia Becomes 5th School Closed Due To COVID Outbreak","document":"PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — New school year, same story as COVID-19 continues to disrupt in-person learning in Philadelphia. After 18 months of waiting to get back into the classroom, another Philadelphia school has closed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The Southwark School in South Philadelphia will be closed through Sept. 26. Students will learn virtually until then. Additionally, the entire 9th grade class at Roxborough High School will be virtual learning until Friday, Sept. 24 due to at least two positive COVID cases. 10th through 12th graders will report to school as normal. The school district gets direct orders from the city’s health department on when that action is necessary and how it’s determined. Just three weeks into the school year and five Philadelphia schools have been forced to close due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Richmond Elementary in Port Richmond is one of the latest schools to pause in-person learning and revert to an all virtual setting. Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. William Hite says the district gets a directive from the Philadelphia Health Department on when to shutter a school due to COVID cases. Most recently, Emlen Elementary cited eight in-school cases that forced its closure. “Once they start to look at that information and the case counts then they would make a recommendation to us to either quarantine a group of students or close the whole school,” Hite said. The city’s health department will flag a school to pause in-person learning when it has identified six cases within a 14-day incubation period within the school setting, meaning all cases are only linked to in-school transmission. Schools are using layers of safety protocols to keep outbreaks at bay. Mastery Charter School has been open for in-person learning since February and was one of the first schools in Philadelphia to implement consistent testing. “We are doing free weekly testing for students who consent, for all staff who are unvaccinated at this point, and then for any staff who are vaccinated but choose to participate through a federal program called Operation Expanded Testing,” Laura Clancy said. Mastery Charter identified 43 positive cases within the first two weeks of school, out of 12,000 students in its student body. No closure has ever been necessary. Meantime, all Philadelphia district schools are conducting weekly testing now. School officials know how critical it is to identify COVID cases early and stop the spread. “It just gives us critical information and it gives families critical information, especially given the fact that so many infections are asymptomatic,” Clancy said. The effort to vaccinate as many students and staff within Philadelphia schools is ongoing. The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium hosted a question and answer session Thursday for Philly school staff about keeping students safe. All Philadelphia school teachers and staff must be vaccinated by Sept. 30.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Southwark School","Roxborough High School","Richmond Elementary","Emlen Elementary","Mastery Charter School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["through Sept. 26","18 months","since February"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Philadelphia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a COVID-19 outbreak"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"COVID-19 in schools: See which Tennessee districts are closed amid outbreaks, staffing shortages","document":"Barely a month into the new school year, several Tennessee school districts already have shuttered schools because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staffing shortages and hundreds of confirmed cases among students are driving these choices, even as the state says entire districts cannot pivot to remote learning . Amid the confusing directives from the state , some districts have opted to close individual schools or their district altogether, often using one of a handful of inclement weather, or stockpile, days. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Barely a month into the new school year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tennessee"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["impact of the COVID-19 pandemic","Staffing shortages and hundreds of confirmed cases"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Binghamton High closed for day after police investigate shooting on Murray St.","document":"Binghamton High School was closed to in-person learning Tuesday and operated fully remote due to an ongoing investigation into a shooting that occurred around 2:50 p.m. Monday on Murray Street.  Binghamton High School Principle Kevin Richmond said via Twitter that the high school and a pre-k program held at the school was closed to ensure the safety of students and staff and to assist with the investigation. On Tuesday, the district said in a news release that the high school closed so it could reduce pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the area, allowing police to continue its investigation. Today, there was an incident at North and Murray street that involved gun shots. No one was injured and BPD is conducting an investigation. To ensure the safety of all, and assist with the investigation, BHS will be fully remote tomorrow, Tuesday, September 21. — Kevin J Richman (@Kevin_Richman) September 20, 2021 Binghamton Police Capt. Cory J. Minor said several shots were fired around 121 Murray St., and four men were seen fleeing the area. The high school is around the corner, with the main entrance on Main Street. Police found 24 9mm bullet casings, and two occupied homes were struck by gunfire, as well as two parked, unoccupied vehicles. No one was injured. Anyone with information on the ongoing investigation is asked to contact the Binghamton Police Detective Bureau at (607) 772-7080.  ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Kevin Richmond"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Binghamton High School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Murray Street"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["assist with the investigation","ongoing investigation into a shooting","ensure the safety of students and staff"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Milwaukee Marathon canceled for 2021","document":"and last updated 2021-09-24 15:55:17-04 MILWAUKEE — Amid speculation over cancellation concerns, the Milwaukee Marathon officially announced Thursday that it has canceled the event for 2021, for a second year in a row. Organizers said in a social media post that like most canceled events these days, the COVID-19 pandemic was partly to blame. Also problematic was scheduling security for the marathon with the Milwaukee Police Department, which normally secures the route for the runners around traffic and the event's audience. MPD also provides crowd control for the Milwaukee Brewers - a team that is doing quite well this season. The marathon, originally scheduled for April 10, was postponed earlier this year for Oct. 23 - a date that organizers say became logistically impossible. \"We can honestly say we tried everything we could to make this race happen, yet for the second year in a row, we won’t be able to host an in-person event. We can’t begin to express how sorry we are that this is how everything transpired,\" the Milwaukee Marathon said. As eyes look toward 2022, organizers said that they have to wait until Spring \"for a chance at redemption.\" A hard date will have to wait until then. For participants of the race, organizers released a number of options: Defer your registration to the 2022 Milwaukee Marathon (Spring 2022 date to be announced). Transfer your registration to the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k – Chicago (November 7, 2021): hotchocolate15k.com/city/chicago Transfer your registration to any other Ventures Endurance event: venturesendurance.com/find-your-race Receive a full refund for your 2021 registration. \"We know none of these options compare to being able to run together in this city that we all love. All we can say is, we are deeply sorry for this, and we hope we will see you down the road. Thank you for your understanding during this challenging time,\" organizers said. However, the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon is still on, set for Sunday, Oct. 3. The Lakefront Marathon is an all volunteer run. There are pre-race events on Saturday, Oct. 2 at the UWM Union. Masks are required in the Union.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["the Milwaukee Marathon"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021","a second year","April 10"]},{"role":"Location","values":["MILWAUKEE"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","security"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Some businesses closed, others offering to help amid widespread power outages","document":"John Bright of Fort Gratiot knows what it’s like to sit in a house without power, so with power outages affecting thousands in St. Clair County, he’s opening his business to the community. In a Facebook post Thursday morning , Bright invited people to come to his Port Huron Township business, Bright Bargains Trade Center at 3292 Lapeer Road. People can charge their devices, use the kitchen to heat food and play games. “It’s open for everybody,” he said. “I don’t care who comes.” DTE Energy hopes to restore power to most customers in Michigan by the end of the day Friday, according to a company press release. Many businesses and organization are closed due to power outages  Thursday, including St. Clair County Health Department, Day Treatment/Night Watch, St. Clair County Community College, Port Huron Area School District, Algonac Community Schools, Marysville Public Schools, Yale Public Schools and the YMCA of the Blue Water Area. Some businesses expected to potentially be closed longer, like The Windjammer Bar and Grill in Lexington. The restaurant had \"100% food loss\" and needed to restock, re-prep and expected to be closed until Wednesday, according to a Facebook post Thursday. Port Huron Downtown Development Authority Director Cynthia Cutright said there were some minor branches down in downtown after a walkthrough Thursday morning, with outages “pretty spotty.” There is a major power pole down in the west Quay Street lot near the Zebra Bar in downtown, which is where the majority of issues are believed to come from. The lot is closed until wires can be removed, she said. Some businesses in downtown had electricity, but no internet and could not take credit card payments Thursday morning. A few businesses had chosen to be closed for the day due to outages, she said. Cutright said there are no estimates for when power will be fully restored downtown, but like the rest of the city it will probably take a couple days. The Port Huron Parks and Forestry phone line is down so people are asked to call City Manager James Freed's office directly at (810) 984-9740 to be redirected to the right department, she said. DTE Energy was planning to offer ice and other resources from noon to 6 p.m. at the north McMorran Arena parking lot and clothing store Patrick & James was offering to let people charge their phones at 225 Huron Ave. in Port Huron, Cutright said. Due to the widespread power outages throughout St. Clair County, the following locations are available for residents to charge personal wireless devices and medical devices during normal business hours, according to a county press release: Algonac City Hall: 805 St. Clair River Drive, Algonac Burtchville Township Offices: 4000 Burtch Road, Burtchville Township Home Depot – Fort Gratiot: 4195 24th Ave., Fort Gratiot Township Lowes – Fort Gratiot: 4200 24th Ave., Fort Gratiot Township Grant Township Offices: 7942 Wildcat Road, Grant Township Ira Township Fire Station: 7065 Meldrum Road, Ira Township Kimball Township Fire Department – Station 1: 1970 Allen Road, Kimball Township Kenockee Township Fire Department: 8815 Main St., Avoca Memphis Fire Department: 35095 Potter St., Memphis Mussey Township Fire Department: 550 W. Mill St., Capac City of Port Huron Municipal Office Center: 100 McMorran Blvd., Port Huron Port Huron Township Offices: 3800 Lapeer Road, Port Huron Township And then of course there’s Bright Bargains. Bright said as of 11 a.m. only family members had taken advantage of his invitation, with family bringing in a crockpot and making chili. He has a small kitchen area with a microwave, hot plate, toaster, coffee pot and Keurig people can use. He said he’s set up to help, with tables and many chairs he uses for auctions. He has put out a power strip for people to use and can pull out a TV with a Roku so people can stream. The business is open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays and he has staff planned to operate the building, but if there’s a crowd and the building needs to stay open later it will, Bright said. He’s had people reach out to him when he needed it, so it’s nice to be able to pass it along. Hopefully people can get back their power and lives soon, but if not, he’s there. “We’re here, we’re available,” he said. “It’s just the right thing to do.” Contact Bryce Airgood at (810) 989-6202 or bairgood@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123. How to keep food safe during a power outage According to the Michigan State University Extension Nutrition Program, keeping food safe during power outages is important for the health and safety of people and their families. “Knowing how to determine if food is safe and how to keep food safe will help minimize the potential loss of food and reduce the risk of foodborne illness,” according to an alert from the St. Clair County MSU Extension Office. The following are some of the office’s tips for food during a power outage: Keep the refrigerator or freezer door closed to keep the cold air inside. Do not open the door any more than necessary. Cover the appliance with blankets, sleeping bags or comforters to keep the cold in, making sure vents are not covered. A full free-standing freezer will stay at freezing temperatures about two days; a half -full freezer about one day if closed. Keep the temperature of the freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or lower; the colder the food, the longer it will stay frozen. Refrigerated food will usually remain cool in the refrigerator for four to six hours, depending on the room temperature. People cannot rely on appearance or odor to determine if the food is safe. Never taste food to determine its safety. Some foods may look and smell fine, but, if they have been warm too long, they may contain bacteria in quantities that could cause illness. Dairy foods are very perishable and should be discarded. People with questions can call the MSU Extension Food Safety Hotline at (877) 643-9882 or contact Laurie Messing at lmessing@msu.edu or (989) 269-9949. For more information visit MSU Extension's website.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["St. Clair County Health Department, Day Treatment/Night Watch, St. Clair County Community College, Port Huron Area School District, Algonac Community Schools, Marysville Public Schools, Yale Public Schools and the YMCA of the Blue Water Area","Many businesses and organization","The Windjammer Bar and Grill"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday","until Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Michigan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["power outages"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"COVID-19 pandemicled stores closed and online shopping grew","document":"Three new stores are opening at Westridge Shopping Center in Clive this fall and winter, filling around 50,000 square feet of retail space as the center undergoes aesthetic renovations. JOANN Fabrics and Crafts will relocate from the University Park Shopping Center down the road, opening next to Salvation Army at 9999 University Ave. The 33,000-square-foot space was  formerly occupied by a Nobbies Parties .  Adjacent to Kohls, David's Bridal will occupy a 13,000-square-foot storefront at 10201 University Ave., also relocating from University Park. It's taking the place of Shoe Carnival, and is expected to open this fall.  Both stores' moves will leave two vacancies at the struggling University Park, at 22nd Street and University Avenue in Clive, where Toys \"R\" Us and Pier 1 Imports recently closed.  And in January, Becky's Hallmark, currently in Valley West Mall, will relocate to a newly created 4,400-square-foot retail space between Burlington and Johnson Fitness & Wellness Store. Goats assist improvements at Westridge Shopping Center The shopping center, located on the University Avenue business corridor west of Valley West Mall, has experienced an increase in customer traffic since Burlington moved into the center this spring, said Jeff Daniels, broker associate with Buyer's Realty, which owns Westridge.  \"This (parking) lot's busier than I've seen it since Burlington came in,\" Daniels said. \"There'd maybe be three to four cars out here and now there's dozens.  \"Retail seems to be coming back and retailers are getting more confident again.\" Retail bankruptcies surged amid the COVID-19 pandemic as stores closed and customers' reliance on online shopping grew. This year, retail store openings increased by 58.3% over 2020, according to Retail Dive , which slightly outpaced closures.  Last October, the Westridge parking lot was repaved, kicking off renovations to the center. Aesthetic adaptations are being completed to give the center a more \"contemporary feel,\" said Tiffany Hartford, director of properties with Buyer's Realty. \"We’re trying to make it a more convenient and attractive area to shop in,\" Hartford said. \"It’s a substantial investment in the centers.\" More: Des Moines' Blk & Bold coffee company partners with Ben & Jerry's on new cold brew ice cream flavor While they've been working on roof work, signage and the facade, there's also been an adorable extra step: A voracious herd of goats cleared out about an acre of overgrown plants from the center's retention pond. Hartford rented the herd through the Ames-based Goats on the Go  to nibble away at overgrown invasive species rather than use chemical herbicides. Valley West Mall loses another retailer Becky's Hallmark, which offers ornaments, greeting cards and seasonal gifts, is yet another retailer lost by Valley West Mall. The mall's south side, where Becky's Hallmark sits, is becoming increasingly vacant since Younkers, which liquidated in 2018, closed all of its stores. Owner Becky Gustin said she's been working to relocate her Hallmark franchise out of the mall for the last three years, looking for a location with more traffic.  \"The malls used to be the thing in the day,\" Gustin said. \"But in general, the malls are declining. I know COVID didn't help either, but it was already starting before COVID hit. It's really affecting things at the store so I just needed to find somewhere where there was more action going on.\" Von Maur confirms: Valley West store to close, relocate to Jordan Creek Town Center Gustin opened her Hallmark store in Valley West Mall in 2013 with 16 employees. Just eight are on payroll now, and Gustin said her sales revenue has been cut in half over the years.  \"I probably would've closed my doors at the end of the year if this didn't go through,\" Gustin said about relocating to Westridge. \"I kept thinking about my employees that work there and so many of them have been there for 20, 25, 30 years. I didn't have to open a new store again, I could've just given up but I'm investing and I would hope customers would invest in me also.\" Valley West Mall Director of Marketing Trisha Barton said the south wing of the mall has strategically been emptied as the mall's owner, Minneapolis-based Watson Properties, plans for redevelopment.  But those plans for the nearly 50-year-old mall have shifted since West Des Moines lost out on state tax incentives earlier this year .  Barton said demolishing the former Younkers and converting the southern wing into a below-grade parking garage is still expected to start in 2022, attributing delays to ripple effects of the pandemic that increased construction costs .  \"All of that is going to be destroyed once we start our redevelopment so we are not actively leasing any space down there,\" Barton said. \"Anything south of center court ... we've been trying to move them north.\" Barton said the mall is allowing tenants to finish out their current leases before relocating elsewhere.  Valley West Mall recently lost another big-name tenant in Von Maur , who confirmed it will leave the West Des Moines mall when it opens at Jordan Creek Town Center next fall. Von Maur is the last remaining anchor department store aside from JCPenney.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Younkers","stores"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2018"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","liquidated"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Another NYS Fair concert canceled due to Covid; hours extended on Fridays and Saturdays","document":"Updated: Aug. 28, 2021, 7:43 a.m. | Published: Aug. 28, 2021, 7:26 a.m. A crowd watches The Spinners performing at the New York State Fair's Chevy Court on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com 472 By Geoff Herbert | gherbert@syracuse.com New York State Fair officials announced several changes Friday, including another concert cancellation and extended hours on the final two weekends. The Oak Ridge Boys canceled a performance scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 31, at Chevy Court “due to a recent outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases within The Oak Ridge Boys touring organization, and out of an abundance of caution.” None of the band members have tested positive for the coronavirus, but the Country Music Hall of Fame group said a 14-day quarantine is necessary because of the “close-knit environment of touring.” Central New York country band Whiskey Hollow Rush will replace the Oak Ridge Boys at Chevy Court on Tuesday at 2 p.m. It’s at least the second NYS Fair concert to be canceled due to Covid. Noah Cyrus dropped out of performing on Sunday (Aug. 29) after one of her crew members tested positive for the virus; The Pickle Mafia will take over her 2 p.m. time slot on the Chevy Park stage. “I won’t risk or compromise anyone’s safety, nor can I do my show without my full team. Stay safe and get vaccinated,” said Cyrus, a Grammy-nominated singer and the younger sister of Miley Cyrus. Covid-19, which has seen a surge in recent weeks due to the more contagious delta variant, has also forced concert cancellations at the nearby St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview. KoRn axed a show at the St. Joe’s Amp this past week after singer Jonathan Davis tested positive for Covid, and Florida Georgia Line canceled its tour entirely due to Covid concerns. Meanwhile, Great White canceled tonight’s NYS Fair appearance with Vixen due to an illness that is unrelated to Covid, according to the band’s Facebook page . Vixen, an all-female glam metal band, will perform entirely themselves at 7 p.m. (Saturday, Aug. 28) at Chevy Court.  Officials also announced that New York State Fair hours will be extended to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. The fairgrounds and buildings open daily at 11 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. most days. The Midway stays open an extra hour until 11 p.m. On Labor Day, the last day of the fair, everything closes at 9 p.m. Today (Saturday, Aug. 28) will feature another change: Food trucks are returning to the New York State Fair, but will not be a competition this year. According to a press release , the food trucks will offer $3 samples of signature offerings around Chevy Court from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert","performance","tour","NYS Fair appearance"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday, Aug. 31","tonight’s"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Chevy Court","St. Joe’s Amp"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["illness that is unrelated to Covid","out of an abundance of caution"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Limp Bizkit cancels WNY concert ‘out of an abundance of caution’; Lynyrd Skynyrd member has Covid-19","document":"Limp Bizkit cancels WNY concert ‘out of an abundance of caution’; Lynyrd Skynyrd member has Covid-19 Updated: Aug. 09, 2021, 12:47 p.m. | Published: Aug. 09, 2021, 12:01 p.m. Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit performs on stage during Lollapalooza 2021 at Grant Park on July 31, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois.Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images 250 By Geoff Herbert | gherbert@syracuse.com As Covid-19 cases rise across the U.S., could concert cancellations be returning? Limp Bizkit announced over the weekend that all August tour dates are being canceled, including a show scheduled Monday (Aug. 9) at Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The band had just returned to the stage a week ago at a full-capacity Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, making headlines with singer Fred Durst’s new “Dad Vibes” look. “Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans, the Limp Bizkit show this Monday and the remaining August tour is being cancelled. Refunds are available at their points of purchase. All tickets purchased online will be automatically refunded,” a statement said. According to Rolling Stone , Durst denied rumors guitarist Wes Borland has Covid-19, telling fans on Instagram that “the system is seriously flawed” and “We don’t care much about the BS… We care a lot about you.” It’s unclear if the group plans to continue performing in September or if the Western New York show will be rescheduled at some point. In related news, Lynyrd Skynyrd canceled four concerts this month after longtime band member Rickey Medlocke tested positive for Covid- 19. No Upstate New York shows are affected yet, but the “Sweet Home Alabama” band is currently scheduled to perform at CMAC in Canandaigua on Aug. 19 and at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs on Aug. 28. Last week, singer Michael Bublé postponed an Aug. 25 concert at the Times Union Center, rescheduling the Albany venue for Oct. 19. “I do not want to put my fans at risk, nor my band and crew, by putting them in a situation that could possibly affect their health and therefore their friends and family. It is better for me to reschedule these shows to a time when all of us are confident that we can relax and enjoy the show,” Buble said. Sebastian Bach, who’s scheduled to perform at del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo on Sept. 25, said he tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday after performing several shows and attending his wife’s high school reunion. “Thank God for the vaccine I can’t wait to get another one all symptoms are gone now not canceling shows,” the former Skid Row singer said. New Orleans Jazz Fest has also been rescheduled from October for Spring 2022 due to the spread of the Covid delta variant in Louisiana. And Billboard reports Garth Brooks is re-evaluating his stadium tour after the next two shows; tickets for a Seattle concert have been put on hold. Most concerts in Upstate New York are currently still on as scheduled, but live events were largely canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Concerns are high as the seven-day average for new daily Covid-19 infections has now surpassed 100,000 in the U.S., returning to levels not seen since the winter surge.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["show","tour","WNY concert","four concerts"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday (Aug. 9)","August","this month"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19 cases rise","Rickey Medlocke tested positive for Covid- 19","out of an abundance of caution"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Alice Cooper's Bald Hill concert canceled","document":"Alice Cooper's elaborate concert set is too big for the stage at Farmingville's Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater at Bald Hill.        By David J. Criblez david.criblez@newsday.com @DavidJCriblez Updated June 29, 2021 9:31 PM fbShare Tweet Email Alice Cooper just got canceled — not by society, but rather his Sept. 22 concert with special guest Ace Frehley at the Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater at Bald Hill in Farmingville. \"The theatrical production couldn’t fit on our stage,\" says John Caracciolo, president and CEO of Long Island Events, which operates the venue. \"The production guys didn’t catch that and when we were doing advance planning we realized it wasn’t going to fit. It’s a big, big production with a tall castle.\" The main problem the crew was running into was height. \"You really need to clear about 40 feet from the stage,\" says Caracciolo. \"Unfortunately, our stage doesn’t have that kind of room up top.\" Live Nation is trying to find another place for the show. In the meantime, those who bought tickets can get a refund from their point of purchase.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 22"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["The theatrical production couldn’t fit on our stage"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"POSTPONED: Tonight’s Incubus concert at the Rose canceled because of COVID case","document":"UPDATED SEPT. 5: The Incubus concert scheduled for tonight, Sept. 5, at Rose Music Center in Huber Heights has been postponed, because a member of the tour has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the venue’s website. The Rose posted the following message from Incubus on its website: “To our fans in Ohio and Indiana, we regret to announce that there has been a confirmed COVID-19 case within the Incubus touring party. The safety of our fans, crew, venue staff and band is our top priority, so out of an abundance of caution we are postponing our shows in Huber Heights and Fort Wayne this weekend. We appreciate your love & support throughout these unprecedented times and we’ll keep you posted with more info soon. Much love <3” A new date for the show will be announced soon, according the the Rose website, and tickets for the original date will be honored for the rescheduled date. For more information, visit rosemusiccenter.com . A new date will be announced soon. Tickets for the original date will be honored for the rescheduled date. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Like most groups, Incubus had its summer concert plans sidelined by the COVID-19 shutdowns in March 2020. The multiplatinum-selling band, performing at Rose Music Center in Huber Heights on Sunday, Sept. 5, didn’t let the pandemic completely silence its music. That April, Incubus went forward with plans to release “Trust Fall (Side B).” The five-song EP is the official follow-up to its eighth album, “8” (2017), and the thematic sequel to the 2015 EP, “Trust Fall (Side A).” Incubus bassist Ben Kenney recently answered a few questions over the telephone, just days before the California-based act launched its late summer tour. Q: What was happening with Incubus when everything shut down in March 2020? A: We had a whole summer tour lined up that we were excited to do. We were getting ready to do that and then everything started to get scarier and scarier, and then the rug kind of got pulled out from underneath us. We spent the time like everyone else, just watching the news in fear. Q: What did you do to occupy yourself during that time? A: I did a lot of camping, hiking and other outdoor stuff. Some of that was displacing my wanderlust. I was just finding a new home for it. I also worked on my solo music. I’m always doing that. That’s kind of the constant background thing for me. I don’t have anything on deck yet but we’ll see. Q: Were you able to work on music remotely with the other guys in Incubus during that time? A: Actually, we didn’t work on anything over the pandemic because we had just released ‘Trust Fall (Side B).’ We had the tour lined up, so we were just hoping to get to go out and play those songs and promote that stuff. Explore FROM THE ARCHIVES: 31 historic photos of the Oregon District Q: Are you playing many songs from the new EP on these dates? A: We’ve played a bunch of them in rehearsals but I don’t know what the setlists are going to be like because each show is a different environment. We have our own shows and we’re also doing things like the Bonnaroo Festival. I don’t know what to expect as far as the setlists go, but we would love to sneak in some of the new songs. A lot of them were born in a live environment and we’re really proud of them so it would be fun to play them for people. Q: Many acts returned to live shows in May. Was it a tough decision to wait until late August? A: Yeah, because it was just so hard to tell what was happening. It’s a bizarre time, which goes without saying, but we’re moving as quick as we can. Some people were a little bit more anxious to get out there but we’re saddling up now and we’re ready for it. Explore WORTH THE DRIVE: 5 fall music festivals you won’t want to miss Q: When did you start rehearsing? A: I feel like it’s been about two months but I don’t know for sure, I kind of stopped looking at the calendar. Rehearsals have been going really good. It’s fun to be in a room playing music after all of this time. Now, we’re just excited to get back on stage again. It’s probably going to be pretty emotional for all of us because this is what we’ve spent our whole lives learning how to do. This is everything to us. To get back out there and share it again is going to be magic. Q: What’s up for the group after these dates? A: It’s hard to commit to anything right now because we don’t know what the world is going to do next. If it’s up to us, we’ll start writing music and start recording more music to be released whenever that is finished. Then, hopefully we’ll get to do a real full tour next year.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Incubus concert","summer concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 5","March 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Rose Music Center in Huber Heights"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19","a member of the tour has tested positive for the coronavirus"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Blind Brook school chief urges calm ahead town hall meeting over elementary school closure","document":"The village of Rye Brook school has been closed since last week and is off limits to students and staff this week with no timetable when it might reopen. State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, in a fiery letter sent to the district Friday, listed a myriad of fire safety concerns inside the school. She said the district needs a valid certificate of occupancy before it could welcome students again.  State Senator Shelley Mayer and state Assemblyman Steve Otis said in a joint press release they've spoken to Rosa, who told them the state was working closely with Blind Brook to get the building in compliance.  In a separate press statement Monday night, Brimstein said the district is encouraged by the progress made the last 48 hours. The district identified code violations in current and future spaces, he said, and a phase-in plan is expected to be complete in the next few days, he said.  The district is preparing an application that would grant them partial certificate of occupancy to get classrooms reopened.  \"Our community prides itself on education, and we are confident we will come back even stronger as a school when our new facility is fully complete,\" Brimstein said.  The town hall starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Blind Brook High School auditorium. The district said 324 seats are available at the auditorium; if that space exceeds capacity, a video monitor will be set up in the school library. There will be a question and answer portion of the forum. Masks are required.  David Propper covers Westchester County. Reach him at dpropper@lohud.com and follow him on Twitter:  dg_props . Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.  ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Brook school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["since last week"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The village of Rye"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["myriad of fire safety concerns inside the school"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"School closed to pupils on Thursday due to 'unforeseen circumstances'","document":" Thank you for subscribingWe have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice A school will be closed on Thursday after a gas leak outside the premises. Our Lady and St Bede in Bishopton Road West, Stockton made the announcement on Wednesday night. In a letter on its website its headteacher Maureen Wilkinson apologised to parents for the late notice telling them it was as a result of \"unforeseen circumstances\". Read more: For more Stockton news go here She wrote: \"Apologies for the late message. Unfortunately, I have had to make the decision to close the school tomorrow due to unforeseen circumstances. \"Please can all pupils' log on to TEAMS at the start of each lesson. \"The majority of lessons will be set remotely, and pupils should follow their usual class timetable. \"If any pupils do not have their TEAMS accounts set up or have issues accessing teams, please check the school website for further support, advice and guidance which will be uploaded tomorrow morning.\" She added: \"As pupils also have their recommended reading books, reading can also take place throughout the day. \"I will update parents/carers further tomorrow afternoon when I have more information. \"Thanks for your patience and understanding.\" Stockton Council also posted on Facebook a fuller explanation saying it was \"due to a gas leak outside of the building\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Maureen Wilkinson"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["A school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Stockton"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["gas leak outside the premises"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Canceled last year, Dillsburg Farmers Fair returns in October","document":"/ Updated: Sep 23, 2021 / 03:21 PM EDT YORK, Pa. (WHTM) — The big banner is up in the center square in Dillsburg, announcing this year’s Farmers Fair. It runs from Oct. 11 to the 16. “I think people are so excited to see that Farmers Fair is happening this year because we did miss it last year,” Annie Cooke said. She’s in charge of the Fantastic Parade, the big event that closes the fair Saturday night. Dillsburg Farmers Fair returns in 2021 “Having a year off was disappointing,” adds  Al Kauffman, the parade association Vice President, “But it’s nice getting back into the saddle.” They had to cancel last year due to Covid, and organizers of the Fair say they’re still being rattled by the aftershocks. In addition to being Vice President, Al Kauffman is chair of the association’s vendor committee.  “I’m going to have some open spots this year,” he said. “The way our fair works is the spots are reserved for local community organizations, and the organizations have the option of operating the space themselves or subletting to a commercial vendor. We have vendors that have gone out of business because of covid, and I’m having issues finding vendors that are available who are willing or able to come in and work the event.” They are also having trouble selling tickets for the bleachers they set up for the Fantastic Parade. Apparently, people are reluctant to sit close together. In spite of these bumps in the road, though, there are lots of signs that things are on the rebound, especially after the association’s most recent meeting. List: Upcoming 2021 fall fairs in Central Pa. “The tractor committee, the antique cars, the street rods, they all gave reports things are moving forward, pre-registered vehicles, it looks like they’re going to have a good show,” Kauffman said. “Especially during the day, the daytime activities, we’ll find a lot of people out. People are anxious to get out and get back to our community event.” “Registrations are starting to come in for the parade,” Cooke said. “We have lots of entertainment coming.” The thing most needed, in times good or bad-volunteers. Kauffman says a lack of volunteers for the community organizations is one of the reasons there will be empty vendor spaces this year. Lancaster County fall fair season kicks off with Elizabethtown Fair “Some of them operate the space themselves, but a lot of them have gone to the point where they use commercial vendors because they’re having the same issue as everybody else, finding volunteers willing to work.” Cooke says they can always use more volunteers, especially the night of the Fantastic Parade. “It takes a lot of volunteers to help with registration that evening, so people will come in, that’s when we do our lineups,  get lined up after registration, and step-off time for the parade is 7:30 p.m.” Farm equipment vandalized in broad daylight at Dillsburg Farmers Fair Fair officials say 2021 will be good, and 2022 will be even better. “I’ve already made contact with some vendors,” Kauffman said. “Who are willing and want to come but are not available this year. It is what it is for this year, we’ll take what we get and make the best of it, and next year work to make it even better.” “I know people are coming from as far as Colorado for Farmers Fair,” Cooke said. “Farmers Fair is kind of in our blood. The town of Dillsburg, a time for us to celebrate their farming heritage, have family reunions and class reunions, and it’s just real good to get together.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Farmers Fair"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the center square in Dillsburg"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mall owner Washington Prime Group files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing COVID challenges","document":"“The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for many companies, including Washington Prime Group, making a Chapter 11 filing necessary to reduce the Company’s outstanding indebtedness,” Washington Prime Group said in a news release . The mall operator's bankruptcy doesn't come as a surprise. In public filings, Washington Prime has said it was in talks with creditors to restructure its finances and that it might seek bankruptcy protection. In announcing its bankruptcy filing, the company said it secured $100 million in “debtor-in-possession financing from the Consenting Creditors to support day-to-day operations during the Chapter 11 process and ensure that all business operations continue in the ordinary course without interruption.” Lou Conforti, CEO and director of Washington Prime Group, said in the release the restructuring would enable the company to “right size its balance sheet and position the Company for success going forward.” Washington Prime listed assets of $4.03 billion and debts of $3.47 billion in court documents. The company said its restructuring agreement with its creditors, led by its largest, SVPGlobal, allows it to deleverage its balance sheet by $950 million. In addition, Washington Prime Group and SVPGlobal anticipate an equity offering of $325 million as part of the restructuring.  The agreement also includes some milestones, including a 60-day target for the court to enter confirm the Chapter 11 plan. Will shopping malls close? Like other mall operators, Washington Prime saw its revenue hammered last year by tenants who were unable to pay full rent or closed during the pandemic, as shoppers turned to online instead of in-person purchases. More than 40 major retailers declared bankruptcy and more than 11,000 stores were announced for closure in 2020, which beat past store closings records. But  malls were struggling before the pandemic. Shopping: These retailers will either make it or break it in 2021 From J.C. Penney to Victoria's Secret, here are 8 retailers who will either make it or break it in 2021.  Experts have said the crisis might hasten the closure of underperforming malls and the repurposing of many centers that remain open. Ultimately, 1 in 4 malls and as many as 1 in 2 could eventually go out of business, according to projections by Coresight Research analysts and executives. Coresight, which tracks retail closures, projected in 2020 that about 25% of America’s malls would disappear within the next three to five years. That could rise to as many as 50% “if we can’t stop the bleeding,” Coresight CEO Deborah Weinswig said in an interview with USA TODAY last summer. “That ends up changing the face of America.” In November, two companies, CBL Properties and PREIT, which together own 130 shopping centers, filed for Chapter 11.  ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["many companies, including Washington Prime Group","More than 40 major retailers","more than 11,000 stores","CBL Properties and PREIT"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["America"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["The COVID-19 pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Saturday GRiZ concert at Riverfront Park cancelled due to severe weather","document":"WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Saturday’s GRiZ concert at Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park has been cancelled due to severe weather, the venue announced on Twitter. Due to severe weather in the vicinity, Night 2 of GRiZMAS in JULY will not be able to continue tonight. The 7/31 show has been officially cancelled. Tickets for tonights show will be refunded. Anyone with a 2-night ticket will be refunded for night 2. Stay tuned for refund info. pic.twitter.com/DcXZgTHLLT — Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park (@LiveOakBankPav) August 1, 2021 The tweet also says anyone with tickets to the show will be refunded. Wilmington..we did our very best tonight. It absolutely kills me to cancel a show. Y’all showed up for me in such a big way tonight. We are going to refund everyone’s night 2 ticket for our GRiZmas in July show. I cant control the weather. My heart hurts. Sending you love ?✨","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["GRiZ concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday","7/31"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["severe weather"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Theory Cancel All Their September Concerts Over COVID-19 Concerns","document":"Theory of a Deadman have canceled all of their upcoming tour dates, from now until October, out of concern for the ongoing  COVID-19 pandemic . The Tyler Connolly -led rockers, who now mostly go by the more concise moniker Theory, revealed the unfortunate development to fans in an online message on Thursday (Aug. 26). The canceled shows include  three concerts with 3 Doors Down this weekend (Aug. 27-29) in Arizona and California. (It appears the events are carrying on without them.) The canceled September concerts encompass a planned United States trek  with Connolly collaborator Cory Marks . Theory plan to pick things back up in October when they're due to tour the U.S. with 10 Years . See the group's remaining 2021 tour dates down toward the bottom of this post. \"It is with heavy hearts that we announce we will not be appearing with 3 Doors Down this coming weekend,\" Theory said , \"and that we will be canceling all of our September tour dates (with the exception of Mobile and Orlando, which will move to November — please check theoryofficial.com for new dates).\" The band explained, \"We have decided that with the current surge in COVID cases, made worse by delta variant breakthrough cases, this is the right thing to do to ensure the safety of our fans and crew members. This wasn't an easy choice for us, but we feel it is the right one.\" The news arrives as several musicians are  facing COVID-related health setbacks : In the past month, Corey Taylor  (Slipknot),  Bruce Dickinson  (Iron Maiden), Sean Killian (Vio-Lence),  Sebastian Bach  (ex-Skid Row) and members of Tesla and Lynyrd Skynyrd  all revealed they'd tested positive for the contagious disease behind the worldwide pandemic.  Korn recently rescheduled concerts  after singer Jonathan Davis contracted COVID; Buckcherry did the same  after two members got it. COVID vaccination efforts are ongoing —  51 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated as of Aug. 25. But the fate of many  fall concerts and fests hangs in the balance, and the CDC again recommends fully vaccinated people  wear masks in most indoor settings .","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["all of their upcoming tour","three concerts"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from now until October","this weekend (Aug. 27-29)","September concerts"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Arizona and California"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["ongoing  COVID-19 pandemic","made worse by delta variant breakthrough cases"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"NYC continues classroom closures due to coronavirus","document":" NYC continues classroom closures due to coronavirus: These S.I. schools are on the list Updated: Sep. 23, 2021, 2:19 p.m. | Published: Sep. 23, 2021, 2:19 p.m. According to the city Department of Education’s Daily COVID Case Map, there have been 1,689 confirmed positive coronavirus cases in schools across New York City since the first day of classes on Sept. 13. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson) 393 By Annalise Knudson | aknudson@siadvance.com STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City public schools have been open for nearly two weeks, and some students have already experienced a disruption to their in-person instruction as positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases are being reported and shuttering classrooms across the five boroughs. According to the city Department of Education’s (DOE) Daily COVID Case Map , there has been a total of 1,689 confirmed positive coronavirus cases in schools across New York City since the first day of school on Sept. 13. This data was last updated on Wednesday evening. Last week — during the first week of school in New York City — at least 30 Staten Island public schools had at least one classroom closed or partially closed. As of last Wednesday, there were already 403 confirmed positive coronavirus cases in schools citywide since the first day of school. This resulted in 178 classroom closures across New York City. Another 165 classrooms were partially closed, as those classrooms had a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated students, according to the data. Currently, there are 687 full classroom closures in effect across New York City, the data shows. Another 521 classrooms are currently partially closed, as those classrooms have a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated students, according to the data. There is one school, located in Manhattan, that has shuttered its entire campus due to multiple coronavirus cases. However, a new quarantine policy going into effect in New York City on Monday will likely lead to fewer classroom closures across the five boroughs. The policy will align with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaccinated and unvaccinated students who are wearing a face covering and have maintained at least three feet of distance from a student who tests positive for COVID-19 will not be considered close contacts and won’t have to quarantine, according to the DOE’s website. On Staten Island, 39 schools have at least one classroom closed, or partially closed, due to exposure to COVID-19 as of Wednesday evening. Those schools are listed below.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["at least 30 Staten Island public schools","687 full classroom closures","Another 521 classrooms are currently partially closed","one school, located in Manhattan","39 schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Currently"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York City"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["exposure to COVID-19","positive coronavirus cases"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Kiss forced to cancel US concerts as Gene Simmons tests positive for Covid-19","document":"Members of the rock band Kiss perform on New Year’s Eve at Atlantis, The Palm on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National Sep 2, 2021 Kiss have postponed four North American concerts after bassist Gene Simmons tested positive for Covid-19. The news comes a week after the band’s singer, Paul Stanley , was also diagnosed with the virus, forcing the group to pull out of two shows. Kiss aim to resume the US run of their End of the Road world tour on Thursday, September 9, in Irvine, California. The band and crew are currently isolating with new dates for the cancelled gigs to be announced soon. A post shared by KISS (@kissonline) “While Paul Stanley recently tweeted that he has recovered from Covid, Gene Simmons has now tested positive and is experiencing mild symptoms,” the band posted on their Instagram account. “The band and crew will remain at home and isolate for the next 10 days and doctors have indicated the tour should be able to resume on September 9 at FivePoint Amphitheatre. All previously purchased tickets will be honoured for the new dates once announced.” Tough safety measures for the tour The cancelled shows underscore the insidious nature of the virus, occurring despite the band implementing rigorous safety measures for the large-scale tour. A post shared by KISS (@kissonline) Not only are the band and crew fully vaccinated, but the musicians and supporting staff operate in separate bubbles overseen by a full-time safety protocol officer who ensures all measures are in line with government regulations. As for their popular meet and greet packages, the group found a novel way to take photos with fans by standing behind a Plexiglas screen. It began in Dubai Many of these stringent measures were first road-tested in Dubai, where the band played an explosive New Year’s Eve concert at Atlantis, The Palm. Performing to a small audience on the ground and streamed to millions online, the concert was Kiss’s first show in more than six months and they took no chances when it came to preparing safely. “We had ongoing Covid-19 tests and our rehearsal space is locked, sterilised and sanitised every day,” Stanley told The National at the time. “Everybody is monitored constantly and will be until the time we arrive in Dubai. We basically want to celebrate without being a threat.” Simmons also told The National the group flew to Dubai in virtual isolation as an additional safety measure. “Each of us are going to be inside our own cubicle. Nobody can get into it,” he said. \"In fact, the food is going to be put in through a portal, so we won’t even see the hand. It's just going to kind of magically come through. So no one has to breathe the same air and all that.” On the ground, the band and crew underwent a battery of regular health checks including PCR swabs and, in some cases, blood tests in the lead-up to the Dubai show. However, Covid-19 still found a way to temporarily silence one of the world’s most spectacular music tours. That said, demand is high with more than 70 shows remaining, encompassing the US, Australia, South America and Europe before winding down in Amsterdam, Netherlands, next July.  Gene Simmons on Kiss's NYE show in Dubai: 'We have about $1 million worth of pyrotechnics' Speaking before the Dubai gig that kicked off the tour, Stanley said he was aware the entertainment industry was looking at the band as an example to conduct safe and high-quality mass performances during the pandemic. “If everybody is willing to do this within the parameters of what is safe, not only for the entertainers but for the audience, then we can move forward,” he said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["two shows"]},{"role":"Date","values":["comes a week after","Thursday, September 9"]},{"role":"Location","values":["US"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Paul Stanley , was also diagnosed with the virus"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Blind Brook elementary school construction issues force another week of closure","document":"State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa closed Ridge Street school Wednesday after students were in the building for three days. She slammed school officials in a letter Friday for allowing students and staff to occupy the building that had numerous fire safety concerns and lacked a certificate of occupancy. She even alleged school officials’ conduct could be criminal. In response to Rosa’s letter, Blind Brook sent The Journal News/lohud a scanned copy of certificate of occupancy for the elementary school building that went into effect in March 2021 and apparently expires in March 2022. But state education officials said in an email Saturday because of extensive construction in the school last spring and summer that took fire safety systems offline, a new certificate of occupancy was needed. Blind Brook officials even acknowledged a new certificate of occupancy and inspection was necessary in communications to the state, according to the state education department.  Brimstein, in his Sunday message, said the school district is working to resolve every issue at Ridge Street School, including spaces that are new, renovated and unaltered. An inspection was conducted Friday, he noted. He said there space constraints and code restrictions that prevent more elementary school students from learning on the Blind Brook Middle and High School campus. He added while there are other available spaces in Rye Brook, those locations could not be inspected and up to school building code on short notice. The school district would provide another update Wednesday.  “It is unfortunate that remote learning is the only viable pathway to implement instruction,” Brimstein said, adding. “The plan outlined for learning next week is not meant to be permanent.”   ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Ridge Street school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ridge Street"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["numerous fire safety concerns and lacked a certificate of occupancy"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Robbinsville, NJ parents hold protest after COVID school closing","document":"Parents protesting the closure of Robbinsville High School because of a COVID-19 outbreak (Dennis N. Symons Jr)  About 30 parents carried signs to protest the weeklong closure of Robbinsville High School and a temporary return to remote learning because of a COVID-19 outbreak. The school was closed on Friday afternoon and activities were abruptly canceled after a meeting with state health officials, according to superintendent Brian Betze. The school was expected to reopen after a week. Betze said Robbinsville has the most number of positive cases in Mercer County, including 22 at the high school. That's a spike from five cases at the school during the first week of classes. \"After reviewing our numbers and the overall situation, they strongly advised us to close our high school for five school days immediately,\" Betze said in a message to the district. All other schools in the district are still open. This also led to the cancellation of some athletic contests mid-game, for which Betze apologized. \"While we intended to ensure the safety of everyone involved, we should have been more sensitive to the impact of these actions. The buck stops with me, and you have my word that we can - and will - do better,\" Betze said. The games that were canceled will be rescheduled, according to the superintendent. Betze said that the high school will reopen on Monday. Some parents, however, are upset with the way Betze handled the situation and do not see the need for a closure. \"This is about holding our district accountable to higher standards and better protocol when dealing with COVID and contact tracing, etc,\" Rich Ferm, one of the organizers of the protest, said in an email. \"We are not against vaccination. We are also vaccinated. We are not against quarantining. We want proper protocol and proper leadership and accountability. We want awareness for the mental health of our children. We never want what happened on Friday to happen again to our kids.\" Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried in a statement said that he understands that some parents are upset and acknowledges execution and communication failures in the closing of school on Friday. \"None of us are perfect. Owning your mistakes, apologizing, and learning from them so it doesn’t happen again is the professional thing to do,\" Fried said about the schools chief. \"We have made tremendous improvements in our schools and we will continue to work together to make our schools the best they can be, which includes the mental health of all our students. Let’s remember we are all in this together.\" At his COVID-19 briefing on Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy said 22 districts are reporting in-school transmissions with 23 outbreaks and 82 student cases reported. Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ 7 reasons why you need to kill the spotted lanternflies infesting NJ 8 ways to battle the spotted lanternfly in NJ Best NJ corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hayrides for 2021 Whether you're searching for your own \"great pumpkin\" this fall, or just to navigate a fun corn maze and eat some cider donuts, the Garden State has you covered. In each region of New Jersey, farms are offering a large range of fall festivities and attractions — here's a roundup.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Robbinsville High School","some athletic contests"]},{"role":"Date","values":["on Monday","weeklong","Friday afternoon","after a week"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Mercer County"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 outbreak"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Dustin Lynch concert at Mohegan Sun Arena canceled due to illness","document":"Updated: 5:34 PM EDT August 5, 2021 MONTVILLE, Conn. — The Dustin Lynch performance scheduled at Mohegan Sun Arena Thursday night has been canceled due to illness.  According to  Mohegan Sun's Twitter page , a member of the touring party caught an illness. The concert was canceled out of an abundance of caution. The type of illness was not given by officials. Ticketholders will receive a refund through Ticketmaster, said the Casino. Officials added if tickets were purchased through a different method, a refund will be issued through the point of purchase.  Due to a case of illness in the touring party, and out of an abundance of caution, the Dustin Lynch performance at #MoheganSunArena scheduled for this evening has been cancelled. Ticketholders will receive a refund via Ticketmaster.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Dustin Lynch performance"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday night"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Mohegan Sun Arena"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a member of the touring party caught an illness"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Austin's Pecan Street Festival canceled because of COVID-19 pandemic","document":"The delta variant is one of the most contagious respiratory illnesses. Find out why it’s easily transmissible. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY An Austin tradition has been called off this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. Pecan Street Festival recently announced the \"difficult, but necessary decision\" to cancel its fall event, scheduled for Sept. 18 and 19. \"With the Delta Variant numbers on the rise in Austin, along with the lack of ICU beds, it does not feel the responsible choice to move forward with an in-person event,\" an announcement from organizers read. According to a Facebook post from Pecan Street Festival , the city of Austin also denied a special event permit for the September gathering. COVID in Austin: Austin-area hospital data improve over holiday, but critical care remains strained The nonprofit Pecan Street Association typically presents two festivals in the Sixth Street district each year: the first Saturday and Sunday in May and the last Saturday and Sunday in September. The Pecan Street Festival \"attracts hundreds of local and national artisans offering original handcrafted creations in a variety of mediums, from metal, wood, fiber, clay, leather, glass and stone to repurposed materials of all kinds,\" according to the event's website, as well as live music and food vendors. The September event would have marked an in-person return for the festival, which was founded in 1978, after more than a year of pandemic-related pivots. The spring 2020 festival was canceled at the outset of the pandemic, and the fall 2020 and spring 2021 events took place virtually.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["fall event","spring 2020 festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this fall","Sept. 18 and 19"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Austin"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["outset of the pandemic"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"‘We have to be realistic’: Temporary COVID school closures to remain","document":"Parents have been warned to brace for continuing temporary school closures when their children return to classrooms next month, as local COVID-19 cases will still require schools to shut for one or two days to undergo cleaning and contact tracing. The Education Department is preparing COVID-19 mitigation measures for when school resumes but deputy secretary Ruth Owen said NSW public school classrooms would not be fitted with air purifiers despite them being part of the plan in Victoria. There are also no immediate plans for rapid antigen testing – which has been used in Britain to prevent whole cohorts of students being sent home to isolate – to be implemented in public schools. Students in New York, where all schools will be fitted with air purifiers as a COVID-safety measure.  Ms Owen told an online webinar for parents last week that the department had tried to learn from global examples such as the US, Canada, Britain and Singapore, “and pick the best of those conditions”. But NSW Teachers’ Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos said the gap between measures being introduced overseas and in NSW was concerning. “Vaccinations are a vitally important element of the strategy but so are other risk mitigation strategies that aren’t being pursued appropriately, it would appear,” he said. Loading Further details around the state’s back-to-school plan will be provided to families in the first week of October, Ms Owen said. Masks will be required indoors for children over 12, and recommended in primary schools, however rules for outdoor use will probably reflect settings in the broader community at the time. Schools will have spare supplies of masks but assume children will bring their own. All students will be expected back for face-to-face learning when the staged return begins on October 25, regardless of their or their parents’ vaccination status. “We will recognise a degree of caution in parents … there will be times when students will feel the need to learn from home [because they’re sick or isolating] but we are not running a dual system,” Ms Owen said. “We have to be realistic, with the size of our network there will be outbreaks. There are outbreaks on site now, with minimal attendance. Where we [have them], it’s as now ... We make the school non-operational, we have a team within the Department of Education who does contact tracing … and then we undertake deep cleaning ... Schools know how to [flick] very quickly to learning from home status, as well.”  Ms Owen confirmed there were no plans for rapid antigen tests, which are not yet approved for self-administered use in Australia but are being trialled in some private schools . In the Britain, students regularly test themselves for COVID-19. If a student tests positive they must isolate for 10 days but their close contacts who test negative can continue attending class to prevent widespread absences. In NSW, the Education Department plans to confine students to their year group bubbles and disallow mingling to prevent several cohorts from being sent home to isolate. Mr Gavrielatos said there appeared to be discrepancies between the measures being used abroad, and even in Victoria, compared with NSW. “These contradictions are not helpful and certainly don’t contribute to the necessary confidence required under these circumstances,” he said. Every New York City school will be equipped with two air purifiers by next year. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifiers work by mechanical filtration and can remove tiny particles, including potentially infectious aerosols from the air. England’s education department has purchased 300,000 carbon dioxide monitors and is holding a trial in 30 schools that compares HEPA filters and UV purifiers with a control group, to determine which works best. Victoria has flagged CO2 monitors and particle filters will be part of its back-to-school plan. The NSW non-government sector is also focusing on ventilation , testing fresh air levels, installing air purifiers and buying CO2 monitors. Loading NSW government schools, on the other hand, are being checked to ensure all windows are operating efficiently, while in 40 so-called sealed schools – which are fully airconditioned with windows that cannot be opened – new filters have been installed in all airconditioning systems. Ms Owen said there were no plans for mechanical ventilation.”I know that sounds trite… but [opening doors and windows is] the best way we can ventilate our classrooms,” she said. ”No one with any scientific or medical qualifications is telling us that [HEPA filters are] going to help right now. No one has shown us the evidence on that. All the guidance we’ve had so far is those filters are no better than opening windows and doors.” However, leading aerosol expert Professor Lidia Morawska from the Queensland University of Technology said natural ventilation was not always sufficient and purifiers should remain an option. “One window may not be sufficient. There will be some classrooms or schools where the concentration will still be high [even if windows are open],” she said. Loading “If this is the case, use an air purifier [which] draws air through a HEPA filter and in the process removes the particles with viruses from the air.” Professor Morawska said there could be risks with relying on opening windows, given the chances of heat exhaustion, bushfire smoke and outdoor air pollution as summer approached. “[There are situations where] we still need to close [windows] and use airconditioning and purifiers.” An education department spokeswoman said it was “working closely with NSW Health and following its advice to ensure that schools comply with restrictions, protective measures and ventilation requirements”.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["NSW public school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["next month","one or two days"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Britain"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["undergo cleaning and contact tracing","local COVID-19 cases"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Costco, Sam's Club and Best Buy are closed New Year's Day. But here is when Target, Walmart, Macy's are open Friday","document":"If you're looking to make your first purchase of 2021 in a store, take note of holiday store hours. Many stores will operate with reduced hours Friday, which is typical for New Year's Day. Costco and Sam's Club  wholesale clubs  are both closed. Unlike past years, Best Buy stores are closed for the holiday but curbside pickup is open. Semi-annual sales , many of which kicked off after Christmas, continue at  Victoria's Secret , Bath & Body Works,  Tory Burch  and several other stores, including luxury brands. Christmas clearance sales continue at other stores while supplies last. But amid the coronavirus pandemic , expect stores to limit the number of shoppers allowed inside and require masks. Here are New Year’s Day store hours for department stores, discount retailers and other major chains.  Shopping malls at risk in 2021:   Malls were struggling before COVID-19 and now have more empty stores. What's next after the pandemic? New Year's Day store hours 2021 Check with your closest location to confirm hours, as they may vary. In most cases, store names below link to retailers' websites.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Many stores","Costco and Sam's Club  wholesale clubs","Best Buy stores"]},{"role":"Date","values":["New Year's Day","Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"See what popular Halloween attractions in the Hudson Valley will not take place in 2021","document":"The organizers of Forest O'Fears: The Haunting of Cedar Lane, a haunted attraction in Ossining, announced on Sept. 19 via a note on its Facebook page that it will not return for the 2021 season due to concerns over COVID-19, noting \"we promise to be back with a vengeance next year as long as we kick the crap out of this pandemic. For now, we wish everyone a happy, safe and spooky Halloween season.\"   The Haunt at Rocky Ledge A northern White Plains Halloween attraction, The Haunt at Rock Ledge posted a note to its website announcing that it would not return in 2021. \"While we are sad to go another year without the haunt,\" reads the note, \"we have set our sights on 2022.\"   Horseman's Hollow The popular haunted walkthrough attraction, traditionally held at Sleepy Hollow's Philipsburg Manor Restoration, will not return for the 2021 season.  \"Historic Hudson Valley’s fall events require year-round work and planning,\" Rob Schweitzer, vice president of communications and commerce for Historic Hudson Valley, said. \"As we considered the calendar for 2021, we did not see a way we could safely mount Horseman’s Hollow this year, and so after much deliberation we decided to take a pause. Whether it’s with Horseman’s Hollow or a new thrilling fall season experience, we are excited to plan for having Philipsburg Manor back as a venue in our fall roster next year.\"   Jay Ghoul's House of Curiosities Lyndhurst will not be hosting Jay Ghoul's House of Curiosities, but there will \"Fall Classic Mansion Tours\" offered of the historic mansion throughout the day. According to a Lyndhurst spokesperson, Jay Ghoul's was put on hold to meet the demand of weddings and special events that had to be reschedule in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For up-to-date information on fall happenings at Lyndhurst, visit lyndhurst.org .  Tarrytown Halloween Parade and block party The cancelation of Tarrytown Halloween Parade, which attracts thousands of participants and attendees, was announced on the parade's Facebook page on Aug. 3.  In a statement on the Tarrytown Halloween Parade website, the parade's coordinators said the decision was made \"to protect our most precious attendees, our children.\"  Nyack Halloween Parade  Nyack's Halloween Parade, another event which draws thousands to the village's streets, was canceled as of Sept. 16. In a post on the Nyack Chamber of Commerce Facebook page, coordinators cited \"concerns for public health and public safety\" being the cause of cancelation. \"Since the beginning, we've been trying to make sure we're being careful and making the right decisions for the community,\" Nyack village mayor Don Hammond said. \"We worked with the Chamber (of Commerce), it's their event not the village's, and really the feeling was we're not quite ready to do that level of gathering yet.\"  According to the Chamber's post, the parade will return in 2022. The Chamber also notes there will be other Halloween festivities to be on the lookout for in 2021.  White Plains Halloween street festival/parade The City of White Plains made the decision not to host a large street festival or parade in 2021. But, according to Fran Croughan, the city's deputy commissioner of Recreation and Parks, White Plains is planning \"a festival alternative with COVID safety in mind.\"   ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Haunt at Rock Ledge","Jay Ghoul's House of Curiosities","Nyack's Halloween Parade","Tarrytown Halloween Parade"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021 season","Sept. 16"]},{"role":"Location","values":["northern White Plains"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["concerns for public health and public safety","concerns over COVID-19"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Kamal Haasan discharged from hospital after recovering from COVID-19","document":" Mr. Haasan expressed his gratitude towards Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and other political leaders, actor Rajinikanth and other members of film fraternity for wishing him a speedy recovery  Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan.  Mr. Haasan expressed his gratitude towards Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and other political leaders, actor Rajinikanth and other members of film fraternity for wishing him a speedy recovery Makkal Needhi Maiam president and actor Kamal Haasan was discharged from hospital on December 4 after recovering from COVID-19 . In a statement, Mr. Haasan said he has returned to his routine work. On November 22, he had said he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre. Mr. Haasan thanked the hospital staff for taking good care of him. He expressed his gratitude towards Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and other political leaders, actor Rajinikanth and other members of film fraternity for wishing him a speedy recovery. Mr. Haasan also thanked people of Tamil Nadu, his fans and party cadres who prayed for his recovery. He also thanked crew members of his upcoming film ‘Vikram’ and reality show ‘Big Boss’ for managing efficiently during his absence.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["COVID-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["December 4"]},{"role":"People","values":["Kamal Haasan"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Children’s Hospital: 2 more Waukesha parade victims head home, 1 child remains","document":"When the tragedy first happened on Nov. 21, 18 children were taken to be treated at Children’s hospital. Unfortunately, 8-year-old Jackson Sparks passed away at Children’s Hospital on Nov. 23. Many of the other young victims have been recovering and returning home following the devastation of the parade. TMJ4 spent some time with Olivia Stover , an 8-year-old dancer who was struck during the parade. She was released earlier this month from Children’s Hospital and is continuing her recovery at home. Erick Tiegs, a 16-year-old marching band member, came home from Children’s Hospital in late November as well, after spending a few days in the ICU. These are just a few of the patients who’ve recovered from the tragedy.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Children’s Hospital","home"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Olivia Stover","Erick Tiegs"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Top SA jockey recovering in hospital after HORROR fall – TWO horses euthanised","document":"Multiple South African jockey champion Lyle Hewitson has returned ‘home’ following a dreadful accident in Hong Kong last Sunday.  Multiple South African jockey champion Lyle Hewitson has received some positive news following a dreadful accident in Hong Kong on Sunday.  During the running of the Grade 1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin, Hewitson and three colleagues suffered a fall which led to two horses being euthanised. Doctors are reportedly happy with his CT scan results and are preparing to move Hewitson to a General Ward and then to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Hospital. RIP | LEGEND OF SA HORSERACING POCKET POWER DIES Hewitson’s mother, Samantha, reportedly told the Sporting Post that the news was ‘such a great relief’. Australian star Zac Purton is currently being treated for upper-body injuries at Prince of Wales hospital but both he and Japanese Jockey Yuichi Fukunaga are reportedly in a stable condition. Mauritian Karis Teetan was the only rider in the quartet to continue on the day. Hewitson’s partner Hannah is with him at the hospital. Lyle Hewitson ‘doesn’t recall what happened’ Hewitson’s mother confirmed that her son will stay in ICU for observation overnight as he has small spots of bleeding on the brain.  The 24-year-old Hewitson, who is a three-time SA champion, reportedly doesn’t recall what happened, but “feels very sad for the horses and the others that fell”. The incident, in the fifth contest on Hong Kong’s biggest day of racing, came as Hewitson’s mount Amazing Star broke down as the field turned to enter the home straight in the 1 200 metre (six furlongs) contest. Gallopers Lucky Patch, ridden by Purton, Naboo Attack under Teetan and Pixie Knight with Fukunaga on board were caught in the melee and sent sprawling in distressing scenes. Sadly, Amazing Star and Naboo Attack both had to be euthanised humanely as a result of their injuries.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["small spots of bleeding on the brain"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home","Hong Kong Jockey Club Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Lyle Hewitson"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Below Deck’s Captain Lee Recovers From Surgery –‘This Will Pass’","document":"Captain Lee Rosbach from Below Deck is recovering from surgery to repair severe spinal stenosis. Rosbach, who usually comments during Below Deck episodes, was sidelined and in the hospital this week, sharing that he’s still recovering. The surgery comes after he arrived late to the season after having routine heart surgery. “I have a condition that I was born with called AFib, and it’s when your heart will just randomly go into an irregular heartbeat,” Rosbach shared when he arrived on the boat. “They hospitalized me, and they actually burn off parts of your heart that are trouble spots.” Captain Lee was hospitalized for serious spinal surgery Fans wondered where Rosbach was this week , which is when he shared he had surgery. “I have been in a hospital bed all week recovering from a serious spinal surgery,” he shared on Twitter when a fan started questioning him about the latest Below Deck episode. Captain Lee Rosbach from Below Deck appeared on WWHL |Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank Rosbach hinted that he was dealing with a medical issue after the Below Deck episode aired. “Ok peeps, have a very busy day tomorrow, thanks so much for tuning in tonight and to anyone I missed, I will catch you on the flip side. Got a date with the Doc in the am. Be well and fair winds and following seas,” he tweeted . He also shared that he was recovering and starting to feel a little better. “I’m doing ok Cindy B,” he replied to a fan who asked how he was feeling. “Just trying to get thru it a have it done. Doc say operation went really well. I’m a bit dopy from meds. But this will pass.” What is spinal stenosis? According to the Mayo Clinic : “Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces within your spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine. Spinal stenosis occurs most often in the lower back and the neck.” Wishing you a speedy and uneventful recovery! Gentle hugs from from Leah and me.   RELATED: ‘And Just Like That …’ Below Deck’s Captain Sandy Says Mr. Big’s Heart Attack Hit Home (Exclusive) The condition is usually a result of “wear-and-tear changes in the spine related to osteoarthritis.” Symptoms include numbness and tingling. Also neck pain and even balance issues. Surgery is often the best way to treat spinal stenosis. Doctors may also attempt to treat the condition using medication and physical therapy. Captain Sandy Yawn wished Rosbach a speedy recovery. “Wishing you a speedy and uneventful recovery! Gentle hugs from Leah and me,” she tweeted along with a sweet photo. “Join us in sending Capt Lee and Mary Anne good thoughts as he get back to feeling better!” Captain Lee went under the knife for rotator cuff surgery in the past Rosbach endured more painful surgery in the past when he had surgery to repair a bicep and rotator cuff . He posted about the impending surgery in 2019 when he shared a photo leaning on his red Corvette. “See that shoulder I’m leaning on, going in tomorrow morning to get it fixed,” he wrote. “Surgery’s at 6 AM. Can’t wait to have it back to normal and back in the gym full bore. Thanks Dr Levy. Rotator Cuff x 2 and bicep repair. All is good. Catch everyone on the flip side.” Back at the wheel, better late than never. This week’s episode left me in as much shock as you guys.  — Captain Lee (@capthlr) November 10, 2021 He joked about throwing out the first pitch at a Miami Marlins baseball game before he had the surgery. “Sorry i one hopped it to home plate, I hope I get another chance to do it again after the surgery. I will not disappoint,” he  tweeted . When a fan asked if he practiced his pitch ahead of time he shared why he didn’t. “I couldn’t much, 3-4 pitches at the most, I have two tears in my rotator cuff and a torn bicep which I’m getting operated on in the am,” he replied.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["spinal stenosis"]},{"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 Rosbach"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery to repair severe spinal stenosis"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Eau Claire hospital staff hold coat drive for woman recovering from COVID-19","document":"EAU CLAIRE — Mary Stanley liked the idea of holding a coat drive in Eau Claire this winter. Instead of sitting in the back of the closet, unused or outgrown winter coats could go to people who needed them, she thought. Just a couple weeks after Stanley made a comment about her idea to her health care team at Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire, they made it a reality. Stanley, of Eau Claire, has been recovering for the past year from a severe bout of COVID-19. Fighting exhaustion, anxiety and brain fog debilitating enough that she couldn’t return to her job, Stanley underwent months of testing before she was able to join the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program at Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire in late October. There, she hoped to get her old strength back. When Stanley began telling exercise specialist Scott Miller that the hospital should consider holding a coat drive, Miller took her at her word. “I kept feeling like that needed to happen,” Stanley said. “Every time I came in I’d bug Scott about it.” Miller and the cardiopulmonary rehab team at the hospital, who work to help patients with lung and heart conditions regain or build strength, quickly organized a local coat drive. Their efforts garnered more than 100 donations of jackets and coats the week before Thanksgiving. They donated the outerwear to King’s Closet, a free clothing organization in downtown Eau Claire. “I thought to just keep it simple, collect (the coats at the hospital), starting with staff and patients from cardiopulmonary rehab,” Miller said. “All of a sudden we had people dropping off garbage bags’ worth of coats.” A ‘glimmer of hope’ during long-haul COVID Stanley began to feel sick while visiting family over Thanksgiving in November 2020. “I was so cold. I didn’t think I’d ever get warm again,” she recalled. On Dec. 1 she tested positive for COVID-19. The first and second weeks of her illness she spent in bed, weak and feeling ill. In the third week after her diagnosis, she felt worse; a nurse evaluated Stanley via phone call and told her to go to a hospital right away. At Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire, a CT scan showed blood clots in Stanley’s lungs, along with COVID-19 pneumonia. After a week in the hospital’s COVID-19 unit on antibiotics, Stanley was discharged on Dec. 20, 2020. Four days later, on Christmas Eve, she once again couldn’t catch her breath and was readmitted to the hospital. An X-ray found that she still had pneumonia. Her second hospital stay lasted almost another week. “This time I was a lot weaker,” Stanley said. “Every time I got up I was using a walker.” The hospital discharged her with a walker; she’d begun blood thinner medication for her blood clots, which made the prospect of a fall even more dangerous, she said. In February and March, Stanley tried to return to work — where she helps connect veterans with health care after they leave military service — but she couldn’t concentrate and still had debilitating exhaustion. After a few weeks she had to stop working again. Some people who recover from COVID-19 have been seen to suffer from a wide range of lingering health problems for months. Some organizations have begun to refer to the condition as long-haul COVID or post-COVID syndrome. It can even affect people who didn’t become seriously ill from their bout of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. “It just feels like it’s two steps forward, ten steps back,” Stanley said. Stanley’s doctors told her that she had interstitial fibrosis, or scarring in her lungs. It was an intimidating diagnosis, Stanley said, and for much of 2021 she underwent dozens of tests and scans. Her short-term disability insurance benefit was expiring and she wasn’t making any income. Stanley didn’t want to retire, but she wasn’t sure she could go back to work while still suffering from extreme fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and brain fog. “It’s so depressing to be able to go from working full time, doing your own grocery shopping, doing your laundry, to ‘I have to get out of the shower and sit down and rest before I can finish taking the shower because I’m so weak,’ ” Stanley said. “It’s hard to wrap your mind around it.” But after Stanley started cardiopulmonary rehab at the hospital this fall, her exhaustion and strength began to improve. Miller told her that her condition could be managed as long as she exercised and worked to keep her lungs strong. For Stanley, it was “a little glimmer of hope.” Patients who enter Marshfield Medical Center’s cardiopulmonary rehab program are first assessed with a walking test, Miller said. Staff then help them gain strength from that baseline. “I almost have to rein her in at times,” Miller said of Stanley. “You want to (see) that, where they’re eager to get better again. She’s definitely that case.” Giving back It was shortly after Stanley suggested to Miller the hospital organize a coat drive that Marshfield Medical Center staffers surprised her with their efforts. “Scott said, ‘You’re not going to believe this,’ ” Stanley said, remembering arriving at the hospital one day for a rehab session. “I go in there and there’s huge bags full of coats. I got goosebumps. I was so happy.” Miller, the cardiopulmonary rehab staff, workers from other departments and other patients gathered more than 100 donations of coats, jackets and boots. “I’d like to do it next year,” Miller said. “ … I think it’s very easy to forget when we have everything, all the chaos going on in our lives, that someone is just trying to figure out, ‘How do I get a coat?’ It’s easy to take that stuff for granted.” Stanley’s health has improved, especially after starting her rehab. Daily life is still overwhelming, she said, but she’s seen a lot of improvement after working to regain her strength. “Before I came into the rehab (program), I just had the sense that it was kind of hopeless,” Stanley said. “It is what it is, and there’s nothing I can do about it … I’m not back to where I was, but mentally I feel much better.” She hopes even more recovery is on the way, adding, “I can’t wait to get on the other side of this.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["COVID-19","interstitial fibrosis"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Dec. 20, 2020"]},{"role":"People","values":["Mary Stanley"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["rehabilitation program","antibiotics","blood thinner medication"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"‘Don’t take it lightly’: Coast mom still enduring effects of COVID-19 after spending 53 days in hospital","document":"‘Don’t take it lightly’: Coast mom still enduring effects of COVID-19 after spending 53 days in hospital Taylor Manning was 35 weeks pregnant when she tested positive for COVID. It would be another seven weeks before she finally got to meet baby Maevi.  OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - At the height of the Delta variant this summer, Taylor Manning - then pregnant with her third child - tested positive for COVID-19. For weeks, she lay in a hospital bed, fighting for her life, desperate to get home to her family. She’s home now and recovering but her journey with coronavirus left its mark, leaving lingering effects that still impact her life now months after getting out of the hospital. Taylor Manning is slowly recovering after fighting COVID in August. The mom of three says she still has long-haul effects from the virus but she is just grateful to be alive for her three children and husband.(WLOX) Manning was 35 weeks pregnant with her third child Maevi when she first tested positive for the virus. That was in early August, as the Delta variant raged across the Gulf Coast, leaving dozens of people died and even more hospitalized. Taylor Manning was 35 weeks pregnant when she tested positive for COVID-19. Within days of that test, she was in the hospital struggling to breathe as doctors performed an emergency C-section to deliver baby Maevi.(Taylor Manning) After some of her coworkers tested positive for the virus, the 31-year-old mother-to-be was advised to work from home to be safe. However, it was too late. She was already infected and did not yet know it. “I’d been sick my whole pregnancy with her so I didn’t think anything of it,” recalled Manning. “I thought it was a pregnancy symptom.” At first, doctors sent her home to rest and recover. However, just days later, it became hard for her to breathe so she returned to the hospital. Once there, she learned she would undergo an emergency C-Section to deliver Maevi. Taylor Manning was in the hospital for weeks fighting COVID-19. Now, she is home but is still coping with the linger effects left behind by the virus.(Taylor Manning) It would be seven whole weeks before Maevi and her mom would finally get the chance to meet. “The last thing I remember asking the anesthesiologist was, ‘Am I going to wake up after this?’ And, he said, ‘That’s the plan,’” said Manning. Manning woke up three days later and discovered she was intubated. ”I just couldn’t figure out how I got from ‘Hey, you have COVID, we’re going to induce you,’ to ‘You could potentially die,’” she said. BIG DAY TODAY! It may be slow as snails, but i took my first steps in 52 days! It may not seem like a lot to many, but... Posted by Taylor Manning on  Thursday, September 23, 2021 The mother of three spent nearly a month in a medically-induced coma, her family documenting her progress on Facebook every step of the way. At times, her prognosis was bleak. As he cared for their newborn and two young children, Manning’s husband Daniel was faced with the possibility that he might lose his wife. As his wife lay in a hospital bed, the middle school math teacher was also coping with the loss of his brother, who died from COVID-19. Taylor Manning's daughter was seven weeks old before the mom and infant could meet.(Taylor Manning) Her husband, Daniel, was facing the possibility of losing his wife while caring for a newborn and two children. His brother was also sick with COVID at the time. Sadly, the virus claimed the life of Daniel’s brother a few weeks later in October. Now that she’s recovered, Taylor has a new appreciation for her husband, saying he truly is the stronger person she knows. “By the third week, the doctors actually called my family to come to say goodbyes because that’s how fast I declined in my health,” she recalled. Manning could have no personal contact with anyone outside of the medical staff caring for her. She was behind four-inch glass for weeks while she fought for her life. She FaceTimed with her husband daily, but often it was too emotional for her. For my Bday, Daniel arranged for the nurses to take me outside and meet my sweet baby for the first time!!!!! Posted by Taylor Manning on  Sunday, September 19, 2021 After 53 combined days in the hospital followed by a short stint in a rehabilitative center, Taylor Manning finally came home. While the worst of the virus is behind her, she still suffers from long-haul effects, including hair loss, breathing problems, and PTSD. Even though the number of new cases in Mississippi are significantly lower than what they were a few months ago, Manning wants people to understand how serious COVID-19 can be. “Don’t take it lightly. I know there are people that don’t believe in it, but I’ve got some pretty scars from it that definitely prove that it is a real thing,” she said. Taylor had to relearn how to do simple things, like breathing and walking up stairs, but she’s determined and has made great progress in the last few months. The next big step in her recovery will be to return to work, which she hopes to be able to do next month.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["COVID"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospital","a rehabilitative center"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Taylor Manning"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"UK man Josh Storerthankful for support as he prepares to fly home after lengthy recovery","document":"UK man Josh Storer thankful for support as he prepares to fly home after lengthy recovery 14 Dec, 2021 04:00 PM  Josh Storer, who has spent months recovering from brain injuries in Auckland and recently received a new artifical skull, has been given approval from his doctors to fly home to the United Kingdom in time for Christmas. Storer, 26, was left in a coma after an alleged assault at a North Shore bar on July 9. The right half of his skull was removed during surgery and on November 17, a new artificial skull was inserted, reconstructing the shape of his head. After months of recovery, Storer said he's glad to be alive and excited to be returning home to see friends and family. Josh Storer underwent skull replacement surgery on November 17. Photo / Supplied  \"I'm very excited to go home and grab mum's mum, my grandma, and give her the biggest hug,\" Storer said.  \"I've not seen her for three and a half years. I'm very excited to get back to the UK and see my friends and family.\" Storer is booked to fly home with his parents on December 21 and the Storer family hope to be reunited with loved ones for Christmas, providing they return a negative Covid-19 test on arrival in time. \"I didn't know I was going to make it through alive but I'm so glad I did and I just want to thank you all, and thank my family, it's unbelievable who I want to thank for this,\" Storer said. \"Even the owner of the pub, I want to say a massive thank you to him for what he's done for me.\" Storer still has a long road of recovery ahead of him in the UK, including issues using his left arm and some cognitive functions, but says recently, he's started to feel like himself again. \"I feel normal again. My left arm is going strong, which is improved my confidence. Having my skull back and waking up in the morning, when I'm getting ready or whatever, and I look in the mirror and I've actually got a full head again,\" he said.  \"It just brought me down obviously when I didn't have the right side of my head but due to the operation and the surgeon that did it, I just want to thank him massively for the effort that he put in.\" Josh Storer, centre, said he has appreciated being able to spend time with his parents, Dawn and Ian, since leaving hospital. Photo / Supplied Storer moved to New Zealand in April 2018 on a working visa. He loved fishing in New Zealand, especially the Bay of Islands, and was passionate about his work at a drainage company. He says returning to New Zealand is still \"on the cards\" after he has recovered. Advertisement Advertise with NZME. \"Unfortunately, the situation happened and it's put me in a position where I've got to go back to the UK now, get my recovery out the way, get my fitness back on track, get back into work and potentially [in] two and half years, [I] could come back to New Zealand...I'll just see what happens.\" When Storer's Derby-based parents, Dawn and Ian, got the call from Auckland doctors six months ago saying their son was in a coma in hospital, they scrambled to get to his bedside. After a desperate plea to be let into the country, they secured a border exemption and arrived in New Zealand on July 22 and were able to see their son after completing MIQ. Storer's sister Sian also came to New Zealand but has since returned to the UK. Storer was released from hospital into rehab on August 18 and into his parents' care on October 1. He said he has appreciated spending \"quality time\" with his family and creating \"good memories\" since leaving the rehab facility, including visiting the Sky Tower and the beach. \"Me and my dad went swimming in Browns Bay. It was just a good experience, to have a laugh with my dad and got my left arm going a little bit better as well.\" Advertisement Advertise with NZME. Ian Storer, left, says he is thankful for all the support the family have received during Josh's recovery. Photo / Supplied. It has been a \"long and slow\" recovery, Dawn said, but the family were thankful for Josh's condition today and the support they have received from the New Zealand public, friends and family back in the UK, and the doctors and nurses that cared for Josh at Auckland Hospital, ABI Rehabilitation and MercyAscot private hospital. Ian said the medical and rehabilitation staff that cared for Josh had been fantastic. \"We would like to thank everyone who has helped us through this long and traumatic experience.  Josh's New Zealand friends and all the well-wishers, we've had loads of people over here getting in touch with us. They've been incredibly supportive. Josh's friends have more or less become a second family to us all,\" Ian said. \"The people of New Zealand have been absolutely fantastic.\" Ian said \"never in a million years\" did he think he would see Josh in the condition he was in today after seeing him in hospital. Medical staff predicted it would take another 18 months to two years before Josh got back to his best state, Ian said.  \"What that will be, they don't know,\" Ian said. \"He's a stubborn bugger and he will fight all the way to get to his best.\" ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["brain injuries"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Auckland Hospital, ABI Rehabilitation and MercyAscot private hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["issues using his left arm and some cognitive functions"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Auckland doctors"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Josh Storer"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["a new artificial skull was inserted","skull replacement surgery"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"One-and-half-year old girl infected with Omicron in Pune discharged post recovery","document":" A 3-year-old boy in Pune, also infected with Omicron, is asymptomatic | PTI  A one-and-a-half-year-old girl, who had tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Pimpri Chinchwad area of Pune district of Maharashtra recently, has been discharged from hospital after recovering from the infection, while a three-year-old boy, who was also found infected with the new strain in the area, is asymptomatic and keeping well, health officials said on Saturday. The three-year-old boy is among the four new patients in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) area. The three others are all adults - two males and one female. They are all contacts of the Indian origin woman and her two daughters from Nigeria, who were earlier found infected with the Omicron variant on their arrival here.  The woman from Nigeria had come to meet her brother in Pimpri Chinchwad. However, apart from the woman and her two daughters, her brother, his two daughter, including the one-and-a-half-year-old, had tested positive for the Omicron strain, officials said. \"Out of the six Omicron patients found earlier, four patients, including the one-and-a-half-year-old have been discharged from the hospital after they tested negative during their repeat test,\" an official said. \"Barring one female, who had dry cough, all the patients, including the baby, are asymptomatic and keeping fine. The woman, who had dry cough, also tested negative in the repeat test and was given discharge along with three others. The other two females tested positive in the repeat test and that is why they are currently in hospital, but they are also keeping fine,\" he said. The three-year-old boy, who is among the four new patients, is asymptomatic and keeping fine at the paediatric care. The other three patients are also asymptomatic and there is no cause of worry, Dr Laxman Gophane, medical officer of PCMC, said. Meanwhile, the only Omicron patient from Pune city, who has now tested negative, was also given discharge on Friday. He had returned to Pune from Finland, officials said.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Omicron"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["after they tested negative during their repeat test"]},{"role":"People","values":["A 3-year-old boy","four new patients in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) area"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Three children recovering after being submerged in vehicle in Black River","document":"Three children who were in a submerged vehicle in the Black River are recovering from the incident that also killed their mother.  Lilah, 7, and Rosie, 3, are recovering in the University of Michigan's Hospital in Ann Arbor, while Gunnar, 5, is recovering in Detroit Children's Hospital, said Gunnar and Rosie's father, Joshua Albert.  Albert said Monday all three children are showing signs of improvement. Lilah and Rosie are off ventilators, while he was hopeful Gunnar could get off a ventilator on Tuesday.  He was uncertain of what their recoveries will look like.  Corey Pratto, a 26-year-old Port Huron resident and mother of the three children, died following the incident at McLaren Port Huron.  \"Corey was full of life. She lit up any room she walked into with her contagious smile and personality. Her greatest joy in life was her 3 children, Lilah, Gunnar and Rosalee. Corey also loved spending time with her family, visiting her sisters, nieces and nephews, and taking her kids on trips to see their family in West Virginia. She loved doing arts and crafts, drawing, and listening to Machine Gun Kelly,\" her obituary said.  \"Corey was truly one of a kind. She was always full of life and would do anything for anyone. She had a heart of gold and could always put a smile on your face. Corey was nothing short of an amazing mother, sister, aunt and friend. She will be greatly missed.\" More details on the incident Emergency crews responded to the parking lot west of 10th Street, off of Glenwood Avenue at about 4 p.m. on Nov. 30 for a report of a car driving through a parking lot and entering the Black River.  Pratto and her children were rescued by the Port Huron Fire Department's rapid divers, while the St. Clair County Dive Team assisted with the third and fourth extrications.   A 26-year-old male passenger, who is reported to be Pratto's boyfriend, told police Pratto was unable to stop the vehicle when she was having trouble with the brakes prior to the crash. He tried to put the gear shift into park, but was unsuccessful, according to the Port Huron Police Department.  The passenger jumped out of the moving vehicle before it entered the water, police said.  Port Huron Police Assistant Chief Marcy Kuehn and Chief Joe Platzer said it is not yet known why the car entered the water. The department is waiting for test results to return on the vehicle and is collecting evidence. The investigation is ongoing. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["University of Michigan's Hospital","Detroit Children's Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Gunnar","Rosie","Lilah"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"At home with Covid-19: My 10 days of recovering from the virus","document":"It started with a cough, then a fever and concluded with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. As the person closest to him, I was also diagnosed on the same day. After we tested positive, we quarantined ourselves in my room. But we were freed from the room shortly after, when, the next day, my husband also tested positive. The happy part of this story was that, on Sept 15, about a week before we caught Covid-19, the home recovery programme kicked in. When my son and I tested positive, we applied to stay home together. My husband did the same too when he got his results. Initially, there was a bit of confusion over what to do because we were given scanty instructions, but we sorted things out ourselves by reading the Ministry of Health (MOH) website. We then hunkered down for self-isolation at home. The home recovery scheme is to lighten the load of medical personnel and facilities, but I am sure being at home also played a very big part in our recuperation. For a few days after testing positive, we were knocked out by flu-like symptoms such as a fever, headache, runny nose and fatigue, and nothing beats the comfort of home when you are feeling this way. Even just lying in a familiar bed made me feel better, which must have, in turn, helped me get well faster. You know, the mind-body connection and all that. We are thankful that my husband and I met the criteria for home recovery: We are both vaccinated, do not have any health issues, had mild symptoms and do not have any elderly persons living with us. Although our son was unvaccinated because he had not hit the age requirement, as a young person, he did not seem to be terribly affected by the virus. Apart from regular bouts of coughing, he was easily the most sprightly person in the house. So sprightly that I told him more than once I wished they had taken me away to a care facility so that I can rest quietly. (No, I'm kidding. They should take him.) We religiously monitored our temperatures and blood oxygen saturation with the Temasek Foundation-issued oximeter, which checks the oxygen level in the blood and can help detect early signs of a deterioration in health. It came in very handy - it gave us the peace of mind that we were doing all right. We were not suffering from any life-threatening symptoms, so all we needed to get well were some doctor-prescribed paracetamol tablets, blankets, hot honey lemon drinks and Netflix. Meals were a problem initially. On the first day that we were isolating at home, we ordered in lunch, but quickly discovered that outside food was terribly unappetising when you were sick. The other hard-to-swallow bit was that food delivery is expensive. Multiply two meals a day by the 10 days of home isolation and a bout of Covid-19 could leave a sizeable deficit in our bank account. In the end, we fell back on the love and kindness of family and friends, something which Grab cannot deliver. My mother-in-law and mother quickly swooped in and took turns to cook our meals and get them dropped off at the doorstep of our apartment. Along with the convalescent food, they also delivered plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meat should we feel up to cooking simple meals. Colleagues and friends too sent care packages, which shored up our inner fortitude to tide over this mini crisis. Fortunately, we were not sick for too long. Within days, even the adults were up and about on our feet again (thank you, vaccine!). Which was when we discovered the other advantage of recovering at home was that my workaholic husband could quickly get back to work, and, because the Primary 5 year-end exams be upon us, our son could attend home-based learning, which is crucial. (He disagrees.) After 10 days of being at home which, thankfully, was without too much drama, we were automatically discharged. A PCR test is not required on the tenth day, and neither will there be a discharge memo. The MOH website advises recovered patients to minimise social contact for another seven days afterwards, which we will be doing so. Although I would not wish to catch Covid-19, being allowed to recover at home is one of the better things that can happen in a bad situation. Tip for households with more than one case of Covid-19 • Regularly monitor your temperatures and blood oxygen saturation “We religiously monitored our temperatures and blood oxygen saturation with the Temasek Foundation-issued oximeter, which checks the oxygen level in the blood and can help detect early signs of a deterioration in health. It came in very handy - it gave us the peace of mind that we were doing all right.” – Ms K. Tan, 40s, media executive More On This Topic Like a thief in the night, Covid-19 broke into our home Tough for some caregivers Having family members at home can mean quick access to food and services. But it can be tough for the caregivers. When CK, who declined to have her name published, saw that her houseplants in the common corridor had been watered after she returned from a Covid-19 testing centre, she knew what it meant. Her father, who had contracted the virus and was supposed to remain in his room, had broken the rules. “I was very stressed... We had to keep highlighting how his behaviour is going to cause a lot of inconvenience for the rest of us before he started to self-isolate more often,” said the personal assistant in her 30s, who lives in a Housing Board flat with her parents and brother. “He would walk around the house because he wanted to talk to my mum. Occasionally, he went out to water the plants or sit at the staircase.” When CK’s father, who is in his 60s, tested positive on Sept 19 - a Sunday - his family thought he would be taken to a recovery facility as he has an underlying heart condition and had been hospitalised earlier this year because of it. His Covid-19 symptoms - which included a runny nose and fever - were relatively mild. But although the family of four was served home quarantine orders from Sept 20, nobody contacted them about her father’s condition until Friday. The caller, a telemedicine provider, said someone would drop by to check on her father over the weekend. Nobody did. As CK’s father did not stick to using one set of utensils, the rest of the family washed all cups and plates with boiling water before using them. They also wore masks at home and disinfected surfaces when he returned to his room after being in the common areas. “He was very frustrated and didn’t have any official advice telling him what to do,” CK said. “To him, this is his home and these are his things. He didn’t understand why we were controlling him.” The family also did not get a care pack, which is supposed to contain items such as a thermometer, hand sanitiser and surgical masks. “I think these are the basic things you should have at home, as well as test kits and some disinfecting spray,” CK said. “Because you never know when you will need them, and MOH is really overwhelmed.” The whole family - including CK’s father - is vaccinated, and did ART tests regularly while in quarantine. They tried to contact MOH several times, but were only able to reach phone operators who were not equipped to give advice on their specific situation. When CK asked if her father could be taken to a recovery facility because they were finding it hard to keep him indoors, they suggested she call the police instead. “If I had wanted my father to be caught, I would have called 999,” she said. “What if I had driven him crazy?” “I felt that we were one of the families that had been forgotten,” she added. “Nobody checked on my dad or monitored his condition.” Tip for those caring for a Covid-19 patient at home • Wear masks at home and clean surfaces frequently if infected family members do not self-isolate “We wear masks every day. I also ordered disinfecting spray. Every time my dad accesses a different part of the flat, I will use it to keep everything as clean as possible after he returns to his bedroom.” – CK, 30s, a personal assistant More On This Topic Kept family safe During his 10-day home recovery stint, Mr Toh Kian San developed a strict routine. Anything that left his room - from food waste to dirty clothes - was double-bagged before it was handed over to his wife and teenage children. Wearing disposable gloves, they would help Mr Toh carry out his chores before stripping off the gloves and sanitising their hands. “We also told our neighbours that I had tested positive,” the 53-year-old taxi driver said in Mandarin. “That way, they wouldn’t wonder why my family was suddenly avoiding them if we saw them at the central chute on our floor.” Mr Toh had tested positive for the virus on Sept 17, and came down with a fever, sore throat and body aches. After two days without hearing from anyone at MOH, he called the ministry and was asked if he would like to recuperate at home or be sent to a recovery facility. Mr Toh chose to stay home, partly because his Pasir Ris apartment has two balconies. One is attached to the master bedroom, where he was isolating himself, and the other is connected to the living room. The family of four would don masks when talking to each other from their separate balconies. “At least I could see my children that way, even though we were a few metres apart,” he said. They are all fully vaccinated and put on masks whenever they came into close contact with Mr Toh, such as when they had to leave meals outside his bedroom door. Mr Toh took his temperature three times daily, and was contacted by a telemedicine provider on the fifth day. By that time, his symptoms had already begun to subside, he recalled. “For me, it was like a normal flu. Just that it’s very transmissible, so that’s what made me a bit anxious.” His main concern now is getting back to work. Although he has completed his home recovery stint - with MOH saying that people can be discharged after the 10-day period - his TraceTogether app still shows that he has not been cleared. The taxi company he works for told him he cannot get back on the road. “They waived the taxi rental, but of course my family is still impacted because I have no income,” he said. “My wife is working from home, so right now it’s one person supporting the four of us.” Tips for the Covid-19 patient who is living with healthy people • Double-bag your rubbish to protect your family “I put my food waste or dirty clothes into a plastic bag, and then I put the whole bag into another bag for my family to collect it.” – Mr Toh Kian San, 53, taxi driver • Take a self-test using an ART kit upon being informed of exposure to Covid-19 “A day before my PCR test, I tested positive on the ART, when my symptoms were still very light. This gave my family time to exchange my room and prepare for home recovery.” – Ms Isabella Ng, 26, a training officer. She tested positive on Sept 17, after home recovery became the default care model for vaccinated Covid-19 patients on Sept 15.","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":["My husband","my son and","CK’s father","Mr Toh Kian San"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["Wear masks at home and clean surfaces frequently","Regularly monitor your temperatures and blood oxygen saturation","self-isolation","paracetamol tablets, blankets, hot honey lemon drinks and Netflix","ART tests regularly while in quarantine"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Young girl recovering in hospital after another near drowning at Crown Towers","document":"A young girl is recovering in hospital after nearly drowning in a pool at Perth’s Crown Towers – only hours after another young child was resuscitated at Adventure World. St John Ambulance confirmed they were called to the luxury hotel at 3.30pm on Saturday for the near drowning. It is understood the girl, believed to be four-years-old, was found unconscious in the pool before off-duty nurses performed CPR on her. She was rushed to Perth Children’s Hospital a short time later, where she is recovering in a stable condition, according to a Health Department spokeswoman. Paramedics were also called to Adventure World in Bibra Lake on Saturday afternoon after an unconscious five-year-old girl was pulled from the amusement park’s main pool. Adventure World life guards began performing CPR on the little girl after she was pulled from the water by two guests. She regained consciousness and was breathing by the time paramedics, who were called to the amusement park at 12.15pm, arrived at the scene. Late on Friday night, a toddler was left fighting for life after being found in a Crown Melbourne hotel pool. Emergency services were called to Whiteman Street in Southbank about 10pm after reports that a child had been found unresponsive in the pool. The toddler was given medical assistance at the scene before being taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital in a critical condition.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Perth Children’s Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["St John Ambulance"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["A young girl"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["CPR"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Hortonville man survives Kentucky tornado, recovering from serious injuries","document":" HORTONVILLE (NBC 26) — A local man from Hortonville, Wisconsin, who got caught up in one of the deadly tornadoes in Kentucky, managed to survive. Jordan Lamarche and his fiancée’s 9-year-old son, Bentley, were dropping a handful of horses off in Kentucky when the tornado hit, sending their overnight sleeping trailer into the air. \"The combo weight was 30,000 pounds and that was tossed almost three-fourths of the length of a football field,\" said Lamarche. Lamarche says he grabbed Bentley after they were tossed from their trailer and held onto a fence post for dear life. \"The stuff that I saw...I honestly don't know how we lived.\" Related: Here are other places where you can donate to help with tornado relief It was a moment that felt like hours, rather than minutes. \"The reality didn't hit, of my injuries, until we get to the house. It was like a sense of relief came over me where we got somewhere safe. And then everything, all of the adrenaline kind of just went away and I actually fell to the ground,\" said Lamarche. By the time Lamarche connected with his fiancée, Maranda, in Wisconsin, she was headed their way immediately. Maranda's friend set up a GoFundMe page for Lamarche, a private contractor who did not have medical insurance, but all of a sudden, had nearly $15,000 worth of hospital bills after he damaged his spine in the twister. It's a trip this family will never forget: a fight with Mother Nature to get a boy back home to his mother and a man back to his soon-to-be wife. But the most memorable part is the generosity that strangers have shown them. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["damaged his spine"]},{"role":"Cost","values":["nearly $15,000"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Jordan Lamarche"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2015 Delegates from Libya's warring factions sign a U.N.-brokered agreement to form a national unity government. Some of Libya's armed brigades are closely allied with political leaders who oppose this agreement. (Reuters) (Al Arabiya)","document":"Members of Libya’s rival parliaments on Thursday signed a landmark, U.N.-sponsored deal on forming a unity government that will strive to bring peace to the war-ravaged country.\nSupporters of the agreement hope that rival political factions and militias will embrace the deal and agree on a cease-fire, so that they can fend off the Islamic State extremist group, which is expanding its gains in the North African country.\nThe document was signed in Morocco by Emhemed Shoaib, the deputy speaker of the internationally recognized Libyan parliament, and Salah al-Makhzoum, the second deputy of the Islamist-backed parliament based in the capital, Tripoli, among others.\nLibya slid into chaos following the 2011 toppling and killing of dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Over a year ago, it was further torn - in addition to having two parliaments - between the internationally recognized government, based in the country's east, and the Islamist-backed government in Tripoli.\n“This is just the beginning of a long journey for Libya,” said U.N. envoy Martin Kobler, who attended the Morocco ceremony.\n“Four challenges in particular will immediately test the abilities of the new government,” he said. “First, to face immediately the dire humanitarian situation in the country. Second, an inclusive national security dialogue.\nThird, the fight against Daesh (the Islamic State group) and other terrorist groups, and fourth, a particular attention to Benghazi and other areas.”\nThe agreement has detractors on both sides who seek a separate deal without U.N. involvement.\n“We know well that the document of political accord in its current form is not the perfect thing that everyone wants, but at the same time, this political accord is a stage on the path to rescue Libya from collapsing and to ensure its unity,” al-Makhzoum said.\nShoaib said the deal is meant to say “goodbye to weapons” that Libya is awash in. The agreement also established a nine-member named presidential council that will be tasked with choosing the Cabinet.\nThe speakers of the two parliaments - Tripoli-based Nuri A.M. Abusahmain and Aguila Saleh Issa from the east - were not at the Morocco ceremony. The two, who are seen by analysts as hard-liners, held talks on Tuesday in Malta to forge a separate deal without U.N. involvement.\nAfterward, they issued a statement saying the representatives who travelled to Morocco were not mandated to represent the parliaments in the talks.\nBefore the start of Thursday’s ceremony, Al-Makhzoum and Faraj Abu-Hashem, the spokesman for the east-based parliament, told The Associated Press that 88 lawmakers from the two parliaments were present at the signing.\nThe eastern parliament has 156 known members, while the rival parliament in Tripoli has 135.\nThe foreign ministers of Turkey, Italy, Spain, Qatar, Tunisia, and Morocco also spoke at the ceremony in support of the deal.\nAmong the first to welcome the deal was French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who praised the accord and promised to support efforts by a new unity government.\n“The priority should now go toward creating a national unity government,” he said in a statement. “That’s the condition for tackling terrorism and trafficking that threaten the security of the region and Europe.”\nMembers of Libya’s rival parliaments on Thursday signed a landmark, U.N.-sponsored deal on forming a unity government that will strive to bring peace to the war-ravaged country.\nSupporters of the agreement hope that rival political factions and militias will embrace the deal and agree on a cease-fire, so that they can fend off the Islamic State extremist group, which is expanding its gains in the North African country.\nThe document was signed in Morocco by Emhemed Shoaib, the deputy speaker of the internationally recognized Libyan parliament, and Salah al-Makhzoum, the second deputy of the Islamist-backed parliament based in the capital, Tripoli, among others.\nLibya slid into chaos following the 2011 toppling and killing of dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Over a year ago, it was further torn - in addition to having two parliaments - between the internationally recognized government, based in the country's east, and the Islamist-backed government in Tripoli.\n“This is just the beginning of a long journey for Libya,” said U.N. envoy Martin Kobler, who attended the Morocco ceremony.\n“Four challenges in particular will immediately test the abilities of the new government,” he said. “First, to face immediately the dire humanitarian situation in the country. Second, an inclusive national security dialogue.\nThird, the fight against Daesh (the Islamic State group) and other terrorist groups, and fourth, a particular attention to Benghazi and other areas.”\nThe agreement has detractors on both sides who seek a separate deal without U.N. involvement.\n“We know well that the document of political accord in its current form is not the perfect thing that everyone wants, but at the same time, this political accord is a stage on the path to rescue Libya from collapsing and to ensure its unity,” al-Makhzoum said.\nShoaib said the deal is meant to say “goodbye to weapons” that Libya is awash in. The agreement also established a nine-member named presidential council that will be tasked with choosing the Cabinet.\nThe speakers of the two parliaments - Tripoli-based Nuri A.M. Abusahmain and Aguila Saleh Issa from the east - were not at the Morocco ceremony. The two, who are seen by analysts as hard-liners, held talks on Tuesday in Malta to forge a separate deal without U.N. involvement.\nAfterward, they issued a statement saying the representatives who travelled to Morocco were not mandated to represent the parliaments in the talks.\nBefore the start of Thursday’s ceremony, Al-Makhzoum and Faraj Abu-Hashem, the spokesman for the east-based parliament, told The Associated Press that 88 lawmakers from the two parliaments were present at the signing.\nThe eastern parliament has 156 known members, while the rival parliament in Tripoli has 135.\nThe foreign ministers of Turkey, Italy, Spain, Qatar, Tunisia, and Morocco also spoke at the ceremony in support of the deal.\nAmong the first to welcome the deal was French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who praised the accord and promised to support efforts by a new unity government.\n“The priority should now go toward creating a national unity government,” he said in a statement. “That’s the condition for tackling terrorism and trafficking that threaten the security of the region and Europe.”","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Salah al-Makhzoum","Members of Libya’s rival parliaments","Emhemed Shoaib"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["forming a unity government that will strive to bring peace to the war-ravaged country"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Morocco"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2015 The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution aimed at disrupting revenue the Islamic State  gets from oil sales, ransom payments, and other criminal activities. (Reuters) (AFP via Yahoo News)","document":"The U.N. Security Council warned on Thursday that some countries are failing to implement long-standing sanctions against Islamic State, as an unprecedented meeting of finance ministers put the global focus on cutting off the militant group’s funds.\nThe 15-member council unanimously adopted a U.S. and Russian-drafted resolution that ties together existing measures targeting Islamic State’s finances and offers guidance on implementation in a bid to push more countries to act.\nIt builds on a Security Council action in February that banned trade in antiquities from Syria, threatened sanctions on anyone buying oil from Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front militants and urged states to stop kidnap ransom payments.\n“This resolution is a critical step, but the real test will be determined by actions we each take after adoption,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told the council after the vote. “We need meaningful implementation, coordination and enforcement from each country represented here, and many others.”\nThe resolution “expresses concern about the lack of implementation” of previous resolutions targeting al Qaeda and Islamic State, including an “insufficient level of reporting” by states on measures they have taken to implement U.N. sanctions.\nThe council renamed its al Qaeda sanctions regime the “ISIL (Daesh) and al Qaeda Sanctions Committee” - Islamic State is also known as ISIL and Daesh - and called on states to report within 120 days on their implementation of sanctions.\n“Unfortunately the obligations ... are not being implemented by all and everywhere,” Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the council, adding that “special responsibility for suppressing the channels for financing of ISIL unavoidably rests with states neighboring on Iraq and Syria.”\nIslamic State, which was blacklisted by the Security Council sanctions committee as an offshoot of al Qaeda in Iraq in May 2013, has seized swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria where it has proclaimed a caliphate.\nThe council also specifically asked states to report on “interdictions in their territory of any oil, oil products, modular refineries, and related material being transferred to or from (Islamic State or Nusra Front).”\nLew, chair of Thursday’s meeting because the United States is the council president for December, said Islamic State had reaped an estimated $500 million from black-market oil sales and “millions more from the people it brutalizes and extorts.”\nRussia’s Churkin said Islamic State also made $250 million a year from the sale of phosphates, $200 million from barley and rye and $100 million from cement. He said Islamic State leaders allocated $30 million a month to buy weapons and ammunition, using shell companies in Eastern Europe.\nThe adoption of the U.N. resolution was the result of a planned 18-month review of the al Qaeda sanctions regime.\nThere are currently 243 individuals and 74 entities on the ISIL and al Qaeda sanctions list. They are subject to an arms embargo and a global asset freeze and travel ban.\nFrench Finance Minister Michel Sapin said the new council resolution would “not be a deterrent if it does not lead to the U.N. Security Council adding names to the list.”\nThe resolution makes clear that states are required to stop their citizens from funding or providing services to “terrorist organizations or individual terrorists for any purpose, including but not limited to recruitment, training, or travel, even in the absence of a link to a specific terrorist act.”\nUnited Nations experts have said about 22,000 foreign fighters from some 100 countries are linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The U.N. Security Council"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday","December"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ties together existing measures targeting Islamic State’s finances and offers guidance on implementation in a bid to push more countries to act"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2015 The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution condemning North Korea's human rights abuses and calls on the Security Council to refer violations to the International Criminal Court. (UPI) (The Japan Times)","document":"\n                    \nNEW YORK – The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday formally endorsed a resolution by a majority vote condemning North Korea’s human rights record and urging for the second consecutive year that the Security Council consider referring the issue to the International Criminal Court.\nIt marked the 11th year in a row that the U.N. General Assembly has passed a similar resolution on Pyongyang’s human rights issue. This year’s draft received 119 votes in favor, while 19 countries — including China, Russia and Iran — voted against it and 48 abstained.\nThe document, authored by Japan and the European Union, references a U.N. commission of inquiry established in 2013 whose findings “provide reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed” according to “policies established at the highest level of the State for decades.”\nNorth Korea was upset by this accusation when it was first added to the draft resolution last year, with officials apparently concerned that the country’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un could be held responsible.\nIn remarks to the plenary session just ahead of the vote, Ri Song Chol, a counselor at the North Korean mission, strongly rejected the resolution as politically motivated and claimed it is “based upon all sorts of distortions and fabrications including sheer lies.”\nThe resolution, co-sponsored by more than 50 countries including the United States and South Korea, urges Pyongyang to release its political prisoners, put an end to torture and repression, address malnutrition and cooperate with international observers, among other steps.\nIt also pushes North Korea to ensure the immediate return of foreign national abductees, an issue closely followed by Japan because of a number of nationals abducted by agents of Pyongyang decades ago.\nIn addition to recommending ICC involvement, the document suggests “targeted sanctions against those who appear to be most responsible for acts that the commission has said may constitute crimes against humanity.”\nParam-Preet Singh, Senior Counsel with the International Justice Program of Human Rights Watch, said, “Today’s vote signals to Pyongyang that the world remains deeply concerned about the horrific abuses in North Korea. The victims deserve to see the architects of their suffering brought to justice.”\nA referral of the country’s human rights issue to the ICC is deemed unlikely, however, since it would require approval from the 15-member Security Council, including veto-wielding China and Russia, both of which voted against the resolution.\nJapan hopes to press the Security Council to address North Korean issues during its next two-year stint as a nonpermanent member of the Security Council, which begins on Jan. 1.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["condemning North Korea’s human rights record and urging for the second consecutive year that the Security Council consider referring the issue to the International Criminal Court"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The U.N. General Assembly"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The UN security council has unanimously agreed a resolution endorsing an international roadmap for a peace process in Syria","document":"\n The UN security council has unanimously agreed a resolution endorsing an international roadmap for a peace process in Syria, a rare show of unity among major powers on a conflict that has claimed more than 250,000 lives.\n“This council is sending a clear message to all concerned that the time is now to stop the killing in Syria and lay the groundwork for a government that the long-suffering people of that battered land can support,” the US secretary of state, John Kerry, told the 15-nation council after the vote. The resolution came after Russia and the US clinched a deal on a text. The two powers have had very different views on what should happen in Syria, where Islamic State militants control considerable territory.\nKerry made clear that there were still differences on the future of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Russia and Iran. Western governments want him to be ousted. The resolution does not touch on the question of Assad’s fate. “We are under no illusions about the obstacles that exist,” added Kerry. “There obviously remain sharp differences within the international community, especially about the future of President Assad.”\nThe Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said of the resolution: “This is a clear response to attempts to impose a solution from the outside on Syrians on any issues, including those regarding its president.”\nThe French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said talks between the Syrian government and opposition would only succeed if there were “guarantees on the departure” of Assad.\nFabius said: “How could this man unite a people that he has in part massacred? The idea that he could once again stand for elections is unacceptable to us.”\nThe text called for the UN to present the council with options for monitoring a ceasefire within one month of adoption of the resolution. It also backed a timeline previously agreed in Vienna for talks between the government on a unity government and opposition, and eventual elections. The talks between Syria’s government and opposition should begin in early January, the resolution said. It also endorsed the continued battle to defeat Isis.\nThe British foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, called the resolution a “significant step” towards ending the civil war. But he accepted that there was “still a very long way to go” and that the text failed to address what role Assad should play.\nBritain remains insistent that Assad can remain in place temporarily as part of a transitional administration, but cannot have a long-term role in government.\nHammond said: “This process necessarily involves the departure of Bashar al-Assad, not only for moral reasons because of the destruction that he has unleashed on his own people, but also for practical reasons – because it will never be possible to bring peace and unity to Syria as long as he remains in office. “But we must and will protect the institutions that are necessary for the future governance of Syria and that will be possible with a representative transitional governing body.” Kerry praised “the unprecedented degree of unity” in the council, which has been stymied in the past over a political solution in Syria, and called the resolution a milestone. Foreign ministers met for more than five hours to discuss how to implement their call in Vienna last month for a ceasefire and the start of negotiations between the government and opposition in early January. At the same time, diplomats worked to overcome divisions on the text of the resolution. The resulting agreement “gives the Syrian people a real choice, not between Assad and Daesh, but between war and peace”, Kerry said, using the Arabic acronym for Isis. “We’re under no illusions about the obstacles that exist ... especially about the future of President Assad”, where “sharp differences” remain, Kerry said. But he made clear that Assad must go if there is to be peace in Syria. “Assad has lost the ability ... to unite the country,” Kerry said. “If the war is to end, it is imperative that the Syrian people have to agree on an alternative” to their government.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The UN security council"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a resolution endorsing an international roadmap for a peace process in Syria"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Syria"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"The U.N. ­Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a resolution endorsing a peace process","document":" UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. ­Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a resolution endorsing a peace process that is designed to end Syria’s civil war and to allow the international community to focus its attention more fully on defeating the Islamic State.\n“This council is sending a clear message to all concerned that the time is now to stop the killing in Syria and to lay the groundwork for a government that the long-suffering people of that battered land can support,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said of the initiative.\nThe resolution gave Security Council backing to a process that begins with negotiations between the Syrian government and its opponents to establish a transitional government that will write a new constitution and hold elections, all within 18 months. It designated the United Nations to shepherd the process.\nBut the agreement made no mention of the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and it remains unclear to what extent the will of the international community can be imposed on him or rebel forces.\nKerry nonetheless described the agreement as a major step toward resolving Syria’s civil conflict, a goal that has eluded the countries backing the opposing forces on the ground for more than four years. The resulting chaos has allowed the Islamic State to occupy wide swaths of Syria and neighboring Iraq\nFor the first time, he said, a political track has been agreed to by Russia and Iran — both backers of Assad — and the United States and its partners in Europe and the Middle East who support the Syrian opposition trying to overthrow him. There is, Kerry said, a “clarity about the steps that need to be taken” and “a time frame.”\n“Nobody is sitting here today suggesting that the road ahead is a gilded path,” Kerry said at a news conference after the vote.\nThe resolution instructs U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura to guide the government and opposition groups toward talks to begin as early as next month.\nAmong the pitfalls he will have to navigate are the opposition’s insistence that no talks can be held with Assad’s participation and Russia’s demand that Assad be included. The two sides and their international supporters also disagree about which opposition groups can take part in the negotiations, with Russia seeking to ban as “terrorists” Islamist forces who are among the strongest and most numerous opposition fighters.\n [What a year of Islamic State terror looks like] “I’m not too optimistic about what has been achieved today,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who sat at Kerry’s side during the news conference. “The progress has not been as dramatic as we would like it to be. . . . But it is complicated.”\nKerry indicated that passage of the resolution, assuming its provisions begin to be implemented, could lead to more coordination between the United States and Russia on airstrikes against the Islamic State. “Now that we have a U.N. resolution . . . and a process moving,” he said, “the door is much more open . . . for us to consider greater ways of cooperation.”\nThe Security Council vote came after more than five hours of separate talks Friday among a group of more than a dozen nations, the International Syria Support Group, to hammer out the terms. First convened by Kerry two months ago, and including countries backing all sides of the conflict, the group has been propelled by shared concern over the growing humanitarian crisis in Syria, refu­gee flows to Europe, and anxiety over the growing strength of the Islamic State, including recent terrorist attacks it has sponsored or inspired in Europe, the United States and elsewhere.\nBut while the group agrees that a political solution has to be found, it has faltered on the terms. The resolution appeared to paper over many of the members’ differences in the interests of starting a process that Kerry has said he hopes will take on its own momentum and propel compromise among the disparate Syrian and foreign actors fueling the war.\n [San Bernardino spent years steeped in extremism before attack] To keep Russia and Iran in the tent, the United States has diluted its rhetoric on Assad and emphasized shared concerns about terrorism. To convince Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others that it recognizes the broad opposition to Assad inside Syria, the Obama administration has quietly dropped its refusal to recognize the Islamist groups they back as legitimate actors in a negotiated solution.\nThose positions have required significant juggling on Kerry’s part.\nAfter meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, the secretary of state said: “While we don’t see eye to eye on every single aspect of Syria, we certainly agreed . . . that we see Syria fundamentally very similarly. We want the same outcomes. We see the same dangers. We understand the same challenges.”\nWhile not seeking “regime change,” Kerry said, the United States and its partners “don’t believe that Assad himself has the ability to be able to lead the future Syria.” Some regional allies — and U.S. critics of the administration’s Syria policy — saw his statement as caving in to Russian demands by stepping back from insistence that Assad leave office.\nAdministration officials insisted that was not the case, saying that Kerry is merely setting aside the question of Assad to be taken up later in negotiations among Syrians. Kerry said he hopes those talks can begin as early as next month.\nPutin, in a news conference Thursday in Moscow, said that his plan for Syria coincided in “key aspects” with U.S. goals: “working on the constitution, preparing elections in Syria and the recognition of their results.” For now, he said, Russian airstrikes, most of which have focused on what Moscow says are opposition “terrorists” rather than the Islamic State, would continue.\nIn a meeting last month in Vienna, the International Syria Support Group agreed it would try to find common ground on which groups fighting in Syria — apart from the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda affiliate — could participate in talks with government representatives and which would be barred as “terrorists.”\nThe Assad government has submitted a list of more than three dozen representatives to participate in transition talks. In a meeting last week in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, representatives from a wide variety of opposition groups appointed a committee to choose negotiators.\nIncluded in the Riyadh group were Islamist fighting groups such as Ahrar al-Sham, which the United States had previously indicated it considered extreme and would not support as part of the process. In a change in policy, administration officials said that eligible groups would be judged by their willingness to participate in a cease-fire.\nRussia, presumably speaking for Assad, does not want Islamist groups to participate at all and has called for them to be deemed ineligible “terrorists.” That would allow Russia to continue bombing the groups, along with the Islamic State and Jabhat ­al-Nusra, under the terms of a cease-fire.\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who attended the morning meeting in New York, accused “outside actors” of trying to impose “preconditions” on the Syrian people. In an opinion column in the British newspaper the Guardian on Friday, he said these actors were trying to differentiate between “good terrorists” and “bad terrorists.”\nDe Mistura said he would issue invitations in January to a first round of talks among Syrians but did not indicate who would be on the list. He warned against being “too ambitious” in terms of timing.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The U.N. ­Security Council"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["endorsing a peace process that is designed to end Syria’s civil war and to allow the international community to focus its attention more fully on defeating the Islamic State"]},{"role":"Location","values":["UNITED NATIONS"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2015 The 53 Americans  taken hostage in Tehran, Iran, in 1979, or their families, will receive compensation of $4.4 million each from the United States government as a result of a provision in the spending deal signed into law last week. (ABC News) (The Hill)","document":"\nThanks to a provision in the spending deal signed into law last week, each of the 53 hostages and their estates are set to receive up to $4.4 million, with spouses and children eligible for a $600,000 payment.\n“It was absolutely delightful news. It came as a surprise and couldn’t have come at a better time,” Michael Howland, a security aide at the embassy, said in an interview with ABC News on Thursday. “Finally, after 36 years or more we are going to find some kind of closure. I am very grateful.”\nFor years, the hostages were prevented from using the legal system to seek compensation for their ordeal: The agreement struck between the United States and Iran that secured their freedom also prevented them using the courts to seek payments from Iran.\nNow, 36 years later, many Americans and their families are eligible for benefits under a measure in the $1.1 trillion year-end spending bill, bringing to a conclusion the long battle waged by the hostages who felt slighted by their inability to receive some payment for their time in captivity.\nThe money, which will start being distributed within the year, will be taken from a new $1 billion fund established by the spending law, filled in part by fines collected by the U.S. government on companies that have illegally done business with Iran.\nMany of the 37 surviving hostages unsuccessfully pressed Congress and the Obama administration to force Iran to provide compensation as part of the nuclear agreement reached this summer.\nEventually, supporters in Congress turned to the year-end spending bill – a must-pass measure to keep the government open – to authorize payments to the former hostages.\nThe American hostages were taken captive by Iranian student revolutionaries at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 and were freed on January 20, 1981.\nThe United States had previously provided each hostage with a cash payment of $22,000, or $50 for every day of captivity, during the 1980s. Under the new program, they will receive up to $10,000 for each day they were held hostage.\nMany hostages have recalled the inhumane treatment they received during those 444 days.\n“I was beaten very badly the night of the release,” said Howland. He added that since his return home he has undergone nine surgeries on his spine and aside from other procedures he also undergoes physical therapy twice a week, “artifacts” from his time held hostage.\nWhile the former hostages still have to work with the government to secure their compensation, the fact that it is on the way serves as a relief for many.\n\"When we got the word it was an emotional high that just overtook me,\" said Rodney \"Rocky\" Sickmann, a former Marine who served as a guard at the Tehran embassy when he was taken hostage. \"I had to pull over to the side of the road and I cried.\"\nVictims of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa and other state-sponsored terror attacks are also authorized to receive compensation under the new law.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the U.S. government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last week"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["each of the 53 hostages and their estates are set to receive up to $4.4 million, with spouses and children eligible for a $600,000 payment"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2016 Twelve nations, including the United States, sign the deal at SkyCity Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand. (BBC)(UPI)","document":"The Trans Pacific Partnership, one of the biggest multinational trade deals ever, has been signed by ministers from its 12 member nations in New Zealand. The ceremony in Auckland brings the huge trade pact, which has been five years in the making, another step towards to becoming a reality.\nBut the TPP continues to face opposition.\nThe 12 nations account for some 40% of the world's economy - they now have two years to ratify or reject the pact.\nAustralia's minister for trade Andrew Robb was the first to sign the pact. Those attending the ceremony cheered as his counterpart, New Zealand trade minister Todd McClay, added the last signature.\nThe TPP involves the US, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru.\nThose against the deal, particularly some Americans, fear it could mean jobs will move from the US to developing countries.\nHowever, US President Barack Obama said the agreement was a new type of trade deal \"that puts American workers first\".\n\"Partnership would give the United States an advantage over other leading economies, namely China,\" he said in a statement on Wednesday. \"TPP allows America - and not countries like China - to write the rules of the road in the 21st Century, which is especially important in a region as dynamic as the Asia-Pacific,\" he said. \"We should get TPP done this year and give more American workers the shot at success they deserve and help more American businesses compete and win around the world.\"\nIn Auckland and in the US, among other countries, protestors have voiced their anger about the trade pact over the past several months. In the lead up to Thursday's signing, the streets around Auckland's central business district were disrupted by groups blocking access to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Police clashed with some protestors, who have widely claimed the deal will benefit big business rather than workers. The trade deal looks to facilitate investment between 12 countries across the Pacific Rim, which together account for about 40% of the global economy.\nIt was agreed in October last year after years of negotiations and multiple missed deadlines.\nThe US-led initiative is a key part of Mr Obama's so-called pivot to Asia but has proved to be a controversial issue ahead of the US elections in November.\nMr Obama has barely a year left on his term and his administration warns that the US economy will suffer if politicians don't ratify the agreement.\nUS Trade Representative Michael Froman said the deal could add $100bn (£68.5bn) a year to US growth.\n\"After five years of negotiation, signing the TPP is an important milestone in our efforts to set high-standard rules of the road in the Asia Pacific region and more generally, and to deliver an agreement that will benefit American workers, farmers and businesses,\" he said.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["its 12 member nations"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Trans Pacific Partnership"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["facilitate investment between 12 countries across the Pacific Rim"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New Zealand"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that a \"provisional agreement\" has been reached on a Syrian cease","document":"          Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that a \"provisional agreement\" has been reached on a Syrian cease-fire that could begin in the next few days, but he acknowledged that it's not finalized and all parties might not automatically comply.\nExplosions meanwhile ripped through the central Syrian city of Homs and a Damascus suburb, killing nearly 100 people, and government forces backed by Russian warplanes pressed a major offensive north of Aleppo that has undermined previous efforts to halt the fighting.\nKerry said he discussed the terms of a cease-fire with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and said the two must now reach out to the opposing forces in the five-year-old Syrian conflict. He declined to go into the details of the agreement, saying it \"is not yet done.\"\n\"The modalities for a cessation of hostilities are now being completed,\" Kerry said. \"A cessation of hostilities ... is possible over the course of these next hours.\" He said he hoped U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin would talk soon and that implementation could then begin.\nThe Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov and Kerry spoke on the phone Sunday for a second day in a row and discussed \"the modality and conditions\" for a cease-fire that would exclude groups that the U.N. Security Council considers terrorist organizations.\nSyrian President Bashar Assad said in remarks published Sunday that his government was ready to take part in a truce as long as it is not used by militants to reinforce their positions.\n\"We announced that we're ready,\" Assad told Spain's El Pais newspaper.\n\"It's about preventing other countries, especially Turkey, from sending more recruits, more terrorists, more armaments, or any kind of logistical support to those terrorists,\" Assad said in English in the interview, which was also carried by state news agency SANA.\nAssad's government refers to all the armed groups battling to overthrow him as terrorists. Turkey and Saudi Arabia are among the leading supporters of the insurgents.\nAssad's forces have almost completely surrounded the northern city of Aleppo. He said the immediate aim is not \"recapturing the city,\" but \"closing the roads between Turkey and between the terrorist groups.\"\nThe United States, Russia and other world powers agreed Feb. 12 on a deal calling for the ceasing of hostilities within a week, the delivery of urgently needed aid to besieged areas of Syria and a return to peace talks in Geneva. Aid shipments were allowed into several besieged areas last week, but the deadline for the cease-fire passed with no letup in the fighting.\nGerman Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he welcomed the latest agreement and said regional powers should exert their \"influence on the warring parties in Syria to use the window of opportunity that now exists.\"\nThe explosions in Homs on Sunday killed at least 46 people and wounded dozens, according to Syria's Foreign Ministry. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists around Syria, said 57 people, including 11 women, were killed in the Homs blasts, adding that they were caused by a pair of car bombs.\nBomb blasts also ripped through Sayyida Zeinab, a Shiite suburb of Damascus, according to Syrian state TV, which said 50 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. The neighborhood is home to one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines, which was not damaged.\nThe Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed both bombings.\nMost of the bombing attacks in Homs over the past months have been claimed by ISIS, which controls parts of the surrounding province, including the historic town of Palmyra.\nSyrian TV aired footage of the destruction in Homs. Debris and mangled cars filled the streets, and the charred body of a man was seen being taken away on a stretcher.\nThe Observatory said that angry residents forced Governor Talal Barrazi and Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar away from the scene of the blasts when they visited the area. The report could not be independently confirmed.\nThe Zahra neighborhood, where the attacks took place, is predominantly Alawite, the minority Shiite sect to which Assad belongs.\nHoms, once dubbed the capital of the Syrian revolution, has been hit with a wave of attacks in recent months, killing and wounding scores of people. The rebels controlled large parts of Homs after the uprising against Assad's government began in March 2011.\nWith time, the government gained control of most of the city, and a deal was reached late last year for militants to evacuate the last rebel-held neighborhood of Waer.\nTo the north, the Syrian army captured 31 villages on Sunday that were controlled by ISIS, according to the pro-Syrian Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV and Hezbollah's Al-Manar station.\nAl-Mayadeen and Al-Manar often have reporters embedded with Syrian troops in northern Syria.\nSyrian state media earlier reported that Syrian troops had captured some 10 villages in Aleppo province from ISIS.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)","Syria","Secretary of State John Kerry","Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["begin in the next few days"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Syrian cease-fire"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov had reached a provisional agreement","document":"US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov had reached a provisional agreement on terms of a cessation of hostilities in Syria and the sides were closer to a ceasefire than ever before.\nBut he indicated there were still issues to be resolved and he did not expect any immediate change on the ground. In Syria's Homs, twin car bombs claimed by Islamic State killed at least 57 people on Sunday, and bombings killed at least 30 in a suburb of Damascus.\nRussian air strikes launched in September against rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad have exacerbated suffering and destruction in Syria, where a five-year-old civil war has killed more than a quarter of a million people.\nAssad's fate has been one of the main points of difference between Washington and Russia, the Syrian leader's main international backer.  AP\nAssad said on Saturday he was ready for a ceasefire on condition \"terrorists\" did not use a lull in fighting to their advantage and that countries backing insurgents stopped supporting them.\nThe Syrian opposition had earlier said it had agreed to the \"possibility\" of a temporary truce, provided there were guarantees Damascus's allies including Russia would cease fire, sieges were lifted and aid deliveries were allowed country-wide.\n\"We have reached a provisional agreement in principle on the terms of a cessation of hostilities that could begin in the coming days,\" Kerry told a news conference in Amman with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.\n\"The modalities for a cessation of hostilities are now being completed. In fact, we are closer to a ceasefire today than we have been,\" said Kerry, who was also to meet King Abdullah.\nHe declined to go into detail about the unresolved issues, saying the two sides were \"filling out the details\" of the agreement.\nBut he repeated the US position that Assad had to step down. \"With Assad there this war cannot and will not end,\" he said.\nAssad's fate has been one of the main points of difference between Washington and Russia, the Syrian leader's main international backer. Russia recently has begun to say Syrians should decide on whether Assad should stay or not, but it continues to support Damascus with air strikes.\nKerry said he had spoken to Lavrov on several occasions, including earlier on Sunday, and that he anticipated US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin would talk in the coming days to complete the provisional agreement in principle.\nThe Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed Lavrov and Kerry had spoken by phone on Sunday about conditions for a ceasefire. It said discussions were on ceasefire conditions which would exclude operations against organisations \"recognised as terrorist by U.N. Security Council\".\nThese are groups including Islamic State and the al Qaeda- linked Nusra Front.\nDespite the provisional agreement, Kerry did not see an imminent change in fighting on the ground.\n\"I do not believe that in the next few days, during which time we try to bring this into effect, there is somehow going to be a tipping point with respect to what is happening on the ground ... The opposition has made clear their determination to fight back,\" he said.\nIn Homs at least 57 people were killed and 100 people wounded by the car bombs, one of the deadliest attacks in the city in five years of civil war, a monitoring group said.\nAt least 30 people were killed by car bombs and suicide attacks on Sunday in a southern suburb of Damascus where Syria's holiest Shi'ite shrine is located, pro-government media outlets and the monitoring group said.\nSuicide attacks last month in the same district, claimed by Islamic State, killed 60 people.\nKerry said any deal would take a few days to come together, while the two sides consulted with other countries and the Syrian opposition. Russia had to speak to the Syrian government and Iran, and the United States had to speak to the Syrian opposition and its partners, Kerry said.\nRussia's RIA news agency said on Sunday that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had arrived in Tehran, quoting a source in the Russian Embassy in Iran. It did not give a reason for the visit.\nReuters\nAfter the Financial Review reported plans by Barnaby Joyce to make a run for the leadership as early as Monday, David Littleproud also emerged as a contender.\nMomentum is building inside the Nationals for a leadership spill as early as Monday with Barnaby Joyce poised to depose Michael McCormack.\nRemote learning contains some useful lessons for students, teachers, school administrators and the wider community.\nValues play a huge part in the way students develop life skills and the particular values emphasised make a vital difference.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Syria","Islamic State and the al Qaeda","Russia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a cessation of hostilities in Syria"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2016 The United States and Russia broker a truce which is due to come into effect on midnight 27 February. (BBC)","document":"The US and Russia have announced that a planned cessation of hostilities in Syria will come into effect at midnight on 27 February.\nTheir statement said the truce did not include so-called Islamic State (IS) and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.\nWorld powers agreed on 12 February that a truce would come into effect within a week, but that deadline passed and scepticism remains over the new plan.\nOn Sunday 140 died in bombings in Homs and Damascus as the violence continued.\nMore than 250,000 Syrians have been killed in the conflict which began in March 2011. Some 11 million others have been forced from their homes, of whom four million have fled abroad - including growing numbers who are making the dangerous journey to Europe. History of the conflict - how the civil war has spread\nSeparately, Syria's government has called a parliamentary election for 13 April. The last was in 2012 and they are held every four years.\nThe White House said that President Barack Obama had phoned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at Mr Putin's request to discuss the efforts to establish the cessation of hostilities.\nAfter their phone call, the joint Russian-US statement was released.\nThe truce applied to \"those parties to the Syrian conflict that have indicated their commitment to and acceptance of its terms\", the statement said.\nThis excluded IS, Nusra and \"other terrorist organisations designated by the UN\".\nAir strikes by Syria, Russia and the US-led coalition against these groups would continue, the statement read.\nIt said that armed opposition groups taking part would have to confirm their participation by midday on 26 February.\nRussian and Syrian planes would halt any attacks on the armed opposition groups.\nRussia and the US will work together to \"delineate territory where groups that have indicated their commitment to and acceptance of the cessation of hostilities are active\".\nThe deal also sets up a communications hotline and calls for a working group to monitor ceasefire violations.\nSyria's main opposition grouping, the High Negotiations Committee, said it would accept the truce, but its commitment was conditional on the lifting of sieges, an end to attacks on civilians, the freeing of prisoners and the delivery of aid.\nUS Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed the deal, saying: \"If implemented and adhered to, this cessation will not only lead to a decline in violence, but also continue to expand the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian supplies to besieged areas.\"\nRussia and the US back opposing sides in the war; Moscow is President Bashar al-Assad's strongest ally.\nOn Saturday, President Assad had said he would be ready for a ceasefire, if what he termed \"terrorists\" did not take advantage of the lull in the fighting. But he had previously cast doubt on the success of a truce.\nGovernment forces, backed by Russian air strikes, have been making advances against rebels around the northern city of Aleppo.\nAnalysts say there will be huge scepticism about the possibility of an effective ceasefire, given the current fighting and failure of the first deadline.\nAir strikes will continue and it is unclear whether Kurdish forces, which have been making ground in the north, sparking artillery fire from Turkey, will abide by any truce.\nThe UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said fighting and air strikes continued unabated on Monday, with IS fighters attacking the army's main supply route between Damascus and Aleppo.\nIslamic State militants said they carried out the attacks in Homs and Damascus on Sunday.\nRussia said the attacks were aimed at \"subverting attempts\" to reach a political settlement.\nOn Monday, a spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria, Col Steve Warren, said he believed that IS was \"beginning to lose\".\nHe said the number of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, previously placed at between 19,000 and 31,000, was now between 20,000 and 25,000.\n\"They have been able to replenish their forces at roughly the same rate as we've been able to kill their forces. That's hard to sustain,\" Col Warren said.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["those parties to the Syrian conflict that have indicated their commitment to and acceptance of its terms"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["come into effect at midnight on 27 February"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["cessation of hostilities in Syria"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2004 A spokesman for Saudi Arabia strongly denies John Kerry's assertion that it had made an agreement with United States President George W. Bush to manipulate the price of oil for political purposes as the U.S. election approaches. The assertion stems from material in Bob Woodward's new book, Plan of Attack, detailing the Bush Administration's preparation for the invasion of Iraq. (NYT) (AP) (Democracy Now!)","document":"Senator John Kerry attacked the Bush administration on Monday for what he called ''a secret deal'' with Saudi Arabia to cut oil prices in time to help the president in the November election.\nTwo days after an Israeli missile strike that killed the leader in Gaza of the militant group Hamas, Mr. Kerry also spoke of his record of support for Israel and promised that he would end what he called the United States' ''sweetheart relationship'' with Arab nations that support Palestinian terrorists.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Bush administration","Saudi Arabia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["cut oil prices in time to help the president in the November election"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"June_2004 North American Free Trade Agreement:  The United States Supreme Court opens US roads to trucks from Mexico, enforcing a key component of the NAFTA agreement over the protests of some environmentalists and Teamsters. (Washington Post)","document":" The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Bush administration can open U.S. roads to Mexican trucks as soon as it wants, overruling a lower court judgment that the government must first  study  the environmental effects.\nThe high court decision clears the way for the administration to take the final procedural steps needed to allow Mexican rigs to carry freight deep inside the United States. Labor and environmental activists who have fought to block the trucks from American highways said Congress might still erect more obstacles. But the administration praised the ruling as eliminating one of the last hurdles before the border is opened much more widely than it is now, in accord with the North American Free Trade Agreement.\n\"I welcome the Supreme Court's unanimous ruling,\" Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said in a statement, adding that once final safety procedures are in place, \"our two nations will be able to finally follow through on an important international obligation in a way that maintains the Bush administration's strong commitment to safety.\"\nThe groups that lost the case contended that the court's decision would lead to increased pollution and road congestion, especially in states along the U.S.-Mexican border, where most of the Mexican truck traffic is expected to go. \"This ruling gives a green light to allow trucks to cross the border with no regard for their effect on the environment,\" said Joan Claybrook, the president of Public Citizen, an advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader. The long-running saga over trucks has been one of the most heated controversies surrounding NAFTA. Critics of the pact argue that it exposes Americans to Third World hazards, while free traders accuse Washington of caving in to special interests and reneging on its promises.\nUnder NAFTA, which went into effect in 1994, the United States was supposed to phase out restrictions on Mexican trucks crossing the border by 2000, provided those trucks meet U.S. safety standards. But under pressure from members of Congress and the Teamsters union, which feared losing jobs to low-wage Mexican drivers, the Clinton administration maintained the existing barriers, citing safety concerns. As a result, Mexican trucks have been confined to a 20-mile zone along the border, where they transfer their loads to U.S. carriers in cities  such as San Diego and Laredo, Tex.\nThe Bush administration vowed to open the border in 2001 after a NAFTA panel held that Washington was violating the agreement. But, again under congressional pressure, the administration agreed to develop a set of safeguards, including placing inspectors at each border crossing. After the safeguards were finalized in November 2002, opponents filed a lawsuit arguing that the government had failed to meet the legal requirement for conducting an environmental study. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed; that was the decision that the Supreme Court overturned yesterday.\nThe ruling does not mean that Mexican trucks will start rumbling onto American highways immediately. The administration is still working with Mexican officials on issues of how it will conduct safety audits of trucking companies, including the question of whether U.S. inspectors will go into Mexico. Hundreds of applications from Mexican trucking firms must also be processed and approved.\n\"I would suspect you will see some Mexican trucks\" on U.S. roads \"before the end of the year,\"  said Luis de la Calle, Mexico's former deputy trade minister who has been working on the issue for nine years.\nEven then, Mexican trucks aren't expected to venture beyond the border states in large numbers, because they can carry freight only on routes between Mexico and the United States, not from one point inside the United States to another.\n\"In all likelihood, the Mexican companies that get operating authority will drive to places like Houston and Dallas -- the major load centers for vessels and trucks,\" said James R. Giermanski, a professor at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., who has testified before Congress on the issue.\nSome U.S. companies that have factories on the Mexican side of the border, such as Emerson Electric Co., might use Mexican trucks to ferry their goods farther north to their main plants in the United States, Giermanski said. But in general, \"the Mexicans will want to go to a hub, where there's lots of cargo, because they can't afford to go back to Mexico empty,\" he said. \"They're not going to drive to New York, because they would need to have international cargo to go back.\"","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Supreme Court"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the North American Free Trade Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the Bush administration can open U.S. roads to Mexican trucks as soon as it wants"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2004 In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, troops from the United Kingdom are accorded the honour of leading France's parade on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. (BBC)","document":"They were guests of honour for the march as part of a series of events marking the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale with France.\nThe Ministry of Defence says almost 200 personnel from four military units were at the parade along the Champs Elysees.\nThe parade commemorates the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, which started the French Revolution.\nDefence Secretary Geoff Hoon, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir Michael Walker, and the three service chiefs of staff were in Paris for the parade, alongside French President Jacques Chirac and his Cabinet.\nRelationship 'recognised'\nMr Hoon said it was an honour for British personnel to be involved in the parade.\nHe said it was important that the military aspect of the two countries' relationship had been recognised.\n\"It is a real and vital part of what has brought our two countries together over the last 100 years,\" he said.\nAir force flyovers opened and closed the parade\nFrench Air Force jets performed a flyover to open the parade, while the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force's aerobatic team, performed one to close it.\nThe Grenadier Guards - who fought in the battle of Waterloo - marched at the head of the parade.\nThe focus this year has been on friendlier times, beginning with the Entente Cordiale.\nThe Queen visited Paris in April, starting a year of special events to celebrate the centenary of the agreement signed in London in 1904.\nIts aim was to settle disputes between the two colonial powers in countries from Morocco to Newfoundland, but it also led to their alliance during the First World War.\nLast month Mr Hoon signed agreements with his French counterpart, Michele Alliot-Marie, designed to foster closer military planning between the two countries.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["France","British"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1904"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["settle disputes between the two colonial powers in countries from Morocco to Newfoundland"]},{"role":"Location","values":["London"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2004 The United Nations Security Council passes a US–drafted resolution 1556 demanding the Sudanese government end atrocities in the Darfur conflict; however, aid groups criticize the weakening of the resolution at the insistence of China, Pakistan, and Russia. (BBC)","document":"The vote was only passed after the US dropped the word \"sanctions\" and added economic and diplomatic \"measures\".\nSudan rejected the resolution, saying it conflicted with existing agreements with the UN. \"It pains Sudan to have to express its rejection of the Security Council resolution, which was a not correct one,\" Information Minister Al-Zahawi Ibrahim Malik said in a statement quoted by the Associated Press.\nHe said the resolution \"does not conform with the agreements signed between the government and the United Nations\".\nAccording to AP, he said the government was capable of \"disarming all the looting and robbing gangs\", and accused the resolution of focusing on Arab militias more than humanitarian issues in Darfur.\nThe resolution has been criticised as a \"failure\" by one major aid agency.\n        \tThe only thing the UN Security Council has delivered is... another 30 days in which civilians will continue to live in fear of being killed or raped\n \tRepresentative of aid agency in Darfur\n    \tUp to 50,000 people have died and more than a million have fled their homes in Darfur.\nThe Janjaweed, the main Arab militia group allied with the government, has been blamed for mass rapes, killings and burning of villages in Darfur. The resolution was backed by 13 council members; China and Pakistan abstained.\n'Disaster'\nUS Ambassador John Danforth told the Council after the vote: \"The government of Sudan has left us no choice. It has done the unthinkable, it has fostered an armed attack on its own civilian population, it has created a humanitarian disaster.                          \n\"The responsibility for this disaster lies squarely on the government of Sudan,\" he said. The newly passed resolution calls on Sudan to make good on promises it made on 3 July to rein in the fighters. It has 30 days to comply.\nIt calls for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to issue a report also in 30 days on the progress made in each of those areas.\nThe US removed any specific reference to sanctions in the resolution after objections from seven members - including China, Russia and Pakistan - who believe Khartoum needs more time to act.\nBut the resolution's sponsors say the substance of the threat remains in the wording of the text. It notes that the Council \"expresses its intention to consider further actions - including measures as provided for in Article 41 of the Charter of the United Nations - on the government of Sudan, in the event of non-compliance\". Article 41 provides for sanctions to be applied.\nChina and Pakistan remained dissatisfied with the wording. Explaining its abstention, China said it believed measures were unnecessary and Khartoum had been co-operating.\nDarfur has been described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis\n\t\nAid agencies, meanwhile, charge that the resolution has been fatally weakened by the changes. \"The Security Council have today proved unanimous in their inaction,\" the representative of one major aid agency working in Darfur, which wanted to remain anonymous, told BBC News Online.\n\"This watered-down resolution contains no urgency and offers precious little help to the people of Darfur,\" he said.\n\"The only thing the UN Security Council has delivered is... another 30 days in which civilians will continue to live in fear of being killed or raped.\n\"While diplomats sit in New York and procrastinate, the people of Darfur are dying. The government of Sudan will be celebrating yet another failure to call them to account.\"\n'Fear remains'\nMeanwhile, the World Food Programme has said it will begin a series of airdrops targeting 85,000 people in isolated regions of West Darfur in three days.\nAlong with those who have died or have been displaced in the Darfur conflict, an estimated 2.2 million people are in urgent need of food or medical attention.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Security Council"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["30 days"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["calls on Sudan to make good on promises it made on 3 July to rein in the fighters"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Key WTO members accepted proposals to cut the subsidies wealthy countries give their farmers for exports","document":"Key WTO members accepted proposals to cut the subsidies wealthy countries give their farmers for exports.  The deal should reduce barriers to international trade and so, it is hoped, lift millions out of poverty.    Brazil's Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, said the WTO agreement was good for trade and good for social justice. \"This is the beginning of the end for [farm] subsidies. Export subsidies will be eliminated first,\" he said. The agreement, agreed late on Saturday in Geneva, puts the so-called Doha round of trade talks back on track, after similar talks in Cancun last September ended in deadlock. The Geneva talks were extended for an extra 24 hours after the 147 WTO members failed to reach an agreement by the end of Friday, the original deadline. Hammered out\n\"Today's news is that the Doha round is back on track,\" EU trade commissioner Pascal Lamy said.\nAnalysis: Much work ahead\n    \"In Cancun I said the round was in intensive care. Today it's not only out of the hospital but well and running,\" he added.\nUS Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said the deal was \"a crucial step for world trade\".\nBut even with the latest agreement, the  details will still have to be hammered out, and that could take at least another couple of years, says the BBC's John Moylan in Geneva. A small group of African countries claimed a major breakthrough on their key agricultural product of cotton, our correspondent says.\nAfter hours of talks, key WTO nations, including the US, the EU, Brazil and Japan, agreed to eliminate export subsidies at a date to be set, to limit other subsidies and lower tariff barriers.\nIn return, wealthier nations, among them the EU's members, are insisting on better access to markets in developing nations. France, the biggest beneficiary of EU agricultural subsidies, has been highly critical of moves to cut support for farmers.\nBut EU Agricultural Commissioner Franz Fischler said the EU could \"broadly accept\" the deal.\nJapan and Switzerland were also concerned about the removal of subsidies for some of their agricultural producers.\n                           \n    \"The liberalization process will put additional economic\npressure on our farmers,\" said Swiss President and\nEconomics Minister Joseph Deiss.\nBut he welcomed the plan nonetheless: \"This will be a key step for the opening of the world economy and this will be of benefit\nfor all countries.\"\n\nThe Geneva agreement revives the long-stalled talks on a trade liberalisation treaty that began in Doha in 2001 but which collapsed amid a bitter rift between developed and developing nations in Cancun last year.\nWTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi said the breakthrough was a historic moment for the organisation. According to the World Bank, a successful final deal could add $520bn (£280bn; 420bn euros) to the world economy by 2015, if rich and developing countries cut their tariffs. Most of the benefit would, the World Bank believes, go to poorer countries.\nAnalysts say it is vital that any new deal be agreed before 2007, when what is known as fast-track legislation expires in the US.\nWithout fast-track, which limits the power of the US Congress to alter trade deals negotiated by Washington, there is little prospect that the US will adopt a new pact.\nEU Commissioner Lamy said that he now believed the Doha round could be completed by the end of 2005. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Key WTO members"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["late on Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["reduce barriers to international trade and so, it is hoped, lift millions out of poverty"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Geneva"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"While negotiators from the United States and the European Union (EU) declared victory in rescuing global trade talks in the early hours on Sunday","document":"While negotiators from the United States and the European Union (EU) declared victory in rescuing global trade talks in the early hours on Sunday at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) denounced the results as a sell-out of poor countries and the environment.\n \"After days of closed-door negotiations, rich countries have delivered a deeply unbalanced text as a take-it-or-leave-it option,\" said Celine Charveriat, head of Oxfam International's Geneva office. \"This puts developing countries in the unfair position of having to accept a bad deal or reject and get blamed by the U.S. and the EU for failure.\"\n The final deal, which was announced at about 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, appeared to put back on track the Doha Round of international trade negotiations, which was launched by 147 nations in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2001.       Bush's Trade Representative Robert Zoellick smiles before a news conference at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva early August 1, 2004.   Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) also complained about what it called \"undemocratic procedures and intense pressure\" from the U.S. and the EU in the rush to secure a final accord. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse\n The Round, which seeks to liberalize trade in a host of economic sectors, broke down at a ministerial meeting in Cancun last September when a group of poor countries led by Brazil and India demanded that Washington and Brussels commit themselves to sharp reductions in agricultural subsidies that they argued were making it impossible for farmers in poor countries to compete.\n The World Bank has estimated that estimated US$300 billion in annual subsidies and other support given to farmers by western governments are costing developing countries some $60 billion a year, more than the total amount of official economic aid that these same governments and international agencies, like the World Bank, provide them annually in grants and loans.\n The agreement on a framework for further negotiations was concluded by a small group of countries, including the U.S, the EU, Australia, India and Brazil, that were delegated to hammer out a consensus for moving forward.\n \"Today's decision is a crucial step for global trade,\" said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick shortly after the WTO secretariat announced the accord. \"After the detour in Cancun, we have put these WTO negotiations back on track.\"\n The Brazilian delegate, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, also put the best spin on the final agreement, insisting, \"This is the beginning of the end of (agricultural) subsidies. It is a rare combination of social justice and trade coming together.\"\n But the NGOs were considerably more skeptical in their assessments, insisting that the results were considerably less balanced than Amorim had suggested.\n Calling it a \"face-saving exercise,\" Greenpeace said the final result was \"highly imbalanced in favor of rich countries, which make vague promises in return for key concessions by developing countries,\" particularly in opening their markets wider to manufactured goods, services, and agricultural exports from wealthy nations themselves.\n In addition, the Amsterdam-based group charged the accord will \"open the door for further liberalization in sensitive sectors such as fisheries and the trade in forest products.\"\n \"The deal is not a victory for multilateralism, but a dangerous fudge,\" said Daniel Mittler, Greenpeace International Trade and Policy Advisor. \"The secretive process practiced in Geneva this week once again showed that the WTO is an undemocratic organization mainly responsive to rich-country interests. The WTO does not seem capable or willing to deliver equitable and sustainable development for all; it only seems to be interested in ensuring its own survival.\"\n Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) also complained about what it called \"undemocratic procedures and intense pressure\" from the U.S. and the EU in the rush to secure a final accord.  \"Corporate lobby groups will be the big winners, the environment and the poor the big losers,\" said FoEI's Alexandra Wandel, point in particular to the agreement on Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA), a part of the framework accord which calls for the liberalization of all natural resources, particularly in fisheries, gems, and mining. NAMA would make it much more difficult for developing countries to protect these resources from foreign investors or collect revenue from their export.\n \"The NAMA agreement could further deepen the de-industrialization crisis in these countries, thus accelerating unemployment and poverty and forcing countries to rely heavily on unsustainable and harmful exports of natural resources.\"\n At the same time, FoEI charged that the \"so-called concessions\" made by the EU and the U.S. in agricultural negotiations - a commitment to cut some farm subsidies by 20 percent - may \"turn out to be empty promises.\"  \"The commitment to eliminate export subsidies credits is missing any substance as no end-date is mentioned in the text,\" the Brussels-based group said. \"On domestic support for agriculture, language in the framework agreement clearly opens the door for the EU and the U.S. to maintain nearly their entire level of current subsidies and to use these to continue the dumping of agricultural goods in developing-country markets. At the same time, developing countries could be forced to give up import protections used to achieve food sovereignty.\"\n That criticism was echoed by Oxfam which called the agreement \"deeply disappointing and not sufficient to meet the needs of developing countries\" and warned it may indeed cause the Round to collapse before their scheduled completion in late 2006.\n\"The draft is unacceptable because it fails to meet the needs of developing countries,\" said Charveriat. \"Presented as a breakthrough, the text on agriculture does little to address the problem of export dumping, instead introducing dangerous loopholes for yet more subsidies from the U.S.\"\nShe stressed that the framework failed to address the issue of U.S. cotton subsidies that were recently ruled illegal by the WTO itself. Instead, the issue of cotton is to be folded into overall agricultural negotiations without any specific commitment to eliminate them.\nProduction in the heavily subsidized U.S. cotton industry has had the effect of driving down global prices for a key commodity to levels that threaten the livelihoods of millions of small-scale cotton farmers in poor countries, particularly in West Africa. To gain an agreement from key West African cotton-producing nations - namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali - Washington agreed to accelerate cuts in its subsidies and mobilize more development assistance. On the other hand, the four countries - the last three of which are among the world's poorest nations - agreed to lower tariffs to agricultural imports, a concession likely to increase U.S. food exports to them.\nBut Charveriat said the deal was unfair, particularly because the WTO had already ruled that the U.S. subsidies were illegal. \"This is a serious betrayal of developing countries and will have massive implications for the 10 million West African farmers whose livelihoods are currently undermined by U.S. export dumping,\" she said. \"There are no cast-iron commitments here and no clear timeline for reform.\"","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the World Trade Organization"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["the early hours on Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["puts developing countries in the unfair position of having to accept a bad deal or reject and get blamed by the U.S. and the EU for failure"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Geneva"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2020 The United States embassy in Manama warns American citizens in Bahrain of the \"need for caution\", days after the gulf kingdom signed a U.S.-backed deal with Israel. (AFP via Barron's)","document":"\n\nBahrain and the United Arab Emirates last week signed deals to normalise ties with Israel at the White House, breaking with decades of Arab consensus that there would be no relations with the Jewish state until it had made peace with the Palestinians.\nSmall sporadic protests took place in Bahrain on Friday against the deals, a rare display of dissent in the oil-rich island nation.\nSince 2011, protests have been extremely rare in the kingdom and are met harshly by security forces.\nThe embassy encouraged citizens to \"keep a low profile\" and to \"avoid crowds and demonstrations\".\nBahrain is a key US ally in the Gulf and hosts the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet.\nBahrain's King, Sheikh Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa, said on Monday that the deal with Israel was \"not directed against anyone\", state media reported.\nSunni-ruled Bahrain has faced unrest among its large Shiite community, which it has consistently blamed on Iran.\nBoth Manama and Dubai share with Israel a vehemently anti-Iran foreign policy stance and Tehran has slammed the normalisation moves.\nThe Federal Reserve on Wednesday took the first tentative steps to eventual normalization of its ultra-accommodative monetary policy: It started to talk about it. \nExcept for the anodyne observation about the progress of vaccination in controlling Covid-19, the Federal Open Market Committee’s policy statement released at the end of its two-day meeting made few changes from its late-April get-together. The panel’s Summary of Economic Projections essentially brought the 2021 numbers up to date with the stronger-than-expected...\n    The United States Embassy in Bahrain on Monday warned American citizens in the Gulf kingdom of the \"need for caution\", days after Manama signed a US-backed deal with Israel.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Bahrain","the United Arab Emirates"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last week"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["normalise ties with Israel"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the White House"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2020 The transitional government of Sudan signs a peace deal with the main rebel groups fighting in the conflict. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, which had refused to engage in previous talks, joined this time. The U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Donald Booth, hails the deal as a \"historic achievement\". (Reuters)","document":" Sudan’s power-sharing government and several rebel groups on Saturday formalised a peace agreement aimed at resolving decades of conflict which left millions displaced and hundreds of thousands dead.\nThree major groups signed a preliminary deal in August - two factions from the western region of Darfur and one from the southern region - after months of talks hosted by South Sudan.\nAnother powerful rebel group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which had not participated in initial peace negotiations, agreed last month to join new talks hosted by South Sudan.\nDancers from Darfur and the Nile states performed on the stage before the signing in Juba.\nThe U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Donald Booth, said: “This historic achievement addresses decades of conflicts and suffering, it will also require firm and unwavering commitment to implement the agreement fully and without delays.”\nThe presidents of Ethiopia and Chad and the prime ministers of Egypt and Uganda were among regional officials and politicians at the event.\nTut Gatluak, the South Sudanese chief mediator, said ahead of Saturday’s ceremony that the goal was eventually to sign deals with all armed groups.\nSudan has been wracked by conflict for decades. After the oil-rich south seceded in 2011, an economic crisis fuelled protests that led to the overthrow of president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019.\nSudan’s new civilian and military leaders, who have shared power since then, say ending conflicts is a top priority.\nThe deal sets out terms to integrate rebels into the security forces, be politically represented and have economic and land rights. A new fund will pay $750 million a year for 10 years to the impoverished southern and western regions and the chance of return for displaced people is also guaranteed.\nAnalysts have welcomed the agreement but questioned the prominent role given to armed groups and the military.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Sudan’s power-sharing government","several rebel groups"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["resolving decades of conflict"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Today, NASA announced that eight countries have signed an international agreement known as the Artemis Accords","document":"Today, NASA announced that eight countries — including the United States — have signed an international agreement known as the Artemis Accords, forming what NASA calls a broad and diverse coalition of nations committed to standardized lunar exploration.\nNASA announced its intention to create the Artemis Accords back in May, after working with the US State Department and the National Space Council to come up with a draft set of rules for exploring the Moon. The document’s name refers to NASA’s Artemis program, an ambitious initiative that aims to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon. NASA hopes to partner with multiple countries for the program, and the agency created the Artemis Accords to ensure that other nations could agree on best practices for sending robots and people to the lunar surface.\nNASA released the draft of the accords to other space-faring countries, and after getting their input, the agency came up with the final document, which includes standards for things like lunar mining and how to handle conflicts on the Moon’s surface. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine says the main goal is to get everyone on the same page about lunar exploration and head off any future international misunderstandings or conflicts. “When we think about the Artemis Accords, what we’re trying to do is establish norms of behavior that every nation can agree to,” Bridenstine said during a press call ahead of the announcement. The seven nations that have signed along with the US are: Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. NASA says that it has also spoken with other countries interested in signing, but these seven nations were able to go through the interagency process the fastest. That means more countries could be signing on to the accords very soon — even before the end of the year, according to NASA. “This first announcement is very much a beginning, not an ending to the nations joining the Accords,” Mike Gold, NASA’s acting associate administrator for the office of international and interagency relations, said during the briefing. Notably absent from the initial list is Russia, NASA’s biggest partner in human spaceflight and the International Space Station. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s space program, has made it very clear that he is not a fan of the accords or of NASA’s Artemis program. When NASA first announced the accords, Rogozin likened it to a lunar “invasion.” And just yesterday, Rogozin said during a panel at the International Astronautical Congress that the Artemis program is “too US-centric.” China, another major space power, is also absent, though NASA has long been restricted from partnering or engaging directly with the country on space projects due to a law enacted by Congress. The law would have to change for NASA to approach China, says Bridenstine. “If China’s behavior were to be modified in a way that Congress — Republicans and Democrats — come together and say, ‘Look, we want to engage China,’ NASA stands ready,” said Bridenstine. “But at this point, it’s just not in the cards and we at NASA will always follow the law.”\nLong before the creation of the Artemis Accords, countries around the world had already signed a major international agreement focused on how to explore space. Known as the Outer Space Treaty, the agreement entered into force in 1967, establishing that the exploration of space should be a peaceful exercise. It also said that countries should not put weapons of mass destruction in space and that nations should not lay claim to other worlds, among other provisions.\nHowever, the Outer Space Treaty is pretty vague — purposefully so — which means there is a lot of room for interpretation on various clauses. The goal of the Artemis Accords is to provide a little more clarity on how the US wants to explore the Moon without going through the slow treaty-making process. “We are doing this in keeping with the Outer Space Treaty,” said Bridenstine, adding that NASA is trying to “create a dynamic where the Outer Space Treaty can actually be enforced.”\nOne big thing NASA wanted to make clear in the accords is that countries can own and use resources that are derived from the Moon. As part of the Artemis program, NASA hopes to extract lunar materials, such as the Moon’s dirt or water ice that’s thought to be lurking in the shadows of lunar craters. The Outer Space Treaty forbids nations from staking claim to another planetary body, but the policy of the US is that countries and companies can own the materials they extract from other worlds. “Article II of the Outer Space Treaty says that you cannot appropriate the Moon for national sovereignty,” Bridenstine said. “We fully agree with that and embrace it. We also believe that, just like in the ocean, you can extract resources from the ocean. But that doesn’t mean you own the ocean. You should be able to extract resources from the Moon. Own the resources but not own the Moon.”\nIt’s an interpretation of the Outer Space Treaty that not everyone may agree on. A pair of researchers writing in the journal Science last week have called on countries to speak up about their objections to this interpretation, and that the United States should go through the United Nations treaty process in order to negotiate on space mining. “NASA’s actions must be seen for what they are—a concerted, strategic effort to redirect international space cooperation in favor of short-term U.S. commercial interests, with little regard for the risks involved,” the researchers wrote in Science. The accords outline other things like “safety zones” — areas established where work on the Moon is being conducted and where other countries should not interfere. The accords also call for the protection of heritage sites, which could mean the regions where NASA’s Apollo landers touched down on the lunar surface. The document touches on issues of transparency, the sharing of data, registration of space objects, and more.\nAnother topic addressed by the accords is the idea of interoperability — that spacecraft from various countries should be designed and built to work with hardware from nations all over the world. This is something that even countries that haven’t signed on to the accords can agree on. Yesterday, Russia’s Rogozin called for NASA to design one of its main Artemis elements — a space station to orbit the Moon called the Gateway — so that future Russian vehicles could dock to the station. Ultimately, the Artemis Accords are still just a set of guidelines, without any defined enforcement mechanisms. There aren’t any real consequences if a country signs the agreement and violates one of the provisions. However, Bridenstine hopes that the involvement of other nations would be enough to ensure that countries behave in accordance with the accords. “I think that there’s a lot of pressure that can be brought to bear on countries that choose to be part of the Artemis program but then don’t play by the rules,” he said.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the US","Canada","Japan","Luxembourg","Italy","the United Kingdom","the United Arab Emirates"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Artemis Accords"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Today"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["forming what NASA calls a broad and diverse coalition of nations committed to standardized lunar exploration"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Eight countries have signed an international pact for moon exploration called the Artemis Accords","document":" Eight countries have signed an international pact for moon exploration called the Artemis Accords, NASA announced on Tuesday as the U.S. space agency tries to shape standards for building long-term settlements on the lunar surface.\nThe accords, named after NASA’s Artemis moon program, seek to build on existing international space law by establishing “safety zones” that would surround future moon bases to prevent conflict between states operating there, and by allowing private companies to own the lunar resources they mine.\nThe United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates signed the bilateral agreements during an annual space conference on Tuesday following months of talks in a U.S. bid to cultivate allies under its plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2024.\n“What we’re trying to do is establish norms of behavior that every nation can agree to,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters. He said the accords are consistent with a 1967 treaty holding that the moon and other celestial bodies are exempt from national claims of ownership.\n“We are operationalizing the Outer Space Treaty for the purposes of creating the broadest, most inclusive, largest coalition of human spaceflight in the history of humankind,” Bridenstine said.\nThe Trump administration and governments of other spacefaring countries see the moon as a strategic asset. The moon also has value for long-term scientific research that could enable future missions to Mars - activities that fall under a regime of international space law widely viewed as outdated.\nIn 2019, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence directed NASA to return humans to the moon by 2024 - cutting the agency’s previous timeline in half - and build a long-term human presence on the lunar surface.\nThe NASA program, expected to cost tens of billions of dollars, will send robotic rovers to the surface of the moon before an eventual human landing. NASA also plans to build a Lunar Gateway, a space station orbiting the moon. Plans call for it to be constructed by a mix of NASA contractors and international partners.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The United States","Australia","Canada","Japan","Luxembourg","Italy","the United Kingdom","the United Arab Emirates"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Artemis Accords"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["seek to build on existing international space law by establishing “safety zones” that would surround future moon bases to prevent conflict between states operating there, and by allowing private companies to own the lunar resources they mine"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2020 Following high-level talks in Delhi, India and the United States sign a military agreement on sharing sensitive satellite data. The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation (BECA) gives the Indian Armed Forces access to a range of sensitive geospatial and aeronautical data for military use. Agreements on nuclear energy, earth sciences and alternative medicine are also signed. (BBC)","document":"India and the US have signed a military agreement on sharing sensitive satellite data amid Delhi's tense border standoff with Beijing.\nAccess to such data is considered vital for hitting missiles, drones and other targets with precision. The deal was announced after the annual \"2+2\" high-level talks in Delhi on Tuesday.\nExperts say the strengthening of India-US ties is aimed at countering China's influence in the region.\nUS Defence Secretary Mark Esper held talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also met Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.\n\"Over [the] last two decades, our bilateral relationship has grown steadily in its substance, facets and significance,\" Mr Jaishankar said on Tuesday. He added that the talks would enable the two countries to \"engage much more intensively on matters of national security\". The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation, or BECA, is among the few deals that the US signs with close partners. It allows India access to a range of sensitive geospatial and aeronautical data that is crucial for military action. The two sides also signed a clutch of other deals in the fields of nuclear energy, earth sciences and alternative medicine. But BECA is the most significant deal among them.\nIt will allow the US to \"provide advanced navigational aids and avionics on US-supplied aircraft to India\", an Indian defence source told Reuters news agency - that also means the US can fit high-end navigational equipment in the aircraft it supplies to India.\nIts signing comes at a time when India is locked in one of its most hostile standoffs with China along their disputed border in the Himalayan region. Twenty Indian soldiers died in a clash that erupted  between troops on both sides in June, sparking months-long rounds of diplomatic talks to ease tensions. But that has not helped to de-escalate hostilities so far. Relations between the US and China have also soured in recent months with President Donald Trump's repeated criticism of Beijing's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The US has also rebuked China for imposing a new security law in Hong Kong, following large-scale protests. The deal is another step forward in deepening India-US military ties. India is one of the word's biggest defence equipment buyers, but around 60-70% of its inventory is supplied by Russia.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the US","India"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation, or BECA"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["allows India access to a range of sensitive geospatial and aeronautical data"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Delhi"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"September_2012 The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe rules that Germany's participation in the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is, conditionally, within the German Constitution's limits, allowing President Gauck to approve the Bundestag's previous agreement with the mechanism. (BBC)","document":"Germany's top court has rejected calls to block the permanent eurozone rescue fund - the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) - and the European fiscal treaty.\nLeader Angela Merkel called it \"a good day\", while markets rallied in relief.\nBut the Constitutional Court imposed conditions including a cap on Germany's contribution, which it said could only be overruled by the German parliament.\nCritics had argued that the ESM commits Germany to potentially unlimited funding of debt-ridden eurozone states.\nSome 37,000 people had signed a petition to the court asking it to block the ESM, and make it subject to a referendum.\nSince Germany is due to contribute 27% of the fund, it cannot proceed without German ratification.\nBut, after weeks of deliberation, the court's Chief Justice Andreas Vosskuhle said it \"rejected the injunctions\", since there was a \"high probability\" that the ESM did not violate the constitution. However, he said ratification of the treaty could only be allowed under certain conditions.\nHe continued: \"No rule of the treaty must be interpreted in a way which would result in higher payment obligations by Germany, without the consent of the German representative.\"\nCorrespondents said that meant that any future increase in the size of the 500bn-euro (£400bn) fund, or of Germany's contribution, could only be permitted with the express agreement of Germany's parliament.\nWhen added to the money already committed to the existing temporary fund, Germany is liable for about 190bn euros.\nThe decision clears the way for Germany's President, Joachim Gauck, to sign the ESM and the fiscal pact - which is meant to enforce budget discipline - into law.\nCorrespondents said there would be huge relief in Brussels and European capitals at the verdict.\n\"Today, Germany is once again sending a strong signal to Europe and beyond: Germany is assuming with determination its responsibility as the biggest economy and as a reliable partner in Europe,\" Chancellor Merkel told parliament in Berlin hours after the ruling. \"This is a good day for Germany and it is a good day for Europe,\" she said.\nSpanish, Italian and German share indexes all rose after the ruling, while the euro continued its recent gains to post a hit a new four-month high against the dollar, at $1.29. The borrowing costs on Spanish and Italian 10-year bonds fell.\nAnalysts suggested that, combined with European Central Bank plans to buy the government bonds of struggling countries, Europe now had the tools it needed to combat its financial crisis.\n\"Within less than a week, the eurozone has finally received its long sought-after impressive bazooka,\" said Carsten Brzeski, an economist with Dutch bank ING.\n\"As a result, eurozone governments have now received more time to do their homework, implement reforms and austerity measures,\" he said.\n'Phew!' German relief at ruling\nEU's Barroso seeks 'federation'\nQ&A: German court ruling\nEuro bailout faces German court\nESM in the dock: Germany's fears\nSoros: Germany must lead or leave\nECB bond plan strengthens euro\nGerman Constitutional Court\nGerman parliament\nGerman government\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.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Germany's top court"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["rejected calls to block the permanent eurozone rescue fund - the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) - and the European fiscal treaty"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines announces that the Philippine government has reached an outline peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front over the disputed Mindanao region. (BBC)","document":"The Philippine government has reached a framework peace agreement with the country's largest Muslim rebel group, President Benigno Aquino says.\nThe deal follows long negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to end a 40-year conflict that has cost more than 120,000 lives.\nIt provides for a new autonomous region in the south, where Muslims are a majority in a mainly Catholic country.\nThe MILF is \"very happy\" with the deal, a spokesman was quoted as saying. The agreement was reached after talks in Malaysia and is expected to be signed formally on 15 October in the Philippine capital, Manila. A copy of the framework deal says the parties commit to reaching a \"comprehensive deal\" by the end of the year. \"This framework agreement paves the way for a final and enduring peace in Mindanao,\" President Aquino said in a speech to announce the deal, referring to the main southern region.\nBut he added: \"The work does not end here. There are still details that both sides must hammer out.\" Correspondents say the agreement marks a major breakthrough, though previous peace efforts have broken down and negotiations with the MILF over the last 15 years were interrupted by violence.\nThe Philippine government's chief negotiator Marvic Leonen told the BBC that the new peace deal has more political support than previous agreements, after the negotiation panel held more than 100 consultations with Muslims, Christians, and local and regional governments.\nThe MILF's vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar told AFP news agency: \"We are very happy. We thank the president for this.\" It is hoped that the agreement could be implemented on the ground by the end of President Aquino's term in 2016.\n'Casting aside distrust'\nPresident Aquino said the new autonomous region would be named Bangsamoro, after the Moros living there. \"This framework agreement is about rising above our prejudices,\" the president said. \"It is about casting aside the distrust and myopia that has the plagued efforts of the past.\"\nSunday's agreement provides for the creation of a \"transition commission\" tasked with drafting a law to implement the framework deal.\nThe draft agreement would give the leaders of the Bangsamoro more political and economic powers, promises the people a \"just and equitable share\" of the region's abundant natural resources, and pledges to address the needs of poverty-stricken communities.\nIt also provides for the MILF to \"undertake a graduated program for decommissioning of its forces\" and says both sides would work for  \"reduction and control of firearms and the disbandment of private armies and other armed groups\". Law enforcement would be transferred from the army to the Bangsamoro police in a \"phased and gradual manner\".  The MILF, created after a split with another rebel group in 1977, had earlier dropped its demand for an independent Muslim state.\nPresident Aquino acknowledged on Sunday that the current autonomous region in the same area, created in 1989, had been a \"failed experiment\". Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose country has brokered peace talks since 2001, said he was \"delighted\" at the \"historic deal\". \"The rights, dignity and future prosperity of the Bangsamoro people will be protected, while at the same time the sovereignty and constitution of the Philippines will be preserved,\" he said.\nThe Philippines is made up of more than 7,000 islands, with a population of about 95 million. It has faced separatist movements in Mindanao, where the MILF is based, and in Jolo, home to the radical Islamist Abu Sayyaf group, which is reputedly linked to al-Qaeda.\nCommunist rebels have also waged a guerrilla over much of the country from 1969. \n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Philippine government","the country's largest Muslim rebel group"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["15 October"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end a 40-year conflict"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Manila"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 The Philippine government and the largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, sign a peace pact. (Al Jazeera)","document":"\nThe Philippine government and the largest Muslim rebel group have signed a preliminary peace pact that outlines steps to end the conflict in the country’s troubled south by 2016.\nChief negotiators from both sides signed the “framework agreement”on Monday, in a nationally televised ceremony at the presidential palace attended by President Benigno Aquino, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief Murad Ebrahim and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose country helped broker the deal.\nThe framework agreement calls for the establishment of a new autonomous region to be called Bangsamoro, or Muslim nation, in the southern region of Mindanao, by 2016.\nThe United Nations, the United States and other countries have welcomed the roadmap, achieved after 15 years of on-again, off-again negotiations between the MILF and various Philippine administrations, as a rare chance for peace.\nHowever, the MILF’s leadership, as well as independent observers and foreign governments, have warned the path towards peace remains littered with obstacles, and that Monday’s signing does not guarantee an end to the conflict.\n“We feel honoured to be welcomed in Manila, but I must stress this is just the beginning of the peace journey,” Ebrahim’s deputy for political affairs, Ghazali Jaafar, told AFP news agency on Sunday before flying to the nation’s capital.\nIndependence struggle\nMuslim rebel groups have been fighting for full independence or autonomy since the 1970s in Mindanao, which they consider their ancestral homeland from before Spanish Christians colonised the country in the 1500s.\nThe estimated four to nine million Muslims are now a minority in Mindanao after years of Catholic immigration, but they remain a majority in some areas.\nMuslims would be a majority in the planned new autonomous region.\nThe conflict has left huge areas of Mindanao, a resource rich and fertile farming region covering the southern third of the Philippines, in deep poverty.\nIt has also led to the proliferation of unlicensed guns and political warlords who battle over fiefdoms, while smaller but more militant Islamic separatist groups have been able to create strongholds in lawless areas.\nMost of the 150,000 people estimated to have died in the conflict were in the 1970s, when an all-out war raged.\nA ceasefire between the MILF and the government in place since 2003 has largely kept the peace, but outbreaks of deadly violence have occurred over the past decade.\nThe MILF is the biggest and most important remaining rebel group, after the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) signed a peace pact with the government in 1996.\nThat peace pact led to an autonomous region in Mindanao, but Aquino described it last week as a “failed experiment” because of massive corruption and worsening poverty there.\nThe planned new autonomous region would replace the old one.\nObstacles to peace\nFresh attacks by the MNLF or small Islamic groups who still want independence are among the potential obstacles to the peace process.\nAnother is potential opposition from Catholic politicians and business leaders. The nation’s parliament will have to approve the laws of the new autonomous region.\nHowever, Aquino, who is one of the most popular presidents in the country’s history, has invested a lot of personal political capital in pushing for an end to the conflict.\nExperts have said that, unlike the unpopular Arroyo, Aquino may be able to convince the country’s Catholic majority to support autonomy for Muslims.\nThe two sides have set 2016 as a deadline because that is when Aquino is required by the constitution to stand down after serving a single six-year term.\nThe formal peace talks have been held in Malaysia, and last week’s announcement by Aquino that the “framework agreement” had been achieved came after months of intense negotiations in Kuala Lumpur.\nGuns have been a part of the rebels’ lives for such a long time, giving them up may not be so easy.\nOn a day the government and rebels signed a peace deal, Al Jazeera showcases pictures from war-ravaged Mindanao island.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Philippine government","the largest Muslim rebel group"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["outlines steps to end the conflict in the country’s troubled south by 2016"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the presidential palace"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2012 Anheuser-Busch states it will allow Armstrong's contract with them to expire at the end of the year. It will also continue to support LIVESTRONG. (BBC) (CNN)","document":"\nLance Armstrong has lost three of his main sponsors as the fallout continues from the United States Anti-Doping Agency's report into doping.\nSportswear giant Nike, cycle maker Trek and Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch will cut ties with the former cyclist. Armstrong, 41, who has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, has also stepped down as chairman of his cancer charity Livestrong.\nThe three companies pledged to continue to support Livestrong.\nNike said in a statementexternal-link \"due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Armstrong participated in doping... we have terminated his contract\".\nAnheuser-Busch will not renew its sponsorship deal with Armstrong when it finishes at the end of 2012, while Trek is ending its long-term relationship with the American with immediate effect. Another of Armstrong's sponsors, sportswear firm Oakley, said: \"As we have stated in the past, Oakley does not approve in any way the use of illegal substances for enhancing performance in sports.  \"Our policy with our athletes is to support them until proven guilty by the highest governing body of sport or court of law.   We are reviewing the extensive report from the Usada, as well as our relationship with Lance, and will await final decision-making by the International Cycling Union.\"\nThe decisions come a week after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) released a report containing accusations of widespread doping by Armstrong and his teams.\nIt contains sworn statements from 26 witnesses, including 11 former team-mates. Usada ordered 14 years of Armstrong's career results to be erased. The American has always denied doping, but gave up his fight against the charges in August.\nNike, which added that it was \"misled\" by the American for more than a decade, made a U-turn on a statement released last weekexternal-link when it said it would \"continue to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation\". Nike and Armstrong had been in partnership since 1996.\nArmstrong also announced on Wednesday that he would be quitting his role as chairman of his cancer charity in order \"to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career\".\n\"Armstrong's comeback from cancer to dominate the world's toughest bike race was such a wonderful story that people want to believe that it is true. So great a hero was he to so many that some are still reluctant not to.\"\nRead the rest of Tom's feature here\nThe Texan will remain on Livestrong's 15-member board, with vice-chairman Jeff Garvey, who was founding chairman in 1997, taking over Armstrong's role.\nArmstrong added: \"As my cancer treatment was drawing to an end, I created a foundation to serve people affected by cancer. \"It has been a great privilege to help it grow from a dream into an organisation that today has served 2.5 million people and helped spur a cultural shift in how the world views cancer survivors.\"\nLivestrong spokesperson Katherine McLane told BBC Radio 5 live: \"I think he reached this decision because he holds this organisation close to his heart and he thinks of this as akin to one of his children in terms of how deeply he cares for it. \"Surprisingly throughout the last few years, with these issues being in the news, we've seen an increase in the number of people that support (Livestrong) and contribute.\"\nFormer England footballer Geoff Thomas was inspired to set up his own foundation after reading Armstrong's autobiography days after being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in 2003.\nArmstrong led the tributes when Thomas was awarded the 2005 BBC Sports Personality Helen Rollason Award in recognition of his charity work, but Thomas said the American \"had done the right thing\" by stepping down as chairman.\n\"I think it's damage limitation while everything is going as it is - there's a news story about Lance every day,\" the 48-year-old told BBC Sport.\n\"Lance stepping down will probably take the heat away from the charity itself and put the focus solely on him.\"\nThomas contacted Armstrong on Twitterexternal-link, writing: \"@lancearmstrong please for your sake, come clean. If not yours, for the millions you have inspired over the last 15+ years.\"","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Anheuser-Busch","Lance Armstrong"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["will not renew its sponsorship deal with Armstrong when it finishes at the end of 2012"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"April_2011 Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah sign a unity deal, calling for the foundation of a single government in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank, presidential and legislative elections in a year, and the release of prisoners. (Ynetnews), (Palestine News Network)","document":"\t say they have reached an initial agreement on ending a four-year-old rift that has left them divided between rival governments in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  \nThe officials say the plan calls for the formation of a single caretaker government in the coming days, and preparations to hold presidential and legislative elections a year from now.  \n\"The two sides signed initial letters on an agreement. All points of differences have been overcome,\" Taher Al-Nono, the Hamas government spokesman in Gaza, told Reuters. He added that Cairo would shortly invite both sides to a signing ceremony.  \nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a recorded video message in response to the announcement on Wednesday saying that the \"Palestinian Authority needs to choose between peace with the people of Israel and peace with Hamas. You cannot have peace with both, because Hamas aspires to destroy the State of Israel, and it says so openly.\"\n \nAccording to Netanyahu, \"Hamas fires rockets at our cities and anti-tank missiles at our children. I think the mere idea of reconciliation demonstrates the Palestinian Authority's weakness, and brings up the question of whether Hamas will take over Judea and Samaria as it did Gaza.\"\n \nNetanyahu added: \"I hope the PA makes the right choice – to choose peace with Israel. The choice is hers.\"\n  State officials told Ynet that the new agreement sends a message that in the absence of a peace process and amid Mideast unrest, the PA can also walk the road of radicalization.  \n\"The details of the agreement must be examined. The PA is sending a message which can be problematic for Israel and is aimed at stressing that without a peace process, the Palestinians have other options that are not necessarily in Israel's interest,\" one state official said.  \nA US official said in response that any Palestinian government must renounce violence, respect past peace deals and recognize Israel's right to exist if it is to play a constructive role.  \nThe accord was first reported by Egypt's intelligence service, which brokered the talks.   \"The consultations resulted in full understandings over all points of discussions, including setting up an interim agreement with specific tasks and to set a date for election,\" Egyptian intelligence said in a statement.  \nIn a statement carried by the Egyptian state news agency MENA, the intelligence service said the deal was hatched by a Hamas delegation led by Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the group's politburo, and Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad.  \nAl-Ahmad and Abu Marzouk said the agreement covered all points of contention, including forming a transitional government, security arrangements and the restructuring of the Palestine Liberation Organization to allow Hamas to join it.  \nA senior Egyptian intelligence official told Reuters that he expected Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, who is based in Damascus, to attend the signing of the agreement in Cairo.  \nDespite the agreement, key questions remain about who will control the rival security forces.  \nDisagreements over security control erupted into the June 2007 civil war that ended with Hamas seizing control of Gaza.\n \nEarlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said\n\t that the Palestinian plan to declare an independent state hurts their commitment to peace talks with Israel and an accord. \"The accord can only be achieved through negotiations,\" he told US senators.  ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Hamas","Fatah"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ending a four-year-old rift","calls for the formation of a single caretaker government in the coming days, and preparations to hold presidential and legislative elections a year from now"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Cairo"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"January_2021 Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a bill extending the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States until 2026, ahead of its expiration date next week, following talks with U.S. President Joe Biden. (The Guardian)","document":"Russian president spoke to Joe Biden earlier in the week about arms control pact due to lapse in February\n\nVladimir Putin has signed a bill extending the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States a week before the pact was due to expire.\nBoth houses of the Russian parliament voted unanimously on Wednesday to extend the New Start treaty for five years. Putin and the US president, Joe Biden, had discussed the nuclear accord a day earlier, and the Kremlin said they agreed to complete the necessary extension procedures in the next few days.\nNew Start expires on 5 February. The pact’s extension doesn’t require congressional approval in the US but Russian lawmakers had to ratify the move. Russian diplomats said the extension will be validated by exchanging diplomatic notes once all the procedures are completed.\nThe treaty, signed in 2010 by the US president Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, who was president of Russia at the time, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, and envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance.\nBiden indicated during the US presidential campaign that he favoured the preservation of New Start, which was negotiated during his tenure as vice-president under Obama.\nRussia had long proposed prolonging the pact without any conditions or changes, but the administration of former president Donald Trump waited until last year to start talks and made the extension contingent on a set of demands. The talks stalled, and months of bargaining failed to narrow differences.\nAfter both Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, New Start is the only remaining nuclear arms control deal between the two countries.\nEarlier this month, Russia announced that it would follow the US in pulling out of the Open Skies Treaty, which allowed surveillance flights over military facilities to help build trust and transparency between Russia and the west.\nArms control advocates hailed New Start’s extension as a boost to global security and urged Russia and the US to start negotiating follow-up agreements.\nRussia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, the country’s lead negotiator on New Start, said earlier this week that Russia was ready to sit down for talks on prospective arms cuts, which he indicated should also involve non-nuclear precision weapons with strategic range.\nRussia had offered to extend New Start for five years before Biden took office – a possibility that was envisaged by the pact at the time it was signed.\nTrump argued that the treaty put the US at a disadvantage, and he initially insisted on adding China as a party to the pact. Beijing bluntly rejected the idea. The Trump administration then proposed extending New Start for one year and sought to expand it to include limits on battlefield nuclear weapons and other changes, and the talks stalled.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Russia","the United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["five years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["a week before the pact was due to expire"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["extending the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2021 Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce an agreement to allow vaccinated travelers to travel between the countries without the need to quarantine in order to restore their countries' tourism industries. (ABC News)","document":"JERUSALEM -- Israel and Cyprus announced a tourism agreement Sunday to allow citizens who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus to travel between the countries without the need to quarantine.\nThe agreement between the two Mediterranean countries is a step toward restoring their tourism industries, which have been hit hard by the nearly year-long pandemic. Both countries have large tourism sectors.\nLast week, Israel reached a similar deal with Greece.\n“This opens up the possibility of restarting tourism in the near future,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “Cypriot tourists in Israel and Israeli tourists in Cyprus.”\nCyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said he expected the deal to go into effect on April 1.\nAnastasiades also said he was “very interested” in getting more details about a possible COVID-19 treatment being developed by Israel's Ichilov hospital and said that Cyprus would participate in upcoming clinical trials.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israel","Cyprus"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["go into effect on April 1"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["a tourism agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["allow citizens who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus to travel between the countries without the need to quarantine"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"February_2021 The International Atomic Energy Agency reaches an agreement with Iran to allow inspectors to resume monitoring their nuclear program for up to three months. However, the agreement bars inspectors from doing snap inspections and also prohibits them from reviewing footage taken at the nuclear sites. (Al Jazeera)","document":"Nuclear watchdog says Iran will begin offering its inspectors ‘less access’ but still allow agency to monitor atomic programme for up to three months.\n\nThe head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said it reached an agreement with Iran to continue its “necessary” verification and monitoring activities for up to three months, but there will be less access and no more snap inspections starting on Tuesday.\nSpeaking to reporters in Vienna on Sunday following his return from Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said his talks with Iranian officials had produced a “good, reasonable result” that “salvages the situation for now”.\n“We reached a temporary bilateral technical understanding whereby the agency is going to continue its necessary verification and monitoring activities for a period of up to three months,” Grossi said.\n“We agreed that we are going to keep this understanding we reached under review constantly – so if we want to suspend it or extend it, this can be done,” he added.\n“The hope of the IAEA has been to be able to stabilise a situation which was very unstable and I think this technical understanding does it, so that other political consultations at other levels can take place.”\nBut in a statement, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said the Additional Protocol and IAEA access as part of the 2015 nuclear deal will be completely suspended from Tuesday.\nNo access will be given to the nuclear watchdog beyond safeguards of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the organisation stressed.\nIt said, however, that Iran has agreed to keep recording information on its inspection equipment for three months without granting IAEA access.\n“If the sanctions are completely lifted within three months, Iran will give this information to the agency. If not, the information will be deleted forever,” the statement said.\nParliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who spearheaded the law that limits inspections from Tuesday, also emphasised in a tweet on Monday that any access beyond non-proliferation safeguards would be “strictly forbidden and illegal”.\nHe also pointed out an article of the legislation he passed has foreseen judicial punishments for potential violators.\n\nGrossi’s visit came before a February 23 deadline set by Iran’s parliament for new United States President Joe Biden to lift crippling sanctions imposed by his predecessor, Donald Trump, or Tehran would halt snap IAEA inspections.\nThe IAEA chief was careful to say there still would be the same number of inspectors, but there would be “things we lose”.\nHe did not offer many specifics, but Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif earlier said that would include blocking the IAEA from accessing footage on its cameras at nuclear sites.\nGrossi told reporters the law passed by Iran’s parliament would be applied, however, which means the Additional Protocol that allowed the IAEA to carry out snap inspections would be suspended.\n“Nevertheless, we decided to go there and agree on a specific, bilateral arrangement… that will allow us to bridge this period in the best possible way without losing the necessary monitoring and verification capacities,” he said.\nAl Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, said the announcement would potentially “give a greater amount of time for a diplomatic process to get under way” between the US and Iran.\nFor weeks, the two countries have been at an impasse about efforts to return to the 2015 nuclear deal that saw Iran agree to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of international sanctions.\nTehran has gradually scaled back its commitments under the accord after Trump’s unilateral withdrawal in 2018.\nBiden has said he wants to rejoin the deal, but his administration has insisted Iran return to full compliance first. Iranian officials have demanded the US take the first step to rejoin the accord and lift its sanctions.\nEarlier on Sunday, Foreign Minister Zarif said Germany, France and the United Kingdom – the European signatories to the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA – should convince the US to return to the deal.\n“That’s not a tall order,” Zarif said during an interview with Iran’s state-owned PressTV.\nWhite House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, also on Sunday, said Biden is “prepared to go to the table to talk to the Iranians about how we get strict constraints back on their nuclear programme”, but the ball is in Iran’s court.\n“It is Iran that is isolated now diplomatically, not the United States, and the ball is in their court,” Sullivan said in an interview with CBS programme Face the Nation.\nMeanwhile, Ali Vaez, Iran Project director at the International Crisis Group, welcomed the IAEA announcement on Sunday, saying the agency “has proven to be the only adult in the room so far”.\n“Here is to hoping that Iran & the US learn to be as flexible and creative in achieving their joint objective of reviving the JCPOA,” he tweeted.\nTrita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a think-tank in Washington, DC, said on Twitter the IAEA agreement “enables a crisis to be evaded” as it allows the Iranian law to come into effect without killing diplomatic efforts.\nParsi urged Iranian and US officials to make “only constructive public statements emphasizing the desire and need for a quick and equitable diplomatic solution” going forward, however.\nIran informed the IAEA it would stop implementing ‘voluntary transparency measures’ under the 2015 nuclear deal.\nTop European and US officials urge Iran to keep allowing UN nuclear inspections to salvage 2015 deal with world powers.\nIran has said the US must end the ‘economic terrorism’ of Trump-era sanctions before it returns to compliance.\nAfter the US lifts sanctions and rejoins the JCPOA, Iran will expect some form of compensation, FM Zarif says.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Iran","International Atomic Energy Agency"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["continue its “necessary” verification and monitoring activities for up to three months, but there will be less access and no more snap inspections starting on Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tehran"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"May_2021 Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan agree to a new ceasefire following border clashes, which includes withdrawing troops from the border. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urges both countries to honor the agreement. (Al Jazeera) (Trend News Agency)","document":"Ceasefire announcement came after reports of fresh shooting and troop build-ups in the aftermath of border clashes.\nKyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have agreed what they called a complete ceasefire after reports of fresh shooting and troop build-ups in the aftermath of border clashes earlier this week that killed 49 people and injured dozens.\nThe heads of the countries’ state security bodies announced the agreement in a joint briefing on Saturday in Kyrgyzstan hours after Kyrgyzstan’s border guard service said Tajik troops opened fire on Kyrgyz vehicles on their side of the border.\nThe presidents of the two Central Asian nations also spoke on the phone on Saturday to discuss further steps, their offices said.\n“The tragedy that happened in the border area must never happen again,” Saimumin Yatiyev, head of Tajikistan’s State National Security Committee, said as he stood next to his Kyrgyz counterpart Kamchybek Tashiyev.\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone with his counterparts in both countries, urging them to stick to the ceasefire agreement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.\nKyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which are former Soviet republics, host Russian military bases and consider Moscow a strategic ally.\nKyrgyzstan had earlier on Saturday accused neighbour Tajikistan of building up troops and military equipment near their border, following the clashes near the de facto Tajik enclave of Vorukh.\nKyrgyzstan’s border guard service also said Tajik troops opened fire on Kyrgyz vehicles near a Kyrgyz village.\nOne Kyrgyz area populated by thousands of people remained cut off from the rest of the country, border guards said, because Tajik troops were blocking a road that crosses disputed territory.\n.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Kyrgyzstan","Tajikistan"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a complete ceasefire"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kyrgyzstan"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"December_2017 Apple Inc. and Ireland agree on an interim deal to put €13 billion in an escrow fund for the repayment of back taxes, starting early 2018. Still, both parties refute that the alleged \"sweetheart\" corporate tax deals were illegal. In 2016, the European Commission found that an unfair advantage of €13 billion is to be reimbursed. (SiliconRepublic)","document":"Although both Apple and the Irish Government are challenging the European Commission’s levelling of a major fine against the company, Apple will now begin lodging unpaid taxes into an escrow account.\nFrom early next year, Ireland will begin collecting the €13bn ($15bn) in back taxes.\n‘We expect that the money will begin to be transmitted into the account from Apple across the first quarter of next year’\n– PASCHAL DONOHOE, TD\nIn 2016, the European Union (EU) ordered the Irish Government to retrieve the billions of euros that the EU claims Apple avoided paying, thanks to alleged sweetheart deals.\nAfter finding that Apple enjoyed a special agreement of sorts with the Irish Government, €13bn was the value EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager put on the arrangement.\n“This selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1pc on its European profits in 2003, down to 0.005pc in 2014,” she said at the time.\nApple CEO Tim Cook dismissed any wrongdoing, saying: “It’s maddening. It’s disappointing. It’s clear it comes from a political base and has no basis in fact.”\nWhile Ireland is challenging the judgement by Vestager, it is expected to collect the money in the meantime. Ireland had already missed a deadline to begin collection a year ago.\n“We have now reached agreement with Apple in relation to the principles and operation of the escrow fund,” Ireland’s Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, TD, told media in Brussels today (4 December).\n“We expect that the money will begin to be transmitted into the account from Apple across the first quarter of next year.”\nThe agreement is understood to be in response to the threat of legal proceedings against Ireland over the non-collection of the back taxes so far. Ireland is also battling perceptions that it has become a sort of ‘fiscal paradise’ used by corporations to avoid paying taxes.\nThe Irish Government is understood to be seeking to appoint an investment manager and custodian to operate the account.\nThe core of the issue is that both Apple and Ireland claim that the tech giant was fully compliant with Irish sovereign tax rules.\nThe case is likely to rumble on for several years while the €13bn languishes in an escrow account.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Apple","the Irish Government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Apple will now begin lodging unpaid taxes into an escrow account.\nFrom early next year, Ireland will begin collecting the €13bn ($15bn) in back taxes"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"July_2007 The United States and India confirm a deal on nuclear co–operation. (BBC)","document":"A statement released by both sides described the deal, which has been held up in negotiations for two years, as a \"historic milestone\".\nThe deal guarantees India fuel supplies for its civilian programme, and allows it to reprocess spent fuel.\nIndia denied it would use the deal to  expand its nuclear weapons programme.\nIndia's National Security Adviser MK Narayan said: \"We are not using it as an excuse to enhance our strategic capabilities.\"\nNicholas Burns, US undersecretary of state and chief US diplomat at the talks, said that the agreement would \"liberate our two countries for a new engagement\".\nIndia said the deal did not cover the question of whether it had a right to carry out nuclear tests.                             NUCLEAR POWER IN INDIA\n                        India has 14 reactors in commercial operation and nine under construction\nNuclear power supplies about 3% of India's electricity\nBy 2050, nuclear power is expected to provide 25% of the country's electricity\nIndia has limited coal and uranium reserves\nIts huge thorium reserves - about 25% of the world's total - are expected to fuel its nuclear power programme long-term\nSource: Uranium Information Center\nGlobal nuclear powers\n\"This deal deals primarily with civil nuclear co-operation,\" MK Narayanan said. \"If there is a test we will come to that later on.\"\nMuch debate\nThe deal means that India will get access to US civilian nuclear technology if it opens its facilities to inspection. Critics say the pact could encourage India to build its nuclear weapons arsenal, and that it sends the wrong message to countries like Iran, whose nuclear ambitions Washington opposes. It has also faced opposition from the communists and opposition parties in India who have argued that the deal could undermine the country's sovereignty.                             COUNTDOWN TO AGREEMENT\n                        July 2005: India and the US announce the deal\nMarch 2006: Deal \"finalised\" in Delhi during visit of US President George W Bush\nJuly 2006: US House of Representatives approves deal\nNovember 2006: US Senate votes in favour of deal July 2007: US and India finalise negotiations\nBut supporters of the accord say it will help India meet its soaring energy  demands by reversing three decades of US sanctions, imposed after nuclear tests were carried out by India in 1974 and 1998.\nThe implementation agreement, or \"123 agreement\", is designed to  include all operational aspects of the deal, which its supporters say will galvanise strategic ties between the world's two biggest  democracies.\nBefore it takes effect, the finalised deal must be approved by the US Congress, while India needs clearance from the Nuclear Suppliers Group of countries.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["India","US"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["July 2007"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["guarantees India fuel supplies for its civilian programme, and allows it to reprocess spent fuel"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2007 Argentina signs an \"energy security treaty\" with Venezuela in Buenos Aires. (BBC)","document":"Speaking in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, he announced the signing of what he called an \"energy security treaty\" with Argentina.\nMr Chavez said he intended to sign similar treaties with Uruguay, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Bolivia.\nVenezuela regularly uses its large oil and gas reserves as a tool to help broker deals with other countries.\nThe deal with Buenos Aires came at a good time for Argentina - which is currently suffering a severe winter and fuel shortages. 'Dracula' jibe\nMr Chavez used a speech at the end of his trip to Argentina to launch a verbal attack on Washington.\n\"The United States has 5% of the world's population, but it consumes more than 20% of the energy used in the planet,\" he said.\nHe described the US as having an \"insatiable voracity\", before comparing the country to Count Dracula - sucking more than its fair share of fuel from the world's reserves.\n\"The US has a very serious problem. Its oil reserves won't last for many more years. It has used up its own reserves, and it has used up the reserves of half the world.\" Mr Chavez said the country's insatiable appetite for oil had led it many times to impose its will on Latin America at the point of a gun.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Argentina","Venezuela"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["energy security treaty"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["energy security"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Buenos Aires"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"August_2007 Five Iraqi Shia, Sunni and Kurdish political parties sign a deal forming a new \"Moderates Front\" supporting Prime Minister  Nouri al–Maliki (BBC)","document":"The accord was the second step towards rebuilding Iraq's political process, Mr Maliki said, after four Kurdish and Shia parties formed a new alliance.\nA committee formed by the parties had \"accomplished some solutions\", he said.\nMr Maliki has been criticised in recent days by US politicians, but the White House hailed Sunday's deal as \"an important symbol\" of unity in Iraq.\n\"We congratulate Iraq's leaders on the important agreement reached today in Baghdad... [and] their commitment to work together for the benefit of all Iraqis,\" said a statement issued from President George W Bush's Texas ranch. 'Sense of movement'\nIssues under discussion between Iraqi politicians include holding provincial elections and easing a ban on former Baath party members in the civil service and military.\nAfter the meeting, Mr Maliki appeared at a news conference alongside Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Sunni Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi, Shia Vice-President Adel Abdul-Mahdi and Massoud Barzani - president of the Kurdish region.\nBut nothing suggests that the rebuilding of a broad-based government is necessarily any closer, the BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Baghdad says.\nMr Hashemi said he had taken part in the talks as vice-president but did not indicate his Iraqi Islamic Party was about to join the moderate Shia-Kurdish alliance. The news conference seemed intended more to give a sense of movement than to convey the substance of significant agreement, our correspondent adds.\nThe deal has been pushed by the US as a key step on the path to national reconciliation in Iraq.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Mr Maliki hit back at senior US politicians who have called for him to be removed from office, singling out senators Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin. He said the Democratic senators were acting as if Iraq was \"their property\" and that they should \"come to their senses\" and \"respect democracy\". US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and US ambassador Ryan Crocker are expected to report to US Congress in mid-September on progress in Iraq since the troop surge.\nThe introduction of 30,000 extra troops - completed in mid-June - was supposed give the Iraqi government extra time to make political progress. Mr Maliki said a negative report by Gen Petraeus would not cause him to change course, but he expected the general to \"be supportive of the government\".","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Kurdish","Shia","Sunni"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the second step towards rebuilding Iraq's political process"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Baghdad"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Richard Tingler on charges of armed bank robbery","document":"Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Richard Tingler, age 56, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, on charges of armed bank robbery and brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence.  The sentence was imposed on April 6, 2021. The sentence plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD). According to his plea agreement, on January 23, 2019 and February 1, 2019, Richard Tingler and his co-defendant David Gollahon committed two-armed bank robberies in Baltimore, Maryland, with co-defendant Richard Adams serving as the getaway driver in each robbery.  During each of the robberies, Tingler and Gollahon brandished firearms and threatened bank employees.  Specifically, on January 23, 2019, Adams drove Tingler and Gollahon in a gray Hyundai Accent car that he had rented two weeks earlier, to a bank located in the 3600 block of Boston Street in Baltimore.  Tingler carried a loaded black .45-caliber firearm and Gollahon carried a loaded black .380-caliber firearm and both men wore ski masks to disguise their identities.  Tingler also carried a black leather duffel bag. After entering the bank, Tingler approached the victim teller, pointed his firearm at her and demanded $100 dollar bills and “loose bills” from the bottom drawer of the till.  Meanwhile, Gollahon held the other bank employees and customers at gunpoint in the lobby area of the bank.  He told the bank employees and customers, “don’t move.”  Tingler took more than $7,000 in cash from the victim teller.  Tingler and Gollahon then ran away, accidentally dropping more than $5,000 in cash as they ran through a parking lot.  They got into the waiting gray Hyundai Accent car driven by Adams, and drove away. On February 1, 2019, Adams drove Tingler and Gollahon in a 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo, which was registered to Adams, to a bank located in the 2900 block of O’Donnell Street in Baltimore.  Tingler and Gollahon each had the same firearm they had used in connection with the January 23, 2019 bank robbery, and their faces were covered.  After entering the bank, Tingler and Gollahon approached the teller window.  Tingler pointed his firearm at the teller and demanded $100 bills.  The victim teller handed over cash from the till, but Tingler continued to demand more money.  At the same time, Gollahon approached the teller line with his firearm pointed in the direction of the tellers and bank customers.  In response to the demands for more cash, the victim teller and a co-worker went to the bank’s vault and removed more cash, which they provided to Tingler and Gollahon, along with a GPS tracker, which was activated.  Tingler and Gollahon then fled the bank and got into the 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo driven by Adams, who was waiting for them.  Adams drove the Monte Carlo away from the bank.  Law enforcement received GPS information concerning the location of the GPS tracker taken from the bank, which they relayed to Baltimore Police Department (BPD). BPD officers stopped the vehicle.  Adams, Tingler, and Gollahon were ordered out of the vehicle and arrested.  At the time of his arrest, Gollahon had the same firearm he used during the robbery on his person.  Law enforcement searched Adams’ car and recovered a blue backpack containing the cash taken during the robbery, the GPS tracker, and the firearm carried by Tingler during both bank robberies.  Later that day, law enforcement searched Adams’ residence in Essex, Maryland and seized Gollahon’s gray hooded sweatshirt and the black leather duffel bag carried by Tingler during the January 23, 2019 robbery.  Tingler was detained pending trial. During the period of his pre-trial detention, Tingler was heard on lawfully recorded jail calls stating that he “robbed a bank” and that it “didn’t work out.” On a separate call, Tingler admitted that the cash taken from the bank “had a GPS in it.” On another call, Tingler described in more detail the banks he robbed, stating that he robbed two banks in Canton, and that he wouldn’t have gotten caught if he hadn’t taken a GPS tracker. Co-defendants David Gollahon, age 59, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Richard Adams, age 60, of Essex, Maryland, were sentenced to 13 years in federal prison and 90 months in federal prison, respectively. Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI, the BPD, and the BCPD for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Riley and Daniel Loveland, Jr., who prosecuted the case.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["45-caliber firearm"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Richard Tingler and his co-defendant David Gollahon","Richard Tingler"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["January 23, 2019 and February 1, 2019"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Baltimore, Maryland"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["more than $7,000 in cash","more than $5,000"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Edward Omar Johnson commits five bank robberies","document":"Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell today sentenced Edward Omar Johnson, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland to 141 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing five bank robberies and two attempted bank robberies in Baltimore and York, Pennsylvania, between February 27, 2019, and March 19, 2019.  During each robbery, Johnson presented the victim teller with a demand note stating that he had a firearm. The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Muldrow of the York City (Pennsylvania) Police Department. According to his plea agreement, on February 27, 2019, Johnson robbed a bank in the 400 block of West Baltimore Street in Baltimore and robbed the same bank again on March 12, 2019.  On March 4 and March 5, 2019, Johnson unsuccessfully attempted to rob banks in the 300 block of West Baltimore Street and the 2100 block of Eastern Avenue, both in Baltimore.  On March 5, 2019, Johnson robbed a bank located in the 2000 block of East Monument Street in Baltimore.  On March 12, 2019, Johnson robbed a second bank located in the 1100 block of North Charles Street in Baltimore.  Finally, on March 19, 2019, Johnson robbed a bank in the unit block of West Market Street in York, Pennsylvania, throwing the demand note at the teller, then reaching into the victim teller’s cash drawer and stealing $430 in cash.  In that robbery, Johnson also inadvertently took a GPS tracker hidden in bait money, which he threw in a nearby dumpster. On March 14, 2020, the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force issued a media release of the robbery surveillance images captured during the robberies in Maryland.  The Baltimore Police Department subsequently received an anonymous tip that the robber was Johnson.  Law enforcement obtained prior photos of Johnson which matched the physical appearance of the suspect in the bank robberies.  On March 22, 2019, the York City Police Department located and arrested Johnson in York, Pennsylvania.  A search of Johnson recovered a bank robbery demand note, the language of which was consistent with the language in the notes used in previous robberies.  Johnson waived his rights and during an interview with law enforcement admitted committing the robberies and identified himself in surveillance photos from the robberies.  Later investigation revealed the existence of Johnson’s latent fingerprints on the demand notes he left behind after the attempted bank robbery and successful bank robbery on March 5, 2019, and the two March 12, 2019, bank robberies. Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner praised the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the York City Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who prosecuted the case.","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":["Edward Omar Johnson"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["March 5, 2019","between February 27, 2019, and March 19, 2019","March 4 and March 5, 2019","March 12, 2019"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in the 400 block of West Baltimore Street in Baltimore","a bank in the unit block of West Market Street in York, Pennsylvania","300 block of West Baltimore Street and the 2100 block of Eastern Avenue","2000 block of East Monument Street in Baltimore"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["430"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"An Illinois man in connection with a Massachusetts bank robbery","document":"BOSTON – An Illinois man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 in connection with a Massachusetts bank robbery and an Illinois bank robbery. Eugene Davis, 54, of Chicago, Ill., pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Sept. 9, 2021. In July 2019, Davis was indicted on the Massachusetts bank robbery. In March 2021, Davis was charged in the Northern District of Illinois with an unrelated bank robbery, and the case was recently transferred to this District for plea and sentencing purposes. According to the charging documents, Davis robbed a branch of the East Boston Savings Bank in South Boston on June 3, 2019. Davis walked into the bank pulling a suitcase and handed a handwritten demand note to the teller. The note said that there was a bomb in the bag, that everyone was going to die and to please put all the money into Davis’s hand. The teller took $6,055 cash out of the teller drawer and gave it to Davis who placed it in his shirt and walked out of the bank. Davis was apprehended later that day and ultimately confessed to committing the bank robbery and to writing the note used in the bank robbery. On May 22, 2019, Davis robbed a Chase Bank in Chicago, Ill. Davis entered the bank pulling a wheeled suitcase and handed the teller a demand note. The note stated that Davis had a bomb, demanded money and threatened that no dye packs be included or they would all die. The teller provided approximately $3,460 in cash to Davis who then departed the bank with the money. The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Chicago Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.","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":["Eugene Davis"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a branch of the East Boston Savings Bank","a Chase Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June 3, 2019","May 22, 2019"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Chicago","South Boston"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["6,055 cash"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"JOHN SCOTT BROOKS robbed a bank","document":"OKLAHOMA CITY – This afternoon, a federal jury in Oklahoma City found JOHN SCOTT BROOKS, 55, of Lawton, guilty of bank robbery involving a fake bomb, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. According to evidence at trial, on March 23, 2020, Brooks pulled up to the drive-through teller lane at the Southwest Oklahoma Federal Credit Union located at 6714 West Gore Boulevard, Lawton, Oklahoma, and placed a fake bomb in the teller drawer.  He immediately showed the teller a timer, which was counting down. Brooks then attempted to get away with the robbery by altering the appearance of his vehicle, creating a cover story, and erasing electronic information from his cell phone. Evidence at trial included bank surveillance footage of the robbery, a bank robbery list found at Brooks’ residence, and a vehicle image comparison analysis performed by an FBI forensic examiner.  Multiple witnesses testified that they recognized Brooks in the still photo of the surveillance footage taken from the robbery.   The trial lasted two days and the jury deliberated approximately two hours before finding Brooks guilty of one count of bank robbery.  He was acquitted on a count of making a bomb threat.   At sentencing, Brooks faces up to twenty-five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and mandatory restitution.  Sentencing will take place in approximately 90 days.  Mr. Brooks has been in custody since his arrest on April 2, 2020. This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau Investigation’s Oklahoma City Field Office and the Lawton Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wilson D. McGarry and Stan West prosecuted the case.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a fake bomb"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["JOHN SCOTT BROOKS"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Southwest Oklahoma Federal Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March 23, 2020"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester"]},{"role":"Location","values":["6714 West Gore Boulevard, Lawton, Oklahoma"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"ANTHONY HALL robbed a bank","document":"Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ANTHONY HALL, 60, of Montville, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of bank robbery. According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2011, Anthony Hall was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 87 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for robbing four Connecticut banks in 2008 and 2009.  He was released from federal custody in January 2016. On September 13, 2019, while on federal supervised release, Hall robbed the Eastern Savings Bank, located at 666 West Main Street in Norwich, of approximately $2,400. Hall has been detained since his arrest on related state charges in October 2019. Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for July 6, 2021, at which time Anthony Hall faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for the bank robbery offense, and additional penalties for violating the conditions of his supervised release. This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Norwich Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.","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 Norwich Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["ANTHONY HALL"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["four Connecticut banks","Eastern Savings Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["April 2011","2008 and 2009"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["666 West Main Street in Norwich"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["approximately $2,400"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Freddie Lee McRae committed a series of robberies in 2018 and 2019","document":"ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Washington, D.C. man was sentenced today to 21 years in prison in connection with a series of armed robberies that he conducted at multiple banks and a retail store in northern Virginia in 2018 and 2019. According to court documents, Freddie Lee McRae, 35, committed a series of robberies in 2018 and 2019. On November 13, 2018, McRae robbed a Wells Fargo bank branch located in Alexandria. McRae handed a teller a note that demanded money, indicated he had a firearm, and threatened to “[k]ill [a]ll [b]ankers” if the teller did not comply. McRae pointed a firearm at two tellers before fleeing with approximately $8,750 in cash. “This case involved a chilling armed robbery spree during which innocent community members were threatened with serious injury or death if they did not comply with repeated demands for money,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are thankful to our law enforcement partners for their thorough investigation across multiple jurisdictions to bring the defendant to justice, including apprehending him after he jumped out of a moving vehicle prior to it crashing and sinking into the Potomac River.” “The FBI, along with our partners at every level of law enforcement, are committed to protecting the public from the most egregious and violent criminals who terrorize the community,” said James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “Today’s significant sentence demonstrates the seriousness and threat McRae posed to businesses and people in our community. The sentence is the result of teamwork among our partners to hold him accountable and prevent future violence.” On December 10, 2018, McRae robbed a Burke & Herbert bank branch located in Alexandria. McRae approached a teller, who asked if he wanted to make a deposit. McRae responded, “gimmie your money,” before lifting up his shirt and pulling a pistol from his waistband, which he pointed at the teller. As the teller gathered money, McRae racked the slide on the pistol and demanded all large bills. McRae fled with approximately $1,366 in cash. On April 21, 2019, McRae robbed the Legend Kicks & Apparel store located in Arlington. McRae brandished a pistol and demanded that two store employees empty their pockets, which they did. McRae then ordered the employees to lie on the floor before taking approximately $2,160 in cash that belonged to the store. McRae fled the store on foot and the area by vehicle. When a law enforcement officer tried to pull over the vehicle, McRae stopped only briefly before leading law enforcement officers on a vehicle pursuit on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. McRae ultimately jumped out of his moving vehicle prior to it crashing and sinking into the Potomac River. McRae tried to flee law enforcement by jumping into the river, but officers pulled him out and placed him under arrest. As part of his guilty plea, McRae also admitted to robbing a Bank of America branch in Springfield on October 27, 2018; a BB&T branch located in Alexandria on December 20, 2018; and a Capital One branch located in Bowie, Maryland, on January 2, 2019. McRae further admitted to attempting to rob a Capital One branch located in Arlington on February 11, 2019, and to obstructing justice following his apprehension. The bank robberies that McRae admitted to committing were investigated by the FBI as part of the “Beltway Bank Bandit” series. Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Acting Chief Andy Penn, Arlington County Chief of Police; Michael L. Brown, Alexandria Chief of Police; and David M. Rohrer, Fairfax County Interim Chief of Police and Deputy County Executive for Public Safety, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Northern Virginia Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force, which is composed of FBI Special Agents and Task Force Officers from northern Virginia law enforcement agencies. Significant investigative assistance in this case was provided by the Arlington County Police and the Fairfax County Police. The task force is charged with identifying, investigating, and disrupting the most egregious and violent criminal actors within northern Virginia. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Smalky and Alexander E. Blanchard prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-268.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["firearm"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Freddie Lee McRae"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Wells Fargo bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2018","2019"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Alexandria","northern Virginia"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["8,750"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Mooroopna man to front court over bank robbery","document":"A Mooroopna man is due to appear in court today over a bank robbery in the town yesterday. Police allege the 35-year-old man entered the ANZ bank on McLennan Street with a weapon just before 4:00pm AEDT. Detective Justin Shultz says the man stole money and ran away, but was arrested shortly afterwards during a police search of the area. The four staff in the bank at the time were not injured. The man has been charged with armed robbery and is due to appear in Shepparton Magistrates Court today. Shepparton police are also investigating reports of a burglary at a business in Wyndham Street about 5:30am. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a weapon"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["the 35-year-old man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the ANZ bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detective Justin Shultz"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Mooroopna","McLennan St"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Four jailed over botched bank robbery","document":"Four people have been jailed for the botched robbery of an Auckland bank which police have likened to a scene from the comedy movie Dumb and Dumber. Those arrested include the bank's manager, who helped hatch the plot for the heist then pretended to be a victim. Former US Marine and Gulf war veteran Mark Scott was sentenced to six-and-half years and his wife Vanessa and two accomplices five-and-half years each for the bungled robbery in June. Scott was holding a meeting with members of his staff when the other three burst into the building armed with filleting knives and a drink bottle containing petrol. They tied up the tellers with masking tape and tried to escape with thousands of dollars in cash, but the police, alerted by a passer-by, had already surrounded the bank. Their investigations quickly established a link between the manager, his wife and the other bandits. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["filleting knives and a drink bottle containing petrol"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["the bank's manager"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Four people"]},{"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":["thousands of dollars in cash"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Police investigate bank robbery with sledgehammer","document":"Gold Coast police are continuing investigations into the robbery of a bank at the Isle of Capri yesterday. Two men menaced staff at the Suncorp Bank after smashing their way through a rear window with a sledgehammer and crowbar. Detective Inspector John Hartwell says it is important bank staff do not try to fight back. \"Under these circumstances we advise people to comply, you don't know or realise how desperate some of these people can be so the best option is to comply and allow the police to carry out their investigations,\" he said. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a sledgehammer and crowbar"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Gold Coast police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Suncorp Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detective Inspector John Hartwell"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank at the Isle of Capri"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Bank robbed Tuesday afternoon in Gainesville","document":"Gainesville — Wednesday evening, Police say they arrested 60-year-old Jay Edward Cocuzzo, and charged him with one county of robbery and two counts of attempted robbery.  -- Around 1:30 PM Tuesday, Gainesville Police say a  man robbed the PNC Bank at NW 43rd Street and Newberry Road.  Police say the suspect told a teller he had a bomb, and demanded all of the $100 and $50 bills. Police say the teller gave him money, which he put into a white plastic bag.  They say he then left the bank.  They did not explain what kind of transportation he used to get away. Gainesville Police say this person robbed the PNC bank  at 4340 Newberry Road (Courtesy: Gainesville Police) Police say they are looking for the suspect.  They did not say how much money the man received.  Police say they are following up on leads, and evaluating evidence.  If you recognize this person, Police ask you to call detectives at 352-872-2101, or crime stoppers at 352-372-7867.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a bomb"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Gainesville Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jay Edward Cocuzzo"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the PNC Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday evening","Around 1:30 PM Tuesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["NW 43rd Street and Newberry Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Brazil bank robbers dig 600-meter tunnel in Sao Paulo","document":" Brazilian police have thwarted the country's biggest attempted bank robbery. A gang of 16 people allegedly dug a sophisticated 600-meter tunnel equipped with lights. A criminal gang dug a 600-meter (2000-foot) tunnel in an attempt to rob 1 billion reais ($318 million, €270 million) from a bank. They were thwarted by police shortly before completing the heist. The tunnel entrance was in a nook in a rental house. The 16 participants pooled their money to pay for the tunnel, reaching about $1.27 million, police alleged. The tunnel was accessed through a 2 meter-deep ladder. The tunnel itself was about 1.5 meters high, was reinforced with iron beams and wood and lined with plastic, and was even wired with lights. The rental house was filled with food, water, special clothing and digging tools. The gang had spent four months digging the tunnel. Police arrested the gang members and a court ruled they should be held ahead of their trial. A criminal gang dug a 600-meter (2000-foot) tunnel in an attempt to rob 1 billion reais ($318 million, €270 million) from a bank. They were thwarted by police shortly before completing the heist. The tunnel entrance was in a nook in a rental house. The 16 participants pooled their money to pay for the tunnel, reaching about $1.27 million, police alleged. The tunnel was accessed through a 2 meter-deep ladder. The tunnel itself was about 1.5 meters high, was reinforced with iron beams and wood and lined with plastic, and was even wired with lights. The rental house was filled with food, water, special clothing and digging tools. The gang had spent four months digging the tunnel. Police arrested the gang members and a court ruled they should be held ahead of their trial. Brazilian police this week foiled a criminal plot to rob a bank of 1 billion reais ($318 million, €270 million euros) using an enormous secret tunnel. A team of 16 prospective bank robbers had dug a tunnel nearly 600-meters (2000 feet) long, running from a nearby rental house to a Sao Paulo branch of government-owned Banco do Brazil. The Sao Paulo state Public Safety Department said on Tuesday the gang had been under surveillance for three months before the tunnel was discovered. The gang allegedly spent about $1.27 million building the tunnel, with the cost split among its participants. Read more: Military police gain precarious control after Brazil prison chaos Work on the tunnel began four months ago and the project was impressively equipped. Police allege the leader of the gang was a 35-year-old woman implicated in an attempted robbery of a security van in Paraguay. The court ruled the group be held in pre-trial detention. The group dug the tunnel by hand, loading the soil into sacks and carrying it through a fork in the tunnel to an underground storm water drain, El Globo reported.  Long drug tunnel found in US-Mexico border city Tijuana To enter the tunnel, gang members descended a two meter ladder from one of the rooms in the rented house. The tunnel was about 1.5 meters high and was reinforced with iron beams and wood, and was even wired with lights. The walls were lined with plastic garbage bags to reduce the dust, the national daily reported. The house was reportedly filled with food, water, special clothing and digging tools. Police were probing whether the gang had the assistance of a engineer when building the tunnel, local daily Agora reported. The tunnel renewed memories of a tunnel robbery 12 years ago when thieves made off with about $70 million. On that tunnel, diggers worked in shifts from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m., taking a break on weekends, Estadao reported in 2015. Three gang members involved in that attempt were involved in two separate prison escapes using tunnels equipped with ventilation and lighting. aw/rc (AP, AFP) After 17 years of construction, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is finally ready for operation. Some 28 million tons of rock were carved out of the Swiss Alps by massive boring machines, and the leftover debris was then used to make concrete and form the smooth tunnel walls. Inaugural train rides are planned for June 1, but normal operations won't commence until another 3,000 test drives are completed. A key advantage of the new Gotthard tunnel is the flat surface of its tracks, making it easier for heavier trains to travel between Erstfeld and Bodio with fewer engines - and do so at higher speeds. This will make it possible for 260 freight trains to pass through the tunnel in a day, compared to the 180 that made their way through the old Gotthard tunnel. In all, 2,600 people came together to work on the Gotthard Base Tunnel project, including engineers, geologists and contractors. Together, they chalked up 4 million man-hours. The Swiss, true to their reputation for precision and punctuality, finished the project a year ahead of schedule and only marginally overbudget. With the Gotthard tunnel's completion, Switzerland dethrones Japan as having the world's longest underground railroad passage. Opened in 1988, the Seikan tunnel was commissioned after a devastating typhoon sank five ferry boats. Eager for a safer way to cross the Tsugaru Strait, the Japanese carved a 53.9-kilometer tunnel through a major earthquake zone. An engineering marvel in its own right, the Gotthard tunnel is seven kilometers longer than the Channel Tunnel, which has been recognized as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Also known as the Eurotunnel, this 50.5 kilometer-long link between Great Britain and France also has one of the longest undersea sections in the world (37.9 kilometers). Gotthard's tenure as the longest rail tunnel in the world may be over by 2026. That's when construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel is slated for completion. The Brenner tunnel will stretch 64 kilometers and is aimed at relieving congestion on the popular - and highly trafficked - Brenner Pass (pictured). Many German engineers worked on the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which finished sooner than expected and with only minor cost overruns. That feat is in stark contrast with some major construction projects in Germany, notably Berlin's new airport, whose opening is already four and a half years behind schedule, due to sloppy project management and a series of major engineering mistakes by contractors.  Author: Chris Cottrell Motivated criminals in Brazil dug an enormous tunnel in an attempt to grab hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank. (04.10.2017)","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Brazilian police","The Sao Paulo state Public Safety Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A gang of 16 people"]},{"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":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Masked man escapes on foot after robbing Key Bank on James St., police say","document":"A man in a mask robbed the Key Bank on James Street Friday afternoon. (Google Street View) Syracuse, N.Y. — A man wearing a facemask entered the Key Bank on James Street, handed a teller a demand note and fled on foot with cash, police said. The robbery was reported at about 3:50 p.m. at 2801 James St., Syracuse police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Malinowski said. The man reportedly told the bank teller that another man had a gun and would shoot them if they didn’t hand over the cash, according to Onondaga County 911 Center dispatches. The man took an unknown amount of cash and fled eastbound on foot, Malinowski said. Police ask anyone with information about the robbery to call the Syracuse Police Department at 315-442-5222. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Syracuse police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Key Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Sgt. Matthew Malinowski"]},{"role":"Location","values":["James Street","at 2801 James St."]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Police searching for Cornwall attempted bank robbery, Sharon bank robbery suspect","document":"State Police are looking for the man accused of robbing a bank in Sharon on Monday. CORNWALL, Ct. (WFSB) - Police arrested one suspect, Jay William Puzinski, and are searching for another in connection to an attempted robbery at the National Iron Bank in Cornwall, and a bank robbery in Sharon, on Aug. 6. Western District Major Crime Detectives responded to the robbery.  The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic man with dark hair and a small to medium build. Anyone with information is asked to call Connecticut State Police Troop B in North Canaan @ 1-800-497-0403. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["State Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jay William Puzinski"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the National Iron Bank in Cornwall"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday","Aug. 6"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Sharon","a bank in Sharon"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Toccoa PD: Georgia bank robbery suspect arrested in Tennessee on Saturday","document":" . seek to previous            12… 6 seek to 10%, 20% … 60% Law enforcement found the suspect in Tennessee and connected him to the crimes. GAINESVILLE, GA (FOX Carolina)- The Toccoa Police Department says that a suspect accused of robbing two banks in Georgia last week was arrested in Tennessee on Saturday. Officers identified the suspect as 42-year-old Sidney Allen McCollum from Pickens County. He was arrested in Chattanooga, TN, on August 14, 2021. Officers located McCollum after A Be On The Look Out notification was given for a possible drunk driver in the area, according to officers. One officer said they spotted McCollum pulling into a restaurant parking lot, and they arrested him inside the building. They later identified the suspect as McCollum. Toccoa Bank Robbery Suspect (Toccoa Police Department / August 11, 2021) McCollum was still driving the truck that he allegedly stole in Pickens County, SC, according to officers. McCollum is currently being held in Hamilton County, TN. He will face extradition to Stephens County and Hall County in Georgia for charges related to the bank robberies. He will also face extradition to Pickens County in South Carolina for theft and domestic violence charges.  On Friday, officers said they responded to a Wells Fargo along Thompson Bridge Road after a hold-up alarm went off. Officers determined during an investigation that a man passed a note to an employee demanding money. Officers say the suspect used no weapons during the incident, and the suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.  Gainesville officers confirmed that McCollum was the suspect that they believe was responsible for this incident.  Last Wednesday, officers with the Toccoa Police Department said they were searching for a suspect accused of taking money from a bank along Big A Road. According to Stephens County Emergency Management (SCEM), the suspect was identified as McCollum.  Police said McCollum entered the Northeast Georgia Bank and passed the teller a note, and demanded money. Police said he left the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.  SCEM officials said he was driving a white 1997 Ford F-350 four-door truck that he stole in Pickens County. SCEM officials described McCollum as 5'10, 210 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.  TPD says they recieved help from the Stephens County Sheriff's Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigations, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Gunn at the Toccoa Police Department at 706-282-3281, Investigator Kent at the Pickens County Sheriff's Office at 864-898-5534 or GBI Agent Crane at 1-800-597-8477.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Toccoa Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["truck"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["42-year-old Sidney Allen McCollum"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Northeast Georgia Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last week"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Georgia","a bank along Big A Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"'Dumb and Dumber' bank robbers jailed","document":"A judge in the United States has jailed two Australian men for robbing a bank in the Colorado ski resort town of Vail in March. The bumbling robbery earned the pair the nickname 'Dumb and Dumber'. Luke Carroll, 19, was sentenced to five years in jail and 20-year-old Anthony Prince was sentenced to four-and-a-half years. The two men grew up together in northern New South Wales and were in the US on a working holiday when they robbed the bank in March. The media have dubbed the pair 'Dumb and Dumber' because of the number of clues they left. The two men were regular customers at the bank and their Australian accents made them easily identifiable to the tellers. During the robbery, the pair also wore name tags from the sports store where they worked. Both men have expressed regret for their actions and have apologised to the two bank tellers who were on duty at the time. ","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":["Luke Carroll","20-year-old Anthony Prince"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["March"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in the Colorado ski resort town of Vail"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Bank robbers go underground to steal $85m","document":"Thieves have dug a 200-metre long tunnel to break into a Brazilian bank's safe, stealing at least $85 million in the biggest bank heist in the country's history. The thieves penetrated the Banco Central bank in the north-eastern city of Fortaleza on the weekend via the tunnel. \"The crime was discovered Monday morning,\" the bank said in a statement. Banco Central said the robbers opened five containers with 50-real ($28) bills. Police sources said the robbers operated from a house where they created a fictitious gardening company, which allowed them to get rid of earth they dug without suspicion. The four-metre deep tunnel was lined in plastic and had electric lights and a floor. Police speculated that there must have had about 20 thieves, but did not immediately say that they had questioned any suspects. \"They worked for several months,\" police said. \"The gardening company was working since March. They had sophisticated equipment, including (global positioning systems) and experts in math, engineering and excavation.\" -AFP ","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 Banco Central bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the weekend"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the north-eastern city of Fortaleza"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["at least $85 million"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Court jails Albany bank robber","document":"A man who robbed the National Australia Bank in Albany has been sentenced to almost four years in prison. Glen Andrew Mitchell, 37, stole almost $10,000 when he held up the bank on York Street in February. He was arrested a few days later after an intensive manhunt when police raided a local backpackers' hostel. Mitchell pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to a charge of armed robbery and was sentenced to three years and eight months in jail. He was not made eligible for parole. ","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":["Glen Andrew Mitchell"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["National Australia Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Albany","York Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["almost $10,000"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Australian pleads guilty to US bank robbery","document":"A 19-year-old Australian has pleaded guilty of robbing a bank in a Colorado ski resort with a friend, part of a saga of blunders that earned them the nicknames \"dumb and dumber\" in some sections of the Australian media. Jeff Anthony Prince, formerly of the NSW north coast, has admitted that he and fellow Australian Luke Carroll, stole $170,000 from the Weststar Bank in Vail, about 160 kilometres west of Denver, in late March. The 19-year-old Carroll is scheduled to plead guilty to the same charge next week. Local media reported the pair took photos of themselves with the stolen money and left a trail of clues. They were apprehended two days after the robbery at Denver's international airport as they were heading to Mexico. Prince will 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":["Jeff Anthony Prince","fellow Australian Luke Carroll"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Weststar Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["late March"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Vail, about 160 kilometres west of Denver","Colorado ski resort"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["170,000"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Police investigating armed robbery at a Scone bank","document":"Around 11.15am (AEDT) a man armed with a shotgun entered a bank on Kelly Street at Scone, and threatened attendants. He was handed cash before leaving the scene in a blue vehicle, which headed west on Kingdon Road. Police say none of the bank attendants were injured. The man is described as being of a large build, wearing a blue hooded jumper with grey long pants, white joggers, black and grey-coloured camouflage pattern hooded jacket. Detectives from Hunter Valley Local Area Command are urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers. 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 shotgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a blue vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Around 11.15am (AEDT)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detectives from Hunter Valley Local Area Command"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank on Kelly Street at Scone"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Yass man arrested over bank robberies","document":"Police have arrested a man over several bank robberies in southern New South Wales and Canberra. Australian Federal Police officers arrested the 39-year-old Yass man in his home town yesterday. He has been charged with offences over two bank robberies in Goulburn in January and March of this year, in which he was believed to have been armed. He has also being linked to an April robbery of a Canberra bank. ","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 39-year-old Yass man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["January and March of this year"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["southern New South Wales and Canberra","two bank robberies in Goulburn"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Bank robbery triggers police manhunt","document":"Police are examining footage from security cameras to try and identify a man who robbed a bank in Goulburn yesterday morning. Officers say the man was wearing sun glasses, a yellow bandana and a baseball cap as he approached a teller at the National Australia Bank on Auburn Street. Police say he was carrying a handgun, but no-one was injured in the incident. The offender is described as being of stocky build and having a dark complexion. ","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":["the man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["National Australia Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in Goulburn","Auburn Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Drunken Finns jailed for botched bank robbery","document":"Three drunken Finns, whose attempt at robbing a bank was so disastrous they ended up discussing a loan with the branch manager, have been sent to jail. The three men in their 50s were all heavily drunk and unmasked when they entered the bank in November last year, shouting they were committing a robbery. They demanded $80,000 and one wielded a gun. However, the judge heard the bank manager was able to convince them to discuss taking out a loan instead, giving them a $10 advance and telling them to come back in 10 minutes to sign the papers. They did not return but were arrested later the same day at the home of one of the would-be robbers. ","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":["Three drunken Finns"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["November last year"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Absent-minded bank robber overpowered after losing keys","document":"A bank robber on the Greek island of Rhodes was overpowered by the bank's customers and staff when he returned to the scene of the crime to look for keys which he had left behind, the Greek media reported. The 41-year-old man had walked out of the bank with around 15,000 euros which he forced a cashier to hand over at gunpoint. But seconds later, he went back to look for the ignition keys to his hired getaway motorbike. Bank staff, who had recovered from the shock of the robbery, found the courage to overpower the robber to prevent him escaping a second time. ","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":["his hired getaway motorbike"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The 41-year-old man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Greek island of Rhodes"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["around 15,000 euros"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Man charged over bank robbery","document":"Police have charged a 35-year-old man with robbery in relation to the hold-up of the Commonwealth Bank in Alice Springs yesterday. Police say the man allegedly told a teller he was armed, and demanded money. The teller raised the alarm and police arrested the man as he left the bank. Police say they recovered a quantity of cash. The man is due to appear in court later today. ","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 35-year-old man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Commonwealth Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Alice Springs"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Bus hijacked after Berlin bank robbery","document":"German police say at least one armed man has taken the passengers of a Berlin public bus hostage after a bank robbery. Shots were heard inside the bus, according to police, who managed to force the vehicle to a stop in the Schoeneberg district and surround it shortly after 11:00am local time (7:00pm AEST). A bus company spokesman says the bus had been hijacked more than an hour earlier in Berlin's southerly Steglitz district and had then been driven through the streets. Police say the hijacking followed the armed robbery of a branch of Commerzbank, Germany's fourth largest bank, in Steglitz. \"The hostage taker or takers are armed and the passengers' lives are in danger,\" a police spokeswoman said. They have urged people to stay away. Police could not immediately say how many passengers were aboard the bus, what kind of weapons the hijacker or hijackers had or what their demands were. It is unclear how much money was stolen. \"The robber or robbers came in and demanded money. They did not harm any customers or any Commerzbank employees,\" a spokesman said. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["German police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a branch of Commerzbank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["a police spokeswoman"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Minister allegedly doubles as bank robber","document":"A church minister from Oklahoma in the United States has been charged with bank robbery after he allegedly held up several banks near his parish and used the church van to escape, a federal agent said. Warren Preston Brown, 41, a minister at the Bible Baptist Church in Norman in Oklahoma, was arrested on Thursday local time for allegedly robbing a local credit union, FBI Special Agent Gary Johnson said. Mr Brown was charged with bank robbery in federal court a few hours later, Mr Johnson said. In an affidavit submitted to the court, the preacher admitted to robbing five other banks in the area, he said. While at the Oklahoma Educators Credit Union, Brown allegedly handed a teller a note that read \"all the money now. 60 seconds - 100s, 50s, 20s - No talking,\" Mr Johnson said. The FBI followed Mr Brown to the credit union after a witness from another bank robbery identified the minister on surveillance tapes, he said. FBI agents arrested Mr Brown, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses, as he left the credit union and tried to enter a church van, Mr Johnson said. Mr Johnson would not comment on a motive for the robberies. If convicted, Mr Brown could be sentenced to at least three years in prison. Mr Brown's attorney was not available for comment and his church did not return phone calls. ","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":["the church van"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Warren Preston Brown"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a local credit union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday local time"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["FBI Special Agent Gary Johnson"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Warrants issued for bank robbery suspects","document":"Arrest warrants have been issued for two men from NSW suspected of recent bank robberies in the Riverland, in South Australia's south-east. Local detectives say the men are wanted over the hold-up of the Westpac Bank at Barmera in January and attempted hold-up in March. The men are also suspects in the robbery of the Renmark branch of the National Australia Bank last month. Detective Senior Constable Geoff Carson says the Riverland CIB is working with NSW police to have the men arrested. \"The way the situation works, the warrants have been issued so once these two suspects have been located the interstate detectives will arrest them on our warrants and then we'll go over to NSW and extradite them back to South Australia to face the charges,\" he said. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Riverland CIB","NSW police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["two men from NSW"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Westpac Bank","National Australia Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["January","last month"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detective Senior Constable Geoff Carson"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Riverland, in South Australia's south-east","Barmera"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Two charged after Burleigh Waters Suncorp Bank branch robbed","document":"A man and woman have been charged after a Gold Coast bank was robbed at gunpoint. Security vision released by police shows two people entering the Suncorp Bank at Burleigh Waters just before 3:00pm on Thursday wearing dark leather jackets and motorcycle helmets. It is alleged the pair drew firearms and demanded money from a teller after approaching the front counter of the bank on West Burleigh Road. They allegedly fled the bank with cash after the teller complied with their demands. Police say they fled the scene on a dark-coloured motorbike with an L-plate on the back. Detective Acting Inspector Chris Tritton said at this point, witnesses tried to intervene. \"On their way to the bike, they were chased by members of the public who observed them and some footage was obtained,\" he said. \"No doubt they've acted on the spur-of-the-moment on their own instinct and that is a brave action.\" The pair may have travelled along Dunlin Drive at Burleigh Waters and may have been pushing the motorcycle. A 30-year-old Southport man was charged with armed robbery as well as possessing methylamphetamine and possessing utensils or pipes. A 22-year-old woman from Southport was charged with one count of armed robbery. They are due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on September 30. Anyone with further information has been asked to contact Policelink on 131 444. ","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":["a dark-coloured motorbike"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Suncorp Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["before 3:00pm on Thursday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detective Acting Inspector Chris Tritton"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Burleigh Waters"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Police probe crash, attempted bank robbery","document":"Renmark police, in south-east South Australia, are still investigating yesterday's car accident between a police officer and a motorist on the junction of the Loxton to Alawoona and Loxton to Morook roads. Both drivers suffered minor injuries, but the police car was written off after it rolled twice, with damage estimated at $60,000. Meanwhile, staff of the Westpac Bank at Barmera were shaken up yesterday afternoon after a man jumped the teller counter trying to steal money from the cash draw. Luckily for staff and customers, the man was unarmed and nobody was hurt during the incident. The man escaped empty handed. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Renmark police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Westpac Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday afternoon after"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Barmera"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Katherine branch of Bendigo Bank allegedly robbed by two unidentified men","document":"An alleged rural bank robbery saw two would-be crooks walk away with four $5 notes and others \"likely\" covered in pink ink which exploded from three dye detonators. Northern Territory Police say the thieves robbed the Katherine branch of the Bendigo Bank in the early hours of Saturday morning. Police say the men forced their way into the closed bank after smashing the glass front door at about 3:45am. NT Police put out a statement on the incident calling for information to help identify the intruders who \"stole a number of items including three security dye packs which were hidden between $50 notes and appeared to be bundles of money\". \"Four $5 notes were also stolen,\" police said in the statement. Superintendent Daniel Shean branded the attack as \"opportunistic\", as opposed to a planned robbery, and said a forensic team was now working to gather evidence. \"The CCTV has been viewed in relation to trying to track movements prior to and after the incident,\" he said. \"It's probable that's there's going to be some forensic evidence at the scene that will also assist us in the investigation … we'd be looking at DNA and fingerprints.\" Police said the alleged offenders would likely have \"unwittingly detonated\" the hidden dye packs, \"which release a fine pink powder that stains upon contact\". \"The staining will have the appearance of pink ink and is extremely difficult to remove from skin and clothing,\" the statement said. \"The men, and the stolen money notes, are likely to have significant visible staining.\" The two men had their faces and heads concealed during the alleged robbery, and were wearing dark clothing. \"As soon as they make attempts to separate the notes, the dye does explode over the person that is handling that cash,\" Superintendent Shean said. Superintendent Shean said the alleged robbers would have been \"very frustrated\" with their minimal haul. \"It is a lot of effort they've gone to for not much gain,\" he said. \"Ultimately at the end of the day, the cash amount they've gotten away with was very, very minimal, and the fact that they're going to be sustaining a pink dye on them … they'd be very frustrated in their efforts.\" After the incident, police said the pair fled in the direction of Katherine's central Ryan Park. \"Anyone with information, or persons who may have witnessed this incident, are urged to notify police on 131 444,\" police said. Last December, a Bendigo Bank branch in rural Victoria was subjected to extensive damage after thieves used an excavator to break through the front wall to steal cash. 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":["Northern Territory Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["two would-be crooks"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Katherine branch of the Bendigo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["early hours of Saturday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["four $5"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Donald Trump: Italian brothers arrested after cash machines robbed by men in president masks","document":"Italian police have arrested two brothers suspected of robbing dozens of cash machines while wearing masks of US President Donald Trump. The brothers, Vittorio and Ivan Lafore, aged 26 and 30, targeted cash machines near the northern Italian city of Turin. In closed circuit footage of one of the robberies, one of the brothers in a Trump mask is seen covering the surveillance cameras in the lobby of a bank and planting an explosive in the cash dispenser. He then ducks around a corner after lighting the fuse, just before a violent blast. The stunt evokes the 1991 film Point Break starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, in which a gang of surfers don masks of former US presidents while robbing banks. But in a statement police said the brothers had been inspired by a different film. \"Inspired by the film The Jackal, whose protagonist — played by Bruce Willis — changes the colour of his car because police are in pursuit, the two brothers painted their [white] Mercedes black,\" the statement said. ","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 brothers, Vittorio and Ivan Lafore"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["cash machines near the northern Italian city of Turin"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Man deported from UK charged over alleged robberies of Sydney banks, service stations in 1980s","document":"A notorious robber allegedly responsible for a string of bank robberies in the 1980s has been refused bail at Sydney's Parramatta Court. Ian Steele allegedly carried out armed robberies across Sydney banks, services stations and financial institutions. The 58-year-old from the UK was arrested at Sydney Airport by strike force detectives yesterday after being deported from the United Kingdom. Representing himself on Saturday, Steele said he intended to plead guilty to all his outstanding matters, adding he wanted them finalised as soon as possible. Steele has also been charged with escaping lawful custody in 1983 and 1986. Police said the alleged robberies extended across an area of Sydney including Bankstown, Summer Hill, Carringbah, Drummoyne, Chippendale and Glebe, between 1982 and 1987. Former Detective Superintendent Brian Harding, who was in the NSW Police armed hold-up squad for most of the 1980s, remembers arresting Steele. \"We got him up at Kings Cross, we had surveillance on him and we just created one of those mobile traffic jams where he boxed his vehicle in and we arrested him without incident,\" Harding told ABC News. \"There were no dramas and I think we charged him with eight or nine armed robberies, but then he later escaped from custody and went to Victoria.\" ","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":["Ian Steele"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Sydney banks"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the 1980s"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Armed robbery at Victor Harbor as police search for man with gun who fled on foot","document":"Armed robbery at Victor Harbor as police search for man with gun who fled on foot Keep up to date with the latest COVID-19 exposure sites in Queensland Police are searching for a man believed to be carrying a gun who robbed a bank at Victor Harbor south of Adelaide. Detectives said the man told staff he had a gun when he entered the Bank SA branch on Ocean Street about 1:15pm. No-one was injured and police said no-one saw a weapon. The man fled with cash and was last seen on foot opposite the bank. He is described as 183 centimetres tall, weighing 80 to 90 kilograms with a slim build, light brown complexion and was wearing black sunglasses and dark clothing. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"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":["Bank SA branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["about 1:15pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank at Victor Harbor south of Adelaide"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"Former bank teller Anna Hein avoids jail over inside job bank heist at Bank SA Mannum branch","document":"Former bank teller Anna Hein avoids jail over inside job bank heist at Bank SA Mannum branch Keep up to date with the latest COVID-19 exposure sites in Queensland Former bank teller Anna Hein, 38, has avoided jail after facing court for her role in the robbery of a bank she was working at. Justin Robert Lundberg was found guilty of aggravated robbery and false imprisonment in 2012 for the December 2009 robbery of Bank SA's Mannum branch in which he stole $120,000. Lundberg was jailed for seven years and 10 months for the theft. The District Court heard Hein was besotted with Lundberg - who was a former employee of the bank at the time of the robbery - when she helped him rob the branch in what was dubbed an inside job. The court heard Hein was in the bank at the time of the robbery along with another teller who was bound, gagged and terrorised. Hein remained at Lundberg's side during the robbery and helped provide him access to the money. More than half of the money has been recovered but more than $50,000 is still missing. Hein was found guilty of aggravated robbery in May 2013 but won a re-trial on appeal. The jury at her second trial was unable to reach a verdict and part-way through her third trial this week she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of assisting an offender to escape apprehension. Judge Paul Muscat said Hein betrayed her colleague and abused the trust of her employer. \"You were initially thought to be a victim of the robbery by police,\" Judge Muscat said. \"You did not come clean and tell police that the robber was Justin Lundberg.\" Judge Muscat said Hein became \"besotted\" with Lundberg while they were working together at the Bank SA Murray Bridge branch. Judge Muscat said Hein had continued her friendship with Lundberg by phoning and visiting him in prison up until 2013. \"Your loyalty and friendship of Justin Lundberg continued during 2012 and 2013 when he was in prison. You would telephone him there and visit,\" he said. \"[Your lawyer] informs me that you no longer have contact with him and for your sake I hope you can stay strong and avoid him. \"He has clearly influenced you to act in a way that goes against your character.\" Hein spent about six weeks in custody after her arrest and around four months in prison after being found guilty in her first trial. Judge Muscat said he would take that into consideration during sentencing, but warned Hein her actions were very serious. \"In my view your crime calls for a sentence of imprisonment. I'm not satisfied that the time you've already served is sufficient penalty for what you did.\" But he said taking into account time served, her lack of prior convictions and the effect time in prison would have on her mental health, the 14-month sentence could be suspended on condition she entered into a $500 18-month bond to be of good behaviour. \"It is likely that had you not spent any time in prison that I would have come to a very different conclusion,\" Judge Muscat 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":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Justin Robert Lundberg"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bank SA's Mannum branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 2009"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["More than half of the money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["120,000"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Former Sydney floor trader admits to robbing banks during his lunchbreak after 'getting boozed'","document":"A former Sydney floor trader has admitted to leading a \"double life\" in which he would \"get boozed at lunch time\" and rob banks in the 1970s, court documents show. He stopped robbing banks and gambling after getting a \"really good job\" in 1979 Ross Oliver McCarty, 70, last week pleaded guilty in the Downing Centre to four robbery charges related to a string of hold-ups across Sydney in 1977 and 1978. But it wasn't until 2018 — more than 40 years later — that McCarty was charged after detectives re-opened the unsolved cases and used fingerprint analysis to track him down. A statement of agreed facts before the court reveals McCarty told detectives his work as a floor trader meant he did not keep strict hours. \"So I'd get boozed at lunch time and go and do it,\" he is quoted as saying in the agreed facts. \"Those were boozy days … everybody would drink at lunch time.\" Last week, two of his charges were withdrawn, while another four — for which he has not yet entered pleas — have been transferred to the District Court. McCarty was initially charged over eight robberies in which a total of $12,693 was stolen, usually between $1,000 and $2,000 at a time. The banks he targeted included ANZ, Commercial, the Bank of NSW, National Bank and the Rural Bank. The agreed facts said that McCarty, in his late 20s at the time, carried a water pistol and wore various disguises including sunglasses and moustaches. The documents also said he sported felt, tweed, straw or terry towelling hats and produced hand-written notes on withdrawal slips, warning tellers he was armed and demanding they give him sums of cash. \"No funny business,\" one of the notes threatened. Detectives used fingerprint analysis on the notes in November 2018 and matched McCarty's prints to ones taken from him in relation to unrelated matters in 2011. He was arrested the following month at his home in Edgecliff and told police in an interview he was \"not going to be clever about it\" and would cooperate. According to the statement of agreed facts, McCarty said he robbed the banks because he was losing money gambling and needed to cover both that and living expenses. He said he would go to an illegal casino in Bondi to play blackjack and drink free alcohol. \"I used to lap it up and it kind of snowballed … the more I did the worse I felt about the whole thing and [it] was leading a double life,\" he told police, according to the agreed facts. According to the court documents, when asked what he did with his robbery disguises McCarty explained he would \"dump those and just walk back to the office\". \"Often I'd be passing as the hold-up squad went the other way,\" he is quoted as saying. According to the agreed facts, the only person McCarty had ever told about his crimes was his sponsor in Alcoholics Anonymous, who he claimed \"took it with him to the grave\". McCarty said he stopped robbing banks when he stopped gambling and got a \"really good job\" in 1979. He is due to face the NSW District Court next week. ","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":["Ross Oliver McCarty"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["ANZ, Commercial, the Bank of NSW, National Bank and the Rural Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1977 and 1978"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["a total of $12,693"]}]}
{"event_trigger":"Former stock trader Ross McCarty jailed for robbing banks after 'getting boozed' during lunchbreak","document":"A former stock trader who drunkenly robbed Sydney banks more than four decades ago has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail. Ross McCarty, now 71, admitted to police he had a double life in which he would \"get boozed at lunch time\" for the hold ups in 1977 and 1978. Using a water pistol and disguises including fake moustaches and sunglasses, McCarty wrote his demands for cash on withdrawal slips handed to tellers. He wasn't arrested until 2018 when the case was reopened and fingerprint analysis on the notes turned up a match in the police database. District Court Judge Sarah Huggett on Friday said McCarty committed the crimes as an \"intelligent and educated\" man in his late 20s, with both planning and purpose. \"They were deliberate, intended and motivated by financial gain.\" She sentenced McCarty to a total term of three-and-a-half years with a non-parole period of one year and nine months. McCarty pleaded guilty to four robberies and another four hold ups were taken into account for the sentence. His targets included ANZ, Commercial, the Bank of NSW, National Bank and the Rural Bank, and he would usually get away with $1,000 or $2,000 at a time. Last week, McCarty read a letter addressed to the victims during a sentence hearing, apologising for the \"terror inflicted\" on them. \"My circumstances at the time made it easy to delude myself into thinking my appalling actions were justified,\" he said. \"I wrongly thought that being polite and using words like 'please' and 'thank you' would let you know that I didn't mean harm.\" McCarty owed significant debts to illegal gambling clubs in Sydney at the time and when he failed to pay up, thugs visited his office, threatened him with violence and warned him they knew where his wife lived. \"While his gambling may well explain his offending, his moral culpability is not reduced to any quantifiable extent by his gambling or alcohol use,\" Judge Huggett said. The court heard McCarty's gambling went hand in hand with alcoholism, but he had not had a drink or placed a bet in over 30 years. McCarty was diagnosed with adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at the age of 60. \"The effect of medication was immediate and transformative, it stops the madness and activity, and enables some focus,\" he said last week. McCarty also told the court that his wife of five decades knew nothing of his offending until he was charged and that she was \"another victim\". \"My greatest concern about returning to prison is the situation with my wife and her physical and mental wellbeing, as she doesn't have a huge support network,\" he said. McCarty currently works as a project manager and his boss has offered to re-hire him after any jail term. Court documents revealed McCarty told police his AA sponsor had been the only other person aware of his offending — and that person took it with them to the grave. McCarty will be eligible for parole in March 2022. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a water pistol and disguises"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Ross McCarty"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["ANZ, Commercial, the Bank of NSW, National Bank and the Rural Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1977 and 1978"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2020 A majority of members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines elect Lord Allan Jay Velasco as Speaker of the House of Representatives, unseating incumbent Alan Peter Cayetano amidst the political dispute over the Speakership outside the Session Hall of the Batasang Pambansa Complex. Cayetano declares Velasco's election as \"illegal\" and maintains that he is the Speaker. (AP via CNA)","document":"MANILA: A large faction of Philippine legislators in the House of Representatives elected a new leader on Monday (Oct 12), but the incumbent speaker declared the vote a “travesty” in a tense political standoff between two allies of President Rodrigo Duterte.\nDuterte warned last week that he would intercede if the leadership row between House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Representative Lord Allan Velasco threatens the passage of next year's budget. \nThe 4.5 trillion peso (US$90 billion) budget is crucial in helping finance the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in a country with the largest number of confirmed infections in Southeast Asia.\nThe dispute, however, took a turn for the worse when Velasco’s supporters gathered in person and online on Monday in a sports club in Quezon City in the capital region, declared Cayetano’s position vacant and elected Velasco to replace him.\nCayetano and his allies declared in a news conference at the House that the vote for Velasco violated the law and the rules of the 300-member legislative chamber, which is dominated by Duterte’s allies. \nThey mocked Velasco and his supporters for holding a session in a sports club outside Congress and said they used a fake mace, a symbol of House authority.\n“They’re throwing away the constitution, they are asking for a revolutionary government,” Cayetano said. “What happened today is really a travesty.”\nCayetano’s camp says it has the backing of 205 legislators. \nIt asked Velasco to identify the 186 lawmakers his camp claims voted him to the speakership, along with a new House secretary-general and sergeant-at-arms.\nDuterte has called for a special session of the House starting on Tuesday to hasten the passage of the national budget, but it’s unclear how that will occur with two rival speakers claiming the post.\nRepresentative Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr, a close Cayetano ally, said if Velasco can prove he has the support of a majority of the lawmakers, Cayetano’s camp will agree that he get the speakership in a legal House procedure after the budget is passed.\n“We’re lawmakers. We’re starting to become a laughing stock because those who attended there are showing they’re lawbreakers. Let us not destroy the institution,” Villafuerte told reporters.\nDuterte brokered a power-sharing deal last year in which Cayetano would assume the speakership for 15 months until this month, to be followed by Velasco, who would serve as speaker for the remaining 21 months.\nCayetano recently offered to step down, but his camp said a majority of lawmakers voted to reject his resignation.\nAfter Cayetano steered the initial approval of the budget, his camp abruptly suspended congressional sessions, pre-empting Velasco’s assumption of the speakership under the power-sharing deal. \nSeveral lawmakers protested that the suspension blocked them from scrutinising the budget, including crucial appropriations for the Department of Health, which is spearheading efforts to contain COVID-19 outbreaks.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Lord Allan Velasco"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["Monday (Oct 12)"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["House of Representatives"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["leader"]},{"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":"October_2020 Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wins a second term in a historic landslide. Ardern's Labour Party becomes the first party to win a majority since the proportional system was introduced in 1996. (TVNZ) (NBC News)","document":"Labour has taken election 2020 in a landslide – coming in with 49 per cent of votes (64 seats) to National’s 26.9 per cent (35 seats). \nJacinda Ardern will remain New Zealand's Prime Minister, with almost all of the preliminary votes counted. \nThe Labour tide swept through New Zealand, pulling many traditionally strong National electorate seats into Labour Party hands.\nIt has slashed the previous number of National MPs in Parliament down to just 35 - only nine candidates will come in as list MPs. \nPreliminary results for election 2020:\nLabour - 64 seats - 49% National - 35 seats - 26.9% ACT - 10 seats - 8% Green - 10 seats - 7.6% Māori Party - 1 seat - 1%\nArdern walked into the Auckland Town Hall tonight to the sound of screaming supporters.\nThis is a modal window.\nBeginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.\nEnd of dialog window.\nYour playlist will load after this ad\n“Thank you,” she told the jubilant crowd.\n“Tonight, New Zealand has shown the Labour Party the greatest support in at least 50 years.”\nThis is a modal window.\nBeginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.\nEnd of dialog window.\nYour playlist will load after this ad\nShe said the party now has a mandate to \"accelerate\", pledging to rebuild New Zealand stronger following the Covid-19 pandemic.\nTalking to National Party supporters, leader Judith Collins thanked her voters.\nThis is a modal window.\nBeginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.\nEnd of dialog window.\nYour playlist will load after this ad\n“Boy – we knew this was going to be tough, but you kept the faith.\n\"National will re-emerge a stronger, disciplined and more connected party.\n“Congratulations on your result,” Collins said Ardern.\nWinston Peters’ NZ First was knocked out of Parliament, potentially ending the former Deputy Prime Minister’s political career, which saw him first enter Parliament in 1978.\nThis is a modal window.\nBeginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.\nEnd of dialog window.\nYour playlist will load after this ad\nACT has pulled in a total of 10 MPs, giving leader David Seymour colleagues after years of being a lone MP.  \nThe Green Party and Māori Party both won an electorate seat, the first for the Greens since 1999 and the second ever in the party’s history.\nLabour held 43 electorates, up from 29 in the previous Parliamentary term, and National won 26, down from 40 in the previous term (not including Botany). \nLabour did lose a seat to the Māori Party, with Waiariki taken from Labour, bringing the party back into Parliament.\nNelson – the seat held by National’s Nick Smith since 1996 - has seen Labour’s Rachel Boyack win the seat.\n\"National has had a king tide against it,\" Smith said tonight. He said there were some \"big questions for National\", but he would deal with that another day. \nRangitata, the once strong National seat held by disgraced former MP Andrew Falloon, saw a swift shift to Labour, with Jo Luxton gliding in ahead of National’s Megan Hands.\nAuckland Central turned Green, the party had only previously held an electorate seat for one term, with the late Jeanette Fitzsimmons holding Coromandel in 1999. Chlöe Swarbrick has narrowly defeated Labour’s Helen White, taking Auckland Central from National, who held it previously under Nikki Kaye.\n“This is the campaign we always dreamed of. I’m so proud of everyone who is here. We’ve put our heart and our soul into it,” Swarbrick told 1 NEWS early on.\nOne win for National has been the return of the Botany electorate after former MP Jami-Lee Ross left the party and was an independent MP, with former Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon set to come into Parliament. \nIlam’s swing to Labour has taken it from National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee.\nGinny Anderson took the tight seat of Hutt South back from National’s Chris Bishop, who held it for a term.\nPaula Bennett’s old seat Upper Harbour went red.\nHamilton East and West, East Coast, New Plymouth, Northcote, Tukituki, Wairarapa and Whanganui also were lost to Labour candidates. The new electorate seat of Takanini was also won by Labour.\nFormer National leader Simon Bridges said the results were “grim”.\n“I can’t think of a worse night except for possibly 2002 - but look, it’s grim.\"\nThe results are the preliminary count, with special votes to be released in the next 10 days.\nIt has been a long election, with New Zealand’s second Covid-19 resurgence pushing back the election from September 19 to October 17.\nCollins has said she intends to stay on as Opposition leader.\nVoting booths closed at 7pm today – however almost two million people cast their vote before election day. In 2017, 2.6 million people voted, with 1.2 million voting early. \nThe advance votes were counted from 9am today.\nBallots cast on election day are counted from 7pm and results released by the Electoral Commission as they come in.\nOnly the party and electorate votes were counted today, not the referendum ballots. Instead, the preliminary referendum results will be released by the Electoral Commission on Friday, October 30.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Jacinda Ardern"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["Prime Minister"]},{"role":"Position","values":["New Zealand's Prime 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}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2020 Pope Francis announces the creation of 13 new cardinals, including the elevation of Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington who will become the first African-American cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. The elevation is scheduled to occur on November 28. (The Washington Post)","document":"ROME — Pope Francis will elevate Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington to cardinal next month, making him the first African American to hold the title.\nGregory is one of 13 cardinals in the new class Francis announced Sunday, a promotion that comes as he is trying to rebuild trust in an archdiocese rocked by sexual abuse cases.\nThe move was widely anticipated; Washington archbishops are typically elevated to cardinal after their appointments. But it is nonetheless symbolically significant in the U.S. Catholic Church, where Black people have been underrepresented among the leadership.\nWho is Wilton Gregory?\nThe new cardinal is a \"caring pastor, a quiet leader and a courageous voice when Washington and the country need all three,\" said John Carr, who worked with Gregory for 20 years when Carr was a lobbyist for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.\n\"At a time when racism is tearing our country apart, he has been a consistent, persistent voice for the dignity of all — for Black lives and for racial justice and reconciliation,\" said Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. \"We need healing, and for Pope Francis to recognize his leadership is a hopeful sign.\"\nGregory, 72, was appointed archbishop of Washington last year to take over for Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who had been accused of mishandling clerical abuse cases. As a cardinal, Gregory will be eligible to vote in any papal election until he reaches the cutoff age of 80.\nFrancis announced the names of his new cardinals from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, where he delivers his Sunday Angelus. The Vatican said the ceremony to elevate the new cardinals, called a consistory, would take place Nov. 28, but it was unclear whether tightening coronavirus restrictions in Italy might interfere.\nAmong the other new cardinals, four are already over 80, according to the Vatican. The new cardinals include Marcello Semeraro, an Italian who was recently appointed head of the church's saint-making body, and Antoine Kambanda, the archbishop of Kigali, Rwanda.\nGregory has long been among the most prominent Catholic leaders in the United States, having led the conference of bishops in the early 2000s, when it was making its first attempt to draw up anti-abuse guidelines. Gregory was archbishop of Atlanta before coming to Washington.\n\"With a very grateful and humble heart, I thank Pope Francis for this appointment which will allow me to work more closely with him in caring for Christ's Church,\" Gregory said in a statement, according to the Catholic Standard, the Washington Archdiocese's newspaper.\nWilton Gregory, America’s only Black Catholic archbishop, goes from diplomat to detractor in the wake of George Floyd’s death\nThe Catholic Church has a strong presence in Washington's Black community, including its sizable middle class. Black Catholics make up about 13 percent of the Washington Archdiocese — which includes D.C. and its Maryland suburbs — compared with about 3 percent for the nation as a whole. Many Black city leaders are Catholic or went to Catholic schools, including Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and her predecessors Adrian Fenty (D) and Anthony A. Williams (D); D.C. Council members Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7) and Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large); and Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D).\nFrom his purview in the nation's capital, Gregory has faced challenges beyond the church in a year of rising racial tensions nationwide — including some that have played out in his new city.\nOne of the most visible occurred this summer, when President Trump and the first lady visited a D.C. shrine to Pope John Paul II. The visit came days after law enforcement used rubber bullets and tear gas to clear peaceful protesters outside of the White House so Trump could have a controversial photo op in front of St. John's Church holding a Bible.\nGregory said of the shrine and its leadership that it was \"baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we might disagree.\"\nIn a statement then, Gregory noted that Pope John Paul II would not have condoned Trump's actions at St. John's.\n\"Saint Pope John Paul II was an ardent defender of the rights and dignity of human beings. His legacy bears vivid witness to that truth,\" Gregory said. \"He certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace.\"\nHistoric D.C. church where Trump stood with a Bible becomes a symbol for his religious foes\nGregory was also among Catholic leaders in Maryland this summer who signed a \"letter on racial justice\" that highlighted Black Catholics who have, over the centuries, led efforts for justice — even when the institutional church was lagging and resistant.\n\"With regret and humility, we must recognize that as Catholic leaders and as an institution we have, at times, not followed the Gospel to which we profess and have been too slow in correcting our shortcomings. For this reason, it is incumbent upon us to place ourselves at the forefront of efforts to remove the inequalities and discrimination that are still present in Maryland and our nation today,\" the letter read. \"Prayer and dialogue, alone, are not enough. We must act to bring about true change\" on issues including health care, housing and criminal justice reform.\nThe question for Gregory is how — or if — he should step out more in D.C., and now nationally as cardinal, at a time of intense division. The divisions among Catholics in the United States mirror the population as a whole. Whether on issues of race, abortion, Trump or a border wall, Catholics are divided based on partisanship — not on the teachings of their church.\nGregory's critique of Trump's actions this summer, for instance, drew criticism from a conservative Catholic publication.\nAnthea Butler, a religious history professor at the University of Pennsylvania, pushed back against such criticism and described Gregory as consistently moderate and mainstream. His higher profile, she said, will allow him to speak out strongly and command the respect of the title of cardinal.\n\"This gives him a lot more power to say certain things, especially with regards to race,\" said Butler, who writes about race and the Catholic Church. \"He will be a voice for social justice and a voice in the middle of the pandemic, talking about poverty.\"\nGregory's historic promotion was celebrated Sunday at many Catholic services in the D.C. region. When the Rev. Everett Pearson shared the news at Mass, his predominantly Black congregation in Maryland stood to applaud and shouted with joy before pausing to say a prayer for Gregory.\nPearson called the elevation long overdue and said that Black Catholics have for too long been \"placed in the back of the church, their culture drowned out by a Euro-Catholic standard.\"\n\"We finally have someone who looks like me, who grew up like me and can embrace his African American heritage,\" said Pearson, who leads Mount Calvary Catholic Church in Forestville. \"We've now got an opportunity to at least come to the table.\"\nGregory happened to lead a service at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Largo, Md., on Saturday. Bishop Roy Campbell, who leads the church, said Gregory is accessible and open, and Campbell hopes he \"continues to speak the truth.\"\nBefore coming to Washington, Gregory was known for being diplomatic and mild-mannered. He has since become a bit more outspoken in moments that bring together religion, politics and race. After the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, Gregory mentioned similar moments and said incidents of police brutality were \"tragically\" repeating.\nThe killing of Floyd and others, Gregory said, \"clearly\" confirms \"that racism still endures in our country.\"\nGregory, whose parents were Baptist and who converted as a child to Catholicism, has been a pioneer. He was one of the youngest bishops when he was named as one at age 36, and is still the country's only Black archbishop. He has been known as a moderate on political issues, including race.\nHowever, experts on the history of Black Catholicism say he embraced the spiritual revolution taking off after the 1960s. In the 1980s, Gregory helped create a hymnal that would become the standard for Black parishes. But he did not side with the aims of a more radical group of Black priests who declared the church \"a White racist institution,\" said Matthew Cressler, a religious studies professor at the College of Charleston who wrote a book about Black Catholicism in the United States.\n\"It's a given he lives with contentment and doesn't draw attention\" to race, Monsignor Kevin Irwin, a professor and former theology school dean at Catholic University, who became close friends with Gregory in 1975 while they were doctoral students in Rome, told The Washington Post for a profile last year.\nBoorstein and Marimow reported from Washington.\nWilton Gregory, America’s only Black Catholic archbishop, goes from diplomat to detractor in the wake of George Floyd’s death\nHistoric D.C. church where Trump stood with a Bible becomes a symbol for his religious foes\nPope Francis, the anti-Trump of our age\nThe most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["U.S. Catholic Church"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["cardinal"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":["Pope Francis"]},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["72"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]}
{"event_trigger":"October_2020 Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by a vote of 52–48 in the United States Senate and is sworn in as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. She is expected to take the second of two necessary oaths and fully become a Justice on October 27. (NPR)","document":"                    President Trump watches as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administers the constitutional oath to Amy Coney Barrett during a ceremony at the White House Monday evening.\n                                                                        Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images\n                                    hide caption\nPresident Trump watches as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administers the constitutional oath to Amy Coney Barrett during a ceremony at the White House Monday evening.\nThe Senate has voted 52-48 to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, just about a week before Election Day and 30 days after she was nominated by President Trump to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.\nIn a White House ceremony following the vote Monday evening, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the constitutional oath to Coney Barrett. President Trump spoke at the event, thanking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and calling today a \"momentous day\" for America, the constitution and the rule of law. He also praised Barrett's intellect and poise during the confirmation process. Several Republican senators were also in attendance. Barrett must still take the judicial oath.\nWhile Senate Democrats tried to slow down the confirmation process of Trump's third Supreme Court nominee with various procedural maneuvers, the fact that Republicans control the Senate has always meant a Barrett confirmation was all but promised.\n\"The Senate is doing the right thing. We're moving this nomination forward, and, colleagues, by tomorrow night we'll have a new member of the United States Supreme Court,\" Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on Sunday.\nDemocrats railed against the advancement of Barrett's nomination so close to Election Day, after the Republican-led Senate in 2016 refused to hold hearings for then-President Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, nearly eight months before that year's election.\nSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., labeled the nomination process a \"cynical power grab.\"\n\"Nearly every Republican in this chamber led by the majority leader four years ago refused to even consider the Supreme Court nomination of a Democratic president on the grounds ... that we should wait until after the presidential election because the American people deserved a voice in the selection of their next justice,\" he said on Sunday.\n\"My colleagues, there is no escaping this glaring hypocrisy. As I said before, no tit-for-tat convoluted, distorted version of history will wipe away the stain that will exist forever with this Republican majority and with this Republican leader.\"\nBarrett's nomination cleared a procedural hurdle Sunday afternoon when the Senate voted to end debate on the nomination, days after Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee boycotted a vote to advance Barrett's nomination.\nThe only Republicans who voted against the cloture motion on Sunday were Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.\nOn Saturday, Murkowski previewed her intentions, saying she planned to vote against moving the nomination forward procedurally but would vote to confirm Barrett on Monday.\n\"While I oppose the process that led us to this point, I do not hold it against her, as an individual who has navigated the gauntlet with grace, skill and humility,\" she said.\nCollins faces a tough reelection battle and said after Ginsburg's death in September that whoever wins the presidential election should fill the Supreme Court vacancy.\nThe 48-year-old judge's confirmation solidifies the court's conservative majority, potentially shaping the future of abortion rights and health care law for generations.\nDuring a campaign event in Tallahassee, Fla., on Saturday, Vice President Pence said he wanted to return to Capitol Hill in time for Monday's vote.\n\"As vice president, I'm president of the Senate,\" Pence said. \"And I'm gonna be in the chair because I wouldn't miss that vote for the world.\"\nHe ultimately did not attend the vote in person. His presence would have been purely symbolic anyway, as it was not expected that Pence would have needed to cast a tie-breaking vote.\nDemocrats had pushed back against Pence's plan in light of recent positive coronavirus tests of two top staffers in Pence's orbit, and they had similar concerns about Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., two of whose staffers have tested positive for the coronavirus.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Amy Coney Barrett"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["Supreme Court"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["Monday evening"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]}