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TurkishâArmenian War. The TurkishâArmenian war, known in Turkey as the Eastern Operation or Eastern Front () of the Turkish War of Independence, refers to a conflict in the autumn of 1920 between the First Republic of Armenia and the Turkish nationalists, following the signing of the Treaty of Sèvres. After an initial Armenian occupation of what is now eastern Turkey, the army of the Turkish National Movement under Kâzım Karabekir reversed the Armenian gains and further invaded and defeated Armenia, also recapturing territory which the Ottoman Empire had lost to the Russian Empire in 1855 and 1878. The Turkish military victory was followed by Soviet Union's occupation and sovietization of Armenia. The Treaty of Moscow (March 1921) between Soviet Russia and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the related Treaty of Kars (October 1921) confirmed the territorial gains made by Karabekir and established the modern TurkishâArmenian border. Armenia had territorial disputes with the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans had tried to move the Armenians during the Armenian Genocide and occupied the South Caucasus during Summer 1918. Armenia resisted until the Allied forces won WWI. The Ottomans maintained their troops along their territorial gains until Spring 1919. | 1military conflict
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"Loughinisland massacre. The Loughinisland massacre took place on 18 June 1994 in the small village of Loughinisland, County Down, Northern Ireland. Members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group, burst into a pub with assault rifles and fired on the customers, killing six civilians and wounding five. The pub was targeted because it was frequented mainly by Catholics, and was crowded with people watching the Republic of Ireland play against Italy in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. It is thus sometimes called the ""World Cup massacre"". The UVF claimed the attack was retaliation for the killing of three UVF members by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). There have been allegations that police (Royal Ulster Constabulary) double agents or informers in the UVF were linked to the massacre and that police protected those informers by destroying evidence and failing to carry out a proper investigation. At the request of the victims' families, the Police Ombudsman investigated the police. In 2011 the Ombudsman concluded that there were major failings in the police investigation, but no evidence that police colluded with the UVF. The Ombudsman did not investigate the role of informers and the report was branded a whitewash. The Ombudsman's own investigators demanded to be disassociated from it. The report was quashed, the Ombudsman replaced and a new inquiry ordered. In 2016, a new Ombudsman report concluded that there had been collusion between the police and the UVF, and that the investigation was undermined by the wish to protect informers, but found no evidence police had foreknowledge of the attack. A documentary film about the massacre, ""No Stone Unturned"", was released in 2017. It named the main suspects, one of whom was a British soldier, and claimed that one of the killers was an informer." | 2civil conflict
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"Jonestown. The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name ""Jonestown"", was a remote settlement established by the Peoples Temple, a cult under the leadership of Jim Jones, in northwestern Guyana. It became internationally known when, on November 18, 1978, a total of 918 people died in the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and at a Temple-run building in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city. The name of the settlement became synonymous with the incidents at those locations. In total, 909 individuals died in Jonestown, all but two from apparent cyanide poisoning, in an event termed ""revolutionary suicide"" by Jones and some Peoples Temple members on an audio tape of the event, and in prior recorded discussions. The poisonings in Jonestown followed the murder of five others by Temple members at Port Kaituma, including United States Congressman Leo Ryan, an act that Jones ordered. Four other Temple members committed murder-suicide in Georgetown at Jones' command. Terms used to describe the deaths in Jonestown and Georgetown evolved over time. Many contemporary media accounts after the events called the deaths a mass suicide. In contrast, most sources today refer to the deaths with terms such as mass murder-suicide, a massacre, or simply mass murder. Seventy or more individuals at Jonestown were injected with poison, and a third of the victims (304) were minors. Guards armed with guns and crossbows had been ordered to shoot those who fled the Jonestown pavilion as Jones lobbied for suicide. Jonestown resulted in the largest single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act until September 11, 2001." | 2civil conflict
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1971 Open Championship. The 1971 Open Championship was the 100th Open Championship, played 7â10 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Lee Trevino won the first of his consecutive Open Championships, one stroke ahead of Lu Liang-Huan. It was the third of his six major titles and his second consecutive; he won the U.S. Open less than a month earlier in a playoff over Jack Nicklaus. Trevino became the fourth player to win both the U.S. Open and the Open Championship in the same year, joining Bobby Jones Gene Sarazen (1932), and Ben Hogan (1953). Subsequent winners of both were Tom Watson (1982) and Tiger Woods (2000); all six are Americans. Trevino also won the Canadian Open the previous week near Montreal for three national titles in 1971, all won in less than a This was the last major championship of 1971 because the PGA Championship was played in February instead of its traditional date in August. (In 2019 the PGA moved to May.) Trevino's win, therefore, assured that Americans won all four major championships in 1971 (Charles Coody won the Masters Tournament and Nicklaus captured the PGA). This was the fifth time this had happened in golf history. (It has happened five more times since 1971 but none since 1982.) | 0neutral
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"2010 Catalan autonomy protest. The 2010 Catalan autonomy protest was a demonstration in central Barcelona on 10 July 2010 against limitations of the autonomy of Catalonia, and particularly against a recent decision of the Spanish Constitutional Court to annul or reinterpret several articles of the 2006 Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia. The number of people taking part in the demonstration was estimated at between 1.1 million (according to the local police) and 1.5 million (according to the organisers), while Madrid-based newspaper El PaÃs estimated the number of demonstrators at 425,000. The mobilisation was described as ""unprecedented"" by the mayor of Barcelona. The Barcelona daily newspaper ""El Periódico de Catalunya"" described it as ""without a doubt one of the biggest protest marches that has ever occurred in Catalonia, possibly the biggest"". It is thought that the 2012 Catalan independence demonstration involved more people, but this protest brought the dispute to light in the world. The demonstration was led by a banner with the slogan in Catalan ""Som una nació. Nosaltres decidim."" (in English, ""We are a nation. We decide. "")." | 2civil conflict
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EritreanâEthiopian War. The EritreanâEthiopian War, one of the conflicts in the Horn of Africa, took place between Ethiopia and Eritrea from May 1998 to June 2000, with the final peace only agreed to in 2018, twenty years after the initial confrontation. Eritrea and Ethiopia, two of the world's poorest countries, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the war and suffered tens of thousands of casualties as a direct consequence of the conflict. Only minor border changes resulted. According to a ruling by an international commission in The Hague, Eritrea broke international law and triggered the war by invading Ethiopia. At the end of the war, Ethiopia held all of the disputed territory and had advanced into Eritrea. After the war ended, the EritreaâEthiopia Boundary Commission, a body founded by the UN, established that Badme, the disputed territory at the heart of the conflict, belongs to Eritrea. , Ethiopia still occupies the territory near Badme, including the town of Badme. On 5 June 2018, the ruling coalition of Ethiopia (Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front), headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, agreed to fully implement the peace treaty signed with Eritrea in 2000, with peace declared by both parties in July 2018. | 1military conflict
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Cyclone WasaâArthur. Severe Tropical Cyclone WasaâArthur was the first major tropical cyclone to affect French Polynesia and Tahiti since the 1982â83 season. The system was first noted on December 3, 1991 as a shallow tropical depression that was embedded within the monsoon trough, to the north of the Cook Island: Rarotonga. Over the next couple of days the system gradually developed further, before it was classified as a tropical cyclone and named Wasa during December 5. The system gradually strengthened further and acquired hurricane-force winds on December 6, as it performed a small clockwise loop. After completing the loop, Wasa moved southwards before it peaked in intensity during December 8, with sustained wind speeds of 165 km/h (105 mph). Over the next few days the system started to weaken as it passed through the French Polynesian Society Islands, and became the first major tropical cyclone to affect French Polynesia since 1983. During December 12, Wasa passed through the French Polynesian Austral Islands and passed directly over Tubuai, before it degenerated into a tropical depression later that day. However, gale-force winds remained associated with the depression, before the system turned towards the east-northeast and entered into warmer waters near the Tuamotu Islands. During December 14, Wasa regenerated into a tropical depression and was renamed Arthur for various reasons. During that day the system gradually intensified before it reached its secondary peak intensity with sustained wind speeds of 95 km/h (60 mph). During December 15, the system maintained its peak intensity, as it moved through the uninhabited Acteon Group of islands, before during the next day it started to gradually weaken. Arthur degenerated into a shallow depression during December 17, before it was last noted during the next day as it dissipated to the north of the Pitcairn islands. Tourists on the island of Bora Bora were evacuated to a local church, after WasaâArthur had swept high seas into tourist bungalows. Overall the system caused an estimated US$60 million in damage within French Polynesia, with the majority of the damage done between December 9 â 12. The system destroyed or damaged several homes, a variety of crops and damaged several public buildings, hotels, roads and power installations, with the worst affected islands being Bora Bora and Tubuai. On Rurutu island, Moerai harbour was destroyed by a cyclonic swell generated by the system, while the local school and police station were destroyed by high waves. Two people were killed after torrential rainfall from the system caused a mudslide on the island of Moorea, during a night of torrential rain the day after Wasa had made its closest approach to the island. The French Government incurred costs of about FF68 million including FF53 million for the efforts of the French Military. The French Polynesian Government subsequently borrowed FF55 million and built up a fund from local banks of about FF1.5 billion, to help with the reconstruction. The name Wasa was later retired, from the list of tropical cyclone names by the World Meteorological Organization. | 0neutral
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"Action of 27 June 1798. The Action of 27 June 1798 was a minor naval engagement between British and French frigates in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. The engagement formed part of a wider campaign, in which a major French convoy sailed from Toulon to Alexandria at the start of the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. The French frigate ""Sensible"" had been detached from the convoy after the capture of Malta, under orders to carry wounded soldiers and looted treasure back to France while the main body continued to Egypt. The British frigate was one of a number of vessels detached from the main British Mediterranean Fleet in the Tagus River, sent to augment the fleet under Sir Horatio Nelson that was actively hunting the French convoy. Lookouts on ""Seahorse"" spotted ""Sensible"" at 16:00 on 26 June and Captain Edward Foote immediately gave chase, the French frigate fleeing southwards. For 12 hours the pursuit continued until Foote was able to catch and defeat his opponent, inflicting heavy casualties on the weaker and overladen French frigate. Among the prisoners captured was General Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers who had been wounded in the storming of Malta, and among the treasure was an ornate seventeenth century cannon once owned by Louis XIV. The captured ""Sensible"" was initially fitted out as an active warship, but on arrival in Britain in 1799 the ship was downgraded to a transport. The action provided the British with the first conclusive evidence of the French intention to invade Egypt, but despite an extensive search for Nelson's fleet Foote was unable to relay the location of the French to his admiral before the Battle of the Nile on 1 August." | 1military conflict
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Operation Grapple. Operation Grapple was the name of four series of British nuclear weapons tests of early atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs carried out in 1957 and 1958 at Malden Island and Kiritimati (Christmas Island) in the Pacific Ocean as part of the British hydrogen bomb programme. Nine nuclear explosions were initiated, culminating in the United Kingdom becoming the third recognised possessor of thermonuclear weapons, and the restoration of the nuclear Special Relationship with the United States with the 1958 US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement. During the Second World War, Britain had a nuclear weapons project, codenamed Tube Alloys, which was merged with the American Manhattan Project in August 1943. Many of Britain's top scientists participated in the British contribution to the Manhattan Project. After the war, fearing that Britain would lose its great power status, the British government resumed the atomic bomb development effort, now codenamed High Explosive Research. The successful test of an atomic bomb in Operation Hurricane in October 1952 represented an extraordinary scientific and technological achievement, but Britain was still several years behind the United States in nuclear weapons technology. In July 1954, the Cabinet decided to develop the hydrogen bomb. The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston produced three designs: Orange Herald, a large boosted fission weapon; Green Bamboo, an interim thermonuclear design; and Green Granite, a true thermonuclear weapon. The first test series consisted of three tests in May and June 1957. In the first, Grapple 1, a version of Green Granite known as Short Granite was dropped from a Vickers Valiant bomber flown by Wing Commander Kenneth Hubbard. The bomb's yield was estimated at , far below its designed capability. Despite its failure, the test was hailed as a successful thermonuclear explosion, and the government did not confirm or deny reports that the UK had become a third thermonuclear power. The second test was Grapple 2, of Orange Herald. Its yield made it technically a megaton weapon. It was the largest ever achieved by a single stage device. Grapple 3 tested Purple Granite, a Short Granite with some fixes. Its yield was a very disappointing . A second test series was required. This consisted of a single test, known as Grapple X, in November 1957. This time the yield of exceeded expectations. This was a true hydrogen bomb, but most of the yield came from nuclear fission rather than nuclear fusion. In a third series with a single test, known as Grapple Y, in April 1958, another design was tested. With an explosive yield of about , it remains the largest British nuclear weapon ever tested. The design of Grapple Y was notably successful because much of its yield came from its thermonuclear reaction instead of fission of a heavy uranium-238 tamper, making it a true hydrogen bomb, and because its yield had been closely predictedâindicating that its designers understood what they were doing. A final series of four tests in August and September 1958, known as Grapple Z, tested techniques for boosting and making bombs immune to predetonation caused by nearby nuclear explosions. Two of these tests were detonations from balloons; another was a blind radar test drop. A moratorium on testing came into effect in October 1958, and Britain never resumed atmospheric testing. | 2civil conflict
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2014 International Champions Cup. The 2014 International Champions Cup (or ICC) was a friendly association football tournament played in the United States and Canada. It began on July 24 when Olympiacos defeated Milan 3â0 at BMO Field in Toronto, and ended on August 4 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This tournament followed the 2013 edition and was staged throughout the United States, with one match held in Canada (Toronto). The participating teams were Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United of England; Milan, Inter Milan and Roma of Italy; Olympiacos of Greece; and defending champions Real Madrid of Spain. Manchester United won the tournament, having beaten Liverpool 3â1 in the final. The group match between Real Madrid and Manchester United at Michigan Stadium had an attendance of 109,318, a record crowd for a soccer match in the United States. | 0neutral
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2015 Southeast Africa floods. The 2015 Southeast Africa floods, partially related to Cyclone Bansi and Tropical Storm Chedza, killed at least 176 people in Malawi, 86 in Mozambique, and at least 46 in Madagascar over the course of a week while leaving hundreds more missing. Vice President of Malawi Saulos Chilima stated that over 200,000 Malawian people have been displaced by the flood. About 400,000 African people have been displaced in total, and 153 were declared missing. Flooding began on January 14, 2015, subsiding at the end of the month. Due to the flooding, the soil in some areas became over saturated and caused landslides, leading to more deaths. The rainfall of Southeast Africa was recorded as being 150% higher than normal, flooding roughly 63,000 hectares in total. Through years of research, Africa is said to have shown a complex pattern of rainfall, causing droughts and floods in the same season. Much of the damage from the 2014-2015 rain season can be attributed to the effects of El Niño. | 0neutral
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Saxon Wars. The Saxon Wars, also called the Saxon War or Saxon Uprising (not to be confused with the Saxon Rebellion of 1073â75), were the campaigns and insurrections of the thirty-three years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of disaffected tribesmen was crushed. In all, eighteen campaigns were fought, primarily in what is now northern Germany. They resulted in the incorporation of Saxony into the Frankish realm and their forcible conversion from Germanic paganism to Catholicism. The Saxons were divided into four subgroups in four regions. Nearest to the ancient Frankish kingdom of Austrasia was Westphalia, and farthest away was Eastphalia. In between these two kingdoms was that of Engria (or Engern) and north of these three, at the base of the Jutland peninsula, was Nordalbingia. Despite repeated setbacks, the Saxons resisted steadfastly, returning to raid Charlemagne's domains as soon as he turned his attention elsewhere. Their main leader, Widukind, was a resilient and resourceful opponent and accepted a peace offering from Charlemagne in a perilous situation, not losing face and preventing Charlemagne from continuing a bothersome war. This agreement saved the Saxons' leaders' exceptional rights in their homeland. Widukind was baptized in 785 and buried in the only Germanic church without a spire. | 1military conflict
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SummerSlam (2013). SummerSlam (2013) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE that took place on August 18, 2013 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. It was the twenty-sixth annual SummerSlam, and the fifth consecutive one held at Staples Center. The event's card consisted of nine matches, including the pre-show. In the main event, Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena to become the new WWE Champion, with Triple H acting as special guest referee, only to be attacked by Triple H and lose it minutes later to Randy Orton, who cashed in the Money in the Bank contract. Elsewhere on the event's card, Alberto Del Rio defeated Christian to retain the World Heavyweight Championship and Brock Lesnar defeated CM Punk in a No Disqualification match. The event received 296,909 buys, down from last year's event of 358,000. | 0neutral
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"May Coup (Poland). The May Coup ( or ) was a coup d'état carried out in Poland by Marshal Józef PiÅsudski between 12 and 14 May 1926. The coup overthrew the government of President StanisÅaw Wojciechowski and Prime Minister Wincenty Witos. A new government was installed, headed by Lwów Polytechnic Professor Kazimierz Bartel. The events were partly inspired by the need for extraordinary measures in the face of newly emerging threats to the stability of Poland's independence by PiÅsudski's own assessment of the foreign treaties signed by Weimar Germany with France in 1925 (fundamentally abandoning Poland) and with the Soviet Russia in April 1926, to which Poland's representatives had not been invited. Initially PiÅsudski was offered the presidency, but he declined in favor of Ignacy MoÅcicki. PiÅsudski, however, remained the most influential politician in Poland, and became the ""power behind the throne"" until his death in 1935." | 1military conflict
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Cyclone Gonu. Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu is the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea, and is also the strongest named cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean. The second named tropical cyclone of the 2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gonu developed from a persistent area of convection in the eastern Arabian Sea on June 1, 2007. With a favorable upper-level environment and warm sea surface temperatures, it rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of 235 km/h (145 mph) on June 4, according to the India Meteorological Department. Gonu weakened after encountering dry air and cooler waters, and early on June 6, it made landfall on the easternmost tip of Oman, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula. It then turned northward into the Gulf of Oman, and dissipated on June 7, after making landfall in southern Iran, the first landfall in the country since 1898. Intense tropical cyclones like Gonu are extremely rare in the Arabian Sea, and most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate quickly. The cyclone caused 50 deaths and about $4.2 billion in damage (2007 USD) in Oman, where the cyclone was considered the nation's worst natural disaster. Gonu dropped heavy rainfall near the eastern coastline, reaching up to 610 mm (24 inches), which caused flooding and heavy damage. In Iran, the cyclone caused 28 deaths and $ in damage (2007 USD). | 0neutral
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Zane Grey Highline Trail 50 Mile Run. The Zane Grey Highline Trail 50 mile Endurance Run, known commonly as the Zane Grey 50, is a 50-mile (80 km) ultramarathon that takes place on the Highline Trail in the Tonto National Forest just below the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona. The race is typically held on the 4th Saturday in April. The race starts at the Pine Trail head on the far west end of the Highline Trail, just south of the Town of Pine, Arizona. The race travels east and finishes at the 260 Trailhead, just east of the town of Christopher Creek. Runners climb cumulative total of over 10,000 feet (3048m) and descend a total of over 9000 feet (2743m). The actual distance is closer to 55 miles. The race begins at 5:00 AM and continues through the day with the last runners finishing around 9:00 PM. | 0neutral
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"Action of 9 September 1796. The Action of 9 September 1796 was an inconclusive minor naval engagement between small French Navy and British Royal Navy squadrons off northeastern Sumatra, near Banda Aceh, during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French squadron comprised six frigates engaged on a commerce raiding operation against British trade routes passing through captured parts of the Dutch East Indies, and posed a considerable threat to the weakened British naval forces in the region. The British force consisted of two 74-gun ships of the line hastily paired to oppose the eastward advance of the French squadron. The French squadron, commanded by Contre-amiral Pierre César Charles de Sercey, had left their base on Ãle de France in July, cruising off Ceylon and Tranquebar before sailing eastwards. Their movements had so far been unopposed as British forces in the East Indies were concentrated at Simon's Town in the west and Malacca in the east. After raiding the shipping at Banda Aceh on 1 September the squadron sailed eastwards to attack Penang. On 8 September, while the French were removing supplies from a captured British merchant ship east of Banda Aceh, two large sails were spotted. These were HMS ""Arrogant"" and HMS ""Victorious"", sent to drive off the French before they could attack the scattered British shipping and ports in the region. Although the British ships were substantially larger than any individual French vessel, the frigates were more numerous and more manoeuvrable. Neither side could afford to take significant damage in the battle, so each sought to drive the other off rather than achieve an outright victory. On 9 September Sercey's frigates formed a line of battle, successfully engaging first ""Arrogant"" and then ""Victorious"" and inflicting damage on each while preventing them from supporting one another. The French frigates, particularly ""Vertu"" and ""Seine"", also suffered and by late morning both sides disengaged, the British retiring to Madras for repairs while Sercey anchored at King's Island in the Mergui Archipelago, eventually sheltering in Batavia." | 1military conflict
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"Operation Redwing. Operation Redwing was a United States series of 17 nuclear test detonations from May to July 1956. They were conducted at Bikini and Enewetak atolls by Joint Task Force 7 (JTF7). The entire operation followed ""Project 56"" and preceded ""Project 57"". The primary intention was to test new, second-generation thermonuclear weapons. Also tested were fission devices intended to be used as primaries for thermonuclear weapons, and small tactical weapons for air defense. ""Redwing"" demonstrated the first United States airdrop of a deliverable hydrogen bomb during test ""Cherokee"". Because the yields for many tests at ""Operation Castle"" in 1954 were dramatically higher than predictions, ""Redwing"" was conducted using an ""energy budget"": There were limits to the total amount of energy released, and the amount of fission yield was also strictly controlled. Fission, primarily ""fast"" fission of the natural uranium tamper surrounding the fusion capsule, greatly increases the yield of thermonuclear devices, and constitutes the great majority of the fallout, as nuclear fusion is a relatively clean reaction. All shots were named after various Native American tribes." | 2civil conflict
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Action of Elouges. The Action of Elouges on 24 August 1914 was fought during the First World War. Following the Battle of Mons the British Expeditionary Force was withdrawing, closely followed by the advancing German Army. The British 5th Division was assisted by the 2nd and 3rd Cavalry Brigade. During the action the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards and 'A' Squadron, the 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers charged the German guns. Major Ernest Wright Alexander of the Royal Artillery and Captain Francis Octavius Grenfell of the 9th Lancers were awarded the Victoria Cross for saving the artillery battery guns while under fire. Eventually the 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment were surrounded and destroyed. | 1military conflict
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"Day of Thirst. The ""Day of Thirst"" (, ""Yawm al-aá¹ash"") is the name traditionally given in Arabic historiography to a battle fought in 724 between the Turkic Türgesh khaganate and the Umayyad Caliphate on the banks of the river Jaxartes, in Transoxiana (in modern Tajikistan, Central Asia). The Umayyad army, under Muslim ibn Sa'id al-Kilabi, was campaigning in the Ferghana Valley when it learned of the Türgesh advance. Immediately, the Arabs began a hasty retreat to the Jaxartes, pursued and harassed by the Türgesh cavalry. Finally, after 11 days, the Umayyad army reached the Jaxartes, where it was caught between the Türgesh and the forces of the native Transoxianian principalities. Nevertheless, the Arabs managed to break through and cross the river to Khujand. The Umayyad defeat led to the collapse of Muslim rule over much of the region, which until ca. 740 remained disputed territory, with both the Arabs and the Türgesh fighting for control over it." | 1military conflict
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Tropical Storm Lee (2011). Tropical Storm Lee was the twelfth named storm and thirteenth system overall of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, developing from a broad tropical disturbance over the gulf on September 1. It was designated as Tropical Storm Lee the next day. The system was rather large, and due to drifting, Lee brought flash flooding to the Gulf Coast. Flooding associated with the rains caused significant property damage in the areas, with drowning deaths reported in both Mississippi and Georgia. Elsewhere, the storm helped spread wildfires that destroyed homes and killed two people in Texas, and a traffic accident in Alabama resulted in one death. Rough surf offshore drowned one person in each of these states. Lee spawned 30 confirmed tornadoes in the United States. After becoming extratropical, Lee caused historic flooding in Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada, mainly Quebec and Ontario. Lee was the first subtropical or tropical storm to make landfall in Louisiana since Hurricane Gustav in 2008. Its total damage was estimated to be around $2.8 billion. | 0neutral
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"SpanishâAmerican War. The SpanishâAmerican War ( or """"; ) was an armed conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898. Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of in Havana Harbor in Cuba, leading to U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. The war led to emergence of U.S. predominance in the Caribbean region, and resulted in U.S. acquisition of Spain's Pacific possessions. That led to U.S. involvement in the Philippine Revolution and ultimately in the PhilippineâAmerican War. The main issue was Cuban independence. Revolts had been occurring for some years in Cuba against Spanish rule. The U.S. later backed these revolts upon entering the SpanishâAmerican War. There had been war scares before, as in the ""Virginius"" Affair in 1873, but in the late 1890s, American public opinion was agitated by reports of gruesome Spanish atrocities. The business community had just recovered from a deep depression and feared that a war would reverse the gains. It lobbied vigorously against going to war. President William McKinley ignored the exaggerated yellow press and sought a peaceful settlement. The United States Navy armored cruiser mysteriously exploded and sank in Havana Harbor; political pressures from the Democratic Party pushed McKinley into a war that he had wished to avoid. McKinley signed a joint Congressional resolution demanding Spanish withdrawal and authorizing the President to use military force to help Cuba gain independence on April 20, 1898. In response, Spain severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 21. On the same day, the U.S. Navy began a blockade of Cuba. Both sides declared war; neither had allies. The ten-week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. As U.S. agitators for war well knew, U.S. naval power would prove decisive, allowing expeditionary forces to disembark in Cuba against a Spanish garrison already facing nationwide Cuban insurgent attacks and further wasted by yellow fever. The invaders obtained the surrender of Santiago de Cuba and Manila despite the good performance of some Spanish infantry units and fierce fighting for positions such as San Juan Hill. Madrid sued for peace after two Spanish squadrons were sunk in Santiago de Cuba and Manila Bay and a third, more modern, fleet was recalled home to protect the Spanish coasts. The result was the 1898 Treaty of Paris, negotiated on terms favorable to the U.S. which allowed it temporary control of Cuba and ceded ownership of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine islands. The cession of the Philippines involved payment of $20 million ($ today) to Spain by the U.S. to cover infrastructure owned by Spain. The defeat and loss of the last remnants of the Spanish Empire was a profound shock to Spain's national psyche and provoked a thorough philosophical and artistic reevaluation of Spanish society known as the Generation of '98. The United States gained several island possessions spanning the globe and a rancorous new debate over the wisdom of expansionism." | 1military conflict
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First Battle of Monte Grappa. The First Battle of Monte Grappa, also known as First Battle of the Piave in Italy (), was a battle fought during World War I between the armies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy for control of the Monte Grappa massif, which covered the left flank of the new Italian Piave front. The Italian Army was in all-out retreat after the Austrian autumn offensive of 1917. The Italian Chief of the general staff general, Luigi Cadorna, had ordered the construction of fortified defenses around the Monte Grappa summit in order to make the mountain range an impregnable fortress. When the Austrian offensive routed the Italians, the new Italian chief of staff, Armando Diaz, ordered the Fourth Army to stop their retreat and defend these positions between the Roncone and the Tomatico mountains, with the support of the Second Army. The Austrians, despite help from the German Army's Alpenkorps and numerical superiority, failed to take the mountain's summit during the first battle of Monte Grappa, which lasted from November 11, 1917 to December 23, 1917. Armando Diaz allowed his local commanders much more freedom of manoeuvre than his predecessor, which resulted in a more elastic and effective Italian defense. Thus the Italian front along the Piave river was stabilized and the Austrians failed to enter the plains beyond and to take the city of Venice. | 1military conflict
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Inqilab March. The Inqilab March (اÙÙÙاب ٠ارÚ) (English: March for Revolution) was a public protest by the Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) Party occurring in August and September 2014. In mid-August 2014, Islamic Scholar and political figure Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri led thousands of people, in hundreds of cars, buses and trucks towards the federal capital, Islamabad, from the provincial capital, Lahore. Many of the protesters were his die hard but peaceful and unarmed political workers and students from all parts of Pakistan. All of these peaceful workers were demanding the lodging/registering the FIR against the killers of Model Town Massacre. It was an incident when Punjab Police killed at least 14 workers including 2 pregnant women and injured more than 100 workers of PAT on their headquarters in Lahore on 14 June 2014 with straight fires. Police from more than dozen police stations in Lahore attacked the house of Dr Tahir ul Qadri's residence and the secretariate of Pakistan Awami Tehreek/Minhaj-ul-Quran with a huge number of policemen along with goons of the ruling party PMLN. They also demolished a lot of infrastructure and broke windows of vehicles there and looted shops in the vicinity. By the pressure generated by these Inqilab March participants the FIR was launched for Model Town Massacre by the intervention of the Army Chief of Pakistan General Raheel Sharif. The Inqilab (Revolution) march was also aimed at the bringing down of the mega-scale corrupt practices of the government, electoral reforms, fast and speedy justice and facilitation of basic necessities of life to the poor unprivileged classes of Pakistan in the wake of looting the taxpayers' money and saving in offshore havens. The protesters were of the opinion that the rulers are not only looters but also killers of humanity because they leave no stone unturned to remain in power and suck every inch of national resources by means of their corrupt nature and practices. The march also demanded a change of system by reforms and law of the land using Article 62 and 63 of the constitution of Pakistan to hinder the entrance of unsuitable, illiterate and fake degree holders into the Parliament. They also demanded the restoration of Article 1 to 40 of the constitution of Pakistan which guarantees the basic human rights of the people of Pakistan which under the bad governance of the corrupt rulers have been subsided. The march was ended by the sole decision of the party leaders of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). | 2civil conflict
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"Operation Rimau. Operation Rimau was an attack on Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour, carried out by an Allied commando unit Z Special Unit, during World War II using Australian built Hoehn military MKIII folboats. It was a follow-up to the successful ""Operation Jaywick"" which had taken place in September 1943, and was again led by Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Lyon of the Gordon Highlanders, an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally part of a much larger operation called ""Operation Hornbill"", the aim of Rimau was to sink Japanese shipping by paddling the folboats in the dark and placing limpet mines on ships. It was originally intended that motorised semi-submersible canoes, known as ""Sleeping Beauties"", would be used to gain access to the harbour, however, they resorted to folboats. After the raiding party's discovery by local Malay authorities, a total of thirteen men (including raid commander Lyon) were killed during battles with the Japanese military at a number of island locations or were captured and died of their wounds in Japanese captivity. A group of ten commandos were transported to Outram Road Jail in Singapore after capture by the Japanese, were tried with perfidy and espionage in a Japanese court and executed on 7 July 1945." | 1military conflict
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"Hurricane Carol (1953). Hurricane Carol was one of only two Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes to not have its name be retired, the other name being ""Edith"". Carol was also the strongest storm of the 1953 Atlantic hurricane season and the first Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic basin since the 1938 New England hurricane. Carol is also the first named storm to attain Category 5 status. Carol developed on August 28 off the west coast of Africa, although the Weather Bureau did not initiate advisories until five days later. On September 2, Carol attained hurricane status, based on a ship report. It moved northwestward, attaining peak winds of 160 mph (260 km/h), based on reports from the Hurricane Hunters. After weakening, it brushed Bermuda and turned northeastward near New England, passing west of Nova Scotia before making landfall near Saint John, New Brunswick on September 7. While crossing Atlantic Canada, Carol became an extratropical cyclone, which dissipated on September 9 southwest of Greenland. When Carol initially threatened to strike Bermuda, several planes were evacuated from the island. Later, the hurricane produced high waves along the New England coastline which, in combination with foggy conditions, caused several boating accidents. At least 40 people required rescue, and four people were killed. Although winds in the region were minor, fishing damage totaled about $1 million (1953 USD, $ USD). In Nova Scotia, hurricane-force wind gusts downed trees and power lines, as well as heavy damage to the apple crop totaling $1 million (1950 CAD, $ USD). High waves washed several boats ashore, and also killed one person. Ferry travel was halted across Atlantic Canada, although impact was less severe outside of Nova Scotia. In Prince Edward Island, gusty winds caused isolated power outages, and minor flooding occurred in New Brunswick." | 0neutral
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October Revolution. The October Revolution, officially known in Soviet historiography as the Great October Socialist Revolution and commonly referred to as the October Uprising, the October Coup, the Bolshevik Revolution, the Bolshevik Coup or the Red October, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was instrumental in the larger Russian Revolution of 1917â23. It took place through an armed insurrection in Petrograd on 7 November (25 October, O.S.) 1917. It followed and capitalized on the February Revolution of the same year, which overthrew the Tsarist autocracy and resulted in a provisional government after a transfer of power proclaimed by Grand Duke Michael, the younger brother of Tsar Nicholas II, who declined to take power after the Tsar stepped down. During this time, urban workers began to organize into councils (soviets) wherein revolutionaries criticized the provisional government and its actions. After the Congress of Soviets, the newly governing body, had its second session it elected members of the Bolsheviks and other left-wing groups such as the Left Socialist Revolutionaries to important positions within the new state of affairs. This immediately initiated the establishment of the Russian Soviet Republic. On 17 July 1918, the Tsar and his family were executed. The revolution was led by the Bolsheviks, who used their influence in the Petrograd Soviet to organize the armed forces. Bolshevik Red Guards forces under the Military Revolutionary Committee began the occupation of government buildings on 7 November 1917 (New Style). The following day, the Winter Palace (the seat of the Provisional government located in Petrograd, then capital of Russia) was captured. The slogan of the October revolution was All Power to the Soviets, meaning all power to grassroots democratically elected councils. For a time, this was observed, with the interim Bolshevik-only Sovnarkom or Soviet government replaced by a Bolshevik-Left SR coalition government with an All-Russian Central Executive Committee of Soviets composed of all representatives of all factions who supported Soviet power and legally entrenching the peasant land seizures. Throughout 1918, from the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which resulted in a Left SR walkout, and other policies disputed by both the other pro-soviet parties and minority factions of the Bolsheviks, this progressively dissipated until by 1920 there were no free elections but delegates appointed by a party state. The long-awaited Constituent Assembly elections were held on 12 November 1917. In contrast to their majority in the Soviets, the Bolsheviks only won 175 seats in the 715-seat legislative body, coming in second behind the Socialist Revolutionary Party, which won 370 seats, although the SR Party no longer existed as a whole party by that time, as the Left SRs had gone into coalition with the Bolsheviks from October 1917 to March 1918 (a cause of dispute of the legitimacy of the returned seating of the Constituent Assembly, as the old lists were drawn up by the old SR Party leadership, and thus represented mostly Right SRs, whereas the peasant soviet deputies had returned majorities for the pro-Bolshevik Left SRs). The Constituent Assembly was to first meet on 28 November 1917, but its convocation was delayed until 5 January 1918 by the Bolsheviks. On its first and only day in session, the Constituent Assembly came into conflict with the Soviets, and it rejected Soviet decrees on peace and land, resulting in the Constituent Assembly being dissolved the next day by order of the Congress of Soviets. As the revolution was not universally recognized, there followed the struggles of the Russian Civil War (1917â22) and the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922. | 1military conflict
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Members of the 31st DaÌil. This is a list of members who were elected to the 31st Dáil Ãireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These TDs (Members of Parliament) were elected at the 2011 general election on 25 February 2011. On the advice of President Mary McAleese, the newly elected Dáil Ãireann convened at midday on 9 March 2011 in Leinster House. It was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on the request of Taoiseach Enda Kenny on 3 February 2016. The 2011 election saw 17 Dáil constituencies return 3 TDs each, 15 constituencies return 4 TDs each and 11 constituencies return 5 TDs each, for a total of 166. Seán Barrett was elected as Ceann Comhairle in the first sitting of the Dáil. Fine Gael, led by Enda Kenny, became the largest party for the first time, though without an overall majority. Fine Gael formed a coalition government with the Labour Party, led by Eamon Gilmore, who had achieved their highest number of seats in the party's history. In July 2014, Joan Burton won a Labour Party leadership election to become the Leader of the Labour Party and Tánaiste. Fianna Fáil secured 20 seats, the lowest in the party's history, and was the largest party in opposition. The leader of the party, Micheál Martin became the Leader of the Opposition. Gerry Adams as leader of Sinn Féin became the second opposition leader. A technical group was formed following the election composed of 16 independent politicians and members of the United Left Alliance, who failed to win enough seats to gain speaking rights. Almost half of the members of the 30th Dáil were absent from the 31st: 31 members retired before the poll and a further 45 sitting TDs lost their seats at the election. 76 new TDs were elected to the Dáil, 46% of the total. | 0neutral
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Battle of Koziatyn. The Battle of Koziatyn (also known as the Raid on Koziatyn and Koziatyn Envelopment) of 25â27 April 1920 was one of the most spectacular raids of the Polish cavalry during the Polish-Soviet War. In the effect of a pincer maneuver some 160 kilometres behind the front line, the Polish Army was able to seize the strategically important town of Korosten. The town, a major railway hub and a Red Army supply depot, was captured with negligible Polish losses. The battle, along with a similar Raid on Korosten, resulted in a complete disruption of the Soviet 12th and 14th Armies of the South-Western Front. The Soviets lost approximately two divisions and a large amount of materiel, and roughly 8000 Soviet soldiers became prisoners of war. This allowed the Polish forces to capture Kiev soon afterwards. The maneuver is taught in military colleges around the world as an example of a blitzkrieg-like offensive executed before the advent of tank warfare. | 1military conflict
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TransAsia Airways Flight 235. TransAsia Airways Flight 235 was a TransAsia Airways domestic flight from Taipei to Kinmen (Quemoy), Republic of China. On , the aircraft serving the flight, a ten-month-old ATR 72-600, crashed into the Keelung River shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan Airport, to the west of Songshan in Taiwan. The aircraft had 53 passengers and five crew on board; there were 15 survivors. Two minutes after takeoff, the pilots reported an engine flameout. Flight 235 climbed to a maximum height of , then descended. The other engine, still working, was shut down mistakenly. Immediately before crashing into the river, it banked sharply left and clipped a taxi travelling west on the Huandong Viaduct (causing two more injuries), then the viaduct itself, with its left wing. Flight 235 was the second fatal accident involving a TransAsia Airways ATR aircraft within seven months: Flight 222 had crashed on 2014, killing 48 of the 58 on board. | 0neutral
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"Battle of Les Formigues. The naval Battle of Les Formigues (Catalan) took place probably in the early morning of 4 September 1285 near Les Formigues Islands, Catalonia, about 85 km northeast of Barcelona, when a Catalan-Sicilian galley fleet commanded by Roger of Lauria defeated a French and Genoese galley fleet commanded by Guilhem de Lodeva, Henry di Mari, and John de Orrea. There are three almost completely different accounts of this battle: from Ramon Muntaner, Bernard Desclot, and the ""Gesta comitum Barchinonensium"". The ""Gesta"" places the battle at Les Formigues (or Fomigas), while Muntaner favoured a location off Roses to the north. Either Lauria or the French were ashore for the night and encountered by the other, or they were both at sea when the encounter took place. The accounts agree that it happened at night, which was unusual for medieval naval battles, but suited Lauria who was skilled at night-fighting. He used two lanterns on each galley to increase his apparent numbers. Ten to sixteen Genoese galleys under John de Orreo fled, leaving about fifteen to twenty French galleys to be captured, and some others sunk or burnt. The troubadour Joan Esteve blamed treachery for the capture of the French admiral Guilhem. It is said that three hundred French prisoners were sent back to France. All of the prisoners but one had their eyes gouged out, and that one was left with one eye to guide the others. The prisoners brought one message from Roger of Lauria to the King of France: that not even fish would be able to navigate safely through Mediterranean Sea without a shield or sign of the king of Aragon on them." | 1military conflict
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"2013 Thane building collapse. On 4 April 2013, a building collapsed on tribal land in Mumbra, a suburb of Thane in Maharashtra, India. It has been called the worst building collapse in the area. Seventy-four people (18 children, 33 men and 23 women) were killed, while more than 100 survived. The search for additional survivors ended on 6 April 2013. The building was under construction and did not have an occupancy certificate for its 100 to 150 low- to middle-income residents. Living in the building were the site construction workers and families. It was reported that the building was illegally constructed because standard practices were not followed for safe, lawful construction; land acquisition and resident occupancy. By 11 April, a total of 15 suspects were arrested including builders, engineers, municipal officials and other responsible parties. Governmental records indicate that there were two orders to manage the number of illegal buildings in the area: a 2005 Maharashtra state order to use remote sensing and a 2010 Bombay High Court order. There were also complaints made to state and municipal officials. On 9 April, a campaign began by the Thane Municipal Corporation to demolish area illegal buildings, focusing first on ""dangerous"" buildings. The forest department said that it will address encroachment of forest land in the Thane district. A call centre was established by the Thane Municipal Corporation to accept and track resolution of caller complaints about illegal buildings." | 0neutral
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"Moro River Campaign. The Moro River Campaign was an important battle of the Italian Campaign during the Second World War, fought between elements of the British Eighth Army and LXXVI Panzer Corps (""LXXVI Panzerkorps"") of the German 10th Army (""10. Armee""). Lasting from 4 December 1944 to 4 January 1944, the campaign occurred primarily in the vicinity of the Moro River in eastern Italy. The campaign was designed as part of an offensive launched by General Sir Harold Alexander's Allied 15th Army Group, with the intention of breaching the German Army's Winter Line defensive system and advancing to Pescaraâand eventually Rome. Beginning on 4 December, four infantry divisionsâone British, one Canadian, one Indian and one New Zealand (which included an armoured brigade)âand two armoured brigades (one British and one Canadian) of V Corps and XIII Corps attacked heavily defended German positions along the Moro River, achieving several exploitable bridgeheads by 8 December. Throughout the next week, nearly continuous combat operations by both sidesâdesigned to keep one another pinned downâcreated stagnated defensive positions near Orsogna and a narrow pit known as ""The Gully"". After being held at the Gully for 10 days, the Canadians succeeded in outflanking German defences, and forcing a German withdrawal to the OrtonaâOrsogna Line. On 20 December, the line was attacked by both corps. By 26 December, strong German defences had stalled Canadian forces during the Battle of Ortona and British and New Zealand forces in Orsogna. Although both Ortona and Villa Grande were captured by the end of December, general exhaustion among the Allied forces prevented the capture of Orsogna and an advance to Pescara. When harsh winter weather set in, it became clear to the Allied commanders that no further progress would be made and General Alexander called off the offensive." | 1military conflict
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Mandai massacre. Mandwi massacre refers to the general massacre of the Bengalis of Mandwi village near Agartala in the Indian state of Tripura on 8 June 1980, by tribal insurgents. According to official figures 255 Bengalis were massacred in Mandwi, while foreign presses, independent sources and eyewitnesses put the figure anywhere between 350 and 400. Many of the victims had their heads crushed and their limbs severed. The children were spiked through. Pregnant women had their stomachs slit open. The Amrita Bazar Patrika described the Mandwi massacre as My Lai massacre put into shade. According to Major R. Rajamani, the commander of the Indian army contingent that arrived on 9 June, the My Lai massacre was not even half as gruesome as in Mandwi. | 2civil conflict
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"Hurricane Alice (December 1954). Hurricane Alice is the only known Atlantic hurricane to span two calendar years and one of only two named Atlantic tropical cyclones, along with Tropical Storm Zeta of 2005, to do so. The twelfth tropical cyclone and the eighth hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season, Alice developed on December 30, 1954 from a trough of low pressure in the central Atlantic Ocean in an area of unusually favorable conditions. The storm moved southwestward and gradually strengthened to reach hurricane status. After passing through the Leeward Islands on January 2, 1955, Alice reached peak winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) before encountering cold air and turning to the southeast. It dissipated on January 6 over the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Alice produced heavy rainfall and moderately strong winds across several islands along its path. Saba and Anguilla were affected the most, with total damage amounting to $623,500 (1955 USD). There was an earlier hurricane named Alice in the season. Operationally, lack of definitive data prevented the U.S. Weather Bureau from declaring the system a hurricane until January 2. It received the name ""Alice"" in early 1955, though re-analysis of the data supported extending its track to the previous year, resulting in two tropical cyclones of the same name in one season." | 0neutral
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British Airways Flight 38. On 17 January 2008, British Airways Flight 38, flying in from Beijing Capital, China, crashed just short of the runway of its destination airport, London Heathrow, United Kingdom. There were no fatalities. Of the 152 people on board, 47 sustained injuries, one serious. It was the first time in the model's history that a Boeing 777-200ER was written off, and the first hull loss of any Boeing 777. The accident was investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and a final report was issued in 2010. Ice crystals in the jet fuel were blamed as the cause of the accident, clogging the fuel-oil heat exchanger (FOHE) of each engine. This restricted fuel flow to the engines when thrust was demanded during the final approach to Heathrow. The AAIB identified the problem as specific to the Rolls-Royce engine fuel-oil heat exchangers, and Rolls-Royce subsequently developed a modification to its FOHE; the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandated that all affected aircraft were to be fitted with the modification before 1 January 2011. | 0neutral
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Tropical Storm Linda (1997). Severe Tropical Storm Linda, known in the Philippines as Tropical Depression Openg, was the worst typhoon in southern Vietnam in at least 100 years, killing thousands of people and leaving extensive damage. It formed on October 31, 1997 in the South China Sea, between Indochina and the Philippines. Strengthening as it moved westward, Linda struck extreme southern Vietnam on November 2 with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h), dropping heavy rainfall. Once in the Gulf of Thailand it strengthened further to minimal typhoon status, but weakened to tropical storm strength before crossing the Malay Peninsula into the Bay of Bengal, the first storm to do so in five years. It restrengthened in the Indian Ocean to typhoon status, but increasing wind shear and weakened steering currents caused Linda to dissipate on November 9. The worst of Linda's impact was in Vietnam, where 3,111 people were killed, and damage totaled $385 million (USD). Heavy rainfall caused flooding, which damaged or destroyed about 200,000 houses and left about 383,000 people homeless. Widespread crop and transportation damage also occurred, the latter which impeded relief efforts. Several countries around the world sent relief aid, including medical teams, food, and clothing. However, the food supply and health status of the storm victims proved not as bad as originally feared. Linda later struck Thailand, causing flash flooding and at least 164 deaths. The storm also affected Burma (Myanmar), Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia to a lesser degree. | 0neutral
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Tropical Storm Lidia (1981). Tropical Storm Lidia was a deadly, destructive tropical cyclone that occurred during the 1981 Pacific hurricane season. It resulted in more casualties and caused greater damage than Hurricane Norma, which took place later that season. On October 6, a tropical depression formed and strengthened into a tropical storm six hours later. Lidia brushed the Gulf of California coast of Baja California Sur and made landfall just south of Los Mochis in Sinaloa on October 8. Tropical Storm Lidia rapidly weakened and dissipated the same day. Lidia killed at least 73 people and caused at least $80 million (1981 USD) which is equivalent to $193 million (2010 USD) in damage. It inflicted heavy rain and flooding throughout parts of northwestern Mexico, especially Sinaloa. | 0neutral
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Hurricane Felix. Hurricane Felix was the southernmost landfalling Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic; surpassing Hurricane Edith of 1971. It was the sixth named storm, second hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. Felix formed from a tropical wave on August 31, passing through the southern Windward Islands on September 1 before strengthening to attain hurricane status. On the next day, Felix rapidly strengthened into a major hurricane, and early on September 3 it was upgraded to Category 5 status; at 2100 UTC on the same day, the hurricane was downgraded to Category 4 status, but strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane for the second and final time by the morning of September 4. On September 4, Felix made landfall just south of the border between Nicaragua and Honduras, causing at least 133 deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in Central America. Because of its devastating impact on Central America, especially on Nicaragua, its name was retired after the 2007 season. | 0neutral
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"Murders of Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone. On 18 September 2012, Police Constables Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone, two Greater Manchester Police officers, were killed by Dale Cregan in a gun and grenade ambush while responding to a report of a burglary in Greater Manchester, England. The incident was the first on the island of Great Britain in which two female police officers were killed on duty. Greater Manchester's chief constable Peter Fahy called the attack ""cold-blooded murder"" and British prime minister David Cameron described it as a ""despicable act...of pure evil"". On 12 February 2013, Cregan changed his plea to guilty in relation to the murder of the two police officers. Three months later he admitted to carrying out two separate murders in 2012, which were linked to a gangland feud in Manchester. Cregan was sentenced to a term of whole life imprisonment at Preston Crown Court on 13 June 2013." | 2civil conflict
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1981 Canada Cup. The 1981 Labatt Canada Cup was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a single game final to win its first title, with the result 8â1. Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak was named most valuable player. Canada's Wayne Gretzky led the tournament in scoring with 12 points. This second edition of the Canada Cup was originally scheduled to be held in 1979 but was postponed due to disputes between the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and Hockey Canada. It was postponed a second time in 1980 following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Canada's boycott of sporting events with the Soviet Union as a result. When finally held in 1981, tournament organizer Alan Eagleson speculated it could be the last such event due to rising costs and disappointing attendance. Eagleson generated additional controversy when he refused to allow the Soviets to take the Canada Cup trophy with them to the Soviet Union. | 0neutral
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Operation Sunrise (Vietnam War). Operation Sunrise was the first phase of a long range South Vietnamese counter-offensive against the Viet Cong (VC) during the Vietnam War. It was launched in the Bến Cát District of the Bình Dương Province from Saigon. It began the Strategic Hamlet Program in which scattered rural populations in South Vietnam were uprooted from their ancestral farmlands and resettled into fortified villages defended by local militias. However, over 50 of the hamlets were soon infiltrated and easily taken over by VC who killed or intimidated village leaders. As a result, South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem ordered bombing raids against suspected VC-controlled hamlets. The air strikes by the Republic of Vietnam Air Force were supported by U.S. pilots, who also conducted some of the bombings. Following the air strikes South Vietnamese light tanks pushed into the hamlets to sweep out rebels. Although dozens of VC were killed, the operation took a hard toll on the populations as civilian casualties eroded popular support for Diem and resulted in growing peasant hostility toward America, which was largely blamed for the unpopular resettlement program as well as the bombings. | 1military conflict
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"New Zealand Wars. The New Zealand Wars were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand from 1845 to 1872 between the Colonial government and allied MÄori on one side and MÄori and MÄori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the MÄori Wars while MÄori language names for the conflicts included NgÄ pakanga o Aotearoa (""the great New Zealand wars"") and Te riri PÄkehÄ (""the white man's anger""). Historian James Belich popularised the name ""New Zealand Wars"" in the 1980s, although the term was first used by historian James Cowan in the 1920s. Though the wars were initially localised conflicts triggered by tensions over disputed land purchases, they escalated dramatically from 1860 as the government became convinced it was facing united MÄori resistance to further land sales and a refusal to acknowledge Crown sovereignty. The colonial government summoned thousands of British troops to mount major campaigns to overpower the KÄ«ngitanga (MÄori King) movement and also acquire farming and residential land for British settlers. Later campaigns were aimed at quashing the so-called Hauhau movement, an extremist part of the Pai MÄrire religion, which was strongly opposed to the alienation of MÄori land and eager to strengthen MÄori identity. At the peak of hostilities in the 1860s, 18,000 British troops, supported by artillery, cavalry and local militia, battled about 4,000 MÄori warriors in what became a gross imbalance of manpower and weaponry. Although outnumbered, the MÄori were able to withstand their enemy with techniques that included anti-artillery bunkers and the use of carefully placed pÄ, or fortified villages, that allowed them to block their enemy's advance and often inflict heavy losses, yet quickly abandon their positions without significant loss. Guerrilla-style tactics were used by both sides in later campaigns, often fought in dense bush. Over the course of the Taranaki and Waikato campaigns, the lives of about 1,800 MÄori and 800 Europeans were lost, and total MÄori losses over the course of all the wars may have exceeded 2,100. Violence over land ownership broke out first in the Wairau Valley in the South Island in June 1843, but rising tensions in Taranaki eventually led to the involvement of British military forces at Waitara in March 1860. The war between the government and KÄ«ngitanga MÄori spread to other areas of the North Island, with the biggest single campaign being the invasion of the Waikato in 1863â1864, before hostilities concluded with the pursuits of Riwha TÄ«tokowaru in Taranaki (1868â1869) and guerrilla fighter Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki on the east coast (1868â1872). Although MÄori were initially fought by British forces, the New Zealand government developed its own military force, including local militia, rifle volunteer groups, the specialist Forest Rangers and kÅ«papa (pro-government MÄori). The government also responded with legislation to imprison MÄori opponents and confiscate expansive areas of the North Island for sale to settlers, with the funds used to cover war expensesâpunitive measures that on the east and west coasts provoked an intensification of MÄori resistance and aggression." | 1military conflict
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2002 West Bengal cyclone. The 2002 West Bengal cyclone (JTWC designation: 04B, officially known as Severe Cyclonic Storm BOB 04) was a deadly tropical cyclone that affected India and Bangladesh in November 2002. The sixth tropical cyclone and fourth cyclonic storm of the 2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed in the Bay of Bengal northeast of Sri Lanka on November 10, as a tropical depression. After tracking northeast, the system strengthened into a cyclonic storm on November 11, as maximum sustained winds exceeded 65 km/h (40 mph). On November 12, it further intensified into a severe cyclonic storm. Later that day, the storm made landfall on Sagar Island in West Bengal with winds of 100 km/h (65 mph). After moving inland, it rapidly weakened and dissipated over Bangladesh on November 12. Rough seas offshore Odisha caused two fishing trawlers to collide, resulting in 18 fatalities, while two additional trawlers were reported missing. In West Bengal, the storm uprooted trees and dropped heavy rainfall. Throughout India, 124 deaths were confirmed. Strong winds and heavy rainfall in Bangladesh impacted many cities and villages, including the capital city of Dhaka, forcing thousands to evacuate. Ten wooden trawlers carrying 150 men sank offshore Bangladesh, with only 11 reaching safety. Eight additional boats with 60 occupants were reported missing. One death was reported in Bangladesh after a man attempted to cross a swollen river. Overall, there were 49 fatalities in Bangladesh. The storm was attributed to at least 173 fatalities in India, Bangladesh, and offshore areas. | 0neutral
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2006 Football League Championship play-off Final. The 2006 Football League Championship play-off Final was an association football match played at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on 21 May 2006. It determined the third and final team in the 2005â06 football season to be promoted to the Premier League, the highest division in the English football league system. It was the last play-off final to be held at the Millennium Stadium, as the new Wembley Stadium was completed in time for the 2007 final. The final featured Watford, who had finished third in the Championship, and Leeds United, who finished fifth. In the semi-finals, Leeds and Watford defeated Preston North End and Crystal Palace respectively. Watford won the match 3â0, with opening goalscorer Jay DeMerit named man of the match. Leeds goalkeeper Neil Sullivan scored an own goal to make the score 2â0 to Watford after 60 minutes, and the final goal was a penalty kick scored by Darius Henderson which assured Watford promotion to the Premier League. | 0neutral
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"2012 Sabha conflict. The 2012 Sabha conflict started in the aftermath of the Libyan civil war, and involved armed clashes between the Tubu and Abu Seif tribes in Sabha, a city of almost 100,000 in the region of Fezzan, Libya. It happened after February 2012 clashes in Kufra, that involved the Tubu people, too. On 27 March, Jomode Elie Getty charged the clashes as ""genocide"". A Paris-based Tabu official, Jomode Elie Getty, who was an official with the NTC but resigned on Tuesday, accused the NTC of siding with Arabs in attacks on Tabu tribesmen. He called for U.N. intervention. Issa Abdel Majit Monsur,the head of the Tubu tribe in Libya, announced the reactivation of the ""Toubou Front for the Salvation of Libya"", an opposition group that was already active during the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. He also announced the possibility of separatist activities. A ceasefire was announced, and as of 1 April the violence had stopped." | 1military conflict
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Hawes Junction rail crash. The Hawes Junction rail crash occurred at 5.49 am on 24 December 1910, just north of the Lunds viaduct between Hawes Junction and Aisgill on the Midland Railway's Settle and Carlisle main line in Westmorland (now Cumbria), England. It was caused when a busy signalman, Alfred Sutton, forgot about a pair of light engines waiting at his down (northbound) starting signal to return to their shed at Carlisle. They were still waiting there when the signalman set the road for the down Scotch express. When the signal cleared, the light engines set off in front of the express into the same block section. Since the light engines were travelling at low speed from a stand at Hawes Junction, and the following express was travelling at high speed, a collision was inevitable. The express caught the light engines just after Moorcock Tunnel near Aisgill summit in Mallerstang and was almost wholly derailed. Casualties were made worse by the telescoping (over-riding) of the timber-bodied coaches, and by fire which broke out in the coaches, fed by the gas for the coaches' lights leaking from ruptured pipes. Twelve people lost their lives as a result of this accident, some of whom were trapped in the wreckage and were burned to death. | 0neutral
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"Just a Pretty Face_. Just a Pretty Face? is the third studio album by Finnish singer Anna Abreu, released in Finland by RCA on October 21, 2009. The album was preceded by the lead single ""Music Everywhere"" and followed by the promotional singles ""Impatient"" and ""Slam"". The album was primarily produced by Abreu's long-time collaborator Rauli Eskolin, who had been responsible for the success of her previous, dance-infused album ""Now"". It was the first of Abreu's albums to feature the rap genre, with the song ""Capital C"" featuring a rap segment. In its first day of release alone, the album sold 23,000 copies and was certified gold, becoming one of the fastest selling records in Finnish music history. Ordinarily, the album would have reached number one in its first week. However, the same week also saw the release of two other high-profile albums and as a result, ""Just A Pretty Face?"" debuted at number three on the Finnish albums chart." | 0neutral
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"The Ultimate Fighter 5. The Ultimate Fighter 5 was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ""The Ultimate Fighter"". As with the show's usual format, sixteen prospective mixed martial arts fighters were secluded in a house near Las Vegas, Nevada and trained together while participating in a single-elimination tournament, with the winner being awarded a six-figure UFC contract. This season featured only one weight class, lightweights (146â155 lb) and the fighters were divided into two teams; one coached by former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver and the other by former UFC Welterweight Champion and former lightweight champion B.J. Penn. The season was well-known among fans for the large number of fighters kicked off of the show. The two coaches, along with the finalists of the tournament, fought at ""The Ultimate Finale"", a televised MMA fight card that aired live at the completion of the series. The series premiered on April 5, 2007 on Spike TV in the United States and Canada at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT and concluded on June 23. Filming began in mid-January 2007." | 0neutral
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Battle of Rafa. The Battle of Rafa, also known as the Action of Rafah, fought on 9 January 1917, was the third and final battle to complete the recapture of the Sinai Peninsula by British forces during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. The Desert Column of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) attacked an entrenched Ottoman Army garrison at El Magruntein to the south of Rafah, close to the frontier between the Sultanate of Egypt and the Ottoman Empire, to the north and east of Sheikh Zowaiid. The attack marked the beginning of fighting in the Ottoman territory of Palestine. After the British Empire victories at the Battle of Romani in August 1916 and the Battle of Magdhaba in December, the Ottoman Army had been forced back to the southern edge of Palestine as the EEF pushed eastwards supported by extended lines of communication. This advance depended on the construction of a railway and water pipeline. With the railway reaching El Arish on 4 January 1917, an attack on Rafa by the newly formed Desert Column became possible. During the day-long assault, the Ottoman garrison defended El Magruntein's series of fortified redoubts and trenches on rising ground surrounded by flat grassland. They were eventually encircled by Australian Light Horsemen, New Zealand mounted riflemen, mounted Yeomanry, cameliers and armoured cars. In the late afternoon, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade captured the central redoubt and the remaining defences were occupied shortly afterwards. | 1military conflict
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"Siege of Strasbourg. The Siege of Strasbourg took place during the Franco-Prussian War, and resulted in the French surrender of the fortress on 28 September 1870. After the German victory at Wörth, troops from the Grand Duchy of Baden under Prussian General August von Werder were detached to capture Strasbourg with the help of two Prussian ""Landwehr"" divisions which had been guarding the North Sea coast. This 40,000-strong siege corps reached the fortress on 14 August and began to immediately bombard it. The defenses were largely obsolete and 7,000 of the 23,000-strong French garrison were National Guard militiamen. Desiring a quick surrender, the Germans began a terror bombardment to destroy the morale of the civilian population on 23 August. Explosive and incendiary shells were rained down on the city for four days and entire quarters were reduced to ash. Panic developed among the civilians but there was no capitulation. A shell shortage forced Werder to lower the intensity of the German fire on 26 August and switch to formal siege operations. The Germans dug their way closer to the fortress through trench parallels and destroyed specific sections of the defenses with concentrated bombardments. The siege progressed rapidly, French sortie attempts were defeated and by 17 September the ""enceinte"" wall had been breached. At the same time, the defenders' morale was lowered by news of the annihilation of the Army of Châlons at Sedan and the encirclement of the Army of the Rhine in Metz. On 19 September the Germans captured their first outwork and began a devastating close-range bombardment of the bastions. With the city defenseless and a German assault imminent, the French commander Lieutenant-General Uhrich surrendered the fortress, 17,562 troops, 1,277 artillery pieces, 140,000 rifles, including 12,000 Chassepots, 50 locomotives and considerable stores of supplies into German hands on 28 September. The French National Guards were allowed to disperse. The Germans lost 936 troops. The besiegers expended 202,099 shells, with a weight of about 4,000 tons. Some 861 French soldiers died from all causes by the end of the siege and thousands were wounded. A total of 341 civilians were killed by the bombardment and a further 600â2,000 wounded. An estimated 448 houses were completely destroyed and 10,000 inhabitants were rendered homeless. The German siege operation was successful in clearing up railway lines to German forces in the French interior and freed up several divisions and a corps for operations along the Seine and in the siege of Paris. The deliberate German targeting of civilian morale presaged the total wars of the 20th century." | 1military conflict
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"2010 Trophée des Champions. The 2010 Trophée des champions () was the 15th edition of the French supercup. The match was contested by the winners of Ligue 1 the previous season, Marseille, and the winners of the Coupe de France the previous season, Paris Saint-Germain. The match was played, for the second consecutive season, on international soil at the Stade 7 Novembre in Rades, Tunis, Tunisia. Like last year, the idea was to promote French football abroad, but this time more specifically in Africa and the Arab world. The match was televised live on M6 and throughout 53 countries in the world. The match marked the 74th time ""Classique"" rivals Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain played against each other and was the second match, the first being the 2006 French Cup final, in the rivalry's history to not be contested at neither the Stade Vélodrome or the Parc des Princes. On 22 July 2010, the Ligue de Football Professionnel and the Tunisian Football Federation confirmed that international referee Aouaz Trabelsi will officiate the match. Trabelsi was assisted by Béchir Hassani and Yamen Malloulchi and the fourth official was Herzi Riadh. The supercup was won by Marseille with the club defeating PSG 5â4 on penalties after the match finished 0â0 in regular time. The victory gives Marseille their first Trophée des champions title. The 2010 edition hosted a record attendance of 57,000 people." | 0neutral
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Battle of Reims (1814). The Battle of Reims (12â13 March 1814) was fought at Reims, France between an Imperial French army commanded by Emperor Napoleon and a combined Russian-Prussian corps led by General Emmanuel de Saint-Priest. On the first day, Saint-Priest's Russians and General Friedrich Wilhelm von Jagow's Prussians easily captured Reims from its French National Guard garrison, capturing or killing more than half of its defenders. On the second day, an overconfident Saint-Priest carelessly deployed his forces west of the city, not grasping that Napoleon was approaching with 20,000 troops. Too late, Saint-Priest realized who he was fighting and tried to organize a retreat. In the battle that followed, the French army struck with crushing force and the Allies were routed with serious losses. During the fighting, Saint-Priest was struck by a howitzer shell and died two weeks later. | 1military conflict
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Downing Street mortar attack. The Downing Street mortar attack was carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 7 February 1991. The IRA launched homemade mortar shells at 10 Downing Street, London, the HQ of the Government of the United Kingdom. It was an attempt to assassinate Prime Minister John Major and his War Cabinet, who were meeting to discuss the Gulf War. One of the heavy mortar shells exploded in the back garden of Number 10, only yards from the cabinet office. Due to the bomb-proof windows, none of the cabinet were hurt, though four other people received minor injuries, including two police officers. The other two shells overshot Downing Street and landed on a green nearby. | 2civil conflict
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"War of 1812. The War of 1812 was a conflict fought between the United States and the United Kingdom, with their respective allies, from June 1812 to February 1815. Historians in Britain often see it as a minor theatre of the Napoleonic Wars; historians in the United States and Canada see it as a war in its own right. From the outbreak of war with Napoleonic France, Britain had enforced a naval blockade to choke off neutral trade to France, which the US contested as illegal under international law. To man the blockade, Britain pressed American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy. American sentiment grew increasingly hostile toward Britain due to incidents such as the ""ChesapeakeâLeopard"" affair, which happened five years before the war. The British were in turn outraged by the ""Little Belt"" affair in 1811, in which 11 British sailors died. Britain supplied arms to American Indians who raided American settlers on the frontier, hindering American expansion and provoking resentment. Historians debate whether the desire to annex some or all of British North America (Canada) contributed to the American decision to go to war. However, the Western interest was in expansion into American territories such as Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, where they were threatened by Indians supported by the British. On June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed into law the American declaration of war, after heavy pressure from the War Hawks in Congress. With most of its army in Europe fighting Napoleon, Britain adopted a defensive strategy, with offensive operations initially limited to the border and the western frontier. American prosecution of the war effort suffered from its unpopularity, especially in New England, where it was referred to as ""Mr. Madison's War"". American defeats at the Siege of Detroit and the Battle of Queenston Heights thwarted attempts to seize Upper Canada, improving British morale. American attempts also failed to invade Lower Canada and capture Montreal. In 1813, the Americans won the Battle of Lake Erie, gaining control of the lake, and they defeated Tecumseh's Confederacy at the Battle of the Thames, securing a primary war goal. The Americans made a final attempt to invade Canada but fought to a draw at the Battle of Lundy's Lane during the summer of 1814. At sea, the powerful Royal Navy blockaded American ports, cutting off trade and allowing the British to raid the coast at will. In 1814, one of these raids burned the capital, but the Americans later repulsed British attempts to invade New York and Maryland, ending invasions from Canada into the northern and mid-Atlantic states. In early 1815, the Americans decisively defeated the invading British Army attacking New Orleans, Louisiana. Fighting also took place in Spanish Florida; a two-day battle for the city of Pensacola ended in Spanish surrender. In Britain, there was mounting opposition to wartime taxation, and merchants demanded to reopen trade with America. With the abdication of Napoleon, Britain's war ended with France and Britain ceased impressment, rendering the issue irrelevant of the impressment of American sailors. The British were then able to increase the strength of the blockade on the United States coast, smothering American maritime trade, but their attempts failed to invade America, at which point both sides began to desire peace. Peace negotiations began in August 1814, and the Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814. News of the peace did not reach America for some time. In February 1815, news reached the East Coast concerning the great victory at New Orleansâat the same time as news of the Christmas peace treaty. The Americans triumphantly celebrated the restoration of their national honour, leading to the collapse of anti-war sentiment and the beginning of the Era of Good Feelings, a period of national unity. The treaty was unanimously ratified by the US Senate on February 17, 1815, ending the war with no boundary changes." | 1military conflict
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"Moondyne Festival. The Moondyne Festival is a festival held in Toodyay, Western Australia, celebrating the life and times of Moondyne Joe. It is held annually on the first Sunday in May. This festival takes place in the main street, Stirling Terrace, with street theatre, market stalls, and demonstrations. During the festival, the town is described as being transported back in time. The festival features costumes from the 19th century, street theatre involving the character of Moondyne Joe, street stalls, and displays of art and antiques. Other characters portrayed include the ""Swagmen"" (Moondyne's gang), temperance ladies, the undertaker, and the barber." | 0neutral
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"Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 in the compound of Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti), a large mansion in New Delhi. His assassin was Nathuram Godse, an advocate of Hindu nationalism, a member of the political party the Hindu Mahasabha, and a past member of the Hindu nationalist paramilitary volunteer organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Godse considered Gandhi to have been too accommodating to Muslims during the Partition of India of the previous year. Sometime after 5 PM, according to witnesses, Gandhi had reached the top of the steps leading to the raised lawn behind Birla House where he had been conducting multi-faith prayer meetings every evening. As Gandhi began to walk toward the dais, Godse stepped out from the crowd flanking Gandhi's path, and fired three bullets into Gandhi's chest and abdomen at point-blank range. Gandhi fell to the ground. He was carried back to his room in Birla House from which a representative emerged sometime later to announce his death. Godse was captured by members of the crowd and handed over to the police. The Gandhi murder trial opened in May 1948 in Delhi's historic Red Fort, with Godse the main defendant, and his collaborator Narayan Apte and six others as the co-defendants. The trial was rushed through, the haste sometimes attributed to the home minister Vallabhbhai Patel's desire ""to avoid scrutiny for the failure to prevent the assassination."" Godse and Apte were sentenced to death on 8 November 1949. They were hanged in the Ambala jail on 15 November 1949." | 2civil conflict
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Tropical Storm Fran (1984). Tropical Storm Fran was one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in the history of Cape Verde. The sixth named storm and eleventh tropical cyclone of the 1984 Atlantic hurricane season, Fran developed from a tropical wave near Cape Verde on September 15. It began as a tropical depression and gradually strengthened while tracking westward, remaining south of the Cape Verde archipelago. Late on September 16, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Fran, shortly before brushing Cape Verde, and then moving further out to sea. The storm approached hurricane status on September 17 and September 18, though it eventually weakened. Beginning on September 19, Fran encountered strong wind shear, which contributed to further weakening. By September 20, Fran dissipated well east of the Lesser Antilles. While passing southeast of Cape Verde, the storm produced torrential rainfall. At least 1,094 houses were severely damaged due to flooding, which left at least 2,100 people homeless. Significant damage also occurred to roads in the country, which was still in need of repairs as late as January 1985. The hydraulic infrastructure was destroyed on six islands, requiring $1 million (1984 USD) in repairs. In addition, agriculture was extensively damaged, resulting in $1.84 million (1984 USD) in losses to crops. The storm caused no impact outside of Cape Verde. Overall, the storm caused about $2.84 million (1984 USD) in damage and between 29 and 32 fatalities. Several organizations and countries donated to disaster relief funds, which cash amounts alone reaching slightly more than $501,000 (1984 USD). | 0neutral
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"ROKS Cheonan sinking. The ROKS ""Cheonan"" sinking occurred on 26 March 2010, when , a of the Republic of Korea Navy, carrying 104 personnel, sank off the country's west coast near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 seamen. The cause of the sinking remains in dispute, although evidence points to North Korea. A South Korean-led official investigation carried out by a team of international experts from South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Sweden presented a summary of its investigation on 20 May 2010, concluding that the warship had been sunk by a North Korean torpedo fired by a midget submarine. The conclusions of the report resulted in significant controversy within South Korea. Following the sinking, South Korea imposed sanctions against North Korea, known as the May 24 measures. North Korea denied that it was responsible for the sinking. North Korea's further offer to aid an open investigation was disregarded. China dismissed the official scenario presented by South Korea and the United States as not credible. An investigation by the Russian Navy also did not concur with the report. The United Nations Security Council made a Presidential Statement condemning the attack but without identifying the attacker.<ref name=""UN-S/PRST/2010/13""></ref>" | 0neutral
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Moorgate tube crash. The Moorgate tube crash occurred on 28 February 1975 at 8:46 am on the London Underground's Northern City Line; 43 people died and 74 were injured after a train failed to stop at the line's southern terminus, Moorgate station, and crashed into its end wall. It is considered the worst peacetime accident on the London Underground. No fault was found with the train, and the inquiry by the Department of the Environment concluded that the accident was caused by the actions of Leslie Newson, the 56-year-old driver. The crash forced the first carriage into the roof of the tunnel at the front and back, but the middle remained on the trackbed; the coach was crushed to . The second carriage was concertinaed at the front as it collided with the first, and the third rode over the rear of the second. The brakes were not applied and the dead man's handle was still depressed when the train crashed. The London Fire Brigade, Ambulance Service and City of London Police attended the scene. It took 13 hours to remove the injured from the wreckage, many of whom had to be cut free. With no services running into the adjoining platform to create the piston effect pushing air into the station, ventilation was poor and temperatures in the tunnel rose to over . It took a further four days to extract the last body, that of Newson; his cab, normally deep, had been crushed to . The post-mortem on Newson showed no medical reason to explain the crash. A cause has never been established, and theories include suicide, that he may have been distracted, or that he was affected by conditions such as transient global amnesia or akinesis with mutism. Tests showed that Newson had a blood alcohol level of 80 mg/100 mlâthe level at which one can be prosecuted for drink-driving, though the alcohol may have been produced by the natural decomposition process over four days at a high temperature. In the aftermath of the crash, London Underground introduced a safety system that automatically stops a train when travelling too fast. This became known informally as Moorgate protection. Northern City Line services into Moorgate ended in October 1975 and British Rail services started in August 1976. After a long campaign by relatives of the dead, two memorials were unveiled in the vicinity of the station, one in July 2013 and one in February 2014. | 0neutral
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"2011 England riots. The 2011 England riots, more widely known as the London Riots were a series of riots between 6 and 11 August 2011, when thousands of people rioted in cities and towns across England, saw looting, arson, and mass deployment of police, and resulted in the deaths of five people. Protests started in Tottenham, London, following the death of Mark Duggan, a local man who was shot dead by police on 4 August. Several violent clashes with police ensued, along with the destruction of police vehicles, a double-decker bus and many homes and businesses, thus rapidly gaining attention from the media. Overnight, looting took place in Tottenham Hale retail park and nearby Wood Green. The following days saw similar scenes in other parts of London, with the worst rioting taking place in Hackney, Brixton, Walthamstow, Peckham, Enfield, Battersea, Croydon, Ealing, Barking, Woolwich, Lewisham and East Ham. From 8 to 10 August, other towns and cities in England (including Birmingham, Leeds, Coventry, Leicester, Derby, Wolverhampton, Northampton, Nottingham, West Bromwich, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Salford and York) saw what was described by the media as ""copycat violence"". Social media sites including Facebook also featured rumours of further disturbances or details surrounding known disturbances which were later proven to be inaccurate; for instance there were rumours of disturbances in the town of Dudley and at the nearby Merry Hill Shopping Centre, but no incidents in these areas were detected by police. Rumours of a hospital being targeted by rioters in Birmingham were also proven to be wrong, as were rumours of disturbances in the Heath Town district of Wolverhampton, which had witnessed a serious riot in May 1989. By 10 August, more than 3,000 arrests had been made across England, with more than 1,000 people issued with criminal charges for various offences related to the riots. Initially, courts sat for extended hours. There were a total of 3,443 crimes across London that were linked to the disorder. as a direct result of related violent acts. An estimated £200 million worth of property damage was incurred, and local economic activity â which in many cases was already struggling due to the recession â was significantly compromised. The riots have generated significant ongoing debate among political, social and academic figures about the causes and context in which they happened. Attributions for the rioters' behaviour include social factors such as racial tension, class tension, economic decline and the unemployment that it had brought, as well as individual factors like criminality, hooliganism, the breakdown of social morality and the development of gang culture." | 2civil conflict
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"Airlines PNG Flight 1600. On 13 October 2011, Airlines PNG Flight 1600, a Dash 8 regional aircraft on a domestic flight from Lae to Madang, Papua New Guinea, crash-landed in a forested area near the mouth of the Gogol River, after losing all engine power. Only four of the 32 people on board survived. It was the deadliest plane crash in the history of Papua New Guinea. The subsequent investigation found that the flight crew had inadvertently retarded the power levers below the lowest position allowable in flight (known as ""flight idle""), causing both propellers to overspeed and leading to a complete loss of engine power. A 'beta lockout' mechanism that would have prevented the overspeed even in case of erroneous power lever setting was available but not installed on the accident aircraft. Installation of such mechanism became subsequently mandatory on all DHC-8 aircraft worldwide." | 0neutral
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"Second Boer War. The Second Boer War (11 October 1899 â 31 May 1902) was fought between the British Empire and two Boer states, the South African Republic (Republic of Transvaal) and the Orange Free State, over the Empire's influence in South Africa. It is also known variously as the Boer War, Anglo-Boer War, or South African War. Initial Boer attacks were successful, and although British reinforcements later reversed these, the war continued for years with Boer guerrilla warfare, until harsh British counter-measures brought the Boers to terms. The war started with the British overconfident and under-prepared. The Boers were well armed and struck first, besieging Ladysmith, Kimberley, and Mahikeng in early 1900, and winning important battles at Colenso, Magersfontein and Stormberg. Staggered, the British brought in large numbers of soldiers and fought back. General Redvers Buller was replaced by Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener. They relieved the three besieged cities, and invaded the two Boer republics in late 1900. The onward marches of the British Army, well over 400,000 men, were so overwhelming that the Boers did not fight staged battles in defense of their homeland. The British seized control of all of the Orange Free State and Transvaal, as the civilian leadership went into hiding or exile. In conventional terms, the war was over. The British officially annexed the two countries in 1900. Back home, Britain's Conservative government wanted to capitalize on this success and use it to maneuver an early general election, dubbed a ""khaki election"", to give the government another six years of power in London. British military efforts were aided by Cape Colony, the Colony of Natal and some native African allies, and further supported by volunteers from the British Empire, including Southern Africa, the Australian colonies, Canada, India and New Zealand. All other nations were neutral, but international opinion was largely hostile to the British. Inside the British Empire there also was significant opposition to the Second Boer War. The Boers refused to surrender. They reverted to guerrilla warfare under new generals Louis Botha, Jan Smuts, Christiaan de Wet and Koos de la Rey. Two years of surprise attacks and quick escapes followed. As guerrillas without uniforms, the Boer fighters easily blended into the farmlands, which provided hiding places, supplies, and horses. The British response to guerilla warfare was to set up complex nets of block houses, strong points, and barbed wire fences, partitioning off the entire conquered territory. In addition, civilian farms and livestock were destroyed as part of a scorched earth policy. Survivors were forced into concentration camps. Very large proportions of these civilians died of hunger and disease, especially the children. British mounted infantry units systematically tracked down the highly mobile Boer guerrilla units. The battles at this stage were small operations. Few died during combat, though many of disease. The war ended when the Boer leadership surrendered and accepted British terms with the Treaty of Vereeniging in May 1902. Both former republics were incorporated into the Union of South Africa in 1910, as part of the British Empire." | 1military conflict
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"Massacre of the Acqui Division. The Massacre of the Acqui Division, also known as the Cephalonia Massacre, was the mass execution of the men of the Italian 33rd Infantry Division ""Acqui"" by the Germans on the island of Cephalonia, Greece in September 1943, following the Italian armistice during the Second World War. About 5,000 soldiers were massacred and others drowned. The Italians launched their invasion of Greece in October 1940, but they were pushed back into Albania by November, and the Germans had to come to their aid in April 1941. Following the decision of the Italian government to negotiate a surrender to the Allies in 1943, the German Army tried to disarm the Italians during Operation Achse. On 13 September the Italians of the 33rd ""Acqui"" Infantry Division resisted, and fought the Germans on the island of Cephalonia. By 22 September the last of the Italian resistance surrendered after running out of ammunition. A total of 1,315 Italians were killed in the battle, 5,155 were executed by 26 September, and 3,000 were drowned when the German ships taking the survivors to concentration camps were sunk by the Allies. It was one of the largest prisoner of war massacres of the war, along with the Katyn massacre, and it was one of many atrocities committed by the 1st Mountain Division ()." | 2civil conflict
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Hurricane Emilia (1994). Hurricane Emilia was, at the time, the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Central Pacific Ocean, and the second of such to be classified as a Category 5 hurricane â the highest rating on the SaffirâSimpson hurricane wind scale. However, hurricanes Gilma later that year, Ioke in 2006, and hurricanes Lane and Walaka in 2018 later reached lower barometric pressures in the Central Pacific. The fifth named storm and the first of three Category 5 hurricanes of the 1994 hurricane season, Emilia developed from an area of low pressure southeast of Hawaii on July 16. Tracking westward, the initial tropical depression intensified into a tropical storm several hours after tropical cyclogenesis. Subsequently, Emilia entered the Central Pacific Ocean and moved into the area of responsibility of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center . After reaching hurricane intensity the following day, the tropical cyclone began to rapidly intensify, and late on July 19, Emilia reached its record peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of 926 mbar (hPa; 27.34 inHg), rating it as a Category 5 hurricane. After slight oscillations in strength, an upper-level trough forced the intense hurricane northwest on July 21, and Emilia began to weaken thereafter. The tropical cyclone encountered an area of vertical wind shear and cool sea surface temperatures, which further weakened the system. The following day, Emilia made its closest approach to the Big Island of Hawaii, but subsequently weakened to below hurricane intensity. This weakening trend continued, and the tropical cyclone fully dissipated on July 25. Though the hurricane did not make landfall, Emilia brought strong surf to the islands of Hawaii and caused gusty winds, which resulted in some property damage. Precipitation was also reported, but remained under moderate levels. | 0neutral
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1995 Football League Cup Final. The 1995 Football League Cup Final was a football match played between Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers on 2 April 1995 at Wembley Stadium, London. It was the final match of the 1994â95 Football League Cup, the 35th staging of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and The Football League. Liverpool were appearing in their seventh final, they had previously won four and lost twice. Bolton were appearing in their first final. Both teams entered the competition in the second round. The majority of Liverpool's matches were close affairs, with the exception of a 4â1 victory over Burnley in the second round. Otherwise, their biggest margin of victory was by two goals over Blackburn Rovers in the fourth round. Bolton's matches were equally close. Their biggest margin of victory was three goals in the second round against Ipswich Town, while they beat Norwich City by a single goal in the quarter-finals. Watched by a crowd of 75,595, Bolton controlled the early exchanges in the match, but it was Liverpool who took the lead in the 37th minute when Steve McManaman scored. McManaman scored again in the 68th minute to extend Liverpool's lead to two goals. However, a minute later, Alan Thompson scored for Bolton to reduce the deficit to one goal. Despite repeated attacks, Bolton did not score an equaliser and Liverpool won the match 2â1. Liverpool's victory was their fifth in the competition. McManaman was named as man of the match and awarded the Alan Hardaker Trophy. His performance was praised by both managers, as was the performance of both teams. Liverpool's win qualified Liverpool to play in European competition the following season, while Bolton would win promotion to the Premier League following a 4â3 victory in the First Division play-off final. | 0neutral
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"Dallas Marathon. The BMW Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) is Texas' oldest marathon and has taken place each December in Dallas, Texas since 1971 (with the exception of 2013 due to an ice storm known locally to Dallas and Fort Worth citizens as ""Icepocalypse 2013""). An official time from the BMW Dallas Marathon can be used to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The course begins & ends in Downtown Dallas and features iconic neighborhoods and White Rock Lake along the way. In recent years, race weekend has included the Mayor's Race 5K, a 5-person relay and a half-marathon in addition to the traditional marathon race. Since naming a primary beneficiary in 1997, the Dallas Marathon has donated more than $3.8 million to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Along with the Houston Marathon and the Austin Marathon, the BMW Dallas Marathon forms the first leg of the Marathons of Texas, a series of winter marathons held approximately one month apart from each other from December through February in Texas. In 2016, BMW signed on to become the title partner changing the official event name to the BMW Dallas Marathon." | 0neutral
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1940 New England hurricane. The 1940 New England hurricane moved off of the U.S. East Coast and Atlantic Canada in August and September 1940, producing strong winds and torrential rainfall. The fourth tropical cyclone and third hurricane of the season, the storm originated from a well-defined low-pressure area in the open Atlantic Ocean on August 26. Moving slowly in a general west-northwest motion, the disturbance intensified, reaching tropical storm strength on August 28 and subsequently hurricane intensity on August 30. The hurricane passed within 85 mi (135 km) of Cape Hatteras before recurving towards the northeast. The hurricane continued to intensify, and reached peak intensity as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 961 mbar (hPa; 28.38 inHg), though these statistical peaks were achieved at different times on September 2. Afterwards, the hurricane began a weakening trend as it proceeded northeastward, and had degenerated into a tropical storm by the time it made its first landfall on Nova Scotia later that day. The storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone the next day while making another landfall on New Brunswick. The extratropical remnants persisted into Quebec before merging with a larger extratropical system late on September 3. Despite not making landfall on the United States, the hurricane caused widespread damage. Extensive precautionary measures were undertaken across the coast, particularly in New England. The heightened precautions were due in part to fears that effects from the storm would be similar to that of a devastating hurricane that struck the region two years prior. Most of the damage associated with the hurricane occurred in New Jersey, where the combination of moisture from the hurricane and a stationary front produced record rainfall, peaking at 24 in (610 mm) in the town of Ewan. This would make the storm the wettest in state history. The resultant floods damaged infrastructure, mostly to road networks. Damage in the state amounted to $4 million. Farther north in New England, strong winds were reported, though damage remained minimal. Although the storm made two landfalls in Atlantic Canada, damage there too was minimal, and was limited to several boating incidents caused by strong waves. Overall, the hurricane caused seven fatalities. | 0neutral
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1924 Grand National. The 1924 Grand National was the 83rd renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 28 March 1924. A false start caused the race to be delayed by around eight minutes. 1924 was the last year the Grand National would be started from a general riding start, with the now-familiar 'tape' introduced at the line the following year. The race was won by Master Robert, a 25/1 shot ridden by jockey Bob Trudgill and trained by Aubrey Hastings for owner Lord Airlie, who collected the £5,000 prize for the winner. Fly Mask finished in second place, Silvo in third and Drifter fourth. Thirty horses ran and all returned safely to the stables. Forty-five cameramen were deployed to capture the race on film, the most to have ever gone to record a sporting event at the time. Also in attendance at Aintree was King George V. Post race celebrations took place at Liverpool's Adelphi Hotel where winning rider, Bob Trudgill treated Lord Airlie's 1,500 guests to a re-enactment of his victory by leaping a Becher's Brook made out of 20 Magnums of Champagne | 0neutral
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1951 Asian Games. The 1951 Asian Games (), officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in New Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad. A total of 489 athletes representing 11 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 57 events from eight sports and discipline. The Games was the successor of the Far Eastern Games and the revival of the Western Asiatic Games. The 1951 Asiad were originally scheduled to be held in 1950, but postponed until 1951 due to delays in preparations. On 13 February 1949, the Asian Games Federation was formally established in Delhi, with Delhi unanimously announced as the first host city of the Asian Games. The games were managed by a strong Organising Committee (see Organisation below). Countries invited included almost all the independent Asian countries of the time except Soviet Union and Vietnam, due to the political structure of those nations. National Stadium was the venue for all events. The official logo of the First Asiad depicted a bright sun in red with 16 rays and a white circle in the middle of the disc of the sun and eleven rings, representing each participating nation, on a white background, symbolising peace. Japanese athletes won the most golds and overall medals, with 24 and 60 respectively; while the host nation India had 15 golds and 51 overall medals with most bronzes (20) and finished at second spot in a medal table. The next Asian Games organised by India were the 1982 Asian Games, some 31 years later. | 0neutral
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2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or. The 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala was the fourth year for FIFA's awards for the top football players and coaches of the year. The awards were given out in Zürich on 13 January 2014. The deadline for voting was 15 November 2013 but was extended to 29 November 2013 for the first time in history. Real Madrid and Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or award as the World Player of the Year. It was his second Ballon d'Or, after winning the award in 2008, as well as his first FIFA Ballon d'Or. With the win, he ended Lionel Messi's domination of the award. Nadine Angerer was announced as the Women's World Player of the Year recipient, while Jupp Heynckes claimed the World Coach of the Year for Men's Football, and Silvia Neid the World Coach of the Year for Women's Football. The ninety-minute ceremony was hosted by Fernanda Lima along with Ruud Gullit. | 0neutral
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2009 Lahore bombing. The 2009 Lahore bombing, at police headquarters in Lahore, Pakistan on 27 May 2009, killed at least 35 people and injured 250. During the attack gunmen fired on guards then destroyed the emergency response building at the city's police headquarters. Offices used by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency nearby also suffered damage. Pakistani accounts from the time of the attack say the three attackers who died in the attack were unidentified. Two of the attackers emerged from the Toyota van used in the attack, and fired on security officials. The driver was not able to breach the boundary of security pylons, before he detonated the bomb. Some eyewitnesses claimed additional terrorists provided covering fire. | 2civil conflict
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1964 Brinks Hotel bombing. The Brinks Hotel in Saigon, also known as the Brink Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ), was bombed by the Viet Cong on the evening of December 24, 1964, during the Vietnam War. Two Viet Cong operatives detonated a car bomb underneath the hotel, which housed United States Army officers. The explosion killed two Americans, an officer and an NCO, and injured approximately 60, including military personnel and Vietnamese civilians. The Viet Cong commanders had planned the venture with two objectives in mind. First, by attacking an American installation in the center of the heavily guarded capital, the Viet Cong intended to demonstrate their ability to strike in South Vietnam should the United States decide to launch air raids against North Vietnam. Second, the bombing would demonstrate to the South Vietnamese that the Americans were vulnerable and could not be relied upon for protection. The bombing prompted debate within the administration of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson. Most of his advisers favored retaliatory bombing of North Vietnam and the introduction of American combat troops, while Johnson preferred the existing strategy of training the Army of the Republic of Vietnam to protect South Vietnam from the Vietcong. In the end, Johnson decided not to take retaliatory action. | 2civil conflict
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2013 Colorado floods. The 2013 Colorado floods were a series of natural disasters occurring in the U.S. state of Colorado. Starting on September 11, 2013, a slow-moving cold front stalled over Colorado, clashing with warm humid monsoonal air from the south. This resulted in heavy rain and catastrophic flooding along Colorado's Front Range from Colorado Springs north to Fort Collins. The situation intensified on September 11 and 12. Boulder County was worst hit, with recorded September 12 and up to of rain recorded by September 15, which is comparable to Boulder County's average annual precipitation (20.7 inches, 525 mm). This event has also been referred to as the 2013 Colorado Front Range Flood, reflecting a more precise geographic extent in and along the Colorado Front Range mountains. The National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center stated in a document that the annual exceedance probability (AEP) for the entire rainfall event was as low as 1/1000 (0.1%) in places. The flood waters spread across a range of almost from north to south, affecting 17 counties. Governor John Hickenlooper declared a disaster emergency on September 12, 2013, in 14 counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Boulder, Denver, El Paso, Fremont, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Pueblo, Washington and Weld. By September 15, federal emergency declarations covered those 14 counties as well as Clear Creek County. | 0neutral
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"Invasion of Yugoslavia. The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put forward in ""Führer Directive No. 25"", which Adolf Hitler issued on 27 March 1941, following the Yugoslav coup d'état. The invasion commenced with an overwhelming air attack on Belgrade and facilities of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force (VVKJ) by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and attacks by German land forces from southwestern Bulgaria. These attacks were followed by German thrusts from Romania, Hungary and the Ostmark. Italian forces were limited to air and artillery attacks until 11 April, when the Italian army attacked towards Ljubljana (in modern-day Slovenia) and through Istria and Lika and down the Dalmatian coast. On the same day, Hungarian forces entered Yugoslav BaÄka and Baranya, but like the Italians they faced practically no resistance. A Yugoslav attack into the northern parts of the Italian protectorate of Albania met with initial success, but was inconsequential due to the collapse of the rest of the Yugoslav forces. Scholars have proposed several theories for the Royal Yugoslav Army's sudden collapse, including poor training and equipment, generals eager to secure a quick cessation of hostilities, and a sizeable Croatian nationalist fifth column. The invasion ended when an armistice was signed on 17 April 1941, based on the unconditional surrender of the Yugoslav army, which came into effect at noon on 18 April. Yugoslavia was then occupied and partitioned by the Axis powers. Some areas of Yugoslavia were annexed by neighboring Axis countries, some areas remained occupied, and in other areas Axis puppet states such as the Independent State of Croatia (, or NDH) were created during the invasion on 10 April. Along with Italy's stalled invasion of Greece on 28 October 1940, and the German-led invasion of Greece (Operation ""Marita"") and invasion of Crete (Operation ""Merkur""), the invasion of Yugoslavia was part of the German Balkan Campaign ()." | 1military conflict
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"Miramar Air Show. The Miramar Air Show is an annual air show held at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. The three-day event is the largest military air show in the United States, with total annual attendance estimated at 700,000. The show is held in October coinciding with Fleet Week activities in San Diego. The 2011 show was the 56th edition of the event, and celebrated the 100th anniversary of naval aviation. In 2007, the Miramar Air Show was voted the ""World's Best Military Air Show"" by the International Council of Air Shows, the first time the award was given to a Marine Corps air station since 1994. The show includes a large selection of ""static"" (non-flying) displays representing aircraft from the United States Marine Corps, Navy, Army and Air Force, as well as civilian and historic military aircraft. Numerous commercial vendors, recruiting displays representing all of the United States armed forces, area law enforcement recruiters, civilian flight organizations and a business and franchise fair are also on site. The show's daily performance schedule includes military and civilian aircraft, usually highlighted by the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, and is largely the same for all three days, with an extra ""twilight show"" on Saturday night only. Mornings are largely taken up by civilian performers, with military and more civilian performers in the afternoon. The Saturday ""twilight"" show includes military and civilian performers, a fireworks display and the detonation of the ""Great Wall of Fire"" pyrotechnic display. The air show for October 4â5, 2013 was canceled. Officials with the Marines confirmed the show was canceled as a result of the government shutdown." | 0neutral
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Hurricane Lili (1996). Hurricane Lili was a relatively long-lived hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season that affected countries from Central America to the United Kingdom. Lili formed on October 14 from a tropical wave, which emerged from the coast of west Africa on October 4. After the storm formed, further strengthening of Lili was gradual, first to tropical storm status on October 16 and then to hurricane status on October 17. The next day, Lili struck Cuba and moved across the central portion of the island, the first hurricane to hit the country since Hurricane Kate in 1985. After emerging into the Atlantic Ocean, the hurricane accelerated northeastward, briefly peaking as a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale near the Bahamas. For almost an entire week, Hurricane Lili oscillated in intensity while fluctuating several times in forward speed. About two weeks passed before Lili transitioned into an extratropical storm north of the Azores on October 27, which subsequently moved across Ireland and Great Britain. Early in its duration, Lili caused flooding in Central America that left thousands homeless and killed 14 people. Damage was heaviest in Cuba, mostly due to the hurricane's heavy rainfall which totaled 29.41 in (747 mm). The hurricane affected 11 Cuban provinces, damaging 92,542 houses and destroying another 6,369. The rains heavily damaged the sugar cane and banana crops, and overall damage in the country was estimated at $362 million (1996 USD). After 269,995 people were evacuated in advance of Lili, there were no deaths in the country. In nearby Florida, one person died after being swept into a drain during the storm's heavy rains. Moisture from Lili also fueled a storm that struck the northeastern United States, which contributed indirectly to a death when a man in Maine tried driving across a flooded roadway. Damage in the Bahamas was not severe, limited to some damaged roofs and downed trees. When the remnants of Lili struck Ireland and the United Kingdom, it produced strong winds and high seas that damaged hundreds of houses, causing $300 million in damage (1996 USD) and six deaths. | 0neutral
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2014 African Nations Championship. The 2014 African Nations Championship was the third African Nations Championship football tournament. The 16 national teams featured players from the respective national championships. The tournament took place between 11 January and 1 February 2014 in South Africa. Originally, the tournament was to be hosted in Libya. This was the first African Nations Championship tournament where all matches were considered full international matches. Hosts South Africa were knocked out in the group stages, which has been attributed to the national league not pausing during the tournament. Many clubs wouldn't release their players. CAF announced a rule change for future versions of the tournament. | 0neutral
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"Burnin' Tour. The Burnin' Tour was a concert tour organised to promote the album ""Burnin""' by Bob Marley and the Wailers (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Joe Higgs). The tour began in Homestead, Florida, in mid October 1973, and ended in Northampton, England, in late November. Bunny Wailer, who had not participated in the American leg of the Catch a Fire Tour, was replaced by Joe Higgs. The first four shows of the second tour leg in England had been cancelled due to Tosh's illness. The tour ended in Northampton,at the Northampton College of further education. England; the rest of the tour was cancelled due to heavy snow. During the tour, some crucial Bob Marley and the Wailers recordings had been made; the appearance at the Capitol Studios had been videotaped and has been used for several documentary movies. The appearance at Sausalito's Record Plant had been broadcast live by KSAN and later officially released on the album ""Talkin' Blues"". Furthermore, the appearances at BBC's Top of the Pops and at Leeds University had been recorded as well and later were officially released on the second disc of the deluxe edition of the ""Burnin'"" album." | 0neutral
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2016 FA Trophy Final. The 2015â16 FA Trophy Final was the 47th final of the FA Trophy. The match was contested by FC Halifax Town and Grimsby Town. Grimsby Town were beaten finalists in 2013, but it was FC Halifax Town's first final and their first visit to Wembley Stadium. For the first time the final of the FA Vase was played on the same day at the same venue, contested by Hereford and Morpeth Town. Both matches were televised in the UK on BT Sport. FC Halifax Town defeated Tamworth, Barrow, Chester, Gateshead and Nantwich Town en route to the final. Grimsby Town defeated Solihull Moors, Weston-super-Mare, Havant & Waterlooville, Woking, and Bognor Regis Town en route to the final. FC Halifax Town won the match 1â0 thanks to a goal from Scott McManus after 48 minutes. | 0neutral
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"Siege of Kehl (1796â97). The Siege of Kehl lasted from October 1796 to 9 January 1797. Habsburg and Württemberg regulars numbering 40,000, under the command of Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour, besieged and captured the French-controlled fortifications at the village of Kehl in the German state of Baden-Durlach. The fortifications at Kehl represented important bridgehead crossing the Rhine to Strasbourg, an Alsatian city, a French Revolutionary stronghold. This battle was part of the Rhine Campaign of 1796, in the French Revolutionary War of the First Coalition. In the 1790s, the Rhine was wild, unpredictable, and difficult to cross, in some places more than four or more times wider than it is in the twenty-first century, even under non-flood conditions. Its channels and tributaries wound through marsh and meadow and created islands of trees and vegetation that were alternately submerged by floods or exposed during the dry seasons. At Kehl and the city of Strasbourg lay a complex of bridges, gates, fortifications and barrage dams. These had been constructed by the fortress architect Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban in the seventeenth century. The crossings had been contested before: in 1678 during the French-Dutch war, in 1703 during the War of the Spanish Succession, in 1733 during the War of the Polish Succession, and earlier in 1796, when the French crossed into the German states on 23â24 June. Critical to French success was the army's ability to cross the Rhine at will. The crossings at Hüningen, near the Swiss city of Basel, and the crossing at Kehl, gave them ready access to most of southwestern Germany; from there, French armies could sweep north, south, or east, depending on their military goal. Throughout the summer of 1796, the French and the Austrians had chased each other back and forth across the south German states. By October, the Habsburg force, under the command of Archduke Charles, had pushed the French back to the Rhine. With the conclusion of the Battle of Schliengen on 24 October, the French army withdrew south and west toward the Rhine. The French commander, Jean Victor Marie Moreau, offered an armistice that the Archduke was inclined to accept. The Archduke wanted to secure the Rhine crossings so he could send troops to northern Italy to relieve Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser at besieged Mantua; an armistice with Moreau would allow him to do that. However, his brother, Francis II, the Holy Roman Emperor, and the civilian military advisers of the Aulic Council categorically refused such an armistice, forcing Charles to order simultaneous sieges at Hüningen and Kehl. These tied his army to the Rhine for most of the winter. On 18 September 1796, the Austrians temporarily acquired control of the ""têtes-de-ponts"" (bridgeheads) joining Kehl and Strasbourg until a strong French counter-attack forced them to retreat. The situation remained in ""status quo"" until late October. Immediately after the Battle of Schliengen, while most of Moreau's army retreated south to cross the Rhine at Hüningen, Count Baillet Latour moved north to Kehl to begin the siege. On 22 November, the French defenders at Kehl, under Louis Desaix and the overall commander of the French Army of the Rhine and Moselle, Jean-Victor-Marie Moreau, almost ended the siege when they executed a sortie that nearly captured the Austrian artillery park. In early December, though, the Austrians expanded the siege, connecting a grand parallel with a series of batteries in a semi-circle around the village and the bridges. By late December, the completed Austrian batteries connected with the captured French fortification called ""Bonnet de Prêtre""; from these positions, the Austrians bombarded the French defenses with enfilade fire. After the defenses were thoroughly riddled by heavy bombardment from the besiegers, the French defenders capitulated and withdrew on 9 January 1797." | 1military conflict
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"Iranian Revolution. The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution or the 1979 Revolution, was a series of events that involved the overthrow of the last monarch of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, and the replacement of his government with an Islamic republic under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a leader of one of the factions in the revolt. The movement against the United States-backed monarchy was supported by various leftist and Islamist organizations and student movements. Demonstrations against the Shah commenced in October 1977, developing into a campaign of civil resistance that included both secular and religious elements, and which intensified in January 1978. Between August and December 1978, strikes and demonstrations paralyzed the country. The Shah left Iran for exile on 16 January 1979, as the last Persian monarch, leaving his duties to a regency council and Shapour Bakhtiar who was an opposition-based prime minister. Ayatollah Khomeini was invited back to Iran by the government, and returned to Tehran to a greeting by several million Iranians. The royal reign collapsed shortly after on 11 February when guerrillas and rebel troops overwhelmed troops loyal to the Shah in armed street fighting, bringing Khomeini to official power. Iran voted by national referendum to become an Islamic republic on 1 April 1979 and to formulate and approve a new theocratic-republican constitution whereby Khomeini became Supreme Leader of the country in December 1979. The revolution was unusual for the surprise it created throughout the world: it lacked many of the customary causes of revolution (defeat at war, a financial crisis, peasant rebellion, or disgruntled military), occurred in a nation that was experiencing relative prosperity, produced profound change at great speed, was massively popular, resulted in the exile of many Iranians, and replaced a pro-Western authoritarian monarchy with an anti-Western theocracy based on the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists (or ""velayat-e faqih""). It was a relatively nonviolent revolution, and it helped to redefine the meaning and practice of modern revolutions (although there was violence in its aftermath)." | 2civil conflict
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Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, officially known as Operation Danube, was a joint invasion of Czechoslovakia by five Warsaw Pact countries â the Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, East Germany and Hungary â on the night of 20â21 August 1968. Approximately 250,000 Warsaw pact troops attacked Czechoslovakia that night, with Romania and Albania refusing to participate. East German forces, except for a small number of specialists, did not participate in the invasion because they were ordered from Moscow not to cross the Czechoslovak border just hours before the invasion. 137 Czechoslovakian civilians were killed and 500 seriously wounded during the occupation. The invasion successfully stopped Alexander DubÄek's Prague Spring liberalisation reforms and strengthened the authority of the authoritarian wing within the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSÄ). The foreign policy of the Soviet Union during this era was known as the Brezhnev Doctrine. | 1military conflict
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December 2010 Bajaur bombing. On 25 December 2010, at least 47 people were killed and over 100 others injured, after a female suicide bomber detonated her explosives in a large crowd of people displaced by fighting, who were collecting food at a distribution centre of the World Food Programme in the Pakistani town of Khar, which is located within the Bajaur tribal region, of north-western Pakistan. It was later reported by witnesses, that the bomber dressed in a full-length burka had reportedly thrown a grenade after resisting search, to which then the bomber proceeded to detonate her explosives. Several police officials confirmed the bomber was a woman, as opposed to the more likely occurrence of a man wearing the burka as a disguise, in order to successfully conduct this suicide attack. It was also known that those in this crowd were predominantly displaced members of the Salarzai Tribe, which has supported Pakistan Army operations against the Pakistani Taliban within the Bajaur tribal regions. Those dozens of people injured in this suicide attack were apparently later taken to local hospitals via means of helicopters. Local Witnesses, including that of a government official at the main government hospital within the region, Dosti Rehman, claimed that he had personally counted some 40 bodies. However, there are concerns that the death toll could very likely rise, as the official stated that several of those injured, as a result of this suicide attack were apparently in a critical condition at the local hospitals. This particular bombing acts as one of a string of recent suicide attacks, which have occurred with near impunity, predominantly throughout Pakistan's north-western, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, of north-western Pakistan. No particular militant group has of yet claimed responsibility for this suicide attack, although the Pakistani Taliban are strong suspects. The Bajaur tribal region has reportedly seen several Pakistan Army military operations in recent years, however such suicide attacks still continue throughout the region with near impunity. The Pakistani Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani later condemned this suicide attack, and claimed that such military offensives would continue against the Pakistani Taliban. This statement will be met with a certain degree of approval in the U.S, as Pakistan has recently been pressured to launch a major ground-offensive in the nearby North Waziristan tribal region, in order to root-out and destroy the last major remaining safe-haven for Radical Islamist and Pakistani Taliban insurgents within the country. The U.N World Food Programme later suspended its food distribution activities in the Bajaur tribal region, as a security precaution to this suicide attack. This suicide bombing was strongly condemned by U.S president, Barack Obama. The Pakistani Taliban later claimed responsibility for this suicide attack. This suicide bombing was officially declared the first such suicide attack to involve a female in Pakistan. | 2civil conflict
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"Welcome to the Universe Tour. The Welcome to the Universe Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, in support of their second studio album ""A Beautiful Lie"" (2005). Presenting a series of inexpensive concerts for music fans, the concert tour was announced in August 2006 as a part of the MTV2 $2Bill tour. The Welcome to the Universe Tour began on October 17, 2006 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and ended on November 25, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. The setlist encompassed songs from their first two studio albums, ""30 Seconds to Mars"" and ""A Beautiful Lie"". Labelled as a green tour, Thirty Seconds to Mars developed strategies that minimized fuel consumption of all touring vehicles. Head Automatica and Cobra Starship served as the opening acts, with other bands joining for select dates. The Welcome to the Universe Tour received positive reviews from critics, who praised Thirty Seconds to Mars' energy onstage and the production of the show. The concert tour was recorded and broadcast on MTV2." | 0neutral
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Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The ice hockey competitions of the 2014 Winter Olympics were played at two venues, located 300 meters from the other, within the Olympic Park in Sochi, Russia. The Bolshoy Ice Dome, which seats 12,000, resembles a Fabergé egg. The Shayba Arena, seating 7,000, and planned as a moveable structure as yet not moved from its Olympic Park site. Both venues are international sized (60 meters by 30 meters). The men's tournament had twelve teams competing and the women's tournament had eight teams: tournament play began on 8 February 2014. The women's concluded on 20 February and the men's on 23 February. Canada men's and Canada women's national teams went through the tournament undefeated repeating its gold medalist achievements at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. | 0neutral
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Juno Beach. Juno or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the Second World War. The beach spanned from Courseulles, a village just east of the British beach Gold, to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, and just west of the British beach Sword. Taking Juno was the responsibility of the Canadian Army, with sea transport, mine sweeping, and a naval bombardment force provided by the Royal Canadian Navy and the British Royal Navy as well as elements from the Free French, Norwegian, and other Allied navies. The objectives of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on D-Day were to cut the Caen-Bayeux road, seize the Carpiquet airport west of Caen, and form a link between the two British beaches on either flank. The beach was defended by two battalions of the German 716th Infantry Division, with elements of the 21st Panzer Division held in reserve near Caen. The invasion plan called for two brigades of the 3rd Canadian Division to land on two beach sectorsâMike and Nanâfocusing on Courseulles, Bernières and Saint-Aubin. It was hoped that the preliminary naval and air bombardments would soften up the beach defences and destroy coastal strong points. Close support on the beaches was to be provided by amphibious tanks of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and specialized armoured vehicles of the 79th Armoured Division (United Kingdom). Once the landing zones were secured, the plan called for the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade to land reserve battalions and deploy inland, the Royal Marine commandos to establish contact with the British 3rd Infantry Division on Sword and the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade to link up with the British 50th Infantry Division on Gold. The 3rd Canadian Division's D-Day objectives were to capture Carpiquet Airfield and reach the CaenâBayeux railway line by nightfall. The landings initially encountered heavy resistance from the German 716th Division; the preliminary bombardment proved less effective than had been hoped, and rough weather forced the first wave to be delayed until 07:35. Several assault companiesânotably those of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and The Queen's Own Rifles of Canadaâtook heavy casualties in the opening minutes of the first wave. Strength of numbers, coordinated fire support from artillery and armoured squadrons, cleared most of the coastal defences within two hours of landing. The reserves of the 7th and 8th brigades began deploying at 08:30 (along with the Royal Marines), while the 9th Brigade began its deployment at 11:40. The subsequent push inland towards Carpiquet and the CaenâBayeux railway line achieved mixed results. The sheer numbers of men and vehicles on the beaches created lengthy delays between the landing of the 9th Brigade and the beginning of substantive attacks to the south. The 7th Brigade encountered heavy initial opposition before pushing south and making contact with the British 50th Division at Creully. The 8th Brigade encountered heavy resistance from a battalion of the 716th at Tailleville, while the 9th Brigade deployed towards Carpiquet early in the evening. Resistance in Saint-Aubin prevented the Royal Marines from establishing contact with the British 3rd Division on Sword. By the time all operations on the Anglo-Canadian front were ordered to halt at 21:00, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada had reached its D-Day objective and the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had succeeded in pushing farther inland than any other landing force on D-Day. | 1military conflict
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"Million Man March. The Million Man March was a large gathering of African-American men in Washington, D.C., on October 16, 1995. Called by Louis Farrakhan, it was held on and around the National Mall. The National African American Leadership Summit, a leading group of civil rights activists and the Nation of Islam working with scores of civil rights organizations, including many local chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (but not the national NAACP) formed the Million Man March Organizing Committee. The founder of the National African American Leadership Summit, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. served as National Director of the Million Man March. The committee invited many prominent speakers to address the audience, and African American men from across the United States converged in Washington to ""convey to the world a vastly different picture of the Black male"" and to unite in self-help and self-defense against economic and social ills plaguing the African American community. The march took place in the context of a larger grassroots movement that set out to win politicians' attention for urban and minority issues through widespread voter registration campaigns. On the same day, there was a parallel event called the ""Day of Absence"", organized by women in conjunction with the March leadership, which was intended to engage the large population of black Americans who would not be able to attend the demonstration in Washington. On this date, all blacks were encouraged to stay home from their usual school, work, and social engagements, in favor of attending teach-ins, and worship services, focusing on the struggle for a healthy and self-sufficient black community. Further, organizers of the Day of Absence hoped to use the occasion to make great headway on their voter registration drive. A conflict arose about crowd size estimates between March organizers and Park Service officials. The National Park Service issued an estimate of about 400,000 attendees, a number significantly lower than march organizers had hoped for. After a heated exchange between leaders of the march and Park Service, ABC-TV-funded researchers at Boston University estimated the crowd size to be about 837,000 members, with a 20% margin of error. Two years after the march, the Million Woman March was held in response to fears that the Million Man March had focused on black men to the exclusion of black women." | 2civil conflict
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"Operation Freedom Deal. Operation ""Freedom Deal"" was a United States Seventh Air Force interdiction and close air support campaign waged in Cambodia, a neutral country, between 19 May 1970 and 15 August 1973, as an expansion of the Vietnam War, as well as the Cambodian Civil War. Launched by Richard Nixon as a follow-up to the earlier ground invasion during the Cambodian Campaign, the initial targets of the operation were the base areas and border sanctuaries of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong (VC). As time went on most of the bombing was carried out to support the Cambodian government of Lon Nol in its struggle against the communist Khmer Rouge. The area in which the bombing took place was expanded to include most of the eastern one-half of Cambodia. The bombing was extremely controversial, and led the US Congress to pass the War Powers Resolution. Operation Freedom Deal followed and expanded the bombing of Cambodia conducted under Operation Menu in 1969 and 1970. Most of the bombing was carried out by U.S. Air Force (USAF) B-52 bombers. While the effectiveness of the bombing and the number of Cambodians killed by U.S. bombing is in dispute, civilian fatalities were easily in the tens of thousands." | 1military conflict
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Largest Human Flag of India. Largest Human Flag of India was an event organised to form the world's largest human national flag in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was organised on 7 December 2014 by Rotary International in India with a slogan Rotary My Flag My India. More than 50,000 Indians gathered in YMCA Grounds, Chennai to form the world's largest human national flag. It is the official attempt to break the previous world record was in the name of Sports Club of Lahore, Pakistan. They made their national flag by gathering 28,957 human on February 2014. Guinness official Syeda Subasi-Gemici, adjudicator of Guinness World Records Ltd., presented the certificate validating the attempt. | 0neutral
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2007 A-League Grand Final. The 2007 A-League Grand Final took place at Telstra Dome in Melbourne, Australia, on 18 February 2007. The match was contested by premiers Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United, who had to play over half the game with ten men after their captain Ross Aloisi was sent off after 34 minutes. After the game, Adelaide coach John Kosmina heavily criticized the refereeing of the match and this, coupled with other issues, saw him forced to resign by the Adelaide board. Melbourne prevailed 6-0 in the joint largest win in A-League history, and the greatest ever deficit in any Australian soccer Grand Final, including the old NSL. The match also set the largest sporting attendance at Docklands Stadium of 55,436 people. Archie Thompson scored five goals, only the sixth A-League hat-trick, and the most goals by an individual in any A-League match. This performance earned him the Joe Marston Medal. | 0neutral
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Hurricane Irene (2005). Hurricane Irene was a long-lived Cape Verde hurricane during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm formed near Cape Verde on August 4 and crossed the Atlantic, turning northward around Bermuda before being absorbed by an extratropical cyclone while situated southeast of Newfoundland. Irene proved to be a difficult storm to forecast due to oscillations in strength. After almost dissipating on August 10, Irene peaked as a Category 2 hurricane on August 16. Irene persisted for 14 days as a tropical system, the longest duration of any storm of the 2005 season. It was the ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the record-breaking season. Although there were initial fears of a landfall in the United States due to uncertainty in predicting the storm's track, Hurricane Irene never approached land and caused no recorded damage; however, swells up to and strong rip currents resulted in one fatality in Long Beach, New York. | 0neutral
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ArmenianâAzerbaijani War. The ArmenianâAzerbaijani War, which started after the Russian Revolution, was a series of conflicts in 1918, then from 1920â22 that occurred during the brief independence of Armenia and Azerbaijan and afterwards. Most of the conflicts did not have a principal pattern with a standard armed structure. The Ottoman Empire and British Empire were involved in different capacities: the Ottoman Empire left the region after the Armistice of Mudros but British influence continued until Dunsterforce was pulled back in the 1920s. The conflicts involved civilians in the disputed districts of Kazakh-Shamshadin, Zanghezur, Nakhchivan and Karabakh. The use of guerrilla and semi-guerrilla operations was the main reason for the high civilian casualties, which occurred during the nation-building activities of the newly established states. The reasons behind the conflict are still far from being resolved after nearly a century. The story of this campaign has very different perceptions from Armenian and Azerbaijani viewpoints. According to Armenian historians, the First Republic of Armenia aimed to include Nakhchivan among the basic (Eastern Armenian) territories of the Erivan Governorate, as well as the eastern and southern parts of the Elisabethpol Governorate. | 1military conflict
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2011 Copa América. The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body, and was held in Argentina from 1 to 24 July. The draw for the tournament was held in La Plata on 11 November 2010. Uruguay won the tournament after defeating Paraguay 3â0 in the final, giving them a record 15th Copa América title and their first since 1995. Paraguay, as the tournament runner-up, earned the Copa Bolivia; Paraguay's performance was noteworthy, as they were able to reach the finals without winning a single game in the tournament; their success in the final stages was achieved by the way of penalty shoot-outs. Brazil were the defending champions who got knocked out by Paraguay in the quarter final after failing to convert any of the penalties. As the tournament champion, Uruguay earned the right to represent CONMEBOL in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, held in Brazil. Peru finished third after defeating Venezuela 4â1 in the third-place match. | 0neutral
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Battle of Koromokina Lagoon. The Battle of the Koromokina Lagoon was fought between the United States Marine Corps and Imperial Japanese Army forces on Bougainville Island. It took place on 7â8 November 1943 during the Bougainville campaign. In response to the Allied landings on Bougainville at Cape Torokina, Japanese General Hitoshi Imamura, commander of the 8th Area Army at Rabaul, determined to launch a counterattack. Underestimating the size of the Allied landing forces, the Japanese dispatched a force of 850 soldiers to execute a counter landing to attempt to drive the Allied forces back into the sea. The Japanese soldiers landed from four destroyers near Koromokina Lagoon on the night of 7 November and engaged two battalions of U.S. Marines from the 3rd and 9th Marine Regiments under the command of Major General Allen H. Turnage. Over the next two days the Japanese attacks were defeated with heavy losses to the attackers. After the battle, Allied forces continued to expand their beachhead on Bougainville with the goal of constructing airfields to attack and neutralize Japanese forces located at Rabaul and nearby areas. | 1military conflict
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2009 Nevsky Express bombing. The 2009 Nevsky Express bombing occurred on 27 November 2009 when a bomb exploded under a high speed train travelling between the Russian cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg causing derailment near the town of Bologoye, Tver Oblast (approximately from Moscow), on the MoscowâSaint Petersburg Railway. The derailment occurred at 21:34 local time (18:34 UTC). Russian officials had stated that 39 people were killed and 95 injured but later retracted that estimate. 27 deaths had been reported by 2 December. A second bomb exploded at the scene of the investigation the following day, injuring one. It was reported to have been triggered by a remote mobile phone. The first respondents were residents of Lykoshino, a nearby village. A field hospital was set up to treat the wounded and at least 50 were hospitalised in Saint Petersburg. It is believed that, at the time of the derailment, the Nevsky Express was carrying 661 passengers in 13 carriages, of which the last four were thought to have been affected by the incident. Although initial reports blamed an electrical fault for the derailment, investigation showed that the derailment may have been caused by an act of terrorism; a crater was found in the ground near the crash site. The government confirmed that the accident was caused by terrorists, making this attack Russia's deadliest outside the North Caucasus region since the 2004 Russian aircraft bombings. | 0neutral
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2011 Guerrero earthquake. The 2011 Guerrero earthquake struck with a moment magnitude of 5.7 in southern Mexico at on Thursday, 5 May. It was positioned west of Ometepec, Guerrero, with a focal depth of 24 km (14.9 mi), and was lightly felt in many adjacent areas. Buildings swayed with the tremor in Mexico City, prompting evacuations and causing panic among many. Following the quake, police patrolled city streets for safety reasons and damage assessments were carried out across the affected region. There were no casualties, though two local police stations suffered slight damage. A number of light aftershocks succeeded the main event, of which the strongest measured a magnitude of 4.1 (M). | 0neutral
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"2006â08 Lebanese protests. The 2006â2008 Lebanese protests were a series of political protests and sit-ins that began on December 1, 2006, led by groups in Lebanon that opposed the US and Saudi-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and ended on May 21, 2008 following the Doha Agreement. The opposition group was made up of Hezbollah, Amal, and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM); a number of smaller parties were also involved, including the Marada party, the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. The majority of the members of the government were part of the anti-Syrian March 14 Alliance, a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon. The two groups were also divided along religious lines, with most Sunnis and Druze supporting the government, and most Shi'a supporting the opposition group. The Christian community was split between the two factions, with Michel Aoun, the leader of the FPM, claiming to have more than 70% support among the Christians, according to the results of the 2005 parliamentary elections. The opposition, which had nearly 45% of the parliamentary seats, was seeking to create a national unity government, in which it demanded one more than one third of the Cabinet seats. This would give them veto power, as well as the ability to collapse the government. Unlike other democracies, Lebanon cannot be ruled by a simple majority. The government refused the demands. The opposition was also seeking to hold early parliamentary elections, hoping to remove the current majority held by the March 14 Alliance. Conversely, the March 14 Alliance majority was seeking to hold early presidential elections to replace pro-Syrian President Ãmile Lahoud. In the Lebanese political system, parliament elects the president. However, according to article 49 of the constitution, the President of Lebanon must receive two-thirds of the votes in the first session or an absolute majority of votes in subsequent sessions. On April 8, 2007, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the opposition, declared the situation deadlocked, but expressed an unwillingness to escalate the protests into a civil war. He suggested the status quo would continue until the regularly scheduled elections in 2009. Nevertheless, a new wave of sectarian violence started in Lebanon during the first decade of May 2008. Responding to the government's crackdown on Hezbollah's secured network the militants belonging to the organization and its allies have blocked Beirut airport as well as main city streets, paralyzing the life in the capital. On May 8, 2008, gun battles erupted between Hezbollah supporters and pro-government loyalists, while the leader of the organization called the government's decision ""a declaration of war"". Following one week of clashes in May 2008, leaders of both the opposition and majority signed the Doha Agreement, defusing the 18-month crisis. The agreement entailed the election of General Michel Sulaiman as President and the formation of a national-unity government under Fouad Siniora." | 2civil conflict
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"Endgame Tour. The Endgame Tour was a concert tour by punk band Rise Against, taking place from 2011 to 2013, in support of their sixth full-length studio album ""Endgame"". The tour began on February 25, 2011, with the band's first visit to South America, playing a short leg with two dates in Brazil and one in Argentina with supporting act Berri Txarrak. This followed a short tour of small venues in Europe with supporting act Coliseum, and a major US tour with supporting acts Bad Religion and Four Year Strong. In July, the band headlined a tour of Oceania with supporting acts Sick of It All and Break Even, which was followed by a run of European festival dates in August, including playing the Reading and Leeds Festivals. The band was then chosen as the main guest supporting act on the Foo Fighters' fall headlining tour in support of ""Wasting Light"", which took place in September, after which Rise Against headlined their own Canadian tour with supporting acts Flogging Molly and The Black Pacific. Between November 2â13, 2011, the band played their first UK headlining tour in 2 years, supported by and Polar Bear Club, the band also played one date in Scotland during the tour, and added an additional date in Rome, Italy on November 15. In December, the band played a series of Christmas special radio festival shows. The band's first tour of 2012 was another US headlining leg, which was supported by A Day to Remember and The Menzingers, with Glassjaw also joining as a special guest supporting act at the New York City show on February 3. Between February 28âMarch 20, 2012, the band headlined another tour of Europe, visiting countries they haven't visited in years like Norway, Finland and the Czech Republic, and also touring Germany. The tour was supported by Architects and Touché Amoré. The band followed with another leg of the US in AprilâMay, which was supported by A Day to Remember and Title Fight." | 0neutral
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"Death of Azaria Chamberlain. Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain (11 June â 17 August 1980) was an Australian two-month-old baby girl who was killed by a dingo on the night of 17 August 1980, on a family camping trip to Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) in the Northern Territory. Her body was never found. Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, reported that she had been taken from their tent by a dingo. Lindy Chamberlain was, however, tried for murder and spent more than three years in prison. She was released when a piece of Azaria's clothing was found near a dingo lair, and new inquests were opened. In 2012, 32 years after Azaria's death, the Chamberlains' version of events was officially supported by a coroner. An initial inquest held in Alice Springs supported the parents' claim and was highly critical of the police investigation. The findings of the inquest were broadcast live on televisionâa first in Australia. Subsequently, after a further investigation and a second inquest held in Darwin, Lindy Chamberlain was tried for murder, convicted on 29 October 1982 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Azaria's father, Michael Chamberlain, was convicted as an accessory after the fact and given a suspended sentence. The media focus for the trial was unusually intense and aroused accusations of sensationalism, while the trial itself was criticised for being unprofessional and biased. The Chamberlains made several unsuccessful appeals, including the final High Court appeal. This was one of the biggest and most misunderstood cases in Australian history. After all legal options had been exhausted, the chance discovery in 1986 of a piece of Azaria's clothing in an area with numerous dingo lairs led to Lindy Chamberlain's release from prison. On 15 September 1988, the Northern Territory Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously overturned all convictions against Lindy and Michael Chamberlain. A third inquest was conducted in 1995, which resulted in an ""open"" finding. At a fourth inquest held on 12 June 2012, Coroner Elizabeth Morris delivered her findings that Azaria Chamberlain had been taken and killed by a dingo. After being released, Lindy Chamberlain was paid $1.3 million for false imprisonment and an amended death certificate was issued. Numerous books have been written about the case. The story has been made into a TV movie, a feature film, ""Evil Angels"" (released outside Australia and New Zealand as ""A Cry in the Dark""), a TV miniseries, a play by Brooke Pierce, a concept album by Australian band The Paradise Motel and an opera, ""Lindy"", by Moya Henderson." | 0neutral
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