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76168289 | 2024 in Christmas Island | 2024-02-23 17:18:50+00:00 | Events from 2024 in Christmas Island.
Administrative head: Farzian Zainal
19 February – The Christmas Island red crab migration happens, their first delayed migration in recorded history. The cause was attributed to “dry weather”. | null |
76830311 | 2024 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament | 2024-05-06 03:11:06+00:00 | The 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship is the 53rd annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national championship for NCAA Division I men's college lacrosse. The semifinals and final are hosted by Drexel University and held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Seventeen (17) teams competed in the tournament based upon their performance during the regular season. For nine (9) conferences, entry into the tournament was by means of a conference tournament automatic qualifier, while for ACC teams and the remaining eight (8) teams, at-large selection was determined by the NCAA selection committee.
* denotes overtime period
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Chris Kavanagh, A, Notre Dame: Most Outstanding Player
Pat Kavanagh, A, Notre Dame
Connor Shellenberger, A, Virginia
Daniel Kelly, A, Maryland
Devon McLane, M, Notre Dame
Ben Ramsey, SSDM, Notre Dame
Luke Wierman, FO, Maryland
Ajax Zappitello, D, Maryland
Shawn Lyght, D, Notre Dame
Liam Entenmann, G, Notre Dame
NCAA Division II men's lacrosse tournament
NCAA Division III men's lacrosse tournament
2024 NCAA Division I women's lacrosse tournament | null |
75814691 | 2024 European Junior Judo Championships | 2024-01-15 11:49:27+00:00 | The 2024 European Junior Judo Championships will be held at the Unibet Arena in Tallinn, Estonia, from 5 to 8 September 2024. The last day of competition will feature a mixed team event.
* Host nation (Estonia)
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77147227 | 2024 Flanders Darts Trophy | 2024-06-13 21:11:43+00:00 | The 2024 Flanders Darts Trophy will be the tenth of thirteen PDC European Tour events on the 2024 PDC Pro Tour. The tournament will take place at the Antwerp XPO, Antwerp, Belgium from 6 September to 8 September 2024. It will feature a field of 48 players and £175,000 in prize money, with £30,000 going to the winner.
The prize fund remained at £175,000, with £30,000 to the winner:
Pre-qualified players from the Orders of Merit who lose in their first match of the event shall not be credited with prize money on any Order of Merit. A player who qualifies as a qualifier, but later becomes a seed due to the withdrawal of one or more other players shall be credited with their prize money on all Orders of Merit regardless of how far they progress in the event.
A massive overhaul in the qualification for the 2024 European Tour events was announced on 7 January.
For the first time, both the PDC Order of Merit and the PDC ProTour Order of Merit rankings were used to determine 32 of the 48 entrants for the event.
The top 16 on the PDC Order of Merit qualified, along with the highest 16 ranked players on the PDC ProTour Order of Merit (after the PDC Order of Merit players were removed). From those 32 players, the 16 highest ranked players on the PDC ProTour Order of Merit were seeded for the event.
The seedings were confirmed on 7 June.
The remaining 16 places went to players from four qualifying events – 10 from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier (held on 13 June), four from the Host Nation Qualifier (to be held on 5 September), one from the Nordic & Baltic Associate Member Qualifier (held on 1 June), and one from the East European Associate Member Qualifier (held on 1 June).
The following players will take part in the tournament: | null |
76895907 | 2024 Judo Grand Prix Zagreb | 2024-05-13 10:04:59+00:00 | The 2024 Judo Grand Prix Zagreb will be held in Zagreb, Croatia, from 13 to 15 September 2024 as part of the IJF World Tour.
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76885861 | 2024 Speedway Grand Prix of Poland | 2024-05-11 20:25:20+00:00 | The 2024 FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland is the second, sixth, eighth and eleventh rounds of the 2024 Speedway Grand Prix season (the World Championship).
The second round took place on 11 May 2024 at the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw. The sixth round will take place at the Edward Jancarz Stadium in Gorzów Wielkopolski on 29 June. The eighth round will be held on 31 August at the Olympic Stadium in Wrocław and the eleventh and final round was held on 28 September at the MotoArena Toruń in Toruń.
The rounds are the 61st to 64th Speedway Grand Prix of Poland respectively.
A new sprint race was introduced during the qualifying session (at selected Grand Prix), with the fastest rider in each qualifying session progressing to a single race for extra points. The idea behind the sprint race was similar to that brought into the Formula One, whereby the qualifying sessions were given more importance. The Polish-Warsaw Grand Prix was the first time that the sprint had been held.
The Warsaw Grand Prix was won by Jason Doyle, which was his first Grand Prix win since Melbourne in 2017. The Gorzów Grand Prix was won by Freddie Lindgren (his 7th career Grand prix win). During the Gorzów round Tai Woffinden crashed heavily and was taken to hospital, potentially ending his season.
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Sprint result
Main round
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77137646 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | 2024-06-12 11:46:38+00:00 | The 2024 COSAFA Cup was the 23rd edition of the annual association football competition organized by COSAFA. It was held in South Africa for the seventh straight year, this time in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), from 26 June to 7 July 2024. Zambia are the defending champions and they were eliminated during the group stage.
Twelve nations featured in the 2024 edition of the tournament. Two COSAFA members, Madagascar and Mauritius, did not participate. Zimbabwe returned to the tournament for the first time since the 2021 edition following its FIFA ban. Despite originally being announced as a participant, Malawi withdrew from the tournament prior to the group draw out of respect for eight victims of a plane crash earlier that week. One of the victims was former Vice-President of Malawi Saulos Chilima. Kenya accepted COSAFA’s invitation to participate as a guest to replace Malawi.
The twelve participating teams were drawn into three groups of four teams. As the defending champions, Zambia and the next two highest ranked teams, Angola and South Africa, were in separate groups as the seeded teams. Group winners and the best runner-up will moved on to the semi-finals.
Originally scheduled to be held 14 to 23 June 2024, the competition was then postponed. At the time the date change was announced, nations had already begun naming their squads and leagues had altered their season schedules to accommodate the tournament. COSAFA stated that the postponement was necessarily to give the competition maximum exposure, presumably because of a number of high-profile competitions that would have been taking place at the same time. On 13 June 2024, COSAFA announced the tournament would be played from 26 June to 7 July 2024.
The draw for the group stage of the 2024 COSAFA Cup was held on 14 June 2024 in Johannesburg.
Tiebreakers
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:
Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
Drawing of lots.
Group stage matches were played from 26 June to 3 July 2024.
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Semi-final matches were played on 5 July 2024 with the third-place and final match played two days later.
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There were 47 goals scored in 22 matches, for an average of 2.14 goals per match.
5 goals
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76880588 | 2024–25 EuroLeague Women | 2024-05-11 00:06:05+00:00 | The 2024–25 EuroLeague Women was the 67th edition of the European women's club basketball championship organized by FIBA, and the 28th edition since being rebranded as the EuroLeague Women. Fenerbahçe are the two-time defending champions.
Starting this season, a new format will be introduced after FIBA Europe announced a change to the format on 10 May 2024. On 15 May 2024, the format was explained.
Regular season (First round)
After the qualifiers, 16 teams will be split into 4 groups of four, where the top three from each group advances to the second round. The fourth place teams drop down to the EuroCup Women knockout stage. The advancing teams' records from the first round are carried over into the next round.
Regular season (Second round)
The 12 remaining teams form 2 groups of six and will play the teams they have not played in the first round. In both groups, the top 2 will play the Semi-Final play-ins while 3rd and 4th play the Quarter-Final play-ins. The teams who finish fifth and sixth are eliminated.
Play Ins
The play ins will decide who makes the final six and where each team will start in the final six. The top 2 play the Semi-Final play-ins and the third and fourth teams play the Quarter-Final play-ins. Both play ins are played in a home and away aggregate format. The higher-seeded teams play the second leg at home.
The winners of the Semi-Final play-ins will automatically progress to the semifinals of the final six, while the victors of the Quarter-Final play-ins will reach the quarterfinals of the final six. The losers of the Quarter-Final play-ins are eliminated.
Final Six
The final six is held in a centralised venue and decide the champion. The losers of the Semi-Final play-ins plus the winners of the Quarter-Final play-ins contest the quarterfinals. The two winners move on to the semifinals to play the teams who automatically qualify for this round. Whoever triumphs in the semifinals reach the final while the losers play the third place match.
The results were based on the results of the past three seasons.
Associations 1–4 can have three teams qualify.
Associations 5–8 each have two teams qualify.
Associations 9–10 each have one team qualify directly into the regular season.
Associations below the top 10 can have one team qualify for the qualification round.
If a club who qualified for the regular season doesn't take the place, it will be given to another club who entered.
The teams were announced on 5 July 2024. League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH EL: EuroLeague Women title holders). Also, S means that the team in the qualifying round was seeded.
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The draw took place in Munich, Germany on the 18 July 2024.
Draw rules are as follows.
A maximum of two clubs from the same country can be in the same regular season group for countries that have up to three clubs in total.
Each group can have a maximum of two countries that are represented by two clubs each.
If there are exactly two clubs from the same country, those clubs shall be drawn into different groups if possible.
The winners advance to the regular season, while the losers drop down to the EuroCup regular season.
If teams are level on record at the end of the regular season, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
Head-to-head record
Head-to-head point differential
Head-to-head points scored
Point differential for the entire regular season
Points scored for the entire regular season
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77292313 | 2024–25 EuroLeague Women Qualification Round | 2024-07-05 15:50:44+00:00 | The 2024–25 EuroLeague Women Qualification Round decided the final three teams in the regular season.
Six teams were divided into three play offs, where the winners on aggregate advanced to the regular season.
The draw took place in Munich, Germany on the 18 July 2024. The bold text means which teams advanced.
The three winners on aggregate advanced to the regular season.
All times are local.
won – on aggregate
won – on aggregate
won – on aggregate | null |
75946161 | 100th Anniversary of Samastha Kerala | 2024-01-29 11:19:41+00:00 | The 100th Anniversary of Samastha Kerala (Samastha Kerala) refers to the events organized in 2024 to commemorate the centennial of the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, The 2 year long Samasta Kerala Jamiatul Ulama 100th Anniversary Celebration was inaugurated on 28 January 2024 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India and will continue till 8 February 2026.
2024 January - Commencement of the 100th anniversary celebration Inauguration at Bengaluru
(Samasta Kerala Jamiatul Ulama 100th Anniversary Celebration Inauguration)
Celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, which will be held from February 6 to 8, 2026, have begun in Bengaluru. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the 100th anniversary function at Bengaluru Palace grounds 28 January 2024.
Six action plans were announced at the inaugural meeting. Samasta President Muhammad Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal announced the plans. They announced the six projects decided in the Samasta Kendra Mushavara meeting.
Formulating and implementing new projects at the national and international level to spread the ideals of the Holy Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah
Formation of coordination committee at international level to coordinate activities of Samasta at national and international levels.
Starting a Higher education institution in Bengaluru.
Formulation of necessary plans to extend the existing educational systems of Samasta to more areas.
Designing and implementing projects with more emphasis on socio-cultural philanthropic activities.
Introduction of new systems in the field of instruction subject to the ideals of Ahlus Sunnati Wal Jamaat
Samastha organised a host of public conferences at various places to spread their message. Facing an opposition of secularly educated people, journalists, advocates and neo-scholars who had been fruitfully utilising all means from public meetings to publications to propagate their reformist ideologies and to brand traditionalists as courting shirk, Samastha leaders were compelled to come out to defend themselves against the allegations and to explain its views. Systematically held public conferences and anniversaries increased Samasthas popularity, kept the majority of Mappila Muslims in their fold, and restricted the inroads of reformist ideologies. In the first 25 years, Samastha focused its agenda on conducting public conferences, dialogues and ideological conflicts. Between 1927 and 1944, it convened 15 annual conferences at various places attracting immense public attention. 70th year Anniversary E.K Aboobacker musliar addressing the crowd The 16th conference held at Karyavattam was important as since then Samastha started to keep records and registers of all activities, resolutions and decisions scientifically. After that, the frequency of the huge public conferences decreased mainly because the organisation had tightened its foundation and fortress by 1950s and it had formed many sub committees and subordinate organisations to deal with different issues. In next 40 years, it conducted next eight conferences.
1985-1996
The 24th and 25th conferences held at Calicut seashore in 1985 and 1996 were widely appreciated for the largest gatherings the town ever witnessed, for the discipline and obedience the huge crowd displayed, for the resolutions, topics and issues the conference sessions discussed, and for the attention both drew from non-Muslim, political and government circles.
2002-Samastha celebrated its platinum jubilee holding public conferences at five major cities across the state Kasargod, Calicut, Thrissur, Kollam and Tiruvanandapuram.
2012 February 26, The Samastha 85th conferences held at Kooriyad, Malappuram
2016 February 11, The Samastha 90th conferences held at Alappuzha | null |
75744278 | 2024 in Kerala | 2024-01-07 12:52:22+00:00 | Events in the year 2024 in Kerala.
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3 January - Narendra Modi conducts roadshow in Thrissur which was attended by more than two lakh women.
6 January - Enforcement Directorate issues summons to T. M. Thomas Isaac over investigation of Foreign Exchange Management Act violations in Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board.
8 January - Kerala School Kalolsavam concludes its 62nd edition in Kollam with Kannur district emerging top in the tally.
9 January - Indian Youth Congress's state head Rahul Mamkoottathil arrested and jailed by Kerala Police for protesting against Nava Kerala Sadas and Second Vijayan ministry.
10 January -
National Investigation Agency arrests the absconding first accused of Prof. T. J. Joseph hand chopping case named Savad after 13 years from Mattanur.
Chief minister of Kerala inaugurates Phase 1 of Taurus Downtown Project in Thiruvananthapuram.
11 January - Jnanpith Award winner M. T. Vasudevan Nair criticizes 'ritualistic worship of political executive' in his keynote address of Kerala Literature Festival while Pinarayi Vijayan was on the dais.
20 January - Communist Party of India (Marxist) holds a 651 km long human chain in Kerala.
27 January - Arif Mohammad Khan, Governor of Kerala conducts way side dharna at Nilamel in protest of security breach and attack of Students' Federation of India on him.
30 January - Sessions Court Mavelikkara awards death sentence to 15 Popular Front of India activists who murdered Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in Alappuzha.
31 January - Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) headed by P. C. George merges with Bharatiya Janata Party.
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7 February - Kerala High Court didn't allow stay against Serious Fraud Investigation Office investigation on Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and Veena Vijayan.
8 February - Kerala cabinet stages protest against Government of India in Jantar Mantar, New Delhi over anti federal stand of central government in allocation of fiscal resources.
10 February - elephant attack in Manathavadi residence area caused death of 42 year old man
12 February - An explosion in an illicit stockpile of Firecracker in Thrippunithura damages 270 houses and kills two people.
18 February - A student named Sidharth found hanging in his hostel room of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and is alleged that he was killed and hanged by the Students' Federation of India members.
19 February - A pedophilie from Varkala attempt kidnapping a two year old kid from Thiruvananthapuram on broad day light
27 February - Prime Minister of India visits Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and announces names of four pilots who are undergoing Astronaut training for Gaganyaan.
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1 March - For the first time in history of Kerala, nearly five lakh Government of Kerala employees didn't receive their salary in the start of the month.
4 March - Non - Resident Keralite killed in Israel following a missile attack by Hezbollah.
19 March - Manjummel Boys becomes the first Malayalam cinema to cross Rs. 200 crore collection.
30 March - Sessions Court, Kasaragod acquits all suspects of 2017 Riyas Moulavi murder.
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1 April -
Supreme Court of India refers Government of Kerala vs Government of India case over borrowing limits to Constitutional bench to test whether Federalism is contravened.
A senior nursing assistant who gave Testimony in favour of the survivor of ICU sexual assault case starts protest in Government Medical College, Kozhikode for unfair disciplinary proceedings against her.
2 April - Three tourists from Kerala found dead in a hotel in Ziro. The trio allegedly committed suicide in pursuit of Afterlife.
5 April - One person killed in a blast that occurred in an illegal country bomb manufacturing facility allegedly run by Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers in Panoor.
11 April - Kerala High Court dismissed the plea by M. Swaraj to invalidate K. Babu's election from Tripunithura in 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election.
12 April - Blood money of Rs. 34 crores raised through Crowdfunding from Malayalis for release of a Kozhikode native pravasi from death row in Saudi Arabia.
16 April - An SIT headed by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Vigilance) recommends action against 18 forest officials for illegal felling of 126 trees in Sugandhagiri, Wayanad district.
19 April - Controversies erupted over excessive police control and Ram Lalla motifs in Thrissur Pooram.
26 April -
Loksabha elections held in Kerala with 70% voteshare.
LDF convener E. P. Jayarajan makes revelation about meeting BJP leader Prakash Javadekar at Thrissur amidst public outcry over LDF-BJP deal.
27 April - Mayor Arya Rajendran and K. M. Sachin Dev MLA enters into Road rage with a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus.
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21 May - A massive Fish kill happened along Periyar River in outskirts of Kochi allegedly caused by Pollution.
23 May - Bribery allegation arises against new Liquor Policy of Pinarayi Vijayan ministry that aims to relax existing prohibition norms.
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4 June - 2024 general election results announced United Democratic Front won 18 seats and Left Democratic Front and Bharatiya Janata Party won one seats each.
12 June - 24 Migrant workers from Kerala died due to building fire in Kuwait.
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January 14 - T. H. Musthafa, former minister, 82
January 15 - K. J. Joy, music director, 77
February 18 -Sidharthan, - Kerala Veterinary University student , 21
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June 12 - 23 Migrant workers from Kerala died due to a building fire in Kuwait | null |
76997093 | 2024 Indian bomb hoaxes | 2024-05-23 16:18:01+00:00 | From late April to May 2024, numerous bomb threat hoax emails and calls were received by many establishments including schools, colleges, hotels and airports across India, most of which were targeted at organisations in Delhi.
During late-April, a wave of bomb threats struck various airports and facilities across India. Kolkata and Jaipur airports were targeted with emails claiming bombs had been planted on their premises. Mumbai, Bhopal, Dabolim, and Kolkata airports also received hoax bomb threat calls. Next day, over 30 airports coming under Airports Authority of India (AAI) and private received a bomb threat by mail. The mail was sent to 90+ email IDs of airports and security agencies.
On 1 May, over 200 schools in Delhi-NCR received an identical message on their official IDs at around 04:00 — an email “threatening to blow up” the premises. The incident triggered mass evacuations of schools and panic among parents. After a thorough check, it was declared a hoax. Following a preliminary probe by the Delhi Police Special Cell’s Counter-Intelligence Unit (CIU), the email 'sawariim@mail.ru' was traced to a Russian IP address. Among the targeted schools were Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Mother Mary School in Mayur Vihar, and Delhi Public School in Dwarka and Noida. Similar threats extended to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where 41 schools received bomb threat emails on 6 May. Meanwhile, hospitals in Delhi, including the Indira Gandhi International Airport, and the Northern railways' office, received alarming emails from a Cyprus-based mailing service company 'beeble.com' on 12 May.
The threats continued in mid-May, with private hospitals in Bengalore facing similar intimidating emails. On 14 May, the 16th anniversary of the 2008 Jaipur bombings, over 55 schools in Jaipur received bomb threats via email. The same day, several hospitals and even Tihar Jail in Delhi received bomb threats from the same Cyprus-based mailing service company. A crew member on a Delhi-Vadodara Air India flight discovered a threatening message in the aircraft's washroom on 15 May.
Towards the end of May, the threats extended to commercial establishments and government buildings. Mumbai Police received a call about a bomb threat at a McDonald's in Dadar, Mumbai, on 19 May. On 22 May, a bomb threat was received at the North Block, which houses the office of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The email was sent from an anonymous Gmail address and it was suspected that the sender had used a VPN (virtual private network) that masks the IP address, according to police.
On 23 May, a bomb threat email was received by three hotels in Bengaluru, including the Oterra Hotel situated in Electronic City. The emails were sent by a person who identified himself as daudee jiwal, claiming to be the son of a senior IPS officer. The sender claimed that his father had colluded with Pakistan-based ISI and a Tamil Nadu-based political family to execute the blast, to divert the attention from a drug scandal in which the TN-based political family is involved. The caller also suggested evacuation of the hotels by 14:30. in the e-mail that was sent around 02:30. The sender also asked that Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads (BDDS) be deployed, while warning that some of the BDDS staff were under the "supervision of his father".
On the same day, over a dozen colleges of Delhi University including Hansraj College, Gargi College, Ramjas College, Zakir Husain College, Indraprastha College For Women, Lady Irwin College, Kirori Mal College, Bhaskaracharya College, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Sri Venkateswara College, and PGDAV received bomb threat e-mails.
Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University and School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), among other state universities also received the threats.
On May 26, around 2.30 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. the Chennai Airport received two emails, stating that bombs will be planted near the airport and that passengers should be deboarded from the aircraft, followed by a bomb threat call to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Mumbai Airport on 27 May. A Varanasi-bound IndiGo flight faced a similar threat at the Delhi Airport on 28 May, prompting authorities to evacuate all passengers and staff onboard. According to police, an information was received regarding a paper found in the lavatory of the flight scheduled to depart for Varanasi, with the phrase “bomb @5.30” written on it. The bomb scare prompted authorities to evacuate all the staff and 176 passengers onboard.
The official residence and primary workplace of the Chief Minister of Telangana, Praja Bhavan, also received a bomb threat, prompting immediate sealing of the area as police and the bomb disposal squad hurried to initiate a thorough investigation.
Bengalore's Kempegowda International Airport was targeted with a bomb threat after a note was discovered in a male washroom at the Alpha 3 building, indicating an imminent series of bomb blasts. Subsequently, on 31 May, a Srinagar-bound Vistara flight received a bomb threat call while en route from Delhi with 177 passengers and one infant onboard; however, the aircraft safely landed at Srinagar Airport.
In June, an IndiGo flight traveling from Chennai to Mumbai encountered a bomb threat when a note was found in the lavatory, prompting a full emergency response upon its safe landing at Mumbai Airport.
The bomb threat emails received by schools in Delhi are suspected to have been sent from Budapest, Hungary. An officer announced that the IP address of the anonymous sender of the emails had been traced there. The police also said the emails were sent from mail.ru, a Russian server, and had written to the mailing service company. Delhi police were planning to reach out to law enforcement agencies in Hungary to further investigate the issue. Furthermore, it was mentioned that initial investigations had raised suspicions of a "deeper conspiracy" potentially orchestrated by an ISIS module, aimed at disrupting the ongoing general election.
The lieutenant-governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena requested a comprehensive report from the state police and ordered them to conduct searches and apprehend the culprits without any oversight. Saxena urged parents not to panic and advised them to cooperate fully with authorities.
Cyber Crime officials launched an investigation into the matter after an FIR was registered by Kanpur Police. They were also trying to ascertain patterns between the mails received by schools in Lucknow, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Delhi.
On 29 May, Hyderabad City Police arrested a man who allegedly made a call about a bomb being planted in Praja Bhavan and Nampally Court. The accused reportedly told police that he made the calls in an inebriated condition after a fight with his wife. | null |
76873360 | Killing of Roger Fortson | 2024-05-09 23:46:10+00:00 | On May 3, 2024, United States Air Force serviceman Roger Fortson was fatally shot in his home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, by Deputy Eddie Duran of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. Duran was fired by the end of the month, after the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office concluded that Duran's "use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable" because "Fortson did not make any hostile, attacking movements".
Police radio audio showed a disturbance report made on May 3, 2024, around 4.30 p.m., for a residential complex, where a deputy said: "Don't have anything further than a male and female; it's all fourth-party information from the front desk at the leasing office".
Body camera footage shows an Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputy being told by a woman in a residential complex to go to Apartment 1401. The woman tells the deputy that "two weeks ago" when walking beside that apartment, she heard some "yelling" and profanities, as well as the sound of a slap, but she was not sure where that sound came from.
According to body camera footage, the sheriff's deputy arrived at Apartment 1401, and initially knocked without announcing who he was. The deputy then moves off to the side of the door, where it seems he cannot be seen from the apartment's peephole. About 30 seconds later, the deputy knocks on the door again, this time announcing: "Sheriff’s office, open the door." Around 10 seconds later, the deputy knocks on the door another time, and again announces: "Sheriff's office, open the door." According to Fortson's mother and his girlfriend, who had been on FaceTime with him, Fortson heard a knock on his door and received no response when he asked who was at the door. His girlfriend also indicated that Fortson attempted to look through his peephole but was unable to see anyone, and had armed himself believing that someone was breaking in.
According to body camera footage, Fortson opens the door holding a gun in his right hand, with the gun held by his side and pointed downwards. As the door opens, the deputy tells Fortson to "step back" and immediately shoots Fortson. Five or six gunshots are fired. Around the time Fortson is shot, he lifts his left hand in front of his chest. Fortson falls to the floor, and it is only then that the deputy tells Fortson: "Drop the gun!"
After the shooting, Fortson was brought to a hospital, where he died.
On May 4, 2024, the Okaloosa County's Sheriff's Office said that the shooting occurred at an apartment after a sheriff's deputy responded to a call of a "disturbance in progress": "Hearing sounds of a disturbance, [the sheriff's deputy] reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun and after the deputy had identified himself as law enforcement." The Sheriff's Office further said that the unnamed deputy had been put on "paid administrative leave". Body camera footage of the shooting was later released by the Sheriff's Office on May 9, 2024, to correct factually inaccurate information being provided by attorneys representing the family.
One of the family's attorneys stated that Fortson died due to officers knocking on the wrong door, and that while mistakes happen, good people own their mistakes. Attorneys for the family also claimed officers "busted through the door." Neither of these statements, however, was accurate, as proven later by the release of Deputy Duran's body camera footage. Benjamin Crump, who is also representing the family criticized the sheriff's account that was released prior to the video being released.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office announced on May 31, 2024 that it had fired Eddie Duran, the deputy who killed Fortson, after the agency's "administrative" internal investigation concluded that "Fortson did not make any hostile, attacking movements, and therefore, [deputy Duran's] use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable" and thus "violated agency policy". This announcement was the first time Duran was publicly identified as the shooter. The internal investigation concluded that "Fortson did not point the gun in [deputy Duran's] direction", instead, Fortson's gun "was pointed at the ground sufficiently enough for [deputy Duran] to clearly see the rear face of the rear sight". In an interview with investigators, Duran claimed: "I'm standing there thinking I'm about to get shot, I'm about to die … It is him or me at this point and I need to, I need to act as opposed to react". | null |
77050654 | 2024 Minneapolis shooting | 2024-05-31 02:04:17+00:00 | On May 30, 2024, a mass shooting occurred in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Four people were killed by gunfire: two civilians, Minneapolis Police Department officer Jamal Mitchell, and the gunman Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed. Three other people were injured by gunfire.
The shooting began on the evening of May 30, 2024. Residents at an apartment building near the intersection of Blaisdell Avenue and West 22nd Avenue in Whittier, a neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, heard four or five gunshots. A bystander overheard a woman say that her boyfriend and another man had been shot.
At about 5:15 p.m. CDT, Minneapolis Police Department officers responded to reports that two people had been shot inside an apartment. Several police vehicles and ambulances arrived at the scene at about 5:20 p.m. Jamal Mitchell, an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department, was among the first responders to arrive at the scene. He was heading to the apartment building when he stopped his car about two blocks away. He said via a radio transmission that he observed two men with injuries, who were later identified as a wounded bystander and Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed.
Mitchell exited his police vehicle and approached Mohamed who was sitting on the ground next to a parked vehicle on the 2100 block of Blaisdell Avenue. Mitchell asked Mohamed if he needed assistance. Mohamed pulled out a handgun and shot at Mitchell at close range. Mitchell fell to the ground and was incapacitated. Two other officers who arrived at the scene observed Mohamed repeatedly firing at Mitchell. Mohamed shot at the two officers, who then exchanged fire with him. One of the officers was struck by gunfire. Mohamed was killed at the scene. A 38-year-old civilian sustained critical injuries while driving through an intersection on his way home from work. He was caught in the crossfire during the shootout.
Other police officers entered the apartment building and found two gunshot victims, a deceased person and another with life-threatening injuries. In response to the active shooter situation, police officers evacuated the building and kicked in several apartment doors in a search of the building.
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Two civilians were killed by the initial gunfire inside the apartment building. Osman Said Jimale, a 32-year-old man, was found dead inside an apartment. According to the Hennepin County medical examiner, he had died of multiple gunshot wounds. Mohamed Bashir Aden, a 36-year-old man from Columbia Heights, was found inside the same apartment with life-threatening injuries and he was transported to a hospital. Aden died on June 7, 2024, from complications from multiple gunshot wounds, according the medical examiner.
Two Minneapolis police officers and a firefighter with the Minneapolis Fire Department were struck during an exchange of gunfire. Mitchell, a 36-year old officer and 18-month veteran of the force, was transported from the scene to nearby Hennepin County Medical Center where he died that night. According to the Hennepin County medical examiner, his death was the result of multiple gunshot wounds. The other police officer was treated at the hospital for non-life threatening injuries and released within a few days. The firefighter sustained non-life threatening injuries. A civilian bystander was also critically injured by gunfire.
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Authorities identified Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed (October 4, 1988 – May 30, 2024), a 35-year-old Minnesota resident, as the gunman who shot at Mitchell multiple times and was subsequently killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. At the time of the shootout, Mohamed had two active warrants for his arrest and he was ineligible to carry a firearm. Mohamed had been convicted of state burglary charges related to incidents in 2006 and 2007. He received a four-year sentence and was put on probation. In 2008, he was convicted of a state burglary charge in Minnesota and for violating the previous terms of his sentence; he received a 1½-year sentence that ran concurrently with his prior convictions. In 2009, he was convicted for vehicle tampering in Missouri, and back in Minnesota a few years later, Mohamed was convicted of federal charges in 2015 for felony possession of a stolen gun and received an eight-year sentence. He left prison in 2020 and was put on supervised release. In 2022, Mohamed was arrested after reports of a robbery in downtown Minneapolis when he was allegedly seen with a firearm, which violated the terms of his prior state sentence. Mohamed was released from custody on a non-cash bond while awaiting pending state criminal charges. Warrants were issued for his arrest when he failed to appear for a court hearing.
Mitchell died as the Minneapolis Police Department was struggling to fill its ranks and improve public trust. At the time of his death, Mitchell was working a mandatory overtime shift assigned to a one-man squad. The shootout that led to his death occurred a few days after the fourth anniversary of the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and the protests over racial injustice and police brutality that ensued. The city had become the center of the "defund the police” movement, though a ballot measure to abolish the city's police department failed in 2021. Mitchell's death was also part of an upward trend in reported attacks on law enforcement officers in Minnesota. Mitchell became the third Minnesota law enforcement officer to be killed in the same year, following the two officers who were killed in the suburban Burnsville shooting in February 2024.
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The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) was the lead government agency that investigated the incident. At a press conference on the evening of the shooting, BCA superintendent Drew Evans who viewed a video of the incident, described Mitchell's death as the result of an ambush-style attack. Police chief Brian O'Hara said Mitchell had stopped to help a man who appeared to be injured, but who instead shot him. The BCA released a preliminary report on June 2, 2024. The report said Mitchell was shot and killed by Mohamed and that two other officers exchanged gunfire with Mohamed killing him at the scene.
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Minneapolis Police Department officers held a vehicle procession for Mitchell when his body was transferred from Hennepin County Medical Center to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office on the night of the shooting. A memorial was placed outside the Minneapolis Police Department's fifth precinct station. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, police chief O'Hara, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, and several elected officers officials made public statements honoring Mitchell as a heroic figure. Several Minneapolis city councilors who were critical of the police department released statements about the shooting that did not use Mitchell's name or note that a police officer had been killed. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff on May 31, 2024. Michell's death was compared to the last two Minneapolis police officers killed in the line of duty, Jerry Haaf in 1992 and Melissa Jayne Schmidt in 2002.
A public memorial service for Mitchell was held on June 11, 2024, at Maple Grove Senior High School. O'Hara posthumously awarded Mitchell a Medal of Honor and Purple Heart. Mitchell is to be buried in his home state of Connecticut.
Walsh, Paul; Simons, Abby (May 31, 2024). "Jamal Mitchell: Officer, father, fiancé and people person whose happiness radiated". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
City of Minneapolis (May 31, 2024). "Police Chief Brian O’Hara addresses the Jamal Mitchell line of duty death". Retrieved June 1, 2024. | null |
76594974 | Eldorado, Sinaloa | 2024-04-12 06:40:06+00:00 | Eldorado is a municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is located about 55 kilometres (34 mi) south of the state capital of Culiacán. Its creation from the municipality of Culiacán was approved in 2021 and it will become operational on 1 November 2024.
The municipality of Eldorado is located at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in central Sinaloa. To the north and the east, it borders the sindicaturas or administrative subdivisions of Costa Rica, Quilá and Emiliano Zapata in the municipality of Culiacán. It borders the Ensenada de Pabellones lagoon, a Ramsar site, to the west; and the Gulf of California to the south. Eldorado has a desert climate.
On the San Lorenzo River just north of the present-day municipal seat of Eldorado is the site of Navito, which was inhabited by the Sabaibo and Tahue peoples in pre-Hispanic times. The Spanish expedition of Nuño de Guzmán reached Navito in 1531 and founded the settlement of San Miguel nearby, although they soon moved their settlement to present-day Culiacán.
In 1856, Joaquín Redo y Balmaceda and his wife Alejandra de la Vega acquired lands around Navito, where they built a textile factory named El Coloso and a sugar mill named La Aurora. In 1900, the Redo family built a new sugar mill named Eldorado, which gave its name to the surrounding settlement. In 1917, Eldorado became a sindicatura or municipal subdivision of Culiacán. The writer Inés Arredondo spent her childhood summers in Eldorado.
The idea of establishing an independent municipality of Eldorado first appeared in the 1970s, but various attempts to achieve this had failed before the movement was rekindled in 2020. Finally, on 5 March 2021, the Sinaloa state congress approved the elevation of the sindicatura of Eldorado in the municipality of Culiacán to an independent municipality. The decree establishing the municipality went into force on 23 March 2021.
Eldorado will hold its first elections as an independent municipality in 2024. The municipal government of Eldorado will consist of a municipal president, a councillor (Spanish: síndico), and six trustees (regidores), three elected by relative majority and three by proportional representation. Eldorado is administratively subdivided into four sindicaturas respectively headquartered at the localities of Eldorado, Leopoldo Sánchez Celis, Las Arenitas, and Guadalupe Victoria.
In the 2020 Mexican Census, the localities that now comprise the municipality of Eldorado recorded a population of 46,628 inhabitants. The municipal seat, also named Eldorado, recorded a population of 14,772 inhabitants in the 2020 Census. The next largest localities in the municipality are Leopoldo Sánchez Celis and Guadalupe Victoria, which recorded populations of 3411 and 2288 respectively in the 2020 Census.
Eldorado's economy relies on agriculture irrigated by the San Lorenzo River; commerce; and fishing, in particular shrimp farming. Sugar has been cultivated in Eldorado since 1900, and its sugar mill is the only one still operating in Sinaloa today.
Eldorado has several beaches that serve as tourist attractions.
Echavarría, Esperanza (1982). Eldorado, un pueblo contra su nombre (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). Culiacán: La Crónica de Culiacán. | null |
77255293 | Setteville | 2024-06-30 02:21:42+00:00 | Setteville is a comune located in the province of Belluno, in the region of Veneto in northern Italy. It was established in January 2024 from the merger of Alano di Piave and Quero Vas. It is located about 34 km (21 mi) southwest of the provincial capital of Belluno.
Setteville is located on the Piave River where it cuts through the Bellunes Alps between Monte Grappa and Monte Cesen. It borders the comuni of Feltre to the north, Borgo Valbelluna to the northeast, Segusino to the east, Valdobbiadene to the southeast, Pederobba and Cavaso del Tomba to the south, Possagno and Pieve del Grappa to the southwest, and Seren del Grappa to the northwest.
The strategic location of Setteville led to its settlement in Roman times and influenced the subsequent history of the area. In 1377 the Venetians built the Castello di Quero on the Piave, which remains a local landmark. In the 17th century, the area prospered from the development of the textile and paper industries. Both world wars profoundly impacted the area: the town of Quero was completely destroyed in 1917 in the First Battle of the Piave River, and the Nazis destroyed the hamlet of Schievenin in 1944 when carrying out reprisals against Italian partisans in Operation Piave.
In December 2000, the comuni of Quero, Vas and Segusino formed a municipal union, the Unione dei Comuni del Basso Feltrino – Sette Ville. Segusino withdrew from the union in September 2002, and Alano di Piave joined the union in October 2012. On 28 December 2013 Quero and Vas merged to form the new municipality of Quero Vas. The citizens of Alano di Piave and Quero voted to merge the two comuni on 29–30 October 2023. The Regional Council of Veneto published the law effecting the merger on 29 December 2023, which went into effect on 22 January 2024.
In recent decades, the communities of Setteville have achieved a high level of economic development connected with the flourishing of new artisanal and industrial activities, although this is endangered by a persistent decline in population.
Regional highway 348 runs north to south through the comune along the west bank of the Piave, connecting it to Feltre in the north, and to Montebelluna and Treviso in the south. | null |
77210478 | Naratetama Airport | 2024-06-23 12:05:19+00:00 | Naratetama VVIP Airport (IKN Airport) is an under-construction airport, that is expected to be operational in August, 2024. The Very Very Important Person (VVIP) Airport, also known as the Naratetama Capital of the Archipelago (IKN), is for welcoming state guests in Indonesia.The airport, which is 23 km from the 0 point of IKN and 120 km from Balikpapan.
Construction of the airport started on November 1, 2024. The terminal area of the airport is about 7,350 square meters with an airport area covering 347 hectares of land. The runway under construction measures 3,500 meters in length and 45 meters in width, allowing for the landing of large-bodied aircraft such as the Boeing 777-3000ER and Airbus A380.
Aprons of the airport is capable of accommodating three large-bodied aircraft, helipads for three helicopters, and various other supporting facilities will provide comprehensive services for all types of flights. The cost of the project, estimated is about Rp 4.3 trillion (US$261 million). | null |
75712276 | 2024 in arthropod paleontology | 2024-01-03 16:41:37+00:00 | 2024 in arthropod paleontology is a list of new arthropod fossil taxa, including arachnids, crustaceans, trilobites, and other arthropods (except insects, which have their own list) that were announced or described, as well as other significant arthropod paleontological discoveries and events which occurred in 2024.
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Araneae
= Araneological research =
Córdova-Tabares et al. (2024) describe a sac spider specimen from the Mexican amber preserved with an ant belonging to the genus Azteca, providing evidence of a fossil spider showing trapping and feeding behavior seen also in its extant relatives.
Ixodida
Opiliones
= Opiliones research =
Gainett et al. (2024) report that extant daddy longlegs have six eyes, including four vestigial ones, and reevaluate the affinities of fossil members of Opiliones with four eyes, resulting in older estimated ages of harvestman diversification.
Pseudoscorpiones
Schizomida
= Schizomid research =
A study on changes of body size and shape diversity of male flagella in Schizomida throughout their evolutionary history is published by Belojević et al. (2024).
Scorpiones
Solifugae
Trombidiformes
= Trombidiform research =
Larvae of mites belonging to the group Erythraeoidea parasitising gall midges (providing evidence of an association unknown in extant fauna) are reported from the Cretaceous amber from Myanmar by Arce et al. (2024), who interpret this finding as indicative of shift of the host range of the studied mites after the Cretaceous.
Other arachnids
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Xiphosuran research
A specimen of Tachypleus syriacus preserved with intestinal contents transitioning into a coprolite is described from the Cenomanian Hjoula Lagerstätte (Lebanon) by Bicknell et al. (2024).
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Malacostracan research
A study on the hydrodynamic performance of carapaces of caryocaridid archaeostracans, providing evidence that the carapace shapes facilitated the pelagic mode of life of caryocaridids, is published by Pates & Xue (2024).
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Ostracod research
A study on pores and associated canals in extant and Triassic ornate bairdiids, providing new morphological data interpret as supporting the interpretation of the Triassic genera Mirabairdia and Nodobairdia as distinct from the extant genus Triebelina, is published by Forel et al. (2024).
Taxonomic revision of ostracods from the Lower Cretaceous Codó Formation (Brazil) is published by Coimbra & Petró (2024).
A study on changes of the diversity of ostracods from the Indo-Australian Archipelago region throughout the Cenozoic, aiming to determine factors responsible for recorded changes, is published by Tian et al. (2024), who argue that the studied region became the richest marine biodiversity hotspot mostly as a result of immunity to major extinction events during the Cenozoic, shift towards colder climate and the increase in habitat size (shelf area).
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Other crustacean research
Alarcón et al. (2024) report the discovery of new clam shrimp assemblages from the Upper Triassic (Norian) Bocas and Montebel formations (Colombia), providing evidence of a similar composition of Norian clamp shrimp assemblages from northwestern Gondwana and rift basins of central Pangea (but different from those from southern Gondwana).
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Drage (2024) finds evidence of only minor differences in morphometry between trilobites displaying different modes of moulting.
Trilobite fossil material from the Tiout section in Morocco, representing the first occurrence of trilobites in West Gondwana and some of the oldest trilobite fossils in general, is determined to be approximately 519.62-million-years-old by Sinnesael, Millard & Smith (2024).
El Albani et al. (2024) report the discovery of exceptionally preserved trilobite specimens from the Cambrian Tatelt Formation (Morocco) fossilized through rapid ash burial caused by underwater pyroclastic flow, providing new information on the trilobite anatomy.
Evidence interpreted as indicative of a direct link between the spread of low-oxygen conditions in shallow-water settings and the turnover of trilobites from the North China Platform during the Steptoean positive carbon isotope excursion is presented by Yang et al. (2024).
Hopkins, Gutiérrez-Marco & Di Silvestro (2024) describe fossil material of Leptoplastides salteri from the Fezouata Formation (Morocco), extending known range of this species from Avalonia into Gondwana.
Specimens of Dalmanitina socialis preserved with remains of the alimentary tract are described from the Ordovician Letná Formation (Czech Republic) by Fatka, Budil & Mikuláš (2024).
Bicknell et al. (2024) describe a specimen of Toxochasmops vormsiensis from the Katian Kõrgessaare Formation (Estonia) preserved molted within the body chamber of a nautiloid cephalopod Gorbyoceras textumaraneum, representing the first known record of cryptic molting of pterygometopid trilobites.
A study on the biogeography of Cheirurina during the Ordovician is published by Pérez-Peris, Adrain & Daley (2024).
O'Flynn et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Bushizheia yangi from the Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte (China), providing new information on its head morphology, and interpret the studied specimens as supporting the interpretation of a six-segmented head as an ancestral state for Deuteropoda.
Lin et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Retifacies abnormalis from the Cambrian Helinpu Formation (Yunnan, China) including large specimens with a carapace ornamentation different from what was previously known, and interpret the reported differences as developing during ontogeny, but don't consider them to indicate sexual dimorphs.
Loewen et al. (2024) describe a diverse amber deposit from the Maastrichtian strata from the Big Muddy Badlands (Canada), preserving fossils of representatives of seven arthropod orders and at least 11 insect families, and interpret the studied assemblage as providing evidence of a faunal turnover among insects prior to the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. | null |
75696643 | 2024 in paleobotany | 2024-01-01 17:54:59+00:00 | This paleobotany list records new fossil plant taxa that were to be described during the year 2024, as well as notes other significant paleobotany discoveries and events which occurred during 2024.
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Putative dasycladalean alga Voronocladus dryganti from the Silurian of Ukraine is argued by LoDuca (2024) to be a member of Bryopsidales; the author also reinterprets purported graptolite-like epibionts of V. dryganti, originally described as the new taxon Podoliagraptus algaeoides, as actually representing the uppermost siphons of mature thalli of V. dryganti.
A diverse charophyte flora, including fossil material of Echinochara cf. peckii representing the oldest record of the family Clavatoraceae reported to date, is described from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) marginal marine beds of southern France by Trabelsi, Sames & Martín-Closas (2024).
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A study on the phylogenetic relationships of extant and fossil members of Cyatheales, and on the biogeography of the group throughout its evolutionary history, is published by Ramírez-Barahona (2024).
Machado et al. (2024) describe fossil material of Pteridium sp. cf. P. esculentum from the Miocene Ñirihuau Formation (Argentina) representing the oldest and southernmost record of Pteridium from South America reported to date.
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Xie, Gee & Griebeler (2024) use growth models based on the height–diameter relationships of extant araucarians to determine heights of araucariaceous logs from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation (Utah, United States).
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Arecales
Dioscoreales
Poales
Monocot research
A study on the phytolith morphology of palms and on the utility of phytoliths for reconstructions of environment of fossils palms is published by Brightly et al. (2024), who find that phytoliths do not reliably differentiate most palm taxa, though they might be useful to determine the presence of more distinct (and possibly environmentally informative) members of the group in the fossil record.
A study on the affinities of elongated fossil fruits of members of the genus Carex, providing evidence of the continued presence of Carex sect. Cyperoideae in the Old World since the Miocene, is published by Martinetto et al. (2024).
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Patel et al. (2024) describe fossil reproductive organ of a member of the genus Nelumbo from the Palana Formation (India), and interpret this finding as indicative of the existence of a freshwater ecosystem in the Rajasthan Basin during the early Eocene.
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Caryophyllales
Ericales
Gentianales
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Fabales
Fagales
Malpighiales
Myrtales
Rosales
Sapindales
Saxifragales
Vitales
Superrosid research
Lagrange, Martínez & Del Rio (2024) study the seed morphology of members of the tribe Paropsieae in the family Passifloraceae, and argue that, with exception of distinctive seeds of members of the genus Androsiphonia, fossil Paropsieae cannot be identified confidently based solely on seed characters.
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The first fossil record of a flower of a member of the genus Cryptocarya is reported from the Miocene Zhangpu amber (China) by Beurel et al. (2024).
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Hošek et al. (2024) report fossil evidence from the northernmost part of the Vienna Basin in southern Moravia (Czech Republic) indicative of survival of trees such as oak, linden and Fraxinus excelsior in the area during the Last Glacial Maximum, and interpret their survival as made possible by the existence of hot springs providing stable conditions for the long-term maintenance of refugia.
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Redescription and a study on the affinities of Stauroxylon beckii is published by Durieux et al. (2024).
A study on the morphological diversity of cycad leaves throughout their evolutionary history, providing evidence of a dynamic history of diversification, is published by Coiro & Seyfullah (2024).
Zhang et al. (2024) compile a dataset of macroscopic and cuticular traits of fossils of members of the group Czekanowskiales from China, and use it to classify the studied fossils on the basis of quantitative analytical evidence.
A study on the morphology and affinities of Furcula granulifer is published by Coiro et al. (2024), who interpret the studied plant as a likely relative of pteridosperms such as Scytophyllum and Vittaephyllum, and interpret F. granulifer as a plant that evolved its hierarchical vein system of leaves convergently with the flowering plants.
Possible caytonialean pteridosperm fossils are described from the Bajocian strata in the Karachay-Cherkessia (Russia) by Naugolnykh & Mitta (2024).
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Mamontov, McLean & Gavrilova (2024) study the ultrastructure of Maiaspora concava and M. panopta, providing evidence of similarities with extant Gleicheniales, and interpret the origin of the Gleicheniales stem as related to closure of the Rheic Ocean in the Paleozoic.
A study on the palynoflora from the Permian Emakwezini Formation (South Africa) is published by Balarino et al. (2024), who interpret the studied fossils as providing evidence of the presence of complex forests during the Guadalupian, with plant diversity greater than indicated by the macrofloral record.
A study on the fossil record of Early Triassic palynomorphs from the Vikinghøgda Formation (Svalbard, Norway), providing evidence of a shift from lycophyte-dominated to a gymnosperm-dominated vegetation related to the onset of a cooling episode, is published by Leu et al. (2024).
A study on the age of the Santa Clara Abajo and the Santa Clara Arriba formations and their palynomorph assemblages, previously inferred to be Carnian-Norian in age, is published by Benavente et al. (2024), who determine an upper Anisian age for both formations, and interpret their findings as indicating that the taxonomic composition of Triassic Gondwanan palynomorph assemblages correlates more strongly with latitude than with geologic age.
The interpretation of Cycadopites and Ricciisporites proposed by Vajda et al. (2023), who considered them to represent, respectively, normal and aberrant pollen produced by the same plant with Lepidopteris ottonis foliage and Antevsia zeilleri pollen sacs, is contested by Zavialova (2024); Vajda et al. (2024) subsequently reaffirm that Antevsia zeilleri produced Cycadopites and Ricciisporites pollen.
Evidence from pollen and spores from the Jiyuan Basin (China), interpreted as indicative of a relationship between two peaks of wildfires of different types and changes in plant communities during the Triassic-Jurassic transition, is presented by Zhang et al. (2024).
Evidence of high abundances of malformed fern spores from the Lower Saxony Basin (Germany) during the Triassic–Jurassic transition, interpreted as indicative of persistence of volcanic-induced mercury pollution after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, is presented by Bos et al. (2024).
Rodrigues et al. (2024) study the palynological assemblages from the Kwanza Basin (Angola) ranging from the late Albian to the Turonian, reporting the presence of pollen indicative of subtropical to tropical climate and dinocysts with higher latitude affinities, and interpret these findings as indicative of existence of an open connection between the Central Atlantic and South Atlantic oceans in the mid-Cretaceous.
Evidence from fossil pollen assigned to the form genus Classopollis, interpreted as indicative of existence of a refugium of members of the family Cheirolepidiaceae, is reported from the Paleocene Lower Wilcox Group (Texas, United States) by Smith et al. (2024).
Evidence from fossil pollen interpreted as indicative of existence of ecological corridors linking Andean, Atlantic and Amazonian regions of South America during the Last Glacial Maximum, resulting in establishment of complex connectivity patterns between plants from the studied parts of South America, is presented by Pinaya et al. (2024).
A study addressing and evaluating the uncertainty of plant fossil phylogenetics is published by Coiro (2024).
Review of functional traits in the plant fossil record is published by McElwain et al. (2024).
Evidence of the existence of two plant dispersal routes in the Devonian, connecting the South China and Euramerica–Siberia realms, is presented by Liu et al. (2024).
Davies, McMahon & Berry (2024) describe plant fossils from the Devonian (Eifelian) Hangman Sandstone Formation (Somerset and Devon, United Kingdom), intepreted as remains of cladoxylopsid-dominated forest and possibly the oldest global evidence for the spacing of growing trees.
Evidence of changes of composition and diversity of the flora from the Carboniferous coal swamps of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Coalfield (France) in response to climate and landscape changes is presented by Molina-Solís et al. (2024).
A study on changes of floral communities in southwestern China during the Permian-Triassic transition is published by Hua et al. (2024), who provide evidence indicative of frequent wildfires that destroyed the stability of wetlands prior to the main extinction phase and inhibited recovery in the aftermath of the Permian–Triassic extinction event, and resulted in gradual replacement of fern-dominated floral communities by gymnosperm-dominated ones.
Gurung et al. (2024) use a new vegetation and climate model to study links between plant geographical range, the long-term carbon cycle and climate, and find that reduced geographical range of plants in Pangaea resulted in increased atmospheric CO2 concentration during the Triassic and Jurassic periods, while the expande geographical range of plants after the breakup of Pangaea amplified global CO2 removal.
Kvaček et al. (2024) reconstruct Cenomanian plant communities from the Peruc–Korycany Formation (Czech Republic), providing evidence of diversification and dominance of flowering plant both in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin and in Europe in general (particularly in alluvial plains).
Estella Leopold, paleobotanist and conservation paleontologist passes on February 25, 2024 at 97. Leopold's work as a conservationist included taking legal action to help save the Florissant Fossil Beds in Colorado, and fighting pollution. She was the daughter of Aldo Leopold. | null |
75712323 | 2024 in paleoentomology | 2024-01-03 16:48:38+00:00 | This list of 2024 in paleoentomology records new fossil insect taxa that are to be described during the year, as well as documents significant paleoentomology discoveries and events which occurred during that year.
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Trichopteran research
Frese, McCurry & Wells (2024) describe pupae and uncased larvae of caddisflies from the Miocene McGraths Flat Lagerstätte (Australia), including specimens with large compound eyes preserving details of the rhabdoms and corneal nanocoating and with other external and internal structures, and interpret the environment of the studied caddisflies as affected by cyclic catastrophic events.
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Brachycerans
Nematocerans
Dipteran research
Putative Cretaceous mosquito Libanoculex intermedius is argued to be a member of the family Chaoboridae by Harbach (2024).
The first fossil representative of the subgenus Ristocordyla within the genus Brachypeza reported to date is described from the Eocene Baltic amber by Boudet et al. (2024).
Amaral et al. (2024) describe new larval specimens of Qiyia jurassica from the Jurassic Daohugou Beds (China) and new fossil material of brachyceran larvae the Cretaceous amber from Myanmar, including larvae with morphology combining characters seen in members of the families Xylophagidae and Athericidae, and interpret the studied fossils as indicating that members of the group Stratiomyomorpha were abundant in the Cretaceous fauna and likely occupied the ecological functions which are occupied by extant members of more derived brachyceran groups.
Fossil material of aquatic dipterans, including representatives of the family Chaoboridae which are absent from extant fauna of New Zealand, is described from the Miocene Foulden Maar Lagerstätte by Baranov, Haug & Kaulfuss (2024).
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Orthopteran research
Ferreira et al. (2024) reconstruct the left forewing venation of Picogryllus carentonensis, reporting the presence of the venation pattern compatible with the pattern proposed by Josse et al. (2023) for crickets.
Ferreira et al. (2024) reconstruct the anatomy of the internal parts of the genitalia of a male specimen of Picogryllus carentonensis, and evaluate the tempo and mode of evolution of the family Oecanthidae, arguing that the family dates back to the Upper Jurassic.
While describing structures interpreted as a grasshopper ootheca (egg pod) and eggs from the John Day Formation, Oregon, United States, Lee et al. advocate the use of the ootaxonomic nomenclatural system for description of insect egg fossils. They erect the new ichnofamily Entomoothecichnidae to accommodate the described oothecae fossils, and the new oofamily Entomoolithidae for "fossil eggs of entomological affinities".
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Adephaga
Archostemata
Polyphaga
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= Elateriformia =
= Scarabaeiformia =
= Staphyliniformia =
Coleopteran research
A review of the evolutionary history of beetles during the late Paleozoic and Mesozoic is published by Beutel et al. (2024).
A study on the diversity of Late Triassic (Norian) beetles from the Cow Branch and Walnut Cove formations (Virginia and North Carolina, United States) is published by Criscione-Vastano & Grimaldi (2024), who identify the presence of 100 distinct beetle morphotypes.
Yamamoto & Newton (2024) report the discovery of the first aleocharine rove beetle (a member of the genus Cypha) from the Eocene Bitterfeld amber (Germany).
The first fossil click beetle and ptilodactylid larvae reported to date are described from the Cretaceous amber from Myanmar by Zippel et al. (2024).
A redescription of Aphytocerus communis, Baissophytum convexum and Baissopsis ampla is published by Telnov et al. (2024).
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Naugolnykh (2024) reports evidence indicating that wings of the blattoid insect Sogdoblatta from the Triassic Madygen Formation (Kyrgyzstan) had the same venation pattern as plants with the pinnate foliages from the same formation, especially members of the genus Cladophlebis, and interprets this finding as likely evidence of mimicry.
Mizumoto et al. (2024) describe a Baltic amber inclusion from the Yantarny mine (Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia) preserving a female–male pair of the termite species Electrotermes affinis, interpreted as a likely tandem running pair.
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Apoidea
Chrysidoidea
Diaprioidea
Evanioidea
Formicoidea
= Formicoidea research =
A study on the diversity dynamics of ants throughout their evolutionary history is published by Jouault et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicating that extinction of stem ants was more likely caused by their specialized morphology rather than by competition with crown ants, as well as indicating that the radiation of the flowering plants acted as a buffer against extinction and a driver of diversification in ants.
Taniguchi et al. (2024) study the microstructure and distribution of sensilla from the antennae of Gerontoformica gracilis, and find that G. gracilis already had sensilla used by extant ants for detecting alarm pheromones and for distinguishing nestmates from intruders, and was capable of social chemical communication through pheromones used by modern ants.
Ichneumonoidea
Megalyroidea
Mymarommatoidea
Panguoidea
Pompiloidea
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Neuropteran research
Buchner et al. (2024) describe new lacewing larvae from the Cretaceous amber from Myanmar, demonstrating the presence of trumpet-shaped elongate empodia in members of the families Nymphidae and Osmylidae, and argue that the empodium evolved only once in Neuroptera as was subsequently lost by several neuropteran lineages.
A berothoid larva representing the first record of either the family Berothidae or the family Rhachiberothidae from the Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine) reported to date is described by Makarkin & Perkovsky (2024).
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Raphidiopteran research
Haug et al. (2024) describe a snakefly larva from the Cretaceous amber from Myanmar showing a mixture of characters from different developmental stages of extant and fossil snakeflies, and interpret this finding as indicating that metamorphosis was less pronounced in fossil snakeflies than in extant ones.
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Odonatopteran research
An aktassiid dragonfly of undetermined generic and specific placement, representing the youngest record of the family reported to date, is described from the Cenomanian amber from Myanmar by Fan et al. (2024).
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Auchenorrhyncha
Heteroptera
Sternorrhyncha
Hemipteran research
A review of the forewing venation in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic planthoppers is published by Bucher et al. (2024)
Fabrikant et al. (2024) describe two new specimens of Mimaeurypterus burmiticus from the Cretaceous amber from Myanmar, providing new information on the morphology of this planthopper, and interpret M. burmiticus as adapted to camouflage on tree bark.
A redescription of Bolbossus bervoetsi, based on a female and fifth instar nymph from the Eocene Baltic amber, is published by Gnezdilov (2024).
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Taxonomic revision of the miomopteran family Permosialidae is published Aristov & Rasnitsyn (2024).
Cui et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Aristovia daniili from the Cretaceous amber from Myanmar, and identify Aristovia as a member of the stem group of Grylloblattodea.
A study on the taxonomy and taphonomy of insects fossils from Alderton Hill (Gloucestershire, United Kingdom), providing evidence of the presence of a diverse insect fauna (including representatives of 12 orders, 21 families, 24 genera and 21 species) during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event, is published by Swaby et al. (2024).
A study on mine damage on gymnosperm specimens from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation (China), probably produced by members of basal lineages of polyphagan beetles, monotrysian moths and tenthredinoid sawflies, is published by Xiao et al. (2024), who argue that the evolution of the mining associations of insects with gymnospermous plants during the Jurassic was likely caused by the appearance of new, more foliose plant lineages that provided more accessible food resources for mining insects.
A study on the ecology of the Aptian insect fauna from the Nova Olinda Member of the Crato Formation (Brazil) is published by Bezerra & Mendes (2024), who interpret the studied insect fauna as living in an environment similar to modern long-standing wetlands, dominated by dominanted by fully terrestrial taxa, and relatively richer in palaeopterans than insect faunas from the Yixian and Zaza formations.
Evidence indicating that the radiation of the flowering plants mitigated insect extinction (especially during the Cretaceous period) and drove the origination of insects (especially during the Cenozoic) is presented by Peris & Condamine (2024).
Loewen et al. (2024) describe a diverse amber deposit from the Maastrichtian strata from the Big Muddy Badlands (Canada), preserving fossils of representatives of seven arthropod orders and at least 11 insect families, and interpret the studied assemblage as providing evidence of a faunal turnover among insects prior to the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.
An assemblage of subfossil remains of insects, dominated by diverse beetles, is described from the Late Pleistocene strata from the Lebed site (Altai Republic, Russia) by Gurina et al. (2024), who interpret the studied insects as indicative of humid climate which was significantly colder than modern climate in the studied area. | null |
75712232 | 2024 in paleoichthyology | 2024-01-03 16:35:12+00:00 | This list of fossil fish research presented in 2024 is a list of new fossil taxa of jawless vertebrates, placoderms, cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes, and other fishes that were described during the year, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleoichthyology that occurred in 2024.
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A study on the evolutionary history of hagfishes, as indicated by the fossil record and molecular data, is published by Brownstein & Near (2024), who consider the hagfish crown group to be a lineage with Early Permian origin and a long history in continental slope settings.
Brookfield (2024) interprets Jamoytius kerwoodi as a probable detritivore or herbivore feeding on Dictyocaris (interpreted by the author as possible algal thalli).
Description of the feeding apparatus of Rhinopteraspis dunensis, interpreted as composed of 13 plates that were capable of rotating around the transverse axis, is published by Dearden et al. (2024), who interpret R. dunensis as a suspension or deposit feeder.
Shan et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of "Dongfangaspis" qujingensis and Damaspis vartus from the Devonian Xishancun Formation (China), and reinterpret "D." qujingensis as a member of the genus Damaspis.
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Jobbins et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Alienacanthus malkowskii, providing evidence of elongation of the lower jaw which was twice as long as the skull.
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Schnetz et al. (2024) study the completeness of the Paleozoic fossil record of chondrichthyans, finding it to be significantly lower compared to other investigated vertebrate groups.
A study on the diversification of chondrichthyans throughout the Paleozoic is published by Schnetz et al. (2024), who report evidence indicative of two increases of diversification rates in the earliest Devonian and in the earliest Carboniferous,and of dispersal into deeper-water environments in the aftermath of the Hangenberg event.
A diverse assemblage of cartilaginous fish fossils is described from the Eocene Osinovaya Formation (Rostov Oblast, Russia) by Popov et al. (2024).
A study on the anatomy of the pharynx of Acanthodes confusus, providing evidence of the presence of a mixture of characters seen in cartilaginous and bony fish, is published by Dearden, Herrel & Pradel (2024).
The oldest fossil material of members of the genus Strophodus from Gondwana reported to date is described from the ?Early to Middle Jurassic succession of Kachchh Basin (India) by Bhosale et al. (2024).
Cuny & Chanthasit (2024) describe egg capsules of Palaeoxyris sp. from the Jurassic Phu Kradung Formation (Thailand), interpreted as indicating that at least some hybodont sharks in Jurassic Thailand reproduced in fresh waters.
A study on the evolutionary history of selachians (modern sharks) is published by Sternes, Schmitz & Higham (2024), who argue that modern sharks expanded to the pelagic realm no later than the Barremian, that habitat influenced the morphology of their pectoral fins, and that the increase of sea surface temperature in the middle of the Cretaceous period was an important factor in driving the evolution of shark ecology and morphology.
The first fossil material of a member of the wobbegong genus Cederstroemia from Asia reported to date is described from the Santonian Kashima Formation (Japan) by Kaneko & Solonin (2024).
Vullo et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Ptychodus from the Upper Cretaceous strata in Mexico, providing evidence that Ptychodus was a high-speed mackerel shark that likely fed on nektonic hard-shelled prey such as ammonites and sea turtles.
Shimada et al. (2024) describe two isolated teeth of Megalolamna paradoxodon from the Miocene Calvert Formation (Maryland, United States), representing the northernmost record of Megalolamna reported to date, and a tooth from the Oligocene Chandler Bridge Formation (South Carolina, United States) which might represent the geologically oldest record of a member of the genus Megalolamna reported to date.
Sternes et al. (2024) reevaluate the accuracy of the body form of Otodus megalodon inferred by Cooper et al. (2022), compare an incomplete vertebral column of a specimen of O. megalodon from the Miocene of Belgium with corresponding parts of the vertebral columns of extant white sharks, and argue that O. megalodon had an elongated body relative to the body of the white shark.
Paredes-Aliaga & Herraiz (2024) compare tooth microwear of the Miocene Otodus megalodon and the Pliocene great white shark from Spain, and interpret the two species as likely competing for similar prey, with the tooth wear of the great white shark possibly indicating the preference for a slightly more abrasive diet.
The first fossil tooth of a shark (great white shark) embedded in a seal bone reported to date is described from the Peace River Formation (Florida, United States) by Godfrey et al. (2024).
Greenfield (2024) coins the name Arthrobatidae as a replacement for the invalid name of the possible batomorph family Arthropteridae.
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New, rank-free classification of extant and extinct ray-finned fishes is presented by Near & Thacker (2024).
New information on the evolution of the brain in the early ray-finned fishes, gained from the study of remains of the latest Carboniferous-earliest Permian ray-finned fishes from Brazil with extensive soft-tissue preservation of brains, cranial nerves, eyes and possible cardiovascular tissues, is presented by Figueroa et al. (2024).
A study on teeth of members of Eurynotoidiformes is published by Bakaev et al. (2024), who interpret eurynotoidiforms as likely the oldest known actinopterygians specialized for herbivory.
Kumar et al. (2024) describe fossil material of a member of the genus Cylindracanthus from the Eocene Naredi Formation (India), extending known geographical distribution of members of the genus.
Cavin et al. (2024) describe fossil material of a large-bodied ray-finned fish from a Lower Triassic outcrop in northern Dobrogea (Romania), with anatomy interpreted as indicative of affinities with Polzbergiidae, and interpret the studied fossils as belonging to the earliest known large, specialized, durophagous neopterygian.
Review of the fossil record of non-marine members of Pycnodontiformes is published by Cawley & Kriwet (2024), who report that the incursions of pycnodontiforms into brackish and freshwater habitats increased during the Cretaceous period, when the rising sea levels might have made it easier for marine fishes to colonize continental environments.
Revision of evidence of growth and aging in the fossil material of pycnodonts is published by Capasso (2024), who find no evidence for a single overall pattern of somatic growth, but reports evidence of specific changes which seem to be common in the studied pycnodonts.
Weis et al. (2024) study gut contents of pachycormid specimens from the Toarcian strata in Luxembourg, and report that the studied pachycormids fed on octobrachian cephalopods.
Cooper (2024) describes fossil material of Pachycormus macropterus from the Toarcian strata in Normandy (France) representing the first direct evidence of cannibalism in a pachycormiform fish reported to date.
Redescription of Aphnelepis australis, based on data from a new specimen from the Talbragar fossil site (Australia), is published by Bean (2024), who assigns A. australis to the teleost family Archaeomaenidae.
Bennett (2024) describes a series of caudal vertebrae of an ichthyodectiform from the Upper Cretaceous Niobrara Formation (Kansas, United States), preserved with pathologies unknown in extant and fossil fishes but sharing similarities with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and spondylosis deformans of mammals, and interprets the studied pathologies as caused by combined bacterial and fungal infections, affecting the swimming abilities of the studied fish and likely ultimately resulting in its death.
Cantalice et al. (2024) describe fossil material of a previously unknown albuliform from the Campanian strata from the Múzquiz Lagerstätte (Austin Group; Coahuila, Mexico), estimated to be approximately 3,9 metres long and representing the largest albuliform reported to date.
Liu et al. (2024) revise Osteochilus sanshuiensis, Osteochilus longipinnatus and Osteochilus laticorpus from the Paleogene Buxin Formation (China), synonymizing them into a single species named Jianghanichthys sanshuiensis.
Claeson et al. (2024) present a new reconstruction of Oncorhynchus rastrosus, interpreting its enlarged teeth as projecting laterally like tusks.
Redescription of Whitephippus tamensis is published by Davesne & Andrews et al. (2024), who interpret this taxon as an early member of Lampriformes, likely related to extant opahs and oarfishes and providing the earliest known evidence of adaptation of lampriforms to the pelagic environment.
Laine et al. (2024) sequence three-spined stickleback genomes from Late Pleistocene sediments from the Jossavannet lake (Finnmark, Norway), who identify more marine- than freshwater-associated ancestry in the studied genomes, but also find evidence that freshwater-associated alleles were already established at known loci of large effect during the brackish phase of the formation of the lake.
Miyata et al. (2024) describe an assemblage of marine fish otoliths from the Lower Cretaceous Kimigahama Formation (Japan), including the oldest known fossil material of members of the family Ichthyotringidae, as well as of otoliths of pterothrissine bonefishes, elopiforms and herring smelts indicative of cosmopolitan distribution of these groups during the Early Cretaceous.
Evidence from the skeletal and otolith fossil record, interpreted as indicative of presence of rich and diverse teleost assemblages in known Maastrichtian marine settings which were significantly affected by the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, is presented by Schwarzhans, Carnevale & Stringer (2024), who also find that perciforms and related groups, ophidiiforms and gadiforms underwent an explosive radiation and diversification in the early Paleogene.
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Toriño et al. (2024) reconstruct the skull of a specimen of Mawsonia from the Upper Jurassic strata in Uruguay.
Cupello et al. (2024) describe pulmonary vessels in a calcified lung of a specimen of Macropoma mantelli from the Upper Cretaceous Chalk Formation (United Kingdom) and in extant coelacanth, confirming the air-breathing function of the tubular structure in the fossil coelacanth specimens called the calcified organ, and interpret coelacanths as having pulmonary arterie homologous to the same paired branches of the air-filled organs (including gas bladders) of other bony fishes.
Redescription of the tooth plates of Atlantoceratodus iheringi, based on data from new and previously described fossil material, is published by Panzeri (2024).
Stewart et al. (2024) describe the anatomy of the axial skeleton of Tiktaalik roseae, providing evidence of the appearance of the evolution of increased mobility at the head-trunk boundary prior to the origin of limbs, as well as evidence of the presence of derived features of the anatomy of the ribs that were previously known only from limbed taxa, and interpret the anatomy of T. roseae as indicative of a locomotor capacity intermediate between those of other elpistostegalians and those of limbed vertebrates.
A diverse assemblage of fish remains, including the youngest fossil material of Bransonella lingulata reported to date, is described from the Carboniferous (Gzhelian) Finis Shale (Texas, United States) by Ivanov & Seuss (2024).
Boles et al. (2024) describe a new assemblage of vertebrate microfossils from the Cretaceous-Paleogene transition from the Hornerstown Formation (New Jersey, United States), including the first Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) records of Palaeogaleus vincenti and Paralbula marylandica and the first Paleocene record of Saurocephalus lanciformis, extending known geographic range of Saurocephalus, Phyllodus paulkatoi and Notidanodon brotzeni, and providing evidence of slow recovery of elasmobranchs and ray-finned fish after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.
Ebersole et al. (2024) describe a new assemblage of fish fossils from the Oligocene Rupelian Red Bluff Clay (Alabama, United States), including the first record of a member of the genus Eostegostoma from the Oligocene and from the Gulf Coastal Plain of North America, as well as fossils of Macrorhizodus praecursor, Xiphiorhynchus kimblalocki, Cylindracanthus rectus and C. ornatus providing evidence of persistence of these species into at least the early Oligocene. | null |
76389119 | 2024 American Association season | 2024-03-18 17:21:30+00:00 | The 2024 American Association season is the 19th season of professional baseball in the American Association of Professional Baseball (AA) since its creation in October 2005. There are 12 AA teams, split evenly between the East Division and the West Division.
The Kansas City Monarchs entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Chicago Dogs, three games to one, in the league's 2023 championship series.
The league is split up into two divisions, the East and West Division. The season will be played with a 100-game schedule, with two home series and two road series inside a teams’ division, and one home series and one road series against the clubs outside its division. The top four teams in each division will qualify for the 2024 playoffs.
The league announced that the 2024 All-Star Game would take place at Legends Field, the home of the Kansas City Monarchs. The league's annual Home Run Derby will take place on Monday, July 22nd and the All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, July 23rd.
as of July 2, 2024
y – Clinched division
x – Clinched playoff spot
e – Eliminated from playoff contention
as of July 2, 2024
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All-star game MVP — TBD
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In 2024, the top four teams in each division will advance to the playoffs. In a nod to innovation, and to reward the clubs with the best regular seasons, the club that wins the division in the regular season will pick their first-round opponent of the qualifiers within the division, in the best-of-three Division Playoff Series.
In the second round, the Division Championship Series will also be a best-of-three series. The Miles Wolff Cup Finals will culminate in the crowning of a league champion, with a best-of-five series to determine the league champion.
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Former Major League Baseball players who played in the American Association in 2024
A. J. Alexy (Kansas City)
Beau Burrows (Cleburne)
Narciso Crook (Chicago)
Jaylin Davis (Milwaukee)
Trent Giambrone (Cleburne/Kansas City)
Ashton Goudeau (Kansas City)
Deivy Grullón (Lake Country)
Eric Hanhold (Lake Country)
Damon Jones (Kansas City)
Shed Long Jr. (Cleburne)
Greg Mahle (Kane County)
Ozzie Martínez (Sioux City)
John Nogowski (Sioux City)
Brian O'Grady (Cleburne)
Yefry Ramírez (Kansas City)
Zac Reininger (Winnipeg)
Seth Romero (Cleburne)
Blake Rutherford (Kansas City)
Carlos Sanabria (Gary SouthShore)
Sterling Sharp (Lake Country)
Travis Swaggerty (Kansas City)
Curtis Terry (Lake Country)
Dillon Thomas (Fargo-Moorhead)
Other notable players who played in the American Association in 2024
Jason Bilous (Chicago)
Bryan Bonnell (Lake Country)
Bret Boswell (Cleburne)
Tucker Bradley (Kansas City)
Yoelqui Céspedes (Fargo-Moorhead)
Marek Chlup (Lake Country)
Brett Conine (Lake Country)
Thomas Dillard (Cleburne)
Hayden Dunhurst (Kane County)
Santiago Florez (Sioux City)
Marshall Kasowski (Winnipeg)
Joey Marciano (Chicago)
Chris Muller (Cleburne)
Joey Murray (Sioux City)
Ian Oxnevad (Lincoln)
Franklin Pérez (Gary SouthShore)
Cornelius Randolph (Kane County)
J. D. Scholten (Sioux City)
Nick Shumpert (Sioux City)
Liam Spence (Sioux Falls) | null |
76403426 | 2024 Frontier League season | 2024-03-20 14:53:01+00:00 | The 2024 Frontier League season is the 31st season of operation (30th season of play) of the Frontier League (FL). The regular season began on May 9, 2024, and will end on September 1, 2024. The playoffs are then planned to begin shortly afterwards, ending with the Frontier League Championship Series in September with the last possible date being on September 15, 2024.
The Québec Capitales entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Evansville Otters, three games to two, in the league's 2023 championship series.
After the 2023 season, the league announced a new expansion team had been awarded to Brockton, Massachusetts, and the team would play in Campanelli Stadium. On December 15, 2023, the expansion team was named the Knockouts.
As a result of the league announcing the New England Knockouts as the new expansion franchise, the Empire State Greys would not return for the 2024 season and would be dormant.
The 16 teams in the league are split evenly between two divisions, East and West.
The season will be played with a 96-game schedule; teams will play four series, two home and two road, against their seven division rivals. Each team will visit two clubs from the opposite division while hosting two different teams. The top three teams in each division will qualify for the 2023 playoffs, with the first-place team already qualifying for the division championship, and the second and third-place teams playing each other in a wild card game.
The Frontier League’s total player compensation budget will remain at $365,000 per team with a minimum of $13,800 per player. Veterans will earn up to $22,800, and each team's highest-paid player will make as much as $27,300. For players aged 23 and younger, only 50% of their salary counts towards the cap.
as of July 7, 2024
y – Clinched division
x – Clinched playoff spot
e – Eliminated from playoff contention
as of July 7, 2024
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All-star game MVP — TBD
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The second-place team will host the third-place team from their division in a wild-card game. The winner of these games will face their division winners in a best-of-three divisional series, with the division winners hosting games 2 and 3 (if necessary). The championship playoffs shall be scheduled to begin on the second day following the scheduled completion of the division playoffs. The championship series will be a best-of-five format. The team advancing with the best regular-season record will host games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary). In the event of a tie, tie-breaking procedures as outlined in league rules will be utilized.
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Former Major League Baseball players who played in the Frontier League in 2024
Mario Feliciano (Trois-Rivières)
Miguel Gómez (New Jersey)
Alfredo González (Lake Erie)
Alfredo Marte (New York)
Jesen Therrien (Trois-Rivières)
Jesmuel Valentín (Québec)
Other notable players who played in the Frontier League in 2024
Chris Kwitzer (New York)
Assaf Lowengart (New York)
Brandon Marklund (Québec)
Robb Paller (New Jersey)
Juremi Profar (Québec)
Roniel Raudes (New Jersey) | null |
76694689 | The Anxious Generation | 2024-04-21 15:08:52+00:00 | The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness is a 2024 book by Jonathan Haidt which argues that the rise of smartphones and overprotective parenting have led to a "rewiring" of childhood and a rise in mental illness.
Haidt argues that the combination of the decline of play-based childhoods, exacerbated by what he describes as overprotective parents motivated by excess fear of kidnapping, and increasing smartphone use has been harmful to children since the late 2000s. Haidt cites numerous empirical reports and clinical studies. In an interview with Jonathan Haidt during the WSJ's Future of Everything Festival he advocates banning phones in schools. | null |
75912547 | Avec les fées | 2024-01-25 09:33:33+00:00 | Avec les fées (lit. 'With the Fairies') is a 2024 travel book by the French writer Sylvain Tesson. It covers a sailing trip along the Atlantic coast, from Spain to Scotland.
Avec les fées is a travel book about a trip Sylvain Tesson took along the Atlantic coast for three months, visiting the Celtic nations. He was accompanied by his friends Arnaud Humann and Benoît Lettéron on a 15 metres long Breton sailboat. The trip departed from Gijón in northwestern Spain at the start of summer. It continued through Brittany in France and across the English Channel to Cornwall, Wales, Isle of Man, Ireland and finally Scotland. The crew periodically disembarked to explore the surroundings on foot or bicycle. Tesson describes the landscapes they passed through and relates them to local legends.
Éditions des Équateurs published Avec les fées on 10 January 2024. Le Parisien's Grégory Plouviez wrote that Tesson's descriptions of landscapes is unmatched and that he presents a "tender and poetic" worldview. Plouviez wrote that the frequency of quotable sentences and "miraculous" aphorisms varies with different chapters, comparing the shifts in the book to high and low tides. In Paris Match, Marie-Laure Delorme wrote that the book is about the possibility "to dialogue with magnificence" as a way to escape the unsympathetic aspects of contemporary society. She wrote that one of the strongest passages is about a meeting with a disabled ex-military and highlighted the occasional presence of ironic humour. Delorme placed Tesson's storytelling "between immanence and transcendence", combining "flight and fixedness" to make the reader focus fully on worldly splendor.
La Rochefoucauld, Louis-Henri de (10 January 2024). "Les fées, ses détracteurs, l'Académie française… Les confidences de Sylvain Tesson". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
La Rochefoucauld, Louis-Henri de (16 January 2024). "Que vaut 'Avec les fées', le nouveau roman de Sylvain Tesson ?". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
Maulin, Olivier (19 January 2024). "Littérature : 'Avec les fées' de Sylvain Tesson, le baladin du monde occidental". Valeurs actuelles (in French). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
Ono-dit-Biot, Christophe (18 January 2024). "Exclusif. Les extraits du voyage de Sylvain Tesson au pays des fées". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
Ungemuth, Nicolas (12 January 2024). "L'odyssée celtique de Sylvain Tesson: 'Mes voyages me servent à prouver que le mystère existe encore'". Le Figaro Magazine (in French). Retrieved 25 January 2024. | null |
76879066 | 2024 European Taekwondo Championships – Women's 46 kg | 2024-05-10 19:10:24+00:00 | The women's 46 kg competition at the 2024 European Taekwondo Championships was held on 11 May 2024.
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76858979 | 2024 European Taekwondo Championships – Women's 49 kg | 2024-05-08 17:31:32+00:00 | The women's 49 kg competition at the 2024 European Taekwondo Championships was held on 9 May 2024.
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76870750 | 2024 European Taekwondo Championships – Women's 53 kg | 2024-05-09 18:25:18+00:00 | The women's 53 kg competition at the 2024 European Taekwondo Championships was held on 10 May 2024.
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76884796 | 2024 European Taekwondo Championships – Women's 57 kg | 2024-05-11 17:11:32+00:00 | The women's 57 kg competition at the 2024 European Taekwondo Championships was held on 12 May 2024.
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76884872 | 2024 European Taekwondo Championships – Women's 62 kg | 2024-05-11 17:26:40+00:00 | The women's 62 kg competition at the 2024 European Taekwondo Championships was held on 12 May 2024.<
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Section 4 | null |
77270469 | 2023–24 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season | 2024-07-02 12:00:19+00:00 | The 2023–24 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season consisted of three different tropical cyclone seasons south of the equator:
2023–24 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, west of 90°E
2023–24 Australian region cyclone season, from 90°E to 160°E
2023–24 South Pacific cyclone season, east of 160°E | null |
75820289 | 2024 Iranian missile strikes in Iraq and Syria | 2024-01-15 22:15:46+00:00 | On 15 January 2024, Iran carried out a series of aerial and drone strikes within Iraq and Syria, claiming that it had targeted the regional headquarters of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and several strongholds of terrorist groups in response to the Kerman bombings on 3 January, for which the Islamic State took responsibility. The city of Erbil, which is the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region, was the target of 11 of the 15 total missiles that were fired. The remaining four missiles were directed at Syria's Idlib Governorate, targeting areas held by the Syrian opposition. In Erbil itself, the Iranian attack killed four civilians and injured 17 others. Iran's claims of having targeted the Israeli presence in Kurdistan and terrorist groups in Syria were rejected by the Iraqi government and the autonomous Kurdish government, both of which condemned the attack.
On 3 January 2024 a commemorative ceremony marking the assassination of Qasem Soleimani at his grave in Kerman, Iran, was attacked by two bomb explosions. The attacks killed at least 94 people, and injured 284 others. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attacks. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, pledged a "hard response" to the attack and declared that those responsible "will be the definite target of repression and just punishment from now on".
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The attack in Erbil targeted the residence of Peshraw Dizayee, the CEO of Empire World, a real estate development company, killing him along with his daughter, their housekeeper, and businessman Karam Mikhail. Erbil International Airport was temporarily closed. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) quickly took responsibility. In addition, coalition forces shot down three drones near the airport. Tasnim News Agency revealed that four ballistic missiles launched from Kermanshah province and seven others fired from West Azarbaijan province were used during the attack, during which Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missiles were reportedly used.
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The IRGC claimed it also struck Islamic State forces in northwestern Syria with four missiles, specifically targeting the perpetrators of the 2024 Kerman bombings on 3 January. Tasnim News Agency reported that the IRGC Aerospace Force launched four Kheibar Shekan medium-range ballistic missiles from Darkhoveyn District in Khuzestan province at midnight, traveling a distance of 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) to hit targets near Taltita in Idlib Governorate.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Iran was unlikely to have conducted its attack in Syria using medium-range ballistic missiles given on the limited scale of damage. Instead, the observatory stated that the attack was likely carried out by Iranian-backed groups situated in Aleppo Governorate in Syria, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the impact zone.
A day after the attack in Iraq and Syria, Iran carried out a similar series of missile strikes in Pakistan, claiming that it had targeted Jaish ul-Adl, a Baloch militant group that had claimed responsibility for the 2019 Khash–Zahedan suicide bombing in Iran. These strikes were condemned by the Pakistani government, which expelled the Iranian ambassador from Islamabad and stated that the strikes had killed two children in Balochistan, subsequently vowing to respond to Iran's violation of Pakistani airspace.
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An Iraqi government source said that it was not informed in advance of the attack and that an emergency meeting would be held. He described the attack as a flagrant violation of the Iranian–Iraqi agreement. Moreover, the Kurdistan Region called on the Iraqi government and the international community not to remain silent regarding the attack on Erbil. Following the attack, Iraq recalled its ambassador in Tehran for consultations and summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Baghdad.
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The IRGC said that the attack was a response to the Israeli assassination of "resistance elements".
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The attacks were condemned by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Japan and the Netherlands. Pope Francis condemned the attacks, stating "good relations between neighbors are not built with such actions, but with dialogue and cooperation".
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NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg denounced the attack on Erbil during a conversation with Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Arab League and the Arab Parliament condemned the attack, calling it an "assault on Arab National security". | null |
76999006 | 2024 World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 2 | 2024-05-23 22:05:52+00:00 | The 2024 World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 2 for the boxing tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 24 May to 2 June 2024.
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Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Quota bouts
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Last Quota bout
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Last Quota bout
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Quota bouts
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Quota bouts
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
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Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4 | null |
75912893 | 2024 Costa Rican municipal elections | 2024-01-25 10:48:54+00:00 | Municipal elections were held in Costa Rica on Sunday, February 4, 2024, to elect all municipal offices in the country: mayors, aldermen, syndics (district council presidents), district councilors and the intendants of seven special autonomous districts, together with their respective alternates in all cases (see local government in Costa Rica). These were the sixth direct municipal elections since the amendment to the 1998 Municipal Code and the second to be held mid-term since the 2009 reform.
In the newly founded canton of Monteverde and canton of Puerto Jiménez, the election of mayor and members of the City Council were held for the first time. | null |
75787170 | 2024 in radio | 2024-01-12 01:23:40+00:00 | The following is a list of events affecting radio broadcasting in 2024. Events listed include radio program debuts, finales, cancellations, station launches, closures, and format changes, as well as information about controversies and deaths of radio personalites.
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January 6 – Peter Dixon "Dix" Davis, 97, American child actor in radio and film (inc. "Randolph" on A Date With Judy, "Pinky" on One Man's Family, "Alvin Fuddle" in Blondie, and "Belly Laugh Barton" on The Jack Benny Show; also "Stanley" on Hap Hazard, "Brad Burton" in The Second Mrs. Burton and "Robert Barton" on The Charlotte Greenwood Show)
January 9 – Karel Janovický, 93, Czech-born composer, pianist and radio producer (BBC World Service).
January 11 – Robin Brownlee, 65, Canadian sports journalist and radio host (CFRN)
January 26 – Walter Love, 88, Northern Irish broadcaster (BBC Radio Ulster).
January 31 – Joe Madison, 74, American radio talk-show host (SiriusXM Urban View, WOL).
February 6 – Chuck Dickerson, 86, American football player and coach, and longtime radio host for WGR
February 7 – Mojo Nixon, 66, American rockabilly musician (numerous shows for Sirius Satellite Radio)
February 10 – Bob Edwards, 76, American radio host and journalist (All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Bob Edwards Weekend)
February 12 – Steve Wright, 69, English radio personality (Steve Wright in the Afternoon, Pick of the Pops)
February 28 – Bob Heil, 83, American organist, sound engineer (founder of Heil Sound), amateur radio operator (K9EID) and host (Organ Music on WTWW, Ham Nation on TWiT)
March 8 – Ramya Wanigasekara, 73, Sri Lankan actress, singer, and radio broadcaster
March 10 – Svetlana Morgunova, 84, Russian television and radio host
April 3 – "Young Ron" Brewer, age unknown. Co-host of The Paul and Young Ron Show on WBGG-FM.
April 10 – Mister Cee, 57, American hip-hop disc jockey
April 26 – Graham Webb, 88, Australian radio and TV broadcaster
April 27 – Andy Santillan, 65, Filipino disc jockey of DWRR & DWAV (now Adventist World Radio Manila 89.1) and Filipino voice over announcer of Radio Philippines Network
April 28 – Francis Cardona, 64, Filipino veteran broadcaster, creator, producer and host of Asenso Ka Pinoy
May 15 – Washington Rodrigues, 87, Brazilian sports commentator
May 29 – Bob Rogers, 97, Australian DJ and radio broadcaster
June 5 – Petter Nome, 69, Norwegian journalist, founder of Radio Oslo (cancer) | null |
76543048 | 2024 Cairns Regional Council election | 2024-04-06 05:03:52+00:00 | The 2024 Cairns Regional Council election was held on 16 March 2024 to elect a mayor and nine councillors to the Cairns Region. The election was held as part of the statewide local elections in Queensland, Australia.
The Cairns Unity Team, which had held a majority on council since 2012, was defeated. Incumbent mayor Terry James was defeated by first-term councillor Amy Eden, who became the second woman to hold the role, after Val Schier.
At the 2020 election, Unity won a third consecutive election with six councillors elected. Incumbent mayor Bob Manning was re-elected with 81.25% of the vote after preferences.
Division 9 councillor Brett Olds, who was elected as Independent LNP, resigned from the Liberal National Party in September 2021 in opposition to the federal Morrison government's COVID-19 vaccination restrictions.
On 6 December 2022, Manning announced his intention not to seek re-election at the end of his third term. Deputy mayor Terry James confirmed his intention to run and lead Unity.
In July 2023, Division 5 councillor Amy Eden defected from Unity to form Team Eden, announcing her decision to contest the mayoralty.
Bob Manning announced his resignation, effective immediately, on 17 November 2023. Terry James was appointed as his replacement until the 2024 election, while Jeremy Neal (also a Unity member) was appointed to replace James in Division 4.
During the campaign, James expressed support for the law and order policies of Katter's Australian Party, although stated that Cairns Unity "do[es]n't endorse any party" at a state level.
Team Eden stated their priorities were creating a "renewed" Cairns with a "commitment to transparency, accountability, and engagement". In February 2024, During the campaign, Eden was accused of plagiarising a Facebook post from Toowoomba councillor Rebecca Vonhoff. She later admitted to using passages of Vonhoff's post, and apologised.
In November 2023, ABC News reported that Division 4 candidate Shane Cuthbert, a former criminal and member of the unregistered Democratic Party of Queensland, had appeared in multiple online videos with a Nazi flag in 2019. Cuthbert stated that it was "not a good look" and he had filmed the videos in a "shop that sold a bunch of old, cool stuff," and thought "the background of the store and the colours and things like that [looked cool]".
A total of 39 candidates ran for election. Incumbents are shown in bold text.
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Cairns Unity announced its candidates on 1 September 2023. Division 7 councillor Max O'Halloran chose not to seek re-election.
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Team Eden announced candidates for six out of nine wards, with Emma Gelling contesting in Division 5, held by Amy Eden.
Restaurateur Sam Byrd was Team Eden's candidate for Division 7 until August 2023, when he withdrew citing conflict with commitments in his private life.
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Community First was formed in November 2023 by members of the Greens and Socialist Alliance. The group stated they supported measures to end "conflicts of interest and dodgy deals" on council.
The group was led by mayoral candidate Denis Wall, a Greens member and former university teacher.
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Paul Taylor, a former Queensland deputy police commissioner who resigned after referring to his friend as a "vagina whisperer" at a policing conference in 2022, contested the mayoralty as an independent candidate.
Division 2 councillor Rob Pyne, who joined Socialist Alliance following the 2020 election, initially planned to retire but later chose to contest Division 5.
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75889544 | 2024 Cook by-election | 2024-01-23 02:03:31+00:00 | A by-election to elect the next member of the Australian House of Representatives in the electorate of Cook was held on 13 April 2024, following the resignation of sitting Liberal member and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Morrison's resignation was first announced on 23 January 2024, and came into effect on 28 February 2024.
Liberal candidate Simon Kennedy succeeded Morrison as the new member for Cook. It was the fourth federal by-election to have taken place since the first sitting of the 47th Parliament.
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Much of Cook's boundaries are within the Sutherland Shire in Sydney's southern suburbs. It was first contested at the 1969 Australian federal election and named after naval captain and explorer James Cook. Politically, the division has been a traditionally conservative stronghold, with a history of consistently electing representatives from the Liberal Party, except for 1972-1975 when the Australian Labor Party held the seat. The Liberal margin swelled in the Coalition's 1996 victory, and since then Cook has been one of the safest Liberal seats in metropolitan Australia.
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During the 2021 Australian census, Cook's median age of 42 exceeded both the national (38) and state (39) medians. In the realm of economic indicators, the median personal weekly income in Cook amounted to $991, surpassing the corresponding figures for the state and nation, which stood at $813 and $805 respectively. Additionally, the demographic composition of the electorate saw over 60 percent identifying their ancestry as English or Australian.
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2022 election results
Morrison retained the seat with a 62.44% two-party-preferred vote and a 6.58% swing against him. His primary vote had a decrease of 8.17%. On the other hand, all other parties who contested the election (Labor, Greens, One Nation and United Australian Party) had increases in their primary votes, being 1.89%, 3.09%, 1.61% and 3.27% respectively. Only Labor had a primary vote of more than 10% (24.99%), while the Green's primary vote was just below 10% (9.90%).
Candidates are listed in the order they will appear on the ballot.
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On 22 March the Labor Party announced they would not run a candidate in the by-election. This is the first time since the 2015 North Sydney by-election that they have not contested a federal by-election.
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On 4 March former Bennelong candidate Simon Kennedy won Liberal Party preselection. Other candidates were Sutherland Shire mayor Carmelo Pesce, Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner Gwen Cherne (endorsed by former prime minister John Howard) and former United Australia Party candidate Benjamin Britton.
On 16 April 2024 the Australian Electoral Commission declared Simon Kennedy officially elected as the new member for Cook. | null |
76064422 | EagleCam | 2024-02-11 18:32:00+00:00 | EagleCam was a deployable CubeSat camera system designed to capture the lunar landing of the Nova-C Odysseus lander on the Moon. Designed and manufactured by staff and students working in the Space Technologies Laboratory at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, it was intended to deploy from Odysseus and take the first photographs of a spacecraft landing on the moon from a third-person perspective. It also planned to test an electrodynamic dust shield system in space for the first time and utilize a Wi-Fi connection to transmit data for the first time on the lunar surface.
EagleCam's primary payload was its camera system, consisting of three fisheye-lens: 2 cameras which would take a total of nine images per second over six seconds as it was ejected from Odysseus shortly before landing. A fourth camera was included to test another one of EagleCam's payloads, an electrodynamic dust shield (EDS), created by the Swamp Works facility at Kennedy Space Center. The CubeSat was powered from a solar-powered battery with a lifetime of 30 minutes.
Had EagleCam been successful, photographs and data taken during the lunar landing of the Odysseus lander may have enabled a better understanding of the dynamics of lunar landings on the lunar regolith and rock surfaces in the vicinity of the Moon's south pole. EagleCam would've assisted in the objectives of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, such as gaining a better understanding of the local lunar surface features to assist with preparations for future manned and unmanned missions to the Moon's south pole, through NASA's Artemis program. However, while photos of Odysseus were never taken by EagleCam, it still recorded and transmitted other types of data to Intuitive Machines and the Space Technologies Lab via the IM-1 lander. Through EagleCam, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University became the world's first university to have a payload on the moon's surface solely developed by faculty and students.
A prototype of the EagleCam CubeSat flew onboard the Blue Origin NS-24 return-to-flight mission on December 19, 2023.
The CubeSat was piggybacked with the lander and launched on a Falcon 9 rocket to the Moon via a direct-intercept trajectory. This lunar landing took place on February 22, 2024. Just before landing, at approximately 30 m (98 ft) above the lunar surface, Odysseus was to eject this CubeSat. Once ejected, EagleCam was supposed to semi-hard land on the lunar surface somewhere near the lander at 10 m/s (33 ft/s). As it descended to the surface EagleCam was planned to capture the first third-person images of a lunar landing. However, due to complications arising from a software patch which reconfigured the lander's sensors used during the final descent phase to the moon's surface, EagleCam was powered off and remained attached to Odysseus through landing. It was later ejected on February 28 but was a partial failure as it returned all types of data, except post IM-1 landing images that were the main aim of its mission. The EagleCam utilized a Wi-Fi connection with the Odysseus lander to relay its images back to Earth.
In March 2024, the EagleCam team was recognized by U.S. Senator Rick Scott in the Congressional Record of the United States Senate for their achievements. | null |
75941335 | 2024 CONCACAF Futsal Championship | 2024-01-28 21:40:29+00:00 | The 2024 CONCACAF Futsal Championship was the 8th edition of the CONCACAF Futsal Championship, the quadrennial international futsal championship organised by CONCACAF for the men's national teams of the North, Central American and Caribbean region. The tournament was held in Managua, Nicaragua between 13 and 20 April 2024, and was the first edition not hosted by Costa Rica or Guatemala.
Same as previous editions, the tournament acted as the CONCACAF qualifiers for the FIFA Futsal World Cup. The top four teams of the tournament qualified for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan as the CONCACAF representatives.
The champions Panama, runners-up Cuba, third-placed Guatemala, and fourth-placed Costa Rica, qualified for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
On 8 December 2023, CONCACAF announced the 12 teams that will play in the tournament.
Bold indicates champions.
Italic indicates host.
The matches were played at Polideportivo Alexis Argüello in Managua, Nicaragua. The venue, built in 2019, is named after the late Nicaraguan boxer Alexis Argüello.
The draw for the group stage took place on 14 December 2023, 11:00 EST (UTC−5), at the CONCACAF Headquarters in Miami. Based on the CONCACAF Futsal Ranking as of 3 October 2021, the 12 teams which entered the group stage were distributed into four pots, as follows:
The 12 teams were drawn into three groups of four teams.
The following officials were chosen for the tournament on 1 April 2024.
Each team must register a provisional squad list of up to 25 players, at least 3 of whom must be goalkeepers, no later than 30 days before the opening match.
Each team must register a final squad list of up to 14 players, 2 of whom must be goalkeepers, no later than 10 days before the opening match.
On 5 April 2024, CONCACAF released the final rosters.
The top two teams of each group and the two best third-placed teams advance to the quarter-finals.
Fans were able to watch all group stage matches through ConcacafGO, and YouTube.
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The ranking of teams in each group is determined by points earned (three for win, one for draw). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Head-to-head result between tied teams;
Points in matches among the tied teams;
Goal difference in matches among the tied teams;
Goals scored in matches among the tied teams;
Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction per player, per match):
One yellow card: −1 point;
Two yellow cards (indirect red card): −3 points;
Direct red card: −4 points;
Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
Drawing of lots.
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The 2 best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage along with the three group winners and three runners-up.
In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out are used to decide the winner if necessary.
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Winners qualify for 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
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There were 206 goals scored in 26 matches, for an average of 7.92 goals per match.
7 goals
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
The following four teams from CONCACAF qualified for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup on 17 April 2024.
Italic indicates host.
Note: Costa Rica 8–3 Haiti (Abandoned)
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
Best Player Award: Alfonso Maquensi
Young Player Award: Kevin Rueda
Top Scorer Award: Marvin Sandoval
Best Goalkeeper Award: Jaime Peñaloza
Fair Play Award: Panama | null |
76571678 | Jambur Solar Power Station | 2024-04-10 10:04:05+00:00 | The Jambur Solar Power Station (JSPS), is an operational 23 MW (31,000 hp) solar power plant in Gambia. The power station began commercial operations in March 2024. It is owned and was developed by the government of Gambia, with funding from the European Union, the European Investment Bank and the World Bank. The power generated here is integrated into the Gambian national electricity grid, through the National Water and Electricity Company network.
The power station is located in the community called "Jambur", in Kombo North District, in the Brikama Local Government Area, southwest of Banjul, the capital city of the country and south of the Gambia River. Jambur Solar Power Station sits on approximately 31.1 hectares (77 acres) of land, about 37.5 kilometres (23 mi), southwest of the city of Banjul.
Jambur Solar Power Station, is a component of the "Gambia Electricity Restoration and Modernization Project" (GERMP), a US$165 million infrastructure project financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union (EU) and the World Bank (WB). The GERMP comprises the erection of the 23 MW JSPS, the construction and connection of an 8MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), the improvement of transmission and distribution electricity network in the country and the improvement of electricity connections to schools and health facilities. The project is expected to create 1,250 direct jobs during the construction, operation and maintenance phases.
The power station was developed by the Gambian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and The National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), with funding from the EIB, EU and the WB.
The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was awarded to Tebian Electric Apparatus (TBEA), a Chinese engineering and construction company. TBEA was also awarded a three-year operations and maintenance (O&M) contract. The table below illustrates the sources of funding for the (GERMP) infrastructure project.
Note: Totals may be slightly off due to rounding.
Construction began in February 2023. Commercial commissioning was achieved in March 2024. | null |
76294962 | 2024 California Proposition 1 | 2024-03-08 03:20:46+00:00 | Proposition 1, titled Bonds for Mental Health Treatment Facilities, was a California ballot proposition and state bond measure that was voted on in the 2024 primary election on March 5. Passing with just 50.18 percent of the vote, the proposition will provide additional behavioral health services and issue up to $6.38 billion in bonds to fund housing for veterans and homeless individuals. It will also move about $140 million of annual existing tax revenue for mental health care and addiction care to the state from the counties.
Since the enactment of a 2011 law, only state propositions placed on the ballot by the California State Legislature may appear on the primary election ballot. In addition, the California Constitution mandates that any measure that issues more than $300,000 in bonds must be approved by voters.
Governor Gavin Newsom first proposed the bond measure in March 2023 to help modernize the state's mental health system, as well as reform the California Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) that was originally passed by voters as Proposition 63 in 2004. State senator Susan Eggman then introduced the proposal in the state legislature, where it was then approved in September 2023.
Supporters of the proposition argued that more mental health and housing initiatives were necessary in the state.
Opponents of the proposition argued that the program was an unfunded mandate and that it could cut county mental health programs.
The results were certified on April 12, 2024. The proposition passed with 50.18 percent "Yes" votes versus 49.82 percent "No" votes. | null |
75729711 | 2024 Oeiras Indoors II | 2024-01-05 16:01:29+00:00 | The 2024 Oeiras Indoors II was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the 4th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2024 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Oeiras, Portugal from 8 to 13 January 2024.
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1 Rankings are as of 1 January 2024.
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The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:
João Domingues
Jaime Faria
Tiago Pereira
The following players received entry into the singles main draw using protected rankings:
Nicolás Álvarez Varona
Paul Jubb
The following players received entry into the singles main draw as special exempts:
Gastão Elias
Maks Kaśnikowski
The following players received entry from the qualifying draw:
Marius Copil
Sebastian Fanselow
Aidan McHugh
Elmer Møller
Samuel Vincent Ruggeri
Michael Vrbenský
The following player received entry as a lucky loser:
Dan Added
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Leandro Riedi def. Martin Damm 7–6(8–6), 6–2.
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Karol Drzewiecki / Piotr Matuszewski def. Arjun Kadhe / Marcus Willis 6–3, 6–4. | null |
76284685 | 2024 Porto Women's Indoor ITF 1 | 2024-03-07 11:13:25+00:00 | The 2024 Porto Women's Indoor ITF 1 was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the fifth edition of the tournament, which was part of the 2024 ITF Women's World Tennis Tour. It took place in Porto, Portugal, between 22 and 28 January 2024.
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Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro def. Maja Chwalińska, 3–6, 6–0, 6–4
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Sarah Beth Grey / Olivia Nicholls def. Francisca Jorge / Matilde Jorge, 4–6, 6–3, [10–6]
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Rankings are as of 15 January 2024.
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The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:
Lena Couto
Maria Garcia
Francisca Jorge
Ana Filipa Santos
The following players received entry into the singles main draw using special rankings:
Maja Chwalińska
Oksana Selekhmeteva
The following players received entry from the qualifying draw:
Silvia Ambrosio
Robin Anderson
Nefisa Berberović
Alina Charaeva
Sonay Kartal
Sinja Kraus
Nastasja Schunk
Kathinka von Deichmann
The following player received entry as a lucky loser:
Audrey Albié | null |
75936649 | 2020s in Asian history | 2024-01-28 07:06:58+00:00 | History of Asia in the 2020s covers history on the continent, other than elections, from 2020 onwards.
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Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Armenian forces were to withdraw from Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh by 1 December. An approximately 2,000-strong Russian peacekeeping force from the Russian Ground Forces was to be deployed to the region for a minimum of five years, one of its task being protection of the Lachin corridor, which links Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Additionally, Armenia undertook to "guarantee safety" of passage between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave via a strip of land in Armenia's Syunik Province. Russian FSB′s Border Troops would exercise control over the transport communication.
Shortly after the news about the signing the ceasefire agreement broke in the early hours of 10 November, violent protests erupted in Armenia against Nikol Pashinyan, claiming he was a "traitor" for having accepted the peace deal. Protesters also seized the parliament building by breaking a metal door, and pulled the President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan from a car and beat him. Throughout November, numerous Armenian officials resigned from their posts, including the Armenian minister of foreign affairs, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, the minister of defence, David Tonoyan, head of the same ministry's military control service, Movses Hakobyan, and the spokesman of Armenia's Defense Ministry, Artsrun Hovhannisyan.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan and more than 40 other high-ranking military officers of attempting a coup after they published a statement calling for Pashinyan's resignation on 25 February 2021. Two days later Armenian President Armen Sarksyan refused the order from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to dismiss Onik Gasparyan, saying parts of the decree were in violation of the constitution. Pashinyan immediately resent the motion to dismiss Gasparyan to the president. On 27 February, more than 15,000 protested in the capital Yerevan calling for Pashinyan to resign.
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Under CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping's administration, China promoted "common prosperity", a series of policies designed with stated goal to increase equality, and used the term to justify a broad crackdown and major slew of regulations against the tech and tutoring sectors in 2021. Often described as an authoritarian leader by political and academic observers, Xi's tenure has seen an increase of censorship and mass surveillance, a deterioration in human rights including the internment of one million Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and a cult of personality developing around him. Xi's political thoughts have been incorporated into the party and national constitutions, and he has emphasized the importance of national security and the need for CCP leadership over the country. He and the CCP Central Committee additionally passed a "historical resolution" in November 2021, the third such resolution after Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, further consolidating his power.
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The Hong Kong protests against the Chinese government continued into 2020. A controversial new national security law was enacted on 30 June 2020 by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. In July, 12 politicians were banned from standing the upcoming elections. The elections were then postponed by a year, officially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the arrest of eight opposition politicians in November, 15 other opposition lawmakers resigned in protest, including the remaining opposition members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. The democracy activist Joshua Wong was also arrested, facing up to three years in prison in his trial.
The Decision of the National People's Congress on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was enacted on 11 March 2021 by the National People's Congress (NPC), the de jure legislative body of the People's Republic of China (PRC), to rewrite the electoral rules, imposing a much restrictive electoral system on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for its Chief Executive (CE) and the Legislative Council (LegCo), claiming to ensure a system of "patriots governing Hong Kong." Police later arrested five executives of the Apple Daily newspaper as the newspaper warned that press freedom in the city was "hanging by a thread".
The Stand News raids and arrests occurred on 29 December 2021, when Stand News, one of the few remaining pro-democracy media outlets in Hong Kong following the passage of the Hong Kong national security law in 2020, was raided by the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force. Media executives and journalists were arrested on the charge of "conspiring to publish seditious publications" on a large scale. As a result of the raid, Stand News ceased operations, the organisation's website and social media became inactive, and all of its employees were dismissed. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, along with leaders in Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States, condemned the raid.
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Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party became Prime Minister in the 2014 Indian general election, in which the party gained a majority in the lower house of the Indian parliament the Lok Sabha; it was the first time for any single party since 1984. His administration has tried to raise direct foreign investment in the Indian economy, and reduced spending on healthcare, education, and social-welfare programmes. He centralised power by abolishing the Planning Commission and replacing it with the NITI Aayog. Modi began a high-profile sanitation campaign, controversially initiated the 2016 demonetisation of high-denomination banknotes and introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and weakened or abolished environmental and labour laws. Modi oversaw India's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As prime minister, he has received consistently high approval ratings.
Under Modi's tenure, India has experienced democratic backsliding. Following his party's victory in the 2019 general election, his administration revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act and three controversial farm laws, prompting widespread protests and sit-ins across the country, resulting in a formal repeal of the latter. Modi has been described as engineering a political realignment towards right-wing politics and remains a controversial figure, domestically and internationally, over his Hindu nationalist beliefs and handling of the 2002 Gujarat riots, which have been cited as evidence of a majoritarian and exclusionary social agenda.
The Citizenship Amendment Act protests occurred after the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) by the Indian government on 12 December 2019, which triggered widespread ongoing protests across India and abroad against the act and the associated proposals to enact a National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Amendment created a pathway to Indian citizenship for illegal migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who had entered India before 2014 fleeing religious persecution. The Amendment does not provide the same pathway to Muslims and others from these countries, nor to refugee Sri Lankan Tamils in India, Rohingyas from Myanmar, or Buddhists from Tibet. The proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be an official record of all legal citizens of India; individuals would need to provide a prescribed set of documents issued before a specified cutoff date to be included in it. The amendment has been widely criticised as discriminating on the basis of religion, in particular for excluding Muslims. Protestors against the amendment demand that it be scrapped and that the nationwide NRC not be implemented. Protesters in Assam and other northeastern states do not want Indian citizenship to be granted to any refugee or immigrant, regardless of their religion, as they fear it would alter the region's demographic balance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dismissed 12 cabinet ministers, including Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, following intense criticisms over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ravi Shankar Prasad, who held multiple concurrent positions as Law, Information Technology, and Communications Minister, also resigned.
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The 2019–2020 Iranian protests were a series of nationwide civil protests in Iran, initially caused by a 50%–200% increase in fuel prices, becoming the most violent and severe anti-government unrest since the rise of Iran's Islamic Republic in 1979. As many as 1,500 Iranian protesters were killed. The government crackdown prompted a violent reaction from protesters who destroyed 731 government banks including Iran's central bank, nine Islamic religious centres, tore down anti-American billboards, and posters and statues of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as well as former leader Khomeini. Fifty government military bases were also attacked by protesters.
In January 2020, the United States assassinated the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, general Qasem Soleimani. This led to an Iranian missile strike against bases housing US troops in Iraq five days later. As a result of expectations of a US retribution, the Iranian air defence system accidentally shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, killing all 176 people on board. The International Maritime Security Construct was set up by the US to prevent Iran from disrupting international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Israel was suspected of being behind at least five explosions and fires at Iranian nuclear sites in the summer of 2020. The leading nuclear scientist of the country, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated on 27 November 2020, with Iran blaming Israel for the attack.
The sequence of protests which included the 2019-2020 Iranian protests, 2021 Iranian protests, and the Mahsa Amini protests was met with violent responses by the Iranian authorities, including the killing of 1,500 protesters in November 2019 uprising and the violent crackdown on protests in Mahshahr. The protests, which have occurred at various stages and times since the mid-2010s, increasing in both support and number each time, have found popular support amongst many Iranians. They have the intention of removing the Iranian government and addressing both economic and social issues within Iran, and are often fueled by low wages, unemployment, inflation, government corruption, an ongoing water crisis, disillusion amongst Iranian youth and by their Burnt Generation parents with the government's Islamist, anti-Western outlook, the isolation of Iran internationally, Persian nationalist fervor and the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022 Mahsa Amini protests
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In 2020–21, demonstrations took place in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, over popular discontent with government corruption, unemployment, poor government services, and foreign interference within Iraq. Reports said that 450 protesters had been fatally shot by security forces. Major protests were based in Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province, with hundreds of protesters arriving there from other cities. New clashes erupted in Baghdad between protesters and security forces, with security forces using gunfire against protesters. One march included more than 1,000 students.
In March 2020, Mohammed Allawi sent a letter to the President of Iraq, stating that he had to decline to take office as Prime Minister since the Iraqi Parliament had declined to approve his cabinet. Reports indicated that the crowds of protesters in Baghdad had expressed widespread opposition to Allawi.
Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was named by President Barham Salih as prime minister-designate, the third person tapped to lead the country in just 10 weeks as it struggled to replace a government that fell last year after months of protests. Kadhimi was nominated by President Barham Salih, state television reported, shortly after the previous designated prime minister, Adnan al-Zurfi, announced he was withdrawing having failed to secure enough support to pass a government. After nearly six months of political negotiations, Iraq's parliament confirmed al-Kadhimi as Prime Minister of Iraq on 6 May 2020. Before entering office, al-Kadhimi said his government would be a government that finds solutions to Iraq's many problems and not a crisis ridden government. He promised early elections and vowed Iraq would not be used as a battleground by other countries. He assumed office on the heels of major upheavals in Iraq - protests, falling oil prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 10 October 2021. Iraqis who were supporters of the Iran-backed PMF and Fatah Alliance called the results "a fraud", as most Iran-backed parties, including Fatah Alliance, lost many seats. Following the election, clashes between Iraqi protesters and security forces left more than 125 injured and 2 dead. The protestors were supporters of Iran-backed militias and political parties. Two days later on the 7 November, an assassination attempt was made on Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi via a drone strike. The PM survived the attack unharmed but resulted in six of his bodyguards being injured. The security forces reportedly opened fire on demonstrators, leading to at least one death. It was rumored that the assassination attempt was connected to these protests.
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The political crisis in Israel continued, with the fourth election within two years held in 2021. The rotation government established after the third elections between the competing factions of Likud and Blue and White collapsed. In foreign relations, the country signed the Abraham Accords (also in 2020), leading to the Bahrain–Israel and Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreements. Sudan also announced that it would be normalizing relations with the country as did Morocco. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also met with Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman soon after.
The 2021 Palestinian legislative election for the Palestinian Legislative Council, originally scheduled for 22 May 2021, according to a decree by President Mahmoud Abbas on 15 January 2021, was indefinitely postponed. President Abbas announced the postponement on 29 April 2021, stating the following: "Facing this difficult situation, we decided to postpone the date of holding legislative elections until the participation of Jerusalem and its people is guaranteed."
Mahmoud Abbas was elected President of the Palestinian National Authority on 9 January 2005 for a four-year term that ended on 9 January 2009. The last elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council were held on 25 January 2006. There have not been any elections either for president or for the legislature since these two elections.
The 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis started on 6 May 2021, with Palestinians protesting in Jerusalem over a forthcoming decision of the Israeli Supreme Court regarding the eviction of four Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah, a neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. The protests quickly escalated into violent confrontations between Israeli and Palestinian protesters. The following day, the major Islamic holy site and the holiest to Judaism, known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (the Temple Mount), was stormed by the Israeli police using tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades against firecrackers and stone-throwing Palestinians. On 10 May, two Palestinian militant groups, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, began firing rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, hitting multiple residences and a school. Israel launched airstrikes against Gaza, including airstrikes targeting multiple apartment buildings, a refugee camp, and a news office building.
As part of the crisis, widespread protests and riots occurred across Israel, particularly in cities with large Arab populations. In Lod, rocks were thrown at Jewish apartments and some Jewish residents were evacuated from their homes by the police. One man was seriously injured after being struck in the head by a rock. In the nearby city of Ramle, Jewish rioters threw rocks at passing vehicles. On 11 May, Mayor of Lod Yair Revivio urged Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu to deploy Israel Border Police in the city, stating that the city had "completely lost control" and warning that the country was on the brink of "civil war". Netanyahu declared a state of emergency in Lod on 11 May, marking the first time since 1966 that Israel has used emergency powers over an Arab community. Minister of Public Security Amir Ohana announced the implementation of emergency orders.
Following the unrest, Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid political party and the Israeli opposition, informed outgoing President Reuven Rivlin that he and Yamina leader Naftali Bennett had reached a deal to form a coalition government, which would remove Netanyahu from power. Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List party, agreed to join the coalition. On 2 June 2021, a coalition agreement was signed between Yesh Atid, Blue and White, Yamina, the Labor Party, Yisrael Beiteinu, New Hope, Meretz, and the United Arab List, with the new government sworn in on 13 June.
On 20 June 2022, a little over a year after the coalition government was sworn in, Bennett and Lapid announced that they would begin the process of dissolving the government, thus sending Israel to a fifth round of elections in less than four years. The election was scheduled for 1 November, with Lapid serving as interim Prime Minister until then. This election saw the national camp win a majority of seats in the Knesset, likely returning Netanyahu to the post of Prime Minister. Increases in the number of MKs for Likud and the Religious Zionist Party was attributed to a lack of support for liberal wing and Arab parties, most notably the failure of Meretz to cross the electoral threshold to qualify for parliamentary representation. Following a two-month negotiation period, on 21 December, Netanyahu announced that he had succeeded in forming the new coalition. The thirty-seventh government of Israel was sworn in on 29 December. Some of the government's policy proposals, including a flagship program centered around reforms in the judicial branch, have drawn widespread criticism, both in Israel and abroad, sparking waves of protests across the country.
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Protests broke out on 2 January 2022 after a sudden sharp increase in gas prices which, according to the Kazakh government, was due to high demand and price fixing. The protests began in Zhanaozen, a city built on an oil field, but quickly spread to other cities in the country, including the largest city, Almaty. Growing discontent with the government and former president Nursultan Nazarbayev also influenced larger demonstrations. As there were no popular opposition groups against the Kazakh government, the unrest appeared to be assembled directly by citizens. In response, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency in Mangystau Region and Almaty, effective from 5 January. The Mamin Cabinet resigned the same day.
In response to the unrest, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a military alliance of post-Soviet states that includes Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan itself – agreed to deploy peacekeeping troops in Kazakhstan. The local police reported that "dozens of attackers were liquidated", while former President Nazarbayev was removed as the Chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan. Tokayev later announced a series of reforms to the national parliament, including re-establishing the Constitutional Court, reducing the membership requirement for establishing political parties from 20,000 to 5,000, reducing the number of parliament deputies appointed by the president, and restoring three regions that were merged during the 1990s. He says that the purpose of these reforms is to move the current political system from "superpresidential" rule to a presidential republic with a strong parliament.
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The 2020 Kyrgyzstani protests began on 5 October 2020 in response to the recent parliamentary election that was perceived by protestors as unfair, with allegations of vote rigging. The results of the election were annulled on 6 October 2020. On 12 October 2020, President Jeenbekov announced a state of emergency in the capital city of Bishkek, which was approved by Parliament the following day. Jeenbekov resigned on 15 October 2020.
In January 2021 a referendum on the form of government was held alongside presidential elections (won by Sadyr Japarov), with voters asked whether they would prefer a presidential system, a parliamentary system, or opposed both. Just over 84% voted in favour of a presidential system.
Work began on drafting a new constitution, which was debated in the Supreme Council in February 2021. The draft new constitution replaces the parliamentary system with a presidential one, with presidents limited to two five years terms instead of a single six-year term. It also reduces the number of seats in the Supreme Council from 120 to 90 and establishes a constitutional court.
In March 2021 members of the Supreme Council passed a bill, scheduling a referendum on the new constitution for 11 April, the same day as local elections. The result was 79.31% in favour.
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In early 2020, officials from the Malaysia's Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that Malaysia has recovered US$322 million stolen from the sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, a fraction of the more than US$4.5 billion US prosecutors say was looted. In April, the US Department of Justice returned US$300 million in funds stolen during the 1MDB scandal to Malaysia. Former Prime Minister Najib Razak was found guilty of one count of abuse of power, three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering, a total of seven charges for the SRC International trial.
On 24 February 2020, Malaysia entered the 2020 Malaysian political crisis for almost a week after the resignation of the 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad. Immediately that afternoon, the King of Malaysia re-appointed Mahathir Mohamad as the Interim Prime Minister to solve the political crisis. On 29 February 2020, Yang Dipertuan Agong, King Abdullah of Pahang agreed to appoint Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia, and he was sworn in at the Istana Negara on 1 March 2020.
Malaysia declared a State of Emergency in January 2021 amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, suspending parliament and all elections until August. The declaration attracted political controversy; a number of MPs from major coalition party UMNO withdrew support for the government in disapproval, temporarily leading to a minority government and destabilising the coalition. On 8 July 2021, the President of UMNO announced that the party had withdrawn support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin over the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic although others in UMNO later affirmed their support, splitting the party and putting the government's status into question. After losing majority support and attempts to regain it were unsuccessful, Prime Minister Muhyiddin and his cabinet resigned on 16 August 2021 with Muhyiddin remaining as caretaker Prime Minister. Four days later, UMNO's Vice President Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed Prime Minister by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after receiving support from most of the MPs.
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General elections were held in Myanmar on 8 November 2020, in which the National League for Democracy won 396 out of 476 seats in parliament, while the military's proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, won only 33 seats. In the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, democratically elected members of the ruling National League for Democracy were detained and/or deposed from their offices by the Tatmadaw; Myanmar's military. The Tatmadaw declared a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been vested in the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Min Aung Hlaing. The coup d'état occurred the day before the Parliament of Myanmar was due to swear in the members elected at the November 2020 general election, preventing this from occurring. President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained, along with ministers and their deputies and members of Parliament. Domestic civil resistance efforts in Myanmar, known locally as the Spring Revolution (Burmese: နွေဦးတော်လှန်ရေး), began in opposition to the coup d'état on 1 February. As of 2 April 2021, at least 550 civilians, including children, have been killed by military or police forces and at least 2,574 people detained.
The National Unity Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar was formed by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, a group of elected lawmakers ousted in the coup d'état. It included representatives of the National League for Democracy (the deposed ruling party of former state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi), ethnic minority insurgent groups, and various minor parties. The NUG has sought international recognition as the government of Myanmar. On 5 May 2021, the NUG announced the formation of "People's Defense Force" as its armed wing to launch an armed revolution against the military junta.
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Parliamentary elections in June 2020 resulted in a victory for the ruling Mongolian People's Party. The Prime Minister Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh resigned on 27 January 2021 following a minor protest against the mistreatment of a hospital patient.
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In July 2021, the Nepalese Supreme Court declared that the dissolution of the Federal Parliament of Nepal by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in May was unconstitutional, reinstating the Parliament and removing the duties of Oli. The Supreme Court also designated leader of the opposition Sher Bahadur Deuba as the new Prime Minister.
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A political and constitutional crisis emerged in Pakistan when, on 3 April 2022, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri dismissed a no-confidence motion against prime minister Imran Khan during a session in which it was expected to be taken up for a vote. Moments later, the president dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of prime minister Imran Khan. This created a constitutional crisis, as effectively, Imran Khan led a constitutional coup to remain in power.
Four days later, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that the dismissal of the no-confidence motion and subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly were unconstitutional, and overturned these actions. The Supreme Court further held that the National Assembly had not been prorogued and had to be reconvened by the Speaker immediately. Shortly after midnight on 10 April, the National Assembly voted and passed the No Confidence motion removing prime minister Khan from office immediately upon passing of the resolution and making him the first prime minister in Pakistan to be so removed from office.
Imran Khan was arrested by the police from Islamabad High Court on 9 May 2023. Khan's arrest led to a nationwide protest by his supporters. PTI supporters had reportedly indulged into violence to stage their protest against this arrest. Social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and others were blocked in the country. but was later released by Supreme Court two days later. On 5 August 2023, Imran Khan was again arrested on the charges of selling state gifts and was sentenced to three years jail and five years of disqualification by the trial court Judge.
The 2024 Pakistani general election was accused of being rigged in favour of the PML-N's leader Nawaz Sharif. The US, UK, and European Union have spoken up about the concern of fairness of elections, as well as groups and members of the international community, while media outlets around the world denounced the election as "fraudulent". On 13 February 2024, leaders of PPP and PML-N, along with Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister, announced at a press conference that a coalition government would be started.
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Economic crisis
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Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow stepped down as president on 19 March 2022, after a non-democratic snap presidential election, in which his son Serdar Berdimuhamedow won, becoming the next President and establishing a political dynasty.
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An Indonesian general was killed by West Papuan separatists in April 2021.
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On 8 July 2022, Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan and a serving member of the House of Representatives, was assassinated while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. While delivering a campaign speech for a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate, Abe was shot from behind at close range by a man with a homemade firearm. He was transported by medical helicopter to Nara Medical University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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The 2021 Jordanian coup d'état attempt was a failed military coup attempt against King Abdullah II of Jordan. The former Crown Prince Prince Hamzah bin Hussein was placed under house arrest.
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The 17 October Revolution continued, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and then his successor Hassan Diab following the 2020 Beirut explosion. These events have also happened against the ongoing Lebanese liquidity crisis. Following being an interim Prime Minister, Saad Hariri resigned in July 2021 after both failing to form a new government in the past eight months and reaching an impasse with President Michel Aoun on adopting some constitutional amendments.
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General elections were held in Qatar for the first time on 2 October 2021, following an announcement by the Emir of Qatar on 22 August 2021. The elections for the Consultative Assembly were originally scheduled to be held in the second half of 2013, but were postponed in June 2013 until at least 2016. In 2016 they were postponed again. Finally in November 2020 Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani pledged to hold the election in October 2021. The voter turnout during the election was 63.5%.
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In early 2020, there was some evidence of new positive ties between the Syrian government and the Kurdish leaders in the autonomous region of Rojava, as the Kurds asked the Syrian government for help and protection against Turkish forces who invaded that region of Syria.
In June 2020, the Syrian pound underwent a dramatic collapse. The US Government stated via US Envoy James Jeffrey that the collapse would be exacerbated due to sanctions, and offered to help Assad if he agreed to meet certain conditions for political reform. On 10 June, hundreds of protesters returned to the streets of Sweida for the fourth consecutive day, rallying against the collapse of the country's economy, as the Syrian pound plummeted to 3,000 to the dollar within the past week. On 11 June, Prime Minister Imad Khamis was dismissed by President Bashar al-Assad, amid anti-government protests over deteriorating economic conditions. The new lows for the Syrian currency, and the dramatic increase in sanctions, began to appear to raise new threats to the survival of the Assad government. Analysts noted that a resolution to the current banking crisis in Lebanon might be crucial to restoring stability in Syria.
As of early 2022, Syria was still facing a major economic crisis due to sanctions and other economic pressures. there was some doubt of the Syrian government's ability to pay for subsidies for the population and for basic services and programs. The UN reported there were massive problems looming for Syria's ability to feed its population in the near future.
In one possibly positive sign for the well-being of Syria's population, several Arab countries began an effort to normalize relations with Syria, and to conclude a deal to provide energy supplies to Syria. This effort was led by Jordan, and included several other Arab countries.
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In Thailand, protests began in early 2020. Beginning first as demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, it later included the unprecedented demands for reform of the Thai monarchy. The protests were initially triggered by the dissolution of the Future Forward Party (FFP) in late February 2020 which was critical of Prayut, the changes to the Thai constitution in 2017 and the country's political landscape that it gave rise to.
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In January 2020, Turkey announced it had sent troops to Libya in order to support the National Transitional Council in the Libyan Civil War, but that they would be in non-combat duties. In March 2020, Turkey started a military offensive against the Syrian Armed Forces as part of its intervention in the Syrian Civil War. That same month Turkey also declared that it would no longer stop migrants from entering the European Union. Turkey also supported the Azerbaijani side in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war by supplying it with Syrian mercenaries and drones.
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The Yemeni Civil War is an ongoing conflict that began in 2015 between two factions: the Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi led Yemeni government and the Houthi armed movement, along with their supporters and allies. Both claim to constitute the official government of Yemen.
During the Red Sea crisis the Houthi movement within Yemen launched a barrage of missiles and armed drones at Israel. The Houthis staged multiple seizures of civilian-operated cargo ships sailing near the Yemeni coast, and claimed any Israel-linked shipping as a target, although multiple vessels with no apparent link to Israel have also been attacked. Houthis said they would not stop until Israel ceases its war on Hamas. Houthi militants also fired on various countries' merchant vessels in the Red Sea, and particularly in the Bab-el-Mandeb—a chokepoint of the global economy as it serves as the southern maritime gateway to the Suez Canal of Egypt. To avoid Houthi attacks, hundreds of commercial vessels rerouted to sail around South Africa. The Houthis' militant activities in the Red Sea have incurred a military response from a number of countries; the United States, which assembled Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect the Red Sea shipping route, has bombed the Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen and attacked Houthi vessels in the Red Sea. | null |
75872366 | 13th Parliament of Botswana | 2024-01-21 17:12:46+00:00 | The 13th Parliament of Botswana is the forthcoming meeting of the National Assembly, the unicameral legislature of the Parliament of Botswana. Its membership will be determined by the results of the 2024 general election.
The 13th Parliament will comprise 61 elected members, an increase of four members. This change stems from the 2022 seat redistribution cycle, marking the first instance since the inauguration of the 9th Parliament that the number of elected members has risen.
The 13th Parliament will serve from after the next general election until another election is called. Under section 91 of the Constitution of Botswana, Parliament, unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five years from the date of the first sitting of the National Assembly after any dissolution and shall then stand dissolved. | null |
77073182 | 77th Locarno Film Festival | 2024-06-03 17:30:03+00:00 | The 77th Locarno Film Festival will be held from 7 August to 17 August, 2024.
Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner will serve as the jury president for the main competition. Additional jury members will be announced in July 2024.
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Jessica Hausner, Austrian filmmaker – Jury President
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The Lady With the Torch, a retrospective honoring the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures, will be presented in partnership with Cinémathèque suisse and Sony Pictures. Curated by Ehsan Khoshbakht, director of Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna, the retrospective will debut at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. An English-language companion book compiled by Khoshbakt featuring writers from across the world will be released by Les Éditions de l’Œil.
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Jane Campion
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Irène Jacob
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Claude Barras
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Shah Rukh Khan
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Stacey Sher
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Ben Burtt | null |
76570062 | 2024 Esports World Cup | 2024-04-10 02:34:20+00:00 | The 2024 Esports World Cup (EWC) is the first edition of the Esports World Cup, an annual international esports tournament series replacing the Gamers8 festival, run by the Esports World Cup Foundation, funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 3 to August 25, 2024, and will feature 22 events in 21 different video game titles. It will have the largest combined prize pool in esports history at over US$60 million, encompassing individual tournament prize pools, rewards for teams that qualify to EWC events, most valuable player awards, and the Club Championship, a cross-game competition that aggregates the individual game results of all participating organizations (known as "clubs" to the EWC) to crown a Club Champion.
The Esports World Cup has been criticized by some as being used as a sportswashing tool by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to distract the esports community from its numerous human rights abuses, as well as the country's stance on LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, and its handling of dissent. Some teams have opted not to participate at the Esports World Cup due to fears over the safety of their fans should they travel to Riyadh.
In October 2023, Saudi Arabia announced the inaugural Esports World Cup as the successor of Gamers8, the Saudi Esports Federation's previously existing esports festival, set to take place in Riyadh. The event was developed as a part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, a plan led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at diversifying the country's economy and reducing reliance on oil.
The initial five game titles were announced on February 20, 2024, with additional events being added over the course of the next four months; the final titles, the 20th being Call of Duty: Warzone and the 21st being Modern Warfare III, were added on June 12. The events will take place in a 645,000 square foot (59,900 m2) venue in Riyadh's Boulevard City that features four separate esports arenas: the Qiddiya Arena, the 5V5 Arena (known as the Amazon Arena for sponsorship purposes), the BR Arena (known as the STC Arena for sponsorship purposes) and the Riyadh Festival.
The Esports World Cup will encompass 22 tournaments across its 21 competitive titles. Each tournament will adhere to its own unique format and rules, contributing to a larger competition known as the Club Championship.
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The Club Championship is a cross-game competition within the Esports World Cup. The championship will distribute a total of US$20 million among the top 16 clubs (used by the EWC in place of "organization"), determined by their overall performance in various games throughout the tournament. To qualify for the Club Championship, a club must finish in the top 8 in at least two competitions, and to win the championship title, the club must secure first place in at least one competition. Only participants who are publicly announced as part of their respective organization before June 14, 2024, are eligible to earn points for their club. Below is a breakdown of the points awarded based on placement in the individual game championships:
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The Esports World Cup Foundation's Club Support Program is an initiative designed to provide substantial financial assistance to selected esports organizations. Through this program, chosen teams receive annual financial support to enhance their operations and create more opportunities for professional players. A total of 30 esports organizations, 22 of which were invited and 8 were admitted out of over 150 applicants based on past competitive achievements, future strategies, and approaches to fan engagement, were selected to the Club Support Program. As with all other competitors in the EWC, members of the Club Support Program must earn qualification for each game's event and the Club Championship, but they will remain eligible for annual financial rewards irrespective of their qualification status, as well as a one-time payment if an organization wants to enter new esports, particularly those who have a presence at the Esports World Cup. The rewards are contingent upon each member's capacity to enhance viewership and fan engagement for the EWC.
The 30 teams represent the five major competitive regions — Europe, North America, Asia, South America, and the Middle East — with the majority of the teams being primarily based in Europe or North America.
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Notes:
Only teams who have qualified for the Club Championship are listed here.
A team may win the Club Championship by winning at least one event.
The 2024 Esports World Cup will have a prize pool of US$62.5 million, the largest combined prize pool in esports history. The prize money will be broken down into four categories: Club Championship, Game Championships, Qualifiers, and MVP Awards. The Club Championship will award $20 million to the top 16 teams based on their overall performance, while each of the 20 Game Championships will have a combined prize pool of $33.8 million. Teams will compete for more than $7 million during qualifying events, and the MVP of each event will be awarded $50,000.
The announcement of the 2024 Esports World Cup was met with a mixed response due to concerns over Saudi Arabia's human rights record and the tournament's use for sportswashing. Saudi Arabia's significant investment in the esports scene, amounting to billions of dollars, has led to a rapid expansion of the industry within the country. However, these developments have occurred against a backdrop of ongoing international scrutiny regarding Saudi Arabia's human rights record, particularly concerning LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, and its handling of dissent. In June 2024, Team Liquid announced their intention to wear a Pride-inspired jersey at the Esports World Cup and were permitted to do so.
In March 2024, esports organization Ex Oblivione announced their decision not to participate in the Overwatch 2 competition at the 2024 Esports World Cup. The team expressed concerns about the lack of necessary accessibility for all members of their community and the potential exclusion of their fans from participating in the event alongside them. This decision received a mixed response from their followers and the community, with many expressing support for their stance while others criticized the organization.
In June 2024, the Esports Awards announced that they would hold a ceremony at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh in late August. The announcement was met with criticism from multiple esports personalities. Additionally, multiple stakeholders and personnel, including esports hosts Caleb Simmons and Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez, resigned from the Esports Awards panel. | null |
77029029 | 2024 Esports World Cup – League of Legends | 2024-05-28 01:43:11+00:00 | The multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game League of Legends had a tournament at the 2024 Esports World Cup, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 4 to 7, 2024. Eight teams took part in this tournament, marketed as Esports World Cup presenting League of Legends, two each from the four major competitive regions – LCS (North America), LEC (EMEA), LCK (Korea) and LPL (China). T1 would win the tournament, beating Top Esports 3-1 in the final.
The eight teams that participate in the tournament were put into a single-elimination bracket, not unlike the one used at the League of Legends World Championship. The only difference to the Worlds bracket was that the quarter-finals and semi-finals were best-of-3 games; the final was a traditional best-of-5 series.
Due to the top 8 teams at each EWC tournament gaining Club Championship points, all 8 teams participating will earn points, with each organization able to qualify for the Club Championship itself (or win the Club Championship should they win the League tournament) if they place in the top 8 in another EWC event.
The eight teams that were invited to the tournament were announced on May 24, 2024. Each of the 4 major competitive regions in League, the LCS, LEC, LCK and LPL, had two teams invited. All eight teams that were invited competed in the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational, having qualified by finishing among the top two teams in their domestic leagues for their spring splits (The LEC had winter and spring splits, with the winners of both splits qualifying for MSI and therefore being invited for the League event at the EWC).
The Qiddiya Arena, a purpose-built esports stadium for the Esports World Cup in Riyadh's Boulevard City, will host all matches during the tournament.
All start times are listed in Arabia Standard Time (AST, UTC+03:00). | null |
77090356 | PFL MENA 2 (2024) | 2024-06-05 16:20:15+00:00 | PFL MENA 2 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Professional Fighters League that will take place on July 12, 2024, at The Green Halls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This event will mark the quarterfinals of the PFL MENA tournament in a welterweight and lightweight divisions. The event also marks the promotion's third card held in Saudi Arabia.
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77186651 | 2024 WAFF U-19 Championship | 2024-06-19 21:45:40+00:00 | The 2024 WAFF U-19 Championship, also known as 2024 Al-Dyar Al-Arbiya WAFF U-19 Championship (Arabic: بطولة الديار العربية غرب آسيا للشباب) for sponsorship reasons, was the third edition of the WAFF U-19 Championship, the international youth football championship organised by West Asian Football Federation for the men's under-19 national teams of West Asia. Saudi Arabia is hosting the tournament in Taif from 25 June to 5 July 2024. A total of twelve teams played in the tournament, with players born on or after 1 January 2005 eligible to participate.
Iraq were the two-time defending champions, having won the title in every edition so far.
11 (out of 12) WAFF member nations will compete in the tournament. Albania has been invited to participate as a guest nation.
Did not enter
Qatar
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The draw was held on 18 June 2024 at the Federation's headquarters.
Referees
Assistant referees
The times are according to Arabia Standard Time (UTC+3).
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There were 35 goals scored in 12 matches, for an average of 2.92 goals per match.
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal | null |
76757457 | 2024 Armenian protests | 2024-04-28 11:15:02+00:00 | The 2024 Armenian protests, most commonly known in Armenia as Tavush for the Homeland (Armenian: Տավուշը հանուն Հայրենիքի, romanized: Tavushy hanun Hayrenik’i), are a series of street demonstrations taking place throughout Armenia due to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan leading an effort to demarcate the Armenia–Azerbaijan border, reaching an agreement with the Government of Azerbaijan which handed over four abandoned villages along the border to Azerbaijan: Bağanis Ayrum, Aşağı Əskipara, Xeyrimli, and Qızılhacılı.
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In Yerevan, spontaneous protests led by the opposition occurred on 24 and 25 April. Opposition leaders claimed that police employed aggressive methods against protesters in the city on 24 April. In other parts of the country, demonstrations resulted in temporary closures of national and regional highways, such as the Yerevan-Meghri highway, the Yerevan-Gyumri highway, the Baghanis-Voskepar highway, and the interstate highway connecting Armenia to Georgia.
On 26 April 2024, protestors continued to block streets in Yerevan and main highways outside the city to oppose the territorial concessions depicted by Nikol Pashinyan's administration as the beginning of Armenia's border delineation with Azerbaijan. Some employed large vehicles for this objective. Law enforcement authorities intervened to reopen traffic on almost all of those routes.
The parliamentary opposition group Armenia Alliance called for a motion of no confidence on Pashinyan. However, the opposition lacks enough representation to put forward a motion as Civil Contract maintains a supermajority within parliament.
On 7 May 2024, Pashinyan criticized the involvement of religious figures in politics and stated "The government should not interfere in the affairs of the church. The Armenian Apostolic Church has its own rules of activity, its own regulations. But in general it is obvious that today the Catholicos of All Armenians is leading a political movement in Armenia.
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On 9 May, protests spread as Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan called on Prime Minister Pashinyan to resign within the hour, receiving no response from the government.
On 10 May, Galstanyan called for university students to boycott class and join his protests, with some doing so, and saying that if it was "God's will" for him to become prime minister "who am I to say no?" Galstanyan later confirmed, however, that he holds not only Armenian but also Canadian citizenship. The constitution of Armenia bars dual citizens from serving as prime minister. Galstanyan also told protesters they should "engage in peaceful acts of disobedience," if Pashinyan did not listen to their demands.
On 10 May, at least 48 protesters where arrested by the police for violating Article 182 of the Armenian Code of Administrative Offenses. All 48 were allowed to be released on bail, should they afford it. Also on 10 May, Galstanyan met with Serzh Sargsyan's I Have Honor Alliance and Robert Kocharyan's Armenia Alliance representatives for consultations.
On 11 May, Tigran Urikhanyan, a former MP and current leader of the Alliance Party, was arrested in Russia at the request of the Armenian government for "calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional structure in the country." Additionally, protesters in Gyumri formed a motor-convoy dubbed "Tavush for the Motherland", driving to Yerevan to support the protesters there, and to help block roadways.
On 13 May, at least 171 protesters were arrested by police in Yerevan. Galstanyan urged supporters to "paralyze" the capital. Protestors blocked roads and briefly disrupted traffic before being removed by police. 156 of the protestors were released from police custody by late afternoon. That same day, Galstanyan stated that there would be no more rallies held at Republic Square but encouraged protestors to carry out acts of civil disobedience elsewhere in the city.
According to the Union of Informed Citizens, the largest crowd of protestors contained around 20,000 people on 9 May. A second rally the next day attracted only 11,700 people. The crowd was even smaller two days later. It was speculated that Kocharyan helped fund and paid protestors to attend the rallies in Yerevan. On 14 May, the Jamestown Foundation noted that the protests failed to gain momentum.
On 16 May, a small crowd of protestors gathered outside the Yerevan Opera Theatre which was hosting an event between Pashinyan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
On 21 May, Galstanyan met with exiled representatives of the National Assembly of Artsakh in Yerevan.
On 8 June, Galstanyan called for Armenia to develop stronger ties with Russia.
On 12 June, Nikol Pashinyan told parliament that his government will withdraw Armenia from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with Pashinyan stating, "We will leave. We will decide when to exit...Don't worry, we won't return". Pashinyan also said that a peace treaty with Azerbaijan was close to completion, but that his country would not accept Azerbaijan's demands that Armenia change its constitution. After Pashinyan made the comments, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators in Yerevan, with protestors throwing bottles and stones at police. Protesters surrounded parliament and attempted to storm the building, however, police were able to disperse the crowd. Police officials said 17 officers were injured.
Artur Hovannisian, a Civil Contract lawmaker claimed that "the ongoing antigovernment protests are coordinated by the Armenian Apostolic Church and former Presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan." He said they are trying to "stage a coup by undemocratic means." Meanwhile, during a session of the National Assembly on 30 April, Civil Contract deputies branded Galstanyan a Russian spy.
On 7 May 2024, Ani Khachatryan, a member of the Hanrapetutyun Party emphasized the connection between the participants of the march, the leading clergyman, and Russia. Khachatryan stated, "The participants of the movement, the clergy, do not even hide their connection with Russia" and "history shows that the clergy were the biggest Russian agents." Khachatryan also stated, "Archbishop Bagrat is the clergyman of Robert Kocharyan's personal use."
On 10 May 2024, Civil Contract secretary Artur Hovhannisyan stated, "A process is being generated to carry out a coup in Armenia in an undemocratic way. The church is fully engaged in this." Hovhannisyan claimed that Robert Kocharyan is behind all this, and he is trying to serve, according to him, "the interests of the empire", in this case Russia.
On 12 May 2024, Tigran Khzmalyan, Chairman of the European Party of Armenia launched a petition condemning any unconstitutional attempts and dissent aimed at undermining the internal stability of Armenia. The petition further calls for restraint, maintaining the rule of law, as well as maintaining universal and constitutional democratic norms, including the separation between church and state. The petition also calls for the government of Armenia to withdraw from all Russian-led structures including the Collective Security Treaty Organization and Eurasian Economic Union, while supporting Armenia's bid to join the European Union and NATO. The petition was backed by Aram Sargsyan's Hanrapetutyun Party, the For The Republic Party, as well as several NGOs from within and outside of Armenia.
On 13 May 2024, Armenian foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated, "By undermining the Alma-Ata declaration and the peace process based on it, these people [the protestors] continue, I can't say for sure whether consciously or unwittingly, they continue to undermine the sovereignty, statehood, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. In the best interpretation, without realizing it, in the worst interpretation, at the direct dictation of another country [alluding to Russia]."
Belarus: On 13 June, the Armenian government recalled its ambassador to Minsk. In response to Belarus selling weapons to Azerbaijan, Nikol Pashinyan stated, "I will never visit Belarus as long as Alexander Lukashenko is its president. In general, no official representative of Armenia will visit Belarus at this point." Belarus retaliated by recalling its ambassador in Yerevan. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry stated Pashinyan's actions were an attempt to deflect public attention in Armenia away from domestic discontent.
Council of Europe: The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers expressed full support to the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process and welcomed the process of border delimitation between the two countries.
European Union: The European Union welcomed the Armenian-Azerbaijan border delimitation deal. Meanwhile, the European Commission reiterated that Armenia has the right to seek membership in the European Union. Peter Stano, the Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Commission spokesperson stated, "the EU's doors are open to Armenia." Earlier, on 13 March 2024, the European Parliament confirmed that Armenia has the potential to be granted EU candidate status. Armenian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Paruyr Hovhannisyan stated, "If the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU is fully implemented, we will indeed have the status of a candidate country for EU membership."
Kazakhstan: President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced Kazakhstan's readiness to assist by providing a platform for negotiations between Baku and Yerevan. From 9 to 11 May, Kazakhstan hosted Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, for a series of negotiations toward a comprehensive peace deal, during which Mirzoyan announced that Armenia would be open to a transportation route for Azerbaijan to reach the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and by extension, Turkey. However, the negotiations ended with no conclusion as both sides insisted that there were "differences" on key provisions.
Russia: On 9 May, Russia removed its border guards on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, namely from Tavush, Syunik, Vyats Dzor, Gegharkunik and Ararat following a request made by Pashinyan during a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 8 May. These Russian forces were then redeployed to Yerevan.
United States: On 21 May, Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director David Cohen held meetings with Armenian government officials in Yerevan and called for the strengthening of Armenia–United States relations. The following day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged $65 million in additional development assistance to Armenia from Washington and confirmed that the US is considering providing additional assistance to Armenia. On 23 May, the United States senior advisor for the Caucasus Louis Bono visited Yerevan. Bono expressed support to Armenia and called for Armenia and Azerbaijan to normalize relations and to unblock regional transit connections. On 10 June, US and Armenian diplomats met in Yerevan and pledged to increase bilateral ties. "The sides positively assessed cooperation to support Armenia's ongoing reforms and democratic progress and noted Armenia's aspirations for closer cooperation with Euro-Atlantic institutions and the West," a joint statement said. The two sides announced that they would deepen ties in the coming year, which will be formalized by signing a deal to upgrade the status of bilateral dialogue to a "Strategic Partnership Commission". This comes as trade turnover between Washington and Yerevan quadrupled since 2020. Military officials also vowed to establish formal bilateral defense consultations to "regularize planning of defense cooperation objectives."
On 23 June 2024, Galstanyan said the "Tavush for the Motherland" movement would reorganize as a "new concept". On July 3 2024, Galstanyan announced he would meet with extra-parliamentary political parties. Galstanyan stated, "We will call to a meeting those who were there from the beginning. Probably, with those forces, a big or small political council will be formed, we will decide the format. This will be done to increase the degree of engagement." | null |
76354568 | 2024 Players' Championship | 2024-03-13 20:40:19+00:00 | The 2024 Princess Auto Players' Championship was held from April 9 to 14 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Ontario. It is the fifth and final Grand Slam event of the 2023–24 curling season.
Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni rink defeated Sweden's Isabella Wranå rink the in the women's final, 6–5. It was a re-match of the 2023 Players' Championship final, in which Team Wranå was victorious. Team Tirinzoni opened up the scoring in the second end when last rock thrower Alina Pätz made a hit and stick for two. Wranå made a double in the third end to get a single, but nearly gave up a steal. Wranå missed a double in the fourth, and Pätz responded with a draw for two to take a 4–1 lead into the break. In the fifth, Wranå's last rock crashed on a guard, but rolled into the house, resulting in a score of two after a measurement. Wranå scored a steal of one in the sixth after Pätz missed a hit and roll, tying the game at four. In the seventh, Pätz made a bump of two Wranå stones that were close together, scoring two points in the process to take a 6–4 lead into the final frame. In the eighth, Wranå missed her last shot, scoring just a single point to lose the game. It was third straight Slam final for the Swiss team, after losing the previous two. It was the fourth career Slam title for Tirinzoni.
In the men's final, Newfoundland and Labrador's Brad Gushue won his 15th Grand Slam title after defeating the World #1 ranked Joël Retornaz team from Italy, 7–6. Team Gushue started the game off by getting forced to a single in the first after Gushue made a hit against two Retornaz rocks which sat across the rings. Retornaz scored a deuce in the second after making a hit on his last rock, which was followed by Gushue scoring a deuce of his own in the third after making a draw for two to take a 3–2 lead. Retornaz scored another deuce in the fourth after removing a Gushue stone off the button. Gushue scored another two in the next end with another draw, to take a 5–4 lead after five. In the sixth, Retornaz attempted to make a run double on his last, but missed, giving up a steal of one, to go down 6–4. In the seventh, with the team already sitting two, Retornaz attempted a raise on a guard to get a third point, but missed. The team still scored the two points, tying the game going into the last end. In the final end, Gushue missed a runback on his first shot, allowing Retornaz to draw to sit three to make things more difficult for Gushue. Gushue did not miss his last shot however, a draw to the back four which "pinballed" off of a Retornaz stone to come to a rest, winning the game.
The top 12 ranked men's and women's teams on World Curling's Year-to-Date rankings as of March 11, 2024 qualified for the event. In the event that a team declines their invitation, the next-ranked team on the world team ranking is invited until the field is complete.
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Top Year-to-Date men's teams:
Joël Retornaz
Brendan Bottcher
Bruce Mouat
Ross Whyte
Yannick Schwaller
Brad Gushue
Niklas Edin
Matt Dunstone
Mike McEwen
Kevin Koe
Brad Jacobs
James Craik
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Top Year-to-Date women's teams:
Rachel Homan
Silvana Tirinzoni
Gim Eun-ji
Jennifer Jones
Anna Hasselborg
Kim Eun-jung
Kerri Einarson
Isabella Wranå
Stefania Constantini
Kaitlyn Lawes
Xenia Schwaller
Satsuki Fujisawa
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The teams are listed as follows:
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Final Round Robin Standings
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All draw times are listed in Eastern Time (UTC−04:00).
Draw 1
Tuesday, April 9, 11:30 am
Draw 2
Tuesday, April 9, 3:00 pm
Draw 3
Tuesday, April 9, 6:30 pm
Draw 4
Wednesday, April 10, 8:00 am
Draw 5
Wednesday, April 10, 11:30 am
Draw 6
Wednesday, April 10, 3:30 pm
Draw 7
Wednesday, April 10, 7:30 pm
Draw 8
Thursday, April 11, 8:30 am
Draw 9
Thursday, April 11, 11:30 am
Draw 10
Thursday, April 11, 3:30 pm
Draw 11
Thursday, April 11, 7:30 pm
Draw 12
Friday, April 12, 7:30 am
Draw 13
Friday, April 12, 11:00 am
Draw 14
Friday, April 12, 3:00 pm
Draw 15
Friday, April 12, 7:00 pm
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Quarterfinals
Saturday, April 13, 3:30 pm
Semifinals
Saturday, April 13, 7:30 pm
Final
Sunday, April 14, 2:30 pm
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The teams are listed as follows:
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Final Round Robin Standings
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All draw times are listed in Eastern Time (UTC−04:00).
Draw 1
Tuesday, April 9, 11:30 am
Draw 2
Tuesday, April 9, 3:00 pm
Draw 3
Tuesday, April 9, 6:30 pm
Draw 4
Wednesday, April 10, 8:00 am
Draw 5
Wednesday, April 10, 11:30 am
Draw 6
Wednesday, April 10, 3:30 pm
Draw 7
Wednesday, April 10, 7:30 pm
Draw 8
Thursday, April 11, 8:30 am
Draw 9
Thursday, April 11, 11:30 am
Draw 10
Thursday, April 11, 3:30 pm
Draw 11
Thursday, April 11, 7:30 pm
Draw 12
Friday, April 12, 7:30 am
Draw 13
Friday, April 12, 11:00 am
Draw 14
Friday, April 12, 3:00 pm
Draw 15
Friday, April 12, 7:00 pm
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Quarterfinals
Saturday, April 13, 11:30 am
Semifinals
Saturday, April 13, 7:30 pm
Final
Sunday, April 14, 10:00 am | null |
75803783 | Defense for Children International-Palestine et al v. Biden et al | 2024-01-14 02:49:08+00:00 | Defense for Children International-Palestine et al v. Biden et al is a lawsuit by Defence for Children International-Palestine et al in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the U.S. officials; alleged "failure to prevent and complicity in the unfolding genocide against Gaza". The plaintiffs include several Palestinian Americans whose families have been killed. The court dismissed the case on January 31, 2024, ruling that while "it is plausible that Israel's conduct amounts to genocide," US foreign policy was a political question over which courts lacked jurisdiction.
The Israel–Hamas war had seen high levels of civilian deaths in Gaza, mostly due to the Israeli invasion of Gaza with Oxfam stating that the "death rate in Gaza is higher than any other major 21st Century conflict." The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, citing the Gaza Health Ministry, reported that by day 97 of the war that 23,708 were killed, with 60,005 injuries and over 1.9 million people displaced in Gaza.
The plaintiffs' families have been severely affected by hostilities in Gaza. Together, the plaintiffs counted over 100 family members killed in Gaza. Included among the dead are six members of Ahmed Abu Artema's family who were killed, including his 12-year-old son, five members of Dr. Al-Najjar's extended family who were killed, and eight of Mr. Abu Rokbeh's family who were killed. Several individuals and 77 human rights organizations have stood behind the plaintiffs as amici curiae, including Josh Paul from the US State Department; genocide and Holocaust scholars William Schabas, Dr. John Cox, Dr. Victoria Sanford, Dr. Barry Trachtenberg; and Jewish Voice for Peace.
The Center for Constitutional Rights filed the case for the plaintiffs on November 13th, 2023. The preliminary injunction hearing took place on January 26, 2024.
On 31 January 2024, the case was dismissed. The judge ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction over US foreign policy due to the U.S. Constitution's political question doctrine, but that he would have preferred to have issued the injunction and urged President Biden to rethink U.S. policy,
writing:: 8
There are rare cases in which the preferred outcome is inaccessible to the Court. This is one of those cases. The Court is bound by precedent and the division of our coordinate branches of government to abstain from exercising jurisdiction in this matter. Yet, as the ICJ has found, it is plausible that Israel's conduct amounts to genocide. This Court implores Defendants to examine the results of their unflagging support of the military siege against the Palestinians in Gaza.
The often cited precedent against jurisdiction of U.S. courts in this case was Corrie v. Caterpillar, Inc (2007).
As reason to not apply the U.S. statutes in regard to the Genocide Convention on the actions of the U.S. government, the court relied on the political question doctrine and cited the reasoning in Corrie v. Caterpillar, Inc: "Whether to grant military or other aid to a foreign nation is a political decision inherently entangled with the conduct of foreign relations.": 7 | null |
77255214 | 2024 Borno State bombings | 2024-06-30 02:02:29+00:00 | On 29 June 2024, at least three bomb blasts targeted several areas in Gwoza, Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria, killing 32 people and injuring 48. The first blast struck a wedding ceremony at 3:00 p.m. local time, followed by another at General Hospital Gwoza before a third bombing struck a funeral. State emergency management officials blamed suicide bombers.
In 2014, Boko Haram militants seized the city of Gwoza before it was taken back by Nigerian forces in 2015, with Boko Haram continuing to launch attacks and carry out kidnappings near the town.
At around 3:40 p.m. GMT+1, a female detonated an improvised explosive device at a crowded motor park near a three-way intersection following a wedding ceremony in the town of Gwoza, resulting in six deaths and multiple injuries. A police spokesperson reported that the suicide bomber was carrying a baby, who was also killed in the blast.
A second suicide bomber targeted General Hospital Gwoza, while a third bomber targeted a funeral of the first attack's victims while pretending to be a mourner, killing at least one person and injuring sixteen more. The Nigerian military imposed a curfew following the attacks. Borno State Emergency Management Agency Director General Dr. Barkindo Muhammad Saidu visited the site of the blasts in Gwoza Town. He said the dead include men, children and pregnant women, and 19 seriously injured victims were taken to Borno State capital, Maiduguri. Two of the injured passed away in the hospital.
A member of a militia assisting the Nigerian military in Gwoza claimed that a separate bombing at a security post killed two of his men and a Nigerian soldier. | null |
75934201 | Siege of Babanusa | 2024-01-27 23:06:38+00:00 | The Siege of Babanusa was a siege during the War in Sudan. The siege started when fighting erupted between the RSF and the SAF on 22 January 2024.
On 13 January 2024 SAF launched airstrikes on the nearby city of El Tibbun. In retaliation the RSF mobilized significant forces in various directions around Babanusa, including in El Tibbun, Samoaa in the southwest, and Muglad in the south.
On 22 January 2024, a Rapid Support Forces offensive began, aiming to seize control of the 22nd Infantry Division headquarters in Babanusa, West Kordofan.
The initial assault went well for the RSF, capturing several police stations and also releasing videos of RSF soldiers inside of the 22nd Infantry Divisions headquarters, signaling its capture. Later counterattack attempts from the SAF succeeded and RSF forces were pushed out of the headquarters.
The siege also escalated an already dire humanitarian crisis in Sudan, displacing another 45,000 people.
A two-day ceasefire was held on 28 January by Misseriya native administration to allow civilians to escape the conflict, however the fighting continued despite the ceasefire attempts.
In an audio recording on February 11, Hemedti claimed victory in Babanusa and Omdurman. The Sudanese Army responded within a few hours denying this claim and accused Hemedti of "misinformation."The statement further claimed that the RSF suffered "heavy losses" in recent clashes with the army. The Sudanese Army released videos showing their troops in control of the Mohandiseen area and asserted that its forces controlled the Babanusa garrison.
Fifty civilians died and significant property damage occurred due to the siege as of January 2024.
Total casualties is said to be 100 people. | null |
76159166 | Field hockey at the 2023 African Games – Women's tournament | 2024-02-22 13:02:47+00:00 | Field Hockey will be among the sports at the 13th Africa Games to held in 8 to 23 March 2023 in Accra, Ghana. The play will feature both a women's tournament.
In the preliminary round, games will be played on two pitches.
4 teams were scheduled to compete in field hockey.
All times are local (UTC)
The pools were announced on 22 February 2024.
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There were 7 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 1.75 goals per match.
2 goals
1 goal
Source: FIH | null |
76504618 | 2024 Women's EuroHockey Club Trophy I | 2024-04-01 08:03:59+00:00 | The 2024 Women's EuroHockey Club Trophy is the 47th edition of the women's Women's EuroHockey Club Trophy, Europe's secondary club field hockey tournament organized by the EHF. It is currently being held from 29 March to 1 April 2024 at Club an der Alster in Hamburg, Germany.
The following eight teams competed for the title:
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Pool A
Pool B
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Seventh and eighth place
Fifth and sixth place
Third and fourth place
Final
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76055086 | 2024 Women's EuroHockey Indoor Championship II | 2024-02-10 20:30:36+00:00 | The 2024 Women's EuroHockey Indoor Championship II was the fifteenth edition of the Women's EuroHockey Indoor Championship II, the second level of the women's European indoor hockey championships organized by the European Hockey Federation. It took place from 9 to 11 February 2024 at the Kingfisher Club in Galway, Ireland.
Participating nations have qualified based on their final ranking from the 2022 competition.
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77042225 | 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards | 2024-05-29 21:28:21+00:00 | The 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards were presented on April 6 and 7, 2024, to honour achievements in folk music by Canadian artists in 2023. Nominations were announced in October 2023. | null |
77165082 | 2024 Polaris Music Prize | 2024-06-16 17:12:20+00:00 | The 2024 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize will be presented on September 17, 2024.
The longlist was announced on June 11, and the shortlist will be released July 11. | null |
76692328 | 2024 Catalonia Open | 2024-04-21 05:52:16+00:00 | The 2024 Catalonia Open was a professional women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the second edition of the tournament and part of the 2024 WTA 125 tournaments, offering a total of $115,000 in prize money. It took place at the Club Tennis Lleida in Lleida, Segrià, Spain between 29 April and 5 May 2024.
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1 Rankings are as of 22 April 2024.
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The following players received a wildcard into the singles main draw:
Irene Burillo Escorihuela
Sofia Kenin
Guiomar Maristany
Carlota Martínez Círez
The following players received entry into the main draw through qualification:
Mirjam Björklund
Martha Matoula
Despina Papamichail
Anna Sisková
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Rankings as of 22 April 2024.
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The following pair received a wildcard into the doubles main draw:
Irene Burillo Escorihuela / Guiomar Maristany
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Kateřina Siniaková def. Mayar Sherif, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
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Nicole Melichar-Martinez / Ellen Perez def. Katarzyna Piter / Mayar Sherif, 7–5, 6–2 | null |
76875632 | 2024 Itzulia Women | 2024-05-10 09:10:07+00:00 | The 2024 Itzulia Women was a Spanish women's cycle stage race held in the Basque Country from 10 to 12 May 2024. The 2024 edition was the third running of Itzulia Women, held as part of the 2024 UCI Women's World Tour.
The race was won by Dutch rider Demi Vollering of Team SD Worx–Protime for the second time, with Vollering also winning the points and mountains classifications. SD Worx–Protime also won the teams classification, with the team winning all three stages for the third year in a row. The youth classification was won by New Zealand rider Ella Wyllie of Liv AlUla Jayco.
Ten UCI Women's WorldTeams and ten UCI Women's Continental Teams took part in the race.
UCI Women's WorldTeams
UCI Women's Continental Teams
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10 May 2024 — Vitoria-Gasteiz to Elgoibar, 140 km (87 mi)
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11 May 2024 — Basauri to Basauri, 104 km (65 mi)
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12 May 2024 — Donostia to Donostia, 114.9 km (71.4 mi)
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76372491 | 2024 Mutua Madrid Open | 2024-03-16 10:48:48+00:00 | The 2024 Madrid Open (sponsored by Mutua) was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from 23 April to 5 May 2024. It was the 22nd edition of the event on the ATP Tour and 15th on the WTA Tour. It was classified as an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2024 ATP Tour and a WTA 1000 event on the 2024 WTA Tour.
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Andrey Rublev def. Félix Auger-Aliassime, 4–6, 7–5, 7–5
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Iga Świątek def. Aryna Sabalenka, 7–5, 4–6, 7–6(9–7)
This was Świątek's third title of the year, and 20th of her career.
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Sebastian Korda / Jordan Thompson def. Ariel Behar / Adam Pavlásek, 6–3, 7–6(9–7)
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Cristina Bucșa / Sara Sorribes Tormo def. Barbora Krejčíková / Laura Siegemund 6–0, 6–2
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* Players with byes receive first-round points.
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*per team | null |
76016983 | 2024 Istanbul Palace of Justice attack | 2024-02-06 19:03:16+00:00 | On 6 February 2024, an armed attack on a police station occurred near the Istanbul Justice Palace.
3 people were killed, one civilian and two attackers, and 6 people were injured. As a result of the incident, Gate C of the Palace of Justice was closed and wide security measures were taken in the neighborhood. 6 people, 3 of them police officers, were wounded and the attackers Pınar Birkoç and Emrah Yayla, and a civilian were killed. The Minister of Justice of the Republic of Turkey, Yılmaz Tunç, announced that a multi-faceted investigation into the incident had been launched.
The Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya told press members that 25 houses were raided and a total of 40 suspects were detained. The Radio and Television Supreme Council of the Republic of Turkey announced that a broadcast ban had been imposed on the incident. Police teams announced that they found plastic handcuffs, 48 shell casings, and documents at the scene. Yerlikaya also reported that the two attackers were members of DHKP/C, classified as a terrorist group by Turkey. | null |
76158286 | 2024 Puerto Rican general election | 2024-02-22 09:53:00+00:00 | General elections will be held in Puerto Rico on November 5, 2024, alongside the 2024 United States elections, electing the governor, resident commissioner and members of the House of Representatives and Senate.
Primaries were held on June 2, 2024, with Incumbent Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón winning the New Progressive primary defeating Incumbent Governor Pedro Pierluisi. This continued the tradition of the Governor of Puerto Rico only serving one term that started with Governor Sila María Calderón and the Popular Democratic Party twenty years prior in the 2004 Gubernational Election
Territorial representative and president of the Popular Democratic Party, Jesús Manuel Ortiz, would secure the party's nomination for Governor, defeating at-large territorial senator and former Puerto Rico Secretary of Treasury, Juan Zaragoza. | null |
76746389 | 2024 Porto Alegre fire | 2024-04-26 17:27:13+00:00 | In the early hours of 26 April 2024, a fire occurred at a guesthouse in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The fire resulted in the deaths of ten people.
The guesthouse was located in a three-story building on Avenida Farrapos. According to residents, the inn was from the Garoa chain. The flames started around 2am, and firefighters were called around 2:20am. The fire occurred near a gas station. The commander of the 1st Battalion of the Fire Department, Lúcio Junes da Silva, said that the rooms in the guesthouse were very close together, causing the fire to spread quickly and preventing many people from leaving. At around 3am, five Fire Department trucks helped put out the fire. The Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu), the Military Brigade and the Public Transport and Circulation Company (EPTC) were also present, and traffic was completely blocked. By 4am, the fire was under control, according to the Fire Department, which was now working in the aftermath (fighting small outbreaks). Approximately an hour later, however, more intense flames appeared again and the building was completely destroyed.
According to RecordTV, two people died from smoke inhalation, while eight were burned to death. Two victims were on the first floor, five on the second and three on the third. Eleven people were rescued; eight were sent to hospitals by firefighters and EMS. Others received care at Hospital Cristo Redentor. Six injured people were taken to the Porto Alegre Emergency Hospital. The Municipal Health Department (SMS) reported that two people were intubated and in serious health. Another, also serious, had 20% of her body burned, and another had a fractured leg. The Fire Department reported that there were no missing people.
Captain Barbara Oliveira said that some people jumped from the balcony to escape the flames; in an interview, a witness said that a resident jumped from the third floor.
The site did not have a permit or a Fire Prevention and Protection Plan (PPCI) and, therefore, operated irregularly. The cause of the fire is unknown, and will be investigated by the firefighters and the Civil Police. Colonel Evaldo de Oliveira Junior, who is the municipal coordinator of Civil Protection and Defense of Porto Alegre, said that the hypothesis of an arson was being preliminarily worked on, and that the criminal would have entered the place during the early hours of the morning. According to Metrópoles, "Those who participated in fighting the flames believe that a lighter or a match may have started the fire."
The mayor of Porto Alegre, Sebastião Melo, lamented what happened on social media, saying that he was investigating the causes "with deep sadness". Eduardo Leite, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, said the fire "profoundly dismays us". | null |
76815676 | 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods | 2024-05-04 11:19:25+00:00 | The 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods are severe floods caused by heavy rains and storms that have hit the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, and the adjacent Uruguayan cities of Treinta y Tres, Paysandú, Cerro Largo, and Salto. From 29 April 2024 through to May 2024, it resulted in over 170 fatalities, widespread landslides, and a dam collapse. It is considered the country's worst flooding in over 80 years.
The floods marked the fourth such environmental disaster in Brazil within the past 12 months, following similar calamities that killed 75 people in July, September, and November 2023.
An atmospheric block, caused by a high-pressure system in Centro-Sul, prevented the displacement of typical meteorological systems (such as extratropical cyclones, cold fronts, and troughs) that cause precipitation. In the areas where the anticyclone was active, temperatures were 5 to 10 °C (9.0 to 18.0 °F) higher than the record values recorded by the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), since areas of instability were confined to the state of Rio Grande do Sul. On 22 April, the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul issued a meteorological alert, later updated, warning of the risk of disruptions due to isolated storms and locally intense rains, which could cause flooding and power cuts. In the following days, the Civil Defense kept issuing alerts, along with forecasts for adverse weather conditions.
Heavy rain and strong winds started hitting the northern part of the state on 28 April; by the following day, they had spread to almost the entire state. Storms occurring between 28 April and 1 May were caused by a cold front associated with a low-pressure area over the sea, while also being influenced by a moisture flow coming from the north of the country. According to an INMET report, rainfall reached over 150 millimetres (5.91 in) in some parts of Rio Grande do Sul in 24 hours on 30 April; they later reported that the average precipitation in the Porto Alegre area in the first twelve days of May could amount up to 333.1 millimetres (13.11 in), almost thrice the average monthly value recorded between 1991 and 2020 (113 millimetres (4.4 in)).
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In 2015, the report "Brazil 2040: scenarios and adaptation alternatives to climate change," commissioned in 2014 by Dilma Rousseff's administration and conducted by several research institutions in the country, already showed the trend of increased rainfall in the South of Brazil due to climate change. The report pointed to an increase of more than 15% in the level of rainfall in the southernmost region of the country. Other climatologists, such as Paulo Artaxo, a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Carlos Nobre, a researcher at the National Institute for Space Research, and Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, also correlated the frequent floods in the South of Brazil with the impacts of global warming in Brazil and the lack of public policies to mitigate these effects.
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Across all regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, at least 169 people were killed, 806 others were injured, and 56 were left missing in the floods. At least 580,000 others were displaced from their homes, around 68,500 of whom are in shelters. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that two more people died in an explosion at a flooded gas station in Porto Alegre, where rescue crews were attempting to refuel their vehicles. The flooding was exacerbated by the partial collapse of the 14 de Julho hydroelectric dam located in the Das Antas River between the municipalities of Cotiporã and Bento Gonçalves, which left at least 30 people killed; four other dams across the state were also considered at risk of collapse. Another victim was reported in the nearby state of Santa Catarina, as one man died in the municipality of Ipira.
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Over 500,000 people were left without power and clean water across Rio Grande do Sul, and flood damage occurred in 431 of the state's 497 municipalities, while many roads and bridges were destroyed and landslides occurred. Communication via internet and telephone services was also cut off by the floods in over 85 municipalities, with all of the three main providers (TIM, Vivo, and Claro) having their services affected and offering temporarily free Internet access via roaming to their clients.
Entire cities in the Taquari River valley, such as Lajeado, Estrela, Muçum, Cruzeiro do Sul, and Arroio do Meio, were made temporarily inaccessible by the effects of the floods. The banks of the local river in Gravataí were also considered to be at the edge of collapsing, as four of the city's treatment plants had to be closed momentarily.
In Porto Alegre, the Guaíba Lake rose up to 5.31 m (17.4 ft), thus beating the previous record 4.76 m (15.6 ft) set during the 1941 floods, as most areas of the city were flooded, with more than 60 streets becoming completely inaccessible and more than 10 being partially blocked; rescue workers used four-wheel-drive vehicles, boats, and jet skis in order to maneuver through flooded streets in search of stranded and missing people. Eldorado do Sul, a city in the Greater Porto Alegre region, was also hit by the flood, completely being engulfed by it. The mayor said that "the city has been 100% destroyed by these floods."
Across almost all affected municipalities, classes were suspended, with 386 schools suffering damage and 52 being repurposed as shelters. According to governor Eduardo Leite, the reconstruction costs of affected cities could reach R$19 billion (US$3.7 billion). The flood displaced more than 700 people in Uruguay, and it shut down several rural schools.
Ten aircraft have been damaged, including PR-AJN Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300, PR-DCL Beechcraft C90GTx King Air, PR-FHT Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100, PR-SCC Cessna T206H Stationair TC, PR-TTP Boeing 727-2M7(A)(F) Total Linhas Aéreas SA, PS-CNB Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX Azul, PS-LCA Pilatus PC-24, Piper PA-46-500TP M500, PT-OSW BAe 125-800B, and the museum PP-ANU DC-3 Varig Exposition.
90% of businesses in the state suffered partial or total losses due to the flooding. Surveys conducted by the Confederação Nacional dos Municípios estimated a R$2.7 billion (US$521 million) loss in agriculture, and a R$245.4 million (US$47 million) loss in livestock farming.
At least 141 cases of leptospirosis, a bacterial blood infection that can be transmitted via contaminated standing water, were confirmed across the state following the floods, with at least seven people eventually dying from complications of the disease.
The floods were considered the worst to hit Brazil in over 80 years, and marked the fourth such environmental disaster in a solar year, as previous floods killed 75 people between July, September, and November 2023.
Climatologist Francisco Eliseu Aquino told AFP that, while the region was already prone to extreme climate events caused by the collision of tropical and polar air masses, these events had "intensified" due to the effects of climate change, stating that the storms were the result of a "disastrous cocktail" of global warming and the El Niño climate phenomenon.
All the main transportation services in Porto Alegre, including the Salgado Filho International Airport, the Metro, and local bus services, suspended their activities for an undetermined period.
On 1 May, the Brazilian Football Confederation announced the postponement of all of the matches across the region throughout that week, including Série A, Copa do Brasil, Brasileirão Feminino, Série C, and Série D matches. Following an official request filed by regional-based clubs Internacional, Grêmio and Juventude, whose stadiums, Federação Gaúcha de Futebol, and training facilities were all temporarily unavailable due to the floods, the CBF postponed the games for a further twenty days on 7 May. When Internacional and Grêmio were competing in the Copa Sudamericana and the Copa Libertadores, respectively, both had two of their group-stage matches postponed by CONMEBOL at the time of the disaster.
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In the immediate aftermath of the floods, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, said that the floods were an "absolutely unprecedented emergency", and "the worst climate disaster" the state had ever witnessed, even more so than the previous year's floods. On 1 May, the local government officially declared a 180-day long state of emergency. On 5 May, it was announced that the government had approved a R$117.7 million (US$21.8 million) worth package aimed to restore the state's infrastructures left damaged by the floods.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Rio Grande do Sul on 2 May, holding a public speech in Santa Maria. The federal government sent aircraft, boats, and more than 600 soldiers to help clear roads, distribute food, water, and mattresses, and set up shelters, while local volunteers also helped with search efforts. More than 1,100 soldiers from the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, as well as more than 2,000 between BMRS officers and firefighters, were reportedly involved in rescue operations across the state. National Force and Civil Defense members were also sent by the state governments of Bahia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo. The National Army also installed a 40-bed field hospital in the municipality of Lajeado.
Flamengo, Palmeiras, São Paulo, and Atlético Mineiro all offered their stadiums and facilities to the affected football clubs; the latter team also made a R$100,000 (US$20,000) worth donation to the regional charity fund through their Instituto Galo foundation, and other Série A and Série B teams shared details about fundraising campaigns on social media, while the CBF donated R$1 million (US$200,000) to the victims and opened a parallel campaign. Starting from 6 May, the Civil Defense hosted a charity campaign for food donations in São José do Rio Preto.
On 5 May, after delivering the Angelus Address in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City, Pope Francis expressed his solidarity to the victims of the floods; several other figures of the Brazilian Catholic Church commented on the disaster, including Archbishop of Porto Alegre and CNBB president, Jaime Spengler, as well as Archbishop of Santa Maria, Leomar Antônio Brustolin.
On 9 May, the Brazilian government, through the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, announced R$51 billion (US$10 billion) in resources and benefits for the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The state-owned national bank Caixa Econômica Federal announced another R$66.8 billion (US$13.1 billion) in forms of financing and benefits.
Mobilization of military resources
On 6 May, the Brazilian Navy announced the dispatch of the largest warship in South America, the helicopter carrier Atlântico, which would depart Rio de Janeiro and head to the coast of Rio Grande do Sul. Atlântico was expected to carry 200 Marine Corps officers, 40 vehicles and eight between medium, and small vessels to help rescue stranded victims and transport supplies through flooded roads.
The Navy also mobilized the Oceanic Support Ship Mearim and the offshore patrol vessel Amazonas, with the latter carrying three small vessels. The two ships sailed to Rio Grande do Sul on 7 May. The following day, the frigate Defensora was also dispatched in order to transport donations and supplies. As of 11 May, 12,000 Brazilian armed forces personnel are on the ground for the relief operations.
Civil society
Since the start of the heavy rains, civilian volunteers have mobilized to rescue marooned families and to assist families rescued in gyms, schools, and churches. They used all-terrain vehicles, trucks, boats, water motorcycles, and other transportation to rescue people and animals from flooded areas. Residents of less affected cities also organized themselves to support the search for and assistance to homeless families, as was the case with residents of the municipality of Portão, in Porto Alegre, who formed a network of around 100 volunteers to work in the neighboring cities of São Leopoldo, São Sebastião do Caí, and Montenegro. Some volunteers also started using their own homes as shelters for the people affected or as kitchens to produce meals. In some cases, volunteers used surfboards to search for and rescue the people who were affected. Volunteers also focused on rescuing and sheltering pets; in some warehouses, shelters were set up to receive dogs and cats. In Canoas, a makeshift center had already received 600 dogs as of 7 May 2024. In the Mathias Velho neighborhood of Canoas, a horse dubbed "Caramelo" was stranded on a rooftop for four days before being rescued. Due to the insufficient number of fire departments, civil defense, and armed forces personnel in some areas of the state at the beginning of the relief operations, some people waited three days to be rescued. On 5 May 2024, the mayor of Canoas, Jairo Jorge, asked boat owners to help in the search voluntarily. As a measure to speed up rescues, a group from Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis voluntarily and independently created an internet platform as a way of centralizing rescue efforts and also making it possible to make requests for help, with requests for help being transformed into geolocation points with routes to the location. As of 9 May 2024, it had already collaborated with more than 12,000 rescues. Other independent initiatives, such as Projeto Salva, support flood victims and animal rescues. Around 20 private helicopters have been used voluntarily to rescue people affected by the floods. On 10 May, private aircraft departing from São Paulo were responsible for transporting 2.5 tons of donations.
Universo Online reported that a group of volunteers were forced to retrieve thousands of firearms at Salgado Filho Porto Alegre International Airport by a representative of arms manufacturer Taurus Armas, saying that the representative misled them into launching what they were initially told to be rescue operations for people stranded at the airport, who then threatened to have them detained if they refused to proceed on security grounds.
International aid for humanitarian assistance
On 3 May 2024, the Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil, offered the Brazilian government support on behalf of the Venezuelan government and President Nicolás Maduro.
On 5 May, the government of Uruguay sent an Air Force (FAU) Delfin Bell 212 helicopter and its crew to Brazil and offered two drones and two rescue boats to assist in the rescues. A Lockheed Martin KC-130 plane from the FAU with equipment and humanitarian aid was also offered, but was refused by Brazilian authorities due to a lack of proper aerodromes, which were equally damaged by the floods.
On 6 May, the Argentine government, led by President Javier Milei, announced that they would send 20 Federal Police officers and divers from the Argentine Navy, as well as three helicopters and a C-130 cargo plane from the Argentine Air Force.
On 9 May, a humanitarian aid package was announced, consisting of approximately 2,500 tons of food, 48,000 liters of potable water, 5,000 hygiene and cleaning kits, 400 water filters, and about 5,000 bedding items transported by three Azul Brazilian Airlines planes in partnership with the Helping Hands project of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
On 10 May, the White House National Security Advisor, John Kirby, announced a donation of US$120,000 in resources and hygiene kits from the United States.
On 27 May, the USS George Washington, sailing through the Brazilian coast as part of its "Southern Seas 2024" deployment, conducted a vertical replenishment operation with the Atlântico, transferring 15 tons of humanitarian supplies from the nuclear aircraft carrier to the helicopter carrier as part of the relief efforts.
On 29 May, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, announced that the Italian government had sent a B-767 cargo plane with equipment and humanitarian aid, including medications, tents, electric generators and portable water purification devices, to Brazilian authorities. The Italian ambassador to Brazil, Alessandro Cortese, and the Italian consul general of Porto Alegre, Valerio Caruso, also visited Bento Gonçalves and Canoas, two of the areas affected by the floods. In an article written for Domani, trade-unionist and mediator Mario Giro urged Italian authorities to intensify their humanitarian efforts in Rio Grande do Sul as an act of respect towards the wide Italian Brazilian community settled in the region. | null |
77107979 | 2024 Nuseirat rescue operation | 2024-06-08 11:17:11+00:00 | The Nuseirat rescue operation (initially codenamed Operation Seeds of Summer and renamed Operation Arnon) was a raid carried out by Yamam, the Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces with intelligence support from the United States in the Nuseirat refugee camp on 8 June 2024 to recover hostages taken from the Re'im music festival massacre during the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Four Israeli captives were rescued—Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan, and Andrey Kozlov—from two multi-story residential apartment buildings in Nuseirat. According to the Israel Defence Force, they were held by Gazan civilians affiliated with Hamas and were guarded by armed Hamas militants.
During the operation, the Israeli military called in an intense air, sea, and ground attack. This resulted in civilian casualties. Ziad, a paramedic and resident of Nuseirat and Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for al-Qassam Brigades referred to the attack as a massacre. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell described the events as “a bloodbath.” The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 274 Palestinians were killed in the camp, including 64 children and 57 women, with at least 698 people reported injured. The IDF said they were aware of fewer than 100 Palestinian casualties. Yamam officer Arnon Zamora was seriously injured and later died from his injuries.
Following the operation, Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obaida warned that it would result in greater threats to the Israeli hostages. The Qassam Brigades later released a short video saying that the raid had also killed three unnamed Israeli hostages, including one with dual citizenship of the USA. No evidence for this claim was provided. The UN human rights office said that both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes. The U.S. had promised aid groups the pier would be a no-go area for Israeli forces and aid operations at the pier are on hold pending a response to aid groups from the U.S. government.
On 7 October 2023, the Qassam Brigades (the militant wing of the Hamas party) launched an attack on Israel. As part of the attack, in which other Palestinian militant groups were also involved, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups kidnapped around 130 Israeli civilians and soldiers. This attack led to the Israel–Hamas war.
The Nuseirat refugee camp is a long standing UNRWA refugee camp located in the middle of the Gaza Strip, in Deir al-Balah. The camp has been repeatedly bombed during the Israel-Hamas war, with over a hundred Palestinians killed in the attacks. The most recent attack on the camp occurred only days before the rescue operation, with IDF forces striking the UNRWA school in the camp, killing at least 33 people. The deceased classification are contested with Gaza sources reporting a number of women and children were in the death toll, while the IDF said the deceased included Hamas Nukhba and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants.
This operation was the third known hostage rescue carried out by the IDF since the start of the war. IDF Corporal Ori Megidish was rescued in October 2023 from the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and two male hostages were rescued in February 2024 from southern Rafah. Additionally, a number of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners were exchanged in 2023.
All four hostages rescued had been abducted from the Re'im music festival, and were identified as Noa Argamani (26-years-old), Almog Meir Jan (22-years-old), Andrey Kozlov (27-years-old), and Shlomi Ziv (41-years-old). Both Argamani and Meir Jan were festival goers while Kozlov, a recent immigrant from Russia, and Ziv had been employed as security guards for the festival.
Argamani was shown in one of the initial videos released by Hamas documenting the massacre. She was seen being taken away on a motorcycle while yelling, "Don't kill me!" Her arms are outstretched towards her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, who was also being kidnapped. This footage became emblematic of the hostage crisis, leading to Argamani being described as "the face of the Nova music festival hostages." Argamani's family had indications that she was alive, as she appeared in a Hamas video released in January 2024.
The abductees had suffered from malnutrition in captivity and were often beaten. The three male hostages, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan, and Andrey Kozlov reported that they had went through physical and psychological abuse while in Hamas captivity in Gaza, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. For six months they were confined to a single dark room without any contact with the outside world. They faced severe punishments for non-compliance, such as being locked in a small bathroom or buried under blankets in intense heat. The doctor in charge of treatment for the rescued hostages said they were beaten and showed signs of malnutrition due to a lack of adequate food while in captivity. Additionally, the captors subjected them to psychological torment, including threats of death and claims that no one was coming to rescue them. Prof. Itai Pesach at the Sheba Medical Centre who treated the three male hostages, stated that they suffered from severe trauma and had muscle atrophy due to malnutrition. The entire Gaza Strip has faced severe food shortages since 9 October 2023, which were ongoing at the time of the raid.
Argamani said she had been held in four different apartments during her eight months in captivity and that in the last location, the family made her wash their dishes. Ynet reported that she also cooked at times with basic ingredients she was provided.
The Qassam Brigades (the militant wing of the Hamas movement) claimed that three other hostages were killed as a result of the raid. They did not name any of them, or show photographs, but they claimed that one of the three was a US citizen and released a short video with text in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. The video depicted three unidentifiable corpses with their faces obscured by censor bars. The Brigades did not give details of how the hostages supposedly died, but said they were killed by the Israeli military. "In exchange for them, your own army killed 3 of your own captives in the same attack; one of them holds a USA citizenship" - Qassam Brigades, 9 June 2024.
The IDF said that they worked with Shin Bet and Israeli police to free the four Israeli hostages. It was also later reported that the operation was aided by intelligence support from the United States and the United Kingdom. The operation was planned for several weeks, and was carried out after an intelligence opportunity arose. Some of the special forces members entered the refugee camp in a vehicle with a mattress on top, posing as Palestinian refugees fleeing Rafah per Saudi reporters. They reportedly told locals that they were escaping the Israeli assault on Rafah, while other Palestinian locals alleged that other forces entered in humanitarian trucks. However, a senior official in the Biden administration claims that the Israeli forces did not use an aid truck. The operation began at about 11 am, with the Yamam and Shin Bet officers raiding two multi-story buildings about 200 meters apart, in the center of Nusseirat, where the hostages were reportedly held in two family homes. During captivity the hostages were held in a civilian environment, guarded by armed militants. The female hostage, Argamani, was reportedly held separately from the three male hostages, who had been reportedly held together throughout their eight-month captivity. None of them were held in the Hamas tunnel network.
The IDF stated that, at the time of the rescue, the three male hostages were being held in the family home of Ahmed Al-Jamal, a physician. His son Abdullah Al-Jamal, a freelance journalist and a former Hamas spokesperson, was also in the household. Al Jazeera disputed IDF allegations that Abdullah Al-Jamal had been one of its journalists, stating that he had contributed to an opinion piece published on its website but had no other involvement with the network. Abdullah Al-Jamal had also contributed to the Palestine Chronicle, a nonprofit online publication based in the United States. Ramy Abdu, chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, reported that Ahmed Al-Jamal, Abdullah Al-Jamal, and the latter's wife were all killed after Israeli forces stormed the home by ladder. The Palestine Chronicle claimed inconsistencies in the Israeli narrative, but a Wall Street Journal investigation found that the Al-Jamal family had been known for its close ties with and support of Hamas. Locals criticized Hamas for placing hostages in civilian areas.
During the extraction of the three male hostages, a major gun battle reportedly erupted, causing the critical wounding of the commander of the Yaman rescue team for that building. During the operation, the Southern Command and the Air Force said they exchanged fire with Hamas militants. An IDF spokesman said its forces were fired upon inside buildings and during their withdrawal from Gaza. The three male hostages were extracted from the refugee camp, but when the extraction vehicle became stuck, additional forces had to rescue them as the vehicle came under fire. They were then brought to a landing zone on the coast and airlifted into Israel. The abductees were not injured, and were transferred to Sheba Medical Center.
A witness in the camp reported a "crazy bombardment" occurred suddenly, while another stated that the strike happened when people were sleeping. Witnesses reported that entire residential blocks were wiped out. A witness who had been in the marketplace stated that about 150 rockets fell at and around the market place in less then 10 minutes. Per a resident and paramedic in the camp, the assault felt like a "horror movie" and that Israeli drones and warplanes fired randomly throughout the night at peoples homes and those who tried to flee the area. Videos were posted to social media, reportedly showing corpses with entrails spilling out lying on blood-stained streets after the attack, although Reuters was unable to immediately verify the footage. Additional footage showed Palestinians in the market area diving for cover as missiles flew in and gunfire erupted.
The US denied that its Gaza floating pier (intended for the delivery of aid into Gaza) was used in the operation. The denial followed the release of imagery showing the landing zone used for the air evacuation immediately south along the coast from the pier, with the U.S. facility clearly visible in the near background.
According to reports, "at least one of the vehicles" containing the three male captives broke down and the Israeli military called in support, "attacking from the air, from the sea and on the ground with massive force." Scores of local people, including children, were killed. According to a statement from Doctors without Borders, which works nearby at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, "there have been back-to-back mass casualties as densely populated areas are bombed. It’s way beyond what anyone could deal with in a functional hospital, let alone with the scarce resources we have here." The Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat was also overwhelmed with casualties, "including many children laid out in the corridors". The strikes destroyed "apartment buildings throughout" [the] "camp, according to witnesses and video footage". The UN human rights office said that both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes, citing potential "violations of rules of proportionality, distinction and precaution" in the case of the former and "holding hostages in densely populated areas" for the latter.
The death toll resulting from the operation is disputed. The Gaza Health Ministry stated on the same day as the operation that the number of victims "has risen to 210 martyrs and more than 400 wounded." Later that day the number was updated to 274 Palestinians killed during the operation with around 700 wounded. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a paediatric intensive care doctor with Doctors Without Borders, stated that Al-Aqsa hospital, where 109 Palestinians including 23 children and 11 women and over 100 wounded victims were transported, was a "complete bloodbath." Another 100 people killed in the attacks were taken to al-Awda hospital. It is not known how many combatants are included in these counts.
According to the IDF, Hamas pays Palestinian families to hold the hostages in their houses, which may account for the high casualties. In addition, a large firefight occurred as IDF special forces were attempting to extract the hostages, reportedly coming under fire from dozens of militants with RPGs and machine guns when their vehicle became stuck. The IDF then called in airstrikes to cover their evacuation. The IDF estimates the number of casualties from the operation was “under 100.”
According to Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida, the operation resulted in the deaths of several other Israeli hostages, which IDF spokesman Peter Lerner dismissed. The day after the operation Hamas's armed wing uploaded a video to its Telegram channel appearing to show corpses of three hostages that were reportedly killed during the rescue operation, but with the faces blanked out to prevent identification. The operation also resulted in the death of Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, an Israeli Yamam officer.
Argamani was reunited with her father and transported to Sheba Medical Center to be reunited with her mother, where she was being treated for terminal brain cancer. Her father told reporters "Today is my birthday, and what a present I received". During a phone call with Argamani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "we didn't give up on you for a moment."
Arab Israeli actress and TV presenter, Lama Tatour was fired after she created a post on Instagram mocking Noa Argamani's appearance and state of health saying that "this is what a girl that's been in captivity for nine months looks like?" and that Argamani's eyebrows looked better than her own.
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz postponed a scheduled news conference the night of the raid, which coincided with his deadline to resign if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not present a new plan for the war. The following day, he resigned.
Allegations of the United States military constructed floating pier in Gaza being used in the IDF operation, were seen after a video showing an IDF helicopter taking off from the beach with the pier in the background began to circulate online on 8 June. Two United States officials responded to the claims, stating that the pier was only used for humanitarian aid and the helicopter was used to return the hostages into Israel and had landed south of the pier but not within the cordoned off area. The U.S. had promised aid groups the pier would be a no-go area for Israeli forces and the UN has put aid operations at the pier on hold while it investigates and decides whether the Israeli usage, real or apparent, of the pier facilities and the perception of that by Palestinians, mitigates against continued engagement at the pier. Oxfam and other aid organizations said they are waiting for answers from the U.S. government.
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Hamas issued a press release on 8 June calling the actions of the IDF and Israeli military a "horrible massacre against innocent civilians." Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that "resistance will continue", adding, "If the occupation believes that it can impose its choices on us by force, then it is delusional." The group's military wing spokesperson, Abu Obaida, stated in a press release that: "The operation will pose a great danger to the enemy prisoners and will have a negative impact on their conditions and lives."
Palestine: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas described the rescue operation as a "massacre." The day after the operation, Abbas instructed the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations to request an emergency session with the United Nations Security Council to discuss the repercussions of the operation and resulting deaths.
Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We are committed to do so in the future as well. We will not let up until we complete the mission and return home all the hostages — both those alive and dead." Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the operation was "daring in nature, planned brilliantly, and executed in an extraordinary fashion."
The family members of those still held as hostages repeated their demands for a ceasefire after the news of the rescue operation. The daughter-in-law of one of the hostages stated that "The hostages don't have time. We can't free everyone in operations and we must go for a deal that will save lives." A member of the health team at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, stated such operations were not a way to bring back all of the remaining hostages - deceased or living - but instead focus should be a ceasefire.
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Argentina: Argentine President Javier Milei celebrated the release of the four hostages on Twitter, posting "Long live freedom, damn it!"
Austria: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed being "very much relieved," but emphasized, "far too many are still being brutally held hostage by Hamas. All of them need to be released immediately." He also pledged to continue "all efforts" to secure the release of hostage Tal Shoham, who holds Austrian citizenship.
Egypt: the country denounced the killing of civilians, calling it "a flagrant violation of all rules of international law".
France: President Emmanuel Macron Macron praised the hostage rescue and called for a lasting political solution to the war in Gaza.
Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote that the rescue of the hostages was a "important sign of hope", adding that "four hostages are now free. Hamas must finally release all hostages. The war must end".
Indonesia: the country condemned the "repeated atrocities" committed by Israel in Gaza, including in the Nuseirat refugee camp, and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Jordan: the country denounced the killing of civilians and called "on the international community and especially the Security Council to take immediate and urgent action to stop Israel's war crimes in Gaza."
Kuwait: the country denounced the killing of civilians, calling it a "heinous crime".
Norway: Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik condemned the attack on civilians and called for the release of all hostages.
Poland: Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote: "Bravo, IDF. May all hostages return home and may there be a just peace between Israel and Palestine".
Turkey: the country denounced the killing of civilians, calling it a "barbaric attack".
United Kingdom: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote that "It is a huge relief to see hostages returned after their unimaginable ordeal and heartwarming to see the pictures of them reunited with their families. We will continue to strive towards an end to the fighting as well as safety and security for all."
United States: United States President Joe Biden lauded the rescue of the hostages, and pledges to "not stop working" until all the hostages are freed.
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United Nations: UN Secretary General António Guterres stated that he had sent messages to the families of rescued hostages Noa Argamani and Shalomi Ziv, to express his "relief that they and two other hostages are now free." Guterres added, "I renew my appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and for an end to this war." Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, said that "Countries that celebrate the release of four Israeli hostages without saying a word about the hundreds of Palestinians killed and thousands held in arbitrary detention by Israel, have lost moral credibility for generations and don’t deserve to be on any U.N. human rights body."
European Union: A top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell condemned the level of casualties in the Nuseirat refugee camp as a result of the rescue, calling it "...another massacre of civilians". He also called for a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages.
Hezbollah: In response to the operation, the Iranian-backed group launched attacks against northern Israel, stating that: "this targeting came in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance, and in response to the Israeli enemy's attacks".
Gulf Cooperation Council: Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi described the operation as a "terrorist crime that targeted unarmed civilians with unprecedented barbarism." | null |
77068433 | 2024 Germany floods | 2024-06-02 23:33:26+00:00 | In 2024, Germany experienced flooding. In particular, in June 2024, significant flooding struck Southern Germany, leading to the death of 6 people and the failure of several dams in the region, requiring the evacuation of several municipalities and rescue missions.
On 2 May, slowly moving thunderstorms caused flooding in several places. In Hausen, a man died in a cellar.
On 17 May 2024, floods and landslides occurred in Saarland after over 100 liters of rain per square meter came down in less than 24 hours. Evacuations in the region were required.A woman in Saarbrücken was injured during an evacuation and later died. Ottweiler was inundated after a nearby dam broke.A red cross member died shortly after a rescue operation from heart failure.
Insured damage in Saarland and Rheinland-Pfalz was estimated to be at least 200 Million Euros.
In June 2024, significant flooding struck Southern Germany, striking the most in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. Dozens of villages had to be evacuated across Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria due to the straining and potential failure of several dams and dykes caused by the persistent heavy rainfall. Many places had more rainfall in 24 hours than their whole monthly average, and in many areas, the water reached levels that were present only "once in a century" according to the Bavarian Flood Information Service.
Among the rivers whose water levels significantly rose include the Danube, the Isar, the Zusam, the Weilach, the Ilm, the Paar, the Schmutter, the Roth, and the Leibi.
An inflatable rescue raft containing four firefighters capsized while evacuating citizens in Pfaffenhofen from floodwaters from the overflowing Ilm River, resulting in the death of one firefighter. Another firefighter was missing, as well as a woman in Schrobenhausen which was later found dead. An employee working at an energy company in Freising suffered critical injuries after receiving an electrical shock during the floods.
Nordendorf mayor Tobias Kunz noted that the flooding began to grow into an emergency starting at 06:00 am (GMT+2) caused by overflowing of the River Schmutter, requiring the use of 40,000 sandbags to construct a 240-meter-long dike to restrict the flooding. The dam located near a Nordendorf school sports field burst, submerging and destroying the €1 million property.
Carriages of a train were derailed by a landslide caused by the heavy raining near Schwaebisch Gmund. None of the 185 passengers were injured.
Evacuation and state of emergency declarations were delivered in Augsburg, Lindau, municipalities in the Lake Constance region, Memmingen, Dillingen, Neu-Ulm, Kelheim, Straubing and Straubing-Bogen, Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Schrobenhausen, Donau-Ries, Unterallgäu, Günzburg, Aichach-Friedberg, Dachau, and Diedorf. In Diedorf, a dam and a dyke broke, and an underground car park and several surrounding house basements were flooded. Wiesensteig residents were told to boil water due to the flooding of water treatment facilities.
On 3 June 2024, rescuers recovered the body of a woman in Schrobenhausen, believed to have drowned while trapped in an apartment basement. Two more bodies were discovered in a cellar in Schorndorf. The highest level of flood warning, at level four, was placed on the districts from Regensburg to Straubing. In the meantime, heavy rainfall in Switzerland led to rising water levels in rivers and lakes, including the Sitter river at Goldach, Lake Constance, the High Rhine, and caused overflow at the Untersee and Lake Lauerz.
The following day, reports indicated that the Danube's water level at Passau had risen to 10 metres (33 ft), with this increase extending downstream into Austria and Hungary.
On 4 June, a 57 year old woman lost control with her car on a flooded road. She was later found dead. The Falkenstein Castle in Upper Bavaria partially collapsed to the north due to heavy rainfall, causing the evacuation of 50 residents under the castle complex. On 5 June, a 79-year-old woman which was missing since 2 June was found dead. On 7 June, insured damage was estimated by German insurers to be at least €2 billion in the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. | null |
77147637 | 2024 Spain floods | 2024-06-13 22:33:27+00:00 | In June 2024, heavy flooding hit Spain. The island of Mallorca was mostly affected with heavy rains. Tourists were stranded. Palma de Mallorca Airport was closed and flights were diverted. The Costa Blanca region was hit by hail storms. Murcia was also affected. | null |
77283024 | 2024 Switzerland floods | 2024-07-04 06:52:35+00:00 | In June 2024, a series of storms such as storms caused major damage in various regions of Switzerland through flooding, landslides and mudslides and claimed at least seven lives. The disruption to the transport infrastructure also has an impact on transit traffic with the interruption of the A13 motorway and on tourism in parts of the Swiss Alps.
In early June, there was heavy rainfall, especially in southern Germany, but also in neighboring regions, which caused flooding in numerous regions. Rivers such as the Rhine and the Reuss caused local flooding, the water level in Lake Constance rose; danger levels 4 and 5 (high and very high danger) were reached, respectively, before being lowered to level 3. The danger on Lake Constance remained elevated until the end of June. The ground was still wet in many places; there was a lot of fresh snow in the high mountains.
Heavy rainfall, especially on Saturday, 1 June and Monday, 3 June, caused rivers and lakes to rise; there was a flood alert on the Sitter and Goldach in eastern Switzerland, danger level 3 (significant danger) was in effect on Lake Constance and the Upper Rhine, and danger level 4 (high danger) on Lake Constance on 4 June. the Untersee in Berlingen and the Rhine in Bad Zurzach overflowed their banks. Lake Lauerz in the canton of Schwyz overflowed its banks and the flooding of the Reuss caused flooding on the Maschwander Allmend in the cantons of Zug and Zurich. In the cantons of Zurich (450 operations), Thurgau (150 operations) and St. Gallen (90 operations), fire brigades were called out over the weekend because of water in buildings and flooded streets. Apart from the flooding, there were various landslides. In St. Gallen, the CSIO Nations Cup was cancelled on Friday. Compared to Bavaria, however, the whole thing went relatively smoothly, although heavier rainfall had been forecast beforehand.
Heavy rainfall on 9 and 10 June caused water levels to rise and local flooding throughout western and northern Switzerland. In addition to Lake Constance, there is also flooding on Lake Zurich and Lake Lucerne and their outflows. On 11 June, a flood warning of danger level 5 was issued for the Untersee, making it the highest of all danger levels (very high danger). On 13 June, the flood levels at Upper Lake and Lower Lake of Lake Constance were each at level 4; after a temporary easing, the water levels rose again during the storm on 21 June 2024.
Around 20 June, there was another weather situation with a low pressure area and a strong southerly flow, which brought moist air masses into the Alpine region. On Friday, 21 June 2024, a thunderstorm front brought persistent heavy rainfall in the Alpine region and also in the Jura Mountains and in areas near the border of neighboring countries. In the Grisons mountain valley of Valle Mesolcina, 125 mm of rain fell within 24 hours.
The unstable weather situation prevailed for several days; on the evening before 25 June, a heat thunderstorm brought large amounts of rain, especially in the canton of Vaud (117 mm in 3 hours in L'Auberson) and in the canton of Basel-Landschaft (53 mm in 3 hours in Liestal).
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The flooding of the Rhine caused the water level of Lake Constance to rise again, as it had at the end of May 2024, so that the Swiss authorities declared danger level 4 for the lake shores and the Upper Rhine. All people were asked to stay away from the lake and river banks for their safety. Until Monday, 24 June, the water in Lake Constance continued to rise; at the Berlingen gauge on the Untersee, the water level was measured at 396.95 m above sea level (normal monthly average: 396.07 m above sea level).
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In Valais, so much water flowed from the mountain torrents into the Rhône that it reached its highest levels near Sion and in the Lower Valais; at the Fully gauge station, a discharge of 819 m3/s was measured on 22 June 2024, which corresponds to a once-in-a-century event. In the Chablais above Lake Geneva, the discharge of the Rhône temporarily reached 1200 m3/s, according to information from the cantonal management staff of the canton of Vaud. At the mouth of the Rhône in Lake Geneva, large masses of driftwood collected on a floating barrier. In Chippis, more than 200 residents had to leave their houses in the vicinity of the river. The Nufenen Pass was temporarily closed on 21 June as a result of a landslide.
In Mattertal, the level of the Mattervispa rose so much that the stream flooded streets near the banks in Zermatt and the ground floors of several buildings. The Triftbach, which flows into the Mattervispa in the center of Zermatt, also overflowed its banks. Landslides interrupted the route of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn between Visp and Täsch and also the cantonal road in the Mattertal, so that Zermatt was cut off from the outside world. Near Randa, a mudslide from the village stream buried the main road, and near Herbriggen, a second mudslide buried the road and the railway line. In some places, the Mattervispa undermined the railway tracks. In Visp and Täsch, tourists who wanted to get to Zermatt or leave the Mattertal were blocked. The Gornergrat Railway also had to temporarily cease operations because the Riffelbord protective gallery had been damaged by a landslide. In the following days, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn reopened the line from Zermatt to Täsch, while buses ran between Täsch and Visp as a replacement for the interrupted railway line after the debris cones from the mudslides on the cantonal road had been cleared.
The most extensive damage in Valais was caused by flooding, mudslides and inundation in the Val d'Anniviers. The Navizence valley river carried about as much water as during the last serious flood event in 2018. The drinking water supply, sewage pipes and power lines of the holiday resort of Zinal were damaged. The cantonal road between Vissoie and Mayoux was temporarily impassable. The drinking water supply in Evolène was also disrupted.
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In Valle Mesolcina, floods and mudslides caused severe damage over a length of 20 kilometers. The Moesa, which drains the valley to the Ticino, led to a rapid rise in the water level of 650 m3/s at the Lumino/Sassello gauge station on the evening of 21 June 2024. During the night of 22 June, rock avalanches and masses of mud fell on several mountain slopes in the municipalities of Lostallo and Soazza, flooding cultivated land. The wastewater treatment plant in Lostallo was flooded, all four of the municipality's balancing basins were full of debris and had to be dredged. Several hydroelectric power plants owned by the energy company Axpo had to cease operations; dozens of people were evacuated from their homes.
In the hamlet of Sorte (430 m above sea level), three kilometres south of Lostallo, buildings were destroyed when a devastating mudslide from the Val de la Molera, on the west side of the Mesolcina beneath the Piz della Molera (2603 m above sea level) and the Piz de Groven (2694 m above sea level), flowed through the settlement. The Rià de la Molera torrent, or Riale Molera in Italian, begins in the mountain valley in the municipalities of Cama and Santa Maria in Calanca and flows into the Moesa from the right near Sorte, a district of the municipality of Lostallo; West of the river bridge (401 m above sea level), the younger part of the village, Campagna de Sort, stands on the old debris cone of the stream, which was created by earlier mudslides, on the Hauptstrasse 13 and at the former stop of the former Mesolcina railway. The mountains in this section of the Mesolcina consist of granite and gneiss formations. Because the water-soaked loose material in the Molera valley became unstable, a mud and rubble avalanche, which also carried away large boulders, started in the mountain area. The debris avalanche broke out of the previous stream bed, covered the meadow area and destroyed several houses in Sorte, interrupted the cantonal road and buried the western bridgehead of the Moesa bridge. At least one person from the hamlet lost their life, another person was rescued alive from a damaged house. Two people remain missing.
As a result of a particularly strong flood from the Val d'Orbel, the Moesa was dammed above the Buffalora bridge on the A13 motorway, flooding the motorway and eroding its ramp over a distance of around 150 metres. In this section in the municipality of Soazza, the river valley is designated as the "Pomareda" nature reserve in the Federal Inventory of Floodplain Areas of National Importance. The Val d'Orbel stream on the east side of the valley carried debris with a volume of around 50,000 m3 (1,800,000 cu ft) due to the rainfall. In 2019, a mudslide from the same stream channel had already caused flooding of the floodplain area next to the motorway at this point during a flood on the Moesa.
The Hauptstrasse 13 and some municipal roads in the Mesolcina were impassable due to mudslides. For safety reasons and because of the clean-up work, the main road between Mesocco and Lostallo was closed in the following days.
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis visited the damaged areas in the valley together with the Grisons government councillor Jon Domenic Parolini, the Ticino State Council President Christian Vitta and other members of the authorities. The cantonal authorities planned to repair the damage to the infrastructure in the Sorte-Lostallo-Cabbiolo area as a first priority in order to make local traffic in the valley possible again, while the roads in the area above from Soazza to Mesocco were given second priority. The Swiss Army set up an air bridge with helicopters between Mesocco and Roveredo for emergencies.
Because of the destruction of the road, the authorities closed the A13 near Thusis in the north and Lostallo in the south. The north-south route through the San Bernardino tunnel, which often carries around 15,000 vehicles a day in the summer months, was unusable for around two weeks. Because the expected increase in traffic through the Gotthard would hardly be able to be managed with the Gotthard Road Tunnel, the Federal Council planned to reach an international traffic agreement with neighboring countries in order to distribute the travel through the Alps to the other Alpine passes during the summer.
On 24 June, excavation work began to clear the blocked riverbed of the Moesa near Buffalora in order to then repair the damaged motorway embankment. Large boulders were blasted away. A single-lane reopening of the road was expected by 5 July, after initially aiming for 10 July. On 26 June, the Ticino cantonal government decided to transfer 80,000 francs in emergency aid to the Mesolcina region in the neighbouring canton of Grisons.
On 25 June 2024, another thunderstorm zone with heavy rain moved from the southwest over parts of Switzerland. Shortly after 10 p.m., the air traffic control company Skyguide temporarily closed Geneva airspace due to flooding in the basement of the control center, as the cooling of the data center had been impaired. As a result, take-offs and landings could no longer take place at Geneva Airport. Flooding occurred in Liestal and Morges, among other places. According to information from Alertswiss, there was a partial power outage in the Stein am Rhein/Ramsen area.
In advance, warnings had already been issued of renewed storms with heavy rainfall and a foehn storm in the Alps for 29 and 30 June 2024. As a result, the cantonal authorities of Geneva and Vaud banned all outdoor events as a precautionary measure on 29 June. In both cantons, public viewing of the UEFA Euro 2024 was particularly affected by the event bans. The canton of Valais, in turn, warned of flooding and mudslides. In large parts of Switzerland, danger level 3 or 4 (significant or great danger possible) was in effect on the afternoon of 29 June. | null |
77168128 | BMW 1 Series (F70) | 2024-06-17 05:38:12+00:00 | The BMW 1 Series (F70) is the fourth generation of the BMW 1 Series range of subcompact executive hatchback cars. Like the previous generation F40 1 Series, the F70 1 Series uses a front-wheel drive configuration and is only available as a 5-door hatchback.
The F70 1 Series was officially unveiled on 4 June 2024. It retains the UKL2 platform, which will underpin the upcoming F74 2 Series Gran Coupé. Production at the BMW Leipzig Plant commenced in July 2024 with a schedule market launch in October 2024.
The F70 1 Series is the first BMW model to drop the 'i' suffix for petrol models reflects BMW strategy to use the 'i' prefix for battery electric models. The diesel models remains to be marketed with the 'd' suffix.
Compared to its predecessor, the F70 1 Series is 42 mm (1.7 in) longer and 25 mm (0.98 in) taller. The boot capacity is unchanged at 380 L (13 cu ft) with the rear seats raised, and 1,200 L (42 cu ft) with the rear seats folded. For the mild hybrid models, boot space decreased by 80 L (2.8 cu ft) to 300 L (11 cu ft) due to the placement of a 48-volt battery under the boot floor.
The exterior is an evolution of its predecessor being a heavy facelift of the F40 1 Series instead of a complete redesign. Exterior highlights includes the number '1' in the Hofmeister kink C-Pillar trim piece when equipped with BMW Individual Shadow Line trim, LED taillights which has a similar shape from the X2 and the first BMW model to have a contrast roof option. Unlike newer BMW models, the F70 1 Series retain its conventional grab handles.
The interior is completely redesign and has a similar layout to the X1 (U11). It features a BMW Curved Display which houses both the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system (powered by BMW Operating System 9) with QuickSelect functions, a gear selector switch used for the automatic transmission, the reduced number of physical interior controls and the omission of the iDrive control wheel (like on other entry-level BMW models).
The 1 Series is available with the latest generation of petrol and diesel engines borrowed from the X1 (U11), a plug-in hybrid option is not available for the 1 Series. All models come standard with a 7-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. For the first time in its history, the 1 Series will not be offered with a manual transmission.
M135 xDrive models features an Adaptive M Chassis with sport steering, an M Compound brake system with 385 mm (38.5 cm) front and 330 mm (33 cm) rear disc brakes available as part of the M Technology package and M Specific quad exhaust system. For Europe, the M135 is detuned to 296 hp (221 kW) due to strict European emission standards. | null |
77194726 | Bugatti Tourbillon | 2024-06-21 00:25:46+00:00 | The Bugatti Tourbillon is an upcoming mid-engine hybrid sports car manufactured by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti. The Tourbillon succeeds the Chiron and is limited to 250 units. It was unveiled in an online live stream on 20 June 2024. It comes in at a price tag of €3.8 million or US$4.1 million.
The vehicle is named after the tourbillon mechanism, a balancing structure used in a variety of mechanical watches.
Bugatti states that the Tourbillon is a completely new design, and does not share any components with the outgoing Chiron, but in keeping with the Bugatti brand lineage, it does share many of its key design cues, including the horseshoe grille, central spine, C-shaped side body lines, and two-tone body colour. One of the stated inspirations for the Tourbillon was mechanical watches, with the car containing a fully analog center console operated by mechanical gears, designed to look like a watch movement, while the speedometer and tachometer needles were arranged to resemble an hour and minute hand. Another design theme of the Tourbillon is a "skeletonized" mechanical design, where the mechanisms of components are made visible as a part of the design.
The interior of the Tourbillon features a steering wheel with a fixed central hub where only the outer rim rotates, allowing the instrument cluster to remain visible at all times. It also features an infotainment screen that retracts into the dashboard when not in use. Bugatti says that, as in past models, their goal was to make sure that the car remains "timeless", even when the screen technology inevitably becomes outdated. The center panel of the Tourbillon is made from machined aluminum and machined crystal glass, while the watch-inspired instrument cluster is made from titanium by Swiss watchmaker Concepto.
The Tourbillon is powered by a naturally aspirated 8,355 cc (8.4 L; 509.9 cu in) V16 engine. The engine, developed by Cosworth, has a bore x stroke of 92 mm × 78.55 mm (3.62 in × 3.09 in) and is implemented in conjunction with 3 electric motors, 2 located at the front axle and 1 at the rear. The engine has a power output of 1,000 PS (735 kW; 986 hp) and 900 N⋅m (664 lb⋅ft) of torque, while the electric motors have a combined power output of 800 PS (588 kW; 789 hp), making for a total of 1,800 PS (1,324 kW; 1,775 hp). Bugatti says that the choice to replace the quad turbocharger setup of the Chiron with a naturally aspirated engine was to make the experience "more emotional" and allow for a higher rev count, with the engine redlining at 9,000 rpm. The V16 features a crossplane crank design, a 90-degree bank angle, and dry sump lubrication system. The engine weighs a total of 252 kg (556 lb). The Tourbillon uses an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission mounted longitudinally at the rear of the engine, in contrast to the Chiron where it was mounted at the front. The battery is a 24.8 kWh unit mounted in front of the engine in the central tunnel, which allows for a complete electric range of around 60 km (37 mi).
For the suspension of the Tourbillon, Bugatti collaborated with Divergent Technologies, the parent company of Czinger, to create organically shaped 3D-printed suspension components designed with the assistance of AI. The suspension is a forged aluminum multi-link setup that Bugatti says is 45 percent lighter than the suspension system found in the Chiron.
The chassis of the Tourbillon is made from T800 carbon composite, with front and rear frames that use 3D printed braces, and a battery that is integrated into the monocoque in order to save weight. It also features a diffuser designed to serve as part of the crash structure in place of a rear crash beam, which functions as another weight-saving measure.
The Tourbillon can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.0 seconds, 0–200 km/h (124 mph) in under 5.0 seconds, 0–300 km/h (186 mph) in under 10.0 seconds and 0–400 km/h (249 mph) in under 25.0 seconds. It has an estimated top speed of 445 km/h (277 mph) with the use of a speed key, and is limited to 380 km/h (236 mph) without it. | null |
76694181 | BYD Seal 06 | 2024-04-21 13:52:39+00:00 | The BYD Seal 06 DM-i (Chinese: 比亚迪海豹06DM-i; pinyin: Bǐyǎdí Hǎibào 06 DM-i) is a plug-in hybrid compact sedan manufactured by BYD Auto since 2024. A sister model of the BYD Qin L, the Seal 06 is the third model in the Seal series in the Chinese market, after the Seal and the mid-size Seal 07 DM-i. Like other Seal models, the Seal 06 is part of the 'Ocean Series' product line-up that is distributed through 'Ocean Network' dealerships, and positioned between the smaller Destroyer 05 and the larger Seal DM-i.
The Seal 06 debuted at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show in April. It shares BYD's fifth-generation plug-in hybrid system marketed as DM-i 5.0 with the Qin L from the 'Dynasty Series'. | null |
75917184 | 2023–2024 German farmers' protests | 2024-01-25 20:33:31+00:00 | The 2023–2024 German farmers' protests are a series of ongoing nationwide protests and road blockages in Germany organized by farmers and agricultural unions since 18 December 2023. The subjects of the protests are the abolition of tax breaks on farmers and the policies of the federal government.
In its ruling of 15 November 2023, the Federal Constitutional Court declared the second supplementary budget for 2021 as unconstitutional and therefore invalid. The German Bundestag, under the leadership of the Scholz cabinet, had attempted to use the unused debts of the COVID-19 "special fund" for the 2021 budget. This resulted in a budget deficit of 17 billion euros for the 2024 federal budget. Among the measures taken by the federal government to remedy this were the introduction of a motor vehicle tax and the cancellation of the crude oil tax refund for farmers.
Various commentators put forward alternative ideas on how the budget deficit could potentially be eliminated by other means.
The agreement reached by the federal government is predicted to lead to greater financial burdens in 2024, particularly for those with a low to average income, while relieving the burden on those with a higher income. For the agricultural sector, the responsible minister Cem Özdemir (The Greens) announced the abolition of subsidies for agricultural diesel and the introduction of a vehicle tax for agricultural vehicles (previously green license plates).
According to a report published by the German Farmers' Association (DBV) in December 2023, German farmers in main occupation achieved an average profit of 115,400 euros in the 2022/2023 financial year, which is an "all-time high" and around 45 percent more than in the previous year. However, the earnings situation varies greatly between small, medium-sized and large farms.
The initially decentralized protests were supported in their initial phase by Landwirtschaft verbindet Deutschland (LsV Deutschland). The large-scale demonstration in Berlin on 18 December 2023 was organized by an alliance of agricultural organizations around LsV Deutschland and the DBV, which called for a week "of action on agricultural diesel and vehicle tax exemption" starting on 8 January. In addition, a number of other organizations, including freight forwarders, craftsmen, fishermen and hunters, joined the calling.
A commonly observed silent form of protest involves hanging rubber boots on town signs, with which farmers show their dissatisfaction with agricultural policy, and are signaling that farmers are hanging up their wellies and that there is no more regional food as a result.
Alongside LsV Deutschland, the farmers' association is calling for the "planned tax increases to be withdrawn". Further support for agricultural diesel and the motor vehicle tax exemption are regarded as essential for competitive agriculture in the country. Some protesting farmers are calling for the current federal government to resign entirely.
On 4 January 2024, the federal government declared a partial withdrawal of the resolutions. The introduction of an agricultural vehicle tax was to be scrapped and the tax subsidy on agricultural diesel was to be gradually withdrawn over three years. The German Farmers' Association and LsV Germany rejected these proposals as insufficient and demanded the complete withdrawal of all additional burdens.
LsV Germany presented a "five-point system" on 14 January 2024. Its key demands include binding criteria for imported agricultural products, mandatory labeling of the origin of foreign agricultural products, a ban on dumping in the Supply Chain Act, a ban on unfair trading practices, regulation of wolf populations in rural areas (wolf management) and a reduction in bureaucracy.
On 18 December 2023, the German Farmers' Association called for a demonstration with tractors under the slogan "Too much is too much! Now it's over!" in Berlin. Around 6,600 people gathered at a rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Farmers' president Joachim Rukwied called for agricultural subsidies to be maintained. Similar protests took place in other cities in Germany, including Freiburg, Leipzig, and Chemnitz.
Public attention of the protests increased when on 4 January 2024, a group of 100 farmers alongside other protesters blocked the Hilligenlei ferry in the port of Schlüttsiel in North Frisia, in which Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and his wife were on their way back from a private day trip. After the demonstrators declined Habeck's offer to send a small delegation on the ferry, and he refused to address the crowd personally for reasons of privacy, the ferry set sail again.
Individual protests across the country continued throughout the beginning of January, with a collective, coordinated blockage of several highway access roads with rallies throughout Germany taking place on 8 January, the beginning of the protesters' week of action. This led to the Workers’ Welfare Association filing a criminal complaint due to employees, patients and deliveries being unable to reach the AWO hospital in Jerichow.
The week of action, as well as the following weeks, saw a significant increase in the size of the demonstrations, with thousands of protesters and tractors gathering in major cities such as Dresden, Kassel, Düsseldorf, Hannover, Hamburg, Kiel, and Leipzig, where they protested alongside Fridays for Future. Central warehouses of food discounters throughout Germany were also blocked with tractors as part of the protests. In Cottbus, Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) declared his full support for the farmers' demands to cancel the tax increases.
Numerous professional associations, interest groups, clubs, foundations and citizens announced their active support for the farmers' protests from 18 December and took part in protests, including freight forwarders, hunters' associations, coastal fishermen, and craftsmen.
In terms of political parties, the Free Voters of Bavaria showed solidarity: On 6 January 2024, Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger described the farmers' protests as "political self-defense". The AfD expressed solidarity with the protests and linked them to its own political demands, although its party manifesto rejects subsidies in principle. The spokesperson for the farmers' association distanced himself from this statement.
Various politicians from the CDU/CSU, such as Markus Söder, Friedrich Merz, and Carsten Linnemann, expressed support for the farmers. Members of the Thuringian state parliament from the CDU called for participation in the protests. Hessian state parliament member Stefanie Klee (CDU) took part in the protests on a tugboat. Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) expressed support for the farmers, and called Robert Habeck's reaction to the ferry blockade on 4 January "embarrassing and whiny".
In the Saxon state election campaign, the CDU adopted the demands of the farmers' protests as its own. An election poster depicted an angry farmer with a pitchfork and the text "The traffic light coalition wants farmers on the tank - hands off agricultural diesel". This was met with criticism from former Federal Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin (The Greens), who saw it as an active call for violence; former Federal Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) also called the aggressive imagery "disturbing", and claimed that it was damaging to the farmers' cause and the culture of political debate.
As a result of the farmers' protests, on 8 January 2024, CDU/CSU minister presidents Markus Söder in Bavaria, Boris Rhein in Hesse, Hendrik Wüst in North Rhine-Westphalia, and Kai Wegner in Berlin among others, as well as SPD minister presidents Manuela Schwesig in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Dietmar Woidke in Brandenburg, Stephan Weil in Lower Saxony and Anke Rehlinger in Saarland supported the preservation of the diesel agricultural subsidy for farmers. On 18 January, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group put a motion on the agenda of the Bundestag plenary session to guarantee permanent agricultural diesel relief for agriculture and forestry.
The road blockades caused by the farmers' protests have been reported to have led to some road users engaging in violent acts against the protesters.
On 11 February 2024, at around 2:45 a.m., a fire broke out at an agricultural business in Oelsnitz, Erzgebirge. A tractor was on fire on site and a facade was found smeared with the words "Stop blockading - otherwise everything will burn". The police have launched an investigation into this suspected attack.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) criticized some of the actions taken during the protests, especially after the blockade of Habeck on a ferry. Susanne Gaschke assessed this blockade in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) with reference to the statement of the shipowner as "unacceptable coercion" and a threat to Habeck, who had been travelling privately. Journalist Jakob Banke, on the other hand, highlighted the statement of a participant and the video recordings, which showed that the demonstration had been peaceful.
DBV president Joachim Rukwied stated that actions such as those in Schlüttsiel would harm the farmers' political cause. A video from Norddeutscher Rundfunk shows a montage of fireworks being set off at the end of the blockade, but this was cut before the earlier scenes immediately during the departure process, giving the impression that people were being pushed towards the departing ferry under the impression of the fireworks.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Criminal Police Office warned of infiltration of the protests by right-wing extremist groups. Banners of the right-wing extremist party Die Heimat (formerly NPD) had reportedly been seen at some demonstrations. DBV President Joachim Rukwied distanced himself from such slogans: "Right-wingers and other radical groups such as the monarchist, Freie Sachsen party, and the neo-Nazi, Third Path with a desire for subversion" were not wanted at the demonstrations. Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) stated that he saw no signs of right-wing extremists infiltrating the farmers' protests: "The farmers have already clearly distanced themselves from right-wing extremist aspirations in advance. This has had an effect, so one cannot speak of infiltration."
On 4 January 2024, Florian von Brunn from the BayernSPD urged for any criminal acts and violations of the law during the protests to be treated by police by the same standards as the street blockades of the Last Generation. Opinion pieces published by Bayerischer Rundfunk and the Schleswig-Holsteinische Zeitung criticized that the public reaction to the blockades of the farmers' protests was more positive than to the street blockades of Last Generation, and that double standards were at play. | null |
77148315 | 2024 Argentina protests | 2024-06-14 01:13:37+00:00 | The 2024 Argentina protests are a significant wave of protests and riots in response to controversial reforms introduced by President Javier Milei.
Milei proposes reducing government ministries and addressing economic challenges through spending cuts and fiscal reforms, criticizing previous administrations for excessive spending. Protestors on the other hand are criticizing Milei reforms and government for causing Inflation, poverty and weakening Argentina's democracy.
The reforms include tax breaks for investors and the firing of thousands of employees. the protestors have called these reforms "radical overhaul".
On June 12, 2024, Argentina's Senate passed Milei reforms in a majority of 37 to 36 at. the package includes "measures on privatization and tax breaks for investors". Most of the protests took place at Buenos Aires, Capital and most populous city in Argentina. Riot police tried to disperse the protestors and they have arrested 18 of them. A car belonging to the radio station Cadena 3 was also set on fire.
As inflation rose above 100 percent in May 2023, Milei's position in the polls rose, and in the August 2023 primary elections, which is seen as an indication of how citizens are likely to vote in the October 2023 general election, Milei emerged as the leading candidate.
Milei took office as president on December 10, 2023. In addition to a lack of support in Congress. and was openly talking about his wide-ranging reforms, causing opposition among workers' unions and others.
According to The Washington Post, Milei reform package has a diverse array of measures:
state of emergency, grants the president new powers in matters of energy, pensions, security, taxation and other sectors until 2027.
privatization of several state companies.
lucrative tax breaks and other perks to foreign companies investing $200 million or more.
expanding trial periods
tax amnesty
The reform package suffered a big amount of criticism from Kirchnerism, non-Kirchnerist Peronism, a small traditional left-wing force, and from the Radical Civic Union.
On March 24, 2024, HRW (Humans RIghts Watch) has warned that a "firearms resolution" planned by Milei administration, will open "door to abuse".
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The reform package was on the January 24, 2024, A general strike was planned throughout the country of Argentina in response to these changes. US Embassy in Argentina has warned US tourists, telling them to "Avoid areas of demonstrations".
On January 24, 2024, Tens of thousands take to the streets to protest Milei's reforms. the protestors were heading to the CGT, main labor union of the country.
"We come to defend 40 years of democracy, defend the homeland," CGT leader Hector Daer told the crowd. the protest had 40,000 participants.
On January 31, 2024, Police dispersed anti-government protests, injuring 25 journalists and arresting 6.
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On February 1, 2024, Four women were arrested for peaceful protest in front of Congress Plaza.
On February 3, 2024, Argentine human rights accused Argentine Federal Police for using chemical agents and rubber bullets against 35 journalists and lawyers.
On February 8, 2024, Argentinian Activists launched protest along Pueyrredón Bridge.
On February 23, 2024, Thousands protested across Argentina to "demand food aid for the poor as soaring inflation".
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On March 18, 2024, Argentina's social movements blocked over 500 roads countrywide. several people suffered light injuries and a violent police crackdown was reported in Mendoza.
On March 19, 2024, Two officers and a journalist were injured in anti-government riots.
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On April 10, 2024, 11 protestors were arrests and at least half a dozen injured as police crack down on protesters in Buenos Aires.
On April 11, 2024, Argentina police clash with anti-government protesters over government spending cuts, injuring at least 6.
On April 23, 2024, Universities in Argentina defy Milei's spending cuts with massive march. according to reports from social organisations, the protest was dispersed with arrests reported.
On April 26, 2024, Massive protests occurred across Argentina, against higher education budget cuts.
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On May 7, 2024, 11 were arrested in a protest to demand food aid. the rally took place around midday in front of the presidential residence in Olivos.
On May 9, 2024, Argentina's biggest trade unions announced 24-hour strike, causing 46 million to a standstill as banks, businesses and state agencies closed in protest.
On May 26, 2024, Argentina's police were reportedly dispersing peaceful anti-government protest in Córdoba". several were arrested and injured.
On May 30, 2024, Argentina trains slowed down in a protest.
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On June 12, 2024, Argentina’s Senate passed Milei reforms. in response, anti-government protestors clashed with Argentinian police forces at Buenos Aires, and other cities across Argentina. security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at rioting demonstrators outside National Congress of Argentina. at least 5 were injured and got treated by medical staff. protesters threw stones and molotov cocktails outside Congress. The Buenos Aires press union reported at least a dozen journalists were hit by rubber bullets. Authorities reported least 20 police officers injured. Security forces later said that they arrested 15 people.
IACHR said: "approximately 285 individuals had been injured as a result of the actions of law enforcement agencies".
Human Rights Law Centre said that "physical injuries caused by the excessive and unjustified use of force" at the protests.
Javier Milei government officials accused violent demonstrators of seeking to overthrow government in a "modern coup d'état". | null |
76887692 | 2024 Azad Kashmir protests | 2024-05-12 02:47:17+00:00 | The 2024 Azad Kashmir protests were a series of six day long protests, sit-ins, shutter-downs, demonstrations and wheel-jam strikes starting on 8 May against the Federal Government of Pakistan and the Government of Azad Kashmir, calling for lower prices for wheat, flour, and electricity, in addition to other demands. Many of the protests were organized by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) of Azad Kashmir, representing a variety of interests including traders, transporters, lawyers and students. The government attempted to preempt a planned demonstration on 12 May by arresting the movement's leaders, which inflamed protests and led to deadly clashes. The protests were the culmination of a year-long movement against price rises and perceived injustices towards Azad Kashmir. The Federal government announced a Rs23 Billion ($82,685,321) grant to Azad Kashmir, which led to subsidized utility rates and wheat prices being announced on May 13, by the Prime Minister of AJK, Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq. On May 14, the JAAC called off the protests, announcing a ‘historic win’ as the government agreed to all demands.
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From 2022 Pakistan experienced increased economic malaise, flooding and political unrest that fueled discontent; with headline inflation at a 38pc, 700,000 Pakistani's losing their jobs, unsustainable debt levels and fiscal burdens. Floods in 2022 led to more than 33 million losing their homes, land or jobs, the death of 800,000 livestock and the destruction of 28,000 schools, with severe impacts on Pakistan's economy. Inflated electricity rates began led to increased public anger, leading to nationwide shutdowns and strikes in "practically all of Pakistan's major cities." Suicides by power consumers unable to pay electricity bills peaked in August 2023 which saw a hike in electricity bills. Prices of essential commodities including flour, rice and wheat increased, as statistics of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in July 2023 indicated the country had reached record flour prices. Protests began in 2023 in Gilgit-Baltistan over the rise in subsidized wheat prices, rising from Rs20 to Rs36 per kg. The government of GB initially planned to increase the rate to Rs52/kg. CM of GB Gulbar Khan and GB Food Minister Ghulam Muhammad instead announced a per month 7 kg transfer to each individual. Ghulam Muhammad claimed that rates in price were made by the previous government under Khalid Khurshid Khan and was based on fluctuating transportation rates. Controversial General elections held in February 2024 saw the election of a fragmented and polarized mandate.
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The protests in Azad Kashmir began in May 2023, in the town of Rawalakot, the headquarters of Poonch District. They were started by a few sit-in protestors against rising prices of wheat flour and electricity. They were soon followed by a boycott of electricity bills, which went unpaid in most areas of Azad Kashmir. The protestors maintain that the power projects in Azad Kashmir generate 3,000 megawatts of cheap electricity, a third of Pakistan's power generation, but the Azad Kashmir consumers are charged prices five times the cost of production. This is said to be in violation of the Constitution of Pakistan which prohibits the government of Pakistan from making a profit from the residents of Azad Kashmir.
Several rounds of negotiations between the governments of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan, as well as those between the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and the government of Azad Kashmir have failed to produce results, leading the movement to call for more autonomy in accordance with the mandate given by the United Nations to Pakistan during the Kashmir conflict. In September 2023, protests were held in all major towns of Azad Kashmir with thousands of protestors, and traders' associations, transporters and lawyers observed a strike. A call for strike was also given for 5 February 2024, which is normally observed as the Kashmir Solidarity Day. Muzaffarabad Public Action Committees called for a "long march" to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, on Saturday, 11 May, to come from all parts of Azad Kashmir. The Federal Government mobilized 600 personnel of Punjab Constabulary and an unspecified number of Frontier Constabulary in a bid to block the march.
The AJK Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) made ten demands to the government:
Wheat subsidy similar to Gilgit-Baltistan
Electricity tariff should be determined from the cost of electricity production from the Mangla Hydropower Project in AJK
Unnecessary perks and privileges of the ruling class and officials should be completely eliminated
Restrictions on student unions should be lifted, and elections should be conducted
Kashmir Bank should be scheduled
Municipal representatives should be given funds and powers
Cellular companies and internet services should be standardized
Property transfer taxes should be reduced
Accountability Bureau should be made active in AJK and amendments should be made to the Act
Practical restrictions should be imposed on tree cutting and legislation should be enacted to revitalize the local wood industry.
The JAAC has denied any allegations of being supported by India, saying its demands are for the welfare of the people of the region and has no ulterior motive. Imtiaz Aslam, a JAAC leader has stated that the group is self-funded and further remarked "Our fight is not with the state of Pakistan. We are only arguing against the corrupt rule of the current government here. This is what government always does, whenever anybody tries to raise voice, they allege an Indian connection."
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On 13 May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the immediate provision of Rs. 23 billion ($82,685,321) to AJK. Following the injection of the Federal grant, the Premier of AJK, Chaudhry Anwarul Haq announced a subsidized rate of Rs. 2,000 per 40 kilograms of flour, down from the previous Rs. 3,100, also notifying a reduction in electricity prices; Rs3 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for 1–100 unit consumption, Rs5 per kWh for 100–300 unit consumption, and Rs6 per kWh for consumption above 300 units. With commercial unit price fixed at Rs10 for 1-300 units and Rs15 for above 300 units. Clarifying that it was a "permanent arrangement," and that it would be included in the up-coming 2024-25 Pakistan Federal Budget. This came after a meeting between the Federal government and AJK ministers and leaders. The Joint Awami Action Committee remained "cautious" on the government response, demanding "written document and not a verbal announcement," requesting formal government notification. Chaudhry Anwarul Haq claimed that the government had accepted "all demands of Awami Action Committee," and "notified subsidies on food and electricity." The government also established a judicial commission to review the privileges of top government officials in AJK. On the same day the AJK government had Yasin Qureshi, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Muzaffarabad transferred, and appointed Irfan Masood Kashfi in his place. Pakistan Today and Hum News also claimed that the government was planning to change Muzaffarabad Commissioner Masoodul Rehman with Adnan Khrushid.
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Following this, on 14 May, the JAAC called off protests. "The government accepted all the demands of the protesters yesterday," remarked one JAAC representative, adding "The shutterdown strike is being called off." JAAC Leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir said "[Our protest] movement had three basic demands [which were] cheap flour, cheap electricity and the abolition of privileges for the elite [class]," to Geo News, expressing felicitations to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accepting the protestors demands after more than a year. The JAAC entered into an agreement with the government to release all those arrested and drop all cases according to JAAC Core Committee member Amjad Ali Khan. He also called for the compensation of the 3 protestors killed in clashes with Rangers and a judicial commission to investigate police violence. Abdul Majid Khan, a spokesperson for the AJK government claimed that “All the demands of the protesters have been fulfilled, and the situation will hopefully return to normalcy now." Attaullah Tarar, Federal Information Minister claimed that the situation was addressed due to the Federal grant to AJK. According to Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the suspension of Internet Services by the government prevented news of successful talks from reaching protestors.
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In the intervening night of 8 and 9 May, the police arrested around 70 JAAC activists after raiding their residences and those of their relatives in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur divisions. In Muzaffarabad, the arrested activists included Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the elected leader of traders, and several other members of the action committee. In Mirpur's Dadyal Tehsil, a dozen activists were arrested, provoking clashes with traders on 9 May.
A government vehicle was set ablaze by protestors. The government responded by deploying five thousand five hundred (5,500) police. The Inspector General of Police claimed that Indian Intelligence Agencies were involved. The Federal Cabinet after a consultation session approved the deployment of Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Azad Kashmir for the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan and to assist the Azad Kashmir police and government. The Mirpur District Administration issued prohibitory orders under section 144 Cr.PC imposing bans on gatherings of five or more across the district, with violators to be punished under section 188 Cr.PC.
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JAAC responded to the clashes by announcing its closure of business and calling for a strike on 11 May. The committee also spearheaded shutter-down and wheel-jam strikes across the region. Shaukat Nawaz Mir issued a video saying that due to the "brutal attitude" of the authroties in Dadyal he protests for May 11 would be shifted to May 10. The Government of Azad Kashmir declared a two-day holiday for "security reasons." AJK Interior Minister Col. (retd) Waqar Ahmed Noor claimed that the government "did not want to 'clash' with anyone and neither has it had any intention," and said that the government was ready to hold talks. 600 security personnel were deployed to Muzaffarabad by the government.
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Heavy police forces were deployed along the ways leading to Madina Market where a JAAC reception was held. Routes leading to Muzaffarabad were blocked with barricades as Shahrah-e-Srinagar. The News reports that near Mirpur's Islam Garh protests turned violent as firing on police trying to block the way of protestors led to ASI Adnan Qureshi being shot in the chest. Clashes were reported from Sultan Shah Bridge, Tanga Stand and Aziz Chowk in Muzaffarabad. More than 40 people, including 11 policemen were injured as a result. Kotli SSP stated that a total of 78 policemen were injured; some 59, including DSP Ilyas Janjua and two revenue department officials were injured in Rehaan Galli while another 19 were injured in Sehnsa Baroiyan. District Headquarters Hospital Kotli also stated that 9 injured protestors were brought for treatment. JAAC spokesperson Hafeez Hamdani said that the action committee had nothing to do with the violence and stated "It seems that such elements have been purposely planted in the ranks of protesters to bring a bad name to a struggle that aims nothing but the legitimate rights of the people." AJK Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan claimed the government exercised “maximum restraint" and was open for talks. An official vehicle was set on fire in the Rihan area. AJK police resorted to baton charge and teargas shelling to disperse protestors. In a statement a PTI spokesperson called the government a "curse" for the people. PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir termed the situation "inappropriate," while Former AJK premier and senior PML-N leader Raja Farooq Haider urged peaceful protest. Former President of Pakistan, Arif Alvi criticised the governments "[R]udimentary idea that: 'Force is the only solution to all human problems.'"
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On the 12th of May an article in Dawn stated that after 48 hours of violent clashes the situation in Muzaffarabad seemed "to have calmed down," with the Ranger detachment from Kohala withdrawn from Azad Kashmir. A meeting was held between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, and Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, and over the escalating tensions.
Reports of Rangers in Poonch and Muzaffarabad emerged, and it was reported some 1300 had been deployed. Mobile phone and internet services were suspended in different parts of AJK today including Bhimber and Bagh Towns. AJK Minister for Rural Development Faisal Mumtaz Rathore stated that the rangers, due to the intervention of President Asif Ali Zardari were "called back as soon as they entered Azad Kashmir" due to the situation calming down. In the aftermath of protests, JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir stated that the committee is a peaceful organization willing to negotiate with the government. Stating "We have been peaceful for the last year and always will be a peaceful movement. This territory and its institutions and police are our own.” He also supported the governments decision to withdraw rangers from the area but criticized the federal government's fiscal practices and not providing for the people and state bureaucrats.
The Government responded to the protests by suspending Internet in the Region while Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir offered to reconcile with talks and to negotiate with the JAAC and said that they had already worked out 99% of the demands. The Protestors continued their long march on the Regional Capital Muzaffarabad although they set out on foot rather than vehicles, heading to Rawalakot and other regions to hold rallies. At the time as per some reports, President Zardari ordered rangers to pull out of the situation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif prepared to hold a meeting the next day on the 13th with his Cabinet, Interior Ministry Officials, Azad Kashmir Government Officials among others. President Zardari requested patience from both sides to work out a agreement.
Between 5 PM PKT to 10 PM PKT, it was reported in the media that the Government had agreed to the demands of the JAAC to deal with the problems. Bol News reported that the agreement remained inconclusive. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday peaceful protests were a democratic right, but there should be “no tolerance” for violence.
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The Pakistani prime minister announced a relief package to meet the protestors' demands. A Pakistan Rangers convoy, which was presumably on its way out of Azad Kashmir, entered Muzaffarabad, and was pelted with stones by the protestors. Rangers opened fire at demonstrators blocking their way, leading to several injuries, at least 3 of the wounded died. Locals torched a vehicle of the Pakistan Rangers as the convoy attempted to reach Muzaffarabad. Schools, business and government offices have remained shut down. Internet services that were suspended since the 12th were briefly restored until being taken down again as violence intensified. That JAAC did not announce if it would accept the governments offer and end the protests. According to Pakistan Today, "peace and calm appear to have returned to Azad Jammu and Kashmir on the third day of demonstrations," further remarking "while normal life remains disrupted with businesses shuttered and public transport halted in various cities." Adding that in areas such as Samahni, Barnala and Bhimber "daily life was going on as usual." Additional police forces were removed from entry and exit points of Bhimber, as it was claimed business centres were opening up and traffic flowing normally. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muzaffarabad Nadeem Janjua confirmed that 28 individuals had been arrested during the protests under charges of attacking police and causing damage to vehicles. PTI spokesman Raoof Hasan and former PM of Azad Kashmir, Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi said that PTI was deeply concerned "about the fast-deteriorating situation in AJK," and claimed that the government was "pursuing the policy of Narendra Modi." Urging the government to analyze the motives of the public protests and recognize the demands of the protestors. Abdul Qayyum Niazi called for the resignation of the current AJK government and the calling of fresh elections. He claimed that there were 40,000 protests on the streets. JAAC spokesman Hafeez Hamdani said to the media that the JAAC had no relation with the violence.
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On 14 May it was reported that the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) announced it would call off the ongoing protests in AJK. "The government accepted all the demands of the protesters yesterday," remarked one JAAC representative, adding "The shutterdown strike is being called off." However, notifying that state-wide shutter down would be observed until 3:00 PM to honour the people killed in the protests. Earlier in the day the JAAC announced a "black day" to honour the three people who had died in clashes with state agencies. This came after the announcement in wheat subsidies and the reduction of electricity rates at production cost following the Rs23 billion Federal package to Azad Kashmir. JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir supported the Prime Minister's acceptance of their demands after more than a year, further lamenting the suspension in internet services which according to him prevented news of successful talks from reaching the protestors. Amjad Ali Khan, a member of the JAAC core committee speaking about the details of the JAAC agreement with the government said that the authorities agreed to drop all cases and release arrested individuals. He also said the JAAC demanded compensation for the three demonstrators killed in clashes with Rangers and called for a judicial commission to investigate police violence. Abdul Majid Khan, a spokesperson for the AJK government claimed that “All the demands of the protesters have been fulfilled, and the situation will hopefully return to normalcy now." Responding to another demand, the government established a judicial commission to review the privileges of top government officials in Azad Kashmir. The JAAC also denied any claims of being supported by India, stating "our fight is not with the state of Pakistan" | null |
77102661 | 2024 Chaman protest | 2024-06-07 14:07:04+00:00 | The 2024 Chaman Protest was a significant event that took place in the Chaman district of Balochistan, Pakistan. The protest was mainly against the government's strict visa policies at the Afghan border. The protest escalated into violence, resulting in numerous injuries and disruptions across the border town.
The protests were initiated by local 'Laghris' who were protesting against the strict visa system and what they considered inadequate security measures. The government's decision to allow only those with valid passports and visas to cross the Chaman border sparked protests. Earlier, Pakistani and Afghan citizens could cross the border by showing their identity cards.
Unrest spread across the border city, with protesters holding rallies and demonstrations, effectively shutting down the city. Clashes erupted when protesters tried to block major roads, including the national highway connecting Quetta to Kandahar. The commotion took place outside the Deputy Commissioner's office and the Frontier Corps fort.
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The situation escalated when protesters started attacking government buildings and installations demanding immediate release. More than three dozen people, including 16 police personnel, were injured in the violent clashes. As a result of the violence, seven seriously injured persons were admitted to the trauma center of Quetta Civil Hospital for further treatment.
Following the escalation of tension, emergency was imposed at the hospital to ensure immediate medical assistance to the injured. Due to tight security arrangements in Chaman, the situation remained tense. The matter was raised in the National Assembly when the opposition PTI-Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and JUI-F demanded an end to the problems faced by travelers crossing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Chaman. | null |
77302992 | 2024 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship squads | 2024-07-07 07:20:10+00:00 | This article describes about the squads for the 2024 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship.
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The final squad was announced on 2 July 2024.
Head coach: Philippe Joly
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Head coach: Céderique Tulleners
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Head coach: Lidija Stojkanović
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The final squad was announced on 4 July 2024.
Head coach: Michael Urbansky
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The final squad was announced on 3 July 2024.
Head coach: Sherida van Bruggen
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The final squad was announced on 1 July 2024.
Head coach: Dave Connell
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The final squad was announced on 6 July 2024.
Head coach: Sonia Bermúdez | null |
75748346 | Abronia cunemica | 2024-01-07 23:09:15+00:00 | Abronia cunemica, also known commonly as the Coapilla arboreal alligator lizard and el dragoncito de Coapilla in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species, which was described in 2024 by Adam Clause et al., is native to southern Mexico.
A. cunemica is endemic to the Mexican state of Chiapas. The type locality is "vicinity of Coapilla, Municipio de Coapilla, Northern Highlands, Chiapas, Mexico".
Clause AG, Luna-Reyes R, Mendoza-Velázquez OM, Nieto-Montes de Oca A, Solano-Zavaleta I (2024). "Bridging the gap: A new species of arboreal Abronia (Squamata: Anguidae) from the Northern Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico". PLoS ONE 19 (1): e0295230. (Abronia cunemica, new species). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0295230 | null |
75870894 | Dravidoseps | 2024-01-21 13:59:36+00:00 | Dravidoseps is a genus of skinks, found in Southern India. They were all previously found in the genera Subdoluseps & Riopa.
The genus is made up of the following species:
Dravidoseps gingeeensis Agarwal, Thackeray & Khandekar, 2024
Dravidoseps goaensis (Sharma, 1976) - Goan supple skink
Dravidoseps jawadhuensis Agarwal, Thackeray & Khandekar, 2024
Dravidoseps kalakadensis Agarwal, Thackeray & Khandekar, 2024
Dravidoseps nilgiriensis Ganesh, Srikanthan, Ghosh, Adhikari, Kumar & Datta-Roy, 2021 - Nilgiri gracile skink
Dravidoseps pruthi (Sharma, 1976) - Pruthi's supple skink
Dravidoseps srivilliputhurensis Agarwal, Thackeray & Khandekar, 2024
Dravidoseps tamilnaduensis Agarwal, Thackeray & Khandekar, 2024 | null |
76136188 | Northern green anaconda | 2024-02-19 15:52:31+00:00 | The northern green anaconda (Eunectes akayima) is a disputed boa species found in northern South America and the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is closely related to Eunectes murinus, the (southern) green anaconda, from which it was claimed to be genetically distinct in 2024. It is one of the heaviest and longest snakes in the world, with one specimen reported by a newspaper to have been 6.3 metres (21 ft) long. Like all boas, it is a non-venomous constrictor.
E. akayima is estimated to have diverged from its closest relative between 5 and 20 million years ago, originally separated by the Vaupés Arch. Today, specimens of E. akayima are known from the Orinoco basin and surrounding regions, ranging from Ecuador to Trinidad. Its range is still mostly separate from that of E. murinus, although they partially overlap around French Guiana, with no clear geographical barrier. While allegedly separated through mitochondrial DNA markers, the two species are indistinguishable in morphology.
The anacondas in the region have been known for centuries as akayima by the local Carib people, and this became the formal scientific name proposed for the species. Later studies raised nomenclatural issues about the description, while also calling into question the validity of the clades recovered through mitochondrial DNA, casting doubt on the validity of E. akayima as a separate species.
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Before the discovery of E. akayima, several proposals were made to split a new species or subspecies from the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), such as Eunectes gigas (Latreille, 1801), or Eunectes barbouri (Dunn and Conant, 1936).
Boa gigas, later Eunectes gigas or Eunectes murinus gigas, was proposed in 1801, at first described from specimens in Guyana and Trinidad but later believed to range from Colombia to French Guiana. It was distinguished by a lighter postocular coloration, as well as differences in scale count in the ventral and subcaudal regions. The coloration was later found to be uniformly distributed throughout the green anaconda's range, while the scale count was found not to differ significantly between the putative subspecies. This showed E. m. gigas to be a color variation rather than a true subspecies.
Eunectes barbouri was described in 1936 from an individual donated to Philadelphia Zoo, believed to originate from the island of Marajó in northern Brazil. The holotype was distinguished from E. murinus specimens by the coloration pattern of its dorsal spots. In the presumed E. barbouri holotype, the latter had a dark border with a light center, while they were uniformly dark in E. murinus. Beyond the holotype, E. barbouri was estimated to have a wider range throughout Brazil, with another attributed specimen originating from Barreiras.
The validity of E. barbouri was debated by some contemporary authors, although others continued to maintain the distinctness of the species. A 1970 expedition on Marajó failed to find any E. barbouri specimens, with the only individuals encountered being E. murinus. Later studies have cast doubts on the diagnostic characteristics used to define the species, with the spot patterns being found to be part of the natural color variation in E. murinus, while a 2022 genetic study upheld the synonymy of the two species.
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In 2024, research claimed through genetic testing that populations of Eunectes murinus found in northern South America formed a clade distinct from those occurring farther south. The approximately 5.5 percent difference in mitochondrial DNA prompted the northern populations to be described as a separate species, Eunectes akayima, by the researchers. Both wild and captive specimens were tested with blood samples taken. While nuclear DNA failed to show measurable differences between the two species, authors attributed this to the lack of appropriate markers with high enough variation rates, with nuclear genomic studies barely separating E. murinus from the more distant E. notaeus.
Samples were taken in multiple locations throughout South America over the course of 20 years in a study led by New Mexico Highlands University professor Jesús Rivas, measuring both genetic data through blood and tissue samples and anatomical characteristics like scale count, as well as habitat data. An earlier specimen, MCNG 1042, was designated as the holotype. This specimen, collected by Jesús Rivas in 1993 at Hato El Cedral in the Venezuelan Llanos, is now preserved by the UNELLEZ in the Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Guanare.
Several of the specimens were found in a 2022 expedition by researchers working with indigenous Huaorani people, who consider the anaconda sacred, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The 10-day expedition, organized with Huaorani leader Penti Baihua, was accompanied by the filming of the Pole to Pole with Will Smith series for National Geographic, with actor Will Smith taking part in the expedition. The Huaorani collaborators were acknowledged as co-authors in the discovery paper.
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The description of Eunectes akayima has been favorably received by Wolfgang Böhme, who acknowledged the validity of the genetic divide between the two green anaconda species. However, the study's other result of merging the yellow anaconda species Eunectes deschauenseei and E. beniensis into E. notaeus was criticized as premature by Böhme, whose own study upheld E. beniensis as distinct two years earlier.
Two reviews published in the month following the discovery criticized the original publication. The first critique, by Vásquez-Restrepo et al., only discussed the validity of the name Eunectes akayima on procedural grounds, pointing out violations of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. While also raising nomenclatural criticism, the second study by Dubois et al. additionally cast doubt on the reliability of the genetic markers used, and on the existence of a separate northern green anaconda species.
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Follow-up studies of E. akayima have been considered by the discovering team, aiming to understand the green anaconda's evolutionary history and the split between the two species. The differences in genital configurations of the two species is also an open topic of research. These often vary even among related species of snakes, as non-compatible genitals are often a factor preventing interbreeding between nearby populations and leading to further divergence between species.
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While Carl Linnaeus originally described Boa murina in 1758, the precise location of the species' syntypes is not known, with the most likely locations of Suriname and French Guiana being contact zones between both populations. As the required genetic testing is not possible on samples of that age, it is uncertain which species the type specimens belonged to, making the choice of which species to refer to as Eunectes murinus ultimately arbitrary. With the southern clade being the most widespread, discoverers opted to keep the original name for the latter in the name of taxonomic stability. They designated as lectotype for E. murinus a specimen found in the Xingu River of Pará, Brazil in 2011 and now hosted in the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, and established the northern population as a new species, Eunectes akayima.
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The species' name akayima comes from the local Cariban languages, with akayi meaning "snake" and the suffix -ima describing largeness in a way that elevates the term to a separate category, giving a literal meaning of "The Great Snake". The word akayima and variants (okoyimo, okoimo) have been used by the local Carib people to refer to the northern green anaconda for centuries before its formal scientific description. The term also refers in Cariban languages to the rainbow, likely associated with a feathered serpent in Carib beliefs. The Arekuna, for instance, speak of a rainbow serpent in their creation narrative, believed to be the source of all birds' plumage. Among the Carib peoples, the Wai-wai also give mythological significance to the Okoimo-Yenna or "anaconda people", understood either as relatives or as opposite counterparts to human beings.
The continued use of the name by indigenous people prior to the advent of the ICZN, along with the invalidity of previous proposed splits of E. murinus due to inconsistencies in differentiation, prompted the researchers to accept akayima as the senior synonym for the species.
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A review by Vásquez-Restrepo et al. argued against the validity of E. akayima, pointing out several purported violations of the ICZN in the Rivas et al. article. Notably, they concluded that the oldest available name for this taxon was Eunectes gigas (Latreille, 1801), historically considered the northern subspecies of E. murinus, but for which no evidence of distinctiveness had been provided prior to Rivas et al.'s molecular analyses.
Separately, Dubois et al. criticized the publication for lacking a well-defined species concept, while questioning the validity of the clades recovered through mitochondrial DNA. Their review claimed that the name itself was not validly published under the rules of the Zoological Code (ICZN) as it violated Article 13 of the Code, and labeled the designation as a nomen nudum. This would make the proposed name unavailable, rather than only invalid as Vásquez-Restrepo et al. concluded.
Both studies also considered the designation of the Eunectes murinus lectotype by Rivas et al. to be invalid, with Dubois et al. pointing out that the specimen (only collected in 2011) was not part of the syntypes designated by Linnaeus, and thus not valid as a lectotype. The latter study instead designated as lectotype a specimen collected by Albertus Seba in the Spanish West Indies, referenced by Linnaeus in his original description.
The divergence between Eunectes akayima and E. murinus has been estimated to have occurred between 5 and 20 million years ago, during the Miocene. Molecular clock analyses were calibrated using the earlier split between the geographically isolated Sanziniinae (found in Madagascar) and the rest of Boidae, along with fossil evidence. Approaches vary depending on the scenario considered for the aforementioned split, with scenarios involving one land bridge, two, or none providing different hard minimums for the Boidae divergence, and thus different calibrations for the split between the two species. Another method, only considering fossil evidence, led to the most recent estimate for the split between E. akayima and E. murinus, placing it between 5 and 11 million years ago.
The split between the two green anaconda species has been claimed by the discovering team to parallel other such north-south splits in South American fauna, such as between the northern caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensis) and the Paraguay caiman lizard (Dracaena paraguayensis), or between the Orinoco mata mata (Chelus orinocensis) and the Amazon mata mata (Chelus fimbriata). This was attributed by the authors to the rise of the Vaupés Arch between the Andes and the Guyana Shield, which created a geographical barrier between populations in the Proto-Orinoco and Proto-Amazon river basins. Modern E. akayima populations can be found farther south than the Vaupés Arch, and there is currently no geographical barrier between the two species.
A more recent divergence inside E. akayima has been dated to c. 3 Ma, splitting populations in Venezuela south of the Orinoco Delta. This is believed to coincide with the beginning of the Quaternary glaciation, as the sequestration of water by the ice caps led to wetlands receding, while forests grew and separated the Orinoco and Amazon river basins once again.
Eunectes akayima has been described as one of the world's heaviest and longest snakes, with one specimen described in a newspaper article quote as being 6.3 metres (21 ft) long. Unconfirmed reports from native Huaorani people speak of individuals reaching 7.5 metres (25 ft) and 500 kilograms (1,100 lb).
While the two are allegedly distinguished by their mitochondrial genomes, no morphological differences have yet been recognized between E. akayima and E. murinus, making them cryptic species. Morphological measurements such as scale count in several locations have been found to lie in the same ranges in both species.
Northern green anacondas are ambush predators, and are among the apex predators in the swamps, rivers and other wetlands of northern South America, spending most of their time submerged in shallow waters. They hunt by waiting for prey to come nearby, with the buoyancy of the water helping them to rapidly leap out and take hold of the prey with their strong jaws. Like other boids, they are non-venomous constrictors, subduing their prey by wrapping themselves around and asphyxiating it, often crushing the prey before swallowing it whole.
Prey of the northern green anaconda include large animals such as capybaras, caimans and deer. It is a keystone species in its ecosystem, whose presence impacts the habits and migration patterns of other species in the surrounding environment. Despite popular beliefs, there have been no confirmed records of E. akayima hunting or eating humans.
Eunectes akayima is found in northern South America. The precise distribution area is not yet known, but based on samples taken, the species is known to occur in Venezuela, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Ecuador, and the island of Trinidad. Its range is also believed to include parts of Colombia and Peru, as well as northern Brazil.
Contact regions have been discovered, such as French Guiana and likely Suriname, where populations of both green anaconda species overlap with each other. While specimens of both have been found in nearby localities, notably on opposite riverbanks from each other, the two species have not been found to interbreed.
The possibility of E. akayima being a separate species reveals a higher conservation risk than previously believed, despite the green anaconda being originally assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its broad range. Lack of precise knowledge about population distribution make the assessment of both species' true status difficult, while the different ecological habitats and threats faced by both species mean specific conservation programs must be established for each of them. Notably, the northern green anaconda's smaller range makes it much more vulnerable than its southern neighbor.
As with other anaconda species, main threats include conflict with humans, as well as habitat degradation and fragmentation caused by agriculture, climate change and oil extraction in the region. Researchers noted the importance of monitoring population numbers for the species, as well as studying the effects of oil spill-related petrochemicals on the snake's reproductive biology. Their high sensitivity to changes makes them an indicator species for environmental health, highlighting the importance of assessing their populations. It is believed that 20 to 31 percent of the northern green anaconda's habitat has been lost to deforestation, with the number estimated to reach 40 percent by 2050. | null |
77204588 | Ovophis jenkinsi | 2024-06-22 12:45:55+00:00 | Ovophis jenkinsi, commonly known as the Jenkins' mountain pitviper, is a venomous pitviper species found in Yunnan, China.
The species Ovophis jenkinsi was first described in a 2024 study based on five individuals collected by Zhong-Wen Jiang and Xian-Chun Qiu in 2018 and 2023, all originating from Tongbiguan Township, Yingjiang County in Yunnan, China. An adult male (IOZ 002679) deposited in the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was designated as the holotype of the species, while the remaining four specimens (consisting of two adult females and two juveniles) were designated as paratypes. The specific name jenkinsi honors herpetologist Robert William Garfield Jenkins, who aided snake conservation and management projects in China, and the common name "Jenkins' mountain pitviper" has been proposed based on this.
A molecular phylogenetic analysis conducted by Qiu and colleagues (2024) found that within the Ovophis genus, O. jenkinsi is the closest known relative of O. monticola, and that the two species are clustered with O. convictus. The results of the analysis are displayed in the cladogram below:
All known individuals of this viper were found in Yingjiang County, Yunnan, and it is currently believed the species is endemic to this region. This snake is found at altitudes of about 1,300 m (4,300 ft) in tropical montane rainforest. In this environment, it overlaps with other reptiles such as Lycodon chapaensis, Trimeresurus popeiorum and Pseudocalotes jingpo. | null |
76354122 | Peltocephalus maturin | 2024-03-13 19:43:25+00:00 | Peltocephalus maturin is an extinct species of podocnemidid river turtle closely related to the big-headed Amazon River turtle (Peltocephalus dumerilianus) that lived during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in what is now Brazil. P. maturin is known from a singular lower jaw of enormous size, with estimates suggesting its carapace may have reached lengths of around 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in). This would make it one of the largest freshwater turtles in history, comparable in size to the Paleocene podocnemidid Carbonemys and only exceeded by the Miocene podocnemidid Stupendemys. Like its closest relative, it was likely an omnivore, the narrow cutting surface of its lower jaw unsuited for strict herbivory or durophagy.
Peltocephalus maturin was described in 2024 on the basis of specimen MERO.PV.H 007, a partial lower jaw discovered by gold miners within the Taquaras Quarry of Rondônia, Brazil. Since the Rio Madeira Formation is the only geological unit exposed at this quarry, the fossil is subsequently assumed to be Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene in age.
The species name references Maturin, a recurring entity in the works of Stephen King said to be a giant turtle that created the universe. King in turn derived the name from the character of Stephen Maturin from the novel H.M.S. Surprise, in which he names a giant tortoise.
Although the type material of Peltocephalus maturin is restricted to an incomplete mandible, a lot of information has been derived from this material. The mandibular symphysis are fused, clearly placing the animal within Pelomedusoides. The labial and lingual ridges, which are located to either side of the triturating (cutting or grinding) surface of the lower jaw, are straight, which sets them apart from the curved ridges seen in species of Podocnemis, the South American river turtles. It further differs from species of that genus by having a U-shaped outline of the midline of the lingual ridges and a lingual platform that is located towards the back on the mandible, ventrally (below) to the triturating surface and the symphyseal fossa. This fossa contains two pits, which can be used to differentiate the mandible of Peltocephalus maturin from the extant Madagascan big-headed turtle of the genus Erymnochelys. Impressions left by the rhamphotheca, the outermost keratinous layer of the beak, indicate that its back edge sloped dorsoventrally (from the top to the bottom of the jaw), whereas in both Podocnemis and Erymnochelys it slopes posteroventrally, meaning both down and towards the back of the jaw. A striking feature of Peltocephalus maturin is the greatly enlarged symphyseal hook that is formed at the tip of the lower jaw. The fact that this hook ends above the coronoid process, together with the lingual platform and the presence of two pits located within the symphyseal fossa, clearly identify it as a relative of the Big-headed Amazon River turtle, thus its placement within the genus Peltocephalus.
In addition to size, Peltocephalus maturin can be differentiated from its modern relative by the fact that the labial ridge that stretches closer to the outer surface of the dentary is higher up than the lingual (inner) ridge. Also unlike its modern relative, the two triturating surfaces enclosed by these ridges do not meet in the middle, as they are separated by a symphyseal ridge that stretches along the midline of the dentary. Additionally, each triturating surface can be divided into an anterior and posterior section, divided by a secondary ridge that runs at a right angle to the triturating surface. Ferreira and colleagues note that these features except for the presence of a secondary ridge are also shared by the enormous Miocene Stupendemys. However, Stupendemys and Peltocephalus maturin differ in that the latter has a more upturned symphyseal hook, narrower triturating surfaces and by having lower lingual ridges that from a V-shape towards the tip of the mandible, rather than the protruding ridges in Stupendemys that form a U-shape.
One of the most notable things about Peltocephalus maturin is the size of the holotype mandible. The dentary measures 27.8 cm (10.9 in) in length, which is comparable to that of the Cretaceous marine turtle Archelon. Total length estimates were conducted through two approaches, both yielding similar results. Approach 1 suggests an estimated straight carapace length of approximately 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) while approach 2 yielded a slightly longer 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in). The lower and upper bounds lie between approximately 1.40–2.16 m (4 ft 7 in – 7 ft 1 in). While this would put the total length of Peltocephalus maturin below those of giants like Archelon and Stupendemys, it would still be one of the largest freshwater turtles in terms of carapace length, matched only by Carbonemys (estimated straight carapace length 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)). It also far exceeds any other freshwater turtle of the Quaternary such as the Asian narrow-headed softshell turtle (straight carapace length 1.40 m (4 ft 7 in)) and the Arrau turtle (straight carapace length 1.09 m (3 ft 7 in)).
Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the relationship between Peltocephalus maturin and Peltocephalus dumerilianus, both of which forming a clade that is deeply nested within Podocnemididae. The levels of resolution do differ between the two analysis conducted, with the strict consensus being poorly resolved though still supporting the clade formed by the two Peltocephalus species. The Majority Rule Tree, depicted below, yielded better resolved results that are in line with the internal relationships that were recovered by previous studies. Within this tree, Peltocephalus species are the basalmost off-shoot of a branch that also includes Stupendemys and the various species of Bairdemys, together forming one of two distinct branches within Erymnochelyinae.
Diet in turtles can generally be inferred based on the height of the skull as well as the proportions and complexity of the triturating surface, which is used to cut and grind food. In this regard, Peltocephalus maturin bears close resemblance to its modern relative. Overall, podocnemidids are omnivores that consume varying levels of plant material, with Peltocephalus dumerilianus incorporating the greatest amount of other animals into its diet including apple snails. This is expressed through a much more simple triturating surface than what is seen in more herbivorous podocnemidids. The narrow triturating surface of Peltocephalus maturin is not especially well suited for durophagy nor herbivory, however at the same time the midline ridge that separates the triturating surfaces from another does suggest slightly less carnivorous habits than those of P. dumerilianus.
The great size of this species might have been a factor that allowed it to fill a different nische from other podocnemidids, something that has been a proposed factor in the coexistence of the large-bodied Caninemys and Stupendemys during the Miocene and could also be responsible for the coexistence of today's Amazonian podocnemidids. The evolution of such a large bodysize further matches certain patterns within reptile evolutions, with prior size increases being noted to have taken place during the Paleogene in podocnemidids and snakes (like Titanoboa) as well as during the Miocene with podocnemidids and crocodilians (like Purussaurus). The discovery of Peltocephalus maturin matches the great size seen in certain Quaternary squamates like the varanid megalania (Varanus priscus), the teiid Tupinambis uruguaianensis, and the madtsoiid Wonambi. Other testudines reached massive sizes during this time as well, such as Megalochelys atlas.
Ferreira and colleagues speculate that the extinction of Peltocephalus maturin may have been tied to exploitation by humans. Part of their reasoning is based on the extinction of various island species such as the turtles of the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as the meiolanids of Vanuatu and New Caledonia which are often thought to have been driven to extinction by human overhunting. Some of the earliest evidence for humans arriving in South America dates to roughly 12.6 to 9.8 thousand years BP and thus overlap with the presence of Peltocephalus maturin. Furthermore, sites that show signs of human habitation also preserve the remains of both tortoises and podocnemidids, with even modern humans still hunting turtles for their meat. At the same time, there is no evidence that humans and Peltocephalus maturin ever actually met, meaning that the reason for this species' extinction remains uncertain until the discovery of better materials provides more clues. | null |
75748296 | 2024 Cicalengka railway collision | 2024-01-07 23:01:46+00:00 | On 5 January 2024, two trains collided near Cicalengka Station in Bandung Regency, Indonesia, killing four rail employees and injuring 42 others.
The KA 350 Bandung Raya Commuter Line is a train service that operates on the Padalarang–Cicalengka route, designed as a commuter train. The KA 65A Turangga train is an inter-city train servicing the Surabaya Gubeng–Bandung route.
The section of track between Haurpugur and Cicalengka, which both trains traverse during their respective routes, has single track. Therefore, the use of signaling block system is essential on the route. The signaling system in Cicalengka station still use older mechanic system, while the signaling system in Haurpugur station has used newer electric colour light system, creating a difference of system being used. As of early 2024, most single track train station in Indonesia still use older mechanic signaling system.
On 5 January 2024, the dispatcher from Kereta Api Indonesia observed that the Bandung Raya Commuter Line was scheduled to give way for Turangga at Haurpugur train station. The dispatcher communicated this information to the local dispatcher at Cicalengka station. Three minutes later, Cicalengka station attempted to confirm the clearance of the block between Haurpugur and Cicalengka by calling Haurpugur station, receiving no response. Despite the lack of confirmation from Haurpugur station, Cicalengka station deemed the block clear for the Turangga.
At 5:56 a.m., Haurpugur station authorized the departure of the Bandung Raya Commuter Line under the assumption that the block was clear. Haurpugur station didn't report the departure to the central dispatcher.
At 6:03 a.m., the Turangga and the Bandung Raya Commuter Line collided west of Cicalengka station. The Turangga carried 287 passengers, and the Bandung Raya Commuter Line had 191 passengers. The incident resulted in the fatalities of the Commuter Line's driver, assistant driver and an off-duty station security guard, as well as a steward on Turangga. Forty-two people were injured in the incident.
Both trains were badly damaged. On the day of the incident, the Bandung Raya Commuter Line was hauled by CC201 77 17 locomotive sporting special heritage PJKA-era livery. The locomotive involved in the incident is among the oldest CC201 class locomotives in operation in Indonesia, with 47 years of service. The locomotive was damaged beyond repair and withdrawn from the KAI's roster.
The Ministry of Transportation of Indonesia stated that double track construction had been planned on the Padalarang–Cicalengka route, which is scheduled to finish in 2024. | null |
75725987 | 2024 New York City Subway derailment | 2024-01-05 03:29:55+00:00 | On January 4, 2024, a New York City Subway train derailed causing at least 26 people, mostly passengers, to suffer minor injuries. The incident happened when the first car of a 1 train collided with a disabled train that had been vandalized, both consisting of R62As, just north of the 96th Street station. Around 300 people were evacuated off the train involved in the collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and other authorities are investigating the incident. They said that the disabled train, which was heading uptown, had been taken out of service because a passenger repeatedly pulled the emergency brake, resulting in the train being stalled near West 79th Street. That train was taken out of service, and the moving train, which was trying to bypass the stalled train using the express track, hit it while switching to the local track.
At 2:11 p.m. EST, train 1345 performed an emergency stop due to an unruly passenger pulling emergency brake valve cords on the first five railcars. It was stated that a "good Samaritan" alerted two K-9 officers when the incident happened. The operator was unable to reset the emergency brakes and subsequently moved to the 79th Street Station to drop off passengers. A railcar inspector was also unable to reset the brakes, forcing the train to be taken out of service and moved to a railyard by using the local track (track 4). The incident forced 1 trains to be rerouted via the express track (track 3).
The out-of-service train was being operated from car six in the middle of the consist by a transit system supervisor. A flagger, who was in the lead car helping to coordinate the train's movement, said that he lost radio communications with the supervisor near the 96th Street station. Consequently, the supervisor did not receive the command to stop prior to the signal requiring them to do so at the end of the station. Trip stops did not activate due to the disabled brakes.
The collision occurred around 3:00 p.m. EST when a northbound 1 train, train 1427, was switching from the express to the local track and sideswiped by train 1345. Two cars of train 1345 derailed while train 1427 had three cars derail. Train 1427 was carrying 300 passengers at the time and had to be evacuated.
One car - 2176 - was written off and is being used for parts. The remaining four cars in the 5-car set were linked with car 1934, which was previously assigned to the 6.
The derailment caused significant disruptions along the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. MTA officials said on January 5 that the disruptions would continue throughout the day, hoping that service would be restored later that day. 1 train service was suspended between 137th Street–City College and Times Square–42nd Street, 2 trains ran along the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, and 3 trains were suspended between 135th Street and Times Square–42nd Street. 1 trains ran express in the southbound direction while 3 trains ran local in the southbound direction between Times Square-42nd Street and Chambers Street for the duration of service disruptions. Some 4 and 5 trains made local stops in Brooklyn and 5 trains in the Bronx also ran local.
On January 5, limited service was partially restored on the 1 and 3 routes (1 trains running express in the northbound direction from 96th Street to 137th Street–City College), although service was not restored between 96th Street and Times Square. Limited southbound 2 service was also restored, while northbound 2 service continued to run via the IRT Lexington Avenue Line. On January 6, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the MTA would restore full service overnight that same day to the early morning of January 7, and service was fully restored at 4:45 a.m. the next morning.
On January 10, a second, unrelated derailment occurred around 12:20 p.m. when the fourth car of a northbound F train jumped the tracks between the Neptune Avenue and West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium stations in Brooklyn. No one was injured. | null |
77095415 | Pardubice train collision | 2024-06-06 11:08:06+00:00 | On 5 June 2024, at 10:49 p.m., a train collision in Pardubice, Czech Republic occurred in the vicinity of Pardubice main railway station, near the Pardubice centrum station. Express train number RJ 1021 of the RegioJet company heading from Prague to Košice (3 cars should continue as RJ 1222 to Chop) collided with freight express train number Nex 41340 of the railway operator ČD Cargo. Subsequently, both trains derailed and as a result of the crash, four people died and another 22 were injured.
Over 300 people were traveling in the express train. The freight train was carrying calcium carbide, but the first two cars were empty.
Pardubice is situated on one of the most important railway corridors in the Czech Republic, specifically on the Prague to Česká Třebová, and as such is used by trains heading towards Ostrava, Brno, Vienna, Budapest, Košice and Warsaw (eastbound) and towards Prague, Plzeň and Dresden (westbound), among many others. Starting from 2021, the station underwent a major reconstruction program, the largest of its kind in over 60 years, which involved adding European Train Control System (ETCS), track remodelling works and the replacement of all adjacent infrastructure. By 2024 most of the works were finished but the ETCS system was not planned to be turned on until January 2025, and the previous MIREL safety system had also been turned off, therefore according to Czech railway regulations, drivers had to follow the signal aspects and travel at no faster than 100 km/h.
The first train was RJ 1021 from Praha hlavní nádraží to Košice, with three through cars to Chop, Ukraine. The train was exclusively made up of couchette cars and regular first and second class cars. On the night of the crash, it was pulled by a Bombardier Traxx MS3 locomotive. The freight train (number Nex 41340) was pulled by a ČD Class 363 locomotive, number 363 529-9 followed by several flat wagons with containers.
Transport Minister Martin Kupka and Interior Minister Vít Rakušan visited the scene of the crash. Prime Minister Petr Fiala described the collision as a great tragedy and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. | null |
77169285 | 2024 West Bengal train collision | 2024-06-17 10:53:48+00:00 | On 17 June 2024, two trains collided in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. A goods train collided with Sealdah–Agartala Kanchanjunga Express, a passenger train near Rangapani railway station. 11 people were killed and more than 60 were injured.
On 17 June 2024, Kanchanjunga Express (Train No. 13174), a passenger train was traveling from Agartala in Tripura to Sealdah in West Bengal. The train had left New Jalpaiguri Junction, crossed Rangapani railway station, a non-stopping station at 8:27 IST and stopped some distance before the Chatterhat railway station on the Katihar–Siliguri line, waiting for clearance to proceed further. At 8:45, a goods train (Train no: GFCJ) crossed the Rangapani station and was proceeding on the same line. At 8:55, the goods train rammed the stationary passenger train from behind, causing three coaches of the Kanchenjunga Express to derail.
Ten people were killed and more than 60 were injured in the collision. The loco pilots of the goods train and the train manager of Kanchanjungha Express were amongst those killed. More than 60 people were injured and the injured were treated at North Bengal Medical College at Siliguri.
The Railways minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the site to oversee the response. The Ministry of Railways announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) for the dead, ₹2.5 lakh (US$3,000) for those seriously injured and ₹50,000 (US$600) for those with minor injuries. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh (US$2,400) for the dead and ₹50,000 (US$600) for the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Saha announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh (US$2,400) for the victims who were from Tripura.
19 trains were cancelled and 22 train were diverted in the aftermath of the crash. Rail traffic on the line towards Guwahati resumed in the evening on the same day and the other line was restored on the morning of 18 June.
The chairman of the Railway Board said that the operator of the goods train ignored multiple red signals, which might have caused the crash. The train operators union criticised the statement as premature. Railway sources said the cause of the incident may have been a faulty automatic signal, which was defective since 5:50 IST. The trains were not equipped with Kavach, a collision avoidance system designed by Indian Railways.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the trains were issued manual clearances called TA 912 by the station master of the Rangapani station to ignore the faulty signals. The passenger train had traveled some distance from the station and was stationery on the track, awaiting further clearance. In case of a signal failure, Indian railway rules (GS&R 9.02) stipulate that the loco pilots should operate at speeds less than 10 km/h (6.2 mph), wait for one minute at each red signal and ensure that the track is visually clear for at least 150 m (490 ft) before proceeding. A T/A 912 clearance is typically granted when there are no other obstructions present along the section and is used to override the stipulated rules. Hence, the manual clearance issued to the goods train placed it on a collision course with the stationery passenger train and excessive speed was also considered as a contributing factor to the eventual accident. On 21 June 2024, East Central Railway banned the issuance of T/A 912 until further notice.
Indian President Draupadi Murmu said she would pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. On 17 June, Prime Minister Modi offered his condolences and said that rescue operations were underway. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge offered his condolences and criticised the central government for mismanaging the ministry of railways. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a thorough investigation would be conducted. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the state is helping with the rescue operations and criticised the central government for not focusing on passenger safety. | null |
76198508 | Imparavis | 2024-02-27 17:51:34+00:00 | Imparavis (meaning "odd bird") is an extinct genus of enantiornithine birds from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian-aged) Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province, China. The genus contains a single species, I. attenboroughi, known from a well-preserved skeleton.
The Imparavis holotype specimen, STM11-176, was discovered in sediments of the Jiufotang Formation near Toudaoyingzi village in Jianchang County, Liaoning Province, China. The holotype is preserved on a single slab, consisting of an articulated, nearly complete specimen, preserved in ventral view. It is missing part of the vertebral column and most of the gastralia. Faint feather traces are visible around parts of the skeleton.
In 2024, Wang et al. described Imparavis attenboroughi as a new genus and species of enantiornithine bird based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "Imparavis", combines the Latin words "impar", meaning "odd", and "avis", meaning "bird". The specific name, "attenboroughi", honors David Attenborough and his work with natural history presentation and wildlife preservation.
In their phylogenetic analyses, Wang et al. recovered Imparavis as a member of the Enantiornithes, as the sister taxon to Yuornis in a clade also containing Gobipteryx. The results of their analyses are shown in the cladogram below, with toothless taxa highlighted. | null |
76967413 | Northern giant hummingbird | 2024-05-20 08:09:47+00:00 | The northern giant hummingbird (Patagona chaski) is the largest species of hummingbird and one of two species of the genus Patagona.
It and the sympatric southern giant hummingbird (P. gigas) were once considered the same species, i.e., the giant hummingbird, but genomic analysis shows that the two species diverged between 2.1 and 3.4 million years ago, in the late Pliocene.
A single F1 male hybrid between the two species has been recorded in a study that collected a sample of 101 individuals, suggesting that hybridization occurs regularly between the species. However, high genome-wide FST between the two species shows that introgression and backcrossing of first generation hybrids occurs very rarely in nature, such that there is no gene flow occurring between the two species. | null |
76221205 | Lixinsha Bridge | 2024-03-01 07:10:30+00:00 | Lixinsha Bridge, also known as Lixindao Bridge, Sanmin Island Bridge, or Hongqili Second Bridge. Located in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, the bridge connects Sanmin Island, one of the smaller islands along the Hongqili Waterway to the Jiuyong and the rest of the urban area. As the only land bridge connecting Sanmin Island, it carries the island's only water supply pipeline.
The bridge is 787 meters long, 9.8 meters wide. The bridge is designed as a single carriageway and has no pedestrian walkway. It also has a main and two secondary navigation holes for watercrafts to pass through.
The bridge was completed in April 1994 and was opened to vehicular traffic.
In 2009, the bridge was reinforced, increasing its load capacity. In 2019, due to the discovery of severe deterioration in its structure, after inspection, the bridge was classified as a Category 4 bridge. The governing authorities of Nansha District then restricted the usage of the bridge to vehicles weighing less than 15 tonnes as a temporary measure. After rectification and reinforcement works in 2020, the bridge was reinspected and given a Category 2 rating, and vehicles weighing less than 20 tonnes could now be used on the bridge.
In October 2021, after an assessment of water navigation conditions around the bridge and the nearby Gaoxinsha Bridge, decided to add anti-collision measures to the bridges. The construction of the additional anti collision measures were completed in December 2022.
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On February 22, 2024, at about 5:30 am local time, a cargo barge collided into a bridge pier, causing a portion of the deck of the bridge to fracture and fall into the waters below.
On May 23, 2024，the repair works on the bridge was completed. On June 12, the bridge was certified for use. The bridge was reopened to traffic on June 22, 10 a.m. | null |
77107795 | 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series | 2024-06-08 10:42:56+00:00 | The 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is an ongoing season of the Red Bull-sponsored international cliff diving series. It is the 16th edition of this event. The series began on 26 May in Athens, Greece, with the final event being held on 10 November 2024 in Sydney, Australia.
The men's series features 8 permanent divers, with four wildcard divers selected to compete at each event. Whilst this season of the women's series have 7 permanent divers, with 5 wildcard divers selected at each event.
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The 2024 season saw four new permanent divers with Carlos Gimeno and Jonathan Paredes becoming permanent divers in the Men's series. Maria Paula Quintero and Simone Leathead were the new permanent divers in the Women's series.
Gary Hunt decided he will not compete as a permanent diver in the 2024 series to focus on his participation in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, bringing to end a run of 98 consecutive competition starts in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. Miguel Garcia competes as a wild card diver having finished lowest of the permanent divers in the 2023 series.
In the Women's series, Jessica Macaulay retired from the Red Bull Cliff Diving series following the 2023 season. Iris Schmidbauer took a break from competing due to pregnancy, but confirmed plans to return to the series. Yana Nestsiarava competes as a wild card diver having placed lowest among the permanent divers in the 2023 series.
Permanent divers for the 2024 series:
The 2024 series adapted a new points system for the championship standings. The dive scores per event determines the standings for the individual event, and championship points are handed out based on final position for the event. Scoring the 12 athletes, including wildcards 20-16-13-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points.
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The men's series features eight events. The 8 permanent divers are joined at each event by at least four wildcard divers.
Key
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The women's series features eight events. The 7 permanent divers are joined at each event by at least five wildcard divers.
Key | null |
76323363 | 2024 World Rowing Championships | 2024-03-10 16:20:57+00:00 | The 2024 World Rowing Championships are scheduled to be held from 18–25 August 2024 at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
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* Host nation (Canada)
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76986709 | 2024 Taichung Metro attack | 2024-05-22 04:29:58+00:00 | On 21 May 2024, a Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree directed at passengers on a Taichung Metro train near Taichung City Hall station. Three people, including the attacker, were injured. The attack occurred exactly ten years after the 2014 Taipei Metro attack.
The attacker entered Shui-an Temple Station at 11:03, boarded the train at 11:14, and began the attack at 11:15. After the train stopped at Taichung City Hall at 11:16, the attack was reported to the Taichung City Government Fire Bureau at 11:17. A 17-year-old victim was lacerated in the chest, shoulder and arm. The other victim, a 27-year-old male, was slashed from his cheek to his jaw while attempting to stop the attack. The attacker injured his fingers. The injured were treated at Lin Shin Hospital. Between 11:20 and 15:10, authorities conducted an investigation.
In response to the attack, Taichung Mass Rapid Transit merged traffic from Wenxin Chongde and Wenxin Yinghua stations onto one track, while operations at Taichung City Hall station were suspended and restored by 15:30.
Authorities collected three knives at the scene. An early investigation led by Taichung City Police Department's Sixth Precinct determined that the attacker was a nursing student in Kaohsiung, and had checked into a motel room in Xitun District, Taichung, the day before the stabbing. The attacker had arrived in Taichung without notifying his family of his travel plans. After relatives had been informed of the attack, they traveled to Taichung.
Police sent the case to the Taichung District Prosecutor's Office.
The 27-year old stabbing victim recovered after surgery, and both he and the 17-year old were awarded free rides on the Taichung Metro for life by mayor Lu Shiow-yen, who also stated that the Taichung City Government would pay medical fees for the victims and offer them free metro for life . The teenage victim's father planned to raise NT$2 million and use the funds to purchase shields and batons for the Taichung Metro. Upon meeting with Lu Shiow-yen, the 27-year old stabbing victim wore Monster Hunter clothes and cited lines from Frieren, seeking to overturn the preconception of otaku subculture. His action quickly incited discussions among the local anime fandom.
During the attack, Taichung Mass Rapid Transit received two notifications from the emergency intercommunications system. However, they reported no response from passengers, and concluded that riders had been too panicked to reply. In turn, passengers claimed that did not hear from the control center. As a result, Lu additionally vowed to improve the responsiveness of the intercom.
Following the attack, police in Kaohsiung increased the frequency of patrols in train cars, throughout major Kaohsiung Metro stations, and in areas surrounding metro stations. The Taipei City Government announced similar measures for the Taipei Metro.
Shortly before Tsai Ing-wen stepped down as president, Ministry of Justice officials in her administration had defended the death penalty to justices of the Constitutional Court. As the attack happened the day after she had been replaced by William Lai, Lai's justice minister Cheng Ming-chien commented on the further discussion of the death penalty inspired by this attack. | null |
77020725 | Tel al-Sultan massacre | 2024-05-26 22:42:51+00:00 | On 26 May 2024, the Israeli Air Force struck Tel al-Sultan, Rafah, setting fire to a displacement camp. The incident killed between 45 and 50 Palestinians, including women and children, and injured over 200. It was the deadliest incident of the Rafah offensive.
When Israel invaded Rafah and ordered the evacuation of its east, some citizens fled to western neighborhoods like Tel Al-Sultan seeking safety. One week before the bombing, Israel had designated the neighborhood as a "safe zone" and dropped leaflets instructing Palestinians to move there. Two days before the attack, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its offensive under the Genocide Convention, but Israel interpreted the order differently and continued its operations.
On the night of the incident, Israel struck the neighborhood with two U.S. made GBU-39 missiles. The strike ignited a fire in the "Kuwaiti Peace" tent camp, trapping and burning the civilians residing in it. Israel claimed the strike targeted a Hamas compound near the camp, accidentally causing the fire. However, independent investigations showed that the camp was struck itself and that there was no evidence of secondary explosions.
Images of the attack spread internationally, with them being described as "some of the worst" of the war. The attack received widespread condemnation, with some groups calling it a war crime and a massacre.
After evacuation orders were issued by Israel during the Israel-Hamas war, many areas of Gaza became depopulated, with refugees primarily traveling to Rafah. Rafah became dense and overcrowded, with over 1.4 million civilians sheltering in the area. However, when Israel invaded the city, it ordered the eastern neighborhoods evacuated as well. An estimated 950,000 civilians fled, going to other parts of southern Gaza designated as safe, including western Rafah.
Two days before the attack, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to prevent genocidal actions in Rafah. The order was widely interpreted as obliging Israel to stop the Rafah offensive, and the European Union said Israel was violating the order by continuing. However, Israel interpreted the order as merely to comply with international law, not necessarily stop the offensive. The Euro-Med Monitor reported that in the 48 hours since the order was issued, Israel had launched over 60 airstrikes in the city.
The attack was noted to come shortly after Hamas launched rockets at Tel Aviv for the first time in months. The IDF said eight rockets were fired from the Rafah area and were intercepted.
Many sources reported that the area that Israel attacked had previously been designated by Israel as a "safe zone". CBC News showed pictures of Israeli leaflets that read:
For your safety, the Israeli Defence Force is asking you to leave these areas immediately and to go to known shelters in Deir el Balah or the humanitarian area in Tel al-Sultan through Beach Road. And don't blame us after we warned you.
NPR reported that Israeli leaflets urging civilians to evacuate to Tel al-Sultan had been dropped one week before the bombing.
Witnesses speaking to Agence France Press confirmed they only came to Tel al-Sultan on instructions from IDF leaflets. Abed Mohammed Al-Attar, whose family would later be killed in the attack, said the Israeli forces had told residents that this area was a safe zone.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) stated that the location had been designated by Israel as a "humanitarian area" and it was not included in areas that Israel's military ordered evacuated earlier this month.
On the night of 26 May, Israeli fighter jets reportedly struck the "Kuwaiti Peace" tent camp in Tel al-Sultan. The camp was noted to be 200 metres (660 ft) from the largest UNRWA humanitarian aid storage warehouse in the Gaza Strip. Multiple people were killed and injured in the initial explosion. Witnesses reported "a deadly hail of shrapnel, then the sound of screaming". A dead woman was later found with shrapnel in her lungs and heart.
A witness said that he heard an explosion, walked out of his house, and saw smoke in a nearby street. Survivors of the attack said it "burned people alive" and destroyed an entire block. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said civilians were trapped in the flames. A video verified by NBC News showed Palestinians screaming for help in tents "engulfed by flames" with civil defense crews attempting to stop the fire and rescue people. Other videos displayed burnt corpses, including one of a decapitated child. Paramedics later retrieved these bodies. The attack was described as a massacre by some media outlets.
Israel stated it had targeted a Hamas compound and killed two senior Hamas commanders: the West Bank Chief of Staff Yassin Rabia and senior official Khaled Nagar, "in accordance with international law". John Kirby stated that Hamas confirmed the deaths of the two commanders. However, witnesses speaking to Mondoweiss and CNN said that no militants were found in the camp.
The Gaza Health Ministry (GHM), stated the attack killed at least 45 people, and ActionAid UK said it killed 50. The GHM said that among the fatalities were at least 12 women, eight children, and three elderly. Doctors Without Borders said that dozens of civilians were injured, with the GHM eventually confirming 65 injuries. It later raised the number of injuries to over 200.
Victims of the attack were rushed to the Emirati Hospital, but the GHM said that Rafah hospitals didn't have enough resources to deal with the number of injured people. The only hospital in Rafah had eight beds and no ICU.
The attack drew multiple independent investigations and analyses from media outlets and military analysts. Israel also investigated the incident, saying it was a 'tragic mishap'.
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Israel said the target of the attack was a "Hamas compound" and two senior Hamas militants, whom it identified as Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar. On 3 June, an IDF investigation claimed that the military believed "there were no civilians" in the area of the strike. Earlier, the IDF released surveillance footage that showed civilians near the structure. In response, a military analyst questioned if Israel knew there were civilians nearby and accepted them as collateral damage.
Satellite image analysis by India Today located the site of the airstrike to "Kuwait Peace Camp", leading the newspaper to conclude "satellite images show Israel targeting Rafah refugee camps". The Washington Post analyzed satellite imagery and found "more than a dozen tent-like structures" around the tin structures targeted. The Guardian located the attack to the "edge of rows of tents" of the Kuwaiti camp, and quoted a resident who said this location was "a medical point surrounded by a lot of tents, in an area with more than 4,000 people". A New York Times investigation concluded that Israel directly struck the camp, saying the metal structures targeted were part of the camp and intended for civilian use. Israeli newspaper Haaretz stated the IDF struck a "dense" area.
Al Jazeera's fact checking agency concluded the strike deliberately targeted the camp sheltering civilians. The Palestinian Authority, Egypt, witnesses and multiple humanitarian groups also said Israel deliberately targeted the refugee camp.
Israel claimed that the strike took place outside of the "al-Mawasi humanitarian zone", which was confirmed by a Forensic Architecture analysis. However, it noted that the strike location was within the previous borders of the zone, and that the IDF did not effectively communicate this change to refugees.
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Israel said two missiles equipped with 17 kilograms (37 lb) of explosives were used in the strikes. Analyses of video footage by The New York Times and CNN showed that the munition was a variant on the US-made guided GBU-39 bomb (sometimes called a missile), though the exact variant was unclear.
Israel stated the use of precision munitions was as an effort to minimize civilian casualties, however, other military experts doubted this. USAF sergeant Wes J. Bryant, who has experience with GBU-39, characterized the Israeli strike as "negligent". Bryant said GBU-39 should not have been used given that civilians were in the "effects radius" of the airstrike; and that GBU-39 should generally not be used near civilian encampments. Trevor Ball, a United States Army explosives technician, said the bombs' fragments can travel up to 600 meters, concluding "so that just doesn’t check out if they’re trying to limit casualties".
Mark Cancian, a Marine Corps Reserves colonel, said the large debris field indicated the bombs appear to be programmed to detonate in the air before impact. This decision by the IDF would ensure that the targets were killed but it would also maximize area damage and risk unintended deaths.
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The cause of the fire is unclear. The IDF said the fire was "unexpected", adding "our munition alone could not have ignited a fire." Frederic Gras, a French munitions analyst, questioned this statement, arguing "any explosion starts a fire as soon as flammable products are in the vicinity." Likewise, a U.S. Army bomb diffusing expert said "a bomb of any size" can start a fire, as explosives release a lot of heat that can cause materials found in camps to catch on fire. Multiple sources pointed out that refugee camps are typically full of flammable and explosive objects, such as cooking gas canisters that could have been ignited by the airstrike. Turkish Special Forces officer Abdullah Agar said Israel should have known that the GBU-39 can easily cause fire in a camp full of flammable materials like clothes and tarpaulin tents.
On May 27, Israeli officials initially told their American counterparts that shrapnel from their airstrike ignited a nearby fuel tank, creating a large fire. The same day, an Israeli reporter said the explosion was caused by a "Hamas jeep loaded with weapons". Later, the IDF suggested that a militant warehouse containing ammunition or "some other material" in the area caused the fire. It also released an Arabic phone call, supposedly made by Hamas, in which they clearly say that the Israeli missile was not responsible for the fire, that the fire was caused by secondary explosions, and the secondary explosions came from an ammunition warehouse. However, James Cavanaugh, who worked at the ATF, said the fire did not indicate “some giant stash that exploded.” A New York Times analysis of numerous videos also concluded no significant secondary explosion was ignited.
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Palestine
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad condemned the attack, labeling it a massacre and calling for the Palestinian people to "rise up and march" against Israel. A spokesperson for the Presidency of the Palestinian Authority condemned the incident, calling it a massacre and called for an intervention. A survivor of the attack stated, "They told us that this area is safe... but now there is no safe place in Gaza. There are massacres everywhere." A lawyer with the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights stated the attack showed Israel was ignoring the International Court of Justice's interim orders.
Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the incident was a "tragic mistake". The Israeli military said the attack was "under review", while its top military prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi called the incident "very grave".
Some Israelis celebrated the attack, likening it to the Jewish holiday Lag BaOmer, in which bonfires are lit to commemorate a second century Rabbi. The analogy was made by Israel's Channel 14 senior journalist Yinon Magal, who posted on X pictures captioned: "The main lighting of the year in Rafah;" and by i24NEWS' Naveh Dromi commenting "Happy Holiday." Both posts were later removed. The comparison was also made by far-right rapper Yoav Eliasi posted videos on Telegram in celebration of the attack and likened it to the holiday. Israeli social media users also shared memes and jokes about the attack. while others condemns on Magal's and Dromi's offensive tweet
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Governments
Spain, Ireland, and Norway condemned the attack and urged Israel to halt the offensive in a joint statement.
Belgium: Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called for further peace negotiations after the attack.
Canada: A legislator and the leader of the New Democratic Party Jagmeet Singh posted a tweet after images of the incident went viral: "Images of the IDFs airstrike hitting a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah are horrifying. Images so terrible I won’t share them. The world is failing the people of Gaza. Canada is failing the people of Gaza." Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stated, "Canada does not support an Israeli military operation in Rafah. This level of human suffering must come to an end".
Chile: The country strongly condemns the "indiscriminate attack" by the Israeli forces.
Colombia: President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack, stating that "the massacre continues".
Egypt: The country condemned the attack, again calling on Israel to halt the Rafah offensive.
France: French politicians called for action against Israel for the attack, with one also calling it an "abominable massacre". President Emmanuel Macron said he was "outraged" at the attacks and again called for a ceasefire.
Germany: German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock stated that the ICJ's measures were binding and urged Israel to follow international law.
Indonesia: The country condemned the Israeli attack on camps for displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the strongest terms, calling it "a flagrant breach of the Orders of the ICJ".
Iraq: Cleric and the leader of the Sadrist Movement Moqtada al-Sadr called for the closure of the US embassy in Baghdad after the attacks in Rafah.
Italy: Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that violence against Palestinians was "no longer justifiable".
Ireland: the Irish vice-prime minister said the attack was "barbaric" and urged Israel to halt the Rafah offensive.
Japan: Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa say that the country is "deeply concerned" about the humanitarian situation in Rafah after the attacks.
Jordan: The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks and urged the international community to hold the perpetrators responsible.
Norway: Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated that the Israeli attack on Rafah has "breached international law".
Oman: The Omani Foreign Ministry condemned the attack.
Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the attack, saying Turkey will do "everything possible" to hold "barbaric" Netanyahu to account.
Qatar: The country warned that the strike could hinder ceasefire negotiations.
Saudi Arabia: The country said that it "condemns in the strongest terms the continued massacres" carried out by Israeli forces in Gaza and that it "affirms its categorical rejection of the continued flagrant violations by the Israeli occupation forces of all international and humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms". The Saudi Foreign Ministry also called for the international community to intervene in the conflict.
South Africa: The International Relations Department says the government has joined the international community and condemned the Israeli attack.
Spain: Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the bombing of Rafah was "one more day with innocent Palestinian civilians being killed", adding that the gravity of the attack "is even larger" as it comes after the ICJ order directing Israel to halt its operations in Rafah and the rest of Gaza.
UAE: The country condemned the attack and stressed that Israel had to follow the ICJ's ruling.
United Kingdom: The UK Foreign Office reiterated that it didn't support the Rafah offensive. The leader of the opposition Labour party Keir Starmer says that he will push for an end to the invasion of Gaza.
United States: White House Office said it was aware of the reports and still gathering information. Later on 27 May, the Biden administration condemned the attack and began assessing whether the strike violated its "red line". On 28 May, the administration announced that the attack didn't violate its red line, which it said was a "large-scale" ground operation.
Yemen: The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the massacre.
Supranational
African Union: The African Union Commission said the ICJ order must be "urgently enforced if global order is to prevail". Its chairman Moussa Faki wrote on X: "With horrific overnight airstrikes killing mostly Palestinian women & children trapped in a displacement camp in Rafah, the State of Israel continues to violate international law with impunity and in contempt of an ICJ ruling two days ago ordering an end to its military action in Rafah".
European Union: Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the attack, saying that Israel's military actions needed to stop.
United Nations: Francesca Albanese condemned the attack and called it "unacceptable", she also stated that Israel must face sanctions to pressure them to stop. Albanese described the attack as "yet another massacre." The UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned "Israel’s actions which killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict", adding that "This horror must stop."
UNRWA: Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of UNRWA said that images from the attack were "a testament to how Rafah has turned into hell on earth".
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation: The OIC called the attack a "heinous massacre" and an act of "state-organised terrorism".
International Criminal Court: Chris Gunness said that the three pre-trial chamber judges were as "horrified as the rest of the world" about the attack.
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International Committee of the Red Cross: A spokesperson for the group said there was a need to follow international law, and that Gaza's healthcare system couldn't handle the attack.
Doctors Without Borders: the group said the attack showed "nowhere in Gaza is safe" and reiterated its call for a ceasefire.
Palestine Red Crescent Society: the group noted that Israel forcibly displaced civilians into that area.
ActionAid UK: the group condemned the "inhumane, barbaric" attack.
19 aid groups said in a joint statement: "As Israeli attacks intensify on Rafah, the unpredictable trickle of aid into Gaza has created a mirage of improved access, while the humanitarian response is in reality on the verge of collapse."
A British doctor in Rafah said that videos of the attack were "truly some of the worst that I have seen".
Following the attack, several aid organisations in this part of the city were forced to close their operations and move them to other parts of the Gaza Strip, including the Al Quds field hospital run by the Palestine Red Crescent Society, a clinic supported by Doctors Without Borders and kitchens run by the World Central Kitchen.
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Council on American-Islamic Relations: The American-Muslim advocacy and civil rights organization condemned the attacks and demanded that US President Joe Biden stop arming Israel to embolden further attacks on civilians in the face of several prior attacks using US weapons. National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell stated in a news conference that Biden should not keep "shifting" and "cross[ing] his own red line" and "every red line of U.S. law, international law and basic human decency", and that him providing "military, financial, and diplomatic support" to these operations was staining all Americans "with the blood of innocent Palestinians".
Jewish Voice for Peace: the US-based Jewish advocacy group condemned the "massacre" carried out by Israel, stating that "the genocide must end".
Former First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf wrote: "Bear witness to the images and ask yourself, are you on the right side of history?" after sharing the images of the incident.
An image depicting tents in a camp arranged to spell out "All Eyes on Rafah", calling for people to pay attention to the offensive in the aftermath of the strike, went viral on social media, with many celebrities re-posting the image.
Following the attack on Tel al-Sultan, British Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton urged Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi stated, "Images of children burning in refugee tents in Rafah starkly depict the decline of humanity in our world". | null |
76992845 | August 2024 Sint Maarten general election | 2024-05-22 23:49:05+00:00 | Snap general elections will be held in Sint Maarten on 19 August 2024, following the early dissolution of the parliament elected in January.
Following the January 2024 general elections a four-party government was formed by the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM), the Democratic Party, the Party for Progress and Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW), all of which had won two seats. As the URSM received the most votes of the four, its leader Luc Mercelina became Prime Minister. Elected members took office on 10 February 2024, and Mercelina took the oath of office on 3 May. However, the government collapsed 18 days later when NOW MP Kevin Maingrette left the coalition to join the opposition. This crossing the floor cost the coalition its majority, leading Mercelina to dissolve parliament and call snap elections. However, on 27 May Maingrette withdrew his support for the opposition and expressed support for the Mercelina administration despite still sitting as an independent. However, the elections remained scheduled.
The 15 seats in the Estates are elected by proportional representation. In order to participate in the election, new parties and parties without a seat in parliament are required to obtain at least 144 signatures; 1% of the valid votes of the January 2024 general elections. | null |
75821230 | 2024 in motorsport | 2024-01-16 00:37:48+00:00 | The following is an overview of the events of 2024 in motorsport, including the major racing events, motorsport venues that were opened and closed during a year, championships and non-championship events that were established and disestablished in a year, and births and deaths of racing drivers and other motorsport people.
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March 2: 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir
Winner: Max Verstappen (Oracle Red Bull Racing)
March 9: 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah
Winner: Max Verstappen (Oracle Red Bull Racing)
March 24: 2024 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne
Winner: Carlos Sainz Jr. (Scuderia Ferrari)
April 7: 2024 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Mie
Winner: Max Verstappen (Oracle Red Bull Racing)
April 21: 2024 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai
Winner: Max Verstappen (Oracle Red Bull Racing)
May 5: 2024 Miami Grand Prix in Miami Gardens, Florida
May 19: 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola
May 26: 2024 Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo
June 9: 2024 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal
June 23: 2024 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona
June 30: 2024 Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, Styria
July 7: 2024 British Grand Prix in Silverstone
July 21: 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest
July 28: 2024 Belgian Grand Prix in Stavelot
August 25: 2024 Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort
September 1: 2024 Italian Grand Prix in Monza
September 15: 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku
September 22: 2024 Singapore Grand Prix in Marina Bay, Singapore
October 20: 2024 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas
October 27: 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix in Mexico City
November 3: 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix in São Paulo
November 23: 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas
December 1: 2024 Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail
December 8: 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (final) in Yas Island
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January 13: 2024 Mexico City ePrix in Mexico
Winner: Pascal Wehrlein ( Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team)
January 26: 2024 Diriyah ePrix #1 at the Riyadh Street Circuit
Winner: Jake Dennis ( Andretti Autosport)
January 27: 2024 Diriyah ePrix #2 at the Riyadh Street Circuit
Winner: Nick Cassidy ( Jaguar Racing)
March 16: 2024 São Paulo ePrix at the São Paulo Street Circuit
Winner: Sam Bird ( NEOM McLaren Formula E Team)
March 30: 2024 Tokyo ePrix at the Tokyo Street Circuit (debut event)
Winner: Maximilian Günther ( Maserati MSG Racing)
April 13: 2024 Misano ePrix #1 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Winner: Oliver Rowland ( Nissan Formula E Team)
April 14: 2024 Misano ePrix #2 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Winner: Pascal Wehrlein ( TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team)
April 27: 2024 Monaco ePrix in Monte Carlo
Winner: Mitch Evans ( Jaguar TCS Racing)
May 11: 2024 Berlin ePrix #1 at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit
Winner: Nick Cassidy ( Jaguar TCS Racing)
May 12: 2024 Berlin ePrix #2 at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit
Winner: António Félix da Costa ( Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team)
May 25: 2024 Shanghai ePrix #1 at the Shanghai International Circuit
Winner: Mitch Evans ( Jaguar TCS Racing)
May 26: 2024 Shanghai ePrix #2 at the Shanghai International Circuit
Winner: António Félix da Costa ( Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team)
June 29: 2024 Portland ePrix #1 at the Portland International Raceway
June 30: 2024 Portland ePrix #2 at the Portland International Raceway
July 20: 2024 London ePrix #1 (final) at the ExCeL London Circuit
July 21: 2024 London ePrix #2 (final) at the ExCeL London Circuit
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March 2: Qatar 1812 km
Hypercar winners: Porsche Penske Motorsport ( Kévin Estre, André Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor)
LMGT3 winners: Manthey PureRxcing ( Klaus Bachler, Alex Malykhin, Joel Sturm)
April 21: 6 Hours of Imola
Hypercar winners: Toyota Gazoo Racing ( Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries)
LMGT3 winners: Team WRT ( Augusto Farfus, Sean Gelael, Darren Leung)
May 11: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
Hypercar winners: Hertz Team Jota ( Callum Ilott, Will Stevens)
LMGT3 winners: Manthey EMA ( Richard Lietz, Morris Schuring, Yasser Shahin)
June 15–16: 24 Hours of Le Mans
July 14: 6 Hours of São Paulo
September 1: Lone Star Le Mans
September 15: 6 Hours of Fuji
November 2: 8 Hours of Bahrain
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March 10: Grand Prix of Qatar
MotoGP winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
Moto 2 winner: Alonso López (Boscoscuro)
Moto 3 winner: David Alonso (CFMoto)
March 24: Grande Prémio Tissot de Portugal
MotoGP winner: Jorge Martín (Ducati)
Moto 2 winner: Arón Canet (Kalex)
Moto 3 winner: Daniel Holgado (Gas Gas)
April 14: Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas
MotoGP winner: Maverick Viñales (Aprilia)
Moto 2 winner: Sergio García (Boscoscuro)
Moto 3 winner: David Alonso (CFMoto)
April 28: Gran Premio de España
MotoGP winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
Moto 2 winner: Fermín Aldeguer (Boscoscuro)
Moto 3 winner: Collin Veijer (Husqvarna)
May 12: Grand Prix de France
MotoGP winner: Jorge Martín (Ducati)
Moto 2 winner: Sergio García (Boscoscuro)
Moto 3 winner: David Alonso (CFMoto)
May 26: Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya
MotoGP winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
Moto 2 winner: Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro)
Moto 3 winner: David Alonso (CFMoto)
June 2: Gran Premio d'Italia
MotoGP winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
Moto 2 winner: Joe Roberts (Kalex)
Moto 3 winner: David Alonso (CFMoto)
June 16: Grand Prix of Kazakhstan
June 30: Motul TT Assen
July 7: Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland
August 4: Monster Energy British Grand Prix
August 18: Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich
September 1: Gran Premio de Aragón
September 8: Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini
September 22: Grand Prix of India
September 29: Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia
October 6: Motul Grand Prix of Japan
October 20: Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
October 27: OR Thailand Grand Prix
November 3: Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia
November 17: Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana
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April 19–21: Round #1 at Vallelunga
Race 1: Norbert Michelisz (BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse)
Race 2: Néstor Girolami (BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse)
May 3–4: Round #2 at Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan
Race 1: Yann Ehrlacher (Lynk & Co Cyan Racing)
Race 2: Ma Qing Hua (Lynk & Co Cyan Racing)
June 7–9: Round #3 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
July 19–21: Round #4 at TBC
August 2–4: Round #5 at Autódromo Víctor Borrat Fabini
September 20–22: Round #6 at Zhuzhou International Circuit
November 1–2: Round #7 at Sydney Motorsport Park
November 7–9: Round #8 at Mount Panorama Circuit
November 14–17: Round #9 at Guia Circuit
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January 25 – 28: Monte Carlo Rally
Overall winner: Thierry Neuville & Martijn Wydaeghe ( Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
WRC-2 winners: Yohan Rossel & Arnaud Dunand ( DG Sport Compétition)
WRC-3 winners: Jan Černý & Ondřej Krajča
February 15 – 18: Rally Sweden
Overall winner: Esapekka Lappi & Janne Ferm ( Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
WRC-2 winners: Oliver Solberg & Elliott Edmondson ( Toksport WRT)
WRC-3 winners: Mille Johansson & Johan Grönvall
March 28 – 31: Safari Rally Kenya
Overall winner: Kalle Rovanperä & Jonne Halttunen ( Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT)
WRC-2 winners: Gus Greensmith & Jonas Andersson ( Toksport WRT)
WRC-3 winners: Hamza Anwar & Adnan Din
April 18 – 21: Croatia Rally
Overall winner: Sébastien Ogier & Vincent Landais ( Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT)
WRC-2 winners: Nikolay Gryazin & Konstantin Aleksandrov ( DG Sport Compétition)
WRC-3 winners: Romet Jürgenson & Siim Oja ( FIA Rally Star)
May 9 – 12: Rally de Portugal
Overall winner: Sébastien Ogier & Vincent Landais ( Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT)
WRC-2 winners: Jan Solans & Rodrigo Sanjuan de Eusebio
WRC-3 winners: Diego Dominguez Jr. & Rogelio Peñate
May 30 – June 2: Rally Italia Sardegna
Overall winner: Ott Tänak & Martin Järveoja ( Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
WRC-2 winners: Sami Pajari & Enni Mälkönen ( Printsport)
WRC-3 winners: Diego Dominguez Jr. & Rogelio Peñate
June 27 – 30: Rally Poland
July 18 – 21: Rally Latvia
August 1 – 4: Rally Finland
September 5 – 8: Rally Greece
September 26 – 29: Rally Chile
October 31 – November 3: Central European Rally
November 21 – 24: Rally Japan
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January 6 – 19: 2024 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia
Bikes winner: Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda Team)
Quads winner: Manuel Andújar (7240 Team)
Cars winner: Carlos Sainz (Team Audi Sport)
Challenger winner: Cristina Gutiérrez (Red Bull Off-Road JR Team USA By BFG)
SSV winner: Xavier de Soultrait (Sébastien Loeb Racing - Bardahl Team)
Trucks winner: Martin Macík (MM Technology)
Classics winner: Carlos Santaolalla (Factorytub)
February 25 – March 2: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in United Arab Emirates
Bikes winner: Aaron Maré (Motosports Team Rally)
Cars winner: Nasser Al-Attiyah (Nasser Racing)
Challenger winner: Austin Jones (Can-Am Factory Team)
SSV winner: Mansour Al-Helei (RX-Sport)
April 2–7: BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal in Portugal
Bikes winner: Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda Team)
Cars winner: Nasser Al-Attiyah (Nasser Racing)
June 2–8: Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina
October 5–11: Rallye du Maroc in Morocco
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February 4 – November 10: 2024 NASCAR Cup Series
February 16 – November 8: 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
February 17 – November 9: 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series
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March 3 – September 8: 2024 IndyCar Series
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2024 FIA European Hill Climb Championship
May 28: Rechberg in Austria
May 12: Subida al Fito in Spain
May 19: Rampa da Falperra in Portugal
June 2: Ecce Homo Sternberk in Czech Republic
June 16: ADAC Glasbachrennen in Germany
July 14: Trofeo Vallecamonica in Italy
July 28: Limanowa in Poland
August 18: St Ursanne - Les Rangiers in Switzerland
September 1: 30. GHD Ilirska Bistrica in Slovenia
September 15: Buzetski dani in Croatia
October 20: Achladokampos Hill Climb 2024 in Greece
Event cancelled | null |
75852490 | List of 2024 motorsport champions | 2024-01-19 17:36:33+00:00 | This list of 2024 motorsport champions is a list of national or international motorsport series with championships decided by the points or positions earned by a driver from multiple races where the season was completed during the 2024 calendar year.
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76259583 | 2024 24H Series | 2024-03-04 17:06:30+00:00 | The 2024 24H Series powered by Hankook is the tenth season of the 24H Series with drivers battling for championship points and titles and the fifteenth season since Creventic, the organiser and promoter of the series, organises multiple races a year. The races are contested with GT3-spec cars, GT4-spec cars, sports cars and 24H-Specials, like silhouette cars, TCR Touring Cars, TCX cars and TC cars.
Bold indicates overall winner.
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GT3 Drivers' Overall
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
GT3 Teams' Overall
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
GT3 Pro-Am Drivers'
GT3 Pro-Am Teams'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
GT3 Am Drivers'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
GT3 Am Teams'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
GTX Drivers'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
GTX Teams'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
992 Drivers'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
992 Teams'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
992-Am Drivers'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
992-Am Teams'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
GT4 Drivers'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
GT4 Teams'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
TCX Drivers'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance.
TCX Teams'
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 60% of the class winner's race distance. | null |
76392727 | 2024 ADAC GT Masters | 2024-03-19 03:39:49+00:00 | The 2024 ADAC GT Masters is the eighteenth season of the ADAC GT Masters, the grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded by the German automobile club ADAC.
Scoring system
Championship points are awarded for the first fifteen positions in each race. Entries are required to complete 75% of the winning car's race distance in order to be classified and earn points. Individual drivers are required to participate for a minimum of 25 minutes in order to earn championship points in any race.
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Overall | null |