10 Killed in Brazil When Cliff Falls Into Boats

10 Killed in Brazil When Cliff Falls Into Boats

Mark Clouse January 10, 2022

Dramatic video captures cliff collapsing on tourist boats, killing 10 in Brazil

From www.cbsnews.com
2022-01-09 20:49:35

Excerpt:

Ten people died when a cliff collapsed onto tourist boats on a lake in Brazil, officials said Sunday after the bodies of two missing people were found. On Saturday a large rock fragment broke free of a ravine and plunged onto four boats in Furnas Lake in Brazil’s eastern Minas Gerais state, as panicked tourists watched helplessly from other vessels.

Dramatic videos shared on social networks captured the moment the cliff collapsed.

URGENTE

Rocha desaba sobre banhistas em #EscarpasdoLago (MG)
Confira: https://t.co/xPnulAgs0E #R7Minas pic.twitter.com/zZukQA1cww

— Record TV Minas (@recordtvminas) January 8, 2022

The bodies of the two remaining missing individuals were found Sunday by rescuers, civil police commissioner Marcos de Souza Pimenta told reporters.

More than 30 people were injured, including nine who had to be hospitalized, authorities said.

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Solomon Islands Media Reporting Taiwanese Behind 2021 Riots

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Did Taiwan Engineer Solomon Islands Riots?

Taiwan island ‘sponsored premeditated riots’ in Solomon Islands: nation’s media

From www.globaltimes.cn
2022-01-04 10:42:56

Excerpt:

Local media in the Solomon Islands recently reported that Taiwan island allegedly sponsored the “premeditated” anti-government riots in Honiara with the purpose of trying to pull down the government of the Solomon Islands and sabotage relations between China and the Solomon Islands.

“The acts of violence directed against the democratically-elected government of the Solomon Islands, the ethnic Chinese business community in Honiara and the majority of peace-loving Solomon islanders was at its very core a premeditated, cold-blooded and cowardly Taiwan-sponsored attempt to pull down the national government and undermine Solomon Islands-People’s Republic of China relations,” Solomon Star, a local English media, reported on December 17, quoting a writer given the name of George Belau.

The newspaper said the riots resulted in the destruction of the livelihoods of…

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Haitian Prime Minister Survives Assassination Attempt

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Haiti PM’s Would-Be Assassin Identifed as Columbian

Colombian suspected of involvement in killing of Haiti president held in Panama – sources

From www.news24.com
2022-01-04 11:59:03

Excerpt:

On Monday, Panama authorities arrested a former member of the Colombian military wanted for questioning in connection with the assassination last year of Haiti president Jovenel Moise, two people familiar with the matter said.

The suspect, Mario Antonio Palacios, 43, was detained during a stopover of a flight on which he was being deported from Jamaica to Colombia, the sources said.

Haitian authorities have accused Palacios of forming part of a mercenary group that assassinated Moise in July in an assault on his residence, during which his wife was also wounded.

Palacios was detained during a stopover in Panama and asked to “voluntarily” board a flight to the United States, a Colombian immigration source said.

In case he resisted, Panamanian officials said they would enforce an Interpol red notice issued by the United States, which is in addition to one that Haiti had already issued, the source said.

Haiti has also issued an Interpol red notice for Palacios.

It was not clear if he had gone to the United States.

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Sudan’s PM Resigns

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Struggle for democracy in Sudan continues as PM Hamdok resigns

From www.csmonitor.com
2022-01-03 16:58:49
Samy Magdy
Excerpt:

Cairo

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced his resignation Sunday amid political deadlock and widespread pro-democracy protests following a military coup that derailed the country’s fragile transition to democratic rule.

Mr. Hamdok, a former U.N. official seen as the civilian face of Sudan’s transitional government, had been reinstated as prime minister in November as part of an agreement with the military following the October coup. In that time he had failed to name a Cabinet and his resignation throws Sudan into political uncertainty amid uphill security and economic challenges.

In a televised national address Sunday, Mr. Hamdok called for a dialogue to agree on a “national charter” and to “draw a roadmap” to complete the transition to democracy in accordance with the 2019 constitutional document governing the transitional period.

“I decided to return the responsibility and declare my resignation as prime…

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Somaliland Appeals to Canada for Aid Against Rising Threats

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Somaliland asks Canada for help amid superpower rivalry in Horn of Africa

From www.theglobeandmail.com
2022-01-04 11:00:00

Excerpt:

Somali’s breakaway Somaliland region is asking Canada for international recognition and aid, saying it’s important for Western countries to support a functioning democracy that’s resisting China’s influence in the Horn of Africa.

The self-declared state, which split from Somalia 30 years ago, sent its Foreign Minister, Essa Kayd, to Washington, London and Ottawa recently as part of a campaign to refashion its external relationships. A U.S. congressional staff delegation later visited Somaliland.

Mr. Kayd, 61, who also holds Canadian and U.S. citizenship, met with officials at Canada’s Department of Global Affairs in December. He’s asking countries to provide aid directly to Somaliland instead of giving it through Somalia. He also hopes for recognition as a separate country, a measure that Canada would not likely take unless it was part of a concerted effort…

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Robot Dogs to Replace Most US Troops as Tests Continue

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

US Air Force Testing Light Detection, Ranging on ‘Robot Dogs’

From www.thedefensepost.com
2022-01-04 11:56:50

Excerpt:

The US Air Force has started integrating light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology on quadrupedal “robotic dogs” to increase their capability to see in tight spaces and produce digital images of their surroundings.

According to a Popular Science report, putting LIDAR technology on ground robots allows the military to glimpse what the unit sees and gives soldiers a way to map the interior of a building at a safe distance.

LIDAR emits light waves to measure the distance of an object or target based on the amount of time it takes for each pulse to bounce off surrounding objects and return to the sensor.

Air Force Staff Sergeant Javier Rodriguez explained that LIDAR-equipped robots will be useful for reconnaissance and disaster relief.

“LIDAR is the gold standard, because we can get information we couldn’t get from just pictures,” Air Force Rapid Airfield Damage Assessment System program manager Sean Cloud said in a video. “We can calculate how much material we need to repair based on the craters and fill volume.”

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Italians to Elect New President

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Italy sets Jan 24 to start voting for new Italian president

From abcnews.go.com
2022-01-04 11:25:59

Excerpt:

ROME — Italy’s lower chamber of Parliament on Tuesday set Jan. 24 as the start date to begin voting for a new president, officially kicking off a campaign that is expected to see Premier Mario Draghi and ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi vie for the prestigious job.

The victor, who is chosen by around 1,000 “big electors” among lawmakers and regional representatives, will replace President Sergio Mattarella, whose seven-year term ends Feb. 3. The voting is expected to last several rounds over several days.

The Italian presidency has limited powers and is largely ceremonial. But the president plays a key role in resolving political impasses, which aren’t uncommon in Italy. And this election comes before a new season of campaigning before the 2023 parliamentary election.

During Italy’s political…

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Iraqi Forces Foil Drone Assault on American Troops

Mark Clouse January 3, 2022

Drone wars continue to occur worldwide, with Iraq being one of many hotbeds of drone war activity currently happening today. In what was most likely an Iranian assault, drones assaulted an Iraqi base currently also occupied by American troops, but were successfully shot down by Iraqi forces using anti-drone technology..

Drone attack on US base foiled, Iraqi security sources say – Raw Story

From www.rawstory.com
2022-01-03 12:31:00
Reuters UK
Excerpt:

Two armed drones were shot down on Monday as they approached an Iraqi military base hosting U.S. forces near Baghdad’s international airport, Iraqi security sources said, adding that nobody was hurt in the incident. The attack came as Iran and its allies in Iraq marked the second anniversary of the assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani was killed in a drone strike near Baghdad airport ordered by then-U.S. president Donald Trump. Commenting on the attack, an official of the U.S.-led international military coalition said the base’s defence system ha…

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VA Dem Rep Calls CRT Opposition a Dog Whistle for Racism

Mark Clouse December 23, 2021

Virginia Democrat Elaine Luria decided that telling her constituents that any opposition to Critical Race Theory being taught in schools is just a dog whistle for racism. All opposition to the party ideology is racist, of course. The problem with this Democrat is she serves a purple constituency, and that constituency went from Democrat Governor choice to Republican Governor choice in the last gubernatorial election.

The bigger problem is the winning formula for that upset of the Dem favorite in the election was over the issue of Critical Race Theory taught in schools, an effort that is being met with increasing resistance from an increasingly diverse group of parents. A white woman just showed a significant portion of non-white people they were racist for resisting Critical Race Theory. Good luck (not really) in 2022.

Swing District Dem Calls Opposition to Critical Race Theory a ‘Racist Dog Whistle’

From freebeacon.com
2021-12-22 17:10:38
Alex Nester
Excerpt:

Alex Nester • December 22, 2021 12:10 pm

Virginia Democrat Elaine Luria wrote off concerns about teaching critical race theory in schools to a group of business leaders, calling all criticism of the controversial subject a “racist dog whistle.”

The congresswoman last week told the Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia that debates about critical race theory have “drifted away” from the classroom and grown “to symbolize everything to do with parent’s frustrations with schools.” Still, Luria claims that attacks on critical race theory have always “clearly had overtones of being a racist dog whistle.”

The comments come just months after voters in her swing district voted for Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, whose platform included…

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Another Top Political Leader Arrested by Myanmar Junta

Mark Clouse December 22, 2021

The Myanmar Junta has now arrested the NLD Deputy Parliament Speaker in a bid to hold on to a power they have not yet been able to consolidate after more than a year in power. The arrest follows the 4 year jail sentencing of the former Prime Minister.

Myanmar Junta Jails Ousted NLD Deputy Parliament Speaker

From www.irrawaddy.com
2021-12-22 14:30:15

Excerpt:

A Myanmar junta court sentenced former lower house deputy speaker U Tun Tun Hein, also known as U Tun Aung, to four years in jail with labor for denouncing the coup in February.

Sources close to his legal team told The Irrawaddy that a court inside Lashio Prison in Shan State found him guilty of sedition under Article 505(a) and (b) of the Penal Code on Wednesday. They said the legal team would appeal.

U Tun Tun Hein, a central executive committee member of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD), was initially put under house arrest in Naypyitaw during the military coup on Feb. 1.

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