Last Cat Out Of Tiger King Saga As Seizure Completed

By

-

May 23, 2021

Federal officials have removed the last of the 68 big cats from the private zoo in Oklahoma that had been the center of the “Tiger King” saga.

A jaguar was among the last cat removed from Tiger King Park in Thackerville, a few miles north of Oklahoma’s border with Texas, The Oklahoman reported Sunday.

The turbulent beginnings of the zoo were the subject of the final episode of the Netflix true-crime series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” Zookeeper Jeff Lowe moved the cats to a Thackerville property after the August shutdown of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park.

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday announced the seizure of the federally protected lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar as part of a court-approved agreement to resolve a federal complaint against Lowe and his wife, Lauren Lowe, over the animals’ care.

The civil complaint, filed in November, accused the Lowes of recurring inhumane treatment and improper handling of animals protected by the Endangered Species Act. The couple received numerous citations for failing to properly care for the animals following three inspections of the Tiger King Park in Thackerville since December 2020.

During a hearing two weeks ago, a judge found the couple in contempt for failing to comply with court orders to employ a qualified veterinarian and establish a program of veterinary care for the animals. Daniel Card, an attorney for the couple, told a federal judge that the Lowes “want out completely.”

Jeff Lowe was a central figure in “Tiger King” that featured a mullet-wearing zookeeper named Joe Exotic and became a cultural phenomenon last year. Joe Exotic, a pseudonym for Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison in Texas for his 2020 conviction on charges that he participated in a murder-for-hire plot and violated federal wildlife laws.

Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Holds, U.N. To Launch Gaza Aid Appeal

By

Zoe Maven

-

May 23, 2021

0

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held into a third day on Sunday as mediators spoke to all sides about extending the period of calm after the worst outbreak of fighting in years.

Egyptian mediators have been shuttling between Israel and the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas, to try to sustain the ceasefire and have also met the Islamist group’s rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in the occupied West Bank.

Lynn Hastings, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said on Sunday the U.N. would launch an appeal to repair the damage in densely populated Gaza.

In a statement she said the escalation has worsened an already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, generated by nearly 14 years of blockade and internal political divisions, alongside recurrent hostilities.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden has said Washington will work with U.N. agencies on expediting humanitarian aid for Gaza “in a manner that does not permit Hamas to simply restock its military arsenal”.

Israel has blockaded Gaza since 2007, saying this prevents Hamas bringing in arms and Economists said Israel’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic could be curbed by the hostilities.

However, Israel reopened its borders to foreign tourists on Sunday but said it would take time to revive the tourism industry.

Italy Cable Car Fall: 13 Dead After Accident Near Lake Maggiore

By

Zoe Maven

-

May 23, 2021

0

Thirteen people have been killed and two children seriously injured after a cable car fell on a mountain near Lake Maggiore in northern Italy on Sunday.

The accident happened on a service transporting passengers from the resort town of Stresa up the nearby Mottarone mountain in the region of Piedmont.

Emergency services say they were alerted just after 12:00 local time (11:00 BST) on Sunday adding that two survivors, aged five and nine, were taken by helicopter to a Turin hospital.

Alpine rescue officials confirmed in a Sunday evening tweet that the final tally of those involved was 13 dead and two injured, after the death toll steadily rose in the hours after the accident as the wreckage was searched.

The cause of the incident remains unclear, but local reports suggest the cable carrying the vehicle may have failed about 300m (984ft) from the top of the mountain.

Police and fire officials were among those who responded, with rescuers facing a crash site on steep and difficult terrain.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi described the crash as a “tragic accident” and said he was receiving updates from the minister of infrastructure and transport, as well as local officials.

In a statement he expressed condolences of the whole Government to the families of the victims, with a special thought for the seriously injured children and their families.

Drake, The Weeknd Poised For Big Night At Billboard Awards

By

Koko Lawrence

-

May 23, 2021

0

Some of the Grammys’ biggest critics, who felt they’ve been overlooked at the famed awards show, will take center stage at another event: the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.

The Weeknd called out the Grammys last year when he didn’t earn a single nomination for its 2021 show, despite having the year’s biggest song with “Blinding Lights” and a multi-platinum, multi-hit album with “After Hours.” But at Sunday’s Billboard Awards, he’s the top nominee competing for an impressive 16 awards.

With 27 wins, Drake is the most decorated artist in the history of the Billboard Awards. He’s up for seven honors this year and will receive the Artist of the Decade Award.

Drake has won four Grammys and The Weeknd has earned three — though they’ve been restricted to wins in the rap and R&B categories, instead of winning prizes like album, song or record of the year.

But the Canadian performers will battle for the top prize at the Billboard Awards — top artist — where competition includes Taylor Swift and late rappers Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke.

The Weeknd, Swift, Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke will compete for top Billboard 200 album, along with Lil Baby.

China Ultra-Marathon: Severe Weather Kills 21 Runners

By

Zoe Maven

-

May 23, 2021

0

Twenty-one runners have died after High winds and freezing rain hit participants in the 100km ultramarathon in the Yellow River Stone Forest, a tourist site in Gansu province, on Saturday.

The race was halted when some of the 172 runners went missing, and a rescue operation was launched and found many of the stranded runners reportedly suffered from hypothermia.

Officials said 151 runners were now confirmed safe, and that eight of them were injured.

Surviving participants said the forecast had shown some wind and rain was anticipated, but nothing as extreme as what they experienced.

About three hours after the start, a mountainous section of the race was hit by hail, heavy rain and gales, which caused temperatures to plummet, according to officials from the nearby Baiyin city.

One runner, Mao Shuzhi, told Newsmen she was about 24km into the race at the time and had not yet reached the mountains but decided to turn around when the weather changed and the rain was getting heavier and heavier.

She decided to head back to her hotel, having had previous bad experiences with hypothermia, but others carried on or were already in worst-hit areas.

The operation continued through the night into Sunday morning, during which time a further drop in temperature made the search even more difficult. The deaths have sparked public outrage on Chinese social media, with anger mainly directed at the Baiyin government and unhappiness over the lack of contingency planning.

Iraq Says $150bn Stolen Oil Cash Smuggled Out Since 2003

By

Angel Gimalo

-

May 23, 2021

0

Iraq’s president said Sunday $150 billion from oil had been smuggled out of the country since Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003, as he introduced a law to fight endemic corruption.

President Barham Saleh presented a draft law to parliament to fight corruption, recover stolen funds and hold perpetrators to account, a statement read.

He called “on parliament to adopt this crucial piece of legislation, in order to curb this pervasive practice that has plagued our great nation”.

Transparency International ranks the country 21st from bottom in its Corruption Perceptions Index.

“Of the close to a trillion dollars made from oil since 2003, an estimated $150 billion of stolen money has been smuggled out of Iraq,” Saleh added, calling for cooperation with other governments and international bodies to recover the funds.

Endemic corruption was one of the drivers of protests that shook Iraq from October 2019 to June 2020.

“Corruption is an impediment to any nation’s economic and social development,” the Iraqi head of state said, whose powers are limited under the constitution.

“It deprives citizens of opportunities and livelihoods, and robs them of essential services and infrastructure,” he added.

Saleh said violence and terrorism, which have plagued Iraq for years, “are deeply intertwined with the phenomenon of corruption”.

The draft law targets those who have held positions of director general and above in both government and public companies since the establishment of a new regime in 2004.

Under the law, transactions over $500,000 would be scrutinised as well as bank accounts, particularly those that held over $1 million, and contracts or investments obtained through corruption would be cancelled.

But security and politics expert Fadel Abo Ragheef was sceptical the law would be passed.

“It’s certainly one of the best pieces of legislation proposed by the executive branch since 2003. But will it be adopted? I doubt it,” he told AFP.

“The political parties the lawmakers belong to will act to sabotage it, so it doesn’t pass,” he said.

“In public they will support it, but behind the scenes, they will do everything to prevent its adoption, because many of the politicians are involved in this racket”.

An Iraqi banking source said politicians have smuggled $60 billion out of the country.

However, much of that was via Lebanon, a move now likely to their detriment, as the country is mired in a severe economic crisis, and it is almost impossible to get money out of its banks.

Specialists Describe Nyiragongo As One of Africa’s Most Dangerous Volcanoes

By

Angel Gimalo

-

May 23, 2021

0

Nyiragongo, the volcano that has begun to erupt in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is the continent’s most active and one of its most dangerous, specialists say.

A Stratovolcano, it and Nyamuragira are the only two still active in the DRC’s Virunga mountain range, and Nyiragongo represents a serious threat to the city of Goma and its roughly 1.5 million inhabitants.

The summit stands at 3,470 metres (11,385 feet) and is said to contain the largest quasi permanent lava lake in the world, the level of which rises and fall from time to time.

It is considered extremely dangerous because lava flows can reach up to 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour.

The volcano’s previous eruption was on January 17, 2002, when a cloud of ashes spewed three kilometres (9,800 feet) into the air and sent between 15 and 25 million cubic metres (530- 880 million cubic feet) of lava towards Goma.

More than 100 people died and parts of the city were destroyed, with the loss of almost 14,000 structures that left 130,000 people homeless.

Between 300,000-500,000 people fled to neighbouring Rwanda.

In January 1977, between 600-2,000 people died according to various estimations following an eruption that generated a lava flow estimated to have swollen to 20 million cubic metres (700 million cubic feet) in half an hour.

In 1994, when the Rwandan genocide drove 800,000 people into the region, activity measured from Nyiragongo raised fears of a major catastrophe that fortunately did not occur.

A seismic activity observatory was created in Goma after the 2002 eruption to track both volcanoes, but they have not been monitored for the past seven months because of a lack of funding, according to a local specialist.

Belarus Diverts Ryanair Flight To Arrest Journalist

By

Zoe Maven

-

May 23, 2021

0

A Ryanair plane flying from Greece to Lithuania has been diverted to Belarus, with the country’s opposition figures saying it was done so a dissident journalist on board could be arrested.

The Nexta online network said its ex-editor Roman Protasevich was detained.

Belarus state media said the plane was diverted to Minsk because of a bomb scare but no explosives were found.

Flight FR4978 was en route from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday when it turned east to Belarus’s capital Minsk shortly before it reached the Lithuania border.

In a statement, Ryanair said the crew were “notified by Belarus (Air Traffic Control) of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk”.

Meanwhile, European nations have reacted with outrage, accusing Belarus of “state terrorism” and demanding punishment.

Political figures across Europe have already called for the EU and Nato to intervene.

Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was beaten by Alexander Lukashenko in presidential polls last year widely denounced as rigged, was among those demanding Protasevich’s release.

Since August’s election, 66-year-old Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, has cracked down on dissenting voices. Many opposition figures have been arrested or, like Ms Tikhanovskaya, fled into exile.

The flight path, visible on the flightradar124 website, suggests the plane was actually nearer to Vilnius than Minsk when it turned.

Benin’s President Patrice Talon Is Sworn In

By

Zoe Maven

-

May 23, 2021

0

Patrice Talon was sworn in as president of the African state of Benin for a second term Sunday, after being re-elected last month amid controversy.

The investiture ceremony took place at the Charles De Gaulle Stadium in the capital of Porto Novo.

Speaking in his inaugural speech, Talon said he will be the president of all Beninese, adding that the elections and the misunderstandings or quarrels they generate are now a thing of the past.

Talon won 86.3 percent in the April 11 ballot, which critics said was biased in his favour after a crackdown on opposition leaders left most of them exiled or disqualified from running.

Several opposition representatives, including two candidates who were barred, were detained before or just after the vote in the West African state.

In March, opposition leader Reckya Madougou was detained, accused of plotting assassinations to prevent the election taking place, a charge her lawyer dismissed as politically motivated.

Soon after Talon’s victory, another opponent, Joel Aivo, was arrested and accused of “undermining the security of the state”.

In the lead-up to the election, two people were killed when troops opened fire with live rounds to clear an opposition protest blockading a major highway in the centre of the country.

Government officials say security forces responded after they came under fire.

NATO Demands Probe Of ‘Dangerous’ Belarus Flight Diversion

By

Angel Gimalo

-

May 23, 2021

0

The NATO military alliance on Sunday demanded an international investigation into Belarus’ diversion of a passenger flight and arrest of an opposition activist.

“We are closely monitoring the forcible landing in Belarus of a Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius, and the reported detention of opposition figure Roman Protasevich,” NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg tweeted.

“This is a serious and dangerous incident, which requires international investigation.”