U.N. Security Council demands humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza

un-security councilWith more than 1,000 people killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York early Monday to push for “an immediate and unconditional humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.”

The halt in violence would allow for the delivery of urgently needed assistance, the 15-nation council said.

At its midnight meeting, the Security Council also proclaimed its support for “a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders as envisioned in Security Council resolution 1850 (2008).”

But the statement did not appease the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, who wanted the Security Council to pass a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

At least 1,062 Palestinians have been killed and 6,037 wounded since the Israeli operation against Hamas in Gaza started almost three weeks ago, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra said.

Hamas and Israel began firing at each other again Sunday after a temporary cease-fire Saturday failed.

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Russia: EU Sanctions Weaken Anti-Terrorism Efforts

Putin

Russia is lashing out at the latest round of Ukraine-related sanctions imposed by the European Union, saying they endanger the fight against international terrorism.

The sanctions, announced on Friday, impose travel bans and asset freezes on 15 people, including the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service and the head of the agency’s department overseeing international operations and intelligence. Four members of Russia’s national security council are also on the list.

A Foreign Ministry statement Saturday denounced the sanctions, saying they show the EU is taking “a complete turn away from joint work with Russia on international and regional security, including the fight against the spread of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism (and) organized crime.”

“We are sure the decisions will be greeted enthusiastically by international terrorists,” the ministry said.

River In China Mysteriously Turns Bloody Red Overnight

Չինաստանի գետ

A waterway in eastern China has mysteriously turned a blood red color.

Residents in Zhejiang province said the river looked normal at 5 a.m. Beijing time on Thursday morning. Within an hour, the entire river turned crimson. Residents also said a strange smell wafted through the air.

Inspectors from the Wenzhou Environmental Protection Bureau said they have not found the cause of the incident, although water samples seem to indicate the suspicious color was a result of illegal dumping in the river.

“We suspect that somebody dumped artificial coloring in the water because he thought the typhoon yesterday would cause heavy rain, and nobody would notice [the color],” Jianfeng Xiao, Chief of the bureau told China News.

“It turned out there wasn’t heavy rainfall yesterday, so the evidence is left behind,” Xiao said.

Xiao said there is a paper manufacturer, a food coloring company and clothing-maker a long the river. The bureau is still investigating the incident.

China river

No Truce, but 12-Hour Lull in Gaza Fighting Begins

Israel and Hamas began a 12-hour humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza Saturday after the efforts of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry failed to produce a longer truce aimed at ending nearly three weeks of fighting.

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The temporary lull appeared unlikely to change the course of the current hostilities amid ominous signs that the war was spilling over into the West Bank and a warning by Israel’s defense minister that it might soon expand its Gaza ground operation “significantly.”

The Israeli military said the 12-hour pause began Saturday at 8 a.m. (1:00 a.m. EST, 0500 GMT). It said troops “shall respond if terrorists choose to exploit” the lull to attack Israeli soldiers or civilians. The military also said “operational activities to locate and neutralize tunnels in the Gaza Strip will continue.”

Israel launched a major aerial offensive in Gaza on July 8 and later sent ground troops into the Hamas-ruled territory in a bid to halt Palestinian rocket fire and destroy a vast network of cross-border tunnels used by militants to stage attacks.

Michael Schumacher’s devastated wife puts their £15million private jet with his initials on the tail up for sale

michael Schumacher -private jetCorinna Schumacher is selling the private jet her husband Michael used to fly around the world in for £15million.

The sale – 207 days since his life changed forever in a ski accident in the French Alps – is seen as proof that, whatever the outcome of his rehabilitation may be, he will never be the globetrotter he once was.

Schumacher, 45, lies mute and immobile in a Lausanne clinic in Switzerland with long years of therapy ahead of him as he struggles to get back some of his old life that was shattered when he smashed his head on to rocks on December 29 last year.

Corinna is now offering his grey Falcon 2000EX private jet, capable of carrying eight passengers and flying at 920 km, for sale. It still has Schumacher’s initials on the tailplane.
It was reported at the weekend that Schumacher is continuing to make good progress in the Lausanne clinic following his re-emergence from a medically induced coma last month.

Corinna intends to care for him in a specially built facility on the grounds of their mansion at Gland, 30 minutes drive from the clinic.

 

Thailand to Re-Launch Women-Only Train Carriages

railwayThailand’s railway authority said on Thursday it will re-launch women- and children-only carriages in main routes nationwide after a 13-year-old girl was raped and killed in her berth on an overnight train earlier this month.

The State Railway of Thailand said in a statement that the special carriages will start operating on trains traveling to the north, the northeast and the south on Aug. 1. Female passengers and boys younger than 10 and shorter than 150 centimeters (4 feet 11 inches) can ride in the carriages, which will be run by female employees.

The move followed public furor over the assault allegedly carried out by the train’s staff in early July. One employee was arrested in the rape and murder and a second was arrested as an accomplice. The national railway governor also was sacked by Thailand’s military government.

The railway authority said the new carriage service will ensure the safety and convenience of female and children passengers. Since the girl’s death, alcohol testing has begun on railway employees, and public health agencies have called for alcohol to be banned on trains altogether.

The women-only carriages had been canceled previously due to profit losses.

 

Taiwan plane crash kills 48 and injures 10

taiwan-plane-crashAt least 48 people were killed and 10 injured when a twin-engine turboprop plane crashed while attempting to land in Penghu Islands, according to Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration.

TransAsia Airways Flight GE 222 was preparing to land at Magong Airport in heavy rain on Wednesday and had asked for its second go-around before the accident occurred, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

Visibility at the airport during the plane’s attempted landing was about 1,600 meters (1 mile) and considered acceptable for landing, Jean Shen, Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration director told reporters.

Transportation officials arrived Thursday morning to investigate the disaster and assist in relief work. The cause of the crash remains unclear and authorities have identified 14 of the 48 killed, according to CNA.

The plane, an ATR 72-500, carried 54 passengers and four crew members.

Footage on scene showed the plane had crashed in a residential area and broken into pieces. Witnesses told CNN affiliate ETTV that they saw homes on fire after the plane crashed around 7 p.m. The fallen plane destroyed or damaged 11 houses, EETV reported.

 

Two Ukrainian Jets Shot Down, Defense Ministry Says

ռազմական ինքնաթիռ

 

 

Two Ukrainian military jets were shot down in the Donetsk region of the country today, the Ukrainian defense ministry said.

 

The planes were identified as Sukhoi-25 fighter jets. The fate of the planes’ pilots was not immediately known.

 

It happened at 12:30 p.m. Ukraine time (5:30 a.m. ET). Defense ministry did not state what kind of weapon was used to down the jets.

 

The Sukhoi-25 are single seat combat fighter jets. That same type of jet was shot down by a missile July 16.

 

Shortly before word of today’s shoot-down came, the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt told ABC News that he’s very concerned Russia has not stopped the flow of heavy weapons into eastern Ukraine where ethnic Russians are trying to break away from Ukraine.

 

Fighting is currently taking place on the outskirts of Donetsk, one of the separatists last strongholds.

 

 

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Wrecked Costa Concordia sets sail on final voyage

cota concordia-giglioThe wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship has begun its final voyage.

Salvage crews refloated the ship last week so they can move it from its resting place off Giglio Island to the Italian port of Genoa to be dismantled.

On Wednesday morning, the rusting hulk set off into open waters under tow.

It’s been more than 2½ years since the ship ran aground off Giglio Island with more than 4,200 passengers aboard, killing 32 people in a disaster that drew global attention.

The vessel will be towed — slowly and carefully — approximately 240 kilometers (150 miles) to Genoa, where it will be broken up. A convoy of 17 boats will travel along with it.

The ship is expected to arrive in Genoa on Sunday. It’ll take about two years to dismantle the massive cruise liner.

Since the wreck two years ago, 24 metric tons of debris — including furniture, dishes, food, personal effects and ship parts — have been recovered from the seabed.

 

‘Put an end to this senseless devastation’: Michael Douglas and Cate Blanchett lead raft of celebrities demanding ban on big cruise ships sailing through ‘fragile’ Venice

Michael DouglasIt has become one of the most controversial topics in the world of travel – the presence of giant cruise ships in Venice, and fears over the harm these liners may cause to the famous city.

For the cruise industry, the great Italian island citadel is one of the world’s foremost destinations – a place that adds an elegance and a sense of history to any long voyage.

On the other side are those who think the liners are enormous, incongruous intruders into a place that was never designed to host such ocean goliaths.
Now leading figures from the world of cinema – including Oscar winners Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton and Michael Douglas – have added their signatures to a petition, addressed to the Italian prime minister and the Italian minister of culture and tourism, calling for an end to the sight of liners dwarfing buildings such as St Mark’s Basilica.

cruise ships - Venice1Other big-screen figures are also on the list of endorsees, including Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Sir Michael Caine, Edward Norton, Susan Sarandon and Isabella Rossellini.

Other luminaries include architect Sir Norman Foster, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and Princess Firyal of Jordan – plus an illustrious line-up of fashion designers including Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Hubert de Givenchy and Calvin Klein.

Venice has already made moves to restrict the movements of cruise ships in its waters.

January brought a reduction of 20 per cent on the number of ships weighing more than 40,000 tonnes authorised to enter the Giudecca Canal (the waterway which separates the main core of Venice from the separate island of Giudecca, immediately to the south).

Further regulations which were due to come into force in November, have now been put back to January 2015.

 

Footprints of a 36,000-year-old family discovered: Romanian cave found to hold some of Europe’s oldest ever human tracks

Oldest human footprintsSome of Europe’s oldest human footprints have been discovered by researchers in Romania’s Ciur-Izbuc Cave.

The 400 footprints were originally unearthed in the Carpathian Mountains in 1965. At the time, they were thought to belong to a man, woman and child and dated to 10,000 to 15,000 years old.

But now radiocarbon measurements of two cave bear fossils unearthed just below the footprints suggests that these early humans left their impressions 36,500 years ago.

Today, cave explorers have damaged all but 51 of the original 400 footprints. The remaining hollows, however, suggest that six or seven individuals, including at least one child, entered the cave after a flood.

The Romanian footprints are one of the oldest to be described in a peer-reviewed journal, but a number of researchers believe they have found footprints that are much older.

For instance, in 2011 scientists said human tracks at Tanzania’s Engare Sero site were 120,000 years old.

Those findings have not been published yet in a peer-reviewed journal, and David Webb of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania believes this suggests a problem with footprint authenticity.

 

Sucesso! Brazil welcomed more than ONE MILLION tourists over World Cup period (and the final was the most talked about topic in the history of Facebook)

բրազիլիա,ֆուտբոլիգավաթի առաջնություն

 

They may not have managed to win the trophy, but Brazil’s World Cup has been declared a success after attracting 70 per cent more visitors than expected.

A record 1.35 million visitors flocked to the South American country during the competition, from a total of 203 different countries.

Brazil had been expecting just 600,000 visitors during the run-up to the World Cup and for the competition itself.

But instead a daily average of 485,000 passengers passed through 21 airports in the 12 host cities – a higher number than is normally recorded during Carnival.

According to data from the Brazilian Forum of Hotel Operators, hotel occupancy was also at an all-time high. Statistics showed that 108,000 new daily bookings were registered during match days and the day before the games.

And it wasn’t just tourists who put Brazil on the map, the World Cup final was also the most talked about event in Facebook history.

During the whole competition, the  social networking site recorded more than three billion interactions about the World Cup.

In total, around 3.6 billion people around the world watched the final, staged at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã stadium.

It is estimated the World Cup has contributed a total of £9 billion to the Brazilian economy, according to research from the Institute of Economic Research Foundation (FIPE) commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism.

 

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Robert Downey Jr named Hollywood’s highest paid actor for SECOND year in a row with $75million in earnings

Ռոբերտ Դաունի կրտսեր

 

He really is the Iron Man of Hollywood.

Robert Downey Jr has been named for the second year in a row by Forbes as the highest earning actor in the movie industry.

The 49-year-old is estimated to have earned the same amount for the past two years with a whopping $75 million in both 2012 and 2013.

 

Also topping the list, coming in second, is Dwayne Johnson with an estimated $52 million in earnings last year.

 

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Բրեդլի Քուպերը

Coming up third on the list is Bradley Cooper with a mixture of critically acclaimed films and blockbuster comedies, garnering him an estimated $46million.
Fourth on the list is Leonardo DiCaprio, who earned an estimated $39million with films such as The Great Gatsby and The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Ranking fifth is newcomer Chris Hemsworth with a whopping $37million, mostly due to his god-like turn as Thor in both his own star vehicles and the Avengers film.

դոլար, զբաղեցնում է հինգերորդ տեղը:

 

5,000 gallons of diesel spill after 2 trains collide in Wisconsin

Trains-collide-in-Wis

 

Two trains collided in southeastern Wisconsin on Sunday night, causing 5,000 gallons of diesel to spill, a fire official said.

Three engines and 10 rail cars derailed at a point where the tracks crossed, Slinger Fire Department Chief Rick Hanke said.

Residents within a half-mile radius were evacuated due to concerns over the flammability of the diesel and contamination from the spill, Hanke said. More than 100 homes are in the evacuation zone.

A conductor and an engineer suffered injuries that are not life-threatening, the fire chief said.

The crash involved cars carrying sand and lumber. They came from CN and Wisconsin & Southern railroads.

 

The King of Rock and Rollers: Elvis’s Rolls-Royce Phantom’ which he had to paint silver so his mother’s chickens would stop pecking at it, to sell for $300,000

Էլվիսի Պրեսլի,-Royals-Royce-Phantom

 

A prized possession of one music’s biggest petrolheads, Elvis Presley, is set to fetch up to $300,000 at auction next month.

Elvis bought the Rolls-Royce Phantom V brand new in 1963 and had it custom-fitted with the latest gadgets including a telephone, electric windows and a microphone.

The car was initially midnight blue, but he was forced to have it re-painted a lighter silver because his mother’s chickens would repeatedly peck at their reflections when he visited her.

The car will go under the hammer next month at a Bonhams sale in The Quail, California and is expected to sell for between $200,000 and $300,000.
Elvis, then a 28-year-old global sensation, had the 20-foot long car shipped out to his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, where he entertained the likes of The Beatles.
Memphis’s most famous son held on to the Rolls-Royce for five years before donating it to charity, where it sold for $35,000 (£20,500).

It then disappeared for the next 20 years until it was bought by its current owner at a memorabilia auction in London.

Bonhams yesterday described the Rolls-Royce as ‘one of the more significant Phantom V’s to have come up for sale in recent years’.

 

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Ukraine forces take control of Donetsk airport, military spokesman says

 Դոնեցկի օդանավակայան

Ukrainian forces have taken full control of Donetsk airport as they continue to fight pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Ukraine city, a Ukrainian military spokesman says.

Meantime, two people were killed in fighting in the city, the Donetsk City Council said in an online statement.

The council warned residents not to leave their homes.

Donetsk is west of the area where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed Thursday, with the loss of 298 lives. The United States says a Russian-made surface-to-air missile fired from pro-Russian rebel territory took down the Boeing 777.

Since the crash, Ukraine’s government and rebels have traded bitter accusations over who was responsible.

 

World’s biggest cemetery: 1,400-year-old Iraqi burial site contains over FIVE MILLION bodies and – as the country descends into new chaos – counting . . .

 

Գերեզմանոց Իրաքում

 

 

It is already the world’s biggest cemetery, the final resting resting place of some five million souls but it’s growing all the time.

With gravestones stretching out as far as the eye can see, Wadi Al-Salaam, which translates as Valley of Peace, is an ancient Islamic cemetery near the holy city Shiite city of Najaf.

The site is located close to the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shia Imam and fourth Caliph and as a result nearly all Iraq’s Shi’a muslim population request to be buried there.

An estimated 500,000 additional bodies are buried at Wadi Al-Salaam every year, however in recent weeks the figure has been even higher due to victims of the country’s bitter civil war.

 

Wadi-us-Salaam1

 

Selena Gomez Urges Fans to Pray for Gaza

Սելենա Գոմես

Selena Gomez hopes her 11 million followers on Instagram will join her to pray for people in Gaza. On Friday, July 19, the “Come & Get It” singer took to the photo-sharing site to share an image of a message which read, “It’s About Humanity. Pray for Gaza.”

“Please pray for those families and babies today,” the “Spring Breakers” star urged her fans in a caption for the photo. “Please always remember what’s important in life. It’s not any of this. We are here to help, inspire and love. Be that change. #wearethenextgeneration.”

Some fans echoed her sentiment in the comment section. “Thanks for not being afraid to speak the truth! You are amazing…. This has nothing to do with religion but everything to do with being human and having a heart!” one person wrote. “Much respect and love,” another fan added.

Prior to Gomez, Rihanna showed her support to bring peace in the area which is now heated with conflicts. The “Umbrella” singer posted a tweet which read “#FreePalestine” but then deleted it. Later, she shared a photo of an Israeli and a Palestinian boy with their arm on other’s shoulder. She wrote, “Let’s pray for peace and a swift end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict! Is there any hope?”

 

Outrage as France become first country in world to ban pro-Palestine demos

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators-paris

 

France’s Socialist government provoked outrage today by becoming the first in the world to ban protests against Israeli action in Palestine.

In what is viewed as an outrageous attack on democracy, Socialist Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said mass demonstrations planned for the weekend should be halted.

Mr Cazeneuve said there was a ‘threat to public order’, while opponents said he was ‘criminalising’ popular support of the Palestinian people.

Thousands were set to march against the ongoing slaughter in Gaza, calling for an immediate end to hostilities in which civilians including many children have been killed.

But Mr Cazeneuve fears there might be a repeat of the fights between ‘ultra’ Jewish vigilantes and pro-Palestinians which happened after a demonstration last Sunday.

There were false claims made last week that synagogues in Paris had been targeted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

In fact videos showed armed vigilantes from a group called the Jewish Defence League (LDJ) baiting demonstrators into fights.

There were no arrests among the LDJ, despite them fighting and smashing up property in full view of the police.

Six pro-Palestine protestors were arrested for a variety of public order offences, but none had been anywhere near Paris synagogues, which remained undamaged.

UN: Some 5,500 Civilians Killed in Iraq This Year

iraq_bombViolence in Iraq has killed more than 5,500 civilians over the first six months of the year, the U.N. said Friday in a new report that documents the massive humanitarian toll of an ongoing Sunni militant offensive in the country.

In its report, the U.N. mission to Iraq said at least 5,576 civilians were killed and another 11,665 wounded in Iraq from Jan. 1 through the end of June. Another 1.2 million people have been driven from their homes by the violence, it said.

The pace of civilian deaths over the first six months marked a sharp increase over the previous year. In all of 2013, the U.N. reported just over 7,800 civilians killed, which was the highest annual death toll in years.

The report also documents human rights abuses by both sides of the conflict that may constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes.

The U.N. urged all sides in the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, and to respect international law and humanitarian law.