
News Burst 2 January 2020
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he will seek parliamentary immunity from prosecution in the three corruption cases he faces, a move that could postpone criminal proceedings against him for months.
- The Panama Canal, one of the main waterways connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, is suffering from a severe lack of water, having only three billion cubic metres of water out of the 5.2 billion necessary for it to properly function, situation ongoing for over two decades.
- At least nine more infants have died in the last two days of December at the JK Lon Hospital in Kota, taking the death toll to 100 this month, PTI reported on Wednesday. According to the hospital superintendent, the children died mainly due to low birth weight. This comes a day after a Rajasthan government committee cleared the hospital of any lapses after the recent deaths of 10 infants in 48 hours. The death of 10 children at the government-run hospital during a 48-hour period on December 23-24 had triggered opposition criticism.
- A march drawing tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong on New Year’s Day spiralled into chaotic scenes as police fired several rounds of tear gas and water cannon at crowds including families before halting the event. The violence broke out during the largely peaceful march as masses of citizens pressed authorities for further concessions.
- Chinese tourists will continue to power a global travel boom for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday in January, despite a slowing economy, according to a report published by one of China’s largest online travel platforms. Tourists from the mainland are expected to make 450 million trips – domestic and abroad – for the Lunar New Year holiday between January 24 and 30.
- Rudy Giuliani is not only willing to testify in President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, he wants to “do demonstrations” in order to outline what he described as a “series of criminal acts” involving “the highest levels of the Obama administration,” adding that Democrats Adam Schiff and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will go down in history like Joe McCarthy when people “calm down and watch this carefully.”
- Airbus has become the world’s largest planemaker for the first time since 2011 after delivering a forecast-beating 863 aircraft in 2019, seizing the crown from embattled U.S. rival Boeing. Deliveries rose 7.9 % from 800 aircraft in 2018.
- Recently, at least 50 people have died in Bangladesh as extreme cold weather sweeps the country. Cold-related diseases have affected 5,998 people in the last 24 hours alone. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the surge of people suffering from illnesses such as influenza, dehydration and pneumonia, said Ayesha Akhter, a senior official of the government’s health directorate.
- Actor Kevin Spacey has reportedly settled the sexual assault lawsuit with a now-deceased accuser. The man’s son and Spacey’s attorney reportedly agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice. No details of the settlement were made publicly available.
- Father Donald McGuire, a highly regarded Jesuit priest who is now serving a 25-year prison sentence in the clerical abuse scandal, is being accused of abusing a boy more than 1,000 times. The suit filed Monday in San Francisco accuses the priest of engaging in “sexual touching, oral copulation, and anal penetration.” Goldberg’s lawsuit details years of psychological control that even prompted him to testify in McGuire’s defense on other sex-abuse charges.
Notable Resignations Worldwide
- Dec. 31 2019 Chang Cheng – VP Lenovo Group – China – Resigned
- Dec. 30 2019 Thomas Winkler – Chairman Ayondo Holding AG – Switzerland Resigned
- Dec. 30 2019 Bi Mingjian – CEO China International Capital Corporation Ltd. – China Resigned
- Dec. 30 2019 Joseph Makoju – CEO Dangote Cement Plc Nigeria Retired
- Dec. 30 2019 Robert Wolfe – Chairman Red Lion Hotels Corporation – USA Retired
- Dec. 30 2019 William Alverson – CEO Traditional Bank, Inc. – USA Retired
- Dec. 30 2019 Ed Black – President Computer & Communications Industry Association – USA Retired
- Dec. 30 2019 Harvey Perry – Chairman CenturyLink Inc. – USA Retired
- Dec. 30 2019 David Sefton – Chairman Iconic Labs Plc – UK Resigned
- Dec. 29 2019 Andy Reynolds Smith CEO Smiths Group Plc – UK Resigned
Strongest EQ in Europe M4.3 Greece
Strongest EQ in US M2.9 Nebraska
Strongest EQ on the Planet M5..1 Attu Station, Alaska
Deepest EQ M3.1 181 km Java IndonesiaNews Burst 2 January 2020