Paris attacks: Blindfolded Muslim man asks people to 'show him trust with a hug' after shootings

Thu, Nov 19, 2015
By Alexandra Sims

A Muslim man stood blindfolded in the centre of Paris asking mourners to embrace him as they gathered to commemorate the 129 victims killed in a series of terror attacks across the capital.

Footage posted online shows the man standing next to a homemade sign reading: “I’m Muslim, but I’m told that I’m a terrorist. I trust you, do you trust me? If yes, hug me.”

The video shows dozens of onlookers approaching the man and embracing him at the Place de la République, which has become a hub for homages and tributes.

One woman is moved to tears by the man's gesture and joins another onlooker to hug him.

After taking off his blindfold the man, who remains unnamed, said: “I would like to thank every one of you for giving me a hug. I did this to send a message to everyone.

“I am Muslim, but that doesn’t make me a terrorist. I never killed anybody. I can even tell you that last Friday was my birthday, but I didn’t go out.

“I deeply feel for all the victims’ families. I want to tell you that ‘Muslim’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘terrorist’.

“A terrorist is a terrorist, someone willing to kill another human being over nothing. A Muslim would never do that. Our religion forbids it.”

The video has been watched more than 10 million times on Facebook and received 150,000 likes in two days.  

Attacks by jihadist militants and a rise in refugees seeking help in Europe has led to renewed focus on Europe’s Muslim population.

Since the Paris attacks, committed by Isis militants and suicide bombers, the Slovakian Prime Minister claimed his country is “monitoring every Muslim,” while Poland has demanded security guarantees before accepting refugees.

However, a survey of seven European countries last spring by the Pew Research Centre, found France has the most positive views on followers of Islam, with 74 per cent of people surveyed holding a favourable view of the Muslim community.

In Britain, an advert organised by the Muslim Council of Britainon behalf of more than 300 mosques and community groups said the "barbaric acts of [Isis] have no sanction in the religion of Islam, which forbids terrorism and the targeting of innocents."

The advert called on everyone to stand together to ensure communities were not turned against each another.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-attacks-blindfolded-muslim-man-asks-people-to-show-him-trust-with-a-hug-after-shootings-a6740101.html

Structure of the lead:   Who- A Muslim man
   When- Thursday
   What- ask for a hug
   Why- he want to tell people that not every Muslim is terrorist
   Where- Paris
   How- not given

Keywords:
1. onlooker 旁觀者
2. hub 樞紐
3. homages 敬意
4.barbaric 野蠻的

Liquid water exists on Mars, boosting hopes for life there, NASA says

Tue, Sep 29,2015

By Michael Pearson, CNN

Potentially life-giving water still flows across the ancient surface of Mars from time to time, NASA scientists said Monday in revealing a potential breakthrough in both the search for life beyond Earth and human hopes to one day travel there.

While the discovery doesn't by itself offer evidence of life on Mars, either past or present, it does boost hopes that the harsh landscape still offers some refuge for microbes to cling to existence.

"The existence of liquid water, even if it is super salty briny water, gives the possibility that if there's life on Mars, that we have a way to describe how it might survive," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.

NASA researchers using an imager aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter confirmed the watery flows by looking at light waves returned from seasonal dark streaks on the surface, long suspected to be associated with liquid water.

The investigation showed the streaks absorb light at specific wavelengths associated with chemicals known to pull water from the Martian atmosphere in a process known as deliquescence, said Georgia Tech doctoral student Lujendra Ojha, who first discovered the streaks while still an undergraduate student at the University of Arizona in 2011.

The chemicals allow the water to remain liquid at lower temperatures but also help keep it from boiling off in the thin atmosphere of Mars, the researchers said.

It remains unclear where the water comes from. Theories include deliquescence, melting subsurface ice or even a liquid-water aquifer that feeds the process. Discovering what precisely is causing the phenomenon is a mystery for the next round of investigations, said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program.

The researchers' findings are in a new paper being presented this week at the European Planetary Science Congress in France.This is not the first discovery of water on Mars.

Researchers have known for many years that Mars has water frozen at its poles, in its thin atmosphere, and, most recently, in tiny puddles that appear to form at night on the surface.

Nor is it the first potential clue that Mars could have once -- or may still -- host life. The Mars Curiosity rover, for instance, has detected methane on the surface of Mars, as well as other chemical signatures suggesting the possibility of past or present life.

It remains to be seen whether the new discovery improves the odds of life on Mars, but researcher Mary Beth Wilhelm said the results suggest "more habitable conditions on the near surface of Mars than previously thought."

How habitable, she said, depends on how salty and how cold the conditions are.But Alfred McEwen, who heads up NASA's HiRISE high-resolution camera aboard the Mars orbiter, said he's fairly confident life will one day be found on Mars."It's very likely, I think, that there's life somewhere in the crust of Mars, microbes," he said.

Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA, said the discovery announced Monday puts NASA in a perfect position to look for that life.

"We haven't been able to answer the question, 'Does life exist beyond Earth?' " Green said. "But following the water is a critical element of that. We now have, I think, a great opportunity to be in the right locations on Mars to thoroughly investigate that."

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/28/us/mars-nasa-announcement/

Structure of the lead:
   Who-NASA
   When- Mon, Sep 28, 2015
   What-water still flows across the ancient surface of Mars
   Why-not given
   Where-Mars
   How-using an imager

keywords:
1.briny 鹹的
2.microbes 維生物
3.aquifer 含水層
4.puddles 水坑
5.methane 甲烷
6.crust 外殼

They're here! New Horizons' best shots of Pluto are arriving

Fri, Sep 11, 2015
By Ben Brumfield, CNN

A range of majestic mountains meets with endless plains. On Pluto, billions of miles from the sun's reach, they are likely both made of ice.

And this week, we are seeing close-ups of them with unprecedented clarity. Finally, two months after the New Horizons spacecraft flew by the dwarf planet at close range, new higher resolution images have arrived.

It has taken that long for NASA to download them. The transfer speed of data from the spacecraft at 2,000 bits per second makes an old dial-up modem with its 56,000 bits per second look like a speed demon.

It will take NASA a year to transfer all the photos and data. The dump began arriving over the Labor Day weekend. Some of the pictures that NASA released were not single snapshots but compilations synthesized from multiple photos.

Judging by the first, crisp digital close-up images, the wait was worth it. They reveal a planet not frozen in place but with a complex landscape still developing.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/11/us/pluto-new-horizons-photos-data/

Structure if the lead:
  Who-NASA
   When- this week
   What- best shot of Pluto
   Why-not given
   Where- Pluto
   How- sending New Horizons
Keywords:
1.unprecedented 空前的;前所未有的
2.dump 堆存處
3.compilation 編輯
4.synthesize 綜合;合成

Almost 500 injured in explosion at Taiwan water park

Mon, June 29, 2015
By Kimberly Hutcherson /  Kevin Wang / Geg Botelho

Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare put out a call for medical supplies and skin grafts for the hundreds injured after flammable powder exploded in midair at a recreational water park, Taiwanese media reported.

By late Sunday, no fatalities had been reported, and the total number of injuries had dropped to 498, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency, which cited New Taipei's Public Health Department. The department said some of the injured were inadvertently counted twice in its previous tally of 524. Forty-three hospitals are treating casualties, CNA reported, and 202 of the victims are in critical condition.

Most of the victims, 485 of them, are Taiwanese, but 13 foreigners were also injured, CNA said. The majority of injured foreigners are female. They include residents of Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Though the New Taipei government said the nationalities of three of the victims had not yet been confirmed, it was reported earlier that a "European or American" man was among the wounded.

Of the injured, 182 are hospitalized in intensive care units, New Taipei public health officials said. More than 60 have been discharged after treatment.

Liu Yeuh-Ping of Taipei's Department of Health told CNN that while there was ample room for patients in intensive care units, there are not enough spaces in the specialized burn units, so health authorities are trying to move patients in need of intensive burn care.

Firefighters said the firestorm erupted around 8:30 p.m. Saturday (8:30 a.m. ET), when a flammable powder substance blew up over a stage at Formosa Fun Coast, according to a CNA report. Video showed a massive fireball suddenly engulfing the stage, followed by screaming people running for their lives through flames. "The fire came too fast and nobody was able to run," said witness Huang Guan Zhang, 19. "Everybody was burned. ... Nobody could save others and people suffered severe burns." Some people used large, inflated inner tubes as stretchers to carry out the injured, CNA reported. 

After visiting with hospitalized victims, Taiwan's Premier Mao Chi-Kuo announced a ban on color powder events while the incident is being investigated, according to CNA. In a video distributed by the government, he said the ban would be in place until color powder can be proved safe. President Ma Ying-Jeou also met with people injured in the fire. He said the Taiwanese government would help the victims and promised a full investigation.

Five people have been questioned in connection with the blast, according to Tu Yi Te, secretary in chief of the Luzhou District police department. He said two of them are considered to be suspects -- the organizer of the party and the person in charge of lighting and hardware.

They were brought to the prosecutor for further questioning, Tu said, and CNA reported the Taipei Shilin District Prosecutors Office released the two on bail and barred them from leaving the country. Organizer Lu Chung-chi's bail was about $32,000, while the hardware engineer's was almost $9,700, CNA said.

Mayor Eric Chu called it the "worst incident of mass injury (ever) in New Taipei," Taiwan's most populous city.

Formosa Fun Coast said the fiery explosion occurred during a "Color Play Asia" party put on by a separate company that leased out space at the park. "We are very regretful (for) this accident that caused injuries to many victims," Formosa Fun Coast said in a statement. "The most urgent matter currently for us is to handle and assist with ... victims on the scene and work comprehensively with the New Taipei Fire Department."

The organizer of "Color Play Asia" apologized and promised to take full responsibility, CNA reported. "We need to apologize to the families. I am very sorry that something like this happened," Lu told CNA. "We shoulder ultimate responsibility."

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/28/asia/taiwan-water-park-explosion/

Structure of the lead:
   Who-Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare
   When-not given
   What-put out a call for medical supplies and skin grafts
   Why-the hundreds injured after flammable powder exploded
   Where-recreational water park
   How-not given

keywords:
1.skin graft: 皮膚移植
2.inadvertently: 不經意地
3.ample: 充足
4.engulf: 吞沒
5.hardware: 硬體
6.prosecutor: 實行者;追訴者;告發者
7.bail: 保釋
8.bar: 阻攔;禁止
9.fiery: 炙熱的;熱烈的;爆炸的
10.shoulder: 承擔

Nepal Earthquake Death Toll Becomes Highest On Record In The Nation

Sun, May 17, 2015

By Tommy Wilkes, Gopal Sharma, and Dominic Evans

KATHMANDU, May 17 (Reuters) - The number of people killed in Nepal by two major earthquakes has surpassed 8,500, making the disaster the deadliest to hit the Himalayan country on record, as rescuers on Sunday searched for dozens of people still missing in remote villages.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, killing thousands and demolishing more than half a million homes, most of them in rural areas cut off from emergency medical care.

A second major quake struck on Tuesday 76 kilometers (47 miles) east of the capital Kathmandu, just as Nepalis were beginning to recover from the previous earthquake.

The death toll from the two quakes now stands at 8,583, the home ministry said on Sunday.

The previous deadliest earthquake to strike the country - in 1934 - killed at least 8,519 in Nepal, as well as thousands more in neighboring India.

In Dolakha district east of Kathmandu, which was hit hardest by the second quake, dozens of landslides have blocked access to remote villages.

In Singati village, devastated by a landslide, dozens are still missing and rescue workers are yet to remove debris from all of the village to recover bodies, district officials said.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala told reporters on Sunday 58 foreigners had died in the two earthquakes. Koirala said 112 foreigners were still unaccounted for, although many of those could be backpackers who choose not to register with authorities when they leave the country.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/17/nepal-earthquake-death-toll_n_7300646.html 

Structure of the Lead:
   Who-people in Nepal
   When-April, 25
   What-more than 8,500 people died
   Where-Nepal
   Why-not given
   How-two major earthquakes



keywords:
1.surpass : 勝過;大於
2.demolish: 推翻;拆除;破壞
3.rural area: 農村
4.debirs: 殘骸;碎片
5.backpacker: 背包客
6.accounted for: 對...負責 

Thousands of Rohingya refugees to flee by boat in ‘looming disaster’, Amnesty warns

Tue, Oct 20, 2015

Tens of thousands of persecuted Myanmar Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi(孟加拉) economic migrants have fled across the Andaman Sea(安達曼海) in recent years, usually to Malaysia, as part of a lucrative trade controlled by smuggling gangs.

Crossings tend to halt over the dangerous summer monsoon season and restart in October, while the people smuggling trade was thrown into disarray earlier this year by a crackdown on gangs in Thailand.

But Amnesty says that crackdown and promises by regional governments to address the crisis have done little to dismantle criminal networks or persuade people against making the crossings.

“There’s another disaster looming on the Andaman Sea unless governments act urgently,” Anna Shea, refugee researcher at Amnesty International, told AFP.

“Thousands of people will take to boats over the coming months, but so far regional protection mechanisms and search and rescue operations fall far short of what is necessary,” she added.

Rights groups have long accused south-east Asian nations of turning a blind eye to regional people trafficking and smuggling – and even alleged official complicity in the trade.

Its sheer extent was laid bare in May when people-smugglers abandoned thousands of migrants at sea or in jungle camps after a belayed Thai clampdown, a crisis that eventually forced a southeast Asia-wide response.

Survivors described horrors on boats and in camps on both sides of the Thai-Malaysia border where murder, rape and beatings were commonplace.

Amnesty’s report, based on interviews with dozens of survivors, described the treatment of migrants by traffickers as “hellish" and warned that hundreds – possibly thousands – may have perished because of the “disastrous consequences” of Thailand’s crackdown.

“The shocking truth is that those we spoke to are the ‘lucky’ ones who made it to shore – countless others perished at sea or were trafficked into forced labour situations,” Shea said.

“Governments must do more to prevent this human tragedy from recurring.”

Rohingya have long been fleeing Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, where they are persecuted by the Buddhist majority.

Communal violence is prevalent and many of the minority live in bleak camps with restrictions over employment and travel.

Myanmar’s government has insisted that the group are not being persecuted. But Amnesty said their Rohingya interviewees were fleeing a “harrowing picture of mob attacks, deaths and disappearances” in Rakhine.

The group added that most Rohingya were “likely refugees” and should be treated as such by transit and destination countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

http://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/oct/21/thousands-rohingya-refugees-flee-boat-looming-disaster-amnesty

Structure of the Lead:

   Who-Myanmar Rohingya Muslims

   When-October

   What-fled across the Andaman Sea

   Why- halt over the dangerous summer monsoon season

   Where-Andaman Sea

   How- by boat

keywords:
1.persecute 迫害
2.lucrative 賺錢
3.smuggle 走私
4.halt 停止;立定
5.disarray 雜亂
6.dismantle 拆除...設備;分解
7.loom 隱約可見
8.sheer 絕對
9.belated 遲來
10.hellish 地獄的;凶惡的