All posts tagged: prominent

Prominent anti-whaling activist detained in Greenland at Japan’s request | Climate News

Prominent anti-whaling activist detained in Greenland at Japan’s request | Climate News

Published by Sam

Environmentalist Paul Watson has been detained until August 15, authorities and his foundation said. Veteran environmental activist and anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson has been apprehended by Greenland police following an international arrest warrant issued by Japan. Watson, a 73-year-old Canadian-American citizen, is the former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society whose direct-action tactics, including high-seas confrontations with whaling vessels, have drawn support from A-list celebrities and been featured in the reality television series called Whale Wars. Japan, which says eating whale meat is part of its culture, resumed commercial whaling in 2019 and has since modernised its fleet and expanded its catch list, drawing condemnation from conservationists who fear for the fate of the large ocean mammals. “The Japanese authorities have issued an international arrest warrant for Paul Watson, which is the reason why the Greenland Police were ready to arrest him on arrival in Nuuk,” Greenland’s law enforcement agency said in a statement on Monday. After his arrest, Watson appeared before a district court to look into a request to detain him pending …

Iran Sentences Prominent Rapper to Death, Lawyer Says

Iran Sentences Prominent Rapper to Death, Lawyer Says

Published by Sam

A dissident rapper has been sentenced to death in Iran after releasing music in support of antigovernment demonstrations that rocked the country in 2022, according to his lawyer, in a case that has prompted global condemnation. The rapper, Toomaj Salehi, 33, was one of the most prominent voices among those arrested over nationwide protests against Iran’s clerical rulers after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, 22. Human rights organizations have been calling for Mr. Salehi’s release, saying that he has been tortured in prison and warning that he could face execution. Amir Raesian, Mr. Salehi’s lawyer, told the Iranian reformist newspaper Shargh in an article published on Wednesday that a court in the central city of Isfahan had sentenced Mr. Salehi to death and that his client planned to appeal. The office of the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran condemned the sentence, calling it another example of “the regime’s brutal abuse of its own citizens, disregard for human rights, and fear of the democratic change the Iranian people seek.” Mr. Salehi was initially …

Prominent Baptist pastor in military-ruled Myanmar detained again hours after release from prison

Prominent Baptist pastor in military-ruled Myanmar detained again hours after release from prison

Published by Sam

BANGKOK (AP) — A prominent Christian church leader and human rights advocate from Myanmar’s Kachin ethnic minority was detained by the authorities just hours after he was released from prison under an amnesty by the military government, a relative, a colleague and local media said Thursday. The Rev. Hkalam Samson, former head of the Kachin Baptist Convention and chairman of the Kachin National Consultative Assembly, was among the 3,300 prisoners released nationwide on Wednesday to mark the traditional Thingyan New Year holiday. The assembly is an umbrella organization uniting religious and civil society groups with political organizations promoting Kachin rights, including autonomy from Myanmar’s central government. Kachin state, in northern Myanmar, has been the scene of intermittent warfare for decades between the army and well-organized and -armed Kachin guerrillas. Samson had been warmly welcomed by family and friends outside the gate of the prison in the Kachin state capital, Myitkyina, when he was released early Wednesday afternoon. At around 10 p.m. Wednesday night, however, security forces and officials came to his home in the city …

Prominent New York church, sued for gender bias, moves forward with male pastor candidate

Prominent New York church, sued for gender bias, moves forward with male pastor candidate

Published by Sam

(AP) – A search committee previously sued for gender discrimination over its hiring process has announced its pick for the next senior pastor of a prominent New York City congregation considered by some to be the flagship of the Black church in America. Candidate Kevin R. Johnson, founding pastor of Dare to Imagine Church in Philadelphia, will be recommended for the congregation’s approval to lead the more than 200-year-old Abyssinian Baptist Church, according to an internal church memo obtained by The Associated Press. Church spokesperson LaToya Evans confirmed in a statement that the committee had made its selection. “The Pulpit Search Committee is confident in Rev. Johnson’s ability to lead and uphold the history and legacy of our institution of faith,” said the memo, dated April 13. “We look forward to presenting the final candidate to you and will announce the date of the congregation vote in the coming days.” No woman has ever been Abyssinian’s senior pastor; Johnson’s selection would continue that streak. Based in Harlem, Abyssinian became a famous megachurch with the political …

Who is ‘Barbecue,’ Jimmy Chérizier, Haiti’s prominent gang leader

Who is ‘Barbecue,’ Jimmy Chérizier, Haiti’s prominent gang leader

Published by Sam

Jimmy Chérizier, the elite police officer-turned-gang leader known as “Barbecue,” has risen through Haiti’s political vacuum to become one of the country’s most powerful men. Chérizier — who got his nickname from his mother’s famous grilled chicken — has proved himself a savvy player of both traditional and social media and a charismatic leader who unified several of Port-au-Prince’s disparate gangs to take control of much of the city and demand embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step down. He has been accused of crippling Haiti’s economy through extortion and blocking port terminals. His alleged leadership of and participation in slum massacres and violence have left him feared at home and sanctioned internationally. His gang’s most frequent victims are the poor residents and small business owners of the slums he controls. But Henry, criticized for failing to contain the violence or lead the country to new elections, finally agreed Monday that he would step down once a transitional presidential council had chosen an interim leader to replace him. Chérizier was one of several forces — …

Understanding your blood type could save your life, prominent hematologist finds

Understanding your blood type could save your life, prominent hematologist finds

Published by skeptic

A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-negative, O-positive, AB-positive, and AB-negative are not just mere labels; they hold implications far beyond their hospital utility. (CREDIT: Creative Commons) We see blood as a life-giving force, vital for survival. Yet, most are oblivious to the fact that every drop of this crimson fluid has tiny variations that divide humanity into distinct groups. A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-negative, O-positive, AB-positive, and AB-negative are not just mere labels; they hold implications far beyond their hospital utility. Blood Types: Decoding the Basics At its core, our blood type is determined by the presence or absence of specific proteins on our red blood cells, termed antigens. The ABO gene is the programmer. For instance, those with type AB blood produce both A and B antigens. Conversely, type O produces none. Meanwhile, the ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ suffix depends on another protein — the Rhesus or Rh factor. This isn’t mere scientific jargon. Take the O-negative blood type, for instance. Labelled as the “universal donor,” it’s a lifeline in emergencies since it lacks antigens or …

Shinsadong Tiger, prominent K-pop composer who created T-ARA, EXID, Momoland’s hits, found dead

Shinsadong Tiger, prominent K-pop composer who created T-ARA, EXID, Momoland’s hits, found dead

Published by Sam

Lee Ho-yang, a prominent K-pop composer and producer better known by his professional name of “Shinsadong Tiger,” was found dead on Friday (Feb 23), South Korean police said. The Seoul Metropolitan Police said Lee, 40, was discovered dead at his Seoul studio. Police gave no further details and there was no word on the cause of death. Local media reported that one of Lee’s acquaintances found him collapsed on the floor at the studio and called local emergency services. Lee created a slew of hit K-pop songs such as T-ARA’s Roly Poly, Apink’s NoNoNo, EXID’s Up&Down and Momoland’s Bboom Bboom. In 2011, he also established AB Entertainment, which later debuted the girl group EXID. Source link

reported death of Putin’s most prominent opponent spells the end of politics in Russia

reported death of Putin’s most prominent opponent spells the end of politics in Russia

Published by skeptic

Reports of the death of Russia’s most famous opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, in an Arctic prison camp are shocking, but not entirely unexpected. It draws a line under Russia’s political development over the past two decades by highlighting that a challenge from within is no longer possible. Navalny was the last public politician to pose a real challenge to the Kremlin, but his attempt to overthrow the regime failed long before what appears to be his untimely death in prison. His unrealistic calculations about the impact of his return to Russia in 2021 led to the dismantling of the remnants of any organised opposition that was not sanctioned – and controlled – by the Russian state. Navalny ended up in prison, his supporters arrested or fled abroad. As a result, when the invasion of Ukraine came, there were very few street protests against it. Active in Russian politics for more than 20 years, Navalny’s main focus was identifying and rooting out state corruption, an issue with almost limitless material in modern Russia. He embraced new …

Kansas City Mom and Prominent Hispanic DJ Dies in a Mass Shooting After Chiefs’ Victory Parade

Kansas City Mom and Prominent Hispanic DJ Dies in a Mass Shooting After Chiefs’ Victory Parade

Published by skeptic

Lisa Lopez-Galvan was a music lover and DJ in the Kansas City area who played at weddings, quinceañeras and an American Legion bar and grill. She mixed Tejano, Mexican and Spanish music with R&B and hip-hop, and volunteered as a host on a radio program. She also was a devoted fan of Kansas City’s professional sports teams and went with her husband and young adult son to a parade Wednesday at the city’s Union Station to celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win. Afterward, her tight circle of friends learned that she was killed, one of 23 people shot when the parade ended in gunfire. Lopez-Galvan’s radio station, KKFI-FM, confirmed her death. Rosa Izurieta and Martha Ramirez worked with Lopez-Galvan for about a year at a local staffing firm but had known her since childhood. They remembered her as an extrovert and a strong Catholic devoted to her family who was passionate about connecting job seekers with employment and ready to help anyone. And, they said, working part time playing music allowed the mother of two …

End fossil-fuel era to address colonial injustices, urges prominent historian | Colonialism

End fossil-fuel era to address colonial injustices, urges prominent historian | Colonialism

Published by skeptic

Cities in the global north that curb their carbon emissions are doing more to address colonial injustices than those who focus their efforts on taking down statues and changing street names, one of Europe’s leading historians has said. David Van Reybrouck, the Belgian author of a bestselling history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a new book on Indonesia’s independence from Dutch rule, has become one of the key drivers of a nascent and often fraught debate about Europe’s colonial legacies. Those who have lauded his work include the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the former UN secretary general Kofi Annan. But in an interview with the Guardian, Van Reybrouck criticised the movement of historical reckoning for being too focused on the past, calling instead for more awareness of the “colonisation of the present and the future”. “There is more to colonialism than historical colonialism,” Van Reybrouck said. “Today’s climate change is deeply colonial: it has been largely caused by the temperate zones from the northern hemisphere and …