by tyler | Mar 7, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at nightclub fires worldwide including the 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, that killed 100 people and injured 200.
This list includes nightclub fires with victims of 50 or more (the list is not exhaustive).
April 23, 1940 – Natchez, Mississippi – More than 200 people die in a fire at the Rhythm nightclub. Boarded up windows, flammable decorations and overcrowding play a factor in the high number of deaths.
November 28, 1942 – Boston – 492 people die in a fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub after a lit match sets an artificial palm tree on fire. This is the deadliest nightclub fire in United States history, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
November 1, 1970 – Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France – 146 people are killed in the Club Cinq-Sept (Club 5-7) when emergency exits are blocked and a discarded match starts a fire.
May 28, 1977 – Southgate, Kentucky – 165 are killed and another 70 injured in a fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club.
March 25, 1990 – Bronx, New York – Eighty-seven people die in a fire caused by arson at the Happy Land social club. Intent on murdering his ex-girlfriend, Julio Gonzalez pours gasoline on the stairs trapping the victims. His ex-girlfriend survives.
March 19, 1996 – Quezon City, Philippines – More than 150 people die in a fire at the Ozone Disco Pub nightclub.
December 25, 2000 – Luoyang, China – 309 people die after a fire breaks out at a Christmas party in a dancing hall in central China.
February 20, 2003 – West Warwick, Rhode Island – 100 people are killed when the nightclub The Station goes up in flames at the start of a concert by the 1980s heavy metal band Great White. The band used a pyrotechnic display as they began playing.
December 30, 2004 – Buenos Aires – A fire at the República Cromañón nightclub in Argentina kills 194 people after a fan ignites the club’s ceiling with fireworks. The club owner is sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2009.
January 1, 2009 – Bangkok, Thailand – A fire at upscale Santika nightclub kills at least 64 people and later leads to the arrest of the nightclub’s owner.
December 5, 2009 – Perm, Russia – Fireworks spark a fire at the Lame Horse nightclub, killing 156. The commercial director of the nightclub, who police say ignored safety measures, is later arrested in September 2010.
January 27, 2013 – Santa Maria, Brazil – More than 240 people die in a fire at Kiss nightclub in southern Brazil. Authorities say at least 2,000 people were in the club at the time of the fire, double its maximum capacity. Many of the people died of smoke inhalation and others were trampled in the rush for the exits. The two owners of Kiss, a member of the band Gurizada Fandangueira and a promoter, are arrested the next day.
October 30, 2015 – Bucharest, Romania – Sixty-three people die – 27 in the fire and others in the days and months that follow – and more than 150 others are injured when a spark from a pyrotechnic display causes a fire during a heavy metal concert in the nightclub Colectiv, in the city’s center.
February 20, 2003 – A concert by the 1980s heavy metal band Great White uses a pyrotechnic display. Sparks from the display ignite highly flammable soundproofing foam tiles behind the stage and the fire quickly spreads. The Station has no sprinkler system and is over its maximum capacity of 300 people. The fire engulfs the wooden structure in less than three minutes killing 100 people and injuring 200 more.
December 9, 2003 – A grand jury indicts Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, owners of the club, and Great White tour manager Dan Biechele, the man who lit the pyrotechnic display that ignited the blaze, on 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter each. Each enters not guilty pleas during arraignment.
January 31, 2006 – Daniel Biechele, former manager of the Great White, agrees to plead guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter.
May 10, 2006 – Biechele is sentenced to 15 years in prison, with 11 years suspended, to be followed by three years of probation.
September 20, 2006 – Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch announces that Michael and Jeffrey Derderian will enter no-contest pleas to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter each. Under the deal, Michael Derderian will be sentenced to four years in prison and three years on probation, with the rest of a 15-year sentence suspended, Lynch said. Jeffery Derderian won’t go to prison – his 10-year sentence will be suspended, although he faces three years of probation and 500 hours of community service.
September 5, 2007 – A tentative settlement is reached in a lawsuit between relatives of victims of the night club fire and a group of defendants that includes a manufacturer of soundproofing material, a manufacturer of pyrotechnics, an alarm company, and the company that leased the building to the night club owners. An attorney for the families states the settlement is dependent on the court appointment of someone to distribute the settlement money.
September 19, 2007 – The Rhode Island Parole Board announces that Daniel Biechele, former manager of Great White, will be released from Rhode Island state prison in March 2008, after serving less than half of his four-year prison sentence. The Parole Board cites letters of support from victims of the club fire as part of the reason for their decision.
January 16, 2008 – The Rhode Island Parole Board announces that Michael Derderian, the owner of Station Nightclub, will be released in October 2009, one year early from his four-year prison sentence.
March 19, 2008 – Biechele is released from prison, after serving less than half of his four-year sentence.
January 9, 2009 – Court-appointed Special Master Francis McGovern submits a plan to the court on how to divide a proposed $176 million settlement. The money will be divided between 300 plaintiffs. It will also be divided proportionally based on the severity of injuries and suffering, similar to the way the September 11th victims’ compensation fund was apportioned.
June 2009 – Michael Derderian is released from prison, after serving less than three years.
January 7, 2010 – US District Court Judge Ronald Lagueux approves settlements for the more than 300 victims of the fire. $176 million will be distributed, with $59 million going to lawyers.
September 28, 2012 – A lawyer for Ray Villanova, the owner of the site of the nightclub fire, files papers that transfer the land to the Station Fire Memorial Foundation.
May 21, 2017 – Station Fire Memorial Park is opened to honor the victims of the Station nightclub fire.
by tyler | Mar 7, 2024 | CNN, cnn10
March 6, 2024
Today on CNN 10, we explain what’s behind the record-high levels of global pollution from energy, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. Next, we examine the satellite the Environmental Defense Fund launched to locate and measure methane leaks. Also, why is Cookie Monster popping up in economic news. All that and more on this episode of CNN 10.
Click here to access the printable version of today’s CNN 10 transcript
CNN 10 serves a growing audience interested in compact on-demand news broadcasts ideal for explanation seekers on the go or in the classroom. The show’s priority is to identify stories of international significance and then clearly describe why they’re making news, who is affected, and how the events fit into a complex, international society.
Thank you for using CNN 10
by tyler | Mar 7, 2024 | CNN, us
Here is a look at the life of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.
Birth date: February 20, 1942
Birth place: Colbert County, Alabama
Birth name: Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr.
Father: Addison Mitchell McConnell
Mother: Julia (Shockley) McConnell
Marriages: Elaine Chao (1993-present); Sherrill Redmon (1968-1980, divorced)
Children: with Sherrill Redmon: Porter; Claire; Eleanor
Education: University of Louisville, B.A., 1964; University of Kentucky, J.D., 1967
Religion: Baptist
Contracted polio at age 2 and was not allowed to walk for two years while completing physical therapy.
His wife, Elaine Chao, served as secretary of the Department of Labor under President George W. Bush and deputy secretary of the Department of Transportation under President George H.W. Bush. Chao served as the secretary of the Department of Transportation under President Donald Trump.
1968-1970 – Chief legislative assistant to Senator Marlow Cook.
1974-1975 – Deputy Assistant United States Attorney for Legislative Affairs.
1975 – Acting Assistant Attorney General.
1978-1985 – Judge-Executive of Jefferson County, Kentucky.
1984 – Elected to the US Senate to represent Kentucky.
1990 – Reelected to the US Senate.
1996 – Reelected to the US Senate.
2002 – Reelected to the US Senate.
2003-2007 – Senate Republican Whip.
November 16, 2006 – Elected Senate Republican leader. McConnell replaces Bill Frist.
January 4, 2007-January 6, 2015 – Senate Minority Leader.
2008 – Reelected to the US Senate.
October 23, 2010 – During an interview with the National Journal, McConnell says, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President [Barack] Obama to be a one-term president.”
November 4, 2014 – Reelected to the US Senate.
November 13, 2014 – McConnell is reelected leader of the Republican party in the Senate. When Congress reconvenes in January 2015, McConnell will take over as Senate majority leader from Harry Reid.
January 6, 2015–January 20, 2021 – Senate Majority Leader.
December 12, 2016 – Announces he supports a congressional investigation into findings that Russian hackers attempted to influence the election.
June 12, 2018 – Becomes the longest-serving Republican leader in the Senate’s history, surpassing former Sen. Robert Dole’s record.
August 4, 2019 – McConnell fractures his shoulder after falling in his Kentucky home. “This morning, Leader McConnell tripped at home on his outside patio and suffered a fractured shoulder,” David Popp, McConnell’s communications director, says in a statement. “He has been treated, released, and is working from home in Louisville.”
August 15, 2019 – McConnell undergoes surgery to repair the fracture in his shoulder. “The surgery was performed without incident, and the Leader is grateful to the surgical team for their skill,” Popp says in a statement.
November 3, 2020 – Wins reelection to the US Senate, defeating Democratic opponent Amy McGrath and her massive fundraising efforts to unseat him.
November 10, 2020 – McConnell is reelected as a Senate party leader, but the party holding the Senate majority won’t be determined until two runoff elections in Georgia take place in January.
December 15, 2020 – Six weeks after Election Day McConnell finally acknowledges Joe Biden’s victory and refers to him as president-elect.
January 2, 2021 – Police report that McConnell’s home has been vandalized. The damage takes place after the Senate stalls on increasing stimulus checks to $2,000. The home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the other highest-ranking member of Congress, was vandalized the previous day.
January 20, 2021-present – Senate Minority Leader.
February 13, 2021 – McConnell directly blames former President Trump for instigating last month’s riot at the Capitol but votes to acquit him anyway of inciting an insurrection.
November 16, 2022 – Wins a secret-ballot leadership election, putting him on pace to become the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history. McConnell defeats Florida Sen. Rick Scott in a 37-10-1 vote, his first challenger in his 15 years atop his conference.
March 8, 2023 – McConnell is being treated for a concussion and is staying at a hospital for observation after a fall at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, DC.
July 26, 2023 – McConnell stops speaking in the middle of remarks at his regularly scheduled weekly news conference on Capitol Hill. After a 30-second pause, his colleagues crowded around to see if he was OK and asked him how he felt. He later tells reporters that he’s “fine.”
August 30, 2023 – Appears to freeze for about 30 seconds while speaking with reporters after a speech in Covington, Kentucky.
February 28, 2024 – McConnell will step down as GOP leader in November, a source tells CNN.
by tyler | Mar 7, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s some background information about the 2005 killings of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq.
Haditha is a city on the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad, Iraq.
Eight US Marines faced charges in the deaths, but only one was convicted of a crime, that of negligent dereliction of duty.
November 19, 2005 – A roadside bomb kills 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas in the Haditha neighborhood of Al-Subhani.
November 19, 2005 – At least 24 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, are killed. Suspicion falls on Marines from Kilo Company of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
March 19, 2006 – Time.com first publishes the allegations of the killings. The story also runs in the March 27 issue of the magazine.
April 8, 2006 – The commander of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment and two company commanders are relieved of command and placed on staff duty during the investigation.
May 29, 2006 – Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tells CNN there are two investigations – one into what happened and one into why the military didn’t know about the incident sooner.
December 21, 2006 – Eight Marines face criminal charges or administrative punishment in connection with the incident.
– Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, who led the detachment of Marines accused of involvement in the incident, is charged with 13 counts of unpremeditated murder, making false statements to investigators, and trying to persuade others to do the same. The murder charges include 12 counts of unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people “while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others.”
– Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt is charged with one count of unpremeditated murder, with three specifications (one for each fatality).
– Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum is charged with negligent homicide and assault.
– Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz is charged with unpremeditated murder and making a false statement.
– Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani is charged with one count of violating a lawful order and two counts of dereliction of duty.
– Capt. Randy Stone is charged with dereliction of duty and violating a lawful order.
– Capt. Lucas McConnell is charged with dereliction of duty.
– First Lt. Andrew Grayson is charged with obstruction of justice, dereliction of duty and making a false statement.
January 6, 2007 – The Washington Post publishes photos and information pertaining to the Haditha incident. The photos show five dead Iraqi men near a taxi cab. Shortly after, attorneys for the charged Marines request a probe to determine who leaked the photos, claiming their clients will not be given a fair trial because of them. US criminal investigators say they have found no evidence to support the claim of the Marines that the five Iraqis were shot after trying to flee the scene. The investigators say that all five Iraqi men were shot no more than 18 feet from the taxi they were ordered to exit and within arm’s length of each other.
April 2, 2007 – Charges against Dela Cruz are dropped in exchange for his testimony.
August 9, 2007 – Charges against Sharratt and Stone are dropped after Lt. Gen. James Mattis rules that they did not act inappropriately under the circumstances.
August 23, 2007 – Lt. Col. Paul Ware, the investigating officer, recommends that all charges be dropped against Tatum, saying the evidence is too weak for a court-martial.
September 5, 2007 – Maj. Gen. Richard A. Huck, former commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division; Col. Stephen W. Davis, former commanding officer of Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division; and Col. Robert G. Sokoloski, former chief of staff of 2nd Marine Division (Forward) receive letters of censure from the secretary of the Navy in connection to the Haditha investigation.
September 18, 2007 – Mattis drops charges against McConnell.
October 4, 2007 – Ware, the investigating officer, recommends that the murder charges be dropped from Wuterich’s case, but that he should be tried for the lesser offense of negligent homicide.
October 19, 2007 – The Marine Corps announces that Chessani and Tatum will face courts-martial.
December 31, 2007 – Grayson is referred for court-martial on charges of making false official statements, obstruction of justice and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps.
December 31, 2007 – The Marine Corps announces that Wuterich will face a court-martial on charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice.
March 28, 2008 – The US military announces that all charges are dropped against Tatum.
May 7, 2008 – “Battle for Haditha,” a film dramatizing the events of November 19, 2005, opens.
June 4, 2008 – Grayson is found not guilty on all charges.
June 17, 2008 – All charges against Chessani are dropped after a judge rules that a general overseeing the case could have been improperly influenced by a prosecutor.
January 12, 2012 – After years of delay, the court-martial of Wuterich, the last of eight Marines charged, begins with jury selection. He is charged with nine counts of voluntary manslaughter and other offenses.
January 23, 2012 – Wuterich pleads guilty to one count of negligent dereliction of duty.
January 24, 2012 – Wuterich is sentenced to 90 days in prison and a reduction in pay and rank, from staff sergeant to private.
May 30, 2013 – A Defense Department panel appointed by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Pentagon general counsel Jeh Johnson issues its report on investigations and prosecutions of US troops implicated in the abuse or murder of civilians in war zones. The panel recommends that in the future, criminal proceedings should be handled by the senior commander in the theater of combat and not the accused soldier’s military branch. The panel was established after the investigation of the Haditha massacre led to no serious consequences for the accused soldiers.
by tyler | Mar 7, 2024 | CNN, world
Here is a look at the life of economist and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti.
Birth date: March 19, 1943
Birth place: Varese, Italy
Marriage: Elsa Monti
Children: Giovanni and Federica
Education: Bocconi University, Milan, degree in economics, 1965; Post graduate studies at Yale University
Religion: Catholic
Nicknamed Super Mario.
Founding president of Bruegel, a think tank for economic policy.
1970-1979 – Economics professor at the University of Turin.
1978-1994 – Writes economic commentary for Corriere della Sera, a daily newspaper.
1989-1994 – Rector of Bocconi University.
1994 – Becomes president of Bocconi University.
1995-1999 – Member of the European Commission as Commissioner for Internal Market, Financial Services and Financial Integration Customs, and Taxation.
1999-2004 – Member of the European Commission as Commissioner for Competition.
2001 – As the European Commission’s competition commissioner, Monti engineers the Commission’s block of GE’s $42 billion acquisition of Honeywell International.
2004 – The European Commission fines Microsoft more than $600 million for being in violation of EU competition law.
2005-2011 – International adviser to Goldman Sachs.
November 9, 2011 – Is named senator for life by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.
November 16, 2011 – Is sworn in as Italy’s prime minister.
December 21, 2012 – Monti resigns.
February 24-25, 2013 – Monti’s bloc comes in fourth in parliamentary elections.
June 2013-November 2022 – Resumes his role as president of Bocconi University, a position he had given up when he became prime minister.
by tyler | Mar 7, 2024 | CNN, middleeast
Here’s a look at the life of Israel’s former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Birth date: March 25, 1972
Birth place: Haifa, Israel
Birth name: Naftali Bennett
Father: Jim Bennett
Mother: Myrna (Lefko) Bennett
Marriage: Gilat Bennett (1999-present)
Children: Four children
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, bachelor’s degree in Law
Military service: Israeli Defense Forces Sayeret Matkal and Maglan units, 1990-1996, Commander
Religion: Jewish
His parents are immigrants from San Francisco.
Is a former tech entrepreneur and millionaire.
Bennett is considered comparatively liberal on a handful of issues. Despite his religious background, he said that gay people should “fully have all the civil rights a straight person in Israel has,” the Times of Israel reported – though he also said that didn’t mean he would take action to ensure legal equality.
April 18, 1996 – During his military service, Bennett leads a unit into Lebanon during Israel’s “Operation Grapes of Wrath,” in which an Israeli artillery strike near a UN camp kills more than 100 civilians. The incident is known as the Qana Massacre.
1999 – Moves from Israel to New York to launch the tech start-up Cyota, a cybersecurity and anti-fraud software company.
2005 – Sells Cyota to RSA Security for $145 million.
2006-2008 – Serves as chief of staff under Benjamin Netanyahu.
2009 – Serves as CEO of Soluto, a software company, for several months.
January 2010-January 2012 – Serves as director of The Yesha Council, an organization representing Jewish settlements in the West Bank and their populations.
2012 – Leads the pro-settler party Jewish Home, making his desire to prevent the formation of a Palestinian state a central plank of his pitch to voters.
March 2013 – Appointed as Minister of Economy, Minister of Religious Services, Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs.
November 5, 2014 – Writes in an op-ed in the New York Times, “The old models of peace between Israel and the Palestinians are no longer relevant. The time has come to rethink the two-state solution.”
February 2015 – Appointed as Acting Senior Citizen Affairs Minister
May 2015 – Appointed as Minister of Education and Minister for Diaspora Affairs.
October 8, 2018 – The Times of Israel reports that Bennett says if he were defense minister, he would enact a “shoot to kill” policy on the border with Gaza. Asked if that would apply to children breaching the barrier, he replies: “They are not children – they are terrorists. We are fooling ourselves.”
2019 – Rebrands the Jewish Home party as “Yamina” after merging with another party.
May 30, 2021 – Bennett announces he is working toward a coalition agreement with Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist party Yesh Atid, to join a new government.
June 2, 2021 – Lapid announces an eight-party coalition agreement has been signed. Under the agreement, Bennett will focus on domestic issues during his two years as prime minister, before he hands the reins to Lapid in August 2023.
June 13, 2021 – Bennett is sworn in as Israel’s new prime minister after winning a confidence vote with 60 votes to 59, bringing an end to Netanyahu’s run as the country’s prime minister after more than 12 consecutive years in office.
December 12, 2021 – Bennett travels to the United Arab Emirates to meet with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. Bennet is the first Israeli prime minister to visit the United Arab Emirates.
February 14, 2022 – Travels to Bahrain to meet with Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa. Bennett is the first Israeli prime minister to visit Bahrain.
June 29, 2022 – Bennett announces he will not run for reelection as prime minister, the day before the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, votes to dissolve itself, triggering new elections. Bennett’s coalition partner Lapid takes over as caretaker prime minister on July 1.
