by tyler | Feb 12, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at WikiLeaks and the trial of Chelsea Manning.
WikiLeaks is purportedly an organization that facilitates the anonymous leaking of secret information through its website.
It was founded in 2006 by Julian Assange, activist, computer programmer and hacker.
Chelsea Manning (born Bradley Manning), a former Army intelligence analyst who provided WikiLeaks with classified documents, was convicted of violating the Espionage Act in 2013 and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Her sentence was later commuted by President Barack Obama.
December 2007 – WikiLeaks posts the US Army manual for soldiers dealing with prisoners at Camp Delta, Guantánamo Bay.
March 2008 – WikiLeaks posts internal documents from the Church of Scientology.
September 2008 – WikiLeaks posts emails from the Yahoo email account of Sarah Palin.
November 2008 – WikiLeaks posts a list of names and addresses of people it claims belong to the far-right British National Party.
November 2009 – WikiLeaks posts what it claims are 500,000 messages sent during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
April 5, 2010 – A classified military video is posted by WikiLeaks. It shows a US Apache helicopter firing on and killing two journalists and a number of Iraqi civilians in 2007. The military claimed that the helicopter crew believed the targets were armed insurgents, not civilians.
May 2010 – The US military detains Manning for allegedly leaking US combat video, including the US helicopter gunship attack posted on WikiLeaks, and classified State Department records. Manning was turned in by Adrian Lamo, a former hacker, who Manning confided in about leaking the classified records.
July 6, 2010 – The military announces it has charged Manning with violating army regulations by transferring classified information to a personal computer and adding unauthorized software to a classified computer system and of violating federal laws of governing the handling of classified information.
July 25, 2010 – WikiLeaks posts more than 90,000 classified documents relating to the Afghanistan war in what has been called the biggest leak since the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War. The documents are divided into more than 100 categories and touch on everything from the hunt for Osama bin Laden to Afghan civilian deaths resulting from US military actions.
October 22, 2010 – WikiLeaks publishes nearly 400,000 classified military documents from the Iraq War, providing a new picture of how many Iraqi civilians have been killed, the role that Iran has played in supporting Iraqi militants and many accounts of abuse by Iraq’s army and police.
November 28, 2010 – WikiLeaks begins publishing approximately 250,000 leaked State Department cables dating back to 1966. The site says the documents will be released “in stages over the next few months.”
November 28, 2010 – The WikiLeaks website suffers an attack designed to make it unavailable to users. A Twitter user called Jester claims responsibility for the attack.
December 1, 2010 – Amazon removes WikiLeaks from its servers.
April 24, 2011 – Nearly 800 classified US military documents obtained by WikiLeaks reveal details about the alleged terrorist activities of al Qaeda operatives captured and housed in Guantánamo Bay.
September 2, 2011 – WikiLeaks releases its archive of more than 250,000 unredacted US diplomatic cables.
October 24, 2011 – WikiLeaks announces that it is temporarily halting publication to “aggressively fundraise.” Assange states that a financial blockade by Bank of America, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal and Western Union has cut off 95% of WikiLeaks’ revenue.
December 16, 2011 – Manning’s Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing that will determine whether enough evidence exists to merit a court-martial, begins.
February 23, 2012 – Manning is formally charged with aiding the enemy, wrongfully causing intelligence to be published on the Internet, transmitting national defense information and theft of public property or records.
February 26, 2012 – WikiLeaks begins releasing what it says are five million emails from the private intelligence company, Stratfor, starting with a company “glossary” that features unflattering descriptions of US government agencies. The authenticity of the documents can’t be independently confirmed.
July 5, 2012 – WikiLeaks begins publishing more than 2.4 million emails from Syrian politicians, government ministries and companies dating back to 2006.
February 28, 2013 – Manning pleads guilty to some of the 22 charges against him, but not the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, which carries a life sentence.
June 3, 2013 – Manning’s court-martial begins.
July 30, 2013 – Manning is acquitted of aiding the enemy, but found guilty on 20 other counts, including violations of the Espionage Act.
August 21, 2013 – A military judge sentences Manning to 35 years in prison.
August 22, 2013 – Through a statement read on NBC’s Today show, Manning announces he wants to live life as a woman and wants to be known by his new name, Chelsea Manning. She later formally changes her name.
July 22, 2016 – WikiLeaks releases nearly 20,000 emails from Democratic National Committee staffers. The emails appear to show the committee favoring Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the US presidential primary.
October 7, 2016 – More than 2,000 hacked emails from Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta are published by WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks claims that it has more than 50,000 of Podesta’s emails and pledges to continue releasing batches of documents during the weeks leading up to the election.
January 3, 2017 – During an interview on the Fox News Network, Assange says that Russia did not give WikiLeaks hacked emails.
January 12, 2017 – WikiLeaks tweets that Assange will agree to be extradited to the United States if Obama grants clemency to Manning.
January 17, 2017 – Obama commutes Manning’s sentence, setting the stage for her to be released on May 17.
March 7, 2017 – WikiLeaks publishes what they say are thousands of internal CIA documents, including alleged discussions of a covert hacking program and the development of spy software targeting cellphones, smart TVs and computer systems in cars. In a statement, Assange says that the website published the documents as a warning about the risk of the proliferation of “cyber weapons.” In 2024, Joshua Schulte, a former CIA employee, is sentenced to 40 years in prison for leaking the documents.
April 20, 2017 – Authorities tell CNN that they are taking steps to seek the arrest of Assange, preparing criminal charges against the WikiLeaks founder. The investigation of Assange and WikiLeaks dates back to 2010 but prosecutors struggled with the question of whether the First Amendment protected Assange. Now, they reportedly have found a way to proceed but offered no details on the nature of the charges they plan to file.
May 3, 2017 – During a Senate hearing, FBI Director James Comey refers to WikiLeaks as “intelligence porn,” declaring that the site’s disclosures are intended to damage the United States rather than educate the public.
May 17, 2017 – Manning is released from prison.
September 15, 2017 – Harvard Kennedy School withdraws an invitation to Manning to be a visiting fellow.
October 2017- CNN reports that in 2016 a Cambridge Analytica executive reached out to WikiLeaks requesting access to Clinton emails. Assange confirmed the exchange in a tweet, saying “I can confirm an approach by Cambridge Analytica [prior to November last year] and can confirm that it was rejected by WikiLeaks.”
May 31, 2018 – The US Army Court of Criminal Appeals upholds Manning’s 2013 court-martial conviction. Although Manning’s sentence was commuted, her conviction under the Espionage Act, still stands.
September 26, 2018 – WikiLeaks appoints Kristinn Hrafnsson as its new editor-in-chief, replacing Assange, who has been unable to communicate for months while taking refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Assange will stay on as publisher.
March 5, 2019 – A federal judge denies Manning’s effort to quash a subpoena and avoid testifying before a grand jury in Virginia. It is not publicly known what the grand jury in Virginia is investigating and what prosecutors’ interest in Manning is.
March 8-May 9, 2019 – Manning spends 62 days in federal custody for refusing to testify about her disclosures to WikiLeaks. A group of Manning supporters called Chelsea Resists issues a statement claiming Manning is being kept in her cell for 22 hours a day, which they say constitutes solitary confinement and surmounts to “torture.”
April 11, 2019 – Assange is arrested by the Metropolitan Police in London on an extradition warrant from the US Justice Department. He is charged with conspiracy to attempt to hack a computer in connection with the 2010 release of classified military info obtained via Manning. Assange’s attorney says the indictment is troubling because of its implications for freedom of the press.
May 16, 2019 – Manning is again found in contempt for refusing to testify before a grand jury and returns to jail.
March 11, 2020 – Manning is hospitalized after attempting suicide. The next day, Federal District Court judge Anthony Trenga orders Manning to be released from jail after being held for 10 months.
January 4, 2021 – A British judge rejects a US request to extradite Assange, but the decision is overturned in December. On March 14, 2022, the UK Supreme Court denies Assange’s appeal against the extradition decision. A formal extradition order is issued on April 20. On June 17, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel signs off on the order.
October 18, 2022 – Manning’s book “README.txt: A Memoir” is published.
by tyler | Feb 5, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.
Birth date: November 14, 1948
Birthplace: Buckingham Palace, London, England
Birth name: Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor
Father: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh
Mother: Queen Elizabeth II
Marriages: Camilla Parker Bowles (April 9, 2005-present), Lady Diana Spencer (July 29, 1981-August 28, 1996, divorced)
Children: with Princess Diana: William (June 21, 1982), Henry “Harry” (September 15, 1984)
Education: Trinity College, Cambridge, UK, B.A., 1970, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Lincolnshire, UK, 1971
Military: Royal Navy 1971-1976. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth appointed him honorary five-star ranks in the three military branches of army, navy and air force: He is Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.
Britain’s longest serving monarch-in-waiting.
First royal heir to earn a university degree.
President or patron of more than 400 charitable organizations.
Enjoys playing polo, skiing, fishing and hunting. His hobbies include gardening, painting and writing.
As a child, he acted in school productions, sang in the school choir, played the trumpet, the cello and the electric guitar.
His other interests include architecture and its effects on the environment, farming, alternative medicine and different religions.
February 6, 1952 – Three-year-old Prince Charles becomes the heir apparent, when his grandfather dies and his mother ascends the throne.
July 26, 1958 – Is named Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, by his mother before Parliament. He is the 21st Prince of Wales and the first since 1936.
July 1, 1969 – He is invested as the Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester during a televised ceremony at Caernavon Castle.
February 11, 1970 – Takes his seat in the House of Lords.
September 1971 – Earns his wings for jet aircraft flying at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell and joins the Royal Navy.
1974 – Qualifies as a helicopter pilot and joins the 845 Naval Air Squadron on the HMS Hermes. Two years later he completes his military service, taking command of a coastal minehunter, the HMS Bronington.
1976 – Founds The Prince’s Trust, a philanthropic venture to help disadvantaged youth.
July 29, 1981 – Weds Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
December 9, 1992 – Prime Minister John Major announces the separation of Charles and Diana.
1993 – Affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles becomes public when the transcript of a 1989 intimate phone conversation between the two is made public.
June 29, 1994 – A televised documentary, “Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role,” airs; in it he admits to adultery.
September 1997 – Charles accompanies the body of Princess Diana from Paris to London and during the funeral procession walks behind her coffin with his father, sons and Diana’s brother, the Earl of Spencer.
January 28, 1999 – First public appearance as a couple with Parker-Bowles, when they are seen leaving the Ritz Hotel in London after a party.
June 2000 – Formally introduces Parker-Bowles to Queen Elizabeth II at a party held at Highgrove, his country estate.
2003 – Clarence House becomes the official London residence of Charles and his sons. The estate is the former home of the Queen Mother, Charles’ grandmother.
April 9, 2005 – In a civil ceremony at Guildhall in Windsor with a blessing at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Charles and Camilla wed.
November 1-8, 2005 – Makes his first official visit to the United States since 1994.
October 2006 – Announces plans for second multi-faith coronation ceremony, if/when he is made king, to include all non-Christian faiths, and for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to be crowned Queen at the same time.
January 27, 2007 – Receives the Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment, presented by former US Vice President Al Gore.
November 16, 2010 – Announces the engagement of eldest son, Prince William, to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton.
December 9, 2010 – Student demonstrators breach security on the streets of London’s West End and attack the 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI carrying Charles and Camilla to a performance at the London Palladium. The couple escapes any physical harm. The students are protesting the hike in tuition fees.
May 8, 2013 – Attends the opening of Parliament for the first time in 17 years. This is first time he and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the opening together.
March 2015 – Visits the United States with Camilla. The trip includes a tour of Mount Vernon, a meeting with President Barack Obama and a festival in Louisville, Kentucky.
May 19, 2015 – Meets Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. This is the first meeting between a member of the British Royal Family and the leader of Sinn Fein.
November 27, 2017 – Announces the engagement of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.
April 20, 2018 – Leaders of the Commonwealth agree that Prince Charles will succeed Queen Elizabeth as the next head of Commonwealth.
May 19, 2018 – Walks his daughter-in-law Meghan down the aisle in her wedding ceremony to Prince Harry.
November 8, 2018 – A televised documentary, “Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70,” airs; in it he promises not to meddle in controversial affairs once he takes on the role of the monarch.
March 25, 2020 – Announces that he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating in Scotland.
September 8, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II dies, and Charles ascends to the throne.
September 10, 2022 – Is officially proclaimed the King of the United Kingdom.
October 11, 2022 – Buckingham Palace announces Charles’ coronation is scheduled to take place May 6, 2023.
May 6, 2023 – Charles’ coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey.
January 17, 2024 – Buckingham Palace announces Charles will go into hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate. He was discharged from the hospital on January 29.
February 5, 2024 – Buckingham Palace announces Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer, not prostate cancer. During his recent hospitalization a separate issue was identified.
Current line of succession:
1. The Prince of Wales, Prince William, son of King Charles (1982)
2. Prince George of Wales, son of Prince William (2013)
3. Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of Prince William (2015)
4. Prince Louis of of Wales, son of Prince William (2018)
5. The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, son of King Charles (1984)
6. Prince Archie of Sussex, son of Prince Harry (2019)
7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex, daughter of Prince Harry (2021)
8. The Duke of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II (1960)
9. Princess Beatrice of York, daughter of Prince Andrew (1988)
10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, daughter of Princess Beatrice (2021)
by tyler | Feb 1, 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 | Jan 31, 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 | Jan 26, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at crude oil reserves and production around the world.
Crude oil is a form of liquid petroleum, extracted from rock formations and used for fuel and other purposes.
Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) produce about 37% of the world’s crude oil, and possess almost 80% of the world’s total proven crude oil reserves, according to OPEC and US Energy Information Administration data.
The 12 countries/members of OPEC: Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
The following countries have the world’s largest reserves of oil as of 2021, according to the US Energy Information Administration:
– Venezuela – 304 billion barrels
– Saudi Arabia – 259 billion barrels
– Iran – 209 billion barrels
– Canada – 170 billion barrels (non OPEC country)
– Iraq – 145 billion barrels
– Kuwait – 102 billion barrels
– United Arab Emirates – 98 billion barrels
– Russia – 80 billion barrels (non OPEC country)
– Libya – 48 billion barrels
– United States – 44 billion barrels as of December 2021 (non OPEC country)
– Nigeria – 37 billion barrels
Production and Consumption in the US
In 2022, the United States produced about 11.911 million barrels of crude oil per day.
The United States leads the world in total petroleum production, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia in 2022.
The United States consumed an average of 20.01 million barrels of petroleum per day in 2022.
The United States is the world’s largest consumer of petroleum products.
In 2022, for the third consecutive year since at least 1949, the United States exported more petroleum than it imported. About 60% of gross petroleum imports comes from Canada.
US dependence on imported oil peaked in 2005.
July 11, 2008 – Oil prices hit a record high of $147.27 a barrel before settling at $145.08 at the end of the day.
September 22, 2008 – Oil prices experience the biggest one-day increase ever, settling up $16.37 to $120.92 a barrel.
1973-1974 – Due to US support of Israel in the Arab-Israeli conflict, the members of OPEC decide to raise the cost of oil from $3/barrel to around $12/barrel.
October 1973 – OPEC issues an embargo that halts exports of oil to the United States. Americans experience long lines at gas stations and gasoline shortages. Gasoline prices go from 36 cents a gallon in 1972 to over 50 cents a gallon in 1973.
March 18, 1974 – At an OPEC meeting, seven members lift the ban on exports to United States. The countries are Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt and Abu Dhabi. Libya and Syria refuse to drop the ban and Iraq boycotts the talks.
December 31, 1974 – Libya lifts its 14-month-old oil embargo against the United States.
December 22, 1975 – US President Gerald Ford establishes the Strategic Petroleum Reserve when he signs into law the “Energy Policy and Conservation Act.” The law is created in response to the oil embargo of 1973-1974 and the severe effect it had on the economy. It mandates that the country maintain a stockpile of one million barrels of petroleum, which is the largest emergency supply in the world.
2013 – The United States imports less foreign oil than it produces for the first time in nearly two decades.
2020 – The United States imports less petroleum than it exports for the first time in more than seven decades.
by tyler | Jan 25, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at crude oil reserves and production around the world.
Crude oil is a form of liquid petroleum, extracted from rock formations and used for fuel and other purposes.
Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) produce about 37% of the world’s crude oil, and possess almost 80% of the world’s total proven crude oil reserves, according to OPEC and US Energy Information Administration data.
The 12 countries/members of OPEC: Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
The following countries have the world’s largest reserves of oil as of 2021, according to the US Energy Information Administration:
– Venezuela – 304 billion barrels
– Saudi Arabia – 259 billion barrels
– Iran – 209 billion barrels
– Canada – 170 billion barrels (non OPEC country)
– Iraq – 145 billion barrels
– Kuwait – 102 billion barrels
– United Arab Emirates – 98 billion barrels
– Russia – 80 billion barrels (non OPEC country)
– Libya – 48 billion barrels
– United States – 44 billion barrels as of December 2021 (non OPEC country)
– Nigeria – 37 billion barrels
Production and Consumption in the US
In 2022, the United States produced about 11.911 million barrels of crude oil per day.
The United States leads the world in total petroleum production, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia in 2022.
The United States consumed an average of 20.01 million barrels of petroleum per day in 2022.
The United States is the world’s largest consumer of petroleum products.
In 2022, for the third consecutive year since at least 1949, the United States exported more petroleum than it imported. About 60% of gross petroleum imports comes from Canada.
US dependence on imported oil peaked in 2005.
July 11, 2008 – Oil prices hit a record high of $147.27 a barrel before settling at $145.08 at the end of the day.
September 22, 2008 – Oil prices experience the biggest one-day increase ever, settling up $16.37 to $120.92 a barrel.
1973-1974 – Due to US support of Israel in the Arab-Israeli conflict, the members of OPEC decide to raise the cost of oil from $3/barrel to around $12/barrel.
October 1973 – OPEC issues an embargo that halts exports of oil to the United States. Americans experience long lines at gas stations and gasoline shortages. Gasoline prices go from 36 cents a gallon in 1972 to over 50 cents a gallon in 1973.
March 18, 1974 – At an OPEC meeting, seven members lift the ban on exports to United States. The countries are Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt and Abu Dhabi. Libya and Syria refuse to drop the ban and Iraq boycotts the talks.
December 31, 1974 – Libya lifts its 14-month-old oil embargo against the United States.
December 22, 1975 – US President Gerald Ford establishes the Strategic Petroleum Reserve when he signs into law the “Energy Policy and Conservation Act.” The law is created in response to the oil embargo of 1973-1974 and the severe effect it had on the economy. It mandates that the country maintain a stockpile of one million barrels of petroleum, which is the largest emergency supply in the world.
2013 – The United States imports less foreign oil than it produces for the first time in nearly two decades.
2020 – The United States imports less petroleum than it exports for the first time in more than seven decades.
