by tyler | Mar 8, 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 8, 2024 | CNN, world
Here is a look at Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.
In 2024, Ramadan is expected to begin at sundown on March 10 and end on April 9. (Dates may vary slightly by country depending on the first sighting of the crescent moon.)
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim year.
Ramadan begins with the sighting of the new moon, but the exact date often depends on clerics in a particular nation.
Ramadan is celebrated as the month in which the prophet Mohammed received the first of the revelations that make up the Quran.
Ramadan is the Islamic holy month of fasting during which Muslims may not eat or drink during daylight hours.
During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food, drink (including water), and sexual intercourse from dawn until dusk.
Muslims are encouraged to eat a meal before dawn, and then break the fast immediately after sunset.
The fast is traditionally broken by eating dates and drinking water.
The end of Ramadan, called Eid al-Fitr, is a day of feasting.
The Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars, or basic institutions, of Islam:
Shahadah: Affirmation that there is no deity but God and Mohammed is his messenger.
Salat: Praying five times daily.
Zakat: Giving to charity.
Sawm: Fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Hajj: Making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.
There were almost 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide as of 2015. The population is expected to increase to three billion by 2060.
There were about 3.45 million Muslims in the United States as of 2017.
by tyler | Mar 8, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II. He was formally invested as Monaco’s ruler on July 12, 2005, following the death of his father, Prince Rainier.
Birth date: March 14, 1958
Birth place: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Birth name: Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi, His Serene Highness, the Hereditary Prince of Monaco, Marquis of Baux
Father: Prince Rainier III
Mother: Princess Grace, formerly the actress Grace Kelly
Marriage: Charlene Wittstock (July 1, 2011-present)
Children: with Charlene Wittstock: Princess Gabriella Therese Marie and Prince Jacques Honore Rainier; with Nicole Coste: Eric Alexandre Stephane; with Tamara Rotolo: Jazmin Grace Rotolo.
Education: Amherst College, BA, 1981
Military service: French Navy
He is interested in environmental issues, alternative energy and hybrid vehicles.
An avid athlete, he has competed in five Winter Olympics (1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002) in the sport of bobsledding but has not won any medals.
He has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1985.
His two oldest children are not in line for the throne because they were born out of wedlock.
March 31, 2005 – Monaco’s Crown Council transfers the regency of the tiny kingdom to Prince Albert, the heir to the throne, saying that Prince Rainier can no longer carry out his duties as monarch.
April 6, 2005 – Prince Rainier III dies of organ failure and Prince Albert becomes Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco.
July 6, 2005 – Publicly acknowledges paternity of his son, Alexandre, born to Nicole Coste, a flight attendant from Togo.
July 12, 2005 – Part one of the formal investiture as Monaco’s ruler is Mass at St. Nicholas Cathedral, marking the end of the mourning period for Prince Rainier.
November 17, 2005 – Part two of the formal investiture is the enthronement ceremony at St. Nicholas Cathedral.
April 16, 2006 – Travels to the North Pole by dogsled to highlight global warming.
June 1, 2006 – Acknowledges paternity of his daughter, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, born to an American former waitress, Tamara Rotolo.
March 2, 2007 – Presides over the opening ceremony in Paris of International Polar Year, a research program with a focus on the Polar Regions involving 50,000 scientists from 63 countries.
January 28, 2008 – Is named as one of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) “Champions of the Earth.”
April 22 2008 – Receives the UNEP award which recognizes individuals who show extraordinary leadership on environmental issues.
January 5-14, 2009 – Completes an expedition to the South Pole evaluating climate impact on Antarctica along the way. He is the only head of state to have visited both poles.
June 23, 2010 – The palace announces Prince Albert’s engagement to Charlene Wittstock, 32, a former Olympic swimmer and school teacher from South Africa.
July 1, 2011 – Prince Albert marries Charlene Wittstock in a civil wedding ceremony in the throne room of the Palace of Monaco.
July 2, 2011 – A second wedding, a religious ceremony including Mass, is held in the main courtyard of the Palace of Monaco. The ceremony is broadcast to the 3,500 invited guests who could not fit inside the palace.
October 2013 – Loans pieces of his private collection of Olympic torches for the Russian exhibition of Olympic torches.
October 7, 2013 – Is one of the first torch bearers for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games.
December 14, 2015 – Prince Albert is presented with the 2015 Global Advocate Award by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for his work on climate change research and environmental conservation efforts.
October 2016 – Buys his mother’s childhood home in Philadelphia, with the idea of turning it into a museum or offices for foundation work.
February 29, 2024 – A Bloomberg Businessweek investigation alleges that Prince Albert repeatedly awarded his nephews, Andrea and Pierre Casiraghi, state contracts worth millions over the past 15 years. The prince and his nephews denied wrongdoing in a statement to Businessweek.
Monaco is a sovereign principality, meaning it is ruled by a prince.
It is the second smallest country in the world, after the Vatican. At 2.02 sq km (77 sq miles), Monaco is about half the size of New York’s Central Park.
It sits on the French Riviera and is bordered on three sides by France. It is a popular tourist destination, famous for its casino and luxury hotels.
Monaco is also the capital of the principality. The official language is French. The other major languages spoken are English and Italian.
Monegasque, a mixture of the French Provencal and Italian Ligurian dialects, is also spoken there.
by tyler | Mar 8, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the Arab League, an organization of Middle Eastern and African countries and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Ahmed Aboul Gheit of Egypt is the current secretary-general of the Arab League.
There are also four observer states: Eritrea, India, Brazil and Venezuela.
The Arab League’s purpose, from the Pact of the League of Arab States, is to promote closer political, economic, cultural and social relations among the members.
A council composed of representatives from the member states works together to settle disputes peacefully. The league has five major committees: political, economic, social and cultural, legal and Palestinian affairs.
Each member has one vote on the council. Decisions are only binding to the states that have voted for them.
March 22, 1945 – The Arab League is created in Cairo with seven Arab countries – Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the Lebanese Republic, Yemen (Sanaa), Transjordan (now Jordan), Egypt and Syria.
Since 1945, 16 other members have joined – Libya (1953), Sudan (1956), Morocco (1958), Tunisia (1958), Kuwait (1961), Algeria (1962), Yemen (Aden, 1968), Bahrain (1971), Oman (1971), Qatar (1971), United Arab Emirates (1971), Mauritania (1973), Somalia (1974), the PLO (1976), Djibouti (1977) and Comoros (1993).
April 13, 1950 – League members sign an agreement on joint defense and economic cooperation.
1959 – The league holds the first Arab petroleum congress.
1964 – The league organizes the Arab League Education, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO).
1976 – ARABSAT, an Arab communications satellite system, is formed.
March 26, 1979 – Egypt signs a peace treaty with Israel. The league suspends Egypt’s membership and transfers its headquarters from Cairo to Tunis, Tunisia.
1989 – Egypt is readmitted to the league; later the headquarters is moved back to Cairo.
1990 – Yemen (Aden) and Yemen (Sanaa) unite as Yemen.
August 1990 – The league is divided over the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. Members are split on a vote for a proposal to send Arab troops to join the troops defending Saudi Arabia from possible attack. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Djibouti and Somalia endorse the presence of foreign troops in Saudi Arabia.
2003 – All league members except Kuwait officially oppose a US-led war against Iraq. However, some members in addition to Kuwait, including Bahrain and Qatar, allow their territory to be used.
April 23, 2006 – Arab League Spokesman Hisham Yusif announces that the organization has promised to transfer $50 million to the Hamas-governed Palestinian Authority. This is in reaction the United States and European Union cutting off direct funding to the Hamas-led government that assumed power March 30.
March 29-30, 2009 – A two-day summit takes place in Doha, Qatar. Sudanese President Omar al Bashir attends, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
February 22, 2011 – The Arab League releases a statement saying it is suspending Libya’s participation in Arab League meetings and all of the group’s agencies. The statement also condemns what it calls crimes against protesters and peaceful strikers in Libya.
March 3, 2011 – A summit scheduled for March 29 in Baghdad, Iraq, is postponed due to unrest in several Arab League countries.
March 12, 2011 – The Arab League asks the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.
July 13, 2011 – Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Araby visits Syria and meets with President Bashar al-Assad.
November 12, 2011 – The Arab League suspends Syria’s membership, effective November 16, 2011, in response to Syria’s continued violence against its own citizens. 18 members vote in favor of the suspension, while Lebanon and Yemen vote no. Iraq abstains from voting.
December 19, 2011 – Syria signs an Arab League proposal aimed at ending violence between government forces and protesters.
December 26, 2011 – Members of an Arab League delegation arrive in Syria to monitor events on the ground.
January 28, 2012 – The Arab League suspends its mission in Syria as violence in the country continues.
November 12, 2012 – State media reports that the Arab League has approved the resolution to recognize the new National Coalition Forces of the Syrian Revolution, which unites Syrian opposition factions.
March 28-29, 2015 – The 26th Arab League Summit takes place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. All of the leaders agree to create a multi-national military force in order to combat threats to the Middle East.
July 25, 2016 – The Arab League Summit is held in Nouakchott, Mauritania, but only seven leaders of the 22 member countries attend. The meetings focus on fighting terrorism and how to deal with other conflicts in the region.
February 24-25, 2019 – The first ever EU-Arab League summit is held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
May 7, 2023 – The Arab League announces it has re-admitted Syria after an 11-year absence.
by tyler | Mar 8, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
The organization’s charter states that the signing parties will “seek to promote stability and well-being in the North Atlantic area,” and will “unite their efforts for collective defense and for the preservation of peace and security.”
April 4, 1949 – NATO is established.
2014-present – The current secretary general is Jens Stoltenberg, former prime minister of Norway. On March 24, 2022, Stoltenberg’s tenure was extended by one year due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
March 21, 2023 – The secretary general’s annual report is released.
Albania (2009)
Belgium (1949)
Bulgaria (2004)
Canada (1949)
Croatia (2009)
Czech Republic (1999)
Denmark (1949)
Estonia (2004)
Finland (2023)
France (1949)
Germany (1955, as West Germany)
Greece (1952)
Hungary (1999)
Iceland (1949)
Italy (1949)
Latvia (2004)
Lithuania (2004)
Luxembourg (1949)
Montenegro (2017)
Netherlands (1949)
North Macedonia (2020)
Norway (1949)
Poland (1999)
Portugal (1949)
Romania (2004)
Slovakia (2004)
Slovenia (2004)
Spain (1982)
Sweden (2024)
Turkey (1952)
United Kingdom (1949)
United States (1949)
April 4, 1949 – The 12 nations of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States sign the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, DC.
July 25, 1950 – First meeting of NATO Council Deputies in London. US Ambassador Charles M. Spofford is elected permanent chairman.
December 19, 1950 – US General Dwight Eisenhower is appointed the first supreme allied commander. The position leads NATO’s military operations.
March 12, 1952 – Lord Ismay is named the first secretary general of NATO and appointed vice chairman of the North Atlantic Council, which oversees NATO’s political decisions.
April 16, 1952 – NATO establishes its provisional headquarters in Paris at the Palais de Chaillot.
April 28, 1952 – First meeting of the North Atlantic Council in permanent session in Paris.
May 6, 1952 – West Germany joins NATO.
May 14, 1955 – The Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries form the Warsaw Pact in response to West Germany joining NATO.
July 26, 1956 – Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal. France and Great Britain use troops to intervene, against the wishes of the United States, causing a rift in NATO.
October 22-23, 1963 – NATO and the United States demonstrate the size and speed of emergency forces when flying 14,500 US troops into West Germany for maneuvers.
March 10, 1966 – France formally announces intentions to withdraw from the military structure of NATO, accusing the United States of having too much influence in the organization.
March 31, 1967 – Opening ceremony of new NATO headquarters in Casteau, near Mons, Belgium.
August 14, 1974 – Greece, angered at NATO’s response to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, withdraws from the military arm of NATO.
October 20, 1980 – Greece rejoins the NATO military structure.
May 30, 1982 – Spain joins NATO.
October 3, 1990 – Germany is reunified after 45 years. East Germany leaves the Warsaw Pact and is incorporated into NATO. In 1991, the Warsaw Pact is dissolved.
December 13, 1991 – For the first time, the Soviet Union takes part in meetings at NATO as part of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council.
December 21, 1991 – Eleven of the republics of the former Soviet Union create a new Commonwealth of Independent States. On December 25, the Soviet Union is officially disbanded with the resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev as president and supreme commander-in-chief of Soviet Forces.
February 28, 1994 – NATO forces shoot down four Bosnian Serb planes violating the UN-imposed no-fly zone. It is the first time NATO has used force.
November 21, 1995 – After the Dayton Peace Accords, the war in Bosnia Herzegovina ends. In December, NATO deploys Implementation Force (IFOR) to support the agreement.
January 13, 1996 – Russian troops are deployed to support IFOR in Bosnia.
May 22, 1997 – NATO and the Russian Federation sign a security and cooperation pact, the “Founding Act” which establishes a NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council (PJC).
March 24, 1999 – NATO launches air strikes against Yugoslavia to end Serbian aggression in the Kosovo region.
September 12, 2001 – For the first time, NATO invokes Article V, the Washington Treaty, its mutual defense clause, in support of the United States after the September 11 terror attacks.
May 28, 2002 – NATO and Russia form the NATO-Russia Council (NRC), which makes Russia an associate member of the organization. The NRC replaces the PJC.
November 21-22, 2002 – During the Prague Summit, NATO invites seven former Eastern Bloc countries, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, to discuss entry into the organization.
December 4, 2002 – US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz speaks before NATO in Brussels and requests that member nations contribute forces to a potential campaign in Iraq.
January 22, 2003 – France and Germany block discussion on war preparations submitted by the United States. The US proposal included provisions for Turkey’s defense, the use of NATO equipment, and NATO’s postwar role in Iraq.
February 10, 2003 – France, Germany and Belgium block a US request that NATO provide Patriot missiles, Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, and other equipment to Turkey. The United States had made the request anticipating that Iraq will retaliate against Turkey in the event of war. Turkey invokes article IV of the NATO charter, which requires the organization as a whole to discuss security threats to any member nation.
February 16, 2003 – NATO produces three defensive plans for Turkey, in the event of a US war with Iraq:
– Deployment of NATO AWACS aircraft;
– NATO support for the deployment of theatre missile defenses for Turkey;
– NATO support for possible deployment of Allied chemical and biological defenses.
March 29, 2004 – NATO is expanded from 19 to 26 members when seven nations, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, join in an accession ceremony in Washington, DC. All are former communist states in Eastern Europe.
August 10, 2004 – NATO AWACS begin patrolling Greek airspace prior to the Olympic and Paralympic games. NATO’s presence at the Olympics is nicknamed Distinguished Games and includes AWACS and the Multinational Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Task Force.
September 14, 2006 – Ukraine announces that it is shelving its aspirations to join NATO, due to opposition by the Ukrainian public and Russia.
April 2-4, 2008 – NATO leaders hold a summit in Bucharest, Romania. Croatia and Albania are invited to join the alliance.
June 17, 2008 – French President Nicolas Sarkozy announces France will soon rejoin NATO’s military command, 40 years after it left.
April 3-4, 2009 – The 23rd NATO summit also marks NATO’s 60th anniversary. During the summit, France rejoins NATO’s military command.
November 19, 2010 – NATO adopts the Strategic Concept “Active Engagement, Modern Defence” for the next 10 years.
March 24, 2011 – NATO takes command of enforcing a no-fly zone imposed on Libya by the United Nations.
March 29, 2011 – The Council of Europe rules NATO, among others, responsible for the 63 deaths of African immigrants left adrift for two weeks while attempting to reach European shores from Libya.
May 19, 2012 – Demonstrators take to the streets of Chicago prior to the start of the NATO summit. Anti-NATO protests near Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s home focus on the cost of the summit to the city and city budget cuts to mental healthcare.
May 20-21, 2012 – The 25th Summit is held in Chicago. During the summit, NATO accepts US President Barack Obama’s timetable to end the war in Afghanistan by 2014.
March 5, 2014 – In regard to the crisis in Ukraine, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announces that NATO has decided to “put the entire range of NATO-Russia cooperation under review” to send “a clear message Russia’s actions have consequences.”
December 2, 2015 – NATO extends an official invitation to Montenegro to join the alliance.
February 11, 2016 – Secretary General Stoltenberg announces that NATO is deploying ships to the Aegean Sea to try to deter smugglers from trafficking migrants from Turkey to Greece.
June 5, 2017 – Montenegro officially becomes a member of NATO.
March 27, 2020 – North Macedonia officially joins NATO.
March 24, 2022 – NATO leaders issue a joint statement in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Leaders call on President Vladimir Putin to withdraw Russian military forces, and call on Belarus to end its complicity.
May 15, 2022 – Finland’s government says it intends to join NATO, ditching decades of neutrality and ignoring Russian threats of possible retaliation as the Nordic country attempts to strengthen its security following the onset of the war in Ukraine. Sweden’s ruling party later said it will also support joining the alliance.
April 4, 2023 – Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO.
March 7, 2024 – Sweden officially joins NATO, becoming the 32nd member.
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.
