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martyb writes:

Bangladesh Firefighters Battle Blaze at Dhaka Skyscraper:

At least two people confirmed dead and some are believed to be trapped inside FR Tower in the Bangladeshi capital.

At least two people have been confirmed dead after fire broke out in a 19-storey commercial building in Dhaka on Thursday, officials have told Al Jazeera, weeks after a deadly fire in the Bangladeshi capital left at least 70 people dead.

"Nineteen fire-fighting units are working at the scene. Bangladesh navy and air force have also joined to fight the fire," said Duty Officer Mohammad Russel from Dhaka's central fire service control room.

Several people are believed to be trapped inside the tower in the Banani area of the Bangladeshi capital, according to The Daily Star news website.

Helicopters dropped water on the burning building while hundreds of panicked onlookers crowded the streets in the upmarket commercial district of Banani.

[...] Al Jazeera's Tanveer Chaudhry, reporting from Dhaka, said "at least six people have jumped off the building."

"There are 95 emergency services working and helicopters hovering above ... trying to rescue some people from the roof as well.

"The fire took place on the 9th floor of the building but we don't know under what circumstances."

A massive blaze in Dhaka's old quarter last month killed at least 70 people and injured 50 others.

Also at: AP, Dhaka Tribune, and The New York Times.

Had a fire in my apartment building a while back and had to evacuate. Scary.

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martyb writes:

New Zealand Bans Sale of Assault, Semi-Automatic Rifles: PM:

New Zealand has banned the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons after the country's worst-ever attack that killed 50 people in two mosques.

"Be assured this is just the beginning of the work we'll be doing," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference on Thursday.

[...]Ardern said she expects a new law to be in place by April 11 and buy-back schemes will be established for outlawed weapons.

"Now, six days after this attack, we are announcing a ban on all military style semi-automatics [MSSA] and assault rifles in New Zealand," Ardern said.

She said the man arrested in the attacks on two Christchurch mosques had purchased his weapons legally and enhanced their capacity by using 30-round magazines "done easily through a simple online purchase".

"Related parts used to convert these guns into MSSAs are also being banned, along with all high-capacity magazines.

"In short, every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned in this country," she said.

That was quick.

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

The text of Article13 and the EU Copyright Directive has just been finalised and it's utterly awful. It is clear what we do now: contact MEPs and get them to vote down the entire package.

https://juliareda.eu/2019/02/eu-copyright-final-text/

Our best bet: The final vote in the plenary of the European Parliament, when all 751 MEPs, directly elected to represent the people, have a vote. This will take place either between March 25 and 28, on April 4 or between April 15 and 18. We've already demonstrated last July that a majority against a bad copyright proposal is achievable.

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martyb writes:

Brazil Dam Collapse: Hundreds Missing after Mining Disaster:

As many as 200 people are missing after three dams operated by the mining giant Vale collapsed in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, releasing a wave of red mining waste and prompting fears of widespread contamination.

At least 50 people died in the disaster on Friday, Avimar de Melo, mayor of the nearby town of Brumadinho told the Hoje em Dia newspaper. "We don't have any more details because it's all happening very quickly," he said.

Brazilian television showed images of survivors being winched to safety by a helicopter after the disaster at the Feijão mine near Brumadinho, less than two hours from the state capital, Belo Horizonte.

Among those missing were 100 mine workers who were having lunch in an administrative area when it was hit by a torrent of sludge and water, said a fire brigade spokesman, Lieutenant Pedro Aihara.

"Our main worry now is to quickly find out where the missing people are," Aihara said on GloboNews cable television channel.

Videos shared on social media showed houses buried in the mud and local media reported that the nearby Inhotim outdoor art complex had been evacuated though not affected.

The dam collapse came less than four years after Brazil's worst environmental disaster was caused by the failure of a tailings dam at Mariana in the same state. That dam was operated by Samarco, which at the time of the disaster was half-owned by Vale.

"I don't have words to describe my suffering, my enormous sadness, my disappointment in what has just happened. It is beyond anything you can imagine," Vale's CEO, Fabio Schvartsman, said in an address on YouTube.

He said the company had made an "enormous effort" to make its tailings dams safe after the Mariana disaster. "The whole of Vale will do whatever is possible to help the people affected," he said.

Also at BBC and U.S. News & World Report.

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