News – Page 21 – Zoom News

Suspected 27 Dead in Heavy Fire in Japan, Police Investigate Possible Arson

17Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Japan, News

Suspected 27 Dead in Heavy Fire in Japan, Police Investigate Possible Arson

A fire in a building in the Japanese metropolis of Osaka is believed to have killed 27 people on Friday. This was reported by public broadcaster NHK. Police are investigating whether the fire was started. The fire, for reasons unknown, broke out on the fourth floor of the building, which is near Osaka station. The fire brigade and ambulances were deployed on a large scale, and the fire was extinguished after about 30 minutes. According to NHK, 27 people were diagnosed with “cardiac and respiratory arrest”. This expression is used in Japan when people are believed to have died, but their death has not yet been formally established. Police are investigating whether the fire was arson. An unidentified man is suspected of starting the fire.

Life Sentence for Man Who Deliberately Drove into German Carnival Parade

16Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Europe, Germany, News

Life Sentence for Man Who Deliberately Drove into German Carnival Parade

A man in Germany has been sentenced to life in prison for deliberately driving a car into a carnival parade in the town of Volkmarsen last year. About 90 people were injured, including dozens of children. According to prosecutors, the 31-year-old German wanted to kill as many people as possible on February 24, 2020. He drove into his victims at a speed of 50 or 60 kilometres per hour. His vehicle came to a stop after 42 meters. Witnesses overpowered the driver. The court in Kassel has found the man guilty of attempted murder, inflicting bodily harm and dangerous behaviour in traffic. Almost two years later, it is still unknown why the man entered the parade. German media report that he remained silent in court and also refused to talk to a psychiatric expert. He concluded that...

Fierce Fire Breaks Out at World Trade Center in Hong Kong: More Than 300 People are Stuck on Roof

15Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Hong Kong, News

Fierce Fire Breaks Out at World Trade Center in Hong Kong: More Than 300 People are Stuck on Roof

A major fire has broken out at the World Trade Center in Hong Kong. The fire brigade is on the scene en masse, and more than 300 people are trapped on the roof. The smoke overcame some people; a man in his sixties was taken to the hospital like three others. The fire broke out around 12:37 p.m. local time, at a time when hundreds of people were working in the building, and many people were shopping and eating in the shops and restaurants. The fire brigade rushed to the spot en masse and fought the flames with fire-fighting aircraft. Meanwhile, more than 300 people have climbed to the roof of the 38-storey building. They're stuck there. The fire brigade makes frantic efforts to get them off with ladder trucks. Five people are said to have been overcome by the smoke. A woman in h...

Amazon Under Fire for Tornado Deaths in Warehouse: They Prioritize Productivity Over Human Lives

14Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Business, News

Amazon Under Fire for Tornado Deaths in Warehouse: They Prioritize Productivity Over Human Lives

Amazon is under fire because a slew of tornadoes in the US state of Illinois destroyed a department store and killed six people. The relatives wondered about the procedure followed when it became clear that a potentially dangerous storm was on the way. How quickly did executives at the Amazon department store in Edwardsville intervene when it became clear that a devastating tornado was on the way? That is the question that some relatives of the six fatalities, who died when the roof collapsed, are asking themselves. One of them is Rachel Clayton, who lost her brother in the storm. "This would never have happened if they put human lives above productivity," she wrote in a Facebook post. "Everyone knows that Amazon only cares about that. If the company had immediately rescued all e...

Microsoft Must Release Dead Man’s Hotmail and OneDrive Account to Family

13Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Europe, Netherland, News

Microsoft Must Release Dead Man’s Hotmail and OneDrive Account to Family

Microsoft must give the parents and sisters of a man who died in July 2021 access to his Hotmail and OneDrive account. The Amsterdam District Court has determined this after summary proceedings brought against Microsoft by the relatives. The family members had first corresponded with the tech giant themselves to gain access to the deceased's Microsoft user accounts. However, Microsoft informed the family by email on Oct. 7 that it would only consider whether the company could provide access under applicable law after receiving a court order. Microsoft defended itself by stating that the content of an (email) account is not good within the meaning of Article 3:1 of the Dutch Civil Code. "Even if the heirs had become a party to the Microsoft Services Agreement (MSA), that would not...

British Court Overturns Blockade of Assange’s Extradition to US

10Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, UK, US

British Court Overturns Blockade of Assange’s Extradition to US

The United States is one step closer to extraditing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the United Kingdom. The British court ruled against the extradition in January because of the risk that Assange would commit suicide, but that verdict was overturned on appeal. The Americans appealed because they believed that Assange was mentally capable of standing trial in the US. It has also been promised that Assange will not end up in a maximum-security prison and that he will be allowed to serve a prison sentence in his home country Australia. The extradition request must be re-examined by the court, but Assange's lawyers can still challenge the ruling. The latter will happen "as soon as possible", according to Stella Moris, Assange's fiancé. She speaks of a "gigantic blunder". Report...

Apple Doesn’t Need to Adjust App Store Yet (and Therefore Shines on Wall Street)

9Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Business, News, Technology

Apple Doesn’t Need to Adjust App Store Yet (and Therefore Shines on Wall Street)

Apple was one of the stars on Wall Street yesterday. The tech group has already been in the spotlight as the company approaches a market value of $3,000 billion, but investors also received good news from the courtroom. There, Apple was granted a postponement of an amendment to its App Store rules, as long as an appeal is pending. That adjustment could have cost Apple a lot of money. Apple has been granted permission on appeal to leave the rules of its App Store as they are for the time being, as long as the so-called Fortnite lawsuit is pending. In September, a California court ruled that Apple had to amend the store's terms by pointing out that users can purchase cheaper subscriptions outside of the App Store. Apple charges a hefty commission on both apps and subscriptions thro...

British Prime Minister Johnson in Narrow Shoes After Video about Christmas Party in Downing Street 10

8Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, UK

British Prime Minister Johnson in Narrow Shoes After Video about Christmas Party in Downing Street 10

A leaked video of a Downing Street "pseudo press conference" has discredited British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. There was indeed a Christmas party in the official residence last year. Of course, the prime minister was not there himself, but it certainly did not go according to the corona rules that he had just issued. At a pseudo press conference about the Christmas party of a year ago, the then press spokesman for British Prime Minister Johnson made a slip of the mind. Indeed, there was a large staff party on December 18, 2020, with "cheese and wine" and "no social distancing". That says that spokesman Allegra Stratton and other staff members rehearse a press conference on December 22, 2020. The video has now been leaked via the ITV channel. The video is front-page news in al...

Justice US Closes Investigation into Murder of Black Boy Emmett Till

7Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, US

Justice US Closes Investigation into Murder of Black Boy Emmett Till

The US Department of Justice has closed its investigation into the racist murder of Emmett Till (14). The black boy was murdered 66 years ago in Mississippi because a white woman said he touched her and made sexual innuendo. His death gave impetus to the American civil rights movement. The woman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, said in an interview for a book that her statement was partly a lie. Because of those statements, the investigation into the murder was reopened in 2018, but justice has not proven the lies. The murder took place after Bryant Donham accused till of whistling at her. Later, the woman also said that Till grabbed her by the waist and made sexual comments. Her husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam kidnapped the boy. After beating and shooting him, they du...

Rescue Work in Java Resumed After New Volcanic Eruption

6Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Indonesia, News

Rescue Work in Java Resumed After New Volcanic Eruption

Rescue efforts in eastern Java have resumed after the search for survivors was temporarily halted due to another eruption of volcano Semeru. Nearly 30 people have been missing since Saturday's eruption. Residents near the volcano, the highest on Java, ran for cover in panic when it erupted on Saturday, releasing a large amount of ash. There were also streams of warm mud. The Indonesian authorities have counted at least 15 dead. As far as is known, about 70 people have suffered burns. Several villages are covered under a thick layer of ash. Only the roofs of some houses are visible. More than 1,500 people have been displaced and placed in temporary shelters such as mosques and offices. The search for missing persons is complicated by the ashes and the collapse of a bridge between...