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☆ UN probe finds 9 UNRWA employees ‘may have’ been involved in Oct. 7 attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Richard Roth | Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The investigation was launched in January after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the attack that left 1,200 people in Israel dead. “The evidence obtained by OIOS indicated that the UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the armed attacks of 7 October 2023,” OIOS said in a statement. Nonetheless, UNWRA in January said that it had terminated the accused employees’ contracts. They also reviewed UNRWA employees’ communications and media reports. “Because of safety concerns,” they did not meet with the accused UNRWA staff or corroborating witnesses.

Persons: Israel, Juliette Touma, OIOS, ” OIOS, Nadav Shoshani, ”, Philippe Lazzarini, –, Aharon Haliva, “ Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UNRWA, UN, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel Defense Forces, Palestine Refugees, Israel Defense Forces ’ Military Intelligence Directorate, United Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, New York, Geneva, Brussels, UNWRA, United States

☆ Israel releases names and details of alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in October 7 attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The additional details also included screengrabs of what Israel said were two UNWRA employees – a social worker and math teacher – in Israel on October 7. The defense ministry also provided ID photos of 10 other alleged Hamas members, their positions and alleged involvement in the deadly incursion, but did not provide any supporting evidence to back up their claims. CNN could not independently verify the identity of the men or Israel’s allegations about their involvement with Hamas. The UNWRA spokesman said the agency annually shares the names, employee numbers and functions of all staff members with Israel. It said the names shared included the names of the 12 individuals identified by Israel in the dossier, and that Israel had not informed UNRWA of those staffers’ alleged involvement with Hamas prior to January.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Israel, –, Khan Younis, Nasser, ”, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, ’ Organizations: CNN, Nasser Hospital, Ministry of Health, United Nations, UNRWA, UN, Israeli, United, Israel, UN Security Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Khan, United States, Hamas’s Deir el

☆ A photographer’s fantastical portrait of rural China during Lunar New Year
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —In photographer Zhang Xiao’s images of the Shehuo festival, an ancient celebration still observed in parts of northern China during the Lunar New Year, rural life comes alive with something altogether more fantastical. (Lunar New Year celebrations usually last more than two weeks, with Shehuo festival taking place on the season’s 15th and final day.) “In some villages, virtually the entire population has been mobilized to produce and sell Shehuo props,” the photographer writes in his book. Shehuo performers reenact a battle between China's Eighth Route Army and Japanese forces from the Second Sino-Japanese War. “People are not focused on how to improve product quality and craftsmanship,” said the photographer, who is currently working on a documentary about life in rural China.

Persons: Zhang Xiao’s, ” Zhang, “, …, ”, Zhang Xiao, —, Zhang, Zhang Xiao “, — Zhang, reenact Organizations: CNN, roosters, dreamworld, UNESCO, Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Eighth Route Army, Aperture, Peabody Museum Press, Peabody Museum of Archaeology, Ethnology Locations: China, Huanghuayu, Shaanxi, Henan, Huozhuang, Henan province, China’s Shandong, Chengdu, Cambridge , Massachusetts

SpaceX launched Starship and its Super Heavy booster toward space for the second time on Saturday. Sitting atop its stainless steel Super Heavy booster, Starship stands nearly 400 feet tall. If Starship did reach space on Saturday, it is the largest and most powerful launch system to ever do so. AdvertisementSpaceX's explosions aren't necessarily failure in Musk's eyesThe complete Starship-Super Heavy system first attempted to reach space in April. AdvertisementIt took seven months to make all those adjustments, regain regulatory approval for flight, and prepare to launch Starship a second time.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Elon, John Insprucker, SPadre.com livestreams, Gene Blevins, Yusaku Maezawa, That's, it's Organizations: SpaceX, Super, NASA, Service, Elon Musk's, Reuters Locations: Boca Chica , Texas, of Mexico, SPadre.com

☆ Starbucks sues worker union, saying customers are 'chastising' the coffee chain and vandalizing stores over pro-Palestinian social media posts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Starbucks sued Starbucks Workers United and affiliates, alleging trademark infringement. In a trademark-infringement lawsuit filed Wednesday, Starbucks accused Starbucks Workers United, and an affiliate, Iowa City Starbucks Workers United, of damaging the brand's reputation. The Starbucks union is an SEIU affliate. Starbucks Workers United countersued the chain in federal court in Pennsylvania, asking to be allowed to continue to use the circular green Starbucks Workers United logo. "Starbucks Workers United did not make a "statement" let alone multiple "statements" advocating for violence, nor did the union take a "position" supporting violence."

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu, David, chastising, Sara Kelly Organizations: Starbucks, Starbucks Workers United, Service, Iowa City Starbucks Workers United, Employees International Union, SEIU, Hamas, Starbucks Workers, Seattle Starbucks Reserve, Workers United, Starbucks Coffee Company Locations: Palestinian, Palestine, Israel, Israeli, Gaza, Iowa City, Rhode, Pennsylvania

☆ Side-by-side photos show 4 major changes made to SpaceX's Starship rocket system after its first launch ended in an explosion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementMore than a thousand changes have been made to the rocket since and it is now "ready to launch" again Musk recently said. SpaceX's enormous Starship mega-rocket is made of two stages: the Starship spaceship and its booster, the Super Heavy booster. The Starship-Super Heavy launch system is made up of two stages. Instead, for Starship's maiden test flight, SpaceX decided to see if they could absorb the force of the flames with a thick concrete launchpad alone. The FAA will still need to review the changes made to the Starship launch system before it can grant a new license.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, it's, Abhi Tripathi, Starship's, Tripathi, Ashlee Vance, Vance, hushes, —, SpaceX's, LabPadre, SpaceX hasn't, It's, April's, Polly Trottenberg, Jared M, Margolis Organizations: SpaceX, Service, NASA, Super, Mission, University of California's, Sciences Laboratory, Flight Safety, FAA, Bloomberg, Boca Chica, CNBC, Texas Commission, Environmental, Center for Biological Diversity Locations: Wall, Silicon, Starship's, Boca Chica , Texas

☆ Crashed Russian mission left a crater on the moon, NASA images show
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Luna-25, Russia's first moon mission in 47 years, failed on Aug. 19 when it spun out of control and crashed into the moon, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft imaged a new crater on the surface of the moon that it concluded was the likely the impact site of Russia's Luna 25 mission. "The new crater is about 10 meters in diameter," NASA said. "Since this new crater is close to the Luna-25 estimated impact point, the LRO team concludes it is likely to be from that mission, rather than a natural impactor." After the crash, Moscow said a special inter-departmental commission had been formed to investigate the reasons behind the loss of the Luna-25 craft.

Persons: Russia's Luna, Luna, Russia's, Yuri Gagarin, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: NASA, Reconnaissance, U.S . National Aeronautics and, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia's, Moscow, Soviet

The tweets from the official “Barbie” account responding to the unofficial memes were later deleted. While the “Barbenheimer” hashtag is not part of an official Warner Bros. marketing campaign, Warner Bros. Japan said it was “extremely regrettable” that the Barbie account had responded to the posts. “We take this situation very seriously and demand an appropriate response from the US headquarters,” Warner Bros. Japan said in a tweet Monday. The studio offers a sincere apology.”Warner Bros., like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros. It’s a shame.”Another said they were “really disappointed” when they saw a post from the “Barbie” account, and would no longer buy a ticket.

Persons: Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer, ”, Warner, Barbie, screengrabs, Margot Robbie, Cillian Murphy, Critics, “, “ Warner, –, Jeffrey J, Hall, “ Barbie ” Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros . Film, Warner Bros, Mattel, Twitter, US Air Force, “ Warner Brothers, Warner Bros ., Toho, Reuters Locations: Japan, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Asia, Tokyo

☆ Fact Check-Altered image of Sir Karl Jenkins wearing ‘Q’ medal at coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image appearing to show Welsh composer Sir Karl Jenkins wearing a medal with the letter “Q” emblazoned across it at King Charles’ coronation is digitally altered. Instead, Jenkins wore a Knighthood medal that was awarded to him in 2015. The Welsh composer was awarded a medal when he was knighted (Knight Bachelor) in June 2015 (here), (here). Jenkins wore a medal to the King’s coronation which was awarded to him upon his Knighthood in June 2015. An image showing the medal bearing a “Q” symbol is altered.

☆ Leaked Pentagon documents appeared on a 'Minecraft' Discord server weeks before officials knew about a breach: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Leaked Pentagon documents appeared on Discord servers weeks before the received official attention. At least 10 documents appeared on the server "Minecraft Earth Map" on March 4, Bellingcat reported. At least 10 such documents were posted in March on a Discord server dedicated to the "Minecraft " video game, Bellingcat investigator Aric Toler reported. Wow_Mao told The New York Times he does not spend much time managing his Discord server but admits he could have moderated it better. The analyst cited conversations with several members of the Discord server, who sent him images of the documents.

☆ Reuters reporters' online accounts faked to approach China activists
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( James Pomfret | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] The Chinese flag is seen across the Victoria Harbour during sunset, in Hong Kong, China October 12, 2022. The impersonator or impersonators were seeking information about a group linked to protests the same month against China's strict COVID-19 controls, according to screenshots and several accounts provided to Reuters. An Australia-based Chinese activist and dissident artist known as Badiucao first disclosed the impersonations on Saturday on Twitter. "Hello everyone," an imposter wrote in a Telegram chatroom, according to screenshots seen by Reuters that were provided by Badiucao. Telegram did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the impersonations of the journalists' accounts on that platform.

☆ Fact Check-Images of dressing rooms strewn with rubbish are not Japanese soccer team’s changing room after Costa Rica World Cup match
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Images circulating online of dressing rooms strewn with rubbish do not show the Japanese national soccer team’s changing room and the images pre-date the Qatar World Cup. However, some online users were duped into thinking that the images showed the Japanese team’s changing room after losing to Costa Rica on Nov 27. FIFA has images showing Japan’s changing room after the team’s opening match against Germany, with no rubbish viewable (here), (here), (here). Images online do not show rubbish in Japan’s World Cup changing room after a match. The images were captured in Italy following the national soccer team’s loss to North Macedonia in March 2022.

☆ Fact Check-Years-old video of Istanbul explosion mistaken for 2022 attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A CCTV clip from 2016 of an explosion in Istanbul has been mistaken by some social media users for footage of the blast that killed six people in the same city in November 2022. The clip shows an explosion ripping through a pedestrian street and knocking multiple people to the ground. It was shared widely on Facebook and Twitter on Nov. 13 to suggest it showed the moment of the bomb attack that day (here , here and here). Six people were killed and 81 injured in the Nov. 13, 2022, attack on the same avenue which was crowded as usual with weekend shoppers, tourists and families. The CCTV clip is from 2016.

☆ KFC Germany apologizes for advertising a Kristallnacht promotion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN Business —KFC Germany apologized for an “unacceptable” message sent to customers on Wednesday, which appeared to tie a sales promotion to the annual commemoration of Kristallnacht. KFC app users in the country received a message encouraging them to mark the day with crispy chicken and cheese from KFC, according to Twitter users who shared screengrabs of the message in German. “Earlier today an automated push notification was accidently [SIC] issued to KFC app users in Germany that contained an obviously unplanned, insensitive and unacceptable message,” KFC Germany said in a statement emailed to CNN Business. KFC Germany didn’t confirm the language used in the alert. KFC’s message resulted in similar outrage among some German customers and has been widely criticized on social media.

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