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Ani Hasanah

Ani Hasanah

26
January

At least 30 people have died during severe rainstorms in Brazil's Minas Gerais state, the country's emergency services have said.

Many of the victims were buried in landslides or washed away in floods after intense rain on Friday and Saturday.

More than 2,500 people were evacuated from their homes, and local TV showed images of ruined houses under red mud.

Rescue work continued overnight into Sunday, with 17 people missing.

The Brazilian weather service said on Saturday that the state capital of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, had had 17cm (seven inches) of rain in one 24-hour period - the heaviest rainfall since records were first kept 110 years ago.

About 40 municipalities in Brazil's second most populous state have been badly hit.

The floods and landslides come on the first anniversary of the dam collapse near the town of Brumadinho, south-west of Belo Horizonte, that killed 270 people.

Forests were destroyed and rivers polluted, in what was Brazil's worst industrial accident.

Mining giant Vale and German auditor Tüv Süd now face environmental charges relating to the collapse, with 16 individuals who worked for the companies facing charges of murder.

Vale has been accused of failing to report warning signs before the dam engulfed a canteen, offices and farms. (BBC) 

27
January

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has apologised on behalf of his country's government for its failure to protect Jews during World War Two.

Mr Rutte said that while some Dutch officials resisted during the Nazi occupation, too many simply did as they were told.

It was the first such apology to be offered by a Dutch prime minister.

About 102,000 of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust came from the Netherlands.

Mr Rutte made the remarks at a Holocaust remembrance event in Amsterdam, ahead of the 75th anniversary on Monday of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.

"With the last remaining survivors among us, I apologise on behalf of the government for the actions of the government at the time," he said.

"I do so, realising that no word can describe something as enormous and awful as the Holocaust."

It was an admission long sought by the Netherlands' Jewish community.

Some 75% of the 140,000 Jews who lived in the Netherlands before the Holocaust were murdered by German Nazis and their local collaborators.

Dutch governments in the past had apologised for the way Jews who survived the Holocaust were treated upon returning from concentration camps.

But Mr Rutte is the first to acknowledge the country's role in persecuting Jews and other minorities during the Nazi occupation.

"We ask ourselves: how could this have happened?" he said.

"In all, we did too little. Not enough protection, not enough help, not enough recognition." (BBC) 

27
January

US basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna are among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in the city of Calabasas, California.

Bryant, 41, was travelling in a private helicopter when it came down and burst into flames.

The LA county sheriff said there were no survivors.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and is considered one of the greatest players in the game's history.

Tributes from celebrities and fellow sports stars have been pouring in, many expressing shock at his sudden death.

Moments of silence have been observed at basketball games across the US.

Bryant has also been remembered at the Grammy Awards which are being held at the Los Angeles Lakers' stadium.

"We're all feeling crazy sadness right now," said Grammys host Alicia Keys.

"Because earlier today Los Angeles, America and the whole wide world lost a hero. We're literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built."

The NBA issued a statement saying it was "devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna" aged 13.

"For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning," it said. (BBC)

26
January

The aunt of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has been seen in public for the first time since the execution of her husband in 2013.

Kim Kyong-hui is the daughter of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, and sister to former leader Kim Jong-il.

She had not been seen since her husband, Chang Song-thaek, was executed by her nephew for "acts of treachery".

But on Sunday, state media released a photo of her enjoying new year celebrations.

The photo, released by North Korea's state news agency KCNA, showed Kim Kyong-hui seated next to Kim Jong-un and his wife in a crowded theatre in Pyongyang. She was also included in the list of top-ranking officials in attendance.

Oliver Hotham, editor at NK News, which covers events in the reclusive nation, said the reappearance was a surprise.

"Many North Korea watchers had assumed that Kim Kyong-hui had gone into exile or even been killed in the wake of her husband's death," he told Reuters.

Her appearance seated next to the leader suggested she had retained - or regained - significant influence, he added - possibly as an advisor.

"It's also a reminder of how weird and brutal North Korea is, after all she's sitting next to the man who ordered her husband's execution."

Kim Kyong-hui and her husband Chang Song-thaek were major players within the North Korean state at the time of their nephew's ascension to power nearly a decade ago.

Mr Kim succeeded his father as leader in 2011, and it was widely believed that Mr Chang was one of his mentors during the transition.

But two years into the new leader's rule, Mr Chang was removed from a meeting by armed guards in dramatic fashion. Official statements claimed he had confessed to plotting to overthrow the state, and that he had been immediately executed.

Many observers of the North Korean state believe he may have been considered a threat to the young leader, and killed as part of a purge. (BBC)