Saturday, April 29, 2023

Thousands of foreign nationals evacuated amid fighting and looting in Sudan despite truce

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https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/30/world/sudan-crisis-china-uk-uae-evacuations-fighting-unrest-looting-intl-hnk/index.html

Thousands of foreign nationals evacuated amid fighting and looting in Sudan despite truce

By Mitchell McCluskey, Eyad Kourdi, Heather Chen and CNN journalists in Sudan
Published 12:19 AM EDT, Sun April 30, 2023
British citizens seen boarding an RAF aircraft in Sudan for evacuation to Cyprus.
British citizens seen boarding an RAF aircraft in Sudan for evacuation to Cyprus.
British Ministry of Defence/Getty Images
CNN  — 

Thousands of foreign nationals have been evacuated from Sudan as clashes between two rival military factions vying for control of the country continue despite a supposed truce.

Eyewitnesses across the country reported fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the rival Rapid Support Forces on Saturday, including a major battle involving heavy weapons and armed vehicles in the Halfaya neighborhood in Khartoum.

The reports followed the deployment of Sudanese police forces in Khartoum for the first time since the outbreak of the clashes two weeks ago to “maintain security” amid heavy looting.

Khartoum resident Hassan Abdel-Wahhab, 53, told CNN the fighting in Halfaya had taken place for “more than an hour.”

“Until… the exchange of fire stopped after the forces left the neighborhood, no one left their homes,” he said.

Another eyewitness told CNN that Rapid Support Forces had moved in to the Wad Al-Bashir area, west of Omdurman (a major city just northwest of the capital Khartoum).

“Members of the Rapid Support Forces are spreading terror now in Al-Arda Street and Wad Al-Bashir area, firing bullets in the air and looting the citizens who stayed in their homes for fear of these practices,” a female resident from the area told CNN on Saturday under the condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Violent clashes also unfolded in the center of the capital near the presidential palace, eyewitnesses said.

Widespread looting

Earlier on Saturday, Sudanese Police deployed forces for the first time since the beginning of the fighting in Khartoum to “maintain security” amid widespread reports of looting.

Among those deployed were combat-trained police personnel from the Central Reserve Forces.

“We are deploying forces from the Central Reserve Forces in the main streets and markets to maintain security in Khartoum,” Sudan’s Ministry of Interior said in post shared on its official Facebook account.

Residents on the ground have told CNN that markets and shops have been heavily targeted by looters in the past few days.

Hundreds of evacuees land in Saudi Arabia as Sudan fighting enters third week

Hatem Awadallah, a German citizen of Sudanese origin who lives in Khartoum told CNN in a phone call that he had been the victim of looting by members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“I woke up at 1:30 a.m. to the sound of a Kalashnikov weapon that was placed on my head and a group of armed RSF men… demanding that I give them any amount of money – or I would be killed,” Awadallah said.

He added that his 83-year-old mother and family had also been threatened with guns by thieves who demanded money.

The family ended up surrendering $14,000 while thieves also stole another $5,000 and destroyed two iPhones and an iPad by shooting them.

“They looted a new car – a Toyota truck – and then left the house,” Awadallah said. “Three of our house guards who were tied up, told us that those who looted them came in four armed cars belonging to the RSF,” he said.

Thousands evacuated

The fighting came as countries including the United Kingdom, China and the UAE reported the evacuation of thousands of foreign nationals.

The UK said Saturday that it had evacuated more than 1,888 people on 21 flights since evacuation operations started on Tuesday.

The vast majority of those evacuated were British nationals and their dependents, the British foreign ministry said, adding that the final British flight would depart from the Wadi Saeedna airfield on Saturday.

The ministry had previously said evacuations would end on Saturday “due to declining demand for seats.”

The ministry said it would now focus on “providing consular support to British nationals in Port Sudan and neighboring countries in the region.”

“We continue to press all diplomatic levers to secure a long-term ceasefire and end the bloodshed in Sudan. Ultimately a stable transition to civilian rule is the best way to protect the security and prosperity of the Sudanese people,” said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

This image grab taken from AFPTV video footage on April 28, 2023, shows an aerial view of black smoke rising over Khartoum. - Fighting raged in Sudan, despite rival forces agreeing to extend a truce aimed to stem nearly two weeks of warfare that has killed hundreds and caused widespread destruction. Black clouds rose over the capital Khartoum as foreign nations scrambled to organise mass evacuations of their citizens, with Turkey's defence ministry on Friday reporting one of their military transport aircraft had come under fire.

First US government-organized convoy evacuates private American citizens from Sudan conflict

China, meanwhile, said it had evacuated 940 Chinese citizens and 231 foreign personnel from Sudan to Saudi Arabia between Wednesday and Saturday.

“In order to protect the lives and property of Chinese citizens in Sudan, the Chinese military has been ordered to evacuate Chinese personnel in Sudan,” said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s destroyer Nanning and supply ship Weishanhu had evacuated the individuals with the help of Chinese embassies and consulates from Port Sudan to the port of Jeddah, Tan said.

Also on Saturday, a United Arab Emirates evacuation plane arrived in Abu Dhabi from Sudan, according to a statement by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent to CNN.

The plane was “carrying Emirati citizens and nationals of 16 countries, including vulnerable groups of the sick, children, elderly and women – who are among the UAE’s top priorities in light of clashes occurring in Sudan since the middle of this month,” the statement said.

“The UAE will host them in the country and provide all necessary services prior to their transfer to their countries.”

The plane is the first UAE evacuation plane since the start of the clashes two weeks ago in Sudan.

Woman forced to leave her forever home or 'walk to your death' she says
01:44 - Source: CNN

News of the evacuations came as the first US-led effort to evacuate private American citizens was completed on Saturday, with a convoy organized by the US government reaching Port Sudan after a long journey from the capital Khartoum.

The effort came amid mounting anger from Americans in Sudan who felt abandoned by the US government, which had maintained for more than a week that conditions were not conducive to a civilian evacuation despite all US government personnel being evacuated in a military operation last weekend.

But while many foreign nationals have now been evacuated, on the ground many Sudanese remain stuck in deteriorating and deadly conditions.

Hundreds have been killed and thousands wounded since the fighting broke out.

Experts say the country is now at risk of a humanitarian disaster, as those still trapped in their homes face shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity.

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 I had no idea that Keri Russell was "Wonder Woman" in 2009!

Later on Monday May 1st. I just realized why I didn't know Keri Russell wasn't in 2009 Wonder Women! It was because it was a cartoon version of Wonder Woman which explains everything.

Begin quote from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman_(2009_film)

Wonder Woman (2009 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wonder Woman
Ww film 2009 bluray.jpg
Blu-ray cover
Directed byLauren Montgomery[1]
Screenplay by
Story by
Based onWonder Woman:
Gods and Mortals
by George Pérez, Greg Potter, and Len Wein
Produced byBruce Timm
Starring
Music byChristopher Drake
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Home Video
Release date
  • March 3, 2009
[2]
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Wonder Woman is a 2009 American animated superhero film focusing on the superheroine of the same name. The plot of the film is loosely based on George Pérez's reboot of the character, specifically the Gods and Mortals arc that started the character's second volume in 1987.[3] It is the fourth film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies released by Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation.

The film is directed by Lauren Montgomery, who directed the second act of The Death of Superman and did storyboard work for Justice League: The New Frontier, written by Gail Simone and Michael Jelenic. As with all previous releases in this line of films, it is produced by acclaimed DC Comics animation veteran Bruce Timm.[4]

On August 11, 2015, Warner Home Video re-released the film on a combo pack, which includes a DVD and Blu-ray copy, a digital copy, and with the graphic novel it was based on.

Plot

In ancient times, the Amazons, a fierce race of warrior women, battle Ares, the god of war, and his army. During the battle, the Amazons' queen Hippolyta beheads Ares' soldier Thrax, whom the god forcibly conceived with her. She is about to kill Ares, when Zeus stops her. Instead, Ares is bound with magic bracers which deprive him of his ability to draw power from the violence and death he can instigate. In compensation for their years of servitude to Ares, the Amazons are granted the island of Themyscira, where they remain eternally youthful and isolated from Man, while holding Ares prisoner. Hippolyta is also granted a daughter, Diana, whom she shapes from Themyscirian sand and gives life with her own blood.

Over a millennium later, Diana is unsatisfied with her life on Themyscira and longs to explore the outside world. American fighter pilot Steve Trevor is shot down in a dogfight and crash-lands his plane on the island. He then meets Diana, starting a fight. Once defeated, he is taken to the Amazons. After interrogating him with a magical golden lasso, Hippolyta decides he is not an enemy. As such, their tradition dictates that an emissary be tasked to ensure his safe return to Man's world. Diana volunteers, but her mother argues that she has not enough experience in dealing with the dangers outside Themyscira. Diana is instead assigned to guard Ares' cell; her bookish but kind-hearted friend Alexa offers to cover for her. Defying her mother, Diana disguises herself with a helmet and participates in contests of strength, ultimately winning the right to escort Trevor home.

Meanwhile, the Amazon Persephone, seduced by Ares, kills Alexa and releases him. Diana brings Trevor in his repaired and now invisible jet to New York City, where he volunteers to help her capture Ares. Together they uncover a pattern of violence created by Ares' presence. The pair goes out to a bar and, after some heavy drinking, Trevor makes a pass at Diana. While arguing outside, they are attacked by the demigod Deimos. Diana subdues Deimos, who kills himself to avoid interrogation. His death leads Diana and Steve to a concealed gateway to the underworld guarded by members of the cult of Ares.

There, Diana attempts to take Ares down. He summons harpies that attack Diana, prompting Trevor to save her. Performing a sacrificial ritual, Ares opens a gate to the Underworld, where he persuades his uncle Hades to remove the bracers. Hades agrees, but does not tell his nephew that the ultimate cost of removing them would be his own death in combat. Later, Diana wakes up in a hospital, furious that Trevor saved her instead of stopping Ares. Trevor defends his actions, revealing how much he cares about her in the process.

Ares and his army attack Washington, D.C.; Trevor and Diana start battling him and are soon joined by the Amazons. Ares summons long-dead Amazons from the Underworld to fight their sisters. However, Alexa, now an undead warrior, reveals to her sister Artemis a chant which nullifies Ares' control. The undead turn on Ares, but are destroyed by his powers. Hippolyta kills Persephone in combat. With her dying breath, Persephone declares that by shutting the Amazons away from Man's world, Hippolyta has denied them the happiness that comes with love and a family.

Meanwhile, Ares' influence reaches the President of the United States, who orders a nuclear missile against Themyscira, assuming the island is attacking Washington. This act of aggression increases Ares' power. With the invisible jet, Trevor shoots down the missile just before it hits the island. After taking a brutal beating at Ares' hands, Diana finally beheads him. She later accepts Trevor, and the two share a kiss. Ares is condemned to the underworld to attend Hades as a slave.

On Themyscira, in memory of Alexa, Artemis takes up reading. Realizing that Diana misses both Man's world and Trevor, Hippolyta gives her the task of being a channel for "communication between men and women". Diana returns to New York, enjoying the company of Trevor and becoming the newly christened Wonder Woman.

Cast

Production

The film was originally advertised as having a storyline involving the Greek god Ares escaping Paradise Island in order to capture and control a mystic item called the Hand of Rage. He would then use the Hand of Rage to bring about World War III. This storyline was later dropped.

The film's casting director Andrea Romano explained that Keri Russell's casting as Wonder Woman was partly inspired by Romano seeing Russell's performance in the film Waitress.[5]

According to producer Bruce Timm, during post-production, many action scenes had to be edited after the first cut of the film received an R rating from the MPAA.[6]

Soundtrack

Wonder Woman (Soundtrack from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie)[7]
Film score (Digital download) by
Christopher Drake
ReleasedFebruary 23, 2010
Length54:00
Label
No.TitleLength
1."The Battle / Origins"8:52
2."Sparring"0:42
3."Ares Imprisoned"1:29
4."Dog Fight, Part I"1:48
5."Dog Fight, Part II"1:58
6."Crash Landing"1:06
7."Manhunt"2:01
8."Let The Games Begin"1:22
9."Persephone's Betrayal"1:08
10."Bracelets and Arrows"3:41
11."Computer Room"0:48
12."Alley Thugs"1:27
13."Deimos"2:58
14."At The Gates Of Tartarus"4:30
15."Cept Hemo Laudus ="1:01
16."Hades"3:35
17."Ospedale and Ares Rally"1:10
18."DC Battle"6:13
19."Ares' End"2:56
20."She Misses Him"1:00
21."A New Nemesis"0:37
22."Wonder Woman End Titles"3:03

Promotion

DC Comics gave out promotional light-up tiaras to those who attended the premiere of the film at WonderCon 2009.[8]

Upon the DVD release of the film, DC Comics arranged for several promotional packaging concepts to be released through different vendors. Working together with Mattel, they created a miniature action figure of the animated Wonder Woman that was packaged together with the 2-disc DVD sets sold through Best Buy's stores. Images of the animated Wonder Woman were made into sheets of temporary tattoos and packaged with the single disc DVD of the film that were sold exclusively through Kmart's stores. FYE and Suncoast retail stores sold pre-orders of the DVD with a promotional film poster containing a printed autograph of the film's director Lauren Montgomery. The two-disc special edition DVDs sold at Target stores included bonus Wonder Woman centric episodes from the Justice League animated series and its sequel Justice League Unlimited, two shows produced by Bruce Timm. Borders Book Stores offered an exclusive "Making of Wonder Woman" booklet featuring storyboards and character designs. Finally, a lenticular cover was created for the DVD cover depicting Wonder Woman shifting her position, sold exclusively through Wal-Mart stores.

Critical reception

From its previews at WonderCon and New York Comic Con to its DVD release Wonder Woman received mostly positive reviews. According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10.[9] Harry Knowles gave a positive review of Wonder Woman on his website Ain't It Cool News. Knowles enthusiastically lauded director Montgomery and the surprising brutality of the action scenes.[10] Jim Vejvoda of IGN praised the film's humor, action, and vocal performances, singling out the "perfectly cast" Fillion.[11] Jordan Hoffman of UGO.com gave a positive review, commenting on the film's great dialogue and the mature use of post-feminist themes in relation to perceived chauvinism.[12] Reviewing the film for Comic Book Resources, Josh Wigler gave a positive review, but criticized the unexplained inclusion of Diana's invisible plane.[13] An explanation was left out as Timm and Montgomery felt it was too convoluted and merely pseudo-scientific. The World's Finest cited a few inconsistencies but said overall it was "easily the best DC Universe Animated Original Movie title to date."[14]

The level of violence in the film – in one sequence, Steve Trevor is shown killing human adversaries while Wonder Woman uses extreme force, and several beheadings in battle also occur – garnered some criticism. Chris Mautner, reviewing the film for Comic Book Resources, remarked, "Is it just me or does it seem more than a bit...unnecessary?".[15]

According to The-Numbers.com, Wonder Woman ranked No. 5 in DVD sales from its release of March 3 to 8, 2009. From the total units of 106,342, it made $2,040,703 in sales.[16] The film has currently earned a total of $8,655,606 from domestic home video sales.[17]

Novelization

An adaptation of the film, entitled simply Wonder Woman, was published in January 2009 by Pocket Star Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster (ISBN 978-1-4165-9873-2). Written by S.D. Perry and Britta Dennison, the book follows the film's plot faithfully, but it omits some of the incidental violence (Steve Trevor killing guards, for example) featured in the film.

Cancelled sequel

Bruce Timm expressed interest in making a sequel of this film, like a sequel to Green Lantern: First Flight, but ultimately the project was cancelled due to the slower sales of the film.[18][19]

References


  • "World's Finest". Worldsfinestonline.com. March 26, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2011.

  • "Newsarama article". Newsarama article. Retrieved January 30, 2011.

  • DC Comics promotional document published by Newsarama

  • "The World's Finest – DC Universe – Wonder Woman". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved January 30, 2011.

  • McLean, Tom (July 27, 2008). "SDCC '08 – DC Animation Panel". Newsarama. Retrieved June 5, 2010.

  • Denmead, Ken (March 3, 2009). "Wonder Woman Comes To Animated Life". Wired. Retrieved June 30, 2010.

  • "The World's Finest". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved January 30, 2011.

  • "DC Comics Giveaway at WonderCon". About.com. Retrieved June 30, 2010.

  • "Wonder Woman (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved April 3, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata

  • "Wonder Woman Review: Harry says that the new animated WONDER WOMAN is a wonder! – Ain't It Cool News". Aintitcool.com. Retrieved January 30, 2011.

  • Vejvoda, Jim. "NYCC 09: Wonder Woman Review" IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2009.

  • Hoffman, Jordan (February 8, 2009). "Wonder Woman Review – UGO Movie Blog". Movieblog.ugo.com. Retrieved January 30, 2011.

  • Wigler, Josh. NYCC REVIEW: "Wonder Woman" Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 18, 2009.

  • The World's Finest "Wonder Woman" Reviews

  • Bloody Amazons Ahoy!, Robot 6: Comic Book Resources, March 12, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2009.

  • "DVD Sales Chart – Week Ending Jan 16, 2011". The-numbers.com. Retrieved January 30, 2011.

  • "Wonder Woman (2009) The Numbers Listing". The Numbers. Retrieved February 12, 2020.

  • Marnell, Blair (April 27, 2010). "Green Lantern And Wonder Woman Animated Sequels Aren't Happening, Says Bruce Timm". MTV. Retrieved September 7, 2010.

    1. "Come Think With Us – Think Mcfly Think – Exclusive Interview With Bruce Timm". Thinkmcflythink.squarespace.com. April 25, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2010.

    External links

    Wikiquote has quotations related to Wonder Woman (2009 film).


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    Watch These Rare Ocean Creatures Caught on Candid Robot Camera

     begin quote from:

    https://getpocket.com/explore/item/watch-these-rare-ocean-creatures-caught-on-candid-robot-camera?utm_source=pocket-newtab

    Watch These Rare Ocean Creatures Caught on Candid Robot Camera

    MBARI’s ocean rover can dive miles deep to get crystal-clear footage of mind-blowing marine life.

    Popular Science

    Read when you’ve got time to spare.

    image of deep-sea fish

    The barreleye fish is the living version of the galaxy-brain meme. MBARI

    Is there anything dreamier than a giant phantom jelly billowing in the midst of a deep-sea “snowstorm” ? Depends on personal preference. Maybe you’d be more inspired by a whalefish flickering in the calm waters like an infrared sensor. Or a barreleye fish snaking through the inky depths.

    These are among the dozens of rare scenes captured by Doc Ricketts, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)’s robotic rover. For the past many months the 12-foot-long, 10,000-pound submersible has been exploring the undersea canyons off central California—a gateway to the Pacific Ocean’s abyssal plain and the many curiosities that thrive on it. 

    With the rover’s powerful HD cameras and LED lights, MBARI researchers can detect and record wildlife that have hardly ever been glimpsed upon by human eyes. Take the giant phantom jelly, for example. First described in 1910 and identified in the 1960s, the species has been documented in six of the world’s oceans. Still, it’s only been seen 100 or so times—nine of which were by MBARI. The vast majority of the jelly’s body (which can stretch up to 33 feet—about as long as two stacked giraffes) is made up of four “mouth arms” that it uses to wrangle prey and tread water. It doesn’t have tentacles, nor does it seem to sting.

    The whalefish was another chance discovery made by Doc Ricketts this summer. MBARI researchers identified it as a member of the Cetomimidae family, a group of deep-sea vertebrates that lack scales and prominent fins. The creatures aren’t related to whale sharks, but are named after them because of the way they hold their mouths open to feed. And though they might look neon-bright in the light, their shocking coloration helps them slip into the blackness of the midnight zone. Marine biologists are still piecing together the whalefish’s anatomical details, but from what they know so far, it enjoys a truly unconventional sex life. 

    Of course, no bottom-of-the-ocean adventure would be complete without an animal that looks like it’s made of cellophane. Just this week, MBARI researchers shared a clip of a barreleye fish found more than 2,000 feet down in Monterey Bay. Unlike whalefish, this animal has a working set of peepers that roll all the way back in its head, allowing it to scan above for threats. The green lenses might also help it to spot bioluminescence, even when sunlight invades its environment. The transparent helmet, meanwhile, is filled with fluid, which protects its organs and gives them some wiggle room.

    Doc Ricketts is one of two robotic rovers that MBARI owns and operates. The ocean-research center also uses a benthic rover, a mini rover, and multiple other autonomous vehicles to explore Monterey Bay. Check out its YouTube channel for more videos from its deep sea expeditions.

    Purbita Saha (she/her) is the Deputy Editor at Popular Science. She leads the magazine’s science desk and internship program and also edits features, reads book galleys, guest stars on “Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week,” and tweets bad jokes from the @PopSci account. Contact the author here.

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