First, some numbers: In 2012, 437,000 people were killed worldwide, yielding a global average murder rate of 6.2 per 100,000 inhabitants. A third of those homicides occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean, home to just 8% of the world’s population. In Brazil, murder is the leading cause of death for young men, while in parts of Europe violent death is a rare and shocking anomaly.
分类： News
Ireland Votes Overwhelmingly To Approve Same-Sex Marriage
Updated at 9:10 a.m. ET
Both sides in Ireland’s same-sex marriage debate have acknowledged that the “yes” vote has succeeded. Once official, Ireland will become the first country in the world to approve such a measure in a national referendum.
Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s health minister who came out as gay in January just as the campaign was getting underway, says Dublin appears to have voted 70 percent yes.
“We’re the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in our constitution and do so by popular mandate,” Varadkar said. “That makes us a beacon, a light to the rest of the world of liberty and equality. It’s a very proud day to be Irish.”
NPR’s Ari Shapiro, speaking with Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon, says that although Ireland is a predominately Catholic country and many clergy urged a no vote, “the Church has had a lot of scandals” in recent years. Without a doubt, he says, the Church is “one of the losers in this vote.”
The head of the Iona Institute, which ran the No campaign in Ireland’s vote to legalize same-sex marriage, has tweeted his congratulations to the yes campaign.
Cebu Pacific to fly to Hawaii, Guam before year-end
CEBU Pacific, currently the Philippines’ largest carrier, is preparing to launch services to Hawaii and Guam before the end of 2015 as part of its program to expand its reach.
The John Gokongwei-led airline is optimistic it will be able to launch services to Honolulu by the end of 2015. It is also aiming to launch flights from Manila to the US territory of Guam but this shorter route will be operated using Cebu’s A320.
“Guam and Hawaii. [Our] A330 can fly to Hawaii and the A320 can fly to Guam,” Lance Gokongwei, chief executive officer and president of Cebu Pacific, told reporters.
“[These are] subject to various regulatory approvals. Hopefully before the end of the year [Cebu Pacific will] secure the necessary slots” he added.
继续阅读Cebu Pacific to fly to Hawaii, Guam before year-end
Chinese warnings to U.S. plane hint of rising stakes over disputed islands
BEIJING — The Chinese navy repeatedly warned a U.S. surveillance plane to leave airspace around disputed islands in the South China Sea, a sign that Beijing may seek to create a military exclusion zone in a move that could heighten regional tensions.
The warnings, delivered eight times to a P-8A Poseidon over the Spratly Islands on Wednesday, were reported by a CNN team aboard the plane.
“Foreign military aircraft. This is Chinese navy. You are approaching our military alert zone. Leave immediately,” a radio operator told the aircraft, later bluntly warning: “Go, go.”
After each warning, the U.S. pilots responded calmly that the P-8A was flying through international airspace, according to the CNN team.
继续阅读Chinese warnings to U.S. plane hint of rising stakes over disputed islands
Uber test-flies ‘Uberchopper’ at Cannes
CANNES – Uber is pulling out all the stops to get noticed at the glitzy Cannes Film Festival opening Wednesday by offering not only its usual taxi-hail car service — but also helicopter rides.
The US company, which is upending traditional taxi companies worldwide with its app-run business, is putting on the chopper runs between the nearest airport, in Nice, and Cannes.
The cost for the UberChopper service is 160 euros ($180) for a seven-minute flight, for a maximum of four people. That price includes a chauffeured car ride to the heliport and then another limo waiting at the destination to take the passengers to the centre of Cannes.
The price may seem exorbitant to ordinary mortals, but for the high-powered movers and shakers attending Cannes — or simply the poseurs — it beats the one-hour road journey, often jammed with traffic.
Uber is offering the sky-high option through deals with two local helicopter firms.
Last year, Uber ran into turbulence on the ground during the Cannes festival when Nice taxi drivers blocked the airport to protest the American company’s disruption of their market, and against unlicenced drivers offering taxi rides generally.
French police are to conduct spot checks during the Cannes Film Festival this year to ensure any cars carrying paying passengers are abiding by the law.