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Haunting photos reveal the devastation left by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

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What started as a pleasant spring day in downtown New York 112 years ago quickly turned into a hellish scene as one of America’s deadliest industrial disasters took hold, leaving 146 dead.

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On March 25, 1911, at 4.40pm a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in Greenwich Village, which occupied that floor as well as the two levels above. 

The factory, which was one of the biggest shirtwaist or blouse-makers in America at the time, mainly employed immigrant female workers between the ages of 13 and 23 earning less than $1 a day. 

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When the blaze began, many of the 500 or so workers could not escape as the doors had been locked by the proprietors in a bid to prevent staff from taking unsanctioned breaks. 

On March 25, 1911, at 4:40pm a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in Greenwich Village. Pictured: The gutted remains of the tenth floor

On March 25, 1911, at 4:40pm a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in Greenwich Village. Pictured: The gutted remains of the tenth floor

The factory, which was one of the biggest shirtwaist or blouse-makers in America at the time, was destroyed by fire in one of America's deadliest industrial disasters. Pictured: Firefighters at the scene

The factory, which was one of the biggest shirtwaist or blouse-makers in America at the time, was destroyed by fire in one of America's deadliest industrial disasters. Pictured: Firefighters at the scene

The factory, which was one of the biggest shirtwaist or blouse-makers in America at the time, was destroyed by fire in one of America’s deadliest industrial disasters. Pictured: Firefighters at the scene

When the blaze began, many of the 500 or so workers could not escape as the doors had been locked by the proprietors in a bid to prevent staff from taking unsanctioned breaks

When the blaze began, many of the 500 or so workers could not escape as the doors had been locked by the proprietors in a bid to prevent staff from taking unsanctioned breaks 

As the fire worsened, the trapped workers were left with just two options - either jump from the windows or be burned alive. Pictured: A policeman stands in the street, observing charred rubble and corpses of workers following the deadly fire

As the fire worsened, the trapped workers were left with just two options – either jump from the windows or be burned alive. Pictured: A policeman stands in the street, observing charred rubble and corpses of workers following the deadly fire

As the fire worsened, the trapped workers were left with just two options – either jump from the windows or be burned alive. 

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Firemen arrived by horse and cart, but their efforts were hindered by falling bodies which gradually began to pile up. 

In an interview conducted by Leon Stein, the late editor of Justice – the publication of the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union, during the 1930s, 40s and 50s – a firefighter at the scene recounted what happened as he arrived.

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Frank Rubino, who worked as the Fire Department Captain at the time of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, recalled: ‘As we turned the corner the first thing I saw was a body of a man falling down, landing on the roof of the shed and crashing right through. 

‘We kept going and turned into Greene St. and began to stretch out to the hook up to the stand pipe… Then I saw the bodies begin to come down on the sidewalk.  

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‘Those bodies were coming down with the force of one and a half tons by the time they hit the sidewalk. They were coming down with hair and clothes burning – you know the girls at that time wore long hair. 

‘When the bodies didn’t crash through the deadlights, they lay there on the sidewalk three or four high, burning, and we had to play the hoses on them.’

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Rubino said that civilians tried to help by holding nets out in the street but it was ‘no good’ because there were as many as five to six bodies falling at once and the force was too much. 

Firemen arrived by horse and cart, but their efforts were hindered by falling bodies which gradually began to pile up. Pictured: A sidewalk cellar's skylight was shattered by the fallen bodies of panic stricken workers

Firemen arrived by horse and cart, but their efforts were hindered by falling bodies which gradually began to pile up. Pictured: A sidewalk cellar’s skylight was shattered by the fallen bodies of panic stricken workers

As the workers had just been paid, Rubino remembers the only way of identifying the bodies was by searching them for pay envelopes. Pictured: People line up to identify the bodies of victims from the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire

As the workers had just been paid, Rubino remembers the only way of identifying the bodies was by searching them for pay envelopes. Pictured: People line up to identify the bodies of victims from the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire

In total, 129 women and 17 men perished in the blaze. Pictured: A rooftop view of the building on Washington and Greene Streets after the fire

In total, 129 women and 17 men perished in the blaze. Pictured: A rooftop view of the building on Washington and Greene Streets after the fire

Firefighters also put ‘tall ladders’ up to the building but they did not quite reach high enough and dozens had already made the decision to jump.

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As the workers had just been paid, Rubino remembers the only way of identifying the bodies was by searching them for pay envelopes. 

Another witness to the fire was Max Hochfield, a Jewish immigrant working as a sewing machine operator on the ninth floor along with his sister Esther. 

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At the time, he estimates he was around 16 years old while Esther was four years older. 

In an interview with the late California State Commissioner of Labor, Sigmund Arywitz, in 1957, Hochfield spoke of the heartache he experienced when he realized he had lost his sister in the blaze and could not go back for her.

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He explained: ‘I wanted to go back and get my sister. But while I turned back, there was a fireman right – right there and he grabbed me by my shoulder. He says, “Why are you going in? Where are you going to go?”‘ 

Hochfield told the fireman that he wanted to go back up the stairs and save his sister but he was told he shouldn’t if he wanted to save his own life.

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He continued: ‘So I went down – of course, I couldn’t – I went down on the seventh floor. And on the seventh floor I stopped. I couldn’t go back. And I didn’t because the flames were all over. In fact I couldn’t pass anymore.

‘But I stopped on the seventh floor and I watched the girls go by. Most of them were girls. And I didn’t see my sister.

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Civilians tried to help by holding nets out in the street but it was 'no good' because there were as many as five to six bodies falling at once. Pictured: Crowds of people stand in the street, waiting to identify bodies of immigrant workers

Civilians tried to help by holding nets out in the street but it was ‘no good’ because there were as many as five to six bodies falling at once. Pictured: Crowds of people stand in the street, waiting to identify bodies of immigrant workers 

Firefighters also put 'tall ladders' up to the building but they did not quite reach high enough and dozens had already made the decision to jump. Pictured: Horse drawn fire engines rush to the scene in downtown Manhattan

Firefighters also put ‘tall ladders’ up to the building but they did not quite reach high enough and dozens had already made the decision to jump. Pictured: Horse drawn fire engines rush to the scene in downtown Manhattan 

‘But then some more firemen came up and they told me to walk down. And when I came down I saw quite a number of people jumping from the windows.’

Hochfield revealed that his sister did not jump to her death but was one of the victims who died in the fire. Her body was so badly burned that he was unable to recognize her. 

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However, Esther’s fiancé managed to identify her around a week later from a corset that he had bought her and that she was wearing at the time. 

In total, 129 women and 17 men perished in the fire. It was thought a discarded cigarette butt was responsible for the event. 

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And, along with the doors being locked on the ninth floor, there was only one fire escape which many workers had no idea even existed. 

Following the fire, Hochfield said he was never asked any questions by the press or the police but the factory owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, stood trial for manslaughter.

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The entrepreneurs were accused of failing section 80 of the Labor Code, which stipulated that doors in the workplace should not be locked during working hours. 

They were later acquitted of the charges but when 23 individual suits were brought against them, they ended up settling with $75 per life lost. 

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Pictured: Firemen can be seen as they search for the bodies of those who crashed through the skylights and entrances of cellars

Pictured: Firemen can be seen as they search for the bodies of those who crashed through the skylights and entrances of cellars

The factory building, formerly known as the Asch Building, remains standing - after the fire it was restored and sold to Frederick Brown, who rented it to nearby New York University and later donated it to the college

The factory building, formerly known as the Asch Building, remains standing – after the fire it was restored and sold to Frederick Brown, who rented it to nearby New York University and later donated it to the college 

In 1991 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark and in 2003 it was named a New York City Landmark

In 1991 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark and in 2003 it was named a New York City Landmark

A website dedicated to the event, collated by Cornell University researchers, notes that ‘Harris and Blanck were to continue their defiant attitude toward the authorities.’ 

And ‘just a few days after the fire, the new premises of their factory had been found not to be fireproof, without fire escapes, and without adequate exits.’ 

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In the fire’s aftermath, campaigners demanded better workplace safety measures and improved working conditions for those employed in New York sweatshops.

The factory building, formerly known as the Asch Building, still remains standing.

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After the fire, it was restored and sold to Jewish philanthropist Frederick Brown, who rented it to nearby New York University. 

He went on to donate it to the college in 1929 and it was renamed in his honor. 

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In 1991 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark and in 2003 it was officially named a New York City Landmark.

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International

Russian missile and drone attacks damage power plants in central, west Ukraine

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Russian missile and drone attacks hit thermal and hydro power plants in central and western Ukraine, power grid operator Ukrenergo said on Friday, the latest assault on the already damaged power infrastructure.

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“During the night, the Russians struck again at energy facilities in a massive and combined attack,” Ukrenergo said on the Telegram messaging app.

“Thermal and hydroelectric power plants in the central and western regions were damaged.”

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Regional officials said Russian forces had attacked infrastructure in the Kamianske district near the city of Dnipro. At least one person was wounded, they added.

Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko also said power facilities in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Cherkasy were attacked.

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“Electricity generation facilities were targeted by drones and missiles,” Gelushchenko said on Facebook.

The Ukrainian military said its air forces had destroyed 58 Russia-launched attack drones overnight from a total of 60, along with 26 of 39 missiles.

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“The enemy launched a powerful missile and air strike against the fuel and energy sector of Ukraine, using various types of missiles and attack drones,” the commander said.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

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Ukrainian television said explosions were heard in the regions of Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi as well as the city of Dnipro as Russian cruise missiles were spotted in Ukrainian air space.

The largest private power firm, DTEK, said its three thermal power plants were attacked.

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“The equipment was severely damaged,” it said on Telegram. “After the attack ended, the power engineers promptly started to repair the damage.”

Ukrainian power distributor Yasno said this week that DTEK lost about half its capacity following Russian missile and drone attacks.

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(REUTERS)

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Made you look! These bizarre images are certain to make you chuckle

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The internet is filled with funny and outlandish images that range from quirky memes to bizarre photos capturing unexpected moments of humour and absurdity. 

The Comedy Heaven subreddit community, dedicated to discovering and sharing photos of amusing images worldwide, has rallied up some of the greatest picks.

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From questionable Amazon reviews to outlandish social media posts, this community acts as a repository for a diverse array of content.

Some of the best images have been collated into a gallery by Bored Panda, including some side-splitting jokes. 

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This professor, believed to be from the US,  was eager to demonstrate a theorem by successfully fitting his fist into his mouth

This professor, believed to be from the US,  was eager to demonstrate a theorem by successfully fitting his fist into his mouth 

Who said romance was dead? One person, belived to be from the US, shared a picture of a sign on a lawn apologising to Andrea

Who said romance was dead? One person, belived to be from the US, shared a picture of a sign on a lawn apologising to Andrea

One showed a picture of a professor putting his hand in his mouth to explain a theorem, while another saw a man profess his love on the side of the road.

Others shared hilarious photoshopped Disney posters, while another was shared by a vet, showing the sweet card he got from a child saying ‘thank you for removing my cat’s testicles’.

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Here, FEMAIL looks at the funniest and most outlandish posts shared on the forum. 

Almost 14,000 customers appreciated this honest review of leggings on Amazon written by Cory in the US

Almost 14,000 customers appreciated this honest review of leggings on Amazon written by Cory in the US

The Aldi checkouts are considered suitable only for the seasoned supermarket shopper, as one person shared a screenshot of a news article saying they were left 'crying and shaking' by the checkout speed at the German supermarket

The Aldi checkouts are considered suitable only for the seasoned supermarket shopper, as one person shared a screenshot of a news article saying they were left ‘crying and shaking’ by the checkout speed at the German supermarket 

Pinocchio: All he wants is human flesh... to turn into a real boy. One person shared this somewhat dark take on Pinocchio

Pinocchio: All he wants is human flesh… to turn into a real boy. One person shared this somewhat dark take on Pinocchio

A heartfelt thank you note to the vet for performing a purrfect operation on this child's cat, shared by a vet practice in Kigali, Rwanda

A heartfelt thank you note to the vet for performing a purrfect operation on this child’s cat, shared by a vet practice in Kigali, Rwanda 

Another man, from the US, did a 4am photoshoot with his chicken nugget

Another man, from the US, did a 4am photoshoot with his chicken nugget  

Unexpected visitor: Is it an alien or just a very unusual insect ringing the doorbell? The screenshot was shared from the US

Unexpected visitor: Is it an alien or just a very unusual insect ringing the doorbell? The screenshot was shared from the US

Gymnast Katherine Coronel of Venezuela performs her routine during the rhythmic gymnastics competition at the 20th Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos y del Caribe in Cartagena in Colombia, looking momentarily headless

Gymnast Katherine Coronel of Venezuela performs her routine during the rhythmic gymnastics competition at the 20th Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos y del Caribe in Cartagena in Colombia, looking momentarily headless

Oops! This child's homework probably left their teacher saying 'uck!'

Oops! This child’s homework probably left their teacher saying ‘uck!’ 

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African Union ‘warmly congratulates’ Senegal’s Faye on presidential election win

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The African Union on Friday congratulated anti-establishment opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his victory in Senegal’s presidential election and hailed the “unanimous acceptance of the results”.

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In a statement, African Union Commission President Moussa Faki Mahamat said he “warmly congratulates” Faye on the official declaration of his first-round win, while wishing him “full success in his weighty and noble charge”.

According to provisional results, Faye won the first round of the vote outright with 54.3 percent, far ahead of incumbent Macky Sall’s hand-picked candidate, former prime minister Amadou Ba.

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Senegal’s Constitutional Court could declare Faye the official winner before the weekend, which would make a handover possible before April 2, the official end of Sall’s term.

Faye, 44, was only freed from prison 10 days before the election, along with his mentor Ousmane Sonko, who was barred from running following a criminal conviction he says was politically motivated.

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(AFP)

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US government plans to unleash ‘hunters’ to KILL half a million owls in three US states to save its endangered cousin

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At least 500,0000 invasive barred owls’ lives are at stake for encroaching on the endangered California spotted owl’s territory.

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The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) plans to unleash ‘hunters’ in California, Oregon and Washington to kill about half a million nocturnal birds that are native to the eastern US. 

Under the proposal, hunters would broadcast barred owl territorial calls to attract owls and shoot on sight, but in areas where firearm use is inadvisable, the protocol would be to capture and euthanize the creature. 

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However, the strategy to save one species has caused outrage among 75 groups that claim its actions could disrupt the wildlife and cause ‘mistaken-identity kills.’

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed culling 500,000 barred owls who are encroaching on spotted owls' territory

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed culling 500,000 barred owls who are encroaching on spotted owls’ territory

Spotted owls were added to the endangered species list in 1990 due to deforestation

Spotted owls were added to the endangered species list in 1990 due to deforestation

Owls have historically been protected from hunters, but the FWS claimed the barred owl has become an emerging threat to the spotted owl because they have a larger appetite, causing them to compete for the same prey.

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The barred owl has also been known to kill the spotted owl, according to the FWS. 

The two owls look very similar, with both having rounded heads, brown and white-colored bodies, and black eyes and are only distinguished by their slight size difference and the colors of their beaks.

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Spotted owls measure about 1.5 feet in length and have a wingspan up to four feet while barred owls are bigger, standing about two feet tall with a wingspan of up to four feet.

Barred owls started migrating to the forests of Washington, Oregon and Northern California from their native region in the northeastern US in the early 1900s due to climate change and deforestation.

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In 1990, the spotted owl was added to the Endangered Species Act because of habitat loss, but now the migration of the barred owl over the past century has allegedly worsened the situation.

Organizations led by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy penned a letter to Interior Secretary Deborah Haaland on Monday, accusing her of a ‘reckless’ plan to shoot down 500,000 barred owls over the next 30 years.

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The spotted owl has become further endangered because the barred owl eats much of its food source

The spotted owl has become further endangered because the barred owl eats much of its food source

The FWS previously culled more than 2,000 barred owls but studies showed it didn't make a major difference to the spotted owl population

The FWS previously culled more than 2,000 barred owls but studies showed it didn’t make a major difference to the spotted owl population

Climate change has contributed to the animal’s adoptive behavior and migration pattern, the letter said, adding: ‘We cannot victimize animals for adapting to human perturbations of the environment.’

Issues first arose in the late 1980s and 1990s when environmentalists fought loggers who were trying to harvest timber in the Northwest forests – the conflict became known as the Timber Wars.

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During this time, the spotted owl which lived in the old trees, started dwindling and led to protections for the bird and its habitat. 

Despite this, the FWS published its 264-page proposal in November, saying that culling the barred owls was essential to protecting the endangered spotted owl.

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However, when asked why so many barred owls need to be culled and how many spotted owls they have killed, a FWS spokesperson directed Dailymail.com to a press release that said ‘barred owls have not substantially impacted California spotted owl populations to date.’

Instead, the release said that the purpose of culling so many owls is to eliminate their future expansion and range and reduce any populations that might become established in the years to come.

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‘Competition from the invasive barred owl is a primary cause of the rapid and ongoing decline of northern spotted owl populations,’ the release said. 

‘Due to the rapidity of the decline, it is critical that we manage invasive barred owl populations to reduce their negative effect before northern spotted owls are extirpated from large portions of their native range,’ it added.

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The FWS is currently reviewing the public’s input and is expected to make a final decision in the late spring or early summer. 

If approved, the FWS will be granted a permit for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that will allow the barred owls to be hunted and killed. 

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The FWS initiated a five-year experiment to cull 2,485 barred owls in spotted owl territories in the Pacific Northwest when the invasive birds first started appearing.

The experiment wasn’t wholly successful, according to the letter to Haaland, which said the results only showed a short-term reduction of the owls and ‘modest numerical gains for spotted owls.’

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‘The disturbance created by the shooting alone would have adverse effects on a wide range of species, along with the direct, incidental killing that would inevitably result,’ the letter said, adding: ‘Night hunting of the animals is unimaginable and even more impractical.’ 

‘This is a case of the federal wildlife agency not seeing the forest from the trees.’

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Israeli strike kills at least 36 Syrian soldiers near Aleppo

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Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”.

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The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. 

Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.

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In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN’s counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies. 

For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.

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(FRANCE 24 with AP) 

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International

Macron, Lula show unity on global issues despite Ukraine shadow

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French President Emmanuel Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday displayed their unity on major global issues, while skirting differences on the war in Ukraine.

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Macron wrapped up his three-day tour of the Latin American giant with a solemn, but warm, trip to the presidential palace in the modernist capital Brasilia.

The French leader paid tribute to “the spirit of resistance” of Lula’s government for “restoring democracy” after a crowd of extreme-right supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seats of power in the city in January 2023.

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Lula hailed a relationship between the two countries as one that created “a bridge between the global South and the developed world.”

While the two men firmly reset the frosty ties of the Bolsonaro years, they retain deep differences over the war in Ukraine, a subject which only briefly reared its head.

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While France and the West support Kyiv wholeheartedly, Lula has in the past said that Ukraine and Russia share responsibility over the conflict and has refused to isolate Moscow.

Putin at G20 meet? 

Responding to a question from a journalist, Macron said that Brazil, as the current chair of the G20, could invite Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to a summit in Rio de Janeiro in November if other members agreed.

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“The meaning of this club is that there must be consensus with the 19 others. That will be a job for Brazilian diplomacy,” he said.

If such a meeting can be “useful, it must be done,” Macron said.

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Lula responded only that “diversity” must be accepted in organisations like the G20.

Putin missed last year’s G20 summit in the Indian capital New Delhi, avoiding possible political opprobrium and any risk of criminal detention under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.

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In September 2023, Lula said there was “no way” that Putin would be arrested if he attended the Rio de Janeiro summit.

Shortly after, he backtracked and said that it would be up to the justice system to decide on Putin’s eventual arrest and not his government.

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Lula’s only remarks on the conflict were that “the two stubborn” leaders will “have to get along,” referring to Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Unity on Venezuela 

However, he highlighted that Ukraine was not Brazil’s priority, and turned to a crisis in his own neighborhood, that he and Macron agreed upon: Venezuela.

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Both leaders condemned the exclusion of the main opposition coalition’s chosen candidate, Corina Yoris, 80, from July 28 elections.

“We very firmly condemn the exclusion of a serious and credible candidate from this process,” Macron said.

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Lula described the situation as “serious” and said there was “no legal or political explanation for banning an opponent from being a candidate.”

“I told Maduro that the most important thing to restore normality in Venezuela was to avoid any problems in the electoral process, that the elections be held in the most democratic way possible.”

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From the protection of the Amazon to cooperation in the building of submarines and economic ties, the two leaders showed off the broad Franco-Brazilian partnership over the three-day visit.

Macron and Lula also brushed over tensions about the long-delayed EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, which Brazil has pushed for and France has blocked.

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Macron blasted the deal as “a really bad agreement” and said it should be buried in favor of a new one that “is responsible from a development, climate and biodiversity point of view.”

Lula said he was “very calm” and noted only that Brazil “does not negotiate with France” but with the EU.

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The two leaders’ close relationship was highlighted by a warm meeting in the Amazon, in which they were pictured beaming and clasping hands, to the delight of Brazilians who spawned a raft of memes comparing the images to a wedding album.

(AFP)

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MARKET REPORT: North Sea oil producer Enquest posts loss after hit from windfall tax

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North Sea oil producer Enquest is to buy back shares from investors for the first time, claiming the windfall tax is hurting the industry.

The energy firm, which was set up in 2010 and operates in the UK and Malaysia, is to launch a £12million repurchase programme this year.

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Enquest’s finances improved in 2023 as debt fell to £381million, from £567million the year before. It has since fallen to £324million.

Revenue was hit by lower oil and gas prices while its losses narrowed to £24million from £33million.

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Yesterday its shares rose 0.7 per cent, or 0.1p, to 14.1p. 

Tax squeeze: Energy firm Enquest, which was set up in 2010 and operates in the UK and Malaysia, is to launch a £12m repurchase programme this year

Tax squeeze: Energy firm Enquest, which was set up in 2010 and operates in the UK and Malaysia, is to launch a £12m repurchase programme this year

But it warned that it is operating in a ‘challenging UK fiscal environment’ as the Chancellor’s decision to extend the energy profits levy by a year to 2029 represented the fourth change in the last two years.

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Chief executive Amjad Bseisu said the levy ‘has resulted in a number of industry participants accelerating their shift in focus away from the UK North Sea’.

The windfall tax was introduced in 2022. Oil and gas firms pay a 40 per cent tax rate. With the levy raised to 35 per cent in January last year, they now pay 75 per cent.

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Capricorn Energy also wants to return cash to its shareholders.

It has proposed paying a special £40million dividend by the end of June. Shares rose 4.8 per cent, or 8p, to 175p.

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The FTSE 100 was up 0.3 per cent, or 20.64 points, to 7952.62 and the FTSE 250 was up 0.4 per cent, or 74.07 points, to 19,884.73.

Stock Watch – Northamber

Shares in a technology distributor plunged 22.8 per cent, or 10.5p, to 35.5p after an industry-wide downturn.

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Northamber, which sells laptops, keyboards and memory cards, said industry data showed that UK distribution sales fell 10pc in the six months to the end of December.

Stock levels increased as demand weakened. Revenues fell 14 per cent to £29million in the first half of its financial year while losses rose from £250,000 to £413,000.

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AO World also had a stellar day after the online electrical retailer said its profit for the year to the end of March should be at the top end of its £28million to £33million range.

Shares surged 12.2 per cent, or 10.95p, to 100.8p.

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Investors in Direct Line should be comforted by new boss Adam Winslow whose appointment is a ‘useful step in re-establishing credibility’, according to Deutsche Bank Research, which urged its clients to buy the insurer’s stock – it climbed 0.3 per cent, or 0.65p, to 195.05p.

Vodafone chairman Jean-Francois van Boxmeer bought more than £500,000 worth of shares in the telecoms giant, snapping up 823,500 at 69p each. Vodafone rose 1.5 per cent, or 1.04p, to 70.46p.

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Troubled music firm Hipgnosis, which owns the rights to songs by artists such as Shakira and Blondie, said that its portfolio has been independently valued at nearly £1.6billion, lifting it 8.3 per cent, or 5.3p, to 69p.

It will be outlining proposals for its future by April 26 and will ask shareholders to vote on any decision.

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Molecular diagnostics firm Genedrive is hoping its genetic kit that can prevent babies going deaf will be approved by US regulators. It added that it need to raise fresh funds, as shares rose 3.9 per cent, or 0.13p, to 3p.

Podcast publisher Audioboom has added six shows to its network, including one hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter Katherine – and gained 5.4 per cent, or 12.5p, to 245p.

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Kitwave, which sells and delivers goods, bought wholesaler Total Foodservice for £21million, and rose 4.2 per cent, or 15p, to 371p.

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