February 8, 2016 - EARTH - The
following constitutes several of the latest reports of fireballs, seen
in the skies, across the globe.
Meteor fireball brighter than full moon filmed over United Arab Emirates
This fireball over the United Arab Emirates had similar brightness than a
full moon.It was captured 06 February 2016 at 21:54:23 UT by the
cameras of the UACN project.UACN
The UAE Astronomical Cameras Network (UACN)
consists of sky-pointed astronomical cameras located at several
locations in the United Arab Emirates, which automatically record a
video file once a meteor is detected.
Hundreds of Danes reported the sky was suddenly lit up and a loud bang
followed shortly after what most likely was a meteor streaking the sky
over Copenhagen at around 10:08 pm Saturday 6. of February, 2016. The
meteor was also spotted from Poland and Sweden.
" Bright flash, very loud boom followed by a long lasting rumble
for 20-30 seconds, at Roskilde. Birds awoke and started chirping in the
gardens and nearby wetlands. As a part time fire fighter I was on my
way out of the door, as I thought it was a powerful explosion."
Anette Glentvor in Vesterbro wrote:
"The sky was gradually lit fully up. After that the sky turned green and
ended with a short purple flash. About five minuttes after a long
rumbling was heard. It sounded like thunder, except that the sound
continued for a very long time."
Mikkel Pedersen from Roskilde told DR:
"We were driving home from Hillerød to Roskilde, when at 10 pm we were
just outside Slangerup and a strong light suddenly lit up the sky and a
huge fireball with a long tail flew right above our car,".
A meteorite at about 50 g was found by a woman who was out for a smoke
in Ejby, on the outskirts of Copenhagen. It will be on display at The
Geological Museum between 4-6 PM, today Monday 8. February, before it is
sent to Italy for tests.
Unfortunately no recordings of the actual meteor have been published (as
far as we know), but several surveillance cameras caught the flash on
tape:
An armed security officer runs down a street near a venue after shots were fired where an event titled "Art, blasphemy and the freedom of expression" was being held in Copenhagen, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. Kenneth Meyer / AP Photo
February 14, 2015 - COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - A
gunman opened fire on a Copenhagen cultural center, killing one man and
wounding three police officers in what authorities called a terror
attack against a free speech event featuring an artist who had
caricatured the Prophet Muhammad.
After
searching for the gunman for hours, police reported another shooting
near a synagogue in downtown Copenhagen after midnight Sunday. One
person was shot in the head and two police officers were shot in the
arms and legs, police said, adding it wasn’t clear whether the two
incidents were linked. The gunman fled on foot.
WATCH: Copenhagen synagogue shooting - 1 shot in head, 2 police injured, gunman at large.
Sebastian
Zepeda, a 19-year-old visitor from London, said he didn’t want to leave
his hotel room after hearing of the first shooting and was text
messaging with his mother when the second shooting happened on the
street below.
“I was on my bed and I heard gunshots. And my heart raced,” Zepeda said. “All of a sudden the road was packed with police.”
The
earlier shooting came a month after extremists killed 12 people at a
satirical newspaper in Paris that had sparked Muslim outrage with its
depictions of Muhammad.
There was no immediate
claim of responsibility for the first shooting, which took place shortly
before 4 p.m. Saturday. Danish police said the gunman used an automatic
weapon to shoot through the windows of the Krudttoenden cultural
center, which TV footage showed were riddled with bullet holes. The
gunman then fled in a carjacked Volkswagen Polo that was found later a
few kilometers (miles) away, police said.
WATCH: Deadly attack at free speech meeting at a cafe with cartoonist who depicted Muhammed.
They
said the victim was a man about 40 who was inside the cultural center.
He has not yet been identified. Two of the wounded officers belonged to
the Danish security service PET, which said the circumstances
surrounding the shooting “indicate that we are talking about a terror
attack.”
Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who has
faced numerous death threats for caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad, was
one of the main speakers at Saturday’s panel discussion, titled “Art,
blasphemy and freedom of expression.” He was whisked away by his
bodyguards unharmed as the shooting began.
Vilks, 68, later told The Associated Press he believed he was the intended target of the shooting.
“What
other motive could there be? It’s possible it was inspired by Charlie
Hebdo,” he said, referring to the Jan. 7 attack by Islamic extremists on
the French newspaper.
“At first there was panic. People crawled down under tables,” Vilks said. “My bodyguards quickly pulled me away.”
The cultural center had a lecture hall as well as a cafe. Vilks said no one in the hall was wounded.
“We
were well isolated in there. It would have been much worse if this
happened during the break, when people walk out,” Vilks said.
He said he deplored the death and the injuries but was unfazed as to what it meant for his own safety.
“I’m not shaken at all by this incident. Not the least,” he told AP by phone.
Police
initially said there were two gunmen but later said they believed there
was only one shooter. They described him as 25 to 30 years old with an
athletic build and carrying a black automatic weapon. They released a
blurred photograph of the suspect wearing dark clothes and a scarf
covering part of his face.
“I
saw a masked man running past,” said Helle Merete Brix, one of the
event’s organizers. “I clearly consider this as an attack on Lars
Vilks.”
Niels Ivar
Larsen, one of the speakers at the event, told the TV2 channel he heard
someone shouting and firing automatic weapons. “Police returned the
fire and I hid behind the bar. I felt surreal, like in a movie,” Larsen
said.
Visiting the scene of the first shooting,
Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt called it a “political
attack and therefore an act of terror.”
Police spokesman Joergen Skov said it was possible the gunman had planned the “same scenario” as in the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
François
Zimeray, the French ambassador to Denmark who was at the event to speak
about the Charlie Hebdo attack, tweeted that he was “still alive.”
Police said he was not wounded.
French
President Francois Hollande called the Copenhagen shooting “deplorable”
and said Thorning-Schmidt would have the “full solidarity of France in
this trial.” French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was arriving
Sunday in Copenhagen.
Conflicting reports in local media said there were two attackers
in the synagogue, with one of them possibly arrested in the
ongoing police operation. Police helicopters have been circling
above the city’s central streets.
Police arrest one, However police say it's unrelated to manhunt, at least 1 shooter still at large.
Leaders across Europe
condemned the violence and expressed support for Denmark. Sweden’s
security service said it was sharing information with its Danish
counterpart, while U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette
Meehan said U.S. officials were ready to help with the investigation
and have been in touch with their Danish counterparts.
Vilks
has faced several attempted attacks and death threats after he depicted
the Prophet Muhammad as a dog in 2007. A Pennsylvania woman last year
got a 10-year prison term for a plot to kill Vilks. In 2010, two
brothers tried to burn down his house in southern Sweden and were
imprisoned for attempted arson.
Vilks told the
AP after the Paris terror attacks that, due to increased security
concerns, even fewer organizations were inviting him to give lectures.
The
depiction of the prophet is deemed insulting to many followers of
Islam. According to mainstream Islamic tradition, any physical depiction
of the Prophet Muhammad – even a respectful one – is considered
blasphemous.
While many Muslims have expressed
disgust at the deadly assault on the Charlie Hebdo employees, many were
also deeply offended by its cartoons lampooning Muhammad. - Global News.
Violent storms, heavy rains, widespread flooding and thousands of lightning have caused chaos in the Danish capital Copenhagen, damaging homes and sparking travel chaos in parts of the city. No one is reported to have been injured as a result of the wild weather conditions. Danish rescue services said 150mm (6 in) of rain fell over the Copenhagen area on Saturday, with more heavy showers forecast for Sunday evening. It is the worst rainfall that has hit the capital in over 30 years.
Authorities say heavy rains have flooded hundreds of homes and several streets in Denmark's capital, disrupting traffic and delaying trains. Jeppe Ilkjaer, a spokesman for the rescue services company Falck, says his organization has received calls from more than 1,000 home owners in Copenhagen whose cellars have been flooded following the rains late Saturday. The Danish Road Directorate says the floods have forced it to close four major freeways surrounding the city Sunday and have delayed trains in the region. No one has been injured by the floods, which also have disrupted telephone lines to Copenhagen police. Rescue Services said 150 millimeters (6 inches) of rain fell over the Copenhagen area on Saturday and more heavy showers are expected Sunday evening. - Sun News.
WATCH: Videos of chaos from widespread flooding in Copenhagen.
