India has been a secular federal republic since 1950, governed in a democratic parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society. India's population grew from 361 million in 1951 to 1,211 million in 2011.During the same time, its nominal per capita income increased from US$64 annually to US$1,498, and its literacy rate from 16.6% to 74%. From being a comparatively destitute country in 1951, India has become a fast-growing major economy, a hub for information technology services, with an expanding middle class. It has a space programme which includes several planned or completed extraterrestrial missions. Indian movies, music, and spiritual teachings play an increasing role in global culture.India has substantially reduced its rate of poverty, though at the cost of increasing economic inequality.India is a nuclear weapons state, which ranks high in military expenditure. It has disputes over Kashmir with its neighbours, Pakistan and China, unresolved since the mid-20th century.Among the socio-economic challenges India faces are gender inequality, child malnutrition,and rising levels of air pollution. India's land is megadiverse, with four biodiversity hotspots. Its forest cover comprises 21.4% of its area. India's wildlife, which has traditionally been viewed with tolerance in India's culture, is supported among these forests, and elsewhere, in protected habitats.
On May 12, 2016, the names of former Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull, and former Premier of New South Wales Neville Wran, were both found in the Panama Papers, due to the pair's former directorship of the Mossack Fonseca-incorporated company Star Technology Systems Limited. Turnbull and Wran resigned from these positions in 1995, and the Prime Minister has denied any impropriety, stating "had [Star Technology] made any profits—which it did not regrettably—it certainly would have paid tax in Australia."
More InfoAs Dorian approached Atlantic Canada, hurricane and tropical storm warnings were issued for Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. On September 6, the Halifax Regional Municipality encouraged residents living along the eastern shores of Nova Scotia to evacuate, citing expected high winds, heavy rainfall, and waves up to 15 m (49 ft) in height. The Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office implored residents to secure easily dislodged objects to prevent high winds from turning them into projectiles, drawing comparisons to Hurricane Juan in 2003. Nova Scotia Power set up an emergency operations center and mobilized 1,000 personnel, including forestry crews, damage assessors, as well as power line technicians from adjacent provinces, to prepare for Dorian's impacts. WestJet, Air Canada, and Porter Airlines issued travel advisories for the weekend and waived rebooking fees for flights to and from affected areas.
More InfoIn April 2019, the ICIJ and European newspapers reported that the global tally of such payments exceeded one billion USD, and is now at 1.2 billion. In comparison, Great Britain recovered the largest position (253 million), followed by Denmark (237 million), Germany (183 million), Spain (164 million), France (136 million) and Australia (93 million). Colombia with 89 million recuperated the highest amount for South and Central American countries, which were heavily involved in the financial scandal. While investigations are ongoing in Austria, Canada and Switzerland, and more payments are to be expected, many countries are conducting continued inspections of companies and private individuals revealed in the report.
More InfoA fatality occurred in North Carolina on September 2, when an 85-year-old man fell off a ladder while boarding up his home, and another was confirmed dead on September 6, a 65-year-old man after he, too, fell off a ladder. On September 5, several tornadoes spawned by Dorian were sighted in Onslow County. At around 9 a.m. EST that day a tornado touched down in the town of Emerald Isle, causing severe damage to a recreational vehicle park and some mobile homes. In total, 19 tornadoes were spawned by Dorian in North Carolina. Flooding from the storm washed out a road in Sampson County. On the next day, Dorian made landfall in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina as a Category 1 storm. Several people on Ocracoke Island were trapped in their attics by flooding from the 4-to-7-foot (1.2 to 2.1 m) storm surge, requiring rescue by boats. People were airlifted off the island to shelters on the mainland while food and water were brought in to residents on the island. North Carolina Highway 12 along Ocracoke Island suffered damage from flooding. More than 190,000 people in North Carolina lost power from the storm. The National Park Service Incident Management Team also reported that wave erosion from Dorian reshaped parts of the barrier islands in the Outer Banks. High waves swept away a herd of cows from Cedar Island; three cows survived after being carried 4 mi (6.4 km) away to Core Banks. A third fatality occurred on September 7 when a man died from injuries sustained in a chainsaw accident while he was trying to clear a fallen tree.
More InfoA warning to take immediate cover was issued on the NHC Twitter account, at 11 a.m. EDT on September 1, 2019, as Dorian made landfall in Elbow Cay, Bahamas, at 16:40 UTC as a Category 5 hurricane. Samuel Butler, the Royal Bahamas Police Force assistant commissioner with responsibility for Grand Bahama and the Northern Region (Abaco, Bimini and the Berry Islands), told residents "if you do not heed to the warning [...] we know that the end could be fatal" and Don Cornish, the administrator with the City of Freeport told others seeking shelter at Old Bahama Bay Hotel "that is not a good idea [...] reconsider that decision".
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