Beware the chocolate. Editors warning: mentions of death and violence

Happening in the World: Northern New Zealand braces itself as Cyclone Gabrielle is getting ready to make landfall. The Cyclone has already brought torrential winds and rain, knocking down trees and power lines, and leaving over 50,000 homes without power. As the storm is expected to peak later tonight and continue into Tuesday families have already begun evacuating and emergency responders are preparing to provide aid to those affected. As for the power outages, it is expected to take a few days to restore power because the bad weather is making it difficult to work on the network. (BBC)

Happening in the US: A Mars Wrigley factory in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania was fined $14,500 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) eight months after two workers fell into a vat of chocolate. The two contract workers fell into the chocolate tank while performing maintenance work and had to be rescued by over a dozen emergency responders, who cut a hole in the partially full tank. It was later revealed that the pair was not adequately trained to perform maintenance work on the equipment. Mars Wrigley is being held responsible for the incident and has cooperated, stating that employee safety is “a top priority for our business”. (Insider)

Happening in NYC: Jury to consider the death penalty for Sayfullo Saipov, convicted for terrorism in 2017, after running over and killing eight people on the West Side Highway bike path. Prosecutors are asking a jury of 12 people to decide whether or not he should receive death by lethal injection. The jury has to come to a unanimous decision in order for the prosecution to proceed. If the prosecution does succeed in securing the vote, Saipov would be the first person executed in New York since 1963. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Join the Human Rights Institute & Pablo Arrocha, the legal adviser for Mexico’s Mission to the United States for a conversation on the progress of a new international treaty on Crimes Against Humanity. The event will take place on Tuesday, February 14 from 12:10 to 1:10 pm in Jerome Greene Hall, Room 107, 435 West 116th Street. Registration is not required, and lunch will be provided. (Columbia Events)

Image via Bwog Archives