title
stringlengths 1
7.43k
| text
stringlengths 111
32.3k
| event_type
stringlengths 4
57
| date
stringlengths 8
14
⌀ | metadata
stringlengths 2
205
⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jamaica's Elaine Thompson Herah breaks Florence Griffith Joyner's record in 100m final
|
Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah cemented her legacy as one of the greatest sprinters of all-time Saturday morning.
Thompson-Herah, crossed the finish line in 10.61 seconds, breaking Florence Griffith Joyner's 33-year-old Olympic record in the process.
Thompson-Herah now holds the second-fastest time ever in the women's 100m.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce holds the third-fastest time after she ran a 10.63-second time in June. Fraser-Pryce took home the silver medal with a 10.74-second time and Shericka Jackson took the bronze with a personal best time of 10.76 seconds giving the Jamaicans a clean sweep of the podium.
American Sha' Carri Richardson was considered to be the main threat for Fraser Pryce and Thompson-Herah in the 100m race but was left off the U.S. Olympic team roster after a positive test for THC.
|
Break historical records
| null | null |
Irk Valley Junction rail crash
|
The Irk Valley Junction rail crash occurred on 15 August 1953 at Collyhurst, just over a mile from Manchester Victoria station. At that point, the electrified line to Bury passes through Irk Valley Junction, so called because it lies on a viaduct above the River Irk. At 07:40 on the morning of 15 August 1953, the 07:20 electric train from Bury collided with the 07:36 steam passenger train to Bacup hauled by a Class 4P 2-6-4 tank engine. The leading electric coach struck and overturned the steam engine and smashed through the parapet wall. The front of the carriage fell 40 feet (12 m) onto the bank of the river; the rear fell 70 feet (21 m) into the shallow river itself. Nine passengers and the driver of the electric train were killed. The crash occurred on a Saturday; had it been a weekday, the casualties would likely have been far higher. The investigation revealed that the causes of the accident were twofold. Firstly the electric train passed the home signal at danger. Analysing the previous 110 runnings of the 07:20 train showed that the signal in question had not once been at danger; moreover the distant signal was at caution on 101 occasions. The driver appeared to have therefore missed the home signal as it was always clear in the past, and ignored the distant signal as it was normally at caution anyway and was normally cleared by the time he reached it. The signalman was also at fault for not checking that the electric train had stopped before allowing the steam train through. The absolute block system was in place, but was not being operated in accordance with the regulations. An analysis of the records revealed that the signal boxes in this area had frequently operated outside the guidelines, although until the fateful morning without serious consequence.
|
Train collisions
| null | null |
At least 40 dead, hundreds missing after Brazil dam collapses
|
BRUMADINHO, Brazil – Brazilian officials on Sunday suspended the search for potential survivors of a dam collapse that has killed at least 40 people amid fears that another nearby dam owned by the same company was also at risk of breaching. Authorities were evacuating several neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho that were within range of the B6 dam owned by the Brazilian mining company Vale. There was no immediate word on how many people were evacuated. “Leave here, this is at risk!” police officials told firefighters in a lower-lying area. “Within a little while, more mud will fall.” The firefighters had been working to extract a cow found alive in the mud, but they pulled back on the order of police, leaving the animal. While the ground search was stopped, helicopters continued to fly over the area, possibly so they would not be hit if another collapse happened. Caroline Steifeld, who was evacuated, said she heard warning sirens on Sunday, but no such alert came on Friday, when the first dam collapsed. “I only heard shouting, people saying to get out. I had to run with my family to get to higher ground, but there was no siren,” she said, adding that a cousin was still unaccounted for. Even before the latest setbacks, hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from Friday’s dam collapse in the area was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the hundreds of people missing had died. Company employees at the mining complex were eating lunch Friday afternoon when the first dam gave way. By Saturday night, when authorities called off rescue efforts until daybreak, the dam break toll stood at 40 dead with up to 300 people estimated to be missing. All day Saturday, helicopters flew low over areas encased by a river of mud and mining waste as firefighters dug frantically to get into buried structures. “I’m angry. There is no way I can stay calm,” said Sonia Fatima da Silva, as she tried to get information about her son, who had worked at Vale for 20 years. “My hope is that they be honest. I want news, even if it’s bad.” Da Silva said she last spoke to her son before he went to work on Friday, when around midday a dam holding back mine waste collapsed, sending waves of mud for kilometers (miles) and burying much in its path. She was one of scores of relatives in Brumadinho who desperately awaited word on their loved ones. Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais state, said by now most recovery efforts will entail pulling out bodies. The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and an occupied Vale administrative office. It buried buildings to their rooftops and an extensive field of the mud cut off roads. Some residents barely escaped with their lives. “I saw all the mud coming down the hill, snapping the trees as it descended. It was a tremendous noise,” said a tearful Simone Pedrosa, from the neighborhood of Parque Cachoeira, 5 miles (8 kilometers) from where the dam collapsed. Pedrosa, 45, and her parents dashed to their car and drove to the highest point in the neighborhood. “If we had gone down the other direction, we would have died,” Pedrosa said. “I cannot get that noise out of my head,” she said. “It’s a trauma … I’ll never forget.” In addition to the 40 bodies recovered as of Saturday night, 23 people were hospitalized, according to the Minas Gerais fire department. There had been some signs of hope earlier Saturday when authorities found 43 more people alive. The company said Saturday that while 100 workers were accounted for, more than 200 workers were still missing. Fire officials at one point estimated the total number at close to 300. Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman said he did not know what caused the collapse. For many, hope was evaporating. “I don’t think he is alive,” said Joao Bosco, speaking of his cousin, Jorge Luis Ferreira, who worked for Vale. “Right now, I can only hope for a miracle.” Vanilza Sueli Oliveira described the wait for news of her nephew as “distressing, maddening.” “Time is passing,” she said. “It’s been 24 hours already. … I just don’t want to think that he is under the mud.” The rivers of mining waste also raised fears of widespread environmental contamination and degradation. According to Vale’s website, the waste, often called tailings, is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a U.N. report found that the waste from a similar disaster in 2015 “contained high levels of toxic heavy metals.” Over the weekend, state courts and the justice ministry in the state of Minas Gerais froze about $1.5 billion from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how they would help the victims. Brazil’s Attorney General Raquel Dodge promised to investigate the mining dam collapse, saying “someone is definitely at fault.” Dodge noted there are 600 mines in the state of Minas Gerais alone that are classified as being at risk of rupture. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in the same state of Minas Gerais, resulting in 19 deaths and forcing hundreds from their homes. Considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, it left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. An estimated 60 million cubic meters of waste flooded nearby rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Sueli de Oliveira Costa, who hadn’t heard from her husband since Friday, had harsh words for the mining company. “Vale destroyed Mariana and now they’ve destroyed Brumadinho,” she said. The Folia de S.Paulo newspaper reported Saturday that the dam’s mining complex was issued an expedited license to expand in December due to “decreased risk.” Conservation groups in the area alleged that the approval was unlawful. On Twitter, new Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said his government would do everything it could to “prevent more tragedies” like Mariana and now Brumadinho. The far-right leader campaigned on promises to jump-start Brazil’s economy, in part by deregulating mining and other industries. Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underscored the lack of environmental regulation in Brazil, and many promised to fight any further deregulation. Marina Silva, a former environmental minister and presidential candidate, toured the area on Sunday. She said such tragedies should be deemed “heinous crimes,” and that Congress should bear part of the blame for not toughening regulations and enforcement. “All the warnings have been given. We are repeating history with this tragedy,” she told The Associated Press. “Brazil can’t become a specialist in rescuing victims and consoling widows. Measures need to be taken to avoid prevent this from happening again.”
|
Mine Collapses
| null | null |
Saturday GRiZ concert at Riverfront Park cancelled due to severe weather
|
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Saturday’s GRiZ concert at Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park has been cancelled due to severe weather, the venue announced on Twitter. Due to severe weather in the vicinity, Night 2 of GRiZMAS in JULY will not be able to continue tonight. The 7/31 show has been officially cancelled. Tickets for tonights show will be refunded. Anyone with a 2-night ticket will be refunded for night 2. Stay tuned for refund info. pic.twitter.com/DcXZgTHLLT — Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park (@LiveOakBankPav) August 1, 2021 The tweet also says anyone with tickets to the show will be refunded. Wilmington..we did our very best tonight. It absolutely kills me to cancel a show. Y’all showed up for me in such a big way tonight. We are going to refund everyone’s night 2 ticket for our GRiZmas in July show. I cant control the weather. My heart hurts. Sending you love ?✨
|
Organization Closed
| null | null |
Bank robbed Tuesday afternoon in Gainesville
|
Gainesville — Wednesday evening, Police say they arrested 60-year-old Jay Edward Cocuzzo, and charged him with one county of robbery and two counts of attempted robbery. -- Around 1:30 PM Tuesday, Gainesville Police say a man robbed the PNC Bank at NW 43rd Street and Newberry Road. Police say the suspect told a teller he had a bomb, and demanded all of the $100 and $50 bills. Police say the teller gave him money, which he put into a white plastic bag. They say he then left the bank. They did not explain what kind of transportation he used to get away. Gainesville Police say this person robbed the PNC bank at 4340 Newberry Road (Courtesy: Gainesville Police) Police say they are looking for the suspect. They did not say how much money the man received. Police say they are following up on leads, and evaluating evidence. If you recognize this person, Police ask you to call detectives at 352-872-2101, or crime stoppers at 352-372-7867.
|
Bank Robbery
| null | null |
Mastermyne (ASX:MYE) worker killed at Gregory Crinum mine, QLD
|
When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to go to the desired page. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Mastermyne Group (MYE) has confirmed the death of a coal mine worker yesterday at the Sojitz Blue Gregory Crinum mine in Central Queensland. In a statement released to the ASX, the company said the employee was fatally injured in an underground incident at the mine, located 60 kilometres north east of Emerald, on September 14. Mastermyne’s managing director Tony Caruso said the worker’s family had been notified of the incident and offered support, with staff and other impacted persons also offered counselling. “This is a tragic event and our immediate thoughts are with the family, friends and workmates of our employee,” he said. “The safety and wellbeing of our staff is one of our core values. “The cause of the incident will be thoroughly investigated and we will continue to support the family and our work colleagues.” Another worker has been successfully taken from the mine and then on to hospital as a precaution. The company said all relevant authorities had been notified, with investigations into the cause of the accident now underway. Mining operations have been suspended until further notice.
|
Mine Collapses
| null | null |
Southeast Airlines Flight 308 crash
|
A-337
File No. 1-0021
CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT
ADOPTED: September 8, 1959
RELEASED: September 11, 1959
SOUTHEAST AIRLINES DC-3, N 18941, NEAR TRI-CITY AIRPORT,BRISTOL, TENNESSEE, JANUARY 8, 1959
SYNOPSIS
On January 8, 1959, about 2032 e. s. t., a DC-3, Southeast Airlines Flight 308, struck a mountainside during an ILS approach to the Tri-City Airport, Tennessee. The aircraft was demolished by the impact and subsequent fire. All occupants—seven passengers and three crew members—received fatal injuries. The evidence indicates Flight 308 departed Nashville, Tennessee, with an inoperative radio compass. Although the flight was cleared by way of low frequency airway Green 5, it does not appear that the facilities defining this airway were used. Upon arriving in the Tri-Cities area the aircraft was east of its intended track and erroneously identified the reporting point from which an ILS approach procedure was to be initiated. During the instrument approach, which was conducted in snow showers, the flight missed the outer marker. The approach was continued under instrument conditions without utilizing the VOR facility which would have been of assistance in confirming the flight's position. Without having clearly established his position, the pilot flew 15 miles beyond the outer marker and descended to an altitude too low to clear high terrain in this area. Investigation
Southeast Airlines is an intrastate carrier not holding a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued by the Board. Flight 308 is a regular trip which originates in Memphis, Tennessee. Scheduled stops are made at Nashville and Knoxville and the flight terminates at Tri-City. The crew for the segment of the trip of January 8, 1959, from Memphis to Nashville, consisted of Captain Thomas A. Bond, First Officer Robert M. Irwin, and Stewardess Wanda C. Nalley. Captain Robert L. Gollmier, who had deadheaded on this segment, was scheduled to complete the trip to Tri-City with Mr. Irwin and Miss Nalley while Captain Bond returned to Memphis. At Memphis, the crew made normal preparations for the flight. The weather was checked and the necessary flight papers were filed, including an instrument flight rules flight plan. After receiving IFR clearance to Nashville, the flight departed Memphis at 1630[1] with Captain Bond in command and proceeded uneventfully until reaching the Nashville area. Approaching Nashville, Flight 308 was given radar vectoring to the ILS final approach course by Nashville approach control. It then landed at 1807, 19 minutes late. Captain Bond stated in his testimony at the public hearing that during the approach to Nashville, First Officer Irwin was unable to pick up the compass locator at the outer marker on the ADF (Automatic Direction Finding Receiver). The captain and first officer attempted several times to tune the radio but were unable to receive either an aural signal or a visual indication from the ADF pointer. Captain Bond stated that upon landing he informed Captain Gollmier of the malfunction but did not make an entry in the log concerning it. Captain Gollmier took command of the flight at Nashville and made normal preparations for continuation of the trip. A check was made of the weather reports, an instrument flight rules flight plan filed, and ARTC (Air Route Traffic Control) clearance received. The stop at Nashville took 18 minutes, after which the flight proceeded uneventfully to Knoxville. There, during the one engine operating stop, the crew was given the flight papers for the remaining segment including the latest Tri-City weather observation, a special report at 1859. It was 300 feet scattered clouds, measured 600 feet overcast; 3 miles visibility; light snow and fog; temperature 33 degrees; dewpoint 32 degrees; wind northwest at 8 knots; altimeter 29.99. Cumulative en route delays resulted in the flight departing Knoxville at 1946, 27 minutes late. It was given ARTC clearance to the Gray intersection via Green Airway 5 to maintain 5,000 feet and to contact Tri-City approach control when over the Bulls Gap marker beacon. The estimated time en route was 34 minutes at a true airspeed of 145 knots. At 1953 the flight advised the company at Knoxville it was estimating Piedmont fan marker at 1956. A few minutes later it reported over Piedmont at 1958, estimating Tri-City at 2023. At 2010, in accordance with the clearance, Flight 308 reported over Bulls Gap. Tri-City approach control acknowledged the report and further cleared the flight to make an approach to the airport on runway 27. The latest weather information was also transmitted to the flight: "... wind is north, variable both sides at 10 knots, gust to 15; altimeter 30.03; Tri-City weather, measured ceiling 900 broken, 1700 overcast, visibility 3; light snow; fog." Following the acknowledgment of the approach clearance and weather information, the flight switched to company frequency at Tri-City giving an estimated time of arrival at 2026, reporting the aircraft as being O. K. for turn-around, and asking if it still needed sumps and screens checked. [2] The chief dispatcher answered in the affirmative and logged the time of this contact as 2012. The dispatcher was able to identify the transmission as being made by Captain Gollmier. Twelve minutes later, at 2024, Southeast Flight 308 reported to approach control stating it was over Gray intersection[3] leaving 5,000 feet making an outer marker approach. The controller advised Flight 308 to report leaving the outer marker inbound. At 2032, because there was other traffic in the area, the controller called Flight 308 to ask its position. The captain, who occupied the right seat, at this time asked if the glide slope was operating. The controller advised that it was and asked if Flight 308 was inbound to the outer marker. The captain then stated that his ADF was acting up; that he did not pick up the outer marker either aurally or visually and that they were making a procedure turn. The controller acknowledged and asked the flight's altitude. No further word was received from the flight and it must be presumed that the aircraft crashed immediately after its final transmission. A Piedmont Airlines DC-3 had arrived at the Bristol interesection[4] at 2028 and was holding, awaiting clearance to approach to the airport. The Piedmont pilot, a witness at the public hearing, testified that he was VFR at 5,000 feet, in the holding pattern; however, he could see a cloud layer east of the airport in the ILS approach area which extended from about 3,000 feet to 7,500 feet.
|
Air crash
| null | null |
General strike of 1956
|
The Finnish general strike of 1956 is the latest of the three general strikes in Finnish history; there have also been general strikes in 1905 and 1917. The 1956 strike occurred from March 1 to March 20, 1956. About 500,000 Finnish citizens took part in the strike. [1]
Following the end of post-war price control measures by the government in 1955, the prices of many goods and services was on the rise. The cost of living in Finland increased by 7% in two months. The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) attempted to raise the overall level of wages to account for the rise in the price level. Though internally conflicted on the fine print, the SAK was demanding a raise of 12 mk per hour, which would raise the wages of Finnish workers by 6–10 percent. The 1956 presidential election coincided with the industrial negotiations. [2] One of the candidates was then-Prime Minister Urho Kekkonen, who didn't want to risk losing the presidential electoral college vote by accepting the SAK's proposal. On February 16, the SAK's leadership decided to go forth and launch a general strike. Following the fall-through of emergency negotiations between the SAK and then Speaker of the Parliament Karl-August Fagerholm, the industrial action was started at 06:00 on March 1,[3] the day President Urho Kekkonen assumed office for his first term. The general strike, which concluded on 20 March, resulted in a nationwide wage increase of 6–10 percent. [4]
The general strike intensified the internal conflicts of the Social Democratic Party and resulted in a leftist faction centred around Emil Skog leaving the party shortly after. [5]
|
Strike
| null | null |
President establishes Task Force for Green Agriculture
|
President Rajapaksa appointed this Task Force Friday last (15) through an Extraordinary Gazette notification, the President’s Media Division said. The Task Force chaired by Vijith Welikala has 14 members. Vernon Perera, Additional Secretary to the President, has been appointed as Secretary of the said Task Force. Through the gazette, the President directed the Presidential Task Force for Green Agriculture to liaise with the Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation Task Force and the Presidential Task Force for the creation of a Green Sri Lanka with sustainable Solutions for climate Change. It has been emphatically stated in the Policy Statement: “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” that action would be initiated to build a developed agricultural economy and to create an opportunity for the local and international consumer to obtain toxin-free agricultural products within the next decade as well as to introduce eco-friendly crops. It is the foremost objective of the Government to create an eco-friendly healthy green agriculture through the means of livelihood thereby minimizing the chemical waste materials being added to the soil and water. Attention has been drawn on the possibility of benefits being accrued locally, as well as, internationally, through marching towards a sustainable green agriculture by undertaking eco-friendly organic farming by the adaption of the state-of-the art technology.Taking into consideration the need for unhygienic agro chemicals to be minimized through research and new inventions and for eco-friendly organic fertilizer production that suit the local environmental conditions to be incentivized, The members of the Presidential Task Force are responsible for formulating a systematic programme for sustainable maintenance of green agriculture, identifying the organic fertilizer required for various crops and improving the quality of such fertilizer production, producing pesticides and weedicides locally, identifying methodologies and monitoring mechanism for importing the limited scale possible shortages with high standards on the approval of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute in meeting the requirements through local production, enhancing the communication in transmitting to the public the health-related socio-economic benefits to be accrued from organic food production and consumption and enlisting the active support of the Public Service in this process and broadening the organic agriculture extension services at field level.
|
Organization Established
| null | null |
John Mulaney Divorcing Anna Marie Tendler: What He's Said Over the Years About Their Relationship
|
PEOPLE confirmed that John Mulaney and Anna Marie Tendler have split after six years of marriage
Throughout their nearly seven-year marriage, John Mulaney has often spoke fondly about his now-estranged wife, Anna Marie Tendler.
On Monday, a rep for Mulaney, 38, confirmed to PEOPLE that he and Tendler, 35, have split after six years of marriage. In a statement to Page Six, which first reported the news, Mulaney's spokesperson said: "John will not have any further comment as he continues to focus on his recovery and getting back to work."
Months before their breakup was announced, Mulaney entered rehab in December after suffering a relapse from his longtime addiction battle. PEOPLE then confirmed in February that the former Saturday Night Live writer completed his 60-day program. He is currently continuing to work on his sobriety as an outpatient.
RELATED: All the Celebrity Couples Who've Called It Quits in 2021
While Tendler is "heartbroken" about the couple's split, she is supporting Mulaney in his recovery journey. "I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage," the artist, who married Mulaney in 2014, said in a statement to PEOPLE via her rep on Monday. "I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery."
Here's a look back at the pair's relationship and what Mulaney has said about Tendler throughout the years. The comedian noted during his 2018 Netflix special, John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City, how he's "allowed to make fun" of Tendler and that he even "asked her" permission to do so. Despite giving Mulaney her blessing, he said that Tendler requested: "'Just don't say that I'm a bitch and that you don't like me.'"
|
Famous Person - Divorce
| null | null |
Ex-boxer who punched cop faces longest sentence yet in U.S. Capitol riot
|
File photo: Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump climb on walls at the U.S. Capitol. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - A former boxer charged with punching a Washington police officer in the head during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol faces a sentence of up to 51 months in prison after pleading guilty on Friday to two felony charges. Scott Fairlamb, 44, of Stockholm, New Jersey, entered guilty pleas to charges of assaulting police and obstructing an official proceeding during the attack on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters trying to overturn his election defeat. Prosecutors asked for a sentence of 41 to 51 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said he would not sentence Fairlamb until he receives a pre-sentence report. So far, one other Capitol riot defendant who pleaded guilty has been sentenced to serve an eight-month prison term, a law enforcement official said. A handful of defendants were sentenced to time served in pre-trial detention after pleading guilty. In late July, Beryl Howell, chief federal judge in Washington, asked prosecutors to explain why a riot defendant was allowed to plead to a misdemeanor charge carrying a short prison sentence. Harley Breite, Fairlamb's defense lawyer, told Lamberth that Fairlamb was willing to talk with FBI investigators, but had not yet done so. Breite told Reuters that after his arrest, Fairlamb had lost a gym business which he operated. An FBI affidavit said a concerned citizen submitted a video showing Fairlamb "shove and punch" a police officer during the riot. Video submitted by another member of the public showed Fairlamb climbing on a metal scaffolding outside the building. More than 535 people have been charged with taking part in violence when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden's election victory. Trump falsely claimed he lost the election because of widespread electoral fraud.
|
Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
| null | null |
Mysterious jaguar deaths now under investigation in Brazil
|
Thanks to tracking collars, federal police are investigating the possible poisoning deaths of two jaguars in the Pantanal.
A male jaguar emerges from the water hyacinth at the edge of a tributary of the Cuiaba River, in Brazil. As ranchers graze their livestock in former jaguar territory, attacks on cattle are not uncommon. In retaliation, some ranchers leave out pesticides to poison the big cats.
Photograph by Nick Garbutt / Barcroft Media, Getty Images
ByJill Langlois
Email
São Paulo, BrazilSandro was dead almost a month before his body was recovered.
A GPS tracking collar led researchers to his remains in an area of the Brazilian Pantanal known as Otter’s Pass. They had been monitoring the adult male jaguar for nearly a year when the collar alerted them that he had stopped moving in May.
Trips into the world’s largest tropical wetland require careful planning and funding, so it was June before the researchers finally were able to get into the field to find out what happened. What they found shocked them.
As they tracked the collar across one of a thousand cattle ranches in the region, scouring the area where it last registered Sandro’s movements, they found another jaguar—not one they had been monitoring—lying dead in the grass.
Just 164 feet away was Sandro, his collar still intact.
There were no marks on their bodies—no signs they had been in a fight, no gunshot wounds.
“These were two jaguars, two healthy animals, dead so close to one another,” says Antonio Carlos Csermak, Jr., a veterinarian and researcher with Reproduction 4 Conservation (Reprocon), the group tracking the jaguars. “That’s when we started to suspect they had been poisoned.”
When the researchers returned three days later, with federal police and agents from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), which enforces federal environmental laws and treaties, they pinpointed the last GPS point where Sandro had spent significant time, likely eating. About 320 feet from the first jaguar was a cow carcass. Scattered around it were another 17 dead animals: 14 vultures, two carcara raptors, and a crab-eating fox.
The only way we were able to discover the poisoning and death of these animals was because of one jaguar who was being monitored with a GPS tracking collar.
ByClaudinei SantinFederal police agent
Csermak and his colleagues had long heard that ranchers, frustrated with jaguars killing their cattle, would use pesticides to try to put an end to the problem. When ranchers found one of their animals dead, they would cover it in poison, figuring the jaguar would return to continue eating. (Read about why pesticide poisoning is also a growing threat to wildlife in Africa.)
The suspected pesticides of choice have an active ingredient called carbofuran, a neurotoxin so poisonous that it’s banned or severely restricted in Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Australia, and China, and is prohibited for use on food crops in the U.S. Reprocon team and Brazil authorities suspect the poison is being smuggled over the porous borders the Brazilian Pantanal shares with Paraguay and Bolivia. But they never had proof—until now.
Because of Sandro’s tracking collar, they were able to find his body and collect tissue samples—potential evidence of a crime. For the first time, federal police and IBAMA are investigating the poisoning deaths of two jaguars in the Pantanal.
Brazil is thought to be home to about half of the 170,000 jaguars still left in the wild. With a population of roughly 2,000, the Pantanal has one of the highest densities of jaguars in the world.
The Pantanal is the largest wetland on the planet, extending across Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It’s home to more than 4,000 species of plants and animals, including the world’s densest population of jaguars, but scientists and activists warn the ecosystem is at risk of collapsing.
Photograph by CARL DE SOUZA/AFP, Getty Images
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Jaguars are listed on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species as near threatened, with a decreasing population. Increasing deforestation to clear space for human activities like cattle ranching has left jaguars with lost or fragmented habitats and isolated populations, making it difficult for them to breed. A smaller range means the cats have less access to prey, leaving them no choice but to turn to livestock to survive. And when they do, ranchers often look for any means available to retaliate.
Renato Raizer was with Reprocon when the group first put the tracking collar on Sandro. He was also with them when they found the jaguar’s body. A rancher who has been running the family cattle farm alongside his father for the last 12 years, he says he would never kill a jaguar, even though he loses roughly 50 animals to them every year. (Claw marks on a cow’s neck and bite marks straight through the skull are tell-tale signs of a jaguar attack.)
“There isn’t much we can do,” he says. “If you have a small farm, maybe you could build an enclosure, keep your cattle in for the night. But what do you do if you have a thousand, 2,000, 15,000, 80,000 heads of cattle? You just take the loss. It might be my property, but it’s their home too.”
Not everyone thinks that way. Before it was filled with cattle, the native pastureland where Sandro and the other animals were found was a tourist hot spot. People from around the world flocked there, hoping to catch a glimpse of a jaguar in the wild. And they usually did. Its location on the edge of the Miranda River meant it attracted more jaguars than most properties in the region.
Gian Peralta, a wildlife tour guide, rented the ranch from 2012 to 2019, before it was purchased by its current owner. When he was there, business was good, he says. Every day he’d see two or three jaguars. Sometimes he’d draw them out using an instrument that mimics the sounds of jaguars looking for a mate. Other times he wouldn’t need it. They’d be easily spotted, resting on the riverbank.
He first noticed something was off last year.
“When I was going along the dirt road where the jaguars always cross, I wasn’t seeing their paw prints anymore,” Peralta says.
Now, as he continues to work nearby, still using the Miranda River as a means for transportation, Peralta says he’s lucky if he sees one jaguar a day. He often goes several without seeing any.
Yards away from an injured jaguar, cattle in the Porto Jofre region of the Pantanal drink water. As grazing land for cattle expands into jaguar habitat, predator and prey are in increasingly close quarters.
Photograph by Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP, Getty Images
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
When he left the property in 2019, he warned the old owner not to sell or rent it to someone who would use it for cattle, but the man didn’t heed his advice. Peralta says that as soon as he heard about the dead jaguars, he was sure they’d been killed there.
Once the story hit the news, rumors started. Some residents and ranchers say they saw another nine dead jaguars on the property where Sandro was found. Others say there were seven.
But by the time federal police carried out a search warrant at the ranch, it was August 5, almost two months after the jaguars were found. Because the case was well publicized, says Claudinei Santin, the agent heading the investigation, the police are sure the landowners and employees knew they were coming.
There was no evidence of other dead animals on the property and nothing to prove the presence of carbofuran-laced pesticides. Law enforcement seized cell phones from the ranch’s administrator and renter, who Santin says is their main suspect.
A search warrant for the suspect’s home in Campo Grande also turned up nothing. Police couldn’t search the quarters of the suspect’s two employees because they’d already moved on to work on another farm in a more remote area of the Pantanal that police are struggling to reach.
A jaguar lays on the banks of the Cuiaba River in Pantanal. In addition to retaliatory killings by livestock owners, jaguars face threats from habitat loss and fragmentation as well as poaching for the illegal wildlife trade.
Photograph by Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
An analysis of tissue samples from the jaguars is ongoing, although federal police say tests are unlikely to detect carbofuran because of the level of decomposition of the animals when they were found. They are, however, sure the animals were poisoned.
“Because of the dead insects found on the bovine carcass and the distribution of the dead animals at the location—the smaller the animal, the closer it died to the bovine carcass—the federal police forensics team concluded that the animals died by poisoning from the carcass,” says a statement from the federal police.
And while this is the first time they’re officially investigating a jaguar poisoning, Santin says they have now been “alerted to similar occurrences at other ranches in the southern Pantanal of this state [Mato Grosso do Sul].”
Killing an endangered animal and importing and using a banned toxic substance carry a combined sentence of up to five years in prison.
“The biggest difficulties we have [investigating these types of cases] are related to distance, breadth, isolation, and difficult access to ranches in the region,” he says. “And you can see in this case, the only way we were able to discover the poisoning and death of these animals was because of one jaguar who was being monitored with a GPS tracking collar.”
For others, such as Raizer, the benefits of the collars go beyond investigating crimes. They could also act as a deterrent, making it so that ranchers—leery of possible legal repercussions—don’t poison them at all.
|
Mass Poisoning
| null | null |
1983 Chosonminhang Ilyushin Il-62 crash
|
The 1983 Chosonminhang Il-62 crash occurred on 1 July 1983 when an Ilyushin Il-62M being operated by the flag carrier airline of North Korea, Chosonminhang, crashed into mountainous terrain in the West African country of Guinea. All 23 people aboard were killed. The aircraft was flying from Pyongyang with construction cargo and numerous workers ahead of the 1984 Organization of African Unity summit due to take place the following year. It remains the deadliest aviation crash in Guinean history, and was the tenth operational loss of an Il-62 since its introduction. [1]
P-889 was a Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-62M manufactured by the Kazan Aviation Plant in early 1981. It was sold to North Korea's national airline, Chosonminhang (now called Air Koryo), the same year. With the exception of an aborted takeoff in 1982 due to an inadvertently opened cargo hatch, the aircraft had no incident history. [2]
On 1 July 1983, P-889 was carrying construction material, as well as several construction workers and technicians, from Pyongyang, North Korea to complete work on a hall ahead of the twentieth Organization of African Unity summit scheduled to take place in Conakry, Guinea, in May 1984. [3][4] P-889 made two intermediate stops on the way to Guinea, stopping in Kabul and Cairo to refuel. On 1 July 1983, P-889 crashed in the Guinean highland region of Fouta Djallon, near the town of Labé, 160 miles northwest of Conakry International Airport. All 23 aboard were killed. It was the airline's first fatal accident. News of the crash was slow to spread due to difficulties in reaching the remote crash site. [5] Although the cause of the crash was never publicly released, pilot error compounded by fatigue is suspected. [6]
A high-level delegation of Guinean government officials traveled to North Korea shortly after the crash to deliver official condolences to Kim Il Sung. [7]
|
Air crash
| null | null |
Detroit pot dispensary swaying after road buckles, demolished on Tuesday
|
Demo started Tuesday at Stash Detroit, a marijuana dispensary in southwest Detroit that was sitting on top of a section of the city that suddenly buckled over the weekend.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Stash Detroit has been torn down on Tuesday after it was damaged when Dearborn Street buckled over the weekend and, according to FOX 2's Charlie Langton, the building was swaying.
The southwest Detroit dispensary was damaged Saturday night when something caused the road to buckle. The business was also affected and a brick wall on one side of the business collapsed. By Sunday, things got worse when Dearborn Street began rising several feet in the air and the road was split in half.
What's caused the damage is still not known but DTE has confirmed there was no evidence of an explosion.
At the intersection of Fort and Dearborn streets the investigation continues Tuesday into what caused the street to rise eight to 10 feet high and buckle.
"At this time, there is no evidence to indicate natural gas was the cause of the incident; a natural gas explosion did not occur. However, parts of DTE's gas and electric infrastructure were impacted by a water main break. DTE personnel are on-site to ensure public safety as well as the integrity of the natural gas and electric infrastructure systems."
WATCH MORE: Officials don't know what caused road to buckle, destroying Detroit business
Officials said the ground swelled and experts told FOX 2 they've never seen anything like this before.
The building that houses Stash Detroit, a marijuana dispensary on Dearborn Street, will have to be demolished. General manager Nick Thomas was on duty that night and said it felt like an earthquake or an explosion. He said he got his employees out as fast as he could.
The city closed off the area and the business was obviously closed as well. But Thomas said the pot was an open target for thieves.
Stash Detroit Provisioning Center in southwest Detroit will be demo'd Tuesday after the earth underneath it pushed the building and the road up several feet. "Everything that is inside is insured but (Sunday) night they did have people come in and ransack the place," Thomas said. "They got away with almost all of our inventory."
Advertisement
The building demo started around 12:45 Tuesday afternoon. By 2 p.m., most of the structure was demolished.
|
Gas explosion
| null | null |
Blood moon appears on Friday
|
Friday night brought an amazing sight in the night sky - something called a blood moon that happens as part of a total lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned. That means the Earth moves directly in between the Sun and Moon, blocking the sunlight. The eclipse then happens because the Moon enters the shadow created by Earth. When it's a total eclipse the Moon can look a bright reddish orange colour. That's why it is often referred to as a blood moon. Unlike a solar eclipse, you don't need special eye protection to see an eclipsed moon or Mars, so there's no need to go out and buy any fancy gear. You don't even need a pair of binoculars - although they could help you get a better view. At least part of the eclipse was visible from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, most of Asia and South America. In the UK the blood moon could be seen between 21:00 and 22:15. Lots of places were very cloudy, and so either blocked out the view of the moon entirely, or made it very hard to see. But where the weather allowed, the Moon could be seen to turn red. Beautiful photos of the moon Moon photobombs the Sun Fancy a holiday to the Moon and back? The Moon turns a deep, dark red because it's being lit up by light which has passed through the Earth's atmosphere and then bent back towards the Moon by something called refraction. There were even more reasons to be excited about the looking up at the night sky this time around. Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, summed it up: "A total lunar eclipse, Mars, Jupiter and the International Space Station. What more could you want?!" A blood Moon is really quite a sight and in the past people used to get very superstitious about what it meant. Some said that it meant that Mars - the God of War - was on his way. Robin explains: "In early days, experiencing a total lunar eclipse would have felt like the end of the world. It's not surprising people were terrified by it." It is still seen as a symbol of doom in some parts of the world today. The "totality" period, where light from the Moon was totally obscured, lasted for one hour, 43 minutes. The ISS could also be seen. It looked like a bright star and appeared just after 11pm, before fading from sight a few minutes later. If you weren't able to see the blood moon, hopefully these photos of it from around the world will help give you a taste of what seeing it must have been like. And if you did manage to catch a glimpse of the amazing sight - let us know in the comments below.
|
New wonders in nature
| null | null |
Crockett bank robbery suspect posted $350K, was released from jail
|
CROCKETT, TX (KTRE) - A Crockett man who is suspected of robbing the town's Citizens National Bank at gunpoint early Tuesday morning was released from the Houston County Jail Thursday after he posted a bail amount of $350,000. Leon Tran, a 20-year-old former employee of the bank, was arrested at a home in College Station on Tuesday, and he was booked into the Houston County Jail on a first-degree aggravated robbery charge. "Tran was a resident of Crockett and graduated from Crockett High School in 2014, Crockett Police Chief David Cross said in a press release. "Tran previously worked at Citizens National bank as a teller." Cross said the robbery occurred as a woman was going in the back door of Citizens National Bank at about 7:20 a.m. Tuesday. The suspect, who was wearing all black and a mask, caught up to her and went inside with her. Tran gave the woman instructions and got an undisclosed amount of money before he ran through a field behind the bank, Cross said. "Of course, the bank employees were terrified, and they did the right thing by cooperating," said Cross. "You can replace money, but you can't replace a life." A perimeter was created shortly after law enforcement arrived. "And, we were able to call in TDC tracking dog and, we were able to track to a location, that led to some additional information," Cross said. Crockett police with the help of Brazos County Sheriff Department, DPS Special Response Team, Texas Rangers, College Station PD and Bryan PD arrested Tran at a home around 5:25 p.m. on Nelson Road in College Station. "Tran was interviewed in College Station by Crockett Police Lt. Clayton Smith and Tran confessed to robbing the Citizen National Bank early this morning," Cross said. "Evidence is currently being collected that ties Tran to the robbery in Crockett and in College Station by our officers with the assistance from all of the agencies mentioned above."
|
Bank Robbery
| null | null |
2008 British teacher's strike
|
The NUT teacher strike was a 24-hour strike by teachers on 24 April 2008, over the issue of pay. It was the largest strike in Britain for more than 20 years. [1][2] It is also believed that up to 8000 schools were affected by this strike. There was also a strike by the UCU, which is the teachers' trade union for further education, with over 1000 members of the UCU joining a march in London[3]
Members of the NUT were unhappy with a 2.45% pay deal, which they had said would leave teachers worse off, due to the rising cost of living in Britain. [4][5]
|
Strike
| null | null |
Volcanic Eruptions In ‘Vital Infrastructure Hotspots’ Could Spark Global Catastrophe
|
Movies and media like to depict the eruption of so-called supervolcanoes - like Yellowstone - as an earth-shattering catastrophe. A supervolcano is defined as a volcano that has had at least one explosion of magnitude 8, the highest ranking on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, or VEI, meaning it has released more than 1,000 cubic-kilometers of material during an eruption. The most powerful eruption in modern times was the VEI 7 eruption of the Tambora about 200 years ago. But also smaller eruptions with a VEI 3 to 6, like Mount St. Helens in 1980, can pose a significant risk for society and human welfare. About 500 active volcanoes presently exist on the Earth’s surface, of which around 50 erupt each year. More than 800 million people are living within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of an active volcano. Researchers led by the University of Cambridge's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) have identified seven "hotspots" where clusters of relatively small but active volcanoes sit alongside vital infrastructure that, if paralyzed, could have catastrophic global consequences. PROMOTED These regions include volcano groups in Taiwan, North Africa, the North Atlantic, and the northwestern United States. The report is published today in the journal Nature Communications. "Even a minor eruption in one of the areas we identify could erupt enough ash or generate large enough tremors to disrupt networks that are central to global supply chains and financial systems," said Dr. Lara Mani from CSER, lead author of the latest report. "At the moment, calculations are too skewed towards giant explosions or nightmare scenarios, when the more likely risks come from moderate events that disable major international communications, trade networks or transport hubs. This is true of earthquakes and extreme weather as well as volcanic eruption." Mani and colleagues say that smaller eruptions ranking up to 6 on the "volcanic explosivity index"– rather than the 7s and 8s that tend to occupy catastrophist thinking—could easily produce ash clouds, mudflows and landslides that scupper undersea cables, leading to financial market shutdowns, or devastate crop yields, causing food shortages that lead to political turmoil. As an example from recent history, the team point to events of 2010 in Iceland, where a magnitude 4 eruption from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, close to mainland Europe, saw plumes of ash carried on northwesterly winds close European airspace at a cost of US$5 billion to the global economy. Yet when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991, a magnitude 6 eruption some 100 times greater in scale than the Icelandic event, its distance from vital infrastructure meant that overall economic damage (an estimated US$740 million) was less than a fifth of Eyjafjallajökull. The seven hotspots areas identified by the experts—within which relatively small eruptions could inflict maximum global mayhem—include the volcanic group on the northern tip of Taiwan. Home to one of the largest producers of electronic chips, if this area—along with the Port of Taipei—was indefinitely incapacitated, the global tech industry could grind to a halt. Another economic important area is the Mediterranean, where an explosion or landslide from Vesuvius and Santorini could induce tsunamis that smash submerged cable networks and seal off the Suez Canal. "We saw what a six-day closure to the Suez Canal did earlier this year, when a single stuck container ship cost up to ten billion dollars a week in global trade," said Mani. Eruptions in the U.S. state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest could trigger mudflows and ash clouds that blanket Seattle, shutting down airports and seaports. Scenario modelling for a magnitude 6 eruption from Mount Rainier predicts potential economic losses of more than US$7 trillion over the ensuing five years. The highly active volcanic centres along the Indonesian archipelago—from Sumatra to Central Java—also line the Strait of Malacca: one of the busiest shipping passages in the world, with 40% of global trade traversing the narrow route each year. The Luzon Strait in the South China Sea, another key shipping route, is the crux of all the major submerged cabling that connects China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. It is also encircled by the Luzon Volcanic Arc. The researchers also identify the volcanic region straddling the Chinese-North-Korean border, from which plumes of ash would disrupt the busiest air routes in the east, and point out that a reawakening of Icelandic volcanoes would do the same in the west. "It's time to change how we view extreme volcanic risk," added Mani. "We need to move away from thinking in terms of colossal eruptions destroying the world, as portrayed in Hollywood films. The more probable scenarios involve lower-magnitude eruptions interacting with our societal vulnerabilities and cascading us towards catastrophe."
|
Volcano Eruption
| null | null |
Croatia becomes 28th EU member state
|
Croatia becomes 28th EU member state
EU leaders in Zagreb on Sunday (Photo: ec.europa.eu )
By Honor Mahony
Brussels, 1. Jul 2013, 09:03
Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union at midnight Sunday (1 July), a decade after it started the process and less than 20 years after the end of its war of independence from Yugoslavia.
Thousands lined the streets of the capital Zagreb to the sound of Beethoven's Ode to Joy and fireworks as the country's leaders accompanied by EU officials celebrated the event.
"This will change the life of this nation for good. I welcome you wholeheartedly," said EU council president Herman Van Rompuy.
"Welcome to the European Union!" said EU commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.
Croatia is the first country to join the EU since 2007, when Bulgaria and Romania came on board, and only the second of the seven ex-Yugoslav states after Slovenia was part of the big bang eastward enlargement in 2004.
The path to join has been more exacting, with the EU having learnt that once countries join the bloc they lose momentum to reform and, particularly, to tackle corruption.
Zagreb formally applied for EU membership in 2003. Much of process concerned how it dealt with accused war criminals. Only two years later did the EU open accession talks with Croatia after the country was deemed to be fully cooperating with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
The reams of EU laws and reforms the country has to take on board have not always been popular. One particularly bitter pill to swallow was an EU demand for Croatia to close its debt-ridden, but popular, shipyards.
For their part, Croatian politicians have emphasized the importance of all countries in the region joining the bloc.
"We don't want Europe to stop at our borders, it must be open to other countries," President Ivo Josipovic said Sunday.
The country's membership comes at a difficult time for both sides.
The EU is mired in high unemployment and low growth, and in an almost constant state of bickering as it tries to overcome its Eurozone crisis and integrate further.
Croatia, with a population of 4.4 million, has an unemployment rate of around 20 percent. Its economy has for the past four years either been in recession or stagnant.
Josipovic pledged not to "let the cloud of the economic crisis overshadow our vision and optimism."
"The crisis is a challenge, an invitation to make tomorrow better than today," he said, according to AFP.
In Brussels, Croatian membership means one extra EU commissioner - in charge of consumer affairs - and 12 MEPs.
, your membership gives you access to all of our stories. We highly appreciate your support and value your feedback. If you have any thoughts on this story, we would love to hear it .
Share Article
|
Join in an Organization
| null | null |
Air Caraïbes Flight 1501 crash
|
Air Caraïbes Flight 1501 (TX1501/FWI1501) was a scheduled international passenger flight, flying from Saint Martin Airport in the Dutch overseas territory of Sint Maarten to Saint Barthélemy Airport which was in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe at that time. The flight was operated by Air Caraïbes, a Caribbean regional airline, using a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter. On 24 March 2001, during an approach to Saint Barthélemy Airport, the DHC-6 Twin Otter banked steeply to the left and crashed onto a house, killing all 19 passengers and crew on board. One person on the ground was also killed in the explosions that followed. The crash was the third deadliest plane crash in Guadeloupe, behind Air France Flight 212 and Air France Flight 117, and was the 11th deadliest involving a Twin Otter. Investigation by the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (or BEA) concluded that the cause of the crash was due to an error by the flight crew in managing the plane's thrust lever. During its final approach to Saint Barthélemy, the crew caused one of the aircraft's engines to reverse by moving the thrust lever back to the "beta" range, creating a thrust asymmetry which caused the aircraft to bank steeply to the left and crash. According to the BEA, this was the first fatal accident in the Twin Otter whereby an accidental thrust selection caused a propeller to enter the Beta range. The investigation was hampered by the lack of a flight recorder on the plane. After the crash, the BEA made a mandatory recommendation to equip every transport plane with at least one flight recorder. Flight 1501 took off from Princess Juliana International Airport at 4:00 pm local time, using a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan, and was expected to land in Saint Barthélemy at 4:15 pm. The distance between Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy is approximately 19 nmi (35 km; 22 mi). The weather was reported as good, with calm winds and very good visibility. [1]
The flight entered its cruise altitude of 1,500 ft (460 m) and the crew reported passing the "Pain de Sucre" waypoint for a final approach to runway 10 of Gustaf III Airport in the last transmission from Flight 1501. [2][1]
While flying above the western slope of La Tourmente Pass, the aircraft suddenly banked steeply to the left. [1] Numerous eyewitnesses including an Aerodrome Flight Information Service (AFIS) worker claimed that Flight 1501 then rapidly lost altitude and crashed onto a house, with a massive explosion following immediately after impact. Emergency services quickly arrived to the scene and cordoned off the area. All 19 people on board were killed instantly in the crash and an elderly man, identified as Augustin Questel,[3] who lived in the house with his wife, died from the subsequent fire and explosion. His wife was alive but slightly injured and was taken to hospital. [4]
The aircraft involved was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter, popular among regional airlines operating short routes. Registered in France as F-OGES (MSN 254), the aircraft was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney Canada engines driving Hartzell propellers. [1] It entered into service with Air Guadeloupe in 1970, was subsequently sold to Air Caraïbes and had accumulated more than 35,000 flying hours in 90,000 flight cycles. [5][1]
According to Air Caraïbes CEO Philippe Chevallier and the company's local manager, most of the passengers were French tourists, 15 French residents of Paris, two local residents of Saint Barthélemy and one American. [4][2][6] One of the crew members was a French national while other's nationality was not revealed. Multiple reports stated that one Dutch woman and two Belgians were also on board. The American was also reported to have dual nationality. [7][8]
The pilot flying obtained his commercial pilot license on 18 June 1987 and Instrument Rating on 3 November 1987. He obtained DHC-6 type rating on 28 November 1988 and was subsequently hired as a pilot by Air Guadeloupe and later transferred to Air Caraïbes. The Captain had acquired a total flying hours of 9,864 hours, of which 5,000 hours were on Twin Otters. He was later identified by an Air Caraïbes' official as Jean-Paul Jerpan. [3][1]
The co-pilot obtained his Twin Otter type rating on 21 December 2000, having had previous professional experience as a flight engineer in the French Air Force. According to the investigators, he was employed on a short-term contract, in which he was supposed to join another airline as a flight engineer. He had acquired a total flying hours of 670 hours of which 15 of them were on the DHC-6. [1]
As the crash occurred within the French territory, the BEA was responsible for the investigation. The BEA sent two field investigators to the crash site and later sent four investigators to Pointe-à-Pitre on 25 March. As the aircraft was manufactured in Canada, the Canadian TSB joined the investigation with the assistance from Bombardier and Pratt and Whitney Canada. The American NTSB also joined the investigation and sent a representative. [1]
According to Chevallier the aircraft was not equipped with a black box,[9] and thus investigators had to rely on observations of air traffic controller recordings, eyewitnesses, wreckage observation and their best guess on what might have happened on Flight 1501. Soon after the crash, airport officials claimed it was caused by mechanical failure. One witness stated that he heard an engine "sputtering" before the aircraft slammed onto the house. [1][2]
The western approach to Saint Barthélemy Airport crosses the Col de la Tourmente just before the runway, requiring pilots to have special certification to land there. Aircraft approaching the runway must make a steep descent and fly low over houses before landing, with no night flights and all aircraft to be equipped with radio. [1]
During the first phase of the investigation, investigators inspected the wreckage of the plane. Initial examination revealed that there were no signs of abnormalities with the plane's controls. Inspection of the plane's propellers also revealed that both propellers were delivering significant power during the crash. Due to the severity of the impact, investigators could not take a fuel sample from the wreckage. During their inspection they found two video cameras at the crash site. [1]
Closer observation of the plane's propellers revealed that the left propeller had a pitch setting of at least 20.4°, that is to say a pitch above flight idle. The right propeller had a different pitch setting for each of the blades, settings likely due to less-violent secondary impacts to the powerplant at the moment of impact. Consequently, the values noted were unusable.
|
Air crash
| null | null |
2019 Indian floods
|
The 2019 Indian floods were a series of floods that affected over thirteen states in late July and early August 2019, due to excessive rains. At least 200 people died and about a million people were displaced. Karnataka and Maharashtra were the most severely affected states. People died but many were rescued with the help of the Indian Navy. It was the heaviest monsoon in the last 25 years. More than 1600 people died between June and October 2019. [1]
Thirteen states of India were affected by floods due to heavy rains in July–September 2019. [2] News reports later stated that there were 500 people missing and 1000 killed with many people losing their homes . Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kannur and Kasargod districts are worst affected. Over one hundred thousand people were evacuated to a total of 1111 relief camps, 101 died and seven people went missing. Kochi Airport was closed due to water logging.
Central and South Gujarat were worst affected due to heavy rains. 26 of 30 sluice gates of Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada river were opened to release water. Vadodara city was flooded. 18 teams of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and 11 teams of SDRF (State Disaster Response Force were deployed. [2]
North, coastal and Malnad districts were worst affected. Other affected districts include Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Raichur, Yadgiri, Uttara Kannada, South Kannada, Shivamogga, Kodagu and Chikkamagalur. At least 24 died. [2]
More than 2,00,000 people were evacuated and more than 2200 rescue personnel were deployed. [2]
The floods in Six districts of Western Maharashtra affected over 4.24 hundred thousand people. About 4,00,000 people were evacuated and 30 people died in the rain-related incidents. The government announced the flood relief compensation of Rs 15,000 to each affected family in cities and Rs 10,000 in villages. The flood gates of Almatti dam were opened and the NH 4 (Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway) was closed after landslide stranding about 18,000 vehicles on highway. [2]
70 teams comprising NDRF, Navy, Coast Guard, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel were deployed. [2]
It was the second-heaviest rainfall in Mumbai in the last 25 years, according to a tweet by Maharashtra's ex chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis. Maharashtra has a huge & heavy rainfall in 2019, Affected district Kolhapur, Sangli (which was the worst), Satara, Thane, Palghar and Pune. Heavy rains flooded the Narmada river. Sluice gates of seven out of 28 dams in the state were opened to release the waters. Around 1000 people were evacuated. One death was reported while several others are missing. Dhar and Barwani districts were the most affected. The Nilgiris district was the worst-affected. More than 1700 people were evacuated and around 500 personnel of NDRF and SDRF were deployed. At least five people died and the state government announced a relief of Rs 10 hundred thousand each to their families. [2]
Pernem, Bicholim and Bardez talukas were the worst affected in Goa. Several villages in North Goa were inundated due to heavy rains and water released from the Tilari dam. In this disaster, 150 families were evacuated. [2]
Odisha was flooded by heavy rains in the first week of August. From this, three died and two went missing in the floods. About 1,30,000 people in 1012 villages and 5 cities in 9 districts were affected. Kalahandi and Rayagada districts were the worst affected in Odisha. More than 14,000 people were evacuated to shelters from low-lying regions. More than 2000 houses were damaged. Seven teams of SDRF and fire personnel were deployed. [2]
Over 74,000 people in East Godavari and West Godavari district were affected due to flooding from the Godavari river. 17,632 people were evacuated. [4]
In September, heavy rainfall in the city with more than 16 centimeters of rain, causing the Khadakwasla dam to hold excessive water. Water discharged from the dam caused the Mutha river to overflow and flood the area. Nazare dam near Saswad also experienced heavy rainfall, leading a similar high discharge of water into the Karha river and flooding its immediate area. Following heavy rains and release of water from the Bhakra Dam, the swollen river Sutlej and its tributaries flooded villages in several areas, causing extensive damage to crops, especially paddy, and houses in low-lying areas.
|
Floods
| null | null |
WTO has selected South Africa to establish the first mRNA technology transfer hub
|
The World Health Organisation has selected South Africa to establish the first mRNA technology transfer hub. This is to boost vaccine manufacturing abilities in the region , as Africa continues to struggle in vaccine procurement. More than 50 proposals were submitted to the WHO by companies offering to transfer technology, knowledge and skills for the mRNA hubs. The global body says it will work with the Africa Centre for Disease Control to set up the guidelines and guidance for the project aimed at increasing vaccine manufacturing capacity. President Cyril Ramaphosa says this will help change the continent’s image and promote self-reliance. “Today marks an important move towards the achievement of one of the critical objectives of the African Unions Agenda 2063, the Africa we want. The ability to manufacture vaccines, medicines and other health-related commodities will help put Africa on a path to self-determination. Through this initiative and others, we will change the narrative of an Africa that is a centre of disease and poor development. We will create a narrative that celebrates our successes in reducing the burden of disease and advancing self-reliance, also advancing sustainable development.” President Ramaphosa participates in a joint briefing on COVID-19 vaccines: Manufacturing could start in 9 to 12 months The WHO said the hub could start manufacturing doses in 9 to 12 months. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement aimed at boosting access to vaccines across the African continent, where cases and deaths had increased by almost 40% over the past week. “Today I am delighted to announce that WHO is in discussions with a consortium of companies and institutions to establish technology transfer hub in South Africa.” “The consortium involves a company Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines, which will act as the hub both by manufacturing mRNA vaccines itself and by providing training to a manufacturer Biovac,” he said. WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said that there were several options on the table, mainly smaller companies and biotechs, adding: “But we are also in discussions with larger mRNA companies and hope very much they will come on board”. Pfizer and BioNTech, along with Moderna are the main producers of COVID-19 vaccines using mRNA technology. “We could see within 9-12 months vaccines being produced in Africa, South Africa,” Swaminathan said. – additional reporting by Reuters.
|
Organization Established
| null | null |
Olympics Day 15 highlights Allyson Felix wins record 11th medal; U.S. men’s 4x400 team also takes gold
|
U.S. diver Jordan Windle’s adoption story and advocacy gains renewed attention Allyson Felix wins 11th Olympic medal in 4x400 relay, becomes most decorated U.S. track and field athlete
Wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt wins bronze
Jakob Ingebrigtsen makes late push to edge Timothy Cheruiyot in men’s 1,500-meter final
Kyle Snyder loses gold medal match to ‘The Russian Tank’
Sifan Hassan pushes ahead late to win the women’s 10,000 meters, her third medal in Tokyo
Allyson Felix will run for 11th Olympic medal in dream relay lineup
Linoy Ashram earns Israel’s first rhythmic gymnastics medal
USA Basketball faced plenty of questions. Kevin Durant had all the answers. U.S. women’s water polo wins third straight gold with win over Spain
Sydney McLaughlin suggests she is running for what could be a star-studded U.S. 4x400 relay team
China’s Cao Yuan, Yang Jian finish 1-2 in men’s 10-meter platform diving
Jessica Springsteen, U.S. equestrian team win silver medal
U.S. men take 4x400 relay gold
Vashti Cunningham finishes sixth in the women’s high jump
U.S. diver Jordan Windle’s adoption story and advocacy gains renewed attention Allyson Felix wins 11th Olympic medal in 4x400 relay, becomes most decorated U.S. track and field athlete
Wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt wins bronze
Jakob Ingebrigtsen makes late push to edge Timothy Cheruiyot in men’s 1,500-meter final
Kyle Snyder loses gold medal match to ‘The Russian Tank’
Sifan Hassan pushes ahead late to win the women’s 10,000 meters, her third medal in Tokyo
Allyson Felix will run for 11th Olympic medal in dream relay lineup
Linoy Ashram earns Israel’s first rhythmic gymnastics medal
USA Basketball faced plenty of questions. Kevin Durant had all the answers. U.S. women’s water polo wins third straight gold with win over Spain
Sydney McLaughlin suggests she is running for what could be a star-studded U.S. 4x400 relay team
China’s Cao Yuan, Yang Jian finish 1-2 in men’s 10-meter platform diving
Allyson Felix won her 11th Olympic medal Saturday night in Tokyo, the most ever by a U.S. track and field athlete. Felix, 35, took gold as part of a dominant 4x400-meter relay team that also featured Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu. Her 11 medals across five Olympics surpass Carl Lewis, whose mark she tied Friday with a bronze in the 400 meters. The U.S. men’s 4x400 relay team also won gold in the next race on the final night of track and field at National Stadium.
Highlights from Tokyo
The U.S. equestrian jumping team, including Jessica Springsteen, earned a silver medal, falling short of Sweden in a jumpoff Saturday night. Springsteen, 29, is the 14th-ranked rider in the world and the daughter of famed musician Bruce Springsteen.
The American team also includes Laura Kraut and McLain Ward, who, along with Springsteen, navigated the shortened jumpoff course in a combined time of 124.2 seconds. Peder Fredricson, the final Swedish rider, needed to move through the track in 40.30 seconds and did so in 39.01, earning Sweden’s first gold medal in the event since 1924.
Michael Norman seized the lead from Botswana and Trinidad and Tobago during the second leg of the men’s 4x400-meter relay final, and Rai Benjamin coasted through the final stretch, helping the United States secure the gold medal in one of the final track and field events of the Tokyo Olympics.
The U.S. men finished in a season’s best 2 minutes 55:70 seconds, perhaps redeeming earlier performances for some of its runners, including Norman and Michael Cherry, who finished just outside the top three in the men’s 400-meter final. Benjamin, the 400-meter hurdle silver medalist, earned his first Olympic gold.
The Netherlands placed second (2:57.18) and Botswana set an African record in third (2:57:27).
TOKYO — American Vashti Cunningham finished sixth in the women’s high jump competition. She needed two attempts to clear 1.96 meters (6 feet and 5.17 inches) and couldn’t jump any higher.
Cunningham, the 23-year-old daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, missed her first two attempts at 1.98 (about 6-6) and then passed her final try with the hopes of clearing 2.00 (about 6-6.7), but she missed that jump, too, ending her competition.
Only the three medalists cleared at least 2.00. Mariya Lasitskene of the Russian Olympic Committee won the gold medal after jumping 2.04 (about 6-8). Australia’s Nicola McDermott took the silver (2.02; about 6-7.5) and Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the bronze (2.00).
TOKYO — In 2000, Jerry Windle was waiting at a doctor’s office when he read in a magazine about a Cambodian boy being adopted by an American father. Five months later, he adopted a Cambodian boy — an 18-month-old orphan named Pisey, which translates to “little darling.”
Jordan Pisey Windle grew up to become the youngest diver to make it to the Olympic trials in 2012. The 22-year-old competed for Team USA this week, becoming the first diver of Cambodian descent to compete in the Games.
While growing up in Texas, Jordan was bullied for being the Cambodian son of a single, White gay man. The father and son have since become outspoken advocates for LGBT rights and diversity, co-writing a children’s book about a white rooster finding an orphaned egg that turned out to be a brown duckling.
“Having a gay father, and also my dad being a different color, I’ve been asked tons of questions and picked on a little bit,” said Jordan Windle in a 2018 interview with the University of Texas’s athletics channel, the Longhorn Network. “At the time, I didn’t have an answer for it, you know? It was really tough trying to understand why I don’t look the same as my dad.”
Since Windle’s competition in the Tokyo Games this week, the story of his adoption and his advocacy have gained renewed attention on social media and in news coverage.
“It doesn’t matter the makeup of the family. Family is family,” Jerry Windle said in the 2018 interview. “What makes a nuclear family are the bonds that people hold together. It’s not necessarily the biological part of it.”
With no family or spectators allowed at the Games to minimize the spread of covid, Jordan Windle told the “Today” show that he wanted to make his dad proud, wherever he is watching: “I wish he was there, but that doesn’t really change what I’m going there to do: to have fun, show off a little bit and put on a show for everyone. That’s going to be my intention and I’m hopefully going to make him proud.”
TOKYO — Allyson Felix won her record-breaking 11th Olympic medal, winning gold alongside a dream 4x400 relay lineup of Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu, a combination of runners who represent the best of U.S. track and field’s past, present and future.
Felix’s medal, her sixth gold in a relay and seventh overall, broke the tie she established the night before with Carl Lewis.
McLaughlin, running on her 22nd birthday and three days after breaking her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles, handed a lead to Felix. The Americans never looked back. Muhammad, the silver medalist who owned the 400 hurdles world record at the start of the year, extended the lead. Mu, the 19-year-old 800 meters gold medalist, made the lead gigantic. The U.S. team finished in 3 minutes 16.85 seconds, shy of the world record of 3:15.17, which the Soviet Union set at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but not by much.
Poland won silver, and Jamaica won bronze.
Americans Kendall Ellis, Wadeline Jonathas, Kaylin Whitney and Lynna Irby also win golds for their semifinal victory.
American freestyle wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt won her 50 kilogram bronze medal match by technical superiority over Ukrainian Oksana Livach on Saturday night. The final score was 12-1.
Hildebrandt was considered a possible gold or silver medalist going into the Olympics but lost an early qualifying match Friday, leaving her to wrestle through the semifinals to get to the bronze medal match.
It is her first Olympic medal.
As Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot fought to fend of Britain’s Josh Kerr during the final half-lap of the men’s 1,500-meter final Saturday, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen burst ahead and eventually crossed the finish line in an Olympic record 3:28:32 to win his country’s first gold medal in the event. Ingebrigtsen overcame Cheruiyot, the 2019 world champion at the distance, and personal bests by Kerr and the next three top finishers.
U.S. runner Matthew Centrowitz, the reigning gold medal winner in the event, failed to qualify for the final.
American freestyle wrestler Kyle Snyder lost his 97 kilogram gold medal match, 6-3, Saturday night against Abdulrashid Sadulaev of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Both wrestlers had won gold in the 2016 Olympics, Snyder at 97 kilograms and Sadulaev at 86.
Saturday was the third time the two men had met since the four-time world champion Sadulaev, known as “The Russian Tank,” moved up to 97 kilograms. They each had won once.
TOKYO — Three athletes had separated themselves from the field during the final 3,000 meters of the 10,000-meter race Saturday, and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands maintained the second-place position as these medal contenders neared the finish. But during the final lap, Hassan stormed past Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, who had a narrow lead through much of the race and eventually earned the bronze. Kalkidan Gezahegne of Bahrain earned the silver as Gidey slipped behind late.
Hassan finished in 29 minutes 55.32 seconds to earn her second gold medal of these Games. Hassan had already won the gold in the 5,000, and she took the bronze in the 1,500. Hassan, the defending world champion in the 10,000, managed to surge ahead of Gidey, the world record holder, during the final push.
Gezahegne finished in 29:56.18 to win her first Olympic medal and the first for Bahrain at these Games. Gidey finished in 30:01.72.
Emily Sisson led the Americans, finishing in 10th (31:09.58). Karissa Schweizer (31:19.96) and Alicia Monson (31:21.36) weren’t far behind in 12th and 13th.
TOKYO — The United States created a star-studded quartet for its women’s 4x400-meter relay Saturday that includes Allyson Felix, who will run for a U.S. record-breaking 11th Olympic track and field medal the night after she won her 10th.
The baton will be passed in the order of Sydney McLaughlin, Felix, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu. The foursome brings together the most decorated female track and field Olympian in history (Felix), the world record holder and gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles (McLaughlin), the woman whose record McLaughlin broke and a gold and silver medalist (Muhammad), and a burgeoning superstar who just won an 800 meters gold medal at 19 (Mu).
They have already won four medals together at these Games, and they will be heavily favored to add a fifth.
The world record is 3:15.17, which Russia set at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
TOKYO — Linoy Ashram of Israel won the gold medal in the rhythmic gymnastics individual all-around competition Saturday. Israel had never medaled in rhythmic gymnastics, and Ashram’s gold medal comes less than a week after Artem Dolgopyat’s gold on floor became the country’s first Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics.
Dina Averina, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, earned the silver with a 107.650, just narrowly behind Ashram (107.800). Averina won the all-around at the past three world championships but missed out on the Olympic title.
The United States did not have any athletes in the rhythmic gymnastics all-around final. In the qualifying round, Evita Griskenas finished 12th and Laura Zeng placed 13th. Only the top 10 gymnasts advanced to the final.
In the group competition, the United States finished 11th and did not advance to the final that will be held Sunday.
TOKYO — Kevin Durant didn’t have to be here this summer, a summer when others of his pedigree stayed home. It’s risky for American basketball players to show up for an Olympics. Winning gold elicits a stateside yawn. Losing brings scorn. It’s not fair. And it makes it easier to choose the beach.
Durant should be viewed as an American hoop hero. His talent for basketball is obvious and overwhelming. But his commitment to playing in the Olympics is more important than his abilities. He is here because he cares. For him, this is not a burden. It is an opportunity.
“It brings me a lot of joy,” Durant said Saturday. “I really enjoy it.”
When gold medals are expected — as they perpetually are with USA Basketball — joy can be drowned by expectation. Appreciation is fleeting. Yet watch Durant on Saturday — draping himself in an American flag after the United States’ 87-82 victory over France in the gold medal game of the Tokyo Olympics — and the smile is telling. Others stayed home? Fine. Don’t tell me they’re not missing out.
TOKYO — Like so many of the American dynasties competing at these Olympics, the U.S. women’s water polo team had a blip early on, falling to Hungary in the preliminary round to record its first loss at the Summer Games since 2008 and mar a perfect 19-0 record this year.
“The game just doesn’t know who you are,” goaltender Ashleigh Johnson said after the loss. “The game doesn’t know where you come from.”
The United States reintroduced itself Saturday at Tatsumi Water Polo Centre with a dominant 14-5 win over Spain that will ensure this team is remembered for years. The Americans won a historic third consecutive gold medal with a balanced performance that saw six different women score the first six goals. Johnson had 11 saves, and the United States allowed just one goal from Spain in the second half.
Their early-round loss in the rearview, the U.S. women kept alive the streak that really matters: They have medaled in every Olympics since the event was introduced in 2000.
TOKYO — The United States could produce an eye-popping list of runners in the women’s 4x400-meter relay final Saturday night, and one of them apparently revealed she will be on it.
In an Instagram post that has since been deleted, 400-meter hurdles gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin suggested she will run a leg of the 4x400 on her 22nd birthday, three days after she broke her own world record. “My birthday is here a little early because of this time change, but here’s to 22!” McLaughlin wrote. “Now let’s go run this relay!”
If the United States so chooses, McLaughlin could be one-fourth of a dream lineup. Former 400-meter hurdles world record holder and silver medalist Daliliah Muhammad, 800 meters gold medalist Athing Mu and 400 meters bronze medalist/icon Allyson Felix are all available and seemingly willing. Felix said Friday night she hoped to run.
The foursome would provide symbolism. Felix is running in her last Olympics at 35, and Muhammad, 31, was noncommittal about Paris 2024. Muhammad and the 19-year-old Mu, both New Jersians, represent the incandescent future of U.S. track and field. Felix could literally hand one of them a baton.
|
Break historical records
| null | null |
2019 Bolivian protests
|
The 2019 Bolivian protests were protests and marches from 21 October 2019 until late November of that year in Bolivia, in response to claims of electoral fraud in the 2019 general election of 20 October. After 11 November 2019, there were protests by supporters of the outgoing government in response to Jeanine Áñez becoming the acting president of Bolivia. The claims of fraud were made after the suspension of the preliminary vote count, in which incumbent Evo Morales was not leading by a large enough margin (10%) to avoid a runoff, and the subsequent publication of the official count, in which Morales won by just over 10%. Some international observers expressed concern over the integrity of the elections. [3]
While the majority of the demonstrations were peaceful, there were also numerous acts of violence. Initial violence allegedly targeted opposition protesters, Pro-MAS supporters were bused into opposition areas, given weapons, and were told to clear blockades, resulting in death and injury of opposition protesters. [4][5][6] In the later weeks of the protests, senior members of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) and their families were victims of attacks, including vandalism and arson of their houses. [7][8]
Morales denied the allegations and invited international observers to audit the electoral processes, promising to hold a runoff if any fraud was found, although initially refusing to be bound by the results of an audit. [9][10] Opposition leaders rejected the OAS audit, saying they hadn't been party to the agreement. [11] Subsequently, an audit team from the Organization of American States (OAS), with access provided by Bolivian authorities, worked to verify the integrity and reliability of the results. Their preliminary report, released on 10 November 2019 questioned the integrity of the election results and recommended another "electoral process". [12]
Following the release of the OAS initial report, Morales announced the government would hold another full election (rather than a runoff). [13] However, later that day, the influential National Union of Workers requested Morales' resignation, followed 5 hours later by the commanders of the Armed Forces who suggested Morales resign during a live televised press conference, and almost immediately after, the national Police Commander also requested his resignation. Morales, together with his vice-president García Linera, resigned the same day, on live television, both also delivered written resignations. [14][15][16] Following their resignations and the resignations of the next two politicians in the line of succession, Jeanine Áñez, second Vice-President of the Senate, was next in line for the presidency. On 12 November 2019, she formed an interim government. Protests continued until the end of November, primarily by those that sought Morales' return. Under direction from Morales and his allies, and at times under coercion, protesters created blockades on inter-departmental highways, resulting in shortages of food and fuel. [17][18] The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concerns over the use of force by the new government in response to armed protests at Senkata and Sacaba. [19][20][21][22] By 25 November 2019, the interim government had made agreements with most protest leaders to end blockades, and began to withdraw troops and to release arrested protesters. [23]
Article 168 of the 2009 constitution allowed the President and Vice-President to be re-elected only once, limiting the number of terms to two. The governing party, the Movement for Socialism (MAS) sponsored an effort to amend this article. The referendum was authorized by a joint session of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly on 26 September 2015, by a vote of 112 to 41. [24][25] Law 757, which convened the February referendum, passed by 113 votes to 43 and was promulgated on 5 November 2015. [26]
The referendum marked the rise of anti-Morales sentiment in Bolivia. [27] The vote was held on 21 February 2016 and the proposed amendment was rejected by 51.3% to 48.7%. A successful "yes" vote would have allowed President Evo Morales and Vice President Álvaro García Linera to run for another term in office in 2019. Morales had already been elected three times. The first time, in 2006, is not counted, as it was before the two-term limit was introduced by the 2009 constitution. [26]
Despite the referendum result, the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal overruled the constitution[28] by deferring to Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights, which promotes the human right to participate in government. The court ruled a little over one year after the referendum in December 2017 that all public offices would have no term limits, thus allowing Morales to run for a fourth term. [28]
The removal of term limits proved controversial among Bolivians,[29] including Morales' supporters,[30] with some losing trust in Morales for overturning a referendum. [27] John Walsh, Andes Director of the Washington Office on Latin America, stated that "The court’s decision, which was very much in favor of MAS, added to the tensions and distrust leading into this election" and that for Morales, it was "also just hard to be in power for that long and not lose popularity". [27] Mark L. Schneider of the Center for Strategic and International Studies summarized that there was "no question that there was a successful impact on raising the standard of living of the poor" under Morales, but that "problems in Bolivia arose, unfortunately, from the same problems that you see in Nicaragua and Venezuela, in Honduras and elsewhere where individuals decide that it's more important to stay in power than to follow democratic norms and the rule of law". [31]
Heading into the elections, some voters distrusted Bolivia's voting system, suspecting fraud after Morales and his supporters disregarded the results of the 2016 referendum. [27] Bolivia's Plurinational Electoral Body and the private company in charge of the preliminary vote count ad announced eleven days before the election, on 9 October, that only approximately 80% of the preliminary results would be released. [32] On 20 October 2019, the first round of voting for all government positions was held. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal released two sets of counts shortly after the vote was closed. First was an exit poll that verified 95.6% of votes that showed incumbent President of Bolivia Evo Morales as having 9.33 percentage points over his main opposition and former president, Carlos Mesa. Leading by less than 10 percentage points indicates the vote must continue to a second run-off round. The complete count then appeared as provisional results on a website with routine live updates. At the point of 83.8% of votes in the complete count having been verified, the website showed Morales at 45.3% and Mesa at 38.2%; this also reflected a less than ten-point lead. However, no further updates to the preliminary results were made after 7:40 pm local time (UTC–4). The electoral authorities explained that updates to the preliminary count had been halted because the official results were beginning to be released; nevertheless, no official results were published overnight. [33]
At 9:25 pm, as the vote counting was still underway, President Morales declared himself the winner of the elections, stating that while he would wait for final scrutiny of the results, the outstanding vote from rural areas would guarantee his victory; he did not mention the possibility of a runoff. [34][35] Most of the remaining votes, from remote rural areas, were expected to go in Morales's favour, although the Organization of American States (OAS) recommended a runoff be held even if Morales's lead exceeded 10 points. Manuel González, head of the OAS election observation team in Bolivia, said that "In the case that [...] the margin of difference exceeds 10%, it is statistically reasonable to conclude that it will be by negligible margin" and that "given the context and the problematic issues in this electoral process the best option continues to be the convening of a second round." International observers expressed concern over the unexplained daylong gap in the reporting of results, which was followed by a surge in Morales votes when the count resumed. [36]
On 21 October 2019, a press conference of the Plurinational Electoral Organ was held, which published data of the rapid count of the system of Transmisión de Resultados Electorales Preliminares (TREP, "Transmission of Preliminary Electoral Results"), published at 7:30 pm, almost a whole day after being initially suspended,[37] stating that with 95.30 percent of the votes verified, Morales's MAS obtained 46.86% of the votes over the 36.72% of Mesa's Civic Community, surpassing the 10 percentage points needed to avoid a second run-off round and as such Morales would remain in power for a fourth term. [38][39]
On 6 November, the Bolivian opposition published a 190-page-long report containing fraud accusations, including irregularities such as mistaken electoral acts additions, data wiping and electoral acts where the ruling party obtained more votes than registered voters, expecting to send it to international organizations such as the OAS and the United Nations.
|
Protest_Online Condemnation
| null | null |
August 2020 California lightning wildfires
|
The August 2020 California lightning wildfires (also referred to as the August lightning siege or August wildfire siege) were a series of 650 wildfires that ignited across Northern California in mid-August 2020, due to a siege of dry lightning from rare, massive summer thunderstorms, which were caused by an unusual combination of very hot, dry air at the surface, dry fuels, and advection of moisture from the remains of Tropical Storm Fausto northward into the Bay Area. [4][5] These fires burned between 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km2) to 2,100,000 acres (8,500 km2) within a 2–3 week period. The August 2020 lightning fires included three enormous wildfires: the SCU Lightning Complex, the August Complex, and the LNU Lightning Complex. On September 10, 2020, the August Complex set a record for the single-largest wildfire in the modern history of California, reaching a total area burned of 471,185 acres (1,907 km2). On September 11, the August Complex merged with the Elkhorn Fire, another massive wildfire of 255,039 acres (1,032 km2), turning the August Complex into a monster wildfire of 746,607 acres (3,021 km2). [6]
The three major Bay Area fires, the SCU, LNU, and the CZU Lightning Complex, collectively burned about 846,000 acres (3,420 km2) by mid-September 2020, destroyed 2,723 structures, and took 6 lives. [7]
Between August 14 and August 16, Northern California was subjected to record-breaking warm temperatures,[8][9][10] due to anomalously strong high pressure over the region. Early on August 15, the National Weather Service for San Francisco issued a Fire Weather Watch[11] highlighting the risk of wildfire starts due to the combination of lightning risk due to moist, unstable air aloft, dry fuels, and hot temperatures near the surface. Later that day, the Fire Weather Watch was upgraded to a Red Flag Warning,[12] noting the risk of abundant lighting already apparent as the storms moved toward the region from the south. The source of this plume of moist, unstable air was the weakening Tropical Storm Fausto. Due to abnormal winds, this plume was streaming from up to 1,000 miles (1,600 km) off the coast of the Baja Peninsula into Northern California. This moisture then interacted with a high-pressure ridge situated over Nevada that was bringing a long-track heat wave to much of California and the West. [13] These colliding weather systems then created excessive atmospheric instability that generated massive thunderstorms throughout much of Northern and Central California. Such thunderstorms are rare for California, but were more typical of Midwest garden-variety storms, with one location near Travis Air Force Base going from around 80 °F (27 °C) to 100 °F (38 °C) in nearly 1–2 hours. [14] Additionally, much of these storms were only accompanied with dry lightning and produced little to no rain, making conditions very favorable for wildfires to spark and spread rapidly. [15]
Early morning on August 16, when the first thunderstorms hit, around 2,500 lightning strikes hit the Bay Area, with 200 strikes happening in 30 minutes at one point, which the National Weather Service office in Bay Area labelled as "insane". [16] Within the next 72–96 hours, over 12,000 lightning strikes were recorded over Northern California. These lightning strikes sparked up to 585 wildfires, many of which grew to be very large at a rapid pace due to parched brush, especially in Northern California. [13]
A second wave of thunderstorms was forecasted to hit on August 23 and 24; however, they failed to materialize over the Bay Area, which has been most impacted by these fires, and instead just produced light rain and a few lightning strikes over the Sierra Nevada, barely having any impact. [17]
Many of the fires were started or discovered on August 16 or 17:
By August 20, the fire had caused extensive damage to the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The towns of Pescadero and La Honda were threatened by flames. [45]
The LNU Lighting Complex was a complex of 7 different fires in the Sonoma, Lake, and Napa counties, with 4 major ones being the Hennessey, Gamble, 15-10, and 13-4 Fires. It first sparked around 6:37 AM on August 17, when a lightning storm passed over the Lake Hennessey area. Another lightning strike occurred at 6:39, near the Aonair winery, starting a fire that was 5 acres large. [46] About 60 fires had sparked in the region during that time period, however, while some blazes were quickly contained at 1 or 2 acres, others rapidly went out of control. Around 9 AM, dry, gale-force winds between 20 and 40 miles per hour helped to fan the flames of two uncontrolled blazes, the Gamble Fire and the Hennessey Fire. This caused the Hennessey Fire to explode to 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) by 5 PM August 17, prompting several evacuations. [47] By the night of August 18, the LNU complex had burned a total of 32,025 acres (129.60 km2) so far with no containment. 3 structures were destroyed, and the two biggest fires, the Hennessey and the Gamble Fires, both expanded to 10,000 acres (40 km2). [48] On August 19, the fire raced fast towards Vacaville, and caused hundreds of evacuations. Many people fled the city with only their basic necessities, with police officers and firefighters going door to door warning people to evacuate. [49] By August 20, the LNU fire had burned 215,000 acres (870 km2) and destroyed 480 structures. It forced the evacuation of some personnel in the Travis Air Force Base and the city of Healdsburg, California, that had already evacuated previously during the Tubbs Fire and the Kincade Fire. [45]
The SCU Lightning Complex was a cluster of 20 different fires in the Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Alameda, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin counties, that was divided into 3 different zones - the Deer Zone, Calaveras Zone, and Canyon Zone. By August 18, the fires had expanded to over 35,000 acres (140 km2) with only 4 percent containment. [48] By August 20, the fire burned 140,000 acres (570 km2) and was 5% contained, evacuating people in the East San Jose foothills,[50] and threatening the Lick Observatory with flames. [45] On August 21, the SCU fire had exploded overnight by more than 40%, reaching a total of 230,000 acres (930 km2) and being 10% contained. [51]
The North Complex fire's Bear Fire had destroyed the town of Berry Creek. The SCU Lightning Complex fires have threatened the cities of Fremont, Milpitas, Patterson, and San Jose, and also threatened Lick Observatory. On September 9, 2020, the sky appeared orange across the Bay Area due to wildfire smoke.
|
Fire
| null | null |
Through cash grants, EU humanitarian aid has helped Galmo and her family cope with the infestation.
|
Galmo Kiyo Waariyo is a farmer living in Lafto village, Dubuluk woreda of Borena zone, in Ethiopia’s Oromia region. The 58-year-old mother is the sole breadwinner for her family of 8 children - 3 girls and 5 boys, with 3 of the children below the age of 5 – and a chronically ill family member. She witnessed the arrival of the desert locusts in her village. Through cash grants, EU humanitarian aid has helped Galmo and her family cope with the infestation. Story by Megos Desalegne and Eric Mazango, IOM. “When the desert locusts suddenly invaded, we were horrified,” she explains. “The rustling swarms were so enormous that the sky gradually darkened, and they were soon crawling everywhere.” The previous farming season had looked promising until desert locusts, which have been ravaging the greater part of East Africa since late 2019, descended on Lafto village. The locust infestation arrived almost unexpectedly in February 2020, attacking and extensively damaging large swathes of crop and pasture. For generations, families in Galmo’s village depended on seasonal rainfall for mixed farming and growing maize on small family plots, and keeping livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, and chicken. But this all changed when the locusts descended. “We tried many techniques to keep the locusts away,” Galmo continues. “We made noises by shouting at the top of our voices and by banging our utensils. We started fires to create thick smoke around the planted areas.” All of this in a desperate and vain attempt to drive away from the locusts. “They devoured all our crops, leaving almost nothing in the fields,” she says. “I lost everything. Only bare, parched soil remained of what was once a thriving and promising crop. Out of the blue, we were facing a failed season with no food to sustain us or pastureland for our livestock.” Galmo says her crops were damaged in just a matter of days. In February 2020, government authorities began control operations in the zone. However, despite their swift intervention, the sheer scale of crop destruction left communities such as those living in Lafto facing critical food shortages. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), desert locusts are the most destructive migratory pests in the world. They feed on nearly all plants in cropped areas, rangelands and forests. They fly rapidly across great distances. A single small swarm covering one square kilometre can eat in a single day the same amount of food as 35,000 people. For Ethiopia, the invasion was the worst in 25 years. Addressing food shortages Previous drought and the coronavirus pandemic had already diminished incomes and farmers were resorting to selling their livestock to raise money to buy food and even cutting back on meals. As food stocks deteriorated, most of the affected communities were surviving on whatever provisions could be bought at a market, exhausting their limited savings.
|
Insect Disaster
| null | null |
Richard Tingler on charges of armed bank robbery
|
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Richard Tingler, age 56, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, on charges of armed bank robbery and brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence. The sentence was imposed on April 6, 2021. The sentence plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD). According to his plea agreement, on January 23, 2019 and February 1, 2019, Richard Tingler and his co-defendant David Gollahon committed two-armed bank robberies in Baltimore, Maryland, with co-defendant Richard Adams serving as the getaway driver in each robbery. During each of the robberies, Tingler and Gollahon brandished firearms and threatened bank employees. Specifically, on January 23, 2019, Adams drove Tingler and Gollahon in a gray Hyundai Accent car that he had rented two weeks earlier, to a bank located in the 3600 block of Boston Street in Baltimore. Tingler carried a loaded black .45-caliber firearm and Gollahon carried a loaded black .380-caliber firearm and both men wore ski masks to disguise their identities. Tingler also carried a black leather duffel bag. After entering the bank, Tingler approached the victim teller, pointed his firearm at her and demanded $100 dollar bills and “loose bills” from the bottom drawer of the till. Meanwhile, Gollahon held the other bank employees and customers at gunpoint in the lobby area of the bank. He told the bank employees and customers, “don’t move.” Tingler took more than $7,000 in cash from the victim teller. Tingler and Gollahon then ran away, accidentally dropping more than $5,000 in cash as they ran through a parking lot. They got into the waiting gray Hyundai Accent car driven by Adams, and drove away. On February 1, 2019, Adams drove Tingler and Gollahon in a 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo, which was registered to Adams, to a bank located in the 2900 block of O’Donnell Street in Baltimore. Tingler and Gollahon each had the same firearm they had used in connection with the January 23, 2019 bank robbery, and their faces were covered. After entering the bank, Tingler and Gollahon approached the teller window. Tingler pointed his firearm at the teller and demanded $100 bills. The victim teller handed over cash from the till, but Tingler continued to demand more money. At the same time, Gollahon approached the teller line with his firearm pointed in the direction of the tellers and bank customers. In response to the demands for more cash, the victim teller and a co-worker went to the bank’s vault and removed more cash, which they provided to Tingler and Gollahon, along with a GPS tracker, which was activated. Tingler and Gollahon then fled the bank and got into the 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo driven by Adams, who was waiting for them. Adams drove the Monte Carlo away from the bank. Law enforcement received GPS information concerning the location of the GPS tracker taken from the bank, which they relayed to Baltimore Police Department (BPD). BPD officers stopped the vehicle. Adams, Tingler, and Gollahon were ordered out of the vehicle and arrested. At the time of his arrest, Gollahon had the same firearm he used during the robbery on his person. Law enforcement searched Adams’ car and recovered a blue backpack containing the cash taken during the robbery, the GPS tracker, and the firearm carried by Tingler during both bank robberies. Later that day, law enforcement searched Adams’ residence in Essex, Maryland and seized Gollahon’s gray hooded sweatshirt and the black leather duffel bag carried by Tingler during the January 23, 2019 robbery. Tingler was detained pending trial. During the period of his pre-trial detention, Tingler was heard on lawfully recorded jail calls stating that he “robbed a bank” and that it “didn’t work out.” On a separate call, Tingler admitted that the cash taken from the bank “had a GPS in it.” On another call, Tingler described in more detail the banks he robbed, stating that he robbed two banks in Canton, and that he wouldn’t have gotten caught if he hadn’t taken a GPS tracker. Co-defendants David Gollahon, age 59, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Richard Adams, age 60, of Essex, Maryland, were sentenced to 13 years in federal prison and 90 months in federal prison, respectively. Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI, the BPD, and the BCPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Riley and Daniel Loveland, Jr., who prosecuted the case.
|
Bank Robbery
| null | null |
2018 Philippines Piper PA-23 crash
|
On 17 March 2018, a Piper PA-23 Apache crashed into a residential area in Plaridel, Bulacan, Philippines, killing all five passengers on board and five others on the ground. [1][2]
The aircraft involved was a six-seater Piper PA-23 light aircraft operated by Lite Air Express, with tail number RP-C299. [3]
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the aircraft bound for Laoag, Ilocos Norte crashed upon takeoff from Plaridel Airport at 11:21, local time (UTC+8). Shortly before the crash, eyewitnesses on the ground observed the aircraft flying low, hitting a tree and an electric post, before slamming into the house. [4]
Authorities said the plane carried five people. [1] The five other casualties, which included three minors, belonged to a family living in the house the plane crashed into. [5][6] In addition, two other people were injured by burning debris. [3][7]
CAAP's accident investigators and a team from Flight Safety & Inspectorate Service (FSIS) were immediately dispatched to the crash site. [7]
CAAP said that all aircraft operated by Lite Air Express are grounded pending results of investigation. [8]
|
Air crash
| null | null |
2003 Santa Fe flood
|
This article is about the flooding of Santa Fe, capital of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, in April 2003. Santa Fe is the fifth most populated city in Argentina (~370,000 inhabitants), and it is surrounded by rivers. The flooding was described as the worst since the city was founded in 1573. [1]
At the end of April 2003, several days of heavy rainfall caused some major rivers in the Santa Fe area to rise as much as 50 cm in 12 hours. The water level of the Salado River (which flows through the north of the province and empties into the Paraná) rose by almost two metres in just three hours. On 28 April, the Salado overflowed its margins and flooded large sections of Santa Fe. [2] About 100,000 people had to be evacuated, 154 people died, and 28,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. A dyke had to be blown up in order for ease the flow of the floodwaters out of the city. In this key area for the agricultural and ranching industries, over 30,000 km2 of farmland were destroyed. The flood hit the capital hardest, but many other communities were also affected. The flood was unusual because it is generally the east side of Santa Fe, beside the Paraná, which is affected by floodings. Salado River floodings are less usual. [citation needed]
Soon after the initial flooding, President Eduardo Duhalde declared the province a "disaster zone" and announced a $2 million emergency aid package. The World Bank later offered an additional $110 million. The Red Cross launched an emergency appeal in response to the flooding on 6 May. According to a UN assessment requested by the provincial governor Carlos Reutemann, the total damages were about $1,000 million, and implied the loss of about 12% of Santa Fe's GDP. The rains continued into the next days, exacerbating the catastrophe. As of 8 May, a quarter of Santa Fe remained under water. Precarious evacuation centres appeared in the capital and nearby towns to accommodate the evacuees. The provincial government was heavily criticized for ignoring warnings about the possibility of a sudden rise of the Salado River, and for ignoring appeals to build the necessary preventive infrastructure to contain or divert floods. The official treatment of the people who lost their homes, possessions and jobs was also questioned; food relief and promised subsidies for reconstruction were insufficient. Governor Reutemann saw the end of his term in office marked by these problems. The critical situation of Argentina at the time (recovering from a major economic crisis) did not help. On 30 January 2004, nine months after the flood and under the administration of Jorge Obeid, a demonstration asking for government assistance to those affected by the flood ended with the burning of the government house's facade and several offices destroyed.
|
Floods
| null | null |
The United States and the Republic of Korea yesterday, April 1, successfully concluded a free trade agreement
|
The United States and the Republic of Korea yesterday, April 1, successfully concluded a free trade agreement that will create economic opportunities for their people and enhance their economic and strategic partnership.
“This is a historic moment for our two countries. The United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) will provide U.S. farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and service providers exciting new market opportunities in a growing, dynamic country. It will contribute to Korea’s successful transformation to a 21st century economic power," said U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab. "The completion of this landmark agreement is testimony to the industriousness, creativity and determination of our two peoples. It demonstrates that two countries with large, complex economies and robust public involvement in policy debates can work through great challenges to build stronger trade and investment ties." The KORUS-FTA represents the United States’ most commercially significant FTA in over a decade. The Republic of Korea is the world’s tenth largest economy, with a GDP of nearly $1 trillion. Korea is already the United States
Agriculture
Historically, Korea has been one of the most protected agricultural markets in the world. The KORUS FTA will create highly valuable new export opportunities for American farmers and ranchers by eliminating and phasing out tariffs and quotas on a broad range of products. Under the agreement, over $1 billion worth of U.S. farm exports to Korea will become duty-free immediately. Most remaining tariffs and quotas will be phased out over the first ten years the agreement is in force.
Industrial Goods and Consumer Products
Nearly 95% of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products becomes duty-free within three years of entry into force of the Agreement, with most remaining tariffs eliminated within 10 years.
The KORUS FTA will eliminate discrimination in engine displacement-based taxes, long a significant impediment to market access in Korea. The agreement contains strong commitments to addresses the specific standards-related concerns raised by U.S. auto manufacturers and to create a working group to review auto-related regulations being developed as an early warning mechanism to prevent new problems from arising and to promote good regulatory practice in Korea. The agreement also contains a special enhanced dispute settlement mechanism for auto-related measures, with strong remedies to deter actions on autos that are inconsistent with the agreement. Textiles
With the inclusion of the “yarn forward” rule of origin, the KORUS FTA will give apparel products from Korea preferential access to the U.S. market while supporting U.S. fabric and yarn exports and jobs. Textile and apparel makers in both countries will benefit from a special textile safeguard and strong customs enforcement requirements.
The agreement ensures that U.S. investors in Korea will have the same rights and enjoy equal footing with Korean investors. These rights will be backed by a stable, transparent legal framework.
The agreement will expand market access and investment opportunities in a number of service sectors, including telecommunications and e-commerce. The agreement will also expand market opportunities for U.S. audio-visual products.
Intellectual Property Rights Protections
The agreement provides high-level standards for protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, including trademarks, copyrights and patents, consistent with U.S. standards.
Labor Rights and Environmental Stewardship
The agreement requires both countries to enforce their own labor and environmental laws, ensures access to legal mechanisms to ensure enforcement, and establishes mechanisms to enhance cooperation in efforts to safeguard labor rights and environmental protections.
|
Sign Agreement
| null | null |
Accused bank robber to face court
|
They allege the 45 year old entered the Suncorp bank at Coolangatta just before midday (AEST) and threatened staff, before leaving with cash. The Elanora man ran down the road and through a nearby arcade where a member of the public grabbed him and held on to him until police arrived. The accused man has been charged with armed robbery and is due to face the Southport Magistrates Court today. Meanwhile in a separate matter, police are continuing investigations into an attempted armed robbery on the Gold Coast last night. A man armed with a knife entered a convenience store at Chevron Island about 11:30pm and demanded money. The attendant challenged him and the man ran from the store empty-handed. He escaped in a dark blue sedan. Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.
|
Bank Robbery
| null | null |
As Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Akkineni call it quits, we take a look at other high-profile Bollywood divorces
|
As Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Akkineni call it quits, we take a look at other high-profile Bollywood divorces
From Hrithik's split to Karisma Kapoor’s divorce, here’s a spectrum of failed marriages
Published: October 04, 2021 20:54
Nilanjana G. Javed, Senior Web Editor
1 of 12
CELEBRITY AFFAIR: Let’s face it, we all love gossip, especially when it’s a celebrity affair. The most recent to come out of India’s shores is news of Bollywood actor Naga Chaitanya and his wife of 4 years, Samantha Ruth Prabu, calling it quits. But they are far from the first couple to split up; and they certainly won’t be the last. Here’s a look at other starry break-ups: Image Credit: Insta/@akkineni.nagachaitanya
2 of 12
SPECIAL BOND: The duo, who were married for more than four years, issued a statement about their estrangement yesterday. They wrote on their Insta handles: “We are fortunate to have a friendship of over a decade that was the very core of our relationship which we believe will always hold a special bond between us.” The couple, known as ChaySam, dated for almost seven years before getting hitched in 2017 in a south Indian wedding ceremony that was followed by a Christian one. Chaitanya and Ruth Prabu started dating in 2010 after meeting on the sets of the movie ‘Ye Maaya Chesave’. Thereafter they worked in several films together including ‘Autonagar Surya’ (2014) and ‘Manam’ (2014). Image Credit:
3 of 12
NOT A BLIND ITEM: The person who seemed most agitated after this announcement was surprisingly not a fan; it was Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut. She claimed it was another Bollywood star, a “divorce expert” who had caused the rift. Ranaut wrote: “Whenever divorce happens, fault is always of the man. I may sound orthodox or too judgmental but this is how God has made man and woman, their nature and dynamics. Primitively, scientifically, he is a hunter and she is a nurturer. Stop being kind to these brats who change women like clothes and then claim to be their best friends. Yes out of hundreds, yes one woman can be wrong but that’s the ratio. Shame on these brats who get encouragement from the media and fans. They hail them and judge the woman. Divorce culture is growing like never before.” “This South actor who suddenly divorced his wife was married for 4 years and in a relationship with her for more than a decade recently came in contact with a Bollywood superstar who is also known as Bollywood divorce expert, has ruined many women and children’s lives, is now his guiding light and agony aunt. So, it all went smoothly. This is not a blind item. We all know who I am talking about,” she added in a post hours after the disclosure. Image Credit:
4 of 12
FANS STUNNED: Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and wife Kiran Rao have stunned fans after they announced their divorce after 15 years of marriage. In a joint statement, the couple said they would continue to co-parent their nine-year-old son Azad, but had come to the decision to split after a trial separation. Rao, who is a filmmaker in her own right, crossed paths with Khan when they worked together on ‘Lagaan’ 20 years ago. At the time, Khan was married to his first wife, Reena Dutta, with whom he shares two children. Image Credit: Insta/_kiranraokhan
5 of 12
POWER COUPLE NO MORE: Arjun Rampal and Mehr Jessia were a power couple in the fashion fraternity even if their relationship was often fraught with rumours of infidelity. The couple still held on, lasting 20 years before finally walked away from each other in 2018. At the time, they issued a statement saying: “After a 20-year-long beautiful journey filled with love and beautiful memories, we would like to share, that all journeys have different paths. We feel that it is time for us to move on to different destinations henceforth.” Rampal has since moved on and welcomed a son with model Gabriella Demetriades in July, 2019. Image Credit: Supplied
6 of 12
FRIENDS, BUT NO LONGER SWEETHEARTS: They remain friends even today but when sweethearts Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan decided to divorce in 2014, fans were stumped. There was talk of cheating but the couple kept mum the whole time, never revealing the reason for their split. Years on, they remain close and co-parent their children. Image Credit: Insta/suzkr
7 of 12
COURT INTERVENES IN FIGHT OVER CUSTODY, MONEY: Some would call it a rebound relationship with little chance of success, but for Karisma Kapoor it seemed like a shot at a happy marriage. After a broken engagement with Abhishek Bachchan, Kapoor married Delhi-based businessman Sunjay Kapur in 2003 — and things seemed alright for a while. However, first there was talk about fights over where to live, Delhi or Mumbai, and later, when they decided to split up in 2015, the divorce took an ugly turn with a fight over custody and money with Kapoor even alleging that Sunjay and his family had harassed her for dowry. Finally, the Supreme Court intervened and the duo walked away from one another in June 2016 with their divorce papers in hand. Image Credit: AP
8 of 12
MARITAL BLISS TRUNCATED: Brilliant Bollywood minds Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin collided to have one of the shortest weddings in Bollywood history. Married in 2011, the couple decided to separate in 2013 and issued a joint statement. Kalki is currently with Guy Hershberg and also shares a daughter with him. Image Credit: IANS
9 of 12
SHARED CUSTODY OF DAUGHTER: When celebrity couple Farhan Akhtar and Adhuna Bhabani separated in 2016, many of their family and friends were reportedly taken aback. They’ve stayed civil to one another through the process and share custody of their two daughters. They’ve also both moved on; Akhtar is dating Shibani Dandekar and Bhabani is seeing Nicolo Morea, actor Dino Morea’s brother. Image Credit: Supplied
10 of 12
FRACTURED RELATIONSHIP ENDS: The age gap between Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh — she is 13 years older than him — brought with it enough speculation to rip through the most solid of foundations. And when they ended things, it was a bitter split. Khan ended up paying a colossal amount in alimony, according to some reports. Meanwhile, others claim that he never provided Singh with monetary assistance to raise their two children — actress Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan. Who knows what the truth is, but the families have now mended their fractured relationship. Image Credit: GULFNEWS ARCHIVE
11 of 12
CALLING IT QUITS: Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora were a well-known power couple but after a 17-year marriage, they chose to call it quits. The duo are now in happy relationships with other people; Arora is dating actor Arjun Kapoor while Khan is dating model Giorgia Andriani. Image Credit: Supplied
12 of 12
THIRD-TIME LUCKY: Third time appears to be the charm for actor Sanjay Dutt who has gone through two divorces; the first with Richa Sharma, and the second with Rhea Pillai. Dutt is now with Manyata Dutt and proud parents to twins. Dutt was given a UAE Golden Visa last month. Image Credit: instagram.com/duttsanjay
|
Famous Person - Divorce
| null | null |
3 injured after explosion, collapse at Laytonsville landscape business
|
A Laytonsville, Md. business was significantly damaged by a gas explosion early Tuesday. (Courtesy MCFRS/Jason Blake)
Courtesy MCFRS/Jason Blake
A Laytonsville, Md. business was significantly damaged by a gas explosion early Tuesday. (Courtesy MCFRS/Jason Blake)
Courtesy MCFRS/Jason Blake
A Laytonsville, Md. business was significantly damaged by a gas explosion early Tuesday. (WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
A Laytonsville, Md. business was significantly damaged by a gas explosion early Tuesday. (WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter. Share via email. Print.
A propane explosion tore through a Laytonsville, Maryland, business early Tuesday morning, trapping one person beneath debris and injuring two others.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue crews were called to Ruppert Landscape , at 23601 Laytonsville Rd., around 7:45 a.m. after multiple reports of a blast at one of the company’s administrative buildings.
One person was rescued from within the collapsed building and evacuated by medical helicopter with life-threatening injuries, Fire Chief Scott Goldstein told WTOP. Two people outside the building were also caught in the blast; one was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, while the other declined further treatment.
Goldstein said the historic house uses a propane tank as its fuel source, and an occupant had reported a gas leak to a utility company in the hours before the explosion. Officials were still working to determine what caused it to detonate.
“We are so grateful that no lives were lost today, and we are praying for the recovery of those injured,” Ruppert Landscape CEO Craig Ruppert said in a statement.
“Keeping our team safe is always first and foremost in our mind, but an incident like this is just something you never think will happen. We are just incredibly grateful for the quick response of so many here today, and we ask that you keep our team in your thoughts and prayers.”
Images posted to social media showed a partial collapse with most of the surviving structure’s windows blown out:
Laytonsville-MCFRS crews arrived to find a house that had collapsed after an explosion. Two victims treated and transported. Still a working incident. @mcfrsPIO @MCFRSNews pic.twitter.com/Rq88z5lCAl
— Jason Blake (@mcfrsPIO7) September 7, 2021
The Victorian-style building, located in a rural part of Laytonsville southeast of Davis Airport, is listed on Montgomery County’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation as part of the Jacob Allnutt Farm dating back to the 19th century.
“It is extraordinarily unstable,” Goldstein said. “It’ll very likely need to be demolished based upon the damage that it has sustained.”
Some crews remained on scene Tuesday monitoring for any fires among the rubble.
The WTOP Traffic Center reports Md. Route 108/Laytonsville Road reopened to traffic around 10 a.m. after an earlier closure between Hipsley Mill Road and Griffith Road. Drivers should remain alert for police and fire activity.
|
Gas explosion
| null | null |
China is working on a relay satellite to support lunar polar missions
|
China is developing a new lunar relay satellite to support future exploration missions to the south pole of the moon. The country is planning to send the Chang’e-7 spacecraft to the lunar south pole around 2024. Objectives include survey the region and seek evidence of water ice using an orbiter, lander, rover and a small hopping probe to investigate shadowed craters. The mission is one of the first for an initial phase of a proposed joint International Lunar Research Station with Russia and potentially other partners. A dedicated relay satellite is now being developed to facilitate a link between multiple surface spacecraft at the lunar south pole—the location of which poses line-of-sight issues for communications—and Earth, according to a paper published in Space: Science & Technology. China currently has a lunar relay satellite stationed in orbit around the second Earth-moon Lagrange point at around 65,000 kilometers beyond the moon. Launched in May 2018, the Queqiao satellite serves a communications relay role that allows the Chang’e-4 lander and rover mission to operate on the far side of the moon. The new Chinese lunar relay satellite will inherit a similar, large 4.2-meter-diameter parabolic antenna and the hydrazine propulsion used by Queqiao. It will however have a wet mass of 600 kilograms and thus be more massive than the roughly 450-kilogram wet mass Queqiao. The satellite is designed for a nominal 8-year mission lifetime. The new satellite will operate in an inclined highly elliptical frozen orbit. It will have a perilune of 300 kilometers and apolune of 8,600 kilometers and an inclination of 54.8 degrees. This will allow communication links for over 8 hours of the roughly 12-hour period orbit. The relay satellite could launch on a dedicated launcher or as part of the Chang’e-7 stack, according to the paper authored by Zhang Lihua at DFH Satellite Co., Ltd., a satellite-developing arm of the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). A second relay satellite could be developed if 100 percent coverage is required. China is planning to follow Chang’e-7 with the Chang’e-8 technology demonstration mission to the lunar south pole later in the 2020s, which is to include in-situ resource utilization and 3D-printing technology tests. The Chang’e-6 lunar sample return is also expected to target the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a vast impact basin extending from Aitken crater at 18 degrees south down to the lunar South Pole, around 2024. In the long term the paper proposes a future Chinese lunar communication infrastructure in order to cope with an expected increased spacecraft and the needs of human lunar exploration. For this the creation of a lunar information network including orbiting and surface elements is proposed, which will also incorporate navigational data. Use of new optical communication technologies for extremely high data rates is also proposed. Beyond this a “solar system internet, operating like terrestrial internet, to provide network layer services to users” should be developed. It also suggests the system should be an “open, interoperable architecture” in order to “enable any number of national, international, and commercial service providers to offer services.” China is not the only space actor looking at lunar communications. NASA is in the early phases of a concept called LunaNet that would place a network of satellites around the moon to support the Artemis program and other lunar missions. ESA also recently awarded study contracts for lunar communications and navigation systems for its Moonlight initiative. Chang’e-7 will also not be the only mission to include a “hopper”. The mini spacecraft will seek to investigate shadowed craters, using a payload named the Water Molecule and Hydrogen Isotope Analyzer. Last week NASA elected to fund a mini extreme mobility lunar vehicle, Micro-Nova, to be developed in partnership between Arizona State University and Intuitive Machines. The hopping spacecraft will likewise seek to explore permanently shaded regions, launching with the second Nova-C lander to the lunar south pole in December 2022.
|
New achievements in aerospace
| null | null |
Gas Explosion Destroys Residential Building in Russia, 3 Dead
|
International and Arab News Three people died, including an 11-year-old girl, after a gas explosion caused a two-story apartment building to partially collapse in a Russian village early on Saturday, head of the Lipetsk region Igor Artamonov said.
Video footage showed major structural damage to the building in Solidarnost, a village 400 km south of Moscow, and rescue workers on the scene, attempting to clear the rubble.
Six other people were injured, the TASS news agency reported, citing Vasily Razmunov, head of the local ministry.
The regional branch of Russia's Investigative Committee said a gas explosion in the central part of the building had caused it to collapse.
Investigators said they had opened a criminal case on the grounds that services provided had not met safety requirements.
Gas explosions are relatively common in Russia because of ageing infrastructure and poor safety regulations surrounding gas use. Two people died earlier this week after a blast at a nine-story block of flats.
|
Gas explosion
| null | null |
Hawaii has prime view for celestial combo
|
The first total lunar eclipse in more than two years coincides with a supermoon this week for a cosmic show. This super “blood” moon will be visible Wednesday across the Pacific. A blue moon turns red during a phase in a lunar eclipse in Honolulu. The first total lunar eclipse in more than two years coincides with a supermoon this week for quite a cosmic show. This super “blood” moon will be visible early Wednesday across the Pacific — offering the best viewing — as well as the western half of North America, bottom of South America and eastern Asia. Better look quick: The total eclipse will last about 15 minutes as Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun. But the entire show will last five hours, as Earth’s shadow gradually covers the moon, then starts to ebb. The reddish-orange color is the result of all the sunrises and sunsets in Earth’s atmosphere projected onto the surface of the eclipsed moon. “Hawaii has the best seat in the house, and then short of that will be California and the Pacific Northwest,” said NASA’s Noah Petro, project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. New Zealand and Australia also will have prime viewing. With the entire event taking about five hours, the eclipse will begin tonight at 10:47 p.m. Hawaii time and climax with the full moon turning completely red at 1:18 a.m. Wednesday. Circling the moon for 12 years, the orbiter will measure temperature changes on the lunar surface during the eclipse. Telescopes atop Hawaii’s Mauna Kea also will monitor the moon, Petro said. The moon will be setting and the sun rising along the U.S. East Coast, leaving sky-gazers — Petro in Virginia included — pretty much out of luck. Europe, Africa and western Asia will miss everything. There will be livestreams available. Everyone everywhere, though, can still soak in the brighter-than-usual moon, weather permitting. The moon will be more than 220,000 miles away at its fullest. It’s this proximity, combined with a full moon, that qualifies it as a supermoon, making it appear slightly bigger and more brilliant in the sky.
|
New wonders in nature
| null | null |
Entire Family Dies of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning After Hurricane Ida Takes Out Power
|
A family of three has died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Louisiana due to the use of a poorly ventilated emergency generator they set up after their power went out during Hurricane Ida.
Ida made landfall in the U.S. at Port Fourchon in Louisiana at around noon CT (1:00 p.m. ET) on Sunday with powerful 150 mph winds, causing more than 1 million people to be without power in the region.
In response to the lack of power amid the remnants of the storm still circulating in the area, residents in Louisiana have used emergency generators to provide electricity to their homes and businesses, which are fueled by diesel, gasoline or natural gas.
On Thursday, Jefferson Parish Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich said that a family of three died from carbon monoxide poisoning after they set up a generator outside of their house when they were left without power.
Cvitanovich identified the victims as Demetrice Johnson, 54, Dasjonay Curly, 23, and Craig Curly, 17, and confirmed that the generator was new, with its box still inside of the house.
Speaking to NOLA.com on Thursday evening, Jefferson Parish Council member Byron Lee paid tribute to Demetrice Johnson saying: "She was one of the most wonderful persons that you would want to meet," and adding: "She glowed like the sun shine. Absolutely wonderful person."
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng mentioned the deaths at the beginning of her briefing about Storm Ida on Thursday evening, telling reporters that "the dangers after the storm as just as serious as during the storm," before confirming the three fatalities were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to NBC affiliate WDSU6, the Jefferson Parish Fire Department said that it was getting around five calls about carbon monoxide poisoning in the area every hour, while Sheng confirmed on Thursday that fire crews had to respond to several houses due to the calls.
Although the deaths of the family of three have been the only ones reported from carbon monoxide poisoning in Jefferson Parish, Nola.com found that one man was found dead after using an improperly ventilated generator in New Orleans on Monday, while at least 21 have been hospitalized in the city due to the poisoning.
The storm has caused devastation across the U.S., as a bridge in Lucedale, Mississippi collapsed earlier in the week resulting in the death of two people, and several states have been flooded as Ida made its way north on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Ida, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression, continued to cause devastation as it made its way north this week, as at least 45 people have been confirmed dead due to the effects of the storm in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, according to BBC News.
The fatalities included a man, 22, and woman, 45, who were found dead in the basement of their home in Jamaica, Queens, on Wednesday evening after being trapped during the flooding as Storm Ida hit New York City.
|
Mass Poisoning
| null | null |
12 Of The Most Casual, Low-Key Celebrity Wedding Dresses Of All Time
|
Contrary to every Hollywood film ever, getting married doesn't have to involve a pastry puff-inspired wedding dress, elaborate hair and makeup and a cringe-worthy posed photos. In fact, often its the good people of Hollywood (AKA the movie stars we've grown to know and love) who shirk elaborate nuptials in favour of something more low-key. Why? It's likely they're so accustomed to the glamour of the red carpet that simply donning a mini dress or pantsuit on their wedding day feels like a welcome vacation. From courthouse ceremonies to glorified cocktail parties, stars have perfected the art of the low-key wedding, with the attire to match. Keep reading to see our favourite casual, non-wedding celebrity wedding dresses. Brigitte Bardot: The French film icon married Jacques Charrier in 1959 wearing a checked cotton sundress. Lauren Bacall: When marrying Humphrey Bogart at a farmhouse in Ohio in 1945, Bacall wore a beige skirt-suit with leather belt. Raquel Welch: For her 1967 wedding to second husband Richard Curtis, Welch wore a white crocheted mini dress and accessorised with a voluminous beehive hairdo. Mia Farrow: When Farrow married Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas in 1966, it was while wearing a pink faille sheath dress with a matching jacket boasting rhinestone buttons. Bianca Jagger: For her 1971 wedding to Mick Jagger in St Tropez, Bianca kickstarted the pantsuit-as-wedding-dress trend by wearing an eternally chic ivory set with a wide-brimmed hat and espadrilles. Amal Clooney: For her courthouse marriage to George Clooney, Amal channelled Bianca Jagger and donned an effortlessly chic Stella McCartney outfit with matching hat. Keira Knightley: The actress married musician James Righton in a town hall in France wearing this Chanel tulle dress, which she has since re-worn on the red carpet on several occasions. Julianne Moore: The actress wore a lilac Prada slip dress when marrying husband Bart Freundlich in 2003. Sophie Turner: When Turner married Joe Jonas in a surprise Las Vegas ceremony overseen by an Elvis impersonator, she did so in a white satin jumpsuit from Ukrainian label Bevza. Emily Ratajkowski: Who could forget when the model married her boyfriend of only a few months, Sebastian Bear-McClard, in a courthouse ceremony while wearing a mustard-toned Zara suit? Cindy Crawford: For her beach ceremony with husband Rande Gerber in 1998, the supermodel wore a simple mini slip dress. Yoko Ono: When Yoko Ono tied the knot with John Lennon in a bureaucratic office in Gibraltar, Spain, she wore a casual mini dress, white sun hat and knee-high socks.
|
Famous Person - Marriage
| null | null |
May 2014 San Diego County wildfires
|
The May 2014 San Diego County wildfires were a swarm of 20 wildfires that erupted during May 2014, in San Diego County, California, during severe Santa Ana Wind conditions, historic drought conditions, and a heat wave. The main event during mid-May was preceded by a precursor fire that ignited on May 5. The Bernardo Fire has been declared accidental, and officials believe the Cocos Fire was intentionally set. The causes of the other fires are still under investigation by multiple agencies, and a joint task force was formed to coordinate the investigations and facilitate communications. [4] Six injuries and one fire-related fatality were reported. [3]
At least eight major (named) fires were burning simultaneously at the height of the event, as well as several unnamed small brush fires. [5] Smoke from the fires also prompted health advisories in parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties. [6]
On May 14, the County of San Diego declared a local emergency. [7] Later that evening, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for the county and affected areas. [8]
Multiple school districts, California State University at San Marcos, MiraCosta College, and Palomar College were forced to cancel classes and close schools for one or more days; CSUSM and Palomar also postponed or cancelled commencement exercises due to the fires. All evacuation orders were lifted by May 18, and all schools resumed classes on May 19. The Cocos Fire was the last of the May 2014 wildfires to be extinguished, with full containment on May 22. [9] By the time the last of the fires was extinguished, approximately 26,001 acres (105 km2) of land had burned and an estimated 65 structures had been destroyed. [2][10] Damage estimates were still being compiled as of late May 2014, but the County estimated that the fires cost close to $60 million (2014 USD), including $29.8 million in destruction or damage to private property, and $27.9 million in the costs of firefighting, support, and environmental damage. [11]
The May outbreak of fires occurred during a period of offshore flow throughout Southern California that meteorologist deemed highly unusual for the month of May. [2] Beginning on May 11, the situation turned critical and red flag warnings went were issued across the region. By May 14, with the warnings still in effect, daytime temperatures were hovering around 100 °F (38 °C), with humidity below 10%. [2]
On May 17, the Santa Ana Winds subsided and temperatures started to drop. On May 18, weather conditions had returned to seasonal norms, with lower temperatures around 80 °F (27 °C) and higher humidity. [2]
The Jacumba Fire was a precursor wildfire, which the preceded the main outbreak of wildfires that occurred a week later. At 4:36 PM PDT on May 5, the Jacumba Fire was reported off Interstate 8, east of McCain Valley Road. The fire expanded to a maximum of 29 acres (12 ha), before it was fully contained at 10:20 AM PDT on May 20. [12]
The Bernardo Fire in 4S Ranch, near Rancho Bernardo, started on May 13, at 10:00 AM PDT, just south of Del Norte High School, in a construction trench off Nighthawk Lane. The fire burned 1,548 acres (6 km2), before it was ultimately brought under control on May 17. [24] The cause of the fire was ruled to be accidental; authorities said that it started in a small trench being dug by a construction crew, with sparks from a backhoe trencher setting off the fire, which spread rapidly through the dry brush at the site. [25]
The Tomahawk Fire was the second largest wildfire during the outbreak behind the Pulgas Fire. The fire, which started May 14 around 9:45 AM, on the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment Fallbrook (also known as Fallbrook Naval Weapons Station), scorched 5,367 acres (21.72 km2). [26] The Fallbrook Naval Weapons Station is on the eastern side of, and provides an entry point to, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and is adjacent to the community of Fallbrook. The Poinsettia Fire was the second most destructive of the San Diego County wildfires. [27] It caused property damage estimated at $22.5 million,[28] as well as the only reported fatality in the San Diego County series of wildfires. As of July 10, 2014, the cause of the fire is listed as "undetermined", which allows for further investigation if more information comes to light. [29]
The Highway Fire near Bonsall and Fallbrook, started at 1 PM on May 14, near Interstate 15 and California State Route 76. Several schools and about 600 residents were evacuated. By 6 PM PDT on May 15, the fire was 100% contained, after reaching a size of 441 acres (178 ha). [30] Authorities reported around $1.1 million in damage and a total area of 441 acres (178 ha).
The River Fire broke out at 1:30 PM on May 14, in Oceanside, starting in the San Luis Rey River riverbed. Homes and an elementary school in the area were evacuated. [33] The Oceanside Unified School District said that all schools would be closed on May 15. [34] On May 16, it was reported that the River Fire was 100% contained, after it had burned 105 acres (42 ha) of land, confined to the river bed. A man was arrested on May 15 and charged with arson, after witnesses saw him adding brush to the flames, but authorities do not believe he actually started the fire. [35]
The Cocos Fire, previously known as the Twin Oaks Fire,[36] was a wildfire that ignited on May 14 in San Marcos, in the hills south of California State University, San Marcos. [8] The Cocos Fire quickly spread into western Escondido. The fire destroyed more than 40 buildings, including a dozen single-family homes. [37] Property damage from the fire is estimated at more than $5.7 million. Three minor injuries were reported. [38] The Cocos Fire was finally extinguished on May 22, 2014. [9]
Another wildfire, the Freeway Fire also started at the Naval Weapons Station area of Camp Pendleton. It was first reported at 5:43 PM on May 14. On May 16, the fire was 100% contained, after it had burned 56 acres (23 ha). [2][19]
On May 14, at about 5:20 PM PDT, the Aurora Fire broke out near Interstate 8-Business and Aurora Drive, in Lakeside, prompting evacuation orders for the area around the fire.
|
Fire
| null | null |
Dahlerau train disaster
|
The Dahlerau train disaster was a railway accident that occurred on May 27, 1971, in Dahlerau, a small town in Radevormwald, West Germany, in which a freight train and a passenger train collided head-on. Forty-six people perished in the accident; forty-one were senior year pupils of the Geschwister-Scholl-Schule in Radevormwald. [1] It was the deadliest accident in West Germany since its foundation in 1949, surpassed after German reunification by the Eschede train disaster in 1998. On the evening of May 27, 1971, shortly after 21:00, a train made up of two class VT 95 railbuses of the Deutsche Bundesbahn was running as special service Eto 42227 (units 795 375 + 995 325) on the single-track line between Wuppertal-Oberbarmen and Radevormwald, the Wupper Valley Railway [de]. The train was filled with senior year pupils of a Radevormwald middle school, their teachers and accompanying railway staff, on the return journey from a class trip to Bremen. The service was about 30 minutes delayed by the time it left the previous station at Wuppertal-Beyenburg. A regular local freight train, Ng 16856 (pulled by 212 030, a DB Class V 100 engine) was approaching Dahlerau station in the opposite direction at this time, so the signalmen at Dahlerau and Beyenburg agreed that the freight should stop at Dahlerau station to let the delayed special pass. In normal operation, the freight train would not stop at Dahlerau. Dahlerau station was equipped with entrance signals, which could show aspects Hp 0 (stop) or Hp 1 (proceed); but it lacked exit signals to control departing trains. In place of exit signals, 'stop' boards were provided at the end of the platform. In absence of any other signal, all trains were obliged to stop at the board to await instructions; the signalman, however, could show a green hand lamp to an approaching train, which allowed its crew to ignore the stop board. This is what would normally have happened to the freight train. The freight train passed the entrance signal as normal and proceeded slowly into the station, expecting the signalman's instructions. Although not strictly necessary according to the rules, the signalman declared that he showed a red hand lamp to the approaching freight train to make absolutely sure it would stop (according to the rules, the 'stop' board was enough to halt the train). It is unclear what happened next, but the train failed to stop as it was meant to, and departed toward Wuppertal. The driver later claimed that the signalman had displayed a green hand lamp, the signal to pass the 'stop' board. The train trailed the points already set for the passenger train; the points' seal, which ruptures in such an event, was later found to be missing. About 800 metres (2,600 ft) north of the station, on a curve, both trains collided. The motor coach of the two-car special train was compacted to one third of its length and pushed backwards 100 metres (330 ft) by the freight locomotive, which was five times as heavy and 20 centimetres (7.9 in) higher than the railbus. The signalman at Dahlerau tried to stop the departing freight train by running alongside it and giving emergency signals, but failed to get the driver's attention. He then immediately telephoned the signalman at Beyenburg to try and stop the passenger train, but it had already left. Neither of the stations nor the trains were equipped with radio, and there were no further signals in between the trains. The signalmen were powerless to stop the trains. Faced with a now-inevitable crash, the Dahlerau signalman phoned the emergency services and told them what was about to happen. Ambulances, firefighters and police were promptly sent from Radevormwald, Wuppertal and Solingen. The rescue effort was hindered by the inaccessibility of the accident site on a hillside and by parents who had waited for the train at Radevormwald station and had now come to search for their children, as well as onlookers who were attracted by the rescue effort. Thanks to quick rescue and medical treatment, 25 people survived despite severe injuries, but 41 pupils, two teachers, a mother and two railway staff died. A single pupil was the only person to escape uninjured. A crisis squad was established at the Radevormwald town hall. Due to the high body count, the dead were laid out in the Bredderstraße gymnasium. Some of the funeral homes that were asked to supply coffins at night time first thought they were receiving prank calls due to the supposed improbability of such a severe accident. The legal proceedings investigating the cause of the accident carried on for a year. The exact sequence of events was never determined, as the Dahlerau signalman died in a car accident shortly after the train crash. It was proven that the car accident was not caused by the signalman, ruling out suicide. The driver of the freight train, who survived the accident, testified in court that he saw a green light from the signalman's hand lamp, signalling him to pass through the station without stopping. The true cause of the accident was never fully clarified. It is generally accepted that the likely cause was some form of human error. As the dispatcher died during the hearings, the case never went to court. As a consequence of the incident, the Deutsche Bundesbahn removed the coloured lens from the hand lamps, which could previously be switched between showing a green and a red light, to avoid the risk of confusion. The rules were changed so that a train which was to make an unscheduled stop at a station without exit signals had to be stopped at the entry signal before it being allowed into the station. The accident also provoked criticism of the lightweight construction of the railbus, which dated back to the 1950s. Their replacements, the DB Class 628 railcars that were built from the mid-1970s on, were constructed considerably more sturdily. After the investigation ended, the damaged railbus was dismantled on September 1, 1971. The engine of the freight train, which did not suffer major damage, was rebuilt and continued in service until 2001. [2]
Radevormwald was a small town with a population of about 20,000, and the effects of the accident were devastating on its population. An entire year of pupils was wiped out, and virtually everyone was affected directly or indirectly. Most of the dead teenage pupils were laid to rest in a separate grave on the Radevormwald cemetery. The funeral took place on June 2, 1971, a remarkably hot day, and was attended by about 10,000 people, among them Chancellor Willy Brandt, the Minister of Transport and the president of the Bundesrat. Public life came to a halt on that day, as shops closed and train service on the railway line was suspended during the funeral. Condolences arrived from places as far as France and Great Britain.
|
Train collisions
| null | null |
1952 Damxung earthquake
|
The 2008 Damxung earthquake hit Damxung County, Xizang (Tibet), west of Lhasa, in the People's Republic of China around 16:30 China Standard Time on October 6. The Chinese state media reported that the earthquake caused 10 deaths as of October 7. [2] Three aftershocks above magnitude 5 followed. [4][5][6]
The 2008 Damxung earthquake struck further southwest than the similar 1952 Damxung earthquake.
|
Earthquakes
| null | null |
President Trump speaks at the "Namaste Trump" event at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, on Monday
|
President Trump speaks at the "Namaste Trump" event at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, on Monday as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks on. Trump said the two leaders were discussing a possible trade deal and called Modi "a very tough negotiator."
Alexander Drago/Reuters
hide caption
President Trump speaks at the "Namaste Trump" event at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, on Monday as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks on. Trump said the two leaders were discussing a possible trade deal and called Modi "a very tough negotiator."
Updated at 9 a.m. ET
"America loves India, America respects India, and America will always be faithful and loyal friends to the Indian people," President Trump told a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people in India's huge Motera cricket stadium on Monday.
"From this day on, India will always hold a very special place in our hearts," Trump said. He referred to his host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as "a man I am proud to call my true friend."
Despite some economic friction between their countries, Trump and Modi have fostered a warm personal friendship. And Modi evidently knows just how to greet the U.S. president when he drops in for a visit — with throngs of adoring fans. It was the second time the pair have basked in a campaign-like atmosphere together, after a similar scene played out during Modi's visit to the U.S. last year.
"Both of us understand that when leaders put their citizens first, we can forge strong and fair partnerships to build a safer and more prosperous world," Trump said.
The president also noted the contributions and heritage of 4 million Indians who have immigrated to the U.S., saying, "They are truly spectacular people."
"Nearly 1 in 4 Indian Americans trace their roots right here in Gujarat," Trump said as the crowd cheered.
Calling for even stronger economic and cultural ties between the two countries, Trump sought to paint an enticing picture of the U.S. under his leadership.
"This is truly an exciting time in the United States," he said. "Our economy is booming like never before. Our people are prospering and spirits are soaring. There is tremendous love, tremendous like. We like and we love everybody."
Shortly after Trump and first lady Melania Trump touched down in Ahmedabad, the largest city in Modi's home state of Gujarat, they headed to a rally at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, named for a key architect of independent India and billed as the largest cricket stadium in the world. Monday's celebration at the newly renovated facility was titled "Namaste Trump" — a nod to the similarly gargantuan "Howdy Modi" fete for the prime minister last fall at Houston's NRG Stadium.
Students in Mumbai draw the likenesses of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump ahead of the U.S. president's visit to India on Monday.
Indranil Mukherjee/AFP via Getty Images
hide caption
Students in Mumbai draw the likenesses of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump ahead of the U.S. president's visit to India on Monday.
People attending were handed white baseball caps with the words "Namaste" – hello, in Hindi — and "Trump," in orange letters, as they entered the stadium ahead of the event. Indian folk dancers performed to thumping music and flashing lights. Famous Bollywood singer Kailash Kher belted out popular Hindi songs.
Lawyer Kelly Dhruv, who was watching from the stadium's premium section facing the main stage, described the atmosphere as "like a concert but for political leaders."
Trump's daughter Ivanka walked in with India's foreign minister and shook hands with people in the front row as well as with India's controversial home minister, Amit Shah — the author of Hindu nationalist policies that have prompted widespread protests in recent months. Then it was time for the main event. As Trump and Modi emerged onto the stage, the song "Macho Man" blasted through the stadium.
The rally also attracted members of Modi's party, business leaders and groups of schoolchildren. Pooja Jahani, a local Gujarati artist, brought a 5-foot-wide oil painting that depicts a map of India inside a map of the United States. She said it symbolizes how "the United States is in India's heart, and India is in the United States' heart." Trump repeatedly drew cheers from crowd, particularly when he used Indian terms such as chaiwala -- the tea-selling job that Modi famously rose from to lead his country. Trump was applauded at least 57 times during his 27-minute speech, according to the official White House transcript of the event.
The U.S. president would be the first to tell you: He and Modi share a warm personal friendship. And Modi, as Trump's friend, evidently knows just how to greet the U.S. president when he drops in for a visit — with throngs of adoring fans.
For all the physical enormity of the event, though, expectations of Trump's two-day visit remain modest — even from Trump himself. The president has carefully downplayed the prospect of a major trade deal anytime soon.
"We will be making very, very major — among the biggest ever made — trade deals," Trump said Monday. But he added that the discussions are still in their early phases. And while Trump said he's optimistic about reaching an agreement, he said of Modi, "Except that he's a very tough negotiator."
The two countries enjoy a robust trading relationship, totaling more than $142 billion as of 2018, but as that relationship has grown, so too have the tensions between them. The U.S. runs a goods trade deficit with India that crested $23 billion last year alone, and the Trump administration has chafed at the tariffs protecting Indian markets from foreign competition as "the highest of any major economy."
"We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the [U.S. presidential] election," Trump told reporters last week at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, "but we'll have a very big deal with India."
"We're not treated very well by India," Trump added, "but I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot."
The newly renovated Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, billed as the largest cricket stadium in the world, is the centerpiece of President Trump's two-day visit to India, where the president and his wife, Melania, are getting feted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his home state of Gujarat.
Sam Panthaky/AFP via Getty Images
hide caption
The newly renovated Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, billed as the largest cricket stadium in the world, is the centerpiece of President Trump's two-day visit to India, where the president and his wife, Melania, are getting feted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his home state of Gujarat.
For Modi, in some ways, Ahmedabad makes for a logical choice to host the president. The city is the major population center of Gujarat state, where Modi served as chief minister from 2001 to 2014. Its booming development was one of the linchpins of his successful run for India's top political office.
At the same time, the setting recalls some bitter, bloody associations for Modi.
He was in office during a wave of anti-Muslim violence in the state in 2002, after a fire on a train left dozens of Hindu activists dead. The region was racked with riots, during which more than 1,000 Muslims are believed to have been killed.
Critics blamed Modi for intentionally failing to protect the religious minority during the unrest. The U.S., under President George W. Bush, even denied him a visa due to his "severe violations of religious freedom," and the American government effectively boycotted him until shortly before he became prime minister.
A special investigation ultimately exonerated Modi in 2013, around the same time Modi wrote a long blog post explaining that he was "shaken to the core" by the violence. But the violence in Gujarat continues to shadow his legacy.
So, too, have suspicions of anti-Muslim bias.
Modi's Hindu nationalist government last year pushed through Parliament a controversial law offering amnesty to undocumented migrants from three nearby Muslim-majority countries — so long as the applicants are religious minorities and not Muslim. The law has prompted nationwide demonstrations, some of which have devolved into deadly clashes between police and protesters.
Trump, for his part, has attracted similar criticism with his own rhetoric and administration policies. During his campaign, the president proposed a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S. — a campaign pledge that, after several attempts, ultimately became a Supreme Court-approved ban on travelers from about half a dozen countries, most of which are majority Muslim.
The pair of leaders didn't spend all their time in Gujarat. Trump also toured the Taj Mahal, in Uttar Pradesh state, before wrapping up his trip in New Delhi, where they are expected to deliver a joint statement Tuesday.
|
Diplomatic Visit
| null | null |
2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash
|
The 2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash occurred on Saturday, 12 January 2008, when a Mil Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Macedonian military, crashed 50–100 metres[2][3] from the village of Blace, situated in the region of Katlanovo,[4] approximately 10–15 kilometres south-east of Skopje, Macedonia[5] due to low visibility caused by heavy fog. All 11 individuals aboard the helicopter, including 8 passengers and 3 crew members, were killed in the crash. [6]
The incident took place at approximately 11:00 a.m. (GMT). The helicopter was returning from a EUFOR peace keeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and started to experience foggy conditions[7] whilst preparing to land at their destination — The Skopje Airport. [3] The crash was reported by two local fishermen who claimed they saw the helicopter flying unusually low. A witness stated that "The engine of the helicopter did not sound like it worked well..."[3] Witnesses also reported seeing a "fireball" as the helicopter became engulfed in flames following impact. [5] This was subsequently followed by a series of explosions, possibly triggered by a supply of kerosene or ammunition. [3]
Based on a Reuters photographer's eye-witness account, the helicopter was incinerated and debris was found up to 100 metres from the crash site. [8]
Upon arriving the at the scene of the event, the Macedonian prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, said; "This is a terrible accident, a great tragedy and a great loss. I express my deepest and sincerest condolences to the families of the victims. An investigation is starting that will identify the cause of the accident. "[3][5][7]
The Macedonian president, Branko Crvenkovski, also expressed his sympathy for the lives lost, stating: "We have not seen such a tragic lost [sic] of Macedonian soldiers in the country's recent history..."[9] The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Macedonia confirmed that the incident is the deadliest aviation accident to occur within the country's air force. [10]
Along with the president and prime minister, the Interior Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Gordana Jankulovska, also visited the crash site immediately following the incident. [10]
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, only seven soldiers were fully identified. [11] After the identification of all victims involved in the crash, it was reported that a total of eleven military personnel between the ages of 26 and 40 had been killed in the crash. [9]
Following the incident, the Macedonian government created a special body to lead the investigation into the cause of the crash. [9]
|
Air crash
| null | null |
Northeast Airlines Flight 258 crash
|
(May 13, 2021) Northeast Airlines flight 258 was making its final approach to Nantucket Memorial Airport late on a hot and humid August night in 1958. The plane had left JFK at 10:30 p.m. and by the time it reached Nantucket the fog had rolled in thick. Just a few hundred yards from the runway, the wing of the airplane clipped a tree, sending it cartwheeling across the ground, ripping open the fuselage and leaving a path of destruction several hundred feet long, knocking over pine trees like bowling pins as it broke into pieces and burst into flames. It was the worst aviation disaster in Nantucket’s history. Only 10 of the 34 people on board survived. Twelve people who were alive on impact were trapped in the tail section of the plane and burned to death. Cindy Lou Young, an 18-month-old toddler, was the youngest passenger on the flight. Jacqueline Young, her 18-year-old mother, was returning to Nantucket with her baby, after a trip to visit her in-laws in Ohio. The baby miraculously survived with just a small scratch on her chin. The mother perished. Last Sunday, Mother’s Day, Young wrote a tribute to her mother, someone she never knew.
|
Air crash
| null | null |
34 Million People Are Just ‘One Step Away From Starvation’: UN Report
|
Global hunger has increased at an alarming rate over the last few years and has accelerated because of the coronavirus pandemic. As it stands, millions are at risk of starvation. The United Nations’ Global Goal 2 calls for an end to world hunger by 2030, and this can only be achieved if countries commit to defeating the pandemic, prioritising food insecurity, fighting climate change, and bringing an end to conflict. Join us and take action on these issues here . The United Nations has warned that acute hunger is expected to soar in over 20 countries in the next few months, and that millions of people could fall into starvation as a result. A new report on global hunger hotspots published by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) has found that an estimated 34 million people are struggling with emergency levels of acute hunger around the world. The report revealed that this severe level of hunger means that these people are just “one step away from starvation.” Africa is home to most of the hunger hotspots identified in the report, while others are reported to be in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The agencies found that Northern Nigeria, Yemen, and South Sudan are the most at risk of facing “catastrophic” levels of acute hunger. The report points to five culprits that are responsible for the increase in hunger in these parts of the world: conflict and violence, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate shocks, desert locust outbreaks, and limited access to countries in need. “The magnitude of suffering is alarming,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu. “It is incumbent upon all of us to act now and to act fast to save lives, safeguard livelihoods and prevent the worst situation.” "In many regions, the planting season has just started or is about to start. We must run against the clock and not let this opportunity to protect, stabilize and even possibly increase local food production slip away," he added. The WFP’s executive director, David Beasley, explained that millions of families are in danger of starvation if immediate action is not taken and essential funding is not increased. “We are seeing a catastrophe unfold before our very eyes,” he said. “Famine — driven by conflict, and fuelled by climate shocks and the COVID-19 pandemic — is knocking on the door for millions of families.” "We urgently need three things to stop millions from dying of starvation: the fighting has to stop, we must be allowed access to vulnerable communities to provide life-saving help, and above all we need donors to step up with the $5.5 billion we are asking for this year," he added, referring to a call made by both agencies earlier this month for increased funding to avoid famine. According to the report , more than 16 million people in Yemen are expected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity by June, an increase of 3 million since the end of last year. In South Sudan, over 7 million people are projected to fall into crisis levels of acute food insecurity between April and July. Other countries facing increased hunger levels in the short term include Burkina Faso, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Sudan, and Syria. The report goes on to recommend critical short-term actions that can be taken in each hunger hotspot to address existing and future needs. These include scaling up food and nutrition assistance, distributing drought-tolerant seeds, treating and vaccinating livestock to rolling out cash-for-work schemes, rehabilitating water-harvesting structures, and increasing income opportunities for vulnerable communities. Bringing the hunger crisis to an end is part of Global Citizen’s Recovery Plan for the World campaign. The pandemic has pushed millions of people into severe hunger conditions and without urgent action, these conditions could only get worse. Take action with us here to help to defeat COVID-19 and end global hunger.
|
Famine
| null | null |
2016–17 South America floods
|
From December 2016 and continuing until May 2017, much of western and central South America was plagued by persistent heavy rain events. In Peru, one of the most severely impacted nations, it has been referred to as the 2017 Coastal Niño (Spanish: El Niño costero de 2017). The flooding was preceded by drought-like conditions throughout the region for much of 2016 and a strong warming of sea temperatures off the coast of Peru. From 2014 to 2016, the Pacific Ocean experienced a significant El Niño event. By June 2016, the El Niño had subsided but lingering drought-like conditions persisted through the southern spring in late 2016. Starting in November 2016, a localized anomalous warming of the Pacific occurred which is known locally as the Coastal Niño. A Coastal Niño is differentiated from an El Niño event in that the Coastal Niño is localized to the coasts of Ecuador and Peru and does not expand into the equatorial central Pacific Ocean or impact global temperatures. [1] This ocean warming contributed to unseasonably high rainfall in the region and, by January 2017, Peruvian officials had declared the warming a Coastal Niño occurrence. On December 1, 2016, heavy rains in Cali triggered a landslide that claimed at least six lives. All the fatalities took place in the Siloe neighborhood where 14 homes were destroyed. [2]
During the overnight of March 31 – April 1, heavy rain affected parts of the Putumayo Department. A total of 130 mm (5.1 in) of rain fell within a few hours near the city of Mocoa. This caused the Mocoa, Sangoyaco, and Mulata rivers to overflow and send mudflows towards residences and infrastructure in the city of Mocoa by 3:00 a.m.Multiple neighborhoods were devastated in the disaster, with numerous residents caught off-guard. By the morning of 6 April, at least 301 people were known dead (including 92 children),more than 400 were injured (including 167 children),[6] and a further 314 were missing. [5]
In Ecuador, at least 16 people were killed by floods or landslides. Coastal Manabí declared a state emergency and the country's largest city, Guayaquil in Guayas experienced abnormally high rain events. [8] Higher elevation regions including Quito experienced severe rains, landslides, and sinkholes towards the tail end of the Coastal Niño event as the ITCZ began moving north towards its more usual latitude. Much of the coastal desert region of Peru was particularly hard-hit with incessant, heavy rains starting in January 2017. Most impacted were the regions of Tumbes, Piura, and Lambayeque where a state of emergency was declared on February 3, 2017. [9] These equatorial parts of Peru are typically dry throughout the summer but can be greatly impacted by climatic changes when adjacent ocean warms and the equatorial trough oscillates further south. During these occurrences, monsoon-like rains can fall in usually bone-dry ecosystems causing mudslides locally known as huaycos. The 2017 Coastal Niño was the worst to hit Peru since 1925. [1] More than 115,000 homes were demolished,[10] leaving approximately 178,000 people homeless. A total of 113 people were killed, 354 were injured, and a further 18 were missing. [11] More than 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles) of roads were destroyed[12] and an estimated 1.1 million people have been directly affected by the floods. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that 3 million people were at-risk for waterborne diseases. [13]
On March 16, a mudflow buried the village of Barbablanca; however, all 160 residents escaped. [14] On March 27, 2017, the Piura River broke its banks and flooded the city of Piura and the towns of Catacaos and Pedregal Chico. [15] In Piura, 300 mm (12 in) of rain fell in one day, three times the city's annual average and Catacaos had flood waters rise to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) high. Further south, La Libertad, Áncash, and Lima were also impacted. Trujillo experienced severe localized flooding in its ravines and Huarmey was badly flooded. In Brazil, Heavy rains on March 11–13, 2017, including 110 mm (4.3 in) in 24 hours, caused flooding across Rio Grande do Sul, killing 2 people, injuring 70, and leaving 10 others missing. [17]
Further south, in Chile, unusually heavy rains affected areas around Santiago starting in February 2017. Flooding and landslides killed at least eighteen people and left few others missing. [18][19]
|
Floods
| null | null |
Jilin Baoyuanfeng poultry plant fire
|
On 3 June 2013, a fire at the Jilin Baoyuanfeng (吉林宝源丰) poultry processing plant in Mishazi (米沙子镇),[2] a town about 35 km (22 mi) from Changchun, in Jilin province, People's Republic of China, killed at least 120 people. [3][4] More than 60 others were hospitalised with injuries. [3]
The poultry slaughterhouse was established by Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co. in 2009. It employed 1,200 people,[3] but only 350 workers were believed to be on site at the time of the fire. [5] Such plants typically have a coolant system that uses ammonia, a chemical believed to have caused the fire. [3]
In October 2010, the head of the local anticorruption body of the Communist Party, Zhao Wenbo, said the company's "progress into becoming a nationally known enterprise and the growth of its production inspiring". It was "top 100 agricultural processing companies", while the provincial capital of Changchun labeled it a "leading enterprise" in agricultural industrialization, a title that it also held in 2011. [6]
Just after dawn on 3 June 2013, three large explosions and an ensuing fire occurred at the plant. All but one door in the building were reportedly locked, which prevented workers from escaping the fire. At least 119 people were killed. [7] According to local government officials, approximately 270 doctors and nurses along with more than 500 firefighters attended the scene to treat the injured and put out the fire. [7] Roughly 100 workers escaped, around 60 of whom sustained minor injuries from the blaze. [3]
The fire was extinguished by early afternoon. [8] A suspected ammonia leak caused 3,000 residents living within a kilometre of the site to be evacuated. [8][9] Some early reports attributed the cause of the fire to this leak, but others suggested an electrical fault was to blame. [3] The fire is believed to be the worst nationwide since the 2000 Luoyang Christmas fire in Luoyang, Henan. [3]
CPC General Secretary, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang "ordered every effort to go into the rescue operation" and stated that the "investigation into the cause of the accident would be vigorous". [3]
|
Fire
| null | null |
1972 Black Hills flood
|
The Black Hills Flood of 1972, also known as the Rapid City Flood, was the most detrimental flood in South Dakota history, and one of the deadliest floods in U.S. history. The flood took place on June 9–10, 1972[1] in the Black Hills of Western South Dakota. 15 inches (380 mm) of rain in a small area over the Black Hills caused Rapid Creek and other waterways to overflow. Severe flooding of residential and commercial properties in Rapid City occurred when Canyon Lake Dam became clogged with debris and failed in the late evening hours of June 9 resulting in 238 deaths and 3,057 injuries. [2] Over 1,335 homes and 5,000 automobiles were destroyed. The value of property damage was estimated to be over US$160 million in 1972 dollars ($990 million in 2020 dollars[3]). Flooding also occurred in Battle, Spring, Bear Butte, and Boxelder creeks. [4]
A few days before the Rapid City Flood, "earlier rains had left the soil saturated, increasing the amount of runoff of the flood to come. "[4] On the afternoon of June 9, substantial rains fell on the area, caused by "an almost stationary group of thunderstorms. "[4]
Additionally, "a strong low-level easterly flow which forced the moist unstable air up-slope on the hills. This sustained orographic effect helped the air to rise, cool, and release its moisture in repeating thunderstorms. Another contributing factor was the unusually light winds at a higher atmospheric levels which did not disperse the moist air nor move the thunderstorms along to prevent an extreme concentration of rainfall. "[4]
According to Herbert Thompson the air pattern causing this storm was noticed in big measure over the Great Plains, with a minor scale to the east of the Rockies. There were only what appeared to be light winds, so nothing indicated that there was a huge storm underway. Thompson further indicates that a cold high pressure region was pushed from Canada into the Great Lakes region leading into the western part of South Dakota. A "mesoscale cloud mass" from Colorado also moved towards Rapid City. [5] One of the cloud masses amplified the "mid-level moisture over Rapid City," while the other mass caused the pressure to stay, as the high pressure pushed downward, thus creating the right conditions to produce rainfall. [6] The rainfall from the upper "cloud mass" above the Black Hills formed into new smaller masses downwind which reprocessed the rain allowing for the constant rainfall. [7] The storm was described by Nair, Hjelmfelt, and Pielke as "convective cells of high precipitation efficiency a characteristic of tropical precipitation systems. [1] Cloud seeding experiments being conducted by the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences on clouds west of Rapid City were speculated to have contributed to the unusual amount of rain. However, there is no evidence that the two phenomena were related. [8]
The immense precipitation was based over the "Rapid, Boxelder, Spring, and Battle Creeks," creating run-off, along these creeks which led to flooding throughout the surrounding areas. [1]
The intense rain began on the afternoon of June 9 and continued until after midnight on June 10. The immense amount of rain the Black Hills received during the thunderstorms ranged from 4 to 15 inches, causing Rapid Creek and surrounding creeks to overflow and creating massive amounts of runoff that resulted in flood waters. The run-off carried rubble to the Canyon Lake Dam creating a barrier in front of its spillway. [4] This resulted in the "increase in depth of water behind the dam of 11 to 12 feet," which caused the release of more water adding to the already moving floodwaters. [9] The flash flood hit Rapid City the hardest around midnight on June 9; the flood waters also hit the small town of Keystone nearby. [4]
The flood caused a tremendous amount of damage. Flood waters displaced large rocks, trees, trailers, and vehicles, and carried homes away. [10] In Rapid City the flood resulted in the deaths of "238 including 5 missing," 14 of the deaths were trained professionals. [11] The flood resulted in over 3,000 people being injured. A total of 1,335 homes were ruined, and 2,820 homes were damaged. More than 200 businesses were ruined, and around 5,000 cars were demolished. The damage in Rapid City totaled $66 million in 1972 dollar value. [11] As for Keystone, "eight people were killed and much of the town was washed away. "[4] The damage in Keystone totaled around $1.5 million. [11] The total cost of the 1972 Black Hills flood totaled $165 million, including infrastructure and utilities. The total amount of rain the Black Hills received was "800,000 acre feet" equal to "1 billion metric tons of water. "[11]
The National Weather Service Office (NWS) in Rapid City in 1972 was taking hourly surface observations, issuing local storm warnings and providing local forecasts to the media. The personnel in Rapid City were not properly trained to make forecasts or use the technologies available to them. [12] They lacked access to vital weather information to warn the area citizens. The Rapid City National Weather Service is now a forecast office with a full-time staff of meteorologists who issue both forecasts and warnings for northeastern Wyoming and the western third of South Dakota. In 1972, the National Weather Service office in Rapid City did not have a teletype system to broadcast warnings. They instead used a one-way telephone hotline to the media to broadcast the warnings. Today warnings are sent to a regional site where they are sent to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Wire System satellite. NWS forecasters use the state radio system to notify 9-1-1 dispatchers and emergency personnel. This warning is also passed on to the Emergency Alert System (EAS). In the aftermath of the 1972 flood, short-term and long-term programs were put into effect. Many businesses were permitted to stay in the flood plain, but houses and motels were either raised or moved due to the likelihood that a flood would occur while a person may be sleeping. The majority of the flood plain was made into large parks, which have increased in number and have been improved and updated on a continuing basis.
|
Floods
| null | null |
1968 Red Square demonstration
|
The 1968 Red Square demonstration (Russian: Демонстра́ция 25 а́вгуста 1968 го́да) took place in Moscow on 25 August 1968. It was a protest by eight demonstrators against the invasion of Czechoslovakia on the night of 20–21 August 1968 by the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies, crushing the Prague Spring, the challenge to centralised planning and censorship by Communist leader Alexander Dubček. The protest took place at the Lobnoye Mesto (Place of Proclamation) on Red Square next to the Kremlin, to avoid any accusation of a violation of public order. It was a non-violent, sit-down demonstration. However, all but one of the protestors was quickly and roughly arrested by police and plainclothes KGB men. The protest began at noon as eight protesters (Larisa Bogoraz, Konstantin Babitsky, Vadim Delaunay, Vladimir Dremliuga, Pavel Litvinov, Natalya Gorbanevskaya, Viktor Fainberg, and Tatiana Baeva) sat at the Lobnoye Mesto and held a small Czechoslovak flag and placards bearing various slogans:
Within a few minutes, seven of the protesters were assaulted, brutally beaten and loaded into cars by KGB operatives. The Czechoslovak flag was broken, and the placards were confiscated. Since Natalya Gorbanevskaya had recently given birth, she was not made to stand trial. The other protesters convinced 21-year-old Tatiana Baeva to declare that she had been at the scene by accident, and she was released soon after. The KGB failed to find out which protester was holding which banner; therefore, all the banners were attributed to each protester, except for Tatiana Baeva, who was released. The banners were branded by the KGB as "anti-Soviet". [1] [2]
During the investigation and trial, the defence revealed several inconsistencies in the accusations. [3]
One of the eyewitnesses declared that he saw protesters leaving the GUM, a large store in the vicinity, even though this store is closed on Sundays. Additionally, all eyewitnesses happened to be from the same military division, even though they all claimed that they ended up on Red Square accidentally. However, these inconsistencies were not taken into account during the trial. None of the demonstrators pleaded guilty. Lawyers for the defence (all Communist Party of the Soviet Union members appointed and paid for by the State) demonstrated that the protestors had acted without criminal intent. [4] but the protesters on trial all received sentences of up to several years imprisonment or exile and in two cases they were sent to psychiatric prison hospitals. Vadim Delaunay and Vladimir Dremlyuga were sentenced to three years in a penal colony. Victor Fainberg, who had his teeth knocked out during the arrest, did not appear in court but was sent to a psychiatric prison. Larisa Bogoraz was sentenced to four years of exile to a remote Siberian settlement in the Irkutsk Region. Konstantin Babitsky was sentenced to three years of exile. Pavel Litvinov was sentenced to five years' exile. Natalya Gorbanevskaya was released the same day but later sent to a psychiatric prison. In his "Attorney's waltz" singer and rights activist Yuliy Kim claimed that the sentences had been decided before the trial. [5] In another song, "Ilyich", Kim mentions Yuri Andropov's and Leonid Brezhnev's anger at the demonstration, and refers to three of the protestors by name -- Pavel Litvinov, Natalya Gorbanevskaya and Larisa Bogoraz. [6]
The story of the August 1968 demonstration is recounted in the 2005 documentary They Chose Freedom. Public recognition of the protesters had to wait 40 years. During the conflict in South Ossetia, August 2008, the former president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel, expressed his sympathies for the protesters of 1968. [7] Czech Premier Mirek Topolánek recognized the heroism of the protesters with awards. [8]
There was no recognition on the part of the Russian government. On 24 August 2008, the similar demonstration with the slogan For your freedom and ours was held in the same place. [9]
On 25 August 2013, the 45th anniversary of the demonstration, Gorbanevskaya and several of her friends recreated the original protest,[10] again featuring the "For your freedom and ours" banner. Ten participants (among them Delaunay's son Sergey) were arrested almost immediately and taken to a police station. They were soon arraigned and released pending court appearance on charges of failing to secure prior permission for a political rally,[11] a misdemeanor under current Russian law. In 2018 three participants at another repeat demonstration were arrested. [12]
|
Protest_Online Condemnation
| null | null |
Terrebonne Parish officials say they have received numerous calls about carbon monoxide poisoning in the wake of Hurricane Ida.
|
Updated: 1:35 PM CDT Sep 4, 2021
WDSU Digital Team
Terrebonne Parish officials say they have received numerous calls about carbon monoxide poisoning in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Parish officials said as of Saturday morning, local fire departments have received several calls reporting poisoning in residents. All were taken to hospitals outside of the parish for medical care, officials with the Terrebonne Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said.They stressed generator safety, urging residents to read their safety manuals and directors before using them. "Check on your neighbors using generators to make sure they are using them safely," a statement reads in part.If you have a standby generator that runs your whole home, local officials urge you to shut the generator off for 3-4 hours a day and open up your home. This will help prevent carbon monoxide from building up in your house, they said. Communications are still strained in Terrebonne Parish due to widespread damage from the Category 4 storm.The parish said although utility providers and communication companies are working to restore water, sewer service, electricity, phone and internet service, damage assessment and recovery efforts in Terrebonne are proceeding much slower than hoped.Damage assessment reports that have been filed in the Emergency Operations Center Friday indicate substantial and widespread structural damage throughout the parish, particularly in Terrebonne’s bayou communities.In these areas, damage to residences rendered about 60% of them unsafe for human habitation. In these areas, road clearing efforts are underway, according to the parish.
NEW ORLEANS —
Terrebonne Parish officials say they have received numerous calls about carbon monoxide poisoning in the wake of Hurricane Ida.
Parish officials said as of Saturday morning, local fire departments have received several calls reporting poisoning in residents.
Advertisement
All were taken to hospitals outside of the parish for medical care, officials with the Terrebonne Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said.
They stressed generator safety, urging residents to read their safety manuals and directors before using them.
"Check on your neighbors using generators to make sure they are using them safely," a statement reads in part.
If you have a standby generator that runs your whole home, local officials urge you to shut the generator off for 3-4 hours a day and open up your home.
This will help prevent carbon monoxide from building up in your house, they said.
Communications are still strained in Terrebonne Parish due to widespread damage from the Category 4 storm.
The parish said although utility providers and communication companies are working to restore water, sewer service, electricity, phone and internet service, damage assessment and recovery efforts in Terrebonne are proceeding much slower than hoped.
Damage assessment reports that have been filed in the Emergency Operations Center Friday indicate substantial and widespread structural damage throughout the parish, particularly in Terrebonne’s bayou communities.
In these areas, damage to residences rendered about 60% of them unsafe for human habitation. In these areas, road clearing efforts are underway, according to the parish.
|
Mass Poisoning
| null | null |
Air France Flight 009 crash
|
Air France Flight 009 was a scheduled international flight that crashed into a mountain while attempting to land at Santa Maria Airport, Azores on a stopover during a scheduled international passenger flight from Paris-Orly Airport to New York City. All 48 people on board were killed. The aircraft involved was a Lockheed L-749A-79-46 Constellation F-BAZN, msn 2546, built in 1947. [1]
The aircraft was operating a scheduled international passenger flight from Paris-Orly Airport, France to New York City, with a stopover at Santa Maria Airport, Azores. There were 11 crew and 37 passengers on board. [1] The flight departed from Orly at 20:05 on 27 October. [2]
At 02:51 on 28 October, the pilot reported he was at a height of 3,000 feet (910 m) and had the airport in sight. After no further communications were received from the aircraft, a search was initiated,[1] involving eight aircraft and several ships. [2] The aircraft was found to have crashed into Pico Redondo on São Miguel Island,[1] 60 miles (97 km) (It is sometimes incorrectly said to have crashed on Pico da Vara) due north of the airport. All 48 on board were killed in the crash and subsequent fire. [2] The wreckage was spread over an area in excess of 500 square yards (420 m2). The bodies of the victims were recovered and initially taken to the church in Algarvia before they were repatriated. [3] At the time, the accident was the deadliest to have occurred in Portugal and also the deadliest involving the Lockheed Constellation. [1] A memorial to the victims was erected on Pico da Vara at 37°48′N 25°12′W / 37.800°N 25.200°W / 37.800; -25.200. [4]
The accident was investigated by the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile. [2] The investigation found that the cause of the accident was controlled flight into terrain due to inadequate navigation by the pilot whilst operating under VFR conditions. It was found that the pilot had sent inaccurate position reports and that he had failed to identify the airport. [1]
Notable people killed in the accident included the French former middleweight world champion boxer Marcel Cerdan;[5] French violinist Ginette Neveu[2][6] French artist Bernard Boutet de Monvel and Kay Kamen, an instrumental merchandising executive for the Walt Disney Company. [2]
Times quoted in this article are local time, per sources used. Paris times are thus Central European Time (CET). Azores times are Greenwich Mean Time, which is one hour behind CET.
|
Air crash
| null | null |
1921 Mari wildfires
|
Wildfires in the Mari Autonomous Oblast, in the east of European Russia, occurred in the summer of 1921. Damage included 2,660 square kilometres of pine forest burned off, with serious repercussions for industry in the area, already paralyzed by the Povolzhye famine. The wildfires led to 35 human and 1,000 cattle deaths, and 60 villages were destroyed. The effects of the fire were made worse by strong winds..
|
Fire
| null | null |
2017–2018 Russian protests
|
The 2017–2018 Russian protests were a long series of countrywide street protest actions and demonstrations in the Russian Federation, which were primarily concerned with suppressing corruption in the Russian government (from 26 March 2017 through spring 2018) and abandoning the planned retirement age hike (from 14 June 2018 through the end of 2018). The anti-corruption protests began in March 2017 but were joined by and overlapped the 2018 Russian pension protests. The anti-corruption protests were primarily led by Alexey Navalny, who was joined by well-known participants such as the Libertarian Party, Open Russia, and Artpodgotovka. They occurred as a result of the Russian financial crisis (2014–2016) aftermath, although they had their root in the corruption at the different levels up to the highest echelons of the Russian power. The protests and demonstrations against corruption in the Russian government began in March 2017 after the release of the investigative film He Is Not Dimon to You by Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, at a point when the country was already tense. Discontentment was triggered by the alleged corrupt activity of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as presented in the film, the inadequately planned demolition of apartments in Moscow and the protracted strikes of truck drivers related to the Platon toll system, which had been ongoing since 2015. National protests against alleged corruption in Russia took place simultaneously in more than 100 cities across the country on 26 March 2017. They were caused by the dismissive response from the Russian authorities to the published investigative film He Is Not Dimon to You, which had garnered more than 23 million views on YouTube. By Sunday evening, riot police in body armor and helmets had detained more than 1000 demonstrators in central Moscow, as the crowd, numbering in the tens of thousands, cheered, whistled and chanted "Shame! ", "Medvedev, resign! ", and "Putin is a thief! "[19] The Levada Centre survey showed that 38% of surveyed Russians supported the protests and that 67% held Putin "entirely" or "to a large extent" responsible for high-level corruption. [20][21][22]
A new wave of mass protests occurred on 12 June 2017. After the arrest of Navalny on 29 September, hours before a planned rally in Nizhny Novgorod, a new wave of protests was announced for 7 October, the birthday of Putin. [23][24] Protests and uprisings continued in 2018, with the tendency to radicalization, and a record number of protesters was detained on 5 May, two days before Putin's inauguration. Mass rallies were held in more than 60 cities all over Russia. In March 2017, Alexei Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation launched the campaign He Is Not Dimon To You, accusing Dmitry Medvedev, the prime minister and former president of Russia, of corruption. [25] The authorities both ignored the report produced by Navalny and commented that the report was issued by a "convicted criminal" and was not worth commenting on. On 26 March, Navalny organized a series of anti-corruption rallies in different cities across Russia. This appeal was responded to by the representatives of 95 of Russian cities, and four cities abroad: London, Prague, Basel and Bonn. [26] In some cities, the rallies were sanctioned by the authorities, but in others, including Saint Petersburg, they were prohibited. Moscow authorities declined the event request by Navalny in the city centre, but did not suggest any alternative location. Navalny referred to a decision of the Constitutional court and declared[clarification needed] the event for being permitted. [27] The Moscow police said that 500 people had been detained, but according to the human rights group OVD-Info, 1,030 people were detained in Moscow alone, including Navalny himself. [28][29][30]
The Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs posted a message on its official website with a call to Moscow residents not to join the event. It said that the action in Moscow was not coordinated with the municipality and was illegal. [31]
On 26 March, an estimated 60,000 people took part in anti-corruption protests across 80 Russian towns and cities and hundreds of protesters were detained, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny and employees of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. [32][33]
According to Human Rights Watch, Russian authorities have harassed, intimidated, or threatened to expel schoolchildren and university students who participated in anti-corruption demonstrations on 26 March. 70 children were arrested in Moscow alone. [34]
The United States Department of State condemned the detention of protesters, including Alexei Navalny, stating that "detaining peaceful protesters, human rights observers, and journalists is an affront to core democratic values. "[35]
Action organized by the Open Russia civic movement led by Mikhail Khodorkovsky took place in dozens of cities all across Russia. Action was called "Fed up with" ("Nadoel" in Russian) with the aim to urge for changes in Russian political rule. Protestors called for Putin and government to resign. In Saint Petersburg, Tyumen, Kemerovo, Tula and several other cities rallies were suppressed by police, with a total of 200 people being detained countrywide. [98] As a consequence, the Open Russia organization was labeled as "undesirable" by Russia's prosecutor general, so that it was officially banned from operating in the country and its website was blocked by official Media Authorities Roscomnadzor[99]
A new wave of protests with the same goals was announced by Navalny on spring. They took place in even more cities. They occurred in 154 towns and cities. According to Reuters and rights groups, tens of thousands of protesters attended and more than one thousand were detained. A Moscow court sentenced Navalny to 30 days in prison for calling people to the protest. [100][33]
White House spokesman Sean Spicer condemned the arrest of protesters and called for their release. Russian authorities rejected US petitions and criticised the widening on the sanctions against Russia. [101][102]
Protest actions against corruption in the highest echelons of the Russian government were held on 7 October 2017, on the day of the 65th anniversary of V.V. Putin in the form of rallies, processions and single pickets in 79 cities of Russia. At the rallies came from 2560 to 21,520 people, like the supporters of Navalny, and his opponents. The main rallies were rallies in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In Saint Petersburg, the action began on the Field of Mars, and in Moscow on Tverskaya Street. The reason for their conduct were facts of corruption V.V. Putin and his associates. 290 participants of the action were detained. In Moscow, many police were present, the Okhotny Ryad station was closed.
|
Protest_Online Condemnation
| null | null |
Sydney desalination plant not toxic to marine life and may soon restart as dam levels drop
|
Sydney desalination plant not toxic to marine life and may soon restart as dam levels drop
A study into Sydney's desalination plant has found it is not toxic to marine life, as the drought-stricken state prepares to switch it on.
The University of New South Wales study — conducted off the coast of Kurnell in Sydney's south — found there was little impact on the surrounding ecosystem when the plant was last operating in 2012.
And now, as the state's dam levels drop, it is likely the plant will soon be switched back on.
Sydney's dams are at 64 per cent capacity, and the desalination plant will be switched on if they drop below 60 per cent.
The study was commissioned by Sydney Water, which owned the plant when it first approached the researchers in 2007.
As part of the desalination process, "hypersaline" water is returned to the ocean.
Professor Emma Johnston released details of the six-year study into the impact of pumping that salty brine back into the sea.
The study examined six underwater locations, 25 metres below the surface.
Professor Johnson said the study had "debunked" views about the environmental impact of that hypersaline water.
"And it's partly because this is a very well designed desalination plant — it's got some very new components to the way they're dispersing the brine," she said.
"And because it's been so effective — it's pumping high pressure brine out 25 metres below the surface — it is dispersing and diluting very quickly."
The brine was pushed out at such a high pressure, it changed water currents.
"Species of marine invertebrates that were slow swimmers were reduced in abundance, so they're the sponges, the tube worms, the lace corals," Professor Johnson explained.
"And species that are really fast swimmers, that can swim against this incredible new current, like the barnacles, increased in abundance, so there were more of them, and they were quite happy."
A Sydney Water spokesman told AM the study showed the company's diligence in ensuring its infrastructure did not have adverse environmental impacts.
Professor Johnston said about 1 per cent of the global population relies on desalination, but that figure is expected to rise rapidly.
"Certainly around Australia, we've seen a proliferation of desalination plants around all of the states almost," she said.
"That's a global trend, and it's one that going to continue as increasingly frequent and severe climate and population driven water shortages impact on the availability of fresh water."
|
Environment Pollution
| null | null |
Air Wisconsin Flight 965 crash
|
Air Wisconsin Flight 965 (registration N650S) was a flight operated by Air Wisconsin that crashed near Valley, Nebraska, on June 12, 1980. The crash was caused by poor weather conditions making the engines fail and failure to recontrol the aircraft. [1]
The aircraft operating Flight 965, a Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II, left Outagamie County Regional Airport on a one-stop flight to Lincoln Municipal Airport at 12:45 on June 12, 1980. The flight stopped at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and then continued on to Lincoln Municipal Airport. [1]
While en route but nearing its destination the aircraft experienced severe turbulence and was cleared to successively lower altitudes in an attempt to avoid the turbulence. During the descent the aircraft entered a region of severe precipitation, which caused both engines to flame-out due to very high levels of water ingestion. The crew managed to re-light both engines but lost control and impacted the ground. The aircraft struck the ground in a slightly nose down and right wing low attitude, bounced and then struck the ground a second time, sliding along the ground coming to a rest inverted. Both crew and eleven of the passengers were killed in the accident. [1]
The accident aircraft, SA-226TC Metro II c/n TC-228, had flown a total of 8055 hours and had first flown in 1976. There were no failures of the aircraft or its systems reported before the crash, or discovered by the investigation team. [1]
The investigation focused on why the aircraft was flown deliberately into a region of very extreme weather, without air traffic control informing the crew of the weather or the on-board weather detection system indicating the extreme weather. [1]
The direct cause of the crash was determined as flight into extreme weather causing the engines to flame-out and failure to maintain control during the recovery. Contributory causes were the failure of air traffic services to warn of the extreme weather and the inability of the aircraft's weather radar to penetrate even moderate precipitation, leaving the crew unaware of the extreme precipitation in the weather ahead. [2]
|
Air crash
| null | null |
2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak
|
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms across most of the British countryside. Over 6 million cows and sheep were killed in an eventually successful attempt to halt the disease. [1] Cumbria was the worst affected area of the country, with 893 cases. With the intention of controlling the spread of the disease, public rights of way across land were closed by order. This damaged the popularity of the Lake District as a tourist destination and led to the cancellation of that year's Cheltenham Festival, as well as the British Rally Championship for the 2001 season and delaying that year's general election by a month. By the time that the disease was halted in October 2001, the crisis was estimated to have cost the United Kingdom 8bn. Britain's last outbreak had been in 1967, and had been confined to a small area of the country. The Northumberland report issued after the 1967 outbreak had identified that speed was the key to stopping a future outbreak, with the recommendation of identified animals being slaughtered on the spot on the same day as identification, and the carcasses buried in quicklime. [citation needed]
In 1980, foot and mouth treatment policy passed from the hands of the UK Government to the European level as a result of European Community (EC) directive, 85/511. This set out procedures, such as protection and "surveillance zones", the confirmation of diagnosis by laboratory testing and that actions had to be consulted with the EC and its Standing Veterinary Committee. An earlier directive, 80/68, on the protection of groundwater gave powers to the Environment Agency to prohibit farm burials and the use of quicklime unless the site was authorised by the Agency. [citation needed]
Since the 1967 outbreak, there had also been significant changes in farming methods. The closure of many local abattoirs meant that animals for slaughter were now being transported greater distances. The first case of the disease to be detected was at Cheale Meats abattoir in Little Warley, Essex on 19 February 2001, in pigs from Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight. Over the next four days, several more cases were announced in Essex. On 23 February, a case was confirmed in Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, from the same location as the pig in the first case; this farm was later confirmed as the source of the outbreak, with the owner, Bobby Waugh of Pallion, found guilty of having failed to inform the authorities of a notifiable disease and banned from keeping farm animals for 15 years. He was later found guilty of feeding his pigs "untreated waste". [2][3][4]
On 24 February, a case was announced in Highampton in Devon. Later in the week, cases were found in North Wales. By the beginning of March, the disease had spread to Cornwall, southern Scotland and the Lake District where it took a particularly strong hold. During investigation of the Great Heck rail crash, which took place on 28 February in North Yorkshire, investigators visiting the crash site had to go through a decontamination regimen, to prevent possible contamination of the crash site's soil with the virus. [5]
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) adopted a policy of "contiguous cull" C all animals within 3 kilometres (3,000?m) of known cases would be slaughtered. This was immediately clarified as applying only to sheep, not cows or pigs. The policy of MAFF was that where affected carcasses from the cull could not be disposed on site, they would have to be taken to a rendering plant in Widnes; as such, the corpses of infected animals were taken through disease-free areas. By 16 March, the number of cases was at 240. Around the time, the Netherlands had a small outbreak, though the disease was contained by vaccination; the vaccinated animals would later be destroyed, in line with EU requirements on trading. David King was appointed to approach MAFF policy in a scientific manner, alongside Roy M. Anderson, an epidemiologist who had been modelling human diseases at Imperial College and was on the committee concerned with BSE. By the end of March the disease was at its height, with up to 50 new cases a day. In April, King announced that the disease was "totally under control". [6] The effort to prevent the spread of the disease, which caused a complete ban of the sale of British pigs, sheep and cattle until the disease was confirmed eradicated, concentrated on a cull and then by burning all animals located near an infected farm. The complete halt on movement of livestock, cull, and extensive measures to prevent humans carrying the disease on their boots and clothing from one site to another, brought the disease under control during the summer. The culling required resources that were not immediately to hand. With about 80,000C93,000 animals per week being slaughtered, MAFF officials were assisted by units from the British Army commanded by Brigadier Alex Birtwistle. From May to September, about five cases per day were reported. The final case was reported on Whygill Head Farm near Appleby in Cumbria on 30 September. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) downgraded to "high risk" the last area to be denoted "infected" on 29 November. The last cull in the UK was performed on 1 January 2002 on 2,000 sheep at Donkley Woods Farm, Bellingham, Northumberland. Restrictions on livestock movement were retained into 2002. The use of a vaccine to halt the spread of the disease was repeatedly considered during the outbreak, but the government never decided to use it after pressure from the National Farmers Union. Although the vaccine was believed to be effective, export rules would prevent the export of British livestock in the future, and it was decided that this was too great a price to pay, although this was controversial because the value of the export industry
(592 million per year; MAFF figures reported by the Guardian[7]) was small compared to losses to tourism resulting from the measures taken. Following the outbreak, the law was changed to allow vaccinations rather than culling. The consensus today is that the FMD virus came from infected or contaminated meat that was part of the swill being fed to pigs at Burnside Farm in Heddon-on-the-Wall. [8] The swill had not been properly heat-sterilized and the virus had thus been allowed to infect the pigs. Seeing as FMD virus was apparently not present in the UK beforehand, and given the import restrictions for meat from countries known to harbour FMD, it is likely that the infected meat had been illegally imported to the UK. Such imports are likely to be for the catering industry and a total ban on the feeding of catering waste containing meat or meat products was introduced early in the epidemic. [8]
Several cases of foot and mouth were reported in Ireland and mainland Europe, following unknowing transportation of infected animals from the UK. The cases sparked fears of a continent-wide pandemic, but these proved unfounded. The Netherlands was the worst affected country outside the UK, suffering 25 cases. Vaccinations were used to halt the spread of the disease.
|
Disease Outbreaks
| null | null |
Inbound geomagnetic solar storm: Northern lights possible Saturday night
|
NOAA expects the wave of energy from a solar storm to arrive Saturday night. This could trigger waves of northern lights across mainly the Upper Midwest. We will have to wait and see if the lights will be visible all the way down to St. Louis. One thing is for sure, our sky will be clearing just in time. Tips on reading forecast maps from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks: This is the strongest coronal mass ejection (CME) of this solar cycle and the first in about 4 years and it is directed right at Earth. So, NOAA issued a G3 (strong) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Oct. 30-31 following a strong solar flare that erupted above a sunspot in the Sun's southern hemisphere on Oct. 28 around 11:35 EDT. This eruption produced a CME. High energy particles are heading toward Earth. The more energy, the more it can travel along magnetic lines as it is funneled in from the north and south poles, increasing the chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis or the northern lights. Current forecasts have the line where possible activity may be visible well into the northern U.S., as far south as Northern California, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Carolina. This includes the St. Louis area.
|
New wonders in nature
| null | null |
Etna: Europe's highest active volcano
|
Around Mount Etna in Sicily, you can really get a sense of the power of nature especially as the majestic volcano could erupt at any time. A risk we took into account for part 15 of our series "Extreme Places". Etna remains active so seeing lava emerge from the volcano on Sicily is not a rare sight Etna is constantly grumbling within its rocky depths – and sometimes this ancient volcano in north-east Sicily releases a roar, and with it glowing lava and masses of hot rock erupt from the earth in a spectacle of immense natural power – as was the case several times this spring. The fountains of lava can shoot up several meters into the air, before falling to the ground in the surrounding landscape on the Italian island. A world of fire and ashes Dangerous beauty: Etna has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013 There's a fine line between fascination and danger with Etna. That has always been the case. The first eruptions occurred more than half a million years ago, since when the volcano has demonstrated its power on countless occasions, sometimes destroying whole villages and cities with its liquid rock in the process. The area surrounding Etna seems like the surface of the moon, strewn with huge craters and black boulders. Yet this is not a static environment, as the picture changes significantly with every eruption. The mountain grows or shrinks as rocks shift on the edge of the crater. The summit towers more than 3,300 meters (10912 ft) above sea level, making Etna the tallest currently active volcano in Europe. When DW reporter Hendrik Welling visited Mount Etna, the mighty volcano was slumbering. Nevertheless, the power of the fire-breathing giant could clearly be felt. For the series "Europe to the Maxx" on the lifestyle and culture magazine "Euromaxx", he explored the national park in which Etna is located – together with expert mountain guides, of course. Find out what he experienced on his hike between lava fields in our video. Life in the shadow of Etna Clouds of smoke regularly rise from Etna's summit craters Sicilians have become accustomed to life under constant threat of volcanic eruption. After all, the volcano is also a blessing for the Mediterranean island and its residents. The volcanic rock stores water like a sponge, and the soils are mineralized and fertile. As a result, this part of Sicily transforms into a green oasis, especially in spring. Pistachio and almond trees alternate with lemon groves and blossoming meadows of flowers, and many vineyards are also located around Etna, as the soil gives the grapes an intense, mineral taste. Without the volcano, those aromatic Sicilian wines that provide many people with both pleasure and an income would not exist. So while those who live in the shadow of Etna respect its irrepressible power, they also appreciate its gifts. Service tips: Address: Parco dell'Etna, Sicily, Italy Getting there: Fly to Catania, then take a rental car or coach to one of the two mountain stations which are the starting points for tours. Depending on the volcano's activity, parts may be closed off. Admission: free, but you are only allowed to walk restricted areas of the park without a guide or as part of a guided tour Special tip: Experience the volcano from a different perspective with the historic narrow gauge railway Ferrovia Circumetnea. The route leads from Catania to Riposto in almost a full circumnavigation of Etna. The accompanying book Europe at its most extreme: The series "Europe to the Maxx" on DW's lifestyle and culture magazine Euromaxx makes Europe's superlatives experienceable — from extraordinary architecture to spectacular landscapes to unique cultural phenomena. Accompanying the series, the book 111 Extreme Places in Europe That You Shouldn't Miss was published in cooperation with Emons Verlag. It is an alternative travel guide, both informative and entertaining, for avid travelers, fans of Europe and anyone who likes to show off with unusual pub quiz trivia. Full of guaranteed record breakers!
|
Volcano Eruption
| null | null |
Twenty-year-old man killed in crash near Williams in the Wheatbelt
|
Police say the man was driving north along Narrakine Road when his car left the road about 4.45am on Saturday. The silver Toyota Corolla sedan hit a tree about 3km south of Albany Highway, north-west of the Williams townsite. The driver, a 20-year-old man, died of his injuries at the scene. Major crash squad officers are investigating the crash. They would like to speak to people who might have seen the crash or seen the Toyota Corolla before the crash.
|
Road Crash
| null | null |
New Zealand’s troubled waters
|
New Zealand’s waterways are some of the most degraded in the developed world. Will the Ardern government clean it up or will Māori take control? By Yaara Bou Melhem in New Zealand
Foreign Correspondent
In New Zealand’s Southern Alps, braided rivers radiate turquoise from the glacial flows coming off snow-capped mountains. Breathtaking vistas like these have provided the backdrop for Hollywood epics like Lord of the Rings and underpin one of the world’s most recognised tourism campaigns, “100% Pure New Zealand”. But behind New Zealand’s clean and green image is a dirty truth — its freshwater rivers are among the most polluted in the developed world. Last year, a government report found nearly 60 per cent of the country’s rivers carry pollution above acceptable levels, with 95 to 99 per cent of rivers in pastoral, urban and non-native forested areas contaminated. New Zealand's pristine and dramatic landscapes are the sets of Hollywood blockbusters and a major tourism drawcard. Foreign Correspondent: Tom Bannigan ACS
Jacinda Ardern’s Labour government has renewed its promise to clean up the waterways but is facing pushback from one of the country’s biggest polluters — the powerful dairy industry. New Zealand’s pollution problem is pitting two of the country’s most valuable assets against each other: its global reputation as an unspoilt wilderness and its most lucrative export — dairy. And now Ngāi Tahu, New Zealand’s wealthiest Māori tribe, is launching an unprecedented legal case seeking “rangatiratanga”, or chieftainship, over most of the South Island’s freshwater, a move that could reset who has authority over the country’s waterways. The clear waters running through the Mount Aspiring National Park in the ranges of the South Island are among the purest in the world. Flows like this run from icy peaks down through winding rivers to the sea, in a process that can take up to a hundred years. But further downstream, as rivers flow through farms and cities, they become some of the most polluted in the developed world. In the Canterbury region, which includes the city of Christchurch, some scientists blame an explosion of dairy farming and large-scale irrigation since the late 1980s for polluting many of the region’s rivers. From above, the Canterbury Plains is a patchwork of lush, green, grassy pastures. But it wasn’t always the case. A few decades ago the turf here was a browner hue. The plains were predominantly sheep country, until irrigation schemes and intensive synthetic fertiliser use enabled the mostly poor, stony soils to sustain dairy farming. New Zealand’s irrigated land doubled in the 15 years from 2002 and now takes up half of the country’s freshwater use. Nowhere has the increase been as pronounced as in the Canterbury region. A government report released last year found Canterbury accounted for 64 per cent of New Zealand’s irrigated land in 2017. An aerial view of a dairy farm. Foreign Correspondent
Green pastures in the Canterbury Plains. Foreign Correspondent
They look lush and green now but before irrigation the Canterbury Plains were brown. Synthetic fertilisers have also helped farmers grow dairy pasture. Foreign Correspondent: Tom Bannigan ACS
Cattle numbers on the Canterbury Plains have more than doubled in the past two decades. It’s been described as a “white gold rush”, as farmers converted mixed sheep and cropping pastures to more profitable dairy farms. Dairy is now big business in New Zealand. Last year, as the country closed its international borders due to the coronavirus pandemic, the $15 billion dairy industry eclipsed tourism as New Zealand’s most valuable export. Fonterra, the country’s largest company, accounts for nearly a third of global dairy exports. But some scientists have told Foreign Correspondent the growth of dairy farms has created a “perfect storm” for New Zealand’s rivers, with excess nutrients from fertiliser run-off, sediment loss, faecal effluent from cattle and reduced flows due to over-extraction by irrigators all damaging the health of freshwater systems. At the heart of the Canterbury Plains lies the Selwyn River, a waterway that has become the poster child for all that has gone wrong with New Zealand’s freshwater. The Selwyn experiences regular algal blooms, one of the most visible signs of excessive nutrients, including nitrates. At the river mouth, the luminous green flow spills into Lake Ellesmere, one of the most polluted lakes in the country. Further upstream, the pollution has created a toxic hazard putting human health at risk. A half-hour drive from Christchurch, Lan Pham wades into the ankle-deep flow of the Selwyn, stopping a metre from the weed-choked bank. She slips on a pair of medical-grade rubber gloves. This was once a popular swimming spot but is now littered with warning signs about algal blooms and is perennially listed on “not safe to swim” advisory websites. Local councillor and freshwater ecologist Lan Pham says excessive nutrients from dairy farms provide a "wonderland" for forming algal blooms in the Canterbury region's rivers. Foreign Correspondent: Tom Bannigan ACS
“The Selwyn can be thought of as a bit of a ground zero for mismanagement of water,” says Ms Pham, a freshwater ecologist and local councillor. Barely 20 metres from the public carpark, Ms Pham has found what she’s looking for — a patch of toxic cyanobacteria in the shallows of the rocky riverbed. “It appears as these quite thick, velvety mats, usually either dark brown or black,” she says, reaching into the water and lifting up a piece. “These toxic cyanobacteria, there’s been quite an increase in them across New Zealand over the last decade or so. They can be really deadly to dogs and also really harmful to humans. “The dogs get attracted to the musty smell and it takes just one teaspoon for a dog to ingest that for it to actually die.”
The risk of harm for those who enter these waters is real. But what is also really concerning Ms Pham is that for a generation of Kiwis, a polluted river has become the norm. “When we’re told that rivers are dangerous, it just enforces that disconnection with nature and the idea that we’re somehow separate,” she says. “That to actually address issues like this and fight for our public resources or try protect our public resources, that that’s somehow unreasonable because this is the baseline now.”
Ms Pham is determined to shift that baseline. She has spent the last 10 years working to protect freshwater life as an ecologist and, more recently, in local politics. In 2016, the then 29-year-old campaigned for the Canterbury council elections on a conservation and freshwater agenda while working on the remote Raoul Island in the Kermadecs. A screenshot from Lan Pham's 'Freshwater' video. Supplied
Set to the tune of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood", Lan Pham's social media hit lampooned the former National government's handling of New Zealand's waterways. Supplied
With no profile and no ability to physically campaign, she leveraged social media, making videos mostly filmed by her husband, which she jokingly says they learned to make watching MTV music clips. One of her videos, set to the Taylor Swift song “Bad Blood”, garnered 150,000 views in a week before it had to be pulled off the internet for copyright reasons. Ms Pham’s message has hit a nerve — she was the highest-voted candidate in the 2016 Canterbury regional elections and was re-elected in 2019. “It is about our kids and grandkids,” she says. “We know that it’s just this totally unjust situation where we’re leaving them these huge astronomical issues, not only with freshwater, but climate to address. We need to solve this now and we need to treat it really seriously.”
Joining Ms Pham at the Selwyn River, Dr Mike Joy swings a metal pole with a specimen jar wired to one end. He lowers it into the middle of the river, scoops up some water and quickly screws the lid back onto the plastic jar. Dr Joy is a prominent freshwater ecologist and is testing the nitrate nitrogen levels in the water. Nitrates are colourless and odourless but Dr Joy expects the sample to confirm their presence. “I’ve always said that if nitrates were red, the rivers would run red and there would be an outcry because then people would see it,” he says. He takes the sample to a real-time nitrate testing unit, which he purchased with some prize money a few years ago. It has allowed him to work with a small network of other scientists to test water samples around the country. He knows the nitrate level is going to be high but he’s still surprised by the result — 9.66 mg/L of nitrate nitrogen. Dr Mike Joy was part of a group of independent scientists set up by the government to advise on its freshwater reforms. He says the nitrate limit in rivers needs to be lower. Foreign Correspondent: Tom Bannigan ACS
“Wow, that’s crazy,” he says. “The current national policy statement limit is 2.4 milligrams, so it’s four times that.”
Dr Joy attributes the high nitrate levels to dairy farming on the “light, stony soils” of the Canterbury Plains. “[You’ve got] lots of cows on it, a lot of fertiliser and palm kernel going on to feed them,” he says. “Lots of urea, by urine going out and down through those soils into the aquifers and rivers ... moving out towards the coast. And you’re getting nitrate levels just rising and rising really quickly. So great for farming but not so great for freshwater.”
The health of New Zealand’s rivers was a key issue at last year’s October election. A month before the poll, the Ardern government enacted the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, announcing it would fix the country’s water woes within a generation. On the campaign trail, Ardern promised “material improvements” to the health of rivers and lakes within five years and that children would be able to swim in the water within a lifetime. She was re-elected in a landslide — a victory many credited to her handling of the coronavirus pandemic — but her freshwater reforms have not been quite so popular, drawing fire from leading scientists and dairy farmers alike. Algal blooms in a Canterbury region river. Foreign Correspondent
Ducks in a Canterbury wetland. Foreign Correspondent
Ninety-five to 99 per cent of rivers in pastoral, urban and non-native forested areas are polluted above water quality guidelines. Foreign Correspondent: Tom Bannigan ACS
Dr Joy was part of the Science and Technical Advisory Group selected by the government to provide independent scientific advice on its freshwater reforms. One of the key tasks for the advisory group was to work out a “nitrate bottom line” — the upper allowable limit for dissolved inorganic nitrate in New Zealand’s rivers. Dr Joy and others in the group pushed for a nitrate bottom line of 1 mg/L of nitrate nitrogen, which would bring New Zealand in line with the European Union and even China. That limit is the trigger for what’s called eutrophication — uncontrolled plant and algal growth caused by excess nutrients like nitrate in the water — which can cause fluctuations in oxygen levels, harming fish and other aquatic life. “The farmers put nitrogen fertilizer on the paddocks to grow grass. What the nitrogen does in the river is it grows algae,” says Dr Joy. “Algae photosynthesize, which means that they use oxygen during the night, they respire, and the oxygen levels drop right down and virtually everything dies. Then during the afternoon it comes back up and it gets dangerously high. Those fluctuations are what are really harmful for the life in the river.” Greenpeace launched a campaign during the New Zealand election last year calling on Jacinda Ardern to come good on her pledge to 'clean up our rivers'. Supplied
The New Zealand government chose to set the nitrate bottom line at 2.4 mg/L, claiming that limit would be non-toxic for 95 per cent of species. Dr Joy was livid, slamming the government’s numbers as “fake science” and arguing that eutrophication can kick in well below that level of nitrate. “The fish can’t die twice,” he says. “They can’t die of toxicity if they have already died because there’s not enough oxygen.”
The nitrate bottom line is a conundrum for the Ardern government. So far the reforms have left no-one happy. While ecologists argue the government set the level too high, farmers say it’s too low. Fonterra lobbied for a higher nitrogen nitrate limit of 3.8 mg/L. Dairy farmers say unless the government raises the nitrate bottom line, they will be forced out of business. Light pinks are bouncing off the dew in a paddock in the heart of Canterbury where a herd of cattle is being brought to the shed for their daily milking. Third-generation farmer John Sunckell hurries some of his 600-odd cows, tapping their rumps and “hup hupping” them along. One of the 10,000 Fonterra co-op farmers across New Zealand, Mr Sunckell converted his mixed sheep and cropping farm to dairy in the early 1990s. In the economic downturn of the 1980s, dairy became a lifeline for many of New Zealand’s farmers. “We saw an agricultural decline right across the world,” he says. “I didn’t see it as a gold rush, you just looked at what you saw in front of you. Sheep prices were no good, wool prices were going down. Economically, we just looked at dairying and it seemed to be the future.” Mr Sunckell is also a councillor in the Canterbury region. He’s been hearing from other dairy operators in his area about what the new nitrate bottom line of 2.4 mg/L will do to their businesses. The conversations are alarming. He and the other farmers have been running the numbers and say the government’s 2.4 mg/L bottom line will be the death of dairy farming as they know it. John Sunckell's farm lies within the Selwyn-Waihora catchment. The 500-acre property was converted to dairy farming in the early '90s. Foreign Correspondent: Tom Bannigan ACS
“There is no future for production agriculture of any sort on the Canterbury Plains if that is where we end up,” he says. Over the past few years, Mr Sunckell has been working hard to reduce his use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser but says it will be impossible to meet the government’s new nitrate limit. “There’s no way, there’s nothing that we are doing today or have the ability to do as far as management and system changes, that will allow us to achieve that outcome.”
Mr Sunckell is worried what that will mean for regional communities. “We will have a dislocation of thousands upon thousands of people and no support for the main streets of our small communities,” he says. “The whole fabric of our communities just disintegrates. It’s simple.”
Under pressure from all sides, the government has agreed to revisit its nitrate limit later this year but it’s unclear whether it will go lower or higher. Foreign Correspondent’s requests to interview Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker were denied. Meanwhile, there’s another group entering the fight over the future of New Zealand’s freshwater. Ngāi Tahu, the tribal group whose territory takes up most of the South Island, is taking legal action against the government for fiscal and regulatory authority over freshwater in its area. For Ngāi Tahu, the rivers and lakes are considered ancestors. Each waterway has its own mauri, or life force, creating a deep connection between Maori people and the natural environment.
|
Environment Pollution
| null | null |
Ten countries to join EU on May 1st, 2004
|
Ten countries to join EU on May 1st, 2004
Mon, Nov 18, 2002, 00:00
European Union foreign ministers agreed today that the entry into the bloc of 10 countries in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean will take place on May 1st, 2004, officials said.
Several of the candidate nations, notably Poland, had been pressing for their historic accession to happen on January 1st, 2004.
But officials said the foreign ministers of the 15-nation bloc agreed on the later date of May 1st to give all 25 countries concerned more time to ratify the accession treaty - which is expected to run to more than 6,000 pages.
The timetable for the entry of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia is now fixed.
They will be formally invited to join at a December 12-13th summit in Copenhagen. On April 16th, 2003, they will sign the accession treaty in Athens. The document will then be put to national referendums in several countries prior to enlargement on May 1st, 2004.
The EU had limited itself before to saying that the aspirant nations should be through the door by the time of the next European Parliament elections in June 2004.
The candidates will enjoy a financial spin-off from the four-month delay in their accession.
Under EU budgetary rules, they will pay less in monthly EU contributions by joining in May rather than January, but will still receive the full annual amount of catch-up aid.
In the meantime, however, an inter-governmental conference (IGC) is planned for 2003 at which a new EU treaty will be hammered out.
Polish Foreign Minister Mr Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said: "Under some conditions, we can accept a short postponement of the [entry] date".
He said the conditions included full voting rights in the next IGC, participation in the 2004 European Parliament elections, and appropriate budgetary compensation.
The IGC will convene after former French president Mr Valery Giscard d'Estaing's convention examining the future of Europe ends its work, probably in mid-2003.
The IGC will be tasked with drafting a new EU treaty to succeed the Nice Treaty hammered out in marathon negotiations at the end of 2000.
The EU foreign ministers agreed that the candidates will participate as full members of the IGC, despite not being formal members of the bloc for another year, according to the officials.
The Nice Treaty laid out essential reforms to prevent EU decision-making being paralysed by its new, bigger membership. Under the treaty, the EU's executive Commission is meant to have only one representative of each country.
The foreign ministers agreed that from May to November 2004, the Commission will increase by 10 to 30 members, adding one commissioner for each of the new member states. From November, it will go down to 25 members, one for each country.
The present commission led by Mr Romano Prodi has 20 members, two each from the bigger powers (Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) and one each from the rest.
AFP
|
Join in an Organization
| null | null |
Here's UNH's plan to respond to concerns about sex assault on campus
|
DURHAM — The University of New Hampshire is promising to regularly survey students about sexual misconduct, bolster violence prevention staffing and create a dashboard with data showing reports of sexual misconduct.
Two months after school police launched an investigation into an alleged on-campus sexual assault , UNH officials have revealed a slate of 22 “concrete” commitments centered around sexual violence.
A notice from school President James W. Dean Jr. and three other administrators Tuesday identified the steps planned to help prevent and respond to interpersonal and sexual violence.
Amid the UNH Police Department’s official investigation into an alleged sexual assault inside a residence hall on Oct. 15, students responded in public with frustration, holding two protests outside Dean’s home. Students’ actions at the second protest, which a school spokesperson said included jeering and taunting, led to Dean seeking an apology from students for their behavior.
'Profanity, jeering': UNH president seeks apology from students protesting sex assault
A student-run group called the Sexual Violence Action Committee formed in early November and began meeting with school administrators, but Dean said he wouldn’t meet with them until receiving an apology from students. However, in a schoolwide correspondence on Dec. 2, Dean changed course and wrote that he and the college’s chief diversity officer, Nadine Petty, reached out to the committee to meet with them.
Tuesday’s update from Dean and Petty as well as Dean of Students Michael Blackman and UNH Title IX Coordinator Laura Buchs noted interpersonal and sexual violence prevention and response efforts were broken down into four categories. Each of the 22 items listed has an “anticipated timeline."
“We have heard our community’s concerns and are committed to addressing them,” the email from the four administrators stated. “Many students, faculty and staff have been in dialogue for several weeks.”
1. Forming a comprehensive prevention plan
Five individual steps focused on interpersonal and sexual violence prevention were included in the first category.
By next spring, the school will organize a regular campus climate survey about sexual misconduct, with the results compiled and released to the school community.
Two steps were listed for the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. One calls for the restructuring of existing sexual violence committees to add “adequate” student representation and have committees dedicated to both preventing and communally responding to violence. The other states the school will promote safety-centric mobile applications during student orientation.
More previous reporting: UNH police investigate alleged sexual assault. Students protest, demand action.
Beyond the fall 2022 semester, the school will look to “standardize” each college’s first-year student courses with topics related to sexual health and well‐being, sexual harassment, sexual violence, and alcohol and other drug use.
UNH will also increase staffing levels in its violence prevention offices, including the Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program (SHARPP). The added staff will facilitate a sexual violence student peer education program.
2. Improve and clarify students’ options for reporting violence
Effective immediately, the school will have representation from SHARPP, the school’s Affirmative Action and Equity Office and the Division of Student Life on all schoolwide email correspondences related to sexual misconduct.
Five new steps within this category will take effect in fall 2022. This includes restructuring the current Student Code of Conduct to ensure that student conduct processes are clear for students.
“Improve strategies to distribute the Code of Conduct to the UNH community and clarify misconceptions including ensuring students know that defensive spray (pepper spray) is permitted at UNH,” the commitment reads.
Another item says the Affirmative Action and Equity Office’s website will be updated with flow charts and visual representations of how different processes progress. The school will also provide information about legal aid for those seeking assistance who cannot afford it.
UNH will create one accessible, collective sexual misconduct policy that will include all existing polices and definitions. Faculty and teaching assistants will also be given training on how best to inform students on the school’s available reporting processes if they feel they’re not being accommodated.
A seventh item that will go into effect beyond the fall of 2022 will “increase staffing levels in the Affirmative Action and Equity Office to add dedicated staff for explaining options, providing supportive measures, and conducting investigations.”
3. Expanding required training for students, faculty and staff
Next fall, UNH will start mandatory sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention training for all faculty, staff and students.
Three items within the category are slated to be completed by next summer.
There will be required sessions for the school’s incoming first-year, transfer and graduate students during orientation or new student days on sexual harassment and sexual violence. A new virtual orientation platform for new students will be created by the summer of 2023.
“Tailored” prevention initiatives will be designated toward particular student groups, with the school citing athletes, fraternity and sorority life students, student organization leaders, students studying abroad or in field study experiences and international students as groups that will receive these resources.
The last item to be implemented by the summer of 2022 is a broadened training for students in regard to mandatory reporting of interpersonal and sexual violence, which would then be provided each year.
4. Addressing student safety concerns
UNH will develop an online dashboard in the fall of 2022 to display data on reports of sexual misconduct made to the school.
This upcoming summer, the university will resume an annual campus lighting review to ensure the campus is properly illuminated. The school is also pledging to “ensure students know how to report issues.”
Three other strategies will be set in stone by next fall, such as improving strategies to make sure students don’t travel alone at night. Another will mandate that students agree to abide by the Student Code of Conduct when they accept their admission to the school and pay their deposit, and a question regarding UNH’s community standards will be added to the admissions application.
All school employees, including students, will have background checks beginning in fall 2022, and new faculty members must authorize the school to check with their previous employers about any possible employment concerns.
UNH will review students’ abilities to make emergency calls from the hallways, bathrooms and common spaces of their residence halls or campus apartments, though that won’t be completed until sometime after the fall 2022 semester.
“Although many community members have already provided their input, we view this as an ongoing dialogue,” Tuesday’s message from the four administrators said. “Implementing many of these commitments will be complicated, and there may be areas that we are missing. We will create and communicate opportunities for you to share your thoughts and be part of the process of turning these commitments into action.”
The school said in its message that, “so we can hold ourselves accountable,” it will form a website listing all 22 commitments and their individual completion status in the spring.
UNH sexual assault investigation
UNH Chief of Police Paul Dean previously said that the department was investigating a report of an on-campus sexual assault.
The alleged incident reportedly occurred inside the university’s largest residence hall, Stoke Hall, on Oct. 15. Dean said in November that the case had been passed along to the Strafford County Attorney’s Office for review.
Strafford County Attorney Tom Velardi previously said that an attorney was reviewing the case and that a victim’s assistance employee had been in contact with the female student who made the report.
Velardi said Wednesday that the case remains under review and there have been no changes
If you need help
Seacoast Media Group provides the following information as a public service:
Victims of sexual violence who attend any of the University of New Hampshire's three campuses can contact the university's Title IX Coordinator, Laura Buchs, at (603) 862-2930 or by email at laura.buchs@unh.edu.
UNH's Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program offers support services for victims of sexual violence and can be reached at (603) 862-3494 or find information at unh.edu/sharpp .
|
Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
| null | null |
Police alerted over financial irregularities at St Mirren FC
|
POLICE Scotland have been alerted to financial irregularities at part-fan-owned St Mirren FC involving commercial agreements and possible non-payment of tax and national insurance.
The Scottish Premiership club has called in forensic accountants to carry out what they call a "thorough review of a number of areas of its operations".
The Paisley club which is currently 11th in the top tier of Scottish football , said it has informed both HM Revenue and Customs and Police Scotland over the irregularities.
St Mirren chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick said that the club will "be co-operating to the fullest extent with any investigations.”
It comes as St Mirren has been moving to become the latest fan-owned football club through a unique link-up - the first of its kind in the UK – between the club’s supporters’ trust and one of the country’s biggest charities.
The plans originally unveiled in January saw the St Mirren Independent Supporters Trust (SMISA) join up with the Paisley-based social care charity and leading social enterprise Kibble, which the club said "would transform how the club is owned and run".
Last month the club said that St Mirren’s home is being renamed The SMISA Stadium in a show of recognition for the club’s fans as they start the final countdown to becoming its majority owners in the summer.
The club gifted the naming rights for St Mirren Park to SMISA for the rest of season 2020/21.
After that, the fans group were to take its shareholding in the club to 51% by buying the club chairman Gordon Scott’s remaining shares.
The club said the purchase had been due to complete by the end of 2021, but had been agreed this will happen sooner than planned – on a date to be decided in the summer.
Under the plans Kibble, part-financed by the Scottish Government, would buy 27.5% of Mr Scott’s shares now.
As of February, this year, Kibble were classed as one of two that had "significant control" of the club according to Companies House with more than 25% but not more than 50% of the shares.
Mr Fitzpatrick said that "certain issues" were brought to light during the club’s annual audit process, following which the SMIS and Kibble tabled a joint response and recommendations at November’s board meeting.
He said they then "moved swiftly" to appoint forensic accountants.
It is understood that amongst the areas being focussed on are several commercial agreements, sub-contract arrangments and potential non-payment of PAYE (Pay As You Earn) and National Insurance.
The club has not divulged the amount of money involved. But it emphasised that none of what is being looked at relate to playing or management staff.
Mr Fitzpatrick added: "The club has taken these steps to ensure that we continue to operate on a sound and compliant financial basis. Fans can be confident that all actions taken are in the best interest of St Mirren to ensure it continues to be a club of which our supporters can be proud.”
"We can reassure supporters that the club continues to operate strongly in the current pandemic climate and our club remains in a healthy and robust financial position."
A spokesman for Kibble said: “Kibble is committed to operating to the highest levels of business practice, accountability and transparency.
"Supporters and employees alike should know we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to make sure every aspect of the club operates to the highest ethical standards. The accountants involved have significant experience in this area and we are confident that any issues which may be uncovered will be dealt with quickly and decisively to ensure that the club’s reputation is utterly beyond reproach.”
The club board agreed the stadium-naming gesture to thank SMISA’s 1,150-plus members – whose monthly membership fees have been saved towards the share purchase since 2016.
The #BuyTheBuds deal had initially been expected to take ten years to complete but the club said last month that it was expecpted to be delivered because of the partnership.
That partnership was overwhelmingly approved by SMISA’s members during a vote in February and is believed to be unique in Europe by making a charity the part-owners of a top-flight football club.
Kibble, which specialises in the care of young people who have experienced trauma, last year agree to take over a vital service for vulnerable young people which has been threatened with closure.
It was offered up to £306,166 in grant funding by the Scottish Government for delivery of the Interventions for Vulnerable Youth (IVY) service between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021.
The IVY project was set up by the University of Strathclyde's Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ) and funded by the Scottish Government’s Youth Justice team to promote best practice in forensic mental health risk assessment and management for young people, aged 12-18, who present a serious risk of harm to others.
IVY, which has the only dedicated team of its kind in the UK, has provided support for more than 220 children and young people referred by 31 Scottish local authorities during its six years of existence.
CYCJ recently announced that IVY would close at the end of October, a decision they said they regretted but which was unavoidable, given the highly specialised nature of the service.
|
Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
| null | null |
China ‘indefinitely’ suspends economic dialogue with Australia
|
BEIJING — Strained relations between China and Australia took a turn for the worse Thursday after Beijing said it has “indefinitely” suspended all activity under a high-level economic dialogue with one if its largest source of imports.
It was not immediately clear what impact the announcement would have on trade between the two countries, which has already fallen amid retaliatory pressure from Beijing.
The Australian dollar weakened against the U.S. dollar following the news, falling close to breaking 77 cents after trading near 77.47 cents Wednesday.
Beijing’s economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, said in an English-language statement Thursday that some Australian officials recently launched unspecified measures “out of a Cold War mindset” to disrupt cooperation with China.
The commission said that based on this attitude, it has decided to “indefinitely suspend all activities under the framework of the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue.”
Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan, said in a statement the decision is “disappointing” and that the country remains open to “holding the dialogue and engaging at the Ministerial level.”
The China-Australia Chamber of Commerce in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The last meeting under the dialogue was in 2017. The first meeting was held in 2015, when the two countries signed a free trade agreement. At the time, China was Australia’s largest trading partner.
Tensions began to pick up in 2018 with Australia’s 5G network ban on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei and worsened with a call for an independent investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
China has since launched anti-dumping probes into Australian wine imports and unofficially banned coal imports from the country, among other restrictions. China still buys iron ore from Australia, for a total of about $115.10 billion in U.S. dollars’ worth of imported Australian goods in the 12 months to March, according to Reuters.
The Australian government has increased scrutiny on foreign deals and in April canceled two involved with the Belt and Road Initiative. Critics say the regional infrastructure development program is a way for Beijing to expand its influence overseas.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported, citing a government source, that Australia is reviewing the lease of a port to a Chinese firm.
Correction: This story was updated to correct the name of the National Development and Reform Commission.
|
Tear Up Agreement
| null | null |
Deep sea robots will let us find millions of shipwrecks, says man who discovered Titanic
|
A revolutionary new class of amphibious vehicle will transform the search for lost vessels on the ocean floor, says marine archaeologist Dr Robert Ballard He is the celebrated deep-sea explorer who discovered the Titanic, as well as the German battleship Bismarck and other historic sunken vessels around the world. Now Dr Robert Ballard is pioneering cutting-edge technology – autonomous underwater vehicles that will “revolutionise” the search for more than three million shipwrecks that lie scattered across ocean floors, according to a Unesco estimate. Many will offer new insights into life on board at the time of sinking, hundreds or even thousands of years ago. “We’re going to be finding them like crazy,” Ballard told the Observer. “It’s going to be rapid discovery because of this technology. New chapters of human history are to be read. “All the work I’ve done in the past in archaeology used vehicles that were connected to a ship. The ones that we’re building now are revolutionary new vehicles, able to work in extremely complex and rugged terrains – a new class of autonomous underwater vehicles that have their own intelligence and that are going to revolutionise the field of marine archaeology.” They are all the more extraordinary because they allow marine archaeologists to explore the ocean floor without needing to go to sea themselves. In the US, he recently undertook an expedition exploring Lake Huron and found an 1800s wreck – a search that was all done from land. “I don’t have to be on my ship now,” Ballard said. “We don’t even have to have ships. But I come because I want to get away.” The explorer, who has just turned 79, is on his 158th expedition, conducting a scientific exploration of the deep sea in the Pacific. National Geographic this month publishes his memoir, Into the Deep, in which he writes of a passion for ocean exploration that was inspired by Nemo, the fictional captain of the submarine Nautilus in Jules Verne’s classic novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Aged 12, he watched Disney’s screen adaptation: “It blew my mind … I wanted to be Captain Nemo. I wanted to walk on the ocean floor.” He now owns and operates the exploration vessel Nautilus, a state-of-the-art ship rigged for research in oceanography, geology, biology and archaeology, which can be followed by the public online. As a pioneer in the early use of deep-diving submersibles, he is particularly excited by the latest technology as it is far cheaper to operate. A mobile system that can go on smaller ships or work from the shore costs a few thousand pounds a day, rather than tens of thousands. The vehicles can travel to the deepest depths and stay down for days on end. They can also descend to a wreck much faster. “You can’t just instantly get to the deep bottom as a diver,” Ballard said. “You reach terminal velocity at about 100 metres every minute. To get to the Titanic, it took me 2½ hours to descend 4,000 metres. With these vehicles, it would have taken little over an hour.” While the technology is being used in marine research and environmental monitoring, the archaeological world has been slow to adopt it, he said: “It started in the military, like most of these advanced technologies. I served in the US Navy for 30 years, and I had access to a lot of technology that was classified and that slowly leaked out… the social sciences tend to lag in adopting new technologies because it’s not their strength.” For years, Ballard had dreamed of finding the wreck of the Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912: “In 1985, a top-secret navy assignment to explore sunken nuclear subs gave me the opportunity to follow that dream.” Asked if he would have found it sooner with this latest technology, he said: “Oh God, yes.” He is among marine archaeologists, scientists and geophysicists involved with a new “Dive & Dig” podcast series, presented by historian Bettany Hughes and funded by the Honor Frost Foundation.
|
Shipwreck
| null | null |
Search location by ZIP code
|
Graduates got a little something extra along with their diplomas at Quincy College's commencement ceremony Friday. Approximately 250 of them received $1,000, split between two envelopes.
But there's a catch. Those envelopes have instructions. The gifts came from commencement speaker Robert Hale, CEO of Granite Telecommunications, who told them that he has found great joy in giving. "I hope that today you get to start sharing that joy," he said.
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
End of dialog window.
Hale told the graduates that the first $500, in an envelope labeled "Gift," was for them to keep as a graduation present. "The second envelope, entitled 'Give,' is for you to give to another friend, family member or an organization who, in these times, is struggling who could use that a little more than you," said Hale. The graduates received two envelopes. One as a gift, the other to give. The envelopes were decorated by local school children. pic.twitter.com/Qz2Jcs84fi
Hale, also the owner of Quincy development company FoxRock Properties, is known for his generosity in supporting organizations focused on cancer research and treatment.
"You have persevered in the pandemic, and you haven't had a chance to celebrate the last 14 months, like you should," he said in his address. "And you have seen society and the needs of society grow. We wanted to try to address both of those areas."
After his speech, Hale and his wife participated in handing out diplomas to the graduates. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
|
Famous Person - Give a speech
| null | null |
Winecoff Hotel fire
|
The Winecoff Hotel fire of December 7, 1946, was the deadliest hotel fire in United States history, killing 119 hotel occupants, including the hotel's original owners. Located at 176 Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the Winecoff Hotel was advertised as "absolutely fireproof". While the hotel's steel structure was indeed protected against the effects of fire, the hotel's interior finishes were combustible, and the building's exit arrangements consisted of a single stairway serving all fifteen floors. All of the hotel's occupants above the fire's origin on the third floor were trapped, and the fire's survivors either were rescued from upper-story windows or jumped into nets held by firemen. The fire was notable for the number of victims who jumped to their deaths. A photograph of one survivor's fall won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for Photography. The fire – which followed the June 5, 1946 La Salle Hotel fire in Chicago (with 61 fatalities), and the June 19, 1946 Canfield Hotel fire in Dubuque, Iowa (with 19 fatalities) – spurred significant changes in North American building codes, most significantly requiring multiple protected means of egress and self-closing fire-resistive doors for guest rooms in hotels. The Winecoff Hotel (now the Ellis Hotel) opened in 1913 as one of the tallest buildings in Atlanta. The steel-framed structure was built on a small lot measuring 62.75 feet (19.13 m) by 70 feet (21 m), bounded by Peachtree Street, Ellis Street and an alley, with 4,386 square feet (407.5 m2) per floor. Guest rooms extended from the third to the fifteenth floors, with fifteen rooms on a typical floor. Corridors on guest floors were arranged in an H-shape, with two elevators and the upward flights of stairs opening into the cross halls, and opposing downward runs of stairs converging on a single landing from the legs of the H. The single stairway, of non-combustible construction, was not enclosed with fire-resistant doors. While the use of multiple stairways was becoming common practice in tall buildings, the Atlanta Building Code of 1911 permitted buildings on lots of less than 5,000 square feet (460 m2) to have a single stairway. The steel structure was protected by structural clay tile and concrete fireproofing. [1] The hotel was touted in advertisements and on its stationery as "absolutely fireproof". [2]
Interior partitions, including the walls between corridors and guest rooms were hollow clay tile covered with plaster. Room doors were 1.5-inch (3.8 cm) wood, with movable transom panels above each door for ventilation between the rooms and the corridors, closed by a wood panel of less than .5 inches (1.3 cm) in thickness. The corridor walls were finished with painted burlap fabric extending up to wainscot height. Guest rooms were finished with as many as seven layers of wallpaper. [3] The hotel had a central fire alarm system, manually operated from the front desk, and a standpipe with hose racks at each floor. There was no automatic sprinkler system. [4]
The Winecoff was within two blocks of two Atlanta Fire Rescue Department engine and two ladder companies, one of which was within thirty seconds of the hotel. [5]
The fire's point of origin was on the third floor west hallway, where a mattress and chair had been temporarily placed in the corridor, close to the stairway to the fourth floor. One theory suggests that a dropped cigarette may have ignited the mattress or other combustibles in the corridor. The fire was first noticed about 3:15 a.m. by a bellboy who had gone to the fifth floor to help a guest and was trapped. However, the first (and only) call to the fire department was made at 3:42 a.m. by the night manager, who was reported to have attempted to warn guests by telephone of the fire. The building fire alarm was not sounded, although by that time no escape was possible from the upper floors in any case. A survivor recounted being awakened and made aware of the fire by the sound of people screaming. [6] The first engine and ladder companies arrived within thirty seconds of the call. By that time people were already jumping from windows. [7] Fire department ladders could extend only part way up the building, but many guests were rescued in this manner. Other people were rescued via ladders placed horizontally across the alley to an adjoining building. [8]
Fire spread was initially hampered by the stair arrangement. While the stairs were not closed off by doors, the configuration placed ascending and descending runs around the corner from each other, keeping fire and hot gas from quickly ascending the stair. Fire did not spread through the enclosed elevator shafts, nor through the laundry or mail chutes. [9] Open transoms between the rooms and the corridors admitted fresh air for combustion, eventually creating a flue-like effect with the fire climbing to all but the two top floors. Once established in the corridors, the fire fed on the burlap wallcoverings and ignited room doors and transoms. Doors and transoms were burned through on all but the fourteenth and fifteenth floors. Guests opened windows seeking fresh air and rescue, further enabling the draft of fresh air to the fire. The fire investigation revealed that an open transom was closely associated with the ignition of a given guest room and its contents. [10]
Firefighters were hampered, and in some cases injured, by falling bodies. A number of guests tied bedsheets together and tried to descend. Others misjudged the ten-foot-wide alley between the rear of the Winecoff and the Mortgage Guaranty Building and attempted to jump across. The Atlanta Fire Department mustered 385 firefighters, 22 engine companies and 11 ladder trucks, four of which were aerial ladder units, at the scene. A second alarm was sounded at 3:44 a.m. and a third at 3:49 a.m., with a general alarm (all available units respond, including off-duty personnel) at 4:02 a.m.[11] Mutual aid from surrounding departments brought a total of 49 pieces of equipment. Firefighters climbed adjoining buildings to fight the fire and rescue guests, including the 12-story Mortgage Guaranty building across the 10-foot (3.0 m) wide alley, and the six-story Davison-Paxon department store (later Macy's) on the opposite side of Ellis Street. [12]
Of the 304 guests in the hotel that night, 119 died, about 65 were injured and about 120 were rescued uninjured. [8] The hotel's original owners, the Winecoffs, who lived in an apartment in the hotel, died in the apartment. [12] Thirty-two deaths were among those who jumped, or who fell while trying to descend ropes made of sheets tied together to reach the ground or too short fire ladders. [13] Among the hotel guests were forty high school students on a State YMCA of Georgia ("Y" Clubs) sponsored trip to Atlanta for a state youth-in-government legislative program, thirty of whom died. [14] The students had mostly been placed two to a room at the back of the hotel next to the alley, where many of the windows had been covered by louvered shutters for privacy.
|
Fire
| null | null |
Democratic Republic of the Congo declares end of 12th Ebola Virus Disease outbreak
|
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, 03 May 2020. The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), today declared an end to the 12th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the North Kivu Province, three months after the outbreak began. This outbreak is a resurgence of cases from a survivor of the 10th EVD outbreak in the region. The 10th Ebola outbreak in DRC is the second largest EVD outbreak in history lasting from August 2018 and June 2020 affecting 3,470 people with 2,287 deaths. “The is an outbreak of concern in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a huge pressure to the existing health care systems, resources and workforce for both the Government of DRC, the community and all partners including Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), ” said Dr John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC. “I strongly commend the concerted effort of the Government of DRC, local health authorities, and partners for their concerted effort to early detect and rapidly control such a high risk outbreak.” The outbreak was reported in four (4) health zones in the affected province, with a total of 12 cases, 6 deaths (case fatality rate 50%), including two healthcare workers who acquired the infection while caring for EVD patients. The Government had declared the outbreak on 07 February 2021, after seven (7) months of declaring an end to the 10th outbreak in the province. The African Union Commission, through the Africa CDC, has been supporting such multiple disease outbreak in DR Congo, including COVID-19 with deployment of experts, supplies and supporting community health workers. “I wish to congratulate the Government of DRC, and to reaffirm our commitment as Africa CDC will continue to work with the Government, and other partners to better coordinate our efforts in strengthening health systems in the DRC and across Africa.” said Dr John Nkengasong. Emergency Response and Preparedness Central Africa, Eastern Africa, Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Western Africa COVID-19 AMSP, AVATT, Africa, AfricanUnion, AstraZeneca, Bank, COVID19, COVID19Africa, COVID19Vaccine, Coronavirus, Digital, Disease, Dose, Finance, Financing, Freezers, Health, JNJCares, Logistics, Medical, Medtech, PPE, Pandemic, Pfizer, Preorder, Syringes, Tech, Techforgood, Vaccination, Vaccines, VaccinesForAfrica Africa CDC strengthens the capacity and capability of Africa’s public health institutions as well as partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and outbreaks, based on data-driven interventions and programmes.
|
Disease Outbreaks
| null | null |
Darwin Harbour oil spill response by EPA questioned
|
The Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority's (EPA) response to an oil spill in Darwin Harbour has been "dismal," according to the peak body for recreational fishers.
The spill of a fuel oil was reported to Darwin Port at 4:00am on Friday.
The Amateur Fishermen's Association of the Northern Territory (AFANT) chief executive, Tristan Sloan, said no government agency had contacted the association about the spill.
"The communication process around it, from the NT EPA and authorities involved, really has been dismal to say the least at this stage, and we'd like to see that improved in the future," he said.
"When these type of things happen, there needs to be immediate action happen to contain it and control it and find the culprits."
Mr Sloan described the lack of action from authorities as "very poor communication".
"Though, I'm certainly not in a position to judge at this time as I am not aware of all the facts, it seems they were slow to respond to it as well," he said.
NT EPA chair Dr Bill Freeland declined to respond to Mr Sloan's comments.
On Friday, Dr Freeland said the way the oil had formed on the surface of the water meant it would be difficult to mitigate.
"In terms of containment, there are no really effective ways of containing fine sheens of oil spread over large areas," he said.
Authorities have not provided any update on spill today. They are continuing to investigate where the oil came from.
Mr Sloane said fishers believed the oil was from a ship.
"If it has been identified as coming from a ship, certainly Darwin Harbour and the Harbour Master under ports authorities really has quite a lot of intelligence on the window for large scale shipping traffic leaving and entering the port.
"It would be fairly easy to identify within 24 to 48 hours what ships were in and out of the Harbour."
The Australian Marine Conservation Society northern marine campaigner Jacqui Taylor went out on the harbour in a boat today to collect water samples for testing.
Ms Taylor said she was concerned about the implications of the spill for marine life.
"We are not sure of the extent of it but you know there is a good chance it could affect commercial and recreational fisheries, and we are also very concerned about any animal life and marine life that live within the harbour," she said.
She said the spill demonstrated the need for a plan to protect Darwin Harbour.
"Now is the time to act. We have already seen a range of threats to the harbour we are getting a much larger increase in shipping especially as INPEX is completed, there is going to be about 400 boats moving in and out of here a year."
)
|
Environment Pollution
| null | null |
2017 Batangas earthquakes
|
The 2017 Batangas earthquakes were an earthquake swarm[2] that occurred from early April to mid-August 2017, affecting the province of Batangas in the Philippines and other nearby areas. The first major earthquake occurred on April 4 at 8:58 pm Philippine Standard Time, with a surface wave magnitude of 5.5 off the coast of Batangas. According to the PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale, the earthquake had an intensity of VI (Very Strong). [3]
On April 8, stronger earthquakes occurred in the province. The PHIVOLCS recorded the strongest earthquake later that afternoon that had a surface wave magnitude of 6.0. [1] Another earthquake struck on August 11, with a surface wave magnitude of 6.3. Three years later, Taal Volcano, about 25 kilometers from the epicenter, erupted after 43 years of inactivity. The quake was recorded by PHIVOLCS on April 4, 2017 at 8:58 PM (UTC+8). Based on that record, the epicenter of the 5.5 earthquake was located 7 kilometers northwest of Tingloy, Batangas. The earthquake was of tectonic origin. Metro Manila and nearby provinces felt shaking at Intensity 3 while Obando, Bulacan felt Intensity 4, and Batangas City experienced Intensity 6 shaking. [4][5] The earthquake is suspected to be the caused by the movement of the Lubang Fault. [6] At 1:00 pm on April 7, PHIVOLCS stated that they have recorded 934 aftershocks; 118 of which were plotted and while 14 were reportedly felt. [7]
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center announced no tsunami warning following the earthquake. [citation needed]
Two earthquakes occurred near the towns of Mabini and Tanauan on April 8. PHIVOLCS recorded the first earthquake which occurred near Mabini at 3:07 pm as having a surface wave magnitude of 5.6 while the second earthquake which happened in Talaga Proper, Mabini, Batangas, at 3:09 pm was recorded as having a surface wave magnitude of 6.0. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the first as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake while the second as a moment magnitude of 5.9 earthquake. [8][1]
PHIVOLCS recorded the earthquake which occurred at 1:28 pm as having a surface wave magnitude of 6.3. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the earthquake as a moment magnitude of 6.2 earthquake. Earthquakes with at least magnitude 5 as recorded by PHIVOLCS:
Damages on some buildings, resorts and houses have been reported. The Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours or Taal Basilica, which is considered to be the largest Roman Catholic Church in Asia and located in Taal, Batangas, sustained damage during the April 4 earthquake. The April 8 earthquakes caused concrete blocks to fall from the church facade. [9] The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Church in Batangas City also sustained damage on its walls during the April 8 quake. [10]
The Batangas Provincial capitol also sustained damaged from the April 4 earthquake. The initial estimated cost of damage to the building was ₱18 million. On April 5, the Batangas provincial government declared a state of calamity. [11]
Six people were injured by the 8 April quake. Around 14,000 people were temporarily relocated in evacuation centers. [12]
During his installation on April 21, 2017, Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera ordered Father Aurelio Oscar Dimaapi to temporarily close the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in order to prevent injuries. In the aftermath of the August 11 tremor, many students were disturbed since the tremor struck during class hours. Several schools suspended classes after the earthquake. So far, no damage has been reported. The earthquake also damaged several power plants supplying the Luzon Grid, like one generator unit of the Ilijan Power Plant, one unit of Avion Power Plant, all units of Santa Rita Combined Cycle Power Plant, and one unit of San Lorenzo Combined Cycle Power Plant, resulting to a loss of 2,584 MW. The switchyard of San Lorenzo Power Plant was damaged and a transmission tower was toppled also by the earthquakes. As a result, the power supply reserve for Luzon decreased, leading the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to place the Luzon Grid on "yellow" alert on April 10 and 11, and the Department of Energy ordered immediate repair of power plants damaged. [13][14] A policy to protect the grid from earthquake damage is being drafted by the Department of Energy after the quakes. [15]
|
Earthquakes
| null | null |
UK Firefighter strike 2002
|
The 2002–2003 UK firefighter dispute began when the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) voted to take strike action in an attempt to secure a better salary. The FBU demanded a 39 percent increase in pay, which would have brought the average firefighter's wage to around £30,000. It balloted its members for a strike in late 2002 and the industrial action began in November. It was the first nationwide firefighters' strike in the UK since the 1970s. [1] The strike was led by FBU General Secretary Andy Gilchrist. [2]
Local authorities recommended a pay increase of 4%, whilst an independent review advised 11%. The FBU rejected both of these requesting 40%. The government argued that this could result in substantially higher wages across the public sector and tax increases. [3] The Independent Review of the Fire Service (known as the "Bain Review") proposed increasing salaries, on condition that the fire service was reformed, including firefighters being trained as paramedics. [4]
The first few weeks of the planned action were postponed while negotiation took place. The first period, a two-day strike, began at 18:00 hrs GMT, on Wednesday 13 November and ended at 18:00 on Friday 15 November. In the event that reconciliation could not be brokered, further industrial action was planned. [5]
The armed forces provided emergency cover during the strike, using vintage Green Goddess engines, and modern red fire appliances, as Operation Fresco. The armed forces also fielded small breathing apparatus rescue teams (BART) and rescue equipment support teams (REST) headed by professional firefighters of the RAF and staffed by specially trained members of all three services. [citation needed]
Each side placed the responsibility entirely with the other; the FBU said that their employers' failure to meet their demands was the cause of the strike. Many feared that lives would be lost in fires because of a lack of a prompt response by emergency services. There were numerous examples of striking firefighters responding to emergency calls from the picket line and several rescues were made in this way. [citation needed]
The first few weeks of the planned action were postponed while negotiation took place. The FBU rejected an offer that would amount to 11 percent over two years from a review body headed by Sir George Bain, and were unwilling to accept reforms to their working conditions. The FBU was widely criticised for its initial demand for a 40 percent pay-rise for both firefighters and support workers; indeed, it refused to abandon this demand despite mounting public disquiet concerning the FBU's stance. [citation needed]
On 19 March 2003, leaders of the FBU and negotiators for the local authority employers reached a provisional agreement based on a three-year pay settlement and an understanding that modernisation measures would be subject to some measure of local negotiation. However this was voted down by local area FBU representatives the following day. [6] On 20 March 2003, Paul Woolstenholmes, an FBU official in Suffolk set up a political party, Firefighters Against Cuts. [7] However this did not develop, with only a handful of candidates contesting seats in Suffolk Coastal,[8] East Renfrewshire[9] and South Ayrshire. [10]
On 12 June 2003 at an FBU conference in Glasgow, the dispute ended with the firefighters accepting a pay deal worth 16 percent over three years linked to changes to working conditions. Even though large parts of the FBU membership wanted to continue the strikes. [citation needed]
Tensions were raised again in 2004, when the FBU and local authority employers clashed over whether the deal brokered in 2003 was being honoured. However, this round of negotiations was settled without recourse to industrial action in August of that year. [11]
Disaffection with the FBU leaders after Industrial Action, lead to Andy Gilchrist being voted out of office in 2005, being replaced by the current FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack.
|
Strike
| null | null |
22 hospitalized from carbon monoxide poisoning at Tainan swimming pool
|
8 adults and 14 children were hospitalized after suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning at Tainan YMCA
2021/01/08 13:02
(CNA photo)
Eight adults and 14 children were hospitalized on Thursday after suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning at a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) swimming pool in Tainan, southern Taiwan.
The city's Fire Bureau sent officers and ambulances to the pool at about 5 p.m., after receiving reports that many patrons were feeling unwell, light headed or had vomited.
A carbon monoxide detector showed that the level of the toxic gas in the basement heated swimming pool was 499 parts per million (ppm), far higher than average indoor levels of 0.5 to 5 ppm.
(Carbon monoxide detector shows that level of gas was 499 ppm. Tainan City Government's Fire Bureau photo)
The 22 people affected by the gas were taken to five different hospitals in Tainan, and are all in stable condition, according to the bureau.
The high level of carbon monoxide is believed to have been caused by incomplete combustion of fuel in a water heater at the pool, which occurred because a switch that allows airflow into the heater had not been turned on, a preliminary investigation by the bureau found.
However, two representatives of the YMCA offered slightly different versions of events. Hou Cheng-yen (侯成彥) told CNA that all students, parents and teachers were evacuated from the building when the incident occurred, but they remain unsure how it happened.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che talks to a person affected at the YMCA. (Tainan City Government photo)
In contrast, Chen Chen-chieh (陳振傑) said the YMCA will fix its appliances to ensure no more leaks occur in the future.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲), who visited the scene, said he plans to require all businesses in the city to install carbon monoxide detectors at their premises.
Under Taiwan's Indoor Air Quality Act, the permissible level of carbon monoxide is an average of 9 ppm over an eight-hour period. Owners or managers who fail to maintain air quality standards will be ordered to make improvements within a certain time period and those who fail to do so can be fined NT$50,000 (US$1,744) to NT$250,000.
|
Mass Poisoning
| null | null |
LIST: Closure status for CCISD, other area school districts
|
and last updated 2021-09-13 19:49:18-04 As Tropical Storm Nicholas approaches the Coastal Bend, school districts across the area prepare as coastal flooding and tropical-storm-force winds are expected. Here's a list of school closures provided by the school districts. Corpus Christi Independent School District - Classes are canceled Monday because of Tropical Storm Nicholas. The district said it expects classes will resume on Tuesday. Calallen ISD - Returning to school on normal schedule Tuesday, September 14. Flour Bluff ISD- Due to rapidly deteriorating weather conditions associated with Tropical Storm Nicholas, the decision has been made to cancel school on Monday, September 13, for all Flour Bluff ISD campuses. The cancellation also includes any activities and events scheduled for Monday, September 13. Click here for the latest updates . Gregory-Portland ISD - Schools will have an early release at 11:45 a.m. Monday for elementary schools and noon for middle and high schools. All extracurricular activities and events are canceled for today. Bus routes will run along the early release schedule, and rural routes may be covered by multiple buses (which may result in some students arriving home earlier). Lunch will be provided "to go" for students being released before their regular lunch time. The City of Portland has also informed us that there will be no Kidz Klub today. The district will continue to monitor weather forecasts and local conditions across the Coastal Bend region, and will provide more information for families and staff regarding plans for tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 14th) before 6 p.m. today. This information will be communicated via our standard notification process (phone, email, text, website, and social media). West Oso ISD- West Oso ISD to open all campuses and offices Tuesday. Texas A&M Corpus Christi- The university will host remote learning on Monday Sept. 13 and Tuesday Sept. 14. Staff are asked to report to campus on Monday morning for storm readiness duties and online learning starting at noon. Residence and dining halls will remain open and the dining hall will operate with normal business hours. Texas A&M Kingsville- Out of an abundance of caution, classes for Monday, September 13, are canceled and the Marc Cisneros Center for Young Children will be closed. Campus itself will remain open Monday, including residence life, food service, and the Jernigan Library. The Student Rec Center will also be open from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Most campus offices will also remain open, and most employees should report to work as normal. Del Mar College- Due to changing conditions associated with the forecast track of Tropical Storm Nicholas, the Del Mar College Crisis Management Team has decided to open all College facilities and resume normal operations tomorrow, Tuesday, September 14. All classes will resume as previously scheduled and employees will resume normal working hours. Coastal Bend College - Due to the imminent impact of the approaching tropical storm, all Coastal Bend College sites will be closed on Monday. "This is done to provide students, employees, and their families time to prepare for this weather event," the school said in a statement. "We will keep you informed of developments in our stance by CBC email, on our website, and on other college generated social media." Southern Careers Institute Corpus Christi Campus- All classes scheduled for Monday will be conducted via Zoom. Classes are not canceled and campus is still open. Diocese of Corpus Christi Catholic Schools- All schools will be closed Monday Sept. 13. This includes the catholic schools in Alice, Rockport, and Robstown. Craft Training Center of the Coastal Bend: Director of Administration and Facilities Nancy Brown told us that classes at the facility are canceled all day on Monday because of Tropical Storm Nicholas. Second Baptist Church Childhood Development Center: The facility will be closed today because of the approaching storm. St. James Episcopal School- Due to anticipation of high winds and flooding from Tropical Storm Nicholas, St. James will be closed Monday, the 13th. Classes are expected to resume on Tuesday unless otherwise notified. Other South Texas school districts closed for Monday include: Aransas County ISD- ACISD continues to monitor Tropical Storm Nicholas along with City and County officials. The latest weather conditions indicate that the storm will leave our area early Tuesday morning. All schools will be scheduled to open on time Tuesday, September 14, 2021. Aransas Pass ISD - "APISD campuses will resume normal school hours tomorrow, Tuesday, September 14th. We will continue to monitor weather and travel conditions through the evening and will inform parents/guardians and staff in the event of any changes. See you tomorrow morning Panthers!". Click here for the very latest. Bishop CISD - Due to Tropical Storm Nicholas, BCISD will be closed for F2F and remote instruction on Monday, September 13. As flooding may impact bus routes, BCISD may decide to close again on Tuesday but that decision has not yet been made. Brooks County ISD - "In an abundance of caution and for the safety and well-being of our faculty, staff, and student body, Books County ISD will be canceling all face-to-face and remote classes for tomorrow Monday, September 13, 2021 due to inclement weather." Dr ML Garza-Gonzalez Charter School - Will have early dismissal at 12:30 p.m. Driscoll ISD- classes will be cancelled for Monday, September 13, due to Tropical Storm Nicholas. The district will keep the community updated on any possible future closures. Ingleside ISD- All campuses will be closed on Monday, September 13 for all students and staff. A decision on reopening campuses on Tuesday, September 14 will be made Monday afternoon. Jubilee - Kingsville - Out of an abundance of caution, Jubilee-Kingsville will be closed Monday, September 13, 2021. The local area is expecting a tropical storm that may result in power loss, connectivity issues, and flooding. All classes will be canceled and students will not be expected to report virtually. Click here for updates . Nueces County Juvenile Justice Alternate Education Program- Classes canceled Monday. Kingsville Independent School District- KISD will close schools, Monday, September 13th, 2021. Odem-Edroy ISD- in anticipation of the possibility of heavy rains and localized flooding associated with Tropical Storm Nicholas, school is canceled for Monday, September 13. Port Aransas ISD - Returning to school on normal schedule Tuesday, September 14. Refugio ISD - is canceling classes and school activities on Monday, September 13 as Tropical Storm Nicholas threatens the area. Further notification will be shared on the District’s website, the District’s Facebook page , and through School Messenger. Ricardo ISD- As the tropical storm poses a threat to the community, classes are canceled for Monday Sept. 13. Weather conditions will be monitored and updates will be given to parents as changes occur. Riviera ISD - Rivera ISD will close schools Monday. School administrators report to keep up on the latest on their Facebook page. Here is a link to their Facebook page . Robstown ISD- Due to forecasted inclement weather associated with Tropical Storm Nicholas, school is canceled for Monday, September 13. Santa Gertrudis ISD - Santa Gertrudis ISD will be closed on Monday. Parents can check on the district's Facebook page for the latest on when schools will continue. Sinton ISD- Sinton ISD will be closed tomorrow. Parents can check the Sinton ISD websit e for the latest on when schools reopen. Taft ISD - The district will have an early release at 11:30 a.m. on Monday. A decision about classes on Tuesday will be announced later today. Tuloso-Midway ISD - "Due to increased chances of heavy rain, flooding and high winds due to Tropical Storm Nicholas, all district campuses and offices will be closed on Monday, September 13, 2021. We will continue to assess the weather and determine if the district can safely reopen on Tuesday, September 14, 2021." School districts will be providing updates on closures as the storm gets closer. This list will be updated as the information becomes available. Richard Milburn Academy Corpus Christi - Principal Elizabeth Hanna says they will close the campus Monday due to Tropical Storm Nicholas. Dr. M L Garza-Gonzalez Charter School - Superintendent Michael Sandroussi says they have made the decision to cancel classes Monday due to the storm. Gregory-Portland- School is open Monday and there is no change to the schedule. Beeville ISD- School administrators report the schools will be reopened Tuesday. Alice ISD- School is open and bus routes operating as usual. Premont ISD- Open Monday Benavides ISD- Class is on for Monday, possible early release. Banquete ISD- Classes and after school activities canceled Monday. Woodsboro ISD- Campus closed Monday. Three Rivers ISD- Open Monday Skidmore-Tynan ISD- Classes will let out early on Monday. Elementary will be let out at 12:30 p.m., Junior High and High School will follow at 12:40. They are also expecting to be closed Tuesday, Sept. 14. Check their website and Facebook page for any more updates.
|
Organization Closed
| null | null |
American Sydney McLaughlin wipes out own world record to seize gold in women's 400m hurdles
|
Only one of the world's best hurdlers could win the Olympic gold medal — and McLaughlin came out ahead in the latest instalment of the best rivalry in track.
The 21-year-old from New Jersey won the 400-metre hurdles title Wednesday, finishing in 51.46 seconds in yet another history-making day on the Olympic oval.
McLaughlin came from behind after the last hurdle to top the defending Olympic champion. Muhammad's time of 51.58 also beat McLaughlin's old record of 51.90, set at Olympic trials in June. But Muhammad got the silver and is the second-fastest hurdler in the world.
"I think that's really iron sharpening iron," McLaughlin said. "Every time we step on the track, it's always something fast."
For McLaughlin, it was a muted celebration — in part, certainly, because traversing 400 metres while clearing 10 hurdles at 17 miles-per-hour is so much more exhausting than she makes it look.
"There was some lactic acid building up," she said.
WATCH | Sydney McLaughlin bests own world record to claim gold in women's 400m hurdles:
She sat on the ground, gave a serious look toward the scoreboard — yep, it's a record ... again — then got up and moved toward the hand-sanitizing station. Muhammad came over and gave her a congratulatory hug. They'll meet again. World championships are next July.
Impressive as McLaughlin's race was, this record didn't really surprise anyone.
McLaughlin and Muhammad, a New York City native who went to Southern Cal, have been trading the record, and the wins, for two years. Muhammad first broke the mark at U.S. Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2019, then lowered it again, to 52.16, at the world championships in Qatar.
McLaughlin broke that record earlier this summer at Olympic trials, running her 51.90 to become the first woman to crack 52 seconds.
It felt inevitable that the mark would go down again on a fast track in perfect, hot-and-humid running conditions in Tokyo.
Only a day earlier, Norway's Karsten Warholm crushed his old world record, finishing the men's race in 45.94, and runner-up Rai Benjamin's 46.17 also beat the old mark. Six runners in that race set national, continental or world records.
Starting from Lane 7, Muhammad came out of the blocks and made up the lag quickly — too quickly? — as they cruised down the backstretch.
"The perfectionist in me looks back and says 'I could have done this, I could done that,"' Muhammad said. "But I can't do that too much."
Slowly, steadily, McLaughlin drew even, and they were at nearly a draw when they reached the final 100 metres. As McLaughlin and Muhammad scaled the last hurdle, it was McLaughlin who started inching away.
The .12-second margin was close — but not as close as in Doha, when McLaughlin lost by .07 in a race that changed her thinking.
She had burst onto the scene in 2016, a 16-year-old who loved to tell the story about how she could juggle, and ride a unicycle, and do both at the same time. She could hurdle, too, and had youth titles and trips to major world competitions under her belt on her way to the big-time.
She earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in one of the most stacked events on the program, Muhammad, already in her prime, won a gold medal in Rio de Janeiro. McLaughlin was out in the semifinal round. A great learning experience.
"Early on, you could tell right away she was super special and just continued to get better and better every single year," said Mike McCabe, McLaughlin's high school coach, who watched the race with friends at a restaurant in Mountainside, New Jersey.
By 2019, McLaughlin had graduated from high school and had bigger dreams. The races at U.S. Nationals and the World Championships showed how good McLaughlin really was, but left her with an undisputable reality. Muhammad, a late bloomer who didn't have a sponsor or a spot at the London Olympics in 2012, was better.
McLaughlin changed coaches, moving to work with the famed Bobby Kersee, whose expertise has helped produce what could be a wing of a track and field Hall of Fame: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence Griffith Joyner, Allyson Felix.
Now, McLaughlin.
Part of Kersee's magic involved having McLaughlin work at shorter distances, jump off the opposite foot, run indoors more and just get used to different situations. They also worked on staying focused.
She didn't get rattled at trials, even when a faulty starting system forced the field back into the blocks three times during a scorching-hot day of qualifying.
Nothing seemed to bother her in Tokyo, where she dealt with quarantine rules, early wake-up times (4 a.m. for the first round) and a drenching rainstorm that hit during the semifinals.
"Bobby always talks about Muhammad Ali, and always having to be ready for that left hook," McLaughlin said earlier this summer when asked how she deals with the unexpected.
In this case, it was another Muhammad — Dalilah Muhammad — who stood in the way of McLaughlin's goal. She handled that, too, though it's hard to think this is the end of this rivalry.
"There's no bad blood," McLaughlin insisted. "I think it's two athletes wanting to be their best and knowing there's another great girl who's going to help you get there."
Get up to speed on what’s happening in sports, delivered every weekday afternoon.
The next issue of The Buzzer will soon be in your inbox.Discover all CBC newsletters in the Subscription Centre.
To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted.
By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.
Join the conversation Create account
Already have an account?Log in
Commenting is now closed for this story.
Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6 Toll-free (Canada only): 1-866-306-4636
TTY/Teletype writer: 1-866-220-6045
It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges.
|
Break historical records
| null | null |
2012 Romanian protests
|
The 2012 Romanian protests were a series of protests and civil manifestations triggered by the introduction of new health reform legislation. In particular, President Traian Băsescu criticized the Deputy Minister of Health, Raed Arafat, on a Romanian television broadcast. The protests became violent, with both protesters and members of the Gendarmerie sustaining injuries during their clashes. On the morning of 5 February 2012, Prime Minister Emil Boc announced his resignation because of the protests. He said that his decision would release the tension in the country's political and social situation. [6]
Protests, on a lesser scale, continued in University Square in Bucharest. The protesters demanded the president's resignation and early general elections. There were ongoing protests in Romania in subsequent months over a variety of disagreements. In 2010, in the recession of the late 2000s, the Boc government, with the support of president Traian Băsescu, imposed a series of tax increases and cuts in public sector wages and social benefits. [7][8] Boc also imposed a new labour code, which was informed by multinational corporations and business representatives such as the Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce,[9] the major Romanian trade unions, and some employers' organizations. [10][11] At the time, the Boc government ruled by only a small majority and the parliamentary opposed all the new measures. Boc therefore used a special procedure provided by the Constitution of Romania to pass the new measures. [12]
In the last days of 2011, the government introduced a new healthcare bill. It would have reduced state funded health benefits, de-regulated the health insurance market, and privatised Romanian hospitals. [13]
One of the main objectors was the undersecretary, Raed Arafat, the founder of the "Mobile Service Emergency Resuscitation and Extrication" (SMURD) service, a public emergency service partially funded by private donations and partially by the government. His concern was the privatization of emergency services, which he believed would lead to the disappearance of the public service, as for-profit emergency service companies would have access to both private and public funds. [14][15] President Băsescu criticised Arafat for his opposition. [16] On 9 January 2012, in a phone call to a TV talk show, Băsescu suggested Arafat leave the Cabinet. [17] Arafat resigned the following day, citing the main reason as the need for a fair criticism of the healthcare bill from outside the government. [18] On 10 January, in Bucharest, Arafat and SMURD met to unite in opposition. [19] On 11 January, an Arafat-SMURD solidarity meeting was held in Cluj-Napoca in the north-west. [20]
On 12 January 2012, demonstrations grew in size and spread to Târgu Mureş, the base of SMURD. There, 1,500 to 4,000 people took part in a march organised with the help of the social networking site, "Facebook". [21] As well as supporting SMURD, the marches also started to call for the resignation of Băsescu. [22]
On 13 January 2012, in the evening, president Băsescu held a press conference and asked for the bill to be quashed, citing resistance from the populace. He also criticised those opposing the bill for cronyism. The health minister Ladislau Ritli, acquiesced. [23] Despite these actions, protests continued. On 12 January 2012, a non-violent protest was held in Târgu Mureș to express solidarity with the SMURD founder, Raed Arafat. People gathered in the center of Târgu Mureș moved on the march towards the SMURD headquarters, blocking traffic, and demonstrators were joined by several hundred people, so that their number reached approximately 3,000. [24] Several petitions had drawn up on social networking websites, these having hundreds of thousands, even millions of upholders. [25]
On 13 January 2012, in the evening, a rally was held at the University Square, in Bucharest to support Arafat. At around 19:00 local time, protesters marched towards the Cotroceni Palace. The number of demonstrators increased to about 2,000. [26] Other large anti-presidential manifestations were organized in Bucharest, Brașov, Timișoara and Sibiu. No meeting was authorized. On 14 January 2012, protesters rallied at University Square and outside the gates of Cotroceni Palace. To avoid clashes, protective fences were installed. Around 18:00 local time, protesters blocked the Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard. After the intervention of gendarmes, Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard was cleared and people were pushed to the sidewalk. [27]
Around 20:50 local time, protesters threw stones at the gendarmes. The Gendarmerie and police officers used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. [28]
Ambulance Bucharest and SMURD crews intervened for medical care to 20 people. Of these, five were gendarmes. Likewise, an operator of Antena 3 was injured during the protests, after being hit by a brick thrown into the melee. Gendarmes picked up 29 protesters, after they threw blunt objects and have disturbed public order. [29][30]
On 15 January 2012, the demonstrations continued. From the early morning, protesters gathered in the squares of Romania's main cities. They waved Romanian flags cut in the middle (the symbol of the 1989 Romanian Revolution). They called for early elections.
|
Protest_Online Condemnation
| null | null |
FBI Seeks Second Suspect in Killing of Security Guard During Gary Bank Robbery
|
The FBI was searching for a second person believed to have been involved in the fatal shooting of a security guard during a robbery at a Gary, Indiana, bank Friday, authorities said. NBC 5’s Natalie Martinez reports. The FBI was searching for a second person believed to have been involved in the fatal shooting of a security guard during a robbery at a Gary, Indiana, bank Friday, authorities said. The shooting was reported before 2 p.m. at the First Midwest Bank, 1975 W. Ridge Rd. Two men armed with a handgun and rifle "apparently ambushed the security officer" and killed him outside the bank, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Department. It's believed the suspects then entered the bank and demanded money, according to sheriff's deputies. "I heard some gunshots," said Eric Brantley, the owner of a nearby resale shop. "Then... I heard some sirens in there working and saw the tape. Everything was taped off." One suspect was apprehended in the hours following the fatal shooting, authorities confirmed. Sheriff's deputies released surveillance photos of the suspects late Friday afternoon. The Lake County Coroner's Office identified the security guard as Richard Castellana, 55, of Tinley Park. Mike Richardson, who works at a nearby car dealership, said he regularly saw Castellana walking in the parking lot.
|
Bank Robbery
| null | null |
Great Fire of 1852
|
The Great Fire of 1852 was a fire in Montreal that began on July 8, 1852, and left as many as 10,000 people homeless (at a time when the city's population was only 57,000) and destroyed almost half of the city's housing. The fire occurred at a time when the city's recently constructed reservoir, located at the site of today's Saint-Louis Square, was drained and closed for repairs. The first fire broke out at a tavern on St. Lawrence Boulevard and spread quickly, fanned by strong winds and hot, dry summer weather. [1][2]
The fire that started on St. Lawrence originated from a wooden house, as was typical at the time. It spread from there to the block in between Saint Denis Street and Craig Street (now Saint Antoine Street). The flames engulfed the Saint Jacques Cathedral, the hospital on Dorchester Street and the Theatre Royal. Within hours, one quarter of Montreal was destroyed. [3]
Montreal was founded in 1642. Wealthy French-Canadians moved to the area in search of a new place to settle. The new colony formed a government and educational system, which grew as the years went on. Later on in Montreal's history, the diversity of citizens increased as work became more available. This meant mostly Irish and Chinese, who came to North America in search of work but ironically were the ones who were most affected by the fire. Prior to Great Fire of 1852, there were several other fires and problems that occurred. The most notable was when the Parliament building was set ablaze in 1849. The city was in economic turmoil and this left houses and stores with out any business or tenants. Following the parliament building blaze, there were four more major blazes in the early 1850s that consumed many of Montreal's housing districts. These fires destroyed over 350 different buildings in the span of two years. This, however, was nowhere near the number of homes engulfed by the Great Fire of July 8 and 9 of 1852. The Montreal Fire Brigade originated as a volunteer service which was not particularly effective in combating fires. Early on, the only way to obtain water was by going to public water pumps, private wells, or to a nearby river or lake. While combating fires, it would be incredibly difficult for volunteer firefighters to go from the burning houses, back to the water supply, and back again to the blaze. This would take too much time, allowing the fire to rage on. One way to solve this problem was to have carters going from the water supply to the homes in Montreal. These carters would carry buckets of water to the city and try to get there before any other carters could. This was due to the incentive of three dollars extra pay for getting there first. This of course would cause for the carters to rush, not fill the bucket all the way, or spill some of the water on their way over to the house. Spilling water would cause major problems while fighting fires because there would not be enough to put out a house fire and once they ran out of water, the fire would rage out of control. The Montreal Fire Brigade at the time of the July 8–9, 1852 fire was a group of around 12 volunteer firefighters. The coordinator of this company of volunteers was a man named John Perrigo. Perrigo was not the best fire chief that had ever served the people of Montreal and his actions to combat the fire demonstrated this. His main plan was to destroy buildings that were on fire to cause a firebreak. The few volunteer firefighters were no match for the fire. They required help from soldiers to dismantle buildings in order to stop the destruction. [4]
The professional era of the fire brigade came to be in the late nineteenth century. The city's government found it too expensive to hire the manpower to operate the equipment that had been used previously. The new steam fire engine allowed the city to hire the men who were trained in the use of the machinery and in the art of firefighting. This new technology and the need for professional firefighters changed the Montreal Fire Brigade forever. The disaster led to the construction of a newer and larger reservoir and to the dismissal of the city's chief engineer, who had coordinated Montreal's all-volunteer fire companies, for failing to respond quickly enough to stop the spread of the blaze. [1][2]
After the fire, Montreal began to urbanize and industrialize. With the progressive movement, newer and safer houses needed to be built in order to provide shelter to the new inhabitants of the city. New fireproof technology was introduced to building architecture in order to prevent destructive fires. Much of the blame for the disaster was attributed to the wooden gutters that were used in Montreal at the time. When the gutters caught fire, they caused the rafters to be set ablaze as well, which caused the inside of the buildings be engulfed as well as the fire grew. [5] A witness to the rebuilding stage stated that the new buildings were of greater quality and that the lots that were not being built on were some of the best areas in the city. [5]
|
Fire
| null | null |
WFP warns 3 million more now ‘teetering on the edge of famine’
|
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Monday that the number of people teetering on the edge of famine in 43 countries, has risen to 45 million - up by three million this year - as acute hunger spikes around the world. This number has risen from 42 million earlier in the year, and 27 million in 2019, the agency said, in a news release. ?Hunger is on the rise ?Conflict, climate change, and the #COVID19 pandemic have spiked an unprecedented global crisis, pushing families in 43 countries one step away from famine.The price of doing nothing will be measured in lost lives. #FightFamine pic.twitter.com/jZDq8RepyU The increase is based on those who are living within the official hunger classification of IPC4 (and worse) in Afghanistan, alongside other increases in Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Angola, Kenya, and Burundi. “Tens of millions of people are staring into an abyss. We’ve got conflict, climate change and COVID-19 driving up the numbers of the acutely hungry, and the latest data show there are now more than 45 million people marching towards the brink of starvation,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. He was speaking following a fact-finding mission to Afghanistan, where WFP is ramping up its support to assist almost 23 million people in need there “Fuel costs are up, food prices are soaring, fertilizer is more expensive, and all of this feeds into new crises like the one unfolding now in Afghanistan, as well as long-standing emergencies like Yemen and Syria,” he added. WFP said that together with humanitarian partners in hunger hotspots across the world, they are doing everything possible to increase aid for millions who risk starvation. However, available resources are unable to keep pace with demand, at a time when traditional funding streams are under huge strain. WFP estimates that the cost of averting famine globally now stands at $ 7 billion, up from some 6.6 billion, earlier in the year. “As the cost of humanitarian assistance rises exponentially, we need more funds to reach families across the globe who have already exhausted their capacity to cope with extreme hunger,” added the WFP chief. The agency said families facing acute food insecurity, are being forced to make “devastating choices to cope with the rising hunger.” A vulnerability analysis across the 43 countries surveyed, shows families being forced to eat less, or skip meals entirely. Sometimes children are being fed, while parents sacrifice meals, and are forced to go hungry. In Madagascar, where pockets of famine are already a reality, some are being forced to eat locusts, wild leaves, or cactus to survive. “Pockets of famine” have now been reported in Southern Madagascar, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.
|
Famine
| null | null |
Nepal Airlines Flight 555 crash
|
. Nepal Airlines Flight 555 was a short domestic scheduled flight from Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport in Nepal of about 20 minutes' flying time, operated by Nepal Airlines. On 16 May 2013 the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft operating the flight crashed while landing at Jomsom Airport. Seven of the twenty-one on board were seriously injured. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair. [1][2][3]
The aircraft involved was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter bearing the registration 9N-ABO. It was built in 1979 and was operated by Nepal Airlines ever since. Following this incident, the aircraft was written off. [4]
There were eight Japanese tourists on the flight. All sustained injuries, with four of them in a critical condition according to a police officer. [5]
An investigation will be carried out to determine what caused the accident. According to an official at Tribhuvan International Airport, preliminary reports have shown that windy conditions could have played a part in the crash. [1]
According to police, just after the aircraft touched down on the runway it veered towards the right and fell 20 metres (66 ft) down the bank of the Gandaki River. The forward fuselage was destroyed, but the rear of the aircraft remained intact. The left wing was found submerged in the river. [5]
The accident left Nepal Airlines with only two operational aircraft for its domestic flights. The airline said that it planned an engine exchange that would put three more Twin Otters, currently grounded, back in the air, but that process would take at least five months. In the meantime, the airline was expect to suffer a significant loss of market share. [6]
Contrary to common practices in aviation, Nepal Airlines did not retire the flight number 555 and still operates the flight from Pokhara to Jomsom under this number. [7]
.
|
Air crash
| null | null |
Indian Army to hold military exercises with African nations in Pune
|
The Indian Army will conduct military exercises with African nations at the Aundh Military station and College of Military Engineering in Pune. Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique and Uganda will be participating in the joint military exercise. The joint exercise named 'India-Africa Field Training' is being conducted with an aim to synergise United Nations peacekeeping operations. "The exercise will forge better military ties and extend India's outreach in Africa,' said an Army source. The exercise is scheduled to be held between March 18 to 27, 2019. The delegates from the participating countries have attended two rounds of conferences for planning the exercise. Training in anti-terror operations, humanitarian mine action and joint peace operations keeping in mind UN mission will be the focus of the military exercise. 'This is a positive step towards growing political and military ties with the African nations. It will boost strategic cooperation between the countries," the source added. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat along with senior officers from participating nations is also expected to attend the validation ceremony when the exercise is concluded. Also read: Budget squeeze threatens Indian Army's preparedness for possible two-front war ALSO WATCH| Will military push increase simmering 'Delhi-Kashmir divide'? Click here for IndiaToday.in’s complete coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. One death. Two theories. UP Police says youth killed self with jacket string, family cries custody killing Falguni Nayar joins world’s richest club after Nykaa’s bumper stock market listing SRK production, Abhishek Bachchan's Bob Biswas to premiere on Zee5 Delhi govt sprinkles water, uses barricades to disperse toxic foam in Yamuna Delhi's air quality remains in 'very poor' category Dengue outbreak grips Delhi, over 2,000 cases reported in one week Devendra Fadnavis shielded fake note racket: Nawab Malik's 'hydrogen bomb' BJP, AAP spar over toxic foam in Yamuna as devotees perform Chhath Puja Poland-Belarus Migrant Crisis Brews With Several Stuck In The Political Crossfire FC VIDEO: Social media’s Tata twist to Air India’s Bhangra moves
|
Military Exercise
| null | null |
Chandra Grahan 2021 fasting rules: What to eat, what to avoid, mantras to chant during Lunar Eclipse
|
Chandra Grahan 2021 fasting rules: What to eat, what to avoid, mantras to chant during Lunar Eclipse A total lunar eclipse will occur on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. It would be the first Lunar Eclipse of the year 2021. This lunar eclipse will be a magnificent one as it will be a supermoon. A supermoon is when a lunar eclipse and red blood moon occur simultaneously. In India, the ending of this lunar eclipse will be visible for a short span of time from the north-eastern parts of the country, West Bengal, and Odisha and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In India, there are many precautions and rituals (also known as Grahan Sutak) followed during Chandra Grahan . According to Hindu beliefs, the Earth atmosphere is contaminated during Sutak and extra precautions should be taken to avoid any harmful side effects due to contamination. Check below what to eat, what to avoid, mantras to chant during Chandra Grahan 2021 : Do not eat during Chandra Grahan Eating all type of food items either solid or liquid are prohibited during Sutak period. However, kids, sick and old people can eat during sutak if required.
|
New wonders in nature
| null | null |
Great New York City Fire of 1845
|
The Great New York City Fire of 1845 broke out on July 19, 1845, in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The fire started in a whale oil and candle manufacturing establishment and quickly spread to other wooden structures. It reached a warehouse on Broad Street where combustible saltpeter was stored and caused a massive explosion that spread the fire even farther. The fire destroyed 345 buildings in the southern part of what is now the Financial District, resulting in property damage estimated at the time between $5 million and $10 million (equivalent to between $139 million and $278 million in 2020). Four firefighters and 26 civilians died. The Great New York City Fire of 1845 was the last of three particularly devastating fires that affected the heart of Manhattan, the other two occurring in 1776 and 1835. While very destructive, the 1845 fire confirmed the value of building codes restricting wood-frame construction, which had been implemented in 1815. In spite of general improvements, the 1845 fire prompted public calls for a more proactive stance in fire prevention and firefighting, and the city established a reserve unit called the Exempt Fireman's Company. The fire started at about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, 1845, on the third floor of J. L. Van Doren, Oil Merchant and Stearin Candle Manufacturer, known as a seller of whale oil, at 34 New Street in Manhattan, and spread quickly to adjoining buildings. The City Hall alarm bell began to ring at about 3:00 a.m., summoning firefighters. [1][2]
Firefighters from the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), at that time a volunteer organization, arrived under the command of Chief Engineer Cornelius Anderson. As the fire grew, the FDNY personnel were joined by retired fire chiefs from the city and firefighting crews from Brooklyn, Newark, and Williamsburg. [1][3] Firemen battling the blaze were aided by water flowing from the Croton Aqueduct, which had been completed in 1842. [4] The fire either weakened in intensity or had been subdued by firefighters by 1:00 p.m. that day. [1][3]
During the ten and a half hours that it burned, the fire had destroyed buildings from Broad Street below Wall Street to Stone Street, up Whitehall Street to Bowling Green, and up Broadway to Exchange Place. [5] Thirty people in total were killed—including four firefighters and 26 civilians—and buildings were reported destroyed on Broadway, New Street, Broad Street, Exchange Place, Beaver Street, Marketfield Street, Whitehall Street, and South William Street. [1][6][3] All told, the fire destroyed 345 buildings in the southern part of what is now the Financial District,[7] resulting in property damage estimated at the time between $5 million[7] and $10 million[8][1] (equivalent to between $134 million and $268 million in 2019). [9]
There were multiple reports of looting during the fire and in its aftermath, both of businesses and private residences. At least two elderly women reported being approached by young men who offered to help them move their belongings from their damaged buildings, only to have their valuables stolen. [10]
In the fire's first two hours, it reached a large multi-story warehouse occupied by Crocker & Warren on Broad Street, where a large quantity of combustible saltpeter was stored. [3][10]
When Engine Co. 22 arrived, it was ordered to pump water on the warehouse. The company's firefighters entered the warehouse and dragged a hose up a staircase to direct water onto the fourth floor. When heavy black smoke began coming down the stairway, Foreman Garrett B. Lane ordered his firemen to evacuate. Fireman Francis Hart Jr. became trapped while trying to collect the hose and was forced to flee to the roof and escape over neighboring rooftops. [3]
At about 3:30 or 4:00 a.m., roughly five minutes after Engine Co. 22 evacuated, the building exploded. [1][3] The explosion flattened six to eight buildings, blew in the fronts of the opposite houses on Broad Street, and wrenched shutters and doors from buildings at some distance from the immediate area. It propelled bricks and other missiles through the air, threw many people down who had gone as far as Beaver Street, and spread the fire far and wide so that the whole neighborhood was set ablaze. [5] The explosion shattered windows a mile away and was heard as far away as Sandy Hook, New Jersey. [3]
Engine Co. 22's vehicle was blown across Broad Street and eventually burned. Several members of the company were injured. [1] Hart was thrown across a rooftop by the explosion but only sustained a minor ankle injury. Augustus L. Cowdrey of Engine Co. 42 and Dave Van Winkle of Engine Co. 5 were throwing water on an adjacent building when a second explosion occurred in the warehouse. The explosion threw Van Winkle into the street. [3] Cowdrey was killed, his body never found. His company continued to search for him amid the rubble for two days. [10] His name appears along with many others on a memorial in Trinity Churchyard in New York for volunteer firefighters who died in the line of duty. [11]
The cause of the explosion was debated in the days immediately following the fire. Public speculation led to the arrest of Crocker and Warren, the occupants of the warehouse. The Daily-Tribune reported that the explosions could not have occurred without the presence of gunpowder in addition to the saltpeter, and thus they were suspected of possessing gunpowder, which would have led to a murder charge. [10] However, later inquiry released Crocker and Warren of all charges as no evidence of gunpowder was discovered. [12]
There was some speculation that the explosion had been caused by the NY Gas Light Co.'s gasometer house, but Chief Engineer Cornelius Anderson released a statement the day of the fire stating that the explosion occurred before the flames ever reached the gas house. [10]
The Great New York City Fire of 1845 was the last of three particularly devastating fires that affected the heart of Manhattan, the other two occurring in 1776 and 1835. While very destructive, the 1845 fire confirmed the value of building codes restricting wood-frame construction. In 1815, city officials had banned new construction of wood-frame structures in the densest areas of the city. The 1845 fire demonstrated the efficacy of these restrictions, as the progress of the fire was checked when it spread toward areas rebuilt after the 1835 fire with such materials as stone, masonry, and iron roofs and shutters. [1][6] In spite of general improvements, the 1845 fire prompted public calls for a more proactive stance in fire prevention and firefighting. [3]
To strengthen the city's firefighting capabilities, the city established a reserve unit called the Exempt Fireman's Company, so called because it was made up of firemen who were exempt from militia and jury duty. The company was led by veteran fireman Zophar Mills, who had helped stop the 1835 fire from crossing Wall Street. [3]
|
Fire
| null | null |
Will's Forest: Raleigh park holds clues to historic legend of shipwrecked man freed from slavery
|
As families stroll, picnic and play by the trees in Fred Fletcher Park, many have no idea the surrounding area once held a 19th century mansion – and a mysterious legend of a castaway named Will, who escaped a slave ship and lived in the woods on the land that belonged to Joel Lane, commonly known as the 'Father of Raleigh.' The legend of Will's Forest dates back to the 1700s, before the City of Raleigh even existed--but his name still lives on the street sign for Will's Forest Street, which comes to a dead end at Fred Fletcher Park. "When you see references to 'Will’s Forest' in Raleigh, it refers to this story of 'Will' that appears in multiple accounts from the 1800s. In that story, Joel Lane or Colonel Devereux [depending on the account] rescued two enslaved men, possibly victims of a ship wreck, and is said to have given them land and a cabin on their property," said Lanie Hubbard, Director of the Joel Lane Museum House. "The area just north of Peace Street on both sides of Glenwood Avenue has been known as Will’s Forest for nearly as long as Raleigh has existed," wrote the State Archives of North Carolina. The story of Will's Forest originated from two written accounts – one by Ellen Mordecai and the other by Margaret Mordecai Devereux. Both women were related to Joel Lane, known as the father of Raleigh. The legend of Will's Forest begins in 1760, when a slave ship bound for the English colonies crashed on the North Carolina coast. Six naked and starving enslaved people were discovered, captured and brought to to the village of Bloomsbury, the community that would later become Raleigh. According to legend, Joel Lane took pity on the two remaining men, Mark and Will and built a cabin on the northern edge of the Devereux land for the two enslaved men to live in. The location of the cabin and plantation would have been where the Glenwood-Brooklyn neighborhood of Raleigh is today, where street names like Will's Forest Street and Devereux Street remain as reminders of the history hidden there. Ellen's account said Mark was quick-tempered and feared by local children. However, Will was kindhearted, jovial and beloved by the children of the Lane family. In fact, Devereux's book refers to him as 'Daddy Will.' Margaret described Will's cabin as "near a locust tree." She describes "a pretty little spring down in a dell at the foot of a steep hill" that they referred to as "Daddy Will's Spring." Will had a dog named Gibbersy and a rice patch of his own. While the Lane family did own slaves, and Ellen's account is full of its own prejudices, she said the children paid regular visits to 'Daddy Will' and remembered him fondly – perhaps explaining why the story of 'Will's Forest' has stuck so strongly throughout the generations. Will is said to have died in the 1820s or 30s, and he requested to be buried sitting up with his wallet, pipe, tobacco and walking stick placed beside him. Margaret wrote that he was buried on that very land, alongside his beloved dog and his gun. Hubbard said it's important to remember that neither of these women would have likely ever met Will. "All the records we have of Mark and Will are memories of memories," said said. The Will's Forest (or Devereux) Mansion was built in 1840, around 20 years after Will's death. The mansion was located in the present-day Glenwood-Brooklyn neighborhood of Raleigh. According to Ellen, it was built near the remains of Will's cabin in Will's Forest. The two known names of the mansion are reflected in the two modern streets in that neighborhood, Will's Forest Street and Devereux Street, which run directly parallel to each other. Margaret Devereux described the mansion as her family's summer home, three blocks east of St. Savior's Chapel. She said the family's land formed a circle of 10 acres in front of the mansion. For the 65 years the mansion stood, it was said to be "quite a destination for the upper crust," according to the State Archives. According to Margaret's account, the yard had "a small maple tree with queer round knobs on the trunk that made it easy to climb and several handsome magnolia trees." The children called the tree the Knobby Maple. Is it possible that maple could still be found somewhere in the park or the surrounding neighborhood today? The mansion was torn down in 1906, when the city extended Glenwood Avenue past Peace Street. Around the same time, a railroad was put through, paralleling Glenwood and slicing through the Devereux family property. Railroad tracks can still be seen cutting through the woods nearby. The land was divided and developed into the neighborhoods and park we see in modern times. The story of Will and Mark primarily comes from two accounts of women who heard stories of Will's Forest from their family members--not two women who actually recall these men personally. "All we have are people's memories of people's memories," said Hubbard. Ellen's story even begins, “Long time ago when my mother and aunts were little girls..." These words imply that Ellen is simply passing along family stories. Hubbard said, "The story has a lot of loose ends. Why would Joel Lane, living in Wake County, take responsibility for victims of a ship wreck all the way on the coast? Why is there no record of him purchasing the men, or record of him freeing the men?" Hubbard also wondered why Will and Mark are not listed together on Lane's estate records. She said she has found two men named Will in Lane's documentation, but one is married, so she doesn't think that's him. The other Will appears in Lane's documents, but there is no mention of Mark, who is supposed to have lived with him. "I feel like there’s enough detail, and the story shows up in a couple of different places, that there is some truth there," said Hubbard. However, she said there’s not enough detail to know exactly how much is true--and how much is legend passed down through family members of the Lane and Devereux family. Today, the legend of Will's Forest is not known to many Raleighites at all--even as they play by the trees at the end of Will's Forest Street.
|
Shipwreck
| null | null |
The outcome of the Labour leadership election between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith will be announced shortly.
|
The outcome of the Labour leadership election between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith will be announced shortly.
The winner will be unveiled in Liverpool where the party is preparing to hold its annual conference.
Mr Smith's challenge to the current Labour leader, who was only elected a year ago, follows months of tension between Mr Corbyn and many Labour MPs.
The Labour leader has offered to "wipe the slate clean" and reach out to his opponents if he is re-elected.
There has been speculation that a number of Labour MPs who resigned from Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet in June over his leadership could return in an attempt to heal the sharp divisions over the party's future direction.
The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said he expected Mr Corbyn to win and to "win big" - with a potentially larger margin of victory than last year - when he beat three other candidates and secured 59.6% of the vote. Turnout in this year's contest was 77.6%, with an estimated 496,000 party members, trade unionists and registered supporters having taken part. The two-month campaign has aroused strong passions on both sides and led to legal disputes over the rules and who is entitled to vote.
Mr Corbyn, a veteran left-wing MP who went from rank outsider to Labour leader last year, has stressed his commitment to far-reaching economic and political change and insisted he wants to lead Labour back into power and is not content with opposition.
In a video posted on twitter on Friday night, Mr Corbyn said the party had "a duty to unite, cherish and build our movement" whatever the result of the leadership poll.
He described the campaign as "robust and at times difficult" but said it had been "overwhelmingly respectful in tone".
Mr Corbyn also said his campaign team had created new networks that would be a "pivotal part" of Labour's general election campaign, which he said would be the party's "biggest, best and most visible".
By Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editor
Jeremy Corbyn's expected victory will come down to the passion of swathes of supporters he has won through his refusal to play politics as usual - ignoring calls to smooth his edges to fit into the standard mould.
It is also down to the sentiment among many members that having won a convincing mandate last year, Mr Corbyn deserves a second chance.
Last summer, the majority of Labour MPs miscalculated their party's mood and were astonished that Mr Corbyn won the top job.
His different style prompted a huge influx of new members who wanted to listen to him, not them.
Today they must grapple with a second miscalculation - that the leadership contest they hoped would weaken their leader will likely strengthen him instead.
During the campaign Mr Corbyn has drawn huge crowds to his rallies and retains the support of prominent union leaders, including Unite boss Len McCluskey.
But Mr Smith claimed that his rival was unelectable and that Labour, which lost more than 80 seats at the 2015 election, risks being further "decimated" if Mr Corbyn is still in place by the time of the next election scheduled for 2020.
The former work and pensions spokesman, one of those who quit Mr Corbyn's top team after the vote to leave the EU, has said he will remain on the backbenches if he loses.
The contest came about after more than 170 MPs supported a motion of no confidence in their leader.
Prior to that, more than 20 MPs had resigned from the shadow cabinet and a further 30 from the frontbench team in protest at Mr Corbyn's leadership style and performance during the EU referendum campaign - in which his support for the EU was more lukewarm than that of the majority of his colleagues.
Among those who called at the time for Mr Corbyn to stand aside were his predecessors as Labour leader, Ed Miliband and Lord Kinnock, who has warned that he may not see another Labour government in his lifetime.
The prospect of a second Corbyn victory prompted talk earlier this summer of a possible split in the party.
But in recent weeks, there have been reports that some of Mr Corbyn's critics are willing to serve under him despite their differences in an effort to maintain unity and provide a more effective opposition to the new prime minister Theresa May.
Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Corbyn acknowledged the election would not repair all the fractures in the party but that "an awful lot" of MPs were keen to "play their part".
And shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said there was a "real appetite" for MPs to rally round and serve on the opposition front bench.
While some of the criticism of Mr Corbyn had been "valid" and leadership had been a "huge learning curve", he suggested many MPs would give him a second chance.
"I think the majority of people want to say, 'We're done now... we move on and we present a united Labour Party," he said. "That is exactly what we have to do."
Labour MP Chuka Umunna said that although he would not be seeking a frontbench position, those who did had his "full support" and a split should be avoided at all costs.
The best way to bring the parliamentary party back together was to reinstate elections to the shadow cabinet, he suggested - a proposal discussed by party officials earlier this week but on which there is yet no agreement.
Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that whatever the result, everybody within the Labour Party needs to "turn over a new leaf and start another chapter... the war of attrition has got to stop".
But amid signs of the continuing tensions in the party, pressure group Campaign Against Anti-Semitism has made a formal complaint to the party about a video posted on Mr Corbyn's campaign website, while 200 members of the party, including three councillors in Bristol, have been suspended.
|
Government Job change - Election
| null | null |
Well-known nonprofits merge to extend regional reach in Northwest Arkansas
|
Two nonprofit groups in Northwest Arkansas have merged into one organization that should be better positioned to distribute more scholarship dollars to its recipients. Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas (SPSFNWA) and Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County (SPSFBC) — both independent 501(c)(3) groups that award money for college each year to single parents — now operate as SPSFNWA. The merger took effect on July 1. “I am excited about this merger because it is a win-win for everyone,” said Tyler Clark, executive director of SPSFNWA for the past four years and CEO of the new organization. “The intentionality we took to craft the best possible program and services for our current recipients and future applicants is going to be the most important part of this project. When we can serve more single-parent families and do it effectively and efficiently, that motivates me and makes me excited.” The scholarship fund’s origin goes back almost 40 years. Co-founders Marjorie Marugg-Wolfe and Ralph Nesson worked with various volunteers and donors to start scholarship funds in Benton County and Washington County in 1984. Their inspiration was to help reduce unexpected expenses that could deter single parents from pursuing the education they needed to escape poverty. It awarded seven $150 scholarships in Benton County in its inaugural semester and eight $300 scholarships in Washington County in its first semester. Their work paved the way for the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund, launched in 1990, and the program spread to nearly every Arkansas county. In 2009, the scholarship funds of Carroll, Madison and Washington counties merged to become SPSFNWA. Clark said there are many reasons to create a new regional nonprofit, although the bottom line is twofold: eliminate confusion and serve more recipients. Since 1984, the two nonprofits have served 20,160 recipients and distributed $15.3 million to single-parent families in the four-county region. According to online descriptions, donations from civic groups, churches, individuals, and grants from the Walton Family Foundation, the Walmart Foundation and United Way fund scholarships. The fund also receives endowment revenue and various other foundation grants. No government funds are involved. Last year, the two groups combined to award nearly $900,000 — 55% of that amount in Benton County — to more than 300 recipients for traditional degrees, healthcare and vocational education and professional certifications. Clark said the two organizations coming together create $11 million in endowed scholarships and long-term investments. He believes the new nonprofit could serve up to 20% more recipients within the first year. Clark and Jack Eaton, executive director with SPSFBC, were both given the opportunity to interview for the new organization’s CEO position with equal representation from both boards of directors and a human resources consultant to guide the process. Eaton will continue to volunteer with the new organization, which has 12 full-time employees — six from each affiliate. Twenty people will comprise the new organization’s board of directors — 10 from each affiliate. Shelle Summers, vice chairwoman of the SPSFBC board, is the board chairwoman. Randy Werner, vice chairman of the SPSFNWA board, is the vice chairman. “We’re bringing the best resources to the table,” said Summers, senior vice president of leadership services at the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce. “Not just scholarships, but more importantly, personal connections for counseling, emotional support, referrals to other agencies and assistance from a group of individuals who genuinely want to help. “I became involved in SPSF[BC] because after working at a community college where I experienced first-hand what a huge difference an education can make in the lives of single parents and their families. By providing holistic assistance to recipients, we can significantly impact their futures, as well as make a positive economic impact on Northwest Arkansas.”
|
Organization Merge
| null | null |
2006 European Women's Handball Championship
|
The 2006 EHF European Women's Handball Championship was held in Sweden from 7 to 17 December. It was won by Norway after beating Russia 27–24 in the final match. This championship was also the European qualifying event for 2008 Olympics, and Norway earned a spot at the 2008 Games for being the European champion. If Norway also becomes the 2007 World champion, the 2nd place team will qualify for the Olympics. In addition, the 1 or 2 (if Europe finishes in the top 2 continents at the world championship) best ranked teams in this championship, which are outside top 7 at the world championship, will participate at the Olympic qualifying tournament. The European Championships will be held in the following cities:
Note: Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year. The draw was held on 6 July 2006 in Göteborg, Sweden. [1]
NorwayThird Title
Marit Malm Frafjord, Terese Pedersen, Gro Hammerseng, Kristine Lunde,Marianne Rokne, Katrine Lunde, Else-Marthe Sørlie, Gøril Snorroeggen,Anette Hovind Johansen, Karoline Dyhre Breivang, Kari Aalvik Grimsbø,Ragnhild Aamodt, Anne Kjersti Suvdal, Kari Mette Johansen,Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth, Katja Nyberg and Tonje NøstvoldHead Coach: Marit Breivik
Source: EHF
Source: EHF
Source: EHF
|
Sports Competition
| null | null |
Two Sarasota Philanthropic Educational Organization chapters merge
|
Chapters CE and CY realized that they would be stronger together and recently formed a merger. The group celebrated the merger at the newly renovated Phillippi Park Gazebo. The theme was “Chapters CE-CY Sailing Together.” Since 1869, P.E.O. has helped more than 113,000 women pursue educational goals by providing over $366 million in grants, scholarships, awards and loans and the stewardship of Cottey College. Through membership, the P.E.O. sisterhood has brought together more than a half a million women who are passionate about helping women advance through education.
|
Organization Merge
| null | null |
UFC 163
|
UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie[3] was a mixed martial arts event held on August 3, 2013, at the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. [4]
The main event was expected to feature current UFC Featherweight Champion, José Aldo taking on future UFC Lightweight Champion, Anthony Pettis. [5] However, in mid-June Pettis pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury and was replaced by Chan Sung Jung. [6]
Josh Koscheck was expected to face Demian Maia at the event. However, Koscheck was forced out of the bout with an injury and as a result, Maia was pulled from the card as well. [7]
Promotional newcomer Robert Drysdale was expected to face Ednaldo Oliveira at the event. However, Drysdale pulled out of the bout in mid-July citing a lingering staph infection. [8] Oliveira faced UFC newcomer Francimar Barroso at the event. [9]
Phil Harris was expected to face John Lineker at the event. However, Harris was forced out of the bout and Lineker faced promotional newcomer José Maria Tomé. [10]
Clint Hester was expected to face Cezar Ferreira at the event. However, Hester was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Thiago Santos. [11]
Brian Stann co-commentated the card with Mike Goldberg due to a prior commitment for Joe Rogan. [12]
John Lineker missed the 126 pound weight allowance for a Flyweight fight, weighing in at 129 pounds. As a result, he surrendered 20 percent of his purse to his opponent, José Maria, and the bout took place as a 129-pound catchweight fight. [13]
[3]
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses. [14]
http://www.sherdog.com/events/UFC-163-Aldo-vs-Pettis-28015
|
Sports Competition
| null | null |
Wright State University 2019 faculty strike
|
The Wright State University 2019 faculty strike was a strike organized by the Wright State chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in response to employment conditions imposed by the university. The strike began on January 22, 2019, after nearly two years of failed contract negotiations between the AAUP and the Wright State University administration. The strike ended on February 10, 2019. At a length of twenty days, it was one of the longest faculty strikes in the history of U.S. higher education. University President Cheryl B. Schrader received widespread criticism for her handling of the strike and stepped down from her position as a result. On January 22, 2019, following almost two years of failed contract
negotiations and unexpected employment conditions imposed by the
administration, the Wright State chapter of the American Association
of University Professors began a strike that would ultimately become
the second-longest public university strike in U.S. history. [1]
Most of the 560 unionized faculty participated in the strike. Striking faculty and other supporters picketed
entrances to the university. Protesters chanted for resumed negotiations, and for Schrader "to go. "[2]
The strike received national attention,[3][4][5]
and the faculty union garnered widespread support from other universities,
alumni, and lawmakers. [6][7]
Many letters of support were addressed to Schrader personally. Schrader and her administration ultimately received much criticism for
how the strike was handled, especially after the faculty union ended up
getting many of their demands. Schrader had remained publicly optimistic in the face of the strike,
downplaying the liklihood of the strike and its potential impact on
the university. [8]
She gave the assurance that "classes will continue"
during the strike, with the caveat that some might be "consolidated." [9]
When the strike began, Schrader kept the university running, instructing
students to "go to class,"[10]
even as an online petition called for her resignation. [11]
Schrader reportedly took over teaching two courses herself. [12]
Despite such efforts made by the university, there were widespread
reports from students that their classes had no instructors, or that "covered"
classes provided minimal or inadequate instruction. [3][2][13][14]
The effect of the strike on the students was apparently profound, as reflected
in social media posts. [15]
Many students expressed frustration about being "caught in the middle"
between the striking faculty and the administration. Some students said they felt betrayed by the university;[3]
others expressed
concern about the effect the strike was having on the reputation of
the institution and how it would affect the value of their degree. [16]
One student said students were being "bombarded with information". [17]
Messages to students were later described as "confusing and sometimes intimidating. "[18]
A number of students joined the picket lines alongside the faculty,[19]
although they were reportedly discouraged from doing so by threats against
their financial aid. [20] Near the end of the strike, the AAUP chapter president said between 75 and 250
students picketing with the striking faculty every day. [21]
There were also independent protests by students. Two separate student
protests were held outside Schrader's office. [19]
The second, which occurred on day 16 of the strike, was a
round-the-clock "sit-in" by some 30 students. The students had a list
of demands, which included tuition reimbursement for course time lost. The demonstration ended after 42 hours, when Schrader agreed to meet
with the students. [22][23]
Throughout the strike, Schrader and the administration continued to
publicly downplay the impact it was having on the university,
maintaining that 80 percent of classes were covered. [24]
A February 6 statement added that the number was "climbing" as more union faculty returned to the classroom. [25]
The faculty union disputed this, noting all the problems that they're having
just running basic classes.”[23]
Some university statements did indeed seem inconsistent with university
actions. On the third day of the strike, Schrader stated the
university was "open and operating largely without issue,"[26]
in spite of the widespread student complaints. That same day her administration
filed a complaint with the Ohio State Employee Relations Board (SERB)
asking that the strike be declared illegal. [27][note 1]
When the board ruled that the strike could continue, she stated that the union's actions were "having a significant toll. "[24]
As the strike entered its third week, the true impact of the strike
became more evident. The university advertized nationally for "long
term" adjunct faculty in more than 80 fields,[23]
apparently to replace striking faculty. The school also began cancelling
some "specialized" courses,[29]
which affected advanced students near graduation. [30]
It was reported that approximately 3,500 students had been
affected by cancelled classes. [30]
While the university offered advising sessions to affected
students,[30] the faculty union asked Ohio Governor
Mike DeWine to intervene, citing a belief that the administration was
"losing touch with reality. "[31]
The faculty union became increasingly vocal in their accusations of "union busting. "[21]
With pressure mounting to end the strike, and no deal in sight, a
federal negotiator was brought in. On Sunday February 10, day 20 of
the strike, after a long weekend of negotiating, the faculty union and
the administration negotiators reached a tentative agreement to end
the strike. [32]
The faculty returned to work on Monday February 11. [33]
"Both parties made substantial concessions to help move the university
forward together," Schrader said. [32]
The faculty union admitted it made some "serious financial concessions," such as agreeing to no pay raises until 2021, but kept protections on job security,
workload, merit pay, and perhaps most significantly, the right to bargain
over health care. [32] On the whole, the faculty union
hailed the agreement[18] and considered the
strike a success. [34]
|
Strike
| null | null |
The BHG department store was shut on Tuesday for cleaning and disinfecting works
|
SINGAPORE - The BHG department store in Bugis Junction was shut on Tuesday (Aug 24) for cleaning and disinfecting works, after a member of its staff tested positive for Covid-19. BHG announced on Tuesday the store closure on its Facebook page, saying its staff member had tested positive the day before. “We have since informed all staff who had been in close contact to self-quarantine and undergo swab tests,” BHG said. It added that the Bugis Junction store will reopen on Thursday. The news comes as the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday announced 20 new infections linked to the shopping mall. A spokesman for Bugis Junction said the mall has “taken the necessary environmental cleaning measures in accordance with the authority’s guidelines”. They include increasing the frequency of cleaning common touchpoints, and enhancing air circulation in the mall by conducting daily air purging and fully opening air dampers to maximise outdoor air intake. These are among the guidelines spelt out in a directive issued by the Building and Construction Authority, National Environment Agency and MOH in May. The suddenness of the news seems to have affected shoppers. Businesses in the mall saw slower sales. “Usually, by 3pm, we would have already sold 100 cups of tea. Today, we sold only 40,” said Ms Lee Su Teng, 21, a saleswoman at ShareTea, which is at an open area near BHG. Nearby, bag accessory shop Bratpack saw zero sales for most of the morning and early afternoon. “Our business has been reduced by at least 50 per cent. Usually by 3.30pm, we’ll have 15 customers. Today - not even a single one,” said Ms Kam Yok Chan, a staff member at the shop. Some shops remain hopeful that the footfall will pick up. “Bugis Junction is quite popular, so (it) having a cluster is a sooner or later thing. I think other malls will face this problem as well,” said a store owner, who would only give his name as Ken. “It’s no big deal. Nowadays, a lot of places are closing down because of the virus. Like I think West Gate was closed twice - even Jewel also got it.” Staff members working in the mall are taking things in their stride. Ms Koong Wei Heong, who works at Ya Kun Kaya Toast in the mall, said: "We are feeling pretty calm because we get tested every two weeks. We were just tested on Aug 20." Ms Koong was referring to the fast and easy test (FET) workers in higher-risk settings, like dine-in eateries, have to undergo every 14 days. The FET regime can include antigen rapid tests. She added that she is waiting to find out if she needs a swab test as well, following the emergence of the cluster linked to the mall. "Not many people visited the mall on Wednesday. They are probably afraid after hearing news of the cluster," said Ms Koong.
|
Organization Closed
| null | null |
More than 350,000 people facing famine in Ethiopia's Tigray region
|
Millions more require support in the war-torn region, the UN said, 'to avert further slides towards famine' Around 350,000 people are facing extreme scarcity of food in Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region, renewing memories of a widespread famine that left an estimated one million people dead in the 1980s. The United Nations and other aid groups placed parts of the Ethiopian region at the highest end of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) scale which is used to measure famines. An IPC Phase 5 classification, otherwise known as famine, means that 20 per cent of households face an extreme lack of food, at least 30 per cent of children suffer from acute malnutrition and two people for every 10,000 are dying each day from starvation. The document says millions more across Tigray required “urgent food and agriculture/livelihoods support to avert further slides towards famine.” The findings were presented at a high-level meeting on Monday between 18 UN and non-UN organisations, chaired by the UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock. Speaking on Thursday, he said: "There is famine now. This is going to get a lot worse." Last week, Mr Lowcock told The Telegraph that starvation was being used as a "weapon of war" in Tigray. Ethiopia’s government has been locked in a bloody war with the Tigray region since last November, leading to the estimated displacement of more than two million people and increasing evidence of genocide and war crimes. The conflict is the result of mounting tensions between the former ruling elite, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, who has championed an anti-federal agenda since coming to power in 2018. The famine warning adds to growing calls by a host of countries, including the UK and US, for Ethiopia to declare a ceasefire and allow humanitarian access to the mountainous region of around seven million people. The US announced on Thursday that it would provide $181 million to deliver food, water and aid to the more than three million people it said were at risk of famine. “As a result of the conflict, nearly 90 per cent of Tigray’s population – as many as 5.2 million people – need urgent assistance,” said the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Other donors should “urgently step up” humanitarian assistance, it added. The US, once Ethiopia’s largest donor, imposed sanctions on Africa’s second-most populous country in May and warned of further restrictions to economic and security assistance. The Ethiopian government, however, has rejected the IPC Phase 5 Classification. “We don’t have any food shortages,” said Mituku Kassa, head of Ethiopia’s National Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Committee. Famine has only been declared in Somalia in 2011 and in South Sudan in 2017 over the past decade. Unicef's executive director Henrietta Fore said the situation in Tigray was "extremely concerning". "Without humanitarian access to scale up our response, an estimated 33,000 severely malnourished children in currently inaccessible areas in Tigray are at high risk of death. The world cannot permit that to happen,” she said.
|
Famine
| null | null |
Canadian Nobel Prize winner thought congratulatory call was a prank
|
TORONTO -- A Canadian who shared the Nobel Prize in economics thought a middle-of-the-night phone call to congratulate him on the award was a prank from an old friend. David Card, an economics professor of the University of California, Berkeley who is originally from Guelph, Ont., recently won the Nobel Prize in economics for his research into how minimum wage and immigration affect the labour force. Card received the call at about 2 a.m. and thought it was a prank until realizing the call was coming from Sweden. “My old friend, Tim, who lives in Guelph, I thought it was one of his practical jokes,” he told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. Card added that after discovering that it was real, realized he could be in for a long night. “I've known other people who’ve won the Nobel Prize, so I knew that that would mean I was probably going to not get any sleep,” he said. Card’s recent accolade stems from his research that found raising the minimum wage does not impact employment levels, and a separate study that discovered immigration does not impact the employment of people who are native to an area. In 1993, Card and his late research partner Alan Krueger found that increased minimum wages at four New Jersey-based fast-food restaurants did not decline after the minimum wage increased from US$4.25 to US$5.05 per hour, compared to the restaurants in eastern Pennsylvania that did not increase their minimum wage. Card and Krueger also studied the labour market in Miami following an influx of Cuban immigration in 1980 and found no negative effects of the immigration for Miami residents, and later research found that the immigration actually had a positive impact on those born in the U.S. Both studies were controversial at the time and changed how economists understand both immigration and minimum wage, but Card said he doesn’t think they’ll amount to much policy change in the U.S. “Things change in the United States not necessarily based on the direction of scientific research,” he said. “I'm not too optimistic about that.” Card added that the studies don’t necessarily translate to Canada either. “To some extent, the situation is quite a bit different in Canada,” he said. “First of all, Canada has many, many more immigrants and a more diverse set of immigrants who've been pretty successful, for the most part. Minimum wage in Canada is probably a little bit less controversial of an issue and it's controlled by the provinces. So it's a little bit different scenario.” The award comes with a gold medal and more than US$1.14 million in Swedish currency. He’s also been awarded an honourary parking spot at UC Berkeley, though he has little use for it. “I have to say, one of the benefits of living in California relative to where I grew up in Guelph is there really isn't much of a winter here,” he said. “I'm able to ride my bike every day.” Card’s next bit of research relates to immigrants to Canada who’ve started businesses in their new home country. He is scheduled to go through the initial results next week. David Card, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in economics, stands for a portrait in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 11, 2021.
|
Awards ceremony
| null | null |
China on agenda in Payne, Dutton talks with US counterparts
|
Measures to counter China’s trade strikes and other “grey zone” attacks will top the agenda when Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton travel to the United States later this month for talks with the Biden administration.
Senator Payne and Mr Dutton will meet US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin for the annual Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Washington DC.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Minister Marise Payne will travel to Washington later this month.
The trip, which comes against the backdrop of the hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan and China’s growing presence in the Indo-Pacific, will also include stop-offs in other countries in the region. The meetings are scheduled to take place somewhere between September 13 and 17 and will be Mr Dutton’s first face-to-face encounter with his US counterpart.
Australian officials are also hoping Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s first one-on-one, in-person discussion with US President Joe Biden will go ahead later this month after a planned meeting of the Quad grouping – Australia, the US, India and Japan – was thrown into doubt by the upcoming Japanese election. Mr Morrison met Mr Biden for the first time on the sidelines of the G7 summit in June but the encounter was not one-on-one as originally planned, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson joining in. Australian officials viewed Mr Johnson’s inclusion as part of a broader plan to get Britain more engaged in the Indo-Pacific region and expect more concrete policies to flow from that meeting in the coming months.
It was Australia’s turn to host the AUSMIN talks but the requirement for Mr Blinken and Mr Austin to quarantine for 14 days made it unworkable. A “reverse travel bubble” whereby Senator Payne and Mr Dutton would quarantine after meeting their US counterparts was also ruled out.
The two sides discussed holding the talks virtually but decided it would be preferable to meet in person. Senator Payne and Mr Dutton will enter quarantine on their return to Australia.
Senior government sources confirmed they were expecting measures to combat Chinese economic coercion would be discussed at the meeting. The Biden administration has been forthright in its rhetoric against China’s more than $20 billion in trade strikes against Australia over the past 18 months.
A report by the United States Studies Centre, released on Thursday, urged Australia and the US to diversify their economic partners and reduce dependence on any single source to deal with the risk of China’s trade strikes. USSC chief executive Simon Jackman said AUSMIN needed to be reformed to deal with challenges including the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, infrastructure spending, cyber security and “grey zone” attacks from countries such as China. The “grey zone” refers to attacks such as cyber hacks, economic coercion, disinformation campaigns and intellectual property theft, calibrated so they fall short of requiring a military response.
Professor Jackman said Australia would want the US to do something “meaningful” on China’s economic coercion.
“We are coming all the way to Washington. The expectation will be there will be a significant statement on that,” he said. “Reassuring tweets are great, you would prefer to have them than not have them. But the trick for Australian foreign policy is to convert that goodwill from the Americans to policy facts on the ground ... practical measures that flow from that.” While Australia would be looking for more practical measures on China’s trade strikes, Professor Jackman said the Americans would be pushing Canberra for more commitments on combatting climate change.
Sam Roggeveen, director of the Lowy Institute’s international security program, said there were many questions surfacing over American credibility after the withdrawal from Afghanistan but “the wrong lessons are being taken from that”. He said the fact Mr Biden had withdrawn from a part of the world that did not align with American interests was a “good thing” and meant it could be more focused on the Indo-Pacific.
“Previously, the US’s military commitments were not being aligned with its national interests. Biden has realigned its military commitments with its national interests,” he said.
|
Diplomatic Visit
| null | null |
December 2016 Polish protests
|
Protesters
Polish Government
The Polish Sejm crisis, 16 December 2016—12 January 2017, was a period of political stalemate in Poland's national legislature, resulting from an attempt to limit freedom of the press at the Sejm buildings in Warsaw, Poland. The attempt to restrict press access to Sejm members and deliberations led to protests by opposition-party Sejm members, and by citizens of Poland's major cities, including Warsaw. [2]
On 16 December 2016 during the session of Polish parliament, the Sejm, opposition deputy Michał Szczerba (from Civic Platform party) came to the stage with the card which read "#WolneMediawSejmie" (hashtag "Free press in Sejm") and attempted to fix it to the rostrum. After warnings, Marshal of the Sejm, Marek Kuchciński, excluded him from debate for disturbance and announced a break. [3] As planned before, opposition deputies started the occupation of the podium and the plenary hall. [3][4] Subsequently, the MPs of ruling party, Law and Justice, moved the meeting to the Hall of Columns, where the deputies voted on, among other topics, the budget for 2017. [2][1] A number of MPs from the opposition who still occupied the plenary hall did not participate in the voting, and the vote count was done by show of hands. [1][2][4]
First groups of protesters appeared in front of the parliament before locking the plenary hall in the protest against restrictions for press in Sejm buildings. [4] It included dozens of journalist from mainstream Polish media, including from Gazeta Wyborcza, Newsweek Polska and TVN24. [5] The protest was supported by many people associated with the opposition, including Deputy Marshal of the Sejm Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Civic Platform leader Grzegorz Schetyna, Modern leader Ryszard Petru, Committee for the Defence of Democracy leader Mateusz Kijowski, civic movement Citizens of Poland. [6]
On 16 and 17 December protests were held in many of big cities in Poland including Wrocław, Kraków, Gdańsk, Poznań, Szczecin, Katowice, Olsztyn, Białystok, Lublin, Kielce and Płock. [7][8]
|
Protest_Online Condemnation
| null | null |
IR opposition group established to target Yokohama mayoral elections
|
A group of residents who had previously requested a referendum regarding a Yokohama IR have established a new organization targeting the mayoral election this summer, according to the Mainichi Shimbun. The purpose will be to support those candidates opposing an IR. Setsu Kobayashi, Professor Emeritus of Keio University, and others involved in the campaign held a press conference at Yokohama City Hall on Tuesday where they revealed their intentions to work toward a unified opposition candidate. The name of the organization will be “Yokohama Citizens Association for a Mayor Opposing a Casino.” Around 20 people participated, including co-representatives of Kobayashi as well as Hiroyuki Mizukami of the Yokohama Port Harbor Resort Association. Yokohama Port is where businesses opposing the project are largely concentrated. At the press conference, Kobayashi took issue with the fact that Mayor Fumiko Hayashi had publicly disagreed with a draft ordinance that had collected 190,000 signatures, leading to the city council rejecting a referendum. He called for candidates to oppose a casino and respect the will of people. Masataka Ota, an opponent of Yokohama’s IR plans, has already announced his intention to run in the election for Yokohama mayor in August. Hayashi has not made clear whether she intends to run. A public relations magazine issued by the city to “get to know the IR business accurately” was criticized by opposition lawmakers. Negotiations to relocate the warehouses at Yamashita Wharf, the planned IR site, have stalled. Born in Okayama, Japan in 1964, Tomo has covered horse racing, professional baseball, golf, boxing and more in his role as a sports writer. He first encountered casinos before Macau was returned to China in 1999. He has traveled to South Korea and Manila to cover events and scope out the local scene. He has studyied “How to get along with casinos,” a topic he learned of from Osaka University of Commerce. When the Asian Gaming Power 50 was first published in 2008, we could never have imagined that, some 13 years... ANDREW W SCOTT (JUDGING PANEL CHAIRMAN) Vice Chairman and CEO, Inside Asian Gaming ANDREW is a gaming industry expert and... The 2021 Asian Gaming Power 50 list. VICE CHAIRMAN Galaxy Entertainment Group POWER SCORE: 4,490 POSITION LAST YEAR: 1 CLAIMS TO FAME Built Galaxy into Macau’s de... Germany’s Koray Aldemir has won the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event, overcoming a massive field of 6,650 starters to claim the US$8 million first prize. The 31-year-old, who entered the final table as a clear chip leader and... Inside Asian Gaming Vice-Chairman and CEO Andrew W Scott highlighted during a presentation entitled "The Future of Macau Gaming," in which he analyzed possible forward scenarios for the Macau gaming industry, that “dividends are necessary to move money around through... Australian slot machine giant Aristocrat Leisure Limited saw its profit soar by 81% year-on-year to AU$864.7 million (US$628 million) in FY21, driven by strong growth in its Americas, ANZ and digital segments on the way out of COVID-19. According to... The number of foreign visitors to Japan in October 2021 was 22,100, down 99.1% compared with the same month in 2019 according to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). By country, there were 4,000 visitors from China, 2,000 from the...
|
Organization Established
| null | null |
Multiple tsunami warnings now lifted
|
The largest waves caused by the 8.1 magnitude earthquake have now passed and everyone who evacuated can now return, but people are still being warned to stay away from the shore. Multiple tsunami warnings were issued by Civil Defence this morning after a 8.1 magnitude quake near the Kermadec Islands. It was the third earthquake this morning, following a 7.4 quake near the Kermadec Islands earlier, and a 7.1 quake off the East Coast. Surge activity was seen off Northland today, while residents of the evacuated township of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast captured video of a large surge of water sweeping into the bay. However, in its latest advisory, Civil Defence said GNS Science had advised that the largest waves have now passed "Therefore the threat level is now downgraded to a Beach and Marine threat for all areas which were previously under Land and Marine threat. "All people who evacuated can now return." The advice remains, for all areas under Beach and Marine threat, to stay off beach and shore areas. Emergency Management Minister Kiri Allan said at an update in Parliament earlier this morning that the threat was a "dynamic event". Civil leaders have been urging residents keep up to date with news and alerts. People in the East Coast of the North Island from the Bay of Islands to Whangārei, from Matata to Tolaga Bay, including Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki and Great Barrier Island were instructed to to move immediately higher ground this morning. Those in all Auckland coastal areas were instructed to stay away from beaches, harbours and estuaries. For live updates: Help us create a sustainable future for independent local journalism As New Zealand moves from crisis to recovery mode the need to support local industry has been brought into sharp relief. As our journalists work to ask the hard questions about our recovery, we also look to you, our readers for support. Reader donations are critical to what we do. If you can help us, please click the button to ensure we can continue to provide quality independent journalism you can trust. Read and post comments with a Newsroom Pro subscription. Subscribe now to start a free 28-day trial. How many people have been vaccinated in NZ? Newsroom’s Marc Daalder presents a weekly dashboard of everything you need to know about our vaccine rollout.
|
Tsunamis
| null | null |
2 Years After Georgia Shipwreck, Heavy Lifting Nearly Done
|
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Two years after a cargo ship overturned along the Georgia coast, heavy lifting to remove most of the vessel is nearly done _ though further breakdown of the wreckage and final cleanup is expected to take several more months. Wednesday marked the second anniversary of the capsizing of the South Korean freighter Golden Ray, which tipped over shortly after departing the Port of Brunswick on Sept. 8, 2019. The crew was rescued safely. But hauling away the shipwreck, including its cargo of 4,200 automobiles, turned into a slow and messy demolition effort. Roughly three-fourths of the vessel’s remains have been removed since November, when salvage crews began slicing the shipwreck into eight giant chunks. A towering crane straddled the wreck, using brute force to drag a length of anchor chain through its hull like a blunt-edged saw. On Wednesday, only the last two big sections remained in the water off St. Simons Island, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Savannah. The final cut to separate them was finished over the weekend. Workers used a mechanical crane to pluck cars and SUVs from the interior of one remaining section, to shed some of its weight before loading it onto a barge in the coming days, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Himes, a spokesman for the multiagency command overseeing the demolition. Another barge is being prepared to carry the ship’s final section, and isn’t expected to be ready for at least another week. “It’s obvious that we are very close to the end of this wreck removal phase,” Himes said. “We are committed to being as safe now as we were throughout the response. So slow and smooth and steady helps us stay safe.” Even after all giant chunks of the shipwreck are out of the water, the salvage job will be far from over. At least three sections of the ship, possibly four, will need to be broken down further at a local dock before they can be transported by barge to a scrapyard in Louisiana. Himes said that should take several months. Meanwhile, crews will need to recover cars and other debris that fell into the water as the Golden Ray was being carved into giant pieces. Then they have to remove metal shipping containers and rock placed around the partly submerged wreck to stabilize it during demolition, as well as take down the giant mesh barrier installed around the site to contain debris. Those cleanup efforts at the wreck site are expected to take a month or two, Himes said. “It’s still a long way to go,” said Fletcher Sams, executive director of the Altamaha Riverkeeper environmental group, who has closely followed the Golden Ray demolition. “The riskiest parts, as far as new pollution, are close to being done,” Sams said. “Once they are able to lift these last two sections and put them on a barge, I will be breathing a sigh of relief.” Sams and other conservationists watched in dismay in late July when oil gushed from a newly separated segment of the shipwreck and fouled roughly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of beach and marsh grasses. The salvage team dispatched cleanup crews, but Sams says he fears there could be long-term damage. He said various leaks over the past two years resulted in roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) of shoreline polluted by oil, much of it environmentally sensitive marsh. Sams has asked the multiagency command overseeing the demolition to conduct a formal assessment to determine the extent of the ecological damage from the wreck. He said he’s been told no decision will be made until the removal and cleanup are complete. “The end is in sight,” Sams said, “but we still don’t have an answer to how much damage has been done.’ About the photo: A towering crane straddles remains of the shipwrecked cargo vessel Golden Ray in the waters off St. Simons Island, Ga., on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. The South Korean freighter overturned on Sept. 8, 2019, shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. Work to remove most of the wreckage in giant chunks is nearing an end, though debris cleanup and other efforts are expected to take months more.
|
Shipwreck
| null | null |
Watch SpaceX launch its 1st Starlink satellites in months
|
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX will launch its first full stack of Starlink broadband satellites since May tonight (Sept. 13) and you can watch the action live online. The private spaceflight company will launch a full stack of 60 Starlink satellites on one of its fleet leaders, a veteran Falcon 9 dubbed B1049. The frequent flier is scheduled to blast off from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Station in California at 11:55 p.m. EDT (8:55 p.m. PDT or 0355 GMT on Sept. 14). Monday's flight is the 22nd Falcon 9 mission for SpaceX so far in 2021. In addition, the flight marks the first Starlink launch since May; SpaceX paused launches for about four months in order to equip the satellites with laser crosslinks that allow Starlink satellites to communicate with each other, reducing the constellation's reliance on Earth, according to SpaceX. The mission, called Starlink 29, is the company's first operational Starlink flight from its West Coast launch facility and will bring the total number of SpaceX broadband satellites launched up to 1,797. SpaceX created its Starlink program in hopes of providing high-speed internet access to users around the world, and as a means to help fund its deep-space ambitions. The service is targeted to users in rural or remote areas that have little to no connectivity, although anyone can subscribe to it. The rocket doing the lifting is one of the oldest members of SpaceX's fleet, a booster designated B1049. Poised to make its 10th flight, the rocket's previous payloads have included seven other Starlink stacks, a Canadian communications satellite and a stack of 10 Iridium NEXT telecommunications satellites. Following its second cross-country trek from SpaceX's Florida launch pad to its California outpost, the booster is now ready to loft its 10th payload: a full stack of Starlink satellites. This flight will mark the second time one of SpaceX's first stage boosters have reached 10 flights. The first rocket to reach that milestone was booster B1051, when it carried a different stack of Starlink satellites into orbit on May 9. That flight was one for the history books as 10 flights with one booster was always a reusability target for SpaceX. The current version of Falcon 9 flying today (called Block 5) first debuted in 2018, and helped SpaceX usher in an era of rapid reusability. Block 5 boasts a series of upgrades, including a more robust thermal protections system, titanium grid fins and a more durable interstage (the part of the rocket that connects the first stage to the second stage). When Block 5 debuted, SpaceX announced that each one would be capable of flying at least 10 times, with few refurbishments in between. As the company recovered more rockets and refined its post-flight processing, the company realized that 10 flights was more a guideline than a hard limit and that a sizeable number of boosters can surpass that milestone. By flying a second rocket 10 times, SpaceX will have even more data on Falcon 9 and how it holds up over multiple flights to better refine booster recovery efforts. Related: SpaceX's most-flown Falcon 9 rocket is a sooty veteran after 10 launches and landings (photos) To ensure that B1049 is ready for its milestone flight this evening, SpaceX rolled the rocket out to the pad on Sept. 2 and fired up the Falcon's nine Merlin 1D engines as part of a pre-launch test. The rocket was held down on the pad while its engines briefly fired up, allowing engineers to ensure the booster was working properly. The static fire test is a common part of SpaceX's prelaunch procedures; however, the company has skipped this step for more than half of the Falcon 9 rockets launched so far this year. That could be because most of the rockets flown so far this year have flown many times. It could also be because SpaceX is trying to keep up a rapid launch pace, and having to do a static fire test before each one slows down the schedule. But with a huge milestone on the horizon, SpaceX wanted to make sure that B1049's systems were all in order. Monday's launch marks the 128th flight for SpaceX's 229-foot-tall (70 meters) Falcon 9 booster, and if all goes as planned, it will also be the 91st recovery of a Falcon 9 first stage booster since the company landed its first one in December 2015. SpaceX plans to land B1049 on the deck of one of its massive drone ships, named "Of Course I Still Love You," which the company moved to the West Coast this summer . The ship was previously stationed in Florida, where it caught the majority of SpaceX's returning boosters.
|
New achievements in aerospace
| null | null |
Singapore Tightens Restrictions, U.S. Deaths Peak: Virus Update
|
(Bloomberg) -- The number of people dying with Covid-19 in U.S. hospitals appears to have peaked, the latest sign of reprieve after the delta variant fueled record spikes in infections in some states. President Joe Biden said 60 million Americans who got the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine will soon be able to get a booster shot, after one of his top health officials overruled an advisory panel to expand eligibility. In Asia, Singapore made work-from-home the default and tightened other rules as it again broke a daily record for infections. Universal mask requirements in schools reduced the spread of Covid-19 compared to schools that didn’t have mask requirements, according to new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After schools opened this fall, counties without mask requirements saw their rates of new pediatric Covid cases rise about twice as fast as counties where schools required masks, according to one CDC analysis. In another study focused on Arizona, schools that didn’t have universal mask rules in place were 3.5 times more likely to have Covid outbreaks than schools that did. A Colorado nurse practitioner has been fined $40,000 for marketing “alleged cures” for Covid-19, including the anti-parasite drug ivermectin. Siegfried Emme, owner of Loveland Medical Clinic, also advertised intravenous therapies, according to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. The research team behind the messenger RNA technology used in Covid-19 vaccines won the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, one of the world’s top prizes in medicine. Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman “launched a novel therapeutic technology,” the award panel said in a statement. Kariko leads mRNA therapeutic work at Covid vaccine maker BioNTech SE, and Weissman is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. The two were both based at Penn when they did the research. Singapore made work-from-home the default and tightened other rules as it again broke a daily record for infections. The city state announced 1,650 new infections Saturday, almost all locally transmitted among residents, and nearly 1,100 people were hospitalized. In addition to the renewed work-from-home order, Singapore limited gatherings to two people in restaurants and other social settings, an effort to contain the spread of the virus and preserve hospital capacity for the most severe cases. President Joe Biden said 60 million Americans who got the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE Covid-19 vaccine will soon be able to get a booster shot, after one of his top health officials overruled an advisory panel to expand eligibility. “We took a key step in protecting the vaccinated with booster shots, which our top government doctors believe provides the highest level of protection available to date,” Biden said Friday at the White House. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, Rochelle Walensky, issued a statement late Thursday advising that booster shots could be given to people with the Pfizer vaccine 6 months after the second of their first two shots. Brazil’s Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina tested positive for Covid-19, the second member of President Jair Bolsonaro’s cabinet to be diagnosed with the virus this week. Mauritius, the tourism-dependent Indian Ocean island nation, will further ease restrictions on movements with priority given to vaccinated people, according to a statement from the Health and Wellness ministry on Friday. Gyms, sports complexes, bars, casinos and gaming houses will be open to vaccinated staff, public and adults where applicable starting Oct. 1. Capacity for religious events, weddings and funeral has been doubled to 100. Mauritius is set to reopen borders to vaccinated tourists holding a negative PCR test on arrival from Oct. 1. Revival of the tourism industry is considered critical to an economic rebound in 2021. More than 11% of hospital beds in U.S. hospitals were occupied by Covid-19 patients on Sept. 23, the least since Aug. 15, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Indonesia recorded the fewest daily deaths from Covid-19 since May 30, before the latest outbreak caused by the delta variant hit in June and peaked in July. As many as 144 people died from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 141,258, according to the health ministry. The life expectancy of U.K. men fell for the first time on record, a sign of how the pandemic has raised mortality in the nation. Males born between 2018 and 2020 are expected to live 79 years, according to a report from the Office for National Statistics. That’s seven weeks less than those who were born in the two years prior, and the first drop since the early 1980s when the statistics office started compiling data. Norway will lift all Covid-related domestic restrictions from Sept. 25, with the exception of the requirement to isolate if ill with Covid-19, Prime Minister Erna Solberg told reporters on Friday. It also won’t extend beyond Oct. 1 its advice to avoid unnececessary international travel. “The Norwegian Institute of Public Health believes that there is little risk that the epidemic will get out of control, give a significant disease burden or threaten the health service’s capacity,” Solberg said.
|
Disease Outbreaks
| null | null |
Tasmanian couple on a mission to clean up their neighbourhood and its image
|
Mark Bartlett and Angela Knight pull on their gloves and don their hi-vis vests, ready for another day of picking up other people's garbage.
They traipse down a grassy dirt road running behind the waste transfer station in Brighton, near Hobart, with empty plastic bags in hand. It is just one of many local spots they regularly find carloads of dumped rubbish.
Mr Bartlett moved back to the area five years ago and found illegal dumping in bush areas was a major problem. He was most surprised by the number of trolleys being hauled over the railing of the Jordan River bridge. "Every day walking over to and from the bridge I was looking down and seeing trolley after trolley after trolley, every day there'd be a new one," he said. It spurred him and his partner Ms Knight into action. They started the Bridgewater and Gagebrook Clean Up Group on Facebook to encourage others to help create a cleaner community. "Ever since then we've been out nearly every day cleaning up something," he said. The couple go to dumping hotspots and bag up the rubbish. They then ask the Brighton Council to come and pick up the waste for it to be disposed of properly. The never-ending nature of the problem occasionally makes them feel like giving up. "You get to the point where you say, 'I just cant do it anymore'," Mr Bartlett said. "But we have got a lot of amazing people on our Facebook page and they say 'no worries, we'll give you a hand' and we're back at it again.
"And we keep on doing it until people can see why we're doing it."
It is that community spirit that Ms Knight and Mr Bartlett hope will help to clean up people's perception of the disadvantaged area. "For a long time we've had a bad stigma put up against the people that live here," Mr Bartlett said. "I wanted to show how awesome we are as a community and what we can do together. "I think over the last five years people are starting to see that, so it's been really good."
Mr Bartlett and Ms Knight have picked up 70,000 cans and bottles over the past five years. They often find dumped items that could have been recycled or reused. "We'll find boxes of beer bottles or cans," Ms Knight said.
"Today we went out and found household rubbish, kids' toys, shoes."
The dumps often appear to be the result of end-of-lease cleans, with discarded mail often revealing where the rubbish has come from.
"Most of the stuff we are finding when it's a lease dump like that are from places out of area, not from Bridgewater, Gagebrook, Brighton or Old Beach," Mr Bartlett said. "The last one I think was from Glenorchy, and we've seen a few from Sandy Bay.
"They drive from Sandy Bay and dump it out here."
Mr Bartlett suggested neighbours should pitch in together to take a load of rubbish to the tip if the cost is deterring them from disposing of the waste properly. "They've got to realise, what are we doing to the environment? The cost is greater than a few dollars at the tip," he said. Over the past few years, the local supermarkets have twice paid contractors to pull trolleys from the river. "They'd just go fishing for them and pull them up from the bridge," Mr Bartlett said. "The first time was about 150 they pulled out and the second clean-up would have been about 130 to 140 trolleys."
Ms Knight said they have had some startling finds over the years. "We did a clean-up down near the river and there was a tarp there and I picked it up to see what was in it," she said. "And I thought it was brown hair and I've just gone 'oh my god, it's a body', bolted up the hill and Mark's come and had a look.
"Nah, it was a sheep."
The couple want to see more education about how to properly dispose of waste and people do more to reduce consumption. "Think about rubbish reduction, think about what you're contributing to the whole problem," she said.
"Recycle it, reuse it, don't create so much rubbish to start with, think about what's going to happen to it when you're finished with it because there's just too much going into landfill." )
|
Environment Pollution
| null | null |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.