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Around seven to eight million locusts have entered Nepal
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Lal Bahadur Kewat of Lohraula in Buddhabhumi Municipality, Kapilvastu was busy transplanting paddy on Monday when his neighbour informed him that a swarm of locusts had descended on his vegetable farm. By the time Kewat reached his farm, his green beans and bitter gourds on one-and-a-half katthas of land had already been destroyed. "Everything was completely ravaged. I just cried looking at the loss," said Kewat. "We [farmers] are being hit from everywhere." Kewat had taken a loan of Rs20,000 for his vegetables, which had just begun to bear fruit. With green beans and bitter gourds in season, he had hoped to earn Rs150,000. “It’s all gone,” said Kewat, who has a family of six to feed. Farmers in Kapilvastu have lost most of their crops to a plague of locusts that arrived from India on Sunday and Monday. According to Daya Shankar Kewat, a farmer in the district, crops worth more than Rs1 million have been destroyed. Even as farmers are grieving over their losses and officials have yet to estimate the damages done by the migratory locusts, the country is bracing for another locust assault, with more swarms headed to Nepal over the next few days, according to the Agriculture Ministry. The first swarm of locusts, which had entered the country on Saturday morning, have already wrought havoc on a number of districts, especially in the Tarai. Since then, the locusts have quickly spread to 27 districts, including districts as high as Khotang, Okhaldhunga, Rukum West, Mustang and Solukhumbu. These large swarms are regularly breaking off and forming smaller groups and flying haphazardly in the sky, according to the Locust Information Centre at the Agriculture Ministry, formed on Sunday to keep track of the swarms and find ways to contain them. As per the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Centre’s initial estimates, around seven to eight million locusts have entered Nepal. Currently, over three million are believed to be actively flying around Nepali skies in groups that can potentially damage crops, after others died off or got separated from their large swarms. The Centre, on Wednesday afternoon, issued an alert warning farmers of swarms of locusts living along the Nepal-India border that could enter Nepal given favourable winds. According to Subedi, who also heads the Centre’s information centre, five large swarms have been sighted in Bara, Parsa, Sarlahi, Bhairahawa and Kapilvastu. On Wednesday, a large swarm of locusts was seen moving towards Dhaulagiri Base Camp, flying along the Myagdi river. “Some bugs have been seen in Dhaulagiri Municipality. A big swarm is marching towards the mountains,” said Thamsara Pun, chairperson of Dhaulagiri Municipality. “We have not yet seen locusts devouring crops but we have asked locals to create smokes and chase them away.” A small group has reached Lete in Mustang after breaking off from a bigger swarm in Pokhara. “We have not seen large swarms capable of damaging crops, but there are small numbers of locusts in all settlements,” said Gyannath Dhakal, the chief district officer of Myagdi. “If the number increases, we will mobilise the communities to kill the bugs.” The country’s weather, which had been impacted by westerly winds coming from the Arabian Sea in the last few days, will receive southeasterly winds for at least the next three days, according to the special weather bulletin from the Meteorological Forecasting Division. This change in wind direction is likely to coincide with the locust swarms in India’s Bhagalpur and Motihari and another group flying towards Champaran district from Kushinagar. These swarms are likely to enter Nepal, according to an alert from the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Centre. “Relying on the wind direction and information from Indian officials, we can predict that more swarms are likely to enter Nepal,” said Ram Krishna Subedi, senior plant protection officer at the Centre. “We are constantly tracking their movement and have alerted the public.” According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is considered the most dangerous of all migratory pest species in the world. The entry of locust swarms into the country is the latest of three threats—after the fall army worm and the Covid-19 pandemic—to pose a significant threat to Nepal’s food security. Food insecurity has been compounded by virus containment measures such as the lockdown, which has disrupted production and supply chains. When the locusts entered Nepal on Saturday, there were no initial reports of agricultural damage, except in Sainamaina Municipality, Rupandehi. But in the last few days, locusts swarms numbering a few hundred thousands have ravaged crops in several districts. Locust swarms have destroyed crops in 590 hectares in Dang district alone, according to the Ghorahi Agriculture Knowledge Centre. In Karnali Province’s Salyan, farmers have been struggling to save crops like maize and other vegetables. According to Bir Bahadur Basnet, a farmer in Chhatreshwori, farmers have started guarding their farms, fearing a locust attack. Locals have lit fires and are banging pots to keep the locusts at bay, said Basnet. “Last month, there were army worms and now there are locusts,” said Dev Bahadur Roka, another farmer. “We are struggling to save these crops. How will we survive?” According to the FAO, an adult desert locust can consume roughly its own weight in fresh food per day, which is about two grams every day. “A swarm measuring one square-kilometre in size contains about 40 million locusts, which can eat the same amount of food in one day as about 35,000 people,” says the FAO. In Makwanpur district, swarms have destroyed maize crops in 30 to 50 hectares, according to Subedi. As per the latest data available as of Wednesday evening, Rupandehi district had the largest swarm numbering nearly 2.5 million, followed by Makanwapur where a swarm of nearly one million is still alive and feasting. “Damages have also been reported in Chitwan, but the biggest threat is for Dang, Pyuthan and Arghakhanchi districts where large swarms have migrated from Bhairahawa and Kapilvastu,” said Subedi. “Maize crops are mostly under attack as most of these places have maize in their fields.” The Centre has also said that these flying bugs are not immature as reported earlier due to their pinkish appearance, but adult locusts. However, government officials say the swarms have not caused devastating damage yet, as such large groups could have done, because overcast conditions are slowing down their march and making them inactive. So far, farmers have been fighting the pests on their own by banging pots and burning smoke, among other containment measures. “We have not yet moved to spraying pesticide because our farms and settlements are mostly attached and pesticides can leave harmful effects on locals,” said Subedi. “If the situation worsens, we will use all possible means to control these insects.”
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Insect Disaster
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News Article: Locust plague in Madagascar halted, but ... - FAO
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Locust plague in Madagascar halted, but at great risk of resurgence
Achievements of FAO and Government of Madagascar threatened by funding gap
2 October 2014, Rome - A locust plague that spread across Madagascar threatening the main staple food crops and pasture in the country has been successfully contained, however, progress is under threat due to a gap in funding, FAO said today.
At the beginning of the plague in April 2012 the highly destructive Malagasy Migratory Locust ravaged crops and pastures on its way from the southwest of the country toward the North. By April 2014, it had spread towards the country’s largest rice crop areas in the northwest and threatened the livelihoods of 13 million people.
Potential for further damage was contained by the first locust control campaign, which is part of a three-year programme jointly executed by FAO and the Government of Madagascar, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“The effects of this plague could have been devastating, but thanks to strong efforts by the Government of Madagascar, supported by FAO, we have succeeded in preventing these locusts from migrating even further,” said David Phiri, FAO’s Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa.
Protected crops
Since locust control actions were initiated in September 2013, large-scale aerial operations have allowed experts to survey over 30 million hectares of land and control locust populations on over 1.2 million hectares.
A total of $28 million has been donated so far by the Governments of Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, Madagascar through a World Bank loan, Norway and the United States of America as well the European Union and the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund. Donors also include Algeria, Mauritania and Morocco, which donated pesticides.
Preliminary results of an FAO/WFP assessment mission, conducted between mid-June and mid-July 2014 in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, indicate that the first anti-locust campaign prevented larger damage to crops and pastures and protected the large rice producing regions of the country located in the centre and north.
This first campaign also provided the opportunity to further strengthen national capacities in locust management.
“Despite great support and achievements, however, we now face a new challenge due to a gap in funding,” says Phiri.
More funds needed
Funds available so far are only sufficient to implement the first part of the second locust control campaign, which started in September 2014. With the onset of the rainy season, from October 2014 onwards, the locust situation will deteriorate as seasonal temperatures and humidity at this time are ideal breeding conditions for the locust. The second and third campaigns are imperative to respectively support the decline of the plague and the return to a situation of recession.
Additional support of $14.7 million is urgently needed for aerial surveys, control operations, equipment, pesticides, as well as the recruitment of key staff to carry out the second and third campaigns.
“Each day is a fight to feed our children and send them to school,” says Hantanirina Florentine, who lives in a village near Sakaraha in central Madagascar. “Our main source of income is our 100 square metre plot of land and my husband’s odd jobs. The locust plague affected our livelihood and made our daily life even harder. The locust plague needs to be put to an end, so we can have crops and protect our livelihoods.”
Without added funding, efforts made during the first campaign will be largely lost and the locust plague will expand again. The context was similar in 2010/11 and 2011/12 when the funding for two anti-locust campaigns was not made available and as a result, the current plague developed.
“An immediate food crisis has been avoided,” says Phiri, “but an economical and humanitarian crisis could still threaten Madagascar if the two next campaigns are not implemented in time.”
“We are in a position to help – we just need one last push to stop this disaster and prevent future plagues.”
According to, Roland Ravatomanga, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development of Madagascar, “The first locust phase was successful thanks to the support of technical and financial partners, but much remains to be done for the second phase in 2014 and 2015. I solemnly appeal to the International Community on behalf of the Government and the Malagasy people for financial and material support to Madagascar. The food and nutrition security of Madagascar depends on it.”
Locust spraying during control operations
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Insect Disaster
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Trump's decision to withdraw from Trans-Pacific Partnership could cost farmers $1.8B
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March 5, 2019 / 4:44 PM / Updated March 6, 2019 at 10:20 AM Trump's decision to withdraw from Trans-Pacific Partnership could cost farmers $1.8B By Jessie Higgins The trade agreement was signed March by 11 countries, including some of America's closest trading partners -- Canada, Mexico and Japan. Had the United States joined those countries, farmers would have gained $2.9 billion in annual exports, according to the study. EPA-EFE/Jerry Lampen EVANSVILLE, Ind., March 5 (UPI) -- The Trump administration's decision to walk away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement in March 2018 will cost farmers nearly $2 billion annually, according to a new Purdue University study. "The Trans-Pacific Partnership could have been big," said Wallace Tyner, an agricultural economist at Purdue who co-authored the study. "But we're out of it now." That trade agreement was signed March by 11 countries, including some of America's closest trading partners -- Canada, Mexico and Japan. Had the United States joined those countries, farmers would have gained $2.9 billion in annual exports, according to the study. The U.S. initiated talks that eventually led to the creation of the TTP in 2008 under the Bush administration. President Barack Obama continued the talks after taking office in 2009, and the 12 countries involved in the negotiations finally reached an agreement and signed a pact in 2016. However, the agreement never was ratified by Congress, as it became a "target" during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. President Trump formally withdrew from the TTP when he took office in Jan. 2017. Following this decision, agricultural groups all over the country voiced strong concern over the loss of Pacific rim trade partners, and urged Trump to continue working to establish trade agreements with those nations. Advertisement RELATED Trump terminates preferential trade status to India, Turkey More than 100 agriculture groups sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer and members of Congress in February 2018 urging them to rejoin TPP. "We believe there are compelling reasons to ensure that American farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, retailers, workers and consumers benefit from the opportunities that exist in the Asia-Pacific region," the letter said. "American food and agricultural producers and companies are facing significant barriers in these markets that could be addressed with the improved rules and higher standards through re-engagement with the TPP countries." RELATED U.S.-Vietnam trade deal signed before North Korea summit Trump's withdrawal from TPP was the first in a series of moves the president has made that restrict international trade. A year later, he imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from key U.S. trading partners and began earnestly renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. Several months after that, he imposed billions of dollars of tariffs on Chinese imports. "This is not the normal way of doing business," Tyner said. "What we're doing now is diplomacy by cannon fire." U.S. agriculture has been particularly hard hit, he added. The study also looked at the broad implications of all the U.S. various trade disputes -- including the possibility that Trump will pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico without Congress ratifying its replacement -- the new U.S. Mexico Canada trade agreement. Should that happen, the agricultural sector would lose a staggering $21.8 billion a year, researchers said. Advertisement "We did [the NAFTA study] because nobody's talking about it, and it's a real possibility," Tyner said. "It's hard to get Congress to agree on anything. And, if this happens, it will be a disaster."
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Withdraw from an Organization
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2015 Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship
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The Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship is an international women's field hockey competition organized by the European Hockey Federation (EHF) for the top eight European national teams. It is the top division of the EuroHockey Championships. The inaugural tournament took place in 1984. When the tournament is held close to the Summer Olympic games or the Women's Hockey World Cup, the winner of the tournament is awarded a place in those competitions. The tournament is played in Divisions normally consisting of eight teams. The top division, containing the eight best national teams, is called the EuroHockey Nations Championship, below which there is the EuroHockey Championship II, then the EuroHockey Championship III, then the EuroHockey Championship IV, and so on. National teams qualify for a division based on their performance in the previous competition. Each time the competition is held, it is with each division's previous top two teams promoted (assuming there is a higher division), and its previous bottom two teams demoted (assuming there is a lower division). Assuming divisions consisting of the standard 8 teams, the teams are separated into two pools of four teams. In each pool (pool A and B) the teams play one match against each of the other teams in their pool (three in total). The teams then go on to play classification matches based on their relative ranking from these pool matches to determine their final tournament position. In each pool, A and B, all the teams play each other once, with points awarded as follows:
Upon completion of these matches, each team in the pool is ranked according to the number of points each has accumulated. If any teams in the pool have the same rank, then these teams are ranked:
Once the relative ranking of the teams in pools A and B is settled, the semi-finals proceed with two games as follows:
The winners of these matches then play a match against each other for 1st and 2nd places (the final) and the losing teams play a match against each other for 3rd and 4th places (Bronze medal match). The third and fourth placed teams in each pool are placed in Pool C (the Relegation Pool) in order to determine fifth to eighth places. Each team plays one match against the two teams that they did not previously play. The results from those games and from the game that was previously played against the other team in their original pool are used to rank each team according to the ranking procedure used in Pool A and B. The senior (men's and women's) Nations tournaments are held over seven to eight consecutive days (including rest days) some time during the last two weeks of July and the first four weeks of August every odd numbered year (2009, 2011, etc. ).
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Sports Competition
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Hanging Lake Is Making A Colorado Rebound, Turquoise Color Returning After Mudslides
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Filed Under: Colorado News , Glenwood Canyon , Glenwood Springs News , Hanging Lake , Interstate 70 (CBS4) – Hanging Lake is on its way to a full recovery after debris poured into the area following a 500-year rain event. Just weeks ago, aerial video of the popular Colorado tourist destination showed the once-turquoise lake possessing a dark brown color . Many weren’t sure how the aquatic life could survive, or if the lake would ever return to the crystal-clear blue it once was. Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon on Wednesday. This week a CBS4 crew joined members of the U.S. Forest Service with other members of the media to take a look. They had to carefully trek up a heavily damaged Hanging Lake Trail that is closed to visitor until further notice . Hanging Lake after mudslides in Glenwood Canyon in late July “This lake is extremely resilient, and just seeing it a couple weeks ago — it was completely brown and muddy and now all this?” said Bella Fendley on Wednesday. She’s a member of the U.S. Forest Service Glenwood Recreation Crew. Officials were amazed at how quickly the lake filtered out the sediment and lost that muddy brown color. While it wasn’t completely clear on Wednesday, it was enough to see the brooke trout were still alive and well. (credit: CBS) Officials are confident one of the natural gems of Glenwood Canyon will be back to normal in no time. “The turquoise color in Hanging Lake comes from the limestone dissolved in the water. As the sediment that clouded the water is settling out, new water is flowing into the lake and the clear, turquoise color is returning,” said David Boyd, White River National Forest spokesman. Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon on Wednesday. (credit: Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) While the lake is rebounding, the normal load of excited tourists to the spectacular attraction is certainly not. The trail that gets visitors from the shuttle dropoff point along Interstate 70 up to the lake was heavily damaged in the destructive mudslides at the end of July and may not fully reopen until 2023. Before then, Forest Service employees are considering the possibility of a primitive trail that would provide access to certain people who are willing to trek up more challenging terrain to get to Hanging Lake.
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Mudslides
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A small flock of pigeons have been given tiny backpacks to monitor air pollution in London.
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A small flock of pigeons have been given tiny backpacks to monitor air pollution in London. The project was dreamt up by Plume Labs, a company focused on the environmental problem, and the marketing agency DigitasLBi. The rucksacks are fitted to the birds using small fabric vests, and the sensors inside are able to measure nitrogen dioxide and ozone levels. Only 10 birds are in flight at any one time, so the amount of data being collected is pretty small. However, it's still a creative way of analysing the air that millions breathe in every day in the capital.
If you're interested in tracking the birds' progress, a live map is currently available on the project's microsite.
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Environment Pollution
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KLM Flight 592 crash
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KLM Flight 592, a KLM Douglas DC-6 was a scheduled passenger flight from Rome-Ciampino Airport (CIA/LIRA) to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA/EDDF). On Saturday 22 March 1952, Flight 592 crashed on final approaching to Frankfurt International around 10:45 AM Local time; 45 of the 47 people aboard the DC-6 were killed. [1]
On Saturday 22 March 1952, KLM Flight 592 was operated using a Douglas DC-6 (registration nr. PH-TPJ). The aircraft first flew in 1948. This was the 12th loss of a DC-6, the 8th fatal accident and the 4th worst accident with the type (at the time, now 20th's worst). After the crash, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. [2][3]
Flight 592 departed Rome-Ciampino Airport and headed for Frankfurt International, around 10:38 AM local time the crew of Flight 592 contact Frankfurt Air Traffic Control and reported they were overhead the staden beacon at 4000 feet. 7 minutes later, at around 10:45, the crew reported that they were approaching the offenbach beacon and descending to 2460 feet. Nothing more was heard from the flight after this. Around five minutes later, the aircraft crashed into a forest. [4] Of the 47 people aboard, 45 did not survive the crash. The survivors were one crew member and one passenger.
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Air crash
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1951 LOT Li-2 Tuszyn air disaster crash
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The 1951 LOT Li-2 Tuszyn air disaster occurred on 15 November 1951 when a LOT Polish Airlines Lisunov Li-2 flew into power lines near Tuszyn, crashed and burst into flames. All 15 passengers and 3 crew died. [1] It was the first LOT aircraft disaster since the end of World War II. On 15 November 1951 a LOT Lisunov Li-2 was en route from Łódź to Kraków–Balice. Shortly after take-off while flying through Górki Duże near Tuszyn it flew into power lines, crashed and went into flames. [2] All 15 passengers and 3 crew died. The Captain of the flight was Marian Buczkowski, father of Polish actor Zbigniew Buczkowski. [2] The official cause of the disaster was attributed to bad weather conditions (low clouds and fog) and pilot's error. [2]
According to a journalist investigation, due to lack of documentation in LOT archives, the events leading to the crash might have been different. [2] The Li-2 flew in from Szczecin that day and after landing Buczkowski pointed out that one of the engines may be faulty and refused to fly again. [2] Threatened with a pistol by a Security officer who wanted to get to Kraków he reluctantly agreed. [2] Due to the faulty engine the plane stalled, tipped over the power lines and crashed into a field. [2]
On 27 November 2010 an obelisk was erected to commemorate Captain Buczkowski, the crew and passengers. [2]
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Air crash
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Mississippi River floods of 2019
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Flooding in the Mississippi River Basin during the winter, spring, and summer of 2019 caused at least 12 deaths and economic losses in 19 states totaling in excess of $20 billion. [1][2] Estimated damages in the Midwestern United States alone had reached $12.5 billion by April 2019. [3][4] Flood damages totaling $6.2 billion were reported in the 11 states bordering the Mississippi River. [1][2] In addition to property and crop losses and infrastructure damages, commercial navigation on the Mississippi River was interrupted repeatedly by high currents, low bridge clearances, and closed locks. This delayed shipments of agricultural commodities, adding to the economic stress of crop losses caused by flooding. As of late April 2019, shipments of corn to export terminals in Louisiana were 31% lower than in same period in 2018.
Flooding along the Mississippi River was not the result of a single weather event. Instead, a series of flood events in tributary basins produced Mississippi River flooding of record duration. Flooding along the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers in the winter was followed by catastrophic floods in portions of the Midwestern United States in the early spring and record flooding along the Arkansas River in late May. While the Mississippi River floods of 2019 set records for duration and total volume, only a few locations along the Mississippi River saw record stages or flows. The conterminous United States recorded the wettest meteorological winter (December 2018 - February 2019) during the 1895-2019 period of record, with an average of 9.09 inches (231 mm) of precipitation. [7][8]
Tennessee experienced its wettest meteorological winter receiving 25.19 inches (640 mm) of precipitation. Winter precipitation ranked in the top 10 out of 124 years in 15 states within the Mississippi River Basin. [9]
Heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding near the end of February 2019 in the Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, and Yazoo River basins increased flooding on the Lower Mississippi River.
Wetter than normal conditions persisted into the spring with precipitation concentrated in the western and northern regions of the Mississippi River Basin. The conterminous United States recorded the fifth wettest meteorological spring (March 2019 - May 2019) during the 1895-2019 period of record, with an average of 9.92 inches (252 mm) of precipitation. [13]
Kansas experienced its wettest meteorological spring receiving 14.31 inches (363 mm) of precipitation of which 10.51 inches (267 mm) fell in May. In mid-March, snow-melt accelerated by heavy rain and rapidly warming temperatures resulted in catastrophic flooding in portions of the Midwestern United States. The most extreme flooding occurred along the tributaries of the Missouri River, the largest tributary (by area) of the Mississippi River. The 12-month period ending in April 2019 was the wettest to date during the 1895-2019 period of record, with an average of 36.27 inches (921 mm) of precipitation over the conterminous United States. Most states in the Mississippi River Basin experienced above average precipitation. [14][15]
In late-May, much of the Mid-west received over three inches of rainfall over a one-week period. Heavy rainfall in Oklahoma, with some parts of north-east Oklahoma receiving over 20 inches (510 mm) of rainfall over a 30-day period, produced record flooding along portions of the Arkansas River, the largest tributary of the Lower Mississippi River downstream of its confluence with the Ohio River. May was the second wettest month on record over the conterminous United States. Precipitation over the 12-month period ending in May averaged 37.72 inches (958 mm) surpassing the record set one month earlier. [18]
Wetter than normal weather continued into June, and for the third month in a row, a new record was set for 12-month precipitation averaged over the conterminous United States. For the 12-month period ending in June, precipitation totaled 37.93 inches (963 mm) exceeding the previous records set in April and May by 1.66 inches (42 mm) and 0.21 inches (5.3 mm) respectively. [19]
Normally, floods on the Lower Mississippi River occur in the winter and spring, and thus are unlikely to overlap with the Atlantic hurricane season. The development in early July 2019 of the storm that would become Hurricane Barry briefly prompted concerns that a storm surge propagating up the Mississippi River could increase already high river stages and overtop river levees as far upstream as New Orleans, Louisiana. [20] On 13 July 2019, Hurricane Barry came ashore as a minimal hurricane near Intracoastal City, Louisiana over 100 miles (160 km) west of New Orleans. The resulting storm surge and heavy rains briefly increased river stages at New Orleans from about 16 feet (4.9 m) to nearly 17 feet (5.2 m). The peak stage was about 3 feet (0.91 m) below the top of the levee. [21]
Multiple locations along the Upper Mississippi River experienced record flooding. At Dubuque, Iowa, the Mississippi River was above flood stage for 85 days, eclipsing the previous record of 34 days set in 2011. [22]
River stages at the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois were above major flood stage for 51 days exceeding the previous record of 31 days set in 2001. [23] The river remained above flood stage levels for over 96 days. [24] The crest of 22.7 feet (6.9 m) on 2 May 2019 was nearly a tenth of a foot above the record stage set in 1993. Temporary flood barriers failed on 30 April 2019 flooding portions of downtown Davenport, Iowa.
In Burlington, Iowa, the Mississippi rose above its banks for more than 104 days,[24] exceeding its previous record of 41 days at major flood stage, set in 1993. [27]
The peak river stage of 23.5 feet (7.2 m) was the fourth highest on record. [23]
On the afternoon of 1 June 2019, a temporary flood barrier failed forcing evacuation of multiple businesses in a 4 to 5 block area of downtown Burlington. [28]
At Hannibal, Missouri, the crest of 30.2 feet (9.2 m) on 1 June 2019 was surpassed only by the record stage of 31.8 feet (9.7 m) in 1993. [23]
The Pin Oak levee in Lincoln County, Missouri overtopped in early hours of Sunday morning, 2 June 2019, and breached that afternoon. Approximately 250 people were forced to evacuate as flooding threatened or isolated about 150 homes in Winfield, Missouri, and surrounding areas. [29]
The Mississippi River crested at 45.9 feet (14.0 m) on 8 June 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri, the second highest stage on record. The record crest of 49.6 feet (15.1 m) was set in 1993.
The Mississippi River at Chester, Illinois crested above flood stage three times during 2019. The third crest of 46.5 feet (14.2 m) on 10 June 2019 was exceeded only by the record stage of 49.6 feet (15.1 m) recorded during the Great Flood of 1993. [31]
River stages at many locations along the Lower Mississippi River exceeded flood stage between December 2018 and February 2019 and remained above flood stage through late summer. [32]
The duration of flooding at Greenville, Mississippi, and Red River Landing and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, exceeded the records set by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.
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Floods
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2017 Irish Coast Guard Rescue 116 crash
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In the early hours of 14 March 2017, a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter operated by CHC Helicopter under contract to the Irish Coast Guard (call sign Rescue 116) crashed into the sea while supporting a rescue operation off County Mayo, on Ireland's west coast. All four crew members on board, Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Chief Pilot Mark Duffy, winch operator Paul Ormsby, and winch man Ciarán Smith were killed. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
In a preliminary report published in April 2017, the Air Accident Investigation Unit found that the helicopter had clipped the small island of Blackrock at an altitude of around 200 ft (60 m) while on approach to Blacksod Lighthouse for a refuelling stop, and subsequently crashed out of control into the sea. [11]
On 14 March 2017, Rescue 118 had completed the medical evacuation of an injured fisherman 250 kilometres (130 nmi) west of Blacksod, for which Rescue 116 had provided support, and was returning. Shannon ATC last had communication from Rescue 116 at shortly before the crash announcing 'making our way to Blacksod for refuel'. Refuelling is a common practice in a long-range and lengthy SAR mission. The helicopter itself did not make any mayday call, but disappeared from air traffic control radar around 12:45am and failed to arrive at Blacksod, prompting the issuing of a declaration of emergency by the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Dublin. [12]
Rescue 118 was advised of the situation and routed to Blacksod to begin a search for the missing helicopter. Rescue 115, the Shannon Airport-based Coast Guard helicopter, was immediately dispatched to the area to aid in the search, along with a CASA CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft from the Irish Air Corps. The Irish Naval Service offshore patrol vessel LÉ Róisín arrived in the search zone at 9:00 am on 14 March. Divers from the Naval Service Diving Section and Garda Water Unit and RNLI vessels were also sent to the scene. Investigators from the Air Accident Investigation Unit attended the scene on the same day. The Naval Service flagship LÉ Eithne joined the search effort that afternoon, and both Naval Service vessels continued the search throughout the night and into the next day. Eithne was made on-scene coordinator of the recovery mission. The Marine Institute's RV Celtic Voyager was dispatched on the night of 14 March to search using multibeam echosounders to help locate the wreckage. [13] The Commissioners of Irish Lights also sent the ILV Granuaile, an advanced multifunctional vessel, to the scene. The Marine Institute's work class ROV Holland one was mobilised onto the Granuaile in Galway harbour . The vessel is equipped with a dynamic positioning system which allows it to operate in difficult sea conditions, cranes capable of hoisting recovered wreckage and a helicopter platform. [14] The Geological Survey of Ireland surveyed the underwater region and carried out detailed mapping where the search was focused on to aid diving teams in the recovery of the wreckage. [15] The Navy's LÉ Samuel Beckett later joined the recovery efforts and assumed command as the on-scene coordinator. [16]
On the afternoon of 15 March, a signal transmitting from the helicopter's flight recorder had been received by a team from the Irish Marine Institute using USBL equipment from a local fishing[citation needed] vessel. [17][18] The signal emanated at around 50 metres (55 yd) southwest of Blackrock Island, 17 kilometres (9.2 nmi) west of the coast at Blacksod Bay. [19] On 16 March, AAIU investigators were airlifted onto the helipad at Blackrock lighthouse, where a significant section of wreckage from Rescue 116 was found on the high rocky island. [20] From the examination of this tail section AAIU investigators believe that the tail of the helicopter made contact with the western slopes of Blackrock. [1] The preliminary report by AAIU investigators found that the helicopter had hit the island, which was registered in the craft's GPS mapping system but not on EGPWS. (EGPWS) is a legacy capable Class A terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) designed for digitally equipped aircraft. [21]
Intense SAR operations continued on Saint Patrick's Day on 17 March. Captain Dara Fitzpatrick's funeral took place on 18 March in Glencullen, Dublin. Poor weather conditions continued to impede the search. [22][23][24]
In the aftermath of the incident, the Defence Forces said in a statement that the Air Corps had originally been contacted at 10:06 pm on 13 March by the Coast Guard, with a request to provide top cover to Rescue 118 which was tasked with evacuating a fisherman to hospital from a vessel 250 kilometres (160 mi) west of the Mayo. In the Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the Department of Defence and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the "provision and tasking of Air Corps assets [is] on an 'as available' basis". [25] The Air Corps denied the request because of a staff shortage in experienced and trained personnel,[citation needed] which made it unable to operate an "out-of-hours" roster. [26] This meant Rescue 116 was deployed instead to provide top cover. Following the Blacksod incident, an Irish Times report highlighted how resourcing issues delayed the Air Corps involvement in the rescue, and highlighted that Air Corps' CASA maritime patrol fixed-wing aircraft have advantages over CHC operated helicopters in top-cover situations, in that they can arrive "twice as fast" and "remain circling in its higher vantage point for up to nine hours". [27]
At 1:45 am, an hour after last contact from Rescue 116, the Coast Guard made an emergency request for assistance to the Air Corps to help search for the missing SAR helicopter. The Air Corps activated its recall plan and 3 hours and 45 minutes after the Coast Guard's initial request for top cover, a CASA CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft was airborne. [27][28]
The Defence Forces said that in 2017 three requests for top cover had to be refused due to reduced availability. Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny, who was also Minister for Defence, said that it was "well known" that the Air Corps had lost a number of personnel such as pilots and air traffic controllers in recent years. Minister with responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe said that reduction in the capacity of the Air Corps was notified in summer 2016 to agencies and that the Department of Defence had made other arrangements in that regard. [28][29]
Since the crash took place, there have remained safety concerns for search and rescue helicopter services in Ireland, with problems including cartographic errors and omissions, problems with the navigational software, inadequate life jackets and a lack of oversight of the Search and Rescue service. [30]
On 22 March, the wreckage from R116 was found by the Marine Institute Holland 1 ROV after signals from the flight data recorder pinger were received as well as some items of wreckage on Blackrock. There were hopes that the bodies of the missing crew members could be found in the wreckage. [18][31][32][33]
On 24 March, Naval Service divers recovered the flight recorder from the wreckage on the sea bed on the eastern side of Blackrock, at a depth of 40 metres. [34] Air Accident Investigation Unit chief inspector Jurgen Whyte confirmed that the black box was "visually in good condition" and would be flown under escort to the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch for the data to be downloaded. [16] Later on the same day Naval divers discovered the body of one of the three missing crew members in the cockpit section of the wreckage. [1] On 26 March the body of the crew member was retrieved from the wreckage by NSDS divers and identified as that of co-pilot Captain Mark Duffy. [35]
On 30 March, the funeral took place of Captain Duffy in County Louth. Throughout the recovery attempts weather and sea conditions have forced diving to be suspended for long periods for safety reasons. The large sea surface and underwater swells and currents around Blackrock Island have been making it dangerous for divers to operate and decompress safely from the 40m depths at which the wreckage lies. In tandem with wreckage salvage there were extensive aerial, sea and coastline searches.
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Air crash
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Mom charged in vape oil poisoning of young son
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Steadier rain in the morning with 0.50" to 1" expected with a thunderstorm possible, then clearing and drier in the afternoon. Breezy and still mild. .
Partly cloudy, brisk, and turning colder. Updated: November 12, 2021 @ 11:51 am
| Authorities allege that a Lehigh County woman poisoned her young son with vape oil, while he was in the hospital being treated for what was believed to be a breathing problem.
The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office charged Alexia Tretter, of Catasauqua, in connection with the intentional poisoning of the boy earlier this year at Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest. The 25-year-old faces two counts of aggravated assault and a single count of child endangerment, all felonies.
A detective with the district attorney’s office began investigating the incident following a referral made by a doctor at Lehigh Valley Hospital. A then 14-month-old boy was admitted to the emergency room on Feb. 26 for what was believed to be trouble breathing or asthma, according to authorities. Tretter admitted her son.
The child was treated and cleared for release about 10 a.m. the following day by the reporting doctor. Other than medical staff and about five minutes during which the boy’s father was present, Tretter was the only person in the room with the boy, according to the criminal complaint filed against her.
Shortly before 1 p.m. that day, the doctor cancelled the discharge because the boy “had gone into distress.” Tretter told staff that her son was coughing, gagging and throwing up, which had been noted by staff about 10:45 a.m. The same medical staff noted a short time later that the boy was receiving oxygen through a hose that had been removed earlier.
A family member visiting the child said he was “lethargic and not himself,” according to court records. Tretter left the room for about an hour to smoke her vape pen and make a phone call during which time the visiting relative sat with the boy, who slept the entire time.
Hospital staff reported the child went into an “altered mental state” shortly after 3:30 p.m. with seizures, coughing and vomiting as a result of a possible poisoning. A toxicology test would show nicotine in the boy’s system.
Staff admitted the boy to the pediatric intensive care unit and reported that Tretter was “exhibiting odd behavior” around the child.
The boy was alert and responding well until Tretter notified staff about 6:15 p.m. that his oxygen had been removed from his nose. He began to vomit and his heart rate spiked.
Medical staff noted a “strong fruity smell” in the boy’s room and asked Tretter whether she had some type of lotion or had given the boy something. She initially denied anything but later told a nurse she used a lotion. Another nurse later asked whether she gave the boy any vape oil, which Tretter denied. She replied, “No, that would kill him,” according to court records.
Staff reported that Tretter began moving equipment in the room and videotaping her son in his crib. She allegedly began adjusting a camera that was monitoring the boy, prompting staff to repeatedly tell her to stop touching the equipment.
On Feb. 28, toxicology samples revealed “deadly high levels” of nicotine and cotinine in the boy’s system, which medical personnel said was a “direct result of ingestion of vape oil.” Tretter was removed from the room, and the boy recovered without further incident, according to authorities. He was discharged on March 3.
When confronted by investigators, Tretter began to cry and allegedly admitted poisoning the boy with vape oil.
Court records do not indicate why Tretter may have allegedly poisoned her own son or whether she may have poisoned him before the hospital stay.
District Judge Michael Pochron arraigned Tretter Wednesday afternoon. She was released from custody on $25,000 unsecured bail ahead of a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for May 27.
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Mass Poisoning
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Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela Flight 108 crash
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Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela Flight 108 was a short-haul flight from La Chinita International Airport in Maracaibo, Venezuela to Santa Barbara Ed-L Delicias Airport that crashed on March 5, 1991. The aircraft used on Flight 108 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, which by 1991 had been in service with Aeropostal for 24 years; the airline had bought the plane from McDonnell Douglas in 1967. [1][2]
The Páramo "Los Torres" is known among Venezuelan pilots as The Guillotine of Los Andes. Prior to Flight 108, two other commercial aircraft had crashed. On December 15, 1950, an Avensa Douglas DC-3 flying from Mérida to Caracas crashed, killing all 28 passengers and 3 crew. Ten years later, on December 15, 1960, a Ransa flight crashed, killing all of its passengers. [3]
Flight 108 took off from La Chinita International Airport with 45 passengers and crew. Several minutes later, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 crashed on the side of a foggy mountain near La Valesa in the La Aguada sector of the Páramo Los Torres and burst into flames. All 45 people on board died. [1]
A investigation into the accident found that the cause of the crash was pilot error. The pilots inadvertently entered the wrong radial into their navigation system and went off course. Because of fog in the area, the pilots did not know they were on a collision course with the mountain. [4][5]
On February 23, 2008, Globovisón briefly mentioned the accident while covering a report on Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518. [6]
On February 21, 2008, Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518, an ATR 42, crashed into the "Los Conejos" moor, several minutes after taking off from Alberto Carnevalli Airport in Mérida. 43 passengers and three crew members were killed in the accident. The remains of the aircraft were found the following day in a mountain range approximately 10 kilometers northeast of Mérida at an altitude of 12,000 feet (3,700 m). No survivors were found. After the accident, the company started a new public relations program and rebranded SBA Airlines. Like Flight 108, Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518 did not have accurate information of the route it was flying. [7]
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Air crash
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'A scourge of the Earth': grasshopper swarms overwhelm US ...
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Climate crisis
‘A scourge of the Earth’: grasshopper swarms overwhelm US west
The drought has created ideal conditions for grasshopper eggs to hatch and for the insatiable eaters to survive into adulthood
Oregon and Montana have been the hardest hit by the grasshopper swarms, particularly in the arid eastern flank of both states. Photograph: AP
Oregon and Montana have been the hardest hit by the grasshopper swarms, particularly in the arid eastern flank of both states. Photograph: AP
Thu 8 Jul 2021 03.44 BST
First published on Sun 4 Jul 2021 11.00 BST
They’re arriving in swarms so dense it can appear the earth is moving. They’re covering roads and fields, pelting ATV riders, and steadily devouring grains and grass to the bedevilment of farmers and ranchers.
A massive population of grasshoppers is proliferating in the sweltering American west, where a deep drought has made for ideal conditions for grasshopper eggs to hatch and survive into adulthood.
“I can only describe grasshoppers in expletives,” said Roger Nicholson, a cattle rancher in Fort Klamath, a small community in southern Oregon, who once recalled seeing grasshopper bands eat 1,000 acres a day and cover the ground like snow. The insects cause innumerable headaches for farmers and ranchers, competing with cattle for tough-to-find wild forage and costing tens of thousands of dollars in lost crops and associated costs. “They are a scourge of the Earth … They just destroy the land, destroy the crops. They are just a bad, bad predator.”
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Prolific though they are, the grasshoppers are not interlopers. Native to the western lands, they have been there for millions of years, their populations typically in check. They hatch as tiny versions of adults, so small about 50 can fit on a coin the size of a quarter. In average years, most die off before becoming the winged grownups that now buzz the rural skies. They and their eggs are susceptible to pathogens, brutal winters and starvation while young. But grasshopper populations began ballooning in spring 2020, thanks to warmer and drier winters that favored survival, along with a lucky few rains that spur grass that feeds young grasshopper populations.
Oregon and Montana have been the hardest hit by the insatiable eaters, particularly in the arid eastern flank of both states. Thirteen other states are also facing grasshopper damage, according to hazard maps assembled by the animal and plant health inspection service at the US Department of Agriculture. The program helps contain grasshoppers on rangeland and also targets a close cousin, the Mormon cricket. The 17 states under the purview of this pest patrol have a combined agricultural value of $8.7bn, according to the most recent estimates. Last year the program spent more than $5m on suppression efforts and is presently steeped in more.
Grasshoppers in the Swan Lake area. Photograph: Courtesy of Helmuth Rogg
“The biggest biomass consumer in the country are not cattle, are not bison. They are grasshoppers,” said Helmuth Rogg, an entomologist and agricultural scientist who works for the Oregon department of agriculture. “They eat and eat from the day they get born until the day they die. That’s all they do.”
“They basically ate all the forage,” said John O’Keeffe, a cattle rancher whose eastern Oregon ranch was besieged by grasshoppers a year ago. The ranch was recently treated with insecticide to avoid being menaced again. O’Keeffe estimates grasshoppers cost him $50,000 in lost forage, plus the price of hay to feed cattle once rangeland forage was gone.
According to Rogg, agricultural losses due to grasshoppers are often reported to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition to grazing down rangeland forage, which also wipes out feed for wild antelope, grasshoppers eat the leaves off of fruit trees and bed down in the dry areas ringing crops, where they decimate grain by eating slowly inward. Capable of flying for miles, they can travel in bands to consume one area, then move on to the next.
They eat and eat from the day they get born until the day they die. That’s all they do
Helmuth Rogg
But controlling grasshoppers can be challenging. Because they molt like snakes, shedding skins as they grow, they are susceptible to the most targeted insecticide, dimilin, only when young and between molts. That window is small in places like Oregon, where grasshoppers tend to hatch early and mature fast, in part because the climate crisis is hastening the timing of their hatch. The adults, once spotted, are too old to suppress, except with chemicals that harm other insects. That means ranchers and farmers that spot infestations are often out of luck until the next year. That’s already the case in Oregon, where the grasshoppers are entering adult days. Not so in Montana, where officials have made the most requests for insecticide.
Based on initial data, the suppression campaign will be, like the grasshopper population, the first or second largest in 35 years. Left alone, the grasshopper populace would eventually shrink. Their population bursts tend to be cyclical, controlled after predator populations catch up to tamp them down. In addition to the pathogens that claim them, parasites and fungi also attack grasshoppers, while and they and their eggs are the mealtime fare of beetles, moths, lizards and birds. Their popularity as a prey base makes them key to ecological equilibrium most of the time. That is until population density turns them to pests.
“They’re kind of a neat bug, kind of like a pack, but when they go through a field, they will just completely wipe out everything that’s there,” said Tylor Lorenz, a sixth generation rancher near Oregon’s border with California. “The damage that they do when they come into crops is just absolutely horrific.”
Topics
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Insect Disaster
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1971 Canberra flood
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The 1971 Canberra flood was a flash flood that occurred on 26 January 1971, in the Woden Valley district of Canberra, Australia. The flood killed seven people including four children, injured 15 and affected 500 people. [1] The insurance damage was estimated at A$ 9 million. [1] It was estimated that around 95 mm of rain fell in one hour during this event. [2] The Yarralumla Creek drainage channel peak rate of flow measured 186,891 litres per second at the Carruthers Street pluviograph near Yarra Glen at around 8:50pm. [3]
The force of the water was strong enough to turn a bus 180 degrees on Melrose Drive south east of the intersection with Yarra Glen. The intersection was covered to a depth of an estimated 1.83m and the floodwaters spread an estimated 183m wide, east to west across the intersection of Yamba Drive, Melrose Drive and Yarra Glen. A number of people and cars were swept into the Yarralumla Creek drainage channel from a low level crossing at the junction of Yamba Drive, Melrose Drive and Yarra Glen. Yamba Drive was covered in fast flowing water to at least 275m south of the Hindmarsh Drive intersection where a white car and the driver were swept into the Long Gully drainage channel. The 1971 Canberra flood victims names and ages:[4]
One Australian Police Officer, Constable Jeff Brown, was six months later awarded the British Empire Medal for Gallantry for rescue efforts during the event. Four Australian Police Officers were later awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct for rescue efforts during the event. [5][6]
Following the flood seven crosses were erected near the side of the road to mark the victims. A permanent memorial was officially dedicated on 26 January 2010. [7][8]
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Floods
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Oregon higher ed budget bill would increase access to financial aid
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Roughly 11,000 more students would have access to a state financial aid program in the next two years thanks to increased state funding in a higher education budget bill continuing to make its way through the Oregon Legislature. The Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education voted Monday to send Senate Bill 5528 to the full Joint Ways and Means Committee with a “do pass” recommendation. If passed, the bill would increase funding for programming and operations at Oregon’s public universities and community colleges over current levels. The bill also allocates more money to the Oregon Opportunity Grant, a state-funded grant program for low-income students. According to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, from 2009 to 2019, more than 2 million applications for financial aid were eligible for Oregon Opportunity Grant funds, but only about 16% of those students received grants because of limited available funding. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown had initially recommended funding for the Oregon Opportunity Grant at about $171 million last December. If lawmakers pass the most recent iteration of a budget bill, the grant would stand at $200 million for the upcoming two-year budget period. The Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission says that extra bump of funding would increase the total number of grant recipients from roughly 65,600 to about 76,600 in the upcoming biennium. Along with the increased funding to the Oregon Opportunity Grant, lawmakers are also examining changes to another state financial aid program — the Oregon Promise. The Oregon Promise was created in 2015 to help cover most tuition costs at Oregon community colleges for recent high school graduates and GED recipients. At the time it was announced, Oregon Promise was touted as the state’s “free community college” financial aid program. Another bill in the Legislature would broaden the program’s focus and change who’s eligible to use it. House Bill 2093 would expand the eligibility requirements for the program and make other changes such as: lowering the grade point average requirement for students from 2.5 to 2.0, doubling the minimum grant award to $2,000 and cutting a $50 per term copay. Notably, the bill would also expand the permitted uses of the grant funds to include students not only looking to attend community colleges, but also public universities and nonprofit, regionally accredited private institutions. Still key changes remain between the Oregon Promise and the Oregon Opportunity Grant — the Oregon Promise is only available to recent high school and GED graduates, while the Opportunity Grant is available to students of all ages. In addition, the Oregon Promise only offers up to two years of grant funding, while the Opportunity Grant offers grants for up to four years. The Higher Education Coordinating Commission said the bill looking to tweak the Oregon Promise has undergone some changes since it was first introduced at the beginning of this year, but regardless, the agency says the bill would “improve the equity of the Oregon Promise program and its flexibility for students.” “These are important positive steps,” the HECC said. “But even if this bill passes in current or amended form, financial aid programs will still need to be funded at increased levels to fully address the serious affordability challenges students and families face.” The HECC said policy changes like this are a “first step toward a more wholesale redesign of financial aid to meet the needs of Oregonians.” If passed, House Bill 2590 would task a group of state lawmakers to gather student voices and develop policy focused not only academic success, but affordability, food and housing needs and other concerns from underrepresented student groups.
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Financial Aid
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Great Spokane Fire
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The Great Spokane Fire—known locally as The Great Fire—was a major fire which affected downtown Spokane, Washington (called "Spokane Falls" at the time) on August 4, 1889. It began just after 6:00 p.m. and destroyed the city's downtown commercial district. [1] Due to technical problems with a pump station, there was no water pressure in the city when the fire started. [2] In a desperate bid to starve the fire, firefighters began razing buildings with dynamite. Eventually winds died down and the fire exhausted of its own accord. As a result of the fire and its aftermath, virtually all of Spokane's downtown was destroyed, though only one person was killed. [1]
The cause of the fire was never determined. Theories included a cooking fire in a lunchroom, a curling iron being heated in a kerosene lamp, and a spark from a passing train. [3]
Three cities in Washington had "great fires" in the summer of 1889. The Great Seattle Fire destroyed the entire central business district of Seattle on June 6, 1889. The Great Ellensburg Fire resulted in the city's bid to become the state capital ending in failure. Other fires that summer in the U.S. included the Santiago Canyon Fire around Orange County, California and the Great Bakersfield Fire of 1889. Despite this catastrophe, Spokane continued to grow; the fire set the stage for a building boom. Architect Chauncey B. Seaton came to Spokane to work on rebuilding projects after the fire. He designed the Review Building. [4] The town hosted the Northwest Industrial Exposition in 1890. The main building was designed by Richard H. Martin, Jr..[5]
After the Great Fire of 1889 and the rebuilding of the downtown, the city was reincorporated under the present name of "Spokane" in 1891. Just three years after the fire, in 1892, James J. Hill's Great Northern Railway had arrived in the newly created township of Hillyard (annexed by Spokane in 1924)—the chosen site for Hill's rail yards. [6]
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Fire
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May 2010 Northern Sumatra earthquake
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The May 2010 Northern Sumatra earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 7.2 on May 9 at 12:59 PM local time (5:59 UTC) in Indonesia. The epicenter was 215 km from Banda Aceh on the northwestern tip of Sumatra. According to USGS, it is likely that this earthquake occurred along the interface of the Indo-Australia Plate and the Sunda Plate. It was one of a sequence of large earthquakes along the Sunda megathrust in 2000s. It was also felt in Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. [1] Broken windows and cracks in the walls were reported in the control tower at Cut Nyak Dhien Airport near Meulaboh. [2]
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Earthquakes
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2010–11 Philippine floods
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In December 2010, strong rains in some places in the central part of Visayas and the eastern section of Luzon and Mindanao caused floods in the Philippines. [3] By January 12, 2011, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) pegged those affected at 235,867 families or 1,230,022 people in 1,267 villages in 137 towns and 10 cities in 23 provinces. [4]
The causes of flood were blamed on a stationary front or called tail-end of a cold front and wind convergence. PAGASA reported that the cold front would pass at the places of Eastern Visayas and Central Visayas, along with the wind convergence. The first reports of flooding were at the Bicol Region provinces of Albay and Sorsogon. In late December, Albay governor Joey Salceda had placed his province under a state of emergency after the rains caused the deaths of two people and the displacement of 4,000. He has also issued a mandatory evacuation on residents in affected areas. Fears of lahar flows from the recently active Mayon Volcano had been dismissed. In adjacent Sorsogon, 170 families had already been evacuated. [5]
At the start of the new year, the cold front moved to the central part of the Philippines, stretching a rain band from Southern Leyte to Misamis Oriental. PAGASA forecast more rain until January 6 in these areas. At least five deaths have been confirmed in these areas: three children died after being buried by a landslide in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, while two others drowned in the same province. The town and five other municipalities in the province had also been without power. Several towns in Eastern Samar and Northern Samar have also reported flooding. Elsewhere, minor landslides were reported in Hinabangan, Samar and Tacloban. In Cebu City, a flight going to Siargao had been canceled, and landslides have also been reported. [6]
More than 2,000 people have been displaced in the Caraga due to the rains. A landslide claimed a life of a person in Monkayo, Compostela Valley, while three girls were reported missing in the area. [6]
On January 6, the cold front that affected Caraga and Eastern Visayas moved to Bicol and brought rains anew. This caused the evacuation of 8,200 people in the region. [7]
By January 6, Butuan, Agusan del Sur towns of Bunawan and San Francisco, and Surigao del Sur were placed under state of calamity as additional seven deaths were recorded. Flood damage to government infrastructure in Caraga was at 141 million Philippine pesos[7] (US$3.2 million). More than 80% of the evacuees in Albay were sent home after conditions improved on January 7. Classes that were suspended on January 6 reopened the next day except for schools that were used as evacuation centers. [8] Meanwhile, the floods subsided in Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley, but it destroyed the crops of some 2,100 farmers. [9] The NDRRMC pegged the damages to agriculture and infrastructure nationwide at 183 million pesos[10] (US$4.1 million). As of January 23, 2010 the death toll from the floods has risen to 68 with 26 others still missing. [11]
Another causes of flooding was the Wind Convergence.On January 26 heavy rain bought by the northeast monsoon fall down Cebu. Salceda urged PAGASA to assign names to weather systems that are not storms that cause disruptions. Secretary of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Rogelio Singson also said in a DWIZ interview that PAGASA "should draw up a classification system, not just for typhoons but also for massive rainfall." PAGASA for their part had already installed automatic weather stations, and established a community-based early warning system. [12]
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which had been in a decades-long insurgency, instructed its military arm the New People's Army to help in relief operations. The government and the CCP ended their ceasefire on January 3. [13]
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Floods
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Uganda suspends more than 50 rights groups, citing non-compliance
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Authorities say the decision was made because the NGOs failed to comply with legislation covering their activities. Authorities in Uganda have suspended more than 50 civic groups for allegedly not complying with regulations, dealing a blow to hundreds of thousands of people who directly benefit from the organisations’ activities. The suspensions, which target agencies ranging from rights watchdogs to women’s groups, were announced on Friday by the government’s Non-Governmental Organization Bureau. “We have halted their operations,” the bureau’s Chairman Steve Okello said. The suspensions take “immediate effect” and will be enforced, the NGO Bureau said in a statement. It said the measures were taken in response to the groups’ violation of myriad regulations, including operating with expired permits, failing to file accounts, or failing to register with the authorities. Prominent rights group Chapter Four Uganda and election observer group CCEDU are among 15 facing indefinite suspensions. The government’s action will renew fears of an assault on civil society that grew before a charged presidential election earlier this year. Many of the affected groups have been in limbo for months, unable to carry out their regular activities after authorities suspended operations of a leading donor known as the Democratic Governance Facility, or DGF. “Unfortunately, in our failing democracy, anything can happen,” said Dickens Kamugisha, whose AFIEGO group that advocates good energy governance is among those suspended. “This is all part of the political harassment of citizens and the NGOs.” He said he expected the suspensions to happen sooner after the DGF’s troubles, as well as multiple attacks on the offices of civic groups seen as critical of the government. DGF was launched in 2011 by Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the European Union as a five-year programme to support government and non-governmental groups working to promote human rights, strengthen democracy and improve accountability. Renewed in 2018 and with offices in the Danish embassy in Kampala, the capital, the fund says it aims to encourage Uganda to be a country “where citizens are empowered to engage in democratic governance and the state upholds citizens’ rights”. Some of the organisations ordered to close had also taken part in an election-monitoring operation on polling day in January, which was raided by security forces with several of their leaders arrested. The election saw President Yoweri Museveni returned for a sixth term in office after a violent campaign marked by the harassment and arrest of opposition figures, attacks on the media, and the deaths of several dozen people. Chapter Four executive director Nicholas Opiyo confirmed his group received the government’s order to close and described the situation as “serious”. Museveni, a US ally who has held power since 1986, has repeatedly accused unnamed Western nations and groups of interfering in the internal affairs of the East African country. Museveni won the January 14 polls with 58 percent of the vote while his closest rival, the singer and lawmaker known as Bobi Wine, had 35 percent, according to official results. Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, claims he won the election and Museveni’s victory was fraudulent. This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. Constitutional court throws out anti-porn law whose provisions included a ban on wearing miniskirts in public. Each of the 529 lawmakers received $56,500 to get new vehicles, sparking outrage in the poor country. Police say weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko found days after he disappeared leaving a note saying he wanted to find work. Residents and civil society groups have been waging a legal battle against a sugarcane development project. Follow Al Jazeera English: We understand that your online privacy is very important and consenting to our collection of some personal information takes great trust. We ask for this consent because it allows Al Jazeera to provide an experience that truly gives a voice to the voiceless.
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Organization Closed
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Tsunami watch for Hawaii canceled following 8.2-magnitude quake off Alaska
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A tsunami watch has been canceled for Hawaii following a large earthquake off Alaska on Wednesday. USGS reported the 8.2 earthquake in waters off of Perryville, Alaska at around 8:15 p.m. The epicenter was located about 2,500 miles directly north of the Hawaiian Islands. Reports show that there have been at least two aftershocks, a magnitude 6.2 and 5.6 earthquake. HEB cancels Tsunami Watch for 35 counties/zones in [HI] till further notice https://t.co/WsaHbiKj4J — NWS PTWC (@NWS_PTWC) July 29, 2021 Forecasters with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center measured minor tsunami waves in Hawaii but said they were “very, very, very small.” Experts said they are not expecting any major damage. “Our preliminary results here probably indicates we don’t have a threat here,” said Chip McCreery, director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The tsunami watch was canceled just before 10 p.m. Wednesday. The temblor is being called the Chignik earthquake, which was relatively close to the region in Alaska, and appears to be related to Simeonof earthquake that struck almost exactly one year ago. They both happened along the interface between the subducting Pacific North America plates. Wednesday night’s quake was the deepest at around 28.5 miles. Scientists are reminding the public to review their evacuation plans as earthquakes and tsunamis can strike at any time.
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Tsunamis
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East Texas school closures due to COVID-19
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Published: Aug. 30, 2021 at 6:01 PM CDT|Updated: Sep. 7, 2021 at 9:58 AM CDT Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn EAST TEXAS (KLTVKTRE) - A number of school districts have closed for the week of Aug. 30 as the number of COVID-19 cases among staff and students continues to grow. Schools will be added to the top of this list as announcements are made. Ore City Elementary Elementary campus closed September 7-10. Classes resume Monday, Sept. 13. Lunches available this week through drive-thru line at the MS/HS cafeteria. Jasper ISD Jasper ISD has chosen to close school due to a rising number of cases of COVID-19 in the district, a letter posted to social media stated. They will remain closed Sept. 3-12. All games, practices and activities have also been cancelled. Livingston ISD Livingston ISD will be closed, Monday Sept. 6 for Labor Day and Tuesday Sept. 7 through Friday Sept. 10, due to a staffing shortage from COVID-19 positive cases. Extra-curricular activities have not been canceled. Angelina College Dual Credit classes will be held online during the LISD closure. Trinity ISD Trinity ISD has announced that school will be closed through Sept. 12. All extra-curriculars are also canceled, including the Grand Saline - Trinity game this week, and Tarkington - Trinity game next week. Cushing ISD Cushing ISD has announced a closure of schools and all sports and extra-curriculars through Sept. 13 due to widespread illness. Homecoming game and activities will be rescheduled.
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Organization Closed
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2006 Mid-Atlantic United States flood
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The Mid-Atlantic United States flood of 2006 was a significant flood that affected much of the Mid-Atlantic region of the eastern United States. The flooding was very widespread, affecting numerous rivers, lakes and communities from upstate New York to North Carolina. It was widely considered to be the worst flooding in the region since Hurricane David in 1979. It was also one of the worst floodings in the United States since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. At least 16 deaths were related to the flooding. [2]
The flooding was attributed to several weather factors that all came together over the region. The primary factor was the stalling of the jet stream just to the west of the Appalachian Mountains. That, combined with the Bermuda High over the Atlantic Ocean, blocked any systems from moving inland or offshore. The influence of a tropical low (which nearly became a tropical storm but did not attain a full surface circulation) off the North Carolina coast allowed a constant stream of tropical moisture to enter the Mid-Atlantic region. The resulting heavy and prolonged rains overflowed the banks of many rivers, lakes, and streams, leading to the flooding. A senior National Weather Service meteorologist declared that rain events of this size take place in the region only every 200 years. [3]
Considerable flooding occurred in much of Delaware, particularly in Sussex County, where Governor Ruth Ann Minner declared a state of emergency. The hardest hit community was Seaford, where 40 families were temporarily homeless and many homes and businesses were damaged. [4]
Significant street and river flooding was reported in Washington, D.C. Several important federal buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Department of Justice and some of the Smithsonian Institution, were closed. [5]
Mayor Anthony A. Williams declared a state of emergency as a result of the flooding and the threat of power outages and other problems. [6]
Sections of Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park were washed out. The road was closed for several months for repair and reinforcing. Beach Drive is the main north-south road through the park and is a major commuter artery. The most severe flooding took place in and around Montgomery County. Over 2,200 people had to be evacuated from the area south of Lake Needwood in Rockville due to concerns of a dam break there (the earthen dam was leaking). If the dam were to break, communities downstream could be under as much as 22 feet (6.7 m) of flood water. [6] The dam did not break, however, and the evacuations ended on the evening of June 29. U.S. Route 29 (Colesville Road) in Silver Spring and Maryland Route 198 near Fort Meade were among the dozens of roadways closed due to high water. Parts of Laurel in Prince George's County were also evacuated after floodgates were opened to relieve pressure on a nearby dam. In Frederick County, three people were killed when they attempted to cross the flood waters from Middle Creek. [7] Also in Frederick County, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy drowned while swimming in a swollen creek that feeds into the Monocacy River. On July 4 in Prince George's County, the body of a 22-year-old man was recovered. It was determined that his car was swept off U.S. 29 by the floodwaters nearly two weeks prior. [8]
In Harford County, several inches of rain fell for several days. Parts of the Susquehanna River and Deer Creek flooded, and several rescues were performed. Damage to roads and agriculture in the Eastern Shore region alone was estimated to be around $12 million. [4]
On Friday, June 30, Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich requested federal disaster aid for five Maryland counties: Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, and Montgomery. However, Ehrlich stated in a letter requesting the aid to President George W. Bush that more counties could be included after damage assessments. Governor Ehrlich stated that damages in Maryland could exceed $10 million. Ehrlich also requested, in addition to federal disaster aid, funds for "hazard mitigation assistance", which is federal money used to help governments rebuild antiquated structures with modern structures. Ehrlich also obtained loans from the federal Small Business Administration to help private property owners, both residential and business, to rebuild or repair damaged buildings. [8]
The heaviest flooding in New Jersey was along and near the Delaware River, on the border with Pennsylvania. Over 1,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas of Trenton, and some state government buildings were closed. In addition, Trenton's water filtration system was shut down because of debris floating down the Delaware, and Mayor Douglas Palmer called for conservation, saying the city had only about two days of drinkable water. The river was expected to crest Friday at nearly 8 feet (2.4 m) over flood stage, the fourth-highest level on record for Trenton. [5]
Governor Jon Corzine had declared a state of emergency for the entire state as a result of the flooding. [9]
Significant flooding took place in the Southern Tier region, particularly around Binghamton and Waverly/Sayre (on the New York-Pennsylvania border). Riverside communities were severely flooded, and many evacuations took place in the region which stretched along the Susquehanna, Chenango, Delaware and Unadilla rivers. [10] The Susquehanna River in Bainbridge crested at 27 feet (8.2 m), 14 feet (4.3 m) over the flood stage. This was the highest the river had ever reached in the Bainbridge area. In Broome County alone, over 5,000 people were forced to evacuate, particularly in the submerged town of Conklin. [2]
Two people were killed when a section of Interstate 88 washed away and two trucks drove into the chasm created. [5]
The Mohawk River valley also experienced significant flooding, with damage occurring to Lock 10 on the Erie Canal. In Port Jervis, the Delaware River flooded low areas of the city that had barely recovered from the record flooding of April 2005. The Neversink River also swelled, prompting officials to close the Neversink bridge.
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Floods
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The Lake George Association and The Fund for Lake George on Thursday announced they will merge
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The Lake George Association and The Fund for Lake George on Thursday announced they will merge, citing "unprecedented threats confronting Lake George's legendary water quality." The Lake George Association and The Fund for Lake George on Thursday announced they will merge, citing "unprecedented threats confronting Lake George's legendary water quality." Walt Lender, executive director of the Lake George Association, left, and Eric Siy, executive director of The Fund for Lake George, on Thursday discuss the benefits of the two organizations merging. Siy will become the president of the new organization and Lender will serve as senior vice president. LAKE GEORGE — The lake’s two most prominent protection groups announced Thursday they will merge, citing growing threats to the lake’s water quality. Boards from the Lake George Association and The Fund for Lake George unanimously endorsed the merger on Tuesday, citing a growing number of threats to the lake, including harmful algal blooms and invasive species. “We all felt that the compounding threats to Lake George, its water quality, demanded nothing other than a unified strategy that would come out of one organization with one voice,” said Jeff Killeen, board president of The Fund for Lake George, during a virtual press conference. The two organizations were one and the same until 1980, when the Fund for Lake George broke away from the LGA to become its own entity. The LGA was founded in 1885 and is the oldest lake protection organization in the country. The new entity will keep the Lake George Association name. Members of the association must still approve the merger before it can be completed, but Peter Menzies, president of the organization, said he doesn’t anticipate any objections. “We see no issues with it based on the overwhelming support we’ve received so far,” he said. The merger is expected to be ratified in April and will become official sometime around May 1, Menzies said. “The chemistry between this team is very real and I’m so encouraged by our working relationships we forged already,” he said. “We’re ready to hit the ground running.” Finances had nothing to do with the decision, Killeen said. The Fund had $5.8 million in total assets as of 2018 and the LGA had $5.2 million the same year, according to tax records. Support for both organizations has remained steady, even throughout the pandemic, when the usual fundraising activities could not take place. “We have found out that our supporters are steadfast,” said Walt Lender, executive director of the LGA. The goal in unifying is to create something that “literally doesn’t exist anywhere” to tackle the growing number of threats to Lake George and influence public policy in a way that benefits fresh water bodies throughout the state, Killeen said. “We feel that it’s the right way to manage Lake George. … we can be a leader and lead by example on public policy relevant to fresh water,” he said. The organizations operate a number of water protection programs to mitigate the flow of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen into the lake through stormwater runoff and wastewater discharges. Education programs to enhance public awareness about Lake George are a staple for both organizations. The Fund operates The Jefferson Project, a collaboration between IBM Technologies and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute launched in 2013 to study the effects human activity has on the lake. The discovery of the first harmful algal bloom in the lake last fall and the emergence of several invasive species in the Lake George basin, including hemlock woolly adelgid, played a role in the merger. “With those threats we have to act decisively, and we can only do that if we do it together,” Killeen said. The new organization will be led by a board of directors comprising members from both the LGA and The Fund, with Killeen acting as chairman and Menzies vice chairman. Eric Siy, executive director of The Fund, will become president of the new organization, and Lender will serve as senior vice president. “There’s nothing like this anywhere in the world, but, you know, there’s no place like Lake George anywhere in the world,” Siy said. “This is history in the making, and it’s future in the making and we’re doing it together.” Chad Arnold is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls and the town and village of Lake George and Washington County government. Follow him on Twitter @ChadGArnold. An 86-year-old woman died and a 48-year-old man suffered serious burns in a Wednesday evening fire at a home at 24 Horicon Ave. One person was killed on Tuesday after being struck by a train in Wilton. A Glens Falls woman was charged with welfare fraud for reportedly having falsified tenant information by failing to report income that she was earning. Katie M. Horn, 26, of Hadley, was arrested Wednesday following an investigation into accusations of creating and promoting child pornography. Local man scares up a dream job. A Whitehall grad has been unable to leave Canada since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. A woman accused of stabbing a Fort Edward man in the chest in January was sentenced on Wednesday to 11 years in prison. A Saratoga Springs man was arrested for allegedly stealing items from Walmart after previously being banned from the store. Warren County reported 74 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday and is monitoring 414 active cases — the highest total since Jan. 16. Warren County Health Services reported 58 new COVID-19 cases and 16 recoveries on Thursday. The county is now monitoring 456 active cases. The Lake George Association and The Fund for Lake George on Thursday announced they will merge, citing "unprecedented threats confronting Lake George's legendary water quality." The Lake George Association and The Fund for Lake George on Thursday announced they will merge, citing "unprecedented threats confronting Lake George's legendary water quality." Walt Lender, executive director of the Lake George Association, left, and Eric Siy, executive director of The Fund for Lake George, on Thursday discuss the benefits of the two organizations merging. Siy will become the president of the new organization and Lender will serve as senior vice president.
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Organization Merge
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1980 Camarate air crash
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The 1980 Camarate air crash occurred on 4 December 1980 when a small private aircraft carrying Portuguese Prime Minister Francisco de Sá Carneiro and Defense Minister Adelino Amaro da Costa crashed in Camarate, Lisbon, Portugal. Initial investigations concluded the incident was an accident, but later parliamentary investigations found evidence of a bomb beneath the cockpit. [3][4][5][6] After the 15-year statute of limitations took effect, several people came forward confessing involvement. Following the 1974 Carnation Revolution, Francisco de Sá Carneiro had been elected Prime Minister on 3 January 1980, and Adelino Amaro da Costa became the first civilian Defense Minister. They were on their way to an election rally three days before the Portuguese presidential election, 1980. Amaro da Costa had chartered a Cessna for the trip; Sá Carneiro had intended to travel by other means, and joined the trip at the last minute. The Cessna 421A Golden Eagle, a private aircraft chartered by da Costa, crashed shortly after take-off from Lisbon Portela Airport. Witnesses saw the aircraft trailing debris before hitting high-voltage power lines and crashing in a fireball. [7]
The incident was subject to many investigations. The initial investigation by the aviation authority concluded the crash was an accident caused by a lack of fuel in one of the tanks. The final police report in 1981 ruled out criminal actions. In 1983, the Attorney General suspended the investigation. [1] Parliamentary investigations in 1990 and 1991 did not lead to a re-opening of the case, but after the fifth parliamentary inquiry in 1995, the case was re-opened. [1]
For the 1995 re-opening of the judicial investigation, the victims' bodies were exhumed, and a forensic report concluded that there had probably not been an explosion on the aircraft, although the possibility was not ruled out. [1] After interviewing José Esteves, who later said he had manufactured a device for the attack, the criminal proceedings were suspended. [1] A private prosecution launched by victims' relatives was declared time-barred in 1996, with the exception of one alleged conspirator, L.R., who was detained in Brazil on other matters, leading the 15-year time limit to be suspended in his case. [1] In 1998, a district court judge in the L.R. private prosecution reaffirmed that the incident had been an accident, a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2000 with an 800-page judgement. [1] An attempt to re-open the case against L.R. in 2001 on grounds of new evidence was judged time-barred. [1] Legal challenges were dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2006, and an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights was made in 2007 alleging breach of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the grounds that the case had become time-barred due to the negligence of the Portuguese authorities. The Court concluded in 2011 "that the substance of their right of access to a court had not been impaired by any negligence or failure to act on the part of the competent authorities". [1]
In 2001, a lawyer for relatives of the victims, Ricardo Sá Fernandes, published a book arguing that the target of the assassination was newly appointed Defence Minister da Costa due to his knowledge of arms deals with Iran obtained from his new position. 2001 also saw the release of Camarate: acidente ou atentado?, a film on the subject by Luis Filipe Rocha. In 2004, the 8th parliamentary inquiry into the affair, headed by Christian Democratic Member of Parliament Nuno Melo concluded in its unanimous final report that the incident had been caused by an explosive device on the aircraft. Melo told the Xth enquiry in 2013 to investigate the role of arms sales to Iran and the Army's "Fundo de Defesa do Ultramar" slush fund, saying that da Costa had asked the Army about arms sales to Iran on 2 December 1980, and that on 5 December, the day after his death, the Army had issued an order illegally declaring arms sales to be under its jurisdiction, not the Defence Minister's. [8]
In 2006, former security agent José Esteves confessed to manufacturing an explosive device intended for an attack on da Costa's plane. He said the intention had been for the device to cause a fire prior to take-off, permitting the occupants to evacuate safely, but giving a "warning" to presidential candidate António Soares Carneiro. [7] Esteves said his device had been a firebomb using potassium chlorate, sugar and sulfuric acid. [7] In 2013, Esteves told the parliamentary X Commission that in planning the operation he had been told that the newly elected Democratic Alliance government was causing problems with weapons sales. He also said he had been paid $200,000 by CIA agent Frank Sturgis to create the device, and that his firebomb device alone did not cause the crash, maintaining that additional explosives must have been involved. [9]
In 2010, Diogo de Freitas do Amaral, who briefly became interim Prime Minister after the crash, published a book on the subject. In 2012, José Ribeiro e Castro argued for a tenth parliamentary enquiry in part due to the confession of one of the alleged principal conspirators, Fernando Farinha Simões, who in 2011 published an 18-page confession on the internet describing his alleged involvement in the operation. Farinha Simões said he had been tasked by the US Central Intelligence Agency with the operation, at a cost of $750,000, paid for with CIA credit cards. He said that of this $200,000 had been passed on to José Esteves for his bomb-making services. [10][11][12]
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Air crash
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Millions to lose jobless aid as claims fall to pandemic low
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Millions of jobless Americans who have depended on federal unemployment aid as a financial lifeline are about to lose those benefits just as the delta variant of the coronavirus poses a renewed threat to the economy and the job market On Location: November 11, 2021 WASHINGTON -- Millions of jobless Americans who have depended on federal unemployment aid as a financial lifeline are about to lose those benefits just as the delta variant of the coronavirus poses a renewed threat to the economy and the job market. Two programs — one that provides jobless aid to self-employed and gig workers, the other to people who’ve been unemployed for more than six months — will expire Monday. As a result, 8.9 million people will lose those weekly benefit payments, according to an estimate by Oxford Economics. An additional 2.1 million people will lose a $300-a-week federal supplemental unemployment payment, which also expires Monday. These recipients will, however, continue to receive state unemployment benefits. The cutoffs come as employers have been steadily hiring and laying off fewer workers. The number of people applying for jobless aid dropped 14,000 last week to 340,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, to the lowest level since the pandemic struck in March of last year. Still, the number of people who will lose financial support starting next week is much higher than during previous cutoffs of expanded unemployment aid. After the Great Recession in 2008-2009, for example, when jobless aid was extended to 99 weeks, that extension lasted through 2013. When that benefits program finally ended, just 1.3 million people were still receiving aid. The current expanded jobless aid programs were created in the financial rescue legislation that was enacted after the pandemic erupted and was extended by President Joe Biden last March. Lawmakers generally expected that by September, with more Americans vaccinated and employers stepping up hiring, the pandemic would fade and the economy would fully recover. While the economy is rebounding, economists worry that the delta variant may slow hiring and growth. When the government releases the August jobs report Friday, some analysts expect it to show a slowdown in hiring. Next week's cutoff of unemployment checks for millions will abruptly erase a vital source of income for many. “We were a thriving middle-class family 18 months ago,’’ said Chenon Hussey of West Bend, Wisconsin. “We’re going to fall off the map" when the federal benefits end. Hussey, 42, who works part time for a county government, is trying to revive a small motivational speaking business that was crushed by the pandemic. Her husband, a master welder, has been laid off three times during the health crisis. The federal benefits, she said, have been “the bridge from absolute poverty for us.’’ Without them, Hussey said, their monthly income will drop by $2,800. They won’t be able to afford the intensive care that their daughter, who has developmental disabilities, needs. They may have to move her to a group home, “which is what we never wanted for her.’’ Their cars are paid off, but the mortgage remains a struggle. “It’s going to take us a while to get through it,’’ she said. “We are positive in the fact that we’re both willing to do what we need to do.’’ Twenty-five states have already ended the $300 weekly supplement and nearly all of those have also stopped the two emergency federal programs, ending payments for about 3.5 million people, Oxford Economics estimates. Those early cutoffs occurred after some businesses complained in the spring and summer that they couldn't find enough people to hire. Nearly all the 25 states are run by Republican governors — except for Louisiana — and most asserted that the $300-a-week in supplemental federal aid was discouraging the unemployed from taking jobs. Posted job openings — a record 10.1 million in June — have been rising faster than applicants have lined up to fill them. Yet research has found that the early cutoffs of federal jobless aid have led to only a small increase, at most, in hiring. A study by Kyle Coombs, an economist at Columbia University, and Arindrajit Dube, an economist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, found that in states that kept the federal benefit programs, 22% of people receiving benefits in April had found work by the end of July. In states that cutoff aid, that figure was nearly 26%, a modest increase. Other research has found even less impact: In a report last week, economists Peter McCrory and Daniel Silver of J.P. Morgan found “zero correlation″ between job growth and state decisions to drop the federal unemployment aid, at least so far. They warned that the loss of income from a cutoff of unemployment checks “could itself lead to job losses, potentially offsetting any gain" from encouraging more people to go back to work. Most economists cite other factors that have made it harder for businesses to fill jobs at the pay they are offering: Many of the unemployed don't want to take jobs in service industries such as restaurants and hotels, out of fear they will contract COVID-19. In addition, many women have dropped out of the job market to care for children and have struggled to find or afford child care. Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a think tank, estimates the expiration of the benefit programs will reduce aid payments by $5 billion a week, likely weakening spending. “We are all tired of the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean we forgo taking the steps that we need to keep people afloat,” Stettner said.
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Financial Crisis
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Centurion Air Cargo Flight 164 crash
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Centurion Air Cargo Flight 164 was a chartered international cargo flight, flying from Bogota's El Dorado International Airport while en route to Miami International Airport. The flight was operated by Kalitta Air and the aircraft was wet leased by Centurion Air Cargo. On 7 July 2008, the aircraft, a Boeing 747-209BSF registered as N714CK, crashed shortly after takeoff. All aboard suffered injuries, but none were killed. Two people on the ground were killed after the plane slammed into a farm. The crash was the second crash of a Boeing 747 in 2008 in Kalitta Air service, after a previous accident at Brussels in May. An investigation was launched by Colombian authorities and concluded that the crash was caused by dual engine failures. During its take-off phase, engine #4 and then engine #1 suffered loss of power. The flight crews could not recover the plane, which subsequently crashed into a ranch house. The aircraft took off from El Dorado International Airport to Miami International Airport carrying 8 crew and a cargo of flowers, as a chartered cargo flight. The flight was operated by Kalitta Air for Centurion Air Cargo as Flight 164. During its rotation, the Number 4 engine suffered a non-recoverable surge, causing it to lose power. It then declared emergency 20 seconds later reporting an engine fire in engine number 4 (outer right hand engine) and requested to return to runway 13R. Bogota Tower cleared the airplane for that return to and landing on 13R. The airplane initiated a left-hand turn as by the published engine out procedure. Just about 20 seconds after the loss of the number 4 engine, the number 1 engine somehow failed. By this time, the aircraft had lost its ability to climb and started to lose control. [citation needed]
The crew quickly recognized that they no longer had the thrust necessary to get back to the airport and attempted an off-airport landing. A taxi driver fueling his car at the nearby petrol station said that the airplane hit the wires along the highway triggering sparks, before it impacted ground. The aircraft crashed at 03:57 local time. It skimmed over trees and crash landed, skidded along the field and slammed into a ranch house, killing 2 people, Pedro Suarez, 50, and his 13-year-old son Edwin. The aircraft then broke up into several sections. [1]
Rescuers immediately arrived at the crash site and evacuated the survivors. All eight crew members survived, but one was in critical condition. At least 5 people were seriously injured in the crash. Two crew members were treated at a Madrid hospital, while six others were sent to the Central Police Hospital in Bogota. [2]
The aircraft, a Boeing 747-209BSF, registered as N714CK, was a 27 years and 3 months old aircraft. It had a total airframe hours of 90,613 hours equipped with 4 Pratt and Whitney Canada engines with a MSN number of 519. Before it was sold to Kalitta Air in 2002, it was delivered to China Airlines in 1981 as B-1886. In 1999, the plane was given a new registration as B-18753 when it transferred to China Airlines's freight division, China Airlines Cargo. [3][4]
The Colombian Grupo de Investigacion de Accidentes opened an investigation into the crash. The U.S National Transportation Safety Board sent five investigators to assist the Colombian investigation team. The Federal Aviation Administration, aircraft-maker Boeing Co. and engine-maker Pratt & Whitney also assisting the investigation. [5]
The 51-year-old captain Bryan Beebe (8,874 hours total, 2,874 hours on type) was pilot flying; the 49-year-old first officer Frank Holley (11,373 hours total, 2,853 hours on type) was pilot monitoring. The 59-year-old flight engineer Joseph Kendall had a total flying experience of 10,665 hours and 2,665 hours on type. [5]
Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were recovered and taken for an analysis. The aircraft was configured for takeoff with flaps at 10 degrees (the flaps remaining in that position until impact) with the engines at EPR between 1.69 and 1.72, when it accelerated through Vr (152 knots) and rotation was initiated. While the aircraft rotated the pitch went through 13 degrees nose up and the airspeed had already exceeded V2 (162 KIAS) when engine #4 lost power, the engine rolling down from about 1.7 EPR to 1.0 EPR within 2–3 seconds, the engine surged 4 times during that time. Engineers determined that the high-pressure turbine of engine #4, that had been installed during the last work shop visit in January 2008, was inefficient due to too large a blade tip clearance, the reduced chord and wear of leading edges of fan blades resulting in a loss of engine power estimated at 5.8% and impaired stability and operability of the engine. [5]
Engine #1 then suffered a failure of the low-pressure turbine, which resulted in ejection of engine parts through the engine exhaust. The failure originated in the third stage of the LPT, engineers believe the failure started with the loss of a number of guide vanes or the loss of a large piece of outside air seal due to thermal damage. Although an overboost condition existed outside regular engine operation range, the application of such engine power for a short period of time should not have caused an engine failure. The exact cause of the engine failure could not be determined. [5]
Investigators noted that engine #2 suffered a rapid decline of EPR and recovery of EPR for five times, each lasting for about 2–3 seconds, the surges happening at 87 seconds, 33 seconds, 13 and 3 seconds before impact. Few minutes later, the aircraft crashed. [5]
On 22 August 2011, the investigation board finally published the final report. The crash was caused by the failure of two engines of the aircraft, specifically engine number 4 and engine number 1. The number 4 engine suffered a non-recoverable surge during the rotation. The aircraft then struggled to climb. As the flight crews were conducting the emergency procedure, the number 1 engine somehow failed.
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Air crash
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The Elders condemn US withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council
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The Elders condemn the US decision to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council as an alarming act of isolationism that will make it harder to defend the rights and dignity of vulnerable people worldwide. “The Human Rights Council is an integral part of the international system that helps protect fundamental rights and values." – Kofi Annan The Human Rights Council The Elders today condemned the decision of the United States to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council as an alarming act of isolationism that will make it harder to defend the rights and dignity of vulnerable people worldwide. Kofi Annan , Chair of The Elders and former UN Secretary-General, said: “The Human Rights Council is an integral part of the international system that helps protect fundamental rights and values. I deplore the US withdrawal, which stands at odds with its historic traditions and sends a signal to others that they too can ignore the Council.” The Elders were particularly concerned that the US decision to leave the Council follows a series of similar isolationist measures by President Donald Trump, including withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the UN Global Compact on Migration, and the Iran nuclear deal. They said that the timing of the decision is particularly troubling when human rights are under attack from so many different quarters worldwide. For all its imperfections, the Council offers a platform to challenge impunity and hold countries to account. Withdrawal will act against the US’ own interests by ceding space to other states, they warned. Furthermore, the plight of vulnerable migrants and refugees, from detained children separated from their parents at the US/Mexican border to those seeking safe harbour in the Mediterranean and displaced Rohingya communities in Bangladesh, underscores the need for robust international processes and mechanisms to affirm universal rights. Gro Harlem Brundtland , Deputy Chair of The Elders and former Prime Minister of Norway, said: “Global challenges require multilateral solutions. The United States has historically recognised this, and seen itself as a leading light on human rights since Eleanor Roosevelt helped draft the Universal Declaration 70 years ago. I hope the many committed human rights defenders in the US will now fight hard so this retrograde step proves short-lived.”
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Carmen Electra's Love Life that Led Her to 'The Celebrity Dating Game'
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Carmen Electra is hoping to find the one on tonight's latest episode of The Celebrity Dating Game on ABC. The show sees a celeb question three mystery contestants before choosing one of them to see in real life and go on a date with. The other famous face looking for love tonight is model and actor Tyson Beckford. Electra has been in the public eye for almost 30 years and has had several high-profile romances in that time. With that in mind, let's take a look back at Electra's relationship history that has led to her appearance on tonight's episode of The Celebrity Dating Game. Carmen Electra got her big break in the early 90s when she met Prince. She'd initially received a recording contract from Capital Records until Prince snagged her for his label Paisley Park Records. Lapalme Magazine reported that their relationship went from professional to romantic and Electra said: "He was so mysterious, but one of the wittiest people I've ever met. He was simply one-of-a-kind." Electra's real name is Tara Leigh Patrick but Prince is credited with creating her stage name, writing the song "Carmen on Top" telling her she looks like a Carmen to him. Eventually Electra felt the urge to return to L.A. to search for further career opportunities and chose to leave Prince at his Minneapolis base and go it alone. Electra's brief relationship and marriage to NBA player Dennis Rodman was recently publicized in the Netflix docu-series The Last Dance. One famous wild weekend in Las Vegas was highlighted with Michael Jordan revealing he had to go to Rodman's hotel room to get him back for practice with the Chicago Bulls. Electra revealed in the documentary that she hid from Jordan when he barged into the hotel room. Electra and Rodman got married in November 1998 in the Little Chapel of the Flowers in Las Vegas. However, nine days later Rodman filed for an annulment claiming he was of "unsound mind." They eventually reconciled but mutually split again in April 1999. Electra's mother and older sister both died of separate illnesses within two weeks of each other in 1998 and Electra credits this with her "self-destruction" during her time with Rodman. She told Oprah on her series Where Are They Now?: "Our relationship was very passionate. So when it was good, it was amazing. When it was bad, it was the worst." Electra got married for the second time five years later but this time to a rock star. In November 2003 she tied the knot with Dave Navarro, lead guitarist of the band Jane's Addiction. They gave viewers an insight into their marriage on the short-lived MTV reality show 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave. They broke up in July 2006 before their divorce was finalized in February 2007. Electra once again fell in love with a rock star, this time Rob Patterson, member of the bands Otep and Filter. The pair confirmed their engagement in April 2008 but never wed. They remained engaged for several years but allegedly broke up in 2012. That same year Electra appeared on another dating game show on Fox called The Choice. It was a mix between The Voice and The Celebrity Dating Game, and Electra had a choice of three potential non-celebrity suitors. Find out who Scary Movie and Baywatch star Electra chooses tonight in the new episode of The Celebrity Dating Game on ABC at 10 p.m. ET.
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Famous Person - Marriage
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Turkish Airlines Flight 835 crash
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Turkish Airlines Flight 835 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Adana Şakirpaşa Airport, Adana to Esenboğa International Airport, Ankara, Turkey. On 23 September 1961 at 20:02 EET (18:02 UTC), the aircraft operating the flight, a brand-new Fokker F27 Friendship 100 struck the Karanlıktepe hill in Ankara Province on final approach some 18 kilometres (11 mi) off the runway centerline. [1]
The aircraft was carrying four crewmembers and 25 passengers of which 24 passengers and all four crewmembers were killed in the accident. [2]
The probable cause of the accident was that the aircraft was not in the normal flying pattern and was well below its designated altitude. [3]
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Air crash
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Sibanthracite receives ‘Best Coal Exporter to China’ award
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The Sibanthracite Group has received the ‘Best Supplier of Coal Products to China in 2021’ award in the Coal Mining Enterprises category. The award was bestowed by one of China’s information research portals, Mysteel.com., owned by China’s leading consulting company, Shanghai Ganglian E-Commerce Co., Ltd. The award was given to Sibanthracite for high product quality, consistent growth of supplies and precise performance of contractual obligations, which confirms that the company is the leading supplier to the China market.
China is the world’s largest importer of coal and the largest sales market for Sibanthracite. Supplies to Chinese customers grow every year. For the first nine months of 2021, the company exported 6.659 million t to China. This was an increase of 49% compared to the same period in 2020.
Mysteel.com. awarded Sibanthracite with the same award last year for the results of 2020.
“Sibanthracite is once again highly appreciated by its customers and partners. Despite the marker volatility the company has demonstrated consistent product quality and remains a reliable partner,” said Zhu Junhong, Chairman of the Board of Shanghai Ganglian E-Commerce Co., Ltd.
“The Chinese market has historically been a strategic one for us. We are happy that the course we have taken brings its results – growth of supplies and prestigious awards. It’s a pleasure that the work of our team has been highly appreciated. We will do our best to develop our supplies to China while demonstrating our best qualities as a supplier and a partner,” added Sergey Melnikov, Sibanthracite’s General Director.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/27102021/sibanthracite-receives-best-coal-exporter-to-china-award/
Allegiance Coal Ltd has announced the first New Elk cargo of metallurgical coal was loaded and sailed last week from the Port of Guaymas in northern Mexico, to China. Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below):
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Awards ceremony
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Rare bacterial outbreak kills one in Georgia: U.S. health body
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Aug 9 (Reuters) - One person in the U.S. state of Georgia died following a multi-state outbreak of melioidosis infection likely linked to imported products, health officials said on Monday. A total of four people were infected, one each in Georgia, Kansas, Texas and Minnesota, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Genome testing has shown that the bacterial strains that sickened the patients closely match each other, suggesting there is a common source for these cases, the public health agency added. The patients included both adults and children. Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is predominantly a disease of tropical climates especially Southeast Asia and northern Australia. CDC believes the most likely cause is an imported product (such as a food or drink, personal care or cleaning products or medicine) or an ingredient in one of those types of products. (In Aug. 9 story, corrects penultimate paragraph to say 'Southeast Asia and northern Australia', not 'Northeast Asia and northern Austria') Ten Republican state attorneys general sued on Wednesday to stop the Biden administration's requirement that millions of U.S. health workers get vaccinated against the coronavirus, saying it would worsen staff shortages.
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Disease Outbreaks
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U.S. and Israel officially withdraw from UNESCO
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PARIS — The United States and Israel officially quit the U.N.’s educational, scientific and cultural agency at the stroke of midnight, the culmination of a process triggered more than a year ago amid concerns that the organization fosters anti-Israel bias. The withdrawal is mainly procedural yet serves a new blow to UNESCO, co-founded by the U.S. after World War II to foster peace. The Trump administration filed its notice to withdraw in October 2017 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu followed suit. The Paris-based organization has been denounced by its critics as a crucible for anti-Israel bias: blasted for criticizing Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, naming ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites and granting full membership to Palestine in 2011. The U.S. has demanded “fundamental reform” in the agency that is best known for its World Heritage program to protect cultural sites and traditions. UNESCO also works to improve education for girls, promote understanding of the Holocaust’s horrors, and to defend media freedom. The withdrawals will not greatly impact UNESCO financially, since it has been dealing with a funding slash ever since 2011 when both Israel and the U.S. stopped paying dues after Palestine was voted in as a member state. Since then officials estimate that the U.S. — which accounted for around 22 percent of the total budget — has accrued $600 million in unpaid dues, which was one of the reasons for President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw. Israel owes an estimated $10 million. UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay took up her post just after Trump announced the pullout. Azoulay, who has Jewish and Moroccan heritage, has presided over the launch of a Holocaust education website and the U.N.’s first educational guidelines on fighting anti-Semitism — initiatives that might be seen as responding to U.S. and Israeli concerns. Officials say that many of the reasons the U.S. cited for withdrawal do not apply anymore, noting that since then, all 12 texts on the Middle East passed at UNESCO have been consensual among Israel and Arab member states. In April of this year, Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO said the mood was “like a wedding” after member nations signed off on a rare compromise resolution on “Occupied Palestine,” and UNESCO diplomats hailed a possible breakthrough on longstanding Israeli-Arab tensions. The document was still quite critical of Israel, however, and the efforts weren’t enough to encourage the U.S. and Israel to reconsider their decision to quit. In recent years, Israel has been infuriated by repeated resolutions that ignore and diminish its historical connection to the Holy Land and that have named ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites. The State Department couldn’t comment because of the U.S. government shutdown. Earlier, the department told UNESCO officials the U.S. intends to stay engaged at UNESCO as a non-member “observer state” on “non-politicized” issues, including the protection of World Heritage sites, advocating for press freedoms and promoting scientific collaboration and education. The U.S. could potentially seek that status during UNESCO Executive Board meetings in April. The United States has pulled out of UNESCO before. The Reagan administration did so in 1984 because it viewed the agency as mismanaged, corrupt and used to advance Soviet interests. The U.S. rejoined in 2003.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Ruzagayura famine
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The Ruzagayura famine (lit. 'search and find little') was a major famine which occurred in the Belgian mandate of Ruanda-Urundi (modern-day Rwanda and Burundi) during World War II. It led to numerous deaths and a huge population migration out of the territory and into the neighboring Belgian Congo and surrounding areas. The famine is considered to have begun in October 1943 and ended in December 1944. [1]
The principal cause of the famine was several prolonged periods of drought in the region in early 1943. However, the problem was exacerbated by attempts of the colonial authorities to send agricultural produce to the Belgian Congo, as part of the Allied war effort, in World War II. [1]
The colonial administration, together with Christian missionaries, began to transport food to a supply point in Usumbura (presently Bujumbura). [1] The Rwandan king, Mutara III Rudahigwa, sent aid to the affected region. [1]
By the time the famine ended in December 1944, between 36,000[2] and 50,000[3] people (between one-fifth and one-third of the total regional population) died of hunger in the territory. Several hundred thousand people emigrated away from Ruanda-Urundi, most to the Belgian Congo but also to Uganda as well. The migration also served to create further political instability in the areas affected by the mass influx of Rwandans. [4]
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Famine
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Gov. Polis signs letter to Biden urging him to declare FEMA drought disaster
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Aerial views of drought-affected Colorado farm lands 83 miles east of Denver on July 21, 2012. Green areas are irrigated, the yellow areas are dryland wheat crops. (Lance Cheung/USDA/Public Domain Mark 1.0) Amid droughts in Colorado and across the West, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bipartisan letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to declare a Federal Emergency Management Agency drought disaster for states experiencing droughts. If declared, the FEMA drought disaster would provide additional federal resources to the states impacted. Colorado, Utah, Oregon, and Idaho have reached historic drought conditions, according to an Aug. 16 press release from state officials. The press release states that 99% of the West is in a declared drought, compared to 63% last year. The letter, which was also signed by the governors of North Dakota, Washington, Utah, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and New Mexico, states, “Without substantial assistance, rural economies in our states that rely heavily on agriculture and natural resources will take years to recover from the effects of this devastating drought.” “We continue to do what is within our power, including working with our state legislatures and local governments to mitigate the immediate impacts of the drought, but the situation is now beyond our capacity as states or a region to manage without additional federal assistance,” the letter states. About 20% of Colorado is experiencing extreme drought conditions, the fourth level of a five-level scale on the drought monitor, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System website. Twenty-eight percent of Colorado is at the third level, severe drought, as of Aug. 10. Possible impacts on areas experiencing extreme drought conditions are widespread water shortages and major crop or pasture losses, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Areas experiencing severe drought conditions may have water restrictions imposed, and crop or pasture losses become likely. Drought conditions in the West have persisted for about two decades and are largely driven by human-caused climate change. A drying, warming climate has also contributed to increasingly intense wildfires in Colorado. The letter comes at a time when the first-ever water shortage in the Colorado River basin has officially been declared, according to an Aug. 16 press release from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. “Given ongoing historic drought and low runoff conditions in the Colorado River Basin, downstream releases from Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam will be reduced in 2022 due to declining reservoir levels. In the Lower Basin the reductions represent the first ‘shortage’ declaration — demonstrating the severity of the drought and low reservoir conditions,” the press release states. The declaration is a result of a 24-month study, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, that predicts that water levels in Lake Mead will decrease significantly. The lake is at the border of Nevada and Arizona. The Colorado River is the primary water source for more than 40 million people. The water shortage declaration will mostly affect Arizona farmers for now, as starting next year, Arizona farmers will not have as much water access as they have had previously, according to a The New York Times report. However, it is possible that more people will feel the impact of this water shortage in coming years. “But larger cuts, affecting far more of the 40 million people in the West who rely on the river for at least part of their water supply, are likely in coming years as a warming climate continues to reduce how much water flows into the Colorado from rain and melting snow,” the Times reports.
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Droughts
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Paint Creek–Cabin Creek strike of 1912
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The Paint Creek–Cabin Creek Strike, or the Paint Creek Mine War,[1] was a confrontation between striking coal miners and coal operators in Kanawha County, West Virginia, centered on the area enclosed by two streams, Paint Creek and Cabin Creek. The strike lasted from April 18, 1912 through July 1913. After the confrontation, Fred Stanton, a banker, estimated that the strike and ensuing violence cost $100,000,000. The confrontation directly caused perhaps fifty violent deaths,[2] as well as many more deaths indirectly caused by starvation and malnutrition among the striking miners. In the number of casualties it counts among the worst conflicts in American labor union history. The strike was a prelude to subsequent labor-related West Virginia conflicts in the following years, the Battle of Matewan and the Battle of Blair Mountain. The violence on Paint Creek and Cabin Creek began with a United Mine Workers of America strike in April 1912. Prior to the strike there were 96 coal mines in operation on Paint Creek and Cabin Creek, employing 7500 miners. Of these mines, the forty-one on Paint Creek were all unionized, as was all of the rest of Kanawha River coal field except for the 55 mines on Cabin Creek. However, miners on Paint Creek received compensation of 2½¢ less per ton than other union miners in the area. [3]
When the Paint Creek union negotiated a new contract with the operators in 1912, they demanded that operators raise the compensation rate to the same level as the surrounding area. This increase would have cost operators approximately fifteen cents per miner per day, but the operators refused. The union called a strike for April 18, 1912. [4] Their demands were:
After little debate, the Cabin Creek miners decided to join the Paint Creek miners and declared their own strike. [5]
After the strike began, the national United Mine Workers pledged full support, hoping to spread the union into Southern West Virginia, a longtime goal of the union. The UMW promised full financing and any aid it could provide to support strikers. [5]
Partly because of the influence of the UMW, the strike was conducted without violence for its first month. However, on May 10, 1912, the operators on Paint Creek and Cabin Creek hired the notorious Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency to break the strike. Baldwin–Felts responded by sending more than 300 mine guards led by Albert Felts, Lee Felts, and Tony Gaujot[6]
Activist Mother Jones arrived in June, as mine owners began evicting workers from their rented houses, and brought in replacement workers. Beatings, sniper attacks, and sabotage were daily occurrences. Through July, Jones rallied the workers, made her way through armed guards to persuade another group of miners in Eskdale, West Virginia to join the strike, and organized a secret march of three thousand armed miners to the steps of the state capitol in Charleston to read a declaration of war to Governor William E. Glasscock. On July 26, miners attacked Mucklow, present-day Gallagher, leaving at least twelve strikers and four guards dead. On September 1, a force of over 5,000 miners from the north side of the Kanawha River joined the strikers' tent city, leading Governor Glasscock to establish martial law in the region the following day. The 1,200 state troops confiscating arms and ammunition from both sides lessened tensions to some degree, but the strikers were forbidden to congregate, and were subject to fast, unfair trials in military court. Meanwhile, strikers' families began to suffer from hunger, cold, and the unsanitary conditions in their temporary tent colony at Holly Grove. Mother Jones and Ma Blizzard organized an “umbrella march” when pro-union women marched
through the valley with umbrellas. [7]
On October 15, martial law was lifted, only to be re-imposed on November 15 and lifted on January 10 by Governor Glasscock, with less than two months left in office. On February 7 Mucklow was again attacked by miners with at least one casualty. In retaliation that evening, the Kanawha County Sheriff Bonner Hill and a group of detectives attacked the Holly Grove miners' settlement with an armored train, called the "Bull Moose Special", attacking with machine guns and high-powered rifles, putting 100 machine-gun bullets through the frame house of striker Cesco Estep and killing him. Sarah Blizzard led a group of women to damage the railroad tracks used by the train to prevent a second attack. [8] Another miners' raid on Mucklow killed at least two people a few days later,[9] and on February 10 martial law was imposed for the third and final time. Mother Jones was arrested on February 13 in Pratt and charged in military court for inciting riot (reportedly for attempting to read the Declaration of Independence), and, later, conspiracy to commit murder. She refused to recognize the jurisdiction of the military court, and refused to enter a plea. Jones was sentenced to twenty years in the state penitentiary and acquired a case of pneumonia. New governor Dr. Henry D. Hatfield was sworn in on March 4 and immediately traveled to the area as his first priority. He released some thirty individuals held under martial law, transferred Mother Jones to Charleston for medical treatment, and in April moved to impose conditions for the strike settlement. Strikers had the choice to accept Hatfield's somewhat favorable terms, or be deported from the state. The Paint Creek miners accepted and signed the "Hatfield Contract" on May 1. The Cabin Creek miners continued to resist, with some violence, until the end of July. Mother Jones remained under house arrest, in Mrs. Carney's Boarding House, until she smuggled out a message through a secret trapdoor in her room, a message sent to pro-labor Indiana Senator John Worth Kern. Governor Hatfield released Jones, without comment, after a total of 85 days imprisonment. The Senate's Kern Resolution of May 26, 1913 led to the United States Senate's Committee on Education and Labor opening an investigation into conditions in West Virginia coal mines. Congress almost immediately authorized two similar investigations the copper mining industry in Michigan, and mining conditions in Colorado. [2]
One theme of the Senate hearings was an attempt to identify the number of deaths related to the strike, and responsibility for them. One source estimates "perhaps fifty violent deaths"[2] without estimating the effect of the conditions in the tent camp. The strike came to national attention in July 1913, cartoonist Art Young published a cartoon in The Masses called "Poisoned at the Source" depicting the president of The Associated Press, Frank B. Noyes, poisoning a well labeled 'The News' with lies, suppressed facts, slander, and prejudice. It was accompanied by an editorial by Max Eastman claiming that the AP had not only suppressed the facts of the strike, but that the AP had a profound conflict of interest. Despite the AP's denials, its local AP representative, Cal Young, was also a member of the military tribunal passing judgment on the strikers. The AP responded with two suits of criminal libel against Eastman and Young on November 1913 and January 1914. Both suits eventually were dropped.
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Strike
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Merger
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A merger is an agreement that unites two existing companies into one new company. There are several types of mergers and also several reasons why companies complete mergers. Mergers and acquisitions are commonly done to expand a company’s reach, expand into new segments, or gain market share. All of these are done to increase shareholder value. Often, during a merger, companies have a no-shop clause to prevent purchases or mergers by additional companies. A merger is the voluntary fusion of two companies on broadly equal terms into one new legal entity. The firms that agree to merge are roughly equal in terms of size, customers, and scale of operations. For this reason, the term "merger of equals" is sometimes used. Acquisitions, unlike mergers, or generally not voluntary and involve one company actively purchasing another. Mergers are most commonly done to gain market share, reduce costs of operations, expand to new territories, unite common products, grow revenues, and increase profits—all of which should benefit the firms' shareholders. After a merger, shares of the new company are distributed to existing shareholders of both original businesses. Due to a large number of mergers, a mutual fund was created, giving investors a chance to profit from merger deals. The fund captures the spread or amount left between the offer price and trading price. The Merger Fund from Westchester Capital Funds has been around since 1989. The fund invests in companies that have publicly announced a merger or takeover. To invest in the fund, a minimum amount of $2,000 is required, with a 2.01% expense ratio. The fund has returned 6.1% annually since its inception in 1989 as of April 29, 2020.1 The total value of mergers and acquisitions rose for the third straight year in 2018, topping $3.89 trillion. There are various types of mergers, depending on the goal of the companies involved. Below are some of the most common types of mergers. This is a merger between two or more companies engaged in unrelated business activities. The firms may operate in different industries or in different geographical regions. A pure conglomerate involves two firms that have nothing in common. A mixed conglomerate, on the other hand, takes place between organizations that, while operating in unrelated business activities, are actually trying to gain product or market extensions through the merger. Companies with no overlapping factors will only merge if it makes sense from a shareholder wealth perspective, that is, if the companies can create synergy, which includes enhancing value, performance, and cost savings. A conglomerate merger was formed when The Walt Disney Company merged with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in 1995. A congeneric merger is also known as a Product Extension merger. In this type, it is a combining of two or more companies that operate in the same market or sector with overlapping factors, such as technology, marketing, production processes, and research and development (R&D). A product extension merger is achieved when a new product line from one company is added to an existing product line of the other company. When two companies become one under a product extension, they are able to gain access to a larger group of consumers and, thus, a larger market share. An example of a congeneric merger is Citigroup's 1998 union with Travelers Insurance, two companies with complementing products. This type of merger occurs between companies that sell the same products but compete in different markets. Companies that engage in a market extension merger seek to gain access to a bigger market and, thus, a bigger client base. To extend their markets, Eagle Bancshares and RBC Centura merged in 2002. A merger is the voluntary fusion of two companies on broadly equal terms into a new legal entity. A horizontal merger occurs between companies operating in the same industry. The merger is typically part of consolidation between two or more competitors offering the same products or services. Such mergers are common in industries with fewer firms, and the goal is to create a larger business with greater market share and economies of scale since competition among fewer companies tends to be higher. The 1998 merger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler is considered a horizontal merger. When two companies that produce parts or services for a product merger, the union is referred to as a vertical merger. A vertical merger occurs when two companies operating at different levels within the same industry's supply chain combine their operations. Such mergers are done to increase synergies achieved through the cost reduction, which results from merging with one or more supply companies. One of the most well-known examples of a vertical merger took place in 2000 when internet provider America Online (AOL) combined with media conglomerate Time Warner. Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) is an example of how mergers work and unite companies together. The company is the result of multiple mergers, consolidation, and market extensions in the beer market. The newly named company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, is the result of the mergers of three large international beverage companies—Interbrew (Belgium), Ambev (Brazil), and Anheuser-Busch (United States). Ambev merged with Interbrew uniting the number three and five largest brewers in the world. When Ambev and Anheuser-Busch merged, it united the number one and two largest brewers in the world. This example represents both horizontal merger and market extension as it was industry consolidation but also extended the international reach of all the combined company’s brands. The largest mergers in history have totaled over $100 billion each. In 2000, Vodafone acquired Mannesmann for $181 billion to create the world’s largest mobile telecommunications company. In 2000, AOL and Time Warner vertically merged in a $164 million deal considered one of the biggest flops ever. In 2014, Verizon Communications bought out Vodafone’s 45% stake in Vodafone Wireless for $130 billion.
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Organization Merge
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Daliak crash: Five people including toddler seriously injured in Great Southern Highway collision near York
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An 82-year-old man is fighting for life at Royal Perth Hospital following a horror crash in York yesterday that left five people — including a toddler— with serious injuries. The crash took place along Great Southern Highway in Daliak, west of York, just after 4.30pm yesterday when a Jaguar S-Type sedan was driving east, and collided head on with a Honda Jazz hatchback travelling in the opposite direction. The 82-year-old driver of the Jaguar remains fighting for life in hospital after suffering critical injuries at the scene. The 34-year-old male driver of the Honda, as well as a three-year-old boy in the vehicle, received serious injuries. The man remains in a serious but stable condition at RPH. Two other passengers, a 32-year-old woman and a 28-year-old woman, were also injured in the horror crash. WA Police are currently investigating and asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Road Crash
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Luoyang Christmas fire
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The Luoyang Christmas fire was a major fire that occurred in Luoyang, in China's Henan Province, on 25 December 2000, killing 309 people. [1]
A fire, triggered by sparks from welding activity at the Dongdu building, broke out in the basement at 9:35 p.m. local time, trapping construction workers on the second and third floors. [2] It was extinguished by 12:45 a.m Tuesday. Some 800 police officers and firefighters and 26 fire engines rushed to the scene after receiving the call. [3]
A total of 309 people were killed in the fire: 174 females and 135 males. Among the dead were construction workers working on the second and third floors and nightclub patrons who were attending a gala celebration for Christmas Day at a dancing hall on the fourth floor. [3]
An emergency meeting was held early Tuesday morning in the province and in the afternoon, Shi Wanpeng, vice-minister of the State Economic and Trade Commission, also arrived in Luoyang. To prevent similar accidents, the Ministry of Public Security released an urgent circular, asking local governments to spare no efforts to ensure safety during the New Year's Day and the Spring Festival holidays. [3]
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Fire
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Yoon Kye Sang getting married to his non-celebrity girlfriend this fall
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On August 11, Yoon Kye Sang's agency Just Entertainment confirmed that the star will be holding a wedding ceremony this fall. His bride-to-be is a beauty brand CEO who is five years younger than the actor, and is known to be a well-known influencer on social media. She previously gained a lot of attention when it was revealed that she is a young CEO, who succeeded at an early age through her beauty brand. According to Just Entertainment, "Yoo Kye Sang and his fiancee have already met up with the families of both sides and have arranged for their marriage; however, due to the spread of COVID-19, it is difficult to hold a wedding ceremony, and so the couple plans on registering their marriage first." Yoon Kye Sang first met his non-celebrity girlfriend through acquaintances, and soon became lovers. The couple is currently waiting to finalize the date for their wedding. Meanwhile, Yoon Kye Sang is currently preparing for his small-screen return in the mystery/thriller drama 'Crime Puzzle'.
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Famous Person - Marriage
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The next outbreak isn't far. Start planning now
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We must digitally empower frontline workers and set up an institution for the surveillance and containment of outbreaks The second wave of covid in India has showcased the true might of a full-blown health crisis. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, India recorded over 400,000 daily cases in early May. An expert panel has forecast that a third wave of infections can be expected around October 2021. While we direct our attention to strategically tailor and execute our response over the coming months, there is a need to concentrate on the bigger picture: Averting the next health emergency. Realigning health priorities : India’s journey to building its public health system has been flush with challenges, from a sizeable burden of infectious disease outbreaks, given its large population, to the challenge of improving maternal and child outcomes all the way to the last mile. However, the country has had significant success when it comes to orchestrating large-scale public health programmes, notably for leprosy and polio. The common thread in these programmes has been the convergence of the right resources, interventions and partnerships, in addition to establishing of institutions that have stood the test of time. These institutions have proven themselves to be the cornerstone of India’s public health system during the ongoing pandemic. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Institute of Virology (NIV) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), among others, have united and combined their expertise in the face of this extra- ordinary crisis. This is precisely why a science-based philanthropic entity like The Rockefeller Foundation supported these institutions at the time of their founding. In the past decade, even though India’s disease profile has indicated a greater burden of lifestyle diseases, the threat of infectious disease outbreaks that are similar to covid has not retreated. This highlights the need to focus attention on designing a sustainable system for the surveillance and containment of infectious disease outbreaks. Transition to a digital health order: The pandemic has been a watershed that has enabled data-driven analytics and technology to transform the public health order and build resilient systems. The Indian government’s data-enabled applications such as Aarogya Setu and CoWin have been effective in helping decision-makers respond to a highly dynamic situation. We are at the cusp of an exciting technological revolution and are also well-equipped to design a robust response mechanism. Using artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, we have the competencies to develop systems that can process large volumes of data from varied sources—including clinical, epidemiological and virological inputs—and offer actionable insights to aid the formulation of a quick response. The role of digitally-enabled public health solutions in ensuring equitable delivery of services is paramount. For technological homogeneity to be realized across public health systems, integration must begin right from the primary healthcare level by embedding a human-centred design for those at the frontlines. Empowering frontline workers such as Ashas and ANMs, who form the backbone of our health system, through digital tools can amplify their positive impact on community health outcomes. The ministry of health and family welfare’s ANM Online Portal (Anmol application), with support from Unicef, has already made strides in enhancing the experience of frontline workers while refining the data collection and overall standards of child and maternal health service provision in India. Investing in global preparedness: Most countries, including India, were caught unprepared twice: when covid first appeared, and again once variants of Sars-CoV-2 emerged. Throughout this crisis, siloed information, insufficient data-sharing and a lack of global coordination hindered response efforts, allowing the virus and its new strains to spread silently across borders. Our experience with this pandemic has demonstrated the need for increased investment in pandemic preparedness, including a global surveillance network that would act as an early warning system, supporting all countries in their effort to stop emerging threats. We live in the age of pandemics. Covid represents just one of the more than 200 potential epidemic events that occur each year. Preparing for these events by sharing information and translating data into actionable insight is the key to averting the next emergency and improving health outcomes. Currently, there is no major system or entity that can track and analyse data from different sources and transform it into actionable information. Such an initiative is vital to counter the emerging health threats posed by rapid globalization, urbanization and climate change. There is already a marked increase in reliance on big data analytic tools to conduct infectious disease outbreak surveillance and visualization around the world. A global, independent Pandemic Prevention Institute would build on these efforts to protect the world from health emergencies and support global health professionals as they communicate to the public. Establishing this type of initiative would complement efforts to accelerate global genomic sequencing capabilities and allow us to better visualize covid’s spread. Further, collecting data on emerging diseases will keep us one step ahead of future threats. The way forward: Covid has propelled us to think of catalytic ways of re-imagining the paradigms of public health. Our best bet is to recalibrate health priorities, consciously integrate digital technology into public health in an ethical, equitable and human-centred manner, and rethink global solidarity to prepare for and prevent global epidemics. Deepali Khanna is managing director, Asia Regional Office, The Rockefeller Foundation
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Disease Outbreaks
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1942 Qantas Short Empire shootdown crash
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The 1942 Qantas Short Empire shoot-down was an incident that occurred in the early days of the Pacific War during World War II. A Short Empire flying boat airliner, Corio, operated by Qantas was shot down by Japanese aircraft off the coast of West Timor, Dutch East Indies, on 30 January 1942, killing 13 of the occupants. Corio, named after Corio, Victoria, was built as an S.23 Empire by Short Brothers and entered service with Qantas in October 1938 registered as VH-ABD then was sold to Imperial Airways in September 1939. [1] The airliner, after being re-registered in the UK as G-AEUH, was then leased back to Qantas. On 30 January 1942, G-AEUH, captained by A. A. (Aub) Koch, left Darwin at dawn, for Kupang, West Timor, en route to Surabaya, where it was to pick up refugees from the Japanese invasion of Java and transport them to Australia. [2]
When it was 13 nmi (24 km) from West Timor, travelling at a height of 400 ft (120 m), Corio was fired on by seven Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters. [3]
Koch immediately increased the speed of the aircraft and dived it towards the coast, attempting to evade the attack; the aircraft reached its maximum speed – possibly 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) – and flew a zig-zagging course, so low that the airliner's wing floats were bouncing off the sea. [2] Nevertheless, the Zero pilots soon achieved numerous hits, perforating the fuselage and killing some passengers. Following a sudden loss of power when two engines caught fire, Corio hit the sea at high speed, nose first,[3] 3 nmi (5.6 km) from the mouth of the Noelmini River; the impact breaking the fuselage in half. Out of a total of 18 passengers and crew, 13 were killed in the attack. [4] Koch, wounded in an arm and leg, was thrown out of the wreckage by the impact. [3] However, he managed to swim ashore, a feat which took him three hours. Koch and the other survivors were later rescued by a Dornier Do 24 flying boat of the Royal Netherlands Navy. [2] Three passengers and two crew were saved. [5]
Koch later survived another attack by Japanese aircraft and the crash of another Empire flying boat. On 19 February 1942, while he was recuperating in Darwin Hospital, the town experienced two major air raids. [6] On 22 April 1943, Koch was piloting Camilla, another Qantas Short Empire, on a flight from Australia to New Guinea, when it crashed in the sea off Port Moresby in bad weather. [1]
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Air crash
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Woolworths fined for selling expired baby formula in Cairns
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A Victorian man who flew from Brisbane to Hobart on flight VA702 today has tested positive to COVID-19 and has not been allowed to board a flight to Melbourne
A Watch & Act warning is in place for a fire in the northern parts of Mokine, in WA's Northam Shire. Keep up to date with ABC Emergency
Woolworths has been fined $50,000 for selling expired baby formula at a Cairns supermarket in far north Queensland, the second time the store has been caught out.
The company sold five tins that had been expired for five months at its Abbott Street shop in the CBD, the Cairns Magistrate Court has heard.
Woolworths' legal representatives pleaded guilty on behalf of the company, but downplayed the severity of the incident.
The company was also ordered to pay $1,800 in costs and a conviction was recorded.
The maximum fine for the offence is more than $1.3 million.
An off-duty Queensland Health officer discovered the out-of-date tin in July last year while shopping at the supermarket.
Queensland Health officers returned the next day in an official capacity and discovered several more expired tins across several different brands.
Barrister Stephanie Williams, acting on behalf of Queensland Health, told the court the offence was of a serious nature, given the nutrients in infant formula degraded over time.
She also told the court it was not the first time that particular store had sold expired tins of baby formula.
The company was fined $45,000 in court over a similar incident in 2016.
"There is a lack of action by the defendant," Ms William said.
"A lack of motivation to implement training for staff.
"They [Woolworths] have a recalcitrant attitude.
"It's too little, too late."
Barrister Barry Dean, acting for Woolworths, said they "objected to the seriousness of the offence" outlined in the prosecution's case.
"These were dried items inside sealed containers with limited exposure to oxygen or sunlight," Mr Dean said.
He also said that "ultimately there was always going to be human error" but that "Woolworths wants to do better".
Furthermore, the court heard extra staff training had been rolled out since the incident.
In sentencing, Magistrate Janelle Brassington told the court the expired formula was "significantly passed its used-by date".
"It is a serious breach of the legislation," she said.
"Formula provides a sole source of nutrition for some infants.
"They [infants] are extremely vulnerable.
"When you are dealing with infants aged 0-6 months the existence of any risk is of great concern."
She also noted that while no-one became ill due to the expired products, it could have led "to the potential risk of inadequate nutrition" for babies.
She also noted Woolworths had shown "significant remorse" and rolled out better education and training for staff around long-life products.
A Woolworths spokesperson said the company had introduced new processes and improvements in the wake of the court ruling to ensure food safety and quality standards were being met. "These include increased team training and additional date checks," the spokesperson said.
"It's vital that our customers trust the integrity of our quality standards, and we're always striving to improve our processes to help us deliver on this."
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Organization Fine
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2007 Mozambican flood
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The 2007 Mozambican flood began in late December 2006 when the Cahora Bassa Dam overflowed from heavy rains on Southern Africa. It worsened on February 22, 2007, when the Category 4 Cyclone Favio made landfall on the central province of Inhambane; experts tracking the cyclone predicted that it would worsen flooding in the Zambezi River valley. [1] The Zambezi River broke its banks, flooding the surrounding areas in Mozambique. [2][3] The Chire and Rivubue rivers also flooded. [4]
80,600 people had been evacuated from their homes in the Tete, Manica, Sofala and Zambezia provinces by February 14. [5] By February 22, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that approximately 121,000 people had been displaced by the flooding. [6] Some people refused to leave their homes and livestock. [5] There were 29 confirmed casualties and a further 10 unconfirmed deaths. [7]
In early February, the Mozambican authorities did not think the flooding would be as devastating as the 2000 and 2001 floods. Paulo Zucula, head of Mozambique's national relief agency, said "We expect more water than we had in 2001. The situation is deteriorating and it will get worse but this time we are better prepared than in 2001". [2] The World Food Program (WFP) estimated that up to 285,000 people may require food aid. [4] Delivery of food aid by the WFP began on February 15. [8] A single UN helicopter was made available for the delivery of aid to evacuation centres. [9] However, thousands of people had not yet received food or drinking water, and the threat of disease outbreaks had also increased; Paulo Zucula retracted his earlier comments about readiness, saying "We were not prepared... it's another disaster". [10]
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Floods
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1892 New Orleans general strike
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The New Orleans general strike was a general strike in the U.S. city of New Orleans, Louisiana, that began on November 8, 1892. Despite appeals to racial hatred, black and white workers remained united. The general strike ended on November 12, with unions gaining most of their original demands. Early in 1892, streetcar conductors in New Orleans won a shorter workday and the preferential closed shop. This victory drove many New Orleans workers to seek assistance from the American Federation of Labor (AFL). As many as 30 new labor unions had been organized in the city before the summer of 1892. By late summer, 49 unions belonged to the AFL. The unions established a central labor council known as the Workingmen's Amalgamated Council that represented more than 30,000 workers. Three racially integrated unions—the Teamsters, the Scalesmen, and the Packers—made up what came to be called the "Triple Alliance." Many of the workers belonging to the unions of the Triple Alliance were African American. [1][2]
On October 24, 1892, between 2,000 and 3,000 members of the Triple Alliance struck to win a 10-hour work day, overtime pay, and the preferential union shop. The Amalgamated Council wholeheartedly supported them. [3]
The New Orleans Board of Trade, representing financial and commercial interests, appointed a committee to make decisions for the employers. [3] The four main railways that served the city and the large cotton, sugar and rice commodity exchanges pledged their support for the Board of Trade. They helped raise a defense fund and asked the state governor to send in the militia to help break the strike. No negotiations took place during the first week. [citation needed]
Employers utilized race-based appeals to try to divide the workers and turn the public against the strikers. The board of trade announced it would sign contracts agreeing to the terms—but only with the white-dominated Scalesmen and Packers unions. The Board of Trade refused to sign any contract with the black-dominated Teamsters. [1] The Board of Trade and the city's newspapers also began a campaign designed to create public hysteria. The newspapers ran lurid accounts of "mobs of brutal Negro strikers" rampaging through the streets, of African American unionists "beating up all who attempted to interfere with them," and repeated accounts of crowds of blacks assaulting lone white men and women. [4]
The striking workers refused to break ranks along racial lines. Large majorities of the Scalesmen and Packers unions passed resolutions affirming their commitment to stay out until the employers had signed a contract with the Teamsters on the same terms offered to other unions. [1]
Members of other unions began to call for a general strike to support the Triple Alliance. [1] A number of meetings were held, during which sentiment proved so strong that a majority of the unions belonging to the Amalgamated Council voted in favor of a resolution calling for a general strike. A Committee of Five was formed to lead the general strike. Its members included the Cotton Screwmen's Union, the Cotton Yardmen's Union, the Printers, the Boiler Makers, and the Car Driver's Union. [5]
Union pressure increased and a call for a general strike arose. [1] Under the threat, some employers not party to the original dispute broke and pressed the board for negotiations. [citation needed] A tentative agreement collapsed and the Workingman's Council again called for a general strike, which began on November 8 after two postponements. Each of the 46 unions which joined the strike demanded the union shop and recognition of their union. Some also asked for shorter work-days or higher pay. Around 30,000 union members—half the city's workforce and virtually all its unionized workers—struck. [6] Streetcars stopped running. Recently organized utility workers, against the demands of the governor and the advice of the labor committee,[citation needed] joined the strike. [7] The city's supply of natural gas failed on November 8, as did the electrical grid, and the city was plunged into darkness. The delivery of food and beverages immediately ceased, generating alarm among city residents. Construction, printing, street cleaning, manufacturing and even fire-fighting services ground to a halt. [8][9]
On November 9, the press intensified their appeals to racial hatred. The New Orleans Times-Democrat declared that African American strikers wanted to "take over the city" (a veiled reference to black sexual assaults on white women) and that white women and children were already being harassed by black strikers. [10][8]
But the press' appeal to racial hatred failed. Violent incidents never occurred, and picket lines were so quiet that the Board of Trade sent men into the streets to try to find evidence of any physical intimidation whatsoever. [10][11] The employers, with assistance from the railroads, brought strikebreakers in from Galveston and Memphis. [citation needed] But when a call by the mayor for special deputies turned up only 59 volunteers,[citation needed] the employers began training their own clerks and managers for riot duty, offering to pay any costs for a state militia call-up. [citation needed] The mayor issued a proclamation forbidding public gatherings, essentially declaring martial law. [citation needed] Although the city was quiet, the Board of Trade convinced the racist Democratic Governor, Murphy J. Foster, to send in the state militia on November 10. But instead of a city under siege, militia leaders found the city calm and orderly. Governor Foster was forced to withdraw the militia on November 11. [10][8] The strength of the strike was reflected in the decline of bank clearings in New Orleans to half their pre-strike levels.
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Strike
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Ancient tsunami could have wiped out Scottish cities today, study finds
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Research maps the extent of the catastrophic Storegga tsunami 8,200 years ago for the first time Last modified on Fri 4 Jun 2021 08.44 BST Towns and cities across Scotland would be devastated if the country’s coastline was hit by a tsunami of the kind that happened 8,200 years ago, according to an academics’ study. While about 370 miles of Scotland’s northern and eastern coastline were affected when the Storegga tsunami struck, the study suggests a modern-day disaster of the same magnitude would have worse consequences. The researchers at the universities of Sheffield, St Andrews and York attributed this to denser human populations and higher sea levels that could potentially destroy seafront and port areas of Arbroath, Stonehaven, Aberdeen, Inverness and Wick, all of which have significant built-up areas less than 10 metres above sea level and directly face the sea. The study which maps the impact of the ancient tsunami for the first time, used modelling to estimate how far the wave would have travelled inland. The estimates suggest the water could have encroached up to 18 miles inland. That distance today would probably leave a town such as Montrose, which overlooks a tidal lagoon and has a population of 12,000, completely devastated. The Storegga tsunami, considered the largest natural disaster to have happened in the UK in the last 11,000 years, was triggered by submarine landslides in the Norwegian sea. The displaced water is believed to have inundated Doggerland, a land bridge that linked Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands across what is now the southern North Sea. The tsunami would have had a catastrophic impact on the Mesolithic populations of the time. Luminescence dating, which measures the energy emitted after an object has been exposed to daylight, was used in the research to assess sediment and deposits from the tsunami. By dating sediment deposits at Maryton, Aberdeenshire, the researchers were able to determine the date, number and relative power of the waves. Similar deposits have been studied all along the eastern and northern coastline of Scotland, from around Berwick-upon-Tweed to Loch Eriboll, in Sutherland, as well as along the Norwegian coast north of Bergan, and by Shetland and the Faroe Islands. Mark Bateman, professor of geography at the University of Sheffield and the report’s lead author, said: “Although the Storegga tsunami has been known about for years, this is the first time we have been able to model how far inland from Scotland’s coastline the tsunami wave travelled, by analysing the soil deposits left by the wave over 8,000 years ago. Though there is no similar threat from [the direction of] Norway today, the UK could still be at risk from flooding events from potential volcanic eruptions around the world, such as those predicted in the Canary Islands. “These [eruptions] would cause a similar resulting tsunami wave due to the amount of material that would be displaced by the volcano. These models give us a unique window into the past to see how the country was, and could again be, affected.”
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Tsunamis
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Christie Pits riot
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The Christie Pits riot occurred on 16 August 1933 at the Christie Pits (Willowvale Park) playground in Toronto, Ontario. The riot can be understood in the context of the Great Depression, anti-semitism, "Swastika Clubs" and parades and resentment of "foreigners" in Toronto, and the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in Germany in 1933.
The riot occurred in the midst of the Great Depression and six months after Adolf Hitler took power in Germany. The Toronto papers, including the Toronto Telegram and the Toronto Daily Star, as well as the Yiddish journal, Der Yiddisher Zhurnal, reported on how Jews were being dismissed from professions in Germany, including lawyers, professors, and teachers, as well as incidents of violence against them. Thus to Jews, the swastika represented degradation and physical violence against Jews, and was inflammatory.
At that time, the Jewish community in Toronto was predominantly poor and working-class. Jewish families and youths in particular would therefore cool off during the hot summer months by staying in town and going to the predominantly Anglo Beaches area to swim. This resulted in complaints and resentment from some local residents. Some of the locals formed a "Swastika Club", which openly displayed the Nazi symbol to express their displeasure and make Jews feel unwanted. On August 1, 1933, the "Swastika Club" became the subject of an editorial in Toronto's Jewish Standard, which prompted multiple protests from local Jewish residents. [4] On August 2, 1933, mass protests of young Jewish Canadians occurred at The Beaches, that were met by counter-protests from the members of Swastika Club. The leaders of the Swastika Club initially insisted that the swastika had nothing to do with Hitler. They said they merely wanted to keep the Beach clean. This resulted in a tug of war between city officials and Jewish leaders, who tried to have the Swastika Club disband voluntarily, and the Swastika Club leadership, which pushed for legal action. By August 14, the situation reached a stalemate, with the leadership of Toronto Swastika Club participating in the Kitchener Swastika Club meeting, where an openly anti-Semitic agenda was pursued.
The riot, which lasted six hours, broke out after a quarter-final baseball game at Christie Pits between two local clubs: Harbord Playground, consisting predominantly of Jewish and Italian players, and St. Peter's, a baseball team sponsored by St. Peter's Church, a Catholic church at Bathurst and Bloor. [8][9]
The night of the riot was the second game between Harbord and St. Peter's. Two nights earlier, at the first game of the series, a swastika had been displayed. Police were warned in writing that there could be trouble at the second game, but those warnings were ignored. After the final out of the second game, Pit Gang members displayed a blanket with a large swastika painted on it. A number of Jewish boys and young men who had heard about the previous Swastika incident rushed the Swastika sign to destroy it, supporters of both sides (including Italians who supported the Jews) from the surrounding area joined in, and a fight started.
The Toronto Daily Star described the event the next day:
While groups of Jewish and Gentile youths wielded fists and clubs in a series of violent scraps for possession of a white flag bearing a swastika symbol at Willowvale Park last night, a crowd of more than 10,000 citizens, excited by cries of 'Heil Hitler' became suddenly a disorderly mob and surged wildly about the park and surrounding streets, trying to gain a view of the actual combatants, which soon developed in violence and intensity of racial feeling into one of the worst free-for-alls ever seen in the city. Scores were injured, many requiring medical and hospital attention ... Heads were opened, eyes blackened and bodies thumped and battered as literally dozens of persons, young or old, many of them non-combatant spectators, were injured more or less seriously by a variety of ugly weapons in the hands of wild-eyed and irresponsible young hoodlums, both Jewish and Gentile.
No one was killed in the riot. There was criticism of the police for not being ready to intervene, as they had been during previous potential problems in the Beach area. After the riot, Mayor Stewart warned against displaying the swastika and there were no further riots.
The riot revealed the xenophobic attitudes toward Jews and other non-Anglo immigrants (such as Italian immigrants) among some Anglo Canadians. Jews represented the largest minority in Toronto in 1933 and were thus a target of xenophobic residents. The event had some parallels to the 1875 Jubilee riots, an outbreak of Protestant–Catholic sectarian violence in Toronto and Anti-Greek Riots which previously occurred in the city in 1918. Some sources have interpreted The Tragically Hip's 1999 single "Bobcaygeon" as alluding to the riots, as the song's lyrics contain the words "riot" and "Aryan". This has been disputed, as the song is set in a contemporary context rather than the 1930s, and the words do not appear in close conjunction; however, the same verse contains a reference to The Men They Couldn't Hang, who wrote "Ghosts of Cable Street", a song about the anti-fascist Battle of Cable Street riot in London in 1936.
In August 2008, a Heritage Toronto plaque was presented to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the riot. The incident was depicted in two graphic novels,Christie Pits by written by Jamie Michaels and illustrated by Doug Fedrau in 2019[17] and The Good Fight by Ted Staunton and Josh Rosen (ill.) in 2021.
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Riot
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Inbound solar storm means northern lights possible Saturday night
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A solar storm is hurling energy toward the earth this weekend. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a geomagnetic storm watch. Geomagnetic storm watch. GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR 30-31 OCT. published: Friday, October 29, 2021 17:43 UTC A G3 (Strong) Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in effect for 30 – 31 October, 2021, following a significant solar flare and Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) from the sun that occurred around 11:35 a.m. EDT on Oct. 28. Analysis indicated the CME departed the Sun at a speed of 973 km/s and is forecast to arrive at Earth on 30 October, with effects likely continuing into 31 October. When the CME approaches Earth, NOAA’s DSCOVR satellite will be among the first spacecraft to detect the real time solar wind changes and SWPC forecasters will issue any appropriate warnings. Impacts to our technology from a G3 storm are generally nominal. However, a G3 storm has the potential to drive the aurora further away from its normal polar residence and if other factors come together, the aurora might be seen over the far Northeast, to the upper Midwest, and over the state of Washington. For additional information about space weather , geomagnetic storms , aurora and viewing tips , and CME s – click the terms. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center is the official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings and alerts. Visit www.spaceweather.gov for updates. Learn about Solar Cycle 25. NOAA expects the wave to arrive Saturday night. That could trigger waves of northern lights across the Upper Midwest Saturday evening. The Twin Cities NWS office chimes in on the best areas for viewing Saturday night. An arc of clouds with an approaching cold front may keep much of northern and central Minnesota cloudy Saturday night. NOAA’s GFS model low cloud output tracks the expected cloud wedge across Minnesota between 7 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday. NOAA GFS low cloud output between 7 pm Saturday and 7 am Sunday. NOAA via tropical tidbits The best viewing for southern Minnesota may occur early Saturday evening before the clouds arrive, and early Sunday morning before sunrise after the clouds pass in western Minnesota. As always, look low in the northern sky away from city lights if possible.
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New wonders in nature
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Explained: The locust attack in Gujarat's farms - The Indian ...
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Gigantic swarms of locusts have descended on parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, destroying crops and triggering panic. The first large swarm arrived in Gujarat about 10 days ago. In Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot earlier this week reviewed measures taken to deal with locust attacks in the western districts.
Some 10 swarms have entered Rajasthan since May; however, the crisis is currently the most acute in Gujarat.What parts of Gujarat have been affected by the locust swarms?
Currently, at least 99 villages in the Vav, Tharad, and Suigam talukas of the border district of Banaskantha are affected by the swarms of locusts that began coming in to Gujarat from October onward.
The swarms first entered Kutch district, and have now reached Patan and Banaskantha. The worst affected villages are Daiyap of Vav taluka, and Antrol, Bhardasar, Kasavi, Takhuva and Radka villages of Tharad taluka, spread over an area of 15-20-kilometre radius.
What has the Gujarat government done to counter the pest attack?
The government has formed 27 locust control teams that has been engaged in spraying insecticides in the affected regions, especially in the Banaskantha district of North Gujarat.
The government has also ordered a survey of farmers affected by the locust swarms.
About 20 tractor mounted sprayers are currently being used to fight the locust attack. Until Wednesday, these teams had covered 1,815 hectares of 99 villages of Banaskantha by using insecticide sprayers mounted on tractors.
On Thursday (December 26) afternoon, the office of the Gujarat Chief Minister posted on Twitter a video of a team from the state’s Agriculture Department spraying pesticides on standing crops in Radka and other villages of Banaskantha district.
On December 23 and 24, the taluka development officer of Tharad had issued two advisories to all village sarpanchs and the principals of government primary and secondary schools, asking villagers to use primitive methods such as beating drums, chasing after the insects in large groups while making a loud noise, and spraying kerosene.
Videos showing Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani moving through farms beating a steel plate in an attempt to drive away the locusts had gone viral. Farmers were also seen trying to drive the insects away from their farms by using fire and smoke.
The local office of the Agriculture Department in Banaskantha has issued a circular asking farmers and villagers to clang metal plates with sticks, which officials said will not allow the locust swarms to settle.
At the time of the attacks in Kutch district in October, government officials had asked farmers to dig trenches around their farms in order to save their crops. Four villages of Lakhpat taluka had been affected then. With the help of the locust control teams, some 96% of the total affected area had been sprayed with the pesticide malathion.
What is the extent of damage locusts can cause?
The locust division of the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Faridabad, under the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, says that a small swarm of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), a polyphagous feeder (eating a large variety of plants), eats on average “as much food in one day as about 10 elephants, 25 camels or 2500 people”.
Locusts devour leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, bark and growing points, and also destroy plants by their sheer weight as they descend on them in massive numbers, it says.
According to the Directorate, locusts damaged crops worth Rs 10 crore during the 1926-31 plague cycle. During the 1940-46 and 1949-55 locust plague cycles, the damage was estimated at Rs 2 crore each, and at Rs 50 lakh during the last locust plague cycle (1959-62).
Although no locust plague cycles have been observed after 1962, during 1978 and 1993, largescale attacks were reported.
Bhuj in Gujarat saw the last upsurge in 1993. In Banaskantha, farmers fear that locust swarms will destroy the mustard, cumin and wheat crops currently standing in their fields.
When are locusts most likely to attack?
The Locust Warning Organisation LWO (comprising of all field units), a central government body responsible for issuing warnings and monitoring and controlling locust attacks, undertakes regular surveys in the scheduled desert area of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana, which are prone to swarms, to monitor the presence of desert locusts and ecological conditions.
The assessment is to determine if the locust numbers have crossed the economic threshold level (ETL) which is 10,000 adults/ha. and 5-6 hoppers/bush that may require control.
These surveys are done regularly during the entire year, but most importantly from May to November when desert locust activity is considered at its peak due to congenial breeding conditions.
This coincides with the monsoon season in Rajasthan and Gujarat, says the contingency Plan.
Officials of the Agriculture Department in Gujarat said that the locust menace is a natural occurrence which varies in intensity every year. The locusts remain inactive during evening and morning.
Most swarms enter Gujarat through Rajasthan and Pakistan, riding on the wind to travel across large distances. India is most at risk of a swarm invasion just before the onset of the monsoon. The swarms usually orginate in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.
The Gujarat government has said that this menace which began a week ago will continue for a few more days till the “direction of the wind changes.”
The government has also ordered a survey of the farms that have been affected by locusts.
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Insect Disaster
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The Real Cost of the 2008 Financial Crisis
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The aftermath produced a lost decade for European economies and helped lead to the rise of anti-establishment political movements here and abroad. The uplifting story of economic recovery overlooks the political consequences of financial collapse, both here and abroad.Illustration by Woody Harrington September 15th marks the tenth anniversary of the demise of the investment bank Lehman Brothers , which presaged the biggest financial crisis and deepest economic recession since the nineteen-thirties. After Lehman filed for bankruptcy, and great swaths of the markets froze, it looked as if many other major financial institutions would also collapse. On September 18, 2008, Hank Paulson, the Secretary of the Treasury, and Ben Bernanke , the chairman of the Federal Reserve, went to Capitol Hill and told congressional leaders that if they didn’t authorize a seven-hundred-billion-dollar bank bailout the financial system would implode. Some Republicans reluctantly set aside their reservations. The bailout bill passed. The panic on Wall Street abated. And then what? The standard narrative is that the rescue operation succeeded in stabilizing the financial system. The U.S. economy rebounded, spurred by a fiscal stimulus that the Obama Administration pushed through Congress in February, 2009. When the stimulus started to run down, the Fed gave the economy another boost by buying vast quantities of bonds, a policy known as quantitative easing. Eventually, the big banks, prodded by the regulators and by Congress, reformed themselves to prevent a recurrence of what happened in 2008, notably by increasing the amount of capital they hold in reserve to deal with unexpected contingencies. This is the basic story that Paulson, Bernanke, and Tim Geithner , who was the Treasury Secretary during the Obama Administration, told in their respective memoirs. It was given an academic imprimatur by books like Daniel Drezner’s “ The System Worked: How the World Stopped Another Great Depression ,” which came out in 2014. This history is, on its own terms, perfectly accurate. In the early nineteen-thirties, when the authorities allowed thousands of banks to collapse, the unemployment rate soared to almost twenty-five per cent, and soup kitchens and shantytowns sprang up across the country. The aftermath of the 2008 crisis saw plenty of hardship—millions of Americans lost their homes to mortgage foreclosures, and by the summer of 2010 the jobless rate had risen to almost ten per cent—but nothing of comparable scale. Today, the unemployment rate has fallen all the way to 3.9 per cent. There is much more to the story, though, than this uplifting Washington-based narrative. In “ Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World ,” the Columbia economic historian Adam Tooze points out that we are still living with the consequences of 2008, including the political ones. Using taxpayers’ money to bail out greedy and incompetent bankers was intrinsically political. So was quantitative easing, a tactic that other central banks also adopted, following the Fed’s lead. It worked primarily by boosting the price of financial assets that were mostly owned by rich people. As wages and incomes continued to languish, the rescue effort generated a populist backlash on both sides of the Atlantic. Austerity policies, especially in Europe, added another dark twist to the process of political polarization. As a result, Tooze writes, the “financial and economic crisis of 2007-2012 morphed between 2013 and 2017 into a comprehensive political and geopolitical crisis of the post–cold war order”—one that helped put Donald Trump in the White House and brought right-wing nationalist parties to positions of power in many parts of Europe. “Things could be worse, of course,” Tooze notes. “A ten-year anniversary of 1929 would have been published in 1939. We are not there, at least not yet. But this is undoubtedly a moment more uncomfortable and disconcerting than could have been imagined before the crisis began.” In the years leading up to September, 2008, Tooze reminds us, many U.S. policymakers and pundits were focussed on the wrong global danger: the possibility that China, by reducing its huge holdings of U.S. Treasury bills, would crash the value of the dollar. Meanwhile, American authorities all but ignored the madness developing in the housing market, and on Wall Street, where bankers were slicing and dicing millions of garbage-quality housing loans and selling them on to investors in the form of mortgage-backed securities. By 2006, this was the case for seven out of every ten new mortgages. Tooze does a competent job of guiding readers through the toxic alphabet soup of mortgage-based products that Wall Street cooked up: M.B.S.s, C.D.O.s, C.D.S.s, and so on. He looks askance at the transformation of commercial banks like Citigroup from long-term lenders into financial supermarkets—“service providers for a fee”—in the decades before 2008, and he rightly emphasizes the enabling role that successive Administrations played in this process, not least Bill Clinton’s. But the great merit of Tooze’s tome—it runs to more than seven hundred pages—is its global perspective. Tooze maps the fallout as far afield as Russia, China, and Southeast Asia. He lays out the role played by European banks and cross-border flows of financial capital. And he provides a detailed account of the prolonged crisis in the eurozone, which, he maintains, “is not a separate and distinct event, but follows directly from the shock of 2008.” The subprime fever originated in the United States, but soon spread to European behemoths like Deutsche Bank, HSBC, and Credit Suisse: by 2008, close to thirty per cent of all high-risk U.S. mortgage securities were held by foreign investors. Although the major international banks were domiciled and regulated in their individual countries, they were operating in a single, integrated capital market. So, when the crisis struck and many sources of short-term bank funding dried up, the European banks were left tottering. In some respects, they were in even worse shape than the American banks, because they needed to roll over their dollar-denominated mortgage assets, and Europe’s central banks and lenders of last resort—the European Central Bank, the Bank of England, and the Swiss National Bank—didn’t have enough dollars to tide them over. Paulson and Bernanke didn’t predict any of this when they made the fateful decision, on September 14, 2008, to let Lehman fail. Paulson, in particular, was keen to escape the label of “Bailout King,” which he had been saddled with earlier in the year after orchestrating a rescue of Bear Stearns. An international banking disaster was avoided only because the Fed agreed to provide its European counterparts with virtually unlimited dollars through currency-swap arrangements, and to give troubled European banks access to various emergency lending and loan-guarantee facilities that it established in the United States. “The U.S. Federal Reserve engaged in a truly spectacular innovation,” Tooze writes. “It established itself as liquidity provider of last resort to the global banking system.” But the Fed hid much of what it was doing from the American public, which was already choking on the U.S. bank bailout. It wasn’t until years later, as a result of the Dodd-Frank financial-reform act and a freedom-of-information lawsuit filed by Bloomberg News, that the details emerged. The sums involved were huge. According to Tooze’s tally, the Fed provided close to five trillion dollars in liquidity and loan guarantees to large non-American banks. It also provided roughly ten trillion dollars to foreign central banks through currency swaps. As with the seven-hundred-billion-dollar bailout for domestic banks, practically all this money was eventually repaid, with interest. But, had the full scope of what the Fed was doing emerged at the time, there would have been an uproar. Fortunately for the policymakers, there was no leak. An official at the New York Federal Reserve, which helped enact many of the covert lending programs, told Tooze that it was as if “a guardian angel was watching over us.” Many of the politicians who came to be associated with the financial crisis and the bank bailouts weren’t so lucky. In 2009 and 2010, the center-left parties that occupied positions of power in the United States, Britain, and Germany all suffered electoral setbacks. In Berlin and London, new center-right governments committed themselves to slashing budgets and reducing deficits, which rose sharply as jobless rates went up and tax revenues went down. Keynesian economists warned that the recovery was too fragile to withstand austerity measures, but many conservative economists strongly supported them. Germany itself recovered even after it passed a balanced-budget amendment to its constitution and enacted the deepest spending cuts in the history of the Federal Republic. Yet the refusal of Europe’s largest and most powerful economy to act as a locomotive, and to help offset deflationary forces elsewhere, was to have some very negative consequences for the eurozone as a whole. Tooze dwells at length on the European transition from stabilization to austerity, which coincided with the emergence of a sovereign-debt crisis in three peripheral members of the eurozone: Greece, Ireland, and Portugal. The “euro crisis” is often framed as a story of spendthrift governments run amok, but the real sources of the trouble were underlying faults in the euro system and the creation of too much credit by private-sector banks—the same phenomenon that led to the subprime-debt crisis in the United States. In 1998, eleven Continental countries adopted the euro as their common currency, including the big three: France, Germany, and Italy. Greece followed suit the next year. (Seven more countries have since joined.) Under the euro system, individual countries gave up the freedom to set their own interest rates and adjust their own currencies. Instead, there would be a single interest rate, set by the European Central Bank, in Frankfurt, and a single exchange rate, set by the market. Member countries were also obliged to meet strict targets for their budget deficits. Over time, many of the weaker European economies came to chafe at these restrictions. At first, though, the system seemed to be a miracle drug. Investors had traditionally treated countries like Greece, Ireland, and Portugal as risky bets, and demanded generous yields on the bonds those countries issued. After these countries adopted the euro, however, international investors loaded up on these bonds as if they were on a par with French and German bonds, even as yields fell. Tooze points out that, of the nearly three hundred billion euros’ worth of bonds that the Greek state had issued by the end of 2009, more than two hundred billion were foreign-owned. In retrospect, the enthusiasm for this debt represented a credit bubble every bit as glaring as the American one that had seen Moody’s and the like conferring triple-A ratings on subprime dreck. Although Greek bonds were denominated in the same currency as German bonds, they were backed by the shaky Greek state. What made the situation even riskier was that Europe, unlike the United States, had no Fed to serve as a stabilizing force in the event of a crisis. The European Central Bank was prohibited from buying newly issued bonds directly from member governments, and for a long time it was reluctant to buy previously issued bonds on the secondary markets. It also lacked some of the lending and liquidity facilities that the Fed had set up in 2008 and 2009. Moreover, the eurozone had no centralized fiscal policy that could help member countries that ran into trouble. When serious problems emerged in Greece, Ireland, and Portugal, and the markets gyrated, the European political system was gripped by paralysis. “A gentleman would offer his seat.” Shopping The quandary of how to deal with Greece was especially acute. By the middle of 2009, it had become evident that the small Mediterranean country wasn’t just suffering a liquidity crisis—it was insolvent. Its G.D.P. was plummeting, its budget deficit had risen to about thirteen per cent of the G.D.P., and the yields on its bonds had skyrocketed. “What Greece needed to do was to restructure, to agree with its creditors to reduce their claims,” Tooze writes. Yet many eurozone voters, notably those in Germany, were in no mood to do any favors for the Greeks—or the Irish and the Portuguese. This reluctance is often attributed to a Teutonic belief that Southern Europeans, and Greeks in particular, are lazy and improvident. Tooze emphasizes another factor: after the 1990 reunification of Germany, the government in Berlin spent more than a trillion dollars rebuilding and subsidizing the East. By the time Angela Merkel , a former East German, took over as Chancellor, in 2005, the rich southern states, including Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, were fed up. “Well before the Greek crisis broke,” Tooze writes, “the most prosperous regions of West Germany had made clear their refusal to take responsibility for other people’s debts.” In May, 2010, the European Union, in concert with the International Monetary Fund, agreed to lend Greece a hundred and ten billion euros, which the country used to retire some of the debt that was owned by foreign banks and investors. Since the debt was retired at or near its face value, this amounted to a disguised bailout—not for Greece, which merely substituted one form of debt for another, but for the foreign banks that had bought Greek bonds. Although the banks, such as France’s BNP Paribas and Germany’s Commerzbank, got off lightly, the Greek people didn’t. In return for the new loans, the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the I.M.F.—the “troika”—insisted on drastic cutbacks in government programs. In textbook Keynesian style, these retrenchments sent the Greek economy into an even deeper recession, further diminishing the country’s capacity to repay its debts. The harsh treatment that Greece received set the template for the lending agreements that the troika then made with Ireland, Portugal, and Cyprus, all of which had banking crises of their own. Combined with Germany’s insistence on adherence to fiscal targets, and its refusal to adopt a stimulus, this policy produced a lost decade for the European economy, and contributed to the rise of anti-establishment political parties like Syriza, in Greece; Podemos, in Spain; and the Five Star Movement, in Italy. Nor did this draconian approach do anything to stabilize the euro system as a whole. On the contrary, the markets became alarmed, in 2011 and 2012, about the creditworthiness of several larger European countries, especially Spain and Italy. The “spreads”—the difference between the yields on Spanish and Italian bonds versus those on German bonds—rose sharply, signalling distress. In Washington, Tim Geithner and other American officials, who had learned how quickly financial problems could spread from one region to another, looked on in dismay. Tooze recounts how, at the annual meeting of the I.M.F. in September, 2011, Geithner warned of “a cascading default, bank runs, and catastrophic risk” if the Europeans didn’t construct an adequate fire wall. Behind the scenes, Geithner enlisted President Obama to exert pressure on Merkel and other European leaders to mimic some of the steps that the United States had taken in 2008, encouraging them to create a proper bailout fund and turn the European Central Bank into an effective crisis fighter. The pressure didn’t work. As the market tremors increased, so did speculation that the eurozone might break up. It was left to Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, to restore some calm. On July 26, 2012, Draghi, a worldly Italian economist who earned his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and subsequently worked at the World Bank, the Italian Treasury, and Goldman Sachs, gave a speech in London arguing that markets and foreign governments had underestimated the political capital invested in the European currency. “Within our mandate, the E.C.B. is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro,” he promised. “And, believe me, it will be enough.” Draghi provided no details about what the E.C.B. might do, and some observers were at first skeptical. “Ridiculous . . . totally impromptu,” Geithner wrote in his memoir, which Tooze cites extensively. But the speech proved to be a turning point. In September, 2012, Draghi announced that the E.C.B.
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Financial Crisis
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Lake Highlands High Valedictorian Pulls Switcheroo on Commencement Speech
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Paxton Smith got one speech approved and then — surprise! — read another about abortion rights. You know the drill. Every valedictorian has to get her speech approved before she delivers it at commencement. You can’t let high school kids — even really smart, hardworking, responsible kids — just get up and say whatever they want to say. That leads to chaos and rioting.
So Paxton Smith, the valedictorian of Lake Highlands High School’s Class of 2021, with her 104.93 average, submitted her speech ahead of Sunday’s commencement ceremony at the high school stadium. It was about media and how much of it she consumes and how that consumption has shaped the way she sees the world.
But another matter kept nagging at her. She couldn’t stop thinking about the “heartbeat bill” that Gov. Greg Abbott had signed into law last month. The law prohibits abortions as early as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant, and it matters not if the pregnancy results from incest or rape. Abortion rights activists say it is the most restrictive law in the country. It will go into effect in September.
The more Smith thought about it, the more she was drawn to the conclusion that there was nothing more important that she could address with her time at the microphone.
Smith talked to her three parents about her decision. Two of them read her new speech and approved; the third wasn’t thrilled but agreed to keep quiet.
She’s an outgoing person by nature, but knowing what sort of reaction her remarks might spark filled Smith with trepidation leading up to Sunday. She practiced the speech again and again, to the point that she didn’t need to think about the words. On Sunday, as she climbed the stairs to the stage, her mind went blank.
At the lectern, with a shaky voice, she began by thanking one of her coaches. Then she pulled from her bra a single piece of paper, folded in quarters, and told people what was on her mind. Her voice grew stronger with each sentence. At the end of her three minutes, she was in full command of that stage.
See for yourself. Smith’s speech starts at the 4:30 mark:
Two days after her speech, Smith says, “It feels great. It also feels a little weird. Whenever I have opinions that can be considered political or controversial, I keep them to myself because I don’t like to gain attention for that kind of stuff. But I’m glad that I could do something, and I’m glad that it’s getting attention. It just feels weird for me personally, that I’m linked to the attention that the speech got.”
Some of the attention she got, of course, was from administrators. She heard from a couple who initially said that the school could withhold her diploma, but nothing has come of that. Smith is headed to UT Austin and says she doesn’t yet know what she wants to study.
I asked her if there was anything else she wanted people to know.
“Oh, my goodness,” Smith said, as she considered the question. “Well, I would like them to know that they should register to vote for the next election and to stay involved in local elections because those have more power than I think the media gives them credit for.”
From her lips to God’s and Gov. Abbott’s ears.
***
Paxton Smith
Valedictory Address
May 30, 2021
As we leave high school we need to make our voices heard. I was going to get up here and talk to you about TV and content and media because those are things that are very important to me. However, in light of recent events, it feels wrong to talk about anything but what is currently affecting me and millions of other women in this state.
Recently the heartbeat bill was passed in Texas. Starting in September, there will be a ban on abortions that take place after 6 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of whether the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. 6 weeks. Most women don’t even realize they’re pregnant by then. And so, before they have the time to decide if they are emotionally, physically, and financially stable enough to carry out a full-term pregnancy, before they have the chance to decide if they can take on the responsibility of bringing another human into the world, the decision has been made for them by a stranger. A decision that will affect the rest of their lives.
I have dreams, hopes, and ambitions. Every girl here does. We have spent our whole lives working towards our futures, and without our consent or input, our control over our futures has been stripped away from us. I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail me, that if I’m raped, then my hopes and efforts and dreams for myself will no longer be relevant. I hope you can feel how gut-wrenching it is, how dehumanizing it is, to have the autonomy over your own body taken from you.
And I’m talking about this today, on a day as important as this, on a day honoring the students’ efforts in twelve years of schooling, on a day where we’re all brought together, on a day where you will be the most inclined to hear a voice like mine, a woman’s voice, to tell you that this is a problem. A problem that can’t wait. I refuse to give up this platform to promote complacency and peace, when there is a war on my body and a war on my rights. A war on the rights of your sisters, a war on the rights of your mothers, a war on the rights of your daughters.
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Famous Person - Give a speech
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Aeroflot Flight 558 crash
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Aeroflot Flight 558 (Russian: Рейс 558 Аэрофлота Reys 558 Aeroflota) was a scheduled Ilyushin Il-18V domestic passenger flight from Karaganda to Moscow that crashed into a field in the Abzelilovsky District on 31 August 1972 as a result of a fire stemming from exploded passenger baggage, killing all 102 people on board. [1]
The aircraft involved in the accident was an Ilyushin Il-18V registered CCCP-74298 to the Kazakhstan division of Aeroflot. The Il-18V completed final assembly and was delivered to Air Mali in 1962. In 1971, the aircraft was transferred to Aeroflot. At the time of the crash, the airliner had sustained 10,798 flight hours and 4,249 pressurization cycles. [1]
Nine crew members were aboard the flight. The cockpit crew consisted of:[2]
The flight was monitored by Anatoly Kuzovlev from the Ministry of Interior. Flight 558 took off from Sary-Arka Airport at 09:57 Moscow time and began climbing to an altitude of 7200 meters. The crew estimated that they'd fly over Magnitogorsk at 10:11. However, at a distance of 45 kilometers from Magnitogorsk at 10:08:20, the crew reported the presence of smoke in the cabin. The flight was granted permission to descend to an altitude of 4,800 meters and then switched over to Magnitogorsk air traffic control. The flight crew informed Magnitogorsk that there was a fire in the second cargo compartment, and requested instructions for an emergency landing. The flight was given permission to descend again at 10:12:32, approximately 20-30 kilometers from Magnitogorsk Airport and at an altitude of 2400–2700 meters Flight 558 began a turn to switch from a bearing of 295° to reach an initial bearing of 185° in the first of a series of maneuvers. After the first turn when the flight had reached a bearing of 90° and an altitude of 600 meters, the controller instructed them to start turning for 135°, and the flight proceeded to turn. When the flight was instructed to head for 185°, the crew confirmed hearing the instructions but did not execute the maneuver. At 10:15:32 the controller informed the crew the flight was going off course, heading away from the airport; the crew only responded by saying "The smoke in the cockpit is very bad." At 10:15:50 the Il-18 was in dangerous proximity to the ground; the pilots responded by pulling on the controls, putting the engines in takeoff mode, and retracting the landing gear simultaneously, but the sudden overload on the aircraft caused by the maneuvers along with the passengers moving to the front of the plane to avoid the smoke caused an unanticipated reduction in climb. At 10:16:19 the flight radioed only the phrase "Goodbye," but did not respond to the controller instructing them to enter a course for landing. The Il-18 crashed into a field 23 kilometers from the airport, before it was able to make an emergency landing in Magnitogorsk. [3][4]
Investigators discovered that all the passengers in the cabin died from smoke inhalation before the aircraft crashed; only the captain, copilot, and navigator were killed by the impact of the crash because they were in the cockpit. [5]
Four intact explosive shells were found among the remains of the crash. Investigators determined the cause of the fire in the Ilyushin Il-18 cargo compartment to be caused by explosives from passenger baggage that were prohibited from being placed in air cargo; the explosive materials then ignited highly flammable passenger baggage. There were no previous cases of a fire in the second baggage compartment of the Il-18 caused by mechanical failure, but there were four cases between 1970 and 1972 of passenger baggage spontaneously burning. The final report stated:
The cause of the accident was the rapid development of the fire that had developed in the second trunk, which led to a complete or partial loss of the crew's working capacity; causing the impossibility of following visual flight and observation of instruments due to smoke in the pilot's cabin resulting in the impossibility of a successful flight outcome. [6]
After the accident the design of the Ilyushin Il-18 was modified to allow people in the cabin to enter the second baggage compartment if necessary. No memorial to the crash was built. [7]
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Air crash
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2021 St. Paul Park refinery strike
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The 2021 St. Paul Park refinery strike was a labor dispute in St. Paul Park, Minnesota, United States. The strike, involving approximately 200 workers, took place at an oil refinery owned by Marathon Petroleum and began on January 21, 2021, with members of Local 120 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters alleging unfair labor practices and unsafe working conditions. According to union representatives, the strike was originally intended to last for one day, but that the company performed a lockout on the workers. While the company denies that the dispute is a lockout, multiple sources, including the Star Tribune and the news agency Reuters, describe the dispute as a lockout. Marathon Petroleum is a major American petroleum company that operates an oil refinery in St. Paul Park, Minnesota in the United States. This refinery, which as of January 2021 processed around 100,000 barrels per day,[1][2] services locations throughout the midwestern United States, including numerous Speedway LLC locations. [1] Starting in November 2020, company officials had been negotiating new labor contracts with representatives of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 120, the local union which represents approximately 200 workers at the facility. However, disagreements persisted between the union and the company, with the union rejecting Marathon's stance on hiring subcontractors for work primarily performed by union members. [1] According to a union representative, Marathon's subcontracting proposal would result in about 40 union jobs being outsourced. [3] In December, union members voted to authorize strike action against the company if a new contract had not been agreed to by the end of the year. [2] On December 31, the existing contract expired without a replacement, but representatives continued to negotiate through January. [3] On January 21, 2021,[3] members voted by a significant margin[note 1] to reject a contract offer made by the company and prepared to take strike action. [3] At that time, there had been 22 negotiating sessions between the union and the company. [3]
The strike began in the afternoon of January 21, with about 200 workers participating. [4] Unfair labor practice charges were filed by the union with the National Labor Relations Board, who also alleged that the company was bargaining in bad faith. [1] At the start of the strike, Marathon put out a statement stating that they had become aware of the workers' intent to strike beforehand and had made preparations regarding the operation of the refinery, with no disruptions expected. [4] As reported by a union representative, the strike was originally intended to last one day. However, after 24 hours, when the workers offered to return to work, the company performed a lockout and accused the workers of trespassing. [5] Marathon denies that a lockout occurred and instead countered that the workers are still on strike. [5] however, multiple sources, including the Star Tribune and the news agency Reuters, characterize the ongoing dispute as a lockout. [5][6][7] During the ongoing dispute, Marathon has brought in several workers from out of state. [7]
On March 2, a group of state treasurers sent a letter to Marathon officials urging them to end the lockout. The treasurers, all members of the Democratic Party, were from the U.S. states of Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Oregon. Additional calls to end the lockout have been made from several state politicians, including U.S. Representative Betty McCollum and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz,[5] the latter of whom participated in picketing with the strikers in February. [7] As of March 11, talks between union and company representatives were scheduled for March 19 and March 23. [5] On March 30, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the strike had been expanded to include a boycott of eight Speedway locations in Cottage Grove, Minneapolis, Newport, Oakdale, Saint Paul, White Bear Lake, and Woodbury, with plans to boycott additional stations in the following weeks. [8]
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Strike
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The Latest: Death toll in Brazil dam collapse rises to 58
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The Civil Defense office in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has raised the number of confirmed deaths in a dam collapse to 58. More than 300 people are still missing after iron ore waste from a mine that flooded the southeastern city of Brumadinho on Friday. Brazilian officials resumed the search the missing Sunday after briefly suspending it amid fears that a second dam was at risk of breach. Rescue workers say areas of water-soaked mud appear to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. The death toll is expected to rise. ___ 3:55 p.m. Brazilian officials have resumed the search for hundreds of missing people in the wake of a massive dam collapse, with firefighter crews returning to mud-covered areas after a several-hour suspension over fears that a second dam was at risk of breach. Authorities had evacuated several neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho that were within range of the B6 dam owned by the Brazilian mining company Vale. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground, but by the afternoon, civil engineers said the second dam was no longer at risk. Authorities on Sunday also lowered the confirmed death toll to 37 from 40, though they did not explain why. And that number is expected to increase as rescue and recovery teams got to the hardest hit areas. ___ 2:05 p.m. Pope Francis is offering prayers and solidarity for the victims of the Brazilian dam collapse. Francis spoke out about the tragedy on Sunday while he was wrapping up a visit to Panama for World Youth Day. In a blessing, Francis appealed for God’s mercy for all those who were killed “and at the same time I express my love and spiritual closeness to their relatives and the entire population of Minas Gerais state.” Brazilian officials on Sunday suspended the search for potential survivors of the dam collapse that killed at least 40 people amid fears that another nearby dam owned by the same company was also at risk of breaching. ___ 8:15 a.m. Brazilian officials have suspended the search for potential survivors of a dam collapse amid fears that another dam owned by the same mining company was at risk of breaking as well. Authorities on Sunday are evacuating several neighborhoods in the city of Brumadinho that are within range of the B6 dam. Pedro Ahiara, spokesman for the firefighters in the state of Minas Gerais, says “the risk of a breaking continues.” Even before the latest news, hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from a dam collapse in Brazil was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that hundreds of people had died. By Saturday night, when authorities called off rescue efforts until daybreak, the dam collapse toll stood at 40 dead with up to 300 people estimated to be missing. ___ 5:20 a.m. The Israeli military says a search-and-rescue delegation has left for to Brazil to assist the victims of a mining waste dam collapse. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus says a delegation of 130 men and women is on its way Sunday to the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte. He says the delegation is expected to stay for a week and will look for survivors after the collapse of a dam holding back mining waste. As of Saturday night, the death toll in the dam collapse stood at 40 dead with up to 300 people estimated to be missing. Conricus says his delegation includes K-9 forces, firefighters and a special underwater unit. The military is responding to an order from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who offered the aid to his close ally, new Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. ___ 1 a.m. Hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from a dam collapse in Brazil was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the hundreds of people missing had died. By Saturday night, when authorities called off rescue efforts until day break, the death toll stood at 40 dead with up to 300 people estimated to be missing. Throughout the day, helicopters flew low over areas buried by mud and firefighters worked to get to structures by digging. Sonia Fatima da Silva was among the scores in the city of Brumadinho trying to get information about their relatives. Her son has been a Vale mining company employee for 20 years. She says “I’m angry ... 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. Romeu Zema, governor of Minas Gerais state, says most recovery efforts now would entail pulling out bodies.
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Mine Collapses
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2020 Ivorian protests
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The 2020 Ivorian protests were a series of massive rioting and increasingly violent street demonstrations adding to the growing massive street protests and civil disorder sweeping Ivory Coast. The protests were against the results and the re-run of president Alassane Ouattara. These protests were major anti-government opposition protests, and consisted of supporters of opposition protests in Abidjan and other cities in support of democratic reforms. Protesters used nonviolent tactics but met with intense violence back from the Riot police. [1][2]
The protests surrounded president’s Alassane Ouattara bid for a third term in running for the 2020 Ivorian presidential election, which reignited weeks of violent demonstrations that lest six dead. As the popular uprising intensified, the government began to ignore and target opposition members and opposition supporters, calling them criminals and targeting a violent crackdown on the demonstrators and even burning the homes of opposition member participating in the 31 October elections. [3]
Pro-democracy riots first began as strikes in March and April, against lockdown in Cote d’Ivoire as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anti-Alassane Ouattara protests rocked the country, mainly the Christian south, sparking fears of a civil war. Thousands rallied on 12–21 September in Abidjan, which is where all the protests began and were taking place. [4]
After the civil unrest and opposition protests, the government crackdown became severe, with at least 85 killed in the protest movement altogether. Protesters gathered and called for free elections and the resignation of president Alassane Ouattara. The violence that marred the nation was one of the largest opposition demonstrations and bloodiest actions since the 2010-2011 Ivorian crisis. [5][6]
Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in popular civil disobedience in October, before the 2020 Ivorian presidential election. Election protests erupted and bloody crackdowns and vigilante mob attacks were carried out against protesters as the opposition called on strikes to be held nationwide after the results of the election were announced. After 5 days of violent clashes and intense remonstrances, 30+ protesters were killed. Protests ceased shortly thereafter. [7][8][9]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Acosta and The CORE Group merge to form CORE Foodservice
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Jacksonville, Fla. (June 2, 2021) — Acosta BB #:197941 and The CORE Group, one of the most progressive foodservice sales agencies in North America, announce the creation of a reimagined, best-in-class North American agency focused on providing solutions for the foodservice industry’s new operating environment. This new business, CORE Foodservice, will bring together industry-leading capabilities from both Acosta and The CORE Group, creating a strategically resourced organization designed to meet the requirements of new customer behaviors and expectations. “This new business will become one of the centerpieces in the Acosta family of companies. CORE Foodservice will complement and leverage Acosta’s industry-leading retail sales and marketing capabilities to provide our clients with a powerful suite of progressive brand-building solutions and exceptional service,” said Brian Wynne, CEO of Acosta. CORE Foodservice was deliberately and proactively formed to provide enhanced execution and a greater competitive differentiation for its clients and customers. The business will tap into Acosta’s robust data and analytics capabilities to provide diner and shopper insights that can drive solutions for clients and their customers. John Goodman, who will become CEO of the combined foodservice business, said, “COVID-19 has changed market and operating conditions dramatically, sparking the need for innovation and new approaches that defy conventional selling models. Our dedicated segment structure with over 750 customer-facing associates extends our reach while balancing proprietary technologies with human-touch execution.” “This move structures us for today’s market realities and helps our clients to redefine and modernize their end-to-end selling processes,” Wynne continued. “Working in harmony with Acosta’s retail, eCommerce and marketing capabilities, CORE Foodservice will help clients accelerate sales growth and earn greater market share. I am excited to have John Goodman as CEO of this business and welcome him as a senior member of our global leadership team. Taylor Crown, who recently led Acosta Foodservice, will remain with the business, and following a transition period, will move to an executive role within our strategy and transformation team to focus on helping clients succeed as we integrate the two organizations.”
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Organization Merge
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From 55 Hours to 8 Months: Hollywood's Shortest Marriages Ever
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After eight months of marriage , the "Every Little Thing" singer-songwriter filed for divorce from the "Her World or Mine" singer on June 19, their reps confirmed to PEOPLE exclusively.
"This was a hard decision. It wasn't something she wanted to have to do," a source close to Pearce told PEOPLE. "This hasn't been a quarantine realization - it was a last resort."
Ray and Pearce had last appeared in public together on June 6, when they both performed without a live audience at the Grand Ole Opry. They were joined on the bill by Steve Wariner and Lee Brice (Pearce's duet partner on their No. 1 smash "I Hope You're Happy Now").
Ahead of the performance, Ray told PEOPLE that he and Pearce were splitting their time in quarantine amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic between their place in Nashville and their families' homes. He said they spent a month together in the coastal Alabama home of Pearce's parents, where they kept busy by going on a lot of "wine walks."
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Famous Person - Divorce
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Indonesian volcano erupts, forcing residents to flee
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Local airport closed as Mount Ili Lewotolok erupts in a remote part of the Southeast Asian archipelago. Indonesia’s Mount Ili Lewotolok has erupted, belching a column of smoke and ash 4km (2.5 miles) into the sky, triggering a flight warning and the closure of the local airport. There were no reports of injuries or damage from the eruption on Sunday in a remote part of the Southeast Asian archipelago. Indonesia has nearly 130 active volcanoes, more than any other country, and while many show high levels of activity it can be weeks or even months before an eruption. Raditya Jati, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency, said in a statement that the eruption from the Mount Ili Lewotolok volcano – in the northern part of Lembata Island, Lembata Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, about 2,600km (1,615 miles) east of Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta – had caused panic among those living nearby. About 2,780 people from 26 villages had sought refuge, although no casualties have so far been reported, Jati said. Muhammad Ilham, a 17-year-old who witnessed the eruption, told Reuters news agency that residents nearby were “panicked and they’re still looking for refuge and in need of money right now”. Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said on its website that the area near the volcano is likely to be inundated with “hot clouds, lava stream, lava avalanche, and poisonous gas”. Pak Kasbani, the head of the centre, told Reuters that the status of the volcano was raised to the second-highest level on Indonesia’s four-tier alert system due to “increasing threats”. JUST IN: Video of the eruption of Ile Lewotolok volcano on Sunday morning, 29 November 2020, in Lembata Island, East Nusa Tenggara. — Alex Journey (@alexjourneyID) November 29, 2020 There are only three other volcanoes at this level, the agency said. These include the Merapi volcano on the island of Java and Sinabung on Sumatra, which erupted this month. In late 2018, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands erupted, causing an underwater landslide that unleashed a tsunami that killed more than 400 people. Thousands of evacuees from a town near the Philippines’ Taal volcano have been allowed back to briefly visit their homes. Despite repeated warnings that the Philippines’s Taal volcano could erupt at any time, some are risking their lives to stay close to home. We investigate how a luxury cruise turned into a deadly nightmare when a volcano erupted on New Zealand’s White Island.
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Volcano Eruption
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Jana Kramer and Mike Caussin Split After Nearly 6 Years of Marriage, Cheating Scandal
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She continued: “I just can’t fight any longer. It’s time to heal. Thank you for all the love, heart, and support, in many ways you have fought on this journey alongside me, and for that I am grateful. I’ll always encourage you to continue the good fight, but you can’t fight it alone. ?”
Us Weekly can confirm that the One Tree Hill alum has already filed for divorce. Kramer and Caussin, who wed in 2015, share daughter Jolie, 5, and son Jace, 2. The twosome previously separated in 2016 after Us broke the news that the former football player was unfaithful . He subsequently entered treatment for sex addiction and the duo renewed their vows in 2017.
Earlier this year, Kramer admitted to Us that she doesn’t completely trust Caussin , who has been open about his sex addiction relapses in recent years.
“I trust him today. He’s showing up today. He’s showing up as a father, he’s showing up as a husband and he’s living it with integrity,” the actress told Us in January. “And I had to do my work to continue to trust him the next day after that. And to continue to see his growth and our growth together. I do trust my husband. Can [I say] 1000 percent? I don’t know if I can say that. I just … I trust my husband today.”
One month later, Kramer fired back at a troll who told her to “just get divorced already” after she and Caussin continued to speak about their ups and downs .
Read article
“When you don’t know the ins and out about addiction and the work we continue to do you shouldn’t speak on it.. We are open because we are helping people do the work to become stronger just like we have,” she tweeted in February. “So no thanks. Not gonna divorce a good man.”
Listen to Us Weekly's Hot Hollywood as each week the editors of Us break down the hottest entertainment news stories!
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Famous Person - Divorce
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WA researchers make history with first locally-made satellite launched into space
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A small group of Perth researchers have made Western Australian history, using a device not much bigger than a vegemite sandwich. The Binar-1 satellite was launched into orbit on Sunday afternoon (Perth time) aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US. The craft, which takes its name from the Noongar word for fireball, will now head to the International Space Station, where astronauts will release the satellite into low-Earth orbit. It marks the first time a WA-made satellite has been launched into space. Phil Bland, the director of Curtin University's Space Science Technology Centre, which built the device, says it won't be the last. "You're not succeeding in space unless you're flying stuff, so we are building the technology that is going to allow us to fly all the time," Mr Bland said. The Binar team are hoping to launch at least seven small spacecraft over the next two years, to prove their technology works. If it does, it could make a massive difference to the way Western Australians are able to access space. A crowd of about one hundred people excitedly gathered at Yagan Square on Saturday afternoon to watch a public live-stream of the launch. However, takeoff never happened as bad weather in Florida blocked the launch. While you can plan for the best, failure was something people working in the sector are used to. "Space is really hard, there's a big failure rate for your first attempt," Professor Bland said. "So if it switches on then that's great, if we get images back that's fantastic." The spacecraft was eventually launched without a hitch at about 3:15PM Perth time on Sunday, drawing applause from the dozens who came back to Yagan Square. "Its been four years to get to this point and to see that fly is just a magical moment," Professor Bland said after lift off. The spacecraft is expected to stay in orbit for about 18 months, using two cameras to take pictures of WA and the stars. What sets Binar-1 apart from other satellites is its core functions are all managed by a single circuit board made by the team, which sits within a cube 10 centimetres long on each side. "It means that even in something that big we've actually got room for payload for the stuff that you actually want the satellite to do," he said. "The core of it, it's like the size of a vegemite sandwich … but that can actually power and control a much bigger spacecraft. "So knowing how that works, validating that, we'll be able to build much bigger stuff." The change also means each satellite is easier to produce, meaning the most significant cost is now the six-figure bill to get the device into orbit. "We are building the technology that is going to allow us to fly all the time, so we'll be able to validate that, we'll be able to test that out in orbit," Professor Bland said. "But more than that, we'll be able to offer payload space in all those spacecraft for anyone with a bridge idea in WA, whether that's a high school or a university or a startup, to try it out. Professor Bland said the technology's future uses included monitoring bushfire conditions and checking if crops are ready to harvest. The Binar team are also working on two other satellites, six times bigger than Binar-1, which they hope will help NASA return to the moon. "That's going to leverage everything that we do in WA in terms of mineral exploration to help NASA," he said. "It's bigger than Apollo, and we're doing a thing here with NASA that fits a critical niche in their program. "So it'll be two WA spacecraft at the moon in 2025, fingers crossed." Earlier this week, Binar researcher and PhD student Ben Hartig wrote in The Conversation about how important that would be for Australia. "By developing completely home-grown technology, we can avoid relying on expensive imported components, meaning the Australian space industry can stand on its own two feet while reaching for the heavens," he said. Stuart Buchan is a PhD student who has been working on the Binar project for about three years. He said the project should serve as hope for young starry-eyed Western Australian children. "Growing up in WA I've always been in the assumption that if I wanted to work in space, I had to be overseas," he said. "So being able to be working on my dream career in the state that I grew up in just feels amazing." He said the launch is an exciting culmination of the dedicated work of the tight-knit group. "We want to see that our hardware and software functions in orbit, but we do also have some cameras onboard that we'll be using for taking pictures of our planet and pictures of the stars," Mr Buchan said.
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New achievements in aerospace
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April 1992 general strike in Nepal
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In 1992, in a situation of economic crisis and chaos in Nepal, with spiralling prices as a result of implementation of changes in policy of the new Congress government, far-left groups stepped up their political agitation. A Joint People's Agitation Committee was set up together by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre), Samyukta Jana Morcha, Communist Party of Nepal (Masal), the Nepal Communist League and the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist). The committee called for a general strike on April 6. Violent incidents began to occur on the evening ahead of the strike. The Joint People's Agitation Committee had called for a 30-minute 'lights out' in the capital, and violence erupted outside Bir Hospital when activists tried to enforce the 'lights out'. At dawn on April 6, clashes between strike activists and police outside a police station in Pulchok (Patan) left two activists dead. Later in the day, a mass rally of the Agitation Committee at Tundikhel in the capital Kathmandu was attacked by police forces. As a result, riots broke out, and the Nepal Telecommunications building was set on fire. Police opened fire at the crowd, killing several people. The Human Rights Organisation of Nepal estimated that 14 people, including several on-lookers, had been killed. [1]
The violent incidents in connection with the strike spurred radical elements within the Nepalese communist movement to debate the usefulness of participation in legal politics. Two years later the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre) was divided, with one section opting for armed struggle. This group would later rename itself as the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and declare a "People's War" in 1996, which became the starting point for the decade-long civil war. .
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Strike
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KSP investigating armed bank robbery in Webster Co.
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WEBSTER CO., Ky. (WFIE) - Kentucky State Police are investigating an armed bank robbery in Webster County. KSP Post 2 say they were contacted by the Providence Police Department to investigate an armed robbery that took place at Planters Bank in Providence at 2:30 p.m. KSP says a preliminary investigation reveals that a white man approximately 6′3 entered the bank wearing a hoodie and mask, demanding money while stating he had a gun. We are told the man left the bank with an undetermined amount of money on foot. Officials say he was last seen near Westerfield Drive in Providence. Anyone that has any information on this case is asked to contact Kentucky State Police at 270-676-3313.
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Bank Robbery
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a suspected chemical leak last week left more than 200 children, teachers and others being treated for poisoning
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Malaysia has shut more schools after a suspected chemical leak last week left more than 200 children, teachers and others being treated for poisoning, its education minister said late on Wednesday.
The number of schools shut down climbed to 111 on Wednesday from 13 the day before.
Authorities believe the poisoning was caused by toxic waste dumped into a river near the schools in the southern state of Johor.
“Based on the current situation and advisory from the state’s disaster management committee, the Ministry of Education have decided to shut all 111 schools in the Pasir Gudang area immediately,” Education Minister Maszlee Malik said in a statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, Maszlee said in a Facebook post that the situation was “getting more critical”.
The number of people treated climbed to 207 compared with 35 reported last week. As of Monday, 44 people were in hospital where six were in intensive care. Thirty-three of them are pupils.
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Environment Pollution
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E.U. Offers U.K. Concessions on Northern Ireland. Here’s What the Spat Is About.
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Britain is demanding an end to post-Brexit rules known as the Northern Ireland protocol. The European Union sees the rules as a key part of protecting its single market.
By Stephen Castle
LONDON — For months, a battle over the status of Northern Ireland has been the thorniest legacy of Brexit, even sparking a conflict known as the “sausage wars.” Now, Britain has upped the ante by demanding that post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland that it agreed to two years ago be scrapped and replaced.
The European Union responded to that call Wednesday with a far-reaching plan to resolve practical problems raised by that Brexit treaty — the Northern Ireland protocol — that has provoked a full-scale confrontation between Britain and the bloc. It is a spat that could upset the United States.
The protocol aims to resolve one of the most complex issues created by Brexit: what to do about the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which remains part of the European Union.
According to the new proposal from Brussels, checks on food and animal products going from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland would be reduced by 80 percent, customs paperwork for shipments of many goods would be slashed and the flow of medicines would be ensured.
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“Today’s package has the potential to make real, tangible difference on the ground,” said Maros Sefcovic, vice president of the European Commission, the executive body of the 27-nation bloc, adding that this amounted to an “alternative model for implementation of the protocol.”
But he offered no concession over a demand made on Tuesday by Britain for a completely new agreement, one that would remove any role for the European Court of Justice, the bloc’s top court, as an arbiter in disputes. That idea had already been rejected by Brussels.
For critics of Mr. Johnson, the rift over the protocol is evidence of his lack of trustworthiness, his willingness to break international commitments and his denial of responsibility for the consequences of the withdrawal from Europe he championed. Mr. Johnson’s allies accuse the European Union of inflexibility in applying rules, a pettifogging lack of sensitivity to feelings in parts of Northern Ireland and vengeful hostility toward Britain for exiting the bloc.
Behind all the bluster lie fears about the fragility of the Northern Ireland peace that raise the stakes beyond those of typical trade disputes. President Biden, who talks often about his Irish heritage, has already warned Mr. Johnson not to do anything to undermine the Good Friday Agreement that helped to end the violence.
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It’s fair to say that while the accord sounds like the title of a spy thriller, it’s actually a dry legal text that won’t be found on most people’s vacation reading lists.
The frontier between Northern Ireland, which remains in the United Kingdom, and Ireland, which is in the European Union, is contested, and parts of it were fortified during the decades of violence known as “The Troubles.” But after the Good Friday peace deal in 1998, those visible signs of division have melted away along the open border. No one wants checkpoints back, but as part of his Brexit plan, Mr. Johnson insisted on leaving Europe’s customs union and its single market, which allows goods to flow freely across European borders without checks.
The protocol sets out a plan to deal with this unique situation. It does so by effectively leaving Northern Ireland half inside the European system (and its giant market), and half inside the British one. It sounds neat — logical, even — until you try to make it work.
The plan means more checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from mainland Britain, effectively creating a border down the Irish Sea and dividing the United Kingdom. Faced with all the new bureaucracy, some British companies have stopped supplying stores in Northern Ireland, saying they simply can’t handle the added paperwork now needed.
This has enraged some Conservative lawmakers and inflamed sentiment among those in Northern Ireland who want the region to remain part of the United Kingdom. The unionists, mostly Protestants, identify as British and believe the changes could threaten their future in the United Kingdom.
So while not being able to get the right kind of sausages might seem like a small inconvenience, to many unionists, it feels as if their British identity is what’s in the fryer.
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The bloc has dug in its heels, partly because Mr. Johnson signed on to the protocol, but also because he negotiated it himself and pushed it through the British Parliament.
British critics accuse the Europeans of being overly rigorous and legalistic in their interpretation of the protocol, and of being overzealous about the checks required.
But E.U. leaders believe that the bloc’s existential interests are being put at risk. For Brussels, the single market is one of its cornerstones and it says it needs to control what enters it. If that is undermined, it could threaten the building blocks of European integration.
Under the protocol, foods with animal origins — yes, like sausages — coming from mainland Britain into Northern Ireland need health certification to ensure they meet European standards should they end up in Ireland, which is still part of the European Union’s single market.
The British want a light-touch system — that is, one in which there are minimal checks — on goods that companies promise will stay in Northern Ireland.
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Tear Up Agreement
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Toll climbs in Brazil mine-dam collapse
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BRUMADINHO, Brazil -- The death toll from the collapse of a dam holding back mine waste in southeastern Brazil rose to 34 on Saturday as searchers flying in helicopters and rescuers laboring in deep mud uncovered more bodies. Authorities estimated at least 200 people were still missing and expected the death toll to rise during a search made more challenging by intermittent rains. Romeu Zema, the governor of the state of Minas Gerais, warned that those responsible "would be punished." Morning Newsletter Stay connected and informed with NWADG.com news updates delivered to your inbox. Daily newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported Saturday that the dam's mining complex, owned and operated by Brazilian mining company Vale, was issued an expedited license to expand in December due to "decreased risk." Preservation groups in the area say the approval was unlawful. In addition to the 34 bodies recovered as of Saturday afternoon, 23 people were hospitalized, said authorities with the Minas Gerais fire department. There had been some signs of hope earlier Saturday when authorities found 43 more people alive. Company officials also had said that 100 workers were accounted for. Firefighters distributed to news outlets lists of people who had been rescued or accounted for. But there were still scores of families in the city desperately awaiting word on their loved ones. "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 of God." Vale workers were eating lunch Friday afternoon when the dam collapsed, unleashing a sea of reddish-brown mud that knocked over and buried several structures of the company and surrounding areas. The level of devastation quickly led President Jair Bolsonaro and other officials to describe it as a "tragedy." "It's distressing, maddening," said Vanilza Sueli Oliveira, who was awaiting news of her nephew. "Time is passing. It's been 24 hours already. Time is passing. I just don't want to think that he is under the mud." The rivers of mining waste raised fears of widespread contamination. 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." Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman said he did not know what caused the collapse. About 300 employees were working when it happened. After the dam collapsed Friday afternoon, parts of Brumadinho were evacuated, and firefighters rescued people by helicopter and ground vehicles. Several helicopters flew over the area on Saturday while firefighters carefully traversed heavily inundated areas looking for survivors. On Friday, Minas Gerais state court blocked $260 million from Vale for state emergency services and is requiring the company to present a report about how they will help victims. On Saturday, the state's justice ministry ordered an additional $1.3 billion blocked. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais state, 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 rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Schvartsman said what happened Friday was "a human tragedy much larger than the tragedy of Mariana, but probably the environmental damage will be less." "Vale destroyed Mariana and now they've destroyed Brumadinho," said Sueli de Oliveira Costa, who hadn't heard from her husband since Friday. "I need answers. I am desperate." Bolsonaro, who assumed office Jan. 1, did a flyover of the area on Saturday. On Twitter, he said his government would do everything it could to "prevent more tragedies" like Mariana and 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 a lack of regulation, and many promised to fight any further deregulation by Bolsonaro in Latin America's largest nation. "History repeats itself," tweeted Marina Silva, a former environmental minister and three-time presidential candidate. "It's unacceptable that government and mining companies haven't learned anything."
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Mine Collapses
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Woman handed life sentence for murder of husband
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Jackson was arrested and during a search of the couple’s home police officers discovered a note from her entitled ‘confession’. Jackson wrote her husband had been a good father but she had taken ‘so much abuse’ over the years. Police had been called to the address on December 23, 2020, with Jackson reporting being afraid of her husband. Medical experts considered whether his actions could have been linked to a neurological procedure he underwent two days prior and made changes to Mr Jackson’s care as a result. No further calls were made to police by the couple in the seven-and-a-half weeks preceding Mr Jackson’s death. Jackson denied one count of murder. Following a two-and-a-half week trial, the jury found her guilty by majority verdict, after more than 10 hours of deliberation. Judge Martin Picton handed Jackson to a life sentence, of which she will spend a minimum of 18 years in prison, minus time already served in custody. He said he did not detect a shred of remorse and that Jackson chose to stab her husband to death. Penelope Jackson and David Jackson. Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Roger Doxsey said: “This is a deeply tragic case, which centred around suspected physical and mental abuse. “I’d like to pay tribute to David Jackson’s family at this difficult time. The past few months have been tortuous for them and they have shown incredible courage throughout this undoubtedly painful legal process. “They continue to receive support from a specialist officer and have understandably asked for their privacy to be respected as they look to come to terms with what has happened over the course of this year.” After the verdict, Mr and Mrs Jackson’s daughter, Isabelle Potterton released the following statement. She said: "On 13 February my whole world fell away from my feet. From the moment when the police knocked on our door and told us what had happened, I had not only lost my dad but I had lost my mum too. My life was changed forever. "I have dealt with the looks of pity and people contacting for the gossip. I have dealt with people asking the most inappropriate questions. "I have done all of this because I have had to. I have to be strong for dad. I have to be strong for mum. "I have lost the man that I looked up to and loved. I have lost the man that was always there for me no matter what. The man that came and fixed things in my house which I didn’t know even needed fixing. The man that could make me laugh. "But I feel I have also lost my mum. I have lost the woman who always knew how to make me feel better. The woman who was my friend, my champion and my support. The woman who cared, cherished and loved me. "Yes I know mum is here but she’s not the same person I knew. I don’t know what the future holds but I do know that the relationship I once cherished can never be built back to what it was. "However, I love both of them. I always have and I always will. "I would finally like to thank family and friends who have supported us over the past eight months, especially my husband who has been a rock to me. I don’t believe we’ll ever come to terms with what has happened but would sincerely ask for our privacy to be respected as we seek to move forward with our lives."
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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SA celebrates Tatjana Schoenmaker setting a world record on her way to Olympic gold
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Tatjana Schoenmaker scooped SA’s first gold medal at the Tokyo Games when she won the women’s 200m breaststroke in a world record time on Friday morning.
Swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker is the toast of social media on Friday after she smashed the women's 200m butterfly world record on her way to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Schoenmaker scooped SA’s first gold medal of the games in a record-breaking time of 2 min 18.95 sec beating the previous record of 2:19.11 set by Denmark’s Rikke Moller Pedersen in 2013.
She screamed with delight when she caught sight of her time and wept with joy as she was embraced by those around her.
Schoenmaker took the Olympic 100m breaststroke silver on Tuesday.
Speaking after the race, she said her goal at the games was to just try her best and hopefully make the final.
“If I could just make the final, that was what I said since I started coming, to make the final is already an amazing achievement.
“I was lucky to have my teammate [Kaylene Corbett] there. We were all two too — two Americans, two British, two South Africans [in the final] — so it was just amazing to have that teammate there.”
Schoenmaker topped the Twitter trends list as users flooded social media to celebrate her historic win.
Here are some of the reactions.
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Break historical records
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1894 Shōnai earthquake
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The 1894 Shōnai earthquake (Japanese: 庄内地震[4]) is an earthquake occurred on October 22, 1894 at Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture in Japan. It was caused by the movement of the Shonai Plain Eastern Margin Fault Zone (庄内平野東縁断層帯). [5]
According to the official confirmed report, 14,118 houses and buildings were damaged and 2,148 were burned. [6] There were 726 human fatalities and 8,403 people injured in the damaged area. A large-scale fire broke out in Sakata, and around the Shonai plain area, many instances of cracked earth, sinking ground, sand boils, and fountains were observed. This article about an earthquake is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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Earthquakes
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Rylan Clark-Neal makes rare comment about 'divorce' following recent split from husband
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Rylan Clark-Neal, 32, made a comment about his divorce on Adele's Instagram live yesterday evening. The TV presenter was meant to be watching Strictly, however he could not stop himself seeing what the bestselling singer was up to.
Same as my next album.
Rylan Clark-Neal
On Adele's Instagram live one fan asked her what her new album, rumoured to be called 30, was about.
Adele replied: "Divorce, baby, divorce!"
Rylan was active in the comments throughout the live, quipping about his own divorce in the comments.
He wrote: "Same as my next album."
READ MORE: ‘I think what’s next?’ James Martin on why he never had kids
The TV star recently took a five month break from his work duties after splitting from his husband of six years, Dan Neal.
Rylan returned to work in early September, finally reappearing on his Radio 2 show.
In a statement at the time prior to his break he said: “Following reports about Dan and I spending time apart, I feel I have to speak out - as the way it is being reported is unfair.
"I have made a number of mistakes which I deeply regret and have inevitably led to the breakdown of our marriage."
He added: "I am trying to take each day at a time and would like to say thank you to everyone for their support and for respecting our privacy at this time."
Rylan added that he had been taking time away from work because he was "not in a good place at the moment and am seeking help."
He has shared many cryptic posts in recent months since his TV return.
On Instagram on September 30 he penned in view of his 1.6 million followers: "The s**t you learn. Jesus."
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Fans were quick to the comments to share their thoughts on his cryptic remark.
Kelly Croft said: "I love you @Rylan, you are funny and amazing and stay strong."
Trueblue added: "It's always the same s**t! Just a different day stay safe and take care Rylan."
Appearing on the Instagram Live comments, Rylan also admitted he was supposed to be watching Strictly as he presents the sister show, It Takes Two.
However, he could not help himself but watch the singer's first ever Instagram live.
He commented: "I should be watching Strictly but paused it for this."
Adele split with her charity entrepreneur husband Simon Konecki in 2018.
She admitted that the pair married in 2018 and divorced in the same year.
Adele's new album is rumoured to be focused on her divorce.
See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive.
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Famous Person - Divorce
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High Court questions police investigation into case involving DGP, ADGP and IG; says CBI probe will be appropriate
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KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday observed that a CBI probe will be appropriate in the Monson Mavunkal case which involves former DGP, ADGP, and IG. The High Court also questioned the appropriateness of the state police investigating the case involving top police officials. Monson was given police protection as soon as he requested it. Deals have taken place inside and outside the state. Therefore, a CBI probe will be appropriate in the case, the court observed.
The court also directed that the report on the case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the scam should be submitted before December 1. The ED informed the court that it had launched a preliminary investigation into the case. The ED also told the court that it had the power to investigate only matters relating to financial irregularities and that it was appropriate to appoint agencies like the CBI to investigate other matters.
Meanwhile, the state government opposed the question of whether there should be a CBI probe. The state government replied that the police were capable of investigating the case and that the police had the power to investigate various matters, including foreign relations.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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Cavan Orphanage fire
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The Cavan Orphanage fire occurred on the night of 23 February 1943 at St Joseph's Orphanage in Cavan, Ireland. 35 children and 1 adult employee died as a result. [1] Much of the attention after the fire surrounded the role of the Poor Clares, the order of nuns who ran the orphanage, and the local fire service. [2]
The Poor Clares, an enclosed contemplative order, founded a convent in Cavan in 1861 in a large premises on Main Street. In 1868 they opened an orphanage. At that time young petty criminals could be educated and learn a trade in a reformatory; however, orphaned and abandoned children were not accorded the same opportunity. The Industrial Schools Act 1868 sought to address this by the establishment of the industrial school system. In 1869 a school, attached to the convent, was established and became known as the St. Joseph's Orphanage & Industrial School. [3]
A fire started in the early morning hours of 24 February 1943 in the basement laundry and was not noticed until about 2 a.m. The subsequent investigation attributed it to a faulty flue. [4] The sight of smoke coming out of the building alerted people on Main Street. They went to the front entrance and tried to gain entry. Eventually they were let in by one of the girls (Rosemary Caffrey) but not knowing the layout of the convent, they were unable to find the girls. By this time all of the girls had been moved into one dormitory. At this stage it would have been possible to evacuate all of the children but instead the nuns persuaded the local people to attempt to put out the fire. It has been widely claimed that the reason the orphans were not evacuated was that the nuns did not think it "decent" for the girls to be seen in public in their nightgowns. [5][6][7][8]
Two men (John Kennedy and John McNally) went down to the laundry to try to put the fire out. The flames were now too intense for this to be possible and McNally only survived by being carried out by Kennedy. By this point it was no longer possible for the girls to get out through the main entrance or the fire escape. The local fire brigade had then arrived but their equipment was not sufficient for this fire. Wooden ladders were not long enough to reach the dormitory windows. In the absence of any other solution girls were encouraged to jump. Three did so, though with injuries; however, most were too frightened to attempt it. By the time a local electricity worker, Mattie Hand, arrived with a long ladder, and a local man, Louis Blessing, brought five girls down. One child left by way of the interior staircase while it was still accessible. One child made it down the exterior fire escape. One child escaped by way of a small ladder held on the roof of the shed. The fire completely engulfed the dormitory and the remaining girls died. The following 35 children died:[9]
The one adult who died was 80-year-old Mary Smith, who was employed as a cook. Over concerns about the causes of the fire and the standard of care, a public inquiry was set up. The report's findings stated that the loss of life occurred due to faulty directions being given, lack of fire-fighting training, and an inadequate rescue and fire-fighting service. It also noted inadequate training of staff in fire safety and evacuation, both at the orphanage and local fire service. [4]
This finding has been disputed by many, including in a limerick written by the secretary to the inquiry, Brian O'Nolan, better known as the author Flann O'Brien, and one of the counsel representing the Electricity Supply Board, Tom O'Higgins, later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and presidential candidate. [10]
In Cavan there was a great fire,
Judge McCarthy was sent to inquire,
It would be a shame,
If the nuns were to blame,
So it had to be caused by a wire. It was alleged that the nuns prevented firefighters entering the building in case they saw the girls inside in a state of undress. Also, the structure of the orphanage, with many locked and barred doors, has been compared to a "fortress", presumably intended to safeguard the chastity of the inmates. [11]
Due to the nature of the fire, the remains of the dead girls were placed in 8 coffins and buried in Cullies cemetery in Cavan. A new memorial plaque was erected in 2010 just inside the convent gates at Main Street, Cavan. The plaque was anonymously donated to the Friends of the Cavan Orphanage Victims group
The town did not have any sort of formal or professional fire brigade. Although the stand-pipes connected to the public water main had recently been improved and increased, the apparatus for delivering water was wholly unsuitable – little more than a cart and a hose pipe (which, according to the inquiry, may have been faulty). The council had attempted to obtain a trailer pump, but this had been delayed by the war emergency. [4] There was no pumping equipment and formal, organised structure of fire officers. On the night of the fire, the brigade in Dundalk was summoned by telephone. By the time the Dundalk Fire Brigade (which was a professional unit) had covered the forty-five or so miles of twisting road, there was nothing to be done. Enniskillen is about ten miles closer to Cavan than Dundalk and the roads are more direct. However, there is nothing to suggest that the Enniskillen Fire Brigade was summoned, even though Northern fire brigades had in the past crossed the border to assist in the South. In 1950, as a direct result of the inquiry, the Department of Local Government issued a forty-seven-page fire safety recommendation entitled Fire Protection Standards for Public Buildings and Institutions. Its safety instructions covered areas for which "a Department of State has any responsibility or for which [it] has power to make rules or regulations in respect of the maintenance of inmates. "[12]
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Fire
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Locust plague hits Spain-sized area of eastern Australia - The ...
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Locust plague hits Spain-sized area of eastern Australia
Swarms of locusts have infested a huge area of eastern Australia roughly the size of Spain after recent floods, ravaging farmland.
14 April 2010 • 12:06pm
Local media said the insects had already wiped out thousands of acres of crops Credit: Photo: AP
Chris Adriaansen, head of the Australian Plague Locust Commission, said the quick-breeding creatures had hit from Longreach in Queensland in the north-east to Melbourne and Adelaide - 190,000 square miles.
"What we've got certainly is a very large and widespread infestation," he told AFP. "It's simply a reflection of the fact that we've had widespread rain across that entire area."
Mr Adriaansen said some swarms covered areas as large as 115 square miles, with about 10 locusts per square yard, "that's a lot of locusts."
Local media said the insects had already wiped out thousands of acres of crops and were also damaging grazing areas and gardens in the key agricultural area.
"One farmer has about 400 hectares (1,000 acres) which will have to be resown," Graham Falconer, an agronomist in the town of Forbes, told public broadcaster ABC. "The locusts are doing considerable damage."
Mr Adriaansen said the insects, which had destroyed some early planned cereal crops but mostly fed on pasture, were set to multiply in coming months as their offspring hatch.
"Come the middle of September through to October across that entire inland area... we expect there to be some very large infestations again," he said.
Swarms are expected in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, areas which last month were flooded after heavy rains broke almost a decade of drought.
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Insect Disaster
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Adani coal terminal releases more water into wetlands near Abbot Point port
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Monsoonal rain hitting north Queensland has resulted in a release of water from Adani's Abbot Point coal terminal site into the adjacent Caley Valley wetlands.
Operations at the port were suspended earlier this week due to the heavy rainfall that caused extensive flooding in Townsville.
In a statement, Abbot Point Operations — which is owned by the Indian mining giant — said an inspection of the site on Thursday showed floodwater had been released into the Caley Valley wetlands from an authorised release point.
"The inspection indicates there has been no release of waters into the marine environment or the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, however floodwater has been released to the Caley Valley wetlands from an authorised release point," a company spokesperson said.
"Abbot Point Operations promptly reported these preliminary inspection findings to the Department of Environment and Science.
"Abbot Point Operations will continue to monitor the releases and keep the department informed, and is confident that no environmental harm has or will occur."
Last year, the Queensland Government launched legal action against Adani, alleging one of its companies illegally released coal-laden water near the Great Barrier Reef during Cyclone Debbie in 2017.
Peter McCullum from the Mackay Conservation Group said he was concerned that any possible damage might not be promptly assessed. "Any water that comes out of a coal port is likely to have significants contaminants in it," he said.
"The Government said back in September last year that they would have monitoring in place at Abbot Point in order to determine whether there was any contamination of those wetlands during the upcoming wet season.
"But as far as we know they don't have anything in place to monitor in real time."
The State Department of Environment and Science (DES) said it had been advised of the water release by Abbot Point coal terminal.
"The stormwater release is currently occurring from a dam spillway as a result of recent heavy rain associated with the monsoon trough," DES said in a statement.
DES officers will be onsite at the coal terminal on Friday morning to assess the situation and ensure compliance with environmental conditions.
Adani-owned Abbot Point Bulkcoal was given a temporary emission licence to release some sediment water at its central Queensland coal terminal during Cyclone Debbie.
But the Government claimed the concentration of coal dust in the discharged water exceeded the approved levels by more than 800 per cent.
At the time, Abbot Point Bulkcoal "categorically refuted" any wrongdoing, saying it "fully complied with the conditions imposed by the Temporary Emissions Licence".
In its statement about the latest release, Abbot Point Operations said that since 2017 it had implemented a number of measures to improve environmental management including the commencement of a three-year program to facilitate continuous water infrastructure upgrades.
"These upgrades are improving our ability to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events such as cyclones and floods," the company said. "It is important to note that these upgrades as part of this three-year program have already delivered successful outcomes in mitigating a large portion of this weather event by reducing the volume of floodwater released into the Caley Valley wetlands over the past fortnight."
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Environment Pollution
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Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie's Incredibly Expensive Divorce Battle Could Rage On For Another Six Years
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Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie's Incredibly Expensive Divorce Battle Could Rage On For Another Six Years
By Amy Lamare on April 9, 2021
in Articles › Entertainment
Currently Trending
2 years ago
splits: 12
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are no closer to settling their divorce nearly five years after separating and filing for divorce. The two actors started dating in 2005 shortly after Brad and Jennifer Aniston separated. They got married in 2014 and separated in 2016. So, the former couple was together for a total of 11 years.
They've been battling it out in court for nearly five years already. Recently, legal experts familiar with the case revealed that the divorce case could rage on for another six years. If that's the case, Pitt and Jolie will have spent as many years ending their relationship as they did in their relationship. On top of that, their divorce is on track to become the costliest divorce in terms of legal fees in the entire history of Hollywood divorces. Pitt and Jolie have each already spent more than $1 million in legal bills to date.
Pitt and Jolie have six children together. Somehow, after years and years of negotiations and legal discourses, they have yet to reach a decision on the custody of their five children who are still minors.
They have also not reached an agreement on how to divide their incredible multi-million dollar fortunes. Jolie reportedly sold a painting by Winston Churchill that Brad gave her as a gift while they were still together. The painting sold for $11.5 million at an auction in London in early March. It is believed that Jolie sold it to get funds for the ongoing legal battle with her ex.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Pitt filed for divorce in September 2016, so it's coming up on the five-year anniversary of their initial split. This is one of the longest celebrity divorce battles in history. The two seem to have never-ending acrimony for each other and no real desire to compromise or come to a settlement.
As the case wears on, their legal bills mount. Both have hired attorneys that bill from $1,000 to $1,500 per hour and those attorneys are likely spending 40 to 50 hours a week on the Pitt Jolie divorce.
The former spouses also hired a private judge who likely bills $1,000 an hour and costs an estimated $10,000 a day. It would not be far-fetched to say a five-day trial would cost the former couple $50,000 upfront plus an additional $10,000 to review all the legal documents in the case prior to the trial. That could quite early end up costing them close to $500,000.
Jolie's sale of the painting was seen as a sign the former couple may be close to settling the legal issues between them. But divorce lawyers have a more cynical take on the sale of the painting–perhaps she sold it to get more money for her legal fees to keep the cast roaring.
At issue is the fact that Angelina reportedly wants sole custody of their children. Brad is not on board with that plan.
If the former couple, and by this, we mean Angelina really wants to keep Brad from having shared custody, she could keep this case dragging on for six more years. At that point, their youngest children, Knox and Vivienne, would be 18.
Another sticking point in the Pitt Jolie divorce is their Chateau Miraval residence in France. The castle and vineyard cost $67 million when they bought it in 2008. It is the site of their 2014 wedding. So it was purchased prior to them being legally married. So if let's say, Pitt bought it and then added Jolie to the title of the property—it makes it very complicated to unravel. With the property being in France, that just further complicates things.
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Famous Person - Divorce
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Death Toll of Gold Mine Collapse Rises to Seven, Dozens More Missing
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At least seven people have died and dozens more are still trapped beneath the rubble of an illegal gold mine that collapsed in Sulawesi, officials said on Thursday, February 28, as rescuers frantically searched for survivors. Some 19 miners have been rescued since Tuesday night’s accident and rescuers are communicating with some still buried, raising hopes for more survivors. But with the clock ticking, the rescue effort at the remote site was hampered by steep terrain and unstable soil conditions after the collapse triggered a landslide. A survivor whose leg was amputated at the site Thursday later died of massive blood loss, bringing the death toll to seven. “His condition was already bad and he had lost a lot of blood,” said local disaster agency official Abdul Muin Paputungan. “He died after we managed to evacuate him from the scene.” Medical personnel removed the man’s limb because it was pinned underneath a large rock, making it impossible to free him without emergency on-site surgery. “We’re racing against time,” Paputungan said of the search for survivors. “The rescue is ongoing but it’s risky … We’ve heard at least three people asking for help and we’re trying to pull them out and supply them with water and food so they can survive.” With heavy machinery on standby, rescuers so far have been forced to use spades and even their bare hands to clear away debris, fearing that a wrong move could make the situation worse. “We’ve had to limit the number of rescuers because there’s been more cracks at the location … so we’re afraid if there are too many people it will make things more dangerous,” Paputungan said. The accident happened when support beams at the unlicensed site collapsed, according to the disaster agency. More than three dozen people may still be trapped at the mine in the Bolaang Mongondow region of North Sulawesi, where some five miners were killed in December after an illegal gold mine accident.
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Mine Collapses
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From Yami Gautam To Shilpa Shetty, Celebrities Who Had Adorned A Saree On Their Wedding
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Pratishtha Ghosh Last Updated: Jun 10, 2021 | 15:03:53 IST Actress, Yami Gautam, who had tied the knot with the director of Uri: The Surgical Strike, Aditya Dhar on June 4, 2021, in an intimate affair, caught the eyes of the people with the simple yet elegant look that she had chosen for her wedding. As the actress took to her Instagram handle to announce her wedding, her look and the red saree reminded us of those celebrity brides, who had ditched the conventional lehenga look for their wedding and chose a saree to adorn themselves with. Yami Gautam's traditional red saree look for her wedding day reminded us of the six yards that celebrities like Anushka Sharma and Vidya Balan had worn on their wedding. While Yami Gautam had chosen the colour red for her D-day, celebrities like Dia Mirza, Anushka Sharma, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Vidya Balan and Sagarika Ghatge had chosen to wear a saree of the same hue for their special day. No wonder, these actresses had looked ravishing the way they had styled themselves. On the other hand, actresses like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Kajol, who had tied the knot way before the time when creating a style statement with your wedding outfit was a thing, had also chosen to wear a saree at their wedding. While Kajol had adorned a green saree and kept her look simple, Aishwarya had worn a golden saree with heavy jewellery. Keeping up with the traditions, Yami Gautam chose the colour red for her special day. She wore a beautiful red-hued saree that was embroidered with intricate silver handiwork all over. Along with the vibrant hue and elaborate detailing, the six yards also had a beautifully designed patti on the border. Yami wore the saree with a matching blouse and a heavily embroidered dupatta draped on her head. Yami had opted for a private ceremony in her hometown and looked absolutely gorgeous as a bride. She had complemented her outfit with traditional necklaces, gold mang teeka, matching gold earrings and bangles and kaleere on her henna-adorned hands. Also Checkout: Yami Gautam Sports The Traditional Piece Of Jewellery, 'Aatheru' Given By Hubby Aditya Dhar's Family advertisement Dia Mirza had married businessman, Vaibhav Rekhi in a private ceremony in Mumbai a day after Valentine's Day. As soon as the couple had exchanged their wedding vows and made their first appearance as husband and wife, Dia stole the show with her traditional red Benarasi saree. The scene-stealing saree stood out for its simplicity. The six yards were from the label Raw Mango. Her saree had a thick golden border which was beautifully draped and she completed her bridal look with an organza red dupatta, that had a thick gold border. She had teamed it with a silk blouse and had chosen simple jewellery for her wedding look. She had accessorised the saree with a pearl choker, emerald and stone-encrusted earrings, mang teeka and handcrafted bracelets. Also Read: Dia Mirza Shares Why She Auctioned Her Wedding Outfit Last Time And Preferred Reusable One This Time Though Anushka had worn a baby-pink hued lehenga on her wedding day, the actress had chosen to wear a red Benarasi saree for her wedding reception in Delhi. She went traditional from head to toe as she had draped herself in a stunning red and gold Benarasi silk saree. The drape featured intricate motifs and a thick zari border. She teamed her saree with a half-sleeved, high-neck blouse. The actress adorned the Sabyasachi bridal jewellery collection along with a heritage choker and jhumkas encrusted with uncut diamonds. The red bindi, sindoor and chooda gave a perfect finish to her wedding reception look. Also Checkout: Sabyasachi Bengali Bride Recreated Anushka Sharma's Banarasi Saree Look From Her Wedding Reception Sagarika Ghatge and Zaheer Khan, who had tied the knot in the year 2017 in a court marriage, had kept their big day really simple and picked simple outfits. The actress, who had risen to fame from the movie, Chak De India, wore a simple red saree from the house of Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The simple saree had a thick border and was paired with an intricately embroidered blouse. She completed her wedding look with silver oxidized jewellery and also wore traditional green bangles. Sagarika kept her makeup minimal with just kohl and bold lip colour and hair pulled off in a low bun. Her look was completed after the wedding when she adorned her mangalsutra and sindoor. Vidya Balan had tied the knot with her long-time beau, Siddharth Roy Kapoor in the year 2012. The Parineeta actress had opted for a traditional red saree by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Vidya is very much fond of sarees and is often seen carrying them at movie premieres and other events. No wonder, she could have missed the six yards of elegance on her special day. It was reported that for her D-day and pre-wedding rituals, she had gotten 18 sarees designed by the ace designer, Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Her Madras silk saree had beautiful motifs and thick borders. As for her wedding day, Vidya had dressed up in a bright red saree with a thick gold border and motifs all over. She completed her look with South Indian necklaces, matching earrings and a traditional red chooda. Her makeup was minimal and yet she looked gorgeous in her sophisticated look. advertisement Also Read: Love Story Of Vidya Balan And Siddharth Roy Kapur: A Chance Meeting To Becoming His Third Wife If you are a person who loves traditional sarees but is open to rethinking them, then you should surely take a look at Shilpa Shetty's saree. For her special day back in 2009, the then-bride, Shilpa Shetty had tied the knot to businessman, Raj Kundra in a timeless red saree by Tarun Tahiliani. Her custom red creation featured intricate zardozi and aari hand embroidery, accentuated with Swarovski crystals arranged in paisley designs. The saree was paired with a matching half-sleeved blouse. Shilpa had topped off her look with equally statement-making accessories: royal rani haar, a heavy choker and matching earrings, all encrusted with uncut diamonds. If you are the kind of bride-to-be who has always dreamed of wearing red on her wedding day, Shilpa Shetty Kundra's saree is worth taking inspiration from. advertisement Also Read: Love Story Of Shilpa Shetty And Raj Kundra, From Being His Second Wife To Having Two Kids Together After a fairytale romance, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan had decided to exchange wedding vows on April 20, 2007, and the ceremonies were nothing less than a grand and magical event. Aishwarya Rai had followed her Mangalorean culture for her wedding and opted for a traditional Kanjeevaram saree designed by Neeta Lulla. The gorgeous golden saree was made in Swarovski crystals with a lot of real gold thread work. The entire saree was priced around Rs. 75 lakhs. The saree had shades of copper and gold and she had styled it with some traditional gold and kundan jewellery. advertisement Also Read: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Wedding Saree Was Made Of Real Gold And Expensive Crystals Kajol, who had decided to get married at the peak of her career is actually a Bengali but she had decided to tie the knot with the actor, Ajay Devgn in a Maharashtrian ceremony. Kajol had looked every bit traditional in her green Nawari saree that had a golden border. As Kajol likes to keep everything minimal, she had also chosen the look for her wedding accordingly. Her look was completed with traditional bridal jewellery, along with a nath, green-coloured bangles and an armlet. These actresses have proved that in order to set the trend, it is not necessary to go with the flow as you can create your own trend by trying out something different. Also, keeping the look minimal and letting your outfit speak is something that these actresses have shown it to us. NEXT READS: Celebrities And Real Brides, Who Ditched Red And Chose Shades Of Gold for Their Wedding 'Lehenga'
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Famous Person - Marriage
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1955 Hunter Valley floods
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The Hunter Valley Floods (also known as the Maitland Flood) of 23 February 1955 was a major flood on the Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. They were one of the most devastating natural disasters in Australia's history. The flood overwhelmed rivers on both sides of the Great Dividing Range, creating an inland sea the size of England and Wales. Worst hit was the inland city of Maitland, which is sited precariously on low-lying land on the Hunter, and which on this occasion was completely inundated by floodwaters. A total of 25 lives were claimed during a week of flooding that washed away 58 homes and damaged 103 beyond repair. In Maitland alone, 2180 homes were invaded by water. Heavy rain owing to the influence of La Niña had been occurring over the catchment of the Hunter River since October 1954[1] when, on 23 February 1955, an extremely intense monsoonal depression developed over southern Queensland and north-east New South Wales and moved southwards. [1][2] The very strong and extremely moist northeasterly airflow meant that over the basin of the Hunter and parts of the Darling River, rainfall amounts for a 24‑hour period were the highest since instrumental records began around 1885. Around Coonabarabran, as much as 327 millimetres (over 13 inches) fell in a single day, whilst falls in the upper part of the Hunter Basin the following day were generally around 200 millimetres (8 inches). [2]
With such heavy rain on already very wet ground the Hunter, along with tributaries of the Darling (Castlereagh, Namoi and Macquarie especially). reached levels quite unprecedented since measurements were first taken about 100 years earlier. For instance, the Namoi's discharge, normally only about 25 cubic metres (875 cubic feet) per second, reached a massive 9000 cubic metres (320,000 cubic feet) per second, whilst the Macquarie peaked at around 6100 cubic metres (215,000 cubic feet) per second. In Maitland the Hunter exceeded its August 1952 record height by nearly a metre,[1] flooding as many as 5000 homes with as much as five metres of muddy water. [3] 15,000 people were evacuated,[1] most by boat or helicopter, whilst 31 homes were never rebuilt. In Dubbo, four thousand residents were evacuated as the main street was under more than a metre of turgid, muddy water,[1] and the same thing occurred all along the Macquarie River, and at Gilgandra, a third of the buildings were completely destroyed. [1] A hole torn in the main street was later found to contain two large semi-trailers. [1]
The floods took altogether the lives of 25 people. [1] Some 2,000 cattle and many thousands of head of other livestock were drowned. [1] The damage to bridges, roads, railways and telephone lines took months to repair. There also were millions of pounds worth of crops destroyed. Below in a timeline of the six days over which Maitland was ravaged by floodwaters:
At the time of the Hunter Valley flood, there was no system in place to monitor and predict the height of rivers, the likelihood of flooding, nor was there an effective system for disseminating this information. [7] Some of these functions were done by State governments, but they were not nationally coordinated. [7] The 1955 flood provided the political impetus for the federal Bureau of Meteorology to develop a national flood monitoring and forecasting service. [7]
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Floods
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Police Investigate Altered Applications From Vineyard Trust
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State and local police are investigating discrepancies in public funding requests submitted by the Vineyard Trust for restoration and maintenance work on two landmark properties in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs, officials in both towns confirmed Monday.
The joint investigation by Edgartown and Oak Bluffs police, as well as Massachusetts state police, comes after officials in both towns discovered irregularities in applications from the Trust for Community Preservation Act funding.
Trust executive director Funi Burdick swiftly resigned last week in the wake of the discoveries.
More than $170,000 in CPA funding for the Whaling Church restoration was postponed at the Edgartown annual town meeting last month after the town learned at the last minute about discrepancies between the CPA funding application from the Trust and the original work estimate from painting contractor John Anderson.
Town administrator James Hagerty confirmed that Ms. Burdick had taken responsibility for changing the documents.
In Oak Bluffs, more than $72,000 in CPA funding for restoration work on the Flying Horses Carousel was approved at the annual town meeting May 15, but that money too has been put on hold now, due to similar discrepancies between the application and work estimates.
“It is being investigated,” Oak Bluffs acting town administrator Wendy Brough said Monday. “State and local police are involved in the investigation on that level, and we are cooperating.”
Mr. Hagerty also confirmed the police investigation Monday.
The Edgartown irregularities came to light 10 days ago when town officials said they had held up the funding for the Whaling Church after discovering that a work estimate provided by the Trust had been altered to increase the dollar amount and change the description of the work. The changes included increasing the project costs by more than $60,000 over the original estimate, and changing the word “painting” to “restoration”.
Documents provided to the Gazette this past weekend in response to a public records request provided more details about the problems in Oak Bluffs.
In a June 1 email to Ms. Burdick, Oak Bluffs town counsel Ron Rappaport asked her to clarify discrepancies between the CPA funding requests and two contractor estimates for the work. The email includes a copy of Oct. 1 correspondence to the Trust from master woodworker Myles Thurlow, estimating the carousel platform rebuild at $35,000, drive train repairs at $5,000 and repair work on the organ at $15,000, for a total of $55,000. The CPA funding application to the town included a quote from Mr. Thurlow for $64,750, with $41,450 for the platform rebuild, $6,800 for the drive train and $16,500 for organ maintenance.
“Can you explain who wrote the document which was submitted to the town; who came up with the revised figures; and whether Mr. Thurlow was aware of (at the time of submittal) and stands behind the quote submitted to the town?” Mr. Rappaport said in the email to Ms. Burdick.
The email also includes copies of two work estimates from painting contractor John Anderson dated Sept. 14. One is for $5,850 for painting the carousel platform, and the other is for $14,900. The more expensive quote included additional descriptions of the work, adding $8,500 for replacement and finishing work on doors, and increasing the platform painting request by $550.
Mr. Rappaport asked who prepared the estimates, and whether Mr. Anderson was aware of the differences.
In a reply dated June 4, Ms. Burdick said she was looking into the discrepancies.
“Thank you for speaking with us today,” Ms. Burdick said in an email to Mr. Rappaport. “We are in the process of researching the answers to the questions you posed to me in your . . . email to me.”
Trust board president Patrick Ahearn announced last Wednesday that Ms. Burdick had resigned effective immediately. In a statement, Mr. Ahearn apologized to the two towns for the mistakes, and said steps were being taken to ensure they could not happen again.
Ms. Brough said Monday that while voters had approved the money for work on the Oak Bluffs carousel, in light of the police investigation, the town has not allocated the funding.
“Everything is just on hold . . . there is no money being paid out, and that obviously is going to continue,” she said. “We are going to talk with town counsel about repercussions regarding the warrant.”
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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It’s going to take a lot of rain to dent Texas drought
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Many years ago, a highly respected National Weather Service meteorologist described Texas weather as "long droughts interrupted by occasional floods." This assessment has, unfortunately, been proven true many, many times. History remembers the worst Texas drought as the rain-free period between 1947 and 1954. The children of struggling farmers and ranchers of that time had not seen rain in their lifetimes. The drought ended with devastating floods across the state that started in 1953 and ended months later with virtually every tributary in Texas in flood stage or higher. That drought has been nearly equaled several times in the last few decades. In many ways, the Drought of 2011 surpassed the historic low water mark. Now, in 2021, most of the Lone Star State nears those same parched levels, with 75% in a moderate drought or worse. The current drought index in north Texas shows mostly abnormally dry to moderate drought across the region. A few areas north of Dallas and near Waco are in severe to extreme drought. Across central Texas, the situation is more serious. The entire area is in at least a moderate drought, with large areas south and east of Austin in severe drought and regions from Victoria to the Brush Country to the Edwards Plateau in extreme drought. The areas hit the hardest are south and far west Texas, with a majority of those regions in extreme to exceptional drought. This includes some of Texas’ most productive agricultural areas like the Winter Gardens along the Rio Grande Plains. What will it take to bring these areas back to near normal? Well, a LOT of rain would do the trick. North Texas would mostly recover with up to three inches. West Texas and the Gulf Coast would rebound with three to six inches of rain. But, it will take six to nine inches to moisten central and south Texas to near-normal conditions. It will, in fact, take a Texas flood to end the Texas drought. Landsat 9 will track our planet more vividly than the satellite it replaced. Here are tips to help with the winter blues. Temperatures play a big part. Our meteorologists answer your questions in Thursday's live chat. A bridge changes temperatures much faster than a road. It caused over $200 million in damage in the Northeast.
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Droughts
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Company director jailed for a year and fined $1m over workplace death
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A Victorian man who flew from Brisbane to Hobart on flight VA702 today has tested positive to COVID-19 and has not been allowed to board a flight to Melbourne
A Watch & Act warning is in place for a fire in the northern parts of Mokine, in WA's Northam Shire. Keep up to date with ABC Emergency
A Brisbane director has been sentenced to one year in jail, and fined $1 million, in a Queensland-first Workplace Health and Safety trial.
Yesterday Gary Lavin, and his company Multi-Run Roofing, were found guilty of reckless conduct, after a 62-year-old roofer died at a worksite in 2014.
Whareheera Keepa Te Amo died after falling almost six metres off a roof at Wimmers soft drinks' Cooroy factory in 2014.
After a week-long trial, Judge Glen Cash told the Maroochydore District Court, Mr Lavin had been motivated by money, in choosing not to erect safety rails at the site, which would have saved Mr Te Amo's life.
Wimmers soft drinks co-owner, Peter Lavin, also of Lavin Constructions, contracted the roofing job to Multi-Run Roofing.
As a result both brothers and their companies faced the charges.
After two days of deliberation, the jury delivered majority verdicts of guilty for Gary Lavin and his company's charges, but were hung on Peter Lavin and Lavin Constructions' involvement in the incident.
In handing down Gary Lavin's sentence, the judge told the court Mr Lavin had been trying to maximise profits by not paying for the rails, despite being paid by his brother Peter Lavin $284,000 to complete the roofing job, inclusive of the cost of safety rails.
During the trial, two witnesses gave testimony that Mr Lavin said the rails would have been too expensive.
It was estimated the price of the safety rails would have been about $5,000.
"You've shown a flagrant disregard for proper safety methods, and were motivated by the desire to improve your and your company's financial position," Judge Cash told the court.
"Your conduct was so serious you must serve a period of time in custody.
"The risk was significant to those on the live edge (edge of the roof), the margin for error was narrow, and any fall would have had tragic consequences."
Mr Lavin and his workers had agreed on using safety harnesses and two scissor lifts instead, however they were not used by the workers on the day of the incident.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Te Amo's wife said losing her husband had "destroyed my future".
"He would call me four or five times a day to tell me he loved me; we did everything together.
"Now I don't have anyone to hold me … all because it was too much to put up scaffolding.
"Was my husband's life not worth that much?"
The pair had been married for 21 years, and together for more than 30.
Judge Cash acknowledged that Mr Lavin was remorseful for the incident, and had suffered himself as a result, and would not be renewing his roofing licence.
Mr Lavin had been in the industry for close to 50 years.
He was sentenced to a one-year jail term, suspended after four months, and his company received a $1 million fine, to be paid in six months.
Meanwhile, Peter Lavin, and Lavin Constructions have been granted bail, to reappear in February on the remaining charges.
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Organization Fine
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Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Erupts with Dramatic Lava Fountains
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This is some of the most dramatic activity since the floor of one of the volcano’s craters collapsed in 2018 Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted beginning Sunday (Dec. 20) night local time, with dramatic lava fountains and huge puffs of gas and steam being launched from the summit crater called Halemaʻumaʻu, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO), part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), reported. Though the shield volcano is one of Earth's most active volcanoes, constantly spewing lava from its fissures, the recent eruption is much more dramatic than the "background" streams of lava that consistently flow from volcanic cracks. "For the past several weeks, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has recorded ground deformation and earthquake rates at Kilauea Volcano's summit and upper East Rift Zone that have exceeded background levels," since a 2018 eruption, the observatory said in a statement Sunday. Video from W rim of the caldera just before midnight. As of December 21 at 1:30 a.m. HST, the growing lava lake has almost reached the level of the lowest down-dropped block that formed during the 2018 collapse events. Over the past 2 hours, the lake has risen by ~10 m (32 ft). pic.twitter.com/Qbx1d6hbq4 Just after 9:30 p.m. HST (2:30 a.m. EST, 7:30 a.m. UTC), the volcano observatory picked up a glow in the crater at Kilauea's summit, just before the eruption began. Several fissures opened up in the walls of the crater, which was filled with water; sizzling lava poured through the cracks and into the lake, causing the water to boil away as it was replaced with the molten rock. The crater's northern fissure sent out a huge lava fountain, extending some 165 feet (50 meters) high, the HVO reported. About an hour later, at 10:36 p.m. HST (3:36 a.m. EST, 8:36 a.m. UTC), a 4.4-magnitude earthquake shook the ground beneath the volcano's south flank. The center of the earthquake was about 4 miles (6 kilometers) deep and about 8.7 miles (14 km) south of Fern Forest, inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. More than 30 earthquakes of magnitude-4 or greater have shook Kilauea's south flank in the past 20 years, according to HVO, with most of them caused by the abrupt movement of the south flank as it moves southeast over the oceanic crust. "HVO continues to monitor Kīlauea as the situation is rapidly evolving with this evening's eruption at the summit of Kīlauea," David Phillips, HVO's acting scientist-in-charge, said in the statement. The last dramatic eruption occurred in the spring of 2018 when the floor of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō's crater, on the eastern side of the volcano's rift zone, collapsed on April 30, pushing magma underground southeast, Live Science reported at the time. On May 3, a magnitude-5.0 earthquake struck the Big Island near the Pu'u 'Ō'ō crater. That shaking sent lava racing into residential subdivisions in the Puna district of the Big Island. Mandatory evacuations of the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions followed.
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Volcano Eruption
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Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga set out on his U.S. visit on the evening of Sept. 23.
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Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks to reporters before boarding a plane bound for the United States at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Sept. 23. (Ryo Ikeda)
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga set out on his U.S. visit on the evening of Sept. 23.
I assumed he was headed to the United Nations General Assembly to deliver his customary address. But I was told he will be attending an important meeting in Washington, D.C., which must be extremely unusual for a prime minister who will be stepping down shortly.
Prior to this trip, the prime minister's office marked Suga's 365th day in office by releasing a video titled "Suga Seiken Ichinenkan no Kiseki" (The Suga administration's one-year track record).
Suga is shown directing his COVID-19 response measures. There are also scenes from the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the inauguration of the Digital Affairs Agency, and so on.
Throughout its running time of 3 minutes and 45 seconds, the film parades Suga's "achievements" to the accompaniment of solemn background music.
Social media is abuzz with comments. Some are appreciative of the prime minister's "hard work," while others are snarky.
"Is this his self-congratulatory yearbook to celebrate his graduation?" goes one post. Another lashes out, "What a waste of taxpayers' money."
I took a look, and I must say his ego trip is of a level beyond imagination. I wonder if Suga commissioned this video in preparation for his run in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race.
"Since the Cabinet is the most powerful at the time of its formation, any major undertaking should be launched as soon as possible," former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka (1918-1993) famously noted.
True to his belief, Tanaka had been in office for only two and a half months when he flew to Beijing and normalized Japan-China relations.
"One year went by far too quickly," Suga reminisced. But given the high approval rating he enjoyed at the start of his administration, he had every chance back then to undertake something really big.
"One Cabinet, one task" is a common saying. In the case of the Suga Cabinet, what was that one task?
Awaiting the outgoing prime minister in Washington is a meeting focused on China, attended by the leaders of the United States, Australia, India and Japan.
Discord has just arisen between the United States and France over a submarine deal, and China and Taiwan have simultaneously applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Under normal circumstances, this is a situation that would severely test the Japanese leader's diplomatic prowess.
Some people reportedly say the occasion lets the outgoing prime minister have his "last hurrah." But there is no time to waste on such a pleasantry.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 24
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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Diplomatic Visit
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Biratnagar Jute Mill Strike
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The Biratnagar Jute Mill Strike (Majdur Hartal) of March 1947 was a labour strike in Biratnagar, Nepal, by workers and laborers of Biratnagar Jute Mill, Ltd. The strike was initially against the management regarding labor rights, but gradually turned into a nationwide anti-regime movement. According to the workers in the mill, there were no labour rights in the mill and the mill-owners disregarded their input. The living conditions of workers were also very poor, with no running-water in the quarters. It also was clear that a handful of people were suppressing the workers in the mill. [1]
The demonstration started on March 4, 1947 [2] under the leadership of Girija Prasad Koirala, along with Tarini Prasad Koirala, Man Mohan Adhikari, and Yuvaraj Adhikari, as employees in the mill. [3]
The strike was launched with demands purely based on labour rights, but later political trade union rights were also demanded. The Nepali Congress supported the strike at Biratnagar. [4] On March 9, Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala[5] joined the strike with his supporters and the strike grew in number. The Rana dynasty regime sent state troops to Biratnagar to put down the strike. The strike ended when the troops reached Biratnagar after they arrested the leaders. Some of these leaders escaped capture by fleeing to India. Six National Congress leaders (Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, Girija Prasad Koirala, Tarini Prasad Koirala, Gehendrahari Sharma, Manmohan Adhikari and Yubaraj Adhikari were walked to Kathmandu as prisoners . The Nepali congress held a conference in Jogbani, India and resolved to initiate a nationwide Satyagraha, or civil disobedience movement. [6] Thus, the countrywide anti-Rana demonstration started. On April 13 the Anti-Rana movement began as scheduled with thousands of Nepali voluntarily getting arrested in Biratnagar, Kathmandu, Janakpur, and Birgunj. They demanded release of all political prisoners, as well as the institutionalization of civil rights. The turnout in Kathmandu unnerved the Rana regime. In Kathmandu, tens of thousands of commoners gathered in the street and protested in an anti-Rana procession. On May 16, after weeks of protest, Prime minister Padma Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana gave a historical speech in which he announced his desire to bring non-Rana commoners into the Government in greater degree than previous. After his promising speech Padma Shamsher ordered the release of most of the detainees throughout the country. However, Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala and his associates from Biratnagar remained in detention. Many requests were made by Indian politicians to release them, and they were finally released in August 1947, after the request of Mahatma Gandhi. [7]
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Strike
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TWA Flight 5787 crash
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Trans World Airlines Flight 5787 was an unscheduled training flight of a Boeing 707 from Atlantic City Airport in Pomona, New Jersey in 1969. The flight was planned as a proficiency check, testing crew response to a simulated single engine failure during takeoff and landing. Because of a fatigue failure of a hydraulic pipe, hydraulic power was lost while flying at low speed on three engines, resulting in loss of control and a crash killing all on board. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-331C (registration number N787TW), first flown in 1964. The aircraft had 17,590 flight hours at the time of the accident. [1][2]:8
The crew, and sole occupants, were instructor pilot Harry D. Gaines (56), two captains, first officer Donald Sklarin (38), and flight engineer Frank J. Jonke (29). [2]:7–8
On July 26, 1969, Trans World Airlines (TWA) aircraft N787TW arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport at the end of a scheduled cargo flight. The aircraft was then released for non-revenue training use as Flight 5787, providing recurrent training and proficiency checks for three TWA line captains. Flight 5787 originated at JFK, and was planned to proceed to the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) at Atlantic City Airport to perform the required training and proficiency check maneuvers. [2]:1
After take-off from JFK, Flight 5787 proceeded to Atlantic City Airport without incident. On arrival, the aircraft landed on runway 13 with the first check-ride Captain Gaines at the controls, in the left-hand seat. The crew requested a 180° turnaround and an immediate take-off on runway 31, which was granted. The proficiency checker briefed the take-off as a simulated engine failure after V1. The take-off was carried out and the No. 4 power lever was retarded to the simulated failure idle position. The pilots climbed to 1,500 ft (457 m) and vectored to intercept the ILS course at the outer marker. The tower granted Flight 5787 permission to either land, make a touch-and-go landing, or make a low approach of the runway at its discretion. [1][2]:4
The proficiency checker briefed the check pilot to carry out a three-engine ILS approach and expect a three engine go-around at the decision height. The proficiency checker called for the go-around at the decision height, and the check captain complied, applying full power on engine nos. 1, 2, and 3, leaving engine no. 4 at idle, then calling for flaps 25 and landing gear up. However, neither the flaps nor landing gear moved from their previous positions. [2]:4 Approximately 16 to 18 seconds after the call for go-around, one of the observing crew commented that all hydraulic power had been lost. In accordance with the current operating procedures, the hydraulic pumps were disengaged. The crew did not call for or follow the hydraulic fluid loss checklist. [2]:5
With low airspeed, 3 engines, and no hydraulics to power the rudder actuator, directional control was lost. The aircraft rolled and pitched down, impacting the ground in a right wing low nose down attitude. All five crew were killed. [1][2]:5–6
The cause of the accident was found to be poor procedures for simulating engine failures and failure to apply the correct procedure for hydraulic failure, as well as loss of hydraulic power to the rudder in a critical flight condition. The loss of hydraulic power was found to be due to a fatigue failure in the left outboard spoiler actuator downline, dumping hydraulic fluid from the aircraft's utility hydraulic system overboard. With no power to the rudder actuator, at low speed, undercarriage down, full flaps and only three engines, the aircraft was not capable of recovery and the crash was inevitable. [1][2]
Procedures for hydraulic failure and simulating engine failures were reviewed and amended as deemed necessary.
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Air crash
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Air France Flight 406 crash
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Air France Flight 406 was a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner that crashed in Algeria on May 10, 1961, after a bomb exploded on board. All 78 passengers and crew on board were killed. It was the worst aviation disaster involving a Lockheed Starliner. [1]
Air France Flight 406 was an international scheduled passenger flight originating in Brazzaville, Congo, on a route with the final destination Paris, France. Intermediate stops were Fort Lamy, Chad, and Marseille, France. The flight was flown by a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, F-BHBM De Grasse. After taking off from Fort Lamy, and while cruising at an altitude of approximately 20,000 feet, the Starliner broke up after its empennage failed. The plane crashed to earth approximately 35 miles from Edjele oilfield, near the Libya border. [2] All aboard Flight 406 were killed. [3]
Eighteen children were among the dead. Among them were the three young children of the United States Charge d'Affaires in the Central African Republic, who, along with their mother (the charge's wife), were on Flight 406 headed for London. Also among the dead were a count and countess, plus two Central African Republic government ministers. Rumors began to surface after Flight 406's crash that it had been an assassination by enemies of the Central African Republic. [4]
The most probable cause of Air France Flight 406 crashing was sabotage with a nitrocellulose explosive. [5]
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Air crash
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Carbon Monoxide, The Silent Killer Of The Texas Winter Storm
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Texas faced a hard winter this year, between the power outages and the unprecedented winter storm , Texans were left to fend for themselves while the state collapsed and some of their leaders fled the state.
Food was scarce, the cold temperatures caused pipes to burst , leading to water disruptions for almost half of the state’s population. Many others lost their power, forcing families to come up with new ways to stay warm. In the middle of desperation, many turned to their cars for shelter, warmth, and power. Little did they know a silent killer awaited: Carbon monoxide (CO).
When car engines are left running, they produce carbon monoxide , a deadly gas that kills you if you inhale enough of it, and when it builds up in enclosed spaces such as a garage, it leaks back into people’s houses. Even sitting in an idling car in an open garage can be dangerous
Many states require CO alarms in people’s homes and other housing buildings, Texas is one of only six states that doesn’t.
Thousands of Texans looking for ways to find heat for themselves and their families unleashed the deadly gas into their homes, resulting in the country’s “biggest epidemic of CO poisoning in recent history,” according to Dr. Neil Hampson , a retired doctor who has spent more than 30 years researching carbon monoxide poisoning and prevention.
According to NBC News at least 11 deaths were confirmed and more than 1,400 people visited the emergency room for carbon monoxide poisoning during the Texas outage. Almost half of the people poisoned were children.
Black, Hispanic and Asian Texans got affected the most by this type of poisoning.
“When I see people who die of hypothermia, or carbon monoxide poisoning, when I see the disruption to the business community, the people who can’t get a hot meal, can’t get water … this cannot stand,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick back in February. Still, the legislative session is almost over and lawmakers, including Patrick, have taken few steps towards implementing measures to prevent CO poisoning from happening in Texas.
Texas faced a hard winter this year, between the power outages and the unprecedented winter storm , Texans were left to fend for themselves while the state collapsed and some of their leaders fled the state.
Food was scarce, the cold temperatures caused pipes to burst , leading to water disruptions for almost half of the state’s population. Many others lost their power, forcing families to come up with new ways to stay warm. In the middle of desperation, many recurred to their cars for shelter, warmth, and power. Little did they know a silent killer awaited: Carbon monoxide (CO).
When car engines are left running, they produce carbon monoxide , a deathly gas that kills you if you inhale enough of it, and when it builds up in enclosed spaces such as a garage, it leaks back into people’s houses. Even sitting in an idling car in an open garage can be dangerous
Many states require CO alarms in people’s homes and other housing buildings, Texas is one of only six states that doesn’t.
Thousands of Texans looking for ways to find heat for themselves and their families unleashed the deadly gas into their homes, resulting in the country’s “biggest epidemic of CO poisoning in recent history,” according to Dr. Neil Hampson , a retired doctor who has spent more than 30 years researching carbon monoxide poisoning and prevention.
According to NBC News at least 11 deaths were confirmed and more than 1,400 people visited the emergency room for carbon monoxide poisoning during the Texas outage. Almost half of the people poisoned were children.
Black, Hispanic and Asian Texans got affected the most by this type of poisoning.
“When I see people who die of hypothermia, or carbon monoxide poisoning, when I see the disruption to the business community, the people who can’t get a hot meal, can’t get water … this cannot stand,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick back in February. Still, the legislative session is almost over and lawmakers, including Patrick, have taken little steps towards implementing measures to prevent CO poisoning from happening in Texas.
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Mass Poisoning
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Arms Control Today
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U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran and reimpose sanctions on that country is spurring Europe to block U.S. measures and shore up support to sustain the agreement.
By pulling out of the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement, Trump delivered on a campaign promise to “tear up” the deal with Iran, which he has frequently disparaged as the “worst deal ever negotiated.” In doing so, he rebuffed personal last-minute appeals by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during their visits to the White House in late April.
Trump said on May 8 that if he “allowed this deal to stand, there would soon be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.” Trump said the process he initiated in January to work with European partners to “fix” the accord is not possible under the “decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement,” despite U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo telling allies days before the announcement that he felt an agreement could be reached to address U.S. concerns. (See ACT, March 2018.)
Following up the president’s action, Pompeo in a May 21 speech outlined a broad list of demands on Iran and said the United States will impose the “strongest sanctions in history” to force Iran to end certain nuclear activities and missile programs, aid to the Syrian regime and support for militant groups in the region. The set of demands, stopping just short of an explicit call for regime change, sets the stage for further U.S. tensions with European allies and the Islamic Republic.
Even before Pompeo’s policy speech, Trump’s announcement earned sharp rebukes from Washington’s partners in the agreement, as well as the European Union, and commitments by those nations to continue implementing the accord. The extent to which that is possible is unclear, given that major foreign companies face being cut off from the U.S. banking system and other punishment if they do not adhere to U.S. sanctions on Iran.
European Council President Donald Tusk was particularly direct in his criticism, tweeting on May 16 that “[l]ooking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think: With friends like that, who needs enemies?”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated Iran’s commitment to continue abiding by the agreement, so long as Iran’s national interests are met, and said he was pleased that “the troublesome member has been eliminated” from the deal.
But Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that he wants to see “definite reassurance” and “practical guarantees” that Iran will receive the sanctions relief envisioned under the deal.
Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, said that guarantees are not possible but that the EU is determined to “act in accordance with its security interests and to protect its economic investments.” She met on May 15 with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the UK to discuss moving forward without the United States.
How Might Iran Expand Its Nuclear Capacity?
In deciding to violate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, President Donald Trump has put at risk the extensive measures the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) imposed to block Iran from building nuclear weapons.
How long would it take if Tehran’s leaders now decide to race for the bomb? One accomplishment of the nuclear deal is that it imposed hurdles intended to ensure that Iran could not do it in less than a year. Further, for now, Iran would not be able to attempt it without being detected, thanks to the robust international inspection and monitoring required by the nuclear accord.
That timeline and the inspection tripwires could, however, become less reliable depending on Iran’s actions following the unilateral U.S. decision to reimpose sanctions.
Iranian leaders have raised the possibility of abandoning some or all of the tough nuclear restrictions they accepted in 2015 in return for the lifting of nuclear-related international sanctions. Iran could take steps, such as scaling up its nuclear program or reducing cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, that would violate its JCPOA commitments.
“If necessary, we can begin our industrial [uranium] enrichment without any limitations,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on May 8. “We will wait for some weeks and will talk with our friends and allies and other signatories of the nuclear deal, who signed it and who will remain loyal to it. Everything depends on our national interests.”
Iran currently has 5,060 installed IR-1 centrifuge machines and a relatively small inventory of low-enriched uranium of less than 300 kilograms. Iran could quickly begin enriching the material to 20 percent uranium-235, although it would still take at least 12 months to amass enough uranium enriched further to bomb grade for one nuclear device.
Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said on April 21 that if the decision were made, it would take just four days to resume enrichment to 20 percent U-235. Enrichment to that level is short of the enrichment level of 90 percent necessary for weapons use, but it would reduce the time needed to produce bomb-grade material. The nuclear deal limits enrichment to levels below 3.67 percent U-235, suitable for fueling nuclear power reactors.
Iran also could reorient the Fordow underground enrichment complex, which became a physics and technology research center under the deal, and use some 1,000 IR-1 machines there. Iran’s centrifuge-based nuclear infrastructure could be further augmented with the redeployment of some 1,000 advanced IR-2M centrifuges, which were put into monitored storage under the JCPOA. Because these are two to three times more efficient than the IR-1s, their use, along with the IR-1 machines at Iran’s disposal, would reduce the time necessary to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for one bomb to two to three months.
With the existing IAEA monitoring system in place, all of these steps would be promptly detected. But within months of a decision to exceed the JCPOA limits, Iran could have a vastly shorter “breakout” timeline.
Breakout calculations must take into account the fact that, before 2004, Iran engaged in an organized program of experiments useful for the development and design of nuclear weapons. U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA report that program is no longer underway, although it is prudent to assume that Iran has the know-how to assemble a nuclear device.
At present, Iranian engineers and scientists, building on past know-how, would likely need at least a year to assemble a workable nuclear device and mate it to a reliable ballistic missile delivery system.—DARYL G. KIMBALL
Subsequently, at a May 17 meeting of the European Commission, the body agreed to take steps in response to Trump’s reimposition of sanctions, including revising a blocking statute used by the EU in the 1990s to protect entities from U.S. sanctions on Cuba. The blocking regulation “forbids EU companies from complying with the extraterritorial effects of U.S. sanctions, allows companies to recover damages arising from such sanctions from the person causing them, and nullifies the effect in the EU of any foreign court judgements based on them,” according to a May 17 press release.
The EU is aiming to have the measure in force by Aug. 6, the day some U.S. sanctions go into effect. Although the United States has reimposed sanctions, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on May 8 that entities would be given 90 or 180 days to wind down activities in Iran before sanctions would be enforced.
For large, multinational companies with a significant presence in the United States, the blocking regulation is unlikely to provide enough assurance for them to remain in the Iranian market. Several announced that they are winding down business in Iran and exiting contracts.
The regulation sends a strong political signal, however, and may provide cover for smaller businesses with less of a presence in the United States to continue doing business in Iran. The EU also launched a process whereby the European Investment Bank will be able to support investment activities in Iran.
EU measures to blunt the impact of sanctions call into question Trump’s plan to pressure Iran back to negotiations. Brian Hook, State Department director for policy planning, in a May 18 press conference described the goal of sanctions reimposition as creating “necessary pressure to bear on Iran to change its behavior and to pursue a new framework” that addresses Iran’s ballistic missile development and its support for terrorism, as well as its nuclear program.
In the lead up to the 2015 nuclear agreement, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), EU sanctions and EU compliance with U.S. sanctions were a critical part of the pressure campaign that pushed Iran to negotiate. With the EU and China, Russia, and other states retaining business ties with Iran, it is unlikely that the United States will be able to press Iran into new negotiations.
Trump Draws International Criticism for Quitting Iran Deal
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal drew unusually strong criticism from U.S. allies and from partners in the negotiations. Some of those reactions:
“France, Germany, and the UK regret the U.S. decision…. The nuclear nonproliferation regime is at stake.”—French President Emmanuel Macron
“Imagine all the mutually contaminating civil wars and internecine conflicts that rage across the Middle East today. Then turn the dial, and add the possibility of a regional nuclear arms race triggered by Iran dashing for a bomb. That is the scenario which the agreement has helped to prevent.”—UK Foreign Minister Boris Johnson
“The [deal], agreed to with Iran in 2015 and endorsed by the UN Security Council, is not perfect. It has, however, helped to curb a real threat to international peace and security. Canada regrets that the United States has decided to withdraw…particularly given that, according to the [International Atomic Energy Agency], Iran continues to implement its…commitments.”—Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland
“I believe that it’s not right to unilaterally cancel an accord that was negotiated, that was confirmed in the UN Security Council unanimously.”—German Chancellor Angela Merkel
“The action plan does not belong to the United States alone but is a domain of the entire international community, which has repeatedly reaffirmed its interest in the preservation and long-term sustainable implementation of the [Iran deal] for the sake of strengthening international and regional peace and security as well as the nuclear nonproliferation regime.... Russia is open to further cooperation with the other…participants and will continue to actively develop bilateral collaboration and political dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”—Russian Foreign Ministry statement
“The agreement is not perfect, and we must continue to address concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile program and its role in the region…. The U.S. decision is a step backwards. The Netherlands will work with our partners to find a solution that safeguards our own security and that of the entire European Union.”—Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok
“Australia is disappointed.”—Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop
Iran has left open the option to resume troublesome nuclear activities in response to the U.S. violation and withdrawal from the deal. In a move likely meant to signal that Iran will leave the JCPOA if the remaining parties to the agreement cannot deliver on sanctions relief, Rouhani ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to be “fully prepared for subsequent measures if needed, so in the case of need, we will start up our industrial enrichment without limitations.”
Other Iranian officials, including AEOI head Ali Akhbar Salehi, have specifically said Iran would resume enriching uranium to 20 percent uranium-235, a level that would put Tehran closer to the 90 percent U-235 required for use in nuclear weapons.
Under the JCPOA, Iran is limited to enriching uranium to 3.67 percent U-235, a level suitable for nuclear power reactors, using no more than 5,060 installed centrifuges. The accord also limits Iran to a stockpile to 300 kilograms of uranium enriched to that level, a measure to hinder any nuclear-bomb effort.
Yukiya Amano, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed on May 8 that Iran is meeting its commitments under the accord, and the agency’s May 24 quarterly report on Iran’s nuclear activities further confirmed that Tehran had not taken any steps to violate the deal after Trump withdrew.
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Tear Up Agreement
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Foul-smelling mucus that may be 'sea snot' found in Warrnambool rock pools
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Colleen Hughson has become accustomed to finding disgusting things along Victoria's otherwise stunning and wild south-western coastline, but a substance she found recently has left her alarmed.
The Warrnambool resident said it looked like "sea snot" — a foul-smelling, mucus-like substance that can be harmful to marine life, and which is causing international concern following an environmental disaster on the Turkish coastline.
Ms Hughson said she and a team of beach rubbish warriors often found balls of fat, syringes and plastic bathroom detritus — including more than 25,000 plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
"I was walking along Second Bay collecting washed up plastic and saw some deposits of 'fatberg/hair clumps'," Ms Hughson said.
She decided to check the rock pools closest to the Warrnambool Sewage Treatment Plant's wastewater outlet to see if there had been "some kind of pollution event".
"It was here that I discovered the mucus covering areas of the Shelly Beach rocky platform," she said.
"There were three rock pools that were covered in this thick, grey mucus and there was a creamy semi-solid substance in the water that looked like pulp but it was full of shrimp and small crustaceans.
"It smelt like decomposing sea life."
Ms Hughson, co-leader of a 260-strong army of coastal rubbish collectors known as Beach Patrol 3280, walks the Warrnambool coastline three to five times a week.
"I can literally say every day of the year we have someone on one of our beaches doing a clean-up," she said.
"We've done, I think it's up to 1,500 clean-ups now in the last three years, and removed five tonnes of rubbish."
But not one of them has ever come across the revolting, slimy substance Ms Hughson observed between July 7 and 10 at the affected rock pools.
At the time of her discovery, Ms Hughson had not heard of the environmental disaster unfolding in Turkey, where an algal bloom was choking marine life in the Sea of Marmara.
Scientists have reportedly said the Turkish calamity is the result of a combination of rising sea temperatures and untreated wastewater depositing large quantities of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, into the ocean, causing masses of phytoplankton to flourish.
At normal levels, this microscopic plant provides essential oxygen for aquatic creatures. But in vast quantities, it smothers all other marine life in its vicinity.
After searching the internet for clues about her grotesque find, Ms Hughson saw the similarities between the Warrnambool substance and the Turkish sea snot.
Ms Hughson, who wants Warrnambool's wastewater to be recycled instead of deposited in the ocean, said she was concerned that the gooey substance she found might have been caused by high nutrient levels in the area, which is within 100 metres of Warrnambool's sewage outfall zone.
When asked if the nutrient levels in this area were monitored, the authority responsible for the sewage processing facility, Wannon Water, provided the ABC with a link to the Warrnambool Sewage Treatment Plant Upgrade Report.
This report states that Wannon Water was unable to achieve the Environment Protection Authority 9 discharge licence median total nitrogen limit in the 2019/20 year, with an actual median of 31mg/L, when the limit was 30mg/L.
The report states that "there is currently no dedicated phosphorous removal process at the Warrnambool STP" but that an existing process "removes approximately 20 per cent through uptake in the biomass and typically achieves the existing median total phosphorous effluent limit of 30mg/L if the median influent concentration is less than approximately 35mg/L".
There was no specific week-by-week or month-by-month data provided.
Ms Hughson said it was possible that unseasonal warm, calm weather may have contributed to the mucus-like matter forming.
"We'd had an unusual, flat, calm week preceding this … [and] when there's no wave action, there's very little mixing going on in the 'mixing zone'," she said.
ABC South West Victoria sent a number of marine biologists photographs of Ms Hughson's find, but as they could not analyse the substance properly, they gave varying opinions on what it might be.
Professor Justin Seymour, ocean microbiology group leader at the University of Technology Sydney, was convinced that it was sea snot.
"This does indeed look a lot like what people call sea snot," he said.
"It is generally created by some species of phytoplankton, which are microscopic algae, when they grow in excessive amounts.
"This can sometimes occur naturally, as part of a seasonal cycle, but it can also be contributed to by high concentrations of nutrients [like phosphorous and nitrogen] in the water, which can often result from contamination/pollution."
A CSIRO scientist said Ms Hughson's discovery could be "any sort of gooey substance. It could be polysaccharides produced by microbial growth, but it could also be any sort of polluting substance that was released into the water."
Ms Hughson said that she alerted the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning as well as the EPA, but was told neither organisation had capacity to test the site.
In response to questions from the ABC about public health safety, Wannon Water's managing director, Andrew Jeffers, issued the following statement:
Wannon Water received an enquiry from the EPA following reports from the public regarding material along the shoreline. We confirmed with the EPA that the plant has been operating consistently within its EPA licence requirements, and hasn’t experienced any incidents that would impact the discharge quality.
Having hit several brick walls, Ms Hughson contacted associate professor Julie Mondon at Deakin University, who is the associate head of the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, in the hope that she could test the substance.
After receiving a sample from Ms Hughson, Dr Mondon went to the site but found the matter was already decaying, so she was unable to perform microscopic analysis.
Dr Mondon said the substance was clinging to a rocky platform across a 10 square metre area.
She described the organic matter as being "mucilaginous [mucus-like] in nature in the rock pools, and a fine film of dried matter on the exposed rock".
"This is the first time that this particular material has been recorded in this region," she said.
"It could have been [sea snot], but this hasn't been confirmed … Many microorganisms, including phytoplankton [microalgae] and marine bacteria are capable of producing mucilaginous or gelatinous material."
Dr Mondon said it was unusual for microalgal blooms to occur in south-west Victoria during the colder months.
"Generally microalgal blooms are present during months of warmer water temperatures and increased sunlight hours," she said.
Ms Hughson is a fearless campaigner for better beach health, having grown up surfing and camping along the Warrnambool coast.
But it was a distressing discovery in 2017 that changed the course of her life.
She discovered a local spill of plastic cotton buds on Shelly Beach, and while cleaning up them, found something more sinister — tiny white microplastics called nurdles.
These were the first indicators of a local environmental disaster.
About 155 litres of nurdles had entered the Warrnambool sewage plant undetected and, subsequently, more than 26 litres of nurdles were collected on nearby beaches in a huge, community clean-up effort.
Despite several EPA investigations, the source of this illegal contamination is still not publicly known.
Since then, Ms Hughson and the members of Beach Patrol 3280 have collected more than 25,000 cotton buds, and Ms Hughson has successfully campaigned for plastic-stemmed cotton buds to be banned in Victoria from 2023.
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Environment Pollution
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NSW coal ash dams need better regulation, say environment groups
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There are calls for the New South Wales Government to better regulate and monitor coal ash dams, with a new report by an environmental group claiming they are contaminating waterways with heavy metals.
The ash produced from burning coal at power stations constitutes 18 per cent of all waste produced in Australia, and in NSW there is 200 million tonnes of it sitting in unlined waste dams.
The state's ash waste problem is growing by 3.8 million tonnes each year, which amounts to 7 tonnes of ash waste dumped every minute.
The Hunter Community Environment Centre (HCEC) spent two years collecting water and sediment samples around the state's ash dams for its report.
"The drainage from each of the power station ash dams in NSW revealed quite significant exceedances of Australian water quality guidelines for a number of heavy metals," HCEC researcher Paul Winn said.
"And this was consistent in all the ash dams that we sampled, and all the sediment and water that we analysed had high concentrations of heavy metals."
Some of the metals include selenium, cadmium, boron, nickel, copper and zinc.
The new report, Out of the Ashes 2, will be launched on Monday.
It compiles and compares sampling from each NSW power station, data from the power station’s own pollution monitoring and information the government’s own environmental assessments in 2014.
Mr Winn said HCEC wanted to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the pollution problem to force the NSW government to improve ash recycling rates and monitoring of ash dams.
"We believe a lot of the monitoring at these sites is still pretty ad hoc," Mr Winn said.
"There's a number of sites … [where] we're finding heavy metal contamination that's flowing into lakes and river ways that aren't being monitored.
"And we believe a much more extensive monitoring regime needs to be imposed on these power station operators."
Delta Electricity, which owns Vales Point power station at Lake Macquarie, said the environment centre was prone to "sensationalist claims aimed at creating community concerns".
"HCEC tends to compare sample results from discharge waters to ANZECC [Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council] guidelines, which is misleading," it said in a statement.
"ANZECC guidelines are designed to be applied to the water quality of the receiving body (in this case Lake Macquarie) and not the individual discharges into it."
Origin Energy, which owns Eraring power station at Lake Macquarie, said its environmental monitoring exceeds regulatory requirements showed regular compliance with the power station's EPA licence conditions.
AGL, which owns Bayswater and Liddell in the Hunter Valley said it worked closely with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to comply with its licence conditions.
But Western Sydney University water scientist Ian Wright reviewed the HCEC report and said it shone a light on what was a largely hidden and unstudied problem.
"I think this is a really important expose of a major problem, a major environmental problem that is literally growing all the time," Dr Wright said.
"I was kind of expecting the sort of levels for things like boron and fluoride and zinc and nickel, but this is the first study of its kind where I've seen samples and information from multiple reports, that quantifies and compares.
"And honestly, I'm surprised and alarmed."
Dr Wright said the unlined ash dams often had direct connections to groundwater and sometimes surface water.
The remediation plan for most ash dams is to cover them with a compacted clay capping, but Dr Wright said heavy metals would continue to leach out of the unlined dams over many decades.
"It's dumped in a slurry, so the coal ash is actually mixed with water and this is what you want to do if you want to accelerate and mobilise the pollution out of the coal ash," he said.
"I think this is Dark Ages, Dickensian management of pollution and we need a quantum leap in the management of this.
"This is harming the ecosystem, water quality and fish for human health. So what more incentive do we have?"
A NSW parliamentary inquiry is investigating the State Government's potential liability, as the former owners, for the coal ash dams.
On Friday, the inquiry heard from the NSW Environment Protection Authority which acknowledged the work of HCEC and revealed its own investigation plans.
"We've had the HCDC report and been reviewing that and that would inform future work that we intend to undertake," EPA Executive Director David Fowler said.
"We'll be looking at ... a comprehensive study of surface water and ground water and their potential impact on the surrounding environment."
Environmental groups are pushing for the State Government to implement a $20 levy on power stations for every tonne of coal ash waste dumped.
They say it will inspire power stations to increase the recycling of coal ash into concrete, where it can in some instances supplement sand or aggregate.
There is also a push for the Government to adjust its procurement policies, to mandate an increase in the use of coal ash in government building and roads projects.
"We want the Government to get serious about ash reuse, to get rid of the over 200 million tonnes of ash that's been deposited in ash dumps around NSW," Mr Winn said.
"That's going to take a long time, but we think with a procurement policy by government, hopefully, one day, some of this pollution will be addressed."
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Environment Pollution
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Japan foot-and-mouth outbreak
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The Japan foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2010 occurred in Miyazaki Prefecture, affecting cattle, swine, sheep and goats. A similar outbreak had occurred ten years earlier, in 2000. [1] Located on the eastern coast of Japan's Kysh island, Miyazaki Prefecture plays a significant role in supplying top-quality Wagy cattle for the production of Wagy beef throughout Japan including Matsuzaka and mi. The first FMD case in Miyazaki in 93 years was identified on March 25, 2000. [2] The following day, the infected cattle were slaughtered. The Miyazaki FMD Control Department announced on March 29 that the virus had been identified as serotype O. A further announcement on April 2 revealed that nine more cattle were infected, and that the first case could have been contracted from straw imported from China, but this was never confirmed. [2] The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) confirmed on April 3 that the first case was serotype O ME-SA PanAsia. [3]
On April 9, samples from 16 animals, showing no clinical signs of infection, underwent ELISA antibody testing; five days later, the test results were revealed to be positive, and the cattle were slaughtered. [4] The MAFF announced a budget of 10 billion yen for affected farmers on April 27[citation needed], and on May 10[citation needed] Miyazaki Prefecture declared the disease eradicated. Overall, approximately 700 cattle were slaughtered in this outbreak. [citation needed]
In December 2006, Hisashi Makizaki, an ex-trainee at Livestock Raising Examination Facility in Miyazaki Prefecture, stole approximately 40 straw type vials which contained cryo-preserved sperm from YASUHIRA, one of Japan's top stud bulls and a legend in Miyazaki. It was later reported that he had three accomplices (two stockbreeders, one office worker) involved in selling specimens both within and outside of Miyazaki Prefecture including Hokkaido, northernmost of the four main islands of Japan. They were charged with not only stealing 40 vials of 0.5 cc frozen bull semen in December 2006, but also stealing about 100 vials again in January 2007. [citation needed]
Specimens were sold illegally for 100,000 to 150,000 per container without a Wagyu certificate, or 200,000 with a certificate. The legal price with a certificate is normally 5,000. The four were arrested and Makizaki was sentenced later to 3? years in prison. [5][6]
On March 7, 2007, Asahi Shimbun reported that a total of 143 cryo-preserved sperm samples from stud bulls for selective breeding had been stolen from the Livestock Raising Examination Facility in Miyazaki Prefecture. [citation needed]
In October 2009, 1300 cryo-preserved sperm containers from stud bulls were stolen from the Miyazaki Prefecture office of Japan Agriculture[citation needed]
Seiichiro Dokyu (Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) lawmaker, Miyazaki Prefecture) asked that several farms in Kumamoto Prefecture should accept Korean trainees through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). [citation needed]
Agura Farm accepted a Korean trainee who was from Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do Zhou. The owner of this farm was reported to have committed suicide later. [citation needed]
A farmer in Tsuno town, Miyazaki, notified a veterinarian that one of his water buffalos had diarrhea. The water buffalos produced the milk used to make mozzarella cheese, one of the farm's main products. [Nishinippon Shimbun], and other newspapers reported on March 31 that the veterinarian requested the [Miyazaki Livestock Hygiene Service Center] for diagnosis[7][8] but foot-and-mouth disease symptoms were not evident and no bacterium nor virus that might have caused the diarrhea were found. The diarrhea stopped without any causative agent being found. No diagnosis of FMD was made. The sample taken from the water buffalo on 31 March was later found to be FMD positive on 23 April after a DNA test conducted on 22 April (case 6). A source says four cases had been found infected by this time. The data on FMD released by Miyazaki prefecture and Japanese government show that samples of three animals had been collected by this point. It is said that because the symptoms were different from the one in 2000, it created a delay to confirm [9]
Agura Farm was reported to have had more than 100 cattle with FMD at the beginning of the month, but this was not disclosed until later. [citation needed]
On April 9,[10] one cow was confirmed with having oral inflammation in Tsuno town. Junichi Aoki, a private veterinarian, asked Miyazaki Livestock Hygiene Service Center for authentication of symptoms. When a veterinarian and health officials from the Infectious Disease Prevention Department examined the animals, only one cow had symptoms. For a fast-spreading infectious disease such as FMD, this was insufficient evidence to confirm the disease. Consequently, this case was treated as a "wait-and-see" case. No public report was made. Details on what diagnosis was made are unknown. [11] In this case, the cattle had slight dribbling saliva, an ulcerous scab, and fever. Poor appetite and fever were present only for a day. In addition, four days had already passed since the recovery from one-day fever. FMD cattle usually have blisters or heavy saliva dribbling. The incubation period for FMD is about 1 week in cattle. The veterinarian checked the farm daily until April 12, but no cattle with symptoms were reported. [12][13]
On April 16, another case was reported on the same farm. On April 17, after inspecting the farm, 2 more cases with the same symptoms were found. Authentication was started. According to the Prevention of Epidemics Guideline, Miyazaki Livestock Hygiene Service Center must be notified immediately when more than 2 cases are present. For that reason, Metro medias criticized the farm's delay for neglect. Some reports say four cattle were showing symptoms by May 31, but this has never been confirmed. On April 19, after the elimination of a possible diagnosis for Ibaraki disease and other diseases, the samples were sent to the National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH), Epidemiological Research Team in Kodaira City, Tokyo for confirmation of FMD.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Wednesday's attack in Hadera was the first bomb attack in Israel since 28 August, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to Beersheba's central bus station wounding 20 people.
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The blast happened near a food stand in the town's busy market place. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said it carried out the attack in revenge for Israel's killing of its senior leader, Luay Saadi, on Monday.
Early on Thursday, Israel launched air strikes on Gaza, but no casualties were reported.
The third successive day of air raids came after Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered a military operation against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Wednesday's attack in Hadera was the first bomb attack in Israel since 28 August, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to Beersheba's central bus station wounding 20 people.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack, saying "it is against our interests and it only increases the violence in this region."
The US described the bombing as "a heinous attack on innocent civilians", stressing that the Palestinian Authority needed "to do more to end the violence and prevent terrorist attacks". 'Looks like a war'
Police said a suicide bomber walked into the market in Hadera, detonating his explosives at a falafel stand near the town's central bus station at around 1600 (1400GMT).
Ambulances rushed to the scene to treat the wounded, as security forces sealed off the town, Israeli media reports.
There have been some steps taken but we really need to see a serious disarming of these extremist groups
Mark RegevIsraeli spokesman
In pictures: Hadera attack
Israeli ambulance official Chaim Rafalowski told the BBC the market would have been busy with people stocking up on supplies, on the first working day following a two-day holiday.
Eidan Akiva, who lives near the site of the blast, told Israeli TV that body parts were strewn across the street next to his apartment building. The damage was immense, he added.
"All the stalls alongside just fell apart. The windows are all broken. It looks like a war was here," he told Channel Ten.
National police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told French news agency AFP that five Israelis as well as the suicide bomber had been killed, and 26 were wounded.
Some of the wounded were treated at a nearby playing field, while others were being evacuated to local hospitals.
At least one person was in critical condition, six people were said to be in serious condition and another four had sustained moderate wounds, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported.
'Natural retaliation'
Mr Abbas vowed that the Palestinian Authority would "increase its efforts to ensure the continuation of the truce because it is in the interest of both the Palestinian and the Israeli peoples."
But the Israeli government blamed the attack on the Palestinian Authority's failure to crack down on militants.
Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Mr Abbas "says the right thing... But if we have a criticism it's that he talks the right talk, we're waiting for him to follow through on these commitments. "Now there have been some steps taken but we really need to see a serious disarming of these extremist groups."
Palestinian militant groups agreed to a ceasefire in February, and there has been relative calm since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in August.
But Islamic Jihad spokesman Khader Habib told the AP Wednesday's attack was a "natural retaliation" for the Israeli attack on Luay Saadi in the West Bank on Monday.
"The Islamic Jihad movement was committed to the truce, and is still committed to the truce, but this truce should be mutual. We cannot tolerate a one-sided truce," he said.
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Armed Conflict
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Russia becomes last major world power to join WTO
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News
Russia becomes last major world power to join WTO
Russia, the world's ninth largest economy, has joined the World Trade Organization more than two decades after the collapse of Soviet communism. Some Russians are concerned that protected industries are now at risk.
Russia officially became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Wednesday, making it the last major economy to join the global free trade body after 18 years of negotiations.
Many Russians are concerned that joining the WTO will undercut domestic industries that benefit from import tariffs and subsidies. The function of the 157-member WTO is to reduce trade barriers and facilitate global commerce through negotiations and the arbitration of trade disputes.
DW recommends
After 18 years of protracted negotiations, Russia has finally become a member of the World Trade Organization. Germany hopes the move will improve bilateral trade relations and remove former barriers. (22.08.2012)
But supporters of the move in Russia have argued that WTO membership will open Moscow to more foreign investment and ultimately force its companies to become more competitive globally.
"This is a great stimulus for developing the economy and competition," former Russian finance minister Alexei Kudrin wrote on his Twitter account.
Fears of deregulation
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on WTO membership in late July, after the lower house of parliament - the Duma - had approved the move in a 238-208 vote.
WTO opponents argued that opening the Russian economy to foreign investment would make the country too dependent on multinationals.
"We will be dragged along in the last wagon of a convoy that will be ruled over by multinational companies," Vladimir Zhirinovksy, leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, had said during the Duma's July 10 vote.
As a condition of its membership, Russia is obligated to liberalize prices on most goods after a two to three year interim period, according to Russian media sources cited by German news agency dpa. After five to seven years, the prices for more sensitive goods will also face deregulation.
Moscow also made key concessions on state support for farm equipment, shipbuilding and aviation construction. Subsidies for the agricultural sector are expected to decline from a projected $9 billion (7.22 billion euros) in 2012-2013 to $4.4 billion by 2018.
Potential economic boost
The Moscow-based investment bank Renaissance Capital has estimated that Russia's $1.9 trillion economy could see an 11 percent increase in gross domestic product (GDP).
"Accession into international institutions such as the WTO lends Russia the credibility it needs to shore up the country's investment environment," Renaissance Capital said in a special report.
EU welcomes Russia's WTO entry
The European Union's trade commissioner, Karel De Gucht, said WTO membership would facilitate the modernization of Russia's economy and open business opportunities for both Brussels and Moscow.
"Today's WTO accession is a major step for Russia's further integration in to the world economy," De Gucht said in a release.
The Russian economy is largely dependent on the energy sector. Russia became the world's largest oil producer in 2011 and is the second largest natural gas producer, holding the largest reserves in the world.
The pacific state of Vanuatu also joined the WTO on Wednesday. Countries that are not WTO members include Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Belarus, Algeria, Bosnia, Serbia, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
slk/ipj (AFP, dpa)
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Join in an Organization
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Java's ring of fire rumbles on: Indonesian volcanoes erupt – in pictures
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Volcanoes in Java continue to show worrying signs, with authorities closely monitoring seismic activity as they spew lava and ash many kilometres into the atmosphere. At 3,676 metres (12,060 feet), Mount Semeru in East Java is one of the highest volcanoes in Indonesia. Mount Merapi in central Java is a 2,929-metre (9,610-foot) active volcano with a hiking trail to its summit and a surrounding national park. Both continue to trouble authorities. On 16 January 2021, the Semeru volcano observatory issued a notice for aviation warning of an ash cloud moving to the north-east with an ash cloud top at around 5,676 metres (18,163 feet) above sea level, but it may be higher than what can be observed clearly. Here’s a look at this month’s eruptions
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Volcano Eruption
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The Nature of Healing: The Rebbe and Nobel Prize Cardiologist Bernard Lown
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It was the height of the Cold War, 1977. Dr. Bernard Lown—world-renowned Harvard cardiologist, pioneer of the direct-current defibrillator for cardiac resuscitation and co-founder of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)—was in Moscow. Beginning in the late 1960s, Lown made more than 30 trips to the Soviet Union, especially rare for an American of the era.1
On this particular October evening, the Lithuanian-born Lown and his wife, Louise, were taking in a ballet performance at the Bolshoi Theater, something they did on nearly every trip to Moscow. This was the leisure part of Lown’s itinerary and so he was surprised when suddenly, mid-show, he was summoned to the theater telephone. Little could have prepared him for what came next.2
“Boruch!” shouted the caller in Yiddish, referring to Lown by his birth name. “The Lubavitcher Rebbe isn’t well, you must come to New York now!”
The voice at the end of the line belonged to Lown’s cousin, Rabbi Moshe Binyamin Kaplan, a Chabad-Lubavitch Chassid living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. It was the holiday of Simchat Torah in New York, when observant Jews refrain from using the telephone. Yet this was life-or-death; Kaplan had spent the preceding 24 hours trying to get through to the Boston-based Lown, finally tracking him down to the Bolshoi. Kaplan quickly explained what was happening: Two nights earlier, on Shemini Atzeret, the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—had suffered a severe heart attack during the hakafot dancing in his synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, and a second, even more serious one in his office early the next morning. “On a scale of 10, he had the full 10,” Dr. Ira Weiss, the Rebbe’s lead cardiologist, would tell Jewish Educational Media’s My Encounter with the Rebbe oral history project years later. “ ... The Rebbe had a heart attack that involved such extensive damage that in anyone’s normal medical experience one would worry about the possibility of survival and one would almost discount any possibility of functionality at the level of the Rebbe’s.”
Kaplan, knowing that his first cousin Bella’s son Boruch, a.k.a. Bernie, a.k.a. Dr. Bernard Lown, was an important heart doctor at Harvard, was determined to bring him to the Rebbe as soon as possible.3
But that’s just the beginning of the story. Lown, who passed away on Feb. 16, 2021, at the age of 99, was indeed everything his cousin thought he was. A longtime professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and a top expert on arrhythmia, Lown’s expertise was regularly sought by world leaders. In fact, it appears that on this 1977 trip he was treating a high Kremlin official, likely Mikhail Suslov, a member of the Politburo, chief ideologue of the Communist Party and one of the Soviet Union’s most powerful men. (Perhaps these medical interactions with top figures in the Kremlin is why the CIA, FBI and NSA still refuse to declassify Lown’s files. )4 Among Lown’s other patients were King Hussein of Jordan,5 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau of Canada and U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. There were many reasons for Lown’s fame, any one of which could have been a life’s achievement. Lown’s early research had uncovered the link between potassium levels and the safe usage of the centuries-old heart failure drug, digitalis. His early investigation of the role that irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, played in sudden cardiovascular death made him an expert in a subject not well understood by most in his field. Lown recognized that administering a well-timed shock to the heart could break dangerously abnormal rhythms and restore a normal heartbeat, leading to his 1962 development, together with engineer Baruch Berkovits, of the direct-current defibrillator and his creation of a device called a cardioverter. These advances not only saved many thousands of lives directly, but opened the doors for safer open-heart surgery and the development of the pacemaker.6 A few years later, he became the first to use Lidocaine to treat arrhythmias. When in 1964 he opened a coronary care unit at Boston’s Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, today Brigham and Women’s Hospital, it was one of the first in the world. In Lown’s own estimate, an even greater contribution to cardiology was the “chair method” he developed together with his Harvard mentor, the great Dr. Samuel Levine. Beginning in the early 1950s, the two discovered that by seating patients with cardiovascular diseases in an armchair instead of lying them down on a bed, gravity would pull fluids in the chest down and allow patients to breathe easier and their heart to recuperate. This simple observation, which they published together in a 1952 paper, “changed the whole course of cardiovascular care,” he explained. Though met by fierce resistance from the medical establishment of the time—bedrest was deemed an unquestionable part of hospital care—the chair method is in wide use today and has saved an immeasurable number of lives.7 This combination of respect for tradition and questioning conventional wisdom, which Lown did in his typically blunt manner, would make him at times a thorn in the side of the medical establishment and become a mainstay of his long career. In addition to his long affiliation with Harvard and Brigham, Lown also ran a private clinic, and in 1973 started the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation, now known as the Lown Institute. It wasn’t only technical innovations that earned Lown both the commendation and enmity of his colleagues, but his single-minded dedication to patient-centered care. This approach contends that a doctor’s job is to heal their patient, not merely use the latest technology to treat an individual body part, and so the patient’s input, life story, position and comfort all play an important role in their own healing process. By placing the emphasis on the emotional and psychological well-being of the patient, it also invited the patient into a relationship with their doctor, allowing them, for example, to share information that could very well be vital to a successful outcome. Lown applied this holistic approach in his own practice and stressed it with generations of his students. “He said to all of us, ‘You have to be very attentive,’ ” recalls Weiss, a leading American cardiologist who spent 1971 to 1973 as a Lown cardiology fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Brigham. “So even the small details that might be overlooked when reviewing a person’s background or history can offer an important clue … and be the difference between a successful and, G‑d forbid, an unsuccessful doctor. I took that to heart, and it made a very big impact on me.”
Lown “was one of my mentors, and he taught me and other people the humanistic approach to medicine,” adds Dr. Louis Teichholz, also a former student of Lown’s who became a pioneer in the field of echocardiography and joined Weiss in caring for the Rebbe following the heart attack. “There’s a quote of his that I have with me: ‘One treats not the heart, but a human being who has a heart.’ Dr. Lown’s whole approach was treating the patient, and he was one of the people who formulated my career in terms of patient-centered care.”8
Even as the medical establishment moved further away from the age-old vision of doctors as healers, turning them instead into technical diagnosticians, Lown continued to use his bully pulpit to sound the alarm. “It seems to me that medicine has indulged in a Faustian bargain,” he warned. “A 3,000-year tradition, which bonded doctor and patient in a special affinity of trust, is being traded for a new type of relationship. Healing is replaced with treating, caring is supplanted by managing, and the art of listening is taken over by technological procedures. Doctors no longer minister to a distinctive person but concern themselves with fragmented, malfunctioning biologic parts. The distressed human being is frequently absent from the transaction.”9
Much more than just a way of making the patient feel better about themselves, he’d tell anyone who listened, respecting the patient and involving them in their own care was a surer avenue to success. Bernard Lown was born Boruch Latz on June 7, 1921, in the village of Utyan (Utena), then-independent Lithuania. At the time of Lown’s birth, the village was more than half Jewish. His father, Nison Latz, was born to a Chassidic family in Utyan,10 studied at the famed Lithuanian yeshivah of Slabodka (just outside Kovno), and was later chairman of the Jewish community’s committee. His mother, Bella (Beile Hinda, née Grossbard), came from a distinguished rabbinical family in Filipow, Poland. The Latz name was Americanized to Lown by Nison’s older brother (and Bernard’s father-in-law), Philip (Feivish) when he came to the United States in 1907, and adopted by Nison when he followed suit. The Latzes were deeply religious in the old country, and Lown and his brothers grew up studying in their local cheder before going on to yeshivah. On one visit to the Soviet Union in the late 1960s or early ’70s, Lown’s government handlers facilitated a return trip to Utyan. Bernard and Louise were greeted by one Kalman Meyer, one of the town’s few survivors; Lown remembered him from childhood as the town plumber. “Now he was wizened, white-haired, and slight, though still vigorous. He spoke a brisk Yiddish,” Lown wrote. “Without introduction, he held out an old frayed photograph of a kindergarten class and pointed to a little boy. ‘Who is this?’ he asked me. I looked closer at the photograph and recognized the faded image of my brother Hirshke beneath Kalman-Meyer’s finger. ‘Then you are Boke!’ he exclaimed, a happy glint in his eyes. Indeed, my childhood nickname had been Boke, a diminutive of my given name, Boruch.”11
The vast majority of Utyan’s Jews were exterminated after Hitler’s invasion in 1941, members of Lown’s family included, the murders for the most part not committed by the Germans but by their Lithuanian neighbors. “We take pride in greeting Bernard Lown, now a world-famous doctor,” Kalman Meyer solemnly declared at the Utyan gathering in Lown’s honor. “It was just in an instant of luck that he and his family were saved from fertilizing the Lithuanian soil. Many others were not so fortunate. His close friend Chaimke, who was a gifted poet, wasn’t so fortunate ... . ’ ” He went on, listing many of Lown’s childhood contemporaries. “ ‘The world lost many Bernard Lowns. We must not forget them, for our own sake.’ ”12
Nison and two boys—Bernard and Harold, or Boruchl and Hirshele—left Utyan in March of 1935, with Bella following with the other children in 1936.13 Their cousin Moshe Binyamin Kaplan’s son, Rabbi Nochem Kaplan, recalls hearing that before the boys left Lithuania, Bernard’s yeshivah teacher begged Bella that her son continue studying Torah in America, for he had the ability to be a “gadol b’Yisrael,” or “a giant in Israel.” Later, seeing Bernard’s success in medicine, Bella recalled the teacher’s words and said, in Yiddish: “If not a giant in Israel, then a giant in medicine.”
The family initially settled in Lewiston, Maine, where Lown, then 14, attended high school, enrolling before he could speak English.14 In the New World, the Lowns quickly “Americanized,” which many Jewish immigrants of the era took to mean dropping religion in totality, and Bernard and his siblings were not raised religious at all. Lown would however retain a strong, staunchly secular Jewish identity. His son, Fred Lown, explains that his father was fluent in Jewish history, folklore and long recalled the Talmud of his youth. He also had “a repertoire of probably 5,000 Jewish jokes that he would tell colleagues and patients.”
There were elements of his childhood, however, that try as he might, he could not shed. “His English was impeccable, and he was unbelievably articulate and fluent,” says his son. “But he still had that kind of Eastern European Jewish shtetl accent.” He adds with a laugh: “Whenever someone mentioned that, he bristled because he thought he had lost it.”
Lown would also ascribe his passion for medicine and the philosophic outlook he adopted at least partially to his “Jewish heritage,” with its “rabbinic tradition [and] love of books.”15 Yet this did not spill into practice. “My father was not religious in any sense of the word, and even though I come from a whole multi-generational rabbinical background, we were never religious,” explains his son. In fact, the only reason why Fred had a bar mitzvah and went to Hebrew school was because his grandfather was a big figure in a temple and insisted on it, not because of his father. A self-described man of the left, early in his career Lown began to worry about the existential dangers of nuclear war, and in the early 1960s he started an organization called Physicians for Social Responsibility. It was Lown’s activism that led to his first invitation to lecture in the Soviet Union back in 1968. Twelve years later, Lown created the IPPNW together with top Soviet Dr. Yevgeny I. Chazov, a Communist official who was personal physician to high-ranking Kremlin figures, including Mikhail Gorbachev. Lown’s activism made him an actor on the world stage but also brought on accusations that he was a closet Communist or at the least a Kremlin tool. These attacks did not subside after he and Chazov accepted the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize on their organization’s behalf.16
But now the doctor was in Moscow and on the phone with his Chassidic cousin, Kaplan, who stemmed from the side of his mother’s family that had remained religious after arriving in America. Kaplan pleaded for Lown to come to the Rebbe as soon as possible, and Lown agreed. Just a few days earlier, everything had appeared fine. After prayers on the morning of Hoshana Rabbah, Oct. 4, 1977, the Rebbe, 75-years-old at the time, stood for hours at the door of his Sukkah distributing lekach honey cake to those who had not had the opportunity to receive it before Yom Kippur. Shemini Atzeret, one of the most joyous holidays of the year, would begin that evening, followed the next night by Simchat Torah. The Rebbe’s joy and vitality during this holiday was transcendent, and the resulting exuberant atmosphere in his synagogue, palpable. Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, however, the Rebbe’s wife, knew that something was amiss. That morning the Rebbetzin rang the Rebbe’s secretariat saying her husband did not feel well and asking they attempt to lighten the Rebbe’s schedule. Nevertheless, after praying the afternoon mincha service and seeing that a new line for honey cake had formed outside his Sukkah, the Rebbe made another distribution before going home for just a few minutes.17 Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, one of the Rebbe’s secretaries, would later recall the Rebbe looking particularly pale when he drove him that day. The first three of the evening’s seven hakafot—in Chassidic circles the traditional dancing with the Torah scrolls is held on the evenings of both Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah—went off without a hitch. Then came the fourth hakafah, when the Rebbe’s face suddenly turned white. First resting on his lectern, then sitting down on his chair, leaning back and closing his eyes, the sudden change threw the crowd into chaos. People began rushing out of the synagogue to allow in air, and windows were smashed open. Still, the Rebbe insisted on completing the Hakafot, which a much-diminished crowd hastened to do. Returning to his room, the Rebbe refused to eat or drink anything until going out to the Sukkah to make kiddush on wine.18
Aside from the doctors onsite, Krinsky called the chief surgeon of a nearby hospital, who arrived and made a cardiogram; the reading was abysmal, and the doctor said there was no choice but for the Rebbe to go to a hospital. But the Rebbe dismissed the idea, saying he would only be treated in 770. As the hours ticked by, a procession of cardiologists came and went, each confirming that the Rebbe had suffered a major heart incident and needed to be in a hospital. Sometime in the early hours of the morning the Rebbe had a second, more extensive heart attack. At around 6 a.m. the Rebbetzin came over to Krinsky and asked for an update. Krinsky responded that the situation was dire and some of the doctors were insisting the Rebbe be sedated and taken to the hospital. Telling the story over years later, Krinsky would recall the sheer strength the Rebbetzin demonstrated at that moment. An intensely private person, the Rebbetzin had dedicated her whole life to supporting her husband in a way no one else could. Now, standing to lose all she had, she maintained that the Rebbe’s wishes be adhered to. “All my life that I know my husband, never for an instant was he not in total control of himself,” she told Krinsky. “I cannot allow the doctors to” go against the Rebbe's will. A moment later she turned back to Krinsky. “Rabbi Krinsky, you know so many people, you can’t find a doctor for my husband?”
That’s when, all of a sudden, things began to come together. Like a flash, Krinsky remembered a book on heart rhythm analysis he had seen on the Rebbe’s desk a few months earlier sent to the Rebbe by Krinsky’s brother-in-law in Chicago, Rabbi Herschel Shusterman. The book was written by a brilliant young cardiologist named Ira Weiss, a former congregant and Hebrew school student of Shusterman’s.19
It was early morning when Weiss got Krinsky’s desperate call describing the severity of the situation. The Rebbe, he explained, had not rejected medical care, but wanted it to take place in 770 itself, a position backed up by the Rebbetzin. Krinsky wanted to know whether this was possible. “I’d known about the Rebbe from when I was a little cheder student in the 1950s in Chicago,” Weiss explained to me. “We were not from the kind of household that were Chassidim … but I had at least the wherewithal to know that one does not trample on the things the Rebbe wants to do. On the other hand, you’re obliged as a doctor to do whatever you need to do, even if the patient tells you otherwise if there’s only one way to save him.”
Though young, Weiss was already acclaimed in his field. In 1967, at the age of 23, he graduated first in his class from Northwestern University Medical School. That summer, as he began his two-year residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Time magazine profiled him in a piece on young medical school “wonders,” asking the question: “How young can a doctor be?”20 Weiss then spent two years at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., doing research and writing his book on the deciphering of irregular heart rhythms—this during a time when cardiac monitoring was still a relatively new idea—before returning to Boston as a cardiology research fellow under Dr. Lown at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. Over this time, in part due to Lown’s example, he had embraced a patient-centric approach to medicine, which he brought with him to his Chicago-area practice. (Years later Weiss would gift Lown a book on the Jews of Lithuania, inscribing “To my rebbe of cardiology.”) On the phone with Krinsky early that morning, Weiss suggested that Krinsky set up the equivalent of a coronary care unit at 770. “The idea to take care of the Rebbe in this way was sparked by my being able to see how this was applied by my teachers,” explains Weiss. In Boston he had seen special setups made in the homes of people like members of the Kennedy family, and knew that his teacher, Lown, had gone to similar lengths to treat the Baroness Pauline de Rothschild.21 “Being exposed to Dr. Lown and being exposed to my mentors at the Massachusetts General Hospital, who had the same obligations to take care of special people in the privacy of their own quarters, I told Rabbi Krinsky at the time, that this has been done, and my teachers have taught me this.”
That’s where the conversation ended. A moment later the phone rang again. It was Krinsky. “Dr. Weiss, why don’t you come out here and help us do this?” he asked.
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Awards ceremony
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Retrospective: July 22, Chandrayaan-2 and India's lunar ambitions
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India's outer space ambitions owe a significant debt to July 22, an important date for the history of the country's scientific and technological feats. It was on this date back in 2019 that Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar exploration mission, was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) from the Satish Dhawan space centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Chandrayaan-2 was launched with the aim of mapping the variations in lunar surface composition, as well as locating and studying the surface of the Moon for the presence of water. The mission consisted of an orbiter, a lander (Vikram), and a rover (Pragyan). Ahead of its launch, the Chandrayaan-2 mission generated significant public interest and media coverage since it came 11 long years after Chandrayaan-1, India's first ambitious lunar probe under the same programme. Also Read | ISRO successfully tests engine for its manned Gaganyaan mission Chandrayaan-2, if it were to be successful in its stated ambitions, would have made India the fourth country after the Soviet Union, the United States, and China to achieve a soft landing on the surface of the Moon and the first country to do so on the lunar dark surface. However, the lander crashed on September 6 when it deviated from its intended trajectory due to a software glitch, according to a failure analysis report submitted by Isro. Nevertheless, the Chandrayaan-2 mission was not a complete failure. Even though the lunar lander did not arrive on the surface of the Moon as intended, the spacecraft's orbiter operations remain functional. In an official statement, Isro had said that the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, with its eight scientific instruments, will continue its seven-year mission to study the surface of the Moon. July 22 continues to hold immense significance in the history of India's cosmic feats, as the lessons learned from this operation gave a boost to a new lunar exploration mission being studied for launch this year. Chandrayaan-3, India's new proposal in partnership with Japan, does not include plans for another orbiter but is instead looking to re-attempt the landing and launch a rover on the Moon's surface. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is looking at a tentative launch timeline for the first half of 2022, according to the latest reports.
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New achievements in aerospace
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Three military bases in Colorado Springs participate in training exercises starting Tuesday
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever AFB and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station will be doing training exercises from Tuesday until Thursday, April 15. The military base says the first time all three bases will exercise together as part of the Peterson-Schriever Garrison. Residents in the area may hear simulated gunshots, loud booms and sirens or see smoke while the training is happening. The exercise is intended to make sure military forces have the proper techniques, tactics and procedures to protect missions and on-base communities. Col. James Smith, Peterson-Schriever Garrison commander says this excercise is a very important opportunity for miliary personel. “It’s extremely important that our installations participate in exercises. This is a great opportunity to test our readiness and ensure our no-fail missions continue in the face of real-world emergency scenarios” said Smith. People traveling on and off base might experience temporary gate closures and blocked areas of roads on base. Army & Air Force Exchange Service facilities plan to stay open throughout the training.
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Military Exercise
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UFC 224
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UFC 224: Nunes vs. Pennington was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 12, 2018, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [3]
The UFC was initially targeting a UFC Women's Featherweight Championship bout between the current champion Cris Cyborg and the current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes to take place at this event and potentially serve as the headliner. [3] However, Cyborg was instead scheduled for a title defense at UFC 222 in March, and the plans were scrapped. In turn, it was announced on February 23 that Raquel Pennington would instead face Nunes for the bantamweight title. [4]
A light heavyweight bout between former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship title challengers Volkan Oezdemir and Glover Teixeira was briefly linked to take place at the event. [5] However, Oezdemir was pulled from that pairing in favor of a matchup with former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Maurício Rua the following week at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman. [6]
At the weigh-ins, Mackenzie Dern weighed in at 123 pounds, seven pounds over the strawweight non-title fight upper limit of 116 pounds. As a result, the bout proceeded at catchweight, and Dern was fined 30% of her purse which went to her opponent Amanda Cooper. [7]
This event tied the record, with UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping, for having the most finishes on a single modern UFC card with 11 finishes. [8]
[9]
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:[10]
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Sports Competition
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CAAC Flight 296 crash
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The hijacking of CAAC Flight 296, a Hawker Siddeley Trident 2E aircraft, took place on May 5, 1983. Flight 296 of China Civil Aviation Airlines (CAAC), a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Shenyang Dongta Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, was hijacked by six Chinese nationals and was forced to land at Camp Page, a US military base in Chuncheon, South Korea. [1]
At the time of the incident, China and South Korea did not have diplomatic relations. [2] The incident contributed to the first official non-adversarial contact between China and South Korea before the establishment of diplomatic relations, which was a turning point in the relationship between the two sides. In the following series of incidents, the mutual hostility between China and South Korea in the process of handling or reporting began to fade, and the goodwill component increased greatly, laying a foundation for the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in the future. [2]
At 10:47 am on May 5, 1983, CAAC Flight 296 took off from Shenyang Dongta Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. At around 11:32 am, when the plane was flying above Dalian, six armed people led by Zhuo Changren hijacked the flight and ordered the pilot to change route to South Korea. [1][3][4] When the pilot refused, the militants shot him in a leg with a pistol and also hurt the operator, forcing them to proceed as demanded. [5] There were 105 passengers and 9 crew members on board the plane. [6] At 14ː10 hours, the hijacked plane landed at Camp Page military base near Chuncheon, South Korea. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson immediately issued a communication requesting the South Korean authorities to return the aircraft together with all crew members and all passengers to China's Civil Aviation in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, and hand over the hijackers to the Chinese side. [1] Zhuo Changren and other six hijackers filed a request to the Korean authorities to allow them to defect to Taiwan. [6]
On the day of the incident, US State Department Deputy Spokesman Longberg informed reporters about the hijacking: two injured crew members were being treated at the US Army 121 Hospital, 99 passengers and the crew members (5 men and 1 woman) were released. [1] Six hijackers have been detained by the Korean authorities. [3] He said that the cooperation between the United States and South Korea will be carried out in accordance with the Hague Convention. Taiwan's World Anti-Communist Alliance Chairman Ku Cheng-kang called South Korea on the same day, claiming that the hijacking incident was purely a political incident and should not be handled in accordance with the Hague Convention, and requested South Korea to send the hijackers to Taiwan. The Government of the Republic of China also immediately formed a special action group ready to go to South Korea to assist in the negotiations. Xue Yu, the ambassador of the Republic of China to South Korea, issued a statement saying that the hijacking was "the freedom of the anti-communist people." On May 6, a South Korean government spokesman said that South Korea will handle the hijacking in accordance with the spirit of an international agreement to prevent air hijacking and terrorist activities, and is considering the proposal for direct negotiations between China and South Korea. The Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of South Korea, Jin Cherong, said that Shen Tu, the director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, had agreed to come to Seoul to handle related matters. [1]
Although South Korea and the People's Republic of China did not establish diplomatic relations at the time, the South Korean government properly arranged the crew and passengers on the hijacked passenger aircraft to stay at the Sheraton Hotel in the suburbs of Seoul. [7] The hotel welcomed the Chinese guests who were hijacked and also offered high-end Chinese, Korean and Japanese dishes. The South Korean Ministry of Transportation and the South Korean Air Force sent senior technicians to inspect and repair the aircraft. On May 7, the Chinese civil aviation working group and crew members headed by Shen Tu were welcomed by the Korean government with a red carpet at the Gimpo Airport in Seoul, and arranged for the Chinese delegation to stay at the Shilla Hotel. At 4:10 pm on the same day, the two sides held their first meeting at the Shilla Hotel. [1] After the talks, Shen Tu and his party went to the hospital to visit the injured crew and visited other crew members and passengers at the Sheraton Hotel. [1] On the day, the Korean side arranged for Chinese guests who had been hijacked to visit Seoul, boarded the Namsan Tower, visited the factories of the department store and Samsung Electronics, and were warmly welcomed by the ROK. [1]
On May 8, the two sides reached an agreement: passengers and crew members were to return to China with the delegation on the 9th; the hijacked aircraft would be returned to China immediately after the technical problems were resolved;[7] a seriously injured crew member would stay in South Korea for treatment, and afterwards would return to China. The main difference between the two sides was the handling of hijackers. The Chinese side requested extradition, but the South Korean government refused the Chinese request on the grounds that "there have been no extraditions of prisoners in the hijacking incidents occurred in various countries. "[7][1] On the morning, Shen Tu issued a statement in Seoul expressing gratitude to the South Korean side for providing assistance and convenience in handling the hijacking incident. At the same time, he said that the six hijackers were criminals wanted by the Chinese police before the hijacking, and that therefore they should be returned to the Chinese side to be punished, he regretted that South Korea had refused to extradite the hijackers, and reserved the right to further negotiations. [1][4]
At the time of drafting the memorandum, China and South Korea had new differences on the official identity of the signatory. The trip originally scheduled to return on the 9th had to be postponed by one day. The South Koreans argued that Shen Tu was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and a representative of the Chinese government, and the Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China was a ministerial-level official. Therefore, the two sides should be reflected in the memorandum of negotiations between the Chinese and South Korean ministers. The Chinese insisted on signing a memorandum in the name of civil aviation authorities, without the need to use the names of the countries. The Chinese also suggested that South Korea's official name be used in the copy of the memorandum retained by the South Korean government, while this detail could be ignored in the copy brought back by the Chinese side. However, South Korea rejected the Chinese proposal on the grounds of "ignoring the location of the negotiations" as "a sovereign state." After the Chinese representatives and the domestic communication, the two sides finally held a ceremony of signing and exchanging memoranda at the Shilla Hotel on May 10. The signatories of the memorandum were respectively Shen Tu representing the People's Republic of China and a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. [6] In the afternoon of the same day, Shen Tu and his team returned to China on the Boeing 707 plane with 99 passengers and 8 crew members of Flight 296. [1][8] At the time of departure, senior Korean officials such as Gong Ro-myeong [ko] came to the airport to see the plane off. Before leaving, Shen Tu delivered a speech to the reporters. He expressed his gratitude to the South Korean for the assistance and care given to the hijacking. Although the two sides disagreed on the handling of hijackers, both sides agreed that these criminals should be severely punished according to law. [1]
On May 20, 1983, the local procuratorate of Seoul, South Korea, officially arrested the six hijackers and prosecuted them on June 1 for violating the Aircraft Navigation Safety Act. According to the Hague Convention, the Montreal Convention and the Korean Aircraft Navigation Safety Law, those who hijack an aircraft by means of violence or threats should be sentenced to imprisonment for an indefinite period of seven years or more, and those who kill or inflict injuries during the hijacking should be sentenced to death or indefinite imprisonment. However, under the request of the government of the Republic of China, the local criminal court in Seoul sentenced Zhou Changren, the principal offender, to six years on August 18, and five or four years in prison for the other hijackers. The Chinese side expressed dissatisfaction with this.
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Air crash
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Weightlifter Lifts 488kg and Breaks Three World Records in the Process
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Winning a gold medal at the Olympics is a great achievement. Winning a gold medal and breaking three world records in the process is superhuman.
But that's exactly what Georgian strongman Lasha Talakhadze did when he broke three of his own world records to retain the men's super-heavyweight weightlifting Olympic title, which he first won at Rio 2016.
Talakhadze managed a combined lift of 488kg (223kg for the snatch and 265kg for the clean and jerk), meaning he lifted 47kg more than his closest competitor, Iran's Ali Davoudi.
"I feel pretty good," Talakhadze said through an interpreter. "I have just gained a second Olympic gold medal and of course I have also set another world record.
"We were for a long time looking forward to the Olympics and to win this gold."
A post shared by Тяжёлая атлетика г. Подольск (@shtanga_podolsk)
Although Talakhadze dominated the competition from start to finish, but he nearly didn't walk away with three world records.
Initially, for his third snatch, Talakhadze called for 221kg, which would have been one kilo shy of his world record. However, after hearing cheers from the crowd, he increased the weight to 223kg. He also lifted one kilo more than his world record in the clean and jerk.
Unsurprisingly, with his success, Talakhadze plans to compete at Paris 2024, but whether weightlifting will still be an Olympic sport by then remains to be seen.
The sport is facing the risk of removal from the Games over persistent doping issues, and Talakhadze himself served a two-year doping ban between 2013 and 2015.
However, he now believes offenders should be "punished" but the sport should be included in the Paris Games.
"Those who deserve punishment should be punished and weightlifting should remain in the programme," he said.
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Break historical records
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New Jersey Forms Task Force to Assist Afghan Refugees
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With New Jersey welcoming Afghan refugees fleeing to the U.S., Gov. Phil Murphy has assembled a task force to respond to ease their transition. The Task Force on Afghan Refugee Assistance, chaired by New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA) Commissioner Brigadier General Dr. Lisa J. Hou, will serve to coordinate New Jersey’s efforts to appropriately prepare for and respond to the arrival of Afghan refugees and special immigration visa (SIV) holders in New Jersey, according to a statement from the governor’s office announcing the formation of the task force on Aug. 27. “As Afghan refugees arrive at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, we must act to ensure that the state is prepared to adequately receive and assist these individuals that courageously assisted our country in the War on Terror,” said Murphy. “Our newly established task force will oversee efforts to welcome refugees and their families to their new lives in the United States and New Jersey.” Refugee Program The move comes after the Biden Administration began the process of housing Afghans able to escape from the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan at Joint Base McGuire-Dix Lakehurst in Burlington County. The action comes after an Aug. 22 letter in which Murphy told President Joe Biden New Jersey stood ready to welcome our Afghan allies. “We will welcome Afghan refugees with open arms here in New Jersey at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst,” said Murphy in a Facebook posting. “Our state has always served as a shining beacon of hope to the world, and we will do everything in our power to help these refugees rebuild their lives.” The first group of Afghan refugees arrived last week. Citing security concerns, officials did not say how many people arrived, how many more are expected or whether air transport has been or will be used. But the U.S. Air Force is proposing the location serve as a temporary shelter for up to 9,500 Afghans who have Afghan Special Immigrant visas for up to 365 days. Lead by Afghan War Veteran Interaction with the residents of Afghanistan is familiar territory for DMAVA Commissioner Hou. A veteran of the War in Afghanistan, Hou served as a field surgeon and sole medical provider on an Afghanistan National Army base and was responsible for providing routine and advanced emergency medical care in the combat theater for more than 600 coalition soldiers, contractors, and foreign nationals. “The Task Force stands ready to support our mission partners,” said Hou. “We recognize the sacrifice of our Afghan allies and American and NATO service members these past 20 years. We pledge every effort to alleviate the human tragedy unfolding in Afghanistan.” Task Force Objectives The executive orders said the task force will be responsible for: The Task Force will consist of the governor’s Chief of Staff, Chief Counsel and Chief Policy Advisor; the Executive Director of the Governor’s Disaster Recovery Office; and the designees from the New Jersey State Police; the Department of Health; the Department of Human Services; and the Department of Children & Families among others. Thank you for relying on North-JerseyNews.com to provide you the stories from Washington and Trenton that affect us. Please consider supporting North-JerseyNews.com with a voluntary donation. Gov. Phil Murphy announced his administration will not extend unemployment benefits to about a half million New Jersey residents, stating it was “cost prohibitive” and would draw funds needed for other essential programs as the state continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Murphy said the price tag for the… In "Roundup" A day after offering help with Afghan refugees being transported to the U.S., President Joe Biden is taking Gov. Phil Murphy up on his offer. At a press briefing on Aug. 23, Murphy said the Garden State would “imminently” begin to house Afghans able to escape from the Taliban’s takeover… In "Washington Breaking News | Political News from Washington" Gov. Phil Murphy announced that veterans homes in New Jersey will get federal reinforcement in regards to staffing days after a shake up at New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. In "County"
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Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Set To Divorce
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Kanye West has revealed he still wants to be married to the reality start during a rare yet candid interview.
On Thursday Drink Champs released an interview with the rapper on YouTube, during which West said that he and Kardashian are 'not even divorced' and that he hasn't seen any divorce papers, despite his estranged partner reportedly filing to end their marriage in February.
'I want us to be together,' he said. Discussing Kardashian's recent appearance on Saturday Night Live, West - who recently legally changed his name to Ye - noted: 'SNL making my wife say "I divorced him" on TV because they just wanted to get that bar off. And I ain't never even see the papers, we not even divorced.' He continued, adding that divorce is 'no joke to me'. 'My kids want their parents to stay together,' he said. 'I want us to be together.'
The comments come days after it was rumoured Kardashian was spotted out on a date with her SNL co-star Pete Davidson in Staten Island after the pair spent Halloween together. After the announcement of her SKIMS x Fendi collaboration, Kardashian opened up to the WSJ Magazine about her relationship with her ex Kanye West.
'He has a piece of Skims himself and gives [the team] inspiration but also information. I think he enjoys the process,' Kardashian told the publication. 'He expressed that there were too many branding situations. He's always super simple. I really wanted to condense my beauty brands. I wanted one place, one website, where everything can live.'
Despite their ongoing divorce, the mother-of-four noted that she is a huge fan of West's work and creativity.
A post shared by WSJ. Magazine (@wsjmag)
'Kanye will always be the most inspirational person to me,' she added. The New York Post reports the reality star has paid £16.6 million ($23 million) to buy Kanye West - now known as Ye - out of their Hidden Hills home.
The former couple bought the home in 2014 before rebuilding the entire property from scratch over a six-year period. The publication reports that Los Angeles records state that the mother-of-four paid £14 million ($20 million) for the home, and £2.1 million ($3 million) for furniture, art and other interior items.
The court ruling reportedly comes days after Ye put his first of two Wyoming ranches up for sale October. 11.
The property - designed by Belgian architect Axel Vervoordt - was appraised by an independent appraiser in June last year, according to the documents, per People.
A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian)
During a recent appearance on The Ellen Show's Mum Confessions web series, Kardashian revealed her eldest daughter, North, has a hilarious clapback if they ever butt heads. 'Every time I get into some kind of disagreement with my daughter North, she thinks this is a dig to me: She'll say, "Your house is so ugly, it's all white! Who lives like this?"' she revealed. 'She just thinks it, like, gets to me, and it is kind of mean because I like my house.'
Despite rumours the pair might get back together, Kim Kardashian is reportedly going ahead with her divorce from Kanye West.
It's believed that while Kanye helped his former partner to prepare for her Saturday Night Live hosting gig on Saturday October 9 and watched the show in the audience, sources claim the pair of just 'friends' and the divorce is 'still moving forward'.
A source reportedly told PEOPLE: 'Kim and Kanye are friends, but that's it. She is still moving forward with the divorce.'
'She loves having Kanye's support though. They were not in a good place around the time Kim filed for divorce. She is so happy that things are better now. It's all very beneficial for the kids.'
Kanye West is believed to have unfollowed Kim, Khloé and Kourtney Kardashian after rumours of a romance with Irina Shayk came to light earlier this week.
West was spotted with the model this week in France and the two are thought to have celebrated his 44th birthday together on June 8. Neither of them have responded to rumours of a romance. While his estranged wife Kim and sister-in-law Khloé shared loving birthday tributes to the singer on social media on his birthday, the Daily Mail reports West has now unfollowed the pair and their older sister Kourtney on Twitter. West follows 218 people including Chrissy Teigen, Rihanna, Shakira and Ellen Degeneres and prior to his most recent reported social media move, it's believed he followed the famous reality stars. Meanwhile, Kim, Khloé and Kourtney continue to follow West. West has not posted on social media since November 2020 when he teased he was running for US president with a photograph of himself and several states across the Atlantic.
To celebrate West turning 44 on Wednesday, June 9 his former partner Kim Kardashian shared several photos on Instagram of their family to wish him a happy birthday.
'Happy Birthday Love U for Life! ? [sic]' she captioned a photo of herself, the musician Kanye and three of their children - North, Saint and Chicago. The pair are also parents to their youngest son, Psalm. The reality star also shared a photo of her ex as a child on Twitter. Kardashian's sister Khloé also took to Instagram to celebrate her former brother-in-law's birthday and reportedly responded to criticism of her post.
? pic.twitter.com/8gWamLPUmi
'Happy birthday to my brother for life!!! Have the best birthday Ye! Sending you love and endless blessings!!' the star captioned a photograph of herself, West, her older sister and rumoured partner Tristan Thompson.
According to E! News, one of her followers questioned her decision to share that photo amid Kardashian and West's divorce and called the reality star 'petty'. 'Why are you even commenting on something you know nothing about?' the mother of one reportedly responded. 'You don't think me and my sister's talk about one another's feelings? We are with one another every day. This is MY FAMILY. Not yours! Don't comment as if you in the know unless you are actually in the know. Weirdo!! [sic]'.
A post shared by Khloé Kardashian (@khloekardashian)
While Kim Kardashian and Kanye West commence divorce proceedings, the public have been reminded of the extremely unique situation surrounding their high-profile relationship and now separation, as clips of the reality star breaking down in tears over the state of their marriage have been broadcast on Keeping up with the Kardashians.
The show is now in its 20th and final season. Over the years, viewers have seen some of the most personal moments from the famous families lives including childbirth, break ups, mental health struggles and more.
On the latest episode of the show, the mother of four takes a family trip to Lake Tahoe with her sisters, where Khloé Kardashian explains to camera that her sister has been struggling with her relationship behind the scenes. Asked by her younger sister how she and West are getting on, she says: 'There's no fighting now, it's all calm. I just roll with it.'
Khloé then explains how her sister and the singer had a 'big fight' before the family left for Lake Tahoe, which is then seen in a flashback shot of Kim crying to her sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner (who also cries as her sister talks), saying: 'I think he deserves someone who can follow his every move and go all over the place and move to Wyoming, I can't do that. He should have a wife that supports his every move and travels with him and does everything and I can't.
'I feel like a f***ing failure that it's a third f***ing marriage, I feel like a f***ing loser but I can't even think about that, like I want to be happy,' she says breaking down.
Over the past year or two, West has spent more and more time in Wyoming where he has a ranch with a recording studio. Before their divorce announcement, the SKIMS co-founder and the couple's four children were regularly seen visiting West in the US state while also residing near the Kardashian family in Los Angeles.
Almost two months after news broke that Kim Kardashian was filing for divorce from husband of seven years Kanye West, the rapper has responded with his own filing.
According to The Guardian, West filed a response through his legal team on Friday 9 April which was 'almost identical' to his estranged wife's. The couple have agreed to share custody of their four children North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm and have agreed neither party needs to pay spousal support. West also agreed that the reason for their divorce was 'irreconcilable differences'. The Grammy winning rapper has rarely been seen in public since news of the 'Kimye' divorce first surfaced, bringing to an end one of the most talked about couples in the world. Over the weekend, Kardashian posted a photograph with her four children to Instagram:
A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian)
In several pictures posted for her 214 million Instagram followers over the last couple of weeks, Kardashian has been seen wearing Yeezy trainers, designed by West suggesting - just like many reports have - that their split is amicable.
After months of mounting rumours, Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce from Kanye West, according to multiple reports.
The couple - entrenched in 2010s celebrity culture by way of PDA-filled music videos, high-profile public appearances on red carpets and the fan nickname 'Kimye' - have had one of the most recognisable and high-profile unions in the world, and married seven years ago in Italy. According to TMZ, Kardashian filed for divorce through her lawyer Laura Wasser (a well known celebrity divorce lawyer, dubbed the 'disso queen' by the celebrity news outlet), who also represented Kardashian in her divorce from athlete Kris Humphries. Neither Kardashian nor West have commented publicly on the reports. The split is said to be amicable and the divorce will honour an existing prenuptial agreement. According to the Reuters news service, representatives for Kardashian have confirmed the reports as have representatives for the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Kardashian is seeking joint custody over the couple's four children, North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm, the reports claim.
Reports of a divorce follow months of rumours and tabloid speculation over the state of the couple's marriage. Last year, in the run up to the US election, West embarked on a 'presidential campaign' and appeared emotional at a rally during which he spoke about very personal matters to do with his family and marriage, before sharing concerning statements on Twitter.
After Kardashian took to Instagram pleading with followers to show West compassion amid his ongoing struggle with Bipolar Disorder, West thanked his wife for 'always being there for him' and apologised to her publicly on the platform. According to the NHS, Bipolar Disorder is a mental health condition that affects your moods and can involve episodes of depression and mania.
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Famous Person - Divorce
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