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By one measure, this recovery is 10 times faster than the one after the Great Recession—but there’s a catch
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The early months of the coronavirus pandemic saw the U.S. economy plunge at its fastest rate in history. Over a two-month period, the jobless rate shot up from 3.5% in February 2020 to 14.7% in April—its highest level since 1940—while second-quarter GDP declined 32.9% on an annualized basis. During this period the Congressional Budget Office forecast that the unemployment rate would remain above double digits for more than six quarters, ending 2021 at 10.1%. All signs pointed to the U.S. sinking into the worst downturn since the Great Depression, or maybe even into another depression. But the bleakest outlooks didn't come to pass. Despite a lingering pandemic and mass joblessness, the recent economic recovery is among the fastest in American history—at least on paper. Since peaking in April, the unemployment rate has fallen every month, and it now sits at 6.7%. During this crisis the unemployment rate was above 7% for six months. For comparison, the Great Recession that followed the financial crisis saw unemployment top 7% for 59 consecutive months, from December 2008 to October 2013. That means that after the Great Recession, the economy took almost 10 times as long as it did in what we'll call the COVID-19 Recession to bring the jobless rate under 7%. (See the chart below.) This doesn’t mean the current economy is strong, or that we're close to a full recovery. Look no further than the fact 10.7 million Americans are jobless and looking for work. While the country looks to have avoided the darkest scenario of a multiyear depression, full economic healing is still some distance away. In part, the economy recovered so quickly during the spring and summer because so many of the job cuts that occurred during the spring lockdowns were temporary. Employers like barbershops and dental offices that furloughed or cut workers during the onset of shutdowns were able to bring those workers back once their states eased up on restrictions. In June 2020 alone, 4.8 million workers were hired or rehired. But those easy job recoveries dried up months ago, and as a result the economic rebound is slowing. In November, the economy added just 245,000 jobs, enough to push the jobless rate down from 6.9% to 6.7%. The sustained drop in the unemployment rate signals a growing economy. However, that figure is also severely undercounting joblessness. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) official unemployment rate calculation includes as "unemployed" only out-of-work Americans who are searching for new positions. If jobless persons aren't searching, they get dropped out of the civilian labor force statistics altogether. (The unemployment rate is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed Americans by the civilian labor force count.) That method of calculation makes the unemployment rate ill-suited for measuring periods when masses of workers drop out of the labor force. That's exactly what occurred during the first months of the deadly pandemic. Health concerns have led some workers, including many senior citizens and immunocompromised Americans, to quit looking for work until the virus is tamed. Meanwhile, many parents—usually moms—were forced to stop working in order to attend to school-age kids whose classrooms are remote or hybrid. That's why the civilian labor force declined from 164.5 million in February 2020 to 156.5 million in April 2020. It has since rebounded to 160.5 million, but is still down 4 million from pre-crisis levels. If the BLS were to include those 4 million jobless Americans who have yet to return to the workforce in its unemployment rate, the "real" jobless rate would sit at 9% for November. That's well above the current 6.7% rate. Still, even this real unemployment rate is falling: It peaked at 18.9% in April, when the official unemployment rate was at 14.7%. Regardless of how one measures the U.S. economy, the trend shows that the country is growing while also seeing its rate of growth slow. In the third quarter of 2020, from July to September, GDP climbed 33.1% on an annualized basis. But we aren't maintaining that rate. Goldman Sachs expects the upcoming release of 2020 fourth-quarter GDP growth to show an economy that grew by 5%. Why is growth slowing? Economists point to the ongoing pandemic, which keeps businesses like airlines and hotels constrained and prevents a full economic rebound. That's why a successful vaccine rollout is so critical. "In the U.S., we expect virus resurgence to weigh on activity through January, though services activity has proven more resilient than expected. We expect a large rebound in the first half of 2021 on the back of widespread immunization—with 50% of the population expected to be vaccinated by April—and forecast above-consensus 5.3% growth in 2021," Goldman Sachs researchers wrote in a December report. In that scenario, Goldman Sachs forecast a jobless rate of 5.2% by the end of 2021. If that comes to fruition, it would mark a historic economic rebound from one of the worst crashes in U.S. history. For comparison, following the 2007–2009 Great Recession, the jobless rate didn't get back down to 5.2% until July 2015.
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Financial Crisis
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1971 NYPD Work Stoppage
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The 1971 NYPD Work Stoppage occurred for five days between January 14 and January 19, 1971, when around 20,000 New York City police officers refused to report for regular duty. [1] While officers maintained that they would continue to respond to serious crimes and emergencies, they refused to carry out routine patrolling duties, leading in some cases, to as few as 200 officers being on the street in the city. [2][3]
The police called in sick, a form of strike action known as blue flu, in this case circumventing Article 14 of the New York State Civil Service Law, aka the Taylor Law, which legally prevented police officers from striking. [3][4][5] The stoppage was partly a response to a lawsuit by the Sergeants Benevolent Association being struck down in court. That suit would have increased pay for both police and fire fighters, and entitled them to back pay up to the point of their last negotiated contract. [2] More specifically in the 19th Precinct, where the first set of day-shift officers struck at E. 67th Street, another triggering event was the subpoenas from the Knapp Commission investigating corrupt practices. [6]
The strike was ended on January 19, after a "stormy union voting session" at the Hotel New Yorker. [7] During the six days, the department managed to deploy about 15% of its regular force, using a mix of senior officers and auxiliary forces. In contrast to the Boston Police Strike of 1919, and the Montreal strike of 1969, there was no surge of crime or unrest. The back-pay issue was eventually settled in the favor of the officers and firemen with a ruling by State Supreme Court judge Irving H. Saypol. For violating the Taylor Law, later that year each participating officer was docked about $417 each. [8]
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Strike
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1962 Rangoon University protests
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Bombings and attacks
Protests and government changes
Anti-Muslim violence
The 1962 Rangoon University protests were a series of marches, demonstrations, and protests against stricter campus regulations, the end of the system of university self-administration, and the policy of the new military regime of General Ne Win. The main events took place in Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar) on 7–8 July 1962. On 7 July 1962, the military regime violently suppressed a student demonstration at Rangoon University attended by some 5,000 students. This resulted in the deaths of more than one hundred, and the arrest of more than 6,000 students according to unofficial sources. However, official government statements put the death toll at 15. In the morning hours of the next day, the military regime blew up the historic Rangoon University Students' Union (RUSU) building, which had been the symbol of the anti-colonial nationalism struggle since the 1920s. The reaction of the military regime disclosed for the first time its new tough stance against all regime opponents as part of implementing the new state ideology, the Burmese Way to Socialism, which included bringing "almost all of Burma's political, social, and economic life under strict military control". [3] It also demonstrated that the effective suppression of student activism and the de-politicisation of the universities ranked high among the strategic goals of the new government. Students had been in the vanguard of the Burmese anti-colonial nationalist struggle ever since the first student protests in Burma began in 1920. Although the regime had been successful in ending the student protests, the violent reaction nonetheless undermined its support among the broader population and created a symbolic focal point for later student protests in the following decades. In the aftermath of the violent crackdown on the student protests, the Government of Ne Win immediately closed all universities for four months and sent all students home. Broad institutional reforms introduced by the 1964 University Education Act, then, brought Burma's universities under strict government control and profoundly hampered cohesive open student activism in subsequent decades. In this respect, the result of the 1962 Rangoon University protests ushered a new era of underground student activism in which open mass student involvement in national politics erupted only sporadically, most prominently during the student protests of the mid-1970s and during the 8888 Uprising in 1988. The reverberation of the events on 7–8 July 1962 can be felt to this day. General Ne Win prominently illustrated the continuing symbolic power associated with the protests when he referred in his departure speech in 1988 to the destruction of the RUSU building as "one of the key episodes"[4] during his time in power. As recently as 2012 around 14 persons were "taken into custody by local authorities ... to prevent them from going ahead with planned events to mark the 50th anniversary" of the 7 July incidents. [5]
Since Rangoon University was founded in 1920 as the first university in the British colony of Burma, student activism persistently influenced the development of Burma throughout entirely different regimes. The academic autonomy of Rangoon University was protected by the Rangoon University Act. [6] Students at varies schools even protested the passing of the University Act leading to the formation, in 1921, of the National College which unlike Rangoon included courses taught in Burmese. [7]
Taking advantage of the fact that students—together with the sangha (monastic communities)—enjoyed the greatest degree of freedom of all Burmese societal groups during colonial times,[8] they positioned themselves in the vanguard of the anti-colonial movement, especially during the anti-colonial struggles of the 1930s. [9][10][11] Rangoon University featured prominently as the centre of civil discontent in Burma during the colonial period with all three major strikes against British rule (1920, 1936 and 1938) starting there. [12] It was during this time, when students filled the power vacuum left by the domestic opposition, they were able to develop a strong shared student identity which became the focal point for later political student activities to come. [13] Moreover, higher education proved crucial for elite formation, which was manifested, among other things, in Rangoon University producing some of the most influential political leaders of Burma. [10][11][8]
A relatively high degree of autonomy from the government characterised student unions during the parliamentary phase in post-independence Burma. Nonetheless, they were able to exercise considerable political influence because of their close entanglement with the political parties on the national level. However, student activists were divided along party lines. [14] Consequently, all three large student organisations were "affiliated to various political groups that were competing for political power". [15] Overall, student activities exhibited a propensity to act in favour of anti-government activities as left-wing students, who were members or supporters of various left-wing political parties, dominated the student unions. [16]
Military rule, however, heralded a new phase of student activism in Burma characterised by violent confrontations between
protesting students and government forces. [14] On 2 March 1962, the military led by General Ne Win took control of Burma through a coup d'état. Not encountering strong resistance from any segment of Burmese society the new regime seized power with almost no use of violence. The army arrested leading elites of the toppled regime, including "the president, the prime minister, members of the cabinet, and justices of the court"[17] as well as leaders of Burmese ethnic minority groups. [17]
Officially, General Ne Win justified the coup d’etat as an essential step to safeguard the unity of the county because of ongoing negotiations between the central government in Rangoon and leaders of the Shan State who threatened secession from the Union of Burma. [17][18]
Shortly afterwards, the new military regime formed the Union Revolutionary Council, which was exclusively occupied by high-ranking military personnel led by General Ne Win. [19] After a brief initial phase in which General Ne Win ruled by decree, on 9 March 1962 the Revolutionary Council granted him extensive executive, legislative and judicial powers paving the way toward unrestricted military rule. [17]
Additionally, immediately after the coup d’etat, the military regime began to formulate a new ideological basis on which to ground the new state, already outlining the profound transformation Burmese society was about to experience. The Burmese Way to Socialism symbolised the military regime's answer to the question of Burma's place in the modern world. [20] The socialist government's ideology reflected "the mainstream of modern Burmese thought – nationalism and socialism"[21] and strived after "a highly centralised path to official autarky [self-sufficiency] led by a single party and backed by a well-equipped and loyal military". [22]
The initial reaction of Burmese students towards the new military regime was mixed. Whereas some students supported the new government because of its appealing commitment towards 'socialist democracy' or remained neutral for the time being, others expressed their intention to join the armed struggle of the Communist Party of Burma. [23] The student unions protested against the seizure of power in the beginning, but changed their position very quickly after the left-wing National Unity Front—the affiliated political party of the student unions on the national level—indicated its support for the Ne Win government. As a result, "[b]y 6 March, the Rangoon University Students Union, the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, and the Rangoon Student Union had all endorsed the new regime. "[24]
This, however, would change very soon after the students returned to classes following their hot-season vacation in May 1962. The new government had introduced new hostel regulations, which were stricter than ever before. [25] Some authors, referring to the military background of General Ne Win, even draw parallels to regulations commonly found in military barracks. [26] Nonetheless, the sceptical attitude of General Ne Win towards student indiscipline was nothing new. He had already shown his discomfort in this regard during his time as prime minister of the military caretaker government. This was reflected in a speech given on 2 December 1958 where he "indicated his concern with student unrest". [25]
May 1962 heralded first subtle signs of growing student discomfort, which would culminate into a broad student protest only a couple of weeks later. First, a student was expelled from his hostel because he did not get on well with his warder.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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World hunger again on the rise, driven by conflict and climate change, new UN report says
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World hunger again on the rise, driven by conflict and climate change, new UN report says 815 million people now hungry – Millions of children at risk from malnutrition 15 September 2017, Rome - After steadily declining for over a decade, global hunger is on the rise again, affecting 815 million people in 2016, or 11 per cent of the global population, says a new edition of the annual United Nations report on world food security and nutrition released today. At the same time, multiple forms of malnutrition are threatening the health of millions worldwide. The increase - 38 million more people than the previous year - is largely due to the proliferation of violent conflicts and climate-related shocks, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017 . Some 155 million children aged under five are stunted (too short for their age), the report says, while 52 million suffer from wasting, meaning their weight is too low for their height. An estimated 41 million children are now overweight. Anaemia among women and adult obesity are also cause for concern. These trends are a consequence not only of conflict and climate change but also of sweeping changes in dietary habits as well as economic slowdowns. The report is the first UN global assessment on food security and nutrition to be released following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , which aims to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 as a top international policy priority. It singles out conflict - increasingly compounded by climate change - as one of the key drivers behind the resurgence of hunger and many forms of malnutrition. "Over the past decade, conflicts have risen dramatically in number and become more complex and intractable in nature," the heads of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said in their joint foreword to the report. They stressed that some of the highest proportions of food-insecure and malnourished children in the world are now concentrated in conflict zones. "This has set off alarm bells we cannot afford to ignore: we will not end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 unless we address all the factors that undermine food security and nutrition. Securing peaceful and inclusive societies is a necessary condition to that end," they said. Famine struck in parts of South Sudan for several months in early 2017, and there is a high risk that it could reoccur there as well as appear in other conflict-affected places, namely northeast Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen, they noted. But even in regions that are more peaceful droughts or floods linked in part to the El Niño weather phenomenon, as well as the global economic slowdown, have also seen food security and nutrition deteriorate, they added. Key numbers Overall number of hungry people in the world: 815 million, including: - In Asia: 520 million - In Latin America and the Caribbean: 42 million Share of the global population that is hungry: 11% - Share of Asia's population that is hungry: 11.7% - Of Africa's: 20% (in eastern Africa, 33.9%) - In Latin America and the Caribbean: 6.6% Malnutrition in all its forms Number of children under 5 years of age who suffer from stunted growth (height too low for their age) : 155 million - Number of those living in countries affected by varying levels of conflict: 122 million Children under 5 affected by wasting (weight too low given their height): 52 million Number of adults who are obese: 641 million (13% of all adults on the planet) Children under 5 who are overweight: 41 million Number of women of reproductive age affected by anaemia: 613 million (around 33% of the total) The impact of conflict Number of the 815 million hungry people on the planet who live in countries affected by conflict: 489 million The prevalence of hunger in countries affected by conflict is 1.4 - 4.4 percentage points higher than in other countries In conflict settings compounded by conditions of institutional and environmental fragility, the prevalence is 11 and 18 percentage points higher People living in countries affected by protracted crises are nearly 2.5 times more likely to be undernourished than people elsewhere This is the first time that UNICEF and WHO join FAO, IFAD and WFP in preparing The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report. This change reflects the SDG agenda's broader view on hunger and all forms of malnutrition. The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition , established by the General Assembly, is lending focus to this effort by motivating governments to set goals and invest in measures to address the multiple dimensions of malnutrition. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017 has been re-geared for the SDG era and includes enhanced metrics for quantifying and assessing hunger, including two indicators on food insecurity and six indicators on nutrition. The heads of agencies issuing today's report are: José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of FAO; Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD; Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF; David Beasley, Executive Director of WFP; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD, José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of FAO, and David Beasley, Executive Director of WFP, during today's report launch.
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Famine
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More Americans couldn’t get enough to eat in 2020, while places like schools, offices and restaurants were closed in initial months of the pandemic
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Zheng Tian's work related to this article was supported in part by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under project #2020-51150-31870 and by the Pennsylvania State University and NIFA Multistate/Regional Research Appropriations under project #NE1749. Stephan J. Goetz receives funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under project #2020-51150-31870 and the Pennsylvania State University and NIFA Multistate/Regional Research Appropriations under project #NE1749. Penn State provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US. The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Americans in households with annual incomes from $50,000 to $75,000 experienced the sharpest increase in food insufficiency when the COVID-19 pandemic began – meaning that many people in the middle class didn’t have enough to eat at some point within the previous seven days, according to our peer-reviewed study that will soon be published in the Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. We also found that food banks, food pantries and similar emergency services helped reduce food insufficiency, especially for middle-income Americans, by the end of 2020. When we averaged Census Bureau survey data collected after April 23, 2020, we saw that food insufficiency rates rose among Americans at all income levels. To be sure, Americans in households earning less than $50,000 annually are the most prone to food insufficiency. That remained true during the initial months of the pandemic when places like schools, offices and restaurants remained closed to restrict the spread of COVID-19. But food insufficiency grew at a high rate for all Americans in households with yearly earnings of up to $75,000 from April to December 2020. The rate rose most sharply – by a half-percentage point from 0.98% to 1.48% – among households with incomes in the $50,000-$75,000 range. This situation is rare in households with incomes above $150,000. That didn’t change during the early months of the pandemic. Separately, we studied whether the presence of more food banks and similar services made a difference in terms of food insufficiency in a given state. We found that it did, because rates fell the most quickly in states with more of those organizations per 10,000 residents. This was especially true for middle-income households earning from $50,000 to $75,000 annually. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, there was widespread concern about food-supply disruptions and the possibility that many more people than usual would have trouble getting enough to eat. After millions of workers were laid off due to lockdowns, often on short notice, widely distributed photos of long lines of cars and people awaiting food donations reinforced these fears. The share of households experiencing food insufficiency subsequently did rise. The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that it increased from 9.5% as of April 23, 2020, to 13.4% as of December 21, 2020. This growth no doubt would have been higher without several short-term policy changes and a series of economic relief and stimulus packages that supplemented U.S. incomes. Food banks and similar organizations also played a role. They helped provide emergency food aid to at least 60 million Americans in 2020, according to Feeding America, the nation’s largest anti-hunger organization. The middle-income people who sought help from food banks and similar organizations may have turned to them because they were less familiar with government benefits than lower-income people. For example, they may not have known at first how to enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. People unaccustomed to needing help making ends meet needed time both to learn about food assistance options available to them, and how to apply, according to news reports. Obtaining emergency food assistance tends to be faster and easier than enrolling in SNAP. It remains unclear whether food banks and similar organizations are cost-effective compared to government-run nutrition programs. Because SNAP distributes benefits through a special kind of debit card accepted by a wide array of retailers, administering the program requires little overhead.
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Organization Closed
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Indonesia’s Most Volatile Volcano Mount Merapi Erupts
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Hot cloud of volcanic materials run down the slope of Mount Merapi during an eruption in Sleman, ... [+] Indonesia, Friday, June 25, 2021. Indonesia's most volatile volcano - Mount Merapi on the island of Java - erupted this morning. Java is Indonesia's most densely populated island and hosts fifteen active volcanoes. Mount Merapi is the most active of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The 2.968-meter (9,737-foot) high stratovolcano has seen increased volcanic activity in recent weeks, releasing plumes of ash high into the air and with a dome of solidified lava growing rapidly on its summit. Sunday morning the lava dome partially collapsed, sending at least seven pyroclastic flows, a mixture of hot debris, lava and gases, 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) down its slopes. Ash from the eruption blanketed several villages and nearby towns, but no casualties were reported. Mount Merapi is one of the sixteen "Decade Volcanoes", volcanoes that can produce large, potentially destructive eruptions in densely populated regions. Merapi's last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people and displaced 10,000, one of deadliest volcanic eruption in recent years. PROMOTED Indonesia frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies near an intersection of shifting tectonic plates, including the Pacific plate, Eurasian plate, Australian plate and Philippine plate. As parts of the colliding plates and seafloor are pushed into Earth's mantle and partially melt, blobs of hot magma rise upwards and mix with water and gases released by subducted marine sediments, resulting in highly-explosive volcanic eruptions on the surface.
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Volcano Eruption
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Caldecott Tunnel fire
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The Caldecott Tunnel fire killed seven people in the third (then-northernmost) bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, on State Route 24 between Oakland and Orinda in the U.S. state of California, just after midnight on 7 April 1982. It is one of the few major tunnel fires involving a cargo normally considered to be highly flammable, namely gasoline. At the time of the fire, the Caldecott tunnel complex consisted of three bores side-by-side, each 0.7 mi long (1.1 km). The then-northernmost bore, where the fire occurred, is dedicated to westbound traffic, traveling from Orinda to Oakland. It has a slope of approximately 4.7%, going downhill from the entry portal to the exit portal. Shortly after midnight, a westbound driver drifted out of lane; she was later ruled to have been legally drunk at the time. Her car struck the tunnel wall, stopping in the left-hand (fast) lane almost halfway through the tunnel. The driver got out to inspect the damage. The initial crash created a bottleneck for traffic coming up behind. However due to the late hour of the crash, there were few other vehicles on the road, generally traveling at high speed. A few minutes later, a double tanker (fixed tank plus a trailer-tanker) carrying gasoline arrived at the bottleneck. By chance, there was an empty bus following close behind it. The tanker hit the car, and then braked to a halt almost exactly halfway through the tunnel. The bus hit either the car, the tanker or both; the bus driver was thrown clear of his vehicle and killed. The bus continued driverless along the tunnel and crashed into a bridge column not far outside the exit portal. The driver of the tanker investigated the state of his rig; it was clearly unable to move, the trailer tanker was leaking gasoline into the gutters, and small fires had started around the leaks. He ran downhill and made it safely out of the exit portal of the tunnel. By this time, burning gasoline from the punctured tanker was flowing down the drainage system. The natural draft in the tunnel (and the 4.7% gradient) acted as a chimney encouraging the smoke to flow uphill towards the oncoming vehicles and out of the (eastern) entrance portal. The tunnel ventilation system, which was not switched on at the time of the crash, remained off throughout the event except for a brief period when the level of carbon monoxide exceeded the trigger level. Approximately 20 vehicles entered the tunnel during the next few minutes. Most drivers managed to reverse out, prompted by the smoke moving towards them. However, four vehicles were trapped behind the burning tanker: a private car, a beer truck and two pickups. The two occupants of the vehicle closest to the fire (one of the pickups) began to reverse out, but soon left their vehicle and walked back uphill to warn the road users behind them. Approximately five minutes after the initial crash, one of these pedestrians called for help at one of the emergency telephones. Shortly afterwards, the fire suddenly increased in size and she was overcome by smoke; the tape recording of the call is blank. Farther east, the occupant of the other pickup left his vehicle and ran out of the entrance portal. The two elderly occupants of a private car were overcome by smoke without ever leaving their vehicle. The two occupants of the beer truck were also overcome by smoke, and collapsed and died as they stepped out of the truck cab. [citation needed]
In total, two people died in the initial crash(es), five were killed by the smoke and fire, and two were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. All others escaped unharmed. Unknown to the people fleeing east in the tunnel, there were safe passages at intervals between the tubes; these might have enabled some victims to escape from the fire and smoke, but none of the unlocked doors available were used. [citation needed]
Killed
Injured
The Caldecott tunnel complex has a permanently manned control room, and the vibrations from the initial crash were felt by those within it. [citation needed] The operator could also see the bus on closed-circuit TV when it emerged from the tunnel and crashed into the column. Crews were dispatched from two local fire departments, Orinda and Oakland. Emergency services at the entry (eastern) portal took charge of those evacuated from the tunnel, while the emergency services at the exit portal were able to walk uphill to within a few tens of yards of the fire. [citation needed]
The first concern of the firefighters was to ensure that the gasoline running down the drainage system did not pose an explosion hazard to their firefighting efforts. Unfortunately the valves that should have been used to divert the drainage outfall to a hazardous materials sump were corroded and non-functional, and the gasoline went into a nearby lake. [citation needed]
Firefighting at the site in the tunnel began at 1:30 am once the potentially explosive atmosphere at the lake was under control. However, the heat of the fire had seriously affected the integrity of the tunnel firemain, and the water pressure was insufficient to support a hose stream. In the absence of an effective means of fighting it, the fire was allowed to burn out and the remnants were extinguished with foam and dry powder. The Stop message was issued at 2:54 am. The fire burned for between twenty-eight and forty minutes, during which time most of the 8,700 U.S. gal (33,000 L) of gasoline carried by the truck were consumed. About 250 U.S. gal (950 L) were either discharged into the drainage or recovered from the tanker. [citation needed]
All the heat and smoke from the fire went uphill towards the eastern entry portal. There was no fire damage west (downhill) of the fire site. [citation needed]
Brass vehicle components at the tanker melted, indicating that temperatures were over 1,800 °F (980 °C), but no examples of melted copper (melting point 1,981 °F (1,083 °C)) were identified during the clean-up operations, indicating that the maximum temperature was within this range. The tiles and grout on the walls of the tunnel were damaged and spalled by intense heat all the way to the entrance portal, 1,720 ft away (520 m). Over the first 750 ft (230 m) east of the fire site, there was spalling of the concrete false ceiling and of the concrete walls behind the tiles. Spalling stopped at the steel reinforcement bars, approximately 3 in (7.6 cm) below the concrete surface.
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Fire
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Israeli-American economist Joshua Angrist wins 2021 Nobel Prize in Economics
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This was not the first time Angrist was nominated for a Nobel Prize, having been among the frontrunners in 2019. Israeli-American economist Joshua Angrist is seen in 2011. Israeli-American economist Joshua Angrist was awarded the 2021 Nobel economics prize together with David Card and Guido Imbens on Monday for pioneering the use of “natural experiments” to understand the causal effects of economic policy and other events. Natural experiments use real-life situations to work out impacts on the world, an approach that has spread to other fields and revolutionized empirical research. The prize, formally known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, is the last of this year’s crop of Nobels . The winners share 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.14m.). Canadian-born Card, 65, a professor of economics at the University of Berkeley, California, received half the prize “for his empirical contributions to labor economics,” the academy said. Angrist and Imbens, the latter of whom is 58 and a professor of economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, shared the other half “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships.” Joshua D. Angrist and Guido W. Imbens have been awarded the 2021 prize in economic sciences “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships.” #NobelPrize — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 11, 2021 “I was just absolutely stunned to get a telephone call; then I was just absolutely thrilled to hear the news,” Imbens said on a call with reporters in Stockholm, adding that he was thrilled to share the prize with two of his good friends. Angrist was the best man at his wedding. Photographs of the 2021 Nobel economics prize winners David Card, Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens appear on a screen during the announcement of the award at a news conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, October 11, 2021. (credit: Claudio Bresciani/TT News Agency/via REUTERS) The three laureates had “provided us with new insights about the labor market and shown what conclusions about cause and effect can be drawn from natural experiments,” Nobel Institute said in a statement, NBC reported. The official Israel Twitter account , run by the Foreign Ministry, congratulated Angrist, 61, on his achievement. Mazal Tov to Israeli-American Joshua D.Angrist on winning the Nobel Prize in Economics! — Israel ישראל (@Israel) October 11, 2021 Angrist was born in Columbus, Ohio, and later made aliyah to Israel. He received his master’s degree and PhD in economics from Princeton University in 1987 and 1989, respectively. He worked at both Harvard University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he remains. Angrist made aliyah in 1982 and lived here until 1985. He later came back to teach in Hebrew University’s Economics Department in 1995-1996. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post in 2006, Angrist explained why he left, saying he “was tired of the situation” in which professors in fields such as computer science and economics were paid the same as professors of literature. “Talented people who might like to work in Israel have to pay a high price for that financially,” he said. “It’s hard to retain people with that kind of system.” “Congrats to MIT’s Prof. Joshua Angrist on winning a share of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for ‘methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships,’” MIT tweeted. Congrats to @MITEcon Prof. Joshua Angrist ( @Metrics52 ) on winning a share of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for “methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships”! — Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (@MIT) October 11, 2021 Throughout his career, Angrist has carried out numerous studies on labor economics and the economics of education, the latter of which saw him conduct studies on schools in Israel, the US, Colombia and Canada. He has also written multiple papers on the subject of the labor conditions in the Israeli-controlled West Bank and Gaza Strip. In 1994, Angrist served on the Finance Ministry’s Working Group on Israeli-Palestinian Labor Market Relations, JTA reported. But what may be his most significant achievement was his contribution to econometrics. “For the most part, in economics, we don’t have laboratory conditions for our studies,” noted economist and former MK Manuel Trajtenberg said. “We have to tease out cause and effect from the data because we don’t have laboratory conditions. But in the late 1980s, Angrist and others – though he was the main contributor – developed a methodology to do precisely that. It’s a huge contribution.” Trajtenberg praised Angrist for his achievement. “He certainly deserves it,” he said. “It’s a great honor for Israel that he won the Nobel Prize.” Angrist’s wife, Mira, in an interview with N12 following the announcement, said she and her husband are Israelis “with every bone in their bodies.” “We met in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem after he made aliyah... our lives are run between Israel and Boston... We’re very excited right now,” she said. Angrist’s son, Noam, has also worked in the field of economics and education. He is the co-founder of Botswana-based NGO Young 1ove and is a fellow at the University of Oxford. Additionally, he has worked with several units of the World Bank. “So proud of my dad who just won” the Nobel Prize, Noam tweeted. “Can’t wait for a good dinner later.” SO PROUD OF MY DAD WHO JUST WON @NobelPrize ! @metrics52 ! Can't wait for a good dinner later — Noam Angrist (@angrist_noam) October 11, 2021 The Hebrew University issued a statement on Monday afternoon, congratulating Angrist. “HU heartily congratulates Prof. Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens, along with David Carr, on being awarded the 2021 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The award was given for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships, and empirical contributions to labor economics, respectively. Angrist spent a good number of years at HU, serving as a senior lecturer in economics from 1991-1995, and as an associate professor at HU’s Economics Department from 1995-1996, before returning as a Lady Davis Fellow in 2004-2005.” Prof. Asher Cohen, president of Hebrew University, said: “Congratulations to Prof. Angrist on being awarded the most prestigious honor in the field of economics – the Nobel Prize. Angrist spent several years teaching at Hebrew University’s Department of Economics. His prize honors us and is a great privilege for the many HU students lucky enough to have learned with him.” Angrist’s colleague and good friend Prof. Victor Lavy, of Hebrew University’s Bogen Family Department of Economics, said: “Joshua Angrist is a loyal friend of the State of Israel and of Hebrew University. For decades now, he has been my research partner and a close personal friend. I’m so happy for him and proud of his amazing achievement.” Angrist has maintained an active career, continuing to write papers and teach seminars, as well as releasing a Q&A video series through Marginal Revolution University regarding common questions and misconceptions about economics, which can be seen on YouTube. This was not the first time Angrist was nominated for a Nobel Prize, having been among the front-runners in 2019, alongside fellow Israeli Elhanan Helpman, the Associated Press reported at the time. Angrist is also the 13th Israeli to have won a Nobel Prize and the third to have won it in economics. The other two are Daniel Kahneman, who won in 2002 for integrating insights from psychology into economics, and Robert Aumann, who won in 2005 for his work on game theory.
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Awards ceremony
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Trapped for 2 weeks, 11 workers rescued from gold mine in China
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Eleven workers trapped for two weeks inside a gold mine in China were brought safely to the surface on Sunday, a landmark achievement for an industry long blighted by disasters and high death tolls. State broadcaster CCTV showed workers being hauled up one-by-one in baskets, their eyes shielded to protect them after so many days in darkness. Some brought their hands together in gratitude, and many appeared almost too weak to stand. They were swiftly covered in coats amid freezing temperatures and loaded into ambulances. Hundreds of rescue workers and officials stood at attention and applauded as the workers were brought up from the mine in Qixia, a jurisdiction under Yantai in the eastern coastal province of Shandong. One worker was reported to have died from a head wound following the explosion that deposited massive amounts of rubble in the shaft on Jan. 10 while the mine was still under construction. The fate of 10 others who were underground at the time is unknown. The cause of the accident is under investigation, but the explosion was large enough to release 63 tonnes of debris that blocked the shaft, disabling elevators and trapping workers underground. Rescuers drilled parallel shafts to send down food and nutrients and eventually bring up the survivors, 10 of whom had been in a lower chamber and one in a separate area slightly closer to the surface. The official China Daily newspaper said on its website that seven of the workers were able to walk to ambulances on their own. Such protracted and expensive rescue efforts are relatively new in China's mining industry, which used to average 5,000 deaths per year. Increased supervision has improved safety, although demand for coal and precious metals continues to prompt corner-cutting. A new crackdown was ordered after two accidents in mountainous southwestern Chongqing last year killed 39 miners.
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Mine Collapses
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Philly implements less stringent protocols for COVID-19 school closures
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Regardless of community transmission rates, the health department recommends teachers who aren’t fully vaccinated get tested weekly. and it’s likely setting up testing logistics will take weeks, she said. Still, the changes are designed to keep learning activities uninterrupted as safely possible during the pandemic. “This does not mean that there won’t be COVID in our schools. Community transmission is high enough that some students, staff, and faculty will be exposed at home or outside of the school and could bring it in,” she said. “But with daily symptom screening, one hundred percent masking, contact tracing, and vaccinations, we can stop that person from spreading to others.” In a statement, School District of Philadelphia spokesperson Monica Lewis noted that the new guidelines are consistent with CDC guidance. “Since the very start of the pandemic, the School District of Philadelphia has worked closely with public health experts from PDPH and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to implement extensive health and safety measures in every school to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Lewis said. “Additionally, as science has shown, COVID-19 vaccinations work to mitigate the spread of the virus. That’s why we continue to encourage anyone who is eligible to be vaccinated to do so.” Asked about potential plans to test unvaccinated students weekly, Lewis pointed out that the health department’s recommendation says “when possible,” and said the district will continue to work with the department and CHOP to see how it can implement safety measures to mitigate the spread of COVID. Philadelphia School District parent Joanne Weill-Greenberg welcomed the new guidelines. She said the previous guidance all but ensured that school buildings would regularly close, since six COVID cases triggered a shutdown “whether the school had 500 kids or 25 kids.” Now she thinks her two daughters, who attend Cook-Wissahickon School and the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, have a better chance of remaining in the classroom. “I want to make sure that the schools have enough rapid tests and that the school nurses have the support they need, but I think [the new guidelines] do a lot more to ensure that our kids stay in school this year,” she said. “The last 18 months were catastrophic.” But Stefanie Marrero, a mother of four district students, thinks relaxing the guidelines for closures is “not the way to go.” With the more highly transmissible delta variant spreading, “I think it’s more important than ever not to fall back on these guidelines but actually to enforce them a lot more.” Marrero said she and her husband both became sick with COVID earlier this year, and her firsthand experience with the virus has made her more vigilant. Her three youngest children attend Richmond Elementary, one of the schools that is currently closed due to multiple positive COVID cases.
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Organization Closed
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2017 Quebec floods
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Spring snowfall and heavy rain caused floods in southern Quebec on 3 May 2017. In total, 5,371 residences were flooded, 4,066 people were forced from their homes, and 261 municipalities were affected, largely in the Outaouais Region, the Greater Montreal Area, the Montérégie, the Mauricie, the Gaspésie and the Côte-Nord regions. The floods were listed as the third most significant weather event of 2017 by the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. [3]
Montreal and Laval then declared a state of emergency over the flooding. [4]
While rising water levels due to melting snow and ice is common in the spring, cool weather and large spring snowstorms added to the issue. The March 2017 North American blizzard added another 70 centimeters of snow along the Saint Lawrence River Valley. This issue was exacerbated by heavy rain in April and early May 2017. Montreal alone received 156 millimeters of rain in April, twice the monthly average and nearly beating the record of 159 mm from 2005. In the beginning of April, rising temperatures led to melting snow, which increased water levels in the Chaudière River. On 10 April, Quebec Route 276 was briefly closed between Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce and Saint-Joseph-des-Érables due to flooding, and minor flooding was reported in communities in the watershed. [5]
In the Eastern Townships, several communities were affected by the floodwaters, closing roads in ten municipalities, including Danville, Lingwick, Saint-Ludger and Ayer's Cliff, with the communities of Asbestos and Weedon being the worst hit. [6]
On 30 April, the level of the Saint-Maurice River began to rise, causing concern among the public. The rising floodwaters washed out portions of Quebec Route 155 (one of the only links between the towns of La Tuque and Trois-Rivières) and the road between La Tuque and the Atikamekw community of Wemotaci. [7] Route 155 remained closed to traffic until 8 May, when it was reopened to all but heavy vehicles. Until this point, people traveling between La Tuque and Trois-Rivieres needed to drive through the Saugenay Region, then down to Quebec City and Autoroute 40, which tripled the amount of travel time. Flooding began in the Outaouais region on 20 April, when the Ottawa River flooded areas of Pontiac, while the Petite-Nation River flooded roads in the town of Saint-André-Avellin. Surrounding towns of Ripon, Cayamant, Duhamel, Gracefield, Montpellier and Waltham also experienced flooding, isolating some residents. [8]
Portions of Quebec Autoroute 50 were flooded on 7 May after nearly two feet of rain over the proceeding two days. Emergency work by Transports Quebec reopened two lanes of the three-lane highway by 9 May. [9] The closure of Autoroute 50 and surrounding flooding caused both the federal government and provincial government to close their offices in Gatineau, rather than have employees risk coming in. [10]
Transport Quebec closed several roads on 7 May, including the Galipeault Bridge, due to rising water levels. [4]
The Ottawa River crested on 8 May for most citizens in the Ottawa River Valley, specifically between Mattawa and Hawkesbury, Ontario. In Gatineau, the river reached a level of 45.08 meters, down 10 centimeters from previous reports. The local fire department in Gatineau rescued and evacuated approximately 533 people, with the Red Cross providing shelter for close to 1000. [11]
In Ottawa, Mayor Jim Watson said that 346 residences had been flooded in the city, with 90% of them found in West Carleton-March Ward. [12]
As of 10 May, the Canadian military had stationed 2,200 troops in Quebec, as well as dozens of military boats, helicopters, armoured vehicles and engineering equipment, and a naval frigate,[13] HMCS Montréal. [14]
Towns between Montreal and Ottawa, faced flooding near the end of April. This area is where the Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River meet, and includes Lac Saint-Louis, Lac Saint-François and Lac des Deux-Montagnes. The town of Rigaud declared a state of emergency on 20 April to deal with rising floodwaters, calling for the evacuation of 470 households. The hardest hit areas on the Island of Montreal were communities close to the Rivière des Prairies, including Pierrefonds-Roxboro and L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève
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Floods
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PMA and United Fresh Produce Association To Merge in 2022
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Two of the most influential trade associations in the produce industry, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and United Fresh Produce Association, will soon become a single organization. The Boards of Directors for the both organizations say the new association launches January 1, 2022. In the remaining months of 2021, they’ll operate independently. Many details still need ironing out. To that end, the staffs and Board members will spend this year building out the new organization and sharing expertise. They will also jointly promote each other’s events and programs. Expect to see a plan for governance, membership structure, volunteer leadership, and a 2022 business plan during the fall months, 2021. In 2022, the two current CEOs, Cathy Burns (PMA) and Tom Stenzel (United Fresh), will jointly lead the merged association. In 2023, Stenzel plans to step down as co-CEO, leaving Burns to pick up the reins as CEO on her own. PMA created a page on its site answering questions about the merger. Some highlights include: As for the changes to come, Burns and Stenzel created a list of strategic commitments they’ll follow for the new association: “Through my 28 years of service to our industry, I have long recognized the potential synergies of our groups building something powerful together,” Stenzel says in the release announcing the new organization. “It is gratifying to me several years before my retirement to find a strong and committed partner in Cathy who also believes in this shared vision.” “We, along with our talented teams, look forward to leveraging our strengths to serve our diverse and complex supply chain,” Burns says.
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Organization Merge
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Volcanic activity has been reported for Mount Ili Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara
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Volcanic activity has been reported for Mount Ili Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) Darwin on 29 November 2020, 1020h. This volcanic activity is reported based on aerial, satellite and/or ground observations. According to Indonesia's Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG), the eruption column of Mt. Ili Lewotolok on Sunday, 29 November 2020, at 0845h was observed to be 4000m above the peak (5423 m above sea level). The ash column was observed to be gray with thick intensity towards the east and west. This eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 35 mm and a duration of 600 seconds. Based on the currently available data, it is estimated that a total of 487,833 people (108,408 households) and $1.38 Billion (USD) of infrastructure* are exposed to the hazard; 12,526 people (2,784 households) and $32.6 Million (USD) of infrastructure* of which are within 10 km-radius and more likely to be adversely impacted, and that 132,491 people (29,442 households) and $362 Million (USD) of infrastructure* of which (*cost represents that total replacement value of the infrastructure) are within 10-30 km-radius from the volcano. Regarding the situation of volcanic activity, PVMBG recommends that people around Mound Ili Lewotolok and anyone who wants to climb to not stay or do activities within the danger zone, around mountain craters, and in all areas within a radius of 2 km from the summit of the volcano. Indonesia's Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB) noted that to date, PVMBG has recorded three volcanoes with the status of the highest Alert Level (IV). The three volcanoes are Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, Mount Merapi on the border of Yogyakarta and Central Java and Mount Karangetang in North Sulawesi. According to PVMBG, Mount Ili Lewotolok has been in Alert Level II status since 7 October 2017. The increase in status was triggered by an increase in volcanic activity in the form of significant seismicity, especially local tectonic earthquakes, deep volcanic and shallow volcanic since mid-September 2017. The BNPB is still coordinating with relevant authorities to assess the impact of the eruption. The Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI) team identified the urgent need at this time--masks (5000) and shelter for residents who are displaced. The AHA Centre will continue to monitor for further developments and issue necessary updates as additional Information becomes available by official sources.
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Volcano Eruption
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Act now to avert disaster in drought-hit East Africa, aid agencies say
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NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - East Africa could suffer a repeat of a 2011 famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people unless foreign donors stump up funds to help drought-hit communities in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia now, aid agencies warned on Thursday. More than 15 million people across the Horn of Africa are struggling to access basics such as food and water after consecutive poor rainy seasons destroyed their crops and left reservoirs and rivers dry, British charity Oxfam said. A famine in Somalia in 2011 caused by drought and war killed more than 260,000 people. “We cannot wait until images of malnourished people and dead animals fill our television screens. We need to act now to avert disaster,” said Oxfam’s regional director for the Horn of Africa Lydia Zigomo in a statement. “Once again it is the poorest and most vulnerable who are bearing the brunt.” Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia are among the countries suffering increasingly erratic weather linked to climate change. The resulting dry spells have destroying crops and pastures, leaving animals starving and pushing millions of people to the brink of extreme hunger. Drought is affecting more than eight million people in Ethiopia, more than five million in Somalia and more than 1.5 million in Kenya, said Oxfam. The plea came after the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) warned last month of a worsening crisis in Somalia, where more than a million people had been forced to leave their homes following the failure of the last two rainy seasons. “UNHCR and humanitarian partners fear that severe climatic conditions combined with armed conflict and protracted displacement could push the country into a far bigger humanitarian emergency,” said UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch. Following the 2011 famine, donors including the United States, Britain and the European Commission rallied speedily to avert a famine when the next drought struck East Africa in 2017 - providing almost 75 percent of the $1.8 billion needed. But two years on, Oxfam said donors had met just 35 percent of the $2.4 billion needed. Local aid agencies in Somalia said they were struggling to support drought-hit communities with limited resources. “We are face-to-face with this crisis every day and scraping together all possible resources to ensure the best possible response,” said Halima Adan, deputy director of Save Somali Women and Children. “Without enough funds and the right kind of support, our hands are tied.”
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Famine
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Ahead of the curve: Factors in political change
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The evacuation of US and coalition troops and civilians from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover in August prompted us to examine other episodes of regime change and how equity markets reacted. Markets track and react to what is dominating the news agenda. The Afghanistan pull-out that began in February 2020 and concluded on 30 August 2021 fuelled global media attention. It also influenced asset allocation decisions for retail and institutional investors. We looked at the lessons from three big regime changes over 30 years: the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Kosovo War and the Arab Spring. We found that, during the transition of power over a six to 19-month period: • Defensive stocks, specifically the quality sub-factor (high gross profits to assets) tend to outperform; • Risk-on stocks, notably small cap and high volatility, underperform; • US and European investors take a risk-off approach during periods of global political turmoil. The periods included the six months from August 1991 to January 1992 during the collapse of the Soviet Union; the 14 months from May 1998 to June 1999 in the Kosovo War, and the 19 months from January 2011 to July 2012 during the Arab Spring. In the US and Europe, high gross profits to assets (the quality sub-factor as defined above) stood out for outperformance, and high volatility and small cap for underperformance. Figure 1 shows average monthly returns in these periods, compared with the wider market. Across these periods, several quality sub-factors did well. In the US, the average month return for quality was 22bps. In Europe it was 13bps. For volatility, the average month return in the US was -13bps and in Europe it was -2bps. High-volatility stocks during the Kosovo War first lost ground and then recovered. If the Kosovo War is ignored, European high-volatility stocks lost about 25bps per month during the collapse of the USSR and the Arab Spring. When it comes to small cap, US average month returns decreased by 18bps and Europe dropped by 20bps. However, the standout measure was high gross profits to assets, which consistently generates above-market returns over long periods of time. The underperformance of high-volatility and small-cap stocks during such periods is understandable: investors move away from higher risk investments during periods of uncertainty. Examples of high-quality stocks are UPS and SAP, while the ranks of low-volatility large-cap stocks include Nestlé and Microsoft. Examples of high-volatility stocks are Airbus and Disney. Figure 2 shows how each of these sub-factors performed throughout each of the periods we examined. When it comes to emerging markets, we should not expect them to react in the same way as US and European markets. The performance of factors in emerging markets differs from US and European counterparts almost 90% of the time. What about value and growth? We can expect quality stocks to outperform long term, but when it comes to value and growth the story is more mixed. A regime change or transition of power does not cause notable outperformance from value or growth. However, the rising-interest-rate environment that we find ourselves in does have an impact. Rising interest rates have traditionally provided a boost to value stocks but our research has found that value will only outperform long term if rates rise quickly enough. In the US that means the 10-year rate rising more than 5% in one month and in the UK the minimum rate is around 20%. Rising interest rates will also contribute to a growing risk-off mentality, which will be a boost to larger-cap stocks. By the same token, smaller-cap stocks, that often carry more risk for investors, will likely underperform. Q3 factor performance In terms of timing, over the periods in question it took several months for these impacts to materialise. This means it is still too early to tell how the Afghanistan withdrawal will play out. We tracked the performance of factors over the third quarter of 2021, which coincided with the withdrawal process and the first few weeks of Taliban control. The US saw outperformance of quality, large-cap and low-volatility stocks. This indicates a continued preference for defensive stocks. Momentum stocks also showed outperformance over the quarter. Recently these stocks have been tied to quality stocks more than either value or growth, since quality stocks have had more consistent positive performance (momentum) than value and growth which have continued to move back and forth. Across the quarter, the value/growth seesaw continued. Value was market-like in July, lost in August and gained in September. Growth was market-like in July, gained in August and was mixed in September. Quality achieved mixed performance in September, but we expect to see this improve in the coming months. In Europe, stability-quality measures outperformed while quality profit and leverage measures underperformed or tracked the market. Value was down, and growth was up until September when value outperformed and growth lagged the market by about 70bps (except for forecast growth, which outperformed by 70bps in September). UK interest rates rose for the quarter, but especially in September when they went from 0.6% to 1%. This rise is consistent with value’s outperformance in September. Like in the US, value’s outperformance was not enough to turn the entire quarter in value’s favour. At the time of writing, the political situation is still in a state of flux and the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is deteriorating. In response to geopolitical conditions such as these, investors in Europe and the US tend to become more risk averse. There are also other headwinds in play, such as the spectre of rising interest rates. Longer term, it would not be surprising to see similarly defensive investment choices, supporting quality and suppressing risk-on decisions. When it comes to value and growth, it’s interest rates that will decide. Damian Handzy is head of research and applied analytics at Investment Metrics and James Monroe is senior consultant
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Regime Change
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Oklahoma earthquake swarms (2009–present)
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The Oklahoma earthquake swarms are an ongoing series of human activity-induced earthquakes affecting central Oklahoma, southern Kansas, northern Texas since 2009. Beginning in 2009, the frequency of earthquakes in the U.S. state of Oklahoma rapidly increased from an average of fewer than two 3.0+ magnitude earthquakes per year since 1978[9] to hundreds each year in the 2014–17 period. Thousands of earthquakes have occurred in Oklahoma and surrounding areas in southern Kansas and North Texas since 2009. [10] Scientific studies attribute the rise in earthquakes to the disposal of wastewater produced during oil extraction that has been injected more deeply into the ground.
Two of the most significant earthquakes in these swarms were the November 5, 2011 Prague earthquake east of the Oklahoma City area and the September 3, 2016 earthquake near Pawnee, north of Prague. The 2011 Prague earthquake, at reported magnitude 5.6, was at the time the strongest recorded earthquake in the history of Oklahoma. [13] The 2016 earthquake was initially reported to be an identical 5.6 magnitude,[14] but this was later upgraded to 5.8, making it the strongest earthquake on record. Simultaneously, the USGS upgraded the magnitude of the Prague earthquake to 5.7. Numerous seismologists had advised local residents of an even greater risk of earthquakes in 2014, by which time the number of earthquakes had increased to a dangerously high level. In response to the major increase in earthquakes in the Central United States, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) began developing a new seismic hazard model to account for risk associated with induced seismicity. By June 26, 2014, no fewer than six individual earthquake sequences in Oklahoma had been identified and named by the Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS). [17] Other swarms have been observed in south-central Kansas and North Texas. In March 2013, a peer-reviewed paper published by a research team led by seismologist Katie Keranen at the University of Oklahoma in the scientific journal Geology reported that "the volume of fluid injected into the subsurface related to the production of unconventional resources continues to rise" and that there was a link between the "zone of injection and the seismicity" potentially triggering the Prague earthquake. On March 28, 2016 the USGS released the USGS National Seismic Hazard Map which concluded that the primary cause of the earthquake in Oklahoma in 2011 was pressure on fault lines from cumulative effects of injecting oil drilling wastewater under high pressure into the underground. Although the 2011 earthquake was the largest on record until that time, the USGS reported that the central and eastern U.S. (CEUS) had undergone the most dramatic increase in seismic activity in the United States since 2009 with an average of 318 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 a year up from 24 a year from 1973 to 2008. In 2015 there were 1,010 earthquakes in the CEUS region. By mid-March 2016, there were already 226 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and larger in the CEUS. [21]
The first earthquake known to have occurred within the boundaries of Oklahoma since the state was established occurred in September 1918 when a series of shocks was felt in El Reno, Oklahoma, the strongest of which was an estimated intensity V on September 10. On September 27, 1929, another tremor of intensity VI was centered in the same area and was felt in central and western Oklahoma; minor damage occurred in nearby areas and one chimney fell. The total affected area was approximately 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi). [22]
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake had occurred near El Reno on April 9, 1952 at 10:29 a.m. CST (16:29 UTC). At the time, it was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma. Most of Oklahoma was affected, as were parts of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas. Damage was not extensive, but local residents were alarmed, and several thousands of dollars in damage occurred. Chimneys were toppled, walls were cracked, windows were broken, and bricks were loosened from buildings. In Oklahoma City, a crack measuring 15 meters (49 ft) was found in the State Capitol following the earthquake. The earthquake, which occurred along the Nemaha Fault, had a maximum intensity of VII near the epicenter.
Scattered earthquakes occurred in Oklahoma between 1952 and 1969 with intensities as high as VII. [22] Between 1978 and 2008, the average long-term rate of earthquakes was approximately two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater per year. [10] However, in 2009, this number jumped to 20 with the beginning of several swarms of earthquakes in Oklahoma. [9] Research suggests that most of the significant earthquakes in Oklahoma since the 1930s may have been induced by oil production activities, primarily waste-water disposal. [24]
The average number of earthquakes between 1978 and 1999 was 1.6 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher per year. This average dropped even lower between 2000 and 2008, with no year ever having more than three earthquakes of greater than or equal to magnitude 3.0 during the period. However, totals well above the 1978–2008 averages were recorded in 2009, with 20 earthquakes with magnitudes of at least 3.0 recorded. [9] By the end of the year, Oklahoma County had seen its most active earthquake year since 1889, as recorded by the Oklahoma Geological Survey. [25]
Earthquakes continued in 2010, with numerous earthquakes occurring in Central Oklahoma;[26] among these is an earthquake which took place on October 13 in the vicinity of Norman. With a USGS-assigned magnitude of 4.4 Mw, it resulted in two fall-related injuries, and the USGS received felt reports from seven states. [28] The year ended with an annual statewide total of 43 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater.
A rise in seismicity in Oklahoma was observed in 2011. Early on the morning of November 5, 2011, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 struck an area east of Oklahoma City roughly centered between Sparks and Prague. At the time, it was the strongest earthquake associated with the rise in Oklahoma's seismicity. Less than a day later at 10:53 p.m., a 5.6 Mw earthquake occurred near the location of the preceding 4.8 magnitude earthquake, becoming the strongest earthquake observed with any of the swarms as well as the strongest earthquake in the history of Oklahoma. This also resulted in the reclassification of the magnitude 4.8 earthquake as a foreshock and the 5.6 magnitude earthquake as the mainshock. [29] The earthquake received over 66,000 "Did You Feel It?" responses nationwide sent to the United States Geological Survey. [30] It was believed that the earthquake had occurred along the Wilzetta Fault, also known as the Seminole Uplift. Following this earthquake, several portable seismograph stations were established by the USGS, OGS, and University of Oklahoma School of Geology and Geophysics to aid with detection of future earthquakes in the area. [13] The 5.6 Mw mainshock was followed by a magnitude 4.8 aftershock slightly under two days later, and numerous other aftershocks occurred in the following months. [31][32] Through the end of 2011, 64 earthquakes were recorded, nearly double the number recorded for 2010. [9]
2012 saw a decrease in seismic activity in Oklahoma when compared to 2011, with a recorded annual total of 35 earthquakes magnitude 3.0 or greater, 29 fewer than recorded in the previous year.
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Earthquakes
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Southall rail crash
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The Southall rail crash occurred on 19 September 1997, on the Great Western Main Line at Southall, west London. An InterCity 125 high speed passenger train (HST) failed to slow down in response to warning signals and collided with a freight train crossing its path, causing seven deaths and 139 injuries. The signaller was unaware that the automatic warning system, which warns drivers of adverse signals, had been turned off in the cab of the express, and had set a route which would stop the express and allow the freight train to cross in front of it. If he had known, he would have been prevented from setting a conflicting route under the operating rules. The passenger train operating company had contravened the rules in failing to inform Railtrack and the signaller that the safety system was inoperative. [1] The HST driver, Larry Harrison, did not apply the brakes until it was too late because he was packing his bag and did not see the cautionary signals. He was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence but the case collapsed. Great Western Trains, whose managing director survived the crash in one of the most badly affected carriages, was fined for failure to ensure High Speed Trains had their automatic warning system working during long journeys. The collision occurred as the 10:32 Great Western Trains (GWT) InterCity 125 HST returned from Swansea toward London Paddington. The train was formed of Class 43 power car 43173, eight Mark 3 carriages and power car 43163 and the driver boarded the train at Cardiff. The first driver found that a fault with the Automatic Warning System (AWS) prevented the brakes from releasing (a recurrence of the previous day but the whole system had not malfunctioned since December 1996) so he isolated (disabled) it at 06:00, which was not reported to the signaller and to Railtrack — required by the Rulebook to enable extra signalling precaution. [1] The train driver passed two warning signals (a double yellow followed by a single yellow) without slowing the train down, and only reacted by applying the emergency brake when the red danger signal came into view. [2]
As the tracks straightened ahead of the HST, the driver saw the Hanson-operated Class 59 locomotive 59101 a mile in the distance, moving "at a funny angle" and realised that it was crossing his path (the Up Main line). The freight train, which was formed of 20 empty bogie hopper wagons, was coming from London on the Down Relief line toward the north side, and had been signalled to cross the main lines at Southall East Junction on its way into Southall Yard on the south side. A collision was now inevitable. The HST was travelling at 125 mph (201 km/h) when the driver saw the danger signal, so even though he applied the emergency brake the collision occurred at more than 80 mph (130 km/h). [1][2]
Alan Bricker, the driver of the freight locomotive, observed the approaching HST and expected it to stop, but was alarmed by its speed and apparent brake application. He was praised for trying to accelerate his train out of its path of the HST. The later accident report found that:
Seven passengers died; six at the scene and one in hospital. [1]
The driver said he was aware of the isolated AWS and refers to putting items in his bag before the incident twice in his tape-recorded conversation with signallers at the nearest trackside telephone:
"I'm okay, yeah, I was just putting me stuff away in the bag the A, the A, the, the AWS has been isolated because some, some brake problem, I believe, so, I had no AWS so, I put me stuff away in the bag and the next thing I knew, I was coming up against red, up, such coming through, through...Through Southall, yeah"... ..."I was just putting me stuff away in the bag, like I would normally do, you see. (signaller: Right.) And all of a sudden I was whizzing through Hayes with a red at Southall (signaller: Right.) I see the slow train crossing over then"[1]:Annex 08
He did not see the preceding signals; functioning AWS would have given him an audible warning that he was running towards a signal at danger and needed to start braking. [1] Failure to press the AWS cancelling button to acknowledge the warning would have caused the emergency brake to apply. Automatic Train Protection (ATP) equipment would have almost certainly prevented the accident. The train was fitted with ATP but this was switched off. The equipment, both at trackside and in the London-end power car was fully operational, but was not switched on because neither drivers Harrison nor Tunnock were then qualified to drive with ATP. The AWS had been reinstated at the depot overnight without the mandated electrical tests on it being carried out. [1]:Paragraph 6.26 If the AWS or the ATP equipment on the HST had been working, the chance of the accident occurring would have been highly unlikely. Since 1996 such trains have had their minimum number of drivers cut to one per journey and the driver admitted a lack of focus. [1]
Following this accident and the Ladbroke Grove rail crash, First Great Western (as GWT had become) required all its trains to have ATP switched on. If the equipment is faulty the train is taken out of service. It emerged after the incident that the reset switch of the warning system had contamination on its electrical contact surfaces which rendered its performance intermittent, hence its disabling at Oxford the day before the crash. [1]
The HST driver, Larry Harrison, was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence but the case collapsed. [4] GWT was fined £1.5 million for not having a system to ensure HSTs were not operated for long journeys with AWS inoperative. [5]
The action of the signaller in stopping a high-speed passenger train to allow a slow freight train to cross in front of it has been criticised. However, this is standard procedure when regulating trains to minimise overall delay; there was no reason for the signaller to expect that the HST driver would not stop at the red signal protecting the crossover. At the time there was no requirement for the signaller to have been informed that the HST was in service with its AWS isolated. The rulebook was altered to cover this;[6]
"Driver.....if you become aware that the AWS has become defective when it is required to be in operation, you must.....tell the signaller"
The key point identified in the report was that drivers had become increasingly reliant on AWS with single-manning and high speeds, and that it was no longer acceptable to run trains at full speed if the equipment was inoperative. The rulebook was changed,[6] so that if AWS is isolated the train may only run at high speed with a competent person accompanying the driver in the cab. This person must have full knowledge of the route and know how to stop the train;
"If a competent person is provided....proceed at normal permissible speed to the location where the train can be dealt with. During poor visibility, the train speed must not exceed 40 mph (65 km/h)"
or
"If a competent person is not provided...proceed at a speed not exceeding 40 mph (65 km/h), or any lower permissible speed that may apply, to the location where a competent person is available or to the location where the train can be dealt with"
Among survivors in the two most severely stricken coaches in front of the buffet car were Richard George, then managing director of GWT, who played a valuable role in establishing calm, and four injured members of staff in the buffet car, who quickly organised help for passengers. [1] After the completion of the inquiry, power car 43173 was scrapped at a remote site, MoD Shoeburyness. In 2003, a memorial plaque was unveiled at WikiMiniAtlas51°30′20″N 0°22′42″W / 51.5055°N 0.3782°W / 51.5055; -0.3782.
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Train collisions
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1945 Anti-Jewish riots in Egypt
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The Balfour Day riots, took place between 2 and 3 November 1945. The riots began as anti-Jewish demonstrations on the 28th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. Rallies were organised by the right-wing Young Egypt Party and Hassan al-Banna's Muslim Brotherhood. Five Egyptian Jews and one Muslim policeman were killed in Alexandria, hundreds were injured in both Alexandria and Cairo, and an Ashkenazi synagogue was burned down. The Greek Orthodox patriarchate, Catholic churches and a Coptic school were also damaged in the riot. The police reacted quickly but were unable to prevent much of the violence. However further demonstrations planned for the following day were largely suppressed.
Following the riots, King Farouk of Egypt denounced the violence and met with Rabbi Chaim Nahum, whilst Prime Minister Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha also denounced the violence and visited a number of the riot sites,although Nukrashi cast blame on Zionists for having "provoked such violent reactions"
Gudrun Krämer writes that: "Yet in spite of the Balfour Day riots of November 1945 and some isolated incidents occurring in their wake, the mass of the Egyptian population did not show signs of anti- Jewish feeling. The anti-Zionist campaign of militant nationalist and Islamic groups with its anti- Jewish overtones did not seem to affect the general public, nor did it lead to any government action directed against Egyptian Jews. "
Numerous acts of violence against Egyptian Jews followed in the later years, including the 1948 bombings of Jewish areas, which killed 70 Jews and wounded nearly 200, while riots claimed many more lives. In 1949, a bombing in the Cairo Jewish quarter killed 34 and wounded 80. During the 1950s, the Jews of Egypt were subjected to political instability due to ongoing Israeli-Egyptian conflict (particularly the Suez Crisis) and suffered sporadic violence, leading to the exodus of most of the community.
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Riot
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LOOK: Yam Concepcion, Miguel Cuunjieng wed in New York
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Yam Concepcion has tied the knot with her longtime non-showbiz boyfriend Miguel Cuunjieng on Sunday, July 25 (Saturday, July 24 in the USA) in New York, USA. According to ABS-CBN News reporter MJ Felipe, the couple “exchanged ‘I do’s' in an intimate civil ceremony attended by family members and close friends.”
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Famous Person - Marriage
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Biggest Celebrity Breakups of 2020: Olivia Wilde & Jason Sudeikis, Kelly Clarkson & Brandon Blackstock & More
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This year we've witnessed several celebrities end their romantic relationships. Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis shocked fans when they announced their split after nine years together. Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich had a whirlwind romance that resulted in an engagement but fizzled out after approximately six months of dating. Meanwhile, amid the coronavirus pandemic , Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock hoped things would work out between them, but quarantine only made things worse . After much consideration, Clarkson filed for divorce in June. Karamo Brown and Ian Jordan , another fan favorite couple, were forced to postpone their wedding due to COVID-19 restrictions, but ultimately decided to completely call things off. Here are some of the biggest breakups and most shocking splits of 2020. Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
The “Since You’ve Been Gone” singer filed for divorce from Blackstock in June after six years of marriage. The pair shares two children; River, 6, and Remington, 4. Shortly after the news of their separation was announced, a source told ET that the two “had been having problems for several months and were making a conscious effort to work things out.”
They hoped “quarantining away from L.A. in Montana would help them work things out in their marriage, but instead the change in environment was actually detrimental,” the source added. "The constant time together seemed to make an already challenging situation worse," the source explained, adding, "Kelly knew she just needed to follow her heart and finally realized divorce was her only option." The two are now involved in a legal battle, with Blackstock requesting that Clarkson pay him $436,000 a month for spousal and child support, as well as $2 million to cover his attorney's fees. In the meantime, Clarkson has won primary custody of their two children. Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis
Steve Granitz/WireImage
News of the couple ending their engagement came on Nov. 13, with a source sharing some insight with ET about why they broke up after nine years together. The Booksmart director and the Ted Lasso star began dating in November 2011, with Sudeikis proposing in late 2012. The actors are parents to two children; son Otis, 6, and daughter Daisy, 4. "There was absolutely no drama or scandal, they just didn’t work as a couple anymore,” the source told ET . “Of course their kids are their number one priority and at the forefront of any decision they make," said the source. A second source, who's close to Wilde, told ET that the actress and Sudeikis' split "was completely mutual," adding that "nothing dramatic happened. They just fell out of love in a romantic way, but still have love towards one another as people.”
Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for March For Our Lives, Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
This whirlwind romance started in March when fans first noticed the two getting flirty on social media. They finally made things Instagram official in May when they confirmed their relationship by posting a video of themselves in Bieber and Grande's "Stuck With U” video. After five months of dating, the two got engaged in July . However, by September, they had called it quits. "It was a tough decision, but Demi and Max have decided to go their separate ways to focus on their respective careers," a source told ET at the time. "They have respect and love for one another and will always cherish the time they spent together." Things didn't end so well after the actor claimed he learned their engagement was off through tabloids. However, a source told ET that Ehrich was told the relationship was over before the news of the split was made public. "Demi and Max’s relationship shifted once the couple got back to work and were separated," the source explained to ET in late September. "Max is in Atlanta working on set and Demi is in L.A. The couple is used to being together and the separation made [them] realize they were moving too fast." Not only did the distance cause problems, but the source also shared that Lovato felt like her former fiancé "wasn't being honest about things" at times. Karamo Brown and Ian Jordan
Karwai Tang/Getty Images
The Queer Eye star revealed in late September that he and longtime partner Ian Jordan had quietly split just three months before. During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Brown explained that he and the director split after 10 years of dating and that there was no cheating involved. The two got engaged in May 2018, and ET was exclusively at sbe's HYDE Sunset in Los Angeles at the time, where Brown popped the question . In May of this year, Brown re-proposed after their wedding was postponed and Jordan lost his engagement ring. The couple had planned to tie the knot this summer, though it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Brown revealed to Ellen guest host Stephen "tWitch" Boss that the wedding was completely off. "We were together for 10 years, and we broke up about three and a half months ago," Brown said. "We're still good friends. It's very nice when it's like, 'I still love you and support you.' I want him to be happy, he wants me to be happy." Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers
Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
In July, the pair -- who got married in 2010 -- announced that they were separating after 13 years together. The two share daughter Harper, 6, and son Ford, 3, and are still in the middle of their divorce process. "Thirteen years as best friends, soulmates, partners and then parents. It has been an incredible journey, but together, we’ve decided to turn the page and move on from our marriage. As we enter into this next chapter, our children and relationship as co-parents and dear friends will remain our priority," they said in a joint statement. "We understand this news lends itself to public dialogue, but in the interest of our children and our family, we’re asking for privacy, compassion and love during this time." In September, Hammer admitted that his separation hasn't been easy. "I don’t think you’ll find anyone in the world who would ever say what I’m going through is an easy thing to go through," he said in an interview with GQ . "It’s not about whether it was your idea or not, or whether you think it’s the right idea or you don’t. Either way, a separation like this is a seriously seismic event in someone’s life." Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly
Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The country-singing duo went their separate ways after three years of marriage. On July 3, the musicians -- who tied the knot in Tennessee in October 2017 -- announced that they had split. According to court docs obtained by ET, Musgraves filed for divorce on July 2, citing irreconcilable differences. “With heavy but hopeful hearts we wanted to put our own thoughts into the air about what’s happening," the two said in a joint statement given to ET. "These kinds of announcements are always met with scrutiny and speculation and we want to stop that before it even starts." "We believe that we were put into each other’s lives for a divine reason and have both changed each other infinitely for the better," the announcement continued. "The love we have for each other goes far beyond the relationship we’ve shared as husband and wife. It’s a soul connection that can never be erased." The country singers noted that the breakup was a joint decision and that they will "remain true friends" forever. Musgraves and Kelly continue to support each other via social media. Christina Anstead and Ant Anstead
Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
The Flip or Flop star first announced their separation on social media back in September, sharing that she and Ant had come to the “difficult” decision to separate, but remained focused on co-parenting their 1-year-old son, Hudson . “Ant and I have made the difficult decision to separate,” she wrote. “We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority. We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future.”
In October 2017, Ant -- an English motor specialist and star of Ant Anstead Master Mechanic -- called Christina on the phone to ask her out. The two wed in December 2018 and welcomed Hudson on Sept. 6, 2019. In November, Christina officially filed for divorce after less than two years of marriage. Scott Disick and Sofia Richie
Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Wynn Nightlife
After three years of on-and-off dating, the two officially called it quits this year. In August, ET learned that the 37-year-old reality star and the 22-year-old model were no longer together, with Disick focusing on his family and business ventures. Rumors of their split were first reported in May, which came shortly after Disick checked himself in and out of rehab. However, the two were spotted celebrating the Fourth of July together, making fans wonder if they were back on. These days, it appears as if the father of three has moved on. Most recently, he’s been spotted with Amelia Hamlin , the 19-year-old daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin. Miley Cyrus and Cody Simpson
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy, Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
This unexpected twosome called it quits in August after less than a year of dating. Cyrus and Simpson coupled up in October 2019, after her brief romance with Kaitlynn Carter, which came following her split from then-husband Liam Hemsworth. A source told ET just weeks before Simpson and Cyrus broke up that the former Hannah Montana star’s "divorce from Liam and her new relationship with Cody was a whirlwind of change for her, but in true Miley fashion she has come out on top," before describing Simpson as "lots of fun and a good friend to Miley." The two ended on good terms, with Cyrus later releasing a statement about how they have been "friends for 10 years" and would continue to be so. "Today, it came out that me and my boyfriend have broken up. It was confirmed by a ‘reliable source’ even though no one is reliable in a relationship except the individuals who are participating in it," Cyrus wrote. "But right now, two halves can’t make a whole and we’re individually just working on ourselves to become the people that we wanna be, like everybody else at this age. We are just deciding who we wanna be with our lives, what we wanna do with our lives, and so, don’t make it some drama story if next week we’re out hanging out, getting pizza. We’ve been friends for 10 years and we’re going to continue to be friends, so just don’t make it something that it is not." Darius Rucker and Beth Leonard
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
The couple went their separate ways after 20 years of marriage. The country singer and his wife announced that they decided to "consciously uncouple" in a joint statement released in July. "Beth and I would like to share that after much reflection we have made the decision to consciously uncouple," the statement began. "We remain close friends and parenting partners and continue to be each other’s biggest cheerleaders." "Our priority will always be our beautiful family. We have so much love in our hearts for each other and will continue to encourage growth and expansion in one other. Please be kind as we take on this journey, and we thank you for your love and support always. -- Darius & Beth Rucker," the two concluded. Rucker and Leonard met in 1998 when she was working for VH1 and Rucker was touring with Hootie & the Blowfish. The two got married in 2000. They are parents to 19-year-old daughter Daniella and 15-year-old son Jack. The country superstar is also father to 25-year-old daughter Carolyn, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Ann Phillips. Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich
GETTY
The former Dancing With the Stars pro and her ice hockey husband announced their separation in May after three years of marriage. Rumors of a breakup surfaced after the couple -- who tied the knot near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in 2017 -- decided to quarantine separately amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Hough staying in Los Angeles, while Laich traveled to their place in Idaho. A source told ET that the two had been experiencing marriage problems well before their announcement. "It has taken Julianne and Brooks some time to find the right moment to announce their split," the source said. "They haven't been happy together for a long time but needed to come to terms with the fact that their marriage was over." While they attempted to work on their marriage , even spending a weekend together at a lake house in September, ET confirmed in November that Hough officially filed for divorce . Hough cited irreconcilable differences in her filing, and according to court documents, the two had a prenup. Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green
Charley Gallay/WireImage
The stunning twosome called it quits in May after 10 years of marriage. Fox and Green share three sons together; Noah, 8, Bodhi, 6, and Journey, 4. "Neither one of us did anything to each other. She's always been honest with me. I've always been honest with her," Green revealed shortly after they separated this earlier year. "We've had an amazing relationship. I will always love her. And I know she will always love me and I know as far as a family what we have built is really cool and really special." The Jennifer’s Body star previously filed for divorce from Green in 2015, but the following year she became pregnant with their third child and confirmed that they had reconciled . In April 2019, Fox officially filed to dismiss her divorce case against Green. The actress has since moved on with Machine Gun Kelly , and officially filed for divorce from the Beverly Hills, 90210 star in November. Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy
Amy Graves/WireImage
The fashion designer split from the French banker in May after five years of marriage and eight years together. A source told ET at the time that the breakup was "brutal." Upon separating, Olsen filed an emergency order to petition for divorce , claiming Sarkozy was trying to force her out of their New York City apartment. The two maintained a relatively private relationship , making only a handful of public appearances together over the years. In October, according to ET's source, Olsen was back in New York City and staying in the Upper East Side after spending time in the Hamptons over the summer. "She's doing great and seems happier than she's been in a long time," the source shared at the time. Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart
Getty Images
Rumors of the Riverdale co-stars going their separate ways after nearly three years together surfaced in May. Months after the rumored breakup, Reinhart came out as bisexual, sharing in an interview that she's always known she was attracted to women.
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Famous Person - Divorce
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Crevalcore train crash
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The Crevalcore train crash was a major railway accident which occurred on 7 January 2005 on the Verona–Bologna railway, Italy, killing 17. It was one of the worst accidents in the recent history of the state railway company Ferrovie dello Stato. In the accident, a cargo and a passenger train collided in dense fog after the passenger train's driver passed two red signals, possibly as a result of an unwarranted assumption by the driver that the line was clear, despite the warning signals. Cargo train n.59308, engine FS Class E652.100, left Rome in the morning of 7 January, headed to San Zeno-Folzano with a full load of girders. At the time of the accident, it was traveling at a speed estimated below 30 km/h on a single-rail stretch in the Verona-Bologna line near the abandoned station of Bolognina di Ronchi di Crevalcore. [1]
The area was covered by a dense fog, a common condition especially in winter in the Po valley. Visibility was estimated at 50 metres or less. At 12:53 Intercity 2225, a commuter passenger train, having left Verona at 11:39 and heading to Bologna, collided head-on at high speed with the slow moving cargo train, breaking up on impact. The passenger cars were lifted by inertia and piled up on top of each other. Some of them suffered extensive damage even though they were all MDVE class, a very widespread Italian steel-framed design which has proven itself safe since the early 1980s. [1]
The passenger train engine left the rails, leaving the first car fully exposed to the cargo train locomotive. The second car came to rest in an almost vertical condition. Two hundred rescuers were dispatched to the disaster. The fog, low visibility, and muddy soil impaired rescue efforts. Throughout the rescue operation, ambulances had to be towed by tractors provided by local farmers. Early assessments led to estimate 13 deaths – including the four drivers of the trains – and over 60 injured. Five passengers had to be hospitalized in critical conditions. A toll-free number for relatives to receive information on victims and wounded was established. Fifty people escaped the crash unscathed and were brought to Crevalcore by a bus provided by the comune. They later reached their destination by another train. [1]
Local supermarkets set up a canteen service for the hundreds of rescuers and provided first necessities for survivors. In the end, 17 were killed and more than 65 injured. Among the victims were all four train conductors (Vincenzo De Biase and Paolo Cinti from the Intercity, Equizio Abate and Ciro Cuccinello from the cargo). The cargo engine had to be demolished in place, along with some of the cars. The eeriness of the disaster scene, along with the severity of the accident, led to psychological distress among both the survivors and the responders. Psychologists were sent to the crash site in order to cope with shocked passengers and firemen. The response to the Crevalcore accident was later used as a case study by Bologna University of Psychology. Survivors' reactions were mixed: some of them displayed disbelief about the happening, while many were shocked into silence. Some exhibited irrational behaviors, such as crying for a miracle, or thanking the Virgin Mary while running in circles. [2]
Feeling of powerlessness on the part of survivors who tried to help the injured was a major cause of post-traumatic disorders. Some survivors experienced "survivor's guilt", believing that they could have given more help. Fog framed a horrific panorama for the firemen and medical personnel reaching the scene. The ghostly wreck – much bigger than expected – emerged from the fog "like a movie scene" (as stated by a rescuer questioned by University psychologists), just four to five meters away from the torn carriages. Rescuers who concentrated intently on their tasks were found to have coped better with the psychological pressure. Some firemen kept working well beyond usual limits, trying to overcome their feelings with excessive work. Less experienced or less well trained rescuers experienced confusion and trauma when confronted with the unexpected enormity of the tragedy; this led to logistic problems, slowing the response. Hallucinations were documented among some responders (for example, a severed human head was seen above the piled up coaches), inducing some cases of mass hysteria. Cries from the injured people were deemed a main cause of psychological breakdowns among the rescuers. [2]
After the Crevalcore accident, new procedures of stress management and psychological counseling were developed to help responders better cope with the consequences arising from this sort of incident, moving from self-managed stress control (such as, for example, relying on the need to keep a "tough guy" stance in front of fellow responders) to a group-based approach (one such approach involves conducting "ceremonies" to help those involved rationalize the shocking experiences). [3]
Almost all the responders, relatives and survivors who experienced mental problems ultimately managed to overcome them with help from counselors. [2]
Train driver Alberto Guerro, a close friend of the cargo train's drivers, hanged himself five days after the disaster. He had already been suffering from post-traumatic depression after being involved in the Lavino di Mezzo (Bologna) derailment more than eight months before, and his friends' tragic endings are thought to have been a factor in his suicide. He is sometime dubbed Crevalcore's 18th victim. [4]
Five years after the disaster, the inquiry established that Vincenzo De Biase, engineer of the passenger train, missed two red signals entering a rail block occupied by the cargo train. In the time when the accident happened, station controllers were not required to alert train drivers by phone in case of unusual crossings and charter trains, although it was a common practice anyway. The conditions for this accident unfortunately occurred soon after a shift change, so the customary phone call was forgotten. De Biase was a very experienced train driver, who had been working for many years on the line. Most likely, according to the inquiry, he ignored the red signals since he had not received an advisory phone call. While fog may have been a factor, it was downplayed in the final inquiry response. Early hypotheses of his being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or being talking on his cellphone, were dismissed after checks.
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Train collisions
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East German uprising of 1953
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The East German uprising of 1953 (German: Volksaufstand vom 17. Juni 1953 ) was an uprising that occurred in East Germany from 16 to 17 June 1953. It began with a strike action by construction workers in East Berlin on 16 June against work quotas during the Sovietization process in East Germany. Demonstrations in East Berlin turned into a widespread uprising against the Government of East Germany and the Socialist Unity Party the next day, involving over one million people in about 700 localities across the country. [1] Protests against declining living standards and unpopular Sovietization policies led to a wave of strikes and protests that were not easily brought under control and threatened to overthrow the East German government. The uprising in East Berlin was violently suppressed by tanks of the Soviet forces in Germany and the Kasernierte Volkspolizei, while demonstrations continued in over 500 towns and villages for several more days before dying out. The 1953 uprising was celebrated in West Germany as a public holiday on 17 June until German reunification in 1990, after which it was replaced by German Unity Day, celebrated annually on 3 October. [2]
In May 1952, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany or FRG) rejected the "Stalin Note", a proposal sent by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin offering reunification with the Soviet-backed German Democratic Republic (East Germany or GDR) as an independent and politically neutral Germany. With the heightened anxiety of the Cold War, Stalin's proposal was met with intense suspicion in the FRG, which instead signed the European Defence Community Treaty that month. After these developments, it became clear to both the Soviet Union and the GDR that Germany would remain divided indefinitely. In East Berlin, General Secretary Walter Ulbricht of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), the ruling party of the GDR, interpreted Stalin's failed attempt at German reunification as a "green light'" to proceed with the "accelerated construction of socialism in the GDR", which the party announced at its Second Party Conference in July 1952. This move to Sovietize the GDR consisted of a drastic increase in investment allocated to heavy industry, discriminatory taxation against the last private industrial enterprises, forced collectivization of agriculture and a concerted campaign against religious activity in East Germany. [3]
The result of this change in the GDR's economic direction was the rapid deterioration of workers' living standards, which continued until the first half of 1953, and represented the first clear downward trend in the living standard of East Germans since the 1947 hunger crisis. Travel costs rose as generous state subsidies were cut, while many consumer goods began to disappear from store shelves. Factories were forced to clamp down on overtime: with restricted budgets, the wage bill was deemed excessively high. [4] Meanwhile, food prices rose as a result of both the state's collectivization policy – 40% of the wealthier farmers in the GDR fled to the West, leaving over 750,000 hectares of otherwise productive land lying fallow – and a poor harvest in 1952. [5] Workers' cost of living therefore rose, while the take-home pay of large numbers of workers – many of whom depended on overtime pay to make ends meet – diminished. In the winter of 1952–53, there were also serious interruptions to the supply of heat and electricity to East Germany's cities. By November 1952, sporadic food riots and industrial unrest occurred in several major GDR industrial centres: Leipzig, Dresden, Halle and Suhl. Industrial unrest continued throughout the following spring, ranging from inflammatory speeches and anti-SED graffiti to alleged sabotage. [4] To ease economic strain on the state caused by the "construction of socialism", the Politburo decided to increase work quotas on a compulsory basis by 10% across all state-owned factories: that is, workers now had to produce 10% more for the same wage. [6] Additionally, there were increases in prices for food, health care, and public transportation. Taken together, the work quota and price increases amounted to a 33 per cent monthly wage cut. [7] The work quota increase would take effect on 30 June, Ulbricht's 60th birthday. While Ulbricht's response to the consequences of crash Sovietization was to tighten East Germans' belts, many East Germans' response was to simply leave the GDR, a phenomenon known as Republikflucht. In 1951, 160,000 people left; in 1952, 182,000; in the first four months of 1953, a further 122,000 East Germans left for the West, despite the now-mostly sealed border. [8]
The new collective leadership in the Soviet Union, established following Stalin's death in March 1953, was shocked by these disconcerting statistics when it received in early April a report from the Soviet Control Commission in Germany which provided a detailed, devastating account of the East German economic situation. [9] By 2 June, the Soviet Union leadership issued an order "On Measures to Improve the Health of the Political Situation in the GDR", in which the SED's policy of accelerated construction of socialism was roundly criticised. The huge flight of all professions and backgrounds from East Germany to the West had created "a serious threat to the political stability of the German Democratic Republic." To salvage the situation, it was now necessary to end forced collectivisation and the war on private enterprise. The Five-Year Plan now needed to be changed at the expense of heavy industry and in favour of consumer goods. Political-judicial controls and regimentation had to be relaxed, and coercive measures against the Protestant Church had to cease. In addition, Ulbricht's "cold exercise of power" was denounced. However, there was no explicit demand to reverse the highly unpopular increased work quotas. The Soviet decree was given to SED leaders Walter Ulbricht and Otto Grotewohl on 2 June, the day they landed in Moscow. Soviet Premier Georgy Malenkov warned them that changes were essential to avoid a catastrophe in East Germany. [10]
On 9 June, the SED's Politburo met and determined how to respond to the Soviet leadership's instructions. Although most Politburo members felt the announcement of the "New Course" required careful preparation within the party and the population at large, Soviet High Commissioner for Germany Vladimir Semyonov insisted it be implemented right away. [11] Thus, the SED fatefully published the New Course programme in Neues Deutschland, the official party newspaper of the SED, on 11 June. The communiqué dutifully criticised the mistakes made by the SED and announced that most of Ulbricht's Sovietization campaign would now be reversed, as instructed by Moscow. There was now going to be a shift towards investment in consumer goods; the pressures on small private enterprise would end; forced collectivisation would cease; and policies against religious activity would be discontinued. But, crucially, the work quota increase was not revoked, representing a threat to the legitimacy of a Marxist-Leninist state that claimed to represent its workers: the bourgeoisie and farmers stood to benefit far more from the New Course than the proletariat. The communiqué and its forthright admission of past mistakes shocked and confused many East Germans, both SED members and the wider populace. Disappointment, disbelief and confusion pervaded local party organisations, whose members felt panicked and betrayed. The wider populace viewed the New Course as a sign of weakness on the part of the East German regime. [11]
On 12 June, the next day, 5,000 people participated in a demonstration in front of Brandenburg-Görden Prison in Brandenburg an der Havel. [12]
On 14 June, more confusion followed as an editorial in Neues Deutschland condemned the new work quotas, yet news articles in the same issue praised workers who had exceeded them. On 15 June, workers at the Stalinallee "Block 40" site in East Berlin, now with higher hopes about the cancellation of increased work quotas, dispatched a delegation to East German Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl to deliver a petition calling for their revocation. Grotewohl ignored the workers' demands. [12]
An article in the trade union paper Tribune restated the necessity of the 10% work quota increases; evidently, the government was unwilling to retreat on the issue, despite the new quotas' widespread unpopularity.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Esperanza Fire
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The Esperanza Fire was a large, wind-driven, arson-caused wildfire that started on October 26, 2006, in a river wash near Cabazon, California, west of Palm Springs, California. By October 29, 2006, it had burned over 41,173 acres (166.62 km2) (or 61 square miles (160 km2)) and was 85% contained. On October 30, 2006, the fire was fully contained. Five firefighters were killed defending a vacant house locally known as the "Octagon" that was ultimately destroyed by the fire: Jason McKay, Jess McLean, Daniel Hoover-Najera, Mark Loutzenhiser, and Pablo Cerda. In June 2009, Raymond Lee Oyler was sentenced to death for starting the fire. The fire was started on October 26, 2006, reported near the intersection of Bonita Avenue and Elm Street in Cabazon at 1:11 a.m. It eventually burned an estimated 40,200 acres (163 km2) before containment. The fire caused the deaths of five firefighters, and destroyed 34 houses and 20 outbuildings, as well as damaging the pavement of State Route 243. [1] The damage the fire caused is estimated at more than $9 million, and was the worst wildfire caused by arson since 1994. [citation needed]
The fire spread rapidly in moderate Santa Ana winds and flammable brush due to the fire's proximity to the Chaparral biome, charring 24,000 acres (97 km2) in 18 hours. In comparison, the Ventura County Day Fire burned 24,000 acres (97 km2) in two weeks. There were reports that smoke from the fire could be smelled as far away as San Diego. [citation needed]
The firefighters who died were overwhelmed by the fire when the winds shifted and blew the fire towards them. They were trying to defend a house above Cabazon, which was ultimately lost. Captain Mark Loutzenhiser, 43, from Idyllwild, California; Fire Engine Operator Jess "Gus" McLean, 27, from Beaumont, California; Assistant Fire Engine Operator Jason McKay, 27, from Apple Valley, California; Firefighter Pablo Cerda, 23, from Fountain Valley, California; and Firefighter Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20,[2] from San Jacinto, California, were killed defending the "Octagon House". [3]
Mclean and McKay died next to their fire engine without having time to enter it. Hoover-Najera's body was found to the west of the structures they were trying to protect. The surviving two firefighters were transferred to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center where Loutzenhiser succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving. Cerda died at 5:08 p.m. PST on October 31, 2006 in Arrowhead Regional Medical Center from his injuries. On October 26, 2006, FEMA announced it would pay 75% of the costs associated with fighting the fire. [1] The following day, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Riverside County and ordered flags at the California Capitol building and all California Department of Forestry stations to be flown at half-staff. Firefighters from as far away as Alameda County worked to control the blaze. A nearly $600,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist(s). Several government as well as private agencies donated to this reward. The State of California, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, and Tim Blixseth, a Coachella Valley logging industry magnate, each donated $100,000. The Riverside County Sheriff Department's Central Homicide Unit arrested Raymond Lee Oyler, a mechanic from Beaumont, on October 31, 2006, for setting two wildfires in the summer of 2006. Inside his car, authorities found a wig, latex gloves, cigarettes, black spray paint and a partially burned slingshot that was used to launch incendiary devices into the brush. His DNA was found on two cigarette butts used in other nearby wildfires. Oyler's girlfriend told police that he had bragged about setting fires and had complained that they weren't big enough. She threatened to leave him if he didn't stop, so he quit for six months, Hestrin said. "[4]
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced on November 2, 2006, that Oyler also was charged for his involvement with the Esperanza Fire. [5] Overall, he was charged with almost two dozen counts of arson and 17 counts of setting fires with an incendiary device. Prosecutors alleged that Oyler had set as many as 25 fires throughout the San Gorgonio Pass during the summer of 2006. The fires combined and became more difficult to extinguish. He used a combination of matches and cigarettes to start a fire in Cabazon at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains. [6] "The defense conceded that Oyler set 11 fires, just not the 2006 Esperanza fire that killed five firefighters. "[4]
On November 11, 2006, it was announced that Oyler was also a suspect in the 2003 Old Fire. [7] However, another person was later convicted of setting that fire. After a week of deliberation, a Riverside jury on March 6, 2009, found Oyler guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of the five firefighters killed in the Esperanza fire. On May 9, 2007, Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco said that he planned to seek the death penalty against Oyler. [8] On June 5, 2009, Oyler was sentenced to death for starting the 2006 Esperanza fire. [9]
The California Office of Emergency Services requested NASA support, and in under 24 hours the General Atomics Altair (NASA variant of the Predator B) was launched on a 16-hour mission to map the perimeter of the fire. The Altair had just returned from a test mission a day before the Esperanza Fire started. The fire mapping research is a joint project with NASA and the US Forest Service.
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Fire
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New Brunswick miner dies in workplace accident at Ontario mine
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HALIFAX -- The Ontario Provincial Police has confirmed a New Brunswick man has died in a mining incident near Thunder Bay, Ont.
Officers with the Thunder Bay detachment of the OPP responded to a report of a mining incident at the Impala Canada mine, located on Highway 527, north of Thunder Bay, shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Police say a man died as a result of injuries he sustained underground. He has been identified as 64-year-old Edward Gallant of Dunlop, N.B.
Impala Canada has also released a statement, confirming the man’s death.
“At approximately 2:30 PM on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 an individual, employed by a contractor to LDI, passed away as a result of injuries received in an accident underground,” said Erin Satterthwaite, the vice-president of corporate affairs and communications for Impala Canada, in a statement.
“Workers in the area and mine rescue responded, the individual was transported from the LDI mine site via ambulance and was declared deceased by the Superior North Emergency Medical Service.”
Satterthwaite said operations have been suspended in the area, which is secured.
“We are deeply saddened by this most unfortunate accident. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of everyone at LDI,” said Satterthwaite in the statement.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased. Grief counselling is available for employees and contractors.”
The OPP, the ministry of labour, and the regional coroner's office are jointly conducting an investigation into the incident.
RELATED IMAGES
The Ontario Provincial Police has confirmed a New Brunswick man has died in a mining incident near Thunder Bay, Ont.
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Mine Collapses
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Henan Airlines Flight 8387 crash
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China's Henan Airlines Flight 8387 Overshoots Runway Killing 42
August 25, 2010 -
On Tuesday China's regional airline, Henan Airlines, Flight 8387 (VD
8387) had departed Harbin Taiping International Airport, Harbin, China
to Yichun Lindu Airport,
Yichun, China crashed. On board the Embraer E-190 aircraft were 91 passengers and 5 crew. About 9:30 AM, on approach to Yichun Lindu Airport, the pilot, Captain Qi Quanjun under heavy fog acknowledged to air traffic control that he
had the airport and runway lights. The Embraer E-190
aircraft touched down 3,300 feet from the landing threshold and as a
result overshot the runway. The Embraer E-190 crashed, caught on fire
and 42 passengers were killed. The fire was so intense that little of
the fuselage remains. Wreckage debris was scattered across the airport
and it had been reported that some passengers were ejected from the
aircraft upon impact. Some of the killed
passengers were found 65 to 100 feet from the plane's wreckage in a
muddy field. The majority of the passengers that were killed were seated
in the rear of the aircraft. Those passengers that survived the crash
are reported to be in good condition although all surviving passengers
were brought to area hospitals. The pilot survived the accident,
although he sustained heavy facial injuries. Passengers
reported the aircraft landed rear first and it was a hard landing,
before the landing many passengers reported that when they looked
outside their passenger window they could not see anything. Some of the
survivors reported they escaped through a hole in the front of the plane
and the aircraft had broken into two pieces. Crew members immediately
began searching for survivors through heavy smoke inside the aircraft. Rescue operation
lasted for around eight hours. Personnel at the scene shifted their
focus today clearing the wreckage. Flight 8387 was the first major
commercial airline accident in China for nearly six years. The
Chinese government and the aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, have
investigators at the crash site. The aircraft flight recorders were
recovered at the scene and sent to
Beijing
for analysis. It is not clear
what caused the accident however industry experts have indicated that a
night landing under heavy fog should not have been allowed at this
airport and that pilot error will most likely be one of the contributing
factors. In 2009, China?s third largest airline, Southern Airlines
decided it would not allow any night flights into Lindu Airport due to
concerns of the airport's surrounding terrain, runway lighting and
weather conditions. Li Jian, deputy director at the Civil Aviation
Administration of China, disagrees the airport is unfit for night
flights. The Embraer E-Jet
is a narrow body, twin engine, and medium range aircraft produced by
Embraer. The aircraft has a good track record for safety. However, in
the past Henan Airlines, then called Kunpeng Airlines previously
reported to Embraer, General Electric and officials from CAAC problems
with faulty data readings showing up in their flight control systems. Grab this Headline Animator
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Air crash
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Lawyer Steven Donziger gets six-month sentence for contempt in Chevron battle
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Judge orders prison for indigenous rights campaigner despite UN experts’ opinion that his treatment broke international law Last modified on Fri 1 Oct 2021 19.54 BST Steven Donziger, the US indigenous rights campaigner and lawyer who spent decades battling the energy firm Chevron over pollution in the Ecuadorian rainforest, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment on Friday for criminal contempt charges arising from a lawsuit brought by the oil giant. Donziger, who was disbarred from practicing law in New York last year, was found guilty in May of defying court orders, including by failing to turn over his computer and other electronic devices. Friday’s sentence, handed down by federal judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan, came a day after he asked the court to consider an opinion by independent United Nations experts that found his court-ordered home confinement of more than two years was a violation of international human rights law. The UN experts’ opinion said the US breached international law by putting Donziger under house arrest for about four times the maximum sentence of six months that he has now received in his contempt case. The experts, appointed by the Geneva-based UN human rights council, said that “the appropriate remedy” would be to “accord [Donziger] an enforceable right to compensation”. Amnesty International also petitioned US authorities “to promptly implement the decision by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention calling for the immediate release of Steven Donziger”. While Preska was not bound to consider the UN experts’ testimony that Donziger had been unlawfully confined, she imposed an unexpectedly tough sentence. “It seems that only the proverbial two-by-four between the eyes will instill in him any respect for the law,” she said from the bench. Donziger was charged in August 2019 with criminal contempt and placed under home detention to address concerns of flight risk. Five months ago, the judge found him guilty for “repeatedly and willfully” defying court orders. The criminal case turns on a ruling from an earlier, 2014 civil case in which a Manhattan judge barred US enforcement of a $9.5bn judgment against Chevron Corp that Donziger had won in the Ecuadorian courts in 2011. Chevron has never paid up, claiming “shocking levels of misconduct” and fraud by Donziger and the Ecuadorian judiciary. In the US, a judge agreed and said the Ecuadorian decision had been secured through bribery, fraud and extortion. Donziger was ordered to turn over his computer, phones and other electronic devices. That later escalated into a criminal case when he failed to do so. In an interview with the Guardian in March, Donziger described how his crusade against Chevron on behalf of indigenous people affected by oil pollution in the Amazon rainforest had turned and that he had become the victim of a “planned targeting by a corporation to destroy my life”. Friday’s decision is likely to raise condemnation of Donziger’s treatment by US authorities. In March, he claimed he was being tried “by a Chevron-connected judge and prosecuted by a Chevron-connected lawyer? It’s just wrong,” Donziger said. “This is all part of a plan concocted by Chevron to dismantle my life. They want to do this to avoid paying up and to turn me into a weapon of intimidation against the whole legal profession.”
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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Iran Air Flight 291 crash
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Iran Air Flight 291 was a flight that crash landed on January 21, 1980. The flight, carried on a Boeing 727-86, was making a flight from Mashad Airport to Tehran-Mehrabad Airport in Iran. At 19:11 local time, the plane crashed into the Alborz Mountains, 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of Tehran, during its approach to Tehran-Mehrabad runway 29 in foggy and snowy weather conditions. [1] All 8 crew members and 120 passengers died in the incident, and the plane was destroyed. [2] At the time, Iran Air Flight 291 was the deadliest aircraft disaster in Iranian history. Investigators concluded that the probable cause of the crash was believed to be an inoperable instrument landing system and ground radar. [1] The head of Iran's Civil Aviation Authority and five other officials were charged with manslaughter[3] as a result of the crash of Flight 291.
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Air crash
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Air Caribbean Flight 309 crash
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Air Caribbean flight 309 was a domestic, non-scheduled airline flight by Puerto Rican airline Air Caribbean, which on September 26, 1978, crashed as it was preparing to land at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (then known, unofficially, as Isla Verde International Airport) in San Juan, after a flight from Ramey Air Force Base (what is now known as Rafael Hernandez Airport) in Aguadilla, killing all six occupants of the aircraft and injuring several customers of a Barrio Obrero bar over which the airplane fell. [1]
Air Caribbean flight 309 took off from Aguadilla airport and had an uneventful flight for about 25 minutes before it got to San Juan. The flight that day was being carried on a Beechcraft D18S which was owned by Puerto Rican businessman and pilot Francisco Cruz, who sometimes leased this airplane, registered as N-500L, to Air Caribbean. N-500L was a small propeller airplane with a capacity for 10 passengers; on the fateful day it was carrying five passengers and a crew member, pilot Jerry Cannon. About the same time as Air Caribbean flight 309's take-off, Eastern Airlines flight 75, performed on this date by a Lockheed L-1011 "Tri-Star" jet, was approaching Puerto Rico to land at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, then known as Isla Verde International Airport instead. Right about that time (18:00 local standard time, or 6:00 PM) patrons were arriving at a local bar in Barrio Obrero, a Santurce area near the international airport, to enjoy drinks and socialize during the rest of that afternoon and ensuing night. The two airplanes almost collided over San Juan. Minutes before, Flight 309 announced that they were just past Dorado Airport, where they would have had to report because they were flying under visual flight rules, and were over Levittown instead. Pilot Cannon could not contact Dorado Airport because his airplane's approach frequency was inoperative; he phoned the local air controllers from his airplane instead. [2]
Eastern's flight 75's approach was begun over the Atlantic Ocean; the airliner was flying on instrument flight rules. At 18:41, about 5 minutes before flight 309's crash, Cannon was advised as to the position of the Eastern L-1011, which San Juan controllers had observed go down to 3,000 feet and place itself directly behind flight 309, with about two minutes of distance separation between the two aircraft. Because of the difference of speed at which the two airplanes were coming, there was now a danger that the two airliners would collide. Pilot Cannon acknowledged having the Eastern L-1011 in sight. He was heard saying "Yeah, I got him" to San Juan control tower, referring to the Eastern jet. At 18:42, the smaller aircraft was told by the controllers to head in a southeast direction at 130 degrees in order to let the Eastern airplane overpass the Air Caribbean one, at the same time the controllers warned the Air Caribbean plane about the possible effects of wake turbulence. [2]
A few seconds later, controllers turned their attention to the Eastern L-1011, telling them that Air Caribbean flight 309 would now be following them for final descent. The L-1011 had by now descended to 1,400 feet, its speed lowered from 220 knots to about 146 knots, while the Air Caribbean aircraft was at 110 knots, which caused the Eastern L-1011 to delay its overtaking of the Puerto Rican airliner until now. At 18:43, pilot Cannon told controllers that he had lost sight of the Eastern jet. The airplanes were so close, however, that an Eastern pilot who was riding jump-seat on the L-1011 later testified he could see the Beech's passengers' silhouettes from his vantage point. [2] This closeness between the two airplanes is considered to have caused hazardous wake turbulence that Air Caribbean flight 309 had then to overcome. The wake turbulence led pilot Cannon to lose control of the Beech aircraft. That and the fact he was flying at under 1,000 feet at the time of the crash meant he had no time to recover and the airplane he was flying plummeted into the local bar near Residencial Las Casas, killing him and all five passengers aboard, and injuring several patrons at the bar, including a local mechanic identified by the press as Luciano Rivera. [3]
The Eastern Air Lines airplane landed safely at the airport, with no injuries reported among the crew and passengers on that aircraft. Family members of those killed in the crash and some of the injured at the bar filed a class act lawsuit against Air Caribbean, Eastern Airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration, Francisco Cruz and Cornhill Insurance (which represented the Lloyd's of London firm in this case). Ultimately, Eastern and the FAA admitted liability and settled with the claimants for an amount of $5,690,000.00 dollars. [2]
The accident occurred only one day after the accident of PSA Flight 182 in San Diego, California. Had Eastern flight 75 and Air Caribbean flight 309 collided, it would have been the second accident of its kind in similar circumstances in American territory on back to back days. [4]
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Air crash
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State investigating officer-involved “critical incident” in Columbia County
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MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -State investigators are looking into an officer-involved shooting in the Town of Scott in Columbia County that occurred Sunday afternoon.
A news release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) said the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is looking into a “critical incident” near Hwy 33 where deputies discharged their weapons after a suicidal subject pointed a weapon at them. The DOJ said deputies, “negotiated with the subject until the subject pointed their weapon at law enforcement. Three deputies then discharged their weapons, striking the subject.”
An EMS crew on standby at the scene took the subject to the hospital. That person’s condition tonight has not been released. No one else was injured.
DCI will lead the investigation. Wisconsin State Patrol and Wisconsin State Crime Lab are helping with the case.
According to the news release, “DCI is continuing to review evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over investigative reports to the Columbia County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.”
This is the second officer-involved shooting in our area Sunday DCI is investigating. Early Sunday morning a Madison Police officer was shot while attempting to arrest a wanted person on State Street.
If you or someone you know is in need of help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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2012 Astrakhan gas explosion
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The 2012 Astrakhan gas explosion occurred on February 27, 2012 at an apartment building in the city of Astrakhan, Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. It was caused by a natural gas explosion. Anzhelika Barinova of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry says another five people are missing after Monday's explosion in Astrakhan, 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) southeast of Moscow. The blast killed at least 10 people and injured 12. [2]
A nine-story apartment block collapsed after a gas explosion. The rescuers battled to find up to 14 people still feared trapped under the rubble. [3]
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Gas explosion
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2018 Molise earthquakes
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The 2018 Molise earthquake hit the Italian regions of Molise on 15 August at 19:15:00 (UTC). The earthquake measured 4.2 on the Richter scale and its epicentre was around a kilometer from the town of Acquaviva di Collecroce, in the province of Campobasso in Molise. First an earthquake of magnitude 4.7 hit the region. The epicenter was recorded 6 kilometers from Montecilfone, at a depth of 19 kilometers. It is the same epicenter of the shock that took place on 25 April 2018. This is the Acquaviva Collecroce area, 35 kilometers northwest of Campobasso. Then the second shock of 2.3. So much fear among the inhabitants but only slight damage found in Montecilfone. Second magnitude shock 2.3. - The second earthquake of magnitude 2.3 has had an epicenter at 5 km southeast of Palata. It took place a few minutes after that of 4.7 with the epicenter of Montecilfone. In San Giacomo degli Schiavoni people poured into the street. The shock was felt throughout the Molise and throughout the Adriatic coast. But there are no damages, in addition to the slight ones detected at Montecilfone, as the Civil Defense was announced. Even firefighters confirmed: the switchboards have received many calls for information, but no request for action. The earthquake with its epicenter in Molise was also felt in Naples, in several municipalities of the province and in other areas of Campania. Reports were made especially by people who are on the upper floors of housing. On 16 August 2018 at 20.19 a short but intense earthquake of magnitude 5.2 occurred. [1] It was followed by several other minor earthquake of replication, with one at 22:22 of magnitude 4.5. The earthquakes had their epicenter in the Montecilfone area. The depth of the earthquake was at 9 kilometers below the surface, and they were felt throughout central Italy, particularly in Abruzzo, Lazio and the Marche, but also in Apulia and Campania. In Naples, there were many fire alarms, but no damage. Fear took hundreds of people out on onto the streets throughout Abruzzo, from Pescara to Chieti, Teramo, L'Aquila, and Vasto. Slight damage was reported to houses in communes near the epicenter of the earthquake at Montecilfone, namely Guglionesi, Palata, Larino, and Tavenna. On 17 August 2018 at 23:17 an earthquake of magnitude 2.4 occurred. The earthquake had the epicenter of the Guglionesi. [2]
On 18 August 2018 at 00:48 an earthquake of magnitude 3.3 occurred. The earthquake had the epicenter of the Montecilfone. [3]
The earthquake swarm continued in Molise. On 19 August 2018 at 23.48 an earthquake of magnitude 4.6 occurred. The earthquake had the epicenter of the Montecilfone area. The Protezione Civile has carried out hundreds of interventions and checks on houses, bridges and roads in areas hit by earthquake. [4]
On 20 August 2018 at 2:07 an earthquake of magnitude 3 occurred. The earthquake had the epicenter of the Montecilfone area. There are about 190 earthquakes located in the area since August 14, of which 22 of magnitude equal to or greater than 2, the strongest of which is of magnitude 5.1 at 20:19 on August 16, 2018. [5]
Following the earthquake in Molise, at Lanciano (Chieti) in Abruzzo, the Ponte Nuovo on the Sangro river was closed by the Protezione Civile. [6]
The section of the state road Bifernina 647 between the two viaducts that overhang the Liscione dam at Guardialfiera (Campobasso) was closed to transit. [7]
On 21 August 2018 at 00:17 an earthquake of magnitude 3.2 occurred. The earthquake had the epicenter of the Montecilfone area. [8]
The water tank of the Municipality of Montecilfone (Campobasso) is dangerous and must be demolished. This is confirmed by Franco Pallotta, mayor of Montecilfone, the epicenter of earthquake. [9]
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Earthquakes
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Indiana Man Arrested for Attempted Santa Monica Bank Robbery
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Santa Monica police arrested an Indiana man who attempted to rob a bank with a shotgun this week. According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on December 8 at around 9:20 a.m., the dispatch received a call of an armed robbery in progress at the Wells Fargo Bank on 170 Pier Avenue. Police say the robbery was reported to involve a male armed with a shotgun. “Santa Monica Police Officers were in the area and quickly arrived on scene. Officers observed the suspect inside a vehicle exiting the bank parking lot. Officers were able to conduct a high-risk traffic stop at the intersection of Neilson Way and Bicknell,” said SMPD Lt. Joseph A. Cortez. “Officers recovered a shotgun from the vehicle.” According to police, the suspect–27-year-old Aaron Koehler-Marsh from Dayton, Indiana–was taken into custody without incident on robbery charges. November 10, 2021 Sam Catanzaro Man listed in stable condition following Monday night incident in Santa Monica By Sam Catanzaro A security guard at a... November 9, 2021 Sam Catanzaro Thursday, November 11 at 11 a.m. in the North Beach Lot 1 By Sam Catanzaro The City of Santa Monica... November 9, 2021 Staff Writer Venice Family Clinic and South Bay Family Health Care, which have together provided more than a century of health care... November 9, 2021 Staff Writer Donor also gifts $25,000 to establish a lending library at Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School & $25,000 for SMC... November 9, 2021 Sam Catanzaro Two suspects arrested last week on 17th Street By Sam Catanzaro Santa Monica police recently arrested two suspects caught in... November 9, 2021 Juliet Lemar Construction is currently underway for new protected bike lanes near 17th St / SMC Station. Learn more in this video... November 8, 2021 Juliet Lemar Take a look inside the new Pallet Shelter tiny home structures built on the West LA VA campus. Video brought... November 8, 2021 Staff Writer First responders escorted to safety a 24-foot boat lost in the dense fog off the beach near the Santa Monica-Venice... November 8, 2021 Juliet Lemar Local news and culture in under 5 minutes. * Tom Hanks Crashes Santa Monica Beach Wedding * New Medical Building... November 6, 2021 Staff Writer 7th Street development sees revised plans By Dolores Quintana A developer is seeking to add 20 new units to a... November 6, 2021 Staff Writer By Dolores Quintana Two days ahead of the state’s deadline, the City Council of Santa Monica last month approved the... November 5, 2021 Staff Writer The One pulled from Los Angeles Superior Court foreclosure sale By Dolores Quintana An infamous mega mansion in Bel Air... November 4, 2021 Juliet Lemar The Veterans homeless encampment along San Vicente Blvd has been cleared. Hear from a local Veterans advocate and the VA... November 4, 2021 Staff Writer In honor of the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference this week in Scotland, here is a timely Wake Up... November 4, 2021 Staff Writer Tourism officials look domestically to attract new visitors By Dolores Quintana It may take two years for Santa Monica’s tourism... Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and events in Santa Monica and the surrounding areas!
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Bank Robbery
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Stony Creek pollution from warehouse fire 'as bad as it could be' and no plan yet for clean-up
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Stony Creek pollution from warehouse fire 'as bad as it could be' and no plan yet for clean-up
Anxious residents in Melbourne's western suburbs have demanded Premier Daniel Andrews visit the area to inspect the damage caused by last month's industrial inferno at a West Footscray warehouse.
The Friends of the Stony Creek wrote to the Victorian Premier on Wednesday, saying the creek's entire ecosystem was dead because of contamination from the fire, and local residents had reported headaches, sore throats and itchy eyes.
The fire engulfed a warehouse on Somerville Road on August 31, and took firefighters days to contain.
Firefighting foam and chemicals from the building washed into the waterway, leaving it full of contaminants, and officials do not know how long the clean-up will take or what it will cost.
The group is concerned that neither Mr Andrews nor his environment or health ministers had toured the area.
Victoria's chief environmental scientist Dr Andrea Hinwood said the incident was "probably as bad as it could be" and the chemicals from the fire have had a "massive" impact on the system.
"We've had more than 2,000 fish killed," she said.
Barriers have been placed along sections of the creek to stop oil from leaching further downstream and Melbourne Water has been working along the creek to clear built-up silt. Dr Hinwood said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was waiting on the results of soil testing to understand the extent of the pollution. "We don't really know enough yet about what was there and what has actually happened," she said.
The size of the fire and level of contamination has concerned residents, who are disappointed that senior members of the Government have not offered visible support.
Bernadette Thomas from the Friends of the Stony Creek said locals were feeling ignored.
"We think it's unusual, because it's a major industrial fire, with a massive plume that the whole of the Melbourne metropolitan area could see," she said.
"People have been reporting, and continue to report, headaches, migraines, sore throats, itchy eyes. So they'd like some answers "They are frustrated, they are questioning the trust in our community leaders.
"There's a lot of anxiety out there about continuing and ongoing public health impacts."
Locals have been warned not to let pets or children play in the water.
Steve Wilson, the president of the Friends of Stony Creek, said the water colour has changed dramatically over the last few days. "When I first saw it, it was a bad green and blue, then all this brown stuff came down," he said.
He's been looking after the creek and a nearby recreation area for decades. "It's totally killed off all the vegetation on [the banks of] the creek. The whole ecosystem of the creek has been killed off," he said.
He said it was critical that a proactive rehabilitation plan was put in place. "Unless they do something about it, it's going to take another 10 years just to get back to where we were two days before the fire," he said.
"It's very disheartening."
But Dr Hinwood does not know how long it would take to fix the problem or how much it would cost. "It's a really hard question to answer. There are clean-up efforts ongoing now," she said.
"But I think people who've seen the creek know that there's going to be a lot more work and indeed the approach taken to dealing with it will need to be determined. "Flushing it means it has to go somewhere. So where does it go? How much do you take out and put in the sewer." It is still not clear who will pay for the rehabilitation of the creek.
A police investigation is underway into the cause of the fire, and the EPA has not ruled out prosecuting the owner of the building. With spot fires at the site now out, incident controller Peter Thomas said the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) would hand back control of the warehouse to the owner by the end of the week.
"Over the last two or three days they've been minimal or zero readings of smoke and chemicals," he said.
"There's just a mass of metal and drums in terms of having to clean that up so, it will be quite a long and costly task. We're winding up in terms of decontaminating our vehicles," he said.
The owner, who the ABC revealed is under investigation by the ATO, will have to comply with orders from the Maribyrnong Council, WorkSafe and the EPA about the safety of the building when control is handed back.
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Environment Pollution
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This Is the New No. 1 Cause of Food Poisoning, CDC Study Says
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The foods have led to a surprising number of E.coli and salmonella outbreaks. It's common knowledge that handling or preparing certain foods the wrong way can get you pretty sick if you eat them after. Typically, this involves washing fruit and veggies before cooking them, storing items at the appropriate temperature, and being sure to clean surfaces and your hands when they've been in contact with raw ingredients. But now, a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has uncovered that there may be some new surprising items in your kitchen that could lead to food poisoning. The comprehensive research, released in the CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal on Sept. 8, examined data from the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS) that is used to collect reports of foodborne disease outbreaks from federal, state, local, and territorial health departments across the United States. Researchers tabulated outbreaks recorded between 2007 and 2016, which they describe as "nationally notifiable and defined as two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from ingestion of the same food." Items that were the source of outbreaks were then compared with outbreak data from 1973 to 2006 to determine which "novel" foods were responsible for reported illnesses in more recent years. Results found that there were 36 outbreaks linked to 28 novel foods between 2007 and 2016, with the largest involving 272 illnesses reported across 45 states. The most commonly reported foodborne pathogens were salmonella and E. coli, which were responsible for 53 percent and 14 percent of cases, respectively. The agency also noted that 33 percent of the outbreaks were caused by foods imported from another country, half did not require refrigeration after purchase, and two-thirds did not require cooking before consumption. According to experts, such findings could mean that it may be ultimately tricky or impossible to remove the risk of foodborne illness altogether from some of the items on the list. "I think the main takeaway is to continue practicing good food safety and to be aware of where the foods are coming from," Jennifer Cholewka, the advanced clinical coordinator of metabolic and nutrition support at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, told NBC's Today. "You want to make sure the foods you are purchasing are as fresh as possible." So, which items made the list? Read on to see the newest foods found to cause food poisoning most often, according to the CDC. RELATED: Never Make This One Food With Your Instant Pot, CDC Says. Number of food items that caused outbreaks: 3 Everyone knows how important it is to properly handle your beef, pork, and chicken when preparing them for a meal. But according to the CDC's study, bison, frog, and goose meat were all "novel" foods responsible for outbreaks. While waterfowl like geese and red meat like bison may be obvious red flags for food poisoning, it may come as a surprise that frogs are considered a high-risk food item. "Essentially, all amphibians are contaminated, often with salmonella," Cynthia Sears, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told Today. "Eating any amphibian that is not thoroughly cooked is a risk." Number of food items that caused outbreaks: 3 Vegetables are a vital part of a healthy diet, but they can still harm your body if they're not cleaned properly before consumption. The study found that kale, lima beans, and mini peppers were items that had been responsible for novel outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. To be on the safe side while preparing produce, both the CDC and FDA recommend cutting out any parts of your fruits or vegetables that appear to be bruised or otherwise damaged. "Bruises and cuts may allow pathogens to enter a fruit or vegetable, and damaged produce typically spoils faster," Rebecca Dittmar, coordinator of the Food Protection Management Program at the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences explained in an interview with AgriLife Today. RELATED: If You Notice This on a Potato, Don't Eat It, Experts Warn. Number of food items that caused outbreaks: 4 From berries to bananas, fruits are an essential part of a balanced diet that can be as delicious at breakfast as they are as an after-dinner dessert. However, just because your fruit arrives frozen or processed doesn't mean you're in the clear when it comes to potential food poisoning risks. The study found that apples, blueberries, papaya, and pomegranate were all responsible for outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. According to Claire Panosian Dunavan, MD, a professor of medicine emeritus in the division of infectious diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, the pomegranates noted in the study were linked to a frozen drink mix that used fruits imported from all over the world. "Smoothies are one of the foods that people can get into trouble with," she told Today. "Freezing doesn't kill salmonella or norovirus or various other viruses." For more helpful health information sent straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Number of food items that caused outbreaks: 6 Nuts and seeds are an unsung hero of the dietary world, providing plenty of nourishment as a powerful snack option, an addition to salads, or part of a recipe. But they can also sneakily create a high-risk situation for food poisoning as an item that rarely gets washed during preparation. According to the study, novel foods responsible for outbreaks included pistachios, pine nuts, hazelnuts, and sprouted nuts. RELATED: The One Vegetable You Should Never Eat Raw, CDC Warns. Number of food items that caused outbreaks: 6 Fish may be a fantastic option for healthy eating, but it's also widely known to be a finicky ingredient when it comes to freshness. Unfortunately, according to the CDC, five of the six outbreaks counted in the study were "caused by naturally occurring toxins that cannot be destroyed through cooking or freezing," meaning the ingredients were risky without even being mishandled. The report lists almaco jack, carp, lionfish, monchong, skate, and swai as sources of reported illnesses.
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Disease Outbreaks
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2011 Magallanes protests
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The 2011 Magallanes protests were a series of protests provoked by the rising of natural gas prices in the Chilean region of Magallanes, in January 2011. The conflict ended on January 18, when Laurence Golborne and the Citizens Assembly of Magallanes reached an agreement. On December 29, 2010, the directory of Empresa Nacional del Petróleo (ENAP, National Petroleum Company) faced with high deficits due to subsidies provided to XII Region (Magallanes and Antártica Chilena) gas customers, proposed to increase the price of the natural gas by 16.8% in the region, located in the southern extreme of Chile, where everything requires gas heating because of the extreme climate. [2] The apparent increase in the price was actually the result of a reduction of the heavily subsidised pricing for natural gas for users in this region. ENAP provides subsidies of approximately 80 percent of the delivered cost of gas in this region. As a result, users receive extremely low-cost natural gas, while residential users of natural gas in the Santiago region pay extremely high prices for the same commodity. Empresa Nacional del Petróleo's decision, supported by the President Sebastián Piñera, the Energy Minister Ricardo Raineri, and the Mining Minister Laurence Golborne,[3] prompted a series of protests in that region during the following weeks, including mass mobilisations,[4] and a stoppage in the region's most important cities, such as Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales. [5]
On January 11, the Asamblea Ciudadana de Magallanes (Magallanes Citizens' Assembly) convoked an indefinite strike from that midnight. [6] Two women, Claudia Castillo Campos, 19, and Melisa Silva Ruiz, 23,[7] were killed by a truck during the protests in Punta Arenas that night. [8] The driver of the truck was trying to run through the illegal barricades that were being operated by the persons who were injured. The events took place late at night and involved the serious injury of an unsupervised small child. The parents, who could have been charged with endangering the child, received no legal sanctions. On the same day, more than thirty-one persons were arrested, some while trying to loot, burn, or otherwise destroy public property. Punta Arenas judges ordered the nearly immediate release of almost all those who were caught by the police. [8] After the first manifestations, Carabineros de Chile requested a contingent of Special Forces to control the strike. [9]
During the January 12, the strike continued in the main towns of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, extending itself to the main border crossings with Argentina. More than two thousand cars remained isolated while trying to cross from the province of Tierra del Fuego to the province of Santa Cruz through Chilean territory. Another 1,500 tourists were left without movement in Torres del Paine National Park after routes to Puerto Natales and El Calafate were cut. [10] Actions by the protesters halted buses of people attempting to flee from Chile, leaving them at barricaded locations outside the cities, unable to move except by walking. This "forced march" situation adversely affected many elderly tourists, including those with disabilities, resulting in human rights complaints and well as violations of Chilean national law providing for free passage within the country. The Chilean national police, the Carabineros, refused to act on behalf of the foreign visitors by enforcing the national law, instead leaving these people without access to food or water, stranded without transportation outside the cities. Many elderly and handicapped people were thus forced to walk for up to 20 km. Before the regional protests and rebellion against the law were over, thousands of people had to be evacuated. Some chose to walk from Puerto Natales to the frontier with Argentina, where they were received as refugees, and given assistance to onward travel and other accommodation. Eventually the US Embassy quietly arranged for a cooperative effort involving the Chilean Air Force. Squadron Commander Vegas was credited with a successful airlift of several thousand visitors, with most being delivered to the Punta Arenas airport for onward transportation so that those people could flee from southern Chile. LAN airlines was able to evacuate many of these affected people with flights to Santiago. Although it worked normally, cuts in the route to President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport forced the suspension of Sky Airline and LAN Airlines flights. [10][11]
Prior to the conclusion of the protests, the Interior Ministry invoked the Law of Internal Security of the State, with the intent to begin judicial determination of those responsible for the damages inflicted during the disturbances. The value of the damages varies, but was estimated in the Prensa Austral as being economic damage of approximately US$14 million, with additional damages to the infrastructure of Punta Arenas. The law of Internal Security of the State also provides for the use of the Chilean armed forces in restoring civil order, and the invocation of this law may have played a part in bringing the Asambla Ciudadana de Magallanes to the bargaining table. On January 14, the Minister Secretary General of Government Ena von Baer announced changes in Sebastián Piñera's Government cabinet, including the resignment of Ricardo Raineri as Energy Minister. Laurence Golborne became Mining and Energy Minister, on January 16. [12]
On January 18, an agreement between the Government of Chile and the Magallanes Citizens' Assembly was signed. The government proposed to increase the price of gas by 3%, far less than its originally planned increase of almost 17%. [13] Industries will also be benefited by the agreement. Also, the government proposed to give 17,000 subsidies to the poorest families in the region, which will not be affected by the 3% increase.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Laura Ingalls Wilder and One of The Greatest Natural ...
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Laura Ingalls Wilder and One of The Greatest Natural Disasters in American History
When a Trillion Locusts Ate Everything in Sight
By Caroline Fraser
December 5, 2017
In the fall of 1873, Charles and Caroline Ingalls sold their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, the log cabin where their two oldest daughters had been born, for a thousand dollars. Perhaps they were struggling to pay back debts; perhaps it was simply an offer too good to refuse. Years later, Laura Ingalls Wilder would attribute the decision to the disappearance of game and her father’s distaste for the crowds piling into Wisconsin, where the population had swelled to more than a million. Charles Ingalls never seemed to realize that his ambition for a profitable farm was irreconcilable with a love of untrammeled and unpopulated wilderness. Whatever the motivation, selling a comfortable, established home with plowed fields and a productive garden was a leap into the unknown. It would be repaid with disaster and heartbreak.
In February 1874, the Ingallses headed west in their wagon across the frozen Mississippi River into Minnesota. Charles found a property on Plum Creek, a tributary of the Cottonwood River, and in June he filed a claim on 172 acres. To get title to the land, he would have to stay at least six months, establish a residence, and eventually pay $2.50 an acre—twice the price for ordinary public land, because this property was near the railroad. The land was two miles north of a not-yet-incorporated town, then known as Walnut Station, and later renamed Walnut Grove for its black walnut trees.
The family moved into a dugout already on the property, a cavity scooped out of the creek’s banks. As was customary, the roof had been crafted from a lattice of willow branches with strips of sod laid across the top. As the grass grew together, its thatch formed a relatively sturdy ceiling, but one that could be pierced by an errant ox wandering across the top.
However primitive the accommodations, Plum Creek was a beautiful place. Along the creek bed, clear water meandered over a soft, silty bottom shaded by willows and plum thickets, perfect for wading. Tall-grass prairie spread to the horizon, waving with big bluestem and a riot of summer wildflowers: bergamot, butterfly weed, coreopsis, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan. Butterflies, meadowlarks, and red-winged blackbirds flew among the grasses while badgers lay in their burrows. Beyond the east bank lay a vast flat tableland, the vista topped by a spectacular blue sky studded with distant white.
Laura and Mary were delighted with dugout living and had “wonderful times” playing in Plum Creek. They were proud of their new responsibilities: minding three-year-old Carrie to make sure she didn’t fall in the water and watching for the family cow, brought back each afternoon by a herd boy after a day grazing on the prairie. Their father was busy plowing and digging a well next to the site where he planned to build a house. Charles Ingalls was once again chasing a wheat crop that, he hoped, would put him in the black. Wheat was selling high at the moment, $1.02 a bushel.
But even as the Ingallses were finding a place for themselves in Walnut Grove, there was trouble on the horizon. Ominously, two other men had previously filed claims on the same land, then relinquished it. Neither one had “proved up” by completing the process and paying for the claim. Whether Charles knew it or not, the previous owners may have had good reason to leave the bucolic Plum Creek property.
In June 1873, a year before the Ingallses arrived, a mystifying cloud had darkened the clear sky of southwest Minnesota on “one of the finest days of the year.” Like a demonic visitation, it was flickering red, with silver edges, and appeared to be alive, arriving “at racehorse speed.” Settlers were terrified to realize that it was composed of locusts, swarming grasshoppers that settled a foot thick over farms, breaking trees and shrubs under their weight. They sounded, according to one unnerved observer, like “thousands of scissors cutting and snipping.” A young Minnesota boy was in school with his brother when they heard the locusts coming, around two o’clock in the afternoon. As they started for home, cringing under a hail of falling insects, the boys had to “hold our hands over our faces to keep them from hitting us in our eyes.”
Farmers tried everything to get rid of them, firing guns, building barricades, starting fires, clubbing them off houses. Nothing worked. According to eyewitnesses, a month after they arrived, having eaten everything green, the grasshoppers formed a column and marched off to the east.
During that one month, the locust swarms destroyed more than three million dollars’ worth of crops, including over half a million bushels of wheat. A dozen counties reported damages, including virtually all of Redwood County. Yet though it was a blow to the state’s economy, the lost crops represented only 2 percent of that year’s production. The state wrote it off as a fluke, reveling in a banner year elsewhere.
Charles Ingalls must have heard of the grasshoppers; newspaper columns were full of them. Yet when the Ingallses settled on Plum Creek in 1874, the land was cloaked in spring green. They may have believed, as others did, that the grasshoppers had moved on. In fact, the previous year’s swarm had laid their eggs before departing. While Charles Ingalls plowed his fields, grasshoppers flew and marched in columns again, leaving destitute farmers in their wake with no seed to plant the next season. As with tornadoes, however, devastation was spotty and localized, with locusts touching down like funnel clouds in one place only to leave a neighboring township untouched. Perhaps a fluke of the wind spared Laura’s family their first year.
Losses from the 1874 locust swarm were immense. Twenty-eight counties were affected, more than twice as many as in the previous year. Farmers lost a total of 4.5 million bushels of grain and potatoes, including 2.6 million bushels of wheat. Many of them suffered crop failures two years in a row, leaving them wholly without food. An elderly farmer east of Walnut Grove pleaded with Minnesota’s chief executive as if he were God himself: “Oh, most honorable governor, I hope you will help us poor old mortals.” A girl wrote to say that her family had seen all their crops destroyed by grasshoppers and were suffering from cold, “having but two quilts and two sheets in the house.”
But the governor was busy with other matters. As he saw it, the farmers’ problems were primarily a matter for the private sector. That year, the state legislature appropriated only 5,000 dollars in direct relief, with another 25,000 to buy seed grain for affected farmers. General Henry Hastings Sibley, the state’s renowned Indian killer, was brought out of retirement to coordinate charitable relief. St. Paul merchants proved generous, but need far exceeded supply.
Minnesota was far from the only state harmed by the locusts, with destitution also reported that winter in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, and Dakota Territory. In Nebraska, soldiers were tasked with delivering surplus Army clothing, and found women and children surviving in a pitiable state, men having left to find work. One boy staggered into an army outpost with bare feet wrapped in cloth, saying that his mother and five siblings were at home, starving.
Melanoplus spretus, the Rocky Mountain locust, was a stupendous force of nature. Individually, the grasshopper was scarcely noticeable: a dull olive green, just an inch and a half long. In the aggregate, however, it wielded immense power, as hinted at by the nomenclature. The word locust comes from the Latin phrase locus ustus, which means “burnt place.” Spretus means “despised.” Reflecting the general feeling, one of the common names for the creature was “hateful grasshopper.”
Ordinary grasshoppers never gather in immense clouds. Locusts, on the other hand, have the ability to become gregarious, form massive swarms, and fly astonishing distances. After settling, adults feed and lay eggs over a summer; their offspring hibernate during the winter and hatch out the following spring. It was these immature locusts that would march across the country, devouring foliage as they molted into adulthood. Until recent times, every inhabited continent on earth had at least one locust species. Before modern pest control, Europe was plagued by them; Africa, Asia, and Australia still are. The US had only a single species. The Rocky Mountain locust could go for years without swarming, until the perfect conditions set it off.
Perfect conditions were created by drought, which was a major problem across the West and Midwest in the 1870s. Indeed, the entire planet was gripped that decade by a severe El Niño event, which disrupted climate around the globe. It caused mass famines in China and India, triggering epidemics of disease; millions died. A study in Nature called it “the most destructive drought the world has ever known.”
In 1873, parts of Kansas had had their driest year on record. The following year, much of the Great Plains experienced a summer without rain. A Kansas woman remembered eerie, oppressive heat, broken only by a cataclysmic hailstorm. “The grasses seemed to wither and the cattle bunched up near the creek and well and no air seemed to stir the leaves on the trees,” she recalled. “All nature seemed still.” Then the clouds took on a “greenish hue” and hail fell, “devastating everything.”
Prolonged heat and aridity favored locusts by accelerating their growth and concentrating sugars in plants. Then, as drought wasted wild vegetation, the invertebrates focused their attention on the densest, highest-quality source of nutrients: crops. In 1875, locust nymphs hatched from their eggs throughout the Great Plains. Billions upon billions matured in a flash.
Given the severity of damage the previous two years, some of the Ingallses’ neighbors were simply sitting on their hands, refusing to plant until the danger had passed. Total acreage planted declined in 1875 and the following year by nearly 60 percent. But there was a great deal of misinformation. An inveterate newspaper reader, Charles Ingalls may have taken the advice of farm papers such as the one in Red Wing, Minnesota, which confidently reported in late May 1875 that “there are no grasshoppers . . . in any part of Minnesota north, south, east or west . . . the conclusion is inevitable that their eggs have been entirely destroyed.”
That year, after the arid summer the year before and the mild winter that followed, Charles Ingalls had made a considerable financial outlay, building a spacious house, probably the finest the family had yet lived in. It stood 20- by 24-feet square and 10 feet high, with a solid roof and floor, and three windows. It was the pride of the family. Laura would later call it “the wonderful house.” Charles built two stables for oxen and horses, plowing and cultivating 40 acres. He was feeling confident enough to take advantage of the Timber Culture Act, new legislation that allowed settlers to acquire 160 acres at no cost in exchange for planting a certain number of trees on that land. In early June 1875, he filed on such a “tree claim” a few miles north of his Plum Creek property, expanding his holdings. Meanwhile, he was raising a bumper crop of wheat.
Charles was gloating over the wheat as the family sat down to dinner one June day. Raising his arms, he showed them how tall it was, “with long beautiful heads and filling nicely.” Just as he pronounced it a “wonderful crop,” they heard someone calling them outside. It was their neighbor Olena Nelson, and she was screaming, “The grasshoppers are coming! The grasshoppers are coming!”
The Ingallses had no way of knowing it, but the locust swarm descending upon them was the largest in recorded human history. It would become known as “Albert’s swarm”: in Nebraska, a meteorologist named Albert Child measured its flight for ten days in June, telegraphing for further information from east and west, noting wind speed and carefully calculating the extent of the cloud of insects. He startled himself with his conclusions: the swarm appeared to be 110 miles wide, 1,800 miles long, and a quarter to a half mile in depth. The wind was blowing at 10 miles an hour, but the locusts were moving even faster, at 15. They covered 198,000 square miles, Child concluded, an area equal to the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont combined. “This is utterly incredible,” he wrote, “yet how can we put it aside?” The cloud consisted of some 3.5 trillion insects.
The swarms swept from Saskatchewan to Texas, devouring everything in their path. The grasshoppers savored the sweat-stained handles of farm implements, chewed the wool off sheep, ate the leaves off trees. After flying, settling, consuming, and laying eggs, they began marching across the country, millions massing to form pontoons across creeks and rivers. Hoppers were said to “eat everything but the mortgage.” Terrified, people reached for comparisons, likening the insectile clouds to other natural disasters: snow storms, hail storms, tornadoes, even wildfires. “The noise their myriad jaws make when engaged in their work of destruction can be realized by any one who has ‘fought’ a prairie fire . . . the low crackling and rasping,” read a report from the US Entomological Commission, created by Congress to address the crisis. Even modern scientists stretch for language to convey the swarm’s ferocity, calling it a “metabolic wildfire.” It consumed roughly a quarter of the country.
Farmers ran frantically to cover tender garden plants with gunny sacks, quilts, shawls, and dresses, only to watch, stunned, as the insects chewed right through them. A Kansas woman found denuded pits hanging from her peach tree. She tried to save her garden by covering it with sacks but soon saw it was hopeless: “The hoppers regarded that as a huge joke, and enjoyed the awning . . . or if they could not get under, they ate their way through. The cabbage and lettuce disappeared the first afternoon.” She noticed the “neat way” they had of eating onions from the inside out, leaving the outer shell behind.
Grasshopper carcasses fouled wells, polluted creeks and rivers, and halted trains laboring up grades, the tracks greasy with crushed bodies. There were reports of children screaming in horror as insects alighted on them and of farmers’ wives becoming hysterical, mad with fright. A woman wearing a striped frock said insects settled on her and ate “every bit of green stripe in that dress.”
Technology was useless. Inventive farmers crafted “hopperdozers” out of sheet metal, contraptions drenched in coal tar and pulled across infested fields. These collected some pests, but their effectiveness was limited. Grasshoppers could work faster than fields could be dragged.
When the Ingallses saw the locusts coming, Wilder recalled, her father put on his hat and “went out toward his beautiful wheat field.” He set fire to berms of straw and manure piled around the field, hoping to smoke out the locusts. But it was to no avail. By noon of the second day, he gave up and returned to the house exhausted, “his eyes all swollen and red from the smoke and lack of sleep.”
The dream of the perfect crop died that day. It was a nightmarish repetition of Caroline Ingalls’s early privation, when she and her siblings had had nothing to eat but bread crumbs and water. Once again there was no money to buy food. The catastrophe could not have come at a worse time: Caroline was pregnant again, expecting a child in November.
On the third day, the insects began marching west, walking inexorably up the east side of the house, across the roof, and down the other side, coming in the window by the score until Caroline ran to close it. They were marching, Wilder wrote, “like an army,” and the family looked around at each other “as though we were just waked from a bad dream.” Grasshopper bodies filled the creek and left fields pocked with holes, “like a honey comb.” The holes were filled with eggs.
The locust plague constituted the worst and most widespread natural disaster the country had ever seen, causing an estimated $200 million in damage to western agriculture (the equivalent of $116 billion today) and threatening millions of farmers in remote locations—far from social services in the cities—with starvation. In 1875, Minnesota once again lost more than two million bushels of wheat. That January, the so-called Grasshopper Legislature appropriated a mere $20,000 in aid for the stricken, extending the deadline for property taxes but balking at doing more for those perceived as shirkers. Miserly amounts of food aid were distributed in some counties, in amounts ranging from two to four dollars per family, while the minimum required by a family of four for a year was estimated at two hundred dollars. Just like the locusts themselves, relief, such as it was, fell in haphazard fashion.
As for the federal government, Congress appropriated $100,000 in aid for settlers on the western frontier. But the easterners were generally cavalier. Newspapers shrugged at the constant reports of “famine, suffering and misery” in the West. “It is humiliating to have them so constantly before us, passing round the hat,” wrote one editorialist.
Even as Minnesota distributed aid, it expressed contempt for the destitute, enacting punitive regulations that required farmers to prove they were completely bereft before applying for relief. In a cruel and counterproductive move, the state demanded that applicants sell any livestock they owned before receiving aid. Meanwhile, trying to empty the ocean a drop at a time, counties nailed flyers to town walls advertising a bounty for grasshoppers: five cents a quart, “caught and delivered dead.” An informational pamphlet distributed by a railroad urged farmers to get busy collecting the pests, since solving the problem was their responsibility. Newspapers advised their hungry readers to eat the bugs: “make it a ‘hopper’ feast.”
In desperation, Charles Ingalls sold his horses, leaving the money with his wife. With nothing left for train fare, he walked 200 miles east to work the harvest, possibly near his brother Peter Ingalls’ farm in southeastern Minnesota, where the grasshoppers had not penetrated. When he returned, he moved the family into town for the winter, where they rented a house behind the church. On November 30, Charles signed a sworn statement before county officials stating that he was “wholy without means,” the humiliating requirement of the relief act passed earlier that year. It made him eligible to receive two half-barrels of flour, worth five dollars and twenty-five cents. He may never have told his children where the flour came from.
The one thousand dollars he had received for the little house in the Big Woods was long gone. Wilder later recalled that her parents had hoped Plum Creek would restore their fortunes. “Prosperity was only just around the corner, just till that crop of wheat was raised,” she wrote wistfully. “Plum Creek was safety and then look what happened.”
Charles Ingalls and his family must have longed for their former home. The locust swarm had never crossed the Mississippi River. It left Wisconsin untouched.
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Insect Disaster
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2016 Channel One Cup
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The 2016 Channel One Cup was played between 15–18 December 2016. The Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Russia played a round-robin for a total of three games per team and six games in total. Five of the matches were played in the VTB Ice Palace in Moscow, Russia, and one match in the Helsingin jäähalli in Helsinki, Finland. The tournament was part of 2016–17 Euro Hockey Tour. Tournament was won by Sweden. [1]
All times are local. Moscow – (Moscow Time – UTC+3) Helsingfors – (Central European Time – UTC+1)
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Sports Competition
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Ozark Air Lines Flight 650 crash
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Ozark Air Lines Flight 650 was a regularly scheduled flight on December 20, 1983 from Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City, Iowa, to Sioux Falls Regional Airport in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. While landing in Sioux Falls, the aircraft struck a snow plow on the runway and burst into flames. The snow plow's driver was killed, and two flight attendants were injured.
Ozark Air Lines Flight 650 was operated using a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner (registration N994Z). [1]:17 On December 20, 1983, Flight 650 departed Sioux City with 81 passengers, two flight attendants, and three flight crewmembers. [1]:18
Prior to departing Sioux City, Flight 650's flight crew obtained weather conditions for the flight via Sioux City's automatic terminal information service (ATIS) broadcast system. The ATIS report included reports of blowing snow at Sioux Falls. [1]:17
Flight 650 departed Sioux City at 12:53 Central Standard Time, and climbed to an assigned altitude of 11,000 feet. At 13:06, the flight was handed off from Sioux City controllers to the Sioux Falls approach controller, who issued descent instructions to 3,400 feet and vectors to Runway 3 at Sioux Falls Regional Airport. Flight 650 was cleared for the approach at 13:11. [1]:17
At 13:13, when Flight 650 was about 4 miles out from the airport, the Sioux Falls approach controller directed the flight to contact the airport tower. Flight 650's captain acknowledged the instruction, but did not contact the tower. When Flight 650 was about 2.5 miles out, the Sioux Falls tower called the flight, and the captain responded. The tower then cleared Flight 650 to land, giving a runway visual range of 3,500 feet. The tower did not advise Flight 650 of snow removal operations in progress on Runway 3. [1]:17
The flight crew first saw the ground and airport approach lights after descending to an altitude of 200 feet, and then saw the runway. Because the ATIS report had advised of blowing snow, and the flight crew was not advised of snow blowing operations, they were not surprised to see snow blowing across the runway. [1]:17
About 1,000 feet beyond the threshold of Runway 3, the aircraft made a smooth touchdown and the pilots deployed the spoilers. The copilot began to apply reverse thrusters when the aircraft entered a cloud of snow. The DC-9's right wing then struck a large snowsweeping vehicle on the runway. The impact ripped the right wing from the plane, destroying the snow plow and killing its driver. Leaking fuel from the wing briefly created a fireball that engulfed the airplane but rapidly died out. The plane spun through 180° before coming to rest off the runway to the left of the center line. Passenger evacuation was initiated through the front two doors. No passengers were injured in the evacuation, but two flight attendants suffered minor injuries. [1]:18
The resulting NTSB investigation determined that the snow removal operations were controlled from the tower. The snow plow, call sign Sweeper 7, had been routinely directed to exit the runway to accommodate arrivals and departures. When Flight 650 was handed off from approach control to the tower it did not initiate contact with the tower. The tower controller eventually contacted the flight and cleared it to land. No communications had been made between the tower and Sweeper 7 after Flight 650 was handed off to the tower controller. Neither the approach or tower controller had advised Flight 650 that snow removal operations were in progress. The hourly ATIS broadcast advised that blowing snow conditions were present, leading the flight crew to not be concerned when they witnessed snow blowing across the runway. The board concluded the snow removal operations were inadequately supervised by the tower. [1]
The aircraft involved in the accident was eventually returned to service with a replacement right wing salvaged from Air Canada Flight 797 that had been destroyed by fire after an emergency landing at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport earlier that year. The aircraft was acquired by Republic Airlines and flew with Northwest Airlines after their merger until it was retired in 2006. [3]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Transportation Safety Board.
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Air crash
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June 2013 Egyptian protests
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The 2012–2013 Egyptian protests (sometimes called the Hirak Uprising) were part of the crisis in Egypt including the June 2013 protests, the July 2013 coup d'état, and part of the post-coup unrest. They saw varying opposition against three contiguous heads of state; namely, SCAF, Muslim Brotherhood, and the de facto ruling Egyptian Armed Forces. Beginning with the anniversary of the 2011 Egyptian revolution, small-scale protests took place in January demanding the military to step away from power. Those protests saw at least 7 protesters killed. Increasing violence, however, began in February 2012 with the massacre of Port Said, where 74 people (72 of which being Al-Ahly fans) were killed and hundred were injured by purported fans who were armed with knives, batons and swords, while the sparse security present stood idly. The lack of police intervention and alleged political involvement sparked a number of protests. [26] Subsequent protests in March saw 1 killed after demands for the return of football matches for El Masry after the riots last month. Mass demonstrations in April demanding a transfer of power were attacked by the military. In June, riots and violent demonstrations against the delay of the trial of those responsible for the killings of protesters since 2011 took place and demands for the parliament to be dissolved was heard. From 16 June-30 July, strikes and major protests against the continued lack of freedom of speech and the apparent power grab by the SCAF. Workers protested in major strikes in July against unemployment and the economic situation. Protests against the film discriminating Islam took place from 11-14 September. It was suppressed. Doctors and nurses protested in October for weeks demanding better wages. Protests against the resignations of members of the armed forces in august were carried out by supporters of the military. During Morsi's reign, the demonstrations were organized by Egyptian opposition organizations and individuals, mainly liberals, leftists, secularists and Christians. [27][28] They resulted in violent clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi protesters, with dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries. [29] Demonstrators gathered outside the Heliopolis Palace, which in turn was surrounded by tanks and armored vehicles of the Republican Guard. [1] The anti-Morsi protesters in Cairo were estimated at 200,000, while over 100,000 supporters of Morsi gathered in Cairo to show support. [30]
A number of Morsi's advisers resigned in protest, and many judges spoke out against his actions as well. [1] Resignations were tendered by the director of state broadcasting, Rafik Habib (Christian vice president of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party), and Zaghloul el-Balshi (general secretary of the commission overseeing the planned constitutional referendum). [31] Seven members of Morsi's 17-member advisory panel resigned in December 2012. [32]
On 8 December 2012, Morsi annulled his temporary decree which had expanded his presidential authority and removed judicial review of his decrees, an Islamist official said, but added that the results of the temporary declaration would still stand. [33]
On 22 December, the Constitution supported by Morsi was approved in a national referendum by 64% of the voters, with 33% of the electorate voting. The opposition claimed fraud in the process and called for an inquiry. [34][35][36][37]
On 30 June 2013, prior to the anti-government protests, Morsi supporters gathered in Rabaa el-Adaweya square to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Morsi's inauguration. In turn, tens of thousands of Morsi opponents massed in Tahrir Square and outside the Heliopolis palace demanding Morsi's resignation and pre-term presidential elections. [38] Demonstrations were also reported in 18 locations across Cairo[39] and in other different locations across the country including Alexandria, El-Mahalla and cities in the Suez Canal region. [40][41] Various political organizations supported the demonstrations, including the Tamarod movement formed by members of the Egyptian Movement for Change, which claimed to have collected 22 million signatures calling for Morsi's resignation. [42][43]
On 3 July 2013 the Egyptian Armed Forces released a statement announcing the end of Morsi's presidency, following a 48-hour deadline demanding that Morsi "responds to the demands of the people. "[44][45] In the same statement, the military announced the constitution was suspended for amendments and that new elections would be held at a future date. The chief justice of the constitutional court, Adly Mansour, became head of a transitional government. [44]
Protesting Morsi's overthrow,[46] his supporters staged large demonstrations in the Nasr City district of Cairo, and in Alexandria, Luxor, Damanhour, and Suez. [47] In the aftermath, massacres[48][49] were perpetrated during clashes between Morsi supporters and Egyptian soldiers and security forces, including the Rabaa massacre and the Republican Guard clashes. [50][51][52] In many cases, the Armed Forces denied shooting at demonstrators with live ammunition, contrary to claims by the Brotherhood, its supporters, and several Western media outlets. [53][54][55]
On 22 November 2012, Morsi issued a constitutional declaration purporting to protect the Constituent Assembly of Egypt from judicial interference. The declaration stated that it only applied until a new constitution was ratified. [56] The declaration also required new trials for people acquitted of Mubarak-era killings of protesters, and extended the mandate of the constituent assembly by two months. Additionally, the declaration authorized Morsi to take all measures necessary to these ends. [57]
In effect, the declaration made all constitutional declarations, laws and decrees made since Morsi assumed power immune to appeal by any individual, political or governmental body. [58][59][60][61][62] Demonstrations both in support of and opposing Morsi broke out around Egypt after the declaration was made. On 1 February 73 people were killed at a football game, in a stadium in Port Said. The riots began when fans of the team El Masry invaded the stadium, some of them carrying knives, and attacked fans of the rival team, Al Ahly. Initial media reports stated that more than 70 people were killed, with the death toll rising. Numerous protests then took place, following this event. On Thursday, 2 February, protesters took to the streets of Cairo, enraged by the fact that the lax security had failed in preventing this tragedy from happening. Some of the protesters were heard chanting that Tantawi should be executed. The police then deployed tear gas, on the protesters. On 24 March, numerous protesters took to the streets, angry that the football team El-Masry was banned for two more seasons, following the riots last month. The army then attacked the protesters.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight 147 crash
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Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight 147 was a scheduled flight from Shahjalal International Airport, Bangladesh, to Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates, via Chittagong. On 24 February 2019, the aircraft operating the flight, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines Boeing 737-800, was hijacked 252 kilometres (157 mi) southeast of Dhaka by lone wolf terrorist Polash Ahmed. [1] The crew performed an emergency landing at the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong where Ahmed was shot dead by Bangladeshi special forces. One flight attendant was shot at during the hijacking, but there were no other reported casualties among the 134 passengers and 14 crew on board. [2][3]
The Boeing 737-8E9 aircraft (MSN: 40335/5715) registered S2-AHV was built in 2015 and first flew on December 11, 2015. The aircraft was the second of the type delivered new to Biman Bangladesh Airlines from Boeing in late 2015. At the time of the hijacking, the aircraft was 3 years and 3 months old. According to FlightAware, S2-AHV was flying its third flight of the day as Flight 147. It had previously flown a round trip between Shahjalal International Airport and Shah Amanat International Airport, and a special flight carrying Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to Chittagong, on that day. The aircraft was serviced and flight and cabin crew were changed, and just under two hours later at 17:13, the aircraft departed for Dubai. [4][5][6]
Cabin crew noticed the perpetrator acting strangely for most of the flight; he was supposedly armed with a toy pistol. [7] The plane diverted and performed an emergency landing. Passengers were evacuated. [8] The suspected hijacker was identified as a man in his mid-20s who demanded to speak with his wife, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. [9]
The 737 was boarded by Bangladeshi special forces who demanded that the hijacker drop his weapon. When the hijacker failed to comply, he was shot dead. It is not known how many shots were fired. [10][11][12]
The Rapid Action Battalion identified the hijacker as Polash Ahmed of Narayanganj after his fingerprints matched with those of a person in the criminal database. He was previously accused in an abduction case filed on February 22, 2012. He used Mahibi Jahan as his Facebook profile name. He was the former husband of National Film Award winning actress Shimla; the couple divorced in November 2018. He had a two-year-old son from an earlier marriage. [13][14]
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Air crash
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Blue Light (Part 7): Pioneering aircraft takedowns and free-fall jumps
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Note: this is part of a series about America’s first counterterrorism unit. Blue Light participated in a number of major training exercises that were run by the REDCOM staff in conjunction with the Ranger battalions. These were called CT-EDREs. These training missions took place across America, some of them including multiple objectives within the target area, but all of them including an aircraft takedown because this was the biggest terrorist threat facing America at the time—or at least this was the perception of policy-makers. The basic template used was for a Ranger battalion to static-line parachute into the area of operations and silently form a security cordon around the target aircraft. Then, a Blue Light team would conduct a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) free-fall jump and land inside the security perimeter created by the Rangers. General Hennessey, the REDCOM commander, had given his staff a directive to put together a comprehensive study of all aircraft hijackings, focusing particularly on the PLO’s mass aircraft hijacking in 1970. Another case study was the French Foreign Legion and Belgian Para-Commando rescue mission undertaken in Zaire in May of 1978, in which 2,250 expats were evacuated during the course of a seven-day gun battle. In February of the same year, PLO terrorists hijacked a plane in Cyprus. Egyptian commandos attempted to storm the plane, only to come under fire from the Cypriot National Guard. REDCOM’s analysis was that, “Egyptian emotions overcame logic and good planning,” and that Cypriot authorities were sympathetic to the PLO to the point that they quietly moved their National Guard into a concealed position to ambush the Egyptians if they attempted to intervene (Lenahan, 12). The tail number of the aircraft was 777, which became the numbered designation of the counterterrorism unit subsequently created by the Egyptian military. One of the CT-EDREs took place in Indian Springs, Nevada, where Mark Boyatt had his men execute the first HALO mass tactical jump, meaning he put a large group of 25 free-fall jumpers off the ramp of a C-130 at once. When preparing for the excercise, one Special Forces soldier expressed skepticism, saying, “This will never work.” Colonel Mountel simply smiled at him and replied, “Want to bet money?” Mountel had supreme confidence in his Green Berets, placing a special trust in them which, in turn, inspired a lot of loyalty in his men. Second Ranger Battalion, led by Lt. Col. Wayne Downing, jumped into the exercise first. Moving quietly through the night, the Rangers walked several miles before forming a donut-shaped security perimeter around the target aircraft. The 2/75 Rangers showed a lot of stamina, one of them even moving to the target area with a broken leg. The 25-man Blue Light element then jumped in, guiding their MC-3 parachutes inside the security position before taking down the aircraft. They jumped wearing tennis shoes, since that was the preferred type of footwear for climbing up on the wings of an airplane without sliding around or making too much noise. In most cases, an actual Boeing 727 or 737 was used as a training aid, so no explosive breaches were permitted—not that those techniques had even been developed yet. With RAM drop zone right outside the Blue Light compound back at Mott Lake, the Special Forces soldiers were particularly adept at free-fall jumps, contradicting in action the widespread belief at the time that HALO jumps were an unreliable insertion technique because it was difficult to attain a tight grouping of jumpers or land on a small drop zone. Another training mission occurred on a small Hawaiian island, in which Blue Light air-landed on the runway, and then walked overland to where terrorist role players were holding hostages on board a 707 aircraft in the hangar. The airplane actually belonged to Pacific Command. Blue Light came up to the fuselage with a ladder, infiltrated into the rear of the aircraft, and quickly captured it. One of the sergeants then activated the emergency inflatable evacuation chutes at the door for them to make the exfiltration, sliding down to the ground. It is probably nothing more than a military myth that Blue Light and Delta were placed in competition with one another, with the winner becoming the Army’s permanent counterterrorism force, because Blue Light was never designed to be more than an interim unit from the beginning. However, there is another interesting sidebar in which Delta was brought down to Blue Light’s S&K range during their validation process. Blue Light was put through a shooting exercise the same month that Delta shot at the same range, leading some to believe that even if they were not being compared to see which would become the permanent counterterrorist unit, someone was trying to validate training techniques. At the time, there was no data available for shooting drills, as new marksmanship methodologies related to counterterrorism were still in their infancy. When shooting, how fast is fast? How accurate is accurate enough? Certainly, you need to be faster than the enemy, but where is the baseline? What does right look like? The Army needed to draw up their task, conditions, and standards for counterterrorism operations. Perhaps that is why they tested Blue Light and Delta out at the same range in the same month, to see what their standards should look like. After all, Blue Light and Delta consisted of basically the same type of Special Forces soldiers, aside from the one or two Rangers in Delta during the early years. Meanwhile, Charlie Beckwith was feeling some pressure as he tried to get Delta up and running. He was struggling to get soldiers through his selection course, the Ranger battalions were not allowing their men to attend, and significant tension had developed between Beckwith and General Mackmull (Beckwith, 128). In January of 1978, Beckwith rightly or wrongly felt that Mackmull was beginning to throw his clout and resources behind Blue Light instead of Delta. There had always been a rivalry between Colonel Beckwith and Colonel Mountel at 5th Group. There was a difference in opinion in regards to recruiting: Mountel used the good-old-boy network to recruit men for Blue Light while Beckwith favored the SAS model of having a selection process to identify those who were most likely to succeed in the field and who could work independently. Mountel’s reasoning, according to Beckwith, was that “Delta really belongs in Special Forces, but Beckwith doesn’t want it there. Blue Light is in the community. Come out and look at what we are doing” (Beckwith, 129). Read Next: Delta Force aircraft take downs! And come they did. Blue Light put on numerous demonstrations for VIPs and guests. Blue Light held demonstrations for FBI Director William Webster, CIA Director Stanford Turner, the director of the transportation authority, handfuls of generals, and Charlie Beckwith himself. When the Army Chief of Staff, General Bernie Rogers, came down to visit Blue Light, they had him stand on the back of a flatbed truck on S&K range. As he held onto the railing, two snipers positioned 300 meters away shot two balloons filled with red Kool-Aid on either side of the general. “What!?” the general exclaimed, just about ready to jump out of his skin. “Those were our snipers, shooting about four inches over your head,” Blue Light’s sergeant major announced. The shots were actually a bit higher than four inches, but the sergeant major got his point across. Training also continued at S&K range for the men (and one woman) of Blue Light. They conducted simulated building and warehouse takedowns in “Hogan’s Ally,” a simulated urban environment featuring building facades. Cardboard silhouettes would pop up in the windows and doors that Blue Light assaulters had to engage with their 1911 pistols. Other times they would stage targets inside the structures; some of them simulated hostages, and others simulated terrorists holding guns. The Blue Light members had to storm the building and engage in target discrimination as they fired on the enemy silhouettes.
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Military Exercise
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A Historic Enlargement: Ten Countries Prepare To Join the European Union
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A Historic Enlargement: Ten Countries Prepare To Join the European Union
by Nancy Cochrane
From the day the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the governments of the formerly communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) began to discuss the idea of joining the European Union (EU). In May 2004, after a 14-year transition from central planning to market economies, eight CEE countries (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), plus Cyprus and Malta, will join the EU. Bulgaria and Romania are also preparing for accession and are expected to join in 2007. In 2002, Croatia submitted its application for membership, and it is possible that Croatia, too, will be ready to join in 2007 (see box, “Who Are the Acceding Countries?” ).
This enlargement of the EU, the largest in its history, will bring profound changes to Europe. The EU population will grow by 28 percent, with arable land increasing by nearly 40 percent. Grain area in the 10 candidate countries totaled 16 million hectares in 2000, nearly half the grain area in the current EU-15. The EU-15 is already a larger agricultural producer than the United States. The EU-25 will be an even larger presence on the global agricultural market.
Accession to the EU carries deep political symbolism for the citizens of the candidate countries. It will be a concrete signal to the world that these countries have finally broken free from their Communist past and rejoined Europe. East European voters approved accession in a series of referenda held in 2003, in the hope that membership would expand markets, raise incomes, and attract new foreign investment.
But many CEE farmers are apprehensive. In the early 1990s, many of them welcomed EU accession and the potential for higher prices and incomes. However, the expected financial gains will likely be limited by several factors. First, EU and CEE agricultural prices for many products have converged over the last decade. Second, CEE farmers will generally receive lower payments than their EU-15 counterparts. Third, though producers will receive direct payments from the EU, they will also incur the costs of complying with EU sanitary, veterinary, and animal welfare regulations.
CEE countries have already made several adjustments to their production and trade approaches in preparation for accession. As a result, the short-term impacts of enlargement on CEE and global commodity production and trade will likely be moderate. In the longer term, however, CEE producers may be forced to restructure their agriculture sectors to maintain competitiveness, which could lead to a significant rise in agricultural productivity.
EU Membership Will Bring Costs as Well as Benefits
Much has changed since the early 1990s, when most CEE farmers anticipated significantly higher incomes as a result of joining the EU. At that time, EU commodity prices were substantially higher than CEE prices, and EU farmers received generous income support. But the short-term benefits of accession will be less than initially expected, and CEE farmers have become increasingly aware that there will be costs as well.
Price gaps have narrowed. Over the past decade, the gap between EU and CEE prices has narrowed considerably, for a number of reasons:
Exchange rates have changed. The currencies of the candidate countries have gradually strengthened against the euro.
During the 1990s, CEE governments, in an effort to align their policies with those of the EU, began to intervene strongly in some markets, resulting in higher CEE prices. Poland maintains an aggressive intervention program for wheat, rye, sugar, and dairy products. Hungary and the Czech Republic, on the other hand, have supported their livestock sectors more than crops.
For many products, the price gaps of the early 1990s reflected quality differences more than policy differences. Pork and beef prices reported by the EU are for the top three grades—in terms of lean meat content—of the EU grading system (known as EUROP). CEE statistical offices have historically reported average prices for all grades. Throughout the CEE, however, the average lean meat content has been increasing, and more pork and beef now meets the top three EU grades. CEE prices for pork and poultry are now, as a result, on par with EU prices.
The EU itself underwent significant agricultural policy reform In 1992, the EU reduced intervention prices (price supports) and introduced a system of direct payments to producers to compensate for the lost income. Agenda 2000, introduced in 1999, further reduced intervention prices.
CEE producers will receive lower direct payments per hectare than their EU counterparts. A major bone of contention during the accession negotiations was the level of direct payments that CEE producers will receive (see box, “The EU Common Agricultural Policy: A Decade of Reform” ). The EU Commission realized that it would be impossible to provide the full range of direct payments to CEE farmers without violating the budget limits agreed upon in Agenda 2000. For this reason, the final compromise provides for a 10-year phase-in of payments. The EU will provide only 25 percent of the payments from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget during the first year; this share will increase by 5 percent each year until CEE farmers receive 100 percent of EU payments. However, national governments will be allowed to top off these payments by a maximum of 30 percent each year, so that payments during the first year of accession could be as much as 55 percent of what current EU farmers receive.
Direct payments will also be lower for CEE countries because of the way the payments are computed. Payments are tied to the yields associated with a reference period—1995-99—and to a reference area. Because of the disruptions caused by the transition from central planning to free markets, CEE yields during 1995-99 were substantially lower than those of the EU, which will keep CEE payment levels lower relative to EU payment levels.
CAP reforms approved in June 2003 will convert these payments to a single whole-farm payment between 2005 and 2007, so that they will be fully decoupled from production decisions. The reforms also call for additional direct payments to compensate for cuts in dairy prices. According to subsequent statements from the EU Commission, the whole-farm payment and all other new payments to CEE farmers will be phased in according to the same 10-year schedule.
The result is that per hectare payments received by the average CEE farmer during the first year of accession will be one-fourth the amount received by the average EU farmer. Payments will vary, of course, by country and by farm size. Small farms in Poland will receive less than 300 euros per year, while large farms in the Czech Republic or Hungary will receive as much as 40,000 euros ($1=0.8 euro).
Compliance with EU regulations will have costs. All the candidate countries must adopt the entire body of laws and regulations of the EU, known as the acqui communautaire. There are approximately 80,000 pages of EU laws and regulations relating to market regulation, veterinary and sanitary controls, animal welfare, and the administrative structures needed to implement EU price and income support programs.
To receive EU price and income supports, CEE producers will have to absorb the costs of this compliance. Grain producers, for example, will have to meet minimum quality requirements to receive the EU price. Livestock breeders will have to raise, transport, and track all animals according to the animal welfare regulations and recordkeeping requirements of the EU. All these measures will increase production costs, which will erode net returns of producers.
In addition, the administrative burden to acceding CEE governments will be considerably large, as agencies must maintain detailed databases on production, animal numbers, and other pertinent information for each farm that will receive EU payments.
Short-Term Impacts on Commodity Output Will Be Mixed
Given these facts, recent ERS analysis suggests that, in the short term, CEE output changes as a result of enlargement will be mixed. Enlargement is likely to lead to a substantial decline in wheat output by Poland, which currently supports wheat producers at levels higher than the EU, but wheat output in the other candidate countries will increase slightly. As a result, net wheat exports by the enlarged EU will likely be slightly less than combined net exports of the EU-15 and the candidate countries would be without enlargement. In contrast, CEE corn and barley output could rise dramatically.
CEE beef output is likely to increase significantly, since the EU maintains intervention prices for beef that are higher than current CEE prices. As a result, exportable surpluses in the candidate countries will grow. However, only small changes are expected in CEE pork and poultry output.
Download larger size chart (400 pixels by 376, 96 dpi)
Under the current EU system of direct payments, farmers must produce grain and oilseeds in order to receive the area payments, and cattle breeders must maintain certain types of beef cattle to receive the beef premiums. Under the new system, which takes effect in 2005, farmers will only need to keep their land in “good agricultural condition.” They could convert their land to pasture, plant nothing, and still receive a payment; the incentive to increase output or produce anything is therefore reduced.
Enlargement Likely To Bring Short-Term Losses to U.S. Exporters
U.S. exports to Central and Eastern Europe will likely contract because CEE countries will have to adopt the stricter import policies of the EU. For example, the EU bans all poultry meat imports from the United States due to a ban on treating carcasses with chlorine. If this issue is not resolved, then all acceding CEE countries will also ban U.S. poultry upon accession.
But these losses will be small relative to those that have already taken place as a result of preferential trade agreements between the EU and the CEEs. In 2000, the EU signed “double zero” agreements with all the candidate countries, which provided duty-free quotas for pork and poultry trade and duty-free trade on a number of other goods. The “double profit” agreements signed in 2003 opened duty-free quotas for wheat, corn, beef, and dairy products, and allow nearly free trade in fruits and vegetables. So much of the CEE-EU trade is already completely liberalized, and this has reduced trade with third countries, including the United States.
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Join in an Organization
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1987 Nordic Indoor Athletics Championships
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The 1987 Nordic Indoor Athletics Championships was the second and final edition of the international indoor athletics competition between Nordic countries and was held in Oslo, Norway. It consisted of 22 individual track and field events, 12 for men and 10 for women. Finland won the most golds for a second year, at nine. Sweden won the most medals overall at 23. The hosts Norway had the second highest medal haul at 21, while Denmark managed only two medals. Two women won medals in two events: Ringa Ropo of Finland won minor medals in the women's jumps and 800 metres champion Maiken Sørum also won a 1500 metres bronze.
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Sports Competition
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Yizhou riots
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The Yizhou riots occurred in fall of 2002. Yizhou (宜州) is a county-level city located in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in the southern part of the People's Republic of China. The city is home to several hundred thousand inhabitants, while the surrounding countryside is dotted with the villages of poor ethnic minority farmers. The backbone of Yizhou’s economy is sugarcane production and thousands of farmers work the sugarcane fields for very low wages. [citation needed] As China’s economy has opened to foreign competition the price of sugar has fallen, hurting the livelihood of local farmers. [citation needed]
The Yizhou riots occurred in fall of 2002. The local sugar processing plant had recently cut rates by twenty percent what it was paying farmers per ton of sugar cane. [citation needed] The riots began after local officials only partially paid farmers for their crops, claiming that they would make the total payments at a later date. In China, it is quite common for local officials to pocket wages and compensation money meant for workers. [citation needed] On 12 September farmers protested outside the local city hall. The protests soon got out of hand and rioters entered the building, smashed windows, threw chairs and desks from the building and damaged cars parked outside. Protesters also sat on the local railway line. Local officials agreed to pay the extra wages that had been promised. Afterwards, the police admitted to holding twenty farmers who participated in the riots. [citation needed] As with other anti-government actions in China, authorities censored the press coverage of the riots. McDonald, Joe. "Chinese Police Holding 20 After Farmer Protest Over Low Crop Prices." Associated Press 02 Nov. 2002. LexisNexis.
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Riot
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1932 Eureka earthquake
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The 1932 Eureka earthquake occurred on June 6 at 00:44:26 local time along the northern coastal area of California in the United States. With a moment magnitude of 6.4 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), this earthquake left one person dead from a falling chimney and several injured. The shock was the largest in the area since 1923 and was felt in southern Oregon and northern California. Near Cape Mendocino, the Mendocino Triple Junction is an area of active seismicity where three tectonic plates come together. The Mendocino Fracture Zone (also known as the Mendocino Fault east of the Gorda Ridge) is a transform fault that separates the Pacific and Gorda Plates. To the south, the relative motion between the Pacific Plate and North American Plate is accommodated by the San Andreas Fault, and to the north, the Gorda Plate is converging with the North American Plate at the Cascadia Subduction Zone. [4]
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Earthquakes
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NACE International and SSPC Merge to Form AMPP
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NACE International and SSPC merged to form the AMPP, which will take on research, conferences, certifications and more for the corrosion control and protective coatings industries. NACE International, The Corrosion Society (Houston, Texas) and SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings (Pittsburgh, Pa.) have merged to form the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), which the societies hope will stand as a unified voice for the corrosion control and protective coatings industries. AMPP’s CEO, Bob Chalker, and the rest of the organization’s executive leadership revealed its name, logo and brand elements during an online event Jan. 6. “AMPP brings together the world’s leading corrosion prevention and protective coatings organizations under one umbrella,” says Chalker. “With a vision to create a safer, protected and sustainable world, the new association will focus on the future of materials protection and performance.” With more than 40,000 members in 130 countries, AMPP consists of two governance structures – AMPP, a 501(c)(6), and AMPP Global Center, a 501(c)(3). AMPP will provide services in certification, accreditation, membership, advocacy and public affairs, while AMPP Global Center will focus on standards, technical and research activities, conferences, events, education, training, publications and pre-professional programming. “No other organization offers the depth and breadth of materials protection and performance information, standards, education, certification and contractor accreditation programming that AMPP now provides,” says Tim Bieri, chair of the AMPP Board of Directors. “Through AMPP, we will be able to raise the level of excellence of our professional community and have a greater impact on society through our expanded network of members worldwide.” “I’m looking forward to bringing together the expertise that’s been instrumental in developing standards, training, publications and other technical resources that support our members and advance our industry,” says Joyce Wright, AMPP Global Center’s chair. While AMPP’s staff has been working together since October, some program details such as NACE and SSPC accreditations and certifications will remain as they are for the near future. For more than 50 years, fluidized beds have been used to coat parts with powder coatings.
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Organization Merge
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Keely Hodgkinson takes 800m silver to break Kelly Holmes' British record
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By Tom Sizeland For Mailonline Published: 13:45 GMT, 3 August 2021 | Updated: 10:48 GMT, 4 August 2021 755
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Keely Hodgkinson was just two years old when Kelly Holmes won the 800m Olympic final in Athens in 2004 - and spent her childhood idolising Tom Daley rather than her track star predecessor.
She even admitted to preferring the pool to the track before eventually focusing on running after several arguments with her father.
Keely's career almost ended when a tumour left her unable to run or even walk too quickly.
But she recovered and, in stunning scenes in Tokyo today, smashed Dame Kelly's British record on the way to an 800m silver at the age of just 19.
The ecstatic teen shouted 'what the f***?' into the stands after winning the silver, a clip that was quickly shared across social media as Britain celebrated its newest track star.
Hodgkinson, from Wigan, became Team GB's first Olympic medalist in the event since Athens 2004.
It capped a remarkable rise for the teenager, who didn't even have lottery funding at the start of the year.
Hodgkinson, who has three tattoos and is planning a fourth, is a lover of cars and says her dream is to drive a 65 Ford Mustang.
She also says she wants to drive the Aston Martin from the James Bond films and revealed that millionaire businessman Barrie Wells, who spent £2m funding Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Jessica Ennis-Hill and other athletes, has promised to let her drive his Bentley if she runs under 1:58.30.
Her Olympic silver medal was achieved at 1:55.88.
Keely Hodgkinson took the silver medal in the women's 800m in a new British record time
Keely Hodgkinson of Britain reacts after winning silver - and smashing the British 800m record
Hodgkinson, who has three tattoos and is planning a fourth, is a lover of cars and says her dream is to drive a 65 Ford Mustang
Hodgkinson announced herself in March, just days after turning 19, by becoming the youngest British winner of a European indoor title for more than 50 years.
She followed that up by blowing away the field at the British trials in Manchester in June, and a week later ran a stunning personal best in Stockholm.
Her Olympic success was yet another stunning performance from an athlete who many won't have heard of before the games - and who might not have taken to the track at all.
She told the Guardian before Tokyo: 'You will laugh at this. [My idol] was actually Tom Daley, because everyone used to fancy him. I was like 10.
'I competed for my school in swimming and I thought I was really good. But me and my dad would always have the same argument. He'd tell me that I was a better runner, and I'd get really offended.
'But eventually I went down to my local club and started to gravitate towards athletics.'
She was almost forced to stop competing all together when doctors discovered an undiagnosed tumour in her ear.
The tumour, which wasn't cancerous, left her unable to walk too quickly or run and has now left her 95% deaf in one ear.
Hodgkinson broke the previous best that Holmes had held since 1995 and her effort of 1:55.88 eclipsed the double Olympic champion's time of 1:56.21.
Fellow British stars Jemma Reekie and Alexandra Bell also broke their own personal bests to finish fourth and seventh respectively.
Hodgkinson was unable to run at all in her early teens due to a tumour which has left her deaf in one ear
Hodgkinson announced herself in March, just days after turning 19, by becoming the youngest British winner of a European indoor title for more than 50 years
The gold medal went to the impressive Athing Mu - the American athlete and hot favourite in a time of 1:55.21.
Mu was always comfortable in front, but all three British women were happy to race at the back in the first lap before Reekie and Hodgkinson made their moves in the final lap.
Reekie looked well in contention for a medal, but she ran out of steam at the end as Raevyn Rogers passed her for bronze.
Bell didn't receive any funding to get to this event, but she was actually the fastest of the three British women in the semi-finals to qualify.
The 28-year-old from Leeds finished seventh - this after Laura Muir pulled out of the event to focus on the 1500m.
But it was Hodgkinson - who was unable to run at all in her early teens due to a tumour which has left her deaf in one ear - who burst clear of the other medal contenders.
And she couldn't believe what she'd done, so much so that she was left speechless when she spoke to her trainer after the race.
Hodgkinson celebrates as she crosses the finish line to finish second behind Athing Mu
Alexandra Bell (right) embraces Hodgkinson as she finished an impressive seventh
Hodgkinson broke the previous best that Kelly Holmes had held since 1995 of 1:56.21
The words 'what the f***!' was the best that she could muster as she took the Union Jack flag from the stands to celebrate.
Viewers were left delighted for Hodgkinson and some on social media loved her reaction to winning the silver.
@EmmaGallagher17 wrote: 'Did anyone else hear @keelyhodgkinson say 'what the f***' on the BBC?! Well done Keelie - you say f*** as many times as you want, girl!'.
Another user posted: 'Keely Hodgkinson with the 'What the f***!' live on the BBC after her silver in the 800m' with a laughing emoji.
@AstroJake commented: 'Keely Hodgkinson saying 'what the f***' on the BBC, I live. 19 years old, PB, new British record and silver in the 800m!!!!'.
'Kelly Holmes is a legend. I've looked up to her and spoken to her in the last couple of days, she's a lovely person,' said Hodgkinson.
'I just have no words. It means so much, and thank you to everyone that has sent messages over the past couple of days.
'If the Olympics had been last year I wouldn't have been here, but suddenly it's given me a year to grow and compete with these girls.'
Reekie added: 'I wanted to win, but sometimes you have to learn. Paris isn't too far away.
'I wanted to do better. I am going to be hard on myself because I wanted to win but I think I'll look back in two years' time and realise how well I've done.'
Jemma Reekie just missed out on a medal to finish fourth, but she still achieved a personal best
USA's Raevyn Rogers finished strongly to cross the line in third, narrowly ahead of Reekie
Bell was delighted with her run, and said: 'I'm glad that I've got a PB out of it, I was just so focused on not coming last!
'I wasn't even bothered about the time during the race. But that's just racing, when you're focused on the race the times just follow.'
Hodgkinson, studying criminology at Leeds Beckett University, has gone from virtually unknown at the start to the podium in Tokyo.
In January she ran 1:59.03 in an 800m race in Vienna to become the fastest woman under 20 at the distance indoors.
Athing Mu was the favourite and she delivered, winning the gold medal in a time of 1:55:21
A month later she became the youngest British European Indoor champion for over 50 years after winning the 800m in Torun.
Hodgkinson is not funded by British Athletics as, amid the coronavirus pandemic, they did not add anyone further onto the World Class Performance Programme in 2020.
She has been backed by Barrie Wells, a millionaire businessman and philanthropist who has previously helped fund 18 athletes, including Jessica Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson, to the London 2012 Olympics.
Wells had promised her the chance to drive an Aston Martin if she had made the final.
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Break historical records
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Taliban now control over two-third districts of Afghanistan, regime change a certainty
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UPDATED: August 15, 2021 17:21 IST Taliban has gained control of most of war-ravaged Afghanistan. (File Photo) The important northern Afghan city of Mazar-i- Sharif fell to the Taliban on Saturday , followed by the strategic city of Jalalabad a day after . With the capture of two key cities in two days, and that too, without resistance from forces loyal to the current regime, the Taliban has gained control of most of war-ravaged Afghanistan. In fact, the Taliban and Afghan government are in talks for a “peaceful transition of power” so that the Islamic militia does not attack the capital city of Kabul. This comes after a Taliban blitzkrieg saw much of the country fall into its hands in just a few weeks. Data from “FDD’s Long War Journal”, which tracks the Taliban’s attempts to gain control of territory, shows that the hardliner Islamic group has captured 267 districts as of Sunday, August 15. There are only 53 districts now under government control and the rest of 87 are contested. This is a major change from the situation in the first week of May when the Taliban controlled 77 districts and the Afghan government had control over 194 districts; 129 districts were contested. With the occupation of Jalalabad, the Taliban now has access to the highway that connects the country to Peshawar in Pakistan. The highway is considered key to the transport of goods to the landlocked country. The swiftness with which the Taliban has captured most of the country in no time has taken everyone by surprise. According to reports, United States intelligence was of the assessment that Kabul would remain safe for at least three months. However, as per latest reports, the Taliban are just a few kilometres away from the capital city. On August 14, Logar province, which is not very far from Kabul, fell to the Taliban, that too, without a fight. A day before, the Taliban had captured the two important cities of Kandahar in the south and Herat in the west, bordering Iran. Reports coming in from the country show Afghans fleeing Taliban-controlled provinces and taking shelter in Kabul. As per ground reports, people are apprehending persecution following the ascendance of Taliban hardliners.
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Regime Change
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Oil spill fears as burnt-out chemical cargo ship sinks off Sri Lankan west coast
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A burnt-out container ship that has already caused Sri Lanka's worst maritime environmental disaster has continued sinking, with several hundred tonnes of oil still in its fuel tanks, the navy said.
The MV X-Press Pearl, carrying hundreds of tonnes of chemicals and plastics, burned for 13 days within sight of the island nation's coast before rescue workers finally managed to extinguish the blaze on Tuesday.
A huge amount of plastic debris has already inundated beaches, and authorities now fear an even greater disaster should the 278 tonnes of bunker oil and 50 tonnes of gas in the Singapore-registered ship's fuel tanks leak into the Indian Ocean.
As tugs on Wednesday began trying to tow the ship further out to sea, navy spokesperson Indika de Silva said it was slowly sinking.
"The stern of the ship is under water, the water level is above the deck," Mr de Silva said.
"The ship is going down."
Some oil was already visible near the beaches of Negombo, about 40 kilometres from Colombo, an AFP photographer said, although it was not clear if it was from the stricken ship.
Mr de Silva said the navy helped Dutch salvage firm SMIT to board the vessel and establish a tow connection after several attempts overnight failed due to bad weather.
"The ship will be towed as further away from the coast as possible before it goes down completely," he added.
Fisheries minister Kanchana Wijesekera tweeted that the salvage company involved in the operation "has indicated that the vessel is sinking at the current location".
An official involved in the mitigation efforts said earlier that local experts feared the vessel was unstable.
"The fire-fighting efforts also saw a lot of water sprayed onto the decks. Much of that water has settled in the stern," the official told AFP.
Officials had planned to pump contaminated water from the ship onto barges but the operation was abandoned.
The navy said an Indian coast guard vessel in the area had the equipment to deal with an oil slick if necessary.
The inundation of microplastic granules from the ship's containers has already forced a fishing ban and prompted concern for the wildlife and environment.
Officials believe the blaze destroyed most of the nearly 1,500 containers onboard.
Marine Environment Protection Authority chief Dharshani Lahandapura said the ecological damage was still being assessed, but he believed it was the "worst ever in my lifetime".
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday asked Australia to help evaluate the ecological damage to the island, one of the most bio-diverse countries in South Asia.
Sri Lanka has launched a criminal investigation.
The authorities believe that the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak, which the crew apparently knew about from May 11, nine days before the blaze started.
Police said that the captain and chief engineer, both Russian nationals, as well as a third officer have been questioned.
A court had ordered Tuesday to impound the passports of all three pending investigations.
The ship was heading to Colombo from Gujarat, India, when the blaze started, having previously visited Qatar and Dubai where the containers of 25 tonnes of nitric acid were loaded.
AFP
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Environment Pollution
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ADF ships drinking water to Katherine properties affected by contamination
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More than 40 properties around an Air Force base near Katherine are being supplied with drinking water by the Defence Department, as residents express shock at discovering they have been drinking from a contaminated supply.
The contamination has been linked to chemicals in firefighting foams previously used at RAAF Base Tindal and at other Defence sites, civil airports and fire stations around Australia.
Kirsty Bartlett lives on a property close to Tindal and says she has been drinking contaminated water from a private bore on her property for the past 13 years.
In early November Ms Bartlett and her family were believed to be the first and only rural residents to start receiving deliveries of drinking water from Defence, but since then the number of water deliveries has been steadily climbing.
Since Monday, Defence has been supplying 44 properties near Tindal with alternative drinking water, a spokesman told the ABC.
The provision of drinking water does not necessarily mean the bore water is contaminated.
"Defence has adopted a precautionary approach and will provide alternative sources of drinking water to eligible residents located in close proximity to RAAF Base Tindal who do not have a town water connection, and who rely on the use of a bore for drinking water," the spokesman said.
Ms Bartlett said it had been awful to watch friends who paid for tests on their private bores discover the water was contaminated.
"I've had quite a number of friends call me up and say, 'oh my god, I have just got my results, this is what they are'," she said.
"The common emotion (in the community) is shock, shock and disbelief; your whole little reality has just crumbled," Ms Bartlett said.
"Thinking you've lived this idyllic lifestyle on a rural property in the Northern Territory in this pristine environment, you know, what could go wrong?
"You don't imagine you are going to find out that your bore water is contaminated and you have been giving that to your children from the moment they entered the world."
Ms Barlett said her family was receiving 30 litres of water per person each week, but that there had been problems with the way the water was being delivered.
"They are choosing to deliver the water bladders in cardboard boxes and they have been left out in the rain because we haven't gotten home in time to put them inside," she said.
"They have also just delivered to everybody three weeks worth of water to last over the Christmas and New Year period.
"So obviously it's really awkward to try and get the water bladders to your home and find somewhere to store them where they are not going to burst."
The water is also being delivered in trucks that carry 10,000 litres of water to fill tanks, but Ms Bartlett said the heavy vehicles were at risk of getting bogged in the dirt during the heavy wet season rains.
"When (a truck driver) came in to deliver water (on Wednesday) he was worried thinking he might be spending Christmas in our back paddock waiting for the ground to dry out," she said.
Ms Bartlett has three children, aged 12, nine and seven. She said if she'd known about the contamination when she was pregnant and when her children were born she could have made different decisions about what water they drank.
"There is also an underlying feeling, (a) sense of betrayal," she said.
"Defence say that they stopped using these chemicals in 2004, that that's when it came to light, that you know they were no good, yet nothing was done, nothing was said, everything seemed to me like it was all kept very quiet," she said.
"To me it's 12 years too late. It would have been really helpful to know back in 2004 that this had happened."
Last month, Defence released a report into a preliminary sampling program at Tindal, RAAF Base Darwin and at Robertson Barracks in Palmerston, and said year-long in-depth studies for each site would begin in early 2017.
The report confirmed the toxic chemicals had been found at all 12 sites tested nationally by the department.
In the Northern Territory, 16 sites around RAAF Bases Tindal and Darwin as well as Robertson Barracks in Palmerston were sampled, and the chemicals were detected to varying levels on or around all three bases.
Defence said the levels detected in the Northern Territory did not exceed its changed safety guidelines, which were adapted in September.
Had Defence used the previous guidelines, two of the nine sites tested near Tindal, and two of the three sites tested near Darwin's RAAF base, would have exceeded the standards.
Despite Darwin being slated for a more comprehensive investigation, samples of groundwater, which is used for drinking, were not collected for testing.
At RAAF Base Tindal, of seven groundwater sites tested, one returned levels higher than acceptable under the previous guidelines, as well as one of two surface water sites.
At Robertson Barracks, one surface water and four groundwater sites were tested, but the PFAS detected did not exceed interim screening levels.
Government testing is still underway to determine what negative health impacts the chemicals could have. The International Agency for Cancer Research has classified one of the chemicals, known as PFOA, as a possible carcinogen but there is not yet conclusive evidence that the chemicals cause any specific illnesses.
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Environment Pollution
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Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crash
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Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 was a scheduled domestic Indonesian passenger flight from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta to Polonia International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, operated by Garuda Indonesia using an Airbus A300B4 registered PK-GAI. On 26 September 1997, Flight 152, on final approach into Polonia International Airport, crashed into mountainous woodlands 30 miles (48 km) from Medan during low visibility caused by the 1997 Southeast Asian haze. All 222 passengers and 12 crew were killed. The crash site was in a ravine near the village of Buah Nabar in the Sibolangit district south of Medan. [1] With 234 fatalities, it is the deadliest aviation disaster in Indonesia's history. [2][3]
The aircraft was an Airbus A300B4 FFCC, or "forward-facing crew concept." The FFCC model is a modified version of the A300B4 in which the flight engineer station is eliminated, and the relevant controls are simplified and relocated to be positioned on the overhead panel between the two pilots. This control arrangement is similar to the Airbus A310 series, the difference being that the FFCC retains most of the analogue flight instrumentation of the original A300. The FFCC would later be developed into the A300-600 series, in which all elements of the flight deck are brought to A310 standards, including the addition of electronic flight instrumentation. The two pilots aboard the accident flight were qualified to fly both the FFCC and the -600 model, however the adequacy of their conversion training between the two would later be called into question. Aside from being an FFCC model, the aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT9D-59A turbofan engines and had flown 26,950 hours (over 16,500 take-off and landing cycles) at the time of the accident. [4][5]
At approximately 1:00 pm, air traffic controllers in Medan cleared Flight 152 for an ILS approach into Runway 05 from its current 316 degree heading. The crew, led by Captain Hance Rachmo Wiyogo (41), a pilot with over 20 years of flying experience at Garuda Indonesia and more than 12,000 flying hours, and First Officer Tata Zuwaldi (also 41), a former flight engineer who recently upgraded to pilot, was instructed to turn left heading 240 degrees to intercept the ILS localizer. 120 seconds prior to impact, the crew was asked to turn left further, to 215 degrees, and descend to 2000 feet. At 1:30 pm, Medan vectored the flight to turn right heading 046 degrees to line up for arrival into Runway 05, and asked the crew to report the direction in which the plane was traveling. Air traffic controllers then became confused as to which plane they were talking to, as another flight with the same number (Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 152) was also in the area at the time. Earlier in the day, another Flight 152, Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 152, was handled by the same air traffic controller. This led to the controller mistakenly saying "Merpati one five two turn left heading 240 to intercept runway zero five from the right side"; as the wrong call sign was used, the Garuda pilots disregarded these instructions. The controller, on not receiving a response, queried the pilots to get their attention, this time using the correct call sign, "Indonesia 152". The controller then repeated most of his instructions, specifically failing to repeat that the flight would be making its approach on the south side of the runway, or right side. The pilots believed they were flying the approach on the north side of the airport, which reflected the information on the approach chart the pilots were using. Thus, when the pilots were instructed to turn right to a heading of 046 maintaining 2,000 ft to capture the localizer for the ILS to Runway 05, out of habit – or possibly due to the detailed approach chart – the captain initiated a left turn to a heading of 046. The First Officer was distracted during the turn and did not notice for a while that the aircraft was turning left. When he did notice, he told the captain he was turning the wrong way, and the captain questioned the controller over which way they needed to turn, to which the controller confirmed they were to turn right. A confusing conversation took place over which way to turn, with the controller not having a clear picture of what the flight was doing, due to being unaware that he had left out some critical instructions after his "Merpati 152" mistake and due to the Medan radar system having a refresh time of 12 seconds. Without a constant up-to-date view over the flight's heading, the controller thought the plane was continuing left, when it was actually turning right and over high terrain. During this time the flight descended through 2,000 ft due to the captain inputting the wrong altitude of 1,500 ft. The pilots did not notice this due to the poor visibility from the 1997 Southeast Asian haze. [6] Five seconds prior to initial impact with the treetops, the First Officer made a comment about the airplane's altitude. The FDR recorded increases in pitch and engine power, likely commanded by the crew in an effort to correct their altitude. Shortly before the recording ended, the cockpit voice recorder registered the sound of the plane striking trees, followed by shouting from the pilots. The aircraft crashed into high terrain 45 km from the Runway 05 threshold, 18 km to the south of the center line. The aircraft hit the ground at 1:34 p.m., right wing low, turning towards the airport in the process at a heading of 311 degrees and an altitude of 1,510 ft MSL. All 234 people on board died. The passengers were mostly Indonesian, with six Japanese, four German, three Taiwanese, two American, two British, two Canadian, one Australian, one Belgian, one Dutch, one French, one Italian, one Malaysian, and one Swedish national. [7][8]
Forty-eight of the bodies recovered from the crash were never identified and were buried in a mass grave in a cemetery outside Medan's Polonia Airport, where 61 victims of the 1979 Garuda Fokker F28 crash were also buried. The remaining 186 bodies were identified and returned to their families for private burial. [9]
One of the passengers killed in the crash was businessman Yanto Tanoto, the president director of pulp and rayon company PT Inti Indorayon Utama Polar, and the younger brother of Sukanto Tanoto. [10][11]
The causes of the crash, according to the official report of the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), were:
"There was confusion regarding turning direction of left turn instead of right turn at critical position during radar vectoring that reduced the flight crew's vertical awareness while they were concentrating on the aircraft’s lateral changes. These caused the aircraft to continue descending below the assigned altitude of 2000 ft and hit treetops at 1550 ft above mean sea level. "[12]
The report also criticized the airline's conversion training for pilots who fly both the A300-600 and A300B4-FF models. The former is equipped with digital navigation displays, while the latter is equipped with analog equipment. Though both are sufficient for conducting instrument approaches, the captain may have been overwhelmed due to his lack of familiarity with the analog instrumentation. [12]
Contributing to the accident was the failure of the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) for undetermined reasons and the inadequate vectoring charts used by the controllers at Medan. [12]
The first lawsuit was filed by Nolan Law Group in Chicago, Illinois on September 24, 1998 on behalf of American passengers Fritz and Djoeminah Baden. [13] Additional lawsuits were filed in state and federal courts in Chicago related to many more victims from Indonesia, Germany, Britain, Italy, and Australia. The sole defendant in the lawsuits was Sundstrand Corporation (later Hamilton Sundstrand), the company that designed and manufactured the Mark-II ground proximity warning system ("GPWS") installed on the Airbus A300. The plaintiffs alleged that the GPWS was defectively designed, that the manufacturer was aware of its deficiencies in mountainous terrain for over a decade, and had the system worked as designed the accident could have been avoided. Had the aircraft been fitted with EGPWS the crew would have had the alarm sound between 18 and 23 seconds before impact; the accident would have been avoided. The victims' lawyers produced several internal memos from Hamilton-Sundstrand showing that the system had been inadequately tested for mountainous terrain, having been mostly tested on flat ground with gentle slopes.
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Air crash
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A future-focused review must question Reserve Bank’s inflation target
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The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development statement in the latest assessment of the Australian economy that there should be a review of the Reserve Bank of Australia is welcome news, Warwick McKibbin writes. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) rarely publishes documents that haven’t already been through a review process with the Australian Treasury, and the Australian Labor Party has been calling for a review for some time, suggesting that one is inevitable. There have been several reviews of central banks in different countries in the last few years, including the Bank of Canada, the United States Federal Reserve, and the European Central Bank (ECB). These reviews have helped refocus these institutions’ roles and adjust the monetary framework better to suit these economies’ current and future economic conditions. I was recently involved in an expert panel that evaluated the ECB review. What should be the focus of a review of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)? Most of the review should be forward-looking rather than criticising past decisions. To the extent that a historical assessment will be helpful, it is to learn lessons for future institutional and policy design. The review should ask several questions: Is the central bank mandate of inflation targeting still relevant given the recent experience of consistently missing this target? Is inflation targeting the best framework for future years when the Australian economy undergoes a significant structural adjustment to climate change and technological innovation? What are the policy levers available for implementing the monetary policy mandate? Is the current structure of the RBA Board relevant today? Should resources be made available to members of the RBA Board to support independent analysis? What mechanisms should be in place to maintain regular scrutiny and accountability for the RBA actions but ensure the RBA is independent of the government of the day? The RBA’s goals are enshrined in the Reserve Bank Act of 1959, which states that the RBA is responsible for the stability of the currency, full employment, and the welfare of the people. This Act is implemented through the Statement on the Conduct of Monetary Policy, which is an agreement between the federal treasurer and governor of the RBA. The RBA policy mandate set out in the Statement can be described as targeting inflation over the cycle. The concern with inflation came from a time when demand shocks dominated the Australian economy, but supply shocks are more likely to dominate demand shocks in the upcoming structural transition. In a world dominated by supply shocks, it is well known that inflation targeting regimes are not the most suitable policy framework. Augustus Panton, an economist at the International Monetary Fund, and I have argued in a Reserve Bank conference volume that this is not the appropriate monetary framework for a central bank today. Since that paper was published, the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant increase in government and private debt give even greater weight to the argument that some form of nominal income target will be a better target than inflation. The structure and role of the RBA board and its operating procedures also need review. Membership of the RBA is a part-time position. Historically the composition of the nine-member board reflected the sectoral composition of the economy with representatives from agriculture, mining, manufacturing, retail, a member of the union movement, an academic, the treasury secretary, and governor and deputy governor. This structure was intended to bring the expertise of the broader community to the monetary policy process. This structure has evolved over the years, with the Howard government removing the union representation. Before I was appointed to the board in 2001, my opinion was that the RBA Board should be an expert panel similar to the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England. In this structure, RBA officials would have to argue with experts in monetary economics in Australia’s monetary policy setting. Since being on the board and seeing firsthand many of the business community members making substantial contributions to the board discussion my view has changed, and I now believe the board should include a mix of economists with diverse perspectives and representatives of the business community. However, the secretary of the treasury should only attend the meeting to provide information on the current and future stance of fiscal policy but have no voting role to avoid conflicts of interest. Each board member should be allocated the services of junior staff within the RBA to provide research support and analysis to develop independent views that may better inform the RBA policy deliberations. During the financial crisis of 2009, having access to my global economic models and PhD students proved invaluable in informing my position on how to respond to the crisis. The RBA staff are intelligent, well-trained economists, and many have spent their entire careers inside the Bank. I believe the RBA has done an excellent job since learning the lessons of the policy mistakes that caused the 1991 recession that we didn’t “have to have.” The response to the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has been world-leading. The RBA should welcome a review. Now is the right time as the Australian economy prepares for a period of significant structural change driven by climate shocks and climate policies globally and a period of rapid technological change.
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Financial Crisis
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In new book 'Surviving Savannah,' Southern shipwreck saga has ties to Wilmington
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On June 14, 1838, the steam packet Pulaski, with some of the cream of Savannah society aboard, was cruising between Savannah, Ga., and Baltimore. Then, at about 11:04 p.m., the starboard boiler exploded. The paddle-wheeler sank within 45 minutes in open water. Only four lifeboats were on board -- two were so dried and cracked by exposure to sunlight that they leaked and sank within moments of launch. There was no radio, of course, and no Coast Guard as such. Survivors clung for days to floating wreckage, including a fragment of the promenade deck. Many died of exposure. Of the 180-plus passengers and crew, fewer than 60 survived. It's a gripping tale, and South Carolina author Patti Callahan does a yeoman's job of dramatizing it in her novel "Surviving Savannah." More:A stand-up and a seeker, Wilmington's Cliff Cash is on a quest for comedy gold More:Wilmington's forgotten 'We Are the World' single, 'Call This Place Home,' released in 1986 The story has more than a passing connection to Wilmington. The Pulaski went down about 40 miles from Wilmington -- Callahan quotes an account from an actual Port City newspaper, The Advertiser -- and there it was discovered, in 115 feet of water, in the summer of 2018. Callahan retells the story through the eyes of three women. In 2018, historian Everly Winthrop, a Savannah native, is hired by a Savannah museum to curate an exhibit of artifacts recovered from the Pulaski. Everly has been in a pit of depression and guilt since her best friend's death in a hit-and-run accident, but the job revitalizes her. She begins to research the background of the ship and its passengers -- coming across some stories that modern-day Savannah residents would prefer not to be told -- and even makes an eventful dive on the wreck site itself. Back in 1838, the story follows two women passengers, Lilly Forsyth and Augusta Longstreet, relatives and best friends. Beautiful and married to a wealthy man, Lilly is the object of envy. Her husband, however, is a domestic tyrant and a wife beater. As the family migrates northward to escape the Southern heat (no air conditioning), Lilly is plotting an escape with her infant daughter and her slave nursemaid, Priscilla, who's also been victimized by the cruel Adam Forsyth. Augusta, seemingly doomed to spinsterhood by the death of her fiance, is along to help care for her brother's children. After the sinking, she will have to battle to keep at least some of those children alive. Callahan ("Becoming Mrs. Lewis") introduces elements of Hallmark-style romance: When will Everly realize that she loves Oliver, the museum director? Compared to the epic agonies of Lilly and Augusta, Everly's problems seem shallow. Still, Callahan is a highly competent, if conventional, storyteller, and the narrative moves along speedily. Readers will stay tuned to see what happens next, "Surviving Savannah" offers a sweetly coated history lesson; Callahan did her research. The Pulaski, for example, has been a rich wreck, because so many of the passengers were heading north to Saratoga Springs or other resorts. They took fortunes in gold and silver coins along to support their lifestyles -- there were no ATMs back then, and paper money and checks were iffy propositions when banks often failed. They also took their silverware and silver plates so they could entertain in the style to which they became accustomed. (They also brought slaves, who lived much, much more simply.) Several scenes in the novel are set in modern-day Wrightsville Beach. In real life, some of the Pulaski survivors reached New River Inlet, in Onslow County, in the remaining lifeboats and were taken to Wilmington. A few real-life Wilmington historical figures, including members of the De Rosset family, put in appearances as well.
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Shipwreck
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Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze breaks weightlifting world record
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Reigning Olympic and world champion Lasha Talakhadze retains his continental title and sets snatch world record. Photo: AP
Comments
Agenda.ge, 9 Apr 2017 - 12:31, Tbilisi,Georgia
Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze has made history by snatching 217kg at the European Weightlifting Championships in Split, Croatia last night.
That is the most amount of weight any human being has ever snatched in a weight-lifting competition in recorded history.
Talakhadze broke the men's over-105 kilograms snatch world record on his way to retaining his continental title on the final day of the competition.
The 23-year-old won the snatch with a lift of 217kg, besting Iranian Behdad Salimi's 216kg set at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and then won the clean and jerk with 250kg.
It gave the reigning Olympic and world champion an overall total of 467kg and a winning margin of 21kg.
Another Georgian athlete Irakli Turmanidze came third in the snatch with 201kg, but he did not contest the clean and jerk due to a leg injury.
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Break historical records
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American Ryan Crouser breaks 31-year-old shot put world record
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The 28-year-old who built a training pit at his home in Arkansas to stay on point during the coronavirus pandemic shattered a shot put world record Friday night that was set 2 1/2 years before he was born.
On Day 1 of U.S. Olympic Trials, he heaved the massive medal sphere 76 feet, 8 1/4 inches (23.37 meters) to put his name in the record book and punch his ticket Tokyo, where he'll have a chance to defend his Olympic title next month.
Just like he always imagined.
"There were so many times that I was throwing a six-pound shot out behind the middle school, throwing by myself, and let it go and be like, 'Oh, new world record!"' Crouser said. "I knew it's been a possibility or potential to do it since 2017."
Virtually everyone in this tightly knit group of throwers knew the record of 75-10 1/4 (23.12) held by Randy Barnes since May 20, 1990, was in jeopardy. Earlier this year, Crouser topped Barnes' indoor record. Earlier on Friday, during qualifying, Crouser heaved 75-2 1/2 (22.92) to set the American Olympic trials record.
Even before the fourth of his six tries on a mild, sunshiny evening at Hayward Field had plunked into the dirt, Crouser was lifting his arms to celebrate. When it landed, far beyond where any other mark had been made, a collective gasp came from the quarter-filled stands.
About a half-minute passed while officials checked the distance. When the mark came up on the board, confirming that he had broken one of the longest-standing records in the book, he was mobbed by his competitors over near the circle.
Among those congratulating him were world champion Joe Kovacs, who finished second, and Payton Otterdahl, who earned the third spot.
"There are three or four guys capable of doing that," Kovacs said. "In Tokyo, there are going to be some fireworks. Every year, we're talking about the records being broken and I think there's more to come."
Several minutes later, Crouser was proudly posing down on the field. The picture: Him standing next to the scoreboard with both thumbs raised and the words "World Record" highlighted in green on the board next to his new record.
Crouser, who was second to Kovacs at world championships in Doha in 2019, didn't miss a day of training in 2020, even with the coronavirus pandemic shutting things down across the globe. He built a homemade shot-put ring that he constructed out of two sheets of plywood and screws from Home Depot.
The opening day of trials also featured strong first-round performances from world 800-meter champion Donavan Brazier and sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson, who chose orange as the hair color of the day and turned in the fastest 100-meter time (10.84 seconds). High jumper Vashti Cunningham — the daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham — easily qualified for the final and discus thrower Valarie Allman set a meet record with her throw of 229- 8 (70.01) in qualifying.
In the night's only other final, Woody Kincaid sprinted the final stretch to hold off Grant Fisher and win the 10,000 meters. Both run for the Bowerman Track Club. Kincaid finished in 27:53.62. Joe Klecker was third.
All received second billing to Crouser.
He's hard to miss at a track meet. The 320-pounder takes down about 5,000 calories a day to keep weight on his 6-7 frame. His diet consists of two big breakfast burritos in the morning, a pound of ground beef for lunch and three of the four portions from a meal delivery service at night.
So, what does a newly minted world-record holder do for dinner?
"I've got to get through media and get through drug testing then see what's open," Crouser said. "I'll probably go for a big, old double-double hamburger somewhere."
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Break historical records
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Ethiopia: Locust threat in the east - Hiiraan Online
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ADDIS ABABA (IRIN) - A swarm of locusts is likely to infest the eastern part of Ethiopia in mid-June, the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) has warned.
Abdurahman Abdulahi, senior research officer at DLCO-EA, told IRIN there was a potential threat to the Somali region, which shares a border with Somalia.
The regional state had faced a similar desert locust outbreak in Denbel, Aisha and Afdem woredas in Shinnile zone in April 2007.
According to its monthly Desert Locust Bulletin, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) stated that the aerial and ground-control operations treated 296 hectares of land in April.
"Although some of the areas have been treated, the locusts that survived the controlling operations in April will begin to hatch in mid-May and will began infesting the area in June," Abdurahman said.
He said there was a report of hatching in Harewa, Mito and Hare locations. The crop protection department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had sent an assessment team to Harewa, 45km away from Dire Dawa, to control the hatching.
"The assessment teams found locusts that covered 900 hectares in Harewa on 3 May and were taking controlling measures," he explained.
He said there was no immediate threat to grazing lands or the harvest. However, Abdurahman warned that if control measures were not taken immediately, the locust swarms would make a difference to when the crops began growing.
"We have got information at an early stage so it is easy to control the infestation with our two aircrafts based in Dire Dawa," he added.
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Insect Disaster
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The disaster mitigation agency said the tourism spot had been closed and the alert status of the volcano was being evaluated.
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The disaster mitigation agency said the tourism spot had been closed and the alert status of the volcano was being evaluated.PHOTO: BNPB INDONESIA/TWITTER JAKARTA (XINHUA, REUTERS) - Indonesian authorities issued a flight alert notice after a volcano erupted near the country's third-biggest city of Bandung on Friday (July 26) afternoon, sending ash some 200m into the air and triggering warnings for people to stay away. The orange Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) alert issued by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s Geological Agency indicates that volcanic ash particles are still lingering 1,000 feet above the crater of Tangkuban Parahu volcano, about 30km north of Bandung, the capital of West Java province. “This level (of situation) may risk the flights. The VONA alert also shows that volcanic ash clouds are heading to south and north-east directions,” Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) spokesman Agus Wibowo said in a statement. Broadcasters showed footage of cars and motorbikes driving away from Tangkuban Parahu on roads covered by ash. The disaster mitigation agency said the tourism spot had been closed. Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre (PVMBG) continues to evaluate impacts of the eruption in the volcano whose alert is still set at normal grade of Level I at present, Agus said. PVMBG said that rain of volcanic ashes has affected 1 to 2km of areas around the volcano’s craters. Located 161km south-east from Jakarta, the Tangkuban Parahu volcano stands 2,284m above sea level, and is a popular destination for both foreign and domestic tourists. The eruption that occurred at 3.48pm Jakarta time has prompted local authorities to evacuate tourists from the volcano craters. PVMBG said low intensity of ground tremors were also felt during the eruption that lasted 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Indonesia is on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire and has scores of active volcanoes, sometimes posing a threat to life and disrupting air travel, particularly on the most heavily populated islands like Java and Bali.
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Volcano Eruption
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1948 Northwood mid-air collision crash
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The 1948 Northwood mid-air collision took place on 4 July at 15:03 when a Douglas DC-6 of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (RAF) collided in mid-air over Northwood in London, UK (then in Middlesex). All thirty-nine people aboard both aircraft were killed. It was SAS's first fatal aviation accident and was at the time the deadliest civilian aviation accident in the UK. It is still the deadliest mid-air collision in British history. The DC-6, registration SE-BDA and named Agnar Viking, was on an international scheduled flight from Stockholm via Amsterdam to London's RAF Northolt. The Avro York of the 99 Squadron, with serial number MW248, was on a flight from RAF Luqa in Malta to RAF Norholt. The aircraft were two of four participating in a stacking at Northolt. At the time of the accident the SAS aircraft was holding at 2,500 feet while the RAF aircraft was holding at 3,000 feet. However, due to an error in the setting of the atmospheric pressure compensation of the RAF aircraft, it may have been lower. At the time of the collision the DC-6 was ascending, as the pilots had minutes before decided to divert to Amsterdam and to leave the stacking. The SAS aircraft was flying a regular international scheduled flight from Stockholm Bromma Airport in Sweden via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands to RAF Northolt in London on 4 July 1948. [1] The aircraft, with Swedish registration SE-BDA and named Agnar Viking, was brand new and had first flown earlier that year. It had twenty-five passengers and a flight crew of seven, making a total of thirty-two people on board. [2]
The Avro York C.1, with serial number MW248, was operated by the 99 Squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was flying a transport mission from RAF Luqa in Malta to RAF Northolt. On board were six crew members and the High Commissioner for the Federation of Malaya Edward Gent, who was returning to London. [3] The weather was poor at the time of the accident. [1]
Upon arrival in the Northolt area both aircraft were placed in a stacking pattern, which in addition to the two involved aircraft included two other aircraft at higher altitudes. Each stack had an intermediate distance of 500 feet. The stacking was regulated by the air traffic control of Metropolitan Zone. Any aircraft entering the stack had to follow orders from air traffic control, which indicated their altitudes and route, and issued gates allowing the aircraft to enter and leave. Air traffic control issued atmospheric pressure measurements (QFE), allowing the aircraft to synchronise their altimeters. [4]
At 14:12, the York was given permission to enter the Metropolitan Zone at 5,000 feet over Woodley, near Reading. It was at 14:38 told to circle Northolt at 5,000 feet. [1] Air traffic control then gave the Swedish aircraft permission at 14:45 to descend to 2,500 feet. [1] The RAF aircraft was cleared at 14:50 to descend to 4,000 feet. [1] At 14:52 the DC-6 reported "just passed 2,500 feet; going down". The controller reminded the pilot that he was only cleared to 2,500 feet and was not to descend. [1]
Three minutes after the DC-6 report at 2,500 feet, at 14:54, the York was cleared down to 3,000 feet. [1] The DC-6 decided to divert to Amsterdam at 14:59 and informed the tower; it was cleared to leave the area at 2,500 feet at 15:03 although this was not acknowledged by the DC-6. [1] Nothing was heard from the York after 14:45 and it did not acknowledge further clearance down to 1,500 ft at 15:05. [1]
The permission for the York to descend was given at least a minute or two after the DC-6 was cleared from the area, but neither aircraft acknowledged the last messages. [1] At 15:03 the two aircraft collided about 6.4 kilometres (3.5 nmi; 4.0 mi) north of Northolt Aerodrome. [1] An investigation officer from the Ministry of Civil Aviation later reported that the York was above the DC-6, which was climbing. The starboard wing of the DC-6 penetrated the York on the starboard side behind the freight door and detached the York's tail unit. [5]
Both aircraft crashed into a wood, bursting into flames on impact. [6] After fire and rescue crews put out the fires, the Avro York was found to be completely destroyed by the crash and the only part of the DC-6 that was still intact was the rudder and tailplane, with the rest of the DC-6 also being destroyed by the fire. [6] All seven passengers and crew of the Avro York died and all thirty-two passengers and crew of the DC-6 also died, bringing the total number of deaths to thirty-nine. [2][7]
The collision was at the time the most lethal aviation accident in the United Kingdom[2] and is still the deadliest mid-air collision in the UK. [8] It now ranks as the fifteenth-most fatal accident in Britain. [2] The accident was SAS's first fatal accident. [9] It was the fourth loss of a DC-6 and the third-most fatal at the time. [2]
A week after the accident it was announced that a public inquiry would be held into the accident, only the third such inquiry held in the United Kingdom for an air accident. [10] The inquiry was chaired by William McNair and opened on 20 September 1948. [1]
The inquiry report was published on 21 January 1949. One conclusion found that the height separation in force in the Northolt area of 500 feet provided an inadequate margin of safety and recommended that it be increased to 1,000 feet for the Metropolitan Control Zone. The report also discusses the standard setting for altimeters (known as the regional QFF) that had been introduced in May 1948 for aircraft above 1,500 feet within control zones, and that any error in setting the barometric pressure of one millibar gave an error of 28 feet. [11]
While the inquiry was satisfied that the air traffic control system was satisfactory it raised three operational errors of concern which may have contributed to the disaster. [11] Specifically it underlined that the air traffic control issued a landing forecast to the RAF aircraft of a local QFF which could have been interpreted by the pilots as a regional QFF; the air traffic control not transmitting a regional QFF according to schedule; and the broadcasting of a faulty QFF to the SAS crew. [12]
The court found no evidence of error by the Swedish crew, although it noted that the erroneous QFF may have caused the altimeter to be wrong by one millibar.
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Air crash
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JetBlue Flight 191 crash
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JetBlue Flight 191 was a scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from New York to Las Vegas, United States. On March 27, 2012, the Airbus A320 serving the route diverted to Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, in Amarillo, Texas, after the captain, suffering from an apparent mental breakdown, started behaving erratically and was restrained by passengers. There were no fatalities. [1][2]
Captain Clayton Osbon was locked out of the cockpit by First Officer Jason Dowd and was subdued by passengers after he started acting erratically and ranting about terrorists and 9/11 and apparently suffered from an unspecified mental breakdown. The aircraft was then diverted to Amarillo. Osbon received medical treatment by Northwest Texas Healthcare System. [3]
Dowd grew concerned when Osbon made comments such as "We need to take a leap of faith", "We're not going to Vegas", and "I can't be held responsible when this plane crashes." Osbon began giving what the first officer described as a sermon. Dowd tricked Osbon into going to the passenger compartment, then locked the cockpit door and changed the security code. Osbon railed at passengers about Jesus, Al-Qaeda, countries in the Middle East, and a possible bomb on board. Alarmed passengers tackled him and tied him up with seat belt extenders. An off-duty JetBlue pilot who was travelling as a passenger joined Dowd in the cockpit and the plane landed about 20 minutes later. [4] Osbon was arrested and charged with "interference with a flight crew. "[5][6][7]
The 49-year-old[8] Osbon was suspended from work after being with JetBlue for 12 years. [3] He had attended Carnegie Mellon University and graduated in 1987 from Nathaniel Hawthorne College,[8] an aeronautics and aviation college located in New Hampshire. [9][10][11]
On Tuesday, July 3, 2012, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity of the charge of interference with the flight crew by an Amarillo, Texas-based federal judge, Judge Mary Lou Robinson. Mr. Osbon was then ordered to be held pending a further investigation; he was then immediately transferred to a mental health facility in Fort Worth for additional treatment. [12]
After Captain Osbon was evaluated in a federal mental health facility in North Carolina, on November 9, 2012, US District Judge Robinson freed him under the provisions that he continue mental health treatment, follow a prescribed medication regime, and meet a variety of other conditions. Osbon must continue to be monitored by his probation officer for an undetermined amount of time. "This is a bad situation for you and your family, but you are very fortunate to have the type of immediate support you have," Robinson said. "Good Luck, Mr. Osbon. "[13]
On March 27, 2015, passengers filed a suit against JetBlue for $14.9 million, claiming that the airline did not ensure Osbon was fit to fly, and endangered the lives of the crew and the passengers. [14] The passenger suit was filed three days after the Germanwings Flight 9525 crash, in which the co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane killing all the people aboard. The passenger suit was settled the following month; terms of the settlement were not disclosed to the public. [15]
The cause of Osbon's mental breakdown remains unknown. Possibilities suggested included the onset of a psychotic disorder, a neurological event that compromised his brain function, or intoxication due to medication. [16] In March 2015, Osbon filed a lawsuit against JetBlue in which he claimed the incident was caused by a complex partial brain seizure. [17]
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Air crash
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Suspected Bank Robber Caught by SJPD's New Chopper
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San Jose police made good use their brand-new helicopter Wednesday when they tracked down and arrested a suspected bank robber, according to the department. San Jose police made good use of their brand-new helicopter Wednesday when they tracked down and arrested a suspected bank robber, according to the department. Brian Edward Austin, 46, of Oceanside, was taken into custody at Mineta San Jose International Airport after a robbery at the City National Bank branch at 1 Almaden Blvd. in downtown San Jose, police said. Officers responded to the bank about 12:45 p.m. on reports of a man handing a note to a teller saying he had a gun and demanding money, police said. No weapon was seen, and the suspect fled with money. SJPD's new helicopter, Air3, was giving a presentation at the San Jose Police Academy in South San Jose when the robbery occurred, police said. The flight crew heard the police radio broadcast of the bank robbery and subsequent information that the suspect was in the area of the airport. The helicopter responded to the area and located the suspect’s vehicle by camera, witnessing Austin park in Terminal B, exit the vehicle, and change clothes, police said. Austin then was seen walking from the parked vehicle and boarding a shuttle bus, and an officer arrested him as he got off the shuttle at Terminal A. The stolen money was recovered, and Austin was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on robbery charges, police said. San Jose detectives are investigating Austin’s possible involvement with bank robberies in other jurisdictions, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jason Park of the San Jose Police Department’s Robbery Unit at (408) 277-4166. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line, (408) 947-STOP (7867).
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Bank Robbery
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1963 Skopje earthquake
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The 1963 Skopje earthquake (Macedonian: Скопски земјотрес од 1963 година, romanized: Skopski zemjotres od 1963 godina) was a 6.1 moment magnitude earthquake which occurred in Skopje, SR Macedonia (present-day North Macedonia), then part of the SFR Yugoslavia, on July 26, 1963, which killed over 1,070 people, injured between 3,000[4] and 4,000[5] and left more than 200,000 people homeless. [3] About 80 percent of the city was destroyed. [3]
The earthquake, which measured 6.1 on the moment magnitude scale,[1] occurred on July 26, 1963, at 04:17 UTC[2] (5:17 am local time)[3][6] in Skopje, Socialist Republic of Macedonia, then part of SFR Yugoslavia (present-day North Macedonia). The tremor lasted for 20 seconds[6][7] and was felt mostly along the Vardar River Valley. [7] There were also smaller aftershocks until 5:43. [8]
Within a few days after the earthquake took place, 35 nations requested that the United Nations General Assembly place relief for Skopje on their list of agendas. Relief, in the form of money, medical, engineering and building teams and supplies was offered from 78 countries throughout the world. [3]
United States president John F. Kennedy ordered the Department of Defense and the Agency for International Development (USAID) to take actions for disaster assistance in Skopje by sending personnel, prefabricated houses, tent cities and other forms of relief. [9] Substantial relief also arrived from the Soviet Union. Its leader, Nikita Khrushchev, visited Skopje personally. [10] As the SFR Yugoslavia was a member of the Non Aligned Movement during the Cold War, the American and Soviet troops stationed in Skopje could freely shake hands for the first time since their encounter on Elbe in 1945. [11]
The first foreign journalist who arrived in Skopje to report on the earthquake was David Binder of The New York Times. [12] As he watched Skopje from the plane, he commented that the city looked like it was bombed. [13]
The United Kingdom-based charity War on Want organised a public appeal and contracted with UK engineer Demetrius Comino to provide Dexion building frame materials and personnel under Barto Stuart to enable the building of 1560 dwellings, enough for two complete villages, one of which was nicknamed Dexiongrad. [14][15] Dexion belongs to the Skopje's Municipality of Gjorče Petrov. [16] At the same time, the UK Government made a gift of 44 x 24 feet wide Nissen huts which the Yugoslav authorities used as six schools to be used in satellite suburbs until permanent schools could be established. The construction of these huts was under the supervision of a small detachment of nine Royal Engineers led by Lt Charles Brodley RE. Later, "War on Want" purchased sufficient huts to provide accommodation for 2,000 workmen engaged in the reconstruction of the city and the Engineer detachment was increased to 49 under the command of Captain SL Rooth RE. In 1965, the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange was asked by the United Nations to enter a limited competition for the redevelopment of Skopje, after which Tange won 60% of the prize while the Yugoslav team won the remaining 40%. However, Tange's plan for Skopje (one of his major works) remains partly implemented, specifically concerning the New Skopje Railway Station and the so-called City Wall. As the city gradually began to recover, the need for revival of cultural life arose. The artist Pablo Picasso donated his painting Head of a Woman (1963), which was exhibited in the new post-earthquake Contemporary Art Museum of Macedonia. [17][18][19] The museum building was a donation from Poland and was designed by several Polish architects. [20] The concert hall "Univerzalna sala" was built with donations from around 35 countries and its prefabricated building was made in neighbouring Bulgaria. [21] After the request of the Federal Executive Council of Yugoslavia the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Rab Butler informed the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on February 19, 1964 that the Government of the United Kingdom has approved new 500,000 GBP loan for reconstruction of Skopje. [22]
Several streets and objects in Skopje were named in honor of the countries which helped in their construction and/or donated housing. For example, the government of Romania donated the polyclinic medical center, which was named after its capital, Bucharest. In Karposh Municipality, there are soviet-donated apartment buildings called in Macedonian: „руски згради“ (ruski zgradi, meaning "Russian buildings") and Swedish and Finnish prefabs called „шведски / фински бараки“ (švedski / finski baraki). [13]
One example is Skopje's Mexico Street (улица Мексичка, ulica Meksička). It was officially named in honor of the country Mexico and a memorial plaque from the Mexican president Adolfo López Mateos was unveiled at the location. In 2012, the street's well-known resident, the rock musician Vlatko Stefanovski and his brother, the playwright Goran Stefanovski protested against the mayor's decision to rename several city streets, including Mexico Street. The Stefanovski brothers reminded people that the street they grew up on and where the Macedonian rock group Leb i sol was formed was built with donations from Mexico and argued that this act of solidarity must never be forgotten. [23] The old name Meksička was brought back in February 2021 by the Skopje City Council. [24]
Being rebuilt from ruins thanks to the relief from all around the world, Skopje is often referred to as "The City of International Solidarity", which is its motto. [25]
One year after the 1963 Skopje earthquake, the first Yugoslavian Code for Construction in Seismic Regions (temporary code 1964), was prepared by a committee consisting of international and national experts. [26]
Following the earthquake, Josip Broz Tito, then-president of SFR Yugoslavia, sent a message of condolences to the Socialist Republic of Macedonia before visiting the city personally:[10]
Together with all the people of Yugoslavia we will endeavour to mitigate the misfortune that has befallen your republic. Alberto Moravia, the major Italian novelist:
Skopje must not remain merely a newspaper report of its first sufferings, but must be the responsibility of all of us, of all men who today or tomorrow, through some similar new catastrophe, may become Skopians. The philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre:
Skopje is not a film, not a thriller where we guess the chief event. It is a concentration of man’s struggle for freedom, with a result which inspires further struggles and no acceptance of defeat. . The Skopje earthquake is referenced in many works of art including literature, music, theatre and films. An example is the Macedonian feature film Memento, directed by Dimitrie Osmanli in 1967. [27] An example from the field of literature is the poem Skoplje 1963 by the Austrian poet Christine Busta. [28]
Symbol of the earthquake: The Old Railway Station in Skopje. The clock stopped at 5.17 on July 26, 1963. Today the building is used by the Museum of the City of Skopje (Muzej na grad Skopje). Monument dedicated to the victims of the earthquake, near the Old Railway Station
New settlements in Skopje donated by: USA, UK, West Germany, Mexico, the Scandinavian countries, Switzerland, ČSSR, Poland, the World Council of Churches etc. Charity concert by Henryk Szeryng for the victims of the Skopje earthquake, Reims, France, November 26, 1963
Newspaper clips: Help for the citizens of Skopje from Roosendaal, Netherlands, August 8, 1963
The next day after the earthquake, citizens preparing temporary dwellings. Yugoslav delegation led by Josip Broz Tito, on "Ivo Lola Ribar" street. Giving first aid to casualties in front of hotel Macedonia
Citizens help trapped and wounded
Krangova Palace during demolition
Demolished building, Skopje
A view of the center of Skopje before the earthquake
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Earthquakes
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Residents of remote NT community of Laramba lose legal battle over uranium in water
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Residents of the remote central Australian community of Laramba have lost a case against the Northern Territory Government over high levels of uranium in their drinking water.
Data compiled by the NT's Power and Water Corporation had shown there were 0.046 milligrams of uranium per litre (mg/L) in the town's water supply — close to three times the level recommended in national guidelines.
According to Australia's national guideline, published by the National Health and Medical Council, uranium levels in drinking water should not exceed 0.017 milligrams per litre.
Residents of Laramba, north-west of Alice Springs, lodged a legal case against the landlord, which in this case is the NT's Department of Housing.
The case was submitted to the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) in November last year, highlighting problems with not only residents' drinking water but also housing repairs and conditions in the town.
Residents sought compensation over the uranium contamination and also asked for a filter system on at least one tap in their household kitchens to bring uranium levels in line within Australia's drinking water guidelines.
But in the NTCAT's ruling against the residents, the tribunal member Mark O'Reilly said the uranium in the water was not the responsibility of the landlord.
"In my view the landlord's obligation for habitability is limited to the premises themselves," the decision read.
"[Landlords' obligations] do not extend to external factors that might be considered an "act of God" or a "force majeure".
"If the water supply in Central Australia simply dried up completely it would not be the responsibility of the various landlords of Alice Springs to provide a remedy or compensation."
Mr O'Reilly said the Residential Tenancies Act did not place responsibility on the landlord in the circumstances of this case and NTCAT "had no jurisdiction" to impose responsibility.
"In my view there is an essential flaw in the applicants' assertion that the only water made available by the landlord at the premises contains nearly three times the maximum safe level for ingestion of uranium," he said.
"In reality the landlord does not make water available at the premises at all … The landlord's responsibility is to provide safe and functioning infrastructure to facilitate the supply of water by the service provider."
The case is not the first time a remote community has taken the housing department to court over the state of housing conditions.
Last year residents of Santa Teresa took a case over delayed housing repairs to NTCAT and won.
Australian Lawyers for Remote Aboriginal Rights, which represented the Laramba residents in their case, used examples from the Santa Teresa case in their submissions to NTCAT, but those examples were not entirely accepted by the tribunal.
In regards to water in the Laramba case, Mr O'Reilly said landlords only needed to supply the infrastructure to supply water to the premises.
"In my view the landlord's responsibility to ensure that the premises are habitable does not necessarily encompass regulating water quality.
"For example, if concentrations of lead in water are a result of corroding lead piping within the premises or unpotable water is provided from a tank that forms part of the premises or ancillary premises the landlord is likely to have responsibility under the act," he said.
Daniel Kelly, lawyer assisting for Australian Lawyers for Remote Aboriginal Rights said the result was disappointing and an appeal was likely.
"We're in the process of speaking to our clients, but our view is — and the views that we've been able to garner from our clients are — that we should seek to have this decision reviewed," Mr Kelly said.
"The decision leaves the question well who is responsible? Because these people have been exposed to uranium in the drinking water for over 10 years."
"The Department of Housing is doing nothing about it, Power and Water is doing nothing about it and the Northern Territory Government is doing nothing about it."
In a statement to the ABC, the NT Department of Housing said it would not be providing comment as proceedings were ongoing.
In relation to the rest of the Laramba case, involving housing conditions and repairs, the tribunal has called for further submissions.
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Environment Pollution
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Royal Air Maroc Flight 630 crash
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An ATR 42 aircraft
The Royal Air Maroc Flight 630 (Flight number: AT630 ) was a scheduled flight of the airline Royal Air Maroc from airport Agadir to Casablanca airport . On August 21, 1994, an ATR 42-312 had an accident on this flight . All 44 people on board were killed in the accident. The most likely cause of the accident is a deliberately induced crash caused by the action of the flight captain Younes Khayati. Until the crash on Santa Bárbara Airlines flight 518 in 2008, it was the most serious accident involving an ATR 42. The aircraft affected was an ATR 42-312, a type of the Italian-French consortium Avions de Transport Régional (ATR) founded by Aeritalia and Aérospatiale for the construction of regional aircraft . The machine had the serial number 127, was finally assembled at ATR's production site in Toulouse in 1989 and was delivered to Royal Air Maroc in March 1989. After its F-WWEX test approval , the machine received the Moroccan aircraft registration number CN-CDT . The twin-engine regional airliner was with two turboprop engines of the type Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120 equipped. The captain of the machine was 32-year-old Younes Khayati, who had more than 4,500 hours of flight experience. First officer was Sofia Figuigui. In addition, there were two flight attendants and 40 passengers on board. Ten minutes after take-off and at an altitude of 16,000 feet (approx. 4,600 meters), the aircraft's autopilot was switched off. The machine then went into a dive and crashed into the ground in the Atlas Mountains near Douar Izounine , 32 kilometers north of Agadir. All 44 people were killed. The 40 passengers on board who were killed in the accident included a prince from Kuwait and his wife. The prince was the brother of Sheikh Ahmed al-Mahmoud al-Jabir al-Sabah, the defense minister of Kuwait. At least 20 passengers did not come from Morocco, including eight Italians , five French , four Dutch , two Kuwaitis and one American . The cause of the accident is suspected to be a conscious action by the 32-year-old flight captain Younes Khayati. He switched off the autopilot and steered the machine into the ground. The motive was assumed to be unrequited love. According to the Agence France-Presse , the recordings of the voice recorder allow conclusions to be drawn that the captain was unhappy in love with his female co-pilot. The recordings can be heard how the first officer calls out: “Help, help! The captain...". The rest of the call then falls silent. The flight accident investigators did not want to confirm the thesis of the unhappily in love flight captain. The Moroccan pilots union contradicted the suicide thesis. According to her, the captain showed no signs of personal or professional frustration before the accident. 30.6 -9.316667Coordinates: 30 ° 36 ′ 0 ″ N , 9 ° 19 ′ 0 ″ W.
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Air crash
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Nine Nalgonda municipal employees held in ₹5-cr. fraud
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Updated:
September 18, 2021 23:44 IST
37 were listed as accused in the fraud committed between 2011-15
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37 were listed as accused in the fraud committed between 2011-15
The Nalgonda Town-II police, after investigations following financial audit reports, arrested accused persons in the ₹5.04-crore fraud in the Nalgonda municipality recorded in 2015.
As of Saturday, nine persons were arrested and remanded in judicial custody and search for the remaining officials was on. The administration, following their remand, also placed six of them under suspension. The arrests, three on each day, were made on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
The incident refers to the accumulated financial irregularities in the local body office in the town between 2011 and 2015. The police launched an investigation after the then municipal commissioner A. Mangathayaru reported the violations.
The imbalances, of about ₹5 crore, arose after close to 40 officials in various ranks allegedly siphoned off funds, mostly through revenue collection, irregularities in water connections and water bills.
Soon after the case was opened, the said officials approached the court and paid penalties and made good the fund to an extent and resumed their jobs. Over the period, two officials retired from service and four others died while several officials got transferred to Hyderabad and mandals in undivided Nalgonda.
According to the police, the arrests were being made following detailed investigations and available evidence, also from audit reports. But getting to the accused officials had become a tough task. As many as 20 of them were reported ‘on leave’ or ‘absconding’ and their cell phones were switched off, forcing the police to even scout around their residences.
The accused officials include bill collectors, cashiers, revenue inspectors, public health workers, junior assistants and officials in supervisory role.
It was learnt that a number of manual receipt books and details of collected property taxes during the period were missing.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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BSAA Star Tiger disappearance crash
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Star Tiger (registration G-AHNP) was an Avro Tudor IV passenger aircraft owned and operated by British South American Airways (BSAA) which disappeared without a trace over the Atlantic Ocean while on a flight between Santa Maria in the Azores and Bermuda in the early morning of 30 January 1948. The loss of the aircraft along with that of BSAA Avro Tudor Star Ariel in 1949 remains unsolved, with the resulting speculation helping to develop the Bermuda Triangle legend. British South American Airways (BSAA) was an airline created by former World War II pilots in an effort to provide service on the previously untapped South American trade and passenger routes. Originally named British Latin American Air Lines (BLAIR) it was split off from the British Overseas Airways Corporation to operate its South Atlantic routes. It commenced transatlantic services in March 1946, with a BSAA Avro Lancastrian making the first operational flight from London's Heathrow Airport. The airline operated mostly Avro aircraft: Yorks, Lancastrians and Tudors, and flew to Bermuda, the West Indies and the western coast of South America. Star Tiger was one of three enlarged and improved versions of the Avro Tudor, designated Tudor IV; it had made 11 transatlantic flights, a total of 575 hours flying time, since its initial test flight on 4 November 1947. On the morning of 28 January 1948, the crew and passengers boarded Star Tiger at Lisbon only to be forced to return to the airport waiting room when the pilot, Captain Brian W. McMillan, told them that the port inner engine needed some attention. The aircraft took off 21⁄2 hours later, and made what was intended to be a 75-minute refuelling stop at Santa Maria in the Azores. However, the reported weather was so poor that Captain McMillan decided they should stop over until the next day. Of the passengers 16 were British, two were Mexican, two were Czech, one was Swiss, and four were stateless. Of the passengers, seven were bound for Bermuda, 12 were bound for Kingston, Jamaica, and six were bound for Havana, Cuba. [1]
The following day, 29 January, Star Tiger took off for the next leg of its flight to Bermuda despite strong winds. McMillan had decided to fly at no more than 2,000 ft (610 m) so as to avoid the worst winds. An Avro Lancastrian belonging to BSAA piloted by Frank Griffin took off an hour ahead of the Star Tiger, and Griffin had agreed to radio weather information back to Star Tiger. Star Tiger took off at 15:34 and soon after takeoff was lashed by heavy rain and strong winds. At first some 200 miles behind the Lancastrian, McMillan slowly closed the distance between them and both aircraft remained in radio contact with each other and Bermuda. Second pilot aboard the Star Tiger was David Colby DFC,[2] like McMillan a highly experienced pilot and ex-RAF Pathfinder Force squadron leader. [3]
By 01:26 on 30 January, after 10 hours in the air, Star Tiger was only 150 mi (240 km) behind the Lancastrian. The navigator of the Lancastrian managed to fix their position using celestial navigation and found that the winds had blown the aircraft 60 mi (97 km) off-track in the previous hour. By this time, Star Tiger had passed its Point of No Alternative, at which it could have diverted to Newfoundland, and was committed to remaining on course for Bermuda. At about 02:00 Cyril Ellison, Star Tiger's navigator,[4] fixed the aircraft's position and learned that they too had been blown off course and were crabbing away from Bermuda. He gave McMillan a new course which turned the aircraft directly into a gale. However, McMillan still expected to reach Bermuda with at least an hour's worth of fuel remaining upon landing. A merchant ship, SS Troubadour, had reported seeing a low flying aircraft with lights blinking about halfway between Bermuda and the entrance to Delaware Bay, which meant that if the aircraft was Star Tiger, then it had gone well off-course from Bermuda. [5] This alleged sighting occurred about 2 o'clock [Eastern Standard Time] in the morning[6]
At 03:00 Captain Griffin aboard the Lancastrian amended his ETA from 03:56 to 05:00, and called Star Tiger to say that he was switching to voice telephony to contact Bermuda Approach Control. Griffin later testified that he heard nothing from Star Tiger to indicate that it was in trouble and that from then until he touched down at 04:11 his own aircraft encountered no turbulence, icing, fog or electrical storms. [7]
At 03:04 Radio Officer Robert Tuck aboard Star Tiger requested a radio bearing from Bermuda, but the signal was not strong enough to obtain an accurate reading. Tuck repeated the request 11 minutes later, and this time the Bermuda radio operator was able to obtain a bearing of 72 degrees, accurate to within 2 degrees. The Bermuda operator transmitted this information, and Tuck acknowledged receipt at 03:17. This was the last communication with the aircraft. [8] The Bermuda operator tried to contact Star Tiger at 03:50 and receiving no reply, thought that it had gone over to direct radio contact with Bermuda Approach Control. However, Approach Control reported that this was not the case. The Bermuda radio operator tried at 04:05 to contact Star Tiger, again without success, and after trying again at 04:40 he declared a state of emergency. [8] He had heard no distress message, and neither had anyone else, even though many receiving stations were listening on Star Tiger's frequency. [7]
On 30 January 1948 a press dispatch reported the planes loss at 440 miles northeast of Bermuda. [9]
The U.S. Air Force personnel operating the airfield immediately organised a rescue effort that lasted for five days despite worsening weather. Twenty-six aircraft flew 882 hours in total and surface craft also conducted a search, but no signs of Star Tiger or her 31 passengers and crew were ever found; on 1 February 1948 a B-17 search plane reported sighting several boxes and an oil drum 325 miles northwest of Bermuda; it is unknown if this flotsam was connected to the missing plane or not. [10] (If this was debris from the missing plane, it was probably an indication that "Star Tiger" had flown on for another 100 miles before being lost at sea; the time is unknown but could have occurred within 30 minutes when the plane was overdue for its last route check. Although the cause of the loss is unknown the known facts that it was flying into a gale storm with only about an hours worth of fuel could have been a contributing factor). As soon as it was learned that the Star Tiger had been lost, BSAA's remaining Avro Tudors were grounded by Britain's Minister of Civil Aviation. They were permitted to carry cargo rather than passengers a few weeks later, but had to fly from Santa Maria to Bermuda via Newfoundland, a diversion that reduced the longest overwater leg by 250 mi (400 km). [11]
Although Avro's managing director, Sir Roy Dobson, and Don Bennett of BSAA both publicly rejected any implication that the aircraft had been faulty, the minister decided that a judicial investigation ("Court of Investigation"[12]) into the cause of the incident was necessary, the first such since the loss of the airship R101 in 1930. Bennett objected so strongly to this that BSAA fired him. [citation needed]
Lord Macmillan was appointed to head the investigation, assisted by two assessors in the form of a professor of aviation from the University of London and the chief pilot of British European Airways. Professor Arnold Hall of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was appointed as an assessor. Other persons at the inquiry included Quentin Hogg QC, John Donaldson QC, and Joseph Orrell. [citation needed]
The investigation, which was held in public at Church House, Westminster, opened on 12 April 1948 and lasted 11 days. On 21 August it presented its report to Lord Pakenham, who had succeeded Lord Nathan of Churt as Minister of Civil Aviation. The report emphasised that the crew of the Star Tiger were highly experienced, and found "want of care and attention to detail" in the flight plan, but nothing serious enough to explain the accident.
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Air crash
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1985 Gujarat riots
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The 1969 Gujarat riots refer to the communal violence between Hindus and Muslims during September–October 1969, in Gujarat, India. The violence was Gujarat's first major riot that involved massacre, arson and looting on a large scale. It was the most deadly Hindu-Muslim violence since the partition of India in 1947, and remained so until the 1989 Bhagalpur violence. [2][3]
According to the official figures, 660 people were killed, 1074 people were injured and over 48,000 lost their property. Unofficial reports claim as high as 2000 deaths. [3] The Muslim community suffered the majority of the losses. [4] Out of the 512 deaths reported in the police complaints, 430 were Muslims. [1] Property worth 42 million rupees was destroyed during the riots, with Muslims losing 32 million worth of property. [3] A distinctive feature of the violence was the attack on Muslim chawls by their Dalit Hindu neighbours who had maintained peaceful relations with them until this point. [3]
The riots happened during the chief ministership of the Indian National Congress leader Hitendra Desai. The Justice Reddy Commission set up by his government blamed the Hindu nationalist organizations for the violence. Various writers trace the causes of the riots to a mix of socioeconomic and political factors. The violence started on 18 September 1969 after Muslims attacked some Hindu sadhus and a temple, after the cows herded by the sadhus caused injury to them. The Hindus later attacked a Muslim dargah, and Muslim protesters also attacked the temple again, leading to a mass breakout of violence. [5][6] The riots started in Ahmedabad, and then spread to other areas, notably Vadodara, Mehsana, Nadiad, Anand and Gondal. By 26 September, the violence had been brought under control,[7] however some more violent incidents happened during 18–28 October 1969. [8]
The Hindu-Muslim tension increased considerably in Gujarat during the 1960s. Between 1961 and 1971, there were 685 incidents of communal violence in the urban areas of Gujarat (plus, another 114 in the rural areas). Out of the 685 incidents, 578 incidents happened in 1969 alone. [9]
Although Ahmedabad had been divided along the caste and religious lines, it was not a communally sensitive area until the 1960s. In the 1960s, the city's textile mills attracted a large number of migrants from other parts of the state. During 1961–71, the city's population grew by nearly 38%, resulting in the rapid growth of slums in the eastern part of the city. However, the mid-1960s onwards, a number of under-qualified mill workers in Ahmedabad became unemployed, as the jobs went to the small units of Surat. During the 1960s, seven large mills in Ahmedabad shut down, and around 17,000 workers lost their jobs. [6] The Hindus were over-represented among these workers, compared to the Muslims. [3] The Dalit Hindu workers faced a greater sense of insecurity, as the local Muslim workers were said to be more skilled in the weaving. Several violent clashes involving the textile workers took place in the slums of the city, mainly between the Hindu Dalits and the Muslims. [6]
The changing socioeconomic factors also impacted the political situation in the city. The Indian National Congress had been fragmenting, leading to tensions between its factions: the Congress eventually split into Congress (O) and Congress (I) in 1969. [6] At the same time, the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had established local strongholds in the eastern parts of the city. [10]
Several incidents led to increase in tensions between the two communities in Ahmedabad. During a three-day rally held in Maninagar during 27–28 December 1968, the RSS supremo M. S. Golwalkar pleaded for a Hindu Rashtra ("Hindu nation"). [3][6] On the Muslim side, provocative speeches were made at the conference of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind in June 1969. [5]
On the evening of 3 March 1969, a Hindu police officer moved a handcart that was obstructing traffic near the Kalupur Tower. A copy of Koran placed on the handcart fell on the ground, resulting in a demand for an apology by a small Muslim crowd standing nearby. The crowd soon grew bigger, and twelve policemen were injured in the subsequent violent protests. On 31 August, the Muslims of the city held a massive demonstration to protest the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. On 4 September, a Muslim sub-inspector, while dispersing a Ramlila festive crowd, hit a table. As a result, the Hindu text Ramayana and an Aarti thali (plate) fell down. The Hindus alleged that the police officer also kicked the sacred book. [5] This incident led to protests by Hindus, and the formation of the Hindu Dharma Raksha Samiti by the RSS leaders. [6] The Hindu Dharma Raksha Samiti ("Hindu Religion Protection Committee") organized protests in which anti-Muslim slogans were raised. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Balraj Madhok visited the city and made fiery speeches on 14 and 15 September. [3] Another incident included an alleged assault on some Muslim maulvis, who were trying to construct a mosque in the Odhav village near Ahmedabad. [5]
On 18 September 1969, a Muslim crowd had gathered in the Jamalpur area of Ahmedabad to celebrate the local Urs festival at the tomb of a Sufi saint (Bukhari Saheb's Chilla). When the sadhus (Hindu holy men) of the nearby Jagannath temple tried to bring their cows back to the temple compound through the crowded streets, some Muslim women were injured. The cows also allegedly damaged some carts on which the Muslims were selling goods. [5] This led to violence in which some Muslim youths attacked and injured the sadhus, and damaged the temple windows. [6] Sevadasji, the mahant (priest) of the Hindu temple, went on a protest fast, which he gave up after a 15-member Muslim delegation led by A.M. Peerzada met him and apologized. [11]
However, subsequently, a dargah (tomb shrine) near the temple was damaged by some Hindus.
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Riot
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Louisiana Department of Health confirms two winter storm-related deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning
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The Louisiana Department of Health on Saturday has confirmed two additional deaths tied to the February 2021 winter storm, bringing the statewide death toll to 5.
A 68-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman in Avoyelles Parish died of carbon monoxide poisoning after a generator was placed in the camper in which they were staying.
The parish coroner has confirmed these deaths are considered storm-related.
Below are details on the 5 deaths LDH has confirmed to date:
Generator safety
Portable generators should never be used indoors. This includes in a garage, carport, basement, crawl space or other enclosed or partially enclosed area, even those with ventilation.
Gas-powered generators produce carbon monoxide which is odorless and colorless. Inhaling carbon monoxide can very quickly lead to full incapacitation or death.
Opening windows or doors or using fans will not prevent the build-up of carbon monoxide. If you start to feel sick, dizzy or weak while using a generator, get to fresh air immediately.
Generators should be placed outside, more than 20 feet away from the home, doors, windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors. Do not refuel when hot.
The generator should be kept dry and should not be used in wet conditions.
Heating safety
Make sure that your heating system has been properly serviced and is clean, working properly and ventilated to the outside. If you are going to use a fireplace or chimney, be sure that they are also inspected and cleaned.
Do not use gas or electric ovens or stoves for heating. A gas oven may go out or burn inefficiently, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning, and electric ovens were not designed for space heating.
Do not burn outdoor barbecue materials indoors, even in a fireplace.
Be sure that you have a working smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion.
Space heater safety
If you are using a space heater to heat your home, make sure to follow these steps:
Additional tips
Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly, whenever temperatures drop.
Be sure to protect any outdoor pipes, bring in any plants or pets, and take other necessary precautions.
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Mass Poisoning
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Monterey mudslides injure resident, damage 25 structures as L.A. braces for heavy rain
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Heavy rains along the Central Coast triggered mudslides and debris flows, trapping a woman inside her home Wednesday near Salinas, Calif. The woman was able to escape and suffered moderate injuries, Monterey County Regional Fire District Deputy Fire Marshal Dorothy Priolo said. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was treated and released. The winter storm also damaged at least 25 other residences, sheds and stables nearby, Priolo said. About 50 animals, including horses, were rescued by the Monterey County chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who assisted residents in moving the animals to safety. “At some locations, the mudflow came straight down the hill through the properties and across roads. In other cases, the mud flowed through trees and equipment or other items on the properties and became debris flows,” Priolo said. It hadn’t yet been determined whether any sections of hillside fell in their entirety, Priolo said, or if the flow was only soil mixing with rainwater. Agencies will work in the coming days to identify additional building damage and loss. California Photos: Storm brings rain, snow and cold to California A winter storm swept over much of Southern California, dusting mountaintops with snow and bringing traffic to a standstill on several passes. Jan. 29, 2021 The mudslides occurred near the Sierra de Salinas mountain range on the northeast side of the River fire, which burned more than 48,000 acres last fall. The soil there is weak and, without vegetation to hold it in place, at heightened risk for debris flows and mudslides. The atmospheric river that was in the region had largely left the Bay Area by Thursday and was heading south. Lingering moisture was producing scattered showers that were moving inland, said Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey. “We are on the tail end of the moisture plume,” said Gass, adding that rain is expected to taper off by Thursday evening in Northern California. Most of the reported flooding in the area is “nuisance” and in low-lying areas, Gass said. “This flooding is nothing out of the ordinary for a typical winter storm,” he said. California What is an atmospheric river and why should Southern Californians keep their umbrellas handy? How atmospheric rivers bring heavy rain and snow to California Nov. 29, 2019 Evacuation orders in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties were downgraded to warnings Thursday morning. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders for the Carmel River Lagoon area Thursday morning after the NWS warned of heavy rains and the potential for a rapid rise of the Carmel River. A low-pressure system off the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday pulled the atmospheric river — which was predicted to trend very quickly south — toward the battered Central Coast, meteorologist Brayden Murdock said from the National Weather Service in Monterey. The storm delivered several feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada, particularly between Yosemite National Park and Mammoth. Mammoth Mountain is expecting up to 9 feet of snow over the next few days. Heavy snow near Tahoe has skiers excited for the weekend, when skies are expected to clear, according to the NWS. But for now, snow and icy conditions have closed some mountain roadways, including parts of Highway 88, the gateway to the Kirkwood resort. Highway 395 will remain closed until Friday. Highway 89 was closed near Emerald Bay in Tahoe. A blizzard warning will stay in effect for much of Mono County, including Bridgeport, Coleville and Mammoth Lakes, until 4 a.m. Friday, according to the weather service. Officials warned of strong winds causing tree damage and power outages. Wind chills of up to 20 degrees below are predicted near the ridges of the Sierra Pass and could cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes. The Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center warned against traveling along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, as “extreme” and “widespread” avalanching through Friday morning is possible between Virginia Lakes and Bishop Creek. The system, which was creeping south Thursday morning, had dropped more than 13 inches of rain on portions of San Luis Obispo County. An additional 3 to 6 inches of rain is expected across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties through Thursday afternoon before the storm shifts to the Los Angeles area.Rainfall will be strongest in L.A. County on Thursday night, tapering off around 5 a.m. Friday, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the NWS in Oxnard. “I know it’s dry right now, but the rain is coming. It’s just a matter of waiting,” Thompson said. In anticipation of the rainfall, the National Weather Service issued a flash-flood watch in the Southern California areas burned in the Bobcat, Lake and Ranch2 wildfires last year. Between 1.5 and 3.5 inches of rain is expected in L.A. and Ventura counties, forecasters said, with 2 to 5 inches falling in mountains. Wind gusting along the coast and in the valleys are expected between 25 and 35 mph. Up to 3 inches of snow is expected in the mountains above 6,000 feet, and a 24-hour snow warning will go into effect at 3 p.m. Thursday. The weather service said the storm, which could produce thunderstorms Friday, could increase traffic delays and road flooding. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued evacuation warnings for areas near last year’s El Dorado fire, including Mountain Home Village, northeast Yucaipa and Oak Glen. Flash flooding is possible, officials said. Riverside County also issued evacuation warnings for residents near the El Dorado and Apple burn scars and those living in the Santa Ana River Bottom area. Officials with the Angeles National Forest warned against driving through the area until Friday afternoon, as flooding is possible in the Lake and Bobcat burn scars and snow at high elevation could bring black ice to roadways. Neonika Walker, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles County Public Works, said “moderate debris and mudflows are possible” at sites not previously burned by wildfires. “Some streets may be completely blocked by debris,” Walker said. After closing overnight for several days, the 5 Freeway through the Grapevine remained open in both directions Thursday morning. But snow with the latest storm could bring another closure, officials warned. The northbound lanes of Highway 99 are closed between the 5 Freeway split and Route 223 because of dust caused by high winds.
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Mudslides
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Aeroflot Flight 36 (1976) crash
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Aeroflot Flight 36 was a scheduled domestic Aeroflot passenger flight from Chernivtsi International Airport to Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany), Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic that crashed on 17 December 1976 near Kiev airport, resulting in 48 fatalities and 7 survivors. The aircraft involved in the accident was an Antonov An-24 designed to carry 50 passengers. It was built in 1963, and made its first flight on 8 June 1963. At the time of the accident the aircraft had accumulated 27,244 flying hours and 24,754 pressurization cycles. [1][2]
On 17 December 1976 at 20:32 Moscow time the An-24 took off from Chernivtsi on domestic flight Н-36 from Chernivtsi to Kiev airport with 50 passengers and five crew members on board. [1]
The crew had a weather forecast of clouds at from 100 to 1000–1500 meters, strong south-east wind, mist, drizzle, snowfall, predicting a moderately bumpy flight with visibility of 1000–2000 meters, strong icing in clouds. By the time the aircraft 46722 left Chernivtsi, visibility in Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) had dropped to 800 meters and low clouds at 70 meters; wind there was weak but icing in the clouds was strong. The Aero-meteorological station had been making frequent weather observations but had not detected the moment when horizontal visibility in Zhuliany Airport became less than 700 meters (minimum visibility for An-24) and did not warn air traffic controllers. In violation of instructions, from 20:55 to 22:10 there was no continuous monitoring of visibility at landing direction: 81° magnetic bearing. Crews of incoming flights despite of weather did not require factual values of horizontal and vertical visibility. [1]
The flight made its final approach to Kyiv airport at 81° bearing using a non-directional beacon and radiolocation system of landing (TESLA) by commands of landing controller. The airport's instrument landing system was out of service for maintenance and testing. Traffic controller did not guide flight by landing radar and didn't give information to crew at time of entering to the glide path. Because of this aircraft 46722 started lowering too late and vertical velocity was greater than designed. [1]
atc
At that moment air traffic control was in contact with 3 aircraft on the same radio frequency. As result, ATC commands were ambiguous. The An-24 twice requested distance to runway but both times the broadcast was stepped on by other aircraft. 2500 meters from runway end the An-24 descended below the published glide path but was not advised by ATC.At the critical height (100 m) pilots saw no runway lights but didn't abandon its approach. [1]
At 30–35 meters above Earth surface “danger height” alarm was activated. Pilots pulled controls and aircraft had g-force of 1.9 g. But it was too late. Vertical velocity was too high and height reserve was too small. Two seconds later right part of aircraft had collided with a concrete fence of non-directional radio beacon station at 1265 meters from runway end and at 40 meters right from runway axis. Then aircraft had touched ground in station's yard by front and left landing gears, took off for a short time, then collide with a concrete fence at the opposite side of this yard. Seconds later An-24 collided by left wing with a group of trees, then the aircraft nose ran into a 4.5-meter railroad mound and the rest of the aircraft went on the rails and had stopped at 1150 m from the runway end 40 m right from the runway axis. Fire broke out and completely destroyed aircraft. [1]
4 crew members and 44 passengers died in this accident. Flight attendant and 6 passengers survived; one of these passengers had no injuries. [1]
Because aircraft had been destroyed by fire commission could not determine why danger height alarm probe did not trigger at 60 m height as it had to do. There were serious errors in work of aero-meteorological station which reports to air traffic controller horizontal visibility 700 m and vertical visibility of 50 m. But weather observed 30 seconds after the accident was below weather minimum for An-24. And aircraft 46440 which tied to landing 2 minutes and 6 seconds before aircraft 46722, went to dispersal field at Boryspil Airport because pilots did not see airfield lights. So real horizontal visibility at Zhuliany airport was below 700 meters and An-24 aircraft must not land in these conditions. [1]
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Air crash
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American Airlines Flight 444 crash
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American Airlines Flight 444 was a scheduled American Airlines flight from Chicago to Washington, D.C.'s National Airport. On November 15, 1979, the Boeing 727 serving the flight was attacked by "the Unabomber", Ted Kaczynski, who placed a bomb on board. The bomb, planted in the cargo hold, caused "a sucking explosion and a loss of pressure," which was then followed by large quantities of smoke filling the passenger cabin, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport. [1][2][3] Twelve passengers had to be treated afterward for smoke inhalation. [2] It was later determined[by whom?] that the bomb was powerful enough to have destroyed the aircraft if it had worked correctly. [citation needed]
This was not the first Unabomber attack, but it led to the FBI investigation into the Unabomber as airliner bombing is a federal crime. [citation needed]
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Air crash
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The Latest: Chinese city shuts down over new outbreak worry
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BEIJING — Officials in the northeast China city of Harbin say national level health officials have been sent to the city to deal with what may be a coronavirus outbreak. The city of 9.5 million people reported three infection cases Wednesday, a day after discovering a first case of community transmission. After the initial finding, authorities started mass testing and closed schools. The city also ordered businesses like mahjong parlors, cinemas and gyms to shut. City authorities say residents must display a negative virus test to be able to leave for only essential travel. Otherwise, people are being told to stay home. China has been able to keep the virus from transmitting widely within its borders through a costly and strict strategy that relies on lockdowns and mass testing. ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: — Johnson & Johnson: Booster dose provides strong response — China keeps virus at bay, at high cost, ahead of Olympics — U.S. ramping up rapid COVID-19 tests for home, school — Q&A: America’s new COVID-19 rules for international travel ___ — See AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic ___ HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: HONOLULU — A man who helped organize a Hawaii group that opposes coronavirus vaccines and pandemic restrictions says he now has regrets after contracting COVID-19. Chris Wikoff told Hawaii News Now this week that he helped start the Aloha Freedom Coalition last October. He says he believed government shutdowns and other restrictions were threatening liberties and harming businesses. But then he and his wife contracted COVID-19, the disease that is sometimes caused by the virus. Wikoff says he thought he was going to die and he still has trouble breathing. He is now considering getting vaccinated because his family and doctors recommend it. Wikoff says he no longer wants to be associated with the Aloha Freedom Coalition. He is warning others in the group not to gather. ___ LOS ANGELES — California is seeing lower coronavirus transmission than other U.S. states as virus cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19 decline following a summer surge. The state is currently the only one experiencing “substantial” coronavirus transmission, the second-highest level on the CDC’s color-coded map. So is Puerto Rico. In all other U.S. states, virus transmission is rated as “high.” State health experts say relatively high vaccination rates in California ahead of the arrival of the delta variant of the coronavirus made a difference. They say additional measures, such as masking, also helped stem the surge. State data say nearly 70% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated. ___ HONOLULU — Hawaii health care providers are receiving half the number of monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 that they requested amid a shortage of the drugs. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the federal government has capped Hawaii’s weekly allocation at 680 treatments. The state will have to see whether it can get more supply in the coming weeks. There has been a spike in demand for the drugs in states where surging hospitalizations among the unvaccinated have overwhelmed hospitals. The treatments have been shown to reduce death and hospitalization if given early. The drugs are laboratory-made versions of virus-blocking antibodies that help fight infections. ___ CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming’s governor has activated the Wyoming National Guard to provide temporary assistance to hospitals that are dealing with a surge of patients with COVID-19. Gov. Mark Gordon activated 95 soldiers and airmen Tuesday to serve at 24 sites in 17 Wyoming cities. The Guard members will help with cleanup, food service, coronavirus screening, management of personal protective equipment and other support tasks. Guard members will serve 14- to 30-day rotations, with the potential to extend through the end of the year. On Tuesday, 190 people were hospitalized in Wyoming with COVID-19, the sometimes deadly disease that can be caused by the coronavirus. That is down from a recent high of 223 on Sept. 8. ___ WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A North Carolina-based health care provider says nearly 400 of its workers face firings for failing to comply with a mandatory coronavirus vaccination program. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that Novant Health said Tuesday that 1.4% of its overall workforce, or 375 employees, are not being allowed to work. Novant announced its mandatory vaccination policy July 22, saying then that it would require full compliance by Sept. 15. In a news release, Novant Health says the affected workers will have five days to comply with the vaccine mandate. If they don’t get the shot before the deadline, they will be fired. ___ NEW YORK — A new study of Texas prison inmates provides more evidence that coronavirus can spread even in groups where most people are vaccinated. A COVID-19 outbreak at a federal prison in July and August infected 172 male inmates in two prison housing units, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Tuesday. About 80% of the inmates in the units had been vaccinated. More than 90% of the unvaccinated inmates wound up being infected, as did 70% of the fully vaccinated prisoners. Severe illness, however, was more common among the unvaccinated. The hospitalization rate was almost 10 times higher for them compared with those who got the shots. It echoes research into a July outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where several hundred people were infected -- about three-quarters of whom were fully vaccinated. Such reports have prompted a renewed push by health officials for even vaccinated people to wear masks and take other precautions. They believe the delta variant, a version of coronavirus that spreads more easily, and possibly waning immunity may be playing a role. The authors did not identify the prison, but media reports in July detailed a similar-sized outbreak at the federal prison in Texarkana. ___ OKLAHOMA CITY — Fans of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder will be required to provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to attend games in person, the team announced Tuesday. “As we continue to face serious health challenges from COVID-19, we must remain committed to protecting the health and safety of our community,” Thunder Chairman Clay Bennett said. The policy will be in effect for the first 12 games of the preseason and continuing into the start of the regular season. The Oklahoma State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 484 new virus cases and a seven-day average of 1,834 new cases daily, down from a seven-day average of 2,114 new daily cases one week ago. The number of hospitalizations has declined from a three-day average of nearly 1,600 on Sept. 1 to 1,327 on Tuesday, according to the health department, which announced a virtual career day on Sept. 29 in an effort to hire 70 nurses statewide. ___ SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said Tuesday the city’s eviction moratoriums will remain in place through Jan. 15, 2022, rather than expiring at the end of September. The Seattle Times reports Durkan extended the moratoriums with an executive order. She cited the spread of COVID-19’s delta variant and an ongoing effort to distribute rent assistance to tenants who are behind on their payments. As many as 60,000 Seattle-area residents are in households with rental debt, according to a survey last month. Seattle’s moratoriums on most residential evictions and some commercial evictions have been extended six times since they were established in March 2020. The city’s moratoriums apply to residential, nonprofit and small-business tenants, with small businesses defined as those with 50 or fewer employees. Most evictions are prohibited for those tenants, including evictions for nonpayment of rent, though tenants remain legally obligated to pay rent and can accumulate ___ COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday painted a picture of a very different pandemic than the one Ohio saw in the fall of last year at the peak. The data now shows younger patients being hospitalized and put on ventilators in nearly every corner of the state. From September 5 through September 11. data shows 230 Ohioans 39 years of age and younger were admitted to the hospital. “This is the highest number of admissions for COVID in this age group during the entire pandemic, even higher than during the winter surge levels when no one was vaccinated,” DeWine told reporters during a press briefing. The overwhelming majority, around 97%, of hospitalization are among patients who have not been vaccinated. Preliminary data also shows the death rate among the unvaccinated, younger patients is also hitting record highs. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio has also risen over the past two weeks from 6,022 new cases per day on Sept. 5 to 6,844 new cases per day on Sept. 19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. As of Tuesday, more than 62% of Ohioans 12 years and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. But that rate, according to DeWine and medical professionals, is not high enough to defeat the delta surge as misinformation about the vaccine and vaccine hesitancy continues to rise. ___ SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco is requiring all workers at San Francisco International Airport to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees who are exempt must undergo weekly testing. The mandate announced Tuesday applies to roughly 46,000 on-site personnel, including employees of contractors and retail tenants. Mayor London Breed’s office said the mandate is the first for a U.S. airport and goes into effect immediately. Some airlines have already announced vaccination mandates for employees. San Francisco also requires its municipal workers to be inoculated. ___ LONDON — Bishops of the Church of England have joined calls for world leaders to fulfill promises made to reduce global vaccine inequality. The bishops voted unanimously Tuesday to endorse a statement made by two Church of England bodies demanding an emergency meeting of the G7, the club of wealthy democracies including Canada, the US and the UK, to commit to fulfilling vaccine equity promises. G7 leaders promised in June to donate over one billion vaccine doses to lower-income countries. Only 15% of this promised figure has so far been administered. World leaders currently attending the UN General Assembly in New York are expected to decide Wednesday on whether to call an emergency G7 meeting to address the issue. Vaccination coverage in Africa remains at 5%, while 80% of the world’s 5.5 billion vaccine doses were administered in high and upper-middle-income countries. “Rich nations are still on track to amass an excess of one billion vaccines by the end of the year,” the statement said. “Rich nations must not hoard the surpluses amassed.” ___ BEAVER DAM, Wis. — A Beaver Dam Unified School Board member has resigned, citing safety concerns over his support for mandating masks for students in the district’s schools. Tony Klatt has twice voted in favor of the mask mandate for Beaver Dam school and says he still feels strongly that it was the right decision based on “facts at hand.” Klatt, who has been on the board since April 2019, posted on his Facebook page last week that decisions made because COVID-19 have definitely been challenging, but the decisions were not made lightly and were based on feedback and information. About his resignation, Klatt wrote that “when there is talk of protesting my house and someone later pulls in front and takes a picture of my address while my daughter is home alone, she does not feel safe.” He said his family doesn’t feel safe when a car sits idling in front of his house late at night, the State Journal reported. Recently, several dozens parents demonstrated against the mandate outside of the Beaver Dam Unified School District Educational Service Center. ___ BOISE, Idaho — Gov. Brad Little says $10 million in relief funds will be directed to Idaho hospitals, primary care providers, urgent care clinics and skilled nursing facilities because of the surge in COVID-19 patients. Little announced the additional money on Tuesday, saying the funds will help ease the burden on hospitals and other health care providers. The number of people hospitalized with coronavirus has been steadily increasing, with a record of at least 717 patients reported statewide last week. With a record number of COVID-19 patients in Idaho’s intensive care units, the state recently entered a “crisis standards of care” designation that allows hospitals to begin health care rationing as needed. Nearly all new cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been among unvaccinated residents, the governor’s office says. Idaho’s vaccination rate remains one of lowest in the nation, with only about half of the eligible residents fully vaccinated.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Tsunami warning system gets $3 million 'fit for purpose' upgrade
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Christchurch’s tsunami warning system is getting a $3 million upgrade as the city council installs sirens further inland and on Banks Peninsula. The existing 45 sirens, which extend from Brooklands to Taylors Mistake, were installed between 2011 and 2015 , and do not cover inland areas now deemed to be at risk of flooding if a large tsunami hits. Banks Peninsula was also left out of the initial roll-out. The Christchurch City Council unanimously decided on Tuesday to extend the existing system to the peninsula and other city suburbs. John Kirk-Anderson/Stuff Settlements around Akaroa Harbour will soon get tsunami warning sirens. The new city locations were likely to cover areas including Dallington, Avonside, Wainoni and Aranui, after parts of these areas were added to the tsunami evacuation zones following a 2019 report . Another 12,600 properties were deemed to be in the zone. READ MORE: * Tsunami are frequent visitors to New Zealand shores Exactly how many additional sirens were required would not be known until the detailed design work had been done, but a report by Christchurch Civil Defence shows another 41 sirens could be needed. A council report said extending the system to Banks Peninsula filled the void for areas where emergency mobile alerts were not received due to limited cell tower coverage. The existing system would also be upgraded to include a public address system, so pre-recorded messages could be played to let people know what they should do when the sirens were sounded. Stacy Squires/Stuff The existing tsunami system was installed between 2011 and 2015. The changes would ensure the system was “fit for purpose”, the report said. Sirens were one of many tools for alerting people to a tsunami and were designed to be used along with mobile phone alerts, and information from the council and mainstream media. Council head of civil defence emergency management Rob Orchard said it was also important for people to remember that if there was a locally-generated tsunami, the council would not have enough time to activate the sirens. “In that case, the best warning sign is the earthquake itself. If you are near the coast, and you experience a strong earthquake that is difficult to stand up in, or lasts for a minute or more, you should evacuate immediately.”
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Tsunamis
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Mount Sinabung spewing ash and smoke into the sky, as seen from Karo, in North Sumatra
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Mount Sinabung spewing ash and smoke into the sky, as seen from Karo, in North Sumatra, on May 7, 2021.PHOTO: AFP MEDAN, INDONESIA (AFP) - Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted on Friday (May 7), spewing a massive column of smoke and ash up to 2,800m into the sky. The volcano in North Sumatra province started belching ash and volcanic material at 9am and the eruption lasted almost six minutes, a local geological agency said. Images showed a thick column of ash spewing from the inside of Sinabung towards the east. No evacuation orders have been issued, and there has been no reported flight disruption. The authorities have instructed residents to avoid a 5km radius around the crater, a zone that has been left unoccupied for years as volcanic activity increased. "Residents and tourists should not do any activity around Mount Sinabung or relocated villages because the volcanic activities remain high," Mr Muhammad Nurul Asrori, an official at the Mount Sinabung monitoring post told AFP, adding that the volcano alert status remains unchanged at level three. Sinabung, a 2,460m volcano, was dormant for centuries before roaring back to life in 2010 when an eruption killed two people. After another period of inactivity, it erupted again in 2013 and has remained highly active since. The following year, an eruption killed at least 16 people, while seven died in a 2016 blast. Indonesia - an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and islets - has nearly 130 active volcanoes. It sits on the "Ring of Fire", a belt of tectonic plate boundaries circling the Pacific Ocean where frequent seismic activity occurs.
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Volcano Eruption
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Highway 133 near Redstone reopens Friday morning after mudslides Thursday
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News News | July 30, 2021 A section of Highway 133 near Redstone in the Crystal River Valley reopened Friday morning after mudslides Thursday caused by heavy rains rolled through earlier in the day. The state highway was closed between Coal Creek Road and Redstone Boulevard, about 8 miles north of McClure Pass, because of “multiple mudslides“ according to the Pitkin County officials. One lane reopened Friday morning with alternating traffic, so delays should be expected. The valley has been hit with numerous mudslides the past few weeks. John Lorme, CDOT director or maintenance operations, said Friday afternoon that crews on the ground said 20 different debris flows last night in the area. “The local supervisor said it was ‘absolutely epic’ the amount of debris,” Lorme said.
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Mudslides
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Hostages taken in Greece bank robbery
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A man has taken hostages in a bank robbery in Athens' port of Piraeus, police say. The robber has released some hostages but still holds four captive. The bank robber fired shots in the air, police said, adding that no one had been injured. Negotiators are talking with him to convince him to free the remaining hostages. "There are four hostages in the bank, the rest have been freed," a senior police official told Reuters. Police say three men had stormed into a National Bank of Greece around midday on Monday (local time). "Two of them were chased and arrested and the third one returned to the bank and held people hostage," a spokesman said. The hostage taker was holding a gun and told police he also had a hand grenade.
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Bank Robbery
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'Shouldn't be allowed out of bed!' Joe Biden humiliated following bizarre rambling speech
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President Biden delivered an error-ridden speech during an appearance in Illinois where he confused names, genders and places at an event intended to raise the importance of vaccines. But his handling of the speech sparked received heavy criticism for its haphazardness and confusing direction.
Speaking at the event, the President mumbled names and stuttered heavily as he reeled off his thanks to various figures for their work on vaccines in Illinois.
But in one bizarre moment, the President says: "Ohio... Pennsylvania... the, the, the Illinois president Don Harmon!"
He adds: “Erm, erm erm, Martin Moylan... and we have got great leadership…"
But Sky News Australia's Alan Jones was having none of it as he slammed "they shouldn’t let this bloke out of bed!".
JUST IN Now the US teams up with Japan against EU in fresh row due to explode this week
He added: "What do you think Russia and China, let alone the Taliban are saying!”
The mishaps were however not the only howlers in what became a totally rambling address where Mr Biden ended up branding female Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot 'Mister'.
While later on, the President of the United States confused a television for a telephone when he told viewers about a conversation he had with a hospital worker.
He said: “Last night I was on the television, on television…
READ MORE Joe Biden slammed as 'utterly incoherent' even with 'assistance of an autocue'
“I was on the telephone with a person at an emergency hospital ward.”
The struggling President can then be heard to suddenly shout “where is Tim" as his disjointed speech takes a turn for the worse.
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The TV host then slams "God help us" as he watches footage where Mr Biden continues to get names and places mixed up before making a claim about employment in the USA.
The President's comments follow a visit to Illinois, a state he carried in 2020 by 1,025,024-votes.
But his visit comes at a time when his public approval rating has nose-dived.
Rasmussen's most recent poll suggested Biden's approval rating currently stands at -12 percent as the President rides out the legacy of the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and a spiralling employment crisis in the States.
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 - Give a speech
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Åsta accident
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The Åsta accident was a railway accident that occurred at 13:12:25 on 4 January 2000 at Åsta in Åmot, south of Rena in Østerdalen, Norway. A train from Trondheim collided with a local train from Hamar on the Røros Line, resulting in an explosive fire. 19 people were killed, while 67 survived the accident. Southbound train 2302, a train hauled by a Di 3-class diesel locomotive,[1] departed on schedule from Trondheim Central Station at 07:45 in the morning on Tuesday 4 January 2000 with 75 people on board. Its final destination was Hamar Station. Because connecting trains were running late, the train departure from Røros Station was 21 minutes late. The schedule delay was partially recovered, and by arrival and departure at Rena Station the train was running only 7 minutes late. At departure the signal showed green, and the log at the traffic control centre at Hamar after the accident showed that the south-bound signal on the main line was also green. Northbound train 2369, a Class 92 diesel multiple unit,[1] left Hamar Station on schedule at 12:30 with 10 passengers on board. The train was headed for Rena Station, after which it was to return to Hamar. At Rustad Station the train stopped to pick up one passenger at 13:06 and, according to the schedule, the train was supposed to have remain at Rustad until 13:10 to wait for the train from north. When the train left Rustad at 13:07 with 11 persons on board, including the engineer and conductor, the log shows that the signal did not show green. The log also revealed that the set of points at the exit had been forced open by the northbound train. Traffic control on the Rørosbanen line between Hamar and Røros is controlled by the Train Control Centre at Hamar. The dispatcher there was also responsible for watching the more heavily trafficked stretch south from Hamar to Eidsvoll. There was no audible alarm installed to warn when two trains are on collision course on this stretch, and although a message in red print may have been visible on the screen warning that an accident was imminent, the traffic controller did not observe this visual warning until 13:11:30. At the time of the accident, neither an Automatic Train Control (ATC, a system for automatically stopping trains) nor a train radio was installed on trains on the Røros Line. The only way to contact the trains was via mobile telephones. The mobile telephone numbers for the engineers and conductors on the trains had either been recorded on the wrong list, or had not been listed. Hence, by the time the traffic controller in Hamar recognised the problem, he was unable to determine which phone number to dial. At 13:12:35 the trains collided at Kilometer 182,75 (61°04′08.1″N 011°21′02.9″E / 61.068917°N 11.350806°E / 61.068917; 11.350806Coordinates: 61°04′08.1″N 011°21′02.9″E / 61.068917°N 11.350806°E / 61.068917; 11.350806), killing many people. [2]
On 1 September 1997, the Norwegian National Rail Administration and the Norwegian State Railways had introduced new departure routines for passenger trains where only the engineer, and not both the engineer and conductor as before, was required to check that the main departure signal from a station showed "go" before the train started from a station. This was despite that the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate did not accept that the new departure procedures were to be introduced on the Røros Line, among other things because of the special conditions there. The Rail Inspectorate protested, also to the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, and got support there, without this changing the actual departure procedures. On 22 February 1975, the Tretten train disaster occurred on the Dovre Line,[3] killing 27 people. [4] The accident was very similar to the one at Åsta, as it was a head-on collision on a section with CTC, after the train driver had mis-read a stop signal. In that accident's aftermath, it was concluded that a stop signal was not sufficient and in 1976 NSB decided to install automatic train stop (ATS) on all electrified mainlines. [5] A prototype of an ATS system was developed by SINTEF and tested om Espa station in 1971. However, the selected system was the ATC system that LM Ericsson developed for the Swedish state railways. From 1979 the system was rolled out on the main railway lines, including the Bergen, Dovre, Sørlandet, Ofoten, Østfold and Kongsvinger Lines. From 1995, also automatic train control (ATC) was rolled out, allowing not just stop signals, but also speed signals to be issued automatically. [6]
In a 1989 report written by Det Norske Veritas for NSB, the continued roll-out of ATC was instrumental for retaining safety on the railway network. The report recommended that all lines in Norway with centralised traffic control (CTC) receive ATC by 1 January 1995. In particular, the Drammen Line between Oslo and Asker and the Vestfold Line lacked such implementation. In addition, the report stressed that all new lines receiving CTC should also receive ATC at the same time. [7] Funding for hasten roll-out was given in 1992 and 1993, both on the Røros and the Eastern Østfold Line. The need for ATC was also specified in National Railway Plan 1994–97. [8]
The CTC on the Røros Line south of Røros was completed in December 1994, but without ATC. This allowed the costly manning of stations (to manually operate the passing loops) to end. The plans for ATC were completed in November 1995, and then sent on public consultation. By April 1997, the planning process was completed. In the Norwegian Railway Plan 1998–2007, the Ministry of Transport and Communications explicitly stated that ATC, along with CTC and the train radio system Scanet was only to be built on lines where it was profitable. The Røros Line had ATC mentioned "in the medium term", but was not part of the ten-year plan. The plan was subsequently sanctioned by the Parliament of Norway. [8] The reasons for not allocating money was in part because of cost overruns from building the Gardermoen Line, and in part because centrally placed people in NSB were uncertain if the Røros Line would be kept and if it was economical to make large investments in a line which would be closed. [9]
Scanet was replaced by Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway (GSM-R) in 2007. [10] The system, delivered by Nokia Siemens Networks, was on time and on budget, and made Norway one of the first countries to fully implement the system throughout Europe. [10] After GSM-R was fully implemented on 1 November, Scanet was gradually closed. [11] The new system has been characterised as simpler to use and giving better audio quality than Scanet. [12]
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Train collisions
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Brazilian Mining Dam Collapse: 110 Dead; Search Continues for 238 Missing
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The search for 238 people still missing after the Brazilian mining dam disaster continued Thursday as the death toll reached 110. Even though no one has been found alive since Saturday, the Minas Gerais Fire Department said it's not ready to stop searching for victims, according to the Associated Press. Brazilian authorities also have arrested five people Tuesday in connection with the dam failure, two who worked for the Vale mining company and three from a German company that inspected the dam, AP said. The collapse occurred Friday, January 25, at the Corrego de Feijao mine near Brumadinho — about 215 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro — in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, Vale SA, the mining company that operates the dam said. Vale said the area around the dam was equipped with eight sirens, but “the speed in which the event happened made sounding an alarm impossible” when the collapse occurred, the company told the AP. The torrent of mud filled with iron ore waste from the mines was spreading down the Paraopeba River on Sunday. Environmentalists fear iron oxide in the waste could settle on the river bed and be churned up every time it rains and contaminate the river again, AP reported. Environmentalists say the impact of the dam collapse will be felt up to 160 miles from the mining site. On Wednesday, three state and federal agencies asked residents refrain from using water directly from the Paraopeba or 100-meters (109 yards) around it. Authorities said the water presents a risk to humans and animals. When the dam broke, rescuers used helicopters to search for survivors in a huge area buried in mud. "Most likely, from now on we are mostly going to be recovering bodies," said Romeu Zema, the governor of the state of Minas Gerais. He noted Saturday afternoon that those responsible "would be punished." “I saw all the mud coming down the hill, snapping the trees as it descended. It was a tremendous noise,” Simone Pedrosa, who saw the collapse from a neighborhood about five miles from the spot of the breach, told the AP. A search and rescue crew of about 130 men and women from Israel Defense Forces arrived Sunday to assist with search for survivors, according to Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus. The team left Thursday to return to Israel. Vila Ferteco, a community downstream from the collapse appeared to be the hardest hit, but evacuations were also ordered for parts of Brumadinho. The flow of reddish brown waste also hit an administrative office for the mining company. "I've never seen anything like it," Josiele Rosa Silva Tomas, president of Brumadinho resident's association, told AP. "It was horrible ... the amount of mud that took over." Lt. Pedro Aihara, a spokesman for state firefighters, said Saturday they found a bus they believed could be filled with bodies but noted that accessing the bus buried in yards of mud was proving difficult. "We need a special machine to access the structure and recover victims," Aihara said. "The number of dead is going to go up." Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said in a speech posted to Twitter that the government was taking all "possible steps to minimize the suffering of families and victims." Bolsonaro said he planned to tour the area by helicopter on Saturday. Reuters reported that the dam held 1 million cubic meters of mining waste byproduct, much less than the 50 million cubic meters that rushed out of a deadly mining dam collapse in Minas Gerais in 2015. That collapse, at a dam also operated by Vale SA, killed 19 people and also polluted waterways with toxic waste, the Wall Street Journal reports. AP says a report from the United Nations found that waste from the 2015 disaster "contained high levels of toxic heavy metals." The 2015 collapse left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. Video from social media showed widespread destruction and people trapped in a mountain of mud-choked debris. Rescue operations by land and air were ongoing. One television station showed a helicopter hovering inches off the ground as it pulled people covered in mud out of the waste. In another video cars, train cars and pieces of structures are seen tossed about the river of debris. The cause of the collapse is unknown at this time, but weather didn't appear to be a factor. The area of the collapse is below average for rainfall over the last 30 days, receiving just over an inch of rain since Jan. 1, according to senior weather.com meteorologist Jon Erdman.
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Mine Collapses
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The Search for Aboriginal History Off the Coast of Australia
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Archaeologists exploring the waters near Western Australia’s Murujuga are finding ancient sites a short dive below the sea’s surface Clare Watson, Hakai Magazine When one-third of the Australian continent was submerged, ancestors of the world’s oldest living cultures were there to see it. Lands that once were wide open to exploration and home to many people flooded as the ocean crept inland following the last ice age, some 10,000 years ago. Traces of human occupation vanished underwater. Aboriginal people living at the farthest reaches of Australia’s ancient coastline would have steadily retreated; those living inland would have witnessed the sea transforming their country. In Murujuga—once an interior rocky mountain range and now a coastal archipelago and peninsula in Western Australia—ancient people recorded the sea change in stone through artworks depicting newly arrived marine life and other animals, now extinct. Today, Murujuga stands as one of the largest collections of ancient rock art in the world. The million-plus engravings, which date back more than 40,000 years, are accompanied by evidence of human occupation scattered along the present-day coast, an archaeological record like no other. “That says something for how significant this particular site is,” says Peter Jeffries, CEO of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), which represents the five language groups in the area, and has about 1,200 members, though the community is bigger than that. There’s excitement anew in Murujuga. Two more ancient archaeological sites were found—underwater—in 2019, and reported in 2020. They date back to 7,000 and 8,500 years ago, when water inundated the dry land where they sat. They are the first submerged sites of Aboriginal cultural heritage found on Australia’s exceptionally broad continental shelf. Archaeologists believe that these underwater sites are just the first of many; there could be millions more artifacts out there on the seabed. Around two million square kilometers of land around Australia was lost to rising seas after the last ice age, about the same area as modern-day Mexico. The scientific thinking echoes Indigenous lore: that these now-submerged landscapes, often called sea country, hold some of Australia’s oldest histories. And so, the ocean beckons. Excited by the potential of uncovering ancient pasts, researchers and traditional custodians in Australia and beyond are stepping offshore to delve deeper into Indigenous histories, in search of sites that probably would have been destroyed or eroded if they lay on dry land. “You mustn’t stop at the shoreline,” says archaeologist Jonathan Benjamin, who steered the project in Murujuga. But when venturing into unknown waters, the search begins close to shore. *** Murujuga—translated as “hip bone sticking out”—is a place few Australians have visited, and most might not even know about. On the far northwest coast of Australia, the red, rocky Burrup Peninsula juts into the sea from the port town of Dampier. Together with the surrounding islands of the Dampier archipelago and the waters in between, this is Murujuga country, as it’s known in the local Ngarluma-Yaburara language. With its magnificent rock art collection and a coastline marked with remnants of long-ago industry—quarries for making stone tools, stone traps for catching fish, and mounded shell middens—Murujuga is clearly attractive to curious archaeologists. If you had to choose somewhere in Australia to step offshore, this would be it, says Benjamin, who had his sights set on the country’s continental shelf when he took his position at Flinders University in Australia in 2014. The archipelago, Benjamin says, is full of nooks and crannies, bays and straights, inlets and sea caves—all with gentle waters that could protect artifacts hiding beneath the surface. If archaeologists were to find anything underwater, it would be here. In 2017, Benjamin launched the project, which entailed several field expeditions over three years. Jeffries matched the research team’s fervor with his patience. His people have always known there would be relics of their ancestors hiding out on the seabed, he says; it was just a matter of time until they were found. “Where the land is currently located is not where we always lived,” Jeffries says, echoing the stories told by elders. Looking west from Murujuga toward the Indian Ocean some 20,000 years ago, the coastline would have been far out of sight, roughly 160 kilometers from where it rests today, and most likely home to some of Australia’s first inhabitants. As far as records go, the earliest evidence of Aboriginal occupation in Australia dates back 65,000 years with stone tools found at a rock shelter on the tip of the Northern Territory—an almost 3,000-kilometer drive from Murujuga—a part of the country that was once connected to its northern neighbor, New Guinea, forming a prehistoric landmass. But, of course, as with any archaeological site, the rock shelter represents just a fraction of the country’s Indigenous history. There’s much more to the story, and it likely rests offshore. If found, such sites could allow archaeologists to retrace Aboriginal peoples’ earliest steps across the continent, while also providing tangible evidence for Aboriginal people to use in protecting the submerged lands where their ancestors once walked. The search for ancestral lands in Murujuga began with the researchers seeking permission from Murujuga’s traditional custodians. With their permission, Benjamin’s team studied the shoreline and then ventured into the sea to look for promising underwater landmarks for their dive team to investigate—an old riverbed, a valley, a shoreline. The crew snorkeled in front of stone quarries and fish traps dotted across the intertidal zone, and diving archaeologists surveyed the sometimes rocky, usually silty, slopes below. They imagined the seabed as dry, consulted satellite images and nautical charts, and filled in the gaps of existing maps. Broad strips of the underwater landscape were imaged with airborne lasers, while the finer features of the seabed were captured with sonar, its high-frequency sound pulses bouncing between the researchers’ boats and the seafloor. These remote-sensing technologies were useful in Murujuga, but the team knew they needed more than technology to hone their search. So they also asked local divers, skippers, and fishers—people who know the ins and outs of the archipelago—about special geographic features in the area. Murujuga’s traditional custodians pointed out important sites, too. “Those casual chats can lead to a collection of hard data at some point,” helping to inform the next steps in a project, Benjamin says. In fact, one of the two sites where the team found stone artifacts was in a channel fishers knew as a good fishing spot, called Flying Foam Passage. Fish congregate there because of what’s colloquially known as a wonky hole—a place where a freshwater spring full of nutrients seeps out of the seabed, attracting scores of fish. To archaeologists, a submerged spring could indicate the remains of an ancient river or a billabong where people may once have congregated and perhaps left their mark. Sonar identified a sunken hollow in the seabed, roughly half a kilometer offshore, so the divers went to investigate. They weren’t disappointed. On their final day of diving at Flying Foam Passage, the team found a single stone tool near the wonky hole. The artifact was nestled in the rocky seabed so far offshore and in currents so weak that it couldn’t have washed in from elsewhere. Its sharp edges had also not been flattened or damaged, which might have happened had the tool tumbled offshore. But it hadn’t. By reconstructing past sea levels at its exact position, the researchers deduced that the sea swallowed this artifact 8,500 years ago or more. If that weren’t enough, a sizable collection of barnacle-encrusted stone artifacts, 269 in total, was also found nearby, in Cape Bruguieres Channel, on the archipelago’s northern side. Like the Flying Foam Passage tool, the researchers noted that the stones retained sharp edges, plus they were strewn across the seabed, not swept in by tidal currents. The artifacts are also distinctly different in shape and size to others found previously on land, indicating they were crafted at an earlier time. *** While the stone artifacts discovered underwater at Murujuga are a first for Australia, archaeologists elsewhere have been exploring drowned landscapes for decades now, in search of deeper histories. Plotting the rise and fall of sea levels across geological ages to identify archaeological sites on ancient shorelines was a strategy applied over 20 years ago on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, in the bays of Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off British Columbia. Many coastal sites situated on Haida Gwaii’s modern-day shores or farther upslope have been identified in the process. But to go further back in time, into the late Pleistocene, archaeologists knew they must venture deep underwater using sonar and remote-controlled submersibles. In 1999, Daryl Fedje, an archaeologist with Parks Canada at the time and now at the Hakai Institute, and his colleagues scooped up a 10,000-year-old stone tool just 10 centimeters long from a drowned coastal plain now 53 meters below sea level. Like Murujuga’s traditional custodians, the archipelago’s Indigenous people, the Haida, were not surprised by this find; it was simply a physical mark of their enduring presence on the islands. Archaeologists think that future finds along the continent’s watery fringes could enrich our understanding of human occupation of the Americas further still and add to studies of human migration. Knowing the movements of people around Haida Gwaii, and along the length of North America’s Pacific coast, can offer more evidence that the first people followed the coastline or took to the seas as they migrated south from Beringia, the ice-age landmass that connected North America to Russia. It could explain how humans reached Chile around 14,500 years ago—some research even suggests it was as early as 18,000 years ago—before the end of the last ice age. Archaeological sites preserved in the subtidal zone could also reveal more about the rich maritime customs of those first seafaring or coast-dwelling cultures. Todd Braje, an archaeologist at San Diego State University is leading the seaward search around California’s Channel Islands. Nearly 100 sites with great antiquity have been found around the islands’ current coastlines, one as ancient as 13,000 years old, but earlier histories remain shielded by the sea. Much like the team in Murujuga, Braje and his fellow archaeologists and marine geologists are tracing submerged landforms across the seafloor, aided by improved remote-sensing technologies that can delineate features of the seabed even when buried in sediment. To Braje, the reports from Murujuga are exciting because they demonstrate that careful predictive modeling of historical sea levels across submerged landscapes can lead researchers to underwater archaeological sites. However, Braje says, the technical challenges grow as archaeologists plunge deeper and farther offshore in many promising areas. The continental shelf along North America’s west coast is narrow and steep compared with Australia’s broad, flat underwater plain—not to mention North America having destructive wave forces and tectonic fault lines that may have erased whole swaths of the continent’s long-sought-after coastal archaeological record. *** Unlike the physical calamities that destroy material remains, oral histories of Indigenous communities have remained relatively intact and rich in information. Australia’s ancient living cultures have their own perspectives of deep time, preserved in oral histories passed down through generations and reflecting an unwavering and deeply spiritual connection to their country, land and sea. Histories recall fish traps submerged, rivers drowned, and landforms created by rising seas. Following this thread through deep time to the present day means that for many traditional custodians in Australia, the significance of the submerged sites found at Murujuga lies not necessarily in what the stone tools signify of the past, but rather, in what the sites signal for the future. The discovery confirms that there are significant cultural sites situated on the vast, relatively shallow lip that surrounds the sunbaked continent, and these can be found and recovered. It also affirms Aboriginal peoples’ contemporary connections to the sea, and underscores why sea country should be protected. Damage to archaeological sites in Murujuga is not a remote threat. Rock art sites have been destroyed before by industrial development on the Burrup Peninsula, and mining companies continue to operate shipping ports and processing plants despite their proximity to the exceptional art. The community and researchers worry that damage from gas and particulate emissions will further erode sites. Parts of Murujuga’s heritage are now protected as a national park—but it is still exposed to heavy pollution. And in the past, Peter Jeffries says that these heavy industries have dismissed the assertions of Murujuga traditional custodians that their cultural heritage could be found out to sea. Now, with the first artifacts found underwater in Murujuga, he hopes traditional custodians can leverage more meaningful negotiations with industry, to preserve their heritage on land and protect sea country, as well. Jeffries says the opportunity also goes beyond Murujuga and extends to other traditional custodians around Australia’s coastlines: “This [discovery] is not only for us.” As soon as it was announced, the news from Murujuga resounded around the country, across to Cape York and down to Tasmania, the island that hangs off the southeast corner of the continent. In Tasmania, Emma Lee shares Jeffries’s hope for a future where sea country is afforded the same protection as the land. Lee is a trawlwulwuy woman from tebrakunna country on the northeast coast of Tasmania. She exudes optimism but says the submerged sites in Murujuga highlight a problem for Indigenous peoples: policymakers view the land and sea as completely separate entities. “We don’t see a disconnect between oceans and lands because we know that country and family, our ancestors, are out there,” says Lee, who trained in archaeology and is a research fellow at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, focusing on Indigenous affairs, environmental policy, and governance. To Aboriginal people, country is kin and it should be cared for, and for saltwater people like Lee who reside on the coast, their stewardship stretches out into the sea. Mapping submerged landforms can help Indigenous people find connections to country that may have been lost or fractured since colonization, says Lee, who is one of many holding onto her people’s oral histories of the Bass Strait flooding, which separated Tasmania from mainland Australia some 11,000 years ago: “[Those connections to sea country] were there and then they’ve disappeared; now they are revealed.” All of which just goes to show how country has a life of its own, Lee says. And it’s possible that Murujuga sea country revealed itself to the world now to expand our understanding of what connection to country means for Indigenous peoples—and to show that stepping offshore and into the deep has its rewards, both tangible and intangible.
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New archeological discoveries
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2019 FINA Women's Water Polo World League
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The 2019 FINA Women's Water Polo World League was the 16th edition of the annual women's international water polo tournament. It was played between November 2018 and June 2019 and open to all women's water polo national teams. After participating in a preliminary round, eight teams qualified to play in a final tournament, called the Super Final from 4–9 June 2019. [1]
In the world league, there are specific rules that do not allow matches to end in a draw. If teams are level at the end of the 4th quarter of any world league match, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout. Teams earn points in the standings in group matches as follows:
Source: FINA
All times are CET (UTC+1). All times are CET (UTC+1). All times are CET (UTC+1). All times are CEST (UTC+2). All times are CEST (UTC+2). [2]
All times are AWST (UTC+8). [2]
All times are AWST (UTC+8). All times are CEST (UTC+2). All times are CEST (UTC+2). [3]
All times are CEST (UTC+2). [4]
All times are CEST (UTC+2). [4]
All times are CEST (UTC+2). [5]
All times are CEST (UTC+2). [3]
All times are CEST (UTC+2). [4]
All times are CEST (UTC+2). [4]
All times are CEST (UTC+2). [6]
Amanda Longan, Maddie Musselman, Melissa Seidemann, Rachel Fattal, Paige Hauschild, Maggie Steffens (C), Jamie Neushul, Kiley Neushul, Aria Fischer, Kaleigh Gilchrist , Makenzie Fischer, Alys Williams, Ashleigh Johnson, Jordan Raney, Stephania Haralabidis. Head coach: Adam Krikorian. [4]
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Sports Competition
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Early 2014 Sabah floods
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High intensity rainfall since 13 January 2014 caused major flooding across the Interior Division of Sabah including some district in other division such as Menggatal, Penampang and Tuaran. [4] Another follow-up heavy rainfall events caused repeated flash flooding in the interior areas in early February. [5]
The floods affected three districts in the Interior Division such as Beaufort, Keningau and Tenom. [6] As of 15 February, more than 4,000 people had been evacuated to 22 relief centres in Beaufort and Tenom. [7] Continuous rain in Beaufort has worrying officials despite water levels dropping slightly in some parts of the district. [8]
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa have flown to Beaufort to assess the flood situation there. [8] Relevant authorities such as the Royal Malaysia Police, Royal Malaysian Air Force and Sabah Air has been directed by the Chief Minister of Sabah Musa Aman to help deliver food and basic necessities to areas that cannot be accessible by road. [8] The state government of Sabah has proposed to create more reservoirs, rain harvesting and tidal gates at river mouths to resolve floods problem that affecting several districts in the state. [9] Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin also inspected the situation at the flood-hit agricultural areas in the district and delivered around 200 sacks of rice and 300 packs of food supplies contributed by Bernas and Rural Development Corporation (KPD) for distribution by the district council to the flood victims. [10] The Minister of Rural and Regional Development Shafie Apdal said his ministry ready to help repair flood damaged houses in Beaufort and Tenom respectively after assessing the losses while agencies like the National Security Council will help provide food supplies to the victims. [11] While Sabah Football Association (Safa) in collaboration with the supporters clubs, Juara Futsal centre and Suria FM organised a programme to help flood victims. [12]
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Floods
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1997 Central European flood
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The 1997 Central European flood or the 1997 Oder Flood of the Oder and Morava river basins in July 1997 affected Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, taking the lives of 114 people in the Czech Republic and Poland and causing material damages estimated at $4.5 billion (3.8 billion euros in the Czech Republic and Poland and 330 million euros in Germany). The flooding began in the Czech Republic, then spread to Poland and Germany. In Poland, where it was one of the most disastrous floods in the country's history,[1][2] it was named the Millennium Flood (Powódź tysiąclecia). [2] The term was also used in Germany (Jahrtausendflut). [3] The event has also been referred to as the Great Flood of 1997. [2][4]
Southwestern Poland and the northern Czech Republic experienced two periods of extensive rainfall, first occurring 3–10 July and second 17–22 July. [2][5] The precipitation was caused by a Genoa low pressure system, which moved from northern Italy to Moravia and Poland. The unusual development occurred when a field of higher air pressure between the Azores Islands and Scandinavia was blocked. The center of low pressure remained over southern Poland for a long period of time. [2]
The precipitation was very high, measuring 300–600 millimetres (12–24 in), and corresponded to several months' average rainfall over a few days. [1] Water levels rose 2–3 m above previously recorded averages[1] and were so high that they caused the water to flow over existing measurement poles. It was one of the heaviest rainfalls in recorded world's history. [4] It was dubbed the Millennium Flood because a likelihood of such a flood in a particular year was estimated at 0.1%. [6]
[7]
Flooding began on 5 July in the Czech Republic and spread to Poland on 6 July. Those early floods were very rapid flash floods (water levels rose by up to four meters in half a day). [2] In Poland, the first settlements flooded were located around Prudnik and Głuchołazy,[8] and were visited by Polish Prime Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz on 7 July. [4] Flooding spread rapidly from Chałupki to Racibórz. In Kłodzko several buildings dating back a few hundred years (kamienica) collapsed; on 8 July the flood reached Krapkowice. In the second stage of the flood, the flood wave flowed down through the Oder river, submerging successive towns in the area. [2] Left-bank Opole was flooded on 10 July, Wrocław and Rybnik on 12 July, and Głogów soon after. The rising waters slowed by the time they reached the Polish-German border (the Oder-Neisse line), allowing more time for preparations; the damages were thus much lower. [2]
On 18 July, Polish president Aleksander Kwaśniewski declared a day of national mourning. [9]
Water levels recorded on the Oder river in the flood period:[10]
The flood caused the deaths of 114 people (56 in Poland,[11][12] 58 in the Czech Republic[13][14]) and material damages estimated at $4.5 billion[15] (3.8 billion euros in the Czech Republic and Poland and 330 million euros in Germany). In Poland, it is estimated that 7,000 people lost all of their possessions. 9,000 private businesses were affected and 680,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. The flood also damaged 843 schools (100 destroyed), 4,000 bridges (45 destroyed), 14,400 km of roads, 2,000 km of railways. In total, 665,835 hectares were affected in Poland (an estimated 2% of Polish total territory). [1][16] The losses were estimated at 63 billion Polish zloties (or US$2.3–3.5 billion at the 1997 levels[1]). The town of Kłodzko sustained damages equivalent to 50 years of its annual budget. [2]
In the Czech Republic, there were 50 fatalities[4] (another source gives 60[14]). 2151 flats and 48 bridges were destroyed. [17] 538 villages and towns were affected. [4] The losses were estimated at 63 billion Czech korunas. [4] The town of Troubky was most severely affected. In Germany there were no fatalities. [18]
Government responses in the Czech Republic and Poland were criticized. [4] The flood revealed various inadequacies in decision making and infrastructure, although the unprecedented magnitude of the disaster was seen by some as a mitigating factor. [1][2]
Numerous charities provided aid to those affected by the floods. [19]
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Floods
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2013 Men's World Open Squash Championship
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The 2013 Men's World Team Squash Championships is the men's edition of the 2013 World Team Squash Championships, which serves as the world team championship for squash players. The event was held in Mulhouse, France, from June 9 to June 15, 2013. The tournament is organized by the World Squash Federation and the French Squash Federation. The England team won its fifth World Team Championships beating the Egyptian team in the final. A total of 31 teams competed from all the five confederations: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. For Botswana and Poland, it was their first participation at a world team championship. [1]
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Sports Competition
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Hamas announces live-fire military exercise in Gaza amid heightened tensions
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Hamas on Saturday said it would hold a pre-planned military exercise in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, as Israel boosts its forces along the border ahead of a planned mass march on Passover eve. The terror organization said explosions and sounds of gunfire were expected to be heard during the drill. The group’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, stressed that the exercise was “defensive” only. Hadashot news reported Saturday that the Israeli military was completing preparations for a planned Palestinian “day of rage” on Passover Eve this coming Friday, when thousands of Palestinians in the Strip are expected to try to storm fences marking the borders with Israel. The coming days will see a significant boost in forces situated along the Gaza border. The cabinet will focus on the expected protests during its weekly meeting Sunday. The TV report said the IDF has briefed local council heads adjacent to Gaza ahead of the anticipated tensions in the coming days. On Passover Eve, March 30, Palestinians and Israeli Arabs throughout Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza will mark Land Day, commemorating an Israeli decision in 1976 to expropriate land in the Galilee — a move that sparked widespread riots that resulted in the death of six Arab Israeli citizens. Palestinian groups are planning a “Mass March of Return,” which they hope will see tens of thousands of participants surging toward border fences. The military is said to be seeking to strike a balance between preventing anyone from breaching the fences while also averting fatalities, to prevent escalation. Tensions between Israel and terror groups in the Palestinian enclave have risen in recent weeks after a number of bombs exploded near IDF patrols along the border, sparking reprisal attacks. Last Sunday Israel destroyed two tunnels in Gaza. Hamas claimed Israel had merely struck an old tunnel that hadn’t been used for years. According to IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus, the cross-border passage destroyed Sunday was an “old tunnel” that was built before the 2014 Gaza war and partially destroyed during the conflict. He said Hamas was trying to “revive” the passage by connecting an intact portion that penetrated Israeli territory to a new tunnel. The other target, which was destroyed by Israeli fighter jets around midnight on Saturday, was a “subterranean complex” in the central Gaza Strip, according to Conricus. Earlier Sunday, Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum responded to the IDF strikes in Gaza by blaming Israel for the escalation of tensions. “If the Israeli enemy thinks this escalation will break the will of the Palestinian people and achieve its goals, it is deluding itself and misunderstanding our people’s nature.” Additionally, he said, Israel would “bear the consequences for the continued escalation and loss of life.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the international community that its aid money to the Gaza Strip was being used by terror groups to build tunnels for attacking Israel. “It is time for the international community to recognize that the Gaza aid money is being buried underground,” he added, addressing recent attempts at the UN to raise funds for Gaza, which is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. The comment came as donor countries and others have worked to raise money for the beleaguered Strip, which UN officials say is facing a crippling shortage of clean water among other ills. “Our policy is to take determined action against any attempt to harm us and to systematically eliminate the terror tunnel infrastructure, and we shall continue to do so,” Netanyahu said. Since October 30, Israel has destroyed four border-crossing tunnels that entered Israeli territory from Gaza, three of them belonging to Hamas and the fourth to the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group. In addition, several tunnels located inside the coastal enclave have also been targeted using a newly developed system that allows Israel to hit them from the air. Israeli officials have for years warned that Hamas and other groups were trying to rebuild the tunnel infrastructure, which were used extensively during the 2014 war in attacks on soldiers. Israelis fear the tunnels could be used to carry out attacks on communities or army posts near the border. Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report. Here’s a Hanukkah gift that sparks knowledge and insight about Israel and the Jewish people. A Times of Israel Community gift membership entitles your recipient to one full year of membership benefits, at a special discounted price. We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we come to work every day - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
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Military Exercise
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Happy Camp Complex Fire
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The Happy Camp Complex Fire was a massive wildfire that broke out on August 12, at 1:00 AM PDT, as a result of a lightning strikes in the Klamath National Forest in Northern California. [2] The fire, which would eventually consume 134,056 acres (543 km2) of land, was the largest fire of the 2014 California wildfire season and as of 2018, ranks 20th on the list of largest fires in state history. [3]
During the first couple of weeks, the wildfire gradually expanded to 22,926 acres (9,278 ha). However, during the following 4 weeks, the wildfire quickly spread to 130,496 acres (52,810 ha) by September 19, making the Happy Camp Complex the largest wildfire of the 2014 California wildfire season. The wildfire also ignited smaller spot fires to the northwest of the main fire, all the way up to a couple miles of the California-Oregon border. By September 21, the fire complex had reached 80% containment. On September 22, the Happy Camp Complex expanded to 131,996 acres (53,417 ha), but the containment remained at 85%. During the next 2 weeks, the Happy Camp Complex gradually increased in size, reaching 135,369 acres (54,782 ha) on September 27; however, the containment of the fire complex also reached 97% on the same day. [1] On October 31, the Happy Camp Complex was finally extinguished by precipitation from a winter storm that was moving through California. The wildfire was estimated to have caused a total of $86.7 million (2014 USD) in damage. [1]
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Fire
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Tip-off triggers bank robbery arrest
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A tip-off from the public led to the arrest of an alleged bank robber in Coffs Harbour overnight. A man armed with a knife threatened a teller at the National Australia Bank in Hickory Street, Dorrigo about 10:00am (AEDT) yesterday. He escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. About 9:00pm police received a call from the public that a man matching the robber's description was at a south Coffs Harbour service station. The 28 year old was subsequently arrested and is due to face the Coffs Harbour Local Court today.
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Bank Robbery
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2014 Odisha hepatitis outbreak
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The 2014 Odisha hepatitis outbreak (initially known as the 2014 Sambalpur jaundice outbreak, in relation to the predominant symptom and location) was an outbreak of mainly Hepatitis E and also Hepatitis A which began in the town of Sambalpur in Odisha, India. [2] The cause of the outbreak was suspected to be the contamination to drinking water supplied by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). [3]
By February 2015, it had spread and cases were being reported from Bolangir district near Sambalpur, and some coastal districts like Cuttack, Khurda and Jajpur. The epidemic is still to be brought under control as of February 2015. [1]
Following the monsoon floods, cases of jaundice and dengue were reported from Sambalpur. The increase in reported jaundice was attributed to broken water supply lines, into which drain water was seeping in. [4]
In late November 2014, water samples were sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune. By this time, an average of 20 cases were being reported daily and 6 had died. A total of 677 cases had been reported. [5]
A state government task force was formed to stop the outbreak. The 5 water samples sent to the National Institute of Virology were found negative. 50 more water samples were sent for testing. The PHED water supply to the worst affected areas was stopped. 818 persons had been infected by this time and 10 had died. [6]
The Food Safety Officer of Sambalpur Municipality, Rudra Pratap, raided roadside food stalls on 3 December. He seized and destroyed more than 100?kg of unhygienic food being sold. A meeting of 250 food stall owners was conducted on 5 December by the city administration. They were instructed to observe various cleanliness standards. [7] On 11 December 2014, the collector Balwant Singh announced that the local cultural festival, Sambalpur Lok Mahotsav, which was to be held from 4 January will be cancelled. [8]
By 24 December, the number of infected had risen to 1,547 and 17 had died. It was speculated that a poor drainage system and damaged water supply pipes were causing the infections. [9]
On 26 December, 88 blood samples were collected from admitted patients. 21 were found to contain the Hepatitis A virus and 4 Hepatitis E virus. [2] On the same day, the town was visited by a team from central government, consisting of P Verma of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); Vidya Arankalle of National Institute of Virology, Pune and Manju of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). [10]
The Odisha High Court on 12 January 2015 asked the state government to submit a report on the steps taken to check the outbreak. [11] On 21 January, Sambalpur district administration, Public Health department and Sambalpur Municipality filed affidavits at the court detailing the steps taken to check the outbreak. [12]
On 17 January 2015, families of the dead and affected filed 450 police complaints against various public officials. They demanded that ?100,000 should given as compensation to the family of the dead and ?50,000 to the infected. [13]
By 12 February 2015, responding to a Public Interest Litigation filed by a Corporator of Cuttack Municipal Corporation, Giribala Behera, the Odisha High Court directed the state government to form a high level committee to check the epidemic. [14]
By 16 February 2015, the state had declared the districts Sambalpur, Bolangir, Cuttack, Khurda, and Jajpur as jaundice affected. By now Sambalpur had reported 2,945 and Cuttack had reported 116 cases, with there being total 3,966 cases from the state. The official death toll was 36 but unofficially it was estimated to be 50. A separate ward was set up in Shri Ramachandra Bhanj Medical College, Cuttack to treat the victims. [1]
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Disease Outbreaks
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Aeroflot Flight 5484 crash
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Aeroflot Flight 5484 (Russian: Рейс 5484 Аэрофлота Reys 5484 Aeroflota) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Odessa to Kazan with a stopover in Kyiv that experienced loss of control followed by breaking up in the air on 29 August 1979 over the Tambov Oblast, killing all 63 people on board. It remains the deadliest Tu-124 crash and regular passenger services with the Tu-124 were permanently suspended after the accident,[1] but the Tu-124 was still used by the Soviet military after the accident. [2]
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Tupolev Tu-124V powered by two Soloviev D-20P engines, registered as CCCP-45038 to the Privolzhsk Civil Aviation Directorate of Aeroflot. At the time of the accident the aircraft had flown 23,232 flight hours and sustained 18,369 pressurization cycles. [2] The five crew members that were aboard the flight consisted of a captain, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer and one flight attendant. [3]
Flight 5484 departed from the stopover at Kyiv-Boryspil Airport on August 28 at 23:21 Moscow time (22:21 local time) with five crew members and 58 passengers aboard, including five children. The night was clear with visibility ranging from 10 to 20 km (6.2 to 12.4 mi; 5.4 to 10.8 nmi). After takeoff the flight climbed to a cruising altitude of 9,000 metres (30,000 ft) and maintained a speed of 525–530 km/h (326–329 mph; 283–286 kn). At 00:23 the flight contacted Penza air traffic control to report entering their airspace. That was the last time the flight made contact with controllers. [4]
The flaps were extended for unknown reasons at 00:24:35 while the Tu-124 was at a speed of 530 km/h (330 mph; 290 kn) and flying at a heading of 65°. The crew immediately noticed the aircraft began to lose altitude and they switched off the autopilot at 00:24:43. The flaps did not retract and the position of the flaps led to the aircraft descending quickly; the crew pulled on the control column in attempt to level the aircraft, which levelled briefly before the aircraft went into a roll. The force on the control column was weakened at 00:24:52, and thereafter the flaps fully extended to 30° putting the aircraft in a steep dive that quickly exceeded the aircraft maximum safe speed of 590 km/h (370 mph; 320 kn). [4]
At 00:25:13, less than a minute after the flaps were extended, the aircraft was at an altitude of 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) and flying at a speed of 660 km/h (410 mph; 360 kn) with a rate of descent of 36 m/s (7,100 ft/min), the inboard flap tore off the right wing, followed by the outboard flaps tearing off; the Tu-124 was put into a spin rotating 45°/s (7.5 rpm). At 00:26 the damaged airliner reached an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) while at a speed of 860 km/h (530 mph; 460 kn) and a rate of descent of 280 m/s (55,000 ft/min), putting a 5g load on the aircraft, resulting in the left wing tearing off the airliner and the fuselage breaking apart in mid-air. [4]
The wreckage of the crash was found at 07:40 Moscow time in the town of Inokovka, on the floodplains of the Vorona River in Tambov Oblast in the Russian SFSR. The wreckage was spread across an area 10,750 by 1,650 m (35,270 by 5,410 ft), with fragments of the fuselage in an area of 10,000 by 1,200 m (32,800 by 3,900 ft). All 63 passengers and crew were killed in the accident, which remains the deadliest Tu-124 crash in aviation history. [4]
The exact reason for the flaps being released at cruising altitude was not discovered because major portions of the flap control system were not found among the wreckage. The board did speculate several possible causes but produced no definitive cause for the release of the flaps in the first place. Possible causes were as described:[4]
It is also unknown why the crew weakened their grip on the control column at 00:25:13, which led to the aircraft going into a sharp rate of descent. Possible reasons for this include:[4]
The Tupolev Tu-124 was withdrawn from regular passenger service in the USSR, but was still used by the Soviet military. The design and placement of the switch to release the flaps was changed to prevent accidental activation of the flaps. [1][2][4]
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Air crash
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TAM Flight 9755 crash
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On Saturday 15 September 2001, TAM Flight 9755, a Fokker 100 scheduled domestic passenger flight carrying 88 passengers and six crew, departed Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport for São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport. During the flight, the plane suffered an uncontained engine failure. Fragments of the engine shattered three cabin windows, causing decompression and blowing the passenger in seat 19E partly out of the plane. Another passenger held the passenger in until the aircraft landed, but the passenger blown out of the window did not survive. [1][2]
TAM said in an official response that it will provide "all assistance to the victim's family, as well as to other passengers, including medical and psychological care. "[2]
The aircraft was a Fokker 100 with the registration number PT-MRN. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.
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Air crash
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Cleanaway Operations found guilty of failing to adequately train driver over 2014 freeway crash
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A sewage truck company has been found guilty of failing to adequately train a driver who lost control of a truck at the base of the South Eastern Freeway, killing two people. Thomas Spiess, 57, and Jacqueline Byrne, 41, died when the truck owned by Cleanaway Operations smashed into their cars at the bottom of the freeway down track in August 2014. Truck driver Darren Hicks lost control of the vehicle and was seriously injured in the crash. Charges initially laid against him were dropped in 2018. In December the following year Mr Hicks gave evidence against his former employer Cleanaway Operations, which was taken to court by the government agency Comcare for failing to adequately train him. During the trial, Mr Hicks told the Adelaide Magistrates Court he had never driven a manual heavy vehicle or driven the steep downhill freeway track before the crash. He told the court, he did a two-day course at the G&L Heavy Vehicle Training Centre to get his licence and started work at Cleanaway Operations six days before the incident. The truck was travelling at 152 kilometres per hour when it collided with vehicles at the bottom of the South Eastern Freeway. Mr Hicks had only worked for Cleanaway Operations for five days. An accident investigator, George Rechnitzer, told the court the truck's brake linings were "very worn" and that the rear brake drum linings "should have been replaced prior to the collision". "It was very unlikely the rear brakes were adequately serviced," he told the court. Dr Rechnitzer said the brakes likely overheated before the crash which resulted in the loss of braking. Magistrate Simon Smart found Cleanaway Operations guilty of eight counts of failing to comply with their health and safety duty. "As the operator of heavy vehicles, the defendant ought reasonably to have known of the risk to heavy vehicles of brake failure on long downhill routes and the importance of gear selection in a manual vehicle to control the speed of the vehicle and also the importance of ensuring the competence of drivers to undertake such descents," Magistrate Smart wrote. "There is clear evidence that [Cleanaway] did not provide such training, instruction or supervision whereby Darren Hicks's competence to drive all routes he may be required to drive in the course of his work was properly determined." "[Cleanaway] knew or ought to have known that the driver Hicks, although the holder of an unrestricted heavy vehicle licence under the statutory scheme, had only recently obtained that licence and lacked practical experience in the driving of a manual heavy vehicle in particular and the driving of a heavy vehicle on the South Eastern Freeway." A Cleanaway Operations employee told the court that he preferred not to drive on the South Eastern Freeway because it was "one of those roads" and that "travelling down the hill full was never on anyone's to-do list". On Monday, Magistrate Smart found Cleanaway Operations guilty of eight counts of failing to comply with their health and safety duty. The matter will return to court in May.
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Road Crash
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Death toll rises to 58 in Brazil dam collapse as firefighters search through mud
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Rescuers search for Brazil dam survivors Rescue workers in Brazil are searching for survivors after a dam at an iron ore mine was breached. Hundreds of people are still missing. Brumadinho – Firefighters are carefully moving over treacherous mud, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling, in search of survivors or bodies left by a dam collapse that buried mine buildings and surrounding neighbourhoods with iron ore waste. The confirmed death toll rose to 58, with up to 300 people still missing, authorities said. In an ominous sign, nobody was recovered alive on Sunday, a stark difference from the first two days of the disaster, when helicopters were whisking people from the mud. The slow speed of search efforts was due to the treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine dam breached on Friday afternoon. It is up to eight metres deep in some places, and to avoid the danger of sinking and drowning, searchers had to carefully walk around the edges or slowly crawl out onto the muck. Even those efforts were suspended about 10 hours on Sunday because of fears that a second mine dam in the southeastern city of Brumadinho was at risk of failing. An estimated 24 000 people were told to get to higher ground, but by afternoon civil engineers said the second dam was no longer at risk. Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. Still, it was slow going for the search teams, and residents were on edge. "Get out searching!" a woman yelled at firefighters near a refuge set up in the centre of Brumadinho. "They could be out there in the bush." Brazilian searchers got reinforcements late on Sunday, when more than 100 Israeli soldiers and other personnel arrived with plans to join recovery efforts. Throughout the weekend, there was mounting anger at the giant Vale mining company, which operated the mine, and questions arose about an apparent lack of an alarm system on Friday. Caroline Steifeld said she heard warning sirens on Sunday, but there was no alert when the dam collapsed on Friday. "I only heard shouting, people saying to get out. I had to run with my family to get to higher ground, but there was no siren," she said, adding that a cousin was still unaccounted for. This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Second dam at Vale complex no longer at risk; Brazil officials end evacuation A remaining dam at a Vale SA iron ore mining complex in Brazil is no longer at risk of bursting, a spokesman for the Minas Gerais civil defense agency said on Sunday, following the rupture of an adjacent dam that killed at least 37 and left hundreds 'I can only hope for a miracle' In an email, Vale told The Associated Press that the area has eight sirens, but "the speed in which the event happened made sounding an alarm impossible" when the dam burst. People in Brumadinho desperately awaited word on their loved ones. Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais state, said that by now most recovery efforts would entail pulling out bodies. The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and an occupied Vale administrative office. It buried buildings to their rooftops and an extensive field of the mud cut off roads. Some residents barely escaped with their lives. "I saw all the mud coming down the hill, snapping the trees as it descended. It was a tremendous noise," said a tearful Simone Pedrosa, from the neighbourhood of Parque Cachoeira, 8km from where the dam collapsed. For many, hope was evaporating. "I don't think he is alive," Joao Bosco said of his cousin Jorge Luis Ferreira, who worked for Vale. "Right now, I can only hope for a miracle." The carpet of mining waste also raised fears of widespread environmental contamination and degradation. According to Vale's website, the waste is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a UN report found that the waste from a similar disaster in 2015 "contained high levels of toxic heavy metals". Over the weekend, courts froze about $3bn from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how they would help the victims. Neither the company nor authorities had reported why the dam failed, but Attorney General Raquel Dodge promised to investigate. "Someone is definitely at fault," she said. 'Principal employer' Dodge noted there are 600 mines in Minas Gerais alone that are classified as being at risk of rupture. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais, resulting in 19 deaths and forcing hundreds from their homes. Considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, that disaster left 250 000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. An estimated 60 million cubic metres of waste flooded nearby rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Sueli de Oliveira Costa, who hadn't heard from her husband since Friday, had harsh words for the mining company. "Vale destroyed Mariana and now they've destroyed Brumadinho," she said. Other residents quietly noted that Vale was the main employer in the area. "The company is responsible for a new tragedy, but it's the principal employer," said Diego Aparecido, who has missing friends who worked at Vale. "What will happen if it closes?" Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underscored the lack of environmental regulation in Brazil, and many promised to fight any further deregulation. Marina Silva, a former environmental minister and presidential candidate, toured the area on Sunday. She said Congress should bear part of the blame for not toughening regulations and enforcement. 'I hope Messi can play in Copa America' Scaloni Reaction from Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni after the Copa America 2020 group draw at Cidade das Artes in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. Copa America host Brazil was drawn in a relatively easy group for this year's tournament, where it will fac... Intra-day high: Aus shares close 0.61 higher 06 Aug 2018 - The ASX failed to keep momentum after reaching a high at lunchtime but managed to close 0.61 per cent higher. And lithium miner Argosy (ASX:AGY) is up whilst SEEK (ASX:SEK) is still down 9 per cent. Fortescue Metals Group (ASX:FMG) h... Rio throws its weight, ASX down 2nd day: Aus shares close 0.6% lower 02 Aug 2018 - Market Wrap. Rio weighs down ASX and drags other miners lower. Iron ore slips, but its near month highs. Trade surplus jumps to $1.9b, beating $900k expected. Abacus Property Group profit guidance less than FY17 results. Aus Govt gre... SpeedCast continues to slide: ASX closes 0.6% higher 28 Aug 2018 - It’s been a positive day of trade for the ASX. BHP (ASX:BHP), CSL (ASX:CSL), and Qantas (ASX:QAN) all added. SpeedCast (ASX:SDA) has seen a slide bringing the telecos down, despite plans to acquire Globecomm systems. Rescuers lift helicopter wreckage from water after Rio crash Brazilian rescue teams lift the wreckage of a military police helicopter out of the water after it crashed in Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara bay after it crashed, killing one and injuring three. Turkish troubles as lira plunges: ASX 0.4% lower 13 Aug 2018 - The ASX has seen a fall today mainly due to Turkey’s impending financial crisis.The Australian dollar fell to an 18-month low against the US dollar. Meanwhile AuStar Gold (ASX:AUL) has successfully arranged more funds for development. Rio misses UBS forecast and slides: Aus shares 0.24% lower at noon 02 Aug 2018 - Market at Midday. Rio Tinto HY underlying earnings up 12% to US$4.4b, less than the UBS forecast. Iron ore price slips. Australia's trade surplus soars above expectations. Oil Search up YOY, finds gas at PNG well. Brisbane Broncos dr... Fortescue Metals $500m buy-back over 12 months 11 Oct 2018 - One of Australia’s iron ore majors, Fortescue Metals (ASX:FMG) announced a $500 million buy-back program to focus on operating performance and new investment. ASX claws back, Breville boils up: Aus shares close flat 16 Aug 2018 - Market Wrap. Breville Group boils up 13% on a rise in its financial results, Telstra gains 6% on beating UBS forecasts for FY18, IPH up 5% on revenue lift in Asia, Nearmap up 8% on formal expansion in NZ. BHP sees iron ore output lift 8% 17 Oct 2018 - BHP (ASX:BHP) saw its first quarter iron ore production rise eight per cent on the prior corresponding period. Clawing back: Aus shares 0.5% higher at noon 16 Oct 2018 - Market at Midday. Clawing back from yesterday's 1% slide with miners leading rally after lead & gold muster up. Cannabis stocks rally, AusCann (ASX:AC8) 3% higher ahead of Canada's legalisation decision. Propertylink Group (ASX:PLG) ... Mineral Resources see first iron ore train depart Koolyanobbing 08 Nov 2018 - Mining services company Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) is pleased to announce the departure of its first train loaded with iron ore from the newly acquired Koolyanobbing Operation in Western Australia’s Yilgarn region. AP Top Stories January 2 Here's the latest for Wednesday January 2nd: Congress leaders to get White House briefing on border security; Secretary of State Pompeo in Brazil; Apartment building fire put out, restarts in Massachusetts; Deep freeze in northern Minnesota. Bouncing back from 6-month low: Aus shares 0.2% lower at noon 12 Oct 2018 - Market at Midday. ASX clawing back from new 6-month low. Fortescue (ASX:FMG) upgraded & rallies 4.7% 'what's not to like about $500m buy-back & best YTD iron ore prices'. Citi issues BHP (ASX:BHP) alert 'softer 2H after solid June'. ... Orocobre extension approved, ASIC to govern Afterpay: Aus shares finish 0.1% lower Tuesday 28 Nov 2018 - Market Wrap. Orocobre (ASX:ORE) granted approval to expand facility which will lift production by 25k tpa. oOh!Media (ASX:OML) rallies on Brisbane City Council nod for Adshel contract. CSR (ASX:CSR) to sell Viridian Glass for $155m. ... US economy on the up: ASX set to open higher 04 Oct 2018 - ASX are set to open higher. In the US trading volume jumped amid evidence the American economy keeps growing as a selloff in Treasuries deepened and US stocks edged higher. Downer EDI (ASX:DOW) announced that it had been awarded a th... Rio Tinto iron ore shipments fall in their fourth quarter 18 Jan 2019 - Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) released their fourth quarter production results showing iron ore shipments dropped by 3 per cent to 87.4m tonnes. Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. discuss Road Oak mine 07 Dec 2018 - Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. (ASX:SOL) have released their Chairman's address where they answered questions on mining company Round Oak, a subsidiary of the company. Boart Longyear announces majority stake in GlobalTech Corporation 17 Sep 2018 - Boart Longyear (ASX:BLY) is to become a majority stake holder in GlobalTech Corporation. Hard rock will slow final efforts to reach Spanish child trapped in well, says miner Euronews spoke to the former head of the mining group that will lead the final push in the mission to save a 2-year-old boy from a well in southern Spain Glencore reports record earnings, higher costs too Glencore has reported a 23 percent rise in first-half earnings and a 12 percent increase from its trading division while noting higher production costs for copper and zinc and a still volatile market.But, as Francis Maguire reports, its shares sti... Brazil ferry sinks killing at least 18 people Survivors said the boat capsized when it was hit by a powerful wave. Aftermath of Brazil dam collapse Aerial footage shows mud covering the ground in the southeast of the country. Can fish skin help treat burns? Doctors in Brazil are experimenting with a new treatment for burns by using fish skin. At least seven dead, hundreds missing after Brazil dam collapse At least seven people have died in Brazil’s southeastern state of Minas Gerais after a dam burst on Friday at an iron ore mine, according to the local mayor. Hundreds missing after dam collapses in south-eastern Brazil Rescue teams in the state of Minas Gerais are frantically searching for survivors after a dam burst at an irone ore mine unleasing a torrent of mud. Brazil presidential candidate stabbed while campaigning Brazilian far-right and opinion poll-leading presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning on Thursday. Brazil: Bolsonaro arrives at the area of the dam collapse The President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro arrives to Confins, in southeast Brazil, to observe the damage created after a dam collapsed at a mine in Brumaldinho, Minas Gerais, killing at least nine. Seven dead and hundreds missing after Brazil dam collapse At least seven people are dead and around 200 are missing after a mining dam collapsed in Brazil. Brazilian mining company Vale SA said the flow reached the community of Vila Ferteco and an administrative office, where employees were present, whi... Araos sees red as Neves gives Cruzeiro Copa do Brasil first leg advantage Cruzeiro won their home leg of the Copa do Brasil Final with Corinthians, 1-0, on Wednesday (10th October); will travel to Sao Paulo for the return leg next week. 300 missing, mass devastation in Brazil dam burst Roughly 300 people are missing in Brazil after a dam at an iron mine burst. It's the second major disaster in that country linked to mining company Vale SA in the last three years. At 10 year highs: Aus shares 0.1% lower Friday, 1.1% down on week 03 Aug 2018 - Market Wrap. Minerals and Financials weigh on the ASX this week after Rio results and 'bank mortgage price war'. CBA revised securities policy and bumps up stake in Ausdrill. Kogan soars on excitement about results. a2 Milk increases... Production outages cost BHP US$600m 22 Jan 2019 - BHP (ASX:BHP) says productivity for the December 2018 half has been impacted by unplanned production outages at Olympic Dam, Spence and Western Australia Iron Ore with a negative impact of about US$600 million. Brazil dam collapse releases huge flow of mud, deaths feared The collapse of a disused dam owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale in Brazil releases a massive torrent of mud that washed over the iron-ore extraction complex, leaving 200 people missing and a near-certainty of multiple deaths. PHOTOS: Mud covers region after Brazil dam collapse Mud covers whole region in southeast Brazil after a mining dam collapsed, killing several people. 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Mine Collapses
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Drought goes on for county, state
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FAIRMONT — Martin County remains in an extreme drought, along with a large portion of Minnesota, 35 percent, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. 75 percent of the state is only a step behind in what is classified as severe drought. The state entered a drought warning phase nearly a month ago in the middle of July. At that time the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources convened the State Drought Task Force, which comprises 21 state, federal, tribal, regional and local agencies and organizations with water-related responsibilities. According to the DNR, under current conditions, it would take at least five to eight inches of precipitation spread over the next month to significantly alleviate drought. This is up from July, where it was stated that it would only take three to five inches of rain over a two-week period. This level of drought presents obvious wildfire risks, very low river, lake and well levels, as well as a host of other issues. At the extreme drought level, emergency haying and grazing authorizations begin. According to information provided by the press office of U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Klobuchar and Senator John Thune (R-SD), recently sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting swift action from the department to ensure livestock producers have additional emergency haying and grazing options as the drought continues. The senators specifically asked for clarifications regarding emergency haying when the U.S. Drought Monitor designates D3 extreme drought conditions. “Livestock producers in Minnesota and South Dakota are particularly concerned about certain Conservation Reserve Program acres that are eligible for emergency haying and grazing under D2 conditions but are ineligible when a county moves to D3 conditions. When conditions on the ground worsen, producers already facing a shortage of hay and available grazing lands should be provided with more options–not fewer,” the senators wrote. The information also states that Klobuchar has worked to support Minnesota’s rural communities throughout the drought. Earlier this month, she successfully advocated for the USDA to allow producers to request emergency haying and grazing authorizations on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land. She also helped secure additional technical and financial assistance for farmers and livestock producers impacted by the ongoing droughts. A portion of the letter to the USDA reads as follows: We write in response to the significant concerns that we have heard from farmers and ranchers in our states about persistent drought conditions and the lack of flexibility on emergency haying when the U.S. Drought Monitor designates D3 extreme drought conditions. We urge you to prioritize quick action to ensure that livestock producers have more emergency options as drought conditions worsen. Livestock producers in Minnesota and South Dakota are particularly concerned about certain Conservation Reserve Program acres that are eligible for emergency haying and grazing under D2 conditions but are ineligible when a county moves to D3 conditions. When conditions on the ground worsen, producers already facing a shortage of hay and available grazing lands should be provided with more options–not fewer. Our understanding is that administrative policy changes were made earlier this year with respect to emergency haying of wetland restoration acres under D3 conditions. We respectfully request clarification about those changes, and we urge you to prioritize quick action to ensure that livestock producers have additional emergency options as drought conditions worsen. We look forward to working with you to ensure a quick recovery from the drought.
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Droughts
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This species of freshwater mussel faces extinction by 2050
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Extinction looms for a West Australian species of freshwater mussel with researchers fearing it could be extinct within 30 years unless efforts are ramped up to save the waterways where it is found.
Small populations of the Carter's freshwater mussel can still be found in a diminishing number of waterways in the WA's southwest, however a drying climate, rising salinity levels, population growth and pollution are putting pressure on the species which is described as "the lungs of WA's waterways".
A 2015 study published in the Australian Journal of Zoology concluded the "range" of Carter's freshwater mussel had declined by almost 50 per cent in 50 years while a secondary research study found populations had "disappeared completely" from 28 per cent of waterways where it had previously existed.
Murdoch University Associate Professor Alan Lymbery said there were "genuine concerns" the mussel would be extinct within 30 years if the downward trend continued.
"Where you do find them, you can see them in reasonably sized numbers so they don't appear to be in trouble," he said.
"However, 50 per cent of the populations that used to occur have now been lost and there's no reason to think that rate of decline is decreasing, in fact we have recent evidence which shows it might be increasing.
"Taking that into account, we might think by 2050 this muscle could be extinct or certainly approaching extinction in the wild."
Professor Lymbery said mussel populations in the south west were declining at a dramatic rate that was likely to have severe impacts on freshwater ecosystems.
"If we don't do something about the decline of the mussel populations now it may be too late," he said.
Professor Lymbery said the plight of the Carter's freshwater mussel also mirrored that of other populations worldwide.
"Freshwater mussels are one of the most endangered groups of any animals or plants for that matter," Professor Lymbery said.
"They are extremely vulnerable to extinction, they're very slow to reproduce, they have a great mortality rate when they're young so it's very hard for mussel populations to reproduce themselves."
While the Carter's freshwater mussel "doesn't make for great eating," Professor Lymbery said its role in the waterways was "drastically undervalued."
"Freshwater mussels are known as a keystone species in that they filter an enormous amount of water as they feed, removing tiny particles like plankton, algae and microorganisms," he said.
"If this species is lost from our rivers and streams, there is nothing else that will carry out the same function and that may have dramatic consequences for all freshwater life.
"During the summer and autumn months when many rivers stop flowing, freshwater organisms rely of refuge pools to survive. "Mussels play an important role in maintaining water quality in these pools."
Another Australian species, referred to as the Glenelg freshwater mussel is currently listed as Critically Endangered with studies concluding it was under threat from contamination of its habitat by "pesticide use, predation and habitat degradation by introduced Carp, bushfires and timber harvesting".
The Glenelg freshwater mussel is said to be found in parts of the Crawford River, part of the larger Glenelg River in south-west Victoria, with as few as 1,000 left in existence.
Professor Lymbery said populations could be saved through the use of farming to create "insurance populations," however it was not a method yet attempted in Australia and one fraught with difficulties due to the mussels' particular breeding habits.
"It's not easy because mussels have a pretty complex lifecycle," Professor Lymbery said.
"The first stage of the mussel is actually a parasite on fish so you've got to do some pretty fancy things, but it's been done, not in Australia but it's been done quite a lot in the United States and quite a lot in Europe so the technology is there to breed mussels in the laboratory. "Certainly achievable, just never been tried before in Australia."
Local WA ecologist and Blackwood Basin Group chair Per Christiansen said "educating the public" on the plight of the species such as the Carter's freshwater mussel was the first step in helping preserve it.
"The best friend of conservation is the public," Mr Christensen said.
"If you can get the public onside, then they understand it, they're prepared to put money into it and so on. If the public doesn't understand and they're not interested, you're never going to get any funding towards it — it will go to all sorts of other things such as roads and railways."
Mr Christensen said the were "sadly plenty of examples," of seemingly "small, bit players," in WA's south west ecological make-up facing a similar fate.
"There's a lot of wetland species that are going extinct, not only in the water but things like the Australasian Bittern — that's almost disappeared from the south west," Mr Christensen said.
"These seemingly innocuous little creatures that you struggle to see in the cold light of day, all play a vital role in making-and keeping the environment so unique."
Similarly, Professor Lymbery said "it's a struggle" to keep adequate attention cast on species such as the Carter's freshwater mussel when stacked up against "bigger, brighter and prettier" species facing a similar plight.
"I mean, they're not charismatic are they?" Professor Lymbery said,
He held a dead mussel on the bank of a small, rubbish-strewn waterway in the south west town of Dardanup.
"They're not big, they haven't got fur, they're not cute really — but what that doesn't reflect is how vital they are to the ecosystem," Professor Lymbery said. "Really these things are essential to healthy freshwater ecosystems and that means life to a lot of creatures, including people."
)
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Environment Pollution
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Official Site of The State of New Jersey
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TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 262, establishing the Wealth Disparity Task Force, which was previously announced on Juneteenth of this year. This action fulfills a key commitment from his 2020 State of the State address and will work towards combatting long-standing wealth gaps based on race and ethnicity. “Income inequality is one of the preeminent and far-reaching issues in today’s society,” said Governor Murphy. “We cannot have a stronger and fairer New Jersey without examining the causes of our wealth gaps and without establishing strategies to combat this long-standing problem. I look forward to working with the Wealth Disparity Task Force and continuing our Administration’s efforts to create an economy that works for every New Jerseyan.” “I want to thank Governor Murphy for taking action to respond to the racial wealth disparities that have been plaguing our Black and Hispanic or Latino residents since New Jersey gained statehood in 1787. The root causes of these disparities have taken centuries to establish within our system and they will not be fixed overnight. This taskforce and the working groups established within it will work to address the economic, housing, criminal justice, and health inequities that exist,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. “I am honored to be selected as a chair of this taskforce and I look forward to getting to work with my colleagues Commissioner Caride, President Holloway and Maria Vizcarrondo to examine causes and solutions for these long-standing problems.” “I am honored to serve as one of the four co-chairs on the Governor’s Wealth Disparity Task Force,” said Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Marlene Caride. “I want to thank the Governor for addressing this issue and look forward to working with my colleagues to examine the underlying causes and effects of the wealth disparity gap. As one of the most diverse states in the nation, we must ensure that residents of all New Jersey communities are positioned for success.” "I look forward to beginning the critical work of taking a broad multi-disciplinary approach to the complicated causes of the racial wealth gap," said Rutgers University President Dr. Jonathan Holloway. "I am honored to join my co-chairs as we consider and put forward realistic solutions to close that gap." “Thank you to Governor Murphy for appointing me as one of the leaders of the Wealth Disparity Task Force,” said Council of New Jersey Grantmakers President and CEO Maria Vizcarrondo. “I look forward to working with Lieutenant Governor Oliver, Commissioner Caride, and Dr. Holloway, and the other members of the task force. Promoting equity and battling wealth disparity is of the utmost importance, and we will immediately get to work on strategies to battle the racial wealth gap in our state.” The Wealth Disparity Task Force will advise the Murphy Administration on strategies aimed at addressing the various causes and effects of wealth disparity in New Jersey. The Task Force, which will consist of working groups on the economy, housing, criminal justice, education, and health, will prioritize efforts towards equity among all members of the New Jersey community by studying the causes of the inequality that has prevented the state from reaching its full potential in the past. By working to achieve inclusion of groups and individuals who have previously been marginalized, the Task Force will create comprehensive strategies and solutions to achieve a fairer distribution of wealth in New Jersey. The task force will be co-chaired by Lieutenant Governor and Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, Sheila Y. Oliver, Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Marlene Caride, Rutgers University President Dr. Jonathan Holloway, and Council of New Jersey Grantmakers President and CEO Maria Vizcarrondo. Members of the task force will include:
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Organization Established
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Dubbo water contamination raises questions about alert times, NSW Labor says
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The health of thousands of Dubbo residents has been put at risk by a delay in alerting them to the presence of E. coli bacteria in their drinking water, NSW State Opposition says.
The Dubbo Regional Council issued an alert on Monday advising residents in the city's central, northern and southern areas to boil their drinking water.
More than 3,000 homes and businesses have been affected by the contaminated supply.
Yesterday in question time the Water Minister Niall Blair confirmed that the water supply of up to 9,000 residents might had been affected.
But Labor's health spokesman Walt Secord said Mr Blair needed to explain why residents were not told until Monday, when the bacteria was first detected on Thursday.
"We won't know the actual extent of this for a few days because it takes a few days," said Labor's health spokesman Walt Secord.
"But yes, community health has been put at risk by this and the Government has a responsibility to make sure that NSW Health and Local government tell the community in a timely manner."
The Dubbo Regional Council's spokesman Stewart McLeod said low levels of E.coli were detected on Friday.
The Deputy Premier and Member for Dubbo Troy Grant has defended claims thousands of residents in his electorate were not notified quickly enough about contaminated water. Mr Grant said he was confident the issue would be resolved as quickly as possible.
"The Dubbo Regional Council responded very quickly to put the warnings out to ensure the community had all the knowledge possible," Deputy Premier Troy Grant said.
"The response, I'm not unhappy with." "I don't know the full extent of what has occurred there and I'll leave that to the experts at the Dubbo Regional Council," Mr Grant said.
Businesses in Dubbo are concerned about the potential economic impacts of a contamination in the water supply affecting parts of the city.
Fast food chain KFC decided to close one of its stores until the alert had been lifted. Matt Wright from the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce said the longer it continued, the more of an effect it will have on local businesses.
"We sort of thought, well it's a bit of an inconvenience for a few businesses around the city, but certainly as it continues to unfold I suppose it's a bit more of an inconvenience for many businesses," said Dubbo Chamber of Commerce President Matt Wright.
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Environment Pollution
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2006 European Short Course Swimming Championships
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The European Short Course Swimming Championships (variously referred to informally as the "Short Course Europeans" or "European 25m Championships") are a swimming meet, organized by LEN. The meet features swimmers from Europe, competing in events in a short course (25-meter) pool. The meet has traditionally been held in the beginning of December. Annual until 2013, the event now occurs in odd years. The Championships were first held in 1996, and were preceded by the "European Sprint Swimming Championships" which were held from 1991–1994. The Sprint meet featured 14 events: the 50s of the strokes, the 100 Individual Medley, and 4x50 relays (free and medley). In 1996, the meet expanded to 38 events, adding the 100s and 200s of stroke, the 400 and 800/1500 frees, and the 200 and 400 IMs; and the name was changed to "Short Course". LEN also started numbering the championships again, such that 2011's meet was the 15th edition. [1]
In 2012, the meet expanded to 40 events: 19 for men, 19 for women, and two mixed. Of each 19, 17 are individual and 2 are relays. Sprint championships
Short Course championships
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Sports Competition
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2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
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The 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 12 October 2008. [1]
This event was first announced as the 2008 IAAF World Road Running Championships, but in November 2007, the IAAF announced that the name of the IAAF World Road Running Championships would revert to its original title of the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. [2][3]
Detailed reports on the event and an appraisal of the results were given both
for the men's race[4][5] and for the women's race. [6][7]
Complete results were published[8] for the men's race,[9][10] for the women's race,[11][12] for men's team,[13][14] and for women's team. [15][16]
The participation of 155 athletes (90 men/65 women) from 42 countries is reported. [8] Although announced, athletes from Finland did not show.
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Sports Competition
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Wombinoo Station owners fined for clearing 130 hectares of land without permission
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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
The Queensland Government says the owners of Wombinoo Station south-west of Cairns have been ordered to replant more than 130 hectares that had been cleared without authorisation.
Queensland's Department of Natural Resources and Mines, which deals with land clearing, has been investigating Wombinoo station for two months.
In a statement, the department says satellite imagery identified approximately 132 hectares of unauthorised tree clearing.
Department investigators also went to the property and met with the owners, who have since been informed they will be fined for the breach and must replant 132 hectares of native vegetation, which were cleared without authorisation.
The State Government issued permits to clear approximately 2,700 hectares of land on Wombinoo for high-value agriculture in 2015.
However, the clearing in question occurred outside the approved area.
The owners will be fined $2,356, which is 20 penalty units, or the largest possible fine for an individual for vegetation-related offences under the State Penalties Enforcement Regulation 2014.
The station's owners were notified on Monday, December 18, the department told the ABC.
Station owner, Warren Jonsson, issued a media release in November saying "any clearing on Wombinoo Station is the subject of a lawful permit or as of right, such as fence lines or roads".
Queensland's re-elected Labor Government is planning to introduce laws to make it harder for farmers to clear land without first seeking permission.
The Palaszczuk Government attempted to do so last year but failed to get the bill through Parliament.
After November's state election Labor now has a majority and intends to use that to tighten land clearing laws that were relaxed under Campbell Newman's LNP Government.
The ABC approached Mr Jonsson for further comment.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
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Organization Fine
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Tampa cigar makers' strike of 1931
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The Tampa cigar makers' strike of 1931 took place in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida in the months of November and December. Some strikers were jailed, "Lectors" were banned and there was a lockout. Following legal intervention, some workers returned to work at previous wage levels but others were not re-employed. Lectors had by tradition been elected by the workers and, as well as reading aloud newspaper articles, often from left-wing radical publications, they recited and acted more generally, including from classic works – effectively they provided a form of education for illiterate workers. The most significant effect of the strike in the longer term was that the lector culture was brought to an end. The Tampa cigar makers' strike took place in Ybor City, Florida between the months of November and December 1931. It was made up of a highly unionized, militant cigar maker workforce who had a long history of radical labor–-management relations dating back to the 1880s when Cuban immigrants first began building the Florida cigar industry. [1] Due to rising unemployment and falling wages in the wake of the Great Depression, workers of the Tobacco Workers Industrial Union engaged in radical demonstrations, most notably, the celebration of the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. [2] In doing so, 17 workers were jailed. This sparked a preliminary walkout by workers but more importantly prompted factory owners to expel the widely renowned "Lector" in the cigar factories. This "Lector" was a fellow worker who would read aloud newspapers and literature to an illiterate Cuban workforce during production periods to keep workers' minds occupied. [3] The readings were very often pro-union, leftist and anti-corporation. [4][5]
After the displays of radicalism from the Cuban workers, factory owners accused the Lector of proliferating Communist propaganda and banned him from the workplace. [3] This was a bitter loss for the workers and led to a three-week strike in which vigilante squads, the police and the Ku Klux Klan clashed with affiliates of the Trade Union Unity League of the Communist Party, a branch of the Tobacco Workers Industrial Union. [2] The strike finally ended on December 15, 1931. [6] The Lector, replaced by a radio, was never returned to the workplace. [3] The significance of the 1931 Tampa Cigar Makers Strike is that despite a highly unionized workforce, and despite a constitutionally backed argument for the right to free speech, it spelled the end of an age-old, artisan privilege for the cigar workers who were falling prey to the new, industrial age setting in on the United States. [7]
During the 1860s, conflict in Cuba between the Spanish colonial government and Cuban nationalists encouraged widespread immigration into the US. [2] In 1867 alone, 100,000 Cubans, mostly made up of highly skilled laborers coming from the cigar industry, immigrated into Florida thus providing the labor necessary to drive the cigar industry. [5] Vicente Martinez Ybor was one of the first cigar manufacturers to immigrate. With the help of Tampa's Board of Trade, he bought a $9,000 tract of land just outside Tampa's city limit. He named his plot of land Ybor City and quickly built a factory and housing for Cuban and Spanish cigar makers who in 1886 began production of fine, handmade cigars that gave Tampa national recognition. [2] From 1887 to World War II Ybor City was a company town dominated by the cigar industry. By 1910, Tampa was producing one million cigars per day and its 10,000 cigar workers represented over half of the community's entire labor force. [2]
The influx of Cuban, Spanish and Italian workers made Ybor City and the encompassing Tampa region a vibrant, radical and ethnically diverse community interested in politics and ideology. Early in their history, the militant unionism of Cuban workers is evident. After the failed Cuban revolution in 1868, the Cuban Nationalist movement continued to grow in Key West, and, when Cuban independence began to dim in the 1870s, workers turned towards trade unionism with even more vigor. [2] La Resistencia was formed in 1895 as a social group for Tampa cigar workers and transformed into a very powerful trade union. [5] It fostered links between cigar industry workers in Tampa and workers in Havana, Cuba thus becoming an effective force for organizing workers and leading successful strikes in 1899 and 1901. After the strike of 1901, La Resistencia declined in importance and the Cigar Makers International Union replaced it as the chief labor organization in Tampa. [5]
By 1910, the cigar industry's labor force was 41 percent Cuban, 23 percent Spanish and 19 percent Italian. These workers were radical and would form clubs and discussion groups devoted to a wide range of socialist and anarchist causes. Additionally, they supported numerous radical newspapers such as El Internacional and La Voce Dello Shiavo ("The Voice of the Slave") – an evocation of workers' feelings during those times. The Tampa Citizen was a newspaper published by local unions during and after WW II with the central ideology that it is "Published In The Interest Of The Working Class Of Tampa." As such, workers were deeply entrenched in the radical labor movement taking place in the United States. [2]
After 1900, large American corporations such as the American Cigar Company and the Duke Tobacco Trust bought many Tampa cigar factories bringing a corporate attitude that would not be able to peacefully co-exist with worker radicalism and militancy. Corporate culture introduced a drive for greater efficiency via production quotas. New rules, such as requiring a certain number of cigars to be rolled from an exact weight of tobacco distributed to rollers, prompted greater worker resistance and more strikes. Consequently, labor-management relations were characterized by frequent strikes, walkouts, lockouts and incidents of mob violence and vigilantism. In their struggles with manufacturers, cigar workers had more leverage than the average factory worker because they were highly skilled and had an enormous sense of solidarity. [4] For this reason, they were hard to replace and were able to survive strikes by sticking together in the larger Cuban/Spanish communities across Key West and Havana. The best reflection of the sentiments of immigrant cigar workers was the factory "Lector" or "Reader". The workers would each give 25 to 50 cents of their weekly salary to elect a fellow workman to act as a "Lector" in which he would read aloud various materials such as newspapers mentioned above or others such as The Daily Worker and Socialist Call, or even classical works of literature such as Tolstoy or Dickens. [1] The readers, elected by their peers, were actually marvelous actors and would not simply read the book but literally act out the scenes in a dramatic fashion upon a podium set up in the middle of the factory. [1] Therefore, many illiterate cigar makers were well versed in subjects such as politics, labor, literature and international relations. According to Tampa's leading anarchist, Alfonso Coniglio, a cigar maker at the age of 14, "to them [the lectors] we owe particularly our sense of the class struggle". [2] This sense of class struggle drove the workers to resist poor working conditions and to fight for more rights. Strikes by Tampa's cigar workers were rarely focused on issues of wages and hours but instead on being able to control their working conditions. The Lector, in particular, was crucial to the workers' conditions and something that would spark an 8,000-person strike to keep in place. [2]
The Great Depression had taken its effect on the industry, creating rising unemployment and falling wage rates.
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Strike
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Desert Locust situation update - 25 March 2016 - Yemen
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Current situation in Yemen © FAO
Hopper bands and adult groups forming on southern coast of Yemen
A potentially dangerous situation may be developing in southern Yemen where low numbers of immature and mature Desert Locust adults were initially seen on the coast by national survey teams on 10 March. This was the first confirmed report of locusts in areas that received heavy rainfall in early November 2015 from cyclones Chapala and Megh.
During subsequent surveys, teams found that a few adults are still laying eggs. But more importantly, numerous small hopper bands and groups of all instars are present on the southern coast between Arkha and Bir Ali (southwest of Mukalla) from egg-laying and hatching during February. A previous generation of breeding may have occurred shortly after the cyclone but was not detected.
Some of the current hopper infestations have already fledged and the new transiens and gregarious adults have formed small groups. Infestations are thought to be present along about 120 km of coastal plains that are up to about 20 km in width. Numerous beekeepers, camels and nomads are present in these areas, making control operations difficult.
As the November rains fell over a large portion of southern Yemen, it is not immediately known if other areas along the coast or in the interior are currently infested with Desert Locust due to prevailing insecurity. In most areas, ecological conditions remain favourable and will allow breeding to continue that will cause locust numbers to increase further. Consequently, there is a high risk of more hopper bands and adult groups forming, including the possibility of a few small swarms, in March and April. Once conditions dry out along the coast, the adults will continue to form small groups and perhaps a few small swarms that will move into the interior where breeding is likely in Marib, Shabwah and Hadhramaut regions between Marib, Ataq and Thamud. Rains recently fell in some of these areas. There is also a risk that some adult groups and perhaps a few small swarms could move northeast along the coast to southern Oman.
Substantive efforts are required to monitor the situation in all areas and undertake the necessary control operations whenever possible to avoid a further escalation.
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Insect Disaster
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