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Queensland grazier fined $450k for illegal land clearing
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A Victorian man who flew from Brisbane to Hobart on flight VA702 today has tested positive to COVID-19 and has not been allowed to board a flight to Melbourne
A Watch & Act warning is in place for a fire in the northern parts of Mokine, in WA's Northam Shire. Keep up to date with ABC Emergency
A Queensland grazier, whose bid to bulldoze native woodlands has the support of Federal Government MPs, has been hit with one of the state's heaviest penalties for illegal land clearing.
Scott Harris and his company were fined $450,000 in the Cairns Magistrates Court last month for illegally clearing 2,875 hectares of native vegetation at Strathmore Station in Queensland's Gulf Country. His convictions were recorded by the court and could derail his proposal to clear 2,100 hectares at another cattle station — Kingvale in Cape York.
The federal environment department confirmed it was taking the court case into account as it prepared its recommendation to its minister on whether the Kingvale clearing should be approved under Australia's conservation laws.
An official has said its report is likely months away, putting a final ruling by the Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price beyond the looming national election.
Four Federal Government MPs from Queensland, including Northern Australia Minister Matt Canavan, have lobbied on Mr Harris' behalf for the Kingvale proposal.
The clearing at Kingvale was first approved by the former Newman government in 2014 under changes to land clearing laws to allow "high-value agriculture" projects. But in a rare move, the federal environment department froze the Kingvale clearing permit for assessment under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act after Mr Harris declined to make a referral himself.
Conservationists welcomed the successful prosecution of illegal clearing under state laws but said it highlighted the lack of similar tough action under federal laws. Mr Harris' lawyer David Kempton, who was an assistant minister in the Newman government, did not respond to an ABC request for an interview with him or his client.
Cairns Magistrate Allan Comans gave Mr Harris and his company 28 days to pay the fines.
Mr Harris was convicted on 13 counts of carrying out assessable development without a permit.
They mirror the then record $450,000 penalty meted out to Mr Harris' partner in the Strathmore venture, Ronald Greentree, in 2004 when he was the first person convicted for illegal clearing of a protected wetland under the EPBC Act.
Together they are now growing cotton at Strathmore.
Under the Act, the federal Environment Minister "may consider whether the person is a suitable person to be granted an approval, having regard to … the person's history in relation to environmental matters".
The Act's guidance note says: "Information relevant to the person's environmental history is that which will indicate whether a person is likely to comply with the conditions of an approval".
A spokesman for the federal Department of Environment and Energy told the ABC that in February and March it "sought information from the Cairns Magistrates Court, the [DNRME], and the proponent in relation to charges against the proponent". "The department will consider this information for the purpose of preparing advice to the Minister on whether the proposed clearing of vegetation at 'Kingvale' should be approved under the EPBC Act," he said.
Mr Harris is still facing one charge of failing to take reasonable practical measures to ensure activities do not harm Aboriginal cultural heritage at Strathmore.
The case is due back in court again on April 29.
Mr Harris could not be reached for comment.
Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch has claimed that federal approval of clearing at Kingvale would show "total disregard" of a commitment to cut land clearing in Australia's great Barrier Reef conservation plan.
"The kind of run off from that particularly block of land, or that particular area, onto the Great Barrier Reef will absolutely have impact, which is not what anybody wants," she said.
She said an approval would undermine the half a billion dollars the Federal Government has spent on the reef, and could also potentially cause UNESCO to finally list the reef as an "in danger" World Heritage site.
"It could potentially put the Great Barrier Reef at risk of being on that 'in danger' list and being taken off the World Heritage list," she said. "If that happens the impact to industry will be absolutely catastrophic."
Kingvale is located in the fourth largest river catchment feeding into the reef, the Normanby Basin.
Mr Harris proposes to clear eucalypt forest and melaleuca swamplands to make way for sorghum and green cropping.
Last year documents released under Freedom of Information laws revealed that four Queensland members of the Coalition lobbied then-Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg.
The documents showed Mr Canavan, fellow senators Ian Macdonald and Barry O'Sullivan, and MP Warren Entsch also met several times with officials from the Environmental Standards Division in the federal Department of Environment and Energy (DEE).
The Federal Court in November forced the Government to apply more rigorous assessment of the environmental impacts of the Kingvale clearing after a legal challenge by a conservation group. Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner Andrew Picone said conservationists welcomed Queensland's successful prosecution of illegal clearing but it was "evidence our national environment laws are ineffective".
He said the "wholesale destruction of threatened species habitat" at north Queensland properties like Strathmore Station had seen "no prosecutions under national law".
Mr Picone said the four government MPs had been "exerting influence and pressure" to allow the clearing to proceed with a lower level of scrutiny.
The Federal Government's inaction on unapproved land clearing activity is yet another example of why we need strong new laws to protect threatened species habitat and an independent [Environmental Protection Authority] at arm's length from government and beyond the influence of vested interests."
A spokesman for Mr Canavan said he would not be making comment "before the due process is complete".
The prosecution over Strathmore was driven by Queensland's Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy (DNRME) under the state's Sustainable Planning Act 2009.
A spokesman told the ABC in a statement: "Queensland's vegetation management laws strike a vital balance between enabling landholders to get on with managing their businesses by sensibly clearing appropriate vegetation while also protecting the environment."
Federal environment department assistant secretary James Barker told Senate Estimates on Thursday that he expected the recommendation to be made in "the coming months".
"Currently the department is seeking further information from Queensland and is preparing information to support a decision on whether the proposal should be approved," he said.
"It's subject to us being able to obtain further information from the State Government so we don't have a timeframe for that at this stage."
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Organization Fine
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1812 Ventura earthquake
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The 1812 San Juan Capistrano earthquake, also known as the Wrightwood earthquake, occurred on December 8 at 15:00 UTC in Alta California. At the time, this was a colonial territory of the Spanish Empire. Damage occurred at several of the missions in the region of Pueblo de Los Ángeles, including Mission San Gabriel Arcángel and Mission San Juan Capistrano, where 40 parishioners were killed during the collapse of a church at an early morning service. Tree ring and paleoseismic evidence show that there is a strong likelihood that the earthquake originated along the Mojave segment of the San Andreas Fault near Wrightwood, but other faults have been suggested as the cause. Several studies in the 1980s placed the shock along the southern Newport–Inglewood Fault near the zone of highest reported intensity. This fault is near the coast and the most significant damage at the missions, but later work at trench sites along the San Andreas Fault excluded it for this large to very large shock. Dynamic rupture modelling made possible another proposal in the 2010s involving a dual rupture scenario with both the San Andreas and San Jacinto Fault Zones. Each of these studies worked with limited data, and the effects of the shock and various fault rupture details led to Mercalli intensities of VII (Very strong) to IX (Violent) being proposed. Magnitudes from 6.9 Mla on the low end to 7.5 Mw on the high end were also presented. The primary tectonic feature in California is the strike-slip San Andreas (SAF) system of faults that form part of the diffuse Pacific–North American plate boundary. This transform fault trends south-southeast through much of northern and central California, but turns more southeasterly at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges at a prominent restraining bend. Southeast of this bend the SAF borders the Mojave Desert then bisects the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains at Cajon Pass, where the active San Jacinto Fault Zone diverges from the SAF. The San Jacinto Mountains and the Salton Sea lie between the two faults as they continue to the southeast towards the Mexico–United States border. The Newport–Inglewood Fault, a part of the San Andreas system that is positioned near the coast along the western extremity of the Los Angeles Basin, is a discontinuous strike-slip fault similar to the San Jacinto Fault. [6]
In the 1980s several seismologists attributed the source of the event to the southern Newport–Inglewood Fault due to its proximity to the zone of greatest damage at Mission San Juan Capistrano. The northern portion of the fault was excluded as a potential source due to a lack of damage at San Buenaventura. Other more distant sources have also been proposed, including the Mojave segment of the SAF to the north of San Juan Capistrano, substantiated by tree distress evidence preserved in tree rings along the fault zone and paleoseismic evidence in an investigative trench at Pallet Creek. Another scenario was proposed after a researcher noted the great distance between the SAF and the zone of damage near the coast. After a paleoseismic investigation and simulations, it was proposed that a joint rupture of both the SAF and the San Jacinto Fault Zone to the southeast more closely matched the damage pattern than a SAF-only rupture. [7][8]
In support of the southern Newport–Inglewood Fault as the source, Toppozada & Real 1981 presented a simple isoseismal map with one elongated ring oriented northwest–southeast roughly parallel to the coastline and centered on the fault. The single isoseismal (a line depicting an area of equal intensity) shows the intensity VII (Very strong) boundary for the event, which is an ellipse that includes Mission San Juan Capistrano, Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, and Mission San Fernando Rey de España at the extreme northwest end. From a modern-day perspective, this intensity level covers all of Orange County, most of southern Los Angeles County, and insignificant portions of San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. After analyzing the intensity data that were derived from the mission's minimal reports and by modeling ground conditions and known faults, Evernden & Thompson 1985 also singled out the southern Newport–Inglewood Fault as the source. [4][9]
Influenced by the work of several dendrochronologists and a seismologist who examined trauma to trees near Wrightwood, Toppozada et al. 2002 came about in support of the SAF as the source. Jacoby, Sheppard, & Sieh 1988 gained a more thorough understanding of the most recent events and a potential rupture length of the SAF by investigating damage to trees, which been associated with intensity VIII (Severe) shaking within several kilometers of a source fault. Seventy trees were examined and nine of the trees along a 7.5 mi (12 km) section experienced some form of trauma beginning in 1813, including two with crown loss. All were within 66 ft (20 m) of the fault. Other sources for the damage were ruled out, including disease, lightning, wind, and fire. Severe shaking was also excluded because trees outside of this narrow zone would also have similar effects. The researchers' theory was that right-lateral displacement on the SAF had damaged their root systems. [2][10]
By the 2010s, the shift of attention from the Newport–Inglewood Fault to the SAF was cemented, with numerous other paleoseismic investigations validating that slip along the SAF, possibly as far north as Elizabeth Lake, was responsible for the event. [11]
Several of the Roman Catholic missions in the area experienced heavy damage. The bell structure at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel collapsed and at Mission San Juan Capistrano the Great Stone Church was destroyed and forty Native Americans were killed as the earthquake happened during the first service. The service was being held on a Tuesday, for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebration, which is universally celebrated every December 8. [1][12]
Toppozada & Real 1981 shows the most conservative estimates for the intensity of the event, with Mission San Luis Rey and Mission San Diego both indicating that the shock was felt only, and no clarification of whether it was weak, light, or moderate. Well away from the proposed epicenter, the San Bernardino Valley may have experienced intensity VI (Strong) shaking, and a maximum intensity of VII was listed for Mission San Juan Capistrano, Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, and Mission San Fernando Rey de España. Mission San Buenaventura lay outside the ring, but is annotated with possibly also having experienced intensity VII effects. Stover & Coffman 1993 and the National Geophysical Data Center's Significant Earthquake Database both show a maximum intensity of VIII (Severe), but neither correlate intensity to location. The NGDC's Earthquake Intensity Database indicates that a maximum of IX (Violent) was experienced at San Gabriel and San Juan Capistrano. [5][3]
Thirteen days later, the Lompoc earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.1 to 7.5 struck. It generated a 3.4-meter tsunami around the Santa Barbara coast. The damage from that was moderate and significantly less deadly. That quake may have been triggered by the Wrightwood earthquake however, the location of its epicenter remains uncertain. [13]
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Earthquakes
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Chinese weightlifter Shi wins back-to-back Olympic gold
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Shi Zhiyong of China attends the awarding ceremony of the men's 73kg weightlifting event of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
TOKYO, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese weightlifter Shi Zhiyong won his second Olympic gold medal with a world record-breaking performance in the men's 73kg category at Tokyo 2020 here on Wednesday.
A late challenge by his closest opponent, Julio Ruben Mayora Pernia of Venezuela, pushed Shi to go for 198kg that ties the world record in his third attempt in the clean and jerk, before a new world record in total was born when Shi lifted the dumbbell over his head.
Beaming with joy, Shi sat on the dumbbell with a huge roar.
Holding all three world records in snatch, clean and jerk as well as in total, Shi's superiority was obvious from the outset as he conducted his first snatch attempt at 158kg - 2 kg above the best results of his nearest rival Mayora Pernia - and succeeded.
Shi, the men's 69kg weightlifting gold medalist at Rio Olympics, then extended his lead and set an Olympic record of 166kg in the third snatch attempt.
The advantage allowed Shi to play it safe in the clean and jerk and succeeded in lifting 188 kg in his first attempt.
Mayora Pernia mounted a last-bit challenge by trying 199kg after Shi's second attempt of 192kg was ruled no lift by judges. But that in term push Shi to increase to 198kg in his third attempt, which he succeeded and set a new world record in total at 364kg compared to his previous world record of 363kg.
Mayora Pernia won a silver medal for Venezuela with 346kg and Rahmat Erwin Abdullah of Indonesia came up third with 342kg.
Shi was the third Chinese man to win gold at Tokyo 2020 following Chen Lijun's success in the 67kg category and Li Fabin's victory in the 61kg division.
China has now won four gold medals in weightlifting at these Games with Hou Zhihui winning the other in the women's 49kg class. Enditem
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Break historical records
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1990 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics
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The Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (Spanish: Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo) is a biennial athletics competition for athletes representing Ibero-American countries as well as a number of other Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa. [1] The competition is organised by the Asociación Iberoamericana de Atletismo (Ibero-American Athletics Association). [2]
The idea of such a competition first came about in 1982 when the Asociación Iberoamericana de Atletismo (AIA) was officially formed in Madrid with 22 countries as signatories. Following official sanctioning by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the AIA established the Ibero-American Championships which first took place in Barcelona, Spain in 1983. [3]
The Ibero American Games (Spanish: Juegos Iberoamericanos) was a precursor to the regional championships and was held twice, first in 1960 and finally in 1962. [4][5][6]
Key:
Defunct event
Sometimes, Ibero-American Marathon or Half Marathon Championships were held separately from the regular championships. [16]
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Sports Competition
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2020 Indian general strike
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The 2020 Indian general strike was a mass general strike that was held across India on 26 November 2020. The strike was organized by 10 trade unions across the country and was supported by the Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), and other left-wing parties. [1][2][3] Trade unions claim 250 million (25 crore) people took part in the strike,[4][5] which Jacobin says would make it arguably the largest in history. [6] Some other sources, however, say the size of the strike was 200,000-300,000. [7][8][9]
The strike was followed by a farmers march to New Delhi, which arrived there on 30 November with tens of thousands of farmers surrounding Delhi,[10] increasing to hundreds of thousands by 3 December. [11]
The workers' unions presented a list of seven demands:
The trade unions involved included the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC). [1]
Several other organisations were involved in the strike. The All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) stated that nearly 30,000 bank employees were to participate in the strike. [3] The Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations (ISFA) released strike notice to workers of all industries, calling scheme workers, construction workers, beedi workers, domestic workers, agricultural workers, vendors, hawkers, and self-employed people in rural as well as urban India to come onto the streets for chakka jam,[3] a demonstration meant to block traffic. According to a statement made by the CPIM, there was "massive participation"[14] by people who did not receive strike notice, such as informal sector workers, students, women, and peasants. [2][15][14] Approximately a quarter of all working-aged people in India participated in the general strike. [14]
The date of the general strike converged with the All India Kisan Sangharsh Co-ordination Committee's own strike calling for newly enacted anti-farmer agricultural laws to be repealed. [6] The worker's unions and the AIKSCC declared their solidarity with each other in the days leading up to the general strike and the AIKSCC's "Chalo Delhi" ('Go to Delhi') mobilization. [1][6][13]
The initial, 24-hour general strike took place all across India. Five states – Kerala, Puducherry, Odisha, Assam and Telangana – were completely shut down. [16] Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh reported a 100% strike. [16] Tamil Nadu reported shut-down in 13 of 38 districts, with industrial strikes continuing in the remaining districts. [16] In Punjab and Haryana, state transport buses did not leave their depots. [16] The strike saw stoppages of work in banks, financial services, various government services, transport, steel units, ports and docks, telecommunication services, plantations, power generating units, coal and other mines, oil and natural gas production units, and millions of other places. [16]
The strike was followed by the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest march to the Indian capital New Delhi. On 30 November, "tens of thousands of farmers and their supporters ... [were] demonstrating at several road junctions". [10] By 3 December, BBC News estimated the number of farmers blocking New Delhi in the hundreds of thousands. [11]
A "photograph of a paramilitary policeman swinging his baton at an elderly Sikh man", later identified as Sukhdev Singh, taken by Ravi Choudhury of Press Trust of India (PTI) went viral on social media. Politicians opposed to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used the image to criticise police violence, while BJP members claimed that the Sikh farmer had not been hit. Choudhury said that the man had been hit by the policeman. A fact-checking website, Boomlive, interviewed Singh, who stated that he had been hit by two policemen, and sustained injuries to his "forearm, back and calf muscle". [11]
Social media also helped start a Sikh solidarity protest in London, United Kingdom on 6 December 2020. [17]
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Strike
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Ride the Rim event at Crater Lake canceled due to coronavirus, wildfire smoke
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Updated: Aug. 26, 2021, 11:53 a.m. | Published: Aug. 26, 2021, 11:53 a.m. One of several views from the short trail at Sun Notch, with the Phantom Ship rock formation visible. Views from Rim Drive in Crater Lake National Park. Jamie Hale/The OregonianJamie Hale/The Oregonian 184 By Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLive Cyclists planning on circumnavigating Crater Lake at the end of this summer will need to wait at least until 2022 to do it. The beloved Ride the Rim cycling event at Crater Lake National Park has been canceled for 2021, park officials announced Wednesday , due to “multiple factors” including a surge in COVID-19 cases in Oregon, unhealthy air quality from regional wildfires, and a limited number of available staff and volunteers to run the event. “The health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff is our top priority,” park officials said in a news release. “The National Park Service and all the partners supporting Ride the Rim look forward to the return of the event in September 2022.” Originally scheduled for Sept. 11 and 18, Ride the Rim invites participants to bike, run or walk around Crater Lake during two vehicle-free days held each year at the end of summer. East Rim and West Rim drives are typically open to vehicles in the warmer seasons, where drivers can pull off at more than a dozen viewpoints around the lake. Billed as “one of the most beautiful and toughest rides in Oregon,” Ride the Rim is a 33-mile excursion featuring roughly 3,500 feet of elevation gain. In previous years, the event featured several rest stops along the way and a shuttle service that allowed participants to ride shorter portions of the route. Ride the Rim was also canceled in 2020 , as the COVID-19 pandemic made its initial surge across the Pacific Northwest. Organizers had taken extra public health precautions for the 2021 event, but warned riders that changing conditions may necessitate another cancellation.
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Organization Closed
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Maharashtra coronavirus update: 4,154 new Covid-19 cases, 44 deaths
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Mumbai Last Updated at September 10, 2021 21:23 IST Maharashtra reported 4,154 new coronavirus infections and 44 fatalities on Friday, a health official said. It took the tally of COVID-19 cases in the state to 64,91,179 and death toll to 1,38,061. The number of daily cases and fatalities witnessed a marginal dip. On Thursday the state had reported 4,219 new COVID-19 cases and 55 fatalities. With 4,524 persons discharged from hospitals, the total of recovered patients climbed to 62,99,760. The state has 2,96,579 people in home quarantine, 1,952 in institutional quarantine and 49,812 active patients. Maharashtra's case recovery rate stands at 97.05 per cent while the fatality rate is 2.12 per cent. The cumulative number of tests conducted in the state rose to 5,57,02,628 with 1,82,949 samples tested for coronavirus since Thursday evening. On Friday, districts of Dhule, Hingoli, Parbhani, Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal, Washim, Gondia and Bhandara, and municipal corporations of Dhule, Nanded and Amravati did not report any fresh COVID-19 cases. The Ahmednagar district continued to report highest number of infections at 668. It was followed by Pune district with 531 new infections, while Solapur district reported the highest nine fatalities in the state. Among eight regions of Maharashtra, Pune region reported the highest 1,751 new COVID-19 cases, followed by 961 cases from Mumbai region. Nashik region reported 852 new cases, Kolhapur 404, Latur 133, Aurangabad 21, Nagpur 20, and Akola region 12 new cases. Of 44 fatalities, the highest nine deaths were reported from Pune region, followed by eight fatalities from Mumbai region. Significantly, Aurangabad, Akola and Nagpur regions did not report any fresh fatalities, while Kolhapur region reported seven deaths and Latur and Nashik regions five deaths each. Mumbai city witnessed 441 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths, while Pune city reported 262 new cases but no deaths. Pune district has the highest 13,213 active cases. Coronavirus figures of Maharashtra are as follows: Total cases - 64,91,179, New cases- 4,154, Total deaths 1,38,061, Fresh deaths 44, Total recoveries- 62,99,760, Active cases-49,812, Total tests conducted-5,57,02,628.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Pan Am Flight 1-10 crash
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Pan Am Flight 1-10 was a passenger flight from London to Shannon Airport, during a flight round the world from San Francisco, California to New York City. On 15 April 1948 it crashed 725 meters (2,379 ft) short of runway 23. 10 flight crew and 20 passengers died in the crash; 1 passenger survived with minor injuries. "Pan Am Flight 1-10", flown with the Pan American Airways Lockheed Constellation, aircraft NC-88858 named "Clipper Empress of the Skies", departed from a London airport at 0:35 am. At 1:59 am it reported to Shannon Airport that it was at the marker at Limerick Junction. The flight received clearance to land on runway 23 at 2:10 am but reported a missed approach ten minutes later. After getting a second clearance to land, it struck a stone fence 725 meters (2,379 ft) short of the runway, but perfectly aligned with it. The initial crash ripped the plane apart. The undercarriage and the engines were torn off while the fuselage broke into three pieces. Fire destroyed the remains of the fuselage. The U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the crash and published its findings on 24 June 1948:
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the continuation of an instrument approach to an altitude insufficient to clear the terrain. A contributing factor may have been the failure of the pilot's instrument fluorescent light. [1]
The flight crew had earlier reported trouble with the pilot's instrument fluorescent light. At earlier stops in Brussels and London this light had failed too, but the maintenance crew in London could not repair it due to lack of spare parts. Shannon Airport had earlier reported a fire in its ILS system, causing the system to fail. By the time the "Clipper Empress of the Skies" arrived, the system was again fully functional. The lone survivor was a Lockheed Aircraft Company employee. [2] He was Lockheed's former maintenance manager at Shannon and, when found, was taken to hospital suffering from extensive burns and abrasions. He believed his injuries happened when he was thrown through the floor of belly baggage compartment which he thinks happened as the tail section fell off the plane. He had unfastened his safety belt when he realised the plane was going to crash, yet other passengers seemed quite calm. He later said that "I was a little dazed but I was able to get up and walk away" though worse off than he thought. The wife of the survivor had been waiting at the airport for him to arrive and saw a person staggering away from the burning wreckage. She accompanied Pan Am officials to the crash site to help, not knowing the person she saw was her husband and only survivor. [3]
Among those killed in the crash was Mumtaz Shahnawaz, a Pakistani diplomat and writer and Homi Maneck Mehta, an Indian industrialist. [4]
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Air crash
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2017 Northern India riots
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On 25 August 2017, widespread rioting in northern India broke out after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the religious leader of Dera Sacha Sauda, was convicted of rape. The riots began in Panchkula and later spread to other parts of the northern Indian states of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and the capital, New Delhi.At least 41 people were killed, the majority of them in Panchkula, where 32 people were allegedly killed by police gunfire. [8] More than 300 others were injured.
Beginning 23 August 2017, parts of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh were put under a security lockdown as 200,000 supporters of Ram Rahim amassed in Panchkula ahead of the verdict. A heavy contingent of security was deployed for the verdict including 97 Central Reserve Police Force companies; 16 Rapid Action Force; 37 Sashastra Seema Bal; 12 Indo-Tibetan Border Police and 21 Border Security Force companies. Another 10 companies were kept on standby.
The authorities had suspended internet services for 48 hours and Section 144 of the Indian penal code (prohibiting an assembly of more than four people) was imposed in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan (Ram Rahim's birth-village) in advance of the verdict announcement. Electricity was cut in a few residential areas in Panchkula as a precautionary measure. [
On 25 August 2017, around 15:00 (IST), a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula, Haryana, delivered its verdict in a 2002 sexual assault case of two sadhvis (female followers) of Dera Sacha Sauda. The court found Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Dera Sacha Sauda chief — known as "the guru of bling" — guilty of rape. The sentence was scheduled to be pronounced on 28 August 2017. He faced a minimum of seven years' imprisonment. Before the verdict, Ram Rahim appealed to his followers to remain calm, after having made the 250 km (156 mi) journey from the sect's headquarters in Sirsa to Panchkula in a 100-vehicle convoy.
Soon afterwards, Ram Rahim's 'Z+ security cover' was withdrawn. [16] He was one of only 36 people in India under that level of government-provided security cover. Ram Rahim was later taken into judicial custody[18] and was reportedly moved to the Western Command Headquarters in Chandimandir Cantonment.Later, he was flown by helicopter to a jail in the nearby town of Rohtak. [19] After the verdict, Ram Rahim supporters were evicted from Panchkula and Chandigarh. Police and paramilitary forces used tear gas shelling in Sector 3, Panchkula, to control Dera supporters which led to clashes.
Following the conviction, his supporters went on a rampage setting fire to vehicles, government buildings, petrol stations, media vans and railway stations. Ram Rahim's followers took to streets brandishing sticks and throwing rocks upon hearing news of his conviction.
According to an Indian Railways spokesman, two railway stations were burnt in (Malout and Balluanna) Punjab and two empty train coaches of Rewa Express were set on fire in Delhi's Anand Vihar station.The arsonists also attempted to set fire to Dagru railway station.PTC News reporters were attacked and a video journalist went missing since the assault. The rioters attacked the NDTV channel's OB Van and injured an engineer. [5] An India Today TV crew was attacked and its cameraman injured in Sirsa. Its OB van was also attacked by rioters in Panchkula. An Income Tax Department's building and two police vehicles were set on fire in Mansa, Punjab. Twenty-eight vehicles were burnt in Panchkula, including some belonging to the government. A telephone exchange was torched by the protesters in Chananwal in Punjab's Barnala district. A sewa kendra was set ablaze near Faridkot. A Vita milk plant and a power substation were damaged in Sirsa.
According to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, 7 people from Punjab died in the clashes. He further stated that in Punjab, 52 minor incidents took place barring the incident when a railway station was burnt. [24] At least 32 people were killed in Panchkula and six others were killed in Sirsa in India's northern Haryana state. More than 300 people were injured in the violence after police and paramilitary forces fired on charged mobs. Police fired tear gas, water cannons and live ammunition while trying to disperse the mobs in Panchkula and near DSS ashram in Sirsa.
By 7:00 pm (local time), the violence subsided in Panchkula. According to Haryana's Director General of Police, some 10,000 followers of Ram Rahim remained holed up in the DSS headquarters, where security forces were kept on "standby".
Curfews were imposed in several areas of Chandigarh city and across the state of Punjab. [26] A number of towns were placed under curfew including; Panchkula, Sirsa, Kaithal, Faridpur and Malout. The border between the states of Haryana and Punjab was sealed. By around 9:55 pm (local time), curfew had been imposed in 8 districts of Punjab namely — Mansa, Bathinda, Firozpur, Faridkot, Fazilka, Patiala, Barnala and Sangrur.
The Indian army was called in and about 600 soldiers were deployed in the city of Panchkula to help restore order. According to the Indian army sources, six columns of army personnel were deployed in Panchkula and two columns in Sirsa in Haryana. While, one column of army personnel was deployed in Punjab's Mansa and another column in Mukhtsar.
Section 144 was imposed in parts of Delhi,and in towns of Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Noida and Ghaziabad. By around 8:00 pm (local time), Section 144 was also imposed in Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts of northern Rajasthan. Until 10:00 pm (local time), Section 144 had been imposed in 9 districts of Uttar Pradesh — Meerut, Saharanpur, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bulandshahar, Bagpat and Hapur.
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Riot
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Kalamazoo man acquitted of murder released after serving 711 days for weapons charge
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Gabreon Wells-Lindsey was sentenced Nov. 8, 2021 to time served in Kalamazoo County Jail. He was convicted on one felony count of carrying a concealed weapon and acquitted of first-degree murder and felony firearms by a jury Oct. 14, 2021. KALAMAZOO, MI — A man convicted of a weapons charge and acquitted of a murder charge was sentenced to time served Monday morning. Gabreon Wells-Lindsey, 24, appeared via video Nov. 8 in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court for sentencing on one felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon. He was acquitted by a jury of first-degree murder and felony firearms Oct. 14.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release
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2011 United States public employee protests
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In February 2011, a series of public employee protests began in the United States against proposed legislation which would weaken the power of labor unions. By March, eighteen states had proposed legislation which would remove some collective bargaining powers from unions, along with another five states which proposed legislation which would negatively affect unions. [1] The protests occurred when public employee unions mounted protests against legislation proposed by Republican governors such as Scott Walker (Wisconsin), Rick Scott (Florida), Mitch Daniels (Indiana), Sean Parnell (Alaska), Rick Snyder (Michigan), John Kasich (Ohio), Paul LePage (Maine) and Jan Brewer (Arizona) which, among other things, would strip public employees of some collective bargaining rights as well as require higher employee contributions to pension and health care plans. The governors stated they needed these changes in order to cut state spending and balance the states' budgets. The protests began in Wisconsin,[2][3] then spread to Indiana and Ohio, with unions around the country rallying to show their opposition to the proposed legislation. [4][5] Several other states considered similar legislation. [6][7][8] Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas prohibit formal
collective bargaining with public employees. [9]
Representative Carl Gatto (R-Palmer), has introduced legislation that would strip many public employees of the right to collectively bargain for hours, benefits and working conditions. State employees could still collectively bargain for wages under the legislation. The bill exempts firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians. [10]
More info[1]
Republicans in the Senate and Assembly have proposed measures that would limit collective-bargaining rights and increase pension contributions for state employees. Democrats in control of the Legislature kept collective bargaining safe, but Governor Jerry Brown (D) unveiled a plan in March to target excesses in pensions. [11]
Los Angeles county police estimated that between 5,000 and 8,000 people took part in a protest against pay cuts to state workers on March 26. [11]
More info[1]
Republican Governor Rick Scott's budget proposal calls for a heavy hit to union strength, but, due to a constitutional provision, the state is not allowed to strip collective-bargaining rights unless a union's membership falls below a certain level. Lawmakers are instead preparing to place a cap on the amount unions can automatically extract from members’ paychecks without written permission. One of the bills passed the House in late March and awaits Senate approval. Republicans control both chambers, so passage is likely. [11]
Protests have yet to escalate in Florida. A small group of union employees, nearing 100, marched in Palm Beach to show solidarity with Wisconsin workers on April 4, in honor of the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death. [11]
More info[6]
A bill restricting the collective bargaining rights’ of Idaho's unionized teachers passed the legislature on March 7 and was signed into effect by Republican Gov. Butch Otter. The bill, which first passed in the House in February, will keep 12,000 teachers from bargaining their salary and benefits. It also eliminated tenure and introduced merit-based pay. The legislature adjourned for April 7, ending what lawmakers have called one of the most difficult sessions in memory. [11][12]
Union members planned to protest outside the Capitol in Boise on March 9 to condemn the passage of the bill. A rally in Boise on February 21, before the House vote, drew about 1,000 protesters and smaller pro-teacher's union rallies were held in 10 other cities. [11]
Republican House members proposed a “right-to-work” bill that would have made it illegal for an employer to mandate that employees join a union. Lacking support from Republican Governor Mitch Daniels, the bill has died. [11][13]
Most of the Democratic representatives in Indiana's state House of Representatives fled to neighboring states to block voting on bill. [11][14][15] On March 10 thousands of protesters appeared at the Indiana state house, protesting in support of labor unions. [16]
House Republicans proposed a bill that required state workers to pay a portion of their insurance premiums and allowed workers to opt out of union membership. Though the Republican-controlled House pushed a labor reform to weaken unions, the Democrat-controlled Senate has not taken it up for debate. [11]
Roughly 300 people came to show their support for workers on April 4, marking the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death. [11]
The Kansas House passed a Republican-backed bill on February 24 that would ban voluntary deductions from union members’ paychecks for political activities. The bill also bans public employee unions from endorsing political candidates. The bill has a good chance of passing the heavily Republican Senate. Republican Governor Sam Brownback has not communicated his stance on the bill. [9][11]
Kansas union members filled the hall of the House on February 24 in an unsuccessful attempt to urge lawmakers to oppose the bill. [11]
On February 28 it was reported that newly elected Governor Paul LePage, in an interview at the National Governors Association, praised Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is trying to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees, and expressed support for right-to-work legislation proposals in the Maine Legislature. The 'right-to-work' bill would make it illegal for public employees to be required to join a union, and eliminate collective bargaining for public employees. LePage openly challenged public workers saying Wisconsin-style protests will start coming to Maine "once [public employees] start reading the budget bill. "[17]
Several protests were planned by the Maine State Employees Union, with a member saying that LePage is trying to "drive public employees to poverty. "[18] MSEU bussed public employees out to the capital of Augusta to protest, and several high schools and colleges held walkouts in protest of the legislation. Reports said the numbers of protesters in Augusta numbered in the hundreds,[19] while the exact number of high school and college walkouts are unknown. In February, state Rep. Diane Russel traveled to Wisconsin to join in the protests going on in Madison saying, "This war isn't about the unions: it's a class war; this affects every worker and every member of the Middle Class – what's left of it. "[20]
On March 24, Governor LePage sparked protests when he announced that he planned to remove a large mural depicting the history of the state's labor movement from the lobby of the Maine Department of Labor offices. LePage said that he had received a written complaint signed by a "secret admirer", and "some complaints" from business owners. The mural includes depictions of Rosie the Riveter at Bath Iron Works, a 1937 shoe worker's strike, and the 1986 SD Warren paper mill strike. The artist, Judy Taylor, stated, “There was never any intention to be pro-labor or anti-labor, it was a pure depiction of the facts.”[21] LePage also announced that he plans to rename conference rooms that have carried the names of historic leaders of American labor, including former Secretary Frances Perkins, the first female cabinet member in American history (Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor) who had strong Maine roots.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Newton man wins $10,000 lottery prize
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A Newton man scratched off a $10,000 prize on a lottery ticket gifted to him by friends. “We always kind of give lotto tickets as stocking stuffers or fill-ins for birthday cards and stuff,” Eric Zehr, 35, told officials Nov. 3 as he claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Clive. “So some family friends of ours lined their Halloween cards to us with scratch tickets. Naturally, they were our first call when we got the win to say, ‘Hey, by the way, we’re definitely taking you out to dinner.’” Zehr claimed the third top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s “Funny Faces” scratch game. After he and his wife, Tara, scratched the ticket at home, he said their initial reaction was disbelief, followed quickly by lots of shouting and excitement. “I mean, you never expect to win,” Zehr, whose winning ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee, 1501 First Ave. E. in Newton, said. “So when you make an actual win and it actually is a lot of money, it just takes a while to set in, you know, maybe your five stages of lottery winning, I suppose.” Zehr said he and his wife hadn’t yet decided what they’ll do with the winnings, but paying off debt and taking a trip were two possibilities. Funny Faces is a $2 scratch game that features six top prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.22. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit ialottery.com .
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Awards ceremony
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Rocket Lab wins contract to design twin Mars spacecraft for NASA
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The California-based company, which will send a NASA cubesat mission to the moon this fall and aims to launch its own private life-hunting Venus mission in 2023 , has been awarded a contract to design the twin spacecraft for NASA's potential ESCAPADE Mars mission. ESCAPADE , short for "Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers," would use two Mars-orbiting spacecraft to study how the planet's atmosphere is stripped away by the solar wind, the stream of charged particles flowing from the sun. The mission could help scientists better understand how and why Mars' climate has changed over time, as the barren planet looks quite different today than in the ancient past when it had a thick atmosphere and, scientists think, plentiful liquid water on its surface. Related: Mars lost atmosphere to space as life took hold on Earth "First Light," the first of Rocket Lab's Photon satellite line to reach space, captured this photo of Earth. First Light launched atop an Electron rocket on Aug. 30, 2020. Rocket Lab will design the ESCAPADE duo using its Photon spacecraft bus, company representatives announced today (June 15). "This is a hugely promising mission that will deliver big science in a small package," Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a statement . "Planetary science missions have traditionally [cost] hundreds of millions of dollars and taken up to a decade to come to fruition," Beck said. "Our Photon spacecraft for ESCAPADE will demonstrate a more cost-effective approach to planetary exploration that will increase the science community’s access to our solar system for the better." ESCAPADE is one of three finalists selected for further development in 2019 by NASA's Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program. At least one of the three finalists is expected to make it to the launch pad, agency officials have said. If ESCAPADE is selected, it will likely fly in 2024 as a rideshare payload aboard a commercial rocket procured by NASA, Rocket Lab representatives said. The space agency has not announced which rocket that would be, or how much the mission would cost. ESCAPADE was originally slated to launch next year as a rideshare aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket along with NASA's Psyche asteroid mission. But Psyche's launcher was later switched to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, resulting in a new trajectory that didn't mesh well with a dropoff at Mars . We should learn ESCAPADE's fate soon: NASA will perform a preliminary design review of the potential mission this month and a "confirmation review" in July, Rocket Lab representatives said in the same statement. Rocket Lab is best known for Electron , its 58-foot-tall (18 meters) booster that gives small satellites dedicated rides to the final frontier. But the company is branching out into the spacecraft sector as well with Photon, a flexible satellite bus designed to carry more than 440 lbs. (200 kilograms) to low Earth orbit and more than 88 lbs. (40 kg) on interplanetary missions, according to its specifications page . (Rocket Lab is also developing a much larger rocket called Neutron , which may be ready to fly by 2024.) Rocket Lab has already launched two test versions of Photon to Earth orbit, and the satellite bus will carry NASA's tiny CAPSTONE ("Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment") spacecraft to lunar orbit later this year. The company also soon plans to use Photon for a privately funded Venus mission or missions, which Beck has said will hunt for signs of life in the planet's atmosphere.
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New achievements in aerospace
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2010 Hosseinabad earthquake
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The 2010 Hosseinabad earthquake occurred on December 20 at 22:11 local time (18:41 UTC) with a moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). It was located about 20 km from Hosseinabad (spelled variously as Ḩoseynābād or Hosein Abad) (Persian: حسين آباد), Kermān Province in south-eastern Iran, about 100 km from Bam. [2][3]
The earthquake killed eleven people and injured over 100. [4] Damage was concentrated in about 20 villages in the area of Fahraj. [citation needed] Casualties were reported in the villages of Chah Qanbar, Tak Seyfeldini, and Sarze Rigan. [5][6] Telephone service was interrupted and power outages were reported in the affected area. The intensity in Bam was IV (Light) and no damage was caused. It could also be felt in the province of Sistan-Baluchestan. [2] According to the director of the Red Crescent of Iran, it is difficult to deliver humanitarian aid to some villages in the affected mountainous area. [7] Some hard-to-reach areas were inaccessible due to being blocked by landslides. Moderate earthquakes can cause serious damage in the Iranian countryside, where buildings are often made of mud-bricks. [8]
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Earthquakes
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Jill Biden speaks candidly about being a first lady: 'Nothing can prepare you'
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Updated 1744 GMT (0144 HKT) October 20, 2021 First Lady Jill Biden addresses US Air Force personnel at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall, on June 9, 2021 in Mildenhall, England. Photo by Joe Giddens - WPA Pool/Getty Images (CNN) First lady Jill Biden on Wednesday spoke candidly about her new life, lamenting the enormous pressure a first lady can face. "We aren't elected. We have to define this role ourselves," said Biden during a speech in Washington honoring former first lady Barbara Bush at an event for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. "We are thrust into the national spotlight in a way I know none of us could have anticipated." Biden for the first time talked publicly a bout how weird it was for her to have something as innocuous as her ponytail scrutinized. "A few months ago, I went to a bakery to buy Valentine's Day cupcakes and the fact that I wore my hair up in a scrunchie made national news. Can you believe that? I was so surprised," she said. "As first lady, everything you say or do carries more weight. And while that can be intimidating at times, it's also what makes this role special." Biden's insight into how she views the role of presidential spouse came in tribute to Bush, a recent predecessor, whose work on behalf of literacy in America "change(d) lives for decades to come," Biden said. Read More Bush, who died in 2018, formed the foundation that continues the work of her first lady initiatives. Bush's daughter, Doro Bush Koch, serves as honorary chair of the foundation and was in the audience for Biden's Wednesday speech. Biden alluded to the path Bush unknowingly carved for her, and how when Bush was up against those whose political ideologies did not match those of her husband or his party, she urged Americans to respect each other's differences instead of focusing on them. Biden said she has recently confronted the same experiences in a country experiencing a deep and divisive political battle. Biden has traveled to 32 states as first lady, discussing topics that vary from vaccination to education and health care and poverty. "People have asked me why. Why go to Mississippi or Alabama or Alaska -- why talk to people who will never agree with you?" said Biden. "The answer is that I'm their first lady too." Biden noted she has attempted to overlook the constituency that greets her with anger. "When our neighbor is sick, we don't ask who they voted for -- we just bring over soup," she said. Though she vented her feelings on the overarching scrutiny put on her as first lady -- a direction in which she said she "never imagined my life would take me" -- she did so in an effort to explain the unanticipated challenges of a job that leaves its definition to the person who holds it. "Like Mrs. Bush, I spent a lot of time at the White House when Joe was vice president," Biden said. "But there's nothing that can prepare you to be first lady."
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Famous Person - Give a speech
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Yellowstone volcano: Expert warns eruption could blow a 'big hole' in the Western US
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Yellowstone volcano is counted among the world's most terrifying volcanic features even though the odds of it blowing in our lifetime are pretty slim. But should the US supervolcano rear its ugly head one day, some geologists fear the potential chaos and destruction unleashed would be devastating. Yellowstone's last period of volcanic activity went off about 70,000 years ago when the volcano oozed enough lava flows to create the Pitchstone Plateau in Wyoming. But the real whoppers struck about 640,000, 1.3 million and 2.1 million years ago - three caldera-forming eruptions that carved into and shaped Yellowstone's landscape. Scientists have compared some of these blasts to the 1991 Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines, which is considered the second-biggest eruption of the 20th century. The eruption killed some 800 people, displaced another 10,000 and belched a column of smoke and ash 25 miles (40km) into the sky. But what would happen if a comparable blast tore through Yellowstone volcano today? READ MORE: Chernobyl 'smouldering like a BBQ' as nuclear fission spikes According to Dr Robin George Andrews, a volcanologist-turned-science writer, another supereruption at Yellowstone would be completely devastating. The expert explained the damage would be mostly contained within the US. But the volcanic fallout would spread around the continent, blanketing cities in "many metres worth of ash". Some scientists speculate a major blast could even trigger a global volcanic winter by blotting out the Sun and cooling the atmosphere. The cooling would be caused by the tremendous amounts of sulphur dioxide released by the eruption, which is effective at reflecting sunlight back into space. This turn of events could then lead to widespread crop failures and trigger an international food crisis. Thankfully, the odds of this ever happening are so small you should not lose any sleep. In an article for Inverse, Dr Andrews said: "If, for example, Yellowstone decided to engage in a supereruption, most of the damage would be to the United States. "You'd essentially have a big hole where the National Park was, and the amount of ash it would dump on North America would be quite extreme. "It would cause agricultural problems, as would clog up car engines, knock out power lines, pollute waterways." Even a moderate eruption, the expert added, could release enough ash to block a city's sewer system for up to two years. DON'T MISS...What would really happen if Yellowstone erupted - expert [EXPLAINED]Asteroid simulation by NASA and ESA confirms Earth not prepared [REPORT]Yellowstone volcano myth debunked as expert rubbishes common claim [INSIGHT] This would restrict access to water and prevent people from flushing their toilets. Dr Andrews said: "Most of the ashfall would be around the continent in which the eruption would have happened — we’re talking many meters’ worth of ash, and it would be a huge problem. "We would have to use the technology we have to push it all into the sea." Problem is, no one in the modern era has ever had to deal with a cataclysm on this scale. The expert added: "The worst effects might be some sort of global Great Depression because if it happened in North America, the economy would completely crash, and that would have ripple effects everywhere." It is good news then, the US Geological Survey (USGS) scientists who monitor the volcano around the clock think a volcanic eruption at Yellowstone is the most devastating scenario - but it is also the least likely. Instead, a hydrothermal eruption is the most likely type of blast expected to go off at the Yellowstone caldera in the future. Hydrothermal eruptions are driven by shallow reservoirs of scorching water and steam - the same process that causes Yellowstone's geysers to erupt - and can blow out craters measuring a kilometre across. The US Geological Survey explained: "Such explosions could blast out shallow craters more than a kilometre wide; as has occurred in the northern Yellowstone Lake Basin, including Mary Bay and nearby Turbid Lake and Indian Pond, and in western Yellowstone National Park north of Old Faithful. "Each of these craters was produced by steam blasts within the past few thousand years."
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Volcano Eruption
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At an August 3 briefing at RFE/RL's Washington,D.C., office, Central Asia experts Richard Weitz and Daniel Kimmage discussed the emergence of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO),
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January 11, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- China has tightened security along its borders with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan amid claims that "international terrorists" are infiltrating China's northwest Xinjiang region, the home of China's Muslim Uyghur minority.
Soldiers conducting the first-ever SCO joint antiterrorism exercises, held in Kazakhstan in August 2003 (TASS)
NATO'S EVIL TWIN? At an August 3 briefing at RFE/RL's Washington,D.C., office, Central Asia experts Richard Weitz and Daniel Kimmage discussed the emergence of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a multilateral body that comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition, Iran, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Afghanistan have observer status in the organization.
U.S. Wary Of Shanghai Grouping
Unified Message Emerges From Shanghai Summit
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Mulls Expansion
China-Russia Bloc Challenges U.S. In Region
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Diplomatic Talks _ Diplomatic_Negotiation_ Summit Meeting
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Theory Cancel All Their September Concerts Over COVID-19 Concerns
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Theory of a Deadman have canceled all of their upcoming tour dates, from now until October, out of concern for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . The Tyler Connolly -led rockers, who now mostly go by the more concise moniker Theory, revealed the unfortunate development to fans in an online message on Thursday (Aug. 26). The canceled shows include three concerts with 3 Doors Down this weekend (Aug. 27-29) in Arizona and California. (It appears the events are carrying on without them.) The canceled September concerts encompass a planned United States trek with Connolly collaborator Cory Marks . Theory plan to pick things back up in October when they're due to tour the U.S. with 10 Years . See the group's remaining 2021 tour dates down toward the bottom of this post. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce we will not be appearing with 3 Doors Down this coming weekend," Theory said , "and that we will be canceling all of our September tour dates (with the exception of Mobile and Orlando, which will move to November — please check theoryofficial.com for new dates)." The band explained, "We have decided that with the current surge in COVID cases, made worse by delta variant breakthrough cases, this is the right thing to do to ensure the safety of our fans and crew members. This wasn't an easy choice for us, but we feel it is the right one." The news arrives as several musicians are facing COVID-related health setbacks : In the past month, Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Sean Killian (Vio-Lence), Sebastian Bach (ex-Skid Row) and members of Tesla and Lynyrd Skynyrd all revealed they'd tested positive for the contagious disease behind the worldwide pandemic. Korn recently rescheduled concerts after singer Jonathan Davis contracted COVID; Buckcherry did the same after two members got it. COVID vaccination efforts are ongoing — 51 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated as of Aug. 25. But the fate of many fall concerts and fests hangs in the balance, and the CDC again recommends fully vaccinated people wear masks in most indoor settings .
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Organization Closed
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Southern Madagascar to prevent high levels of acute malnutrition and hunger-related mortality
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A significant scale-up of sustained assistance across southern Madagascar is required to prevent high levels of acute malnutrition and hunger-related mortality, particularly in Ambovombe and Ampanihy districts, where Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes are expected during the 2021/22 lean season, with some populations expected to be in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) in Ambovombe. Leading up to the 2021/22 lean season, area-level Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected in these districts with households in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). Other areas in southern Madagascar will likely face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes throughout the outlook period, with a significant number of poor households in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). Three districts in the southeast are also expected to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes from October 2021 to January 2022 as a result of a severe rainfall deficit in January 2021 that negatively affected rice crop development at the transplanting phase. This led to lower household food stocks and lower income earning, forcing very poor households to sell more productive assets and livestock than usual.
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Famine
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China Northern Airlines Flight 6136 crash
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China Northern Airlines Flight 6136 (CBF6136/CJ6136) was a Chinese domestic passenger flight from Beijing Capital International Airport to Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport. On May 7, 2002, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 operating the flight crashed into the bay near Dalian shortly after the pilot reported "fire on board", killing all 103 passengers and 9 crew members. The cause of the fire was later determined to be arson. [1]
The aircraft involved was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 with the registration B-2138 and manufacturer's serial number 49522. It had been built in 1991 and had accumulated about 27,000 hours of flight time in service. According to senior official of the General Administration of the Civil Aviation of China, Yang Yuanyuan, the aircraft had just undergone its routine maintenance check and had a perfect maintenance record. [2][3][4]
The aircraft had been involved in two previous hijackings (neither of which resulted in fatalities) to Taipei, Taiwan, both of which occurred in 1993:
The jetliner left its boarding gate at Beijing Capital International Airport at 20:22 and took off at 20:37 local time (12:37 UTC) from Runway 36R. At 21:20, as the aircraft neared Dalian, the captain reported "fire in cabin" and "the tail is on fire" to Dalian tower and requested an emergency landing. [7][8] At 21:24 the aircraft disappeared from the radar screen and lost contact with air traffic control. [9] It was due to arrive in Dalian at 21:40. The aircraft crashed in the water at a 90 degree bank angle and 30 degree nose down pitch. Witnesses stated that the aircraft made several circles before suddenly plunging into the sea with its light out. [9][10]
Emergency services were immediately deployed shortly after the crash. Chinese Navy forces stationed in Dalian deployed four naval ships into the crash site. More than 30 tug boats joined the search and rescue mission. Rescuers immediately recovered 60 bodies and debris from the crash site, including a badly burned food cart. [9] President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji ordered aviation, police and transport agencies and the Chinese military to fully organize and support the rescue efforts. [9]
On May 8, Chinese search and rescue personnel detected signals from the flight recorders. Dalian authorities sent 51 divers to 17 different locations to find the flight recorders of the plane. [2] On 10 May, weak signals were detected by salvage workers. They also recovered a 15 metre section of the plane from the sea. On May 14, seven days after the disaster, the two flight recorders were retrieved from the seabed by searchers. [1][11][12]
Of the 103 passengers, 96 were from China; three were Japanese; and the remaining four were from France, India, Singapore and South Korea. 100 of the passengers were adults while 3 were children. Most of the passengers were residents of Dalian. [9][13]
The pilot of the flight was Captain Wang Yongxiang. [a] He was born in 1967 with more than 11,000 total flying hours. The second in command was Chen Xiuming. [b] He was born in 1973 with 3,300 total flying hours. The flight engineer was Pan Mintsi,[c] with a total flying time of 4,980 hours. [14]
The Chinese Government immediately ordered an investigation into the cause of the crash. A special investigation panel sent by the central government later arrived in Dalian. The panel consisted of vice secretary-general of the State Council Long Quan; heads of the Ministry of Communications, the General Administration of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Public Security, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States. [9][15][16]
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, in-flight fire was suspected as the main cause of the crash. This was confirmed by the crew's emergency call to ATC about the presence of fire on board the aircraft. Multiple witnesses also supported this theory. The possibility of an in-flight fire became higher after rescuers retrieved a badly burnt food cart on the crash site. [17]
Chinese provincial papers stated that a short-circuit might have caused the fire. [18]
In response to the crash of Air China Flight 129 and China Northern Airlines Flight 6136, CAAC official Yuanyuan stated that China's air safety reform would be delayed. [19]
Findings of the accident investigation were published by the Xinhua News Agency on December 8, 2002. A passenger named Zhang Pilin[d] apparently set fire to the passenger cabin with gasoline, causing the loss of control and crash. Zhang had purchased seven air insurance policies worth a total of 1,400,000 renminbi (about 170,000 USD) prior to boarding the flight. [20][16]
The investigation of the wreckage showed a quantity of gasoline near Zhang's seat, and that most passengers, including Zhang, died of carbon monoxide inhalation. The engines, cabin floor, and other critical parts showed no signs of burning or explosion. Further investigation showed that Zhang had flown from Dalian to Beijing and returned to Dalian on Flight 6136 the same day. According to security camera recordings, he had spent several hours smoking cigarettes in the waiting hall of Beijing airport. Zhang purchased two insurance policies before leaving Dalian and purchased the remaining five in Beijing. Some water bottles filled with gasoline were also found in Zhang's apartment. The investigation also showed that Zhang was married, had a son, ran his own company, and was in a large amount of debt. [21][22]
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Air crash
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Nonprofit Mergers that Work
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A recent study uncovers what drives successful mergers and suggests that more nonprofits should consider mergers as a useful tool to increase impact. In 2013, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), a $9 million nonprofit, joined with Seguin Services, a $27 million operation, creating UCP Seguin Chicago. Looking back, it’s clear that the move was a good one; the combined organization has grown substantively, and it is much more effective and efficient that either pre-merger entity was on its own. Why should that fact be of particular interest? Because as a sector, we still don’t know much about nonprofit mergers. Even the idea of two nonprofits merging still seems alien—or worse—to many people in the field. As author and nonprofit consultant Thomas McLaughlin caustically observed in his book Nonprofit Mergers and Alliances, “To some in the nonprofit field, the idea of mergers is scandalous and distasteful.” Yet nonprofit mergers hold great promise, as our recent investigation, the “Metropolitan Chicago Nonprofit Merger Research Study” found. Nonprofit organizations can and should consider using mergers as an effective tool to achieve their goals, advance their mission, and increase their impact. Our study, a partnership between Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Mission and Strategy Consulting, and eight Chicago foundations, analyzed 25 nonprofit mergers that occurred in the Chicago area between 2004 and 2014. In doing so, we tried to build on earlier research, including the one existing large-scale study of nonprofit mergers, conducted in 2012 by the Minneapolis-based Map for Nonprofits. But we also sought to break new ground. Specifically, we presented qualitative analysis of nonprofit mergers using two primary methods: interviews of representatives of the 25 selected mergers taken from a sample of 60 that fit our study criteria, and in-depth studies of five of those 25 cases. We interviewed a minimum of three central players from each merger—acquired and acquirer—encouraging participants to share what they had learned from the merger experience. We selected different types of mergers among our cases to illustrate how the merger tool could be adapted to meet the particular needs of the merging parties. And finally, unlike prior studies, we also examined uncompleted and dissolved mergers, to better understand why some fail to materialize and others fail after the merger occurs. To our minds, our most important finding was that in 88 percent of the cases we studied, both acquired and the acquiring nonprofits reported that their organization was better off after the merger, with “better” being defined in terms of achieving organizational goals and increasing collective impact. To be sure, we uncovered buyer’s remorse and founder regret among merger participants. In the vast majority of cases, however, the participants reported that the merger resulted in increased impact—the critical measure of merger success. Our other findings included the following: Merger studies in the for-profit world tend to validate merger success through reference to balance sheets, cash flows and financials. However, we found that while greater financial health is critical for successful mergers, a financial perspective alone often misses a key understanding of how organizations respond to markets, particularly in the nonprofit arena, and how markets can affect merger success. Our 25 merger cases spanned more than a dozen traditional nonprofit subsectors—foster care, disabilities, adoption, job training, literacy, hospice care and more whose boundaries spanned neighborhoods, city to state and, in case of federations, were multi-state in scope. Each of these industries and markets was distinctive. So for each merger in our study, we considered the subfield (industry), the market forces, and the public policies (actions by government authority). To mention just a few of our case examples and the reasons that drove their mergers: By pooling their resources, three geographically contiguous hospice providers—JourneyCare, Midwest, and Horizon—enabled the merged entity, also called JourneyCare, to expand its collective customer impact and to gain a competitive advantage in an industry where for-profit providers had become significant players. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, which completely transformed the health care field, was the primary driver for this merger—the largest (an $80 million combination) in our sample. Another classic case of organizations combining to leverage their resources involved Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Chicago. This effort, which involved three geographic mergers of youth mentoring organizations across Northern Illinois and Indiana, turned a largely insolvent operation serving 100 or so at-risk children in 2005, into a $ 4 million sustainable enterprise promoting high quality services for 1800 at-risk children in 2015. In a rare case of a foundation merger, the Eleanor Foundation merged into the Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW) in 2012 to better achieve a mutually held mission to help female-headed households reach the middle class. Four years later, the new CFW had doubled its asset size, increased its donor base, and vastly expanded its projects. Meanwhile, on a smaller scale, Boundless Reader, a small, school-based literacy program in Chicago, merged with a larger volunteer-driven tutoring program, Working in Schools (WITS). Boundless Reader consisted of highly successful teaching program that was fully integrated into WITS literacy training programs through the merger, to benefit more Chicago Public School children. Our study encountered many “expedient mergers,” driven by succession and financial rescue, but we uncovered several well-planned and strategically anchored mergers that produced greater growth and more services. From an external industry and market perspective, success turned on the ability of these organizations to understand each other’s competencies and figure out how combining those competencies would enhance their competitive position. The UCP Seguin merger, which we mentioned early on, is an exemplar in this regard. The success of the UCP and Seguin merger is all the more remarkable (and worth going into some detail here), because the organization operates in Illinois—a state where chronic funding delays has forced other disability providers to shut their doors. It took a comprehensive, deliberate, and particularly thoughtful approach to make this merger succeed. Perhaps most importantly, for other nonprofits considering mergers, it’s important to understand that UCP and Seguin knew each other from prior collaborations, and their courtship spanned five years. The merger process began when the UCP CEO announced his retirement. Rather than simply seeking a replacement, he and his board chair became convinced that greater mission and organization sustainability could be generated through a strategic merger. UCP and Seguin operated separately for more than 60 years in the field of disability services, with offerings including residential housing, in-home services, foster care, consulting, and income-generating enterprises. They shared common values and a mission of service to the disabled. And both were financially healthy. However, these similarities notwithstanding, what united them were their differences. UCP promoted independence for children and adults through a multi-state enterprise called Infinitec: access to information, training, and equipment such as computers. Seguin Industries was a pioneer in integrated community living in group homes and through in-home support services. UCP had key industry advantages in technology, and Seguin had key advantages in facilities. Little or no overlap existed between their programs, services and fundraising. When UCP approached Sequin, it wasn’t difficult for leadership teams on both sides to see that by trading these core competencies through merger, they would be able to achieve greater organizational strength and industry growth. While the complementary structure of these two organizations provided logic for the merger, the key to the merger success was trust. As the outgoing UCP Leader Paul Dulle told us: “Trust overcomes fear, which is the biggest impediment to change, and to a merger.” Trust building, in advance of the actual merger, occurred throughout the organization, starting with an exploratory committee comprised of key members from both boards. On another level, program heads and staff began a series of deliberate interactions so as to become familiar with one another’s programs. To remove “merger fear” from the onset, merger leaders assured staff that, should a merger occur, no one would lose their job, benefits, or current compensation. Trust built at all levels of the two organizations enabled the merger process to work. Integration of the two organizations began before the formal merger, and developed smoothly thereafter. In some ways, it’s little wonder that mergers have so few champions within the nonprofit community. They are often associated with leadership failure, financial distress, and good intentions run amok. And experience tells us that nonprofit boards have difficulty discussing mergers. Whether they are unfamiliar with mergers as a restructuring tool or consider merger a last resort, boards generally do not think proactively about mergers or merging.
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Organization Merge
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New Mexico reports first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant
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NMDOH says the woman was released from an emergency room and is recovering at home. Omicron has now been found in at least 30 states and more than 60 countries. Health officials say Omicron appears to spread faster than the delta variant but may not cause as severe an illness. The department says Omicron has been identified as a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC describes a variant of concern as “A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (for example, increased hospitalizations or deaths), significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures.”
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Famous Person - Recovered
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S.S. California strike
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The SS California strike was a strike aboard the ocean liner SS California from 1 to 4 March 1936 as the ship lay docked in San Pedro, California. The strike led to the demise of the International Seamen's Union and the creation of the National Maritime Union (now part of the Seafarers International Union of North America). Joseph Curran was a seaman aboard the Panama Pacific ocean liner SS California. He had been an able seaman and boatswain since 1922. Although he had joined the International Seamen's Union (ISU), he was not active in union activities. In 1936, Curran led a strike aboard the ocean liner SS California, then docked in San Pedro, California. Curran and the crew of the Panama Pacific Line's SS California went on strike at sailing time and refused to cast off the lines unless wages were increased and overtime paid. [1][2]
The strike was essentially a sitdown strike. Curran and the crew refused to leave the ship, for the owners would have simply replaced them with strikebreakers. The crew remained aboard and continued to do all their duties except cast off the lines. The California remained tied up for three days. [2]
Finally, United States Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins personally intervened in the SS California strike. Speaking to the crew by telephone, Perkins agreed to arrange a grievance hearing once the ship docked at its destination in New York City, and that there would be no reprisals by the company or government against the Curran and the strikers. [1][2]
During the SS California's return trip, the Panama Pacific Line raised wages by $5 a month to $60 per month. [2]
But Perkins was unable to follow through on her other promises. United States Secretary of Commerce Daniel Roper and the Panama Pacific Line declared Curran and the strikers mutineers. The line took out national advertising attacking Curran. When the ship docked, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents met the ship and began an investigation into the "mutiny". Curran and other top strike leaders were fined two days' pay, fired and blacklisted. Perkins was able to keep the strikers from being prosecuted for mutiny, however. [1][2]
Seaman all along the East Coast struck to protest the treatment of the SS California's crew. Curran became a leader of the 10-week strike, eventually forming a supportive association known as the Seamen's Defense Committee. [1][2]
The SS California strike was only part of a worldwide wave of unrest among US seamen. A series of port and shipboard strikes broke out in 1936 and 1937 in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. In October 1936, Curran called another strike, the 1936 Gulf Coast maritime workers' strike, in part to improve working conditions and in part to embarrass the ISU. The four-month strike idled 50,000 seamen and 300 ships. [1][2]
Curran, believing it was time to abandon the conservative International Seamen's Union, began to sign up members for a new, rival union. The level of organizing was so intense that hundreds of ships delayed their sailing time as seamen listened to organizers and signed union cards. [3]
In May 1937, Curran and other leaders of his nascent movement formed the National Maritime Union. The Seamen's Defense Committee reconstituted itself as a union. It held its first convention in July, and 30,000 seamen switched their membership from the ISU to the NMU. Curran was elected president of the new organization. Elected secretary-treasurer of the union was Jamaican-born Ferdinand Smith. Thus, from its inception NMU was racially integrated. Within six years, nearly all racial discrimination was eliminated in maritime hiring, wages, living accommodations and work assignments. [1][4]
Within a year, the NMU had more than 50,000 members, and most US shippers were under contract. Stripped of most of its membership, the ISU became almost moribund. [2]
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Strike
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Hayward teachers strike
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The Hayward teachers strike was an April 2007 ten-day strike of teachers in the Hayward Unified School District in Hayward, California. The teachers, counselors and nurses, represented by the Hayward Education Association (HEA), were upset over a 16% raise given to two district administrators in summer 2006. Negotiations broke down, with the HEA asking for an 8.08% retroactive raise initially, reaching 16% after 2 years, and the district offering a one time 5.5% raise (one source stating 7%) with possible subsequent increases of 1.6%, which was rejected. The district offered an additional one time 3% bonus, which was also rejected. The district had come out of receivership in 2005, and the administration was concerned about the district going back into the red. Teachers cited the administrator's raises as evidence the district undervalued teachers and might be hiding money that could be applied to teacher salaries. The strike commenced on 5 April 2007, with only 45 of approximately 900 teachers showing up to work, with the balance appearing in picket lines. [1] District administrator Dale Vigil initially dismissed the strike effects, but after a week of the strike, Vigil looked to file an injunction against the HEA, to force the teachers back into classrooms. Vigil was confronted at one point by angry strikers, who pounded on his car and pushed him. Only 4,100 of approximately 22,000 district students showed up for classes the first day of the strike. 29 schools were affected initially. Farm Workers Union founder and activist Dolores Huerta showed up to support the striking teachers. Local TV and newspaper outlets covered the story. The Hayward Teachers strike ended in a tentative agreement on 25 April 2007, when Vigil announced the settlement during a regular school board meeting. Teachers voted to pass the agreement detailing an 11% raise over the next two years, the following day, as classes resumed.
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Strike
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Marshfield, Mo. couple heading to prison for Arkansas bank robbery
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PINE BLLUFF, Ark. (Edited news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas/KY3) - A man and woman from Marshfield, Mo. are sentenced to federal prison for a bank robbery in Lead Hill, Ark. A news release from the United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, states David Ray Powers, 29, was sentenced on September 30 to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count each of Bank Robbery and Being a felon in Possession of a Firearm. Lori Jo Stilley, 42, was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Bank Robbery. Stilley plead guilty in May. Powers plead guilty in June. According to court records, on January 30, 2020, Powers and Stilley traveled from Missouri to Boone County, Arkansas, for the purpose of robbing a bank. Stilley assisted in the plan to rob a bank by searching on her cellular phone for locations of banks to rob. Powers and Stilley viewed banks in order to determine if they could readily escape after a robbery. On January 30, 2020, they entered the Arvest Bank in Lead Hill, Arkansas, and stood in line waiting for a teller. Once called upon, Powers placed a hand written note on the teller’s desk that stated that this was a bank robbery and demanded money. The teller complied with the demands, and retrieved money from a drawer totaling $1,387.00. The Teller placed the money into a tan canvass bank bag and gave the money to Powers, who took the bank bag, the hand written note, and left the bank through the front door. After receiving a vehicle description, an Arkansas State Police Trooper located a vehicle that matched the description and initiated a traffic stop. After an interview, both Powers and Stilley were arrested. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and searched it. Inside the vehicle was a purse containing $1,387.00 in U.S. currency. A loaded handgun was also located under the vehicle’s front seat. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Arkansas State Police and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Claude Hawkins prosecuted the case for the United States.
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Bank Robbery
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World on brink of hunger pandemic: WFP chief
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130M could be pushed to brink of starvation by year’s end due to coronavirus, says David Beasley Servet Günerigök | 21.04.2020 WASHINGTON The world is on the brink of a hunger pandemic as the coronavirus continues to spread, World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley said Tuesday. "Millions of civilians living in conflict-scarred nations, including many women and children, face being pushed to the brink of starvation, with the spectre of famine a very real and dangerous possibility," Beasley said in remarks made to a virtual session of the UN Security Council. According to experts, 821 million people go to bed hungry and a newly-published Global Report on Food Crisis indicated an additional 135 million are facing crisis levels of hunger or worse. "That means 135 million people on Earth are marching towards the brink of starvation. But now the World Food Programme analysis shows that, due to the coronavirus, an additional 130 million people could be pushed to the brink of starvation by the end of 2020. That’s a total of 265 million people," he added. The WFP chief also warned 36 countries may face famine due to the virus. "In a worst-case scenario, we could be looking at famine in about three dozen countries, and in fact, in 10 of these countries we already have more than 1 million people per country who are on the verge of starvation. "In many places, this human suffering is the heavy price of conflict," he added. Since appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions. Data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections have passed 2.5 million, with the death toll nearing 172,000, while almost 660,000 people have recovered.
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Famine
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23 killed in Pakistan coal mine collapse due to gas explosion
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Twenty-three miners were killed and nine others were wounded Saturday when a coal mine collapsed due to a gas explosion in southwestern Pakistan, officials said. The accident occurred in Marwaarh, 45 kilometres (28 miles) east of Quetta, which is the capital of oil and gas-rich Balochistan province bordering Iran and Afghanistan. “The roof caved in following an explosion triggered by the accumulation of methane gas, killing 23 miners and wounding nine others, two of them seriously”, Jawaid Shahwani, the top government official in Quetta, told AFP. Shahwani said 25 workers were inside the mine when the explosion occurred, adding that all the injured miners had been rescued and taken to hospital. “We are trying our best to recover bodies but it will take time as most of the bodies are buried very deep”, he said. Pakistani mines are notorious for poor safety standards and bad ventilation. At least 43 workers were killed in March 2011 when explosions triggered a collapse in a coal mine in Balochistan, which has battled separatist insurgents and Islamist militants for more than a decade. Balochistan is the largest of Pakistan’s four provinces but its roughly seven million people have long argued they do not get a fair share of its vast gas and mineral wealth.
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Mine Collapses
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Mine issued 3 citations in week before fatal Knox County collapse
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by: Gregory Raucoules Posted: Jul 15, 2021 / 06:39 PM EDT Updated: Jul 15, 2021 / 06:51 PM EDT by: Gregory Raucoules Posted: Jul 15, 2021 / 06:39 PM EDT Updated: Jul 15, 2021 / 06:51 PM EDT KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — We’re learning more after the deadly mining incident earlier this week in East Knox County. One miner was killed and two other miners were injured in a mine collapse Tuesday at the Nyrstar Mine in Mascot. Nyrstar operates a processing plant and three underground zinc mines in East Tennessee: Young, Coy and Immel. The three mines are located in and around Knox and Jefferson counties. The fatal collapse marked the second fatal incident at the Nyrstar Immel Mine this year. Cody Maggard, a 26-year-old underground chute puller, died on Feb. 22. The Nyrstar Immel Mine was issued three citations for violating federal regulations in the week leading up to the July 13 collapse. A citation issued one day prior showed a violation of a code requiring telephone or other voice communication be provided between the surface and refuge chambers. The code also requires such systems are independent of the mine power supply. Another citation was issued on July 8 in relation to a regulation requiring the presence of fire extinguishers or other fire suppression systems near self-propelled equipment: 57.4230 Surface self-propelled equipment. A citation was also issued on July 7 in violation of federal regulation 57.20032. The code requires telephones or other two-way communication equipment with instructions for their use be provided for communication from underground operations to the surface. A total of 29 citations have been issued for the Immel Mine in 2021. Just down the road from Immel Mine is the Coy Mine in Jefferson City, where 10 citations have been issued in 2021. Brandon Roski, 35, was killed May 18 at the Young Mine in Jefferson County. Nyrstar issued a statement of sympathy to the miner’s family and friends on Tuesday. The identity of the miner killed on July 13 has not yet been released. The company also said it did not know what caused the accident and that safety remains a priority. The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting an investigation into the incident.
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Mine Collapses
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Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 crash
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Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 was an international charter flight from Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia to Svalbard Airport in Longyearbyen, Svalbard Norway. On 29 August 1996, at 10:22:23 Central European Summer Time, a Tupolev Tu-154M operating this flight crashed in Operafjellet, Svalbard, during the approach to Svalbard Airport, Longyear. All 141 people (11 crew members and 130 passengers, of which 3 were children) aboard the plane were killed, making it the deadliest aviation accident ever in Norway. [1] The accident was the result of a series of small navigational errors causing the aircraft to be 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi; 2.0 nmi) from the approach centerline at the time of impact. The Vnukovo Airlines aircraft, registration number RA-85621, had been chartered by Arktikugol, a Russian state-owned coal mining company, to fly Russian and Ukrainian workers to its Pyramiden town on Svalbard. The passengers all belonged to the Russian communities of Barentsburg and Pyramiden. The accident was a contributing cause for Arktikugol's closure of Pyramiden two years later. The accident was investigated by the Accident Investigation Board Norway with assistance from the Interstate Aviation Committee and became known as the Operafjell Accident (Norwegian: Operafjell-ulykken). After the accident, there were a series of lawsuits to determine the compensations to the victims' families. Flight 2801 was a chartered flight flown by Vnukovo Airlines on behalf of Arktikugol, which operated mines at the two company towns of Barentsburg and Pyramiden in Svalbard. [2] The aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-154M, with registration RA-85621, and serial number 86A 742. Its manufacture date was 14 January 1987. [3]:15 The flight crew consisted of captain Evgeny Nikolaevich Nikolaev (44), first officer Boris Fedorovich Sudarev (58), navigator Igor Petrovich Akimov (50), flight engineer Anatoly Matveevich Karapetrov (38), five cabin crew, and two technicians. The captain had previously landed at Svalbard Airport; the first officer had not. [3]:7–8
On board were 130 passengers, consisting of Arktikugol employees and their families, three of whom were children. [3]:7 Waiting at the airport for the return flight were another 120 employees and their families. [4] The aircraft left Vnukovo Airport at 04:44 UTC (08:44 MSD). Estimated flight time was three and a half hours, and alternative airports were Murmansk Airport and Severomorsk-3, both in Murmansk Oblast. [3]:7 The flight proceeded normally until descent, following the routing W 29 from Moscow to Padun (west of Murmansk), before crossing to Bodø Flight Information Region over the Barents Sea cruising at FL 350 at an average airspeed of 500 kilometres per hour (310 mph). It then proceeded over non-directional beacons over Bjørnøya, Isfjorden, and Adventdalen. [3]
Svalbard Airport, Longyear, is the main airport serving the Svalbard archipelago. It is located on the south shore of Isfjorden, with high terrain to the south, southeast and east. It has a single, 2,140-metre-long (7,020 ft) 10/28 runway, running roughly east–west. The airport has an elevation of 28 metres (92 ft) above mean sea level (MSL), and has an aerodrome flight information service (AFIS), which is subordinate to Bodø Air Traffic Control Center (Bodø ATCC). The airport is regarded as uncontrolled and does not provide approach service. [3]:24
On that day, all aircraft had used runway 28 due to favorable wind conditions, climb-up conditions, and short distance from the terminal. [3]:25 The weather at the accident area was dominated by a low pressure trough, causing rain showers and wind from 15 to 30 knots (28 to 56 km/h; 17 to 35 mph) at 240–270°. Visibility exceeded 10 kilometres (6.2 mi; 5.4 nmi). Between 08:00 and 09:00, a weak trough passed, reducing visibility to six kilometres (4 mi) and a cloud base at 400 to 450 metres (1,300 to 1,500 ft). [3]:18
At 07:55 UTC (09:55 local Central European Summer Time, CEST), the crew requested clearance to start their descent. Because of lack of communication with Bodø ATCC, this was not obtained. At 07:56, information from Longyear AFIS was given that there was no conflicting traffic, allowing a descent to 1,800 metres (6,000 ft) MSL. The crew tried to request use of Runway 10, but this was, due to language problems, not understood as such by AFIS. Instead, Longyear communicated the actual weather and informed that Runway 28 was in use. An additional request for use of Runway 10 was again not understood, because of the misunderstanding of the term "runway in use". Because of this, the crew decided to instead use Runway 28. [3]:8
The crew used Jeppesen charts dated 21 January 1994. According to procedures, both horizontal situation indicators (HSI) were set to 283°, but the magnetic localizer course of 300° was not set. A global positioning system (GPS) was used as a back-up. No requests were made for VHF direction finding. [3]:8 From 3,000 metres (10,000 ft) MSL until impact, the flight was carried out in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and the flight controlled by automatic stabilization mode, with lateral navigation controlled by the navigator. [3]:9
At 08:10 UTC, the aircraft reached 1,524 metres (5,000 ft) MSL, which is the minimum altitude to Advent and the initial approach altitude. At 08:15:32 UTC, it reached Advent and entered a base turn, reaching a magnetic heading of 160° at 08:16:28 UTC. While the crew had adjusted for the wind drift, they did not attempt to intercept the magnetic course 155° outbound from Advent. During this turn, there was a malfunction in the electric trimming mechanism, which caused the piloting pilot to deactivate the aircraft flight control systems' servogear in the pitch channel at 08:15:58. This was again activated at 08:16:42 UTC. [3]:9
At 08:17:08 UTC, the crew started the turn to bring the aircraft to 300° magnetic inbound; however, the lateral deviation from the outbound magnetic course was 155°, or 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi; 2.0 nmi) to the left. At 08:17:57 UTC, the navigator said "Ah, abeam eight miles 2801 inbound", to which AFIS replied two seconds later "Correct". This was the last radio communication between the crew and Longyear. At 08:18:30 UTC, the piloting pilot turned off the autopilot pitch channel.
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Air crash
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2008 Armenian presidential election protests
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Presidential elections were held in Armenia on 19 February 2008. Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan was elected in the first round according to official results, but this was disputed by former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who was officially placed second. The candidacy of Sargsyan was backed by incumbent President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan,[1] who was ineligible to stand for a third consecutive term. [2] Other candidates included Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Vahan Hovhannisyan, the Vice President of the National Assembly, representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. [3][4] The largest opposition party, Rule of Law, nominated former parliamentary speaker Artur Baghdasarian as its candidate. [5]
By the registration deadline of 6 December 2007, nine candidates had registered:
Raffi Hovannisian from Heritage and Aram Karapetyan from New Times also tried to register, but were refused the certificates of residence in Armenia over the last ten years by the Armenian Police Department of Passports. [6] Prosperous Armenia's Gagik Tsarukian, a business oligarch, whose party has the second largest faction in parliament endorsed Serge Sargsian. Ter-Petrosyan officially announced his candidacy in a speech in Yerevan on 26 October 2007. He accused Kocharyan of running "an institutionalized mafia-style regime" that was responsible for massive corruption involving the theft of "at least three to four billion dollars" over the previous five years. He was also critical of the government's claims of strong economic growth and argued that Kocharyan and Sargsyan had come to accept a solution to the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh that was effectively the same solution that he had proposed ten years earlier, although they had strongly opposed that proposal at the time. [3]
The electoral campaign began on 21 January 2008. At the opening of campaigning, Ter-Petrosyan fiercely denounced Sargsyan and Kocharyan, accusing them of "thieving and anti-popular" rule, and said that he was certain of victory, while acknowledging "disappointments" and "harsh criticisms" regarding his earlier presidency during the 1990s. For his part, Baghdasarian released a 32-page manifesto for his campaign, vowing to "eliminate corruption and embezzlement" and to provide "equality before law" and "a drastic rise in the living standards of the people". Hovhannisyan was a candidate despite the participation of his party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, in the governing coalition; his campaign promises included the break-up of monopolies, the promotion of economic development, and anti-corruption measures. Geghamyan, the National Unity Party's candidate, devoted the opening of his campaign to denouncing Ter-Petrosyan and accusing others in the opposition of smearing him. Some members of the opposition suggested that Geghamyan was working for the government in an effort to undermine Ter-Petrosyan. [7]
Ter-Petrosyan criticized Baghdasarian for running his own campaign instead of rallying behind Ter-Petrosyan's candidacy, calling him a "traitor" and saying that he was effectively supporting Sargsyan. [8] After Baghdasarian rebuffed Ter-Petrosyan's ultimatum, a pro-Ter-Petrosyan newspaper, Haykakan Zhamanak, insinuated that Baghdasarian was a "sexual deviant. "[citation needed]
Aside from his own Republican Party (HHK), Sargysan was backed by Prosperous Armenia (BHK). [9]
It was considered very likely that Sargsyan will finish in the first place in the first round, with either former president Ter-Petrosyan or Baghdasarian, who ran on a pro-EU and pro-NATO platform, in second place. First results and reports from OSCE election observers were expected on 20 February 2008, and the final result was to be announced within seven days. [10]
According to exit polls, Sargsyan won the election in the first round with 57%, with Ter-Petrosyan coming in second with 17%. The opposition parties have stated that they consider the election result fraudulent. [11] Ter-Petrosyan, claiming victory, accused the government of rigging the election and called for a rally in Yerevan on 20 February that would protest the official results and celebrate his claimed victory. [12] OSCE and Western monitors said that the election was largely free and fair. [13] However, the report from the OSCE-led observers also described vote counting as "bad or very bad" in 15% of observed polling stations, and Edgar Vazquez of the United States Department of State said that the U.S. was "concerned" about this. [9][14]
On 20 February, results from all 1,923 polling stations showed Sargsyan with 52.86% of the vote (863,544 votes). [15] Ter-Petrosyan was placed second with 21.5%[15] (351,306 votes[15]) and Baghdassaryan was placed third with 16.67% (272,256 votes[15] Hovannisyan placed fourth with 6.2% and Manukyan placed fifth with 1.5%; the other candidates received less than 1% of the vote. [16] Voter turnout was placed at about 70%. [17]
Sargysan thanked the people for giving him "overwhelming support" and said that he would be "the president of all Armenians". A spokesman for Sargysan's Republican Party claimed that the election was the most democratic ever held in Armenia; while he acknowledged flaws in the election, he said that they did not affect the outcome. [9]
The opposition requested dozens of recounts. In one of them, on 21 February, in a central Yerevan precinct showed that Sargsyan had won 395 votes there, rather than the 709 with which he had been credited in the initial count; votes had been taken from other candidates and added to Sargsyan's score. A criminal case was opened by state prosecutors regarding this possible fraud, and the chairman of the precinct commission was arrested; according to the HHK, recounts in over 30 other precincts showed results similar to the initial counts. [9] Sargysan told police to investigate alleged electoral violations on 22 February. [18]
Final results, released by the Central Electoral Commission on 24 February, confirmed Sargysan's victory, crediting him with 52.82% of the vote (862,369 votes); Ter-Petrosyan received 21.5% (351,222 votes) and Baghdasarian was said to have won 17.7% (272,427 votes). [19][20]
A post-election poll conducted by the British Populus Opinion Polling Center between 21 and 24 February confirmed Central Electoral Commission's results giving Sargsyan 53%, Ter-Petrosyan 20%, and Baghdasaryan 13% of the vote[21]
Sargysan was inaugurated as the third President of Armenia on 9 April 2008. [22]
Both the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union (EU) have commended the conduct of the election and stated that they regard the result as broadly democratic. [23] The EU Commission said: "The European Union congratulates the Armenian people for the conduct of a competitive presidential election in Armenia. The European Union notes the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission which concluded that the presidential election in Armenia, an important test for democracy in this country, was conducted mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards. The European Union welcomes the genuine efforts that were made to address the shortcomings in previous elections. However, the EU also notes that the report raised concerns about the electoral process and that further improvements are necessary to address the remaining challenges. It notes in particular that, according to ODIHR, improvements and additional political will are necessary to tackle concerns such as the lack of public confidence in the electoral process, the absence of clear separation between state and party functions and ensuring equal treatment of candidates. The European Union looks forward to the final results of the presidential election and calls on the competent authorities to ensure that complaints are adequately investigated and shortcomings addressed. "[24]
A spokesman for the United States Department of State said: "We congratulate the people of Armenia on the active and competitive presidential election of 19 February and note the preliminary assessment of the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Parliamentary Assembly that the election was "mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards for democratic elections. At the same time, we also note that international monitors identified significant problems with electoral procedures. Armenian election authorities have responded with the positive step of recounts in a number of jurisdictions. We urge the Government of Armenia to ensure these recounts are conducted comprehensively and transparently, investigate all allegations of irregularities, and implement steps to improve future elections. We also urge all political forces to continue observing the rule of law and to work peacefully and responsibly for a democratic Armenia. "[25]
Following the election result, opposition protests began in Yerevan's Freedom Square, in front of the Opera House.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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N.Korea puts hazmat suits on parade for national day, but no missiles
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SEOUL, Sept 9 (Reuters) - North Korea celebrated the 73rd anniversary of its foundation with a night-time military parade in the capital, state media reported on Thursday, publishing photographs of marching rows of personnel in orange hazmat suits but no ballistic missiles. Kim Jong Un, the leader of the reclusive state, attended the event as paramilitary and public security forces of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards, the country's largest civilian defence force, began marching in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung square at midnight on Wednesday, state media showed. Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Worker's Party's newspaper, published photographs of people in orange hazmat suits with medical-grade masks in an apparent symbol of anti-coronavirus efforts, and troops holding rifles marching together. Some conventional weapons were also on display, including multiple rocket launchers and tractors carrying anti-tank missiles. But no ballistic missiles were seen or mentioned in the reports, and Kim did not deliver any speech, unlike last October when he boasted of the country's nuclear capabilities and showcased previously unseen intercontinental ballistic missiles during a pre-dawn military parade. "The columns of emergency epidemic prevention and the Ministry of Public Health were full of patriotic enthusiasm to display the advantages of the socialist system all over the world, while firmly protecting the security of the country and its people from the worldwide pandemic," the KCNA said. Though the marchers wore hazmat suits, none of the thousands of people in the square were shown wearing protective face masks in the photos and video distributed by state media. State television broadcasts of the parade and other events showed Kim closely surrounded by crowds of people touching him and shaking hands. Personnel in orange hazmat suits march during a paramilitary parade held to mark the 73rd founding anniversary of the republic at Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang in this undated image supplied by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on September 9, 2021. KCNA via REUTERS North Korea has not confirmed any COVID-19 cases but closed borders and imposed strict prevention measures, seeing the pandemic as a matter of national survival. It was the first time since 2013 that North Korea had staged a parade with the 5.7 million strong Worker-Peasant Red Guards, launched as reserve forces after the exit of Chinese forces who fought for the North in the 1950-53 Korean War. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the perceived absence of strategic weapons and the focus on public security forces showed Kim is focused on domestic issues such as COVID-19 and the economy. "The parade seems to be strictly designed as a domestic festival aimed at promoting national unity and solidarity of the regime," Yang said. "There were no nuclear weapons and Kim didn't give a message while being there, which could be meant to keep the event low-key and leave room for manoeuvre for future talks with the United States and South Korea." Talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile arsenals have stalled since 2019. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has said it will explore diplomacy to achieve North Korean denuclearisation, but has shown no willingness to meet North Korean demands for an easing of sanctions. read more A reactivation of inter-Korean hotlines in July raised hopes for a restart of the denuclearisation talks. But the North stopped answering the calls as South Korea and the United States held their annual military exercises last month, which Pyongyang has warned could trigger a security crisis.
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Military Exercise
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Worker killed in Queensland mine collapse
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A man is dead and another seriously injured after the roof of a central Queensland coalmine shaft collapsed while they were trying to shore it up. The roof fell in on the two workers, who were installing an underground support structure at the Sojitz Gregory Crinum Mine, north of Emerald, the mining union says. There was nothing rescuers could do for a 60-year-old worker, who died in the shaft. His colleague, a 25-year-old man, was hit by falling rocks and spent hours trapped in the rubble. He suffered crush injuries to his legs and pelvis but will survive. Stephen Smyth, from the CFMEU, said a third worker escaped the rockfall but suffered a medical episode after witnessing it. He was also taken to hospital. Mr Smyth said the underground part of the coalmine had been in care and maintenance mode for a number of years, but work had recently begun to recommence production. Preliminary information indicated the team had been sent into a drift - a near-horizontal underground passageway - to carry out repair and rehabilitation work. "The initial information is that all three were working in the same area," Mr Smyth told AAP. "My understanding, and it is preliminary, is that they were installing a roof support, which is a common thing, as part of an overall plan to re-establish the mine." He said such work would have been the subject of careful risk assessment and planning work, and normally the work plan would have been reviewed by a geotechnical engineer to ensure the activity was safe. "I'm assuming all that would have been in place," he said, adding safety arrangements will be a focus of the Mines Inspectorate and union investigations that are now underway. Sojitz Blue chief executive officer Cameron Vorias has confirmed there was a rock fall, with activity at the accident site suspended until further notice. Mr Smyth said he understood the three men caught up in the incident all work for Mastermyne, the contract mine operator for Sojitz. RACQ CapRescue said the 25-year-old survivor was trapped for more than four hours as rescuers worked to pull him out. He was flown to Rockhampton Hospital in a serious but stable condition. Resources Minister Scott Stewart has paid tribute to the emergency services and other first responders. "Any loss of life on our mine sites is unacceptable, and it is my expectation the Queensland Mines Inspectorate and Resources Safety and Health Queensland will investigate this incident thoroughly and with diligence," he told parliament. "I extend my heartfelt condolences - and those of everyone in this house - to the family, friends, and co-workers of the man who has passed away, and I hope for a full and speedy recovery for the man who was injured."
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Mine Collapses
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Drought compounds humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as conflict intensifies
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SINGAPORE, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Millions of Afghans are struggling to put food on the table as prolonged drought disrupts supplies in a country reeling from a surge in violence as U.S.-led foreign troops complete their withdrawal. Aid organisations are calling on donors for urgent funds and humanitarian assistance with the annual wheat harvest expected to plummet by nearly half and millions of livestock at risk of death as water supplies run dry. "It's a multiple shock," said Necephor Mghendi, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Afghanistan. "Generally, there has been an impact on availability and distribution of food ... and the conflict is causing internal displacement, which means increased demand for resources in certain regions." The entire country is facing moderate to severe drought, President Ashraf Ghani said in late June, acknowledging that the national disaster management budget was not enough to cover what experts say is one of the worst droughts in decades in terms of geographic scale. "We ... will not allow the country to face famine," Ghani said in a statement. "Our effort is to address all districts, even those under the Taliban control." The Islamist insurgents have stepped up their campaign to defeat Ghani's U.S.-backed government as foreign forces leave after 20 years of conflict and have swept into numerous rural districts across the country. With very little functioning irrigation, Afghanistan relies on snow melting in its mountains to keep its rivers flowing and fields watered during the summer and snowfall last winter was again very low. Fahad Saeed, a climate scientist at Climate Analytics, said a La Niña phenomenon and a weakening jet stream moving weather systems more slowly across the planet could be factors behind Afghanistan's extremely dry weather. While it is difficult to link individual events to climate change, scientists agree that global warming driven by greenhouse gas emissions is contributing to extreme weather around the world. "Afghanistan is a good example of climate injustice. It has historically no role in the climate change mess but they are bearing the brunt of it," Saeed said. Afghanistan was one of 23 countries the United Nations identified as "hunger hotspots" in a report last month, with at least 12 million people out of a population estimated at 36 million facing a food security crisis of not knowing when or where their next meal will come from. The IFRC is trying to raise US$16.5 million but has managed less than half of that, Mghendi said. "It's a dire humanitarian situation that requires as much support as possible to get the very basics," Mghendi said. "Every dollar will help somebody."
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Droughts
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2011 Tuvalu drought
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The 2011 Tuvalu drought was a period of severe drought afflicting Tuvalu, a South Pacific island country of approximately 10,500 people, in the latter half of 2011. [1][2] A state of emergency was declared on September 28, 2011;[3] with rationing of available fresh-water. [4]
The La Niña event that caused the drought ended in April–May 2012. [5] By August 2012 the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Conditions indicated that the tropical Pacific Ocean was on the brink of an El Niño event. [6]
Tuvalu experiences the effects of El Niño & La Niña that flow from changes in ocean temperatures in equatorial and central Pacific. El Niño effects increase the chances of tropical cyclones; while La Niña effects increase the chances of drought conditions in Tuvalu. [7]
Tuvalu relies primarily on rainfall for the majority of its drinking water, which is collected and stored in storage tanks. [1][8] The country normally receives between 200–400 mm (7.87–15.75 in) of rain per month during an average year. [2]
The country had been hit by a prolonged period of dry weather in the second half 2011, which had been attributed to the La Niña that results in the cooling of the surface temperature of the sea around Tuvalu which resulted in reduced rainfall. [1][9] In October 2011, the Tuvalu Red Cross reported that the country had not received normal rainfall in six months, leading to shortages. [2] The capital, Funafuti, and several of the outer atolls had been particularly affected by the drought. [2] Nukulaelae and Nanumaga were the most seriously affected outer islands. [3] The dry conditions on Nukulaelae affected the vast majority of pulaka pits - Pulaka, or swamp taro, is a staple crop for Tuvaluans. [10] On Vaitupu the drought was also severe, but not as bad as the other islands. [11]
The government declared a state of emergency on September 28, 2011,[3] due to severe water shortages in the capital atoll, Funafuti. [1] The drought conditions resulted in water being rationed on the islands of Funafuti and Nukulaelae as water reserves ran low. [12][13][14][15][16][17] Households on Funafuti and Nukulaelae were restricted to two buckets of fresh water per day (40 litres). [18][19]
Households on Funafuti and Nukulaelae were rationed to two buckets of fresh-water a day (40 litres). [11][20][21] A resident of Funafuti (in a household of 5 people) is quoted as saying that it is "hard, very hard" for her household to get by on the ration of two buckets of water a day. [21] Meanwhile, other Tuvaluans were being forced to pay for imported foods as the consequence of failing crops as the result of the drought. [21] Princess Margaret Hospital limited admissions to try and cope with the water rationing, with a fear that there may be a rise in waterborne diseases due to a lack of public bathing. [21]
The secretary general of Tuvalu Red Cross, Tataua Pefe, said that lack of rain had caused the contamination of remaining ground water supplies, "It's not safe for consumption...Some animals have died recently and we think it's because of subterranean water. "[2]
Lack of rainfall had affected other countries and territories in the region, including American Samoa, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga】<Area Affcted>. [9][22]
New Zealand began airlifting supplies and fresh water to Tuvalu on Monday, October 3, 2011. [1] The New Zealand government had received reports during the prior weekend that parts of Tuvalu had just a two-day supply of water left, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully. [9] A New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane landed in the country carrying two desalination units and large containers of fresh water into Funafuti. [1][9] Australia also sent a desalination plant. [11]
Officials from various aid agencies, including the International Red Cross and the Tuvalu Red Cross, worked with the New Zealand and Tuvaluan governments to alleviate the drought and shortages. [23]
The government of South Korea funded the shipment of 60,000 bottles of water from Fiji to Tuvalu. [24] The governments of Australia and New Zealand responded to the fresh-water crisis by supplying temporary desalination plants,[14][25][26] and assisting in the repair of the existing desalination unit that was donated by Japan in 2006. [27]
In response to the 2011 drought, Japan funded the purchase of a 100 m³/d desalination plant and two portable 10 m³/d plants as part of its Pacific Environment Community (PEC) program. [28][29] Aid programmes of the European Union in 2010 and 2011;[30][31] and Australia also provided water storage tanks to increase storage capacity in the outer islands as part of a longer term solution for the storage of available fresh water. [32] Australia has also funded the installation of water tanks on Funafuti, which project also involved improving roof and gutter systems of households to capture more fresh water. [33] In July 2012 a United Nations Special Rapporteur called on the Tuvalu Government to develop a national water strategy to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation. [34][35]
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Droughts
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Egypt, UAE 'Zayed 2' joint military exercise concludes
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Egyptian & Emirates army forces taking part in "Zayed 2" joint military exercise - Press Photo CAIRO – 31 March 2017: Egyptian and Emirati armed forces successfully concluded the joint military exercise ‘Zayed 2’ on UAE territory Wednesday, Youm7 reported. Naval, ground and air forces of both countries participated in the military exercise, which included a number of lectures on combat skills. Also, previously set military exercises were executed by both sides. Military top brass from both countries commended the efforts exerted and the exceptional performance of the forces that took part in the drill and their ability to carry out all missions and tasks adroitly. The aim behind the joint exercise was to emphasize the deep historic and strategic relations between Egypt and the UAE, develop the abilities of the two armies and boost their readiness in case of emergencies. The drill also included practices to attack vital targets, accurately execute objectives, enrich defense, offense and overall propensity and to maintain a high level of military preparedness. Zayed 2 was an extension of the two-week Zayed 1 joint training exercise that took place in 2014. Head of the Training Authority of the Egyptian Armed Forces Ahmed Wasfi, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court Sheikh Hamad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Hamad Thani Al Rumaithi and top leaders from both armies attended the closing ceremony. Egyptian & Emirates army forces taking part in "Zayed 2" joint military exercise - Press Photo
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Military Exercise
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Southwark School In South Philadelphia Becomes 5th School Closed Due To COVID Outbreak
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — New school year, same story as COVID-19 continues to disrupt in-person learning in Philadelphia. After 18 months of waiting to get back into the classroom, another Philadelphia school has closed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The Southwark School in South Philadelphia will be closed through Sept. 26. Students will learn virtually until then. Additionally, the entire 9th grade class at Roxborough High School will be virtual learning until Friday, Sept. 24 due to at least two positive COVID cases. 10th through 12th graders will report to school as normal. The school district gets direct orders from the city’s health department on when that action is necessary and how it’s determined. Just three weeks into the school year and five Philadelphia schools have been forced to close due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Richmond Elementary in Port Richmond is one of the latest schools to pause in-person learning and revert to an all virtual setting. Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. William Hite says the district gets a directive from the Philadelphia Health Department on when to shutter a school due to COVID cases. Most recently, Emlen Elementary cited eight in-school cases that forced its closure. “Once they start to look at that information and the case counts then they would make a recommendation to us to either quarantine a group of students or close the whole school,” Hite said. The city’s health department will flag a school to pause in-person learning when it has identified six cases within a 14-day incubation period within the school setting, meaning all cases are only linked to in-school transmission. Schools are using layers of safety protocols to keep outbreaks at bay. Mastery Charter School has been open for in-person learning since February and was one of the first schools in Philadelphia to implement consistent testing. “We are doing free weekly testing for students who consent, for all staff who are unvaccinated at this point, and then for any staff who are vaccinated but choose to participate through a federal program called Operation Expanded Testing,” Laura Clancy said. Mastery Charter identified 43 positive cases within the first two weeks of school, out of 12,000 students in its student body. No closure has ever been necessary. Meantime, all Philadelphia district schools are conducting weekly testing now. School officials know how critical it is to identify COVID cases early and stop the spread. “It just gives us critical information and it gives families critical information, especially given the fact that so many infections are asymptomatic,” Clancy said. The effort to vaccinate as many students and staff within Philadelphia schools is ongoing. The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium hosted a question and answer session Thursday for Philly school staff about keeping students safe. All Philadelphia school teachers and staff must be vaccinated by Sept. 30.
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Organization Closed
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The Great Hawaiian Sugar Strike of 1946
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The Hawaiian sugar strike of 1946 was one of the most expensive strikes in history. This strike involved almost all of the plantations in Hawaii, creating a cost of over $15 million in crop and production. This strike would become one of the leading causes for social change throughout the territory. [1]
By 1835, massive plantations on the islands experienced large scale growth. To keep up with the increasing demand for labour, the plantation owners began to import workers in 1865. Immigrant workers and their families flooded in from China, Korea, Portugal, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Japan. Company recruits were extremely selective in their choice of workers. Education was of no value to them, and conditions in Hawai'i were poor. The companies owned all living quarters and stores near the plantations, which kept the workers isolated from the rest of the island. All of the camps were racially segregated adding further to the isolation of workers. The companies also had close ties with the utility companies and government officials. To help keep wages low, the companies would pay all utilities, health care, fuel, and more. Their relationships with government helped to prevent legislation being passed in favour of the workers. The field managers were all armed, would ride on horseback carrying whips, and would follow the workers relentlessly. With such poor living conditions, low pay, demanding labour, and harsh oppression, strikes were not unusual. However, because of the heavy segregation, the strikes mainly consisted of one ethnicity and were extremely unorganised, thus always doomed to fail. [2]
Fortunately, massive change was just around the corner. In 1935, the National Labor Relations Act was passed, allowing for legal union organisation in United States territories. Soon after the passing of the law, union activists began to enter Hawai'i to help activate its workers. On August 1, 1938, members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), along with those of several other unions, organised a strike against launderers, auto dealers, warehouses, and vessels for better wages and union shops. Out of the 200 peaceful protesters who gathered, 50 of them were injured in attempts by police to disband them. When tear gas, bayonets, and hoses failed, the police resorted to using firearms on the unarmed protesters. This tragic day became known as the "Hilo Massacres" or "Hawaii's Bloody Monday" and led to further organisation in the islands. [3]
After the Pearl Harbor bombing in 1941, martial law was declared on the islands. Labour organisation was halted in its tracks by the freezing of wages, suspension of labour contracts, prohibiting employees from switching to new employers, and by a major influx of military personnel who were paid more for doing the same jobs. Discrimination was also a leading cause of stagnation in union movements. All community sports teams, clubs, and organisations were dismantled. Only one athletic club, the "Surf Riders," remained because its name was in English. This group became a cornerstone for the community and worker organisations. [2]
By 1943, martial law was lifted and community and worker organisation resumed. Union organisers had each camp assign a leader who was then recruited and trained. Whenever a president of a group was elected, the elected vice president was required to be of a different ethnicity. This way there was no majority in power, everyone felt as though they were being equally represented, and everyone learned to work together. This electoral standard was just one of the many techniques used for uniting the community. [4]
However, organisation was not easy. Although the National Relations Labor Act ensured workers' rights to organise, it did not specify ways or means of enforcing that right. Employees had to meet in secret, often after dark and even in bathrooms where they would pass cards under the stall walls. When being pursued, workers would have to seek refuge on US property where the Hawaiian police could not arrest them. The workers found endless humour in these simple maneouvres. Whenever someone was arrested before or during the strike, the union would provide lawyers for legal representation. [2]
By 1945, the union was well established. They had achieved their first industry-wide contract guaranteeing a 43.5 cent per hour minimum wage for all employees. To the workers, the minimum wage was a good start, but it was just a beginning. [2]
In order for the leaders of the worker communities to learn how to better represent the needs of their fellow employees, a committee of 10 was selected to go to the mainland and attend the California Labor School. There they learned about labour laws, how to conduct strikes, how to maintain relations with workers and companies, and much more. The committee members attended strikes around the US west coast to observe other leaders and unions in action. They would discuss how to organise, feed the strikers, keep up morale, and how to negotiate. All they learned in the states would be extremely useful in the coming months. [2]
Because of the martial law during World War II, the companies faced major labour shortages. Once it was lifted, they returned to the old tactics of recruiting poor, uneducated, immigrant workers, this time mainly from the war-torn Philippines.
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Strike
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1953 Lahore riots
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Decisive military suppression of riots
The Lahore riots of 1953 were a series of violent riots against the Ahmadiyya Movement, a faith marginalized in Pakistan, mainly in the city of Lahore, Pakistan as well as the rest of Punjab, which were eventually quelled by the Pakistan Army who declared three months of martial law. The demonstrations began in February 1953, soon escalating into citywide incidents, including looting, arson and the murder of somewhere between 200 to 2000 people,while thousands more were left displaced. According to the official inquiry conducted by the Punjab Government the actual number killed in these riots were around 20 people. The page one of the inquiry says "Before the declaration of Martial Law, the police had to resort to firing in several places and at least two persons were killed on the night of 4th March and ten on 5th March, Sixty-six persons more must have been injured in the firing because that number of wounded persons admitted to the Lahore hospitals had gunshot wounds. The number of casualties admitted by the military to have been caused in quelling the disturbances in Lahore was eleven killed and forty-nine wounded. In some other towns also there were a number of casualties caused by firing by the police or the military.". Official Unable to contain the increasingly widespread civil disorder, Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad handed over the administration of the city to the army under Lieutenant General Azam Khan, imposing martial law on 6 March. One of the major controversial differences between Ahmadis and mainstream Sunni and Shia Muslims is their different interpretations of Khatam an-Nabiyyin. Mainstream Sunni and Shia Muslims are awaiting the coming of the Mahdi and the Second Coming of Jesus and reject the claims of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad whom Ahmadis believe to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. The Ahmadiyya Community was a vocal proponent of the Pakistan Movement and were actively engaged with the Muslim league having strong relations with many prominent Muslim Leaguers and were opposed to the Congress backed Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. [4] After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Ahmadis prospered and reached many high ranking Government and Military positions in Pakistan, due to an extremely high Literacy rate. They held up stay as an important political force in Pakistan, due to its support for secularism and acted as a counterbalance to Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. This group was disillusioned and disorganized after 1947 and politically isolated. Even before partition one of its primary targets was the Ahmadiyya movement. However, in 1949, the Majlis-e-Ahrar launched countrywide campaigns and protests resulting in a ban on Majlis-e-Ahrar in 1954. Disturbances began after an ultimatum was delivered to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 21 January 1953 by a deputation of ulama representing Majlis-i Amal (council of action) constituted by an All-Pakistan Muslim Parties Convention held in Karachi from 16 to 18 January 1953. (Including Tehreek-e-Khatme Nabuwwat — under Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam) The ultimatum stated unless three demands were met:
... Majlis-e-Amal would resort to direct action (rast iqdum).
The ultimatum was rejected and disturbances commenced.
On 6 March martial law was declared. Two people were killed by police prior to martial law and casualties "admitted by the military" caused in "quelling the disturbances in Lahore" were eleven killed and 49 wounded.
Marking the military's first foray into civilian politics, the 70-day-long military deployment saw Lahore return to normalcy under Azam Khan's coherent leadership ; the Secretary General of the Awami Muslim League, Maulana Abdul Sattar Khan Niazi, was arrested and sentenced to death, but his sentence was subsequently commuted. The riots also brought unprecedented political consequences; Ghulam Muhammad first dismissed Mian Mumtaz Daultana from the post of Chief Minister of Punjab on 24 March, allegedly for manipulating the religious element in anti-Ahmadi violence for political benefits. Next on 17 April, using his special powers under the Government of India Act 1935, Ghulam Muhammad dismissed Prime Minister, Khwaja Nazimuddin and the entire federal cabinet. Muhammad Ali Bogra (Pakistan's ambassador to the United States) replaced him. Bogra, who did not know why he was being called back, took the oath as new Prime Minister within hours of Nazimuddin's dismissal.
On 19 June 1953 a Court Of Inquiry was established to look into disturbances, known as the Punjab Disturbances Court Of Inquiry. The inquiry commenced on 1 July and held 117 sittings. The evidence was concluded on 23 January 1954 and arguments in the case lasted to 28 February 1954. Conclusions were formulated and the report issued 10 April 1954.
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Riot
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Herman Miller and Knoll announced their forthcoming union
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In late April, Herman Miller and Knoll announced their forthcoming union. Two months later, the shape of the merger is starting to become clear. Among other key details, we now know that the two have set a date for the design wedding of the century. In internal emails obtained by Business of Home, Herman Miller CEO Andi Owen wrote to staff on June 18 that while the deal had originally been set to finalize in the third quarter of 2021, the merger has achieved antitrust clearance ahead of schedule, paving the way for a much earlier signing. Both companies are now set to hold shareholder votes on July 13. “Assuming everything goes as hoped, the deal should close about a week after those meetings,” Owen wrote. The combined entity, referred to as “NewCo” in the company’s internal documents, is beginning to take shape. Many of the key players come from Herman Miller’s existing leadership team. Debbie Propst, the president of Herman Miller retail, will add Knoll’s retail operations, as well as Knoll’s DTC office brand Fully, to her portfolio. Ben Watson, currently the chief creative officer of Herman Miller, will become brand president. However, at least one Knoll executive will play a central role in the new organization. Knoll Office COO and president Chris Baldwin will be group president of “NewCo.” His portfolio will include the global Knoll brand, as well as the small flock of companies that, as Owen put it, “serve a separate customer segment,” including Muuto, Holly Hunt, Edelman Leather and Maharam. Along with the promotions come some departures. In addition to the exit of Knoll CEO Andrew Cogan, the combined entity will shed a handful of top Knoll executives, including design director Benjamin Pardo, SVP of communications David Bright, SVP of human resources Roxanne Klein, CFO Charles Rayfield, chief information and technology officer Usman Waheed, and EVP of consumer and digital commerce Esohe Omoruyi. Join us on Wednesday, November 17 at 1 p.m. EST for "The Right Online Tools to Use to Effectively Source Art." Instructor Katharine Earnhardt will will provide guidance on assessing quality, costs to consider, practical tips for making the sale, and ways to make the art buying portion of any project a success for all parties involved. Click here to register—all classes are free for BOH Insiders. Given that one of the key purposes of the merger was to create efficiencies, bloodletting at the C-suite level should come as no surprise. The next phase—truly merging two giants—will get a lot more complicated. “The real question is what they will do with the Herman Miller and Knoll contract furniture dealers,” says Stephen Viscusi, a veteran recruiter who has placed executives at both companies. “Positions at HQ may continue to be eliminated where duplication exists, but the subsidiaries, I bet, are going to be hiring more salespeople, and my impression is that the contract salespeople from both Knoll and Herman Miller will be keeping their jobs separate for a very long time. This is one A player acquiring another A player. It’s not like Herman Miller bought Raymour & Flanigan.” Other industry watchers concur: Consolidating the executive team was the easy part. “Manufacturing will probably be consolidated in some way. Herman Miller will have to decide what to do with Knoll's headquarters in Pennsylvania and office in New York,” says Rob Kirkbride, editor in chief of Business of Furniture. “What happens to the dealer networks of both companies, especially in very competitive cities? Will Knoll keep its connections with its residential retailers, or will the focus shift to Design Within Reach? This story is just beginning.” THE SEEDS OF A DEAL Interestingly, the story almost never got started. According to documents filed by Herman Miller with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the merger was an on-again, off-again affair almost called off at the last minute. Though the deal was hammered out over six months starting last November, the seeds of a potential merger were planted in 2015, when Cogan became acquainted with the leadership team at European private equity conglomerate Investindustrial (among its many holdings: Flos, B&B Italia, OKA and Louis Poulsen). At the time, Investindustrial snapped up a company that Cogan had been eyeing for Knoll, but the two established a relationship. Four years later, the private equity firm made an offer to acquire Knoll, working alongside an unnamed sponsor. The deal fell apart, but the notion of selling the company had been breached. (According to the filings, Cogan had entertained no serious offers over the past decade—Investindustrial was the first.) Then 2020 happened, and Knoll, its contract division hammered by the mass cancellation of commercial projects, was in dire straits. The company conducted internal projections for the year ahead, and predicted that the business would be “in sustained breach of its net leverage covenant” toward the end of 2020—essentially, it was running out of cash. AN INTRIGUING OFFER Appearing on The Business of Home Podcast last summer, Cogan put a positive spin on the company’s prospects, telling host Dennis Scully that, despite the pandemic’s devastating impact on the contract industry, “every time there’s been change in the workplace, it’s created more demand for Knoll.” However, earlier that year, Knoll’s own board had agreed to take compensation in stock instead of cash in an effort to help keep the company liquid. A lifeline came from Knoll’s former suitor Investindustrial, who purchased $164 million in the brand’s stock in July, injecting some much-needed cash into the business. But a shaky year set the stage for the next development: A call Cogan received from a Goldman Sachs representative on November 5, probing his interest in a potential merger with Herman Miller. According to the filings, Cogan told Goldman that Knoll wasn’t for sale, but he left the door open for a proposal. What followed over the next six months was a series of offers and counteroffers that gradually inched the two giants closer to a deal. On December 18, Herman Miller made its first serious offer, an all-stock deal that pegged Knoll at $1.42 billion. Just after Christmas, Knoll’s board rejected the entreaty in no uncertain terms, and suggested that the offer was so low that it “would not be productive to engage in further discussions.” HERMAN MILLER UPS THE ANTE Not to be deterred, Herman Miller regrouped. On February 1, it submitted another offer, this time for a combination of cash and stock that valued Knoll at $1.65 billion. That number reopened the conversation, and Knoll agreed to hear the proposal out, while continuing to insist that “the economic terms in Herman Miller’s February 1st proposal [were not] sufficient.” Working with its own bankers, Knoll came up with an aggressive counteroffer for Herman Miller: a cash-and-stock deal that valued Knoll at $1.91 billion. This time, it was Herman Miller that backed away, insisting that the February proposal was sufficiently lucrative. Cogan and Owen spoke on the phone in early March, and Cogan agreed to find the middle ground between the two offers, eventually submitting a cash-and-stock deal that pegged Knoll at $1.82 billion. In the weeks ahead, both parties hammered out the finer points of the deal. Investindustrial’s investment in Knoll, once a lifeline, now became a complication as the European giant got involved in the mechanics of the agreement. However, the kinks were ironed out, and by early April, the union seemed likely to progress. At the eleventh hour, a complication emerged. In the process of conducting due diligence on Knoll’s finances, Herman Miller believed it had discovered a discrepancy between its projections and the real numbers. Another wrinkle: Herman Miller’s stock price was on the rise, affecting the value of the deal. On April 14, Owen sent a message to Cogan indicating that the terms of Herman Miller’s offer would be changing. The last-minute revision almost tanked the agreement. According to the filings, Knoll’s board, incensed at the change, requested that Herman Miller’s representatives “return or destroy” all the information that had been provided for due diligence. Another offer came through from Herman Miller on the morning of April 15, but Knoll’s board rejected it as well, and “directed Mr. Cogan to reach out to Ms. Owen to reiterate the Knoll Board’s previously stated position and convey the Knoll Board’s disappointment with Herman Miller’s attempt to renegotiate price at the last minute.” A LAST-MINUTE AGREEMENT The morning of April 15, the deal had been on the verge of falling apart. Later in the day, Owen delivered Herman Miller’s “best and final” offer: a cash-and-stock deal that valued Knoll at $1.82 billion. That evening, Knoll’s board held a special meeting with its bankers. They discussed the possibility of soliciting outside bidders to make an offer, but ultimately rejected it and decided to proceed with a vote. The offer was approved unanimously, and Cogan called Owen to let her know they had a deal.
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Organization Merge
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At least 21 people have been killed in a crash between a cargo vessel and a passenger boat on Egypt's River Nile, security sources say
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At least 21 people have been killed in a crash between a cargo vessel and a passenger boat on Egypt's River Nile, security sources say. Families of a young couple hired the boat for an engagement party and were sailing north of Cairo when it was hit late on Wednesday, reports say.
The interior ministry said the bodies of four babies had been recovered. Several passengers are still missing.
Five people were rescued. The captain of the cargo boat has been arrested.
Police are now investigating the incident.
It is not clear if the couple thought to be celebrating their engagement were among the casualties. Relatives of the dead and missing gathered on the banks of the river to await news of their loved ones. Ahmed Helmy said at least five of his family members died.
"Two children are missing," he was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
The wreckage of the boat has now been removed from the water by recovery teams.
Traffic had been heavy along the Nile, where many Egyptians had been celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Egyptian ferry tragedy 'kills 17'
Egypt suspends Luxor balloon flights
Many drown fleeing S Sudan fighting
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Shipwreck
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Slater and Devil fires
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The Slater and Devil fires were two fires that burned in Northern California and Southern Oregon during the 2020 California wildfire season. The fires burned 166,127 acres (67,229 ha), claimed two lives, injured 12 people, and were 100% contained on November 16. The fires caused some highway reconstructions and forest closures. [3][1]
The Slater and Devil fires were first reported on September 8, 2020, west of Happy Camp, California. [4] The Slater fire crossed the Oregon border into Josephine County, Oregon within a week, with little containment. [1] By November 8th, the Slater fire was 87% contained and the Devil fire was 67% contained, at 157,220 acres (63,625 ha) and 8,857 acres (3,584 ha) respectively. [5] Both fires were declared contained on November 16th, 2020. [1]
Due to the fires, the Klamath National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest were temporarily closed.[1]. [6] Two firefighters died as a result of the fires, the town of Gasquet and US Highway 199 were temporarily evacuated, and 12 people suffered injuries from the fire. [2][6][3] Reconstruction began on November 24, 2020 on damaged roads, including CA 96, and on destroyed buildings. [4] Damage from the fire has been estimated at nearly $54 million. [2]
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Fire
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United Airlines Flight 2860 crash
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United Airlines Flight 2860 was a scheduled domestic cargo flight in the United States from San Francisco, California, to Chicago, Illinois, with an intermediate stop added at Salt Lake City, Utah. On December 18, 1977, operated by one of the airline's Douglas DC-8 Jet Traders, registration N8047U,[1] the flight was in a holding pattern in Utah and crashed into a mountain in the Wasatch Range near Fruit Heights. All three crew members, the only occupants of the plane, were killed in the accident. [2][3][4][5][6]
Late on Saturday, December 17, 1977, United Airlines Flight 2860 departed from San Francisco at 23:17 PST (00:17 MST). The three-man crew consisted of Captain John Fender (age 49); First Officer Phillip Modesitt (46); and Flight Engineer Steve Simpson (34). The intermediate stopover in Salt Lake City had been added several hours earlier. When the flight was near Salt Lake City, less than an hour later at 01:11 MST, the crew radioed the airport that they were having electrical trouble, and requested holding clearance to give them time to communicate with company maintenance. Clearance was approved, and the flight entered a holding pattern. [7]
For the next seven-and-a-half minutes, while in a holding pattern, the flight was absent from the approach control frequency, and entered an area of hazardous terrain. The flight contacted maintenance, and informed they were having electrical trouble, and that several landing gear lights were inoperative. After discussing the problems with maintenance and deciding to contact the tower to get the emergency equipment ready, they re-established contact with the tower in Salt Lake City. [7]
The controller on duty noticed Flight 2860's predicament, but was unable to contact the flight until it re-entered the approach frequency. The controller immediately told Flight 2860 it was close to terrain on its right, and to institute an immediate left turn. Not receiving a response, the controller repeated his instructions, to which Flight 2860 responded. Fifteen seconds later, the same controller told Flight 2860 to climb to 8,000 ft (2,440 m). The flight reported it was climbing to 8,000 from 6,000 ft (1,830 m). Eleven seconds later at 01:38, the flight crashed into a 7,665 ft (2,336 m) mountain ridge at 7,200 ft (2,195 m). [7]
The sheriff's office in Farmington reported the sound of an explosion and subsequent rumbling felt in the ground. The dispatcher called the airport to ask if an airplane had gone missing. The first answer was no. More questions revealed that it was a cargo plane. The sheriff's office organized a rescue team that found the bodies and debris. The rescue team reported that no part of the airplane bigger than a briefcase survived the crash. The "echo" of the crash could be seen on the mountainside for several years afterward. Witnesses in Kaysville and Fruit Heights saw an airplane flying low overhead. Shortly thereafter, all saw an orange glow to the east, which continued for three to four seconds. All witnesses reported rain in the area, and several reported it as heavy. [7] All three occupants of the flight were killed, and the aircraft was destroyed. The National Transportation Safety Board deduced that the cause of the accident was the "controller's issuance and the flight crew's subsequent acceptance of an incomplete and ambiguous holding clearance." The flight crew was cited for their failure to adhere to established lack-of-communication guidelines, and lack of adherence to established holding procedures. The aircraft's electrical problems were cited as a contributing factor. [6] In addition, the flight's cockpit voice recorder was found to be inoperative, preventing the accident investigation from identifying any contributing factors in the cockpit. [8]
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Air crash
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Baring crisis
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The Baring crisis[1] or the Panic of 1890 was an acute recession. Although less serious than other panics of the era, it is the nineteenth century’s most famous sovereign debt crisis,[2] and the 17th largest decline in U.S. stock market history. [3]
The crisis was precipitated by the near insolvency of Barings Bank in London. Barings, led by Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke, faced bankruptcy in November 1890 due mainly to excessive risk-taking on poor investments in Argentina. Argentina itself suffered severely in the recession of 1890 with its real GDP falling by 11 percent between 1890 and 1891,[4] An international consortium assembled by William Lidderdale, governor of the Bank of England, including Rothschilds and most of the other major London banks, created a fund to guarantee Barings' debts, thereby averting a larger depression. Nathan Rothschild remarked that if this had not happened, perhaps the entire private banking system of London would have collapsed which would have caused an economic catastrophe. The international financial distrust generated with this crisis burst the bubble in the Brazilian economy, which had been inflating since the previous decade, bringing forward its expected end and seeing a Brazilian financial crisis, which in turn along with Argentine and Uruguayan crises slashed repatriations and short-term investment by European immigrants from Latin America to their countries of origin, affecting the region significantly in the 1890s. [5]
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Financial Crisis
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On 18 May 1990, one of its Beechcraft aircraft, RP-C314, flight no. 35 bound for Surigao crashed on take-off killing all 21 passengers and crew on board, including 4 persons on the ground
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Aerolift or Aerolift Philippines Corporation is a defunct inter-island airline based in the Philippines. [1][2][3] It was established in 1982 and was chosen by the government in 1989 as the second flag carrier of the Philippines next to Philippine Airlines. [4] Its aircraft accident caused it to cease operation in 1996. It pioneered the feeder airport operations in the country direct from Manila. It also hold the distinction of being the first airline to fly to Caticlan and Busuanga airport. It was the first airline which promoted Boracay as a foreign tourist destination. It flew regular flights to Kalibo, Dipolog, Tagbilaran, San Jose, Ormoc and Surigao. It also flew to Bagabag, Catarman, Basco, El Nido, and Cuyo. [5]
The airline's mounted profitable daily feeder-airport flights and growing profitable foreign tourist destinations prompted Philippine Airlines, its biggest rival to introduced direct flights too bigger airports which it operates utilizing a much bigger fokker-50 aircraft to the cities of Dipolog, Kalibo, and Tagbilaran in 1988. Its corporate office was located in the ground floor of Chemphil Building, Pasay Road, Legaspi Village, Makati. [6]
On 18 May 1990, one of its Beechcraft aircraft, RP-C314, flight no. 35 bound for Surigao crashed on take-off killing all 21 passengers and crew on board, including 4 persons on the ground. [7][8]
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Air crash
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The next pandemic is already happening – targeted disease surveillance can help prevent it
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Maureen Miller received funding from USAID that was used to develop the pandemic-threats surveillance warning system discussed in this article. As more and more people around the world are getting vaccinated, one can almost hear the collective sigh of relief. But the next pandemic threat is likely already making its way through the population right now. My research as an infectious disease epidemiologist has found that there is a simple strategy to mitigate emerging outbreaks: proactive, real-time surveillance in settings where animal-to-human disease spillover is most likely to occur. In other words, don’t wait for sick people to show up at a hospital. Instead, monitor populations where disease spillover actually happens. Global health professionals have long known that pandemics fueled by zoonotic disease spillover, or animal-to-human disease transmission, were a problem. In 1947, the World Health Organization established a global network of hospitals to detect pandemic threats through a process called syndromic surveillance. The process relies on standardized symptom checklists to look for signals of emerging or reemerging diseases of pandemic potential among patient populations with symptoms that can’t be easily diagnosed. This clinical strategy relies both on infected individuals coming to sentinel hospitals and medical authorities who are influential and persistent enough to raise the alarm. There’s only one hitch: By the time someone sick shows up at a hospital, an outbreak has already occurred. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, it was likely widespread long before it was detected. This time, the clinical strategy alone failed us. A more proactive approach is currently gaining prominence in the world of pandemic prevention: viral evolutionary theory. This theory suggests that animal viruses become dangerous human viruses incrementally over time through frequent zoonotic spillover. It’s not a one-time deal: An “intermediary” animal such as a civet cat, pangolin or pig may be required to mutate the virus so it can make initial jumps to people. But the final host that allows a variant to become fully adapted to humans may be humans themselves. Viral evolutionary theory is playing out in real time with the rapid development of COVID-19 variants. In fact, an international team of scientists have proposed that undetected human-to-human transmission after an animal-to-human jump is the likely origin of SARS-CoV-2. When novel zoonotic viral disease outbreaks like Ebola first came to the world’s attention in the 1970s, research on the extent of disease transmission relied on antibody assays, blood tests to identify people who have already been infected. Antibody surveillance, also called serosurveys, test blood samples from target populations to identify how many people have been infected. Serosurveys help determine whether diseases like Ebola are circulating undetected. Turns out they were: Ebola antibodies were found in more than 5% of people tested in Liberia in 1982, decades before the West African epidemic in 2014. These results support viral evolutionary theory: It takes time – sometimes a lot of time – to make an animal virus dangerous and transmissible between humans. What this also means is that scientists have a chance to intervene. One way to take advantage of the lead time for animal viruses to fully adapt to humans is long-term, repeated surveillance. Setting up a pandemic threats warning system with this strategy in mind could help detect pre-pandemic viruses before they become harmful to humans. And the best place to start is directly at the source. My team worked with virologist Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology to develop a human antibody assay to test for a very distant cousin of SARS-CoV-2 found in bats. We established proof of zoonotic spillover in a small 2015 serosurvey in Yunnan, China: 3% of study participants living near bats carrying this SARS-like coronavirus tested antibody positive. But there was one unexpected result: None of the previously infected study participants reported any harmful health effects. Earlier spillovers of SARS coronaviruses – like the first SARS epidemic in 2003 and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 – had caused high levels of illness and death. This one did no such thing. Researchers conducted a larger study in Southern China between 2015 and 2017. It’s a region home to bats known to carry SARS-like coronaviruses, including the one that caused the original 2003 SARS pandemic and the one most closely related to SARS-CoV-2. Fewer than 1% of participants in this study tested antibody positive, meaning they had been previously infected with the SARS-like coronavirus. Again, none of them reported negative health effects. But syndromic surveillance – the same strategy used by sentinel hospitals – revealed something even more unexpected: An additional 5% of community participants reported symptoms consistent with SARS in the past year. This study did more than just provide the biological evidence needed to establish proof of concept to measure zoonotic spillover. The pandemic threats warning system also picked up a signal for a SARS-like infection that couldn’t yet be detected through blood tests. It may even have detected early variants of SARS-CoV-2. Had surveillance protocols been in place, these results would have triggered a search for community members who may have been part of an undetected outbreak. But without an established plan, the signal was missed. The lion’s share of pandemic prevention funding and effort over the past two decades has focused on discovering wildlife pathogens, and predicting pandemics before animal viruses can infect humans. But this approach has not predicted any major zoonotic disease outbreaks – including H1N1 influenza in 2009, MERS in 2012, the West African Ebola epidemic in 2014 or the current COVID-19 pandemic. Predictive modeling has, however, provided robust heat maps of the global “hot spots” where zoonotic spillover is most likely to occur. Long-term, regular surveillance at these “hot spots” could detect spillover signals, as well as any changes that occur over time. These could include an uptick in antibody-positive individuals, increased levels of illness and demographic changes among infected people. As with any proactive disease surveillance, if a signal is detected, an outbreak investigation would follow. People identified with symptoms that can’t be easily diagnosed can then be screened using genetic sequencing to characterize and identify new viruses. This is exactly what Greg Gray and his team from Duke University did in their search for undiscovered coronaviruses in rural Sarawak, Malaysia, a known “hot spot” for zoonotic spillover. Eight of 301 specimens collected from pneumonia patients hospitalized in 2017-2018 were found to have a canine coronavirus never before seen in humans. Complete viral genome sequencing not only suggested that it had recently jumped from an animal host – it also harbored the same mutation that made both SARS and SARS-CoV-2 so deadly. [The Conversation’s most important coronavirus headlines, weekly in a science newsletter] The good news is that surveillance infrastructure in global “hot spots” already exists. The Connecting Organisations for Regional Disease Surveillance program links six regional disease surveillance networks in 28 countries. They pioneered “participant surveillance,” partnering with communities at high risk for both initial zoonotic spillover and the gravest health outcomes to contribute to prevention efforts. For example, Cambodia, a country at risk of pandemic avian influenza spillover, established a free national hotline for community members to report animal illnesses directly to the Ministry of Health in real time. Boots-on-the-ground approaches like these are key to a timely and coordinated public health response to stop outbreaks before they become pandemics. It is easy to miss warning signals when global and local priorities are tentative. The same mistake need not happen again.
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Disease Outbreaks
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President Donald Trump forged a surprising deal with Democrats in Congress on Wednesday to extend the U.S. debt limit and provide government funding until Dec. 15
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President Donald Trump forged a surprising deal with Democrats in Congress on Wednesday to extend the U.S. debt limit and provide government funding until Dec. 15, embracing his political adversaries and blindsiding fellow Republicans in a rare bipartisan accord.
A 'good moment' of bipartisanship: Schumer on Trump's deal with Dems
Trump, living up to his reputation for unpredictability, met at the White House with congressional leaders from both parties and overruled Republicans and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who wanted a longer-term debt-limit extension rather than the three-month Democratic proposal the president embraced.
“We could have done a one-year deal today,” Mnuchin told reporters aboard Air Force One later in the day en route back to Washington from an event in North Dakota where Trump spoke about taxes.
Mnuchin said Trump chose a short-term deal to keep his options open on possibly raising military funding later this year, suggesting a longer-term government funding deal might have blocked that.
Trump is very focused on military spending, “particularly with what’s going on in North Korea and other parts of the world today,” Mnuchin said. “The president wasn’t willing to give up his need for additional military spending.”
If passed by the Republican-led Congress, the three-month agreement would avert an unprecedented default on U.S. government debt, keep the government funded at the outset of the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 and provide aid to victims of Hurricane Harvey.
“It was a really good moment of some bipartisanship and getting things done,” top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said.
Less than an hour before the meeting, Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan had called the Democratic proposal that Trump later embraced a “ridiculous and disgraceful” idea that would “play politics with the debt ceiling.”
Even with the three-month extension of the debt limit, a Senate Republican aide told reporters that nothing in the tentative deal would stop the Treasury Department from using its powers to extend the deadline, depending on revenue flow. In the past, the debt limit deadline has been extended for several months under those powers.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, overridden by Trump during the meeting, said he would bring the deal to the Senate floor for a vote.
“The president can speak for himself, but his feeling was that we needed to come together, to not create a picture of divisiveness at a time of genuine national crisis,” McConnell told reporters.
The agreement was an uncommon instance of bipartisan compromise since Trump took office in January. Washington has suffered through bitter partisanship that has at times left the U.S. capital dysfunctional under Trump and his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump had tangled repeatedly with Schumer and top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
“We had a very good meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer,” Trump, a wealthy businessman who as a candidate touted his deal-making skills, told reporters aboard Air Force One, without mentioning McConnell or Ryan, with whom he has had fraught relations.
“We agreed to a three-month extension on debt ceiling, which they consider to be sacred, very important. Always we’ll agree on debt ceiling, automatically because of the importance of it,” Trump said.
Conservative groups were aghast, accusing Trump of caving in to the Democrats rather than insisting on spending cuts to accompany the debt ceiling increase, and some hard-line Republicans expressed opposition to it.
Republican leaders and Mnuchin pushed in the meeting for an 18-month debt limit hike, then floated six months, but Pelosi and Schumer held firm to their three-month proposal and Trump sided with them, according to people familiar with the meeting.
The party in power, in this case Republicans, often argues for the longest debt limit increase as possible for two reasons. First, it protects members of Congress from casting multiple votes on the politically unpopular legislation over a short period of time, especially in the run-up to the 2018 congressional elections. Second, it helps stabilize markets.
For minority Democrats, whose votes are needed to pass debt ceiling increases, they could potentially use the debt limit vote later in the year as leverage to win concessions on a tax overhaul package that Trump badly wants to advance.
Even though Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, Trump has yet to win passage of any major legislation, with Democrats typically united against him.
The House on Wednesday approved roughly $8 billion in initial emergency aid for relief and rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey, which tore into Texas on Aug. 25, with the measure now going to the Senate.
“Our No. 1 priority was getting funding for Harvey,” Mnuchin said. “To get the funding for Harvey, we needed to extend the debt limit.”
U.S. shares rose and the dollar gained against the safe-haven Japanese yen as word of the deal helped mitigate investor concerns about North Korea and a major hurricane barreling toward Florida. The news also lifted the yield on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes US10YT=RR after it had fallen to a near 10-month low at 2.054 percent.
The Treasury Department has said the ceiling must be raised in the next few weeks. If not, the government would be unable to borrow more money or pay its bills, including its debt payments. That could hurt the U.S. credit rating, cause financial turmoil, harm the economy and possibly trigger a recession.
Representative Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota, was aboard Air Force One when he heard about the short-term deal. He told reporters on the plane: “I will tell you that I gasped when I heard it.”
He said the deal would be a “tough sell” for House Republicans but that some would “warm up to the idea” when they learned more about it.
Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, David Shepardson, Jeff Mason, Amanda Becker, Doina Chiacu, James Oliphant and David Morgan;
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Sign Agreement
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Great Famine of 1695–1697
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The Great Famine of Estonia (also The great starvation) killed about a fifth of Estonian and Livonian population (70,000–75,000 people) in two years. [1]
The climate was unfavorable for crops in 1694 and the summer of 1695 was cold and rainy, followed by an early autumn frost that destroyed the summer crops. Cold conditions continued during 1696, and rain fell throughout the summer. Peasants, orphans and the elderly began to die en masse of starvation and the spring snow-melt of 1697 revealed many corpses. Meanwhile, landlords and merchants exported grain to Finland and Sweden, where crops also had failed. About a fifth of Estonian population (70,000 to 75,000 people) died during the famine in Swedish Estonia, which did not end until 1698. The famine occurred in a period known as the Little Ice Age. During the 1690s, climate in Europe was characterised by cold springs and summers. It is generally estimated that temperatures were 1.5 °C lower during the 1690s than the average during the Little Ice Age. This impacted other countries, France suffered the worst famine since the Middle Ages, ice floes formed in the Thames while Lake Constance and Lake Zurich froze completely over. In the previous years of 1692 to 1694, harvests in Estonia were poor due to the shorter than normal summer growing seasons and longer winters. Seed stocks were reduced as a result. Then in the summer of 1695 excessive rain fell, falling almost constantly from June 24 to September 29. This excess rain destroyed crops and hay as the low-lying land was flooded. This resulted in a shortage of seed for the following autumn and spring sowing seasons. The winter of 1695-96 was extremely cold, however the early spring thaw was short lived when winter conditions returned in March 1696, delaying sowing of the little available seed until the end of May. Heavy rains returned in the summer wrecking the harvest, with only between a fifth and a quarter of the seed planted being harvested. In some areas the crop yield was a little as three percent. By the end of the summer in 1696 many peasants were destitute and hungry, farmhands, servants and even some members of the nobility were reduced to begging. By the autumn famine had taken hold and by October the death rate began to rise. The winter of 1696-97 was so severe that corpses could not be buried until the following spring. Estimatedly 70,000 people – one fifth or fourth of Estonian population died during the Great Famine. The availability of salt, a vital ingredient for preserving meat and fish, was impacted by the colder climate. Portugal, the main source of salt to the Baltic region, was affected by excessive rain making salt production difficult. The shortage of salt meant that meat and fish produces could not be preserved, reducing stockpiles available for consumption. At the time Estonia and Livonia were seen as the granaries of the Swedish Empire and large quantities of grain were shipped to Sweden and Finland. Due to the low status these provinces held in the empire, priority was given to the fulfilment of these export quotas. The Government in Stockholm were slow to react to the developing famine and did not relax their policies until 1697 when it was too late. Peter the Great cited the inadequate provisioning of Peter's retinue of 250 people and horses as they passed through the province during the famine in 1697 by the Swedish Governor General as one of the main pretexts for declaring war against Sweden in 1700, the Great Northern War. [2]
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Famine
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1994 Fairchild Air Force Base B-52 crash
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On Friday, 24 June 1994, a United States Air Force (USAF) Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crashed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, United States,[1] after its pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Arthur "Bud" Holland, maneuvered the bomber beyond its operational limits and lost control. The B-52 stalled, fell to the ground and exploded, killing Holland and the three other field-grade officers on board the aircraft. In addition, one person on the ground suffered injuries during the accident, but survived. The crash was captured on video and was shown repeatedly on news broadcasts throughout the world. [2][3]
The subsequent investigation concluded that the crash was attributable primarily to three factors: Holland's personality and behavior; USAF leaders' delayed or inadequate reactions to earlier incidents involving Holland; and the sequence of events during the aircraft's final flight. The crash is now used in military and civilian aviation environments as a case study in teaching crew resource management. It is also often used by the U.S. Armed Forces during aviation safety training as an example of the importance of complying with safety regulations and correcting the behavior of anyone who violates safety procedures. On 24 June 1994, a USAF B-52H bomber crew stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base prepared to practice an aircraft demonstration flight for an air show which was due to take place the following day. The crew consisted of pilots Lt. Col. Arthur "Bud" Holland (aged 46) and Lt. Col. Mark McGeehan (38), Colonel Robert Wolff (46), and weapon systems officer/radar navigator Lt. Col. Ken Huston (41). Holland was the designated aircraft commander for the flight, with McGeehan as the co-pilot and Wolff as a safety observer. Holland was the chief of the 92nd Bomb Wing's Standardization and Evaluation branch, McGeehan was the commander of the 325th Bomb Squadron, Wolff was the vice commander of the 92nd Bomb Wing, and Huston was the 325th Bomb Squadron's operations officer. [4]
The mission plan for the flight called for a series of low-altitude passes, 60° banked turns, a steep climb, and a touch-and-go landing on Fairchild's Runway 23. The flight was also Wolff's "fini flight" – a common tradition in which a retiring USAF aircrew member is met at the airfield by relatives, friends, and coworkers, shortly after landing on his or her final flight, and doused with water. Accordingly, Wolff's wife and many of his close friends were at the airfield to watch the flight and participate in the post-flight ceremony. McGeehan's wife and his two youngest sons were watching the flight from the backyard of McGeehan's living quarters, which were located nearby. [5]
The B-52 aircraft, callsign Czar 52,[6] took off at 13:58 and completed most of the mission's elements without incident. Upon preparing to execute the touch-and-go on Runway 23 at the end of the practice profile, the aircraft was instructed to go around because a KC-135 aircraft was on the runway, having just landed. Maintaining an altitude of about 250 feet (75 m) above ground level (AGL), Holland radioed the control tower and requested permission to execute a 360° left turn, which was immediately granted by the tower controller. The B-52 then began the 360° left turn around the tower starting from about the midfield point of the runway. Located just behind the tower was an area of restricted airspace. [7] Apparently to avoid flying through the restricted airspace, Holland flew the aircraft in an extremely tight, steeply banked turn while maintaining the low, 250-foot (75 m) AGL altitude. Approximately three-quarters of the way around the turn, at 14:16, the aircraft banked past 90°, descended rapidly, clipped power lines and hit the ground, exploding and killing the four crew members. McGeehan was sitting in an ejection seat, but according to the medical statement, he had only "partially ejected at the time of impact"; it does not state whether he had managed to clear the aircraft. Huston was also sitting in an ejection seat; the medical statement indicated that he had not initiated the ejection sequence. Wolff's seat was not ejection-capable. One airman was injured on the ground observing. [8]
The USAF immediately convened a safety investigation board under the direction of the USAF's Chief of Safety, Brigadier General Orin L. Godsey. The board released the report of its investigation into the crash on 10 August 1994. A final evaluation of the safety investigation was released on 31 January 1995. An accident investigation board, called an "AFR 110-14 Investigation," released a separate report in 1995. Unlike the USAF safety investigation, which was released only to personnel of the U.S. Department of Defense, the AFR 110-14 report was released to the general public. [9]
The AFR 110-14 investigation identified several factors which contributed to the crash, including the actual crash sequence, the personality and earlier behavior of Holland, previous supervision and lack of corrective action exercised by USAF officers over Holland, mission planning and execution, and other environmental and human factors. [8]
The investigation found that as the B-52 entered its final turn sequence around the tower, its airspeed indicator (ASI) was showing 182 knots (337 km/h; 209 mph). Although Holland increased the engine power after starting the turn, his input came too late to maintain the aircraft's airspeed, as the B-52 turbofan engines take up to eight seconds to respond to throttle commands. The ASI was available to all four aircrew members, but they allowed the aircraft's airspeed to continue decreasing. Eight seconds before impact, the airspeed had dropped to 145 knots (269 km/h; 167 mph) and the aircraft's bank angle had increased beyond 60°. This was the point at which Holland or McGeehan applied full right spoiler, right rudder, and nose-up elevator; however, due to the reduction in airspeed the aircraft entered a turning flight stall (also called an "accelerated stall"), which is a stall that occurs at a higher airspeed than the design stall speed—which itself always refers to straight and level flight—because the aircraft is turning. Due to the bank angle of at least 60°, the stall speed for the aircraft at that moment was 147 knots (272 km/h; 169 mph). Hence, as it was flying 2 knots below the stall speed, the aircraft stalled, with insufficient altitude to recover before striking the ground. [8]
The accident board stated that Holland's macho, daredevil personality significantly influenced the crash sequence. USAF personnel testified that Holland had developed a reputation as an aggressive pilot who often broke flight-safety and other rules. The rule-breaking included flying below minimum-clearance altitudes and exceeding bank-angle limitations and climb rates. [10]
An earlier incident occurred in 1991 when a B-52 piloted by Holland performed a circle above a softball game in which Holland's daughter was participating. Beginning at 2,500 feet (760 m) AGL, Holland's aircraft executed the circle at 65° of bank. In a maneuver described by one witness as a "death spiral", the nose of the aircraft continued to drop and the bank angle increased to 80°. After losing 1,000 feet (300 m) of altitude, Holland was able to regain control of the aircraft. [11]
On 19 May 1991, Holland was the command pilot of the B-52 demonstration flight at the Fairchild air show. During the demonstration, Holland's aircraft violated several safety regulations; he exceeded bank and pitch limits, flew directly over the air show spectators, and possibly violated altitude restrictions. The base and wing commander, Colonel Arne Weinman, along with his staff, observed the demonstration but apparently took no action. [6]
On 12 July 1991, Holland commanded a B-52 for a "flyover" during a change-of-command ceremony for the 325th Bomb Squadron at Fairchild.
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Air crash
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St Vincent volcano: Eruptions likely in coming days, experts warn
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The Caribbean island of St Vincent is likely to see further volcanic eruptions and ash fall over the coming days, experts have warned. The La Soufrière volcano first erupted on Friday, blanketing the island in a layer of ash and forcing more than 16,000 people to evacuate their homes. Smaller explosions continued over the weekend, causing power cuts and disrupting water supplies. Emergency officials have described the landscape as a "battle zone". "The volcano continues to erupt explosively with the production of copious amounts of ash," the University of the West Indies' Seismic Research Center said. "Explosions and accompanying ash fall, of similar or larger magnitude, are likely to continue to occur over the next few days impacting St Vincent and neighbouring islands," it warned. June Shipley, who is visiting her family on the island, told the BBC there were widespread fears a larger eruption could be imminent. "We do hear the rumblings of the volcano and we do see the smoke," she said. White-coloured dust has covered buildings and roads around the island, including in its capital Kingstown. The warning to expect further activity at La Soufrière followed what officials described as an "explosive event" on Sunday. The emergency management organisation Nemo tweeted: "Massive power outage following another explosive event at La Soufriere Volcano. Lightning, thunder and rumblings." It later spoke of "possible destruction and devastation of communities close to the volcano", and compared the eruption to that of 1902, the worst in St Vincent's history when more than 1,000 people were killed. Rhiannon West, who is originally from England, lives in the south-east of St Vincent with her partner and six-month-old baby. She told the BBC about her experience: We stood outside our home on Saturday and watched as the volcano erupted and a huge billowing cloud of ash was sent into the air. It was incredible but also terrifying. Since then we've been sheltering indoors with everything closed. It's scary thinking about what we can do to protect the baby from the ash. We've put sheets around the bottom of the doors to make sure none of it gets in. We keep losing electricity, and we've had no running water since Thursday. Our local shop has run out of bottled water, and it's very scary to think we could run out ourselves. This could go on for weeks and neither of us can work because of the power supply issues. The atmosphere is just very eerie. Everything is grey with a thick layer of ash and people are scared that these eruptions could get worse. More people fled their homes on Sunday amid fears of further volcanic activity and ash fall. More than 3,000 people have been staying at government-run shelters around the island. Cruise ships have also been readied to take evacuees to nearby islands. St Lucia, Antigua and Grenada have all offered to open their borders to evacuees. A group of 130 people have already been taken to St Lucia. Meanwhile, Nemo urged those remaining on the island to "be careful on the roads, which have become treacherous as a result of the ash flow". Ash has hardened on the ground after rain showers and many homes are without water and electricity, emergency officials said early on Sunday. Some residents said power had been restored later in the day, but several areas are still in the dark. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said water supplies to most of the island had been cut off and its airspace closed because of the smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash moving through the atmosphere. He earlier said that a lot of volcanic ash had fallen over the sea. "We don't know how much more is going to come out... so far, we have done well in that nobody got injured, nobody is dead." The Barbados Defence Force has been deployed to provide humanitarian assistance, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency said. The ash has also spread beyond St Vincent, reaching as far as Barbados which is 120 miles (190 km) to the east. People there have been urged to stay indoors and told to avoid breathing in the ash. "This is to protect yourselves and your family," said Chief Medical Officer Kenneth George. People on the island of St Lucia, which is around 47 miles north of St Vincent, have been warned to expect air quality to be affected, with harmful gases potentially making it harder to breathe for people with conditions such as asthma. One resident of St Lucia, Olivia, told the BBC that she was worried about a possible change in wind direction and ash being carried northwards. "I am terrified of all the effects that are unknown at this point, ash in the middle of a pandemic - no-one is prepared for that," she said. "Victoria Hospital has been transformed to become the Respiratory Hospital, and is treating Covid patients" she said, adding: "So technically, persons suffering from the effects of ash inhalation would be on the wards with Covid patients." The volcano had been dormant since 1979, but in late 2020 it started spewing steam and smoke and making rumbling noises. The first sign that an eruption was imminent came on Thursday evening, when a lava dome became visible on La Soufrière. Just before 09:00 on Friday (13:00 GMT), seismologists from the University of the West Indies confirmed that an "explosive eruption" was under way.
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Volcano Eruption
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Female officers involved in lawsuits against LPD facing discipline, including suspensions and firings
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Female officers at the Lincoln Police Department who have sued the city or who are in the initial stages of litigation have faced discipline — including internal affairs investigations, suspensions and firings — after making formal complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination.
One of the officers, who spoke to the Journal Star on condition of anonymity, said after years on the force without a single internal affairs complaint, suddenly she found herself the subject of multiple investigations.
All coming within a few short months of Police Chief Teresa Ewins' arrival in Lincoln.
The officer said she felt confident at the start, because she knew she'd done nothing wrong. But it ended up feeling like a "witch hunt."
"I do think she's trying to get rid of all of the women involved," she said of Ewins, who didn't respond to an email seeking comment.
Coming forward about allegations of employment discrimination and harassment is protected under federal law.
One by one, the officer went through the names of women in the department who have sued or made formal complaints referenced in the lawsuits and the disciplinary actions they now are facing.
One had a suspension or termination hearing last week. Another, who has been suspended without pay pending the investigation and had her badge and firearm taken from her, could face a suspension or termination hearing as early as next week.
Two others are currently under investigation.
Meanwhile, the male officers accused of sending unsolicited, graphic photos to female officers, groping or in two cases sexually assaulting fellow officers have faced no apparent consequences, she said.
"It's such a mess," the officer said.
Officer Brad Hulse, president of the Lincoln Police Union, said he's not privy to all the investigations and personnel actions that have happened or are going on.
“Obviously," he said, "there are some officers that feel that they have been wronged or that something has gone on. And they have made complaints about it."
Hulse said when the allegations came up publicly in a post to the Nebraska politics website Seeing Red, it was concerning to read, but it seemed one-sided. He said Ewins only has been here for a short time. So he doesn't buy the idea that she is disciplining these employees over lawsuits they've filed.
"I can’t see any chief of police or any other administrator being that blind to the repercussions of such actions," Hulse said.
He said there may have been performance issues that were occurring and are just now being addressed.
A year ago, allegations first came to light when Sarah Williams, a former LPD officer, filed the first of two civil lawsuits in U.S. District Court against the city after she left for a job with Omaha Police.
Second Lincoln police officer sues city, alleging hostile work environment for women
Melissa Ripley filed the second suit earlier this year.
In both, they alleged a toxic culture toward women within the department and retaliation against those who report it.
Both women's attorney, Kelly Brandon, said in the lawsuit that when Williams raised concerns to supervisors all the way up to then-Chief Jeff Bliemeister, nothing was done. And that Williams was pressured to name the female officer who told her she'd been sexually assaulted by a male in the department, while LPD did nothing to investigate it.
On Monday, the Lincoln City Council is set to consider a financial settlement with Williams.
When asked what steps, if any, the city is taking to look into the latest allegations and how seriously it's taking them, City Attorney Yohance Christie said Saturday he was unable to talk about personnel matters.
"However, no one is targeting female officers who have come forward," he said.
Ewins, who started work in Lincoln on Aug. 30, has not publicly addressed the allegations since the Seeing Red report surfaced.
Internal investigations at LPD by their nature are confidential, making it impossible for outsiders to review the information independently unless the matters result in lawsuits or go to trial.
The female officer who talked to the Journal Star fears losing her job and said things haven't gotten any better for women at LPD since Williams left in March 2019. It's still difficult to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct without feeling targeted and not believed.
"I think the hard part is that everybody thinks, 'No way. A police officer would report right away.' Or they think that a victim looks a certain way. Like it means you're weak if you're sexually assaulted or raped," she said.
She said that's why she didn't report right away when she was sexually assaulted. That, and she felt like she'd been groomed as early as the department's training academy not to report.
She said she sees how reports from female officers have been handled and how the investigations seem to focus on them, rather than on what happened.
"If I was raped today, I wouldn't report it. Because there's no point," she said about the internal process where complaints now are investigated by Internal Affairs rather than the city's personnel office.
She bristles at the suggestion from someone high in the ranks at LPD that anyone who sues is just after money. She said for her it's not about that.
"I want the entire truth to come out," the officer said.
City agrees to pay $500K to settle LFR captain's lawsuit claiming retaliation after reporting discrimination
The allegations aren't exclusive to the police department. Prior to Williams' lawsuit, three Lincoln firefighters filed lawsuits alleging they faced retaliation for reporting discrimination and harassment of female firefighters.
In 2019, a federal jury awarded Troy Hurd $1.1 million. The judgment later was reduced by a judge, and the city agreed to pay Hurd $600,000 to avoid a second trial.
Last year, the city agreed to pay Brian Giles $280,000 to settle his lawsuit.
Amanda Benson, who was a fire department captain until her recent firing, has a pending case, where she alleges the city failed to take steps to deal with the workplace harassment she faced.
Empty office space in the Atrium building frames the Capitol. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
FRANCIS GARDLER
Top Journal Star photos for December
Model trains sit on their tracks on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, at Foley Sign Company. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
EAKIN HOWARD Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for December
Lincoln Pius X's Jack Hastreiter (32) drives the ball past Bellevue West's Josiah Dotzler in the fourth quarter on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, at Bellevue West High School. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
EAKIN HOWARD Journal Star
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Nebraska’s Bella Cravens (14) leaps to deny Indiana State's Tonysha Curry (24) a pass to teammate Mya Glanton (00) in the first half on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
FRANCIS GARDLER, JOURNAL STAR
Top Journal Star photos for December
Lincoln East's Jared Townsley (10) scores two around Kearney's Parker Wise (11) in the fourth quarter on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, at Lincoln East High School. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
EAKIN HOWARD Journal Star
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Lincoln Midwest Ballet Company dancer Grace Fry performs as the jester for Norwood Park Elementary School students in an abbreviated performance of "The Nutcracker" for the Backstage at the Ballet experience on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for December
An 80,000-pound tractor tanker crashes into a 62" concrete roadside barrier at 50 mph in a test of the barrier that is shorter and thinner than current standards on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, at Midwest Roadside Safety Facility. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for December
Wes Kembel (left) cleans up his home with the help from his friend Jordan Meals after a tornado passed through the day before on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
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City workers remove a tree fallen on a car after a storm on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, at 13th and Pawnee Streets. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
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Winds knocked over a hackberry tree in Antelope Park on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for December
The Downtown Lincoln Association decorated the area with Christmas-themed icons like these frosted trees on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, for the Lincoln North Pole attraction at Tower Square. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
FRANCIS GARDLER, JOURNAL STAR
Top Journal Star photos for December
Lincoln Southwest's Freddie Wallace (10) drives to the basket against Papio South's Taylor Mauch (bottom right) and Eke Djibril (top right) on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, at Lincoln Southwest High School. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
FRANCIS GARDLER, JOURNAL STAR
Top Journal Star photos for December
Fourth grader Marquavious Irving writes down a math formula, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, at Kahoa Elementary School. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for December
Nebraska's Ally Batenhorst (14) goes for a kill against Campbell in the first set during the first round of NCAA playoffs on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, at Devaney Sports Center. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
EAKIN HOWARD Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for December
Charlie (10, left) and Will Simon (13) wave to Eric Fass from their car as they drive in the parade welcoming him home on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, on S. 26th Road. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
EAKIN HOWARD Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for December
Cathy (left) and Mark Ebers pick a Christmas tree with Sam, their six-year-old Australian shepherd and cattle dog mix, from the few that remain unclaimed trees at Prior Pines on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, at Prior Pines. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
EAKIN HOWARD Journal Star
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Lincoln Pius X's Joe Andreasen (left) grapples with Norris' Cooper Spaulding in 170-pound match on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, during the Lincoln Pius X Invitational. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
FRANCIS GARDLER, JOURNAL STAR
Top Journal Star photos for December
Nebraska’s Lauren Stivrins (26), Aly Batenhorst (14), Lexi Rodriguez (8) and Callie Schwarzenbach (25) greet the fans with a victory lap after defeating Florida State 3-0 on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, during the NCAA Second Round at Devaney Sports Center. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
FRANCIS GARDLER, JOURNAL STAR
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Lincoln Stars' Michael Mastrodomenico (4) eludes Tri-City's Jeremy Wlimer (13) in the second period on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, at the Ice Box. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
EAKIN HOWARD Journal Star
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Brayden Burt (9) tees off from the ninth hole of the Scott Whitcomb Memorial Disc Golf Course as his father Kelsey watches on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, at Tierra Briarhurst Park. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
EAKIN HOWARD Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for December
York's Shaylynn Wahl bowls against Ogallala in the third game during the Class B championship match of State Unified Bowling on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, at Sun Valley Lanes & Games. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
EAKIN HOWARD Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for December
Workers and volunteers pull the Christmas tree into Capitol on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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The federal government has torn up Victoria’s ‘Belt and Road’ agreement with China.
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The federal government’s decision to tear up Victoria’s ‘belt and road’ agreement with China was done to “protect Australia’s national interests”, the Prime Minister says. But experts say it’s not actually clear what threat the deal actually posed. It’s a move that will “bring further damage to bilateral relations”, warned China’s embassy, claiming the federal government “will only end up hurting itself”. Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced on Wednesday night the federal government had used new powers to cancel four Victorian government agreements with foreign countries ; one with Syria, one with Iran, and two linked to China’s Belt and Road Initiative – known as the BRI. Senator Payne said her decision was about “ensuring there’s consistency across our foreign relations”. “I want to be very clear that it’s not aimed at any one country.” What was the risk of the BRI? The Belt and Road Initiative is a “pet project” of Chinese President Xi Jinping, says Monash University senior lecturer in Chinese studies, Dr Kevin Carrico. “It provides funding for infrastructure projects on a global scale,” he told The New Daily. “It was envisaged to create goodwill and favourable impressions of China”. The BRI is a “pet project” for Xi Jinping. The BRI has seen Chinese investment into roads, ports and more in foreign nations. Beijing’s critics allege the program, in some cases, lures poorer countries into “debt traps”, with China seizing infrastructure or collateral assets when loans can’t be repaid. Victoria’s 2018 BRI agreement was criticised by the federal government, after Canberra decided not to sign one at a national level. Victoria’s arrangement did not include any such infrastructure builds, but Dr Carrico called it a “dumb” agreement. “I don’t see any noticeable benefit,” he said. Senator Payne claimed the scrapped deals were “not consistent with Australia’s foreign relations”, but was reluctant to explain exactly her concern over the BRI. “The programs that we’re talking about are development programs of another country,” she told 3AW. “It’s been the federal government’s long-standing position not to sign an overarching Belt and Road agreement.” Victoria’s government has said little about the Commonwealth decision, with only Employment Minister Jaala Pulford emerging on Thursday to say simply, “It’s a decision they’ve taken”. Labor’s shadow foreign affairs minister Penny Wong resisted criticising Victoria, but said the federal opposition wouldn’t sign such agreements, telling ABC radio “over time people’s view about the BRI has changed”. Dr Carrico said although he wasn’t aware of many negative aspects for Victoria, he was concerned the deal could have legitimised such agreements around the world. The Australian National University’s Dr Andrew Carr said the federal government hadn’t outlined its explicit concerns, and that many saw Victoria’s BRI deal as simply a “desire to co-operate” with China. “Nowhere I’ve seen has shown where a threat was identified,” Dr Carr, senior lecturer in ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, told TND. He said the stance from Canberra was a departure from historical norms, where the Commonwealth government welcomed various agreements to bolster Australia’s standing on the global stage. “Australia’s engagement with the world has always been through a wide range of governments and individuals. Most [state] departments have overseas relationships. That’s the nature of international relations these days, it’s not always managed through the Prime Minister’s desk,” Dr Carr said. “This federal government has come to the view it should have absolute control over foreign policy… we don’t have a clear idea of why [the BRI] was of concern, other than this.” Why scrap the BRI now? Mr Morrison said the foreign arrangements scheme was to ensure state and federal agreements weren’t conflicting. “There is one foreign policy of this country,” he said on Thursday. Liberal MP Dave Sharma said the federal government believes in Australian companies and states “engaging with the world”, but the decision was to underline the Commonwealth as the final arbiter on foreign relations. “It’s about ensuring consistency and coherence of our foreign policy and national security approach. Most state agreements won’t fall foul of this,” he told The New Daily. Mr Sharma – a former ambassador to Israel and international relations adviser to government – said the decision to cancel Victoria’s BRI was largely due to the federal government having already rejected its own such deal. “We’ve got a comprehensive relationship and seek a constructive relationship with China. But the BRI is something the federal government looked at comprehensively, but decided not to,” Mr Sharma said. “It’s not because we’re hostile to Chinese infrastructure, but for a state to conclude an agreement on something the federal government already decided not to pursue … that makes it almost prima facie inconsistent with our foreign policy.” What now? Dr Carrico said it would be “unwise” for China to retaliate over the BRI scrapping, but a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Australia quickly voiced his “strong displeasure and resolute opposition” to the decision. “It further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations,” the official warned. Reuters reported that a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman issued a veiled threat that China may take further actions – claiming Australia was the only country to tear up a Belt and Road agreement, which set a “dangerous precedent”. Mr Sharma said the decision was “entirely an internal matter for Australia”. “I find it a bit odd that China, a country which makes a great deal about respecting the sanctity of national sovereignty … would firstly comment on internal affairs of Australia and seek to criticise it,” he said.
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Tear Up Agreement
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A mayor with a big dream for Turkey
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As the first politician to have defeated the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the race for the Municipality of Istanbul in 2019, Ekrem Imamoglu is possibly the most debated opposition figure in Turkey. The head of the Good Party (IP), Meral Aksener, recently likened him to Mehmed the Conqueror, sparking controversy. When asked whether he will run for the country’s presidency, he does not answer, but notes, meaningfully, that the fact journalists and media close to the president are having daily discussions about a presidential candidate when there is such a long time to go before the elections, is an admission that there is a governance problem in the country.
Speaking to Kathimerini, Imamoglu cites the example of the rapprochement efforts of former Greek and Turkish foreign ministers George Papandreou and Ismail Cem in the early 2000s to underline that a healthy and peaceful relationship between Greece and Turkey is attainable and says it is “our duty” to continue this process with mutual diplomatic initiatives and strong relations covering all spheres of life.
The 51-year-old mayor of Turkey’s largest city talks about the problems he faces with the Turkish government, the municipality’s cheap bread campaign and addresses rumors of a run for the presidency. Imamoglu is due to visit Athens today in what will be his first trip to the Greek capital.
What is the purpose of your visit to Athens?
I will be visiting Athens for the first time and it was among the cities I wanted to see. I hope this first trip will create nice opportunities and narrow the gap of my not visiting until now. The mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, and I were together during his visit to Istanbul, this time we will be together in Athens. We can regard this visit as a strong communication between Istanbul and Athens, since diplomacy between cities contributes significantly to diplomacy between countries. Modern democracy gives cities great power and responsibility, based on international peace. Both of us as mayors are acting with this awareness.
How do you see the future of your country’s relations with Greece?
In many areas, Turkey and Greece share a common culture, a common past and a common history. These common values should bring coexistence to the forefront, despite the problems. With this awareness, the goal of maintaining friendship and a peace process initiated by Kemal Ataturk and Eleftherios Venizelos should always be pursued, even if, at times, it goes through challenging periods. The unforgettable dialogue established between our foreign minister, the late Ismail Cem, and George Papandreou in the recent past also revealed that a healthy and peaceful relationship is achievable. It is our duty to continue this process with mutual diplomacy and strong relations covering all aspects of life.
As mayors of the largest cities of the two countries, what do you think can be done to bring the peoples closer together?
Regionally, we face common problems such as excessive migration and global warming. The two neighboring countries must always maintain open channels of dialogue in the face of such problems. By approaching problems rationally, we can brighten our future by working together.
I would like to reiterate that the two countries are already culturally close to each other. See, the legendary Greek composer and musician of the world, Mikis Theodorakis, who passed away at the beginning of this month and whom we remember with great respect and gratitude, set foot in Turkey for the first time in Istanbul. The relationship he established with our country’s treasured artist Zulfu Livaneli left a historic memory in our city. Their friendship lasted for 40 years. I believe that we, as mayors of Istanbul and Athens, keeping this example alive, will develop valuable partnerships that will last for many years.
Do you think Greece can play a role in bringing Turkey closer to the European Union?
I am a mayor who believes that the goal of the EU is vital for Turkey. From this point of view, I would like to have the greatest contribution to any of my country’s progress. Greece, on the other hand, seized this opportunity years ago and had important development. The EU stands for spreading the values of prosperity, peace and democracy. I believe that Turkey could make an important contribution to this Union. The realization of the accession objective will also help all the member countries, especially neighboring Greece. Therefore, it would be beneficial for Greece to give priority to Turkey’s prospects rather than its problems. This benefit will make our region stronger and more peaceful. What could be more important than that?
You often talk about the migration problem. What is the situation in Istanbul and how are you dealing with it?
Istanbul has become the metropolis that hosts the most refugees in the world. We are running an ancient city that hosts legal and irregular migrants and refugees of different profiles. According to our data we are facing a number of 1.6 million – maybe even more than 2 million, including the undocumented ones. It is not possible to serve such an irregular migratory volume with the resources of one city and one municipality alone. And everyone living in the city pays the price for that burden. As Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, despite the difficulties, we have made it part of our core policy to provide conditions for development and peaceful coexistence. After we took office, we established the migration unit, we focused on collecting data because we know its value in this area, and we created the “Istanbul Migration Survey” report.
With the cooperation and support of the UNHCR, we also carried out strong collaborations in this field. During the pandemic we provided important health and hygiene services to migrants. We are still doing a lot of work, but I believe that, at the soonest possible, peace will be restored in the countries of the migrants we are hosting, so that they can go back in peace and safety.
You accuse the government of putting obstacles in the way of the Municipality of Istanbul. In a recent speech you addressed the presidency and the ministries and said, “If you victimize the Istanbulite, then the Istanbulite will not recognize you.” What kind of problems are you facing? How are your contacts and relations with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan?
I run the biggest city in Turkey. Therefore, we should maintain the closest relationship with all state institutions and find solutions to problems around a common table. I try to establish these conditions at every opportunity. I leave it to the discretion of the people whether there is enough response or not. Since our election we have experienced some actions against us, such as reduction of powers, cutting off resources, transfer of assets to other public institutions. However, despite all this, we have managed to continue our work without interruption.
We have achieved great things in Istanbul in 27 months, we have provided very good services. Let me say that we continue to express our request to cooperate with all government and state institutions in every field. Sometimes this is met and sometimes not. Our president is also our head of state. I have expressed this position, in the context of respect and courtesy, in every meeting with him. Yes, when it comes to serving Istanbul and 16 million Istanbulites, I will gladly talk with our president and every state official, I will go wherever I am called upon, and I will be honored to provide a joint service to this city and to this country.
You are increasing the production of Halk Ekmek (“people’s bread”), which is cheaper than regular bread, with new factories. You have often mentioned the increase in Halk Ekmek sales. How difficult are the people’s lives in terms of cost of living?
Halk Ekmek Istanbul is an important municipality enterprise, which was established in the 1970s as a concrete example of the social municipality approach. The purpose of its establishment was to prevent a price monopoly in the market, to ensure that the public had access to healthy bread at the most reasonable cost. Halk Ekmek is still ensuring this function. In times of increased economic hardship, the demand for our products, which sell at almost half the market price, is higher.
Halk Ekmek can meet people’s basic food needs in times of crisis. This is the foundation of the social municipality concept. With this company we demonstrate our understanding and determination for a fair municipality that solves people’s problems and makes life cheaper. We will start operating one of the largest production facilities in Europe under one roof, our fourth plant, in early 2022. With this new facility we will increase production to 2 million loaves per day.
Compared to today, how do you imagine the future of Turkey?
I trust my country, its people. I trust the young generation, producers, women and experienced people. I have very big dreams for them. My dream of a Turkey that increases prosperity, develops democracy, increases production and uses the full potential of technology is based on solid foundations. It will not take long for this to happen. Turkey is the most dynamic country in the world. Under the governance of the “Nation Alliance” [the opposition alliance] we will witness together how Turkey will achieve the great change.
It is an issue that is much discussed in Turkey. Would you like to run for president in the 2023 elections?
My plans are all about providing the best, fairest and most equitable service to Istanbul, to my 16 million fellow citizens. To provide exemplary service to my city and my country in every field. To govern Istanbul with common sense and to be the most successful and democratic mayor of Istanbul. The Turkish media, which is close to the government, already likes to bring up this issue. Let’s not bother Greece with these vain discussions. But I can’t help saying this. The fact that journalists and media close to the president are having daily discussions about a presidential candidate when there is a long time to go before the elections, is actually their own admission that there is a governance problem in the country.
How do you feel about winning the elections for the Istanbul mayoralty from a party system that had been in control of the municipality since 1994? How did you achieve this?
First of all, I attach great importance to these elections because they are an important democratic success and I am very happy that the will of the people was expressed in our favor. As you said, showing our difference from a 25-year-old administration, we said that we would run this ancient city on the basis of value and providing equal services to all. We promised to work day and night with all my friends for a green, fair and creative Istanbul. Besides, on March 31, 2019, we won the elections. However, those who could not stomach the people’s will and those who ignored it canceled the elections. We did not give up, we never walked away, and instead we showed a strong will together with our fellow citizens. On the same day we started again, everyone involved in the Nation Alliance, especially my own party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Good Party. We have created a strong partnership with 16 million Istanbulites.
As a result, our people achieved an unprecedented success. I was elected mayor of Istanbul for the second time in three months, increasing the vote margin from 13,000 to 806,000, compared to March 31. This great success of democracy was not only Istanbul’s success, but also Turkey’s success.
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Diplomatic Visit
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Wilmington police search for bank robbery suspect
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WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A man is accused of robbing a Wilmington bank just as it opened for business Wednesday morning. According to the Wilmington Police Department, the suspect entered the First Citizen Bank, located at 315 Market Street, just before 9:30 a.m. and approached a teller, passing a note that demanded money. The teller handed over the cash and the suspect then left the bank. No weapon was show. The suspect is described as early- to mid-20′s, approximately five-foot-six to five-foot eight, with a slender build. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing faded black jeans, a white and black stripe shirt, with a red and white bandanna wrapped around his right wrist, and a black cap. The man had on a white mask, and he was wearing eyeglasses with dark, heavy frames. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the WPD at (910)-343-3609 or use the Wilmington, NC PD app for anonymous methods.
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Bank Robbery
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New finds at Sanxingdui Ruins site shed more light on ancient kingdom's culture
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Another gold mask discovered at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in Guanghan, Sichuan province, is the biggest of its kind unearthed at the site so far and further illustrates the custom of the ancient Shu people to use gold items, experts said. The mask, which is relatively intact, is 37.2 centimeters wide, 16.5 cm high and weighs about 100 grams. It was discovered at the No 3 pit, the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute said on Thursday. Earlier this year, a likewise eye-catching gold mask was found at the No 5 pit. The institute announced the discovery of 1,771 cultural relics from the No 3 and No 4 pits, of which 557 are relatively intact and the rest are fragments. Among the items, the gold mask is a highlight. Gold items were found at the Sanxingdui Ruins site as early as 1986, including gold foil pieces that show how the precious metal was used by the ancient Shu people. Shu was an ancient state in what is now Sichuan. Xu Feihong, a Shanghai University lecturer who is in charge of the excavation of the No 3 pit, told chinanews.com that the gold mask was found in June. After restoration, it turned out to be the biggest complete golden mask found at the site, with fine texture and quality.
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New archeological discoveries
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Estevan riot
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The Estevan riot, also known as the Black Tuesday Riot, was a confrontation between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and striking coal miners from nearby Bienfait, Saskatchewan which took place in Estevan, Saskatchewan on September 29, 1931. The miners had been on strike since September 7, 1931 hoping to improve their wages and working conditions. The region's mining work was seasonal; during the rest of the year, between April and August, miners would work in the fields to supplement wages before they returned to the mines. However, the droughts in the prairies and the overall economic situation in Canada made that impossible. That led to an increasing number of men looking for work in the mines, which let mining companies to choose their workers.
Furthermore, according to the Royal Commission that investigated the strike, Saskatchewan miners made half as much as their counterparts in Alberta and in British Columbia. Most of the miners and their families lived within company housing. Annie Barylik, the sixteen-year-old daughter of a miner at Bienfait Mine,s described the conditions:
One bedroom, two beds in there, dining room, no beds in there, kitchen, one bed, and eleven in the family.... I think we need a bigger place than that. When it is raining the rain comes in the kitchen. There is only one ply of paper, cardboard paper nailed to about two-inch wood board.... It is all coming down and cracked... When the weather is frosty, when you wake up in the morning you cannot walk on the floor because it is all full of snow, right around the room.
The miners were represented at the bargaining table by the local of the Mine Workers' Union of Canada (MWUC), which had been organized by the Communist Party of Canada's trade union umbrella, the Workers' Unity League. The Mine Workers' Union of Canada local in Beinfait demanded a wage increase, an end to the company store monopoly, better living conditions, and improved workplace safety. The mining company refused to recognize the union as legitimate and refused their demands.
On 7 September 1931, Bienfait coal miner's voted to go on strike. Annie Buller, working with the Workers' Unity League, spoke in nearby Estevan in support of the striking workers. Miners assembled in Estevan with their families to parade through the city in order to draw attention to their strike. As they walked from Beinfait to Estevan, they were met with lines of police officers. Upon entering the town square, the RCMP confronted the miners and attempted to block and break up the procession. Police violence broke out, and the RCMP opened fire on the strikers and killed three people and injured numerous others. Among those killed were miners Peter Markunas, Nick Nargan and Julian Gryshko.
The following morning, 90 RCMP officers raided the miner's homes. 13 strikers and union leader were arrested on charges of rioting. Annie Buller was sentenced to one year of hard labour, to be completed at the Battleford Jail, and a $500 fine. The RCMP involved with the killing of the miners were not charged. On 6 October, the mining company conceded to key demands including a $4 minimum wage, an 8 hour working day, reduced rent, and an end to the company store monopoly.
After a meeting with Royal Commission Counsel, members of both parties signed the following agreement:
We, the mine operators and employees in conference at the court-house Estevan, this sixth day of October, 1931, hereby agree that the mines be opened immediately and the men return to work on following conditions, viz. :
(1) That this be considered a temporary arrangement pending the findings of the Wylie Royal Commission and the possible drafting of a working agreement between the operators and the men. (2) That committees of employees for each mine be a recognized organization in each mine. (3) That the provisions of the Mines Act be observed in relation to check-weighers. (4) That all water in the roadways and working face be removed by the company and that such places be kept as dry as possible. (5) That the terms of any schedule or agreement finally reached between the operators and the men be made retroactive to the date of re-commencement of work by them. (6) That there shall be no victimization or discrimination against men on account of the strike, particularly in reference to men on the payrolls as at September 7 last. (7) That contract men be employed on an eight-hour basis, face to face, and the company men work nine hours a day. (8) That because of working conditions in the various mines. the removal of slack and questions of overweight be left to negotiations between the operators and the committees of employees. [8]
The event is still controversial in Estevan. The three striking miners killed have the inscription "murdered by RCMP" on their headstone, and locals still alternately erase and restore those words. [9] The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour has created a plaque to memorialize the strikers. The riot was depicted in the controversial movie Prairie Giant: the Tommy Douglas Story in which Tommy Douglas is falsely portrayed to be present. Also, James Garfield Gardiner is portrayed as then being premier of Saskatchewan, but it was really James Thomas Milton Anderson. The riot was depicted by James Keeleghan in the title track of the Small Rebellions album in 1990.
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Riot
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Md.’s First Settlement Site Discovered, after 90 Years Searching
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Historians have been seeking the site of the fort since the 1930s. Drawing: Jeffrey R. Parno/Historic St. Mary's City Historic St. Mary’s City announces a major discovery: archaeologists have located the site of the original St. Mary’s Fort. The 1634 fort was the fourth English colony in the country, after only Jamestown (1607), Plymouth (1620), and Massachusetts Bay (1630). It’s a site that historians have been seeking since the 1930s. Dr. Travis Parno, the archaeologist who found it, says, “This is something I’ve been after since coming to St. Mary’s City.” The fort represents the spot where the state of Maryland began—where colonists first inserted themselves into a land inhabited by indigenous people. 150 Maryland colonists arrived on two ships, Ark and Dove, in March 1634, to an area that was home to the Yaocomaco tribe, who were loosely allied with the Piscataway. The colonists built St. Mary’s Fort on an area about the size of a football field in what is now Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC). HSMC has been doing fieldwork within the St. Mary’s City National Historic Landmark area since 1971, but couldn’t find any definitive traces of St. Mary’s Fort. There was a theory dating back to the 1930s that the fort was located along the banks of the St. Marys River, but a letter from one of Maryland’s first settlers, Leonard Calvert, describes walking half a mile in from the river. A 1984 surface study of a farmer’s field found artifacts dating back to the early 17th century, making that site a likely candidate. Then in 2018, a Maryland Historical Trust grant allowed Dr. Parno, Director of Research and Collections, and his team to look closer at it. Parno hired geophysicist Dr. Timothy J. Horsley to survey two suspected locations using magnetic susceptibility, magnetometry, and ground-penetrating radar. The team verified his results with a brief archaelogical dig, confirming the fort’s exact site in the farmer’s field. This archaeological site could bring to light new information about Maryland’s pre-colonial and early colonial past. Right now, Dr. Parno tells Bay Bulletin, archaeologists are working to reveal the top of a large cellar at the fort’s site, to uncover its timber frame and excavate any number of artifacts inside. Studying the fort is one project in a larger effort by HSMC and the Piscataway tribe beginning this year. People to People: Exploring Native-Colonial Interactions in Early Maryland will include excavating St. Mary’s Fort and two indigenous sites near the fort, exhibits of native and colonial culture, and programs for the public about the years before and during the early 17th century. When the site of St. Mary’s Fort was found, Dr. Parno says HSMC reached out to the Piscataway tribe in hopes of telling the story together. “They’ve been here way longer [than the colonists],” he explains. The same 1984 field study that hinted at the fort’s location also located two native sites that date back 500–3,000 years. “Finding the location of Maryland’s original settlement is truly exciting news for our state and will give us an opportunity to reconnect with our pre-colonial and early colonial years,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “The state has been proud to support the study of St. Mary’s Fort and looks forward to further excavation of the area as we approach our state’s 400th anniversary.” Private donations and state funds are paying for ongoing excavations at the fort. The site is open during public visitation hours while work is underway, and HSMC plans to add St. Mary’s Fort to its living history program in time for Maryland’s 400th anniversary in 2034.
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New archeological discoveries
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23 killed, 11 injured in Pakistan after gas explosions tear through two mines in Balochistan province
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Twenty-three people were killed and 11 wounded after gas explosions tore through two neighbouring coal mines in southwestern Pakistan, officials said Quetta: Twenty-three people were killed and 11 wounded after gas explosions tore through two neighbouring coal mines in southwestern Pakistan, officials said Sunday. Pakistani volunteers and mine workers shift their injured colleague on a stretcher upon arrival at a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan. AP Shortly before midday on Saturday, a build-up of methane caused an explosion and tunnel collapse at a mine in Marwaarh, east of Quetta, the capital of the fossil fuel-rich Balochistan province bordering Iran and Afghanistan. Jawaid Shahwani, the top government official in Quetta, said 16 of the 25 people inside the mine at the time were killed, with the remaining miners rescued and taken to hospital for treatment. Around three hours later, a mine 25 kilometres (16 miles) to the west at Spin Carez collapsed in similar circumstances, killing seven of the nine miners inside. Provincial mines minister Saleh Baloch told AFP that all miners in both accidents had been accounted for and rescue operations had ended. Pakistani mines are notorious for poor safety standards and bad ventilation. A total of 43 workers died in 2011 when gas explosions triggered a collapse in another Balochistan colliery, also owned by the Pakistan mineral development corporation. Balochistan is the largest of Pakistan's four provinces by area but its roughly seven million people have long argued they do not get a fair share of its vast gas and mineral wealth. The beleaguered province has also battled against separatist insurgents and Islamist militants for more than a decade.
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Mine Collapses
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Drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales reach record high
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Charities warn of a public health emergency after data shows 4,561 deaths in 2020 – up 3.8% on previous year
First published on Tue 3 Aug 2021 10.28 BST
Deaths from drug poisoning in England and Wales have reached a record high, with a growing number of people dying after using cocaine and opiates, data shows.
Charities said the figures showed there was a public health emergency, with the pandemic negatively affecting those with addiction problems. In 2020, 4,561 people died from drug poisoning – the equivalent of 79.5 deaths per million people. This is 3.8% higher than figures for 2019 and the highest number since records began in 1993.
Two-thirds (2,996) of drug poisoning deaths in 2020 were related to drug misuse, accounting for 52.3 deaths per million people.
Men accounted for more than two-thirds of deaths from poisoning in 2020, a disparity consistent with previous years. The highest rate of drug misuse deaths was found in those aged 45 to 49, closely followed by those aged 40 to 44.
Approximately half of all the deaths from poisoning in 2020 involved an opiate – pain relief medication such as codeine and fentanyl – and 777 deaths involved cocaine, which is 9.7% more than 2019 and more than five times the number recorded a decade before.
The rate of cocaine-related deaths among women has increased by more than 800% in the last 10 years, from 16 deaths in 2010 to 158 deaths in 2020.
The latest English and Welsh drugs misuse statistics show Scotland’s rate of drugs deaths – those related to misuse and addiction – continues to be far higher than in other UK nations.
Last week National Records of Scotland, the statistics agency, said in 2020 a record 1,339 people died from drug misuse. The new ONS data shows that Scotland’s per capita rate of drugs fatalities is 4.8 times higher than in England and Wales.
Eytan Alexander, a recovering drug addict and chief executive of UK Addiction Treatment Centres, said the rise in England and Wales was sad but not surprising, with cocaine-related deaths “especially unsurprising … given that [the drug] is so readily available and as easy to order as a Deliveroo”.“We’re living in a parallel pandemic: a drug, alcohol, and mental health pandemic that has only worsened due to the virus. Enough is enough … we need to come together as a society and take real action.”
Rates of drug-related poisoning were 60.9% higher in 2020 than in 2010. The rate has increased every year since 2012; the increase from 2019 was not statistically significant.
Dr Emily Finch, the vice-chair of the addictions faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said years of cuts had left addiction services ill-equipped. She said more funding was needed “and people living with a drug addiction must have access to the mental health support they desperately need”.
Clare Taylor, the national director of operations at Turning Point, which runs drug and alcohol recovery services, said the figures showed a public health emergency that needed an immediate response.
“Covid-19 has impacted on the nation’s mental health, but the effect of isolation, financial insecurity and fear has hit many of those who were already vulnerable, including people with a history of drug or alcohol problems, and some people have not received the support that they needed,” she said, adding that austerity and cuts had also prompted a rise in drug-related deaths.
“Every drug or alcohol-related death is preventable, and our thoughts are with anyone who has lost someone this way.”
There have been increasing numbers of deaths involving benzodiazepines in 2020 (a rise of 19.3% compared with 2019; from 399 to 476 deaths), pregabalin (a rise of 41%; from 244 to 344 deaths), gabapentin (a rise of 32.6%; from 89 to 118 deaths) and zopiclone (a rise of 4.3%; from 140 to 146 deaths).
People born between 1970 and 1979 have consistently had the highest rates of drug misuse deaths for the past 25 years.
Mark Moody, the chief executive of the charity Change Grow Live, also called for immediate action. “For things to improve, we must directly challenge the stigma faced by people who use drugs. This starts by recognising that drug dependency is a chronic health condition which must be integrated alongside NHS services, criminal justice pathways and housing support.”
In 2020, the highest rate of drug misuse deaths was in the north-east, while the lowest rate was in London. The north-east has had the highest rate of drug misuse for the past eight years and has a statistically significantly higher rate than all other regions of England.
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Mass Poisoning
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DHS report: Milwaukee County sees higher rates of asthma, childhood-lead poisoning than state average
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MILWAUKEE — Our health doesn’t just depend on who we are and what we do. Where we live also makes a big difference — the air we breathe, the water we drink, even the streets we walk on.
Recent reports from the Wisconsin Environmental Public Health Tracking program unpack how that difference shows up across the state. And for Milwaukee County, some of the findings point to major health challenges — including higher rates of asthma, greater risks from climate change and more fatal crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists.
The tracking team — a branch of the state Department of Health Services — released its latest round of environmental health profiles last month, looking at how each county stacks up against the state average.
“By having a snapshot of the data, what we really want is for organizations to get a feel for what's happening in their community related to environmental health,” said Connie Bell, a health educator with the tracking team. “They can see the areas of environmental health that they need to focus on, and really dig in and see what's going on.”
According to the Milwaukee County report, asthma rates in the county were much higher than in Wisconsin as a whole.
Milwaukee County saw 72.5 asthma-related ER visits per 10,000 residents, according to the report. That’s more than double the statewide rate of 33 visits per 10,000 people.
Rates of COPD — a group of lung diseases often caused by smoking — were also elevated in the county. Milwaukee saw a 40% higher rate of COPD-related ER visits compared to the state, according to the report.
It’s hard to say for sure why these numbers are higher in Milwaukee, since the profiles aren’t designed to figure out cause and effect, said Jenny Camponeschi, program manager for the environmental public health tracking program. But the researchers have some guesses as to “why the data might be showing up as they are,” she said.
Racial disparities may be one factor, said Elaina Andreychak, an epidemiologist on the tracking team.
In Wisconsin and beyond, people of color — and especially Black communities — tend to face higher rates of health issues, like asthma and COPD. Since Milwaukee has a more diverse racial makeup than other counties in Wisconsin, those disparities may be more prominent, Andreychak said.
Also, Milwaukee County — and especially the city of Milwaukee — just look a lot different from the rest of the state, she pointed out.
“What's interesting about juxtaposing Milwaukee County with the whole state of Wisconsin is, obviously Milwaukee is a lot more urban than most of the rest of Wisconsin,” Andreychak said. “So that's partially why we see larger differences in some numbers.”
Since air pollution and poor air quality can bring on asthma symptoms, Milwaukee’s urban setting could be a factor in the higher asthma rates, she said.
Another area where the urban environment probably came into play: Motor vehicle-related fatalities. In Milwaukee County, almost 50% of motor vehicle-related fatalities involved pedestrians or cyclists, according to the profile. Across the state, that rate was 16%.
With more people walking or biking around, it makes sense that a city setting would see more crashes involving bikers and pedestrians, Andreychak said. But the measure really highlights the fact that, especially in Milwaukee, there’s a need to make communities more walkable, Camponeschi said.
“We need ways for people to walk and bike safely in the community, where they’re not going to be in a car accident and either get injured or die,” Camponeschi said.
Compared to the rest of Wisconsin, Milwaukee County saw higher rates of childhood-lead poisoning as well. In the county, 6.7% of children who got tested were at or above the CDC’s benchmark for elevated blood lead levels — versus 3.7% of tested children statewide.
Milwaukee has a lot of older homes built before 1978, when the U.S. banned lead-based paints, so kids might be more likely to be exposed to lead paint, Bell said. Lead poisoning has long been a challenge for Milwaukee, and some residents have called for faster removal of lead pipelines to prevent drinking-water exposure.
In the meantime, Andreychak said it’s important to keep up testing levels — which have been on the decline in recent years — to make sure kids are safe.
“Our number of childhood lead poisoning tests is decreasing over time, kind of overall the state of Wisconsin, but also in Milwaukee,” Andreychak said. “That's not something that we'd like to see.”
Milwaukee County did fare better than average on some measures. Its rate of Lyme disease was 80% lower than the statewide rate, and its rate of nitrate contamination in water was 92% lower than the state average. These measures tended to be higher in more forested or rural parts of the state.
Bell said the tracking team’s goal is to produce data that will be “actionable” for local groups. That means looking toward the future as well as seeing what’s happening now — as the profiles offered predictions of how climate change could affect counties’ health in the coming decades.
As an urban center, Milwaukee County could face even hotter weather compared to other parts of the state, Bell said. By 2080, the county could see 49 days of extreme heat and six days with extreme precipitation, according to projections included in the profile.
“This really gives us a heads up of, ‘How do we need to plan for an increased number of hotter days and an increased amount of flooding?’” Bell said. “Being proactive in planning, instead of reactive.”
For communities across Wisconsin, the health profiles can serve as a way to check in and figure out what changes can be made, Camponeschi said. The environmental public health program offers mini-grants so that local groups can take on short-term projects on different health topics.
In the midst of an ongoing pandemic, Camponeschi said many people may still be thinking more about infectious disease than other health factors. But she’s hopeful that spotlight can also bring more attention to other pieces of the public health puzzle.
“One of the good things about the COVID pandemic is that it has raised public health to the forefront,” Camponeschi said. “Now that we have the platform of public health, we can raise some of these other topics up.”
Wild deer are catching the virus, antiviral pills could be the next wave of treatment and vaccine protection holds up better than natural immunity.
Nearly 1 million children 5 to 11 will have received their first COVID-19 vaccination shot by the end of Wednesday, the Biden administration said.
Infinity Pharmacy in Milwaukee is now offering a COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment.
The government has committed to buying an additional 1.4 million courses of Merck’s COVID-19 pill if it’s granted emergency authorization by the FDA.
“The pandemic has been tough on everyone, but I know it has been especially hard for our kids,” Gov. Tony Evers said.
You can search by your zip code to see which contaminants have been detected in your area's drinking water.
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Mass Poisoning
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China Airlines Flight 2265 crash
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On 16 February 1986 a Boeing 737-200 operating China Airlines Flight 2265 went missing after executing a go-around after touching down at Penghu Airport, Taiwan. It was discovered several weeks later on the seabed 19km north of the island. All 6 passengers and 7 crew members were confirmed dead. The aircraft was a 17 year old Boeing 737-200 with the registration B-1870. The aircraft took off from Taipei on 16 February 1986 at 18:09 local time on a scheduled domestic flight to Penghu Airport, Magong. When the aircraft touched down at 19:05 the crew felt a violent vibration at the front of the aircraft. [citation needed] The pilots executed a go-around. After the aircraft departed the vicinity of the airport it crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast near the city of Magong. All 13 occupants were killed on impact. Searchers did not find the wreckage of the aircraft until 10 March; it was located in 190 feet of water, 12 miles north of the island.
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Air crash
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1999 Oaxaca earthquake
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The 1999 Tehuacán earthquake, or the 1999 Central Mexico earthquake, occurred on June 15 at 15:42 local time (20:42 UTC) near Tehuacán, Puebla, Mexico, close to the state of Oaxaca. The earthquake measured 7.0 on the moment magnitude scale. Fourteen people were reported dead, and many historic buildings and monuments were damaged. 5,306 houses were destroyed, 15,688 partially damaged, and 9,682 slightly damaged. [2] Many houses collapsed in the state of Puebla, including parts of the Puebla City Hall. [1][3] The state of Puebla was declared a disaster area. [4]
The Cocos Plate is subducting beneath the North American Plate in the Middle America Trench. This was an intraslab earthquake,[5] and the epicenter had some distance from the Middle American Trench. This was the tenth earthquake since 1864 with magnitude larger than 6.5 and similar location of epicenter. [6]
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Earthquakes
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Agra famine of 1837–38
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The Agra famine of 1837–1838[2] was a famine in the newly established North-Western Provinces (formerly Ceded and Conquered Provinces) of Company-ruled India that affected an area of 25,000 square miles (65,000 km2) and a population of 8 million people. [3] The central Doab in present-day Uttar Pradesh—the region of the districts of Kanpur, Etawah, Mainpuri, Agra and Kalpi—was the hardest hit; the trans-Jumna districts of Jalaun, Hamirpur, and Banda also suffered extreme distress. [3]
By the end of 1838, approximately 800,000 people had died of starvation, as had an even larger number of livestock. [3] The famine came to be known in folk memory as chauranvee, (Hindi, literally, "of ninety four,") for the year 1894 in the Samvat calendar corresponding to the year 1838 CE. [4]
There had been a number of droughts and near-famines in the region in the first third of the nineteenth century. [5] The years of scarcity included: 1803–1804, 1813–14, 1819, 1825–26, 1827–28, and 1832–33. [5] Especially in the 1830s, a number of factors—which included a decade long economic depression, ecological changes in the region, and likely El Niño events—conspired to create a succession of scarcities, of which the Agra famine of 1837–38 was the last. [6]
The 1837 summer monsoon rains failed almost entirely in the region of the Doab lying between Delhi and Allahabad as well in the trans-Jumna districts. [7] During August and September 1837, reports of both severe drought and the failure of the kharif (or autumn) harvest rushed in from different parts of the region. [7] By the time the Governor-General of India, Lord Auckland, assumed charge of the administration of the North-Western Provinces on 1 January 1838, the winter monsoon rains had failed as well, and no rabi (or spring) harvest was expected. [7] A famine was, consequently, declared and Auckland commenced a tour of the famine-afflicted regions. [7] In his report to the Court of Directors of the East India Company dated 13 February 1838, Auckland wrote not only about human distress, but also about the impact of the famine on livestock:[7]
"... harrowing accounts of famine and distress pour in from Calpee, Agra, Etawah and Mynpoorie ... not only has the khareef crop in these districts entirely failed but the grass and fodder were also lost. This has led to extensive mortality amongst the cattle, and in some districts nearly all those which have not perished on the spot, have been driven off to other parts of the country in order that they might be saved. It has thus happened that great difficulty has been experienced in irrigating the land for the rubbee crops, and much land which would otherwise have been cultivated has lain waste from this want of means of irrigation. "[8]
Other nineteenth-century accounts also spoke of distress, chaos, and migration southwards:
"Grain merchants closed their shops, the peasantry took to plunder; cattle starved and died; in the part of the Mathura district west of the Jumna, the village thatches were torn down to feed the starving beasts. There was a general move of the people in the direction of Mâlwa, that Cathay or land of plenty, where, in the imagination of the North Indian rustic, the fields always smile with golden grain and poverty is unknown. "[9]
Auckland found the conditions in these districts to be so distressing that, in his words, "the largest expenditure" was required "in order to palliate the evil, and prevent the total depopulation of the country by starvation and emigration. "[8]
Although some relief was provided in the last few months of 1837, famine relief on a large scale did not begin until February 1838. [10] In his report to the Governor-General of February 1838, Mr. Rose, the Deputy-Collector of Cawnpore observed that while the relief was still insufficient, it had nonetheless lessened the distress somewhat, and had, according to him, stemmed the tide of emigration to other regions. [10] It had also served, in his view, as an exemplar in encouraging others to organize their own relief efforts. [10] Rose wrote:
"... the relief afforded, in its present state, is inadequate to the wants of the people, but it must not on that account be considered valueless. Thousands have by it been saved from death by starvation, and the flood of emigration has been checked. The aid afforded ... will ... evince to the people that the Government are anxious to relieve their present unparalleled suffering, and the example thus set forth has ... been an inducement to hundreds to bestir themselves, on behalf of the starving poor, who never before thought of lending their aid in relieving the distress. "[11]
From the onset of the scarcity, the Government provided only "work-relief" for able bodied persons. [12] "Charitable relief," or relief for the old and indigent, was left to private efforts. [12] At first, local grain merchants were drafted in the relief effort: the laborers in the relief works received ration tickets which they then exchanged for grain at the grain merchant's; the merchant, in turn, recovered the cost of the grain plus his profit by presenting the tickets to the government. [13] Soon, however, it was discovered that the merchants were adulterating the grain rations to fully half their weight with "sand or powdered bones. "[13] In April 1838, therefore, the Government took over the distribution of the rations. [13] The table below gives the expenditure in the relief works in one district, Farrukhabad, for the duration of the scarcity. [13]
According to Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. III 1907, p. 484, a total of Rs. 2,300,000 was spent on relief throughout the famine-afflicted region. Merchants as a class were variably affected by the famine, with some wealthier merchants, who had sufficient capital to diversify their holdings, profiteering, even as the poorer ones suffered much distress. [14] At the onset of the famine, the rich salt merchants of the middle Doab were immediately able to switch from salt to grain and make windfall profits. [14] The small salt merchants, especially the itinerant merchants, however, did not have such flexibility. [14] According to Bayly 2002, p. 293, a British military officer observed Banjara merchants—who had traditionally traded salt from their region in Rajputana for grain from Rohilkhand to the north-east—returning "from the northern markets of Farrukabad and Shahjahanpur" with no loads of grain on their cattle; the price of grain had been too high for them to turn a profit. [14] Similarly, the intermediate salt merchants, who had traditionally bought salt in bulk from the big merchants and offered it on credit to the small ones, now found themselves with nothing to buy or sell. [14]
The Agra region, had in fact had a serious economic downturn in the decade before, as bullion had become scarce. [14] The smaller merchants, such as those selling "brass vessels, low grade cloths and liquor" had already been in considerable distress, since their patrons, the small farmers, had no surplus income to buy their goods with. [14]
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‘There is famine in Ethiopia right now,’ says UN aid chief
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Over 350,000 people in Ethiopia’s conflict-ravaged Tigray region are experiencing dire hunger, finds a new report by the United Nations and other aid groups. “There is famine in Ethiopia right now,” United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock warned on Thursday. According to the global Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, which evaluates food insecurity and malnutrition around the world, substantial parts of the Tigray region are currently in an “IPC 5 Catastrophe” status — its most severe rating. As of May 2021, a total of 5.5 million people in Tigray and the neighbouring zones of Amhara and Afar (more than half of the population) are facing “high levels of acute food insecurity” with 353,000 facing catastrophic levels. The situation is expected to worsen through September, the report also says. A key cause of the desperate food situation in Tigray is conflict, the report found: “This severe crisis results from the cascading effects of conflict, including population displacements, movement restrictions, limited humanitarian access, loss of harvest and livelihood assets, and dysfunctional or non-existent markets.” Last month CNN exclusively reported that Eritrean troops were coordinating with Ethiopian forces to cut off critical aid routes. A CNN team traveling through Tigray’s central zone witnessed Eritrean soldiers, some disguising themselves in old Ethiopian military uniforms and blocking aid to starving populations. UN agencies say they are particularly concerned by the risk of widespread famine in Tigray, if conflict escalates, and humanitarian assistance is significantly hampered. In a tweet following the report’s release, Lowcock called for urgent funding and unobstructed access for aid deliveries. On Thursday, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called on the UN Security council to meet publicly on the Tigray region and demand answers from the Ethiopian government. “We cannot let Ethiopia starve. We have to act now,” she said. Fighting between Ethiopian government troops and the region’s former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), broke out in November 2020. Troops from neighbouring Eritrea latterly joined the conflict in support of the Ethiopian government.
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26 People Injured, 6 Hospitalized After 'Powerful' Explosion at Florida Casino
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More than two dozen people were injured on Monday after an explosion took place at a Florida casino, according to authorities.
Gary Bitner, a spokesperson for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which owns Seminole Classic Casino Hollywood, confirmed the incident while speaking to NBC affiliate WTVJ.
Bitner said the fire suppression system at the casino, which helps put out fires, was receiving bi-yearly maintenance work when the explosion happened shortly before 10 a.m.
"This is a fire suppression system in an area where there's a good bit of equipment in the casino," Bitner explained to WTVJ. "It was being serviced — it is serviced every six months — and once the equipment was reconnected, one of the tanks with the gas that's used to put out a possible fire actually ruptured."
Approximately 100 employees and guests were inside the building at the time, The Miami Herald reported.
RELATED: 10 Employees Hospitalized Following Explosion at Ky. Dippin' Dots Factory: 'A Terrible Accident'
The explosion caused the drywall from the second floor to come crashing down onto the first floor as a scene of panic unfolded inside the casino, according to Fox affiliate WSVN and the Herald.
Witness Rainier Hernandez told WSVN it felt like "a big explosion" and recalled how "everybody got out and started running."
Another woman, who was near the spot where the drywall came down told the outlet that it felt like "a big bomb... went off."
"It was powerful," Bitner recalled.
RELATED VIDEO: Casino Shuttle Boat Carrying 50 Passengers Catches on Fire, Killing 42-Year-Old Woman
Following the incident, the Seminole Classic Casino was evacuated, WSVN reported.
Members with Hollywood Fire Rescue were immediately called to the scene and arrived around 10:30 a.m. to assess the damage and injuries, per the outlet.
A total of 26 people were injured in the explosion, with 20 of them treated on scene and released, while the other six were transported to a nearby hospital, Bitner told WTVJ. None of the injures were life-threatening.
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Gas explosion
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Florida Georgia Line The Latest Band To Cancel 2021 Concert Dates Due To Covid-19— See Full List
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Florida Georgia Line announced Friday they had canceled all shows scheduled for the remainder of the year, joining an expanding list of bands and solo artists that have canceled concerts due to concerns related to the surging number of Covid-19 cases throughout the United States. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 06: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard of Florida ... [+] Georgia Line perform on stage during day 1 of 2019 CMA Music Festival on June 06, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) Florida Georgia Line said in a message on Instagram, they were “bummed” to have to cancel the rest of their fall tour, but ultimately made the decision due to the Covid surge, saying, “everyone’s continued safety has been weighing heavy on us.” BTS also cancelled its “Map of the Soul” world tour which was rescheduled due to the pandemic last year, Rolling Stone reported Thursday, with BTS’ company, Big Hit Music, saying changing conditions with Covid-19 have made it “difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned." PROMOTED On Wednesday, Nine Inch Nails announced they had canceled all shows scheduled for the remainder of the year, saying in a statement on their website, the tour was "intended to be a cathartic and celebratory return to live music" when initially planned, but "with each passing day, it's becoming more apparent we're not at that place yet.” The band, which has not performed live since being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last November, informed fans that if they bought tickets for their shows scheduled for September in Cleveland, Ohio, they would be able to receive refunds through their point of purchase. On Wednesday, country legend Garth Brooks announced the cancelation of his remaining 2021 concert dates, stating refunds would be offered for the approximately 350,000 tickets sold in advance. Brooks, whose wife, fellow performer Trisha Yearwood, had previously contracted Covid, said in a statement that when he restarted his tour in July, he "sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us," but after "watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight, and I must do my part." Last week, Stevie Nicks, citing the rise in Covid-19 cases, which she stated "should be of concern to all of us," canceled each of the five performances she was scheduled to make over the remainder of 2021. In a Twitter post, the 73-year-old Nicks said that while she is vaccinated, she is "still being extremely cautious." On Aug. 9, less than a week after performing in front of a full-capacity crowd at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Limp Bizkit announced the cancelation of their summer tour "out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans." With the delta variant sweeping throughout the country, the U.S. is averaging more than 140,000 new coronavirus cases a day, the highest daily average since early February. Several popular bands, ranging from Phish and Maroon 5 to The Foo Fighters and Dead & Co., have recently declared they will require proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 or a recent negative test as a prerequisite to attend their shows. Earlier this week, Jason Isbell and his band, the 400 Unit, pulled out of the 19th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion after the festival said it would not require proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test for entry. In a statement, the festival's organizers explained, "after exploring all options, we have concluded that we cannot impose a vaccine mandate or negative test policy at this time without a state mandate." "I'm all for freedom, but I think if you're dead, you don't have any freedoms at all," Isbell told MSNBC in an interview last week. "So it's probably important to stay alive before you start questioning your liberty." It's not just artists that have decided to cancel shows. Last week, the New Orleans Jazz Fest announced that due to the "current exponential growth of new Covid cases in New Orleans and the region and the ongoing public health emergency," the event scheduled to take place in mid-October would be pushed back to next spring. The Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, a country music festival scheduled for Labor Day weekend in Florida, has also been called off and moved to June 3-5, 2022. Here Are The Bands Requiring Fans To Provide Proof Of Vaccination Or A Negative Covid Test To Attend Their Shows (Forbes) Musician Jason Isbell: I'll Only Perform For Audiences That Are Vaccinated Or Show A Negative Covid Test (Forbes)
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2021 California wildfires
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The 2021 California wildfire season is an ongoing series of wildfires that have burned across the state of California. As of August 17, 2021, a total of 6,540 fires have been recorded, burning 1,161,027 acres (469,851 ha) across the state. [1] At least 1,857 buildings have been destroyed by the wildfires, and at least seven firefighters have been injured battling the fires. [1]
The wildfire season in California experienced an unusually early start amid an ongoing drought and historically low rainfall and reservoir levels. [2] In January 2021 alone, 297 fires burned 1,171 acres (4.74 km2) on nonfederal land according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which is almost triple the number of fires and more than 20 times the acreage of the five-year average for January. [3][2] The January fires were exacerbated by unseasonably strong Santa Ana winds, and some of them burned in the same areas as previous fires like the CZU Lightning Complex. [4]
The long term trend is that wildfires in the state are increasing due to climate change in California. [5][6] In terms of the amount of fires burned, the 2021 season has been outpacing the 2020 season, which itself was the largest season in the state's recorded history. As of July 11, more than three times as many acres have burned compared to the previous year through that date, with drought, extreme heat, and reduced snowpack contributing to the severity of the fires. [7][8][9] The state also faces an increased risk of post-wildfire landslides. [10][11]
More than 120 families have been evacuated from the fires, and companies including PG&E have preemptively spent billions of dollars to reduce the risk of wildfires and avoid an event similar to the previous year's fire season. [4][12] Firefighters have also set prescribed fires to prevent other fires burning. [13][14][15][16] During evacuations from the Lava Fire, an illegal marijuana farmer was shot and killed by police after brandishing a firearm at authorities, while "defending his farm". [17][18]
The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
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Articles at closed Mahila Mall taken away, say entrepreneurs
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A notice saying rooms are available for rent pasted outside the now closed down Mahila Mall in Kozhikode city on Wednesday. Ragesh As many as nine entrepreneurs at the now closed down Mahila Mall in Kozhikode on Wednesday claimed that the articles they had stored in their shops were taken away without their knowledge. The husband of one of the entrepreneurs noticed on Tuesday evening that all the gift articles at their shop had been removed. Similar incidents happened at 10 other shops as well. There were 78 shops in the building, and 30 of them had occupants. Ten of them were under the custody of the group which ran the mall. Some others settled for compensation after the venture run into losses. The nine entrepreneurs who have now come with the complaint have losses up to ₹30 lakh. They pointed out that the front portion of the building had been locked, and that they could not get inside to assess the losses. The mall was closed down in 2020 March during the first lockdown. Though the entrepreneurs managed to get a court order to reopen the building, no steps were taken in that direction. Later, they approached the district administration, talks were held, and the mall was opened. But it ran only for four days. It was closed down again after pending power bills were not cleared. The Kozhikode Corporation claimed that the issue was between the operator of the mall and the entrepreneurs, and that the civic body was not involved in the row. The entrepreneurs said they would file a complaint with the Nadakkavu police station. Meanwhile, United Democratic Front (UDF) workers staged a demonstration outside the building in support of the entrepreneurs. Kozhikode District Congress Committee (DCC) president K. Praveenkumar and UDF councillors were present.
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Stephen Court fire
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The Stephen Court fire was a major fire in a historical building, Stephen Court, that occurred in March 2010 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The fire started by a short circuit in the lifts at 2:15 p.m. IST, rapidly engulfing the fifth and sixth floors. A delay in the start of rescue operations was experienced due to the inadequate planning and preparedness of the fire-service department. Many occupants of the building were forced onto narrow ledges on the sides of the building. 43 people died in the fire. More than 300 firemen and 40 fire tenders were involved in bringing the blaze under control. Later a charge-sheet was prepared by the police which held the directors and caretakers responsible for the mishap. A probe by the government into this incident revealed that illegal construction of two floors and the lack of adequate fire-fighting equipment were major factors that contributed to the blaze getting out of control. In 2016, the Stephen Court Welfare Association, an unregistered company, reconstructed the building. Stephen Court is a seven-storey building located on plot 18 A in the upscale neighbourhood of Park Street, Kolkata. It is over 150 years old and is listed as a Grade-II heritage building. [1]
Arathoon Stephen (1861 – 14 May 1927) was a member of the Armenian community of Kolkata who spent huge amounts of money to help shape the economic growth of the city. He was also a shareholder and the first managing director of a company known as the Stephen Court Ltd. This company, apart from owning several other heritage structures in Kolkata, built a three-storey building on land leased by Peter Charles Earnest Paul and named it after himself. The building, Stephen Court, was used for both commercial and residential purposes as there were no laws differentiating them during those times. [2]
Around 1930, a fourth storey was added to the building without the necessary building permits, followed by two more in 1984. The civic authorities issued a notice of building code violation on the building's management authorities. In 1984, the illegally constructed floors were regularised by the payment of a penalty. A mezzanine floor was also constructed between the ground floor and first floor, the date of construction of which is not known. [3]
At the time of the construction and regularisation of the two illegal floors, the civic laws of Kolkata required a fire clearance for any structure above the height of 18 metres (59 ft). After the regularisation of the additional floors, the building did cross the 18-metre (59 ft) limit. Due to a loophole in the law, the authorities did not have to obtain fire clearance, as regularised buildings were exempted. [2]
Stephen Court was put to both commercial and residential usage. This put an additional strain on the aged wiring of the building. [4]
At around 1:05 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. IST on 23 March 2010, a fire broke out at Stephen Court. Thought to be from a short circuit from a lift in between the fifth and sixth floors, the fire spread upwards and sideways, engulfing the whole building in flames. The flames were hastened by the lack of any modern fire-fighting measures in the building. Those who were trapped by the flames went out onto the narrow parapets and ledges, waiting to be rescued. One woman reportedly slipped and fell five floors below; she succumbed to her injuries. Around 2:15 the fire service department received a call for help. [5]
Nearly 300 firemen and 40 fire tenders were deployed to bring the fire under control. Two Bronto skylifts were deployed to rescue people stuck on the upper floors. [6]
At first only two fire engines reached the spot from the nearby Free School Street fire station, but more were eventually requisitioned from more distant areas of the city such as Behala and Salt Lake. Meanwhile, people trapped inside the building attempted to escape using unstable ladders and ropes. Protesters gathered in front of the building demanding taller ladders to be used to rescue people trapped on the fifth and sixth floors. Two skylifts that had been stored in faraway parts of the city, were deployed after a certain delay due to traffic. Later, 10 more fire tenders also joined forces to tackle the blaze. The fire was eventually brought under control by 10:30 p.m. IST. [7]
The firemen cleared out the building by going from door to door and checking for survivors, the injured and the dead. 43 people died in the blaze. [1] Around 20 people were injured. [8] A First Information Report was filed against the caretaker of the building as he had refused to co-operate and help in the rescue operations. A charge sheet prepared by the police named the three directors of Stephen Court Ltd. and the two caretakers for the lack of maintenance of the building. The liftman, caretaker and assistant caretaker were immediately taken into custody, two of the directors surrendered and the third was subsequently arrested in Uttar Pradesh. [9]
The government announced a probe of the incident. A forensic team confirmed that the blaze had been started by a short circuit. [4] Further investigation revealed a lack of maintenance of the electrical circuitry leading to exposed live wires in the basement, which combined with the wooden main stairs made the building a tinderbox. This had aided the fire in getting out of control. [4] As portions of the fifth and sixth floor had crumbled during the fire, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on the advice of the forensic team,[4] took the decision to demolish the top two storeys of the building but had to stop the operations after a section of the owners moved the high court.
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Ballarat swim centre fined $150,000 for diving accident that left 12-year-old girl quadriplegic
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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 owners of a western Victorian swimming centre have been fined $150,000 for a diving accident which left a 12-year-old girl a quadriplegic.
Milly Yeoman was taking part in school swimming lessons at the Swim and Survival Academy in Ballarat in 2016 when an instructor told her to dive into a pool that was too shallow.
The owners of the swim centre, De Kort Enterprises Pty Ltd, pleaded guilty to one count of breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the Ballarat County Court for failing to ensure the centre was safe.
Milly, now 14, faces life in a wheelchair after she suffered a broken neck and severe spinal cord injuries in the accident.
She was airlifted to the Royal Children's Hospital on November 1, 2016, where she spent nearly 200 days. She still requires 24-hour care.
Speaking outside court, Milly's mother Rebecca Yeoman said the family was disappointed with Judge Paul Lacava's sentence.
"It was nowhere near enough," she said.
"We were hoping for one million."
The maximum penalty that could have been imposed for the charge was $1.4 million.
Judge Lacava said he took into account De Kort Enterprises' early guilty plea when handing down the sentence.
He told the court the accident had profoundly impacted the Yeoman family.
"Their lives have been turned upside down by this tragedy," he said.
"The victim impact statements submitted to the court were powerful and moving evidence of the intense impact this has had on almost every aspect of their everyday lives."
The incident was captured by cameras inside the swim centre, which was viewed by the County Court Judge in private. The court heard an instructor told Milly to dive into the pool that was 1.2 metres deep.
She hit her head on the bottom of the pool and was face down for about 10 seconds before an instructor pulled her up. "I just remember when I hit my head everything kind of stopped," Milly said. "Everything blacked out." Prosecutor Andrew Palmer said Milly should have never been told to dive into the shallow pool. "Milly was 46 kilos heavier and 23cm taller than the average female her age," Mr Palmer said. Royal Life Saving Society Victoria recommends dives should take place in pools with a depth of 2 metres.
Lawyers for the husband and wife directors of De Kort Enterprises, Rob and Julie De Kort, who have run the pool for 17 years, told the court they accepted responsibility for the accident.
"They sincerely regret what happened to Amelia and the severe trauma it caused her family," defence lawyer Robert O'Neill told the court.
"There's been about 90,000 dives in the pools at the swim school and they've never had a serious incident before this one."
"They are committed to do anything they can to make sure no such incident takes place in the future."
The Department of Education was also facing one charge of breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act and was due to appear in court in June. A GoFundMe page set up to help Milly's family with medical costs has raised $55,000. 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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One man killed, two taken to hospital after collapse at Gregory coal mine in central Queensland
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One man killed, two taken to hospital after collapse at Gregory coal mine in central Queensland Follow our live coverage for the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic One man is dead and two others have been taken to hospital after an underground coal mine collapse overnight north of Emerald in central Queensland. Queensland police said they were called to an industrial incident involving a section of a mine collapsing at Lilyvale about 11:00pm. "A 60-year-old man suffered significant injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene," police said in a statement. "A 25-year-old man also sustained injuries and was airlifted to Rockhampton Base Hospital in a serious condition." The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) said the incident occurred at the Sojitz Gregory Crinum Mine, known as the Gregory coal mine. Paramedics, including critical care and a rescue helicopter, responded to the collapse around midnight. Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) said a man with pelvic and leg injuries was initially trapped before being freed and flown to Rockhampton Hospital in a serious condition. A spokesperson for the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service said he remains in hospital in a stable condition. A third person was taken to Emerald Hospital in a stable condition after suffering what QAS described as a "medical event" but he has since been released. Sojitz Blue chief executive officer Cameron Vorias said there was "a roof fall in the conveyor drift". He said he understood the families of those involved in the incident had been contacted. "We've had the devastating news of an employee at the Crinum operation, which has suffered a roof fall in the conveyor drift, and at this moment we have two parties who were involved in that and unfortunately one of those parties is deceased," he said. Mr Vorias said the drift runs from the surface down into the coal mine and allows the conveyor belt to come out of the mine onto the surface. Mastermyne, the company with the mining services contract at the mine, said counselling services had been made available to all Mastermyne staff and others impacted by the incident. Mining operations have been suspended until further notice. Stephen Smyth from the CFMEU said a union safety representative is at the mine with the regulator, Resources Safety and Health Queensland, but police had taken control of the site. Mr Vorias said he had no further information into the cause of the collapse. "Investigations are all continuing at this moment everything is about ensuring that the family and all of the colleagues at [site operator] Mastermyne and at Sojitz are fine," he said. "Our thoughts are firstly out to the family and everybody on site at the moment, it's absolutely devastating news and a very difficult time. "We will do what we need to do to ensure that we understand the circumstances around this and we will work with all the authorities and assist wherever we can to ensure we understand the nature of the incident." Mastermyne said relevant authorities have been notified and an investigation into the cause of the incident has commenced. Mastermyne managing director Tony Caruso said it was a "tragic event" and their thoughts are with the family, friends and workmates of their employee. "Our employee's family has been notified of the incident and the company is providing them with our support and assistance." "The safety and wellbeing of our staff is one of our core values. The cause of the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and we will continue to support the family and our work colleagues." Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in Parliament paid her respects to the miner who died and extended her condolences to his family. "I can assure Queenslanders that this matter will be the subject of a thorough investigation by Resources Health and Safety Queensland (sic)," she said. Mr Smyth said while it would be "premature to make an assumption" on activity at the mine when the collapse occurred, the union had been told the crew were undertaking roof support work. "They're doing remedial work throughout the mine to get it up and running for production purposes, so there's a lot of work going on in that mine of a maintenance nature," he said. "Crinum exhausted its coal reserves and the mine was closed, it was sealed up for a period of time." We offer tailored front pages for local audiences in each state and territory. Find out how to opt in for more Queensland news. Mr Smyth said mine operations had only recommenced this year. "Mastermyne are recovering that mine in preparation to go back into coal production," he said. Mr Smyth urged all mining operators across the Bowen Basin to check in on their workforce and offer support. "It has a ripple effect across the industry, it affects everybody … while they may not have been at the Crinum mine, it certainly affects the industry as a whole — particularly the underground sector," he said. Sojitz Corporation bought the Gregory mine from BMA Australia in March 2019. The company then began ventilation works in the old underground mine pit as a first step towards reopening the site.
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US formally submits withdrawal from the World Health Organization
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By Shabtai Gold Jul 8, 2020 Washington - The United States officially notified the UN secretary general of the country's withdrawal from the World Health Organization on Tuesday, setting in motion the country's exit from the global body. US President Donald Trump in May said he would withdraw from the WHO, accusing the organization of failing in the coronavirus pandemic and being a puppet of China. Trump also announced a funding halt to the WHO in a move that has drawn concern, including from US allies. The move, effective July 6, 2021, was confirmed by a US senior administration official, the UN and later the WHO itself. The WHO offered no further comment. A spokesman for the UN noted that exit conditions include giving a one-year notice and "fully meeting" financial obligations. Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, earlier said the Trump administration had notified Congress of the US withdrawal and was sharply critical of the president. "To call Trump's response to Covid chaotic & incoherent doesn't do it justice. This won't protect American lives or interests-it leaves Americans sick & America alone," Menendez said on Twitter. A chorus of Democrats followed in slamming the administration, warning on the dangers of exiting a global health body in middle of a pandemic. "On my first day as President, I will rejoin the WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage," Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee to run for president against Trump in November, wrote on Twitter. The speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, tweeted that the WHO withdrawal is an "act of true senselessness." Allies, notably in Europe, have expressed concern over the US withdrawal and funding suspension, given the outsized role of Washington in bankrolling the organization. Trump has been pushing blame onto China for the pandemic, even as he faces mounting domestic criticism over his own handling of the virus. Much of his anger has been focused on the claim Beijing was not transparent about the virus' spread in December and January. After a period in which the US managed to flatten the curve, and significantly control the spread in hotspots like New York, new epicentres have emerged in recent weeks in Florida, Texas and other southern states. A number of states are smashing daily caseload records, even as death rates continue to decline. The US resurgence comes as other wealthy nations are seeing significantly lower caseloads. Trump has downplayed the resurgence, saying it is the result of expanded testing, though governors have dismissed this reasoning, as hospitalization rates are also rising. The president, facing re-election in November, has shifted his focus to reopening the economy. He was hosting a discussion Tuesday on reopening schools.
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Washington coastal communities build upward after lessons of 2011 Japan tsunami
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The 2011 Tohoku earthquake, which caused a tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, drove home the importance of tsunami preparedness Author: Glenn Farley Published: 8:42 PM PST March 10, 2021 Updated: 10:18 AM PST March 11, 2021 Thursday, March 11 marks 10 years since Japan’s Tohoku earthquake in 2011. The magnitude 9.1 temblor and the tsunami that followed killed 16,000 people, caused the Fukushima nuclear power plant to meltdown and sent huge amounts of debris to Washington’s beaches. The disaster was also a reminder of the kind of quake and tsunami that will happen on our own coastline, as more communities prepare for that day. “I can’t think of a single other event that has motivated state, federal and local partners to move forward with tsunami evacuation and mitigation planning,” says Tim Cook, who leads hazard mitigation for Washington’s Emergency Management Division. In some communities, work was already underway. The Quileute Tribe in La Push has conducted emergency evacuation drills for decades to get people to higher ground from the lower village which is close to sea level. The tribe acquired land and in 2017 began clearing a section to start the process of moving that lower village to higher ground. That starts with the tribal school, and now construction of a new 60,000 square foot building 250 feet above sea level is well underway with an opening planned for the fall of 2022. Ocosta Elementary School south of Westport erected North America's first community vertical evacuation structure as part of new school construction opening in 2017. The residents taxed themselves with a school bond to build it. Further south the Shoalwater Bay Tribe expects it will begin construction of a stand-alone vertical evacuation tower by late spring, which will also welcome residents of nearby Tokeland. Credit: KING 5 Shoalwater Bay Tribe planned tsunami shelter Elsewhere, Cook says Ocean Shores has lined up funding for the first of what is likely to be several towers, and Westport itself has started its planning. “If all goes as planned, their target is the summer of 2022 for construction,” says Tim Cook in regards to Ocean Shores. "Westport secured Federal and state grants to help with preliminary design." Building the structures can cost millions of dollars, and it’s not just construction. The structures need tsunami modeling, which shows where the waves go based on the severity of the earthquake. Depending on the soil the tower sits on, much of the construction work goes into the foundation as the tower will have to survive a massive quake even before the waves come in, which could happen in as little as 15 to 20 minutes. Designs can range from dedicated towers to dual-use facilities with some ideas include raised sections of reinforced Earth, which could be used as a park or ball fields, but located high enough to avoid being topped by tsunami waves. Washington’s Emergency Management Division plans to release a revised guide to building and financing evacuation structures in April.
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Switzerland’s Zurich Airport Receives World Travel Award For Europe’s Best Airport for 18 Consecutive Years
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Switzerland’s Zurich Airport has received the World Travel Award as Europe’s best airport for the 18th year in succession.
The World Travel Awards is considered the most prestigious awards program in the travel industry, while it is presented to the best service providers in several areas of the travel and tourism industry, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
In this category, Zurich Airport has remained undefeated since 2004, as reported by Aviation 24. According to Zurich airport authorities, such an award reflects the quality standards as well as services offered by this airport.
In addition, according to the CEO of Flughafen Zürich AG, Stephan Widrig, it is a result of all companies located at the airport.
“In these difficult times, in particular, the award is a great honour for us. It is recognition for the excellent cooperation between all our airport partners and the huge commitment of everyone working at Zurich Airport,” Widrig pointed out in this regard.
However, Switzerland’s Zurich Airport, the largest airport in Swiss territory, has also been affected by the spread of the Coronavirus. Nevertheless, the airport has recently marked an increase in the number of passengers.
In September, a total of 1,383,209 passengers passed through this airport marking a 157.9 per cent increase compared to the figures of the same period one year earlier. In addition, compared to September 2019 figures, passenger numbers have marked a 47.9 per cent increase.
Passenger traffic at Zurich Airport remained high in September, even after the peak tourist season.
During last month the number of passengers in this airport was 1,030,411. At the same time, transfer passengers increased to 25.0 per cent or 344,142 passengers.
In addition, air traffic movement marked a 67.3 per cent increase compared to 2019 figures, while air traffic movements marked a 34.1 per cent decline compared to 2019 figures.
A similar high air traffic volume is also expected during the autumn holiday weeks. During this period the airport operator expects nearly 70,000 passengers.
Besides the Zurich airport, Brazilian airports Florianópolis and Vitória were also ranked in the top positions.
In addition, the World Travel Awards has also named THE LOFT at Brussels Airport as the ‘Europe’s Leading Airline Lounge 2021’.
“The fact that, next to travel and tourism professionals, these same customers have chosen for the third time for the LOFT by Brussels Airlines and Lexus as ‘Europe’s Leading Airport Lounge 2021’ is the greatest reward we could get,” Head of Customer Experience, Product & Marketing, Wencke Lemmes-Pireaux, pointed out in this regard.
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Awards ceremony
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16 Celebrity Marriages That Lasted Less Than a Year
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It's easy to fall in love with celebrity relationships, especially between two lovable stars. But obviously, some last longer than others. Much longer. There are those Hollywood couples who have been together seemingly forever, like Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, and on the other end of the spectrum, there are the celebrity marriages that were over in the blink of an eye. Keep reading for celebrity marriages that lasted less than a year that you may have forgotten. And for admirers who ended up with their A-list crushes, here are 22 Celebrities Who Married Their Biggest Fans.
The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss was briefly married to Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen, but their love ultimately wasn't meant to be. The couple was only wed for an eight-month period between 2009 and 2010, and years later, Moss told New York Magazine that it was actually a difficult time for her.
"Looking back, I feel like I was really young, and at the time I didn't think that I was that young," she told the outlet in 2014. "It was extremely traumatic and awful and horrible. At the same time, it turned out for the best."
For stars who tied the knot quietly, here are Celebrity Couples Who Had Top-Secret Weddings
Drew Barrymore married comedian Tom Green in 2001, but six months later, their marriage came to an end. However, it seems like these days, these two are on pretty good terms. He even appeared on her talk show in September of 2020.
Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush started out as love interests on One Tree Hill, and fell in love offscreen too. The couple tied the knot in April 2005, only to divorce by the end of the year, though they still had to work together. Later, Bush would tell Andy Cohen in an interview that she only married Murray at the age of 21 because her coworkers pressured her into it.
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In January 2008, Eddie Murphy and producer Tracey Edmonds went their separate ways just two weeks after they got married in Bora Bora. The kicker is that they'd never actually completed the paperwork to be legally married, so at that point, "getting divorced" was mostly just a matter of not going through with a legal ceremony.
Ready for one of the shortest (and most talked about) show business marriages of all time? That honor belongs to Britney Spears and Jason Alexander, the childhood friend she famously wed in Las Vegas in 2004. The couple only stayed married for 55 hours, at which point they got an annulment—something Alexander told ABC News he only did in hopes that they'd still date. Bummer!
For more relationships that came and went quickly, here are '90s Celebrity Couples You Totally Forgot About.
Though The Chi creator Lena Waithe and wife Alana Mayo's secret wedding came as a happy surprise to fans, their marriage didn't last. They dated for three years before they'd gotten married, but two months into their marriage, they decided to separate, with Mayo filing for divorce in November of 2020.
The only other super short marriage that may rival the amount of attention that Spears and Alexander got might be the one that belonged to Kim Kardashian and former NBA player Kris Humphries. After broadcasting their massive wedding on E!, Kardashian and Humphries ended things 72 days later, though it wasn't until two years later that their divorce would be final.
For stars who've kept trying (and trying), here are 16 Celebrities Who've Been Married the Most Times.
Are we the only ones who almost forgot about this whirlwind Hollywood romance? Four months after they got married on the beach in May of 2005, actor Renee Zellweger and country star Kenny Chesney called it quits, filing for annulment and citing "fraud" as the reason. Though that sounds pretty scandalous, Zellweger later clarified that it was just a legal term and that fans shouldn't read too much into it.
These days, Jennifer Lopez is gearing up to marry baseball legend Alex Rodriguez, but one of her most memorable relationships was with dancer/choreographer Cris Judd… and sadly, that ended in a marriage that truly wasn't meant to be. In September 2001, they got married after meeting on the set of Lopez's music video for "Love Don't Cost a Thing," and had announced their breakup by June.
For more duos with major age differences, here are 27 Celebrity Couples With Huge Age Gaps.
This early divorce baffled a lot of fans at the time, because these two seemed like such a solid couple. After dating for five years, actors Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria didn't seem to be rushing into anything when they got married in July 1999, but 11 months later, they were already separated, and in December of 2000, Hunt filed for divorce.
Though she's now married to Jamie Dornan, once upon a time, musician Amelia Warner was actually Colin Farrell's wife. She was 19 when they got married in Bora Bora in 2001, and it only lasted a few months. And much like that of Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds, who also got married in Bora Bora, their wedding also wasn't legally binding.
After Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson spent four months being husband and wife, it all came to an end. Though there were rumors that they split because the rocker was jealous that Anderson appeared in Borat (no really, that was a real rumor), he later told Howard Stern that they were dealing with money disputes and family drama.
A wedding officiated by Kris Jenner should be the start to a marriage that lasts forever, but it wasn't so for this couple. After getting married in October 2017 in Palm Springs, Arrow actor Colton Haynes and designer Jeff Leatham announced their breakup in May 2018, citing irreconcilable differences.
Cher and Allman Brothers Band singer Gregg Allman married each other in 1975, but it lasted all of nine days before Cher was filing for divorce, in part due to his substance use issues. Still, they had a son together: Elijah Blue Allman, who went on to become a musician himself.
Fans were heartbroken when Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth ended their engagement in 2013… only to be absolutely elated when they ended up reuniting years later. Quietly, the couple got married in December 2018, but by August of 2019, it was officially and truly over.
Actor and model Carmen Electra and NBA star Dennis Rodman's short-lived relationship began in Las Vegas in 1998, after the couple had been dating for just a few months. It all ended just as quickly, though; Electra filed for divorce in 1999, later telling Oprah Winfrey, "Our relationship was very passionate. When it was good, it was amazing. And when it was bad, it was the worst."
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Famous Person - Divorce
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November 1960 Peru earthquake
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The November 1960 Peru earthquake occurred offshore northern Peru on November 20 at 17:02 local time. The magnitude of the earthquake was put at Ms 6.75 by using the conventional magnitude measurement within a shorter duration of ~20 s. However, there is a large discrepancy between the magnitudes in Ms and Mw in this earthquake. The discrepancy was caused from the earthquake's long source duration of about 130 s, and by calculating the seismic moment, the magnitude would be Mw 7.6 or Mw 7.8, according to different sources. This earthquake belongs to a category of earthquakes with slow rupture velocities and potential of producing tsunamis larger than those expected from the moment magnitudes. [4]
This earthquake triggered a tsunami with a height of 9 meters (30 ft) in Puerto Eten, Lambayeque Department. [5] The tsunami caused damage along the coast of the Lambayeque department. Three deaths were reported in Lambayeque Department. Thirteen deaths and 50 missing were reported in Guañape Islands, La Libertad Department. The tsunami was also observed in Hilo, Hawaii. [5]
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Earthquakes
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2007–2008 Senegalese protests
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The 2007–2008 Senegalese protests were ongoing opposition protests and civil demonstrations, riots and strikes in Senegal over many issues. One of the main issues were deteriorating economic conditions and food price hikes due to the 2007–2008 world food price crisis. Hundreds attended rallies from January, March and September, before the biggest wave of protests. Demonstrators were met with bullets and tear gas. Water cannon was also shot at demonstrators demanding democratic reforms and justice from the government, yet the resignation of president Abdoulaye Wade. Thousands threw stones on demonstrators in November 2007, after a week-long uprising and bloody crackdown nationwide. Clashes between protesters and security forces, who launched strike action. After protests in December, protests calmed and ceased for 2–3 months until March–April 2008 when tanks was deployed after opposition protests and food riots in Dakar. Four people were killed in the uprising and ensuing clashes. Violent protests rocked the country until 28 April 2008, when two demonstrators were killed in clashes. [1][2][3]
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Man Trying to Keep His Family Warm Dies of Apparent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
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It happened Monday night in the 4800 block of Avenue G.
Kevin Ayala, his wife and their 4-year-old son were inside, desperate to stay warm.
"The house was really cold,” friend Edan Perez said.
The latest news from around North Texas.
So Ayala had an idea, a way for him and his family to survive in the freezing temperatures.
"To keep the house warm, he put that generator inside the kitchen,” Perez said.
They couldn't smell anything or see anything and didn't even realize there was a problem.
But the house quickly filled with carbon monoxide.
About an hour after connecting the generator, his wife Katherin Padilla said they started to feel tired and went to sleep.
A friend happened to stop by and found them passed out.
"It was a bad situation,” Perez said. “It was bad, bad, bad."
Ayala’s wife and son were rushed to the hospital and recovered.
But Ayala – a construction worker and an immigrant from Honduras who came to Fort Worth looking for the American dream -- didn't make it.
"He was a very friendly person,” his wife said. “A good person and a hard worker.”
"It's sad because he was only 23 years old and he passed away,” his cousin Pamela Segovia said. “But we just have to stay strong and be here for our family."
His family hopes his death serves as a lesson for everyone about the dangers of carbon monoxide.
"That's a mistake, really a mistake,” Perez said.
Even if you're desperate to stay warm, they said, don't take any chances.
"That's what happened with my friend,” Perez said. “He tried to keep his family warm, and that's what happened."
Ayala leaves his son and wife, who's pregnant with their second child.
The family has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money so Ayala’s body can be returned for burial in Honduras.
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Mass Poisoning
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Sknyliv air show disaster crash
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The Sknyliv air show disaster occurred on 27 July 2002, when a Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 piloted by Volodymyr Toponar and co-piloted by Yuriy Yegorov crashed during an aerobatics presentation at Sknyliv airfield near Lviv, Ukraine. The accident killed 77 people and injured 543, 100 of whom were hospitalized. It is the deadliest air show accident in history. More than 10,000 spectators attended the Saturday air show, staged to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Ukrainian Air Force's 14th Air Corps. [1][2] The Su-27 aircraft was flown by two experienced pilots; it entered a rolling maneuver at 12:52 p.m. with a downward trajectory at low altitude. It rolled upright once more and was still descending rapidly when the left wing dropped, shortly before it hit the ground, at which point the crew initiated ejection. The aircraft flattened out initially, skidding over the ground towards stationary aircraft and striking a glancing blow against the nose of an Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft, before beginning to explode and cartwheel into the crowd of spectators. [page needed]
Both pilots survived with minor injuries, while 77 spectators were killed, including 28 children[3] (though initial reports by the Ministry of Emergencies put the number of dead at 83, including 23 children). [4] Another 100 were hospitalized for head injuries, burns, and bone fractures. [1][5] Other injuries were less severe and did not require hospitalization; a total of 543 people were injured in the accident. [6]
Following the disaster, the pilots stated that the flight map which they had received differed from the actual layout. On the cockpit voice recorder, one pilot asks, "And where are our spectators? "[7] Others have suggested that the pilots were slow to react to automated warnings issued by the flight computer. [7]
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma publicly blamed the military for the disaster and dismissed the head of the air force, General Viktor Strelnykov. [8] Defense minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko offered his resignation, but Kuchma rejected it. [9]
On 24 June 2005, a military court sentenced pilot Volodymyr Toponar and co-pilot Yuriy Yegorov to 14 and 8 years in prison, respectively. The court found the two pilots and three other military officials guilty of failing to follow orders, negligence, and violating flight rules. Two of the three officials were sentenced to up to six years in prison; the third received up to four years. In addition, Toponar was ordered to pay 7.2 million Ukrainian hryvnia (US$1.42 million; €1.18 million) in compensation to the families, and Yegorov 2.5 million hryvnia. The crew's main flight trainer was acquitted for lack of evidence. [10][11] After the verdict was announced, Toponar said that he planned to appeal, insisting that the crash was due to technical problems and a faulty flight plan. Yegorov was released in 2008 after President Viktor Yushchenko issued a decree reducing his sentence to three and a half years. [12]
The pilots were assigned the majority of the blame, which included accusations of attempting maneuvers with which they were not experienced. Toponar had requested an additional training flight at the airfield where the display was to be performed, but the request was denied. [13]
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Air crash
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Rising Hunger: Facing a Food-Insecure World
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Global food insecurity has surged amid the coronavirus pandemic, threatening to worsen humanitarian crises and spur further mass migration. In 2019, an estimated 135 million people faced life-threatening food insecurity, according to the World Food Program (WFP), the UN food assistance agency. Now, that number is projected to nearly double due to the coronavirus pandemic, with food emergencies afflicting countries that have not required interventions in the past. Pandemic restrictions have made it more difficult to access food, and economic downturns around the globe could mean long-lasting inability to afford food for hundreds of millions of people. The hunger crisis will have dramatic implications in many areas. It threatens to unravel decades of progress in global health: poor diets are the leading contributor [PDF] to the world’s disease burden, including childhood conditions such as stunting and chronic illnesses caused in part by obesity. Hunger, both acute and chronic, can also impede children’s education and career prospects. In extreme cases, it can roil the political landscape. Surging food prices helped fuel recent protests in Lebanon, while shortages led to demonstrations in Chile earlier this year. Many without access to food flee home in search of it; the WFP estimates that for every 1 percent increase in hunger, there is a 2 percent increase in migration. At the same time, the pandemic has mobilized international institutions, governments, and aid organizations to take action. The coronavirus has laid bare widening gaps in food access and affordability, two areas where experts are focusing their efforts to make food systems more resilient. Global hunger had been rising for years before the pandemic. Last year, almost one-tenth of the world’s population was exposed to severe food insecurity, the most extreme level of insecurity as measured by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This means a person has run out of food or at some point gone an entire day without eating. Asia has the largest population of undernourished people, at more than 380 million, followed by Africa and Latin America. As with poverty, often mutually reinforcing factors drive food insecurity. These include conflict, uneven food distribution, poor governance, economic challenges, and population displacement. Environmental issues—such as extreme weather events, water scarcity, and pollution—threaten food production, and climate change is adding a new level of danger. Food security is not just about consuming enough calories but also adequate nutrition. This means taking in macronutrients—carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—as well as micronutrients, which are vitamins and minerals. Such diets are far out of reach for people living on less than $1.90 per day at 2011 international prices, which aid officials define as the threshold for extreme poverty. “If you’re living in poverty, you might have enough to purchase rice for the day, but it’s nowhere near enough for you to purchase a meal that provides all the nutrients necessary to meet your dietary needs,” says Caitlin Welsh, director of the Global Food Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Roughly 690 million people are undernourished globally, but more than three billion [PDF] can’t access the cheapest healthy diets. Additionally, obesity is of growing concern in low- and high-income countries alike, as families turn to cheap foods that are high in fat, salt, and sugar. Despite the pandemic, the global food supply has remained relatively strong, with the production of major staples such as rice and wheat staying above average in 2020. But lockdowns and other containment measures have driven up unemployment, disrupted food supply chains, and cut off the flow of remittances around the globe. Hundreds of millions of people have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, making food—particularly nutritious food—unaffordable for many even where it is available. Ultimately, the health crisis could force up to 132 million more people globally to become undernourished this year, UN experts say, due to inequalities in food access. The countries at greatest risk of worsening food crises are those that are heavily dependent on imports; lack a diversity of food suppliers; are landlocked; or were already facing shocks due to conflict, climate events, or economic troubles. Low-income countries, which typically have more labor-intensive food supply chains involving planting or harvesting, have seen significant disruptions. Though some countries imposed export restrictions, a move meant to cushion domestic food supplies, food export bans have been rare compared to during the 2008 global financial crisis. Nations, including those in the Group of Twenty (G20), have pledged to keep trade open. Wealthy nations, too, have been seriously challenged, despite having more capital-intensive, mechanized supply chains. Many of these countries rely on foreign agricultural workers to harvest delicate crops by hand, but pandemic-related travel restrictions have prevented or hindered the movement of migrant laborers. Income losses have devastated urban communities in particular. “When we think of hunger, we often think of rural communities and subsistence farmers—places and groups disproportionately hit by food insecurity in the past,” says Chase Sova, senior director of public policy and research at World Food Program USA. “But COVID-19 is an altogether new threat, affecting the urban poor in great numbers.” Women and children are disproportionately affected by hunger. The health crisis is intensifying gender inequalities [PDF], as women are more likely to skip meals or eat smaller portions and face more restrictions on food production. Roughly ten thousand additional children under five years old are projected to die per month in 2020 due to pandemic-linked nutritional issues, potentially undoing decades of progress toward reducing child deaths globally. An estimated 5.2 million children under age five died in 2019, with nutritional factors contributing to roughly 45 percent of deaths in this age range. Insecurity is also higher among racial and ethnic minority groups, highlighting long-standing economic disparities. Since first emerging in the region, the novel coronavirus has escalated food security risks across Asia and the Pacific. Pandemic-related factors have throttled every stage of the food supply chain. Some countries—including Cambodia and Vietnam [PDF]—have restricted food exports, and food has piled up at Philippine ports. A nationwide lockdown rocked India’s already shaky food infrastructure, warping supply chains and raising food prices. A pandemic-related lack of migrant laborers hamstrung India’s food production, further limiting supplies in one of the world’s hungriest countries. Moreover, the poultry industry took a massive hit following unsubstantiated rumors that the coronavirus can be transmitted through chicken. In Afghanistan, the pandemic’s economic fallout has worsened already rampant poverty and food insecurity, creating a humanitarian challenge aid workers say they have not seen in nearly two decades. Life-threatening malnutrition in children under five spiked 13 percent between January and May, and movement restrictions mean fewer malnourished children are receiving medical care. Generally water-stressed and reliant on food imports, the region is naturally vulnerable to food insecurity. Pandemic-related drops in oil prices, remittances, and tourism are expected to increase poverty and make it harder for people to access food. The wealthy states of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have so far avoided food shortages. But conflict-wracked Yemen, where food programs have been cut and border restrictions have impeded aid deliveries, is on the verge of famine. Nearly half of children under five could be malnourished by the end of 2020. In Lebanon, the pandemic has aggravated economic issues, including rising import costs and currency depreciation, that make it difficult to procure agricultural and food products. The country faced a possible food crisis even before August explosions ravaged Beirut’s port, destroying the country’s primary grain silos and further raising concerns about food security. The number of undernourished people is growing faster on the African continent than anywhere else in the world. Approximately 22 percent of people in the sub-Saharan region were undernourished in 2019, according to the FAO, and that proportion is now projected to jump to nearly 30 percent by 2030. Countries that were already in the midst of crises now face even more dire situations. In Zimbabwe—plagued by drought and decades of economic mismanagement—the number of food-insecure people could rise to 60 percent of the population by the end of 2020. In Sudan, which was rocked by massive protests in 2019 as it neared economic collapse, pandemic restrictions have put more people out of work as prices for basic goods have skyrocketed. Even in countries with relatively strong economies, such as Nigeria, shocks to household incomes are putting food out of reach for more and more families. Ethiopia, Kenya, and other countries in East Africa and elsewhere were suffering their worst locust swarms in decades before the pandemic hit. The insect invasions, which experts have linked to climate change, have depleted large swaths of vegetation and led to the deaths of livestock; amid pandemic closures, the delivery of pesticides has slowed and in some cases halted altogether. The pandemic could unravel fifteen years of hunger reduction in the region, as unemployment and rising food prices have left millions of people unable to buy sufficient or nutritious food. In a region where much of the economic activity is informal, pandemic lockdowns hit incomes hard. Together, Latin America and the Caribbean are projected to see a 269 percent jump [PDF] in the number of people who are acutely food insecure in 2020, as compared to before the coronavirus. The coronavirus is also compounding the existing crisis in Venezuela, where one-third of people were hungry pre-pandemic. Millions of people who fled Venezuela have lost their jobs in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, and are now among the Latin Americans most at risk of starvation. Haiti, the region’s poorest country, was already dependent on food imports and now faces rising hunger. The pandemic has forced Haiti’s schools, where many children get meals, to close; it has also caused a drop in critical remittances. Meanwhile, debt-saddled Argentina has seen a nearly 40 percent increase in people who depend on the government for a daily meal. Mexico City food kitchens have likewise begun serving roughly 20 percent more meals. The pandemic has created a recession worse than the 2008 financial crisis, which caused 13.5 million European households to become food insecure. More than 80 percent of the European Food Banks Federation’s member countries saw a rise in demand for emergency aid by late March, indicating both food shortages and unequal food distribution. Vulnerable groups include refugees in Turkey, nearly two-thirds of whom have struggled to access food during the pandemic. Meanwhile, other Europeans, including in Italy, have rushed to stockpile food. The pandemic has hindered food production, in part because agriculture in countries such as Germany relies on foreign laborers who are subject to travel restrictions. Coronavirus outbreaks have also shuttered meat factories across the continent. Prince Charles urged students and furloughed workers to help harvest food in the United Kingdom, though the country’s Brexit-related stockpiling of food has helped it meet a rise in demand. U.S. food insecurity has swelled amid the pandemic, which triggered record unemployment, raised grocery prices, and shrank individuals’ purchasing power. As of late summer, almost one in eight households lacked enough to eat, and food insecurity is far higher among Black and Hispanic communities. Demand at food banks has surged to unprecedented levels, with almost half of beneficiaries receiving food assistance for the first time. Still, unlike during previous eras of hunger, the United States has an abundance of food. Some farmers even destroyed their products after restaurant closures upended supply chains and coronavirus outbreaks forced meat plants to suspend operations. Even if economies recover in 2021, experts say severe food insecurity will persist, pressing governments, multilateral organizations, and aid groups to rethink the world’s food systems. This could expand the number of short-term interventions that provide more immediate relief from food insecurity during the pandemic, as well as lead to long-term reforms that address persistent drivers of hunger and streamline global supply chains. “In a way, it will help,” says Johan Swinnen, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing poverty and ending hunger and malnutrition. “There’s a lot of talk now about building back better.” Short term. Experts including Sova and Welsh say that successful interventions have built on countries’ existing social safety nets. Such tactics include assistance for farmers, unemployment benefits, and public food programs. “Food banks are meant to be the emergency stopgap. But programs like [the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)] are much more sustainable and have better impacts on local economies, and on household food security,” Welsh says. She adds that it is important for governments to reduce the transaction costs of remittances, which would give people more purchasing power. Countries can also work to ease supply chain disruptions. Experts point to China’s so-called green lanes as a template for exempting food-related activities and workers from lockdowns. Early in the pandemic, the Gulf Cooperation Council enacted a similar joint food supply network, and, in a separate effort, seven countries made a cross-regional pact to maintain open trade and supply chains. Avoiding food export restrictions is needed to help prevent food prices and insecurity from rising further. In some countries, such as Yemen and Syria, underlying crises make international aid critical to address pandemic-related food insecurity. The WFP alone needs $13 billion to administer food programs this year. But this may be a tall ask for donor countries facing pandemic-induced economic recessions and shifting investments toward health systems. Long term. Food security experts also urge more transformative policies and initiatives. Progress toward global poverty reduction has allowed some households to spend smaller portions of their incomes on food and decrease their vulnerability to food price shocks, though the pandemic appears to be undoing some of those gains. The agricultural sector can take steps to fortify supply chains against future disruptions, particularly through diversification. This could mean food companies source raw food materials from a diverse group of farms across multiple regions, or individual farmers expand their variety of crops and livestock. As the need for climate action takes on increasing urgency, food and environmental experts have stressed the importance of transforming food systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These efforts include reducing food waste and emphasizing plant-based or nutrient-dense diets. Amid the pandemic lockdown, farmers in India used social media to redirect their produce directly to consumers. On a larger scale, China launched its “clean plate” campaign, aimed at pressuring citizens not to throw away food. Beijing is also implementing a national nutrition plan. Some countries, including India, Mexico, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, have taxed or banned sugary foods and drinks. One important new multinational initiative is the COVID-19 Food Coalition, proposed by Italy and led by the FAO, which has brought together dozens of countries to tackle the pandemic’s long-term impacts on food systems and agriculture. “What is clearly changing now is the thinking about how to make these systems more resilient,” Swinnen says.
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NTSB releases preliminary details about fractured gas pipeline in Coolidge explosion
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COOLIDGE — The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday released its preliminary report on last month's gas line explosion in Coolidge that destroyed a home and killed a man and his 14-year-old daughter.
NTSB investigators said a natural gas pipeline ruptured around 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 15 about 120 yards away from a family's rural farmhouse on the outskirts of Coolidge, a small Pinal County city located south of Phoenix.
Authorities said the explosion was heard for miles and the resulting fire burned for more than 2 ½ hours.
Two people killed in the fire are believed to be Luis Alvarez and his 14-year-old daughter Valeria Alvarez, according to Coolidge Police. A woman was found severely burned outside the home after escaping through a window, police said.
A 46-foot section of the pipeline was ejected during the explosion, according to investigators.
But right before the explosion, the NTSB said the gas pressure of the pipeline was below the maximum allowed operating pressure.
According to the NTSB report, the pipeline was originally installed in 1985 and had previously been transporting crude oil.
Authorities said the pipeline was converted to natural gas service about 20 years ago and acquired by Kinder Morgan Inc. in 2012. The 30-inch pipe is operated by El Paso Natural Gas, according to the NTSB.
The NTSB said the fractured and unaffected portions of the pipeline still were undergoing analysis and testing and the agency's investigation of the explosion was ongoing.
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Gas explosion
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Bank robber makes off with cash in Birmingham
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This Veterans Day, please find it in your heart to help a group of Americans who didn't need to be asked to help you and your way of life. by Jack Helean BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — Police on Tuesday were investigating a bank robbery in Birmingham. According to a statement, it happened at the PNC Bank at 9648 Parkway East just before 4:30 p.m. Police said the the robber approached the counter and presented a note to the teller. He then fled the building with an undisclosed amount of money. Police said he fled the scene traveling northbound on Roebuck Drive in a black Nissan Altima with no tag. He was described as wearing a black hat, grey sweatshirt, white t-shirt, blue jeans and a black mask. Police also released surveillance photos.
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Bank Robbery
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WFP ramps up support to Yemen's famine risk areas
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“The continued fragility in Yemen, compounded by the persistent driving factors of food insecurity has left Yemen acutely vulnerable to worsening levels of hunger – and famine conditions,” said Laurent Bukera, WFP Country Director for Yemen. “Escalating conflict, economic decline, rising global commodity prices and COVID-19 have all contributed to an alarming increase in acute hunger over the last year.” Nearly 50,000 people in Yemen are already living in famine-like conditions and 5 million people are in immediate danger. A child dies every 10 minutes of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea, malnutrition and respiratory tract infections. Responding to these acute needs, WFP resumed monthly distributions to 350,000 people in 11 districts facing famine-like conditions (IPC5) in February. In April and May this year, after new funds were confirmed, WFP began increasing assistance to nearly 6 million people in the nine governorates with the highest rates of ‘emergency’ food insecurity (IPC4): Hajjah, Al Jawf, Amran, Al Hodeidah, Raymah, Al Mahwit, Sa’ada, Dhamar and Taiz. From June, these people will again receive the full ration every month. WFP supports a total of 12.9 million people with food assistance in Yemen, prioritising areas with the highest rates of food insecurity and providing rapid support to families displaced by conflict, such as in the Marib governorate. But in April 2020, in a challenging operating environment and facing reduced funding, WFP was forced to stop providing assistance every month, and instead provide it every two months, in the northern areas of Yemen. This year, donors have so far stepped up with nearly $947 million for WFP’s famine prevention effort in Yemen, including large-scale support from the US, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and European Union. WFP’s food security monitoring, which tracks food consumption, dietary diversity and food-related coping strategies, will soon show the impact of the gradual scale up of assistance, as seen following the significant increase of assistance in 2019 when famine last threatened. “We will start seeing the impact in the coming months, but initial gains will be fragile”, warned Bukera, “WFP’s ability to maintain this level of response until the end of the year hangs in the balance. Sustained, predictable and flexible funding is required immediately, otherwise we will see any progress undone and needs rapidly rise in what is an unpredictable and challenging operational environment”. Hunger has increased in Yemen as the conflict has escalated, displacing families for the third or even fourth time as the war grinds into its seventh year. Rising food prices – up to 200 percent above pre-war levels – have made food unaffordable for millions. On top of this, a deadly second wave of COVID-19 is sweeping across Yemen and the healthcare system is unable to cope.
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Famine
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Equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics
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The individual eventing at the 1956 Summer Olympics took place between 11 and 14 June, at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium. Eventing was open to men only. It was the 9th appearance of the event. [1]
The team and individual eventing competitions used the same results. Eventing consisted of a dressage test, a cross-country test, and a jumping test. The competitor with the best total score (fewest penalty points) won. 56 riders competed. [2]
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Sports Competition
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Two former Policemen who were recently found guilty of raping a woman
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In handing down the 25-year jail sentence to each of the suspects, Justice Jo-ann Barlow said she considered the circumstances of the trauma and breach of trust the incident caused to the victim. The Judge also said there was no remorse shown by the convicts. Two former Policemen who were recently found guilty of raping a woman when she visited a Police station to file a report, were both slapped with a sentence of 25 years in jail today. During the trial, the victim testified that she was attacked and raped in a washroom in the station by the two police officers. The two ex-cops, 29-year-old Delon Chapman and 35-year-old Leon Ashby both appeared virtually before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow for their sentencing. The incident took place in 2018 at the Turkeyen Police station. Just before the Judge handed down the sentence, the Attorney for the two convicts requested a lenient sentence while insisting that his clients are both fathers who can be rehabilitated and placed back into society. The two men have maintained their innocence from the time they were charged. They were found guilty by a jury a few weeks ago. The Prosecution asked the Court to consider the nature and gravity of the charges and the prevalence of sexual violence that plagues society. The Prosecutor reminded the Court that the men were placed in a position to serve and protect as Police Officers, but instead, they went against their oath. In handing down the 25-year jail sentence to each of the convicts, Justice Jo-ann Barlow said she considered the circumstances of the trauma and breach of trust the incident caused to the victim. The Judge also said there was no remorse shown by the convicts.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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Ashura protests
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The Ashura protests were a series of protests which occurred on 27 December 2009 in Iran against the outcome of the June 2009 Iranian presidential election, which demonstrators claim was rigged. The demonstrations were part of the 2009 Iranian election protests and were the largest since June. In December 2009, the protests saw an escalation in violence. [1][2][3]
In response to this protest, pro-government protesters held a rally in a "show of force" three days later on 30 December (9 Dey) to condemn Green Movement protesters. [4]
Irregularities during the 2009 Iranian presidential election caused resentment among many Iranians. While post-election protests were mostly peaceful, some violence erupted, leading to clashes between security forces and protesters, while some outspoken political dissenters were detained. [5]
However, dissenters continued to speak out against the government, leading to further protests in December 2009. On 19 December 2009, the Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who had become a "spiritual leader" of the opposition, died. Montazeri's funeral, held on 21 December in the city of Qom, was attended by a large gathering of people[1] and clashes ensued between security forces and mourners,[6] leading on to further demonstrations in Qom and Isfahan. [6] On 26 December, a paramilitary Basij force subordinate to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stormed a mosque in Tehran where scholar and former President Mohammad Khatami was speaking. [1][7] This was followed by continued clashes in Tehran in which Jaras, a news media of the critics, estimated eight to ten people had died. [1]
Prior to Ashura, Mohsen Kadivar said he could not "rule out the possibility" of state intervention in the planned protests. [8]
On 27 December, demonstrations in several cities continued into the holy day of Ashura the climax of Muharram, the month of mourning. Protesters in Tehran gathered "From Imam Hussain Square to Freedom Square", "from east to west along Revolution Street", and it was on this day that "the political and religious symbology of Iran's Islamic regime was turned on its head". [9] The protesters made another symbolic move- a "symbolic journey from a square named after its most revered hero toward a monument dedicated to freedom, along a street called Revolution. "[9]
Seyed Ali Mousavi, the 35-year-old nephew of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, was among those killed in the violence. [6][9] Later, it was reported that his body had disappeared, precluding the possibility of a quick burial, while state sources indicated that an autopsy was being performed. [6] Mousavi was buried on 30 December. [10]
Similar protests took place in other Iranian cities including Isfahan, Najafabad, Shiraz, Mashhad, Arak, Tabriz, Babol, Ardabil and Orumieh. [7][11] Four people were reportedly killed in Tabriz, in north western Iran on 27 December, and one in Shiraz in the south of Iran. [12][11] Access for international news media has been severely restricted by the Iranian government. [6]
State controlled media initially denied any deaths, though it was indicated on 28 December that 15 had died, including ten "well-known anti-revolutionary terrorists". [1] According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran's Safety Services said that "Nine residential buildings, 9 vehicles, 7 shops, 2 banks and 3 power stations were set on fire [by anti-government protesters]. "[13] On 30 December, counter-rallies staged and organized by the government at various cities, including Tehran, Qom, Arak, Shiraz and Isfahan called for the death of the protesters, with government workers receiving the day off work in order to attend the demonstrations. [10]
Lolagar mosque in Tehran was set into fire by the "rioters", according to the State TV of Iran leading to death of "few" people in mosque. [14] Security forces allegedly opened fire on the day of Ashura, the Shiite holy day "symbolically about justice", a day on which any kind of violence is forbidden. [15][8] Security forces initially denied reports of deaths and the police chief, Azizollah Rajabzadeh, stated that the police had not been armed, however, state television later acknowledged fatalities. [12][16] Although official sources in Iran denied involvement of security forces in killing of protesters, at least one amateur video shows, the security truck which was deliberately running over the protesters. [17] Other evidence says that security forces were armed with guns and shot at protesters, including one amateur video showing a plainclothes security force directly shooting at protesters. [18]
Vandalism was reported by the Iranian government, with Tehran's Safety Services saying that "Nine residential buildings, 9 vehicles, 7 shops, 2 banks and 3 power stations were set on fire." by the anti-government forces[19]
Among the hundreds of people arrested in the aftermath of the Ashura demonstrations area are prominent lawyers, journalists, clerics and politicians, as well as family members of prominent human rights activists and reformist politicians. [6] Some notable people arrested in the aftermath of the protests include:
According to Ibrahim Moussawi, associate professor of Lebanese University and head of Hizbullah's media relations, the incident damaged "public relations" of the Green Movement with Iranian citizenry more than all events as the acts of the protesters on that day including "applauding, whistling, and engaging in other cheerful displays," was "widely" seen as violation of a "red line" and targeting Husayn ibn Ali and Ashura commemoration itself. [34] Various society groups including "marej-'e taqlid, the society of Iranian doctors, university student groups, the Iranian Parliament, Oil Industry Workers, the Iranian Women's Culture and Education Society, the Society of Iranian Teachers, the Iranian Professors Society, provincial governors and municipalities and bazaars" expressed their condemnation and many of them publicly asked for the "prosecution of the opposition leaders". [34]
Many people are set to stand trial for taking part in the protests. At least one person arrested in connection with the protest, a university lecturer Abdolreza Ghanbari living in Pakdasht, has been accused of "moharebeh," (an Islamic term meaning "warring against God") and sentenced to death. [35][36]
The governments of Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States are among those who have condemned the violence. [6] US President Barack Obama openly criticized the Iranian government's violent crackdown on the protests in a speech and declared "The decision of Iran's leaders to govern through fear and tyranny will not continue. "[6] Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed concern at the violence. It encouraged "a compromise on the basis of the law, and also to take political efforts to prevent a further escalation of the confrontation. "[37]
Venezuela condemned what it called Western governments' interference in Iran's internal affairs. [38]
Since the protest coincided with Ashura, the commemoration observed by Shi'as for the death of Imam Hussein, the third imam of Shia's who was killed by the order of Umayyad Caliph Yazid I, protesters deliberately blended their political message with the Ashura's religious one in this protest. They alternated anti-government slogans with ancient cries of mourning for Imam Hussein. [11]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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1979 Turkish Airlines Ankara crash
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The 1979 Turkish Airlines Ankara crash occurred on December 23, 1979, when a Turkish Airlines Fokker F28 Fellowship 1000 airliner, registration TC-JAT, named Trabzon, on a domestic passenger flight from Samsun Airport to Esenboğa International Airport in Ankara, flew into the side of a hill 1,400 m (4,600 ft) near the village of Kuyumcuköy in Çubuk district of Ankara Province, 32 km (20 mi) north-northeast of the destination airport on approach to landing. [1]
The crew had deviated from the localizer course while on an ILS approach experiencing severe turbulence. [1][2][3]
The aircraft had four crew and 41 passengers on board. 38 passengers and three crew were killed in the accident. [1]
The aircraft, a Fokker F28 Fellowship 1000 with two Rolls-Royce RB183-2 "Spey" Mk555-15 turbofan jet engines, was built by Fokker with manufacturer serial number 11071, and made its first flight in 1973. [1]
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Air crash
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Angola: Millions facing hunger, as thousands flee their homes as drought ravages the south of Angola
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Millions of people in southern Angola are facing an existential threat as drought aggravated by climate change continues to ravage the region, Amnesty International said today. The organization highlighted how the creation of commercial cattle ranches on community land has driven pastoralist communities from their land since the end of the civil war in 2002 – a shift which left huge sections of the population food insecure and paved the way for a humanitarian crisis as the acute drought persists for over three years. As food and water grow increasingly scarce, thousands have fled their homes and sought refuge in neighbouring Namibia. Millions of people in southern Angola are on the brink of starvation, caught between the devastating effects of climate change and the land diversion to commercial cattle farming “Millions of people in southern Angola are on the brink of starvation, caught between the devastating effects of climate change and the land diversion to commercial cattle farming,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa. “This drought – the worst in 40 years – has torn through traditional communities who had been struggling to survive since they were dispossessed of vast swathes of grazing land. The Angolan government must take responsibility for its own role in this dire situation, and ensure reparations to affected communities, and take immediate steps to address food insecurity in the rural areas of Cunene and Huíla provinces.” According to the Association Building Communities (Associação Construindo Comunidades – ACC), a local NGO, traditional pastoralist families in the Gambos municipality of Huíla province are facing hunger. ACC reported that dozens of people had died of malnutrition since 2019, with older people and children particularly vulnerable. ACC, which has been distributing food baskets in the area, said people had resorted to eating leaves to survive. Fleeing hunger Angolans living in the Cunene and Huíla provinces have been especially hard hit by the persistent drought. The 2020/21 rainy season was abnormally dry, meaning the situation is likely to get far worse in the coming months. According to the World Food Program (WFP), the lack of rainfall in the period between November 2020 and January 2021 has already caused the worst drought in the last 40 years. The drought has made the lives of traditional pastoralist communities very difficult and hunger has driven thousands across the Namibian border since the start of March 2021, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The IFRC reported that Namibian local authorities had recorded a total of 894 Angolan nationals in the Omusati and Kunene regions by March 2021. On 14 March 2021, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation reported that large numbers of pastoralist families from Huíla and Cunene provinces had abandoned their homes to seek refuge in northern Namibia. In May 2021, Angolan NGOs reported that over 7,000 Angolans, mainly women with children and young people, had fled to Namibia, and the number is still rising. Angolan NGOs have referred to those who are fleeing to Namibia as “climate refugees”, to attract attention to the fact that the drought and the lack of resources in southern Angola are pushing them to migrate to Namibia as a desperate measure to survive. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has observed that “frequency and intensity of droughts has increased in some regions” including in southern Africa since pre-industrial levels due to global warming and that “the frequency and intensity of droughts are projected to increase particularly in the Mediterranean region and southern Africa”. Land occupation The situation in Huíla and Cunene provinces was precarious even before the drought. Food insecurity has increased partly due to the diversion of communal grazing land to commercial farmers, which has been happening over the past two decades after the civil war. In 2019, Amnesty International exposed how the Angolan government had diverted communal grazing land in the Gambos to commercial cattle farmers without due process. The situation in southern Angola is a stark reminder that climate change is already causing suffering and death According to the government, 67% of grazing land in the Gambos municipality has been occupied by commercial cattle farmers. This includes large parts of Vale de Chimbolela, known to pastoralists as “the cradle of cattle”, and Tunda dos Gambos, the customary grazing commons for the region’s pastoralists. In its 2019 report, titled The end of cattle’s paradise, Amnesty International showed how the occupation of the more fertile land by commercial cattle farmers had impeded access to quality grazing land and thus undermined the economic and social resilience of pastoralist communities, undermining their ability to produce food and survive droughts. Impact of climate change on hunger Amnesty International visited traditional pastoral communities in Gambos municipality, Huíla province in 2018 and 2019. Researchers saw the struggle to produce food first-hand, and documented, for instance, the adverse impact on women as they bear the burden of tilling the land, taking care of the sick as well as children. They also had to travel long distances (about 10km) to sell firewood so that they could buy food. Three years on, the drought is showing no signs of abating. The WFP has observed that as a direct consequence of the drought, malnutrition is peaking, and access to water, sanitation and hygiene is increasingly precarious with negative impacts on local communities’ health and nutrition. In May 2021, the WFP estimated that 6 million people in Angola had insufficient food, with food insecurity most prevalent in the south of the country. It also noted that more than 15 million people are using crisis or emergency livelihood-based coping strategies, such as spending savings or reducing non-food expenses. Amnesty International is calling on Angolan authorities and the international community to ramp up their relief efforts, including providing sustained and regular emergency food assistance and access to clean and safe water for domestic use and consumption in the rural areas of Cunene and Huíla provinces. The international community, particularly wealthier states and those most responsible for the climate crisis, must take immediate action to fulfil their human rights obligations by urgently reducing emissions, and providing the necessary financial and technical assistance to the government and local civil society to support impacted communities “The situation in southern Angola is a stark reminder that climate change is already causing suffering and death. The international community, particularly wealthier states and those most responsible for the climate crisis, must take immediate action to fulfil their human rights obligations by urgently reducing emissions, and providing the necessary financial and technical assistance to the government and local civil society to support impacted communities,” said Deprose Muchena. “In addition, Angolan authorities must stop diverting land away from traditional communities in the rural areas of Cunene and Huíla provinces. They must ensure that those responsible for the granting of communal grazing land to commercial farmers are held accountable.” If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you.
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Droughts
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2003 Phnom Penh riots
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In January 2003, a Cambodian newspaper article falsely alleged that a Thai actress Suvanant Kongying claimed that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand. Other Cambodian print and radio media picked up the report and furthered the nationalistic sentiment which resulted in riots in Phnom Penh on 29 January where the Thai Embassy was burned and commercial properties of Thai businesses were vandalized. The riots reflect the fluid historical relationship between Thailand and Cambodia, as well as the economic, cultural and political factors involving the two countries. Historically, the relationship between Siam (modern Thailand) and Cambodia has been extremely fluid, reflecting the region's division into city states rather than nation states. These city states were bound together into empires by more or less strong political, military and tributary ties. In the 14th century, the centre of Thai power passed from Sukhothai to the more southerly Ayutthaya, in territory which had formed part of the Khmer empire. The threat posed by Ayutthaya to Angkor increased as its power grew, and in the 15th century Angkor itself was besieged and sacked, plunging Cambodia into a dark age. The ensuing centuries saw numerous further incursions by the Siamese. For much of the 19th century, northern Cambodia, including Angkor, was ruled by Siam. The degree of independence enjoyed by Cambodia fluctuated according to the relative fortunes of Siam, Cambodia, Vietnam and the French colonists. In 1907, Siam ceded northern Cambodia to France. In the 1930s, this loss became the basis of the nationalist government's claim that the area was a "lost territory" which rightfully belonged to Thailand. In 1941, following a war with Vichy France, Thailand briefly regained the territories ceded to France in 1907. This claim was not abandoned until the 1950s. Thailand's rapid economic progress during the 1980s and 1990s made its economy one of the strongest in Southeast Asia. Conversely, the Cambodian Civil War, the Khmer Rouge government and the subsequent government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, which failed to secure United Nations recognition, kept Cambodia economically weak. As a result, Thai businesses dominate part of the Cambodian economy, fuelling resentment. Compared to Cambodia, Thailand has a far greater population and is more open to western influences. These factors have given Thailand a substantial cultural influence on Cambodian music and television. This is coupled with a perception on the part of many Cambodians that Thais are arrogant and racist towards their neighbors. There has been a long history of dispute and misunderstanding between the Khmer and Thais. Conflicts and claims from both sides led to great deal of resentment; this, despite the fact that Thailand's and Cambodia's cultures are almost identical. No other country in Southeast Asia is as culturally similar to Thailand as Cambodia. The reason behind Khmer resentment for the Thais stem from the feeling of decline since the days of the Khmer empire, while the Thais have remained dominant in the region.
There have also been different interpretations in the history of the two countries and the era of the Khmer empire. "This lack of understanding is reflected in the thinking of a considerable number of educated Thais and member of the ruling class, who distinguish between the Khom and the Khmer, considering them to be two separate ethnic group". They further go on to assert that "it was the Khom, not the Khmer, who built the majestic temple complexes at Ankor Wat and Angkor Thom and founded one of the world's truly magnificent ancient empires".
The Khmer resentment towards this attitude of Thai-centric view of historical accounts—true or not, was not newly founded in 2003. Despite the world consensus that the culture and the empire that rule the region originated from the Khmer; the fact that there are Thais that claim otherwise could be seen as an insult by some Khmer. In the 19th century the Khmer kingdom narrowly escaped being swallowed by two stronger neighbors, Thailand on the west and Vietnam on the east. This created a fear in many Khmer that the neighboring country was out to conquer and erase Khmer identity. The riots were prompted by a 18 January article in the Cambodian newspaper Rasmei Angkor (Light of Angkor). The article alleged that Thai actress Suvanant Kongying said Cambodia had "stolen" Angkor Wat, and that she would not appear in Cambodia until it was returned to Thailand. The newspaper's editor gave the source for the story as a group of Khmer nationalists who said they had seen the actress on television. No evidence to support the newspaper's claim has ever emerged, and it seems that the report was either fabricated or arose from a misunderstanding of what Suvanant's character had said. [citation needed] It has also been suggested that the report was an attempt by a rival firm to discredit the actress, who was also the "face" of a cosmetics company.
The report was picked up by Khmer radio and print media, and copies of the Rasmei Angkor article were distributed in schools. On 27 January, Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen repeated the allegations, and said that Suvanant was "not worth a few blades of grass near the temple". On 28 January, the Cambodian government then banned all Thai television programs in the country. Strong nationalistic sentiments were also present during the build up to the riot. "Nationalism has over the years been exploited by the two countries' political leaders to fulfil [sic] a myriad of their own political interests". Some[who?] have argued that the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) had a political incentive to orchestrate the riots. After the arrest of Mam Sonando, "Phnom Penh's then Governor Chea Sophara, an increasingly popular CPP politician (who had been tipped by some to challenge Hun Sen as a PM candidate) was sacked". [4] Coincidental or not the events that followed the 2003 riot, was beneficial to the Prime Minister of Cambodia.
On 29 January, rioters attacked the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, destroying the building. Mobs also attacked the premises of Thai-owned businesses, including Thai Airways International and Shin Corp, owned by the family of then Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. A photograph of a Cambodian man holding a burning portrait of the revered King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej enraged many Thai people. The Thai government sent military aircraft to Cambodia to evacuate Thai nationals, while Thais demonstrated outside the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok. Responsibility for the riots was disputed: Hun Sen attributed the government’s failure to prevent the attacks to "incompetence", and said that the riots were stirred up by "extremists".
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Riot
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Hundreds of aid trucks have failed to return from Tigray, UN says
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Since July, 445 trucks have entered Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray, but only 38 returned – hampering future aid deliveries. Hundreds of aid trucks have not returned from Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region, and their disappearance is “the primary impediment” to ramping up the humanitarian response, the United Nations has said. The disclosure on Friday from the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) comes amid rising fears of starvation deaths in Tigray, where the UN has previously estimated that about 350,000 people faced famine-like conditions. Since July 12, 445 contracted non-WFP trucks have entered Tigray, but only 38 have returned, WFP spokeswoman Gemma Snowdon said in a statement. “At the moment this is the primary impediment to moving humanitarian aid into Tigray. We are unable to assemble convoys of significant size due to lack of trucks,” Snowdon said. “We are continuing to work with transporters and local authorities in Tigray for trucks to be released.” WFP has no information about where the trucks are or what they are being used for, Snowdon said. Northern Ethiopia has been racked by violence since last November when President Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent troops into Tigray, saying the move was in response to attacks on army camps by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF, which dominated national politics until Abiy came to power in 2018, said federal forces and its allies launched a “coordinated attack” against it. The 10-month war has killed thousands of people and forced more than two million to flee their homes. There have been myriad reports of massacres and atrocities, including rape and extrajudicial killings, and hundreds of thousands of people suffering famine. In July, after the TPLF had recaptured the regional capital of Mekelle and seized back most of Tigray, its forces advanced into Afar and Amhara regions, marking an expansion of the conflict into previously untouched areas. Since then, the government estimates that about 450,000 people have fled fighting in those two regions. This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. According to the UN, Tigray remains under a “de facto blockade” and has warned of a “looming catastrophe” as fighting has dragged on and spread to neighbouring regions. The Ethiopian authorities and Tigrayan rebels have blamed each other for obstructing humanitarian convoys trying to reach Tigray. A government Twitter account on Thursday referred to “suspicions that TPLF [is] seizing trucks for own logistics”. But TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda cited obstacles drivers faced while entering Tigray from the neighbouring Afar region, adding they have “nothing to do” with Tigrayan officials. “Drivers of trucks that UN has commissioned complain about fuel availability, [security] concerns, harassment at checkpoints, being stranded at Afar for months, etc,” he said on Twitter. A humanitarian official in Tigray, speaking to the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity, said many truck drivers were Tigrayan and had faced ethnically motivated harassment at checkpoints while heading into the region. This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. Rival sides offer conflicting accounts as 10-month conflict in northern Ethiopia drags on. UN human rights investigators unable to deploy to site of alleged massacre of several hundred people in holy city. Eritrean soldiers and Ethiopian rebel fighters raped and killed refugees in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, rights group says.
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Famine
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FedEx Express Flight 910 crash
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On October 28, 2016, FedEx Express Flight 910, a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F flying from Memphis International Airport to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport was involved in a runway skid after a landing gear collapse, which resulted in a fire completely destroying the left engine and wing. Two crew members, the only people on board, were unharmed. [1]
On the same day, American Airlines Flight 383 aborted takeoff after it suffered an engine fire at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Everyone survived, with 21 passengers injured. [2]
The aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F airliner, built in 1972 as a DC-10 passenger aircraft and later converted to cargo configuration. It was delivered to FedEx in August 1997 and upgraded to an MD-10 in 2003. The aircraft was powered by three General Electric CF6-6D engines, and was 44 years old at the time of the accident. [3]
The captain, age 55, was hired as a flight engineer by FedEx in 2000, he previously served with the U.S. Air Force from 1982 to 2000 as a veteran of the Gulf War, Bosnian War, and Kosovo War. At the company, he worked in the Boeing 727 as a flight engineer, a first officer, and a captain, as well as a captain on the MD-11. He had a total flight time of about 10,000 hours (he was uncertain about his time as pilot-in-command) and estimated about 1,500 hours in the MD-11. The first officer, age 47, was hired as a flight instructor by FedEx in 2004. In 2007, he became a flight engineer in the Boeing 727 and became a first officer in the MD-11 in 2012. He estimated a total flight time of 6,000 to 6,300 hours, with about 4,000 hours as pilot-in-command. He estimated a total time of about 400 to 500 hours in the MD-11. FedEx 910 landed on Fort Lauderdale's runway 10L at 17:50 local time (21:50Z). The tower reported the left side CF6 engine appeared on fire. The aircraft came to a stop about 2,000 meters (6,580 feet) down the runway and beyond the left edge with the left main gear collapsed and the left wing on fire. The airport closed all runways while emergency services responded to put the fire out. The two crew members had no injuries, but the aircraft received substantial damage. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) dispatched five investigators on site and opened an investigation. [4][5]
On October 31, the NTSB reported that the left main gear failed after landing and during rollout. The left engine and left wing scraped the runway and the aircraft veered to the left and came to a stop partially off the runway. Both flight crew members escaped through the right cockpit window using an escape rope. No injuries were reported. Cockpit voice and flight data recorders were taken to the NTSB lab in Washington for analysis. Following an examination of the runway, the NTSB returned control of the runway to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. [6]
On August 23, 2018 the NTSB reported that "the failure of the left main gear was the result of a metal fatigue crack that initiated within the gear," and cited FedEx's failure to overhaul the gear at the manufacturer-recommended eight-year interval as a contributor to the crash. [7]
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Air crash
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Belgrade anti-gay riot
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Anti-gay pride and anti-government protesters
Government of Serbia
Government parties:
Gay pride protesters
Opposition parties:
Liberal Democratic Party
Others:
The Belgrade anti-gay riot was an incident of violence against LGBT people that occurred on 10 October 2010 during a pride parade, organized to promote LGBT rights in Serbia. The gay pride parade has been the first in Belgrade since 2001;[1] a planned parade in 2009 was cancelled due to the threat of violence. [1]
Anti-gay and anti-government protesters fought with about 5,000 armed police,[2] throwing Molotov cocktails, bricks, stones, glass bottles and firecrackers;[3] the police used tear gas and rubber bullets. [1] There were no fatalities. [1]
Police said that 78 police officers and 17 civilians had been injured,[3] and 101 people had been detained for violent behaviour. [3] The garage of the building of the ruling pro-European Democratic Party was set ablaze, and state TV building and the headquarters of other political parties were also damaged. [4] The parade was viewed as a test for the government of Serbia, which has stated it will protect human rights in Serbia as it seeks to become an EU member. [4] Jelko Kacin, presiding over the European Union's evaluation of Serbia, said that Serbia's failure to stop the riot could damage its bid to join the EU. [5] During a visit to Belgrade two days after the riot, US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, praised the Serbian government for protecting the human rights of the parade participants. [5][6]
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Riot
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Men charged in Metro East bank robbery that left security guard dead
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EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Two men were charged Sunday for the East St. Louis bank robbery that left a security guard dead Friday afternoon. Jaylan Quinn, 22, was charged with bank robbery resulting in death and Andrew Brinkley, 19, was charged with bank robbery in federal court Sunday. Quinn could spend his life in prison while Brinkley could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. RELATED: One man dead in East St. Louis bank robbery, suspects in custody According to charging documents, Quinn and Brinkley entered First Bank on Riverpark Drive at around 4 p.m. Friday. They walked up to the teller and Brinkley handed the teller a note which read, "I GOT A BOMB STRAPPED TO MY CHEST PUT ALL THE MONEY IN OR EVERYONE DIE." The teller handed over some money, and while the men were leaving, a uniformed security guard stopped them. Investigators said Brinkley pushed past the guard, but Quinn pulled out a gun and shot the security guard in the head. The security guard died at the scene of the robbery. He was identified as 56-year-old Ted Horn of St. Libory, Illinois. The men then fled in a white Lexus sedan. The next day, FBI investigators executed a search warrant at a home on North 13th Street in St. Louis, where they arrested Quinn and Brinkley. Investigators found two marked bills that were taken in the robbery, a loaded 9mm handgun and clothing that matched what they were wearing during the robbery. They also found the getaway vehicle outside. Quinn was charged with bank robbery resulting in death because police said he was the one who fired the shot that killed the security officer. The two suspects are believed to have also been involved in an incident in Fairmont City around 3 p.m. Friday. A bank would not let the men into the building after they were seen acting "suspiciously," according to an FBI spokesperson.
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Bank Robbery
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Building the Community of Mankind for Shared Future More Urgent than Ever Before
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During the month of August 2021, the global community is witnessing at least four large military exercises with scale and frequency rarely seen in the past four decades since the end of the Cold War. The first two are the Large Scale Exercise 2021 (LSE2021) staged by US Navy Fifth Fleet and Second Fleet close to Europe in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea between August 3-August 15, 2021 and the Large Scale Global Exercise 21 led by the US and its allied forces with a focus on the Indo-Pacific Ocean between August 2 and August 27, 2021. While lasting about a month, these military exercises are being conducted with China and Russia as their imaginary enemies. To demonstrate China’s readiness to defend itself in response to these military exercises, China alone conducted a large-scale military exercise in South China Sea between August 6 and August 8, 2021. In addition, China and Russia reportedly conducted a large joint military exercise called “ZAPAD/INTERACTION-2021 in Ningxia, China’s Northwest Region during the period of August 9-13, 2021. While the two military exercises staged by the US and its allies are both maritime, the two military exercises staged by China and Russia is one maritime and the other one land based. While the former military exercises initiated by the US Navy are far from the US homeland geographically and thus viewed as aggressive by China and Russia, the latter by China and Russia are geographically at the front or backyard of China and Russia respectively and thus thought to be self-defensive. It thus appears that both the US-led Western powers are defending its so-called maritime liberal global order, whereas China and Russia are declaring and defending the continental order as both sovereign nation-states of continental Asia and masters of Central Asia and possibly Euro-Asian landmass (nicknamed “the world island”) covered by member countries of Shanghai Cooperation. As one of the results of this great power competition, the consolidation of strategic power between China and Russia is almost on par with the so-called Communist Block led by USSR in the early part of the 20th century. Unfortunately, the world is slipping back into a Cold War mode which began seven decades ago and the US is going back to its starting point of the project of Pax Americana after World War II. Its ambitious project to liberalize the world after the American model since the end of the Cold War is being declared bankrupt with the staging of these military exercises against one another. Underlying this kind of dramatic military showdowns towards each other are a series of deeply embedded divides such as resurfacing ideological differences, historical-cultural differences, political differences and so on which are further decoupling US-China relations and further isolating Russia-West relations. This geopolitical divide and rivalry, fueled by these growing divides, is running a higher risk of both splitting Asia into two blocks, the maritime Asia and the continental Asia, and halving the world, resulting in another Cold War, even possibly World War III, with all spheres divided into halves, land, maritime, cybersphere in the form of splinternet, airspace, outer space, and ice space and so on. With two oppositional, rivaling, and dueling forces carving out its own order and expanding its own sphere of influence by trying to weaken or conquer the other, a polarized world would be full of miserable souls and losers on both sides. Is this what both sides originally wanted? If not, how have both sides got here? The current status of the world is one world with two dreams, with the US leading in championing for a struggling capitalistic democracy to the entire world in order to maximize the interest of the elite class and China leading in championing for a still elusive yet all-inclusive, all-win, equitable, and just world for all with such ideas as shared peace, shared prosperity and shared freedoms. How can the two power blocks pause over such intense and comprehensive rivalry, and pursue a mechanism and platform for dialogue, mutual listening and mutual learning, a much less costly, more constructive, and thus more civilized means of conflict management and resolution, in lieu of military exercises, a mutually defeating and barbaric means defending the status quo? How can the two allow mutual peaceful coexistence in this world as a minimum condition? How can the two sides stop bickering and practicing double standards as well? For example, while the US is accusing China of practicing “debt trap” diplomacy with developing countries, President Biden has forced conventionally neutral countries such as Switzerland, Singapore , New Zealand and so on to purchase F-35 planes from the US and join the US-led military club. Also, can President Biden’s Global Democracy Forum be changed to “Global Democracy Reform Forum so that more focus would be on improving its own internal deficiencies than external threats from the so-called “authoritarianism”? Only if the answers to my above questions are positive can the “guardrail” as suggested by US Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman be set in place to effectively manage if not stop this global power competition! My ultimate advice to both sides and the third parties for averting this trend of global decoupling is as follows: Read Chinese President Xi’s remarks on building the community of humankind with a shared future and other similar ideas articulated by other world leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, former US President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and so on with sincerity and get inspired for real solutions to such grave challenges and problems posed by this engulfing global divisions as illustrated by the four military exercises discussed above. Japan and emerging Indo-PacificFebruary 4, 2019In "East Asia" Changing dynamics in the SCS and increasing Chinese aggressionOctober 8, 2020In "Defense" How terrible the consequences of the Cold War can beOctober 18, 2021In "Americas" As Exercise Malabar turns 25, the Quad edge makes it sharper today Afghanistan Crisis: Security Problems for Russia and Central Asian States Wenshan Jia, Ph. D. & Professor, School of Communication Chapman University, USA. A prolific scholar, he is also a CGTN columnist, among others. New US sanctions on China: enough is enough UN chief welcomes China-US pledge to cooperate on climate action Why India Will Never Be Part of U.S. Alliances Rafale ghost resurrected? Analysing the new American alternative project to Chinese Belt and Road Is China in a quandary over Quad and the AUKUS? Published on By A French portal Mediapart has alleged that their investigation, within framework of OECD guidelines, has revealed that Dassault Aviation paid kickbacks amounting to at least 7.5 million euros to an intermediary Sushen Gupta in Mauritius between 2007 and 2012. The secret commissions were paid to clinch the Rs 59,000-crore ($9.3-billion) inter-governmental deal with India for the supply of then 36 (now 126) Rafale fighter jets. Indian media points out that the then ruling Indian National Congress coalition government had negotiated a price of Rs. 526 crore but the present Bharatiya Janata Party coalition approved the deal at exorbitant price of Indian Rs. 1670 crore. Thus Rs 144 per crore as commission, or kickbacks, went into the middleman’s pocket. Mediapart revealed, `It involves offshore companies, dubious contracts and false invoices. that detectives from India’s federal police force, the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), and colleagues from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which fights money laundering, have had proof since October 2018 that French aviation firm Dassault paid at least 7.5 million euros (equivalent to just under Rs 650 million) in secret commissions to middleman Sushen Gupta’. An independent French judge has been appointed to investigate the charges. But, even Mediapart itself is pessimistic about an early judgment. The reason for pessimism is that it is a complex case. And, the judge will have to seek the least-likely cooperation of the Indian government. In 2019, India’s Supreme Court and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had already declared the deal “transparent”. The BJP shrugged off the opposition’s allegation saying that the period during which the commissions were paid related to the period Indian National Congress, INC (“I need commission”) ruled India. Mediapart itself is not optimistic about earl On October 11, 2018, Mauritius’ attorney general provided India’s Central Bureau of Investigation documents about payment of commission connected. Within less than two weeks, October 23, 2018, the CBI’s headquarters were raided by the Delhi Police and the CBI’s Director Alok Verma was removed in, what opposition called. The opposition interprets this move as a nocturnal conspiracy to bury the murky Rafale ghost. Unanswered questions The deal engenders several questions. The delay in finalization of the procurement deal is obvious. What about India’s claims about indigenization of defence equipment? What about Teja aircraft? Why neither the Dassault nor the CBI responded to the Mediapart’s allegations? How a deal between Dassault and the Anil Ambani group was signed even before any official announcement? All defence contracts have a mandatory anti-corruption clause “no bribery, no gift, no influence, no commission, no middlemen”. And this clause is included in the tender for purchase of fighter aircraft. Why did the Indian prime minister Modi abrogate this clause? How did middleman Sushen Gupta get hold of confidential documents belonging to the Indian Negotiating Team (INT) in 2015 from the ministry of defence? The documents detailed the stance of Indian negotiators during the final lap of negotiation and, in particular, how they calculated the price of the aircraft. This gave a clear advantage to Dassault Aviation (Rafale). The documents included the ‘benchmark price document’ of August 10, 2015, the ‘record of discussions’ by the INT of the defence ministry, the ‘excel sheet of calculations made by defence ministry’ and ‘Eurofighter’s counter offer of 20% discount to the government of India’. A note from June 24, 2014, sent to Dassault by Gupta, offering a meeting with “the political high command” was also recovered and asked if such a meeting had taken place with the “high command” in the Modi government. Why Modi did not initiate an investigation into the role of the middleman despite recovering incriminating documents from him? Concluding remarks It appears all governments in India pay lip service to defence reforms. Criminals are perched in Indian parliament. According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, the ruling BJP has 116 MPs or 39 percent of its winning candidates with criminal cases, followed by 29 MPs (57 per cent) from the Congress. Nearly half of the newly-elected Lok Sabha members have criminal charges against them, a 26 per cent increase as compared to 2014 (43% newly-elected Lok Sabha MPs have criminal record: ADR, The Hindu dated May 26, 2019). A pauper in India can hardly aspire to become a law maker. India’s Tehelka Commission of Inquiry headed by Mr Justice S N Phukan had suggested (Apr 15, 2004) that a sitting Supreme Court Judge should examine all defence files since independence. Concerned about rampant corruption in defence purchases, he desired that the proposed Supreme Court Judge should by assisted by the Central Vigilance Commission and the CBI. He stressed that unless the existing system of defence procurement was made more transparent through corrective measures, defence deals would continue to be murky. He submitted his report to the then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on February 4. The Commission examined 15 defence deals including the AJT, Sukhoi, Barak missiles, T-90 tanks, tank navigation systems, simulators, hand-held thermal imagers, Karl Gustav rocket and Kandla-Panipat pipeline. The irregularities in the scrutinised defence deals compelled the Commission to suggest de novo scrutiny of all defence purchases since independence. Rampant corruption, particularly in defence purchases, is a source of deep concern, to the Indian electorate. The courts absolved then Rajiv Gandhi of involvement in the BOFORS scam (as the present Supreme Court absolved Modi). The BJP, then in opposition, exploited Rajiv’s acquittal as an election issue. Kuldip Nayyar, in his article “The gun that misfired” (Dawn dated February 14, 2004), lamented, “There was practically no discussion on Bofors-guns kickbacks in the 13th Lok Sabha which has been dissolved for early elections. Once Rajiv Gandhi died the main target – the non-Congress parties lost interest in the scam”. The mechanisms of public accountability in India have collapsed. Corruption has become a serious socio-political malady as politicians, bureaucracy and Armed Forces act in tandem to receive kickbacks. Because of lethargic investigation, the anti-corruption cases, filed in courts, drag on for years without any results. To quote a few past case: (a) Bofors-gun case (Rs 64 crore) case was filed on January 22, 1990 and charge-sheet served on October 22, 1999. Among the accused were Rajiv Gandhi, S K Bhatnagar, W N Chaddha (middleman), Octavio, and Ardbo. The key players in the scam died before the court’s decision). (b) No recoveries could be made in the HDW submarine case (Rs 32.5 crore).The CBI later recommended closure of this case. Like Modi, the previous prime ministers kept the recommended reforms on the backburner. For instance, then Central Vigilance Commissioner P Shankar alleged (October 2003): “The CVC had submitted its defence deals report on March 31, 2001. Yet a year later, the government has not conducted the mandatory departmental inquiry to fix responsibility”. Shankar explained that the CVC had examined 75 cases apart from specific allegations made by former MP Jayant Malhoutra and Rear Admiral Suhas V Purohit Vittal. Malhoutra’s allegations were about middlemen in defence deals. After his report, the ministry lifted the ban on agents in November 2001 to regularise the middlemen. Purohit, in his petition in the Delhi HC on a promotion case, had alleged unnecessary spare parts were bought from a cartel of suppliers instead of manufacturers, at outrageous prices and at times worth more than the original equipment. The problem is that the modus operandi of corruption ensures that it is invisible and unaccounted for. There are widespread complaints that the politicians exercise underhand influence on bureaucracy to mint money. With middlemen’s raj, the situation is unchanged even today. Published on By The European Union defended its independent approach to trade and investment with China, by clarifying its approach that, unlike the United States, we find that (the European Union does not seek economic separation from China), hence the various positions and methods of American-European confrontation, regarding the mechanism of dealing with China, which resulted in several problems between Europe and the United States of America, as follows: After reaching a (Comprehensive Investment Agreement between the European Union and China), which is likely to enter into force in 2022, after its ratification by the European Union governments and the European Parliament, and it is expected that the European-Chinese agreement will give much greater freedom to (companies of European and Baltic countries) to expand their business with China. The European Union refused to agree with the United States of America to form a common front against Beijing. The European Union defined its economic relationship with China, according to three names, as follows: China is a partner of the European Union: (on climate change). China is a competitor to the European Union: (on trade, investment, economy, intellectual property rights), and other such issues. China is a systematic competitor to the European Union: (in terms of values and governance). The European Union still follows this policy towards China, and is reluctant to stand by the United States against China. The European Union is keen to “benefit from Chinese trade and investment, which is fueled by China’s sustainable economic growth”. After the European Union reached a comprehensive political and economic agreement with China in December 2020, regarding (signing a new comprehensive investment agreement between China and the European Union countries), known as: “CAI” So, under that agreement between China and the EU, this would (improve the access of European companies to the Chinese market), as for Chinese companies, they already enjoy largely free access to the European market. The American criticism of the European Union came because it does not have a better negotiating power with the Chinese side, and its inability to reach a multilateral agreement. Most notably, Chinese President “Xi Jinping” personally intervened to make a large number of the final concessions needed to secure the (bilateral agreement between China and the European Union), which led to a rift in the relationship between the European Union and the United States. In fact, the European Union realizes the difficulty of achieving the American desire as a partner country with it in the “NATO” alliance to disengage with China, according to the Europeans, the economies are always highly intertwined, and therefore, (It will not be possible for the Europeans to completely sever ties with the Chinese side, and achieve the desire of Washington). We also find the failure of American pressure on its European partners themselves, and an attempt to persuade them to (diversify supply chains away from China, in order to avoid dependence on China for vital supplies). Through this analysis, we conclude the fact that the European Union is less interested than Washington in the matter of China. Evidence that (Germany has actually decided to allow the Chinese company Huawei to provide equipment for its new communication networks, with full French approval, given that France is the receiving party for the Chinese peace cable for digital communications from China to Europe), with the French and German welcoming the investments of the Huawei factory on their lands. Published on By To demonstrate the credibility of its nuclear deterrence, India test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 5,000 kilometres on October 27. With Agni-5, India can strike nearly all of China. Moreover, it is already capable of striking anywhere inside Pakistan. Subsequently, India’s sharpening of its missile arsenal necessitates Pakistan to take similar measures concerning its own nuclear forces. To reinforce its defense, Pakistani policymakers need to spend resources wisely in innovations in artificial intelligence, big data analysis, quantum computing, and quantum sensing and biotechnology. Sparing more resources into science and innovation results in the modernization of both conventional and nuclear forces. While Pakistan is passing through the worst economic crisis, the defence budget is facing constraints. An arms race initiated by India is a completion at an odd time for Pakistan to enhance its defence capabilities. Whereas other challenges like environment, Pandemic, Poverty, etc., are yet to be addressed, but Indian threats may push everything on the back burners and focus on defence. Unfortunate! India’s confidence in the steady progress of the BMD program and struggle to develop hypersonic missiles capability adds a new variant in India-Pakistan’s competitive strategic dyad. As a result, Pakistani security experts agree that Islamabad needs to continue modernizing its nuclear forces.
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Military Exercise
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Olympics-Athletics-Kipsang powers into 1,500m final, breaks Games record
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TOKYO, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Kenya’s Abel Kipsang broke the Olympic men’s 1,500 metres record in the semi-finals on Thursday to ease into the final.
Kipsang crossed the line in a blistering 3:31.65, shattering the mark of 3:32.07 set by his compatriot Noah Ngeny in 2000, finishing ahead of Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who arrived in Tokyo as third fastest this year.
Britain’s Jake Wightman ran a season’s best 3:33.48 to win the other semi-final, ahead of American Cole Hocker and world champion Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot as all three advanced to the final on Saturday.
Cheruiyot set the early pace but faded towards the end as Wightman, whose father and coach Geoff is the stadium announcer in Tokyo, overtook him to win the race. (Reporting by Omar Mohammed, editing by Ed Osmond)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Break historical records
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Iraqi Airways Flight 163 crash
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Iraqi Airways Flight 163 was a Boeing 737-270C, registered YI-AGJ, that was hijacked in 1986. On 25 December 1986, en route from Baghdad's Saddam International Airport to Amman, Jordan, Flight 163 was hijacked by four men. Iraqi Airways security personnel tried to stop the hijackers, but a hand grenade was detonated in the passenger cabin, forcing the crew to initiate an emergency descent. Another hand grenade exploded in the cockpit, causing the aircraft to crash near Arar, Saudi Arabia where it broke in two and caught fire. There were 106 people on board, and 60 passengers and 3 crew members died. The surviving passengers were able to tell authorities what transpired on the aircraft. The hijacking was one of the deadliest ever, and was one of many in 1985 and 1986. Shortly after the hijacking, the pro-Iranian group Islamic Jihad Organization (a widely used name for Hezbollah) claimed responsibility. [1] One of the dead hijackers was later identified by the Central Intelligence Agency as a Lebanese national named Ribal Khalil Jallul, whose passport photo was matched to a Hezbollah martyr poster found near a mosque in Beirut. [2] Iraq accused Iran of being behind the attack.
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Air crash
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1963 BAC One-Eleven test crash
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The 1963 BAC One-Eleven test crash was a fatal accident of a British Aircraft Corporation prototype aircraft on 22 October 1963, near Chicklade in Wiltshire, England while it was undertaking a test flight. All seven crew members on board the BAC One-Eleven were killed. The accident occurred during a test flight of the first prototype BAC One-Eleven (registration G-ASHG) which had taken off from Wisley Airfield with seven crew on board, piloted by Mike Lithgow. The aircraft was on its fifth test flight to assess stability and handling characteristics during the approach to–and recovery from–a stall with the centre of gravity in varying positions. From an altitude of 16,000 feet (4,900 m) and with the flaps extended 8°, the aircraft entered a stable stall and descended at a high rate in a horizontal attitude, eventually striking the ground with very little forward speed. The aircraft broke up on impact at Cratt Hill, near Chicklade, a small village in southern Wiltshire and caught fire, killing all seven crew on board. The aircraft was on its fifth stalling test of the day, and the crash occurred 23 minutes after takeoff from Wisley. The crew were Lt. Cdr. M J Lithgow OBE, Chief Test Pilot; Capt. R Rymer (Test Pilot); B J Prior (Aerodynamicist); C J Webb (Designer); R A F Wright (Senior Observer); G R Poulter (Observer) and D J Clark (Observer). [1]
The cause of the accident was the aircraft entering a stable stalled condition, recovery from which was impossible due to the wings blocking the airflow over the elevators on the tail. This was the first accident to be attributed to the phenomenon known as deep stall, peculiar to rear engine T-tailed aircraft. [2]
Once the condition of deep stall was recognised, relatively simple preventative measures were introduced, including stick-shakers indicating an approaching stall and stick-pushers which automatically operate the elevators and physically lower the nose before the stall is reached, while the tailplane and pitch controls are still effective.
In October 2013 a stone memorial was dedicated at the crash site, listing the seven victims. [1] The ceremony was attended by the CO of the Royal Navy Historic Flight; Lord Margadale (the owner of the land); and families of the crew members. [5] The memorial bears a quotation from the annotation of the 1817 edition of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: '...and everywhere the blue sky belongs to them and is their appointed rest and their native country. '[1]
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Air crash
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To say Vancouver is excited about the potential arrival of the Northern Lights
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To say Vancouver is excited about the potential arrival of the Northern Lights is an understatement. Plenty of eager sky watchers headed out in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 30 to try and glimpse the aurora borealis – but they were not successful. On Monday, October 11, plenty of locals managed to see them over Metro Vancouver . Then, forecasts showed that the best time to see them again would be between 2 am and 5 am on October 30. Now, the forecast has changed and Vancouver could get a chance to see them on Halloween night. From the posts on social media, it seemed like the busiest spots for viewing were at Porteau Cove, Spanish Banks, and Prospect Point. “No Northern Lights seen from Vancouver tonight,” reads one tweet. “Prospect Point parking lot was full. Lots of young people hanging around at 3 am looking but nothing.” No #NorthernLights seen from #Vancouver tonight. Prospect Point parking lot was full. Lots of young people hanging around at 3 am looking but nothing. If I go out tomorrow night looking I will not go back to this location. pic.twitter.com/okRFgqzTit — Mark Teasdale ★ (@MarksGonePublic) October 30, 2021 A reddit user shared their experience at Spanish Banks, describing it as a dud in colourful language. “The only lights I could see were from the hundreds of cars,” they wrote. It seemed like Spanish Banks was very busy, according to Twitter users, too. If you’re planning to try and watch them for yourself, just be aware that you’re probably not the only person with the same idea. Spanish Banks as busy at 3am as a hot summer day. #NorthernLights #Vancouver — Jarret McKee (he/him) (@JarretMcKee) October 30, 2021 “Spanish banks as busy at 3 am as on a hot summer day,” wrote one Twitter user. Even people out at Porteau Cove, a great lookout spot an hour north of Vancouver where some spectacular shots of the Northern Lights have been taken in the past, seemed unsuccessful at finding any this time. Dark skies so far, Porteau Cove #vancouver #northernlights — Veulet Ramazanpour (@VeuletR) October 30, 2021 But don’t lose heart just yet. Keep in mind that these are forecasts and, just like the weather, they’re likely to change. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center in the US issued a geomagnetic storm watch, which could increase the chances of Vancouver seeing the northern lights. A CME associated with Thursday’s solar flare is expected to reach earth tomorrow. A G3 (Strong) Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in effect for Saturday and Sunday, and may drive the aurora over the Northeast, to the upper Midwest, to WA state. You can also check the Aurora Forecast from the University of Alaska Fairbanks for more tips and Space Weather Live to see the probability forecast.
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New wonders in nature
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Oxygen leak kills 22 in Indian hospital as Covid crisis worsens
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Hospitals in Delhi say they only have enough oxygen to last eight to 24 hours First published on Wed 21 Apr 2021 05.44 BST
At least 22 patients have died in a hospital in western India after a disruption to their oxygen supply caused by a leaking tank, the health minister said, as a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases soaks up supplies of the crucial gas.
The incident in the city of Nashik, one of India’s worst-hit areas, happened after the tank of gas leaked, said Rajesh Tope, the health minister of Maharashtra, the richest state, where the city is located.
“Patients who were on ventilators at the hospital in Nashik have died,” Tope said in televised remarks. “The leakage was spotted at the tank supplying oxygen to these patients. The interrupted supply could be linked to the deaths of the patients in the hospital.”
The world’s second most populous nation reported 295,041 new infections on Wednesday – the world’s highest daily rise – as its hospitals were stretched to breaking point.
The total was just short of the global record for a one-day rise in confirmed new cases, which was set by the United States in January when 297,430 cases were tallied. US cases have since fallen sharply. India’s 2,023 deaths were also its highest in the pandemic.
On Tuesday, hospitals in Delhi, the capital, said they had enough oxygen left for just another eight to 24 hours, while some private institutions had enough for only four or five.
The situation was so severe that some people had tried to loot an oxygen tanker, forcing authorities to beef up security, said the health minister of the neighbouring state of Haryana. “From now, I’ve ordered police protection for all tankers,” Anil Vij told Reuters partner ANI.
Television showed images of people with empty oxygen cylinders crowding refilling facilities as they scrambled to save stricken relatives in hospital.
“We were completely blocked out of supplies yesterday but by the end of the day we received some and it is helping us today,” said Charu Sachdeva, an official at the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre in the capital.
In the northern city of Lucknow, one man said a hospital had asked him to arrange oxygen supplies for his uncle or take him away since it had run out.
Delhi, a city of 20 million people, recorded 28,395 new cases and 277 deaths on Tuesday, its highest tally since the pandemic began. Every third person tested for coronavirus proved positive.
About 80 of 142 hospitals in Delhi had no beds left for virus patients, government figures showed.
Businessman Saurabh Mittal said he called a hospital shown in a government database to have beds free, only to be told they were full up and could not take anyone. “I told them there is online availability but they said the real-time data showed no beds,” said Mittal, who had been trying to arrange treatment for a virus sufferer.
India faces a coronavirus “storm” overwhelming its health system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a national address on Tuesday, adding that authorities were working with states and private firms to deliver oxygen with “speed and sensitivity”.
Delhi, like large parts of India, let its guard down when the virus seemed to be under control, allowing big gatherings such as weddings and festivals as daily infections fell to fewer than 1,000 during the winter, health experts said.
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Gas explosion
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Mattel Tops 2022 ‘Toy of the Year’ Award Finalist List
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Mattel leads the toy industry for the third year in a row with a record seventeen ‘Toy of the Year’ Award finalist nominations
Mattel Tops 2022 ‘Toy of the Year’ Award Finalist List (Graphic: Business Wire)
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) today announced that the company’s portfolio of toys has received a record-breaking seventeen finalist nominations across more than a dozen categories for The Toy Association’s 2022 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. For the third year in a row, the company leads the industry in the number of finalists, which include toys from American Girl®, Barbie®, Fisher-Price®, Hot Wheels®, Masters of the Universe®, Polly Pocket® and additional licensed properties and games.
The full list of Mattel’s nominated products are as follows:
“Mattel truly has the best talent, dedicated to creating the best toys in the world,” said Richard Dickson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Mattel. “We could not be more proud of our people, our products and the industry we play in. Each day, we are driven by the gratifying experience of designing toys that deliver joy, magic and memories for kids.”
“By teaming with best-in-class retail partners we are able to deliver Mattel’s incredible products that excite and deliver on our mission to empower children to explore the wonder of childhood,” said Steve Totzke, Global Chief Commercial Officer, Mattel. “Leading The Toy Association’s Toy of the Year finalist list is a testament to the strength of our portfolio of iconic brands and world-renowned licensed partnerships. Congratulations to all finalists who are dedicated to uniting fans of all ages through play.”
Administered by The Toy Association, the TOTY Awards are held annually to showcase the top toys, games, and children’s properties of the year. The awards program is a critical fundraiser for The Toy Foundation (TTF), which provides philanthropic support and the vital commodity of play to children and families under stress and in dire situations, across the country and globe.
Winners in each category will be announced at the TOTY Awards event on Friday, February 18, 2022, along with the overall “Toy of the Year” winner and “People’s Choice” winner based on consumer votes. The celebration will kick off the 118th Toy Fair New York, which also includes the induction of toy industry trailblazers into the esteemed Toy Industry Hall of Fame. Voting for the awards begins today at ToyAwards.org.
About Mattel
Mattel is a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain, and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, UNO®, and MEGA®, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music, and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. Visit us online at mattel.com.
About The Toy Association™
www.toyfoundation.org / www.toyassociation.org / www.thegeniusofplay.org / www.playsafe.org
Founded in 1916, The Toy Association™, Inc. is the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The Toy Association leads the health and growth of the U.S. toy industry, which has an annual U.S. economic impact of $98.2 billion, and its roughly 1,000 members drive the annual $32 billion U.S. domestic toy market. The Toy Association serves as the industry’s voice on the developmental benefits of play and promotes play’s positive impact on childhood development to consumers and media. The organization has a long history of leadership in toy safety, having helped develop the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 40 years ago, and remains committed to working with medical experts, government, consumers, and industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe and fun play.
As a global leader, The Toy Association produces the world-renowned Toy Fair New York and Toy Fair Dallas; advocates on behalf of members around the world; sustains the Canadian The Toy Association; acts as secretariat for the International Council of Toy Industries and International Toy Industry CEO Roundtable; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America’s widely emulated ASTM F963 toy safety standard.
About the Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY)
The Toy of the Year Awards, known as the “Oscars” of the toy industry, annually recognize the top toys and games on the market. Finalists are nominated from within the industry and selected by a panel of expert judges. Winners are decided by votes cast by the public (at ToyAwards.org) and members of the industry. The TOTY Awards are administered by The Toy Association, with 100% of the program’s proceeds benefiting The Toy Foundation and its goal of delivering millions of brand-new toys to children in vulnerable situations.
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Awards ceremony
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The reopening is validating the past year’s policy experiment of being bolder, more generous and quicker during a crisis
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Note: Recession periods begin in January 2008 (or Q1, where applicable) and March 2020 (or Q1). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. It may upset partisans who want to give no credit to this administration — or the previous one — but this reopening is validating the past year’s policy experiment of being bolder, more generous and quicker during a crisis. The early successes of this recovery stem from how both Congress and the Federal Reserve, our nation’s central bank, tackled the pandemic recession using a new approach: go early and go big on policy support. As the economy shut down, policymakers bucked some conventional wisdom and entrusted households and businesses with cash support that had few strings attached. Congress passed stimulus measures with the general mantra that the cost of doing too little was greater than potentially doing a bit too much. In the last downturn, when the federal government did less, people in their prime working years were still dropping out of the labor force six years into the recovery, and labor’s share of national income fell to an all-time low in 2014. Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures remained near record highs. In 2011, the gap by which unemployment among Black people exceeded that among white people had risen to a multidecade high. This time, we are seeing the benefits of policymaking that isn’t miserly. Businesses that were expected to use funds to pay employees and cover essential operating expenses generally did so; workers who were unemployed received additional cash support, which they put right back into the economy to cover necessities and, yes, buy some stay-at-home goods. The current burst in growth and hiring has had a less welcome companion, inflation. The Fed’s preferred gauge of consumer inflation rose 3.9 percent in May from a year earlier — and may go higher in coming months — fueling intense speculation among adherents of conventional economics about whether we will see a return to the high inflation of the 1970s or a loss of confidence in the U.S. dollar. Still, it is worth remembering that there is a deliberate reason for this new policy approach. After years of consideration, the Federal Reserve codified a new approach to monetary policy last year with a promise to seek a “broad based and inclusive” realization of maximum employment: to keep credit cheap and accessible long enough to produce a strong labor market that could narrow social disparities and boost productivity. This easier approach to monetary policy was accompanied by the fiscal stimulus enacted in 2017 — the large tax cuts signed into law by the last administration — and done during an expansion, in defiance of traditions of fiscal conservatism feted by leaders in both parties. The new framework won. Just before the pandemic, there was steady, noninflationary growth, stronger wage growth for lower-wage workers and the narrowest gap between Black and white unemployment rates on record. And now early evidence shows that the new, more generous economic framework — now being applied by the Biden administration in its own way — is being proved right again. Wealth is up, and the difference between the top 1 percent and bottom 50 percent is narrower than during the last crisis. Wealth Percent change since beginning of recession among the top 1% of income earners and the bottom 50%
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Financial Crisis
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