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Olympics: Kristof Milak Cruises to Top Seed in 200 Butterfly
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It was 21 years ago that a gawky 15-year-old kid from Baltimore first stepped onto the global stage in the men’s 200 butterfly.
In the five Games since that fateful day in Sydney, Michael Phelps never finished lower than fifth in his signature event. He won three gold medals, two silvers, through a record-breaking 28-medal haul, one retirement and a full adult life in the spotlight of world sports.
Monday, for the first time this millennium, we got to look at what an Olympic 200 fly without Phelps looked like. And for most of the field, it looked like the field of Kristof Milak.
The world record holder from Hungary dominated the pack, winning his heat by more than a second and taking the top seed my nearly that margin in an easy 1:53.58.
“I wanted 1:54, now I went 1:53.5. That’s nice,” Milak said. “I felt a little fatigue after the relay final in the morning, but recovered quickly so it’s all square.”
Milak was installed as the favorite at the 2019 World Championships, when he downed the world record. Next in his sights is the Olympic mark that Phelps set in 2008 (1:52.03).
Second was Chinese Taipei’s Eddie (Kuan-Hung) Wang in 1:54.44 with Leonardo de Deus of Brazil in third. Both Americans are through, with Zach Harting (1:54.92) in fourth and Gunnar Bentz (1:55.46) 12th. Both of Japan’s swimmers advanced, including ninth-place Daiya Seto, who appears to have recovered a bit from his sluggish 400 IM . Tomoru Honda is sixth.
Two of the principal animators from Rio are barely hanging on in Tokyo. Hungary’s Tamas Kenderesi, the bronze medalist in Rio, was eighth Monday night. Chad le Clos, the gold medalist in 2012 and fourth-place finisher in Rio, was 16th in 1:55.96, grabbing the final lane for the semis.
Milak is already talking like a veteran beyond his 21 years as he approaches Tuesday’s semifinals.
“I don’t want to hit the top gear tomorrow morning either, as I will have more swims,” he said. “So I need to preserve some energy and, honestly, I don’t see any reason that I should push that hard. … I want to have a great final, win the gold and clock a time which leaves a mark.”
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Break historical records
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Atlas Fire
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The Atlas Fire was a 2017 wildfire burning in Napa County, California north of the city of Napa, near Napa Soda Springs. It was one of fourteen large fires simultaneously burning in eight Northern California counties, in what was called the "Northern California firestorm". [2] Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency. [3][4]
The fire, which started on October 8, had by October 12 burned 51,057 acres (207 km2) of land, and was 77% contained. [5][6]
By October 12, the fire stretched from Lake Berryessa south to Napa, but a firebreak was established across Atlas Peak Road. [6]
The fire began about 10 p.m. October 8 on Atlas Peak Road Atlas Peak. It started south, fed by winds, gusting to 28 miles per hour, and low relative humidity at 12%. [7]
On October 12, winds were forecast to reach 40 mph, but were lighter than expected, slowing the growth of the fire. [6]
Evacuations started at Silverado Resort,[8] and at Vichy Avenue and Hagen Road area, then Montecito Boulevard and Monte Vista Avenue. [9]
After the evacuation center at Crosswalk Church quickly reached maximum capacity, one was opened at Napa Valley College and St. Apollinaris Catholic Church. There are other evacuations centers such as:
The evacuations for Solano County are Upper and Lower Green Valley, Eastridge, and the community of twin sisters along Suisun Valley road. The advisory is for the Lakes, and The Shopping Centers for Cordelia. [12]
In Sonoma, there were mandatory evacuation orders first at Seventh Street East, Castle Road, and Lovall Valley Road; then at East Napa Street. [13] An evacuation advisory was issued for parts of the city of Napa. [14]
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Fire
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Winter Hill air disaster crash
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The Winter Hill air disaster occurred on 27 February 1958, when the Silver City Airways Bristol 170 Freighter G-AICS, operated by Manx Airlines on a charter flight from the Isle of Man to Manchester, England, crashed during heavy snow into Winter Hill (also known as Rivington Moor), 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Chorley. Thirty-five people died and seven were injured; the cause was determined to be navigational errors. The flight was a charter flight from Ronaldsway Airport, Ballasalla, on the Isle of Man to Manchester Ringway Airport, operated by Manx Airlines with the Silver City Airways Bristol 170 Freighter G-AICS, call sign "Charlie Sierra". [1][2] It was flying a group mostly consisting of people connected with the motor trade in the Isle of Man to visit the Manchester Exide Battery factory at Clifton Junction and the Manchester car show. [3][4][5]
The aircraft took off from Ronaldsway Airport with a crew of three, captain, first officer, and stewardess, and 39 passengers, bound initially for an aircraft reporting point at Squire's Gate, near Blackpool. Take-off was delayed by repairs to navigation equipment, and as a result because of other air traffic in the Manchester area as well as poor weather in England, the captain was ordered to maintain an altitude of 1,500 feet (460 m) rather than climbing to the normal 3,500 feet (1,100 m). [2][6] After receiving clearance from air traffic control at Manchester Ringway, the flight continued inland to Wigan Beacon, a non-directional beacon in the Manchester Zone, which transmitted a recognition signal of "MYK" in Morse code on a frequency of 316 kHz and a range of c. 25 miles (40 km). [1][4]
While the captain was briefly absent from the cockpit, the first officer erroneously tuned the radio compass to the frequency for Oldham Beacon instead of Wigan Beacon; visibility was extremely poor and the mistake was first noticed by Manchester Control, who at 9:44 AM ordered an immediate right turn. [1][7] Shortly afterwards, the aircraft crashed near the summit of Winter Hill, several hundred yards from the Independent Television Authority's Winter Hill transmitting station. [1][2]
The weather was so severe that none of the engineers working at the transmitting station were aware of it until a survivor came to summon help. [5] Several feet of snow hampered rescue efforts, and a snow cat vehicle had to be diverted from the A6 to cut a path for emergency vehicles, though the track had been cleared by people using spades previously. [6]
Thirty-five of the passengers were killed, one of whom died later from injuries. Seven people survived, including the three crew. [7][8][9] As of February 2010[update] it was the worst high ground air crash in the United Kingdom and the 11th worst for number killed since 1950. [2]
The probable cause of the accident was determined to have been the first officer's error tuning the radio compass, with the captain's failure to confirm the correct tuning as contributory cause. [1][2][10] The inquiry also ascribed some blame to the air traffic controllers and to the design of the aircraft's cockpit, in which navigation displays were above and slightly behind the pilots' seats and therefore difficult to see. [6]
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Air crash
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2008 Chișinău Antonov An-32 crash
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A 12 April, 2008 Chișinău Antonov An-32 crash killed eight crew when a departing Sudanese cargo flight to Turkey turned back and crashed short of the runway. Early reports indicated that the Ukraine-built An-32 "Cline" had engine problems and turned back to Chișinău International Airport, Moldova. [1][needs update] The flight from Vienna had refuelled and was bound for Khartoum, Sudan via Antalya, Turkey with a Moldovan crew of eight. [2][3]
The aircraft had undergone maintenance at Chișinău. It crashed at 22:15 local time, or 20:15 UTC. Moldovan authorities requested Russian assistance with the black box records. Novosti reported that the crew was four Russians and four Moldovans,[4] but it was later determined that there were four Ukrainian and four Moldovan citizens. [5]
The aircraft was later announced as belonging to Kata Air Transport of Sudan and as having crashed close to the village of Băcioi, Moldova carrying 2.3 tonnes of fuel. [6]
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Air crash
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58-year-old patient with double vision diagnosed with COVID-19
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BMJ Case Reports authors have described their treatment of an undiagnosed diabetic who presented with vertical diplopia and abnormal eye movement
1
16 April 2021 Selina Powell
Pixabay/Gerd Altmann
A 58-year-old man who presented with double vision and abnormal eye movement was later diagnosed with COVID-19.
The case is described by clinicians in BMJ Case Reports , with the authors highlighting that neuro-ophthalmic symptoms may be the only manifestation of COVID-19.
The patient presented to hospital after suffering from vertical diplopia for 10 days.
An examination of extraocular movement indicated internuclear ophthalmoplegia.
Further testing revealed the patient had COVID-19 and previously undiagnosed diabetes.
Following treatment, a four-week follow up appointment revealed that the patient was free of diplopia and his eye movements were back to normal. He returned a negative COVID-19 test.
The authors highlighted: “Neuro-ophthalmic manifestations in COVID-19 are increasingly being recognised around the world.”
Scientists have previously described the discovery of eye nodules in patients with a history of severe COVID-19.
The findings published in Radiology described how nine patients within a group of 129 had one or more hyperintense nodules in the posterior pole of the globe.
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Famous Person - Sick
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July 2020 Azerbaijani protests
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The 2020 Azerbaijani protests, also known within Azerbaijan as the Karabakh March ,[1] were series of civil protests from 12 to 15 July in various cities and towns in Azerbaijan. They erupted within the framework of the Armenian–Azerbaijani border clashes, and the protestors demanded full-scale war with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Initial protests erupted on 12 July, in Gobu, where the Azerbaijani refugees of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War live. Though the local police initially appealed to the crowd to disperse, the crowd ignored them. The Rapid Police Unit (RPU) then intervened and dispersed the protestors, numbering around 700 to 800 people, in the early hours of 13 July. [2][3] On 14 July, after the deaths of Major General Polad Hashimov and Colonel Ilgar Mirzayev during the border clashes with Armenia, about 30[4] to 50[5] thousand people, calling for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic-related quarantine, war against Armenia, country-wide mobilisation and the resignation of Najmeddin Sadikov, the chief of general staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces,[6] demonstrated in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and Sumgayit,[7] with smaller rallies in support of the military in other cities around Azerbaijan. [8] After the initial demonstrations, a smaller group stormed the Parliament building,[9] protesting the government's inaction,[10] though security forces later evicted them. Subsequent clashes between the demonstrators and security forces resulted in seven police officers being injured, and several cars being damaged. [11] The seemingly impromptu rally lasted well into the early hours of 15 July. [9] It was the largest demonstration in Azerbaijan in years. [10][12]
No opposition or government figure appeared in front of the crowd when they stormed Parliament. Analysts said there was "neither a government official nor an intellectual" who could stand up to such a crowd. Some opposition members said that they "did not appear that day because they were worried about provocation". Government officials stated the government did not address the crowd because of the "restrictive and stay-at-home measures" because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [13] Some interpreted the Parliament break-in, and some of the earlier episodes, as provocations meant to discredit the protesters. According to Zaur Shiriyev, a Baku-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, the death of Hashimov and other high-ranking officers was a "turning point" and had "changed people's minds". [8]
The Azerbaijani government regarded the storming of the Parliament as a "provocation",[6] with President Ilham Aliyev blaming the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), the main opposition party, for the incident,[14] though the PPFA declared its members innocent. [15] The Azerbaijani authorities launched a criminal case over the incident and completed their preliminary investigation over the arrests on 11 September. 36 people were arrested—16 were members of the PFPA. [15] Despite this, according to other Azerbaijani sources, as many as 120 people were detained after the protests, including journalists. [14] Relatives of some detainees said that they could not get information about their family members for more than a day. According to some reports, some detainees were not fed or given a place to sleep. [11]
The protests are believed to have led to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war later in the year. [16][17][18]
The territorial ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh is fiercely contested between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. The conflict over the region has its roots in events following World War I. Until the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the region was de jure part of Azerbaijan, although large parts were de facto held by the internationally unrecognised Republic of Artsakh supported by Armenia. [19]
During the Soviet era, an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan SSR governed the predominantly Armenian-populated region. [20] As the Soviet Union began to disintegrate during the late 1980s the question of Nagorno-Karabakh's status re-emerged, and on 20 February 1988 the parliament of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast passed a resolution requesting transfer of the oblast from the Azerbaijan SSR to the Armenian SSR. Azerbaijan rejected the request several times,[21] and ethnic violence began shortly after with a series of pogroms between 1988 and 1990 against Armenians in Sumgait, Ganja and Baku,[22][23][24][25] and against Azerbaijanis in Gugark[26][27][28] and Stepanakert. [29] Following the revocation of Nagorno-Karabakh's autonomous status, an independence referendum was held in the region on 10 December 1991. The Azerbaijani population, which then constituted around 22.8% of the region's population boycotted the referendum. 99.8% of participants voted in favour. In early 1992, following the Soviet Union's collapse, the region descended into outright war. [21]
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War resulted in the displacement of approximately 725,000 Azerbaijanis and 300,000–500,000 Armenians from both Azerbaijan and Armenia. [30] The 1994 Bishkek Protocol brought the fighting to an end and resulted in significant Armenian territorial gains: in addition to controlling most of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Republic of Artsakh also occupied the surrounding Azerbaijani populated districts of Agdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Kalbajar, Qubadli, Lachin and Zangilan. [31] The terms of the Bishkek agreement produced a frozen conflict,[32] and long-standing international mediation attempts to create a peace process were initiated by the OSCE Minsk Group in 1994, with the interrupted Madrid Principles being the most recent iteration prior to 2020. [33][34] The United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions in 1993 calling for the withdrawal of "occupying forces" from the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh,[a]
and in 2008 the General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of Armenian occupying forces,[35] although the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the United States, voted against it. [36]
For three decades multiple violations of the ceasefire occurred, the most serious being the four-day 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. [37] In August 2019, in a declaration in favour of unification, the Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan stated "Artsakh is Armenia, full stop". [38] From 12 to 16 July 2020,[39] skirmishes occurred on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan,[37] mainly in the Tavush province of Armenia and the Tovuz district of Azerbaijan. [40] The skirmishes were conducted mainly through artillery and drones, without infantry,[41] and were of varying intensity, injuring many, and killing at least 17 military and one civilian. Among Azerbaijani military casualties were high-ranking officers, including Major General Polad Hashimov and Colonel Ilgar Mirzayev. [42] Hashimov was buried alongside Mirzayev on 15 July in the Second Alley of Honor in Baku. [43] Azerbaijan's minister of defence, Zakir Hasanov, chief of general staff, Najmaddin Sadigov, and, the mayor of Baku, Eldar Azizov, attended the funeral. [44] On the same day, President Ilham Aliyev had a telephone conversation with Hashimov's mother, expressing his deep condolences to her. [45] A street was named after Hashimov in his native Vandam, in Gabala District. [46] A park named after Polad Hashimov was opened in the Osmangazi district of Bursa, Turkey on 28 October. [47] Both Hashimov and Mirzayev were declared National Heroes of Azerbaijan in December 2020. [48]
On 12 July, despite COVID-19 regulations, mass pro-war protests erupted at night in Gobu Park, near Baku, where the Azerbaijani internally displaced persons (IDPs) live. Protesters, chanting slogans such as Martyrs do not die, the homeland will not be divided, moved towards the Bina Bazaar.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Amid US Crisis, Chinese Foreign Minister Embarks on Southeast Asia Tour
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press during a visit to Kigali, Rwanda, on January 13, 2017.
Earlier this week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi embarked on a four-nation tour of Southeast Asia, his second such swing through the region since October, aiming to woo key regional partners just days before the Biden administration takes office in Washington.
The tour began on January 11 with a two-day stop in Myanmar, and will continue with stops in Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines. In each of these cases, infrastructure development and COVID-19 support are both likely to be high on the agenda.
Wang’s swing through Southeast Asia follows on the heels of a six-day tour of Africa, in which he visited five countries and pledged to strengthen cooperation in a range of sectors, including health, security, agriculture, and vital infrastructure.
It also follows an October tour that took Wang to Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, and Thailand. As a result, the only Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) state that Wang Yi has not visited since October is Vietnam, although he met for talks with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Guangxi province in August.
The latest tour of China’s top diplomat coincides with the final febrile days of the Trump administration, as the United States continues to grapple with the fallout from last week’s storming of the U.S. Capitol and the possibility of further disruptions ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
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In Myanmar, Wang will become the first foreign minister to visit the country since elections in November, which saw a thundering victory for State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy. COVID-19 cooperation is likely to top the agenda, along with the progress on the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), a clutch of important overland infrastructure projects linking China’s Yunnan province to the Indian Ocean. Since its inception in late 2017, progress on CMEC has been slow.
In a statement announcing Wang’s visit on January 15 and 16, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said that he would meet with Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin in order “to consider ways to accelerate mutually beneficial cooperation, particularly in the priority areas of trade and investments, infrastructure development, and addressing the pandemic.”
Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.
Wang’s visit to Indonesia will also coincide with the rollout of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines in that country, where Wang is expected to discuss a similar range of issues with President Joko Widodo and other senior officials.
Coming on the cusp of a power transfer in Washington, and an expected change in diplomatic style under President-elect Biden and his team, Wang’s first two diplomatic tours of 2021 – to Africa and Southeast Asia – highlight the importance to China of its relationship with the nations of the Global South.
While the incoming Biden administration is likely to focus on shoring up ties with allies and partners in the industrialized West, China is moving to position itself as a more accommodating partner and less judgmental to the postcolonial nations of Asia and Africa, offering economic support alongside an avowed respect for national sovereignty and mutual non-interference.
Southeast Asia, which also lies in close proximity to China, is hence a doubly important region for Beijing at a time of escalating Sino-American tensions. As I wrote at the time of Wang’s October tour, the present spate of state visits are “aimed at communicating China’s steadfast commitment to ASEAN, as the economic downturn from COVID-19 begins to set in across the region. China’s aim is to position itself as a key partner in a post-COVID-19 world, both in terms of access to any coronavirus vaccine, and as a vital economic partner to the region.” In this aim, China is undoubtedly aided by the slow motion crisis in the United States.
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Diplomatic Visit
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Teenager Gets Sentence of 9 Years to Life In Murder of Tessa Majors
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A 16-year-old named Luchiano Lewis was sentenced to 9 years to life for his involvement in the killing of 18-year-old Barnard student Tessa Majors in Morningside Park on Dec. 11, 2019. Lewis said he and two other boys had gone to the park that night to rob someone. They confronted her on the stairs in the park, and after a scuffle one of them stabbed her. She died after stumbling to the top of the stairs. Lewis was 14 at the time of the murder, as was another of the boys alleged to be involved, Rashaun Weaver. A third boy was 13 and was sentenced to 18 months in juvenile detention. Weaver has pleaded not guilty and his trial date is expected to be set next week, according to the New York Times. Prosecutors charged Weaver and Luchiano as adults. Lewis had initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea last month. At the sentencing, a prosecutor read a statement from Majors’ father Inman. “Nearly two years later, we still find words inadequate to describe the immeasurable pain, trauma, and suffering that our family has endured since her senseless murder,” he said, according to the Daily News. “It is hard for many old friends to be around us. Our grief is too profound. We are too changed from the people we used to be.” “As a human I feel ashamed, embarrassed and sad at the role I played. Nothing I say or do can change that fact,” Lewis said to Inman Majors. Justice Robert Mandelbaum said that Lewis had been cited for violence in prison, including being involved in slashing another prisoner. “I agree that one bad choice — even one horrific choice — standing alone should not prevent leniency in the case of a young offender,” Justice Mandelbaum said, according to the Times. “But the defendant has demonstrated in a year and a half since this terrible incident that this was not an aberration.” “As a human I feel ashamed, embarrassed and sad at the role I played” I’m embarrassed that Luchiano Lewis and his two fellow thugs are members of the human race… I feel sad that we are at a place where kids as young as Lewis are running around with knives mugging and killing people for a few $ – and/or kicks. I wonder if his parents were sitting there thinking about how their child got there – or maybe not. “Shameful?” “Embarrassed?” “Sad?” Not good enough. Lewis and the other two murderous thugs should remain separated from the rest of humanity for at least as long as Tessa Majors remains dead. Agree completely. I don’t believe in evil children or irredeemable children. No 13-14 year old goes that far astray without multiple things going very badly wrong in their lives. As a middle school teacher, I see my students in both the victim and her killers. If those boys had the upbringing and opportunities that Tessa Majors had, they wouldn’t have even been in the park that night. Tessa lost her life because we failed those boys, not because those boys were born bad. May whatever higher being you believe in forgive you for your callous statements regarding the horrific murder of this innocent young woman. I wonder if you would feel the same if it was your daughter or sister that was killed in this manner, at that age. My students and colleagues and I spent *weeks* talking and crying about it. We raised money and donated it to a music education fund in her name. We held community meeting with families about it. Local educators were in deep conversation about violence prevention— then the pandemic hit and the conversation has once again been tabled. In their victim impact statement, Tessa’s parents concluded by saying that they ask themselves every day what could have been done to prevent her murder. And I am saying that we should ask ourselves that same question. I don’t want something like to happen ever again, and locking these particular kids away for a long time does not prevent that. Asking “why did this happen? How can we stop it from happening again?” is how we begin to heal a broken world. My students and I were deeply troubled by her murder, including a few kids who knew the perpetrators vaguely from their neighborhood. We spent weeks talking about it. Kids who were always tough broke down in tears. We raised money and donated to a music education fund in her name. It was a really hard time at school. We were still in conversation about it months later when the pandemic hit. Tessa Majors’ parents said in their victim impact statement that they ask themselves every day what could have been done to prevent her murder. And I think we should ask the same question. Locking away her killers answers our calls for retribution, but it doesn’t mend our broken world and it doesn’t prevent a future tragedy. I want to know what will, and I think we begin by admitting that American society has utterly failed its most vulnerable citizens. SadforUWS – what makes you read her comments as suggesting that she was callous about the murder of Tessa Majors? Is it not possible that there can be two tragedies here? It is absolutely the case that this child has committed a horrific crime, and should be punished. It is absolutely the case that the murder of Tessa Majors was the violent killing of a young person and the loss of her opportunity to live and all the potential she brought to the world, and a rupture in the fabric of humanity, as murder is. That does not mean that it is not also a tragedy that whatever that made this murderer come into existence occurred. May whatever higher power you believe in forgive *you* for being willing to throw three children away forever, something that can never bring Tessa Majors back. Oboy, are you something else! Children or not, they didn’t steal candy or deface the subway with graffiti. No, they stole the life of someone else’s child. If they viciously murdered your own child, perhaps you would have a right to excuse or forgive their heinous crime. But right now you have zero standing to do anything of the sort. We? We did not fail those boys 13 years is an age old enough to understand consequences. If you really insisting on taking the responsibility of the murder away from them then you should point right at their failed parents. WE failed him? What about his parents? He feels so ashamed that he then stabbed another victim in prison? Nine years is way too short. Get this thug off the streets. RIP Tessa, my sympathies are with you and your grieving family. WOW…..I’m Speechless……Frank Grimes is speechless… I hear you. Even well-adjusted teens make poor choices simply because their brains are not yet developed. Add poverty, bad neighborhoods, bad companions, learning disorders (in some cases)–and so much more. I’ve got no answers but it seems right to acknowledge, again, that it takes a village an our village is in shambles. I wept for the victim. For the perps: lamentations. I agree. It’s a tragedy for everyone. I would guess that those kids had pretty tough lives. No evil children? What do you call killing an innocent young woman in cold blood FOR NO REASON? That’s the very definition of evil. Her poor family. How do you know what opportunities Ms. Majors had or didn’t have? We dont kbow what her life was. And how many children in the EXACT same socioeconomic situation as those boys DON’T mug people? It is possible that if they were upper middle class n I e of this would have happened. Or it might have. I agree that I dont think a 13 year is irredeemably Awful. But people also do horrible things. And a person died. @D3 Teacher, stop making excuses for these murderers who so callously killed Tessa Majors over a few bucks. Just because they didn’t have the “same upbringing and opportunities that Tessa Majors had” doesn’t excuse them one bit. How you can even mention her name to try and rationalize their actions is beyond belief! Lewis had access to TV and internet, and should have known that when he stuck a knife into someone, the person will be seriously injured or die. You don’t need a college degree or excellent schools to teach you that. These murderers have lost their membership in the human race. Lock them up for life. The NYS Criminal Justice System is a joke(PERIOD). Gross injustice to the Majors family. A promising life was brutally taken and for what, only 9 years? Nothing will bring the girl back but 9 years ain’t it. Try 90! This is a travesty of justice. These murderers, and all murderers should get the death penalty. If only there was like something like a police force that could have been patrolling the park and keeping citizens safe. This is heartbreaking and extremely upsetting. An innocent young girl is murdered and her killers barely get any prison time! An innocent family is ripped apart! Meanwhile the liberal media in this city are all worried about the kids who did this. We are truly being destroyed from the rot within and people need to wake up soon. Tessa’s murder occurred following a rash of attacks and muggings in morningside park. Crime statistics have gotten progressively worse over recent years. We need to ask ourselves why. What has changed to reverse what had been a constant trend of decreasing crime. Tragedy all around. What should not be overlooked; however, is that a young woman went into a poorly lit park alone, after dark, for a reason. If we’re being honest, that should really be part of this conversation as well. In fact, an NYPD official alluded in public statements to the fact that there was in essence contributory negligence. He was excoriated for those comments. What has changed in our culture, our country that each of us does not hold some responsibility for our own choices? Yes, Ed Mullins, the now disgraced, resigned head of the SBA, was excoriated for suggesting that Tessa Majors was responsible for her own death because she went into the park, for a reason that is patently ridiculous.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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Jaffa riots
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The Jaffa riots (commonly known in Hebrew: מאורעות תרפ"א, romanized: Me'oraot Tarpa)[1] was a series of violent riots in Mandatory Palestine on May 1–7, 1921, which began as a fight between two Jewish groups but developed into an attack by Arabs on Jews during which many were killed. The rioting began in Jaffa and spread to other parts of the country. The riot resulted in the deaths of 47 Jews and 48 Arabs. Another 146 Jews and 73 Arabs were wounded. On the night of 1 May 1921, the Jewish Communist Party (precursor of the Palestine Communist Party) distributed Arabic and Yiddish fliers calling for the toppling of British rule and the establishment of a "Soviet Palestine". The party announced its intention to parade from Jaffa to neighbouring Tel Aviv to commemorate May Day. On the morning of the parade, despite a warning to the 60 members present from one of Jaffa's most senior police officers, Toufiq Bey al-Said, who visited the party's headquarters, the march headed from Jaffa to Tel Aviv through the mixed Jewish-Arab border neighbourhood of Manshiyya. [2]
Another large May Day parade had also been organized for Tel Aviv by the rival socialist Ahdut HaAvoda group, with official authorization. When the two processions met, a fistfight erupted. [2] Police attempted to disperse the about 50 communist protestors, and Muslims and Christians intervened to help the police against the Jews. A general disturbance quickly ensued and spread to the southern part of town. [3]
Hearing of the fighting and believing that Arabs were being attacked, the Arabs of Jaffa went on the offensive. Dozens of British, Arab, and Jewish witnesses all reported that Arab men bearing clubs, knives, swords, and some pistols broke into Jewish buildings and murdered their inhabitants, while women followed to loot. They attacked Jewish pedestrians and destroyed Jewish homes and stores. They beat and killed Jews in their homes, including children, and in some cases split open the victims' skulls. [2]
At 1:00 pm, an immigrant hostel run by the Zionist Commission and home to a hundred people who had arrived in recent weeks and days was attacked by the mob, and though the residents tried to barricade the gate, it was rammed open and Arabs attackers poured in. The stone-throwing was followed by bombs and gunfire, and the Jewish hostel residents hid in various rooms. When the police arrived, it was reported that they weren't shooting to disperse the crowd, but were actually aiming at the building. In the courtyard one immigrant was felled by a policeman's bullet at short-range, and others were stabbed and beaten with sticks. Five women fled a policeman firing his pistol; three escaped. A policeman cornered two women and tried to rape them, but they escaped him despite his shooting at them. A fourteen-year-old girl and some men managed to escape the building, but each was in turn chased down and beaten to death with iron rods or wooden boards. [2]
The violence reached as far as Abu Kabir. The Jewish Yitzker family owned a dairy farm on the outskirts of the neighbourhood, in which they rented out rooms. At the time of the riots, Yosef Haim Brenner, one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew literature was living at the site. On May 2, 1921, despite warnings Yitzker and Brenner refused to leave the farm and were murdered, along with Yitzker's teenaged son, his son-in-law and two other renters. [4]
As in the previous year's Nebi Musa riots, the mob tore open their victims' quilts and pillows, sending up clouds of feathers. Some Arabs defended Jews and offered them refuge in their homes; many witnesses identified their attackers and murderers as their neighbours. Several witnesses said that Arab policemen had participated. [2]
High Commissioner Herbert Samuel declared a state of emergency, imposed press censorship, and called for reinforcements from Egypt. General Allenby sent two destroyers to Jaffa and one to Haifa. Samuel met with and tried to calm Arab representatives. Musa Kazim al-Husseini, who had been dismissed as Jerusalem's mayor on account of his involvement in the previous year's Nebi Musa riots, demanded a suspension of Jewish immigration. Samuel assented, and two or three small boats holding 300 Jews were refused permission to land, and were forced to return to Istanbul. At the same time, al-Husseini's nephew, Haj Amin al-Husseini, was appointed Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a decision that later faced much criticism. An American architect of Russian Jewish origin, Peres Etkes, who worked for the Mandatory authorities, secretly transferred a stock of rifles from the British-run Jaffa armoury to supply Jewish forces in the riots. [5] Fighting went on for several days and spread to nearby Rehovot, Kfar Saba, Petah Tikva, and Hadera. [2] British aircraft dropped bombs "to protect Jewish settlements from Arab raiders. "[6]
The riot resulted in the deaths of 47 Jews and 48 Arabs. 146 Jews and 73 Arabs were wounded. Most Arab casualties resulted from clashes with British forces attempting to restore order. [7] Thousands of Jewish residents of Jaffa fled for Tel Aviv and were temporarily housed in tent camps on the beach. Tel Aviv, which had been previously lobbying for independent status, became a separate city due in part to the riots. However Tel Aviv was still dependent on Jaffa, which supplied it with food, services, and was the place of employment for most residents of the new city. [2]Jewish casualties would have been higher had it not been for a British officer, Major Lionel Mansell Jeune, whose actions in intervening are credited with saving some 100 Jewish immigrants. [8]
The victims were buried at the Trumpeldor Cemetery, established in Jaffa in 1902. The newspaper HaTzfira reported that meetings across the country had been postponed, all parties and celebration had been cancelled and schools closed for four days. The newspapers on May 3 appeared with black borders. [9]
The newspaper Kuntress, whose author and co-editor Yosef Haim Brenner was one of the victims of the riots, published an article entitled Entrenchment. The article expressed the view that the Jews' outstretched hand had been spurned but that they would only redouble their efforts to survive as a self-reliant community.
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FIFA's The Best awards 2021: When it is, nominees, favourites & everything you need to know
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The next iteration of FIFA's The Best awards is nearing, and here's what you need to know about the ceremony & more
FIFA's The Best awards recognise the greatest individual talents across football, with the Best Men's Player and Best Women's Players set to be honoured.
Previous winners of the Best awards have included Robert Lewandowski and Lucy Bronze, and attention will turn to which players will be celebrated this year.
Goal has what you need to know about the Best awards ceremony, when it will take place, which players are nominated and more.
The Best awards will take place on Monday January 17, 2022.
The next iteration of the ceremony will be a little late, as it is usually held in October, September and December.
Last year, the awards ceremony took place on Thursday December 17, 2020, with proceedings getting started at 6pm BST (1pm ET). It was a virtual event due to public health restrictions in place across the world.
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FIFA will stream The Best awards 2021 on its various media channels, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, as well as its official website.
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Nominees have not yet been announced for the 2021 award.
The voting process will begin on Monday November 22 and end on Friday December 10, 2021.
Players such as Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho are expected to be among the favourites for the award, with N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Romelu Lukaku also likely to be in the mix.
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Nominees have not yet been announced for the 2021 award.
Barcelona stars Alexia Putellas and Jennifer Hermoso are considered strong contenders after a stellar season with the Catalan side.
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At each The Best awards ceremony, the FIFPro World 11 is also announced, confirming the best 'dream team' of the season.
The award, which is voted for by professional footballers across the world, takes into account performances between October 8, 2020 and August 7, 2021.
Players from Chelsea and Manchester City have a strong claim for inclusion, as do individuals from the Italy and Argentina national teams following their respective continental successes.
? It was a special day at @LFC's Training Centre? FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger handed over #TheBest FIFA Men's Coach trophy to Jürgen Klopp & the FIFA @FIFPRO World11 trophies to @Alissonbecker, @TrentAA, @VirgilvDijk & @Thiago6? Congrats to all! pic.twitter.com/7xyJOwivT8
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) Return to top
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Lionel Scaloni's side are the latest team to have booked their place in Qatar - here is the full list of nations who will be joining them
Goal takes a look at the biggest transfer news and rumours from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and around the world
The man who brought the Netherlands international to the UK was also involved in the development of Kieran Tierney, Wilfried Zaha and Jamal Musiala
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Members challenge San Antonio River Walk Association merger
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Republic of Texas Restaurant owners William F. ?’Rick?“ Grinnan Jr., left, and William Grinnan III talk at their long-standing River Walk restaurant about the pending merger of the financially troubled San Antonio River Walk Association and Visit San Antonio. Republic of Texas Restaurant owners Rick Grinnan, left, and his son Will Grinnan are among those questioning the merger. Republic of Texas Restaurant owner William F. ?’Rick?“ Grinnan Jr., is seen Monday, Feb. 1, 2021 at his long-time River Walk restaurant Republic of Texas. Republic of Texas Restaurant owner William Grinnan III is seen Monday, Feb. 1, 2021 at his long-time River Walk restaurant Republic of Texas. Republic of Texas Restaurant owners William Grinnan III and William F. ?’Rick?“ Grinnan Jr. pose under the iconic Texas-themed umbrellas of their River Walk restaurant. The Grinnans are concerned about the pending merger of the financially troubled San Antonio River Walk Association and Visit San Antonio. Major stakeholders in the San Antonio River Walk Association are questioning the group’s merger with Visit San Antonio and demanding association records to examine its troubled finances. “We simply do not understand how these decisions were made (to merge) with no input from us,” nine members said in a Jan. 27 letter to the association’s executive director and its executive committee. “We are now asking for full transparency and an opportunity to part take in a solution that might be agreed by a majority and endorsed by the true invested stakeholders, property and businesses owners on the River.” On ExpressNews.com: Devastated River Walk Association merges with Visit San Antonio Rick Grinnan, who founded what is now The Republic of Texas restaurant on the River Walk in 1975, said he and many of the association’s more than 200 members only learned of the planned merger from media accounts. “We want to know why,” he said. “What happened? Why didn’t you discuss it with us? Because, you know, we're the stakeholders, in a sense. Without any of us there wouldn't be a River Walk.” The letter says that the association should have asked members to form a committee to look at the pros and cons of the merger. The association’s chairwoman, Maria Martinez, said in an email to the Express-News that the “overwhelming majority of our members are supportive of the unanimous decision by our board to take the step on a possible merger.” Maggie Thompson, the association’s executive director, responded to the dissidents in a letter, saying members in coming weeks would be invited to play a “major role” in determining how the merged organization would function. The board approved the merger on Jan. 22. On ExpressNews.com: Wary Traveler: Dearth of travel guides reflects travel industry slump Visit San Antonio, the public-private partnership that promotes the city to convention planners and leisure travelers, plans to take over the staging of major events on the River Walk. Those include the Holiday River Parade and the Texas Cavaliers River Parade during Fiesta. The River Walk Association saw revenue plummet last year after the pandemic forced the cancellation of most public events. Without the cash generated from event sponsorships, the group faces a shortfall of about $300,000 for the fiscal year ending Feb. 28, sources say. In the fall, the group laid off five of its six staff members and reduced Thompson to part-time status. Terry Corless, CEO of Mad Dog Restaurant Group and a River Walk Association board member, said he found out about the merger in mid-January, when the executive committee detailed its plan and insisted board members sign confidentiality agreements. “We are all struggling to keep our own businesses afloat but surely it would have been at least politically prudent to reach out to various people to say, ‘Look, we are in this position,’” said Corless, one of four board members who signed the Jan. 27 letter. Corless said he did not attend the Jan. 22 meeting when the merger vote took place because he was upset over the lack of discussion with association members. Another board member, Will Grinnan, who co-owns the Republic of Texas Restaurant with his father, said he only learned of the merger an hour before the association put out a press release on the merger agreement. “It’s very distasteful,” said the younger Grinnan, who is an ex-officio non-voting board member. He represents the San Antonio Restaurant Association. A third board member, Bob Buchanan, said he signed the letter because of what he called the group’s lack of transparency. Despite his qualms, Buchanan, owner of The Original Mexican Restaurant, said he voted for the merger because of the River Walk Association’s financial troubles. In the letter, the stakeholders asked the association to turn over financial records by Feb. 1, “including balance sheets, monthly profit & loss reports from 2019 and 2020 along with minutes of meetings articulating the pending crisis.” Other signers included: Bill Lyons, owner of Casa Rio, the first restaurant on the River Walk in 1946; Richard Higbie of Boudro’s and his partner, Andreas Esparza, who is a non-voting board member; Chris Hill, who is developing the Canopy by Hilton San Antonio River Walk Hotel; and Sam Panchevre of Acapulco Sam’s on the River Walk. Like the River Walk Association, Visit San Antonio’s revenue nose-dived in the past year as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the city’s tourism industry hard. The organization relies on a tax on hotel rooms for much of its income, and room occupancy fell dramatically once people were ordered to stay away. Lyons said one of his concerns about the merger is that the promotion of the River Walk, heavily frequented by tourists, could lose out to Visit San Antonio’s focus on filling downtown hotel rooms with conventioneers. Visit San Antonio books conventions for the city’s Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. “We just want to keep a balance with VSA so they don’t ignore the leisure business,” Lyons said. Visit San Antonio Board Chairman Jeff Arndt said the organization “will continue our long-standing commitment to maintaining our sharp focus on the leisure market, especially during the critical recovery period ahead.” Visit San Antonio’s board approved the merger on Jan. 26.
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Aggieville riots
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Aggieville is a community of six square blocks in Manhattan, Kansas, consisting of bars, restaurants, and shops oriented around university culture. Its nightlife scene peaks surrounding Kansas State games. Before 1898, students at the Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University) had to purchase their textbooks downtown, which, in the age before the automobile, was inconvenient due to distance and often, mud-soaked roads. The college decided to build a student bookstore and dining facility closer to campus, but it was shut down in June 1899 after a political upheaval in the college's Board of Regents. That September, a group of students started the Student Co-Operative Association and bought the bookstore.
That bookstore was the cornerstone of what became a developing shopping district for college students, out of a formerly sparsely populated collection of houses. The area gained the nickname Aggieville, from the mascot of the Kansas State Agricultural College Aggies. The name remained even after the mascot was changed to the Wildcat. After World War I, Aggieville grew. Trolley lines were built, and later paved over during the car boom of the 1940s. In the 1950s, bars and restaurants began to develop and over the next 30 years, Aggieville would become known as an entertainment and dining district. Auntie Mae's Parlor was founded in 1930, after being converted from a plumbing shop into a speakeasy. The shop's owner, Dora Mae, served alcohol to the residents of Manhattan and passers-by for four years during the Prohibition era, until the bans were ultimately repealed. In 1974, the basement bar was reopened. It hosts live entertainment in the form of music, comedy, and other performing arts. With the passing of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, commerce was reduced in bars in favor of new shops and restaurants. However, with the hiring of Jon Wefald as Kansas State University's new president in 1986, enrollment at the college nearly doubled over the next 20 years and with the increased student population, Aggieville saw a new boom in all types of businesses.
The Aggieville riots occurred in 1984 and 1986 following football games between rivals Kansas State University and the University of Kansas. They were some of the earliest collegiate sports-related riots in the United States.]
On October 13, 1984, Kansas State defeated KU 24-7 in football. That evening, Kansas State students and townspeople gathered to celebrate the victory in Aggieville. An estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people jammed the main street outside the bars. As night fell, the revelers turned violent, smashing windows and signs, overturning a car, and uprooting street signs. Police who attempted to intervene were chased by students who hurled obscenities and bottles at them. Five police officers were cornered for a time and pelted with rocks and bottles. [5] The Kansas Highway Patrol called Governor John W. Carlin's office to request that he declare a state of emergency and send Kansas National Guard troops, but this was ultimately not done.Ten people were injured, including six police officers. Twenty-four arrests were made.
Two years later, after a number of precautions, another riot spawned after Kansas State again defeated KU 29-12 on October 18, 1986. Students wearing T-shirts that said "Riotville" and "Riot II" mingled with 4,000 to 6,000 people who again filled the main street outside the bars and turned violent at night. Almost every building in Aggieville had its windows smashed, people climbed to the tops of several buildings, and a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle was rolled over and torched. Eighteen arrests were made. Although the property damage was greater in 1986, injuries were limited.
In 1987, Manhattan was again the site of the KSU-KU football game, but this time the town completely cordoned off Aggieville and brought in police officers from all over the state of Kansas to control entry points and patrol the streets inside.
Aggieville hosts the annual "Little Apple New Year's Eve" celebration, where people fill the streets to welcome the new year. At midnight, a brightly lit apple is dropped from the Rally House (formerly Varney's Bookstore) marquee. The celebration brought an estimated 10,000 people to Aggieville on December 31, 2005, and was featured live on Fox News. The annual "St. Patrick's Day in the Ville" celebration includes restaurants serving green eggs and ham, a road race and family fun run, and a parade. Because this happens during spring break, Aggieville also hosts "Fake Patty's Day" one week prior. This increases criminal offenses, such as underage drinking, assaults and batteries, public urination, noise complaints, driving under the influence, and littering. The event was formally canceled in 2021 although unofficial celebrations still occurred.
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Mudslides along burn scars have caused dozens of road shutdowns
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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - The state is weathering flash floods, mudslides, and rock slides and it’s lead to a rash of road closures over the weekend. So far this year, mudslides along burn scars have caused dozens of road shutdowns, including most commonly along Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon, resulting in severe delays in traffic or significant detours. And that’s likely to continue through the end of monsoon season due to the altered composition of the soil along burn scars. The I70 closure in Palisade occurred last night around 9 o’clock between exits 42 and 49 and lasted about two and a half hours. The slide shut down the east bound lanes with mostly water and mud for 350 feet. The depth of the mud was approximately two feet. After doing the clean up there was no damage to the road way and no personal property was damaged. Fire changes the composition of the soil so that water cannot get into the soil as it would in a normal situation. There’s not a perfect relationship between how much rain you get and the level of flooding. Even if we are not expecting a ton of rain, it could just be enough. You want to make sure of what you’re going into because even a little bit of rain can quickly change the situation where you are. Flash flooding, especially along burn scars, could continue through monsoon season, which typically runs through September. When watching the forecast, if you see thunderstorm activity over any of these burn scars, immediately that’s going to be a risk that there’s going to be another flooding event
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Mudslides
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Four rushed to hospital after horror crash on Great Eastern Highway in Cunderdin
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The RAC rescue helicopter was flown to Cunderdin after a car crashed into a tree, injuring four people on Friday afternoon. Firefighters were called to the scene around 3.15pm, following reports of the crash on Great Eastern Highway near the Mussared Road intersection. St John Ambulance attended the crash site and rushed two patients to Northam Hospital, and one to Cunderdin Hospital. The fourth patient was flown to RPH by the rescue chopper. The extent of their injuries was unknown at the time.
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Road Crash
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China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509 crash
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China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509 (SZ4509) was a domestic flight in China from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, Sichuan to Wenzhou Yongqiang Airport, Zhejiang. On February 24, 1999, the Tupolev Tu-154M operating the flight crashed while on approach to Wenzhou Airport, killing all 61 passengers and crew members on board. [1][2]
The aircraft was a 1990-built Tupolev Tu-154M (serial number 90A-846, serial 0846) airliner powered by three Soloviev D-30 turbofan engines from UEC Saturn. It was initially registered in the Soviet Union as CCCP-85846. It was delivered to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in April the same year, and was registered as B-2622. [3]
The flight crew consisted of captain Yao Fuchen (Chinese: 姚福臣), first officer Xue Mao (薛冒), navigator Lan Zhangfeng (郎占锋), and flight engineer Guo Shuming (郭树铭). There were also seven flight attendants on board. [4]
On 24 February 1999, the crew was preparing the aircraft for landing at Wenzhou Airport. The flaps were extended at 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), but seconds after, the aircraft's nose lowered abruptly, the aircraft disintegrated in mid-air and crashed into an area of high ground, and exploded. Witnesses saw the plane nose dive into the ground from an altitude of 700 metres (2,300 ft) and explode. All 61 people on board were killed. [1][2] Several people on the ground were injured from debris. [5]
Incorrect self-locking locknuts had been installed in the elevator operating system, which maintenance crews failed to notice. These spun off during the flight, leaving the elevator uncontrollable. This disabled the aircraft pitch channel, causing the crash. [4]
This and the China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303 disaster contributed to the decision to remove all Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft in China from service on October 30, 2002. [1][2]
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UN says droughts pushing 400,000 people toward starvation in Madagascar
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The UN World Food Programme has said southern Madagascar is in the throes of back-to-back droughts that are pushing 400,000 people toward starvation and have already caused deaths from severe hunger. Lola Castro, WFP’s regional director in southern Africa, told a news conference on Friday that she witnessed “a very dramatic and desperate situation” during her recent visit with WFP chief David Beasley to the Indian Ocean island nation of 26 million people. Hundreds of adults and children were “wasted,” and hundreds of kids were skin and bones and receiving nutritional support, she said. In 28 years working for WFP on four continents, Castro said she had “never seen anything this bad” except in 1998 in Bahr el Gazal in what is now South Sudan. The UN and Madagascar’s government are launching an appeal for about $155 million in a few days to provide life-saving food and prevent a major famine, she said. READ MORE: Measles outbreak kills more than 1,200 in Madagascar Thousands of people have left their homes in rural areas and moved to more urban environments in search of food, she added. Beasley tweeted Friday that 400,000 people are “marching towards starvation,” 14,000 are “in famine-like conditions,” and “if we do not act ASAP, the number of people facing starvation will reach 500,000 in a few short months.” “Families have been living on raw red cactus fruits, wild leaves and locusts for months now,” he said Wednesday. “This is not because of war or conflict, this is because of climate change,” Beasley stressed. “This is an area of the world that has contributed nothing to climate change, but now, they’re the ones paying the highest price.” According to WFP, 1.14 million people in southern Madagascar don’t have enough food including 14,000 in “catastrophic” conditions, and this will double to 28,000 by October. Madagascar is the only country that isn't in conflict but still has people facing “Famine-Humanitarian Catastrophe” in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification known as the IPC, which is a global partnership of 15 UN agencies and international humanitarian organisations that uses five categories to measure food security, Castro said.
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Solar magnetic storm expected to light up polar regions of Earth on Diwali
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In a cosmic coincidence, a solar flare that occurred on the Sun recently has launched a magnetic storm in space which is predicted to hit Earth on November 4, lighting up its atmosphere at polar regions in spectacular displays of aurora, just in time for Diwali. Solar scientists around the world — including at the Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI) at IISER Kolkata and at the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center — are studying the progress of this storm. Prof Dibyendu Nandi at CESSI, IISER Kolkata, told The Indian Express that if the storm does hit on November 4, it could be dubbed the ‘Diwali solar storm’. Solar storms have earlier been named based on the day they have originated or impacted Earth. For example, there was a solar storm named after Bastille Day in 2000, a Halloween Day storm that hit Earth in 2003 and a St Patrick’s Day storm that occurred in 2015. Solar flares are highly energetic phenomena that sometimes occur within strong magnetic structures on the Sun known as sunspots. Sunspots, generated by the solar magnetic cycle in the deep interior of the Sun, rise up, forming relatively dark spots at the surface. When a flare occurs, the energy stored in the magnetic structures are converted to heat and light energy, generating intense X-ray radiation and accelerating charged particles in the Sun’s atmosphere to very high speeds. Sometimes, they also eject a large amount of hot magnetised plasma from the Sun’s atmosphere into space, resulting in a solar storm, which are known as coronal mass ejections. These are the largest explosions in the solar system, generating as much energy as a billion atomic bombs. When a coronal mass ejection impacts the Earth’s magnetosphere, it can create geomagnetic storms that are hazardous to electric power grids, oil pipelines and under-sea internet cables. These solar storms also energse atoms in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, resulting in the emission of multi-coloured lights that produce spectacular auroras across countries situated in high-latitude polar regions. Although solar storms impact our technologies, since the high-energy radiation from these events is absorbed by the Earth’s upper atmosphere, they are not harmful to the health of human beings. The current solar magnetic cycle is expected to be weak cycle, with lower than average solar storms expected, said Prof Nandi. Therefore, the recent spate of intense solar activity has solar physicists around the world all excited. In fact, a team of solar physicists at CESSI, IISER Kolkata including PhD student Suvadip Sinha and Prof Dibyendu Nandi had predicted the strong phase of current flaring activity based on their ongoing research. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Centre has released an independent forecast recently, which confirms the CESSI estimate and indicates that there is a strong possibility of geomagnetic storms, and hence of auroras lighting up the night skies. However, Prof Nandi also said that the field of space weather predictions is challenging because of the rarity of observations in interplanetary space. “Solar storms may get deflected just like cyclones veer off from their projected path. Only on the evening of Diwali will we know the actual impact of the storm once near-Earth observations become available,” he said. Professor Durgesh Tripathi from the Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics said that prediction of solar eruptions is one of the holy grails in solar physics, and is very important for space weather. “CESSI has started predicting solar eruptions since last few months and doing it from our own soil is something to be proud of,” he said. “Atmospheric phenomena such as aurorae, which we do not see from our geographic location, and also upper atmospheric electrical disturbances, which can lead to outages in phone and internet connectivity, are caused by storms on the Sun. There has been massive solar activity, which is a gigantic coronal mass ejection of charged particles towards the Earth’s direction. Now, this has been successfully predicted by several groups, including CESSI solar astronomers at IISER Kolkata,” said Prof Somak Raychoudhury, director of IUCAA. “As the CME will reach the Earth throughout the night of November 3 and 4, and because of spectacular effects, it is in a way our own kind of lighting up for Diwali,” said Prof Raychoudhury. – Stay updated with the latest Pune news. Follow Express Pune on Twitter here and on Facebook here. You can also join our Express Pune Telegram channel here.
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New wonders in nature
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Newmains gas explosion: Enviraz fined £161k after incident that caused death of worker
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Pawel Urbanski, 23, died in a blast which left his colleague Courtney Clinton, 26, fighting for his life in hospital.
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An asbestos removal firm has been fined £161,250 after admitting errors which led to a worker being killed in a horror explosion.
Pawel Urbanski, 23, died in a blast which left his colleague Courtney Clinton, 26, fighting for his life in hospital.
The men had been removing material from a derelict convent in Newmains, Lanarkshire, when the incident happened in October 2017.
While they were inside, a gas pipe was cut by Urbanski sparking a huge explosion. He and Clinton had all their clothes burned off and were only left with their masks and boots on.
Polish national Urbanski, of Coatbridge, died while Clinton, of Motherwell, spent almost four months in hospital.
Urbanski, suffered burns to 75-80 per cent of his body, while Clinton suffered 80 per cent burns.
Enviraz Scotland Ltd, of Hillington, Glasgow, pled guilty at Hamilton Sheriff Court to breaching health and safety laws.
It was fined by Sheriff Colin Dunipace who said the firm failed in their duty of care to their staff.
A probe revealed the gas supply to the building had not been disconnected and an isolation certificate confirming it had been cut off was not in place.
The manager of the site told investigators nothing had been mentioned about cutting the gas supply off.
Get all the latest Glasgow news and headlines sent straight to your inbox twice a day by signing up to our free newsletter.
From breaking news to the latest on the coronavirus crisis in Scotland, we''ll have you covered.
The morning newsletter arrives every day before 9am and the evening newsletter, manually curated by the team, is sent between 4pm and 5pm, giving you a round up of the most important stories we've covered that day.
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Gas explosion
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Global hunger crisis hit five year high in 2020 as 155 million people faced severe food insecurity, new U.N. report says
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Global hunger crisis hit five year high in 2020 as 155 million people faced severe food insecurity, new U.N. report says By Pamela Falk May 5, 2021 / 8:08 PM / CBS News Group: World not on track for zero hunger goa... 09:27 An estimated 155 million people across the globe faced severe food insecurity and were in need of urgent assistance in 2020, according to a U.N. report published Wednesday. Researchers found the number of people experiencing food insecurity at or above a "crisis" level has risen to its highest level in five years, with an increase of nearly 20 million people compared to 2019 — and are warning that millions are at risk of famine if action isn't taken. "155 million people in 55 countries relied on humanitarian assistance just to survive — an unprecedented high and just the tip of the iceberg" World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley said as he announced the report's results. According to the 307-page report , 155 million people were in one of the three most severe phases it uses to characterize food insecurity: "Crisis," "Emergency," and "Catastrophe/Famine." All 155 million people in the estimated tally are at least experiencing "Crisis," which signifies "high or above usual acute malnutrition" or people who can only meet their minimum food needs "by depleting essential livelihoods or through crisis-coping strategies." Approximately 133,000 people were at the "Catastrophe/Famine" phase, in which "Starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels are evident" and urgent action is needed to "prevent widespread death and total collapse of livelihoods." The vast majority of those people lived in South Sudan, with the remaining 28,000 spread between Yemen and Burkina Faso. Two year old Akon Morro, who is anemic and suffers from edema due to malnutrition, sits on the floor of a feeding center in Al Sabah Children's Hospital in the capital Juba, South Sudan on Thursday, December 3, 2020. Sam Mednick / AP Africa remained the continent most impacted by hunger crises, accounting for 63% of the people experiencing food insecurity in "crisis" or worse, the report said. The report highlighted the impact that food insecurity has on children, especially when it comes to children who did not grow to their expected height because of lack of food and poor nutrition (stunting), children who are significantly underweight underweight (wasting). "Before the pandemic, one in three children were already not growing adequately because of malnutrition. Despite progress over the years, 149 million children are still affected by stunting … 45 million children are suffering from wasting… and at least 340 million have vitamin and mineral deficiencies," said UNICEF chief Henrietta Fore. "For the children living in the 55 countries experiencing a food crisis, the situation is especially grave," Fore added. "More than one in three of all wasted children – 16 million – and just under one half of all stunted children – 75 million children – live in these countries." "If current trends are not reversed, food crises will increase in frequency and severity," the European Union and multiple humanitarian groups said in a joint statement . USAID Administrator Samantha Power on Wednesday announced a five-year, up to $300 million funding increase for UNICEF, the United Nations' children's fund. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield tweeted that the aid "will continue to improve the health and well-being of mothers, children, and families around the world." Although the coronavirus pandemic dominated headlines in 2020, the report said it was not entirely to blame for the hunger crises. The report cited conflict and war, weather extremes, and economic shocks — including those caused by the coronavirus pandemic — as the "three primary drivers" of food insecurity. The report warned that if urgent action is not taken, the alarming trends will continue. More than 142 million people are predicted to be in "Crisis" or worse in 2021, and approximately 150,000 will likely face "Catastrophe" through mid-2021, according to the report. "We must do everything we can to end the vicious cycle," Guterres said. "There is no place for famine and starvation in the 21st century."
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Famine
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1964 East Pakistan riots
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The 1950 East Pakistan riots (Bengali: পঞ্চাশের পূর্ব পাকিস্তান দাঙ্গা) took place between Hindus and Muslims in East Pakistan, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of Hindus being killed in pogroms. In August 1947, British India was partitioned into the Dominions of India and Pakistan on the basis of religion. Pakistan was to become the homeland for the Muslims of former British India with a majority Muslim population. The province of Bengal with a marginal Muslim majority was also partitioned with the Muslim majority East Bengal going to Pakistan and Hindu majority West Bengal going to India. The Sylhet district of Assam was added to East Bengal after the Sylhet Referendum, where the majority voted for Pakistan. According to the 1941 census, East Bengal had 28% non-Muslim population, the majority of them being Bengali Hindus. West Bengal has a 30.2% Muslim population, the rest were Hindus. The area comprising East Bengal, especially the Dhaka and Chittagong Divisions, had been witness to numerous instances of ethnic violence in the decades preceding the Partition. In the 1940s, the frequency and intensity of the riots increased as the movement for Pakistan gained momentum. In the last quarter of 1946, the Bengali Hindus of Noakhali and Tippera districts were subjected to a series of massacres, loot, arson, rape, abduction. They forced conversion to Islam, which came to be known as the Noakhali riots. Within a month after the Partition, the Janmashtami procession was attacked in Dhaka. [1] In 1948, the Dhamrai rathyatra and the Janmashtami procession was not allowed to be held. [1] In 1949, there were posters all over Dhaka against the Durga Puja. [1] The number of community pujas got drastically reduced. On the day of Vijayadashami hundreds of Hindu households were set on fire rendering around 750 Hindu families homeless. Santosh Chatterjee, a Press Trust of India (PTI) correspondent, was imprisoned on 25 November 1949 without any charges and released after a month.
In August 1949, atrocities on non-Muslims began all over East Pakistan and continued for three months. [3] In August, Muslim mobs along with the police and the Ansars attacked some Hindu villages in Beanibazar and Barlekha police station areas of Sylhet District. Houses were looted, destroyed and set on fire. Hindu villagers were assaulted and murdered. Hindu women were raped by the policemen. [4] Soon after the Hindus were attacked in the village of Bhandaria in Barisal District. In Rajshahi District, Father Thomas Cattaneo reported that the Santhal villages were attacked, Santhal villagers were arrested and Santhal women were raped. On 10 December, a Muslim mob attacked the Puthia Rajbari Palace in Rajshahi Division and forcibly took possession of the house and its treasures.
On 20 December 1949, four police constables raided the house of one Joydev Brahma in the village of Kalshira under Mollahat police station in Bagerhat sub-division in the district of Khulna, in search of some suspected communists, late in the night. Failed to find any suspects the constables tried to rape the wife of Brahma. Her cry alerted him and his companions, who in a desperate bid to save her attacked two constables, one of whom died on the spot. The remaining two raised an alarm and the neighbouring people came to their rescue. On the next day, the District Superintendent of Police arrived in Kalshira accompanied by armed police contingent and the Ansars and attacked Kalshira and other neighbouring Hindu villages mercilessly. They encouraged Muslims from neighbouring villages to loot the Hindu properties. A number of Hindus were killed, men and women were forcibly converted. Images were broken and shrines were desecrated. [7] All the 350 homesteads in the village, except three, were demolished. The cattle and boats were forcibly taken away. Within a month of the massacre 30,000 Hindus fled from Khulna to India.
Nachole was a police station in the Nawabganj sub-division of the Rajshahi district. During the Partition of India, the entire Nawabganj sub-division was transferred from Malda district, which went to India, to Rajshahi district that fell in Pakistan. The area under Nachole police station was the non-Muslim majority. It was inhabited by Santals and Bengali Hindu castes like the Kshatriyas, Bhuindas and Kaibartas. After the Partition, the Tebhaga Movement was brutally suppressed in the newly formed state of Pakistan. However, in Nachole, the movement was still alive through the covert activities of the leading operating from underground. From the autumn of 1949, the leaders began to succeed in implementing the Tebhaga principles through persuasion, coercion and in some cases, force. On 5 January 1950, five policemen from the Nachole police station were killed by the Santals in Chandipur village after they opened fire to disperse the villagers who had gathered to protest the arrest of one of the villagers. The Government of Pakistan responded to this incident by sending a 2,000 strong army contingent and the police and the East Pakistan Ansars on 7 January. They set fire to twelve villages, ransacked the huts and killed many villagers on their way to Chandipur. In Chandipur, they tortured the men, raped the women and set fire to the dwellings. Hundreds of Santals and Hindus were killed. At Rohanpur, Ila Mitra, one of the movement leaders, was arrested with hundreds of peasants. After being taken to the Nachole police station, they were tortured by the police to extract the name of the leaders.
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Riot
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1867 flood of Chattanooga
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The 1867 flood of Chattanooga is the largest flood in the city's recorded history. The flood followed a period of heavy rain that affected most of the Tennessee Valley and lasted from March 7 to March 11, 1867. [1] At its highest point, the water of the Tennessee River crested 58 feet (18 metres) above its normal level, and it inundated much of the city. [1] As a result of the flooding, Chattanooga's residents began to raise the city's street level by about one story. [1]
The flood of 1867 took place before reliable methods of meteorological data recording. However, it is known that days before the flood, a large area of Southern Appalachia including Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia experienced the same, large storm. The tremendous amounts of rainwater combined with the melting snow caused the tributaries and rivers of the Tennessee Valley to swell. In Chattanooga, the Tennessee River began to rise on March 4. [2]
Starting March 4, 1867, Chattanooga experienced a four-day-long rainstorm. [3] By March 9, all of Chattanooga's streets were under 4 to 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 metres) of water. [4] Because there was no warning sent out, most residents of Hamilton Country were unprepared for a calamity of this magnitude. [5] In addition to many lives being lost in the flood, the city also experienced huge structural damage. Military Bridge, which, at the time, was the only bridge that connected the north and south shores, was washed away. Chattanooga's telegraph lines were also destroyed or washed away, leaving the Chattanooga residents unable to communicate with neighboring cities. [6] Low lying croplands and livestock fields were washed away, leaving local farmers devastated, and businesses and homes along the shores of the river were completely destroyed. [7] At night, the city fell victim to looting and violence while the Tennessee River continuously rose sometimes at a rate of one foot every hour. On March 10, the Chattanooga American Union wrote that "the losses of our merchants, businessmen, and citizens cannot be estimated. "[8] Though the exact death toll is unknown, many residents in Chattanooga and the surrounding areas were killed. Corpses floated through the city's flooded streets, and a man on the old Lookout Mountain road had claimed that he had seen fifteen bodies float past in a day. [6]
Following the destruction of the Military Bridge, Chattanooga city was without a bridge until the Walnut Street Bridge was constructed in 1891. On March 9, an anonymously written article appeared in the Daily American Union saying that city officials had begun planning to start a major city project that would raise the street level by about one story through the city. [6] The remnants of this massive project are still noticeable to the naked eye. Downtown Chattanooga is filled with tops of old windows and doors protruding out of the sidewalk and what seem to be basement doors that do not lead anywhere. [1]
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Floods
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2013 Transaereo 5074 Britten-Norman Islander crash
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On 4 January 2013, a Britten-Norman Islander light passenger aircraft operated by Transaereo 5074 crashed during a domestic flight from Los Roques Airport, on the Los Roques archipelago, to Caracas, Venezuela, killing all six people on board. [1] Among the victims was Italian fashion entrepreneur Vittorio Missoni. On 27 June 2013, the Deep Sea oceanographic ship confirmed that the missing aircraft had been found in the Caribbean, north of the Los Roques archipelago. [2]
Among the victims were Italian fashion entrepreneur Vittorio Missoni and his wife, who were on holiday in Los Roques. [3][4]
During the course of the investigation, it emerged that the pilot had an expired medical certificate and the airline had not yet received the authorization to operate. [3] In a statement from Asdrubal Bermudez, president and owner of the company Transaereo 5074, even though the airline was unable to fly, the plane involved in the incident had met all safety certifications and was allowed to fly. [citation needed]
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Air crash
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1959 Transair Douglas Dakota accident crash
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The Transair Douglas Dakota accident was an aircraft accident that occurred on 19 August 1959, when a Douglas Dakota operated by British airline Transair on a non-scheduled flight between Barcelona Airport in Spain to London-Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom crashed in Spain. The aircraft, which was carrying 29 students home to England, had been chartered by the National Union of Students to conduct regular weekly flights from Gatwick to Barcelona. It was the first accident suffered by a Transair aircraft following the airlines formation in 1947. The aircraft, registered G-AMZD, had arrived early on the day of the accident at Barcelona from Gatwick with a party of students on board, and was scheduled to return to London with another group of students who were returning home from a holiday in Majorca. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules VFR; however, 19 minutes after departure from Barcelona, the Dakota, while climbing to its cruising altitude, entered cloud and struck Turo de lHome, a mountain north east of Barcelona. At the time of the accident the aircraft was 10 nautical miles 19 km away from its intended flight path. Locals reported that at the time of the crash it was misty in the area. An official at a nearby weather station raised the alarm upon observing the crash; upon arrival, the Spanish Civil Guard found the wreckage of the aircraft had been burnt out by a post-impact fire; All 29 passengers and three crew were killed. Following an investigation of the accident, a report from the Spanish Director-General of Civil Aviation stated:
From an examination of the evidence it can be concluded that the accident was caused through infringement of the regulations and instructions in force for flight over national territory, or of the international standards which are in force in Spain. The Director-General also stated that the evidence did not indicate that Spanish Air Traffic Control personnel were responsible for the crash through their actions in any way; in addition, there was no evidence found that any defects in aids to navigation contributed to the accident. Accordingly, the British Air Ministry, also investigating the crash, resolved to close the case without allocating responsibility. It was concluded that the pilot should not have entered cloud without advising air traffic control that he required an instrument flight clearance; it was presumed that the pilot was unaware that Turo de lHome, 1.712 metres 5.617 ft in height, was in the path of the aircraft at the time the Dakota entered the clouds.
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Air crash
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Athletics at the 1951 World Festival of Youth and Students
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The 3rd World Festival of Youth and Students featured an athletics competition among its programme of events. The events were contested in East Berlin, East Germany in August 1951. Mainly contested among Eastern European athletes, it served as an alternative to the more Western European-oriented 1951 Summer International University Sports Week held in Luxembourg the same year. [1]
The calibre of the competition improved at the 3rd edition of the competition, with six athletes successfully returning and defending their titles from the 1949 competition. Among the most prominent of these was Leonid Shcherbakov, the triple jump winner at the 1950 European Athletics Championships a year earlier. [2] European bronze medallist Olli Partanen was runner-up in the discus throw to AAA Championships winner Ferenc Klics. [3]
The 1948 Olympic long jump champion Olga Gyarmati won the 200 metres but was defeated in her Olympic event by Aleksandra Chudina who won four individual titles; her other victories came in the 80 metres hurdles, high jump, and women's pentathlon. [1] The women's throwing events here presaged the 1952 Summer Olympics, as shot put winner Galina Zybina and discus throw champion Nina Ponomaryova added Olympic gold to their World Student titles. [4] Six other medal-winning Soviet athletes reached the Olympic podium the following year: Nadezhda Khnykina, Klavdiya Tochonova, Vladimir Sukharev, Levan Sanadze, Vladimir Kazantsev and Yuriy Lituyev. [5] The Soviet Union was dominant at the event, winning all but seven of the 34 events on offer. [1]
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Sports Competition
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1968 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final
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The tenth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1967–68 season. The competition was won by Leeds United over two legs in the final against Ferencváros. It was the first English victory in the competition, despite sides from the country having finished as defeated finalists on four previous occasions. English clubs went on to win the cup on the final four occasions it was contested. Ferencváros won 5–3 on aggregate. Bordeaux won 9–4 on aggregate. Fiorentina won 5–0 on aggregate. Napoli won 5–1 on aggregate. Leeds won 16–0 on aggregate. Bologna won 2–0 on aggregate. Dinamo Zagreb won 5–2 on aggregate. Sporting CP won 3–2 on aggregate. Hibernian won 6–4 on aggregate. Leeds won 3–2 on aggregate. Bologna won 2–1 on aggregate. Dundee FC, Rangers FC, Athletic Bilbao and Bologna received byes to the Quarter-Finals. Leeds won 2–1 on aggregate. Bologna won 2–0 on aggregate. Leeds won 2–0 on aggregate. Ferencváros won 5–4 on aggregate. Leeds won 2–1 on aggregate. Leeds won 1–0 on aggregate.
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Sports Competition
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Solar storm watch: Northern lights possible in New York
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Solar storm watch: Northern lights possible in New York A Space Weather Prediction Center graphic. The Space Weather Prediction Center on Monday issued a geomagnetic storm watch that is in effect from Monday afternoon into Tuesday. The G2 storm — considered moderate by the agency — is due to the anticipated arrival of a coronal mass ejection from the sun that is likely to hit Earth late Monday and linger into early Tuesday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center said power grid fluctuations, voltage alarms at higher latitudes, spacecraft orientation irregularities and other effects are possible from the storm. Additionally, the aurora borealis — otherwise known as the northern lights — could be visibly “as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state,” the advisory said. The G2 Watch continues for 11 Oct and is now in effect for 12 Oct. The G2 Watches are in place due to the anticipated arrival of the 9 Oct full halo CME. Latest model run shows CME arrival likely late on 11 Oct into early 12 Oct UTC-days. — NOAA Space Weather (@NWSSWPC) October 11, 2021 The aurora borealis is the result of electrons colliding with the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere, according to the NOAA, and is usually not visible to the human eye. “When space weather activity increases and more frequent and larger storms and substorms occur, the aurora extends equatorward. During large events, the aurora can be observed as far south as the US, Europe, and Asia,” the agency said . “Of course, to observe the aurora, the skies must be clear and free of clouds.” SkyNews reported that the coronal mass ejection was observed by scientists on Saturday emanating from the side of the sun directly facing Earth and comes at a period of increased solar activity. The current watch is for a G2 solar storm — a G1 storm is the most mild and a G5 is considered the most disastrous — and astronomers do not expect major disruptions as a result of the event.
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New wonders in nature
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A new book uses stories from tsunami survivors to decode deadly waves
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A tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004 sent this deadly wave crashing ashore in Ao Nang, Thailand. Eyewitness accounts of the tsunami that rippled from this quake are featured in the new book Tsunami. David Rydevik/Wikimedia Commons By Sid Perkins June 17, 2021 at 7:00 am TsunamiJames Goff and Walter DudleyOxford Univ., $34.95 On March 27, 1964, Ted Pederson was helping load oil onto a tanker in Seward, Alaska, when a magnitude 9.2 quake struck. Within seconds, the waterfront began sliding into the bay. As Pederson ran up the dock toward shore, a tsunami lifted the tanker and rafts of debris onto the dock, knocking him unconscious. Pederson survived, but more than 100 others in Alaska did not. His story is just one of more than 400 harrowing eyewitness accounts that bring such disasters to life in Tsunami. Written by geologist James Goff and oceanographer Walter Dudley, the book also weaves in accounts from researchers examining the geologic record to shed light on prehistoric tsunamis. Chapter by chapter, Goff and Dudley offer readers a primer on tsunamis: Most are caused by undersea earthquakes, but some are triggered by landslides, the sudden collapse of volcanic islands or meteorites hitting the ocean (SN: 3/6/04, p. 152). Readers may be surprised to learn that tsunamis need not occur on the coast: Lake Tahoe (SN: 6/10/00, p. 378) and New Zealand’s Lake Tarawera are just two of many inland locales mentioned that have experienced freshwater tsunamis. There was a problem signing you up. Copiously illustrated and peppered with maps, the book takes readers on a world-spanning tour of ancient and recent tsunamis, from a deep-ocean impact off the coast of South America about 2.5 million years ago to numerous tsunamis of the 21st century. The authors’ somber treatment of the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 stands out (SN: 1/8/05, p. 19). Triggered by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake, the megawave killed more than 130,000 people in Indonesia alone. The authors — Goff is a professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and Dudley is a researcher at the University of Hawaii at Hilo — help readers understand tsunamis’ power via descriptions of the damage they’ve wrought. For instance, the account of a huge wave in Alaska that scoured mature trees from steep slopes along fjords up to a height of 524 meters — about 100 meters taller than the Empire State Building — may leave readers stunned. But it’s the heart-thumping stories of survivors who ran to high ground, clambered up tall trees or clung to debris after washing out to sea that linger with the reader. They remind us of the human cost of living on the shore when great waves strike. Buy Tsunami from Bookshop.org. Science News is a Bookshop.org affiliate and will earn a commission on purchases made from links in this article. Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org A version of this article appears in the June 19, 2021 issue of Science News. Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent, nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science, medicine and technology. Today, our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them. It is published by the Society for Science, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education.
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Tsunamis
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JPMorgan warns that a consumer credit crisis could derail India’s economic recovery
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A major risk to India’s economic recovery is that millions of households and small businesses may potentially be cut off from the credit they need, according to JPMorgan’s chief emerging markets economist. The government, the central bank, and analysts are underestimating the level of permanent scarring that can take place in South Asia’s largest economy as a result of last year’s pandemic-led contraction, Jahangir Aziz said Friday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.” The loss of income related to the coronavirus pandemic has run into billions of dollars on an annual basis, according to Aziz. “We know that the listed companies did not suffer that much, so, it has to be that the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and the households took a much larger hit,” he said. That includes workers in the informal sector, such as day laborers as well as service and domestic workers. “I just can’t imagine that with that kind of income loss, you won’t have serious impairment of balance sheets of households and SMEs,” Aziz added. He explained a lot of it has not yet showed up in the lenders’ loan books because of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) moratorium on debt last year. To mitigate the economic impact of the lockdown, the central bank last year said lenders were allowed to give borrowers a temporary delay on monthly repayment of loans between March to May. It was later extended till August. “But debt moratorium does not solve the problem, it simply pushes the problem to the second half of the year,” Aziz said. The economic crisis due to last year’s lengthy lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak disproportionately affected the micro, small and medium businesses as well as the informal sector. Millions of jobs were lost — many of them permanently. In fact, ratings agency S&P recently said that India faces a permanent loss of about 10% of economic output compared to its pre-pandemic path. The World Bank in December said workers from the informal sector lacked access to certain resources — for example, large firms are able to have access to credit even if they are not profitable. However, the access to credit and other forms of social support are not as readily available for those in the informal sector. India’s micro, small and medium businesses contribute about 30% to the nominal GDP and the sector is the second-largest employer in the country behind agriculture, according to the central bank. To support those businesses, the RBI introduced emergency credit schemes and rolled out policy measures such as interest rate cuts, moratorium on debt servicing and a one-time loan restructuring package. According to local media reports, lenders said most of the one-time restructuring option was invoked for corporate loans and very few were for retail loans, which implies either people are repaying on time or a bad debt crisis could potentially be lurking. Another worry is that with impaired balance sheets, small and medium businesses may not get the loans they require in the future. That’s because, potentially, lenders may choose to lend only to the larger companies that have fared relatively better through the crisis. Or, they may charge smaller businesses a higher premium for loans. The financial sector was already struggling with bad debt before the pandemic hit. “So, one of the key risks that I have is that exactly when we would want credit to pick up, there’ll be a whole bunch of people and SMEs who can’t get credit,” Aziz said. In its semiannual Financial Stability Report published in January, the RBI said it expects bad debt to rise to 13.5% by September, almost doubling from the 7.5% seen a year ago. If the situation worsens, the non-performing loans can rise to as much as 14.8%, the central bank said.
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Financial Crisis
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Let Afghanistan live!
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Contrary to the narrative of U.S. politicians and journalists, the August 2021 withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan did not mark the end of the United States’ so-called “forever war” but rather a shift in U.S. policy — from direct military intervention and occupation to one based on economic sanctions and indirect political subversion. Although the tactics change, the goal is the same: the accumulation of wealth and power through class warfare against the Afghan people. Just days after Kabul fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15, Washington took measures to turn off the flow of funds to the new government and paralyze the Afghan banking system. The Treasury Department quickly issued a freeze order on nearly $9.5 billion of the Afghan Central Bank’s assets held in U.S. financial institutions, including the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Although the Taliban was entitled to receive over $460 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in currency reserves known as Special Drawing Rights, or SDRs, the U.S. ensured that those funds would be blocked. Notably, these punitive measures are in addition to the economic sanctions that the U.S. imposed on the Taliban following the 9/11 attack. Horrific consequences of sanctions As reported in Workers World at the time: “Seizing the central bank’s money and cutting all international aid, in a poor country where three-quarters of public spending is financed by grants, gives Washington powerful leverage. U.S. strategists understand the impact of freezing funds and can calibrate this tactic to inflict maximum pain.” The horrific and totally foreseeable consequences of these sanctions have, so far, been well documented by international humanitarian organizations, even if they are reluctant to depict the United States as culpable. On Oct. 25, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the U.N. World Food Program published a report urging humanitarian assistance, warning that Afghanistan is on a “countdown to catastrophe.” According to the report, over 50% of Afghans will face “crisis” or “emergency” levels of acute food insecurity, including over 3 million children under the age of five. On Nov. 22, the United Nations Development Program published a report warning that Afghanistan’s financial and bank payment systems are “in disarray” and on the verge of collapse. The UNDP report, citing the IMF, predicts the Afghan economy could contract by 30% for 2021-2022. On Dec. 6, the International Crisis Group issued a more scathing report, warning that the “hunger and destitution” caused by “economic strangulation,” imposed by the West in response to the Taliban takeover, could “kill more Afghans than all the bombs and bullets of the past two decades.” In other words, U.S. policy of intentionally starving the Afghan people through economic sanctions on Afghanistan is going as planned. As many predicted, blocking funds from the Taliban and curtailing foreign aid and assistance would lead to a rapid financial meltdown and exacerbate the ongoing famine plaguing Afghanistan. Despite the Taliban’s success in forcing the U.S. government to the negotiating table in Doha and then ousting the U.S. military from Afghanistan, Washington has made it clear that it has no plans to respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty. Indeed, the Biden administration’s response to pleas that the asset freeze be lifted demonstrates the hypocrisy and callousness of U.S. foreign policy. The Taliban’s November 2021 letter to the U.S. Congress correctly noted that “the fundamental challenge of our people is financial security, and the roots of this concern lead back to the freezing of assets of our people by the American government.” U.S. retaliates for Taliban’s military success The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, rejected the Taliban’s request in a series of revealing tweets. West’s remarks effectively confirmed that the United States was preventing “critical” international aid from reaching Afghanistan as retribution for the Taliban’s military success, while recognizing that Afghanistan’s “economy [is] enormously dependent on aid, including for basic services.” Further, in typical bourgeois fashion, West condescendingly lectured the Taliban that “[l]egitmacy and support must be earned” and confirmed that the United States would consider lifting the murderous sanctions if the Taliban only learned to “respect the rights of minorities, women and girls.” The irony was not lost on Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who questioned the tortured logic: “The U.S. froze our assets and then told us that it will provide us humanitarian aid. What does it mean?” Muttaqi reiterated the demand to release Afghanistan’s assets: “The assets should be freed immediately. The Americans don’t have any military front with us now. What is the reason for freezing the assets? The assets don’t belong to the Mujahideen (Islamic Emirate) but to the people of Afghanistan.” The Biden administration has shown no signs of easing the sanctions. In fact, the Biden administration is reportedly entertaining the idea of permanently depriving the Afghan people of the funds needed to combat the current humanitarian crisis, by transferring those funds instead to U.S. plaintiffs with outstanding default judgments against the Taliban. That is what two groups of judgment creditors are arguing to U.S. federal judges. Although its formal statement is not due until the end of January 2022, the Biden administration seems willing to go along with the plan — the only apparent obstacle is how to seize the Afghan funds without recognizing the Taliban as the legitimate Afghan government. Following its imperial playbook, the U.S. sanctions imposed on Afghanistan — like the sanctions imposed on Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and many others — are having their intended effect, which is to punish the whole population of Afghanistan for the Taliban’s refusal to surrender the country’s resources and sovereignty to the demands of U.S. and European capital. The intended consequence is the destabilization of Afghan civil society, making daily life so unbearable that the Afghan people eventually blame the Taliban for their misery and providing the United States and its proxies an opening to enact regime change. Now more than ever, those in the imperial core must demand: U.S. out of Afghanistan — totally out, and end the U.S.-imposed sanctions.
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Regime Change
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Calgary Fire of 1886
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The Calgary Fire of 1886 also known as the Great Calgary Fire of 1886, was a conflagration that burned in the Canadian city of Calgary on Sunday November 7, 1886. The fire began at the rear wall of the local flour and feed store, and spread through the community's wooden structures leading to the destruction of 18 buildings. The fire resulted in changes in local construction practices to stop the likelihood and rapid spread of future fires including an increased reliance on sandstone for new structures, which resulted in the Town's early nickname "Sandstone City". [1]
The Town of Calgary was officially incorporated exactly two years earlier on November 7, 1884 under Northwest Territories Ordinance. [2] The municipal government was in disorder following the events of the January 1886 Calgary municipal election which saw incumbent Mayor George Murdoch decisively win the election which was overturned by Stipendiary Magistrate Jeremiah Travis for elector list fraud and appointed James Reilly as mayor and replaced two other members of council. Neither faction was capable of governing the town, which led to the newly ordered chemical engine for the recently organized Calgary Fire Department (Calgary Hook, Ladder and Bucket Corps) to be held in the Canadian Pacific Railway's storage yard due to lack of payment. [3]
Local government would be restored a few days before the fire in the November 3, 1886 municipal election which saw George Clift King elected mayor. In the early morning of November 7, 1886, flames at the rear wall of the Parish and Son flour and feed store was reported. The Calgary Hook, Ladder and Bucket Corps sent to battle the fire and broke into the Canadian Pacific Railway's freight shed to retrieve the impounded chemical engine and begin battling the fire. During the course of battling the fire, the Corps determined it was necessary to form a firebreak to prevent further damage, and former mayor George Murdoch agreed and participated in the demolishing of his harness shop. An attempt was made to use gunpowder to blow up Murdoch's store, however the Calgary Weekly Herald noted "failed owing to the force of the charge not being sufficiently concentrated". [4] The fire was stopped and the extinguished after the break was created. [5] This would be the second time George Murdoch would lose his business to fire, the first occurring in 1871 during Great Chicago Fire. [5]
Ultimately, fourteen buildings were destroyed or razed in attempts to control the blaze, including four stores, three warehouses, three hotels, a tinsmith shop and a saloon. [5] Losses were estimated at $103,200; however no one was killed or injured. Authorities suggested arson may have been involved, but no arrests were made. [6]
To reduce the potential for future fires, city officials drafted a bylaw requiring all large downtown buildings were to be built with sandstone, which was readily available nearby in the form of Paskapoo sandstone. [7] Following the fire several quarries were opened around the city by prominent local businessmen including Thomas Edworthy, Wesley Fletcher Orr, J. G. McCallum, and William Oliver. Prominent buildings built with Sandstone following the fire include Knox Presbyterian Church (1887), Imperial Bank Building (1887), Calgary City Hall (1911), and Calgary Courthouse No. 2 (1914). [5]
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Fire
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Humans Spared Worst of Volcanic Supereruption 74,000 Years Ago
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(Inside Science) -- The largest volcanic eruption of the past 2 million years occurred roughly 74,000 years ago in what is now Indonesia. Called the Toba supereruption, its effects on the world -- and specifically, on human evolution -- have been hotly debated. Now scientists find that although the event likely caused severe global climate disruptions, humans were apparently sheltered from the worst effects. The eruption of the Toba supervolcano on the island of Sumatra expelled roughly 5,300 cubic kilometers (1,300 cubic miles) of magma, a greater volume than Lake Michigan. Ash from the explosion reached an altitude of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles), where it could have blotted out the sun and drastically cooled the Earth for years -- a "volcanic winter." The eruption took place at a critical point in history, when modern humans were poised to expand more broadly out of Africa. Some researchers have suggested the catastrophe might have influenced the course of human evolution, with people today evolving from the few thousand survivors of that disaster, while others have found no signs that it endangered our species. In the new study, researchers developed 42 global climate model simulations of the supereruption's potential effects over the course of a decade. These included a variety of background climate conditions, levels of volcanic emission, and altitudes the discharge reached. They also considered different possible times of year for the eruption, to account for seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation. The new research suggests the supereruption's climate impact was likely strong in Europe, North America and central Asia. Those areas cooled at least 4 C (7 F) and as much as 10 C (18 F). However, even given the most severe plausible estimates, the supereruption's effects were likely muted in the Southern Hemisphere, including most of Africa. The cooling there was unlikely to exceed 4 C, or "approximately the difference between the average annual temperature of New York City and Halifax in Canada," said study lead author Benjamin Black, a volcanologist at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. Since modern humans lived in generally clement climates when the supereruption happened, even assuming the highest level of volcanic winter-generating emissions, "there were still not that many freezing days," Black said. These findings reconcile what scientists knew of the supereruption's reach with previous archaeological evidence suggesting people thrived in Africa through it. They also shed light on the uneven ways past and future eruptions may disrupt climate. "One usually thinks a very large perturbation like a volcanic eruption that size just does one thing: cooling the planet -- and it will do that on average. But depending on where you are, you can experience very different effects than what the global average might indicate," said study co-author Jean-François Lamarque, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The scientists detailed their findings online July 5 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Volcano Eruption
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Moscow uprising of 1905
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The Russian Revolution of 1905,[a] also known as the First Russian Revolution,[b] was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire, some of which was directed at the government. It included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies. It led to constitutional reform (namely the "October Manifesto"), including the establishment of the State Duma, the multi-party system, and the Russian Constitution of 1906. The 1905 revolution was spurred by the Russian defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, which ended in the same year, but also by the growing realization by a variety of sectors of society of the need for reform. Politicians such as Sergei Witte had failed to accomplish this. While the Tsar managed to keep his rule, the events foreshadowed those of the Russian revolutions in 1917, which resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy, execution of the imperial family, and creation of the Soviet Union by the Bolsheviks. Some historians contend that the 1905 revolution set the stage for the 1917 Russian Revolutions, and enabled Bolshevism to emerge as a distinct political movement in Russia, although it was still a minority. Lenin, as later head of the USSR, called it "The Great Dress Rehearsal", without which the "victory of the October Revolution in 1917 would have been impossible". [2]
According to Sidney Harcave, four problems in Russian society contributed to the revolution. [3] Newly emancipated peasants earned too little and were not allowed to sell or mortgage their allotted land. Ethnic and national minorities resented the government because of its "Russification" of the Empire: it practiced discrimination and repression against national minorities, such as banning them from voting; serving in the Imperial Guard or Navy; and limiting their attendance in schools. A nascent industrial working class resented the government for doing too little to protect them, as it banned strikes and organizing into labor unions. Finally, university students developed a new consciousness, after discipline was relaxed in the institutions, and they were fascinated by increasingly radical ideas, which spread among them. Also, disaffected soldiers returning from a bloody and disgraceful defeat with Japan, who found inadequate factory pay, shortages, and general disarray, organized in protest. Taken individually, these issues might not have affected the course of Russian history, but together they created the conditions for a potential revolution. [3]
At the turn of the century, discontent with the Tsar’s dictatorship was manifested not only through the growth of political parties dedicated to the overthrow of the monarchy but also through industrial strikes for better wages and working conditions, protests and riots among peasants, university demonstrations, and the assassination of government officials, often done by Socialist Revolutionaries. [4]
Because the Russian economy was tied to European finances, the contraction of Western money markets in 1899–1900 plunged Russian industry into a deep and prolonged crisis; it outlasted the dip in European industrial production. This setback aggravated social unrest during the five years preceding the revolution of 1905. [5]
The government finally recognized these problems, albeit in a shortsighted and narrow-minded way. The Minister of the Interior Vyacheslav von Plehve said in 1903 that, after the agrarian problem, the most serious issues plaguing the country were those of the Jews, the schools, and the workers, in that order. [6]
One of the major contributing factors that changed Russia from a country in unrest to a country in revolt was "Bloody Sunday". Loyalty to the tsar Nicholas II was lost on 22 January 1905, when his soldiers fired upon a group of people, led by Georgy Gapon, who were attempting to present a petition. Every year, thousands of nobles in debt mortgaged their estates to the noble land bank or sold them to municipalities, merchants, or peasants. By the time of the revolution, the nobility had sold off one-third of its land and mortgaged another third. The peasants had been freed by the emancipation reform of 1861, but their lives were generally quite limited. The government hoped to develop the peasants as a politically conservative, land-holding class by enacting laws to enable them to buy land from nobility, by paying small installments over many decades. [7]
Such land, known as "allotment land", would not be owned by individual peasants, but by the community of peasants; individual peasants would have rights to strips of land to be assigned to them under the open field system. A peasant could not sell or mortgage this land, so in practice he could not renounce his rights to his land, and he would be required to pay his share of redemption dues to the village commune. [7] This plan was intended to prevent peasants from becoming part of the proletariat. However, the peasants were not given enough land to provide for their needs. [8]
Their earnings were often so small that they could neither buy the food they needed nor keep up the payment of taxes and redemption dues they owed the government for their land allotments. By 1903 their total arrears in payments of taxes and dues was 118 million rubles. [8]
The situation worsened, as masses of hungry peasants roamed the countryside looking for work, and sometimes walked hundreds of kilometres to find it. Desperate peasants proved capable of violence. [8] "In the provinces of Kharkov and Poltava in 1902, thousands of them, ignoring restraints and authority, burst out in a rebellious fury that led to extensive destruction of property and looting of noble homes before troops could be brought to subdue and punish them. "[8]
These violent outbreaks caught the attention of the government, so it created many committees to investigate the causes. [8] The committees concluded that no part of the countryside was prosperous; some parts, especially the fertile areas known as the "black-soil region", were in decline. [9] Although cultivated acreage had increased in the last half century, the increase had not been proportionate to the growth of the peasant population, which had doubled. [9] "There was general agreement at the turn of the century that Russia faced a grave and intensifying agrarian crisis due mainly to rural overpopulation with an annual excess of fifteen to eighteen live births over deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. "[10] The investigations revealed many difficulties but the committees could not find solutions that were both sensible and "acceptable" to the government. [9]
Russia was a multi-ethnic empire. Nineteenth-century Russians saw cultures and religions in a clear hierarchy. Non-Russian cultures were tolerated in the empire but were not necessarily respected. [11] Culturally, Europe was favoured over Asia, as was Orthodox Christianity over other religions. [11]
For generations, Russian Jews had been considered a special problem. [9] Jews constituted only about 4% of the population, but were concentrated in the western borderlands. [12] Like other minorities in Russia, the Jews lived "miserable and circumscribed lives, forbidden to settle or acquire land outside the cities and towns, legally limited in attendance at secondary school and higher schools, virtually barred from legal professions, denied the right to vote for municipal councilors, and excluded from services in the Navy or the Guards". [13]
The government's treatment of Jews, although considered a separate issue, was similar to its policies in dealing with all national and religious minorities. [13] Historian Theodore Weeks notes: "Russian administrators, who never succeeded in coming up with a legal definition of 'Pole', despite the decades of restrictions on that ethnic group, regularly spoke of individuals 'of Polish descent' or, alternatively, 'of Russian descent', making identity a function of birth. "[14] This policy only succeeded in producing or aggravating feelings of disloyalty.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Obangame Express 2021: Morocco to Participate in Largest Military Exercise in West Africa
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Rabat - This month, Morocco will take part in the 2021 Obangame Express military exercise, the largest multinational maritime event in Western Africa. The event, which will convene 32 participant countries, will take place from March 14-27 in the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced. Rear Admiral Michael Baz, director of Maritime Headquarters, US Naval Forces Africa said the military exercise will allow regional partners to develop skills. Such skills will “have a lasting impact on regional security in the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean,” he said. Several countries will take part in the exercise. In addition to Morocco, the Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal, the Republic of Congo, and Senegal will also participate. Brazil, Belgium, Benin, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, and Guinea are also included in the list of the participants. AFRICOM said that exercise seeks to improve regional cooperation to enhance maritime domain awareness. In addition to Obangame Express, Morocco took part in several major military exercises. The most recent participation was Morocco’s military exercises with the US navy earlier this month. The two military groups participated in exercises dubbed “Lightning Handshake” to improve military cooperation. The US commented on Morocco’s participation, describing it as an “honor.” Rear Admiral Scott Robertson stated that “it’s an honor to participate in this historic bi-lateral maritime exercise; hallmarking 200 years of an enduring partnership with Morocco.” Rear Admiral Robertson said such military exercises enhance the “foundation of our interoperability and continued support of our long-term commitment to security in the region.” The exercise is not unique. Both the US and Morocco participate in several military exercises together. Morocco and the US are preparing for the African Lion 2021 military exercise. The US military and Morocco’s FAR organize the African Lion exercises with partner countries to strengthen their capacity in combating violent extremist organizations, maintaining security and peace, and combating transnational threats.
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Military Exercise
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1919 Standard Oil Company fire
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On September 13, 1919, a fire and explosion occurred at the Standard Oil Company in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York City. The Standard Oil Company Campus and former Astral Oil Works was spread out over 20 acres (0.081 km2). [2] A fire broke in Tank No. 36 on the Standard Oil Company Campus around 2:00 p.m., but before the New York City Fire Department was called, the tank ignited, sparking off multiple fires throughout the campus. [1] The yard held large quantities of naphtha, gasoline, oil and alcohol and more 1000 barrels of other explosive and flammable liquids. [1] The fire burned furiously for three days, destroying millions of gallons of oil and caused damage estimated at $5,000,000 ($74,635,300 in 2021). [3] Over 1,000 firemen fought the spectacular blaze, 300 of which were treated for burns and minor injuries. [3]
Standard Oil’s Brooklyn refinery may have been an intentional attempt to clear the land and draw insurance. [4] The fire site is now the location of the Bayside Fuel Oil depot at Bushwick Inlet. [4]
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Fire
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Police investigating “financial irregularities” at Scots club
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Elgin Golf Club golf in the north east Golf In Scotland police scotland Amateur Golf grassroots golf Scottish news
A police investigation is underway at Elgin Golf Club following what the club has described as “unexplained losses”.
First reported by The Northern Scot last week, the club has since told bunkered.co.uk that a police investigation was launched on November 7 following the discovery of irregularities in the club’s book-keeping system.
In a report presented to club members at an AGM on Thursday, it was said the issue was brought to the attention of the club after the departure of a previous manager.
“At this year’s AGM, I confirmed to members that, due to some financial irregularities, we were unable to produce an end of year financial statement,” club captain Marian Evans told bunkered.co.uk.
• BANNED! Historic club takes bold stand
“There has been an internal audit this year and what that highlighted was that there have been some irregularities.”
After seeking legal advice and initiating an insurance claim, the club contacted the police, who have since launched an official enquiry and forensic audit.
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The audit is expected to cover the period from April 2016 onwards.
“Once the enquiry is finished, I will then be able to put out a full financial statement and we will hold a meeting of the members next year,” added Evans.
A police spokesperson told us: "Police Scotland is investigating a report of an embezzlement at a premises in Elgin which was received in November 2019. Inquiries remain ongoing."
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Despite all this, Evans, who is halfway through her two-year term as club captain, insists it is business at usual at the 113-year-old club.
“It’s golf as normal and the club is running smoothly. Myself and the council are involved in this investigation and for the members, I would like them to know that Elgin Golf Club is here to stay.”
“We are very much operating as normal and we are looing forward to another busy year in 2020.”
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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Intermountain Healthcare
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Healthcare mergers and acquisitions are in no short supply as providers, health tech companies, payers and other industry players look to expand their businesses and gain a competitive edge. Here’s a roundup of new deals that were revealed, closed or called off during the month of August. Aspirus Health wrapped up its deal to acquire seven Wisconsin hospitals from Ascension Health. First announced in January, the purchase also includes 21 physician clinics as well as the air and ground transportation services serving northern and central Wisconsin. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Hackensack Meridian Health and Englewood Health’s proposed merger was put on pause by a federal judge, who granted the Federal Trade Commission a preliminary injunction Aug. 4. The decision was appealed by the hospitals Aug. 26, although an administrative trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 12. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) finalized the acquisition of three South Carolina community hospitals, a free-standing emergency department and other affiliated physician practices from LifePoint Health on Aug. 1. These facilities collectively employ more than 2,500 dedicated staff, which MUSC said it planned to retain. The deal reportedly ran the academic system $75 million. Carbon Health announced the purchase of two separate clinic chains in a bid to expand its national primary care footprint. The first, Southern Arizona Urgent Care, adds nine clinics in Tucson, Arizona, while the smaller Med7 Urgent Care brings four more in Sacramento, California, bringing Carbon’s total to 83 clinics across 12 states. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida Health announced a deal to form a 1,400-employee academic medical group. The organization will be created in October and will be called the University of South Florida Tampa General Physicians. UnitedHealth Group and Change Healthcare have entered into a timing agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for their planned $8 billion megamerger on Aug. 7. Per the agreement, the companies agreed to not "consummate" their merger before 120 days have passed since the two certified their compliance with the agency's request. The exception is if they receive written confirmation from the DOJ that it has completed its investigation in that window. Humana has wrapped up its previously announced acquisition of Kindred at Home, making the payer the country’s largest provider of home health care services. Kindred will be folded into Humana’s Home Solutions business arm and will adopt the CareWell branding. The payer had already owned a 40% stake in the company and purchased the remaining 60% for $5.7 billion. GuideWell, the parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, announced it will acquire Puerto Rican health services firm Triple-S Management in a deal valued at $900 million. If closed, Triple-S would operate as a subsidiary under its current branding. GuideWell plans to purchase all of Triple-S’ outstanding common stock at $36 per share in cash. Inovalon is being acquired by a cadre of institutional investors, stakeholders and founder Keith Dunleavy, M.D., in a deal valuing the company at roughly $7.3 million. The software provider will go private as part of the arrangement, which is expected to close near the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022. Ginger and Headspace announced merger plans that would place the resulting mental health tech company at a $3 billion valuation. The companies said the deal would yield a combined reach of 100 million customers, including 2,700-plus enterprise and health plan partners, and would allow them to significantly scale access to their virtual offerings. Amwell closed its previously announced purchase of SilverCloud Health and Coversa Health for a collective $320 million. SilverCloud Health focuses on digital cognitive behavioral health programs and, reportedly, ran Amwell more than $250 million to acquire. Conversa Health offers an AI chatbot for virtual care, although Amwell specifically called out the startup’s proprietary patient profiling and health signal engine as points of interest. Nanox, a digital X-ray machine maker, has allotted $200 million to purchase AI imaging analysis startup Zebra Medical Vision. Half of that money will be paid upfront to merge the companies’ assets, while the remaining $100 million will be doled out over time after certain milestones are hit. All of the money will be paid out in the form of Nanox shares. PatientKeeper, a physician workflow software maker owned by hospital chain HCA Healthcare since 2014, is being sold to General Catalyst’s healthcare application platform Commure. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, although it will see HCA Healthcare become a shareholder in Commure and continue to lean on PatientKeeper’s platform at its hospitals. Unite Us announced the acquisition of Carrot Health to bolster its social determinants of health software’s ability to identify patients with unmet needs. Unite Us will be integrating Carrot’s team into its existing company structure. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed. Verily logged its first acquisition with the planned purchase of SignalPath, a clinical trial software platform it hopes will complement the Baseline platform. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. H1 acquired Carevoyance to extend its healthcare provider profile platform beyond life science customers and into the medical device space. CEO Ariel Katz said the deal ran his company seven figures in cash and stock and will see all six of Carevoyance’s employees join H1. Clarify Health announced plans to acquire Apervita's value optimization business. Terms of the deal, which include all Apervita's intellectual property and employees, were not disclosed. Allscripts has sold off its 2bPrecise platform to AccessDX Holdings, which owns a portfolio of laboratory diagnostic solutions. The platform combines genetic data from molecular labs and clinical information collected from EHRs to deliver precision medicine insights during clinical workflow. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. K Health, a virtual primary care platform, has acquired mental health therapy app Trusst. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ConsenSys, a healthcare blockchain company, announced that it has picked up FHIRBlocks to bolster its data-sharing capabilities. ConsenSys plans to integrate FHIRBlocks' technology into its Elevated Compute platform and noted that the acquisition includes the transfer of FHIRBlocks’ intellectual property, key executives, staff, business activities and relationships. Financial details of the transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, were not disclosed. Connect America, a digital health company with connected products targeting seniors, will be acquiring remote patient monitoring company 100Plus. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Red Ventures, a digital media brand owner, has purchased Healthgrades.com from its previous owner, which has now changed its name to Mercury Healthcare. The firm plans to pair the online provider search marketplace with other health information brands it owns. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The nonprofit health alliance DirectTrust acquired the assets of SAFE Identity, including its trust framework. The acquisition substantially extends DirectTrust’s capabilities and services and is expected to enable new and expanded interoperability use cases. SAFE Identity (SAFE) is an industry consortium and certification body supporting identity assurance and cryptography in healthcare. The organizations did not disclose financial details of the deal.
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Organization Merge
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University student governments urge lawmakers to prioritize financial aid funding
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Student body presidents from five Oregon public universities Thursday sent a letter urging state lawmakers to reevaluate higher education spending priorities — away from construction projects and toward student financial aid. “[W]e have seen a recurring trend in funding initiatives and projects across state universities that do not directly contribute to the needs of students,” the letter reads. Student advocacy nonprofit, the Oregon Student Association, along with student government presidents from the University of Oregon, Western Oregon University, Eastern Oregon University, Portland State University and Oregon State University, addressed their joint letter to the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission and the Oregon Legislature. The letter specifically calls on the legislature to make emergency investments into the Oregon Opportunity Grant — Oregon’s largest state-funded, need-based grant program for college students. Currently, less than one in four students who are eligible for the Oregon Opportunity Grant receive the funding, the letter states. “This stands out as a deeply concerning flaw in state distribution of funding,” the letter reads. “We believe that financial aid investment is a fundamental part of any strategy for long term economic recovery across the state.” Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission, or HECC, concurs that only a fraction of eligible students get that grant funding every year. The grant serves low-income students — many of whom come from underrepresented groups — beginning with those who have the most need first. But, the HECC said, because of the funding available, Oregon Opportunity Grant funds only go to the lowest-income students. According to the HECC, the grant supported about 33,000 Oregon undergraduate students in 2019-20. That’s compared to more than 64,000 students who received a federal Pell grant. The HECC also noted that students above the Pell grant threshold still face financial challenges. According to recent data from the HECC, most students who receive Oregon Opportunity Grant funds still have trouble affording college. Nearly 80% of students receiving the Oregon Opportunity Grant at a public university and nearly half of recipients at community colleges still cannot cover expected costs of education, the HECC said. “With years of rising college costs and a history of insufficient funding of need-based financial aid, college is already unaffordable for far too many Oregonians, and the economic crisis of the pandemic has added hardships for many,” Juan Baez-Arevalo, director of the HECC’s Office of Student Access and Completion, said in a statement. “Need-based financial aid is an effective investment in the student success of populations who are struggling most. If Oregon does not invest sufficiently, more students and families could be priced out of postsecondary education.” The HECC said that research has shown that access to state grants increases graduation rates, both in Oregon and nationally. Oregon’s state investment in financial aid — in the Oregon Opportunity Grant and other programs — is significantly lower than the national average, the HECC noted. State financial aid per full-time student in the 2019 fiscal year was $575 in Oregon, well below the U.S. average of $808 per student. It’s even lower when compared to Washington and California — at $1,145 and $971 respectively. The student government leaders and the Oregon Student Association said they have seen a trend of funding initiatives and projects at public universities that do not directly contribute to student needs. In her proposed budget for the 2021-23 biennium, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown allotted roughly $309 million toward capital construction at public universities, such as residence hall renovations and other projects. That compares to $171.2 million in funding for the Oregon Opportunity Grant. The letter said the group supports investing in projects such as safety updates and retrofitting, as well as buildings like multicultural student centers, but often institutions don’t take into account student needs when prioritizing construction projects. “We are well aware of the potential financial recovery that capital construction initiatives offer during these difficult times, however, we weigh the financial burdens that students are facing as a higher priority for state funding,” the group wrote. The group said capital construction funding does not directly support student needs, especially when many projects will not even be completed for years to come. “University administrations have argued that investments in capital construction will mitigate the enrollment crisis and make education more affordable. Instead, the data collected over the last decade shows enrollment declines and alarming tuition increases,” the letter reads. Along with requesting emergency investments into the Oregon Opportunity Grant, the group is also calling on the legislature to center student needs and to include students in setting spending priorities. Biden's American Rescue Plan would provide support to educational institutions across Oregon, as well as directly support students.
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MP: 2 dead, 3 injured as balloon gas cylinder explodes in Chhindwara
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Two persons were killed and three others injured after a cylinder being used for filling gas in balloons exploded at a fair in Chhindwara city of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, police said.
Chhindwara Published on: August 22, 2021 23:36 IST
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Image Source : FILE PHOTO/ PTI
2 dead, 3 injured as balloon gas cylinder explodes in Chhindwara
Two persons were killed and three others injured after a cylinder being used for filling gas in balloons exploded at a fair in Chhindwara city of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, police said. The incident occurred in Subhash Nagar locality, they said.
Ibrahim Chacha, who was filling gas in balloons from the cylinder and selling them, died on the spot after the explosion, while another person, identified as Tajuddin Ansari, breathed his last while being taken to a hospital, additional superintendent of police Sanjeev Uikey said.
Both the victims were aged between 40 and 50 years, he said. Ansari's wife, his son and one person named Suresh Yadav were injured in the incident and they were admitted to a hospital, the ASP said, adding that the police have registered a case and investigation into the mishap was on
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Gas explosion
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Calls for Australians to offer more support to disaster recovery in Lombok and Sulawesi
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An international aid group is urging Australians to do more to help Indonesia as it recovers from natural disasters on the islands of Sulawesi and Lombok.
The death toll on Sulawesi has risen to 1,550 people after a 7.5-magnitude earth quake triggered a tsunami last month.
More than 70,000 people have been evacuated and thousands more are injured or missing.
It follows a series of powerful earthquakes on the island of Lombok which killed nearly 500 people in August.
The quakes could be felt on the neighbouring island of Bali, where New South Wales woman Susan Loch was enjoying dinner in a restaurant with her family. "The staff yelled at us 'earthquake, run,'" Ms Loch said.
"I felt my feet starting to vibrate and my sister felt the floor moving."
Ms Loch, from Mollymook on the state's South Coast, said she had never experienced an earthquake before. "It was scary. We had no idea what was going to happen in the next five minutes, the next hour, the next day," she said. Concerned by the devastation reported, Ms Loch returned to the Bali last month to deliver 10 water purification devices to locals still recovering from the disaster.
"It's a small amount but it will give them fresh drinking water," she said.
"We all take it for granted, but they will be able to drink safely from muddy pools of water.
"They were just extremely grateful, they couldn't thank me enough."
Ms Loch's latest visit to Indonesia coincided with the devastating tsunami on Sualwesi.
"I don't think Australians realise the extent of the damage. It just breaks your heart," she said.
"A lot of us travel to Bali and we just need to help them."
Waves for Water is a not-for-profit organisation which offers clean water to communities in need around the world.
The charity's Australian project manager, Kain Sissons, has been delivering the organisation's water purification devices to affected parts of the country.
The surfer, from Wollongong in NSW, said he was surprised by the level of destruction on the islands.
"Rubble debris everywhere, buildings flattened, a lot of homes half standing and locals sleeping in tents outside their homes or in refugee camps," he said.
"Even though I work with an NGO and liaise with people for disaster relief, I was actually beside myself when I arrived there at how bad it actually is."
Mr Sissons said many Australian's seem to be oblivious to the damage to the popular tourist destination.
"It's our playground, it's our backyard," he said.
"We go there and enjoy it, whether it's our once a year family holiday or it's a surf trip.
"I think we shouldn't be turning a blind eye."
He is now calling for Australians not to abandon travel to the island but consider what more than can do to help.
"Tourism is a vital part to their economy, but when I was travelling through Lombok the resorts there were empty," he said.
"There were no western people there which means there's no money coming for the local people.
"So can we be doing more, we [should] be doing more."
Search any location in Australia to find nearby active incidents
Stay up-to-date with local coverage on ABC Radio, the emergency broadcaster
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Environment Pollution
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San Diego County prepares for possibility of vaccine booster shots
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SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — San Diego County reported 1,068 new COVID-19 infections and seven new deaths Friday, as one county official prepared for the possibility of vaccine booster shots. "The FDA and CDC approval of the Pfizer vaccine booster for certain groups of people is another step in our fight against COVID," said County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher. "Once we receive final approval and guidance from the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup and the California Department of Public Health, our region will be well-prepared to provide Pfizer booster shots for those who are eligible. "We expect this final approval in the coming days, and after that, eligible San Diegans should contact their local health care provider, pharmacy or our county-sponsored sites to receive the Pfizer booster," Fletcher said. "We want to emphasize, the booster is only for those groups outlined in pending final approval and will only be available for those who initially received the Pfizer vaccine." Friday's numbers included batch tests and cases that would have been reported Sept. 14 through Wednesday, but were not due to a reporting error between the county and medical providers. The data brought the county's cumulative totals to 353,112 cases and 4,046 fatalities since the pandemic began. The number of COVID patients in county hospitals increased from 414 on Thursday to 418, with 137 of those patients in intensive care, according to state figures. Also on Thursday, Riverside County surpassed San Diego County for the second-most hospital patients in a county in the state. Los Angeles County has 956 COVID-19 hospital patients, more than double the next highest county. A total of 27,290 new tests were logged, and the percentage of positive cases over the past seven days was 3.7%. A total of 37 new community outbreaks were confirmed in the past seven days: 18 in grade school settings, four in business settings, four in restaurant/bar settings, three in daycare/preschool/childcare settings, two in government settings, one in a college/university setting, one in a construction setting, one in a grocery setting, one in a healthcare setting, one in restaurant setting and one in a retail setting. San Diego County's case rate per 100,000 residents is 27.6 overall, 13.0 for fully vaccinated people and 47.3 for not fully vaccinated San Diegans. No-cost COVID-19 vaccines are widely available. They can be found at medical providers, pharmacies, community clinics and county public health centers for people who do not have a medical provider. Nearly 4.72 million vaccine doses have been administered in San Diego County, with around 2.5 million -- or 87.7% of eligible county residents -- having received at least one dose. Fully vaccinated county residents now number more than 2.2 million, or around 78.2% of the county's eligible population.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Record-breaking Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal striker says his team believed they could win until the end
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Cristiano Ronaldo's two late headers secured a 2-1 win for Portugal against the Republic of Ireland in World Cup Qualifying; The double sees Ronaldo become the all-time leading goalscorer in men's international football with 111 goals; John Egan and Stephen Kenny also give their reaction
Thursday 2 September 2021 17:13, UK
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Record-breaking Cristiano Ronaldo says Portugal "believed they could win until the end" after his two late goals saw off the Republic of Ireland.
The forward, who returned to Manchester United in a surprise move earlier this week, became the all-time leading scorer in men's international football, overtaking Iranian Ali Daei's record.
He nodded home twice in the dying minutes of the World Cup Qualifier at the Estadio Algarve, taking him to 111 goals for Portugal - two ahead of the previous record.
The victory was a late blow for an improved Republic of Ireland, but Ronaldo had faith that Portugal could take all three points.
He said: "I'm so happy, not only because I beat the record, but for the special moments that we had. Two goals at the end of the game, it was so tough but I have to appreciate what the team did. We believed until the end, the supporters too. I'm so glad."
Ronaldo was shown a yellow card following the dramatic late celebrations which means he is suspended for Portugal's upcoming World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan.
The Portuguese FA confirmed Ronaldo has now left the national team's camp following a recovery session on Thursday morning.
It looked to be a frustrating evening for the 36-year-old, with Ronaldo having an early penalty saved by 19-year-old Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.
Of the incident, Ronaldo added: "It's part of the game, it's part of the business. Sometimes you score, sometimes there's a mistake but I still believe until the end of the game. I'm so happy to score and win the game."
He later posted on Instagram: "From all the records that I have broken during my career - and fortunately there have been a few - this one is very special for me and it's certainly on the shelf of the achievements that make me truly proud.
"First of all, because every time I represent my country is a special moment, for knowing that I'm defending Portugal and showing to the world what Portuguese people are made of.
"Secondly, because national teams competitions have always had a very strong impact on me as I was growing up, watching my idols playing for their flags every other summer in Euros and in World Cups.
"But finally and above all, because scoring 111 goals for Portugal means 111 moments like the ones we experienced today in Algarve, moments of worldwide union and happiness for millions and millions of Portuguese citizens all around the globe. For them, every sacrifice is worth it.
"Another reason for me to appreciate this achievement as much as I do right now, is because Ali Daei has set the standards in such a high level that at some point, even I started thinking that I might never catch him.
"Congratulations to the 'Shariar' for holding the record for so long and thanks for always showing so much respect for me every time I scored and as I became closer and closer to his outstanding number.
"Thank you Portugal. Thanks to all my team-mates and opponents for making this journey so unforgettable. Let's keep meeting inside the pitch in the years to come. I'm not closing the count just yet..."
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Phil Babb on Sky Sports: "It's a strange one, because he was quiet for 89 minutes. Ireland had done well in frustrating him and when they were crossing the balls in, I thought Duffy and Egan were very good. He didn't really have an impact on the game until the goals.
"But put that aside - cometh the hour, cometh the man. Yet again, he produces and literally drags his side to victory.
"It's one of those debates but for me, he is the greatest of all time… When he broke into the Sporting squad, he was a skinny man and to develop into that supreme athlete and one of the greatest of all time has been a phenomenal journey."
Richard Dunne on Sky Sports: "It's incredible. It's what makes him different to every other footballer in the world. He has that ability to hang. As the ball is coming across, you're thinking 'how can the players defend when the player they're marking is already up in the air?'. It's so difficult.
"Then the header, the direction and everything about it is fantastic. It's down to how he looks after himself and the strength he has in his core to be able to hang and put such power on the ball.
"It's almost unrealistic [the goals tally], it's frightening. To be able to just be in the right place at the right time is just incredible. The game was never over because they've got Ronaldo, there's always that opportunity he'll pop up.
"In that moment, Portugal needed him. They didn't look like they were going to do anything and just out of nowhere, he turned up and broke our hearts."
Republic of Ireland defender John Egan told Sky Sports: "He's a top player, one of the best ever. We contained him quite well for most of the game, but we gave him two chances at the death and he doesn't miss chances like that. Sometimes world-class players punish you and we got punished tonight."
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Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny told Sky Sports: "He's a phenomenon. You can't take it away, you have to say he's even proved that tonight at 36. He's been incredible to get two goals."
Portugal manager Fernando Santos: "Obviously, we are all pleased with his record. There is no Portuguese person who is not pleased to see him as the top scorer of international goals ever.
"But that would happen at some point. I don't see that Cristiano wouldn't score a goal in the five, six, 10 or 15 games he is still to play. How wouldn't he break the record? He had equalled the record, so it wasn't the case of needing another eight, nine or 10 goals we could doubt if he would get there. But one goal? If it wasn't today, it would be in any other one."
Ronaldo's first 50 international goals came in 114 caps, but since then he has hit 61 in 66 which saw him chalk up a second half-century at a goal a game. Daei took 149 games to reach the previous record of 109.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino in a message to Ronaldo: "This achievement rewards an outstanding career of almost two decades representing your country at the highest level, which speaks of your tremendous commitment and dedication to your art and your incredible passion for football.
"In the process of breaking the record for the number of goals in men's international football, you have become not only a national hero but an international icon and a role model for aspiring players all around the world. Your skills and consistent drive for improvement deserves global acclaim and admiration. Parabens, Cristiano!"
Portugal's qualification campaigns for World Cups and European Championships have accounted for more than half of Ronaldo's goals. The goals against the Republic of Ireland made it 33 in World Cup qualifiers.
The Manchester United forward has scored 14 in European Championship finals, including three as Portugal won the 2016 tournament in France and five in this summer's group stage before the holders were knocked out by Belgium. Ronaldo was the joint top scorer at Euro 2020 alongside Czech Republic frontman Patrik Schick.
A hat-trick against Spain saw Ronaldo score four at the 2018 World Cup and seven in total in his appearances at the tournament. The three previous World Cups brought him just one goal apiece - against Iran in 2006, North Korea in 2010 and Ghana in 2014.
Ronaldo has five in two Nations League campaigns and scored twice at the 2017 Confederations Cup, with his remaining 19 international goals coming in friendlies.
Lithuania and Sweden have been on the receiving end of most Ronaldo goals - seven, after he scored four times against Lithuania in Vilnius and three in the return in Faro during Euro 2020 qualifying.
Ronaldo has six against Luxembourg, Hungary and Andorra with five each against Latvia, Armenia and Sweden. The Portugal captain has scored against 44 different international opponents in all, having added Germany and France to that list during the Euro 2020 finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo has only scored one hat-trick for Manchester United. So far. It came against Newcastle at Old Trafford in 2008. Thirteen years and 57 career hat-tricks later, Ronaldo could make his comeback at the same ground against the same opposition.
But how much has changed? That is the intrigue of Ronaldo's return.
The £250,000 is up for grabs with Super 6, and as always it is completely free to play. Entries by 3pm Saturday.
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Break historical records
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2015 Peruvian protests against Las Bambas mining project
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Groups of people who do not belong to the communities of the area of direct influence and are even located in distant provinces and regions and do not evidence their intention to enter into a dialogue or have a clear platform of struggle are holding a protest since 25 September. The protests escalated on 29 September, when four people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between demonstrators and police, prompting President Ollanta Humala to decree a state of emergency. On 29 September, an estimated 15,000 people gathered in Challhuahuacho to protest against a $7.4 billion copper mine project. Locals in the region are concerned that the copper mine project will cause environmental damage to the Andean area. [1][2] Peruvian authorities sent 1,500 police officers and 150 soldiers to the area. Several hundred demonstrators attacked the mine installations and clashed with police, who responded with tear gas. [3] The protest escalated, after law enforcers opened fire on protesters,[4] killing four of them. The four fatalities were all local men. [5] In a press conference, authorities confirmed that Uriel Elguera Chilca (34), Beto Chahuallo Huillca (24) and Alberto Cárdenas Chalco (23) died from gunshots on way to Cusco,[6] while Exaltación Huamaní (30) succumbed to death at Challhuahuacho hospital. [6] Likewise, 23 other people, including eight policemen,[7] were injured in ensuing clashes. Officials say ambulances couldn't reach the local clinic following the attack because police also shot at a vehicle carrying doctors. [8]
MMG says that Las Bambas has reserves of 6.9 million tons of copper and expects to produce more than 2 million tons of copper concentrate in its first five years. [9] The deposit was discovered at more than 4,000 meters above sea level and will become one of the largest copper mines in the world once it is in full production. Construction started on 10 August and began operations in early 2016. [10][11]
Peruvian President Ollanta Humala regretted the loss of lives during the violent repression of the protest and called on calm and for dialogue. He also stated that "many of the protest leaders (...) come from outside the region and are using the protests to promote their campaigns for the April 2016 general elections". Humala decreed the emergency for 30 days in the southern Andean regions of Cusco and Apurímac,[12] where the mine, Las Bambas, owned by China's MMG Ltd., is under construction. [13] The state of emergency applies to six provinces. [14] Suspending civil liberties and authorizing military patrols, the government announced that more troops would be sent to Apurímac "to restore internal peace". [15] Interior Minister José Luis Pérez Guadalupe said radical groups from outside the area had provoked the clashes. [16]
Amnesty International's executive director in Peru, Marina Navarro, called the deaths "unacceptable" in an email sent to the AP. "The price of social protests should not be the death of any person", the statement said.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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1934 Air France Wibault 282T crash
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The 1934 Air France Wibault 282T crash occurred on 9 May 1934 when Wibault 282T-12 F-AMHY of Air France crashed into the English Channel off Dungeness, Kent, United Kingdom while operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Le Bourget, Paris, France to Croydon, Surrey, United Kingdom. All six people on board were killed. The accident aircraft was Wibault 282T-12 F-AMHP, c/n 8. [1] The aircraft had entered service with Air Union on 21 August 1933, passing to Air France on formation. [2]
The aircraft was operating a scheduled international passenger flight from Le Bourget, Paris, France to Croydon, Surrey, United Kingdom. It was carrying three crew and three passengers. The aircraft had taken off from Le Bourget at 11:15 local time (10:15 GMT) and passed over Le Tréport, Seine-Maritime at 12:10. At 12:19, a radio fix obtained from Croydon established that the aircraft was 18+1⁄2 miles (29.8 km) west by south of Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais. There were no further messages received from the aircraft. The weather at the time included low clouds. [3]
At 17:20 GMT, the Folkestone lifeboat was launched with instructions to search the sea at a position 12 miles (19 km) south east by south of Dungeness, where it was reported that wreckage had been observed. The Dover lifeboat also joined the search. No trace of the aircraft was found during the search, which was hampered by thick fog. The Folkestone lifeboat did not return to its station until after 22:00 GMT. The lack of an SOS call from the aircraft indicated that it had crashed into the sea while attempting to fly below the low cloudbase. [3] On 18 May, a mailbag from the aircraft was washed up on the French coast. [4]
The nationalities of the casualties were:-[3]
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Air crash
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Philippine Airlines Flight 137 crash
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Philippine Airlines Flight 137 was a scheduled passenger flight from Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Bacolod City Domestic Airport. On March 22, 1998, flight 137 overshot the runway while landing at Bacolod City Domestic Airport. There were no fatalities among the aircraft's crew and passengers, but three people died on the ground as the airliner plowed through a residential area. [1]
The aircraft, an Airbus A320-214, tail number RP-C3222, was destroyed. It had been in service for barely three months prior to the accident. [3][4]
A selection by the pilot of the wrong mode on the onboard flight computers prevented power from being reduced to idle, which inhibited thrust reverse and spoilers from being used. The offending engine was shut down, and brakes applied, but the aircraft was unable to stop before the end of the runway. [2]
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Air crash
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This Spanish Cheese Was Just Named 'World's Best'
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Our planet has a new best cheese — at least according to the 33rd World Cheese Awards held as part of this week's ongoing International Cheese Festival taking place in Oviedo, Spain.
Olavidia, a soft goat's cheese from the Spanish producer Quesos y Besos (Cheeses and Kisses), topped the list of 4,079 entries from 45 countries to claim the coveted title of "best cheese in the world" which hasn't been awarded since 2019 due to COVID-19.
"We are a small humble cheesemaker in Jaen," Silvia Pelaez, head cheesmaker of the six-employee company officially called Lacteos Romero Pelaez, said according to CNN. Jean is located in Spain about 500 miles south of where the awards took place.
"We've been making cheese for less than five years, so we never imagined we could win the world's biggest prize in cheese so soon," she said after the victory. "Everything we do is inspired by our love for our family, including the name of the business itself, Quesos y Besos, so this is such a special moment for us. We've made it our mission to encapsulate the essence of our family in all of our cheeses, so to have such recognition from the World Cheese Awards judges is an incredible achievement and truly overwhelming."
Olavidia takes the torch from Rogue River Blue which was the first American cheese to claim the title when the awards were last held in Bergamo, Italy in 2019.
As for this year's winner, British judge Jason Hinds billed the goat's cheese — which was produced in 2017 — as "unlike anything I've seen before." He continued, "Its appearance is so original and it didn't let me down. It's unctuous, seductive, pillowy, warm and comforting." Organizers explained that the cheese was "matured with Penicillium Candidum and a layer of olive stone ash running through its middle," explaining the product's distinct black stripe.
And if you don't think a cheese competition can be exciting, CNN explains otherwise: This event had a dramatic finish. For the final round of judging, 16 judges are all assigned a single cheese to support. After presenting that cheese's attributes, all 16 judges then taste it and then raise a card showing their score from one to ten. These votes happen one at a time, and Olavidia was the final cheese to be discussed. Its 103 points made for a last-minute victory, surprising the previous leader (and therefore second-place cheese) Fromagerie Berthaut, a soft French cheese washed with the spirit Marc de Bourgogne that received 98 points.
"As the World Cheese Awards was founded over three decades ago to showcase the work of small artisan cheesemakers, it gives me immense pleasure to see a tiny family-run cheesemaking business taking top honors once again," John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organizers of the World Cheese Awards, stated. "It's an incredible feat to stand out in a field of over 4,000 cheeses from every corner of the world, but Quesos y Besos' Olavidia clearly had everything; delivering an exceptional appearance, aroma, texture and flavor, along with bags of originality."
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Awards ceremony
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Bethany man arrested on suspicion of poisoning neighbor’s dog
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Updated: Aug. 05, 2021, 3:47 p.m. |
Published: Aug. 05, 2021, 3:47 p.m.
(The Oregonian/OregonLive)
A Washington County man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of poisoning his neighbor’s dog by throwing hamburger meat stuffed with rat poisoning over their shared fence, deputies say.
Erik Mighells, 57, is accused of first-degree animal abuse.
A husband and wife in the community of Bethany told deputies Tuesday that they thought Mighells, their neighbor, was trying to kill their two small dogs, according to the sheriff’s office.
One of the small dogs had eaten some of the poison-spiked meat the night before, the sheriff’s office said, and was treated at a local veterinary clinic.
The dog is expected to make a full recovery.
Mighells threw the poisoned meat over the fence on three different occasions, deputies said Thursday. He was booked into the Washington County Jail but was no longer listed on the facility’s booking roster as of Thursday afternoon.
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Mass Poisoning
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Australia in first recession for nearly 30 years
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Beirut, June 1, 2021 – Lebanon is enduring a severe and prolonged economic depression. According to the latest World Bank Lebanon Economic Monitor (LEM) released today, the economic and financial crisis is likely to rank in the top 10, possibly top 3, most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century. In the face of colossal challenges, continuous policy inaction and the absence of a fully functioning executive authority threaten already dire socio-economic conditions and a fragile social peace with no clear turning point in the horizon. The Spring 2021 edition of the LEM, “Lebanon Sinking: To the Top 3” presents recent economic developments and examines the country’s economic outlook and possible risks. For over a year and a half, Lebanon has been facing compounded challenges: its largest peace-time economic and financial crisis, COVID-19 and the Port of Beirut explosion. As The Deliberate Depression (LEM - Fall 2020) already laid-out, policy responses by Lebanon’s leadership to these challenges have been highly inadequate. The inadequacy is less due to knowledge gaps and quality advice and more the result of: i) a lack of political consensus over effective policy initiatives; and ii) political consensus in defense of a bankrupt economic system, which benefited a few for so long. With a history of a prolonged civil war and multiple conflicts— Lebanon is identified by the World Bank as a Fragility, Conflict & Violence (FCV) State— there is growing wariness of potential triggers to social unrest. The increasingly dire socio-economic conditions risk systemic national failings with regional and potentially global effects. The World Bank estimates that in 2020 real GDP contracted by 20.3 percent, on the back of a 6.7 percent contraction in 2019. In fact, Lebanon’s GDP plummeted from close to US$55 billion in 2018 to an estimated US$33 billion in 2020, while GDP per capita fell by around 40 percent in dollar terms. Such a brutal contraction is usually associated with conflicts or wars. Monetary and financial conditions remain highly volatile; within the context of a multiple exchange rate system, the World Bank average exchange rate depreciated by 129 percent in 2020. The effect on prices have resulted in surging inflation, averaging 84.3 percent in 2020. Subject to extraordinarily high uncertainty, real GDP is projected to contract by a further 9.5 percent in 2021. “Lebanon faces a dangerous depletion of resources, including human capital, and high skilled labor is increasingly likely to take up potential opportunities abroad, constituting a permanent social and economic loss for the country,” said Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank Mashreq Regional Director. “Only a reform minded government, which embarks upon a credible path toward economic and financial recovery, while working closely with all stakeholders, can reverse further sinking of Lebanon and prevent more national fragmentation”. Conditions in the financial sector continue to deteriorate, while a consensus among key stakeholders on the burden-sharing of losses has proved elusive. The burden of the ongoing adjustment/deleveraging in the financial sector is highly regressive, concentrated on smaller depositors, the bulk of the labor force and smaller businesses. More than half the population is likely below the national poverty line, with the bulk of the labor force -paid in Lira- suffering from plummeting purchasing power. With the unemployment rate on the rise, an increasing share of households is facing difficulty in accessing basic services, including health care. The LEM Spring 2021 also highlights in its Special Foci section two potential economic triggers that are under increased scrutiny, and which can have significant social implications. The First Special Focus examines Lebanon’s foreign exchange (FX) subsidy for critical and essential imports, which presents a serious political and social challenge, and discusses when and how to remove it. The current FX subsidy is distortionary, expensive and regressive; its elimination and replacement with a more effective and efficient pro-poor targeted program would improve the balance of payments—meaningfully extend the time-till-exhaustion of remaining BdL reserves—while helping to cushion the impact on Lebanon’s poor. However, these would still be temporary, suboptimal solutions. Only a comprehensive and credible macroeconomic stabilization strategy can prevent the country from running out of reserves and being forced into a disorderly and highly disruptive exchange rate adjustment. The Second Special Focus of the LEM discusses the impact of the crises on four basic public services: electricity, water supply, sanitation and education. The Deliberate Depression has further undermined already weak public services via two effects: (i) it has significantly increased poverty rates, with a higher number of households unable to afford private substitutables, and thus becoming more dependent on public services; and (ii) it has threatened the financial viability and basic operability of the sector by raising its costs and lowering its revenues. The delivery of essential public services is critical to the wellbeing of residents. The sharp deterioration in basic services would have long-term implications: mass migration, loss of learning, poor health outcomes, lack of adequate safety nets, among others. Permanent damage to human capital would be very hard to recover. Perhaps this dimension of the Lebanese crisis makes the Lebanon episode unique compared to other global crises.
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Financial Crisis
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1963 Nordic Athletics Championships
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The 1963 Nordic Athletics Championships was the second edition of the international athletics competition between Nordic countries and was held in Gothenburg, Sweden. It consisted of 34 individual athletics events, 22 for men and 12 for women. This covered a track and field programme plus a men's marathon race. Finland defended its team title in the men's points classification with 225.5 points and Sweden repeated as women's team champions with 104 points. Iceland took part in the men's competition only and was the only nation not to have an athlete top the podium. Among the athletes in attendance were 1962 European Athletics Championships medalists Pentti Nikula, Stig Pettersson, Rainer Stenius and Pentti Eskola. [1]
Ulla-Britt Wieslander of Sweden was the most successful athlete of the tournament, defending both her 100 metres and 200 metres titles as well as adding the 80 metres hurdles championship to her honours. Bengt-Göran Fernström was the only man to win two individual titles, taking the 200 m and 400 metres races. Athletes to successfully defend their 1961 titles were Carl Fredrik Bunæs (100 m), Stig Pettersson (high jump), Stein Haugen (discus), Birger Asplund (hammer), Karen Inge Halkier (shot put) and Nina Hansen (pentathlon).
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Sports Competition
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Revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers
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The Revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers was a mass movement in 1907 in Languedoc and the Pyrénées-Orientales of France that was repressed by the government of Georges Clemenceau. It was caused by a serious crisis in winemaking at the start of the 20th century. The movement was also called the "paupers revolt" of the Midi. It was marked by the fraternization of the 17th line infantry regiment with the demonstrators in Béziers. Wine making in Languedoc developed in the 18th century with the construction of the port of Sète and completion of the Canal du Midi. Wine, for which the preservation techniques had been improved, could be transported to new markets. The vineyards were extended and on the eve of the French Revolution about half the land around Béziers was covered with vines. [1]
In 1853 railway lines began to serve Languedoc, which opened new markets to regional viticulture, particularly in the north of the country and its industrial regions. The biggest consumers were the workers, a large part of whose salary was devoted to the purchase of wine. [1][2]
The French Third Republic by the law of 17 July 1880 facilitated the massive opening of drinking places. They were mainly in the working-class districts of large cities, with an average of three outlets for five buildings. Wine and alcohol consumption skyrocketed. The beverages sold in these places under the name of wine were extremely poor quality and were often not wine at all. The damage was such that in the 1890s an anti-alcoholic, syndicalist and socialist movement was born. [3]
In 1856 the Moniteur vinicole, the press organ of the Parisian wine merchants Entrepôts de Bercy, published a "Classification of viticulture departments in order of importance relative to the extent of the vineyards and the quality of the products". Except for Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, ignorance was total. Almost all the wines of France were ignored by the Parisian trade and the large drinking places. To mitigate this lack of knowledge, Achille Larive, director of the newspaper, launches a "call to owners of unknown wines". On 10 September 1856 he published the results of his inquiry. [4]
In the next issue a reader pointed out that the wines of small proprietors were ignored. [5]
In the second half of the 19th century French viticulture also faced several crises: powdery mildew, which spread around 1850 by attacking the leaves of the vine and the fruit, then phylloxera in 1863 and at the end of 19th century downy mildew, another fungus that attaches to the back of the leaves. It produces oily layers on the leaf surface that cause them to fall early and weaken the vine. Thanks to Bordeaux mixture, a compound of Copper(II) sulfate and slaked lime, and the introduction of American plants used as rootstocks naturally resistant to phylloxera, the vines completely recovered. [6]
This did not end the manufacture of fake wines. In Le Monde illustré of 12 March 1870 an article by Leo de Bernard denounced falsified wine, "petit bordeaux ... made in Bercy, where the tasting service always has its eye and nose open. The containers of this mixture, made of unknown ingredients, are confiscated and placed in a special cell. Their detention does not last long because there is no doubt of their guilt. On the day of execution, the condemned barrels are brought to the bank of the quai d'Austerlitz. A police commissioner ensures that prompt justice is done. When the signal is given the executioner of the high hygienic works opens the flanks of the victim, and from the deep wound a large black flow escapes into the Seine whose hue vaguely recalls logwood, litharge and other harmful drugs. "[7]
While everywhere else, especially in the North-West, the area planted with vines was decreasing, it increased in the departments of Aude, Gard, Hérault and Pyrénées-Orientales. [8]
These four provided 40% of French wine production, rising to almost 45% in the first half of the 20th century. [9]
Production in Haut Languedoc grew rapidly, particularly in the Biterrois and Béziers, self-proclaimed "World Capital of Wine". Great fortunes were made. Large landowners from industry, finance or the liberal professions had vast estates of several tens of hectares. Tampered wines appeared on the market to cope with foreign competition. Exposed fraudsters were not punished. In 1892 the winemakers of the South demanded official suppression of sugaring and reestablishment of customs duties. [10]
But the market continued to be partly supplied by wines made from imported dried grapes, wines diluted with water, chaptalized wines and even "wines" made without grapes. However, although vintners gave great prominence to this unfair competition, it did not represent more than 5% of the market. [11]
A demonstration was held in Montpelier on 12 December 1893 and a petition circulated that gathered thousands of signatures opposing fraud and falsified wines. The first calls for tax strikes were launched with the support of elected representatives who threatened to resign from their mandates. The radical government opposed them with the argument that the wine crisis was caused by overproduction of wine in the South. [12]
At the start of the 20th century the idea of a winemakers union to improve sales of Hérault wines grew in some communes of the Biterrois. The first two to set up a cooperative to sell their wines without intermediaries were Maraussan and Mudaison in 1901. [13]
The Maraussan sales cooperative was created on 23 December 1901 by 128 winemakers. [14]
The initiative proved effective and was copied by Marseillan (1903), Siran (1907) and then Marsillargues and Frontignan (1910). [13]
In 1905 the Maraussan cooperative was the first to set up a joint wine making operation by erecting a building for that purpose. Elie Cathala, a distiller who was used to distribution channels, and Maurice Blayac, president of the agricultural and mutual credit union, were instrumental in achieving this goal. The combination of control over grape production and wine making made it possible to offer a range of wines at diverse prices according to quality.
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Strike
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2016 Kaliachak riots
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Riots broke out in Kaliachak, Malda district in West Bengal, India on 3 January 2016. [1][2][3] The Muslims were protesting the remark of political leaders Kamlesh Tiwari, But the protest turned into riots, when Muslim mob of more than 1 lakh people attacked the police and vandalised the police station of Kaliachak area. [4][5][6][7]
A section of that protest rally turned violent when infurious protestors tried to broke barricades and confronted the police and Border Security Force (BSF). Mob vandalized Kaliachak Police station, block development office and public property injuring 30 policemen. Several private and government vehicles including BSF and North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) vehicles were torched. The train service was disturbed as protesters blocked railway tracks at Khaltipur railway station. [8]
However, in the subsequent investigation, it was found to be a rivalry among the poppy mafias who were present as protestors and attacked the Police and Border Security Force[9] as according to police about 1500 acre poppy field has been destroyed by the administration the previous week. [10]
Malda district of West Bengal has a mixed population comprising Hindus and Muslims. According to 2011 Census of India, Malda district is one of such districts in India which has Muslim population comparable to the Hindu population where in Kalichak block Muslim population shares the major proportion. [11][12] This district also shares border with Indian state Bihar and Jharkhand, also an international border with Bangladesh. This place is considered to be a safe passage of illegal drug mafia as well as poppy traders. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) dating back to 1861, made homosexual sex punishable by law and carried a life sentence. In 2009, the High Court of Delhi found the law unconstitutional, effectively invalidating the ban. Four years later, on 11 December 2013, the Supreme Court reversed the lower court's decision, restoring the statute while leaving it to the Lok Sabha to amend the law. [13] Since re-criminalisation, several politicians, including former External Affairs Minister Shashi Tharoor[14] and Bharatiya Janata Party Finance Minister Arun Jaitley[15] opined in favour of legal decriminalisation. Jaitley opinionated to reconsider judgement on homosexuality by Supreme Court on 28 November 2015 at Times Literature Festival in Mumbai. [16] On 2 December, Azam Khan, a Muslim senior politician of the Samajwadi Party and a member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly,[17][18] responded to Jaitley's speech by saying that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh members are homosexuals as they do not get married. [19] The next day, Kamlesh Tiwari who claimed to be the working president of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha called Prophet Muhammad the first homosexual in the world. [7] He was arrested in Lucknow on 3 December 2015. A case under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between groups on ground of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) was registered against him at Naka Hindola police station, Lucknow. Protest rallies, against his statement, were held by several Islamic groups across the nation, most of them demanding death by hanging. [20]
Idara-e-Shariya and Anjuman Ahle Sunnatul Jamat, a Muslim organisation had held a protest gathering with prior permissions from concerned authorities in Kaliachak on 3 January 2016 demanding death by hanging of Tiwari which was attended by 30,000[8] to 2.5 lakh Muslims. [21][22][20] A set of people from the protest rally turned violent and vandalized Kaliachak Police station, block development office and public property. Several private and government vehicles including Border Security Force (BSF) vehicles were torched. An NBSTC bus was also torched on National Highway 34 leaving several vehicles stranded on the highway. Over 30 people including police officers were injured. The train service was disturbed as protesters blocked railway tracks at Khaltipur railway station. When police stopped protesters, the riot broke out. [8][22][21][23]
According to some news reports, Shani Temple, Durga Temple and other Hindu temples were attacked at Baliadanga and around 25 houses and shops owned by both Hindus and Muslims were vandalized.
Kaliachak, a place near an international border, is considered as a passage of mafia and anti-socials of the neighboring states, and has become a depot of many anti-social activities. Crimes like keeping illegal arms, cultivation of poppy, dealing of fake note, illegal drag trafficking are rapidly growing in this region. According to some news reports, taking the scope of religious outrage local goons who had criminal cases against them attacked the police station to destroy the evidences against them.
Police had to fire 40 rounds in the blank in an attempt to control the mobs. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed to control the situation. RSS activist Gopal Tiwari was injured in firing. [30] After the violence, police have put in restrictions on people assembling by invoking section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure. Ten members of a BJP delegation led by sole party MLA of the state Samik Bhattacharya was stopped near Rathbari area as their appearance might fuel the agitation. The members arrested by the police were later released. Also three member fact finding team of BJP led by MP S. S. Ahluwalia was also deported from the Malda station.
The Malda chapter of the civil rights organisation, Association for Democratic Rights (APDR),[34] has issued a statement that last Sunday's incident cannot be called "communal by a long shot." Malda district secretary of APDR, Jishnu Roy Chowdhury, has blamed miscreants for "triggering" unprecedented violence, which is "a symptom of lawlessness in the State. "[35]
According to some news reports, illegal poppy cultivation and dealings are rampant in and around Kaliachak. Police and administration planned to destroy all the illegal cultivation of poppy fields, a part has already been done as well. It is suspected that poppy mafia are involved in this clash during the protest of the Muslims. According to police about 1500 acre poppy field has been destroyed by the administration the previous week. [36][37]
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Riot
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1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash
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The 1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash was an accident that occurred on 16 March 1978, when a Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 airliner on an international flight from Sofia Airport to Warsaw Airport crashed. [1] All passengers and crew died in the crash. As of 2021, it remains the worst accident in Bulgarian aviation history. [1] Exact cause of the crash remains unknown. Aircraft Tupolev Tu-134, tail number LZ-TUB (factory no. 8350501, serial no. 05-01), was produced in 1968 by the Kharkov Aircraft Manufacturing Company. It belonged to Balkan Bulgarian Airlines, and had 72 passenger seats and 7 crew seats. [2] The flight in question was piloted by captain Hristo Hristov. [3]
On departure from Sofia, the aircraft began to climb to 8,850 metres (29,040 ft) but at 4,900 m (16,100 ft), it turned on a heading of 050. It turned again to 270 before it began an abnormal descent. The aircraft crashed 10 minutes from takeoff near the village of Gabare, close to Byala Slatina, 130 km northeast of Sofia, killing all 73 people on board. At the time of the crash, the aircraft was flying at the speed of 800 km/h with almost full fuel tanks, 11 tons of jet fuel. The nature of the emergency and whether the aircraft was under control at the moment of impact were never established. After the crash, Bulgarian Army quickly arrived at the scene, and sealed it off with a cordon. The investigation performed afterwards was superficial. Official cause given by the then-Bulgarian authorities was a "malfunction of eletrical installation". [4] The accident was quickly forgotten, with no further investigations being conducted. The haste with which the disaster was "forgotten" and the superficial investigation that was carried out raised doubts. This sparked various speculations as to the real cause of the crash, fuelled by the general secrecy of the Eastern Bloc communist authorities. One of the versions of the event claims that the Tu-134 collided with MiG-21 of the Bulgarian Air Force. Another version assumes that the aircraft was shot down mistakenly by the Bulgarian anti-aircraft defense. These claims are driven by the fact that there was a secret Warsaw Pact military base in the area. [3] Exact cause of the crash remains unknown. The victims of the crash were 37 Polish passengers, 27 Bulgarian passengers, 7 crew members and 2 British passengers. [4]
Among the victims were members of the Polish national track cycling team (Tadeusz Włodarczyk, Witold Stachowiak, Marek Kolasa, Krzysztof Otocki and Jacek Zdaniuk)[3] and members of the Bulgarian national rhythmic gymnastics team (Valentina Kirilova, Snezhana Mikhailova, Albena Petrova, Sevdalina Popova and Rumiana Stefanova with their coach Julieta Shishmanova). [5] Other victims include Polish Vice-Minister of Culture Janusz Wilhelmi [pl][3] and Bulgarian footballer Georgi Dimitrov. [5]
A marble monument located in a gorge near the village of Gabare commemorates the accident and its victims. It is placed in a hard-to-reach terrain, no path leads towards it. [3] In 2016 from the initiative of Leszek Sibilski and Wacław Skarul [pl], a memorial plaque was unvelied at the velodrome Arena Pruszków in Pruszków, Poland. It reads “The living owe it to those who can no longer speak to tell their story.”[6]
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Air crash
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Larry Millete, accused of killing his wife Maya, denied bail at hearing
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Prosecutors have argued emphatically against Larry getting released on bail. In a document titled “People’s Request to Deny Bail” filed Oct. 21, the district attorney’s office laid out its case for keeping Millete in custody. Sister of missing Chula Vista mom files for guardianship of 3 Millete children It contained new revelations, including the claim from prosecutors that Maya told a friend in December 2020, “I don’t think he would hurt me, but I think he would hurt the kids to get back at me.” On another occasion, the DA’s office says Maya warned of Larry’s capacity for anger. “Larry does have a scary temper,” she wrote in a June text message, according to the filing. “Nothing the people outside of the family have seen.” The request to deny bail also circled back to findings from a comprehensive affidavit filed by a detective earlier in the case. That included Larry’s research on poisons, his hiring of “spellcasters” to harm or control his wife, and his obsession with keeping a man who Maya had an affair with away from her, according to prosecutors. ‘Lot of cockroaches and rats’: Neighbors fed up with California hoarder home In court Thursday, Deputy District Attorney Christy Bowles primarily reiterated the arguments laid out in the filings. “He’s a flight risk,” Bowles said, adding, “there’s a public safety concern.” “When he fears that he’s losing control, he can become violent,” the Deputy D.A. told the judge. “The children are of paramount concern.” Maya, who worked for the U.S. Department of Defense in Point Loma and lived with her family of five in a Chula Vista suburb, has been missing for nearly 10 months. Police and volunteer groups continue to search areas across the region for any sign of Maya, whose body has not been found. The District Attorney spoke to FOX 5 last month about the challenges associated with trying someone for murder without the remains of the person they’re accused of killing.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release
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The Biggest Celebrity Couples Who Got Together in 2021
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Despite the isolating nature of 2020, it still brought the rise and fall of many celebrity couples. From the short-lived relationship between Zendaya and her Euphoria costar Jacob Elordi to Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez, who got together and engaged in less than a year, there was definitely a lot of romance to keep track of. To kick off the new year, This Is Us star Justin Hartley went Instagram-official with actor Sofia Pernas, clearly ready to leave his own relationship drama of 2020 behind him. And this new duo is just one of many who made things official in 2021. Here are all the biggest new celebrity couples who got together in 2021. Well, technically they got together in 2020, because Jacobson revealed on October 26 that the two were celebrating their one-year anniversary, posting a sweet park snap and writing on Instagram, “One year with this incredible human. Don’t know how I got so lucky ❤️” The Broad City star had previously posted a picture of the Bomb Girls actor on her page, but this was her first time publicly acknowledging the nature of their relationship. So sweet! The Hills are alive with the sound of country music! Reality star Cavallari and singer-songwriter Rice have “been spotted around Nashville on a couple of dates; she’s been to one of his shows and they’re taking things slow,” a source told Us Weekly at the end of August. “Kristin thinks Chase is a really sweet and fun guy.” Selling Sunset fans might be surprised to learn that costars Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim are dating, which was revealed after Stause posted photos on Instagram of the two on vacation together. "Chrishell and I became close friends and it has developed into an amazing relationship,” Oppenheim confirmed to Us Weekly. “I care about her deeply and we’re very happy together.” 70 People Ages 5-75 Answer: Who's The Most Stylish Celebrity? Rumor has it that Adele is in a relationship with her date to the NBA Finals on July 18. Per Cosmo, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, speaking on The Lowe Post podcast, claimed the event was Adele and Rich Paul's first public outing as a couple: “Rich Paul [LeBron James's agent] brings his girlfriend to the game sitting next to LeBron. His girlfriend is Adele. Rich Paul is at the game with Adele. LeBron is watching the game with Adele. This is the first time they’ve come out in public together, so this will be all over the tabloids, especially in England tomorrow.” Cole Sprouse has gone Instagram-official with his girlfriend Ari Fournier, whom he has been linked to since February, according to Us Weekly. “Tippi and the birds,” he captioned a photo of Fournier on his grid on July 16. Per E! News, the Riverdale star also shared photos of the model on his Insta Story, writing, “Time to piss off the 14yos again.” Sprouse confirmed his split from costar Lili Reinhart last year. “Lili and I initially separated in January of this year, deciding to more permanently split in March,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “What an incredible experience I had, I’ll always feel lucky and cherish that I had the chance to fall in love. I wish her nothing but the utmost love and happiness moving forward. All I’ll say about it, anything else you hear doesn’t matter.” Drake and influencer Johanna Lei have reportedly been dating for “several months,” a source tells People. The “Nice for What” singer is also said to be mentoring Lei’s son, basketball player Amari Bailey, who will play at UCLA next year. Rodrigo and Faze, a producer, are reportedly an item. Per a June 30 E! News article, they met through industry friends and have been together for a few months. According to People, Jason Sudeikis is dating his Ted Lasso costar Keeley Hazell. No, not the actor who plays Keeley on the popular Apple TV+ series (that's Juno Temple), but the actor who portrayed Bex in one episode. Sudeikis and Hazell were recently photographed holding hands in New York City, though People reports that the two have been dating since February. Sudeikis shares two children with his ex Olivia Wilde. Per a new People report, actor Renée Zellweger and presenter Ant Anstead are dating amid his divorce from wife Christina Haack. According to reports, the pair recently worked together on the set of Anstead's upcoming Discovery+ series Celebrity IOU: Joyride. In mid-June, Page Six broke the story that the actor and the Tinder executive had been quietly dating for a few months; she's even met his family! Though neither has publicly commented on the news, a source says things are going well. After the super-high-profile tabloid fodder that was her relationship with Affleck, we totally get why de Armas wants to keep things a bit chiller this time around. Dunham confirmed her relationship on June 9 with an Instagram post celebrating Felber's birthday: “? Feliz Cumpleanos Luis ? When I was 3 weeks old in downtown Manhattan, I had no idea a baby was being born in England (Winchester, no less!) who would rocket into my life- wearing a lime green polar fleece snood- and challenge so many of my beliefs about myself and the world with magical abandon. Everyone who comes into contact with you- creatively, emotionally, accidentally- is lucky. But I am the luckiest, because that snood is now in our shared chest of drawers…Happy Birthday, Lulu,” she wrote alongside a series of pictures of them together and with her dog. Mulaney, who recently announced his divorce from Anna Marie Tendler, is reportedly dating Munn, a source tells People. “This is very new; they're taking it slowly,” a source close to Mulaney reveals to the outlet. “They met at church in Los Angeles.” The WandaVision actor and the singer, full name Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier, confirmed their relationship in May with PDA-filled posts on Instagram. See them here. The low-key couple is (reportedly) back on. On May 4, Us Weekly revealed the Alias star and her Caliburger CEO ex were “back on” and had been for a few weeks. The two were first linked in October 2018 and dated for over a year before splitting amicably in 2020. The pop singer and the Jojo Rabbit director have been stirring up speculation for months, which seemed to be confirmed when Ora posted a carousel of photos to Instagram on April 21 that included a picture of her snuggling with Waititi. Just a week later, the two were spotted attending the premiere of Drag Race Down Under together in Australia, where Waititi is filming the next Thor movie. Though they purposely avoided the red carpet, their reported PDA at the event seemed a pretty good indicator that they are, in fact, a couple. Where better to make your debut as a couple than the red carpet at the Oscars? The model and the screenwriter-director, nominated in multiple categories for The Trial of the Chicago 7, have been seeing each other “for a few months,” according to Page Six. Porizkova, who recently reentered the dating scene after the death of her husband of many years, The Cars front man Ric Ocasek, has said (per Page Six), “I’ve always been attracted to talent. Talent, to me, is really sexy. One thing that I’ve recognized now, after going out on dates with some men who have normal jobs and are wonderful guys, is that I find talent sexy—and talented men are generally way more complicated than nontalented ones.” Sounds like she's getting exactly that! The country singer, who divorced from Ruston Kelly less than a year ago, went Instagram-official with Dr. Gerald Onuoha in mid-April. She shared a selfie of the two of them during a sunny getaway. King takes queen! The Justice League star debuted his new relationship on Instagram on Sunday, April 11, posting a picture of himself and girlfriend Natalie Viscuso and writing, “This is me looking quietly confident shortly before my beautiful and brilliant love Natalie, destroys me at chess.” Today reports that Viscuso works as the vice president of television and digital studios at Legendary Entertainment and also starred in an iconic season-one episode of MTV's My Super Sweet 16. Following their explosive breakup in 2019, Khloé Kardashian seemingly confirmed rumors that she's back together with Tristan Thompson. She posted a sweet 30th-birthday tribute on March 13, sharing her “love” for the father of her two-year-old daughter, True. “The ones that are meant to be are the ones who go through everything that is designed to tear them apart and they come out even stronger than they were before,” she wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for showing me everything you said you would. For the father you are. For the best friend I have in you. I’m thankful that I can do absolutely nothing with you and it feels like everything. I hope you know today and everyday how loved you are by me and so many. Happy birthday TT! Welcome to 30! I can’t wait for all of the memories. This is when life just starts getting good!” After getting photographed on a lunch date, singer Jessie J decided the world needed some cute photos of herself and dancer-choreographer Max Pham Nguyen, so she uploaded a whole bunch to Instagram. On a post from March 1, she wrote, “He isn’t my male pal,” in response to tabloids identifying him as such. In other words: He's her boyfriend! Vanessa Hudgens just confirmed her relationship with MLB player Cole Tucker on Instagram. “It’s you, it’s me, it’s us,” she captioned the PDA-filled pic on February 14. “@cotuck ❤️???.” In the comments, the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop replied, "Big love." Technically, this couple can be traced back to April 2020, but Kendall Jenner and NBA player Devin Brooker just went Instagram-official on Valentine's Day 2021. On February 14, Kendall Jenner shared a sweet photo of the pair cuddled up together on top of a kitchen counter on her Instagram Story. Siwa confirmed the relationship on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in February 2021. Siwa says her GF is “the most amazing, wonderful, perfect, most beautiful girlfriend in the whole world.” On February 8, Siwa shared photos of herself with her girlfriend, who we now know is named Kylie. “After being my best friend for over a year, January 8th 2021 I got to start calling this exceptional human my Girlfriend...,” Siwa wrote. “And since then I’ve been the happiest I have ever been! She seriously is the most loving, supportive, happiest, protective, and just the most beautiful perfect person in the world. And I get to call her mine! Happy one month to my girl! I love you more and more everyday!” Earlier this year, rumors that Hannah Brown was dating model-actor Adam Woolard started circulating after the pair were photographed holding hands. On February 2, current Bachelor Matt James seemingly confirmed the relationship during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I couldn’t approve more. I actually had a chance to meet him, and he’s incredible,” James—who's also BFFs with Brown's ex Tyler Cameron—shared, per Us Weekly. “I’m excited for Hannah and Tyler because I think people can see they can coexist. They can be happy with people that aren’t Tyler and Hannah.” He continued, “I think this is gonna allow their friendship to blossom, and they’re both growing and they’re both in really good places. I’m happy for Hannah.” According to People, the 37-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback and the 29-year-old star of Big Little Lies are dating. While one source told the publication that Rodgers is “very happy” with Woodley; another reports that their relationship is still very “casual.” The Bachelor alum went Instagram-official with his girlfriend, surgical technologist Natalie Joy, after she posted a video of them on her IG Story. “Kourtney and Travis are officially a couple,” a source told Us Weekly in January. “They have been close friends for years and have been dating for a couple months. Travis is very smitten with Kourtney and has been for a while.” And a source told Entertainment Tonight around the same time, “Kourtney and Travis have had a platonic relationship for years and they’ve been friends and family friends for a very long time, but recently something sparked and their relationship has turned romantic.” According to a source who spoke to People, Styles and Wilde are an item. Rumors first picked up steam on January 4, after photos of the two holding hands at Styles’s manager’s wedding surfaced. “They were affectionate around their friends, held hands, and looked very happy,” the source said. In the wee hours of January 1, 2021, or the last few moments of 2020 (depending on which coast you live on), This Is Us star Justin Hartley went Instagram-official with Blood & Treasure actor Sofia Pernas. “Last minutes of 2020 here in LA,” Hartley captioned the above photo. “Bring on 2021! Happy New Year!” Meanwhile, Pernas posted a different selfie of the pair on her own grid. “Sayonara 2020, it’s been real,” she wrote. “Happy New Year from our quarantine den to yours.❤️” In 2019, Hartley got divorced from reality star Chrishell Stause, who is now in a new relationship with Dancing With the Stars pro Keo Motsepe. On January 10, the actor seemed to go Instagram-official with Harvey after months of dating rumors. He posted two photos of the couple looking very, well, couple-y. At the same time, Harvey also posted two very sweet pics to her IG account.
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Famous Person - Marriage
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Locust invasion threatens underfunded Madagascar - ReliefWeb
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Locust invasion threatens underfunded Madagascar
Jean-Babtiste Manjarisoa joined a volunteer brigade to fight locusts in south Madagascar © Andreea Campeanu/IRIN
SANHANGY-TSIALIH, 13 February 2013 (IRIN) - After years of underfunding its locust management programme, Madagascar is threatened by a major swarm that could infest most of the island country.
“If nothing is done this year, there is a risk that almost the whole country, except for the extreme north and the eastern coast, will be invaded by locusts,” Alexandre Huynh, country representative for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told IRIN. “Three months ago, locusts were found as close as 40km from [the capital] Antananarivo. We are in a country where 80 percent of the population lives on agriculture, so there could be a huge humanitarian crisis.”
International donors provided US$7.4 million to combat the locust outbreak in 2010-2011 - half of what was needed. Last year, funding fell back to 26 percent of the required amount.
“We managed to prevent a humanitarian crisis and to treat the most threatened areas, but it was definitely not enough to stop the plague,” Huynh said.
State of emergency
A locust infestation can produce a new generation almost every two months, with each insect consuming roughly its own weight - about 2g - in vegetation daily. When swarming, they can cover up to 100km a day. The insects undergo behavioural, ecological and physiological transformation after their population density passes a tipping point: their body chemistry changes and individual locusts begin to concentrate and act as a synchronized group moving out en masse to devour available food sources.
In November 2012, the government declared a state of emergency across the country, and many fear a return to the locust infestations of 1997, which cost the government and international community $60 million for the treatment of four million hectares over four years. Another such plague began in the 1950s and lasted 17 years because there was no coordinated action plan.
Jean-Babtiste Manjarisoa, a 40-year-old farmer, remembers when his southern village, Sanhangy-Tsialih, lost the fight against locusts 16 years ago. He has since become a volunteer with the National Anti-Locust Centre (CNA).
“They ate everything that was green. There was nothing left to eat. Both the people and the zebus [Madagascar's humped cattle] were out of food,” he told IRIN. “So we ate cactus fruits, fed the cactus leaves to the animals, and slowly sold our chickens, our cooking pots and, finally, half of our cattle to survive.”
Surveillance
“These insects are carriers of famine. They are the cause of crisis for us,” Manjarisoa said.
“We encourage the population to tell us immediately when they have hoppers on their land, but they often wait until the insects are bigger and flying. It’s much better when we are early, because there is a window of three weeks to treat the fields. After that, the locusts can get out of hand, and it becomes a lot more expensive to treat them,” Herman Gerard Matangison, the CNA chief in the southern Madagascar town of Ambovombe, told IRIN.
FAO’s Huynh said the current situation affects the whole western part of the island. “They [CNA] can treat some fields that are under immediate risk, but they are not able to stop a plague, whose control exceeds, largely, their capacities” he said.
In Ambovombe, the CNA office has pesticide stocks to treat 3,500 hectares, which is, according to Matangison, about a tenth of what is required. “The locusts are not in this area yet, but once they start swarming in other regions, they can easily come here,” he said.
A deteriorating security situation in the south is also hampering anti-locust operations; Matangison is embarking on a surveillance trip into the mountains with some trepidation.
“It’s dangerous because there are bandits that try to attack us, and the police charge 300,000 ariary ($137) a day for protection, which we can’t afford. But if we don’t watch the locust populations there, they can swarm and fly over to our fields.”
Locusts breed in the southwestern regions of Madagascar during the rainy season, from October to April. According to a 2012 World Food Programme (WFP) survey, an estimated 676,000 people in the 104 southern municipalities are considered at risk of severe food insecurity.
“This region is where the farmers grow the most grains, like corn. That is what the locusts like to eat,” Matangison said. Compounding their food insecurity, Madagascar’s lean season normally occurs from October to January.
Action plan
Late last year, the government appealed to the international community for about $10 million to combat the locust threat. Since the beginning of the rainy season, the CNA has treated 30,000 hectares, but a further 100,000 still have to be tackled by April.
The agriculture ministry and the FAO say eradicating the current locust threat in the south will require three successive years of action.
The three-year programme is expected to cost about $41.5 million and will involve large-scale aerial spraying operations. About 2.2 million hectares of both natural vegetation and croplands are earmarked. Some $20 million is required by June to begin spraying programmes in October.
Ignacio Leon-Garcia, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Regional Office for Southern Africa (OCHA-ROSA), told IRIN the insects were threatening food supplies among the country’s most vulnerable and that the three-year action plan was “the more cost-effective way to respond to the locust outbreaks, before they increase in scale later on.”
Donors suspended all but emergency assistance to Madagascar in 2009, after President Marc Ravalomanana was deposed in a coup d’etat. More than three-quarters of the country’s 20 million people now live on less than $1 a day, according to government figures - up from 68 percent before the political crisis.
ar/go/rz
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Insect Disaster
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Lunar cubesats head to the launch pad
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WASHINGTON — The first cubesats designed to study the moon are scheduled to launch late this year, with more in development in the next few years. NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) cubesat is scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of this year on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand. The 12-unit cubesat will test the stability of the near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) that NASA plans to use for the lunar Gateway, a key part of its Artemis program of lunar exploration. Thomas Gardner, director of engineering at Advanced Space and program manager for CAPSTONE, said during a session of the 35th annual Small Satellite Conference Aug. 9 that the launch is currently scheduled for late October or early November. That could be delayed, he said, by unspecified “challenges” with the lunar Photon upper stage that Rocket Lab will use for the CAPSTONE launch. The primary purpose of CAPSTONE is to validate that orbit as well as test a navigation system by communicating with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. It will also demonstrate the ability of a cubesat to operate in cislunar space: Gardner said that CAPSTONE, if it sticks to its current launch schedule, will be the first cubesat in cislunar space. It will soon have company. The inaugural launch of the Space Launch System, Artemis 1, is carrying 13 cubesats as secondary payloads. Several of those six-unit cubesats are devoted to lunar studies, including LunaH-Map, Lunar Flashlight, Lunar IceCube and LunIR. A key focus for many of those lunar cubesats is to look for additional evidence of water ice on the moon, which could be a key resource for future human exploration. Those cubesats are being installed on the SLS now, said Andres Martinez, program executive for small satellite missions in NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems division, at a NASA town hall meeting during the conference Aug. 9. Artemis 1 is scheduled for launch no earlier than late November. Those are not the only cubesat missions planned for the moon in the next several years. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) is working on a cubesat mission called the Lunar Volatile and Mineraology Mapping Orbiter, or VMMO, that recently completed a Phase A study funded by the European Space Agency. VMMO will follow up on some of the previous cubesat missions to look for water ice deposits at the lunar south pole, said Samantha Rowe, an engineer at SSTL, in an Aug. 9 conference presentation. It is a 12-unit cubesat that will carry a lidar instrument designed to map any water ice at higher resolutions than the cubesats flying on Artemis 1. It will also be a cubesat technology demonstration. “The mission itself will be a great opportunity to test cubesat components in the lunar environment,” she said. Rowe said SSTL hopes to launch VMMO in late 2023 or early 2024. While the company originally proposed flying it with Lunar Pathfinder, a lunar communications satellite it is developing, she said the company is considering alternative launch options, such as flying as a secondary payload on a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services lander mission.
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New achievements in aerospace
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1912 Lawrence textile strike
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The Lawrence Textile Strike, also known as the Bread and Roses Strike, was a strike of immigrant workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1912 led by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Prompted by a two-hour pay cut corresponding to a new law shortening the workweek for women, the strike spread rapidly through the town, growing to more than twenty thousand workers and involving nearly every mill in Lawrence. [2] On January 1, 1912, the Massachusetts government enforced a law that cut mill workers' hours in a single work week from 56 hours, to 54 hours. Ten days later, they found out that pay had been reduced along with the cut in hours. [3]
The strike united workers from more than 51 different nationalities[4] many of whom knew little to no English. [citation needed] A large portion of the striking workers, including many of the leaders of the strike, were Italian immigrants. Carried on throughout a brutally cold winter, the strike lasted more than two months, from January to March, defying the assumptions of conservative trade unions within the American Federation of Labor (AFL) that immigrant, largely female and ethnically divided workers could not be organized. In late January, when a striker, Anna LoPizzo, was killed by police during a protest, IWW organizers Joseph Ettor and Arturo Giovannitti were framed and arrested on charges of being accessories to the murder. [5]
IWW leaders Bill Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn came to Lawrence to run the strike. Together they masterminded its signature move, sending hundreds of the strikers' hungry children to sympathetic families in New York, New Jersey, and Vermont. The move drew widespread sympathy, especially after police stopped a further exodus, leading to violence at the Lawrence train station. [5] Congressional hearings followed, resulting in exposure of shocking conditions in the Lawrence mills and calls for investigation of the "wool trust." Mill owners soon decided to settle the strike, giving workers in Lawrence and throughout New England raises of up to 20 percent. Within a year, however, the IWW had largely collapsed in Lawrence. [5]
The Lawrence strike is often referred to as the "Bread and Roses" strike. It has also been called the "strike for three loaves". [6] The phrase "bread and roses" actually preceded the strike, appearing in a poem by James Oppenheim published in The American Magazine in December 1911. [7] A 1915 labor anthology, The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest by Upton Sinclair, attributed the phrase to the Lawrence strike, and the association stuck. [8][9]
A popular rallying cry from the poem that has interwoven with the memory of the strike:[3]
As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again. Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses! —James Oppenheim
Founded in 1845, Lawrence was a flourishing but deeply-troubled textile city. By 1900, mechanization and the deskilling of labor in the textile industry enabled factory owners to eliminate skilled workers and to employ large numbers of unskilled immigrant workers, mostly women. Work in a textile mill took place at a grueling pace, and the labor was repetitive and dangerous. About one third of workers in the Lawrence textile mills died before the age of 25. [10] In addition, a number of children under 14 worked in the mills. [11] Half of the workers in the four Lawrence mills of the American Woolen Company, the leading employer in the industry and the town, were females between 14 and 18. Falsification of birth certificates, allowing for girls younger than 14 to work, was common practice at the time. [12] Lawrence had the 5th highest child mortality rate of any city in the country at the time, behind four other mill towns in Massachusetts (Lowell, Fall River, Worcester, and Holyoke). [1]
By 1912, the Lawrence mills at maximum capacity employed about 32,000 men, women, and children. [13] Conditions had worsened even more in the decade before the strike. The introduction of the two-loom system in the woolen mills led to a dramatic increase in the pace of work. The greater production enabled the factory owners to lay off large numbers of workers. Those who kept their jobs earned, on average, $8.76 for 56 hours of work and $9.00 for 60 hours of work. [3][14][15]
The workers in Lawrence lived in crowded and dangerous apartment buildings, often with many families sharing each apartment. Many families survived on bread, molasses, and beans; as one worker testified before the March 1912 congressional investigation of the Lawrence strike, "When we eat meat it seems like a holiday, especially for the children." Half of children died before they were six, and 36% of the adults who worked in the mill died before they were 25. The average life expectancy was 39. [16][17][18][11]
The mills and the community were divided along ethnic lines: most of the skilled jobs were held by native-born workers of English, Irish, and German descent, whereas French-Canadian, Italian, Slavic, Hungarian, Portuguese, and Syrian immigrants made up most of the unskilled workforce. Several thousand skilled workers belonged, in theory at least, to the American Federation of Labor-affiliated United Textile Workers, but only a few hundred paid dues. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) had also been organizing for five years among workers in Lawrence but also had only a few hundred actual members. [5]
On January 1, 1912, a new labor law took effect in Massachusetts reducing the working week of 56 hours to 54 hours for women and children. Workers opposed the reduction if it reduced their weekly take-home pay. The first two weeks of 1912, the unions tried to learn how the owners of the mills would deal with the new law. [5] On January 11, a group of Polish women textile workers in Lawrence discovered that their employer at the Everett Mill had reduced about $0.32 from their total wages and walked out. [citation needed]
On January 12, workers in the Washington Mill of the American Woolen Company also found that their wages had been cut. Prepared for the events by weeks of discussion, they walked out, calling "short pay, all out. "[19]
Joseph Ettor of the IWW had been organizing in Lawrence for some time before the strike; he and Arturo Giovannitti of the Italian Socialist Federation of the Socialist Party of America quickly assumed leadership of the strike by forming a strike committee of 56 people, four representatives of fourteen nationalities, which took responsibility for all major decisions. [20] The committee, which arranged for its strike meetings to be translated into 25 different languages, put forward a set of demands: a 15% increase in wages for a 54-hour work week, double pay for overtime work, and no discrimination against workers for their strike activity. [21]
The city responded to the strike by ringing the city's alarm bell for the first time in its history; the mayor ordered a company of the local militia to patrol the streets. When mill owners turned fire hoses on the picketers gathered in front of the mills,[22] they responded by throwing ice at the plants, breaking a number of windows.
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Strike
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Lariat Cafe explosion
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The Lariat Cafe explosion was a natural gas explosion at a cafe in Monticello, Utah on 13 August 1956. The blast killed 16 people and injured another 30. The disaster took place at the Lariat Cafe in the town of Monticello, Utah. At the time, the town was undergoing a massive construction boom caused by the discovery of lucrative uranium deposits in the nearby mountains; fueled by the mining boom, many new structures were built in the years preceding the explosion, including the Lariat Cafe itself, which was built out of brick and cinder-block in 1955. [1] The cafe was supplied with propane. [2]
Located in Monticello's business district, the Lariat cafe was conducting business as usual on Monday, 13 August. The cafe's owner had recently agreed to switch the cafe from propane/butane gas to natural gas provided by the Utah Gas Service Co. - workmen from the company had successfully connected the town's natural gas main to the cafe the day before, thus making the older propane line obsolete. [2] However, either a miscommunication or negligence caused the workmen to leave the cafe's old propane line open. As a result, propane gas gradually filled the cafe's basement and walls over the course of the day. At around 7 p.m on Monday evening, while the cafe was filled with between 50-70 patrons, some source ignited the built-up gas, causing the building to explode and collapse. [1] Patrons were thrown up into the area, with some being violently dashed against flying pieces of the building. Others were severely injured or killed by the concussive force of the explosion. One victim noted that the cafe had been crumpled "like an egg shell". The blast also destroyed windows within a one-block radius of the cafe. [3][1]
Rescue services arrived at the scene of the disaster within minutes, where they were aided by hundreds of townspeople. More seriously injured victims were driven to Salt Lake City, though several died in transit. In all, 16 people were killed and over 30 were wounded. [3][1]
The disaster led to a protracted legal battle in which the cafe owner and Utah Gas Service accused each other of negligence. The legal dispute eventually reached the Utah Supreme Court in 1960, with the court deciding against Utah Gas Service Co. The court opinion stated that, while the owner of the cafe had been negligent by letting patrons inside an unsafe building, it had been Utah Gas Service Co.'s desire to sell gas to the cafe that had precipitated the disaster. [2]
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Gas explosion
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Hostages die in foiled Brazil bank robberies
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At least five hostages, including a child, have died as armed police battled robbers who had tried to raid two banks in north-east Brazil. Six other people also died in the gun battle in the city of Milagres, reports say. It is not clear if they were robbers or police officers. The mayor of Milagres, in Ceara state, said the hostages were killed by their captors as police moved in. Two suspected robbers were arrested, Brazilian media reported. Four of the hostages, including the child, were all from the same family, city mayor Lielson Landim told Radio Band News. According to initial reports, police surprised the robbers in the early hours of the morning and engaged them in a shootout. The gang then fled, reportedly grabbing the hostages on their way. Mr Landim, quoted by Brazil's Globo newspaper, said the gang had blocked a road with a truck and seized the family from a vehicle that was forced to stop. "The criminals killed the hostages and the police killed the criminals," he added. However, a spokeswoman for the state governor said that 12 people had died, including six police officers. Security officials said police had seized guns and explosives used by the gang. Three vehicles had been used in the attempted robberies on two bank branches, they added. Brazil country profile China and US in surprise joint climate agreement The world's two biggest CO2 emitters pledge to co-operate in an announcement at the COP26 summit. Elon Musk sells $1.1bn of Tesla shares Can 'sponge cities' help combat extreme weather? COP26: ‘I grew up seeing typhoons in my community’ VideoCOP26: ‘I grew up seeing typhoons in my community’ How much is still spent supporting fossil fuels? The village split in two by climate change. VideoThe village split in two by climate change Afghans facing 'hell on earth' as winter looms How are migrants getting to Belarus? Can 'sponge cities' help combat extreme weather? Would the world be better if it was run by teenagers? 'We use more power than almost anyone in Australia' Video'We use more power than almost anyone in Australia'
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Bank Robbery
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Aviastar Flight 7503 crash
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Aviastar Flight 7503 was a regional flight from Masamba to Makassar, Indonesia. On 2 October 2015, the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft serving the route went missing with 10 on board near Palopo minutes after takeoff. There was no distress call from the plane. [1]
After an extensive search operation, three days later the plane was found crashed and it was confirmed that all 10 on board were dead. [2] It was Aviastar's deadliest crash. National Transportation Safety Committee released the final report in January 2017 and concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error. They found out that both pilots agreed to deviate the plane from its designated route and decided to "take a shortcut", and thus cutting the travel time of the airplane. However, by doing so the plane have to pass the mountains on the middle of the route. This wouldn't have happened if they stayed at their designated track which was near the shoreline. The report also noted the absence of warning of the ground proximity warning system (EGPWS). The aircraft took off from Masamba Airport at 14:25 WITA (06:25 UTC) with 3 crew and 7 passengers on board. [3] It was expected to land in Makassar one hour later at 15:25, but eleven minutes after take-off, the plane lost contact with the control tower. At the time of the loss, the aircraft was on an elevation of 8,000 ft. According to local reports, the weather was cited as excellent, with visibility above 100 km and winds at 5 knots. [4] The route which was chosen in this flight was a "very safe" route with elevation ranging around 10–100 ft, meaning that there are no mountains or large hills in the route. The communication between the flight crews and the air traffic controller at the time was also reported as very good. [5] The fuel on board was sufficient for the flight, and according to Aviastar, the aircraft was determined to be in very good condition. This was backed up by evidence from KNKT (National Transportation Safety Committee). [6]
Immediately after the crash, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) set up a crisis centre in Makassar. They also sent 100 search and rescue personnel to the area. The first day of the search was by foot. The plane had not yet been located at that time. As nightfall approached, the search was suspended, even though citizens in the regency of Palopo claimed that they saw a "very low" flying plane in the area. These reports were later confirmed to be hoaxes. On the second day, search and rescue personnel from Masamba and Makassar searched the same area with one helicopter and three aircraft from Aviastar. The search area was widened, from Palopo and the surrounding areas to Luwu shoreline. In a press conference, BASARNAS reported that the position of the missing plane was around 14 nautical square miles. It had officially widened to 24 nautical square miles, which would take around 2.5 hours by land from the nearest city. There were three coordinates which BASARNAS suspected to be the crash site, which is at 14 nautical miles, 24 nautical miles and 34 nautical miles. [7][8] The aircraft was finally located by the signal from the engineer's cellphone, which was set in Airplane Mode. The search operation was hampered due to poor weather condition in the area. At early dusk, some people reported that the plane was found in the area of Sidrap. The claim was later investigated. [9]
BASARNAS sent around 125 personnel on the second day of the search operations, with National Armed Forces assistance. Head of BASARNAS, Bambang Soelistyo, said in a press conference that his personnel along with the National Armed Forces and some other personnel from Luwu had scoured four main areas, in Luwu regency, Northern Luwu regency and Palopo Regency. [10]
On the third day of the incident search BASARNAS added aircraft. They also added additional personnel from 125 to 299 persons. The Vice Governor of South Sulawesi, Agus Arifin Nu'mang joined the search for the flight from the ground. [11] As the search widened, assistance from various government organizations also arrived, including BPBD, Indonesian Red Cross and the IRC. Relatives of the passengers were also joining the search, hoping for survivors. [12]
Numerous people claimed that they saw the plane crash, but all of them gave different locations. [13] Some people claimed that the plane crashed into Palopo Mountains, while others claimed that the plane crashed near Sidrap waterfall. A young student claimed that the plane was flying very low, and had smoke on the wing, then impacted the sea at the Luwu shoreline. [14] Some villagers also stated that the plane flew into the Barru and Pare-Pare sea. BASARNAS stated that there are possibilities that the plane flew off course, using a different route, and flew over the shoreline due to the mountains in the west. As a result, the search area was widened as far as the Makassar Strait. [15][16]
On the fourth day, the search area was officially widened into the sea. [17] In the afternoon, at 15:55 WITA, some personnel of BASARNAS and the Indonesian police found debris on Latimojong Mountain. BASARNAS later confirmed that the debris belonged to the missing aircraft. Photos taken by BASARNAS shown that the wreckage of the aircraft was burned even days after the disappearance.
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Air crash
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Moimenta-Alcafache train crash
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The Moimenta-Alcafache train crash (Portuguese pronunciation: [mojˈmẽ.tɐ ˌaɫ.kɐˈfa.ʃɨ]) occurred on 11 September 1985 in Mangualde, Portugal, in the Portuguese Linha da Beira Alta. It killed about 150 people,[1] making it the worst rail disaster in Portuguese history. [2]
The accident happened near the Moimenta-Alcafache station,[3] in Moimenta de Maceira Dão parish, Mangualde municipality. This station is between the Nelas and Mangualde stations, in a single track zone. The crash involved two passenger trains. One was operating an international service between Oporto and Paris,[4] and was running 18 minutes behind schedule; the other one was on a regional service, heading for Coimbra. [3] The regional train was composed of locomotive 1439, from the CP Class 1400 of Comboios de Portugal, and by 6 or 7 carriages, built by the Sorefame company; the Sud Express (international service) was made up of locomotive CP Class 1960 1961 and about 12 carriages. In total, about 460 passengers were aboard the two trains. [3]
The regional service, which was stopping at all stations, arrived at Mangualde station, where it was supposed to stay until the international train had passed. However, notwithstanding the fact that the international service train had standing orders giving it the right of way, the regional continued on, estimating that the delay in the international's service would be enough for the regional to get to Nelas station, where the crossing could be effected. [3] However, the international service was running with a shorter delay than expected; wrongly considering that the line was open to Mangualde station, it also moved on. After the departure, the Nelas stationmaster phoned Moimenta-Alcafache waystation to warn them about the international service departure, and was then informed of the oncoming regional train. Foreseeing that the trains would collide, he tried to warn the guardsman on a level crossing between both stations by holding a banner or placing petards on the line; however, this action was not possible, as the train had already passed. [4]
Around 18:37, the trains collided, while traveling approximately 100 km/h (62 mph) each. The shock destroyed both locomotives and some cars in both trains, and ignited several gasoline-fueled fires. [4] Due to the fact that the materials used in the carriages were not fireproof, the fire spread quickly, producing great amounts of smoke. [5]
Immediately after the crash, panic spread among the passengers, who were frantically trying to get out of the carriages. Many people, among them children, got out of the wreckage, having been helped by other passengers; others burned to death, or were asphyxiated by smoke and fumes. [5]
The alert was given by military personnel of the Portuguese Guarda Nacional Republicana (National Republican Guard), who were operating on EN234, near the crash site. Although the rescue services arrived only a few minutes after the accident, the situation there was chaotic, with fires on the trains and forest around, many people hurt, and several passengers in panic. [2]
It is estimated that, in this accident, some 150 people have perished, though the circumstances of the crash and the lack of control of the number of passengers in both services prevent an exact counting of the number of deadly victims. The official estimative points to 49 dead, from which only 14 were identified, with still 64 passengers officially missing. [3][6]
Most of the remains that weren't identified were buried in a common trench near the crash site, where was also risen a monument in memory of the victims and the rescue teams. It was revealed that neither stationmasters communicated between each other, nor to the control station in Coimbra, as regulated, to tell them about the change of the crossing from Mangualde to Nelas; had this been done, the non-conformity of the circulation would have been noticed, and one of the compositions would have stayed on the station, so that the crossing could be made safely. [6]
On the other hand, due to the lack of equipment, it was impossible to communicate with the involved trains; the only way to warn drivers was through signaling, and installing petards on the line, which, in this case, was revealed insufficient. [4] Had this been done, trains could have been set in a halt in the stations. The communication system used at the time on that part of the route depended upon the use of phones to give information between stations and the control station. [7]
In the wake of the disaster, more advanced safety, signaling and traffic control systems were installed, like the Speed Control, allowing a greater efficiency and security in rail operations, and making accidents like this nearly impossible of happening again;[7] on the other hand, the introduction of ground-radio systems allowed a direct communication between drivers and control stations, and the use of materials that ease the propagation of flames was forbidden on trains. [8]
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Train collisions
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Icelandic volcanic eruption: a "wonder of nature"
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FAGRADALSFJALL VOLCANO, Iceland (AP) — Pandemic or no pandemic, the world will never stand still. That’s perhaps no clearer than in Iceland, where a volcano has awoken from a slumber that has lasted 6,000 years, give or take a year or two. The glow from the bubbling hot lava spewing out of the Fagradalsfjall volcano can be seen from the outskirts of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, 32 kilometers (20 miles) away. For others around the world, there’s always the live feed. But this is the Reykjanes Peninsula’s first eruption of any volcano in around 800 years, and nothing quite matches the exhilaration of bearing witness to Planet Earth’s raw power up close and personal. Fagradalsfjall itself is made up of the Icelandic words for “beautiful valley mountain.” Miguel Angel Morenatti, a Seville-based freelance photographer for The Associated Press, loves Iceland and brought forward his trip to the North Atlantic island nation when he heard of the eruption on March 19. “As a landscape photographer, Iceland is a paradise,” he said. Getting to the peak is not for everyone. It’s an arduous climb, taking two to three hours, but for Morenatti it’s been an experience that his five senses have never known. Morenatti hopes the photos he took capture some of this “wonder of nature.” “When you finish the climb, you contemplate in amazement what happens there,” he said. “An impressive image, a Dante-esque sound, and a smell of gases that reaches your throat.” With international travel slowly opening up, more and more people will be able to make the same journey to marvel at the volcanic show. And with summer looming, daylight will stretch into the small hours, so there won’t be such a hurry to make that arduous trek up. Still, with the coronavirus pandemic still raging in many parts of the world, Iceland has strict rules on who can enter the country, which has a population of around 400,000. Getting fully vaccinated is key.
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Volcano Eruption
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Philadelphia general strike (1910)
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The General Strike of 1910 was a labor strike by trolley workers of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company that grew to a citywide riot and general strike in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [1][2]
On May 29, 1909 a committee of the local AFL affiliate Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America approached officials of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT) with demands for an hourly wage of 25 cents for motormen and conductors, the right to buy their uniforms on the open market, limits of workdays to 9 or 10 hours and recognition of the Association. Officials at PRT refused to meet with the committee, triggering a strike. [3]:p143
PRT responded by bringing in strike breakers from New York City and Boston, notably strikebreakers working for Pearl Bergoff near the beginning of his career as "King of the Strikebreakers". [4] Violence broke out, with trolley cars, tracks and wiring destroyed, police brutality and wholesale arrests of strikers. Given the population's general dislike of the company for poor service, mismanagement and backroom political dealings, the union felt safe issuing an ultimatum. John J. Murphy of the Central Labor Union issued the terms:
If the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company does not meet the demands of the trolley workers by Thursday night (June 7), a strike of all organized labor bodies of Philadelphia affiliated with the Central Labor Union, representing 75,000 men, will be called for Friday morning. The present strike is only a beginning of the fight which will be waged by organized labor to emancipate the city of Philadelphia from the thraldom of capitalism. [3]:p144
State Senator James P. McNichol met with the union and Mayor Reyburn urged PRT to settle. On June 2, 1909, an agreement was announced. The workers received a wage increase from 21 to 22 cents per hour, a ten-hour work day, the right to buy uniforms from five clothiers and recognition of the union. The company, however, soon ignored one of the key terms of the deal by establishing a replacement union, refusing to meet with representatives of Amalgamated and giving choice jobs and promotions to members of PRT's union. [3]:p144
In December 1909 the Amalgamated union made new demands for a wage increase to 25 cents an hour. PRT flatly refused and on January 1, 1910, without union discussion, announced a complicated "welfare plan" for the workers; keeping the 22 cents an hour pay rate and adding insurance and pension provisions. Two days later, the company fired seven workers for announcing they were joining Amalgamated and denouncing the welfare provisions as the company's attempt to undermine union demands. Amalgamated requested arbitration, which the company refused. A strike vote was called. With over 5,300 votes cast, the strike was approved with less than 5% voting against. The strike resolution charged PRT with creating "dissention and discord" by forming the company-controlled union, favoring employees antagonistic to Amalgamated, refusing to address grievances, attempting to prevent workers from joining Amalgamated, firing workers who joined and refusing arbitration. The resolution left the timing of the actual strike to Amalgamated's Executive Board. Local newspapers, citing the near unanimity of the vote and the union's obvious strength, urged PRT to give the situation urgent attention. PRT issued a statement saying "The strike vote will not change the attitude of the company the slightest." Mayor Reyburn endorsed the company's position, calling the union members "semi-public functionaries" who owe their service to the city. [3]:p145
Negotiations slowly got under way and labored on until mid-February. AFL President Samuel Gompers urged PRT to join the union in arbitration to reach a settlement. PRT dismissed the offer saying they had the situation under control and stating they intended to uphold the rights of workers to join or not join a union of their choosing and breaking off negotiations. On February 19, 1910, PRT fired 173 workers, all of them members of the union, "for the good of the service" and hired replacement workers from New York City. [3]:p146 Immediately after the firings, the union leadership ordered the strike, taking their respective trolley cars off the streets effective at 1:00 that afternoon. On the first day of the strike, Mayor Reyburn dispatched heavy police guard to the trolley barns. The union claimed 6,200 of the PRT's 7,000 employees walked out. PRT claimed 3,000 workers remained on the job. [1]
It was reported worldwide that one volunteer motorman, "driving his car full-speed through the crowd with one hand on the controller and the other holding a revolver, was dragged from the platform when the car had been wrecked by a spiked switch, and killed". [5]
Mobs pulled down the masonry of a school being built at 9th and Mifflin streets (Southwark School), using the stones to block the tracks and build makeshift bunkers. As a trolley with police guards approached, the crowd of 1,500 cheered, then smashed the car with rocks and clubs. Both police officers were knocked unconscious and an eight-year-old boy suffered a fatal blow to the head. Similar events occurred throughout the city, with tracks, lines and trolley cars destroyed. [1]
At Smith's Hall, police commandeered heavy equipment to force their way in while the mob showered them with rocks, bricks and tools from a second-story window. When the battle was over, 12 were arrested and 20 people were hospitalized. [1]
A crowd of 2,000 seized a trolley that was blocked by several other cars they had destroyed. After the crew and police were driven off, the trolley was doused with fuel and set on fire. Meanwhile, a crowd of 5,000 had blockaded tracks in Center City. When a trolley approached the crew was seized, dragged into the street and beaten while the police watched helplessly. While one officer attempted to back the trolley out, the other fired warning shots into the air. The mob responded with a massive barrage of bricks and stones and the police fired randomly into the crowd. A bomb threat in Germantown was disregarded until dynamite was loaded onto the tracks by a mob of 2,000. [1] In Kensington, Richmond and South Philadelphia, the mayor ordered police to act under provisions of the Riot Act. [1] The mayor called for 3,000 citizens to serve police duty. [1] Amalgamated offered 6,000 union men -- "bonafide citizens of Philadelphia (to) preserve peace and order"—an offer the mayor rejected. [3] By 6 p.m. the next day, PRT had ordered all trolleys off the streets while promising service would be restored the following morning. [1]
In stark contrast to the chaos throughout the city, the union leaders enjoyed a sort of victory parade, taxied through cheering crowds to a series of speeches at several locations.
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Strike
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1959 Tibetan uprising
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Tibetan and Khampa protesters and militants[1]
The 1959 Tibetan uprising or the 1959 Tibetan rebellion (Chinese: 1959年藏区骚乱) began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the People's Republic of China since the Seventeen Point Agreement was reached in 1951. [9] The initial uprising occurred amid general Chinese-Tibetan tensions and in a context of confusion, as Tibetan protestors feared that the Chinese government might arrest the 14th Dalai Lama. The protests were also fuelled by anti-Chinese sentiment and separatism. At first, the uprising consisted of mostly peaceful protests, but clashes quickly erupted and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) eventually used force to put down the protestors, some of whom had captured arms. The last stages of the uprising included heavy fighting, with high civilian and military losses. The 14th Dalai Lama escaped from Lhasa, while the city was fully retaken by Chinese security forces on 23 March 1959. Thousands were killed during the 1959 uprising, although the exact number is disputed. Earlier in 1956, armed conflict between Tibetan guerillas and the PLA started in the Kham and Amdo regions, which had been subjected to socialist reform. The guerrilla warfare later spread to other areas of Tibet and lasted through 1962. Some regard the Xunhua Incident in 1958 as a precursor of the Tibetan uprising. [10][11]
The annual March 10 anniversary of the uprising is observed by Tibetan exiles as the Tibetan Uprising Day and Women's Uprising Day. [12] According to Warren W. Smith, on January 19, 2009, the PRC-controlled legislature in the Tibetan Autonomous Region chose March 28 as the national anniversary of Serfs Emancipation Day, as a "counter-propaganda" celebration following the March 10th 2008 Tibetan unrest. [13]
In 1951, an agreement between the People's Republic of China and representatives of the Dalai Lama was put into effect. Socialist reforms such as redistribution of land were delayed in Tibet proper. However, eastern Kham and Amdo (western Sichuan and Qinghai provinces in the Chinese administrative hierarchy) were outside the administration of the Tibetan government in Lhasa, and were thus treated more like other Chinese provinces, with land redistribution implemented in full. The Khampas and nomads of Amdo traditionally owned their own land. [14] Armed resistance broke out in Amdo and eastern Kham in June 1956. [citation needed]
Prior to the PLA invasion, relations between Lhasa and the Khampa chieftains had deteriorated, although the Khampa remained spiritually loyal to the Dalai Lama throughout. Because of these strained relations, the Khampa had actually assisted the Chinese in their initial invasion, before becoming the guerrilla resistance they are now known for. [15] Pandatsang Rapga, a pro Kuomintang and pro Republic of China revolutionary Khampa leader, offered the governor of Chamdo, Ngabo Ngawang Jigme, some Khampa fighters in exchange for the Tibetan government recognizing the independence of Kham. Ngabo refused the offer. After the defeat of the Tibetan Army in Chamdo, Rapga started mediating in negotiations between the PLA and Tibetan rebels. [citation needed]
Rapga and Topgay engaged in negotiations with the Chinese during their assault on Chamdo. Khampas either defected to the Chinese PLA forces or did not fight at all. The PLA attack succeeded. [16]
By 1957, Kham was in chaos. Resistance fighters' attacks and People's Liberation Army reprisals against Khampa resistance fighters such as the Chushi Gangdruk became increasingly brutal. [17] Kham's monastic networks came to be used by guerilla forces to relay messages and hide rebels. [18] Punitive strikes were carried out by the Chinese government against Tibetan villages and monasteries. Tibetan exiles assert that threats to bomb the Potala Palace and the Dalai Lama were made by Chinese military commanders in an attempt to intimidate the guerrilla forces into submission. [19]
Lhasa continued to abide by the seventeen-point agreement and sent a delegation to Kham to quell the rebellion. After speaking with the rebel leaders, the delegation instead joined the rebellion. [20] Kham leaders contacted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), but the CIA under President Dwight D. Eisenhower insisted it required an official request from Lhasa to support the rebels. Lhasa did not act. [20] Eventually the CIA began to provide covert support for the rebellion without word from Lhasa. By then the rebellion had spread to Lhasa which had filled with refugees from Amdo and Kham. [21] Opposition to the Chinese presence in Tibet grew within the city of Lhasa. In mid-February 1959 the CCP Central Committee's Administrative Office circulated the Xinhua News Agency internal report on how "the revolts in the Tibetan region have gathered pace and developed into a nearly full-scale rebellion." in a "situation report" for top CCP leaders. [22]
"The more chaotic [the situation] in Tibet becomes the better; for it will help train our troops and toughen the masses. Furthermore, [the chaos] will provide a sufficient reason to crush the rebellion and carry out reforms in the future." – Mao Zedong[23]
The next day, the Chinese leader saw a report from the PLA General Staff’s Operations Department describing rebellions by Tibetans in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, and Qinghai. He again stressed that "rebellions like these are extremely favorable for us because they will benefit us in helping to train our troops, train the people, and provide a sufficient reason to crush the rebellion and carry out comprehensive reforms in the future. "[23]
The PLA used Hui soldiers, who formerly had served under Ma Bufang to crush the Tibetan revolt in Amdo. [24] Hui cavalry were stationed in Southern Kham. [25] The situation in all of Tibet became increasingly tense, as a growing number of Tibetans began to support the Khampa uprising, while the regional government in Lhasa neither wanted to back a rebellion nor publicly oppose it. In this unstable situation, the Chinese generals resident in Lhasa was summoned back to mainland China, leaving the inexperienced PLA commander Tan Guansen in charge. [26]
According to historian Tsering Shakya, the Chinese government was pressuring the Dalai Lama to attend the National People's Congress in April 1959, in order to repair China's image in relation to ethnic minorities after the Khampa rebellion. [27] On 7 February 1959, a significant day on the Tibetan calendar, the Dalai Lama attended a religious dance, after which the acting representative in Tibet, Tan Guansan, offered the Dalai Lama a chance to see a performance from a dance troupe native to Lhasa at the Norbulingka to celebrate the Dalai Lama's completion of his lharampa geshe degree. [26] According to the Dalai Lama's memoirs, the invitation came from Chinese General Chiang Chin-wu, who proposed that the performance be held at the Chinese military headquarters; the Dalai Lama states that he agreed.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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2 injured as another gas explosion rocks Abeokuta
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the explosion occurred barely 24 hours after one person was killed and another injured in a gas explosion at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library on Thursday.
NAN reports that the Friday’s explosion occurred at the CSCC construction yard at Onikoko area of Abeokuta.
Two people were seriously injured while vehicles were destroyed by the explosion.
It was gathered that the injured victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
NAN also gathered that the explosion occurred from a cylinder filled with gas but not in use.
The explosion affected many buildings on the Onikoko -Adigbe axis, vehicles and a teacher in a classroom at St. Louis College, Abeokuta.
The state Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr Femi Ogunbanwo, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Kehinde Onasanya, and some other officials of the state, urgently visited the scene of the incident to assess the damage.
Meanwhile, the state government has stopped sale of industrial gas to avert further explosions.
Ogunbanwo made this known during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abeokuta.
The commissioner said that the state government had put a temporary stop to sale of industrial gas in the state, as a result of multiple gas explosions in recent times.
Ogunbanwo said that all major stakeholders were expected to abide by the directive, warning that anyone selling adulterated gas products or violating safety protocols would face the full wrath of the law.
He said that Gov. Dapo Abiodun had been in consultations with relevant agencies of government and the Nigeria Police Force to investigate and bring to book those engaging in sharp practices that could cause gas explosion.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, described the incident as ugly, urging that it must be nipped in the bud.
Earlier, a team consisting of Ogunbanwo, Oresanya and some other government officials visited scenes of gas explosion and some gas plant outlets.
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Gas explosion
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Read more
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Seven years after the Flint water crisis, which put the health and lives of 90,000 Michigan residents at risk, state officials have acknowledged large-scale lead contamination of Benton Harbor’s water supply.
In 2018, increased water testing in the city of 9,600 residents revealed lead contamination at approximately 22 parts per billion, higher than the 20 parts per billion at the height of Flint’s crisis.
Some Benton Harbor residents’ tests were as high as 700 and 836 parts per billion. Until a month ago, state officials remained silent and did nothing other than distribute filters to residents, without an explanation of the crisis at hand.
The government cover-up of the lead poisoning crisis is a social crime. While the discovery of lead poisoning in Benton Harbor occurred in 2018, the condition likely predates the stepped-up testing.
Michigan officials, headed by Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, did not warn the residents until October 6 of this year, when the state formally cautioned residents to switch off their taps and use bottled water for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth and mixing baby formula. In a belated gesture, the state has sent more than 26,000 cases of bottled water to Benton Harbor.
Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can cause irreversible harm. Lead ingestion is associated with a host of neurological issues, especially in children.
While even low levels of lead are dangerous, high and extreme levels of lead consumption can severely damage the kidneys, general nervous system and brain development. It can also cause seizures, blackouts and even death. Until the advisory against drinking tap water, mothers were feeding their infants formula mixed with the lead-tainted water.
Earlier this year, reflecting the callous indifference of the political establishment for the health of working people, local officials presented a two-decade removal and replacement plan for the city’s piping. In September, under immense pressure from residents, Governor Whitmer asked the state legislature for $20 million to replace the pipes. This amount, only two-thirds the estimated cost of replacing the piping, shortened the projected window to five years.
This month, Whitmer signed an executive directive calling on local officials to begin expediting the pipe replacement process on the basis of an 18-month timeline, while more quickly developing plans to provide safe drinking water and bottled water, and free or inexpensive lead-related health care services. In response to her initial proposal of $20 million, the state legislature passed a budget providing half that amount.
The state government has avoided making any commitment to provide financial assistance for the removal of lead piping inside homes. Instead, the latest plan pushes the bill onto residents and the financially troubled local government.
The paltry funds designated to address the water crisis are a pittance compared to the trillions spent on the US military budget and financial bailouts. Moreover, the current crisis is the outcome of decades of neglect of the water system. Prior to the stepped-up testing in 2018, the roof of Benton Harbor’s water treatment plant was collapsing in on itself, while the primary water supply line connected to Lake Michigan was in serious disrepair.
The dangerous conditions in Benton Harbor are far more widespread than the state government chooses to admit. In 2019, the World Socialist Web Site reported on the results of lead testing in Michigan that revealed high lead levels in the Detroit metropolitan area.
A study published in JAMA Pediatrics last month found that 78 percent of the Michigan children included in the study had detectable levels of lead in their blood. While “detectable” is not the same as “elevated”—including levels lower than the Centers for Disease Control base line of 5 micrograms per deciliter—medical professionals note that any amount of lead in a child’s system is unsafe.
Another recently published report, issued by the Natural Resource Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, exposed the extensive use of lead pipes throughout the United States. The report estimated that between 9.2 million and 12.7 million pipes in the US contain lead, while warning that the actual figure is likely higher due to either inept reporting by state governments or the absence of any reporting. Michigan is among the highest lead pipe usage states in the country.
Governor Whitmer granted a combined $14 million to 28 Michigan communities, a miniscule amount compared to the funds needed to protect the population from lead poisoning.
This pamphlet presents a selection from the record of the WSWS as the crisis unfolded.
It is another example of woeful underfunding of basic infrastructure. Last year, multiple privately owned dams belonging to Boyce Hydro failed after years of neglect, flooding large parts of Midland County. The resulting damage was in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The entire Village of Sanford was nearly destroyed and unknown amounts of toxic chemicals from Dow Chemical washed into the surrounding area.
Home to the corporate headquarters of appliance manufacturer Whirlpool, Benton Harbor’s last remaining manufacturing plant closed in 2011. In 2019, the city’s per capita income was $14,828.
Benton Harbor’s population is roughly 9,600 according to the 2020 census. There are some 4,000 households in the city, with about 45 percent of the population living in poverty. In the face of these conditions, many residents have left the city over the last decade, leading to reduced water usage. The lack of water flow leads to stagnant water building up in pipes, eroding the system more rapidly.
The years of deindustrialization ultimately put the city at the mercy of then-Republican Governor Rick Snyder’s Local Government and School District Financial Accountability Act, which subordinated cities to unelected emergency managers. Acting as the agents of the banks and bond holders, these officials gutted social services and public school systems in the poorest cities across the state.
While emergency management ended in 2018, the assault on Benton Harbor’s public resources continued under Whitmer. In 2019, Whitmer gave the Benton Harbor school board an ultimatum: either shut down Benton Harbor High School or the state would assume control of the district and liquidate it.
While mass protests by residents and teachers staved off this initial effort, the attack did not cease. Whitmer changed course in favor of a long-run liquidation, tying the fate of the high school to standardized test performance benchmarks.
Benton Harbor High School sits on a large plot of undeveloped waterfront real estate. Demolishing the school would open up the land to private investors.
Liane Shekter Smith, the disgraced director of the Michigan Office of Drinking Water, was compensated $199,880 as a result of a grievance filed over wrongful firing.
Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration allowed thousands of Flint residents to unknowingly subject themselves to radiation from an X-ray XRF fluorescent hand-held scanning device manufactured for detecting metals and other elements in inanimate objects, such as scrap metal.
Relatively little compensation will be left for the men, women and children, who ingested lead and other harmful contaminants causing deaths, miscarriages, and life-long medical and developmental harm or otherwise had their lives disrupted by the water crisis.
Last week’s court hearing was mainly dominated by arguments over the distribution of the 33 percent of the $641 million settlement, which will be divided among the lawyers and the firms appointed to administer the claims, while sidelining the concerns of residents.
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Mass Poisoning
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America Today: Too Much Water, or Not Enough
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The United States, like most of the planet, is becoming both drier and wetter in the era of climate change. These maps show the divide. We’re also covering deadly floods and how drought is affecting farmers in the West. By Aatish Bhatia and Nadja Popovich The United States, like most of the world, is becoming both drier and wetter. It depends where you live. In New York City, a tropical storm delivered record-breaking rains this weekend. Heavy downpours caused devastating flash floods in central Tennessee, tearing apart houses and killing more than 20 people. Yet, California and much of the West remained in the most widespread drought in at least two decades, the product of a long-term precipitation shortfall and temperatures that are much hotter than usual.
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Droughts
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Comair Flight 206 crash
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On Tuesday 1 March 1988, an Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante operating scheduled passenger route MN206, or Comair Flight 206, from Phalaworba to Johannesburg for Comair[1] was approaching Johannesburg International Airport to land when it broke up in flight over Germiston. [2][3] Reports indicated an explosive device on board; the cockpit was found a quarter of a kilometer away from the rest of the fuselage, despite the flight having been relatively low at the time of the accident. A miner on board had taken out a large life insurance policy shortly before the flight. [2] There were no survivors. Comair continues to use the flight code, though on a different route, flying Durban-Johannesburg. This airline-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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Air crash
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The provincial government in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) is giving out assistance to help corn farmers who were affected by the Fall Army Worm (FAW)
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BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, June 10 (PIA) - The provincial government in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) is giving out assistance to help corn farmers who were affected by the Fall Army Worm (FAW). FAW is an invasive moth that prefers to eat maize specifically the hybrid and open-pollinated varieties of corn. Alexander Domingo, provincial agriculturist said they are now coordinating with the Municipal Agriculture Offices (MAOs) of the affected corn-producing towns of Bagabag, Bayombong, Diadi, Villaverde and Quezon for the continuing assistance to rid the farms of FAW. "We have distributed insecticides and bio-control agents by the DA - Regional Crop Protection Center to Villaverde already since they were the first to report the FAW infestation. Other towns will also be given assistance," he said. The provincial govenment provides assistance to corn farmers through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO). Domingo added that in Villaverde town alone, 3 boxes or 36 liters of insecticides were distributed to 81 corn farmers of barangays Bintawan Sur and Bintawan Norte including bio-control agents provided by the DA He said the FAW infestation started in Villaverde which affected 90 hectares out of its 384-hectare corn plantation. Villaverde farmers and agriculture experts from the PLGU, DA and MLGUs earlier conducted a massive spraying control of 72 hectare corn area in Villaverde.(MDCT/BME/PIA 2-Nueva Vizcaya)
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Insect Disaster
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Of the 45 currently erupting volcanoes on Earth, La Soufrière is among those that worry volcanologists the most.
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Of the 45 currently erupting volcanoes on Earth, La Soufrière is among those that worry volcanologists the most.PHOTO: REUTERS MUMBAI (BLOOMBERG) - Satellite data show an unseasonal surge in sulfur dioxide across North India after emissions from a volcanic eruption in the Caribbean reached the South Asian nation last month. The colourless gas was emitted from several explosive blasts that rocked La Soufrière and the Caribbean island of St. Vincent starting April 9. It can mix with water to form sulfuric acid that forms acid rain. After about a week of explosive eruptions, satellite measurements show La Soufrièrehas delivered about 0.4-0.6 teragrams of sulfur dioxide to the upper atmosphere, according to Nasa's Earth Observatory website. That is more than satellites have ever measured from any other Caribbean volcano. Of the 45 currently erupting volcanoes on Earth, La Soufrière is among those that worry volcanologists the most. "The current thinking is that a volcano needs to inject at least 5 teragrams of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere to have measurable climate impacts," Michigan Technological University volcanologist Simon Carn told Nasa.
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Volcano Eruption
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2015 Shoreham Airshow crash
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On 22 August 2015, a former military aircraft crashed on to a main road during an aerial display at the Shoreham Airshow at Shoreham Airport, England, killing 11 people and injuring 16 others. It was the deadliest air show accident in the United Kingdom since the 1952 Farnborough Airshow crash, which had killed 31 people. [1]
The aircraft, a Hawker Hunter T7, failed to complete a loop manoeuvre and crashed, hitting vehicles on the A27 road adjacent to the airport. The pilot, Andy Hill, was critically injured but survived the crash. [2][3] As a result of the accident, all civilian-registered Hawker Hunter aircraft in the United Kingdom were grounded, and restrictions were put in place on civilian vintage jet aircraft displays over land, limiting them to high-level flypasts and banning aerobatic manoeuvres. The official investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch concluded that the crash resulted from pilot error. In 2018, Hill was charged with eleven counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one count of endangering an aircraft. He was found not guilty on all counts on 8 March 2019. The organisers of the Shoreham Airshow denied any responsibility for the crash. [4] An inquest into the deaths of the victims was scheduled to be held in 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [5]
The aircraft was a 1950s two-seat Hawker Hunter T7, registration G-BXFI[6] serial 41H-670815,[7] displaying its former military serial number WV372 as part of its livery. Having first flown for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in July 1955, it was rebuilt following a fire, returning to service in 1959 after conversion to T7 specification. [8] It had been making civilian display flights as a warbird since 1998, under a variety of owners. [8] At the time of the accident, it was owned by Graham Peacock,[9] and based at North Weald Airfield, Essex. [10] The aircraft had flown to Shoreham from North Weald and was scheduled to return there after the display. [7]
Andy Hill, the 51-year-old pilot, was described by colleagues as experienced, with more than 12,000 flight hours. He had worked as a captain at British Airways. He had flown Hawker Siddeley Harriers and worked as an instructor for the RAF before joining the airline. As well as the Hawker Hunter, he flew a Van's RV-8 and a BAC Jet Provost at airshows. [11][12]
The aircraft was taking part in the first day of the two-day Shoreham Airshow, held in aid of the Royal Air Forces Association. The conditions were hot and sunny, with a crosswind up to 15 knots, described as not unusual for Shoreham by the local media. The Hunter had been opening the afternoon session of displays; the morning programme up to 12:30 BST (11:30 UTC) had already featured The Blades aerobatic team (opening), Justyn Gorman Aerobatics, an AutoGyro Calidus, the Tiger 9 Aeronautical Display Team (six aircraft only), a Pitts Special, The Twister aerobatic team (one aircraft only), an RAF Tutor, and the RAF Falcons parachute display team. [13]
The Hunter commenced its display with a low pass along the runway from south to north, turning for a second pass in the opposite direction. As it neared the airport, it pulled up into an inside loop. This manoeuvre started from a height of 200 feet (60 m),[7][9] which leading aviation expert David Learmount later said "left no room for misjudgement". [14] The loop should have been started at a height of 500 feet (150 m) and a speed of at least 350 knots (650 km/h), attaining a height of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) and 150 knots (280 km/h) at the top of the loop. Only 2,700 feet (820 m) and 105 knots (194 km/h) were achieved from an initial entry speed of 310 knots (570 km/h). [15]
Before it could complete the loop, the aircraft crashed in a nose-high attitude[7] onto the west-bound carriageway of the A27 road. [7][16] The aircraft broke into four parts on impact: cockpit, left wing and main body, tail, and right wing,[13] destroying several cars in the process. [17] Fuel escaping from the fuel tanks ignited in a large fireball and plume of smoke immediately following the impact. [7][18] The crash occurred at 13:22 BST (12:22 UTC). [7] The first fire appliance arrived at the scene within 90 seconds of the crash. [15] Footage of the accident was captured by spectators, as well as a dashcam mounted in a car that was travelling towards the crash site. [19]
Eleven people on the ground were killed[20] and sixteen others were injured. [17] Those confirmed dead included two players from Worthing United F.C., a level 9 team in English football. [21] Eight vehicles were destroyed in the crash, including a Daimler DS420 limousine which was en route to collect a bride to transport her to church for her wedding. [22] The driver of the Daimler was subsequently confirmed as one of the victims. [23]
Hill, the pilot, was thrown clear of the aircraft in his ejection seat, which was live when the aircraft departed from North Weald. [7] He survived the crash with serious injuries. He was flown to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in nearby Brighton; his condition was described as critical and he was said to be fighting for his life. [24] He was subsequently placed in a medically-induced coma. [25] He was released from hospital in September 2015. [26]
After a thorough area search of the crash site, all the recovered components of the aircraft were taken to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) facility at Farnborough, Hampshire, for examination. [27]
A de Havilland Sea Vixen was already airborne ready to perform the next display after the Hunter; instead it flew overhead at altitude and departed to the north. With an Avro Vulcan due half an hour later at 14:05, it was decided to let it perform a tribute flypast, after which the show was closed. [13] All the aircraft at the airport were already grounded due to the lack of fire cover and the creation of an exclusion zone around the accident site. Following the crash, the A27 was closed in both directions, stranding those attending the airshow who had travelled by road. People were unable to leave the site initially, but after a while measures were put in place to allow visitors to leave on foot, as the main access from the car parks to the A27 was closed. A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service appliance was first on scene, closely followed by the airport emergency vehicles,[11] and medical personnel from the British Red Cross, who were providing medical cover at the airshow. [28] The second day of the air show on 23 August was cancelled.
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Air crash
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Images from Arlington Heights bank robbery released
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The FBI released this surveillance image of a man who entered a TCF Bank branch in a Jewel/Osco store in Arlington Heights and demanded money from the teller. Courtesy of the FBI The FBI released this surveillance image of a man who entered a TCF Bank branch in a Jewel/Osco store in Arlington Heights and demanded money from the teller. Courtesy of the FBI Federal authorities have released surveillance images of the robbery of the TCF Bank branch at the Jewel at 1860 S. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights. The Chicago office of the FBI said that at 3:28 p.m. Wednesday, a man entered the branch and demanded money from the teller, implying he had a weapon. Authorities said the robber was described as white, thin, 5-feet-7-inches, 160 pounds and approximately in his late 30s to early 40s. He was wearing a black-and-white baseball cap with writing, a dark facial covering, a green long-sleeved T-shirt with writing on the back, khaki cargo shorts, gray socks and black gym shoes.
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Bank Robbery
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Trump Officially Abandons Nuclear Treaty With Russia
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The Trump regime announced their intention to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia a long time ago, but now it's official. Trump made the explicit decision to withdraw from the treaty and the Pentagon is preparing to test new weapons systems that were banned under it, but the Trump regime is still pointing fingers directly at Russia. "Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday announcing the US' formal withdrawal from the Cold-War era nuclear treaty. Pompeo said, "Russia failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN's Hala Gorani that the treaty's end is a "serious setback." Pompeo may be right and accusations that Russia has already violated the treaty are probably correct, but I would argue that it doesn't necessarily matter if that's true. Even if that's true, Trump is still the one making the call to visibly and publicly abandon the treaty. And the Russians aren't the only ones watching. Iran and North Korea are also watching as the Trump regime develops and tests new nuclear-capable weapons systems all while pressuring them to either abandon or never pursue (in the case of Iran) their own weapons programs. From the Iran nuclear deal to the nuclear treaty with Russia -- we cannot expect to mount international pressure of any significance against our so-called enemies when Trump goes out of his way to isolate the United States before we've even had chance to engage our partners. I suppose it would be nice if the world were capable of quickly reaching a consensus and declaring that the Russians are the bad guys, because they are, but the world is not that simple. It still matters that we're lowering ourselves to Russia's level. We're officially abandoning the high road.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Utuado uprising
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The Utuado uprising, also known as the Utuado revolt or El Grito de Utuado, refers to the revolt against the United States government in Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950 in various localities in Puerto Rico. On September 17, 1922, the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was formed. José Coll y Cuchí, a former member of the Union Party, was elected its first president. He wanted radical changes within the economy and social welfare programs of Puerto Rico. In 1924, Pedro Albizu Campos, a lawyer, joined the party and was named its vice president. Albizu Campos was the first Puerto Rican graduate of Harvard Law School. He served as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I, and believed that Puerto Rico should be an independent nation - even if that required an armed confrontation. By 1930, Coll y Cuchi departed from the party because of his disagreements with Albizu Campos as to how the party should be run. On May 11, 1930, Albizu Campos was elected president of the Nationalist Party. In the 1930s, the U.S.-appointed governor of Puerto Rico, Blanton Winship, and police colonel Riggs applied harsh repressive measures against the Nationalist Party. [1] In 1936, Albizu Campos and the leaders of the party were arrested and jailed at the La Princesa prison in San Juan, and later sent to the Federal Prison at Atlanta. On March 21, 1937, the Nationalists held a parade in Ponce and the police opened fire on the crowd, in what was to become known as the Ponce massacre. 19 people were killed, including two police officers and 17 unarmed Puerto Ricans - including a 7-year-old girl, who was shot in the back. Although the police shot the 18 people, Albizu Campos was arrested, and sentenced to ten years in a U.S. federal prison. Campos finally returned to Puerto Rico on December 15, 1947 after completing his ten-year sentence. On May 21, 1948, a bill was introduced before the Puerto Rican Senate which would restrain the rights of the independence and Nationalist movements on the island. The Senate, controlled by the Partido Popular Democrático (PPD) and presided by Luis Muñoz Marín, approved the bill that day. [2] This bill, which resembled the anti-communist Smith Act passed in the United States in 1940, became known as the Ley de la Mordaza (Gag Law) when the U.S.-appointed governor of Puerto Rico, Jesús T. Piñero, signed it into law on June 10, 1948. [3]
Under this new law it would be a crime to print, publish, sell, or exhibit any material intended to paralyze or destroy the insular government; or to organize any society, group or assembly of people with a similar destructive intent. It made it illegal to sing a patriotic song, and reinforced the 1898 law that had made it illegal to display the Flag of Puerto Rico, with anyone found guilty of disobeying the law in any way being subject to a sentence of up to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to US$10,000 (equivalent to $108,000 in 2020), or both. According to Dr. Leopoldo Figueroa, member of the Partido Estadista Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Statehood Party) and the only member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives who did not belong to the PPD,[4] the law was repressive and in violation of the First Amendment of the US Constitution which guarantees Freedom of Speech. [5]
On June 21, 1948, Albizu Campos gave a speech in the town of Manatí, which explained how this Gag Law violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Nationalists from all over the island had gathered - to hear Campos's speech, and to prevent the police from arresting him. From 1949 to 1950, the Nationalists began to prepare for an armed revolution. The revolution was to take place in 1952, on the date the United States Congress was to approve the creation of the political status of Free Associated State (Estado Libre Associado) for Puerto Rico. Albizu Campos called for an armed revolution because he considered the "new political status" a colonial farce. Campos picked the town of Jayuya as the headquarters of the revolution because of its location, and weapons were stored in the home of Blanca Canales. On October 26, 1950, Albizu Campos was holding a meeting in Fajardo when he received word that his house in San Juan was surrounded by police waiting to arrest him. He was also told that the police had already arrested other Nationalist leaders. He escaped from Fajardo and ordered the revolution to start. On October 27, in the town of Peñuelas, the police surrounded and fired on a caravan of Nationalists, killing four. On October 30, the Nationalists staged uprisings in the towns of Ponce, Mayagüez, Naranjito, Arecibo, Utuado (Utuado Uprising), San Juan (San Juan Nationalist revolt), and Jayuya. The first incident of the Nationalist uprisings occurred in the pre-dawn hours of October 29. The Insular Police surrounded the house of the mother of Melitón Muñiz Santos, the president of the Peñuelas Nationalist Party in the barrio Macaná, under the pretext that he was storing weapons for the Nationalist revolt. Without warning, the police fired on the house and a gunfight ensued. Two Nationalists were killed and six police officers were wounded. [6] Nationalists Meliton Muñoz Santos, Roberto Jaume Rodriguez, Estanislao Lugo Santiago, Marcelino Turell, William Gutirrez and Marcelino Berrios were arrested and accused of participating in an ambush against the local Insular Police. [7][8]
The United States declared martial law in Puerto Rico and sent the Puerto Rico National Guard, commanded by the Puerto Rico Adjutant General Major General Luis R. Esteves and under the orders of Gov. Luis Muñoz Marín, to attack the various towns involved in the Nationalist uprisings. In the case of Jayuya, the town was attacked by air by U.S. bomber planes. However, there is no evidence that actual bombing, as opposed to strafing, took place, the only media report being that in El Imparcial, which states that "reports were being received" about the alleged bombing. These reports were not independently verified after the insurrection[citation needed]. Therefore, the claim of aerial bombing remains unsubstantiated. The Nationalist leaders in Utuado were the Captain of the Utuado branch of the Cadets of the Republic Heriberto Castro and Damián Torres. According to the plans of Albizu Campos, the Nationalists were to put up an armed resistance in their respective towns and then retreat to Utuado. Once in Utuado, the Nationalists were to continue fighting against the Armed Forces of the United States, until the United Nations Security Council took notice and intervened in their favor. [9]
In Utuado a group of 32 Nationalists fought against the local police. The group was reduced to 12 men, and retreated to the house of Damián Torres - which was allegedly strafed by .50-caliber machine guns fire from P-47 Thunderbolt planes. The National Guard arrived later that day and ordered the nine men who survived the attack to surrender. In addition to the three men allegedly killed by the P-47 Thunderbolt plane(s).
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Solar Foundation and Interstate Renewable Energy Council to Merge
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Emma is a staff writer at Greentech Media. She previously covered environmental policy, politics, and climate change at Grist and the New Republic. The two groups say the merger will spread resources further due to overlaps in their work. The nonprofit Solar Foundation will soon become part of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), merging two groups with a common vision for an increasingly clean-powered grid. The organizational union announced Thursday is the latest in a series of moves by renewable energy groups to unite around a common goal of producing the majority of the U.S.’ electricity, rather than pursuing that work from different technological focuses. The American Wind Energy Association, for instance, announced in September it would merge into a new group called the American Clean Power Association to better advocate for a variety of renewable solutions. In June, AWEA, along with solar, hydropower and storage industry trade groups, also introduced a joint vision to achieve “majority renewables” by 2030. And in 2015, the Solar Electric Power Association and the Association for Demand Response and Smart Grid merged under the new name Smart Electric Power Alliance to focus on policies to promote increased integration of distributed energy resources from across the spectrum. IREC and the Solar Foundation both cited a similar vision for their merger, which will focus on amplifying their work where it overlaps, particularly in workforce development and training on local codes and standards for renewable installations. “Working beyond solar made a lot of sense,” said Solar Foundation CEO Andrea Luecke, who will step down from her position. "There's a push for clean energy and an emphasis on...technology-agnosticism. We really felt that trend." The financial merger of the two groups is expected to be complete by June 2021, said IREC CEO Larry Sherwood, who will head the new organization. Both organizations receive federal funds, concentrate on workforce development and work on reducing barriers to renewable deployment on the local level. Each also has unique projects. The Solar Foundation leads a solar business accelerator program in Puerto Rico, for instance. In addition to solar, IREC works on energy storage and grid modernization. Luecke said the Solar Foundation, founded in 1977 and relaunched in 2010, began investigating a merger about two years ago when it decided it could be more effective if it joined up with another group rather than competing for limited funding and resources. Both groups will continue to work on their existing programs — including the Solar Diversity Study for the Solar Foundation — as the merger proceeds. Sherwood said IREC is still evaluating which Solar Foundation employee roles will also join the new organization, though the nonprofit expects to take on most staff. “We will be evaluating all the staff positions, and we expect to move most of those positions over to IREC, but it may not be 100 percent of the positions,” he told GTM. “We have not made a final decision on that at this time.”
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Organization Merge
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2007 South Africa miners' strike
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The South Africa miners strike was a one-day strike by the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa over working conditions and safety in the country's mining industry. It was the first ever industry-wide miners' strike in South African history. On 27 November 2007, the National Union of Mineworkers announced that South African mineworkers would go on strike to protest unsafe working conditions. [1]
On 4 December 2007, the strike affected over 240,000 workers in 60 of the nation's mines. [2] The strike was spurred on by a rise in worker fatalities from 2006 to 2007, despite a government plan in October to reduce fatalities. Between 5,000 and 30,000 people showed up to a rally in Johannesburg to protest the dangerous working conditions. [3]
Less than 5% of mineworkers came to work on that day. [4]
AngloPlat announced it had slashed yearly production goals by 9,000 ounces due to the strike. [5]
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Strike
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Air Vanuatu Flight 241 crash
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On 28 July 2018, Air Vanuatu Flight 241, operated by ATR-72 registration YJ-AV71 suffered an in-flight engine fire while operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Whitegrass Airport, Tanna to Bauerfield International Airport, Port Vila, Vanuatu. On landing at Port Vila, a runway excursion occurred. The aircraft collided with two Britten-Norman Islanders, writing one off and severely damaging the other. Thirteen of the 43 people on board sustained minor injuries. The accident aircraft were:-
Flight 241 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Whitegrass Airport, Tanna to Bauerfield International Airport, Port Vila Vanuatu. On 28 July 2018, the ATR-72 operating the flight suffered an engine fire in the right engine, while over the island of Erromango. [3] Smoke and flames were witnessed by passengers, with smoke entering the aircraft's cabin. The engine was shut down and the aircraft continued to Port Vila. [2] The pilots experienced difficulty controlling the aircraft, with uncommanded roll occurring. [4] On landing, the aircraft departed the runway and collided with two Britten-Norman Islander aircraft belonging to Air Taxi and Unity Airlines. The aircraft belonging to Air Taxi was severely damaged, with its vertical stabilizer ripped off. [2] It was damaged beyond repair. [5] The other plane, of Unity Airlines was also damaged beyond repair. Although nobody was injured in the collision, thirteen passengers were treated for smoke inhalation. [2] All four crew and 39 passengers on board evacuated the aircraft without injury. The pilots of the ATR-72 reported that they had no brakes or nose wheel steering, which they gave as the reason for the runway excursion and subsequent collision. [4]
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu asked Papua New Guinea's Accident Investigation Commission to investigate the accident. It released a preliminary report on 10 August. Canada's Transportation Safety Board is assisting the investigation. [4]
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Air crash
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Bek Air Flight 2100 crash
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Bek Air Flight 2100 was a domestic passenger flight from Almaty to Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, operated by a Fokker 100 that crashed on 27 December 2019 while taking off from Almaty International Airport. [3][4] There were 98 people on board – 93 passengers and 5 crew. [1][5] Thirteen people died in the crash, and 66 were injured. [5][6] The local government started investigations the same day. [6]
The aircraft involved was a Fokker 100 built in 1996 which previously flew with Formosa Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Contact Air, and OLT Express Germany, before joining the Bek Air fleet in 2013 as UP-F1007. The aircraft was leased to Kam Air in September 2016, then returned. The aircraft was also leased to Safi Airways in February 2017, returned to Bek Air, and finally leased to Air Djibouti in December 2018, before being returned again. The aircraft remained in service with Bek Air until the day of the accident, which destroyed it. [7][8] The airworthiness certificate of the aircraft had been renewed on 22 May 2019. [9]
The captain was 58-year-old Marat Ganievich Muratbaev and the first officer was 54-year-old Mirzhan Gaynulovich Muldakulov. [10]
The aircraft crashed into a building just after takeoff from Almaty International Airport in Kazakhstan. The plane took off from runway 05R and lost altitude shortly afterwards; during take-off its tail was reported to have hit the runway twice. [1][11] It reportedly turned to the right and hit a concrete perimeter fence, before impacting a two-storey building in a residential area, close to the perimeter track, at approximately 7:22 a.m. local time. [1] The front of the aircraft broke away from the main fuselage, sustaining significant damage, and the tail broke off at the rear. One of the survivors, businessman Aslan Nazarliev, stated he had seen ice on the wings. In a telephone conversation, he said, "The left-wing jolted really hard, I noticed that then jolted the right. And the plane began swinging as a boat. "[11] Nazarliev continued, "When we took off, the plane began to shake very hard and I knew it was going to fall ... All the people who stepped on the wing fell, because there was ice. I cannot say that [before taking off] the wings were not sprayed with antifreeze, but the fact is that there was ice. "[12] The temperature at the time was −12 °C (10 °F) and visibility was 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), with thick fog close to the scene. [8][13]
Thirteen people, including the captain and first officer, who died in hospital nearly a month after the accident, were killed, and 66 were injured. [2] The passengers consisted of 85 adults, five children, and three infants; there were five crew. [1][9]
The president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, declared the following day, 28 December, a national day of mourning and said that "all those responsible will be severely punished in accordance with the law". [9][14] Kazakh authorities suspended Bek Air's flight authorization after the accident. [15]
In late January of 2020, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK) revealed serious safety violations at the airline. The AAK found that Bek Air pilots routinely neglected to perform a walk-around and inspect for airframe ice before takeoff, and had skipped these procedures on the accident flight, in violation of operations manuals from both the aircraft manufacturer and the airline. Despite flying in a region with severe winters, the airline conducted no special training for winter operations. Bek Air mechanics routinely swapped parts between aircraft without keeping detailed records, and data plates had been removed from aircraft engines and other parts, hindering verification of service histories. The condition of the airline's fleet was assessed as poor. [16]
On 17 April 2020, citing the airline's failure to correct the safety violations discovered during the investigation, the AAK recalled the company's air operator's certificate and the airworthiness certificates of its remaining Fokker 100 aircraft. [17]
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Air crash
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Morgan County deputy recovering after suicidal man bit part of his ear off
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A Morgan County deputy is recovering at home after part of his ear was bitten off Tuesday night. The Morgan County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a home in the Hulaco area after EMTs reported a suicidal man wasn't cooperating with them and was becoming aggressive. “We were there for our EMS partners who were trying to do their job, and they felt that they could be in harm’s way," said Mike Swafford, a spokesman for the Morgan County Sheriff's Office. "So, really, our role was to protect them.” Swafford said once law enforcement got there, the man, who was threatening suicide, tried to go back into the home. "It then turned to protecting the person that was in the home with this individual trying to run back in," said Swafford. "Really, it was never about this subject for us to be there. It was about those that could be in harm's way because of the subject.” He said when deputies tried preventing the man from going into the home, he lunged at a deputy and bit the upper part of his ear. "A struggle ensued, with the individual basically attaching himself to our deputy's ear and, through the course of the struggle, biting through it and pulling part of it off," said Swafford. Two other deputies eventually got the man restrained, and the injured deputy was sent to Huntsville Hospital. Because the damaged area included cartilage, doctors were unable to reattach it. The deputy was released form the hospital early Wednesday morning. He's now recovering at home with his family recovering. “When you get a call in the middle of the night that your loved one has been injured in the line of duty, you have an emotional process for" the family to go through, Swafford said. "They’re dealing with all of that today because once everyone woke up, that’s what they have to start processing." Once the injury is healed, Swafford said the deputy might go through reconstructive surgery. Charges may eventually be filed in this case against the person who bit him.
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Famous Person - Recovered
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Chelford rail accident
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The Chelford rail accident occurred on 22 December 1894 at Chelford railway station. [1] The stationmaster was supervising shunting operations, during which a high-sided wagon was fly-shunted (i.e. run-off) into a siding in strong winds and rapidly fading light. As another six wagons were being run onto an adjoining road, the stationmaster saw the high-sided wagon being blown out of its siding by the wind to meet them. [2] A collision occurred derailing the runaway in such a way that it fouled the main line just as the 16:15 Manchester to Crewe express approached, drawn by two locomotives, LNWR Waterloo Class 2-4-0 No 418 Zygia and Experiment Class No 518 Express. [1] The stationmaster ran towards them waving a red lamp but the drivers thought he was signalling to the shunters and did not slacken speed. Zygia derailed and fell on her side whilst her tender ran up the platform ramp. Express remained upright but the first carriage demolished the front of a signalbox. In all, 14 passengers were killed and 48 injured. [3]
The inquiry had little comment to make as this seemed to be a freak accident but advised that, in future, the brakes of all shunted wagons should be immediately pinned down. [4]
A contemporary photo supposedly shows the re-railed damaged locomotive Zygia shortly after the accident. [5]
Coordinates: 53°16′19″N 2°16′42″W / 53.27198°N 2.27834°W / 53.27198; -2.27834
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Train collisions
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A burst mining dam causes serious casualties
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State Civil Defense Agency Spokesman Flavio Godinho told reporters he expected the death toll to continue rising Brazilian rescuers searched into the night on Sunday for hundreds of people missing after a burst mining dam triggered a deadly mudslide, as the death toll rose to 58 people and was expected to keep climbing more than two days after the disaster. Rescuers worked past sunset to search a bus that is thought to have bodies inside and a home where three dead were already discovered, state fire department spokesman Pedro Aihara told reporters. The collapsed dam at Vale SA’s Corrego do Feijao mine buried mining facilities and nearby homes in the town of Brumadinho, killing dozens and leaving the community in shock. “Until the last body is found, the fire department is acting on the possibility there could be people alive,” Aihara told reporters. “Obviously, given the nature of the accident, as time passes, this chance will go down.” After announcing the latest number of confirmed dead, state civil defense agency spokesman Flavio Godinho told reporters he expected the death toll to continue rising. Just over 300 people were still missing, with the list of those unaccounted for being constantly updated, Godinho said. Most of the missing are presumed dead, officials said. The cause of the dam burst remained unclear. Recent inspections did not indicate any problems, according to the German firm that conducted the inspection. Avimar de Melo Barcelos, the mayor of Brumadinho, blasted Vale for being “careless and incompetent,” and blamed the mining company for the tragedy and the state of Minas Gerais for poor oversight. He vowed to fine the miner 100 million reais ($26.5 million). Vale Chief Executive Officer Fabio Schvartsman said in a television interview on Sunday the disaster happened even after the company followed experts’ safety recommendations. “I’m not a mining technician. I followed the technicians’ advice and you see what happened. It didn’t work,” Schvartsman said. “We are 100 percent within all the standards, and that didn’t do it.” The CEO promised “to go above and beyond any national or international standards. ... We will create a cushion of safety far superior to what we have today to guarantee this never happens again.” In 2015, a tailings dam collapsed at an iron ore mine belonging to Samarco Mineracao SA, a Vale joint venture with BHP Group, less than 100 km (60 miles) to the east. The resulting torrent of toxic mud killed 19 people, buried a small village and contaminated a major river in Brazil’s worst environmental disaster on record. Fears of another dam burst in Brumadinho on Sunday triggered evacuation sirens in the town before dawn, adding to the anxiety of residents waiting for word about lost relatives and friends. Firefighters halted searching and evacuated thousands from their homes until the afternoon when civil defense authorities ruled out the risk of another dam burst, calling off the evacuation and reinstating search-and-rescue efforts. Aihara initially said 24,000 people would be evacuated, but later lowered the total to 3,000. In all, 24,000 people have been affected by the disaster, he said. Renato Maia, a 44-year-old salesman whose best friend’s daughter remained missing, fled his home in panic early on Sunday and waited for hours with his wife at a police barricade on the outskirts of town. “We’re all fed up with Vale ... and this is really adding to the tension,” he said. “It was a huge tragedy and now we don’t know what might come next.” The Brazilian government ordered Vale to halt operations at the Corrego do Feijao mining complex. On Sunday, courts nearly doubled to 11 billion reais the amount of Vale assets frozen in anticipation of damages and fines. Federal prosecutor Jose Adercio Sampaio told Reuters on Saturday that state and federal authorities had failed to apply more stringent regulation to the hundreds of tailings dams around the country. Schvartsman said all of Vale’s tailings dams were checked after the 2015 disaster and periodic reviews carried out.
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Mine Collapses
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COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in the United States
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Beginning in mid-April 2020, there were protests in several U.S. states against government-imposed lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. [1][2] The protests, mostly organized by conservative groups and individuals,[3][4] decried the economic and social impact of stay-at-home orders, business closures, and restricted personal movement and association, and demanded that their respective states be "re-opened" for normal business and personal activity. [5]
The protests made international news[6][7] and were widely condemned as unsafe and ill-advised,[8] although some political figures expressed support for the protests. [9][10] They ranged in size from a few hundred people to a few thousand, and spread on social media with encouragement from former U.S. President Donald Trump. [9]
By May 1, 2020, there had been demonstrations in more than half of the states; many governors began to take steps to lift the restrictions as daily new infections began decreasing due to social distancing measures. [11]
One of the first protests was in Michigan on April 15, 2020. It was organized via a Facebook group called "Operation Gridlock", which was created by the Michigan Freedom Fund and the Michigan Conservative Coalition. A spokesman for the Michigan Conservative Coalition encouraged groups in other states to copy the Operation Gridlock wording and templates. Protesters in numerous other states said they were inspired by Michigan, and they used Michigan's material on their own websites, Facebook groups, and Reddit pages to promote their protests. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer called attention to the fact that the Michigan Freedom Fund is funded in part by the DeVos family, but a spokesman said the family had nothing to do with the protests. [12]
The Trump campaign declined to answer whether it was directly involved with organizing the protest in Michigan, but key protest organizers who did identify themselves were Meshawn Maddock, the wife of Republican state representative Matt Maddock and a member of the national advisory board for Women for Trump, and Marian Sheridan, who serves as a vice chair on the Michigan Republican Party. [3][13] The protest in Washington State was organized by a county Republican Party, and speakers included three Republican state legislators. [14] FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy group associated with the Tea Party movement, published a "#ReOpenAmerica Planning Guide". [15]
Protesters opposed the shelter-in-place orders in their states for various reasons. Many said they want businesses reopened so they can go back to work. Many others displayed pro-Trump banners, signs, and MAGA hats. [16] Still others insisted the lockdowns were a violation of their constitutional rights. One militia leader told a reporter, "Re-open my state or we will re-open it ourselves. "[17] The anger driving the protests was called "both real and manufactured", with conservative groups engaging in astroturfing via centralized organization backed by anonymous donors. [18][19]
The reopen protests have generally been small, with protester numbers ranging from a few dozen to the low hundreds; the first protest in Michigan drew several thousand. [20] Protesters included mainstream Republicans,[21] but also far-right groups including Proud Boys and armed militia movement supporters. [4] A large number of "anti-vax" advocates have attended, and some have been the organizers of local protests. [22][23] Ben, Chris and Aaron Dorr, three guns-rights activist brothers, are the organizers of protests in several midwestern states. [24][25]
Historians have noted that the protests are similar to those who grew tired of restrictions from the 1918 pandemic. [26]
After the murder of George Floyd on May 25, many of the Facebook groups created to organize protests over COVID-19 expanded their focus to attack the protests organized by Black Lives Matter[27]
On May 1, hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters displaying the Confederate Flag, a sign written in German that read "work will set you free", Nazi symbols[28] and signs with slogans like "Give me liberty or give me COVID-19" gathered for a "Re-open Illinois" rally in Springfield organized by "Freedom Movement USA." Protesters and counter-protesters met in Chicago where two arrests were made for disorderly conduct. [29][30]
Approximately 250 people gathered in front of the Governor's Mansion in Indianapolis on April 18, 2020 to protest Governor Eric Holcomb's stay at home order. [31] The protesters did not follow social distancing guidelines, although some wore face masks. The protesters called for the governor to appear and explain himself, and said they were willing to be arrested if necessary. [32]
Michigan was the site of the largest of the "re-open" protests. The first confirmed case of coronavirus was recognized in Michigan on March 10, 2020. [33][34] On April 15, the day of the protest, Michigan had at least 28,059 confirmed cases—the third highest number of cases in the United States—and 1,921 deaths had been attributed to the disease in the state. [35] Metropolitan Detroit had been pronounced a "hot spot". [36] Initial state actions to limit spread of the virus included closure of all K-12 schools, closure of bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues, and a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people. [37] On March 24 a statewide stay-at-home order was issued which limited non-essential travel and ordered all non-essential business services and operations to close. [38] The order was extended in early April with additional restrictions included. [39][40]
On April 15, 2020, an estimated 3,000 people took part in a protest they called "Operation Gridlock" in the area surrounding the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing. [41] Most protestors remained in their vehicles, jamming the streets around the capitol building, although around 150 protested on the capitol lawn. [20] The protest lasted eight hours. [42] The protest caused delays during a shift-change at Sparrow Hospital. [43] Police described the protesters as respectful, with most trying to maintain social distancing; no arrests were made. [44]
Protesters complained of loss of work and other economic hardship caused by the state government's coronavirus response. Some felt that if they were not sick, that they should have the freedom to continue with their normal routine. [45] Others claimed violation of their civil liberties or expressed opposition to Governor Gretchen Whitmer's administration. [46] Some protesters lived in more rural areas of Michigan that had not seen as many coronavirus cases as the cities of Detroit or Flint. [47]
On April 30, a second protest occurred when hundreds of protesters, many carrying firearms, gathered at the Michigan Capitol. Many protesters were able to enter the building. The demonstration was organized by the conservative group American Patriot Council . [48] The protest was much smaller than the one on April 15, but the show of firearms and the violent tone of some of the signs indicated that things were changing. [49] Some protesters compared the Governor to Adolf Hitler while children danced in masks of Donald Trump and Barack Obama on the steps of the Capitol.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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1917 Bali earthquake
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The 1917 Bali earthquake occurred at 06:50 local time on 21 January (23:11 on 20 January UTC). It had an estimated magnitude of 6.6 on the surface wave magnitude scale and had a maximum perceived intensity of IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale. It caused widespread damage across Bali, particularly in the south of the island. It triggered many landslides, which caused 80% of the 1500 casualties. The island of Bali forms part of the Sunda Arc, which formed above the convergent boundary where the Australian Plate is subducting beneath the Sunda Plate. The rate of convergence across the line of the Sunda–Java Trench is 7.5 cm per year. Eastwards from Bali, the Sunda Arc is also being thrust over the Bali and Flores back-arc basins on a series of south-dipping thrusts. Focal mechanisms for earthquakes near Bali are dominantly thrust sense on both the subduction interface and the system of thrust faults to the north. [3]
The earthquake was recorded by the Wiechert seismograph at Batavia (now Jakarta), which indicated an epicenter southeast of the island. There was a general decrease in the intensity of the shaking from the south of the island to the north. The earthquake was also felt on eastern Java and Sumbawa, and particularly strongly on Lombok. A small tsunami was observed on the southeastern coast of Bali, but caused no damage. [1]
The earthquake triggered many landslides. There were an estimated 1,500 casualties, of which 80% were a result of the landslides. 2,431 temples were destroyed or severely damaged,[4] including the Pura Ulun Danu Batur. [5]
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Earthquakes
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TPG readers select the top cruise lines of the year at the 2021 TPG Awards
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Cruising is back after a 15-month hiatus due to the pandemic, and for a second straight year, we’re giving away a number of awards to worthy cruise lines — as voted on by TPG readers. With the restart gaining steam and a lot of exciting developments on tap for next year, which brands are taking home hardware in 2021?
Read on for more details on this year’s cruise line winners.
While some cruisers want nothing to do with big ships, they nevertheless hold wide appeal for many travelers thanks to the array of options on board. And it’s only fitting that this year’s award recipient just happens to operate the largest vessels on the planet.
After taking home the inaugural award as the best big-ship cruise line in 2020, Royal Caribbean is retaining its crown. The line officially restarted North American sailings — with a number of changes — in June 2021, and the sheer scale of Royal Caribbean’s fleet dwarfs many others. The line has nine of the 20 largest ships in the world, including its amenity-packed Oasis class vessels. The Wonder of the Seas is the newest of the line’s megaships, slated to launch in March 2022 and capable of housing nearly 7,000 passengers.
Royal Caribbean also made waves (pun intended) with its recent announcement of the Ultimate World Cruise — a nine-month odyssey that will take guests to all seven continents, 65 countries and 150 different destinations. Of course, voting was already completed by then, but TPG readers clearly felt that the line was doing things right — hence its repeat victory in this category.
Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Royal Caribbean cruise
Massive vessels may appeal to some, but enjoying a cruise on a midsize ship (one that still boasts an array of amenities) is a very viable alternative. And here again, the winner is a familiar one.
Disney has defended its title as the best cruise line operating midsize ships. Despite a fleet of just four vessels, the line has a lot to offer customers. From Broadway-caliber shows to first-run movies and an array of character interactions, boarding a Disney cruise can be a dream come true for families and other fans of the company’s films and attractions.
But the line isn’t resting on its laurels. Its newest ship — the Disney Wish — is slated to set sail on June 9, 2022, the first of three new ships that will join the fleet in the coming years. And based on what TPG has seen, it’s going to take the Disney cruising experience to an entirely new level.
Read more: 3 things we learned while previewing food from Disney Cruise Line’s new ship, Disney Wish
And then there are the small ships, those lines that typically cater to luxury travelers and can visit smaller ports of call. And since the first two awards were repeats, why not keep the trend going?
Viking won the award as the best small-ship cruise line for the second-straight year based on votes from TPG readers — and it’s not hard to see why. The perennial favorite is best known as a river line, but it began adding upscale oceangoing ships in 2015. These vessels operate with a “no nickel-and-diming” philosophy; all fares include onboard Wi-Fi, a shore excursion in every port and beer and wine with lunch and dinner.
It’s easy to understand why travelers would enjoy their time on a Viking ship — and why readers voted for it in for 2021.
This was a new cruise award for 2021. With some river cruise lines able to start sailing earlier than larger ocean ships, it made sense to recognize the best (according to readers).
While Viking won the award for the best small ships at sea, the candidates it beat out were oceangoing companies. Viking actually got its start on the river, and it now boasts more than 60 river cruise vessels, making it the leader in the English-speaking market. It currently offers voyages in Europe, Asia and Egypt — though it will soon set sail on the Mississippi River.
As a result, readers felt that it deserved this honor, too.
Related: The 10 most exciting new river cruise ships of 2021
As The Points Guy, we can’t give out a handful of cruise awards without mentioning loyalty, so our final readers’ choice category for 2021 is for the line with the best loyalty program. And if the previous repeat winners hint at a trend, you won’t be disappointed.
The line with the megaships kept its title as offering the best loyalty program in the cruise world. The Crown & Anchor Society features six distinct levels, each of which confers an array of benefits for frequent guests. This includes discounts on cruises, onboard specials and even access to special events on the ship.
It’s not in the same ballpark as an airline or hotel loyalty program (there’s no option to earn points and then redeem them), but it can nevertheless make cruising a lot more comfortable for those who regularly sail with Royal Caribbean — so readers voted it as the best.
Related: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean cruise ships and itineraries
The cruise line winners at the 2021 TPG Awards are a familiar bunch — as all of last year’s recipients defended their titles. But that doesn’t mean the readers got them right. Do you agree with these selections? Be sure to tune in to Thursday’s Facebook Live panel discussion at noon Eastern Time as we discuss that very question.
Featured image by The Points Guy
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The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising policy page for more information.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Awards ceremony
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Brazil Dam Collapse Death Toll Rises to 60; Nearly 300 Still Missing
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/ Updated:
Jan 28, 2019 / 09:29 AM PST
Rescuers and firefighters work in the search for victims, four days after the collapse of a dam at an iron-ore mine belonging to Brazil’s giant mining company Vale near the town of Brumadinho on Jan. 28, 2019. (Credit: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images)
This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.
Firefighters say the death toll from a Brazilian mine dam collapse has risen to 60, with 292 people still missing.
In an ominous sign, nobody was recovered alive Sunday.
The slow pace of search efforts is due to the treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine dam breached Friday afternoon. It is up 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places.
Meanwhile, anger is growing at the company that operates the mine. Sen. Renan Calheiros is calling for Vale’s board of directors to step down and Attorney General Raquel Dodge says that Vale executives could be held responsible.
___
7:15 p.m.
A German company that last year inspected the dam in Brazil that collapsed Friday says it’s working with authorities investigating the deadly disaster in which at least 58 people died.
TUEV Sued, based in Munich, confirmed Monday that it had conducted a periodic review of dams for Brazilian mining company Vale in July 2018 and a regular inspection of dam safety in September last year.
The company declined to provide further details about the reviews, which were commissioned by Vale. But TUEV Sued said it was “fully supporting the investigations and making all required documents available to the investigating authorities.”
Brazilian authorities say up to 300 people are still missing after iron ore waste from a mine that flooded the mine complex and nearby neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho.
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2 a.m.
Firefighters in Brazil are carefully moving over treacherous mud, sometimes even crawling, in search of survivors or bodies left by a dam collapse that buried mine buildings and surrounding neighborhoods with iron ore waste.
The confirmed death toll rose to 58 late Sunday, with up to 300 people still missing, according to authorities. In an ominous sign, nobody was recovered alive Sunday, a stark difference from the first two days of the disaster, when helicopters were whisking people from the mud.
A treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine’s dam breached Friday afternoon is up to 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places.
Search efforts were suspended about 10 hours Sunday because of fears that a second mine dam in the southeastern city of Brumadinho was at risk of failing. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground.
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Mine Collapses
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Russia fines Facebook, Twitter for not deleting banned content
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MOSCOW, Sept 14 (Reuters) - A Russian court on Tuesday said it had fined U.S. social media companies Facebook (FB.O) and Twitter (TWTR.N) for failing to delete content that Moscow deems illegal, part of a wider crackdown by Russia on the internet and Big Tech.
The Tagansky district court said Facebook had been handed five fines totalling 21 million roubles ($287,850). Twitter received two fines of a total 5 million roubles, it said.
Popular messaging app Telegram had been fined 9 million roubles, the court said.
Facebook, Twitter and Telegram had no immediate comment.
Moscow's actions to strengthen its control of the internet have included a push to require foreign internet companies to open fully-fledged offices in Russia and to store Russians' personal data on its territory. read more On Tuesday, the government published plans to impose new taxes on foreign-owned digital services, a move aimed at supporting its domestic tech sector. read more A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
In March, state communications regulator Roskomnadzor started impeding the speed of Twitter for not removing banned material quickly enough. read more Internet services are coming under increasing pressure ahead of Russia's Sept. 17-19 parliamentary elections. Roskomnadzor is trying to block virtual private networks (VPNs) and online resources linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. read more The watchdog has tried to restrict access to an app that Navalny's team plan to use to organise a tactical or "smart" voting campaign at the election. read more Navalny's activist network was banned this summer during a political crackdown.
Russia's federal bailiff service said on Tuesday it wanted to force Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) to comply with a court order banning references to the phrase "smart voting" in its keyword search system, the Interfax news agency reported.
State bailiffs came to an office block to confront local Google staff late on Monday, the Kommersant newspaper reported, citing a source. Google did not respond to requests for comment.
($1 = 72.9550 roubles)
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Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko played ice hockey on Saturday, apparently brushing off the threat of new international sanctions over a migrant crisis on the border with the European Union.
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Organization Fine
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Hundreds of demonstrators have clashed with riot police in Latvia's capital, Riga, after an anti-government protest.
Police used mace and truncheons to disperse rioters who smashed shop windows and overturned a police van after failing to storm parliament.
The violence followed a peaceful rally in which some 10,000 people accused the government of economic mismanagement and demanded new elections.
Latvia's economy is expected to contract by at least 5% this year.
Until last year, it was one of the fastest growing economies in Europe.
Tuesday's peaceful protest was Latvia's largest since it became independent in 1991.
As the crowd swelled, dozens of protesters tried to storm the parliament building, and hundreds of demonstrators then hurled rocks and chunks of ice at government buildings.
The rioters were dispersed by riot police using mace and truncheons, but they gathered again in a neighbouring street in Riga's historic business district.
"There was a nice event and then when it finished people decided to go and express their anger and destroy the parliament and then it all spread through Old Riga," Anna Gulbe, 19, told the Associated Press news agency.
More than 30 people were injured in the fracas, medical sources said. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sigita Pildava said three police officers were seriously wounded.
She added that 126 mostly young, male protesters were detained, many of whom were drunk.
Police reinforcements were called in and the protest was brought under control after about three hours.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Pub fined $5,000 for flouting coronavirus restrictions by serving drinks in front bar
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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 pub in South Australia's south-east that allegedly flouted coronavirus restrictions to serve drinks in its front bar has been fined $5,060.
Police attended the pub just before 10:00pm on Tuesday night to find the front doors open with the licensee and four customers allegedly consuming alcohol.
The customers were issued on-the-spot fines of $1,060 each.
On the same day, police issued on-the-spot fines of $1,060 to 16 intoxicated people at a rowdy house party in Port Augusta.
Police had been tipped off by residents who complained about a large gathering and excessive noise about 12:30pm.
Officers have also arrested a 26-year-old Adelaide woman who allegedly breached COVID-19 directions multiple times.
Police allege she left Adelaide last month when she was required to self-quarantine.
Upon returning to Adelaide yesterday, she was issued with a spot fine for the earlier breach of direction, and was issued a fresh direction to self-quarantine at her nominated address.
However, when officers attended that northern suburbs address later in the day, they allege the woman was not there.
They said they subsequently found her at another northern suburbs address.
They will further allege she had attended another eastern suburbs address prior to arriving at her home.
The woman has been charged with three counts of failing to comply with a direction and has been bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court in October.
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Organization Fine
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Japan's Self-Defense Forces hold 2 drills a week, with more partners
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TOKYO -- The Japan Self-Defense Forces have averaged two joint drills weekly since January, reaching beyond longtime ally the U.S. to include fellow Quad members Australia and India as well as European nations. On the other hand, Tokyo has not conducted a drill with South Korea since 2018 as a chill has fallen on relations between the two neighbors. The Self-Defense Forces have carried out 38 joint exercises with foreign militaries from January to May, according to public announcements. Aside from the Quad -- formally the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue -- European countries have noticeably taken part in multilateral drills in recent years. France led an April exercise in India's Bay of Bengal that included Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force as well as the U.S., Australian and Indian navies. The training sent a message that Europe and the Quad are united on deterring China. Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force conducted island defense drills the month after in Kyushu -- to the country's west -- alongside American and French personnel. The Air Self-Defense Force did two joint exercises in airspace above the East China Sea with the U.S. in April alone. Tense security situations concerning the Taiwan Strait and the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands both factored into the choice of venue. The flurry of joint drills marks a rise from a year earlier, when the pandemic disrupted activities. March 2020 had zero joint exercises, while April and May of that year only had two drills each. The joint exercises began to pick up last summer after infection prevention measures were put into place. Since January 2020, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has participated in 69 naval drills -- the most among the three SDF branches. International waters are a convenient location for military personnel other than U.S. service members stationed in Japan. Nearly half of the 69 naval drills brought in non-U.S. forces. During the same period, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force participated in 28 joint drills, while the Ground Self-Defense Force took part in nine. About 90% of the exercises were bilateral affairs with the U.S. Fighter jets and ground units are difficult to transport over long distances without resupplying, so ground and air joint exercises feature mainly American personnel stationed at Japanese bases. Joint drills are a barometer of diplomatic relations. Looking at joint drills since 2012, including three-way exercises with the U.S., participation by Australia and India have jumped conspicuously. Japan carried out seven to 10 joint drills apiece with Australia and India in 2019 alone. Tokyo sees the latter as like-minded countries when it comes to maintaining a "free and open Indo-Pacific." But Japan has not held a joint exercise with South Korea since 2018. Then-U.S. President Donald Trump shifted course that year to opening a line of dialogue with North Korea. The two American allies have avoided multilateral drills against that backdrop. Distrust between Tokyo and Seoul has not helped. A South Korean warship locked its fire control radar on a Japanese surveillance plane in late 2018. Disputes over wartime "comfort women" and labor issues have chilled relations and caused defense exchanges to stagnate.
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Military Exercise
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Task Force on Afghan Refugee Assistance to be established
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Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 256, establishing the Task Force on Afghan Refugee Assistance to report directly to the Office of the Governor. The task force will be chaired by Adjutant General and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA) Brigadier General Dr. Lisa J. Hou and will serve to coordinate State efforts to appropriately prepare for and respond to the arrival of Afghan refugees and SIV holders in New Jersey. “As Afghan refugees arrive at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, we must act to ensure that the State is prepared to adequately receive and assist these individuals that courageously assisted our country in the War on Terror,” said Murphy. “Our newly established task force will oversee efforts to welcome refugees and their families to their new lives in the United States and New Jersey. I have full trust and confidence in the Adjutant General to lead this task force in coordinating our response to the ongoing arrival of refugees to our state.” “The Task Force stands ready to support our mission partners,” said Adjutant General and DMAVA Commissioner Brigadier General Dr. Lisa J. Hou. “We recognize the sacrifice of our Afghan allies and American and NATO service members these past 20 years. We pledge every effort to alleviate the human tragedy unfolding in Afghanistan.” Adjutant General and DMAVA Commissioner Hou is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, where she served as a field surgeon and sole medical provider on an Afghanistan National Army base and was responsible for providing routine and advanced emergency medical care in the combat theater for more than 600 coalition soldiers, contractors, and foreign nationals. In addition to Commissioner of DMAVA, the Task Force will consist of the Chief of Staff to the Governor, the Chief Counsel to the Governor, the Chief Policy Advisor to the Governor, the Executive Director of the Governor’s Disaster Recovery Office, and the Commissioners or other heads of the following Executive Branch departments and agencies, or their designees: The Department of Law & Public Safety; The New Jersey State Police; The Department of Health; The Department of Human Services; The Department of Children & Families; The Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness; The Department of State; The Department of Community Affairs; The Department of Transportation; and The Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The task force will be responsible for: Developing a mechanism for identifying Afghan refugees who arrive in New Jersey and plan to remain for some period of time; Managing internal efforts among Executive Branch departments and agencies to welcome and provide support to Afghan refugees and SIV holders as they arrive and/or resettle in New Jersey; Coordinating communications with representatives of the federal government, including the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Defense, regarding the relocation of Afghan refugees; Overseeing the provision of vital support and emergency healthcare services for those who need it upon arrival in New Jersey, including COVID-19 testing and vaccination as needed; Creating an intake mechanism for organizations and individuals seeking to provide aid and support to Afghan refugees to contact the Task Force, evaluating and keeping track of such organizations and individuals, and connecting such organizations and individuals with those in need of assistance; and Providing any other necessary supports to ensure the safe entry and relocation to New Jersey of Afghan refugees.
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Organization Established
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Adele and Ex-Husband Simon Konecki Reach a Divorce Settlement
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Adele and her ex-husband, Simon Konecki, are settling their divorce, two years after their initial split. People reported that the former spouses filed a judgment packet with a Los Angeles court on Friday, but the document has yet to be signed by a judge, which would officially dissolve the marriage. Representatives from both Adele and Konecki have yet to publicly comment on the matter. The pop star and Konecki first announced their decision to end their marriage in April 2019 after spending seven years together overall. They share an eight-year-old son, Angelo Adkins, whom they welcomed back in October 2012. "Adele and her partner have separated," said Adele's representatives at the time. "They are committed to raising their son together lovingly. As always they ask for privacy. There will be no further comment."
Though both Adele and Konecki haven't commented on the status of their divorce since their split announcement, the two are reportedly committed to co-parenting. It was revealed last May that they live across the street from one other in Los Angeles for the sake of their son. "They are doing what's best for Angelo. Her son is her world," a source said of the Grammy winner at the time. "She helps Angelo with schoolwork and cooks. She very much enjoys being a stay-at-home mom right now." Since the news of her divorce, the "Rolling in the Deep" singer has been linked to British rapper Skepta, though she has yet to publicly address that news also.
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Famous Person - Divorce
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2015 Ethiopia uprising
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The 2015 Ethiopian uprising was mass protests and riots as a wave of unprecedented protests that swept Ethiopia after the Addis Ababa Master Plan was announced on 12 November. [1]
After years of drought, conflict, wars and marginalisation among communities, the community of Oromo and Amhara came out onto the streets demonstrating the government’s proposals. Demands quickly grew and protests spiralled out of control from peaceful, sustained opposition anti-government rallies to violent riots. Mass protests rocked Oromia and Amhara regions while riot police, the military and security forces was deployed to disperse and crush the protests. Protesters called on the resignation on prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn. Rallies, bitter clashes and marches was taking place nationwide amid growing opposition and increasingly violent street demonstrations and battles against the military, who fired live ammunition and rubber bullets to disperse protesters. [2]
Poor living standards and marginalisation of Oromo people in the country sparked ethnic tensions and sour clashes between groups. 140 protesters have been killed in the popular uprising which ultimately led to the 2015–16 Oromo protests. [3]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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1960 Munich C-131 crash
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On 17 December 1960, a Convair C-131D Samaritan operated by the United States Air Force on a flight from Munich to RAF Northolt crashed shortly after take-off from Munich-Riem Airport, due to fuel contamination. All 20 passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground were killed. [1][2]
On 17 December 1960, the Samaritan was due to fly from Munich-Riem airport in Germany to RAF Northolt in the United Kingdom with 13 passengers and 7 crew. [1] Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft lost power to one of its two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engines. [2] Unable to maintain altitude and with bad visibility due to fog, it hit the 318-foot steeple of St. Paul's Church next to the Oktoberfest site (then vacant) in the Ludwigsvorstadt borough. Subsequently, at 2:10 PM, it crashed into a crowded two-section Munich tramway car on Martin-Greif-Straße, close to Bayerstraße. [3]
All 13 passengers and 7 crew members on the plane died. 32 people on the ground were killed and 20 were injured. [1] A section of the wing crashed through the roof of a building at Hermann-Lingg-Straße, a block away from the main accident site, without injuring anybody there. The Free Lance-Star, a daily newspaper for Fredricksburg and its surrounding areas, reported that some passengers on the Convair were holiday-bound University of Maryland students who were dependants of military personnel stationed in England. [4]
The accident aircraft, Convair C-131D-CO Samaritan, (c/n 212, company designation: Model 340-79), was a twin piston engined military transport with seating for 44 passengers. Given the military serial number 55-0291, the aircraft was the first United States Air Force C-131 to be based in Europe, at RAF Northolt, where it was under command of the 7500th Air Base Group, 3rd Air Force, U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). [5]
A crash investigation revealed water in the fuel tank booster pump. Because water is more dense than fuel it can settle to the bottom of the tank, into the pump inlets; when it freezes it blocks inlets and deprives the engine of fuel. This deprivation of fuel caused the Munich C-131 to lose power and eventually shut down the engine. [2]
After the accident, the Munich Fire & Rescue Services ordered new TLF 16 powder trucks to complement their fleet of traditional water tenders. [6][7]
Munich had initiated the expansion plans for Munich-Riem Airport in 1954. However, two plane crashes within the Munich city limit in the space of two years, and the New York air disaster that happened a day before, stopped the expansion plans. The city and state governments decided to build a new airport outside the city limit instead. Similar discussions were held in Hamburg about its Fuhlsbüttel Airport, but the airport was expanded rather than relocated elsewhere, making the airport the oldest continuously operated in Germany to this day. [8][9]
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Air crash
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OLYMPIC RECORD: Aussie young gun storms home to win GOLD on debut
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Australian young gun Kaylee McKeown has stormed home to win an emotional 100m backstroke gold in Olympic record time.
The 20-year-old Olympic debutant turned third and delivered in the last 50m to finish in a time of 57.47, edging Canada’s Kylie Masse by a quarter of a second.
WATCH THE INCREDIBLE RUN TO GOLD IN THE VIDEO ABOVE
Asked to send a message to her mother Sharon and sister Taylor watching in Noosa, McKeown was unable to control herself: “F*** YEAH! WOOO!”
“It’s definitely something that a lot of people dream of, it’s something I’ve always dreamed of,” Australia’s newest gold medallist had told Channel 7 moments earlier.
“To make it a reality, it’s really amazing.”
McKeown races for her late father Sholto, who died in August 2020 after a battle with brain cancer.
“I hope you’re proud and I’ll keep doing you proud,” she said poolside after blowing a kiss in tribute.
Mum said: “I’m just so happy for her and so excited. I can’t wait to give her a cuddle.”
“It’s been pretty tough but COVID’s probably been a bit of blessing, Kaylee’s been able to focus and fly under the radar,” Sharon added.
Taylor was in tears after Kaylee’s win.
“Kaylee’s taken it in her stride, come back better, faster, fitter stronger than ever,” the champion’s sister said.
“The hardship’s done. This is the easy part now and she’s up there really enjoying racing. This is an absolute testament to her and her hard work.
“You can ask anyone in her training group and anyone on the swim team - Kaylee’s a hard worker, she’ll push herself till she vomits and just an absolute animal. Good on her.”
Australian veteran Emily Seebohm finished fifth in a time of 58.45.
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“Really happy. Pretty close to getting back to my best, which is really, really good,” Seebohm said.
“It hasn’t been a long road to get here and it’s been a really, really long wait. Totally worth it.
“It was an awesome race to be a part of and I’m so happy for Kaylee.”
Australia now has three gold medals in Tokyo, following the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay and Ariarne Titmus in the 400m freestyle.
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Break historical records
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19 Troubleshooter: Cleveland woman hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning as she waits for landlord to fix furnace that’s been broken for months
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A Cleveland woman is at her wit’s end. She has no heat and says her landlord hasn’t fixed the furnace in more than a month.
She’s been using her stove to stay warm, and now she’s sick because of it.
Valerie Freeman was recently released from Cleveland Clinic’s Lutheran Hospital after being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.
She called the 19 News Troubleshooter Hotline for help.
Freeman has been living in a building at 81st and Madison in Cleveland since September.
“I thought I was feeling the sickness of the flu,” she said. “Then when I stood up I got dizzy and thought I had pneumonia.”
She tells 19 News that for months she’s been contacting her landlord to fix the problems in her apartment.
“My furnace is outside in the backyard,” she said. “He didn’t give me no hot water until the second of February.”
A 19 News crew walked with her to the back of the building where she lives and cameras were rolling as snow surrounded her broken furnace.
We called the owner, Desmond K. Buchannon, of Worldwide Property Investment & Rental Inc., to ask when he would fix the heat.
“We’re calling to find out what are you doing as the owner of this building?” said 19 News Reporter Sia Nyorkor.
“I told her go get a hotel room, rent a hotel room and keep the receipts, and I would credit her for her rent,” Buchannon said in a phone interview.
But Freeman tells 19 News she doesn’t have the money for a hotel stay so she’s been using space heaters since she was released from the hospital. She wants her landlord to do the right thing and fix the problems in the building.
“He’ll be here Monday for some rent, and I pay my rent every month on time,” she said. “Come forward and do what he got to do and talk to me as a man,” said Freeman.
We asked Buchannon for a timeline of when he would fix or replace the furnace, and he told us a few days.
19 News will check back to make sure it gets done. In the meantime, 19 News has reached out to city of Cleveland leaders who have been appraised of the situation.
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Mass Poisoning
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1980 Azores Islands earthquake
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Striking the Autonomous Region of Azores on 1 January, the 1980 Azores Island earthquake killed 61 people and injured over 400, causing severe damage on the islands of Terceira and São Jorge. Measuring 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, it also shook the islands of Pico and Faial, and resulted from a strike slip fracture, typical of other historical Azorean earthquakes. In response to the earthquake, Portuguese president António Ramalho Eanes announced three days of national mourning, while relief efforts, initiated by agents of the local Air Force, were soon accompanied by government-supported agencies. In 1950, another strong earthquake had rocked the Azores Islands region, and this was the largest earthquake since. [1]
Volcanic in origin, the Azores lie in a tectonically complex area on either side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, between the European, Eurasian and African plate boundaries, forming their own microplate. [2] The 1980 earthquake was the result of movement along the northwest to southeast trending strike-slip fault. [2]
After aftershocks from the quake had concluded, examination took place, producing a focal solution to the small events. Movement of these shocks was similar to that of previous earthquakes around the Azores. For these earthquakes, scientists had determined that the conjugate nodal plane was responsible, seeing shearing on the right-lateral (dextral) side. [3] All faulting in this area is strike-slip-oriented, and on a rather large scale. [4] Because of this research, information now points towards Azores volcanism being controlled by earthquake movement. [3]
The earthquake that struck the Azorean islands was 6.9 Mw. It caused considerable damage on three separate islands (Terceira, São Jorge Island, and Graciosa),[5] destroying several buildings. [6] According to local reports, roughly 70% of the houses on Terceira were completely demolished, including the historic quarter of the island capital, Angra do Heroísmo. [1] In general, public buildings such as churches remained intact, while several buildings caved in on themselves. [1] Public utilities such as electricity and water, were reported cut in several areas. [1]
Initially, the number of fatalities was set at 52,[6] but it was later revised to 61. [2] Additionally, the injuries were set at 300,[7] but this was also revised to more than 400. [5] At least 20,000 people were left homeless. [8] Minor damage was recorded at Pico and Faial islands. [1]
No fatalities were recorded at the Lajes Field air base, nor any major damage. [1]
United States Navy and Air Force troops stationed at Lajes functioned as disaster relief workers,[1] sheltering as many as 150 families. [9] Portuguese Air Force members brought supplies to earthquake victims, while a João Coutinho class corvette navy ship transported medical officials to the island. The Portuguese President, António Ramalho Eanes, flew in on a plane accompanied by medical personnel and supplies (such as bedding). [1] Local officials including policemen and volunteer firemen cleared roads for relief supplies and transports. Responding to the situation, these officials were also involved in looking for survivors in the rubble. [1] Soon after, tents were erected to replace the destroyed or unsafe homes for approximately 200 families of the islands. Portable homes were constructed by the People to People International project fund, resulting in 100 shelters. [9]
Three days of national mourning were declared by Eanes. [1]
Following the relief efforts, 19 seismographic stations were installed to monitor seismic activities. Eleven of these were used to monitor earthquake activity, while the other eight also record information on the island's geothermal areas. [10]
The earthquake forced hundreds of people to leave the country for the United States. It occurred during a period of several major natural disasters in which many residents of the island left; in 1975, 8,000 residents left. In 1981, however, just 2,500 people left the island. [8]
Dino Meira, a Portuguese-American singer, recorded and sold a 45 single "Acores 20 para as 4" with the proceeds donated to the earthquake relief effort. Later studies of the events leading up to the tragedy found several factors contributing to the extent of the damage. A. Malheiro (2006) linked five major causes to damage from these earthquakes. The buildings most damaged by the earthquake were near fault lines on top of loosely packed soil. They tended to be of poor construction and did not conform to proper building code, nor had they been adequately examined. [11]
The area around the Azores remains active. Threats from earthquakes and landslides remain. [11]
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Earthquakes
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UNWFP warns 3 million more now ‘teetering on the brink of famine’
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2 Views The UN World Food Program (WFP) warned on Monday that the number of people affected by the end of famine in 43 countries, has risen to 45 million as extreme hunger rises around the world. This number rose from 42 million the previous year, and 27 million in 2019, the agency said, in a news release. The increase is based on people desperately living within the official hunger classification of IPC4 and higher, in Afghanistan, along with other increases in Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Angola, Kenya, and Burundi. “Tens of millions of people are staring into the abyss. We’ve had conflict, climate change and COVID-19 driving up the number of hungry people, and the latest data shows that there are now more than 45 million people marching towards brink. of hunger, “said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. He spoke following a fact-finding mission in Afghanistan, where WFP is increasing its support to help nearly 23 million people in need there. “Fuel costs are rising, food prices are rising, fertilizer is more expensive, and it’s all turning into new crises like what’s happening now in Afghanistan, as well as long -standing emergencies like Yemen. and Syria, “he added. WFP said that along with humanitarian partners in hunger hotspots around the world, they are doing everything to increase aid for the millions at risk of hunger. However, the available resources cannot keep pace with demand, at a time when traditional funding flows are under great difficulty. WFP estimates that the cost of global hunger prevention now stands at $ 7 billion, up from approximately 6.6 billion, earlier in the year. “As the cost of humanitarian assistance rises sharply, we need more funding to reach families around the world who have exhausted their capacity to cope with extreme hunger,” the WFP chief added. The agency said families faced with severe food insecurity, are being forced to make “destructive choices to cope with rising hunger.” The vulnerability analysis in the 43 countries surveyed, shows that families are forced to eat less, or completely skip meals. Sometimes children are fed, while parents sacrifice food, and are forced to starve. In Madagascar, where pockets of famine are already real, some are forced to eat locusts, wild leaves, or cactus in order to survive.
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Famine
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Covid-19 infections in Malaysia
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KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia recorded 15,669 new Covid-19 infections on Tuesday (Sept 14), bringing the country's cumulative total case number past the two million mark at 2.011 million. It took the country more than a year to hit the one million mark on July 25, and the severity of the latest wave of infections is clear as it took the country less than two months to hit another million. The number of deaths stood at 21,124 as at Monday. Tuesday's number of new infections is the lowest for a single day since the end of July and is the fourth consecutive day of cases declining. Initially a success story in containing Covid-19 , Malaysia has struggled to contain the coronavirus since a resurgence in cases in September last year following a state legislative election in Sabah. The economy has been badly hit this year by a series of prolonged lockdowns that did little to curb the rising infections largely caused by the more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus. On Tuesday, the government announced plans to drastically simplify Covid-19 restrictions in the country. Senior Minister for Security Hishamuddin Hussein on Tuesday said that the country aims to slash its current list of 181 standard operating procedures (SOP) to just 10 by the time it transitions to an endemic phase at the end of October. The current SOP list covers all states and territories in various stages of the four-phase Covid-19 exit plan. Under the revised list, all states and territories are expected to be aligned in the final phase of recovery by the end of October, when Malaysia is scheduled to have completed vaccinating its entire adult population. "The effort to revise SOPs that have been used for more than a year will definitely take some time, but the government is committed to achieving this before the transition to the endemic phase," Datuk Seri Hishamuddin, who is also Defence Minister, said in a statement on Tuesday, after a meeting of the quartet of ministers handling the country's pandemic response. The other ministers are Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa and Finance Minister Zafrul Aziz. Mr Hishamuddin said that the meeting also agreed on several other measures to ease restrictions in the economic and social sectors, and these will be announced by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in the near future. Tengku Zafrul, in a separate statement on Tuesday, said that a memorandum of understanding inked between the government and the main opposition Pakatan Harapan bloc would bolster economic recovery in the final quarter of 2021. He disclosed that the Cabinet had agreed last Friday to raise the ceiling limit for Covid-19 funds to RM110 billion (S$35.5 billion) from RM65 billion previously, and to raise the statutory debt limit to 65 per cent of gross domestic product. The amendments will be tabled in Parliament in October to help bolster the public healthcare system and to spur economic activity. Malaysia is also changing the way it is reporting on Covid-19 figures, shifting its focus to vaccinations and the rate of hospital bed utilisation as it prepares to reopen the economy and live with Covid-19. Almost 75 per cent of Malaysia's adult population have been fully vaccinated as at Monday. More than half, or 53.5 per cent, of the total population are fully inoculated.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Great Michigan Fire
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The Great Michigan Fire was a series of simultaneous forest fires in the state of Michigan in the United States in 1871. [1] They were possibly caused (or at least reinforced) by the same winds that fanned the Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire and the Port Huron Fire; some believe lightning or even meteor showers may have started the fires. [2] Several cities, towns and villages, including Alpena, Holland, Manistee, and Port Huron, suffered serious damage or were lost. The concurrent Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin also destroyed several towns in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In 1881, much more than half of "the Thumb" region was burned over by the Thumb Fire, which followed part of the same path as the 1871 fires. In the mid-1830s logging began in Michigan and grew into a significant industry. Michigan was extensively logged for the Eastern white pine, measuring 150 feet (46 m) tall and exceeding 5 feet (2 m) in diameter, along with the hardwood forests. By 1854, sixteen sawmills were in operation, producing over 13,000,000 board feet (30,000 m3) of lumber. These operations left behind branches, bark and quantities of unused wood. [3]
The fires of October 8, 1871, started after a long dry summer. Most areas had had no rain in months, making the dried-up vegetation and logging debris, known as "slash", fuel for the fires. These fires were the result of hundreds of smaller land-clearing fires whipped together to form a massive wall of flames by gale force winds. In addition to the fires originating in Michigan, the Peshtigo firestorm in Wisconsin crossed the Menominee River and burned in Menominee County, Michigan. More than 3,900 square miles (2,500,000 acres; 1,000,000 ha) were burned in Michigan, including the Menominee County area. Not only was the land burnt and left barren, thousands of buildings (houses, barns, stores and mills) were destroyed with no lumber left to rebuild. Hundreds of families were left homeless. The extent of property loss, animal deaths, and forest devastation has never been determined. [4]
Also unknown is the total number of human deaths. Some estimates put the loss of life at fewer than 500, but they were largely based on families reporting their members missing. In 1871 in Michigan there were hundreds to thousands of lumberjacks and salesmen spread out across the state, along with settlers in remote areas, making it impossible to know the total death toll. Because the Michigan fires occurred during the day, the estimate of the death toll is lower than the Great Chicago Fire's estimated 250-300 dead. [5]
One speculation, first suggested in 1883, is that the simultaneous fires across the Midwest were caused by the impact of fragments from Comet Biela. The theory was revived in a 1985 book[6] and investigated in a 2004 paper to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. [7] The key hypothesis is that methane from the comet provided the fuel for fires across the region to flare out of control. Others dispute this theory, arguing that meteorites in fact are cold to the touch when they reach the Earth's surface, and there are no credible reports of any fire anywhere having been started by a meteorite. [8][9] Various aspects of the behaviors of the Chicago and Peshtigo fires attributed to extraterrestrial intervention have more mundane explanations. [10] No external source of ignition was needed; numerous small fires were already burning in the area after a tinder-dry summer and all that was needed to generate the massive blazes in the Midwest were the winds from the front that moved in that evening.
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Fire
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World Food Program Raises $1.8 Million Following David Muir’s Report on Madagascar’s Climate Change Famine
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World News Tonight anchor David Muir was in Glasgow this week covering the U.N. Climate Change conference. The anchor made his way to Scotland not long after reporting from Southern Madagascar on how climate change is drastically affecting the lives of people in the country, especially young children. Muir’s report from Madagascar aired on Monday across ABC News programming, including World News Tonight, and the World Food Program announced Thursday that the organization has raised $1.8 million and counting following Muir’s piece. “There are no words,” Muir told TVNewser. “We are truly grateful to our viewers for going on the journey with us. We saw the desperation in the faces of the children. What we witnessed was truly catastrophic, and let’s hope this is just one step in getting them the help they so desperately need.” Muir’s reporting from Madagascar and subsequent trip to Scotland are part of ABC News’ month-long series “ Climate Crisis: Saving Tomorrow ”, which launched earlier this week. The series features climate change coverage spanning seven continents.
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Famine
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1883 eruption of Krakatoa
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The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa (Indonesian: Letusan Krakatau 1883) in the Sunda Strait began on 20 May 1883 and peaked on the late morning of Monday, 27 August 1883, when over 70% of the island of Krakatoa and its surrounding archipelago were destroyed as it collapsed into a caldera. The eruption was one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in recorded history and explosions were so violent that they were heard 3,110 kilometres (1,930 mi) away in Perth, Western Australia, and Rodrigues near Mauritius, 4,800 kilometres (3,000 mi) away. [2] At least 36,417 deaths are attributed to the eruption and the tsunamis it created. The sound was claimed to be heard in 50 different locations around the world and the sound wave is recorded to have travelled the globe seven times over. [3]
Significant additional effects were also felt around the world in the days and weeks after the volcano's eruption. Additional seismic activity continued until February 1884; reports of seismic activity after October 1883 were later dismissed by Rogier Verbeek's investigation into the eruption. In the years before the 1883 eruption, seismic activity around the Krakatoa volcano was intense, with earthquakes felt as far away as Australia. Beginning on 19 May 1883, steam venting began to occur regularly from Perboewatan, the northernmost of the island's three cones. Eruptions of ash reached an estimated altitude of 6 km (20,000 ft) and explosions could be heard in New Batavia (Jakarta) 160 km (99 mi) away. [4]
Eruptions at Krakatoa started again around 16 June, with loud explosions of a thick black cloud covering the islands for five days. On 24 June, a prevailing east wind cleared the cloud, and two ash columns could be seen issuing from Krakatoa. The seat of the eruption is believed to have been a new vent or vents that formed between Perboewatan and Danan. The violence of the ongoing eruptions caused tides in the vicinity to be unusually high, and ships at anchor had to be moored with chains. Earthquakes were felt at Anyer, Banten, and ships began to report large pumice masses to the west in the Indian Ocean. [4]
In early August, a Dutch topographical engineer, Captain H. J. G. Ferzenaar, investigated the Krakatoa islands. [4] He noted three major ash columns (the newer from Danan), which obscured the western part of the island, and steam plumes from at least eleven other vents, mostly between Danan and Rakata. When he landed, he noted an ash layer about 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) thick, and the destruction of all vegetation, leaving only tree stumps. He advised against any further landings. [4]
By 25 August, the Krakatoa eruptions intensified. At about 1:00 pm on 26 August, the volcano went into its paroxysmal phase. By 2:00 pm, a black cloud of ash could be seen 27 kilometres high. At this point, the eruption was almost continuous and explosions could be heard every ten minutes or so. Ships within 20 km (12 mi) of the volcano reported heavy ash fall, with pieces of hot pumice up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter landing on their decks. Between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm, a small tsunami hit the shores of Java and Sumatra, 40 km (25 mi) away. On 27 August, four enormous explosions occurred, which marked the climax of the eruption. At 5:30 am, the first explosion was at Perboewatan, triggering a tsunami heading to Telok Betong, now known as Bandar Lampung. At 6:44 am, Krakatoa exploded again at Danan, with the resulting tsunami propagating eastward and westward. The third and largest explosion, at 10:02 am, was so violent that it was heard 3,110 km (1,930 mi) away in Perth, Western Australia, and the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues near Mauritius, 4,800 km (3,000 mi) away, where the blast was thought to have been cannon fire from a nearby ship. The third explosion has been reported as the loudest sound heard in historic times. [5][6][7]:79 The loudness of the blast heard 160 km (100 mi) from the volcano has been calculated to have been 180 dB. [8] Each explosion was accompanied by tsunamis estimated to have been over 30 metres (98 feet) high in places. A large area of the Sunda Strait and places on the Sumatran coast were affected by pyroclastic flows from the volcano. The energy released from the explosion has been estimated to be equal to about 200 megatonnes of TNT (840 petajoules),[9] roughly four times as powerful as the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful thermonuclear weapon ever detonated. At 10:41 am, a landslide tore off half of Rakata volcano, along with the remainder of the island to the north of Rakata, causing the final explosion. [5]
The pressure wave generated by the colossal third explosion radiated out from Krakatoa at 1,086 km/h (675 mph). [10] The eruption is estimated to have reached 310 dB, loud enough to be heard 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi) away. [11]:248 It was so powerful that it ruptured the eardrums of sailors 64 km (40 miles) away on ships in the Sunda Strait,[11]:235 and caused a spike of more than 8.5 kilopascals (2.5 inHg) in pressure gauges 160 km (100 miles) away, attached to gasometers in the Batavia gasworks, sending them off the scale. [11]:218[note 1]
The pressure wave was recorded on barographs all over the world. Several barographs recorded the wave seven times over the course of five days: four times with the wave travelling away from the volcano to its antipodal point, and three times travelling back to the volcano. [7]:63 Hence, the wave rounded the globe three and a half times. Ash was propelled to an estimated height of 80 km (50 mi). The eruptions diminished rapidly after that point, and by the morning of 28 August, Krakatoa was silent. Small eruptions, mostly of mud, continued into October 1883. By then, less than 30% of the original island remained. The combination of pyroclastic flows, volcanic ash, and tsunamis associated with the Krakatoa eruptions had disastrous regional consequences. Some land in Banten, approximately 90 km south, was never repopulated; it reverted to jungle and is now the Ujung Kulon National Park. The official death toll recorded by the Dutch authorities was 36,417. [12]
Verbeek and others believe that the final major Krakatoa eruption was a lateral blast, or pyroclastic surge. Around noon on 27 August 1883, a rain of hot ash fell around Ketimbang (now Katibung in Lampung Province) in Sumatra. Approximately 1,000 people were killed in Sumatra;[11] there were no survivors from the 3,000 people on the island of Sebesi.
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Volcano Eruption
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