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Pacific Coast race riots of 1907
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The Pacific Coast race riots of 1907 were a series of riots against both Americans and Canadians of Asian descent that took place within the United States and Canada. The riots, which resulted in violence and destruction of property, were the result of anti-Asian tension caused by white opposition to the increasing Asian population during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most notable riots that took place were in San Francisco, California; Bellingham, Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Each city and anti-Asian activist group claimed its own unique reasoning for their specific riots, which were encouraged by the Asiatic Exclusion League. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, both the United States and Canada were experiencing a wave of Asian immigration. As more Asian immigrants continued entering North America, a growing number of citizens on the Pacific Coast became concerned due to economic fears and racist attitudes. American and Canadian citizens grew fearful that Asian immigrants would compete for jobs seen "only" for whites. The immigrants were regarded as "cheap labor", and some employers were accused without evidence of firing Caucasian workers and replacing them with immigrants. "By [the] 1880s, more than 100,000 Chinese were employed in a wide array of occupations, ranging from work on the railroads, in agriculture, and in mining, to work as domestics, in restaurants, and in laundries". [1] Shortly after the Chinese immigration wave, Japanese citizens followed suit and migrated to the United States. By the late 1880s, the number of Japanese immigrants was equivalent to the number of Chinese immigrants. [1]
As the 19th century came to a close, immigration continued to increase along with Nativism, the idea of preserving the current "American social values". [2] Many nativists viewed immigrants who were not Protestant, white or from select regions of Europe as "un-American" and therefore were unable to assimilate into society. [3] It was claimed that if such citizens were seen as "unfit for society", they were considered a threat to the preservation of "American values". [3] Many white Canadian and American citizens engaged in violent actions to force Asians out of jobs and certain cities in the spring, summer and fall of 1907. [3]
The Pacific Coast race riots consisted primarily of three major riots. These riots took place in San Francisco, Bellingham, and Vancouver. The San Francisco riot began May 20, 1907 and lasted for several nights. It was led by European-American nativists who used violence to advance their goals of excluding Japanese immigrants and maintaining segregated schools for Caucasian and Japanese students. The conflicts over segregated schools for Japanese students and the San Francisco riot led to negotiations between the United States, Canada, and Japan, culminating in the Gentlemen's Agreement. [4] The Japanese government agreed to not issue passports for entry into the United States to any skilled or unskilled labor if they had not previously been to the United States. [5]
The Bellingham riots took place on September 4, 1907. As Asian immigrants migrated to Bellingham, employers saw an opportunity to employ Asian immigrants at cheaper wages than Caucasian workers. This added to the racial and ethnocentric hostilities in the community as Caucasian lumber workers feared that the South Asian immigrants would displace them. [6]
The Vancouver riot took place two days after the Bellingham riot, on September 7 and 8, in response to Whites becoming concerned with the growing Asian population during the summer of 1907. The Vancouver race riots resulted in restrictive legislation, In 1907–1908, 2,623 Indians and South Asians entered Canada. In 1908–1909, only six South Asian immigrants entered Canada. [7]
The riots resulted in more attention focused on Asian immigration policies within the United States and Canada.
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Riot
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Read Trump's Speech Withdrawing From the Iran Deal
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On Tuesday, the president said that the U.S. will pull out of the agreement and reinstate sanctions on Iran.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions on the country. The agreement—which was reached by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany, along with the European Union, in July 2015—lifted sanctions on Iran in return for the country halting its nuclear program. Trump has long been vocal in his opposition to the deal, calling it a “horrible agreement,” an “embarrassment,” and, a day before his announcement, “very badly negotiated.” Trump’s decision to reinstate sanctions on Iran puts the U.S. at odds with its allies, who have indicated that they plan to stay in the deal.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently said that if the U.S. exits the deal, “it will quickly see that this decision will be a regret of historic proportions.” However, the debate as to the best course of action is a heated one: Some argue that the deal isn’t effective, while others say that withdrawing risks provoking an unnecessary crisis.
Here, a full transcript of Trump’s remarks.
My fellow Americans, today I want to update the world on our efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The Iranian regime is the leading state sponsor of terror. It exports dangerous missiles, fuels conflicts across the Middle East, and supports terrorist proxies and militias such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda.
Over the years, Iran and its proxies have bombed American embassies and military installations, murdered hundreds of American servicemembers, and kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured American citizens. The Iranian regime has funded its long reign of chaos and terror by plundering the wealth of its own people. No action taken by the regime has been more dangerous than its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means of delivering them.
In 2015, the previous administration joined with other nations in a deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program. This agreement was known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. In theory, the so-called Iran deal was supposed to protect the United States and our allies from the lunacy of an Iranian nuclear bomb, a weapon that will only endanger the survival of the Iranian regime.
In fact, the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and, over time, reach the brink of a nuclear breakout. The deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on our end in exchange for very weak limits on the regime’s nuclear activity and no limits at all on its other maligned behavior, including sinister activities in Syria, Yemen, and other places all around the world. In other words, at the point when the United States had maximum leverage, this disastrous deal gave this regime—and it’s a regime of great terror—many billions of dollars, some of it in actual cash. A great embarrassment to me as a citizen and to all citizens of the United States.
A constructive deal could easily have been struck at the time, but it wasn’t. At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear-energy program. Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie. Last week, Israel published intelligence documents, long-concealed by Iran, conclusively showing the Iranian regime and its history of pursuing nuclear weapons.
The fact is, this was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made. It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it never will. In the years since the deal was reached, Iran’s military budget has grown by almost 40 percent, while its economy is doing very badly. After the sanctions were lifted, the dictatorship used its new funds to build nuclear-capable missiles, support terrorism, and cause havoc throughout the Middle East and beyond.
The agreement was so poorly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime could still be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in just a short period of time. The deal’s sunset provisions are totally unacceptable. If I allowed this deal to stand, there would soon be a nuclear-arms race in the Middle East. Everyone would want their weapons ready by the time Iran had theirs.
Making matters worse, the deal’s inspection provisions lack adequate mechanisms to prevent, detect, and punish cheating—and don’t even have the unqualified right to inspect many important locations, including military facilities. Not only does the deal fail to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but it also fails to address the regime’s development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads.
Finally, the deal does nothing to constrain Iran’s destabilizing activities, including its support for terrorism. Since the agreement, Iran’s bloody ambitions have grown only more brazen. In light of these glaring flaws, I announced last October that the Iran deal must be either renegotiated or terminated. Three months later, on January 12, I repeated these conditions. I made clear that if the deal could not be fixed, the United States would no longer be a party to the agreement.
Over the past few months, we have engaged extensively with our allies and partners around the world, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. We have also consulted with our friends from across the Middle East. We are unified in our understanding of the threat and in our conviction that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.
After these consultations, it is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement. The Iranian deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapon. Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
In a few moments, I will sign a presidential memorandum to begin reinstating U.S. nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime. We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States. America will not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail. We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction and we will not allow a regime the chance death to America to gain access to the most deadly weapons on Earth. Today’s action sends a critical message. The United States no longer makes empty threats. When I make promises, I keep them. In fact, at this very moment, Secretary Pompeo is on his way to North Korea in preparation for my upcoming meeting with Kim Jong-Un. Plans are being made, relationships are building, hopefully a deal will happen, and with the help of China, South Korea, and Japan, a future of great prosperity and security can be achieved for everyone.
As we exit the Iran deal, we will be working with our allies to find a real, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear threat. This will include efforts to eliminate the threat of Iran’s ballistic-missile program, to stop its terrorist activities worldwide, and to block its menacing activity across the Middle East. In the meantime, powerful sanctions will go into full effect. If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before.
Finally, I want to deliver a message to the long-suffering people of Iran: The people of America stand with you. It has now been almost 40 years since this dictatorship seized power and took a proud nation hostage. Most of Iran’s 80 million citizens have sadly never known an Iran that prospered in peace with its neighbors and commanded the admiration of the world. But the future of Iran belongs to its people. They are the rightful heirs to a rich culture and an ancient land and they deserve a nation that does justice to their dreams, honor to their history, and glory to their god.
Iran’s leaders will naturally say that they refuse to negotiate a new deal. They refuse and that is fine. I probably would say the same thing if I was in their position. But the fact is they are going to want to make a new and lasting deal, one that benefits all of Iran and the Iranian people. When they do, I am ready, willing, and able. Great things can happen for Iran and great things can happen for the peace and stability that we all want in the Middle East. There has been enough suffering, death, and destruction. Let it end now. Thank you. God bless you.
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Tear Up Agreement
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Michigan gets a rare view of solar eclipse on Thursday; here's when to see it
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A total solar eclipse will occur next Thursday, June 10th, when the moon will pass directly between earth and the sun. Unlike lunar eclipses, solar eclipses are much more difficult to get a view because the moon's shadow only covers a small fraction of earth's surface. Metro Detroit will have the chance to see some of this total solar eclipse, but the eclipse is going to begin before sunrise, and we won't be under the totality of the moon's shadow. Those in northern Ontario will be able to see the totality of the eclipse; highlighted in red in the map below. Path of solar eclipse June 10, 2021 Let's look at the times of the eclipse first. Then we'll look what the times we'll have a view from southeast Michigan. First location to see partial eclipse: 4:12 a.m. EDT First location to see full eclipse: 5:50 a.m. EDT Maximum eclipse ("ring of fire"): 6:42 a.m. EDT Last location to see full eclipse end: 7:33 a.m. EDT Last location to see partial eclipse end: 9:11 a.m. EDT Times and view from Metro Detroit: Sun rises during partial eclipse at 5:55 a.m. EDT The sun will gradually separate from the moon as it rises, and the eclipse will end at 6:37 a.m. EDT from Detroit. www.timeanddate.com Source: www.timeanddate.com This only gives us a 42-minute window the view the eclipse. The best shots will be right as the sun is rising between 5:55 a.m. - 6:10 a.m. Because of the angle of the sun rising, the viewing times for areas up north like Traverse City and Marquette in the U.P. will be very similar to the times in metro Detroit. Fingers crossed the clouds stay away Thursday morning. This will be the last solar eclipse visible from Michigan until one of the best total solar eclipses (in the U.S.) of the century April 8, 2024.
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New wonders in nature
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Knights of Columbus Hostel fire
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The Knights of Columbus Hostel fire was a structure fire that occurred on December 12, 1942, in St. John's, Newfoundland in a hostel operated by the Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic fraternal organization. [1] A total of 99 people were killed,[1] 80 of whom were military personnel. 109 others were critically wounded. [2]
Taking place during World War II, the fire is believed by many to have been an incident of enemy sabotage orchestrated by agents of Nazi Germany. [1]
The area was a center of military personnel and activities, including soldiers, sailors, and air forces. Within a few weeks, other suspicious fires or their makings occurred in St. John's that winter, at sites frequented by military personnel. [2]
A large military presence had developed in St. John’s from the outset of World War II. The capital had 60,000 residents. Thousands more military personnel entered the area, representing three jurisdictions. In addition to local forces, personnel from several foreign countries passed through St. John's, as it became an important staging point for trans-Atlantic convoys. [1]
The Dominion of Newfoundland, which did not confederate with Canada until 1949, was represented by the Newfoundland Militia, billeted at Shamrock Field. Canadian national forces, including air force, were stationed at Torbay and Gander. The air force began to supply protection from German U-boats as far as the Grand Banks. The native people of Newfoundland and their militia resented both the Canadian and American newcomers. [2]
The United States was building a series of bases in Newfoundland. The 1600-acre American Army base, Fort Pepperrell, was built on the shores of Quidi Vidi Lake, on land leased for 99 years from the Newfoundland government. [2] Thousands of American servicemen were stationed in St. John’s. [1]
Warships filled the harbour, and navy men and merchant seamen also swelled the population of the capital city. Organizations and groups worked to provide safe recreation places for their off hours. The Knights of Columbus Hostel on Harvey Road was frequented by many servicemen. The Knights of Columbus during World War I had set up many centers in England and Europe for servicemen, and renewed that commitment in World War II. [1]
St. John's had already been the site of enemy action: a Nazi U-boat off Belle Isle sank two British freighters carrying iron ore.[2] "On 3 March 1942, U-587 fired three torpedoes at St. John's. One hit Fort Amherst and two more hit the cliffs below Cabot Tower. Two days previous, a Liberator aircraft out of Argentia flown by Ensign William Tepuni caught U-656, under Kaptänleutnant Ernst Kröning, on the surface in broad daylight, a mere 40 kilometres south of Trepassey, and destroyed it." This sinking gave rise to one of the most famous radio signals of the war - "Sighted Sub, Sank Same". [3]
The hostel had been built in December 1941 for $100,000 USD. It was described (in the post-fire enquiry by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary) as a "sleeping, eating and recreation centre for servicemen". It included a reading room, a restaurant, toilets, showers, a dormitory where men could stay, and a recreation room. The center entertainment space was a large auditorium[1] equipped with both a stage for live performances and a projection booth for showing films. Weekly performances were broadcast from the hostel by radio. [2]
The building was horseshoe-shaped and faced south toward Harvey Road. It was covered entirely by a gabled roof. Its main section was about 115 feet (35 m) long and 38 feet (12 m) wide, standing two storeys high. At each end, a wing extended north from the rear of the main section, with a courtyard behind the main section in the space between the wings. The east wing, also two storeys high and the same width as the main section, extended approximately 88 feet (27 m). The west wing was of the same dimensions, but only one storey in height. [1]
An estimated 350 to 500 people[4] were attending the barn dance in the auditorium, where Biddy O'Toole's songs were broadcast. She was one of Uncle Tim's Barn Dance Troupe, which broadcast a weekly show from the stage. The fire and the actions of the patrons was inadvertently broadcast through the open microphones of the dance troop that were on stage. [5] Around 11 PM,[6] soon after the next act started, featuring Canadian soldier Eddy Adams singing "The Moonlight Trail", a cry of fire was heard. The crowd struggled to get out of the auditorium, but the lights went out due to the fire. The four exits had been blockaded for the blackout. [2] A survivor of the fire also stated that the doors would only swing inwards to the room and not outwards, further causing individuals to be clustered and unable to escape. [4]
By 11:07 PM, officers patrolling outside claimed the sky was lite by the fire. At least two individuals US Army Cpl Hoosier and RNC Constable Bartlett, entered the building in an attempt to help evacuate individuals overcome by smoke. [7] The fire burned out of control that night, quickly destroying the $100,000 building. The fire department finally put out the flames about 2:30 a.m., but kept putting water on the fire to prevent any revival. [2]
A total of 99 people died, 80 of them Canadian, British and American servicemen, and 19 civilians. [4] Another 109 persons were critically injured.
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Fire
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Georgia's Talakhadze sets three world records to win weightlifting gold at Tokyo Olympics (updated)
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Lasha Talakhadze of Georgia competes during the Weightlifting Men's +109kg competition at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
TOKYO, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Lasha Talakhadze won his second Olympic gold medal with dominance in the men's over 109kg weightlifting at Tokyo 2020 here on Wednesday by breaking his own world records in the process.
The 27-year-old Talakhadze has dominated this category since the International Weightlifting Federation made the decision to reshuffle the divisions in 2018. The Rio Olympic champion met no challenge in the snatch as he hoisted 223kg in his third attempt, one kilo more than his own world record.
Talakhadze, collecting 12 European titles and nine world titles, extended his lead as he began his solo in the clean and jerk after all the lifters finished their competition.
He jerked 245kg in his first attempt to nail the gold medal, but he did not stop and pushed himself to hoist a new world 265kg in his last lift. His total lifts of 488kg eclipsed the world record by three kilos.
"I feel very happy about it. It was a long training period during this pandemic. I had a great dream and excitement to win the gold medal again (after Rio 2016). That dream came true again," said Talakhadze.
Talakhadze also became the first Georgian to win multiple Olympic gold medals in any sport, and he determined to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and he was asked by the press whether a 500kg total could be a goal.
"At this stage it would be risky (500kg), but I will try my utmost and do everything to set the nearest limit to that,"Talakhadze said.
Being so far ahead of his competitors, Talakhadze thought he appreciated every competitors and he just wanted to perform his best on the platform.
"Each of my opponents are strong opponents, my achievements look high, but they are all just opponents which are well valued and appreciated by me. My major thought (during competition) is that I want to win myself."
Ali Davoudi of Iran, the Asian champion this year, lifted a total of 441kg to claim the silver while the bronze went to Man Asaad of Syria at 424kg.
"I am very happy. It's been my pursuit since childhood and I've been working hard. I congratulate the Iranian people and I am happy that during this quarantine I can make them happy. I am hoping next time I can get them gold," Davoudi told the press. Enditem
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Break historical records
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Suspect sought in Rohnert Park bank robbery
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The robbery happened at about 8:30 a.m. at the Westamerica Bank at the corner of Guerneville and Fulton roads. The mandate announced Tuesday requires in-home and senior care workers to get vaccination against influenza by Nov. 30. Kyle Rittenhouse broke down in tears on the witness stand at his murder trial Wednesday as he described how he was being pursued by the first man he shot and killed during a night of turbulent protests in Wisconsin. Governments are considering calling for a global end to coal use, according to a draft released Wednesday of the final document expected at the U.N. climate talks. The park was closed after lightning on Sept. 9 ignited two fires that merged. More clinics are scheduled for this week in Santa Rosa, Occidental, Healdsburg, Petaluma and Windsor. The settlement is like nowhere else in California. A draft of the final document expected at the U.N. climate talks was released Wednesday. NASA is pushing back its deadline for returning American astronauts to the moon’s surface by as much as one year. The first man killed by Kyle Rittenhouse on the streets of Kenosha was shot at a range of just a few feet and had soot injuries that could indicate he had his hand over the barrel of Rittenhouse’s rifle, a pathologist testified Tuesday. Police are searching for a man suspected of robbing a Rohnert Park bank Monday and fleeing with an unknown amount of cash, according to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety. At 12:50 p.m., a man with his hand in his pocket, giving the impression he had a weapon, walked into the Westamerica Bank on Rohnert Park Expressway and told a teller “he was robbing the bank,” police said in a statement. The teller handed over money and the man fled the bank with it. The man was last seen fleeing on foot north through the bank parking lot towards City Center Drive and Padre Town Center. He was wearing a black knitted cap, a camouflage jacket with a bright orange liner, a blue mask covering the lower portion of his face and sunglasses, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Justin Wax at 707-584-2600. You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5220. On Twitter @searchingformya. The collision happened Nov. 3 near Old Gravenstein Highway. There’s no crosswalk in the area, officials said. Las Vegas real estate agent and developer Eddie Haddad, representing Nevada-based Resources Group, placed the highest bid, offering $15,050,000 for the nearly nearly 72-acre government property in northeast Santa Rosa. Despite two storms since the water year began Oct. 1, Sonoma County reservoirs remain low and water managers continue calling for 20% conservation. Peace & Plenty Farm in Kelseyville is North America’s largest producer of saffron. Somerville told the Mercury News that “all indications” were that he will not be given the opportunity to return as an anchor after being suspended for a disagreement on coverage of the Gabby Petito case. Companies owned by the rapper have agreed to pay $950,000 to Sonoma County’s District Attorney’s Office and three others. Black community members expressed disappointment over the loss of two Black county department heads, which they said had the potential to impact hiring efforts around the county. More clinics are scheduled for this week in Santa Rosa, Occidental, Healdsburg, Petaluma and Windsor. WIN Expo will be held on Thursday, December 2, 2021, from 9:00am — 4:00pm at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa... The collision happened Nov. 3 near Old Gravenstein Highway. There’s no crosswalk in the area, officials said. Las Vegas real estate agent and developer Eddie Haddad, representing Nevada-based Resources Group, placed the highest bid, offering $15,050,000 for the nearly nearly 72-acre government property in northeast Santa Rosa. Despite two storms since the water year began Oct. 1, Sonoma County reservoirs remain low and water managers continue calling for 20% conservation. Peace & Plenty Farm in Kelseyville is North America’s largest producer of saffron. Somerville told the Mercury News that “all indications” were that he will not be given the opportunity to return as an anchor after being suspended for a disagreement on coverage of the Gabby Petito case. UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: The robbery happened at about 8:30 a.m. at the Westamerica Bank at the corner of Guerneville and Fulton roads. The mandate announced Tuesday requires in-home and senior care workers to get vaccination against influenza by Nov. 30. Kyle Rittenhouse broke down in tears on the witness stand at his murder trial Wednesday as he described how he was being pursued by the first man he shot and killed during a night of turbulent protests in Wisconsin. Governments are considering calling for a global end to coal use, according to a draft released Wednesday of the final document expected at the U.N. climate talks.
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Bank Robbery
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Dana Air Flight 992 crash
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Dana Air Flight 992 was a scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from Abuja to Lagos, Nigeria. On 3 June 2012, the McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft serving the route crashed into buildings in Lagos while attempting an emergency landing, killing all 153 people on board and six on the ground. [1][2]
The subsequent investigation concluded that both engines had suffered loss of power, and that the associated procedures had not been followed by the crew. [3]
Flight 992 departed Abuja at 14:58 local time and was cleared to flight level 260. At this point, the flight was still normal. [4]
At 17 minutes after taking off from Abuja, the crew of Flight 992 noticed an abnormality on the left engine and started to discuss the problem. The captain later stated, "we just want to get home". The first officer then asked the captain if he should call the engineer to analyse the problem, but the captain declined. The captain stated that the first officer and he could figure out the cause of the problem by themselves, and declared that the engineer's help was not needed. [4]
The captain asked the first officer if one of the ground crews had tampered with the panel near the plane's rear door, and subsequently stated that "the guy" had problems and was enraged at them. The flight continued to Lagos and the crew continued to discuss the problem they were facing. They noticed differences in the EPR value on the engines. The crew also noticed that no response from the left engine occurred when they advanced the throttle lever, and concluded that the left engine was inoperative. The crew decided to start their descent towards Lagos. As a failure on the left engine occurred, the crew should have looked at their quick-reference handbook (QRH) and followed procedures accordingly, but failed to do so. [4]
The captain then ordered the first officer to increase Flight 992's rate of descent, but the first officer declined, stating that the gradual descent was far more effective in maintaining their height. The crew was then cleared by Lagos for an approach to Runway 18L. The crew later asked for clearance for an approach to Runway 18R and was subsequently cleared by Lagos ATC. [4]
At 15:31 local time, the crew finally declared that no throttle response was happening from either engine. As a result, the captain took over the control from the first officer. Though the left engine was inoperative, the crew did not issue an emergency call. After the left engine failed, the right engine also started to fail, which was confirmed later by the crew. The crew then switched off several systems on the plane's engine, which were the engine anti–ice, ignition, and bleed air. At the time, the captain was still calm and still did not declare an emergency, stating, "okay, this one is good for us so far". [4]
At 15:35, the captain stated that they will be investigated by the NCAA. [4]
As the crew received several instructions of headings and radar vectors by the ATC, the crew started to worry about their condition. The crew then started their prelanding tasks, including the deployment of the air brakes and the setting of the flaps and slats. The engine problem became compounded as thrust was required to continue the final approach. [4]
The first officer then asked the captain if both engines were operative, to which the captain replied, "negative". Both engines failed to produce the commanded thrust. A call was never made for the checklist, both normal and non-normal/emergency, throughout the flight and no indication was found that QRH was consulted. [4]
At 15:41, the crew declared an emergency when they were 11 nautical miles (20 km) from the airport. [5] and repeated the following messages until they were directed by ATC:
Dual engine failure, negative response from throttles. The crew later selected flaps 28. At the time, the situation seemed to be under control and the crew asked the passengers to prepare for landing. [4]
A few minutes later, the "altitude" warning sounded, and the captain stated that he had sighted the runway. The flaps were selected up and the crew selected the landing gears up. The Captain stated that he did not want to stall the plane. The captain then concluded that "we just lost everything, we lost an engine, I lost both engines". During the next 25 seconds, the captain requested everything that could help recover thrust including "relight", "ignition override", "just anything" to be given to him. The crew then applied stabilizer trim several times as they tried to avoid obstacles and buildings ahead of them, but their attempts were useless. The plane lost altitude rapidly and the altitude warning sounded until the end of the recording. [4]
The MD-83 crashed in the Iju-Ishaga neighbourhood near the airport, with its tail section first striking an uncompleted building, two trees and three other ground structures. The tail detached from the plane, and the rest of the plane (the front part and the middle part) crashed into the building. The plane then exploded, consumed by its own 8,000 lb of fuel. Fire occurred throughout the neighbourhood. The uncompleted building was storing flammable liquids in preparation for its intended use as a press building,[6] increasing the fire. [7]
The crash scene became chaotic, with The Sun reporting that thousands of Lagos residents attempted to approach the site. Crowds attempted to bring hoses to the site while soldiers attempted to disperse onlookers with punches and rubber whips. The onlookers then threw stones at the soldiers in retaliation.
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Air crash
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2018 Brazil truck drivers' strike
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The 2018 Brazil truck drivers' strike, also called the diesel crisis, was a strike of self-employed truck drivers[6][7] that began on 21 May 2018. [8][9][10]
The protesters demanded a decrease of the price of diesel, exemption from certain tolls,[11] as well as a legal and tax reform related to truck driving. Oil prices increased in Brazil after a 2016 policy change[12] that made oil prices float with international prices. [13][14]
The nationwide paralysis of roads caused a shortage of food, medicines, and oil across Brazil, with long queues of vehicles to gas stations. [15]
Starting in late 2016, the price of oil in Brazil rose due to the termination of policies coming from Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff's terms in office. Under Michel Temer's administration, the prior policy of pricing domestically sold oil lower than the international price was changed by the state-owned oil company, Petrobrás, to sell at the international market price. Furthermore, the value of the dollar relative to the Brazilian real also rose in the weeks before the strike, driving up the domestic cost of oil in the local currency. [16][17]
On 18 May 2018, truckers and Abcam (Associação Brasileira dos Caminhoneiros, the Brazilian Association of Truckers, which claims to have more than 600,000 members) threatened to strike if the government did not reduce the tax burden on diesel. [18] With no response by the government, the strike began on 21 May. On 18 May, truckers announced a strike starting on 21 May if the government did not halt increases in diesel prices. [1] The following day, Petrobrás announced a price increase of 0.8% for diesel and 1.34% for gas, based on the increase of international oil prices and the company's new policy. [19]
On 20 May, the Federal Justice prohibited any blockade of the federal highways in Paraná. This move was made by the General Counsel for the Federal Government (Advocacia Geral da União) on request of the Federal Highway Police. [20]
During the first day of the strike, some highways were partially or totally blocked. In some areas, tires were burned by truckers and in others the truckers stayed on the road side. [21] By the end of the evening, president Michel Temer had a meeting with members of his cabinet. [22]
Airports warned of potential future problems with fuel, and car companies such as Ford, Chevrolet and Fiat also announced problems related to the strike. [23] In order to deal with the strike, the Minister of Public Security Raul Jungmann announced the creation of a crisis cabinet. [22]
On 23 May, airports started to suffer a lack of fuel; Infraero announced that airports like Congonhas and Recife International only had fuel for that day. [24] As a result of trucks halting fuel deliveries to gas stations and food deliveries to markets and other establishments, prices started to rise. In Recife, gasoline reached the price of R$8.99 (approximately US$2.45)[25] and in Rio de Janeiro a bag of potatoes could cost as much as R$500 (approximately US$136.30). [26] The same day, Abcam announced it would let trucks with livestock and medicine pass through the blockades until Friday of the same week (25 May). [27]
Temer asked for a truce for two or three days so the problem could be solved[28] and Petrobrás announced that it would make diesel 10% cheaper for fifteen days. [29] According to the company's president, Pedro Parente, the measure was taken exceptionally so the government could talk to the truckers during the fifteen days. [30]
One day later, gasoline reached R$10 (approximately US$2.72)[31] in the Federal District. During the same day, fewer buses were in circulation and hospitals started to have small problems due to the lack of fuel and other equipment. [32] The day was mainly marked by the announcement by the Chief of Staff, Eliseu Padilha, that the government had reached an agreement with representatives of the truckers after a six-hour meeting. The agreement involved the strike being suspended for fifteen days[33] and Jungmann said there are indications that the strike was actually a lockout and that the government would look into the situation. [34]
Despite the announcement of the deal on the previous day, Abcam did not adhere to it and the trucker's strike continued. [35] Airports started to run out of fuel and cancel flights,[36] federal universities started to suspend classes[37] and the lack of fuel limited the circulation of ambulances in some states and also caused surgeries that were not emergencies to be cancelled in states like Santa Catarina. [38]
Temer criticized the truckers who continued in the strike, calling them part of a "radical minority", and announced he would send troops to end the roadblocks made by the truckers. [39] Meanwhile, the Attorney General of Brazil asked the Supreme Federal Court to declare the strike illegal. [40] The Supreme Federal Court authorized the use of force and imposed a fine to those who refused to end the roadblocks[41] By the end of the evening, the government claimed to have already removed 45% of all roadblocks. [42]
The cities of São Paulo,[43] Rio de Janeiro[44] and Porto Alegre,[45] as well as the state of Pernambuco,[46] declared a state of emergency. On Saturday, 26 May, Minister Carlos Marun stated that the government will start to fine any company that does not obey the agreement made to unblock the highways in the amount of R$100,000 per hour, and also said that it believes that the event is not a strike but a lockout. [47] The state of Mato Grosso declared a state of emergency. [48]
Surgeries that are not urgent were cancelled all across the state of Rio de Janeiro. [49]
By the end of the afternoon, President Temer asked Henrique Meirelles to discuss measures to contain the strike with a special emphasis on reducing the tax over diesel (PIS/Confins) to zero. [50] A group of autonomous truckers was called by the government to meet later that day. [51] The city of Teresina declared a state of emergency. [52]
By the end of the day, Temer made a public pronouncement listing the measures that would be taken: reduction of diesel's price by R$0.46 per litre (for 60 days; after that just monthly adjustments would continue); suspension of taxes on suspended axles on federal highways; the warranty of autonomous truckers earning 30% of Conab (Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento) fare; and the establishment of a minimum shipping table (the last two are provisional measures). At this point, agricultural producers estimated that 64 million birds had to be sacrificed due to the lack of food, while the Guarulhos International Airport sees risk of shortage on fuel supply during the coming week due to a promised Wednesday strike by Petrobrás workers. [53]
Even after Temer's speech, many truckers continued to protest. Abcam's president, José da Fonseca Lopes, said that the truckers want to get back to work, the government gave them what they wanted and the strike did not stop yet because "a group of interventionists want to overthrow the government". Unicam's president José Araujo Silva said many that truck drivers still do not know about the deal but are being informed so they can stop with the strike. Gilson Baitaca, a member of the Movement of Grain Transporters of Mato Grosso, said that truckers who are connected to his movement will start unblocking the roads but some autonomous drivers want other things. Cláudio Ferreira of Fetrabens said he would meet with the governor of São Paulo discuss a way to anticipate the end of the strike in the state. The National Federation of Transport (CNT) informed that they believe the truckers' goals were achieved and that they should now go back to work. CNTA decided to let unions decide whether the strike should continue or if it should stop, but they oriented those who plan to continue to let fuel, milk, food going to schools, products going to hospitals and trucks with the civil defense sticker to pass. [54]
Ibovespa index fell during the morning, registering a drop of 2.45%, and the dollar rose, reaching R$3.70.
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Strike
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The massive eruption of Mount Unzen’s Fugendakeon June 3 in Shimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture
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By NAOKI OGAWA/ Staff Writer June 3, 2021 at 18:04 JST Firefighters observe a moment of silence at a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the massive eruption of Mount Unzen’s Fugendake on June 3 in Shimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture. (Jun Kaneko) SHIMABARA, Nagasaki Prefecture--Locals gathered here on June 3 to commemorate the massive eruption of Mount Unzen’s Fugendake 30 years ago, which killed 43 people including firefighters and journalists. About 60 bereaved family members and others attended a ceremony held in front of a memorial cenotaph installed in a corner of the Nita housing complex in Shimabara, where people who lost homes due to the disaster had relocated. The cenotaph is located about 5 kilometers east of the peak of Fugendake. Attendees offered a prayer to 43 victims who died in 1991, and to another person who died in the pyroclastic flows that occurred on June 23, 1993. A pyroclastic flow is a deadly, fast-moving mix of superhot gases and volcanic matter. Shimabara Mayor Ryuzaburo Furukawa noted in a speech that the volcano is still unstable. “A 100-million-cubic-meter lava dome is still stretching at the mountaintop precariously,” Furukawa said. “Further strengthening disaster prevention measures is the very least we can do for the souls of the dead.” The attendees offered white chrysanthemum flowers on a makeshift altar. After the ceremony, the bereaved family members were expected to ride in a Self-Defense Forces helicopter and fly over the Kamikoba area where many died from being swept up by the pyroclastic flows. At 4:08 p.m., the time the pyroclastic flows occurred 30 years ago, a siren was sounded around the city calling for a moment of silence. Daughter of journalist killed by volcano keeps his spirit alive Cars dug out of the ashes from 1991 Fugendake volcanic disaster VOX POPULI: Mt. Unzen deaths remind reporters some risks aren’t worth the story Volcano erupts off Kagoshima, but no signs of injury or damage
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Volcano Eruption
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Ravensthorpe nickel mine contractor fined over accident
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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 contractor at a nickel mine in Western Australia's south east has been fined $11,000 after a machine loaded with pipes rolled and almost injured his daughter and another employee. The 2017 accident happened at the Ravensthorpe nickel and processing plant operated by First Quantum Minerals Australia (FQM), which was also facing charges relating to the incident.
In the Esperance Magistrates Court yesterday Daniel Parker, from South Engineering and Agriculture (SEA), pled guilty to endangering two workers when a telehandler machine tipped over while he was a contractor for FQM in January 2017.
Prior to the accident, SEA staff including Mr Parker's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Parker, and SEA supervisor Shaun White were removing and replacing pipes near the mine's tailings dam.
The two workers attempted to lift a pipe assembly weighing more than 3 tonnes, by slinging it to the telehandler machine driven by Ms Parker.
The slings broke causing the machine to roll towards Mr White, narrowly missing him.
The court heard Mr White, who attached the pipes to the machine with slings, was not qualified to do this work.
And Ms Parker operating the telehandler was inexperienced and was not properly trained to use the vehicle as a crane. Nick John from the state solicitor's office told the court Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety inspectors said the slings used to lift the pipes were in "atrocious condition". "The telehandler rolling could have seriously injured or killed Mr White," Mr John said.
Mr Parker's daughter, Hannah, was not seriously hurt in the accident but her safety was also put at risk. The court was told Canadian-owned company FQM required Mr Parker's staff to have suitable qualifications to operate machinery on its mine site, but FQM did not do any "verification of competence" on any of these workers.
FQM only recently reopened the Ravensthorpe mine, after closing it in October 2017.
Mr Parker acknowledged he was not supervising his staff the day of the accident because he went to pick up another employee, his 20-year-old son from a random drug test required by FQM.
He said since the accident both his children, who still work with him, had been trained in rigging skills, and he's upgraded his Hopetoun-based business' workplace safety practices.
He hoped his experience would be a warning to other small businesses.
"I employ two of my children and anyone would be heartbroken to injure their own children … let alone someone else's family members," Mr Parker said.
"So it's very important to have occupational health and safety procedures up to speed."
Magistrate Ayling in imposing the $11,000 fine as well as $5,000 in court costs said Mr Parker should have given better instructions to staff, trained them properly, and been aware of the risks.
"This was an incident of South Engineering and Agriculture cutting corners to save time," she said.
FQM are due to face court later this year charged with failing to keep workers safe on a mine site, in relation to the same accident, and an additional workplace safety charge from an incident in May 2017.
It comes as new data from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety shows the WA mining industry has recorded a 20 per cent jump in lost-time injuries. There were 425 injuries recorded last financial year, resulting in more than 10,000 days off work. The data found 365 workplace accidents were classified as "serious", which is an injury that disables a worker for two weeks or more.
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Organization Fine
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More than 350,000 suffering from famine conditions in Ethiopia’s Tigray, says UN
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Aid chief says situation is worst since the 2011 famine in Somalia that led to the deaths of an estimated 250,000 people Last modified on Mon 14 Jun 2021 16.47 BST More than 350,000 people in Ethiopia’s Tigray region are suffering famine conditions, with millions more at risk, according to an analysis by UN agencies and aid groups that blamed conflict for the worst food crisis in a decade. “There is famine now in Tigray,” the UN aid chief, Mark Lowcock, said on Thursday after the release of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis. “The number of people in famine conditions ... is higher than anywhere in the world, at any moment since a quarter million Somalis lost their lives in 2011,” Lowcock said. Most of the 5.5 million people in Tigray need food aid. Fighting broke out in the region in November between government troops and the region’s former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The violence has killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 2 million from their homes in the mountainous region. The most extreme warning by the IPC – a scale used by UN agencies, regional bodies and aid groups to determine food insecurity – is phase 5, which starts with a catastrophe warning and rises to a declaration of famine in a region. The IPC said more than 350,000 people in Tigray are in phase 5 catastrophe. This means households are experiencing famine conditions, but less than 20% of the population is affected and deaths and malnutrition have not reached famine thresholds. “This severe crisis results from the cascading effects of conflict, including population displacements, movement restrictions, limited humanitarian access, loss of harvest and livelihood assets, and dysfunctional or non-existent markets,” the IPC analysis found. For famine to be declared, at least 20% of the population must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or from malnutrition and disease. “If the conflict further escalates or, for any other reason, humanitarian assistance is hampered, most areas of Tigray will be at risk of famine,” according to the IPC, which added that even if aid deliveries are stepped up, the situation is expected to worsen through September. The Ethiopian government disputed the IPC analysis, saying food shortages are not severe and aid is being delivered. Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti told a news conference on Thursday that the government was providing food aid and help to farmers in Tigray. “They [diplomats] are comparing it with the 1984-1985 famine in Ethiopia,” he said. “That is not going to happen.” Mituku Kassa, the head of Ethiopia’s National Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Committee, said on Wednesday: “We don’t have any food shortage.” But the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said a humanitarian nightmare was unfolding. “This is not the kind of disaster that can be reversed,” she said. Referring to a previous famine in Ethiopia that killed more than 1 million people, she said: “We cannot make the same mistake twice. We cannot let Ethiopia starve. We have to act now.” The World Food Programme executive director, David Beasley, said that to stop hunger from killing millions of people in Tigray, there needed to be a ceasefire, unimpeded aid access and more money to expand aid operations. According to notes of a meeting of UN agencies on Monday, the IPC analysis could be worse as “they did not include those in Amhara-controlled areas” in western Tigray.
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Famine
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Fire of Manisa
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The Fire of Manisa (Turkish: Manisa yangını) refers to the burning of the town of Manisa, Turkey which started on the night of Tuesday 5 September 1922 and continued until 8 September. [1] It was started and organized by the retreating Greek troops[2][4][6] during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), and as a result 90 percent of the buildings in the town were destroyed. [7][8] The number of victims in the town and adjacent region was estimated to be several thousand by US Consul James Loder Park. [4] Turkish sources claim that 4355 people died in the town of Manisa. [3][5]
Manisa is a historic town in Western Anatolia beneath the north side of Mount Sipylus that became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. During Ottoman rule the town was governed by several princes[7] (called Şehzade) and so is also known as a "town of the princes" (Şehzadeler şehri). Many examples of Ottoman architecture were built over the next few centuries, such as the Muradiye Mosque, designed by the famous architect Mimar Sinan in 1586,[9] and built for Murad III who was a governor of the town. [10]
By the 19th century Manisa was among the largest towns in the Aegean region of Anatolia and its population before the fire is estimated to have been between 35,000[11] and 50,000. [12] Manisa had a religiously and ethnically diverse population made up of Muslims, Christians and Jews but Turkish Muslims were the largest group. During the 19th century there was an increase in other groups, most notably Greeks. In 1865 the population was estimated by the British at 40,000 with minorities of 5,000 Greeks, 2,000 Armenians and 2,000 Jews. [13] In 1898 the population was estimated by the Ottoman linguist Sami Bey at 36,252 of which 21,000 were Muslims, 10,400 Greeks, and 2,000 Armenians. [14]
After World War I, Greece, supported by the Allied Powers, decided that the area known as the "Smyrna territory" would be occupied and could later be incorporated into Greece. In accordance with this plan, Greek forces (with Allied support) landed in Smyrna on 15 May 1919 and the town was occupied on 26 May without armed opposition. [note 3] [15] During the occupation which lasted more than three years, there were complaints by the local Turks of bad treatment. [3][note 4] During the Greco-Turkish War that followed the Greek invasion, atrocities were committed by both Turks and Greeks. A Turkish offensive started in August 1922 and the Greek army retreated towards Smyrna and the Aegean coast. During their retreat they practiced a scorched earth policy, burning towns and villages and committing atrocities along the way. [16][6][4][17] Towns to the east of Manisa, such as Alaşehir and Salihli were burned. [4] Several days before the actual fire in Manisa, rumors were going around that the town would be burned. [3] Turkish sources claim that the Greek and Armenian population got permission to leave from the Greek army and had already evacuated the area. [3] Other sources confirm that the Christians fled before the Turkish advance. [16] The Turkish sources claim that the local Turks and Muslims were ordered to stay in their houses[3] which most did until the day on which the fire started. The burning of the town was carefully managed by the Greek army,[4] and fires were started at multiple places by specially organized groups. [note 5] According to Turkish sources a significant number of the arsonists were local Greeks and Armenians[note 6]. [3] During the night of Tuesday 5 September and the morning of 6 September, fires were started in the commercial Çarşı district (while looted was taking place) and at various other sites. [3] Many people left their houses and fled to safety in the mountains and hills. [1][18] During this chaos some people were killed by the Greeks or burnt to death. [3][4] The population hid in the mountains for several days. [3][18] Meanwhile, the Turkish army continued its rapid advance and, after some fighting with remaining Greek troops, they took control of the remains of the town on 8 September. [1] By then most of the town had been destroyed. Gülfem Kaatçılar İrem, witnessed the fire as a little girl and remembers when she fled to the hills with her family:
After escaping the militia towards dawn, we climbed up a dry stream bed to hide in the hills. As we climbed, the city was burning, and we were lit by its light and warmed by its heat. It burned for three days and three nights. I saw the windowpanes of houses explode like bombs. Sacks of grapes stuck together, bubbling like jam. Dead cows and horses, balloons with their legs in the air. Ancient trees keeled over, their roots burning like logs. I did not forget these things. The heat, the hunger, the fear, the smell. After three days we saw the dust rise in the valley below. Turkish soldiers on horseback; we thought they were Greeks come to kill us in the hills. I remember three soldiers carrying green and red flags. People kissed the hooves of their horses, crying "Our saviors have come. "[18]
The town was almost entirely rebuilt according to a modern plan by a Turkish architect named Cemalettin. [19] The town is believed to have lost many buildings and objects of historical significance, but a small area around the two imperial Ottoman mosques were saved from destruction. Today the town has grown again and had reached 309,050 inhabitants in 2012. [20]
The Turkish government set up a commission called Tetkik-i Mezalim or Tetkik-i Fecayi Heyeti "the atrocity committee" to research and document the events and atrocities. [3] Turkish author Halide Edip saw the town after the fire, as did Henry Franklin-Bouillon, the French government representative, who declared that out of 11,000 houses in the city of Magnesia (Manisa) only 1,000 remained. [21] Patrick Kinross wrote, "Out of the eighteen thousand buildings in the historic holy city of Manisa, only five hundred remained.
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Fire
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Four missing after South China Sea offshore wind accident
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Offshore construction vessel in operation at Huizhou Gangkou I wind farm tilted with 65 people on board, according to reports Four people are missing at sea after an incident at the Shengping offshore construction vessel being used in the final phases of construction at the 400MW Huizhou Gangkou I Huizhou Gangkou I (400MW) Offshoreoff Huizhou, Guangdong, China, Asia-Pacific Click to see full details project in the South China Sea. According to reports by China’s official news agency, Xinhua, search efforts were continuing on Sunday (25 July) following the rescue of 61 of the 65 people who were on board the vessel when it tilted. Some 30 rescue vessels and helicopters were involved in the search operations, alongside the State Oceanic Administration's South China Sea Forecast Centre, which was tasked with making drift predictions for the missing people. The alert with the Guangdong Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Centre was raised at 11.26am, and by 3.30pm it was announced that 61 people had been rescued, but four were missing. Four missing after offshore platform accident in Guangdong. pic.twitter.com/85UFN7snf2 The wind turbine installation vessel Sheng Ping 001 had recently been converted from the jack-up offshore construction vessel Teras Fortress 2. It is owned by Tianjian Jincheng Offshore Engineering. China General Nuclear Power Group’s (CGN’s) Huizhou Gangkou I offshore wind farm has been under construction since December 2018. The first few turbines were brought online earlier this year.
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Shipwreck
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Rhythm Club fire
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The Rhythm Club fire (or The Natchez Dance Hall Holocaust) was a fire in a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi on the night of April 23, 1940, which killed 209 people and severely injured many others. [1][2] Hundreds of people were trapped inside the building. At the time, it was the second deadliest building fire in the history of the nation. It is now ranked as the fourth deadliest assembly and club fire in U.S. history. [1]
The dance hall, a converted blacksmith shop once used as a church, was located in a one-story steel-clad wood-frame building at 1 St. Catherine Street, blocks from the city's business district. The building was owned by the Byrnes family, and was leased by a social group called the Money Wasters. The group hosted events and dances and had brought in a live band to perform. [3] The original band that was scheduled to perform was Tiny Bradshaw and his orchestra, but due to a scheduling conflict the band cancelled and was replaced[4] by Walter Barnes and His Royal Creolians, an orchestra from Chicago. [5] Money Wasters member Ed Frazier ran the club on the night of the fire. [3]
It was a single-story, wood building with corrugated steel siding that was 120 ft (36.6m) x 38 ft (11.6 m) with 24 windows that were mostly shuttered or nailed shut at the time of the fire. There was only one exit, with an inward opening door, that opened into a main entrance foyer that had another set of doors that also opened inward. [6]
On the night of the fire, the club recorded 577 paid admissions and 150 passes, and the orchestra had 14 members and 5 attendants, bringing a likely final total number of people at the club to 746. [6] Advance tickets for admission cost $0.50, tickets at the door cost $0.65, and the average age of attendees was between 15 and 25 years old. [5] Many attendees were members of the Money Wasters club and their friends. [7] Walter Barnes and His Royal Creolians was performing when the fire started near the main entrance door around 11:00 pm[8] and, fed by Spanish moss that had been draped over interior's rafters as a decoration, quickly engulfed the structure. [9] To ensure there were no bugs in the decorative moss, it had been sprayed with FLIT, a petroleum-based insecticide. Under the dry conditions, flammable methane gas was generated from the moss. [10]
The Natchez Fire Department did not yet exist, but two volunteer companies provided one full-time firefighter. One of the men lived and worked from the Phoenix Fire Station, about four blocks from the Rhythm Night Club. The fire station received its first telephone call about the club fire at around 11:15 p.m. The first fire engine arrived within minutes, and the first hose was targeted at the front entrance and upper ceiling of the lobby and the second was sent into a small open window at the rear of the club. [5] The sound of the victims screaming could be heard through the town. [11] The fire was put out around ten[12] to thirty minutes. [13]
21 of the 24 existing windows had been boarded[5] up to prevent outsiders from viewing or listening to the music, and as a result the crowd was trapped. Some survivors were able to get out the front door or through the ticket booth, while others tried to press their way to the back door, which was padlocked and boarded shut. [10] Upon realizing their limited options to escape the fire, many victims attempted to break through the corrugated steel walls of the building, but were unsuccessful. [14] People broke through windows using their hands and chairs, but the windows became jammed. [15] Blinding smoke made movement difficult. Survivors remembered the burning moss falling from the ceiling and forming a barrier between the dance floor and the exit, with the moss igniting clothing and hair of victims and survivors. [16] The front door was the only exit, and the doors swung inward. [6] Escape from the main entrance was made almost impossible as flames blocked the entrance, pushing the crowd towards the back of the club. [17] Due to the walls being made of metal, and little ventilation for the heat or the smoke, the walls held the heat in the club like an oven. [14] When water from the fire hoses hit the metal siding, it created steam that scalded many victims. [18] Doctors later found that most of the dead had been suffocated by smoke inhalation or crushed as the crowd was pushed to the rear of the building. [19] Most of the bodies were found piled near the rear of the building by the bandstand,[20] the stacked bodies reaching shoulder height. [19]
Ambulances took the victims and survivors to hospitals in the city, and despite strict segregation laws, the white medical establishment treated survivors over the following weeks and months. Throughout the night of the disaster, fireman, medical professionals, and civilian volunteers worked to remove bodies and search for signs of life in the club. Floodlights were brought in to help in the search. Even after the bodies were removed and the site cleared, the smell of burned bodies hovered over Natchez for months. [5]
Bandleader Walter Barnes and nine members of his band were among the victims. The band was credited with attempting to calm the crowd and Barnes was praised as a hero for leading the song "Marie" by Irving Berlin as the fire raged. [21] The bandmates who died were John Reed, Jr., James Coles, Clarence Porter, Henry Walker, Paul Scott, Calvin Roberts, Jesse Washington, and his vocalist Juanita Avery. [17] One of the group's two survivors, the drummer Walter Brown, vowed never to play again; the other survivor was the bassist Arthur Edward. Barnes was well regarded as a strong competitor with his contemporaries Duke Ellington and Woody Herman. [10] Ed Frazier of the Money Wasters also died in the fire. [7]
Most of the dead were identified, but there were a number of bodies that were burned beyond recognition. These unidentifiable bodies were buried in a mass grave. [5] Due to the time of the fire, there were issues dealing with the number of the dead, with segregation affecting the time that the bodies were properly seen to. Under segregation, only African American morticians were allowed to handle African American dead, and the three local black funeral homes had too many bodies to handle.
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Fire
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Canadian Damian Warner wins gold in decathlon, sets Olympic record
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Canadian Damian Warner has captured gold and set an Olympic record in the decathlon at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 31-year-old shattered the Olympic record with 9,018 points. The previous Olympic record was 8,893.
This is the first time the London, Ont. native surpassed the 9000-point mark, becoming just the fourth decathlete in history to do so.
The winner of the decathlon also earns the unofficial title of World’s Greatest Athlete.
The decathlon includes 100-metre dash, running long (broad) jump, shot put, high jump, and 400-metre run, 110-metre hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1,500-metre run.
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Break historical records
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The EU should build its own military after being abandoned by US in Afghanistan says EU President
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The European Union will press ahead with plans to develop its own shared military to limit its reliance on the US following the hasty pull-out from Afghanistan according to Ursula Von Der Leyen. In a self-styled State of the European Union address on Wednesday, European Commission President von der Leyen said that the failure of the government and security forces to repel Taliban insurgents raises troubling questions for the 27-nation bloc, but also for NATO. The President unveiled new plans for the EU to develop its own defence capacities to ensure that it has more freedom to act in future crises, after Joe Biden's decision to withdraw American troops by August 31 forced the hands of EU countries incapable of facing the Taliban alone. In her speech, Von der Leyen said the EU needed the 'political will' to intervene militarily without the US, and that 'it is time for Europe to step up to the next level'. The President concluded by saying France will host an EU defence summit next year to develop the plans. European Commission President von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the failure of the government and security forces in Kabul and their fall to Taliban insurgents in a matter of days raises troubling questions for the 27-nation bloc, but also for NATO The President unveiled new plans for the EU to develop its own defence capacities to ensure that it has more freedom to act in future crises Joe Biden's decision to withdraw American troops by August 31 forced the hands of EU countries incapable of facing the Taliban alone In her speech, Von der Leyen said the EU needed the 'political will' to intervene militarily without help from Joe Biden's US troops, and that 'it is time for Europe to step up to the next level' The scenes of chaos in the final days of Kabul evacuations saw Afghans plunge to their deaths from the sides of military aircraft on take-off and a suicide bombing that killed 169 Afghans and 13 US personnel and encapsulated the end of a two-decade war led by Washington with support from the EU. 'Witnessing events unfold in Afghanistan was profoundly painful for all the families of fallen servicemen and servicewomen,' von der Leyen told EU lawmakers. 'To make sure that their service will never be in vain, we have to reflect on how this mission could end so abruptly.' 'There are deeply troubling questions that allies will have to tackle within NATO,' the former German defence minister said. But she conceded that cooperation with NATO, where the US is by far the most powerful and influential member, must also remain a priority. The EU currently has a system of battlegroups to deploy to hot spots but they've never been used, and the disjointed nature of the troops gives European leaders little confidence, particularly as they are generally reluctant to send their troops to active conflict zones (pictured: Spanish forces conduct evacuations from Kabul) Von der Leyen proposed a waiver on value added tax for defence equipment developed and produced in Europe, which could help wean the bloc off its dependence on US gear 'You can have the most advanced forces in the world – but if you are never prepared to use them – of what use are they?' said von der Leyen. 'What has held us back until now is not just a shortfall of capacity - it is the lack of political will' Still, von der Leyen said at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, that 'Europe can - and clearly should - be able and willing to do more on its own,' and she insisted that 'It is time for Europe to step up to the next level.' Earlier this month, EU ministers debated creating a standby EU force of around 5,000 troops to deploy in crises like the one at Kabul airport, but the plan faces opposition from some of the 22 EU countries that are also members of NATO, notably countries bordering Russia comforted by US security assurances. The EU currently has a system of battlegroups to deploy to hot spots but they've never been used, and the disjointed nature of the troops gives European leaders little confidence, particularly as they are generally reluctant to send their troops to active conflict zones. 'You can have the most advanced forces in the world – but if you are never prepared to use them – of what use are they? 'What has held us back until now is not just a shortfall of capacity - it is the lack of political will,' von der Leyen said. 'If we develop this political will, there is a lot that we can do at EU level.' NATO is currently conducting war games including several EU countries as part of a training exercise between various European militaries (pictured: Belgian army Special Forces) Some drills are taking part in European cities - this image shows a Latvian soldier firing blank rounds during an exercise in the Latvian capital Riga earlier this week that brought harsh criticism The President went onto declare that the EU must lay the foundations for better collective decision-making and intelligence sharing, make shared operations of the 27 member countries' military equipment more cohesive, and invest in common projects like fighter jets, drones and cyber capacities. To do so, she proposed a waiver on value added tax for defence equipment developed and produced in Europe, which could help wean the bloc off its dependence on US gear. Von der Leyen said that she and French President Emmanuel Macron will convene a summit on European defence when France takes over the bloc's rotating presidency in the first half of 2022. Her call to arms will likely receive backing from many of Europe's most influential states - Macron has long-called for more EU defence autonomy, notably during the turmoil of the Trump administration, while German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said earlier this month the EU should become 'a strategic player to be reckoned with'.
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Military Exercise
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2018 Minjiang University protests
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In November 2018, students and local food vendors of Minjiang University protested the ban of take-out food on the campus. [1][2]
With the rise of online ordering platforms, many Minjiang University students turned to takeout food options to avoid ongoing food safety concerns associated with the university's often-crowded dining hall and canteens. [3] Subsequent business loss led to objections being raised by traditional eating establishments. Around this time, several universities including USTB (University of Science and Technology Beijing), BIT (Beijing Institute of Technology) and Guangxi University of Foreign Languages implemented regulations to prohibit or restrict deliveries by takeout providers. Minjiang University planned to follow suit. [4]
Early in November 2018, rumors circulated claiming the university was to ban take-out food. Then, on November 11, Minjiang University issued a new regulation banning take-out food from entering the campus. This was confirmed in the morning via the release of the "instructions on the special work of campus renovation" on the official blog of the Student Work Office. The new regulation prohibited the consumption of take-out food on campus and threatened disciplinary action against students caught with take-out food on campus. [1]
At noon on November 12, the university's dining hall saw an abnormally large crowd, with the second canteen filled to near capacity. Students, unable to get seats, were forced to wait in line at the gate. Noting the situation, several nearby take-out vendors turned up at the entrance of the Second Canteen and began offering free lunches. They also called on students to boycott the new take-out ban. In response, the university sent personnel to enforce order by asking the vendors to leave the premises. When the vendors refused to leave, the university referred the matter to the police, who arrived to remove the vendors. [1]
Later in the day, students posted an online critique of Mr. He Daiqin (the Party Secretary of Minjiang University), accusing him of instigating the ban on take-out food. They called for Mr. He to resign and demanded he be investigated by authorities. [5]
Some dormitory areas were in turmoil, with many students shouting from buildings in protest of the school's take-out ban. [6]
On November 12, the school responded to the situation by allowing vendors to set up take-away food areas outside school gates. On the afternoon of November 13, university officials rejected students' charges against Mr. He Daiqin, and declined to investigate these allegations. [7] The university subsequently relaxed the ban on take-away food on campus, calming protests and enabling take-away vendors to deliver food on campus. On the evening of November 14, Fuzhou police reported that four take-out food vendors who had distributed free lunches at the entrance to the Second Canteen of Minjiang University were placed in administrative detention for seriously disturbing the normal order of the school. [8]
On November 15, the university continued to allow take-out food to enter parts of the campus, and tweeted that it would further facilitate student meals, yet dismissed the allegation that "He Daiqin, the university leader, owned shares in the canteen" as an internet rumor. [5]
Vendors were permitted to set up in the dormitory area and make arrangements for selling and delivering food. Later, they officially recognized take-away food areas in Districts 3 and 4. This official recognition was further extended to Districts 1 and 2 on the morning of November 16. At noon on November 13, Minjiang University
At the request of Minjiang University officials, Sina Weibo officially removed some topics about the take-out ban and deleted some micro blogs that attacked the university and its leadership. This was done to suppress hot searches and limit potential damage to the university's image. At noon on November 12, after nearby take-out stalls were removed by the police, many witnesses uploaded photos and video of the scene to the internet. They complained about the university and compared it to a "prison". News about Minjiang University's take-out food ban trended on the hot search list on Sina Weibo. Further reporting by Sina, Pear Video, People's Daily, CNR and other media also covered the role of take-out food in colleges. [9] Television channels CCTV-2 and CCTV-12 both ran stories on "Minjiang University has banned take-out food and merchants have offered free lunches". [10]
After the take-away ban incident, university staff interviewed by the media offered clarification on the ban. They stated that the university's objection was not to the ordering of take-away meals, but rather to the influx of take-away delivery vehicles which caused excessive on-campus traffic. They indicated that students ordering take-away food should meet their deliveries at the designated areas at the school's gates. [11]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Russia Wants Explanation of Trump Withdrawal from Arms Treaty
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The Kremlin expressed concern Monday about U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to pull out of a key Cold War arms deal with Russia, saying the move would "make the world a more dangerous place."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia has not violated the treaty and if the United States goes on to develop new missiles then Russia would be forced to respond in kind.
Peskov said Russian officials want to get more information about the U.S. plans regarding the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty during talks this week with National Security Adviser John Bolton.
Bolton is due to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Monday and President Vladimir Putin.
Trump has accused Russia of building and testing missiles that violate the 1987 treaty.
The deal bans the U.S. and Russia from building, testing, and stockpiling ground-launched nuclear missiles with a range from 500 to 5,000 kilometers.
Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev signed the deal with the late U.S. president Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1987.
"Do they really not understand in Washington what this could lead to?" Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Gorbachev as saying. "Washington's desire to turn back politics cannot be supported. Not only Russia, but all those who cherish the world, especially a world without nuclear weapons, must declare this."
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Tass news agency that the U.S. move would be "a very dangerous step."
Without specifying how Russia violated the treaty, Trump Saturday appeared to say Moscow will not get away with it.
"Russia has violated the agreement. They have been violating it for many years. And we're not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we are not allowed to," he said.
U.S. officials going back to the Obama administration have accused Russia of deliberately deploying a land-based cruise missile to pose a threat to NATO.
Russia has denied violating the INF agreement and says U.S. missile defense systems are a violation.
Many so-called hawks in Washington say the INF treaty keeps the U.S. from developing a new generation of weapons in a world that faces new global security challenges.
“We’ll have to develop those weapons, unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and say let’s really get smart and let’s none of us develop those weapons, but if Russia’s doing it and if China’s doing it, and we’re adhering to the agreement, that’s unacceptable,” Trump said.
China is not part of the INF agreement.
Beatrice Fihn, the executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons — the coalition that won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize — said that "by declaring he will leave the INF Treaty, President Trump has shown himself to be a demolition man who has no ability to build real security. Instead, by blowing up nuclear treaties, he is taking the U.S. down a trillion dollar road to a new nuclear arms race."
Dmitry Oreshkin, an independent Russian political analyst told the Associated Press, "We are slowly slipping back to the situation of Cold War, as it was at the end of the Soviet Union, with quite similar consequences, but now it could be worse because Putin belongs to a generation that had no war under its belt. These people aren't as much fearful of a war as people of [former Soviet leader Leonid] Brezhnev's epoch. They think if they threaten the West properly, it gets scared."
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Tear Up Agreement
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Road off A14 closed after serious collision
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A slip road off the A14 at Needham Market has been closed by police after a serious collision. The westbound exit at junction 51, which leads to the A140 and B1078, has been shut. Officers from Suffolk police and the Norfolk & Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team are at the scene. The conditions of the motorists involved in the collision are not known at this time. Motorists have been advised to avoid the area and plan their journeys ahead. The AA traffic map is suggesting queues have begun to form on the westbound carriageway leading up to the slip road. This newspaper has been a central part of community life for many years. Our industry faces testing times, which is why we're asking for your support. Every contribution will help us continue to produce local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.
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Road Crash
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Robert Durst Sentenced to Life in Prison for Friend’s Murder
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A jury found that Mr. Durst, subject of the HBO series “The Jinx,” killed a longtime friend in 2000 because of what she knew about his wife’s disappearance nearly 40 years ago. transcript As to Count 1, the first-degree murder of Susan Berman, with the special circumstance of intentional killing of a witness pursuant to 190.2.(a)(10) of the Penal Code, it’s the judgment and sentence of this court, Mr. Durst, that you be imprisoned in the state prison for the term prescribed by law — that is life in prison without the possibility of parole. As to the special allegation that the defendant intentionally killed Susan Berman by means of lying in wait, as described in 190.2(a)(15) of the Penal Code, the same sentence is imposed and stayed pursuant to Section 654 of the Penal Code. As to the allegation that the defendant personally and intentionally used a firearm in the commission of this offense, causing great bodily injury and death, pursuant to 12022.53(d) of the California Penal Code, the court imposes a term of 25 years to life in prison. Judge Sentences Robert Durst to Life in Prison By Charles V. Bagli Nearly four decades after his wife’s abrupt disappearance cast a cloud of suspicion that would make his case one of the most notorious in the country, Robert A. Durst was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison for the execution-style killing in 2000 of a close confidante. The 78-year-old Mr. Durst, whose life story inspired a Hollywood movie and an HBO documentary, will not be eligible for parole. The jury that convicted him of first-degree murder in Los Angeles last month found that the prosecution had proven special circumstances: Namely, that Mr. Durst shot Susan Berman, a journalist and screenwriter, because he feared she was about to tell investigators what she had learned as his liaison with the news media after the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathie McCormack Durst.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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FOURTEEN people, including two children, are dead after a NATO helicopter crashed into a house and burst into flames on the outskirts of Kabul
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CHILDREN among the dead after a NATO helicopter crashed into a house and burst into flames.
A US helicopter patrols the sky after militants opened fire on a delegation of senior Afghan officials this week. Picture: APSource:AP
FOURTEEN people, including two children, are dead after a NATO helicopter crashed into a house and burst into flames on the outskirts of Kabul, officials said.
The crash killed 12 Turkish soldiers on board and two young girls on the ground, Turkish and Afghan officials say.
The helicopter, a Sikorsky, was on a mission for US-led NATO forces when it went down near Kabul on Friday, the Turkish military said in a statement.
"Twelve of our military personnel on board were martyred,'' it said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said it appeared that the helicopter crashed while trying to make an emergency landing and that the pilot tried to avoid houses.
"It is a grave accident, our grief is deep,'' he said.
A spokesman for the US-led NATO force in Kabul confirmed the helicopter was operated by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
"We are investigating the cause of the crash but there were no reports of insurgent activity in the area,'' he said.
There was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash, said NATO.
The helicopter clipped one house and then crashed into another, said Sayed Qayum, an Afghan resident who witnessed the aircraft go down.
The crash about 10.25am (1655 AEDT) blew several large holes in the two-storey brick house that was hit. Parts of the building were scorched black by fire, and wreckage of the helicopter was scattered outside. One piece had a red and white Turkish flag painted on it.
The Afghan Interior Ministry said the two people who were killed on the ground were young girls. A woman and another child were wounded, it said.
The aircraft went down in Hassian Khail area of Bagrami district of Kabul province.
The crash was the deadliest in Afghanistan for NATO forces since August, when 30 American troops died when a Chinook helicopter was apparently shot down in Wardak province in the center of the country.
Turkey, NATO's sole Muslim member, currently has around 1800 soldiers serving in the US-led ISAF deployed in Kabul and the neighbouring province of Wardak in the north.
In October, Turkey extended by another year its Kabul regional command of the ISAF. Unlike its European allies, Turkey's mission is limited to patrols and its troops do not take part in combat operations.
Turkey refused a combat role against Islamist insurgents in a country where it has historically close ties with Afghans.
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Air crash
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2018 Atlanta sanitation strike
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International Brotherhood of Teamsters
The 2018 Atlanta sanitation strike was a labor strike involving 120 sanitation workers for Republic Services in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The workers, members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, went on strike on August 10, 2018, with the strike ending later that day. Several days later, the union and company reached an agreement on new labor contracts. On August 5, 2018, 120 members of Local 728 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters voted to authorize strike action against their employer, Republic Services. [1] The workers involved were part of a unit that serviced several residential areas in Atlanta, as well as the Atlanta Public Schools, Emory Healthcare, Emory University, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Piedmont Hospital. [2] The strike organizer claimed that the members voted to strike after disputes in labor contract negotiations with Republic,[3] saying, “The company has halted bargaining and negotiating with these workers. They refuse to reduce employees’ cost of health insurance. Workers don’t get paid for all the time they work.”[2] Additionally, the union alleged that Republic was guilty of violating Federal law in an incident where work was taken from full-time mechanics and leased to subcontractors. [4] A previous strike involving workers for Republic occurred in 2013 in nearby McDonough, Georgia. [1][2]
The strike began shortly after midnight on August 10, when the workers performed a walkout. [5] Shortly thereafter, the strikers, many wearing yellow vests, began picketing outside Republic's Atlanta offices. [2] The strike ended later that day at 3:30 p.m., though there are disagreements regarding how the strike ended. [6] In a press release, Republic claimed that union officials had "directed our employees to walk out on their jobs this morning without giving our employees a chance to vote on our comprehensive proposal,"[7] and they had "accepted an immediate and unconditional offer by Teamsters 728 to return to work.” However, the strike organizer claimed that the strike had ended when it was scheduled to end, with no conversation occurring between Republic and union members. [2][6] Following the end of the strike, the strike organizer didn't rule out the possibility of subsequent strike action. [2] Republic claimed that the impact of the strike on their operations were minimal, only affecting some operations in the southern part of the city. [7]
Following the strike, none of the striking employees faced disciplinary action from the company. Several days later, on August 27, the union and company reached an agreement on a new 5-year labor contract. While the details were not released, the deal addressed the issues that had led to the strike. [4]
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Strike
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2019 AT&T strike
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The 2019 AT&T strike was a labor strike involving about 20,000 employees of AT&T in the Southern United States. Members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) went on strike from August 24 to August 28, following the failure to agree to new employment contracts. Following several days of protest across nine states, the strike ended with a tentative deal reached between CWA and AT&T. On August 3, 2019, employment contracts between 20,000 members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and AT&T Southeast were set to expire. These workers primarily consisted of customer service representatives and technicians from AT&T's wired phone and Internet division. [1][2][3] Leading up to this, discussions between the two parties regarding future contract agreements were proving to be unfruitful, and leading up to the expirations the CWA began to prepare for the possibility of a labor strike. [4] The previous month, members of the CWA voted to authorize a strike if an agreement regarding contracts could not be made. [5] On August 3, hundreds of telecommunications workers held a rally outside AT&T Midtown Center (AT&T Southeast's headquarters) in Atlanta. [6] On August 10, the workers began to work without a contract. [3] A meeting on August 20 between AT&T and union officials again proved fruitless, with the union alleging that proposals by the company would have reduced paid sick time, among other unwanted effects. [7]
On August 23, the CWA announced a strike that would begin at midnight. [3][8] They also filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that AT&T was not bargaining "in good faith" and that they had failed to send proper representatives to contract discussions. [8][9] A day prior on August 21, CWA locals 3120, 3121 and 3122 went on a Unfair labor practice protest in South Florida and walked out over issues associated with violations of the National Labor Relations Act]]. However, these actions were unrelated to and did not prompt the mass strike the following day. [3][10] In total, the strike involved workers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. [9]
On August 25, Senator and 2020 Democratic Party Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders met with strikers in Louisville, Kentucky ahead of one of his campaign rallies. [11][12] On August 28, following an agreement between CWA and AT&T, CWA announced the strike had ended and workers could return to their jobs that day. [10][13] As part of the agreement, the two parties agreed to a 5-year contract that included increases in wages and enhancements for workers' 401(k) and pensions. [3] In general, the agreement was considered to be favorable to the labor union. [3][14]
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Strike
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Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week 2020
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Our Chief Inspector, Captain Andrew Moll, makes a statement at the start of this year's Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week.
Carbon monoxide awareness week
Today is the start of carbon monoxide awareness week 2020. MAIB recently published a safety bulletin about the tragic deaths of two sailors on board Diversion due to carbon monoxide poisoning. As we continue our investigation it is vital that we remain alert to the silent danger carbon monoxide poses to the maritime community and the steps we can take to protect ourselves.
Over the past ten years MAIB has investigated six incidents involving carbon monoxide poisoning resulting in the tragic loss of ten lives. The majority of these incidents occurred on board motor cruisers used for recreation. In this time safety action has been taken and MAIB has made 12 safety recommendations focussed on preventing further, needless loss of life.
As well as the need to improve awareness of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and the groups most at risk, the investigations we have carried out reveal three common safety lessons that are worth highlighting.
Fit a carbon monoxide alarm and ensure it works
Due to the odourless, colourless nature of carbon monoxide, fitting a detector remains the only effective warning that the poisonous gas may be present. In all of the cases we investigated, the boats’ occupants were not alerted to the presence of carbon monoxide either because there was no carbon monoxide alarm, or because the one fitted was not working. Our investigation into the fatal accident on board Love for Lydia highlights the importance of fitting a carbon monoxide alarm.
Install and maintain onboard equipment properly
The tragic incident which occurred on board Arniston raises the importance of ensuring equipment or modifications to boats are undertaken in accordance with the manufacturers guidelines. All safety critical work on boats should be undertaken by a competent marine engineer using the correct materials and all installations and modifications should be fit for purpose. Even a gas cooker, if not burning efficiently, can generate enough carbon monoxide to kill. Eshcol was a small commercial fishing vessel, and two crew lost their lives on board when they left the gas grill on overnight to warm the cabin.
Service engines regularly
Our investigation into carbon monoxide poisoning on motor cruiser Vasquez highlighted the importance of regularly servicing a boat’s engine to ensure it remains reliable and safe to use. The investigation found that the engine on board Vasquez had not been regularly serviced and there was evidence that the exhaust system of the engine had been modified during the boat’s life.
Ultimately, the only way that boat owners can take potentially lifesaving action when exposed to carbon monoxide is by being alerted to the presence of this poisonous gas. Carbon monoxide alarms are readily available, inexpensive and simple to fit. I urge boat owners to fit one as soon as possible.
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Mass Poisoning
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China’s Xi Jinping to speak at a U.S.-led climate summit on Thursday
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BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping will give a speech Thursday via video conference at a global leaders climate summit organized by U.S. President Joe Biden, state media said Wednesday.
Many expected the leaders of the world’s two largest economies — and the largest carbon polluters — to have their first meeting on the sidelines of the summit as tensions between the two countries simmer. Since taking office in January, Biden has called China the “most serious competitor” to the U.S. as he maintains former President Donald Trump’s tough stance on Beijing.
Xi and Biden spoke by phone in February, just ahead of China’s Spring Festival.
Reducing carbon emissions is one of the few areas China and the U.S. have said they could cooperate on, and aligns with Xi’s announcement last year that the Asian nation aims to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030.
Over the weekend, the U.S. and China jointly issued a broad statement on how the two countries would work together to “tackle the climate crisis.”
The statement followed two days of talks in Shanghai between U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua.
On Tuesday, Xi said at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia that China would support “green” development, particularly regarding the Belt and Road Initiative. Critics say the infrastructure development program is part of Beijing’s attempt to increase its influence among less developed countries in the region.
Xi did not mention the U.S. by name in his speech, but said big countries should behave responsibly and that China would not seek hegemony or “a sphere of influence.”
The announcement Wednesday that Xi would attend the climate summit comes more than three weeks since Biden invited 40 world leaders to attend the two-day meeting set for Thursday and Friday.
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Famous Person - Give a speech
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UPDATE - Four Transported to Hospital After Suspected Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
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Updated: November 12, 2021 @ 11:35 am
Sunny. High 66F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph..
A clear sky. Low 38F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: November 12, 2021 @ 11:35 am
ColemanTODAY photo - Firemen on the scene of a call for carbon monoxide poisoning on Tuesday morning on 14th Street.
ColemanTODAY.com Photo
The Liveoak Land and Real Estate office will hold a Holiday …
Coleman Police Department is advising everyone to make sure …
ColemanTODAY photo - Firemen on the scene of a call for carbon monoxide poisoning on Tuesday morning on 14th Street.
ColemanTODAY.com Photo
Additional and interesting information was shared on the Coleman Fire Department Facebook page Tuesday afternoon. It is shown below, followed by the original story posted early this morning.
ORIGINAL STORY BELOW
Coleman Fire and ambulance units responded to the 500 block of West 14th Street this morning to a reported carbon monoxide poisoning call.
ColemanTODAY.com talked to Duston Crawford, Assistant Fire Chief, Coleman Fire Department, who shared the following information.
"We received a call around 6 o'clock this morning, maybe a little after, it was reported as a man having a stroke. We made it on scene, walked in the front door and found signs of carbon monoxide smell. We backed out of the structure, put on air, made entry back into the house, found four patients and removed all of them. They were transported by ground to Coleman County Medical Center by Lifeguard EMS. Upon investigation, trying to determine what caused the carbon monoxide, which this is still a pending investigation, but we located a small, smoldering fire in the attic," Crawford said. The incident remains under investigation by Coleman Fire Department.
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Mass Poisoning
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Comayagua prison fire
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The Comayagua prison fire or known locally in Comayagua as The prison of hell was a deadly fire that occurred 14/15 February 2012 at the National Penitentiary in Comayagua, Honduras, killing 361 people. [1] Prisoners trapped in their cells died by burning or suffocation; dozens were burned beyond recognition. [2] The fire started late in the evening of 14 February. [3] According to one prisoner, calls for help went out almost immediately and "for a while, nobody listened. But after a few minutes, which seemed like an eternity, a guard appeared with keys and let us out. "[4] Rescue forces did not arrive until about 40 minutes later. [5]
With a death toll of 361, this is the deadliest prison fire ever recorded. [1]
The death toll was initially announced at 382, but was lowered after firefighters stated that 353 bodies were found dead in the scene, with 5 more hospitalized. [6][7] Several more died from their injuries afterwards, bringing the final death toll to 361. [1]
There were 856 prisoners officially listed on the roster for the prison; more than half of these were not yet convicted of any crime and were being held awaiting trial or even indictment. [8] The Comayagua prison is considered a medium security facility, but many of the inmates were being housed for serious crimes, such as murder and armed robbery. [4][5] Around 475 prisoners escaped from the fire, many through the roof of the facility. [2][4] Several prisoners jumped over the walls of the prison to escape the fire, but were reportedly shot at by prison guards. [9] According to firefighters, around 100 inmates burned to death or suffocated in their cells as the keys to release them could not be located. [10] Around 30 prisoners were transported to the capital to receive specialist treatment for severe burns. [2] Paola Castro, the local governor, claimed that she called the Red Cross and the firefighters, but it took them around 20 to 30 minutes to get to the prison, when most of the fire had nearly subsided. [11]
The chief of forensic medicine for the prosecutor's office stated that it would take at least three months to identify all of the victims, mainly from DNA samples. [12]
The Comayagua prison did not utilize smoke detectors, a fire sprinkler system, fire alarm pull stations, manual fire extinguishers, nor any other fire protection system, any of which could have potentially slowed the spread of the fire or alerted authorities sooner. [1]
An investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) determined that the cause was most likely an open flame that accidentally ignited combustible materials, although they were unable to recover the source. Other causes such as lightning, an electrical fault, or an accelerant were ruled out. There was also a witness who described to investigators that an inmate had fallen asleep while smoking. [13] Because of overcrowding, prisoners were housed in bunk beds in stacks of four. They typically created privacy for themselves by isolating their bunks with wood panels, bed sheets, towels, or drapery. The mattresses were also flammable, being made of thin cloth surrounding a polyurethane core. As a result, the fire was able to spread quickly. [1]
This conclusion was not accepted by many of the relatives of the deceased. One reason may be that Honduran officials gave out conflicting information on the cause. Governor Castro first stated that an inmate was responsible,[13] and survivors initially reported that an inmate shouted "We will all die here!" before setting fire to his bedding. [14] Castro later retracted her statement, and prison authorities instead blamed it on an electrical fault. [15] Relatives of the victims were in disbelief of the ATF's determination, arguing that the prisoners would have quickly put the fire out themselves. [13]
The Comayagua fire is the fourth prison fire in Honduras since 1994 to result in 70 or more casualties. [4] In addition, it was reported that firefighters were unable to aid the victims right away because they heard "gunshots inside the prison," and also because they did not have the keys to enter the cells. [16] The Soto Cano Air Base, just 15 minutes away from the prison, provided U.S. and Honduran aid at around 10:20. [17]
Relatives of the prisoners gathered outside the facility to discover the fate of the incarcerated, eventually leading to clashes with the police. Angry family members attempted to storm the prison to claim the remains of deceased inmates and were restrained with tear gas. [4] Some were seen hurling rocks at police officers. [4] The President of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, has demanded a full inquest into the disaster. [2] The Honduran authorities asked the families to "remain calm" despite the "difficult situations" in order to continue with the investigation. [18]
After the fire, Ron W. Nikkel, the president of the Prison Fellowship International, mentioned that the prison was one of the "worst prisons" he had seen when he visited the facility in 2005. [8] Nikkel mentioned that the overpopulated cells, the constant prison riots and the inadequate conditions of the prison had brought to light the harsh and terrible conditions of Honduran prisons. [19] Vivanco said that "[the] horrendous tragedy [was] the result of prison conditions that are symptomatic of the country’s larger public security crisis. "[20] The Proceso magazine mentioned that prisons in Honduras were made to accommodate and support up to 6,000 prisoners, but they currently have more than 12,000 inmates. [21] The prison had over 800 inmates, more than twice its intended capacity. [22] The United States Department of State issued a report which said that the prisoners suffered from "malnutrition, overpopulation, and unsanitary facilities." They also mentioned that the prisoners have "easy access to firearms" and they often go unpunished. [23] The security minister of Honduras claimed in 2010 that the overpopulation of the prisons makes them "universities of crime. "[24] A number of inmates are thought to have used the chaos of the fire to escape. [25]
Coordinates: 14°26′47.5″N 87°38′33.9″W / 14.446528°N 87.642750°W / 14.446528; -87.642750
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Fire
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Sutton Hoo: New viewing tower opens at Anglo-Saxon burial ground
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A new viewing tower at an Anglo-Saxon burial ground has officially opened as part of a £4m revamp of the site. The 17m (56ft) high construction is at Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge in Suffolk, which featured in the Netflix film The Dig. Treasure uncovered there in 1939 has been described as one of the "greatest archaeological discoveries of all time". The National Trust said the tower would give visitors a "new perspective". Sutton Hoo is believed to contain the grave, burial ship and burial treasures of King Rædwald - the 7th Century Anglo-Saxon ruler of East Anglia. The burial was revealed after landowner Edith Pretty called in local archaeologist Basil Brown to investigate a series of mysterious earth mounds on her estate on the Deben estuary. His discovery of a 1,300-year-old ship burial, including a warrior's helmet, gold belt buckle, sword and shield, revolutionised historians' understanding of the 7th Century. Sue Brunning, from the British Museum, has said: "The Sutton Hoo ship burial is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time." The new tower, which the National Trust called "the final piece in the project to transform the visitor experience", overlooks the 18 burial mounds within the royal burial ground and the River Deben. The trust, which owns the site, said it had previously "been hard to get an appreciation of just how close" the burial ground was to the river. "During the Anglo-Saxon period, the royal burial ground would have sat surrounded by a vast expanse of open heathland, with views stretching down towards the river," it said on its website. "You can now get a whole new perspective." Trust general manager, Nick Collinson, said: "The tower gives visitors great birds-eye views of the Royal Burial Ground and the wider landscape, but also of the Deben estuary, across to Woodridge and even Felixstowe Port. "The Tower really helps to connect the Royal Burial Ground with the estuary which would have been the highway of the time, and an essential part of why the burial ground was located here in such a symbolic position in this landscape in the 7th Century."
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New archeological discoveries
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Driver facing new charges in connection to fatal crash near Elora
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Copy Url A driver, involved in a crash that killed one person and left two others with serious injuries, is facing three additional charges. On Aug. 1, a car and SUV that were travelling in opposite directions collided on Wellington Road 21 near Elora. The passenger in the car was pronounced dead at the scene. He was later identified as Brian Araujo, 25, of Kitchener. The two other passengers in the car were taken to hospital with what police called “life-altering” injuries. The driver of the SUV had minor injuries. Ricardo Francisco Cruz Abrego, who was driving the car, was initially charged with dangerous operation causing death, dangerous operation causing harm, and driving while under suspension. Wellington County OPP say the 24-year-old Kitchener man is now facing an additional charge of impaired operation causing death, and two counts of impaired operation causing bodily harm.
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Road Crash
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A rapist and murderer has been released from prison
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Otago Daily Times A rapist and murderer has been released from prison after spending 19 years behind bars - half his life. Robert Stanley Lyon was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 15 years in 2002 over the murder of Milton woman Jodie Kiri Louise Browne, a 29-year-old wool-handler. He tried to disguise the killing through arson. Read More Parole Board chairman Sir Ron Young said the killer no longer presented an undue risk to the safety of the community and would be released to a Palmerston North residence. Advertisement Lyon was barred from entering the South Island. ''He has completed all of his rehabilitation and has completed it well. He has completed his reintegration. ''His work on Release to Work has been very positive. ''He has managed to save significant funds which will help him on his release,'' Sir Ron said. Since being jailed, Lyon had completed a specialist sex-offender programme, drug treatment and one-on-one counselling, the board heard. He had also used the time to further his education. Lyon completed his master's from his cell and was aiming to do a PhD. Related articles 8 Mar, 2021 08:05 PM Quick Read 11 Mar, 2019 07:32 PM Quick Read 25 Oct, 2021 10:00 PM Quick Read 26 Oct, 2021 12:34 AM Quick Read In recent months, he had spent a night at his proposed accommodation and met the supervisor who it was hoped would be guiding him through his tertiary study. Before his release, Lyon had been employed with Waikeria Prison's landscaping team, at times working outside the facility.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release
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1994 British Army Lynx shootdown crash
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On 23 June 1988, an Army Air Corps (AAC) Westland Lynx, serial number XZ664, was shot down by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) near Aughanduff Mountain, County Armagh, in Northern Ireland. A unit of the IRA's South Armagh Brigade fired at the British Army helicopter using automatic rifles and heavy machine guns. The disabled helicopter was forced to crash-land in an open field; the aircraft and its crew were eventually recovered by British forces. Since 1976, after a relentless series of roadside bombings and ambushes on military convoys, the British Army declared the area of South Armagh, roughly below a line stretching from Newtownhamilton to Newry, out of limits for military vehicles. Some exceptions were made, such as undercover civilian-type vehicles or, in certain occasions when heavy equipment or materials should be transported, lorries had to move through a series of checkpoints to reach their destination safely. Therefore, all military movement and resupply missions across South Armagh had to be carried out by helicopter. This decision bore criticism from both politicians and military officers, since this gave the IRA a de facto control of South Armagh. [1] This situation made the British security base at Bessbrook Mills, County Armagh, the busiest heliport in Europe, with an average of 600 flights in and out per week. [2]
Due to this heavy reliance on air supply, the shooting down of helicopters had become a high priority for the IRA in this and other border regions. [2][3] Most of the attacks on British Army helicopters carried out by the IRA during The Troubles took place in South Armagh. [4]
In October 1979, the AAC in Northern Ireland replaced the Scout with the more versatile Lynx AH1. [1]
On 23 June 1988, Army Air Corps Lynx helicopter XZ664 departed from Crossmaglen toward its base at Bessbrook Mill. The pilot was Royal Navy Lieutenant David Richardson, attached to the Army Air Corps 665 sq. Meanwhile, a 12-men strong IRA unit, hidden in the slopes of Aughanduff Mountain and armed with two DShK heavy machine guns, three M60 machine guns and AK-47 assault rifles waited for the Lynx, aware of the route usually taken by the helicopters coming in from Crossmaglen. [5][6]
At 12:55, some five kilometres from Silverbridge, as they approached the 234-metre high hill where the IRA men had taken positions,[7] the aircraft was hit by 15 armour-piercing and incendiary rounds on its fuselage and rotors, and got into a spin. Control cables were cut, and one of the engines shut-down. The pilot made a hard landing in an open field near Cashel Lough Upper, in which one member of the crew was injured. [5]
The IRA team, armed with machine guns and an anti-tank rocket launcher, searched for the crash site to finish the helicopter and its crew off, but they were unable to find it. The area was eventually secured by British Army patrols,[6][5]
and by the arrival of another Lynx carrying on an Airborne Reaction Force (ARF). [8] The badly damaged Lynx was lifted off by a Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter. [9] The incident marked the first time the IRA used the DShK heavy-machine guns smuggled from Libya against British forces. [10]
The DShKs and their armour-piercing ammunition became the weapon of choice for the South Armagh IRA in later attacks. [5] On 20 October 1989[11] an IRA team mounted two heavy machine guns on the back of a lorry. This time the target was an unmarked civilian-type, armour-plated Ford Sierra driven by two uncovered RUC constables from Bessbrook Mills to Belleeks, which was riddled with more than 70 rounds and exploded in flames. One of the constables was killed, while the other had a narrow escape. The machine guns are though to be the same employed in the shooting down of Lynx XZ664. [5]
By June 1989, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tom King admitted that a number of counter-measures had been taken by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to deal with the increasing threat of the IRA's use of heavy machine-guns. Kevlar panels were fitted to the helicopters bellies, and the rotorcraft were ordered to fly in pairs over border areas to assure mutual assistance. [12] Army Air Corps pilots carried MP5 machine pistols after the incident. [9]
In spite of these security steps, sources reported a number of heavy machine-guns attacks against helicopters on the following years, in South Armagh and elsewhere. A Gazelle (serial number ZB687) was shot down by members of the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade on 11 February 1990 between Augher and Derrygorry. [13] On 13 February 1991, Lynx ZE380 was heavily damaged and brought down near Crossmaglen by an IRA unit using one DShK heavy machine gun and two GPMG machine guns. The crew were rescued unscathed by another helicopter. [14] On 15 March 1992, an IRA unit fired more than 1,000 machine gun rounds at two Lynx helicopters from across the border near Rosslea, County Fermanagh. [15] A protracted shoot-out between Lynx helicopters and armed IRA trucks, all of them mounting DShKs, occurred along Newry Road, east of Crossmaglen, on 23 September 1993. [16]
Lynx XZ664 returned to service, but suffered a failure of the tail-rotor while flying near RAF Leeming in February 2001 and rolled over; this time the machine sustained enough damage to be written off. [17]
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Air crash
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Uruguay general strike of 1973
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On 27 June 1973[1] a coup was declared in Uruguay by the president, Juan María Bordaberry, who closed parliament and imposed direct rule from a junta of military generals. The official reason was to crush the Tupamaros, a Marxist urban guerrilla movement. Within hours of the coup being declared, the leftist trade union Convención Nacional de Trabajadores called a general strike. Factory occupations took place throughout the country, and many ports, banks and stores closed. [2] On 2 July 1973 the CNT was officially dissolved, though many affiliated unions were allowed to temporary operate, and two days later the government gave all employers to dismiss workers who failed to return to work. [1] The strike ended 15 days after it started, with nearly all unions busted and most of the trade union leaders in jail, dead, or exiled to Argentina. Unions and political parties remained illegal until a general strike in 1984 forced the military to accept civilian rule and the restoration of democracy.
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Strike
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3 dacoits shot dead, bank robbery foiled in Assam: Police
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The police had intelligence input that a gang of dacoits would attempt to rob an Allahabad Bank branch at Bhotgaon near Kokrajhar town. GUWAHATI/ KOKRAJHAR: Three suspected dacoits were shot dead as they tried to rob a bank in Assam 's Kokrajhar district in the early hours of Sunday, police said. The police had intelligence input that a gang of dacoits would attempt to rob an Allahabad Bank branch at Bhotgaon near Kokrajhar town, a senior police officer of the district said. A previous attempt of robbing the same branch was foiled three months back, he said. The gang was intercepted at Chengmari near Bhotgaon around 2.30am, the officer said. They allegedly opened fire on the security personnel on being intercepted, and in retaliatory firing by the police, three dacoits were injured, he said. Other members of the gang managed to escape, the officer said. The injured dacoits were taken to a nearby hospital where they were declared dead, he said. Motorcycles, mobile phones, tools, gas cutters, two pistols along with oxygen cylinders were recovered from those killed, the officer said. "The operation was on till late night to flush out rest of the dacoits," director-general of police Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta said. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lauded the efforts of the police in preventing the bank robbery. "A robbery gang was neutralised by Assam Police in Kokrajhar. This prevented a big bank robbery," he said. Sarma also appreciated the police for nabbing 15 alleged Taliban supporters on Saturday from different parts of the state. "Assam has to be crime-free. Murder, violence, hatred -- these all have to be eliminated from the state. And we will continue to work till we achieve our goal," he added. The death toll in purported police encounters in the state rose to 20 with this incident, while 31 persons were injured as they allegedly attempted to escape from custody since the new BJP-led government under Sarma assumed charge in May. Sarma's government is under fire from the opposition parties and rights activists for the rising number of people being killed in police shootings. However, the chief minister has maintained that the state police has "full operational liberty" to fight criminals within the ambit of the law.
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Bank Robbery
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Rings End A141 closed after three vehicle collision
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Updated Katie Woodcock Three vehicles collided on the A141 between March and Guyhirn in Cambridgeshire just after 3pm. - Credit: Archant Three vehicles have collided on the A141 between March and Guyhirn in Cambridgeshire. It happened just after 3pm where one of the cars left the road and entered a ditch. A spokesperson for Fenland police has said: " We were called at 3.07pm today (24 September) with reports of a collision involving three vehicles on the A141 between March and Guyhirn. “One of the vehicles left the road and is in a ditch. “Officers and paramedics have attended the scene, but details of an injuries are unclear at this stage. “The road has been closed while the incident is dealt with and recovery of the vehicles takes place.” The collision happened near the Twenty Foot Road Junction. Three vehicles collided on the A141 between March and Guyhirn in Cambridgeshire just after 3pm. - Credit: Archant Vehicles are being diverted around the area to complete their journeys. They're advised to avoid the area while police work. ⚠ ⛔ #A141 between Peas Hill roundabout #March and #Guyhirn This road is currently closed due to an RTC @CambsCops are on scene.Please avoid the area. A spokesperson for Fenland Police said: "Please avoid the area at this time. "We will update when the road is open again." We are currently dealing with a road traffic collision at RINGS END, A141, junction with TWENTY FOOT ROAD. The road is currently closed. Please avoid the area at this time. We will update when the road is open again. This newspaper has been a central part of community life for many years. Our industry faces testing times, which is why we're asking for your support. Every contribution will help us continue to produce local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.
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Road Crash
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1920 Haiyuan earthquake
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1920 Haiyuan earthquake (Chinese: 海原大地震; pinyin: Hǎiyuán dà dìzhèn) occurred on December 16 in Haiyuan County, Ningxia Province, Republic of China. It was also called the 1920 Gansu earthquake[1] because Ningxia was a part of Gansu Province when the earthquake occurred. It caused destruction in the Lijunbu-Haiyuan-Ganyanchi area and was assigned the maximum intensity on the Mercalli intensity scale (XII Extreme). The earthquake hit at 19:05:53 Gansu-Sichuan time (12:05:53 UTC),[5] reportedly 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, and was followed by a series of aftershocks for three years. Over 73,000 people were killed in Haiyuan County. A landslide buried the village of Sujiahe in Xiji County. More than 30,000 people were killed in Guyuan County. [2] Nearly all the houses collapsed in the cities of Longde and Huining. Damage (VI–X) occurred in seven provinces and regions, including the major cities of Lanzhou, Taiyuan, Xi'an, Xining and Yinchuan. It was felt from the Yellow Sea to Qinghai (Tsinghai) Province and from Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia) south to central Sichuan Province. Total casualties were reported as 200,000 in a summary published by the United States Geological Survey,[1] and 235,502 according to the Catalog of Damaging Earthquakes in the World (through 2008) maintained by the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering. [3] Many more perished because of cold: frequent aftershocks caused the survivors to fear building anything other than temporary shelters, and a severe winter killed many who had lived through the original earthquake. [6] Chinese seismologists published a revised estimate in 2010 of 273,400 deaths. [3][4]
The Sufi Jahriyya Muslim Hui leader Ma Yuanzhang and his son died in the earthquake when the roof of the Mosque they were in collapsed in Zhangjiachuan. [7][8]
About 230 km (140 mi) of surface faulting was seen from Lijunbu through Ganyanchi to Jingtai. There were more than 50,000 landslides in the epicentral area and ground cracking was widespread. Some rivers were dammed; others changed course. [9] Seiches from this earthquake were observed in two lakes and three fjords in western Norway. [1]
The Muslim General Ma Fuxiang was involved in relief efforts in Lanzhou during the earthquake. [10][11][12]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey.
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Earthquakes
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China says suspension of trade talks ‘necessary’ response to Australia’s ‘insane, Cold War mentality’
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China has described its decision to cancel bilateral trade talks as a “necessary” response to Australia’s “insane” actions and “Cold War mentality”. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Thursday that “the Australian side must take all responsibility” for the talks being cancelled . Ominously, Beijing for the first time used an explicit political justification for its decision. China had previously justified bans on Australian exports — such as beef and wine — on labelling and health issues. “We always believe that a sound and steady China-Australia relationship is in the fundamental interests of both countries and that bilateral co-operation is mutually-beneficial in nature,” he said. “That said, mutual respect and mutual trust is the prerequisite of dialogue and practical co-operation between countries. For some time, the Australian side, in disregard of China‘s solemn position and repeated representations, doubled down on restriction and suppression of China-Australia co-operation projects in trade, culture and people-to-people exchanges by falsely citing ‘national security’ reasons.” The diplomatic relationship between China and Australia is continuing to worsen. Pictured is Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing's Great Hall of the People. Mr Wang said this had “severely damaged mutual trust and undermined the foundation for normal exchange and co-operation” and that China had “no other choice but to make necessary and legitimate responses”. “The Australian side must take all responsibility for this,” he said. “We urge the Australian side to cast aside the Cold-War mentality and ideological bias, view China’s development and China-Australia co-operation in a truly objective light, return to the rational track without further delay and correct its mistakes. It should stop the insane suppression targeting China-Australia co-operation, stop politicising and stigmatising normal exchange, and stop going further down the wrong path.” China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced on Thursday that it would “indefinitely suspend” all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) as a result of Australia’s “ideological discrimination” against the country. Trade Minister Dan Tehan said on Thursday it was “disappointing to hear” of the decision, describing the SED as “an important forum for Australia and China to work through issues relevant to our economic partnership”. “We remain open to holding the dialogue and engaging at the ministerial level,” he said. Chinese ministers have failed to take any calls from their Australian counterparts in more than a year. Relations between Canberra and Beijing have plummeted since 2018, when Australia became the first country to ban Chinese tech firm Huawei from its 5G network, further deteriorating last year after Prime Minister Scott Morrison led calls for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. China has since imposed tariffs or disrupted more than a dozen key industries including wine, lobster, barley, timber and coal, decimating exports. The China-Australia talks, which have been held three times since 2014 with the last occurring in 2017, are the main bilateral economic forum between Australia and its largest trading partner. The NDRC’s announcement came in response to the Australian federal government’s decision last month to tear up Victoria’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative co-operation deal with China under new foreign relations laws. According to the state-run Global Times, it was the last round of SED talks that indirectly led to Victoria signing up for the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the signing of a free-trade deal, and the use of UnionPay cards in Australia. The newspaper noted that there were now doubts about the China-Australia Annual Prime Ministerial Meeting. The seventh round of the annual meeting was held in Bangkok in 2019 between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Mr Morrison. The 2020 meeting was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. Chen Hong, a professor at East China Normal University, told the Global Times that the move to cancel the SED talks was significant, being the first major announcement made by Beijing on the first working day after the five-day May Day holiday. Zhou Fangyin from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies told the outlet that such a suspension was “very rare within China’s diplomatic course with major countries, which underscores China’s strong objection to the move and sends a clear warning to Australia that China is determined, and is ready to employ all necessary tools to defend its legitimate interests”. “Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison should understand China’s bottom line and drop the fantasy that China may retreat on Australia’s unreasonable provocations,” Mr Zhou said. James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at University of Technology Sydney, told news service AFP it was “mainly a symbolic move, but still the trend (of) discussion and dialogue being suspended at lower and lower levels is a real concern”. “Overall, what we’re seeing in Canberra and Beijing is both sides doubling down and hardening their stance,” he said. Jacinda Ardern meets with Xi Jinping in Beijing in 2019. The Australian’s foreign editor Greg Sheridan said the decision was noteworthy “for its explicit political justification”. “There was no nonsensical justification about Australian coal being too dirty, or our pineapples too spiky, or our wine too flavoursome or whatever,” he wrote on Friday. With the Northern Territory government’s controversial 99-year lease of the Port of Darwin to Chinese-owned company Landbridge now in the crosshairs of the federal government – and in particular the newly hawkish Defence Department under Peter Dutton – experts have warned of further retaliation. Mr Dutton told The Sydney Morning Herald his department had been asked to “come back with some advice” about the 2015 deal and refused to rule out forcing Landbridge to divest on national security grounds. “A decision by Canberra to rescind the Port of Darwin lease, even if full and fair compensation were paid to Landbridge, would have significance for Beijing far beyond Australia,” Sheridan wrote. “Without the Australian government engaging in international advocacy, it would damage Beijing’s ability to replicate such arrangements in other nations.” Asked at his Thursday press conference if there would be any specific trade impact as a result of the talks’ cancellation, Mr Wang did not say – but he praised New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her softer stance and her commitment to the “one China policy”. “China stands ready to work together with New Zealand to forge ahead and break new ground, strengthen dialogue, deepen co-operation, rise above disturbances and work for greater progress in our comprehensive strategic partnership,” he said. “China does not intend to engage in systemic competition or ideological confrontation with Western countries. Our development does not come at the expense of other countries’ interests. On the contrary, it presents immense development opportunities for all. We are ready to enhance co-operation with all sides including New Zealand to contribute to world peace and development.” China has previously indicated that New Zealand, which has attempted to distance itself from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance with the US, UK, Canada and Australia, would reap the economic benefits.
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Tear Up Agreement
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Zoufftgen train collision
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The 2006 Zoufftgen train collision occurred around 11.45 am on 11 October 2006, near Zoufftgen, Moselle, France, some 20 metres from the border with Luxembourg, on the Metz–Luxembourg railway line. Two trains collided head-on while one track of a double track line was out of service for maintenance. Six people, including the drivers of both trains, were killed: two Luxembourgers and four French. Twenty more were injured in the accident, two seriously. One train was a Class 2200 double-decker passenger train of the Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL), running on the Métrolor service (TER Lorraine) from the city of Luxembourg to Nancy, France. The other was an SNCF freight train composed of 22 wagons on the Bâle – Thionville – Bettembourg route. They were involved in a head-on collision. [1] This type of accident, called nez-à-nez ("Nose to Nose") in French railway jargon, is relatively rare and often fatal. One of the most fatal head-on collisions in France was the 1985 Flaujac train collision, which left 35 dead and 120 injured. The most recent accident of this kind happened on the Tende line on 27 January 2003 where a French and an Italian train collided, killing both drivers. The accident occurred between the border stations of Hettange-Grande (France) and Bettembourg (Luxembourg), near the Lorraine area of Zoufftgen, on a double track section. The accident was on a section crossing a forest, limiting visibility. The speed limits of the trains were 140 km/h (87 mph) and 100 km/h (62 mph). Only a single track was being used because of engineering works. The line was electrified at 25 kV AC, and equipped, between Thionville and Bettembourg, with BAL (bloc automatique lumineux, "automatic signal blocks") and IPCS (installation permanente de contre-sens, "permanent counter-track installations") which allow trains to run in one or other direction, the signalling and the interlocking being preconfigured to achieve this. Both trains were equipped with safety systems, KVB (contrôle de vitesse par balises, "Speed control by beacons") on the French side and Memor II+ on the Luxembourg side, which in particular halts the train if it passes a stop signal. The préfecture of Moselle had made a "White plan" (an emergency plan) to organise the response. Hundreds of French and Luxembourger rescue workers were marshalled:
The "Red plan" was lifted two days after the accident, shortly after the sixth and last victim had been extricated. According to the preliminary investigation, validated by the prefecture of the Department of Moselle and the Luxembourg authorities, the accident had caused:
The accident being in both France and Luxembourg, judicial inquiries were opened by the authorities in both Thionville and Luxembourg. At the same time, other inquiries were started: in France, by the SNCF and the BEA-TT (Bureau d’Enquêtes sur les Accidents de Transport Terrestre, "Land Transport Accident Investigation Bureau") by the French Minister of Transport, and in Luxembourg, by the CFL and the Entité d'Enquête d'Accidents et d'Incidents ("Inquiry Agency for Incidents and Accidents"), in concert with the BEA-TT. On 8 October 2007, the court of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg indicted six CFL employees on charges of manslaughter and actual bodily harm. After investigation, indictments of two board members of the CFL were dropped. While no individual has been identified, it was stated that among the accused were two traffic controllers. After further investigations by SNCF and CFL, railway officials came to the conclusion that the fault lay with the Luxembourg rail traffic controllers who cleared the passenger train onto the same track as the freight train. Luxembourg's Transport Minister Lucien Lux was quoted as saying "It's tough to say, but it's the fault of the CFL. "[3]
The Luxembourger driver of TER 837 617 received an order to pass a red (stop) signal to enter the zone operated by freight train number 45 938, pulled by SNCF Class BB 37000 locomotive 37007 from the Thionville depot, which had entered the section as normal by passing a green signal. The accident was due to a human signalling error on the Luxembourg side, according to information from the Luxembourg Minister of Transport on 15 October 2006. The CFL accepted that the double-deck passenger train (Class 2200), travelling from Luxembourg to Nancy, had passed a red signal with the authorisation of the head signaller at Bettembourg. The signaller had not followed procedure in its entirety, and had not confirmed with the signal box at Thionville that the way was clear, probably not considering the possibility of another train having been delayed (in fact, the freight train). The Bettembourg signal box thus authorised the TER train to proceed on the track past a red signal which had already cleared the freight train from the opposite direction. [4]
Having realised the mistake, the signaller at Bettembourg triggered an alert by RST (Radio sol train, "Train Radio System"), which was not received by the driver of the passenger train. He then wanted to cut the electricity supply for the line, but this was not possible because of the different rail electrification systems of the two countries; moreover the Luxembourg train had already passed to the French side, and so was beyond the signaller's control. The Class 2200 rolling stock was extremely new (2004) and had crumple zones that progressively collapsed in the event of overriding (locomotive BB 37007 going under the CFL locomotive). The cab of locomotive BB 37007 was destroyed by the force of the collision, but the rest of the leading structure remained "coherent". The crumple zone had been compressed. The driver, stuck in the cab, had no escape. The trailing wagons left the track to the right (in the direction of the train) after their couplings failed. The head motor car of the CFL train, built on the same assembly line as the SNCF train, had had its cabin crushed by the force of the collision and the roof was torn off by the overriding locomotive; however the intermediate trailing wagons and the tail motor car remained on the track, because the ends of each of the cars in between had anti-override structures which "locked" against each other in case of shock. These structures led to the high number of survivors.
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Train collisions
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1924 World Allround Speed Skating Championships
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The 1924 World Allround Speed Skating Championships took place at 1 and 2 March 1924 at the ice rink Pohjoissatama in Helsinki, Finland. Clas Thunberg was defending champion but did not succeed in prolonging his title. Roald Larsen became World champion for the first time. Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[1]
Four distances have to be skated:
The ranking was made by award ranking points. The points were awarded to the skaters who had skated all the distances. The final ranking was then decided by ordering the skaters by lowest point totals. One could win the World Championships also by winning at least three of the four distances, so the ranking could be affected by this. Silver and bronze medals were awarded.
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Sports Competition
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Melting ice reveals first world war relics in Italian Alps
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The soldiers dug the wooden barracks into a cave on the top of Mount Scorluzzo, a 3,095-metre (10,154ft) peak overlooking the Stelvio pass. For the next three-and-a-half years, the cramped, humid space was home to about 20 men from the Austro-Hungarian army as they fought against Italian troops in what became known as the White War, a battle waged across treacherous and bitterly cold Alpine terrain during the first world war. Fought mainly in the Alps of the Lombardy region of Italy and the Dolomites in Trentino Alto-Adige, the White War was a period of history frozen in time until the 1990s, when global warming started to reveal an assortment of perfectly preserved relics – weapons, sledges, letters, diaries and, as the retreat of glaciers hastened, the bodies of soldiers. The presence of the barracks on Scorluzzo’s summit was known for some time, but it was only in 2015, when the ice that had sealed it off for almost 100 years melted completely, that researchers were able to enter. The shelter had been hastily locked up when the war ended in November 1918, with the soldiers abandoning most of their belongings. Inside were the details of their daily lives: beds made of straw, clothes, lanterns, newspapers, postcards, coins, tinned food and animal bones empty of marrow. The cave has now been excavated, and the refuge and all its artefacts will go on display at a museum due to open in the Lombardy town of Bormio in 2022. “The barracks is a time capsule of the White War that helps us to understand the extreme, starving conditions that the soldiers experienced,” said Stefano Morosini, a historian and coordinator of heritage projects at Stelvio national park. “The knowledge we’re able to gather today from the relics is a positive consequence of the negative fact of climate change.” Many more soldiers are believed to have been killed by avalanches, falling down mountains or hypothermia than were killed during fighting. Dozens of corpses, some still in their uniforms, have emerged from the melting ice over the past decade. Last summer, a hiker stumbled across the remains of a soldier wrapped in the Italian flag on the Adamello glacier, part of a mountain range that straddles Lombardy and Trentino. In 2017, the relatives of an Italian soldier were able to bury him after documents revealing his identity were found with his body on Presena glacier. “A corpse is found every two or three years, usually in places where there was fighting on the glacier,” said Marco Ghizzoni, a member of staff at the White War museum in Adamello who also helped to excavate the Mount Scorluzzo barracks. Before the thawing of the soldiers’ icy tombs, the most extraordinary discovery of human remains on a melting glacier was made in 1991, when two German hikers found the 5,300-year-old mummified body of a hunter in the Ötztal Alps, close to Italy’s border with Austria. The body of “Ötzi the Iceman”, replete with tattoos, is on display at a museum in Bolzano. “The Ötzi discovery was huge,” said Morosini. “Here was a relic of the prehistoric era, and today we are finding relics of the first world war.” Ötzi paved the way for glacial archaeology. A rock with writing on it that is believed to date back 3,500 years was uncovered by the retreating Forni glacier, also part of Stelvio national park. The effects of climate change are visible all across the Italian Alps. Forni, one of Italy’s largest valley glaciers, has retreated 800 metres within the past 30 years and 1.2 miles (2km) over the past century. In the summer of 1987, the guard of a shelter looking out towards Forni witnessed huge chunks of ice fall from the glacier amid days of heavy storms, eventually producing a rock avalanche that triggered the Val Pola landslide and killed 43 people. Luca Pedrotti, a scientific coordinator at Stelvio national park, said the melting glacier was also changing the vegetation dynamic in the area, while rising temperatures had led to a reduction of wildlife populations, including chamois, a species of goat-antelope, and grouse. “Some species really suffer as they are very adapted to the cold Alpine environment,” said Pedrotti. “So they have to go higher and higher in search of cold temperatures and better-quality food.” Pedrotti said human beings were as much responsible for the altered Alpine landscape as climate change. Close to Scorluzzo is the Stelvio glacier, where ardent skiers have flocked during the summer since the 1950s. “We have gone from a garden that was perfectly managed through cultivation, to a situation with lots of tourism – this has a strong footprint on the landscape,” Pedrotti said. “We need tourism but we also need conservation and the two things don’t always follow the same path.” With grim climate forecasts, it is only a matter of time before glacial melting brings a stop to skiing at the Stelvio glacier. A study published last year found that the melting of Italy’s glaciers is accelerating, especially at Marmolada, the largest and most symbolic glacier of the Dolomites. “Marmolada is decreasing in volume so dramatically, and we don’t have a clue how to stop this process,” said Aldino Bondesan, a geophysics professor at the University of Padua and member of the Italian Glaciological Committee, which is monitoring 200 of Italy’s 900 glaciers. Meanwhile, the changes in mountain permafrost in the Alps also risks triggering landslides. “When I was asked 20 or 30 years ago whether I agreed with climate change, my answer was not as sharp as the one I give today,” said Bondesan. “The climatic models were not so clear … but now we have more than a century’s worth of data, and every time you go to the Alps, you see how much things are changing.” … as you're joining us today from Hong Kong, we have a small favour to ask. With the world's eyes on the crucial UN climate summit, the Guardian will bring you the facts, negotiations, news and science. For years, climate experts have stressed that Guardian reporting - independent, rigorous, persistent and open to all - is a critical tool to confront the climate crisis, which is intensifying around the world. Leaders, influenced by powerful lobbies, are now set to make decisions that will determine our future. We have no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact reporting for the world, always free from commercial and political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful. And we provide all this for free, for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. As such, tens of millions have placed their trust in us for the last 200 years, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. With more than 1.5 million supporters in 180 countries, our model for open access journalism is better sustained, meaning we can reach more people. This helps everyone keep track of global events like the climate summit, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. We take this emergency seriously as a news organisation: two years ago, we pledged to prioritise the climate crisis, and we've published some 6,000 pieces of environmental journalism since. We set ambitious targets to green our business, and have turned away from fossil fuel investments and advertising as a result. We are on track to meet our goals, including that of transparency, where we will continue to update you on our progress.
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New archeological discoveries
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Italy’s Mount Etna’s Continuous Eruptions Are Causing the Volcano to Grow
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The volcano is the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy and is reportedly the most active volcano in Europe. Mount Etna is at it again, spewing lava and sending ash into the sky above Sicily. The volcano is the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy and is reportedly the most active volcano in Europe. The last time it erupted was just three weeks ago, unlike the other two, which have been quiet as of late. Etna has erupted at least once in seven out of the eight months of this year so far. This latest eruption didn’t close the local airport as it has in the past, but it is still a sight to see. All of this activity is starting to change the volcano. Etna is the tallest volcano in Europe, but reports say with all of the eruptions this year alone, it’s gained 100 more feet of height.
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Volcano Eruption
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The cafeteria at the International French School has been told to cease operations until the end of the week.
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The cafeteria at the International French School has been told to cease operations until the end of the week.ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
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SINGAPORE - More than 150 students and staff from the International French School in Ang Mo Kio have contracted food poisoning after eating from its canteen.
The cafeteria has been closed this week as a precaution, said the school.
As at noon on Friday (April 23), 151 people had reported symptoms of gastroenteritis, the Ministry of Health and Singapore Food Agency told The Straits Times.
So far none has been hospitalised.
The school's communications director, Mr Sebastien Barnard, said that the problem surfaced on Tuesday after several parents reported that their children had gastrointestinal symptoms after eating from the canteen.
"We ceased canteen operations immediately and are now working with our canteen supplier to conduct a full investigation into the possible causes," he said.
He added that students' health was of utmost importance and that the school was taking it very seriously.
"We are applying extra precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our students," Mr Barnard said.
The International French School has students from kindergarten age all the way through to high school.
According to its website, catering is provided by Chartwells - a company which was also involved in cases of food poisoning at the residential colleges of the National University of Singapore in 2019.
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Mass Poisoning
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Weightlifting-China's Shi breaks world record to win gold in 73kg category
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Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Weightlifting - Men's 73kg - Group A - Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan - July 28, 2021. Shi Zhiyong of China celebrates after a lift. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido TOKYO, July 28 (Reuters) - China's Shi Zhiyong broke his own world record to win the men's 73kg weightlifting event at the Olympics on Wednesday and claim a gold medal for the second Games in a row.
The 27-year-old lifted a combined 364 kg to better his own world record of 363 kg, set at the 2019 world championships.
Venezuela's Julio Ruben Mayora Pernia won a silver with a lift of 346 kg.
In a surprise turn, Indonesia's Rahmat Erwin Abdullah, who competed in a division with lower weight entries, won a bronze by lifting 342 kg in total. read more Shi remained strong throughout the competition, breaking the Olympic record in the snatch with his second lift and again with his third.
"My aim was to break the world record, not only to win the gold medal," Shi told reporters.
"I would have regretted not breaking the world record. I came here to do this, I waited five years to do this. I was sure I would break my own record."
Shi, gold medallist at the 2016 Olympics in the 69 kg category, also broke the Olympic record for the clean and jerk on his first attempt.
Shi challenged the decision on his second attempt at a 192 kg clean and jerk, but the decision stood. He then lifted 198 kg on his third lift to match his world record.
Mayora Pernia tried to lift 199 kg on his third clean and jerk but failed.
Indonesia's Abdullah said his father and coach recommended him to compete at the lower weight division because he would be "more comfortable and relaxed" that way.
"I am so happy, the plan worked," he said, adding that his father was not able to compete at the Olympics in 2004 due to injuries.
"Today I've won the medal for both of us, I dedicate this to him."
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Danuel House Jr. scored 18 points off the bench and served as the spark plug as the Houston Rockets snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 118-113 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
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Break historical records
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The number of people dying in the Australian city of Melbourne from a rare phenomenon called thunderstorm asthma has risen to eight. One person remains in a critical condition.
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The number of people dying in the Australian city of Melbourne from a rare phenomenon called thunderstorm asthma has risen to eight. One person remains in a critical condition. Heavy rains and winds last Monday triggered thousands of pollen allergy asthma attacks in the state of Victoria. Paramedics and hospitals were stretched to their limits as thousands phoned to report breathing problems. Thunderstorm asthma occurs in the spring when rye grass pollen gets wet, breaks into smaller pieces and enters people's lungs, causing them breathing problems.
More than 8,000 people were treated in hospital.
About one in 10 people has asthma in Australia, with about 80% of those sufferers experiencing allergies, particularly to rye pollen.
Melbourne's current spring season has been particularly wet, creating havoc for asthma and hay fever sufferers.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Three workers killed in Iran pipeline gas leak blast -state media
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DUBAI, July 6 (Reuters) - An explosion caused by a gas leak at a pipeline pumping station killed three workers and injured four in southwestern Iran on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported.
"The accident took place...today, Tuesday, due to an explosion caused by a gas leak at the pipeline (pumping) station," Adnan Ghazi, governor of the nearby town of Shush, told state news agency IRNA.
Ghazi said three technicians were killed and four other people who were resting in a nearby room were seriously injured, IRNA reported.
The blast occurred along a pipeline connecting the Cheshmeh Khosh oilfield to the city of Ahvaz, state broadcaster IRIB said.
Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh called for the state oil company NIOC to take the necessary steps to help workers and their families in the area and to send health, safety, and environment (HSE) teams to investigate the cause of the blast, the oil ministry's news website SHANA reported.
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Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.
Turkey and the United Arab Emirates signed accords for billions of dollars of investments on Wednesday, including in technology and energy, after talks between President Tayyip Erdogan and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.
Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology.
The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs.
The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals.
Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile.
Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts.
Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks.
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.
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Gas explosion
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US-led war games underway in Morocco near disputed W.Sahara
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US-led forces are carrying out war games near the disputed region of Western Sahara, in exercises jointly organised with Morocco and touted by US Africa Command as its largest. More than 7,000 personnel from nine countries and NATO are taking part in the exercises codenamed "African Lion", which kicked off on June 8, according to US Africa Command (Africom). The manoeuvres, due to conclude on Friday, have seen rockets fired near Western Sahara, navy boats patrol off the coast of Spain's Canary Islands and air forces conduct training exercises. "African Lion is US Africa Command's largest exercise," Africom said on its website, adding "the training is focused on enhancing readiness for US and partner nation forces." Moroccan Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani said in a tweet ahead of the exercises that the event "marks the consecration of American recognition of the Moroccan Sahara". But the US take on the exercises differed. "Exercise locations are spread mainly across Morocco, from Kenitra Air Base in the north to Tan Tan and Guerir Labouhi training complex in the south," Africom said in a statement. In the past days, AFP correspondents have seen exercises, including parachute jump training and rocket fire, taking place in the desert on the edges of Western Sahara. The manoeuvres were staged some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Algerian desert town of Tindouf, where the separatist Polisario Front has a base. Morocco laid claim to Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony with rich phosphate resources and offshore fisheries, after Spain withdrew in 1975. The Polisario Front took up arms to demand independence, proclaiming the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1976 and fighting a 16-year war with Morocco. Morocco now controls 80 percent of the territory, while the rest is held by the Polisario Front. Rabat has offered Western Sahara autonomy, but maintains that the territory is a sovereign part of the kingdom. Former US president Donald Trump recognised Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara last year after Rabat normalised ties with Israel, sparking an angry response from the Polisario. Morocco's armed forces, which usually keep a low profile, have praised the "perfect conditions" under which the joint exercises are taking place. And in recent days pictures, videos and statements have been posted on the unofficial Facebook page of the Far-Maroc (armed forces) of the military games. In one video, US Major General Michael J. Turley is heard saying that Morocco has "one of the most modern armies and air forces and navies within the world." Countries taking part in the exercises include Tunisia and Senegal, as well as Britain and Italy. The material girl was really feeling herself in her latest photoshoot. Six other students who watched "Squid Game" were sentenced to hard labor and their teachers may be sent to remote mines, Radio Free Asia reported. The conspiracy theory-loving Colorado Republican tweeted a weird brag about PCR tests, going maskless and soy replacement meat. John Schneider starred in "Dukes of Hazzard" as Bo Duke alongside Tom Wopat and Catherine Bach. Just before Maggie Gyllenhaal told her husband to get into bed with a beautiful and talented woman 13 years her junior, she found herself wondering if it was such a good idea. The reaction to this incident is more interesting than the ejection itself. UPDATED with WHO news: The U.K. added six African countries to its travel quarantine list on Thursday after a new, potentially more-transmissible variant of Covid-19 was identified there. The BBC said the countries are South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini. Twenty-two positive cases of the variant, which is being called B.1.1.529, have been […] Princess Victoria, Queen Letizia and more dipped into the royal jewelry vaults for a visit 40 years in the making Brooke Shields donned a red swimsuit for a new holiday tradition Critics pointed out the irony of the ex-president's son posting the doctored "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" scene. SAN ANTONIO — Raymond Hernandez was a boy when his grandfather would take him on walks to the Alamo, pointing at the grounds around the Spanish mission founded in the 18th century. “He’d tell me again and again, ‘They built all this on top of our campo santo,’ ” said Hernandez, 73, using the Spanish term for cemetery. An elder in San Antonio’s Tāp Pīlam Coahuiltecan Nation, he added, “All the tourists flocking to the Alamo are standing on the bones of our ancestors.” On a busy day, thousands of Anyone who’s a serious fan of Sonic, or of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, is probably aware of the 1993 event in which a Sonic the Hedgehog float became caught in high winds, struck a lamppost and injured two people. The thing is, despite knowing this happened, we didn’t have any surviving video of the incident. 'I think it is pathetic to isolate a family member for those reasons, but that is a choice they have made.' A Colorado judge affixes a price to spreading the former president's 'Big Lie.' The Cowboys set a record with 166 penalty yards Thursday in the overtime loss to the Raiders. The previous record was the 161 they had against Washington in 1970. The 28 total penalties — 14 on each team — called by referee Shawn Hochuli’s crew were the most ever in a Cowboys game. “Twenty-eight penalties,” [more] Rivals Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka will go head-to-head in The Match V. Heres info on the start time, TV channel, betting odds and more.
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Military Exercise
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Musk soars while Bezos sues in the new space race
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SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, with its Dragon spacecraft, is prepared for launch on Wednesday. Space races are supposed to be won in engineering labs or up in orbit. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, the next one might be won in a courtroom or regulator’s office. As Bezos’s companies fall behind Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the race to return humans to the moon and launch satellite-based broadband services, they’re increasingly resorting to politics and legal filings to get ahead. It’s not exactly a novel approach in Washington. But if Bezos prevails, it could do significant damage to America’s commercial space industry, just as it’s starting to get off the ground. It may be hard to believe these days, but the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was once known for its speed and efficiency. In July 1962, NASA invited 11 companies to bid on the Lunar Exploration Module — or LEM — that would ferry astronauts to the moon’s surface for the first time. Shortly thereafter, it chose Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. (later Northrop Grumman Corp.) for the contract. Just seven years later, the module was on the lunar surface. Since then, unfortunately, NASA’s pace has slowed while costs have soared. In 2007, to cite only one example, the agency authorized a program to develop a new spacesuit for America’s next round of lunar exploration. Fourteen years later, there’s still no new suit. A recent audit predicted there won’t be one for at least another four years. And the cost? About $500 million per suit. A major reason for this glacial pace is that the project was distributed among 27 separate contractors. Back in 2019, Bezos himself offered a pretty good summary of the problem: “To the degree that big NASA programs become seen as big jobs programs, in that they have to be distributed to the right states where the right senators live, and so on, that is going to change the objective.” During the same talk, Bezos predicted that if the LEM competition were held today, lawyers would line up next to the engineers. “Today, there would be, you know, three protests, and the losers would sue the federal government because they didn’t win. It’s interesting, but the thing that slows things down is procurement. It’s become the bigger bottleneck than the technology.” He was right! Last year, NASA selected three companies — Bezos’s Blue Origin, SpaceX and Dynetics Inc. — to compete for a lander contract for its next mission to the moon, scheduled to land in 2024. The agency was expected to select two candidates. In April, however, it announced it was only selecting one: SpaceX. Rather than concede defeat, Blue Origin filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Office. When that failed, it sued NASA. As the legal process dragged on, NASA had to halt work on the lunar lander and put its schedule at risk. (Blue Origin didn’t respond to a request for comment.) Yet Bezos wasn’t done. On Aug. 25, Amazon.com Inc. (of which he is the founder and chairman) asked the Federal Communications Commission to dismiss SpaceX’s updated plan for a constellation of internet-beaming satellites. SpaceX already has more than 1,700 in orbit, with plans for as many as 30,000 more. Not coincidentally, Amazon has its own plans for internet-broadcasting satellites. With little prospect of catching up in the short-term — none of its orbiters even has a launch date yet — Amazon sent a personal attack on Musk to the FCC last week, claiming that, at his companies, “rules are for other people.” (Amazon declined to comment on the record.) It remains to be seen how receptive the regulators and courts will be to these pleas. But even if Bezos wins, NASA shouldn’t look kindly on a come-from-behind strategy that’s designed — at least in part — to slow innovation and exploration via lawyerly means. By almost any measure, SpaceX is far ahead in this race, launching rockets every few weeks and landing contracts to send landers to the moon. Big companies with deep pockets will always be tempted to sue rather than compete. But Bezos, as one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs in American history, should understand that humanity’s progress into space is best promoted by trusting engineers and scientists — not litigators. The new space race is just beginning. It’d be a pity to see it tethered to the launch pad by red tape.
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New achievements in aerospace
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Footage of shooting released after police officer acquitted of Geraldton woman’s murder
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A WA Police officer who fatally shot a Geraldton woman while on duty has been found not guilty of murder. The first class constable, whose name has been suppressed for legal reasons, was acquitted of murder by a Supreme Court jury on Friday after a three-week trial and three hours of deliberation. The Yamitji woman, referred to as JC for cultural reasons, was killed after police were called to a street in the regional town of Geraldton, 415 kilometres north of Perth, responding to a welfare call from JC’s sister, who was concerned that she was walking down a street holding a knife and pair of scissors. At the crux of the prosecution’s case against the police officer was CCTV footage from a nearby house which Director of Public Prosecutions Amanda Forrester SC alleged showed JC was standing still with the knife by her side, and was not a threat, when the officer fired his gun. “[The footage proved] JC did not take a step or move towards the officer when he shot her,” she said. “He cannot have believed what he did was necessary.” Eight police officers were on the Petchell Street scene on September 2019, but only three were out of their vehicles. The accused was one of the most junior officers at the scene and was the only one who drew his gun. One of the officers who recognised the 29-year-old got out of his vehicle and was walking nearby her trying to talk her around. He noted she was agitated, grinding her teeth, and not responding. A second officer was following JC on foot with his Taser drawn. The acquitted man then jumped out of his car, drew his weapon and shouted repeated demands for JC to drop the knife. Within seconds, he shot her in the stomach. Yamatji woman, JC. This photo has been published with the permission of her family. He told the jury JC had turned and “squared off” to him in a “fighting stance” while she was around four metres away. “She was going to attack me,” he said, wiping away tears and trying to compose himself. “She raised the knife up and her body has come forward like she was going to lunge at me and I just shot her. “She had the knife down by her waist and her knife has come up and I thought I was going to get stabbed – I thought she was going to stab me.” The accused’s lawyer, Linda Black, successfully argued her client believed JC posed a lethal threat to himself and his colleagues. “It is not the case the accused woke up that day and thought, ‘I hope I kill someone today’,” she said. “Instead, he was the man brave enough to risk his own career, his own life by being the person on the frontline to pull a gun to protect his fellow officers. “Police training requires a police officer to have a weapon higher than what the person has. You don’t bring a fist to a knife fight … you bring a gun to a knife fight.” Loading A post-mortem revealed JC had methamphetamine in her system. She had recently been released from jail and suffered complex mental health issues. Outside court, family and supporters of JC said the verdict showed the government did not care about Indigenous people. “You are showing us the government that you are, and the government you’re not,” JC’s sister Bernadette Clarke told media. The police officer was the first to be charged with murder in WA in nearly a century. The only other record found was 94 years ago, when the bodies of 20 Aboriginal people were found slaughtered and burned in WA’s Kimberley region. The community was rocked when it became clear the ringleaders of the massacre were two police officers seeking payback over the death of a white pastoralist, who were then arrested and charged with murder. After a police inquiry and royal commission into what became known as the 1926 Forrest River massacre, the two men walked free. JC’s troubled life JC’s short life was one marred by disadvantage, mental health challenges and drug abuse. Her foster mother, Anne Jones, said she entered the foster care system at five months old before starting to drink alcohol at the tender age of seven. She was suspected of having foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, but was never diagnosed, and had attempted suicide at 12 years old. JC as a young child. Days before her death, JC had been released from Bandyup Women’s Prison after serving jail time for stealing a mobile phone from a house and then setting fire to her cell because she thought “spirits” were inside. With a rap sheet 22 pages long, including 13 convictions for criminal damage, JC was well known to local police. During JC’s most recent sentencing in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in May 2018, Justice Lindy Jenkins remarked it would be a “disaster” for both JC and the community if she was released at the end of her sentence without being on parole or supervised. Despite this, she was released by the Prisoners Review Board without parole or supervision at the completion of her sentence. The 29-year-old’s tragic death has cast a damning spotlight on the lack of mental health services available for regional West Australians who are dealing with entrenched trauma and stirred Aboriginal community members to march in the streets, some holding black lives matter signs. The port town of Geraldton is home to about 38,600 people, with Indigenous people making up around 10 per cent of the population.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release
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2006 Indian anti-reservation protests
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The 2006 Indian anti-reservation protests were a series of protests that took place in India in 2006 in opposition to the decision of the Union Government of India, led by the Indian National Congress-headed multiparty coalition United Progressive Alliance, to implement reservations for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in central and private institutes of higher education. These protests were one of the two major protests against the Indian reservation system, the other one being the 1990 anti-Mandal protests. The government proposed to reserve 27% of seats in the premier educational institutions of India like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and other central institutions of higher education for the OBCs in order to help them gain higher levels of representation in these institutions. This move led to massive protests, particularly from students and doctors belonging to the forward castes, who claimed that the government's proposal was discriminatory, discarded meritocracy and was driven by vote-bank politics. [1][2]
India is divided into many endogamous groups i.e. castes and sub-castes, as a result of centuries of following Varnashrama Dharma, a social system which translates to "types" or "order". In olden times, the castes which were considered high in the Hindu caste hierarchy i.e. Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, Shudras. [3]
During the British Raj, some methods for upliftment of these lower castes were introduced by the British, progressive thinkers and Hindu reformers. These included reservations in the legislature and in government jobs. [4] After independence, the Indian constitution introduced provisions for reservations for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SC/ST) in government institutions, to give a fair representation to the weakest sections of society i.e. Dalits and Adivasis. 22.5% of the seats (SC- 15%, ST- 7.5%) in higher education institutes and public sector undertakings at both state and central level were set-aside for them. Uplifting the SC/ST's representation par with the upper castes has not yet been achieved. In 1989, the then-Prime Minister of India V. P. Singh accepted and implemented nationwide the proposals of the Mandal Commission, which had been established by the Morarji Desai-led Janata Party government in 1979. The proposals of this commission recommended 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in public sector undertakings and state-level educational institutions. OBC's were a group of castes which fell in-between the upper castes and Dalits; they were historically not oppressed and socially boycotted as the Dalits and Adivasis, but were still socially, educationally and economically backward compared to the upper castes. Though some Indian states such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh had already implemented the OBC reservations earlier in their higher educational institutions, this decision now forced every Indian state to implement OBC reservation. By combining this 27% quota for OBC's and the earlier 22.5% reservation for the SC/ST's, the percentage of general (unreserved) seats in any medical, engineering or other institute falling under the state government reduced to 50.5%. This included even the unaided private colleges. As a result, there was widespread protests from the students belonging to the unreserved category (forward castes), claiming that they were being discriminated and that merit was being discarded. On 5 April 2006, Congress leader and then-Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, promised to implement a 27% reservation for OBCs in institutes of higher education (twenty central universities, the IITs, NITs, IIMs and AIIMS) after the State Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Assam and West Bengal, in accordance with the 93rd Constitutional Amendment which was passed unanimously by both Houses of Parliament. [5] The 93rd Constitutional Amendment allows the government to make special provisions for the "advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens", including their admission in aided or unaided private educational institutions. Gradually this reservation policy is to be implemented in private sector institutions and companies as well. [6] Private sector institutions and companies had never come under the purview of reservation. The text of the 93rd amendment reads-
Greater access to higher education including professional education, is of great importance to a large number of students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and other socially and educationally backward classes of citizens. The reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes of citizens in admission to educational institution is derived from the provisions of clause(4) of article 15 of the constitution. At present, the number of seats available in aided or State maintained institutions, particularly in respect of professional education, is limited, in comparison to those in private aided institutions. Clause(i) of article 30 of the Constitution provides the right to all minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. It is essential that the rights available to minorities are protected in regard to institutions established and administered by them. Accordingly, institutions declared by the State to be minority institutions under clause(1) of article 30 are excluded from the operation of this enactment. To promote the educational advancement of the socially and educationally backward classes of citizens,i.e., the Other Backward Classes or of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in matters of admission of students belonging to these categories in unaided educational institutions, other than the minority educational institutions referred to in clause(1) of article 30, the provisions of article 15 were amplified. The new clause(5) of said article 15 shall enable the Parliament as well as the State legislatures to make appropriate laws for the above mentioned purpose. [7]
This move led to opposition from students, as the proposal would reduce seats for the general category from the existing 77.5% to less than 51% (since members of OBCs are also allowed to contest in the General category), despite assurance from the government that the number of seats in these educational institutes will be increased so that effectively there will be no reduction in the number of seats available for the general category. The opposing students also felt that the government's move was merely to placate and consolidate the OBC vote bank. The private sector organisations too opposed the move, saying it would impede merit and reduce the competitiveness of the students. [8]
The protests began from 26 April 2006 with medical students protesting in New Delhi against the government's proposal, where students were lathi-charged and water cannons and tear gas were fired on the students. [9][10] Another such protest was carried out by medical students in New Delhi on 13 May 2006 where students were again lathi-charged and detained for few hours. [11] Medical students held a protest in Mumbai on 14 May 2006, where students were lathi-charged, despite the protest being banned by the Bombay High Court. [12] They were lathi-charged by the police. [12] In retaliation of the police action toward the anti-reservation protestors, a nationwide strike was launched by the "anti-reservation" medical students. Doctors from all over India who opposed the government's proposal too joined the protest. The government took measures to counter the protesting doctors by serving them with suspension letters and asking them to vacate the hostels to make way for newly recruited doctors. Some states invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and gave notices to the doctors to return to work, failing which legal action would be taken against them. The government also put on alert 6,000 men from the Rapid Action Force to take care of any untoward incident. However, in most places the protesters remained defiant despite ESMA. Most forward caste students across India took to the streets, boycotting classes. In Delhi, a human chain rally was organized on 20 May by the students of IIT Delhi with the support of PanIIT, the IIT alumni organisation, to protest the OBC reservation. Nearly 150 students of New Delhi's 5 Medical Colleges went on a 'relay' hunger strike in AIIMS which lasted for about a month. A resolution signed by 2,500 IIT Roorkee students expressing their opposition to the OBC reservation, was sent to the then-President Abdul Kalam, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the then-Chief Justice of India Y. K. Sabharwal and the Election Commission of India.
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The Worst Outbreaks in U.S. History
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An epidemic is definedTrusted Source by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a sudden increase in the number of cases of an infectious disease within a community or geographic area during a specific time period. A spike in the number of cases of the same illness in an area beyond what health officials expect to see is an outbreak. The terms may be used interchangeably, though epidemics are often considered more widespread. Over the years, many outbreaks of infectious diseases have occurred and spread across the United States. Smallpox came to North America in the 1600s. Symptoms included high fever, chills, severe back pain, and rashes. It began in the Northeast and the Native American population was ravaged by it as it spread to the west. In 1721, more than 6,000 cases were reported out of a Boston population of 11,000. Around 850 people died from the disease. In 1770, Edward Jenner developed a vaccine from cow pox. It helps the body become immune to smallpox without causing the disease. Now: After a large vaccination initiative in 1972, smallpox is gone from the United States. In fact, vaccines are no longer necessary. One humid summer, refugees fleeing a yellow fever epidemic in the Caribbean Islands sailed into Philadelphia, carrying the virus with them. Yellow fever causes yellowing of the skin, fever, and bloody vomiting. During the 1793 outbreak, it’s estimated that the 10 percent of the city’s population died and many others fled the city to avoid it. A vaccine was developed and then licensed in 1953. One vaccine is enough for life. It’s mostly recommended for those 9 months and older, especially if you live or travel to high risk areas. You can find a list of countries where the vaccine is recommended for travel on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Now: Mosquitoes are key to how this disease spreads, particularly in areas such as Central America, South America, and Africa. Eliminating mosquitoes has been successful in controlling yellow fever. While yellow fever has no cure, someone who does recover from the illness becomes immune for the rest of their life. The United States had three serious waves of cholera, an infection of the intestines, between 1832 and 1866. The pandemic began in India and swiftly spread across the globe through trade routes. New York City was the first U.S. city to feel the impact. Between 5 and 10 percentTrusted Source of the total population died in large cities. It’s unclear what ended the pandemic, but it may have been the change in climate or the use of quarantine measures. By the early 1900s, outbreaks had ended. Immediate treatment is crucial because cholera can cause death. Treatment includes antibiotics, zinc supplementation, and rehydration. Now: Cholera still causes nearly 95,000 deathsTrusted Source a year worldwide, according to the CDC. Modern sewage and water treatment have helped eradicate cholera in some countries, but the virus is still present elsewhere. You can get a vaccine for cholera if you’re planning to travel to high risk areas. The best way to prevent cholera is to wash your hands regularly with soap and water and avoid drinking contaminated water. Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection that can occur after strep throat. Like cholera, scarlet fever epidemics came in waves. Scarlet fever most commonly affects children ages 5 to 15Trusted Source. It’s rare in children under 3. Adults who are in contact with sick children have an increased risk. Older studies argue that scarlet fever declined due to improved nutrition, but research shows that improvements in public health were more likely the cause. Now: There’s no vaccine to prevent strep throat or scarlet fever. It’s important for those with strep throat symptoms to seek treatment quickly. Your doctor will typically treat scarlet fever with antibiotics. One of the biggest typhoid fever epidemics of all time broke out between 1906 and 1907 in New York. Mary Mallon, often referred to as “Typhoid Mary,” spread the virus to about 122 New Yorkers during her time as a cook on an estate and in a hospital unit. About 5 of the 122Trusted Source New Yorkers who contracted the virus by Mary Mallon died. The CDC citesTrusted Source a total of 13,160 deaths in 1906 and 12,670 deaths in 1907. Medical testing showed that Mallon was a healthy carrier for typhoid fever. Typhoid fever can cause sickness and red spots to form on the chest and abdomen. A vaccine was developed in 1911, and an antibiotic treatment for typhoid fever became available in 1948. Now: Today typhoid fever is rare. But it can spread through direct contact with people who have the virus, as well as consumption of contaminated food or water. H1N1 is a strain of flu that still circulates the globe annually. In 1918, it was the type of flu behind the influenza pandemic, sometimes called the Spanish flu (though it didn’t actually from come Spain). After World War I, cases of the flu slowly declined. None of the suggestions provided at the time (wearing masks, drinking coal oil) were effective cures. Today’s treatments include bed rest, fluids, and antiviral medications. Now: Influenza strains mutate every year, making last year’s vaccinations less effective. It’s important to get your yearly vaccination to decrease your risk for the flu. Diphtheria peaked in 1921, with 206,000 casesTrusted Source. It causes swelling of the mucous membranes, including in your throat, that can obstruct breathing and swallowing. Sometimes a bacterial toxin can enter the bloodstream and cause fatal heart and nerve damage. By the mid-1920s, researchers licensed a vaccine against the bacterial disease. Infection rates plummeted in the United States. Now: Today more than 80 percentTrusted Source of children in the United States are vaccinated, according to the CDC. Those who contract the disease are treated with antibiotics. Polio is a viral disease that affects the nervous system, causing paralysis. It spreads through direct contact with people who have the infection. Outbreaks occurred regularly in the United States through the 1950s, with two major polio outbreaks in 1916 and in 1952. Of the 57,628 reported cases in 1952, there were 3,145 deaths. In 1955, Dr. Jonas Salk’s vaccine was approved. It was quickly adopted throughout the world. By 1962, the average number of cases dropped to 910. The CDCTrusted Source reports that the United States has been polio-free since 1979. Now: Getting vaccinated is very important before traveling. There’s no cure for polio. Treatment involves increasing comfort levels and preventing complications. A major flu outbreak occurred again in 1957. The H2N2 virus, which originated in birds, was first reported in Singapore in February 1957, then in Hong Kong in April 1957. It appeared in coastal cities in the United States in the summer of 1957. The estimated number of deaths was 1.1 million worldwide and 116,000 in the United StatesTrusted Source. This pandemic is considered to be mild because it was caught early. Scientists were able to develop a vaccine based on the knowledge from creating the first flu vaccine in 1942. Now: H2N2 no longer circulates in humans, but it still infects birds and pigs. It’s possible that the virus may again jump from animals to humans in the future. Measles is a virus that causes fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and sore throat, and later a rash that spreads over the whole body. It’s a very contagious disease that spreads through the air. Almost all childrenTrusted Source caught measles prior to the vaccine. In the second part of the 20th century, most cases were due to inadequate vaccination coverage. Doctors began to recommend a second vaccine for everyone. Since then, each year has typically had fewer than 1,000 casesTrusted Source, though this was surpassed in 2019. Now: The United States has experienced smaller outbreaks of measles in recent years. The CDC states that unvaccinated travelers who visit abroad can contract the disease. When they come home to the United States, they pass it on to others who aren’t vaccinated. Be sure to get all the vaccinations your doctor recommends. One of Milwaukee’s two water treatment plants became contaminated with cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes the cryptosporidiosis infection. Symptoms include dehydration, fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. An initial study indicated 403,000 people became ill and 69 people died, according to the Water Quality & Health Council, making it the largest waterborne outbreak in United States history. Most people recovered on their own. Of the people who died, the majority had compromised immune systems. Now: Cryptosporidiosis is still a yearly concern. The CDC reports that cases increased by 13 percent per yearTrusted Source between 2009 and 2017. The number of cases and outbreaks vary in any given year. Cryptosporidium spreads through soil, food, water, or contact with contaminated feces. It’s one of the most common causes of illness to occur through summer recreational water use and can easily be spread from farm animals or in childcare settings. Be sure to practice good personal hygiene, such as washing hands, when camping, or after touching animals. Refrain from swimming if you have diarrhea. To help you take good care of your heart, we'll send you guidance on managing high blood pressure, cholesterol, nutrition, and more. Your privacy is important to us In the spring of 2009, the H1N1 virus was detected in the United States and spread quickly across the country and the world. This outbreak made headlines as the swine flu. The CDC estimatesTrusted Source that there were 60.8 million cases, 274,304 hospitalizations, and 12,469 deaths in the United States. Globally, 80 percent of this outbreak’s deaths were estimated to have occurred in people younger than 65. In late December 2009, the H1N1 vaccine became available to everyone who wanted it. Virus activity levels began to slow. Now: The H1N1 strain still circulates seasonally, but it causes fewer deaths and hospitalizations. Influenza strains mutate every year, making the previous year’s vaccinations less effective. It’s important to get your yearly vaccination to decrease your risk for the flu. Pertussis, known as whooping cough, is highly contagious and one of the most commonly occurring diseases in the United States. These coughing attacks can last for months.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Climate and ESG Task Force to be created
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Today, the SEC sent a very clear signal about one of its chief enforcement priorities by announcing the creation of a Climate and ESG Task Force within the Division of Enforcement. ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. Since Allison Herren Lee was named the Acting Chair of the SEC on January 21, 2021, the SEC has repeatedly signaled that Climate and ESG issues and disclosures will be an SEC priority. For instance, on February 1, 2021, the SEC announced that Acting Chair Lee would have, for the first time, a senior policy advisor solely dedicated to these issues. On February 24, 2021, Acting Chair Lee directed the Division of Corporation Finance to scrutinize disclosures for adherence to the SEC’s 2010 guidance on climate change-related disclosures. And just yesterday, the SEC’s Division of Examinations announced that in the context of inspections, “emerging risks, including those relating to climate and ESG,” will be a priority. Today’s announcement, however, is the most significant sign to date about the seriousness with which the SEC is studying Climate and ESG issues. By creating a task force within the Division of Enforcement, the SEC is broadcasting that its focus will not solely be on providing climate and ESG guidance to publicly traded companies and SEC registrants, but that it will “regulate through enforcement” by bringing enforcement actions related to these issues. In the past, the Division of Enforcement created a Retail Strategy Task Force (2018), Financial Reporting and Audit Task Force (2013), and the Microcap Fraud Task Force (2013), to name a few. In each instance, the creation of the task force meant a swell of SEC enforcement actions in that area. The Climate and ESG Task Force will be led by Acting Deputy Director of Enforcement Kelly Gibson—a former Ballard Spahr attorney in Philadelphia—who will oversee a 22-person team drawn from the Division of Enforcement. Ms. Gibson, who was until recently the Regional Director of the Philadelphia Regional Office of the SEC, is no stranger to enforcement actions involving climate and ESG issues. SEC enforcement actions in this space will likely involve fraud charges under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and books and record violations in violation of Section 13 of the Exchange Act. The SEC’s focus on ESG comes as no surprise. Investors, consumers, employees, lenders, and the general public have increasingly focused their attention on the non-financial aspects of an entity’s business. This is true for public companies, financial institutions, real estate related entities, investment advisors, broker dealers, municipal securities issuers, and even private companies. Ballard Spahr has established a cross-disciplinary team to assist clients with all ESG-related issues that may will likely arise. For example: Most importantly, in light of the SEC announcement, we have a team of lawyers with the procedural and substantive expertise to counsel our clients with respect to the many disclosure issues that may arise when an entity makes voluntary or compulsory ESG disclosures. Our securities and finance lawyers, aided by our securities enforcement litigators, advise on the best practices regarding disclosure of ESG issues and preparing to meet and address the concerns of governmental regulators. Our environmental, labor and employment, finance, and real estate lawyers regularly collaborate with our securities lawyers to provide clients with the depth of knowledge and experience necessary to ensure each disclosure is fully compliant with the securities laws, meets the expectations of investors and lenders, and is clearly understandable to all constituencies that may be affected – officers and directors, employees, consumers, investors, lenders, the general public, and the relevant regulators. Finally, in the event of an inquiry or investigation by a government agency or other investigative body, the ESG’s team of long-experienced securities enforcement litigators, again working with the subject matter experts within the ESG Working Group, has the demonstrated ability to bring such inquiries to a positive outcome. ESG has become a key measure of transparency and performance in all sectors of the economy. Our Working Group not only helps its clients navigate the ESG waters but enables its clients to improve, highlight, and appropriately disclose their ESG issues.
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Organization Established
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2021 Senegalese protests
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The 2021 Senegalese protests are mass protests and rioting against the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko over rape allegations which have left 13 dead in Senegal. Protests occurred starting throughout Senegal on 3 March, when hundreds gathered to protest the opposition leader's arrest. Thousands took to the streets over the next 3 days and internet was restricted to curb the protests. [1][2]
Since 2012 Macky Sall has been president of Senegal. In December 2020 Sall suggested running for a third term in 2024 just six months after signing a law which abolished the post of Prime Minister of Senegal. [3]
The protests began after the opposition leader was arrested for allegations of rape of schoolgirls. He has denied any allegations and has claimed that President Macky Sall is trying to arrest him. The opposition leader called for protests in support of the opposition and for the creation of an anti-government movement. The protests came under the slogan "Trop c'est trop", meaning "Enough is Enough". [4][5]
Initial protests and public strikes began with anti-lockdown demonstrations in 5-13 January in Pikine, Yoff and Dakar, leaving clashes with police, who fire Tear gas. The protests in the country turned violent on 8-10 February, when rioters clashed with police after they marched towards parliament afte allegations of rape in Dakar. [6][7]
Noisy protests broke out in Dakar and spread nation-wide as protests calling for opposition leader's release intensified on Wednesday, 3 March. After two days of protests and rioting against his arrest, thousands gathered at the Presidential office and clashed with Riot police and security forces, who fired Tear gas canisters and Rubber bullets to disperse growing anti-government protests. [8][9][10] According to Human Rights Watch live ammunition was used against protesters. [11]
Protests continued despite violence at the University of Dakar on Friday, 5 March, in which 2-4 protesters were killed during the mass protest movement as protesters rolled stones at police striking tanks and firing Tear gas at protesters, who in return set up roadblocks and barricades in Dakar. Demonstrations intensified the next day, with hundreds participating in rallies outside the prison Ousmane Sonko is in. [12][13][14]
During the protest the use of Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Telegram on cellular networks was disrupted. [15]
In the aftermath of the unrest the government announced an inquiry. While the official government death toll remains at five, opposition members claimed thirteen died in the unrest. [16]
On March 8 lawyers announced Sonko would be released on bail with the condition that he cannot travel without the prior permission of a judge and must refrain from commenting to the public and media on the rape case. [17]
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2019 Alaska mid-air collision crash
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On May 13, 2019, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplane operated by Mountain Air Service collided with a Taquan Air de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Turbine Otter floatplane over George Inlet, Alaska, United States. [1] The DHC-2 broke up in mid-air with the loss of the single pilot and all 4 passengers. The DHC-3 pilot was able to maintain partial control, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage in the collision and the subsequent forced landing; the pilot suffered minor injuries, 9 passengers suffered serious injuries, and 1 passenger was killed. Both aircraft were conducting sightseeing flights under visual flight rules, which states that the pilot of each aircraft is responsible for visually ensuring adequate separation from other air traffic, commonly known as "see and avoid". [1][2]
In April 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) attributed the accident to "'the inherent limitations of the see-and-avoid concept", along with the absence of alerts from both airplanes' traffic display systems." Due to the angle of approach, the DHC-2 pilot's view was obscured by the aircraft structure and the passenger sitting in the right-hand seat, while the DHC-2 was blocked from the DHC-3 pilot's view by the left front window post. Both aircraft were equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) traffic alert systems, but the DHC-3 automatic alert feature had been disabled by a past equipment change, while the alert features of the DHC-2 system did not trigger because avionics in the DHC-3 were not broadcasting the aircraft's altitude. [2] The NTSB also identified Taquan's inadequate preflight checklist and the Federal Aviation Administration's failure to require Taquan to implement a safety management system as contributing factors. [2][3]
The first accident aircraft was a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplane, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aircraft registration number N952DB, serial number 237, owned and operated by Mountain Air Service LLC since 2012. It was manufactured in 1951, was equipped with Edo floats, and had 16,452 total flight hours at the time of its most recent annual inspection in on April 16, 2019. The second accident aircraft was a de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Turbine Otter floatplane, FAA number N959PA, serial number 159, manufactured in 1956, owned by Pantechnicon Aviation Ltd. since 2012, and operated by Taquan Air since 2016. It was also equipped with Edo floats, and had logged 30,297 hours of operation at its last annual inspection on April 30, 2019. [1][4][5][2] Both aircraft were conducting local sightseeing flights of the Misty Fjords National Monument area for the benefit of passengers of a Princess Cruises cruise ship docked in Ketchikan, Alaska[6] and were operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 135 as on-demand sightseeing flights under visual flight rules (VFR). Neither aircraft carried, or was required to carry, a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder. [1][2]
The DHC-2 pilot was 46 years old and held a commercial pilot certificate and a flight instructor certificate, ratings for seaplanes with single or multiple engines, and a valid second-class medical certificate with no limitations. His personal flight records could not be located but he had reported around 11,000 flight hours during his last medical exam. He was the owner and sole pilot for Mountain Air Service. [2]
The DHC-3 pilot was 60 years old and held an airline transport pilot certificate and a flight instructor certificate, a rating for single-engine seaplanes, and a valid first-class medical certificate with a limitation requiring corrective lenses. He had been hired by Taquan Air in 2018 and flew for the airline primarily during the summer months. According to Taquan records, he had about 25,000 flight hours, with about 15,000 hours as pilot-in-command. [2]
Both aircraft were returning to Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base approximately 7 mi (11 km) southwest. The DHC-2 was flying at 107 knots (198 km/h) at an altitude of about 3,350 feet (1,020 m) mean sea level (MSL) while the DHC-3 was gradually descending at 126 knots (233 km/h) from an altitude of 3,700 feet (1,100 m) MSL. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The DHC-3 was equipped with an Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) collision warning system, but the pilot did not perceive any ADS-B collision warnings before he saw a "flash" to his left, and the two aircraft collided at 12:21 PM local time at an altitude of about 3,350 feet (1,020 m) MSL. [1][2] One of the passengers in the DHC-3 reportedly saw the other aircraft before the collision and yelled "Pull up! Pull up!" before impact. [2] The collision broke the windshield and separated the left rear door from the DHC-3. [2]
The DHC-2 broke up in mid-air, creating an approximately 2,000 ft by 1,000 ft (610 m by 305 m) debris field about 1.75 mi (2.82 km) southwest of the DHC-3 crash site. The DHC-2 fuselage, empennage, and cabin structure were separated from one another, and the right wing showed damage consistent with propeller impacts. The pilot and all 4 passengers were killed. [1][2]
The DHC-3 pitched about 40 degrees nose down, but the pilot was able to maintain partial control and perform a landing flare before touching down in George Inlet. [1] On landing, the aircraft shuddered violently, the floats separated from the aircraft, and the cabin immediately flooded through the left rear door opening and broken windshield and began to sink. [2][7] The pilot suffered head injuries in the collision and landing but was able to open the right rear door and help passengers exit. Although the pilot had briefed the passengers about the location and use of the onboard life preservers before the flight, only one passenger retrieved her life preserver before evacuating. The pilot and surviving passengers were rescued by a nearby boater in a small skiff, who immediately called the United States Coast Guard and ferried the survivors to shore before a Coast Guard boat and helicopter arrived. The female passenger in the right front seat was severely injured and was seen motionless and slumped over in her seat as the aircraft sank. [2]
The DHC-3 came to rest under about 80 ft (24 m) of water. [1] The fuselage forward of the bulkhead separating the passenger cabin from the cockpit was found mostly broken away from the rear fuselage, and the left side of the forward fuselage was more heavily damaged than the right side. Two propeller blades were partially broken off, while all three were bent and gouged in a manner consistent with heavy rotational contact with a solid object, and were smeared with white paint. [2]
Nine passengers in the DHC-3 sustained serious injuries and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; four passengers in the DHC-2 suffered fatal injuries. [1] Six injured victims were admitted to a local hospital and four others were evacuated to Seattle. [6]
The bodies of three occupants of the DHC-2 were recovered from the water soon after the accident and the other two bodies were found in a wooded area near the shoreline the following day. The medical examiner determined the cause of death of all five DHC-2 occupants to have been blunt force trauma. [2]
The front-seat passenger in the DHC-3 was found underwater, still strapped into her seat in the aircraft wreckage; her primary cause of death was determined to have been blunt force trauma with drowning being a contributing factor. [2]
The deceased DHC-2 pilot was the owner and sole pilot for Mountain Air Service, and the company ceased operations after the crash. [2][8] Taquan Air Flight 20 crashed one week later on 20 May and the airline suspended all flights the following day. [9][10] Amid increased oversight by the FAA, Taquan resumed limited cargo service on 23 May,[11] scheduled passenger flights on 31 May, and on-demand sightseeing tours on June 3. [12]
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) immediately began an investigation of the accident. [1][6] A preliminary NTSB accident report was published on May 22, 2019.
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Driver Flees Leaving Injured Passenger After Car Crash At Elizabeth North
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A passenger has been hospitalised and a driver has fled the scene after a horror crash at Elizabeth North. The driver of a Holden ute collided with a Ford Falcon at the intersection of Main North Road and Woodford Road on Tuesday night. Police attended the scene after 7 pm, to find the driver had fled the scene on foot, leaving behind her injured passenger. Keep up to date with the latest Adelaide news The 42-year-old passenger was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Ford falcon was not injured. Police are still on the hunt for the driver who fled the scene, if you have any information contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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ATF: Chandler building explosion was caused by natural gas leak
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. seek to previous 12… 6 seek to 10%, 20% … 60% Federal investigators released new video of the explosion at a Chandler print shop that injured four men as the probe revealed a natural gas leak caused it. CHANDLER, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- New details released on Tuesday morning show the apparent cause of last week's building explosion in Chandler. According to Chandler police, the ATF determined that a natural gas leak is to blame for the explosion.
"The findings by the ATF National Response Team and investigative partners determined that the explosion was caused by an unintentional natural gas leak ignited by an independent ignition source," stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Gabriel Pinon. Investigators have not determined what that ignition source was.
Chandler police also released new video of the explosion from the library right next door to the building that was destroyed. Watch the video here.
Attorney Tom Ryan represents Platinum Printing and the three employees who were injured in the blast. They are brothers Dillion Ryan and Andrew Ryan plus Parker Mildebrandt. Tom isn't related to the Ryan brothers.
He says he intends to file litigation against Southwest Gas because his clients' lives are forever changed. "They're left without a job, a source of income. They've been horribly disfigured, injured and burned," says Tom. "They've done a lot of damage to these little families, and beyond that, too. It's important to hold Southwest Gas accountable for their failure to adequately provide a safe gas system here in the City of Chandler."
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. seek to previous 12… 6 seek to 10%, 20% … 60% Chandler police released a video Tuesday from an explosion at a print shop last Thursday.
The fourth man hospitalized after the blast is Glenn Jordan. His wife says she is processing the latest information from investigators as she focuses on Jordan's recovery.
Arizona's Family reached out to Southwest Gas for a comment on this new development. The company responded with the following statement.
Our collective hearts remain with those impacted by Thursday morning’s incident in Chandler, as well as their families. Southwest Gas thanks first responders for their response and thank investigators for their work at the scene of the incident. Southwest Gas is committed to determine the facts behind the unintentional natural gas leak which investigators have cited as a contributing factor to this incident. We are also committed to immediately implementing any operational enhancements resulting from the investigation.
The explosion happened near Rural and Ray roads on Aug. 26 right after 9:30 a.m. Four men were rushed to the Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix where they are still being treated for injuries sustained in the blast. The men suffered burns across their bodies ranging from 16% to 30%. They suffered propane flash burn injuries to their arms, hands, thighs and legs. All of them are expected to survive.
On Saturday, Arizona’s Family spoke exclusively with the parents of Dillion and Andrew Ryan. "It is overwhelming and sad that the boys are suffering as bad as they are and that their business is just totaled," said their mom, Lori Ryan.
Both men have wives and children and are now out of work. Lori said the outpouring of support from the community means everything. A GoFundMe page has raised more than $105,000 for the Ryan family.
A GoFundMe has been setup for Mildebrandt, who is expecting his first child in the coming days. The fourth victim, Jordan, was working at a business next door when the explosion occurred. You can donate to his GoFundMe here.
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Gas explosion
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Only two people survived the wreck of the Loch Ard on Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast
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WHEN 18-year-old Eva Carmichael was shaken from her sleep aboard the Loch Ard she made her way to the deck only to be swept into the ocean and into a media frenzy. Don't miss out on the headlines from Today in History. Followed categories will be added to My News. WHEN 18-year-old Eva Carmichael was shaken from her bunk aboard the clipper Loch Ard in the early hours of June 1, 1878, she had no idea what was going on. Making her way through the chaos below, she climbed on deck where the captain tied a lifebelt around her waist and fastened her to a spar (wooden pole which supports a sail). Washed overboard she bobbed in the waves for two hours hoping she would drift ashore. Exhausted, she cried for help. Her call was heard by 18-year-old apprentice midshipman Thomas Pearce (or Pierce), who had already made his way ashore clinging to an upturned lifeboat. He swam out to the stricken woman and dragged her ashore, putting her into a small cave that looked out on the narrow rocky inlet. Pearce then climbed the sheer cliff above the inlet to go for help. A local farmer, Hugh Gibson, owner of the nearby Glenample Homestead, not far from the Twelve Apostles, Victoria, was out looking after his cattle when he saw the bedraggled Pearce. He listened to the young man’s story and went back to his house to raise the alarm and get some rope to rescue any survivors. Pearce went back to check on the woman he had already saved. When Pearce returned, Carmichael was hiding in another cave, because she feared attacks by natives. When Gibson reached the shore he found dead bodies. Pearce and Carmichael were the only survivors of 37 passengers and 17 crew. Among the dead were Carmichael’s entire family; her doctor father, mother, three sisters and two brothers. The tragedy would make the two survivors famous. The shipwreck would also give its name to the small cove where both survivors came ashore and the Loch Ard would become one of the most famous ships lost along Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast. The Loch Ard was built in Glasgow for the Loch shipping line and launched in 1863. This three-masted, iron-hulled, 1369-tonne ship was one of the last generation of fast sailing vessels known as clippers, designed to compete with the speed of the steamships. Built to carry cargo between Liverpool, England, and Melbourne, its maiden voyage in 1874 was almost a disaster. The ship twice lost its masts rounding Ireland and India, and was almost driven ashore at Sorrento, Victoria. On another voyage the captain died and the ship nearly ran aground on the way to Calcutta. Loch Ard’s final voyage began on March 2, 1878. from Gravesend, bound for Melbourne, under the command of Captain George Gibb. The ship was carrying a cargo that included building materials, copper, marble fireplaces, gaslight fittings, lead, railway iron, cement, confectionery, clocks and objects intended for display at the 1880 International Exhibition in Melbourne, including a large porcelain peacock. Also aboard were a number of wealthy families hoping to settle in Victoria, among them the Carmichaels. Eva’s father Dr Evory Carmichael was moving to Australia hoping it would help with his recovery from tuberculosis. The voyage went comparatively smoothly until the ship entered Bass Strait on May 31. Foul weather, high waves and thick fog made it difficult for the captain to see major landmarks or the Cape Otway lighthouse. When the fog lifted the captain realised he was too close to shore, headed straight for Mutton Bird Island. He tried to take evasive action but ran the ship onto a reef hidden beneath the water around the island. The crash brought down the masts, crushing passengers who had made their way on deck and making it difficult to launch lifeboats. The ship sank within about 15 minutes. As the only survivors Eva Carmichael and Pearce became celebrities, their story recounted in newspapers around the world. The public in Australia took up collections for both and people inundated them with telegrams imploring the pair to marry. Carmichael would later reveal that Pearce had asked her, but she thought that since she was from a wealthy family and he was a maritime man they had little in common and politely turned him down. Pearce was given £1000 and a gold medal for bravery and later returned to England to complete his apprenticeship. He was involved in another sinking aboard the Loch Sunart in 1879. He married, reached the rank of Captain before retiring from the sea and dying at home in Southhampton in 1908. Carmichael later married Captain Thomas Achilles Townsend, who had migrated to Australia. The couple later returned to live in Ireland where she and her husband lived on another coastline prone to shipwrecks and were often called to tend the victims. According to one story Pearce and Carmichael (then Mrs Townsend) met again when his ship was wrecked near her home. The Loch Ard was rediscovered by divers in 1967 and the wreck plundered by treasure hunters until the government stepped in to protect the remains.
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Shipwreck
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TransAsia Airways Flight 791 crash
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TransAsia Airways Flight 791[1][2] was a regular cargo flight between Chiang Kai Shek International Airport (now Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) and Macau International Airport. At 01:52 AM local time on 21 December 2002, the ATR 72 operating the flight crashed into the sea 17 kilometres (11 mi; 9.2 nmi) southwest of Magong, Penghu, Taiwan. The two crew members on board were killed. [3][4]
Flight GE791 was operated using an ATR 72-200 freighter. The captain and first officer were the only occupants of the aircraft.,The flight was from Chiang Kai Shek International Airport (now Taoyuan International Airport) to Macau International Airport. Flight 791 departed from Taoyuan at 1:04 AM local time (17:04 UTC). At 1:51 AM, the first officer requested permission from Air Traffic Control (ATC) to descend from flight level (FL) 180 (18,000 feet (5,500 m)) to FL160 (16,000 feet (4,900 m)). The controller approved the request and the first officer acknowledged. However, the aircraft began a rapid descent and disappeared from the radar screens one minute later, at 01:52 AM. The last known position of the aircraft was about 17 kilometres (11 mi; 9.2 nmi) southwest of Phengu, Magong. At 03:05 AM, the Civil Aeronautics Administration of the Ministry of Communications of Taiwan declared an emergency and dispatched helicopters and boats of the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard Administration to search for Flight 791. At 08:05 one of the rescue boats found the first pieces of debris and subsequently confirmed that Flight 791 had crashed. It is not known if the bodies of the flight crew were recovered. The captain was presumed dead by a court. [1]:i,2
The aircraft involved was an ATR 72-200 (registration B-22708, manufacturing serial number 322). It entered service as a passenger aircraft with TransAsia Airways on 25 August 1992. [5][6]
From September 1998 to February 2001, the aircraft was leased to Gill Airways in the United Kingdom with British registration G-BXYV. After returning to TransAsia Airways in 2001, the aircraft was converted into a freighter and was given its previous registration back as B-22708. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had 19,254 hours, and 25,529 takeoff and landing cycles. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt and Whitney PW124B engines. [1]:9
The captain, age 53, had been with TransAsia Airways since 1991. He had 14,277 hours of flight experience, including 10,608 hours on the ATR 42/72. The first officer, age 34, had been with TransAsia Airways since 1997 and had logged 4,578 flight hours, with 4,271 of them on the ATR 42/72. [1]:4
Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council (now the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board) investigated the accident. [1] The ASC reviewed the flight crew's training records. During recurrent training, the captain had "satisfactory" scores in icing conditions, however the instructor noted that the captain had a "tendency to lose situational awareness". According to his instructor, the captain repeated the training, and his results improved. Despite this, the instructor said that the captain was "still unsteady." There were no issues reported during the first officer's training. [1]:5–6
The majority of the wreckage was found 180 metres (590 ft) away from where Flight 791 last made contact with ATC. [1]:107 On 9 January 2003, the ASC commenced a salvage operation assisted by the coast guard administration and TransAsia Airways staff. The first salvage operation was performed on 10 January, after being delayed due to weather. The flight data recorder (FDR) was recovered on 11 January, and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was recovered on 14 January. [1]:107–123
Investigators discovered ice accumulation around the aircraft's major components. The aircraft's de-icing system was examined as well. [1]
The CVR recorded a large amount of non-pertinent conversation. The first indication of any problem occurred at 1:34 AM, when a "single chime" caution was heard. The captain then explained about how ice was accumulating on the aircraft at 1:44. The captain then brought this up a second time at 1:50. The crew then requested their descent. A short non-pertinent conversation was then heard, after which several alarms sounded until the end of the recording. [1]:45–47
The FDR indicated that the autopilot was disengaged at the moment of impact. The anti-ice system had been activated twice. The first was from 1:34 to 1:37, and the second was from 1:41 until the accident. [1]:45–47
Flight 791 was normal until 1:34 AM with the "single chime" alert going off. At 1:44 the captain said, "It’s iced up quite a huge chunk," and then four minutes later shouted, "Wow it’s a huge chunk," to which the first officer responded "what an ice," followed by, "this speed is getting slower it was a hundred two hundred one hundred and ninety now one hundred seventy." The captain expressed concern to the first officer about the pitot-static system getting blocked but he did not express the concern of the aircraft stalling. He also requested that they should descend as a precaution. After the first officer requested and obtained clearance to descend by ATC, the captain again said that there was ice accumulating on the aircraft. The stick shaker then activated, followed by the aural stall warning.
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Air crash
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1947 Croydon Dakota accident crash
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The 1947 Croydon Dakota accident occurred on 25 January 1947 when a Spencer Airways Douglas C-47A Skytrain (Dakota) [Note 2] failed to get airborne from Croydon Airport near London, and crashed into a parked and empty CSA Douglas C-47 destroying both aircraft and killing 11 passengers and one crew member. [1][2][3]
It was snowing and the airfield at Croydon was covered in dark snow clouds when at 11:40 the Spencer Airways Dakota attempted to depart bound for Salisbury in Rhodesia. The C-47A had just lifted from the runway at Croydon when the starboard wing dropped, then the aircraft turned to the left and the port wing dropped. [1] The pilot was seen to apply full starboard aileron but the bank angle increased to 40 degrees with the port wing tip only a few feet from the ground. [1] As the aircraft reached the perimeter track of the airfield, the aircraft levelled and then swung to the right. [1] The aircraft bounced on the ground and crashed head-on into a parked CSA Douglas C-47, registrarion OK-WDB; both aircraft caught fire, and were subsequently destroyed. Eleven of the 18 passengers and one of the five crew died. [1][2]
Seven of the 11 survivors were taken to Croydon General Hospital but only two had to stay for further treatment. [3] Two mechanics who were working on the CSA aircraft escaped without injury. [3]
The Ministry of Civil Aviation instituted "an inspection of Certificates of Airworthiness, Certificates of Safety and crew licences" at airfields under their control to ensure these documents were in order. [4]
The aircraft did not have a C of A, nor a valid Certificate of Safety, and no member of crew held a Navigators licence nor a licence to sign a Certificate of Safety. [5]
A coroners inquest was opened at Croydon on 29 January 1947 into the twelve deaths. [6] It was determined that all but three of the deaths were caused by asphyxia from the inhalation of smoke and flames. One of the male passengers died from a severe blow to the head, another from a cerebral haemorrhage. [6] The pilot and owner of the aircraft Edward Spencer died from carbon monoxide poisoning. [6] After an account by the aircraft's engineer the inquest was postponed until 18 February. [6] The inquest resumed with evidence from the co-pilot and witnesses on the ground, the jury returned a verdict of misadventure. [7]
Following the completion of the coroners court the Chief Inspector of Accidents opened an enquiry on 24 February. [8] Evidence was taken from the surviving passengers and crew and baggage loaders. [8] The co-pilot explained that the aircraft had just been delivered from the United States to Heathrow Airport following the purchase by Spencer. [8] It had been ferried to Croydon the day before the accident and the long-range fuel tanks had been removed and the seats fitted. [8] Preparing the aircraft had taken all day and night and Spencer was said to have had only two hours sleep. [8] In the morning the starboard engine had a lack of pressure but the co-pilot and the radio operator said before the flight that it was OK.[8] Another witness gave evidence that the wings were covered in snow and he had not seen any attempt to defrost the aircraft. [8] A statement given by an inspector of police from Northern Rhodesia attested to the fact that Spencer did not smoke or drink and had many hours flying experience since the early 1930s. [8] Following the statement about Spencer's lack of sleep the counsel representing the next-of-kin of Captain Spencer made a formal protest that they had not been able to question the statement. [8] The inquiry was closed on 28 February following technical evidence and a statement from an aircraft engineer who had witnessed that the starboard engine had been in "a bad state" and was popping and spluttering before the aircraft had taken off. [9]
The accident was determined to be the result of loss of control by the pilot while attempting to take-off in a heavily loaded aircraft in poor visibility[1] attributed to "an error of flying
technique by a pilot who lacked Dakota experience". [10] Other factors may have been snow and frost of the wings and fatigue of the pilot. [1]
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Air crash
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Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in numbers
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Japan this week marks ten years since the worst natural disaster in the country's living memory, the massive earthquake, deadly tsunami and nuclear meltdown of 11 March 2011. The scale of the devastation is difficult to capture, but here are some figures that help paint a picture. 9.0 magnitude quake The undersea quake that struck at 2.46pm local time on 11 March measured magnitude 9.0 and was one of the most powerful quakes ever recorded. It hit at a depth of around 24km, roughly 130km east of Japan's Miyagi prefecture, and produced violent shaking throughout much of the country. It was so powerful that it moved Japan's main Honshu island 2.4 metres east and may even have shifted the Earth itself on its axis. 9.3 metre waves The quake triggered a tsunami wave that began arriving on Japan's coast around 30 minutes later. The highest tsunami wave measured by Japan's weather bureau was 9.3 metres in Fukushima's Soma, but the water rose significantly higher in many places where monitors could not capture measurements. In the city of Ofunato, for example, forecasters retroactively calculated that water reached 16.7 metres, based on traces left on buildings. In other places it rose even higher as it travelled up inclines and pressed up against seawalls before topping them. The waves hit with such force that homes were destroyed right down to their foundations in many places, leaving areas that were once thriving communities almost entirely featureless. 18,426 people dead or missing Almost all the deaths in the disaster were caused in the tsunami, and the toll was staggering. As of December 2020, the number of confirmed deaths stood at 15,899, with another 2,527 people missing and presumed to have been killed, according to Japan's national police agency. More than 6,000 people were injured, and others died during the evacuation or later. Deaths were recorded in multiple prefectures, but the majority were in three regions: Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate. Three nuclear reactors in meltdown The tsunami not only brought a wave of death and destruction but also overwhelmed the cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, eventually sending three of its six reactors into meltdown. Four reactors, including one that was not operational at the time of the quake, were damaged, and explosions ravaged reactors one and three. A decade later, the decommissioning of Fukushima is still moving slowly, with the entire process expected to take decades. Challenges include disposing of a growing amount of water contaminated by radiation. Once put through a filtration process, most radioactive elements are removed, but releasing the water into the sea, as recommended by some officials, remains a controversial option. 20km evacuation zone The crisis at the Fukushima plant forced the government to declare an evacuation zone in a 20km radius from the site. Those living within the zone were ordered to evacuate, but many living outside the region decided to do so voluntarily. Fukushima prefecture counts the number of evacuees by grouping together both those who were ordered to leave and those who chose to do so. It puts the total figure at 164,865 evacuees in 2012, the first year for which data is available. As of 2020, the number of remaining evacuees, again grouping those who left by choice and those ordered to do so, stood at 36,811. 2.4% of Fukushima no-go When the exclusion zone was originally declared after the nuclear accident, it covered around 12% of Fukushima prefecture. In the past decade, the government has undertaken an extensive decontamination programme, literally scraping layers of topsoil among other methods to remove radiation. It has gradually declared areas safe for residents to return, with just 2.4% of the prefecture still covered by no-go orders. But in some places, evacuees have been reluctant to return even after measures are lifted, worried about persistent radiation or fully resettled in other places. 430km of seawall Seawalls were a common feature in Japan even before the deadly tsunami, but the disaster prompted a move to erect more, and higher barriers. In all, 430km of seawall will eventually be constructed, or reconstructed in the three worst affected prefectures, Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate. The walls, which are not continuous but run for hundreds of metres in some places, were 80% complete by last September, and the project has a budget of around €10bn.
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Tsunamis
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2019 Ecuadorian protests
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Government
Opposition
The 2019 Ecuadorian protests were a series of protests and riots against austerity measures including the cancellation of fuel subsidies, adopted by President of Ecuador Lenín Moreno and his administration. [1][3] Organized protests ceased after indigenous groups and the Ecuadorian government reached a deal to reverse the austerity measures, beginning a collaboration on how to combat overspending and public debt. [8]
Beginning in 2007, President Rafael Correa established The Citizens' Revolution, a movement following left-wing policies, which some analysts described as populist. [9][10][11][12][13] Correa was able to utilize the 2000s commodities boom to fund his policies,[12] utilizing China's need for raw materials. [14] Through China, Correa accepted loans that had few requirements, as opposed to firm limits set by other lenders. [14] With this funding, Ecuador was able to invest in social welfare programs, reduce poverty and increase the average standard of living in Ecuador, while at the same time growing Ecuador's economy. [15][16][17] Such policies resulted in a popular base of support for Correa, who was re-elected to the presidency twice between 2007 and 2013. [12] Correa also utilized his popular support to increase power for himself and his 'citizen's revolution', drawing criticism that such acts were an entrenchment of power. [12][18]
As the Ecuadorian economy began to decline in 2014, Correa decided not to run for a fourth term[19] and by 2015, protests occurred against Correa following the introduction of austerity measures and an increase of inheritance taxes. [9][20] Instead, Lenín Moreno, who was at the time a staunch Correa loyalist and had served as his vice-president for over six years, was expected to continue with Correa's legacy and the implementation of 21st century socialism in the country, running on a broadly left-wing platform with significant similarities to Correa's. [18][21][22][23]
In the weeks after his election, Moreno distanced himself from Correa's policies[24] and shifted the left-wing PAIS Alliance's away from the left-wing politics and towards the center. [18] Despite these policy shifts, Moreno continued to identify himself as social democrat. [25] Moreno then led the 2018 Ecuadorian referendum, which reinstated presidential term limits that were removed by Correa, essentially barring Correa from having a fourth presidential term in the future. [18] At the time, Moreno enjoyed an approval rating of 80 percent. [18] Moreno's distancing from his predecessor's policies and his electoral campaign's platform, however, alienated both former President Correa[26] and a large percentage of his own party's supporters. [27][28] In July 2018, a warrant for Correa's arrest was issued after facing 29 charges for corruption, for acts allegedly performed while he was in office. [13][29][30]
Due to increased borrowing by Correa's administration, which he had used to fund his welfare projects, as well as the 2010s oil glut, public debt tripled in a five-year period and with Ecuador eventually coming to use of the Central Bank of Ecuador's reserves for funds. [31][32] In total, Ecuador was left $64 billion in debt and was losing $10 billion annually. [32] On August 21, 2018, Moreno announced economic austerity measures to reduce public spending and deficit. [33][34] Moreno stated that the measures aimed to save $1 billion and included a reduction of fuel subsidies, eliminating subsidies for gasoline and diesel, and the removal or merging of several public entities, a move denounced by the groups representing the nation's indigenous groups, as well as trade unions. [33][34][18]
By mid-2019, analysts stated that Moreno's overturning of Correa's policies, as well as the implementation of austerity measures and his turn towards centrism cost him political support, with his approval ratings dropping to about 30%. [9][18][35][36][37] In the months leading up to the protests, other sporadic demonstrations began to occur against Moreno's government as well. [38][39]
The night of 1 October 2019, Lenín Moreno announced 6 economic measures and 13 restructuring proposals in order to stimulate the country's economy. It started with a speech declaring that there would not be an increase in taxes, Moreno mentioned he would do the following:
Moreno's government stated that the fuel subsidies had cost the country $1.4 billion annually[40] and had been in place for 40 years. [41] The cut of fuel subsidies resulted in diesel fuel prices doubling and regular fuel prices increasing 30 percent,[41] angering transportation unions and businesses who started the protest movement. [42] Businesses also panicked, leading to speculation, with a range of everyday costs spiking rapidly shortly after the decision. [32] Indigenous groups have further stated that the IMF deal increased austerity and would promote inequality in Ecuador. [36] The end of fuel subsidies was approved as the Decree 883. New prices took effect on October 3 . [43]
On October 2, 2019, the union central Frente Unitario de los Trabajadores (FUT), the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), the Popular Front and the student union Federation of University Students of Ecuador (FEUE) announced national protests against the government measures. [44][45][46] that same day, the national Federation of Carriers (FENACOTIP) announced the paralysis of labour for October 3, day in which the decree 883 took effect and eliminated gas subsidies. The protests began on October 3, 2019, as taxi, bus and truck drivers came out in protest against the planned abolition of the fuel subsidies. [41] President Moreno declared a state of emergency the following day on 4 October 2019 four hours before protests began. [41] The protests had crippled the country's transport network with all major roads and bridges blocked in the capital Quito. [47] After reaching a deal with the government, a planned strike was cancelled by the groups. [41]
Indigenous peoples' groups began protests shortly thereafter, along with university students and labour unions. [41] The protesters declared their intention to hold an indefinite general strike, which would last until the government overturned its decision. [48] Moreno refused to discuss a potential reversal, saying that he would "not negotiate with criminals",[49] sparking clashes between the National Police and protesters, who were attempting to break into the Carondelet Palace in Quito. [50] The Armed Forces were deployed by the government on 7 October to force protesters to release over 50 servicemen, who were being held captive by protesting indigenous groups. [51]
On 8 October, President Moreno relocated his government to the coastal city of Guayaquil after anti-government protesters had overrun Quito, including the Carondelet Palace. On the same day, Moreno accused his predecessor Rafael Correa of orchestrating a coup against the government with the aid of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro. [42][52][30] Correa called for early presidential elections from his residence in Belgium and denied plotting a coup against Moreno with the help of Maduro. [30] Correa admitted that he was employed as a consultant by President Maduro at the time. [53]
Later that day, the authorities shut down oil production at the Sacha oil field, which produces 10% of the nation's oil, after it was occupied by protesters. Two more oil fields were captured by protesters shortly thereafter. Demonstrators also captured repeater antennas, forcing State TV and radio offline in parts of the country. Indigenous protesters blocked most of Ecuador's main roads, completely cutting the transport routes to the city of Cuenca. Former president Correa stated that President Moreno was "finished" and called for early elections from his home in Europe. [54][55] The National Police raided the Pichincha Universal radio station as part of a public prosecutor investigation for allegedly "inciting to discord among citizens". [56]
On 9 October, protesters managed to briefly burst into and occupy the National Assembly, before being driven out by police using tear gas.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Qantas Flight 72 crash
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Qantas Flight 72 (QF72) was a scheduled flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Perth Airport. On 7 October 2008, the flight made an emergency landing at Learmonth Airport near the town of Exmouth, Western Australia following an inflight accident that included a pair of sudden, uncommanded pitch-down manoeuvres that caused severe injuries -- including fractures, lacerations and spinal injuries -- to several of the passengers and crew. [1][2][3][4][5] At Learmonth, the plane was met by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia and CareFlight. [6][7] Fourteen people were airlifted to Perth for hospitalisation, with 39 others also attending hospital. [8][9][10][11] In all, one crew member and 11 passengers suffered serious injuries, while eight crew and 99 passengers suffered minor injuries. [12] The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation found a fault with one of the aircraft's three air data inertial reference units (ADIRUs) and a previously unknown software design limitation of the Airbus A330's fly-by-wire flight control primary computer (FCPC). On 7 October 2008, Qantas Flight 72 was scheduled to fly from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Perth Airport (PER). The aircraft, VH-QPA, was delivered new to Qantas on 26 November 2003, initially as an A330-301. In November 2004, it had a change in the type of engines fitted, and was re-designated as an Airbus A330-303. [13]
The crew was led by Captain Kevin Sullivan (53), a former US Navy (1977-1986) pilot. The first officer was Peter Lipsett, and the second officer was Ross Hales. In addition to the three flight-deck crew members, there were nine cabin crew members and 303 passengers, for a total of 315 people on board. [14] Captain Sullivan had 13,592 flight hours, including 2,453 hours on the Airbus A330. First Officer Lipsett had 11,650 flight hours, with 1,870 of them on the Airbus A330. Second Officer Hales had 2,070 flight hours, with 480 of them on the Airbus A330. [15]
On 7 October 2008 at 09:32 SST, Qantas Flight 72, with 315 people on board, departed Singapore on a scheduled flight to Perth, Western Australia. By 10:01, the aircraft had reached its cruising altitude of around 37,000 feet (11,000 m) and was maintaining a cruising speed of Mach 0.82. The incident started at 12:40:26 WST, when one of the aircraft's three air data inertial reference units (ADIRUs) started providing incorrect data to the flight computer. In response to the anomalous data, the autopilot disengaged automatically. A few seconds later, the pilots received electronic messages on the aircraft's ECAM, warning them of an irregularity with the autopilot and inertial reference systems, and contradictory audible stall and overspeed warnings. During this time, the captain began to control the aircraft manually. The autopilot was then re-engaged and the aircraft started to return to the prior selected flight level. The autopilot was disengaged by the crew after about 15 seconds and would remain disengaged for the remainder of the flight. At 12:42:27, the aircraft made a sudden, uncommanded pitch down manoeuvre, experiencing –0.8 g,[note 1] reaching 8.4 degrees pitch down and rapidly descending 650 feet (200 m). Twenty seconds later, the pilots were able to return the aircraft to the assigned cruise flight level, FL370. At 12:45:08, the aircraft made a second uncommanded manoeuvre of a similar nature, this time causing an acceleration of +0.2 g,[note 2] a 3.5 degree down angle, and a loss of altitude of 400 feet (120 m); the flight crew was able to re-establish the aircraft's assigned level flight 16 seconds later. [16][17] Unrestrained (and even some restrained) passengers and crew were flung around the cabin or crushed by overhead luggage, as well as crashing with and through overhead compartment doors. The pilots stabilised the plane and declared a state of alert, which was later updated to mayday when the extent of injuries was relayed to the flight crew. [8][18]
The ATSB investigation was supported by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Qantas, the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) and Airbus. [3] Copies of data from the aircraft's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were sent to the BEA and Airbus. [17]
The aircraft was equipped with an ADIRU manufactured by Northrop Grumman; investigators sent the unit to Northrop Grumman in the United States for further testing. [19][20]
On 15 January 2009, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive[21] to address the problem of A330 and A340 aircraft, equipped with the Northrop-Grumman ADIRUs, incorrectly responding to a defective inertial reference. In a preliminary report, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) identified a fault occurring within the Number 1 ADIRU as the "likely origin of the event"; the ADIRU, one of three such devices on the aircraft, began to supply incorrect data to the other aircraft systems. [22][23]
The initial effects of the fault were:[4]
About two minutes later, ADIRU No. 1, which was providing data to the captain's primary flight display, provided very high (and false) indications for the aircraft's angle of attack (AOA), leading to:[4]
Angle of attack (AOA) is a critically important flight parameter, and full-authority flight control systems, such as those equipping A330/A340 aircraft, require accurate AOA data to function properly. The aircraft was fitted with three ADIRUs to provide redundancy for fault tolerance, and the FCPCs used the three independent AOA values to check their consistency. In the usual case, when all three AOA values were valid and consistent, the average value of AOA 1 and AOA 2 was used by the FCPCs for their computations. If either AOA 1 or AOA 2 significantly deviated from the other two values, the FCPCs used a memorised value for 1.2 seconds. The FCPC algorithm was very effective, but it could not correctly manage a scenario where there were multiple spikes in either AOA 1 or AOA 2 that were 1.2 seconds apart. As with other safety-critical systems, the development of the A330/A340 flight control system during 1991 and 1992 had many elements to minimise the risk of a design error. These included peer reviews, a system safety assessment (SSA), and testing and simulations to verify and validate the system requirements. None of these activities identified the design limitation in the FCPC's AOA algorithm. The ADIRU failure mode had not been previously encountered, or identified by the ADIRU manufacturer in its safety analysis activities. Overall, the design, verification and validation processes used by the aircraft manufacturer did not fully consider the potential effects of frequent spikes in data from an ADIRU. Airbus stated that it was not aware of a similar incident occurring previously on an Airbus aircraft. It released an Operators Information Telex to operators of A330 and A340 aircraft with procedural recommendations and checklists to minimise risk in the event of a similar incident. [4]
After detailed forensic analysis of the FDR, the FCPC software, and the ADIRU, it was determined that the CPU of the ADIRU corrupted the angle of attack (AOA) data. The exact nature of the corruption was that the ADIRU CPU erroneously re-labelled the altitude data word so that the binary data that represented 37,012 (the altitude at the time of the incident) would represent an angle of attack of 50.625 degrees. The FCPC then processed the erroneously high AOA data, triggering the high-AOA protection mode, which sent a command to the electrical flight control system (EFCS) to pitch the nose down. [15]
A number of potential trigger types were investigated, including software bugs, software corruption, hardware faults, electromagnetic interference and the secondary high-energy particles generated by cosmic rays.
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2010 Keswick coach accident
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On Monday, 24 May 2010, a Honda Civic collided with a coach carrying children home from Keswick School on the A66 road in Cumbria, United Kingdom. [1] Three people were killed and four were left seriously injured. Approximately thirty people sustained less severe injuries. The accident occurred very near Keswick in an accident hotspot. [2]
The crash occurred on the A66 near Bassenthwaite Lake. This is a location near Keswick, Cumbria, UK. Eyewitnesses reported that the accident happened in a "hollow". [3] Witnesses told the BBC that it was a "notorious spot" for accidents. [4]
The accident happened when a coach swerved to avoid a car coming in the opposite direction on the lane of the road that the coach was travelling upon. This is a WS2 highway in highway engineering terms - it consists of two lanes on a carriageway, with one carrying traffic in each direction. The car, a grey Honda Civic, was on the wrong side of the road when it collided with the coach causing it to overturn. Three people - the Honda Civic's male driver, one male teenager and one female teenager - died. [5] Many people were left with injuries - besides four seriously injured people, 25 were treated in hospital (with 10 retained overnight, 9 retained over two nights and the rest assessed and released). The coach was a 49-seater vehicle operated by J B Pickthall, and was transporting 35 schoolchildren home from school to Cockermouth and Whitehaven. The accident happened at 1547hrs BST. The collision resulted in the two vehicles involved overturning. [6]
The outcome of the inquest was that the likelihood is that the Honda driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and the deaths were the "result of a tragic accident". [7]
A number of local residents and school children were the first on scene to give assistance, followed by multiple emergency services' personnel and vehicles, including mountain rescue teams, fire tenders, fire officers' cars, police vehicles, six road emergency ambulances and some non-emergency ambulances, doctors' cars, two air ambulances and four RAF rescue helicopters. [3] The injured people were taken to Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Preston A&E departments. The first receiving hospital was West Cumberland. A Red Cross assistance centre was opened in the nearby Braithwaite School where first aid and emotional support was provided. The A66 was closed by police until 0300hrs BST the next day (Tuesday, 25 May 2010). The diversion route was from the Crosthwaite roundabout via A591 to Bothel and on the A595 to Cockermouth. The event received immediate and widespread media coverage, in video, text and image formats. The Press Association was responsible for the main text of many reports. [5]
The day after the crash (Tuesday, 25 May 2010), the national media announced the names of two of those killed in the accident. [4]
Counselling services, including educational psychologists, were provided at the school where the pupils on the coach attended (Keswick School). [4] Michael Chapman, the headteacher of the school, said staff and pupils were "devastated" and "shocked", highlighting the need for support. The local police force, Cumbria Constabulary, assigned Chief Superintendent Steve Johnson to the case. He said that the children in the minibus following the coach "went straight to the aid of their friends and colleagues and did an incredible job. "[8] The minibus was also carrying Keswick School students. On Wednesday, 26 May 2010, 9 students (two of whom were seriously injured) were still in hospital. [9] The driver was kept in hospital for one night. A special commemorative school assembly was held on the day following the accident (Tuesday, 25 May 2010). Cumbria Constabulary advised people not to leave floral tributes at the scene of the accident (probably to prevent pedestrians from being hit by traffic). [4]
A memorial service was held on 30 June at Crosthwaite Church at Keswick to celebrate the lives of the deceased. Cash raised at the event, held at Hensingham Rugby League Club, will go towards a bench in memory of 15-year-old Kieran, who died in the Keswick bus crash. On 24 May 2011, there was a planned anniversary ceremony at the school to commemorate the tragic events of the previous year. On 18 July 2016, a memorial skate park was opened in Hensingham. It cost around £250,000 and is in memory of Kieran Goulding. The funds needed to create this park were raised by The Friends of Kie Park group which includes Tracey, Lisa Macleod and some of Kierans friends. They will continue to raise £4000 annually needed to maintain the park. [10]
Coordinates: 54°36′36″N 3°11′26″W / 54.6101°N 3.1905°W / 54.6101; -3.1905
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Cebu Pacific Flight 387 crash
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Cebu Pacific Flight 387 was a domestic Cebu Pacific flight from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila to Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro. On 2 February 1998, the 31-year-old McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 crashed on the slopes of Mount Sumagaya in Gingoog. The incident resulted in the deaths of all 104 passengers and crew on board. [1][2]
The aircraft involved in the accident was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 (registration number RP-C1507) and was delivered to Air Canada on September 1967 before acquired by Cebu Pacific on March 1997. The plane carried five crew members and 94 Filipino passengers, including five children. Five passengers were from Australia, Austria, Japan, Switzerland[2] and Canada. Additionally, a surgeon on a medical mission was from the United States. [3]
The plane left Manila at 01:00 GMT and was scheduled to arrive at 03:03 GMT in Cagayan de Oro. The plane made a stopover at Tacloban on 02:20 GMT, though sources differ about whether it was a scheduled or unscheduled stop. [3][4] According to one source, the flight made an unscheduled stop at Tacloban to deliver a needed airplane tire for another Cebu Pacific aircraft in Tacloban. The last contact was 15 minutes before the plane was due to land, with the airport's ATC. In that transmission, the pilot said he was 68 kilometres (42 mi; 37 nmi) from the airport and was starting to descend. There was no indication that the plane was in trouble. The plane crashed 45 kilometres (28 mi; 24 nmi) away from the airport. [3]
The cause of the crash is still a source of controversy in the Philippines. Colonel Jacinto Ligot was the chief of the Philippine Air Force rescue team, which faced difficulties due to the deep ravines and dense vegetation on the slopes of the mountain. The pilots were flying visually, not instrumentally, when the plane vanished from radar. [2] While the skies were clear at the airport, the mountains may have been covered by fog. Chief of Staff General Clemente Mariano speculated that the plane "almost cleared the top of the mountain, but it may have suffered a down-draft, causing it to hit the mountain. "[3] Jesus Dureza, the crisis manager during the rescue and retrieval operations, said he found out the Air Transportation Office maps used by the pilots listed the elevation of Mt. Sumagaya at 5,000 feet above sea level, while the mountain actually is 6,000 feet above sea level. This error might have misled the pilots to believe that they were clear of terrain, while in fact they were flying dangerously low. The ATO, on the other hand, pointed out in its official report deficiencies in the training of the pilots. [5]
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Sears closing up shop in New York City
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Sears is set to close its final New York City location after 89 years on November 24, according to The City. The iconic Flatbush, Brooklyn outpost is sporting several signs for closing sales, signaling an end of an era for the department store that’s been in business on the same corner since 1932, when future first lady Eleanor Roosevelt addressed the crowd at its grand opening. The store at the corner of Beverley Road and Bedford Avenue is arguably best known for its Art Deco style, which helped secure landmark status from the city in 2012. That status doesn’t prevent development from taking place, but the designation does mean that the facade and limestone tower must remain intact. Transformco, which acquired various Sears assets, said in a statement reported by The City the location is a prime candidate for redevelopment. However, the company didn’t specify any plans for the lot. Sears’ iconic Flatbush location has lived multiple lives. When it temporarily closed at the beginning of the pandemic, its parking lot became a drive-through Covid-19 testing site. The three-story building also housed a Kmart in its basement, which is also set to close, months after the retailer closed its last Manhattan location (destined to become a Wegman’s grocery store ). New York City is among a slew of locations to lose Sears stores after the retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2018. In November, the final Sears store in Illinois is set to close as well. The storied company’s bankruptcy was linked to its struggle to pivot into e-commerce, a sharp contrast to its reign as one of the nation’s largest retailers until the 1990s.
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Organization Closed
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Man dead, four taken to hospital after car crashes into alfresco restaurant in Perth CBD
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A man in his 70s is dead and four people are injured after a car mounted a kerb and rammed a parked car into a group of people at a restaurant in Perth's CBD on Friday night. Police say a Land Rover was being driven on Pier Street, near Murray Street, about 6:30pm when it mounted the footpath and struck a parked Corolla, propelling it into a group of alfresco diners. The Land Rover continued, driving a short distance before rolling, hitting another parked car and landing on its roof. A man, 71, was killed and four people — including the driver — were taken to Royal Perth Hospital by ambulance, while others were treated at the scene. The driver, a 60-year-old man, was taken into custody and charged with dangerous driving causing death in circumstances of aggravation and no authority to drive. He remains in a serious condition in hospital. Several other cars were also hit. Priyesh Adatia was having a drink with friends across the road from where the car is believed to have mounted the footpath. He said the car missed him by less than a metre and showered the group in debris. "[My] instant response was run over there, just to make sure there's no kids in the car," he said. "We were trying to talk to him and he actually made movements, he was groaning and moaning a bit so we couldn't understand what he was saying. "He was responsive … and we just kept him talking while the ambulance crew arrived." Mr Adatia said he would take a few days off work to process what had happened. "I've never come across anything like that, ever," he said. "It was horrific because it was just people screaming … it was a very traumatic experience." The driver, who is from the Wheatbelt town of Walebing, was due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court today via a bedside hearing, but was too unwell to attend. A duty lawyer told the court the man was heavily sedated and unresponsive. No application for bail was made. The man was remanded in custody and is due to appear in court by videolink on Monday.
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Nusantara Buana Air Flight 823 crash
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Nusantara Buana Air Flight 823 was a non-scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by a CASA C-212 Aviocar from Medan to Kutacane, Indonesia, that on 29 September 2011 crashed in the jungle, killing all eighteen people on board. [1][2]
The following investigation by the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee found that at the time of the accident the aircraft was flying in cloud, and the crew lost visual contact with the ground. The accident was classified as a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). The flight was operated by Nusantara Buana Air (NBA) as Nusantara Buana Air Flight 823, a non-scheduled passenger flight from Polonia International Airport, Medan, to Alas Leuser Airport, Kuta Cane. The aircraft departed from Medan at 0728 LT (0028 UTC) and expected to arrive at Kuta Cane at 0058 UTC. There were two pilots and 16 passengers on board, including two children and two infants. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules (VFR). At 0032 UTC, the aircraft contacted Medan Director controller reported climbing passing 4000 to 8000 feet, informed the estimate time of arrival Kuta Cane to be at 0050 UTC, and also requested to fly direct to point “PAPA”. At about 0041 UTC the aircraft reported established contact to Kuta Cane Radio. The communication with Medan Director controller was terminated. The pilot then attempted to contact Kuta Cane Radio three times but there was no reply. At about 0050 UTC, the aircraft was last observed on the radar screen at a position about 35 nm from MDN VOR. At 0100 UTC, Kuta Cane airport authority contacted to the NBA representative at Kuta Cane and asked the aircraft position. The NBA staff at Kuta Cane then contacted the NBA office in Medan and informed that the aircraft has not arrived at Kuta Cane. No distress signal was received from the aircraft. At about 0120 UTC, a Cessna Caravan operated by Susi Air flew from Kuta Cane to Medan and reported that the weather was Visual Meteorological Condition (VMC) and the wind was calm. Few clouds were observed at some mountain peaks. At about 0150 UTC, Medan Airport authority received information from the search and rescue office in Jakarta that an emergency locator transmitter signal had been detected. At about 0700 UTC, a search was initiated by two Cessna Caravans of Susi Air. They found the wreckage on a 70° slope at 5,055 feet altitude in the Mount Leuser National Park, 16 nm from Kuta Cane. The aircraft had been severely damaged in the impact, and none of the 18 occupants survived. [3]
The aircraft involved was a CASA C-212-200 Aviocar operated by Nusantara Buana Air. [1] It was first flown in 1989 and it had a tail number of PK-TLF and a C/N/msn of 283/88N. [2] There was no record of problems or mechanical defects with the aircraft at the time of the accident. There were 18 people on board, consisting of two pilots and 16 passengers including two children and two infants. The captain had 5,935 hours of flying experience and 3,730 hours on the CASA C-212. The first officer had 2,500 hours of flying experience and 1,100 hours on type. He was a former Indonesian Army pilot. After the crash, the Indonesian Government suspended Nusantara Buana Air's air operator's certificate, leaving all of its aircraft grounded. [4][5]
From analysis of the cockpit voice recorder, the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) concluded that the crew elected to continue flying into weather that was below VFR minima – that is, the minimum visibility and distance from cloud required to fly in accordance with visual flight rules, as the accident flight had planned to do. [3]
The crew subsequently lost situational awareness until the aircraft impacted a mountainside, without any action being taken by the crew to avoid the impact. The report noted that the crew had not received CFIT-specific training nor the Approach and Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) training. [3]
Following the loss of Flight 823, Nusantara Buana Air took a number of safety measures, emphasizing the importance of maintaining visual meteorological conditions during VFR flights. The NTSC was satisfied that such measures were adequate, but issued further safety recommendations to the Indonesian Directorate General Civil Aviation to improve supervision of operators and the provision of CFIT and ALAR training to pilots. [3]
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To visit a volcano is to look in a mirror and consider the force humans have become—the greatest eruption on Earth
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Iceland sits on a crack between tectonic plates, so we have a moderate eruption every five years on average and a massive event at least once a century. The Askja eruption of 1875 was partly responsible for causing almost 20 percent of Icelanders to emigrate to Canada and the United States. The Lakagígar eruption of 1783 was one of the largest in human history; it brought cold summers and crop failure to the Northern Hemisphere, and possibly triggered the French Revolution. The toxic ash that followed killed about 20 percent of the Icelandic population during the “haze hardships.” For some time, the Danish monarchy, which ruled Iceland until 1918, wondered if the island was habitable at all. Volcanoes shape our landscape and our history. The lack of vegetation in Iceland makes thousands of years of eruptions visible everywhere you travel throughout the country. I had not seen a volcanic eruption with my bare eyes until 2010, when the famous Eyjafjallajökull erupted. Seeing it was a childhood dream come true. Read: A portal to Mars on the tip of Iceland The new eruption, from the Geldingadalir volcano, started after a series of earthquakes—about 40,000 in a few weeks, which we followed on the website of our meteorological office. Sometimes one came every minute. The sensation was strange, adding an additional layer of surreality to the pandemic period. The big ones came a few times a day, but the smaller ones, the ones you could not feel kinesthetically, were felt on some subconscious level—who knows what the body picks up on? Maybe it was a truck passing by; maybe it was the Earth itself. Many said they felt nauseated. “Can you be earthsick?” a friend asked me. The fishing town of Grindavík, 50 kilometers from Reykjavík, endured lots of shakes and people were afraid, for good reason: In 1973, an eruption in the Westman Islands buried the whole town of Vestmannaeyjar in ash and lava. Scientists kept us on our toes, but geologists are not weather forecasters; they see things on a different time scale. “Yes, the area is waking up after 800 years of sleep,” they said, “and yes, an eruption is likely. It will probably happen sometime in the next 100 years,” they said. One evening, a geologist declared on the evening news that the earthquakes would probably not cause an eruption after all. The eruption started one hour later—a small flow of lava. This was late on a Friday in March. At first it was almost a miniature eruption—one of the smallest ever recorded. I made some calls to see if I could visit the site. Early Sunday morning, I was able to hitch a ride with two photographers from Fréttablaðið. Just after 5 a.m. we arrived at a roadblock east of Grindavík and were let through with journalist passes. We took a dirt road into the mountain range, keeping our eyes on a faint red glow behind the hills, as though Mordor itself was just out of view. We parked our Land Rover, put on our headlamps, and climbed the hills in fog and rain, heading for the light. The mist was thick, and finding the way was harder than we’d expected. In focus: Photos of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano My phone’s camera was light-sensitive, so we used it to navigate toward the area on the horizon that had the brightest glow. Slowly the view cleared, and vague red lights appeared on the hill. When we got closer, the fog was bright pink and rivers of lava ran just ahead of us, filling up a small, vegetated valley. Volcanic gases can kill, so low-lying areas should be avoided, but wind conditions were favorable and the fumes were carried away from us. The lava front crept slowly forward, swallowing and burning the grass on the valley floor. Further up the hill I could see the outline of the crater ejecting glowing magma into the air. We were witnessing our Earth re-creating itself. We got extremely close to the molten lava; I found a small patch bubbling from a lava crust and poked it with my walking stick. I stretched my hand as close as I dared to take a photo—I was worried that my phone might melt. The lava flowed softly and slowly. The heat was comfortable when we were not too close, but of course close is relative: Six feet from flowing lava is quite close. The soundscape was soothing, whispering to us “Come closer.” We headed up to see the main crater, where a group of early visitors had gathered. You would think we would have felt threatened, but this eruption had no falling ash, no explosions—just this gentle flow of lava, a small river gushing up. The area felt safe, though in one place I saw fumes coming from the ground. I wondered if a new crack might open beneath my feet, or if a sudden explosion might occur, but those feelings were minor compared to the awe I felt. In the end, the scene had nothing to do with terror, Mordor, or hell. It was destruction and creation happening simultaneously. There was nothing in between. The valley was right as it was. Filled with lava, it was still perfect. When you see a volcano, fire coming from the ground, you feel a connection to forces beyond your normal experience—the planet, the origin of life, the creation of everything, the recycling of materials and continents, the elements that make the planet what it is. You remember that we are standing on just a thin crust of life, a sweet spot between burning magma and a burning sun. You think of all the ancestors who feared these forces and all the folklore and religion that the eruptions inspired. You think of Prometheus and his gift of fire. According to Greek mythology, he was punished, by an eagle that gnawed out his liver, for stealing fire from the gods. They probably knew that humans could not handle the power of fire, and now we have proved that they were absolutely right. When James Watt invented the steam engine, we started hiding fire. He took the torch of Prometheus and concealed it within a metal cylinder in which water was heated to its boiling point. He managed to harness the resulting steam energy to turn a piston that propelled machines, eventually leading to even bigger machines. With them, man could dig deeper into the earth and stretch railroads across entire continents. Today, the great fires of civilization are hidden away; when a fire is visible, it is war, an accident, a disaster. But the hidden fires Watt ignited have become a massive, unstoppable inferno, bigger than most forest fires that have ever blazed on Earth. In total, we have burned hundreds of billions of tons of coal, oil, and gas. But none of it has vanished; the coal and oil became carbon dioxide. Scientists today can measure the amount in the atmosphere. In pre-industrial times, the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 280 parts per million; the level has since reached 417 parts per million, the highest in 3 million years. Read: The Amazon is not Earth’s lungs Volcanic eruptions are nothing compared to this. Earth’s volcanoes—both on land and underwater—are estimated to release, on average, about 200 million tons of carbon dioxide a year; humanity releases almost 37 billion. The fire we burn is almost 200 times greater than that produced by all the volcanic activity on Earth. Yet we go through our day without actually seeing fire or smoke. We see and perceive volcanoes, their ferociousness and their thundering din, but we don’t see that we are Earth’s largest volcano. In 2010, Eyjafjallajökull erupted and put a stop to European air traffic for six days. Eyjafjallajökull emitted less carbon dioxide per day than what’s normally emitted by all of Europe’s flights. Thus, in canceling all those flights, the eruption became the first environmentally responsible one in history. Beneath all we do, a fire is blazing; traffic advances like glowing lava. If we divide the 100 million tons of carbon dioxide that humans emit every single day by the 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide that our volcano emitted, we get the devilish number 666. The emissions of Earth’s inhabitants are like 666 Eyjafjallajökull eruptions, day and night, all year round. If we convert U.S. emissions into volcanic eruptions, nearly 100 volcanos like Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull erupt every day, every night. The Geldingadalir eruption occurring now is relatively small compared with Eyjafjallajökull. In March, the volcano was emitting about 6,000 tons of carbon dioxide a day, so human emissions are as if we had opened up about 17,000 of these volcanoes—approximately one volcano every other kilometer around the equator. It is all so well designed, so invisible. If the cars on our highways displayed their fires on the outside, the conflagration we kindle in order to get to work would be evident. If fire were to rise from the bodies of cars, we could see the mighty lava flow that this frenzy of traffic constitutes. We can see forest fires and burning high-rises. On the news, we see tankers burst into flames or oil reserves that have caught fire after an accident. We forget: That oil was meant to burn anyway, just not all in one place, all at one time. We do not perceive our everyday life as a disaster. But the eruption is us—our lives, our daily existence.
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Volcano Eruption
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6 Naval Task Groups From U.S., U.K., India, Japan and Australia Underway in Pacific
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USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), navigates Tokyo Bay on the way to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka for a scheduled port visit on Aug. 28, 2021. US Navy Photo KUALA LUMPUR – Six task groups from the U.S, U.K., Australian, Japanese and Indian navies are currently on operational deployments in the Indo-Pacific region amidst an intense fall and early winter period of multilateral exercises. Currently operating in the region are the Navy’s Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group and Japan-based America Expeditionary Strike Group, the U.K. Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG 21), Australian Defense Force Indo-Pacific Endeavour 21 (IPE 21) task group, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Indo-Pacific Deployment 2021 (IPD21) force and the Indian Navy Eastern Fleet task group. USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on Aug. 28 for a scheduled port visit. The strike group deployed on August 2 for the Western Pacific and consists of Vinson, cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG-57), and destroyers USS Dewey (DDG-105), USS O’Kane (DDG-77), USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), USS Chafee (DDG-90) and USS Stockdale (DDG-106). The Carl Vinson CSG is expected to conduct an exercise with the U.K.’s CSG 21, which is now currently off the coast of South Korea for a scheduled bilateral exercise with the Republic of Korean Navy. The America Expeditionary Strike Group – consisting of the USS America (LHA-6), USS New Orleans (LPD-18) and USS Germantown (LSD-42) with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked – are in the Philippine Sea conducting routine operations, with America and New Orleans coming off an intensive 12-day exercise and engagement period with both CSG 21 and JMSDF ships in the area. These exercises include the Large Scale 21 and Exercise Noble Union. The 31st MEU said in a photo release that “Exercise Noble Union is part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Noble Series of exercises which are used to test the Family of Naval Concepts, develop techniques and procedures for the employment of MEU assets in support of sea denial and fleet maneuver and inform future force design and experimentation efforts.” JMSDF ships taking part in the exercise included helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH-182) and destroyer JS Asahi (DD119). A photo released by the JMSDF showed Ise carrying an embarked JGSDF AH-64D Apache helicopter, while the JMSDF release said that “from August 24-25, JS Ise and JS Asahi participated in the Multinational Advanced Aviation Cooperative Deployment as part of the Large-Scale Global Exercise 2021 in the west Pacific with [Japan Air Self-Defense Force], [Japan Ground Self-Defense Force], the Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group, America and F-35B fighters from both the U.S. and Royal Navy.” A separate exercise called Pacific Crown 21-1 took place from Aug 25-26 off Okinawa between the two JMSDF ships and CSG 21. HMS Queen Elizabeth (R-08) on Aug. 30, 2021. UK Royal Navy Photo The UK CSG 21 elements that took part in the exercise were the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) and embarked aircraft, which include The “Wake Island Avengers” of U.S. Marine Corps Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211. The squadron is integrated with the Royal Air Force’s 617 Squadron “The Dambusters.” The multi-national U.K.-led CSG also includes destroyers HMS Defender (D36) and HMS Diamond (D34), frigates HMS Kent (F78) and HMS Richmond (F239), Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen (F805), and American destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG-68). CSG 21 also includes Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s RFA Fort Victoria (A387) and RFA Tidespring (A136) and an Astute-class submarine. Destroyer HMS Diamond (D34) was forced to drop out of the group in July and dock in Italy due to problems with its engine. The ship was initially expected to get fixed and re-join the group in the Indo-Pacific, but the destroyer’s repairs are still not complete. Richmond had detached earlier from the group in July and is now in Guam following an equipment reset in Sasebo, Japan. Kent also detached from the main group and docked on Aug. 27 at Sasebo, where it is slated to carry out a short maintenance period. The Astute-class submarine also supporting the deployment docked at the naval base in Busan, Republic of Korea on Aug. 11. The submarine was originally believed to be HMS Artful (S121), which was with CSG 21 during its Mediterranean deployment, but spotters of the submarine in Korea claimed that the nameplate on it said HMS Astute (S119), meaning a switch occurred prior to the strike group’s entry to the Indo-Pacific. Queen Elizabeth was scheduled to make a port call also in Busan along, conducting on-shore engagement activities, but that has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and instead only an at-sea exercise between the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) and CSG 21 will take place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 before CSG 21 moves on to Japan. On Aug. 23, the JMSDF Indo-Pacific Deployment 2021 (IPD21) force departed from Japan, with the task force consisting of the destroyer helicopter carrier JS Kaga (DDH 184), destroyers JS Murasame (DD 101) and JS Shiranui (DD 120), and a total of four embarked helicopters. Supporting the deployment is a submarine and a P-1 Maritime patrol aircraft. The IPD has been an annual deployment for the JMSDF since 2019, with this year’s deployment running until Nov. 25. The goal is to improve the JMSDF’s tactical capabilities and to strengthen cooperation with partner navies in the Indo-Pacific region by conducting joint exercises. The list of countries that the group would drill with include Australia, French New Caledonia, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Palau, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. IPD21’s first engagement activity was phase 1 of the Malabar 2021 exercise between Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. that took place from Aug. 26 to 29 in the Philippines. The U.S. fielded destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) and oiler USNS Rappahannock (T-AO-204), along with Naval Special Warfare forces and P-8 maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft from Task Force 72 for the drills, while India participated with frigate INS Shivalik (F47), corvette INS Kadmatt (P29) and a P-8I. Australia was represented by frigate HMAS Warramunga (FFH 152). Both the JMSDF P-1 and submarine supporting IPD21 also took part in the exercise. Mention of the submarine was omitted from all releases, but shown in the photos the JMSDF released of the exercise. HMS Queen Elizabeth (front) with an Indian Shivalik Multi-role Frigate (second from front) in the Bay of Bengal. Royal Navy Photo Sivalik and Kadmatt are part of a four-ship Indian Navy Eastern Fleet Task Group that left India in early August for a two-month deployment in South East Asia, the South China Sea and Western Pacific, according to an Indian Ministry of Defence press release. The other two ships in the task group are destroyer INS Ranvijay (D55) and corvette INS Kora (P61). The exercises will include drills with the Vietnamese Peoples’ Navy, the Republic of Philippines Navy, Republic of Singapore Navy, the Indonesian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. Ranvijay and Kora carried out the exercise with the VPN frigate VPNS Ly Thai To (HQ-012) in the South China Sea on Aug. 18 and then carried out an exercise with the Philippine Navy frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF 151) on Aug. 23 in the West Philippine Seas. The Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet deployments to Southeast and Northeast Asia have been a regular occurrence over the years, in line with the Indian navy’s extensive bilateral engagements with countries there, along with engagements under the Quad partnership. On Aug. 26 the Royal Australian Navy LPD HMAS Canberra (L02) and frigate HMAS Anzac (FFH150) left Darwin to begin the ADF’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour Deployment 21 (IPE21). The deployment has been an annual activity for the ADF since the beginning of 2017, with odd years taking place in Southeast Asia and even years taking place in the Southwest Pacific. The 2020 IPE was canceled due to COVID-19. HMAS Canberra forms up with Navy Ships from United States of America and New Zealand on completion of Exercise Talisman Saber 17. The deployment is run as a joint service deployment centered around a maritime task group built around one of the two Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ships. Australia’s Department of Defence said IPE21 involves approximately 700 people – including Australian Defence Force and civilian defense personnel, and sea riders from partner nations – and that the engagements have been modified in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The engagements will be carried out primarily through contactless port visits, including a range of virtual workshops and at-sea activities. The IPE21 deployment will see the task group engage with Australia’s partners in Southeast Asia, in addition to participating in the Five Power Defence Arrangements Bersama Gold exercise in October, which marks the 50th anniversary of the defense arrangement between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Because of the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia, which is slated to host the exercise, Australian, U.K. and New Zealand naval and air assets will stage out of Singapore, rather than Malaysia as originally planned. Activities will mainly include contactless at-sea and in-air engagements, though a scaled-down formal ceremony involving Ministers and Defense Chiefs of the five countries is still on schedule. It is unclear whether the ADF’s MRH90 fleet – grounded in June 2021 and what normally forms the helicopter component for the IPEs – are embarked for the IPE21 deployment. The IPE21 task group is expected to return to Australia in November.
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Military Exercise
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Two SpaceX crew spacecraft are now docked to the space station, as the Crew-2 mission arrives
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The second operational SpaceX crew mission arrived at the International Space Station early on Saturday morning, carrying four astronauts for a six month stay in space. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft ‘Endeavour,’ which launched on a Falcon 9 rocket the day before, docked with the ISS at 5:22 a.m. EDT. The capsule carries an international cadre of astronauts: NASA’s Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA’s Akihiko Hoshide and ESA’s Thomas Pesquet. “Welcome to ISS, we are so excited to have you aboard,” NASA astronaut and space station commander Shannon Walker said. The Crew-2 mission temporarily brings the total number of astronauts on board the orbiting research laboratory to 11. Endeavour joins another Crew Dragon spacecraft, ‘Resilience,’ which arrived at the space station in November carrying astronauts for the Crew-1 mission. SpaceX is planning to return Resilience to Earth with the four Crew-1 astronauts on Wednesday, April 28. The Crew-2 mission marks additional firsts for SpaceX as well, with the company reusing both a rocket and a capsule for the mission, with Endeavour previously flying the Demo-2 mission and the Falcon 9 rocket booster previously launching the Crew-1 mission. Additionally, SpaceX surpassed the total number of astronauts launched to space under the Mercury program that began in 1958.
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New achievements in aerospace
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Landslide at Myanmar jade mine kills at least 162 people as critics blame government failure to regulate conditions
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Landslide at Myanmar jade mine kills at least 162 people as critics blame government failure to regulate conditions A landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar has killed at least 162 people, with more feared dead in the worst in a series of deadly accidents at such sites in recent years. Critics blame the disasters on the Government's failure to take action against unsafe conditions. The miners were collecting stones in the jade-rich Hpakant area of Kachin state — the centre of Myanmar's secretive jade industry — when a heap of mining waste collapsed into a lake and buried many workers on Thursday morning, the fire service department said in a Facebook post. "The jade miners were smothered by a wave of mud," the Fire Service said. By late afternoon rescue workers had recovered 162 bodies, the department said, and 54 injured people were taken to hospital. "Other bodies are in the mud," Tar Lin Maung, a local official with the information ministry, said by phone. "The numbers are going to rise." Than Hlaing, a member of a local civil society group helping in the aftermath of the disaster, said about 100 people were still missing. Maung Khaing, a 38-year-old miner from the area who witnessed the accident, said he was about to take a picture of the precarious waste mound he felt looked set to collapse when people began shouting "run, run". "Within a minute, all the people at the bottom (of the hill) just disappeared," he said by phone. "I feel empty in my heart. I still have goose bumps … There were people stuck in the mud shouting for help but no-one could help them." Video footage on social media showed frantic miners racing uphill to escape as a towering pile of black waste cascaded into a turquoise lake, churning up a tsunami-like wave of mud. Photos showed rows of dead bodies laid out on a hill, covered by tarpaulins. The London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness called the accident "a damning indictment of the Government's failure to curb reckless and irresponsible mining practices in Kachin state's jade mines". "The Government should immediately suspend large-scale, illegal and dangerous mining in Hpakant and ensure companies that engage in these practices are no longer able to operate," Global Witness said in a statement. Deadly landslides and other accidents are common in the poorly regulated mines of Hpakant, which draw impoverished workers from across Myanmar in search of gems mostly for export to China. But Thursday's accident was the worst in more than five years. About 100 people were killed in a 2015 collapse, which strengthened calls to regulate the industry. Another 50 died in 2019. Many of those killed were freelance "jade pickers" who scour tailings — the residue from mining — for gemstones overlooked by larger operators. One good piece of jade, worth tens of thousands of dollars, could transform their lives. Most scavengers — who usually work and live in abandoned and unstable mining pits — are unregistered migrants from other areas, making it hard to determine exactly how many people are actually missing after such accidents and in many cases leaving the relatives of the dead in their home villages unaware of their fate. The Government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi pledged to clean up the industry when it took power in 2016, but activists say little has changed. Official sales of jade in Myanmar were worth 671 million euros (more than $1 billion) in 2016-17, according to data published by the Government as part of an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. But Global Witness said the trade was worth billions of dollars a year, funds it said fuelled armed conflict between government troops and ethnic Kachin rebels fighting for greater autonomy for the region.
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Mine Collapses
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1967 Newark riots
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The 1967 Newark riots was one of 159 race riots that swept cities in the United States during the "Long Hot Summer of 1967". This riot occurred in Newark, New Jersey, between July 12 and July 17, 1967. Over the four days of rioting, looting, and property destruction, 26 people died and hundreds were injured. In the decades leading up to the riots, deindustrialization and suburbanization were major contributors to changes in Newark's demographics. White middle-class residents left for other towns across North Jersey, in one of the largest examples of white flight in the country. Due to the legislation of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, increasing numbers of white veterans, who had recently returned from fighting in World War II, emigrated from Newark to the suburbs where there was improved access to interstate highways, low-interest mortgages, and colleges. [1] The outflow suburban sprawl of white veterans from Newark was rapidly replaced with an influx of black people moving into the Central Ward; the black people, however, faced discrimination in jobs and housing, ultimately making their lives more likely to fall into a cycle of poverty. By 1967, Newark was one of the United States' first majority-black cities, but was still controlled by white politicians.
Racial profiling, redlining, and lack of opportunity in education, training, and jobs led the city's African-American residents to feel powerless and disenfranchised. In particular, many felt they had been largely excluded from meaningful political representation and often subjected to police brutality.
Newark would establish a Community Relation Bureau in their police department as early as by March 1966. Newark's Police Department director, Dominick Spina would reject the budget request as he thought it would not be approved. This would be to much of the disliking to the residents of the Central Ward and led to more tensions growing in the area as residents saw that in cases of police brutality relating to black residents, the police would not be held accountable.
Unemployment and poverty were very high, with the traditional manufacturing base of the city having been fully eroded and withdrawn by 1967. Further fueling tensions was the decision by the state of New Jersey to clear tenement buildings from a vast tract of land in the Central Ward to build the new University of Medicine and Dentistry. Thousands of low-income African American residents were displaced at a time when housing in Newark was aging and subjected to high tax rates.
Many African Americans, especially younger community leaders, felt they had remained largely disenfranchised in Newark, despite massive changes in the city's demographic makeup. Mayor Hugh Addonizio, to date the last white mayor of the city, took few steps to adjust to the changes and provide African Americans with civil leadership positions and better employment opportunities.
Despite being one of the first cities in the country to hire black police officers, the department's demographics remained at odds with the city's population, leading to poor relations between black people and the police department. Only 145 of the 1,322 police officers in the city were black (11%), mirroring national demographics,[5][6] while the city grew to be over 50% black. Black leaders were increasingly upset that the Newark Police Department remained dominated by white officers, who would routinely stop and question black youths with or without provocation.
The riots in Newark occurred 2 years after riots in Los Angelesand came at a time when racial tensions were high. Historians believe that the shrinking of the economy, increased unemployment, and a city with a majority African American population which was being run by white politicians increased tensions during that era.
This unrest and social change came to a head when two white Newark police officers, John DeSimone and Vito Pontrelli, arrested a black cab driver, John William Smith, on the evening of July 12 at 9:40 PM. [9][4] After signaling, Smith passed the double parked police car, after which he was pursued and pulled over by the officers. He was arrested, beaten by the officers and taken to the 4th Police Precinct, where he was charged with assaulting the officers[10] and making insulting remarks. John William Smith was driving on a revoked license at the time of his arrest, which was a factor behind his arrest. During the week of July 10, he would experience 8 car accidents and the police considered him to be someone who was hazardous. Smith was desperate for money and continued to do his work as a cab driver despite his license being revoked. He was originally from the Southern US and was a trumpet player there. After damaging his front two teeth he would move to Newark to help pay his dental expenses. Smith would get a job at a local taxi company renting himself a one room apartment in the Ironbound District along with a yellow taxi cab for $16.50 per day. During the night he was arrested, there weren't many riders.
Residents of Hayes Homes, a large public housing project, saw an incapacitated Smith being dragged into the precinct, and a rumor was started that he had been beaten to death while in police custody. The rumor spread quickly, and a large crowd soon formed outside the precinct. At this point, accounts vary, with some saying that the crowd threw rocks through the precinct windows and police then rushed outside wearing hard hats and carrying clubs. Others say that police rushed out of their station first to confront the crowd, and then they began to throw bricks, bottles, and rocks.
A person who had witnessed the arrest of Smith contacted members of the Congress of Racial Equality, the United Freedom Party, and the Newark Community Union Project for further investigation; they were subsequently granted access to Smith's 4th Precinct holding cell. After seeing the injuries Smith sustained from the police, they demanded he be moved to Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, and were granted their request.
At least five police officers were struck by stones, according to one officer. Some residents went to City Hall and shouted angry protests. After midnight false alarms caused fire engines to race around a six-block area along Belmont Avenue. Looters smashed windows of a few stores and threw merchandise onto sidewalks. According to police, liquor stores were the main target of looters. As the rumors were dispelled, things calmed. Addonizio would act as if he was not concerned about future violence occurring. He would hold a meeting with: Robert Curvin of CORE, an Essex County official named Earl Harris, a teacher named Harry Wheeler and Duke Moore a member of the UCC's board during the afternoon of July 13. They would make three demands to him being:
1. Suspend the two officers who arrested Smith. 2.
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Riot
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Two charged in East St. Louis armed robbery that killed security guard
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by: Elizabeth Barmeier EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Two East St. Louis men have been arrested and charged in a recent bank robbery that resulted in the death of a security guard. Jaylan D. Quinn, 22, has been charged with armed bank robbery resulting in death, and Andrew R. Brinkley, 19, has been charged with bank robbery, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District Illinois. The incident happened Friday, Aug. 27, around 4 p.m. at First Bank located at 350 Riverpark Drive in East St. Louis. The suspects entered the bank wearing face masks. One man, who was wearing a white face mask, put a note on the counter that read, “I got a bomb strapped to my chest Put all the money in or everyone die,” according to the press release. The bank teller gave the man money and the two suspects headed to leave. Before they could, security guard Ted Horn stopped them. The man wearing the white face mask push past Horn and ran out of the bank. The second man, who wore a black face mask, pulled out his semi-automatic handgun and shot Horn in the head, the press release states.
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Bank Robbery
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1999 IIHF World Championship
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The 1999 IIHF World Championship was held in Oslo, Hamar and Lillehammer in Norway from 1 to 16 May. It was the top tier of the men's championships for that year. Three qualifying tournaments were played to establish the last five entrants to the World Championship. Two groups of four played in Europe, first and second place from each advanced, while the others were relegated to Group B. The winner of the "Far East" tournament advanced to the World Championship, while the losers played in Group C.
Played 5–8 November 1998 in Klagenfurt. The United States and Austria advanced to the World Championship. Played 5–8 November 1998 in Ljubljana. Ukraine and France advanced to the World Championship. Played 4–6 September 1998 in Tokyo. Japan advanced to the World Championship. In each group, the top two nations advanced to the next round. Third place teams played a final round against each other to determine who escaped having to qualify for next year's tournament. Fourth place teams did not play further, they were automatically entered in qualifiers for next year's tournament. Italy was relegated to the qualifiers for the 2000 IIHF World Championship. France was relegated to the qualifiers for the 2000 IIHF World Championship. Japan was relegated to the qualifiers for the 2000 IIHF World Championship. Ukraine was relegated to the qualifiers for the 2000 IIHF World Championship. Each playoff match up consisted of a two-game series. If tied, the two teams would play an overtime-style mini game (10 minutes in duration for the semi-finals and 20 minutes in the final) to determine the winner, and then a shoot-out if no scoring occurred. The only mini-game to go to a shoot-out was the Czech versus Canada tiebreaker, with a 4 to 3 Czech victory. Note that the mini-games show up as a game played in the players statistics. The exception was for the Bronze medal game which was just one game. Latvia and Norway were relegated to the qualifiers for the 2000 IIHF World Championship. The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF:
Places eleven through sixteen had to play in qualifying tournaments for entry into the 2000 tournament. List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals. Source: [1]
Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes are included in this list. Source: [2]
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Sports Competition
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Japan Airlines Flight 446 crash
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Japan Airlines Flight 446 was a Japan Airlines flight from Sheremetyevo International Airport of Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan. On November 28, 1972 the DC-8-62 on the route crashed during the initial climb phase upon takeoff from Sheremetyevo. While it is established by investigation that the direct reason for the crash was stalling shortly after takeoff, the Soviet Accident Investigation Committee noted the possibility of accidental deployment of the spoilers and reduced thrust due to engine problems as the cause for this accident. On November 28, 1972, Japan Airlines Flight 446, operated by JA8040 (a DC-8-62), departed from Copenhagen Airport in Denmark bound for Tokyo International Airport in Japan with an intermediate stop at Sheremetyevo International Airport. At 7:51 PM Moscow time (1:51 AM, Nov 29 for Tokyo time), the flight took off from Sheremetyevo, reached an altitude of 100 metres (330 ft), stalled, and crashed 150 metres (490 ft) beyond the runway end, 30 seconds after leaving the ground. On board were 6 flight crew (3 of them backup crew), 7 cabin crew, 1 employee of Japan Airlines, and 62 passengers (of whom 52 were Japanese). All except for 5 flight attendants and 9 passengers perished, which made 62 fatalities. All survivors were seated near first-class seats located in the front section of the fuselage, suffering severe injuries. Eight of the surviving passengers were Japanese; the other was E. Bruce Smith of New Zealand. The aircraft involved, JA8040, was delivered on July 1969, and written off less than 3.5 years after its delivery, thus being the most short-lived among Japan Airlines' DC-8s. This aircraft was noted for previous involvement in several major incidents: with the nickname Hida, it was used to carry passengers involved in the hijack of Japan Airlines Flight 351 back to Japan in April 1970; on November 6, 1972, 22 days before the crash, this plane was offered to the hijackers of the JA351 hijack in response to their demand to flee to Cuba, although they were ultimately arrested at Haneda Airport. This was the second fatal accident within the same calendar year for Japan Airlines, following Japan Airlines Flight 471 in June. The Soviet Accident Investigation Committee released (according to ICAO standard) the result of CVR and FDR data analysis. CVR transcript:
00s (Takeoff roll begin)
10s "Time?" "Time is OK." "It's a bit slow..."
25s "Yes." "What?" "We are going." 30s "V1." at 129kt(IAS)
40s "Rotation." "Attention." at 145kt
45s "V2." at 154kt
50s (Mechanical sound)
55s "What's up?" "Spoiler!" at 350ft
60s "What's this?!" "Sorry..." "Left clear." at 300ft
65s "Engine! Engine! No.2! No.2 Engine!" at 100ft
70s (Sound of impact)
The survivors reported three abnormal situations indicating an engine failure, which matched the
description of eyewitnesses on the ground:
The direct reason for the crash was an excessive nose-up attitude leading to a stall. The cause was determined to be one of the following by both sides (Japanese and Soviet investigating personnel):
Based on the above, the sequence of the entire accident could be presumed (but not determined) that:
There was a theory that the copilot mistook the ground spoiler lever as the landing gear lever, but it is only a theory. The accident was attributed to pilot error, i.e. the co-pilot's lack of adequate attitude. The voice recorder recorded some of the captain's insensitive colloquial conversation, such as "Yeah(はいよ)" "Kay, Here we goin(やっこらさ)"note. After reports containing the information above was released to the public, Japan Airlines drew much criticism, such as "our floppy flag carrier" from public media, and the problem was even presented before the Diet of Japan. Apart from this accident, Japan Airlines suffered several other incidents attributed to human error in the same year: Haneda Airport overrun incident (on May 15), New Delhi crash (on June 14), Gimpo Airport overrun incident (on September 7), Bombay Airport overrun incident (on September 24). As a result, the airline suffered harsh criticism from the public. In the popular comic strip Sazae-san, Machiko Hasegawa made a sarcastic scene, referring to these accidents:
While preparing for a business trip, Namihei panicked when he heard Sazae and Wakame talking about "Nikkō 'falling' again", and rushed toward them. But it turned out that the two was just watching the sunset. Relaxed, Namihei shouted "Please say 'Nikkō is descending' !" On DC-8s, spoilers are used after landing only (i.e. ground spoiler). Few methods can be used to reduce speed in flight (e.g. before landing), such as deploying the thrust reverser of inner engines on both port and starboard side. Other accidents attributed to accidental deployment of ground spoiler in flight have also occurred. As a result, modifications were done to make ground spoilers unable to deploy in flight altogether. There are No emergency air brakes installed on DC-8s.
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Air crash
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Dick Vitale: “For the second time in just a few months, I’ve been diagnosed with a form of cancer”
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For the second time in just a few months, I’ve been diagnosed with a form of cancer. As a result of some symptoms I’ve had in recent weeks, I’ve been undergoing tests and doctors have now confirmed it’s lymphoma.
I had announced in August that I underwent multiple surgeries to remove melanoma (which has been totally cleared), yet the doctors believe this lymphoma diagnosis is unrelated. What’s evident is that the treatment plan for this lymphoma is going to be a lot tougher, and in both cases, early detection played an important role in helping to manage the cancers.
With all that said, I consider myself very lucky. I’ve seen firsthand the devastation that cancer can have on families, on children, and on all of our loved ones. It can bring you to your knees. It’s physically and emotionally exhausting. It robs you of so many things, including life itself for some of the most unfortunate patients. I never lose sight of that, and that’s why I feel so lucky.
The plan is to treat my lymphoma with steroids and six months of chemotherapy. The medical experts tell me it has a 90-percent cure rate. They say I can continue to work so I will have to manage my work schedule around my chemo schedule as they will monitor my test results along the way.
Dick Vitale is a one-of-a-kind treasure as a broadcaster and human being. His love for family and tireless passion to help people in need, especially children, truly define his greatness. He is beloved by his ESPN family and has our full support.
— Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content, and fellow V Foundation Board member
I will fight with all my heart in dealing with the chemo and want to get back stronger than ever so I can live out my promise to one of my “All Courageous” kids, Tony Colton, who passed in July 2017.
I was called by Tony to his bedside at All Children’s Hospital prior to his passing and he said to me very weakly, “Please, Mr. V., keep pleading for money for kids like me so they don’t have to suffer like this.”
I made Tony a promise, which is why I will beg and plead until my last breath. My goal is to get back to doing that more than ever, along with my fabulous teammates who work with and support The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
In my battle, I think of all the Courageous kids that I have gotten to know and I want all of them to know (after watching their battles with their cancers and handling the chemo/radiation) they inspire and motivate me to take on this biggest fight I have ever faced. I WILL DO EVERY THING IN MY POWER TO WIN THIS BATTLE!
I am lucky and blessed to have a great team of medical experts along with wonderful family support. I am also blessed to work with so many in my second family, ESPN. They have been so encouraging over the past three weeks as I’ve undergone one test after another in trying to analyze what was causing my symptoms.
If you see me, please just give me a fist bump and say a prayer that I can return from being 82 years old to acting like I’m 12. Thanks so much for your love.
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Famous Person - Sick
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Pan Am Flight 845 crash
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Pan Am Flight 845 was a Boeing 747-121, registration N747PA, operating as a scheduled international passenger flight between Los Angeles and Tokyo, with an intermediate stop at San Francisco International Airport (ICAO: KSFO). [1] On July 30, 1971, at 15:29 PDT, while taking off from San Francisco bound for Tokyo, the aircraft struck approach lighting system structures located past the end of the runway, seriously injuring two passengers and sustaining significant damage. The crew continued the takeoff, flying out over the ocean and circling while dumping fuel, eventually returning for a landing in San Francisco. After coming to a stop, the crew ordered an emergency evacuation, during which 27 passengers were injured while exiting the aircraft, with eight of them suffering serious back injuries. [1][2][3]
The accident was investigated by the NTSB, which determined the probable cause was the pilot's use of incorrect takeoff reference speeds. The NTSB also found various procedural failures in the dissemination and retrieval of flight safety information, which contributed to the accident. [1]
The Boeing 747-121, registration N747PA, manufacturing serial number 19639, first flew on April 11, 1969 and was delivered to Pan Am on October 3, 1970. It was the second 747 off Boeing's production line but wasn't delivered until nearly ten months after Pan Am's first 747 flight. Originally named Clipper America it had logged 2,900 hours of operation at the time of the accident. [1][4]
The flight crew of Flight 845 consisted of five (a captain, a first officer, a flight engineer, a relief flight engineer and a relief pilot). The captain was Calvin Y. Dyer, a 57-year-old resident of Redwood City, California, a pilot with 27,209 hours' flying experience, 868 of which were on the 747. The first officer was Paul E. Oakes, a 41-year-old resident of Reno, Nevada, with 10,568 hours' experience, 595 on the 747. The flight engineer was Winfree Horne, he was 57 years old and from Los Altos, California, he had 23,569 hours' flight experience, 168 on the 747. 34-year-old Second officer Wayne E. Sagar was the relief pilot he had 3,230 hours of flight experience, 456 on the 747. The relief flight engineer was Roderic E. Proctor, a 57-year-old resident of Palo Alto, California, he had 24,576 flight hours, 236 on the 747. On July 29, 1971, Dyer, Oakes, Horne, Sagar and Proctor had spent the whole day off-duty. They had also flown the initial Los Angeles to San Francisco leg of the flight. Flight 845's crew had planned and calculated their takeoff for runway 28L, but discovered only after pushback that this runway had been closed hours earlier for maintenance,[6] and that the first 1,000 feet (300 m) of runway 01R, the preferential runway at that time,[7] had also been closed. After consulting with Pan Am flight dispatchers and the control tower, the crew decided to take off from runway 01R, shorter compared to 28L, with less favorable wind conditions. [8]
Runway 01R was about 8,500 feet (2,600 m) long from its displaced threshold (from which point the takeoff was to start) to the end, which was the available takeoff length for Flight 845. [9] Because of various misunderstandings, the flight crew was erroneously informed the available takeoff length from the displaced threshold was 9,500 feet (2,900 m), or 1,000 feet (300 m) longer than actually existed. Despite the shorter length, it was later determined that the aircraft could have taken off safely, had the proper procedures been followed. As the crew prepared for takeoff on the shorter runway, they selected 20 degrees of flaps instead of their originally planned 10 degree setting, but did not recalculate their takeoff reference speeds (V1, Vr and V2), which had been calculated for the lower flap setting, and were thus too high for their actual takeoff configuration. Consequently, these critical speeds were called late and the aircraft's takeoff roll was abnormally prolonged. In fact the first officer called Vr at 160 knots (184 mph; 296 km/h) instead of the planned 164 knots (189 mph; 304 km/h) because the end of the runway was "coming up at a very rapid speed. "[10]
Unable to attain sufficient altitude to clear obstructions at the end of the runway, the aircraft's aft fuselage, landing gear and other structures were damaged as it struck components of the approach lighting system (ALS) at over 160 knots (180 mph; 300 km/h). Three lengths of angle iron up to 17 feet (5.2 m) penetrated the cabin, injuring two passengers. The right main under-body landing gear was forced up and into the fuselage, and the left under-body landing gear was ripped loose and remained dangling beneath the aircraft. Other systems damaged in the impact included Nos 1, 3, and 4 hydraulic systems, several wing and empennage control surfaces and their mechanisms, electrical systems including the antiskid control, and three of the evacuation slides. The flight proceeded out over the Pacific Ocean for one hour and 42 minutes to dump fuel in order to reduce weight for an emergency landing. During this time, damage to the aircraft was assessed and the injured treated by doctors on the passenger list. After dumping fuel, the aircraft returned to the airport. Emergency services were deployed and the plane landed on runway 28L. During landing, six tires on the under-wing landing gear failed. Reverse thrust functioned only on engine 4, so the aircraft slowly veered to the right, off the runway and came to a stop. The left under-wing landing gear caught fire, although this fire was extinguished by dirt once the plane veered off the runway. [11] After stopping, the aircraft slowly tilted backwards due to the missing body gear, which had been ripped off or disabled on takeoff. The aircraft came to rest on its tail with its nose elevated. Until this accident it was not known that the 747 would tilt backwards without the support of the main body gear. There were no fatalities among the 218 passengers and crew aboard, but two passengers were seriously injured during the impact, and during the subsequent emergency evacuation twenty-seven more sustained injuries, eight of them serious. Rods of angle iron from the ALS structure penetrated the passenger compartment, injuring passengers in seats 47G (near amputation of left leg below the knee) and 48G (severe laceration and crushing of left upper arm). After landing, the aircraft veered off the runway on its damaged landing gear and came to a halt. Evacuation commenced from the front due to a failure to broadcast the evacuation order over the cabin address system (it was erroneously broadcast over the radio), the order being given by one of the flight crew exiting the cockpit and noticing that evacuation had not commenced. During this time, the aircraft settled aft, resting on its tail in a nose-up attitude. The four forward slides were unsafe for use due to the greater elevation and high winds. Most passengers evacuated from the rear six slides. Eight passengers using the forward slides sustained serious back injuries and were hospitalised. Other passengers suffered minor injuries such as abrasions and sprains. The accident was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which issued its final report on May 24, 1972. According to the NTSB, the Probable Cause of the accident was:[3]
... the pilot's use of incorrect takeoff reference speeds.
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Air crash
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'Obama' bank robber on the run in Austria
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Police in Austria are hunting a gunman who robs banks wearing a rubber mask of US president Barack Obama, but speaks very much like a local. The Obama robber struck in the town of Handenberg on Thursday, robbing his sixth bank in the region since 2008. Police say he turns up in a mask just before closing time, equipped with a silver pistol and a black shoulder bag. He is believed to have stolen $13,000 in Handenberg.
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Bank Robbery
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Famine Stalks Yemen, as War Drags On and Foreign Aid Wanes
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For the second time in three years, the threat of widespread famine hangs over the war-torn country, where millions are displaced and struggle daily to find food. By Shuaib Almosawa and Ben Hubbard AL HARF, Yemen — The mother’s first challenge when her spindly 8-month-old son came down with a fever, diarrhea and vomiting was to get from their poor, isolated village in northern Yemen to the nearest clinic. After three days of failing to find a ride, she set out on foot, carrying her sick child for two hours to reach the medics who immediately recognized yet another case in Yemen’s spiraling crisis of acute malnutrition.
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Famine
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1923 Victorian Police strike
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The 1923 Victorian Police strike occurred in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. On the eve of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival in November 1923, half the police force in Melbourne went on strike[1] over the operation of a supervisory system using labour spies. Riots and looting followed as crowds poured forth from Flinders Street railway station on the Friday and Saturday nights and made their way up Elizabeth and Swanston Streets, smashing shop windows, looting, and overturning trams. [2][3]
The strike started late on Wednesday night 31 October 1923 – the eve of Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival – when a squad of 29[a] constables at Russell Street Police Headquarters refused duty,[4][5][6] citing the continued use of spies by management. The Victoria Police force at the time were understaffed, lowly paid in comparison with other state police forces, and had no industry pension, with the government continually deferring promises on the introduction of a pension program. The Police Association had made repeated attempts to improve the pay and conditions of the force, and had made representations over the use of "spooks" as inappropriate for supervision to the Nationalist government of Victoria under the Premier, Harry Lawson. The strike was led by Constable William Thomas Brooks, of the licensing squad, who two years earlier circulated a petition among his fellow officers calling for better conditions. Headed Comrades and Fellow Workers, it was signed by almost 700 men. The strike was not a Police Association initiative, although the organisation negotiated on behalf of the strikers with the Premier, Harry Lawson. Most of the strikers were constables, many of them returned servicemen. Detectives and senior officers did not participate. After 24 hours the Premier demanded a return to work and promised no victimisation, although there was no promise of meeting the strikers' demands. After 48 hours, the Premier again demanded a return to work but with no guarantees regarding victimisation. The Victorian Trades Hall Council, surprised by the wildcat strike, volunteered to negotiate on behalf of the strikers but were rebuffed by the government. Subsequently, 634 policemen were discharged and two were dismissed, about a third of the Victorian force,[7] most of them never to be re-employed as members of the Victorian Police Force. [8]
On Friday and Saturday nights riots and looting occurred in the city, resulting in three deaths, trams being turned over,[9] plate glass windows being smashed and merchandise looted from stores. Constables on point duty were jeered at and harassed by people until they retreated to the Town Hall, where the crowd taunted them to come out. [10] Tramways staff and uniformed sailors helped to direct traffic in the absence of police. A request by the Premier to the Federal Government for troops to prevent and put down trouble was refused, however Sir Harry Chauvel and other army chiefs appointed guards on defence establishments. Over the weekend five thousand volunteer 'special constables' were sworn in to restore order, under the direction of Sir John Monash at the Melbourne Town Hall and led by AIF veterans and CMF officers. They were identified by badges and armbands. The rioting and looting was quickly attributed to Melbourne's criminal element by all of Melbourne's newspapers, but subsequent court records show that most of the offenders who were apprehended were young men and boys without criminal histories. After the strike, the Monash Royal Commission into the Victoria Police strike brought down its findings. The government subsequently increased pay and conditions for police, including a bill to establish a police pension scheme before the end of 1923.
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Strike
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Man Sentenced to Two Decades in Prison for Armed Robbery Spree
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A man who terrorized businesses in Arlington, Alexandria and elsewhere from 2018 to 2019 is going to prison. Freddy Lee McRae, 35, pled guilty to a series of bank and retail robberies last year. On Tuesday McRae, dubbed the “Beltway Bank Bandit,” was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison. “This case involved a chilling armed robbery spree during which innocent community members were threatened with serious injury or death if they did not comply with repeated demands for money,” Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement . “We are thankful to our law enforcement partners for their thorough investigation across multiple jurisdictions to bring the defendant to justice.” As detailed in a press release, McRae’s crime spree included the attempted robbery of a Capital One branch on Columbia Pike, the armed robbery of Legend Kicks & Apparel on the Pike, and a subsequent police chase on the GW Parkway that ended with McRae crashing his car into the river and trying to swim to freedom. On December 10, 2018, McRae robbed a Burke & Herbert bank branch located in Alexandria. McRae approached a teller, who asked if he wanted to make a deposit. McRae responded, “gimmie your money,” before lifting up his shirt and pulling a pistol from his waistband, which he pointed at the teller. As the teller gathered money, McRae racked the slide on the pistol and demanded all large bills. McRae fled with approximately $1,366 in cash. On April 21, 2019, McRae robbed the Legend Kicks & Apparel store located in Arlington. McRae brandished a pistol and demanded that two store employees empty their pockets, which they did. McRae then ordered the employees to lie on the floor before taking approximately $2,160 in cash that belonged to the store. McRae fled the store on foot and the area by vehicle. When a law enforcement officer tried to pull over the vehicle, McRae stopped only briefly before leading law enforcement officers on a vehicle pursuit on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. McRae ultimately jumped out of his moving vehicle prior to it crashing and sinking into the Potomac River. McRae tried to flee law enforcement by jumping into the river, but officers pulled him out and placed him under arrest. As part of his guilty plea, McRae also admitted to robbing a Bank of America branch in Springfield on October 27, 2018; a BB&T branch located in Alexandria on December 20, 2018; and a Capital One branch located in Bowie, Maryland, on January 2, 2019. McRae further admitted to attempting to rob a Capital One branch located in Arlington on February 11, 2019, and to obstructing justice following his apprehension. “This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Northern Virginia Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force, which is composed of FBI Special Agents and Task Force Officers from northern Virginia law enforcement agencies,” the press release noted. “Significant investigative assistance in this case was provided by the Arlington County Police and the Fairfax County Police.”
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Bank Robbery
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Top science advisers: Prepare now for next pandemic
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Now is a crucial time to lay the groundwork to quash future threats from pathogens, top science advisers in the U.S. and U.K. said this week. Why it matters: Governments, industries and organizations are trying to bolster early warning systems, improve manufacturing supply chains for vaccines and treatments, and build infrastructure to be able to better contain future outbreaks — all while the current pandemic is still raging. Threat level: Public memory can be short, and people have a tendency to want to move on after a crisis, but it's essential that policymakers learn from the last 19 months and take steps to prepare for the next pandemic, White House science adviser Eric Lander and the U.K.'s chief scientific officer Patrick Vallance said during an event on Tuesday hosted by the British Embassy in Washington. The big picture: Developing those countermeasures on that tight of a timeline hinges on spotting an emerging pathogen as soon as possible, Rick Bright, who leads the Rockefeller Foundation's Pandemic Prevention Institute, said during the event (which I moderated). The COVID-19 pandemic is strengthening calls to expand monitoring for pathogens to include animals that humans interact with and that can be the source of pathogens that spill over to humans, a leading hypothesis for the origins of SARS-CoV-2. What to watch: USAID last year launched the STOP Spillover program, a five-year project with wildlife and human disease experts on the ground in Uganda, Liberia, Bangladesh and Vietnam who monitor and characterize viruses like Ebola and influenza and coronaviruses from animals. The catch: All the international efforts to coordinate and collaborate on surveillance will have limited effectiveness if countries don't share data and alert others when they spot a potential threat. The bottom line: "The biggest barrier that we have to improving the system, be it surveillance, be it vaccine development or distribution, is we are still not addressing adequately the issues of collaboration, sharing and trust," Bright said. Plastic debris and face masks on a beach in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Photo: Andrey Nekrasov/Barcroft Media via Getty Images Over 25,000 tons of pandemic-related plastic waste pollute the global ocean, according to a study published in the journal PNAS on Monday. Why it matters: Plastic waste poses a major threat to marine life and ecosystems. COVID-19 only increased the demand for single-use plastic, "intensifying pressure on this already out-of-control problem," the researchers write. A medical staff member attends to a woman at the Mount Elizabeth hospital vaccine centre in Singapore. Photo: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images The Singaporean government will no longer cover medical bills for people who are "unvaccinated by choice" after Dec. 8, the country's Ministry of Health announced Monday. Why it matters: "We have to send this important signal to urge everyone to get vaccinated if you are eligible," Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at a news conference. 82.47% of Singapore's population is fully vaccinated, per Johns Hopkins University. United Airlines can uphold its COVID-19 vaccine mandate that places on unpaid leave employees who have been granted a medical or religious exemption, a federal judge ruled Monday, per Reuters. Details: U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman noted in his ruling in Fort Worth, Texas, that it was a human resources matter and that no airline staff member was required to get the vaccine, according to Reuters.
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Disease Outbreaks
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2017 World Aquatics Championships
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The 17th FINA World Championships (Hungarian: 2017-es úszó-világbajnokság) were held in Budapest, Hungary from 14 to 30 July 2017. [1][2]
On 15 July 2011, at the biennial General Congress of FINA in Shanghai, the host-city of the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, Guadalajara, Mexico was announced as the winning bid. Kazan, Russia was awarded the 2015 Championships in the same vote, whereas the rival bid from Hong Kong, China was left unrewarded. Guangzhou (China) and Montreal (Canada) withdrew their bids shortly before the vote. In February 2015, Mexico withdrew from hosting the world championships with organizers saying they could not afford the $100 million price tag that goes with hosting the multi-sport aquatic event. [3] On 11 March 2015, it was announced that Budapest would host the 2017 Championships. [4] The city was originally slated to host the 2021 edition. [5]
The logo of 2017 World Aquatics Championships was inspired by water and Hungarian folk art. The White water roses Lali (male) and Lili (female) in swimming costumes were selected as mascots of championships. [6] Slogan of the championships is Water, Wonder, Welcome. The Hungarian National Bank issued a commemorative version of the 50 Ft circulation coin on the occasion of the 17th FINA World Championships to be held in Hungary. [7] and Hungarian Post produced 200,000 stamps and the commemorative booklet with envelope and stamp of first day mail cancellation. [8]
The two main competition venues are located in Budapest: Danube Arena, a brand-new indoor swimming pool complex for swimming and diving on the eastern bank of the Danube just north of Margaret Island, and the existing Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Stadium, on Margaret Island itself, for water polo. Open water swimming events are held at Lake Balaton. [9] High diving and synchronised swimming are held at temporary venues in Budapest. A total of 75 Medal events are held across six disciplines. * Host nation
In the United States, NBCUniversal holds rights to the event. [10][11] Events shall be televised on NBC, NBCSN, and the Olympic Channel. [12] In the UK, the championships have been shown on the BBC Red Button and BBC Two.
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Sports Competition
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El Cajon Boulevard riot
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The El Cajon Boulevard riot was the official name of what the San Diego Union called the Drag Strip Riot. Some people consider the El Cajon Boulevard Riot one of the first major youth riots of the 1960s. The riot began during the evening of August 20, 1960 as an organized protest over the closing of Hourglass Field, an unused United States Navy airfield, to drag racing. The drag racing had been organized by the San Diego Timing Association, a local group of hot rod clubs, but was unauthorized. The Navy and the police looked the other way because Hourglass Field was the only off-street venue available for drag racing at the time. On August 8, 1960, three (possibly four) bystanders were injured during a drag race. The Navy had been under some pressure to crack down on the drag racing and shut down the airfield to drag racing after the incident. Car clubs lobbied the city for an official drag racing site but were denied as the San Diego Police Chief A.E. Jensen said "Drag strips actually stimulate highway recklessness among those viewing such contests". [1]
The Protest was organized by thousands of fliers that were spread around town at coffee shops, car clubs, movie theaters and other places where people would gather. These fliers stated that there would be a "mass protest meeting" on El Cajon Boulevard on Sunday August 12. The news was also spread by the a DJ named Dick Boynton on the local radio station. [1] Two days later the police arrested a printer by the name of Herbert Sturdyvin, 20, on suspicion of conspiracy of printing the fliers that were used to organize the protest. He was released two days later without charges due to the fact that the police did not have enough evidence. [2]
This led to an organized mass protest the night of August 20 and 21 at the intersection of El Cajon Boulevard and Cherokee Street in San Diego. The crowd of about 3,000 teenagers and adults blocked three blocks of El Cajon Boulevard (one of San Diego's major east-west thoroughfares) and began holding impromptu drag races with just enough room for cars to race two-abreast down the street. Around 2 A.M. more than 65 police officers began quelling the riot first by ordering them to disperse and then moving in with tear gas and riot sticks. Some protestors tried to fight back by throwing coke bottles and rocks at the police and trying to overturn police cars. It took 3 hours to control the mob and two police officers were hurt during the course of the night. At the scene of the riot 80 adult demonstrators and 36 juveniles were arrested for the riot. The next night several drag racers drove around town taunting the police. This led to a further 100 people being arrested, including over 30 juveniles who were charged with curfew violations. [1]
After the riot, the City of San Diego promised to form a committee to look into the problem of a lack of drag racing sites. The president of the National Hot Rod Association also pledged his support to getting local enthusiasts a place to race. Eventually, all of these pressures came together and two new Drag racing strips were opened. The San Diego Raceway opened in Ramona in 1963 and the Carlsbad Raceway opened in 1964. [3] San Diego closed down after 1968 and Carlsbad after 2004. There was an attempt at running in the parking lot of Jack Murphy Stadium in an organized event in the 1970's, but currently drag strips in Barona[where?] serve the purpose.
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Riot
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Trump Rips Up a 'Decaying and Rotten Deal' With Iran
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President Trump said he'll begin reinstating nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime, effectively marking the beginning of the end of the agreement.
Updated at 4:18 p.m. ET
President Trump announced Tuesday that he would reimpose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, setting the stage for a long-expected dismantling of the Obama-era nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.
“I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal,” he said. “In a few moments, I will sign a presidential memorandum to begin reinstating U.S. nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime.”
On the face of it, the announcement goes much further than had been expected. Observers had expected Trump to decline to waive only the most immediate set of sanctions related to Iran’s oil trade—the sanctions that were specifically at play with an upcoming May 12 deadline for Trump to waive them, giving America’s European allies time to find a fix that would placate the president.
But the White House in a subsequent statement said companies “doing business in Iran will be provided a period of time to allow them to wind down operations in or business involving Iran” or else be in violation of U.S. law and face sanctions. The move is especially striking because even Trump administration officials have previously said Iran is complying with the accord. Speaking to reporters after Trump’s remarks, John Bolton, the president’s national-security adviser, said: “We have announced a withdrawal from the deal. So we’re out of the deal.” He added the president’s decision to impose nuclear-related sanctions means no new contracts will be allowed in the “proscribed areas.”
“For contracts that already exist, there’s a wind-down period to allow an orderly termination of the contract,” he said. This ranges from 90 to 180 days, depending on the commodity involved. Bolton also rejected the idea that the U.S. was violating its commitments to its allies—now that the U.S. has withdrawn, those commitments are null.
There was an inevitability about Trump’s announcement, which had been expected in some form for months. Trump, as a presidential candidate, had pledged to rip up the agreement that he’d labeled the “worst deal in history.” But his remarks will likely have profound implications for the Middle East, U.S. allies in the region, and America’s European partners, who had lobbied furiously with the Trump administration to preserve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the nuclear agreement is officially called. Besides Iran and the United States, the nuclear agreement involves China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
France and the U.K., especially, could face a difficult choice at the United Nations, where they are both permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council (along with China and Russia, both of which support the agreement), if Iran decides to refer the U.S. to the UN over its violation of the pact—as the JCPOA’s mechanism allows it to do. Iran will undoubtedly relish the prospect of isolating and embarrassing the United States at an international forum. Whether the Islamic Republic can persuade America’s closest allies to go along is uncertain. A resolution condemning the U.S. for violating the JCPOA is all but dead on arrival at the Security Council, where the U.S. is also a permanent, veto-wielding member, but the very introduction of such a resolution would be an embarrassment for the U.S.
European officials had maintained the agreement was preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons as intended. The agreement, they said, did not set out to curtail the Islamic Republic’s other actions in the region—its ballistic-missile tests, its involvement in the Syrian civil war and in Iraqi politics, its role in the conflict in Yemen, and its continued support for Shia proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. But it was these activities that the deal’s opponents, including Trump on Tuesday, pointed to as the reason to leave it—in their view the deal offered Iran financial benefits in exchange for nuclear restraint without doing enough to check the Islamic Republic in other areas.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met separately with Trump in late April to lobby for keeping the deal, but Macron told French media he believed Trump “will get rid of this deal on his own, for domestic reasons.” Boris Johnson, the U.K. foreign secretary, even went on Fox News, Trump’s favored network, on Monday, in a last-ditch effort to persuade the president to keep the deal, urging Trump not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” In the end, none of it mattered.
A European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said “there is plainly a difference of opinion” between the two sides. The diplomat said the Europeans believed that Iran could be controlled through the JCPOA, a new stronger nuclear agreement, as well as pushing back on Iran’s ICBM program and its activities in the Middle East—the so-called “four pillars” policy.
“What seems to be the intention is for Pillar One to be knocked over,” the European diplomat said. “I think they want to have a new start. And as far as I understand the Trump administration’s intentions, they believe that you cannot build a second pillar—a future JCPOA—as long as the current one is in existence. I won’t hide it from you that we don’t share that analysis.”
Trump said his consultations with allies made it clear “that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement.”
In a statement after Trump’s remarks, John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state who negotiated the deal, said the “announcement weakens our security, breaks America’s word, isolates us from our European allies, puts Israel at greater risk, empowers Iran’s hardliners, and reduces our global leverage to address Tehran’s misbehavior, while damaging the ability of future Administrations to make international agreements.” Ben Rhodes, who served as Obama’s deputy national-security adviser, was more succinct in his assessment of Trump’s decision when he spoke to The Atlantic: “You broke it, you bought it.”
If supporters of the agreement worked overtime to save it, its critics worked just as furiously. Last week Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister who is a longtime skeptic of the JCPOA, made a public presentation in which he said Israel had uncovered documents showing that Iranian officials had lied when they said the country had never pursued nuclear weapons. He said the Islamic Republic had a detailed plan to develop nuclear weapons—and had hidden the relevant documents away in an archive in Tehran. But few details from his presentation were new—or indeed proved that Iran had cheated on its current international obligations. Trump seemed to find it convincing, however.
“At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program,” Trump said. “Today we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie. Last week, Israel published intelligence documents long concealed by Iran, conclusively showing the Iranian regime and its history of pursuing nuclear weapons.”
Nor was the agreement universally beloved in Iran. The JCPOA—with its sanctions relief and its promise of facilitating investment in Iran—did not create the economic miracle many Iranians had hoped for. Trump’s public distaste for the deal created uncertainty for international businesses that may otherwise have looked to invest in Iran. Iran’s oil sales, which increased after the JCPOA was concluded, will almost certainly be imperiled—though it’s unlikely that countries like China and India, which rely heavily on Iranian crude exports, will alter their plans to keep buying Iranian oil. They and others can now point out that it is the U.S., not Iran, that has violated the deal. (International inspectors have repeatedly found Iran to be in compliance.) But the blow to the already dismal Iranian economy, which had caused months of anti-regime protests, is likely to not only increase those protests, but also embolden Iranian hard-liners who had opposed the JCPOA on the grounds that the Islamic Republic had given away too much in exchange for too little.
In many ways, the debate leading up to the U.S. withdrawal from the deal echoed the one surrounding its entry into it in July 2015. Just as, once again, discussion focused on issues the JCPOA did not address, the pact’s “sunset” provisions were also, once again, a matter of vigorous argument. Certain restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program expire in eight, 10, and 15 years, which the deal’s opponents argued allows the Islamic Republic to freely resume nuclear-weapons development after those periods. The pact, in this reading, merely delayed the time it would take for Iran to have nuclear weapons. The agreement’s supporters point out that as part of the deal Iran also signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, under which it commits in perpetuity never to pursue nuclear weapons.
Reflecting the prominence of these concerns even when the deal was signed, congressional critics of the agreement passed legislation to require the president to certify every 120 days that Iran was complying with the JCPOA. While President Obama was only too happy to do this for his signature foreign-policy achievement (Iran’s compliance is certified, under the agreement, by international inspectors), the process of certification became a problem for the deal’s survival after Trump took office in January 2018. The president made public his unhappiness at having to repeatedly certify the deal that he’d called “insane,” but did so anyway for a time, in part, because of advice from Rex Tillerson, his then secretary of state, and James Mattis, the defense secretary. But last October, Trump decertified the agreement, leaving it up to Congress to either come up with a legislative fix or reimpose sanctions on Iran, an action that would have effectively marked the beginning of the end of the agreement. U.S. lawmakers didn’t come up with such a fix—essentially punting the decision back to the White House. Trump had until May 12 to decide whether to waive sanctions as the deal requires if Iran is complying, and he made his announcement four days early.
Trump warned Iran against restarting its nuclear program, saying “it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before.”
He added: “The fact is they are going to want to make a new and lasting deal, one that benefits all of Iran and the Iranian people. When they do, I am ready, willing, and able. Great things can happen for Iran and great things can happen for the peace and stability that we all want in the Middle East.”
Bolton elaborated on those comments. “We’re prepared, along with the Europeans and others, to talk about a much broader deal addressing all of the aspects of Iran’s actions that we find objectionable,” he said. “We’re prepared to do that right now.”
Still, people within the Trump administration defended the deal. On April 26, Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the JCPOA’s “verification … is actually pretty robust as far as our intrusive ability” to verify whether Iran was complying. “I've read it now three times … and I will say that it is written almost with an assumption that Iran would try to cheat,” he said. Mattis had previously favored staying in what he called an “imperfect” agreement because he said it was in the U.S. national-security interest.
Those debates are now moot, as the countdown clock starts toward the JCPOA’s ultimate demise. If that happens, the agreement will join other Obama-era foreign-policy accomplishments abandoned by the Trump administration, including the Paris climate accord, the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, and improved relations with Cuba.
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Tear Up Agreement
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UPDATE: Texas Petroleum confirms four injured in well fire along the Gulf, site still volatile
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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.
May 26 UPDATE: On Wednesday afternoon, the Texas Petroleum Investment Company released an updated statement regarding the well fire on Belle Isle 24 hours earlier.
The TPIC statement reads:
“Contractors working to cap a shut-in well in the Belle Isle Field were injured when a spark ignited natural gas. Four employees of the contractor were evacuated for medical treatment. The fire occurred on Tuesday afternoon and was extinguished within two hours and gas flow has been minimized. Additional well control personnel are on the scene to develop a plan to secure and plug the well and protect the environment.”
WGNO Reporter Chris Welty also spoke to Trooper Thomas Gossen.
According to Trooper Gossen, they are continuing to oversee the response and the troopers are coordinating as a “unified command center.”
The LSP is overseeing Wildlife and Fisheries, the Department of Environmental Quality, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office and Texas Petroleum Investment Company “until there is no more threat.”
Gossen said crews are still dealing with a volatile piece of equipment and the site is still leaking.
Until the site is 100% contained, LSP will remain on scene.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
NEW ORLEANS ( WGNO ) — The Texas Petroleum Investment Company has confirmed an explosion in South Louisiana along the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday afternoon.
Initial reports show at least four workers were hospitalized.
The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources told WGNO sister station KLFY, that a gas leak started on Sunday on the Little Wax Bayou in Belle Isle, approximately 18 miles south of Patterson, La.
Wild Well Control, which specializes in doing plug and seals on gas wells, arrived on Tuesday to seal the leak. An explosion occurred resulting in four people suffering burns to the face and hands.
A Texas Petroleum statement reads:
“Contractors working to cap a well in the Belle Isle Field were injured when a spark ignited natural gas. The incident began on Sunday while workers were attempting to plug the abandoned well. The workers are receiving medical treatment and crews are on the scene to protect the environment and bring the well under control.”
BREAKING: LA Dept of Natural Resources says the natural gas leak began Sunday about 18 miles south of Patterson. Wild Well Control, who specializes in doing plug and seals on gas wells came into today to seal it up. Injured suffered burns to the face and hands. @WGNOtv
— Chris Welty (@Chris_R_Welty) May 25, 2021
Acadian Ambulance tweeted that it responded to the fire at 2:56 p.m. with four helicopters and five ground units.
According to the tweet, Acadian transported two patients by air, one to New Orleans and another to Lafayette, and two by ground, both to New Orleans as well.
At 2:56 pm, Acadian received a report of a well fire. We sent 4 helicopters and 5 ground units to Morgan City (LA). We transported two patients by air (1 to NOLA and 1 to Lafayette area) and 2 patients by ground (both to NOLA)
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Gas explosion
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1957 Valencia flood
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The 1957 Valencia flood (Spanish: gran riada de Valencia) was a natural disaster that occurred on 14 October 1957 in Valencia, Spain. The flood resulted in significant damage to property and caused the deaths of at least 81 people. In response to the tragedy, the Spanish government devised and enacted the Plan Sur, which rerouted the city's main river, the Turia. Previous floods had been recorded in Valencia in 1321, 1328, 1340, 1358, 1406, 1427, 1475, 1517, 1540, 1581, 1589, 1590, 1610, 1651, 1672, 1731, 1776, 1783, 1845, 1860, 1864, 1870 and 1897. Up to 75 floods are estimated to have taken place in the seven centuries prior to the 1957 flood. [1]
During a 3-day cold drop, heavy rain had fallen in the city and upstream along the Túria river on Saturday 12 October, easing up overnight. [2] The rain resumed the next morning around 07:00. The towns of Chelva, Casinos and Ademuz were particularly affected, suffering light flooding. The rain continued until 14 October. In Valencia, there was torrential rainfall around midday on the 14th. [1] The Turia overflowed, discharging up to 300,000,000 cubic metres (390,000,000 cu yd) of water into the city. [2] While some of the older streets in Valencia's historic centre, such as Calle del Micalet, Plaza de la Reina and Plaza del Michalet, largely escaped damage, the newer bridges and areas to the north of the river, such as Zaidia and Campanar, suffered severe damage. [1] In the Marxalanes district, some streets were under 5 metres of water. [3] The Natzaret district near Valencia port was cut off from the rest of the city. [2] The city as a whole was left without water, gas and electricity and around 75% of commercial and industrial activity was affected. [2] Around 5,800 homes were destroyed, leaving approximately 3,500 families homeless. [3] The final death toll was at least 81 people. [1]
The local governments of Madrid, Barcelona and surrounding areas immediately offered help, although external rescue efforts were hindered by the flooding of the main roads to the city. [2] The Spanish army was deployed alongside the emergency services to help in the cleanup operation. [2]
The flood occurred as the government was having meetings in Barcelona. The minister responsible, Luis Carrero Blanco, interrupted those meetings to put Vicente Mortes Alfonso in charge of finding temporary housing for those left homeless by the disaster. [4] On 24 October 1957, Spanish dictator Francisco Franco visited Valencia and promised government funding for reconstruction of the city and adequate supplies to those affected. [4]
In reaction to the disaster, the Cortes Españolas unanimously approved the Plan Sur on 21 December 1961. [5] This rerouted the Turia to the south of Valencia, three kilometres from its original course. [3] The new course is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long and 175 metres (574 ft) wide. [3] Despite objections from Quart de Poblet and Mislata, municipalities to the west of Valencia affected by the plan,[5] work began in 1964 and finished in 1973. [3]
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Floods
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China Airlines Flight 006 crash
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China Airlines Flight 006 (callsign "Dynasty 006") was a daily non-stop flight from Taipei to Los Angeles International Airport. On 19 February 1985, the Boeing 747SP operating the flight was involved in an aircraft upset accident, following the failure of the No. 4 engine, while cruising at 41,000 ft (12,500 m). The plane rolled over and plunged 30,000 ft (9,100 m), experiencing high speeds and g-forces (approaching and, at one point, exceeding 5g) before the captain was able to recover from the dive, and then to divert to San Francisco International Airport. [1]
The aircraft had departed from Taipei at 16:22 local time. The accident occurred 10 hours into the flight. The Boeing 747SP-09 was 350 miles (560 km) northwest of San Francisco, cruising at an altitude of 41,000 ft (12,500 m). The cockpit crew consisted of Captain Min-Yuan Ho, age 55, First Officer Ju-Yue Chang, age 53, Flight Engineer Kuo-Pin Wei, age 55, Relief Captain Chien-Yuan Liao, age 53, and Relief Flight Engineer Shih-Lung Su, age 41. [1] Captain Ho had approximately 15,500 flight hours, including 3,748 hours on the Boeing 747. The First Officer had more than 7,700 hours with 4,553 of them on the Boeing 747, and the Flight Engineer had approximately 15,500 hours of flight time, including 4,363 hours on the Boeing 747. [1] The accident occurred while the main crew was on duty. The sequence began with a loss of thrust in the No. 4 Engine. That engine had failed twice during previous flights (while cruising at FL 410 and 430). In each of those cases, the engine was restarted after descending to a lower altitude. The maintenance response to the logbook entries that noted the problems included engine inspection, fuel filter drainage and replacement, vane controller inspection and replacement, water drainage from Mach probes, and other filter replacements. None of those acts fixed the recurrent problem of the No. 4 engine. [1][2]
The flight engineer attempted to restore power to the engine, but didn't close the bleed valve, as required by the checklist procedure. [1]:26 After the flight engineer announced the engine had flamed out, the captain instructed him to restart it, and ordered the first officer to request clearance for a descent from FL 410 (41,000 feet). According to the flight manual, engine restart is unlikely to succeed above 30,000 feet (9,100 m). The attempt failed. [1]:2
Meanwhile, airspeed continued to decrease, and the autopilot rolled the control wheel to the maximum left limit of 23 degrees. As the speed decreased even further, the plane began to roll to the right, even though the autopilot was maintaining the maximum left roll limit. By the time the captain disconnected the autopilot, the plane had rolled over 60 degrees to the right and the nose had begun to drop. Ailerons and flight spoilers were the only means available to the autopilot to keep the wings level as the autopilot does not connect to the rudder during normal flight. To counteract the asymmetrical forces created by the loss of thrust from the No. 4 engine, it was essential for the pilot to manually push on the left rudder. However, the captain failed to use any rudder inputs at all, before or after disconnecting the autopilot. The resulting uncontrolled flight path is depicted in the diagram. [1]:10–11
As the plane descended through clouds, the captain's attention was drawn to the attitude indicator which displayed excessive bank and pitch. Because such an attitude is highly irregular, the captain incorrectly assumed the indicators to be faulty. [1]:3 Without any visual references (due to the clouds) and having rejected the information from the attitude indicators, the captain and first officer became spatially disoriented. [1]:31
Only after breaking through the bottom of the clouds at 11,000 feet (3,400 m) was the captain able to orient himself and bring the plane under control, leveling out at 9,600 feet (2,900 m). They had descended 30,000 ft (9,100 m) in under two and a half minutes while all onboard experienced g-forces as high as 5g. [1]:12 The cockpit crew believed that all four engines had flamed out, but the National Transportation Safety Board found that only engine No. 4 had failed. After leveling out, the three remaining engines were supplying normal thrust. A restart attempt brought No. 4 back into use. They began climbing and reported to air traffic control "condition normal now" and continuing on to Los Angeles. They then noticed that the inboard main landing gear was down and one of the plane's hydraulic systems was empty. [1]:5 Because they did not have sufficient fuel to reach Los Angeles with the drag added by the landing gear, they diverted to San Francisco. An emergency was then declared and they flew straight into San Francisco airport. [1]:5 The plane landed without further incident. [3]
There were two serious injuries on board: a fracture and laceration of a foot, and an acute back strain requiring two days of hospitalization. The aircraft was significantly damaged by the excessive G-forces. The wings were permanently bent upwards by 2 inches (5 cm), the inboard main landing gear lost two actuator doors, and the two inboard main gear struts were left dangling. [1][4] Most affected was the tail, where large outer parts of the horizontal stabilizer had been ripped off. The entire left outboard elevator had been lost along with its actuator, which had been powered by the hydraulic system that ruptured and drained.
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Air crash
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2008 Sichuan earthquake
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The 2008 Sichuan earthquake[13] (Chinese: 汶川大地震; pinyin: Wènchuān dà dìzhèn; lit. 'Great Wenchuan earthquake'), also known as the Great Sichuan earthquake or Wenchuan earthquake, occurred at 14:28:01 China Standard Time on May 12, 2008. Measuring at 8.0 Ms (7.9 Mw),[4] the earthquake's epicenter was located 80 kilometres (50 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, with a focal depth of 19 km (12 mi). [4] The earthquake ruptured the fault for over 240 km (150 mi), with surface displacements of several meters. [16] The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries and as far away as both Beijing and Shanghai—1,500 and 1,700 km (930 and 1,060 mi) away, respectively—where office buildings swayed with the tremor. [17] Strong aftershocks, some exceeding 6 Ms, continued to hit the area up to several months after the main shock, causing further casualties and damage. The earthquake also caused the largest number of geohazards ever recorded, including about 200,000 landslides and more than 800 quake lakes distributed over an area of 110,000 km2 (42,000 sq mi). [16][18][19][20][21]
Over 69,000 people lost their lives in the quake, including 68,636 in Sichuan province. 374,176 were reported injured, with 18,222 listed as missing as of July 2008. [12] The geohazards triggered by the earthquake are thought to be responsible for at least one third of the death toll. [22] The earthquake left at least 4.8 million people homeless,[23] though the number could be as high as 11 million. [24] Approximately 15 million people lived in the affected area. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 242,000 people, and the strongest in the country since the 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake, which registered at 8.6 on the Moment magnitude scale. [25] It is the 18th deadliest earthquake of all time. On November 6, 2008, the central government announced that it would spend 1 trillion RMB (about US$146.5 billion) over the next three years to rebuild areas ravaged by the earthquake,[26] as part of the Chinese economic stimulus program. According to a study by the China Earthquake Administration (CEA), the earthquake occurred along the Longmenshan Fault, a thrust structure along the border of the Indo-Australian Plate and Eurasian Plate. Seismic activities concentrated on its mid-fracture (known as Yingxiu-Beichuan fracture). The rupture lasted close to 120 seconds, with the majority of energy released in the first 80 seconds. Starting from Wenchuan, the rupture propagated at an average speed of 3.1 km/s (6,900 mph), 49° toward north east, rupturing a total of about 300 km (190 mi). Maximum displacement amounted to nine metres (30 ft). The focus was deeper than 10 km (6.2 mi). [27]
In a United States Geological Survey (USGS) study, preliminary rupture models of the earthquake indicated displacement of up to nine metres (30 ft) along a fault approximately 240 km (150 mi) long by 20 km (12 mi) deep. [28] The earthquake generated deformations of the surface greater than three metres (9.8 ft)[29] and increased the stress (and probability of occurrence of future events) at the northeastern and southwestern ends of the fault. [29] On May 20, USGS seismologist Tom Parsons warned that there is "high risk" of a major M>7 aftershock over the next couple weeks or months. [30]
Japanese seismologist Yuji Yagi at the University of Tsukuba said that the earthquake occurred in more than 1 stage: "The 250-kilometre (155 mi) Longmenshan Fault tore in two sections, the first one ripping about 6.5 metres (7 yd) followed by a second one that sheared 3.5 metres (4 yd). "[31] His data also showed that the earthquake lasted about two minutes and released 30 times the energy of the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995 in Japan, which killed over 6,000 people. He pointed out that the shallowness of the epicenter and the density of population greatly increased the severity of the earthquake. Teruyuki Kato, a seismologist at the University of Tokyo, said that the seismic waves of the quake traveled a long distance without losing their power because of the firmness of the terrain in central China. According to reports from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, the earthquake tremors lasted for "about two or three minutes". [2]
The extent of the earthquake and after shock-affected areas lying north-east, along the Longmen Shan fault. The Longmen Shan Fault System is situated in the eastern border of the Tibetan Plateau and contains several faults. This earthquake ruptured at least two imbricate structures in Longmen Shan Fault System, i.e. the Beichuan Fault and the Guanxian–Anxian Fault. In the epicentral area, the average slip in Beichuan Fault was about 3.5 metres (11 ft) vertical, 3.5 metres (11 ft) horizontal-parallel to the fault, and 4.8 metres (16 ft) horizontal-perpendicular to the fault. In the area about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of the epicenter, the surface slip on Beichuan Fault was almost purely dextral strike-slip up to about three metres (9.8 ft), while the average slip in Guanxian–Anxian Fault was about two metres (6.6 ft) vertical and 2.3 metres (7.5 ft) horizontal. [32]
According to CEA:[27]
"The energy source of the Wenchuan earthquake and Longmenshan's southeast push came from the strike of the Indian Plate onto the Eurasian Plate and its northward push. The inter-plate relative motion caused large scale structural deformation inside the Asian continent, resulting in a thinning crust of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the uplift of its landscape and an eastward extrude. Near the Sichuan Basin, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's east-northward movement meets with strong resistance from the South China Block, causing a high degree of stress accumulation in the Longmenshan thrust formation. This finally caused a sudden dislocation in the Yingxiu-Beichuan fracture, leading to the violent earthquake of Ms 8.0. "[33]
According to the United States Geological Survey:[34]
The earthquake occurred as the result of motion on a northeast striking reverse fault or thrust fault on the northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin. The earthquake's epicenter and focal-mechanism are consistent with it having occurred as the result of movement on the Longmenshan Fault or a tectonically related fault. The earthquake reflects tectonic stresses resulting from the convergence of crustal material slowly moving from the high Tibetan Plateau, to the west, against strong crust underlying the Sichuan Basin and southeastern China. On a continental scale, the seismicity of central and eastern Asia is a result of northward convergence of the Indian Plate against the Eurasian Plate with a velocity of about 50 mm/a [2.0 in/year]. The convergence of the two plates is broadly accommodated by the uplift of the Asian highlands and by the motion of crustal material to the east away from the uplifted Tibetan Plateau. The northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin has previously experienced destructive earthquakes. The magnitude 7.5 earthquake of August 25, 1933, killed more than 9,300 people. According to the British Geological Survey:[35]
The earthquake occurred 92 km [57 mi] northwest of the city of Chengdu in eastern Sichuan province and over 1,500 km [930 mi] from Beijing, where it was also strongly felt. Earthquakes of this size have the potential to cause extensive damage and loss of life. The epicenter was in the mountains of the Eastern Margin of Qing-Tibet Plateau at the northwest margin of the Sichuan Basin. The earthquake occurred as a result of motion on a northeast striking thrust fault that runs along the margin of the basin.
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Earthquakes
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Bitcoin, Ethereum, others lost $350B in 48 hours as Evergrande crisis pummeled cryptos mcap: Experts
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The market value of cryptocurrencies declined to a low of $1.7 trillion by 5:14 a.m. IST on Wednesday from $2.12 trillion at 2:44 am IST on Monday, down 16.5 per cent in 48 hours, resulting in a loss of over $350 billion, according to the data from crypto portal CoinMarketCap. In the price loss tally, Bitcoin saw a price drop of 15 per cent from $47,211 to $39,876 during the said duration while Ethereum slipped nearly 18 per cent from $3,325 to $2,730. Even Solana, which attracted significant investor interest recently, declined 19 per cent from $152 to $122. Experts point it towards the impact of current China’s Evergrande crisis. “The market got shaky when the rest of the world realised about the failure of the Evergrande property group and this led to a massive sell-off. This was seen by many as a Lehman Brothers crisis that triggered the 2008 recession. The drop of prices across various major cryptos ranged upwards of 6 per cent but given that crypto hedges itself due to its global market nature, the price drop that happened due to this alone should recover fast,” Sathvik Vishwanath, Co-Founder & CEO, Unocoin told Financial Express Online. The decline followed the action in the global markets. The Evergrande default fears sparked Asian equities volatility and UK energy prices soar, putting the majority of energy providers at risk of insolvency while Wall Street saw equally worrying falls as the S&P fell 1.7 per cent on Monday, its worst trading day since May, Freddie Evans, a sales trader at digital asset broker GlobalBlock said in a note on Tuesday. “Fears of a global economic correction have intensified over the last few months, and Evergrande might perhaps be the catalyst… As expected, crypto followed global markets,” said Evans. Also read: PayPal completes first international rollout of its crypto offering for users to buy, hold, sell coins “Some have attributed the sudden dip (in Bitcoin) to the currently ongoing Evergrande situation in China which has already caused turmoil in traditional markets,” Jonas Luethy of GlobalBlock had said on Monday. The crypto market cap on Thursday evening had recovered to $1.98 trillion with Bitcoin share of nearly 42 per cent at $44,041, at the time of filing this report while Ethereum recovered to $3,113 and Solana to $148. Evergrade, among the biggest Chinese real estate developers, has caught regulations attention globally as its enormous debt burden of more than $300 billion could reportedly impact global markets and economies.
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Financial Crisis
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1997 Qayen earthquake
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The Qayen earthquake, also known as the Ardekul or Qaen earthquake, struck northern Iran's Khorasan Province in the vicinity of Qaen on May 10, 1997 at 07:57 UTC (12:57 local time). The largest in the area since 1990, the earthquake registered 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale and was centered approximately 270 kilometers (170 mi) south of Mashhad on the village of Ardekul. The third earthquake that year to cause severe damage, it devastated the Birjand–Qayen region, killing 1,567 and injuring more than 2,300. The earthquake—which left 50,000 homeless and damaged or destroyed over 15,000 homes—was described as the deadliest of 1997 by the United States Geological Survey. [2] Some 155 aftershocks caused further destruction and drove away survivors. The earthquake was later discovered to have been caused by a rupture along a fault that runs underneath the Iran–Afghanistan border. Damage was eventually estimated at $100 million, and many countries responded to the emergency with donations of blankets, tents, clothing, and food. Rescue teams were also dispatched to assist local volunteers in finding survivors trapped under the debris. The destruction around the earthquake's epicenter was, in places, almost total; this has been attributed to poor construction practices in rural areas, and imparted momentum to a growing movement for changes in building codes for earthquake-safe buildings. With 1 in 3,000 deaths in Iran attributable to earthquakes, a US geophysicist has suggested that a country-wide rebuilding program would be needed to address the ongoing public safety concerns. Iran experiences regular earthquakes, with 200 reported in 1996 alone. [4] Like dozens that had preceded it, the 1997 Qayen event was of significant magnitude. [5] It occurred on Saturday, May 10, 1997 at 12:57 IRST in the Sistan region, one of the most seismically active areas of the country. [6] The first major earthquake in that region since 1979, it registered 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ), 7.2 on the surface wave magnitude scale (Ms ), 7.7 on the energy magnitude scale (Me), and had a maximum perceived intensity of X, or Extreme on the Mercalli intensity scale. [5]
The earthquake was caused by a rupture along the Abiz Fault, part of the Sistan suture zone of eastern Iran. [6] Located northeast of the main collision zone between the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates, the Sistan zone marks the eastern boundary of the Iranian microplate where it intersects with the Afghan crustal block. [3] Most of Iran is contained on one microplate, causing seismic activity mainly along its borders. Both the 1968 Dasht-e-Bayez earthquake (magnitude 7.3, resulting in 12,000–20,000 deaths) and the Qayen earthquake were the results of strike-slip faults, meaning that the crustal blocks on either side of the faults shifted against each other horizontally. [7] The Qayen earthquake was caused by right lateral movement along the Abiz Fault. [8] In addition to the dominant strike-slip displacement, there was also local evidence of reverse faulting. The average displacement of about 2 m indicates a low static stress drop, more consistent with an interplate earthquake than an intraplate event. [6] The maximum horizontal acceleration during the quake was approximately 6.9 meters per second—nearly three-quarters of the acceleration an object would have in free fall—and occurred near the earthquake's epicenter. The crustal layer involved in the rupture was 20–25 kilometers (12–16 mi) thick. [3] The ground rupture for the earthquake extended for 110 kilometers (68 mi), which was longer than would be expected given the earthquake's magnitude. [8] There were at least 155 aftershocks, reaching a magnitude of up to 5.5 on the Richter magnitude scale. [9] Many of the aftershocks occurred along the rupture up to 24 kilometers (15 mi) below the surface. [3]
The earthquake's epicenter was within the village of Ardekul[5] in South Khorasan Province, which borders Afghanistan. [9] The village is isolated between mountains and hills. Although the Iranian government had distributed more than 800 seismographs throughout the country, few had been placed in the Qayen region due to its desert climate and the remoteness of the area. [8]
As a result of the dry climate, timber—a main component in building earthquake-resistant homes—is scarce in Qayen; homes are instead constructed of adobe. [8] The inhabitants of the poverty-stricken region rely on subsistence farming, raising livestock and crops such as wheat and saffron. [10] When the earthquake struck, much of the population was already working in the fields; for the most part, these people survived. [8] Many of those treated for injuries were found to be undernourished. [10]
The earthquake was felt over an area of 500,000 square kilometers (193,051 sq mi), including in the cities of Mashhad, Kerman and Yazd. Destruction was most severe within a 100-kilometer (60 mi) strip between the epicenter and Birjand. The tremors triggered landslides across the region and proved highly destructive to the region's mud-hut buildings. Entire streets were reduced to rubble,[9] and in one village, 110 young girls were killed when their elementary school collapsed. [11]
An initial report in The New York Times claimed that more than 2,000 people had died in the worst-affected area, with a further 394 in Birjand and two in the small town of Khavaf. The earthquake was also said to have caused five fatalities in Afghanistan. [9] As rescue efforts proceeded these figures were revised; the United States Geological Survey states that 1,572[nb 1] people were killed and as many as 2,300 injured. [7] As bodies were retrieved, they were buried in mass graves. [9] Officials worried that a temperature fluctuation—from 5 to 29 °C (41 to 84 °F) on the day of the earthquake—would cause the corpses to rot more quickly, spreading infection. [10]
Many villages lost both power and water, leaving survivors unable to fend for themselves. [11] The injured were often up to 140 kilometers (90 mi) away from the nearest hospital. [9][11] One doctor, highlighting the desperate need for physicians to treat the injured, said "I don't know how many casts I have done today, but it seems like hundreds. "[11]
The extensive aftershocks prompted survivors to leave the vicinity of their homes and take to tents. [9] Several days later, another earthquake of magnitude 4.8 struck. [12] In the wake of the earthquake and its aftershocks, every one of the 700 houses in the tiny village of Abiz, 90 kilometers (56 mi) east of Qayen, was destroyed, and 400 of its 1200 residents killed. [3]
According to an Iranian radio station report, 200 villages sustained severe damage or were totally destroyed. [11] The United States Geological Survey estimated that 10,533 houses were destroyed; an additional 5,474 homes sustained varying degrees of damage.
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Earthquakes
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2007 California wildfires
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The 2007 California wildfire season saw at least 9,093 separate wildfires that charred 1,520,362 acres (6,152.69 km2) of land. [2] Thirty of those wildfires were part of the Fall 2007 California firestorm,[8] which burned approximately 972,147 acres (about 3,934 km2, or 1,520 mi2) of land from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border. [9] At the peak of the wildfire activity in October 2007, the raging wildfires were visible from space. [11]
The wildfires killed a total of 17 people, with nine of them dying directly from the fires; 203 others were injured, including at least 124 firefighters.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven California counties where fires were burning. [14] President George W. Bush concurred, and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts. [15] Over 6,000 firefighters worked to fight the blazes; they were aided by units of the United States Armed Forces,[16] United States National Guard,[17] almost 3,000 prisoners convicted of non-violent crimes,[18] and 60 firefighters from the Mexican cities of Tijuana and Tecate. [19] The fires forced approximately 1,000,000 people to evacuate from their homes, becoming the largest evacuation in California's history. [20]
Major contributing factors to the extreme fire conditions were drought in Southern California, hot weather, and the unusually strong Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching 112 mph (180 km/h). California's "fire season," which traditionally runs from June to October, has become a year-round threat, due to a mixture of perennial drought and the increasing number of homes built in canyons and on hillsides, surrounded by brush and forest. [22]
The fires had numerous sources. Several were triggered by power lines damaged by the high winds. One fire started when a semi-truck overturned. [25] Another was suspected as having been deliberately caused; the suspect was shot and killed in flight by state authorities. [26] A 10-year-old boy admitted that he accidentally started the Buckweed Fire by playing with matches. [27] Causes of the remaining fires remain under investigation. The last active fire of the October 2007 fires, the Harris Fire, was fully extinguished on November 16, 2007, about 27 days after the series of wildfires had begun to ignite. [28][29] The October 2007 wildfires collectively caused over $2 billion in property damages. [3][4]
During the season, the National Interagency Fire Center reported that two firefighters were killed. One died in a helicopter crash, and the second was killed in a bulldozer rollover. [30]
Below is a list of all fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) during the 2007 fire season. [31] The list is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires. The October 2007 fires occurred following an extremely dry previous winter: in Los Angeles, with only 3.21 inches or 81.5 millimetres of rainfall between July 2006 and June 2007, it was the driest “rain year” on record by 1.14 inches (29.0 mm). [34] The record drought was exacerbated by the seasonal Santa Ana winds, blowing at an abnormally high strength. This combination of wind, heat, and dryness turned the chaparral into fire fuel. Officials believed that some of the fires generated their own winds, similar to the Oakland firestorm of 1991. The effects of the smoke were felt as far away as Brentwood in the East Bay, near Stockton, where it impacted local weather. High-speed Santa Ana winds also rendered the use of dropping water from fire fighting aircraft inefficient: until such winds abate, most payloads of water are just dispersed by the wind over an area so large that the water evaporates before it can reach a large fire on the ground. The San Diego Union Tribune reported,
Santa Ana winds blowing up to 60 mph (97 km/h) combined with temperatures into the 90s to create in the worst possible fire conditions. [35]
At one point, swirling winds threatened to bring fire into densely populated urban areas. [22] At the height of the Santa Ana winds on October 22, sustained wind speeds reached 90 mph (140 km/h), with wind gusts up to 112 mph (180 km/h) reported. [8]
On October 21, the Harris Fire damaged and disabled the Southwest Power Link, a 500,000-volt power line from Arizona to San Diego. [36] Power outages were reported in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and other counties on October 22 to 333,500 Southern California Edison customers, most being restored within 24 hours. The power outage also affected the areas of Ojai, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Rialto, Fontana, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Mira Loma, Hesperia, Corona, Bloomington, Irvine, Calimesa and Rubidoux. This outage also caused 230 people to be without power in Malibu. [37] The California Independent System Operator Corp declared an energy transmission emergency in southern California on October 23, due to wildfires affecting the lines. 500,000-, 230,000- and 138,000-volt lines were disabled in San Diego, and some lines in other areas were also disabled. 24,992 people lost power, due to the lack of power from the power grid. [36] During the crisis, Mexico provided power to help augment the electrical needs of the San Diego area. [38]
Authorities have stated that the evacuations, which displaced more than 900,000 people, have been the largest evacuation number in the history of California. [39] By mid-morning on October 22, 2007, thousands of evacuees were taking shelter in Qualcomm Stadium and other locations throughout San Diego. [40] On the afternoon of October 22, 2007, the Marines evacuated some planes from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to other military bases in California and Arizona. [41] The Navy moved all non-essential personnel from Naval Base San Diego barracks onto nearby vessels to accommodate refugees. [17] The San Diego Wild Animal Park moved some animals to the on-site animal hospital for their protection. [42]
The Horno Fire had charred 6,000 acres (24 km2) in Camp Pendleton by 4:00 A.M PDT, on October 24, 2007. It caused the closure of Interstate 5 and it also caused Amtrak to stop Surfliner service between Oceanside and San Clemente. [43] Traffic was being diverted to Interstate 15, which had itself been closed earlier. [44]
Illegal migrant workers were endangered by the crisis, sometimes staying at work in the fields within mandatory evacuation zones. Many had lived in the canyons nearby and distrusted officials. [45] When fleeing the fires, some were arrested, while others were turned away from shelters due to lack of adequate identification.
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Fire
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Plague Found in 6 Colorado Counties—And Now a 10-Year-Old Has Died from the Disease
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Plague might sound like an ancient scourge , but cases of this bacterial infection continue to this day, including in Colorado, where a 10-year-old girl has died from the disease. The girl's death on July 5 is the state's first human plague death since 2015, per the Durango Herald , which reported that she had been a fourth grader who raised hogs in 4-H. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Thursday said laboratory testing had confirmed plague in a sample of fleas collected in La Plata County, where the girl resided. La Plata is one of six Colorado counties with confirmed reports of plague in animals and fleas this year, the department noted. Credit: Getty Images The department attributed the girl's death to "causes associated with the plague." San Juan Basin Public Health , a local public health agency based in Durango, is urging residents in the region to take steps to control for fleas and wildlife around their homes. Is your neck of the woods at risk? Here's what to know about the transmission of plague and how to protect yourself. RELATED: An Idaho Child Was Diagnosed With the Plague. How Worried Should You Be? What causes human plague? Plague is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, which is transmitted to people when they're bitten by infected fleas or have handled an infected animal, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Public health officials say the infection is frequently detected in rock squirrels, prairie dogs, wood rats and other species of ground squirrels and chipmunks. Prairie dogs are particularly susceptible, Colorado health officials said in a news release alerting Coloradans to plague activity in the state. The sudden disappearance of prairie dogs, which are active above ground, can be a signal that plague may be present, health officials explained. Per the CDC, plague typically occurs in rural areas in the western US, including Colorado, California, Arizona , Oregon, New Mexico, and Nevada. In the US, an average of seven cases are reported each year. In 2018 and 2019, there was one case per year and no deaths, CDC reports. Symptoms can vary depending on how someone was exposed, says CDC. Flea-bite exposure, the most common type, can cause bubonic plague , which produces a sudden fever, headache, chills, weakness, and one or more swollen and painful lymph nodes, known as buboes. It's also possible for someone to contract plague by handling the tissue or body fluids of a plague-infected animal or inhaling infectious droplets. Plague is usually treatable with antibiotics. But if not treated in time, the infection can spread to other parts of the body, according to CDC. Though plague infections in people are rare, the risk increases during the summer months when humans and animals are in close contact, say Colorado health officials. How to protect yourself from the plague To minimize the risk of becoming infected, Colorado health officials offer these prevention tips: Avoid fleas. If you have pets, use a veterinary-approved flea treatment and keep pets away from wild rodent habitats. Stay away from areas where wild rodents reside. Don't feed or handle squirrels. Don't touch dead animals. Clear the area around your home of plants and other debris to prevent rodent infestations. Have a pest control company treat the area around your home for fleas. Contact your vet if your pet falls ill with a high fever or swollen lymph nodes. All and all, the risk of human plague is low. But if you live or have traveled in an area where plague is transmitted and you have symptoms, you should seek care immediately.
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Disease Outbreaks
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‘Destroying everything in its path’: St Vincent seeks help as volcano erupts
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Kingstown: Leaders of volcano-wracked St Vincent in the eastern Caribbean say water is running short as heavy ash contaminates supplies, and they estimate the island will need hundreds of millions of dollars to recover from the eruption of La Soufriere. Between 16,000 to 20,000 people have been evacuated from the island’s northern region, where the exploding volcano is located, with more than 3000 staying at more than 80 government shelters. Dozens of people queued on Tuesday for water or to retrieve money sent by friends and family abroad. Among those standing in one crowd was retired police officer Paul Smart. The Richmond Vale waterfront in Chateaubelair, St Vincent, covered in volcanic ash a day after an explosion deemed as big as the one that killed some 1600 people in 1902. Credit:Maxar/AP “The volcano caught us with our pants down, and it’s very devastating,” he said. “No water, lots of dust in our home. We thank God we are alive, but we need more help at this moment.” Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in a press conference on local station NBC Radio that St Vincent would need hundreds of millions of dollars to recover from the eruption but did not give any details. He added that no casualties had been reported since the first big blast from the volcano early on Friday. “We have to try and keep that record,” he said. Gonsalves said some people have refused to leave communities closest to the volcano and urged them to evacuate. Falling ash and pyroclastic flows have destroyed crops and contaminated water reservoirs. Garth Saunders, minister of the island’s water and sewer authority, noting that some communities have not yet received water. “The windward [eastern] coast is our biggest challenge today,” he said during the press conference of efforts to deploy water trucks. “What we are providing is a finite amount. We will run out at some point.” The Prime Minister said people in some shelters need fooded and water, and he thanked neighbouring nations for shipments of items including cots, respiratory masks and water bottles and tanks. In addition, the World Bank has disbursed $US20 million ($26 million) to the government as part of an interest-free catastrophe financing program. Adam Billing, a retired police officer who lived and tended to his crops on land near the volcano, said he had more than 1 hectare of plantains, tannias, yams and a variety of fruits and estimated he lost more than $US9000 worth of crops. “Everything that [means] livelihood is gone. Everything,” said Billing, who was evacuated. “We have to look at the next couple of months as it’s not going to be a quick fix from the government.” The volcano has fired an enormous amount of ash and hot gas since Friday. Credit:Maxar/AP The volcano, which had seen a low-level eruption since December, experienced the first of several major explosions on Friday morning, and volcanologists say activity could continue for weeks. Experts said a “huge explosion” generated pyroclastic flows down the volcano’s south and south-west flanks early on Monday morning. Another explosion was reported on Tuesday morning, sending another massive plume of ash into the air. It came on the anniversary of the last eruption, in 1979. A previous explosion of similar force killed some 1600 people in 1902. “It’s still a pretty dangerous volcano,” said Richard Robertson with the University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Centre. “It can still cause serious damage.” Ash rises into the air as La Soufriere volcano erupts on the eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent on Tuesday. Credit:AP La Soufriere volcano has fired an enormous amount of ash and hot gas in the biggest explosive eruption yet since volcanic activity began on the eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent late last week, with officials worried about the lives of those who have refused to evacuate. Experts called it a “huge explosion” that generated pyroclastic flows down the volcano’s south and south-west flanks early on Monday morning, local time. A satellite photo shows the moments following an eruption of La Soufriere volcano on Friday. Credit:Planet Labs Inc via AP “It’s destroying everything in its path,” said Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Centre. Richard Robertson, with the seismic research centre, told local station NBC Radio that the volcano’s old and new dome had been destroyed and that a new crater has been created. He said that the pyroclastic flows would have razed everything in their way. “Anything that was there, man, animal, anything [...] they are gone,” he said. “And it’s a terrible thing to say it.” A man rides his bicycle along a road as ash falls from the erupting volcano. Credit:AP The volcano last erupted in 1979. Ash from the ongoing explosions has fallen on Barbados and other nearby islands. Deputy Prime Minister Montgomery Daniel told the radio station that the damage was extensive in the island’s north-east region, which he toured on Sunday. Forests and farms were wiped out, with coconut, breadfruit, mango and soursop trees destroyed, as well as plantain and banana crops. “What I saw was indeed terrible,” he said. Gonsalves told NBC Radio on Sunday that his government would do everything possible to help those forced to abandon their homes in ash-filled communities. Loading “It’s a huge operation that is facing us,” he said. “It’s going to be costly, but I don’t want us to penny pinch [...] this is going to be a long haul.” Gonsalves said it could take four months for life to go back to normal in St Vincent, part of an island chain of that includes the Grenadines. The majority of the 100,000 inhabitants live in St Vincent. Among them is Ranique Chewitt, a 32-year-old salesman who lives in South Rivers, located south-east of the volcano. He hasn’t had to evacuate, but said he is worried about his health and water supply and hasn’t left home since the first eruption on Friday morning: “I do get shortness of breath from dust, and I am inside.” The pandemic also is complicating response efforts. At least 14 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported since the eruptions began on Friday, and all those going to shelters are being tested. Those who test positive are taken to isolation centres. More than 3700 people are in 84 government shelters. People clean volcanic ash from the red roof of a home after La Soufriere volcano erupted, in Wallilabou, on the western side of the Caribbean island of St Vincent. Credit:AP The eastern Caribbean has 19 live volcanoes, 17 of those located on 11 islands. The remaining two are located underwater near Grenada, including one called Kick ’Em Jenny that has been active in recent years. The most active volcano of all is Soufriere Hills in Montserrat, which has erupted continuously since 1995, destroying the capital of Plymouth and killing at least 19 people in 1997.
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Volcano Eruption
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Massive solar storm may hit Earth, likely to cause Internet meltdown
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Another solar storm is coming which could potentially destroy the infrastructure and cause an 'internet apocalypse'. According to a new research paper published by Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi of the University of California, Irvine, and VMware Research, if this massive upcoming solar storm does happen then it can cause an internet blackout and will transform our digital world completely. In her research, Abdu Jyothi revealed that local and regional internet infrastructure would be at low risk of damage during extreme solar storms as they mostly use fiber optic. Notably, the University of California, Irvine's Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi said this at the SIGCOMM 2021 data communication conference last week. It is important to note that for the undersea cables that connect continents, things are dangerous even if most of them are connected via fibre optic cables because the repeaters that amplify the current at regular intervals are highly susceptible to failure and hence pose a risk during a solar storm. Research suggests that if these repeaters on a network go offline, it could be enough to create an internet blackout for those who rely only on the internet coming from undersea cables. For those who are unaware, before this, severe solar storms were last recorded and had occurred back in 1859, 1921, and the most recent one in 1989. The solar storm that occurred in 1989 took down a Hydro-Quebec power grid causing a nine-hour power blackout in northeast Canada. In her rsearch paper, Abdu Jyothi also warned about us being underprepared to face any consequences if another solar storm strikes the Earth.
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New wonders in nature
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Thomas Fire
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The Thomas Fire was a massive wildfire that affected Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and one of multiple wildfires that ignited in southern California in December 2017. It burned approximately 281,893 acres (440 sq mi; 114,078 ha) before being fully contained on January 12, 2018, making it the largest wildfire in modern California history at the time. It was surpassed by the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex, in August 2018. [5][9][16][17][18][a] The fire is currently the seventh-largest wildfire in modern California history, as of 2021. [19] The fire was officially declared out on June 1, 2018, after more than two months in which no hotspots were detected. [20] The Thomas Fire destroyed at least 1,063 structures, while damaging 280 others;[5][6][21][9] and the fire caused over $2.2 billion (2018 USD) in damages,[1][4][2] including $230 million in suppression costs,[2][3] becoming the seventh-most destructive wildfire in state history at the time. [22][23] As of August 2020, the Thomas Fire is California's tenth-most destructive wildfire. [22] Ventura's agriculture industry suffered at least $171 million in losses due to the Thomas Fire. [4]
By January 2, 2018, the Thomas Fire had cost over $204 million to fight,[2] and had forced over 104,607 residents to evacuate. [24][25][26][27] At its height, the Thomas Fire saw over 8,500 firefighters mobilized to fight it, which is the largest mobilization of firefighters for combating any wildfire in California history. [28][needs update]
The fire began on December 4, north of Santa Paula, near Steckel Park[29] and south of Thomas Aquinas College from which the fire was named. Fast-moving, it quickly reached the city of Ventura, where over five hundred residences were destroyed that night. [30] The fire destroyed almost as many residences in several rural communities amidst the rugged mountain terrain of Ventura County. The fire threatened the Ojai Valley, and on December 13, the fire completely surrounded the area, including Lake Casitas. [31][32] The fire began burning through the rugged Santa Ynez Mountains as it threatened several small communities along the Rincon Coast north of Ventura, expanded into the Los Padres National Forest, and reached Santa Barbara County. Firefighters concentrated on protecting the communities of Carpinteria and Montecito in the southern portion of the county as the fire burned in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains where access was difficult. [33]
The unusually strong and persistent Santa Ana winds were the largest factor in the spread of the fire. [34] Much of Southern California experienced "the strongest and longest duration Santa Ana wind event we have seen so far this season", according to the National Weather Service. [25] The region experienced an on-and-off Santa Ana wind event for a little over two weeks, which contributed to the Thomas Fire's persistent growths in size. [35] At its height, the wildfire was powerful enough to generate its own weather, qualifying it as a firestorm. [36] There were periods of time when the fire was advancing at a rate of an acre (0.4 ha) per second. [37] The winds also dried out the air, resulting in extremely low humidity. [34] The area, along with most of Southern California, experienced the driest March-through-December period on record. [38]
While November is the typical beginning of the rainy season in California, the first measurable rain for the area fell on January 8, 2018, more than a month into the fire. With the natural vegetation burnt, flash floods and mudflows damaged homes in Montecito when the rains arrived. [39] Evacuations were ordered or anticipated for neighborhoods that sit below areas recently burned by the Thomas Fire and other wildfires. [40] By January 10, at least 21 people had been killed by the sudden flooding and debris flows that followed the heavy rains, which also destroyed over 100 homes. [41][12]
On December 4, 2017, the fire was first reported by a nearby resident at 6:26 p.m. PST,[42] to the north of Santa Paula, near Steckel Park and Thomas Aquinas College,[5][30][43] after which the fire is named. [44] That night, the small brush fire exploded in size and raced through the rugged mountain terrain that lies west of Santa Paula, between Ventura and Ojai. [25][45] Officials blamed strong Santa Ana winds that gusted up to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) for the sudden expansion. [34][46] Soon after the fire had started, a second blaze was ignited nearly 30 minutes later, about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north in Upper Ojai at the top of Koenigstein Road. [47] According to eyewitnesses, this second fire was sparked by an explosion in the power line over the area. The second fire was rapidly expanded by the strong Santa Ana winds, and soon merged into the Thomas Fire later that night. [47] According to statements released by investigators on March 13, 2019, Southern California Edison was responsible for both ignitions. [7]
Late on the night of December 4, the Thomas Fire reached the hillside neighborhoods of Clearpoint,[48] Ondulando,[49] and Skyline[50] in the city of Ventura and destroyed many single-family detached homes. [51] Many people fled with little or no warning when evacuation orders were issued, as the fire had traveled 12 miles (19 km) in just a few hours. [52]
Tuesday morning, on December 5, saw 1,000 firefighters battling the blaze, with no containment of the fire. At 7 a.m. PST, one helicopter began dropping water, while fixed-wing aircraft waited to be deployed after the winds died down. [13] The firefighters tried to save Ventura homes in the midst of a red-flag wind advisory with ridgeline winds of 35 to 45 miles per hour (56 to 72 km/h) and gusts up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). [13] The fire continued jumping across the valleys along the steep slopes of the foothills that abut the northern portion of the city. As the fire traveled along the interface between the foothill rangeland and the area developed with homes, it reached the hills above downtown where several apartment buildings and other homes above downtown Ventura were damaged or completely destroyed. [13] The fire burned over Grant Park above City Hall, and burned along the ridge above the western portion of the city, which stretches north along the narrow Ventura River valley, and is characterized by steeply-sloped sides. The fire continued moving north up the valley throughout the day. The entire community of Casitas Springs, which lies northwest of Ventura, had a mandatory evacuation issued as the fire approached. [25] The fire reached Black Mountain[53] overlooking Ojai. The entire Ojai Valley was given mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders. The Ojai pumping system was damaged by the fire and the entire water system stopped working for a time so water was not available from the hydrants for use by the firefighters. [54] The western flank of the fire jumped over Highway 33 and burned through the Taylor Ranch oil fields[55] on the other side of the valley. The fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire continued past the area that had burned in the 2015 Christmas Day Solimar Fire, before crossing the 101 Freeway to the Solimar Beach area, on Pacific Coast Highway, along the Pacific Ocean. The fire continued its northwesterly march along the Rincon Coast to Rincon Point, at the Santa Barbara County/Ventura County line.
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Fire
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1953 Mediterranean Sea mid-air collision crash
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On 15 January 1953, a twin-engined Vickers Valetta transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF), serial number VX562, collided over the Mediterranean Sea with a four-engined RAF Avro Lancaster maritime patrol aircraft. All 26 people on board both aircraft were killed. [1]
The Valetta had departed RAF Luqa with 16 passengers (15 airmen and one Royal Navy (RN) sailor) on a return flight to the United Kingdom. [2] Just before 05:00, the Valleta was between Pantelleria and Sicily when it collided with the Lancaster in poor visibility and heavy rain. [2]
The Lancaster from No. 38 Squadron RAF was following HMS Gambia and other RN ships on an anti-submarine exercise. [2] The seven crew on the Lancaster and all on board the Valetta were killed. [2]
HMS Gambia and other ships were used to search the scene for survivors, but only wreckage was found. Later the destroyer HMS Chieftain was dispatched to search east of Pantelleria after a note case belonging to one of the Lancaster crew was found, without success. [2] The only body recovered was that of Sgt Victor Ronald Chandler RAF (age 32) and he lies buried in Imtarfa Military Cemetery in Malta. [3]
The court of inquiry decided that the weather conditions at the time were a factor with localized thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail and no blame could be attached to any individual. Evidence did reveal that although the Malta Flight Information Centre was not in possession of full information on the Lancaster's sortie, it was not a contributory cause. [4]
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Air crash
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Brink's-Mat robbery
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The Brink's-Mat robbery occurred at the Heathrow International Trading Estate, London, on 26 November 1983. £26 million (equivalent to £100 million in 2019) worth of gold bullion, diamonds, and cash was stolen from a warehouse. The bullion was the property of Johnson Matthey Bankers Ltd, which collapsed the following year after making large loans to frauds and insolvent firms. Two men were convicted, and the majority of the gold has never been recovered. Insurers Lloyd's of London paid out for the losses, and several deaths have been linked to the case. The Brink's-Mat robbery occurred at 06:40 am on Saturday 26 November 1983 when six robbers broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse, Unit 7 of the Heathrow International Trading Estate near Heathrow Airport in West London. [1] It was described as "the crime of the century". [2]
The gang gained entry to the warehouse from security guard Anthony Black. Once inside, they poured petrol over staff and threatened them with a lit match if they did not reveal the combination numbers of the vault. [3] The robbers thought that they were going to steal £3.2 million in cash,[4] but they found three long tons (3,000 kilograms; 98,000 troy ounces) of gold bullion[5] and stole £26 million (equivalent to £100 million in 2019) worth of gold, diamonds, and cash. [6]
Two days after the robbery, a couple saw a white-hot crucible operating in a garden hut at a neighbour's property near Bath, Somerset. Suspecting it might be linked to the bullion robbery, they immediately informed the police. The police arrived and were shown the hut, but they said it was just beyond their jurisdiction and said they would pass the information on to the police responsible for that area. The couple were never asked to give a statement to police or give evidence in court. No explanation has been given for the police's failure to follow up immediately on the tip-off. Fourteen months later the premises were raided and the furnace was found. The occupier John Palmer, a local jeweller and bullion dealer, was arrested. In court, Palmer said he was unaware the gold was linked to the robbery and he was cleared of all charges. [7]
One of the robbers, Brian Robinson, was caught after security guard insider Black, his brother-in-law,[8] passed his name to investigating officers. He was arrested in December 1983. Scotland Yard quickly discovered the family connection and Black confessed to aiding and abetting the raiders, providing them with a key to the main door, and giving them details of security measures. Micky McAvoy had entrusted part of his share to associates Brian Perry and George Francis. Perry recruited Kenneth Noye, who was an expert in his field,[1] to dispose of the gold. Noye melted down the bullion and recast it for sale, mixing in copper coins to disguise the source. [1] However, the sudden movement of large amounts of money through a Bristol bank came to the notice of the Bank of England, which informed the police. Noye was placed under police surveillance. In January 1985 he killed a police officer, DC John Fordham, who he had discovered in his garden. [9] At the resulting trial, the jury found him not guilty. Tried at the Old Bailey in December 1984, McAvoy was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for armed robbery. [10] Black was sentenced to six years. [11]
In 1986, Noye was found guilty of conspiracy to handle the Brink's-Mat gold, fined £500,000, plus £200,000 costs, and sentenced to 14 years in prison. He served seven years before being released in 1994. [12] George Francis was later murdered and McAvoy was thought to be a suspect. [6]
Attempts by McAvoy to strike a deal to give back his share of the money in exchange for a reduced sentence failed, as by then the money had vanished. [4][10] In January 1995, the High Court ordered McAvoy to make a payment of £27,488,299, making him responsible for the entire sum stolen. He was released from prison in 2000. [13]
In 1996 Noye murdered motorist Stephen Cameron during a road rage incident. Arrested in Spain and extradited, he was convicted of Cameron's murder in 2000, and received a life sentence. [14]
Much of the three tonnes of stolen gold has never been recovered and the other four robbers were never convicted. In 1996 about half of the gold, the portion which had been melted and recast, was thought to have found its way back into the legitimate gold market, including the reserves of the true owners, Johnson Matthey. [15] According to the BBC, some have claimed that anyone wearing gold jewellery bought in the UK after 1983 is probably wearing Brink's-Mat. [1]
On 21 December 1983, less than four weeks after the robbery, police in Austria arrested five men, four Italians and an Austrian, at a Vienna hotel. [16] Police also recovered ten bullion bars bearing the refiner's mark and serial numbers of bars stolen in the Brink's-Mat robbery. According to the police spokesman, the bars were gold-coated tungsten counterfeits, and therefore could not be Johnson Matthey's stolen gold bars. He said that the arrested men planned to fraudulently claim they were from the Heathrow robbery. No explanation was given as to how the counterfeiters obtained the unpublished bar serial numbers, nor the likely benefit of counterfeiting stolen property in this way. [16]
A person named Gordon Parry laundered large amounts of cash from the robbery after the disposal of the gold according to the Panama Papers, which show an offshore financial intermediary firm in Jersey named Centre Services requested Mossack Fonseca set up a Panamanian company 12 months after the Heathrow raid, on behalf of an unnamed client. Under Parry's direction millions of pounds were put through the resulting Feberion, and other front companies, via banks in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Jersey and the Isle of Man. A man identified as depositing £500,000 in cash to the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank is thought to have been notorious armed robber David Moore. [17]
Two nominee directors from Sark were appointed to Feberion, and the company then issued two bearer shares.
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Bank Robbery
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Trump's withdrawal from World Health Org comes with a catch
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In late May, Donald Trump made an announcement that was tough to defend: the United States, the president announced, was abandoning the World Health Organization altogether. The move was immediately and widely condemned as dangerous, especially in the midst of a deadly global pandemic, but the White House appeared indifferent to the consequences. Yesterday, Trump took formal steps to follow through on his decision -- though in this case, it's important to note the fine print. The United States officially notified the United Nations on Tuesday of its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, a White House official said. The notice, which comes as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the globe, was submitted to the U.N. secretary-general and to Congress. The withdrawal is expected to take effect July 6, 2021. Why isn't the Republican administration walking away from the WHO sooner than next July? Because it can't: as the New York Times explained, "By law the United States must give the organization a year’s notice if it intends to withdraw, and meet all the current financial obligations in the current year." Let's take stock of how we arrived at this point, because the trajectory of the story is a little bizarre, even by Trump standards. As part of the president's unfortunate campaign against the World Health Organization, the White House sent a letter to the international body in May, intending to summarize the administration's case against the WHO's recent efforts. It didn't go well: because Team Trump is careless when it comes to due diligence, the official letter included a series of "false or misleading statements." Nevertheless, the White House gave the WHO a 30-day deadline to advance a series of proposed reforms. Just 11 days later -- two weeks ago today -- Trump announced plans to abandon the world body altogether. The news was not well received. Indeed, the Republican's decision generated sharp rebukes from foreign officials, public-health leaders, legal experts, editorial boards, and members of Congress -- including some Republicans. In the weeks that followed, the White House didn't appear to be doing any work on this, which in turn led some -- including me -- to question whether Trump actually intended to abandon the international organization or whether he was just sharing a random thought that had no real-world meaning. Yesterday, the question was resolved: he really has begun the process of walking away from the WHO. Or at least, Trump wants to. When he made the original announcement, the president's rhetoric did not appear ambiguous. "Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms," he said in Rose Garden remarks, "we will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization." The use of the word "today" wasn't quite right, since Trump couldn't simply end the United States' partnership with the WHO at his direction. He could, however, begin the termination process, which the White House triggered yesterday. At face value, this is plainly the wrong move. Lawrence Gostin, the director of the WHO’s Collaborating Center on National & Global Health Law, called the decision “among the most ruinous presidential decisions in recent history.” Gostin added, “It will make Americans less safe during an unprecedented global health crisis. And it will significantly weaken U.S. influence on W.H.O. reform and international health diplomacy. This disastrous action is deeply damaging to U.S. national interests." The criticisms ring true, but the calendar offers some hope: if the U.S. termination of the partnership can't happen until next summer, and there's a very real possibility that Trump will lose an election between now and then, the decision on whether to actually abandon the World Health Organization may fall to his successor. And with that in mind, former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democrats' presumptive 2020 nominee, announced his commitment yesterday to undo Trump's decision if elected. Or put another way, the United States' future with the World Health Organization will be dictated by this year's presidential election.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Aamir-Kiran divorce: 6 High profile celebrity divorces that rocked the industry
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In the midst of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan’s divorce from filmmaker Kiran Rao, there are a few other high profile couples that decided to part ways.
In the midst of Aamir Khan and Kiran Roa’s divorce proceedings, here are a few other powerhouse couples who have decided to part ways.
In the Bollywood landscape, there have been a number of breakdowns in long-term relationships and some of them include;
Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora were a well-known power couple that became the talk of the town but decided to call it quits after a 17-year long marriage.
Another famed Bollywood split occurred between actor Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan who were always dubbed a “made for each other” kind of couple by tabloids and sources. The duo decided to split after 14 years of commitment.
Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin had one of the shortest marriages in Bollywood history, lasting only 2 years in total.
The Hollywood end of the spectrum includes a number of A-lister couple divorces as well, from Brad Pitt to Channing Tatum and even Jennifer Aniston.
The relationship between Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux was one for the history books and started back in 2007 when the duo started work on the set of Tropic. However, they decided to part ways 2 & ½ years after their private 2015 marriage ceremony in Bel Air.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s divorce is one for the history books and even ended up becoming the talk of the town due to the scathing allegations and long court proceedings that followed.
One divorce that seemed to fly underneath the Hollywood radar was that of Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco and Ryan Sweeting.
Their marriage lasted 21 months in total and ended because Sweeting became addicted to painkillers.
Ed Sheeran sheds light on the names of all those pop stars who’ve wanted to see him fail
Will Smith nearly dislocated his entire jaw over daughter Willow’s buzz cut
BTS’ RM seems to be having the ‘very worst day’ of his 2021 and fans hope HYBE can help
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Famous Person - Divorce
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Earth's deepest ocean trenches contain high levels of pollution
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Deep ocean trenches — considered the most remote places in the world — have levels of toxic, industrial chemicals 50 times higher than a highly polluted river system in China, an analysis of tiny deep-sea animals has found.
The discovery, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution journal, highlights the pervasive nature of pollution and destroys the belief these deep-sea wildernesses are largely safe from human degradation.
It also shows a strong connection exists between surface and deep-sea waters and suggests a need for better management and monitoring of these unique environments.
The discovery was made by a team of researchers from Scotland who investigated two of the world's deepest marine trenches — the Mariana Trench in the west Pacific Ocean above Australia, and the Kermadec Trench near the north-eastern tip of New Zealand.
The trenches lie in what is known as the ocean's hadal zone, which extends from six to 11 kilometres below the surface. To collect samples in each of these remote trenches, in 2014 the researchers used a deep-sea lander operated remotely from the surface and baited traps to collect tiny crustaceans.
Analysis of these marine animals found they were contaminated with mainly two forms of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) — polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl (PBDEs).
These two POPs — mostly human-made chemicals used mainly in industry or as pesticides — were present in all samples, across all species, at all depths in both trenches.
Lead author Dr Alan Jamieson said the highest levels of PCBs recorded in crustaceans in the Mariana Trench were 50 times greater than that found in crabs from the Liaohe River system, one of the most polluted rivers in China.
The only site in the Northwest Pacific with PCB levels comparable to the Mariana Trench was Japan's Suruga Bay, a heavily industrialised area with high usage of organochlorine chemicals. The analysis also showed PCB concentrations were higher in the Mariana Trench compared with the Kermadec Trench, said Dr Jamieson, a deep-ocean researcher who was based at the University of Aberdeen during the project.
It was likely this was related to Mariana's proximity to the industrialised Northwest Pacific region and the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
As the plastic rubbish in the gyre degraded it absorbed POPs, transporting the chemicals to the ocean floor as the rubbish sank and fragmented.
Dr Jamieson said it was also possible POPs were transported by ocean currents and through contaminated birds falling into the water and sinking to the ocean floor, where they were consumed by marine life.
In an accompanying opinion piece in Nature, University of NSW researcher Dr Katherine Dafforn said the finding was "quite concerning because these trenches are so removed from any kinds of industrial activity".
"One of the reasons POPs are such a concern is we don't have a method for cleaning them up especially when there are large amounts over a large spatial scale," she said.
"The main method of control has been to regulate and eliminate but we know there is still huge amounts in our landfill and it has the potential to make it into the natural environment via soils and the ocean."
Dr Dafforn said the study was also significant because the hadal trenches had been regarded as pristine and "safe from human disturbance".
"We still know more about the surface of the Moon than that of the ocean floor," she said.
The discovery of pollution in these trenches highlighted the need to better understand the source of the pollution and its consequences on the food chain and marine ecology.
While this study raised many questions it provided clear evidence that far from being remote, the "deep ocean ... is highly connected to surface waters and has been exposed to significant concentrations of human-made pollutants".
Get all the latest science stories from across the ABC.
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Environment Pollution
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Dakota Access Pipeline protests
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The Dakota Access Pipeline protests, also called by the hashtag #NoDAPL, were grassroots movements that began in early 2016 in reaction to the approved construction of Energy Transfer Partners' Dakota Access Pipeline in the northern United States. The pipeline was projected to run from the Bakken oil fields in western North Dakota to southern Illinois, crossing beneath the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, as well as under part of Lake Oahe near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Many in the Standing Rock tribe and surrounding communities consider the pipeline to constitute a serious threat to the region's water. The construction is also seen as a direct threat to ancient burial grounds and cultural sites of historic importance. In April 2016, youth from Standing Rock and surrounding Native American communities organized a campaign to stop the pipeline, calling themselves, "ReZpect Our Water". [6] Inspired by the youth, several adults, including Joye Braun of the Indigenous Environmental Network[7] and tribal historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard established a water protectors' camp as a center for direct action, spiritual resistance to the pipeline, cultural preservation, and defense of Indigenous sovereignty. The #NoDAPL hashtag began to trend on social media and, gradually, the camps at Standing Rock grew to thousands of people. [7]
In September 2016, construction workers bulldozed a section of privately owned land the tribe had claimed as sacred ground, and when protesters trespassed into the area security workers used attack dogs which bit at least six of the protesters and one horse. [8] In October 2016, police with riot gear and military equipment cleared an encampment that was directly in the proposed pipeline's path. [9] In November 2016, police use of water cannons on protesters in freezing weather drew significant media attention. [10]
During the protest numerous high-profile activists and Congressional Democrats spoke out for the rights of the tribe. Bernie Sanders actively supported the movement [11][12] and President Obama spoke with tribal leaders and offered his support. Standing Rock Chairman David Archambault II, who was himself arrested and strip searched while protesting, gave numerous interviews explaining the tribe's positions; he also addressed the tribe's positions at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. In an October 28, 2016 public statement, Chief Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader and Keeper of the Sacred Pipe Bundle of the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Nations, invoked his role as the voice of traditional government of the Great Sioux Nation and called upon President Barack Obama to communicate "nation to nation, as indicated by our treaties. "[13]
In December 2016, under President Barack Obama's administration the Corps of Engineers denied an easement for construction of the pipeline under the Missouri River. [14][15][16] On January 24, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that reversed the Obama legislation and advanced the construction of the pipeline, expediting the environmental review, which Trump described as an "incredibly cumbersome, long, horrible permitting process. "[17][18] On February 7, 2017, President Trump authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed, ending the environmental impact assessment and the associated public comment period. [19] The pipeline was completed by April and its first oil was delivered on May 14, 2017. [20]
A United States District Judge ruled in March 2020 that the government had not studied the pipeline's "effects on the quality of the human environment" enough, ordering the United States Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a new environmental impact review. [21] In July 2020, a District Court judge issued a ruling for the pipeline to be shut down and emptied of oil pending a new environmental review. [22][23] The temporary shutdown order was overturned by a U.S. appeals court on August 5, though the environmental review was ordered to continue. [24]
Journalists, such as Amy Goodman, political figures such as Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka, actress Shailene Woodley, and numerous members of the left-leaning media collective Unicorn Riot were arrested. [25][26][27][28][excessive citations]
The Dakota Access Pipeline, a part of the Bakken pipeline project, is a 1,172-mile-long (1,886 km) underground oil pipeline project in the United States. The pipeline was planned by Dakota Access, LLC, a subsidiary of the Dallas, Texas corporation Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. It begins in the Bakken oil fields in Northwest North Dakota and travels in a more or less straight line southeast, through South Dakota and Iowa, ending at the oil terminal near Patoka, Illinois. [29][30] According to court records, the pipeline was due for delivery on January 1, 2017. [31]
Routing the pipeline across the Missouri River near Bismarck was rejected because of the route's proximity to municipal water sources; residential areas; and road, wetland, and waterway crossings. The Bismarck route would also have been 11 miles (18 km) longer. [32] The alternative selected by the Corps of Engineers crosses underneath the Missouri River half a mile (800 m) from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and parallels the existing Northern Border Pipeline. A spill could have major adverse effects on the waters that the Tribe and individuals in the area rely upon. [33] Using a permit process that treated the pipeline as a series of small construction sites, the pipeline was granted an exemption from the environmental review required by the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. [34]
However, citing potential effects on the Native tribes, most notably the Standing Rock Sioux, in March and April 2016 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Interior (DOI), and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a formal Environmental Impact Assessment and issue an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Noting that the water system serving Fort Yates on the Standing Rock Reservation was only 10 miles (16 km) downstream of where the pipeline would cross Lake Oahe and the Missouri River, the EPA recommended that the Army Corps revise its Environmental Assessment and open up a second public comment period. [35] The DOI also expressed concerns about the pipeline's proximity to the tribe's water source as the U.S. reserved waters of sufficient quantity and quality to serve the purposes of the Reservation, that more than 800,000 acres of land in trust for the Tribe could be impacted by a leak or spill, and a spill could impact the waters that the Tribe and individual tribal members residing in that area rely upon for drinking and other purposes. [35]
As of September 2016, the United States Department of Justice had received more than 33,000 petitions to review all permits and order a full review of the project's environmental effects. [36]
Sacred Stone Camp was founded by Standing Rock's Historic Preservation Officer, LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, on April 1, 2016, as a center for cultural preservation and spiritual resistance to the Dakota Access pipeline. [37][38] In the spring and early summer of 2016, Allard and other Indigenous leaders focused on media outreach, resulting in tribal delegations and individuals coming to stand with them from all over the country and, eventually, the world. [39] As the numbers grew beyond what Allard's land could support, an overflow camp was also established nearby, which came to be known as the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ camp (the Lakȟótiyapi name for the Great Sioux Nation or Seven Fires Council). [40] In September, Allard said that 26 of the 380 archaeological sites that face desecration along the entire pipeline route were held sacred to the Sioux Nations, the Arikara, the Mandan, and the Northern Cheyenne, comparing it to genocide. [37]
By late September NBC News reported that members of more than 300 federally recognized Native American tribes were residing in the three main camps, alongside an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 pipeline resistance supporters. Several thousand more gathered at the camps on weekends. [7][41][42] As winter approached numbers grew lower, but the protesters winterized and prepared for an indefinite stay. In October another camp, called "Winter Camp", was established via trespassing on private property[43] directly in the proposed pipeline's path on the property recently purchased by Energy Transfer Partners. Citing eminent domain,[44] the Native American protesters declared that the land rightly belongs to them under the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. Though the initial territory agreed to in the treaty was later broken up into smaller reservations, the treaty was never nullified and was being invoked as law. [45] On October 27, police in riot gear with crowd control equipment and supported by National Guard members removed the protesters from the new encampment. [46][47]
In September 2014, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal (SRST) council met with Energy Transfer representatives for an initial consultation, which was more than a month before the pipeline's first formal submission to the Army Corps. [48] At the beginning of the meeting, Councilman David Archambault II indicated the tribe's opposition to the project within treaty boundaries. Additional SRST representatives voiced opposition and concerns about the pipeline. [49][50]
Pipeline protests were reported as early as October 2014, when Iowa community and environmental activists presented 2,300 petitions to Iowa Governor Terry Branstad asking him to sign a state executive order to stop it.
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