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Ghost Ship warehouse fire
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The Ghost Ship warehouse fire was a fire that occurred in a former warehouse in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, California,[6] that had been converted into an artist collective with living spaces. The fire occurred on December 2, 2016, at approximately 11:20 p.m. PST. [7] At the time, the warehouse was hosting a concert featuring artists from the house music record label 100% Silk. [8] The warehouse was only zoned for industrial purposes and residential and entertainment uses were illegal. [9]
Of the 80 to 100 people attending the concert, 36 were killed,[10] making it the deadliest fire in the history of Oakland. It was also the deadliest building fire in the United States since The Station nightclub fire in 2003,[14] the deadliest in California since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake[9] and the deadliest mass-casualty event in Oakland since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. [15]
The Alameda County District Attorney's office launched an investigation into the fire's causes. In March 2017, emails from 2014 were reported to have described serious electrical problems in the building. On June 5, 2017, Ghost Ship's master tenant Derick Almena and his assistant Max Harris were arrested and charged with felony involuntary manslaughter. [16] On July 3, 2018, both pleaded no contest to thirty-six counts of involuntary manslaughter in a plea bargain with prosecutors. [17] On August 10, 2018, the judge overseeing the case discarded the plea deals and the pair were put on trial. If convicted, their punishment could have ranged from probation up to 36 years in prison. [18] On September 4, 2019, the deliberations ended when the jury deadlocked 10-2 for conviction on the 36 counts manslaughter charges pending against Almena, resulting in a mistrial. Harris was acquitted on all 36 counts. [19]
In July 2020, the City of Oakland settled a civil lawsuit for the victims and agreed to pay a total of $33 million; $9 million to one person who survived with lifelong injuries, and $24 million to the families of the 36 who perished in the fire. [20] In August 2020, Pacific Gas and Electric Company settled a civil lawsuit for 32 of the victims for an undisclosed amount. [21]
The 9,880-square-foot (918 m2) 160-by-48-foot (49 by 15 m) cement-block warehouse was constructed in 1930. [22] The property was purchased in 1988 by Chor Ng, who is linked to 17 other properties in the San Francisco Bay Area. [23] Ng also owned a body shop, cell phone store, and other businesses nearby. The auto body shop and the cell phone store shared the same electrical supply as the Ghost Ship. [24] One resident who rented a space in the building during 2014 reported that the entire building's electrical system was dependent on extension cords. She was so uncomfortable with the safety issues that she slept in her car. [25]
Chor Ng leased the property to Derick Almena and Nicholas Bouchard in 2013. [22] They stated in the lease agreement that the property would be used as an art collective "to build and create theatrical sets and offer workshops for community outreach. "[26] Almena named the building the Ghost Ship. [27] He lived on the second floor with his wife and two daughters and a son. He illegally sublet space on the first floor, charging about 25 resident artists between $300 and $600 a month rent. A one-bedroom apartment in Oakland at the time typically cost more than $2,000. Almena told members of the artist collective who worked and lived there to tell people the warehouse was a 24-hour art studio, not that they lived there. [28][7][29] In 2014 or 2015, Almena told Police Officer Hector Chavez that no one lived in the building, and he repeated the same statement several months before the fire to Police Officer Brian Kline. The collective was informally known by the tenants as Satya Yuga. [32] A former tenant from 2016, Danielle Boudreaux, said Almena used the tenants' rent to cover the warehouse rent, and used proceeds from the parties to pay his living expenses. [28]
Use of the warehouse building for housing and entertainment was illegal. Landlord Chor Ng stated that no one lived in the building, according to a statement translated by her daughter Eva. [35] However, neighbors reported that they saw people living in the building. [36] Living spaces on the first floor were connected by makeshift hallways constructed of "aggregates of salvaged and scavenged materials, such as pianos, organs, windows, wood benches, lumber, and innumerable other items stacked next to and on top of each other." The live-work spaces were separated by a variety of things, including "wooden studs, steel beams, doors, window frames, bed frames, railings, pianos, benches, chairs, intact motorhomes and trailers, portions of trailers, corrugated metal sheeting, tapestries, plywood, sculptures, tree stumps and tree limbs. "[37]
Almena said that he, his wife, and his three children slept in the warehouse. [9] Residents and others verified that he lived with his wife and children on the second floor and rented space to as many as 18 others who lived in recreational vehicles and makeshift rooms on the first floor. [38] A person who had lived in the warehouse for a time and he described the building as "a whole maze to get through," filled with wooden objects. He said he left because it was "too sketchy to continue to stay there. "[27] One victim of the fire was a building resident. [39]
The city had received ten complaints about the property since 1998, including formal complaints about hazardous garbage and construction debris around the building. [40] The Oakland Planning and Building Department opened an investigation into the building on November 13, 2016 based on a complaint about "blight" and "illegal interior construction". [37][27] City building inspectors visited the warehouse on November 17, confirming the report of blight, but when no one answered the door, were unable to enter and investigate the report of illegal construction. [41] Inspectors are required to obtain permission from owners to gain entry, and when that fails, must seek a court order. [42] A spokesperson for the Planning and Building Department stated that promoters of events like the concert on December 2 are required to obtain a special permit, but none had been issued. [43] The City of Oakland's planning director revealed that the building had not been inspected for three decades. [3]
Although police and fire officials warned that the warehouse was a fire hazard, the Ghost Ship's founder,[44][45] Derick Ion Almena, was reported to have ignored these concerns.
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Fire
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The coronavirus is here to stay — here’s what that means
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Children in Copenhagen play during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Endemic viruses are often first encountered in childhood. Credit: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty You have full access to this article via your institution. For much of the past year, life in Western Australia has been coronavirus-free. Friends gathered in pubs; people kissed and hugged their relatives; children went to school without temperature checks or wearing masks. The state maintained this enviable position only by placing heavy restrictions on travel and imposing lockdowns — some regions entered a snap lockdown at the beginning of the year after a security guard at a hotel where visitors were quarantined tested positive for the virus. But the experience in Western Australia has provided a glimpse into a life free from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. If other regions, aided by vaccines, aimed for a similar zero-COVID strategy, then could the world hope to rid itself of the virus? It’s a beautiful dream but most scientists think it’s improbable. In January, Nature asked more than 100 immunologists, infectious-disease researchers and virologists working on the coronavirus whether it could be eradicated. Almost 90% of respondents think that the coronavirus will become endemic — meaning that it will continue to circulate in pockets of the global population for years to come (see 'Endemic future'). Source: Nature survey “Eradicating this virus right now from the world is a lot like trying to plan the construction of a stepping-stone pathway to the Moon. It’s unrealistic,” says Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. But failure to eradicate the virus does not mean that death, illness or social isolation will continue on the scales seen so far. The future will depend heavily on the type of immunity people acquire through infection or vaccination and how the virus evolves. Influenza and the four human coronaviruses that cause common colds are also endemic: but a combination of annual vaccines and acquired immunity means that societies tolerate the seasonal deaths and illnesses they bring without requiring lockdowns, masks and social distancing. More than one-third of the respondents to Nature’s survey thought that it would be possible to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 from some regions while it continued to circulate in others. In zero-COVID regions there would be a continual risk of disease outbreaks, but they could be quenched quickly by herd immunity if most people had been vaccinated. “I guess COVID will be eliminated from some countries, but with a continuing (and maybe seasonal) risk of reintroduction from places where vaccine coverage and public-health measures have not been good enough,” says Christopher Dye, an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, UK. “The virus becoming endemic is likely, but the pattern that it will take is hard to predict,” says Angela Rasmussen, a virologist from Georgetown University, who is based in Seattle, Washington. This will determine the societal costs of SARS-CoV-2 for 5, 10 or even 50 years in the future (see ‘Coronavirus: here to stay?’). Five years from now, when childcare centres call parents to tell them that their child has a runny nose and a fever, the COVID-19 pandemic might seem a distant memory. But there’s a chance the virus that killed more than 1.5 million people in 2020 alone will be the culprit. This is one scenario that scientists foresee for SARS-CoV-2. The virus sticks around, but once people develop some immunity to it — either through natural infection or vaccination — they won’t come down with severe symptoms. The virus would become a foe first encountered in early childhood, when it typically causes mild infection or none at all, says Jennie Lavine, an infectious-disease researcher at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Scientists consider this possible because that’s how the four endemic coronaviruses, called OC43, 229E, NL63 and HKU1, behave. At least three of these viruses have probably been circulating in human populations for hundreds of years; two of them are responsible for roughly 15% of respiratory infections. Using data from previous studies, Lavine and her colleagues developed a model that shows how most children first come down with these viruses before the age of 6 and develop immunity to them1. That defence wanes pretty quickly so it is not sufficient to block reinfection entirely, but it seems to protect adults from getting sick, says Lavine. Even in children, the first infection is relatively mild. How ‘killer’ T cells could boost COVID immunity in face of new variants Whether immunity to SARS-CoV-2 will behave in the same way is so far unclear. A large study of people who have had COVID-19 suggests that their levels of neutralizing antibodies — which help to block reinfection — start to decline after around six to eight months2. But their bodies also make memory B cells, which can manufacture antibodies if a new infection arises, and T cells that can eliminate virus-infected cells, says Daniela Weiskopf, an immunologist at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California, who co-authored the study. It’s yet to be established if this immune memory can block viral reinfection — although cases of reinfection have been recorded, and new viral variants might make them more likely, they are still considered rare. Weiskopf and her colleagues are still tracking the immune memory of people infected with COVID-19 to see if it persists. If most people develop life-long immunity to the virus, either through natural infection or vaccination, then the virus is unlikely to become endemic, she says. But immunity might wane after a year or two — and already there are hints that the virus can evolve to escape it. More than half the scientists who responded to Nature’s survey think waning immunity will be one of the main drivers of the virus becoming endemic. Because the virus has spread around the world, it might seem that it could already be classed as endemic. But because infections continue to increase worldwide, and with so many people still susceptible, scientists still technically class it as in a pandemic phase. In the endemic phase, the number of infections becomes relatively constant across years, allowing for occasional flare-ups, says Lavine. To reach this steady state could take a few years or decades, depending on how quickly populations develop immunity, says Lavine. Allowing the virus to spread unchecked would be the fastest way to get to that point — but that would result in many millions of deaths. “That path has some huge costs,” she says. The most palatable path is through vaccination. Countries that have begun distributing COVID-19 vaccines soon expect to see a reduction in severe illness. But it will take longer to see how effectively vaccines can reduce transmission. Data from clinical trials suggest that vaccines that prevent symptomatic infection might also stop a person from passing on the virus. The latest COVID research updates If vaccines do block transmission — and if they remain effective against newer variants of the virus — it might be possible to eliminate the virus in regions where enough people are vaccinated so that they can protect those who are not, contributing to herd immunity. A vaccine that is 90% effective at blocking transmission will need to reach at least 55% of the population to achieve temporary herd immunity as long as some social distancing measures — such as face masks and many people working from home — remain in place to keep transmission in check, according to a model3 developed by Alexandra Hogan at Imperial College London and her colleagues. (A vaccine would need to reach almost 67% of people to provide herd immunity if all social distancing measures were lifted.) But if the rate of transmission increases because of a new variant, or if a vaccine is less effective than 90% at blocking transmission, vaccine coverage will need to be greater to blunt circulation. Vaccinating even 55% of the population will be challenging in many countries. “The virus will stick around if parts of the world don’t get vaccinated,” says Jeffrey Shaman, an infectious-disease researcher at Columbia University in New York City. Even if the virus remains endemic in many regions, global travel will probably resume when severe infections are reduced to levels that health services can cope with, and when a high proportion of people who are vulnerable to severe illness have been vaccinated, says Dye. The 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed more than 50 million people, is the yardstick by which all other pandemics are measured. It was sparked by a type of virus known as influenza A, which originated in birds. Almost all cases of influenza A since then, and all subsequent flu pandemics, have been caused by descendants of the 1918 virus. These descendants circulate the globe, infecting millions of people each year. Flu pandemics occur when populations are naive to a virus; by the time a pandemic virus becomes seasonal, much of the population has some immunity to it. Seasonal flu still has a significant toll globally, claiming roughly 650,000 lives per year. US commuters and telephone operators wore face masks in the 1918 influenza pandemic.Credit: PhotoQuest/Getty; Bettmann/Getty Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, thinks the coronavirus might follow a similar path. “I do think SARS-CoV-2 will become a less serious problem and something like flu,” he says. Shaman and others say the virus could also settle into a seasonal pattern of annual winter outbreaks similar to flu. Flu seems to evolve much faster than SARS-CoV-2, allowing it to sneak past the immune system’s defences. This feature is why flu vaccines need to be reformulated each year; that might not be needed for SARS-CoV-2. Still, the coronavirus might be able to dodge immunity acquired by infection, and possibly outsmart vaccines. Already, laboratory studies show that neutralizing antibodies in the blood of people who have had COVID-19 are less capable of recognizing a viral variant first identified in South Africa (called 501Y.V2), than variants that circulated earlier in the pandemic4. That is probably because of mutations in the virus’s spike protein, which vaccines target. Trial results suggest that some vaccines might be less effective against 501Y.V2 than against other variants, and some vaccine makers are exploring redesigns of their products. Still, the immune system has lots of tricks up its sleeve, and can respond to many features of the virus, not just spike, says Lavine. “The virus is probably going to have to go through lots of mutations to make a vaccine ineffective,” she says. Preliminary trial results also suggest that vaccines can protect people with 501Y.V2 against severe disease, says Rasmussen. More than 70% of the researchers surveyed by Nature think that immune escape will be another driver of the virus’s continuing circulation (see 'Driving factors'). This would not be a first for a human coronavirus. In a study5 yet to be peer reviewed, Bloom and his colleagues show that the endemic coronavirus 229E has evolved so that neutralizing antibodies in the blood of people infected with the viral variant circulating in the late 1980s and early 1990s are much less effective against more recent variants. People are reinfected with 229E over their lifetime, and Bloom suspects that it might be harder to stave off the variants that have evolved to escape previous immunity. But scientists don’t know whether these reinfections are associated with worse symptoms. “I would expect that over many years, accumulated mutations to SARS-CoV-2 will more completely erode neutralizing antibody immunity as we saw for CoV-229E, although I can’t say for sure how the rates will compare among the two coronaviruses,” says Bloom. Source: Nature survey Bloom thinks it’s probable that SARS-CoV-2 vaccines will need to be updated, possibly every year. But even then, immunity from either past vaccination or infection will probably blunt serious disease, he says. And Lavine notes that even if people are reinfected, this might not be a big deal. With the endemic coronaviruses, frequent reinfections seem to boost immunity against related variants and typically people experience only mild symptoms, she says. But it is possible that vaccines won’t stop some people developing severe symptoms, in which case the virus will continue to be a significant burden on society, says Shaman. If SARS-CoV-2 vaccines block infection and transmission for life, the virus might become something akin to measles. “It’s probably less likely [than other scenarios] but it’s still possible,” says Shaman. How to redesign COVID vaccines so they protect against variants With a highly effective measles vaccine — two doses and a person is protected for life — the measles virus has been eliminated in many parts of the world. Before a vaccine was developed in 1963, major epidemics killed about 2.6 million people, mostly children, a year. Unlike flu vaccines, the immunization for measles has never needed to be updated because the virus has yet to evolve in ways that evade the immune system. Measles is still endemic in parts of the world with insufficient immunization. In 2018, a global resurgence killed more than 140,000 people. A similar situation could emerge with SARS-CoV-2 if people decline vaccines. A survey of more than 1,600 US citizens found that more than one-quarter would definitely or probably decline a COVID-19 vaccine, even if it were free and deemed safe (see go.nature.com/3a9b44s). “How successful we are at addressing those concerns will determine how many people get the vaccine and how many remain susceptible,” says Rasmussen. The future of SARS-CoV-2 will also depend on whether it establishes itself in a wild animal population. Several diseases brought under control persist because animal reservoirs, such as insects, provide chances for pathogens to spill back into people. These include yellow fever, Ebola and chikungunya virus. SARS-CoV-2 probably originated in bats, but it might have passed to people through an intermediate host. The virus can readily infect many animals, including cats, rabbits and hamsters. It is particularly infectious in mink, and mass outbreaks on mink farms in Denmark and the Netherlands have led to huge animal culls. The virus has also passed between minks and people. If it became established in a wild-animal population and could spill back into people, it would be very difficult to control, says Osterholm. “There is no disease in the history of humankind that has disappeared from the face of the Earth when zoonotic disease was such an important part of, or played a role in, the transmission,” he says. The path that SARS-CoV-2 might take to become an endemic virus is challenging to predict, but society does have some control over it. In the next year or two, countries can reduce transmission with control measures until enough people have been vaccinated either to achieve herd immunity or to drastically reduce the severity of infections. That would significantly reduce deaths and severe disease, says Osterholm. But if countries abandon strategies to reduce spread and let the virus reign unchecked then “the darkest days of the pandemic are still ahead of us”, he says.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Impact of COVID-19 in African countries
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Different events, such as the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa and the rapid spread of other emerging viruses, including the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronaviruses and the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), exposed a series of limitations in the global infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes. This fact has been severely augmented when combined with an inadequate water supply, poor sanitation and weak hygiene infrastructure in health facilities in various regions, including most African countries. A team of researchers from the Institute of Global Health at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (Allegranzi et al., 2017) focus specifically on this lack of IPC programmes. The study exhibits essential facts about how hospitals and healthcare centres during such outbreaks have become hazardous focal points for patients and medical staff instead of serving the community in safe places where the disease should be controlled and treated. The authors reference a World Health Organization (WHO) communication that emphasises the negative consequences of defective IPC practices during healthcare delivery and how they can harm hundreds of millions of patients worldwide. The analysis, also supported by the evidence of other authors (Holmes et al., 2017), continues with inevitable criticism to healthcare systems exhibiting poor or lacking IPC programmes, followed by some strategies to build strong foundations to reduce the risks and spread of healthcare-related outbreaks. Researchers working at the Institute of Community Health, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, U.S. (Essien et al., 2021) also highlight knowledge gaps, public health preparedness and research priorities related to COVID-19 infection. Their study focuses on people with HIV/AIDS in Africa and how the onset of the novel virus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 threatened Africa’s public health systems. According to the researchers, the challenges faced by most African countries during the pre-existing epidemics, including the highly-rated incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS, dramatically increased with the emergence of COVID-19. The authors emphasise the evidence of the outcomes of people with HIV/AIDS with low CD4 cell counts during COVID-19 infection compared to individuals with restored immunity. In addition, they remark the disruption of HIV service delivery in most African countries and need to continue evaluating this particular area of research. Another remarkable conjunct study presented by researchers from the European Commission–Joint Research Centre in Italy and the Universidad de Granada in Spain (Marcos-García et al., 2021) focuses on the relevancy of the lessons learned from previous outbreaks in Africa. The authors investigate how the incidence of other infectious diseases may increase if most resources are directed to tackle the emergency in the current COVID-19 pandemic context. According to the researchers, the most urgent needs are improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Although it seems a naïve approach, the lack of these services not only hampers the implementation of preventive measures against SARS-CoV-2 but also connects to high mortality. In this context, the investigators advise about building strategies to explore most African countries’ potential vulnerability to COVID-19, aiming to set strong foundations based on improvements in WASH systems. Acknowledgements I want to thank all contributors from the industry involved with developing and delivering this article from Frost & Sullivan.
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Disease Outbreaks
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China's Chang'e 5 mission: Sampling the lunar surface
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The Chang'e 5 lunar mission is the Chinese National Space Administration's (CNSA) effort to send a robotic spacecraft to the moon to collect samples and return them to Earth for scientific study. It's China's first attempt at a sample-return mission, and will be the first probe to bring back material from the moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976. Chang'e 5 is part of the CNSA's Chang'e lunar exploration program . Named for a Chinese goddess of the moon, the series of missions aims to steadily increase their technological capabilities, laying the groundwork for future human landings. What the Chang'e 5 mission has accomplished so far The Chang'e 5 probe launched on Nov. 23, 2020 from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province atop a Long March 5 rocket . Weighing in at 18,100 lbs. (8,200 kilograms), the spacecraft consists of four modules, two of which remained in lunar orbit. The other two — the sample collector and an ascent vehicle — landed on the moon on Dec. 1 near a massive mountain called Mons Rümker. The mountain is situated in the Oceanus Procellarum ("Ocean of Storms"), a vast volcanic plain that has been explored by a number of other moon missions, including Apollo 12 . Related: Watch China's Chang'e 5 spacecraft land on the moon in this amazing video Chang'e 5 is one of four active spacecraft China has on the lunar surface at the moment. The other three are the Chang'e 3 lander, which arrived in 2013, and the Chang'e 4 lander and Yutu 2 rover, which landed together on the far side of the moon in January 2019. Within hours of landing, Chang'e 5 swiftly got to work, operating its scoop arm to collect samples from the moon's surface. The lander has successfully collected 4.4 lbs. (2 kg) of lunar material , some of which was dug from up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) underground using a drill. The spacecraft is solar powered, so it had to get all of its work done within two Earth weeks, before the sun set on Mons Rümker. (One day on the moon lasts about 29 Earth days, so sites on the lunar surface receive two weeks of continuous sunlight followed by two weeks of darkness.) During its time on the lunar surface, Chang'e 5 deployed a tiny Chinese flag weighing 0.4 ounces (12 grams) — the country's first fabric flag planted on the moon. Previous Chang'e missions had Chinese flags painted on the side of the spacecraft. Related: NASA's spacecraft spot's China's Chang'e 5 lander on the moon On Dec. 3, just two days after landing, Chang'e 5 placed its samples in the ascent vehicle, which then launched from the moon's surface back to lunar orbit. The module docked with an orbiter on Dec. 5, conducting the first fully robotic docking around the moon in history. The lunar samples were passed to a return capsule on the orbiter, which will remain in orbit for about a week before heading back to Earth. The samples are expected to return to Earth before the end of 2020, arriving at Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia — the same site used by the CNSA to return astronauts home aboard its Shenzhou spacecraft. What China hopes to learn from Chang'e 5 Rocks from the area near Mons Rümker are thought to have formed just 1.2 billion years ago , making them much younger than 3-billion-year-old samples collected by Apollo astronauts in the Oceanus Procellarum. The material could help scientists understand why this area of the moon was geologically active long after volcanism in most other parts of the moon ended. The mission's successes will also help with developing plans to send astronauts to the moon in the future. "The rendezvous and docking, together with the preceding moves of landing and take-off… has laid a technical foundation for our future projects of deep space exploration and [crewed] lunar mission," Liu Ran, director of the CNSA's Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center told Chinese media .
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New achievements in aerospace
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National Airlines Flight 193 crash
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National Airlines Flight 193, registration N4744, Donna, was a Boeing 727-235 en route from Miami, Florida to Pensacola on May 8, 1978. It was scheduled with stops at Melbourne, Florida; Tampa; New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama. The accident occurred at night in low visibility from fog. During the descent into Pensacola Regional Airport it impacted Escambia Bay, sinking in 12 feet (3.7 m) of water. [1]
The instrument landing system (ILS) for runway 16 had been out of service since January of that year for runway reconstruction. A non-precision approach to runway 25 was available instead. Prior to initiating the approach a twin engine Beechcraft reported breaking out of the overcast at 450 feet (140 m). The minimum descent altitude for this approach was 480 feet (150 m). This concerned the first officer who informed the captain in his opinion that plane had made an illegal approach. An Eastern Air Lines jet ahead of them reported briefly having the runway in sight before losing it in the clouds and going around. While established on the approach the first officer neglected to make altitude and approach fix call outs. The ground proximity alarm sounded and the first officer checked his altimeter. He read it as 1,500 feet (460 m) and turned off the alarm. The flight data recorder would later show their actual altitude at this point was only 500 feet (150 m). The flight crew may have been distracted by the alarm and failed to realize they passed through the minimum descent altitude. Shortly after this they impacted Escambia Bay. [2] Barge traffic in the area assisted in the evacuation. Three passengers drowned attempting to exit the aircraft. The aircraft was intact after the accident and was removed to a hangar at Naval Air Station Pensacola but written off due to extensive sea water corrosion. The airframe was subsequently disassembled and removed from the air base to a scrapping location. Contributing to the crash was poor preparation on the part of the flight crew. While the captain and first officer were aware that runway 16 was closed, they had both forgotten it. A visual approach slope indicator (VASI) light system serving runway 25 was available and operational, but while the information was available to the flight crew, the flight crew was unaware of this alternate approach aid. [1]
An additional contributing factor to the crash was an error on the part of the radar controller. Procedure for runway 25 was to direct flights to intercept the final approach at 8 nmi, with the approach gate at 6 nmi. The controller misjudged the aircraft's distance and turned it to final inside the recommended distance, resulting in the aircraft being on final approach vector at about 4.5 nmi, close to half the distance of a normal approach. The NTSB report concludes the controller "created a situation that would make it impossible for the captain to configure his aircraft in the manner specified in the flight manual". [1]
A reluctance to declare a missed approach pervaded the descent. Radar controller, captain, first officer and flight engineer all had indications of an out of the ordinary approach, producing a rushed and busy environment. An example of this that the captain failed to lower the landing gear immediately after lowering the flaps to 25 degrees, because he "wanted to avoid placing a simultaneous demand on the hydraulic system while the flaps were in transit". Similarly, the first officer never made the required 1,000-ft callout, because he never got to 1,000 ft mentally, because of his "inner time clock" which was based on a normal descent rate. In addition, each person chose not to ask for or offer additional assistance or warnings, including recommended announcements and acknowledgments. The lack of crew communication and a "no problem here" attitude resulted in false awareness of altitude and descent rate on the part of all involved. [1]
The aircraft was not equipped with, nor was it required to be equipped with, liferafts and approved flotation-type seat cushions. Twenty-four passengers and the crew believed that the seat cushions were flotation devices. Fourteen passengers tried to use them for flotation, and several survivors indicated that the cushions came apart and were not buoyant. [1]
Since, by regulation, (subsequently changed) the Pensacola to Mobile portion of the flight was not an extended overwater flight, the passenger briefing did not include the location and use of water survival equipment. [3] Therefore many passengers were not aware of the location of the life vests, how to don them, how to use them, and the location and use of the life vest's emergency lights. Those passengers who knew or were told that the life vests were stowed in compartments beneath the seats had difficulty extracting them. Rising water in the cabin compounded the problems of locating and removing the vests from the underseat compartments.
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Air crash
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New cereal box-sized satellite to explore alien planets
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A new miniature satellite designed and built at CU Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is providing proof that “cute” things can take on big scientific challenges. The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) is slated to launch into space Sept. 27. The approximately $4 million spacecraft, a smaller-than-usual type of satellite known as a “CubeSat,” is about as large as a “family-sized box of Cheerios,” said LASP researcher Kevin France, principal investigator for the mission. But it has mighty goals: Over the course of about 7 months, the mission will track the volatile physics around a class of extremely hot planets orbiting stars far away from Earth. It’s the first CubeSat mission funded by NASA to peer at these distant worlds—marking a major test of what small spacecraft may be capable of. Top: Rick Kohnert, systems engineer for CUTE, and Arika Egan pose with the small satellite at LASP. Bottom: A team installs CUTE into its launch system. “It’s an experiment that NASA is conducting to see how much science can be done with a small satellite,” said France, professor in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences. “That’s exciting but also a little daunting.” The mission will blast off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket alongside the Landsat 9 satellite from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Lompoc, California. Once CUTE enters into orbit around Earth, it will set its sights on a suite of exoplanets called “hot Jupiters.” As their names suggest, these gaseous planets are both large and scalding hot, reaching temperatures of thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. The satellite’s findings will help scientists to better understand how these planets, and many others, evolve and even shrink over billions of years. In recent years, LASP has led the development of multiple CubeSat missions to explore everything from the sun’s activity to supernovae in distant galaxies. Unlike larger space missions, which often net a price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars, engineers can produce CubeSats on the cheap. “As little as a decade ago, many in the space community expressed the opinion that CubeSat missions were little more than ‘toys,’” said LASP Director Daniel Baker. “There was recognition that small spacecraft could be useful as teaching and training tools, but there was widespread skepticism that forefront science could be done with such small platforms. I am delighted that LASP and the University of Colorado have led the way in demonstrating that remarkable science can be done with small packages. CUTE and other CU CubeSat missions are changing the landscape for basic research.” CUTE, in particular, tackles a hot topic in astrophysics. Hot Jupiters, and their even more chaotic cousins ultra-hot Jupiters, are an especially inhospitable class of gaseous worlds. Take KELT-9b: This planet, which sits in a stellar system about 670 light years from our own, has a mass nearly three times larger than Jupiter’s. But KELT-9b also orbits much closer to its home star—so close that temperatures on the planet hit a mind-boggling 7,800 degrees Fahrenheit. “Because these planets are parked so close to their parent stars, they receive a tremendous amount of radiation,” France said. Top: CUTE logo. Bottom: Artist's depiction of the planet KELT-9b. That radiation takes a toll on a planet over time. At those temperatures, the atmospheres of hot Jupiters begin to expand like a pufferfish and may even tear away and escape into space. Which is where CUTE comes in: Throughout its mission, the spacecraft will measure how fast gases are escaping from a minimum of 10 hot Jupiters, including KELT-9b. It will achieve this feat using its unique, rectangular telescope design, which was pioneered at LASP. “Ultimately CUTE has one major purpose, and that is to study the inflated atmospheres of these really hot, pretty gassy exoplanets,” said Arika Egan, a graduate student at LASP who has helped to develop the mission. “The inflation and escape these exoplanetary atmospheres undergo are on scales just not seen in our own solar system.” France added that the team’s findings may tell scientists a lot not just about hot Jupiters but about the full range of planets that exist in the galaxy. That includes small and rocky worlds like Earth and its close neighbors. (Mars, for example, also lost much of its atmosphere over nearly 3 billion years, making the planet uninhabitable for humans). “The more places we understand atmospheric escape, the better we understand atmospheric escape as a whole,” France said. “We can then apply these findings to different types of planets." He noted that CUTE is well-suited for probing the atmospheres of alien worlds. Unlike larger space missions, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, this satellite only has one job to do: To scan as many hot Jupiters as it can during its short lifespan. France said that, after spending four years developing CUTE in Boulder, he and his team are feeling bittersweet about the mission’s upcoming launch. Egan, for her part, is eager for the little craft to make a small dent in questions about Earth’s place in the galaxy. “When you look up at the sky and see thousands of stars, that is existential on its own,” she said. “But then you think about the planets we’ve discovered around those stars, thousands of planets. We’ve just barely scratched the surface of characterizing them, of understanding their diversity. How little we know is astounding, and joining the effort to learn more is fulfilling.” Science team members on the CUTE mission include researchers from the University of Leiden and University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, University of Arizona, Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Toulouse in France.
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New achievements in aerospace
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SIMBEX: India-Singapore naval drill in South China Sea
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India had deployed its guided-missile destroyer INS Ranvijay and anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan as Singapore put the F-16 fighters in action including naval vessels. India and Singapore have carried out a mega naval wargame in the southern fringes of the South China Sea over the last three days in reflection of their growing congruence of interests in the strategically key region. The Indian Navy deployed its guided-missile destroyer INS Ranvijay, anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan and guided-missile corvette INS Kora and one P8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft for the 'SIMBEX' exercise from September 2-4. The Singapore Navy was represented by formidable class frigate RSS Steadfast, victory class missile corvette RSS Vigour, one Archer class submarine and one Fokker-50 maritime patrol aircraft. Four F-16 fighter aircraft of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) also participated in the exercise during the air defence drills. It was the 28th edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX). The military excercise initiated in 1994, SIMBEX is the Indian Navy's longest uninterrupted bilateral maritime exercise with any foreign navy. "Sustaining the continuity of this significant engagement despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic further underscores the strength of bilateral defence ties," Indian Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said. "Despite these constraints during the planning stages, both navies could achieve seamless and safe execution of several challenging evolutions including live weapon firing and advanced naval warfare serials, including anti-submarine, anti-air and anti-surface warfare drills," he said. Commander Madhwal said the scale and complexity of the drills is a "testimony" to the interoperability achieved between both Navies. "This year's edition of SIMBEX is also a special occasion as it takes place during the ongoing celebrations of the 75th year of India's independence," he said. "The success of SIMBEX-2021 is yet another demonstration of the mutual resolve on both sides to strengthen the bilateral partnership further in the years ahead," he added. India-Singapore defence ties remain a very significant aspect of the overall engagement between the two countries. Both navies have a representation in each other's Maritime Information Fusion Centres and have also recently signed an agreement on mutual submarine rescue support and coordination. (Photo Courtesy: Indian Navy) (Photograph:Others) Amid tensions in the South China Sea, US Navy's biggest warship USS Nimitz had earlier taken part in an exercise with the Indian Navy off the coast of Andaman & Nicobar island. The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier came in from the South China Sea. The USS Nimitz was part of war games along with USS Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea where tensions were at boiling point between China and the United States. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan had conducted dual carrier operations in the waterway to "support a free and open Indo-Pacific" last year in order to "stand up for the right of all nations to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows," the US had said. The Pentagon is especially "concerned" over Chinese military exercises in the South China Sea. (Photograph:AFP) Amid the coronavirus pandemic in May last year, the United States conducted a military exercise airdropping troops as part of a mock drill to take over Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in the Pacific. The drill was no run of the mill exercise as the United States wanted to showcase its military prowess in the region with China clearly the main force in the area. Troops practised how to seize back the airfield from an "invading" force. Among the several aircraft on show were the B-2 Spirit bombers. China has deployed bombers on several occasions across the South China Sea, the US military put its heaviest bomber in operation which reportedly costs $2 billion and is widely believed to the most expensive military plane ever built. (Photograph:AFP) The Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber has undertaken operations in several countries starting out in 1999 during the Kosovo war. It used its sophisticated GPS satellite-guided JDAM smart bombs for the first time in Kosovo which was a first for any Air Force anywhere in the world. The B-2 Spirit bomber had dropped at least five JDAM missiles on the Chinese embassy killing several staffers apart from bombing several areas in Yugoslavia.
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Military Exercise
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Guinea-Bissau's coup attempt : French president promises support for country
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French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, at the Elysee Palace, as Guinea-Bissau's armed forces announce they had identified soldiers who were preparing a coup, to overthrow the constitutional order of the small West African country. "France will be at your side to pursue these efforts, but also to support your country's economic development choices. I am thinking in particular of the development of agriculture, an area that you have identified as one of your priorities, in which France can contribute its know-how and scientific expertise. " "I can assure you that Guinea-Bissau has found its way back after long years of instability, that France has always been at Guinea-Bissau's side, we have been able to have a partner, to help Guinea-Bissau, as it has always done. Today, we have a new dynamic, and above all, there is the concern for the region and I know that you are attached to African youth." Guinea-Bissau's armed forces chief announced on Thursday that members of the military had been preparing to launch a coup d'etat in the country. "We have managed to identify a group of FARP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of the People) soldiers who have been mobilising soldiers by buying their conscience in exchange for banknotes in order to subvert the established constitutional order," said armed force head General Biague Na Ntam, at a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the creation of the military police force. Some of the bribed soldiers "denounced the perpetrators of these despicable acts", he added. The announcement came on the day that President Umaro Sissoco Embalo left Bissau for a 48-hour working visit to Brazil. The former Portuguese colony of Guinea-Bissau has suffered four military putsches since it gained independence in 1974, the most recent in 2012.
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Regime Change
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Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 crash
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Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 (GA200/GIA 200) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight of a Boeing 737-400 operated by Garuda Indonesia between Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. [1] The aircraft overran the runway, crashed into a rice field and burst into flames while landing at Adisucipto International Airport on 7 March 2007. Twenty passengers and one crew member were killed. [2]:7 Both the captain and first officer survived, and were fired shortly after the accident occurred. [3] It was the fifth hull-loss of Boeing 737 in Indonesia within less than six months. [4]
The aircraft was a Boeing 737-400,[note 1] registered as PK-GZC, which had been operated by other airlines before being acquired by Garuda Indonesia. [5] The aircraft had accumulated over 35,200 airframe hours and 37,300 cycles since its first flight in 1992. [6]
The captain and pilot in command (PIC) was 44-year-old Muhammad Marwoto Komar, who had been with Garuda Indonesia for more than 21 years. He had 13,421 flight hours, including 3,703 hours on the Boeing 737. The first officer was 30-year-old Gagam Saman Rohmana, who had been with the airline for three years and had 1,528 flight hours, with 1,353 of them on the Boeing 737. [2]:8–10
The national airline of Indonesia (founded in 1949),[7] Garuda Indonesia had received a number of criticisms in the months surrounding the crash. According to Australian aviation experts, Garuda Indonesia had one of the worst safety records among the world's national carriers. [8] Since 1950, Garuda Indonesia has had 13 major accidents. As of 2007[update], the most recent was in 2002, when Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 ditched in the Bengawan Solo River due to engine flameout caused by excessive hail ingestion, killing a flight attendant. [8] The deadliest accident was in 1997, when Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 flew into a wooded mountain on approach to Medan, killing 234 people. The managing director of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Peter Harbison, stated that the major accidents in Indonesian aviation history were all caused by the combinations of airports' and fleets' low safety standards and the poor weather conditions in the area, including severe thunderstorms and other forms of inclement weather. [8]
Flight GA200 originated in Jakarta and was carrying 133 passengers, 19 of whom were foreigners (10 Australians, 2 Americans, 5 Germans and 2 South Koreans). [1] Several Australian journalists were on the flight, covering the visit of Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer and Attorney-General Philip Ruddock to Java. [9] They were on the flight as the aircraft carrying Australian dignitaries were at capacity. [10]
At around 7:00 am local time (UTC+7),[2]:2 the captain attempted to land at Adisutjipto International Airport in Yogyakarta, despite a faulty approach with excess speed and steep descent, and the resulting warnings of copilot and flight system. [11] The aircraft touched down 860 metres (2,820 ft) beyond the runway threshold[2]:48 at a speed of 221 knots (409 km/h; 254 mph), 87 knots (161 km/h; 100 mph) faster than the normal landing speed. [2]:51 According to passengers, the aircraft shook violently before it crashed. [12] The aircraft overran the end of the runway, went through the perimeter fence, was heavily damaged when it crossed a road, and stopped in a nearby rice field. A fuel-fed fire raged, which could not be reached by airport fire-suppression vehicles. While most passengers were able to escape, a number of passengers perished inside the burning fuselage. [13]
Captain Komar initially claimed that there was a sudden downdraft immediately before the flight landed, and that the flaps on the aircraft may have malfunctioned. [14]
In a miraculous stroke of luck, one of the survivors was a freelance cameraman, Wayan Sukardo, for Channel Seven of Australia. He tumbled out of the cabin safely into a rice paddy, with his camera and, despite having a suspected broken leg and other injuries, started filming the aircraft burning up, along with shocked passengers evacuating, as well as injured passengers in the terminal of the airport, at one point also capturing a fuel tank blowing up accompanied by screams and violent shaking. He made a call to the Sydney headquarters a few minutes later, and the story was transmitted on the very same night. The accident was investigated by the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC). Australian Federal Police disaster victim identification experts were deployed to the scene to assist with the identification of bodies. [15] Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) staff assisted at the scene by inspecting the wreckage. The United States' National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) dispatched a team to assist in the investigation, including representatives from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration. [16] The flight recorders (flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder) were removed from the wreckage and flown to the ATSB's headquarters for further analysis using equipment not yet available in Indonesia. [15] Staff in Australia could not extract data from the cockpit voice recorder, which was then sent to Boeing Renton Factory in Renton, Washington (United States) to be analysed. After the crew members were interviewed, the wreckage was examined, flight data and cockpit voice recordings were analyzed, and a safety review of the airport was conducted, Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee released its final report on 22 October 2007. No evidence was found of any defect or malfunction of the aircraft or its systems that could have contributed to the accident. Records showed only the right thrust reverser had been used for the previous 27 sectors, but a fault condition for the left reverser was reset by engineers before departure for this flight, and both were deployed during the landing roll. The weather was calm. It was noted that the Yogyakarta Airport did not conform to international safety standards, having a runway runoff 60 metres (200 ft) in length, compared to the recommended length of 90 metres (300 ft). [2]:51
The key NTSC finding is that the aircraft was flown by the Pilot in Command (PIC) at an excessively steep descent and high airspeed (241 knots (446 km/h; 277 mph) rather than the normal 141 knots (261 km/h; 162 mph) during the approach and landing, resulting in unstable flight. The PIC's attention became fixated on trying to make the first approach work, and he failed to hear the warnings of the copilot and his recommendations to abort the landing and go around, and the repeated warnings from the aircraft flight systems, which were audible in the voice recorder data, e.g. "Sink rate" and "Whoop whoop, pull up". The copilot failed to take control of the aircraft in these extraordinary circumstances, as required by airline policy, apparently due to inadequate training. Wing flaps were not fully extended to the maximum 40°, not even to the 15° repeatedly requested by the captain, but only to 5° because the first officer was aware that this was the recommended maximum for that high airspeed, but he failed to notify the captain. The touchdown, followed by two bounces, began 240 metres (790 ft) beyond the nominal touchdown zone. The nose landing gear was severely damaged and broke apart during the following roll. The main engine thrust reversers were deployed 4 seconds after the touchdown, continued for 7 seconds, but were stowed 7 seconds before the aircraft left the end of the paved runway and ploughed through the airport perimeter fence. About 160 metres (520 ft) beyond the end of the runway, the aircraft crossed a small ditch and adjacent road that is 1–2 metres (3.3–6.6 ft) below the level of both the runway and the rice paddy on the far side. The nose of the aircraft impacted the roadside embankment and the engines impacted the concrete curb just before that embankment.
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Air crash
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South Sudan becomes IMF's 188th member country
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday South Sudan had become the institution’s 188th member country, giving it access to IMF loans and technical assistance.
“South Sudan faces enormous challenges, and the IMF will do its best to assist the country in setting up the foundations for economic stability and growth in the period ahead,” IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in a statement.
South Sudan became independent last July under a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war with Sudan in the north. It has been struggling to tackle an economic crisis and contain tribal and rebel violence. Peace with Khartoum remains uneasy, with the north and south deadlocked over oil transit fees.
The IMF said it was providing technical help and training for South Sudan government officials. It was also coordinating with donors on a trust fund to help the country. Oil makes up 98 percent of state revenues in South Sudan, one of the world’s least developed countries.
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Join in an Organization
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Sri Lanka faces 'worst beach pollution' in history from burning ship
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Sri Lanka faces an unprecedented pollution crisis as waves of plastic waste from a burning container ship hit the coast and threaten to devastate the local environment, a top environment official warns.
Thousands of navy sailors have been using mechanical diggers at beaches to scoop up tonnes of tiny plastic granules that have come from the Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, which has been smouldering on the horizon for 10 days.
Sri Lanka's Marine Protection Authority (MEPA) said the microplastic pollution could cause years of ecological damage to the Indian Ocean island.
"This is probably the worst beach pollution in our history," MEPA chairman Dharshani Lahandapura said.
The tiny polyethylene pellets threaten beaches popular with tourists as well as shallow waters used by fish to breed.
Fishing has been banned along an 80-kilometre stretch of coast near the ship that has been burning for 10 days despite an international firefighting operation.
"There is smoke and intermittent flames seen from the ship," navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said.
Orange-coloured plastic booms were set up in case oil leaks from the crippled ship reached Negombo Lagoon, which is famed for its crabs and jumbo prawns.
Thousands of small boats were beached at Negombo on Saturday because of the fishing ban.
Navy sailor Manjula Dulanjala said his team had almost cleared the beach on Friday evening, but was shocked to find it covered again the following morning.
"This is like the coronavirus. No end in sight. We removed all the plastic yesterday, only to see more of it dumped by the waves overnight," he said.
The pellets and waste were packed into green and white polythene sacks and taken away by trucks.
An officer leading another team that on certain parts of the beach the microplastics and charred debris were 60 centimetres deep.
Local fisherman Peter Fernando, 68, said he had never seen such destruction.
The December 2004 Asian tsunami devastated much of the island's coastline and killed an estimated 31,000 people, but only damaged coastal infrastructure.
Roman Catholic priest Sujeewa Athukorale said most of his parishioners were fishermen who risked becoming destitute.
"Their immediate need is to be allowed to go back to the sea," he said.
"There are 4,500 fishing families in my parish alone."
Fisherman Lakshan Fernando, 30, said people feared the plastic waste could destroy mangroves as well as the corals where fish breed in the shallow water.
"No-one is able to say how long we will have the adverse effects of this pollution," he told AFP.
"It could take a few years or a few decades, but in the meantime what about our livelihoods?"
An oil leak from the vessel, said to be carrying 278 tonnes of bunker oil and 50 tonnes of diesel, would increase the risk of devastation.
Much of the ship's cargo, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid, sodium hydroxide, lubricants and other chemicals, appeared to have been destroyed in the fire, officials said.
The X-Press Pearl caught fire as it waited to enter Colombo Harbour. It remains anchored just outside the port.
An international salvage operation is being led by Dutch company SMIT, which has sent specialist firefighting tugs. India has sent coastguard vessels to help Sri Lanka's navy.
SMIT was also involved in dousing a burning oil tanker off Sri Lanka's east coast last September after an engine room explosion killed a crew member.
The fire on the New Diamond took more than a week to put out and left a 40-kilometre-long oil spill.
Sri Lanka has demanded the owners pay US$17 million ($22 million) for the clean-up.
AFP
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Environment Pollution
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Anti-plastic crusader begins six-month, 8,800km swim across Great Pacific Garbage Patch
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Sharks, freezing water, jellyfish and exhaustion are just a few of the obstacles Ben Lecomte will encounter as he begins his attempt to swim more than 8,000 kilometres across the Pacific Ocean today.
The swim will take him from Choshi in Japan to San Francisco via the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a huge area where plastic and other marine debris is accumulating in the North Pacific Ocean.
Mr Lecomte, who swam almost 6,000km across the Atlantic Ocean in 1998, said he hopes his swim will bring attention to the growing problem of ocean pollution.
"I've been swimming for a long time and the change just in the last 30 years is troubling, that you can see so much degradation," he said.
"Now I am a father, so I'm thinking about my kids and how [the future] is going to be for them."
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Crew onboard the support ship — a 67-foot yacht called Discoverer — will be collecting ocean samples during the 180-day journey.
Researchers are planning to use the data to assess the distribution of radioactive material among the Garbage Patch from the Japan tsunami in 2011, and to study the transport of potentially invasive species using ocean plastic as rafts.
They will also be collecting data on Mr Lecomte's physical condition and mental health as part of collaborations with 27 different institutes, including NASA and Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
Today is the culmination of years of preparation dogged by technical and logistical issues, which have repeatedly delayed the intended start date of May, 2013.
His previous support-ship captain suffered a heart attack, and another ship proved to be unfit for purpose.
Mr Lecomte will walk into the water at Choshi on Japan's east coast, meet his latest support vessel a few hundred metres offshore, and then begin swimming east.
The plan is to join the Kuroshio current, which will push him north-east up the coast of Japan, before merging with the easterly flowing North Pacific current.
The 50-year-old Frenchman, who lives in Texas, will be swimming without a cage and admits sharks are a concern.
"I had a shark following me for five days when I crossed the Atlantic, so I know my heart is going to race during those moments. But that's their world, so I hope they'll be kind enough to let me share that world for a while," he said. "I have people around to track what is going on, and I have a device that creates a magnetic shield in the water to keep sharks at bay."
Mr Lecomte will swim eight hours a day, and will aim to cover almost 50km each swim.
At the end of each day, his team will GPS mark his location before he climbs aboard Discoverer so he can be dropped at the same spot in the morning.
He said that physical fitness is far less of a factor in his success than his psychological wellbeing, and that he will use his family as motivation to keep going. "It's mind over matter — I'm not trying to be fast, but I'm trying to be consistent in doing days after days," he said.
"Sometimes that's very difficult to do, when you are dry and sleepy and in pain, to jump in the water and to stay in that water for eight hours when it's cold, so … mind is the big point there."
The currents he will be using to boost his speed during the swim are part of the greater North Pacific Ocean gyre (commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) — a huge clockwise-rotating body of water, now infamous for its high concentration of plastic.
The latest research estimates there is about 78,000 tonnes of plastic in the gyre spread across an area the size of Queensland.
Alarmingly, researchers believe the amount of plastic in the gyre is "growing exponentially" due to expanding coastal development and residence and our increasing consumption of single-use plastics.
First mate and research manager Tyral Dalitz said water sampling will begin from day one, and they will also be catching fish to analyse how plastics accumulate in the food chain.
"All the studies will be done by us as citizen science, relying on the help and equipment given to us from our various scientific partners," he said via email.
As well as drawing attention to the problem of ocean pollution, Mr Dalitz said they hoped their project would dispel a few "dangerous" myths about ocean plastics.
"One thing we want to address is the idea of the Great Garbage Patch being a floating island of rubbish," he said.
"This idea creates the false illusion that there could be an easy fix by simply cleaning up the 'island' … when in reality the truth is much worse — the ocean is now filled with microplastics.
"Rather than calling it an island of trash, it is more like 'plastic smog' throughout the ocean."
Mr Dalitz joined the Longest Swim team in 2016. He left Australia in 2014 in an attempt to circumnavigate the world without flying.
He was looking for a boat to sail across the Atlantic around the same time that the team had purchased Discoverer in the UK, and is now an integral team member.
Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat is sending the first of a series of ocean-clean-up devices to the Northern Pacific this year in the northern summer.
Along with a team of developers, he has been refining the design of an apparatus, which he claims will be able to remove around "50 per cent of the patch in just five years".
The design the team has settled on is a free-floating, 600-metre-long pipe, suspending a short net beneath its length, which will trap and hold plastic until it can be emptied onto ships which will carry the plastic back to the US mainland.
Mr Slat's project, called the Ocean Cleanup, is aiming to tow up to 60 of these devices into the Northern Pacific Ocean by the end of 2020.
But critics have said that the devices may break apart in rough seas, adding even more plastic to the problem.
Oceanographer Kim Martini told the ABC earlier this year the devices may even attract more marine animals into the patch.
"It really increases their exposure to plastic and also increases the risk of entanglement," she said.
Others like CSIRO research scientist Dr Denise Hardesty believe we should be focussing resources on stopping the problem at the source.
"We need to deal with this before it enters the ocean rather than when it's out in the middle of the ocean," Ms Hardesty said.
But for Mr Lecomte, the first step is raising awareness.
"The plastic is there and if we don't do anything it's going to grow exponentially," he said.
"We have the solutions in our hand, but we're not interested and engaged enough to change our behaviour."
Audiences will be able to follow Mr Lecomte's swim live and post questions to the team.
Get all the latest science stories from across the ABC.
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Environment Pollution
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Cyclist dead after horror crash with school bus on Ocean Drive in Bunbury
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A cyclist has died and another was injured after being hit by a school bus on a coast road in Bunbury this morning. South West Insp. Steve George said the bus was travelling on Ocean Drive about 8.30am when it collided with the cyclists — killing a 63-year-old woman — at the corner of Upper Esplanade before coming to a stop at the Bunbury Recreation Ground 100m away. The 66-year-old female bus driver and the hurt cyclist — a 64-year-old woman — were taken to hospital for treatment for non-life threatening injuries.. Police said that four schoolchildren were on the bus — three from Bunbury Senior High School and one from College Row — but were not hurt. Police have fenced off a section of the recreation ground oval and closed part of Ocean Drive. Upper Esplanade is closed between Scott and Symmons streets and Ocean Drive is shut between Scott and Clifton streets. A detour is in place but pedestrians and motorists are encouraged to avoid the area and travel with caution.
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Road Crash
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Opinion: Californians have far more risks to worry about than tsunamis
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In the 200 or so years of record keeping, the total death toll from tsunamis in California is 17 Share this: July 28, 2021 at 5:15 a.m. | UPDATED: July 28, 2021 at 5:19 a.m. Our individual human minds and the media often focus on or are captivated by sensational events or those we have little to no control over, things such as tsunamis or shark attacks. The recent release of revised tsunami inundation maps by the California Geological Survey including San Francisco Bay stimulates these fears, but these need some context. What are these maps based on? To begin with, what are the greatest risks we face along our coastline, and what does history tell us? Sharks are something most of us instinctively fear, but what are our risks of becoming lunch for a shark? In the past century of reasonably accurate accounts, the average annual number of fatalities from shark attacks in all U.S. coastal states is one, and there are millions of people who visit beaches every year. In the 200 or so years of record keeping, the total death toll from tsunamis in California is 17. Seventeen in 200 years or one death every 12 years on average. Both of these are very low-risk events. For some comparisons, there are many far greater risks to be concerned about. Drug overdoses and poisons led to 93,000 fatalities last year in the United States, automobile accidents annually kill more than 40,000 people, guns 39,000, falls more than 37,000, and drowning 3,700. You have a far great chance of dying while driving to the beach or drowning once you get there than becoming a tsunami fatality. Risks of dying from a bee or wasp sting or a dog bite are significantly greater than death by tsunami. The new tsunami maps just released by the California Geological Survey extend the projected areas of inundation somewhat further inland than in previous maps. It is important to understand how these areas were determined as there are lots of coastal neighborhoods around San Francisco Bay falling into these new zones. As with many predictions today, they are based on mathematical models, and in this case, a hypothetical 1,000-year earthquake and tsunami generated in the Aleutian Trench by a magnitude 9.3 earthquake. Again, for some important context, we experienced a 9.2 magnitude earthquake in the Aleutian Trench in 1964, essentially identical to the event modeled. This generated a tsunami that took 12 lives in Crescent City on the northern coast of California and flooded 29 city blocks. Impacts in San Francisco Bay were minor except some damage at San Rafael’s Loch Lomond Yacht Harbor where damage was estimated at more than $1 million as a dock was torn loose. It is important to keep in mind that all models are wrong, but some of them may be useful. Trying to predict any future event that may occur once in 1,000 years based on 100 or 200 years of record is problematic to begin with and involves many significant uncertainties. During the 2011 9.0 magnitude Japan earthquake and tsunami, which took about 18,000 lives in Japan, there was only a single fatality from the tsunami along the entire 1,100 miles of California coast — a photographer along the north coast was standing on the shoreline when the waves hit. San Francisco Bay is buffered from tsunamis by the relatively narrow entrance at the Golden Gate such that wave energy entering the bay is minimal. The maximum increase in water elevation at the Golden Gate from the 2011 Japan tsunami was just five feet, and at Tiburon inside the bay this had been reduced to just three feet. For comparison, the highest astronomical tide range at San Francisco is 9.2 feet. The approximately 200-year historic record of tsunamis in California is a far more accurate predictor of future losses and inundation areas than a mathematical model. Only 13 or 14 destructive tsunamis have reached the California coast during this period, taking 17 lives. These tsunamis were generated thousands of miles away in either the Japan, Aleutian or Chile trenches, and impacts along the central California coast have been relatively minor over this entire 200-year period. Those areas that experienced the greatest damage during past tsunamis are those directly onshore from trenches or subduction zones where one large tectonic plate is sliding under another, leading to the planet’s greatest earthquakes and largest tsunamis. Alaska, Sumatra and Japan are the most recent examples. These are precisely the same tectonic settings as the Northern California coast from Cape Mendocino to the Oregon border. The geologic conditions are right in this area (the Cascadia Subduction Zone) for a very large earthquake and tsunami that would reach the shoreline within minutes. The rest of the California coast, including the San Francisco Bay area, has a totally different geologic setting. It is far removed from any major tsunami sources and has experienced very little damage and no fatalities from tsunamis over the past 200 years. This should not be your major concern when you head to the beach.
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Tsunamis
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2015 Fox Glacier helicopter crash
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On 21 November 2015, a Eurocopter AS350 Astar helicopter, operated by Alpine Adventures on a sightseeing flight, crashed on Fox Glacier in the South Island of New Zealand. All seven people on board died. [1][2]
Alpine Adventures was the owner and operator of the former Christchurch Helicopters AS-350D Astar helicopter. James Patrick Scott was the company's owner and had over 30 years of experience operating helicopters, and the company was a member of the Aviation Industry Association and the Mt Cook & Westland National Parks User Aviation Group. [3]
A few months before the Fox Glacier crash on 27 June 2015, another Alpine Adventures helicopter, a Hughes 369 carrying two hunters and piloted by Brad Maclachlan, crashed near Hari Hari. Maclachlan was seriously injured and the two hunters on board had minor injuries. [4]
The Eurocopter AS350D Astar (CN 1132) was built in 1979. Registered as N3598F, it had been based in the United States from its construction until 1995 when it was sold to a New Zealand company by RTS Aircraft Services Corp of Montvale, New Jersey. While flown in the United States, on 21 July 1990 ZK-HKU struck telephone lines while hovering about a meter above the ground. The main rotor blades severed the lines which then became entangled in the tail rotor causing its blade to snap and separating the rotor gearbox and tail boom from the helicopter. [5]
On 19 April 1998 ZK-HKU had been involved in an emergency landing at Rotorua. It had suffered an engine failure. According to the air accident report the pilot made an autorotational landing onto uneven terrain. No one was injured but during the heavy landing its skid landing gear, tail boom and main rotor blades were damaged. [6]
Before being sold to Alpine Helicopters it had been owned by Christchurch Helicopters
At the time of the crash (about 11 am NZDT), the weather was reported to be heavily overcast and raining. The aircraft crashed into a crevasse approximately 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) up Fox Glacier. [1] According to Alpine Adventures' quality assurance manager, Barry Waterland, the helicopter crashed just after taking off from the glacier at a designated spot called The Chancellor. [7] When the helicopter was reported as being overdue the pilot's flatmate, Thomas Darling, took another helicopter up to try to find them. On finding the crash site, Darling alerted the rescue coordination centre and an emergency service helicopter flew up to the crash site. Police Inspector John Canning told the media that the emergency service helicopter crews saw no sign of life, They had to return to Fox Glacier village as the weather was too bad for them to land. [8]
Early reports based on the size of the debris field and scorch marks in the hillside above the crash site were thought to indicate that the helicopter had crashed before falling into the glacier. The helicopter did not have a transponder or black box. No mayday call was made suggesting a sudden catastrophic event. [9][10]
There were six passengers, all tourists, on board, four British and two Australians. [1][11] In 2017, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, England named a Radiosurgery Suite at the hospital after one of the victims. [12]
The pilot, 28-year-old New Zealand citizen Mitchell Paul Gameren, was described as "experienced" with over 3,000 hours of flying. He had had flying experience in both Malaysia and Botswana. Gameren's interest in flying began when he was five, when his mother worked at Southern Lakes Helicopters. He was able to fly fixed-wing aircraft by the time he was 17 and then began flying helicopters. From 2011 to 2014, he flew helicopters in Botswana. [13]
The day following the crash four bodies were recovered from the site, but operations were suspended due to worsening weather conditions. The police announced that a further attempt would be made on Wednesday that week. The area where the helicopter crashed was described as highly treacherous, uneven, and moving ice, with 20-metre crevasses. The blocks of ice were described as bigger than buildings. [7] On 24 November police announced that post-mortem procedures on the four recovered victims had been completed and that they consisted of three women and a man. [14]
The weather cleared for an hour on 25 November allowing recovery teams consisting of Police, Alpine Cliff Rescue, and drone operators to land on the glacier. The drone then filmed the site before the weather again closed in. [15][16] The remaining three bodies and most of the wreckage were recovered from the crash site on 26 November. [17]
In late March 2016 more helicopter parts were recovered from the crash site by professional mountaineers employed by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC). The parts had become visible due to snow melt during the summer months. [18]
The body of one of the British women was found on the glacier on 2 March 2017 and formally identified on 15 March 2017. [19]
In November 2015 TAIC advised that it could take until May 2017 for its Chief investigator of accidents Captain Tim Burfoot to complete the investigation into the cause of the crash. [20][18] The recovered wreckage of the helicopter was taken to TAIC's Wellington site for evaluation. [21] The father of one of the victims of the 2010 New Zealand Fletcher FU24 crash expressed a lack of confidence in TAIC's ability to properly investigate the crash based on destruction of evidence from that crash and New Zealand's lax approach to air safety. [10]
The helicopter engine was sent to its United States manufacturer for inspection under TAIC's investigators supervision. Flight control components were sent to Australia for testing and inspecting and a team from the helicopters French manufacturer have also inspected the wreckage held in Wellington. A draft report was being prepared in March 2017. [22]
Local news reports stated that the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA) had received a complaint a few days prior to the crash about the lack of landing markers on the glacier. [23]
The TIAC report into the crash was released on 23 May 2019. The investigation determined that there was no apparent fault with the helicopter and cited the operator's pilot training system as not fully prepare the pilot for his role.
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Air crash
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2006 Mendoza earthquake
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The 2006 Mendoza earthquake was a medium-intensity seismic movement in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. It took place at 11:03 AM (UTC-3) on 5 August 2006, and had a magnitude of 5.7 in the Richter scale. Its hypocenter was centered at 33°13′48″S 68°56′24″W / 33.23000°S 68.94000°W / -33.23000; -68.94000, 35 km south-southeast of Mendoza, the provincial capital, exactly at the town of Ugarteche, Luján de Cuyo, and at a depth of 33 km. The earthquake was felt in the provinces of Mendoza (V–VI in the Mercalli intensity scale), San Juan, San Luis (IV Mercalli), La Rioja, and Córdoba (III Mercalli). It damaged about 600 buildings in the Greater Mendoza metropolitan area (mostly either precarious or old), as well as causing brief interruptions in the supply of electric power and mobile phone communications. Only a few wounded people were reported; there were no fatalities. On the following day a new, a minor earthquake (magnitude 3.7) was recorded about 5 km from the previous location, at a depth of 90 km. It was felt as grade II–III in the Mercalli scale in the city of Mendoza. The area is the most seismically active in Argentina. This seismic event was the largest in 20 years; the 1985 Mendoza earthquake (magnitude 6.0) caused 6 casualties and thousands of damaged houses and was centered at Godoy Cruz, just 4 km at south of Mendoza.
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Earthquakes
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‘An ecological disaster’: Emerald Ash Borer infestation in South Dakota
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— Treat ’em or lose ’em. That’s the only course of action for your Ash trees, at least for those living in areas with identified Emerald Ash Borer populations. What exactly is an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)? This tiny little beetle that can fall a 60-foot tree? To find the answer, KELOLAND News reached out to Professor John Ball, an entomologist and Forest Health Specialist for the South Dakota Dept. of Ag and Natural Resources. According to Ball, the EAB is an invasive species, brought over accidentally from China around 1992. “It came over, it appears to be, in dunnage — wood that’s sole purpose is to hold contents in place so that they don’t shift,” says Ball. “What used to be a very common practice is when the ship docked, they’d just throw it all out at the dock, and it would pile up there, and darn if some beetles didn’t make it over.” Currently, Ash trees cannot be moved in Sioux Falls. This freeze is in place from Memorial Day through Labor Day, as transportation of the trees can lead to the artificial spread of the infestation. If you do need to move one, Ball says to contact the City to request a permit. It is possible they will send someone out to check the tree for EAB. Ball says that the EAB in Sioux Falls are just starting to emerge from their burrows and fly. “They like to fly between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.” Ball says. This is when it’s sunny and the air temperature, around 70-80 degrees, is ideal for them. Ball says that when temperatures climb into the 90s, you’ll be unlikely to see them. The insect itself is small; about a half-inch long, torpedo shaped and a bronze-green color. Ball says these are not to be confused with their cousin, the Jewel Beetle, which also lives in the region. He says Jewel Beetles are wider and speckled. Jewel Beetles are native to the area and will not harm healthy trees. Ball says this current infestation of EAB appears to be the result of a single introduction. “Some beetles came over once,” he says, “it hasn’t been a continuous flow of beetles.” This encroachment was not immediately noticed either. “Dead Ash trees are not uncommon anywhere,” says Ball. Because of this, he says people didn’t immediately notice that the cause was this foreign beetle. This led people to cut the trees down themselves, hauling them as firewood from the initial site of infection in Michigan up to their lake cabins and campgrounds across the state, spreading the EAB all the way. “In 2001, an entomologist by chance walked by one of these dying Ash trees and noticed a de-shaped hole in it.” Ball says such holes indicate an agrilus, a genus of jewel beetles. Inspecting further, this entomologist discovered a mystery beetle, which he sent as a sample to the de-facto agrilus expert, who was in the Czech Republic, where it was identified as the Emerald Ash Borer. “Agrilus insects are nature’s recyclers,” says Ball, describing their natural function in their homeland. “They take a tree that is dying and kill it real quick.” This allows the tree to be broken down and fed back into the ecosystem. Ball says China has plenty of healthy Ash trees, and that there, the EAB only attacks the sick trees. The problem, he says, is that the Ash population in North America does not have the defense systems in place that their relatives in China do. These defenses help keep the EAB from attacking healthy Chinese Ash trees. Put simply, due to their lack of defenses, almost every Ash tree in North America looks like a sick Ash to the EAB. Ball took care to point out that this infestation is not the direct fault of the Chinese. The true culprit: International trade. “We’ve shipped pests to Japan which have devastated their forests; we’ve shipped insects to China; They’ve shipped things to us. Unless we ban international trade or put everything in a plastic bag, some of this is inevitable,” Ball said. “The Chinese were very open and helpful trying to manage this, it was just inadvertent,” he says. “We’ve also moved things to China.” A big problem, says Ball is that only 3% of dunnage used in international trade in the U.S. is inspected. “Money is well spent in my eyes to go through and check [the dunnage], because imagine if we’d caught this. We could have saved a lot of trees.” But it’s now too late to save the Ash. “There is no win,” says Ball, going on to hold Chestnut Blight up as an example. “Chestnut was the most common tree in eastern North America; one in four trees,” he says. “It was said that a squirrel could jump from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River just on Chestnuts.” But the Chestnuts, by and large, are now all gone. “In the late 1800s, somebody accidentally introduced Chestnut Blight from China — and by 1950 it had wiped out Chestnut in North America.” Ball says some Chestnuts have survived which grew outside the natural range, with no others nearby to infect them. “But you walk through the Appalachians,” he says. “Count how many Chestnuts you see. You can probably do it on one hand.” Ball says that Ash trees and the EAB won’t be going anywhere, though that should be taken as little comfort. “What happens is it kills most of the trees, and some continue to sprout so the disease is always there — you go back to ground zero (Michigan), and I can show you some Ash 30-feet tall. And they’re infested, and they’re going to die, but they keep seeding. So you’re always going to have Emerald Ash Borer. It’ll be in Sioux Falls for a hundred years.” In real terms, Ball says the tree as it exists will disappear. Any tree left untreated will die, and any new tree that grows will be killed before reaching its potential. As a species, “Ash will become a shrub,” says Ball. “It’ll be numerous, but it’ll be a shrub out behind your garage rather than a tree in your yard.” This change will have consequences. The removal of the Ash species as it exists from the environment will send ripples through the ecosystem. “It will never come back to the way it was,” says Ball. “There’s a lot of other organisms that depend on Ash, and they’re going extinct as well. If your food source was Ash and Ash is gone, how are you going to survive.” “Long-term, this is going to have a major impact.” In terms of animal life, Ball says you may begin to see fewer birds of certain species which relied on Ash trees for their homes, but the biggest impact most of us are likely to notice on the face of things is the loss of wind-breaks provided by groves of Ash trees. “It’s going to be devastating over about the next two decades in South Dakota.” Eventually the Ash will mostly disappear and its place, at least physically, will be filled by another species. This, Ball says, will likely be the Hackberry. “They seem to come in at about the same point in a forest’s life, they seem to tolerate about the same light levels, and so Hackberry is what you’re going to see replacing it, much as oak has replaced Chestnut.” While Hackberry may grow in a similar fashion and fill the gaps left by the Ash, it will not be a true replacement. It will not fill the needs of the species who once relied upon the Ash. “It would be like replacing dogs with cat, which I never would do,” says Ball. The loss of our Ash is a tragedy and a disaster, but Ball says it is not the worst-case scenario. “One thing that scares a lot of people, including myself; what if something comes over that kills Ponderosa Pine? That’s the let’s stay up at night and worry sort of thing.” Ponderosa pine is the primary tree in the Black Hills, and also grow across the Rocky Mountains and throughout the west to California. “Imagine the Black Hills going through this on an exotic pest,” says Ball. The Mountain Pine Beetle, he says, which has caused damage to the forest five times since the 1890s, is native to the Hills. “At the end of each [infestation], you still have a lot of pine trees. It’s natural, that’s what happens — but imaging an exotic threat that could flat-out kill Ponderosa Pine trees. Pine is common in a lot of countries. China has vast pine forests.”
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Insect Disaster
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Karsten Warholm smashes 400m hurdles world record, wins gold in Tokyo
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In an exhilarating men’s 400m hurdles final, it was world record-holder Karsten Warholm who came out victorious, smashing his own world record to cross the finish line in 45.94. The second and third-place finishers both set area records, and three more men in the field set national records.
KARSTEN WARHOLM ABSOLUTELY SHATTERS HIS OWN WORLD RECORD He holds off Kai Benjamin to take home the gold in the 400m hurdles final (via @NBCOlympics)pic.twitter.com/2RtIAcu7zr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 3, 2021
RELATED: Hassan nabs first gold in her quest for the triple crown
Track fans everywhere were looking forward to a head-to-head race with Norway’s Warholm and the U.S.A.’s Rai Benjamin, and as the athletes rounded the final bend, it looked as though Benjamin might overtake the world record-holder. Warholm pushed back harder to hold Benjamin off for the win. The American broke a 29-year-old national record, crossing the line in 46.17, which also takes down Warholm’s previous world record. Third place went to Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos, who finished in his own national record time of 46.72. The rest of the results were as follows:
4. Kyron McMaster (British Virgin Islands): 47.08 (national record)
5. Abderrahman Samba (Qatar): 47.12 (season’s best)
6. Yasmani Copello (Turkey): 47.81 (national record)
7. Rasmus Magi (Estonia): 48.11 (national record)
8. Alessandro Sibilio (Italy): 48.77
RELATED: Genevieve Lalonde sets national record in 3,000m steeplechase semi-final
For those of you keeping track, that’s one world record, two area records and five national records in one race. It’s not often winning a race requires you to set a world record, and this men’s final will certainly go down in Olympic history as one of the best races of all time.
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Break historical records
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Bloomsburg University providing COVID-19 financial aid to all students
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/ Updated: Sep 2, 2021 / 11:20 PM EDT BLOOMSBURG, COLUMBIA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Bloomsburg University announced on Thursday, they have received federal COVID-19 relief funding. This funding would provide financial assistance in the form of block grants and special conditions awards to all students, due to the financial impact of the pandemic. According to BU, they received $10.7 million as part of the American Rescue Okan and Higher Education Emergency Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III). The grants may be used for anything students needs for the cost of living at the school and for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, tuition, food, housing, healthcare, or child care, according to reports. Scott Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre closed, detailed inspection needed Bloomsburg University stated the grants will range from $200 to $1,250 for the 2021 fall semester and will be based on expected family contributions from submitted FAFSA forms. Students who did not submit a FAFSA form will receive the minimum amount of $200. A portion of the funding will be set aside to fund special conditions awards for students with emergency needs related to the pandemic that may arise during the academic year.
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Financial Aid
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1956 Hong Kong riots
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The Hong Kong 1956 protests, also known as Double Ten riots, were the result of escalating provocations between pro-ROC camp and local communists in Hong Kong during Double Ten Day, 10 October 1956.
Most violence took place in the town of Tsuen Wan, five miles from central Kowloon. A mob stormed and ransacked a clinic and welfare centre, killing four people.
The protests spread to other parts of Kowloon including along Nathan Road. By 11 October, some of the mob began targeting foreigners. Protesters in Kowloon turned over a taxi carrying the Swiss Vice Consul Fritz Ernst and his wife on Nathan Road. The protesters doused the cab in gasoline and lit it on fire resulting in the death of the driver and Mrs. Ernst who succumbed to her injuries two days later.
To quell the protesting, Colonial Secretary Edgeworth B. David ordered extra manpower from the British Forces Hong Kong, including armoured troops of 7th Hussars, to reinforce the Hong Kong Police and disperse the rioters. In total, there were 59 deaths and approximately 500 injuries. Property damage was estimated at US$1,000,000.
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Riot
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Officially, the pandemic recession lasted only two months.
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An economic group concluded that the downturn was limited to March and April 2020, though the pandemic’s impact continues to play out. Follow our latest coverage of business, markets and economy. By Ben Casselman The pandemic recession is officially over. In fact, it has been over for more than a year. The National Bureau of Economic Research, the semiofficial arbiter of U.S. business cycles, said Monday that the recession had ended in April 2020, after a mere two months. That makes it by far the shortest contraction on record — so short that by June 2020, when the bureau officially determined that a recession had begun, it had been over for two months. (The previous shortest recession on record, in 1980, lasted six months.) But while the 2020 recession was short, it was unusually severe. Employers cut 22 million jobs in March and April, and the unemployment rate hit 14.8 percent, the worst level since the Great Depression. Gross domestic product fell by more than 10 percent. The end of the recession doesn’t mean that the economy has healed. The United States has nearly seven million fewer jobs than before the pandemic, and while gross domestic product has most likely returned to its prepandemic level, thousands of businesses have failed, and millions of individuals are still struggling to get back on their feet. To economists, however, recessions aren’t simply periods of financial hardship. They are periods of economic contraction, as measured by employment, income, production and other indicators. Once growth resumes, the recession is over, no matter how deep a hole remains. The recession that accompanied the 2008 financial crisis, for example, ended in June 2009 — four months before the unemployment rate hit its peak, and years before many Americans began to experience a meaningful rebound. The unusual nature of the pandemic-induced economic collapse challenged the traditional concept of a “recession.” The National Bureau of Economic Research defines a recession as “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and that lasts more than a few months.” Taken literally, the latest downturn fails that test — the recession lasted mere weeks. But the bureau’s Business Cycle Dating Committee decided that the contraction should count nonetheless. “The committee concluded that the unprecedented magnitude of the decline in employment and production, and its broad reach across the entire economy, warranted the designation of this episode as a recession, even though the downturn was briefer than earlier contractions,” the committee said in a statement. By Jeanna Smialek Top U.S. financial regulators met on Monday to discuss stablecoins, asset-backed digital currencies that are exploding in popularity so quickly that the government is struggling to keep up — and that economic officials increasingly see as a risk to financial stability. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that derive their value from an underlying currency or basket of assets, and they have long been a point of unique concern. When news broke in 2018 and 2019 that Facebook was looking into creating a stablecoin, the Federal Reserve and other regulators took note, worried that the project could gain scale rapidly. Pressure to develop a framework for overseeing them has ramped up even more recently, as prominent stablecoins including Tether and Binance have exploded in popularity. The Treasury Department announced on Friday that Secretary Janet L. Yellen would convene a meeting of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets to discuss regulators’ work on stablecoins. That group includes Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, and the leaders of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Monday’s meeting was expanded to include the heads of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Meeting participants “discussed the rapid growth of stablecoins, potential uses of stablecoins as a means of payment, and potential risks to end-users, the financial system, and national security,” according to a Treasury statement released after the meeting on Monday. Ms. Yellen “underscored the need to act quickly to ensure there is an appropriate U.S. regulatory framework in place.” Mr. Powell has been particularly outspoken about the need for better oversight of stablecoins and said repeatedly during two congressional appearances last week that they are inadequately regulated. “If we’re going to have something that looks just like a money-market fund, or a bank deposit, a narrow bank, and it’s growing really fast, we really ought to have appropriate regulation — and today we don’t,” he said during testimony before the Senate Banking Committee. Eric Rosengren, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, has similarly warned about Tether, arguing that it relies on underlying financial assets that could experience investor runs in times of trouble. New York’s attorney general said earlier this year that Tether had misled investors by claiming to be fully backed by U.S. dollars at all times. The Treasury said that the working group expects to issue recommendations in the coming months for stablecoins. The group has previously warned stablecoin operators that they need to maintain adequate cash reserves to back their offerings. The Fed could also try to elbow aside digital offerings by offering its own alternative. The central bank is looking into a digital currency offering, which would probably function much like the digital cash you spend when you swipe your debit card. But where that debit card money ties back to the commercial banking system, the central bank digital currency would have direct backing from the Fed, just like physical cash does. Mr. Powell told lawmakers last week that obviating the need for stable coins could be one of the stronger arguments for a digital dollar. But Mr. Powell remains undecided on whether a central bank digital currency makes sense, he told lawmakers. The Fed is planning to publish a comprehensive report on the possibility of a digital dollar, probably around September. By Eshe Nelson LONDON — After 16 long months, the British government lifted nearly all its pandemic restrictions across England on Monday, including its guidance to work from home. But rather than a stampede of workers returning to their offices, employees of many large companies continued to trickle in as they have for weeks. By 10 a.m. on Monday, travel on the London Underground was 38 percent of normal demand, no higher than the same period last week, and the vast majority of people were still wearing masks. By 3 p.m., foot traffic in central London was 10 percent lower than last week, according to data from Springboard. Many companies approached the reopening on so-called Freedom Day cautiously, as the nation reported 40,000 new coronavirus cases in a population that is about two-thirds fully vaccinated. And businesses across industries suffered staff shortages because of a “pingdemic,” in which hundreds of thousands of people are being pinged by the National Health Service’s track-and-trace app and told to self-isolate because they were near someone who tested positive. The City of London, the capital’s main financial district, has been emerging slowly from its lockdown slumber. On Monday, coffee shops said there was no discernible increase in customers, and some lunch cafes were still closed. Opposite a central train station, Association Coffee’s customer traffic reflected the local office occupancy — some 30 percent of prepandemic levels. Across the street, a suit shop and sushi lunch spot have shut their doors for good. Freedom Day was also remarkably warm, further discouraging would-be office workers from a sweaty commute. Robert Cane, an employee at a shoe repair shop in the City, said he was not sure business would pick up until next year, if ever. Last week, he had barely more than a hundred customers. Noting that some businesses have reduced their office space over the past year, he said, “I don’t think it’s ever going back to normal here.” Most large employers are keeping voluntary return-to-office plans, and many require mask-wearing away from desks and are limiting office capacity to prevent crowding. The government has said there needs to be “personal and corporate responsibility” over some measures with a gradual return to the office. For example, the Bank of England is asking staff to return only once a week starting in September. But there was some loosening of policies on Monday inside the central bank — restrictions on the use of elevators were eased, and extra spaces between desks will be removed. Among other employers: At the London offices of JPMorgan Chase, where 12,000 employees usually work, masks were still needed to be worn in communal spaces and meeting rooms, and social-distancing indicators were still marked around the buildings. Capacity is capped at 50 percent, but recently not much more than 30 percent of workers have been coming to the office. The biggest change on Monday was that employees from any team were allowed to return to their office if they wished. Over the summer, the bank intends to gradually raise the capacity limit. At Goldman Sachs, which has its 826,000-square-foot European headquarters in the City of London, health and safety measures stayed the same. Workers must wear a mask when not sitting at their desk and continue to take part in the on-site testing program. Social distancing will reduce the office’s normal capacity. Recently, an average of 30 percent to 40 percent of the bank’s 6,500 employees have been in the office. Goldman Sachs is also monitoring vaccination rates from voluntary surveys of its staff, which has shown a “significant upward trajectory” since June, according to an internal memo. “We will continue to monitor local case rates and public health safety guidance, and will update our in-office protocols as and when appropriate,” the memo, sent by Richard Gnodde, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs International. In the central London offices of Blackstone, the investment giant, employees must still adhere to mask-wearing and social-distancing guidelines, though disclosing their vaccination status remained optional. But working from the office was voluntary, and the firm has not yet set a date for a mandatory return. SoftBank Investment Advisers, the London arm of the Japanese technology giant SoftBank that oversees its Vision Funds, has kept in-office attendance voluntary. Employees must reserve desks in advance and observe social distancing guidelines; masks are optional but recommended. Employees at the London headquarters of Unilever, the consumer products conglomerate, must wear masks while walking around the building, but not while at their desks. Social-distancing guidelines remain in place, effectively capping how many people can be at work. McKinsey & Company is beginning to ease restrictions, and in parts of the London office, masks will be required only in busy areas, the one-way system will be removed and the seating in meeting rooms will not be reduced. Elsewhere, restrictions will stay the same, and there is still no requirement to return to the office. Dentons, a large law firm in the City, recently introducing a flexible working policy so its employees can choose whether to work in the office. For those in the office, little has changed: Staff members are restricted to the floor they are working from; masks don’t need to be worn on that floor but are still needed in and out of the building and in the elevators; and social distancing is still encouraged. Even Prime Minister Boris Johnson worked from home on Freedom Day, as he, too, has been pinged by the National Health Service to self-isolate for 10 days. From his isolation, he announced on Monday that by the end of September, it will be mandatory to show proof of vaccination to enter nightclubs and other places with large crowds. Michael J. de la Merced contributed reporting. By Ben Dooley and Tiffany Hsu Toyota said on Monday that it had decided against running Olympics-themed television advertisements in Japan, a symbolic vote of no confidence from one of the country’s most influential companies just days before the Games begin amid a national state of emergency. The Japanese public has expressed strong opposition to the Games — delayed for a year because of the pandemic — with many worrying that the influx of visitors from around the world could turn it into a Covid-19 superspreader event, undoing national efforts to keep coronavirus levels low. Toyota will refrain from airing television ads at home during the Games, and its chief executive, Akio Toyoda, will not attend the opening ceremony, a company spokesman told local news media during an online news conference. “Various aspects of this Olympics aren’t accepted by the public,” said the spokesman, Jun Nagata, according to the business daily Yomiuri Shimbun. The ads will still be shown in other markets, Toyota Motor North America said in a statement. “In the U.S., the campaign has already been shown nationally and will continue to be shown as planned with our media partners during the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020,” the statement said. The company had prepared ads for the event but will not air them because of concerns that emphasizing its connection to the Games could create a backlash, said a person familiar with the company’s thinking, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Toyota will continue its commitments to supporting Olympic athletes and providing transportation services during the Games, a spokesman said. The company’s decision is “a big body blow to the Olympics,” said David Droga, the founder of the Droga5 ad agency. “You’d think that Toyota would be through thick and thin all in, but obviously the situation is more polarizing than we realize,” he said. The vast majority of the Japanese public is opposed to holding the Games — set to begin on Friday — under current conditions, polling shows, with many calling for them to be canceled outright. The Japanese authorities and Olympic officials have played down the concerns, saying strict precautions against the coronavirus will allow the Games to be held safely. Anxieties have continued to mount, however. This month, Tokyo entered its fourth state of emergency in an effort to stop a sudden rise in virus cases as the country faces the more contagious Delta variant. Cases, which remain low in comparison with many other developed nations, have exceeded 1,000 a day in the city, raising apprehension that measures that had succeeded in controlling the spread of the coronavirus could be losing their effectiveness. Further complicating the situation is a steady drip of news reports about Olympic staff and athletes testing positive for the illness after arriving in Japan. Toyota became a top Olympic sponsor in 2015, joining an elite class of corporate supporters that pay top dollar for the right to display the iconic rings of the Games in their advertising. Until the pandemic hit, the company was one of the most visible supporters of the Olympics. In the run-up to the event, much of Tokyo’s taxi fleet was replaced with a sleek, new Toyota model prominently featuring the company’s logo alongside the Olympic rings. And the company pledged to make the event a showcase for its technological innovations, including self-driving vehicles to ferry athletes around the Olympic Village. Toyota’s move could prompt other brands to follow suit, but several advertising experts do not expect a ripple effect. “If you’re a Coca-Cola type, I don’t think it’ll be a retreat — the benefits of being a global sponsor will still work its magic in the U.S. and all the other countries,” Mr. Droga said. “It’s different when you’re in the center, actually in Japan, because that’s where the biggest contrast is going to be, where the Olympics aren’t like previous Olympics.” Many companies are afraid of sacrificing more exposure, said Rick Burton, a sports management professor at Syracuse University and the chief marketing officer for the U.S. Olympic Committee at the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. “My guess is that they’re going to try and push through so that they don’t lose the investment completely,” he said. “There’s an interesting calculus: If I pull out, how does that get translated in every language? In certain countries, it could seem like I did the right thing, but in others, it could be that I abandoned the one thing that gave the world hope.” By Michael J. de la Merced Robinhood disclosed the expected price range for its initial public offering on Monday, putting the popular stock-trading app one step closer to itself trading on the markets. In an updated prospectus, Robinhood said it planned to sell shares at $38 to $42 each. At the midpoint of that range, it would raise $2.2 billion and be valued at about $33 billion; at the high end, it would be worth about $35 billion. The announcement will formally kick off the final part of Robinhood’s long road to going public: a roadshow in which the company will pitch prospective investors on its financial performance. It will test investor appetite for the online brokerage firm, which forced a sea change in stock trading by eliminating commissions and becoming a platform of choice for a new generation of day traders — but has became a target for regulators and lawmakers that have accused it of misleading customers. At a House hearing in the wake of frenzied trading in so-called meme stocks, Vlad Tenev, the chief executive and a co-founder of Robinhood, faced sharp questions from lawmakers about the company’s policies and business model. In an unusual move, Robinhood is reserving as much as a third of I.P.O. shares for its own customers, instead of the standard universe of mutual funds and other big institutional investors. That fits into the company’s stated goal of “democratizing finance,” but it could also make trading in the offering even more volatile than in a traditional stock sale, potentially opening itself to even more criticism. In the updated prospectus, Robinhood also provided estimates for how it performed in the second quarter, including continued growth in revenue and paying customers from the first three months of the year. Its net loss also shrank, though the first quarter had included a one-time accounting charge related to the billions of dollars it had raised earlier in the year. It is set to begin trading on the Nasdaq market by the end of next week. By Michael J. de la Merced The billionaire investor Bill Ackman said Monday that he had pulled back from a plan to use his jumbo-size SPAC to purchase a stake in Universal Music Group, the world’s largest record label, after the Securities and Exchange Commission raised concerns about the complex transaction. Under the proposed deal, Mr. Ackman’s special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, would have bought a 10 percent stake in Universal Music, the label behind Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne and Lady Gaga, valuing the company at more than $40 billion. But the deal would have been complicated, and the S.E.C. was concerned whether it qualified as a SPAC deal at all.
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Financial Crisis
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Xi Jinping Speech at the 2021 Far East Economic Forum
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Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the opening ceremony of the plenary session of the Far Eastern Economic Forum via video link on Friday.
The forum is an important stage for regional leaders to discuss the development of Russian Asia and its integration into neighboring economies, such as China, Mongolia, Japan, and South Korea.
The following is the translated text of Xi’s speech, which didn’t contain anything specifically new, but did underline the continuing and intended cooperation between China, the Belt & Road Initiative, and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
The EAEU is a free trade bloc that includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia and stretches from West China to the borders of the European Union. China signed a free trade agreement with the EAEU in 2018; however, discussions on tariff reductions are still ongoing. When these are finalized, the trade and development implications for North-East China, and the Provinces of Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang will be significant.
Xi’s speech followed that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose address contained much more on the intentions to develop the Russian Far East, with the introduction of business and personal tax and investment incentives. These will also have a knock-on effect on the development of China-Russia bilateral trade. Putin’s speech can be read over on our Russia Briefing portal here.
China-Russia bilateral trade is growing and is currently at about US$120 billion per annum with both countries setting goals to reach US$200 billion by 2024.
Far East Russia also takes on greater significance in these contexts when considering that the North-East Asian economies of Japan and South Korea, together with China, are members of the upcoming RCEP free trade agreement and all have strong ties with Far East Russia.
Xi’s speech is as follows:
Join Hands to Overcome Current Difficulties, Plan for Future Development and Write a New Chapter for Far East Cooperation
Your Excellency President Vladimir Putin,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
I wish to thank President Putin for his gracious invitation. It is a great pleasure to address the Eastern Economic Forum again after three years.
Today marks the 76th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On 25 August, I spoke with President Putin on the phone. We both agreed that the international community must defend firmly the victorious outcomes of World War II, safeguard the truth of history, and stay committed to taking history as a mirror to open up a brighter future.
Earlier in June, President Putin and I had a successful video meeting. Together, we announced the extension of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and reached new common understandings on major issues such as strengthening China-Russia strategic coordination and advancing bilateral practical cooperation across the board. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era boasts strong momentum and broad prospects.
As we speak, the international landscape is going through profound transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic keeps raging with frequent flare-ups, and the world economy faces a daunting recovery. This presents regional cooperation in Northeast Asia with both stern challenges and important opportunities. It is only right that all parties ground themselves in regional realities while adopting a global perspective, join hands to tide over the difficult time and plan for common development.
We need to offer each other help to overcome the pandemic challenge. We need to intensify cooperation in vaccine research, development, and production, provide more public goods to the international community, firmly reject any politicization of COVID vaccines and origins-tracing, and strive to build a global community of health for all.
We need to redouble our efforts to advance mutually-beneficial cooperation. We need to deepen the collaboration between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, support the innovative development of the digital economy, jointly tackle global climate change, and promote social and economic development in the region.
We need to form synergy to safeguard regional peace and stability. We need to narrow differences and build consensus through dialogue and exchanges, embrace the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, and work for a harmonious and tranquil homeland for us all.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and China has started a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country. We are ready to work with all parties to uphold true multilateralism, advocate trust and harmony, promote win-win cooperation, and march with firm steps toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Thank you.
About Us
China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done so since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.
Dezan Shira & Associates has offices in Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, United States, Germany, Italy, India, and Russia, in addition to our trade research facilities along the Belt & Road Initiative. We also have partner firms assisting foreign investors in The Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh.
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This week's BRI Investor Intelligence looks at this year's Far Eastern Economic Forum, due diligence in ASEAN, and incentives in Indonesia's SEZs.
September 7, 2021
In "Economy & Trade"
President Xi Jinping's "Belt Road Forum" attracted 29 foreign heads of state an representatives from more than 130 countries and 70 international organizations. Find out what we learned from the forum in this Op-Ed by Chris Devonshire-Ellis.
May 23, 2017
In "Economy & Trade"
China has clear objectives in Asia and beyond, evident in speeches made at international forums such as APEC.
July 19, 2021
In "Economy & Trade"
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken the remarkable step of offering free trade with China to members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a political, economic, and security group comprising Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
June 12, 2017
In "Economy & Trade"
Stay Ahead of the curve in Emerging Asia. Our subscription service offers regular regulatory updates, including the most recent legal, tax and accounting changes that affect your business.
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Famous Person - Give a speech
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We may be able to see the Northern Lights in the QCA this weekend
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We may have the chance to see the northern lights in the QCA this weekend. A G3 Storm will be ongoing as a result of a coronal mass ejection from the sun. This will possibly impact some power systems, GPS & Satellites and produce the northern lights in the mid-latitudes. It appears the Aurora may be visible as far south as St. Louis. The farther north of the QC, the better viewing. Make sure you get away from the city lights and give your eyes time to adjust. It is worth noting that Aurora’s forecast is very fluid, so check back for more updates this weekend.
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New wonders in nature
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Rocket Lab Is Gearing Up for Its First Launch to the Moon
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Rocket Lab has revealed new details about its NASA-funded commercial mission to the Moon. The CAPSTONE mission, which was originally scheduled to launch in early 2021 from the space agency's Wallops facility in Virginia, will now launch in the fourth quarter of 2021 from Rocket Lab's launch site in New Zealand. CAPSTONE (the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) comes to support NASA's Artemis program, which will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. NASA's CAPSTONE CubeSat will be launched to a unique lunar orbit using Rocket Lab's Electron rocket and Photon Lunar spacecraft. Electron will launch the CAPSTONE satellite, then use the Photon spacecraft as a trans-lunar injection stage to deliver the 55-pound (25 kg) satellite on a path beyond Earth's orbit to the Moon for the first time. After Electron takes off and completes its initial elliptical low Earth orbit, the Photon spacecraft will separate from it and use its own engine. Powered by a HyperCurie engine, it will have enough in-space propulsion in order to allow CAPSTONE to break free of Earth's gravity and start a course for the Moon. Photon will then continue on its own trajectory after launching the CAPSTONE satellite, performing a lunar fly-by, while CAPSTONE will reach a cislunar orbit using its own propulsion system. The main goal of CAPSTONE is to test and verify the orbital stability of a near-rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon, which is the same orbit that the Lunar Gateway will use. The Gateway is a proposed space station (smaller than the ISS) that will orbit the Moon and enable access to the lunar surface for astronauts. While in cislunar orbit, CAPSTONE will also test a navigation system that will determine its position in relation to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter without the use of ground stations. The CAPSTONE mission, which was originally scheduled to launch from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, will now launch from Launch Complex 1 in the fourth quarter of this year. This is not the company's first time when it shifts its mission from Virginia to New Zealand. On July 26th, Rocket Lab launched the Monolith satellite for the U.S. Space Force from its launch site in New Zealand, after it announced that it would do it from Virginia. "Flexible isn't a word usually used to describe lunar missions but operating two launch complexes gives us the freedom to select a site that best meets mission requirements and schedule," said Rocket Lab Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Peter Beck.
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New achievements in aerospace
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2020 Mexican protests
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The 2020 Mexican protests were massive demonstrations and increasingly violent clashes against violence against women and demanded the country to end feminist violence. Suicides and Homicides also triggered mass protests by women and activists nationwide, but the epicentre of protests and riots was in Mexico City. Mexicans have been on the streets since 9 March, when a nationwide strike by hundreds of thousands of Women went ahead. Anti-govt mass protests also took place on 10 March nationwide. Rallies were held in August by activists against the government's handling of the Coronavirus pandemic in Mexico. On 21 October, a mass protest by tens of thousands of demonstrators was held against restrictions and the government. On 10 November, police opened fire on demonstrators as street protests was held for 1 day. Outrage erupted in Mexico after shots were fired in squares in Mexico City by police forces. Police brutality sparked outrage as well for a couple of days online in Mexico. Protesters also rallied peacefully on the last rally on 10 December against violence against women. [1][2]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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The Health Ministry on Tuesday reported two more cases of locally transmitted Zika infections in the central Philippine city of Iloilo, 600km south of the capital Manila.
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The Health Ministry on Tuesday (Sept 13) reported two more cases of locally transmitted Zika infections in the central Philippine city of Iloilo, 600km south of the capital Manila.
Health Minister Paulyn Ubial said the mosquito-borne virus was found in two people living?in the same house as the 45-year-old woman who tested positive for Zika on Sept 5. The woman, who is married but not pregnant, was the first confirmed case of locally transmitted Zika in the Philippines this year.
The Philippines have reported four other cases since January, but these involved an American and three Korean travellers. The cases were considered travel-related rather than locally transmitted.
The two new cases in Iloilo bring to eight the total number of Zika infections reported in the country since 2012.
A confirmed case of locally transmitted Zika in the Philippines was reported in May 2012, involving a 15-year-old male in Cebu city, 572km south of Manila.
All three patients in Iloilo have since recovered, but they remain under home quarantine, Dr Ubial said.
The ministry had sent a team to Iloilo to check for more Zika cases there.
Dr Ubial said 88 houses were inspected, and 12 people who had skin rashes and fever were tested for the virus.
The United States-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention?(CDC) said earlier in a bulletin that a strain of the mosquito-borne virus might have been introduced in the Philippines before 2012, and that it probably remained undetected.
Zika resembles a mild case of flu and its symptoms can be treated with over-the-counter medication.
Patients infected with Zika seldom go to clinics, and doctors often associate symptoms with other illnesses, usually dengue or chikungunya.
CDC bulletins showed Zika infections in the Philippines and Indonesia were detected only after targeted surveillance following outbreaks of dengue or chikungunya, or during long-term studies over specific areas.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Garuda Indonesia Flight 206 crash
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Garuda Indonesia Flight 206 was a Garuda Indonesia flight that was hijacked on 28 March 1981, by the Komando Jihad in Indonesia. The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 plane PK-GNJ was hijacked on a domestic flight and forced to land at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. The hijackers demanded the release of their confederates from Indonesian jails and issued other demands. Three days later, the aircraft was stormed by Indonesian special forces. In the ensuing gunfire, the pilot, one of the Kopassus operatives and three hijackers were killed, while all passengers were rescued. The McDonnell Douglas DC-9, named "Woyla", was scheduled to take off from Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Saturday morning, 28 March 1981. The pilot was Captain Herman Rante. The plane departed Kemayoran Airport in Jakarta at 08:00 and was scheduled to arrive at Polonia International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, at 10:55. After take-off, five men with revolvers stood up from their seats. Some pointed their guns at the pilot, while others patrolled the aisle, monitoring passengers. They demanded the pilot fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka, but the plane did not have enough fuel, so they refueled at Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas, Malaysia. When they were refueling, the hijackers removed an old lady named Hulda Panjaitan from the plane because she kept crying. Subsequently, the plane took off and landed at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok. Once there, the hijackers read out their demands. The primary demand was the release of 80 individuals recently imprisoned in Indonesia following the "Cicendo Event" two weeks earlier, where Islamists attacked a police station in the Cicendo sub-district of Bandung. The hijackers also demanded US$1.5 million, that Adam Malik be suspended from the post of Vice President of Indonesia, and that every Israeli be deported from Indonesia. They also specified the release of one of their comrades at a secret location. The hijackers told Thai police to deliver their demands to the Indonesian government, and threatened to blow up the plane with all the passengers and crew aboard if their demands were not met. The Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces, Admiral Sudomo, immediately ordered the Indonesian Army's Kopassus, to conduct a counter-terrorist raid to rescue the hostages. The commandos borrowed a McDonnell Douglas from Garuda Indonesia that was similar to the hijacked plane for three days to rehearse a raid. The team was armed with new weapons, including Heckler & Koch MP5s. They set off for Thailand using a Garuda Indonesia McDonnell Douglas DC-10. On Monday, 31 March 1981, the team was ready, but the Thai government did not give permission for Indonesian forces to take over the aircraft as it was on Thai territory. In desperation, the Indonesian Strategic Intelligence Chief Benny Moerdani contacted a friend at the CIA station in Bangkok to persuade the Thai government to give permission. The Thai government finally approved the raid with the assistance of the Royal Thai Air Force Security Force Regiment (SFR). On Tuesday, 31 March, the team began the hostage-rescue operation, dividing themselves into three groups: Red Team, Blue Team, and Green Team. The Red and Blue teams were to be at the plane's rear while the Green team was to enter from the back door of the plane. Members of the Thai SFR team were positioned on the tarmac in the event hijackers tried to escape. When the Kopassus team entered the plane, the hijackers were surprised and fired at the team, but three of the hijackers were killed when the team returned fire. One of the Kopassus commandos was shot, probably by his comrades, as was the pilot, also probably by Kopassus commandos. The rest of the hostages were released unharmed. Two of the hijackers surrendered to Thai commandos, but they were killed by the Kopassus commandos on the plane taking them back to Jakarta. [1]
Achmad Kirang, the wounded Kopassus team member who was shot in the abdomen, died the following day on 1 April 1981 at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital in Bangkok. Captain Herman Rante, the plane's pilot who was shot in the crossfire, also died in Bangkok a few days later. Kirang and Rante's remains were transported from Bangkok to Jakarta, where they were both later interred in Kalibata Heroes Cemetery. The entire Kopassus team, including leader Lieutenant Colonel Sintong Panjaitan, were awarded the Bintang Sakti by the Indonesian government and were promoted. Achmad Kirang was posthumously double promoted. [2]
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Air crash
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2018–2020 Serbian protests
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In late 2018, a series of largely peaceful protests over the rise of political violence and against the authoritarian rule of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and his governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) began to take place in the Serbian capital of Belgrade,[3] soon spreading to cities across the country, as well as in cities with the Serbian diaspora. The demonstrations have lasted more than a year and they become the most prolonged mass anti-government demonstrations in Serbia since the time of the Bulldozer Revolution and some of the longest-running in Europe. The protests were precipitated by an assault on an opposition non-parliamentary politician Borko Stefanović in November 2018. The protests were also triggered by many scandals of ruling party members, such as sexual harassment at work, assaults on investigative journalists, a plagiarism scandal, the arrest of whistleblower who uncovered the arms trade that allegedly ended up in the hands of ISIS fighters in Yemen, as well as the smear campaign and the unsolved murder of Kosovo Serb opposition leader Oliver Ivanović.
Parallel to the protests, Vučić launched a campaign "Future of Serbia", organizing rallies in all districts of Serbia, while the pro-government media have constantly demonized protesters and opposition leaders, linking them to fascism as well, spreading misinformation to their readers. [19][20] Twitter announced that they shut down the network of 8,500 spam accounts that wrote 43 million tweets — acted in concert to cheerlead for president Vučić and his party and attack his opponent, including those involved in the protests. [21]
The non-partisan expert group formulated the demands of the protests, concluded there were no conditions for free and fair elections, and drafted a comprehensive document with demands and recommendations. The protest resulted in inter-party European Parliament-mediated negotiations, but the largest opposition parties announced a boycott of the coming elections due to lack of press freedom and fair electoral conditions. Since February 2020, protests have continued with more significant involvement of opposition parties with key messages to boycott the election. Protests were suspended in March 2020 over the coronavirus pandemic. Some further and more sporadic gatherings, with heterogeneous demands started in April 2020. [22] Many opposition parties boycotted the elections in June, while less than half the electorate turned out and ruling parties won more than two-thirds of the votes. Since the 2000 mass unrests that ended Milošević's rule, major opposition protests had been relatively rare in Serbia. [8] The protests commencing in 2018 have been the third series of such mass demonstrations in three years. The previous series of protests took place in 2017 and were also directed at Vučić and his party, denouncing SNS's perceived domination of the media and voicing concern regarding claims of voter intimidation. [9] The 2016 protests were similarly in part also directed against Vučić. [23][24]
Vučić became Prime Minister after a snap election was called in 2014. [25][26][27] He was a longtime member of the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party, leading to fears that he would "succumb to the temptations of authoritarianism" after his accession to the premiership in 2014. [27][8] As head of SNS, Vučić however tended to embrace more politically moderate conservative populist and pro-European values, steering government policy toward an eventual entry into the European Union while also maintaining close ties with Russia and China. [27][7][8][28][9] However, particularly since being elected President in 2017, Vučić had "amassed more power, silenced the press, and undermined opposition",[29] displaying increasingly authoritarian tendencies. [9] Furthermore, Serbia's press freedom rankings decreased sharply during Vučić's rule,[9] with the European parliament admonishing the government to "improve the situation regarding freedom of expression and freedom of the media". [30] Serbia is ranked 90th out of 180 countries in the 2019 Press Freedom Index report compiled by Reporters Without Borders, declining its ranking by fourteen if compared to 2018 and 24 places if compared to 2017. [31][32] In 2018, International Research & Exchanges Board described the situation in the media in Serbia as the worst in recent history, and that Media Sustainability Index dropped because the most polarized media in almost 20 years, an increase in fake news and editorial pressure on media. [33] Freedom House reported that Serbia's status declined from Free to Partly Free due to deterioration in the conduct of elections, continued attempts by the government and allied media outlets to undermine independent journalists through legal harassment and smear campaigns, and Vučić's accumulation of executive powers that conflict with his constitutional role. [34] Observers have described Vučić's rule as authoritarian or autocratic. [35][36][37][38] Data from the Transparency International showed that a significant increase in perceived corruption was seen exactly from 2012, when Vučić came into power. [39] According to research conducted by the Centre for Investigative Journalism, the battle against corruption in practice comes down to media announcements and arrests in front of cameras. [39][40]
During 2017, Oliver Ivanović, Kosovo Serb opposition politician, was the target of a smear campaign led by Serb List, Serbian Progressive Party and pro-government Serbian media prior local elections. [41] In July 2017, his car was burned down by unknown perpetrators. [42] On 16 January 2018, Ivanović was shot in a drive-by shooting, while entering his office in North Mitrovica. [43][44]
The protests were prompted by an assault on Borko Stefanović, one of the leaders of the strongest opposition coalition Alliance for Serbia. Stefanović was attacked by multiple assailants wielding steel rods on 23 November 2018. [5][4][7][8][9] Stefanović, speaking to a New York Times reporter, said he was struck in the head from behind and knocked unconscious, after which the attackers continued battering him with strikes to the head, leading him to conclude the attack was in fact a failed assassination attempt. [29] A day after the attack, Stefanović displayed his bloodied shirt from the night of the attack at a press conference. The image later became a symbol of the protests, with protesters carrying signs and rallying under the slogan "No More Bloody Shirts" / "Stop the Bloody Shirts". Following the assault, members of the opposition asserted that the attackers (multiple suspects were arrested shortly thereafter but denied any involvement) had ties to the ruling party, or that the assault was a result of hateful and vitriolic rhetoric used by the government against its opponents. [4][29][8][45][28][30]
On 8 December, thousands of protesters had rallied in downtown Belgrade to voice concern about the incident while also condemning the government. [4][46]
On 11 December, the house of investigative journalist Milan Jovanović was shot up and bombarded with Molotov cocktails. The attack on the journalist (who "narrowly escaped") further fueled the protests. [9][45] Jovanović believes that the attack was related to his reporting on corruption in the municipality. [47]
In Belgrade, the crowds have regularly numbered over 10,000,[6] making them the largest in two decades. [9] Protests have taken place on every consecutive Saturday since the initial rally. [9]
The protests have been organised by various students and activists, along with the Alliance for Serbia, a loose alliance of various opposition parties and organisations. [4][6][9] Prominent leaders of the protests have included actor Branislav Trifunović,[4][29] and Jelena Anasonović, a political science student. [9] Boško Obradović, a hard-right opposition politician, has also emerged as a leading figure of the protests. [48] The political background of protesters and organizers is diverse, with both far-left, liberal, moderate, and far-right nationalist factions voicing opposition to the government. [49][9] The protests are formally headed by the group Protest Against Dictatorship which also organised similar protests in 2016. [45]
The protests have been non-partisan in nature (despite opposition parties providing some logistical support), but some protesters and supporters have voiced consternation over the inefficacy of the political opposition, expressing concern that without a viable electoral outlet, the momentum of the protests will simply fizzle out. [9][45] Notably, the magazine Foreign Policy argued that demonstrations against Vucic’s authoritarian government won’t achieve anything until the opposition can present a coherent alternative. This is a similar concern voiced by experts who argue that Vucic's opposition is too fragmented and its leaders too different to work in unison against Vucic.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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The U.N. Warns That Without New Funding, 16 Million People In Yemen Face Starvation
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FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2020, file photo, malnourished girl, Rahmah Watheeq, receives treatment at a feeding center at Al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen. Hani Mohammed/AP FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2020, file photo, malnourished girl, Rahmah Watheeq, receives treatment at a feeding center at Al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen. UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The head of the U.N. food agency is warning that 16 million people in Yemen "are marching towards starvation" and says food rations for millions in the war-torn nation will be cut in October unless new funding arrives. David Beasley said Wednesday at a high-level meeting on Yemen's humanitarian crisis that the United States, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other donors stepped up when the World Food Program was running out of money earlier this year and "because of that we averted famine and catastrophe." WFP is running out of money again and without new funding reductions will be made in rations for 3.2 million people in October and for 5 million by December, he said. At a virtual pledging conference co-hosted by Sweden and Switzerland on March 1, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for $3.85 billion for Yemen this year. But donors pledged less than half the amount — $1.7 billion, which the U.N. chief called "disappointing." In the last six months, the total has grown to just over half the amount required. The high-level meeting Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly's annual meeting raised about $600 million, according to the European Union, which co-hosted the session with Sweden and Switzerland. That still leaves at least $1 billion unfunded. In major pledges, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an additional $290 million in humanitarian assistance for Yemen and the European Union said it was allocating about $139 million additionally in humanitarian and development aid. The Yemen director for the Oxfam charity, Muhsin Siddiquey, commended the donors who made pledges and expressed hope the funds will be quickly made available to aid organizations. "However, once again a few international donors have generously put their hands in their pockets while the rest of the world looks on as Yemen descends further into hunger, poverty and an even bleaker future," he said. Yemen has been convulsed by civil war since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital of Sanaa and much of the northern part of the country, forcing the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015, backed by the United States, to try restore Hadi to power, and threw its support behind his internationally backed government. Despite a relentless air campaign and ground fighting, the war has deteriorated largely into a stalemate and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The U.S. has since suspended its direct involvement in the conflict. "We need this war to end, number one," WFP's Beasley said, "and if donors are getting fatigued, well end the war." He urged world leaders to put pressure on all parties to end the suffering of the Yemeni people who are seeing their currency, the riyal, devalued and food prices spike. "They have no coping capacity," Beasley said. "They don't have any money left over to buy anything. It is a heartbreak. It really is." Henrietta Fore, head of the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, said 11.3 million Yemeni children need humanitarian assistance to survive, "2.3 million children under five are acutely malnourished and nearly 400,000 of them suffering from severe acute malnutrition are at imminent risk of death." "In Yemen, one child dies every 10 minutes from preventable causes, including malnutrition and vaccine-preventable diseases," she said. Janez Lenarcic, the EU commissioner for crisis management, called on the warring parties to grant unrestricted humanitarian access and allow food and fuel into the country, saying humanitarian needs "are unprecedented and rising." The U.S. secretary of state urged donors to fulfill their pledges as quickly as possible and urged other nations "to help fill critical funding shortfalls." Blinken said the United States remains committed to the U.N.-led effort to end the war and urged all parties to seize the opportunity to achieve peace in Yemen.
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Famine
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They went bust in the Great Recession. Now, in their 80s, the pandemic took their jobs
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Fears that the pandemic would prompt a wave of business failures have not come to fruition, yet. The Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association (RITANZ) expected the end of various government support measures, such as the wage subsidy scheme, would trigger a slew of insolvencies towards the end of 2020, which could continue for a number of years. That was based on what happened during the 2008 global financial crisis. However, the chair of RITANZ and PWC partner, John Fisk, said the business failure numbers were still below pre-pandemic levels. "The expectation, particularly as we were going into the level 4 lockdown, was that the economy was really going to suffer and I think that's proved to be not the case in a lot of situations. "There's just been a lot of support provided to companies, there's a lot of money that's being printed and available credit, and we're seeing a lot of businesses that we thought were going to get into some difficulty actually doing okay, if not thriving in some situations as well." But that did not mean a rise in businesses going bust was out of the question. Fisk expected to see an uptick in the number of formal insolvency appointments later this year, but nothing like the rush that was predicted in 2020. The recent Court of Appeal ruling on the former directors of the failed company Mainzeal has thrown the Companies Act into the limelight. In its judgement, the Court made the point that current laws governing insolvent trading were unsatisfactory and in need of a review to ensure it provided a clear regime that protects creditors. The Institute of Directors has already backed the call, saying the law was nearly 30 years old and now was good opportunity to clarify directors' responsibilities. Fisk agreed, saying it had been nearly 8 years since Mainzeal failed and it was still unknown how much directors would have to pay in damages. He thought it could be another year or two before there was an outcome, which is unsatisfactory for creditors who did not know if they were going to get a recovery and also tough for the directors who had been under a lot of pressure with the claim hanging over them. "We need to create an environment where there's greater certainty for directors, that they know what their responsibilities are and it's clear what the consequences are if they breach [them] and we need to have a process that is more efficient to get recovery for creditors if this sort of situation happens." He added that a review should consider the possibility of "safe harbour provisions" for directors. The provisions were rolled out in Australia in 2017 and protect company directors from liability for reckless trading if they act early at the first signs of financial stress, such as seeking independent advice or avoiding taking on new debts. "I think the time is right now to have a look at that process, see how it's working in Australia, see if there's some other remedies or adjustments to the existing legislation that we have... to make it work better and provide clarity."
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Financial Crisis
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Dublin lock-out
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Workers Organizations
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Employers & Companies
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The Dublin lock-out was a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers which took place in Ireland's capital city of Dublin. The dispute lasted from 26 August 1913 to 18 January 1914, and is often viewed as the most severe and significant industrial dispute in Irish history. Central to the dispute was the workers' right to unionise. Irish workers lived in terrible conditions in tenements. For example, an astonishing 835 people lived in 15 houses in Henrietta Street's Georgian tenements. At number 10, Henrietta Street, the Irish Sisters of Charity ran a laundry inhabited by more than 50 single women. [1] An estimated four million pledges were taken in pawnbrokers every year. The infant mortality rate among the poor was 142 per 1,000 births, extraordinarily high for a European city. The situation was made considerably worse by the high rate of disease in the slums, which was the result of a lack of health care and cramped living conditions, among other things. The most prevalent disease in the Dublin slums at this time was tuberculosis (TB), which spread through tenements very quickly and caused many deaths amongst the poor. A report, published in 1912, found that TB-related deaths in Ireland were 50% higher than in England or Scotland. The vast majority of TB-related deaths in Ireland occurred among the poorer classes. This updated a 1903 study by Dr John Lumsden. Poverty was perpetuated in Dublin by the lack of work for unskilled workers, who lacked any form of representation before trade unions were founded. These unskilled workers often had to compete with one another for work every day, the job generally going to whoever agreed to work for the lowest wages. James Larkin, the main protagonist on the side of the workers in the dispute, was a docker in Liverpool and a union organiser. In 1907, he was sent to Belfast as local organiser of the British-based National Union of Dock Labourers (NUDL). While in Belfast, Larkin organised a strike of dock and transport workers. It was also in Belfast that Larkin began to use the tactic of the sympathetic strike, in which workers, who were not directly involved in an industrial dispute with employers, would go on strike in support of other workers who were. The Belfast strike was moderately successful and boosted Larkin's standing among Irish workers. However, his tactics were highly controversial and, as a result, Larkin was transferred to Dublin. Unskilled workers in Dublin were very much at the mercy of their employers. Employers who suspected workers of trying to organise themselves, could blacklist them, destroying any chance of future employment. Larkin set about organising the unskilled workers of Dublin: this was a cause of concern for the NUDL, who were reluctant to engage in a full-scale industrial dispute with the powerful Dublin employers. They suspended Larkin from the NUDL in 1908. Larkin then left the NUDL and set up an Irish union, the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU). The ITGWU was the first Irish trade union to cater for both skilled and unskilled workers. In its first few months, it quickly gained popularity, and soon spread to other Irish cities. The ITGWU was used as a vehicle for Larkin's syndicalist views. He believed in bringing about a socialist revolution by the establishment of trade unions and calling general strikes. It initially lost several strikes between 1908 and 1910, but, after 1911, the union won strikes involving carters and railway workers, for example, the 1913 Sligo dock strike. Between 1911 and 1913, membership of the ITGWU rose from 4,000 to 10,000, to the alarm of employers. Larkin had learned from the methods of the 1910 Tonypandy riots and the 1911 Liverpool general transport strike – both savagely suppressed by Winston Churchill's police and army. Another important figure in the rise of an organised workers' movement in Ireland at this time, was James Connolly, an Edinburgh-born Marxist of Irish parentage. Connolly was a talented orator and a fine writer. He became known for his speeches on the streets of Dublin in support of socialism and Irish nationalism. In 1896, Connolly established the Irish Socialist Republican Party, and the newspaper The Workers' Republic. In 1911, Connolly was appointed the ITGWU's Belfast organiser. In 1912, Connolly and Larkin formed the Irish Labour Party to represent workers in the imminent Home Rule Bill debate in Parliament. Home Rule, although passed in the House of Commons, was postponed, due to the start of World War I and the collapse of HH Asquith's Liberal government due to the disaster of Churchill's invasion of Gallipoli in 1915. The Home Rule plan was then suspended for one year, then indefinitely, after the rise of militant nationalism following the 1916 Rising. Furthermore, in Ireland among employers opposed to trade unions such as Larkin's ITGWU, was William Martin Murphy, Ireland's most prominent capitalist, born in Castletownbere Co Cork. In 1913, Murphy was chairman of the Dublin United Tramway Company and owned Clery's department store and the Imperial Hotel. He controlled the Irish Independent, Evening Herald and Irish Catholic newspapers and was a major shareholder in the B&I Line. Murphy was also a prominent nationalist and a former Home Rule MP in Westminster. Even today, his defenders insist he was a charitable man and a good employer, and that his workers received fair wages. Yet conditions in his many enterprises were often poor or worse, with employees given only one day off in 10 while being forced to labour up to 17 hours a day. Dublin tramway workers were paid substantially less than their counterparts in Belfast and Liverpool, and were subjected to a regime of punitive fines, probationary periods extending for as long as six years, and a culture of company surveillance, involving widespread use of informers. [2]
Murphy was not opposed in principle to trade unions, particularly craft unions, but he was vehemently opposed to the ITGWU, seeing its leader, Larkin, as a dangerous revolutionary. [3] In July 1913, Murphy presided over a meeting of 300 employers, during which a collective response to the rise of trade unionism was agreed.
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Strike
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Father, daughter killed and woman severely burned after Coolidge gas line explosion
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The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said the explosion was likely caused by a gas line break. Two people died and a woman was seriously injured.
COOLIDGE, Ariz. - Two people died and a woman was hospitalized with burn injures after a farmhouse caught fire in Coolidge following a gas line break Sunday, authorities said.
Pinal County Sheriff’s officials said the fire broke out around 5:45 a.m. Sunday after numerous people called about hearing a possible explosion near South Highway 87.
Coolidge City Manager Rick Miller said Rosalina Alvarez was inside of the home was airlifted to a hospital with burn injuries to more than 50% of her body.
Two other people who were inside the house were found dead. They are Luis Alverez and his 14-year-old daughter Valerie Alverez.
The family has a GoFundMe set up and it can be found at this link.
Coolidge Police Officer Mark Tercero says the deaths are being investigated as homicides "until they can discover a cause."
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the National Transportation Safety Board are also expected to be involved in the investigation.
FOX 10 viewers reported feeling their homes rattle and hearing an explosion on Aug. 15. The fire burned near Randolph and Vail, according to Coolidge Police.
At least one home was on fire as a result, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. Officials said the cause was likely a gas line break.
Energy company Kinder Morgan says there was a pipeline failure at the El Paso Natural Gas Company, and that they would be investigating what caused the leak. No employees were hurt:
At approximately 5:45 a.m. MST today, El Paso Natural Gas Company, L.L.C. (EPNG) experienced a pipeline failure on the EPNG system near the City of Coolidge, Pinal County, Arizona near Randolph Rd., east of Hwy. 87. A fire was reported at the site and has been extinguished. All EPNG employees have been accounted for.
The company has deployed employees to the area and has isolated the impacted pipeline segment. The company is coordinating with local first responders and relevant state and federal agencies, and an investigation into the cause of the failure will be conducted.
A closer look at the fire burning in Coolidge. Authorities said the explosion was like caused by a gas line break. The rumbling was heard from as far as Casa Grande, according to witnesses living in the area. Residents say they heard a "roaring" from the fire, comparing the sound to a jet or a flamethrower.
Marilu Murillo, a neighbor, said, "It was bad, it was real bad, 'cause my whole house, windows and everything were shaking."
He added, "I thought it was a tornado, that explosion, walked out and I saw the fire. Scary … I've never seen anything like that. Never."
The explosion was caught on neighbor Eric Long's security cameras.
Eric Long's security cameras caught the gas line explosion in Coolidge on Aug. 15. Two people died and a woman was seriously burned.
Back in January, FOX 10 interviewed the family after they were attacked by two escaped inmates from a prison in Florence.
Photo of smoke coming from a large fire burning in the Coolidge area. (Diane Stanco Berdych) The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Get breaking news alerts in the FREE FOX 10 News app. Download for Apple iOS or Android.
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Arizona is mourning the unexpected death of its former attorney general, Grant Woods. He was 67. "He also had a great sense of what it means to be in the public to be doing something for the people of Arizona."
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Gas explosion
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U.S. Withdrawing From World Health Organization
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The United States is withdrawing from the World Health Organization, a group President Trump has relentlessly criticized for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the U.S. from the @WHO in the midst of a pandemic,” U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey said on Twitter. “To call Trump’s response to COVID chaotic & incoherent doesn't do it justice. This won't protect American lives or interests—it leaves Americans sick & America alone.” Trump earlier said he was going to withdraw because the WHO mismanaged the coronavirus across the globe, especially in China. He also complained that the United States was the single biggest financial supporter of the WHO, which he said showed a bias toward China. Health experts and other US politicians have said losing US financial support would damage the WHO’s ability to operate during the global coronavirus pandemic. The Washington Post reported that notification came in a letter from the administration to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The Wall Street Journal also reported the withdrawal citing an unnamed White House official. The withdrawal is effective on July 6, 2020, the Journal said. The New York Times said the United States was required by law to give one year’s notice of plans to withdraw. Twitter Wall Street Journal. "Trump Pulling U.S. Out of the World Health Organization" New York Times. "Trump administration sends formal notification of U.S. withdrawal from the W.H.O., effective next year." Washington Post: “Trump administration sends letter withdrawing U.S. from World Health Organization over coronavirus response”
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Asbestos fears for Balmoral couple who survived NSW bushfires
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Debbie Padroth and her partner, Pete Richer, stared down a firestorm to save their home at Balmoral, south-west of Sydney, but two months are concerned about the safety of their drinking water from asbestos contamination.
The couple's home was in the path of the massive Green Wattle Creek Fire as it tore through the Wingecarribee Shire on December 19, 2019.
Three of their neighbours who were evacuated lost their homes in the fire.
"You look at rubble every day and you know there is asbestos there," Ms Padroth said.
"It's been raining — that is leaking into the creek system and the winds are blowing dust onto our property."
"They both contained asbestos, there are asbestos contamination signs out the front of their yards and only one of the homes has been sprayed."
Where contamination is found, and the property is close to where people are still living, the NSW Government has promised a PVC binder spray will be used to further minimise the risk of asbestos particles spreading.
More than two months on from the fires, Ms Padroth is concerned that the debris, dust and asbestos fibres, being blown around from the destroyed homes, has contaminated her water supply.
"It's a bit late now, maybe I am naive, but I am thinking about asbestos contamination in the tanks and in the water supply," she said.
"Maybe the horse has already bolted, so I'm just wondering if we can get the water tested, because we don't want to waste water — 60,000 litres of water.
"I don't want to throw that out, but if I could get it tested, then it would be OK.
"What do you do? I'll probably cark it from asbestosis in 20 years."
The couple attended a bushfire recovery meeting in Buxton this week and had the chance to ask for assistance and were provided with a few phone numbers to enquire about help.
"We have been buying bottled water, but we have been drinking it and we shower in it, so we really need to know [if it is safe]," Ms Padroth said.
The president of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists, Andrew Orfanos, said there is no risk of water being contaminated.
"There is no scientific evidence suggesting ingesting asbestos fibres [in water] can cause harm," he said.
"Many day-to-day things have asbestos fibres in them — it is quite ubiquitous throughout our environment."
Mr Orfanos said there is no need to discard water because of an asbestos rick, but said tanks should be checked for ash or dust that has settled as a result of the combustion from the fires.
"But even in that case most of those particles would be insoluble and likely to sit at the top of the tank or rest on the bottom," he said.
He recommended using a particulate filter to remove any other sediments.
"Asbestos needs to be small enough [to] get into the deep crevasses of your lungs, which are called the alveoli," he said.
"And to generate fibres that small, you actually have to drill or sand asbestos containing materials to generate those fibres."
Mr Orfanos has offered to reach out and contact the couple and explain the risk situation.
The fire reached the couple's backyard and with the help of the NSW Fire and Rescue crews they saved the property.
"It was very, very close to our house, we just had to make sure we weren't getting ember attacks," Ms Padroth said.
"It's such a beautiful area. The gum trees just went up in flames [and] in a matter of 10 minutes it was all over."
She said they were determined to stay and had a solid plan to defend their home against the flames.
"Pete put a sprinkler system all along the fence and roof, we had a full water tank hooked up to a petrol tank, with 25-metre hoses, just watching it all the time and spraying it down," Ms Padroth said.
"If it all went pear-shaped we were going to crawl under the house and hold on to each other, at least we would have been together."
Ms Padroth said she had never been tested like this before in her life.
"We survived," she said.
"We still high-five each other every day — yeah we made it."
A spokesman from the NSW Disaster Recovery said the protection of life and community safety during clean-up is paramount.
"Multi-agency Building Impact Assessment teams, comprising the NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire & Rescue NSW, the Environment Protection Authority and Public Works Advisory (PWA), have been testing properties impacted by fire for hazardous materials, such as asbestos," the spokesman said.
"Where contamination is found and the property is close to where people are still living, a PVA binder spray is used to further minimise the risk of particles spreading.
"Undisturbed asbestos poses a very low risk following bush fire and extensive air monitoring in Balmoral has not detected any unsafe readings.
"We encourage property owners with concerns about potential contamination of rainwater tanks to contact Public Works Advisory for advice on testing."
Search any location in Australia to find nearby active incidents
Stay up-to-date with local coverage on ABC Radio, the emergency broadcaster
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Environment Pollution
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Man Sentenced for Murder as Teen, Then Released, Back in Prison for Stabbing
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A man previously sentenced to a state prison term as a juvenile for murder, then released last year due to changes to state law regarding juvenile defendants, has been sentenced to six years in state prison for robbing and stabbing a stranger in El Cajon earlier this year. Dejon Satterwhite, 32, was previously convicted of murder and attempted murder for a trio of gang-related shootings committed in 2004, when Satterwhite was a teenager, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Two people were killed and three others were wounded in the shootings. Satterwhite and two others were convicted and he was sentenced to 196 years to life in state prison. He was released from prison last fall and then arrested about six months later for the robbery and stabbing, which prosecutors say happened on March 11. According to the DA’s Office, changes to state law that led to Satterwhite’s release included the passage of Proposition 57, which requires transfer hearings for juvenile defendants 14 or older to determine if their case should be transferred to adult court, and SB 1391, which bars defendants under 16 from being tried as adults or receiving transfer hearings. Since Satterwhite was 15 at the time of the murders, his convictions were converted into juvenile convictions. In the El Cajon case, prosecutors allege Satterwhite asked the victim for money and offered to share drugs with him. When the victim produced a wad of cash from his sock, Satterwhite snatched the roll and ran, and the victim gave chase. When the man caught up with Satterwhite, the defendant stabbed him, causing the victim to suffer a punctured left lung, prosecutors said. Satterwhite later pleaded guilty to robbery and allegations of causing great bodily injury and using a deadly weapon and was sentenced Tuesday to the new prison term.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release
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Madagascar's 'climate-induced famine' forces people to eat locusts and cactus leaves to survive: advocate
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Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This story is part of a CBC News initiative entitled Our Changing Planet to show and explain the effects of climate change and what is being done about it. Facing a severe famine, people in Madagascar are trying to survive by selling their belongings for food, harvesting cactus leaves, and eating the locusts that descend on their failing crops. Locals in the south of the island nation off East Africa say they've experienced the worst drought in 40 years. The UN's World Food Programme believes it could be the world's first-ever famine brought on by climate change. The agency has scaled up ration and nutrition programs, but the next possibility for a harvest is not until April 2022. The Current's Matt Galloway discussed the dire situation with Tsina Endor, deputy director of SEED Madagascar, an NGO that works to alleviate poverty and foster education and development in the country. Here is part of their conversation. How would you describe the situation in Madagascar right now? This is the worst situation ... in decades in the south part of Madagascar. This is the result of no rain at all. And all of the lands where people are growing stuff have been covered with sand. And this is the result, the very severe famine that is happening in this area. What does that look like? I mean, without the rain, what does that drought look like on the ground? It is very bad. Like, the Malagasy people are eating rice three times a day, and growing rice in this part of the island. So it looks like the rice field is like a football place, where children [are] playing on. It should be full of water, but it's dried like clay, like a sun on the rice field. What are the lengths that people are going to in order to get any food that they can get their hands on? People are selling all of their belongings to buy food. At the market, it's very expensive for them to buy. And you see when there is a little rain, whatever is left on the field is eaten by locusts as well. So they eat locusts, on top of the cactus leaves, so it's really bad. What about water to drink? I mean, water to water the fields is one thing, but where are people getting water to drink? This is the most awful thing to say, but when there is rain and there is water that's [pooling] on the road, people [collect that] water. Because where it is dried, there is no rainwater harvesting system … and the streams all dried as well. So they're getting stagnant water out of puddles off the road? Yes, that's what people [are] getting. The United Nations has said this is the first climate-induced famine that could be unfolding in Madagascar. What role do you see climate change playing in what you've described? In Madagascar, there are two different seasons. There is the summer, with lots of rain, and there is the winter, which is very dry. But there is not much difference between those two seasons now, anymore. It's like the drought carried on from April, even until now. We are in the start of November and we still have no rain in Madagascar. What has that meant in terms of migration? Are people moving around the country to try and find somewhere where they can grow food, where they can find water and where the dust storms and the sandstorms aren't as severe? Yes, many people have run from the deep south of Madagascar to this area in Fort Dauphin, where I live. About 10,000 people have emigrated from that part of the island to here in the hope to find even water, and to find somewhere, any places where people can find something to eat or can find a job to do, or can work someone's land. Some people ... have sold their houses, they have sold their land, they have sold even the seeds that they meant to grow in the next plantation season. There is nothing for them [and they have moved] in the hope to find food, and in the hope to find somewhere else to stay, to survive. Madagascar is not a huge driver of climate change, but you're seeing this in real time. You're seeing it right in front of you. So what do you want the rest of the world to know about what's happening when it comes to climate change? This instance is unexpected, but when people still have time, consider it as a really big problem [that] may bring, like, a fast impact to the population. I think bringing food on people's table is the solution, immediate solution. On the longer term, I'd like to give more understanding to people how to mitigate the climate change. More techniques and awareness of mobilization, with education, should be given to people.
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Famine
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1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision crash
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The Tybee Island mid-air collision was an incident on February 5, 1958, in which the United States Air Force lost a 7,600-pound (3,400 kg) Mark 15 nuclear bomb in the waters off Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia, United States. During a practice exercise, an F-86 fighter plane collided with the B-47 bomber carrying the bomb. To protect the aircrew from a possible detonation in the event of a crash, the bomb was jettisoned. Following several unsuccessful searches, the bomb was presumed lost somewhere in Wassaw Sound off the shores of Tybee Island. The B-47 bomber was on a simulated combat mission from Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. [1] It was carrying a single 7,600-pound (3,400 kg) bomb. At about 2:00 a.m., an F-86 fighter collided with the B-47. The F-86 crashed after the pilot ejected from the plane. The damaged B-47 remained airborne, plummeting 18,000 feet (5,500 m) from 38,000 feet (12,000 m) when the pilot, Colonel Howard Richardson, regained flight control. [2][3]
The crew requested permission to jettison the bomb, in order to reduce weight and prevent the bomb from exploding during an emergency landing. Permission was granted, and the bomb was jettisoned at 7,200 feet (2,200 m) while the bomber was traveling at about 200 knots (370 km/h). The crew did not see an explosion when the bomb struck the sea. They managed to land the B-47 safely at the nearest base, Hunter Air Force Base. Colonel Richardson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after this incident. [3]
Some sources describe the bomb as a functional nuclear weapon, but others describe it as disabled. If it had a plutonium nuclear core installed, it was a fully functional weapon. If it had a dummy core installed, it was incapable of producing a nuclear explosion but could still produce a conventional explosion. The 12-foot (4 m) long Mark 15 bomb weighs 7,600 pounds (3,400 kg) and bears the serial number 47782. It contains 400 pounds (180 kg) of conventional high explosives and highly enriched uranium. [4] The Air Force maintains that its nuclear capsule, used to initiate the nuclear reaction, was removed before its flight aboard the B-47. [5] As noted in the Atomic Energy Commission "Form AL-569 Temporary Custodian Receipt (for maneuvers)", signed by the aircraft commander, the bomb contained a simulated 150-pound cap made of lead. [6] However, according to 1966 Congressional testimony by Assistant Secretary of Defense W.J. Howard, the Tybee Island bomb was a "complete weapon, a bomb with a nuclear capsule" and one of two weapons lost that contained a plutonium trigger. [7][8] Nevertheless, a study of the Strategic Air Command documents indicates that Alert Force test flights in February 1958 with the older Mark 15 payloads were not authorized to fly with nuclear capsules on board. Such approval was pending deployment of safer "sealed-pit nuclear capsule" weapons, which did not begin deployment until June 1958. [9]
Starting on February 6, 1958, the Air Force 2700th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron and 100 Navy personnel equipped with hand-held sonar and galvanic drag and cable sweeps mounted a search. On April 16, the military announced the search had been unsuccessful. Based on a hydrologic survey, the bomb was thought by the Department of Energy to lie buried under 5 to 15 feet (1.5 to 4.6 m) of silt at the bottom of Wassaw Sound. [5]
In 2004, retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Derek Duke claimed to have narrowed the possible resting spot of the bomb down to a small area approximately the size of a football field. [citation needed] He and his partner located the area by trawling in their boat with a Geiger counter in tow. Secondary radioactive particles four times naturally occurring levels were detected and mapped, and the site of radiation origination triangulated. Subsequent investigations found the source of the radiation was natural, originating from monazite deposits. [10]
As of 2007, no undue levels of unnatural radioactive contamination have been detected in the regional Upper Floridan aquifer by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (over and above the already high levels thought to be due to monazite, a locally occurring mineral that is naturally radioactive). [11][12]
In February 2015, a satirical news web site ran an article stating that the bomb was found by vacationing Canadian divers and that the bomb had since been removed from the bay. The fake story spread widely via social media. [13]
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Air crash
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710 new Covid-19 cases Friday in Latvia
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Of the total number of positive cases, 570 were unvaccinated persons, or persons not fully vaccinated, and 140 were fully vaccinated. The total number of cases detected since the start of the pandemic now stands at 153,403. Of 25,682 tests carried out in the past 24 hours, 2.8 % were positive. The 14-day cumulative infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants rose from 359.2 Thursday to 370.9 Friday, taking morbidity even deeper into the 'dark red' or 'very high' risk classification, the highest of the four alert categories under the 'traffic light' system. The last time morbidity was higher was in late May. Sadly, there was also news of six more Covid-related deaths. The youngest of the deceased was in the 20-29 years age group, another was aged 40-49 and the rest were in the 60-89 years age ranges. The death toll since the start of the pandemic now stands at 2,675. There are currently 375 people being treated for Covid-19 symptoms in Latvian hospitals, of which number 51 are displaying serious symptoms. On September 23 a total of 3,407 people received a first vaccine dose and 1,764 received a second dose. In all 821,233 people have now completed a course of vaccination in Latvia. Meanwhile, in Estonia there were 548 new Covid cases, and in Lithuania 1,464 new coronavirus infections were recorded over the past 24 hours. .14 dienu kumulatīvā saslimstība, uz 100 000 iedz. Infogram A summary in English of the latest Covid-19 situation including restrictions in place and rules on public assembly is available at this special government website. You can find the latest Covid-19 statistics at this official website. The dedicated hotline for Covid-19 related inquiries (24 hours, 7 days a week) is 8345. The number for medical emergencies is 113. There is a Latvian language hotline 8989 which allows people to both register for vaccination and receive answers to questions about the process of vaccination. There is also a website to register for vaccination, https://manavakcina.lv/ which includes an English-language version. See this earlier story for a simple summary of what to do. If you have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or you have fully recovered from a confirmed case of it, you can obtain a digital certificate attesting to your status at the website https://covid19sertifikats.lv/. Latvia is also part of the European Union's wider Covid-19 certification scheme. All arrivals to the country (including returnees) need to fill in an electronic declaration prior to coming to Latvia. It is available at the website covidpass.lv. For the latest rules on entry and exit rules for international travellers, we have this summary. Also see this webpage for details of the latest country-specific entry regulations.
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Disease Outbreaks
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1999 Armenia, Colombia earthquake
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The 1999 Armenia, Colombia earthquake occurred on 25 January 1999 at 13:19 with an epicenter 40 kilometers (25 mi) west south west of Ibagué, Colombia. [2] The shock heavily affected the city of Armenia in the Quindío department, and about 18 other towns and 28 additional villages in the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis region departments, and to a lesser degree, the cities of Pereira and Manizales. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale and was the strongest earthquake to strike Colombia for 16 years. [3]
This area has a well known high seismic risk, due to the triple junction that occurs at the northwest corner of the South American Plate where the Nazca, Cocos, and Pacific plates converge. About 60% of the existent poorly engineered structures in Armenia collapsed, due to the high number of old structures, built without technical requirements and the lack of urban planning and land studies. The earthquake hit Colombia's coffee-growing region, and toppled tower blocks, hotels, and historic churches in Armenia. Most of the buildings that collapsed were old and poorly constructed, or were built on poor soil such as old landfill sites or steep slopes. [3] The newer structures, for the most part, survived intact due to safety measures being established in 1984. [3] The worst hit part of the country were regional capitals of Armenia and Pereira. [3] In Armenia, about 16 km (10 mi) south of the epicentre, single-story homes were demolished. [3]
The mainshock produced a rough casualty estimate of about 1,000 people. The first (17:40) aftershock produced a still indeterminate number of victims among the people trying to remove their goods from the semi-collapsed structures. The corpses that were retrieved were carried to the local University of Quindío auditorium to be identified by their relatives. Since the forensic services were out, many of them could not be recognized and were buried in common tombs. The structures of many hospitals were damaged, and the resources available for health care were insufficient even before the event. Furthermore, the area had limited reaction plans for disasters and little experience with triage. As a consequence, the attention to the victims was chaotic. About 4,000 people with various degrees of lesions were attended to in the remaining health care centers of the city. An undetermined number of injured victims (many of them unidentified) were carried by airplane to different cities (mainly Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali), and out of the country. The number of missing people as a result of the earthquake is estimated to be near 3,900. Some factors involved in the disappearance of these people are the security issues due to the riots, the collapse of communications and roads, the lack of coordination of the rescue forces, dispatch of the injured victims and identification of the corpses. Mainly the injuries in the earthquakes were made by collapsing buildings which broke bones, caused concussions, bruises, cuts and many more injuries. A shock occurred at 15:40 (22:40 UTC) with a magnitude of 5.4 on the Richter scale. Other aftershocks that caused panic among the inhabitants were on January 29 at 23:33 (M4.2) and January 31 at 03:03 (M3.5)
Colombian authorities imposed a dawn-till-dusk curfew to allow rescue workers to work unhindered. [3] Looting was widespread in Armenia after residents, disturbed by the slow movement of the relief effort, broke into food stores and stole supplies. [3] Then Colombian president Andrés Pastrana postponed a trip to Germany to attend a World Bank meeting to view the destruction himself. [3] He later had to send soldiers to the afflicted area to restore order. [3]
The main economic activity of the region, the Colombian coffee industry was heavily affected. About 8,000 coffee farms were completely or partially destroyed, and 13,000 structures of several kinds of enterprises and industries were damaged and went temporarily or permanently out of service. The banks and financial entities could not dispense money for several weeks. In January 2002 the new community of El Cantaro was finished. [4] Many of the 125 families that gathered to celebrate the completion of their homes were chosen from among the neediest. [4] An ecological park was created further down the eponymous stream. [4]
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Earthquakes
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China mine rescue: nine miners found dead two weeks after blast
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The death toll from the disaster at a gold mine in Shandong province rises to 10 Chinese rescuers have found the bodies of nine workers killed in explosions at a gold mine, raising the death toll to 10. Eleven others were rescued a day earlier after being trapped underground for two weeks at the mine in Shandong province. One person was still missing, officials said on Monday. The cause of the accident at the mine, which was under construction, is under investigation. The explosions on 10 January released 70 tons of debris that blocked a shaft, disabling elevators and trapping workers underground. Rescuers drilled parallel shafts to send down food and nutrients and eventually bring up the survivors on Sunday. Chen Yumin, director of the rescue group, told reporters that the nine workers recovered on Monday died more than 400 metres (1,320ft) below ground. He said there had been two explosions about an hour and a half apart, with the second explosion causing more damage. Search efforts will continue for the remaining miner until he is found, said Chen Fei, the mayor of Yantai city, where the mine is located. “Until this worker is found, we will not give up,” he said at a news conference. Chen and other officials involved in the rescue effort held a moment of silence for the victims, bowing their heads. “Our hearts are deeply grieved. We express our profound condolences, and we express deep sympathies to the families of the victim,” he said. Authorities have detained mine managers for delaying reporting the accident. Such protracted and expensive rescue efforts are relatively new in China’s mining industry, which used to average 5,000 deaths per year. Increased supervision has improved safety, although demand for coal and precious metals continues to prompt corner-cutting. A new crackdown was ordered after two accidents in mountainous southwestern Chongqing last year killed 39 miners.
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Mine Collapses
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2009 European floods
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The 2009 European floods were a series of natural disasters that took place in June 2009 in Central Europe. Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Turkey were all affected. The heavy rains caused overflowing of the rivers Oder, Vistula, Elbe and Danube. At least 12 people were killed in the Czech Republic[1] and one in Poland[citation needed]. The floods were the worst natural disaster in the Czech Republic since 2002, when floods killed 17 people and caused billions of dollars of damage in Prague. [2] Those same floodwaters from the Czech Republic also affected Germany, with Dresden being hit by its worst flooding for over a century and three thousand people evacuated from areas where water was said to be waist-deep. [3] Austria also experienced its heaviest rainfalls in half a century. [2]
June 2009 was one of the rainiest months of June for Austria since weather records have been kept. [4][5] After a very dry April,[6] May had already been wet,[7] and in the middle of June, low pressure areas and thunderstorms followed. Quinton Low[8] ensured strong rainfall in the Eastern Alps, the southern Carpathians, and from the middle of the Balkan Peninsula to the Crimea and Baltic Sea regions between 20 and 30 June. It moved slowly over the Adriatic Sea toward the Black Sea forming an upper low – despite the typical muggy movement from the southeast and build-up of precipitation from the east and northeast, a classic flood situation that was missing the Genoa low of a ground low core. The Quinton Low formed from 20 to 22 June, through constriction of an upper low over the Alps towards the southeast. An Atlantic infusion of cold air had brought heavy precipitation[9][10] with snowfall down to elevations of 1500m. The separated upper low shifted over the mid-Adriatic on 20 and 21 June[11] and the central Balkans on 22 June. [12][13] Its front system, which was occluded from the east and then was guided to the northeast towards Central Europe, drove from 22 to 24 June[14][15][16][17] from the Lower Inn Valley to the Vienna Basin with heavy precipitation of over 100mm/48h, with 207mm/48h in Lunz am See. Locally, this phase was similar to the 2005 European floods, although in that year there was a faster rise. [8]
Starting on 25 June, the low moved over the Black Sea. On 25 and 26 June,[18] the precipitation was concentrated in the area around Belgrade and Southern Hungary. In Austria and the Czech Republic, the situation eased. On 27 and 28 June,[19][20] a front moved towards Southern Poland and the Baltic states, and further precipitation-heavy air masses once again struck the Czech Republic, Austria, and Serbia, as well as Central Bulgaria and Moldova on 29 June. [21][22]
The stable and stationary weather situation did not disintegrate until after 29 June. However, the air mass over Central and Eastern Europe remained extremely moist and unstable such that heavy thunderstorms repeatedly drove further local floods in the following days. Local areas of heavy rain of up to 50mm in a few hours were recorded across Central Europe until the first two weeks of July. The end of the weather phase did not occur until the passing of the low Rainer over England and the North Sea[23][24] and low Steffen over Southern Scandinavia,[25][26] which the slowly advancing weather system surrounded from 3 to 9 July. Low core Adriatic/Balkans 19–24 June 2009
Upper low Black Sea 25–30 June 2009
Unstable post-phase and advancing Atlantic low 1–9 July 2009
On Tuesday 23 June, the strong rise began to impact the tributaries that lead from the south to the Danube, and flood warnings were triggered on the night of 24 June in many places in the Upper and Lower Austrian Prealps. [27] The state warning centers were reinforced. By the morning of 24 June, about 4,000 firefighters were already operating in Upper Austria and Lower Austria. Armed Forces helicopters were also in use. In Upper Austria, the Krems and Traun rivers partially came together at the banks. The level of the tributaries was rising while the Danube was steady. Seven districts in Lower Austria were already affected. The rivers Ybbs, Melk, Erlauf, Traisen, and Perschling were especially flooded. Ybbsitz had been closed off from the outside world since 3AM. [28] At the Danube (Strudengau, Wachau), the available mobile flood prevention equipment was assembled as much as possible. In Styria, only individual actions were reported, mainly pumping operations but also elimination of mudslides. By 25 June, the persistent rainfall was over. Instead, increasingly short heavy rains with large masses of water were recorded. Since the ground was no longer receptive to water, the aftereffects of these precipitations were similarly devastating. In Upper Austria, the situation calmed because the level of the tributaries was slowly falling towards normal levels. In Steyr, the level had sunk to the quay, 1.4m less than the previous day. The Danube had reached its highest level of 6.9m overnight in Mauthausen and also sank slowly. The center of the flood shifted towards Wachau as the precipitation itself moved towards the east. 253 of the 326 fire departments in Burgenland were called on for flood operations within 24 hours. [29] The Albertina Museum in Vienna evacuated 950,000 artworks by artists such as Monet and Renoir. [2]
On 26 June further floods affected areas stretching from Mostviertel to Burgenland, particularly in the Güssing District where whole tracts of land were under up to a meter of water, while Strem was surrounded by masses of water. [28] The Armed Forces assisted the fire departments with 200 men. In the Lower Austrian Klingfurth near Wiener Neustadt, homes threatened by a landslide had to be evacuated. The Adria-Wien Pipeline, which lies in the affected hillside, had to be turned off for security reasons. In Styria, in which about 400 landslides were recorded since the beginning of the storm, the situation calmed a bit as the day turned to evening. [30]
On Saturday 27 June, two dams of the Leitha river in Bruck an der Leitha District were broken open, allowing water to flow into an uninhabited area so as to relieve the river.
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Floods
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Baltimore’s Rogue Prosecutor Mosby Facing 3 Probes of Official Duties, Travel, Gifts
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Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby, pictured here on April 12, 2015, could face criminal charges herself in connection with her campaign and business interests. Andrew Burton / Getty Images
Key Takeaways
Soros has provided the infrastructure to recruit, fund, elect, and defend rogue prosecutors.
Mosby remains in a league of her own because of her eyebrow-raising behavior both in her official and personal capacities.
The U.S. Attorney’s office will, at some point, decide whether there is enough information to take legal action against Mosby, criminal or civil in nature.
Copied
It’s been a lousy spring for Marilyn Mosby , Baltimore’s rogue prosecutor.
First , the IRS placed a tax lien for $45,000 on her house for three years of unpaid taxes.
Second , Baltimore’s Office of the Inspector General conducted a wide-ranging investigation into her activist-sponsored travel, accounting irregularities, and unorthodox gift-acceptance practices, and issued a written report critical of her actions.
When Mosby criticized the inspector general’s report, the Office of the Inspector General didn’t back down, and wrote that it “stands behind its report.”
Third , the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland launched a wide-ranging investigation into Mosby’s campaign-finance irregularities and related federal tax issues.
Any one of these three actions could result in Mosby having to vacate her office, losing her law license, or, if indicted and convicted in federal court, even going to prison.
Before any of those actions happen, however, any investigations must be thoroughly completed.
But given the evidence already in the record about Mosby related to these three investigations, and her abysmal track record as Baltimore’s chief prosecutor, one has to wonder whether the Democratic Party in Baltimore will distance itself from Mosby, just like the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee has refused to stand behind Philadelphia’s rogue district attorney, Larry Krasner, in his re-election campaign.
Rogue Prosecutors Are Failing
The rogue prosecutor movement , starting with Kim Foxx of Chicago back in 2016, is the brainchild of leftist financier George Soros and tech billionaires.
Soros—with the help of his myriad political action committees, heavily funded organizations, and leftist academics—has provided the infrastructure to recruit, fund, elect, and defend rogue prosecutors.
The mainstream media—not keen on reporting on spikes in crime in the cities of rogue district attorneys and how crime usually affects minority communities the most—are more comfortable parroting platitudinous slogans such as “mass incarceration,” “reimagining prosecution,” and “systemic racism,” which criticize the current criminal justice system.
In the process, they are ignoring the fact that rogue district attorneys are wreaking havoc in cities where they have been elected.
Fortunately, some are starting to wake up to the reality that the policies of these rogue prosecutors are dangerous. George Gascon and Chesa Boudin, the rogue prosecutors in Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively, are facing recall efforts because their pro-criminal, anti-victim policies have directly resulted in spikes in crime in their cities.
Krasner , the Philadelphia rogue district attorney, lost the support of the city’s Democratic Party in his upcoming reelection campaign. This is only the second time in 45 years that the Democratic Party refused to endorse an incumbent for citywide election.
Bostonians are suffering under Rachael Rollins , the rogue district attorney who proudly refuses to prosecute 15 crimes passed by the Massachusetts legislature, claiming that she has “data” and “science” to prove that not enforcing the law reduces crime.
There is one recent “ study ” on the topic that focuses on Boston’s approach, which to our knowledge has not yet been peer-reviewed. However, similar claims of other studies in areas such as bail reform have been called into question when examined and closely scrutinized.
The stark reality is that residents of the rogue prosecutors’ cities are starting to wake up to the reality that their “reform-minded” district attorneys are not really reforming the system for the better, but are instead coddling criminals, shunning victims, and shirking their duties to enforce the laws and seek justice in each case for which they are responsible.
In Chicago, as we pointed out , you have a greater chance of being killed on any given weekend than you had if you were deployed as an American soldier to Iraq or Afghanistan during the height of combat action.
Apparently, however, Chicago’s rogue prosecutor Foxx had more important things on her mind. After all, she appears to have been more concerned with giving a sweetheart deal to actor Jussie Smollett , who fabricated his own assault and filed a false police report, than she was about addressing the actual carnage on the streets of the Windy City.
It doesn’t take much to see that Gascon, Boudin, Krasner, Rollins, and all of their ilk have been disasters in the performance of their official duties, in large part because they have followed the rogue prosecutor playbook of treating defendants as victims and the police as the enemy, while ignoring real victims.
Still, Mosby remains in a league of her own because of her eyebrow-raising behavior both in her official and personal capacities.
Mosby’s $45,000 Federal Tax Lien
A federal tax lien is nothing to laugh about.
According to the IRS , a federal tax lien is “the government’s legal claim against your property when you neglect or fail to pay a tax debt.” Nobody likes to pay taxes, but most people do so because it’s a legal obligation.
If there’s a dispute between what the government says you owe, and what you think you owe, there are ways to work that out.
The IRS sends debtors notices of their deficiency. Mosby and her husband, a member of the Baltimore City Council, most certainly have received proper notice of the money they owe the government.
According to tax experts , if you ignore the notices from the IRS, the IRS Automated Collection System can issue liens and levy bank accounts and wages.
Furthermore, when the IRS files a public tax lien, that alerts creditors about your tax debt, which makes it difficult to sell your property or borrow against it.
Finally, if you owe the feds more than $51,000 and the IRS has tried unsuccessfully to get you to pay, the IRS can label you a “seriously delinquent” taxpayer, and the State Department can restrict your passport by either not allowing you to travel abroad, not granting a passport, or not renewing an expiring passport until you are removed from the “seriously delinquent” list.
As we discuss below, the tax lien could create other legal complications for Mosby, since she and her husband recently purchased two homes in Florida, and she traveled abroad extensively on privately funded junkets with fellow rogue prosecutors, as detailed by the Office of the Inspector General.
The Inspector General’s Investigation and Report
Unauthorized Travel
Under Title 5, Section 5-601 of the Maryland Public Ethics Law, certain government officials and candidates are required to file financial disclosures each year on or before April 30, covering the calendar year immediately preceding the year of filing.
This practice, common to both federal and state governments, ensures that key government officials are transparent about their financial dealings, have no actual or perceived conflicts of interest, are in compliance with applicable ethics rules, and are honest public servants.
The Baltimore City State’s Attorney is one of those select government officials required to file an annual financial disclosure.
Last July 16, the Baltimore Brew, a news outlet, published a lengthy story about Mosby’s domestic and international trips, the months she was absent from the office, and her unorthodox spending and gift practices.
As a result, Mosby requested that Baltimore’s Office of the Inspector General investigate the information she disclosed to the Maryland State Ethics Commission for years 2018-2019 in an effort to disprove allegations of questionable conduct contained in the Baltimore Brew article.
Mosby, who later retained legal counsel, provided the inspector general with access to her work calendars, personal bank and credit card statements, office credit card records, her telephone records from 2018-2019, her work emails, hotel and flight information related to her trips, and her 2019 redacted personal tax return. The inspector general requested her 2018 tax return, but Mosby did not provide it.
The inspector general found an additional sponsored trip that Mosby failed to report in 2019, to the five-star Salamander Resort and Spa in Middleburg, Virginia. The agenda for that junket included group events centered around “holistic health and wellness” and “spa and individual wellness coaching sessions.”
The trip took place immediately after her return to the United States from her junket to the African nation of Kenya, where she also stayed in a five-star resort.
The inspector general also needed clarification from Mosby regarding a two-day trip to Minnesota, where she spoke for 15 to 20 minutes and was joined by her husband (who also spoke at the conference) and children.
In total, Mosby took 24 trips in 2018-2019 and was physically absent from Baltimore for 85 days. The inspector general found that the “out-of-town trips did not comply with the relevant travel policies and procedures,” that Mosby didn’t request approval for any of her 24 trips, and that at least 15 of those trips required advance approval from the Board of Estimates. The board consists of several Baltimore elected officials that is responsible for formulating and executing the fiscal policy of the city.
During that time frame , there were 657 homicides, 685 rapes, and 52,965 property crimes in Baltimore.
Undocumented Gifts
The inspector general also noted irregularities with respect to the 41 gifts that Mosby reported on her state financial-disclosure forms during 2018-2019.
For example, Mosby reported receiving 33 gifts from organizations and individuals in 2018, yet only reported the value ($1,111.02) of five of those gifts. The value of the remaining 28 gifts was listed as “unknown” or left blank.
According to the Baltimore Brew article, the gifts included a Tiffany bracelet, circus tickets, skin care products, flowers, and other goodies, including $188 worth of “select CBD Drops, disposable pen, patch and capsules” by a marijuana company in Portland, Oregon.
Mosby claimed, in emails to the inspector general, that the “majority of gifts the State’s Attorney has received and reported are donated to the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office during our Winter Solstice celebration.”
When asked by the inspector general for documentation to substantiate the reported gifts, Mosby provided no documentation. The inspector general compared the list of items donated for the Winter Solstice auctions in 2018 and 2019, and not only was Mosby not listed as a donor, but nothing on either auction list matched any gift listed on Mosby’s 2018 or 2019 state financial disclosures.
Based on the public record, we don’t know whether Mosby donated those items to anyone, or whether she kept them, or whether she reported them on her federal and state tax forms if she kept them.
Family Business Disclosures
Four years after she was first sworn into office, Mosby registered three business entities with the state of Maryland: Mahogany Elite Enterprises LLC, Mahogany Elite Travel, and Mahogany Elite Consulting.
The inspector general found that Mosby did not report her ownership of these companies on her 2019 financial-disclosure form. While none of these companies produced any revenue, according to Mosby’s 2019 personal tax return, they did incur $5,000 in expenses for business travel and legal and professional services.
Those companies have no employees, contractors, or clients.
The inspector general concluded that it was “not within the purview of the OIG to make a determination” as to whether Mosby complied with Maryland’s state ethics laws and deferred the matter to Maryland’s State Ethics Commission for further review.
The Federal Investigation
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has launched a wide-ranging investigation into Mosby’s activities and has requested campaign records dating back to 2014, as well as tax returns, loan documents, and credit card statements.
Several Baltimore pastors have also received subpoenas to determine whether Mosby’s husband, Nick, ever lied about donating to a church and falsely writing it off on his tax returns.
Mosby’s attorney, A. Scott Bolden, issued a statement assuring Baltimore residents that the couple has “done nothing illegal, inappropriate or unlawful.”
To be clear, just because the government investigates someone, doesn’t mean that a crime has been committed. After all, everyone is entitled to a presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Still, the optics are terrible for Mosby, and the fact that the federal prosecutor’s office has its sights trained on her is serious business, especially since her ability to cooperate with federal authorities in tackling Baltimore’s well-known crime problem is likely to be hampered by it.
Last month, the Baltimore Sun reported that Mosby bought two Florida homes for more than $1 million. Shockingly, one of the properties closed days before her campaign began setting up her legal defense fund .
According to the financial report, Mosby bought a condominium in Sarasota for $476,000 in February. The rogue prosecutor also paid $545,000 in September for a 4,000-square-foot property near Orlando’s Disney World.
How she and her husband, both government employees, were able to afford two homes in Florida, especially when the feds have a $45,000 tax lien on their primary residence, will no doubt be one of the things that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will investigate.
Baltimore Can Do Better
Perhaps all of these investigations will result in nothing.
We are hearing that Mosby may be in the process of satisfying the federal tax lien on her house. That’s good news, but why was it there in the first place? This isn’t something that just happened.
The U.S. Attorney’s office will, at some point, decide whether there is enough information to take legal action against Mosby, criminal or civil in nature.
As the city’s top prosecutor, charged with enforcing the law as written, protecting the public, and lowering crime rates, Mosby has been a failure, just like all the other rogue prosecutors.
In 2020, even though the FBI crime statistics aren’t yet available, news outlets report that there were 335 homicides in Baltimore. And even though some violent crimes in Baltimore fell compared to 2019, the 2019 numbers for violent crime resulted in Baltimore being one of the most dangerous cities in the United States.
Whether the Baltimore City Democratic Central Committee or the Democratic Party of Maryland will decide not to endorse Mosby for reelection next time, as the party has done in Philadelphia regarding Krasner, remains to be seen. But one has to think that there are dozens of highly qualified prosecutors in Baltimore who could—and would—do a much better job than Mosby.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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Yellowstone rocked by 97 earthquakes amid fears of overdue eruption: "When, not if!"
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Up to 3,000 earthquakes rock the Yellowstone volcano each year, leading many to falsely believe a disaster is brewing deep underground. Located under the state of Wyoming in the Western US, Yellowstone has seen three cataclysmic eruptions in the last 2.1 million years. And although there is no evidence to suggest the supervolcano will erupt again within our lifetime, the latest activity report from the US Geological Survey (USGS) is unlikely to put minds at ease. According to a monthly activity report published on Wednesday, Yellowstone National Park and the nearby areas were rocked by a total of 97 earthquakes in August. The figure is a steep decline from July's 1,008 tremors, but is in line with the average monthly seismicity. The biggest of these quakes was a magnitude 3.1 event located about 12 miles northeast of West Yellowstone, Montana, on August 20. The USGS said: "Although there was some minor ongoing seismicity that continued from July's energetic swarm beneath Yellowstone Lake, no swarm activity was observed in August." READ MORE: Deadly Brazilian snake venom 75% effective in stopping the coronavirus The good news is, Yellowstone earthquake activity has returned to background levels. And yet, social media is rife with unfounded claims and conspiracy theories about Yellowstone's supposed explosive future. In particular, many people live in the belief Yellowstone is overdue for another eruption, despite no evidence to back these claims. One Twitter user, for instance, said on Monday: "Thinking about the hundreds of years overdue extinction-level events, just waiting to happen in North America (The Big One, San Andreas, Yellowstone Volcano) all of which could be so big one going off could trigger the others so they could all be happening around the same time." Another person said: "I live with insane anxiety every day knowing any day could be the last day since Yellowstone is thousands of years overdue to erupt and it would kill everything." And a third person claimed: "The Yellowstone supervolcano is way overdue (by geological standards) to erupt. "It’s not a question of if, it’s more a matter of when and the sooner the better." But none of these fears can be substantiated by any geological evidence. According to the USGS, Yellowstone is not overdue and there is no reason to believe it will ever erupt again. DON'T MISS...UK experts warn 7 'pinch points' could spark global volcanic disaster [STUDY]Supervolcano threat: Warning system needed in face of eruption risk [INTERVIEW]Yellowstone volcano: What would happen if Yellowstone volcano erupted? [EXPLAINED] And should it erupt in the far future, odds are the eruption will be a hydrothermal one and not an explosive volcanic one. The USGS said: "This type of small, but still explosive eruption can occur from shallow reservoirs of steam or hot water rather than molten rock. "These reservoirs are the sources of Yellowstone's famous geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles. "Such explosions could blast out shallow craters more than a kilometre wide; as has occurred in the northern Yellowstone Lake Basin, including Mary Bay and nearby Turbid Lake and Indian Pond, and in western Yellowstone National Park north of Old Faithful." August also proved to be quiet for the world-famous Steamboat Geyser. Steamboat has not erupted since July 8, meaning this year's number of eruptions remains 13. The USGS said: "The time between major Steamboat water eruptions is lengthening, which probably indicates that the geyser is entering a period of quiescence. "This is typical behaviour for Steamboat, with the geyser experiencing few-year periods of frequent eruptions separated by years to decades of very few eruptions." But the show is not over just yet, geologists noticed a "sequence of minor eruptions" in mid-to-late August, suggesting a proper blast is brewing.
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Volcano Eruption
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Southampton Dock Strike of 1890
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The 1890 Southampton Dock strike took place in Southampton, England, September, 1890. The closing years of the 1880s saw a resurgence of trade unionism amongst merchant seamen, dockers and other unskilled workers. A notable victory was scored by London dockers during the famous London dock strike of 1889, in which the dockers were able to win a rate of 6d, known colloquially as the 'dockers' tanner'. Later that year, a branch of the Dockers' Union was formed in Southampton. In part this was an effort by the union to prevent Southampton men being used to break strikes in London, as had occurred on a limited basis during the 1889 strike. However, as the local branch grew, pressure mounted to improve wages in Southampton itself and to win the dockers' tanner[clarification needed] for Southampton men. Towards the end of August 1890, the Southampton Dock Company and the various shipping firms agreed to grant wage increases of 1d an hour. However, the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, which paid lower rates than the other principal firms, refused to bring its rates into line with the other companies. All of the employers, meanwhile, refused to grant official recognition to the Dockers' Union and the National Union of Seamen. Because of these two issues, a strike was declared on 7 September. Unlike the London Dock Strike, the strike in Southampton was marked by a certain amount of public disorder. Blacklegs from Portsmouth arriving at the railway station were attacked and large crowds gathered daily in the streets around the docks and, leading to fears of rioting. In response the Mayor requested assistance from the Home Office. The West Yorkshire Regiment was called in from Portsmouth, and the Mayor read the riot act. In the event, however, troops were not deployed, and streets such as Canute Road were instead cleared with the aid of the local fire-brigade, who opened their hoses on the crowds. The strike was called off on 15 September after the London-based executives of the Dockers and Seamen's Unions announced that they would not make the strike official, or release union funds for strike pay. This decision caused great resentment and resulted in the collapse of the Dockers' Union in the town. One lasting impact of the strike was that it led to the formation of a Southampton Trades Council to coordinate union action in disputes.
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Strike
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Locust plague spells catastrophe for millions living in underfunded East Africa
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NRC works to protect the rights of displaced and vulnerable persons during crisis. Read more about us. NORCAP is a global provider of expertise to the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding sectors. We build partnerships with international organisations and national actors to protect lives, rights and livelihoods. NORCAP is a part of the Norwegian Refugee Council. NRC.NO/NORCAP “A humanitarian catastrophe is looming in East Africa if funding to tackle the locust invasion isn't secured now. This region has opened its arms to a huge number of displaced people, with millions already hammered by climate shocks and conflict. The locust invasion is threatening vulnerable communities and puts further strain on the already stretched resources of governments and aid agencies,” said Nigel Tricks, the Norwegian Refugee Council's Regional Director for East Africa. The East and Horn of Africa is home to over 14 million people displaced, the majority of whom rely on humanitarian aid to survive. Funding is already short of what is needed to support these communities, without the current locust threat. For example, refugee response plans for Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania were less than half funded in 2019. These figures are expected to fall further in 2020. Ulrika Blom, Country Director for NRC in Uganda added: “Funding shortages for the growing refugee population here will only worsen now that the locusts have invaded parts of the country. Within the precarious refugee setting, it is especially worrying for host communities, who risk having their small livelihoods destroyed, and are then forced to rely on humanitarian support that is already shamefully inadequate." Host communities and the wider population are already affected by recurrent drought and floods that destroyed crops and livelihoods last year. Around 28.9 million people are in need of some kind of aid across the region because of drought and a lack of food. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said a food crisis is looming in the region if resources are not forthcoming and has appealed to donors for an additional $62m on top of the $76m requested last month. According to FAO, the invasion is escalating. One swarm has reached the eastern boundaries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) while South Sudan reported its first swarm invasion last week. It also warned that new locust eggs are hatching and millions are resurfacing in farming areas placing the March to May planting season at serious risk. If left unchecked, the numbers of crop-eating insects could grow 500 times by June.
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Insect Disaster
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Man, 56, killed in single-vehicle crash at Tantanoola, SA
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A Mount Gambier man, 56, has died after a road crash at Tantanoola in the state’s South East. Police said emergency services were called to the crash just after 6.30am on Thursday after reports that a car had left the road and hit a tree stump. The driver and sole occupant of the car died at the scene. Limestone Coast officer in charge Superintendent Phil Hoff said it was “sad and sobering” to be attending another serious crash. “The circumstances of this [crash] aren’t obviously clear to us and our Major Crash section will be coming down to unpack what has actually happened,” he said. “We can't exactly determine what's caused the incident at this point in time.” Superintendent Hoff said Tantanoola Road was closed and traffic diversions are in place. “The road between Tantanoola township and the Princes Highway is closed and it's going to be for quite some time. “It's still going to take some time for [Major Crash] to do their activities and conduct their investigation. “So I would advise the public not to use that stretch of the road, if they're going to approach Tantanoola to come in from the north would be far more appropriate.” Superintendent Hoff had a serious message to motorists in the lead up to the Easter long weekend. “Take time to plan, make sure that your vehicles roadworthy, drive within the rules," he said. “I'm constantly amazed about the number of people that still need to be educated about these things,” Superintendent Hoff said. But he said “the time for education has well passed”. “You've got your driver's licenses, you know how to drive, you know what to do. If you're not doing it, you can expect the full force of the law. “We've got 30 people who've lost their lives this year, we've had 153 [people] had their lives changed through serious injuries. “It's time to stop South Australia. Wake up. The road is not a playground.”
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Road Crash
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By Bank draws praise on the regulatory front from Height Capital and Raymond James analysts prospects with regulators after the bank was hit with a $250 million fine for not correcting practices it engaged in years ago.
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By Bank draws praise on the regulatory front from Height Capital and Raymond James analysts prospects with regulators after the bank was hit with a $250 million fine for not correcting practices it engaged in years ago. The bank did manage to satisfy a different regulator, closing a chapter in its retail banking scandal. Height Capital Markets analyst Benjamin Salisbury said Friday the $250 million fine lodged by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC, against Wells Fargo amounted to a “speed bump on its road to regulatory recovery.” The OCC said the megabank did not adhere to the terms of a 2018 consent order and issued a fresh consent order on Wells Fargo’s loss mitigation activities in its mortgage servicing operations. The OCC said the bank failed to establish an effective home lending loss mitigation program and restricted it from buying some third-party residential mortgage servicing until the issue is addressed. But the order did not apply to WFC’s many other business lines, Salisbury noted. “We view the limited scope of the new consent order and small fine as positive for WFC,” he said. “In our view, it is indicative that the bank has made progress on the wide range of regulatory concerns.” Raymond James analyst David Long reiterated an outperform rating on the stock and said despite the setback from the OCC, it “does not change our view that Wells Fargo has the potential to become an ESG leader over time.” The bank remains “laser-focused” on improving internal processes, and taking actions to eliminate unethical business practices and eliminating product sales goals and incentives, Long said. It’s also replaced most of its board and senior executive team, created new positions and reorganized its operations to better manage risk. “Wells Fargo’s management has repeatedly indicated that the process to right the ship will not follow a straight line forward,” Long said in a research note published Friday. “The penalty and financial implications on its mortgage servicing business are manageable.” J.P. Morgan Chase analyst Vivek Juneja was less optimistic on the bank’s regulatory progress. The OCC’s order did not address issues that have been raised around auto insurance remediation, which could also result in additional sanctions, he said. “This consent order will result in more expenses, likely some delayed foreclosures, increased demands on management time, and greater board involvement,” said Juneja, who has a neutral rating on Wells Fargo stock. On a second regulatory matter, Wells Fargo said late Thursday a 2016 consent order from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, regarding its retail sales practices has expired. The CFPB lodged the order after it ruled the bank opened unauthorized deposit accounts for existing customers, enrolled consumers in online banking services and ordered and activated debit cards using consumers’ information without their knowledge or consent, among other charges. Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf said the bank has since “done substantial work designed to ensure that the conduct at the core of the consent order — which was reprehensible and wholly inconsistent with the values on which this company was built — will not recur.” Meanwhile, Wells Fargo continues to face a $1.95 trillion asset cap that was imposed by the Federal Reserve in the wake of the bank’s phony accounts scandal. Wells Fargo’s stock has risen 47% so far in 2021 while the S&P 500 SPX, has gained 19.6%. Shares rose fractionally on Friday despite losses in the broad equities market. The Federal Reserve confirmed it will now reduce support from market and the economy at a faster pace.
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Organization Fine
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Organizers of Newport Oktoberfest cancel event due to staffing concerns
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0 NEWPORT, Ky. — People getting ready to head to Northern Kentucky for some beer and bratwursts might be feeling a little disappointed. The city of Newport's annual Oktoberfest celebration has been canceled over staffing concerns. After a year off due to the pandemic, people like Kayla Stoker were starting to get excited, until they saw news of the cancellation. “I was hoping to get to go this year,” Stoker said. “I was a little upset. I was kind of ready for food. And definitely to see everyone just be happy. And maybe win some prizes, maybe some people dancing.” The yearly German celebration, attended by thousands of people in years past, was scheduled for Sept. 24 through Sept. 26. But Cold iron Enterprises, the company that organizes the event, announced the event was canceled. “Cold iron really strives to put on the best events in the area. We want them to be the best. There’s no other option. They have to be the best. And we found out that Newport Oktoberfest wasn’t going to be the best. We had a lot of food vendors that had a lot of trouble staffing, some bands that dropped out, and we figured it wasn’t going to be the best it could be, so we’re going to cancel it,” said event manager David Wertheim. “You could walk up and down the street right now and see plenty of businesses that have had to close or change their hours, just because they don’t have enough staff, and that definitely carried over here to the festival side of things. All year we’ve had trouble finding food vendors that have been able to staff their booths. And this was no exception. And it kind of just caught up to us for this event.” The festival’s food booths are typically staffed by local restaurant employees, while the alcohol booths are staffed by volunteers. It’s an event that’s rich in tradition in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. Cincinnati was able to hold its Oktoberfest last week. The Newport festival normally generates thousands of dollars in revenue. “It's a big deal for Newport, but really the bigger deal isn’t the money, it’s the tradition. People know what that event is. They know what Oktoberfest means to this area, and that’s really what’s bummed us out, is not being able to put it on, and continue the tradition this year,” Wertheim said. Wertheim said he hopes the event will be back bigger and better than ever next year.
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Organization Closed
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‘Ring Of Fire’ Solar Eclipse: Viewing Guide For The Boston Area
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Get ready. On Thursday, June 10, we are in for an astronomical treat at sunrise. A “ring of fire” solar eclipse! Sound terrifying? Nothing to worry about here, but instead a somewhat rare and fantastic solar show. READ MORE: Massachusetts Military Support Foundation Fills Trucks With Food And Supplies For Kentucky's Tornado Victims Backing up a bit. . . no doubt you have all heard of or seen a “total solar eclipse” at one point in your lifetime. This is when the New Moon passes between the Earth and Sun, completely blocking the sun from our view. The entire landscape goes from day to night in minutes, followed by a lot of “ooohhs” and “ahhhhs.” This event is NOT a total solar eclipse, but instead something called an “annular eclipse.” This occurs when the Moon is in its first lunar phase and farther away from Earth in its orbit. Being farther away, the Moon appears smaller and therefore cannot block out the entire solar disk. Instead, the Moon will cover the majority of the inner region of the sun, leaving just a sliver of light around the edges. . . hence the term “ring of fire” or “ring of light.” Solar eclipses are much more difficult to see than lunar eclipses, to see the full show you have to be within a fairly small path on the Earth’s surface AND you have to wear special glasses to avoid harming your eyes. In order to see the complete “ring of fire” eclipse this time you would have to travel into the path which will lie from parts of Canada through Greenland and into northern Europe and Asia. If you happen to be in the path, you could see the ring of fire stage for nearly four whole minutes before the Sun/Moon alignment changes enough to lead to a partial eclipse. The eclipse, in total, will last about 100 minutes traveling from Ontario, across the North Pole and ending in Siberia. Not up for a trip to Greenland or Siberia? I’ve got good news! You can sit right in your backyard and see about a 73% “partial eclipse.” For exact times in your backyard I would suggest visiting the timeanddate website: Map of Annular Solar Eclipse on June 10, 2021. Here you can literally click on the map of your town and get a second by second rundown. For instance in Boston, the partial eclipse will actually begin before sunrise. Sunrise occurs at 5:07:08 a.m. (under partial eclipse already) The maximum amount of sun covered (72.91%) will occur at 5:33:21 a.m. READ MORE: DCR Already Recruiting Summer Lifeguards At $20 An Hour; Offering $500 End-Of-Season Bonus The partial eclipse ends at 6:32:39 a.m. Essentially, the sun will rise with a portion of its upper right disk covered by the Moon. The Moon will appear to slide from right to left across the face of the Sun, leaving only about 25% of the bottom section at maximum eclipse, then it will move off the left face of the sun before ending. (WBZ-TV graphic) I should mention, this isn’t the last solar eclipse this year! On December 4, 2021 parts of our planet will see a total solar eclipse! Only bit of bad news, you would have to travel to Antarctica to see it. We don’t even get a partial view this time. Next annular solar eclipse in North America: October 14, 2023 Next total solar eclipse in North America: April 8, 2024 (100% eclipse path travels right through northern New England!) Once again, if you plan on viewing the solar eclipse, please do not do so with the naked eye. You can purchase special solar eclipse viewing glasses online (fairly cheaply). Or, you can watch on one of several live streams online. FORECAST Obviously none of this really matters if we are cloudy on Thursday morning. At this point I feel fairly optimistic that MOST of us will be able to catch some, if not all, of the eclipse relatively cloud-free. A front is swinging through Wednesday night with a few showers and storms. Any showers or storms will be long gone by Thursday morning and most models indicate just a little bit of leftover moisture at mid and low levels. So, I don’t think we can call for a totally 100% clear sky early Thursday, but instead more of a partly cloudy forecast. . . perhaps 30-40% clouds. So for any one area, I think chances are good to view the eclipse. . . however, there will likely be a few spots (perhaps near the coast or over Southeast Mass.) where enough clouds are present to spoil the show. We will continue to update this forecast as we get closer to the event!
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New wonders in nature
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Liverpool riot of 1916
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The Liverpool Riot of 1916 also known as the Battle of Central Station was an event in Sydney, Australia where a large group of Australian soldiers rioted through the streets of Sydney and surrounding areas on 14 February 1916 and into the early morning of 15 February. Following Australia's entry into World War I, many Australian men volunteered to fight in Europe and were stationed in camps around Australia to receive military training before being shipped to the front. At 9.00am on 14 February 1916, at Casula Camp in Liverpool in Sydney's south west, it was announced to the recruits that the current training session would be extended into the evening, meaning a 27-hour stretch for some of the recruits. [1] Five thousand recruits refused to accept extra duty and went on strike to protest the poor conditions at the camp. The soldiers left the camp and marched towards the centre of Liverpool, where they were joined by other recruits from camps around the area. The number of protesters now reached as many as 15 000. They invaded a number of local hotels, drinking the bars dry, refusing to pay and started to vandalise buildings. [2]
The soldiers then gained control of Liverpool train station, overpowered the engineers and commandeered trains heading towards Sydney, where they began rampaging drunkenly through Sydney streets, smashing windows and targeting anyone with a foreign-sounding name, including Italian restaurants, even though Italy was an ally of Australia in the war. Shops and hotels were looted and people were forced to take refuge in churches to avoid the soldiers. Police reinforcements were called in and began battling the soldiers in the streets of Sydney. At Sydney's Central Railway Station, armed military guards found a group of over a hundred drunken soldiers destroying a toilet block and demanded they surrender. A shot was fired by a rioting soldier over the guards' heads and in response the guards returned fire, killing one soldier and seriously injuring eight others. This incident had a sobering effect on the soldiers and many began surrendering to police and military guards, although small bands of soldiers continued to cause damage throughout the night. Following the riot, described as the "most disgraceful episode in our military history", about a thousand soldiers were court-martialled and either gaoled or discharged from the army. [3] However, Australia was desperate for recruits to fight the war, so many soldiers escaped punishment and were sent overseas while the government, anxious to keep the image of the Australian digger as positive as possible, discouraged the media from covering the event. [4]
As a result of the riots, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania introduced 6.00 p.m. closing of hotels to guard against a repeat occurrence, matching South Australia's introduction the previous year. It was not until 1955 that New South Wales closing was extended to 10 p.m.[5]
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Riot
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1993 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
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The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Birmingham, Great Britain, in 1993. There was no team competition at this meet; gymnasts competed in the all-around and event finals only. The competition took place between 13 April and 18 April. The opening ceremony took place on 12 April. For the first time the opening ceremony took place at a different venue to the actual competition. The opening ceremony took place at the National Indoor Arena and the competition took place at the National Exhibition Centre. 57 nations took part. This was the most countries that any gymnastics world championships had had at the time. This was the first time that the nations which formed the Soviet Union competed under their own state. This was the first time that the artistic world championships had been held in Great Britain. Another significant format was that this was the first world championships to have only 24 gymnasts in the all around with 2 gymnasts per nation instead of 3. This format happened again in a world championships at the 2003 world championships and has remained at this format ever since.
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Sports Competition
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Police Investigate Deadly Big Rig Accident in Natomas
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Updated 2:45 p.m.
Del Paso Road westbound remains closed nearly five hours following a deadly big rig accident this morning in Natomas.
Sacramento Police traffic detectives are on the scene investigating the accident which occurred shortly after 9:10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 16 on Del Paso Road at the Interstate 5 on ramp. At press time, Del Paso Road was closed between East Commerce and I-5.
According to initial CHP incident reports, the semi truck lost control and hit a divider before rolling over onto its side. First responders from the Sacramento Fire Department reported the truck’s cab landed on its roof, trapping one person inside. At one point, CHP incident reports indicated that the cab had caught fire.
“The driver of the big rig was pronounced deceased by responding personnel from the Sacramento Fire Department,” said Sacramento Police spokesperson Officer Ryan Woo.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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2015 European Figure Skating Championships
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The 2015 European Figure Skating Championships were held 26 January – 1 February 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden. [1] Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dancing. The event was the first figure skating ISU Championship to be held in Stockholm since 1947,[2] when the city hosted the World Championships. It last hosted the European Championships in 1912. Ericsson Globe served as the competition arena and Annexet as the training rink. In June 2014, Annexet was iced over for the first time since 1989. [2]
Skaters were eligible for the event if they represented a European member nation of the International Skating Union and had reached the age of 15 before 1 July 2014 in their place of birth. The corresponding competition for non-European skaters is the 2015 Four Continents Championships. National associations selected their entries according to their own criteria, but the ISU mandated that their selections must achieve a minimum technical elements score (TES) at an international event prior to the European Championships. Based on the results of the 2014 European Championships, the ISU allowed each country one to three entries per discipline. Countries began announcing their entries in early December 2014 and the ISU published a complete list of competitors on 11 January 2015:
Table of medals for overall placement:
Table of small medals for placement in the short segment:
Table of small medals for placement in the free segment:
Medals for overall placement
Small medals for placement in the short segment
Small medals for placement in the free segment
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Sports Competition
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A partnership for the future as Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed visits London
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Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces meets with The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Secretary of State for International Trade. Ministry of Presidential Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, carried out an official visit to the UK on Thursday to launch a new era in ties between the two countries.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosted Sheikh Mohamed at 10 Downing Street in central London for a wide-ranging discussion and launch of a Partnership for the Future between the two nations.
"The Prime Minister congratulated the United Arab Emirates on the fiftieth anniversary of its founding in 1971," a joint communique from the meeting declared.
During the visit they went to nearby Horse Guards Parade to review a military guard of honour before attending a UK-UAE business reception and a lunch.
Sheikh Mohamed looked forward to another half century of close relations with the UK.
"One of the most important aspects of our developmental projects for the next 50 years is promoting developmental partnerships with various countries of the world, especially with the UK," said Sheikh Mohamed.
The UAE and the UK have agreed to establish a "Partnership for the Future" based on two main pillars: driving sustainable prosperity and addressing global issues.
The UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation and the UK’s Foreign Secretary will co-chair an annual strategic dialogue to review and drive progress, and promote multilateralism.
The two countries said they would work closely together during the UAE's 2022-2023 term as a member of the United Nations Security Council. It was noted that Britain's historic ties and strategic interests with the Gulf region and the Middle East grant the UK a significant role in ensuring security and stability of the region.
The partnership is a launch pad for enhancing trade, investment and innovation. The meeting reviewed co-operation in areas such as life sciences, innovation, energy, illicit finance, education, security, development, culture, climate, health and food security.
In a series of messages on Twitter, Sheikh Mohamed said the visit would strengthen the UAE's international relationships and deepen co-operation with the UK.
The two men witnessed the signing of economic agreements at the residence of the UK's head of government.
“I was pleased to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson for in-depth talks in London today,” Sheikh Mohamed said.
“Together, we discussed ways of further strengthening the robust [and] long-standing strategic ties between the UAE and the UK and other areas of mutual interest in the region and around the world.”
Mr Johnson paid tribute to the role of the UAE in the recent events in Afghanistan as the country helped with evacuations when the Taliban took over in Kabul last month.
The British leader spoke in the Pillared Room at Downing Street before an audience of business leaders, bankers and senior politicians, including new International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan.
“The evacuation of British nationals from Afghanistan would not have been possible without the friendship and support of the UAE. So today, I would like to say a big, big thank you to you,” Mr Johnson said.
“This relationship is of huge importance to me personally.”
Mr Johnson said that the investment deals signed by the two countries constituted a groundbreaking partnership.
“This new sovereign investment partnership is different in scale and ambition to any other.
“We are seeing the UK and UAE doing things together and a great fusion of our efforts,” he said.
“If this relationship is the Burj Khalifa we are currently just at the ground floor, but today we are taking it up to the top floor.”
Mr Johnson said that a low-carbon future was a shared objective. “We will tackle problems like Covid and climate change together. This is a synching of the UK’s and UAE’s long-term objectives,” he said.
“I am very excited by the partnership.”
Before the meeting, Mr Johnson told The National that the discussions would build on the “long and rich history to the benefit of both our people".
“The UK and the UAE are natural partners and allies, with a shared belief in harnessing the technologies of the future to address climate change, solve global issues and deliver prosperity for our people,” he said.
“I look forward to welcoming His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to London today to drive this agenda forward.
“There is a huge amount we can do together as we work to build back better from the pandemic.”
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, arrives at 10 Downing Street. AFP The trip comes after Sheikh Mohamed met French President Emmanuel Macron near Paris on Wednesday.
Mr Johnson said Thursday's meeting would secure investments across the UK in life sciences, technology, energy transition and infrastructure.
This would support jobs and his government’s agenda to “level up” – to increase prosperity in poorer regions – across the UK.
Both sides would welcome an ambitious partnership that set a broad foundation for future co-operation, drove progress in science and innovation and supported security and prosperity, he said.
The partnership will be underpinned by annual UK-UAE Strategic Dialogues, beginning this year and chaired by the foreign ministers of both sides.
Illicit finance, education, security, development, culture, climate, health and food security were on the agenda.
The coming Expo 2020 Dubai was an opportunity for the UK to raise its profile in the region. "We are confident that Britain's participation will pave the way for more opportunities for economic and development partnership between our two countries," said Sheikh Mohamed. "In the UAE, we seek to make this event a turning point on the road to promoting global economic recovery, establishing global partnerships, and finding common ground to confront global challenges."
With a framework for investments stretching over five years, the UK and UAE will jointly pursue ambitious net-zero targets that “turbocharged” the clean energy transition.
The UAE is already a key partner for the UK, with total trade between the two countries worth £18.6bn and joint investment flows of £13.4bn in 2019.
“The UAE and the UK share a long and rich history, but with today’s agreement we are looking to the future,” Mr Johnson said.
“By working ever more closely together, our nations will be at the forefront of the industries of the future, helping to tackle climate change and boost prosperity.
“Ambitious partnerships like this are central to the government’s strategy to be a leading global force in science and technology, driving major investments to level up across the UK and create high-value jobs,” he said.
“We will turbocharge this at next month’s Global Investment Summit in London.”
Sheikh Mohamed last held talks with Mr Johnson at Downing Street last December, when they discussed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East.
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Diplomatic Visit
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34 celebrity couples that got married this year
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This includes Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell, who wed during a small ceremony at the Australia Zoo in March. Kathy Griffin married Randy Bick nine years after their first date and their ceremony was officiated by Lily Tomlin. Kathy Griffin kicked off the new year by tying the knot with Randy Bick in a ceremony that was officiated by Lily Tomlin. Randy Bick and Kathy Griffin in September 2019. Griffin shared a video of a portion of the surprise event on Twitter , telling followers: "The entire ceremony was just under 14 minutes but I have to give you guys the uncut first 75 seconds. LOVE IT! We promised you atypical. We are in love and we cannot stop laughing. Thank you @LilyTomlin and Jane Wagner [Tomlin's wife]!" "What was supposed to be a shallow, 'toot it and boot it' one-night stand has grown and flourished into something far more meaningful," Tomlin said while officiating. "They stayed together. Then they couldn't stay away from one another." During the ceremony, Griffin also wore the exact dress she donned on her first date with Bick , which took place in 2011. The comedian was previously married to Matt Moline from 2001 to 2006. "Riverdale" star Vanessa Morgan wed professional baseball player Michael Kopech. Vanessa Morgan and Michael Kopech in September 2018. The actress, who stars as Toni Topaz on the CW drama, wed Kopech in Homestead, Florida on January 4, 2020. "We both knew the first day we met that 'this is it' and I'm so excited that today officially starts our forever," Morgan told "E! News." "Today, I vowed to love my best friend for a lifetime and it was a day spent with those we love in a room filled with endless love. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him." The bride walked down the aisle to Yoke Lore's "Truly Madly Deeply" and wore a beaded dress from Eisen-Stein Bridal. The ceremony was attended by "Riverdale" costars Madelaine Petsch (who plays her on-screen girlfriend and was one of Morgan's bridesmaids), Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Tanner. Morgan also gave fans a look at her big day by sharing a video on her Instagram . The couple split months after getting married. According to E! News , Kopech filed for divorce in Texas in June 2019, weeks before news of the couple's breakup was reported. News of the breakup came days after Morgan announced that she was pregnant with her first child. A rep confirmed to E! News that Kopech is the father of the baby. Athlete Tim Tebow married Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters in South Africa. Tim Tebow and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters in February 2019. People reported that the couple wed in front of almost 300 guests at La Paris Estate in Cape Town. The publication also reported that Nel-Peters wore a custom-made dress from David's Bridal and the groom's suit was designed by Antar Levar. Tebow and Nel-Peters met through a Night to Shine, which is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. "Her sister has special needs, so we invited them to Night to Shine in South Africa,'' Tebow told Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb during an appearance on the "Today" show in 2018 . "We kind of met and started talking through that and haven't stopped." Pamela Anderson wed producer Jon Peters, but the couple split before filing the marriage documents. Pamela Anderson in November 2019. Anderson and Peters, who have known each other for decades, got married in Malibu on January 20. Days later, they ended their relationship. "I have been moved by the warm reception to Jon and my union," Anderson told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. "We would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to reevaluate what we want from life and from one another. The "Baywatch" star continued: "Life is a journey and love is a process. With that universal truth in mind, we have mutually decided to put off the formalization of our marriage certificate and put our faith in the process." Brandon Jenner and Cayley Stoker exchanged vows at a courthouse in January. Cayley Stoker and Brandon Jenner in May 2019. The couple started dating in early 2019, following his split with ex-wife Leah Felder. In August 2019, Jenner and Stoker revealed that they were expecting twins . Their engagement was revealed on January 25 with a video posted on Instagram and the following day, People shared exclusive photos from their courthouse wedding that actually took place a few days earlier. "We wed at the Santa Barbara Courthouse on January 21 with my daughter Eva and Cayley's grandmother, Joan, as our witness," Jenner told the publication. Athletes Kealia Ohai and JJ Watt got married in the Bahamas. Kealia Ohai and JJ Watt in February 2018. The couple got engaged in May 2019 and exchanged vows on February 15, 2020. Frankie Muniz and Paige Price wed in February 2020, months after secretly eloping. Frankie Muniz and Paige Price in October 2017. The couple got engaged while at a lantern festival in November 2018. Muniz told People that in 2019, they "hiked up Camelback Mountain at sunset and just got married," but they still wanted a formal wedding ceremony. The "Malcolm in the Middle" star also said that they planned their wedding, which took place in Phoenix, in 10 days. "Pitch Perfect" star Brittany Snow married Tyler Stanaland in Malibu. Tyler Stanaland and Brittany Snow in September 2019. David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Photos from the big day, shared by People , showed that the bride wore a long-sleeved dress and the groom wore Converse sneakers with his tuxedo. According to "E! News," the nuptials took place at Cielo Farms and their dog was in attendance. The couple got engaged in early 2019 and Stanaland told The Knot that Snow was his "unattainable crush forever." "As a man, I used to watch 'Pitch Perfect' with friends and, 'Brittany Snow… One day.' But never thinking it would ever happen," the realtor said. Michelle Williams reportedly married director Thomas Kail. Thomas Kail and Michelle Williams in January 2020. Williams starred on FX's "Fosse/Verdon," which Kail directed five episodes of. The actress is famously tight-lipped about her personal life and according to Us Weekly , she quietly married Kail. In June 2020, Us Weekly reported that Williams welcomed a baby with Kail. It's unclear if the couple welcomed a boy or a girl. She was previously married to musician Phil Elverum. Williams also has a daughter named Matilda with late actor Heath Ledger. Kail was previously in a relationship with Angela Christian. Bindi Irwin wed longtime love Chandler Powell during a "small ceremony" at the Australia Zoo in March 2020. Chandler Powell and Bindi Irwin in November 2019. Irwin wore a white gown with long lace sleeves and a tulle skirt while Powell was dressed in a light blue shirt and khaki pants. "There are no words to describe the amount of love and light in my heart right now," Irwin captioned a photo of the couple on their wedding day. She also revealed that they planned their nuptials for almost a year, but changed their plans due to the spread of the coronavirus. Specifically, they couldn't include guests at their wedding. "Today we celebrated life and reveled in every beautiful moment we shared together in our Australia Zoo gardens," Irwin wrote. The bride was escorted down the aisle by younger brother Robert Irwin and they lit a candle in honor of their late father, Steve Irwin. Former Disney Channel star Debby Ryan and Twenty One Pilots drummer Josh Dun got married on New Year's Eve in 2019 and shared the news with fans in May 2020. Debby Ryan and Josh Dun in December 2019. The couple got engaged in 2018 . Fans suspected that Ryan and Dun secretly tied the knot after the musician was seen wearing a wedding band in Twenty One Pilots' music video for "Level of Concern," which was filmed while in quarantine . The stars confirmed their wedding in a Vogue feature that included plenty of photos and details about their nuptials. They planned the celebration, which took place in Austin, Texas, in 28 days. The bride wore an Elie Saab dress and the groom dressed in a green velvet Paul Smith suit. Ryan and Dun's dog was also present at the wedding and served as the ring bearer. "That's So Raven" star Raven-Symoné had a surprise wedding in June. The actress wed Miranda Pearman-Maday and shared photos from the small ceremony on Instagram. "I got married to a woman who understands me from trigger to joy, from breakfast to midnight snack, from stage to home. I love you Mrs. Pearman-Maday!" Symoné captioned a candid photo of the couple. In another post , the actress thanked celebrity tattoo artist Daniel Winter (also known as Winter Stone) for giving them matching ink on their fingers. "Parent Trap" star Dennis Quaid wed Laura Savoie in Santa Barbara in June. Dennis Quaid and Laura Savoie in November 2019. "Just looking into her eyes, she was the most stunning bride," Quaid told People of the elopement. The couple got engaged in 2019. Quaid previously told Extra that he and Savoie were supposed to get married in Hawaii in April, but they decided to postpone due to the coronavirus pandemic. This marks Quaid's fourth marriage. The actor was married to actress P.J. Soles from 1978 to 1983. In 1991, he married costar Meg Ryan. The couple welcomed son Jack Quaid, who's also an actor, in 1992. They split in 2000. Quaid went on to marry Kimberly Buffington-Quaid in 2004. They welcomed twins named Thomas Boone Quaid and Zoe Grace Quaid three years later via surrogate. Their divorce was finalized in 2018 following an on-again, off-again relationship . Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a secret Windsor royal wedding that took place on July 17. Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in October 2019. Beatrice and Mozzi originally planned on having the ceremony at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, but were forced to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, they had a socially distanced ceremony at All Saints Chapel, Windsor Great Park in front of a small group of family members. Beatrice got married while wearing the same tiara that her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, wore to her royal wedding in 1947. "Talking Body" singer Tove Lo surprised fans when she revealed that she tied the knot with Charlie Twaddle.
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Famous Person - Marriage
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Patrie (airship) crash
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The Lebaudy République (later known as La République[1]) was a semi-rigid airship built for the French army in Moisson, France, by sugar manufacturers Lebaudy Frères. She was a sister ship of the Patrie, the main differences between the two being in the dimensions of the gasbag (or 'envelope') and the ballonet. [2][3] Although she was operationally successful, the République crashed in 1909 due to a mechanical failure, killing all four crew members. The République's predecessor, the Lebaudy Patrie, had been so successful that three further airships of the same design were ordered by the French government in March 1907. [4] Two of them saw service under the names République and Liberté. [5] The République was completed in June 1908, flew for the first time June 24 and was handed over to the French army on 31 July of that year. Other governments had been equally impressed, and the Russian[6] and Austrian armies each ordered an airship of the same design. The Russie[7] saw service in Russia as the Lebed,[8] and the Autrichienne[9] (built under license in Vienna by the Motor-Luftfahrzeug Gesellschaft) was operated by the Austrian army under the designation M.II. [10]
The main structural components of the République, like those of the Patrie, were the gasbag, a nickel-steel frame or keel, and a gondola suspended from the frame on steel cables. Contained within the envelope was a ballonet, the function of which was to ensure that sufficient gas pressure was maintained in the envelope at all times, irrespective of the degree of expansion or contraction of the lifting gas. These components were essentially the same as for the Patrie, the only differences initially being in the dimensions of the envelope and the ballonet, which are given in the Specifications section below. The modular structure enabled the envelope volume to be varied without affecting the keel or the gondola. For a more detailed description, see Lebaudy Patrie. The République's first flight took place at the Lebaudy base at Moisson on 24 June 1908. She was flown to Chalais-Meudon to take up her military duties on 31 July 1908. [11]
During the autumn of 1908 and the spring and summer of 1909, the République was engaged in two campaigns of peacetime military operations from her base at the French airship headquarters at Chalais-Meudon, the objectives of which were to train the pilots and the support team and to assess the airship's capabilities. [11] These test flights included a long flight on Wed. 4 August 1909, during which she covered 130 miles (209 km) in 6 hours; this was reported in Flight Magazine on 7 August 1909. [12]
In 1909, the army decided to integrate airship reconnaissance into its military manoeuvres of that year ("Les grandes Manoeuvres du Bourbonnais") and the République was assigned to this task. A temporary hangar, comprising a metal framework over which a fabric skin was draped, was constructed at Lapalisse to accommodate the airship. On 3 September 1909, the République set off from Chalais-Meudon for the flight to Lapalisse. After 62 miles (105 km), while over La Charité-sur-Loire, the motor overheated due to poor water circulation and had to be stopped immediately, requiring the crew to land in poor conditions at Policards, in the commune of Jussy-le-Chaudrier. Some local farm workers who were on the scene caught the guide ropes but were unable to prevent the gondola from impaling itself on an apple tree, which damaged the airship's keel and gondola in several places. With the keel and gondola damaged and given the loss of a quantity of gas, it was decided not to risk the République suffering the same fate as the Patrie (which was lost when a storm blew up while she was moored in the open due to mechanical problems), but to deflate the gas-bag immediately. The gondola and keel were sent on to Lapalisse for repairs and the envelope was returned for repairs to Chalais-Meudon. The necessary repairs were made sufficiently quickly for the République to be reassembled and inflated, ready to take part successfully in the manoeuvres by 12 September 1909 as planned. [11]
After the manoeuvres the crew which was assigned the task of returning the République to Chalais-Meudon decided to fly her back, rather than have her deflated and dismantled for the return journey by rail. On the morning of 25 September 1909 while near the Château of Avrilly 46°38′34.01″N 3°16′57.98″E / 46.6427806°N 3.2827722°E / 46.6427806; 3.2827722, one of the metal propeller blades sheared off its shaft and pierced the envelope, which deflated catastrophically, causing the République to crash into ground at high speed, killing all four crew members: Capt. Marchal, Lt. Chauré, and the 'Adjudants mecaniciens', Vincenot and Réau. [11][13]
The French government took immediate steps to replace the République, ordering two airships to replace her. The République's sister-ship, the Liberté, already in production, was modified by the addition of a second engine following the loss of the République[14] before being commissioned to take up her military role, based at the garrison of Belfort. [15]
A new airship, named Capitaine-Marchal in honour of the deceased commander of the République, was presented to the French government by Lebaudy Frères. [16]
After the accident criticisms were voiced about the advisability of operating the République following her accident prior to the manoeuvres and about the design of the airship's propellers; the latter point was addressed in the order for replacement propellers. [15]
Opinions such as those expressed by The New York Times that the "War Dirigibles Must Yield to the Aeroplane"[17] and "France Loses Faith in Army Balloons – Loss of Four Lives in La République Accident Turns Public Favor to Aeroplanes"[18] reflected a growing awareness of the relative potentials of airships and aeroplanes, although all major powers continued to invest in military airships for some years. Airships were to be used throughout most of World War I, before their vulnerability to improved heavier-than-air aircraft led to their being abandoned for military purposes; the British military Airship Branch was disbanded in 1921. [19]
Data from D'Orcy's Airship Manual, 1917 pp.83–85. General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
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Air crash
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Locust swarms bring back past for US farmers | Farm Progress
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Chris Bennett 1 | Mar 07, 2013
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No stranger to agriculture, the eighth plague of Exodus is back, but at least not over American crop fields. Sometimes described as “hell from above,” Egypt and the Middle East have been hit with a massive swarm of locusts some 30 million insects strong. Crop dusters were being used to fight the locusts with chemical sprays, just as they were used back in 2004, during a similar swarm.
For U.S. agriculture, the memories of locust clouds have long faded, but the speed, ferocity and devastation of locusts, particularly the Rocky Mountain locust, would have once been a fact of life for a sweep of American farmers from California to Texas to Minnesota.
The density of Rocky Mountain locust swarms that periodically hit U.S. crop fields during the 1800s is difficult to grasp today. Western settler accounts testify to locust clouds “blocking out the sun.” Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote: “The Cloud was hailing grasshoppers. The cloud was grasshoppers. Their bodies hid the sun and made darkness. Their thin, large wings gleamed and glittered. The rasping whirring of their wings filled the whole air and they hit the ground and the house with the noise of a hailstorm.”
Within the short span of hours, locust swarms could blow in and devour everything a farmer had — total consumption: crops, fabric, or clothing. Farmers tried in vain to fight the swarms with fires and metal scoops covered with tar or molasses, and were met with destruction on a catastrophic scale as Wild West Magazine details: “The locusts soon scoured the fields of crops, the trees of leaves, every blade of grass, the wool off sheep, the harnesses off horses, the paint off wagons and the handles off pitchforks … The locusts, farmers grimly quipped, ‘ate everything but the mortgage.’”
In 1875, the largest locust swarm in history was recorded over the Midwest — 198,000 square miles. (For a size reference, California covers 163,696 square miles.) The 1875 swarm was estimated to contain several trillion locusts and probably weighed several million tons. That was the largest locust cloud in world history, according to Jeffrey Lockwood , author of “The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier.”
Only 27 years after the record swarm the Rocky Mountain locust was extinct, with the last recorded sighting in 1902. Scientists debate the reason of the extinction with general consensus pointing toward cultivation of farmland: Western farmers put more and more acreage under the plow — the same acreage that was host to locust eggs. Researchers still trek to glaciers in states like Wyoming to get frozen Rocky Mountain locust carcasses for study and museum displays.
For 19th century American farmers, a sudden locust cloud must have literally looked and sounded like a biblical plague. Lockwood offers this helpless description from Highland, Kan., settler E. Snyder: “[The locusts] came rattling and pattering on the houses, and against the windows, falling the fields, on the prairie — everywhere and on everything. By about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, every tree and bush, buildings, fences, fields, roads, and everything, except animated beings, was completely covered with grasshoppers.”
Snyder’s description isn’t precisely the same as Exodus 10:15 — but it’s strikingly similar: “For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.”
There were no tears when the Rocky Mountain locust went extinct in 1902. Science’s loss and agriculture’s gain.
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Insect Disaster
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Regions Foundation awards $250K grant to Tuskegee University’s needs-based scholarship program
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Tuskegee University on Wednesday announced that it has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Regions Foundations to support students in its Low-and Middle Income (LMI) Scholarship Program. The scholarships are expected to support at least 50 students in pursuing their degrees. Regions Foundation, a nonprofit initiative primarily funded by Regions Bank, supports educational and workforce readiness investments, economic and community development, and financial wellness. The grant is part of a two-year, $12 million commitment announced last year by the Regions Foundation and Regions Bank to support organizations dedicated to serving the economic needs of minority communities by advancing racial equity and creating inclusive opportunities for success. Marta Self, executive director of the Regions Foundation, touched on the need to empower underserved communities. “The Regions Foundation is committed to advancing education opportunities for students across our communities while removing barriers to success,” said Self. “Those barriers often include financial challenges in obtaining a degree, and our goal is to use the foundation’s resources in a way that connects more students with the opportunity to complete their education and pursue rewarding careers.” She added, “We appreciate the work of the educators, administrators and staff of Tuskegee University, and we are honored to support their work to empower students through a world-class education.” Tuskegee University has received a $250,000 grant from the Regions Foundation to support scholarships for students. The scholarships are expected to support at least 50 students as they pursue their degrees. Read more at: https://t.co/ih2fDekbLr #TuskegeeUniversity #Scholarships pic.twitter.com/4H5pI9PrO9 — TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY (@TuskegeeUniv) September 22, 2021 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tuskegee University’s enrollment dropped by nearly 270 students. The award will further assist the HBCU (historically black college and university) to overcome its enrollment gap by offering scholarships to low and moderate-income students who are eligible to receive federal funding. Eligible students can apply for funding through Tuskegee’s Office of Financial Aid as part of their application for financial assistance. Alongside the grant offering, Regions Bank has long provided the HBCU with financial and volunteer support. Last year, emergency financial assistance was provided by the Birmingham-based bank to students who were negatively impacted by the pandemic. Funding from the financial institution provided access to technology and equipment for students to transition to online studies. Regions Bank supports annual career fairs and other events on campus as well. Additionally, as part of its community engagement priorities, Regions associates taught education courses to students. Tuskegee University President Dr. Charlotte P. Morris praised Regions Bank for its charitable giving and hailed the longstanding relationship it holds with the financial institution. “We have had a long-term relationship with Regions Bank as they have managed the institution’s financial resources for many years. We are grateful for the opportunity to begin a new relationship with the Regions Foundation that has shown a true commitment to helping those in their community,” said Morris. “Over 70% of Tuskegee students are on some type of financial aid. As our students continue to strive toward completing their education during these challenging times, the investment by the Regions Foundation serves to reduce the barriers to success for them.” In addition to the Regions Foundation’s support at Tuskegee, the foundation has also recently supported student scholarships at other HBCUs across Alabama, Florida and Tennessee. Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL Yellowhammer News is Alabama’s preeminent outlet for news, analysis and much more. We are committed to delivering the news in a manner that reflects the state of Alabama, its people and their values.
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Financial Aid
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Drought may force Brazil to ration power, says Vice President Mourao
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Paula, 7, poses with her horse on the cracked ground of Atibainha dam, part of the Cantareira reservoir, in Nazare Paulista, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, February 12, 2015. REUTERS BRASILIA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao said on Wednesday a severe drought could lead to energy rationing in Brazil, contradicting other officials who have said that such a step would not be necessary. Brazil, one of the world's agricultural superpowers, is suffering from one of its worst droughts in a century. The lack of rainfall has emptied hydroelectric reservoirs, fanned inflation and hurt farmers. The government has given incentives to use less energy but says rationing is not expected. "There may have to be some rationing," Mourao told reporters in Brasilia, although he said the government had taken necessary measures to prevent blackouts. Brazil's Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque on Tuesday said the country's energy crisis was worse than previously thought. In a televised national address, Albuquerque said Brazil had lost hydropower output equal to the energy consumed by the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second largest, in five months. Separately on Tuesday, the ministry announced it would once again raise energy prices, with affected consumers paying on average 6.78% more for electricity starting on Sept. 1. The meteorological outlook remains grim for Brazil. Rainfall in energy-producing regions is likely to remain well below average in September, the national grid operator ONS said last week.
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Droughts
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Security guard shot and killed in ambush during attempted bank robbery
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A security guard was shot and killed when he was ambushed as he stood guard outside of a bank during an attempted bank robbery. The incident occurred at approximately 1 p.m. at the First Midwest Bank on Ridge Road in Gary, Indiana, when two suspects were seen on bank surveillance cameras carrying guns before ambushing 55-year-old retired Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Castellana as he was on patrol outside the establishment, according to ABC’s Chicago station WLS-TV. Witnesses who were nearby told WLS that they heard at least two gunshots during the attack. “I didn’t see him fall down but when we looked over there with the police you could see man laying on the front of the door,” James Ripkowski, who works across the street from the bank, told WLS in an interview after the incident. “I actually heard the shots but we actually thought it was like regular fireworks,” Randy Martin, another witness to the shooting, told WLS. “"For them to have the guts and the audacity to do something like that, that is beyond me.” Castellana of Tinley Park, Illinois, who served as a Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy for 35 years before retiring in 2019 and taking a job as a security guard at the bank, died of injuries suffered at the scene of the crime. Heavily armed federal, state and local authorities responded to the shooting and immediately began a manhunt for the two suspects involved in the shooting, according to WLS. One suspect was caught a short time later hiding behind some trees in a wooded area close to the bank. Authorities focused on the same area in an attempt to find the second suspect but have so far been unable to locate him. Many who work in the area said they saw Castellana patrolling the parking lot on a daily basis and described him as an incredibly kind and approachable person. “He was human just like us, you know,” said fellow security guard, Melissa Mali. “We talked about family things. We talked about everything outside of just ‘hey, I work at a bank.’ That was my buddy. I didn’t look at him as a security guard at a bank. That was my friend.” The Cook County Sheriff’s Office released a statement sending condolences to the family of the 55-year-old police force veteran. "We are saddened to hear about the tragic passing of our former Deputy Sheriff, Richard Castellana. Deputy Castellana served Cook County for 35years until his retirement in 2019. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and friends. We send our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” the statement read. The first suspect has not yet been publicly identified by authorities and charges have yet to be filed. The Lake County Sheriff's Department said their investigation is ongoing. Said witness Mike Richardson to WLS: "Every day we see the security guards walking around over there. It's just surreal when you see something like that, you just don't believe it."
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Bank Robbery
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Swimmer Caeleb Dressel is pretty much invincible when he has a lane to himself
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TOKYO -- Swimmer Caeleb Dressel is pretty much invincible when he has a lane to himself.
But give him a deficit of more than 8 seconds?
Well, that's too much for even the world's greatest swimmer to overcome with two laps of the pool.
On a morning of mixed emotions and chaotic racing at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Dressel set a world record in the 100-meter butterfly but was basically doomed before he even dove into the pool in the new mixed relay Saturday.
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So went his chances of joining a very exclusive club. His bid to win six gold medals fell apart with another U.S. relay debacle. The Americans were too far behind in the 4x100-meter mixed medley when their top swimmer took over, so the best Dressel could do was rally the U.S. to a fifth-place finish in an event that features two men and two women on each team. Britain set a world record to win the gold.
"Fifth place is unacceptable for USA Swimming," Dressel said. "It stings."
It was a disappointing capper to a golden morning for the Americans, whose biggest swimming stars both ascended to the top of the medal podium.
After Dressel won his third gold of the games, Katie Ledecky closed out her grueling Olympic program with a third straight victory in the 800 freestyle.
Ledecky was pushed hard by Australian rival Ariarne Titmus , but the American held on in a race she hasn't lost since 2010.
Ledecky finished with two golds, two silvers and a fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics -- not as successful as she was five years ago in Rio de Janeiro but not bad at all.
Ledecky became the first women's swimmer to capture six individual gold medals in her career with another Olympic title in the 800 free, winning with a time of 8 minutes, 12.57 seconds.
Titmus closed strong to claim the silver in 8:13.83, while the bronze went to Italy's Simona Quadarella in 8:18.35.
"I could see her the whole way," Ledecky said of Titmus. "I was trying to keep tabs on her and trying to inch my way out a little bit each 50. I knew she was just going to be lurking there the whole time."
Ledecky lost her first two individual matchups with Titmus but finally beat the Terminator in their final showdown.
"I knew I had to have a little gap," Ledecky said, "because if we were neck and neck on the last 100, I know she has that finish."
Dressel led from the start in the fly and held off Hungary's Kristof Milak to touch in 49.45 seconds, breaking the mark of 49.50 that the American set at the 2019 world championships.
Milak, winner of the 200 fly, earned the silver with a blistering 49.68. The bronze went to Switzerland's Noe Ponti .
When he saw the "WR" beside his name, Dressel smiled and joined hands with Milak in the lane next to him. They raised their arms together before Dressel flexed his left arm and pumped it in the air.
"He's going to put me out of a job one day, so I'm just trying to hang on as long as I can," Dressel said. "Kristof executed perfectly. We both swam exactly the race we needed to."
The Australian women added another gold.
Kaylee McKeown completed a sweep of the backstroke events with a victory in the 200. Her winning time was 2:04.68.
The silver went to Canada's Kylie Masse in 2:05.42, with another Australian, Emily Seebohm , claiming the bronze in 2:06.17.
Americans Rhyan White and Phoebe Bacon finished fourth and fifth.
It's been a huge Olympics for the Aussie women. They have won six of their team's seven gold medals at the pool.
In another disappointment for the Americans, Simone Manuel failed to advance to the final of the 500 free, her only individual event in these Games.
The first Black American woman to win an individual swimming gold posted the 11th-best time in the semifinals and was eliminated, capping a trying year in which she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome.
Dressel advanced easily in the men's 50-meter freestyle semifinals with the top final time (21.42).
The mixed medley was another story.
For the second time at these Olympics, the U.S. failed to win a relay medal, joining a fourth-place finish in the men's 4x200 freestyle. Before Tokyo, the Americans had never failed to finish in the top three of an Olympic relay they entered.
The Americans tried a different strategy than everyone else, going with Dressel on the freestyle while the other seven teams all closed with a woman.
The Americans faltered when Lydia Jacoby -- already the only woman swimming the breaststroke leg -- had her goggles knocked off on her dive into the water.
The 17-year-old struggled to finish in 1:05.09, her goggles dangling from her mouth as the rest of the field pulled away.
"I've never really had that happen before," said Jacoby, who wears a single cap while most swimmers wear two largely to prevent such a problem. "I was definitely panicking a little. My turn was where it was most rough because I couldn't see the wall."
Her teammates praised her effort.
"Anyone that swam with their goggles in their mouth like she did [knows] she did fantastic," said Ryan Murphy , who took the opening backstroke leg.
When 18-year-old Torri Huske passed off to Dressel after the butterfly leg, the Americans were 8.01 seconds behind the leaders and in last place.
Dressel furiously tried to cut into the huge gap. His 46.99 leg was better than his winning time in the 100 free individual event, but it wasn't nearly enough to chase down all the teams ahead of him.
"Everyone swam as well as they could in the moment," Dressel said. "We got beat by a better team."
Britain's team of Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty, James Guy and Anna Hopkin claimed the gold with a world record of 3:37.58. The silver went to China in 3:38.86, while Australia took the bronze in 3:38.95.
Dressel touched in 3:40.58, also finishing behind Italy.
He was hoping to sweep his six events, which would have made him only the fourth swimmer and fifth athlete overall to win six gold medals at a single Olympics.
Swimming icon Michael Phelps did it twice, capturing six golds at the 2004 Athens Games before setting the record with eight golds in Beijing four years later.
For Dressel, who has two more races on the final day of swimming, five golds is now the best he can do.
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Break historical records
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State Inspections Confirm Whistleblower Allegations At Troubled California COVID Lab
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It began with one whistleblower and quickly grew to more than a dozen whistleblowers with allegations and evidence of shocking public health dangers at the state’s COVID lab that, they said, the state tried to hide.
Unlicensed lab techs asleep while processing COVID samples , test swabs found in lab restrooms, incidents of contamination, swapped samples, and tens of thousands of inconclusive COVID tests were just the first of many shocking revelations from inside California’s $1.7B COVID testing lab, which was built at the taxpayers’ expense.
In February, the state initially denied the whistleblower allegations and called our reporting “irresponsible journalism.” State regulators later changed their response.
We later learned that state inspectors already knew about problems at the lab and previously found “significant deficiencies“ during a preliminary licensing inspection , months before our initial reports.
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Immediate Jeopardy to Patient Health and Safety
Records released Monday confirm deficiencies at the lab continued for months and “pose(d) immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety. ”
According to the February 7th complaint inspection , prompted by the whistleblower allegations, inspectors found that the “laboratory’s non-compliance” had “already caused, is causing, or is likely to cause, at any time, serious injury or harm, or death, to individuals served by the laboratory or to the health and safety of the general public.”
Yet public health officials and the Newsom administration continued to downplay problems at the lab and failed to warn the public about the possible risks as COVID cases and deaths peaked.
Problems Continued
It wasn’t until weeks later, after our fourth report exposed that the lab’s COVID test was no longer FDA authorized , and lawmakers pressed the state for answers, that state health officials finally acknowledged deficiencies at the lab in a February 22nd press release.
In February, both state regulators and PerkinElmer insisted the problems had “long since been resolved” .
Monday’s report indicates that was not true.
In fact, inspectors issued a “ Notice of Intent to Impose Sanctions ” in October, when the lab had still failed to correct the issues, ten days before CDPH renewed its $1.7B COVID lab contract with PerkinElmer .
As we’ve reported, ongoing deficiencies continued to have significant impacts on the Californians relying on those COVID test results.
A Flawed Test?
The report confirmed the whistleblower allegations that management repeatedly made changes to the lab’s COVID test, thereby voiding the FDA Authorization that is outlined in the $1.7B COVID lab contract. Inspection records indicate that the lab was using the test on patients, for months, without properly validating the test to confirm the results were accurate .
Investigators also confirmed the whistleblower allegations that when the lab made errors, and later had to correct a result, they did not immediately notify the patient of the new result.
As whistleblowers stressed, people who received a negative test result, but were positive for COVID, may have been unknowingly infecting others, and people who were negative, but received a positive test result, may have been unnecessarily quarantined, preventing them from being able to work.
“Destruction of Documents and Data”
In its summary of the report, the CDPH said, “inspectors were not able to substantiate the local media outlets reporting that there was the destruction of documents and data,” presumably referring to our reports.
Except, we didn’t report that.
ALSO READ: CA’s Billion-Dollar COVID Testing Lab Under Investigation Following CBS13 Whistleblower Report
We reported that “employees were told to come in to the lab [on] Super Bowl Sunday, to alter competency records” ahead of our initial report which was scheduled to run after the February 7th Super Bowl on CBS.
PerkinElmer had denied the allegations that hundreds of employees did not have documented competency, which is required by law.
Shortly after we sent additional evidence to CDPH that day, whistleblowers warned us that managers were being called in, during the Super Bowl, to alter competency records ahead of our report.
We later received an email confirming that managers were, in fact, called in during the Super Bowl to address the records “since this became even more urgent,” a manager said in the email. However, Whistleblowers said they were unable to alter the records after we warned CDPH.
Inspection records now confirm the competency allegations. Inspectors found roughly half the lab’s employees did not have documented competency
Questionable Records
Inspectors also found that lab employees were effectively concealing lab errors by classifying lost or damaged samples as “unsatisfactory samples.” Incidentally, state data indicates the lab’s “unsatisfactory samples” more than doubled since August.
The state has at least five categories of samples that do not return clear results:
Unsatisfactory – Samples that can’t be tested due to the quality of the sample itself
Lost – Samples that can’t be tested due to lab accidents or errors
Invalid – Problems with the test itself (Internal control failures)
Canceled– Samples processed by the lab after 96hrs or that arrive without an order.
Inconclusive – The test detects very low levels of virus
(*reported to patients as presumptive positive)
ALSO READ: ‘Inconclusive’ Results Should Be ‘Reported as Positive’ – State COVID Test Not FDA Authorized
Back in February, when we reported on tens of thousands of inconclusive covid results , Health Secretary Ghaly downplayed the number of the flawed tests by focusing on other categories. We later learned many of those “inconclusive results” had also been miscategorized and were actually “invalid” meaning there was a problem with the test’s internal quality control.
Ghaly said, at the time, that there had only been 60 wrong results , which he referred to as “corrected reports,” and 250 lost samples that couldn’t be tested due to lab errors. But the Health Secretary failed to acknowledge all the “inconclusive,” “invalid” and “canceled” samples, in addition to those reportedly miscategorized as “unsatisfactory samples.”
ALSO READ: Regulators Find ‘Significant Deficiencies’ At CA COVID Testing Lab – Whistleblowers Respond
As of August, there were more than 44,000 invalid, lost or canceled samples combined, according to previous data provided by CDPH.
That’s in addition to another 44,000+ inconclusive/presumptive positive results , which is the designation given by the lab when PerkinElmer’s highly sensitive test identifies very low levels of virus.
As of August, one out of every 42 tests processed at the lab did not return a clear positive or negative result – and that doesn’t include “unsatisfactory samples” that may have been miscategorized.
287 Days – And Problems Continue
The Newsom administration continues to downplay problems at the lab. Despite the blatant public health failures, the state characterized these violations of federal law as deficiencies “which are routinely found in laboratory inspections.”
Laboratory experts we’ve consulted dispute that assertion.
In response to the report, Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) released the following statement:
“It should not have taken 287 days for Californians to receive answers about this taxpayer-funded COVID testing lab. Especially when our vulnerable students are the ones at-risk. Parents and families deserve accountability and transparency from the Newsom Administration. The allegations exposed in February were troubling to say the least – swapped samples, inaccurate results, contamination, and beyond. Not to mention, private labs are producing the same results at a reduced cost. Looks like we can add this to the list of the times Newsom has failed to ‘meet the moment.’”
As Wilk notes, according to the state, more than 1,600 schools are using the lab for COVID-19 testing. As we’ve reported, many students have struggled with false-positive results and unnecessary quarantines due to problems at the lab.
While the lab’s testing turn-around time has improved this month, in September, the lab returned between one-third and two-thirds of COVID results in more than 48 hours and was among the slowest COVID labs in the state.
The CDPH-PerkinElmer lab’s turnaround time was nearly twice the state average for much of October.
Accountability Continues
The report , which was supposed to be released eight months ago , was released late Monday afternoon ahead of the Thanksgiving Holiday. CBS13 is still reviewing the documents and will have much more in the coming days as we dig into this report.
Notably, court records reveal that federal inspectors also found “serious deficiencies” at this lab, ranging from inaccurate test results to quality control failures and test validation problems.
The state’s COVID lab director testified last month that his license was in jeopardy due to deficiencies at the state lab. The federal investigation is reportedly ongoing.
**NOTE: This story will be updated with additional information and links as we continue to review the inspection documents .
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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2013 Okhotsk Sea earthquake
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The 2013 Okhotsk Sea earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 8.3 at 15:44:49 local time (05:44:49 UTC) on 24 May. [1] It had an epicenter in the Sea of Okhotsk and affected primarily (but not only) Asian Russia, especially the Kamchatka Peninsula where the shaking lasted for five minutes. [2] Due to its great depth (609 km), it was not particularly intense at the surface, but was felt over a very large area. Such a deep-focus earthquake could be felt not only in areas surrounding the Okhotsk Sea but also in places as far as Tokyo (JMA 1) (about 2,374 km away), Nanjing (more than 4,000 km away), Atyrau (MM V) (about 7,196 km away), and Moscow (about 7,370 km away). [3][4][5][6] The shaking prompted almost 900 residents to leave their homes in Moscow. [7]
A related aftershock with a magnitude Mw 6.7 produced a supershear earthquake. It was an extremely deep (640 kilometers (400 miles)) supershear as well as unusually fast at "eight kilometers per second (five miles per second), nearly 50 percent faster than the shear wave velocity at that depth. "[8]
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Earthquakes
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Settle rail crash
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The Settle rail crash was a railway accident that occurred at Langcliffe near Settle, England, on the night of 21 January 1960 in which two trains collided, killing five people and injuring eight more. BR Standard Class 7 No 70052 Firth of Tay was leading the 21:05 8-carriage express train from Glasgow St Enoch to London St Pancras. On the descent from Ais Gill summit, the driver heard a repeated knocking which he thought came from the connecting rods where they were connected to the locomotive's drive wheels. He reduced speed and later stopped the train in a gale-force wind while it was snowing at Garsdale, but was unable to find the cause of the noise. He continued south at what he thought was less than 20 mph; however, timings from the signal boxes showed the speed was 40 mph. The fireman on the right of the train then saw sparks from the side of the locomotive as ballast began to be thrown up against the cab. As the driver made a full brake application, an LMS class 5-hauled 20-wagon goods train passed in the opposite direction. The freight engine and eight leading wagons derailed, colliding with the side of the express, ripping out the side of the first three carriages and scoring the remainder. Five people were killed and eight more were injured. The accident happened near the village of Langcliffe, immediately north of Settle. A search of the track along which the express had travelled revealed that between 33 miles and 12 miles before the accident it had shed various components of its side assembly. At the point where the driver inspected the locomotive all the parts that were missing had already fallen off, but due to the severity of the weather during this inspection the official report did not attach any blame to the driver for not spotting this, although the report did comment that the driver proceeded afterwards at an unsafe speed. Eventually the entire connecting rod had ploughed into the ballast near the adjacent line; wrecking the track in front of the oncoming goods train. The root cause was the failure of maintenance staff to properly secure the slide bar nuts; a problem which had been reported several times previously on that locomotive and on others in the same class but without fatal consequences. As a result of the enquiry the difficult to access nuts were redesigned. Coordinates: 54°04′54″N 2°16′37″W / 54.08162°N 2.277°W / 54.08162; -2.277
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Train collisions
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2003 Iranian student protests
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The 2003 Iranian student protests was a series of nationwide rallies and student protests in Iran against president Mohammad Khatami and demanded more liberal democratic reforms and justice over the deaths in the Iran student protests, July 1999. Massive protests and General strikes first began on 12 June, when anti-government demonstrators chanted slogans against president Mohammad Khatami and his reign in power. The wave of popular, chaotic demonstrations became the most violent and most biggest since 1999. Protesters had a clear demand, a more liberal democratic government and fresh Elections to be held. Fresh street protests culminated into violence as Riots broke out in Tehran, Abadan and teachers also started to rally. The student demonstrations consisted of Lobbying, Looting and Picketing. Mass protests strengthened and brewed, drawing international attention, and protesters also demanded Democracy, an end to Police brutality, Unemployment and Poverty to be curbed, Free speech and Free rights, Independent Media and free student education. Protests continued daily, triggering the Iran Revolutionary Guards to be sent to disperse protesters. Protesters chanted slogans and anti-corruption chants as marchers clashed with police at peaceful demonstrations in Mahshahr, where protest sites have been located, as well as Qom. Police tackled the Civil disobedience and nonviolent uprising by using Live ammunition and Rubber bullets to disperse protesters. The security forces managed to quell the mass uprising using brutal tactics after more demands was met in growing opposition street demonstrations by teachers and workers to president Mohammad Khatami. [1][2][3] The protests first began after new plans to privatise universities by thousands of civilians and citizens, mainly young people, then turned into sustained anti-government rallies calling for the overthrow pd the regime. The anti-regime protests was the biggest since 1999, but protests was suppressed by the security forces, their demands was suppressed.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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2007 Bombardier Dash 8 landing gear incidents crash
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In September 2007, two separate accidents due to similar landing gear failures occurred within four days of each other on Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft operated by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). A third incident, again with a SAS aircraft, occurred in October 2007, leading to the withdrawal of the type from the airline's fleet. Scandinavian Airlines Flight 1209, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 with the registration LN-RDK, took off from Copenhagen Airport, Denmark, on September 9, 2007. It was on a domestic flight to Aalborg Airport. Prior to landing, the right main landing gear failed to lock and the crew circled for an hour while trying to fix the problem then preparing for an emergency landing. After the aircraft touched down, the right landing gear collapsed, the right wing hit the ground, and a fire broke out. The fire went out before the aircraft came to rest and all passengers and crew were evacuated. Five people suffered minor injuries, some from parts of the propeller entering the cabin and others from the evacuation. When the handle for lowering the landing gear was activated, the indicator showed two green and one red light. The red light indicated that the right main gear was not locked in position. The landing was aborted. Attempts at lowering the gear manually were also unsuccessful. An investigation into the cause of the failure to deploy revealed that the right main gear hydraulic actuator eyebolt had broken away from the actuator. A further analysis of the actuator showed corrosion of the threads on both the inside threads of the piston rod and the outside threads of the rod end, leading to reduced mechanical strength of the actuator and eventual failure. [1]
On September 19, 2007, the prosecutor of Stockholm commenced a preliminary investigation regarding suspicion of creating danger to another person. [2][needs update]
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) was accused of cutting corners in the maintenance of its Q400 aircraft. As the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration began an investigation of the accident, it brought renewed focus on SAS maintenance procedures. (Only two weeks previously, Swedish authorities had levelled a scathing critique at the airline after an aircraft of the same model nearly crashed because its engine accelerated unexpectedly during landing.) The final outcome of the investigation was that the cause was not a lack of maintenance but over-cleaning of the landing gear, with pressure washers being used that washed out the corrosion preventative coatings between the eyebolt and the actuator rod end. The airline reportedly made 2,300 flights in which safety equipment was not up to standard, although the airline denied this. [3]
AIB Denmark (Havarikommissionen) noted that the use of different alloys in the bolt and surrounding construction was most probably a contributing factor:
"It is evident that the corrosion had attacked the piston rod threads that were in direct engagement with
the rod end threads whereas the corrosion attacked in the key way area and in the non-engaged threads
was less severe. This suggested that galvanic action between the nobler martensitic stainless steel and
the less noble 4340 steel material had enhanced corrosion. "[4]
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Air crash
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Gold of the Great Steppe review – breathtaking exhibition reveals lives of history’s ‘barbarians’
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Fitzwilliam Museum, CambridgeFrom their astounding burial mounds to their dazzling horses dressed up as mythical beasts, this exhibition about Kazakhstan’s ancient nomads shows the power of archaeology to revive the dead A young archer was buried around 2,700 years ago in the foothills of the Tarbagatay mountains of eastern Kazakhstan. In 2018, his bones were found preserved in the permafrost, surrounded by exquisite ornaments and weapons: beautifully observed figures of deer, finely crafted holders for his bow and arrows and dagger, myriad tiny beads – “and everywhere”, as Howard Carter said of Tutankhamun’s tomb, “the glitter of gold”. Great archaeological discoveries don’t have to be full of gold, but it helps. That warm yellow metal catches your eye almost wherever you look in the Fitzwilliam’s stunning snapshot of archaeology in action. Gold scabbards, gold torques, gold animals – they all light up a display that also includes miraculously preserved felt and leather, as well as reconstructions of the ancient people of Kazakhstan in their woollen finery, on horses dressed up to resemble mythical beasts. And it is all new. Well, newly on show – most of the objects date from the eighth to sixth centuries BC, but they are freshly excavated. Many items were discovered just last year. The exhibition has been created in close collaboration with Kazakhstan’s archaeologists as they worked through lockdowns to head off tomb-raiders and ensure these ancient wonders are unearthed before global warming destroys the permafrost that preserves organic materials. It is moving to look on the gold traces that surround the dead archer, thought to have been 17 or 18 when he was buried. His bones are not here but his body is outlined by his funeral possessions. Archaeology has this power to let the dead speak to us across space and time – “and I rose from the dark”, as Seamus Heaney says in the voice of a victim in one of his vivid poems about ancient bog burials. This exhibition grasps and communicates the poetry of archaeology, giving plenty of scientific fact but preserving a lucid sense of encounter. The world with which it connects us is only just starting to be valued. The people revealed here were nomads and among the very first horse riders: an important find from the archer’s grave is a cunningly hinged attachment that enabled the weapons slung at his side to flex while he rode. The ancient Greeks called these nomadic horseborne warriors the Scythians: their domain extended from the Black Sea to much of central Asia. The eastern Scythians seen here are also known as the Saka. Ever since the Greek historian Herodotus, the settled, urban civilisations who tend to write history have portrayed central Asia’s nomads as wild and barbaric. But nowadays, as their yurts are imitated at book festivals and glampsites, we’re starting to recognise their central role in world history. The nomadic way of life that shines out here would continue for thousands of years, with Kazakhs, Mongols and others dominating the middle ground between Persia and China, then in the age of Genghis Khan violently connecting east and west in one mighty network of cultural exchange. This exhibition hints at how ignorant the stereotype of uncreative nomads is. Far from just robbing the “civilised”, the Saka-Scythian riders of east Kazakhstan created intensely imagined and delicately wrought art of glowing gold. Like ice age people, they were acutely aware of the animals around them. Flowing, abstracted heads of horned animals, apparently worn as spangly decoration for a garment, would have suggested a running herd of gazelle or antelope. This subtle effect is matched by dreamlike objects that portray curly-horned argali sheep standing mystically on clouds. Maybe this reflects glimpses of nimble-footed sheep high on mountain ledges, vanishing in the mists. There are sculptures of wild cat predators too, but their big round ears make them look cute rather than frightening. Maybe the Saka-Scythians just weren’t scared of anything. But their instinct for natural observation – there are some superb figurines of eagles or falcons – strays into a mythological realm. This was a fairytale world. Golden hippogriffs float out of the darkness. Gryphons glare. And elaborate horse ornaments show the Saka-Scythians actively tried to make their animals resemble these mythic creatures. It seems they lived in a shamanistic dimension where humans, animals and the spirit realm seductively interwove. Quern hand-grinding stones may not be as sexy as gold jewellery but they prove the Saka-Scythians made flour, meaning they practised simple agriculture despite living on the move. Their only permanent monuments, however, were their towering burial mounds. These are still landmarks, and the legacy of the ancient riders is treasured by modern Kazakhstan. The nomadic lifestyle continued in this region after it was colonised by Russia: photos in the catalogue show Kazakhs in their yurts in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Then came the Soviet era. The Kazakhs were among the first victims of Stalin’s murderous agricultural policies – they were forced to give up their nomadic culture before being collectivised. About 40% of the Kazakhs died in the resulting famine. The nomads of the Steppe, this dazzling exhibition demonstrates, were not just marauding maniacs or modernity’s victims. They were makers of beauty and shapers of history. Their lives and their legacy are only just starting to get their proper place in the human story.
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New archeological discoveries
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Britain gets final Brexit approval from tearful EU members
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Britain on Wednesday got formal approval from tearful European Union members to finally Brexit by the end of this week. The European Parliament voted 621 to 49 to overwhelmingly approve the UK’s departure this Friday — the final hurdle in the bitter four-year battle to get a divorce deal that started with a 2016 referendum. “We will always love you and you will never be far,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on a day that left many EU legislators hugging each other in tears. Britain’s Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage, waved a Union Jack flag as he left, vowing that Britain was “never coming back.” Members of European Parliament linked hands in solidarity to sing a final chorus of “Auld Lang Syne,” with German parliamentarian Terry Reintke calling it “a symbol of hope, friendship and solidarity,” according to The Telegraph. Reintke also encouraged MEPs to hold their mobile phone lights aloft in a symbolic gesture that they have “left the light on” for a possible return. The EU’s chief Brexit official, Guy Verhofstadt, said the vote “is not an adieu” but “only an au revoir.” He stressed on Twitter that the vote was not in favor of the UK leaving but merely to allow “an orderly Brexit.” “It’s sad to see a nation leaving, a great nation that has given us so much: culturally, economically, politically, even its own blood, in two world wars. It’s sad to see the country leaving that liberated Europe twice,” he wrote. “#Brexit is a failure of the Union,” he said, demanding the EU be reformed so that “the Union to which the UK will return, will be another Union.” “A Union that will convince all Brits – also those who are skeptical – that their future is our future and that this future lies in Europe,” he wrote. Britain, which had been a member for 47 years, is the first nation to leave the EU. After its departure on Friday, the UK will remain within the EU’s economic arrangements until the end of the year — although it will no longer have a say in policy.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Justice News
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MACON, Ga. – Nine individuals were taken into custody today and are facing federal charges from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into a group of alleged drug traffickers in Houston and Bibb Counties. An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.
Federal arrest warrants were executed in Warner Robins, Georgia, and elsewhere, today resulting from a federal indictment returned on Nov. 16, charging the following individuals:
Antoine Riley, 44, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of distribution of cocaine base, one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and one count of possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute;
Antonio Raines, 37, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of distribution of cocaine base and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute;
Latanya Williams, 39, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and one count of possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute;
Brittany Smith, 28, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute;
Emanuel Ivey, 35, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute;
Armard Davis, 42, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute;
Joseph Day, 48, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of distribution of cocaine base;
Desmond Griffin, 29, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of distribution of cocaine base; and,
Obie Wright, 66, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and two counts of distribution of cocaine base.
The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum of five years up to a maximum life sentence and a $250,000 fine;
The charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine;
The charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of methamphetamine each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years up to a maximum life sentence and a $10,000,000 fine;
The charge of distribution of cocaine base carries a maximum sentence of twenty years and a $1,000,000 fine; and,
The charges of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to a maximum sentence of 40 years and a $5,000,000 fine.
Initial appearances for the defendants occurred today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles H. Weigle.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service (USMS), the Monroe County Sherriff’s Office, the Bibb County Sherriff’s Office, and the Warner Robins Police Department.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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INF nuclear treaty: US pulls out of Cold War-era pact with Russia
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Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, pictured in 2017, have pulled out of the INF treaty The US has formally withdrawn from a key nuclear treaty with Russia, raising fears of a new arms race. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987. It banned missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km (310-3,400 miles). But earlier this year the US and Nato accused Russia of violating the pact by deploying a new type of cruise missile, which Moscow has denied. The Americans said they had evidence that Russia had deployed a number of 9M729 missiles - known to Nato as SSC-8. This accusation was then put to Washington's Nato allies, which all backed the US claim. "Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Friday. "With the full support of our Nato allies, the United States has determined Russia to be in material breach of the treaty, and has subsequently suspended our obligations under the treaty," he added. Russia's foreign ministry confirmed the INF treaty was "formally dead" in a statement carried by state-run Ria Novosti news agency. Russia's new 9M729 missile worries the US and its allies Back in February, President Donald Trump set the 2 August deadline for the US to withdraw if Russia didn't come into compliance. Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended his country's own obligations to the treaty shortly afterwards. What are the risks? Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the transatlantic alliance would "respond in a measured and responsible way to the significant risks posed by the Russian 9M729 missile to allied security". But, he added, Nato "does not want a new arms race" and confirmed there were no plans for the alliance to deploy land-based nuclear missiles of its own in Europe. Last month, he told the BBC that the Russian missiles were nuclear-capable, mobile, very hard to detect and could reach European cities within minutes. "This is serious," he added. "The INF treaty has been a cornerstone in arms control for decades, and now we see the demise of the treaty." UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that "an invaluable brake on nuclear war" was being lost. "This will likely heighten, not reduce, the threat posed by ballistic missiles," he added, urging all parties to "seek agreement on a new common path for international arms control". Should we be concerned about an impending nuclear conflict? Analysts fear that the collapse of the historic agreement could lead to a new arms race between the US, Russia and China. "Now that the treaty is over, we will see the development and deployment of new weapons," Pavel Felgenhauer, a Russian military analyst, told AFP news agency. "Russia is already ready." What is the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty? Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan signed the treaty in 1987 Signed by the US and the USSR in 1987, the arms control deal banned all nuclear and non-nuclear missiles with short and medium ranges, except sea-launched weapons The US had been concerned by the Soviet deployment of the SS-20 missile system in 1979 and responded by placing Pershing and cruise missiles in Europe - sparking widespread protests By 1991, nearly 2,700 missiles had been destroyed The two countries were allowed to inspect each other's installations The demise of the INF treaty - the only disarmament agreement ever to eliminate a whole category of nuclear weapons - represents a significant setback for advocates of arms control. That it comes at a time when the US is increasingly concerned by the threat from what it sees as a resurgent Russia is doubly unsettling. Neither Moscow nor Washington appears to value such treaties. The most important agreement of the old Cold War years - the New Start treaty - that limits long-range nuclear weapons is set to expire in February 2021. Its survival is far from certain. The paradox is that arms control appeared unimportant after the collapse of the Soviet Union when tensions were low. Now that they are mounting again, disarmament agreements could have an important part to play in maintaining stability. Instead arms control is in crisis, just when dangerous new weapons technologies (involving artificial intelligence and high-speed "hypersonic" missiles) are being developed. Where did things go wrong? In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the treaty no longer served Russia's interests. That happened after US President George W Bush, in 2002, pulled the US out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which banned weapons designed to counter ballistic nuclear missiles. In 2014, then US President Barack Obama accused Russia of breaching the INF Treaty after it allegedly tested a ground-launched cruise missile. Russia strongly denies building missiles that violate the accord He reportedly chose not to withdraw from the treaty under pressure from European leaders, who said such a move could restart an arms race. Then last year, Nato supported the US accusations and formally accused Russia of breaking the treaty . "Allies have concluded that Russia has developed and fielded a missile system, the 9M729, which violates the INF Treaty and poses significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security," a statement from Nato foreign ministers read. The statement said the member nations "strongly support" the US claim that Russia is in breach of the pact, and called on Moscow to "return urgently to full and verifiable compliance". Russia denied the accusation and President Putin said it was a pretext for the US to leave the pact. Media caption, A demonstration of the S-400 missile system Amid worsening ties between Washington and Moscow, Turkey last month received the first parts of a Russian S-400 missile defence system despite opposition from the US. The US has warned that Turkey cannot have both the S-400 anti-aircraft defence system and US F-35 fighter jets. Turkey and the US are Nato allies but Turkey has also been establishing closer links with Russia.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Nine US officials including Michigan ex-governor charged over Flint water crisis deaths
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Nine US officials — including former Michigan governor Rick Snyder and key members of his administration — have been charged following a new investigation into the Flint water disaster that contaminated the US city with lead and left 12 people dead.
The 12 residents of the predominantly African-American community died after city officials implemented a cost-cutting plan in 2014 to switch the water supply to the contaminated Flint River.
Authorities say at least 90 cases of Legionnaires' disease are also linked to the plan.
Nine former state and local officials pleaded not guilty in Genesee County courts on Thursday to a total of 42 criminal counts.
The charges are the culmination of a years-long criminal investigation that ran parallel to civil litigation.
The civil proceedings last year yielded a settlement worth more than US$600 million ($771 million) for victims of the water crisis.
Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said she and her colleagues reviewed millions of documents and drew on the expertise of external epidemiologists.
"Pure and simple this case is about justice, truth, accountability, poisoned children, lost lives, shattered families that are still not whole and simply giving a damn about all of humanity," she told a news conference in Flint.
All charges stemmed from evidence presented to Judge David Newblatt, who served as a secret one-person grand jury.
Former state health director, Nick Lyon, and former state medical executive, Eden Wells, were each charged with involuntary manslaughter.
It's the second time that the pair have been charged with manslaughter.
They were accused in 2017 of failing to warn the public about the outbreak in a timely manner, but the cases were dropped by prosecutors.
An involuntary manslaughter conviction carries up to 15 years in prison and a $7,500 fine.
Mr Snyder is facing misdemeanour charges of wilful neglect of duty in Flint.
He is the first governor or former governor in Michigan's 184-year history to face charges related to time in that office.
Special prosecutor Fadwa Hammoud, of the Attorney-General's office, declined to offer details during a news conference, but said Mr Snyder had "failed to protect the health and safety" of Flint's nearly 100,000 residents.
"There are no velvet ropes in our criminal justice system," Ms Hammoud said.
"Nobody — no matter how powerful or well-connected — is above accountability when they commit a crime."
Ms Hammoud said their ongoing grand jury investigation could yield additional charges.
"The Flint Water Crisis is not some relic of the past," she said.
"At this very moment the people of Flint continue to suffer from the categorical failure of public officials at all levels of government."
Wearing a mask, Mr Snyder, 62, said little during his brief hearing, which was conducted by video.
Each of the two counts he faces carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The indictment against Mr Snyder alleges that he failed to check the "performance, condition and administration" of his appointees and protect Flint from disaster when he knew the threat.
Despite desperate pleas from residents holding jugs of discoloured water, the Snyder administration took no significant action until a doctor reported elevated lead levels in children about 18 months later.
Lead can damage the brain and nervous system, and cause learning and behaviour problems.
Flint's woes have been highlighted by activists as an example of environmental injustice and racism.
Prosecutors charged emergency manager, Darnell Earley, with misconduct in office.
Rich Baird, a friend and close adviser to Mr Snyder, was charged with extortion, perjury and obstruction of justice. He's also accused of lying during an interview with Flint water investigators in 2017.
Jarrod Agen, who was communications director before going to work for Vice-President Mike Pence, was charged with perjury.
Former Flint public works director, Howard Croft, was charged with wilful neglect of duty.
Nancy Peeler, of the state health department, was charged with misconduct in office for allegedly concealing a blood-lead level analysis of children.
Defence attorney Brian Lennon called the case a "travesty".
"These unjustified allegations do nothing to resolve a painful chapter in the history of our state," Mr Lennon said in a written statement.
"Today's actions merely perpetrate an outrageous political persecution."
Separately, the state, Flint, a hospital and an engineering firm have agreed to a US$641 million ($771 million) settlement with residents over the water crisis.
A judge says she hopes to decide by January 21 whether to grant preliminary approval.
Other lawsuits, including one against the US Environmental Protection Agency, are pending.
ABC/wires
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Environment Pollution
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1946 KLM Douglas DC-3 Amsterdam accident crash
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The 1946 KLM Douglas DC-3 Amsterdam accident was the crash of a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight from London to Amsterdam on 14 November 1946. The accident occurred as the Douglas DC-3 was attempting to land at Amsterdam's airport in poor weather. All 26 passengers and crew on board were killed. The DC-3 aircraft (actually an ex-military C-47 Skytrain converted for civil use) was on a scheduled flight from London, England to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. [1] The crew was cleared to land the aircraft at Schiphol Airport in poor weather. The first attempt to land failed and the crew had to perform a go-around. The second approach to land also failed. On the third approach to land the aircraft made a sudden turn to the left, apparently trying to line up with the runway. [1] During this turn the Douglas DC-3 struck the ground and crashed. The aircraft caught fire on impact, killing all 21 passengers and five crew on board. The victims included Dutch novelist Herman de Man. [1]
At the time it happened, the accident was the worst aviation accident in the history of the Netherlands. [1] Eight days earlier another KLM DC-3 operating on the same route in the opposite direction, crashed on approach to London's Croydon Airport in poor weather. There were no fatalities in the London crash but the aircraft was written off. [2]
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Air crash
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Europe Is Heading Toward a New Financial Crisis
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Completing the EU’s banking union might be the only way to avoid the dreaded “doom loop.” Beware the loop of doom. Europe faces a predicament. Even as it struggles to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s setting itself up for another crisis — this one financial. To ensure the viability of the common currency at the heart of the European project, the EU’s leaders will have to cooperate in ways they’ve so far resisted. Adopting the single currency has yielded great benefits, from frictionless trade to improved global competitiveness. But the euro also obliged member states to relinquish the independent monetary policies that can help backstop national debts and financial systems. One result is that distress at banks presents a heightened threat to individual governments’ finances, and vice versa — the so-called “doom loop” that played out in spectacular fashion during the early 2010s, when the euro area nearly broke apart. In 2012, European leaders agreed on what should have been a big part of the solution. They envisaged a full banking union, in which governments would take joint responsibility for supervising financial institutions — and, most important, for dismantling or recapitalizing banks when necessary, and for making depositors whole. Progress has been excruciatingly slow. Although the European Central Bank now oversees the region’s largest banks, individual governments still bear the cost of rescues, as bailouts in Italy and Germany have demonstrated. Mutual deposit insurance remains no more than a proposal. The pandemic has aggravated the problem, with governments taking on ever more debt in their efforts to provide economic relief. The International Monetary Fund estimates that general government debt in the euro area will exceed 98% of gross domestic product by the end of 2021, up from 84% at the end of 2019. Worse, individual countries’ obligations are accumulating on the balance sheets of their banks. At the end of February, Italian banks’ holdings of Italian government debt amounted to 124% of their capital and loss reserves, rendering them extremely vulnerable in the event of fiscal distress. Banks' holdings of home government debt have surged amid the pandemic* Source: European Central Bank *Holdings are presented as a percent of banks' equity capital and loss reserves. Aside from the financial risks they present, these sovereign exposures make banking union harder to achieve politically. Northern countries such as Germany, for example, don’t want to sign on to mutual deposit insurance if it means subsidizing Italian banks’ excessive holdings of Italian public debt. Governments of heavily indebted countries, for their part, worry that restrictions on banks’ holdings could render them unable to borrow when they have to. There’s a way forward. To nudge banks toward diversification, the ECB could designate a “safe portfolio” of government debt, corresponding to member states’ shares of the region’s GDP (an idea originally proposed by German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, and elaborated by Luis Garicano, an economist and member of the European Parliament). Any divergence would entail an increase in capital requirements. This would address northern countries’ concerns by giving banks an incentive to reduce home-government exposures. At the same time, it would moderate the pressure that would otherwise be imposed on heavily indebted governments: The decrease in Italian banks’ holdings of their government’s debt would be at least partially offset by increases in other banks’ holdings. This would be a step toward banking union in its own right. Europe’s leaders ought then to go further. They should undertake a major upgrade of the Single Resolution Board, providing it with the powers and resources required to take over and liquidate or recapitalize banks anywhere in the euro area, and to compensate depositors — much as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation does in the U.S. To make a mutual insurance fund more politically palatable, it could initially be designed to kick in only as a backstop to national funds. During the pandemic, Europe’s leaders have been willing to deepen their cooperation — most notably in pooling fiscal resources to support the union’s hardest-hit economies. With increasing urgency, the same logic applies to severing the link between the health of banks and the solvency of national governments. Until this is addressed, Europe’s single-currency system is dangerously unfinished work.
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Financial Crisis
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Glasgow St Enoch rail accident
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The Glasgow St Enoch rail accident occurred on 27 July 1903. [1] A train arriving at the St Enoch terminal station failed to stop in time and collided heavily with the buffer stop, sustaining severe damage. Sixteen people were killed and 27 injured. This was the worst buffer stop collision on British main line railways, though exceeded by the Moorgate tragedy on the London Underground. Collisions with buffer stops have frequently occurred over the years, the most recent fatal one in the UK being the London Cannon Street station rail crash in 1991. However, normally they occur at very low speed, less than 5 mph (8 km/h). The severity of the St Enoch accident was because the collision speed was as high as 15-20 mph (24-32 km/h). An inexperienced driver on a special train from Ardrossan was signalled into a platform that he did not realise was much shorter than the others, because it terminated short of the overall roof and well short of the main concourse. He approached with excess speed and braked too late. The solid masonry platform behind the buffer stops presented an immovable barrier and two coaches were completely telescoped. Coordinates: 55°51′25″N 4°15′08″W / 55.85686°N 4.25218°W / 55.85686; -4.25218
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Train collisions
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Utair Flight 579 crash
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On September 1, 2018, Utair Flight 579, a Boeing 737-800 on a scheduled domestic flight from Moscow to Sochi, Russia, with 164 passengers and 6 crew, overran the runway and caught fire while landing at Sochi, injuring 18 occupants. One airport employee died of a heart attack. [1][2]
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 737-8AS[a] with serial number 29937 and Bermudan registration VQ-BJI. [3] It was delivered in 2002 to Ryanair and operate until it was retired in 2009. It was subsequently leased by Atlant-Soyuz Airlines in 2010. The airline rebranded as Moscow Airlines the same year and ceased operations shortly afterwards in January 2011. Finally, Utair leased the aircraft since mid-2011 until it crashed. [4]
The 51-year-old captain had 13,995 flight hours, including 6,391 hours on the Boeing 737. The 53-year-old first officer had 12,277 flight hours, with 5,147 of them on the Boeing 737. Both pilots were type rated on both the Boeing 737 Classic and Next Generation variants and had completed crew resource management training. The first officer had also undergone windshear training in May 2018. [5]
The flight departed from Vnukovo Airport at 12:30 am local time with 166 passengers and six crew. The flight crew aborted the first two approaches to Sochi before committing to a third that resulted in the overrun. The aircraft touched down at 2:57 am and overran runway 06, came to rest on the bed of the Mzymta River and caught fire, prompting an evacuation. [6]
Eighteen occupants were injured; injuries included burns and carbon monoxide poisoning. [1] Transportation Minister Yevgeny Dietrich confirmed that an airport employee died of a heart attack during the emergency response. [7]
Thunderstorms were reported over Sochi at the time of the accident. The aircraft received damage to its belly, wings and engines. [3] The airport operator reported that the fire was extinguished within eight minutes. [7]
An accident investigation was launched by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) of Russia. Two days after the crash on September 3, the IAC reported that the flight recorders had been recovered from the aircraft, the data were retrieved successfully and would be analyzed. The committee completed examination of the accident site and was making preparations for moving the aircraft. The United States National Transportation Safety Board, representing the State of Design and State of Manufacture of the aircraft, and the United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, representing the State of Registry, were invited to participate in the investigation. [8]
The Investigative Committee of Russia also launched a probe into the crash, with a Southern Transport Department official stating that "a criminal investigation has been opened into the emergency landing ... on suspicion of inadequate services with a risk to clients' health. "[citation needed]
The IAC released a preliminary report on November 6, 2018. [9]
On December 12, 2019 the IAC released their final report on the accident. [5] The cause of the accident was the flight crew ignoring repetitive windshear warnings when the aircraft experienced low-level horizontal windshear and the crew's decision to land on the runway when its conditions at the time of the accident prohibited doing so. Contributing factors included violation of standard operation procedures, improper use of the autopilot, poor crew resource management training, and late deployment of the spoilers. [2]
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Air crash
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Dengue outbreak poses new challenge for Punjab health department, experts blame wet weather
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At a time when cases of Covid-19 infections have come down significantly in Punjab, an outbreak of dengue has become a new challenge for the health authorities in the state. According to official figures, about 2,000 confirmed cases of dengue were detected in all districts of the state till Friday. Hoshiarpur has reported the highest number of cases at 403, followed by Amritsar (384), Muktsar (328) and Bathinda (250) districts. Most of the cases were reported in the last three weeks, say health officials. However, no mortality due to dengue has been reported. Officials said mosquito-infested spots were found in several posh localities, including accommodations of senior government officials. Dr Gagandeep Singh Grover, state programme officer for vector-borne diseases, attributed the spurt in dengue cases to unexpected rainfall in the last one month. Field surveillance has revealed that in most cases, dengue mosquito larvae were found in the households, Grover said. “The community has a crucial role to play in controlling the outbreak of the disease. Since weather was exceptionally wet for the last month or so, stagnant water at various places turned breeding spots for mosquitoes,” he added. He said the death of a Patiala resident is being analysed if it was due to dengue. Last year, a total of 8,435 confirmed cases of dengue were reported in Punjab whereas the number was 11,000 in 2019. “In view of the expected higher rate of dengue infection this year, we have increased the number of laboratories to 39 from last year’s 30,” said Grover. Muktsar civil surgeon Dr Ranju Singla said the dengue infestation was maximum in small towns of Malout (170) and Giderbaha (124) while district headquarters has only 9 cases. Bathinda civil surgeon Dr Tejwant Singh Dhillon said, “Climatic conditions till mid-November are conducive for dengue larvae. It can be controlled by keeping the surroundings dry besides covering one’s body to protect from mosquito bite,” said Dhillon. In Bathinda, the health department has decided to convert Covid ward to admit dengue patients. “As we are getting 1-2 Covid patients in a day, Covid ward will be shifted to another place. We have ample facilities, including testing and blood units, to treat dengue patients,” said Dhillon. Get our Daily News Capsule
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Disease Outbreaks
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Trump vows to withdraw from TPP 'on day one'
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US President-elect Donald Trump calls the Trans-Pacific Partnership "a potential disaster for our country" November 22, 2016, 3:54 PM In this article: Donald Trump 45th President of the United States Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump said Monday the United States would signal its withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact on his first day in the White House, one of six immediate steps aimed at "putting America first." The Republican billionaire -- who for 10 days has been sounding out cabinet picks at his Trump Tower offices in New York -- made the pledge in a short video message. The 70-year-old property tycoon outlined a list of priorities for his first 100 days and executive actions to be taken "on day one" -- on half a dozen issues from trade to immigration, national security and ethics -- in a push to "reform Washington and rebuild our middle class." "My agenda will be based on a simple core principle: putting America first," said the president-elect, whose campaign tapped the anger of working-class Americans who feel left behind by globalization. It singled out trade deals such as the TPP as key culprits. "On trade, I am going to issue our notification of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a potential disaster for our country," said Trump, who takes office January 20. "Instead, we will negotiate fair bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industry back onto American shores," he said. Both the 12-nation TPP -- signed in February but not yet in force -- and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement featured heavily in the brutal White House race. Trump said they harmed the US economy and jobs and many see his victory as a repudiation of ever-deeper commercial ties. - Six priorities - Trump's populist election platform called for scuttling the TPP -- President Barack Obama's signature trade initiative which still needs approval from the Republican-dominated Congress -- as well as for renegotiating NAFTA. Asian leaders have been scrambling to save the trade pact. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that "TPP without the United States would be meaningless." The Japanese leader told reporters in Buenos Aires that the 12 TPP leaders who met in Lima on Saturday did not discuss putting the deal into effect without the US. Matthias Helble, a research economist at the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo, said Trump's announcement that bilateral trade deals would replace TPP "comes at a high cost." "The outcome of ten years of hard-fought negotiations has been jettisoned," Helble said. "The only glimmer of hope is that Trump is not fully abandoning the idea of trade opening." Trump's pledge to pull out of the deal was one of six points on which he promised immediate executive action -- which he can take without Congressional approval. Trump said he would direct the Department of Labor to investigate abuses of visa programs "that undercut the American worker." On energy, he pledged to boost the oil and gas sector and bring back coal. Trump also said he would ask defense officials to create plans to protect the US "from cyber-attacks and all other form of attacks." Sticking to his central pledge to cut government red tape, he promised "a rule which says that for every one new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated." Though his own transition team includes several lobbyists, the Republican also promised "a five-year ban on executive officials becoming lobbyists after they leave the administration." - 'Mad Dog' Mattis - There was no mention in the message of some of Trump's biggest campaign promises -- notably his pledge to build a wall along the Mexican border, deport millions of immigrants, restrict Muslim immigration and repeal the Obamacare health care law. The video was issued as the stream of would-be appointees continued at his New York headquarters. The day's talk focused on the possible nomination of retired general James "Mad Dog" Mattis as secretary of defense. Despite the 66-year-old Marine's renowned frankness -- "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet" -- he enjoys warm support in Washington and should sail through confirmation. After Mattis, Trump's other choices may prove more complicated, such as that for secretary of state. This is reportedly between former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, both of whom met Trump over the weekend at his golf club in New Jersey. After meeting potential hires, Trump hosted private talks with a group of top US news anchors and executives -- with whom he repeatedly feuded during the campaign. Trump also suggested that Nigel Farage, the co-founder of the nationalist UK Independence Party, should become Britain's ambassador to the US. "Many people would like to see @Nigel_Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States," the Republican tweeted. "He would do a great job!" Late on Tuesday or early on Wednesday, Trump is to fly to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to take a "brief" Thanksgiving holiday break with his family.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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400,000 people facing famine in Tigray, says UN
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More than 400,000 people have "crossed the threshold into famine" in Ethiopia's war-torn Tigray region, a senior UN official said, appealing for urgent humanitarian action to help the millions affected by the brutal eight-month long conflict. Fighting between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) was reignited last month when the rebels launched a major counter-offensive that saw them retake their regional capital of Mekele. This week two key bridges allowing desperately-needed aid into the region were destroyed, prompting fears the federal government was seeking to choke off humanitarian assistance -- a charge Addis Ababa denied. Yesterday saw the UN Security Council hold its first public meeting on a conflict that has left thousands of dead and plunged hundreds of thousands into hunger. Ramesh Rajasingham, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told that meeting that the situation had "worsened dramatically" as the conflict had reignited in recent weeks. "More than 400,000 people are estimated to have crossed the threshold into famine and another 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine," he said. "Some are suggesting that the numbers are even higher. 33,000 children are severely malnourished." "The lives of many of these people (in Tigray) depend on our ability to reach them with food, medicine, nutrition supplies and other humanitarian assistance," he added. "We need to reach them now. Not next week. Now." Ethiopia has rejected charges that it planned to choke off aid to the region. "The insinuation that we are planning to suffocate the Tigrayan people by denying humanitarian access and using hunger as a weapon of war is beyond the pale," Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen told diplomats gathered at a hotel in the capital Addis Ababa. Officials are "using every ounce of our strength to extricate" Tigrayan civilians "from the dire situation they find themselves in", he added. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, sent troops into Tigray last November to detain and disarm leaders of the regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). He said the move was in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps, and declared victory within weeks after federal forces took the regional capital Mekele. But after the rebels, having rebranded themselves the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF), retook Mekele and asserted control over most of the region, the government announced a unilateral ceasefire that the TDF has dismissed as "a joke".
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Famine
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PHIVOLCS has raised Alert Level 3 over Taal Volcano.
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On 01 July 2021 at 3:37 PM, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has raised Alert Level 3 over Taal Volcano after a phreatomagmatic eruption from the main crater occurred at 3:16 PM. As of 23 July 2021 at 8 AM, Alert Level 3 (Magmatic Unrest) now prevails over Taal Volcano. At Alert Level 3, magma extruding from the main crater could drive explosive eruption. The public is reminded that the entire Taal Volcano Island is a Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ), and entry into the island as well as into the high-risk barangays of Agoncillo and Laurel must be prohibited due to the hazards of pyroclastic density currents and volcanic tsunami should strong eruptions occur. All activities on Taal Lake should not be allowed at this time. Communities around the Taal Lake shores are advised to remain vigilant, take precautionary measures against possible airborne ash and vog and calmly prepare for possible evacuation should unrest intensify. Source: PHIVOLCS II. Status of Affected Areas and Population A total of 6,135 families or 22,148 persons were affected by the Taal Volcano eruption in 148 Barangays in CALABARZON (see Table 1).
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Volcano Eruption
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A Q&A With Esther Duflo, Who Wins Nobel Prize Today
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Today in Stockholm, the Nobel Prize Committee will be handing out its awards. Among the recipients is Esther Duflo, the first female economist to ever win the prize. (The only other woman to win it, Elinor Ostrom, was a political scientist). Duflo shares the prize with Michael Kremer and her husband, Abhijit Banerjee. All three are economists who pioneered the use of randomized controlled trials to study the effects of development policies. The Nobel Committee awarded them the prize "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty."
We had the good fortune of speaking with Professor Duflo recently.
Congratulations on the Nobel Prize! It's very exciting. I think we'd be accused of journalistic malpractice if we didn't ask you about the story of winning the prize. So what happened?
Well, given that it was a quarter to five, I was peacefully sleeping in my bed. And I got a phone call. So the first reaction when you get a phone call at that time is: "What could be happening?"
I picked up the phone, and then someone told me, "We're really happy to announce that we've awarded you with the Nobel Prize in economics."
And at this point, my first question was, "with whom?" And they said, "Oh, with Michael Kremer and Abhijit Banerjee." And I said, "Oh, you want to talk to him?" (He's my husband). And I gave him the phone. He was also waking up at this time. And then they said, "Well, we need you to be ready for a press conference in 45 minutes. So I suggest you get up, you make yourself a cup of coffee, and you collect yourself for the onslaught."
And then Abhijit said, "I'm going back to bed." I was like, "I can't go back to bed." He said, "No. no. It's going to be a long day." So he went back to bed, but I had to get up for that press conference.
So you're the youngest person to ever win the Nobel Prize in economics. And while you're the second woman to win it, you're the first female economist to win it. I'm curious, what do you think about the underrepresentation of women among the Nobel Laureates in economics? Well, I think it comes from the fact that women are underrepresented at all levels of the economics profession. Even among undergraduate students, there are not very many women who make the choice to study economics. Among the undergraduate students, there are fewer women who decide to study for their PhD. And on and on and on. So at all levels we have underrepresentation. And therefore it's quite natural that as you move to prizes and things like that, you also see underrepresentation.
And I think it comes from two things: The first one is a question of climate and culture in the economics profession, which is quite aggressive and macho, and more likely to be I think a little bit repulsive to women than to men. The second reason why there are fewer women — and frankly, it's even worse for underrepresented groups like African-Americans in the US — is because I think most people have this idea that economics is kind of useless; or they have a misconception that economics only deals with interest rates and growth rates and finance and stuff like that. And, you know, many women are not so interested in that.
The Nobel Prize Committee credited you with introducing "a new approach to obtaining reliable answers about the best ways to fight global poverty." For the uninitiated, can you explain this new approach?
There are two steps to this approach. First, you take a very big, not very well-defined problem. For example, how can we end poverty? And then you try to break it into much more manageable questions, which can have a scientific answer. Like, what is the effect of smaller class sizes in schools? And then the second step of this strategy comes in, which is to set up experiments to try to answer those questions. So experiments are very much the equivalent of clinical trials in medicine, where you're trying a particular intervention against another one or against the status quo, and you randomly assign the groups. For example, in one of our experiments, we studied the effects of smaller class sizes by randomizing students into big and small classrooms, and we then studied the effects.
You have a new book out. It's called Good Economics for Hard Times. In your view, what is "good economics"?
Good economics is one that does not assume a conclusion. One that is willing to question assumptions at every turn in light of new evidence. One that is willing to examine the facts, and to question what sometimes may be the most standard principles on which economics has been built.
One of the central themes of the book is that financial incentives are generally not as powerful as economists have traditionally assumed. You point to all sorts of empirical studies in which people don't rationally respond to incentives like traditional economic models say they do. Does that mean we should reject models that put financial incentives front row and center?
Certainly, it means revisiting them in a big way. For example, on the effects of international trade. If people reacted very well to financial incentives, when they lose their jobs, they will pick up and move to some other place with better job opportunities. But in a world where people do not react so well to financial incentives, then they might not move. And if they don't move, then there is not going to be a natural adjustment to all of the disruption caused by international trade. And that, in our view, explains why the places that were hit by competition with China — what economists call "the China Shock" — got hit so badly. It's because people didn't move. They just stayed there and waited for things to get better.
Economists completely underestimated how hard it is for people to make this kind of transition. There are economic factors, of course, like the difficulty of selling a house or getting someone to take care of your kids. Purely rational things. But some of this has to do more with the vision people have of themselves. If you've been making furniture for 25 years and that job goes away, it's not going to be easy to just become a janitor. The image of yourself is completely shattered. You might rather go on disability or something like that.
You begin the book with the sentence, "We live in an age of growing polarization." And you talk about all our political problems. As a social scientist who works on issues that are often at the center of politics, do you see your role changing in this polarized world?
Well, there is an aspirational role — and the role we actually have. So if we start with the role we actually have, I think it's almost nothing right now, to be fair. For the book, we did a poll, and we asked 10,000 Americans which professionals they trust most within their own field of expertise. And the people they trust the least are politicians. And not that far ahead are economists. Only 25 percent of Americans trust economists about economics. Weather forecasters are much more trusted than economists and, of course, nurses and doctors and things like that. But weather forecasters?! How can we be trusted less on economics than weather forecasters are trusted by the weather?
As you highlight in your book, the general public may not care about what economists think. But I'd like to think that policymakers do. And I do wonder, like, do you think, in your economic research, do you think you've changed policymakers' minds? Have you seen your research make an impact on policy outcomes or thinking?
Yes. I don't have a randomized controlled trial to prove it. There is a recent study in Brazil, actually, by Gautam Rao. They showed studies to mayors, and they find the mayors do pay attention to evidence presented, and they're more persuaded by better evidence. That's true in my own experience with policymakers. I don't have an experiment to prove it, but I have seen a lot of progress in the last 15 years.
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Awards ceremony
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Cicadas Swarming U.S. East Coast Are Climate Change ...
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Cicadas Swarming U.S. East Coast Are Climate Change Veterans
But speedier human-caused global warming may prove a challenge
It's been 17 years since the cicada horde known as Brood II last peeked its mandibles above the surface of the Earth, to court, mate and expire by the hundreds of millions. News stories from 1996 recount drifts of shed exoskeletons, so deep in places that driveways had to be cleared by snow shovel.
Now, after a long and celibate hiatus underground, their progeny have themselves begun to show their faces along the East Coast. They, too, will have their brief day in the sun, sowing a new generation and continuing a pattern that has puzzled entomologists for decades.
Why the long absence underground? The curious phenomenon of the cicada's periodical life cycle is the subject of much debate among scientists, who are limited to no small extent by the infrequency of the insect's visits to the surface. Most agree, however, that climate shifts -- notably the rapid warming following the end of the last ice age -- have played a role.
There are seven species of periodical cicadas in North America, four bound to a 13-year cycle, three in a 17-year cycle. All are characterized by black and orange bodies, and males woo their mates with species-specific choruses that can be deafening in large numbers.
The genetic similarity of these seven species suggests a common ancestor in the last 8,000 years. And because emergence seems closely linked to soil temperature and moisture, it is likely that climate has played a role in both regulating their life cycles and cueing their appearance.
If the climate were to shift rapidly, as happened after the mid-Holocene period, it could alter the insect's life cycle again, said John Cooley, a professor at the University of Connecticut's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
"Unfortunately, we don't have very detailed records of climate [and brood emergence]," he said. "We do know that they favor warmth and moisture. If it's warming up and getting damper, we could see them move north."
The calm before the swarm
Given the short window of time periodical cicadas have to meet and to mate, synchronous emergence is critical to their reproductive success. Without venom or camouflage, the cicadas' main defense is in numbers -- they simply provide more food than predators can eat.
Stragglers do sometimes emerge ahead of or behind the main mass of the brood, but these tend to be picked off before they can continue their line.
If the climate were to shift powerfully and abruptly enough, however, it might be enough to bring large numbers of insects to the surface at once -- even years outside their scheduled date of emergence. In fact, some scientists believe such an abrupt change may have split the cicada family down the middle, resulting in the two distinct yet closely related branches -- the 13- and 17-year species.
"An extreme climatic stimulus might cue large numbers of cicadas to shift, perhaps even enough to satiate predators," Cooley and colleagues wrote in a 2003 essay on climate shifts and periodical cicada life cycles.
As the planet warms -- and as that warming accelerates due to man-made climate change -- "the cicada may yet reprise its role as climate indicator if its cycle is disrupted by a warming planet," Wildlife Conservation Society entomologist Craig Gibbs wrote in an op-ed last week in The New York Times.
Climate might move even faster than the cicadas, Cooley said. "Their response time isn't instantaneous. If their density is too low [upon emergence], they're not going to make it."
A nuisance, but not a danger
While often confused with locusts -- grasshoppers in a specific swarming phase -- cicadas threaten neither humans or their food supplies. After 13 to 17 years feeding on tubers and roots below ground, they don't eat at all after coming above.
The sheer number of insects to come out at once can be a pain for nearby residents, as the noise they produce can be in excess of 120 decibels at close range.
But despite their disquieting appearance and less-than-stellar reputation, the insects do have some redeeming qualities. They improve soil conditions by aerating the ground as they tunnel their way to the surface and provide a nutrient-rich -- if infrequent -- diet for many species of birds.
They have also been known to make a tasty treat for humans. Stories from the Onondaga Nation near Syracuse, N.Y., tell of being rescued from famine by the timely emergence of periodical cicadas.
Connoisseurs who have sampled the insect describe its flavor as "nutty."
Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net , 202-628-6500
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
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Insect Disaster
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Kincade Fire
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The Kincade Fire was a wildfire that burned in Sonoma County, California in the United States. The fire started northeast of Geyserville in The Geysers on 9:24 p.m. on October 23, 2019 and subsequently burned 77,758 acres (31,468 ha) until the fire was fully contained on November 6, 2019. The fire threatened over 90,000 structures and caused widespread evacuations throughout Sonoma County, including the communities of Geyserville, Healdsburg, Windsor, and Santa Rosa. The majority of Sonoma County and parts of Lake County were under evacuation warnings and orders. Lake county only had one evacuation order and that was the town of Middletown. The fire was the largest of the 2019 California wildfire season, and also the largest wildfire recorded in Sonoma County at the time before being surpassed by the LNU Lightning Complex fires in 2020. [4]
The Kincade Fire was reported burning at John Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road in The Geysers, northeast of Geyserville, California, at 9:57 PM on October 23, 2019. [5][6] The fire started at 9:24 PM during an extreme wind event. [7]
A compulsory report shows that the fire started when a 230,000 volt transmission line failed near the point of origin, just as power was about to be shut off in the area. [8] On October 26, PG&E began shutting off power in an attempt to prevent additional fires, leaving an estimated three million people without power. [9] On October 28, the California Public Utilities Commission announced an investigation into the shutoffs. [10]
"Despite the latest shutdowns, PG&E admitted last week that its equipment may have started the Kincade fire," said the San Jose Mercury News in an editorial condemning the utility's practices and calling for regulatory action. [11] A San Francisco Chronicle editorial also called for the California Public Utilities Commission to
"give PG&E the kind of serious regulatory attention it should have been subject to many years ago. "[12]
and noted that while California governor Gavin Newsom expressed an interest in a Berkshire Hathaway takeover of the utility, "[a]nyone who would bid for PG&E would also be bidding for all of its liabilities -- from the bankruptcy proceedings to fire victim claims to safety improvement bills ... "[12]
The fire "chewed through more than 100 sq mi (260 km2) and destroyed or damaged over 120 buildings. "[13] Eighty thousand more structures were threatened by the fire, and PG&E said it had cut off power to more than a million customers. [13] According to the Federal Communications Commission, hundreds of cell phone towers were down because of power shutoffs. [14] The Soda Rock Winery in Healdsburg was destroyed and the Field Stone Vineyard was heavily damaged. [15]
On October 26, compulsory evacuations had been issued for 90,000 people. As the fire spread, by October 27, evacuation orders and warnings grew to encompass nearly all of Sonoma County, including about 190,000 people, making it the largest evacuation ever in Sonoma County. Many people were forced to flee in the darkness due to ongoing power shutoffs in the region. [9]
The Sonoma County government, in conjunction with Esri, published an interactive map containing incidents and evacuation zones associated with the fires. [16]
In the early weeks of the fire, PG&E initiated a massive power shut-off to nearly 940,000 customers by October 26, with a projected total number of customers impacted to be close to 2.5 to 2.8 million. There were to be six phases of power shutoff between October 26 and 27. [17] The outages did not go over well. "The issue isn't even all of the power shutoffs," said Mendocino County chief executive Carmel Angelo. "It's the lack of communication. "[18]
Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit commuter rail offered free service between October 30 and November 6 initially as far north as Downtown Santa Rosa, then eventually on the whole line for those needing transportation alternatives. [19]
Initially, it was unknown whether or not PG&E was at fault for the fire. [36] In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), PG&E estimated a minimum loss of $600 million before available insurance. [37] On July 16, 2020, which was after PG&E exited bankruptcy, Cal Fire reported that the fire was caused by PG&E transmission lines. [3][38] Cal Fire did not make the report public, but forwarded the investigation report to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office for further investigation. [clarification needed] Wildfire victims filed a civil lawsuit for damages caused by the fire. [39][40] Damages would not be covered by the settlement for wildfire victims that was part of the PG&E bankruptcy. [38][41]
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Fire
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Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 crash
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Siberia Airlines Flight 1812[2] was a commercial flight shot down by the Ukrainian Air Force over the Black Sea on 4 October 2001, en route from Tel Aviv, Israel to Novosibirsk, Russia. The aircraft, a Soviet-made Tupolev Tu-154, carried 66 passengers and 12 crew members. Most of the passengers were Israelis visiting relatives in Russia. There were no survivors. The crash site is about 190 km west-southwest of the Black Sea resort of Sochi, 140 km north of the Turkish coastal town of Fatsa and 350 km south-southeast of Feodosiya in Crimea. The accident resulted from combat-missile launches during joint Ukrainian-Russian military air-defence exercises. [3] The exercises were held at the Russian-controlled training ground of the 31st Russian Black Sea Fleet Research center on Cape Opuk near the city of Kerch in Crimea. Ukraine eventually admitted that it might have caused the crash, probably by an errant S-200 missile fired by its armed forces. [4] Ukraine paid $15 million to surviving family members of the 78 victims ($200,000 per victim). [5][6]
Flight 1812 departed Tel Aviv with a destination of Novosibirsk. It proceeded at an altitude of 36,000 feet over the Black Sea when the Russian ground control center in Sochi suddenly lost contact with the airliner. Soon afterward, the pilot of an Armenian plane crossing the sea nearby reported seeing the Russian plane explode before it crashed into the sea at about 13:45 Moscow time (09:45 GMT). [2][7] Most of the passengers were Israelis visiting their relatives in Russia. No one on board survived. A national day of mourning was instituted in Israel with a moment of silence, flags at half-mast and schools teaching special lessons on the tragedy. A monument to the victims was built in Ben Shemen forest in Israel. [8]
Occurring less than a month after the September 11 attacks in the United States, the crash was initially suspected by Russian officials to be an act of terrorism, and they denied American reports that it was caused by an S-200 missile. [9][10][11]
Later, the Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee ruled that the crash was caused by an accidental Ukrainian S-200 missile strike during military training exercises staged off Cape Opuk in Crimea. [12][13]
Initial private assessments by American military officials determined that the crash was caused by a S-200 missile that had overshot its target drone—which had been destroyed successfully by an S-300 fired at the same time—and instead of self-destructing, locked on the passenger plane about 250 kilometres (160 mi) further away and detonated 15 metres (50 ft) over the plane. [14][15][16][17]
Russian officials dismissed the American claim as "unworthy of attention,"[16] and Russian president Vladimir Putin told the press the next day that "the weapons used in those exercises had such characteristics that make it impossible for them to reach the air corridor through which the plane was moving. "[16] Ukrainian military officials initially denied that their missile had brought down the plane; they reported that the S-200 had been launched seaward and had successfully self-destructed. Defense ministry spokesman Konstantin Khivrenko noted that "neither the direction nor the range (of the missiles) correspond to the practical or theoretical point at which the plane exploded. "[16][18]
However, some Ukrainian officials later admitted that their military had probably shot down the airliner. Ukrainian officials speculated that water interference caused the missile to veer off course. [19][20] Ukraine reportedly banned the testing of Buk, S-300 and similar missile systems for a period of seven years following this incident. [21][22]
On 7 October 2001, it was reported that the main fuselage of the aircraft, believed to contain the black box recorder, was thought to be at a depth of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), which was too deep for divers to retrieve. [23]
On 20 November 2003, an ex gratia compensation agreement was signed between the governments of Ukraine and Israel. [5] It was later ratified by the relatives[clarification needed] of the victims. In addition to compensation issues, the agreement stated that "Ukraine is not legally responsible for the accident that occurred to the plane and free of any obligations regarding it. "[24] Commenting on the agreement, Gen. Oleksandr Kuz'muk, the former minister of defense who lost his job after the accident,[25] told media that "the payments were a humane action, not the admission of guilt. "[citation needed] Later as a deputy prime minister in the government of Viktor Yanukovych, Kuzmuk denied that the Ukrainian military was responsible for the shoot-down, although Ukraine agreed to pay damages. [26]
Ukraine agreed to pay the families of each of the 38 Russian victims the sum of $200,000, the same amount that it had paid to the families of the 40 Israeli victims. The settlement was ratified by the Russian parliament in May 2004 and President Vladimir Putin signed it into law in June 2004. [6]
Some relatives of the crash victims refused to accept the compensation offered by Ukraine. [27] They brought a civil suit against the Ukrainian government[dubious – discuss] to Pechers'ky local court in Kyiv. During the court hearings, Ministry of Defence of Ukraine representatives stated that the airplane "could not be brought down by a Ukrainian missile" according to the forensic examination of the plane's debris, radar information and technical capabilities of the missiles. They also argued that the Soviet-made identification friend or foe system of the missile in question would have prevented it from striking the Soviet-made airliner. [24] The lawyer representing the plaintiffs argued[citation needed] that the fault of the Ukrainian government was effectively proven by the fact that it had negotiated the compensations for relatives of the Israeli victims. On 22 August 2007, a Kyiv appeals court dismissed the victims' relatives' suit against the defence ministry, ruling that military of Ukraine bore no liability for the accident. [24][28][29] The court decision conflicts with report of the IAC group that had investigated the accident on Russia's behalf. [30]
Between 2003 and 2005, the Ukrainian government paid $15.6 million in compensation to the relatives of the victims. In 2004, Siberian Airlines filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the Ukraine State Treasury at a Kyiv court, seeking more than $15.3 million in compensation for the loss of the jet. However, in September 2011 the Kyiv Interregional Commercial Court of Appeal rejected a compensation claim from Siberian Airlines. An appeal to Kyiv's Economic Court of Appeals was rejected in May 2012. The ruling was further upheld in December 2012 by Ukraine's Supreme Commercial Court. [31][32]
As of January 2013[update], the court proceedings continued, but they were disrupted by the Maidan protests. Memorial services were held in Israel, Sochi and Novosibirsk. [33]
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Air crash
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2009 Heineken Cup Final
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The 2009 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Heineken Cup, the 14th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh; this was the second time that the Heineken Cup final had been held at Murrayfield after the 2005 final, when Toulouse beat Stade Français 18–12 after extra time. The match was contested by Leicester Tigers of England and Leinster of Ireland. While Leinster were making their first appearance in the Heineken Cup final, Leicester were playing in their fifth, having won the competition twice, though not since 2002; they did, however, finish as runners-up in 2007. Leinster won the match 19–16; Leinster took the lead via an early drop goal from Brian O'Driscoll, only for Julien Dupuy to equalise with a penalty a couple of minutes later. Leinster then moved 9–3 ahead with a drop goal from the halfway line and a penalty from Jonathan Sexton. However, after Stan Wright was sin-binned on the half-hour mark for an off-the-ball challenge on Sam Vesty, Leicester reduced the deficit to three points with another Dupuy penalty, before taking a 13–9 half-time lead via a converted try from Ben Woods. Dupuy increased Leicester's lead to seven points with a third penalty goal just after the interval, but a converted try from Jamie Heaslip brought the teams level with half an hour left to play. Then, with ten minutes left on the clock, Jonathan Sexton squeezed a penalty inside the right-hand upright to win the match for Leinster. Murrayfield Stadium was chosen as the venue for the 2009 Heineken Cup Final on 19 May 2008. The 2009 final was the second Heineken Cup final to be hosted by the 67,778-capacity stadium, following the 2005 final, when Toulouse beat Stade Français 18–12 after extra time in front of 51,000 spectators. [1]
The 2009 final was Leinster's first Heineken Cup final, although they had reached the semi-final stage on three other occasions: in 1995–96, 2002–03 and 2005–06, when they were knocked out by Cardiff RFC, Perpignan and Munster respectively. Leicester, however, had reached the final on four other occasions: 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2007; they won the competition in 2001 and 2002, beating Stade Français and Munster, but lost out to Brive in 1997 and London Wasps in 2007. Nigel Owens of Wales was named as the match referee for the 2009 final on 13 May 2009, making him the second official to referee consecutive Heineken Cup finals after England's Chris White. Frenchman Christophe Berdos was appointed as fourth official. [2]
For the pool stage draw, the 24 entrants were divided up into four tiers based on their European Rugby Club ranking; each group would consist of one team from each tier, and no country could have more than one team in the same group – with the exception of France, which would have two teams in one group. Leinster was placed in Tier 2, which would mean that they would avoid being drawn with teams like Gloucester, Sale Sharks and the Scarlets, but they could still be drawn with Toulouse, Stade Français, the Ospreys and the Cardiff Blues. [3] They ended up being drawn in Pool 2 alongside London Wasps, Castres and Edinburgh. [4]
Leinster won four of their pool stage matches, but a Matchday 5 defeat to Wasps meant that they had to equal or better the London side's result on the final matchday to be guaranteed a place in the knockout stage as group winners. In the end, Leinster's 12–3 win over Edinburgh was sufficient as Wasps were defeated in Castres and Leinster qualified as the sixth seeds for the quarter-finals, meaning that they would have to play away to third seeds Harlequins in the quarter-finals. [5][6]
Leinster's quarter-final against Harlequins was the last of the quarter-finals to be played, and also the lowest-scoring: Harlequins responded to two first-half penalties from Felipe Contepomi with a 65th-minute try from Mike Brown; Chris Malone had the chance to give Harlequins the lead, but his conversion attempt went wide of the far post. Brown also missed with a long-range penalty, while an injured Nick Evans, who had come on as a blood replacement under dubious circumstances, sent a last-minute drop goal attempt wide to give Leinster a 6–5 win. [7]
The draw for the semi-finals was also made in January 2009, with the winners of Leinster's quarter-final due to play against either Munster or the Ospreys. [8] Munster came through their quarter-final comfortably, beating the Ospreys 43–9 to set up an all-Irish semi-final. [9] As Heineken Cup holders and newly crowned champions of the Celtic League, Munster went into the game as favourites, but Leinster drew first blood with an early drop goal from fly-half Felipe Contepomi. Ronan O'Gara equalised with a penalty shortly after. Several minutes later, Leinster suffered a major blow when Contepomi went down with what proved to be a cruciate ligament injury. [10] A penalty from Contepomi's replacement, Jonathan Sexton, and an unconverted try from Gordon D'Arcy gave Leinster an 11–3 lead; a second penalty from O'Gara reduced Leinster's half-time lead to 11–6. Another try for Leinster, this time from Luke Fitzgerald, just after the interval put them two scores ahead, before Brian O'Driscoll intercepted a pass from Ronan O'Gara to score under the posts and round off a 25–6 win for Leinster. [11] The match marked the first time that a club rugby match had been played at Croke Park, and the 82,208 attendance for the match set a new world record in club Rugby Union. Based on their European Club Rugby ranking, Leicester Tigers were placed in Tier 1 for the pool stage draw, meaning that they would avoid being drawn with Toulouse, Stade Français and holders Munster. [3] They were eventually drawn into Pool 3 with Perpignan, the Ospreys and Benetton Treviso. [4]
Four wins in their first five matches meant that Leicester went into their final pool match against the Ospreys needing only a point to reach the knockout stage. [12] Within 15 minutes of the match kicking off, they were already 6–3 down; the score remained that way until half-time, after which the two teams continued to trade penalties, resulting in a final score of 15–9 to the Ospreys. The six-point margin gave the Tigers the losing bonus point they needed and they qualified for the quarter-finals as pool winners. [13] Their pool record meant that they were given the fourth seed for the quarter-finals, meaning that they would face a home match against the fifth seeds, Bath. [6]
Leicester went into the quarter-finals as the joint-top try scorers from the pool stage, while Bath had the second-lowest number of tries. Nevertheless, it was Bath substitute Shaun Berne who scored the first try of the quarter-final, going 7–6 up after Sam Vesty had scored two penalties in the first quarter of the game. After half-time, the two teams traded penalties before Joe Maddock crossed for Bath's second try in the 64th minute. Vesty levelled the scores at 15–15 soon after, but just as the match looked like it was heading to extra time, Leicester's replacement scrum-half Julien Dupuy feinted to pass back to Vesty in the pocket for a match-winning drop goal before scurrying through a gap at the base of the ruck on the edge of Bath's 22-metre line to score a try. [14] Leicester's 20–15 win secured them a place in the semi-finals, where they would play the Cardiff Blues,[8] who had beaten Toulouse 9–6 earlier that day. [15]
The Blues were the only team to come through the pool stage unbeaten and, going into the quarter-finals, they were the joint-top try scorers in the competition, along with Leicester themselves. Ben Blair gave Cardiff the lead with a penalty before the 15-minute mark, but Leicester responded with a converted try from Scott Hamilton and a Julien Dupuy penalty to take the score to 10–3. Cardiff hit back with three penalties of their own before Dupuy slotted over to give Leicester a 13–12 half-time lead. After half-time, Leicester increased their lead with a converted try from Geordan Murphy and two more penalties from Dupuy; however, only a few minutes later, the Tigers were hit with two quick-fire sin-binnings, and the Blues took full advantage by scoring two converted tries from Jamie Roberts and Tom James to tie the scores at 26–26 and send the game into extra time. Aside from two missed drop goal attempts from Johne Murphy and Aaron Mauger, extra time was largely uneventful and the match went to the first penalty shootout in Heineken Cup history. The first seven kicks in the shootout were all successful, giving Cardiff a 4–3 lead before Johne Murphy stepped up; however, the Irish winger missed the target, giving Tom James a chance to win the shootout for the Blues, only for the Welshman to miss his kick, allowing Scott Hamilton to convert and take the shootout to sudden death. Both teams successfully converted two more kicks before Martyn Williams wildly hooked his attempt wide and Jordan Crane slotted over to send Leicester into the final. [16]
Leinster beat Leicester 19–16. [17] They led Leicester 9–3 within 30 minutes following drop goals by Brian O'Driscoll and Johnny Sexton and a penalty by Sexton.
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Sports Competition
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Tokyo 2020: Schoenmaker wins Gold for South Africa, breaks World Record
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South Africa strikes gold at the Tokyo Olympics, as Tatjana Schoenmaker won the women's 200-meter breaststroke, dominating the competition as she went on to break an 8-year-old world record with a time of 2 minutes, 18.95 seconds. A very surreal experience for the 24-year-old.
"I feel like it really hasn't sunk in yet. We were even saying before the medals, like, did we just swim? (laughs) The whole process went really quick. So, yeah, I feel I was very excited to finally also finish my individual races and I'm excited to go home and celebrate just being at the Olympics with my family and stuff," Tatjana Schoenmaker is a post-race conference.
"And I think it will kick in when I get home, probably I don't know if it should be kicking in now, because if I was crying that much when I'm half there and half not, I just can't imagine." This is the second medal for Tatjana Schoenmaker at the Tokyo Olmpics, after coming second in the 100-meter breaststroke race, three days ago.
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Break historical records
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Florida reports 2,340 COVID deaths, over 56,000 cases this week
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The state Department of Health reported 56,325 new coronavirus cases this week among Florida residents to bring the cumulative total to 3,539,272. With 2,340 more fatalities on record, 53,580 Florida residents have died. This week’s 2,340 deaths reflect a decrease from the 2,468 reported last week, but deaths can take several days or weeks to be reported. The number of weekly cases decreased compared to the previous week’s 75,906. Positivity decreased to 8.6%, but that’s for new cases only and excludes anyone who previously tested positive. Of note, the state reports deal only with Florida resident cases and exclude non-residents cases, which are no longer available. Across the state, 6,526 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 for the seven-day period from Sept. 15-21, according to the latest White House report. In comparison, 8,489 were hospitalized the previous week. The week before that, it was 10,775. Statewide, 13,536,473 residents, or 71% of people age 12 and up, have received at least one vaccination shot, including 11,350,700 who have completed their shot regimens through Sept. 23. Central Florida added 11,543 resident infections this week, based on the actual date the state opened the case, for a total of 691,814: 3,235 more in Orange for 220,938; 1,075 more in Osceola for 69,396; 2,369 more in Polk for 124,445; 1,219 more in Lake for 51,932; 240 more in Sumter for 13,990; 1,321 more in Volusia for 72,575; 1,207 more in Brevard for 78,479; and 877 more in Seminole for 60,059.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Vadodara train crash
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The Vadodara train crash occurred on 21 April 2005 at the village of Samlaya near Vadodara in Gujarat when the Sabarmati Express passenger train crashed at high speed into a stationary goods train carrying cement. The passenger train was carrying over 430 passengers to holy city of Varanasi, when at 3.30am it collided with the cement train which was on the same track. Local citizens rushed to help pull survivors from the wreckage, which did not catch fire. They were joined later in the day by soldiers armed with cutting equipment as well as police and medical personnel. Initial reports claimed that 24 people had been killed in the crash, but these were subsequently scaled down to 17 or 18, with at least 80 people seriously injured and requiring hospitalisation. The railway authority authorised a payment of 100,000 rupees to the families of the dead, and other provisions for those less injured. The cause of the crash was apparently the train's failure to stop at a signal warning the driver that there was an obstacle on the track ahead. The driver, Sita Ram, was killed in the crash, so his testimony will never be known, but the schools of thought on the cause of the crash are that either the driver did not see or did not pay attention to the signal, or that the signalman in Samlaya failed to produce the signal, or finally that the wiring from the box to the signal was faulty, thus mislaying the message. The manager of the rail line concerned, M. Z. Ansari provoked controversy, by declaring just a few hours after the crash that "Prima facie the accident appears to have been caused by human error on the part of the staff at B Cabin in Samlaya", which caused much anger amongst the local people aiding the rescue operations, particularly since Mr Ansari was not at the site, and could not have known the full details of what had caused the crash.
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Train collisions
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From India to China, the Taliban's return leaves Afghanistan’s neighbors scrambling to adjust
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Updated Tue, Aug 17 202111:14 PM EDT The Taliban's swift return to power after two decades has left Afghanistan's neighbors scrambling to figure out how to adjust to a shifting geopolitical outlook, experts told CNBC. As U.S. military presence wound down, the Taliban made rapid battlefield advances before entering Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday. Eurasia Group analysts said in a note last week that neighboring countries are worried about political instability, likely refugee inflows and the prospect of Afghanistan becoming a haven for terrorist activities again. Afghan people sit as they wait to leave the Kabul airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021, after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city's airport trying to flee the group's feared hardline brand of Islamist rule. Wakil Kohsar | AFP | Getty Images The Taliban's swift return to power after two decades has left Afghanistan's neighbors scrambling to figure out how to adjust to a shifting geopolitical outlook, experts told CNBC. President Joe Biden in April ordered the Pentagon to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, effectively ending America's longest war. As U.S. military presence wound down, the Taliban made rapid battlefield advances despite being outnumbered by the Afghan military. In recent weeks, the group seized major cities and provincial capitals before entering capital Kabul on Sunday and taking control of the presidential palace. "Much is in geopolitical flux right now, as Afghanistan's neighbors figure out how to adjust to an emerging Taliban regime," Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, told CNBC. Political risk consultancy Eurasia Group said in a note last week that neighboring countries are worried about political instability, likely refugee inflows and the prospect of Afghanistan again becoming a haven for terrorist activities. Pakistan Pakistan held a significant amount of leverage and influence over the Taliban in the past, according to Eurasia Group analysts. It was one of the few countries that recognized the group as a legitimate government when they were last in power. VIDEO3:3403:34 Capital Connection Pakistan has also long been accused of covertly aiding the Taliban in Afghanistan — a charge that the country denies. The analysts said, however, Islamabad's influence has waned over the years and Pakistan would likely be on guard over potential violence on its borders. Reports said the Taliban's return in Afghanistan could potentially embolden terror groups in Pakistan, including the Pakistani Taliban, which could affect the country's security . "More broadly, Pakistan will see the rise of the Taliban as a major setback for its arch-rival India, and thus a positive outcome," the Eurasia Group analysts said. Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Twitter that the country is working to evacuate diplomats and other personnel from Afghanistan. He also called on the international community to "remain engaged and involved in Afghanistan in a constructive manner." India India has had a stable relationship with the civilian Afghan government over the last two decades, providing the latter with development assistance. The shift in power has left New Delhi in a "tough strategic state," Wilson Center's Kugelman explained. "Not only has the Taliban, traditionally an anti-India group, seized power, but India's Chinese and Pakistani rivals are now poised to deepen their footprints in Afghanistan," he said. Eurasia Group analysts pointed out that India has made efforts to engage with the Taliban but has effectively shuttered most of its diplomatic operations in Afghanistan. "India is especially worried because the last time the Taliban were in power, they sheltered pro-Pakistani militants," the analysts said. New Delhi is concerned that "an emboldened Pakistan will use this as an opportunity to hit India; doing so would raise the potential of a broader India-Pakistan conflict." India's foreign ministry in a statement said it has advised Indian nationals in Afghanistan to immediately return to India. It also said Tuesday that the ambassador to Kabul and his Indian staff will return to India promptly. China While countries like the U.S., U.K. and India have been rushing to evacuate diplomats and citizens from Afghanistan, China decided to keep its embassy in Kabul open. But, it is advising Chinese citizens to stay indoors. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Beijing expects a smooth transfer of power and called for crime and terrorism to be contained.
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Regime Change
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Police hail men after bank robbery foiled
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Police have praised the actions of a group of men who chased and caught a bank robber in Sydney's west yesterday. The 20-year-old walked into the Commonwealth Bank at Plumpton, claiming to have a weapon and demanding cash. He allegedly took hold of a woman from the bank, who was forced to hand over a bag of money. The man took money from the tellers before freeing the woman and trying to leave the bank. "He dragged the girl out by the neck over to the car park, then pushed her," witness Sue Dunstan said. Chief inspector Wayne McMahon says as he ran from the bank, witnesses caught him and held him down. "They believed that the male was in fact not armed," he said. "He had been gesturing under his coverings that he had a weapon but they satisfied themselves that they didn't believe that to be the case. They weren't in the bank at the time." The man is in custody at Mt Druitt Police Station.
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Bank Robbery
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2003 Dominican Republic earthquake
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The 2003 Dominican Republic earthquake occurred on September 22 at 00:45:37 local time with a moment magnitude of 6.4 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). The shock occurred on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic near the town of Luperon, Puerto Plata and 40 miles (64 km) north the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. This earthquake could also be felt in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. [2] Research indicated that it was one of a series of westward-propagating earthquakes along the boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. [4]
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Earthquakes
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1949 Manchester BEA Douglas DC-3 accident crash
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The 1949 Manchester BEA Douglas DC-3 accident occurred when a twin-engined British European Airways Douglas DC-3 (registration: G-AHCY) crashed on Saddleworth Moor in the Pennines near Oldham, Lancashire, after a flight from Belfast. The accident killed 24 of the passengers and crew on board. [1] The aircraft had first flown in 1944,[1] and was captained by F. W. Pinkerton, a former RAF serviceman who, as a sergeant, had been posted missing during World War II. [2][3] The airline was government-owned. [4]
The aircraft took off from Belfast Nutts Corner Airport at 10:58 on 19 August 1949 on a short-haul flight to Manchester Airport, with twenty-nine passengers and either three or four crew members on board. US newspaper reports, using agency reports filed soon after the incident, favour the former number of crew;[1] Flight Magazine, reporting a little time later, favoured the latter. [3]
An hour after take-off, at 11:59, the last radio contact with the crew occurred and about one minute later the aircraft crashed. It was flying at approximately 1,350 feet (410 m) when it hit a mist-covered hill (53°31.240′N 1°58.733′W / 53.520667°N 1.978883°W / 53.520667; -1.978883) at Wimberry Stones, near to the Chew Valley on Saddleworth Moor near Oldham, 15 miles (24 km) from Manchester Airport. Contact was made approximately 20 feet (6 m) from the summit. [3] The aircraft broke up and caught fire. Twenty-one passengers and all the crew members died, leaving eight survivors. [1][5]
The dead passengers were eleven women, six men and four children, three of whom were aged under two years;[3] the three crew members were all male. All but two of the dead died at the scene. [6] The injured were treated at Oldham Infirmary. [4] The rescue was hampered by bad weather and the remote location of the crash site. Workers from a paper mill approximately 0.75 miles (1.2 km) away formed a human chain to carry the injured from the hillside to lower ground and a doctor at the scene said, "I found bodies scattered all over the place. There were a few survivors lying groaning on the hillside but some of them died before I could attend to them. I have been a doctor since 1914 and served in both wars, but this was the worst sight that I have ever seen. "[7] The cause of the accident was an error in navigation, incorrect approach procedure and failure to check the position of the aircraft accurately before the descent from a safe height. [1]
An hour later, a Proctor light aircraft crashed on a test flight in mist at Baildon in Yorkshire, approximately 40 miles (64 km) away. All four of its passengers died. [5][8]
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Air crash
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Great Britain has exit the European Union
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Three and a half years after the referendum on Britain’s exit from the European Union, Brexit nevertheless took place. This happened at 23:00 London time (02:00 Minsk time) on January 31, 2020. On this occasion, the flags of the United Kingdom were raised on Parliament Square in London, and a projection of hours that counted down the time until the country left the EU appeared on the wall of the Prime Minister’s residence on Downing Street. Brexit supporters gathered in the square, including Nigel Faraj, leader of the Brexit party. No triumphs have been planned in this country in the country, since almost half of the voters voted against Brexit. Also in Britain issued 3 million commemorative 50-pence coins. By the way, they have already been issued twice, but since the date of the country’s exit from the EU was postponed, the coins were remelted. The prime minister promised that he would celebrate the event respectfully to various points of view on the “Brexit”. On January 29, the European Parliament passed the final vote on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, after which the European deputies emotionally said goodbye to their 73 British colleagues: there were hugs, warm words and songs. And on January 31, the British flag was removed from the flagpole near the European Parliament building in Brussels. How it all began and what will happen next Great Britain has been a member of the EU for 47 years. On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the country from the European Union. Supporters of Brexit won by a slight margin of vote – 51.9 percent. Prime Minister David Cameron, at which a referendum was held, resigned. Theresa May took his place, however, and she left the post two years later. Under her rule the government could not agree on a plan for the country’s exit from the EU. The date of “Brexit” was postponed several times. In the summer of 2019, Boris Johnson, one of the most ardent supporters of leaving the EU, took the post of prime minister. The formal UK exit from the EU will not change anything for ordinary citizens until the end of 2020. British citizens will be able to travel freely on the continent until the end of the year, EU citizens will be able to get a job in the kingdom under the same conditions as the British, nothing will change in trade either. For politicians, a busy time will begin. Britain will leave the EU structures that make decisions. The next 11 months will be a transitional period, during which Britain and the EU will have to resolve many issues pending for later, including immigration and free trade with the EU and with major partners. Negotiations will start on March 3.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Telstra fined $1.5m for not letting customers keep their phone numbers
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Telstra fined $1.5m for not letting customers keep their phone numbers 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
Telstra has copped a fine of more than $1.5 million for not letting consumers keep their existing phone numbers as they tried to switch to another network.
Between March and July 2020, the telco suspended most of its local number porting operations, saying the decision was due to the impact of COVID-19 on its "offshore operations" in India.
In total, 42,000 customer accounts (business and residential landline) were either unable to move to another telco, or switch to Telstra, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the regulator that issued the penalty.
In a statement on Tuesday, ACMA said Telstra had "unilaterally cancelled transfer requests that were scheduled to occur and stopped accepting new requests".
"This was done without prior warning to other telcos, which were left not being able to help new and existing customers to transfer their service, while keeping their phone number."
Fixed wireless internet promised so much, like the ability for high-tech businesses to base themselves almost anywhere in Australia. But then along came Netflix and everything changed.
It also said Telstra did not fully resume porting operations until July 2020, and did not clear the backlog of requests until October 2020.
"We appreciate Telstra had difficulties due to COVID-19 and we took this into account in our enforcement actions, including the size of the financial penalty," said ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin
"However, it is clear Telstra, for a sustained period, did not have sufficient plans in place to comply with an important consumer safeguard that promotes competition in the telco market."
The regulator has also given Telstra a formal direction to comply with the Local Number Portability Industry Code, which attracts a $250,000 fine for each contravention.
Telstra stuck an apologetic tone in its response to the ACMA penalty.
"This issue happened at the height of the first global wave of COVID, a time that tested everyone’s resilience and crisis management," the telco said in a statement to ABC News.
"Given the number of our people and services affected by the pandemic, we could not guarantee that numbers would be ported correctly and decided to hit pause until we could be sure that we would not leave people without a service.
"We worked hard to get all our porting services operating again as quickly as possible.
"Since then we've made a range of changes to ensure we can continue to meet our regulatory obligation to provide number porting services."
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
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Organization Fine
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Maroochy air crash
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The Maroochy air crash was an aircraft accident that occurred at 11.10am on 30 December 1950 at Maroochydore beach, Queensland, Australia. Three children were killed and fourteen others were seriously injured as a result of the accident. [1]
CAC Wirraway Serial Number A20-212 of the Royal Australian Air Force had been circling between Maroochydore and Alexandra Headland during a routine shark patrol when it suddenly banked steeply and crashed onto the crowded beach in front of the Maroochydore Surf Life Saving Club. The pilot and his observer survived the impact of the crash. On 9 March 2013, a 2.4-metre 'Maroochy Air Crash Memorial' was erected at the site in memory of those killed and injured. [2]
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Air crash
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1930 Pyu earthquake
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The 1930 Bago earthquake (Burmese: ၁၉၃၀ ပဲခူးတိုင်းငလျင်), also known as the Swa earthquake and Pegu earthquake struck Burma on May 5 with a moment magnitude between 7.3 and 7.5. [5][6] This earthquake was one of the most destructive to hit the country, and one of many earthquakes to affect the country between 1929 and 1931. Extensive damage was reported in the southern part of the country. More than 550 people were reportedly killed, although the death toll may be as high as 5,000 to 7,000. [4] A moderate tsunami was generated along the Burmese coast as a result of the earthquake, however it only caused minor damage. This earthquake ruptured along the Bago segment of the Sagaing fault for a length of 131 kilometres (81 mi),[7] extending from the southern coast of Burma (Gulf of Martaban) to roughly 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city of Bago. [8] Its epicenter is located north of Bago, near the Pegu range. The mainshock was followed-up with the 1930 Pyu earthquake seven months later. Maximum offset was measured at 3 metres (9.8 ft). [9]
Shaking was violent enough to destroy much of Pegu. An eyewitness observed surface waves propagating through a tennis court as the earthquake occurred. People on the ground were thrown upwards due to the rapid ground acceleration. Fires erupted, causing further destruction in the city. There were also reports of severe liquefaction taking place shortly after, in the form of fissures erupting sand and water. Lound rumbling noises were heard by people in the city. The Shwemawdaw Pagoda, a religious monument in the city, was seriously weakened, and half of the structure collapsed, killing some at the base. The death toll is estimated at 500 in Pegu. [10] Survivors described feeling two distinct jolts, separated by a short pause. The second shock was reportedly the most violent. The duration of the earthquake only lasted some 30 seconds. In Tawa, seven people were killed, two buildings totally collapsed, pagodas and roads destroyed and subsidence occurred. At Khayan, there was a partial collapse of a hospital, various buildings, and a mosque. Fissures and vents spewed enough water and to bury parts of the town and cause floods. Between 12 and 16 deaths were from here. In Thongwa, which sits atop the Sagaing Fault, suffered major destruction during the quake. A railway station platform fissured and abutments of the railway bridge sank, and were shifted from their original positions. Like in many other affected other towns, most masonry buildings collapsed or were badly damaged. In Rangoon, the shock toppled the Shwedagon Pagoda, an important religious landmark in the city. [11] Like in Pegu, the earthquake threw people off the ground More than 50 major buildings had to be replaced. The confirmed death toll was reported at 50 to 58, while the press reported 200. [12] Another 204 were injured by collapsing masonry. The most severe damage was situated in the southern portion of the city which it sits on a river delta where alluvium deposited by the Irrawaddy River. [13] The British Geological Survey building along Dalhousie Road cracked in many areas. The interior of the building which housed a laboratory and museum was wrecked. Along China Street, pucca houses caved inwards and numerous buildings withstood shaking but were uninhabitable. [14]
The shock was powerful enough to be felt in Shan state and the Kingdom of Siam. It was felt over an estimated area size greater than 220,000 square miles (570,000 km2). [12]
In the meizoseismal area, shaking intensity reached IX to X on the Rossi-Florel scale within a pear-shaped area of 375 square miles (970 km2) along the fault. [14] Within this area, buildings were either partially or totally destroyed. Bago was located at the northern end of this isoseismal area. Large fissures and thrusted alluvium was observed during surveys of the land. Intensity VIII covered the townships Kyauktan, Thongwa, Kayan, and Kawa. Many housed suffered significant damage while a few collapsed partially. Many household items reportedly fell towards the north or south, and large almirahs in a hospital and police station were thrown to the floor. Massive cracks appeared in the ground and some sections of land fell into a nearby river. [14]
The regions of Toungoo and Rangoon were within the intensity VII to VI zone. Poorly constructed buildings collapsed in this area. Brick chimneys and walls were thrown down due to the force of the earthquake. A number of buildings were so badly compromised that they were not safe for anyone to enter. [14]
Revision of the intensity of this earthquake with the Modified Mercalli intensity scale in 2012 suggest it had a maximum intensity of IX (Violent).
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Earthquakes
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Two die on Espoir Ivoirien FPSO
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An accident on the Espoir Ivoirien floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, offshore Cote d’Ivoire, has caused two deaths. BW Offshore operates the FSPO for CNR International. The vessel operator said an incident had occurred at 13:30 local time. Work was being carried out in a cargo tank on the FPSO. BW Offshore reported hydrocarbons leaked into the tank, while work was being performed. The company has informed the next of kin, it reported. “This is a tragic day for the families of the men we have lost, and our hearts go out to them”, said BW Offshore’s CEO Marco Beenen. The companies have shut down production and contained the leak. They have accounted for all personnel. BW Offshore and CNR are co-operating with local authorities on the situation. Crude flows from the Espoir East and West reservoirs to the Espoir Ivoirien FPSO. The vessel is located between two wellhead towers, connected by flowlines. CNR has reported zero fatalities among employees and contractors during 2016-19. However, the company has reported a higher number of accidents in its international exploration and production unit than its North American units.
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Shipwreck
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Delta Air Lines Flight 1080 crash
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Delta Air Lines Flight 1080 was a scheduled flight notable for the incident that occurred on April 12, 1977 during the San Diego to Los Angeles leg of the flight. Unknown to the crew, the Lockheed L-1011's left elevator had become stuck in a fully upwards position. This led to the aircraft pitching up aggressively and causing the aircraft to lose speed and nearly stall. [3] The pitching force, unable to be overcome by fully pushing the control column down, was counteracted by reducing the thrust on the L-1011's wing engines but not the tail engine. The differential thrust, along with moving all the passengers as far forwards as possible in the cabin, pitched down the nose of the airliner and allowed the pilots to land the aircraft. [1][4]
An investigation found that the pressurization and depressurization of the L-1011 during flight cycles had caused water to be pushed inside a bearing, heavily corroding it and causing it to become jammed during a routine control surfaces check prior to takeoff. The FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive instructing airlines to do a check of the bearing. This verification, however, was not sufficient to prevent takeoff with a jammed elevator; and a similar incident followed two months later. The FAA then made it mandatory for crews to inspect the elevators before each takeoff. [1][5]
As a result of the incidents, Lockheed redesigned the elevator systems to be redundant upon failure of the bearings, as well as adding a seal to the bearing and a deflector to reduce the amount of water contacting the part. [1] Lockheed also modified the pilot's manual to improve the Pitch Axis Control Assist Procedures. The FAA further made it mandatory for pilots to be informed of these changes. [5]
For his skill in landing the crippled airplane, the captain, Jack McMahan, was awarded the FAA's Distinguished Service Award. [2] The airplane was repaired and continued to fly for Delta until 1985. It was subsequently sold to American Trans Air, where it was registered with the tail number "N187AT". The airplane was scrapped in 2002. [6]
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Air crash
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2016 European Table Tennis Championships
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The European Table Tennis Championships is an international table tennis competition for the national teams of the member associations of the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU). First held in 1958, the ETTU organised the European Championships every two years in even-numbered years until 2002, when they changed to odd-numbered years. Since 2007, the competition has been contested annually. [1]
The Championships include seven events: men's singles, doubles and team; women's singles, doubles and team, and mixed doubles. From 2009 until 2013, the mixed doubles tournament was organised separately from the other events. In 2015, the ETTU announced that from 2016 the Championships would feature only individual events (men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles) in even-numbered years, with only team events taking place in odd-numbered years. [2]
The European Youth Table Tennis Championships were first held in 1955 in Stuttgart. The tournament has been held yearly (except 1960, 1963, 1964). Juniors (under 18) and Cadets (under 15). [1]
(2)
(2) Oksana Fadeyeva(2)
(details)
(2)
(details)
silver and bronze medals not complete
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Sports Competition
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1947 Manama riots
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In the wake of the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, a riot against the Jewish community of Manama, in the British Protectorate of Bahrain, on December 5, 1947. [1] A mob of Iranian and Trucial States sailors ran through the Manama Souq,[2] looted Jewish homes and shops, and destroyed the synagogue. [citation needed] One Jewish woman died; she was either killed or died from fright. [3]
Bahrain's tiny Jewish community, mostly the Jewish descendants of immigrants who entered the country in the early 1900s from Iraq, numbered 600 in 1948. In the wake of the November 29, 1947 U.N. Partition vote, demonstrations against the vote in the Arab world were called for December 2–5. The first two days of demonstrations in Bahrain saw rock throwing against Jews, but on December 5, mobs in the capital of Manama looted Jewish homes and shops in the city's Jewish district (Al-Mutanabi Road). [4] The riots led to the sacking of the only synagogue in Bahrain, and had resulted in the death of an elderly woman[1] and scores of Jews were injured. Local Jews blamed the riots on foreign Arabs. [4]
After the riots, Bahraini Jews left en masse, some emigrating to Israel, others to England or America. [4] They were allowed to leave with their property, although they were forced to give up their citizenship. [4] An estimated 500 to 600 Jews remained in Bahrain until riots broke out after the Six-Day War in 1967;[4] as of 2006 only 36 remained. [5]
Houda Nonoo told the London Independent newspaper in 2007: "I don't think it was Bahrainis who were responsible. It was people from abroad. Many Bahrainis looked after Jews in their houses." This view is supported by Sir Charles Belgrave, formerly a political adviser to the government of Bahrain – which at the time was subject to treaty relations with Britain – who recalled in a memoir: "The leading Arabs were very shocked ... most of them, when possible, had given shelter and protection to their Jewish neighbours... [the riots] had one surprising effect; it put an end to any active aggression by the Bahrain Arabs against the Bahrain Jews. "[6]
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Riot
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The Straits Times
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TOKYO (REUTERS) - China's Shi Zhiyong broke his own world record to win the men's 73kg weightlifting event at the Olympics on Wednesday (July 28) and claim a gold medal for the second Games in a row.
The 27-year-old lifted a combined 364kg to better his own world record of 363kg he set at the 2019 world championships.
Shi remained strong throughout the competition, breaking the Olympic record in the snatch with his second lift and again with his third.
Shi, gold medallist at the 2016 Olympics in the 69kg category, also broke the Olympic record for the clean and jerk on his first attempt.
Venezuela's Julio Ruben Mayora Pernia won the silver medal and Indonesia's Rahmat Erwin Abdullah the bronze.
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Break historical records
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