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2009 Gabonese protests
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The 2009 Gabonese protests was rioting and popular disturbances with immediate unrest and violent opposition-led street demonstrations and growing civil disobedience movement across Port Gentil and Libreville in Gabon after the immediate results of the 2009 Gabonese presidential election was announced. Tow were left dead amid the unrest, clashes and fighting between the rival forces. French interference in the actions sparked national outrage, one of the causes if the immediate unrest. [1]
The protests began as an opposition attempt to protest a gay at electoral difficulties, widespread irregularities and corruption in the election campaigns, according to the opposition, gained support of the president Ali Bongo and the votes was forced to be in favour of his own party (he is the son of former president Omar Bongo). The nationwide and widespread social protests and anti-election protests was caused by the results, sparking tensions and violence. [2]
Security forces fired Tear gas at opposition rallies in Port Gentil, the epicentre of the massive demonstrations against the results of the elections, despite police presence. Thousands of demonstrators set fire to tires and trash boxes, while in Libreville, protesters chanted slogans against the president and the results, and called for fresh elections. [3]
All of its 10,000 citizens were told to stay in lockdown despite the violence, and France ordered troops into the cities. The protests continued for the next two days, with two killed in the battles with police and protesters on 5 September. Prisoners was also released, seeing the invasion of opposition-inmates in prison camps. Large-scale violence (by Riot police) and the mass demonstrations was largely ignored by the government-sponsored media, however, other media outlets did full coverage on the protests. [4]
Protests over the disputed elections resumed on 4-5 September, despite severe lockdown and clashes. Strikes paralysed most of the eastern city of Port Gentil and two were killed in the citywide uprising. The movement called for stronger elections, the cancellation of the vote, recount of the election despite widespread irregularities. Electoral Commission reported widespread fraud during the elections. [5]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Warning of 'ecological Armageddon' after dramatic plunge in ...
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Warning of 'ecological Armageddon' after dramatic plunge in insect numbers
Three-quarters of flying insects in nature reserves across Germany have vanished in 25 years, with serious implications for all life on Earth, scientists say
Flying insects caught in a malaise trap, used by entomologists to collect samples. Photograph: Courtesy of Entomologisher Verein Krefeld
Flying insects caught in a malaise trap, used by entomologists to collect samples. Photograph: Courtesy of Entomologisher Verein Krefeld
Wed 18 Oct 2017 19.00 BST
Last modified on Fri 29 Oct 2021 12.45 BST
The abundance of flying insects has plunged by three-quarters over the past 25 years, according to a new study that has shocked scientists.
Insects are an integral part of life on Earth as both pollinators and prey for other wildlife and it was known that some species such as butterflies were declining. But the newly revealed scale of the losses to all insects has prompted warnings that the world is “on course for ecological Armageddon”, with profound impacts on human society.
The new data was gathered in nature reserves across Germany but has implications for all landscapes dominated by agriculture, the researchers said.
The cause of the huge decline is as yet unclear, although the destruction of wild areas and widespread use of pesticides are the most likely factors and climate change may play a role. The scientists were able to rule out weather and changes to landscape in the reserves as causes, but data on pesticide levels has not been collected.
“The fact that the number of flying insects is decreasing at such a high rate in such a large area is an alarming discovery,” said Hans de Kroon, at Radboud University in the Netherlands and who led the new research.
“Insects make up about two-thirds of all life on Earth [but] there has been some kind of horrific decline,” said Prof Dave Goulson of Sussex University, UK, and part of the team behind the new study. “We appear to be making vast tracts of land inhospitable to most forms of life, and are currently on course for ecological Armageddon. If we lose the insects then everything is going to collapse.”
The research, published in the journal Plos One , is based on the work of dozens of amateur entomologists across Germany who began using strictly standardised ways of collecting insects in 1989. Special tents called malaise traps were used to capture more than 1,500 samples of all flying insects at 63 different nature reserves.
The malaise traps set in protected areas and reserves, which scientists say makes the declines even more worrying. Photograph: Courtesy of Courtesy of Entomologisher Verein Krefeld
When the total weight of the insects in each sample was measured a startling decline was revealed. The annual average fell by 76% over the 27 year period, but the fall was even higher – 82% – in summer, when insect numbers reach their peak.
Previous reports of insect declines have been limited to particular insects, such European grassland butterflies , which have fallen by 50% in recent decades. But the new research captured all flying insects, including wasps and flies which are rarely studied, making it a much stronger indicator of decline.
The fact that the samples were taken in protected areas makes the findings even more worrying, said Caspar Hallmann at Radboud University, also part of the research team: “All these areas are protected and most of them are well-managed nature reserves. Yet, this dramatic decline has occurred.”
Insect abundance
The amateur entomologists also collected detailed weather measurements and recorded changes to the landscape or plant species in the reserves, but this could not explain the loss of the insects. “The weather might explain many of the fluctuations within the season and between the years, but it doesn’t explain the rapid downward trend,” said Martin Sorg from the Krefeld Entomological Society in Germany, who led the amateur entomologists.
Goulson said a likely explanation could be that the flying insects perish when they leave the nature reserves. “Farmland has very little to offer for any wild creature,” he said. “But exactly what is causing their death is open to debate. It could be simply that there is no food for them or it could be, more specifically, exposure to chemical pesticides, or a combination of the two.”
In September, a chief scientific adviser to the UK government warned that regulators around the world have falsely assumed that it is safe to use pesticides at industrial scales across landscapes and that the “effects of dosing whole landscapes with chemicals have been largely ignored”.
The scientists said further work is urgently needed to corroborate the new findings in other regions and to explore the issue in more detail. While most insects do fly, it may be that those that don’t, leave nature reserves less often and are faring better. It is also possible that smaller and larger insects are affected differently, and the German samples have all been preserved and will be further analysed.
In the meantime, said De Kroon: “We need to do less of the things that we know have a negative impact, such as the use of pesticides and the disappearance of farmland borders full of flowers.”
As well as being pollinators insects provide food for birds and other animals and help control pests. Photograph: Kevin Elsby/Alamy
Lynn Dicks at the University of East Anglia, UK, and not involved in the new research said the work was convincing. “It provides important new evidence for an alarming decline that many entomologists have suspected is occurring for some time.”
“If total flying insect biomass is genuinely declining at this rate – about 6% per year – it is extremely concerning,” she said. “Flying insects have really important ecological functions, for which their numbers matter a lot. They pollinate flowers: flies, moths and butterflies are as important as bees for many flowering plants, including some crops. They provide food for many animals – birds, bats, some mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Flies, beetles and wasps are also predators and decomposers, controlling pests and cleaning up the place generally.”
Another way of sampling insects – car windscreens – has often been anecdotally used to suggest a major decline, with people remembering many more bugs squashed on their windscreens in the past.
“I think that is real,” said Goulson. “I drove right across France and back this summer – just when you’d expect your windscreen to be splattered all over – and I literally never had to stop to clean the windscreen.”
Topics
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Insect Disaster
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Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254 crash
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On April 9, 1990, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254, a scheduled passenger flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Gadsden, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, was involved in a mid-air collision with a Cessna 172 over Gadsden. The collision resulted in the death of the pilot and passenger of the Cessna 172. [1][2]
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254 was operated under 14 CFR 135 with an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia (registration N217AS[3]). [2]
The second aircraft was a Cessna 172 (registration N99501[4]), operated by two Civil Air Patrol pilots. [2][5]
Flight 2254 departed Muscle Shoals, Alabama, en route to Atlanta with a scheduled intermediate stop at the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport in Gadsden, Alabama. The flight from Muscle Shoals to Gadsden was without incident. [1]
Flight 2254 departed Gadsden from Runway 24, with Captain William Query (56) and an unnamed first officer at the controls. The aircraft turned left toward the east along its intended flight path to Atlanta, climbing toward an assigned altitude of 5,000 feet. The Cessna 172 was westbound at the same altitude, facing the setting sun. The two aircraft collided at approximately 6:05 p.m. Central Daylight Time. [2]:1
As a result of the head-on collision, Flight 2254's right horizontal stabilizer was torn from the aircraft. Though significantly damaged, Flight 2254 managed to return to the airport with no injuries to occupants. The Cessna 172 crashed into a field, resulting in fatal injuries to both occupants. The ASA crew reported afterward that they saw the Cessna moments before impact, and that the captain attempted evasive action by pushing the nose down, but was unable to avoid the collision. An eyewitness who saw the collision did not report any evasive maneuvers by either aircraft prior to the accident. [2]:1[6][5]
The probable cause of the crash was attributed by the NTSB to be “inadequate visual lookout by the pilots of both aircraft, which resulted in their failure to see and avoid oncoming traffic. A factor related to the accident was the sun's glare, which restricted the vision of the Cessna 172 pilot.”[2]
Similar accidents between a scheduled commercial flight and a private aircraft in the immediate airport environment include:
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Air crash
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2018 East Java earthquake
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On 11 October 2018, an earthquake struck off the coast of East Java, Indonesia, with the epicentre located off the coast of Situbondo Regency. The earthquake, which struck at dawn, killed 4 people in addition to destroying or damaging hundreds of houses, mostly in the small island of Sapudi. The earthquake occurred at 18:44:55 UTC (01:44:55 WIB), with a strength of Mw 6.0, 9 km depth and epicenter location of WikiMiniAtlas7°27′11″S 114°27′22″E / 7.453°S 114.456°E / -7.453; 114.456 (USGS)[4] or Mw 6.3, 12 km depth and epicenter at WikiMiniAtlas7°28′S 114°26′E / 7.46°S 114.44°E / -7.46; 114.44 (BMKG). [5][6] The epicenter was located underwater, around 60 km northeast of the town of Situbondo. [6] Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency reported 12 aftershocks, the strongest one occurring at 02:22 local time with a strength of Mw 3.5. [1] BMKG attributed the earthquake to a thrust fault movement of an unmapped fault, adding that the region historically saw relatively low seismicity and that the earthquake was not caused by the larger and more destructive earthquakes in Sulawesi and Lombok. [7][8]
According to Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the earthquake was felt in 22 regencies and cities in East Java province, including the provincial capital and Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya. [9] No tsunami warnings were issued, and none occurred. Attendees of the 2018 International Monetary Fund Summit in Denpasar reported feeling the earthquake, but no damage occurred and the summit continued without significant disruption. [10]
The earthquake killed 4 people, and injured at least 26. As the earthquake struck around 2 AM, many of the victims were asleep during the shaking and could not escape. [3] Three of the deaths occurred in Prambanan village of Sapudi Island and were caused by falling roof shrapnel, while the fourth fatality was in Jember, where a 47-year-old man died after he slipped and hit his head when running out of his house during the earthquake. [2]
Nearly 500 houses were reported to be damaged by the day following the earthquake in Sapudi Island alone,[11] with lesser damage in other regencies. [12] Cleanup operations, assisted by soldiers from Kodam V/Brawijaya, began soon after the earthquake. [13] Social minister Agus Gumiwang visited Sapudi later in the day of the earthquake. [14] Governor of East Java Soekarwo also visited the island, and promised that the provincial government would incur the costs of repairing damaged houses, with the provincial administration allocating Rp 23.7 billion (US$1.6 million) for the purpose. [13][15] The central government also provided benefits of Rp 15 million (~USD 1,000) for the relatives of the fatalities, in addition to smaller benefits from the local governments. [16][17]
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Earthquakes
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Guinea's Military Declared A Coup. What Happens Next Is Uncertain
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People celebrate in the streets with members of Guinea's armed forces after the arrest of Guinea's president, Alpha Conde, in a coup d'etat in Conakry on Sunday. People celebrate in the streets with members of Guinea's armed forces after the arrest of Guinea's president, Alpha Conde, in a coup d'etat in Conakry on Sunday. Cellou Binani/AFP via Getty Images One day after the military stormed the president of Guinea's palace and took him into custody, the coup's leader ordered ministers from the ousted government not to depart the country and to hand over their official vehicles. In a meeting Monday with the ministers — who had been warned that not attending would be considered an act of rebellion — Col. Mamady Doumbouya also encouraged companies that conduct mining in Guinea to continue their work, exempting them from a nationwide curfew. He also said there would not be a witch-hunt against former officials. After Reports Of Gunfire In Guinea, Army Colonel Says Government Has Been Dissolved The coup began Sunday with reports of heavy gunfire near the presidential palace in Conakry, the country's capital. At first, Guinea's Defense Ministry said the incursion had been quashed. But photos soon emerged of the president, 83-year-old Alpha Conde, in captivity, surrounded by men in military fatigues. Col. Doumbouya, a 41-year-old former member of the French legionary , appeared on state television Sunday to announce that the country's government and constitution had been dissolved and a new government would be formed soon, though he did not provide a timeline. He said he led the coup to end the president's corrupt administration, which had failed to bring economic prosperity to the country. "We will no longer entrust politics to one man. We will entrust it to the people," Doumbouya said. The coup was met with widespread condemnation on Sunday. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres tweeted that he was "personally following the situation in Guinea very closely," and called for the military to release the deposed president. I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde. — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 5, 2021 A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department also issued a statement denouncing the military takeover, saying, "violence and extra-constitutional measures will erode Guinea's prospects for peace, stability, and prosperity." The African Union and the regional body of West African countries, ECOWAS, both called for Conde's immediate release. President Conde's capture comes less than a year after a violently contested election that led to the start of his third term, according to the Associated Press . In 2020 Conde rammed through a referendum to change the constitution, which then allowed him to run for a third term. On Sunday many took to the streets to celebrate Conde's removal from power, running and cheering alongside passing military vehicles. Alpha Conde ascended to his role as the country's leader in 2010 as Guinea's first democratically elected president. His government helped boost mining and exports of its vast quantities of the mineral bauxite, used in the manufacturing of aluminum. But, as Human Rights Watch documented in 2018 , the bauxite operations disrupted the lives and livelihoods of many in rural Guinea. Frustration had also been mounting over the years that the wealth gained from bauxite was not trickling down to most of the country. Conde's fate remains unclear, as well as whether the entire military supports the coup, the BBC reports . Although the 15-country economic group ECOWAS has demanded Conde's release, it has yet to threaten any invasions or sanctions, NPR's Eyder Peralta reports. The group entered The Gambia in 2017 to reinstate constitutional order, but it declined to invade Mali following a coup there last year. Peralta says Guinea's apparent coup on Sunday may serve as a test of the economic group's willingness to intervene.
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Regime Change
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Vietnam Airlines Flight 831 crash
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Vietnam Airlines Flight 831, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed in a rice field near Semafahkarm Village, Tambon Khu Khot, Amphoe Lam Luk Ka, Pathum Thani, Thailand while operating a flight from Hanoi to Bangkok in 1988. The cause of the accident is undetermined, however the pilots reported the aircraft may have been struck by lightning. [1] Three crew and 73 passengers died in the accident. This accident was the second deadliest accident at the time in Thailand, and is currently the fifth deadliest. [2]
While still flying above the outer marker, the aircraft descended below the minimum safe altitude and crashed into the ground. The aircraft exploded on impact with debris spread over 500 metres (1,600 ft). [2]
Among the dead was Vietnamese Minister of Public Health Đặng Hồi Xuân. [3]
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Air crash
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Arrest made following Thursday shooting at Harris Teeter, neighboring businesses react
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One man has been arrested in connection to a Thursday night shooting at the Harris Teeter on Oleander Drive.
According to a news release from the Wilmington Police Department, 51-year-old Robert Taylor has been arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of drug paraphernalia and robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection to a shooting that occurred in the 3500 block of Oleander Drive Thursday around 6:45 p.m.
Officers responded to the scene where a 35-year-old male victim was suffering from a gunshot wound in the parking lot of the Hanover Center shopping center, near the Harris Teeter. The victim, whose name has not yet been released by law enforcement, was transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Center by EMS and is in stable condition as of Friday.
According to the news release, Taylor knew the victim and the incident was personal and isolated. Officials said there is no danger to the public.
“From the minute that the incident took place, Wilmington Police officers were immediately on the scene. Our officers worked tirelessly along with our STING center and other law enforcement partners to quickly identify the suspect and take him into custody. I’m proud of the efforts of our officers and the work our men and women do each day to keep our community safe,” Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams said in the release.
Management at Harris Teeter said they had no comment regarding the incident Friday, but owners and employees at other neighboring businesses said it was surprising for the typically quiet, safe shopping center.
Jaime Hollister, assistant manager at Feet First, said she was in the store alone Thursday night and heard the gunshot "loud as can be."
Hollister said she immediately locked the door, turned off the lights and watched as law enforcement quickly arrived on scene.
While some other businesses in the shopping center were closed at the time of the shooting — such as Omega Sports, Niche, and Wild Bird and Garden — they said it was "business as normal" Friday.
"No customers have said anything and we've been really busy today," said Chris Gray, owner of Niche. "We feel safe here. It was just a shock to us because we do feel safe here."
Jill Peleuses, owner of Wild Bird and Garden, said her store closed at 5:30 p.m., so no employees were working at the time of the shooting. Peleuses said she's been working in the shopping center for more than 20 years and was surprised to hear about the shooting.
"I mean, that's terrifying," Peleuses said. "I've never seen anything like that in this shopping center."
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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County reports 1,068 new COVID-19 infections, 7 deaths as CDC endorses booster shots
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by: City News Service SAN DIEGO (CNS) – San Diego County reported 1,068 new COVID-19 infections and seven new deaths Friday, as one county official prepared for the possibility of vaccine booster shots. “The FDA and CDC approval of the Pfizer vaccine booster for certain groups of people is another step in our fight against COVID,” said County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher. “Once we receive final approval and guidance from the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup and the California Department of Public Health, our region will be well-prepared to provide Pfizer booster shots for those who are eligible. “We expect this final approval in the coming days, and after that, eligible San Diegans should contact their local health care provider, pharmacy or our county-sponsored sites to receive the Pfizer booster,” Fletcher said. “We want to emphasize, the booster is only for those groups outlined in pending final approval and will only be available for those who initially received the Pfizer vaccine.” Friday’s numbers included batch tests and cases that would have been reported Sept. 14 through Wednesday, but were not due to a reporting error between the county and medical providers. The data brought the county’s cumulative totals to 353,112 cases and 4,046 fatalities since the pandemic began. The number of COVID patients in county hospitals increased from 414 on Thursday to 418, with 137 of those patients in intensive care, according to state figures. Also on Thursday, Riverside County surpassed San Diego County for the second-most hospital patients in a county in the state. Los Angeles County has 956 COVID-19 hospital patients, more than double the next highest county. A total of 27,290 new tests were logged, and the percentage of positive cases over the past seven days was 3.7%. A total of 37 new community outbreaks were confirmed in the past seven days: 18 in grade school settings, four in business settings, four in restaurant/bar settings, three in daycare/preschool/childcare settings, two in government settings, one in a college/university setting, one in a construction setting, one in a grocery setting, one in a healthcare setting, one in restaurant setting and one in a retail setting. San Diego County’s case rate per 100,000 residents is 27.6 overall, 13.0 for fully vaccinated people and 47.3 for not fully vaccinated San Diegans. No-cost COVID-19 vaccines are widely available. They can be found at medical providers, pharmacies, community clinics and county public health centers for people who do not have a medical provider. Nearly 4.72 million vaccine doses have been administered in San Diego County, with around 2.5 million — or 87.7% of eligible county residents — having received at least one dose. Fully vaccinated county residents now number more than 2.2 million, or around 78.2% of the county’s eligible population.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Fiscal policy of next Dutch government probably expansionary
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Policy proposals by parties in the Dutch coalition government ahead of the 17 March election imply higher spending and lower taxation in the next 4 years, leading to a GDP impulse of 1.3%. Known for its after-crisis austerity, Dutch politics made a turnaround. Despite an increase, Dutch public debt will remain low compared to peer countries It is common practice in the Netherlands for traditional political parties to submit their detailed policy proposals for the next term (up to 2025) of the House of Representatives to the independent agency called the Netherlands Bureau of Economic Policy Analysis (CPB). CPB will then subject the proposals to a viability check, estimate the fiscal implications and macro-economic effects. The results presented in the first week of March provide insights to the likely possible policy direction of the next Dutch government. Most eligible parties decided to participate in this tradition in 2021. Only Geert Wilders’ PVV, Thierry Baudet’s FvD and Esther Ouwehand’s Party for the Animals decided not. We will discuss the size and effect of policies submitted by the parties that are in the current coalition government, which poll at 80 out of 150 seats (according to Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar as of 25 February 2021, with 73 to 87 seats at a 95% confidence level). This includes the liberal conservative VVD of Mark Rutte, Christian democrats CDA of Wopke Hoekstra, centrist liberal democrats D66 of Sigrid Kaag and Christian-social party ChristenUnie (CU) of Gert-Jan Segers. Although other coalitions and therefore another policy mix are also possible , this is difficult to predict, and we refrain from doing that. We will weigh the results of these four parties by their estimated support. For example, VVD gets a share of 50%, since it represents 40 out of the 80 polled House of Representative seats within the coalition. Also of interest might be our publication of what to expect from the Dutch elections , based on polls and election manifestos Substantially more public spending in the medium term A continuation of the current coalition would probably mean expansionary fiscal policy. Government expenditures will probably fall compared to the Covid-19 inspired high level of spending of 2021, because temporary support measures will end. All parties will increase (real) structural spending during the next term (as measured in 2025). The net increase in spending varies from 0.4% of 2021 GDP (VVD) to 1.9% (CU). The poll-weighted average increase of the four governing parties is 0.8% GDP, a significant increase. Increase in discretionary spending intended by all coalition members Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar of 25 February 2021, ING Research estimates, *average weighted based share in poll among these four parties Higher spending especially on education and defence No coalition party cuts spending on health care and all of them increase spending on education, climate & environmental policies, defence, security and mobility. Abstracting from temporary and trend (ageing) driven changes in spending (-1.2% GDP), the coalition parties intend to increase spending most on education, followed by defence and mobility. The largest spending cut is applied to social security, but this very much depends on a complete overhaul of the allowance system, abolishing allowances for children, childcare, health care and rent. This would however be offset by lower taxation. Largest increase in spending in education intended Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar of 25 February 2021, ING Research estimates, *average weighted based on share in polls among these four parties No total agreement on direction of taxation, but a cut most likely for the current coalition Coalition parties don’t fully agree on the direction of taxation. Without policy changes, taxation will increase by 0.7% of GDP, mostly due to ageing-related increases in health care insurance premiums. Abstracting from such base case effects, the intended change in discretionary taxation varies from a cut of 1.1% of GDP (D66) to an increase of 1.1% (CU, in part to compensate for lower allowances). The weighted averages of the change are a decline of 0.6% GDP, in line with the direction that three of the four parties intend. Three coalition partners opt for lower taxation Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar of 25 February 2021, ING Research estimates, *average weighted based on share in polls among these four parties Shift of tax burden towards wealth and businesses All parties intend to reduce the tax burden for households significantly: taxation on labour and income is in 2025 on (weighted) average 1.6% GDP lower than would be the case without policy changes. In part it is a shift of the burden to profits, wealth and pollution. Lower tax partly financed by wealth, profit and environmental taxes Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar of 25 February 2021, ING Research estimates, *average weighted based on share in polls among these four parties Agreement on looser fiscal policy in the medium term As a result of generally looser fiscal policy in the medium term, the government budget balance would decrease to between -1.3% GDP (CU) to -2.1% GDP (CDA) in 2025. The resulting estimated government debt levels in 2025 vary between 59.6% GDP (D66) and 61.7% GDP (VVD), which keeps the weighted average of 61.0% GDP very much within safe margins . Government budget deficit in 2025 around 2% of GDP implies fiscal stimulus Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar of 25 February 2021, ING Research estimates, *average weighted based on share in polls among these four parties Stark differences in long run debt projections CPB also estimated the long run impact, projecting 2060 debt ratios. Such long-term projections are surrounded by uncertainties; one obvious risk would be a changing interest rate. That said, the long run debt ratio projections vary more widely among parties than the 2025 projections, between 52.9% GDP (CU) and 93.9% GDP (D66). D66 is really the exception here, as VVD, CDA and CU all stay below 64% GDP and the weighted average is only 65.1% GDP. This is not to say that D66 is against fiscal prudence: its manifesto makes clear that it wants a “mid-term review”, in which financial priorities will be rearranged once the effects of the Covid-19 crisis are clearer. All in all, one can expect that if the current coalition were to continue to govern, government debt would stay quite low in international comparison, probably also in the long run. Public debt ratio projected to remain low on average Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar of 25 February 2021, ING Research estimates, *average weighted based on share in polls among these four parties Fiscal sustainability balance implies the shift of a fiscal burden to future generations We would not be surprised when halfway through its term fiscal policy for the long run will be revisited, once the consequences of the Covid crisis are more apparent. Indeed, one can argue that there is the option value of waiting for new information. As such, long-term plans and projections may be of less importance now than they generally are, as long as the parties involved have a credible reputation for long-term fiscal prudence. If the structural deficit – as signalled by the sustainability gap that remains in the plans of all parties – was addressed later, some of the fiscal burden that is now put on future generations will be shifted back again onto current generations. For the current policy proposals, the projected sustainability balance – the net present value of future revenues and future expenditures – on average stands at -3.2% of GDP. Technical note: While both are informative, the results for the sustainability balance and long run debt are not fully consistent because of methodological differences. In contrast to the calculations of debt ratios in 2060, these “sustainability calculations” implicitly take into risks to government revenues and spending and therefore use a risk-weighted discount rate rather than a yield curve with ultimate forward rates. A fiscal burden remains for future generations Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar of 25 February 2021, ING Research estimates, *average weighted based on share in polls among these four parties Effects on economic development: temporary GDP boost Former austerity lovers, many Dutch politicians have drastically changed their stance on crisis management. No party intends to cut back in a way like the past. Current support schemes however will end, and no political party seems to plan a boost like the Biden proposal in the United States right after the corona crisis. However, somewhat looser fiscal policies that current coalition members want, mean temporarily higher expenditures overall on a macro-economic level. In the medium term, these intended policies (in particular higher consumptive public spending) have a temporary net effect of between zero (CU) to a substantial 0.4%-point (VVD and D66) on the average annual GDP-growth in 2022-2025. On average this could add up to a 1.3% boost to the level of GDP and would potentially raise employment and lower unemployment temporarily. This will likely increase wages and inflation a little. Substantial boost to economic growth in the medium term Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar of 25 February 2021, ING Research estimates, *average weighted based on share in polls among these four parties Policies may boost structural employment in the long run In the long run, higher public expenditures will generally cause a change in composition of output (towards more public and less private via crowding out) rather than expand it. But structural policies that constitute a reform, such as tax cuts that may increase the incentive to work, can boost potential growth structurally. This effect is apparent in estimates for effects on structural unemployment. Where policies of CU have a large negative effect on structural employment (-2.8%), policies of CDA, D66 and especially VVD (1.7%) boost employment. On average, the plans of the coalition partners may structurally increase employment by a significant 0.8%, but only if many of the policy proposals (such as the increase in income-related combination tax credit and general labour tax credit and a reduction in the rent allowance) of VVD would be implemented. Structural employment boosted substantially only if many of VVD policies are adopted Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Peilingwijzer estimates based on polls of I&O Research, Ipsos/EenVandaag and Kantar of 25 February 2021, ING Research estimates, *average weighted based on share in polls among these four parties Often there is a trade-off: some policies that increase employment will increase inequality. VVD policies increase inequality (based on Gini-coefficient estimates), while those of CDA, D66 and CU cause a decrease. In this light, it is also interesting to mention that all parties would like to increase the minimum wage. Public investment further on the rise despite no new additions to National Growth Fund Public investment is the type of expenditure that may boost potential growth structurally rather than cause crowding out of private expenditures. The current government already announced a temporary National Growth Fund for a cumulative €20 billion (about 0.5% GDP per year) of investment in knowledge development (including education), scientific research and R&D and infrastructure for the period of five years. The first proposals worth €25.5 billion are currently being judged by an independent committee. VVD and CDA intend to keep the National Growth Fund as it is. D66 maintains the fund, but transfers some of the funds to the existing Mobility Fund, with no net effect. CU abolishes the National Growth Fund, but also still uses the full amount of €20 billion for alternative investment, in public transport and education. So, overall there seems to be an increase in public investment that was already envisioned in the base scenario and coalition parties don’t add additional funds to the National Growth Fund. From the spending figures above, however, it seems that the net change in public investment intended by coalition parties is still positive, given that spending on for example education will increase. Note that national accounts consider spending on education as consumption rather than investment; we as economists consider this an investment in human capital since it may raise productivity growth. This is positive for the medium- to long-term economic outlook. Conclusion: more spending, no matter what All in all, current coalition parties opt for more spending and lower taxation in the next government term, boosting the economy both in the next years and somewhat in the longer term as well. Even if the current coalition would not continue to govern, the direction of fiscal policy however would generally be the same: almost all traditional Dutch political parties want to increase spending. This goes at the expense of the fiscal position of the government. For the medium term, Dutch public debt levels would ex ante nevertheless remain well within margins that many economists consider as safe. Yet, a fiscal burden is shifted towards future generations. Such a political choice could be reasonable from a well-being perspective, for example when investments translate into non-financial benefits such as a cleaner and safer environment for future generations, but it could also prompt parties to reconsider structural expenditures and taxation at some point in time. Even if priorities and preferences don’t change one could revisit policies given the large uncertainty about the effects of the Covid-19 crisis and the development of the interest rate. And that is exactly what most coalition parties seem to intend: make sure that the economy is well supported in the short run – a real change in comparison to the Global Financial Crisis – but consider going back to previous fiscal norms or improve fiscal sustainability at a much later point in time.
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Financial Crisis
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2002 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash
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The 2002 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash occurred on 26 July 2002 when an Africa One Antonov An-26 (9Q-CMC) faced a rejected takeoff at Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a result of the rejected takeoff, the nose gear and the main gear legs collapsed, and the Aviation Safety Network said "The aircraft was reportedly damaged beyond repair. "[1] No deaths or injuries occurred. [1]
The accident aircraft, which had been carrying dozens of tons of freight goods, had been overloaded. [2] The air company had only declared three tons of freight. Simplice Kibanza, the chairperson of the management committee of the Régie des Voies Aériennes de la République Démocratique du Congo (RVA), the DRC airspace regulatory agency, announced that as a result of the accident,[3] the RVA created an emergency action plan to allow for the coordination of emergency services at N'Djili Airport in the event of an accident or incident. The airport previously had no such plan. [2]
Coordinates: 4°23′09″S 15°26′41″E / 4.3858°S 15.4446°E / -4.3858; 15.4446
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Air crash
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More eligible voters have cast ballots in Bulgaria's presidential runoff vote as of 13:00 on Sunday, officials say.
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More eligible voters have cast ballots in Bulgaria's presidential runoff vote as of 13:00 on Sunday, officials say.
Activity was 27.2%, or more than 1.847 million people, as of that hour, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) data.
The figure is higher than both the one in the first round, when 26.2% of all eligible voters had taken part, and the 26.73% that had gone to the ballot boxes in the 2011 runoff vote.
The numbers also come under new rules that made voting compulsory and entered into force earlier this year. However, the only sanction is removal from the electoral roll of those who did not take part in two elections of the same kind, be they presidential or parliamentary.
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Government Job change - Election
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Husband in dire straits as Indian woman struggles with severe injuries following explosion in Dubai apartment
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Dubai: Three men have been accused of causing a gas explosion at a Dubai apartment that resulted in the death of a tenant and horrific burn injuries to an Indian woman.
According to the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours, the 32-year-old Egyptian manager of operations, a Pakistani technician, aged 34, and a 32-year-old Indian technician, who is still at large, were charged with causing wrongful death of a person, a 100 per cent disability to a 37-year-old Indian woman, risking people’s lives and causing damages worth Dh614,000 as a result of the explosion.
The three men were blamed for causing a gas leak in apartment 607 at a residential building in Al Refaa area during a maintenance work that resulted in the blast in September 2019.
According to records, Muhib Shaikh, a 39-year-old real estate agent who had taken apartment number 607 on rent, asked the maintenance company to check the piped gas supply as it had not been working for a couple of days. His wife Kaniz was in the apartment when the two technicians came to fix the issue. “One of them went to the roof of the building, while the second was checking the oven. As he turned on the oven, an explosion occurred,” said the victim on record.
An Indian man living in the same building was in the corridor with his daughter at the time of he explosion. He was struck by the apartment door following the blast and died of severe head injuries, while his daughter survived.
The Pakistani technician who had come to fix the problem with the gas supply was also injured and sustained 15 per cent permanent disability according to records.
Kaniz’s husband, Muhib arrived in his neighbourhood around 8pm when he received the shocking news about his wife battling for her life at Rashid Hospital. “I saw my wife and she was severely injured. I was told that an explosion had occurred in my apartment that caused my wife’s injury and damaged other apartments in the building. I paid nearly Dh100,000 for my wife’s treatment,” Muhib said on record.
Kaniz was admitted to the intensive care unit at Rashid Hospital with 75 per cent burn injuries. She hung between life and death for more than three months with severe infection, including pneumonia. She underwent several surgeries to treat her wounds and was finally discharged from hospital on December 26, 2019.
According to the medical report, Kaniz was disfigured in the face and neck and had lost mobility in the joints of her arms and legs.
According to a report furnished by the Forensic Department of Dubai Police, the explosion was due to a gas leak inside the apartment, that damaged other apartments in the building as well. The elevator in the affected building and an adjacent building were also damaged.
The next hearing is scheduled for April 5.
Earlier last year, traumatised husband Muhib told Gulf News that it was bad enough to see his wife suffer so much. Worse, she had not received any compensation so far, he added. Muhib is desperately appealing for help as he claims he can barely afford their living, let alone his wife’s treatment, after his salary was drastically cut.
“My money has run out. I cannot afford medicines. I just pray to the Almighty to protect her while I am away. It is so difficult for me to see her this way and I wish I could get her all the medical help she needs,” said Muhib.
According to medical reports, Kaniz would require a five-year treatment plan costing around Dh300,000.
Muhib said Kaniz needs at least six or seven plastic surgeries and skin transplants to free her of the contractures that are restricting her movement.
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Gas explosion
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Alice Cooper's Bald Hill concert canceled
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Alice Cooper's elaborate concert set is too big for the stage at Farmingville's Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater at Bald Hill. By David J. Criblez david.criblez@newsday.com @DavidJCriblez Updated June 29, 2021 9:31 PM fbShare Tweet Email Alice Cooper just got canceled — not by society, but rather his Sept. 22 concert with special guest Ace Frehley at the Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater at Bald Hill in Farmingville. "The theatrical production couldn’t fit on our stage," says John Caracciolo, president and CEO of Long Island Events, which operates the venue. "The production guys didn’t catch that and when we were doing advance planning we realized it wasn’t going to fit. It’s a big, big production with a tall castle." The main problem the crew was running into was height. "You really need to clear about 40 feet from the stage," says Caracciolo. "Unfortunately, our stage doesn’t have that kind of room up top." Live Nation is trying to find another place for the show. In the meantime, those who bought tickets can get a refund from their point of purchase.
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Organization Closed
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Giordano Saudi Arabia establishes internship program in conjunction with Entrepreneur Organization Jeddah
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JEDDAH — Giordano Saudi Arabia recently rolled-out its new internship program, in conjunction with the Jeddah Chapter of the Entrepreneur Organization (EO). The innovative internship program has been tailor-made for the Saudi market, offering participants a full range of site visits and tours, followed by work experience in both Giordano’s retail stores and in their preferred functional departments at the company’s regional headquarters, taught sessions in the realms of sales and marketing and visual merchandising, and culminating with a final assessment and the issuance of a completion certificate. Ahmedullah Abdul Hadi, chief operating officer of Giordano KSA, said, “The Giordano KSA internship program is completely bespoke. We have taken elements from the Fast-Track Management Scheme operated by Giordano’s global headquarters, which has successfully produced a number of young senior executives, and injected our own local expertise and knowledge, culminating in a truly unique experience for participants.” He concluded, “Our aim is to maximize the interaction between the company and the participants, striking a balance between conveying our core values while allowing the interns to make decisions about their participation early on, with a view to identifying potential talent for long term development.” The EO is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 4,000 influential business owners with 198 chapters in 61 countries. Founded in 1987, the EO enables leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow, with a view to creating greater success in business and beyond. The Jeddah Chapter of the EO was founded in 2004, and currently has 26 members, representing more than 16,000 employees. — SG
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Organization Established
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Black Saturday (1983)
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Black Saturday, 24 September 1983, is the name given to the crisis when the Hong Kong dollar exchange rate versus the United States dollar was at an all-time low. On that day, US$1 exchanged for HK$9.6. [1] For a period, Hong Kong stores began quoting products in US dollar prices, because of the uncertain fluctuation in domestic currency. From November 1974 to October 1983, Hong Kong was under a floating rate regime. The political talks of Hong Kong's handover of sovereignty to China involving UK's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's visit to Beijing began to send consumer confidence down in 1982. The stalling of the Sino-British Joint Declaration also contributed to a pessimistic attitude. The collection of events eventually resulted in "Black Saturday,” which came in the form of a currency, banking and fiscal crisis. [2]
The government responded with a linked exchange rate on 17 October 1983.
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Financial Crisis
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Memphis sanitation strike
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SCLC member
City of Memphis
City of Nashville
Other localities
The Memphis sanitation strike began on February 12, 1968, in response to the deaths of sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker. [1][2] The deaths served as a breaking point for more than 1,300 African American men from the Memphis Department of Public Works as they demanded higher wages, time and a half overtime, dues check-off, safety measures, and pay for the rainy days when they were told to go home. [2] The Memphis sanitation strike was led by T.O. Jones and had the support of Jerry Wurf, president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). [3][4][2] The AFSCME was chartered in 1964 by the state, the city of Memphis refused to recognize it. Resulted in the second sanitation Worker Strike in 1968 which began because of several incidents that led the employees to strike. [1][5] Mayor Henry Loeb refused to recognize the strike and rejected the City Council vote, insisting that only he possessed the power to recognize the union. [1][4] The Memphis sanitation strike prompted Martin Luther King Jr.'s presence, where he famously gave the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech a day before his assassination. The city of Memphis had a long history of segregation and unfair treatment for Black residents. The influential politician E. H. Crump had created a city police force, much of it culled from the Ku Klux Klan, that acted violently toward the Black population and maintained Jim Crow. [citation needed] Black people were excluded from unions and paid much less than whites—conditions which persisted and sometimes worsened in the first half of the 20th century. [6]
During the New Deal, Black people were able to organize as part of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, a group which Crump called communist "nigger unionism. "[7] However, organized Black labor was set back by anti-communist fear after World War II. Civil rights and unionism in Memphis were thus heavily stifled all through the 1950s. [6]
The civil rights struggle was renewed in the 1960s, starting with desegregation sit-ins in the summer of 1960. The NAACP and SCLC were particularly active in Memphis during this period. [8]
Memphis sanitation workers were mostly Black. They enjoyed few of the protections that other workers had; their pay was low and they could be fired (usually by white supervisors) without warning. In 1960 the average sanitation worker in Memphis earned between $0.94–$1.14 an hour, however in 1968 sanitation laborers earned $1.60 an hour and garbage truck drivers earned $1.90 an hour. [9]($12.06-$14.32 in 2019 dollars). In addition to their sanitation work, often including unpaid overtime, many worked other jobs or appealed to welfare and public housing. [10]
In the early 1960s, Black sanitation works united together to gain better wages and working conditions, fighting the racial discrimination in the Memphis Public Works Department. The first attempt to strike was in 1963, but it failed because there was inadequate organization. Many Black people were afraid to unionize due to the fear of persecution, which was justified in 1963, when 33 sanitation workers were fired immediately after attending an organizing meeting. [2] In November 1964, Local 1733 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) was successfully formed by T.O. Jones. [2] However, the city officials refused to recognize the union. In 1966, the union attempted another strike, but it was thwarted before it began when the city prepared strikebreakers and threatened to jail leaders. [10] The failure of the strike was largely due to the lack of support of Memphis’ religious community or middle class. [2]
At the end of 1967, Henry Loeb was elected as mayor against the opposition of Memphis's Black community. Loeb had served previously as the head of the sanitation division (as the elected Public Works Commissioner), and during his tenure oversaw grueling work conditions — including no city-issued uniforms, no restrooms, and no grievance procedure for the numerous occasions on which they were underpaid. [11]
Upon taking office, Loeb increased regulations on the city's workers and appointed Charles Blackburn as the Public Works Commissioner. Loeb ordered Jones and the union to deal with Blackburn; Blackburn said he had no authority to change the city's policies. [12]
On February 1, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, two sanitation workers,[13] were crushed to death in a garbage compactor where they were taking shelter from the rain. Two other men had died this way in 1964, but the city refused to replace the defective equipment. Local 1733 held a strike meeting on February 11 where over 400 workers explained that the city refused to provide decent wages and working conditions. The workers wanted immediate action but the city refused. The next day fewer than 200 employees showed up for work, and only 38 of the 108 garbage trucks continued to move. [12]
On Monday February 12, 1968, 930 of 1100 sanitation workers did not show up for work, including 214 of 230 sewer drainage workers. Elmore Nickelberry, who was one of the strikers during this time speaks of Mayor Loeb and how it was impossible to negotiate with him, due to him being a "stubborn man". Ben Jones, another striker with 43 years on the job, spoke of the conditions that all sanitation workers had to deal with, including how heavy all the garbage bins were and how they would leak all over them. They would end up at the end of the day smelling real bad when they would return to department headquarters and would go home to families who did not want to be around them. As they would march down Main St., looters would ransack stores and tear gas was thrown at them, stated Rev. Leslie Moore. Moore also speaks of the song they would sing titled, "Don't let nobody turn me around", as they would march. [14][15] Some of those who did show up walked off when they found out about the apparent strike. Mayor Loeb, infuriated, refused to meet with the strikers. [12] The workers marched from their union hall to a meeting at the City Council chamber; there, they were met with 40–50 police officers. Loeb led the workers to a nearby auditorium, where he asked them to return to work. At one point, Loeb grabbed the microphone from an AFSCME organizer Bill Lucy and shouted for the strikers to "go back to work!
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Strike
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Harris becomes first female US Naval Academy commencement speaker
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Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday became the first woman to give the commencement speech at the United States Naval Academy when she addresses the 2021 graduating class. During the speech, Harris touched on some of the biggest threats to the nation and its armed forces, including the pandemic, cybersecurity and climate change. One White House official said the address was her first broad speech focused on the military and the threats the country faces today. "The global pandemic -- you see, of course -- has accelerated what was happening before, and it has accelerated our world into a new era. It has forever impacted our world. It has forever influenced our perspective. And if we weren't clear before, we know now: Our world is interconnected. Our world is interdependent. And our world is fragile," Harris said. "Just think: A deadly pandemic can spread throughout the globe in just a matter of months. A gang of hackers can disrupt the fuel supply of a whole seaboard. One country's carbon emissions can threaten the sustainability of the whole Earth. This, midshipmen, is the era we're in. It is unlike any era that came before. So, the challenge now, the challenge before us now is how to mount a modern defense to these modern threats." Presidents and vice presidents deliver commencement speeches at the service academies each year on a rotating basis. Last week, President Joe Biden delivered the commencement address at the US Coast Guard Academy. In 2015, he spoke at the Naval Academy, as did former President Donald Trump in 2018. Read More Harris issued a kind of call of action, beckoning the graduates to defend the nation and make other historic advances. "We must defend our nation against these threats. And at the same time, we must make advances in things that you've been learning, things like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, things that will put our nation at a strategic advantage," Harris said. "And you will be the ones to do it. You will be the ones to do it because the United States military is the best, the bravest, and the most brilliant. And just think, from walkie talkies, to the Internet, to satellite navigation, the United States military that has been on the forefront of research, development and technological advancement. That is a point of American pride. And as I look out at all of you, I know you will build on that leadership." Ahead of her address, Harris spoke with Midshipman First Class Sydney Barber, the first Black woman to serve as brigade commander at the academy, according to a White House official. The prestigious brigade role serves as a class president of sorts as Barber oversees the student body. Harris has a pair of Barber's shoulder boards in her ceremonial office as well, placed there after Harris was sworn in, the official added. In a private Zoom conversation last week, which the Harris' office will release Saturday as a part of the White House's weekly address series, the pair spoke about Barber's experience at the academy and her plan for the future.
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Famous Person - Give a speech
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JBS meat processing fined after 19-year-old employee falls into tripe washing vat
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A Victorian man who flew from Brisbane to Hobart on flight VA702 today has tested positive to COVID-19 and has not been allowed to board a flight to Melbourne
A Watch & Act warning is in place for a fire in the northern parts of Mokine, in WA's Northam Shire. Keep up to date with ABC Emergency
Australia's largest meat processing company has been fined $150,000 over a workplace incident that left a Tasmanian worker with burns to the lower half of his body and ongoing psychological impacts.
John Kiriona-Hodge was 19 when he slipped and fell into a tub of near-boiling tripe washing water at JBS Australia's Longford abattoir in November 2016.
Today — four years on from the incident — Mr Kiriona-Hodge sat in the Magistrates Court in Launceston as his former employer was convicted of workplace safety breaches and sentenced.
The company had pleaded guilty to failing to comply with its health safety duty and breaching its duty to consult workers following the incident and faced a maximum penalty of $1.6 million.
JBS had also previously been charged with reckless conduct over the incident, but was found not guilty of that offence after a hearing in 2019.
Magistrate Simon Brown said Mr Kiriona-Hodge was one of a number of workers who serviced a tripe cooker at the abattoir back in 2016.
He said the tripe — the lining of a cow's stomach — was rinsed in a wash tub and then lifted into a raised basket. From there, it would be tipped into a tripe cooker.
But the court heard the tripe often got stuck in the basket, as the company had switched from using bleach to wash it, to hot water.
"This was not a problem prior to May 2016 as the tripe was washed in bleach … that stopped it from sticking," Mr Brown said.
Mr Brown said JBS provided workers with a 30-centimetre step and a metal pole to help free the tripe in the basket, but that method was often unsuccessful.
The court heard on the day of Mr Kiriona-Hodge's incident, November 23, 2016, he had stepped onto the side of the wash tub and used his hands to try and remove the sticking tripe. While doing that, he slipped and fell into the water that was heated to around 80 degrees.
He received second and third degree burns to his lower legs and feet.
In sentencing JBS, Mr Brown said the action Mr Kiriona-Hodge took to un-stick the tripe was an "obvious one" and was often used by other staff.
The magistrate said while JBS had tried to address the issue by providing the step, pole and reducing the tripe wash water temperature — they were "inadequate" measures.
"The issue of sticking tripe was well know to the defendant," Mr Brown said.
"The issue had not been properly addressed … the problem was simply left to linger.
"Mr Kiriona-Hodge and his workmate soldiered on."
Mr Brown said the company's early plea of guilty to the charges reflected its remorse.
Outside court, Mr Kiriona-Hodge said he still remembered the day of the incident.
"I went to work just like every other day and I was just doing my job," Mr Kiriona-Hodge said.
He said it was "common practice" to unstick the tripe as he attempted to.
"A lot of other people were doing it, I was shown how to do it," he said.
"The pole [provided] would bend under the weight of the tripe so it would be impractical to use it."
Mr Kiriona-Hodge said the past four years had been "stressful" but he was glad the court case "has a full stop on it now".
"It's good to know that they're in a way paying for it, but at the same time I still walk away paying for it."
The now 23-year-old said he had scars down much of the lower part of his body from the burns and skin grafts.
"I still dream about the nonsense," he said.
"My feet look dirty to other people and mentally it's still a grind. I've still got to go to see a councillor and psychologist and other hospital appointments still and it's four years this month."
JBS has been contacted for comment.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
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Organization Fine
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Myojo 56 building fire
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Coordinates: 35°41′41″N 139°42′05″E / 35.69472°N 139.70139°E / 35.69472; 139.70139
The Myojo 56 building fire (明星56ビル火災, Myōjō Gojū-Roku Biru Kasai) began at about 01:00 local time on September 1, 2001 in the Myojo 56 building, located in the Kabukicho section of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The fire, the fifth-deadliest in post-war Japanese history,[1] burned for five hours before being extinguished and resulted in the deaths of 44 people. It is suspected that the fire resulted from arson, but no suspect was ever arrested. In the aftermath of the incident, media coverage (which declined after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks) focused on the arrest and conviction of the property owners for criminal negligence and on the building's putative ties to organized crime. The fire burned on the third floor of the building. When the fire broke out, 19 people were on the third floor and 28 people were on the fourth floor. [2] Three employees jumped out of the building from the third floor and survived, suffering injuries. Witnesses who saw one of the employees called an ambulance. Emergency responders arriving to treat the jumpers learned of the building fire and evacuation efforts commenced. Firefighters removed the bodies of 44 people (32 men and 12 women) from inside the building, and rescued those who managed to flee to the roof. [3][4]
Police officials remarked that the lethality of the fire was exacerbated by numerous violations of the fire code, including blocked fire doors and stairwells. The main cause of death among the fire's victims was found to be carbon monoxide poisoning. [4] An investigation conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department concluded that if the building's automated fire doors had not been prevented from closing, deadly gases would not have reached the building's occupied rooms for at least 20 minutes. [1]
One injured man, seen near the burning building, later disappeared. [5] The building was demolished in May 2006,[6] and replaced with a one-story restaurant. Six individuals were arrested in conjunction with the blaze, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death. Those charged included two executives of the Myojo Kosan Group, which owned the building, and the commercial tenants of the structure, which housed a video mahjong parlor and a hostess bar. [1] On July 2, 2008, five of the defendants were convicted of negligence in the Tokyo District Court. The sixth defendant was acquitted. [7]
By July 3, 2008, Tokyo police had concluded that the fire resulted from arson, but had not made any corresponding arrest. [7]
Japan Today, an English-language online news outlet, quoted Tokyo police as stating that the mahjong parlor located in the building was "an illegal gambling den" with daily revenues of about eight million yen. Japan Today's report speculates that the Chinese mafia and yakuza could have been linked to the incident, as illegal gambling operations are regularly forced to pay "protection money" to organized crime syndicates. However, there is no material or eyewitness evidence of organized crime involvement in the fire. [8]
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Fire
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Buffalo 461 crash
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Buffalo 461 was a Canadian military de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo assigned to the second United Nations Emergency Force force in Syria in support of United Nations Security Council Resolution 340. Assigned to a peacekeeping force, Buffalo 461 was shot down by three Syrian missiles[1] on August 9, 1974 killing all nine passengers and crew. [2]
The loss of Buffalo 461 remains the largest single-incident loss of life in the history of Canadian peacekeeping operations. [3]
The second United Nations Emergency Force was authorized by the United Nations Security Council to supervise the ceasefire between Egypt and Israel following the end of the Yom Kippur War. Besides preventing additional flare-ups of fighting, the peacekeeping force was also tasked with assisting the Red Cross with humanitarian efforts in the region. Canada was a leader in these peacekeeping efforts and was providing logistics, signals and air and service units. Their three Buffalo aircraft were flying six-day-a-week schedules. [3]
UN Flight 51 was Buffalo 461's last flight designation, for a routine scheduled supply trip from Ismailia, Egypt to Damascus, Syria. Five crew members and four military passengers were on board when the aircraft took off from Beirut International Airport after a stopover. [2] The First Officer, Captain Keith Mirau, received clearance to enter Syrian airspace from the Damascus air traffic control centre at 0945 GMT. Shortly after crossing from Lebanon into Syria the plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile launched from a Syrian airfield. Moments later two more missiles struck and destroyed the plane, scattering wreckage across a field near the Syrian town of Ad Dimas. All nine on board were killed. The aircraft, the 16th Buffalo built, first flown in 1968, was a twin-engined de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo (CC-115 – Canadian military designation) utility transport with Canadian military serial number 115461. [2]
The Canadian Department of National Defence launched a board of Inquiry to investigate the loss of Buffalo 461. The board was led by LCol J.A. Cann who was unable to determine if the missile attack was accidental or done intentionally to put pressure on the United Nations to curtail Israeli flights over Syrian airspace. [1]
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum has undertaken a project to rebuild an ex-Sudanese Air Force DHC-5D to represent Buffalo 461 as a tribute to those lost on Buffalo 461 and all Canadian peacekeepers. [4]
In 1993 British Columbia established August 9 as Peacekeepers' Day and this was recognized nationally in 2008 by the Canadian government. [5][6]
A fragment of the original aircraft is on display at the Canadian War Museum as a memorial to the lost crew members and passengers, who have become known as the Buffalo Nine, and a memorial has also been erected at Buffalo Park in Calgary, Alberta.
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Air crash
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The Michigan Poison Center at the Wayne State University School of Medicine reminds residents that power outages caused by recent storms and flooding increase the risk for carbon monoxide exposure.
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The Michigan Poison Center at the Wayne State University School of Medicine reminds residents that power outages caused by recent storms and flooding increase the risk for carbon monoxide exposure.
Each year, exposure to carbon monoxide leads to more than 20,000 emergency room visits, 4,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths in the United States.
During power outages, many home and business owners use gas-powered generators. Other common sources of carbon monoxide exposure during warmer weather include grilling, boating, heated pools and motorized recreational vehicles. To keep everyone safe, never use gas or charcoal grills indoors, avoid using motorized devices indoors and properly ventilate indoor areas where motors may be running.
The Michigan Poison Center at the Wayne State University School of Medicine urges everyone to operate generators safely. Carbon monoxide production results when a carbon-based fuel (gas, propane, natural gas, wood, charcoal) does not burn completely in a furnace, hot water heater, grill, generator or an internal combustion engine. The resulting deadly gas is colorless and odorless.
People exposed to carbon monoxide may feel as if they have a cold or the flu. It should be especially worrisome when a group of people have the same complaints at the same time. They may complain of:
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Tiredness
• Confusion
• Muscle aches and pains
Do not ignore these symptoms. Symptoms can quickly worsen and lead to death. Call 911 immediately if there is any possible risk of exposure to carbon monoxide.
Evacuate everyone from your home and leave doors and windows open while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive.
Everyone is at risk, but infants, women who are pregnant, the elderly and people with chronic health issues are at high risk for complications from carbon monoxide exposure. It is important to have working carbon monoxide detectors on every floor in your home. Additional steps to ensure safety include:
• Have your furnace and water heater inspected annually
• Avoid using kerosene space heaters in homes or enclosed areas
• Do not run gas generators in your home or garage or within 20 feet of your home
• Do not leave cars running in a garage, especially if the garage is attached to your home
To learn more about carbon monoxide safety, visit www.mipoisonhelp.org and click on the “Education” tab for Fall Safety Educational Resources. Click on the “Resource” tab for more information about carbon monoxide from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you have more questions about carbon monoxide poisoning, call the Michigan Poison Center Hotline at 800-222-1222 for free, expert advice available every day of the year. Local calls:1-313-486-0078 (Michigan only).
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Mass Poisoning
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Partial Solar Eclipse coming to Buffalo on June 10
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June 10's partial solar eclipse will be a good practice run for when Buffalo is within the path of totality in 2024. Within two weeks, Western New Yorkers will have been able to see two incredible celestial events: the Supermoon Eclipse that already happened on May 26 and a (partial) Solar Eclipse that we could see on June 10. But to be clear, Buffalo will only be able to see part of the solar eclipse that will be occur at sunrise the morning of June 10. Buffalo is not within the path of totality this time around like the city will be in 2024. So here's what Western New Yorkers can expect to see Thursday morning on June 10. The partial solar eclipse will begin to be visible at 5:36 a.m. ET at sunrise. However, since the moon will be transitioning across the sun at that time, it will not be a full and bright sunrise. The eclipse will have already begun before then! Then at 5:39 a.m., this is when Buffalo will have the best view of the partial solar eclipse with the moon covers up roughly 80 percent of the sun. After that, the eclipse will begin to fade out of view for the next hour, finally ending at 6:36 a.m. I’ve gotten a few questions as to what next week’s solar eclipse might look like in #Buffalo . Here’s a time lapse of the 2017 Solar Eclipse from the Johnson Space Center… not within the path of totality. Won’t be exactly this, but it’s an idea. @WGRZ — Elyse Smith (@ElyseSmithWX) June 3, 2021 Again, Buffalo will not be able to see the entire solar eclipse this time around. In fact, none of the United States will be able to see the June 10 solar eclipse in its entirety. Totality will only be visible across portions of Canada, Greenland and Russia. And an important note! Protective eyewear is a must when viewing a solar eclipse in all phases. Many online retailers carry special "eclipse glasses" that are made up of special filters to safely look at the sun. They're stronger than a pair of normal sunglasses and made especially for viewing these solar events. Emphasis on protective eyewear‼️ Search “eclipse glasses” online & you’ll find several options. You cannot wear sunglasses and/or look at a solar eclipse in progress without these! You’ll know you found an effective pair when try them on & can’t see anything in normal light
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New wonders in nature
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2003 Wrocław football riot
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The Wrocław football riot 2003 was an organised fight between Polish football hooligans in Wrocław, Lower Silesia Poland on 30 March 2003. As a result of the incident, one person died, 229 hooligans were arrested and more than twelve were taken to the hospital.
Arranged football hooligan fights in Poland are known as ustawka. They became common in Poland in the late 1990s.
Each club has a hooligan firm and from these, different firms form alliances, supporting each other in their fights with other firms. On 30 March 2003 a Polish Second Division game between Śląsk Wrocław and Arka Gdynia took place in Wrocław (Stadion Oporowska). Hooligans from Wrocław, Poznań, Kraków, Gdynia and Lubin all took part in the huge fight which was centred on Grabiszynska Street, 500 m from the stadium, using knives, cleavers, wooden clubs and stones. Triad was defeated and fled from the place of combat. Wrocław police later stated that the fight had been pre-arranged, adding that "They did not come to watch the game; they had made an appointment on their mobile phones to fight". Local residents had to hide in houses, shops and buses as the fight, which lasted some hours spread through the city. When the police arrived some of the hooligans attacked them with stones, before the police restored order, using water cannons on the rioters. After the arrival of a special police squad, the police finally surrounded most of the hooligans, ordering them to lie down, and 120 people were arrested.
Ambulances took the injured to hospitals in Wrocław. A 24-year-old Arka Gdynia fan, named only as Mariusz B, who had been stabbed in the back, died in the hospital. Some witnesses claimed that he had fallen onto a street lamp, collapsed and was then beaten up. [2] Of those taken to the hospital most had stab wounds, as well as fractures and contusions. However, most refused hospital treatment as they believed they would be arrested by the police. Rydygier hospital confirmed that some had fled the hospital and that one had a broken leg, another's shoulder was dislocated. Still another had stab wounds in his thigh, but all three refused to be hospitalized and left. Others were seen at Babiński hospital with most of them also refusing treatment.
In a statement to the Polish State News agency, PAP, The head of the Polish Football Association, Michal Listkiewicz, blamed the violence on what he called "bandits posing as fans", adding that, "They are murdering Polish soccer and all of our sport. "
Wrocław Police Department announced that 229 hooligans were arrested. 100 were subsequently banned from football matches in Poland for three years. 120 were indicted on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon by the district prosecutor and 100 were found guilty.
The police had videotape evidence from the fight, which has been handed to them by a local man. And so they knew the circumstances of the killing of the Arka Gdynia fan who had died of knife wounds, which had been inflicted by a man, named only as Tomasz P, a Wisła Kraków fan, who a few months later was caught hiding under a false name in Rzeszów in southeastern Poland. In October 2005 he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment.
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Riot
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Hirz Fire
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The Hirz Fire was a wildfire that burned near Lakehead, California in the Shasta National Forest. The fire burned a total of 46,150 acres (187 km2), before it was fully contained on September 12. The fire was burning only a few miles from the enormous Carr Fire, the sixth-most destructive fire in California history. [1][2][3] On September 10, the growing Delta Fire burned into the western perimeter of the Hirz Fire. [4]
The fire began on August 9, 2018. The fire continued to burn through August 2018. On August 13, 2018, the Hirz Fire had burned 4,404 acres (17.82 km2) and was 5% contained. The Hirz Fire continued to grow in size, eventually reaching 46,150 acres (186.8 km2) by early September 2018. Afterward, fire growth stopped, while firefighters made significant progress on containing the fire. On September 10, the growing Delta Fire burned into the western perimeter of the Hirz Fire. [4] During the evening of September 12, the Hirz Fire was 100% contained, at 46,150 acres (186.8 km2). [1]
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Fire
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Hostages strapped to getaway cars as robbers target banks in Brazil
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A gang of armed robbers in Brazil carried out a series of deadly bank heists using human shields strapped to their getaway cars on Monday. The attackers targeted banks in the small city of Aracatuba in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo early Monday. In a bid to distract law enforcement, the robbers positioned bombs all over the city. One man was seriously injured when the devices were detonated, losing both his feet, according to police. During the confusion the heavily armed robbers held up three banks, taking hostages in the process. The hostages were then tied to the roofs and hoods of 10 cars to act as human shields, police said. Three people died in the incidents -- two of them victims and one a suspected robber, according to Sao Paulo military police. Five others were injured and two suspects were apprehended and sent to jail. Armed robbers steal at least $30 million of gold and precious metals in Sao Paulo airport heist A squad of more than 380 police officers are now looking for more than a dozen suspects who remain at large. School classes were suspended in the city, which has a population of around 200,000, following the blasts. "They [the criminals] had inside information that one of the banks had a large sum of money, so they went to the city," said Sao Paulo public security secretary Alvaro Batista Camilo to CNN affiliate CNN Brazil. Police said that more than 20 heavily armed men carried out the attack, adding that drones were used by the robbers to monitor the streets as they entered the city and escaped, Reuters reported. People were urged not to leave their homes until all the explosives were found and deactivated, Reuters added. This is the latest in a string of bank heists in Brazil. There were two similar raids last December on consecutive days in the cities of Cametá and Criciúma, according to Reuters, both on branches of Banco do Brasil. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the location of Sao Paulo state. It's in southeastern Brazil.
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Bank Robbery
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Meghalaya mine collapse: 2 dead in fresh incident as 15 remain trapped at older site
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In a fresh incident in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills, at least two miners were killed when an illegal mine collapsed in the region on Sunday, January 7. The incident took place at Mooknor, Jalyiah village, and came to light only when one Philip Bareh told the police that his nephew hadn't returned home since Friday. The nephew, who worked at the mine has been identified as Elad Bareh, 26. "A search was conducted and his body was found in front of a 'rat-hole' coal mine. When we further checked inside the narrow mine, another body was found. The second man was identified as Monoj Basumatry," Sylvester Nongtnger, district police chief, told IANS. "It is suspected that boulders hit them when they tried to extract coal," Nongtnger added. He also revealed that the probe into the mishap was on and the police were looking for the owner of the illegal mine. The bodies of Edah and Basumatry have now been sent for post-mortem. The fresh mine collapse comes at a time when the rescue operation in a previous mishap in the same district is yet to be completed. About 15 miners remain trapped in a mine in Ksan village after the mine was flooded on December 13. Several teams have been trying to drain out the water from the 370-foot-deep pit, which is also said to be very narrow, since. However, rescue operations hit a roadblock after the high-capacity pumps of Kirloskar Brothers Limited and Coal India Limited reported technical issues on Sunday. "Two pumps from Kirloskar Brothers and the submersible pump from Coal India encountered glitches and the dewatering process in the main shaft was affected," Reginald Susngi, spokesperson of the operation, told the Press Trust of India. While the Kirloskar pumps are undergoing repairs, the Coal India pump has now been replaced. Three more pumps are likely to be used on Monday. The firefighting team that arrived from Odisha is said to be continuously working to drain out the water and divers from the Indian Navy and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been pressed into action. But the process has also been slow as the operation is usually suspended at around 5 pm as it gets dark.
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Mine Collapses
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Potential Landslide-Generated Tsunami in Prince William Sound’s Barry Arm Likely Less Severe than Previously Thought
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Waves from a potential landslide into the Barry Arm of Prince William Sound could reach heights up to 7-feet just offshore Whittier, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey. This “worst-case scenario” is much less severe than the preliminary 30-foot-high wave assessment previously issued by an interdisciplinary team of scientists in 2020. The updated wave height estimates come after a months-long effort by state and federal scientists to investigate the Barry Arm landslide and assess its risk to those around the Prince William Sound. The newly reported values represent the most extreme of four of the report’s scenarios considering what would happen if the entire landslide fails catastrophically into the arm. The other three scenarios in the report resulted in smaller, but still potentially hazardous, wave heights. The new USGS study draws upon two recent partner datasets that allowed researchers to better refine what might happen if the landslide were to enter the Barry Arm fjord. One of these was collected in the fall of 2020, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mapped the seafloor near the landslide, generating high-resolution bathymetric data vital to modeling tsunami wave conditions. USGS models also relied upon recent lidar landscape data from the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, which was used to estimate the landslide volumes applied in each of the scenarios. “There were a lot of unknowns early on,” said Jonathan Godt, USGS Landslide Hazards Program coordinator. “But with the new landscape and seafloor data we now have a better idea what might happen if the unstable slope was to fail. This summer we’ll get an even better idea as field activities ramp up and we put eyes on the landslide up close.” Scientists continue to study the situation in Barry Arm. Last month, DGGS announced a $2.2 million cooperative agreement with the USGS Landslide Hazards Program as part of a $4 million investment in 2021 by Congress to address landslide hazards in Prince William Sound. Currently, the USGS is actively monitoring slope movement using a combination of remote satellite imagery, seismic sensors and infrasound arrays. Residents, businesses, mariners and recreationists throughout Prince William Sound should be aware of the potential risk, follow the advice of emergency managers and have a plan in place if a tsunami occurs. Bi-weekly updates on the status of the Barry Arm landslide can be found on the DGGS website at https://dggs.alaska.gov/hazards/barry-arm-landslide.html. For more details about “Preliminary assessment of the wave generating potential from landslides at Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska” read the full report or view the datasets. USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov. A large steep slope in the Barry Arm fjord 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Whittier, Alaska has the potential to fall into the water and generate a tsunami that could have devastating local effects on those who live, work, and recreate in and around Whittier and in northern Prince William Sound. Two active landslides at and near the retreating front of Barry Glacier at the head of Barry Arm Fjord in southern Alaska (Figure 1) could generate tsunamis if they failed rapidly and entered the water of the fjord. Landslide A, at the front of the glacier, is the largest, with a total volume estimated at 455 M m3 (Dai et al, 2020). Subaerial landslides at the head of Barry Arm Fjord in southern Alaska could generate tsunamis (if they rapidly failed into the Fjord) and are therefore a potential threat to people, marine interests, and infrastructure throughout the Prince William Sound region. Knowledge of ongoing landslide movement is essential to understanding the threat posed by the landslides. Because of the landsl A large steep slope in the Barry Arm fjord 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Whittier, Alaska has the potential to fall into the water and generate a tsunami that could have devastating local effects on those who live, work, and recreate in and around Whittier and in northern Prince William Sound.
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Tsunamis
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Allegheny Airlines Flight 737 crash
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Allegheny Airlines Flight 736 was a regularly scheduled flight that crashed while attempting to land at Bradford Regional Airport in Bradford, Pennsylvania on December 24, 1968. Twenty of the 47 occupants on board were killed. [1]:1
Flight 736 was operated using a Convair CV-580 (registration number N5802). The aircraft was originally certificated as a Convair CV-440 on March 4, 1957, but was modified to include upgraded turbine engines and propellers and re-certificated as a CV-580 on May 25, 1965. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated a total of 29,173 flight hours. [1]:(Appendix C) The CV-580 was flown by Captain Gary L. Mull, aged 33, and first officer Richard B. Gardner, aged 30. [1]:(Appendix B)
Flight 736 took off from Detroit, Michigan bound for Washington D.C., with intermediate stops in Erie, Bradford, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. [1]:2 The flight was uneventful until the aircraft began its approach to Bradford. [1]:2
At 19:57 Eastern Standard Time, Flight 736 reported passing a DME east of Erie, and was instructed to descend to 4,000 feet and cleared for an approach to Bradford. [1]:2 At the same time, Flight 736 was advised that, at the last hourly observation, Bradford weather reported light snow showers, blowing snow, and one mile visibility. [1]:2 At 20:05, Bradford approach controllers advised Flight 736 again of light snow, blowing snow, and one mile visibility. Flight 736 acknowledged each weather advisory. [1]:2 At 20:08, Flight 736 reported that they were turning inbound for runway 32 and they were informed the wind was 290 degrees at 15 knots. [1]:3 This was Flight 736's last transmission before the crash. [1]:3
Flight 736 continued to descend until the aircraft first struck trees approximately 2-1/8 nautical miles short of the runway, and under a mile northwest of the Kinzua Bridge. The airplane cut through the trees for a further 800 feet, extensively damaging the engines, until it impacted the ground. [1]:10 The fuselage came to rest inverted with the top portion (roof) of the fuselage torn away. [1]:12 Most of the survivors were seated toward the back of the aircraft and were wearing seatbelts, remaining in their seats until the plane came to a halt. [1]:12 Passengers who were able to free themselves then worked to free the remaining survivors. [1]:12–13 Due to a blinding snowstorm, rescue workers were initially prevented from reaching the crash site. [2] Survivors started a bonfire outside of the aircraft using wood, seat cushions, and luggage to keep warm and attract rescuers to the crash site. [1]:13[3]
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident. [1]:1 After reviewing the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, the NTSB determined that the flight was flawless until the flight reached a DME 2.9 miles from the airport. The minimum altitude at the 2.9 mile DME was 2,900 feet above mean sea level; after reaching the DME, Flight 736 was authorized only to descend to the minimum descent altitude (MDA) of 2,543 feet. [1]:7 However, the aircraft continued to descend below the MDA until it contacted the trees at an altitude 462 feet below the MDA. [1]:22 The NTSB concluded that neither pilot was aware of the aircraft's proximity to the ground until initial contact with trees, at which point the first officer yelled, "Pull up. "[1]:18 The pilots then attempted to pull up, but one second later the right wing struck a large tree, causing the aircraft to roll over. [1]:18
The investigators focused on determining why the pilots allowed the aircraft to descend below the MDA. [1]:18 Crew fatigue, instrument or autopilot malfunction, and other mechanical issues were all considered and dismissed as unlikely causes. [1]:18–23 The NTSB concluded that the most likely explanation was that the descent was unintentional and resulted from both pilots looking away from the instruments, having instead focused on making visual contact with the runway. [1]:23 Based on cockpit conversations and weather data, the NTSB also concluded that while light snow and 1-mile visibility was reported to the pilots from the Bradford airport, weather conditions and visibility may have been substantially worse in the final approach area. [1]:28
The NTSB determined the probable cause to be "the continuation of the descent from the final approach fix through the Minimum Descent Altitude and into obstructing terrain at a time when both flight crewmembers were looking outside the aircraft in an attempt to establish visual reference to the ground. Contributing factors were the minimal visual references available at night on the approaches to the Bradford Regional Airport; a small but critical navigational error during the later stages of the approach; and a rapid change in visibility conditions that was not known to the crew. "[1]:28
Less than two weeks after Flight 736 crashed, Allegheny Airlines Flight 737 also went down on approach to Bradford Airport. Both aircraft were approaching the same runway but in opposite directions at the time of the crashes. [4] Shortly after Flight 737's crash, Allegheny Airlines self-imposed new rules for landings at airports. The rules required visibility of 1,000 feet up and three miles out for any airport without instrument landing systems. Allegheny cancelled 124 out of 1,409 scheduled flight segments in the first week after the new visibility rules were adopted. [5]
Almost 42 years after the crash, one of its survivors announced she was paying for a plaque for the flight's victims, survivors, and rescuers. [6]
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Air crash
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2014 Vrancea earthquake
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The 1738 Vrancea earthquake occurred on 11 June [O.S. 31 May] 1738, during the third rule of Constantin Mavrocordat. The seism aroused great panic and is mentioned in several sources. It occurred in the lower lithospheric block, at a depth of 130 km. Its effects were violent on large areas, the hardest hit being Bucharest, where several houses and churches collapsed. The Romanian territories were not the only affected. In Niš, a Serbian city where the Ottoman army was quartered, the fortresses on the Danube partially collapsed, and in the Nikopol on Danube four mosques collapsed. [3][4]
At an estimated magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale, the earthquake of 1738 is one of the strongest in the Romanian history. [1]
According to the catalog of Cornelius Radu, several foreshocks of magnitude 5–6 occurred starting with March 1738. In a chronicle is mentioned a "large" foreshock on 8 May 1738. It occurred at "5 o'clock", but its magnitude is not known. The earthquake was felt especially in Bucharest, Iași, Focșani, Buzău and Sfântu Gheorghe. In Iași, 11 monasteries, 15 houses, 15 towers and a church steeple collapsed. [5] In the Carpathians, several rockslides occurred, a large one in the Buzău River Valley. [5] Significant damage was reported in citadels like Rupea, Șchei and Prejmer, where walls and defending towers were destroyed or severely damaged. [6] The seismic wave also affected the Neamț Citadel, where its thick walls collapsed. [7]
In the chronicle of Constantin Dapontes is mentioned that the walls of Princely Palace in Bucharest were cracked. In a book of hours appears that on 31 May the earth was shaken, and even "split and came out water with smell of gunpowder and brimstone". In the same book of hours is mentioned that many arches and walls of monasteries and houses in Bucharest were cracked, while "outside" churches and arches have collapsed. A Slavo-Romanian psalter gives information about the intensity of the earthquake: "the earth trembled in the month of May, on 31, midday, very strong, and went to the east and again turned backward. And the trees were shaking, like the wind, and has destroyed homes and the earth made great noise". [8]
In From yesterday Bucharest (Romanian: Din Bucureștii de ieri), George Potra reminds that the calamity "began with a great roaring". Many houses and churches were damaged and a "deep fracture" was open near Bucharest. [9]
Academician Gr. Ștefănescu wrote in a study published in 1901 that, during the earthquake in 1738, church bells began to ring themselves.
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Earthquakes
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Southern Airways Flight 49 crash
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The hijacking of Southern Airways Flight 49 started on November 10, 1972 in Birmingham, Alabama, stretching over 30 hours, three countries, and 4,000 miles (6,400 km), not ending until the next evening in Havana, Cuba. [1] Three men, Melvin Cale, Louis Moore, and Henry D. Jackson Jr. successfully hijacked a Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 that was scheduled to fly from Memphis, Tennessee to Miami, Florida via Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama and Orlando, Florida. [2][3][4] The three were each facing criminal charges for unrelated incidents. [2] 34 people, including 31 passengers and 3 crew members, were aboard the airplane when it was hijacked. [2] The hijackers' threat to crash the aircraft into a nuclear reactor led directly to the requirement that U.S. airline passengers be physically screened, beginning January 5, 1973. [4]
Shortly after takeoff from Birmingham after 7:20 pm on Friday, November 10, 1972, en route to Montgomery on a series of scheduled stops in Alabama and Florida, the three hijackers brandished handguns and hand grenades and took over the aircraft, demanding a ransom of $10 million. [1][2][3] The hijackers had the plane flown to multiple locations in the United States and Canada, including Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Lexington, Kentucky; and Toronto, Ontario; while the hijackers figured out their demands before finally arriving in Cuba. [2] At one point, the hijackers threatened to fly the plane into a nuclear research reactor, the High Flux Isotope Reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, if their demands for $10 million in cash were not met; one hijacker announced "I'm not playing. If you do not get that money together, I'm gonna crash this plane in Oak Ridge. "[2] While over Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the hijackers negotiated with numerous officials, including FBI officials, who only managed to get between $2 million and $2.5 million of ransom money. [5][6] The plane later landed at Chattanooga, Tennessee's Lovell Field inbound from Knoxville, Tennessee's McGhee Tyson Airport to pick up the ransom. After picking up the less-than-demanded ransom money, the plane took off, bound for Havana. [5][6][7][8][9] The hijackers passed out some of the ransom money to the passengers. Contrary to the hijackers' expectations, Cuban leader Fidel Castro did not accept them into that country; thus the hijackers had the airplane flown to Orlando, Florida and discussed flying to Algeria (which was not possible due to the airplane's limited range). [2][3] This marked the first time a hijacked airplane had left Cuba with the hijackers on board. [10] While stopped for refueling at the Orlando Jetport at McCoy, the civilian commercial air terminal at McCoy Air Force Base, the joint civil-military airfield in Orlando, the FBI shot out two of the airplane's four main tires, prompting the hijackers to shoot co-pilot Harold Johnson in the arm and force pilot William Haas to take off. [2][3]
The hijacking finally came to an end when the plane landed once again in Havana on Saturday, the 11th, after traveling for some 30 hours and 4,000 miles (6,400 km). Multiple sources alleged the runway was covered in foam at the time of the landing, a claim the plane’s co-pilot has denied. [3] The hijackers were removed from the airplane at gunpoint by Cuban authorities and captured after attempting to escape. The hijackers served eight years in a Cuban prison before returning to the US to serve additional 20–25 year prison sentences. [2][3][11] Cuba returned the airplane, crew, passengers, and ransom money to the United States. [2] The incident led to a brief treaty between the U.S. and Cuba to extradite hijackers, which has not since been renewed. [citation needed]
The hijacking was the subject of the National Geographic I Am Rebel documentary series premiere episode "Jacked" by Lana Wilson which aired June 5, 2016. [12]
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Air crash
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Police 'amazed' by customers who thwarted armed bank robbery in Abbotsford
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Police say a suspect is in custody after customers in a bank in Abbotsford, B.C., refused to obey orders from a shotgun-brandishing robber and tackled the person instead. A statement from Abbotsford police says a person entered a Scotiabank branch in the city just before noon Wednesday and ordered customers to the floor. The would-be robber then threw bags onto a counter and demanded money, but was confronted first by one customer, and then three more. The four customers tackled the robber, took away the gun and held the suspect until officers arrived minutes later. No one was hurt. Sgt. Judy Bird says a 46-year-old is facing robbery and firearms-related charges. Bird says police are thankful for the community support and "amazed'' at the willingness of the four customers to protect others in the bank. "As grateful as we are for this outcome, we remind the public to be aware of how volatile and dangerous these situations can be, especially with armed suspects,'' Bird said in a statement Thursday.
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Bank Robbery
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Where Year Two of the Pandemic Will Take Us
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As vaccines roll out, the U.S. will face a choice about what to learn and what to forget. The influenza pandemic that began in 1918 killed as many as 100 million people over two years. It was one of the deadliest disasters in history, and the one all subsequent pandemics are now compared with. At the time, The Atlantic did not cover it. In the immediate aftermath, “it really disappeared from the public consciousness,” says Scott Knowles, a disaster historian at Drexel University. “It was swamped by World War I and then the Great Depression. All of that got crushed into one era.” An immense crisis can be lost amid the rush of history, and Knowles wonders if the fracturing of democratic norms or the economic woes that COVID-19 set off might not subsume the current pandemic. “I think we’re in this liminal moment of collectively deciding what we’re going to remember and what we’re going to forget,” says Martha Lincoln, a medical anthropologist at San Francisco State University. The coronavirus pandemic ignited at the end of 2019 and blazed across 2020. Many countries repeatedly contained it. The United States did not. At least 19 million Americans have been infected. At least 326,000 have died. The first two surges, in the spring and summer, plateaued but never significantly subsided. The third and worst is still ongoing. In December, an average of 2,379 Americans have died every day of COVID-19—comparable to the 2,403 who died in Pearl Harbor and the 2,977 who died in the 9/11 attacks. The virus now has so much momentum that more infection and death are inevitable as the second full year of the pandemic begins. “There will be a whole lot of pain in the first quarter” of 2021, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told me. Read: Hospitals know what’s coming But that pain could soon start to recede. Two vaccines have been developed and approved in less time than many experts predicted, and are more effective than they dared hope. Joe Biden, the incoming president, has promised to push for measures that health specialists have championed in vain for months. He has filled his administration and COVID-19 task force with seasoned scientists and medics. His chief of staff, Ron Klain, coordinated America’s response to the Ebola outbreak of 2014. His pick for CDC director, Rochelle Walensky, is a widely respected infectious-disease doctor and skilled communicator. The winter months will still be abyssally dark, but every day promises to bring a little more light. On the Fourth of July, Ashish Jha wants to host a barbecue at his house in Newton, Massachusetts. By then, the state expects to have rolled out COVID-19 vaccines to anyone who wants one. The process will be bumpy, but Jha is hopeful. He thinks that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus will still be spreading within the U.S., but at a simmer rather than this winter’s calamitous boil. He expects to keep all his guests outside, where the risk of transmission is substantially lower. If it starts raining, they could come indoors after putting on masks. “It won’t be normal, but it won’t be like Fourth of July 2020,” says Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. “I think that’s when it’ll start to feel like we’re no longer in a pandemic.” Many of the 30 epidemiologists, physicians, immunologists, sociologists, and historians whom I interviewed for this piece are cautiously optimistic that the U.S. is headed for a better summer. But they emphasized that such a world, though plausible, is not inevitable. Its realization hinges on successfully executing the most complicated vaccination program in U.S. history, on persuading a frayed and fractured nation to continue using masks and avoiding indoor crowds, on countering the growing quagmire of misinformation, and on successfully monitoring and countering changes in the virus itself. “Think about next summer as a marker for when we might be able to breathe again,” said Loyce Pace, the executive director of a nonprofit called the Global Health Council and a member of Biden’s COVID-19 task force. “But there’s almost a year’s worth of work that needs to happen in those six months.” The pandemic will end not with a declaration, but with a long, protracted exhalation. Even if everything goes according to plan, which is a significant if, the horrors of 2020 will leave lasting legacies. A pummeled health-care system will be reeling, short-staffed, and facing new surges of people with long-haul symptoms or mental-health problems. Social gaps that were widened will be further torn apart. Grief will turn into trauma. And a nation that has begun to return to normal will have to decide whether to remember that normal led to this. “We’re trying to get through this with a vaccine without truly exploring our soul,” said Mike Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota. Having vaccines is not the same as achieving vaccinations. First, pharmaceutical companies need to make enough doses. Manufacturing the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is a delicate process, involving fragile supply chains. Quality control must be uncompromising, and small glitches can cause steady production lines of vaccine to sputter. “Vaccines are fragile biologics; they’re not T-shirts,” said Kelly Moore of Vanderbilt University, who studies immunization policy. More approved vaccines, though, could mean a more resilient supply. Vaccines must then be distributed and deployed. Moderna’s can be stored in normal freezers, but Pfizer’s requires ultracold storage such as dry ice. Both require two doses. Tracking these will be challenging for a country without comprehensive national or state vaccination records, and with a poor history of measuring vaccine uptake at the local level. Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vials contain five(-ish) and 10 doses, respectively; these must be used within hours of being opened, which poses logistical challenges for rural clinics that serve widely dispersed communities. And while many vaccines come in ready-to-go syringes, these were developed too quickly to add such conveniences; health-care workers must remember how to thaw and prepare each dose. (Think of the vaccines as cars whose airbags and engines were tested thoroughly, but whose dashboards need work.) All of this must be done in the middle of a pandemic, in part by understaffed and overworked public-health departments. “We are trying to plan for the most complex vaccination program in human history after a year of complete exhaustion, with a chronically underfunded infrastructure and personnel who are still responsible for measles and sexually transmitted diseases and making sure your water is clean,” Moore said. Although Operation Warp Speed spent $18 billion on developing vaccines, the federal government initially offered states less than 2 percent of that—$340 million—to deploy them. The recently approved stimulus bill will add $8 billion for vaccine distribution, but, though welcome, those funds were needed months ago. And there is still no national vaccination strategy, said Saad Omer, a vaccinologist at Yale. The Trump administration has again left things up to the states, which have again concocted a hodgepodge of plans. “We shouldn’t be going into the biggest immunization effort this country has ever undertaken without a solid playbook and without enough resources to back the plays,” Omer said. Read: The next six months will be vaccine purgatory If vaccines are successfully distributed, Americans must agree to get them. As of earlier this month, 27 percent said they wouldn’t get a free COVID-19 vaccine, though that proportion had fallen since September. Many Americans are simply watching to see if the first vaccinations occur without issue. But here, the campaign might run into the same problem that vexes all prevention efforts: People don’t notice when they successfully avoid a disease, “but a negative reaction is memorable,” said Emily Brunson, an anthropologist at Texas State University. Because millions of people are getting vaccinated, many will coincidentally have heart attacks, strokes, or other problems soon after their shots. If viral social-media posts or half-baked news alerts link these health problems to the vaccines, while dwelling on every one of the expected side effects in real time, fear might unduly ground the campaign. Already, conspiracy theorists, QAnon supporters, and far-right groups believe COVID-19 to be a hoax or a nonissue, and this network, alongside traditional anti-vaccine activists, will downplay or disparage the vaccines. Donald Trump flirted with anti-vaccine messages before his presidency, and may do so again “to echo back what his base wants to hear,” said Kate Starbird of the University of Washington, who studies the spread of disinformation during disasters. Conspiracy theories are hard to counter once they take off, but they are also predictable and can be “pre-bunked,” Starbird said. “The first time you hear a piece of misinformation, it forms a lasting memory, and a correction doesn’t always change it,” but a preemptive countermessage could set that first memory correctly. Americans who worry that Operation Warp Speed cut corners may be reassured by endorsements from trusted figures such as Fauci. Meanwhile, some 42 percent of Republicans currently say they would refuse a vaccine; “if Trump was enthusiastic about the vaccination, he could play a remarkably constructive role” in swaying his supporters, said David Lazer, a political scientist at Northeastern University. (Mike Pence was vaccinated on December 18.) Read: The prophecies of Q Many Black Americans, too, are understandably suspicious of the vaccines and the broader medical establishment after regularly receiving discriminatory care, hearing about the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, and seeing family members die of COVID-19. “The health-care system has not proven itself trustworthy,” said Jasmine Marcelin, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Members of wary communities can help vouch for a vaccine: “As a nurse, I’ll be one of the first people in line,” said Monica McLemore, a nursing professor at UC San Francisco, who is Black. But truly engendering trust in historically wronged communities, McLemore said, would mean investing more fully in care, including free masks, testing, and consultations. One certainty about the vaccines is that they will be deployed unevenly. Just as the virus created a patchwork of infection in 2020, the vaccines will create a patchwork of immunity in 2021. Globally, many poor countries will barely be able to start the vaccination process, because richer countries have hoarded doses. Even within the U.S., there will be difficult months when some states are vaccinating all their citizens while others are still working through prioritized groups, such as essential workers and the elderly. Urban areas could speed ahead of rural areas, where people live farther away from any health facility, including commercial pharmacies such as CVS; where clinics have fewer staff members and fewer ultracold freezers; and where local health departments are busy with pandemic responses. “Who’s going to get to those people?” asked Tara Smith, an epidemiologist at Kent State University. Some scientists have estimated that 50 to 70 percent of the country will need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, but the actual threshold is still unclear, and several researchers suspect it may be much higher. Whatever the actual number, it will also apply at smaller geographical scales. So what if infected people from regions that have not reached the threshold travel to neighboring areas that have? “The technical term is that it becomes a big mess,” said Sam Scarpino of Northeastern University, who studies infectious-disease dynamics. Herd immunity is frequently misunderstood. It is not a force field. Outbreaks can still begin in communities with herd immunity if someone brings the virus in, but they will die out on their own because every unvaccinated person is surrounded by enough vaccinated people that the virus will struggle to reach new hosts. Or at least that’s how it works in theory. In practice, there are two complications. First, the theory assumes that the vaccines prevent infected people from passing on the virus—and it’s still unclear whether they do. If they don’t at all, the endgame becomes harder, because vaccinated people might unwittingly spread the virus. But this is more of a theoretical concern than a likely one: Vaccines that are 95 percent effective at preventing symptoms would be expected to “reduce the rate of transmission significantly,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale. Read: The end of the pandemic is now in sight Second, unvaccinated people will not be randomly strewn around a community. Instead, they’ll form clusters, because vaccines are unevenly distributed, or because vaccine skepticism spreads among friends and families. These clusters will be like cracks in a wall, through which water can seep during a storm. “Those pockets of vulnerability will be the biggest problems,” said Shweta Bansal, a disease ecologist at Georgetown University. They will mean that even when some communities reach the 70 percent threshold, infections could still spread within them. People who waited because of distrust or hesitancy, and people who could not be vaccinated because of lack of access or preexisting medical conditions, will bear the brunt of these continuing outbreaks. Such outbreaks will grow smaller and be more easily controlled as more people get vaccinated. As the year progresses, health-care workers might have to fight only localized COVID-19 fires instead of the overwhelming nationwide inferno that’s currently ablaze. The U.S. still needs to calm that inferno, though. In a study that simulated the effects of vaccination, Rochelle Walensky, the future CDC director, and her colleagues concluded that the percentage of infections and deaths avoided through vaccination decreases “dramatically as the severity of the epidemic increases.” Other measures such as masks, better ventilation, rapid diagnostic tests, contact tracing, physical distancing, and restrictions on indoor gatherings will still be necessary during the long rollout, and will buffer that process against disruptions. “As a nation, we’ll recover faster if you give the vaccine less work to do when it’s ready,” Walensky said on Twitter. Most Americans—across the political spectrum—support measures aimed at curbing COVID-19, including restricting restaurants to carryout, canceling major sporting and entertainment events, and asking people to stay at home and avoid gatherings, according to surveys done by Lazer, the Northeastern political scientist, and his colleagues. Some state leaders have thus far been unwilling to enact such measures, but their attitudes might shift when the Biden administration takes office. “I’ve talked to many governors who, regardless of geography or political party, want to know what they can do to limit the transmission of this virus,” said Osterholm, who is on Biden’s COVID-19 task force. Especially now, with many questions already swirling around the vaccines, clear, consistent, evidence-based advice from that task force could go a long way in countering the chaotic, conflicting counsel that Trump and his associates have offered. So could more funding. States cannot legally run at a deficit, so some measures require the federal checkbook, including the mass manufacturing of personal protective equipment, the rollout of cheap and ubiquitous diagnostic tests, and aid for businesses and families financially harmed by social restrictions. “I’d love to see policy makers lay out the social contract on the table,” Scarpino said. “Something like: ‘Here’s the plan; we’re asking for a bit more sacrifice, we’re putting a little money in your pocket to make you comfortable, and we’re targeting a normal July Fourth.’ Until today, it’s been: ‘Do all this stuff with no support, and who the hell knows when it’ll be over?’” Slowly, life will feel safer. Masks will still be common, and public spaces may be less populated. But many of the joys that 2020 stripped away could gradually (if patchily) return—the joys of indoor dining, the thrill of a crowd, the touch of a loved one. “Vaccines will help us to return to normalcy,” Omer said.
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Disease Outbreaks
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The future of the Belt and Road Initiative in Australia
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While the future of Victoria’s Belt and Road projects might seem uncertain, Australia has far more reasons to keep to its agreements than to turn away from them, Jon (Yuan) Jiang writes.
Since 2013, Australia has been at pains to adopt a cautious approach towards the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It is worth noting that during this period, the Australian Government has been led by the same party, allowing a level of policy consistency and continuity toward the BRI.
Early in the program’s evolution, the government wasn’t opposed the contribution of the BRI to infrastructure and economic development, but cited concern at its lack of international standards of governance and transparency.
Before 2017, while remaining prudent, Canberra was much more conciliatory towards the BRI. Discussions between Australia and China mostly revolved around potential alignment of Australia’s Northern Development Strategy with the BRI, and even direct participation in the BRI seemed a possibility for the Federal Government.
During former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s two meetings with President Xi Jinping in April 2016 and September 2016, Xi repeatedly proposed the alignment. In both instances, Turnbull did not accept the call directly, but also did not outright reject it.
Then, in February 2017 at a joint press conference between Australian and Chinese Foreign Ministers Julie Bishop and Wang Yi, Bishop explained that both countries “intend to link the BRI with Australia’s vision for developing Northern Australia” under conditions of “transparency, private sector engagement, and strong development outcomes”.
However, in March 2017, just days prior to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit, the government refused to officially endorse an alignment with the BRI. The reported reason behind this was that it did not see tangible benefits from signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and claimed China’s BRI was short on details. This was a turning point for the BRI in Australia. After 2017, Australia’s federal BRI policy has been unambiguous, and direct participation off the table.
Accordingly, the government signed an MoU that approved Australian work with the BRI in third countries, but not on Australian soil. This essentially meant that BRI projects in Australia would not serve the country’s national interest. Importantly, BRI projects were not forbidden outright, and could be considered on a case-by-case basis in Australia. Individual Australian corporations were also allowed to be part of the BRI, since their involvement and growth would be beneficial to Australian employment.
Meanwhile, Australia began seeking other infrastructure project alternatives that met its demands regarding international standards of governance and transparency, and in November 2019, it joined the United States and Japan in the Blue Dot Network (BDN). The declared intent of the BDN is to bring together governments, the private sector, and civil society under open, inclusive, and transparent international standards for global infrastructure development.
In contrast to the Federal Government’s shift away from the BRI, the Victorian State Government signed two BRI MoUs with the goal of building local economic prosperity and employment, a choice that attracted fierce criticism from federal politicians.
In 2020, the Australian Parliament passed Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill to strengthen federal authority and foreign policy consistency over state and territory foreign affairs.
While the Federal Government has not said officially that one of the bill’s intentions would to cancel Victoria’s BRI MoUs in the future, some politicians have admitted that giving the government this choice was “one of the reasons the bill was necessary”.
As of the end of 2020, Victoria’s BRI deals have remained intact. Still, the Federal Government has the power to ditch concrete projects under the BRI framework, such as the Victoria-Jiangsu Program for Technology and Innovation Research and Development, and it may still exercise that power.
Even though this may make the future of the Victorian BRI projects seem gloomy, the government will likely keep from tearing up what is mostly just a piece of paper, at least for now. There are four main reasons for this.
Firstly, Victoria’s deal is a vague and non-legally binding document that does not actually commit the state to any specific projects.
Secondly, revoking Victoria’s BRI deal will potentially cause a much tougher response from China, as the Chinese embassy in Australia has been vocal its opposition against any such cancellation. This is because the BRI is linked strongly with the personal brand of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and with legitimacy an imperative of China’s foreign policy doctrines and culture, it would be an ill-advised move for Australia’s relationship with China to inadvertently damage that brand.
Thirdly, in response to such a slight, China may commit to an all-out Sino-Australian trade war, which would lead to the catastrophic loss of six per cent of Australia’s economic power.
Fourthly, Australia needs to keep its primary ally, the United States, happy. Newly elected President Joe Biden’s BRI policy is emerging, but still not totally certain, and it would be wise to wait this out given the geopolitical volatility in the region.
In all, rescinding these agreements is likely more trouble than it’s worth. Australian leaders should only consider it if what they want for the near future is even more testy and confrontational Sino-Australian relations than have characterised the recent past.
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Tear Up Agreement
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US to announce withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council
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Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State, and Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, will address the Geneva-based organisation on Tuesday. Washington Published on: June 19, 2018 23:16 IST The council’s current membership includes 14 countries that are ranked as “not free” by Freedom House. The United States is expected to pull out from the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday in protest against what it perceives as a long-standing bias against Israel and a willingness to allow notorious human rights abusers as members. Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State, and Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, will address the Geneva-based organisation on Tuesday. United States' disagreement with the UN body is not a new thing. George W. Bush decided not to join the organisation, which was formed during his presidency. Barack Obama signed the US up in 2009, in a bid to show that human rights were a priority for the US, and succeeded in reducing the number of votes about Israel. If the US does leave the group, it would be the first time that a sitting member would volunteer to step aside. Libya was suspended in 2011 after a government crackdown on unarmed protesters. Haley announced a year ago that Washington was reviewing its membership of the human rights council, and called for reform and elimination of a "chronic anti-Israel bias." Speaking in Geneva, she denounced the council as a “forum for politics, hypocrisy and evasion” and accused member countries such as Venezuela, Cuba, China, Burundi and Saudi Arabia of failing to fulfill their duties to “uphold the highest standards” of human rights. The council’s current membership includes 14 countries that are ranked as “not free” by Freedom House: Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, China, Cuba, Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Mrs Haley said at the time that the United States did not want to leave the council, but would do so if it did not make changes. The body, set up in 2006, has a permanent standing agenda item - Agenda Item 7 - on suspected violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories that Washington wants removed. The council last month voted to investigate killings in Gaza and accused Israel of excessive use of force. The United States and Australia cast the only "no" votes. Israel's ambassador in Geneva, Aviva Raz Shechter, castigated the council for "spreading lies against Israel." Since 2006, the council has passed more than 70 resolutions critical of Israel - 10 times as often as it has criticised Iran.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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The discovery of a 3,000-year-old civilization at Sanxingdui raised profound questions about China’s ancient past
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The discovery of a 3,000-year-old civilization at Sanxingdui raised profound questions about China’s ancient past. Now, researchers believe they’re finally close to finding some answers. SICHUAN, Southwest China — Xu Feihong has spent the last decade working at archaeological sites all over China. But his latest dig is unlike anything he’s experienced. Each morning, the 31-year-old begins his shift by ducking inside a giant air-conditioned glass dome. He pulls on a full hazmat suit, surgical gloves, and a face mask. Then, he lays down flat on a wooden board and is slowly winched down into a deep pit. The archaeologist has spent weeks digging while hanging horizontally inches above the soil — like he’s doing an impression of Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible.” The elaborate precautions ensure that nothing — not even a stray hair, or a bead of sweat — contaminates the precious earth beneath him. You can listen to an audio version of this article via “China Stories,” a SupChina-produced podcast sharing the best writing on China. “This is the fanciest dig I’ve ever seen,” Xu tells Sixth Tone. “The level of resources devoted to it is astonishing — and unique. Only Sanxingdui deserves it.” China is lavishing funding on Xu and his team for good reason. The researchers, who are based at a remote site near the southwestern city of Chengdu known as Sanxingdui, believe they’re close to unlocking one of Chinese archaeology’s greatest mysteries. Left: Researchers use traditional tools to excavate Pits 1 and 2 at Sanxingdui, Sichuan province, 1986. Courtesy of archaeologist Chen De’an, via Xinhua; Right: Researchers excavate Pit 3 while suspended on a board above the soil, March 19, 2021. In the 1980s, a group of researchers found two pits at Sanxingdui crammed full of strange relics: piles of elephant tusks, gold masks, and bronze figures with wild, bulging eyes. The objects were 3,000 years old, and unlike anything previously uncovered in China. The finds were just the beginning. Other teams have since unearthed traces of more artifacts, large buildings, and even a city wall. It appears that Sanxingdui was once the capital of a powerful and technologically advanced civilization, which flourished in the region around the time of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. Yet the kingdom’s origins remain unknown. Ancient Chinese historians barely mentioned the Southwest, dismissing the region — then known as Shu — as an obscure backwater. And the artifacts themselves offer few clues. No written materials have ever been found at Sanxingdui. For decades, the riddle of Sanxingdui has fascinated China. Theories about how the civilization emerged have proliferated, with some speculating the settlement was founded by travelers from Egypt – or even extra-terrestrials. But in the absence of clear archaeological evidence, these debates appeared destined to remain unresolved. Until now. In 2019, researchers made another stunning discovery: six additional pits located close to the two uncovered in the ’80s. Like the originals, they appear to be sacrificial sites filled with ritual artifacts. Xu Feihong stands outside the dig site in Sanxingdui, Sichuan province, April 2021. Ye Ruolin/Sixth Tone “When we cleared off the topsoil, the sight in front of me was really shocking,” says Xu Feihong. “You never see so many ivories and bronze artifacts packed so densely together.” For the team, the new pits represent a golden opportunity. The latest excavations have already produced several striking finds, which have generated enormous public interest. More importantly, researchers will be able to analyze the dig sites using a range of scientific techniques that weren’t available when Pits 1 and 2 were discovered. Every object inside the new pits — as well as the surrounding soil — is being painstakingly collected, dated, and sealed in air-tight containers, before being sent for analysis. More than 30 research institutes from across China have cleared their laboratories to receive the samples. The hope is that cutting-edge material analysis will provide unprecedented insights into these artifacts — and the people who buried them. Though researchers are trying to remain calm, the answers to many decades-old questions may finally be within reach. A Forgotten Civilization It has taken nearly a century to reach this point. The first discoveries near Sanxingdui were made as far back as 1929, yet it took over half a century for the site’s true significance to be recognized. The initial finds were made by Yan Daochang, a farmer who worked a small plot of land north of Chengdu in a place named Moon Bay. While digging a well, Yan uncovered a large stash of jade artifacts. Some of these jades found their way into the hands of private collectors and caught the attention of archaeologists in the region. In 1933, David Crockett Graham, a Christian missionary and academic based in Chengdu, organized an excavation at Yan’s farm. The dig unearthed hundreds more pieces of jade, stone, and pottery. In China, however, ancient religious sites are hardly a rarity. Though local cultural bureaus continued to organize archaeological surveys at Moon Bay through the ’50s and ’60s, the finds didn’t cause much of a stir. The excavation site at Sanxingdui in 1986. As the researchers’ resources were limited, the site was exposed to the open air, which made it difficult to protect the relics. Courtesy of Sanxingdui Museum, via Xinhua The turning point came after the Cultural Revolution. In 1986, workers at a brick factory near Moon Bay unearthed yet another cache of jade relics and reported the find to the Sichuan Archaeological Institute. The institute dispatched a few researchers to the factory, which sat on top of a hillock known as Sanxingdui, or “Three Stars Mound.” There, they found a hole measuring 4.5 meters by 3.3 meters — what would later become known as the “No. 1 Sacrificial Pit.” The researchers eventually extracted 420 fragments of artifacts from the pit, including hundreds of seashells, gold scepters, and bronze molds of human faces. Then, a month later, they found a second pit near the first containing an even stranger collection of objects. Under the topsoil lay dozens of elephant tusks, covering a densely packed layer of bronzes. The objects — which included a mix of vessels, sculptures, and figurines — appeared to have been deliberately smashed and burned before being buried, a practice the archaeologists had never seen before. Many other surprises awaited them. Over the following weeks, the researchers pulled 1,500 objects out of Pit 2. By the time they finished, it had begun to dawn on them that they’d made one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. The haul included some truly jaw-dropping objects, including a towering bronze sculpture of a tree with dagger-like leaves and birds nesting among its carved branches. The tree, which is over 4 meters tall and weighs more than 800 kilograms, is the largest bronze artifact from the period ever unearthed worldwide. But the prize find was a huge bronze statue known as the Large Standing Figure — a giant, intricately detailed rendering of a man standing 2.6 meters tall and weighing nearly 200 kilograms. Tourists take photos of the Large Standing Figure at the Sanxingdui Museum, in Guanghan, Sichuan province, May 2021. The recent finds at Sanxingdui has renewed public interest in the project. Zhang Lang/CNS/People Visual The statue, which today looms over the central hall of the Sanxingdui Museum, continues to baffle researchers. It depicts a solemn-looking figure with glaring eyes and a hooked nose — features that are distinct from other Chinese artifacts from the period. It is dressed in three layers of clothes, their delicate patterns still visible on the cold, hard bronze. Most mysterious of all is the statue’s pose. The figure’s disproportionately large hands are raised in front of its chest, its fingers forming two circles. It looks like the figure was once holding something aloft, but researchers still have no idea what. Some guess the statue was gripping a cong — an oblong piece of jade used in religious rites — while others suggest an ivory tusk. Archaeologists also remain uncertain how Sanxingdui acquired so many tusks, as elephants aren’t native to that part of China — or, at least, they aren’t anymore. Because of its unique style and enormous size, many experts argue the statue is a representation of the supreme leader of the Sanxingdui civilization, who combined the roles of god, king, and shaman. Ever since this breakthrough excavation in 1986, field surveys of the area surrounding Sanxingdui have continued ceaselessly. Archaeologists have found evidence that the area was once home not just to a site for making religious offerings — as the pits appear to have been used — but also to a human settlement spanning at least 12 square kilometers. Archaeologists work on the excavations at Pit 2, 1986. Courtesy of Chen De’an, via Xinhua In 2013, a few kilometers from the sacrificial pits, researchers discovered rows of unusual marks in the shape of a giant Roman numeral three. The area, named Qingguanshan terrace, is the highest point of the Sanxingdui site. These marks are believed to be the remains of walls and pillars from a cluster of buildings. One of the structures was around 65 meters long, making it one of the largest Bronze Age buildings ever found in China, according to Guo Ming, a Shanghai-based archaeologist who participated in the excavation. Given its huge scale, many experts suggest the Qingguanshan structure was likely a palace. But Guo is skeptical. The marks indicate the building only had side doors; most palaces from the period had doors on their front facades. She hypothesizes it may have in fact been a state-owned warehouse for storing treasure or weapons — a less glamorous, but still important find. “We’re finding more and more archaeological evidence suggesting the architecture (in ancient China) was more complex and diverse in its functions than we previously understood,” says Guo. “While palaces are certainly very important, functional buildings like warehouses and workshops are equally valuable to our understanding of ancient history and societies.” Surrounding the Qingguanshan buildings and sacrificial pits, meanwhile, are a string of human-built mounds, which archaeologists suspect to be the remains of a city wall. Unraveling the Mystery Each new discovery has only left archaeologists with more questions about Sanxingdui. They now have enough evidence to conclude an affluent, sophisticated civilization thrived in the area for nearly 1,000 years, up to around the 11th century B.C. But since no written records from the city have been found, the story of Sanxingdui — its origins, history, and culture — remains entirely blank. In ancient Chinese sources, there are references to a remote kingdom named Shu based in what is now modern-day Sichuan province. The “Chronicles of Huayang,” compiled during the Jin dynasty (266-420 A.D.), writes that the Shu state originated in the upper reaches of the Min River — a tributary of the Yangtze that runs through Sichuan province — over 3,500 years ago. Over the next millennium, five dynasties ruled Shu, before the kingdom gradually declined and was conquered by the Qin state in 316 B.C., according to the “Chronicles.” A view of the newly discovered gold mask found inside Pit 5 at Sanxingdui, March 2021. Xinhua Yet ancient Chinese descriptions of Shu offer few details. Most surviving stories about the kingdom are mythological, such as the tale of King Duyu, who transformed into a cuckoo after his death and sang every spring to remind farmers to sow their seeds on time. Even when sources do mention the Shu state, they tend to dwell mainly on its remoteness. Given Sichuan province’s mountainous topography, travel to the region would have been challenging. The Chinese poet Li Bai summed up the kingdom’s reputation in his 8th-century A.D. work “Hard Roads in Shu”: Oh, but it is high and very dangerous! Such traveling is harder than scaling the blue sky … Until two rulers of this region Pushed their way through in the misty ages, Forty-eight thousand years had passed With nobody arriving across the Qin border. Until the discovery of Pits 1 and 2 in 1986, historians had assumed the Shu state was mythical. Now, however, as a consensus develops that Sanxingdui was likely once part of the Shu kingdom, archaeologists are revisiting these ancient sources. “We can’t really use archaeological discoveries to prove an ancient myth,” says Yu Mengzhou, an archaeologist at Sichuan University who is assisting the excavations at Sanxingdui. “But these old tales may provide some clues.” But Sanxingdui doesn’t appear to have been the hermit-like kingdom described by Chinese poets. Though artworks like the Large Standing Figure are unique, many other finds indicate that Sanxingdui was part of a complex trade network that spread across East Asia. Jade artifacts found in the sacrificial pits are similar in style to those uncovered as far away as Zhejiang province, nearly 2,000 kilometers to the east. And the seashells filling the pits, which at the time were used as a form of currency, are believed to have originated in South Asia. The sketchy historical record has left room for more esoteric theories about Sanxingdui to flourish. For years, a conspiracy theory claiming the site is the remains of an alien civilization has been circulating in China. According to this theory, extra-terrestrials came to Earth over 5,000 years ago and built a string of settlements along the 30th parallel north. This led to the creation of the Egyptian pyramids, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Mayan civilization, as well as the lost city in Sichuan province. The aliens then exited the planet through a wormhole in Bermuda, the story goes. Despite carbon dating showing the sacrificial pits were made 2,000 years after the aliens’ supposed stay on Earth, the alien hypothesis has gained significant traction on the Chinese internet. A more reasonable theory posits that Sanxingdui was founded by foreign settlers. Zhu Dake, a renowned cultural scholar affiliated with Shanghai’s Tongji University, has suggested the city was built by travelers from the Middle East or ancient Egypt. A view of a large bronze statue unearthed at Sanxingdui, which has aroused researchers’ curiosity due to its unusual, protruding eyes. Courtesy of Sanxingdui Museum Sanxingdui sculptures emphasize their subjects’ eyes in a similar way to artifacts found in ancient Egypt, Zhu notes. The ivories and gold scepters found in the sacrificial pits, meanwhile, share some characteristics with Middle Eastern relics. But the majority of Chinese archaeologists disagree with Zhu. So far, no evidence has been found of human migration or even economic exchanges between Sanxingdui and Western Asia. “The spread of civilization and the spread of cultural elements are totally different things,” says Xu Jian, the Shanghai University archaeologist.
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New archeological discoveries
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Manx2 Flight 7100 crash
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Manx2 Flight 7100 was a scheduled commercial flight from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Cork, Republic of Ireland. On 10 February 2011, the Fairchild Metro III aircraft flying the route with ten passengers and two crew on board crashed on its third attempt to land at Cork Airport in foggy conditions. Six people, including both pilots, died. Six passengers survived but were injured, four of them seriously. [1]
The Air Accident Investigation Unit published its final report in January 2014. [2][3] It stated that the probable cause of the accident was loss of control during an attempted go-around below decision height in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). [4](p152) The report mentioned as contributory factors the inappropriate pairing of flight crews, inadequate command training and checking, and inadequate oversight of the charter operation by the operator and the operator's state. [4](pp148–151)[5]
Flight 7100 was scheduled to depart Belfast City Airport at 07:50 GMT arriving at Cork Airport for 09:00 IST. On board were a crew of two and ten passengers. [6]
The aircraft arrived at Belfast City Airport at 07:15 after a short positioning flight from Belfast International Airport, and was refuelled for the planned route-trip to Cork and back. The flight specified Waterford Airport as the alternate airport for the sector to Cork. No second alternate was made. Boarding of the flight was delayed due to both crew members working on the passenger seats in the cabin; boarding commenced once that task was completed. Passengers chose their seats at random and the safety demonstration was carried out by the co-pilot. [4](p9)
Radar vectors were given by Cork Approach to the reciprocal runway 35, which the crew believed with the sun behind the aircraft, might make visual acquisition of the runway easier. [4](p10)
In the hold, the flight crew requested weather conditions for Waterford, which were below minimums. The flight crew nominated Shannon Airport as their alternate and requested the latest weather; again the weather there was below minimums. Weather for Dublin was passed on to the flight crew and was also below minimums. Cork Approach informed the flight crew about weather conditions at Kerry Airport, which were "good" with 10 km visibility. [4](p(p10))
The approach was continued beyond the OM, the commander taking over operation of the power levers. Descent was continued below the DH. A significant reduction in power and significant roll to the left followed, just below 100 ft, and a third go-around was called by the commander, which the co-pilot acknowledged. Coincident with the application of go-around power by the commander, control of the aircraft was lost. The aircraft rolled rapidly to the right beyond the vertical, which brought the right wingtip into contact with the runway. The aircraft continued to roll and impacted the runway inverted. The stall warning sounded continuously during the final seven seconds of the CVR recording. [4](p11)
At 09:50:34, following both initial impacts the aircraft continued inverted for a further 189 metres (207 yd)[7][8] and came to a rest in soft ground to the right of the runway. During this time, the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) began to sound in the Control Tower at Cork Airport. [4](p44) Post impact fires ensued in both engines, and from fuel leaking from the outboard right fuel tank. The fires were put out by the Airfield Fire Service (AFS) before they reached the fuselage. [4](p53)[9] Of the twelve on board, six people were fatally injured[10] including both pilots. Four of the survivors suffered serious injuries whilst two received minor injuries and were described as walking wounded. [11][12] A witness inside the airport terminal building stated that the fog was so thick that the crashed aircraft could not be seen. [13] The airport fire service extinguished both post impact fires within ten minutes of the accident, and started to remove the casualties from the wreckage. [4](p192) The injured were taken to Cork University Hospital for treatment. [12]
The aircraft, destroyed in the accident, was a twin-turboprop Fairchild SA227-BC Metro III with Spanish registration EC-ITP, c/n BC-789B,[14][15] It was owned by a Spanish bank and leased to Líneas Aéreas de Andalucía, known as Air Lada, based in Seville, Spain. [4](p8) The aircraft was subleased to Flightline S.L., based in Barcelona, Spain, and was on its air operator's certificate (AOC). [4](p8) Tickets were sold by a company called Manx2, which was based in the Isle of Man. [4](p8) The aircraft was 19 years old at the time of the accident,[14] and it had undergone a maintenance check in the week prior to the accident. [16]
The captain was 31-year-old Jordi Sola Lopez from Barcelona. The first officer was 27-year-old Andrew Cantle from Sunderland, England. [17] Both were employed by Air Lada. The captain had logged 1,800 total hours, of which 1,600 were on the Fairchild Metro III, but of which just 25 were as pilot-in-command on the aircraft. The first officer had logged 539 total hours, of which 289 were on the aircraft type. Their pairing together on the flight was considered inappropriate and highly unusual, due to their shared lack of total experience. Both pilots were certified for Instrument landing system CAT I; neither pilot, however, was certified for CAT II. [4](pp13–15)
Sola Lopez had been promoted to captain on 4 February 2011. His first flight in command of the aircraft took place on 6 February 2011, four days prior to the accident. The captain had flown into Cork 61 times; his logbooks had never shown any diversions. [4](p14)
The first officer had joined another Spanish operator flying the Fairchild Metro III for 270 hours before joining Air Lada.
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Air crash
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Loose Women star Coleen Nolan and her extremely famous EastEnders star ex-husband Shane Richie
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Coleen Nolan is very well-known herself but she has also been married to a famous EastEnders star. The Loose Women panellist joined ITV's hit daytime show in 2000 but before that she married actor Shane Richie. The couple wed in 1990 and were together until 1999, sharing two children Shane Jr, now 32, and Jake, 29. Coleen and Shane called it quits on their marriage after it transpired that Shane had been having an affair.
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Famous Person - Marriage
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More than 500 relics discovered in 'sacrificial' pits in China
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Gold ceremonial masks dating back 3,000 years, possibly worn by a priest and used for sacrificial purposes, are some of more than 500 items unearthed from six rectangular pits in China. The priceless cultural relics – unearthed at the Sanxingdui archaeological site in the province of Sichuan, southwest China – also include bird-shaped ornaments, two kinds of silk and a bronze statue adorned with depictions of 'beasts'. Only about half of the gold mask is still fully intact, but experts believe it is around 84 per cent pure gold and in its original state weighed close to 500 grams (one pound). Another gold mask, found in sacrificial pit 'number three', is of a similar design but is remarkably preserved and almost completely intact. Researchers who began digging at the site in 2019 said most of the 500 items were crafted out of gold, bronze, jade and ivory, according to the South China Morning Post. They believe the pits may have been used for sacrificial purposes by members an as-yet-unknown civilisation, and that the objects now found within them were ritually burned before being buried. Scroll down for video A partial gold mask unearthed from the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Chinese archaeologists announced Saturday that some new discoveries were made at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China A golden mask discovered at the 'number three' sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province Close-up of the intact and well-preserved golden mask discovered at the number three sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins The findings were shared in a blog post by the government of Chengdu, which is the capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province. Sanxingdui is a well-known archaeological site and tourist hotspot outside of Chengdu. The mask and the other exciting new findings will 'help deepen the understanding of the cultural relationship between the Chengdu Plain and the surrounding areas', according to officials, although much mystery still surrounds the golden mask. 'At present, it is inferred that this golden mask is also used for sacrifice, but because it is much larger than a human face, it is unlikely to be worn by a person,' said an unnamed expert cited in the post. The gold mask seen here in the ruins, was among more than 500 relics found in prehistoric Sanxingdui - a well-known archaeological site and tourist hotspot outside of the city of Chengdu Photo taken on September 2, 2021 shows a part of a bronze altar discovered at the number eight sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site 'It is still impossible to draw an accurate conclusion at present, and further archaeological excavations are needed.' If the complete weight of this golden mask were more than 500 grams, it would make it the largest golden mask found in China, as well as the heaviest golden object found in the country. The mask was found in pit number five out of six, but another two pits – seven and eight – are now also being excavated and could reveal the other half. In sacrificial pit number three, a 'rare, well-preserved, and exquisitely decorated' bronze square statue, dubbed 'Big Mouth', was unearthed. Sanxingdui is a well-known archaeological site and tourist hotspot outside of the city of Chengdu, in the province of Sichuan Pictured, 'Big Mouth' - a typical southern style bronze ware in the late Shang Dynasty. The Shang ruled from 1600 to 1046 B.C. and heralded the Bronze Age in China The two-foot-tall statue – which is in a typical southern style of the late Shang Dynasty that ruled in the second millennium BC – is decorated with animal and bird heads. 'The complete square bronze statue has never been seen before the Sanxingdui site,' the government of Chengdu says in the post. Archaeologists said they found two kinds of silk – one in the ashes of the sacrificial pit a large amount of silk traces and other other wrapped around the bronze ware. The function of silk was raised 'to a metaphysical level', according to the post, when it was used for sacrificial purposes. 'Silk serves as a carrier and medium for communication between heaven, earth, man and god,' it says. 'The earliest silk must not be used to make beautiful clothes, it must be used to communicate with the world, people and gods. An archaeologist works at the No. 8 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province, September 2, 2021 A delicate 'bird-shaped' gold ornament found during the recent excavations. The findings will help deepen understanding of 'the cultural relationship between the Chengdu Plain and its surrounding areas', experts say 'Bronze Sacred Tree'. The Sanxingdui site has traces of a 'highly brilliant and splendid bronze civilisation', according to the government of Chengdu 'Silk, silkworm, and mulberry embodies the concept of harmony between man and nature with Chinese characteristics.' Sanxingdui was initially stumbled upon in 1929. In 1986, two ceremonial pits containing more than 1,000 items were uncovered during a major excavation, according to CNN. One of them items unearthed from the number two sacrificial pit in 1986 was a bronze sculpture of human head with well-preserved gold mask, currently held at Sanxingdui Museum. A third pit was found in late 2019, and another five pits were found last year. A bronze sculpture of human head with gold mask at Sanxingdui Museum in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The sculpture was unearthed from the number two2 sacrificial pit at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in 1986 Excavation team pictured here at the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, March 19, 2021 Archaeologists use equipment to remotely observe the number five sacrificial pit. The pits may have been used for sacrificial purposes by members an as-yet-unknown civilisation Archaeologists use their 'multifunctional archaeological operating system' on March 20 at the archaeological excavation site of Sanxingdui The Shang dynasty ruled over the Yellow River Valley in the centre of China between around 1600 and 1046 BC. They were the second of the traditional Chinese dynasties, succeeding the Xia dynasty and being followed by the Zhou dynasty. However, it is the earliest dynasty for which there has remained preserved archaeological evidence. The elite of the Shang dynasty commonly undertook ritual sacrifices, placing offered remains in burial pits or within the tombs of the dead. The last Shang Dynasty city was Yin, which was located near what is today the city of Anyang. Excavations of the Yin ruins have unearthed the early examples of Chinese writing, in the form of inscriptions made on oracle bones. Oracle bones - of which around an estimated 100,000 have been discovered - were used in divination rituals. DNA analysis has revealed a similarity between the Shang Dynasty inhabitants of Yin and modern-day northern Han Chinese peoples.
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New archeological discoveries
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Jony Ive Delivers Virtual Commencement Speech, Courtesy of Nick Knight
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The British designer also urged students to think sideways, and told them not to be “distracted or limited” by their particular areas of expertise. Ive, who worked closely with Steve Jobs at Apple and helped to design the iPhone, iPad and MacBook, among many other products, stressed the important of curiosity, and cooperation. “Curiosity can unite us, and help temper our fear of doing something new,” he said. At the end of the 15-minute speech, the camera pulled back to show Ive sitting against a black backdrop in a vast white studio, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the filmmaking process by two groundbreaking British creatives, Knight and Ive. Knight and ShowStudio are no strangers to the collegiate production. A fashion film pioneer, Knight has created visual narratives around design and art students’ final projects at schools including Central Saint Martins, Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University and Royal College of Art. Ive began his five-year term as chancellor of the RCA in 2017, having succeeded the British inventor James Dyson. He has been advising the graduate school on digital initiatives and advance manufacturing, and a variety of other projects. He left Apple in 2019 and started his own design firm, LoveFrom, together with fellow industrial designer Marc Newson.
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Famous Person - Give a speech
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Teenager in critical condition after Port Kennedy motorbike crash
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A teenage motorbike rider is fighting for life after colliding with a car in Port Kennedy last night. Emergency services were called to the crash at 5.42pm after reports a motorcycle, travelling southbound on Warnbro Sound Avenue, and a Nissan Patrol, travelling north on the same road, collided near Blackburn Drive. The 18-year-old male rider of the motorcycle received serious injuries and was taken to Royal Perth Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition. A woman in her 50s driving the Nissan Patrol was uninjured and is assisting police with inquiries. Major Crash detectives investigating the crash have called on anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online here.
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Road Crash
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1969 Yukhnov mid-air collision crash
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The 1969 Yukhnov mid-air collision occurred when an Ilyushin Il-14M, operating as Aeroflot Flight 831, a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Moscow-Bykovo Airport to Simferopol Airport, Crimea collided in the air on 23 June 1969 with an Antonov An-12BP of the Soviet Air Force over the Yukhnovsky district of Kaluga Oblast, in the Russian SFSR of the Soviet Union. All 120 occupants of both aircraft perished in the crash. [1][2]
The aircraft operating Aeroflot Flight 831 was an Ilyushin Il-14M registered CCCP-52018 to the Ukraine division of Aeroflot. At the time of the accident the aircraft had 24,653 flight hours. [1][3][4] Five crew members and 19 passengers were aboard Flight 831. The cockpit crew included Captain Georgy Pavlenko and copilot Viktor Pavlovich Buyanov. [3]
The Antonov An-12 belonging to the Soviet Air Force that was involved in the accident (callsign 08525) was part of a formation of four aircraft demonstrating tactical flight maneuvers to the Minister of Defense, Andrei Grechko. Two of the aircraft were transporting equipment; the other two, including the one involved in the crash, was carrying paratroopers of the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division. [2] Five flight crew members and 91 paratroopers were aboard the aircraft, all of whom perished in the crash. The cockpit crew consisted of the following pilots: Major Alexei Ryabtsev, Junior lieutenant Vladimir Priplov, and Captain Nikolai Mikhailovich Maslyuk. [5]
At 13:25 the An-12 involved in the accident (callsign 08525) took off from Kėdainiai Air Base, and was the last one in a formation of four to take off. The four An-12s took off in 8-10 minute intervals and held altitudes between 3,000 and 3,600 m (9,800 and 11,800 ft). At 14:07 the Ilyushin Il-14 took off from Bykovo Airport and climbed to the assigned altitude of 2,700 m (8,900 ft). At 14:40:55 the crew of Il-14 contacted air traffic control and requested permission to climb to 3,300 m (10,800 ft) due to severe turbulence and cumulus clouds. Due to the An-12s at 3,000 m (9,800 ft), the controller instead offered to grant permission for the flight to descend to 2,700 m (8,900 ft), but the pilots of the Il-14 declined the offer because the turbulence may be worse at a lower altitude. At 14:50:17 the An-12 passed over Yukhnov and was switched to another controller and confirmed that they were at an altitude of 3,000 m (9,800 ft). At 14:52 the two aircraft collided over Yukhnov. The An-12 was on a bearing of 106-121° with a speed of 500–529 km/h (311–329 mph; 270–286 kn); the Il-14 was on a bearing of 235-245° with a speed of 324–360 km/h (201–224 mph; 175–194 kn)h. The aircraft first struck at the wingtips; then the An-12's nose collided with the right horizontal stabilizer of the Il-14. The An-12 lost the right wing and right wing engines from the impact, causing the aircraft to spin to the ground. The Il-14 lost part of the right wing and the upper part of the fuselage. The An-12 crashed in a field near Vypolzovo village, and the Il-14 crashed near Trinity village. The aircraft fell approximately 3,800 m (12,500 ft) apart from each other. All 120 people aboard both aircraft perished. [3][5]
The investigation into the crash found that the pilots of the Ilyushin Il-14 disobeyed instructions from air traffic control and climbed to the altitude of 3,000 m (9,800 ft) to avoid the clouds and turbulence, where the formation of Antonov An-12s were flying. The collision occurred at an altitude of 2,910–2,960 m (9,550–9,710 ft), the Il-14 should have been flying at an altitude of 2,700 m (8,900 ft). The pilots of the An-12 were also found to be at fault for flying slightly lower than their assigned altitude of 3,000 m (9,800 ft). [1][5]
Vasily Margelov, Commander of the Airborne Forces and General of the Army, decided that a memorial would be constructed in memory of the fallen soldiers. Money was raised for the construction of a monument to the dead soldiers. In total, 250 thousand rubles were collected. A year after the disaster, the memorial was constructed at the site the An-12 crashed. The monument, designed by Yevgeny Vuchetich, depicts a kneeling mother and paratrooper and contains the inscription: Eternal memory to the heroes-paratroopers and pilots. Next to the monument is a platform with 96 marble slabs, each with naming a soldier killed in the accident. [6][7]
At the site of the crashed Ilyushin Il-14 there is a monument to the pilots and passengers.
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Air crash
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2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake
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The 2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake occurred just after 8:04 p.m. PDT on October 27. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VIII (Severe). The earthquake's epicentre was on Moresby Island of the Haida Gwaii archipelago (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands). This was the second largest Canadian earthquake ever recorded by a seismometer, after the 1949 Queen Charlotte Islands earthquake, about 135 kilometres (84 mi) away. [3]
Strong shaking was felt throughout Haida Gwaii where residents in Masset, Skidegate, Sandspit, and Queen Charlotte City were evacuated to higher ground. [4] Minor shaking was felt in Prince Rupert and in other cities of the Interior such as Prince George, Quesnel, and as far away as Kamloops. [5] Electricity service was interrupted in Bella Coola. [6]
Although the earthquake occurred on the Queen Charlotte Fault, a primarily strike-slip boundary between the Pacific and North American plates where the Pacific Plate moves approximately north-northwest with respect to the North America plate at a rate of about 50 mm/yr,[2] the 2012 quake exhibited a thrust mechanism, more characteristic of the Cascadia Subduction Zone to the south. [7]
A tsunami warning was issued for the North American Coast from the Alaskan Panhandle to Vancouver Island, but later limited to the North Coast region of British Columbia. Canadian authorities were questioned for issuing a tsunami warning nearly 40 minutes after the U.S. had issued their warning. [8] The greatest wave heights recorded at tide gauges in Canada were 25 cm (9.8 in) at Langara Island and 22 cm (8.7 in) at Winter Harbour. [9] In Tofino on Vancouver Island, the tsunami warning sirens were activated and residents in low-lying areas evacuated their homes. [6] The maximum wave height recorded in Tofino was 9 cm (3.5 in). [9] Tofino's tsunami warning system was activated after communication with the provincial coordinating centre was cut off. [10]
In the U.S., Hawaii was also placed on alert, and over 100,000[11] people were evacuated to higher ground. The maximum wave height recorded at tide gauges in Hawaii was 79 cm (31 in). [9] Other warnings were issued for the states of Oregon and California, but were subsequently lifted. [12]
Along the western coast of Haida Gwaii, the earthquake triggered tsunami waves with a maximum run-up height at 13 meters in Davidson Inlet. [13] In Mike Inlet, the tsunami was measured at 7.6 meters, making it the largest tsunami generated by an earthquake in western Canadian history. [1]
Despite the earthquake's large magnitude, no major structural damage was reported from any of the population centres in the vicinity. [14] This can be explained by the remoteness of the tremor's epicentre. No casualties or major injuries were recorded from the quake, likely due to the sparsely populated nature of the region. [8] As a result of the earthquake and its aftershocks, the famed hot springs in Gwaii Haanas National Park on Hotspring Island dried up. [15] In 2015 the hot springs began to come back. [16]
There were 94 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater lasting until November 7, as recorded by the USGS. The largest of these numerous aftershocks was a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that occurred 56 kilometres (35 mi) to the west of the main tremor on the morning of October 28. [17] This was followed on October 29 by a 6.2 aftershock 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the south of the original quake. [18]
Four months after the mainshock, in January 2013, another magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck north of Haida Gwaii in southeastern Alaska. [19] The earthquake had a pure strike-slip focal mechanism, consistent with a rupture along the Queen Charlotte Fault. This earthquake is not considered an aftershock, but was triggered by stress transfer caused by the October 2012 earthquake. [20]
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Earthquakes
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Full Membership in SCO Hailed as Diplomatic Achievement
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resident Ebrahim Raeisi said the approval of Iran’s application for permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a “diplomatic achievement”, calling on the Foreign Ministry and other relevant ministries to seize the new opportunity to connect to major Asian economic sources.
“Iran’s permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which took place at the Tajikistan summit, was a diplomatic success,” Raeisi said on Saturday on returning from a three-day visit to Tajikistan, where he attended the 21st SCO summit, President.ir reported.
He said Iran’s presence in the SCO as a member state would create a “strong economic connection” for the country, through which it would be linked to Asia’s sustainable resources.
“Connecting to the economic resources of Asia is a valuable opportunity for the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
The SCO on Friday approved documents for Iran’s full membership at the Eurasian political, economic and security alliance at its 21st summit in Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe.
Raeisi said his visit to Tajikistan had different aspects, including the implementation of Iran’s foreign policy in the fields of “economic diplomacy and neighborhood policy,” which would open a new chapter in relations with Tajikistan.
Pointing to his meetings with senior officials of regional countries, he said that in talks with Tajikistan’s president and authorities, the sides agreed to open a new chapter in economic, political and cultural relations.
He said during a security meeting on Afghanistan, which was held on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, Iran’s stances were explained and the participants reached a consensus on the situation in the war-ravaged country.
“They agreed that they should pursue the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of all ethnic groups that can represent the dear people of Afghanistan,” Raeisi stated.
He expressed hope that the achievements of the visit would lead to “effective practical steps” toward the country’s economic growth and that Iranian economic players, investors and the people would take advantage of this opportunity and its benefits.
Read our comment policy before posting your viewpoints Add: No. 108 - Qaem Maqam Farahani St. Tehran, Iran
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Diplomatic Visit
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Small gas pipe crack caused massive explosion that injured three people
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A small split in a Powerco gas main was behind a massive explosion that left one man in an induced coma and injured two other New Plymouth residents, an investigation into the fire has revealed. Taranaki specialist fire investigator Andrew Cotter’s report is part of an ongoing WorkSafe New Zealand investigation into the December 29, 2020, blaze, which left Ben D’Arth critically injured and with burns to 28 per cent of his body. His partner, Leticia Nixon, and the couple's downstairs neighbour Kerry Roach said they were physically injured and mentally scarred.
The report, which was released under the Official Information Act, details how natural gas leaked from a crack, no more than 65 millimetres long, in a Powerco-owned gas main under the footpath directly outside the Devon St West home.
READ MORE: * Gas explosion victim learning to live after a brush with death * 'It just felt like hell': Taranaki gas explosion victims tell of escape and fire's aftermath * New Plymouth gas explosion survivor creates book to raise money for rescue helicopter that helped save his life It details how the gas then made its way into the property through the soil and built up in a cavity under the house and porch, as well as filling the space between the ceiling of the downstairs flat and floor of D’Ath and Nixon’s upstairs flat.
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The upstairs bedroom, which D’Ath and Nixon were inside, instantly filled with flames – and their screams.
Downstairs, Roach watched the air suck in before he was blown back into the couch as gib board from the ceiling started crashing down on him.
Within 10 seconds, his home was filled with flames and his ears left were ringing by the bang.
Roach helped D’Ath and Nixon to escape by placing a wooden ladder up to a veranda, from which they climbed down before seeking help at a neighbouring address.
Cotter’s investigation found the fire had spread rapidly throughout the rest of the house and burnt through a plastic gas line in the ceiling. This resulted in gas venting, which acted as a “blowtorch” until the gas was isolated and turned off 30 to 40 minutes later.
Earlier in the day several people had smelt the gas but thought nothing of it and no-one contacted Powerco or emergency services, the report said. Gas was also smelt by firefighters on the night, and water that dropped onto the footpath and grass had bubbled due to the gas leak.
However, no-one recalled smelling gas inside, and Cotter said the odour may have been lost as the gas exited the ground.
How long the gas had been leaking for and exactly how much had leaked is unknown, but Cotter's report said it must have been “significant”. It also said the pipe was most likely damaged when it was installed in 1984.
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During the investigation Cotter spoke to a Powerco gas operations manager, who told him the high-density polyethylene pipe was installed in 1984, and that the following year the gas industry changed the type used due to it being identified as “being susceptible to cracking”.
He was told the damage to the pipe was most likely caused when it was “physically crimped to stop gas flow” during installation nearly 40 years ago.
Cotter inspected the other gas pipes, and appliances, in and around the house and eliminated them as a cause. Based on the evidence of the investigation, dated January 20, 2021, Cotter classified the incident as “accidental”.
The report was prepared for Energy Safety, which is part of WorkSafe and the regulator for ensuring the safe supply and use of electricity and gas in New Zealand. It is one of several reports, including some from Powerco, that are helping to guide the WorkSafe investigation, which will determine if there will be prosecution or compensation once complete.
Powerco did not respond to direct questions regarding Cotter's report or the type of pipe and did not supply its reports.
In an emailed response, Powerco gas operations manager Don Elers said it was continuously monitoring and maintaining its gas network with “safety top of mind”.
Elers said Powerco was working with WorkSafe and conducting its own investigations into the matter.
“These investigations will ensure that we understand what happened and make any changes necessary to improve the safety of the network.” He said under gas safety regulations Powerco must have a safety management system. Advertisement
“Powerco’s public safety management system and our network are independently audited every year, and we’re certified on a three-yearly basis.”
WorkSafe was also approached for an update on its investigation, but did not respond.
D’Ath said he didn’t know what he wanted the outcome of the WorkSafe investigation to be.
“I’m just trying not to stress on that side of it too much.”
But compensation has been in the back of his mind.
“I lost so much income from the weddings and concerts and stuff,” he said. “That was my main source of income and I lost all of that.”
Carol Thompson, who owns the property and is also Roach's stepmother, said she was also losing money, and it was bringing on more than just financial stress.
She is shocked by how long the whole process is taking.
“All of us are living in limbo, frankly,” Thompson said. “We need to be able to move on.”
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Gas explosion
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President Trump signs executive order formally withdrawing from Trans-Pacific Partnership deal
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President Donald Trump on Monday will start to unravel the behemoth trade deal he inherited from his predecessor, as he signed an executive order to withdraw from the negotiating process of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order to withdraw from the negotiating process of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That executive order will send signals to Democrats and leaders in foreign capitals around the world that Trump's rhetoric on trade during the campaign is turning into action. Trump vowed during the campaign to withdraw the US from the Pacific trade deal, commonly known as TPP, which he argued was harmful to American workers and manufacturing. Recent Stories from thedenverchannel.com The TPP was negotiated under former President Barack Obama, but never ratified by Congress, so withdrawing from it will not have an immediate, real effect on US economic policies, although it does signal a new and very different US outlook on trade under Trump. Two other sources told CNN that other executive orders planned for Monday included reinstating the Mexico City abortion rules and instituting a five-year lobbying ban for anyone who works in administration. The executive order on TPP is expected to be the first Trump will issue Monday, a senior White House official said, and will amount to the administration's first major action on foreign policy. Trump's action comes as the President is looking to change the conversation after a rocky first weekend at the White House, during which, he and his officials feuded with the press and his presidency was greeted with massive protests in the nation's capital and in large cities across the US. The executive action will be just one part of the Trump administration's efforts to focus attention on its plans to radically reshape US trade policies, making good on a central premise of Trump's campaign and its economic nationalist underbelly. Trump on Monday will also meet with union leaders and blue-collar workers several hours after signing the executive order, as well as separate meetings with business leaders. As the Republican nominee, Trump railed against free trade agreements he argued were lopsided against the US and vowed to implement more protectionist trade policies as president, rallying voters to the polls with his "America First" slogan. Trump has also threatened to impose trade tariffs as a way to revive American manufacturing and compel US companies not to take their manufacturing operations abroad. Obama's administration worked with the 11 countries that became signatories for more than two years to formulate the massive free trade deal that was set to reshape commerce throughout the Pacific Rim, triggering movement among multinational companies in the region at the same time. Trump's election swiftly dealt a death knell -- one formalized on Monday -- to the deal, sending shockwaves in Asian capitals that had pinned their economic hopes on the deal. Trump's decision to withdraw the US from TPP is also a first step in the administration's efforts to amass a governing coalition to push the new President's agenda, one that includes the blue-collar workers who defected from Democrats and flocked to Trump's candidacy in November. The move could also put many Democrats -- particularly those who opposed the trade deal -- in a tricky position as they look to hold on to union support, a key constituency in their political coalition. Obama struggled to sell many Democrats on the trade deal, in particular because of concerns about how the trade deal would impact American manufacturers and the US workers in that industry. Even Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee who pushed the TPP deal as secretary of state, backed off her support for the deal during the campaign amid pressure from the left. Democrats with heavy union worker constituencies will either need to get on board with Trump's protectionist trade policies or risk losing reelection. Republican leaders, many of whom supported the TPP trade deal and free trade more broadly, will also be pressed to react Monday -- reactions that could show daylight between top Republicans on Capitol Hill and the White House on a top policy issue. Trump has said that he also plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, a free trade deal joining the US, Mexico and Canada.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Researchers have discovered geologic evidence that unusually large earthquakes and tsunamis from the Tokyo region
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Researchers have discovered geologic evidence that unusually large earthquakes and tsunamis from the Tokyo region -- located near tectonic plate boundaries that are recognized as a seismic hazard source -- may be traceable to a previously unconsidered plate boundary. The team, headed by Simon Fraser University Earth scientist Jessica Pilarczyk, has published its research today in Nature Geoscience. The team's ground-breaking discovery represents a new and unconsidered seismic risk for Japan with implications for countries lining the Pacific Rim, including Canada. Pilarczyk points to low-lying areas like Delta, Richmond and Port Alberni as potentially vulnerable to tsunamis originating from this region. In 2011, eastern Japan was hit with a massive magnitude 9 quake -- creating the largest rupture area of any earthquake originating from the Japan Trench. It triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and a tsunami that travelled thousands of miles away -- impacting the shores of British Columbia, California, Oregon, Hawaii and Chile. For the past decade, Pilarczyk and an international team of collaborators have been working with the Geological Survey of Japan to study Japan's unique geologic history. Together, they uncovered and analyzed sandy deposits from the Boso Peninsula region (50 km east of Tokyo) that they attribute to an unusually large tsunami that occurred about 1,000 years ago. Until now, scientists did not have historical records to ascertain if a portion of the Philippine Sea/Pacific plate boundary near the Boso Peninsula was capable of generating large tsunamis similar in size as the Tohoku event in 2011. Using a combination of radiocarbon dating, geologic and historical records, and paleoecology, the team used 13 hypothetical and historical models to assess each of the three plate boundaries, including the Continental/Philippine Sea plate boundary (Sagami Trough), the Continental/Pacific plate boundary (Japan Trench) and the Philippine Sea/Pacific plate boundary (Izu-Bonin Trench) as sources of the 1,000-year-old earthquake. Pilarczyk reports that the modeled scenarios suggest that the source of the tsunami from 1,000 years ago originated from the offshore area off the Boso Peninsula -- the smallest of which (for example, possible earthquakes with the lowest minimum magnitude), are linked to the previously unconsidered Izu-Bonin Trench at the boundary of the Philippine Sea and Pacific plates. "Earthquake hazard assessments for the Tokyo region are complicated by the 'trench-trench triple junction', where the oceanic Philippine Sea Plate not only underthrusts a continental plate but is also being subducted by the Pacific Plate," says Pilarczyk, an assistant professor of Earth sciences at SFU who holds a Canada Research Chair in Natural Hazards. "Great thrust earthquakes and associated tsunamis are historically recognized hazards from the Continental/Philippine Sea (Sagami Trough) and Continental/Pacific (Japan Trench) plate boundaries but not from the Philippine Sea/Pacific boundary alone." Pilarczyk hopes that these findings will be used to produce better informed seismic hazard maps for Japan. She also says that this information could be used by far-field locations, including Canada, to inform building practices and emergency management strategies that would help mitigate the destructive consequences of an earthquake similar to the one of 1,000 years ago.
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Tsunamis
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South Korea signs Artemis Accords, aims for moon by 2030
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Republic of Korea Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hyesook signs the Artemis Accords during a ceremony in Seoul on May 24, 2021. South Korea has joined NASA's moon-exploration coalition. South Korea became the 10th country to sign the Artemis Accords , a set of principles laying out the responsible exploration of the moon, on May 24 during a ceremony in Seoul. The Accords take their name from NASA's Artemis program , which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the moon by the end of the 2020s. "I am thrilled the Republic of Korea has committed to the Artemis Accords. Their signature demonstrates the strong momentum worldwide in supporting our moon-to-Mars exploration approach," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement . An orbital trajectory plan for South Korea's Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter mission launching in 2022. (Image credit: Korea Aerospace Research Institute) The United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates had all earlier signed the Accords, while South Korea became the first country to sign up during the administration of President Joe Biden. South Korea's interest in the moon has grown greatly in recent months, with South Korean president Moon Jae-in declaring in March that the East Asian nation aims to send its own lander to the moon by 2030. Under the plans, the Republic of Korea, the official name for South Korea, would use a domestically developed rocket to launch the robotic lunar lander, SpaceNews reported . "We will actively push for challenging space exploration projects that build on the foundation achieved by developing a Korean launch vehicle," Moon said. "By 2030, we will achieve our dream of landing on the moon by using our own launch vehicle. The technological prowess, experience and confidence that will be gained from exploring the moon, the first step in space exploration, will provide a solid foundation for space development." President Moon also announced the beginning of a feasibility study for a mission to study the near-Earth asteroid Apophis . The first stage of the new Korea Space Launch Vehicle Nuri undergoes a test fire in this image released by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in March 2021. (Image credit: Korea Aerospace Research Institute) Few details regarding the lunar landing mission are currently available, and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) did not respond to a request for comment. The country is, however, working on a three-stage liquid rocket known as the Korea Space Launch Vehicle, or Nuri. A first flight is currently planned for October this year . KARI is developing the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in August 2022 as part of the country's lunar exploration plans. KPLO will carry a 15-foot (5 meters) resolution camera, a wide-field polarized camera, a magnetic field sensor, a gamma ray sensor and space internet test payload, all developed by South Korea. A sixth payload, ShadowCam, will be provided by NASA to observe reflectance from permanently shadowed regions to map possible water ice deposits.
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New achievements in aerospace
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1969 Aswan Ilyushin Il-18 crash
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On 20 March 1969, a United Arab Airlines Ilyushin Il-18 crashed while attempting to land at Aswan Airport. 100 of the 105 passengers and crew on board were killed in the crash. The flight was a non-scheduled international passenger service from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Aswan, Egypt. The aircraft was carrying home Muslim worshippers who had won a pilgrimage through a lottery. [1] It was dark in the early morning when the flight attempted to land and blowing sand had reduced visibility to 2–3 kilometers. After two unsuccessful attempts to land, the aircraft was making a third try when it banked to the right and hit the left side of the runway. The starboard wing tore off and a fuel spillage followed which caused the crashed aircraft to burst into flames. [2]
The probable cause was determined to be that the "Pilot descended below the minimum safe altitude without having the runway lights clearly in sight. A contributory factor was fatigue arising from continuous working hours without suitable rest periods.
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Air crash
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Lady A's Charles Kelley hospitalized for appendicitis, group cancels first concert of tour
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Country trio Lady A was planning to play their first concert in 16 months over the weekend, but as the group's Charles Kelley puts it, "the ol’ appendix had other plans." Kelley was hospitalized for appendicitis last week, forcing Lady A to cancel its Saturday appearance at Lakefront Music Fest in Minnesota. "The minute he is cleared by his doctors, we will be back on the road to see y'all," bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood said in a note to their fans. On Sunday, Kelley checked in via social media from the hospital, saying he was "so bummed to have missed performing our first show back in Minnesota, not to mention in 16 months — that’s an understatement." A post shared by Charles Kelley (@charleskelley) "(I) didn't even know what an appendix was until Friday when it sent me to the ER. Love y’all and be back soon enough." Last month, Lady A released the new album "What a Song Can Do (Chapter One)," and their 2021 tour is set to continue with two nights at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 16-17. "What a Song Can Do (Chapter One)" is also the first album the group has released since shortening their name from Lady Antebellum last year. That move led to an ongoing dispute with Seattle blues singer Anita White, who has been performing as "Lady A" since the 1990s.
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Organization Closed
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Aeroflot Flight 109 crash
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Aeroflot Flight 109 (Russian: Рейс 109 Аэрофлота Reys 109 Aeroflota) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Moscow to Chita with stopovers in Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, and Irkutsk. On the final leg of the route on 18 May 1973 a terrorist hijacked the aircraft, demanding to be flown to China; the terrorist's bomb detonated in flight after he was shot by the air marshal. The aircraft involved in the accident was a Tupolev Tu-104A registered CCCP-42379 to Aeroflot. The cabin layout originally had enough seats for 70 passengers, but the seating configuration was changed to accommodate 85 passengers. The Tupolev Tu-104 took its first flight on May 17, 1958. At the time of the accident the aircraft sustained 19,329 flight hours and 8,841 pressurization cycles. [1]
72 passengers were aboard the flight, including four children. Nine crew members were aboard the flight. The cockpit crew consisted of:[1]
The flight carried out the Moscow-Irkutsk part of the route without incident. On 18 May at 03:02 Moscow time the flight departed from Irkutsk Airport, proceeding en route to Chita at an altitude of 9,000 metres. At 03:22 flight 109 entered the zone of Chita air traffic control, and at 03:32 the air traffic controller permitted the flight to descend to 3900 meters. Shortly thereafter at 03:36 the flight radio transmitted an indication of danger three times; the crew then informed air traffic control that a passenger in the cabin insisted the flight change course. The controller confirmed receipt of the information. At 03:36:30 the crew reported they would maintain a holding pattern at 6,500 meters; at 03:36:45 the dispatcher asked the crew for their current altitude, to which they reported they would be increasing to 6,600 meters. [2]
At 03:38 a coded transmission indicating the flight was in danger was sent, but was interrupted after the ninth dash. When the onboard security officer Vladimir Yezhikov shot the hijacker the bomb detonated. [3] The dispatcher informed the flight of their location relative to the airport, but the flight did not respond; the spot on the radar screen where the flight was appeared like a blur before it disappeared from the radar completely. [2]
At 4:55, the crew of a Mi-8 helicopter discovered the remains of the aircraft 97 km directly west of Chita Airport, stretching across land area over 10 kilometers wide. None of the 81 people aboard the aircraft survived. [2]
Five eyewitnesses reported seeing and hearing an explosion in the air at between 09:35 and 09:45 local time (03:35 to 03:45 Moscow time); according to the commission responsible for the investigation, the aircraft broke up mid-air into several sections consistent with a sharp sudden change in pressure. [2]
Forensic investigation revealed that the explosion was caused by passenger Chingis Yunusogly Rzayev, born in Irkutsk in 1941. [4] When he tried to infiltrate the cockpit the policeman Vladimir Yezhikov shot him in the back; the bullet hit the area of the 8th intercostal space before it penetrated the heart. As Rzayev lay dying he managed to activate the bomb he had with him, consisting of 5.5-6 kilograms of TNT. [2]
The final report stated "The cause of the airplane crash, which broke apart in mid-air killing all passengers and crew, was the explosion of a bomb by a terrorist who tried to force the crew to change the course of the aircraft. "[2]
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Air crash
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Yemen: An Additional One Million Children at Risk of Famine as Food and Fuel Prices Soar
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10-month-old Amara* is receiving treatment for severe acute malnutrition at a Save the Children-supported health facility in Yemen. Photo credit: Claire Nicoll/Save the Children FAIRFIELD, Conn. (Sept. 18, 2018) – An additional one million severely food insecure children in Yemen risk falling into famine as families struggle to afford basic food and transport to health facilities for treatment. This brings the total number of children in Yemen at risk of famine to 5.2 million. Already, more than two-thirds (64.5 percent) of Yemen’s population don’t know where their next meal is coming from. As Hodeidah experiences renewed fighting there is a real risk its port – a vital lifeline for goods and aid for 80 percent of Yemen’s population – could be damaged or temporarily closed, reducing the supply of available of food and fuel as well as driving up prices even further. This would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in immediate danger while pushing millions more into famine. The United Nations has warned that failure to keep food, fuel and aid flowing into Yemen, particularly through Hodeidah, could result in one of the worst hunger crises in living history. A depreciating currency and collapsing economy are pushing communities to the brink of starvation. Food prices are up by an average of 68 percent since 2015. The Yemeni Rial (YER) has depreciated nearly 180 percent in the same period. It now costs 600 YER to buy one US dollar, up from 215 YER when the conflict escalated more than three years ago. The price of fuel has increased by 25 percent between November last year and September 2018. The price of food has doubled in some parts of the country in just a matter of days. Though there are food supplies in the marketplace for now, families are unable to afford even the most basic items like bread, milk or eggs, making an already precarious situation even worse. Save the Children staff have heard that some households are being forced to make impossible choices like deciding to take a malnourished baby to hospital at the expense of feeding the rest of the family. “I’ve noticed people’s deteriorating financial situation as it’s very common that parents don’t bring their children to health facilities to get treatment, simply because they can’t afford the transport costs,” Dr. Ali*, Save the Children’s Nutrition Adviser in Amran, said. “People haven’t received salaries for years and they don’t have another source of income, so they simply don’t have the money to get their children to hospital.” A recent UN survey of 2,098 respondents across Yemen confirms the extent of the problem. An alarming 98 percent of households said food was their primary expenditure. Equally alarming, 93 percent named high commodity prices as their primary challenge, including food and fuel, while 72 percent of households said they’re cutting down on food consumption to cope with a lack of income. Nutrition surveys conducted during the first half of 2018 confirm alarming rates of malnutrition. In Hodeidah for example, home to Yemen’s largest commercial port and the primary gateway for food and fuel to the rest of the country, one in every twenty children under five years is suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Half of all children in Yemen are stunted. “Severely malnourished children are 12 times more likely to die from preventable diseases like pneumonia, measles, cholera or diphtheria,” Carolyn Miles, President & CEO of Save the Children said. “Children who are stunted suffer physical and often irreversible long-term cognitive damage. It is essential that children get the food they need to survive and thrive. “What happens in Hodeidah has a direct impact on children and families across Yemen. Even the smallest disruption to food, fuel and aid supplies through its vital port could mean death for hundreds of thousands of malnourished children unable to get the food they need to stay alive. It could drive up the price of fuel – and as a result transport – to such an extent that families can’t even afford to take their sick children to hospital.” The brutal conflict in Yemen means communities across the country face huge barriers that prevent them from seeking care for their sick and undernourished children, including financial obstacles. The root causes of chronic and acute malnutrition and the factors leading to it are complex. But the current conflict creates conditions where malnutrition can take hold, exacerbated by poverty, lack of access to aid and low socioeconomic status. Women and girls and boys suffer disproportionately. “This war risks killing an entire generation of Yemen’s children who face multiple threats, from bombs to hunger to preventable diseases like cholera,” Miles added. All parties must agree a political solution to this conflict and give children hope of a brighter future. Let the immense suffering of children in Yemen end.”
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Famine
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Police release security footage of bank robbery
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Police have released security vision of two men who held up and robbed a bank inside Karrinyup Shopping Centre. Two men entered the bank at 4:30 pm last Wednesday armed with a handgun and a knife, threatened two female workers and demanded cash. Detective Senior Constable Troy Kendall says it was well-planned, but they have not linked it to four robberies on Home Building Societies around Perth since October. He has called for witnesses to contact police. "We're looking for two caucasian males, aged between 30 to 40 both short in stature, one of the males was dark haired, clean shaven and of slight build the other was of stocky build, he had a distinctive blonde pony tail,' he said.
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Bank Robbery
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East Stroudsburg man found dead of suspected CO poisoning
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An East Stroudsburg man died in his home from what authorities suspect to be carbon monoxide poisoning on Wednesday.
Pennsylvania State Police, along with Bushkill EMS, Surburban EMS and the Marshalls Creek Volunteer Fire Company were called to a home in Middle Smithfield Township at 10:54 p.m. on July 7 for a report of an unresponsive 21-year-old male.
Stay safe: How to run your generator safely during a power outage
First responders found what was reported to be "a deadly level of carbon monoxide" at the scene upon arrival, along with noxious fumes. The victim, whose name is being withheld until next of kin is contacted, was found deceased in a bedroom area.
A gas generator, which was in the on position and appeared to have been run until it was out of fuel, was found inside the residence. Authorities stated the generator appeared to have been utilized due to power outages related to storms in the region, which left thousands of PPL an Met-Ed customers in Monroe County without electricity.
The Monroe County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office was notified.
Coroner Tom Yanac stated that the cause of death appears to be carbon monoxide poisoning, though this cannot be confirmed until the autopsy which is scheduled for Saturday.
Trooper Justin M. Leri with the Criminal Investigation Unit is conducting the investigation.
According to the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, while a generator may be necessary in times of extended power outages, incorrect usage can lead electrocution, fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Related: Thunderstorms knock out power in Monroe, Northampton, Pike and Wayne counties
Generators should only be used in an emergency situation, and not as a primary source of power. The devices need to be placed outdoors, far away from any structures, and at least 15 feet away from open windows to prevent exhaust from getting into the structure.
“Running a generator inside any enclosed or partially enclosed structure can lead to dangerous and often fatal levels of carbon monoxide,” the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response states.
West End Fire Company Chief Eric Hoffman noted an incident from 2008 in which a generator was run in the basement garage of a Middle Smithfield home. Despite the garage door being open, the room filled with carbon monoxide, leading to the deaths of four young men who had been cleaning the vacant home.
“You want to make sure you’re running it away from the structure, away from any vents, dryer vents, open windows things like that,” Hoffman said.
Signs of carbon monoxide, which is an odorless, tasteless gas, include dizziness, sickness or weakness, nausea, confusion, blurred vision and loss of consciousness. In the event of possible exposure to carbon monoxide, get fresh air, and if severe symptoms occur, seek medical help immediately.
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Mass Poisoning
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4 dead, 141 treated in hospitals for carbon monoxide poisoning since Ida, Health Department says
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A generator in Pine Grove, La. that was used to help power a home after Hurricane Ida knocked out power. (Photo by Morgan Werther, The Advocate)
The Louisiana Department of Health reports four people have died of carbon monoxide poisoning and 141 people have been treated for inhalation of the deadly, odorless gas since Hurricane Ida.
When the storm left nearly 600,000 people without power, many looked to the portable generator — a tried and true way to get at least some power their homes. It's unclear how many of the carbon monoxide poisoning incidents are directly related to generator use, but there was a major spike in cases after the storm.
Generators powered by gasoline, diesel fuel or natural gas all emit a colorless, odorless gas can be lethal in enclosed spaces. It's a kind of poisoning that can take anyone by surprise.
"The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as 'flu-like.' If you breathe in a lot of CO it can make you pass out or kill you. People who are sleeping or drunk can die from CO poisoning before they have symptoms.
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Mass Poisoning
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Cloquet fire
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The Cloquet fire was an immense forest fire in northern Minnesota, United States in October 1918, caused by sparks on the local railroads and dry conditions. The fire left much of western Carlton County devastated, mostly affecting Moose Lake, Cloquet, and Kettle River. Cloquet was hit the hardest by the fires. It was the worst natural disaster in Minnesota history in terms of the number of casualties in a single day. In total, 453 people died[1] and 52,000 people were injured or displaced, 38 communities were destroyed, 250,000 acres (100,000 ha) were burned, and $73 million ($1.256 billion in 2021 United States dollars) in property damage was suffered. Thirteen million dollars in federal aid were disbursed. Carlton County was known for its logging industry during the early 20th century. Similar to other forest fires, the disaster took place over dry, harvested land which was vulnerable to potential fire destruction. The main workforce employing the majority of the area was the logging industry. The railroad, which came to the area in 1870, was a great boost for the logging industry. In 1874, a large lumber mill was built alongside the lake shore. The mill along the river gathered and floated logs down river, where they would be assembled and sawed for retail. When the logging industry was at its peak, one could walk across the lake due to the amount of logs covering the lake area. With a new century approaching, open lands in Carlton County were overrun by farmers purchasing land from the mill. The mill's incentives for sales to farmers were the government grants on the land. With more farmers coming over, the population and activity in Carlton County grew substantially. Stores, lawyers and livestock businesses were established and the economy flourished. On October 10, 1918, two men working near a railroad siding northwest of Cloquet saw a passenger train pass by the siding, and soon thereafter discovered a fire burning through grass and piles of wood. The fire could not be contained, and by October 12, fires had spread through northern Minnesota. [2]
What is often called simply the Cloquet Fire was really a host of fires, fifty or more, that combined in a single event. It had two major theaters, one called the Cloquet–Duluth Fire and the other the Moose Lake Fire ... The Cloquet–Duluth Fire began before noon on October 10 when a Great Northern locomotive set a small fire at Milepost 62 northwest of Cloquet. It smoldered for two days, then came alive when a cold front brought stiff winds and a steep drop in humidity ... At about 1:30 p.m. this fire began to move and join with others... It reached the Fond du Lac Ojibwe reservation around 7:15 and the city of Cloquet around 8:00. Winds had by then risen to sixty miles per hour... The Moose Lake fire — at least five fires combined — had begun October 4 along railroad tracks near Tamarack in Aitkin County, then lain low until the winds and humidity drop of October 12 whipped it into motion at about 1:00 p.m. that day ... It drove southeast toward the towns of Kettle River and Moose Lake, combining with other fires along the way ... As the blaze neared Moose Lake around 7:30, relief trains rescued a few hundred. Most who survived, however, did so by taking refuge in Moose Head Lake. [3]
When asked about the scene at Cloquet after the fact, Albert Michaud, a special Police Officer in Cloquet was quoted by The New York Times:
At 6 o'clock last night, a forest ranger gave warning that unless the wind died down the townspeople would have to flee ... The scene at the station was indescribable. There came a rush of wind and the entire town was in flames. The trains pulled out with the fires blazing closely behind them. Women wept and clung to their children, while others cried frantically for their missing ones. The flames licked at the cars. Windows in the coaches were broken by the heat. The engineers and firemen alternately stoked, to give the boilers all the fuel they could stand. Early reports of the fire circulated rumors that the fires were intentionally started by "enemy agents", but Cloquet fire Chief F. J. Longren later confirmed that such rumors were false. One cause of the fire is believed to be from sparks from the railroad tracks that lit the dry timber, but the rapid progression of the fire through northern Minnesota was caused by factors such as drought conditions, high winds, and a lack of firefighting equipment. [2]
Many instances of mass deaths were reported. For example, in Moose Lake, an Associated Press Correspondent reported seeing seventy-five bodies piled in a burned building. On a road leading out of Moose Lake, "100 bodies were strewn here and there", according to The New York Times. A relief worker reported that there were thirty bodies piled in a heap in a cellar between Moose Lake and Kettle River. Among other structures, the Duluth Country Club and the Children's Home were both a complete loss. Within Carlton and southern Saint Louis counties the towns of Brookston, Arnold, and Moose Lake were completely destroyed. [4] Cloquet and its surrounding cities were known for the great deforestation caused by the fire. The fires left thousands of people homeless. Approximately 4,700 residents of Cloquet sought refuge in Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. In total, close to 12,000 people were left homeless from neighboring towns. The victims of the inferno were sheltered temporarily in such buildings as hospitals, schools, churches, armories, and private homes. Doctors were brought in from surrounding areas to help the thousands of injured people.
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Fire
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NASA and Northrop Grumman will build an orbiting space station that will circle the moon and facilitate lunar missions.
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NASA and Northrop Grumman have finalized a $935 million contract for the company to build an orbiting space station that will circle the moon and facilitate lunar missions. The Habitation and Logistics Outpost for Gateway, or HALO orbiter, is part of NASA’s Artemis program to further human exploration of space. HALO will attach and integrate with the Power and Propulsion Element being built by Maxar Technologies under a separate $375 million contract. The orbiter also have to be compatible with SpaceX’s $2.9 billion human lunar lander craft. That contract is currently under protest. Both HALO and PPE will be delivered to their moon orbit by the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. NASA is targeting November 2024 for a launch. “NASA is building the infrastructure to expand human exploration further into the solar system than ever before,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The space agency describes HALO as a “near-rectilinear halo orbit," which means that it is wide-flat orbit with two sides being nearly straight. HALO will be tens of thousands of miles from the surface of the moon at its furthest, and then close to the moon to launch lunar landers. The orbit will allow HALO to conduct deep space science as well as conduct lunar exploration, NASA said. HALO will have three docking ports and will host international habitat being built by the space agencies of Japan and Europe. HALO also will have a refueling module.
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New achievements in aerospace
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Gold Coast airport chemical find raises fears for fish
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A residents' group is worried toxic fire-fighting chemicals found at the Gold Coast airport will affect fish in nearby waterways.
A report by Airport Airservices Australia yesterday revealed per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were found in high levels at the Coolangatta airport's fire-training grounds.
The testing of soil, ground water and surface water also showed the chemicals in low levels, deemed safe, on the airport's boundary.
The Cobaki Broadwater, which borders the airport, was given the all clear.
The same chemicals have caused health issues at Oakey, west of Brisbane, where they contaminated drinking water after being used at the town's air force base.
Residents' group Tugun Cobakai Alliance spokeswoman Lindy Smith is concerned for fish which inhabit the Cobakai Broadwater.
"It is bioaccumulative and we know fish species particular of the higher order have significantly high levels," she said.
Considering the airport is near the Queensland and New South Wales border, Airservices, a federal body which oversees airports nationally, is working with health agencies in both states to "better understand the results".
"While the testing results on the airport boundary indicate potentially low risk, Airservices is working with relevant agencies to determine appropriate next steps which may include the option of further testing to confirm this," a spokesperson said.
Airservices stopped using foam containing PFAS at the Gold Coast airport in 2010.
The results come after a 2008 report by them first warned of the chemicals and possible health and environmental consequences.
Despite the report being handed down eight years ago, it was only made public this year at which point Airservices promised an update.
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Environment Pollution
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Geomagnetic storm WARNING: Solar flare may directly hit Earth today, can disrupt power grids
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US agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a geomagnetic storm alert with a solar flare due to directly hit Earth today on October 11, 2021. As per NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC), the resultant geomagnetic storm will disrupt power grids in higher latitude regions where the exposure will be more. A solar flare is what scientists call a coronal mass ejection (CME). A CME was observed from the side of the sun that directly faces Earth on Saturday, October 9, 2021. The massive solar flare directly in Earth’s direction is due to hit the atmosphere today, with warnings of electricity grid fluctuations as well as the visibility of auroras up till New York. The solar flare hitting Earth directly may impact satellites in the low-Earth orbit, required ground control to redirect their orientations. As per SWPC, it will be a G2 category storm which is a moderate level geomagnetic storm. The storm is expected to arrive mid-day as per US time, which means later tonight for India. The effects of the geomagnetic storm are expected to be observed on October 12 as well. Nevertheless, astronomers are not expecting any major disruption from the solar flare induced geomagnetic storm event. As per astronomers, solar activity is on the rise. Last year, a newly discovered family of sunspots ejected the most massive solar flare observed since 2017.
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New wonders in nature
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Up to 900,000 in Ethiopia’s Tigray face famine, US says
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United States estimates that up to 900,000 people in Ethiopia’s Tigray region now face famine conditions amid a deadly conflict, even as the prime minister says there is “no hunger” there. The hunger crisis in Tigray is the world’s worst in a decade, and the new famine findings are “terrifying,” the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, said Friday, adding that millions more people are at risk. The new estimate more than doubles the warning issued earlier this month by the United Nations and aid groups that more than 350,000 people face famine conditions in Tigray. Even as scattered reports emerge of people starving to death, the real number of people facing famine conditions is unknown because active fighting and access restrictions keep aid workers from reaching all parts of the region of 6 million people. “Conditions will worsen in the coming months, particularly as Tigray enters the July-to-September lean season, unless humanitarian assistance reaches the populations most in need,” the new USAID analysis says. This is forced starvation, Tigray residents and some observers have said. Witnesses have described being blocked by Ethiopian soldiers, backed by soldiers from neighboring Eritrea, from planting their fields or having their crops looted or burned since the conflict erupted in November. Ethiopia’s government says it has delivered food aid to millions of people in Tigray even as its troops pursue the region’s former leaders after political tensions exploded into war. But Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2019, in an interview aired this week with a state-affiliated network expressed concern that outside aid to Tigray might end up supporting the Tigray fighters, recalling a similar situation during Ethiopia’s devastating famine in the 1980s. Such a situation can’t happen again, he said. “There is no hunger in Tigray,” the prime minister told the BBC this week. “This is false,” Power’s tweet said Friday. The new famine warning adds to pressure on Ethiopia’s government for a cease-fire, especially after an Ethiopian military airstrike this week on a busy market in Tigray killed at least 64 people and the aid group Doctors Without Borders on Friday said three staffers had been murdered in the region.
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Famine
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2015 Ballabhgarh riot
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2015 Ballabhgarh riot refers to the attacks on 400 Muslim villagers of Atali village, Ballabhgarh, Haryana, India by a Hindu mob. [1][2][3]
The incident took place May 25, 2015 in the village of Atali in Ballabgarh, Faridabad. According to the locals, the cause of the confrontation was a dispute over a 30-year-old mosque. In 2009 the Hindus of the village claimed that it was the property of the village Panchayat. The Muslims said the land belonged to the Waqf board. In March 2015, the Faridabad court ruled in favour of the Muslim community. The Hindus however, continued to raise objections, with some advocating the demolition of the mosque because it stood adjacent to a temple. [1][4]
A mass of 2000 people attacked the village using swords, bricks, and fire as weapons of choice. [4] The mosque was torched and the Muslims of the village fled. Muslims believe that they were selectively targeted, citing instances such as the only shop burned in a vendor's market belonged to Muslim merchants and only the homes of Muslims were looted. An estimated 400 Muslims were displaced from their homes, many of them slept in the police station in the neighboring village of Ballabgarh. The following day, Muslims began to protest at the Ballabgarh police station because no one had been arrested in relation to the crimes. One month later, still no charges have been brought upon those who committed the attacks. [5][6]
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Riot
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CAAC Flight 301 crash
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China Southern Airlines Flight 301, a Hawker Siddeley Trident operated by China Southern Airlines from Guangzhou Baiyun to Hong Kong Kai Tak, ran off the runway in Hong Kong on 31 August 1988 after clipping approach lights. This was the first accident of China Southern Airlines since the split of CAAC Airlines from 1 July 1988. Six crew members and one passenger perished in the accident. The crash shut down Kai Tak Airport for more than six hours after the accident. [1]
The aircraft involved was a British built Hawker Siddeley Trident 2E, powered by three Rolls-Royce Spey 512-5W, The first flight was in 1973, Total air frame hours were 14,332, C/n /msn 2159. Registration was B-2218. [2]
While on final approach to Kai Tak Airport, in rain with 450 metres (1,480 ft) visibility, the right wing of the Hawker Siddeley Trident operating the flight clipped approach lights of Runway 31 and the main landing gear tyres hit the runway promontory, causing the right main landing gear to be ripped from the wing. The aircraft then became airborne and impacted the runway 600 metres further on. The aircraft then veered off the runway to the right and diagonally crossed the grassed runway strip surrounding it. The nose and left main landing gear then collapsed and the aircraft slid over the parallel taxiway and into Kowloon Bay. [2]
The cockpit was cut off and the rest of the aircraft was intact. Attempts were made by drivers to get to the cockpit where the flight crew were stationed but were unsuccessful, the cockpit crew were injured by the impact but autopsies showed that the cause of death was from drowning. [3]
Of the 89 occupants of the aircraft, seven died and an additional 15 received injuries. Of the dead, six were crew members and one was a Hong Kong passenger who succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. The dead crew members were in the front of the aircraft. Three crew members, all Chinese, received injuries and survived. Of the 12 American passengers, two received injuries. Seven Hong Kong passengers, two Taiwanese passengers, and one Frenchman received injuries. One injured passenger was a Chinese-American. [1]
The report noted "From the limited evidence available it was not possible to positively determine the cause of the accident. The report concludes that the final approach became unstable, and that windshear may have been a contributory factor. The final deviation below the normal approach path was probably due to a sudden reduction and distortion of the visual reference caused by heavy rain. "[4]
Coordinates: 22°19′43″N 114°11′40″E / 22.3287°N 114.1944°E / 22.3287; 114.1944
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Air crash
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Proposal to hand over NDMC-run hospitals to Centre referred back: Official
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A proposal to hand over six hospitals run by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation to the Centre was on Wednesday "referred back" to the executive wing of the civic body by its standing committee, officials said. During the proceedings of the NDMC panel, a proposal to bring a policy of licence for pet shops was also referred back, they said. The NDMC-run hospitals are Hindu Rao Hospital and medical college, Rajen Babu TB Hospital, Maharashi Valmiki Infections Disease Hospital, Mrs Girdhari Lal Maternity Hospital, Kasturba Hospital and Ram Balak Child Hospital. The proposal had come from the executive wing of the civic body, and in the wake of the recent strong observations by the Delhi High Court in connection with several employees appealing to the NDMC to release their due salaries. The cash-strapped NDMC has been reeling under a financial crisis for the last several years. "Both the proposals, handing over of the six hospitals, and the licence policy for pet shops, were referred back to the executive wing by the Standing Commitee of the NDMC," the panel's head Jogi Ram Jain said. Sources said the two proposals can be brought again after revision of the modalities. A proposal to develop an area near the Dangal Maidan in old Delhi as a residential-cum-commercial property was "postponed" by the NDMC panel, Jain said. However, the standing committee approved a proposal to revise the norms for registration of rickshaws used for commercial purposes and not for ferrying riders. "The registration of such rickshaws used for commercial purposes are valid for three years. The proposal revised the period to five years, with a nominal fee of ₹50 per year, for their ease," Jain said. The proposal will now await approval of the NDMC House. At present, no licence is required for running pet shops. But, as per the proposal, every per shop owner will have to own a licence first and display it prominently in their shops. Also, a certificate of valid registration from Delhi Animal Welfare Board shall be a prerequisite for grant of new pet shop licence, and subsequent annual renewal, as per the proposal. The issue of waterlogging in several areas of the city due to heavy showers in the past few days, also became a topic of heated discussion during the panel's meet on Tuesday. Members of the BJP-led NDMC sought to blame the AAP-ruled Delhi government for the civic woes, alleging big drains under the jurisdiction of the PWD were not cleaned properly leading to waterlogging, a charge rejected by AAP members, who blamed the civic body's inefficiency as the factor behind it.
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Financial Crisis
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1927 World Figure Skating Championships
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The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. Men's competitions took place from February 5th to 6th in Davos, Switzerland. Ladies' competitions took place from February 19th to 20th in Oslo, Norway. Pairs' competitions took place from February 22nd to 23rd in Vienna, Austria. Judges:
Szabo retired after she was defeated by Sonja Henie of Norway. This result was controversial because the judging panel consisted of three Norwegians, a German, and an Austrian. The three Norwegian judges placed Henie first, while the German and Austrian judges placed Szabo first. [1][2]
Judges:
Judges:
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Sports Competition
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Church in Australia selling bleach as a coronavirus treatment fined $151,200
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A Victorian man who flew from Brisbane to Hobart on flight VA702 today has tested positive to COVID-19 and has not been allowed to board a flight to Melbourne
A Watch & Act warning is in place for a fire in the northern parts of Mokine, in WA's Northam Shire. Keep up to date with ABC Emergency
The Australian chapter of an international church selling and promoting bleach as a cure for COVID-19 has been issued infringement notices totalling $151,200.
The Genesis II Church of Health and Healing has been claiming chlorine dioxide is a "miracle cure".
For years it has sold the industrial bleach as Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), stating it can cure things like autism, acne, cancer, diabetes and now COVID-19.
MMS is not approved for human consumption in Australia.
It is being sold as "water purification drops" on the website of the Australian chapter of the church, MMS Australia.
Following an investigation by 7.30 last week, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Wednesday announced it had issued 12 infringement notices totalling $151,200 to MMS Australia for alleged unlawful advertising of Miracle Mineral Solution and other medicines. Breaking down the latest news and research to understand how the world is living through an epidemic, this is the ABC's Coronacast podcast.
A TGA spokesperson told 7.30 it was concerned about the harmful effects that could be caused by the ingestion of MMS.
It has posted an updated safety advisory to warn the public about claims made online about MMS.
"MMS Australia refers consumers who visit its website to a 'Testimonials' page, which includes representations that MMS is capable of treating, among other things, COVID-19," the spokesperson said.
"The TGA considered both the claims found directly on the website along with content found through links, including videos and testimonials in its assessment."
Associate Professor Ken Harvey, an expert in public health from Monash University, has been lobbying the TGA to ban the sale of MMS in Australia for the past 10 years.
"It is dangerous," Associate Professor Harvey told 7.30.
"Deaths have occurred, serious admissions to hospital from this particular substance."
Associate Professor Harvey said while it was good to see the TGA crack down on MMS Australia, the infringement notices did not go far enough.
"Their website [MMS Australia] is still promoting and selling these products albeit with a disclaimer that these products are 'church sacraments' and not therapeutic goods," he said.
Since last week's 7.30 story, the MMS Australia website has been updated to include a series of disclaimers and customer notices, including this one:
"Due to the current media lies that our site promotes the drinking of dangerous industrial bleach, and the attendant, if ignorant and reprehensible, harassment and attacks on our church, we are largely unable to take phone calls any more."
A TGA spokesperson told 7.30 that a cease and desist letter had also been sent to MMS Australia requiring it to immediately cease advertising the product.
"If the advertising does not cease [by close of business on Thursday, May 14], the TGA will seek an injunction in the Federal Court of Australia."
7.30 contacted MMS Australia for comment about the $151,200 fine.
The website is run by Charles Barton, who describes himself in emails to customers as a bishop of the Genesis II Church.
In an email to 7.30, Mr Barton said, "We have no comment, except to point out that this is a shocking and egregious attack on freedom of expression and freedom of religion in Australia.
"The very constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia is being trashed and thrown out the window, no less."
Mr Barton did not respond to questions about whether MMS Australia would accept and pay the fine.
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Organization Fine
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State Police investigate officer-involved shooting
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New Mexico State Police have launched an investigation after a Roswell police officer allegedly fired a gun during Monday night’s standoff with an escaped prisoner.
According to a press release issued by State Police Monday, the State Police Investigations Bureau is conducting the investigation.
The officer under investigation fired his weapon when members of the Roswell Police Department SWAT team entered a 2200 block of Portales Road residence following a lengthy standoff with 37-year-old Daniel Cobos. When officers entered, Cobos was allegedly armed with a knife and an airsoft rifle and refused to comply with commands from police.
“Cobos pointed the rifle at officers. Two RPD officers discharged their department-issued tasers at Cobos. A third RPD officer discharged his department-issued firearm. Cobos was not struck by gunfire, ” the release states.
No officers were injured and Cobos was taken into custody without further incident. According to the release, the name of the officer will not be disclosed until after interviews in the investigation have been completed.
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Subscribe to the Roswell Daily Record today.
When asked for comment Wednesday about the shooting, Todd Wildermuth, RPD public information officer, said in keeping with Department protocol on officer-involved shootings, the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation is underway.
The incident followed a six-and-a-half-hour standoff between Cobos and police at a residence north of Roswell city limits Monday.
Chaves County deputies, who along with the RPD and State Police took part in the standoff, had been conducting surveillance on the Portales Road residence Monday night as part of a multi-agency manhunt for Cobos, who had escaped from the Chaves County Detention Center the night before.
Undersheriff Charles Yslas said deputies were following up on tips in the area Monday afternoon when they noticed a vehicle at the Portales Road house that matched the description of one associated with Cobos. The residents of the house had previous ties to Cobos.
When deputies were unsuccessful in their attempts to contact the residents, they called out for all those inside to exit. Yslas confirmed two people who lived at the house came out, but Cobos remained inside.
After stepping out of the house twice — including once on the roof — Cobos retreated inside the house, where he remained. SWAT team members later deployed gas canisters and entered the residence.
Cobos now faces one count of escape from jail.
Electronic court records state the Office of the District Attorney for New Mexico’s 5th Judicial District has filed a motion to keep Cobos held without bond pending trial. A pretrial detention and preliminary hearing for Cobos is set for Oct. 8.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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2000 India–Bangladesh floods
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2000 India–Bangladesh floods (Bengali: ২০০০ সালের ভারত-বাংলাদেশ বন্যা), also known as the flood of 2000 occurred in the districts of West Bengal, India and the India-Bangladesh border districts of Khulna Division in 2000. [1] In the sudden flood, people left their houses and took shelter in refuge camps. [2]
Heavy rains took place during the monsoon season of 2000. This resulted in excess water accumulated in the Farakka Barrage built on the Ganges. This led the barrage authority to open the lockgate barrage in late August. As a result, the submersible[clarification needed] water came running through the river Padma and the water entered the Jalangi river. This is why water was carried with water to reach the rivers of Nadia. After this, the Jangari dam broke down by flooding on Nadia. The flooding waters of running Ichamati River and flooding the North 24 Pargana district in West Bengal and Khulna Division in Bangladesh. Apart from this, water from Padma was flooded with many districts of Khulna division and two districts of Barisal division. The flooding was more dangerous due to sediments in the Ichamati River, Kobadak River, Bhoirab River, Rupsa River, Choita River and Jamuna River in this area. This flood lasted for about one month. People kept coming home and moved to the nearest safe place. The relief camp was opened for the poorly managed people. In India and Bangladesh, the number of such relief workers was more than thousands. Relief camps were opened at government institutions and schools to supply of food and drinking water to the flood affected people. Apart from the various volunteer organizations like Ramkrishna Mission and Math, various local clubs ran away with relief to the flood victims. [clarification needed]
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Floods
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Dr Lai Kah Weng recovered from Covid-19
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Dr Lai Kah Weng had been placed on home recovery from Sept 28 to Oct 8, 2021. SINGAPORE - A doctor whose account of his home recovery journey from Covid-19 went viral had failed to comply with the rostered routine testing that is mandatory for healthcare workers. Dr Lai Kah Weng, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Island Orthopaedic Consultants at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, had recovered at home from Sept 28 to Oct 8 after developing a runny nose and mild fever on Sept 27. His post on Facebook last Friday (Oct 8) was widely shared and The Straits Times also reported on it. Island Orthopaedic Consultants is under the Healthway Medical group, and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital is part of IHH Singapore's hospitals. A Healthway Medical spokesman said on Monday (Oct 11) that it takes a very serious view of the matter and has convened a board of inquiry to investigate it. After the story was published, three doctors contacted The Straits Times, saying that IHH Singapore has revoked Dr Lai's licence with the group due to his failure to comply with rostered routine testing (RRT) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for Covid-19. This means Dr Lai cannot admit his patients to any of IHH's hospitals and is not allowed access to its facilities for surgery, for example. A spokesman for IHH confirmed that the licence has been revoked at all four of its hospitals, but declined to give more details. Confirming that the allegations were true, Dr Lai told The Straits Times that he had not gone for his RRT due to an ear, nose and throat medical condition which makes the nasopharyngeal swabs needed for PCR very painful and causes his nose to bleed. He said he had gone for the first PCR swab when it was mandated for healthcare workers to do so. But he did not go for subsequent ones. RRT takes place every two weeks for healthcare workers. His failure to do so was discovered by the hospital after he tested positive for Covid-19 on Sept 28, Dr Lai added. "This is not an excuse for not doing the PCR test," he said. "What I should have done better was to inform the management about my condition so that they can put in place alternative Covid-19 test arrangements." He added that the fear and stigma of testing positive for Covid-19 contributed to his actions, and that this prompted him to speak about his home recovery journey on social media. More On This Topic askST: How to tell if you've been placed on the home recovery programme In the Facebook post, he had said that after developing symptoms on Sept 27, he isolated himself from his family and took an antigen rapid test (ART), which was negative. When the flu-like symptoms persisted, he stayed home, then went to a neighbourhood GP, where an ART was positive and a PCR test confirmed the infection. His asymptomatic daughter's pre-emptive PCR swab came back positive. He added in the post that he wanted to share his experience in the hope of destigmatising Covid-19 as a severe disease. Dr Lai, who is vaccinated, said that when rules changed and healthcare workers had to take a self-administered ART, which must be supervised by trained staff, he booked his ART test but had become infected with Covid-19 before he could get his done.
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Famous Person - Recovered
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British Airtours Flight 28M crash
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British Airtours Flight 28M[a] was an international passenger flight which caught fire before takeoff at Manchester Airport, England on 22 August 1985 with the loss of 55 lives. It was en route to Corfu International Airport in Greece. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-236 registered G-BGJL, previously named "Goldfinch", but at the time of the accident named "River Orrin", was flown by British Airtours, a wholly owned subsidiary of British Airways. It had 131 passengers and six crew on the manifest. During the takeoff roll a loud thump was heard and takeoff aborted. An engine failure had generated a fire and the captain ordered evacuation. [1](p102)There were 82 survivors; most of the deaths were due to smoke inhalation, not burns. [2]
An aviation analyst said the accident was "a defining moment in the history of civil aviation" because it brought about industry-wide changes to the seating layout near emergency exits, fire-resistant seat covers, floor lighting, fire-resistant wall and ceiling panels, more fire extinguishers and clearer evacuation rules. [3][4]
The flight crew, Captain Peter Terrington (39), and First Officer Brian Love (52), were seasoned pilots with 8,441 and 12,277 flight hours (including 1,276 and 345 hours on the Boeing 737) respectively. [1](p9–11) At 07:13 BST (06:13 UTC), on runway 24 at Manchester International Airport during the takeoff phase, the pilots heard a loud thump coming from underneath the plane. Thinking a tyre had burst, the captain ordered an abandoned takeoff and then activated the thrust reversers. The first officer, who was in control of the aircraft at the time, applied "harsh" braking for approximately five seconds. The Captain, concerned about a burst tyre, instructed the First Officer to use less wheel braking, which was done. [1](p4, 175) Fire warnings sounded in the flight deck nine seconds after the thump was heard (about 36 seconds before the aircraft stopped). Ten seconds later, the tower controller confirmed, "right, there's a lot of fire." Twenty-five seconds after the thud was heard (about 20 seconds before the aircraft stopped), the tower controller suggested evacuating passengers to the right side. [1](p5) The tower controller activated the airport's fire alarm siren the moment he first saw smoke coming from the aircraft, but firefighters working for the airport's fire service had heard a "bang" and seen the smoke and fire for themselves, and had already initiated a response on their own. [1](p45)
The aircraft turned off the runway onto a short taxiway called link "D" and came to a full stop facing northwest. [1](p5, 7, 30) Evacuation efforts began immediately, but several difficulties were encountered. The purser, who was the crew's senior flight attendant, tried to open the right front exit door about ten seconds before the aircraft stopped, but it jammed due to a design fault in the emergency slide system and he abandoned attempts to open it. [1](p102) After about 25 seconds, the purser opened the left front door and successfully deployed the escape slide. At this time, the first two fire engines arrived. One began showering the fuselage and the open door with foam to prevent the fire from spreading to the door and the slide as passengers were evacuating, and to provide cooling to protect the passengers still inside. When the second fire engine arrived, the first concentrated on the burning jet fuel and the left engine. The second sprayed foam over the fuselage and the open door. [1](p46) During this time, the "No 4 stewardess", Joanna Toff, had kept passengers out of the forward galley area to allow the purser time to open a door. When the left side door was opened, exiting passengers jammed themselves in the narrow 57 cm-wide (22.5 in) passageway between the two forward galley bulkheads. Toff bodily pulled the passengers out one at a time until she cleared the jam. [1](p49, 102) Meanwhile, the purser had resumed working on the right front door, and he successfully opened the door fully and deployed the escape slide about one minute after the plane had stopped. [1](p176) Sixteen passengers and Toff escaped through the left front door, one of whom was unconscious and Toff dragged her out. The purser and 34 passengers made their escape through the right front door. [1](p102, 221)
More difficulties were encountered at the overwing exits. The left overwing exit was blocked by smoke and flames. The passenger seated at the right overwing exit had difficulty understanding how to operate the hatch. At that time, there was no requirement that exit-row passengers receive a briefing on how and when to open the hatch. [1](p135) Once the 22-kilogram (48 lb) hatch was released, it fell inward onto the passenger seated next to it, trapping her. Two passengers lifted the hatch and put it on a seat in the next row back, making the exit available for use 45 seconds after the aircraft had stopped. [1](p136) Once the hatch had been removed, passengers still encountered difficulties in getting to and using this exit. The exit row seats allowed only 27 cm (10.5 in) to pass through, the armrests between those seats remained down, and the exit was directly over a seat, requiring passengers to manoeuvre awkwardly to escape. [1](p43, 136–137, 180) Passengers in the rear of the aircraft were panicking as smoke, and eventually flames, filled the hot cabin at about the same time the right overwing exit was opened. Passengers crawled over seat backs to get to the right overwing exit as well as the two front exits; some survivors told investigators that the aisle had become blocked with bodies. [1](p137–138)
This caused jamming at all exits, and the seat over which the overwing exit was located failed in such a way that the seat back collapsed forward, causing a further obstruction. A man who had been seated in 16C was found dead lying across this exit, and investigators were unsure whether the seat back collapse had trapped him. [1](p138) A fourteen-year-old boy was found lying across the top of the man from seat 16C by firefighters 51⁄2 minutes after the aircraft had stopped. He was alive, suffering only superficial burns to his hands. He was the last of 27 survivors to escape through that exit, and the last evacuee to survive the accident. [1](p8, 139) Most of the 38 bodies were found clustered around the overwing exit. [1](p138) This exit was the first exit available to the 76 passengers seated behind it or even with it, and the nearest exit for 100 passengers. [1](p137)
Fuel had been spilling from the left wing from the moment the first loud noise was heard. That fuel had ignited on contact with flames from the hole in the engine combustion chamber as the aircraft began to decelerate on the runway.
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Air crash
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5 miners die, 4 missing in coal mine collapse in Afghanistan
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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A makeshift coal mine collapsed Tuesday in northern Afghanistan, burying five miners and leaving four more missing, a provincial security official said. Jawed Basharat, a spokesman for the provincial police chief in northern Baghlan province said a rescue team is at the site in Nahrin district. Collapsing coal mines are happening more often in Afghanistan. There are no professional ways of mining and extraction in the country. Local workers use traditional techniques and put their lives at risk in remote areas. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Afghanistan has reserves of oil, gas, lithium, and other rare metals and minerals worth trillions of dollars, most of which remain untouched due to insecurity and violence in different parts of the country.
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Mine Collapses
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Kiss Concert Canceled After Paul Stanley Tests Positive for COVID
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Tommy Thayer and Paul Stanley of Kiss perform onstage at Staples Center on March 4, 2020 in Los Angeles. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for ABA Kiss announced late Thursday night (Aug. 26) that their concert scheduled just outside Pittsburgh had been canceled after lead vocalist Paul Stanley tested positive for COVID. While a new date is yet to be announced, the band said the show has been postponed. “Tonight’s #KISS show at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, PA is unfortunately postponed due to Paul Stanley testing positive for COVID,” the band tweeted alongside a full statement. “More information about show dates will be made available ASAP.” The statement also clarified that “everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated.” Ahead of the band’s announcement, Stanley took to Twitter to shoot down rumors about how severe his symptoms were. “PEOPLE!!! I am fine! I am not in ICU!” Stantey tweeted . “My heart allows me to do 26 miles a day on my bike! I don’t know where this came from but it’s absolute nonsense.” In a subsequent tweet, he wrote, “I had been sick with flu-like symptoms and was tested repeatedly and was negative. As of late this afternoon I tested positive. The crew, staff and band have all tested negative once again. More to follow.” The glam rockers are currently on their End of the Road Tour, billed as their final trek ever, which kicked off in January 2019 and then had to reschedule dozens of 2020 dates due to the coronavirus pandemic. They resumed touring just last week in Massachusetts and have U.S. dates scheduled through October in Florida, followed by a December stint in Las Vegas and international dates booked through July 2022. See Kiss’ and Stanley’s messages below: Tonight's #KISS show at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, PA is unfortunately postponed due to Paul Stanley testing positive for COVID. More information about show dates will be made available ASAP. Everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/5UBvXmfWCY
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Organization Closed
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1974 Brisbane flood
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In January 1974 a flood occurred in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia after three weeks of continual rain. The Brisbane River, which runs through the heart of the city, broke its banks and flooded the surrounding areas. [2] The cyclone that produced the flood also flooded surrounding cities: Ipswich, Beenleigh, and the Gold Coast. [2][3]
In total, there were 16 fatalities, 300 people injured, 8000 homes destroyed and an estimated A$980 million in damages. [1]
It had been an exceptionally wet spring, and by the end of October most of southern Queensland's river systems were nearing capacity. Cyclone Wanda pushed the systems to the limit, and drew the monsoonal trough southward, providing the additional rainfall to the Brisbane River, Bremer River and Stanley River catchments to produce widespread and severe flooding. In the early morning of 25 January heavy rain began to fall on Brisbane. During a 36-hour period 642 mm of rain fell on the city. [14] These torrential rains were caused by Wanda, a relatively weak tropical cyclone which did not even rate as a category 1 cyclone. [15]
Continual, heavy rain had fallen for three weeks, leading up to the flood, which occurred on Sunday, 27 January 1974, during the Australia Day weekend. The floods peaked at 6.6 metres (22 ft) according to the Port Office gauge at high tide at 2:15 am on 29 January. [16]:35 The peak flooding in the location of the city gauge was approximately 5.5 metres (18 ft). [17]
Large areas were inundated, with at least 6,700 homes flooded. Around 13,000 buildings were affected by flooding in some way. [18] Buildings in the Brisbane central business district were particularly hard hit. [14]
The 67,320 tonne Robert Miller broke its moorings at Kangaroo Point and became adrift in the river. Because the ship was 237 metres long and the river was about 255 metres wide, it was feared that the ship could form a dam across the river. This would have caused the river to rise by a further 3 metres, leading even greater flooding in the suburbs. [19] Two tugboats were needed to control the 15 m high and 239 m long oil tanker. [16]:38 The Robert Miller was the largest ship ever built in Australia at the time. [20]
A gravel barge became caught under the Centenary Bridge where it damaged the pylons, causing fear that the bridge would be swept away. The barge was sunk to reduce the risk. [16]:38[19]
The most flood affected suburb of Brisbane was Rocklea. [21]
Close to Ipswich, 1,800 premises were affected by flooding. [22]
The Nerang River flooded, cutting the Gold Coast off from Brisbane. About 2000 people were evacuated from homes along the river and the canals; most of these homes suffered flood damage. [19]
The total damage in Brisbane and the surrounding areas was initially estimated at A$200 million,[16]:8 but the final value was over A$980 million (1974 values), with $328 million made in insurance claims. [1] While not as high as the floods in the 1800s this flood is considered to have been worse due to Brisbane's rapidly increasing population at the time. Many houses were also damaged by land subsidence and land slippage associated with the flooding and high rainfall. [16]:8
Sixteen people lost their lives, including twelve people who were drowned in Brisbane and Ipswich. [23]
The first flood related deaths were at 11:20pm on 24 January. Raymond Roy Davidson (29 years, from Wacol) and Hazel Dulcie Afflick (40 years) were killed in a head-on collision at Wacol, both drivers being blinded by gale-force winds and heavy rain. [24]
An army amphibious LARC vehicle was carrying out excavation work at Bellbowrie when the vehicle hit submerged power lines which were still live. Two men, Corporal Neville Hourigan and Captain Ian Kerr of the Australian Army Reserve (then called the Citizens Military Force) were thrown from the vehicle. Bill Lickiss jumped into the water to save them. [24] Hourigan died at the scene and Kerr's body was found after the flood had subsided. Lickiss was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. [2]
A young child, Shane David Patterson (of Yeronga) was swept from his father's arms on a causeway over Oxley Creek in Inala and drowned. [2]
In addition to those that drowned, Robert Adams (aged 56 years) died of a heart attack during an evacuation of a caravan park at Newmarket. Aidan Sutton, a civilian working with the Queensland Police, aged 50 years, returned home to St Lucia for his reading glasses and was swept away in the flood waters, his body found in a tree. [24]
As a result of the flood, Wivenhoe Dam was built along the Brisbane River. [25]
The flood was a defining event for a generation of Brisbane residents. [26] In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the 1974 Brisbane flood was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "Defining Moment". [27]
The renewed awareness of the flood hazard in this rapidly growing region gave the state an opportunity to significantly re-think flood management and mitigation practices. This opportunity was missed, and the introduction of the Local Government (Planning and Environment) Act 1990 largely upheld conventional planning and development. The dependence on dams was confirmed; a flood plan policy was not introduced until the 21st century. Only 36 years later, the region suffered another disaster of similar magnitude during the 2010–11 Queensland floods. [28]
Coordinates: 27°28′S 153°02′E / 27.467°S 153.033°E / -27.467; 153.033
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2007 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash
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The 2007 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash occurred when a twin engine Antonov An-26, belonging to the Congolese air carrier Africa One, crashed and burned shortly after takeoff from N'djili Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo on October 4, 2007. The flight left N'djili at 10:43 local time bound for Tshikapa, a distance of 650 km to the east. [2][3]
The flight was variously reported as operated by El Sam Airlines or Malila Airlift, with the aircraft leased from Africa One. Both carriers are on the list of air carriers banned in the EU, as are all but one of the Congolese airlines. The aircraft was an Antonov An-26, registered 9Q-COS.[4]
The flight was a commercial cargo flight carrying at least 28, including a flight crew of five. [5] The flight manifest stated that there were 16 passengers aboard, but more boarded the flight shortly before takeoff. The Russian foreign ministry reports that the aircraft lost a propeller, then a wing struck an obstacle, shearing the wing off prior to crashing. [4] Striking a market before coming to rest at a residence at 77 Mayulu Av in the Kingasani district of the Kimbanseke commune, at least 30 people on the ground were killed. [1] The reports of survivors are conflicting: initial reports had all aboard killed, including the Russian pilot, copilot and flight engineer, yet later Reuters reported that an on-board mechanic survived,[4] while Associated Press claims a flight attendant also survived,[6] bringing the total number of survivors to two. The on-board mechanic, M. Dédé Ngamba, was possibly the sole surviving passenger. His description (in French) was,
Nous avons décollé après trois minutes de taxi. Aussitôt, j’ai constaté que l’avion s’est mis à tanguer. L’effort du pilote de faire monter l’avion est demeuré vain. C’est alors que l’hôtesse m’a dit de mettre la ceinture de sécurité. En ce moment, l’avion a commencé à voler plus bas et il a percuté un palmier et perdu une aile. Ensuite, il a commencé à percuter des maisons. Tous les colis des marchandises qui étaient à bord ont fait mouvement vers l’avant de l’avion. J’ai aperçu à côté de moi un trou par lequel je suis sorti sans savoir comment, et je suis tombé sur une flaque d’eau sablonneuse. J’ai pu alors contempler les flammes de l’avion qui consumait. Il ne s’agissait pas d’un poids exagéré. C’est une simple défaillance mécanique. [7]
This translates loosely to the following:
We had taken off after taxiing for three minutes. At once, I noted that the plane started to pitch. The effort of the pilot to right the plane remained vain. At this point in time the stewardess told me to put on my seat belt. At that time, the plane started to fly low and it struck a palm tree and lost a wing. Then it started to strike houses. All the parcels of goods which were on board shifted toward the front of the plane. I noticed beside me a hole by which I left without knowing how, and I fell into a mud puddle. I then could contemplate the flames which consumed the plane. It was not about excess weight. It's a simple mechanical failure. The crash was similar to the 1996 Air Africa crash, which also involved an Antonov An-32 overshooting the runway (albeit at Kinshasa's other airport N'Dolo) with massive casualties on the ground. The DRC has an aviation safety track record that has been dubbed "an embarrassment" by the IATA, and the Transport Minister Rémy Henri Kuseyo Gatanga was fired by the President for culpable negligence in failing to enforce adequate standards and procedures for aviation safety management. [8][9][10] One source indicates that the lifting of the Transport Minister's ban on Antonov flights over DRC territory was not by his order but rather that of the Minister of State to the Head of State. [11]
A formal Parliamentary commission of inquiry was convened 19 October 2007, with Jean-Lucien Bussa as president and Lessendjina as vice-president. The prosecutor's office of N'Djili is seized of the matter. [12]
Notwithstanding the ban, another Antonov (this one an An-12 registered as ER-AXI) was reported by Radio Okapi to have had a minor motor fire at Bangoka International Airport at Kisangani early in the afternoon of 1 November 2007. No injuries and minor damage were reported. [13]
Three months after the crash, Moscow offered US$200,000 in economic aid to the injured parties. [14]
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Australia faces worst plague of locusts in 75 years - The ...
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Australia faces worst plague of locusts in 75 years
Ideal breeding conditions for grasshoppersare expected to cost farmers billions
Australia's Darling river is running with water again after a drought in the middle of the decade reduced it to a trickle. But the rains feeding the continent's fourth-longest river are not the undiluted good news you might expect. For the cloudbursts also create ideal conditions for an unwelcome pest – the Australian plague locust.
The warm, wet weather that prevailed last summer meant that three generations of locusts were born, each one up to 150 times larger than the previous generation. After over-wintering beneath the ground, the first generation of 2010 is already hatching. And following the wettest August in seven years, the climate is again perfect. The juveniles will spend 20 to 25 days eating and growing, shedding their exoskeletons five times before emerging as adults, when population pressure will force them to swarm.
It is impossible to say how many billions of bugs will take wing, but many experts fear this year's infestation could be the worst since records began – 75 years ago. All that one locust expert, Greg Sword, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, would say was: "South Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria are all going to get hammered."
A one-kilometre wide swarm of locusts can chomp through 10 tons of crops – a third of their combined body weight – in a day. The New South Wales Farmers Association said an area the size of Spain was affected and the Government of Victoria alone forecasts A$2bn (£1.2bn) of damage.
Though locusts move slowly when the sun's up, at night they can fly high and fast, sometimes travelling hundreds of kilometres. "A farmer can go to bed at night not having seen a grasshopper all year and wake up in the morning to find his fields full of them," said Professor Sword.
All locusts are grasshoppers, but not all grasshoppers are locusts. The difference is a suite of genetic changes that kick in when population densities cross a critical threshold. In some species, they produce physical transformations – the desert locust of North Africa goes from green to black and yellow, for example – but the Australian plague locust merely reprogrammes its behaviour, from solitary to gregarious.
Swarms probably make use of the available food more efficiently as the leading edge is constantly pushing forwards into new vegetation. It may be fear more than hunger, however, that drives the locusts.
Locusts are highly cannibalistic, says Professor Sword, and any that stay still too long are likely to get nibbled. "Swarms are like lifeboats," he says, forging a gruesome metaphor. "If you're the only one in the boat, you could easily starve. But if you've got lots of company, you could be the last to survive. We call it travelling with your lunch."
Controlling the bugs involves spotter planes identifying juvenile bands that can be targets for attack by crop sprayers armed with pesticides. But eastern Australia is struggling to find enough pilots to take on all the work.
And the spraying itself comes at a cost. Apiarists have complained that their bees are in danger from pesticides and ecologists fear for the many animals that treat the locusts as a moving smorgasbord. Concerns have also been raised by bloggers and activists that some of the chemicals used could harm humans.
The best hope for phasing out the chemicals comes from research. But the goal, says Professor Sword, is control not eradication. "They were here long before humans arrived," he said.
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Insect Disaster
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2006 United States immigration reform protests
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In 2006-2007, millions of people participated in protests over a proposed change to U.S. immigration policy. [1] These large scale mobilizations are widely seen as a historic turn point in Latino politics, especially Latino immigrant civic participation and political influence, as noted in a range of scholarly publications in this field. [1] The protests began in response to proposed legislation known as H.R. 4437, which would raise penalties for illegal immigration and classify illegal aliens and anyone who helped them enter or remain in the US as felons. As part of the wider immigration debate, most of the protests not only sought a rejection of this bill, but also a comprehensive reform of the country's immigration laws that included a path to citizenship for all illegal immigrants. The 2006 immigration protests were a series of demonstrations that began in Chicago and continued throughout major cities nationwide for a period of eight weeks. The first major demonstration in Chicago was held on March 10, 2006, and was estimated to have about 100,000 participants. It was the initial impetus for many of the other protests which followed throughout the country. [2] The largest single protest occurred on March 25, 2006 in downtown Los Angeles with an official estimate of more than 500,000 people marching in what organizers called "La Gran Marcha" ("The Great March") . [3] Organizers of La Gran Marcha, however, state that the actual revised number of participants is somewhere between 1.25 and 1.5 million estimated through later photographic analysis. [4] The largest nationwide day of protest occurred on April 10, 2006, in 102 cities across the country,[5][6] with 350,000–500,000 in Dallas. The overwhelming majority of the protests were peaceful and attracted modest media attention. Additional protests took place on May Day. The marches reached a climax on May 1, 2006 and were nicknamed "A Day Without Immigrants." Naming the protests in such way encouraged immigrants and aliens to quit their daily labor-intensive jobs for a day to draw attention to their significant contributions to U.S. daily life. Latino immigrants and aliens across the country were urged to boycott work, school and other economic activities. Those outside the Latino community were shocked to see the growing workforce of janitors, nannies, restaurant workers and many other service workers leave their jobs to join the protests. [7] The mobilization of working-class illegal aliens was intended to challenge the belief that the United States would be able to prosper without illegal immigrants. The protests took place on May 1, a date meant to honor workers throughout the country. The May 1st marches reflected the immigrant protesters' identities as workers and significant contributors to U.S. society. Most immigrants of Latin American descent come to the United States seeking economic prosperity for themselves and their families,[8] they infrequently accept low wage jobs to survive in the United States. Therefore, missing work for a day burdened their families. Yet, thousands of immigrants risked their jobs and joined the marches to demand political recognition. Mexicans were not considered "immigrants" until 1960, when the United States issued visas to emigrate to America. Before 1960, Mexicans could only apply for work visas as Braceros or cross the border without inspection. Mexicans didn't have a "legal" way to enter the United States before then. [9]
To understand the 2006 immigrant protests and the discourse behind illegal immigration as a leading topic in U.S. political debate, it is necessary to understand the history of illegal immigration. [1] Since the 19th century, mass illegal immigration from Latin America to the United States has greatly impacted Latino politics. Illegal immigrants are individuals who arrive and live in the United States without legal documentation. In many cases, individuals arrive to the United States with legal documentation such as tourist or student visas and overstay the amount of time they are allowed to remain in the United States, thus becoming illegal immigrants. [10] Many others cross the borders between the United States and Mexico, or the United States and Canada, without legal documentation. Today, undocumented entry to the United States is a misdemeanor. Illegal immigration did not always exist to the extent that it does today. Before 1965, the United States did not have numerical restrictions on immigration from countries in the western hemisphere. In 1965, the United States passed the Immigration Nationality Act and repealed the 1924 National Origins Act designed to limit migration from southern and eastern European countries,[11] thus making it possible for eastern-hemisphere countries to have equal access to visas in addition and consequently restricting migration from the western hemisphere for the first time. Furthermore, the 1965 Act provided unlimited number of visas for family reunification because it allowed naturalized U.S. citizens and permanent residents to request permission to bring their family members to the United States. [11] The 1965 Act influenced Latinos/as citizens and permanent residents to request visas that allowed their family members to immigrate to the United States. This resulted in a shift of the country's ethno racial makeup and the creation of a large Latino population in the United States. The 1965 Act's restriction on the number of visas allotted to western hemisphere countries created the phenomenon of large scale illegal western hemisphere migration,[11] particularly from Latin American countries like Mexico. In the 1980s, the United States government began to express concern about the large scale flow of illegal immigration, which led to the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. First, the Act made it illegal for employers to hire workers who could not provide proof of legal immigration to the United States. Second, it allowed for the legalization of immigrants who could prove residency in the U.S. since January 1, 1982 and agricultural workers who began working in the United States prior to May 1986. [12] Out of the 3 million migrants that applied for IRCA, 2.7 million, many of whom were Mexican, were given a path to citizenship. However, in the long term, IRCA was not successful in reducing the flow of illegal immigration to the United States. As a result, the U.S. government began to increase the funding of Border Patrol as a means to regulate the flow of undocumented immigrants to the United States. These actions proved to have little impact on illegal immigration, resulting in about eleven million illegal immigrants living in the United States, the majority being of Mexican origin. Therefore, discourse about the flow of illegal immigration has been known as a "Mexican" or "Latino" problem. The large scale flow of illegal migrants and the significant ethno-racial shift that occurred as a result of 1965 Act, have resulted in anti-immigrant backlash that targets Latino immigrants. [13]
Spanish-language media outlets, in particular Univision, Telemundo, Azteca América and La Opinión (Los Angeles' largest Spanish newspaper), advertised the protests on their front page. [1] They called it a "Mega Marcha", a mega march, as a way to emphasize the large scale of the marches.
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2018 Vietnam protests
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The 2018 Vietnam protests, or Protests against the Special Zone Act and the Cybersecurity Law (Vietnamese: Biểu tình phản đối Luật đặc khu kinh tế và Luật An ninh mạng), are a series of both violent and nonviolent protests that erupted across Vietnam in June 2018, chiefly in response to two drafted pieces of legislation: the Special Zone Act and the Cybersecurity Law. The Special Zone Act[2] (also known as the Special Zones Law[3] or the Special Economic Zones Law[4]) proposes the opening of three special economic zones (SEZs) across Vietnam, where foreign investors would be allowed to lease land for up to 99 years. Despite no specific mention of China within the lines of the bill, many Vietnamese feared that the SEZs would be dominated by Chinese investors, fueling anti-Chinese sentiments. [5] On 9 June 2018, the Vietnamese authorities eventually yielded under enormous public pressure and postponed voting on the law indefinitely. [6]
The Cybersecurity Law seeks to give the government full authority to strictly police the Internet, scrutinize personal information, censor online discussion, and punish or even jail online dissidents. It has been described as “largely a copy-and-paste version” of the Chinese Cybersecurity Law that commenced a year prior. [7] The National Assembly of Vietnam passed the law on 12 June 2018 despite local and international opposition[8] and it has been in effect since 1 January 2019. [9]
To mainstream media and many nongovernmental organizations, Vietnam is often perceived as harsh and uncomprimising regarding the right to freedom of assembly. Reports from Human Rights Watch and the US State Department depict the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) as extremely illiberal and unforgiving of political dissent of any kind. [10][11][12] Freedom House’s report on Vietnam in 2020 scores the country at 1 out of 4 for freedom of assembly, specifically citing the arrests and convictions as a result of the 2018 protests as the reason for its score, and 0 out of 4 for freedom for nongovernmental organizations and trade unions or similar professional organizations. [13] Amnesty International also reports harassment, assault, prosecution, torture, and executions towards pro-democracy activists, independent journalists, authors, and publishers in its Vietnam 2020 review. [14] According to Human Rights Watch, in April 2018 the chief judge in Hanoi sentenced political activists to 7 to 12 years of imprisonment each under Article 79 of the Criminal Code for political activism. [15]
Scholars and observers of Vietnam, however, have a different outlook. Many agree that the country has actually been exercising a responsive-repressive strategy since the 1990s, taking certain measures to show its responsiveness and tolerance to criticism from its citizens and exercising repression only as a last resort. [16][17][18][19][20][21] Political scientist and Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University Ben Kerkvliet found that Vietnamese citizens “frequently and publicly” spoke out in criticism of their living and working conditions, most often through thousands of strikes, occasionally with thousands of participants each. [22] His 2019 book Speaking Out in Vietnam: public political criticism in a communist party-ruled nation showed how government officials were in reality often sympathetic to workers’ demands, accommodating to concerns with land confiscation, and even to some extent tolerating calls for democratization that threatened the ideology of the regime. Some regime critics were not detained at all; many were confined for brief periods but never imprisoned; those who were convicted faced shorter lengths of imprisonment compared to past decisive crackdowns and repressions. Anti-China protests in particular are not uncommon in Vietnam and are similarly met with a balance of responsiveness and repression by the state, albeit with extra caution given the addition of an external party – China, no less – into the state-society relationship in Vietnam. Among the Vietnamese populace, anti-China sentiments act as a converging space for their dissatisfaction with a variety of social issues in the country such as unfavorable labour conditions, environmental pollution, socio-economic development, and foreign policy. Placing China as a ‘common enemy’ thereby acts as a linkage between these social groups with mutual encouragement and reinforcement of these sentiments. [23] Post-Cold War, and especially since 2010, the sharpest crises and ensuing anti-China protests in Vietnam have involved public outrage over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. [24]
In May 2011, for instance, a Chinese maritime vessel cut the cables of a Vietnamese ship conducting research operating in Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea, and hundreds in Vietnam took to the streets for over three months in sustained protest. [25] Demonstrators in Hanoi sang patriotic songs, chanted slogans, and carried banners and flags, including a Chinese flag digitally altered to include a pirate’s skull and crossbones. [26] Public anger flared up even more intensely in 2014, when China deployed a giant oil rig in an area of the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam. This incident triggered large-scale anti-China demonstrations with thousands of participants that quickly turned violent. [27] Protesters set fire to industrial parks and factories, hunted down and sparred with Chinese workers, and attacked police during the confrontations, leaving at least 21 people dead and nearly 100 injured. [28]
Such territorial disputes are particularly affective because they are viewed as challenges and violations of Vietnam’s sovereignty, an especially sore subject when it comes to China given the history of border clashes between the two countries until 1991, such as the two-month bloody Sino-Vietnamese border war not four decades prior in 1979. [29] An op-ed in the Vietnam News sums up the ground sentiments for anti-China protests in a message of solidarity: "The Vietnamese people are angry. The nation is angry. We are telling the world that we are angry. We have every right to be angry. […] The message from all these demonstrations is simple and straightforward: China should stop violating international law and respect Viet Nam's sovereignty. […] We are a small country, but we are not weak. We will stand as one, united in the cause of protecting our motherland's integrity. "[30]
When it comes to the Vietnam government’s response, observers note that authorities have generally allowed such anti-China protests, only clamping down on protesters in the presence of violence. Appearing compliant to China could harm the political careers of the Vietnamese politicians as being seen as anti-nationalistic and weaken legitimacy. [31] Additionally, scholars have noted that the international coverage and sympathy due to such protests may be used to communicate the extent of outrage in Vietnam and legitimize the country’s pleas for international support. [32] In both the 2011 and 2014 instances, authorities clearly tolerated the demonstrations in the beginning, allowing protesters to march the streets and stopping or redirecting traffic several times to let them cross streets throughout the march. [33][34] The government further took steps to mollify public anger and show support for the protesters by echoing their sentiments in harsh rhetoric and strongly-worded official statements against China using words such as ‘brazen’ and ‘illegal’. [35]
However, Hanoi walks a very thin line to maintain their careful hedging strategy in relations with China. [36] Given the clear differences in size, capacity, and military power and force, antagonizing China and pushing the issue too far could seriously impact bilateral relations and threaten the existing asymmetrical relationship that has been carefully negotiated throughout the centuries of history. [37][38] Vietnam’s population size is 7% of China’s; its Gross National Product 3% of China’s; its military budget less than 1% of China’s. [39] Vietnam’s total trade with China was 20% of its total trade in 2015, and a quarter of tourists to Vietnam in 2013 were from China. Vietnam is also partially dependent on China for ideological and economic support, with China being Vietnam’s biggest guide and protector in Marxism-Leninism and market socialism. [40] With all of this in mind, both the 2011 and 2014 protests were eventually met with curtailment and suppression, as the authorities ordered a crackdown after deeming the invisible line to be crossed. In 2011, the Hanoi city government issued an order to end the protests that were “undermining national unity” and “complicating diplomatic efforts”, warning demonstrators that authorities would “take necessary measures” against those who disobeyed, and following up on the threat when marches continued. [41]
It is important to note that the relationship between the two countries is not totally skewed, however – both sides are bound by the 16 Word Guideline, a statement announced by the General Secretary of the CPV and the President of the People’s Republic of China in 1999 as a guide for Sino-Vietnamese relations in the future. Specifically, it stipulated that both countries commit to “long-term, stable, future-oriented, good neighborly and all-round cooperative relations”. A study analyzing major diplomatic events from the 1990s to 2018 between the two countries showcase how this official term has been brought up at every single summit meeting since its conception, reminding both sides of their commitment to maintaining bilateral relations. [42] The author thus provides an alternate view to the traditional approach of power politics that emphasize asymmetry between China and Vietnam, instead arguing that the 16 Word Guideline has led to a powerful coercive rhetoric that exerts strong influences on both sides to avoid domestic instability and military conflict.
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FAO launched today a three-year Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control to scale up efforts to curb the growing spread of the invasive pest
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4 December 2019, Rome - FAO launched today a three-year Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control to scale up efforts to curb the growing spread of the invasive pest which is causing serious damage to food production and affecting millions of farmers across the world. Fall Armyworm (FAW), a crop pest native to the Americas, has rapidly spread through Africa, and to the Near East and Asia in the past four years. “It {Fall Armyworm} threatens food security of hundreds of millions of people and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu. He made the remarks at the launch of the Global Action on the sidelines of the FAO's Council, the Organization's executive body. ”This is a global threat that requires a global perspective,” he stressed, urging the FAO member states “to greatly scale up the existing efforts” to prevent the further spread of this harmful pest to new regions. The today’s event also saw the participation of Cabo Verde’s Minister of Agriculture and Environment Gilberto Silva; Undersecretary of Ministry of Agriculture of the Philippines Rodolfo V. Vicerra; Chief Scientist of USAID Robert Bertram; Norway’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to FAO Aslak Brun; Secretary, Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, Jingyuan Xia; as well as government officials and experts from around the world, UN agencies and academia. In his address, Qu said that FAO is seeking to mobilize $500 million over the next three years to control Fall Armyworm. To this end, he proposed the establishment of a Global Action Fund - the first ever multi-partner trust fund aimed at addressing the Fall Armyworm threats, - and encouraged countries to contribute to this funding mechanism. The initiative also calls for increased partnerships to complement current FAO mechanisms such as Farmer Field Schools and South-South and Triangular Cooperation as well as to create new cooperation channels, Qu noted. In particular, he added, it will feed into FAO’s new data-driven Hand-in-Hand initiative to target interventions where most needed. “We must all work together, FAO, international organizations, governments, the private sectors, research centres, academia, and civil society. With the proposed Global Action, FAO commits to putting the knowledge, experience and lessons learned from stakeholders and partners at the service of farmers throughout the world to stem the global threat of this pest,” the FAO Director-General concluded. Global Action Programme The Global Action will be implemented between 2020 and 2022. It is expected to mobilize global resources and expertise to enhance national capacities to tackle FAW, reinforce efforts to discourage widespread use of highly hazardous pesticides, and provide resources for scientific research and innovation to develop efficient solutions to tackle the pest, such as FAO’s Fall Armyworm Monitoring and Early Warning System mobile app. Doing so will help to bring the pest under control in the affected areas and reduce the risk of its further introduction and spread to new regions, including Europe and South Pacific. Deadly pest The Fall Armyworm (FAW) is an insect pest, which causes considerable yield losses in cultivated maize, rice, sorghum, millet, and other crops as it is capable of attacking over 80 species of crops, if not under good management and control. Based on 2018 estimates, every year up to 17.7 million tonnes of maize are lost to this pest in Africa alone. This amount of maize could feed tens of millions of people; and represents an economic loss of up to $4.6 billion.
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Insect Disaster
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Death of Yuri Gagarin crash
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On March 27, 1968, Yuri Gagarin, the first man to go into space, died together with pilot Vladimir Seryogin during a routine training flight, after the MiG-15 jet fighter they were flying crashed near Novosyolovo in the Soviet Union. After his death, the Soviet government declared a period of national mourning in the memory of Gagarin. This was the first case in Soviet history where a day of national mourning was declared after the death of a person while performing work for the state[1] and was the first time it happened for someone who wasn't a head of state. [2]
In 21:15 of the next day, the remains of Gagarin and Vladimir S. Seregin were cremated. [3] Their ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis. [4]
Wrapped in secrecy, the cause of the crash that killed Gagarin is uncertain and became the subject of several theories. [5][6] At least three investigations into the crash were conducted separately by the Air Force, official government commissions, and the KGB. [7][8] According to a biography of Gagarin by Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony, Starman: The Truth Behind the Legend of Yuri Gagarin, the KGB worked "not just alongside the Air Force and the official commission members but against them. "[7]
The training aircraft MiG-15UTI no. 612739, in which (according to N. Kamanin's diary) the crash happened, was made on 19 March 1956 in Aero Vodochody factory in Czechoslovakia. After its enter into service it was repaired twice (on July 13, 1962 and March 30, 1967). Its engine, RD-45FA no. 84445A, was produced on 25 December 1954 and was repaired four times (1957, 1959, 1964 and 1967) after fulfilling 100 flight hours each time. After the last repair, the engine worked for 66 hours and 51 minutes. [9]
After posting his thesis in the engineer training academy of the Soviet Air Force named after N. E. Zhukov and an extended flight pause, Yuri Gagarin began his summer practice, which were some training flights with the MiG-15UTI aircraft, which was used for training purposes. Between 13 and 22 March 1968 he performed 18 flights, completing a total of 7 hours. Before he was being allowed to perform flights independently, he had to do another two controlled flights alongside the pilot, colonel and Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Seryogin. [10]
In 10:18 of the morning of March 27, 1968, Gagarin and Seryogin took off from Chkalovsky Air Base in Shchyolkovo, a settlement close to Moscow. [2] During the time of the take off the visibility conditions were normal, but the height of the lower cloud limit was 600 meters above the winter surface. [11] The fulfilling of the piloting duties was set not to last beyond 20 minutes,[citation needed] but in 10:27, 8 minutes after he started, Gagarin announced the accomplishment of the mission. He asked for a permission to return and fly to the base and received it at 10:29. At 10:30, Moscow Time, contact was lost with the aircraft. [12][13]
When it became clear that the aircraft was out of fuel, a research mission was initiated, which lasted more than 3 hours. In 14:50 one of the helicopters managed to receive an image from the debris of the aircraft approximately 65 kilometers from the airport, close to Novosyolovo, 18 kilometers away from Kirzhacha in Vladimir Oblast. [10] In the morning of the next day the government commission's members started their work in the debris of the aircraft. Parts of Gagarin and Seryogin's body were found, which were recognized by relatives and colleagues. In the site of the crash, various objects were found, such as personal items of the pilots, a pocket edition book with navigation rules and photos of Sergei Korolyov. In the branch of a tree the flight jacket of Gagarin with some food coupons was found. [14] Due to the way Gagarin's bones from his hand were broken, the investigators concluded that he hadn't given up the joystick during the crash. [15][16][17]
The government's committee for the investigation of the causes of the crash consisted of three subcommittees. Each of these had been assigned a separate task:
The 29 volumes report[2] of the committee was classified[19] and its details became known to the public from interviews of its members. [2] The causes and the conditions during the crash remain unclear. [20][21]
The analysis of the footprint of the cabin's clock and Gagarin's hand proved that the disaster happened at 10:31, around a minute after Gagarin's last contact. [22]
The conclusion of the committee was the following: due to the changes in the air environment during the flight (the details weren't specified) the crew made an abrupt manoeuvre resulting in a spin. Despite the crew's efforts to reinstate the engine in a horizontal direction, the aircraft crashed in the ground resulting in the death of the pilots. No deficiencies or technical errors in the plane were found. The chemical analysis of the remains and the pilots' blood didn't find any external chemical substance. [23]
A KGB committee did separate research, in order to prove according to "its own line" if any conspiracy, act of terrorism, or any bad intent existed. The KGB's report, declassified in March 2003, dismissed various conspiracy theories and instead indicated the actions of airbase personnel contributed to the crash. [24] The report states that an air-traffic controller provided Gagarin with outdated weather information and that by the time of his flight, conditions had deteriorated significantly. Ground crew also left external fuel tanks attached to the aircraft. Gagarin's planned flight activities needed clear weather and no outboard tanks. The investigation concluded Gagarin's aircraft entered a spin, either due to a bird strike or because of a sudden move to avoid another aircraft. Because of the out-of-date weather report, the crew believed their altitude was higher than it was and could not react properly to bring the MiG-15 out of its spin. [8] Another theory, advanced in 2005 by the original crash investigator, hypothesizes that a cabin air vent was accidentally left open by the crew or the previous pilot, leading to oxygen deprivation and leaving the crew incapable of controlling the aircraft. [5] A similar theory, published in Air & Space magazine, is that the crew detected the open vent and followed procedure by executing a rapid dive to a lower altitude. This dive caused them to lose consciousness and crash. [6]
In the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's flight the government released various classified documents with conclusions for the possible causes of his death. The documents revealed that the commission's original conclusion was that Gagarin or Seryogin had manoeuvred sharply, either to avoid a weather balloon or to avoid "entry into the upper limit of the first layer of cloud cover", leading the jet into a "super-critical flight regime and to its stalling in complex meteorological conditions". [25][26][27]
As the official version[28] and the factual proof are unclear, various conspiracy theories and speculations have been published for the crash.
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Air crash
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Two men killed in Montana mine accident are identified. One is from Idaho.
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NYE, Mont. (AP) — The Stillwater County Coroner’s Office has identified two men who were killed last week in an underground accident at a Montana mine. Sixty-five-year-old Dale Ketola of Columbus, Montana and 55-year-old Jerry Ashlock of Caldwell, Idaho died Wednesday in a crash at the Stillwater Mine near the community of Nye, according to a coroner’s statement released by county Sheriff Charles Kem. The Billings Gazette reports that both men were pronounced dead by the time first responders arrived at the scene. The workers were in a utility vehicle called a side-by-side that crashed into an underground locomotive, according to Heather McDowell, a vice president with South Africa-based Sibanye-Stillwater, which owns the Stillwater Mining Co. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Mine officials say they are working with safety regulators. Stillwater Mining Co. is the only palladium and platinum mining company in the U.S. It has 2,335 employees and contractors, according to its website. Just over 1,200 of them work at the mine in Nye, McDowell said. Its other palladium and platinum mine is near the small Montana city of Big Timber, and the company has a refining complex in the nearby town of Columbus.
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Mine Collapses
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Air Vietnam Flight 706 crash
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Air Vietnam Flight 706 was a Boeing 727 that crashed on September 15, 1974, near Phan Rang Air Base in South Vietnam. Le Duc Tan, a ranger in the South Vietnamese army who had recently been demoted from captain to lieutenant for the theft of two cars in Da Nang, smooth-talked his way past security checkpoints. After taking off from Da Nang International Airport (IATA:DAD/ICAO:VVDN) in South Vietnam on a regularly scheduled flight to Saigon's Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN/VVTS), the flight was hijacked by Tan, holding two grenades. He demanded to be flown to Hanoi in North Vietnam. For unknown reasons the pilots approached the airfield at Phan Rang Air Base but aborted the landing. [1]
The aircraft overshot the base leg and initiated a left turn, during which it lost control. Shortly after that, it plunged to the ground from an altitude of 1,000 feet (300 m), killing all 75 people aboard. [2]
Even though the exact cause remains unclear, it has been speculated[by whom?] that the hijacker caused the crash by setting off his grenades after the pilots refused to give in to his demands. [3]
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Air crash
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What the data say about border closures and COVID spread
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Travel restrictions left many travellers stranded in foreign countries.Credit: Alonso Cupul/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock As countries in Europe rush to close their borders to the United Kingdom to prevent transmission of a new — and potentially more transmissible — variant of SARS-CoV-2, research has estimated the effect of international travel restrictions on COVID-19 spread earlier in the pandemic. Models have found that strict border closures could have helped limit viral transmission in the pandemic’s early days. But once the virus started spreading in other countries, border closures provided little benefit. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries had only ever imposed border restrictions on select countries where disease outbreaks were concentrated. In most instances, scientists thought that such measures were largely ineffective. Influenza infections, for example, often go undetected, and so travel restrictions aren’t worth the social and economic trade-offs, says Karen Grépin, a health economist at the University of Hong Kong. When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the highly infectious coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 a public-health emergency, the agency advised nations to keep borders open. But almost every country ignored the advice, and many countries even closed their borders to all nations, contributing to an unprecedented drop-off in global travel that continues today. “We had no idea that governments around the world would be willing to impose total border closures and related measures that would cost the global economy some US$400 billion every month,” says Steven Hoffman, an international lawyer and epidemiologist at York University in Toronto, Canada. Most of the studies looking at the effect of travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic rely on theoretical models. Scientists say that these are helpful in the absence of time-consuming observational studies. In a review of 29 studies posted on medRxiv last month1, Grépin and Kelley Lee, a researcher who studies global health at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, found that most models show that travel restrictions and border closures reduced the arrival of people with COVID-19 in many countries early in the outbreak. The pandemic has shown public-health researchers that, in some situations, travel restrictions help to keep epidemics under control, says Lee. “The general feeling before was that they don’t work at all and undermine human rights,” says Lee. But only one study2 in the review accounted for the effect of the ban on people leaving the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic started, and found that it prevented nearly 80% of COVID-19 infections from spreading to countries outside China in the weeks after it was imposed. So some models probably overestimated the benefits of international border closures compared with the Wuhan lockdown, says Grépin. The gains from border closures were also short-lived when they weren’t combined with other measures such as testing, contact tracing and quarantining to prevent local transmission. Another modelling study3, published in The Lancet on 7 December, estimated the effect of sustained travel restrictions on reducing viral spread. The authors found that, with no reductions in movement, international travellers in May would have contributed to more than 10% of total COVID-19 cases in 102 countries that month. But by September, the contribution of international travellers to most countries’ COVID-19 case count had dropped significantly. This suggests that travel restrictions weren’t justified later in the pandemic except in highly connected countries, or in regions with low transmission that wanted to keep the virus out, says co-author Mark Jit, an infectious-disease modeller at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Preventing travel from high-prevalence countries would be sufficient to reduce exposure in many regions, says Jit. “Countries shouldn’t instinctively say that, just because there is a pandemic, we should have travel restrictions.” Hoffman says that observational studies are now needed to tease out the effectiveness of countries completely shutting their borders. “There is a good chance that a whole lot of what we are doing is causing more harm than good.” The WHO’s decision to advise against travel restrictions at the beginning of the pandemic was probably informed by the pushback it faced in its response to the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), says Grépin. At the time, the agency advised against essential travel to regions across China, where the outbreak began, and places with sizeable outbreaks, such as Toronto, Canada. Some researchers argued that the decision placed an unfair economic burden on those regions and disincentivized member states from reporting infectious-disease outbreaks. Researchers say the latest evidence suggests that the WHO’s advice on travel restrictions during disease outbreaks needs to be more nuanced, and should move beyond a yes-or-no recommendation. In the case of COVID-19, “the WHO said one thing and the world did something else”, says Grépin. The WHO said in an e-mail that it is reviewing the evidence on travel mitigation measures and will publish scientific reports on this, which will also help countries assess the risk of lifting travel restrictions.
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Organization Closed
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More than half a million people on the brink of starvation
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More than half a million people are living in famine-like conditions and are on the brink of starvation, according to a new Oxfam report published today. Conflict combined with the economic the impact of the pandemic and a worsening climate crisis has led to a six-fold increase in catastrophic levels of hunger since the beginning of 2020. The report, The Hunger Virus Multiplies, estimates that as many as 11 people are dying of hunger and malnutrition each minute, 36 per cent more than the seven people dying around the world every minute as a result of Covid-19. Overall, 155 million people around the world are facing crisis levels of hunger and malnutrition -- a rise of 20 million compared to last year - with two out of every three people hungry primarily because of conflict. Some of the world's worst hunger 'hotspots', including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen continue to suffer from conflict, and have witnessed a surge in extreme levels of hunger since last year. At the same time, the economic fall-out of Covid-19 has deepened poverty and inequality and more than 400 weather-related disasters have increased hunger in communities many of which are already battered by conflict and coronavirus. Severely disrupted food production has led to a 40 per cent surge in global food prices, the highest rise in over a decade. Danny Sriskandarajah, Oxfam GB Chief Executive said: "The world cannot stand by while global hunger levels soar and half a million people face starvation due to the confluence of unrelenting conflict, Covid-19's economic fall-out and a worsening climate crisis. "Governments urgently need to do more to prevent conflict in the first place and to support those caught up in the crossfire, by providing funding and stepping in to ensure aid agencies can get vital humanitarian assistance where it is needed. "It is unacceptable that starvation is often used as a weapon of war, with millions of people forced to flee their homes, their crops and livestock destroyed, and combatants denying them even the lifeline of humanitarian aid. The UN Security Council should hold to account all those who use this barbaric tactic." More than 350,000 people in Ethiopia's Tigray region are experiencing famine-like conditions according to recent analysis - the largest number recorded since Somalia in 2011, when a quarter of a million Somalis died. The UN said last week that the numbers affected have increased and the humanitarian situation has worsened dramatically in recent weeks. Mulu Gebre, 26, who was forced to flee her home in Tigray when nine months pregnant, told Oxfam: "I came to Mekele because I heard that food and milk were offered for infants. When I arrived here, I couldn't find food even for myself. I need food especially for my child, who is only four months old and was born underweight." Other areas experiencing extreme hunger highlighted in the report include: Hunger has also intensified in middle income countries such as Brazil, India and South Africa, which have experienced some of the highest numbers of Covid-19 infections. In Brazil, extreme poverty nearly tripled and almost 20 million people were pushed into hunger during the pandemic. To prevent more people being pushed into extreme poverty and hunger, Oxfam is calling on governments to build fairer and more sustainable food systems, to support social protection measures to help the most vulnerable and to waiver Covid-19 vaccine patents to ensure developing countries can vaccinate their people.
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Famine
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Authorities ID victim in Brunswick Road crash
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The victim from the fatal vehicle accident on Brunswick Rd Friday afternoon is identified as Kimberly Lumpkins, 34, Grass Valley. UPDATE at 5:48 p.m. From Grass Valley police: 5:25pm Brunswick Road is closed in both directions at East Bennett Road and Loma Rica Drive. Unknown timeframe for reopening. 5:15pm An injury accident will result in major traffic delays in the area of Brunswick Road and Loma Rica Drive. Please avoid the area if at all possible. The cause of the collision and the extent of injuries are being investigated by CHP. GVPD is on scene assisting. Initially posted Authorities say one person is dead in a Friday afternoon wreck at Brunswick and Brunswick Pines roads. The three-vehicle collision between a sedan, minivan and red Honda happened around 5 p.m. One person was stuck in a vehicle, and the road was blocked at 5:10 p.m., California Highway Patrol reports stated.
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Road Crash
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Penhallow Hotel fire
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The Penhallow Hotel was in Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was a well-known hotel for holiday makers ranging from families to older residents. The hotel was built in Island Crescent between 1912 and 1917[1] and had been altered more than once. The building had a wooden fire escape at the rear, and a central light shaft running from the ground floor up to the roof in the centre of the hotel. Both of these aspects of the building played a dramatic role in the outcome of the fire. Many of those that escaped the fire, were elderly holiday makers. [2] The Penhallow Hotel fire was reported as the worst hotel fire in the UK in nearly 40 years. [3][4][permanent dead link]
On the night of 18 August 2007 shortly after midnight a power cut was reported followed shortly by the fire alarm activating and soon smoke was seen in the building. It is believed that the fire started in the hotel's drink bar store and then spread throughout the building. [5] A 999 call was made to Cornwall Fire Brigade's fire control at 00:17 and appliances from Newquay were mobilised. Around 4 minutes later when the first crews arrived on scene it was reported that the building was well alight and further crews were requested. At the peak of the blaze 100 firefighters were fighting flames that were 9.1 metres (30 ft) high. [6]
Some guests woke to the sound of the fire alarm sounding with no immediate signs of smoke or fire. [7] Others reported that the fire alarm could not be heard on the third floor of the hotel, and being hampered in evacuation due to suitcases and obstacles being left in the hallways. Witnesses and guests also spoke of short comings by fire officials as the fire brigade arrived without a ladder long enough to reach the victims on the third floor. A guest spoke of how upon viewing the engine; "I could see no ladder on the fire engine. There was just an engine with a hose. "[8]
In 2007, Devon and Cornwall Police stated they would treat the fire, as a "major crime" until they found evidence to the contrary. [9] In January 2008 police announced that the fire was being treated as suspicious, and that the deaths were now therefore potential cases of murder. [10]
Over 80 guests and members of staff managed to escape, but three people were killed and five others injured. Initially officials were aware of one fatality with four being unaccounted for, and four others in the hospital. [11] Guest Peter Hughes (a science teacher aged 43 from Staffordshire) died as a result of falling from a second floor window. [8] Mr. Hughes' mother Monica (aged 86) also died in the blaze, along with 80-year-old Joan Harper, who was also from Staffordshire. [12]
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) was criticised on how the incident was handled. It was reported that only one fire appliance could be mobilized from Newquay due to a shortage of crew, one appliance was sent and backup was drawn in from surrounding stations, however as previously stated the fire had taken hold by the time of arrival of the first crew. It was found that the shortcoming of appliances did not result in the three deaths. However CFRS upgraded Newquay fire station to 24hr cover during the summer months when the population rises from an estimated 24,000 to at least 100,000. At the inquest it was discovered that other factors were seen in the case against the owners of the hotel. Factors for the fire and the poor response were poor fire risk assessment, poor access, lack of water, lack of equipment (high rise ladder) and the FRS (Fire and Rescue Service) being sent to the wrong address. [13]
In March 2011 the owners, O & C Holdsworth Ltd, admitted to two charges of fire and health safety breaches in policy. [8] Separately two directors, Nicola Burrito and John McMillan denied three charges against them personally, the charges were eventually dropped by prosecution. The Owners of the Cornish Hotel that was destroyed in the fire have been fined £80,000 and were ordered to pay £62,000 in penalty costs for failing to meet current fire safety standards. It was not until 2010 that a Civil Prosecution Case began against the owners and several members of the staff by Cornwall Council and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service for breaches of health and safety laws. [6]
Cornwall Coroner Dr. Emma Carlyon ordered the jury to return open verdicts on all three of the victims, claiming that there was insufficient evidence to rule they were unlawfully killed.
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Fire
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In Madagascar, pockets of famine as risks grow for children, warns WFP
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“Pockets of famine” have now been reported in Southern Madagascar, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. “We have some pockets of IPC 5 or famine-like conditions, this is basically the only - maybe the first - climate change famine on earth,” said Arduino Mangoni, WFP Deputy Country Director in Madagascar, citing IPC food insecurity assessments, which are used to gauge the level of emergency aid required. After a recent “heartbreaking” visit to an emergency nutrition centre in the south, the WFP official said that he had encountered “silence, no joy; kids just staring at you and in a situation now, really skin and bones. “I have been working with the WFP in several countries in this continent, in several emergencies, including DRC, the Central African Republic, in Darfur, I have never seen kids in the situation they are in.” Speaking to journalists in Geneva via Zoom, Mr. Mangoni explained that the region had been affected by the most intense drought in 40 years. “The elderly people who we assist in the south, they keep telling us that this is the most severe phenomenon - the ‘Kéré’, they call it - since 1981,” he said. In total, some 1.3 million Malagasi have been classified IPC 3, 4 and 5, according to the last available data from April. Updated IPC projections will be released at the end of the year. “The people in IPC 3 and above, around 1.3 million as we speak today - it’s higher than people in IPC 3 and above in 2016, during the El Niño driven crisis,” the WFP official continued, noting that there was in fact little difference between categories three to five. “If we look at the projections for the months ahead, the situation is very alarming”, he said, noting that IPC 3, 4 and 5 trends since last year, have gone up. “So, if we only look at IPC 4, around 200,000 people (were) in IPC 4 last trimester – the last quarter of last year. We have around half a million now, with a projection of people in IPC 5 as well (of) around 30,000, between now and the end of the year, when the new IPC results will be available.” In contrast to the world’s other IPC 5 famines, in Yemen, South Sudan and Ethiopia/Tigray, which are conflict-driven, the Madagascar crisis is likely a result of devastating climate factors, the WFP official noted. “We have some acute phenomena, like…back-to-back droughts in the last five years, a new phenomenon of sandstorms probably caused by soil erosion, deforestation for the last 20 to 30 years and then of course the consequences, the impact of COVID.” Because of the pandemic’s impact on tourism and supply chains, villagers who had sought work in towns during lean times no longer had this option, Mr. Mangoni said. People have also exhausted their usual coping techniques, such as selling their kitchen utensils: “We have high prices, inflation is staggering, especially for food prices, including water,” he added. “And then we also have insecurity, there is a new phenomenon of ‘dahalo’ - bandits ravaging the area.” According to WFP, around 500,000 under fives, are believed to be malnourished; 110,000 of them are expected to be severely malnourished between now and April 2022. “These are the children who are at risk of dying if not supported,” Mr. Mangoni said, adding that gauging the impact of famine in very young infants is complicated, as their deaths are often not recorded in those under six months. To help those in most need, WFP has already scaled up ration and nutrition programmes; it also plans to reach more than one million people in IPC3 to 5 from in December – the peak of the lean season - “until the next good harvest”, which it is hoped will come in April 2022. To provide this emergency aid for the next six months, the agency has appealed for $69 million. More than one million people in southern Madagascar are struggling to get enough to eat, due to what could become the first famine caused by climate change, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). The world currently faces unprecedented catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, according to UN agencies, and around $6.6 billion is needed urgently, to support 41 million in danger of sliding into famine.
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Famine
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Marburg in Guinea: the value of lessons from managing other haemorrhagic outbreaks
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As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in Africa amid insufficient vaccination rollout, viral haemorrhagic fever has again raised its head. This adds to public health turmoil on the continent where resources to respond to emerging and re-emerging epidemic prone zoonotic diseases remain limited. In the first week of August 2021, a Marburg virus disease outbreak was declared in south-western Guinea. This was the same area in which the recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease occurred and only weeks after the end of the Ebola outbreak was declared. To date, 14 outbreaks of Marburg virus disease have been reported since 1967. These have been mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. The most recent case in Guinea is the first reported in West Africa. However, evidence of Marburg virus circulation has been reported from countries where Marburg virus disease cases have not been diagnosed to date. These include Gabon, Zambia, and Sierra Leone. The first recognised outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Africa occurred in 1975 in South Africa. It was an imported case from Zimbabwe. Imported cases from Uganda were reported in 2008 in the US and the Netherlands and one laboratory infection was diagnosed in Russia in 2004. To date the largest and deadliest outbreak occurred in Angola in 2004–2005. Recurrent outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers are a major burden on countries such as Guinea where health care systems are already under threat. Fortunately, many African countries are experienced in managing outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers. Guinean health authorities have been able to respond rapidly and implement measures learnt during the Ebola outbreak to control the spread of Marburg. This has included rapid deployment of multidisciplinary teams, diagnosis, contact tracing, isolation and treatment of patients. The existence of treatment centres greatly facilitated rapid treatment of suspected cases and confirmed cases, and medical expertise improved patient care. Marburg virus belongs to the same family as the Ebola viruses. It causes sporadic, but often fatal disease in humans and non-human primates. Studies implicate the Egyptian rousette bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus (Pteropodidae family), as the prime reservoir host. Entering the roosting habitats, including caves and mining activities have been associated with Marburg virus transmission to humans. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, bodily secretions and/or tissues of infected persons or wild animals, for example monkeys and bats. It can also be transmitted through contact with surfaces and materials like bedding or clothing contaminated with these fluids. The incubation period varies from 2 to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, malaise, body aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and internal haemorrhaging (bleeding). Marburg virus can be difficult to distinguish from other tropical common febrile illnesses, because of the similarities in the clinical presentation. Based on the laboratory confirmed cases, infection with Marburg virus can result in death in 23% to 90% of patients. There is no specific antiviral treatment or preventative vaccine. Supportive care includes intravenous fluids, replacement of electrolytes, supplemental oxygen, and replacement of blood and blood products may significantly improve the clinical outcome. Marburg virus can spread easily between people if appropriate preventive measures are not in place. These include personal protection, barriers nursing, safe management of funerals, case finding, contact tracing, isolation and treatment of patient. The virus is potentially prone to cause formidable epidemics with serious public health consequences. The area in Guinea where the case of Marburg virus disease was detected shares close borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia. The movement of people locally and across borders could lead to the potential spread. That’s why the following steps are key: the deployment of well-prepared response teams at national and district level. surveillance and coordinated efforts within and between countries. surveillance at points of entry. contact tracing and active case finding in health facilities and at the community level. investigations aiming at identification of the source of the infection. laboratory testing without delay. community engagement. It is also vitally important to educate the public and raise community awareness about the risk factors and the protective measures individuals can take to reduce their exposure. These include: avoiding close physical contact with someone who is thought to have contracted the virus. the transfer of any suspected case to a health facility for treatment and isolation. the immediate and safe burial of people who have died from the virus. the use of infection prevention and control precautions by health-care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Marburg virus disease. This is to avoid any exposure to blood and/or bodily fluids, as well as unprotected contact with a possibly contaminated environment. wildlife to be handled with gloves and appropriate protective clothing to reduce the risk of spread. animal products (blood and meat) to be cooked thoroughly before eating. Raw meat should be avoided. Community involvement is essential to respond effectively and control an outbreak. This must be supported by primary health care systems to gain greater participation and commitment. A number of factors get in the way of researching, responding to and controlling zoonotic diseases in Africa. These include: insufficient and un-coordinated surveillance and research programmes. limited regional capacity to develop new and improved diagnostic assays. shortage of maximum containment facilities. lack of strategic biobanks for long-term and secure storage of reference clinical materials, strains and pathogen biodiversity. lack of regional External Quality Assurance programmes for dangerous endemic viral and bacterial pathogens. A timely, streamlined, well-funded and efficient disease reporting and surveillance system is essential to monitor the threat of potential epidemics. To strengthen the efficiency of responding quickly, each nation must improve its own capacity in disease recognition and laboratory competence. We also need innovative African-driven approaches to make the necessary quantum leap in the development of scientific capacity for surveillance and control of infectious diseases. Global initiatives aiming at improving health security, emergency preparedness and health systems are also important. However, a great deal of work is needed at the higher level of national governance to strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Google fined record $3.57 billion by European Union over shopping service
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The European Union's competition watchdog has slapped a record 2.42-billion-euro ($3.57-billion) fine on internet giant Google for breaching antitrust rules with its online shopping service.
The body that polices EU competition rules, the European Commission, alleged Google systematically elevates its shopping service — even when other options might have better deals.
The Commission said Google had "abused its market dominance as a search engine by giving an illegal advantage to another Google product".
It gave the California company 90 days to stop or face fines of up to 5 per cent of the average daily worldwide turnover of parent company Alphabet.
EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager described the action as "illegal under EU antitrust rules".
"It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate," she said.
"And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation."
Google maintained it was just trying to package its search results in a way that made it easier for consumers to find what they wanted.
It said its data showed people preferred links taking them directly to products they wanted and not to websites where they had to repeat their search.
"When you shop online, you want to find the products you're looking for quickly and easily. And advertisers want to promote those same products," Google senior vice-president Kent Walker said in a statement.
"That's why Google shows shopping ads, connecting our users with thousands of advertisers, large and small, in ways that are useful for both.
"We will review the Commission's decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case."
The fine is the highest ever imposed in Europe for anti-competitive behaviour, exceeding a 1.06-billion-euro ($1.56-billion) penalty on Silicon Valley chip maker Intel in 2009.
But the penalty is likely to leave a bigger dent in Google's pride and reputation than its finances.
Alphabet has more than $120 billion in cash, including about $73 billion in accounts outside of Europe.
The action was prompted by scores of complaints from rivals including US consumer review website Yelp, TripAdvisor, UK price comparison site Foundem, News Corp and lobbying group FairSearch.
Ms Vestager said the Commission's probe, which started several years ago, looked at about 1.7 billion search queries.
Investigators found, on average, even Google Shopping's most highly ranked rivals only appeared on page four of Google search results — with 90 per cent of user-clicks on page one.
"As a result, competitors were much less likely to be clicked on," Ms Vestager said.
More broadly, the probe established Google is dominant in general internet search in all 31 countries of the European economic area, Ms Vestager said.
This will affect other cases the EC might build against the internet giant's various businesses, like Google Images.
She also noted regulators were making "good progress" in its other Google probes into Android and search advertising, and that the "preliminary conclusion" was that they breached EU anti-trust rules.
AP/Reuters
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Organization Fine
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Navalny Reportedly Dupes Agent Into Revealing Details Of Poisoning
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Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny reportedy duped Russian agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev to reveal details about his own poisoning in August.
Navalny instagram account/AP
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Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny reportedy duped Russian agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev to reveal details about his own poisoning in August.
Updated at 1:15 p.m. ET
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says he has uncovered details of his own poisoning by duping one of the Kremlin agents involved into revealing how it was done.
The research group Bellingcat revealed details Monday of a 45-minute phone call between Navalny, who posed as an agent for Russia's National Security Council, and the alleged Kremlin agent, Konstantin Kudryavtsev. Navalny coaxed details of the attack from Kudryavtsev, who said the nerve agent Novichok was applied to the politician's underwear.
Kudryavtsev was one of the agents who was part of an elite team dispatched to poison and ultimately assassinate Navalny while he visited the Russian city of Tomsk in August, according to a joint investigation by the research group Bellingcat, CNN, Russian media outlet The Insider and German weekly Der Spiegel.
The plan failed when Navalny survived the attack.
A report released last week by the joint investigation broke down how agents tracked Navalny for several months and followed him to Tomsk.
A video from Bellingcat translated the call between Navalny and Kudryavtsev. A second video from Navalny's YouTube channel, viewed more than 11 million times, further broke down the communications between the two. The authenticity of the call in the videos has yet to be independently verified.
Navalny says he used phone numbers from the Bellingcat investigation to contact Kudryavtsev, disguising his own number as coming from a landline within the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the main successor organization to the Cold War KGB spy agency.
In August, after falling ill while aboard a plane en route from Tomsk to Moscow, Navalny was evacuated to Germany, where he is still recovering. Kudryavtsev said during the call that had it not been for the pilot's emergency stop so that Navalny could receive medical attention, Navalny would probably be dead.
If the call is authentic, Kudryavtsev also implicated the local Omsk transport police. He said he was sent to the Siberian city following the plane's emergency stop. Omsk officers handed the group of Russian agents Navalny's belongings where they then removed traces of the poison, so that no one from Navalny's camp could take the clothes and get them tested.
Aric Toler of Bellingcat told NPR's Michele Keleman that it's easy to buy or otherwise access phone data, flight records and other information in Russia, which the journalists say they used to establish the identity of the FSB agents who were trailing Navalny.
Toler said he hopes that this kind of reporting will make such operations harder.
"These are guys who can no longer work and travel around because their faces are all over Russian media right now," Toler said. "And there's memes all over, right? If you go to Russian Facebook and Twitter, you know, these guys' faces are now just memes."
President Vladimir Putin has denied Navalny was poisoned and says had the FSB been behind the attack, Navalny would be dead. He did say, however, that the FSB is right to follow the opposition politician, claiming Navalny poses a threat to national security.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday that Putin was too busy to watch the video released by Navalny.
Peskov said Navalny is showing signs of paranoia and megalomania.
Russia's foreign ministry has condemned sanctions slapped on Moscow by the European Union in response to Navalny's poisoning. Russia is denying entry to a number of EU officials in retaliation.
Following publication of the call's recording, the FSB called it "a provocation" that couldn't have been made without the help of foreign spies.
A State Department spokesperson dismissed the Kremlin's denial of involvement in the apparent assassination attempt on the Russian opposition figure.
"There is no plausible explanation for Mr. Navalny's poisoning other than Russian government involvement and responsibility," the spokesperson said.
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Mass Poisoning
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Newly-discovered stone tools and animal remains have shed new light on the history of human presence in Paveh county of Kermanshah province
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TEHRAN – Newly-discovered stone tools and animal remains have shed new light on the history of human presence in Paveh county of Kermanshah province, which is situated in western Iran. Based on new archaeological discoveries, the history of human habitation in the Paveh county, which is situated in the south of the Hawraman (Uramanat), is estimated to stretch back to more than 40,000 years ago, provincial tourism chief Jabbar Gohari said in an interview with Salam Paveh last week. The survey was carried out in the vicinity of Shamshir and Zardui villages, south of the Hawraman region, with the close cooperation of archaeologists of the Paleolithic Department of Iran National Museum with the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department of Kermanshah, the official said. Gohari added that recent archaeological discoveries in the region are promising for further studies of the prehistory of Hawraman. Referring to the preliminary results of this archaeological reconnaissance, Gohari said that the region's human history is much older than previously thought. “Based on these recent findings, the history of human habitation in Paveh county is older than 40,000 years ago and this early evidence adds to the richness and importance of the Hawraman region of Kermanshah.” “Paleolithic hunters used two rock shelters for seasonal or short-term habitation near the villages of Shamshir and Zardui during a period that archaeologists call Middle Paleolithic,” the official explained. According to the archaeologists involved in this research, the inhabitants of these two shelters, that were most probably Neanderthal, used flint to produce stone tools, which according to their type and method of flaking (such as Levallois technology) belong to the Middle Paleolithic period (40,000 to 200,000 years ago), Gohari added. In addition to stone tools, the presence of animal remains such as bone and tooth fragments in these shelters, which mostly belong to ibex, can provide a window to study the ancient biodiversity of the region during the Ice Ages, he said. Gohari pointed out that the remains of Middle Paleolithic humans have been found in several shelters in the Sirwan River valley near Hajij (Hawraman) during the Darian Dam Archeological Salvage Program, which was carried out under the direction of Fereidoun Biglari in 2015. In July, UNESCO added the Uramanat cultural landscape to its list of World Heritage sites. The UN body accepted the landscape, which holds hundreds of villages, 106,000 hectares of land, and 303,000 hectares of surrounding properties, during the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, which was held in China’s Fuzhou. Stretched on the slopes of Sarvabad county, and shared between the provinces of Kordestan and Kermanshah, the rural area embraces dense and step-like rows of houses in a way that the roof of each house forms the yard of the upper one, a feature that adds to its charm and attractiveness.
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New archeological discoveries
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Council concerned soil will pollute waterways
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Wodonga council is encouraging builders to take erosion and sediment control measures before the drought breaks.
The manager of assets, Gary Mawby, says he is particularly concerned about soil washing from building sites into the underground drainage system and into streams.
He says the drought has exacerbated the potential problem in the urban area.
"We're concerned that because of the long dry spell, the building sites now are really dusty, they're bare of vegetation and when it does rain there's a potential for a lot of damage in the form of soil washed off building sites into roads and drainage systems," he said.
)
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Environment Pollution
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Albania
joins the WTO
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Renato Ruggiero's speeches, 1995-99
Albania has agreed to assume its WTO obligations upon accession. In addition, it will sign on to the two plurilateral agreements on government procurement and on trade in civil aircraft. Albania's accession package includes market-access commitments on goods and services.
Within the region, Slovenia is already a member of the WTO and Croatia will become a member upon completion of the ratification procedures. Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are in the process of negotiating their accession to the WTO.
Albania applied for GATT 1947 membership in 1992. Negotiations on Albania's terms of accession to WTO started in earnest in 1998. The WTO General Council adopted the final results of these negotiations on 17 July 2000.
During that General Council meeting, Albania's Minister for Economic Cooperation and Trade, Ermelinda Meksi, said that WTO membership presents us with a new role in the international community and would help bring improvement of the wellbeing and prosperity of my people.
Overall, 30 governments are currently negotiating to join the WTO: Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Cape Verde, People's Republic of China, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kazakstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lithuania, Moldova, Nepal, Oman, Russian Federation, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sudan, Chinese Taipei, Tonga, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam and Yemen.
Merchandise trade by product and region, 1998 Albania
(major product groups)
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Join in an Organization
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We’ve been following victims of the Boxing Day tsunami for 16 years – this is what we’ve learned about recovering from disaster
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Elizabeth Frankenberg receives funding from the National Institute on Aging, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development,the National Science Foundation, the World Bank, the Hewlett Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. Cecep Sumantri receives funding from the National Institute on Aging, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development, the National Science Foundation, the World Bank, the Hewlett Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the Wellcome Trust Duncan Thomas receives funding from the National Institute on Aging, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development, the National Science Foundation, the World Bank, the Hewlett Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. View all partners On December 26 2004, waves triggered by a massive earthquake slammed into the coastlines of countries ringing the Indian Ocean. The death toll was enormous. Worldwide, it is estimated that about 230,000 people died that day. Aceh province, on the northern end of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was hit hardest. There, more than 160,000 people – nearly 5% of the local population – were killed. In the worst hit areas, survivors lost their homes and livelihoods and saw their communities reduced to rubble. Over the months that followed, governments, religious organisations, NGOs and individual people delivered substantial support for humanitarian assistance and rebuilding. Multi-year reconstruction projects began and Indonesia committed to building back better. Much of what has been learned from that disaster is relevant when considering how the world will recover from the coronavirus pandemic. In the immediate aftermath of an event like the 2004 tsunami, the path forward is not clear. So how have those from affected regions fared since the day the waves crashed ashore? Over the last 16 years, we have followed people and their families who were living along the coasts of Aceh and Northern Sumatra, the two most northerly provinces in Sumatra, as part of the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR). Experiences of the disaster and its aftermath, and the meaning people take from them, have varied. One young man we spoke to lost his wife, child, and 27 other family members in the disaster, but has since remarried. He says that the time since the tsunami has taught him that life sometimes brings happiness and sometimes not, but that affection is critically important. Another young man who lost a wife and child has also remarried. But he told us that the time since the tsunami has not brought any positive changes in his life, though he is deeply committed to earning the money to support the education of the two young children he now has. Our data covers the population before the disaster and measures exposure to the disaster in terms of impacts on both places and people. We have been able to measure the disaster’s various impacts on wellbeing and shed light on some of the key drivers for recovery. Death is the most extreme consequence of exposure to a disaster. Some deaths are immediate, but others may occur over the years as sustained exposure to stress takes its toll. Teasing out how disasters affect mortality risks is complicated, but can provide clues about what will happen when disasters strike in the future. We have found that the groups least likely to survive the tsunami were older adults and young children. Among adults, women were less likely to survive than men. Tracking mortality among survivors in the years after the tsunami provides direct evidence on people’s resilience. We see resilience as the ability to minimise the negative impacts of difficult situations and move forward effectively afterwards. The devastation caused by the tsunami has the potential to “scar” people, resulting in their premature death. But equally, the survivors may have protective traits that are associated with better health and longevity. We examined mortality for survivors at five years and ten years after the tsunami. We found that among adults, both these factors are in play and that they operate differently for men and women. Five years after the tsunami, there is clear evidence that for male survivors who were aged 50 and above when the disaster took place, those from heavily affected areas were more likely to still be alive than those from relatively unaffected areas. This shows that over this period, certain protective traits of survivors (perhaps general fitness) appear to exert a stronger effect on longevity than any “scarring” elements of the event. But for women over 50, the reverse was true: we found that survivors from heavily damaged areas were at higher risk of dying over the next five years than women from unaffected areas. These basic patterns were still apparent ten years after the disaster. But by this point, the evidence shows that in particular, post-traumatic stress for older men or the loss of a spouse for older women decreased the likelihood them still being alive. Although the two events are of course extremely different, these results should encourage us to reflect on what the long-term health effects of the COVID pandemic might be. We’ve also been looking at the evidence for how the extraordinary stresses of the tsunami affected survivors’ health and wellbeing. A large fraction of the people in our study reported high levels of post traumatic stress symptoms; for some, these resolved quickly but for others, they persisted for several years. Our evidence shows that 13 years after the tsunami, adults who directly experienced the tsunami had thicker waists, were more likely to have elevated inflammation levels (indicating infection or illness), and more likely to have difficulties regulating glucose levels. These patterns point to a long-term scarring that gets under the skin and will likely affect disease progression and mortality in the years to come. Specifically, several established biological markers indicate that some survivors who directly experienced the tsunami are at higher risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. Again, this raises questions as to how the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic will affect long-term health. For very young children, we found that exposure to the tsunami could leave its mark on growth. Child height is a powerful predictor of health, mortality and socio-economic status in adulthood. It is largely determined in the first few years of life. We document that children who were in utero at the time of the tsunami were small at birth and significantly shorter at age three. For many of the children, these deficits were made up in subsequent years and they eventually attained the same height (given age and gender) as peers not yet conceived when the tsunami took place. This suggests that, at least in this dimension of wellbeing, resilience is high, although we cannot rule out longer term consequences of rapid catch-up growth that may be linked to elevated risks of poor health in adulthood. We have focused here on differences in the evolution of health by level of exposure to the tsunami and the stress it caused. But efforts to help affected populations meet basic needs and recover after the disaster changed the environment, possibly in ways that positively affected people. Indeed, the results for children’s nutritional status are likely attributable, at least in part, to improvements brought about by humanitarian assistance and reconstruction. In addition to providing immediate help for things like water, food, clothing and shelter, over time assistance programmes provided work opportunities as well as funds and materials to rebuild houses, schools, health facilities, community centres, mosques, roads and other infrastructure. These efforts were extremely successful. We found that among those who owned homes that were destroyed, 80% had a replacement house within five years of the disaster. Those who were economically worse off before the tsunami were more likely to receive an assistance house. Both quantitative data and in-depth interviews suggest that the housing programme was the most important type of assistance people received. Opportunities for paid work are also fundamentally important for people’s economic recovery. Early programmes offering food in return for clean-up work and the massive reconstruction programme undertaken to “build back better” provided such opportunities. The end result was a rise over time in the proportion of adults who reported working — an impact that was strongest for prime-age men but made less of a difference for older men, for whom the strength requirements of the work may have been too much. And we found an uptick in work for pay (rather than unpaid work or family care) among women from heavily damaged areas in the aftermath of the disaster. Not all of those who wanted jobs were able to find them nearby. Migration towards heavily damaged areas picked up quickly, both because those who had left shortly after the tsunami returned home and because people from undamaged areas moved towards the work opportunities that arose from reconstruction. This offset some of the population losses from people dying in the tsunami or moving away from the damage shortly afterwards. Understanding how people and populations are affected by events outside their control and evaluating the effectiveness of policies and programmes is critical in responses to disasters, pandemics and other threats to population health and wellbeing. The implications of these events are complex and continuously evolving, and patterns vary with age, sex and other socio-economic and demographic characteristics. It is difficult to overstate the diversity of experiences and outcomes in the years following the tsunami and it is critically important that we understand the factors that drive this diversity. Our research highlights the importance of policies that mitigate post-traumatic stress, help people get back into stable housing, and provide opportunities for paid work. They have important benefits for physical and for psychosocial health, as well as for economic wellbeing. As the world continues to struggle with COVID and attempts to restart economic progress, safety nets that address health, stable housing and economic opportunity are likely to pay off.
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Tsunamis
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NASA is preparing to push a spacecraft into a near-Earth asteroid
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There's nothing like being prepared. That's why NASA is going to send a spacecraft into the path of a near-Earth asteroid. Don't worry, the targeted asteroid called Didymos is currently more than 11 million miles away from the planet we call home and is not posing an imminent threat. But the nation's top space agency doesn't want to wait until an asteroid is a threat before testing out technology that could keep it from barreling toward Earth — sorry, dinosaurs. DART, aka the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, is a "planetary defense-driven" evaluation of technologies that "could be used to prevent Earth from being hit by a hazardous asteroid in the future." To do so, the mission will send a high-speed spacecraft into the asteroid's path in hopes of deflecting or steering it away and onto a different trajectory. According to NASA, Didymos, which measures up to 780 meters in size with a moonlet that reaching 160 meters, is already being tracked through telescopes ahead of DART's arrival The moonlet is "more typical of the size of asteroids that could pose the most likely significant threat to Earth," the mission's page reads. But don't expect a quick turnaround time from launch to impact, NASA says it will take over a year of cruising before the spacecraft intercepts the asteroid's moonlet. NASA is targeting a Nov. 24 launch window from Vanderberg Air Force Base in California. The asteroid-fighting spacecraft will hitch a ride into space aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
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New achievements in aerospace
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Eastern Air Lines Flight 512 crash
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Eastern Air Lines Flight 512 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to New York City that crashed on November 30, 1962, killing 25 of the 51 people on board. The aircraft, a Douglas DC-7B operated by Eastern Air Lines, crashed at Idlewild Airport in heavy fog while attempting to perform a go-around. One of the plane's wings struck the ground and the plane crashed into soft sand in a marsh about 200 yards (180 m) from the runway, where it burst into flames. Emergency crews responded, but rescuers were delayed by the thick fog and the soft terrain. An investigation launched after the crash found that the probable cause of the accident was that the pilots had made critical mistakes during the go-around that prevented the aircraft from gaining altitude. The flight left Charlotte Municipal Airport at 7:41 p.m. Eastern Standard time en route to Idlewild Airport in New York City. [1](p2) Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) notifications had made the crew aware that the precision approach radar system at the airport was out of service. [1](p2)[2] The weather forecast called for clear skies or scattered clouds. [1](p2) While the flight was en route, patches of ground fog started developing at Idlewild. [1](p3) At 8:57 p.m., the pilots were advised that there would be a delay of an undetermined length due to the fog. The flight entered a holding pattern until 9:33 p.m. when it was instructed to enter the approach path to runway 4R. [1](pp4, 7) Other aircraft landing ahead of the flight reported dense fog at ground level with extremely low visibility; pilots of one flight that had been cleared to take off requested a delay because the fog was too dense for safe operation. [1](pp3, 7, 9) Runway visual range instruments in the United States Weather Bureau office at the airport recorded visibility that had dropped to virtually zero shortly before the instruments failed completely,[3] but this information was not communicated to the tower personnel. As a result, the pilots of inbound aircraft were not made aware of the reduced visibility. Instead, the tower reported visibility of one mile (one point six kilometers),[2] although flight crews would have likely heard radio traffic from other pilots describing the poor conditions. [1](p18) Rules that were in effect at the airport required a visibility of at least 2,000 feet (610 m) feet for a runway to remain open. [3]
As Flight 512 approached the runway, the pilots descended to as low as 25 feet (8 m) above the ground, about 1,000 feet (300 m) beyond the touchdown point on the runway. At that point, the crew decided to abandon the approach. [1](pp18–20)[4] They retracted the landing gear, changed the flaps setting from 40 degrees to 20 degrees, and angled the aircraft to begin climbing, with a climb angle of between three and five degrees above the level position. [1](pp19–20) However, the pilots did not increase the engine power. Because they had retracted the flaps without increasing the power that the engines were providing, the aircraft lost lift, one of the wings struck the ground, and the aircraft tumbled across a marsh. [1](p20)[5]
The fuselage separated from the wings on a mound of earth approximately 3 feet (1 m) high, located 3,600 feet (1,100 m) down the runway. [1](p12) The fuel tanks in the left wing ruptured, igniting a fire on the ground. [1](p12) The fuselage broke apart approximately at the separator between the tourist and first class sections and came to rest in soft sand approximately 200 yards (180 m) from the runway. [1](p12)[5] At 9:45 p.m., tower personnel saw a bright orange flash and initiated emergency procedures. [1](p11)[5] They requested that the crew of American Airlines Flight 8, which was on approach immediately after Flight 512, overfly the runway to see if they could see what had happened. After the flyover, the crew reported back that they could see a fire to the left of the runway. [1](p11)[5][2]
After the crash, emergency vehicles were dispatched to the accident site, but they were delayed by the thick fog and the soft marshy terrain where the aircraft ended up. [5] One ambulance driver reported that visibility was as low as five feet (two meters), which made it difficult to locate the crash victims. [5] The arrival of some of the emergency vehicles from areas outside the airport was delayed by slow-moving traffic on nearby roads. [5][6] Police prevented all but emergency traffic from entering the area, but curious onlookers still caused traffic congestion on the streets around the airport. [6] Many were seen walking around the perimeter, having left their vehicles on surrounding roads. [6] The airport was closed to air traffic until 7:10 a.m. the following morning. [2]
Survivors said that the plane burst into flames immediately after the crash. [4] While the rear section of the fuselage remained relatively intact, other sections of the fuselage, engine parts, and broken pieces of propellers, were scattered around the crash site. [5]
Many of the survivors were thrown clear of the aircraft when it hit the ground, still strapped to their seats. [5][7] Others climbed out of the broken fuselage and were assisted by the two flight attendants to safety. [2] Victims were taken to the airport's medical center, Peninsula General Hospital, or Queens General Hospital. [5] Two of the survivors had critical injuries, while others were less seriously injured. [7]
The aircraft was a Douglas DC-7B four-engined passenger aircraft. It was manufactured in September 1956 and had manufacturer's serial number 45084. It was registered by Eastern Air Lines with tail number N815D and had a total flying time of 18,411 hours at the time of the crash. It was powered by four Wright model 972TC18DA piston propeller engines. [1](piii)[8]
The captain of the flight was Edward Bechtold, aged 43. [1](pi) He had been employed at Eastern Air Lines since April 1945 and had logged a total of 15,644 hours of flight time, including 2,700 on the DC-7 type aircraft. [1](pi) In 1943, he received the Air Medal for meritorious achievement from Lieutenant General George C. Kenney, commander of Allied air forces in the Southwest Pacific. [9] He was the chairman of the New York Air Safety Committee. [9] The copilot was Julius Wagner, aged 45. He had been employed at the airline since March 1951 and had accumulated a total of 9,042 hours of flight time, including 1,610 hours in the DC-7. The flight engineer was Robert Voorhees, age 31.
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Air crash
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Tokyo 2020 - Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas smashes triple jump world record with stunning leap for Olympic gold
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Her opening jump was just nine centimetres shy of Kravets' 15.50m record, set at the World Championships in Gothenburg in 1995.
Tokyo 2020 - Watch and follow LIVE!
That would have been comfortably long enough to secure a gold she had long craved, but the Venezuelan saved her best for last to write her name into the record books.
Patricia Mamona of Portugal took silver with a 15.01 metre leap, while Ana Peleteiro jumped 14.87 metres to secure a bronze medal for Spain.
It appeared that Rojas might even be able to push further - her second phase, the step, appeared contracted after an enormous opening hop.
TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 01: Bronze medalist Ana Peleteiro of Team Spain, gold medalist Yulimar Rojas of Team Venezuela and silver medalist Patricia Mamona of Team Portugal celebrate on the track following the Women's Triple Jump Final on day nine of the Tok
Image credit: Getty Images
The two-time world champion nonetheless flew over the sand, crashing down to make history at Tokyo 2020.
Both Mamona and Peleteiro set national records, but proved unable to match the brilliant South American.
Watch every unmissable moment live from Tokyo 2020 across Eurosport, Eurosport app and discovery+ . Download the Eurosport app for iOS and Android now.
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Break historical records
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Japanese ship company behind oil spill that led to environmental disaster in Mauritius caused by 'human error'
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Japanese ship company behind oil spill that led to environmental disaster in Mauritius caused by 'human error'
The Japanese operator of a bulk carrier that struck a coral reef and caused an extensive oil spill off the coast of Mauritius has said the accident occurred after the ship shifted its course closer to shore than planned so its crewmembers could get mobile phone signals.
Mitsui OSK Lines said its investigation showed the accident was caused by human error, including inadequate nautical charts, navigation systems and risk awareness, and a lack of supervision and safety monitoring.
The company said the tanker's nautical chart provided little information about depth and other necessary information.
Crewmembers on duty also failed to conduct safety checks visually or by radar, it said.
The captain and crewmembers were also using their mobile phones while on duty, the company said.
It said it will invest about 500 million yen ($6.4 million) to provide electronic nautical charts, training to strengthen safety culture and other systems to enhance safety.
The environmental disaster began on July 25 when the ship MV Wakashio strayed off course and struck a coral reef about 1.6 kilometres offshore. After being pounded by heavy surf for nearly two weeks, the ship's hull cracked and on August 6 began leaking fuel into a lagoon, polluting a protected wetlands area and a bird and wildlife sanctuary.
The company apologised for the damage and in September offered 1 billion yen ($12.7 million) to fund environmental projects and support the local fishing community in Mauritius.
More than 1,000 tons of oil spilled into the coastal waters. About 3,000 tons that remained on the ship was pumped into barges before the Wakashio broke in two several days later.
Thousands of civilian volunteers worked for days to try to minimise damage from the oil spill, while environmental workers ferried baby tortoises and rare plants to shore and plucked trapped seabirds out of the goo.
Mauritius depends heavily on tourism, and the spill has been a severe blow on top of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has limited international travel.
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Environment Pollution
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1999 Seattle WTO protests
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The 1999 Seattle WTO protests, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Seattle,[1] were a series of protests surrounding the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, when members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) convened at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington on November 30, 1999. The Conference was to be the launch of a new millennial round of trade negotiations. The negotiations were quickly overshadowed by massive street protests outside the hotels and the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The protests were nicknamed "N30", akin to J18 and similar mobilizations, and were deemed controversial by the media. The large scale of the demonstrations, estimated at no fewer than 40,000 protesters, dwarfed any previous demonstration in the United States against a world meeting of any of the organizations generally associated with economic globalization (such as the WTO, the International Monetary Fund, or the World Bank). [2]
Planning for the actions began months in advance and included local, national, and international organizations. Among the most notable participants were national and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as Global Exchange[3] (especially those concerned with labor issues, the environment, and consumer protection), labor unions (including the AFL-CIO), student groups, religion-based groups (Jubilee 2000), and anarchists (some of whom formed a black bloc). [4]
The coalition was loose, with some opponent groups focused on opposition to WTO policies (especially those related to free trade), with others motivated by prolabor, anticapitalist, or environmental agendas. Many of the NGOs represented at the protests came with credentials to participate in the official meetings, while also planning various educational and press events. The AFL-CIO, with cooperation from its member unions, organized a large permitted rally and march from Seattle Center to downtown. However, others were more interested in taking direct action, including both civil disobedience and acts of vandalism and property destruction to disrupt the meeting. Several groups were loosely organized together under the Direct Action Network (DAN), with a plan to disrupt the meetings by blocking streets and intersections downtown to prevent delegates from reaching the convention center, where the meeting was to be held. The black bloc was not affiliated with DAN, but was responding to the original call for autonomous resistance actions on November 30 issued by People's Global Action. [5]
Of the different coalitions that aligned in protest were the "teamsters and turtles" – a blue-green alliance consisting of the teamsters (trade unions) and environmentalists. [6][7][8]
Certain activists, including locals and an additional group of anarchists from Eugene, Oregon[9] (where they had gathered that summer for a music festival),[10] advocated more confrontational tactics, and conducted vandalism of corporate properties in downtown Seattle. In a subsequent communique, they listed the particular corporations targeted, which they considered to have committed corporate crime. [11]
On July 12, the Financial Times reported that the latest United Nations Human Development report advocated "principles of performance for multinationals on labour standards, fair trade and environmental protection ... needed to counter the negative effects of globalisation on the poorest nations". The report itself argued, "An essential aspect of global governance is responsibility to people—to equity, to justice, to enlarging the choices of all". [12]
On July 16, Helene Cooper of The Wall Street Journal warned of an impending "massive mobilization against globalization" being planned for the end-of-year Seattle WTO conference. [13] Next day, the London Independent newspaper savaged the WTO and appeared to side with the organizers of the rapidly developing storm of protest:
The way it has used [its] powers is leading to a growing suspicion that its initials should really stand for World Take Over. In a series of rulings it has struck down measures to help the world's poor, protect the environment, and safeguard health in the interests of private—usually American—companies. "The WTO seems to be on a crusade to increase private profit at the expense of all other considerations, including the well-being and quality of life of the mass of the world's people," says Ronnie Hall, trade campaigner at Friends of the Earth International. "It seems to have a relentless drive to extend its power. "[14]
On November 16, two weeks before the conference, President Bill Clinton issued Executive Order 13141—Environmental Review of Trade Agreements,[15] which committed the United States to a policy of "assessment and consideration of the environmental impacts of trade agreements" and stated, "Trade agreements should contribute to the broader goal of sustainable development." Activists staged a spoof of Seattle daily newspaper the Post-Intelligencer on Wednesday November 24, inserting thousands of hoax editions of a four-page front-page wrap-around into piles of newspapers awaiting distribution to hundreds of street boxes and retail outlets. The spoof front-page stories were "Boeing to move overseas" (to Indonesia) and "Clinton pledges help for poorest nations". [16] The byline on the Boeing story attributed it to Joe Hill (a union organizer who had been executed by firing squad in Utah in 1915). On the same day, the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development reported:
developing countries have remained steadfast in their demand that developed countries honour Uruguay Round commitments before moving forward full force with new trade negotiations. Specifically, developing countries are concerned over developed countries' compliance with agreements on market access for textiles, their use of antidumping measures against developing countries' exports, and over-implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs). [17]
This ominously foreshadowed the impending conflict of the North-South divide which was to result in the collapse of the forthcoming WTO talks. Previous mass protests against APEC summits in Vancouver, Canada and Manila, the Philippines also provided information about globalization policies, free trade and the situation in developing countries that likely encouraged further protests to confront international economic forums. In 1997, the APEC Canada meeting was held at the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus on November 24 and 25 in Vancouver. Protesters on the campus and in downtown Vancouver were treated with some repressive measures by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police while they were experiencing splits among themselves on questions of tactics and the limits of civil disobedience. That mass response of a few thousand included leaders of protests previously held in Manila where APEC had held a summit in 1996, when tens of thousands of labor, peasant and social justice groups had marched to oppose free trade. UBC may have welcomed the filming of Battle in Seattle on its grounds in the light of this past. [citation needed]
On the morning of Tuesday, November 30, 1999, the DAN's plan was put into effect. Several hundred activists arrived in the deserted streets near the convention center and began to take control of key intersections. Over the next few hours, a number of marchers began to converge on the area from different directions. These included a student march from the north, a march of citizens of the developing world who marched in from the south and, beginning around 09:00, militant anarchists (in a formation known as a black bloc) marching down Pike Street from 6th Avenue, blockading the streets with newspaper boxes and smashing windows. [18] Some demonstrators held rallies, others held teach-ins and at least one group staged an early-morning street party. Meanwhile, a number of protesters still controlled the intersections using lockdown formations. The control of the intersections, plus the sheer numbers of protesters in the area, prevented delegates from getting from their hotels to the convention center. It also had the effect of cutting the police forces in two: the police who had formed a cordon around the convention center were cut off from the rest of the city. The police outside of the area eventually tried to break through the protesters' lines in the south. That morning, the King County Sheriff's Office and Seattle Police Department fired pepper spray, tear gas canisters, and stun grenades[19] at protesters at several intersections in an attempt to reopen the blocked streets and allow as many WTO delegates as possible through the blockade. [20] At 6th Avenue and Union Street, the crowd threw objects back at the police. [21]
By late morning, the black bloc had swelled to 200 people and smashed dozens of shops and police cars. This seems to have set off a chain reaction of sorts, with previously nonviolent protesters throwing bottles at police and joining in the vandalism shortly before noon. [18] Some protesters tried to physically obstruct the activities of the black bloc; however, Seattle police (led by Chief Norm Stamper) did not react immediately. Protest organizers had convinced Seattle police during the protest-permit process that peaceful organizers would quell these kinds of activities.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Warrenton Nursing Home fire
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The Warrenton Nursing Home fire took place at the Katie Jane Memorial Home for the Aged in Warrenton, Missouri, on February 17, 1957, and killed 72 people. The 2+1⁄2-story facility, located sixty miles west of St. Louis, housed 155 elderly people and had been converted just two years earlier, after having previously served as the site of Central Wesleyan College. The blaze began at approximately 2:40 p.m. in a first floor annex linen closet during a Sunday afternoon religious service. On the first floor of the main building, Lutheran minister Walter Schwane was leading a hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," when a scream was heard from one of the visitors who had noticed smoke near the room of her uncles. Concerned, she soon saw intense flames near the closet and screamed "Fire!" as she raced throughout the facility. Within 30 minutes, the annex building became an inferno with local residents offering help in attempting to rescue residents. Eventually, the building's roof caved in, with flames shooting high into the air and smoke visible from 30 miles (48 km) away. In the aftermath of the tragedy, it was determined that a number of factors served as potential causes, including wood in the building that was more than 50 years old, coupled with thermostats often kept at 85–90 °F (29–32 °C) to keep residents comfortable during the frigid winter months. The facility had been inspected just one week earlier by a state official. However, in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, arson was suggested by one Missouri State Police officer when it was disclosed that the sister of the Home's manager had run a similar facility in Hillsboro, Missouri in which 18 people died in a 1952 fire. During the subsequent investigation, the notion of arson was dismissed as the final determination was that the blaze started from an undetermined cause. Despite this finding, the facility had been operating without a license, had inadequate fire escapes, and lacked a sprinkler system. In addition, there was no alarm system nor evacuation plan, while some residents were locked in their rooms, being a common practice of that period. The end result of those omissions came when Missouri Governor James T. Blair signed a bill in March 1957 that established minimum safety standards for nursing homes in the state.
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Fire
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1996 Sulawesi earthquake
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On January 1, 1996, at 4:05 p.m. Central Indonesia Time, a powerful earthquake with an epicenter in the Makassar Strait struck north of Minahasa on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The earthquake registered a magnitude 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale and was centered off Tolitoli Regency in Central Sulawesi, or 25 km from the Tonggolobibi village. [1] A tsunami of 2 to 4 meters was triggered by this earthquake as a result. [2] This event was larger but far less deadly compared to the Mw 7.5 Sulawesi earthquake in 2018 slightly south of where this earthquake occurred. At least 350 buildings were badly damaged, nine people were killed and 63 people injured. [3]
The North Sulawesi Trench is a subduction zone parallel to the Minahasa Peninsula where the Sunda Plate dives beneath the Molucca Sea Plate at a rate of 4 cm/yr. Here, three major tectonic plates, the Sunda, Australian and Philippine Sea Plates interact in a complex manner, broken up into several smaller microplates. [4] The North Sulawesi Subduction joins the Palu-Koro Fault at its westernmost tip. The thrust fault which this earthquake occurred along had a very shallow dip angle of 7°, during the event, a 90 × 60 km section of it had ruptured. An average slip has been estimated at 1.8 meters. The earthquake took place along a relay zone between the North Sulawesi Trench and Palu-Koro Fault. The strike-slip component of this oblique-thrust event was a result of interaction with the Palu-Koro Fault. The rupture process took roughly 30 seconds. [5] On Pangalasean Island, uplift of 30 to 50 cm was determined. [5] Two aftershocks in July, a magnitude 6.6 and 7.0 on the 16th and 22nd respectively about 50 km northeast of the January mainshock. [5]
The tsunami inundated more than 100 km of coastline along Northern Sulawesi between 5 to 10 minutes after the tremor. [6] The heights of these waves were between 1.6 to 3.4 meters, according to eyewitness. [5] More than 400 houses in the village of Tonggolobibi were destroyed when the waves swept through. The water destroyed 183 houses and damaged 228 units around the Bangkir-Tolitoli area. About 100 km of coastline was affected, there were no reports of tsunami data being recorded outside of Sulawesi thus inferring that the tsunami was local. The wave penetrated up to 200 meters up riverbeds and carried five boats including two 500-ton motorboats 250 meters onshore. Since the tsunami occurred at a high tide of 59 cm, and there was a subsidence of the land of about 70 cm. [7]
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Earthquakes
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Over and out: Britain finally readies to leave the European Union
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Britain calls time on almost half a century of European Union (EU) membership this week, striking out alone in a historic move that has bitterly divided the country. At 11pm on 31 January, the UK will become the first country to leave the 28-nation EU, the world’s largest single market area that it joined in 1973. Nothing will immediately change, owing to a transition period negotiated between London and Brussels to allow both sides to agree a new future partnership. Britons will be able to work in and trade freely with EU nations until 31 December, and vice versa, although they will no longer be represented in the bloc’s institutions. But legally, Britain will be out. The exit process has been tortuous, with the years since the 2016 EU referendum marked by bitter arguments that paralysed the government and forced two prime ministers to quit. Four years ago, 52% of Britons backed Brexit but 48% wanted to stay, and the country is still split between “Leavers" and “Remainers". The political chaos came to an abrupt halt last month when Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a decisive victory in a general election with a promise to “Get Brexit Done". The British parliament this week finally ratified the exit terms agreed with Brussels, and Johnson called on the country to move on. “Next Friday marks an important moment in the history of our United Kingdom," he said. “No matter how you voted in 2016, it is the time to look ahead with confidence to the global, trail-blazing country we will become over the next decade and heal past divisions." The next stage of Brexit will also be a challenge, however. Johnson wants to negotiate Britain’s new relationship with the EU, covering everything from trade to security cooperation, by the end of the year. But Brussels says this is an impossible ask, arguing that London must either limit its ambitions or request more time. He has been an enthusiastic supporter of Brexit since leading the 2016 campaign, but he is wary of inflaming divisions with the celebrations. Official events on Friday will be limited to a special prime ministerial address and a light display in Downing Street. Ten million commemorative 50 pence coins will also be issued in the coming months, bearing the words “Peace, Prosperity and friendship with all nations". Previous batches had to be destroyed after Brexit was delayed three times due to political wrangling in London. Some eurosceptics had pressed for parliament’s famous Big Ben bell, which is being renovated, to be brought back into action to ring out on Brexit night. But it was dropped after concerns about the cost. Johnson initially asked for public donations, only for officials to admit this was not possible. A countdown clock will instead be projected onto the black bricks of Downing Street, while Nigel Farage, another key figure in the 2016 campaign, will hold a rally in nearby Parliament Square. Britain has always had an uneasy relationship with Brussels and refused to join either the EU’s single currency or the Schengen free travel area. A minority of politicians have campaigned for decades to free Britain from what they see as an overly bureaucratic and unaccountable institution. Concerns grew as large numbers of EU citizens moved to Britain to work, while for many, Brexit was also a protest against a political establishment they felt was ignoring them. Yet for others across the continent, Brexit day will be a traumatic moment, ending any lingering hopes that the break-up could somehow be stopped.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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36-year-old man identified as victim in industrial explosion
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — UPDATE (1 p.m. Monday) The medical examiner's office has identified the 36-year-old victim in the fatality in Friday's industrial explosion at Calpine Company Generation Plant. The man has been identified as Joe Robert Reyes, who is said to be from the area.
There is no autopsy performed as of yet. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An explosion at an industrial business along Buddy Lawrence Drive Friday evening has left one person dead. The blast happened around 6:30 p.m. at Calpine Company Generation Plant.
City officials tell us this was the result of a natural gas explosion. One person has been confirmed dead. At this time all fire is out at the building. An investigation has started into what sparked the blast.
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Gas explosion
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