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1973 Veracruz earthquake
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The 1973 Veracruz earthquake, also known as El Terremoto de Orizaba, occurred at 3:50 a.m. local time (9:50 GMT) on August 28, with the epicenter located in the vicinity of Serdán in the Mexican state of Puebla. It registered 7.0 on the Richter magnitude scale and had a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The effects of the earthquake were felt in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Puebla in southeast Mexico. The area that was damaged in Veracruz is tropical and mountainous; Pico de Orizaba, Mexico's tallest peak, is located there. The earthquake occurred during the rainy season, with heavy rain coming down before and after the event making search and rescue difficult. Serdán is located in the rain shadow of the mountainous area and has a more arid climate. [7]
Mexico's southwest coast is much more seismically active than the southeast area near Orizaba. Earthquakes there have been relatively infrequent. The last prior strong event in the region was on June 17, 1928, when a magnitude-7.8 event occurred south of Serdán. However, the area 100 to 300 kilometers south of Serdán does see more very strong earthquakes, with three events over magnitude 7 in 1928 alone. [8]
There was extensive damage, leaving hundreds dead and widespread devastation, in several cities in Puebla. The death toll was at least 600, with as many as 1,200 dead, and 212 casualties alone in the small Ciudad Serdán. [9]
Major cities affected were Ciudad Serdán, Orizaba, Ixtaczoquitlán, Córdoba, Ciudad Mendoza, Zongolica, Rio Blanco, and Acutzingo. In Orizaba, a twelve-story apartment building collapsed as result of the earthquake. Many of the occupants, up to 100, were sleeping at the time, and this was the number proclaimed dead at that site. [10]
This event was the most disastrous earthquake in Puebla until the 1999 Tehuacán earthquake. [3]
Sources
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Earthquakes
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Lead in Tasmanian town's water continues the uncertainty for residents living on bottled water
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Inside Eva Pagett's home in the tiny Tasmanian town of Pioneer, it has become routine to bath kids, brush her teeth, and even fill up her dogs' bowl with bottled water after testing by TasWater showed cadmium and lead in her drinking water tank.
"I have a 3-year-old that lives here. I mean, how do you bathe a 3-year-old out of [water] bottles," she said.
"If you let them bath in the other [tap] water you're only meant to give them a sponge bath and not let any go into their mouth.
"I breed bassets and I'm having to feed them on bottled water, for goodness sakes."
New test results have uncovered more contaminated drinking water in Pioneer, in the state's north-east, and a place plagued by water woes for over eight years.
The town's tap water was deemed unfit to drink in 2012 and a 'do not consume' notice was put in place, sparking concerns residents had been exposed to unsafe levels of lead for years before being warned about it.
As a solution, TasWater installed drinking water tanks at properties within the town.
The ABC obtained documents that confirmed in 2014 TasWater had an independent entity undertake tests of roof paint on multiple properties in Pioneer to establish the content of lead in the paint.
The results showed that some of these properties had a content of lead in the paint that was well above the current limit of 0.1 per cent in domestic paint as per the Australian Government's Department of the Environment and Energy guidelines.
TasWater connected the water tanks to the roofs, claiming to have misread the test results.
Water quality testing was later undertaken at 32 of the 43 properties in Pioneer as part of its Rainwater Catchment Inspection Program.
The results showed 12 properties had elevated levels of metals in their drinking water.
TasWater disconnected the water tanks from the roofs at the affected properties, supplied residents with bottled water, and refilled their tanks with clean water.
Since then, the state's water authority has been routinely testing the drinking water in Pioneer.
Recent testing at 36 properties in the town resulted in six returning lead levels that were borderline or higher than the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG).
TasWater again advised the residents to stop drinking the tank water, provided bottled water, and cleaned and refilled the tanks.
Further water tests at the affected properties came back within the guidelines.
Mayor of Dorset Council Greg Howard said he thought the most recent water quality issue was a one-off event.
"I think the problem was caused by the fact that some of those tanks didn't have a tap in the bottom for TasWater to do the sampling," he said.
"As I understand it, when they put those taps in, their view is that they disturbed the water potentially in the bottom of the tank and there may have been some heavy metal residue on the bottom of the tank which caused the issue.
"It's been an ongoing saga and it's been disappointing to be in that situation in the first place for the residents, obviously, and I can understand why they're upset and not happy."
The state's water authority said it was still investigating the cause of the lead that was recently found in some of the tanks.
"Some of the tanks that returned lead levels borderline or higher [than the ADWG] are filled by roof collection systems which indicates that trucked water is not the cause of the issue," a TasWater spokesperson said.
Ms Pagett said she was unsure how her drinking water became contaminated with lead, as her tank was disconnected from her roof months ago and the water inside her tank is trucked into the town.
A piped supply of drinking water is expected to be reintroduced to the town within the next three years.
Cr Howard said he would like it to happen sooner.
"It's my understanding that TasWater have had someone in the town just recently looking at potential sites for a treatment plant so I think three years is the maximum," he said.
"I don't necessarily think it is going to be three years."
TasWater is spending over $1,000 a month on bottled water for some of the town's residents, and has spent over $16,000 on bottled water on average for the last financial year.
Ms Pagett said she was horrified by the ongoing saga.
"I'm on masses of bottled water, my bin is getting full of bottles every week. There just seems to be no end in sight to what is occurring," she said.
"I bought a home thinking, 'oh lovely, I have tank water, I've always wanted tank water', and you can't use anything.
"You rely on this truck coming in and that leads to lead. So it seems to be a no-win situation."
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Environment Pollution
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Japan's Suga to visit U.S. for 'quad' summit with Australia, India -Kyodo
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U.S. President Joe Biden holds a joint news conference with Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
TOKYO, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Japan's outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will visit Washington later this month for a four-way meeting of leaders from the United States, Japan, Australia and India, Kyodo News reported on Wednesday.
On the sidelines of the proposed "quad" meeting, Suga will also likely meet bilaterally with President Joe Biden, Kyodo said, citing "several" unnamed Japanese government sources.
Suga became the first leader to hold a face-to-face White House summit with Biden in April, underscoring Japan's central role in U.S. efforts to face down an increasingly assertive China. read more Suga's term as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) - and by default Japan's prime minister - ends on Sept. 30. He has said he would not run in the next election for party leader, on Sept. 29.
(This story was refiled to remove extraneous word "to" in first paragraph)
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Diplomatic Visit
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New tsunami mapping adds to Monterey danger zones
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| UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 5:15 a.m. MONTEREY — Every decade or so, state geologists use sets of scientific and computational tools to answer the question of what would happen to the California coast in the event of a tsunami. The newest maps marking these events have added several blocks worth of Monterey real estate to the areas most likely affected by sudden ocean swells. Of all the Monterey Peninsula cities, Monterey would suffer the greatest inflow of seawater in the event of a tsunami, although the swells would also inundate areas of Pacific Grove, Carmel, Seaside and Pebble Beach. The changes from the 2009 maps and the ones just released by the California Geological Survey, part of the state Department of Conservation, aren’t dramatically different, but varied enough to add warnings to new areas of the city. “They have increased the map area by several blocks in the downtown area, to the west and south,” said Nat Rojanasathira, Monterey’s assistant city manager. The red areas are the danger zones established in 2009. The yellow areas are the expanded 2021 zones. (Courtesy city of Monterey) For example, the new maps show warning areas coming all the way up to Pacific Street covering more of the Old Monterey area, passing over the top of Fremont Street at Abrego Street, surrounding the Naval Postgraduate School and now reaching all the way to Highway 1 along Camino Aguajito. And in Seaside, the area already susceptible to both sea-level rise and tsunami threats along Laguna del Rey has been expanded into neighboring residential areas by a few blocks. In Pacific Grove, the new maps cover neighborhoods inland of Ocean View Boulevard all the way up to Surf Avenue and then continuing down along Sunset Avenue. In Pebble Beach, the maps show portions of 17-Mile Drive potentially underwater, including Spanish Bay. Coastal California has not, at least in recent times, seen anything like the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami off the coast of Tōhoku, Japan, that killed some 18,000 people and set off the worst nuclear accident in the country’s history at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. A tsunami from that quake traveled more than 5,000 miles across the northern Pacific Ocean and caused minor damage to the California coast. One man died when he was swept out to sea near the Klamath River in Del Norte County. But it doesn’t mean a major tsunami couldn’t happen here. California is littered with earthquake faults and could suffer significant tsunami damage from quakes generated from the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a so-called “megathrust” fault more than 600 miles long that stretches from Northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino on the California coast. These subduction zones are areas where one tectonic plate meets another and is “thrust” underneath it, which can cause major earthquakes and tsunamis. Other causes include ocean landslides, lava entering the sea, seamount collapse or meteorite impact. Davidson Seamount is a seamount located just 80 miles southwest of Monterey off the Big Sur coast and is one of the largest known seamounts in the world. Rick Wilson, the senior engineering geologist in the seismic hazards program and the tsunami unit manager with the state Geological Survey, said Thursday from his Sacramento office that the new results in the 2021 maps were the result of a number of new technologies that scientists didn’t have at their disposal for prior formulating maps in 2009. One of the technologies is called LIDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging. It is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser from aircraft to measure land contours down to a single meter in high-resolution imaging. The better accuracy provides more precise measurement of vulnerable areas along the coast, including the Monterey Peninsula. Another tool is called probabilistic analysis, which uses complex computer modeling and geologic sampling to determine what that region’s tsunami history was dating back thousands of years and projects future probabilities, what Wilson called a “statistical representation of the unknown.” These new technologies, along with existing ones like carbon dating, enables scientists to go back and retrieve 3,500 years of information along the north coast, including seven or eight tsunamis in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, Wilson said. “Based on this analysis, we upgraded the magnitudes of our sources in the Cascadia and the Alaska-Aleutian Islands subduction zones,” he said “These somewhat larger tsunami sources created modest increases to the new California Tsunami Hazard Area maps we have today. “We work with communities and the public to plan for the worst case,” Wilson added. “We have provided emergency managers and harbor masters secondary decision-support tools, called ‘playbooks,’ which can be used in real-time during distant source tsunamis where there is time for implementing a lower-level plan.” Rojanasathira said that in the event of a tsunami, warnings would come down from the state to Monterey County’s Office of Emergency Services which would then begin notifying cities. Rojanasathira said Monterey would immediately open its Emergency Operations Center that would coordinate with first responders — police, fire and public works — to evacuate people within the new map areas to higher ground.
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Tsunamis
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At 31,923 Covid-19 cases, India sees slight surge in infections
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New Delhi Last Updated at September 23, 2021 11:23 IST With 31,923 new Covid cases registered in the last 24 hours, India's daily new cases on Thursday crossed the 30,000 mark yet again. With this, the total coronavirus case tally in the country has increased to 3,35,63,421, according to the data updated by Union Health Ministry and Family Welfare on Thursday. However, the country witnessed slight dip in daily Covid related deaths as 282 fatalities were registered in the last 24 hours against 383 deaths on Wednesday. The total Covid fatality in the country has risen to 4,46,050. The fatality rate remained at 1.33 per cent for the last few weeks. Kerala, which has been reporting the maximum new cases for the last few weeks, witnessed yet another spike on Wednesday as it reported 19,675 new cases against 15,768 on Tuesday. Similarly, Maharashtra also continued to witness a spike in new cases as it reported 3,608 new cases on Wednesday. As per the Health Ministry's data, a total of 41,990 people recovered in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative recoveries so far to 3,28,15,731. The Covid recovery rate stands at 97.77 per cent. At present, India has 3,01,640 active cases, the lowest in the last 187 days, which is 0.90 per cent of the total positive cases registered since 2020. The daily positivity rate declined to 2.09 per cent, which remained below 3 per cent for the last 24 days, while the weekly positivity rate remained at 2.11 per cent, remaining below 3 per cent for the last 90 days, according to the health ministry. A total of 55.83 crore (55,83,67,013) Covid samples have been tested so far in the country, out of which 15,27,443 were tested in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry data said. Till date, the country has administered 83.39 crore (83,39,90,049) doses of Covid vaccines, out of which 71,38,205 jabs were given in the last 24 hours, health ministry's data said.
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Disease Outbreaks
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COVID led schoools' closure in Europe
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A student at the Sainte-Croix elementary school works as half of her writing desk is marked with a tape to ensure that safe distance is kept on May 15, 2020, in Hannut, Belgium. As American schools reopen for the fall—or attempt to, amid a new surge of coronavirus cases related to the Delta variant—what, if anything, can be learned from the experience of Europe? Governments in Europe have wrangled over when to close and reopen schools, weighing the risk of children spreading the virus at school against the economic and education-related disruptions of keeping them at home. During the first months of the pandemic, when most schools were shut, research supported reopening schools for younger age groups, given the evidence of low infection in and from young children. Governments attempted to follow this science and have, from almost the beginning of the pandemic, tried to keep schools open as much as possible to avoid children losing out on education. Teachers unions, on the other hand, have tried to keep the schools closed. Teachers unions have persistently argued that schools were too unsafe for teachers, who could risk contracting the virus and spreading it to their communities and vulnerable people. The unions put enormous pressure on governments to close down schools, even when governments deemed it safe enough to open or partially open them. When the unions were unsatisfied with government action, they sought to block their members from returning to work, filed lawsuits, issued strike threats, and held strikes and mass protests to compel governments to delay school reopenings. When scientific advice indicated it would be safe for more children to return to school in England at the beginning of June 2020, Mary Bousted, the leader of the National Education Union, told members not to engage with any government planning based on a wider reopening of schools and hit schools with 22 pages of demands, including a ban on grading. The union also launched the Escalation App, a smartphone app devised to help teachers challenge attempting to keep classrooms open during lockdown and initiate local strike actions. Across the channel, the French teachers unions— the most strike-prone unions in Europe—launched three major strikes during the pandemic, criticizing the government’s handling of the crisis and calling for more teachers, higher salary, and an increase to the 2021 education budget. Teachers-union activism has routinely goaded governments into accepting union demands and allowing politics rather than science and medical advice, to drive decisions. Parents, who are in favor of some in-person learning for children, have been largely marginalized in the political battles of school closures and reopenings. They have found it frustrating when governments negotiate with unions rather than parents, who prefer to trust public-health professionals. Consequently, more resourceful parents have sought to find alternative ways of schooling, while low-income families, who often do not have access to such opportunities, have had no other choice but to live with union-enforced decisions. There’s not yet been a careful accounting of how many European schools were closed due to union pressure rather than medical advice. The European teachers unions, well-organized and resourceful, have sought to be at the forefront of influencing political decisions about whether or when to send children back to schools. How the unions’ demands on health and safety measures come into play and how much power they have varies from country to country, however. The following offers a brief tour on how teachers unions pursued their “teachers first” agenda at the beginning of the pandemic in five European countries. England On March 23, 2020, Britain went into its first lockdown, which meant schools were closed except for the children of key workers. The two largest teachers’ unions, who had pressured for the lockdown to take place earlier, supported the government’s decision. But when the government attempted to open primary schools to some children on June 1, 2020, when case numbers were down, the teachers unions collided with the government. The unions insisted that schools should not even consider reopening until the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths had fallen even further and an effective program of mass testing and contact tracing was in place. The union campaign succeeded in derailing government plans for the wider school openings. The government announced that it was abandoning plans for all primary-school age groups to return to school for four weeks before the summer term ended. A government survey had reported that, on June 18, 2020, only around one third of Year Six pupils in primary schools (10- and 11-year-olds) were receiving in-person learning. Instead, most primary-school children returned to classes in early September, almost six months after schools closed. A more detailed survey by the National Education Union, with responses from about 11,000 of England’s 16,769 primary schools, found that 44 percent of schools did not open at all on June 1, while another 21 percent did open more widely but on a smaller scale than the government requested. Only 35 percent of schools acted on the government’s instructions. Most of the primary schools that remained closed were controlled by local authorities. A number of local authorities, mostly led by the Labour party, had advised schools against wider reopening, though a few Conservative-led authorities had also expressed concerns. In sharp contrast, the academy primary schools run by trusts, which are similar to American charter schools and make up about 35 percent of primary schools, have been more eager to reopen their doors. A similar divide can be observed for school reopening at the secondary level. The local authority secondary schools have tended to be closed for longer than the academy secondary schools, which make up about 77 percent of secondary schools and have sought ways of keeping schools open for as for long as possible, in line with medical and scientific advice. A trust-wide approach was arranged to manage risk assessment and shape local response to national Covid-19 guidelines, as well as to develop remote learning and quickly source equipment for pupils to use at home. Likewise, the private schools, with their greater resources, raced ahead, offering 74 percent of their students online lessons, compared with 6 percent in the state sector. Private schools also graded students’ work, provided pastoral support, and held parent meetings. Some private schools even formed partnerships with state schools that ignored the union pressures. The pattern that has emerged, and appears to have persisted throughout the pandemic, is that the local-authority-run school sector, in which teachers unions are rooted, has kept schools closed for longer periods and has been more reluctant to return to in-person learning, whereas the trust-run academies have tended to be open longer and arrange online learning activities and other forms of alternative education more extensively during lockdowns. Since 2010, the rollout of the academy program, which is still ongoing, has resulted in an eroded power base for the teachers unions, though the unions have continued to cause disruptions in what is left of the authority-run school sector. Students hold banners during a demonstration to demand support for teachers and workers, in Lyon, central France, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. France Schools in France were among the first to close on March 17, 2020, during Europe’s first lockdown, but when President Macron announced plans to get schools out of lockdown on May 11, 2020, the largest teachers unions planned to block the effort. The unions claimed that the 56-page raft of safeguarding rules issued by the government, which mandated small classes, timed arrivals at schools, and compulsory masks for all teachers and students from the age of 11, was insufficient. Unions then countered with their own demands. Macron sought to take the spike out of the mounting conflict by saying that it was parents, not unions, who should decide whether to send their children back to school. As a result, most schools began to open. Some 40,000 primary and middle schools reopened, which meant that around 1 in 5 primary-school students returned to class. During the second lockdown beginning on October 28, 2020, the French government vowed to keep schools open, and the teachers unions retaliated with strikes. The unions claimed that the health of teachers was at risk due to insufficient protocols against the virus. Macron tried to allay concerns by allowing secondary schools to offer more online teaching, under the condition that students take at least 50 percent of their classes at school. The unions refused to accept this compromise and demanded the government hire more teachers to enable smaller class sizes. Protests continued despite several parent organizations demanding schools open to continue in-person learning. On January 25, 2021, the teachers unions yet again staged a national strike to oppose the government response to the pandemic and repeated their demand for better working conditions and higher salaries. Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer had announced a roughly $460 million package to bump up teachers’ salaries back in April 2020, which took effect in January 2021, but the unions claimed this was not enough. A march through the center of Paris and other protests throughout the country caused serious disruptions to many schools. A third strike was organized in March 2021. Teacher Ditte M’ller welcomes students of class 1b at the Werner Lindemann primary school on the first day of school in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. Germany The German government and the main teachers unions did not clash seriously over school reopenings, as Covid-19 was handled relatively well in the early months of the pandemic. From March 13 to April 23, 2020, all of Germany’s 16 states closed schools. During that time, public adherence to government restrictions got daily cases of the virus into the single digits, resulting in many children returning to school long before the summer holidays. Schools opened fully in August 2020 and were, for the most part, working normally until another lockdown started in 2021. Ample testing and thorough contact tracing have kept disruption to a minimum, impacting just a few students or a single class for a few days or weeks. Under Germany’s federalized system, school closures and openings fall under the jurisdiction of the 16 states. The teachers unions, who for decades have advocated for stronger national control of education, complained that the guidelines produced by the Conference of Ministers of Education—a body that coordinates education polices—were “unhelpful and unpractical” and left too much leeway for the individual states to make their own plans. The unions demanded fully standardized safeguarding rules that every state should follow “step-by-step.” Some centralized coordination and standardization measures resulted, but the states, who lobby for stronger autonomy, believes imposing a standard solution for all schools would be restrictive. The states’ crisis management teams adopted the Conference of Ministers of Education procedures for reopening. Regional union representatives were part of the crisis management teams in only some of the states; in others, they were not consulted. The relations between the government and teachers unions became increasingly tense during the wave of new infections that swept Germany in January 2021. On March 12, 2021, Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek said that nationwide school closures were not on the agenda and that efforts were being made to maintain normal operations for as long as possible. Another lockdown and school closures followed. Elementary schools in more than half of the Germany’s states reopened in late February 2021 after two months of closure. This move came as case numbers were flattening in those states, even though case numbers were rising in others. Karliczek defended the decision to reopen schools, saying younger children in particular benefit from learning together in groups. She expressed confidence that state education officials, who were in charge, would consider infection numbers when deciding to reopen. Union leader Marlis Tepe lamented that states might reopen schools, regardless of the spread, and were taking “a high risk for the health of teachers, students, and their parents.” Melmi, a student at Lauttasaari elementary school, washes her hands ahead of a lesson at school in Helsinki, Findland, Thursday, May 14, 2020. Finland In Finland, the government announced a state of emergency on the March 16, 2020, and closed all schools with almost immediate effect. The teachers union in Finland endorsed the decision and had participated in discussions with the government in the run up to the decision to close schools. The Finnish teachers union is a force to be reckoned with. It is the only trade union for teachers in the country, 97 percent of teachers are members, and it is deeply integrated into the governmental subsystem of boards and commissions, as well as the education ministry. Throughout the pandemic, the union has influenced many government decisions on safety measures in schools, distance learning, equipment, programs, teacher education, additional support grants, and much more. At the same time, the union sought to block local authorities from allowing teachers to deliver their distance teaching from school premises, as it has been active in trying to convince employers to allow teachers work from home. When research came out showing it was low risk to open schools and the government endorsed the findings, the union hit back. On April 18, 2020, Asko Järvinen, chief physician of infectious diseases at the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, said that international studies indicated school closures were “perhaps the least effective way” to slow down the pandemic. The following day, Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced plans to reopen the schools. A union representative complained: “As a teacher, I don’t understand why it is worth risking the health of teachers, children, and their loved ones.” Given the success in containing the spread of Covid-19, the government maintained that children’s rights to education outweighed the risk of going back to school and pressed ahead. Education Minister Li Andersen said that the government was “unmoved” by the union’s “negative opinion about the reopening of schools before the summer break.” Sweden Sweden is an outlier. Sweden never closed schools, judging the benefits of leaving schools open to outweigh the risks. Unlike most children across Europe, Swedish students nationwide have not missed a single day of school due to the coronavirus. The country’s public-health authorities made the decision to keep schools open at the start of the outbreak and stuck with it, even when death rates were ten times higher than in the other Nordic countries. Classes have been compulsory for all pupils up to the age of 16. Local authorities decide how to handle possible outbreaks and have the option to close individual schools. The country’s two teachers unions criticized this decision and have called for national guidelines on whether schools should be closed. Since the unions were unable to overturn the government decision, they have focused their efforts on emphasizing the safety of their members. They also raised concerns over dividing classrooms into smaller groups, as this increased teachers’ work hours and created staffing shortages. Keeping schools open in Spring 2020 did not lead to infection rates among students that were higher than those in neighboring Finland, where schools were temporarily closed. Governments in Europe are now facing a mammoth task in narrowing the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers from higher-income families. Quality school-catchup time is paramount. Schools face an enormous task. Governments will consider measures such as extending learning time into what are usually vacation weeks, adding additional hours to the school day, and offering school-based homework and personal tutoring for students, all of which will increase demands on teachers. Unions strongly oppose such measures. The hostility between European governments and teachers unions will likely continue or perhaps even intensify. In the face of union power, governments have typically scaled back their efforts to make even incremental changes. The union influence is also strong in international institutions. Governments, which increasingly rely on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in improving their education systems, are likely to receive policy advice that has been influenced by the unions. As the importance of the OECD in developing global education policies has increased over the years, so has the influence of the teachers unions. After years of effective lobbying, they are now at the heart of the OECD decision-making processes. Education ministers from OECD member states (only twenty high performers) cannot attend the most important meeting in the International Summit of the Teaching Profession at the Education Directorate OECD without being accompanied by representatives from the teachers union and Education International, a union umbrella group, and they must be given the same amount of speaking time as the ministers. As co-chairs, they decide, together with the OECD, the agenda for every meeting and the format of these, and they have a say on the narrative of the reports published, especially the Teaching and Learning International Survey. In these reports, teachers’ well-being is ranked higher than student outcomes and learning achievements. That teachers unions in Europe entered the pandemic crisis with teacher-centric demands, almost succeeding in silencing the “parent voice,” may seem like a familiar story to Americans. A recent study of 10,000 of roughly 13,000 school districts in the United States shows that the most important factors in determining reopening plans for the 2020–21 school year were local politics and the teachers unions. After controlling for urbanicity, partisanship, and the Covid-19 case rates in a district, the study observed that in larger districts, where unions are more likely to be powerful in politics and have collective bargaining, schools were far less likely to hold in-person classes for children. In Europe as in the U.S., without a strategy to deal with unions, governments seeking to reopen school for in-person education and to help students recover learning lost in the pandemic will find success elusive. Susanne Wiborg is co-author of Comparative Politics of Education: Teachers Unions around the World and reader at UCL Institute of Education, London.
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Organization Closed
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Column: 1,000-year-old tsunami gives glimpse of potential dangers ahead
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A rupture along a fault on the boundary between two of Earth’s tectonic plates, the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate, produced a 9.2 magnitude earthquake, the third-largest in recorded history. It was so large, it even triggered smaller quakes as far away as Alaska, but that wasn’t its deadliest effect. It was a tsunami, which reached shorelines 15 minutes to seven hours after the quake, and caused higher-than-normal tides as far away as Vancouver, Washington. The sudden movement of the sea floor had set in motion the water above. In the deep ocean, the wave was only about two feet high, but as it grew as it approached land, in some places to over 100 feet. And on those shores it killed an estimated 228,000 people in 14 countries, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. For a truly hair-raising experience, look up Sumatra tsunami videos on YouTube. Recent research suggests such tsunamis are not as rare as we might think. The research was published in the journal Geology by an international team of 13 scientists from the United States, New Zealand, Tanzania and Italy. Previous research had focused on the areas hardest hit by the 2004 event – the northern and eastern Indian Ocean coastlines. This research broadened the scope to include the western Indian Ocean, along the eastern coast of Africa. Tsunami risks there were thought to be low based on the little damage caused by the 2004 quake. This research shows otherwise. The study site was located in northern Tanzania, about 3 miles upstream from where the Pangani River enters the Indian Ocean. There, they found a sand layer holding the remains of an ancient coastal settlement. Radiocarbon dated to 1,008 to 802 years old, similar deposits of the same age have been found at other eastern Indian Ocean coastal sites including Thailand, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The sand deposit is up to a foot thick, thins landward, and contains plant debris and pebbles similar those that can be found on the modern beach. It is interpreted as a tsunami deposit because it contains a mixture of organic remains from land, shore and ocean, including marine mollusks and the bones of fish, rodents, amphibians and birds. The clincher were the human remains, from isolated bones to full skeletons, of men, women and children. They occur in random locations, many with broken bones, and the lack of traditional funeral items indicates unexpected deaths. The researchers modelled tsunamis that could be produced by large quakes in the area and determined that the 1,000-year-old event was most-likely produced by a quake similar to the 2004 event, but along a different plate boundary – the one between the Sumatra and Andaman plates, one of many in that region of the world. Our Earth is restless – it is only a matter of time before another one of those faults lets go, sending waves crashing against shores near and far.
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Tsunamis
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Chrisley Knows Best Alum Lindsie Chrisley Finalizes Divorce from Ex Will Campbell
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Lindsie Chrisley and Will Campbell have finalized their divorce, about three months after news of their split first broke.
According to a copy of the divorce settlement obtained by PEOPLE, the former Chrisley Knows Best star, 32, and her ex, 31, had previously divided or sold their assets, including their Georgia home, and are now residing in separate houses.
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The document, filed on Sept. 8, also indicates that the pair have arranged for joint custody of their 8-year-old son Jackson, with no alimony or spousal support agreement.
Lindsie and Campbell began dating in 2009 and chose to elope three years later in 2012.
In July, Lindsie announced their split after nine years of marriage. In an Instagram post at the time, she confirmed that the twosome "mutually decided" that ending their marriage was the best move for their family.
Lindsie Chrisley and Will Campbell
Credit: Lindsie Chrisley/Facebook
RELATED: Lindsie Chrisley Is 'Creating a New Normal' for Her and Son Jackson amid Will Campbell Divorce
"While one door closes, another opens," the Coffee Convos podcast host began in the caption. "It's with the deepest sadness that, after 9 years of marriage, Will & I have mutually decided to end our marriage. We maintain the greatest respect & love for one another, & we're so grateful for our time together. We will continue to remain friends & be devoted parents to our son whom we both love very much."
She continued, "Personally, I am focusing on the new beginnings ahead & a fresh space with the move this week. Thank you in advance for respecting our privacy as we work through this challenging time for our family. ❤️"
Shortly after announcing the divorce, Lindsie learned that her estranged father Todd Chrisley — who had blocked her on social media — posted a message on Instagram that read: "I'm here. I love you. Whatever is going on in your life right now, I see it, and I'm working all things out for good, for you, my child."
Todd Chrisley and Lindsie Chrisley Campbell
Todd and Lindsie Chrisley
RELATED: Todd Chrisley Explains Why He's 'Not Interested' in Sitting Down with Estranged Daughter Lindsie
"There is nothing you can do or have done that will make me ever love you less," the 52-year-old family patriarch continued. "I will protect you from anything, and anyone who tries's [sic] to harm you or your reputation."
Lindsie then responded to his statement on her podcast. "I have many feelings about this, but part of my growth process is that I need to process those feeling before speaking on them because — as we've talked about on here before — part of my homework and therapy for some time now has been disengagement," she said.
"I truly was shocked when I saw something so personal shared as we do have each other's numbers," Lindsie added, noting that she "reached out privately" through her attorney and that their legal teams will likely "be in communication with each other over the coming weeks."
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Famous Person - Divorce
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Climate change is driving the worst drought Madagascar has seen in four decades
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Shelley Thakral, communications and advocacy specialist with the World Food Program, joined The World's host Marco Werman from Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss the dire situation. Children sit by a dug-out water hole in a dry river bed in the remote village of Fenoarivo, Madagascar, Nov. 11, 2020. As a consequence of three straight years of drought, along with historic neglect by the government of the remote region as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, 1.5 million people are in need of emergency food assistance, according to the UN World Food Program. Laetitia Bezain/AP/File photo The island nation of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean continues to suffer from its worst drought in four decades. The lack of rain in southern Madagascar has led to crop failure and mass hunger, all said to be driven by climate change. The UN’s World Food Program says that more than a million people don’t have enough food, and tens of thousands are on the brink of starvation. Related: Brazil’s small farmers tackle food insecurity, hunger amid the pandemic A joint statement released on Monday by UNICEF and the World Food Program warned that in its next assessment there, "at least half a million children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished, including 110,000 in severe condition, in drought-affected southern Madagascar, suffering irreversible damage to their growth and development." Related: Iran's 'system is essentially water bankrupt,' says environmental expert Shelley Thakral, communications and advocacy specialist with the World Food Program, joined The World's host Marco Werman from Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss the dire situation. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
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Droughts
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Esholt Junction rail crash
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The Esholt Junction rail crash occurred on Thursday 9 June 1892, at the point at which the Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway from Ilkley divides, one branch in the direction of Leeds and the other Bradford, a short distance after Guiseley railway station. Two trains collided at around three thirty in the afternoon, resulting in the deaths of five passengers, and injuries to twenty-six more. The driver, fireman and guard of one of the trains were injured, as was a guard on the other train. Although vegetation obscuring a signal was accepted as the primary cause of the crash, a recommendation was made to alter certain signalling procedures at the junction to prevent a recurrence. [1][2]
The crash arose as three trains neared the junction at much the same time — a common enough occurrence. From the direction of Bradford, a Bradford-Harrogate train was following a route taking it in the direction of Guiseley; from the Leeds branch, a Leeds-Ilkley train was also heading towards Guiseley; whilst in the other direction an Ilkley-Bradford train approached the junction from Guiseley. Signalman Harry I'Anson, in the Esholt signal box, gave the Bradford-Harrogate train permission to pass the junction; meanwhile in the Apperley signal box, signalman Thomas Aubrey, knowing the Ilkley-Bradford train was approaching, gave the Leeds-Ilkley train permission to proceed towards the junction under a procedure called clause 16, which allowed trains to near the junction under the proviso that they were likely to encounter a danger signal before the junction proper. At the junction, the Leeds-Ilkley driver, Archibald McLay, despite acknowledging that he had been given a clause 16 permission, and in spite of his four and a half year's service on the line, mistook the proceed signal given to the Bradford-Harrogate train as relating to his line. In fact, his signal was at danger, but obscured by vegetation at the time he looked at it. By the time his train arrived at the junction, it was being crossed by the Ilkley-Bradford train. The Ilkley-bound train ploughed through the last six carriages of the Bradford bound train, overturning the last of these; the engine and tender of the Ilkley bound train also turned over. Five passengers, all on the Ilkley-Bradford train died, one instantly, one en route to and three in hospital. Twenty-six passengers were injured and McLay and his fireman, Walter Bolton, received serious injuries, as did the guard on his train and one of the guards on the Bradford-bound train. An investigation by Major General C. S. Hutchinson concluded that whereas the immediate cause was the obscured signal, signalling practice at Esholt Junction — specifically clause 16, which allowed trains to approach the junction simultaneously — should be abolished and considered to be a breach of the Regulation of Railways Act 1889. The Bradford junction signal was also repositioned so that it could not be seen from the Leeds line. Coordinates: 53°51′56″N 1°42′30″W / 53.8655°N 1.7082°W / 53.8655; -1.7082
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Train collisions
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Rosmalen train accident
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The Rosmalen train accident was a railway accident next to the street Burgemeester Wolterstraat near Rosmalen railway station in Rosmalen, the Netherlands in late December 1920. In the accident two freight trains collided and three people died. [1]
One of the two freight trains was on a side track in front of the Rosmalen railway station. The train was driving back upon the main track and collided with a freight train coming from the direction of Nijmegen. Due to the collision, the locomotive of the colliding train derailed and the following eight wagons slid in and up each other. According to witnesses the train driver had ignored an unsafe sign. Three people died: the main conductor and two brakemen. One of them lay for 11 hours seriously injured under the rubble before he could be released. He died shortly afterwards in hospital.
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Train collisions
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Famine in Yemen
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Any disruption to food and fuel supplies coming through Hodeidah port could cause starvation on an unprecedented scale, warns Save the Children Multimedia content and case studies from Yemen available to download here. Hodeidah, September 19 – 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 per cent) 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 per cent 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 per cent since 2015. The Yemeni Rial (YER) has depreciated nearly 180 per cent 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 commodities like petrol, diesel and cooking gas has increased by 25 per cent 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. Our teams 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. Dr *Ali, Save the Children’s Nutrition Adviser in Amran, Yemen, said: “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. 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 per cent of households said food was their primary expenditure. Equally alarming, 93 per cent named high commodity prices as their primary challenge, including food and fuel, while 72 per cent 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. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, CEO of Save the Children International, said: “The nutrition crisis in Yemen has serious implications. Millions of children don’t know when or if their next meal will come. In one hospital I visited in north Yemen, the babies were too weak to cry, their bodies exhausted by hunger. This could be any hospital in Yemen. Severely malnourished children are 12 times more likely to die from preventable diseases like pneumonia, measles, cholera or diphtheria. Children who are stunted suffer physical and often irreversible long-term cognitive damage. It’s essential that children get the food they need to survive and thrive.” What happens in Hodeidah has a direct impact on children and families right 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. “This war risks killing an entire generation of Yemen’s children who face multiple threats, from bombs to hunger to preventable diseases like cholera. 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.” 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. ENDS CASE STUDIES Three months ago, 10-month-old *Amara became ill and suffered from diarrhoea. Although the illness passed, she kept losing weight until she became severely malnourished. Her father, 18-year-old *Omar and his wife, are both unemployed and struggle to provide *Amara with enough daily nutrition. *Omar, *Amara’s father, said: "Life has changed a lot during the war. The hardest change for my family is the rise in prices. Even if I manage to find work, the cost of food is just too high. We used to eat meat and fish but now I can only afford bread, so that’s what we eat. Sometimes we can also eat vegetables if I save up. We often go two whole days without eating, and I feel very guilty when that happens. I feel like I’ve failed my child.” *SUHA Two-and-a-half-year-old *Suha suffers from severe malnutrition which makes her weak and unable to eat on her own. Her mother *Manal has given birth to fourteen other children, some of whom have died. She struggles to feed her family as prices continue to increase because of the war. She couldn’t breastfeed as she is undernourished herself, saving what little food she has for her children. *Manal, *Suha’s mother, said: “I have fifteen children, almost half of them died. Two girls and one boy died from malnutrition, two boys from high fever and diarrhea. And the other two were stillborn. When *Suha was six months she became sick. I could see her bones, I could not do anything for her. I had no money for transportation. I had to borrow some money to take *Suha to the Hospital far away from our village. Most of the time we eat two meals a day. In the morning we eat bread with tea and for lunch it’s potatoes and tomatoes. Usually, I don’t eat. I keep it for my children.” 14-month-old *Mansur from Amran suffers from Severe Acute Malnutrition. He started becoming undernourished seven months ago, when he suffered from diarrhea. Mansur’s father used to be a farmer before the conflict, but now struggles to find work. As a result, the family can’t afford the nutritious food their children need. The main meal the family eats is milk from their neighbour’s livestock, along with bread. *Lamia, *Mansur’s mother, said: "My husband already sold our land to survive in this crisis. When it started, we could not find anything to eat. The doctor said that Mansur is getting better. He gave me nutrition for my son. He told me that I should continue breastfeeding and showed me why it's important." Multimedia content and case studies from Yemen available to download here. Children in Yemen need your help. Visit our Yemen Crisis Appeal page. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, CEO of Save the Children International is available for interview at the UN General Assembly from 24th September 2018. To arrange an interview, kindly contact Helena Dollimore in New York: helena.dollimore@savethechildren.org Spokespeople available in Yemen, Jordan and the UK. Since the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen began in March 2015 it has become three times more expensive for Yemenis to buy foreign currency. More information on the depreciation of the Yemeni Rial can be found here. The UN’s humanitarian update for the period 27 August – 6 September warns that an additional two million Yemenis are at risk of famine as a result of the currency collapse and price hikes. Based on the credible assumption that approximately half of Yemen’s population is under 18 years, Save the Children estimates that one million additional children under 18 years are at heightened risk of famine. According to the UN’s World Food Programme, 8.4 million people in Yemen are severely food insecure and at risk of being pushed into famine. Based on this, Save the Children estimates that 4.2 million children under 18 years are at risk of famine in Yemen. The UN estimates that 17.8 million people in Yemen require emergency food assistance. World Bank data shows Yemen’s population as 27.58 million (2016). Based on this, 64.5 per cent (or two-thirds) of the population requires emergency food assistance. Earlier this month Save the Children warned that with a 2018 caseload of nearly 400,000 severely malnourished children under five years in Yemen, more than 36,000 children would likely die from extreme hunger this year. For more information read full report here. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is widely acknowledged as the worst in the world. 60 per cent of the country’s population is hungry, including 8.4 million acutely food insecure people who do not know where their next meal will come from and an additional 10 million people who could slip into pre-famine conditions by the end of year unless the conflict ends. At least 1.8 million children and 1.1 million pregnant or breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished, including 400,000 children under the age of five who are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Save the Children has over 50 years of experience working in Yemen. Operational since 1963, the charity was the first international aid group in Yemen. We work nationally and locally to promote and protect children’s rights, with programmes in education, protection, health, nutrition, water, livelihoods, and food security. More information here.
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Famine
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2019 Sunda Strait earthquake
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The 2019 Sunda Strait earthquake occurred on the night of 2 August 2019, when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled Sunda Strait at a moderate depth of 52.8 kilometres. The epicentre was located 214 km from Bandar Lampung, the capital of Lampung and 147 km west of Sumur, Pandeglang Regency. The earthquake struck with a maximum intensity of V (Moderate). The earthquake prompted a tsunami warning in the area, with authorities urging coastal residents to immediately evacuate to higher grounds. The earthquake was the largest earthquake to have hit Jakarta and West Java since 2009, when a magnitude 7.0 struck Java killing 79 people. In the aftermath, the earthquake damaged a total of 505 structures across Banten and West Java. The earthquake caused 8 deaths, 8 injuries and displaced a total of 33 people. All of the deaths were indirectly caused by the earthquake. The earthquake struck at 19:03 local time (12:03 UTC) at a moderate depth of 52.8 km (Indonesian BMKG stated that the earthquake struck at a depth of 10 km). The epicentre was located 147 km off the coast of Sumur, an area which had been previously destroyed by another tsunami in December 2018. [1] Indonesian geological agency BMKG recorded the magnitude of the earthquake as 7.4 while the USGS recorded it as a magnitude 6.9 earthquake. [2] BMKG subsequently revised the magnitude to 6.9 and its hypocentre to 48 km. [3]
The earthquake struck with an oblique-slip motion. [4] According to experts from the Indonesian BMKG, the earthquake wasn't caused by Sunda megathrust, but rather from a nearby fault, indicated by its north-south motion of the rupture. It was later confirmed that the earthquake was an intraplate earthquake. [5]
Moderate shaking were widely reported across Lampung, Banten and West Java. In Jakarta, office workers and apartment residents were evacuated from high rise buildings, citing "strong shaking". The operation of Jakarta MRT was terminated due to the earthquake. [6] The earthquake could be felt as far away as Mataram, which was located in Lombok Island. [7] In Yogyakarta, residents reported "swaying motion" from the earthquake. The recorded maximum Mercalli-intensity of the earthquake was VI (strong). The maximum perceived intensity, however, was V (moderate). [2]
A tsunami warning was issued for Lampung and Banten, with an expected maximum height of 3 m.[8][9] Residents in coastal areas, especially those in Southern Lampung and Pandeglang Regency, were urged by authorities to evacuate to higher grounds. In Lampung, at least 1,050 people evacuated to the governor's office. [10] Initially, there were unconfirmed reports that water levels had receded in several areas in Banten. These reports were considered as hoaxes as observation of tide gauges showed that there were no observed changes in water levels around Banten and Lampung. [11] Nearly one and a half-hour after the warning was issued, it was cancelled by Indonesian BMKG. [12]
On 3 August, the Indonesian Government confirmed that 2 people had died during the evacuation, one of whom reportedly died due to heart attack. [13] On 4 August, the death toll later rose to 5 and then stood at 6, specifically 1 in Pandeglang Regency, 3 in Lebak Regency and 2 in Sukabumi Regency. All of the deaths were indirectly caused by the earthquake and none were caused by fallen debris. Additionally, 3 injuries were reported and 33 people were displaced by the earthquake. [14] Finally, on 5 August, a number of eight casualties was confirmed. [15]
Since most of the buildings located in the region are vulnerable and don't meet with the current criteria for an earthquake-resistant building, significant damages were widely reported across the region. Most of the buildings in the region are considered as unreinforced masonry building. [16] Preliminary reports showed that dozens of structures across Banten and West Java had been either damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. On 3 August, hours after the quake, reports indicated that 21 houses and 1 mosque had been damaged. [17] The number later rose to 200. [18] Cracks were found in several homes in Bandung, the capital of West Java. A total of 7 homes were damaged in Bogor. [19] Pandeglang Regional Disaster Management Board stated that 42 homes were damaged in Pandeglang, particularly in Mandalawangi. [20] A total of 505 structures, including schools, mosques and public institution, were damaged in the quake. [21] Traditional Baduy settlements with vernacular buildings reported little to no damage [22] A campus in Jakarta was damaged. [23]
The Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, however, stated that no infrastructures had been damaged in the quake. [24]
The Indonesian Ministry of Health stated that the Central Government's medical department will not help with the handling of the healthcare for the survivors, stating that the regional government is 'adequate enough' to handle. [25] The Ministry of Social Affairs stated that it had dispatched personnel of Tagana (Taruna Siaga Bencana) to the affected areas. [26] The ministry stated that those who perished in the quake would be compensated with Rp 15 million each. [27]
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Earthquakes
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2001 Marsh Harbour Cessna 402 crash
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NASSAU, Bahamas (CNN) -- The small aircraft that crashed last weekend on the island of Abaco, killing singer Aaliyah and eight others, was overloaded by hundreds of pounds, officials said Thursday. The extra weight -- and the way in which it was distributed -- most likely contributed to the plane's crash shortly after takeoff, said John Frank, executive director of the Cessna Pilots' Association. According to a report released Thursday by the Bahamian Civil Aviation Department, the plane was loaded to within 805 pounds of its maximum takeoff weight, not counting the weight of the nine people on board -- one of those a 300-pound bodyguard. "Clearly the airplane was above its certificated gross weight when it took off, by several hundred pounds at least," said Frank. A private funeral for Aaliyah will be held Friday in New York, as will a public event at a restaurant near Grand Central Terminal. The 22-year-old actress and singer had been in the Bahamas filming a video for her latest album. Immediately after the crash Saturday at Marsh Harbour airport, airport employees told CNN that baggage handlers and the pilot of the Cessna 402 had complained before takeoff that the aircraft was overloaded with luggage, but the passengers insisted on taking everything with them. Thursday's report said the authorized takeoff weight of a Cessna 402 is 6,300 pounds. Weight and balance information recorded for the aircraft showed it weighed 4,117 pounds empty. The recovered baggage was weighed at 574 pounds -- not counting one suitcase that sank in the marshy area where the plane crashed -- and the fuel weighed 804 pounds, the report said. That left 805 pounds available for the eight passengers and pilot -- or just under 90 pounds apiece. Based on the weight of the luggage and the aircraft's full capacity of nine people, Frank said, "every nook and cranny of that airplane was packed." He said the placement of the plane's cargo was as important as the weight, because a tail-heavy load can cause a pilot to lose control of an aircraft. "When you start talking about control, weight doesn't matter so much, although it makes it harder to fly," Frank said. "Control is based on where the weight is placed." Officials at the medical examiner's office in Nassau weighed the remains of the passengers. The Civil Aviation Department's report said that total has not yet been confirmed. The report said the on-scene phase of the accident investigation has been completed. It said both of the plane's engines were examined and appear to have been producing power at the time of impact. It said the propellers will be examined in the United States, and the rest of the investigation will be continued in Florida, with the Bahamian team traveling to the FAA office there. On Wednesday, the Broward County, Florida, sheriff's office told CNN that the pilot of the plane, Luis Morales, had been charged with cocaine possession on July 7. After being stopped for running a stop sign, he gave sheriff's deputies permission to search his car, and the crack cocaine was found, authorities said. He posted bond, and his case was later adjudicated. Morales had 60 days to voluntarily report this incident to the FAA, which could have suspended or revoked his flight certificate. He was still within that period when he was killed. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen told CNN that Morales had no rules violations against him but confirmed he had a criminal record that might have affected his flying record. The FAA is still attempting to pinpoint the charter company of record for the flight. The FAA's records show that the flight's operator, Blackhawk International Airways, is cleared to fly only as a "single pilot certificate." That is, only one pilot is licensed to fly for Blackhawk, and it was not Morales. The registered owner of the plane is a Pembroke Pines, Florida, company, SkyStream. FAA officials said they are trying to determine the link between the two companies.
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Air crash
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2011 BWF World Championships
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The 2011 BWF World Championships was the 19th tournament of the BWF World Championships, a global tournament in the sport of badminton. It was held at Wembley Arena in London, England, from August 8 to August 14, 2011. [1]
China clean swept all the titles for a record third time and became the first nation to successfully defend all the titles won from the previous edition. Scotland won their first medal from mixed pair and India won their medal in women's doubles and their seconds worlds medal after 28 years. [2]
The draw was held on 25 July at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [3]
All five events started on the first day and concluded with the final on the last day. [4]
All times are local (UTC+1). * Host nation (England)
347 players from 48 countries participated at this year's edition. [5] The number in parentheses indicate the player contributed by each country.
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Sports Competition
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Britain Has Finally Left the European Union. Here's What's Changing
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When the clock struck 11 p.m. local time on Jan. 31, Britain officially left the European Union , after three and a half years largely marked by arguments, negotiations and divisions. The moment heralded the start of a new, uncertain phase in the U.K.’s national life. Britain’s lawmakers gave up their seats in the European Parliament, its trade officials became free to start negotiating with other countries, and pockets across the nation began to jangle with three million commemorative coins, minted to mark the occasion. But as the sun rose on Feb. 1, Brits would be forgiven for not noticing much of a change. That’s because, thanks to the divorce deal agreed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and E.U. leaders, the U.K. has now entered a “transition period” until the end of December 2020. That means most E.U. laws will continue to apply in Britain, including the rights of E.U. citizens to live and work in the country. Although new immigration rules were announced Feb. 19, they will not come into force until 2021. So Britain will immediately recoup neither the sovereignty nor the control of its borders that voters were promised by the “Leave” side during the 2016 referendum. Officially, however, it will be one step closer to doing so. Here’s what to know about the months to come. What will happen to travel after Jan. 31? During the transition period, travel between the U.K. and the E.U. will continue as normal. That means travelers who are U.K. or E.U. citizens will not need visas. It also means U.K. citizens can continue to work in E.U. countries — though they have long been advised to apply for residency to make sure they can continue to do so after the transition period ends. (The same applies for E.U. citizens living in the U.K.) The EHIC health insurance card, which ensures holders’ access to foreign medical services during time abroad, will continue to work as normal until December. Cellphone roaming fees — nonexistent for E.U. citizens in other member states under an agreement that came into force in 2017 — will also continue to be free for Brits in the E.U. and vice versa, until December. After the transition period ends they could increase, depending on the deal the U.K. reaches with the bloc. After the transition period ends, tourists from the U.K. will not need visas for trips of less than 90 days to the E.U., Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. But people wanting to work, study, or travel for business may need more documentation. What will happen to immigration rules? Ending Britain’s obligation to allow any E.U. citizen to travel, settle and work in the country was one of the driving factors behind the 2016 Brexit vote. Accordingly, setting out new, harsher immigration rules has been a priority for Johnson’s government. On Feb. 19, the government announced a new “points-based” immigration system, which will come into force after the transition period ends. Under the new system, foreign workers must pass an English test and hold a job offer at an “appropriate skill level” from an “approved sponsor.” Those mandatory conditions would together award 50 “points” in the new system. To be eligible for entry to the U.K., a foreign worker must hold 70 points. More points are awarded, in bands, for higher salaries, higher educational qualifications, or if an applicant is seeking a “shortage” job, like nursing, where workers are in demand. The Confederation of British Industry, a business lobby group, said the salary thresholds could hurt sectors of the British economy (like agriculture) that depend heavily on low-cost migrant labour. It is unclear whether the E.U. will apply similar rules to the 1.2 million British migrants currently living and working in member states. What will happen to the economy? The stock markets will likely treat Feb. 1 like a normal day, given Brexit has been all but inevitable since Johnson’s victory in Britain’s Dec. 2019 general election . But there’s still significant uncertainty on the horizon. Britain will begin trade talks with the E.U. in March, a high priority for Johnson who is keen to retain as many privileges of Britain’s membership of the E.U. as possible. But Johnson would also like to jettison some of the E.U. regulations currently complied with by the U.K. “The E.U. is making it very clear that there will inevitably be a trade off between the U.K.’s desire to deregulate and its demand for access to the E.U. market,” says Tim Bale, the deputy director of U.K. in a Changing Europe, a non-partisan academic research institute. “The U.K., as always, wants to have its cake and eat it.” Britain will also be free to begin trade talks with the U.S. , a country with which the E.U. does not have an existing free trade agreement. Trump has talked up the possibility of a “tremendous” deal with the U.K. that has the potential to be “far bigger and more lucrative” than any agreement with the E.U. But such a deal, if agreed, will come at a price. Kim Darroch, the U.K.’s former Ambassador to the U.S., stole headlines on Friday when he said, in an interview with the Guardian , that President Trump would pressure the U.K. to accept higher prices for American pharmaceutical drugs and lower standards for agricultural goods in any trade deal. “Do they want us to pay more for their pharmaceuticals? Do the pharmaceutical companies want to use this leverage? Of course they do,” Darroch said. Any deals agreed would not come into force until after the transition period ends in December. Could there be another Brexit delay? Johnson has repeatedly promised that there will be no further delay to Brexit, and that the transition period will therefore end on Dec. 31, 2020. That leaves just 10 months for the E.U. and U.K. to strike an agreement on their future relationship, since talks are set to start on Mar. 3. If they fail to reach an agreement, then it could put a “no deal” Brexit back on the horizon. In other words, Britain could end up abruptly leaving the E.U.’s single market and customs union with no deals to smooth its passage. That could mean lines at ports thanks to new customs checks, a sharp drop in cross-border trade as tariffs come into force, and new restrictions on U.K. businesses operating in the E.U. With such a large majority in Parliament, Johnson could perhaps afford to renege on his pledge not to extend the transition period, especially if a deal were in sight. “He will almost certainly have to extend. No-one in modern times, after all, has managed to do a comprehensive trade deal in only a matter of months,” Bale says. “He just won’t call it an extension. Instead, it’ll be labeled ‘Phase One’ or somesuch. And he’ll probably get away with it too.”
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Seacor Power Update: Missed Weather Warnings & More From Coast Guard Hearings
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Months after the Seacor Power lift boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico, a hearing to investigate what led to the tragedy that left 13 of the 19 crew dead or presumed dead wrapped up on August 13. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation heard testimony from 31 witnesses, many of whom were part of search and rescue efforts. The purpose of the hearing was to put together a timeline of what happened and determine if a person or business was responsible for the Seacor Power disaster due to misconduct or failure in performing their duties. Knowing weather conditions and what warnings the crew received were important to figure out what factors contributed to the disaster. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation may also recommend enhanced safety regulations to prevent an accident like this from happening again. The hearing included testimony from two survivors, family of crew members injured or dead, U.S. Coast Guard personnel, representatives of the companies involved, and others who helped with search and rescue efforts. Firsthand accounts of the disaster painted a grim and terrifying picture, how the stormy seas and poor weather conditions added challenges to the already dire situation. But other factors that contributed to the disaster were revealed during the hearing, including a technical issue with the boat’s weather warning system. In addition to the investigation, survivors and family members of those who died in the Seacor Power boat accident have since filed several lawsuits. Talos Energy Inc., Seacor Marine LLC, and Falcon Global Offshore II LLC are cited in the lawsuits. The hearing for the Seacor Power boat accident revealed enough facts to create a timeline of events surrounding when: Coast Guard personnel who testified brought forward two key pieces of information. First, they explained the technical issue that inhibited the Seacor Power boat from receiving weather warnings and that it wasn’t reconnected until after the boat capsized. The crew had no way of receiving weather warnings due to the system’s failure. Another important piece of testimony was centered around the initial distress signal that prompted the Coast Guard to reach out to Seacor Power. The company representative told the Coast Guard false information – that the boat was still in Port Fourchon – but it wasn’t. Around half an hour later, a different representative called and said the boat capsized. The number of crew members on board was also incorrect at first. This confusion added unnecessary challenges to the situation. A witness who was part of a private helicopter crew that attempted to save crew members from the waters explained what he saw and experienced at the accident site. He described how the churning seas and high winds prevented them from immediately reaching crew members who were waving for help as they hung onto part of the boat. It took a few hours to rescue the surviving hypothermic crew because of poor weather. Falcon Global Offshore II LLC, Seacor Marine LLC, and Seacor Liftboats LLC have filed a civil suit under the Limitation of Liability Act. The use of the Limitation of Liability Act is common after maritime accidents. The lawsuit claims due diligence on the part of the three companies; the weather forecast was within their “safe operating limits,” the boat was “fit for service” at the time it left port, and unexpected weather changes ultimately caused the boat to capsize. They also claim the final decision to leave port was that of the captain, a fact that’s been widely debated. In the weeks following the accident, there was controversy around who was responsible for deciding to set sail after a storm had just passed through the area. Many speculated that the boat shouldn’t have left Port Fouchon, and blame was passed around to the boat owners, the company that commissioned it, and the captain. When companies file suits under the Limitation of Liability Act, claims related to the accident are limited to the total value of the boat and its freight. This would limit settlements with family and survivors of the Seacor Power disaster to a total of $5.67 million. The Limitation of Liability Act protects the companies involved but has been criticized throughout the years, with many citing it’s an antiquated law for today’s maritime industry. The emergence of weather technology and communications systems and improved health and safety measures have greatly decreased the type, frequency, and severity of risks crew faced when the Limitation of Liability Act was introduced in 1851. The Seacor Power boat tragedy on April 13, 2021, was one of the worst maritime accidents in recent history. Only six of the 19 crew were found alive during extensive search and rescue efforts that took place for weeks after the boat capsized. The Coast Guard’s Board of Investigation results are highly anticipated, and the National Transportation and Safety Board is expected to release its report in the coming months.
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Shipwreck
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Sydney McLaughlin Is the 400-m Hurdles World Record Holder. But Her Journey Is Just Beginning
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For Team USA, the women’s 400-m hurdles is rarely a marquee event at the Olympics. But it has been quite awhile since the U.S. has had a hurdling prodigy like McLaughlin. Her race for gold in the Tokyo Olympics event was one of the top events of the Games.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, McLaughlin, then 16, became the youngest athlete to make the U.S. Track and Field team since 1972. The Dunellen, N.J., native did not make the Olympic final in 2016, but McLaughlin, who turns 22 on Aug. 7, was just getting started on her record-breaking journey.
In 2017, McLaughlin became the first person to be named Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year for two straight years. After one season in college at the University of Kentucky, she turned pro in 2018, signing a sponsorship deal with New Balance. She set the previous 400-m hurdles world record at the U.S. Track and Field trials in June, running the race in 51.90 seconds and becoming the first woman to break the 52-second barrier. McLaughlin, who also signed a deal with TAG Heuer in July, is poised to succeed Allyson Felix as the most recognized—and marketed—woman in track.
“Sydney McLaughlin possesses a quiet confidence,” Felix wrote about McLaughlin for this year’s issue of TIME 100 Next, “that demands your attention.”
Read more: Sydney McLaughlin Just Won the 400-m Hurdles. Remember Her Name. You’ll Be Hearing a Lot of It
McLaughlin won gold—and broke her own world record—in the 400-m hurdles Olympic final on Wednesday, Aug. 3, in what was one of the most thrilling track races so far in Tokyo. She set a new world record, finishing at 51.46 seconds, almost half a second faster than her previous world record from Trials. Muhammad finished second, also running under 52 seconds, with a time of 51.58.
READ MORE: Your Guide to the Fastest and Most Exciting Track Events at the Tokyo Olympics
Coming into the race, however, McLaughlin downplayed the competition with her teammate. “The biggest lesson the sport has ever taught me,” McLaughlin says, “at this moment in time, is really to just focus on your lane. Everybody’s journey in the sport looks different. Nothing is ever guaranteed from year to year. So, taking the opportunities that you have in front of you and not looking around at what everyone else is doing. It’s so much easier said than done. But truly for me, focusing on my lane and my 10 hurdles, whatever that looks like in whatever capacity, truly does make the difference instead of running somebody else’s race.”
McLaughlin is the daughter of runners; her father, Willie, reached the 400-m semifinals at the 1984 Olympic trials, and her mother, Mary, ran in high school.
Only a few years removed from her own high school graduation, McLaughlin is at the fore of a new generation of track athletes hoping to raise the sport’s profile in America; though long one of the leading nations in the sport, track and field struggles for attention while competing against juggernauts like the NFL, NBA, and even top college sports. “It’s really important and it’s really cool to be a part of this new wave,” she says. “It’s kind of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and I think it’s really entertaining for people on the outside to watch but also to know that we are able to take things to a whole new level. And definitely, as someone who’s a part of it, it pushes you to be the best that you can be. I think it definitely pulls the best out of everyone’s competition, every time we step on the track.”
McLaughlin was poised to break her own world record in Tokyo. She had put in the work and hasn’t always had it easy. During the one-year pandemic delay of these Games, McLaughlin switched coaches and started working with Bobby Kersee, the husband and former coach of six-time Olympic medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee as well as Felix’s longtime coach. She has been open about struggles with mental health, including experiencing post-Olympic depression after Rio, and the online harassment she faced while in high school.
What has changed the most for her over the past five years? “I think, as a person, kind of just understanding more of the woman that I want to become,” says McLaughlin. “Being on the team at 16, there was so much that I was just uncertain about, not just in the sports world but being a teenage girl. So the past five years have just been crucial to understanding who I want to be and what I want to represent.”
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Break historical records
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54 African Countries 1 Entry Point
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Senegal and Zambia unilaterally scrapping tax treaties with Mauritius has shaken up the African investment and legal landscape.
Senegal and Zambia have blamed “unbalanced” and “unfair” treaties
for their surprise decisions to terminate double-taxation agreements with
Mauritius.
Tearing up a tax treaty is highly unusual in the circumspect
world of international diplomacy and several other African countries with pacts
have now gone back to the small print and are carefully weighing their options,
including Namibia, Uganda and Lesotho.
Announcing its decision in January 2020, the Senegalese
government said it had lost US$257-million in the 17 years since its agreement
with Mauritius was signed in 2004. When Zambia followed suit in June, a
government official in Lusaka told media the country was still calculating how
much tax revenue its 2012 deal had cost it.
It is understood that both countries are trying to negotiate
new treaties on more favourable terms with Mauritius, but no public statements
have been made by any of the parties.
These developments come in the wake of various activist groups
– including Oxfam and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
– campaigning internationally against what they see as iniquitous deals that
favour so-called “tax havens”.
For its part, Mauritius says its tax regime operates openly
and above-board and such tax treaties are common throughout the world. Indeed,
treaties are designed to benefit both signatory parties.
At the core of the disputes are companies registered in
Mauritius that operate in other countries. Tax pacts allow them to pay tax on
profits in their “residence”, Mauritius, rather than where they are actually making
the money. Mauritius levies tax at between 3% and 15%, whereas the rate is 30%
in Senegal (28% in South Africa and 35% in Zambia).
The flip-side of the tax haven scenario has long been that
countries seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) are reconciled to foregoing
tax revenue because of the huge advantages – job-creation, infrastructure
development and improved standards of life – of investment lured by tax
benefits, albeit from a third party.
A recent webinar with participants from the Lex Africa community
discussed the matter to try to clarify issues at stake.
Celeste Oates, LEX Africa Manager, was joined by Dev Erriah, Head of Erriah Chambers, Mauritius; Mamadou Mbaye, Legal Advisor at SCP Mame Adama Gueye & Associes, Dakar, Senegal; and Jackie Jhala, Partner, Corporate Advisory Department, Corpus Legal Practitioners, Lusaka, Zambia.
The first question asked was: What is the purpose of a double-taxation
treaty, or a double-taxation avoidance agreement, or a non-double taxation
treaty (variously known as a DTT, a DTAA or, most commonly, a DTA)?
Before World War 2, international business and investments
involved difficult and protracted legal processes. This cross-border
interaction has been significantly eased by bilateral and multilateral trade
agreements – among which are DTAs.
Specifically, such treaties are intended to avoid “double
taxation”, in other words, income being taxed twice – in the “home”
jurisdiction and in the foreign country where a company is operating and
generating profits. The DTA is enforceable in both countries under their
separate legal systems and is usually ratified by the respective parliaments.
The legal principle is pacta sund servanda, which
refers to a contract or pact between two parties that has the effect of a law –
with non-fulfilment of obligations constituting a breach.
There are two models for tax treaties, one developed by the
United Nations (UN) and the other by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD). The former is designed to help developing countries
while the latter focuses on issues facing developed economies.
Inevitably, companies seek to become “resident” in countries
with low tax rates – rather than where they might be earning money. As
mentioned, developing countries have opted into this environment, with FDI seen
as offsetting tax “losses”.
However, changed circumstances – often years or decades after
the signing of a DTA – can result in countries taking a closer look and
deciding the terms are not in their favour.
This is the case with both Senegal and Zambia, who believe
they are losing unacceptable amounts in tax and want greater equity in any
agreements with Mauritius.
Dev Erriah explained that Mauritius had become something of a
DTA hub for countries seeking ways to draw in FDI. The country has 46 DTAs,
including 16 with African countries. He added that the background to this scenario
dates back to 1981, when Mauritius signed a bilateral tax agreement with India,
which proved very useful in the latter country attracting massive FDI as it
embarked on its well-documented modernisation and infrastructure-build drive. Treaties
with African states have been based on this model.
Dev Erriah pointed out that low-tax jurisdictions are used all
over the world. Also, Mauritius was not pocketing revenue not being paid in
other countries; any “lost” money was going to company shareholders, who
naturally seek to maximise their tax savings.
He added that treaties with African countries might well need
updating and it was important for all parties to review long-standing
arrangements periodically.
In 2018 Mauritius became part of the OECD’s Multilateral
Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and
Profit Shifting (MLI), aimed at updating international tax rules and lessening
the opportunity for tax avoidance by multinational enterprises. As part of this
association, Mauritius listed several countries with which it has tax treaties,
in order to improve bilateral equity. Senegal and Zambia were not initially
listed.
Belatedly Mauritius did add them, but by then the bilateral
treaties had been torn up.
The use of global business companies (previously called
‘offshore companies’) in Mauritius – with no real administrative presence/real
substance there at all – is particularly galling to African countries. The case
of a Canadian engineering giant that avoided paying $8.9-million to Senegal has
been a cause celebre.
Mamadou Mbaye commented that, when its DTA with Mauritius was
signed in 2004, Senegal might have envisioned more companies based in its
territory doing business in and with Mauritius and the tax-take between the two
countries balancing out. “But this has not been the case.”
Mr. Mbaye speculated that in 2004 Senegal was not an oil and
gas producer, as it is now, and revenues from these highly profitable sources
were not taken into consideration. Other mining activity in Senegal has also
grown rapidly so far.
Senegal would certainly prefer to receive direct investment from
those oil and gas and mining parent companies rather than through Mauritius not
only because of the tax matter but because of the collateral positive impact
they may have on various sectors of activities turning directly or indirectly around
locally registered oil and gas and mining companies
From Zambia, Jackie Jhala agreed that the landscape had changed: “A lot has transpired in the eight years since the treaty was signed. Zambia does need to attract FDI, but this agreement has not worked out as envisaged.”
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Tear Up Agreement
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America’s Lose–Lose Withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council
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On June 18, 2018, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley stood beside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department to announce the US’ withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). Haley spoke of the hypocrisy of countries with abhorrent human rights records sitting on the Council and criticized its “chronic bias against Israel.” “That is why,” Haley stated , “the United States is withdrawing from the Human Rights Council, an organization that is not worthy of its name.” The HRC is the leading international body responsible for monitoring and addressing thematic and situational issues of human rights around the globe. It comprises forty-seven Member States elected by the UN General Assembly. The United States was a member from its election in 2009 until June 2018, when Pompeo and Haley announced the withdrawal. This news shocked many, with human rights defenders all over the world lamenting what they perceived as the US retreating from its commitment to protecting human rights. This was just one instance of the Trump administration pulling back from multilateral engagements, following its controversial withdrawal from the long-sought Paris Climate Accords in June 2017 and its abandonment of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, in May 2018. However, even before the election of Donald Trump, the United States—which Ambassador Haley touted as having a “strong legacy as a champion of human rights”—has often shied away from global human rights commitments. The US has ratified only three of the nine core international human rights treaties. Three of the conventions to which the US is not a party have otherwise achieved near-universal ratification. It is the only UN Member State that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is one of only a handful of countries to not have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Despite the historical failure by the United States to commit to many internationally recognized human rights agreements and the Trump administration’s general aversion to multilateral engagement, Haley and Pompeo’s reasons for withdrawing from the HRC are not completely unfounded. However, the US’s withdrawal will only weaken its ability to positively influence international human rights, and giving up this seat at the table will only diminish the US’ political position globally by limiting its ability to advocate for its strategic and human rights priorities on the world stage. Further, the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw demonstrates its failure to understand a hard-to-swallow, yet crucial trade-off that categorizes multilateral systems: that operating within an imperfect system often is the only way to improve that system, and walking away because one does not get exactly what they want is counterintuitive to the achievement of one’s goals. The “Israel” Agenda Item Since the early twentieth century, the US government has been a strong supporter of the establishment of a sovereign state which would be a homeland for the Jewish people. Since Israel’s conception in 1948, the US and Israel have had a strong bilateral relationship . Israel has long been “America’s most reliable partner in the Middle East.” Preserving and protecting the State of Israel continues to be one of America’s foreign policy priorities, as a strong Israel is central to US economic and security interests in the region. To this end, the US provides over three billion dollars of Foreign Military Financing to Israel annually. As such, the perceived HRC bias against Israel was a significant factor influencing America’s withdrawal. The claim by Ambassador Haley and the Trump administration that the HRC is disproportionately critical of Israel is not entirely unfounded. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the only global human rights issue that has a dedicated item under the institutional HRC Agenda. The HRC divides its work into ten agenda items . The majority of the Council’s resolutions are thematic, addressing human rights issues in a way that is general and not specific to one country. The Council occasionally passes country-specific resolutions, either to address human rights violations or to assist a specific country. Country-specific resolutions typically fall under either Agenda Item 4, entitled “Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention” or Agenda Item 10, “Technical assistance and capacity building.” However, such is not the case with resolutions regarding Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Agenda Item 7 is dedicated solely to human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Critics of the HRC—including the Trump administration—claim that this distinction amounts to an institutional bias against Israel. Though this procedural distinction may not seem particularly substantive, one consequence is that the volume of HRC resolutions concerning Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories far outnumber those concerning other human rights violations. Since 2006, there have been eighty-one resolutions passed by the Human Rights Council regarding the Occupied Palestinian Territories, accounting for 37 percent of all HRC country-specific resolutions. The number of resolutions regarding Israeli human rights violations outweighs the combined number of resolutions regarding the conflicts in Syria (thirty), Mali (twenty-four), and Myanmar (twenty-two). Additionally, the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has been the subject of more HRC Special Sessions than any other issue. A Special Session is a convening of the HRC outside of its three annual meetings, addressing a specific human rights situation that is particularly pressing or urgent. Of the twenty-eight Special Sessions convened since 2006, seven have been called specifically to address the human rights situation in Occupied Palestinian Territories. These disparities suggest that Israel and the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are the subject of more scrutiny than other international human rights crises. There is no doubt that Palestinian human rights deserve significant international attention; however, the fairness of having a dedicated Agenda Item when all other human rights crises are grouped under a single Item is questionable. The resulting perception that the Palestinian crisis greatly outweighs other humanitarian problems is a disservice to persons experiencing damaging and protracted conditions all over the world. Though merely an administrative distinction, it is reasonable that Israel and the US might view this differentiation as an anti-Israel bias. Such an affront to the US’s strongest and most strategic ally in the Middle East is unacceptable in the eyes of the Trump administration. Human Rights Abusers on the Human Rights Council In the most recent HRC Election on October 17, 2019, Venezuela won membership . Venezuela is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, exacerbated sharply by the oppressive policies and actions of the Maduro regime, which has systematically eroded democratic institutions and whose legitimacy is strongly contested domestically and globally. Michelle Bachelet, who serves as the High Commissioner for Human Rights, reported that the Maduro administration is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, political imprisonment, and a host of other human rights abuses. This is only the most recent occurrence of a country being elected to the HRC while its government commits egregious human rights abuses. In her statement concerning the US withdrawal, Haley also singled out “human rights abusers” on the Council, including Cuba, China, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Other abusive states such as Saudi Arabia hold membership on the Council but were not mentioned in the US statement. Haley and Pompeo have asserted that the membership of these states is hypocritical and causes the Council to “cover up” some of the world’s most serious human rights abuses. Furthermore, the United States has committed a significant number of human rights abuses domestically and internationally over the decades, abuses which are largely under-reported or swept under the rug. It is not unreasonable to be critical that governments that actively commit human rights atrocities are helping determine how and which human rights crises are addressed. In a perfect world, only those that demonstrated respect for promoting and protecting human rights would be tasked with the immense responsibility of doing so on a global scale. But including only “good” countries on the Council could undermine the legitimacy and power of the institution. With no seat at the table and no opportunity to give input and negotiate, governments with questionable human rights records would have less reason to follow any Council directives—they could easily claim that they were not responsible for carrying out HRC resolutions if they were excluded from the process. This does not mean that the Council shouldn’t be reformed to address the problem of human rights abusers holding membership. Many human rights advocates were deeply upset when Venezuela was elected, as they were when Saudi Arabia won its seat. But the US logic of “if X is on the Council then I am not” is counterproductive to improving the effectiveness of the Council. More time is needed to develop effective reform measures that would hold Council members accountable for their own actions on human rights while preserving the inclusive nature of the body. The Need for Continued US Engagement The United Nations Human Rights Council is an imperfect entity. Like any other international institution, it faces many challenges that come with the complex and messy business of engaging a variety of stakeholders, all with different objectives, in achieving a common task: strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. The United Nations is notorious for its bureaucracy and resistance to reform. Any systemic change is contingent upon the agreement of a certain majority of Member States, and reaching an agreement in such a crowded and diverse field is time-consuming and complex. The United States is just one actor that tried and failed at a task many before it had attempted: to push for meaningful reform in a deeply bureaucratic UN. However, the US walking away from the table demonstrates this administration’s fundamental misunderstanding of how to effectively engage at a multilateral level. After just one year of reform efforts (the blink of an eye in the UN system), the US abandoned the Council. Meaningful, lasting change cannot be accomplished in the UN system without patience and persistence. The US withdrawal from the Council will only slow progress on its two stated objectives for reforming it. With the US no longer a voting member, the HRC is more likely to criticize the actions of Israel and pass more resolutions to this effect. In the year following the US withdrawal, the HRC passed the exact same number of resolutions concerning Israel that it had passed every year while the US was a member of the Council. The only effect the US withdrawal had on the HRC’s “Israel bias” was allowing the resolutions to be passed with less opposition. The same logic applies to the situation of human rights abusers on the Council. The US withdrawal only served to remove the voice of a so-called “champion” of human rights from the Council. Now so-called “abusers” have more leeway to stall efforts seeking to hold them accountable for their human rights records, or to threaten their membership. The US can no longer vote on any of the Council’s reform efforts that would work towards the objectives this administration so outspokenly desires. And therein lies an important lesson for this administration, and for the world. Multilateralism is about compromise. In a room full of stakeholders, all with different backgrounds, perspectives, and goals, nobody will ever get exactly what they want every time—and they shouldn’t. Multilateralism puts the common good above the good of one party. It forces us to accept imperfect solutions, but the alternative is no solution whatsoever. There is no deal, no international agreement, no reform that is perfect, but without such compromises being reached, there would be no framework to build upon in order to create something better.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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1958 Grozny riots
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The Grozny riots of 1958 occurred between 23 and 27 August that year in Grozny (Soviet Union). Although beginning as a small-scale event, it turned a major event in the history of the city, of Chechnya and of Russo-Chechen relations, starting a series of ethnic riots, to continue until 1965. The riots were provoked by the killing of one Russian by an Ingush. The Russian, a sailor, had asked an Ingush woman to dance and tried to seduce her, but an Ingush man who was engaged to her intervened and the ensuing confrontation escalated into a brawl in which the Russian ended up dead.
However, the real motive of the riots was inter-ethnic conflict between the Russians and Chechen returnees from deportation to Central Asia, most of whom were unemployed, as the Soviet rule did nothing to settle differences. The Russians had been living in the Grozny Oblast for 13 years before they returned in 1957 and resented their return, as they had been living in Vainakh houses on Vainakh land and doing jobs that had been done by Vainakh before the deportation. The return of the Vainakh (Chechens and Ingush) caused competition between the two groups over housing and jobs, which was overlaid with historical animosities, quickly escalating. Vainakh (especially Chechens) viewed Russians not only as oppressors but also as illegitimate interlopers living on stolen land. Russians meanwhile viewed Vainakh as being less than them, and furthermore as subversive agents of Turkish interests. Thus, the brawl and the death of the one Russian sailor was only the spark that lit the fuse leading to the formation of the Russian mob that rioted.
The riot started initially as an armed gathering of Russians following the funeral for the death of the Russian sailor. 10,000 Russians assembled in the main square of Grozny. A Russian female who claimed she had formerly been a member of the regional party committee and the Council of Ministers stood up and voiced the Russians' demands. They included the establishment of "Russian power", a mass search and disarming of all Chechens and Ingush (with those found with weapons to be shot on spot) and then the re-expulsion of the Chechens and Ingush.
On August 27 (the fifth day of the riot), a number of Russians made the following proposal to the Communist authorities:
Taking into consideration the appearance of a savage attitude by the side of the Chechen-Ingush population towards the people of other nationalities, as expressing itself in massacre, murders, violence and harassment, the working people of the town of Grozny in the name of the majority of the population propose:
On the 27th, Major General Stepanov of the Military Aviation School issued an ultimatum to the local Soviet that the Chechens must be sent back to Siberia or otherwise his Russians would "tear (them) to pieces".
There was evidence of pre-planning in the mob- the Russians of the city (including the communists) pinned red headbands upon their heads so that they would not be taken for Vainakh. The crowd beat to death at least one elderly Chechen from Urus-Martan while the law enforcement officials stood by and watched.
They stormed the government offices, calling for restoration of the Grozny Oblast and the regulation of the Chechens' return from exile. The mob escalated its actions further and further. A crowd of 500 people attacked the post office, and demanded an audience with the central Soviet government in Moscow. The crowd then went to a long-distance telephone station, but was unable to reach Moscow still. At 23:00 on the 27th, the mob marched on the railway station.Their goal was to spread the word to their "brothers" (i.e. other Russian inogorods and Cossacks) of what they deemed to be the failure of their authorities to put the Chechens and Ingush in their place (though the Russians simply referred to both peoples collectively as "Chechens" or "bandits"). Throughout the whole affair, the non-Russians of the republic did not retaliate and showed large amounts of self-restraint, perhaps hoping against hope that the Russians would be stopped. The authorities only intervened, however, when the Russian/Cossack band began looting government buildings (i.e. the post office, the telephone station and the train station).
The authorities, up until this point, had been largely sympathetic to the goals of the protesters (and many even participated), not in least because they were all ethnic Russians themselves. However, the capture of the train station by the Russians and Cossacks was the last straw. Around the midnight after August 27, they approached the protester-held train station, hoping to reestablish law and order without a fight. However, the Russian mob, already highly excited, began pelting them with stones and various hard objects.
In the end, the protesters left the station and life returned to normal. Although the protest was condemned as "chauvinistic" and "anti-Soviet",none were held accountable for their actions later, and the new regional government afterwards adopted a policy of viewing all Chechen aspirations as Turkish agent work and admiration for the brutal conquerors of Chechnya such as Yermolov.
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Riot
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Isle of Man and Lesotho sign tax agreement
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The Isle of Man government has signed a tax exchange agreement with the African nation of Lesotho.
The agreement signed in September by the island's Treasury Minister and the Acting High Commissioner of Lesotho in the UK came into force this week.
The deal is part of the Isle of Man government's ongoing programme to develop closer economic and taxation co-operation with other countries.
Water and diamonds are Lesotho's main export earners.
The Kingdom of Lesotho, a landlocked country, is surrounded by South Africa.
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Sign Agreement
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Club Cinq-Sept fire
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The Club Cinq-Sept fire was a major blaze at a nightclub just outside Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, Isère in south-eastern France on Sunday, 1 November 1970. The catastrophe claimed the lives of 146 people, almost all of whom were aged between 17 and 30. [1] The scale of the disaster shocked the French nation. Subsequent official enquiries revealed a catalogue of shortcomings, oversights and evasions with regard to fire safety at both local and département level. Criminal charges were brought against a number of people; some received suspended jail sentences. The Club Cinq-Sept (or Club 5–7), which was situated in a relatively isolated location 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, opened for business in April 1970. It was housed within a newly constructed large, open-plan windowless structure with external walls built of breeze blocks supporting a corrugated iron roof. The main entrance to the club was via a spiked full-height turnstile. The ground floor housed a dance floor, bar and restaurant, with simulated grottos constructed of polyurethane and papier-mâché around the walls. A single spiral staircase led to a gallery which ran right round the building and contained more alcoves and grottos. The roof was supported by pillars which were decorated with various flammable materials. [2]
The Club Cinq-Sept quickly established itself as a popular draw for young people in the region, attracting customers from Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, the nearby towns of Chambéry and Voiron, and the city of Grenoble, 20 miles (32 km) away. On the night of 31 October/1 November 1970, the Club Cinq-Sept had drawn a large crowd to watch a live performance by Les Storms, an up-and-coming six-piece rock group from Paris. An estimated 180 people were still in the club at 1:40 a.m. when a fire broke out. It was reportedly caused by a carelessly discarded match igniting a foam-filled seat cushion on the first floor gallery. The blaze spread rapidly through the roof space fuelled by the building's flammable décor and furnishings. People in the gallery struggled to escape down the single spiral staircase as flames spread across the ceiling. Only 30 people within the main club area managed to exit the building via the main entrance turnstile before a huge wall of fire plunged down from the gallery turning the whole building into an inferno. [2]
Few managed to escape after this point. Of those who did, most suffered severe burn injuries. The club had no telephone on the premises. [3] One of the club's managers, Gilbert Bas, was among those who had managed to escape and he had to drive into Saint-Laurent-du-Pont to raise the alarm. With the great speed with which the fire engulfed the building and the delay in alerting the emergency services, there was little the arriving firemen could do when they eventually reached the club. The intensity of the fire completely gutted the interior of the building and caused the roof to melt and collapse. When firemen were able to enter the building, they found 140 bodies within, most too badly burned for visual identification to be possible. Six badly-injured survivors were transferred to a specialised burn treatment unit in Lyon; four would succumb to their injuries, bringing the final death toll to 146. [4] Two of the club's three managers were among the dead, as were all six members of Les Storms. Three days after the fire, the mayor of Saint-Laurent-du-Pont and the Secretary-General of the Isère département were removed from their duties. This rapid move provoked a degree of controversy as it was seen by some, including a number of local politicians in Isère, as premature scapegoating before the full facts had been investigated. An official enquiry held in Grenoble found that many fire safety regulations had been breached. Planning permission had been obtained for the construction of the building, but French law also required an inspection of the finished structure by Building Safety and Fire Department officials prior to opening for business; this had not been done. There was no firefighting equipment on the premises, and unsafe materials were inappropriately used for internal furnishing and decoration. The gallery level had no emergency exit; its only means of egress was the spiral staircase and through the main club. The inquiry heard that, as required by law, the club had two exit doors in addition to the main entrance. However, in contravention of fire regulations, neither was marked; also, both were routinely locked and barred by the club managers in order to prevent patrons inside the building opening them to let others in free of charge. Although three managers held keys, two had succumbed to the effects of the fire and the third, Bas, had left to raise the alarm. The investigation heard how a man who had earlier escaped from the building managed to break open one of the doors, through which one woman was rescued alive; many others trapped behind the doors trying to escape had already perished. In June 1971, Bas was charged with, and found guilty of, manslaughter in relation to the deaths. He received a two-year suspended sentence. The mayor and three building contractors were found guilty of causing injury through negligence, and received short suspended sentences. [2]
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Fire
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Adele Roberts: Radio 1 presenter and former Big Brother star diagnosed with bowel cancer at 42
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Radio 1 presenter Adele Roberts, who rose to fame on Big Brother in 2002, has shared details of her cancer diagnosis on social media, and urged others suffering any health problems to get checked out.
Monday 25 October 2021 10:06, UK
Radio 1 DJ and former Big Brother star Adele Roberts has announced she has bowel cancer and is having surgery to remove a tumour.
The 42-year-old presenter shared details on social media and said her diagnosis was confirmed just a few weeks ago, at the beginning of October.
Sharing a photo of herself smiling and wearing a hospital gown, giving a thumbs up sign, the star said that "so far the outlook is positive and I feel so lucky that I can be treated" but she needs to find out if the cancer has spread.
brb ??Ok, there’s no easy way to do this and it feels weird, especially posting on social media (I’m going full Black Mirror ??) but I’m hoping it’ll reach anyone who might benefit from seeing it or reading it.https://t.co/Upubgw7z1N pic.twitter.com/fVUKbtAC2b
"It's just the start of my journey but I'm going to give it everything I've got," she added.
Roberts, from Southport, Merseyside, first found fame in the third series of Channel 4's Big Brother in 2002, alongside housemates including Kate Lawler, Alison Hammond and Jade Goody, who was later diagnosed with cervical cancer and died in 2009.
In her post, she gave details about how her cancer was discovered and urged anyone with health concerns to get checked out.
"For a while now I've been struggling with my digestion," she wrote. "Thanks to a conversation I had with my Dad a few years back I went to my GP for a check up. I'll be honest, I was embarrassed but I also knew that it could be something serious. So I went just in case. I didn't think anything of it at first and just assumed it might be food sensitivity.
"After a few phone calls I was sent for some examinations and checks. I was then diagnosed with bowel cancer. This was at the start of the month.
"It's all happened so quickly and I'm so sorry to post something like this on here but I hope it helps anyone who might be worrying, or suffering in silence."
She added: "The sooner you're able to see your GP or talk to someone the sooner you can get help.
"If I hadn't I might not be so lucky. As I've learned over the last few weeks, there's no 'normal' with cancer.
"Sadly it can affect anyone, at any age, anytime. It doesn't discriminate. Early detection can save your life."
Roberts' partner, actress Kate Holderness, also posted about the diagnosis, saying: "There have been lots of tears (mainly from me), lots of sleepless nights, but surprisingly there's been a lot of laughing too. I can't wait for Adele to tell you about those times when she's on the mend."
MY HERO✨MY WORLD?MY LOVE♥️ https://t.co/0UeJOhEQj2 pic.twitter.com/cmOcfvT4Aw
Radio 1 friends and colleagues including Clara Amfo and Scott Mills have shared messages of support.
"Everyone at Radio 1 - along with all our listeners - is wishing you a speedy recovery and we can't wait to welcome you back on air soon," a message on the station's Twitter account said.
Roberts joined the BBC in 2012 as part of the Radio 1 Xtra team, before moving to Radio 1 in 2015 to host the Early Breakfast Show. In 2019, she appeared on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! alongside stars including Nadine Coyle, Kate Garraway and Caitlin Jenner.
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Famous Person - Sick
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Mongolia Seizes the Diplomatic Moment
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In the space of just five days, Mongolian officials have held high-level talks with China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States
Mongolian diplomacy is having a moment. In the space of just five days, Mongolian officials have held high-level talks with China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Mongolia is one of many regional countries that is carefully avoiding choosing sides in the China-U.S. tug-of-war, while seeking to maximize its gains from all sides.
The current round of diplomacy kicked off with a visit from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who was in Ulaanbaatar from July 23 to 25. According to the U.S. State Department, Sherman “highlighted the importance of the U.S.-Mongolia Strategic Partnership and discussed ways to strengthen Mongolia’s democratic institutions, enhance its sovereignty, and diversify its economy.” She demonstrated the U.S. emphasis on human rights through a visit to a Mongolia’s LGBT Center, and visited Choijin Lama Temple Museum to learn “about the preservation of Mongolian culture, from religious sites to traditional Mongolian script.” The latter served as a subtle dig at China, which stands accused of eroding Mongolian culture and language across the border in Inner Mongolia, but overall Mongolia was careful to avoid embracing U.S. catchphrases that have earned China’s ire.
That doesn’t mean Ulaanbaatar was shy about embracing its partnership with Washington. According to the read-out from Mongolia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “The visit of a high-level delegation from the United States – Mongolia’s ‘third neighbor’ and strategic partner – is significant in consolidating Mongolia-U.S. strategic partnership, and strengthening the friendly relations between our two countries.” However, it’s clear that Mongolia’s long-term priorities for the relationship are economic, rather than strategic. Mongolia’s main takeaway was that “the two sides expressed commitment to increase trade and economic cooperation.”
At times, though, the line between economic and strategic is decidedly fuzzy. Mongolia and the U.S. also agreed “to collaborate on implementing the MCC Second compact,” which would involve a grant from the United States. In several other countries, like Nepal and Sri Lanka, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grants from the U.S. sparked controversy for supposedly antagonizing China. Mongolia, however, had no qualms about signing and implementing a second compact.
Even while Sherman was in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai was in Japan from July 21 to 25 for a working visit tied to his attendance at the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Oyun-Erdene was one of just a handful of foreign leaders to attend the pared-down festivities. According to Montsame, the Mongolian news agency, it was the first meeting between Japanese and Mongolian prime ministers in two years.
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During the meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, “Oyun-Erdene confirmed Mongolia’s willingness to develop the strategic partnership and cooperation with Japan, a third neighbor of Mongolia, in every possible area,” Montsame reported.
Here again, Mongolia kept the focus on economic issues and pandemic management, as shown by the list of figures Oyun-Erdene met with, including Nishimura Yasutoshi, Japan’s minister in charge of economic revitalization and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and Wakita Takaji, director of the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases. During the visit, Japan and Mongolia “agreed on the necessity to elevate the economic, trade and investment cooperation to the next level” and discussed specific economic cooperation projects, including Mongolia’s new International Ulaanbaatar Airport, a highway project around Ulaanbaatar, the Bogdkhan railway project, and others.
Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.
It was Japan, not Mongolia, that drew attention to more strategic issues after the meeting. According to Japan’s Kyodo News, “In Suga’s meeting with Oyun-Erdene, the two agreed that Japan and Mongolia will cooperate in realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific as well as continue to work toward the immediate resolution of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.”
After leaving Japan, Oyen-Erdene headed to South Korea, where he met with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, the head of South Korea’s Export-Import Bank, and “representatives of infrastructure investment companies.” However, he and Kim also spoke of deepening cooperation “in peace and security in Northeast Asia,” a nod to Mongolia’s envisioned role for itself as a mediator on the North Korea issue.
Meanwhile, Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh traveled to Tianjin, China on July 27 – the same city that had hosted Sherman for talks a few days earlier. Battsetseg held meetings with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, who told her that “China has always put its relations with Mongolia in an important position in its neighborhood diplomacy and hailed the top priority given by Mongolia to the development of relations with China in its foreign policy.”
“China will help Mongolia accelerate development to the best of its ability, and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Mongolia in the fields of mining, energy, finance, agriculture, husbandry, and infrastructure construction,” Wang pledged. The two sides set a goal to increase bilateral trade volumes to $10 billion and “give priority” to starting “landmark projects” for the Belt and Road Initiative in Mongolia. Battsetseg and Wang also agreed to “accelerate the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with Mongolia’s Steppe Road Program.”
Battsetseg had attended China’s “Asia-Pacific High-Level Conference on Belt and Road Cooperation” back in June, where she also reiterated Mongolia’s readiness to cooperate with the BRI.
Once again, it was not Mongolia that highlighted the strategic side of the exchange. China’s read-out emphasized that both countries “will insist on mutual respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect for the development path chosen by each other, and respect for each other’s core interests and major concerns.” From a Chinese perspective, that is tantamount to a promise from Mongolia not to join U.S.-led chorus criticizing China for human rights violations or its actions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
Meanwhile, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe visited Mongolia on July 26, where he and Defense Minister Saikhanbayar Gursed “discussed cooperation between the two countries in defense, international and regional security, and other issues of common interest.” The two defense ministers “expressed their readiness to closely cooperate in continuing the cooperation through organization of visits, exchanges, and consultative meetings on defense and security of defense officials at all levels, and joint drills when the COVID-19 pandemic eases.”
Wei’s visit to Ulaanbaatar is especially striking given the focus on the economy, investment, and pandemic management in Mongolia’s exchanges with the United States, Japan, and South Korea. China may be trying to flex its muscles a bit while U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is traveling elsewhere in the region.
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But don’t take that as evidence that Mongolia is somehow taking China’s side. Ulaanbaatar wants to grow its economy, which will necessarily hinge on taking advantage of its proximity to China (and the BRI). However, Mongolia is also wary of becoming overly reliant on its larger neighbor, and wants to safeguard its democracy and sovereignty. Its active outreach to “third neighbors” like the United States, Japan, and South Korea is evidence that Mongolia does not want to put all its eggs in the China basket.
From the Mongolian perspective, the goal is to make the most of its multifaceted foreign policy, just as it did during the height of the pandemic in its savvy procurement of vaccines. With over 60 percent of its population fully vaccinated, the country is a positive outlier for the developing world, and that’s largely thanks to its ability to entice partners from all sides to help provide shots. Mongolia has purchased vaccines from its neighbors, China and Russia, but also received donations of the Western vaccines made by AstraZeneca and Pfizer and additional funding support from the U.S. for good measure. It’s notable that Mongolian officials were able to thank the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and China for their assistance in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Diplomatic Visit
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Family torn apart as boys are injured in ‘catastrophic’ SA crash that killed dad and grandma
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A South Australian family has been torn apart after a dad and grandmother were killed and two boys injured in a tragic crash. The family, who are from Whyalla, were on their way to Port Pirie on Thursday when the ute they were travelling in left the road and crashed into a tree. The family were just half an hour from their destination, on their way to pick up a birthday present for the boys, when tragedy struck on the Augusta Highway at Baroota. The driver, 40-year-old Duane Tee, and his 61-year-old mother Debbie were killed instantly. Duane’s sons, aged 11 and 14, were injured in the crash. Both were taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment. A friend of the family Adam Walker told 7NEWS the crash was a “terrible, tragic thing that just came out of nowhere”. In a letter to parents, the Nicolson Avenue Primary School Community said it was offering support to students impacted by the bad news. SA Police Superintendent Bob Gray said the incident was a tragedy. “You’ve got an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old that now have the prospect of going through the rest of their lives without their father and without their grandmother, and that’s very sad, and it’s catastrophic,” he said on Thursday. “A wife has lost her husband, she’s lost her mother-in-law and she has two children seriously injured.” He said the crash was a reminder about the consequences of road trauma. “I think people often look at lives lost as a number and don’t actually spend the time to reflect on what that actually means, and the consequences for the families involved,” he said. “And it’s not just people that lose their lives, it’s people that are seriously injured as well, because quite often, the quality of life for those people changes forever. “It affects loved ones, work colleagues and quite often communities so I implore people to be cautious, drive safely, and consider the consequences and implications of your actions when using our roads, because they are significant.”
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Road Crash
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Dixmoor race riot
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The 1964 Dixmoor race riot, also known as the Gin Bottle Riot, occurred between August 15 and 17 in Dixmoor, Illinois. After a woman accused of shoplifting a bottle of gin was wrestled to the ground by the owner of the liquor store and arrested, black residents took to the streets in anger. They picketed the liquor store, but then attacked it, looting it and burning various nearby buildings. [2]
On August 15, 1964, Blondella Woods, a black woman and Chicago resident, was accused of stealing a bottle of gin from Foremost Liquors at 2240 West 147th Street in Dixmoor. When she tried to leave the store, owner Michael "Big Mike" LaPota and his employees wrestled Woods to the floor, reportedly to prevent her from fleeing or smashing liquor bottles. African-American witnesses recounted that LaPota and his employees beat Woods before she was arrested; she was taken to a hospital by police.
The next day at 11 a.m. on August 16, demonstrators picketed Foremost Liquors, protesting LaPota and his assault of Woods. They carried signs that read, "Big Mike Must Go," "Mike Beats Negro Women," and "Dixmoor Police are Afraid of Big Mike." This protest escalated into violence and a riot.
Rioters attacked LaPota's liquor store first. After police arrived with firefighters with high-pressure hoses to protect the stores, the rioters began to attack passing motorists. They threw rocks, bottles, stones, and bricks, breaking car windows and windshields, and hurting drivers and passengers. State police fired small arms overhead while advancing toward the rioters. A total of 225 police officers from local, county, and state departments were called to the scene. Sheriff Richard B. Ogilvie, future Governor of Illinois, instructed police to broadcast over loudspeakers: "If you shoot, we’re going to fire back." According to Ogilvie, the riot began around 8 p.m. on August 16 and was over by 2 a.m. August 17] An estimated 1000 people were involved in the protest and riot. 37 people were injured, and 25 people were arrested and booked at the Harvey, Illinois police station.
This Chicago-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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Riot
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Gas Explosion in Central China Kills at Least 12
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At least 12 people were killed and 39 seriously injured Sunday after a gas line explosion tore through a residential neighborhood in central China.
Responders to the early morning blast in the Hubei province city of Shiyan sent more than 150 people to hospital, according to a statement on the city's official social media channel.
The statement said rescue efforts were continuing but gave no word on the cause of the explosion.
Stall keepers and customers buying breakfast and fresh vegetables at a food market were the major victims when the explosion hit shortly after 6 a.m., according to state media reports.
Images showed rescuers climbing over broken concrete slabs to reach those trapped inside.
The blast appeared similar to one that occurred in the northeastern port of Qingdao in 2013, in which 55 people were killed when underground pipelines ripped open following a leak.
The Shiyan explosion came a day after eight people died and three others were injured when toxic methyl formate leaked from a vehicle at a chemical handling facility in the southwestern city of Guiyang.
Frequent deadly accidents are usually traced to weak adherence to safety standards, poor maintenance and corruption among enforcement bodies. Those responsible are often handed harsh punishments, but high demand and the desire for profits often trump such concerns.
Among the worst accidents was a massive 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin that killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers. The blast was blamed on illegal construction and unsafe storage of volatile materials.
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Gas explosion
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Teen guilty of sex assault at Toronto's St. Michael's school should get three month sentence: Crown
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The teen was found guilty in June of gang sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, and assault after a locker room incident at St. Michael's College School TORONTO — A teen found guilty of sexually assaulting another student at an all-boys Catholic school in Toronto should spend three months behind bars, the prosecution argued at a court hearing Friday, calling the incident “violent and humiliating.” The defence, meanwhile, argued the teen should receive a probationary sentence of two years with no time in jail — like four others who pleaded guilty in the same incident at St. Michael’s College School in 2018. The teen was found guilty in June of gang sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, and assault after another teen was sodomized with a broom handle in a locker room at the school. “This was a violent and humiliating sexual assault on a young person by group of people in front of a larger group of people,” Crown attorney Sarah De Filippis said in court. During his trial, the accused teen testified he feared he’d become the victim of a sexual assault if he didn’t hold his friend’s arm down on Nov. 7, 2018. The incident was captured on cellphone video and shared widely on social media before police launched an investigation, which sparked a national discussion on hazing in youth sports. The judge didn’t buy the accused teen’s argument and said he could have chosen not to participate. No young person involved in the proceedings can be named due to provisions under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The Crown said the teen victim, a friend of the accused, has suffered tremendously and “may later in life suffer from psychological or mental health issues as a result of this incident.” She said the accused teen’s apologies in the case were nothing but “superficial remorse.” “This was a horrific sexual assault that was captured on video and released to students,” De Filippis said. The accused teen faced the same charges in a similar incident against another student in October 2018. Those charges were withdrawn earlier this year after the judge found there was not enough evidence to proceed. The defence pointed to the no-jail-time sentences handed down to four other teens who pleaded guilty to two sexual assaults, and noted that his client was found guilty of participating in one sex assault. “It cannot be said he did anything worse,” said Geary Tomlinson, the accused teen’s defence lawyer. Tomlinson also took issue with the Crown’s description of his client’s level of remorse, pointing to a pre-sentence report by a social worker that contained a letter of apology from the accused teen to the victim. “I feel bad, I apologized after, I told him I was sorry and I can’t say sorry enough,” the accused teen told the social worker, court heard. “I think about it all the time, I think about it every day, it changed lives forever.” Tomlinson said his client has done community service, graduated on the honour roll and is now enrolled at university. “There is ample evidence that it would be favourable to society by allowing this young person to continue on his rehabilitative path,” Tomlinson said. Sentencing is set for Nov. 2.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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Emma McKeon has seven medals at Tokyo Olympics with gold in 50m freestyle and 4x100m medley relay
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Emma McKeon has seven medals at Tokyo Olympics with gold in 50m freestyle and 4x100m medley relay
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Emma McKeon has won two more gold medals in Tokyo, taking her medal tally at this Games to seven — the equal most by any woman in any sport in Olympic history.
The dual golds came in the 50m freestyle and the women's 4x100m medley relay.
McKeon has now won gold in the women's 4x100m relay, the 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle and women's 4x100m mixed relay and bronze in the 100m butterfly, women's 4x200m relay and mixed 4x100m medley relay.
No Australian has won 10 Olympic medals or more than medals in one Games. Only one woman in any sport in history — Russian gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya in 1952 — can match her haul of seven.
She now has five Olympic gold medals — the most in Australian history, tied with Ian Thorpe.
The 4x100m medley final was a classic, an absolute shootout between Australia, the US and Canada that was eventually sealed by Cate Campbell's fantastic anchoring leg.
Kaylee McKeown, who now has three gold medals of her own in Tokyo, was second after the backstroke leg, a position Australia would hold right until Campbell's final touch.
Chelsea Hodges swam the second-fastest breaststroke split to keep Australia within touch, and McKeon — swimming butterfly this time — made significant ground late in her leg to set up a blockbuster finish.
Campbell and American Abbey Weitzel went stroke for stroke for the entirety of their final 100m freestyle leg, but it was the Aussie who touched 0.13 seconds faster, with an Olympic record time of 3 minutes, 51.60 seconds.
In the 50m freestyle, event that is traditionally a flip of the coin, McKeon won with an Olympic record time of 23.81 seconds.
She has set new Olympic records in the heat, semi-final and final of the event, and was 0.26 seconds clear of Sweden's Sarah Sjoestroem, who holds the world record.
Campbell finished seventh, only 0.55 seconds behind McKeon and 0.15 seconds behind Denmark's Pernille Blume in third.
Australia's men put up a fight of their own in their 4x100m medley relay, but couldn't quite get into the medal positions, finishing fifth.
Kyle Chalmers produced another rapid final leg but it wasn't enough, with the United States team winning with a world record time of 3 minutes, 26.78.
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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Break historical records
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2018 Broome flood
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The 2018 Broome flood was a severe flood that occurred in January and February 2018 in and around Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. [1]
The flooding was triggered following record breaking rainfall. Broome received 1,502 millimetres (59 in) of rainfall in the first two months of 2018, the equivalent of two years worth. [2]
The rainfall was caused by Cyclone Joyce, which struck Broome on 12 January 2018. Another tropical low struck the area two weeks later, which delivered further rains. [3] Cyclone Kelvin then hit On 16 February. [2]
Dampier Creek and other waterways burst their banks and inundated low-lying areas. The town became isolated when the Great Northern Highway was cut to the south and east of the town. [2] Some residents of surrounding areas had to be evacuated and supplies had to be air dropped to isolated communities. [2]
An area of the Kimberley about the size of Victoria was isolated once the highway was cut. The floodwater also caused damage to around 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the road between Broome and Derby with another 12 km (7 mi) remaining underwater south of Broome near Roebuck Plains a week after the floods. [4]
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Floods
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U.S. will withdraw from nuclear arms treaty if Russia doesn't stop missile activity, White House says
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The U.S. government says it is freeing itself from the constraints of a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia and will begin withdrawing from the pact — which has been a centrepiece of arms control since the Cold War — on Saturday.
The American withdrawal had been expected for months. It follows years of unresolved dispute over Russian compliance with the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, which bans certain ground-launched cruise missiles.
Russia denies violating the treaty. "We have raised Russia's non-compliance with Russian officials — including at the highest levels of government — more than 30 times," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at the State Department on Friday. "We have provided Russia an ample window of time to mend its way. Tomorrow that time runs out."
The American withdrawal would officially take effect six months after this week's notification, leaving a small window for saving the treaty. However, in talks this week in Beijing, the U.S. and Russia reported no breakthrough in their dispute, leaving little reason to think either side would change its stance on whether a Russian cruise missile violates the pact.
U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the Russians for the treaty's demise.
"For too long," Trump said in a written statement issued by the White House, Russia has violated the treaty "with impunity, covertly developing and fielding a prohibited missile system that poses a direct threat to our allies and troops abroad."
The United States has adhered to the INF Treaty for more than 30 years, but we will not remain constrained by its terms unless Russia comes into verifiable and enforceable compliance.
He said the U.S. "has fully adhered" to the treaty for more than 30 years, "but we will not remain constrained by its terms while Russia misrepresents its actions. We cannot be the only country in the world unilaterally bound by this treaty, or any other."
Trump also said Friday that he is open to negotiating a wider agreement, possibly one that includes other nations.
"I hope that we're able to get everybody in a big and beautiful room and do a new treaty that would be much better. Certainly I would like to see that," he told reporters.
Pompeo said in early December that Washington would give Moscow 60 days to return to compliance before it gave formal notice of withdrawal, with actual withdrawal taking place six months later. The 60-day deadline expires on Saturday.
Minutes after Pompeo's announcement, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia was "in material breach" of the treaty and the alliance "fully supports the U.S. suspension [and] notification of withdrawal from the treaty."
A NATO statement urged Moscow to "use the remaining six months to return to full and verifiable compliance to preserve the INF Treaty," and if Russia fails to destroy all new missile systems that Washington insists violate the agreement, "Russia will bear sole responsibility for the end of the treaty."
Russia is in material breach of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INFTreaty?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INFTreaty</a> & must use next 6 months to return to full & verifiable compliance or bear sole responsibility for its demise. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NATO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NATO</a> fully supports the US suspension & notification of withdrawal from the Treaty: <a href="https://t.co/VOhUB0HoAd">https://t.co/VOhUB0HoAd</a> <a href="https://t.co/28Rwicqr8o">pic.twitter.com/28Rwicqr8o</a>
NATO members say the military alliance will continue to review the security implications of Russian missile development. They say NATO will take any "steps necessary to ensure the credibility and effectiveness of the alliance's overall deterrence and defence posture."
The INF treaty was the first arms control measure to ban an entire class of weapons: ground-launched cruise missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,000 kilometres.
After the U.S. announcement on Friday, Russia accused the United States of unilaterally seeking to neuter the treaty and of resisting Russian attempts to resolve the dispute.
"I congratulate the whole world; the United States has taken another step toward its destruction today," Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of parliament, said after the announcement.
"This step carries a threat to the entire system of international security, but first of all for Russia because after leaving the INF the Americans will deploy these missiles in European countries," said another senator, Igor Morozov.
But the end of the treaty could also serve Russia's strategic interests, removing any obstacle to deploying intermediate-range missiles that could reach Europe and China.
U.S. officials have expressed worry that China, which is not party to the treaty, is gaining a significant military advantage in Asia by deploying large numbers of missiles with ranges beyond the treaty's limit. Leaving the INF treaty would allow the Trump administration to counter the Chinese, but it's unclear how it would do that.
"The strategic rationale for leaving the INF seriously involves China," Behnam Ben Taleblu, a defence expert at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said in an interview.
He noted the quality and quantity of Chinese ground-based missiles and growing prospects for Chinese and American conflict in the Asia-Pacific.
"This is one medium by which China can contest American influence in the Asia-Pacific," he said. "And it's unfair for the U.S. to voluntarily restrict itself in a bilateral treaty when one side of that partnership [Russia] is failing to live by its obligations. The U.S. … is voluntarily fighting with one hand tied behind its back."
U.S. withdrawal raises the prospect of further deterioration in U.S.-Russian relations, which already are arguably at the lowest point in decades, and debate among U.S. allies in Europe over whether Russia's alleged violations warrant a countermeasure such as deployment of an equivalent American missile in Europe.
The U.S. has no nuclear-capable missiles based in Europe; the last of that type and range were withdrawn in line with the INF treaty.
Nuclear weapons experts at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said in a statement this week that while Russia's violation of the INF treaty is a serious problem, U.S. withdrawal under current circumstances would be counterproductive.
"Leaving the INF treaty will unleash a new missile competition between the United States and Russia," they said.
Kingston Reif, director for disarmament at the Arms Control Association, said Thursday the U.S. had failed to exhaust diplomatic options to save the treaty.
Reif said the period between now and August, when the U.S. withdrawal would take effect, offers a last chance to save the treaty, but he sees little prospect of that happening.
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Tear Up Agreement
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Would-be bank robber flees empty-handed
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Police are searching for a man who tried to rob a Gold Coast bank yesterday afternoon. Police say the man was armed with a knife when he entered the bank on Griffith Street in Coolangatta shortly after 4:30pm (AEST). He demanded money but the teller did not comply. The man left on foot and no-one was injured. Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.
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Bank Robbery
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Two masterminds behind a $39.9 million SkillsFuture scam have been sentenced to a jail term of more than 31 years
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SINGAPORE - Two masterminds behind a $39.9 million SkillsFuture scam, the largest fraud against a public institution here, have been sentenced to a jail term of more than 31 years combined for cheating, forgery and money laundering offences, among others. Ng Cheng Kwee was sentenced to more than 17 years in jail, while his wife, Lee Lai Leng, was given a 14-year jail sentence on Monday (Aug 16), said the police. The scam targeted SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), which oversees an initiative aimed at promoting lifelong learning. The SSG scheme pays subsidies to Singapore businesses when they send an employee for skills training courses with registered training providers if certain conditions are met. This subsidy reimburses some of the course fees and is paid either to the training provider or the business, depending on the claim method used. The scammers used nine Singapore-registered firms that submitted 8,386 fraudulent course fee grant applications and a corresponding 8,391 claims to SSG between May and October 2017. These submissions involved 25,141 employees purportedly working for six applicant entities. These "employees" purportedly attended training courses conducted by three training providers. All nine were in fact shell companies that Ng, Lee and other co-conspirators had registered as applicant companies and training providers with SSG between January and July 2017. To prevent their own names from appearing in the claims, they paid three people to act as nominee directors of the nine entities. "The syndicate's scheme resulted in SSG disbursing approximately $39.9 million of training grants in total to the corporate bank accounts of eight entities," said the police in a statement on Monday. When SSG flagged some of the course fee grant applications and claims for manual checks, Ng and Lee submitted forged and/or falsified documents to SSG between May 2017 and August 2017. "These documents include employment contracts and attendance records of training courses, which were never conducted," the police said. Ng enlisted an acquaintance, a Vincent Peter, to arrange for someone to encash cheques from the corporate accounts of the nine entities in August and September 2017. The cheques had been pre-signed by the nominee directors. Vincent Peter in turn approached Manickam Pragasam and Nathan Muniandy to encash the cheques. Ng Cheng Kwee was arrested on Dec 4, 2017. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW The cash was placed in a safe at the flat of Lee's brother, Lee Chi Wai.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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Locust swarms plague East Africa as wildfires burn Australia
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Strengthened by climate change, the Indian Ocean Dipole has made Australia drier while countries such as Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia become wetter and more hospitable to desert locusts. Having battled weather extremes of drought and floods last year, Kenyan farmer Mohamud Maalim hoped 2020 would bring a more favorable climate for growing crops. But last week, a plague of locusts descended on his farm and destroyed most of his livelihood. "The swarm landed around evening and we didn't know how to tackle it," said Maalim, who grows tomatoes, chilies, mangoes and watermelons on a large farm in Garissa County, Kenya. "In the morning it was like a desert. You couldn't imagine it's a farm." The locusts gutted millet and other crops that Maalim had planted to replace those lost to weeks-long floods in December. Eating up any greenery in their path, they left a trail of destruction that the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has described as the worst in Kenya in 70 years. Left unchecked, locust swarms tearing across East Africa could grow to 500 times their current size and create an "unprecedented" threat to the region's food security, the FAO says. "These things never used to be there, it's not normal," said Maalim, who has been farming for 15 years and has no insurance. "We cannot quantify the losses but it's like we're starting from scratch." Farmers in East Africa have been caught unawares by severe locust swarms that they can do little to prevent from razing their crops From Somalia to DRC, Sudan to Tanzania, heavy rain has fallen across East Africa since October, bringing severe floods that have displaced millions and encouraged locust growth. It is part of a pattern of near-apocalyptic weather events turning lives upside down across the world. Across the Indian Ocean, in Australia, wildfires raging since September have laid waste to an area larger than Portugal, killing at least 30 people and an estimated one billion animals. The smoke has choked citizens and rained ash down on cities, reaching even as far as South America. While East Africans and Australians have long been familiar with flash floods and wildfires respectively, few were expecting their recent severity. Australia's wildfires have been made worse by climate change What's more, the weather in both regions is driven by the same climate phenomenon: the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), a surface temperature difference in the Indian Ocean. In its positive state, where waters closest to Africa are warmer than those near Australia, warm moist air blows westwards, which can bring rain to East Africa and drought to Australia. Last year the IOD saw one of its strongest positive states on record. "One of the main drivers of this stronger state is climate change," said Abubakr Salih Babiker, a Sudanese climate scientist at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. About 93% of the heat generated from global warming has been absorbed by the oceans, and the western part of the Indian Ocean heated faster than any other part of the tropical oceans, a study published in the Journal of Climate found in 2014. Firefighters and forest workers in Australia have fought to keep wildfires at bay In Australia, which in 2019 experienced its hottest and driest year on record, the lack of moisture in plants and trees meant fires spread, unchecked, over vast areas of land at speeds faster than humans can run. In East Africa, heavy rain increased the amount of vegetation that swarms could feed on and moistened soil, improving breeding conditions for locusts, which avoid laying eggs in dry soil. Unchecked locust plagues, which can take years to control at a cost of up to hundreds of millions of dollars, threaten hunger, particularly in regions struggling with food security. A 2400 square kilometer (930 square mile) swarm was measured in Kenya in January, according to the FAO, which is large enough to consume as much food in a single day as 85 million people. Put another way, the FAO says a swarm the size of Bamako, Niamey or Paris chews through as much in a day as half the population of Mali, Niger and France, respectively. "The locusts are eating the trees, the grass. It is affecting the lives of not only humans, but animals also," said Ahmed Abdi Bakal, a regional coordinator for the Red Crescent in Somaliland, where many people are nomadic and their prosperity tied to livestock. "If some action is not taken immediately, animals will die." Rich in protein and considered a delicacy in many countries, locusts are sometimes eaten in the aftermath of swarms, once crops have been destroyed and livestock starved. "Funnily enough, we are not eating them [here]," said Maalim, the farmer in Kenya. "Some communities eat locusts, but not in this part." Plagues of locusts and raging wildfires have led to descriptions of a climate apocalypse Scientists project East Africa's locust swarms and Australia's wildfires will continue over coming months. In the long-term, extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and floods are set to become stronger without sharp cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. There are early signs that extreme weather in these regions may further public understanding of climate change. A survey in January from the Australia Institute, a research group, found that 79% of Australians are concerned about climate change, up 5 percentage points from last summer. Two-thirds of Australians say the "current bushfires demonstrate the cost of climate inaction". A pan-Africa survey published by polling agency Afrobarometer last year found that, while 40% of Africans have not heard of climate change, among those who have, two-thirds say it is making life in their country worse. In East Africa this rises to 89%. The region has been particularly hit hard by tropical cyclones and climate extremes. "We started with drought, we ended the year issuing reports on floods," said Babiker, the climate scientist. "In one year we have seen the most extreme cases. With more climate change, more of these types of extreme conditions are more likely to prevail."
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Insect Disaster
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Bristol riots
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The Bristol riots refer to a number of significant riots in the city of Bristol in England. In 1794 the populace of Bristol were said to be "apt to collect in mobs on the slightest occasions; but have been seldom so spirited as in the late transactions on Bristol-bridge. " The Bristol Bridge Riot of 30 September 1793 began as a protest at renewal of an act levying tolls on Bristol Bridge, which included the proposal to demolish several houses near the bridge in order to create a new access road, and controversy about the date for removal of gates. Eleven people were killed and 45 injured, making it one of the worst massacres of the 18th century in England.
The Bristol Riots of 1831 took place after the House of Lords rejected the second Reform Bill, which aimed to get rid of some of the rotten boroughs and give Britain's fast growing industrial towns such as Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Bradford and Leeds greater representation in the House of Commons. Bristol had been represented in the House of Commons since 1295, but by 1830 only 6,000 of the 104,000 population had the vote.
Local magistrate Sir Charles Wetherell, a strong opponent of the Bill, visited Bristol to open the new Assize Courts, on 29 October. He threatened to imprison participants in a disturbance going on outside, and an angry mob chased him to the Mansion House in Queen Square. The magistrate escaped in disguise, although a contemporary history states he escaped over the rooftops, but the mayor and officials were besieged in the Mansion-house.
The rioters numbered about 500 or 600 young men and continued for three days, during which the palace of Robert Gray the Bishop of Bristol, the Mansion House, and private homes and property were looted and destroyed, along with demolition of much of the gaol. Work on the Clifton Suspension Bridge was halted and Isambard Kingdom Brunel was sworn in as a special constable.
The mayor, Charles Pinney, requested the assistance of the cavalry as a precaution and a troop of the 3rd Dragoon Guards and a squadron of the 14th Light Dragoons were sent to Bristol under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Brereton. Brereton did not wish to incite the crowd and even ordered the squadron from the 14th out of the city after they had successfully dispersed a crowd. Seeing this as a victory, the riots continued, and eventually Brereton had to call on the 3rd and 14th to restore order and he eventually led a charge with drawn swords through the mob in Queen Square. Four rioters were killed and 86 wounded, although many more are believed to have perished in the fires set by the rioters, with a total death toll put as high as 500. Along with the commander of the 3rd Dragoons troop, Captain Warrington, Brereton was later court-martialled for leniency, but Brereton shot himself before the conclusion of his trial.
Approximately 100 of those involved were tried in January 1832 by Chief Justice Tindal.
Four men were hanged despite a petition of 10,000 Bristolian signatures, which was given to King William IV. The mayor, Pinney, was tried for negligence but exonerated.
On 23 February 1932, in reaction to the government reducing unemployment benefit by 10 per cent, around 4,000 protestors tried to march down to the city centre, led by the National Unemployed Workers Movement. Throughout the protest, police showed heavy resistance, drawing their batons and deploying mounted police on horseback, which caused retaliation from protestors. This behaviour climaxed with the police baton-charging protesters outside Trinity police station and along Old Market. Many people, including bystanders, were injured. Gradually over the next five years, unemployment in Bristol reduced and by 1937 just 11,500 people were registered unemployed in the city, contrasted to the 28,000 or so that were registered as unemployed at the time of the riot. The Park Street riot occurred in Park Street and George Street on 15 July 1944. Racial tensions inflamed by earlier incidents and the racial segregation of GIs both in the UK and abroad, came to a head in Bristol when a large number of black GIs refused to come back to their camps after US Military Police came to end a minor fracas. More MPs were sent, up to 120 policemen, and Park Street was closed off with buses. In subsequent confrontation, an MP was stabbed, a black GI was shot dead, and several others were wounded.
The St Pauls riot started on 2 April 1980 in the St Pauls district, as a consequence of racial tensions between black members of the community and the police, including concerns over sus laws, poor housing and alienation of black youth. When 20 police officers carried out a raid on the Black and White Café located on Grosvenor Road in the heart of St Pauls, they faced resistance, which escalated into a riot. The riot continued for many hours and caused large amounts of damage including a Lloyds Bank and post office, several fire engines and twelve police cars. Thirty-three people were injured, including 21 policemen and three firemen, and 21 arrests were made, but no one was ever convicted of any crime.
Clashes with police also occurred in the same area during 1981 and 1986, as the issues that had led to the riot some 7 years previously hung in the air. On 7 May 1987, "Avon and Somerset Police organized a large raid in the St Paul's district of Bristol. Almost exactly one year after the 1985 Handsworth riots, 600 police moved into the area to search premises in connection with drugs and drinking offences. The reaction was serious rioting and attacks on police". On the final day of the clash, 9 May, "2 cops are injured when their patrol car is attacked by stones and other missiles in the third day of disturbances. " In 1996 The Independent published an article stating "Inner-city area struggles to lose violent image",[24] but by 2017 not only was the city of Bristol named best place to live in the whole of the UK in March by The Sunday Times, but St Paul’s itself was dubbed fifth ‘coolest’ place to live by The Times the same month.
On 16 July 1992 a riot occurred on the Hartcliffe estate after Shaun Star and his friend were killed by police on a stolen unmarked police motorbike the two men had previously stolen from the local area. Both men got knocked off and killed by a police patrol car after being chased around the estate. The two deceased men were well-known within the community, while the officers involved were not trained in safe pursuit, and had not followed procedures. Tensions were already high between the authorities and community as a result of distrust of the police and issues with deprivation in the area, and they were compounded during the disturbance by the breaking news that Hartcliffe had been denied funding from the government's City Challenge Initiative for the second year running.In total the disturbance lasted for 3 days. Police were attacked and many of the already rundown shops in the Symes Avenue shopping centre were torched, smashed up and damaged. Around 80 or so arrests led to more than 60 people charged and taken through the courts, and the policeman who had swerved his car into the path of the motorbike, was found guilty of causing the two deaths by dangerous driving.
A riot began in front of a new Tesco Metro at the southern end of Cheltenham Road on 21 April 2011. Allegedly in protest at the opening of a new Tesco Metro, the riot began when police raided a squat,] known as Telepathic Heights, opposite the store. Skips and bins were set alight, bottles thrown, and running battles occurred between police and protestors up and down the street until the early hours of the morning. Protests had started in Tottenham, London, following the death of Mark Duggan, a local man who was shot dead by police on 4 August. [32] In the early hours of the morning on Tuesday 9 August, it was reported that vandalism and looting occurred in Bristol in response to similar occurring elsewhere in the country.
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Riot
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Ryan Crouser of Team USA wins gold in men's shot put at Summer Games, breaks his own Olympic record
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Updated on: August 5, 2021 / 4:31 AM
/ AP
Ryan Crouser wrote the note, stuck it in his backpack and brought it out to the field just in case.
"Grandpa. We did it. 2020 Olympic champion!" it said.
The world's best shot putter had a feeling he'd win. After he did just that on Thursday, he pulled out that piece of paper and showed it to the world. Crouser's second straight Olympic gold medal was a tribute to his grandfather, Larry, who died shortly before Crouser left for Tokyo.
"To lose him the week before the Olympics was obviously sad," Crouser said. "But I feel like he was able to be here in spirit."
It was years ago in Larry Crouser's backyard that Ryan attempted his first toss with the heavy metal ball that would shape his life. What a journey it produced.
Crouser has seen the world thanks to that shot put. Dominated it, too. He set the world record earlier this summer at the Olympic trials. On Thursday, he raised his own Olympic record as well, to 23.30 meters (76 feet, 5½ inches).
Ryan Crouser is now officially a TWO-TIME OLYMPIC CHAMPION.@TeamUSA x #TokyoOlympics
? NBC? https://t.co/prLiNjuJnV? NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/ltSpxg8BSk
He earned the first track and field gold medal for the American men at the Tokyo Games, coming later than anyone expected - on Day 7 of the meet. It was too late for his grandpa to see it, though Crouser and his family have a feeling he knows.
"The same time that you're cheering the most fantastic thing, there's just that little bit of, 'I wish grandpa was here,'" said Ryan's mom, Lisa, while celebrating at a watch party back in Redmond, Oregon. "You know he's watching."
On Crouser's big day, U.S. teammate Joe Kovacs finished second and Tomas Walsh of New Zealand was third.
That was the exact same podium as five years ago at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. It marks the first time in any Olympic individual event that there's been a repeat podium in back-to-back Summer Games - the same three athletes in the exact same positions, according to Olympic historian Bill Mallon.
"We just keep pushing each other," said Kovacs, the 2019 world champion whose farthest toss was 22.65.
Crouser's childhood throws in his grandfather's backyard were unpredictable at times. Once, he lobbed one through the top of the garden shed.
"I went back the next day and replaced that," Crouser said.
Time marched on. Eventually, Larry Crouser lost his hearing. Ryan started writing notes.
"They had a letter correspondence going back and forth," his mother explained.
The last one might have been the most important.
Crouser put pen to paper in his room a few days ago to calm his nerves. Not so much about the event - he wasn't nervous - but about possibly testing positive for the coronavirus. The positive test that knocked pole vaulter Sam Kendricks out of the Olympics rattled him.
Even for the world record-holder and defending champion, the note was something of a leap of faith. But Crouser figured that, at worst, no one would ever find out about it. Turns out, he was spot-on. After the win, he proudly displayed it as he paraded around in his cowboy hat.
Crouser's grandpa was alive June 18 to see him break a 31-year-old world record at the U.S. Olympic trials.
"He watched that throw on the iPad, thousands and thousands of times," Crouser said. "He's been my biggest fan."
The note he wrote after that one was simple: "World-record holder."
Asked how far that throw might have gone at his grandfather's place, Crouser laughed and said: "It would have been into the neighbor's yard. I don't know if it would have hit a building, maybe a house."
On a steamy day in Tokyo, Crouser clapped his hands after his final attempt - sending chalk dust into the air. Later, he went over and shared a hug and a handshake with his father, Mitch, who serves as his coach.
This win, though, was for Grandpa Larry.
"He always told me to stop and enjoy the moment," Crouser said. "He knows for me, I'm always super goal-oriented and looking long term. His thing that he always told me was to stop and smell the roses."
For Breaking News & Analysis Download the Free CBS News app
First published on August 4, 2021 / 11:43 PM
© 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Break historical records
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The Drilldown: 60 dead, hundreds missing after Brazil dam disaster
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Up to 300 people are still missing in southeastern Brazil after a dam collapse at an iron ore mine on Friday killed at least 60. A new evacuation was called for late Sunday alongside a suspension of search efforts, amid fears a second dam nearby might collapse. Although sirens blared to alert residents of the second potential risk, the owner of the mine, Vale, said that eight sirens around the dam failed during Friday’s collapse. The company told NPR that the dam had been inspected and passed safety standards in June and September of last year. The disaster has put Vale mining company under scrutiny, as a similar incident killed 19 in 2015. Over the weekend Vale received sanctions from two government agencies, and judges issued preliminary injunctions to freeze nearly $3 billion of their assets to preserve money for potential payments for victims, reparations and other costs.
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Mine Collapses
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Landmark class action over PFAS contamination in Australia announced by Erin Brockovich
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It's the largest class action Australia has ever seen — four times larger than the Black Saturday class action of 2009 — and involves people across the country.
Up to 40,000 people who live and work on land contaminated by the chemical compound PFAS are suing the Australian Government, arguing their property values have plummeted, RN's Law Report can reveal.
The action will be filed by Christmas.
Shine Lawyers, the firm representing the clients, has enlisted the support of American activist Erin Brockovich.
"The science is in on these chemicals. It can cause cancer," Ms Brockovich tells Law Report.
She names "testicular cancer, kidney cancer, thyroid disease, thyroid cancer" as some of those that have been associated with PFAS — a link confirmed by countries including Germany, Britain and the US, but denied by Australia. Ms Brockovich is "dumbfounded" by what she considers Australia's inaction on the issue.
"Every one of us has a common bond here, about loving the environment and our family — what we leave, the legacy we leave for our children. We're destroying that and it's heartbreaking," she says.
"It's fearful and it should be concerning for all of us."
On its website the Department of Defence states that there is "limited to no evidence of human disease or other clinically significant harm resulting from PFAS exposure at this time".
However, given the ability of PFAS to persist in humans and the environment, it also recommends that exposure to PFAS be minimised.
Ms Brockovich argues the government's position is inadequate. "They give warnings: don't eat the fish, eat limited fish, don't drink the water — but on the other hand, you're telling people it's safe," she says.
"It's an extraordinarily confusing message." PFAS is a collection of synthetic compounds and it looks a little like bubble bath. It is fire retardant and is "very effective at extinguishing jet fuel fires" says Joshua Aylward, lead counsel with Shine Lawyers, who is running the class action.
He says between the 1970s and 2000s, the Department of Defence used a significant amount of PFAS, present in firefighting foam, on Defence bases across the country. Eight bases in particular are the subject of the class action. "[PFAS] has leached into the environment and left the boundaries of these bases and entered into the communities, and it's in the rivers and the creeks and the fish and the people," Mr Aylward says. "It's in everything that they test around these bases."
He says the communities living around these bases are "really hurting".
"The amount of time I've spent with people who are crying because they've found out that their water is contaminated, and they've been drinking it for years; they've found out that their kids have exceptionally high levels in their bloods and they are really concerned for their family," he says.
"And then they realise they are trapped. "These people are not wealthy people. They don't own more than one house, most of them. They cannot just pack up and leave. "They can't sell their properties because people won't buy them, and even if they could find someone to buy them, it's for such a little amount of money that many of them couldn't pay out their mortgages on their amount of money they're being offered."
Hear about how grainy video footage of tumour-ridden cattle prompted a landmark American lawsuit over PFAS contamination.
Two government inquiries into PFAS have recommended either buying out properties of those who wish to relocate, or providing compensation for residents and businesses in contaminated zones. Mr Aylward says what constitutes "safe" levels of PFAS is a question that garners a different answer, depending on "which government or which scientist you ask".
But he argues that Australia is out of line with most of the Western world.
"In American and in Europe ... they have much lower safe levels than what the Australian Government is saying at the moment," he says. The Department of Defence has completed reports in six states and territories that provide significant analysis of human health risks in contaminated areas near Defence bases. In them are findings that vary according to area, including:
Information is scarce around how many and where PFAS-contaminated sites are and what the health effects might be, posing far more questions than answers.
Reannan Haswell, a client in the action, lives in a contaminated area in Bullsbrook, Western Australia.
The Department of Defence has alerted her to the fact that the home she shares with her partner and their three children aged between five and 16, has a contaminated water supply, something she says has "changed our whole way of life".
She says she'd like to move but can't get the necessary financial approval to borrow from a bank, which she says is a direct result of the contamination. "We're stuck. We can't sell [the house]; banks aren't lending to people to buy in the area," Ms Haswell says.
Besides, she says "morally, you don't want to sell it to another family because then they'll be going through exactly what you're going through".
She and her partner are "at a bit of a loss".
"It's a burden," Ms Haswell says.
"You wouldn't think to stop your kids playing in the sprinkler. You wouldn't think to [not] put up a little inflatable pool when it's 40-odd degrees outside and let them have fun. But these are the things we've stopped doing. "We don't have our kids' birthday parties at our home anymore because we know that we're putting other people's children at risk. Sleepovers, those basic general kids rite of passage things, are things we've had to really seriously think about." She describes living with contaminated water as "like camping in your own house". "You've got your boxes, you brush your teeth with your cup of water, you rinse with your cup of water — it's not what life should be."
Back in the 1990s, Ms Brockovich took on a big corporation over the use of toxic chemicals; a fight later immortalised in a Hollywood film.
Since then, she says, we haven't come far enough in dealing with toxic contamination.
She argues that "antiquated mentalities ... that these chemicals can't hurt us won't carry us into the future". "We have to do better ... governments need to rise up," Ms Brockovich says.
"It's so frustrating. All these years after the film and these issues are more in our face and more relevant today than they were back then."
Ms Brockovich holds out hope for a more productive conversation in which, rather than "finger-pointing", we can "find solutions to begin to fix the issue".
"It can be done. It feels daunting and it is daunting, and we'll never get anywhere if we keep hiding and we have no transparency and no trust that true information is being given to the people," she says.
"Otherwise we're sitting ducks."
Informative, jargon-free stories about law reform, legal education, test cases, miscarriages of justice and legal culture.
In a statement, a Defence spokesperson acknowledged separate class actions currently underway in the Federal Court over PFAS contamination: in Williamtown, NSW; Oakey, Queensland; and Katherine in the Northern Territory.
The spokesperson said the department "is aware that some law firms have been investigating potential class actions in relation to other Defence sites".
"At this time, no formal documentation has been served on the Commonwealth in relation to any other Defence site," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added: "Defence is working closely with the PFAS Taskforce in the Department of the Environment and Energy, which is coordinating the whole-of-government response to PFAS, including the responses to inquiries conducted by the Parliament.
"PFAS is a national issue facing a number of sites outside of Defence across Australia."
To hear more, listen to Law Report on ABC RN.
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Environment Pollution
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Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century to Take Place on Nov 19
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During the eclipse, earth will pass between the sun and the moon in the early hours of November 19, casting a shadow on the latter. NASA said the eclipse will peak at 4 AM ET (1:30 pm Saturday, Indian Standard Time (IST). The eclipse will take place on November 18 and 19 and people across the world will be able to catch a glimpse at different times, depending on their time zones. But the night gazers on the east coast of the US will be able to get the best view from 2-4 AM ET, according to NASA. The eclipse will also be visible from South America, Eastern Asia, the Pacific region, and Australia. Besides this eclipse, there will be 20 total, partial and penumbral eclipses between 2021 and 2030, the reports stated. Those who won’t be able to see the celestial event from their homes can watch it on NASA’s live stream.
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New wonders in nature
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Covid changed shopping forever. Here’s what it means for your favorite stores
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Academy Sports & Outdoors’ more than 250 stores shuttered for weeks in the early days of the Covid pandemic. But as lockdown orders eased and these stores reopened, many customers still didn’t feel comfortable coming inside to buy camping gear or a new basketball, according to CEO Ken Hicks. Items like bikes and treadmills, which Academy sells, have been in high demand, as Americans look to entertain themselves outside or keep fit without a gym. But Academy needed to find a better way to get its products into customers’ hands. The answer was curbside pickup. In under five days, the retailer pulled together a plan to offer the service nationwide, Hicks said. It designated parking spaces as pickup locations, reassigned staff and handed out paging devices to alert employees when shoppers drive in. The result: 30% of Academy’s buy online, pick up in store sales are now retrieved curbside by customers, often on the day of purchase, the CEO said. Academy has started to think about its stores as “delivery points,” Hicks said in a recent interview. Back rooms are stocked with extra merchandise to fulfill web orders. More items are being shipped from its stores, not warehouses, directly to shoppers’ homes, he said. Even with a nearly 96% surge in e-commerce orders during the third quarter ended Oct. 31, more than 95% of Academy’s $1.35 billion in sales were fulfilled using its stores. “We’ve had to change how we look at the use of labor and adjust similar to what grocery stores have done,” Hicks added. “We have people now whose job it is to go around and pick orders for us.” Academy is far from alone in making these adjustments. Retailers from Target to Nike to Macy’s have been reckoning for years with what the purpose of their stores will be as consumption shifts online. This year, that evolution leapt forward. For years, the rise of e-commerce was a harbinger that retailers’ stores were going to become obsolete. But the demand for speedy, same-day delivery and curbside pickup has given brick-and-mortar a new purpose. Being closer to customers is a key advantage. Stores are being transformed into mini warehouses, helping to fulfill online orders in a fraction of the time — and at a lower cost. And while stores at enclosed shopping malls are closing due to slowing foot traffic and falling sales, retailers such as Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch are investing in opening smaller locations and away from malls. “The ecosystem of a store is going nowhere,” said Joel Bines, a managing director at the consulting firm AlixPartners. “At a macro level, the store is still critically important and will still be the epicenter of consumer activity for the foreseeable future.” More than three-quarters of U.S. retail sales still occur in stores. Even with this year’s gains, just about 14.4% of all spending in 2020 happened online, and that should grow to 19.2% by 2024, according to eMarketer estimates. The pandemic did speed the shift. It advanced what would have happened in five years in just nine short months, said Cowen & Co. analyst John Blackledge. EMarketer estimates e-commerce sales will total $794.50 billion this year, up 32.4% from 2019. Pre-pandemic, the market research firm was forecasting an increase of 18%. With consumer demand surging online this year, companies pivoting to satisfying e-commerce orders from their stores, rather than warehouses, resulted in less merchandise sitting on shelves going stale and unsold. Urban Outfitters said it delivered almost 1 million items from its stores to customers’ homes in the three-month period ended Oct. 31. During the same quarter, Nordstrom said nearly 25% of its online orders, which amounted to $1.6 billion, were fulfilled using merchandise from stores. “We think there’s a lot of runway — of not only just connecting the digital and physical parts of our business, but in leveraging the physical assets we already have,” CEO Erik Nordstrom said during an earnings call in November. “To leverage those existing assets ... there’s a lot of taking care of customers without much additional investment for us.” Increasingly, shoppers are expected to demand these convenient options. Cowen anticipates the percentage of online retail orders picked up using a curbside option could grow from 26%, where it was in the second quarter, to 30% by the end of this year, and 35% by the end of 2021. Some companies are testing even bigger transformations. Two Macy’s department stores — in Dover, Delaware, and Littleton, Colorado — are being converted into centers for pickup services and online order fulfillment, not in-store shopping. Walmart is using four locations as e-commerce laboratories, such as for trying out contact-free checkout. “This year has ushered in a new era of retail, and customers are asking for retailers to show up differently,” said John Crecelius, senior vice president of associate product and next generation stores for Walmart’s U.S. operations. Location, location, location. It has always mattered in retail. But the most desirable spot to be isn’t the mall anymore. “Our strategy is rooted in moving away from traditional malls,” Gap CEO Sonia Syngal said on an earnings call last month. “We have sharpened our real estate strategy so that our stores will be where our customers want to shop today.” The apparel retailer continues to open Old Navy and Athleta stores, largely in open-air shopping centers, but plans to close 30% of its Gap and Banana Republic locations in North America by the end of fiscal 2023. By then, it expects to drive about 80% of sales from its off-mall stores and online business. Perhaps no one retailer has touted its presence off-mall more than Kohl’s, which says about 95% of its more than 1,100 stores are located away from enclosed shopping malls, setting it apart from retailers like Macy’s, Nordstrom, J.C. Penney and Dillard’s. “They’re very convenient, and they’re very spacious,” CEO Michelle Gass said during a recent media call. “For customers who maybe want to order digitally but want that product that day, there’s our buy online, pick up in store [option], or now our curbside option. ... So I think we have a lot of flexibility and agility to continue to navigate this successfully.” Kohl’s off-mall positioning was a key factor in wooing the makeup retailer Sephora, which is on track to open Sephora shops within 850 Kohl’s stores by 2023. For more than a decade, Sephora had a partnership with J.C. Penney in hundreds of malls. “In my view, the future of retail in America is the ability for shoppers to park right next door, to jump in and out for a [buy online, pick up in store] order,” Sephora Americas CEO Jean-Andre Rougeot said in an interview. “That is what retail is about moving forward.” Macy’s, meanwhile, is hunting away from malls for smaller stores, including new Bloomingdale’s locations. “We continue to believe that the best malls in the country will thrive,” CEO Jeff Gennette said in September, discussing the move. “However, we also know that Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s have high potential [off]-mall and in smaller formats.” Target pioneered the path to success with smaller-format locations, which are about a third of the size of its big-box stores. It opened its 100th such location in August 2019, and continues to add more in metro areas, including New York City. Following the trend, Nordstrom and Nike continue to open smaller, hyperlocal shops, with Nordstrom’s serving as hubs for services like alterations and curbside pickup. “We used to talk about retailers needing to close 50% of their stores. But it’s more of a fact now that retailers need to reduce their square footage by 50%,” said Michael Brown, a partner in the consumer practice at Kearney, a management consulting firm. “They can have the same number of locations, but many of them will be much smaller, ... with a high degree of customer service, where that selling experience is really valued.” The privately held bookseller Barnes & Noble is also plotting opening additional smaller stores in 2021, each tailored more to its local community, according to CEO James Daunt. “Next year, we will start opening up a much greater variety of stores,” Daunt said in a recent interview. “You can open a really strong and successful, 700-square-foot store. ... And we’re not going to be telling the stores what to do. We’re asking them what they want us to do.” Even though brick-and-mortar stores have an important role to play, they’re less profitable when fewer people visit them. So retailers will continue to shutter locations, likely at an accelerated pace, until real estate footprints can match the trajectory in online sales. Through Dec. 1, more than 11,000 store closures have been announced this year, according to real estate firm CoStar Group. Within this count, GameStop plans to close more than 1,000 of its stores by the end of its fiscal year. But more closures are on the way. “Given the strength of our e-commerce sales, we now see the opportunity to close additional stores going forward, in 2021 and 2022,” CEO George Sherman said during an earnings conference call earlier this month. He didn’t offer an exact number, but said the goal for the gaming retailer is to shift investments online. In its latest quarter ended Oct. 31, GameStop’s e-commerce sales surged 257% from a year earlier, as more people visited its website for video games and consoles to keep busy during the pandemic. “There was conversation for several years about how to pare back real estate,” said Matthew Katz, a managing partner at consulting firm SSA & Company. “But no one was prepared or was thinking about, the magnitude at which they would be paring back so quickly. No one was prepared for e-commerce to go from an adolescent to an adult overnight.” For the retailers that still see an opportunity to open new locations, they’ll have an upper hand, likely for some time, to negotiate favorable leases and rents — as vacancies continue to crop up across malls and popular shopping districts. More than 3,400 store openings have been announced by retailers in 2020, according to a tracking by Coresight Research, including from Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, Five Below, Ross Stores, Burlington and Ulta Beauty. Retailers that sell goods in categories like off-price, beauty, home decor and sporting goods, which haven’t been hit as hard as department stores and apparel chains, are some of the most optimistic about growth prospects. The furniture business At Home, for example, is still planning to go from 219 to more than 600 locations, with its business growing exponentially during the pandemic. “A lot is going to change as you go into the post-Covid vaccine world,” said Stephen Sadove, the former chief executive of Saks Fifth Avenue. “You have companies that can survive, and are going to restructure, but you’re going to have a lot of companies that are going to say, ‘This is beyond us.’” “The real estate market is going to have to reset,” he said. “I’ve never seen these kinds of changes.”
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Organization Closed
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Five arrested over Brazil dam collapse
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Police in Brazil have arrested five people as part of an investigation into Friday's dam collapse in Brumadinho. At least 65 people died when sludge engulfed a company canteen and neighbouring residential buildings. Prosecutors in Brazil say three of those arrested were officials from the mining company Vale, whose responsibilities included dealing with environmental impact licences. Vale said it was co-operating with prosecutors. The company is the world's biggest producer of iron ore and nickel. Two engineers working for a subsidiary company were arrested in Sao Paulo. All five can be detained for 30 days and will be questioned by investigators in Belo Horizonte. Rescuers are continuing to search for survivors in Brumadinho. Nearly 300 people are still missing and there is little hope they will be found alive. On Monday, protesters gathered outside Vale's corporate headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and daubed slogans including "Murderers!" on its walls. In a statement following the arrests, Vale said: "With regards to the warrants served this morning, Vale informs that it is fully co-operating with the authorities. "Vale will continue to support the investigations in order to determine the facts, in addition to the unconditional support to the families."
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Mine Collapses
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Little Steel Strike
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The Little Steel strike was a 1937 labor strike by the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and its branch the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC), against a number of smaller steel producing companies, principally Republic Steel, Inland Steel, and Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. The strike affected a total of thirty different mills belonging to the three companies, which employed 80,000 workers. The strike, which was one of the most violent labor disputes of the 1930s, ended without the strikers achieving their principal goal, recognition by the companies of the union as the bargaining agent for the workers. On March 13, 1937, the United States Steel Corporation (US Steel) signed a historic collective bargaining agreement with SWOC. [1] The agreement provided for a standard pay scale, an 8-hour work day, and time and a half for overtime. Although US Steel ("Big Steel") signed the deal, there were smaller companies that refused to sign. That is why the strike is known as the "Little Steel" strike: US Steel Corporation was so massive that it gave rise to the moniker "Little Steel" for its four smaller competitors, Republic Steel Corporation, Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company, and Inland Steel Company, each ranked among the hundred largest firms in America. [1]
The strike did not start immediately. In fact, there was an expectation that Little Steel would follow Big Steel's lead and sign a deal with SWOC. On March 30, 1937, SWOC proposed an agreement similar to the one with US Steel to Little Steel. The proposal sought an eight-hour work day, a forty-hour work week, overtime pay, a $5-per-day minimum wage, paid vacations, health and safety standards, seniority, and procedures for resolving grievances. Rather than sign, Little Steel representatives met, debated, dragged their feet, sent spies to infiltrate SWOC, and prepared for actual battle. The companies bought poison gas and other weapons, hired private police, donated weapons to official law enforcement, encouraged law enforcement to hire more deputies, stocked their plants with food and bedding, installed search lights and barbed wire, and fired hundreds of union workers. The Little Steel Strike started on May 26, 1937, when the US economy was just starting to recover from the Great Depression. The issue that sparked the conflict was over the recognition of unions by steel companies. The term "Little Steel" refers collectively to many of the smaller steel companies, primarily Republic Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, and Inland Steel. The strike was started over unionization of the steel workers working in these companies. Steel workers, represented by the CIO as well as the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) participated in protests ranging from sit-ins to picket lines. The workers wanted better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Within days of SWOC's authorization of the strike, 67,000 workers were off the job and the scattered violence that began to erupt was a harbinger of more dire things to come. [1]
The strike is characterized as one of the most violent strikes of the 1930s, with thousands of strikers arrested, three hundred injured and eighteen dead. The Little Steel companies eventually defeated the strike, which lasted just over five months time. However, groundwork for the unionization of the Little Steel industry was set and the goal to unionize Little Steel occurred five years later, in 1942, as World War II began to ramp up. Early in 1937 the large American steel companies ("big steel") were facing union pressure. The success of several sit down strikes in the automobile industry and the rising strength of unions made US Steel chairman Myron C. Taylor very hesitant to confront the unions. [2] The pressure from other union successes throughout the industry and also the persistent work of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) made Taylor decide to agree with CIO president John L. Lewis to recognize the newly created branch of the CIO, the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC), as the sole agent for his company on March 2, 1937. By signing the union contract, Taylor started a domino effect, and other steel companies began signing union contracts with very little fight, many just at the slightest rumor of a strike. Several steel companies, who held very strong anti-union, anti-labor stances, such as Jones and Laughlin,[1] signed union contracts following US Steel, sending a message through the industry, and giving SWOC legitimacy. The contracts had greater benefits than simply turning the mills into closed shops. Workers also received pay raises, forty-hour workweeks, and one-week vacations, along with three guaranteed holidays. [3] The achievements gave SWOC and the CIO the confidence to expand into the smaller-market Little Steel Industry. After Jones & Laughlin signed union contracts, signing with the smaller steel producers ("little steel") became the next goal of the CIO. The three main targets were decided to be Republic Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, and Inland Steel Corporation, which owned mills across the Midwest and Northeast United States, with close to thirty mills between the three of them. The three companies became the focus of the CIO from status that they held within the Little Steel industry, like that of US Steel in the Big Steel industry, powerhouses of their industry. After big steel unionized, Lewis immediately tried to convince these little steel companies to sign SWOC union contracts similar to those signed by US Steel, just weeks earlier. The hope was to hit the powerhouses early in the movement to send a message throughout the industry for negotiations with smaller companies. However, the three companies refused the contracts without hesitation, as they had withstood unionization before, and refused to sign with SWOC. After the contracts were rejected, CIO and SWOC immediately began planning to organize the smaller steel companies. The SWOC had two major ideas behind their organizing drive: "overcoming, by successfully organizing all groups of workers, the racial and ethnic conflicts that had crippled earlier efforts to organize steel workers; and infiltrating and co-opting the company unions. "[1] The CIO immediately began placing union representatives within the mills of the companies. The representatives were often met with harassment and beatings by spies placed within the union by the companies to prevent unionization. As word of unionization spread, the SWOC was able to quick gain the quick support of many black steel workers mainly in the Chicago mills from their openness and willingness to accept black steel workers into the union. [4] It was due to the black support that the SWOC was able to gain momentum so quickly, allowing whole mills to be involved in the movement. As May approached, it was clear that the companies were preparing for a strike. Republic Steel fired many union supporters and conducted lockouts at several other locations as a way weaken union support. [1]
It was then that the IOC and SWOC decided they must take action. A deadline of May 26 was given to the steel companies to sign the union contracts or endure a strike. After that day passed with no response from Little Steel, John L. Lewis made an official strike call and workers walked away from their positions just hours after the deadline, shutting down almost every mill of the three largest Little Steel companies. Within hours of the call, there was already a quicker start than most people had predicted. Union representatives were able to lay down enough groundwork and spread the word well enough for a seamless beginning to the strike across a total of eight states.
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Strike
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Indian Famine Codes
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Famine had been a recurrent feature of life in the Indian sub-continental countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, most accurately recorded during British rule. Famines in India resulted in more than 60 million deaths over the course of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Famines in British India were severe enough to have a substantial impact on the long-term population growth of the country in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on climate: a favorable southwest summer monsoon is critical in securing water for irrigating crops. [1] Droughts, combined with policy failures, have periodically led to major Indian famines, including the Bengal famine of 1770, the Chalisa famine, the Doji bara famine, the Great Famine of 1876–1878, and the Bengal famine of 1943. [2][3] Some commentators have identified British government inaction as a contributing factor to the severity of famines during the time India was under British rule. [4] Famine largely ended by the start of the 20th century with the 1943 Bengal famine being an exception related to complications during World War II. The 1883 Indian Famine Codes, transportation improvements, and changes following independence have been identified as furthering famine relief. In India, traditionally, agricultural laborers and rural artisans have been the primary victims of famines. In the worst famines, cultivators have also been susceptible. [5]
Railroads built for the commercial goals of exporting food grains and other agricultural commodities only served to exacerbate economic conditions in times of famine. [6][7] However by the 20th century, the extension of the railroad by the British helped put an end to the massive famines in times of peace. [8]
The last major famine was the Bengal famine of 1943. A famine occurred in the state of Bihar in December 1966 on a much smaller scale and in which "Happily, aid was at hand and there were relatively fewer deaths". [9][10] The drought of Maharashtra in 1970–1973 is often cited as an example in which successful famine prevention processes were employed. [fn 1] In 2016–2018, 194 million of 810 million undernourished people globally[12] lived in India, making the country a key focus for tackling hunger on a global scale. In the last two decades, per capita income more than tripled, yet the minimum dietary intake fell. [13]
One of the earliest treatises on famine relief goes back more than 2000 years. This treatise is commonly attributed to Kautilya who was also known as Vishnugupta(Chanakya), who recommended that a good king should build new forts and water-works and share his provisions with the people, or entrust the country to another king. [14] Historically, Indian rulers have employed several methods of famine relief. Some of these were direct, such as initiating free distribution of food grains and throwing open grain stores and kitchens to the people. Other measures were monetary policies such as remission of revenue, remission of taxes, an increase of pay to soldiers, and payment of advances. Yet other measures included the construction of public works, canals, and embankments, and sinking wells. Migration was encouraged. [14] Kautilya advocated raiding the provisions of the rich in times of famine to "thin them by exacting excess revenue. "[5] Information on famines from ancient India up to colonial times is found in five primary sources:[15]
The ancient Ashokan edicts of the Mauryan age around 269 BCE record emperor Asoka's conquest of Kalinga, roughly the modern state of Odisha. The major rock and pillar edicts mention the massive human toll of about 100,000 due to the war. The edicts record that an even larger number later perished, presumably from wounds and famine. [16] From Hindu literature, there is the 7th-century famine due to failure of rains in Thanjavur district mentioned in the Periya Puranam. According to the Purana, Lord Shiva helped the Tamil saints Sambandar and Appar to provide relief from the famine. [17] Another famine in the same district is recorded on an inscription with details such as "times becoming bad", a village being ruined, and cultivation of food being disrupted in Landing in 1054. [18] Famines preserved only in oral tradition are the Dvadasavarsha Panjam (Twelve-year Famine) of south India and the Durga Devi Famine of the Deccan from 1396 to 1407. [17][19] The primary sources for famines in this period are incomplete and locationally based[17]
The Tughlaq Dynasty under Muhammad bin Tughluq held power during the famine centered on Delhi in 1335–1342. The sultanate offered no relief to the starving residents of Delhi during this famine. [20] Pre-colonial famines in the Deccan included the Damajipant famine of 1460 and the famines starting in 1520 and 1629. The Damajipant famine is said to have caused ruin both in the northern and southern parts of the Deccan. [19] The 1629-1632 famine in the Deccan and Gujarat, was one of the greatest in India's history. [21] In the first 10 months of 1631 an estimated 3 million perished in Gujarat and one million in the Deccan. Eventually, the famine killed not only the poor but the rich as well. [21] More famines hit the Deccan in 1655, 1682 and 1884. Another famine in 1702–1704 killed over two million people. [21] The oldest famine in Deccan with local documentation sufficiently well-preserved for analytical study is the Doji bara famine of 1791-1792. [19] Relief was provided by the ruler, the Peshwa Sawai Madhavrao II, in the form of imposing restrictions on export of grain and importing rice in large quantities from Bengal[22] via private trading,[19] however the evidence is often too scanty to judge the 'real efficacy of relief efforts' in the Mughal period. [23]
According to Mushtaq A. Kaw, measures employed by the Mughal and Afghan rulers to fight famine in Kashmir were insufficient due to geographic obstacles and corruption in the Mughal administration. [24][fn 2] Mughal officials took no long term measures to fight famines in Kashmir,[26] and the land tax system of Mughal India often contributed to the scale of famines by depriving Indian peasants of much of their harvest in the good years, denying them the opportunity to build up stocks. [27]
The late 18th and 19th centuries saw an increase in the incidence of severe famine. [fn 3] Millions died from 1850 to 1899 in 24 major famines; more than in any other 50-year period. [29] These famines in British India were bad enough to have a remarkable impact on the long term population growth of the country, especially in the half-century between 1871–1921. [30] The first, the Bengal famine of 1770, is estimated to have taken the lives of nearly one-third of the population of the region—about 10 million people.,[31] although recent estimates suggest the figure is closer to 2 million [32] The impact of the famine caused East India Company revenues from Bengal to decline to £174,300 in 1770–71. The stock price of the East India Company fell sharply as a result.
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Famine
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Lori Dengler: Learning from quakes, tsunamis requires boots on the ground
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Every day last week, Facebook has reminded me of a trip to Japan 10 years ago. I was part of a reconnaissance study of the Tohoku-oki or Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. I spent 10 days in some of the hardest hit areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures identifying factors that reduced or exacerbated impacts. The purpose of post-event studies is to document what happened. In the case of tsunamis, much data is ephemeral and disappears quickly as weather and debris cleanup removes their trace. Some groups focus on measurements of tsunami water heights and the extent of the inundation zone. These measurements are used to calibrate tsunami models so that we can be confidant that hazard models are credible. Other groups measure tsunami deposits. I spent two weeks in 2005 with a team documenting sediment thicknesses and characteristics in areas flooded by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Paleotsunami deposits from events hundreds to thousands of years ago are one of the main ways to look at tsunami risk in areas that haven’t experienced a tsunami in historic times and studying modern deposits are clues to deciphering ancient ones. I’ve worked with engineering groups examining structural damage and ones that look for ecological impacts. Our group in Samoa (2009) looked at response issues like debris removal and storage. By 2011, I realized it was important to get as broad a picture as possible of impacts and my skill was to query and listen to as many different people as I could. I had met Megumi Sugimoto three months before the Japan tsunami at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Meg was a social scientist at Tokyo University’s Earthquake Research Institute and gave a talk on Indonesia tsunami recovery. We talked afterward about her coming to Humboldt to help our preparedness efforts. The 2011 Japan tsunami upended those plans. We decided I would join her in Japan as soon as international scientists were allowed entry. The immediate post-disaster period is always a tricky time and the U.S. State Department prohibited Americans from traveling to Japan until late April. I left on April 29, as soon as the travel ban was lifted. I met Meg at a hotel in Sendai and we planned out our strategy for the next 10 days. Most of my post-tsunami field excursions have involved groups of five or more people. There were 13 of us in Peru (2001) and 17 involved with the Indian Ocean reconnaissance (2005). There are advantages and disadvantages to a large team. It is helpful when you want to collect much data in a short period. But logistics can be difficult. Meg and I wanted to understand the human impacts and decided we could work best as just the two of us. As long as I wore sunglasses and the hood up on my black coat, the two of us could pass for local residents and move freely in the most heavily hit areas. In nine days of field work, we were denied entry only once, a problem quickly resolved by taking another street. We rented a car and Meg found us a a former mountain resort to stay in just west of Iwanuma that had only recently been re-opened to provide access to hot springs for tsunami evacuees. From there we could head out for day trips to sites in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures. The management were kind enough to let me use the hotel computer to post daily blogs and keep in contact with other teams. We focused on three areas: tsunami awareness, evacuation (what people did and what hindered evacuation efforts), and relief efforts post event. Starting in Natori and ending up in Rikuzentakata, we visited schools used as evacuation sites, the Sendai Airport that served as a refuge for hundreds of people, shelter locations and temporary housing and talked to officials and survivors. I don’t have the space to recap all of what we learned, but a few things stand out. More than 95% of the people who lived and worked in the area flooded by the tsunami survived. The level of tsunami awareness and participation in evacuation drills was high. Unfortunately, the tsunami was larger than what had been expected. Sea walls and hazard maps were based on an earthquake of about magnitude 8, not a 9. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. Vertical evacuation structures should only be used as a last resort; it is always better to get to higher ground outside of the inundation area. Any site designated as a shelter or evacuation site must be equipped with supplies to provide basic needs for at least a week. Seconds count — the more quickly you respond to natural or official warnings, the more likely you are to survive. And at least as much effort needs to be placed on relief and recovery planning as on issuing alerts and evacuation. Our last field day was May 8, 2011. It began with a 5.7 aftershock. We felt one or two aftershocks nearly every day, a constant reminder that an earthquake was the cause of what we were studying. We spent the morning investigating the temporary housing situation and talking to several people who had been housed at a public apartment building that had been converted into a shelter. They were lucky. We had seen many families who were still housed in large public spaces separated from one another only by flimsy cardboard partitions. On the drive back to Sendai, we paused to visit Chuson-ji, a famous Buddhist temple founded in the early 12th century by the Fujiwara lord to foster peace and reconciliation after vicious civil wars that had claimed the lives of many in his clan. It was the perfect end note to our field work, serene, beautiful and proof that balance can return after tragedy. And a reminder of how much I appreciate being in Japan.
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Tsunamis
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Athens Polytechnic uprising
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Hellenic Republic
The Athens Polytechnic uprising occurred in November 1973 as a massive student demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974. The uprising began on 14 November 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta revolt, and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of 17 November after a series of events starting with a tank crashing through the gates of the Polytechnic. Since 21 April 1967, Greece had been under the dictatorial rule of the military, a regime which abolished civil rights, dissolved political parties and exiled, imprisoned and tortured politicians and citizens based on their political beliefs. 1973 found the military junta leader Georgios Papadopoulos having undertaken a "liberalisation" process of the regime, which included the release of political prisoners and the partial lifting of censorship, as well as promises of a new constitution and new elections for a return to civilian rule. Opposition elements including Socialists were thus given the opportunity to undertake political action against the junta. The United States took a clandestine interest in suppressing Socialists and had a C.I.A. operative named John Maury who was in consultation supporting the Junta Leaders. American Vice President Spiro Agnew praised the junta as "the best thing to happen to Greece since Pericles ruled in ancient Athens".
The junta, trying to control every aspect of politics, had interfered with student syndicalism since 1967, by banning student elections in universities, forcibly drafting students and imposing non-elected student union leaders in the national students' union, EFEE. These actions eventually created anti-junta sentiments among students, such as geology student Kostas Georgakis who committed suicide in 1970 in Genoa, Italy as an act of protest against the junta. The first massive public action against the junta came from students on 21 February 1973, when law students went on strike and barricaded themselves inside the buildings of the Law School of the University of Athens in the centre of Athens, demanding repeal of the law that imposed forcible drafting[1] of "subversive youths", as 88 of their peers had been forcibly drafted to the army. The police were ordered to intervene and many students were reportedly subjected to police brutality. The events at the Law School are often cited as the prelude to the Polytechnic uprising.
The student uprising was also heavily influenced by the youth movements of the 1960s, notably the events of May 1968 in France.
An anti-dictatorial student movement was growing among the youth, and the police utilised brutal methods and torture towards them, in order to confront the threat. [2]
On 14 November 1973, students at the Athens Polytechnic (Polytechneion) went on strike and started protesting against the military regime (Regime of the Colonels). As the authorities stood by, the students were calling themselves the "Free Besieged" (Greek: Ελεύθεροι Πολιορκημένοι, a reference to the poem by Greek poet Dionysios Solomos inspired by the Ottoman siege of Mesolonghi). [3][4][5] Their main demand-slogan was:
Bread-Education-Liberty! (Psomí-Paideía-Elefthería)
An assembly was formed spontaneously and decided to occupy the Polytechnic. The two main student parties, the Marxist pro-Soviet A-AFEE and Rigas did not endorse the movement. [6] Leftists and anarchists initiated the sit-in. While they contended that the uprising should demand capitalism's abolition, the larger, unconvinced rebel group disagreed and chose instead to demand democracy's restoration. A Coordination Commission of the Occupation was formed but had loose control over the uprising. [7] Police had gathered outside but did not manage to break into the premises. [8]
Slogans and graffiti by the students were anti-NATO and anti-American comparing the Greek junta with the Nazi Germany. During the second day of the occupation (often called celebration day), thousands of people from Athens poured in to support the students. [8] A radio transmitter was set up and Maria Damanaki, then a student and member of A-EFEE, popularized the slogan "Bread-Education-Freedom". The demands of the occupation were anti-imperialistic and anti-NATO. [9] Third parties that allied themselves with the student protests were the construction workers (who set up a parallel committee next to CCO) and some farmers from Megara, who coincidentally protested on the same days in Athens. [10]
A proclamation was announced on Friday, 16 November by the CCO that the students were aiming to bring down the Junta. During the afternoon, demonstrations and attacks against neighbouring ministries took place. Central roads closed, fires erupted and Molotov cocktails were thrown for the first time in Athens. [11] The Junta decided to reply firmly, by repressing the riots. Snipers were placed at buildings next to the Polytechnic and assassinated 24 people in total[when?]. [12] Students barricaded themselves in and constructed a radio station (using laboratory equipment) that repeatedly broadcast across Athens:
Polytechneion here! Polytechneion here! People of Greece, the Polytechneion is the flag bearer of our struggle and your struggle, our common struggle against the dictatorship and for democracy! [13][14]"
Maria Damanaki, later a politician, was one of the major speakers. Soon thousands of workers and youngsters joined them protesting inside and outside of the "Athens Polytechnic". In the early hours of November 17, 1973, the transitional government sent a tank crashing through the gates of the Athens Polytechnic. [15] Soon after that, Spyros Markezinis himself had the task to request Papadopoulos to reimpose martial law. [15] Prior to the crackdown, the city lights had been shut down, and the area was only lit by the campus lights, powered by the university generators. An AMX 30 Tank (still kept in a small armored unit museum in a military camp in Avlonas, not open to the public) crashed the rail gate of the Athens Polytechnic at around 03:00 am. In unclear footage clandestinely filmed by a Dutch journalist, the tank is shown bringing down the main steel entrance to the campus, to which people were clinging. Documentary evidence also survives, in recordings of the "Athens Polytechnic" radio transmissions from the occupied premises. In these a young man's voice is heard desperately asking the soldiers (whom he calls 'brothers in arms') surrounding the building complex to disobey the military orders and not to fight 'brothers protesting'. The voice carries on to an emotional outbreak, reciting the lyrics of the Greek National Anthem, until the tank enters the yard, at which time transmission ceases. An official investigation undertaken after the fall of the Junta declared that no students of the Athens Polytechnic were killed during the incident. Total recorded casualties amount to 24 civilians killed outside Athens Polytechnic campus. These include 19-year-old Michael Mirogiannis, reportedly shot to death by officer Nikolaos Dertilis, high-school students Diomedes Komnenos and Alexandros Spartidis of Lycee Leonin, and a five-year-old boy caught in the crossfire in the suburb of Zografou.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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10 most expensive celebrity divorces of all time
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The news of Bill Gates and Melinda’s divorce created a flutter around the world. This took many by surprise, especially after a 27-year-old marriage.
In announcing their split, the couple announced they will continue to work together on philanthropic issues through their Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Below are some of the most expensive celebrity divorces of all time”
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The billionaire Amazon founder and his wife announced their split in 2019 after 25 years of marriage, what followed was an expensive divorce that made Scott the third-richest woman in the world.
She left Bezos with 75 percent of their shared stock in the e-tail giant, although she only kept nearly 20 million shares, which were valued at about $35 billion at the time.
The split is deemed as the most expensive divorce ever as Bezos had to part with $38 billion of his wealth.
Tiger Woods’ divorce payout to ex-wife Elin Nordegren may be as much as $110 million, according to HuffPost.
Tiger admitted to having multiple affairs and the couple decided to divorce after six years together in 2010.
In 2010 his divorce settlement was finalised and Elin Nordegren pocketed US$110 million with the couple sharing custody of their two children.
Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy filed for a divorce in 2002 after being married for almost two decades.
The couple tried to sort out their differences for four years before issuing a statement about their separation in 2006.
After the divorce, Vanoy received a $168m divorce settlement, which is still one of the largest in sports history.
Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy’s divorce settlement is considered as one of the most expensive in sports history. Jordan also paid $2.1 million for their legal fees.
The second-richest man in the world has also divorced twice from the actress Talulah Riley.
After their first marriage ended in 2012, Riley reportedly walked away with $4.2 million.
They reconciled and wed again a year later, only for Elon to file for divorce in 2015.
That time, Musk agreed to pay her $16 million in the split, TMZ reported.
He is currently worth about $151 billion, according to Forbes.
The former president of the United States of America’s divorce from his first wife, Ivana, wasn’t just expensive but dramatic.
Trump cheated on Ivana with his eventual second wife, Marla Maples, in a scandal that claimed many headlines.
Famously, Maples confronted Ivana in Aspen, where she reportedly said: “I’m Marla and I love your husband. Do you?” according to an interview Ivana gave to Barbara Walters. The divorce soon followed, with an estimated settlement of $25 million.
Jocelyn Wildenstein, who is known by her plastic surgery moniker, “Catwoman,” had the priciest divorce settlement to date at the time when she split from her billionaire art dealer husband, Alec Wildenstein, in the late 1990s.
The breakup turned ugly after she caught him in bed with another woman, The high-profile divorce proceedings resulted in Jocelyn being awarded $2.5 billion and $100 million for each of the next 13 years, for a total of $3.8 billion.
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and journalist Maria Torv were married for 31 years and have three children together.
But the couple had diverging plans for when Murdoch would retire, and they agreed to an “amicable separation” in 1998.
Murdoch married Wendi Deng 17 days after the divorce while Torv married William Mann six months after, Torv is rumoured to have received $1.7 billion in settlements according to Economic Times.
Saudi Arabian arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi married a 20-year-old British woman named Sandra Daly, who converted to Islam and changed her name to Soraya in 1961.
According to Time, at the height of their wealth, the couple owned 17 homes, three planes, and three yachts.
The couple divorced in 1974 and their settlement totaled a then-record $874 million dollars, equivalent to more than $2 billion today.
Co-founders of Black Entertainment Television Bob Johnson and Sheila Johnson were married from 1969 to 2002.
In 2000, the couple even became the first African-American billionaires, and when the couple divorced in 2002, Sheila Johnson acquired $400 million.
In a twist of fate, Sheila later married the judge who presided over her divorce.
Another high-profile celebrity divorce was Ford’s split with ex-wife Mathison in 2004. The divorce came after 21 years of marriage and Mathison walked away with a large chunk of Ford’s earnings after their $85 million settlement.
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Famous Person - Divorce
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RAC rescue helicopters sent to Williams after car carrying four people crashes into tree
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Four people — including young two children — were airlifted to Perth today with serious injuries after their car crashed into a tree in Williams. Two RAC rescue helicopters were sent to the Wheatbelt town, 170km south-east of Perth, after the crash was reported at 9.37am on Pinjarra-Williams Road near the intersection of Old Soldiers Road. Volunteer firefighters worked for more than an hour to cut two of the occupants out of the beige Mitsubishi Pajero. Photographs of the scene showed the wreckage covered with blue tarpaulin while paramedics and firefighters tended to the injured people on the side of the road, which was closed for a few hours today. The 44-year-old male driver of the four-wheel-drive and a 42-year-old female passenger were taken by helicopter to Royal Perth Hospital with serious injuries. A 10-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy were at first taken by ambulance to Narrogin Hospital. But their injuries were deemed too serious and they were later flown to Perth Children’s Hospital where they will spend the night. One child is stable, while the other is in a critical condition. Major crash detectives are investigating the crash. Witnesses are asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online via crimestopperswa.com.au
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Road Crash
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1948 Los Gatos DC-3 crash
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On January 28, 1948, a DC-3 plane carrying 32 persons, mostly Mexican farm laborers, including some from the bracero guest worker program, crashed in the Diablo Range, 20 miles west of Coalinga, California. The crash, which killed everyone aboard the plane, inspired the song "Deportee" by Woody Guthrie. [1]
Some of the passengers were being returned to Mexico at the termination of their bracero contracts, while others were illegal immigrants being deported. Initial news reports listed only the pilot, first officer, and stewardess, with the remainder listed only as "deportees. "[1] Only 12 of the victims were initially identified. The Mexican victims of the accident were placed in a mass grave at Holy Cross Cemetery in Fresno, California, with their grave marked only as "Mexican Nationals". [2]
The Douglas DC-3 aircraft, owned by Airline Transport Carriers of Burbank, California, was chartered by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to fly twenty-eight Mexican citizens, who were being deported to the INS Deportation Center in El Centro, California. [3]
For reasons never explained, pilot Frank Atkinson and co-pilot Marion Ewing took a DC-3 that had seats for only twenty-six passengers (seven hours overdue for a routine and required safety inspection) for the flight, instead of an aircraft certified to carry thirty-two passengers. [3] Arriving in Oakland, California, after a routine flight, the crew was joined by INS guard Frank Chaffin. The flight was to refuel at Burbank, California, before continuing to El Centro. [3]
At approximately 10:30am, workers at the Fresno County Industrial Road Camp, located 21 mi (34 km) northwest of Coalinga, California, noticed the DC-3 trailing white smoke from its port engine. [3] The port wing suddenly ripped off, spilling nine passengers out of the gaping hole in the fuselage. [3] The aircraft caught fire and spiralled to the ground near Los Gatos Creek, exploding in a ball of fire. [3] The investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Authority discovered that a fuel leak in the port engine's fuel pump had ignited and the slipstream fanned the flames to a white hot intensity. The ensuing fire, acting like an oxy-acetylene torch, burned through the wingspar and caused the crash. [3]
Initial news reports listed only the pilot, first officer, stewardess, and the immigration guard, with the remainder listed only as "deportees". [1] Only 12 of the victims were initially identified. [4] The Hispanic victims of the accident were placed in a mass grave at Holy Cross Cemetery in Fresno, California, with their grave marked only as "Mexican Nationals". [2] The grave is 84 by 7 ft (25.6 by 2.1 m) with two rows of caskets and not all of the bodies were buried the first day, but the caskets at the site did have an overnight guard. [4]
Singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie wrote a poem in 1948 lamenting the anonymity of the workers killed in the crash, identified only as "deportees" in media reports. When Guthrie's poem was set to music a decade later by college student Martin Hoffman, it became the folk song "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)". [1]
The song was popularized by Pete Seeger,[5] and was subsequently performed by Arlo Guthrie[6] Joan Baez,[7] Judy Collins,[8] Julie Felix, Cisco Houston,[9] Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Kelly, Martyn Joseph, The Byrds, Richard Shindell and Ani DiFranco among others. [1]
Cesar Chavez, later to become founder of the United Farm Workers union, learned of the tragic crash while serving in the US Navy, helping convince him that farm workers should be treated "as important human beings and not as agricultural implements". [7]
The names of all the victims were published in local papers in 1948. [10] In 2009, writer Tim Z. Hernandez began to seek out the gravesite and those names. [11] With the help of others, by July 2013 all had been identified (some of the names were misspelled in the records), and the money raised for a more fitting memorial. [1][12] On September 2, 2013 (Labor Day), a Deportee Memorial Headstone was unveiled at a mass in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Fresno attended by more than 600. [13] The memorial includes all twenty-eight names of the migrant workers, which included three women, and one man born in Spain, not Mexico as widely reported. [13][14]
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Air crash
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2008 California wildfires
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The 2008 California wildfire season was one of the most devastating since the turn of the 21st Century. While 6,255 fires occurred,[3] about two-thirds as many as in 2007, the total area exceeded that of the previous years, far exceeding the total area of each year prior to 2007. [1] Throughout the year, 1,593,690 acres (6,449.4 km2) of land were burned. [4]
By July 5, 2008, 328 wildfires were burning, and those fires were only 81% contained. [7] For the first time since 1977, the US military helped with ground-based firefighting, when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dispatched 400 California National Guard troops, including Chief Medical Officer Susan Pangelinan, to manage fire lines. [8] He said the number of fires had stretched the state's fire-fighting resources thin. "One never has resources for 1,700 fires. Who has the resources for that?" Schwarzenegger said, adding, "Something is happening, clearly. There's more need for resources than ever before... it's fire season all year round. "[9]
Below is a list of all fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (400 ha) during the 2008 fire season. [10] The list is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires. The Summer 2008 fires were a concentrated outbreak of wildfires during the late spring and summer of 2008. Over 3,596 individual fires were burning at the height of the period, burning large portions of forests and chaparral in California, injuring at least 34 individuals and killing 32. [5] The majority of the fires were started by lightning from dry thunderstorms on June 20,[11] although some earlier fires ignited during mid-May. International aid from Greece, Cyprus, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand helped fight the fires. [12]
The first of the wildfires was the Big Horn Fire, which ignited on May 13. [13] Three other minor wildfires ignited subsequently, but were extinguished by May 17. On May 20, the Avocado Fire ignited in Fresno County, only to be extinguished 2 days later. [14] On May 22, 2008, the human-caused Summit Fire broke out in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which became the first major fire. [15]
On July 5, 2008, California Governor Schwarzenegger commented that "I've been driving up and down the state of California going to all the various fires, and you can imagine, this state is very prepared for fire, but when you wake up one morning and have 500 fires across the state, it was a real shock to me... only to find the next morning there were 1,000 fires, and the next morning 1,400 fires, and then 1,700 fires igniting over 14 days. "[16]
The Gap Fire near Goleta in Santa Barbara County burned 8,357 acres (3,382 ha). [17] The fire was contained on July 29, after several weeks of activity. [18]
By July 11, 2008, it was reported that a total of 793,483 acres (321,111 ha) was burned, a total exceeding the initial estimate of 510,000 acres (210,000 ha) burned by the October 2007 California wildfires. [19] On July 12, 2008, the area burned reached 801,726 acres (324,447 ha), exceeding the estimated 800,000 acres (320,000 ha) burned by the 2003 California wildfires, making the Summer 2008 wildfires the greatest wildfire event in Californian history, in terms of burned area. On that date 20,274 personnel had been committed to fight the fires. Total resources included 467 hand crews, 1,503 engines, 423 water tenders, 291 bulldozers, 142 helicopters, 400 soldiers and numerous air tankers. The fire was responsible for the deaths of 23 individuals. [20][21]
On July 25, a blaze sparked by target shooting broke out in Mariposa County, in the Sierra Nevada foothills of central California. [22] By the following day, the Telegraph Fire had gone from 1,000 acres (400 ha) to 16,000 acres (6,500 ha), and within days had destroyed 21 homes in the community of Midpines. Residents were evacuated from approximately 300 homes that were immediately threatened, with an additional 4,000 homes placed on standby for evacuation in Midpines, Greeley Hill, and Coulterville. [23]
During August, wildfire activity began to diminish, although there were still hundreds of wildfires still burning. On August 29, wildfire activity had largely ended, although three more wildfires ignited after September 1,[24] beginning with the Gladding Fire. [25] On September 10, the Colony Fire was 100% contained, ending the last of the Summer 2008 California wildfires. [26] The Summer 2008 wildfires burned a total of 1,162,197 acres (4,703.24 km2) between May 2008 and September 2008, comprising the vast majority of burned land by wildfires in California in 2008. [27][16][28]
In total, the Summer 2008 wildfires burned a total of 1,161,197 acres (469,920 ha), which accounts for 84% of the total area burned during the 2008 wildfire season. [29][16][28] In addition, the Summer 2008 fires cost over $92.38 million (2008 USD) to fight. [6]
The Basin Complex Fire in the Ventana Wilderness became the third largest wildfire in California's history based on size (until it was surpassed in size by the 2013 Rim Fire), and also the second-costliest wildfire to extinguish in U.S. history. [citation needed]
The fires broke out after three years of below-normal rainfall dehydrated much of California's forests and woodlands, making them prone to wildfires. Spring 2008 for California was the driest on record for many locations; for example, San Francisco registered only 0.67 inches (17 mm) of rain out of a normal of 5.18 inches (13 cm) from March to May. [11][30] As vegetation turned into bone-dry tinder in early June, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought for the first time in 17 years. [31] Dry thunderstorms and lightning, rarely seen on the California coastline in June, rolled onshore on the weekend of June 20–21. The storm unleashed 25,000 to 26,000 dry lightning strikes across Northern and Central California, igniting more than 2,000 fires. [32][33] The number of wildfires skyrocketed in the days after the thunderstorms and high daily daytime temperatures of over 120 °F (49 °C) dramatically increased the various fires' growth. [11] The same thunderstorms also caused fires in Oregon. [citation needed]
A heat wave commenced on July 7, with temperatures in inland locations, such as the Central Valley soaring above 115 °F (46 °C). Lake Berryessa recorded a high temperature of 126 °F (52 °C), prompting weather agencies like the National Weather Service to issue high fire danger warnings. [34] These near to record-breaking temperatures concerned many firefighters, who feared that the high heat, low humidity, and high-elevation winds could make firefighting more strenuous. [35][36]
John Juskie, a National Weather Service science officer, was quoted in June 2008 in the Los Angeles Times stating "in historic terms, we're at record dry levels.
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Fire
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Polish region revokes anti-LGBT declaration over loss of EU funding
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A region in southern Poland has revoked an anti-LGBT resolution under the threat of losing European Union funding. The regional assembly of Swietokrzyskie voted in a special session on Wednesday to revoke the resolution, which was first passed in 2019 by dozens of Polish muncipalities. It is the first time a region in Poland has abandoned the declaration of being an "LGBT-free zones". Poland's government had asked local authorities in several regions to revoke their largely symbolic anti-LGBT resolutions. Members of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party had supported the resolutions, which local communities said were intended to protect families based on unions of a man and a woman. But the appeal marked a reversal for the conservative government after the EU put on hold millions of euros of funding to the regions. The anti-LGBT resolutions were part of a backlash by rights activists, who said the "LGBT-free" designations made gays and lesbians feel unwelcome. The motion passed by Swietokrzyskie in 2019 had stated their "opposition to the attempts to introduce LGBT ideology to local government communities and the promotion of this ideology in public life". The measure also declared “deep disapproval and strong opposition to the attempts by liberal political and social circles to promote an ideology based on LGBT affirmation". Swietokrzyskie had said such attempts were "in clear contradiction to the cultural heritage and centuries-old Christian traditions not only of the region but also of Poland and Europe.” EU leaders had denounced the resolutions as discriminatory, and the EU Parliament reacted earlier this year by passing a resolution declaring the entire 27-member EU a “freedom zone” for LGBT people. Brussels had also suspended negotiations with five regions concerning the payment of funds from the cohesion recovery support programme. At the special regional assembly on Wednesday, 25 councillors approved the decision to withdraw from the controversial declaration, no one opposed it and three councillors abstained from voting. According to national media, Swietokrzyskie has now passed a new resolution stating that Poland’s Constitution guarantees parents the right to raise their children in accordance with their beliefs and views but also provides "a guarantee of equality and fair treatment for all". LGBT rights activists had been urging the EU to act more forcefully to protect them from discrimination, and they welcomed Wednesday's development. Activist Bart Staszewski called it a “great day for Poland and great success of activists and civil society. I am really moved.” Meanwhile, the liberal newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza said the region’s action marked "a good day in the fight against discrimination". On Monday, the Krakow region is reportedly set to consider a similar move. A privately-funded expedition has begun examining the wreckage of the MS Estonia ferry that sank in 1994. The search was commissioned by relatives of the victims of the disaster, in an effort to gain more information on the vessel’s fate. A total of 852 people were killed when the MS Estonia sank in September 1994, in Europe’s worst peacetime maritime disaster. The vessel was traveling overnight from the Estonian capital Tallinn to Stockholm in Sweden when it went down in heavy seas. Only 137 of the 989 people on board survived, while most of the victims were Swedes and Estonians. The 1997 official joint investigation by Estonia, Finland, and Sweden concluded that the ferry sank as its bow door locks failed in a storm, flooding the decks in just 20 minutes. But the latest dive, organised by an Estonia-based fund, aims to "find answers to questions" that official joint and separate investigations have failed to provide. The wreck of the MS Estonia lies on the seabed 80 metres below the surface in international waters near the Finnish island of Uto. The wreck in the Baltic Sea is considered a graveyard, which gives the area protection under law. The sinking has produced a number of conspiracy theories and some survivors say all previous research into the accident had hidden the real cause. A recent documentary raised further doubts by uncovering new holes in the ship's hull with a diving robot. "Although during these decades numerous different investigations have been carried out, they have not been able to give the survivors and close relatives of the deceased exhaustive answers regarding the reason why Estonia perished," the Mare Liberum fund, said in a statement. The fund, which was created in July, said it would carry out the two-week dive expedition, costing around €800,000. The project will use a research vessel rented from the German company RS Offshore, equipped with four underwater robots, while four divers will provide support. One aim is to map the damage to the Estonia's hull, create a 3D scan of and study the surrounding area. The expedition is headed by Margus Kurm, a former Estonian state investigator into the ferry’s sinking. It wasn’t immediately clear what kind of stance the governments of Estonia, Finland, and Sweden would take about the parallel private expedition. A new official inquiry was launched in July and a dive by Estonian and Swedish authorities is expected in the spring of 2022. Kurm has promised to share his findings with the authorities, saying that private scrutiny could be "constructive competition." "This inquiry is very important for us to find the real reason why the MS Estonia sank," said Lennart Berglund, the head of a SEA group that supports victims' families in Sweden "There will be no one from SEA or the Swedish side because it is still illegal for Swedes to participate in dives in Estonia," he added. A young French man has been fined for sending death threats to a former chief executive of Charlie Hebdo. The 20-year-old man was found guilty of sending death threats to the magazine's former HR director Marika Bret on Twitter. He was sentenced to fifty days of €20 fines each by the Paris Criminal court on Wednesday, as well as a €2,500 fine "in compensation for moral damage caused". If he fails to pay the fine, he will automatically be imprisoned to the corresponding number of days, the court added. The young man, who is unemployed, will also have to complete a two-day citizenship course. Prosecutors had earlier requested a six-month suspended prison sentence. The court heard that in December last year, he had sent a threatening private message to Marika Bret on Twitter. The defendant said he would "cut her up like a pig" and "have her eaten alive by dogs that have been starving for days," prosecutors said. Bret, who has been living under police protection since the 2015 attacks, described the threats as "words of unheard-of cruelty and barbarity." "I will never, ever accept any death threat," she said. The defendant had claimed that he did not know about the history of Charlie Hebdo and had copied a message "seen on a forum." But an investigation found that he had sent other hateful messages online, including towards the French Jewish community.
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Shipwreck
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VSS Enterprise crash
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The VSS Enterprise crash occurred on October 31, 2014, when the VSS Enterprise, a SpaceShipTwo experimental spaceflight test vehicle operated by Virgin Galactic, suffered a catastrophic in-flight breakup during a test flight and crashed in the Mojave Desert near Cantil, California. [1][2] Co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed and pilot Peter Siebold was seriously injured. The National Transportation Safety Board later concluded that the breakup was caused by Alsbury's premature unlocking of the air brake device used for atmospheric re-entry. The NTSB said other important factors in the accident were inadequate design safeguards, poor pilot training and lack of rigorous oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). [3]
On the day of the accident, Enterprise was performing a test flight – powered flight 4 (PF04) – in which it was dropped from the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, after taking off from the Mojave Air and Space Port. [4] The test flight was the aircraft's first powered flight in nine months, and was to include the first flight testing of a new, more powerful and steadier-thrust hybrid rocket engine whose fuel grain was composed of nylon instead of rubber. The flight was the aircraft's 55th, and its 35th free flight. VSS Enterprise was crewed by pilot Peter Siebold and co-pilot Michael Alsbury. [5][6]
According to the NTSB briefing, SpaceShipTwo (SS2) dropped from the mother ship as planned and fired its new hybrid rocket engine normally. About eleven seconds later, the space plane violently broke apart,[7] substantially giving the appearance of an explosion, and creating a 35-mile-long (55-kilometer) debris field. [8] Witnesses reported seeing a parachute before the aircraft crashed. Alsbury was killed in the crash. Siebold survived with serious injuries and was transported to Antelope Valley Hospital in nearby Lancaster. [7] The carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, landed safely. [9]
Some industry experts quickly conjectured that the new rocket engine was at fault,[10] but this was quickly disproved when the craft's engine and propellant tanks were recovered intact; indicating there was no explosion due to either the solid (nylon-based) or liquid (nitrous oxide) components of the hybrid engine. [11]
A preliminary investigation and cockpit video subsequently indicated that the feathering system, the ship's air-braking descent device, deployed too early. [12][13] Two seconds later, while still under rocket propulsion, the craft disintegrated. [14] The feathering system requires two levers to operate. The system was unlocked by Michael Alsbury, but the feathering control was not moved, indicating an uncommanded feathering as "that action alone should not have been enough to pivot the tails upright" according to the NTSB. [15][16] The feathering system had been deliberately deployed at supersonic speeds during earlier powered flight tests of SS2, but previous activation either occurred in thinner air at higher altitudes, or at much lower speeds than the flight on October 31. [17]
Regarding the possibility of pilot error being the proximate cause of the crash, acting NTSB chairman Christopher Hart said: "We are not ruling anything out. We are looking at all of these issues to determine what was the root cause of this mishap … We are looking at a number of possibilities, including that possibility (of pilot error). "[11]
The incident resulted in the first fatality on a spacecraft in flight since the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. [18] The survival of pilot Peter Siebold also marks the first time in history that anyone has survived the destruction of a spacecraft during a flight when others on board have died. [19][20][21] Investigators were initially puzzled about how Siebold managed to get out of the rocket plane and parachute to the ground from an altitude of roughly 50,000 feet (15,000 meters), where the atmosphere is virtually devoid of oxygen. [22] On November 7, Siebold told investigators that the aircraft broke up around him. He was still strapped into his seat. He released the straps and his parachute later deployed automatically. Siebold was not wearing a pressure suit. [23]
The vehicle in the accident, VSS Enterprise, registration N339SS, was the sole Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo test vehicle. [24] It was the first of the five SpaceShipTwo craft planned by Virgin Galactic. [25] Since October 2010, VSS Enterprise had flown 20 captive flights while remaining attached to its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, 31 unpowered glide-to-landing tests, and three rocket-powered test flights. [citation needed] There were several performance issues during the ship engine's development in 2012 and 2013. [26][27]
A rocket-powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo took place on April 29, 2013, with an engine burn of 16 seconds duration. The brief flight began at an altitude of 47,000 feet (14,000 m), and reached a maximum altitude of 55,000 feet (17,000 m) and a speed of Mach 1.2 (920 mph or 1,480 km/h). [28]
A second SS2 vehicle, VSS Unity, was rolled out in February 2016. [29]
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the accident. A Go Team was dispatched to the accident site on October 31, 2014. [30] The team, consisting of around fifteen personnel, arrived at the Mojave Air and Space Port on November 1. They began their investigation that day. [31]
At a news conference on November 2, NTSB acting chairman Christopher Hart said the lock–unlock lever for the vehicle's feathering mechanism was moved to the unlocked position at slightly above Mach 1. SpaceShipTwo's feathering mechanism then began moving even though that motion had not been commanded. [32] The on-site investigation was scheduled to take four to seven days. [33] It was reported on November 12 that the on-site investigation had been completed and that parts of the wreckage had been placed in secure storage should they be needed for further investigation. [23] It was expected to take about a year for the final report to be released. [33]
During a hearing in Washington D.C. on July 28, 2015,[34][35] and a press release on the same day,[36] the NTSB cited inadequate design safeguards, poor pilot training, lack of rigorous federal oversight and a potentially anxious co-pilot without recent flight experience as important factors in the 2014 crash. [3] They determined that the co-pilot, who died in the accident, prematurely unlocked a movable tail section some ten seconds after SpaceShipTwo fired its rocket engine and was breaking the sound barrier, resulting in the craft breaking apart. The Board also found that the Scaled Composites unit of Northrop Grumman, which designed and flew the prototype space tourism vehicle, did not properly prepare for potential human slip-ups by providing a fail-safe system that could have guarded against such premature deployment. "A single-point human failure has to be anticipated," board member Robert Sumwalt said. Instead, Scaled Composites "put all their eggs in the basket of the pilots doing it correctly."
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Air crash
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Lunar Eclipse 2021: Super Flower Blood Moon on May 26. Check Timings, Visibility in India
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New Delhi: Are you ready for a super lunar event? The world is set to experience the first lunar eclipse of 2021, a super Moon and a red blood Moon all at once on Monday, May 26. So what does this mean? And will the super blood moon be visible in India? Here’s all you need to know.Also Read - '50,000 photos, 40 hours': Pune Teenager Captures One of the Most Clearest and Sharpest Picture of the Moon The rare super flower blood moon will be seen in the easter sky on May 26, 2021 just after a total lunar eclipse. Also Read - Lunar Eclipse 2021 India Date and Time: All About First Chandra Grahan of The Year To see a lunar eclipse, you need to be on the night side of the Earth while the Moon passes through the shadow. The best place to see the eclipse on May 26, 2021, will be the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Australia, the East Coast of Asia and the West Coast of the Americas. It will be visible on the eastern half of the US, but only the very earliest stages before the Moon sets. People in India, South Asia, East Asia, Australia, and much of North America, South America, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and Antarctica will be able to see the lunar eclipse on May 26. For most people in India, the moon will be below the eastern horizon during the total lunar eclipse and so people will not be able to view the blood Moon. Skywatchers who live in eastern India will see only the very last part of the lunar eclipse, very close to the eastern horizon, just before moonrise. The total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) will start at 2:17 pm in India and end at 7:19 pm. The earth will cover the moon by 101.6 per cent during this event. The partial eclipse of the moon will start around 3:15 pm and end at 6:22 pm in Kolkata.“On the night of May 26, the sun, earth and moon will be aligned in a way that the Full Moon will also be eclipsed for some time as viewed from Kolkata. The moon on its journey around the earth will be passing through the earth’s shadow and will be totally eclipsed,” said astrophysicist and Director of MP Birla Planetarium, Debiprasad Duari. A supermoon occurs when a full or new moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to the Earth. The Moon’s orbit around Earth is not perfectly circular. This means the Moon’s distance from Earth varies as it goes around the planet. The closest point in the orbit, called the perigee, is roughly 28,000 miles closer to Earth than the farthest point of the orbit. A full moon that happens near the perigee is called a supermoon. It is a super Moon as the relatively close proximity of the Moon makes it seem a little bit bigger and brighter than usual, though the difference between a supermoon and a normal moon is usually hard to notice unless you’re looking at two pictures side by side. A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth’s shadow covers all or part of the Moon. This can only happen during a full moon, so first, it helps to understand what makes a full moon. Like the Earth, half of the Moon is illuminated by the sun at any one time. A full moon happens when the Moon and the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth. This allows you see the entire lit-up side, which looks like a round disc in the night sky. If the Moon had a totally flat orbit, every full moon would be a lunar eclipse. But the Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees relative to Earth’s orbit. So, most of the time a full moon ends up a little above or below the shadow cast by the Earth. But twice in each lunar orbit, the Moon is on the same horizontal plane as both the Earth and Sun. If this corresponds to a full moon, the Sun, the Earth and the Moon will form a straight line and the Moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow. This results in a total lunar eclipse. On May 26, 2021, it will be the first total lunar eclipse since January 2019. When the Moon is completely covered by Earth’s shadow it will darken, but doesn’t go completely black. Instead, it takes on a red color, which is why total lunar eclipses are sometimes called red or blood moons. Sunlight contains all colors of visible light. The particles of gas that make up Earth’s atmosphere are more likely to scatter blue wavelengths of light while redder wavelengths pass through. This is called Rayleigh scattering, and it’s why the sky is blue and sunrises and sunsets are often red. In the case of a lunar eclipse, red light can pass through the Earth’s atmosphere and is refracted – or bent – toward the Moon, while blue light is filtered out. This leaves the moon with a pale reddish hue during an eclipse.
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New wonders in nature
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1894 World Allround Speed Skating Championships
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The 1894 World Allround Speed Skating Championships took place at 10 and 11 February 1894 at the ice rink Saltsjöbanen in Stockholm, Sweden. 19 skaters from six countries participated. [1] It is the first World Allround Speed Skating Championships skated outside off Amsterdam. The Dutch skater Jaap Eden was the defending champion. No new champion was declared because none of the skaters won three distances. Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[2]
Four distances had to be skated: 500, 1500, 5000 and 10,000 m. One could earn the world title only by winning at least three of the four distances, otherwise the title would be vacant. The winner of the 500 and 1500 meter was decided by a skate off of the best four skaters of the distance. Silver and bronze medals were not awarded.
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Sports Competition
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Swissair Flight 330 crash
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Swissair Flight 330 was a regularly scheduled flight from Zurich International Airport in Kloten, Switzerland, to Hong Kong with a planned stopover in Tel Aviv, Israel. A bomb was put on the plane and detonated by the Palestinian terror group PFLP-GC. [not verified in body] This caused the plane to crash, killing all 47 passengers and crew. [1][2]
On 21 February 1970 HB-ICD[3] a Convair CV-990 Coronado jet named "Baselland" was flying on the route with 38 passengers and nine crew members. A bomb detonated in the aft cargo compartment of the aircraft about nine minutes after take-off, during the ascent on a southerly course at approximately 12:15 UTC in the area of Lucerne north of the St. Gotthard Pass. The crew tried to turn the plane around and attempt an emergency landing at Zürich but had difficulty seeing the instruments due to smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft deviated more and more to the west and crashed a short time later in a wooded area at Würenlingen near Zürich, Switzerland, due to loss of electrical power. All aboard the aircraft were killed. A Government air inspector was flown to the scene in a helicopter. He was followed shortly afterward by a team of 50 investigators. The police said that a woman handed in a 9-mm. pistol found at the scene of the crash immediately after the disaster. Some of the wreckage, including pieces of cloth, was strung out on the tops and branches of trees. Sabotage was immediately suspected. A possible motive was revenge against Switzerland for three Palestinians who had been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by a Swiss court. An Arab guerrilla splinter group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, said in Beirut, Lebanon, that it had been responsible for the explosion. Reuters reported later, however, from Amman, Jordan, that a spokesman for the guerrilla group had denied that it was involved. [4]
A barometric-triggered bomb had been used. On the same day, another bomb exploded aboard an Austrian Airlines Vienna-bound Caravelle after takeoff from Frankfurt. The Caravelle landed safely. As noted in Kibble (The Arab Israeli Conflict: No Service, Returned & Captured Mail, 2014)[5] - On 21 February 1970 Swissair Flight 330 left Zürich, Switzerland, bound for Tel Aviv, Israel. A bomb exploded in the rear cargo compartment nine minutes after take-off. The crew attempted to turn the plane around and undertake an emergency landing at Zürich, but it crashed a short time later in a wooded area at Würenlingen, near Zürich. A bomb with an altimeter trigger was placed in a package mailed to an Israeli address by Palestinian extremists. All 47 persons on board (38 passengers and 9 crew) were killed. A small amount of mail was recovered from the crash and is highly prized by collectors of crash mail. A black instructional marking in French was applied to any mail that survived the crash, which translated reads:[5]
Correspondence is from "Coronado" that fell at Würenlingen. Zürich 58 Post Office
The Coronado bombing saw a change in mailing practices across the globe. In particular, mail sent or routed to Israel through the UK, Italy, and the USA was required to be sent by surface mail in the immediate future. Airmail to Israel was no longer permitted. [5]
A report from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency titled Airmail from Europe Fails to Arrive in Israel Despite Assurances It Would from 25 February 1970 states the following:[5][6]
No airmail from Europe arrived in Israel today despite assurances from several airlines that deliveries would continue. At least a dozen international carriers suspended mail and cargo services to Israel following last Saturday's fatal crash of a Swissair jet. The airlines said the measure was temporary, and several announced yesterday that they were rescinding the ban. But planes of the West German Lufthansa, the British BEA, and Swissair landed at Lydda Airport today minus their mail bags. The captain of the Swissair flight refused to take outgoing mail but agreed when informed by postal authorities that he was acting contrary to his company's instructions. Israel made strong representations to the International Postal Union yesterday against any delays in foreign mail deliveries.
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Air crash
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Coliban Water fined $150,000 for discharging wastewater into Snipes Creek
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A Victorian man who flew from Brisbane to Hobart on flight VA702 today has tested positive to COVID-19 and has not been allowed to board a flight to Melbourne
A Watch & Act warning is in place for a fire in the northern parts of Mokine, in WA's Northam Shire. Keep up to date with ABC Emergency
A central Victorian water authority has been given a hefty fine in court for discharging wastewater into a creek used by farmers and livestock. Coliban Water breached its Environment Protection Authority (EPA) licence in June 2019, when it discharged treated wastewater from a release point on Wards Lane, which flows into the Campaspe River and Snipes Creek, a tributary of the river. At the time, dozens of landowners were impacted and warned by the EPA not to use the creek water for stock, domestic or food crops. Residents also reported seeing "filthy scum" on the water surface. The Kyneton Magistrates Court yesterday ruled Coliban Water should not have allowed the discharge. The water authority was fined $150,000, which will go towards a rehabilitation project to restore the ecosystem of Snipes Creek. It was also placed on a two-year bond and will have to pay costs of $10,000 to the EPA.
"We recognise what happened in 2019 was unacceptable, and we are sorry for the impacts we had on downstream landowners, and the environment," Coliban Water managing director Damian Wells said.
In December, Coliban Water pleaded guilty to charges of causing or permitting an environmental hazard and pollution of waters. The court also recorded convictions on those charges.
"EPA wants local communities to know that we will fight for them in court, to get them justice and to seek ways to repair the damage that has been done," EPA chief executive Lee Miezis said.
Kyneton farmer Huntly Barton, who owns land along the creek, said the issue has cost him thousands of dollars.
"We relied on the river for domestic purposes, we used to shower in it," he said.
"But it meant I could no longer rely on the river at all, I had to put down a bore.
"That water wasn't good enough to go into the house, so we had to put in fresh water tanks."
Mr Barton added the contaminated water caused stock losses in 2019 and farmers in the area were left frustrated.
"We're all really angry," he said.
"When we sell stock, we have to sign a statutory declaration [stating] what we've been allowing and putting into our stock, yet we've been feeding them water that we have no idea what's in the bloody stuff."
Coliban Water said it has now fast-tracked a $17 million upgrade of the Kyneton Water Reclamation Plant. Phase 2 was meant to be completed by December but it has now been slated for May.
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Organization Fine
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Woman dies after truck crash on Gingin Brook Road in Neergabby
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A female driver has died after colliding with a truck near Gingin. The woman, 69, received fatal injuries after her white Hyundai collided with a white-and-red Kenworth prime mover just after 2.30pm on Friday along Gingin Brook Road in Neergabby. She was travelling west along the road and the 51-year-old male driver of the prime Mover was travelling east when the two vehicles collided. The male driver received minor injuries. First responders arrived at the scene shortly after but the woman could not be saved. Police are investigating the circumstances around the incident and asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online.
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Road Crash
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Man charged after bank robbery in north Regina
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Copy Url A 36-year-old Regina man is facing charges after allegedly robbing a bank in the north end of the city. According to the Regina Police Service, officers were called to a bank in the 5800 block of Rochdale Boulevard just before 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, after a report of a robbery. Police said a man allegedly walked into the bank and demanded money, then was seen getting into a vehicle after leaving the location with an undisclosed amount of cash. RPS said officers identified a suspect and found him later in the day around 7th Avenue and McIntyre Street. The man was taken to hospital after suffering an unrelated medical issue. He was subsequently released and taken into custody. The 36-year-old is charged with robbery, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 and failure to comply with a probation order. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon. Police are still looking for a woman who was reportedly seen in the vehicle during the robbery. Anyone with details is asked to contact the Regina Police Service at 306-777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
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Bank Robbery
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History of Infectious Diseases
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is often described as an ‘unprecedented’ event, as the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) took many by surprise. However, from a scientific and historical standpoint, the novel coronavirus pandemic was entirely predictable. In fact, scientists and experts had previously written about a possible pandemic, warning that the world was not prepared. A 2017 article published in Time by Bryan Walsh, entitled “The World Is Not Ready for the Next Pandemic,” is an example of how data was already warning of the world’s vulnerability to hyper infectious diseases. Throughout history, communicable diseases have impacted humanity; however, these diseases became more threatening as society made the shift to agrarian life around 10,000 years ago. The creation of more closely connected communities gave infectious diseases the chance to grow into epidemics. Diseases like influenza, smallpox, leprosy, malaria, and tuberculosis were among those that have thrived since this shift. As human civilization has evolved and communities have become better connected, the likelihood of pandemics has subsequently risen. Below, we discuss the history of infectious diseases and how they will continue to affect our modern-day lives. The first recorded pandemic occurred during the Peloponnesian War in Athens, Greece in 430 B.C. The disease was carried across the Athenian walls during the siege. Historians estimate around two-thirds of the population died from contracting the disease. Following this, the Antonine Plague emerged in 163 A.D. and is now considered to be an early version of smallpox. This plague began with the Huns infecting the Germans, who then passed it to the Romans. Once the Romans acquired the Antonine Plague, it had the opportunity to spread throughout the Roman empire. Historians believe that the Cyprian plague began in Ethiopia in 250 A.D. and made its way through Northern Africa to Rome, where it continued to spread northward. The next three centuries was witness to multiple, recurring outbreaks of the Cyprian plague. In fact, this plague changed the course of history, with a particular outbreak leading the British to seek help against the Picts and Scots from the Saxons, who went on to take control of the British Isles. As civilizations grew and empires conquered different parts of the world, infectious diseases gained more opportunities to spread. In 541 A.D., the Justinian plague broke out in Egypt and spread across Palestine and the Byzantine Empire, finally reaching the Mediterranean. The impact of this plague was significant, as it changed Emperor Justinian’s plans to consolidate the power of the Roman empire. Overall, about 26% of the world’s population fell to the Justinian plague, which is now considered to be the first significant emergence of the bubonic plague. In more recent history, leprosy ravaged Europe throughout the 11th century, which was then followed by the infamous Black Death of the 14th century. This second and largest outbreak of the bubonic plague claimed the lives of 30-60% of the European population. In 1665, the bubonic plague made another appearance, causing the deaths of 20% of London’s population during what is now known as The Great Plague of London. Since the first major outbreak in 1817, there have been seven cholera pandemics to date. Although a cholera vaccine was created in the late 1800s, outbreaks have continued to be problematic. The 1800s also saw the third outbreak of the bubonic plague, which claimed the lives of more than 15 million people. The Fiji Measles Pandemic also occurred in 1875, where 40,000 people, which was one-third of Fiji’s total population, died. As the world moved into the 20th century, influenza pandemics became more frequent. Between 1889 and 1890, 360,000 died from the Russian Flu. Unfortunately, this figure was minimal in comparison to the 50 million deaths that resulted from the Spanish Flu pandemic that began in 1918. The 1918 pandemic was shortly followed by the Asian Flu pandemic that saw two waves in the 1950s. The final pandemic of the 20th century was the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic, which was first identified in 1981. The spread of HIV/AIDS is still considered to be a pandemic, as more than 32 million lives have been lost to this disease over the past four decades. The most recent pandemics have been the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic and the current COVID-19 pandemic, both of which have been caused by coronaviruses. The SARS pandemic claimed the lives of 774 people before it was effectively controlled via quarantine efforts. The SARS pandemic was viewed as a wake-up call by global health agencies, who believed it highlighted the world’s unreadiness to deal with and prevent the spread of infectious diseases from developing into a pandemic. Lessons learned in the SARS pandemic were used to control the H1N1, Ebola, and Zika outbreaks. Despite this, the world remains unprepared for COVID-19, as it was ultimately declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. As of July 22, 2021, more than 4.13 million deaths have been attributed to COVID-19, with over 192 million confirmed cases. Other than the loss of life and number of cases, COVID-19 significantly changed the world, as it paused economies and prevented social interaction, both of which inevitably impacted mental health, food security, and much more for the global population. The COVID-19 pandemic also taught the world about how to deal with and prepare for future pandemics, as many scientists warn of their inevitability in the future. It is likely that the measures that have been implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19 will remain in place to continue to protect us from the spread of infectious diseases in the future. For the infections that may break through these barriers, the world now has the experience to create effective vaccines in record-breaking time. While the emergence of infectious diseases cannot be completely prevented, various measures can be taken to minimize their impact on human life.
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Disease Outbreaks
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1949 Holland Tunnel fire
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On the morning of Friday, May 13, 1949, a hazardous materials truck caught fire while passing through the Holland Tunnel, which travels under the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey. One firefighter was killed and 66 civilians were injured as a result of the fire. The 1996 motion picture Daylight, starring Sylvester Stallone, was loosely based on this incident. At 8:30 a.m. a truck carrying eighty 55-gallon (210 L) drums of carbon disulfide entered the southern tube at the New Jersey portal. The tunnel has two tubes, the southern one for eastbound traffic and the northern one for westbound traffic. At the time, it was forbidden to carry carbon disulfide through either tube. [1][2]:105 After the truck had traveled east for approximately 2900 feet (880 m) in heavy traffic, one of the drums broke free of its restraints, fell onto the roadway and cracked open. Vapor released from the drum was ignited when it came into contact with a hot surface, probably a brake shoe or exhaust pipe. [3]:6 Carbon disulfide vapor ignites when raised to a temperature of 194 °F (90 °C), so it was considered highly flammable; moreover, it could be deadly if inhaled in large amounts. [2]:105
The truck came to rest in the left lane of the tunnel on a 0.25% downgrade and began to burn. Four trucks stopped on the right lane and also caught fire or were abandoned, and five more trucks caught fire slightly to the back of the carbon disulfide-carrying truck. The tunnel west of the fire became gridlocked with traffic; ultimately, 125 vehicles got stuck in the tube before it was closed. [3]:6[2]:105
Port Authority patrolmen in the tube east and west of the truck radioed in to advise of the blockage (8:48 a.m.) then to advise of the fire (8:56 a.m.). They assisted drivers to escape to the north tube through cross-passages. [2]:106 Tunnel staff entered the New Jersey portal to evacuate the occupants there and started to reverse vehicles out, while a wrecker crew drove the wrong way along the south tube and began fighting the fire at the site of the truck where it started. [3]:7 At the time of the fire, the tunnel was operated by the Port Authority, which had control of various other transportation facilities in the area as well. Consequently, they had a wrecker crew at the eastern end of the south tube. They initiated firefighting operations at the site of the fire with a 1.5-inch (3.8 cm) hose about five minutes after it started. [3]:7[2]:107 However, they soon realized that they needed extra assistance due to the confined nature of the fire. [2]:107
The Jersey City Fire Department (JCFD) was alerted at 9:05 a.m., and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) was alerted at 9:12 a.m.[2]:107[3]:7 The FDNY crew set up a command post in the north tunnel at a cross passage near to the fire. They relieved the wrecker crew and transmitted a 2nd alarm at 9:30 a.m. When the JCFD crews arrived at the tunnel portal, they also sent requests for more firefighters and for breathing equipment. [3]:7 The crews also worked on placing illumination inside the tunnel. [4] The FDNY and JCFD called up 29 firefighting trucks of varying types and borrowed four more trucks with breathing apparatus from Consolidated Edison. In total there were about 63 emergency response vehicles (including police, medical units, Port Authority vehicles and supervisory vehicles). [2]:107[3]:7
Hot smoke caused a second fire to start, in a group of trucks apparently carrying paint and turpentine approximately 350 feet (110 m) west of the original fire. After this, the tunnel ventilation system was turned to full exhaust and full supply in order to extract smoke and reduce the likelihood of other spontaneous ignitions. New Jersey firefighters succeeded in extinguishing the second fire, and cleared a path for emergency vehicles to the first fire site where they linked up with the New York firefighters. [2]:107[3]:7
The tunnel fire main, a 6-inch (150 mm) water pipe cast directly into the secondary concrete lining, continued to function throughout the fire. [2]:107[3]:7 The FDNY supplemented this with water from a 2.5-inch (6.4 cm) hose. [2]:107 The fire was the first time in the FDNY's history that it had been required to use four rescue squad vehicles at the same fire. [5]
At 9:45 a.m. the tunnel's built-in ventilation system was turned to full extract and full supply in the zone of the fire. [2]:108 The supply of air through the duct under the roadway enabled firefighters to work without masks. Although the smoke in the tube was toxic, first responders were able to breathe by inhaling clean air from the curbside vents at the bottom of the tube. [2]:108[3]:7[4] The extract duct above the roadway captured some of the smoke and when the false ceiling at the site of the fire collapsed, a hole formed between the road tunnel and the extract ventilation duct: this hole dramatically improved the capture of smoke at the main fire site, though it reduced smoke capture at the second fire site to practically nothing. [6]
Two of the extract fans in the New Jersey vent shaft failed due to the heat of the fire; the shaft was approximately 300 feet (100 m) west of the fire, and was apparently drawing air at 1,000 °F (538 °C). The third fan was kept in working order by cooling it with a water spray. [2]:108[6]
By 1:00 p.m. the fire had been surrounded. [2]:108[3]:7 The westbound tube, which had not been affected directly by the fire, reopened to two-way traffic at 2:15 p.m.[2]:109[4] However, work continued on cleaning up the eastbound tube and extracting the trucks that were trapped there. By 4:45 p.m., three trucks had been towed out of the New Jersey side. [4] Despite a re-ignition of the fire at 6:50 p.m. the stop message was issued at 12:52 a.m. the next morning. [2]:109[3]:7 The wreckage was cleared up quickly,[7] and the eastbound tunnel reopened to traffic on the evening of Sunday, May 15. [2]:109
In total, 66 people were injured, mostly by smoke inhalation. Of these, 27 were hospitalized[2]:109 One firefighter, Battalion Chief Gunther E. Beake, was severely affected by smoke inhalation and died of his injuries on August 23, 1949. The truck carrying carbon disulfide was completely destroyed, as were nine other trucks. 13 trucks were damaged. The infrastructure suffered extensive damage: approximately 650 short tons (590 tonnes) of rubble were removed during the weekend before the tunnel reopened. [2]:109 The tiles on the tunnel walls spalled off for a distance of approximately 200 feet (60 m) west of the fire site and 500 feet (150 m) east of it. At the site of the fire, the concrete lining of the walls spalled down to the ribs of the cast-iron primary lining. The false ceiling above the roadway, which consisted of a 6-inch-thick (150 mm), in situ, reinforced concrete slab, collapsed completely in several places and collapsed partially over a length of approximately 500 feet (150 m).
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Fire
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Brazil Battered by Drought
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Prolonged dry conditions have caused the worst drought in central and southern Brazil in almost a century, according to Brazilian government agencies. The drought is expected to cause crop losses, water scarcity, and increased fire activity in the Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands. Low water levels are noticeable around several lakes in the Paraná River basin, home to several hydroelectric dams and reservoirs that help power the region. Seven of the 14 main reservoirs nearby stood at their lowest levels since 1999. Brazil’s Electric Sector Monitoring Committee has eased restrictions on some hydroelectric dams in order to meet electricity needs and prevent power outages. The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured the images above of Lago das Brisas on the Paranaíba River on June 17, 2021 (right) compared to June 12, 2019 (left). Five nearby reservoirs recorded water levels more than two meters below average (1993-2002), according to the Global Reservoir and Lake Monitor. News reports state that water levels on the Paraná River are around 8.5 meters (30 feet) below average near the Brazil and Paraguay border. The low water could disrupt cargo ship traffic in the basin and make transportation of goods more expensive. May 7 - June 4, 2021JPEG The drier-than-normal weather is also affecting the production of important Brazilian crops such as coffee, corn, sugarcane, and oranges. A Brazilian agricultural consulting agency forecasted that yields for the second corn crop could hit a five-year low. Coffee production in São Paulo state was forecasted to drop as much as 20 to 30 percent from normal levels. The map above shows where vegetation is stressed due to lack of water. The Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) incorporates observations of land surface temperatures from NOAA satellites and observations of leaf area index from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites. ESI observations are a measure of evapotranspiration, or how much water is evaporating from the land surface and from the leaves of plants. Based on variations in land surface temperatures, the ESI map indicates how the rate of evapotranspiration from May 7 to June 4 compared to normal conditions. Brown areas indicate plants that are stressed due to inadequate moisture, even if their leaves have not yet wilted or turned visibly brown. Much of the stressed vegetation is located in key agricultural states including Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo, and Paraná. Many areas of Brazil have seen below-average rainfall since at least October 2019, according to government authorities. The November to March rainy season in 2020/2021 brought exceptionally low rainfall in the states of São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul. Scientists suggest the sparse rainfall was linked to the recent La Niña, which typically brings drier weather in the southern part of the continent. Brazil’s National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA) has declared a “critical situation” of water resources in the Paraná River basin from June to November 2021. The country’s national meteorological system also warned of water shortages for Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná and São Paulo through September 2021. NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and Evaporative Stress Index data from SERVIR. Story by Kasha Patel.
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Droughts
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Derelict boats leaking oil, rust and damaging Sydney Harbour, marine advocates warn
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When Pete Lazareff kayaks around Sydney Harbour, he is astounded by the number of abandoned boats he sees.
"I've been kayaking for a long time," the Balmain resident said.
"You see old diesel boats up around near the Dawn Fraser pool; you see the old things sitting there and bits of oily substance coming out the back.
"The other week I saw a boat submerged in water that looked like it had been sitting there for years."
The sight is not uncommon according to environment and marine advocates, who have warned that rusting and unseaworthy boats that linger on Sydney Harbour and leak oil and fuel are threatening marine life and waterways.
There are more than 6,700 private and commercial moorings across Sydney and surrounding areas including Sydney Harbour, Pittwater, Botany Bay/Georges River, Brisbane Water, Upper Hawkesbury, Brooklyn and Port Hacking.
If they are not docked at an official marina where spaces are limited and expensive to hire, boat owners can pay for a 12-month mooring licence to anchor their vessels at sites managed by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS).
RMS mooring fees range from $325 a year for a vessel under seven metres in Sydney and Pittwater, to $5,904 for a 25-metre boat in East Sydney Harbour.
But Clean Up Australia founder and round-the-world yachtsman Ian Kiernan has urged the regulators to enforce minimum moorings.
"We've got to realise that Sydney Harbour or any of our waterways are not parking lots," he told ABC Radio Sydney.
"We have adequate marinas where you pay to store your boats and that's OK, but we're seeing the filling up of the harbour with boats that aren't really being used.
"It's just a storage area. It shouldn't be allowed."
RMS stipulates that a vessel cannot be "absent from its mooring for more than 28 consecutive days" and "must be visually suitable for the bay and be maintained in a seaworthy condition, which means being capable of undertaking a voyage".
Vessels are visually assessed by RMS before mooring licences are granted.
Source: Roads and Maritime Services
However, Michael Lapin, a marine surveyor and manager of a commercial boat shed in Middle Harbour, said the harbour was "not policed" as RMS boating officers were "overworked as there are so many boats to look at".
"The boats are not maintained so they become a liability because they won't function," Mr Lapin said.
"They sink at the mooring or need to be towed ... they look ugly because they're a mess, they're like a derelict house.
"When they start leaking, there's always oil and contaminants in the bilges.
"If the boat sinks, then the fuel tank just leaks raw fuels in the environment."
An RMS spokesperson said the department was the "appropriate regularity authority for potential environmental hazards presented by sunken vessels".
"While these situations are monitored closely to assess potential environmental risks, it is the responsibility of the boat owner to remove a vessel which sinks at its mooring," the spokesperson said.
Given insurers often require vessels to have an out-of-water inspection every five years, Mr Lapin suggested mooring licences should be linked to insurance approvals.
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Environment Pollution
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Blue Origin auctions seat on first spaceflight with Jeff Bezos for $28 million
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Jeff Bezos’ space venture Blue Origin auctioned off a seat on its upcoming first crewed spaceflight on Saturday for $28 million. The winning bidder, whose name wasn’t released, will fly to the edge of space with the Amazon founder and his brother Mark on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket scheduled to launch on July 20. The company said it will reveal the name of the auction winner in the coming weeks. Bidding opened at $4.8 million but surpassed $20 million within the first few minutes of the auction. The auction’s proceeds will be donated to Blue Origin’s education-focused nonprofit Club for the Future, which supports kids interested in future STEM careers. Blue Origin director of astronaut and orbital sales Ariane Cornell said during the auction webcast that New Shepard’s first passenger flight will carry four people, including Bezos, his brother, the auction winner and a fourth person to be announced later. New Shepard, a rocket that carries a capsule to an altitude of over 340,000 feet, has flown more than a dozen successful test flights without passengers, including one in April at the company’s facility in the Texas desert. It’s designed to carry up to six people and flies autonomously — without needing a pilot. The capsule has massive windows to give passengers a view of the earth below during about three minutes in zero gravity, before returning to Earth. Blue Origin’s system launches vertically, and both the rocket and capsule are reusable. The boosters land vertically on a concrete pad at the company’s facility in Van Horn, Texas, while the capsules land using a set of parachutes. Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 and still owns the company, funding it through share sales of his Amazon stock. July 20 is notable because it also marks the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Bezos and fellow billionaires Elon Musk and Sir Richard Branson are in a race to get to space, but each in different ways. Bezos’ Blue Origin and Branson’s Virgin Galactic are competing to take passengers on short flights to the edge of space, a sector known as suborbital tourism, while Musk’s SpaceX is launching private passengers on further, multi-day flights, in what is known as orbital tourism. Both Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have been developing rocket-powered spacecraft, but that is where the similarities end. While Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket launches vertically from the ground, Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo system is released mid-air and returns to Earth in a glide for a runway landing, like an aircraft. Virgin Galactic’s system is also flown by two pilots, while Blue Origin’s launches without one. Branson’s company has also flown a test spaceflight with a passenger onboard, although the company has three spaceflight tests remaining before it begins flying commercial customers – which is planned to start in 2022. SpaceX launches its Crew Dragon spacecraft to orbit atop its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, having sent 10 astronauts to the International Space Station on three missions to date. In addition to the government flights, Musk’s company is planning to launch multiple private astronaut missions in the year ahead – beginning with the all-civilian Inspiration4 mission that is planned for September. SpaceX is also launching at least four private missions for Axiom Space, starting early next year. Blue Origin’s auction may have netted $28 million, but a seat on a suborbital spacecraft is typically much less expensive. Virgin Galactic has historically sold reservations between $200,000 and $250,000 per ticket, and more recently charged the Italian Air Force about $500,000 per ticket for a training spaceflight. Musk’s orbital missions are more costly than the suborbital flights, with NASA paying SpaceX about $55 million per seat for spaceflights to the ISS.
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New achievements in aerospace
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Collapse of a dam in southeastern Brazil
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BRUMADINHO, Brazil (AP) — The death toll from the collapse of a dam holding back mine waste in southeastern Brazil rose to 40 on Saturday as searchers flying in helicopters and rescuers laboring in deep mud uncovered more bodies. An estimated 300 people were still missing and authorities expected the death toll to increase during a search made more challenging by intermittent rains. Scores of families in the city desperately awaited word on their loved ones, and Romeu Zema, governor of Minas Gerais state, promised that those responsible “would be punished.” Employees of the mining complex owned and operated by Brazilian mining company Vale were eating lunch Friday afternoon when the dam gave way, unleashing a sea of reddish-brown mud that knocked over and buried several structures of the company and surrounding areas. The level of devastation quickly led President Jair Bolsonaro and other officials to describe it as a “tragedy.” The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and an occupied Vale administrative office. On Saturday, rooftops poked above an extensive field of the mud, which also cut off roads. After the dam collapse, some were evacuated from Brumadinho. Other residents of the affected areas barely escaped with their lives. “I saw all the mud coming down the hill, snapping the trees as it descended. It was a tremendous noise,” said a tearful Simone Pedrosa, from the neighborhood of Parque Cachoeira, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from where the dam collapsed. Pedrosa, 45, and her parents dashed to their car and drove to the highest point in the neighborhood. “If we had gone down the other direction, we would have died,” Pedrosa said, adding that she had a feeling “that this was the end of my life.” “I cannot get that noise out of my head,” she said. “It’s a trauma ... I’ll never forget.” In addition to the 40 bodies recovered as of Saturday afternoon, 23 people were hospitalized, said authorities with the Minas Gerais fire department. There had been some signs of hope earlier Saturday when authorities found 43 more people alive. Company officials also had said that 100 workers were accounted for. But the company said in a statement Saturday afternoon that more than 200 workers were still missing, while fire officials at one point estimated the total number at close to 300. Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman said he did not know what caused the collapse. About 300 employees were working when it happened. Emergency workers suspended their search shortly after nightfall. They planned to resume at first light Sunday morning. For many, hope was fading to anguish. “I don’t think he is alive,” said Joao Bosco, speaking of his cousin, Jorge Luis Ferreira, who worked for Vale. “Right now I can only hope for a miracle of God.” Vanilza Sueli Oliveira described the wait for news of her nephew as “distressing, maddening.” “Time is passing,” she said. “It’s been 24 hours already. ... I just don’t want to think that he is under the mud.” The rivers of mining waste also raised fears of widespread contamination. According to Vale’s website, the waste, often called tailings, is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a U.N. report found that the waste from a similar disaster in 2015 “contained high levels of toxic heavy metals.” On Friday, Minas Gerais state court blocked $260 million from Vale for state emergency services and told the company to present a report about how they would help victims. On Saturday, the state’s justice ministry ordered an additional $1.3 billion blocked. Brazil’s Attorney General, Raquel Dodge promised to investigate, saying “someone is definitely at fault.” Dodge noted there are 600 mines in the state of Minas Gerais alone that are classified as being at risk of rupture. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais state, resulting in 19 deaths and forcing hundreds from their homes. Considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, it left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. An estimated 60 million cubic meters of waste flooded rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Schvartsman said what happened Friday was “a human tragedy much larger than the tragedy of Mariana, but probably the environmental damage will be less.” Sueli de Oliveira Costa, who hadn’t heard from her husband since Friday, had harsh words for the mining company. “Vale destroyed Mariana and now they’ve destroyed Brumadinho,” she said. Daily Folha de S.Paulo reported Saturday that the dam’s mining complex was issued an expedited license to expand in December due to “decreased risk.” Preservation groups in the area alleged that the approval was unlawful. On Twitter, President Bolsonaro said his government would do everything it could to “prevent more tragedies” like Mariana and now Brumadinho. The far-right leader campaigned on promises to jump-start Brazil’s economy, in part by deregulating mining and other industries. Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underscored a lack of regulation, and many promised to fight any further deregulation by Bolsonaro in Latin America’s largest nation. “History repeats itself,” tweeted Marina Silva, a former environmental minister and three-time presidential candidate. “It’s unacceptable that government and mining companies haven’t learned anything.” ___
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Mine Collapses
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WHO setting up hub to make COVID-19 vaccines in South Africa: Tedros
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The World Health Organization (WHO) is setting up a technology transfer hub for producing mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in South Africa, with Afrigen Biologics and Biovac to be involved, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday. "Today I am delighted to announce that WHO is in discussions with a consortium of companies and institutions to establish a technology transfer hub in South Africa," Tedros told a news conference. "The consortium involves a company Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines, which will act as the hub both by manufacturing mRNA vaccines itself & by providing training to a manufacturer Biovac," he said. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint.
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Organization Established
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1960 U-2 incident crash
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On 1 May 1960, a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while performing photographic aerial reconnaissance deep inside Soviet territory. The single-seat aircraft, flown by pilot Francis Gary Powers, was hit by an S-75 Dvina (SA-2 Guideline) surface-to-air missile and crashed near Sverdlovsk (present-day Yekaterinburg). Powers parachuted safely and was captured. Initially, the US authorities acknowledged the incident as the loss of a civilian weather research aircraft operated by NASA, but were forced to admit the mission's true purpose when a few days later the Soviet government produced the captured pilot and parts of the U-2's surveillance equipment, including photographs of Soviet military bases taken during the mission. The incident occurred during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the premiership of Nikita Khrushchev, around two weeks before the scheduled opening of an east–west summit in Paris. Krushchev and Eisenhower had met face-to-face at Camp David in Maryland in September 1959, and the seeming thaw in U.S.-Soviet relations had led people around the world to hope for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Cold War. [2] The U2 incident caused great embarrassment to the United States, and shattered the amiable "Spirit of Camp David" that had prevailed for eight months, prompting the cancellation of the planned Paris summit. [2]
Powers was convicted of espionage and sentenced to three years of imprisonment plus seven years of hard labour, but was released two years later in February 1962 in a prisoner exchange for Soviet intelligence officer Rudolf Abel. [3]
In July 1958, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower requested permission from the Pakistani prime minister Feroze Khan Noon for the U.S. to establish a secret intelligence facility in Pakistan and for the U-2 spyplane to fly from Pakistan. The U-2 flew at altitudes that could not be reached by Soviet fighter jets of the era; it was believed to be beyond the reach of Soviet missiles as well. A facility established in Badaber (Peshawar Air Station), 10 miles (16 km) from Peshawar, was a cover for a major communications intercept operation run by the United States National Security Agency (NSA). Badaber was an excellent location because of its proximity to Soviet central Asia. This enabled the monitoring of missile test sites, key infrastructure and communications. The U-2 "spy-in-the-sky" was allowed to use the Pakistan Air Force section of Peshawar Airport to gain vital photo intelligence in an era before satellite observation. [4]
President Eisenhower did not want to fly American U-2 pilots over the Soviet Union because he felt that if one of these pilots were to be shot down or captured, it could be seen as an act of aggression. At a time like the Cold War, any act of aggression could spark open conflict between the two countries. In order to ease the burden of flying Americans into Soviet airspace the idea developed to have British pilots from the Royal Air Force fly these missions in place of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). With the United Kingdom still reeling from the aftermath of the Suez Crisis and in no position to snub American requests, the British government was amenable to the proposal. Using British pilots allowed Eisenhower to be able to use the U-2 aircraft to spy for American interests in the Soviet Union, while still being able to plausibly deny any affiliation if a mission became compromised. After the success of the first two British pilots and because of pressure to determine the number of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles more accurately, Eisenhower allowed the flying of two more missions before the Four Power Paris Summit, scheduled for 16 May. The final two missions before the summit were to be flown by American pilots. [5]
On 9 April 1960, a U-2C spyplane of the special CIA unit "10-10", piloted by Bob Ericson, crossed the southern national boundary of the Soviet Union in the area of Pamir Mountains and flew over four Soviet top secret military objects: the Semipalatinsk Test Site, the Dolon Air Base where Tu-95 strategic bombers were stationed, the surface-to-air missile (SAM) test site of the Soviet Air Defence Forces near Saryshagan, and the Tyuratam missile range (Baikonur Cosmodrome). [6]
The aircraft was detected by the Soviet Air Defense Forces when it had flown more than 250 kilometres (155 mi) over the Soviet national boundary and avoided several attempts at interception by a MiG-19 and a Su-9 during the flight. The U-2 left Soviet air space and landed at an Iranian airstrip at Zahedan. It was clear that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency had successfully performed an extraordinarily dangerous but productive intelligence operation. The next flight of the U-2 spyplane from Peshawar airport was planned for late April. [6]
On 28 April 1960, a U.S. Lockheed U-2C spy plane, Article 358, was ferried from Incirlik Air Base in Turkey to the US base at Peshawar airport by pilot Glen Dunaway. Fuel for the aircraft had been ferried to Peshawar the previous day in a US Air Force C-124 transport. A US Air Force C-130 followed, carrying the ground crew, mission pilot Francis Powers, and the backup pilot, Bob Ericson. On the morning of 29 April, the crew in Badaber was informed that the mission had been delayed one day. As a result, Bob Ericson flew Article 358 back to Incirlik and John Shinn ferried another U-2C, Article 360,[7] from Incirlik to Peshawar. On 30 April, the mission was delayed one day further because of bad weather over the Soviet Union. [6]
The weather improved and on 1 May, 15 days before the scheduled opening of the east–west summit conference in Paris, Captain Powers, flying Article 360, 56–6693 left the base in Peshawar on a mission with the operations code word GRAND SLAM[8] to overfly the Soviet Union, photographing targets including the ICBM sites at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and Plesetsk Cosmodrome, then land at Bodø in Norway. At the time, the USSR had six ICBM launch pads, two at Baikonur and four at Plesetsk. [9] Mayak, then named Chelyabinsk-65, an important industrial center of plutonium processing, was another of the targets that Powers was to photograph. [10] A close study of Powers's account of the flight shows that one of the last targets he overflew, before being shot down, was the Chelyabinsk-65 plutonium production facility. [11]
The U-2 flight was expected, and all units of the Soviet Air Defence Forces in the Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Ural, and later in the USSR European Region and Extreme North, were placed on red alert. Soon after the aircraft was detected, Lieutenant General of the Air Force Yevgeniy Savitskiy ordered the air-unit commanders "to attack the violator by all alert flights located in the area of foreign plane's course, and to ram if necessary". [12]
Because of the U-2's extreme operating altitude, Soviet attempts to intercept the aircraft using fighter aircraft failed. The U-2's course was out of range of several of the nearest SAM sites, and one SAM site even failed to engage the aircraft since it was not on duty that day. The U-2 was shot down near Kosulino, Ural Region, by the first of three SA-2 Guideline (S-75 Dvina) surface-to-air missiles[13] fired by a battery commanded by Mikhail Voronov. [6] The SA-2 site had been supposedly identified previously by the CIA, using photos taken during Vice President Richard Nixon's visit to Sverdlovsk the previous summer. [14][15]
Powers bailed out but neglected to disconnect his oxygen hose first and struggled with it until it broke, enabling him to separate from the aircraft. After parachuting safely down onto Soviet soil, Powers was quickly captured. [12] Powers carried with him a modified silver dollar which contained a lethal, shellfish-derived saxitoxin-tipped needle, but he did not use it. [16]
The SAM command center was unaware that the aircraft was destroyed for more than 30 minutes. [12] One of the Soviet MiG-19 fighters pursuing Powers was also destroyed in the missile salvo, and the pilot, Sergei Safronov, was killed. [6][17] The MiGs' IFF transponders were not yet switched to the new May codes because of the 1 May holiday. [18]
Four days after Powers's disappearance, NASA issued a very detailed press release noting that an aircraft had "gone missing" north of Turkey. [3] The press release speculated that the pilot might have fallen unconscious while the autopilot was still engaged, even falsely claiming that "the pilot reported over the emergency frequency that he was experiencing oxygen difficulties".
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Air crash
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Winter is coming, again: What to expect from Covid-19 as the season looms
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A year ago, experts warned that the United States faced a grim winter if Americans didn’t mask up and social distance to slow transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus before “indoor weather” — aka winter — settled in for its long stay. We all know how well that warning was heeded. In January, cases topped 300,000 a day; Covid ended the lives of about 95,000 Americans before the month was out. Now indoor weather again looms in many parts of this country, and daily case counts are rising well into the six figures. The highly transmissible Delta variant is driving spread, even among fully vaccinated people. Children are back in classrooms that can function as germ incubators. As you walk around in public you see noses poking out of masks, masks under chins, faces that are mask free. So what should we expect as we head into our second Covid autumn and winter? “The bottom line is, I think, uncertainty,” said Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for the Seattle and King County public health department, who has been mired in the Covid response since the earliest days of the U.S. outbreak. advertisement Your daily dose of news in health and medicine. “We’re experiencing a new virus, a newly emerged pathogen, and we’re trying to fight it with new tools that we don’t have a lot of experience with,” he said. “And we’re dealing with unpredictable human behavior … which is a very important factor as well, and environmental factors that may influence the severity of Covid outbreaks and how well it transmits.” “There’s a lot of moving parts,” said Duchin, who is also an infectious diseases professor at the University of Washington. Among them: the questions of when Covid vaccines will be approved for use in children and what percentage of parents will agree to vaccinate their kids. While the crystal ball may be cloudy, who can resist taking a peek? Let’s talk about some things we might face in the months ahead. The high, high crests of Delta transmission are subsiding in some parts of the country, as they have in countries where Delta took off before it did in the U.S. Cécile Viboud, an infectious diseases epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health’s Fogarty International Center, said nine modeling efforts her group is monitoring suggest that by the end of November, the Delta wave will have waned and new cases will be down “at quite a low level.” How low? Down to where the country was in late June and early July, before Delta took off. At that point the country was reporting somewhere between 7,500 to 15,000 new cases most days. Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? So does what Viboud said next. “We’re probably going to stay there, because there is quite a bit of immunity in the population,” she told STAT. That heartening prediction comes with a big but. “That assumes that no new variant comes in. Because if you get a new variant that either has a higher transmissibility or immune escape potential, then we will see a resurgence.” Late November coincides with Thanksgiving, America’s favorite week for cross-country travel. Last year, Thanksgiving and Christmas turbo-charged Covid spread. Can transmission levels remain low if large family gatherings occur across the nation this year? Viboud said all the models factor in events like Thanksgiving. The expectation of low transmission by around that time is predicated on the amount of immunity there will be by then in the country, antibodies generated by vaccination — 63.9% of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated — or acquired the hard way, through Covid infection. Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, thinks the massive summer wave the country has been experiencing will have taken some of the loft out of the balloon when it comes to fall and winter spread. By crashing over the country in the summer, Delta pulled forward in time some infections that otherwise would have occurred later, he said. “It is likely that we’ll see some wave,” Bedford said. “I would like to think it’s very unlikely to be as big as it was last year.” The World Health Organization’s top coronavirus expert is less hopeful in her prognostication. Maria Van Kerkhove thinks people are making the mistake of trying to interpret SARS-2’s behavior and predict its path by looking through the prism of influenza. SARS-2 may one day behave much more like that seasonal scourge, which causes a wave of illness in winter months in temperate climes — but it’s not there now, she said. “I feel that a lot of people want it so badly to behave like flu. So that we can get into this pattern of ‘OK, in the summer everybody can relax. And then we just need to gear up for the fall. We need to get the vaccines underway. Get people vaccinated and just ride it out through that peak, that winter peak,’” Van Kerkhove said. “But I don’t see that in the data that we have.” She believes human behavior — whether that’s wearing masks, social distancing, or getting vaccinated — has much more to do with declines of Covid transmission still than built-up immunity. The Delta variant hasn’t run through all the unprotected people, she insisted. “Delta still has a lot more energy in it,” Van Kerkhove said. “I think we should expect more ups and downs. I think we should expect more peaks and troughs. I think the peaks could become less [lofty]. Potentially. But I think those peaks will be very sharp in specific populations like unvaccinated, unprotected populations. That should be expected.” As people’s immune systems have acquired experience grappling with SARS-2 — again, via vaccine or infection — deaths as a percentage of overall cases have declined. That trend will hopefully continue. It’s not clear how long immunity lasts following infection. It can be pretty transient with human coronaviruses, but so far there haven’t been huge numbers of people reporting their second or third case of Covid. We’re going to learn how long infection-induced protection lasts as time goes on — as well as how long protection lasts after vaccination. When immunity levels in communities start to subside, that could trigger a new resurgence of cases, Viboud said, but she added the expectation is that with further waves of cases, hospitalization and deaths will not resemble the earlier waves of Covid. Bedford agreed. “You could also imagine a large Covid wave this fall-winter, but with much lower morbidity and mortality than it was last year,” he said, noting “that it seems almost certain” that the infection fatality rate — the percentage of infected people who die from the disease — will remain lower than it was earlier in the pandemic. Early in the pandemic, coronavirus experts confidently opined that this family of viruses mutates far more slowly than, say, influenza, and major changes weren’t likely to undermine efforts to control SARS-2. But no one alive had watched a new coronavirus cycle its way through hundreds of millions of people before. (The global estimate has now passed a quarter of a billion cases.) Our baseline assumptions didn’t figure on Delta. Whatever comes next will almost certainly be some new twist of this now-dominant variant, Bedford said. That’s because Delta has so effectively swept the globe it has crowded out almost all the other lineages of viruses; about 88% of recent viruses that have been sequenced belong to the Delta family. “Basically everything that is circulating is Delta, so then the only avenue for evolution becomes mutations on top of Delta,” he said. As effective as the Delta variant is, Bedford assumes it could acquire more tricks. “It seems unlikely that Delta is the ceiling, but there is going to be some ceiling,” he said. Barney Graham, who led the vaccine design work that laid the foundation for many of the current Covid vaccines, is hopeful, though, that in Delta the virus has hit a sweet spot that will eventually undermine it. “I’m hoping the virus has gotten itself to a point where it’s basically trapped now,” said Graham, who was deputy director of the NIH’s Vaccine Research Center until his retirement at the end of August. “That it can’t get any better at transmission, and any adaptation it makes in the immune response is going to make it less transmissible.” A roundup of STAT's top stories of the day. If the virus effectively stands still, the increase in the rollout of vaccines worldwide that is projected to take place over the next half year or so could start to hem the virus in. “I’m hoping now that we’re going to level out on the nature and the amount of change that’s going to be happening, especially if we can get people immunized and as the number of new infections diminishes, the less the chance that new mutations will occur,” Graham said. Fingers crossed, everyone. One of the amazing things about the control measures countries used to slow Covid transmission is the effect they had on the swarm of other viruses that cause colds and flu-like illnesses every fall and winter. Rhinoviruses, the most common cause of the common cold, continued to spread. But respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human coronaviruses, adenoviruses, and mother of all influenza-like illnesses, influenza itself, all but disappeared. With kids back in school, mask-wearing more sporadic, and people abandoning Covid controls because they’re frankly just sick of them, these bugs are coming back. They may hit us especially hard when they do, because our immune systems are out of shape from the 20-month hiatus. Last fall Hong Kong, which has had much more success controlling Covid than the U.S. has, resumed in-person teaching for children. Schools were quickly hit with large outbreaks of rhinoviruses. These ubiquitous viruses are generally just pests, but some of the infected children became so sick they needed to be admitted to hospitals. We could see similar outbreaks here. And when kids, parents, and teachers start to get sick, there will be a lot of scrambling to figure out what’s the cause. Before Covid, people rarely got tested if they came down with a respiratory infection, unless they got really sick. But now, much more is at stake. Is this a cold or the early stages of Covid? There are ramifications, depending on the answer to that question. “How do you distinguish between Covid and flu or Covid and RSV in a child? You can’t — without a diagnostic,” said Van Kerkhove, whose youngest son had a series of three severe respiratory illnesses in the spring. He was so sick she and her husband took him to the hospital, but Switzerland doesn’t test children for Covid and they still don’t know what made him so ill. “Kids will get sick, and I think that these other viruses that are circulating will complicate these matters,” she said. Duchin worries we’re not ready for what’s coming when influenza-like illnesses and Covid collide. “It’s going to put a lot of stress on the health care system to help people figure out whether they have Covid-19 or not and what they need to do next,” he said. Cheap and easy-to-access Covid rapid tests could fill this gap, but tests are still too expensive and haven’t yet been adopted widely enough, he and others argue. “It’s a huge gap, I think, in our national preparedness still,” Duchin said. Influenza activity hasn’t yet rebounded globally from the coma induced by Covid control measures. But flu will be back. Whether that happens this season isn’t in the realm of knowable things. Respiratory viruses each have their own patterns and there may be interactions among them — spread of one, for instance, may delay spread of another. What happens to that ballet when a new prima ballerina takes center stage? No one knows. “I wonder what the role of the co-circulation of other pathogens will be in the dynamics of Covid transmission and/or the manifestations of Covid-19 illness,” Duchin said. “Will influenza facilitate the spread of Covid? Will RSV or parainfluenza viruses or adenoviruses … facilitate Covid or will they possibly crowd it out?” “These are things somebody smarter than me needs to figure out,” he said. Viboud doesn’t have answers either, but sees an enormous opportunity ahead. “It’s going to be a really interesting season to watch. We’ll learn a lot.’’ Nicole Lurie fears that what we’re about to learn is that flu plus Covid is going to make winters miserable and deadly. Lurie, who was the assistant secretary for preparedness and response in the Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration, notes that in pre-Covid times, between 20,000 and 60,000 Americans died each winter from influenza. Covid’s toll could be higher than that still, because people have largely given up on changing their lifestyles to avoid becoming infected, and a substantial portion of people remain unvaccinated. “I feel like we have to be giving this some thought and preparing the public for some kind of a steady state that minimizes morbidity and mortality and has a set of actions that you can take to mitigate the bad consequences,” said Lurie, who is now the U.S. director for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Bedford shares her concerns. “My expectation would be that it will become a seasonal respiratory disease, but it will be the worst of our seasonal respiratory diseases,” he said. “I’m imagining something that circulates at three times the level of flu and has a similar [infection fatality rate] to flu. So maybe causing three times flu’s deaths every year.” But Ben Cowling of Hong Kong University voiced some optimism. People may be fed up with Covid restrictions, but they have learned that respiratory illnesses don’t have to be inevitable features of winter. In the face of surges of virus, they may choose to protect themselves, he said. “Certainly Covid has changed the perception of respiratory infections. People are much more concerned about them than they used to be.” Senior Writer, Infectious Disease Helen covers issues broadly related to infectious diseases, including outbreaks, preparedness, research, and vaccine development.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Trevor Lawrence rookie contract held down by Collective Bargaining Agreement
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Otherwise, former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence would surely have the highest NFL rookie contract in league history. Lawrence has agreed to a four-year deal worth $36.8 million, including $24.1 million guaranteed, as the first overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bradford was a Heisman Trophy winner, a can’t-miss prospect out of Oklahoma in 2010, the third straight quarterback to cash in at the top. He was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as a $70 million-man, following Matt Ryan from Boston College to the Atlanta Falcons in 2008 and Matthew Stafford from Georgia to the Detroit Lions in 2009. Bradford had an rather uneventful nine-year pro career, however, suffering back-to-back knee injuries and giving it up after a run with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018.
More: So what has Trevor Lawrence been up to?
Bradford signed a rookie deal worth a whopping $78 million and $50 million was guaranteed. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell put in place a cutback in salaries, arguing that the Bradford-type deal was too crippling.
Lawrence will never be hurting for money. But even a 3% raise since the Collective Bargaining Agreement came into play would’ve meant Lawrence was worth more than $100 million. The same could be said for Joe Burrow, who led LSU to a national championship and was drafted No. 1 overall in 2020 by the Cincinnati Bengals. He signed for $36.1 million with $24.8 guaranteed.
Bradford, meanwhile, has $130 million in career earnings. Lawrence has nothing guaranteed beyond this rookie contract.
More: Previewing the 2021 Tigers season through players, statistics and more
Lawrence led Clemson to the college football playoffs in all of his three seasons with a national championship as a freshman. He was 34-2 as a starter, the best winning percentage for any quarterback since 1978 and the only one to win three ACC titles
With a contract signed, Lawrence is cleared to participate in the start of training camp later this month. The Jaguars have not yet come to terms with former Clemson running Travis Etienne, also a first-round pick, as well as defensive back Tyson Campbell and offensive lineman Walter Little, both second-round picks.
Richest NFL rookie contracts
►Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, $78 million
First overall pick in 2010 by the St. Louis Rams. Also played for Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals. He was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010, when he threw 18 touchdowns but with what would be a career-high 15 interceptions.
►Matthew Stafford, Georgia, $72 million
First overall pick by the Detroit Lions in 2009. Fastest in NFL history to reach 45,000 passing yards. Comeback player of the year in 2011 after suffering a shoulder injury in the 2010 season-opener. Made the Pro Bowl in 2014.
►Matt Ryan, Boston College, $70 million
Third overall pick in 2008 by the Atlanta Falcons, following offensive lineman Jake Long by the Miami Dolphins and defensive end Chris Long by the St. Louis Rams. Five-time Pro Bowl player who was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2016.
►Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, $68 million
Second overall pick by the Lions in 2010. Five-time Pro Bowl selection as defensive end. Also played for Dolphins, Rams and currently with Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. NFL defensive rookie of the year and named to the all-decade team.
►Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech, $64 million
Second overall pick by Lions in 2007, following quarterback Jamarkus Russell by the Oakland Raiders. Russell also cracks the top 10 in rookie salaries with $61 million. Johnson made the Pro Bowl six times, the all-decade team and set an NFL record with 1,964 receiving yards in 2012.
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North Macedonia to officially join NATO on Friday
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By Aaron Mehta
The NATO ascension could cap a busy week for North Macedonia, as the country on Tuesday also began the formal application process to join the European Union. In a statement in Brussels announcing the move , Spasovski said that “the EU General Affairs Council has agreed that our country should start accession negotiations with the EU as soon as possible. The verification of the success of our efforts has arrived.”
Jim Townsend, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy now with the Center for a New American Security think tank, is optimistic that North Macedonia will be allowed into the EU. However, he doesn’t see the country being a major player in the EU’s ongoing defense push , given the size of the nation.
Townsend also expressed his belief that North Macedonia is expanding the alliance at a time when the alliance must consider expanding its mission.
The Macedonians “are entering a NATO that cannot be the NATO all the other allies entered into,” Townsend said. “NATO needs to examine why they are not in the mix as the trans-Atlantic community grapples with a great security crisis: the coronavirus.
“While this crisis is not a military one that NATO planners would normally have planned for, given that NATO is the only place where the trans-Atlantic community meets together, at a minimum NATO should have been used as a place to coordinate a response.”
RELATED
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Possible link between sick koalas and Portland Aluminium emissions under microscope
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Scientists will study the bodies of 40 koalas that were euthanased due to poor health to work out whether their proximity to a Victorian aluminium smelter caused serious deformities.
A similar study done on kangaroos living near Alcoa's Portland aluminium plant more than a decade ago found that many of the animals had deformed bones and teeth as a result of fluorosis, a condition linked to the facility's fluoride emissions.
In September last year Portland Aluminium engaged an independent consultant to assess koala populations living in a 17-hectare blue gum plantation around the smelter.
Of the 114 koalas examined, 40 were found to be in such poor health that they were put down.
Seventy-four were returned to the area.
The females were subjected to fertility control measures.
University of Melbourne senior wildlife lecturer Jasmin Hufschmid is part of a team that has been commissioned to study the bodies of the koalas that were put down.
Dr Hufschmid was involved in the six-year study on kangaroos living near the plant that began in 2008.
"We found that the kangaroos did show signs of both dental, or teeth-affecting fluorosis, and skeletal, or bone-type, fluorosis," she said.
"The degree of impact varied depending on how close to the smelter they were grazing.
"For those within 100 or 200 metres from the point where the fluoride gets emitted from, those animals had quite severe impacts because they had quite severe bone growths.
"Those animals were in quite poor body condition and were probably uncomfortable due to the impacts as well."
She said because kangaroos can live for about 15 years, the fluoride accumulated in their bodies over time.
A subsequent study that looked at the effects on other animals, including wallabies, koalas and possums, returned findings consistent with the earlier research.
"When you have an excessive intake of fluoride, what happens is that the fluoride gets incorporated into mineralised tissue in your body," Dr Hufschmid said.
"The key mineralised tissues in your body are your teeth and your bones.
"If you're exposed to high levels of fluoride – we're not talking about what's in the groundwater or the water supply, we're talking about really high levels of fluoride – then that causes damage to your teeth.
"The bones will just continue to accumulate more and more fluoride as you take it in."
Dr Hufschmid said discoloured, soft teeth – as well as issues with bone growths and joints – could result from long-term exposure to excessive fluoride.
She said fluoride occurred naturally in the Earth's crust, but some industrial processes also led to its emission.
"It includes coal-fired gas stations, ceramics manufacturing and also non-ferrous metal manufacturing like aluminium smelting as well," Dr Hufschmid said.
"As much of it as possible is usually filtered out, but a small portion can't be.
"What tends to happen with the aerial emission of fluoride is that some of it will drop down and settle on the ground.
"When you have animals that feed on vegetation very close to such an emission source, then they have a really high intake of fluoride."
The US-based Alcoa, which operates aluminium smelters around the world, said in a statement that the assessment of the population at Portland was prompted by a count in May 2020 that identified 170 koalas in the area and raised concerns about the density of the population.
"Data collected during the assessment is being analysed by the University of Melbourne to inform the development of a plan for the ongoing management of the koala population and areas they inhabit," the company said.
"This is expected to be completed in the coming months."
Alcoa said previous studies that focused on animals such as kangaroos led to the implementation of a "Macropod Management Plan" in 2010.
"It included the replacement of grazing habitat such as grasslands with shrubs, and the fencing of potential access areas," the company said.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) said it authorised the action taken by Portland Aluminium to assess the health of koalas within the plantation surrounding the facility, which is owned by the company.
"The delivery of the program was in line with the conditions of the authorisation and associated protocols and procedures to ensure koala welfare was protected," a DELWP spokesperson said.
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The meaning behind Ryan Crouser's gold-medal note to his grandfather
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Team USA shot putter Ryan Crouser spoke with the media after winning Gold in the men’s shot put event and explained just how much it meant to him to bring home another Gold after losing his grandfather to cancer.
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TOKYO – On his first of what was certainly going to be six throws in the men’s shot put final, Ryan Crouser set a new Olympic record at 22.83 meters. That’s just under 75 feet. That’s like throwing a palm-sized bowling ball across almost an entire tennis court.
The blue baseball cap with an American flag on it that had been attempting to contain an unruly mane of red hair, flew off in the process. His sunglasses, however, stayed on.
The record he broke was his own, set when he won gold in Rio at 22.52 meters. Crouser also owns the world record, set in Olympic trials just a couple of months ago at 23.37 meters.
In case it wasn’t abundantly clear at that point that Crouser was competing largely against himself, he bested his barely 15-minute old Olympic record again on the second throw: 22.93 meters, just over 75 feet. That time, his hat stayed on.
That one held for a little longer, but not much. On the last throw of the day, he did it again. A new record. This one: 23.30 meters. Over 76 feet.
So, uh, yeah. Ryan Crouser won gold.
If he could have thrown that far with the eight-pound shot he used as a kid, it would have flown clean out of Larry Crouser’s backyard in Gresham, Oregon, over the fence, and into the neighbor’s. Instead, when Larry first introduced his grandson to shot put, Ryan could barely make it the 20 feet from the concrete pad to the patch of sand. Those early throws would land on the lawn, and Larry had a really, really great lawn.
Larry Crouser, 86, passed away the day before his grandson flew to Tokyo for his second Olympics.
“He had a lot of health issues towards the end, but the one thing [is] you'd never [see] him in a bad mood. He was always happy, and he was always so supportive,” the younger Crouser said, draped in an American flag, his baseball cap having been replaced with a cowboy hat.
The Crousers celebrated Christmas 2019 together and then, like so many families, they were forced apart as the coronavirus pandemic overtook our lives and left empty spaces and uncertainty where loved ones had been. Everything stopped. The 2020 Olympics, for one. The chance to sit with his grandfather and be reminded to stop and smell the roses sometimes, for another.
Earlier this summer, at the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, Crouser threw a shot put further than anyone ever has. Shortly after, with the trip to Tokyo on the horizon, he was able to see his grandfather again for the first time in over a year. Larry Crouser had lost his hearing by then, so Ryan would communicate to him through writing. He wrote that he was the new world record holder. And what grandfather wouldn’t be proud? But Larry was overjoyed. He had watched Ryan take his very first throw and now he watched the record-setting throw over and over.
“Thousands and thousands of times,” Crouser said.
And then he was gone, before Crouser got to write him a note about defending his Olympic title with a second gold medal.
“The Olympics is a stressful place,” Crouser said. That had started to sink in over the past week. This year, more than ever. He was following the protocols, he felt safe.
“But there's still, that back [of] your mind, every morning you take a COVID test that you don't know if you're going to get a chance to compete until you actually do.”
Crouser watched as pole vaulter Sam Kendricks tested positive and couldn’t compete. Plus, he was missing his grandfather.
“And I was just sitting there in my bed — and I had a great practice — but it was just like, I felt emotionally drained.”
So he wrote one last note addressed to Larry Crouser.
Grandpa, WE DID IT, 2020 Olympic Champion!
“I wrote that down, and I felt like as soon as I did, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.”
That was a few days ago. Crouser is confident. He had reason to be.
In the qualifying round, Crouser had out-thrown the second place finisher by .56 meters — the other 11 athletes to advance were separated by .59 meters. In the finals, nearly everyone who advanced improved.
And yet still, of Crouser’s six throws only one was not far enough to win it all. Amid a disappointing and, at times, embarrassing showing from the American men at Tokyo Olympic Stadium this week — including a failure to advance out of the prelims for men’s 4x100 relay — it was just the first men’s track and field gold.
His teammates were not surprised.
“When he throws that I'm not really surprised because I expect it,” Joe Kovacs said about setting a new record with the first shot. If it wasn’t for Crouser, Kovacs would have had his own Olympic record. Instead, his 22.65 meters was enough to take home silver, behind his teammate. New Zealand’s Thomas Walsh took bronze with 22.47 meters.
“He just keeps doing what he was already good at, better,” said Payton Otterdahl, who ended up 10th. “He's just technically so good, he's gotten so much bigger and stronger, become more comfortable in the ring. Sky's the limit with that guy.”
In the end, after Crouser had bested his Rio Olympic record six times in six throws, he pulled out the note he had written days before. After missing him all week, it felt like his grandfather was there with him in spirit.
“I know he'd be proud if he was here.”
Hopefully, Crouser had fun. The records are nice, but that’s not what mattered to Larry.
“He really instilled that in me that it's not so much where you end up, it's how you get there, and enjoying the process of getting there.”
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Dez Bryant wasted no time in taking shots at Jason Garrett following his termination from the New York Giants.
The MLB all-star “found it almost impossible to find a tee time and frequently could not even use the driving range.”
Philadelphia 76ers guard Matisse Thybulle explains just how tough it is to defend Golden State Warriors star, Stephen Curry.
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Emma Raducanu has been enjoying her “only holiday in seven years” ahead of her first match on home soil since her US Open victory.
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Once James Wiseman returns, the Warriors will be in the conversation for deepest big-man group in the NBA.
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Despite the Detroit Lions being perennial losers, don't expect them to be pulled from their traditional Thanksgiving Day slot anytime soon.
Alan Belcher has transformed into a hulking heavyweight since his MMA career ended in 2013. Watch him knock out his opponent in his pro boxing debut.
With how they've builtthe roster, the Patriots have been intentional in their pursuit of toughness. Now, as our Phil Perry writes, they know their identity -- and so do their opponents.
Denard Robinson in his own words: “It’s never going to be easy to sit by and watch your dream dying.”
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The Biggest Celebrity Breakups of 2021
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With much of the world stuck inside for the bulk of 2020, it’s no surprise that celebrity breakups have been on a steady rise since last March. Before the pandemic hit, 2020 had already seen the surprise end of recent newlyweds Lena Waithe and Alana Mayo, along with Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler, but once quarantine began, it truly felt as if our favorite celeb couples were splitting up every other day. From major bombshells like the split of Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson to dramatic divorces between Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock as well as Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy, our hearts truly can’t take much more of this. Hopefully 2021 will bring a lot more love and a lot less heartache, but the year has already claimed its first victims with Zoë Kravitz and Karl Glusman after just 18 months of marriage. We’re keeping track of the biggest celebrity breakups of 2021, ahead. Former Bachelorette Tayshia Adams and her winner, Zac Clark, have called it quits after getting engaged nearly one year ago during the reality show’s 16th season finale. “Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark are no longer a couple,” a rep for Adams confirmed to People on November 22. On November 17, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes released joint statements on Instagram Stories announcing their split after two years. “Hey guys, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship, but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever,” they said, per E! News. “We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends. We so appreciate your support from the beginning and moving forward.” The two Outer Banks stars quietly split sometime over the summer, according to Us Weekly. The pair met on the set of the teen drama and quarantined together in 2020. “They are not together right now. They are both good parents, though,” a Hadid family friend told People. “They co-parent. Yolanda is, of course, very protective of Gigi. She wants the best for her daughter and grandchild.” “Gigi is solely focused on the best for Khai. She asks for privacy during this time,” a rep for Gigi told People. Hadid and Malik’s breakup is happening amid a situation with Hadid’s mother, Yolanda. For more information, click here. Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent has ended her engagement to Randall Emmett, per Page Six and per People. In mid-October the reality star seemingly scrubbed her Instagram of Emmett’s presence and posted what some believe to be a cryptic message alongside a video with her seven-month-old daughter, Ocean. “You will always be my # 1,” she captioned the post. “I will always protect you. It’s you and me, baby ?.” After getting engaged in June, the two have gone their separate ways, per Entertainment Weekly on October 6. “Unfortunately, after being engaged it just was not the right relationship for her, so she [Taryn] ended it. She has now moved on and is happy in a new relationship,” says a source. The couple has reportedly split after three years together. “We are semi-separated but still love each other, see each other frequently and are on great terms,” Musk told Page Six. “It’s mostly that my work at SpaceX and Tesla requires me to be primarily in Texas or traveling overseas and her work is primarily in L.A. She’s staying with me now and Baby X is in the adjacent room.” After nearly a year together, the two have reportedly called it quits following Disick’s alleged continued interest in the goings-on of his former partner and mother of their three children, Kourtney Kardashian. On September 7, Page Six reported that Disick and Hamlin are taking a break, with Hamlin seemingly confirming the news via some gloomy Instagram posts. Kaley Cuoco and her husband, Karl Cook, have split after three years of marriage. “Despite a deep love and respect for one another, we have realized that our current paths have taken us in opposite directions,” they said in a joint statement to People on September 3. “We have both shared so much of our journey publicly so while we would prefer to keep this aspect of our personal life private, we wanted to be forthcoming in our truth together. There is no anger or animosity, quite the contrary. We have made this decision together through an immense amount of respect and consideration for one another and request that you do the same in understanding that we will not be sharing any additional details or commenting further.” It appears the five-month courtship between Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor and comedian Pete Davidson has come to an end. On August 15, just one month after going public with some serious PDA, The Sun reported that the pair called it quits. People reported the split as well on August 21. “Pete and Phoebe’s romance was a real whirlwind, and from the start they were both totally committed,” the source told The Sun at the time. But as time has passed, it’s become increasingly obvious it is going to be difficult to make this work…. People can’t just jump on planes and jet around the world when they want to. It has made everything more difficult… Their mates think they make a great couple but the distance has made it completely unworkable. They had fun and will remain close but unless something drastic changes their relationship won’t recover.” Just a few months after the unexpected pair made headlines in June 2021, Kanye West and Irina Shayk have reportedly called it quits. “It was never a serious thing that took off,” one source told People on August 21. “Kanye has been busy working and spending time with his kids,” a second source said. “This is his focus. He doesn’t have time to date right now. He finds Irina amazing though. They remain friendly.” On August 5, actor Kate Bosworth announced her split from her husband of seven years, filmmaker Michael Polish, on Instagram. “The beginning is often the best part of love. Fireworks, magnets, rebellion—the attraction. The onset signals a wide open expanse of possibility,” she began the lengthy post, adding, “Inherently we fear an ending. To lose what you have because you got what you wanted. To be attached to the expectation of the outcome. The great Unknown. What if we chose not to fear but instead, to love. If that most delicate and vulnerable last flicker to the flame became another type of furnace entirely. “Our hearts are full, as we have never been so enamored and deeply grateful for one another as we do in this decision to separate,” she clarified, noting that her epitaph of their relationship may “sound strange to some, romantic to others.” Despite the split, Bosworth suggests in her posts that the pair are working on a new film together. “Together, over the last 10 years, Michael and I have chosen love, every time. We hold hands as tightly today as we entangled fingers on our wedding day. Our eyes look more deeply into one another, with more courage now. In the process of letting go, we have come to acknowledge that our love will never end. The connection does not simply disappear. The love deepens, the heart expands,” she wrote. “We laugh as we plan for our next movie together and are excited to share our latest collaboration. We believe the most epic love stories are those which transcend expectation.” Read the post in its entirety, here. The famous music manager, whose clients include Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, is separating from his wife, Yael Cohen, after seven years of marriage. “Their friendship is the best it’s ever been but they’re taking some time apart to sort things out and focus on the kids,” a source told People. According to the publication, the pair are hoping to work things out. “So many couples went through this during the pandemic. They love each other and just need some time apart and will hopefully bounce back for their kids,” a second source said. After 11 years of marriage, La La Anthony has reportedly filed for divorce from her husband Carmelo Anthony. According to TMZ, sources close to the couple say they’ve been separated for awhile but are being amicable about it all and remain friends. The former One Direction singer confirmed in June that he’s single after previously announcing an engagement to girlfriend Maya Henry. He said on a podcast, per E!, “I feel like more than anything at this point, I’m more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people. “That annoys me. I’ve just not been very good at relationships,” he added. “And I know what my pattern of things is with relationships, I feel at this point. I’m just not very good at them so I just need to work on myself before I put myself on to somebody else. And I feel like that’s where I got to in my last relationship. I just wasn’t giving a very good version of me anymore, that I didn’t appreciate and I didn’t like being.” Perry confirmed in June 2021 he and Hurwitz have called off their engagement. “Sometimes things just don't work out and this is one of them,” Perry said in a statement, per People. “I wish Molly the best.” Blair Underwood and Desiree DaCosta have split after 27 years of marriage. “After a tremendous amount of thought, prayer & work on ourselves individually & collectively, we have come to the conclusion to end our marriage that began 27 years ago,” they wrote in a joint statement shared to Instagram on May 30. “It has truly been a beautiful journey. Our proudest achievements are our three incredible children. Three souls to which God entrusted us. We continue to be awed & humbled by the blessings of parenting. We have always put their best interests first & will continue to do so. We will continue to be the best of friends and co-parents and have the utmost respect for one another as we embark upon this new chapter of our lives, separately.” According to a source speaking with People, The Daily Show host and the Titans star have split after less than a year. People first reported the pair were seeing each other back in August 2020. Neither Noah nor Kelly ever officially confirmed the relationship, so it’s unlikely they will discuss the split. “It was amazing while it lasted, but they are at very different places in life. Emilio has no hard feelings,” a source told People in May 2021. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Dawson’s Creek star told Us Weekly the two “remain friends.” Beloved comedian John Mulaney and his wife, Annamarie Tendler, have split after six years of marriage, People confirmed on May 10. This comes five months after Mulaney entered rehab following a relapse in his years-long battle with addiction. “I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage,” Tendler said in a statement via her rep. “I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery.” The couple announced in May 2021 they’re divorcing after 27 years of marriage. Read their statement here. After eight years of dating, the How I Met Your Mother star and the artist have parted ways. Mixter announced the private couple’s split in a lengthy and emotional Instagram post on April 29, writing, “The depth of our bond was something I could never have anticipated. I’ve never spent so much time with another person, grown so much alongside someone else, laughed so much, cried so much, shared so much. It is odd to write about the end of a relationship, especially when the friendship that still exists is so full of life…. Announcing a breakup on social media is a strange feeling. Some won’t understand why it is necessary and that’s okay. Having a public romantic relationship is not easy. Ending one feels like navigating a road that doesn’t even exist. We are private people when it comes to our personal lives and I intend to keep it that way…. Thank you J for being my best friend…. I will never stop cheering you on with every cell of my body. I will never stop loving you unconditionally.” The couple has split after six years of marriage. “As I try to make sense of a reality I never wanted to believe could be possible again, those words have now become a reality. I’ve fought y’all. I’ve loved hard. I’ve forgiven. I’ve put the work in. I’ve given everything I have, and now I have nothing else to give. ‘It’s time,’” Kramer wrote on Instagram on April 21. She continued, “Please know that I still believe whole heartedly in marriage, love, and rebuilding. I just can’t fight any longer.
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Famous Person - Marriage
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Simulation of glacial calving and tsunami waves predicts climate change consequences
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As natural disasters intensify due to climate change, accurate predictions of weather patterns and mechanisms are greatly needed to mitigate damage. Coastal regions will be the most affected by changing weather, with events such as tsunamis and hurricanes becoming more frequent and life-threatening. While most tsunamis are caused by earthquakes and tectonic activity, the warming of the planet is now increasing the occurrence of tsunamis caused by glacier calving, when chunks of glacier break off and become icebergs. Additionally, glacier calving is predicted to be the main contributor to sea level rise in the near future. Now, researchers at the School of Engineering and Applied Science have created a computer model that can accurately simulate those dynamics. In a new study, published in the recently established journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment, Penn engineers describe a new simulation that models three key aspects: the ice fracture mechanics within the glacier, the fluid dynamics of the surrounding ocean water, and the interaction between the two. The researchers employed a technique known as the material point method (MPM) which is used for a simulating the interactions between matter of different phases. Their study shows that this technique is capable of accurately describing glacial calving and resulting tsunami waves. By demonstrating their model’s predictive capabilities, the researchers are refining the empirical calving laws used in large-scale earth-system models, as well as improving hazard assessments and mitigation measures in coastal regions, which are essential in the context of climate change. The study was led by Joshuah Wolper, then a graduate student in Penn Engineering’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) and current postdoctoral fellow in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), Chenfanfu Jiang, then assistant professor in CIS, now an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at UCLA, and Professor Johan Gaume, head of SLAB, the EPFL Snow and Avalanche Simulation Laboratory in Switzerland. This story is by Melissa Pappas. Read more at Penn Engineering Today.
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Tsunamis
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1969 Newton Cessna 172 crash
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On August 31, 1969, a Cessna 172 crashed in Newton, Iowa, killing world heavyweight champion boxer Rocky Marciano and two others. [1]
On Sunday, August 31, 1969 at 8:05 pm CDT, the Cessna 172 with registration number N3149X crashed in a pasture near Newton, Iowa,[1][2] approximately thirty miles (50 km) east of Des Moines. It had departed from Chicago Midway Airport at 6 pm (1800 hrs) and was en route to Des Moines, where Marciano was to celebrate his 46th birthday at a party the next day. [2][3][4] This was to be a surprise party for him; he was to give a speech in support of his friend, Louis Fratto's son. [3] Marciano intended to later fly to Florida to celebrate his birthday at home with his family. [3]
A storm system was building in the Des Moines region at the time of the accident. The airplane's pilot was 37-year-old Glenn Belz, who was not experienced with night flying or flying during bad weather. Belz decided to head to Newton instead of continuing to Des Moines as planned, which would have risked him losing his pilot's license. [3] The airplane was also short of fuel at the time of the crash. [3]
Witness Coleen Swarts observed the airplane reverse its course and then heard a loud sound as it crashed. [5]
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China, Food Security and Geopolitics
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This has not been a good year for China. The economy suffered a 6.8 percent economic contraction in Q1, followed by a 3.2 percent rebound (anemic by Chinese standards) in Q2. Relations with the United States remain tense and complicated. On top of that, heavy rains have caused massive flooding that has wiped away billions of dollars of value in China, washing up factories, homes and agricultural land in a frothy tide of destruction. This last is important. While China supports over 20 percent of the world’s population, it has a little over 12 percent of its arable land (according to the World Bank). Heavy rains and floods are bad enough; add in an African Swine Fever resurgence in some parts of southern China and the question of food security gains some traction as something to watch. In a confirmation of increasing concern over food, in August President Xi Jinping launched a new initiative “operation empty plates,” targeting wasted food in China. Food, large populations and good governance are built into China’s history. Indeed, the national story has often been defined by a dynastic cycle in which the old order becomes corrupt, fails to maintain key infrastructure like canals and irrigation, and eventually is unable to keep public order or defend the frontier. The economy eventually fails as does support for the dynasty. Famine, bandits and rebels add to the misery, eroding the old dynasty’s Mandate of Heaven. Out of the chaos a new leader arises, sets the wrongs right and founds the next dynasty. So the cycle goes. The Communists are no strangers to famine. Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward (1959-1960) set out to rapidly industrialize China, but instead helped plunge the country into ideological upheaval, which contributed to the disruption of agricultural production. Mao’s ideological blinders and the fear most Party members felt about telling him the truth of a massive miss in food production targets plunged his country into what is known as the Great Chinese Famine (1959-1961), which is thought to have killed millions (possibly up to 55 million people). It was only after Mao was briefly ousted that China would return to being able to feed itself, helped by allowing some degree of market-like incentives to encourage food production. Does China face a similar ideological situation now? Probably not, but Xi does not like dissenting views. This has created a top-down system that makes it difficult for actors at the bottom of the power pyramid to quickly signal problems up the chain of command. The outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan had all the hallmarks of this: Local leaders sought to contain a problem that was beyond their capacity and in doing so suppressed information, crushed any debate over policy options and delayed the moment when key news should have heading up the hierarchy to the emperor, or, in this case, the president. Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. The scope of the food security problem facing China is complicated and touches on a number of factors. Although China has considerable stocks of corn, rice and wheat, it remains dependent on imported soybeans and has a shortage of pork, a traditional staple. African Swine Fever forced a major culling of the hog herd in China in 2019 and the 2020 floods have hurt efforts to rebuild them. And while China has diversified its sources of soybeans (to include producers like Brazil and Argentina), it is still dependent on imports. China’s more aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy, as reflected in Beijing’s aggressive moves along the Indian border, South China Sea, as well as tetchy relations with three of its most important food suppliers (Australia, the U.S. and Canada) could be part of an effort to divert attention from domestic problems such as food insecurity. This was a tactic used by Mao in 1962 in the aftermath of the Great Famine to divert attention away from domestic troubles to the borders. While China’s persistent poking at India’s border has drawn attention, the August 26 decision to fire four ballistic missiles, dubbed aircraft carrier killers” or the “Guam killer,” from the South China Sea raised tensions with the U.S. , but also fits a pattern long used by Mao to start troubles outside the country while dealing with internal challenges. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. The floods in the Yangtze River basin, the source of most of China’s rice, have impacted production and transportation and left behind a fair amount of land under water. According to the China General Administration of Customs, China’s grain imports have risen by 22.7 percent (to 74.51 million tons) in between January and July as compared to the same period in 2019. Wheat and corn imports over the same period saw significant increases. The importance of grain imports is likely to last through the year. China’s food production has also been hit by insects. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, corn crops fell victim to an intense infestation of Fall Armyworm, a type of moth, in June. The Yangtze River Economic Belt is both a strength to China and a weak point. The area is home to more than 40 percent of China’s population (about 600 million people) and accounts for almost 50 percent of export value and 45 percent of GDP (according to China Water Risk). As Bloomberg’s Anjani Trivedi noted: “On its own, the region could be the third-largest economy in the world.” It could be said that, as goes the Yangtze River Economic Belt, so goes China. Rising population weight and over-urbanization make this a region that will increasingly be under the threat of flooding. It is likely that climate change is speeding up flooding. China’s consumer inflation accelerated to 2.7 percent in July from 2.5 percent in June, pushed along by rising food prices. This pressure has come from supply-side problems, which have been particularly evident in pork and egg prices. Referred to as “flying pigs” and “rocketing eggs,” these are two socially sensitive foods, which no doubt concerns the government. There is also a looming possibility that Xi is about to launch a new purge of the party in anticipation of a more challenging economic landscape ahead as well as heading off dissent growing dissent within the party over his policies. Indeed, there is talk about a rectification campaign, a tactic used by Mao to purge his enemies within the party. Despite a gloomy short-term outlook China is not heading into a famine; at least not right now. The Chinese authorities are keenly aware of historical developments and have little wish to lose their Mandate of Heaven. On August 17, 2020 the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences made note that “there is no need to worry” when it comes to the country having enough food. However, it also warned that unless major agricultural reforms are made, China could face a “food shortfall” by 2025. The driving forces behind this are an aging population and an ongoing movement of population to the cities which translate into a shrinking rural labor force. This takes us back to operation clean plates. The reasoning behind Xi’s initiative is tied to the need to start being smarter about food use. Simply stated, the more China has to import food, the more dependent it is on other countries. If food is weaponized, China’s growing reliance on food imports could reduce its ability to pursue certain policies, such as its moves to consolidate its position in the South China Sea and control over Hong Kong. It could also put pressure on food prices, something that the Communist Party is sensitive over considering it was one of the factors that helped spark the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989. The Chinese government is bearing down on its population (through shaming people for eating too much and attacking the fad of binge eating) to preserve food stocks, make the Chinese people think about food as a precious commodity, and set the stage, if needed, for tougher measures to secure food supplies. While thinking ahead is proactive, it has downside risk. One of the main promises made by the Communist Party to the Chinese people has been plentiful food. It can be argued that the Communist Party has delivered on meeting the basics of putting food on the table, personal safety and a place to live. Now it is signaling that food could be an issue in the future. Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. Slate’s Joshua Keating has observed: “People may vote with their pocketbooks, but more often than not, they revolt with their bellies.” Considering China’s history, the ruling party and Xi should be concerned. As China’s global ambitions, climate change-induced severe flooding, over-urbanization and aging population converge, the Communist Party’s Mandate of Heaven is facing new challenges.
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Famine
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Adelaide City Council fined $90,000 for failing to cap former Wingfield landfill site
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Adelaide City Council has been fined $90,000 for failing to cap a former landfill site to prevent harm to the environment, in what the sentencing judge described as a "deliberate" and "unacceptable" act.
The Council operated the Wingfield Waste and Recycling landfill site at Dry Creek from 1955 until 2004 for profit.
It was prosecuted in the Environment, Resources and Development Court for failing to cap the site by the required deadline in 2012 to prevent environmental harm.
Judge Susanne Cole found the council guilty of breaching the Environment Protection Act and imposed a financial penalty of $90,000 plus court costs.
"It needs to be made clear to the Council that, like every other natural or legal person in the State of South Australia, the Council is subject to the rule of law," Judge Cole said in her judgment.
"It is unacceptable for anyone, but particularly for a public authority, to simply choose to disobey an Act of Parliament on account of the expense that would thereby be incurred."
Judge Cole also noted that "no expression of contrition or remorse was offered".
"The offending was deliberate in the sense that the Council understood its obligations under its licence and did not appeal or object when the licence was issued.
"The Council was reminded of its obligations repeatedly by officers of the Environment Protection Authority, but did not undertake the capping required in accordance with the licence condition.
"This offending occurs in the factual context of much of the landfill remaining uncapped for nearly five years following closure."
The issue has been ongoing for years, with various capping plans approved in 2003 and 2008 on the four-hectare site.
"Nevertheless, instead of capping in accordance with one of those plans, the Council subsequently generated and submitted to the EPA several technically inferior and unacceptable capping plans," Judge Cole said.
The court heard that contaminants had been found along the landfill boundary within the upper and lower aquifer.
Lawyer for the Council, David Edwardson QC, told the court any penalty would have an impact on ratepayers.
Judge Cole said she had taken that into account, but also pointed out the "ratepayers of the Council benefitted from the conduct of the landfill for decades".
"I also note that the ratepayers of the Council are part of the South Australian community which was placed at risk of harm by the failure of the Council to cap the landfill in accordance with its licence."
The Environment Protection Authority's chief executive, Tony Circelli, welcomed the court's decision.
"This is a unique case and the first time in South Australia a metropolitan council has been convicted for serious breaches of the Environment Protection Act 1993," Mr Circelli said.
"This outcome sets a strong precedent and demonstrates the EPA will take action against any organisation or individual not complying with EPA requirements."
The Adelaide City Council no longer holds a licence for the site.
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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Environment Pollution
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CORONAVIRUS
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UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 27, 2021 Outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities increased in the past month with the surge of the more transmissible delta variant in Washington state. Pinewood Terrace, a skilled nursing center in Colville, had a nearly monthlong outbreak that resulted in 74 people testing positive for COVID-19. Nearly every resident in the facility tested positive for the virus, in addition to 22 staff members. Of the 59 residents, 52 tested positive for COVID-19, and five died as a result of the outbreak. Four of the five residents who died were not vaccinated. “The amount of suffering happening in our community with that little nursing home makes me sad, and it’s hard for me not to cry,” Northeast Tri County Health Officer Dr. Sam Artzis told reporters on Friday. The silver lining of the outbreak at Pinewood Terrace, health officials noted, is that the vaccines saved a lot of lives. There were 33 breakthrough cases, in which people who were fully vaccinated still tested positive. “I think what one of the really important things to stress in this conversation was the fact of, if you do a comparison of what long-term care facilities experienced in 2020, prevaccine availability, and now, is that, yes, there were breakthrough events, but those vaccines administered to those individuals helped considerably lessen the severity of symptoms and made it so more people did not pass away,” said Matt Schanz, administrator of the Northeast Tri County Health District. Long-term care facilities in Spokane County have also experienced outbreaks in the past month. The Spokane Veterans Home had an outbreak that began in late July and resulted in 53 cases in staff and residents. Six residents died after testing positive for the virus as a result of that outbreak. Just 50% of staff members at the Veterans Home have been vaccinated, but by next month the entire staff will have to be vaccinated under the governor’s statewide health care vaccine mandate. The Veterans Home is not the only facility in the county with cases. Lakeland Village reported 70 COVID-19 cases from August until this week, and 50 of those cases are in staff members, according to the Developmental Disabilities Administration. The vast majority of residents there are vaccinated. There are 28 long-term care facilities reporting 498 COVID-19 cases from outbreaks happening in the past month, according to data from the Spokane Regional Health District. There are four adult family homes with a dozen cases. While vaccinations are protecting residents during these outbreaks, those who are older and have underlying health conditions are still at higher risk for hospitalization should they contract COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Department of Health, are recommending those people who are most vulnerable get a booster dose of the vaccine they received when it becomes available. On Friday, the Department of Health authorized Pfizer-BioNTech booster doses for certain people after the Western States Scientific Safety Review Group reviewed federal data. People who are eligible to receive a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine must have received the Pfizer two-dose vaccine at least six months ago. Here’s who is eligible and should get a booster dose, according to the Department of Health: The Department of Health also said the following individuals may receive a Pfizer booster dose: Here’s a look at local numbersThe Spokane Regional Health District reported 333 new COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths on Friday. There have been 832 deaths due to COVID-19 in Spokane County residents. There are 204 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Spokane hospitals. The Panhandle Health District confirmed 168 new COVID-19 cases and no additional deaths on Friday. There are 111 Panhandle residents hospitalized with the virus.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Researchers identify 28 new foods associated with disease outbreaks
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CDC researchers identified 28 food items that caused disease outbreaks for the first time between 2007 and 2016 in the United States. The “novel outbreak-associated food vehicles” — as they were described by the researchers — caused 36 combined foodborne outbreaks. They included bison, frogs, kale, pistachios and pomegranates. “Millions of people get sick from contaminated food every year,” Hilary K. Whitham, PhD, MPH, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Disease, told Healio. “Because we rely on data to guide foodborne illness prevention strategies, our team was interested to know if there were potential trends in terms of new risks for foodborne illness which could inform preemptive prevention efforts.” To identify novel foods causing outbreaks, Whitham and colleagues reviewed 14,216 reported outbreaks with an implicated food or ingredient and compared outbreaks that occurred between 2007 and 2016 with those that occurred between 1973 and 2006 by using a three-stage process. First, foods that were reported in both time frames were removed. Then, independent reviewers manually compared the remaining 878 food items and flagged any foods that seemed to be novel in 2007 to 2016. Finally, a five-member panel reviewed all the foods initially identified as novel. Overall, the team identified 28 novel food vehicles, including six fish (almaco jack, carp, lionfish monchong, skate and swai), six nuts or seeds (cashews, chia seeds, hazel nuts, pine nuts, pistachios and sprouted nut butter), four fruits (apples, blueberries, papaya and pomegranate), three meats (bison, frog and goose), three vegetables (kale, lima beans and mini peppers), two grains (flour and tempeh), two herbs or spices (moringa leaf, pepper), cane sugar and sheep milk. According to the study, one-third of the food items were imported from other countries, two-thirds did not require cooking after purchase and half did not require refrigeration. The 36 outbreaks resulted in 1,294 illnesses, 263 hospitalizations, 14 deaths and 17 recalls. In all, 22 occurred in multiple states — a rate of 61%, compared with 5.7% for other outbreaks. The most commonly reported cause was Salmonella (19 outbreaks), followed by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (five outbreaks). Whitham said it is not clear why these foods began causing outbreaks, but it could be explained as a combination of better surveillance and the foods gaining popularity. “It is important that clinicians become aware of the diverse sources of foodborne illness, especially in times of globalization and changing food trends. This is particularly important when counseling vulnerable or high-risk patients so they can make informed decisions,” Whitham said. “Additionally, effective outbreak detection and control relies heavily on whole-genome sequencing. While culture-independent diagnostic tests have become more accessible and offer faster results, these types of tests do not allow for sequencing to determine an organism’s DNA fingerprint, meaning doctors cannot tailor clinical therapy and public health.”
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Disease Outbreaks
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1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak
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The 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak occurred when the Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacterium (originating from contaminated beef patties) killed four children and infected 732 people across four states. [1][2][3] The outbreak involved 73 Jack in the Box restaurants in California, Idaho, Washington, and Nevada, and has been described as "far and away the most infamous food poison outbreak in contemporary history. "[4][5] The majority of the victims were under 10 years old. [6][7] Four children died and 178 other victims were left with permanent injury including kidney and brain damage. [8][9][10][11][12]
On February 10, 1993, newly inaugurated President Bill Clinton participated in a televised town meeting program from the studios of WXYZ-TV in Detroit, Michigan. He fielded questions from the studio audience as well as studio audiences in Miami, Florida, and Seattle, Washington and responded to questions from the parents of Riley Detwiler C the fourth and final child to die in the E. coli outbreak. [13] The wide media coverage and scale of the outbreak were responsible for "bringing the exotic-sounding bacterium out of the lab and into the public consciousness" but it was not the first E. coli O157:H7 outbreak resulting from undercooked patties. The bacterium had previously been identified in an outbreak of food poisoning in 1982 (traced to undercooked burgers sold by McDonald's restaurants in Oregon and Michigan), and before the Jack in the Box incident there had been 22 documented outbreaks in the United States resulting in 35 deaths. [14]
On January 12, 1993, Dr. Phil Tarr, then a pediatric gastroenterologist at the University of Washington and Seattle's Children's Hospital, filed a report with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) about a perceived cluster of children with bloody diarrhea and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) likely caused by E.coli O157:H7. [15] Dr. Tarr contacted Dr. John Kobayashi, the Washington State Epidemiologist, who started the epidemiological trace-back, linking these cases to undercooked hamburger patties. Dr. Kobayashi recalled the conversation in an interview: I knew that, when Phil called me,...for him to say, "this is something that I've never seen before," that was a big red flag. [16]
Health inspectors traced the contamination to Jack in the Box fast food restaurants' "Monster Burger" which had been on a special promotion (using the slogan "So good it's scary!") and sold at a discounted price. [14][17] The ensuing high demand "overwhelmed" the restaurants, and the product was not cooked for long enough or at a high enough temperature to kill the bacteria. [18]
On Monday, January 18, 1993, DOH officials went public with an announcement about the source of the O157 outbreak. This news conference took place during the Martin Luther King holiday weekend at the state lab. After that press conference, Jack in the Box agreed to stop serving hamburgers and quarantine the meat. [16] Only two days later, on the same day of President Bill Clintons inauguration, a powerful storm swept through the Puget Sound area (Seattle and King County) The storm ravaged the area, knocking out the power for hundreds of thousands of residents across three counties, some living in the dark for five days. The power outage would impact proper cooking temperatures, proper refrigeration temperatures, and even proper hand-washing C all critical factors in preventing foodborne illnesses. [16]
At a 1993 press conference the president of Foodmaker (the parent company of Jack in the Box) blamed Vons Companies (supplier of their hamburger meat) for the E. coli epidemic. However, the Jack in the Box fast-food chain knew about but disregarded Washington state laws which required burgers to be cooked to 155?F (68?C), the temperature necessary to completely kill E. coli. Instead, it adhered to the federal standard of 140?F (60?C). Had Jack in the Box followed the state cooking standard, the outbreak would have been prevented, according to court documents and experts from the Washington State Health Department. [19] Subsequent investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified five slaughterhouses in the United States and one in Canada as "the likely sources of ... the contaminated lots of meat. "[20] In February 1998, Foodmaker agreed to accept $58.5?million from Vons and eight other beef suppliers to settle the lawsuit started in 1993. [21]
A total of 171 people required hospitalization. [22] The majority of the victims who presented symptoms and were clinically diagnosed (but not hospitalized) were children under 10 years old. [6][7]
Of the infected children 45 required hospitalization C 38 suffered serious kidney problems and 21 required dialysis. [23]
Four children died:
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), addressing a congressional hearing on food safety in 2006, described the outbreak as "a pivotal moment in the history of the beef industry. "[32] James Reagan, vice president of Research and Knowledge Management at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), said that the outbreak was "significant to the industry" and "the initiative that moved us further down the road [of food safety] and still drives us today. "[33] David Acheson, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Associate Commissioner for Foods, recently told Retro Report that "Jack in the Box was a wakeup call to many, including the regulators. You go in for a hamburger with the kids and you could die. It changed consumers' perceptions and it absolutely changed the behaviors of the industry. "[34]
As a direct result of the outbreak:
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Disease Outbreaks
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1877 Iquique earthquake
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The 1877 Iquique earthquake occurred at 21:16 local time on 9 May (0:59 on 10 May UTC). It had a magnitude of 8.5 on the surface wave magnitude scale. [2] Other estimates of its magnitude have been as high as 8.9 Mw and 9.0 Mt (based on the size of the tsunami). [1] It had a maximum intensity of XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale[3] and triggered a devastating tsunami. A total of 2,385 people died,[3] mainly in Fiji. Affected areas in what was then part of Bolivia, but is now the Antofagasta region of Chile, had during this period been subject to the Atacama border dispute between the two countries. Under the 1874 boundary treaty between Bolivia and Chile, the border between the two nations as of 1877 followed the 24th parallel south. The terms of that treaty required that Bolivia not levy taxes on Chilean companies mining nitrates between the 23rd and 24th parallels (including the city of Antofagasta) for 25 years, except for agreed duties to be shared between the two countries. [4]
Following extensive damage in the 1877 earthquake and tsunami, the municipal authorities in Antofagasta voted for a tax of 10 centavos per quintal (approximately 46 kg or 101 lb) of nitrates exported to fund reconstruction of the town. [4] The Chilean Antofagasta Nitrate & Railway Company, a major nitrate mining company in the region, refused to pay, backed by the Chilean government. This dispute resulted in the War of the Pacific, fought from 1879 to 1884,[4] by which Chile gained control of territory as far north as Tacna, including Bolivia's entire coastline. Coastal regions of Peru and Chile lie above the convergent boundary, where the Nazca Plate is being subducted beneath the South American Plate along the line of the Peru–Chile Trench. The rate of convergence across this boundary is measured at about 8 cm (3.1 in) per year. This boundary has been the site of many great megathrust earthquakes, in addition to events caused by faulting within both the subducting and over-riding plates. [5]
The earthquake shaking caused significant damage over most of the coastal parts of the Tarapacá and Antofagasta Regions. The tsunami caused a 10 m (33 ft) wave along about 500 km (310 mi) of coast, from Arica in the north to Mejillones in the south. [6] At Arica the water reached the cathedral. The hulk of the U.S. gunboat Wateree, which had been beached hundreds of metres inland by the final wave of the tsunami triggered by the 1868 Arica earthquake, was moved several kilometres to the north along the coast and nearer the shoreline. [7] The tsunami caused 2,000 deaths in Fiji, and another 5 in Hilo, Hawaii. [8]
The shaking lasted for five minutes at Caleta Pabellón de Pica, a coastal town 70 km (43 mi) south of Iquique. The area of felt intensity of VIII on the Mercalli intensity scale or greater, extended from about 50 km (31 mi) south of Arica to just south of Cobija. This indicates a rupture length of about 420 km (260 mi). [1]
The tsunami affected the coasts of Peru and northern Chile and was observed across the Pacific Ocean, in Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Hawaii, Mexico, California and Japan. [8][9] At Arica eight separate large waves were recorded. [10]
The rupture area of the 1877 earthquake has been recognised as one of the major seismic gaps on the plate boundary, known as the "Northern Chile Seismic Gap". The Mw = 7.7 2007 Tocopilla earthquake occurred at the southern edge of the gap, but is not considered to have necessarily reduced the risk of a great megathrust earthquake within this area. [5] In 2005, a recurrence period of 135 years was estimated for great earthquakes along this part of the plate boundary, suggesting that a similar earthquake to the 1877 event was likely in the early 21st century. [11] The 2014 Iquique earthquake struck in the same seismic gap with a magnitude of Mw = 8.2.
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Earthquakes
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ALMA, the EU’s new programme to help young people find work abroad
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The pandemic has deepened the unemployment crisis among young people, especially in Europe’s south. A new work placement scheme is now meant to counter youth unemployment across the bloc, the European Commission has said. Speaking in Strasbourg on Wednesday (15 September), Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the launch of ALMA, a new Erasmus-style placement scheme aimed at providing short-term work experience to young Europeans in other EU member states. “We must step up our support to those who fall into the gaps – those not in any kind of employment, education or training,” the Commission President said in her annual State of the Union speech . The 2008 financial crisis taught Europe a lesson – about the need to invest not just in short term recovery, but also in long-term reforms, von der Leyen stressed. “Our union will be stronger if it is more like our next generation: reflective, determined and caring. Grounded in values and bold in action,” she said, warning not to “create new divides” with young people that have been cheated out of some of their most formative years. A similar idea had been incorporated in a 1995 EU programme. Called Leonardo, the programme aimed at enhancing labour market mobility and funded practical projects in the field of vocational education and training. As of July 2021, 2,854 million people under 25 years of age were unemployed across the EU, of which a total of 2,339 million come from inside the eurozone, according to Eurostat. Although youth unemployment declined from 18.7% last year to 16.2% in the EU and 16.5% in the eurozone, Europe’s South is currently struggling with high youth unemployment rates. Greece’s jobless rate, which has been falling but remains the highest in the euro zone, rose to 17.0% in April from an upwardly revised 16.8% in the previous month, data from statistics service ELSTAT showed on Wednesday (16 September). Among those aged 15 to 24, the jobless rate rose to 46.8% from 33.6% in the same month in 2020. Youth organisations across the bloc welcomed von der Leyen’s initiative, but cautioned however not to create another “paper tiger”. “ALMA will have to be developed in complementarity with the EURES Targeted Mobility Scheme (TMS) that already supports 18+ who wish to find a job, traineeship or apprenticeship in an EU member state, Iceland or Norway (e.g. financing language courses, recognition of qualifications, travel and subsistence expenses),“ Eurodesk, the European youth information network, stressed. Youth participation Von der Leyen also proclaimed she would make 2022 the ’Year of European Youth‘, with young people being encouraged to contribute to the debate in the consultations of the Conference on the Future of Europe as this is “their future and this must be their Conference too“. “Our Union needs a soul and a vision they can connect to. Or as Jacques Delors asked: How can we ever build Europe if young people do not see it as a collective project and a vision of their own future?,“ Von der Leyen asked. Her announcement comes as the first European citizen’s panel sessions are due to start next weekend. By the end of the year, the panels will formulate recommendations, which will be discussed at a plenary that brings together citizens, representatives of EU institutions and national parliaments as well as other stakeholders. The recommendations will feed into a final report, which will be prepared in spring 2022 by the executive board of the Conference, comprised of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. Slovenia: Future of Europe debate should focus on resilience After the successive crises over two decades, a core issue for the Conference on the Future of Europe should be how to ensure the resilience of the EU and put policies in favour of European citizens first, Slovenia’s State Secretary Gašper Dovžan told EURACTIV. Critics have dismissed the consultation process as bureaucratic and unlikely to produce tangible results, like the French consultations once conducted by President Emmanuel Macron, which fell flat. Responding to EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, Von der Leyen promised to “give a follow up” on the conference’s conclusions.
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Financial Crisis
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2013 Smethwick fire
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At around 11pm[1] on the night of 30 June 2013, a sky lantern landed on a Jayplas plastics and paper recycling plant on Dartmouth Road, near to the West Bromwich Albion football ground, at Smethwick, West Midlands, England, igniting the material stored there. [2]
The resulting fire was the largest ever dealt with by the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS), who deployed over 200 firefighters[1] and nearly 40 appliances,[3] including seven appliances borrowed from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service[3] and three from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service. [3] Three firefighters were taken to hospital. [2]
The 6,000 feet (1,800 m)[4] column of smoke cloud could be seen as far away as Coventry. 10 miles away in Yardley, the skies were filled with grey ash in the morning rush hour. WMFS received over 400 emergency phone calls. [5]
The Canal and River Trust and the Environment Agency monitored nearby waterways for toxic residues in the run-off water. [6][7] Birmingham Airport monitored the smoke in case it affected arriving or departing flights. Delays were caused on the adjacent M5 Motorway and the region's road network. WMFS broadcast live from the site over the Internet, via Bambuser. [8]
Initial estimates put the cost of the damage caused at £6 million. [1]
On the afternoon of the 1 July, the WMFS called for "an urgent review of the legislation regarding the use of airborne ‘fire’ lanterns",[9] calling on the public and event organisers to stop using them and questioning whether event licences should be issued for events where they were to be used. [2]
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Fire
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Trump administration sends UN notice it plans to withdraw from World Health Organization (Update)
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The Trump administration is withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization. The administration submitted a letter to the UN but the letter itself hasn’t been made public yet. The Washington Post reports that the U.S. needs to give a year’s notice before withdrawing . The notice of withdrawal was delivered to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the letter has not been made public. Under the terms of a joint resolution passed by Congress in 1948, the United States must give a year’s notice in writing and pay its debts to the agency in order to leave. It is not clear whether the president can pull the United States out of the organization and withdraw funding without Congress. When Trump first threatened to withdraw, Democratic lawmakers argued that doing so would be illegal and vowed to push back. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez tweeted that congress had been notified of the withdrawal earlier today. Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the U.S. from the @WHO in the midst of a pandemic. To call Trump’s response to COVID chaotic & incoherent doesn't do it justice. This won't protect American lives or interests—it leaves Americans sick & America alone. — Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) July 7, 2020 Other Democrats are weighing in as well: Trump officially withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization in the middle of a global health crisis. This move is reckless, short-sighted, and surrenders what was left of America's leadership on the world stage. — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 7, 2020 This decision is irresponsible, reckless, and utterly incomprehensible. Withdrawing from the @WHO in the midst of the greatest public health crisis of our lifetime is a self-destructive move. More Americans will be hurt by this careless choice. https://t.co/OeSoLikR4f — Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) July 7, 2020 Even Hillary is jumping in on this one. This is the very last thing we need, so of course the Trump administration is doing it. What a self-inflicted disaster. https://t.co/US0KyvLHRa — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 7, 2020 President Trump has been complaining for a couple months about China having too much control of WHO even though America pays for the bulk of it. In mid-April he announced from the Rose Garden that he was halting funding of the organization while a review of its response to the coronavirus crisis was carried out . Trump accused the WHO of “severely mismanaging and covering up” the coronavirus crisis, specifically the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China. He took particular issue with the agency’s criticism of his order to temporarily deny entry to the U.S. by most foreign nationals who had recently been in China. The order was issued Jan. 31, when China was the center of the pandemic. “With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns about whether America’s generosity has been put to the best use possible,” Trump said. “The reality is that the WHO failed to adequately obtain and share information in a timely and transparent fashion. WHO really has favored China’s version of events during the pandemic. Just last month the AP published a story revealing that China was aware early on that China was slow-walking information about the virus. Just a few days ago WHO revised its official timeline about when China notified it about the existence of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. We’re only hearing the very start of this now. It appears congressional Democrats are going to attempt to get involved in this decision. At a minimum they are going to try to drive a few new cycles off it. Get ready to hear the phrase “in the midst of a pandemic” 10,000 times. Update: Here’s Joe Biden’s reaction or at least his media staff’s reaction in his name. Americans are safer when America is engaged in strengthening global health. On my first day as President, I will rejoin the @WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 7, 2020 WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros tweeted this link to a “Why we need the World Health Organization” podcast a moment ago.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Oakford crash on Thomas Road results in traffic chaos on Thursday afternoon
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Emergency services were called to the scene at Thomas Road where it is believed four cars crashed into each other just before 4.30pm. St John Ambulance are at the scene. At least one person has been taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment. It remains unclear how many people are injured in the crash and the extent of their injuries. The crash near Spears Drive has created long delays for travellers in peak hour. Main Roads WA warned motorists to avoid the area as traffic is heavy. Thomas Road has been closed from Kargotich Road to Nicholson Road as emergency services deal with the crash.
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Road Crash
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Propair Flight 420 crash
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Propair Flight 420 (PRO420) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Dorval, Quebec to Peterborough, Ontario. The flight was carried out by Propair, a charter airline based in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, using a Fairchild Metroliner SA226. On 18 June 1998, the aircraft suffered an in-flight fire shortly after take-off from Dorval and the crew elected to conduct an emergency landing at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport. The intense heat of the fire caused a structural failure in the left wing during the landing and the aircraft crashed, killing all 11 passengers and crew on board. The investigation conducted by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board revealed that the left brakes of Flight 420 had overheated during take-off, causing a fire inside the wheel-well which destroyed warning systems, as a result of which the crew was unaware of the severity of the fire, which subsequently ruptured hydraulic pipe-lines and spread to the left wing. Following the accident the Canadian TSB issued several recommendations, one of which was a recommendation to the FAA regarding the crew training and flight manual, and another being a recommendation to install an overheat warning system inside the wheel-wells of every Metroliner; before the accident warning systems were not required on such aircraft. Propair Flight 420 took off from Dorval Airport (now Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport) at 07:01 EDT carrying 9 passengers and 2 crew members. The flight was chartered by General Electric to transport personnel to a GE facility in Peterborough, Ontario. It was foggy at the time with light winds blowing from the right side of the aircraft. Flight 420 was cleared to 16,000 ft.[1](p1)
At 07:13, the crew of Flight 420 informed the tower that there was a decrease on the hydraulic pressure and requested to return to the airport. Dorval Tower cleared Flight 420's request to return and ordered them to descend to 8,000 ft (2,400 m) and make a 180 degree turn. At the time there was no indication that the flight was in grave danger. [1](p1)
Approximately 30 seconds after Flight 420's request to return, control problems started to occur. The aircraft became harder to control and a warning indicator showed that an engine problem was developing. 40 seconds later, the wing overheat warning system was illuminated. Before the crew had conducted the checklist for handling such an emergency, the warning light went off. 5 minutes later the left engine appeared to be on fire. The crew later shut down the engine. [1](p1)
The aircraft could barely be controlled by the crew; an abnormal right aileron input was needed to keep the aircraft on heading. Dorval Tower then suggested that the crew divert to Montréal–Mirabel International Airport. The crew agreed. [2] The fire intensified and the crew could see that fire was coming out from the engine nacelle. The crew then conducted emergency checklist and configured the aircraft for landing. [1](p1)
At 07:23, the crew stated that the fire in the left wing had died out. However, less than four minutes later, they announced that the fire had started again. The aircraft became harder to control and even started to roll. Maximum aileron trim were set by the crew. While Flight 420 was short on final, the landing gear was deployed. [1](p1)
When Flight 420 was near the runway threshold, the severely damaged left wing failed. The aircraft then rotated 90 degrees to the left: fuel spilled from the aircraft and ignited. The aircraft spiralled and crashed, coming to rest on the left side of Runway 24. Both crew members and all 9 passengers on board were killed. 2 passengers initially survived the crash, but ultimately died of their injuries. [3][1](p1)
The flight was chartered by General Electric to transport their workers to their facility in Lachine, Quebec and Peterborough, Ontario. Flight 420 was carrying 9 passengers (initially reported 10). All of them were engineers, working as a team in the design of hydroelectric turbines. All of them were regular commuters. [4]
Speaking on a press conference, Company President of Propair, Jean Pronovost, claimed that both pilots were, "very professional.” [4]
The pilot of the flight was identified as 35-year-old Captain Jean Provencher. He began his pilot career as a first officer on the type in November 1986 to May 1996. He served as captain and as check pilot on similar aircraft types for several air carriers. In May 1996, he was hired
by Propair as company chief pilot. He had accumulated a total of 6,515 flying hours, of which 4,200 of them were on the type. [1](p3)
The co-pilot was identified as 35-year-old Walter Stricker. Stricker began his pilot career in June 1995. In March 1998, he was hired as a first officer by Propair. He earned his first officer endorsement on May 9 and started his training and line check phase on May 13. He had accumulated a total of 2,730 flying hours, of which 93 of them were on the type. [1](p3)
Minutes before the crash, the crew of Flight 420 reported that there was a fire on board the aircraft. Inspection on Flight 420's wreckage confirmed that fire indeed had occurred in mid-flight. Constable Gilles Deziel, who had toured the crash site, stated that "three quarters of the plane was all burned and all black".
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2 killed in suspected cracker blast at New Tharagupet in Bengaluru
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Bengaluru Two people died while 3 others were injured in an explosion near a godown in new Tharagupet area in Chamrajpet near the busy KR Market in Bengaluru on Thursday afternoon. According to the police and locals, the godown was a transit goods depot and there were around 80 boxes of firecrackers stored inside at that time. The owner of the godown has been arrested as he had no permission to store firecrackers, police said. Officials suspect that the blast occurred outside the godown when the workers were unloading the boxes which may have contained crackers. Harish Pandey, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) on Thursday said that two persons have died, while one was critical and at least two are injured, but are out of danger. The persons who died have been identified as Manohar (28) from Thiruvanamalai in Tamil Nadu and Aslam Pasha (45) who worked in the adjoining puncture shop, Pandey said. The police have ruled out any gas cylinder explosion or short circuit which was being suspected earlier. “It is a box of crackers (that exploded) that either fell or was casually thrown on the ground which caused the blast,” Pandey said, adding that it was a “directional explosion” which meant that the people who were killed were near the boxes or directly in line of its impact. He added that there were three boxes which were being unloaded and one of them exploded, triggering the other two as well. Pandey also said that there were 78 boxes of crackers inside the shop which remained intact . The locality where the blast occurred is often bustling with workers, trucks and even children playing around since there is no real demarcation in Bengaluru between residential and commercial spaces. This particular depot or godown houses a family of four who reside right on top, including two young children, who were not hurt in the incident. “Our FSL (forensic sciences laboratories) officials have gone there, fire and police have also viisted the spot to determine what caused the incident and how it happened,” Araga Jnanendra, Karnataka minister for home affairs said. He added that it was a major accident as people were seriously injured and the impact has damaged walls of homes as well as vehicles. Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan, who visited the spot on Thursday, announced to give ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh to the families of those who died from his own pocket. He urged the Basavaraj Bommai-led government to also extend monetary help and compensation to those who have died and were injured in the incident. Get our Daily News Capsule
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Gas explosion
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South Sudan rivals sign ceasefire agreement
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Under the deal, signed in a hotel in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the fighting is due to come to an end within 24 hours. In the past week, government forces have recaptured the two main cities under rebel control.
More than 500,000 people have been forced from their homes during the month-long conflict.
"These two agreements are the ingredients to create an environment for achieving a total peace in my country," said Taban Deng, head of the rebel delegation, AFP reports.
However, the South Sudanese government has expressed scepticism over whether the opposition will be able to control all the militias involved in fighting, the BBC's Anne Soy reports.
Effective monitoring of the truce will be vital once it begins, as tension between the two sides is very high, South Sudan analyst James Copnall says.
The talks have now been adjourned and are due to continue on 7 February. What started out as a political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar on 15 December escalated into full-scale conflict, with reports of ethnic killings.
A ceremony to mark the signing of the agreement on the "cessation of hostilities and the question of the detainees" took place at the hotel where the talks were hosted.
The agreement is thought to address the issue of 11 detainees whom the rebels wanted freed, and whose fate had previously left the talks deadlocked.
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The detainees - allies of Mr Machar and prominent political figures from a faction of the governing SPLM party - were taken into custody when Mr Kiir first made the allegations of an attempted coup - which Mr Machar denies.
The South Sudanese government had earlier said on its Twitter feed that it envisaged an amnesty for the detainees but only after their cases had been heard in court.
Another key rebel demand was for Ugandan troops fighting alongside the government forces to be withdrawn.
The question of Uganda's role was not raised during the signing ceremony but members of the rebel delegation said that they would bring up the issue again during the second round of talks, journalist Matthew Newsome told the BBC from Addis Ababa.
The US welcomed the deal, calling it a "critical first step" and urged both sides to "fully and swiftly implement the agreement".
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague also welcomed the ceasefire and called for an "inclusive process of national reconciliation".
Last week, the UN human rights chief said both government soldiers and rebels had committed atrocities in South Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries.
More than 70,000 civilians are seeking shelter at UN bases across South Sudan, and the UN estimates that considerably more than 1,000 have been killed.
Following the outbreak of hostilities, it was agreed to boost the UN force and an extra 5,500 peacekeepers are being deployed to South Sudan, to bring its strength up to 12,500.
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Sign Agreement
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Sepp van den Berg: Liverpool reach agreement to sign defender from PEC Zwolle
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Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign 17-year-old centre-back Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle for an initial £1.3m.
The Netherlands Under-19 international, who was also a target for Ajax, Bayern Munich and PSV Eindhoven, will officially join the Reds on 1 July.
The fee for Van den Berg - the Reds' first signing of the summer - could rise to £4.4m depending on add-ons.
Meanwhile, youth team player Rafael Camacho has joined Sporting for £5m.
The 19-year-old Portuguese, who made his first-team debut last season with substitute appearances in the FA Cup at Wolves and at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League, had turned down the offer of a new contract.
Van den Berg made 15 appearances for PEC Zwolle in the Dutch top flight last season.
"It's just an amazing feeling," Van den Berg told the club website.external-link
"It is, for me, the biggest club in the world and it's a dream come true. I am really excited.
"I've seen what kind of players from the academy grew into the first team here. Of course, the trainer (Jurgen Klopp) is a great guy and one of the reasons they are successful - and also one of the reasons I came here."
Liverpool compare Van den Berg to being at about the same level as Joe Gomez when they signed the defender for £3.5m from Charlton in June 2015.
England international Gomez was a key part of Liverpool's defence last season before injury curtailed his season.
The Anfield club see Van den Berg as a player for the long term and, although there is a belief he could be with the first team immediately, the focus initially would be on his development and integration.
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Sign Agreement
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Katekavia Flight 9357 crash
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Katekavia Flight 9357 was an Antonov An-24 regional aircraft on a domestic flight from Krasnoyarsk to Igarka in Russia that crashed on final approach in fog in the early hours of 3 August 2010, killing twelve out of the fifteen people on board. The accident investigation concluded that the crew attempted an approach to land in visibility conditions worse than the approved minima for that airfield and aircraft, and failed to execute a missed approach procedure in a timely manner before the aircraft struck trees and terrain. The aircraft crashed while on final approach for a landing at Igarka Airport, around 700 metres (2,300 ft) short of the runway. [1] Conditions at the time of the crash were reported to be raining, with light clouds and thunderstorms in the area. The crash occurred at around 01:40 local time (17:40 UTC, 2 August). [2] A government agency, the Federal Air Transport Agency, said that "the plane veered to the right of its landing course and collided with the ground in front of the runway. "[3]
The aircraft involved was a twin-turboprop Antonov An-24RV with serial number 47310003 and Russian registration RA-46524. Built in 1974, at the time of the accident the airframe had logged almost 54,000 hours of flight. [4]
Ten of the passengers and one crew member on board the plane died in the crash,[5] while three of the crew members and one passenger survived. The passenger later died at the hospital of sustained injuries on 3 August 2010, bringing the death toll to twelve. [1][6][3][7] The other three survivors sustained only minor injuries. [8] The three survivors were the pilot, the co-pilot, and the flight engineer. [6] Originally, all on board were said to have died; subsequent reports said seven people died before a death toll of eleven and later twelve was established. [6][9]
Soon after the crash, a fire at the site was extinguished, allowing for a search for the aircraft's black boxes. An investigation was also begun shortly after the incident. [3] Both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) were recovered, although the CVR contained only data from the first 80 minutes of the 90-minute flight. The FDR contained a complete record of the flight. [10]
As a result of the crash, a government investigation to the operating practices of Katekavia was begun. [1]
A preliminary investigation indicated that the crash occurred due to fog in the area, leading the plane to hit trees ahead of the runway. [1][11]
The final accident report by Moscow's Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) was released in October 2010, concluding that the cause of the crash was attempting the landing approach in conditions worse than the meteorological minima of the airfield, the aircraft, and the commander. The crew failed to make a timely decision to go-around. They descended below the established minimum safe altitude in the absence of reliable visual contact with runway or approach lights, which led to a collision of the aircraft with trees and terrain. [12]
The MAK commented that had the recommendations following the 2007 crash of UTair Flight 471 been implemented, the accident may have been prevented. A total of 19 safety recommendations were made. [2][12]
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Air crash
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County reports 894 new COVID cases, 12 deaths
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by: City News Service SAN DIEGO (CNS) – San Diego County reported 894 new COVID-19 infections and 12 new deaths, according the latest data. The numbers include batch tests and cases that would have been reported Sept. 14 through Tuesday, but were not due to a reporting error between the county and medical providers. Thursday’s data brought the county’s cumulative totals to 352,019 cases and 4,039 fatalities since the pandemic began. The number of COVID patients in county hospitals decreased from 456 on Thursday to 414, with 136 of those patients in intensive care, according to state figures. Also Thursday, Riverside County surpassed San Diego County for the second-most hospital patients in a county in the state. Los Angeles County has 991 COVID-19 hospital patients, more than double the next highest county. A total of 33,615 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. Close to 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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1998 Pymatuning earthquake
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The 1998 Pymatuning earthquake occurred in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania on September 25 at 19:52 UTC. With a magnitude of 5.2 mbLg,[1][4] it was the largest recorded earthquake in Pennsylvania's history. The earthquake's epicenter was in the Southern Great Lakes Seismic Zone, about 25 kilometers (16 mi) southwest of Meadville; its depth was 5 kilometers (3 mi). The earthquake caused minor damage in towns near its epicenter and was felt in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Illinois and New Jersey, as well as Southern Ontario in Canada. [5]
After the earthquake many wells in the epicentral region began to dry up, while new springs and old wells began to flow. A three-month date range revealed 120 dry household-supply wells on the ridge of Jamestown and Greenville. [6] Declines of up to 100 feet (30 m) were observed on a ridge where at least 80 of these wells resided. The degree of the damage varied. Some of the wells lost all power or could barely hold their yields and some of the water in wells turned black or began to smell of sulfur. The most likely cause of the wells drying was because of the increase in hydraulic conductivity or "hydraulic islands" of shale rock under this area caused by the earthquake. [6] The quake affected the existing faults and created new faults in the shale. [6] This created more permeability for the water to leak down from the hilltops on the ridge down to the valleys following the contours of the Meadville shale down to the 14-18 square km area of the valley. [6]
Coordinates: 41°29′N 80°23′W / 41.49°N 80.38°W / 41.49; -80.38
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Biden Takes His 'America Is Back' Message To The World In Munich Speech
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President Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House to virtually address the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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President Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House to virtually address the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday.
Updated at 12:45 p.m. ET
President Biden on Friday sought to turn the page on former President Donald Trump's "America First" ethos, declaring "America is back" and vowing to rebuild trust with European allies by working on challenges like arms control, COVID-19 and climate change.
It was Biden's first speech since taking office aimed at an international audience. He spoke from the White House to a virtual crowd at the Munich Security Conference — a who's who of global national security officials — who he has met with many times in person over his decades in public life.
"America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back, and we are not looking backward. We are looking forward together," Biden said. He called the partnership between Europe and the United States "the cornerstone of all we hope to accomplish in the 21st century."
Biden didn't mention Trump by name, but alluded to his fights with NATO allies, and pledged his support to that alliance. "I know the past few years have strained and tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined — determined — to re-engage with Europe, to consult with you, to earn back our position of trust and leadership," he said.
Earlier, Biden met virtually with G-7 leaders about COVID-19. He said the United States would chip in $4 billion to COVAX, a fund run by Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, and the World Health Organization, which aims to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to 92 low- and middle-income countries.
Way forward on Iran
The Munich address comes a day after his State Department said the United States would be willing to attend a meeting with European partners and Iran to "discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program" — the first signs of movement toward talks about rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump had quit. It was not immediately clear whether Iran would agree to meet.
"We're prepared to reengage in negotiations with the P5+1 on Iran's nuclear program," said Biden, referring to the five members of the UN Security Council and Germany, which have negotiated with Iran in the past.
"We must also address Iran's destabilizing activities across the Middle East, and we're going to work in close cooperation with our European and other partners as we proceed," he said, though he did not lay out a specific timetable for Iran talks.
In his 2009 address to the Munich conference, when he was vice president, Biden said he wanted to "set a new tone" for America's relations with the world.
Johannes Simon/Getty Images
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In his 2009 address to the Munich conference, when he was vice president, Biden said he wanted to "set a new tone" for America's relations with the world.
Calling out China, Russia
Biden has made many trips to the Munich Security Conference over the decades as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As vice president, he led three U.S. delegations to the conference, making a pilgrimage there for the Obama administration's first foreign trip in 2009.
That year, he sought to soothe relations strained by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I come to Europe on behalf of a new administration, and an administration that's determined to set a new tone not only in Washington, but in America's relations around the world," Biden said.
But the difference this time is how shaken allies have been by Russian interference and a move toward nationalism, said Charles Kupchan, author of Isolationism: A History of America's Efforts to Shield Itself from the World.
"What is new here is that Americans and Europeans are still in shock about the illiberalism and the populism and the nativism that have infected political life on both sides of the Atlantic," said Kupchan, a former Obama official who is now at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Biden told allies they needed to do more to compete with China by investing and working together on innovation, intellectual property, trade rules, and technology policy "U.S. and European companies are required to publicly disclose corporate governance structures and abide by rules to deter corruption in monopolistic practices. Chinese companies should be held to the same standard," Biden said.
Biden also called out Russia as a "bully" and said allies needed to work together to counter Moscow's efforts to destabilize democracies.
"We are in the midst of a fundamental debate about the future direction of our world. Between those who argue that — given all of the challenges we face, from the fourth industrial revolution to a global pandemic — autocracy is the best way forward and those who understand that democracy is essential to meeting those challenges," Biden said. "Historians will examine and write about this moment. It's an inflection point. And I believe with every ounce of my being that democracy must prevail."
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Famous Person - Give a speech
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Outbreak Brief 76: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
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Outbreak Update: Since the last brief (22 June 2021), 2,615,379 new confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, including 57,505 new deaths, have been reported globally. To date, a global total of 180,844,523 COVID-19 cases and 3,923,825 related deaths (case fatality ratio (CFR): 2.2%) have been reported from 225 countries and territories to the World Health Organization (WHO). The distribution of cumulative cases (proportion of global cases) from the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting regions (excluding Africa) are as follows: Eastern Mediterranean Region 9,443,683 (5%), European Region 55,763,610 (31%), Region of the Americas 71,957,777 (40%), South-East Asia Region 34,666,159 (19%) and Western Pacific Region 3,522,008 (2%). In the last seven days, Brazil reported more than 500,000 new cases, India reported more than 300,000 new cases, Colombia reported over 200,000 new cases, while Argentina, Indonesia and the Russian Federation reported more than 100,000 new cases. For more detailed information on cases and deaths reported outside of Africa, refer to the WHO COVID-19 dashboard.
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Disease Outbreaks
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Hall of Fame Professional Wrestling Announcer Jim Ross Reveals Skin Cancer Diagnosis
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The 69-year-old Ross announced his diagnosis via Twitter, writing that he’s feeling great and ready to attack the disease. Ross added that he’s waiting on a radiologist study to determine the best treatment option, which will likely be radiation.
The longtime announcer said that he’ll still be on commentary for Saturday night’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
“On my way to Orlando for tonight’s @AEW Dynamite. Skin cancer confirmed. Waiting on radiologist study to determine best treatment. Likely radiation,” Ross tweeted. “Feeling great and ready to attack. Thanks for the support from so many.”
The diagnosis was made after Ross had a CT scan done on Thursday for an issue on his lower leg that he’s been dealing with for more than a year.
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Famous Person - Sick
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1934 New York Hotel Strike
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The Fieldites were a small leftist sect that split from the Communist League of America in 1934 and known officially as the Organization Committee for a Revolutionary Workers Party and then the League for a Revolutionary Workers Party. The name comes from the name of its leader B. J. Field. Born Max Gould in 1903, B. J. Field had been a successful Columbia educated petroleum analyst on Wall Street before the crash of 1929. Afterwards he became a Trotskyist and led informal discussion groups at his home with the other members. [1]
Field was expelled following the New York Hotel strike of January 1934 for not accepting CLA discipline and not getting adequate safeguards for former strikers against discrimination. Field was later removed from leadership of the Amalgamated Food Workers union because a rival union, the Communist-led Food Workers Industrial Union, had gained shop floor leadership during the course of the unsuccessful strike. By the end of 1934, the Amalgamated Food Workers had merged into the Food Workers Industrial Union. [2] In his book on the history of American Trotskyism, James P. Cannon – at the time a major leader of the CLA – provides a detailed (though manifestly polemic and hostile) account of Field's antecedents and his part in the hotel strike. [3]
As noted by Cannon, in the late 1920s some CLA members happened to be involved in the Amalgamated Food Workers union which had been reduced in power and influence after the Communist Party split the union in 1930. In 1932, the CLA regarded the sudden upsurge in unionism among the hard-pressed hotel workers as its big chance, throwing much of its resources and membership into this struggle – among them B.J. Field. A statistician, economist and linguist, Field had no previous trade union experience, but his fluent knowledge of French was of crucial importance in establishing contact with the hotels' French chefs, many of whom did not speak English. Because of the chefs' prestige and their being "the most strategically important sector in the hotel situation", their adherence to the strike was a major coup, for which Field got credit. For their part, the chefs insisted that Field be placed at the head of the new union. In this position he got much into the public eye and had his photo in the New York papers. His fame and prestige soared especially after a series of mass meetings, the biggest of which – at the annex of the Madison Square Garden – drew a crowd of no less than 10,000 people. Thereafter, as Cannon put it, success went to Field's head and he became increasingly distant from the CLA, which he came to regard as "a marginal group of people at a small office on Sixteenth Street" while he was himself "the leader of a upsurging mass movement". The CLA criticized Field for neglecting the grassroots base of the strike, and placing excessive trust in the mediators sent by the National Labor Board and by New York Mayor La Guardia. However, Field refused altogether to meet with fellow activists or the CLA bodies and to discuss his way of conducting the hotel strike. Thereupon, the CLA decided to take the drastic step of expelling Field and his group of adherents, in the middle of the strike – rather than be held responsible for his policies without having a possibility of influencing them. One of Field's most important collaborators in this strike was a young Greek-American, Aristodimos Kaldis, who would later have a career as a landscape artist. [1] During the strike the CLA elements worked closely with a group of dissident Lovestoneites led by Benjamin Gitlow called the Workers Communist League. After being expelled the group around Field and Kaldis joined Gitlow's group, which now became the Organization Committee for a Revolutionary Workers Party. [4] Though the membership of the group was small in the United States, it was more successful in Canada, taking the whole Montreal section and some of the Toronto branch members from the CLA in April of that year. [5] Under the leadership of William Krehm they overshadowed the official Trotskyist movement in Canada by 1937. [6]
The Gitlow group didn't stay long and by October 1934 had decided to enter the Socialist Party of America[7] This left the Fieldites with few experienced Communist or labor leaders. The group then began negotiations for unity with a variety of other groups, including the Communist League of Struggle, the Revolutionary Workers League and a small group of Italian-American Bordigists. None of these was successful. In May 1936 the majority of the New York branch voted to rejoin the Trotskyists, but a minority stayed with Field in a reduced organization. [8] According to one report, from a hostile source, when two members of the New York local F. L Demby and S. Stanley submitted a statement favoring dissociation from the LRWP during a meeting of the New York local Field had the door locked and he and his supporters physically attacked them. In any event a reported eight out of the groups twelve members left. [9]
Among the associates of the league was a group of Columbia university students which included future philosopher Morton White, who was drawn to the group because it was harsher on the Soviet Union than the Trotskyites. They had come to the conclusion that capitalism had already been restored in Stalinist Russia, and was no longer a degenerated workers state. [10]
The LRWP was affiliated to the International Revolutionary Marxist Centre (often referred to as the London Bureau) with Field and Krehm attending the international association's Congress Against War, Fascism and Imperialism held in Brussels in 1936. [11]
After being expelled from his own organization, Field dropped out of politics and joined former supporter Nat Mendelsohn's prosperous real estate firm in California. He died in 1977. [12]
The exact date of the group's dissolution is uncertain, though a number of members rejoined the Trotskyist movement in the late 1930s. In April 1940 the remaining Fieldites published a special bulletin addressed to the convention of the Socialist Workers Party (United States), urging it to adopt its perspective on the USSR, which the Fieldites regarded as totalitarian rather than state capitalist. They believed "Russian question" was the most important issue facing the working class movement. [13] They seem to have finally disbanded sometime later in 1940. [14]
The Fieldites published The Workers' Voice in Canada, Labor Front in the United States, a theoretical journal called Maitland – New International Bulletin, Workers Anti-War Bulletin and Revolutionary Youth, by the party's youth section. Bibliographer Walter Goldwater lists Labor Front as #128 in his index and gives its duration as Vol. I #1 June 1934 to Vol. VI #1 February 1939. [15] The group also published an irregular "international" publication New International Bulletin: Documents of the New International which lasted from Vol. I #1 October 1935 – Vol. II #1 March 1937. Apparently this ceased publication when the majority of the New York group rejoined the Trotskyists.
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Strike
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o
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Voters in New Zealand began casting their ballots Saturday in a general election that has Prime Minister John Key seeking a third term in office.
Polls indicate Key's center-right National Party is the most popular party, and Key is the front-runner to remain the country's leader. But that could be in jeopardy if opposition parties gain more than half the parliamentary seats and form a coalition.
Key's closest rival is David Cunliffe, leader of the liberal Labour Party. His party has pledged to build tens of thousands of inexpensive homes for first-time buyers to combat a pricey housing market.
Supporters say Key and his colleagues have managed the economy well during six years in office. The economy this year has been growing at a 4 percent clip, while unemployment has dropped to 5.6 percent. The government projects it will begin running budget surpluses this financial year following years of deficits.
The campaign was marked by a scandal after investigative journalist and liberal activist Nicky Hager published a book "Dirty Politics" which exposed the extent of the National Party's links with a conservative blogger. Justice Minister Judith Collins resigned from her ministerial portfolios after Key said she colluded with the blogger to try to undermine the director of the Serious Fraud Office, whom Collins oversaw.
Also contesting the election is a party funded by indicted Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, who founded the now-shuttered website Megaupload. Dotcom is fighting attempts by U.S. prosecutors to extradite him on racketeering charges over the site, which prosecutors say was used to illegally download enormous numbers of songs and movies.
Dotcom says he can't be held responsible for those who chose to use his site for illegal downloads.
Polls indicate Dotcom's Internet Mana Party could win two or three of the Parliament's 120 seats.
Polls close at 7 p.m. (0700 GMT) Saturday with full results expected by 11:30 p.m. (1130 GMT).
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Government Job change - Election
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2020 Mauritian protests
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The 2020 protests in Mauritius were a series of large rallies and nonviolent demonstrations held in Mauritius following the MV Wakashio oil spill. Protests came in three waves of marches on 29–31 August, 12–13 September and September 14–15. Demonstrator’s main demanded that the Mauritian government launch an inquiry into the cause of the oil spill. [1][2]
Thousands people marched to the capital of Mauritius in protest of the government’s response to the oil spill, calling on an investigation into the spill. Protesters also chanted and protested with banners and placards in other towns. Demonstrators called for an uprising against the spill, asking the government to respond to the spill. Protesters denounced the report of dozens of dolphins dead, calling also for an investigation into the deaths of the dolphins. [3]
On 12 September, thousands led protest actions and rallies in support of protesters on the streets. Street protests and opposition marches denounced the oil spill, calling on an investigation into the tanker split and 1000 tons of fuel that spilled into the water. Thousands called for probes and justice over the confusions over the spill of fuel into the ocean. Strikers used whistles, honked horns and chanted slogans against who government, calling on it to resign. [4][5]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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1952 Farnborough Airshow crash
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On 6 September 1952, a prototype de Havilland DH.110 jet fighter crashed during an aerial display at the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, England. The jet disintegrated mid-air during an aerobatic manoeuvre, causing the death of pilot John Derry and onboard flight test observer Anthony Richards. Debris from the aircraft fell onto a crowd of spectators, killing 29 people and injuring 60. [1][2]
The cause of the break-up was later determined to be structural failure due to a design flaw in the wing's leading edge. All DH.110s were initially grounded, but after modification to its design, the type entered service with the Royal Navy as the Sea Vixen. Stricter safety procedures were subsequently enacted for UK air shows and there were no further spectator fatalities until the 2015 Shoreham Airshow crash in which 11 people died. [a][4]
The planned demonstration of the DH.110 on that day was nearly cancelled when the aircraft at Farnborough, WG 240, an all-black night fighter prototype, became unserviceable. It was de Havilland's second DH.110 prototype, and had been taken supersonic over the show on the opening day. [5] Derry and Richards then collected WG 236, the first DH.110 prototype, from de Havilland's factory in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, and flew it to Farnborough with just enough time to start their slot. [citation needed]
Following a supersonic dive and flypast from 40,000 feet (12,000 m) and during a left bank at about 450 knots (830 km/h; 520 mph) toward the air show's 120,000 spectators, the pilot pulled up into a climb. In less than a second, the aircraft disintegrated: the outer sections of the wing, both engines and the cockpit separated from the airframe. The cockpit, with the two crew members still inside, fell right in front of the spectators nearest the runway, injuring several people. The engines travelled much further on a ballistic trajectory; one engine crashed harmlessly, but the second one ploughed into the so-called Observation Hill, causing most of the fatalities. The rest of the airframe fluttered down and crashed on the opposite side of the runway. [6]
One eyewitness was Richard Gardner, then five years old. He recalled in adulthood:[7]
I'll never forget, it looked like confetti, looked like silver confetti. The remaining airframe floated down right in front of us. It just came down like a leaf. And then the two engines, like two missiles, shot out of the airframe and hurtled in the direction of the airshow. There was a sort of silence, then people, one or two people screamed but mostly it was just a sort of shock. You could hear some people sort of whimpering which was quite shocking. Sixty-three years later, speaking on the BBC Today radio programme in the wake of the Shoreham Airshow disaster, author Moyra Bremner recalled her own traumatic experience. A huge bang silenced the crowd and was followed by "My God, look out" from the commentator. Bremner, standing on the roof of her parents' car, realised that an engine was heading straight towards her. It passed a few feet over her head, a "massive shining cylinder", and then plunged into the crowd on the hill behind. [8]
Following the accident the air display programme continued once the debris was cleared from the runway, with Neville Duke exhibiting the prototype Hawker Hunter and taking it supersonic over the show later that day. [9]
Queen Elizabeth II and Duncan Sandys, the Minister of Supply, both sent messages of condolence. [2] The coroner's jury recorded that Derry and Richards had "died accidentally in the normal course of their duty", and that "the deaths [of the spectators] were accidental", adding that "no blame is attached to Mr. John Derry". [10]
The investigation concluded that the manoeuvring had caused an airframe instability because of a faulty D-nose leading edge arrangement (which had successfully been used in the lighter subsonic de Havilland Vampire). The redesigned DH.110 resumed flights in June 1953 and was eventually developed into the de Havilland Sea Vixen naval fighter. [11]
More stringent airshow safety measures were subsequently introduced: jets were obliged to keep at least 230 m (750 ft) from crowds if flying straight and 450 m (1,480 ft) when performing manoeuvres, and always at an altitude of at least 150 m (490 ft). [2]
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Air crash
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Ukraine, NATO countries start joint military exercises in Odesa
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Ukrainian border guards patrol the Sea of Azov off the city of Mariupol on April 30, 2021. Klitschko Tells Germans he and Kyiv are Ready to Resist Russian Invasion 86 Downing of MH17: Exclusive Report from the Court Hearing in the Netherlands 54 Op-Ed: The Conflict Around Ukraine: a Tragedy of Mistranslation 46 The joint military command and military exercises of Ukraine and NATO countries “Coherent Resilience” to counter hybrid threats to critical infrastructure in the Black Sea region, which will continue until the end of the week, have started in Odesa, the press service of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) said. It is noted that the exercise is an integral part of the decision of the foreign ministers of NATO member states to support Ukraine in countering hybrid challenges in the Black Sea region, approved in April 2019 in Washington. “The exercises are being conducted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine jointly with the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence and with the support of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy within the framework of the NATO-Ukraine Platform for Countering Hybrid Warfare,” the NSDC said in the statement. The purpose of the exercises is to develop the stability of the system of public agencies of Ukraine in countering hybrid threats and crisis response by strengthening interdepartmental and civil-military cooperation, planning, and preparedness. “The security and defense sector of Ukraine, institutions that coordinate crisis management, as well as operators of energy and other critical infrastructure, will be involved in the exercises,” the NSDC said.
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Military Exercise
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1962 European Athletics Championships
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The 7th European Athletics Championships were held from 12–16 September 1962 in the JNA Stadium in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia). Contemporaneous reports on the event were given in the Glasgow Herald. [1][2][3][4][5] Just before the meeting, the IAAF council approved the use glass fibre poles for pole vaulting. As a consequence, competitors were able to use them during the meeting if they wished. [6]
Complete results were published. [7]
According to an unofficial count, 668 athletes from 29 countries participated in the event, two athletes less than the official number of 670 as published. [10] There was a joint German team comprising athletes from both East and West Germany. Assignment to their respective country was accomplished using the database of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Leichtathletik-Dokumentation 1990 e.V. [11]
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Sports Competition
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