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TWA Flight 1 crash

Transcontinental and Western Airways Flight 1 (TWA 1), a Douglas DC-2, crashed into Cheat Mountain, near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, approximately 10:20 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on April 7, 1936, killing 12 of the 14 passengers and crew aboard. Flight 1 was a regularly scheduled TWA Sun Racer flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Los Angeles, California, with almost a dozen intermediate stops between. Approaching the flight's second stop, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Allegheny County Airport, pilot Otto Ferguson lost contact with the airport's radio navigation signal, and tracked several miles in a southwestern line off course. Fearing icing conditions, he descended in an attempt to find visual landmarks for navigation. Thick fog hindered him, and his descent continued until Flight 1 hit ice-covered trees atop Cheat Mountain, about 40 miles (64 km) south of Pittsburgh on the West Virginia line and near Uniontown, Pennsylvania. When the plane crashed it was aiming in a northern flight direction indicating that the pilot finally realized he had tracked south of his flightplan and may have been trying to correct it (the flight should have been aimed due west not north or hours prior south-southwest). [1] The plane's two pilots were killed instantly, as were several passengers. Flight attendant Nellie Granger, though injured in the crash, got help for the surviving passengers by following nearby telephone wires to a home, where she called for help. Though one of the survivors later died of his injuries, Granger was hailed as a hero for her efforts to help them despite her own injuries. Transcontinental & Western Airways, forerunner to the modern Trans World Airlines, formed July 16, 1930, from the merger of Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) and Western Air Express. [2] In October 1930, T&WA pioneered the first U.S. transcontinental scheduled service, a 36-hour affair that included an overnight stay in Kansas City, Missouri. As the airline became more experienced with long-distance flying, its service improved. In 1934, it introduced the Douglas DC-1, flying it coast to coast in February 1934 in a then-record 12 hours, 4 minutes. [citation needed] On May 18, 1934, the DC-2, the production version of the DC-1, entered commercial service on TWA's Columbus–Pittsburgh–Newark route. The aircraft's success quickly led to its introduction on most TWA routes, and the growth of others. The most prominent of these was the Sun Racer, also known as TWA Flight 1, which promised to deliver passengers from coast to coast in a single day. [3] On March 11, 1936, W.L. Smith, a pilot for TWA, was descending to land at Pittsburgh's Allegheny County Airport but found the airport's radio beacon had led him 40 miles (64 km) off course. After landing safely, Smith complained to airport officials, who were unable to find anything wrong with the beacon. [4] Other pilots later testified the beacon frequently gave a false signal similar to the one received when an airplane was directly above the airport. [5] On April 7, TWA Flight 1 left Newark at 7:54 a.m. and made its regularly scheduled stop in Camden, outside Philadelphia, at 8:27 a.m. and picked up additional passengers. [6] In Camden, pilot Otto Ferguson and co-pilot Harry C. Lewis received the weather report for their trip, which indicated heavy clouds and icing conditions in western Pennsylvania below 15,000 feet. The DC-2 was certified to operate in these conditions, which required instrument flying rules. [6] Ferguson's plan was to fly west from Camden, using compass readings and radio beacons as guidance, then make an approach into Allegheny County Airport from the northeast. During the trip, he kept in radio contact with TWA Flight 21, a direct flight from Newark to Pittsburgh. That flight was scheduled to arrive about the same time as Flight 1, and Ferguson wanted to avoid potential problems. [6] Unbeknownst to Ferguson, the course he flew was about 8 degrees south of his plan. After passing the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, radio beam, TWA Flight 1 began to drift south. Heavy cloud cover prevented Ferguson from seeing any landmarks, and he was relying wholly upon instruments. [6] Shortly after 10 a.m., Ferguson began his descent to Pittsburgh, believing it to be much closer than it actually was. At 10:09, he asked for weather conditions and was told the skies were overcast, with thick clouds above 1,700 feet (520 m). He confirmed the report and said he was about 10 miles (16 km) east of the airport, flying in clouds at 3,000 feet (910 m). [7] Ferguson said the tower's radio signal was "very weak" and asked, "Is it OK to come on in?" It was the last communication from the plane. [8] At 10:10 a.m., witnesses near Connellsville, Pennsylvania, which is about 30 miles (48 km) south of Pittsburgh, reported hearing and seeing the plane fly overhead through gaps in the fog. Several people reported seeing the plane flying low over houses. [9] Investigators later concluded that during these final moments before the crash, Ferguson realized he was lost and began following a small creek to the northwest. The heavy clouds forced him to fly lower to follow the creek, which turns into a small valley before its source. After entering the valley, Ferguson would have had only three-quarters of a mile (1.5 kilometers) to climb 650 feet (200 m) over the mountain he was then faced with. [6][9] About 10:20 a.m., Flight 1 crashed into the south side of Cheat Mountain's summit. [6] For those aboard, the first inkling that something was wrong came when the first trees flew by the passenger cabin's windows. Until that point, the flight had been an uneventful one, with few bumps. The seatbelt warning light had not been lit. [10] Pilot Ferguson and co-pilot Lewis were killed instantly upon impact, their bodies trapped within the wreckage. A handful of passengers were more fortunate, as they were thrown from the aircraft as it tore itself apart, then flipped over and began burning. Flight attendant Nellie Granger was the first of these passengers to realize what had happened. She remembered nothing of the crash itself and awoke about 125 feet (38 m) from the plane's wreckage. Though stunned by the concussion and bleeding from several injuries, she managed to pull two passengers away from the burning aircraft and administered first aid. Realizing they needed immediate medical attention, she went to find help. Despite the thick fog, clouds and freezing rain that dominated the scene, she noticed a set of telephone wires in a nearby field.

Air crash

Petronas: Baram Oil Production to Resume in Q3, after Ship Accident

Malaysia’s state energy firm Petronas said on Monday it expects to resume full production at its Baram facilities, off the state of Sarawak on Borneo island, in the third quarter after halting output in October following an accident. Petronas declared force majeure at its Miri crude oil terminal on Oct. 29 as a result of the ship collision on Oct. 27 at the Baram field, a company spokesman told Reuters. Two crew of the Malaysian offshore support vessel MV Dayang Topaz died after their ship rammed into the Baram B oil platform in bad weather. “Rectification work is currently being carried out at the Baram facilities, which are expected to resume full production in Q3 2021,” it said. Separately, Petrofac, the operator of the Cendor terminal, offshore Peninsular Malaysia, declared force majeure at the hub on Dec. 4 due to a “technical malfunction”, Petronas said. “An investigation is ongoing and the Cendor terminal is currently on partial production mode,” Petronas said, without providing a timeline for when the terminal can resume full output.Reuters reported on the forces majeures last month.(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Jan Harvey and Barbara Lewis)

Shipwreck

Brazil's Brumadinho mining disaster will hurt Vale, but iron ore firms and Australia's economy are set to cash in

Updated 12 Feb 2019, 11:07amTue 12 Feb 2019, 11:07am When the tailings dam at one of Vale's iron ore mines in the south-eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais burst on January 25, it released a torrent of sludge and buried people and buildings in the town of Brumadinho. At least 150 people were killed and more than 180 remain missing. It is a far greater loss of life than the 2015 Samarco Mariana dam disaster (also known as the Bento Rodrigues dam disaster) in Brazil, where a dam at a Vale-BHP joint venture ruptured, killing 19 people. This year's disaster has threatened global iron ore supply, sending markets into a frenzy and pushing prices up 18 per cent over the past fortnight, as the commodity rockets towards levels not seen since 2014. Vale, which is the world's largest iron ore miner, has since announced it would decommission a further 10 dams — all built using the same so-called "upstream method" — which would reduce its global iron ore output by 40 million tonnes a year. Analysts say the outcome of Vale's move will be felt for some time. "This isn't a small sum. This is a big reduction in the global seaborne market in a very short period of time, so we do expect that will support higher iron ore prices for the course of the year," Bell Potter investment adviser Giuliano Sala Tenna said. "When you see a sudden event like this reduce supply in the market, the other suppliers can't respond quickly enough to make that up in full, so we would expect the iron ore market to remain tight. "This is something that will certainly impact on the rest of calendar '19 and for calendar year '20 and '21," he said. Credit Suisse, ANZ and the Commonwealth Bank have all predicted prices will go higher amid the uncertainty. Even Goldman Sachs, which has had a bearish view of iron ore, expected a continued revival of prices as producers outside Brazil failed to boost their output fast enough to fill the vacuum. All of Australia's major miners have traded up on the news, as investors forecast their margins to be much higher over the coming year. The global squeeze is also raking in millions of extra iron ore royalty dollars for the Commonwealth, with prices well above federal Treasury estimates. In its mid-year economic fiscal outlook (MYEFO), federal Treasury forecast an average iron ore spot price of $US55 a tonne. Prices closed at $US91.5 a tonne on Monday night, up from $US64.50 in November last year. Every rise of $US10 a tonne above the estimate is worth an extra $1.2 billion to the Federal Government this year, and $3.6 billion in 2019-20. Bankwest chief economist Alan Langford said the Government would likely be cautious about changing its iron ore price assumptions in its next budget too quickly. "The surge in the iron ore price will further boost Canberra's coffers, although unless the higher price is sustained for a few months, the federal Treasury is unlikely to upgrade its price assumptions that underpin the forthcoming budget all that much," he said. "Just how long the spot iron ore price stays at or above current levels will depend on Vale's capacity to replace production lost in the Brumadinho tailings disaster. "Clearly the Brazilian Government will have a big say, depending on how onerous its safety and environmental oversight of Vale turns out to be." The Brumadinho disaster has raised serious questions over the safety of Vale's tailings dams, coming just four years after the Bento Rodrigues tragedy which caused 60 million cubic metres of iron ore waste to flow into the Doce River, triggering a humanitarian crisis as hundreds were displaced and cities suffered water shortages. It was also built using the "upstream method" which is considered the cheapest form of tailings dam, because it requires less material to build. Mr Sala Tenna said it was concerning the dam in question had only recently been inspected by external consultants. "So it probably throws a cloud over those previous safety procedures," he said. "I think this will have ramifications for the company longer term particularly, with increasing costs at some of their mine sites to ensure this is the very last such incident we see. "I think it would be very unlikely we'd see a similar mine development commenced from now." The dam system is used across the world, including in Australia. Of the more than 800 tailings dams in the mining state of Western Australia, 131 of them use upstream dams. Brazilian authorities are planning to ban the practice altogether, which could have further implications for global iron ore supply. Partner at SPG Law, Thomas Goodhead, said the long-term picture for the state of Minas Gerais was difficult. "There are over 150 dams, some of which Vale have announced they are going to decommission, where people are very fearful of similar disasters happening," he said. Mr Goodhead is representing more than 200,000 individual claimants, 24 municipal governments and 700 businesses seeking compensation from BHP Group in relation to the 2015 disaster, in what is considered the largest lawsuit in UK history. He has travelled to Brazil after being approached by victims of the latest disaster, and said the liabilities facing Vale would run into the billions of dollars, raising questions about the viability of the world's largest iron ore miner. "In my mind, Vale as it exists currently, and given its current state in the market, they will face a very, very substantial liability," he said. "Whether you go as far as to say that calls into question the entire viability of the firm, I'm not sure I would go that far. But it certainly raises some significant question marks over the firm as it currently operates and is currently structured. "We already know in the [US] there are already six or seven case actions which have been instituted by various firms and there will inevitably be more." Public prosecutors in Brazil are expected to go hard at Vale, with anger building as locals deal with the second major disaster in just four years. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. In light of the incident, global mining groups like the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), are urging their members to improve their safety procedures to avoid a similar catastrophe. "We'll be leaving no stone unturned considering what we need to look at," ICMM chief executive Tom Butler said. ICMM represents 27 miners across the globe, including Vale, and established guidelines for safer mining practices after the Samarco disaster. "We won't know for some time what caused this event, and it's difficult to pre-judge what should be done in regards to the corrective actions for the event itself …," he said "But I think it behoves us a global organisation to ask ourselves what else do we need to be doing in regard … to make sure we leave no stone unturned in terms of how we manage these facilities." "What we identified after the Samarco review was that the governance, accountability and change management for these operations is where there's room for improvement. So in other words, the implementation of the engineering, and I think that's probably one of the areas we need to focus on again ourselves." The Brazilian Government faces a difficult juggling act in coming months as it aims to manage the economic benefits mining brings the country, versus the growing anger locals have over the rising death toll. If Brazil's mining agency pushes ahead with plans to ban upstream tailing dams, it is almost certain to have a wide-ranging impact not only on the miners operating within the country, but companies across the globe.

Mine Collapses

1956 Amorgos earthquake

The 1956 Amorgos earthquake occurred at 03:11 UTC on July 9. It had a magnitude of 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of IX on the Mercalli intensity scale. The epicentre was to the south of the island of Amorgos, the easternmost island of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. There was significant damage on Amorgos and the neighbouring island of Santorini. It was the largest earthquake in Greece in the 20th century. [1] It was followed 13 minutes later by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake near Santorini. It triggered a major tsunami with a maximum run-up of 30 m. The combined effects of the earthquake shaking and the tsunami caused the deaths of 53 people with a further 100 injured. The Cyclades island group lies within a zone of extensional tectonics in the Aegean Sea Plate, between the South Aegean Volcanic Arc to the south and the continuation of the North Anatolian Fault to the north. The extension is a result of the bulging out of the Hellenic arc due to flat-slab subduction of the African Plate. [4] The earthquake's focal mechanism is consistent with normal faulting, trending SW-NE. From the distribution of aftershocks, it is possible to discriminate between the two nodal planes implied by the focal mechanism, indicating that the fault plane dips to the southeast at about 25°. [3] The rupture area is estimated to be about 110 km along strike and 26 km in depth, extending into the upper mantle. [5] The tsunami affected a large part of the Aegean Sea. The variable distribution of the observed run-ups, combined with inconsistent timing of the wave arrivals at different locations, suggest that earthquake-triggered underwater landslides were the main cause of the observed tsunami. [3] Damage was severe, particularly on Santorini. The earthquake demolished 529 houses and left many others damaged. [2] Fifty-three people were killed as a result of the earthquake, with another three killed by the associated tsunami. [6]

Earthquakes

Subsequent studies have tempered some of Day and Ward's catastrophic predictions

Though subsequent studies have tempered some of Day and Ward's catastrophic predictions, there is still a risk. After the 1949 eruption, ruptures were found on the surface. In Day and Ward's later study, these ruptures were described as "ominous" because they were evidence of a subsurface detachment. . In other words, the crack doesn't stop at the surface. General view of one of the Cumbre Vieja volcanoes, an area in the south of the island that could be affected by a possible volcanic eruption. Photo / Getty Images In the event of a collapse driven by a fresh eruption, Day found that anywhere between 150 to 500 cubic kilometres of rock could slide into the ocean at 100 metres per second. The immense force caused by such a landslide would generate huge waves, hundreds of metres high, that would spread across the Atlantic and hit the coast of the Americas at heights of up to 25 metres. The pair found that, although there is no historical record of a mega-tsunami caused by the lateral collapse of an oceanic volcano, the geological record shows clear evidence of their power. That is to say, modern humans may not have been around to witness it, but it has happened. And could happen again. Advertise with NZME. The path of the waves Day and Ward's 2001 paper reveals their theory on how the waves could radiate out from La Palma, bringing widespread devastation across four continents. Firstly, as the massive amount of rock and earth smashes into the ocean, a huge water dome would build, reaching heights of up to 900 metres. Within 5 minutes, this wave would have outrun the landslide that birthed it and, 50km from La Palma would have reduced in height. To 500 metres. Within 10 minutes, wave hundreds of metres high would smash into the western islands of the Canary chain. The island of La Palma. The volcanic ridge can be seen reaching out to the southern tip of the island. Between 15 minutes and an hour after the event, the eastern islands of the Canaries would be hit and waves would eventually reach the mainland of Africa, at heights of between 50 and 100 metres, bringing with them immense devastation and loss of life. . But to the west, in the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, the waves would be spreading out across 500km, with wave heights still hitting 60 metres. Past the three-hour mark, the long arc would curve back around to strike Europe, with Spain and England experiencing wave heights of 5 to 7 metres. Then, as waves of around 10 metres hit the North American coastline at Newfoundland, larger waves of 15 to 20 metres would strike coastal Brazil and other northern regions of South America. A full nine hours after the event, the US state of Florida would face the waves. Day and Ward predict the waves "parading in a dozen cycles or more" and reaching up to 25 metres in height. Bodies are found in Indonesia's Banda Aceh after the tsunami in 2004. Photo / Chris Skelton For low-lying Florida, the resulting inundation would stretch far inland. Advertisement For context, the largest wave recorded during the 2004 tsunami was estimated at between 15 and 30 metres, recorded on the west coast of the Indonesian province of Aceh. Will it happen? Day and Ward's research shocked many when it was released in 2001, but subsequent studies of the potential consequences of a collapse at Cumbe Vieja have significantly played down the risk. In later years, and often with the benefit of experience hard-won from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, scientists using different models have found that any waves created could be considerably smaller. Some have argued that any collapse of the ridge could not occur with the force described in Ward and Day's paper, with some positing that a collapse would happen in stages. Others have pointed out that undersea topography could reduce the height of the waves in many areas. But most agree that if a collapse were to occur, large waves would be generated that would prove tragic for the Canary Islands themselves. Advertisement Where scientists differ is how far away effects would be felt and to what extent. Possible eruption Officials in the Canary Islands have said they had no indication an eruption was imminent, and a scientific committee monitoring the activity said the number of tremors and their magnitude had fallen by Thursday of this week. Even so, the Scientific Committee for the Special Civil Protection Plan and Emergency Response for Volcanic Risks warned there could be a rapid, renewed surge in quakes and kept the public warning level on yellow, according to private Spanish news agency Europa Press. "The decrease in seismic activity may be transient and does not necessarily imply a halt to the reactivation," the regional emergency services said in a statement after a meeting with politicians, volcano experts and civil defence authorities. Volcano warnings are announced in accordance with the level of risk, rising through green, yellow, orange and red. Scientific Committee for the Special Civil Protection Plan and Emergency Response for Volcanic Risks reported that ground depressions up to 10 centimetres deep have formed — an occurrence often attributed to magma movements. Advertisement Before a volcano erupts, there is a gradual increase in seismic activity that can build up over a prolonged period. And even if the volcano does erupt, it's not certain that the landslide would occur. In 2001, Dr Simon Day said: "The collapse will occur during some future eruption after days or weeks of precursory deformation and earthquakes. An effective earthquake monitoring system could provide advanced warning of a likely collapse and allow early emergency management organisations a valuable window of time in which to plan and respond." "Eruptions of Cumbre Vieja occur at intervals of decades to a century or so and there may be a number of eruptions before its collapse," Day added. "Although the year to year probability of a collapse is therefore low, the resulting tsunami would be a major disaster with indirect effects around the world. Cumbre Vieja needs to monitored closely for any signs of impending volcanic activity and for the deformation that would precede collapse." Gary McMurty, a scientist who specialised in landslides, told the New Scientist in 2001 that we shouldn't panic about Ward and Day's original findings. Advertisement "These events are very rare and shouldn't worry anyone who has a lifetime of less than a hundred years," he said.

Tsunamis

Texas house explosion that injured 6 people may have been intentional, officials say

Six people were injured when an explosion Monday destroyed a home in the Dallas suburb of Plano. Neighboring homes also suffered major damage. (July 20) AP PLANO, Texas — The explosion that destroyed a house in suburban Dallas and heavily damaged the two next door, injuring six people, may not have been an accident, officials said Wednesday. Previously, fire officials had said that a gas leak in the Plano home that was destroyed Monday was the likely cause of the explosion. "After further investigation, it was determined the explosion may have been intentional," Plano Police and Plano Fire-Rescue said in a news release, without providing details. It appeared to be an isolated incident with no indications of any threats to the community, and the investigation remains ongoing, according to the release. Texas: SWAT commander killed, 4 officers injured in standoff with gunman; suspect captured One person from the one-story home that exploded and five others — including three children — from one of the damaged homes next door were taken to hospitals for treatment, fire officials said. A person who was in the other damaged home wasn't hurt. The three adults were taken to Medical City Plano, where they remained hospitalized Wednesday. The hospital said one was in critical condition and two were in good condition. A friend of the family next door who were injured said that the three children had been released from the hospital and were staying with family. "From chatting with both parents, there was no flash, there were two explosions, and so the first one caught their attention, and then as the husband was facing the window, the second one went off, and that half of their house had collapsed in on them," Mae Reedy told KXAS-TV.

Gas explosion

About 1,600 pieces of metal movable type were found inside a pot excavated ecently in Gongyeong-dong, central Seoul

About 1,600 pieces of metal movable type were found inside a pot excavated recently in Gongyeong-dong, central Seoul. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION] The metal movable type was found inside a pot and other relics were found around the pot. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION] Some of the discovered Yeonju metal movable type blocks. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION] The excavated type bocks include ones that are presumed to be Gapinja, created in 1434 under King Sejong's orders. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION] Fragments of jujeon, a visual scale used to indicate time on a water clock [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

New archeological discoveries

Cicero race riot of 1951

The Cicero race riot of 1951 occurred July 11–12, when a mob of 4,000 whites attacked an apartment building that housed a single black family in a neighborhood in Cicero, Illinois. The aftermath of World War II saw a revival of white attacks on blacks in the Chicago area, mostly on the city's South and Southwest Sides, but also in the western industrial suburb of Cicero. Aspiring African-American professionals seeking to obtain improved housing beyond the increasingly overcrowded South Side ghetto, whether in private residences or in the new public housing developments constructed by the Chicago Housing Authority, were frequently greeted by attempted arsons, bombings, and angry white mobs often numbering into the thousands. In early June 1951, Mrs. DeRose, who owned an apartment building at 6139–43 W. 19th Street in Cicero, got into a controversy with her tenants and was ordered to refund a portion of the rent. Afterwards, out of anger and/or profit, she rented an apartment to Harvey E. Clark Jr., an African-American World War II veteran and graduate of Fisk University, and his family in an all-white neighborhood. A high-ranking Cicero official learned that an African-American family was moving into a Cicero apartment and warned Mrs. DeRose that there would be "trouble" if he moved in. At 2:30 pm, on June 8, a moving van containing $2,000 worth of Clark's furniture was stopped by the police. The rental agent was ushered out with a drawn revolver at his back. A jeering crowd gathered and Clark was told by the police to get out or he would be arrested "for protective custody." A detective warned Clark that, "I'll bust your damned head if you don't move." At 6:00 pm, Clark was grabbed by 20 police officers. The chief of police told him, "Get out of here fast. There will be no moving into this building." Clark was hit eight times as he was pushed towards a car which was parked across the street and was shoved inside the car. The police told him, "Get out of Cicero and don't come back in town or you'll get a bullet through you.". A suit was filed by the NAACP against the Cicero Police Department on June 26, and the Clark family moved in. With the Clarks now living in the apartment, word was passed along that there would be "fun" at the apartment. On July 11, 1951, at dusk, a crowd of 4,000 whitesattacked the apartment building that housed Clark's family and possessions. 60 police officers were assigned to the scene to control the rioting. Women carried stones from a nearby rock pile to bombard Clark's windows. Another tossed firebrands onto the window and onto the rooftop of the building which 21 family members fled before the rioting. The mob also destroyed a bathtub, woodworks, plaster, doors, windows, and set fires to the place. Most of the whites who joined in the rioting were teenagers. Firemen who rushed to the building were met with showers of bricks and stones from the mob. Sheriffs' deputies asked the firemen to turn their hoses on the rioters, who refused to do so without their lieutenant, who was unavailable. The situation appeared to be out of control and County Sheriff John E. Babbs asked Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson to send in the Illinois National Guard. As troops arrived at the scene, the rioters fought with them. Armed with bayonets, rifle butts, and tear gas, the troops ended the riot by setting a 300-meter (328-yard) perimeter around the apartment block in which the rioting was in progress. By July 14, most of the violence had ended.When the riot was over, $20,000 in damage had been done to the building. The Cook County grand jury failed to indict any of the accused rioters, instead indicting Clark's attorney from the NAACP (George N. Leighton, later a federal judge; his own defense counsel would be future Justice of the Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall[4]), the owner of the apartment building, and the owner's rental agent and lawyer on charges of inciting a riot and conspiracy to damage property. The charges were dropped after widespread criticism. A federal grand jury then indicted four Cicero officials and three police officers on charges of violating Clark's rights in connection with the race riots after the United States Attorney General launched an investigation of the incident. [2][7] Charges were dropped against the fire chief, whose firefighters refused to direct their water hoses at the rioters when requested by the police, and the town's president. The police chief and two police officers were fined a total of $2,500 (equivalent to $25,000 in 2020) for violating Clark's civil rights. The federal prosecution was hailed as a courageous achievement, since it was rare that civil rights in housing had stirred action by federal officials. The Cicero Race Riot of 1951 lasted several nights, involved two- to five thousand white rioters, and received worldwide condemnation. It was the first race riot to be broadcast on local television. Most viewed the rioting in Cicero from their living rooms on TVs before they read it in the papers. The press in the 1940s Chicago housing attacks was largely ignored, but when the eruption occurred in Cicero in 1951, it brought worldwide condemnation for the first time and a dramatic climax to an era of large-scale residential change. The black population continued to increase in Chicago despite the incident, and the Chicago Housing Authority reported a decrease in the number of black families requesting police protection. Although the housing assaults did not end, they became less frequent than in the aftermath of World War II. In an editorial dated July 14, 1951, the Chicago Tribune used their disapproval of rent control to explain why the mob's behavior should be condemned, stating "We think it was wholly indefensible, exactly as we think the similar behavior of the majority [tenants] on rent control is wholly indefensible. When majorities are right, it is not because they are majorities but because they are right. When majorities abuse their strength to impose injustice upon a minority, they are always wrong, whether the victims are an economic, a racial, a religious, or any other kind of minority. " The buildings at the center of the riots are still standing and occupied as of 2017. Harvey E. Clark Jr. died in 1998 aged 75 at his home in Swannanoa, NC.

Riot

2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake

The Chūetsu offshore earthquake (Japanese: 平成19年 (2007年) 新潟県中越沖地震) was a powerful magnitude 6.6 earthquake that occurred 10:13 local time (01:13 UTC) on July 16, 2007, in the northwest Niigata region of Japan. The earthquake, which occurred at a previously unknown offshore fault[7] shook Niigata and neighbouring prefectures. The city of Kashiwazaki and the villages of Iizuna and Kariwa registered the highest seismic intensity of a strong 6 on Japan's shindo scale, and the quake was felt as far away as Tokyo. [5] Eleven deaths and at least 1,000 injuries were reported, and 342 buildings were completely destroyed, mostly older wooden structures. Prime Minister Shinzō Abe broke off from his election campaign to visit Kashiwazaki and promised to "make every effort towards rescue and also to restore services such as gas and electricity". [10] This magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurred approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) off the west coast of Honshū, Japan, in a zone of compressional deformation that is associated with the boundary between the Amur Plate and the Okhotsk Plate. At this latitude, the Okhotsk Plate is converging to the west-northwest towards the Amur Plate with a velocity of about 9 mm/yr and a maximum convergence rate of 24 mm/yr. [11] The Amur and Okhotsk plates are themselves relatively small plates that lie between the Eurasian Plate and the Pacific Plate. The Pacific Plate converges west-northwest towards the Eurasia Plate at over 90 mm/yr. Most of the relative motion between the Pacific and Eurasia plates is accommodated approximately 400 km (250 mi) to the east-southeast of the epicenter of the earthquake, where the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the Okhotsk Plate. [1] This shallow crustal earthquake was followed 13 hours later by a deep focus magnitude 6.8 quake roughly 330 km (210 mi) to the west, 350 km (220 mi) below the Sea of Japan. The two earthquakes were generated by different mechanisms. The first earthquake was caused by deformation within the crust of the Okhotsk Plate and the second quake was likely caused by faulting resulting from internal deformation of the subducted Pacific Plate. Given their different mechanisms and physical separation of at least 10 rupture lengths, the second earthquake is not considered an aftershock of the first. [1] Shallow earthquakes cause more damage than intermediate- and deep-focus ones since the energy generated by the shallow events is released closer to the surface and therefore produces stronger shaking than is produced by quakes that are deeper within the Earth.The peak ground acceleration generated was 993 gal (1.01 g). [13] Two days after the initial earthquake, an aftershock, registering 4 shindo, occurred in Izumozaki, Niigata. [14] On July 18, Toyota motor announced it stopped production in all of its factories because of the damage done to the Riken parts plant in Kashiwazaki, Niigata. Nissan also had to shut down two factories. [16] Production resumed in Toyota, Mazda, and Honda plants on July 25, after damaged equipment and gas and water supplies were restored. Toyota's production losses amounted to between 46,000 or possibly 55,000 vehicles. Nissan lost 12,000 vehicles. [17] The earthquake caused a leak of radioactive gases from Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant. A small amount of water from the spent fuel pool leaked out but plant operators said the leak was low and did not present any environmental danger. The earthquake also caused a fire in an electrical transformer at the plant that was extinguished after two hours. The government requested that the plant remain closed pending safety inspections. The International Atomic Energy Agency offered to send a team of experts to inspect the plant. [18] The Japanese government initially declined the offer but later accepted it after Niigata Prefecture legislature asked for confidence building efforts to counter public concern about the reactor. [19] Following the incident Dr Kiyoo Mogi, chair of Japan's Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction, called for the immediate closure of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant, which was built close to the centre of the expected Tōkai earthquake.

Earthquakes

Italian Jacobs wins 100m gold and breaks European record

Italy’s Lamont Marcel Jacobs won the men’s 100m sprint gold medal in the athletics competitions at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, succeeding Jamaican legend Usain Bolt, who dominated this race in the last three editions between 2008 and 2016. Jacobs set a European record 9.80 in Sunday’s race final. American Fred Curley won the silver with 9.84 seconds, while Canadian Andre de Grasse won the bronze with 9.89 seconds. Jacobs became the first Italian to win gold in this title or even be on the podium. The feat comes as a surprise to the El Paso, Texas, runner, to an American father and an Italian mother, as he had not previously achieved remarkable results. In the absence of the American world champion Christian Coleman for violating the rules of doping, and the failure of the American Trayvon Brommel, the fastest time this year (9.77 seconds), to qualify for the final, the race seemed wide open to determine the identity of the successor to the world record holder Bolt (9.58 seconds), who retired in year 2017. For the first time since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Jamaicans were not in the final after Yohan Blake failed to qualify from the semi-finals. Source

Break historical records

Indonesia: Mt. Merapi volcanic activity continues

Volcanic activity at Mount Merapi in Central Java remained high Friday since its status was raised Nov. 5 to Level III, according to the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center (BPPTKG). The Center’s head, Hanik Humaida, advised residents nearby to remain vigilant in anticipation of further volcanic activity. “Based on seismic data, ground deformation, and others, the volcanic activities remain high, even though it did not increase significantly. We need to pay attention to this,” Humaida said during a news conference. BPPTKG said Merapi has spewed hot ash clouds and volcanic materials several times in recent days. It even spewed volcanic materials as far as three kilometers (about 2 miles) from the crater’s peak. It predicted if an eruption is explosive, the strength would not be the same as one in 2010. The 2010 eruption was the volcano’s deadliest in nearly a century, leaving more than 300 people dead. Humaida urged a halt to mining activities in disaster-prone areas and called for tourism activities to be suspended. The Deputy for Prevention of National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Lilik Kurniawan said threats of the COVID-19 pandemic and La Nina has worsened the situation. A total of 1,457 people and nearly 3,000 livestock have been evacuated from nearby villages in Sleman, Magelang, Klaten, and Boyolali. The elderly, children, and toddlers, pregnant women, and those with disabilities were evacuated to temporary refugee camps as a precaution. Kurniawan assured residents that the government has implemented health protocols during the evacuation. “All evacuees are required to undergo swab tests,” said Kurniawan.

Volcano Eruption

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Pollution response teams on Saturday worked to contain oil that was discharged after demolition crews finished cutting away the sixth of eight sections of a giant cargo ship that tipped over off the Georgia coast nearly two years ago. The oil could affect the water and beaches around St. Simons and Jekyll islands, Georgia Coastal Health District spokesperson Sally Silbermann said. “We have all assets deployed and are moving quickly to contain any dense oil which migrated beyond the (Environmental Protection Barrier) with the shifting tides,” Incident Commander Chris Graff of Gallagher Marine Systems said in a statement Saturday evening. “Our people have trained and equipment is prepared to ensure the protection of the people and environment of St. Simons Sound.” An environmental protection barrier set up around the wreck did block oil that was on the surface of the water, but as the tide changed, oil washed under the barrier. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Himes, spokesman for the wreck response management team, said it was the most significant discharge he’s seen from the wreck since removal operations began last year. “This is the most extensive beach impact that we’ve had,” he said. Patches of oil streaked the beach around the St. Simons lighthouse and near the pier. Himes said there is also oil on marsh grass and rocks — and on crustaceans like crabs and snails. He said he had not heard any reports of oil on fish or birds. According to Himes, 40 to 50 people are working on shoreline cleanup, and another 50 to 100 people are on the way. He said there are between 20 and 25 vessels on hand to help in the water. “When you have moments like this, it’s all hands on deck,” he said. The sixth section of the cargo ship was separated late Friday, Himes said, which is will in the spill occurred. Himes said the oil escaped from the ship when crews were working to reduce the enormous weight of the section by flushing it out with sea water. On Saturday, a pilot steered the sixth section away from the rest of the Golden Ray’s half-submerged wreckage, The Brunswick News reported. That leaves just one more cut before the dwindling remains are completely removed. The 3,695-metric-ton (4,073 U.S. tons) mass of steel is hanging suspended by tension wire from the arching rafters of the 255-foot-tall (85-yard-tall) VB 10,000. The VB 10,000 and its load sit inside the 1-mile-perimeter environmental protection barrier that surrounds the salvage site. The Golden Ray, carrying more than 1,400 vehicles, overturned after leaving the Port of Brunswick along the Georgia coast on Sept. 8, 2019. Harbor pilot Jonathan Tennant and about two dozen crew members on board were rescued and survived. Work to get the wreck out of the St. Simons Sound has run into delays caused by the coronavirus and last year’s hurricane season. Earlier this year, the wreck caught fire. The removal of Section 6 will leave about 153.5 feet of shipwreck still in the St. Simons Sound. Section 6 is bound for a dismantling site on the East River in Brunswick, where it will join the 3,640-ton Section 3. Each of the four remaining sections will be cut up into about a dozen smaller pieces at the location, loaded onto a barge and transported to the Modern American Recycling Services facility in Gibson, Louisiana. Maritime engineers suspect these four middle sections suffered the brunt of any structural damage when the Golden Ray overturned on its port side Sept. 8, 2019, while heading out to sea with its cargo. The four outer sections were all transported via barge whole and directly to the MARS facility on the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Cutting to remove Section 6 started July 22. The Unified Command advises mariners to steer clear of the perimeter safety zone, which has been increased from 150 yards to 200 yards. Fletcher Sams, Executive Director of the environmental group Altamaha Riverkeeper said he wants to see a bigger — and closer — examination of the impact of the shipwreck on the Georgia coast, in what’s called a Natural Resources Damage Assessment. He said while this oil may attract more attention since it’s on the beach on a busy summer weekend, it’s not the first spill. “The natural resources of the area have been continuously damaged for two years almost,” he said. “This time it’s in people’s faces.”

Shipwreck

3 Car Collision on SR-16 Causing Traffic Problems In Gig Harbor

GIG HARBOR, WA — A 3 car collision is causing some major headaches for commuters in the Gig Harbor area Tuesday. According to WSDOT, the crash happened on eastbound SR-16 near Swede Hill. The cars have been removed, and there have been no reports of injuries, but the backup will likely remain: Gig Harbor Police say a number of drivers have pulled off the highway only to find that Harborview Drive is also closed, which is causing a cascade of backups through the city. Police are urging drivers already on SR 16 not to make the same mistake, and to stay on the freeway. Harborview Drive was closed in both directions starting Tuesday morning between Stinson and North Harborview. It will remain closed through Friday. For drivers not using SR 16, the city has provided a few detour suggestions around the closure, shown in the image below: The closure is part of an ongoing improvement project to install new underground utilities along Harborview Drive.

Road Crash

Thousands of low-level U.S. inmates released in pandemic could be headed back to prison

Kendrick Fulton, who was released to home confinement due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, poses for a photo at his sister’s house in Round Rock, Texas, U.S., April 8, 2021. He is wearing an ankle monitor that he must charge nightly in order to comply with the terms of his release. REUTERS/Nuri Vallbona WASHINGTON, April 11 (Reuters) - For Kendrick Fulton, the COVID-19 pandemic opened the door to an unexpected opportunity to rebuild his life in Round Rock, Texas, after serving 17 years behind bars for selling crack cocaine. As officials scrambled last year to stem the spread of the coronavirus in prisons, the Justice Department let Fulton and more than 23,800 inmates like him serve their sentences at home. But as more people are vaccinated, thousands could be hauled back into prison to serve the remainder of their sentences, thanks to a little-noticed legal opinion issued by the Justice Department in the waning days of Republican former President Donald Trump's administration. Congressional Democrats and justice-reform advocates have called on President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to reverse the opinion, but so far the new administration has not acted to rescind the memo. The memo offers a strict legal interpretation of the CARES Act, a 2020 law that gave the attorney general the authority to release low-level inmates into home confinement during the pandemic. Once the emergency is lifted, the memo says, the federal Bureau of Prisons "must recall prisoners in home confinement to correctional facilities" if they do not otherwise qualify to remain at home - a move that could impact as many as 7,399 BOP inmates who currently remain out on home confinement because they still have time left on their sentences. 'WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?' That leaves Fulton, 47, who said he was able to get much-needed knee surgery and secure a job at a wholesale auto glass distributor in the past few months, facing the prospect of losing the new life he's tried to create for himself. "Words can't really express how I feel to be home 11 years earlier. To get a job, to get a bank account," said Fulton. "I served over 17 years already. What more do you want? I should go back for another 11 years to literally just do nothing?" Criminal justice reform advocacy groups say that if the White House leaves the policy in place, it will destroy the lives of thousands of people who pose little public safety risk and have already landed jobs, returned to school and tried to reintegrate into society. "Allowing this memo to stay on the books is in direct conflict with the administration's commitment to criminal justice reform," said Inimai Chettiar, a director at the Justice Action Network. "They know how to change Trump policies if they want to," added Kevin Ring, president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums. "We don't know why this one hasn't been changed yet." A BOP spokesman said the bureau is aware of the memo but declined to answer further questions. A union official who represents correctional staff said he believed that ordering everyone back to prison would be logistically "impossible." "We don't have the staff," said Joe Rojas, the Southeast Regional Vice President at Council Of Prison Locals. "We are already in chaos as it is as an agency." A Justice Department spokesperson declined to answer questions about the policy, instead touting the BOP's success administering more than 122,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to staff and inmates. "BOP continues to evaluate the scope of home confinement policies that have also helped to address COVID-19 concerns," the spokesperson added. Former Attorney General William Barr in March 2020 ordered the BOP to release non-violent federal inmates into home confinement if they met certain criteria, and later expanded the pool of people who could qualify after declaring the BOP was facing emergency conditions. Last week, U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman and 27 other lawmakers, mostly Democrats, sent a letter asking Biden to act so people won't have to return to prison. "We urge you to use your executive clemency authority or direct the Justice Department to seek compassionate release for people who have demonstrated that they no longer need to be under federal supervision," they wrote. Miranda McLaurin, 43, a disabled Iraq War U.S. Army veteran who was sentenced to five years on a drug-related offense, said not knowing whether she will be sent back to prison is taking a toll on her mental health. "It will drive you crazy," she said. "I kind of felt like I did before I went to prison, not knowing what's going to happen." In February, she was allowed to go home to Ridgeland, Mississippi, from a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, where she suspects she was infected with the coronavirus after she lost her sense of smell for two weeks. Since then, she landed a job at a car manufacturing plant and has finally been able to see her nearly two-year-old grandson. "I always hear them talking about giving people a second chance," she said of the Biden administration. "I came home, I got a job. I'm working. I have to catch a ride everyday because I can't buy a car ... But I'm making it." Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox. Two men convicted of killing Black activist and civil rights advocate Malcolm X in 1965 will be exonerated, the Manhattan district attorney's office said on Wednesday, saying it will move to "vacate the wrongful convictions." Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. 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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release

Nashville sit-ins

The Nashville sit-ins, which lasted from February 13 to May 10, 1960, were part of a nonviolent direct action campaign to end racial segregation at lunch counters in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The sit-in campaign, coordinated by the Nashville Student Movement and the Nashville Christian Leadership Council, was notable for its early success and its emphasis on disciplined nonviolence. It was part of a broader sit-in movement that spread across the southern United States in the wake of the Greensboro sit-ins in North Carolina. [1] Over the course of the Nashville sit-in campaign, sit-ins were staged at numerous stores in the central business district. Sit-in participants, who mainly consisted of black college students, were often verbally or physically attacked by white onlookers. Despite their refusal to retaliate, over 150 students were eventually arrested for refusing to vacate store lunch counters when ordered to do so by police. At trial, the students were represented by a group of 13 lawyers, headed by Z. Alexander Looby. On April 19, Looby's home was bombed, although he escaped uninjured. [1] Later that day, at least 3,000 people marched to City Hall to confront Mayor Ben West about the escalating violence. [2] When asked if he believed the lunch counters in Nashville should be desegregated, West agreed that they should. [3][1] After subsequent negotiations between the store owners and protest leaders, an agreement was reached during the first week of May. On May 10, six downtown stores began serving black customers at their lunch counters for the first time. [1] Although the initial campaign successfully desegregated downtown lunch counters, sit-ins, pickets, and protests against other segregated facilities continued in Nashville until passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended overt, legally sanctioned segregation nationwide. Many of the organizers of the Nashville sit-ins went on to become important leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1896, the United States Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the doctrine of "separate but equal". This decision led to the proliferation of Jim Crow laws throughout the United States. These laws mandated or explicitly allowed segregation in virtually all spheres of public life and allowed racial discrimination to flourish across the country, especially in the southern United States. [4][5] In Nashville, like most Southern cities, African Americans were severely disadvantaged under the system of Jim Crow segregation. Besides being relegated to underfunded schools and barred from numerous public accommodations, African Americans had few prospects for skilled employment and were subject to constant discrimination from the white majority. [6][7] Although serious efforts were made to oppose Jim Crow laws in Nashville as early as 1905,[note 1] it was not until 1958, with the formation of the Nashville Christian Leadership Council, that Nashville's African American community would lay the foundation for dismantling racial segregation. [8] "We decided with great fear and anticipation we would desegregate downtown Nashville. No group of black people or other people anywhere in the United States in the 20th century, against the rapaciousness of a segregated system, ever thought about desegregating downtown." — James Lawson, 2020[9] The Nashville Christian Leadership Council (or NCLC), was founded by the Reverend Kelly Miller Smith, pastor of First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill. This organization was an affiliate of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and was established to promote civil rights for African Americans through nonviolent civil disobedience. Smith believed that White Americans would be more sympathetic to desegregation if African Americans obtained their rights through peaceful demonstration rather than through the judicial system or violent confrontation. [10] From March 26 to 28, 1958, the NCLC held the first of many workshops on using nonviolent tactics to challenge segregation. [8][11] These workshops were led by James Lawson, who had studied the principles of nonviolent resistance while working as a missionary in India. Later workshops were mainly attended by students from Fisk University, Tennessee A&I (later Tennessee State University), American Baptist Theological Seminary (later American Baptist College), and Meharry Medical College. Among those attending Lawson's sessions were students who would become significant leaders in the Civil Rights Movement, among them: Marion Barry, James Bevel, Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis, Diane Nash, and C. T. Vivian. [12] During these workshops it was decided that the first target for the group's actions would be downtown lunch counters. At the time, African Americans were allowed to shop in downtown stores but were not allowed to eat in the stores' restaurants. The group felt that the lunch counters were a good objective because they were highly visible, easily accessible, and provided a stark example of the injustices black Southerners faced every day. [13] In late 1959, James Lawson and other members of the NCLC's projects committee met with department store owners Fred Harvey and John Sloan, and asked them to voluntarily serve African Americans at their lunch counters. Both men declined, saying that they would lose more business than they would gain. The students then began doing reconnaissance for sit-in demonstrations. The first test took place at Harveys Department Store in downtown Nashville on November 28, followed by the Cain-Sloan store on December 5. [14][15] Small groups of students purchased items at the stores and then sat at their lunch counters and attempted to order food. Their goal was to try to sense the mood and degree of resistance in each store. Although they were refused service at both lunch counters, the reactions varied significantly. At Harveys, they received surprisingly polite responses, while at Cain-Sloan they were treated with contempt. [16][17] These reconnaissance actions were low-key and neither of the city's newspapers was notified of them. [18] Before the students in Nashville had a chance to formalize their plans, events elsewhere brought renewed urgency to the effort. During the first week of February 1960, a small sit-in demonstration in Greensboro, North Carolina, grew into a significant protest with over eighty students participating by the third day. Although similar demonstrations had occurred previously in other cities, this was the first to attract substantial media attention and public notice. [19] When Lawson's group met the subsequent Friday night, about 500 new volunteers showed up to join the cause. Although Lawson and other adult organizers argued for delay, the student leaders insisted that the time had come for action. [20] The first large-scale organized sit-in was on Saturday, February 13, 1960. At about 12:30 pm, 124 students, most of them black, walked into the downtown Woolworths, S. H. Kress, and McLellan stores and asked to be served at the lunch counters. After the staff refused to serve them, they sat in the stores for two hours and then left without incident.

Protest_Online Condemnation

Avianca Flight 410 crash

Avianca Flight 410 was a flight that crashed at 13:17 on March 17, 1988, near Cúcuta, Colombia, that occurred shortly after takeoff when it flew into a mountain. All 143 people on board were killed. It was the deadliest aviation accident to occur in Colombia at the time. [1] The aircraft was a Boeing 727-21 operated by Avianca, the national airline of Colombia. Flight 410 was a regular scheduled domestic passenger flight from Cúcuta-Camilo Daza International Airport (CUC) to Cartagena de Indias-Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG). The aircraft crashed at El Espartillo mountain shortly after takeoff from runway 33 at Cúcuta. The aircraft registration number was HK-1716. That airplane had flown previously with Pan Am, as #N321PA (Clipper Koln-Bonn); it was sold on September 20, 1974, to Avianca. The aircraft was built in 1966, and had 44,000 hours of airframe time. [2] AV410 took off from Cúcuta between 13:13 and 13:17 from runway 33 bound for Cartagena. There was no further information from HK-1716 until ground witnesses claimed that they saw a Boeing 727 flying too low. The plane contacted some trees and then, at 13:18:01, struck the mountain head on. The 727 broke in half and disintegrated when the fuel exploded; the remains were scattered in a 60m radius. There were no survivors among the 7 crew and 136 passengers. [1] Rescue operations and commissions rushed to the crash site, which was impossible to reach due to nightfall and the resulting low visibility. Area residents provided light and helped the rescuers reach the top of the mountain, where the rest of the wreckage was. The next day, the remains were transported back to Cúcuta to be identified by their family members. [citation needed] The official cause of the crash was a controlled flight into terrain at 6,343 feet. The investigation pointed to a number of probable causes, including a non-crew pilot in the cockpit, whose presence diverted the attention of the pilot and who interfered with the operation of the aircraft, and a lack of teamwork (crew resource management) between the pilot and co-pilot. [1] The crash of Flight 410 was the deadliest aviation accident to occur in Colombia until December 20, 1995, when American Airlines Flight 965 crashed into a mountain near Buga, Valle del Cauca, killing 159 people. The cause was determined to be pilot error. [3]

Air crash

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club partially closed after staff infected with coronavirus

Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida has been partially closed after some of its employees were infected with the coronavirus, according to an email sent to club members Friday afternoon. “As some of our staff have recently tested positive for COVID-19, we will be temporarily suspending service at the Beach Club and à la carte Dining Room,” club management said, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post. “Banquet and Event services remain open,” the email said. The Trump Organization declined to say how many workers were affected. The Palm Beach club — which includes the former president’s home as well as restaurants and banquet facilities — has dozens of employees during the winter season. “Out of an abundance of caution we have quarantined some of the workers and partially closed a section of the club for a short period of time,” a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization said in a statement to The Post. Lee Lipton, a member at the club, said he received a phone call Friday saying his dinner reservations were canceled for Friday and Saturday nights. “But they said the car show was going on Sunday, and the hotel rooms are fine,” he said. The partial closure of the club was first reported by the Associated Press. Palm Beach County, which includes the club, still requires that all guests wear masks, except while “actively consuming food and beverage.” Last weekend, Mar-a-Lago hosted two large fundraisers for a charity called Big Dog Ranch Rescue, including one event at which Trump appeared, praising the group. Photos from those events show that few attendees were wearing masks. Trump, who had covid-19 in the fall and was vaccinated earlier this year, also did not wear a mask. Two people familiar with the club said that Mar-a-Lago waiters wore masks during the events. A spokesperson for the charity declined to comment about the event. The club has not forced members to adhere to a mask policy, though they have suggested masks be worn and provided them to guests, according to people who have visited. In January, a Florida state representative asked the county to shut down Mar-a-Lago after photos from a New Year’s Eve event showed that many guests were not wearing masks. In response, Palm Beach County sent the club a formal warning letter, saying that Mar-a-Lago had violated county code and could faces fines up to $15,000 if there was another violation. Patrick Rutter, assistant Palm Beach County administrator, who oversees the county’s covid enforcement efforts, said he hadn’t heard of Mar-a-Lago partially closing, but that it would be up to the club’s leadership to decide whether to close in case of an outbreak. “Businesses would make their own decisions of that was the case,” Rutter said. Omari Hardy, the state representative who had asked for Mar-a-Lago to be closed down, said workers were paying the price of the club’s lax mask policy. “No one around the president wears a mask. The guests at Mar-a-Lago have photographed themselves partying and carousing not wearing masks,” said Hardy, whose district includes a town just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago that is home to many essential workers who staff the clubs and restaurants on Palm Beach. “Now the workers, who can least afford to get sick, are paying for it with their health.” Rozsa reported from West Palm Beach, Fla. The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.

Organization Closed

Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934

Government of Minnesota City of Minneapolis Communist League of America The Minneapolis general strike of 1934 grew out of a strike by Teamsters against most of the trucking companies operating in Minneapolis, the major distribution center for the Upper Midwest. The strike began on May 16, 1934 in the Market District (the modern day Warehouse District). The worst single day was Friday, July 20, called "Bloody Friday", when police shot at strikers in a downtown truck battle, killing two and injuring 67. Ensuing violence lasted periodically throughout the summer. The strike was formally ended on August 22. With a coalition formed by local leaders associated with the Trotskyist Communist League of America, a group that later founded the Socialist Workers Party (United States), the strike paved the way for the organization of over-the-road drivers and the growth of the Teamsters labor union. This strike, along with the 1934 West Coast Longshore Strike and the 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite Strike led by the American Workers Party, were also important catalysts for the rise of industrial unionism in the 1930s, much of which was organized through the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, under the leadership of Daniel Tobin in 1933, was a conservative union averse to strikes. While the union's members were often called on to support other unions' strikes, since their role in transport brought them in contact with workers in many other unionized industries, and had developed strong traditions of solidarity in some areas, the International Union itself was cautious to the point of having resistance to striking whatsoever. The provisions of the International Constitution that required a two thirds vote of the membership to authorize any strike action and that gave the International President the power to withhold strike benefits if he believed that a local union had struck prematurely, It also divided its members into separate unions along craft or industry lines: ice wagon drivers in one local, produce drivers in another, milk drivers in a third, and so forth. The Teamsters also had a number of general locals; Local 574 in Minneapolis, which had no more than 75 members in 1934, was one of them. A number of members, including several Communist Party members who had gone to the newly formed Communist League of America (Left Opposition) in the internal split following Trotsky's expulsion, became members of Local 574 in the early 1930s. These members – Ray Dunne, his brothers Miles and Grant, Carl Skoglund and later Farrell Dobbs – began by organizing coal drivers through a strike in the coldest part of 1933 that ignored both the cumbersome approval procedures established under the International's Constitution and the ineffective mediation procedures offered under the National Industrial Recovery Act. The victory gave the union a great deal of credibility among both drivers and their employers. The union began organizing drivers wherever they could be found. The union also began preparing for the strike in a number of ways. It rented a large hall that could be used as a strike headquarters, kitchen and infirmary. It organized a women's auxiliary to staff the headquarters. Finally, it entered into discussions with the sympathetic leaders of organizations of farmers and the unemployed to obtain their support for the upcoming strike. The strike began on May 16, 1934. The strike was remarkably effective, shutting down most commercial transport in the city with the exception of certain farmers, who were allowed to bring their produce into town, but delivering directly to grocers, rather than to the market area, which the union had shut down. The market was to be the scene of the fiercest fighting during the earliest part of the strike. On Saturday, May 19, 1934, Minneapolis Police and private guards beat a number of strikers trying to prevent strikebreakers from unloading a truck in that area and waylaid several strikers who had responded to a report that scab drivers were unloading newsprint at the two major dailies' loading docks. When those injured strikers were brought back to the strike headquarters the police followed; the strikers, however, not only refused to let the police into the headquarters, but left two of them unconscious on the sidewalk outside. Fighting intensified the following Monday, May 21, when the police, augmented by several hundred newly deputized members of the Citizens Alliance, an employer organization, attempted to open up the market for trucking. Fighting began when a loaded truck began leaving a loading dock. The battle became a general melee when hundreds of pickets armed with clubs of all sorts rushed to the area to support the picketers; when the police drew their guns as if to shoot, the union sent a truck loaded with picketers into the mass of police and deputies in order to make it impossible for them to fire without shooting each other. Other unions, particularly in the building trades, began to strike in sympathy with the Teamsters. The American Federation of Labor's Central Labor Council in Minneapolis offered financial and moral support for the strike, allowing the union to coordinate some of its picketing activities from its headquarters. The fighting resumed on Tuesday, May 22. The picketers took the offensive and succeeded in driving both police and deputies from the market and the area around the union's headquarters. Of the several hundred deputized "special police", two (C. Arthur Lyman and Peter Erath) were cornered and killed. In the following "general riot" another roughly two dozen special police, municipal police, and strikers were beaten or wounded. [1] The Central Labor Council, the Building Trades Council and the Teamsters Joint Council approached Mike Johannes, the Minneapolis Chief of Police, to propose a truce, under which the local would cease picketing for twenty-four hours if the police and the employers ceased trying to move trucks. The employers, the Teamsters and the building trades signed a formal truce agreement. Johannes, however, declared that the police would move trucks once the truce expired, leading the union to announce that it was resuming picketing. At this point city government appealed for Governor Floyd B. Olson to mobilize the National Guard, the 34th Infantry Division (United States) under Adjutant General Ellard A. Walsh. [2][3] Olson did, but stopped short of actually deploying them, unwilling to alienate his labor supporters. Olson had already been attempting to mediate the dispute, On May 25, the employers and the union reached an agreement on a contract that provided union recognition, reinstatement for all strikers, seniority and a no-discrimination clause. The membership approved it overwhelmingly. The union thought that it had the employers' agreement to include the "inside workers", the warehouse employees as well as the drivers and loaders. When the employers reneged on that agreement the strike resumed on Tuesday, July 17. Governor Olson again mobilized, but did not deploy, the National Guard. The union's leadership had chosen to use different tactics in this strike; it ordered its members to picket without carrying any clubs or weapons of any sort. The police, on the other hand, armed themselves with riot guns which sprayed buckshot over a wide arc. On Friday, July 20, a single yellow truck drove to the central market escorted by fifty armed policemen. The truck made the small delivery successfully, but a vehicle carrying picketers wielding clubs cut off the truck. The police opened fire on the vehicle with shotguns, then turned their guns on the strikers filling the surrounding streets. An eyewitness reported that as the pickets moved to aid their fallen comrades, "They flowed directly into buckshot fire ... And the cops let them have it as they picked up their wounded.

Strike

Oxnard Strike of 1903

The Oxnard strike of 1903 was a labor rights dispute in the southern California coastal city of Oxnard between local landowners and the majority Japanese and Mexican labor force. In 1887, Henry, James, Benjamin, and Robert Oxnard sold their Brooklyn sugar refinery and moved to California to capitalize on the growing agricultural economy of the late nineteenth century. [1] In 1897, following the enactment of the Dingley Tariff Bill that heavily taxed foreign sugar, Henry, James, and Robert Oxnard formed the American Beet Sugar Company. Although the seasonal Chinese and Mexican laborers already in place in the county easily satisfied agricultural labor needs early in the factory's history, decline in Chinese populations due to Chinese Exclusion Acts and use of Mexican workers in other agricultural efforts led to an increase in Japanese worker recruitment. A group of 1,000 Japanese farm workers were recruited in 1900 by labor contractors. [2] By 1902 nine major Japanese contractors saw to the seasonal needs in the area. [3] Since these contractors had already caused minor slowdowns and protests over wages, recently arrived bank owners and merchants organized an owner-interest oriented contracting company called the Western Agricultural Contracting Company (WACC). The WACC quickly replaced the Japanese contractors as principal contractors to the Oxnard Plain and even forced some of them to subcontract through the WACC. Comprising more than 90 percent of the work force, the WACC had a near monopoly of the workers. On February 11, 1903, 500 Japanese and 200 Mexican laborers became the charter members of the Japanese-Mexican Labor Association (JMLA) joined together and formed their organization based on the grievances of the Oxnard laborers. Overcoming obvious language barriers between the two constituent groups, they immediately elected Kosaburo Baba (president), Y. Yamaguchi (secretary of the Japanese branch), and J.M. Lizarras (secretary of the Mexican branch); Baba and Lizarras were both labor contractors and Yamaguchi has been recognized as a boarding student recruited from San Francisco. Their immediate concerns opposed the WACC on three conditions: In order to remedy these issues, the JMLA membership ceased working through the WACC (essentially declaring a strike). The strike came at a serendipitously precarious time in the sugar beet season, the staple crop of Oxnard Plain agriculture, since the labor-intensive and yield-defining work of thinning the seedlings needed to be done within the scope of a few weeks. By the first week in March, the JMLA recruited a membership larger than 1,200 workers (over 90% of the labor force of the county's beet industry). The JMLA's increased recruitment pulled the WACC's former contracted workers from it and essentially brought the sugar industry to a standstill. On March 23, 1903, the strike reached its turning point. Although an official investigation blamed the violence and sole death of Mexican laborer Luis Vasquez on the strikers, witnesses certify that Anglo farmers shot into a crowd of strikers thus killing Vasquez and wounding four others. With the highly negative press reaction to the incident, the WACC conceded to most of the laborers' demands. [4] Japanese and Mexican laborers, formerly pitted against each other, had unified to achieve their labor goals. The success JMLA achieved showed the effectiveness of a multi-racial labor front and showed that class, and not race, could be the unifier in labor organizing. [5] Nevertheless, the JMLA was unable to hold on to its victories as it lost authority due to the American Federation of Labor (AFL) under Samuel Gompers denying them a charter due to their large Japanese membership. [6]

Strike

2003 Hokkaidō earthquake

The 2003 Hokkaidō earthquake, scientifically named the 2003 Tokachi-Oki earthquake (十勝沖地震, 2003 Tokachi-Oki Jishin), occurred off the coast of Hokkaidō, Japan on 26 September at 04:50 local time (19:50 UTC 25 September). At a focal depth of 27 km (17 mi), this great undersea earthquake measured 8.3 on the moment magnitude scale, making it the most powerful earthquake of 2003, as well as one of the most intense earthquakes to hit Japan since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The Hokkaido earthquake caused extensive damage, destroying roads all around Hokkaidō, and triggered power outages and extensive landslides. [1] Over 800 people were injured. [4] The earthquake also caused a tsunami reaching 4 meters in height. [5] The earthquake's presence was felt throughout Japan, stretching all the way to Honshu and Tokyo. [1] The location and moment tensor solution of this earthquake are consistent with it being a result of thrust faulting between the North American Plate and the subducting Pacific Plate. In addition to experiencing large thrust earthquakes that originate on the interface between the plates, eastern Hokkaidō experiences great earthquakes that originate from the interior of the subducted Pacific plate. The region experienced a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami with an estimated magnitude of 9 in 1667,[6] a magnitude 8.2 event in 1952,[7] a 1968 quake measuring 8.3 Mw , and one in 2008 measuring 7.1, all bearing the name Tokachi-Oki,[7] and a 1973 quake to the immediate north along the Kuril Trench plate boundary called the 1973 Nemuro earthquake. As of 3 October 2003, a total of 65 aftershocks were reported near the main shock epicenter. At least one major tremor occurred, measuring magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale. [8] At the time, specialists assessed a 50% probability of an aftershock of magnitude 6.0 or greater to occur within the subsequent 72 hours, with a 20% chance of its magnitude exceeding 7.0. Despite the earthquake's great intensity, structural damage to the region was comparatively light; the epicenter was located nearly a hundred kilometers offshore, with most structures in its vicinity reported to be resistant to earthquake shaking. [9] The majority of the destruction was confined to coastal areas, such as sea and fishing ports, mostly inflicted by subsequent tsunami waves. Although soil liquefaction was observed over a broad geological area, it occurred in localized areas almost exclusively limited to man-made embankments. [10] The tremor affected a total of 36 local rivers, including the major Abashiri and Ishikari Rivers. [3] Many properties received considerable damage, and although there were only no deaths, two individuals were unaccounted and 849 people sustained injuries. Monetary losses in Hokkaido amounted to at least ¥213 billion (2003 JPY), or $1.9 billion (2003 USD[11]). [2] The earthquake and its associated tsunami waves destroyed several oceanside home communities and damaged many others. Over 1,500 houses or buildings – the majority of which were in Kushiro city – suffered considerable damage, with of a total of 141 reported to be partially or completely destroyed. [2] Strong shaking affected many bridges in the region, some sustaining severe damage due to relative motion between spans in excess of design standards. [10] The center of the Rekifune Bridge, located in Taiki, Hiroo, was reported to have sunk about 0.12 m (0.39 ft) at the joint section following significant ground deformation. Some local schools were also damaged, ranging from shattered windows to severed expansion joints and columns. Two town halls in Kushiro and Taiku suffered partial collapses. [9] At Kushiro Airport, the tremor caused the control tower ceiling to collapse, prompting officials to halt control work for several days. Small cracks were reported in the gates of the Takami Hokkaidō Dam, though no threat of dam failure existed. [3] Several sea ports in the area sustained moderate damage – such as cracks and wall collapse – due to lateral ground spreading caused by liquefaction. Some 123 coastal fishing ports and facilities in eastern Hokkaidō reported significant damage, with an additional 25 ports damaged in Iwate. [3] At least three major ports were affected by the disaster; Kushiro Port sustained great damage to one of its piers as a result of ground displacement and sand boils. [12] Tsunami waves stranded several small boats onshore; various ship containers and oil tanks along coastlines sustained damage. The earthquake left marine oil spills in its wake, though the conditions were quickly normalized. [13]

Earthquakes

China: Search for Four Missing People from Sheng Ping 001 Continues

With unfavourable weather and sea conditions during the day on 27 July, the divers who came to the site the day before were able to carry out an underwater search in the evening with, unfortunately, nothing to report. Underwater search was said to continue once the conditions improve. According to China’s CCTV News, although weather conditions got worse at night on 27 July, the vessels that have been searching for the four missing people continued their efforts in the area. More than 40 vessels have been trying to find the four people from Sheng Ping 001 over the past two days. Alongside the official vessels deployed for SAR operation, there are several tugboats, workboats and fishing boats in the area joining the search. A clean-up vessel Haiyang Shiyou 251 is also at the site, in case of any pollution prevention emergency. The Sheng Ping 001 jack-up vessel, formerly Teras Fortress 2, tilted and started sinking on 25 July while working at the site of China General Nuclear Power Corporation’s (CGN) wind farm off Huizhou. Of the total of 65 people on board, 61 were evacuated from the site and transferred to shore the same day, while four went missing.

Shipwreck

2009 Malmö anti-Israel riots

The 2009 Malmö Davis Cup riots were anti-Israel riots in the Swedish city of Malmö against a Davis Cup tennis match between Sweden and Israel on 7 March 2009. [1][2] In February, the tennis match was decided by Malmö's red-green city coalition to be closed to the public, a decision that was heavily criticised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). [1][3][4] The Mayor of Malmö, Ilmar Reepalu, personally said he thought the game should not be played at all, and the decision was thus considered to be more politically motivated than to do with security concerns. [2][5] In anticipation of protests, around 1,000 police officers sanctioned off a large area around the Baltic Hall tennis stadium to keep protesters and rioters away. [1] A reported 170 truck loads of pavement stones were transported out of the area before the protests, and three schools were closed. [6] In addition, for the first time in history, riot vehicles were brought in from Denmark. [2][7] The match was initially met with protest of around 6,000 to 7,000 anti-Israel demonstrators, with speeches held by the leader of the Left Party, Lars Ohly, who while wearing a Palestinian scarf was seen holding a map of Palestine with Israel eradicated. [8][9] The demonstrators were joined by several hundred militants of which around 200 to 300 began attacking police with stones, fireworks and paint bombs. [1][2][10] The anti-Israel rioters included AFA anti-fascists, militant Islamists, organised neo-Nazis,[11][12][13][14] as well as activists from neighbouring countries. [15][16] Police eventually detained around 100 rioters, arresting ten. [17] An additional eighteen rioters were later identified and put on trial for their part in the riots,[18] with several convictions. [19][20][21][22] The decision to close the tennis match to the public resulted in Malmö being banned from hosting tennis matches by the ITF for five years. [23] In addition to having to provide $15,000 in minimum gate receipts for the match, the Swedish Tennis Association was fined an additional $25,000. [23] The Swedish Tennis Association responded by issuing penalties to Malmö mayor Ilmar Reepalu for his involvement in the event. [24] The protest and riots led to accusations of antisemitism in Sweden. [25][26] Swedish history professor Kristian Gerner described the situation as "the worst crisis for Jews in Sweden since the Second World War. "[7] A 2012 European Men's Handball Championship qualifier between Sweden and Israel set to be played in Karlskrona in June 2011 raised concerns due to the riots, and was considered for moving to another location by Swedish sports authorities. [27][28] The match was played as scheduled, with a minor anti-Israel demonstration being held. [29]

Riot

Thomas Lemar: Atletico Madrid reach 'preliminary agreement' to sign Monaco winger

Atletico Madrid have reached a "preliminary agreement" to sign Monaco winger Thomas Lemar. The France international - who has spent three seasons with Monaco since arriving from Caen - is in Russia for the World Cup. Arsenal failed to sign Lemar, 22, in last summer's transfer window, while he was also a £60m target for Liverpool. "Over the next days, both clubs will work to close the agreement for the definitive transfer," Atletico said. Lemar has scored 22 goals in 123 games for Monaco and helped them win Ligue 1 and reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2016-17. He made his France debut in 2016 and has scored three goals in 12 international games.

Sign Agreement

Locust invasion threatens wildlife and livelihoods in Kenya

News Locust invasion threatens wildlife and livelihoods in Kenya Vladimir Wrangel/AdobeStock By Tim Knight, 4th February 2020 Kenya is bracing itself for a humanitarian and conservation catastrophe in the wake of a desert locust invasion on an unprecedented scale. The infestation is already affecting more than a quarter of the entire country and in danger of wreaking havoc nationwide. While the size of these swarms has not yet swollen to apocalyptic levels, there are fears that numbers could reach plague proportions if the insects are not effectively controlled, with potentially dire consequences not only for community livelihoods but also for some of the continent’s most iconic wildlife. The swarms now invading Kenya arrived from Somalia and Ethiopia, where they have already caused widespread devastation of crops and grazing land before moving south and then west on the prevailing winds. Sera Wildlife Conservancy, a long-standing partner of Fauna & Flora International (FFI), recently found itself directly in the path of these insatiable invertebrates. This community-run conservancy is a key member of the wider Northern Rangelands Trust consortium that FFI helped to establish in 2004. It harbours a small but crucial population of the critically endangered eastern black rhino, happily augmented when a new calf was born there in late 2019. Locusts blanket the ground in Sera Wildlife Conservancy. Credit: Sera The locusts descended on Sera shortly before dusk on January 22nd, and roosted overnight in the trees before flying away around noon the following day, much to the relief of conservancy staff and nearby communities. Rangers who witnessed their arrival described the flying swarms as ‘moving clouds’ and ‘thick, white smoke’. The damage caused during their mercifully brief feeding frenzy has yet to be fully assessed, but the main concern is what might happen if they return. “We’ve never witnessed anything like this before,” said Reuben Lendira, Sera’s Conservancy Manager. “This is the first invasion since the establishment of the conservancy. Though the locusts have only been in the conservancy for a few hours since their arrival in northern Kenya at the end of last year, we remain concerned as they are present in neighbouring areas and there are chances that they will keep visiting us.” A single desert locust consumes its own body weight in food in a day. Half a million of these insects – a tiny percentage of the average swarm – will devour as much vegetation as ten elephants in just 24 hours. It is easy to see how quickly an entire landscape could be denuded and defoliated, posing a serious threat to the survival of large herbivores throughout Kenya, included those at Sera. In addition to serving as a vital rhino sanctuary, the conservancy also provides protection for other threatened wildlife, including African elephant, lesser kudu and reticulated giraffe. The locust invasion could spell disaster for threatened herbivores such as the lesser kudu. Credit: Juan Pablo Moreiras/FFI Locust outbreaks are a natural phenomenon – triggered by abundant rainfall and the plentiful vegetation that results – but there seems little doubt that a prolonged spell of extreme weather has played a role in this instance. Unseasonal torrential downpours in the Arabian Peninsula precipitated by a series of cyclones (a symptom of our changing climate) were followed by further extended bouts of heavy rain, creating ideal conditions for successive generations of locusts to breed within a very short timeframe. The sheer scale of the infestation in Kenya is difficult to comprehend from the ground, but one swarm alone was estimated by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to cover 2,400 square kilometres – an area almost the size of Paris. But even swarms of this size are just the tip of the antenna compared to what could be in store. It is conceivable that locust numbers, if unchecked, could increase 500-fold within six months, with cataclysmic consequences for crops, pasture, people and wildlife. To date, localised aerial spraying – using chemicals that are purportedly safe for other wildlife and humans – has failed to contain the invasion. As a result, people on the ground are taking things into their own hands, using more harmful pesticides that could have a serious environmental impact. Despite reassurances, concerns remain about the possible health implications for wildlife – and humans – when they feed on sprayed vegetation, or drink from water sources contaminated by pesticides. If unchecked, locust numbers could reach plague proportions within six months. Credit: Vladimir Wrangel/AdobeStock The invasion has not yet spread to Kenya’s food-producing regions, but pastoralist communities including those in and around Sera are understandably nervous about losing the grazing land on which their livestock depend. The locust invasion poses a real threat to conservation, livelihoods and security in northern Kenya, according to FFI’s Josephine Nzilani: “Under conservancy grazing plans, pasture is divided into dry and wet season grazing areas, but the locusts could upset this regime. If wet season grazing areas are plundered, herders may be forced to resort to dry season grazing areas, meaning they won’t have areas to graze when the dry season comes. They will have to migrate to other areas, and this often leads to grazing conflicts.” It is hoped that control measures will be escalated nationwide in the coming days and weeks, before the swarms multiply to the point where they are unmanageable. In the meantime, Sera remains on red alert.

Insect Disaster

2017 United States Marine Corps KC-130 crash

On 10 July 2017, a Lockheed KC-130T Hercules aircraft of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) crashed in Leflore County, Mississippi, killing all 16 people on board. [1][2][3] The aircraft had the call sign "Yanky 72" and was from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452) based at Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York. Debris from the aircraft was found in Leflore County, Mississippi. The USMC released a statement calling the event a "mishap. "[4] The crash is the deadliest Marine Corps disaster since 2005, when a U.S. Marine Corps Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed in Iraq, killing 31 people. [5] The aircraft involved was a Lockheed KC-130T Hercules tanker/transport of the United States Marine Corps built in 1993, with Bureau Number (BuNo.) 165000. [6] The aircraft was nicknamed Triple Nuts because of the abbreviated number "000" on its nose. [6] The aircraft was initially delivered to the United States Air Force in 1993 and later was transferred to the United States Navy and then assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps. It was damaged on the ground during a storm on 1 June 2004 at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. As a result of the storm, it was flipped onto its port wingtip, damaging a refueling pod. It was quickly repaired and placed back into service. The flight took off from Cherry Point at 14:07 EDT, with the callsign "Yanky 72. "[7] The aircraft was en route to Naval Air Facility El Centro in California. [8][9] At 1549:24 EDT, the crew made a routine transmission to Memphis ARTCC, followed by which nothing more was heard from the flight. Radar contact was abruptly lost minutes later. [8][9] After nine unsuccessful attempts by Memphis ARTCC to reach the aircraft, another flight reported seeing a plume of smoke. The plane had apparently crashed 85 miles (137 km) north of Jackson, Mississippi, killing all sixteen occupants. Brigadier General Bradley James said immediately after the accident, "Indications are something went wrong at cruise altitude." The aircraft was also reported to have been carrying weapons and ammunition. [10] Debris was spread in a 5-mile (8 km) radius from the crash site and firefighters attending the crash site used 4,000 US gallons (15,000 l) of foam to extinguish the post-crash fire. [11][12][13] Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft on fire with a smoking engine and descending in a "flat spin". [14] According to the accident report published by the USMC, the accident was caused by improper repairs conducted in 2011 on a corroded propeller blade. [7] While the aircraft was not equipped with a Flight Data Recorder or a Cockpit Voice Recorder, investigators were able to determine through available evidence and engineering data that the blade, belonging to the inner-left engine, failed while the aircraft was cruising at 20,000 feet. It passed through the left side of the fuselage and embedded itself in the inner-right wall of the passenger compartment. The blade striking the fuselage created a shock that traveled through the aircraft and caused the propeller and part of the reduction gearbox from the inner-right engine to separate and impact the right forward fuselage, "momentarily embedded into the upper right section," before striking and removing most of the right horizontal stabilizer. The fuselage, including the flight deck, separated at a point 19 feet forward of the leading edge of the wingbox. The remains of the fuselage section ahead of the wingbox was then quickly torn apart by aerodynamic forces, after which the remains of the aircraft rapidly descended to the ground. [7] On 14 July 2018 a memorial located near the crash site in Leflore County was dedicated to the fallen. Part of the stretch of U.S. Highway 82 that ran through the crash site was also renamed YANKY 72 Memorial Highway. [15]

Air crash

America’s Withdrawal from the World Health Organization: What Happens Next

It all began with a Trump rant against China as he found himself under pressure for having misjudged the severity of the virus threat and mismanaged the U.S. response. In a typical kneejerk reaction, Trump looked for a scapegoat and found the World Health Organization. WHO suddenly stood accused of having mismanaged the response to COVID-19 and falling in the hands of China. American funding was immediately withheld and a call made to investigate WHO’s role. Now, without waiting for the results of the investigation, Trump has announced his administration was moving to formally America’s withdrawal from WHO – which will become effective next year, July 6, 2021, to be precise. To be noted: Withdrawal from the WHO (or any UN agency for that matter) is not an easy matter. The spokesperson for Secretary-General António Guterres said he had received the notice and “is in the process of verifying with the World Health Organization whether all the conditions for such withdrawal are met.” Those conditions “include giving a one-year notice and fully meeting the payment of assessed financial obligations.” Hence the July 6 date for withdrawal. Whether the U.S. will fully meet the payment of assessed obligations is, given Trump’s frame of mind, open to question. This is the first time the U.S. withdraws from WHO but not the first time it withdraws from a UN technical agency. It has done so twice with UNESCO, the social and cultural UN agency regularly accused of Marxist tendencies and playing too much to the developing world’s concerns, and lately, to China in particular. More importantly, Trump has notoriously declared his antipathy to defending the planet from climate change and environmental degradation. He has withdrawn America from the Paris Climate Agreement – and that too will become effective in 2021. The next agency likely to be targeted for withdrawal by the Trump administration is, of course, the World Trade Organization that the U.S. has already considerably hobbled, by refusing to replace key personnel in a major function of the organization. So, assuming withdrawal is possible with the time framework indicated by the Trump administration, what happens next? One is entitled to wonder whether this the beginning of the end of the American presence on the international scene. Whether this is a prelude to actual withdrawal from the United Nations that the U.S. helped to found coming out of World War II. In short, are we seeing a fall from America First to America Last and finally America Out? The Democrats’ condemnation was wide-ranging and immediate. Sen. Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tweeted the news Tuesday. “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,” he wrote. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “is an act of true senselessness.” Joe Biden, the presidential candidate, announced he would ensure that America rejoins the WHO on his first day in office: 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 But – and this is remarkable – the condemnation is not a partisan position and it goes beyond the Democrats. Notably, Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, voiced his disagreement with Trump’s decision. “If the administration has specific recommendations for reforms of the WHO, it should submit those recommendations to Congress, and we can work together to make those happen,” he said. As reported by CNN, last month, despite alleging that the World Health Organization “enabled” the Chinese government’s cover-up of the coronavirus pandemic’s origins, members of the GOP China task force urged Trump to reconsider his decision to terminate relations with the international body, arguing that the US can do more to affect change as a member of the WHO rather than from the outside. The move was also condemned by the heads of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians and American College of Physicians saying in a statement that it “puts the health of our country at grave risk.” Cousens, the head of the UN Foundation, told CNN that there’s “no question but that working within an institution like the World Health Organization allows the United States and others to leverage their resources to have much greater impact.” She called the decision “short-sighted, unnecessary, and unequivocally dangerous,” noting that the U.S.’ “ability to lead and shape an agenda for reform is drastically diminished when they step out of the field of play.” The international condemnation was equally strong. The head of WHO, Dr. Tedros, was adamant (on Twitter) that the proper answer to Trump could be summarized in one word: Together. Indeed, collaboration is key. And WHO, should Trump get re-elected in November, would need to find other sources of financing to replace the U.S. Most likely the EU and its member states could step in. US allies have been quick to rally to the support of the WHO, with a top diplomat from Germany calling for global solidarity and Italy’s Health Minister criticizing Trump’s decision as “serious and wrong”. Also the U.K., Brexit notwithstanding, Dr. Tedros just reported he had a very good talk with the British Prime Minister Johnson: I had a very good call with my friend @BorisJohnson, Prime Minister, about the global #COVID19 situation. We discussed intl. cooperation to fight this pandemic, importance of learning lessons from it & preparing better for future global health threats. In the international aid community, Amnesty International was among the first to react, publishing an article on its website that immediately resonated worldwide since it has a wide readership both abroad and within the United States. Sanhita Ambast, Amnesty International’s Advisor on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, said: “This decision will have negative impacts on efforts to control the pandemic in countries all around the world, and also for the other essential health care programs that WHO supports. Only if the international community works together can we bring this virus under control and ensure that everyone can access adequate health care.” It is an incontrovertible fact that WHO remains the primary international body with a mandate to support global public health. In addition to playing a key role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating efforts to get personal safety and medical equipment, like ventilators, to hospitals around the world, it implements numerous programs to prevent, control, and treat Ebola, measles, malaria, HIV and AIDS, and many other diseases. Indeed. As I write, the U.S. has passed the mark of 3 million infected citizens and over 130,000 deaths, far more than in any other country. It hardly seems like the right time to move out of WHO and withdraw from international collaboration. To conclude: WHO has just announced that it is in fact moving to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, as demanded by America. WHO scientists and experts are scheduled to travel to China this weekend to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programs explained that the experts would seek to trace the narrative of how the coronavirus might have spread from the wild to possibly farm animals to humans. Trump’s decision seems extraordinarily out of step with reality. Featured Image: Trump announcing he is cutting ties with the World Health Organization Source: Reuters Claude Forthomme is a writer and an economist. A graduate of Columbia University, Claude held a variety of jobs before starting a 25-year career at the United Nations (Food and Agriculture), ending as Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia. She authored many fiction books under various pen names in both English and Italian; she is considered a prime exponent of Boomer literature and has founded the Boomer Lit Group on Goodreads. Her poetry has been included in "Freeze Frame", an international poetry anthology curated by British poet Oscar Sparrow (Gallo Romano Media, 2012).

Withdraw from an Organization

Covid-19: SA records 5 372 new confirmed cases, with 282 more deaths

South Africa's Covid-19 death toll increased by 282 on Tuesday, bringing the total fatalities to 83 899, according to health officials. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said there were 5 372 new Covid-19 infections - and the total number of cases was 2 829 435. KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 25% of Tuesday's cases. "The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal 25%, followed by Eastern Cape 24%. "Western Cape accounted for 18%, Free State 11%, Gauteng 9%, Mpumalanga and North West 5% each, Northern Cape 3% and Limpopo Province 1%," NICD spokesperson Sinenhlanhla Jimoh said in a statement. READ | Covid-19: Make sure you are vaccinated by the time the fourth wave arrives - Salim Abdool Karim In the past 24 hours, there was an increase of 302 hospital admissions in both the public and private sector. According to the health department, the country's recovery rate is 92.3%, with a total of 2 610 300 recoveries. To date, 13 892 301 vaccines have been administered. WATCH | 17 May: SA registers spike of 1 160 new Covid-19 cases; highest daily infection rate so far There are now 15 515 coronavirus cases after an increase of 1 160. Three new deaths bring the tally to 264. There are 7 006 recoveries. WATCH | 3 May: Another 447 infections and 8 more Covid-19 deaths recorded under lockdown Level 4 The number of Covid-19 cases has risen by 447 to a total of 6 783. This is the first time the numbers have increased by more than 400 cases in a day. WATCH | 22 May: 28 more deaths as cases jump to 20 125 The Covid-19 death toll has hit 397 - the Health Department said on Friday evening. The number of cases now sits at 20 125, an increase of 988. WATCH | Ramaphosa announces closure of beaches during the festive season Beaches and public parks in the Eastern Cape, as well as to the Garden Route district in the Western Cape will be closed for the duration of the festive season from the 16 December to 3 January. Top district, top three matric learners all from Western Cape Despite being pipped by the Free State as the province with the highest matric pass rate, the Western Cape had other impressive and improved figures. Watch. WATCH | 22 March: Number of coronavirus cases in SA reaches 274 South Africa now has 274 confirmed cases of Covid-19, the health department said in a statement issued on Sunday night. Gauteng is now standing on 132 cases, followed by the Western Cape with 88. This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. By 17:00 on Monday, the Western Cape government had administered a cumulative total of 2 239 632 vaccines to healthcare workers, staff in the education sector, and those within eligible age brackets. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the province would officially leave the third wave as soon as case numbers were at 15% of the peak of the current wave or approximately 530 cases diagnosed a day.

Disease Outbreaks

EHD outbreak in deer reported in Rochester Hills

ROCHESTER HILLS — The Michigan Department of Natural resources is asking hunters, hikers and others who frequent the outdoors to report sightings of dead deer near water after two deer from Rochester Hills tested positive for epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD. “Deer started showing up in the river. They were dropping in people’s ponds and in retention basins. … They almost always die near water,” said Rochester Hills Naturalist Lance DeVoe. At press time, over 50 deer were reportedly found deceased near water throughout the city. Two were sent to the DNR for testing and were confirmed to have EHD. “The real hot spot is the square between Crooks, Avon, Adams and Hamlin. In Christian Hills, there were three-four dead deer there, and there were three or four at Innovation Hills,” DeVoe explained. The sometimes fatal viral disease is transmitted from deer to deer by a small biting fly called a midge. Severe cases of EHD dehydrate the animal and cause fevers, causing them to seek water, where they are then found dead. There is no evidence that humans can contract the EHD virus, according to DNR officials. The city’s parks department recently received a call from a woman who saw five dead deer in the Clinton River while kayaking a 2- to 3-mile stretch. “That’s not normal, unless you have a disease outbreak. It’s just going to continue to get exponentially crazier here in the next few weeks,” Rochester Hills Naturalist Lauren Oxlade added. “It’s ramping up to be, what we think, is going to be a really big problem.” Additional reports of dead deer near water in areas in and around Oakland County, and in southwest Michigan, have been reported to the DNR. DeVoe said dead deer from Troy and Oakland Township have been submitted to the DNR for EHD testing, but the results were not available by press time. Over the years, he said, there have been sporadic outbreaks of EHD in Michigan, which generally kill between 50 and 1,000 deer per year in isolated areas. In 2008, a large outbreak killed between 150 and 200 deer in Oakland and Macomb counties. Additional documented outbreaks have been reported in deer in other areas across Michigan over the years, all of which have occurred during late summer and early fall, August-October, and ceased within two weeks of the onset of frost, which kills the midge. The city of Rochester Hills wants residents to be aware that the EHD virus is responsible for the recent deer deaths in the city. “Three or four deer died in Innovation Hills at the new park, and people were thinking that the water was bad or they were being poisoned,” said DeVoe. “The last thing we want are a bunch of rumors circulating about contaminated water, which is not the case,” Oxlade added. Rochester Hills residents are urged to report dead deer found near water to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department at (248) 656-4673. Residents of other Michigan communities who find a deer they suspect may have died from EHD are urged to call the DNR’s Wildlife Disease Lab at (517) 336-5030 or report the information online via the DNR’s Diseased Wildlife Reporting database at www.michigan.gov/EyesInTheField. A representative from the DNR did not return calls for further comment at press time.

Disease Outbreaks

TANS Perú Flight 204 crash

TANS Perú Flight 204 refers to a domestic scheduled Lima–Pucallpa–Iquitos passenger service, operated with a Boeing 737-200 Advanced, that crashed on 23 August 2005 on approach to Pucallpa Airport, 4 miles (6.4 km) off the airfield, following an emergency landing attempt because of bad weather, killing 40 of the 98 passengers and crew aboard. The aircraft involved was a 1981-built Boeing 737-244 Advanced, registered OB-1809, which had been leased to TANS Perú from the South African lessor company Safair two months prior to the accident. [3] With manufacturer's serial number 22580 and powered with two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17A engines, the airframe had its maiden flight on 4 August 1981, and was originally delivered to South African Airways. [1][4] At the time of the accident the aircraft had accumulated 49,865 flight hours and 45,262 cycles,[2] and was 24 years old. The captain was 45-year-old Octavio Perez Palma Garreta, who had 5,867 flight hours, including 3,763 hours on the Boeing 737. The first officer was 37-year-old Jorge Luis Pinto Panta, who had 4,755 flight hours, with 1,109 of them on the Boeing 737. 38-year-old Gonzalo Chirinos Delgado, a trainee pilot, was also on board. He had 2,700 flight hours, but only 61 of them on the Boeing 737. [3]:7–10 There was an unusual developing cold front in the vicinity of Pucallpa, minutes before the event took place, with cloud tops estimated to be 45,000 feet (14,000 m) high. [2] Instead of diverting to another airport, the crew initiated the approach to Pucallpa Airport with torrential rain, hail and strong winds. [5] Some ten minutes before the scheduled time for landing the aircraft started rocking. [5] Realising that the airport could not be safely reached amid the worsening weather conditions, the pilot attempted an emergency landing. The aircraft was flying through a hailstorm for the last 32 seconds of its ill-fated flight when it was seemingly taken down by a wind shear, hit tree tops, impacted terrain in a swamp located 3.8 nautical miles (7.0 km; 4.4 mi) ahead of the runway threshold, broke up as it crash landed and burst into flames, leaving a path of debris and flaming fuel 100 feet (30 m) wide and 0.8 nautical miles (1.5 km; 0.92 mi) long. [2][5] The wreckage of the airplane was engulfed by the fire. [2] There were 91 passengers and seven crew members on board; 35 passengers and five crew (including all three flight crew) lost their lives in the accident. [2]:7 Non-Peruvian occupants of the aircraft included 11 Americans, one Australian, one Colombian, and one Spaniard; Italians were also aboard, but the actual figures for them depend upon the source. [5][6] Most of the fatalities were recorded for passengers travelling in the front of the aircraft. [2] Fifty-eight people survived the accident, many of them suffering serious injuries, mostly burns and broken limbs. [2][6] Investigation of the crash site was hindered by looters, who descended upon the crash and stole various elements to be sold for scrap. [7] A US$500 (equivalent to $662.55 in 2020) reward did succeed in securing the return of the flight data recorder. [8] After 312 days of investigations, there were no reports of any technical malfunction. [2][1] The official cause of the accident was determined to be pilot error for not following standard procedures under adverse weather conditions. [2] The captain took control of the plane, but the trainee pilot did not immediately monitor the instruments; as a result, the crew did not notice the rapid descent in the few crucial seconds they had where they could have avoided danger. According to Aviation Safety Network, the accident ranks among the deadlier ones that took place in 2005. [9] It was also the second major crash involving a TANS Perú airplane in slightly over two years. [10][11] Flight 204 has been the subject of a Reader's Digest story and an MSNBC documentary. [7][12] The Canadian TV series, Mayday, has also produced an episode about the accident named "Lack of Vision". [13]

Air crash

Hainan Island incident crash

The Hainan Island incident occurred on April 1, 2001, when a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor fighter jet collided in mid-air, resulting in an international dispute between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC). The EP-3 was operating about 70 miles (110 km) away from the PRC island province of Hainan, and about 100 miles (160 km) away from the Chinese military installation in the Paracel Islands, when it was intercepted by two J-8 fighters. A collision between the EP-3 and one of the J-8s caused a PRC pilot to go missing (later presumed dead), and the EP-3 was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan. The 24 crew members were detained and interrogated by the Chinese authorities until a statement was delivered by the United States government regarding the incident. The exact phrasing of this document was intentionally ambiguous and allowed both countries to save face while defusing a potentially volatile situation between militarily strong regional states. [1][2] This sea area includes the South China Sea Islands, which are claimed by the PRC and several other countries. It is one of the most strategically sensitive areas in the world. [3] The United States and the People's Republic of China disagree on the legality of the overflights by U.S. naval aircraft of the area where the incident occurred. This part of the South China Sea comprises part of the PRC's exclusive economic zone based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Chinese claim that the Paracel Islands belong to China. This claim has been persistently contested by Vietnam. The United States remains neutral in this dispute, but patrols the sea regularly with military ships and planes, under what it calls "freedom of navigation" operations. The PRC interprets the convention as allowing it to preclude other nations' military operations within this area, but the United States does not recognize China's claim over the Paracel Islands and maintains that the Convention grants free navigation for all countries' aircraft and ships, including military aircraft and ships, within a country's exclusive economic zone. [4] Although the United States is not party to UNCLOS, it has accepted and complies with nearly all of the treaty's provisions. [5] A PRC Sukhoi Su-27 force is based at Hainan. [6] The island also houses a large signals intelligence facility that tracks civil and military activity in the area and monitors traffic from commercial communications satellites. [7] The United States has long kept the island under surveillance; on May 22, 1951, for example, RAF Spitfire PR Mk 19s out of Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport flew photo-reconnaissance missions at the behest of U.S. naval intelligence. [8] On April 1, 2001, the EP-3 (BuNo 156511), assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1, "World Watchers"), had taken off as Mission PR32 from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. At about 9:15 a.m. local time, toward the end of the EP-3's six-hour ELINT mission, it was flying at 22,000 feet (6,700 m) and 180 knots (210 mph), on a heading of 110°, about 70 miles (110 km) away from the island. Two Chinese J-8s from Hainan's Lingshui airfield approached. One of the J-8s (81192), piloted by Lt. Cdr. Wang Wei,[9][10] made two close passes to the EP-3. On the third pass, it collided with the larger aircraft. The J-8 broke into two pieces; the EP-3's radome detached completely and its No. 1 (outer left) propeller was severely damaged. Airspeed and altitude data were lost, the aircraft depressurized, and an antenna became wrapped around the tailplane. The J-8's tail fin struck the EP-3's left aileron, forcing it fully upright, and causing the U.S. aircraft to roll to the left at three to four times its normal maximum rate. [3][11] The impact sent the EP-3 into a 30° dive at a bank angle of 130°, almost inverted. It dropped 8,000 feet (2,400 m) in 30 seconds, and fell another 6,000 feet (1,800 m) before the pilot, Lt. Shane Osborn, got the EP-3's wings level and the nose up. [12] In a September 2003 article in Naval Aviation News, Osborn said that once he regained control of the aircraft, he "called for the crew to prepare to bail out. "[11][12] He then managed to control the aircraft's descent by using emergency power on the working engines, allowing him to plan an emergency landing on Hainan. [13] For the next 26 minutes, the crew of the EP-3 carried out an emergency plan which included destroying sensitive items on board the aircraft, such as electronic equipment related to intelligence-gathering, documents and data. Part of this plan involved pouring freshly brewed coffee into disk drives and motherboards. [14] The crew had not been formally trained on how to destroy sensitive documents and equipment, and so improvised. [11] The EP-3 made an unauthorized emergency landing at Lingshui airfield, after at least 15 distress signals had gone unanswered, with the emergency code selected on the transponder. It landed at 170 knots (200 mph), with no flaps, no trim, and a damaged left elevator, weighing 108,000 pounds (49,000 kg). Following the collision, the failure of the nose cone had disabled the No. 3 (inner right) engine, and the No. 1 propeller could not be feathered, leading to increased drag on that side. There was no working airspeed indicator or altimeter, and Osborn used full right aileron during the landing. The surviving Chinese interceptor had landed there 10 minutes earlier. [15] Lt. Cdr. Wang was seen to eject after the collision, but the Pentagon said that the damage to the underside of the EP-3 could mean that the cockpit of the Chinese fighter jet was crushed, making it impossible for the pilot to survive. [16][17] Wang's body was never recovered, and he was presumed dead. Both the cause of the collision and the assignment of blame were disputed. The U.S. government stated that the Chinese jet bumped the wing of the larger, slower, and less maneuverable EP-3. After returning to U.S. soil, the pilot of the EP-3, Lt. Shane Osborn, was allowed to make a brief statement in which he said that the EP-3 was on autopilot and in straight-and-level flight at the time of the collision. He stated that he was just "guarding the autopilot" in his interview with Frontline. [18] The U.S. released video footage from previous missions which revealed that American reconnaissance crews had previously been intercepted by the same aircraft. [19] Based on the account of Wang Wei's wingman, the Chinese government stated that the American aircraft "veered at a wide angle towards the Chinese", in the process ramming the J-8. This claim cannot be verified since the Chinese government did not release data from the flight recorders of either aircraft, both of which are in its possession.

Air crash

2005 Nias Island Sea King crash

The 2005 Nias Island Sea King crash was the crash of a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Westland WS-61 Sea King helicopter (tail number N16-100, call sign "Shark 02") of 817 Squadron RAN at approximately 4 pm (local time) on 2 April 2005 with 11 personnel on board. The accident occurred while "Shark 02" was making its approach to land on a sports field located near the village of Tuindrao in the region of Amandraya on the Indonesian island of Nias. "Shark 02" had been providing humanitarian support to the people of the earthquake-devastated region. A Defence Board of Inquiry later found that the primary cause of the accident was a failure of the aircraft's flight control systems. This was as a result of a series of errors, and a general practice of poor maintenance on the aircraft. [1] Nine personnel died in the accident, including six members of the RAN and three members of the Royal Australian Air Force. [2][3][1] Two personnel survived the crash: Navy Leading Seaman Shane Warburton, and Air Force Corporal Scott Nichols. [4] The arrival of the bodies in Australia on 5 April 2005 was marked by a ceremony at Sydney Airport. Families of the deceased were joined by the Governor-General of Australia, Major General Michael Jeffery, the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, Chief of Defence Force, General Peter Cosgrove and the Chiefs of the Army, Navy and the Air Force. [citation needed] Each of the deceased was honoured with a Service funeral. A National Service of Thanksgiving for those killed in the crash of "Shark 02" was held on Friday, 15 April 2005 in the Great Hall of Australian Parliament House in Canberra. The service was attended by family members, friends and colleagues of all nine members killed, and by both survivors. The service was led by the Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force, Tom Frame. Others who spoke at the service included: John Howard, Australian Prime Minister; Kim Beazley, Leader of the Opposition; and Imron Cotan, Indonesian Ambassador to Australia. Services were also held at the Australian Defence Force's headquarters in Canberra, and at other Service establishments across the country. [citation needed] The state visit of President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, allowed him to present the Medal of Valour – his country's highest honour – to each of the deceased, placing a medal on each casket. The two survivors were awarded with the honour at a later time. [citation needed] The Indonesian award highlighted a problem of awarding similar honours by the Australian Government, as the servicemen and women had been part of a humanitarian operation at the time of the incident, not a military one. This was overcome by changing the circumstances for the award of the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal, so that all who served in the Indonesian humanitarian mission would be eligible, including the nine deceased and two survivors. [citation needed] On 17 March 2008, the actions of one of the survivors, former Leading Seaman Warburton, were recognised with Australia's second highest bravery award, the Star of Courage. The Minister for Defence, the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, said that Shane Warburton's actions in saving a colleague while facing immense personal danger was a significant act of heroism worthy of such recognition. The Minister said his selfless act was particularly noteworthy given he himself was seriously injured in the accident. [5] On 26 May 2009, four Indonesian men – Benar Giawa, Adiziduhu Harefa, Motani Harefa and Seti Eli Ndruru – were awarded the Bravery Medal at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, for their role in rescuing the survivors of "Shark 02". Together, they carried the men to safety away from the crash site, made the Australians comfortable and provided first aid. [6][7] A Board of Inquiry was appointed by the Maritime Commander Australia on 28 April 2005 to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. An initial analysis of the accident was conducted by an Aircraft Accident Investigation Team. The board delivered its report with findings and recommendations to the appointing authority on 18 December 2006; this report was made public in June 2007. [citation needed][clarification needed] An article in The Bulletin in April 2007 revealed allegations of substandard maintenance on Sea King helicopters before and after the accident. [8] In an interview with Ray Martin, the Maritime Commander Australia, Rear Admiral Davyd Thomas, said he understood the anger of grieving families. The board found that the crash was survivable and that deficiencies in the seating, restraint systems, and the cabin configuration contributed to the deaths of seven of the occupants who appeared to have survived the initial impact. The primary cause of the accident was found to be a failure in the flight control systems, specifically a separation of the fore/aft bellcrank from the pitch control linkages in the aircraft's mixing unit. The failure in the flight control systems was ultimately found to be caused by systematic errors and deficiencies in the maintenance program employed by 817 Squadron at the time of the accident. The maintenance activity which led to the accident occurred 57 days before the accident. [1] The board made 256 recommendations, all of which were accepted by the Department. [9] These recommendations were fully implemented by October 2008. [10]

Air crash

Express & Star

The blaze broke out at around 6.15pm on Monday in Pencombe Drive, in the Goldthorn Park area of Wolverhampton, severely damaging the home and destroying a van parked on the driveway. An explosion rocked Pencombe Drive, in the Goldthorn Park area of Wolverhampton, at around 6.15pm on Monday, leaving a workman's van on a driveway engulfed in flames. The blaze then spread to the house behind the van, causing severe damage. Paramedics treated the workman at the scene for burns, before rushing him to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for further treatment. The workman, employed by IWJS on behalf of Severn Trent Water, had been working to clear a sewerage pipe of concrete running underneath the house. The homeowner, 47-year-old Lakesh Jakhu, was sitting in the living room when the explosion occurred, and said he feels lucky to be alive. "I ran outside and saw the flames," he said. "My first concern was for the workman - I wanted to make sure he was OK. I thought he was in the van. "I put my hose on but there was so much fire and black smoke it did not make any difference." Dramatic photos from the scene last night show the front of the property and the van severely damaged. A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We were called to reports of fire on Pencombe Drive at 6.15pm on Monday. One ambulance, two paramedic officers and the West Midlands Care Team attended the scene. "On arrival we discovered a van and house ablaze. We treated one patient, a man, for burn injuries before he was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham for further treatment." West Midlands Fire Service said it sent 25 firefighters to the blaze, which is thought to have been accidentally. A spokesperson said: "This was a severe house fire which had spread from a van at the property and to the neighbouring house. "Crews wore breathing apparatus and used hose reels to tackle the fire, along with main and covering jets. "A gas pipe was damaged in the fire so as a precaution, the gas supply in the area was temporarily shut off to enable our crews to tackle the fire safely. The fire was put out by 8.30pm. "All persons are accounted for and one man was taken to hospital by colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service having self-extricated from the property."

Gas explosion

Lifespan, Care New England Unveil Merger Plans with Brown University

February 24, 2021 - Two of Rhode Island’s predominant health systems are officially joining forces to create a healthier state with the help of Brown University. In an announcement released yesterday, Lifespan and Care New England revealed that they have signed a definitive agreement to merge and create, with Brown University, an integrated, academic health system. The healthcare merger will bring together key teaching hospitals in the state—Lifespan’s Rhode Island, Miriam, Hasbro, Newport and Bradley hospitals, and Care New England’s Women & Infants, Kent, and Butler hospitals—with The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown. Brown will also provide at least $125 million over five years to support the creation of the integrated, academic health system. “Combining health system operations with leading-edge research and renowned medical expertise will improve the quality of medical care for patients across Rhode Island and surrounding regions,” said Charles Reppucci, Care New England Board of Directors Chairman, said in the announcement. READ MORE: COVID-19 a Catalyst for Healthcare Merger and Acquisition Activity “The uniting of health care with medical education and research serves to advance biomedical discovery, educate future physicians, nurses and health practitioners in medicine and health care, and create a vibrant economic nexus in the region based on the health care industry,” Reppucci stated. The merger deal will also provide Rhode Islanders with high-quality, affordable care right in their own communities, leaders from the three organizations agreed. “We don’t want people to have to go to Boston or New York if god forbid they get cancer,” Christina Hull Paxson, president of Brown University, added in a conference call yesterday. “We can develop a world-class cancer center that conducts research, that lets us treat patients better, and that provides Rhode Islanders with an option and an alternative to going elsewhere.” Care New England previously pursued a merger deal with Boston, Massachusetts-based Partners HealthCare. The merger deal, however, faced staunch pushback from Brown University’s Paxson and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo who both expressed concerns about losing local healthcare if the merger were to go through. Lifespan and Brown stepped up to offer the struggling health system, which reported $115 million in losses during the two fiscal years preceding the Partners announcement. READ MORE: FTC Announces Plan to Study Physician Group Mergers This is the fourth attempt to solidify a local merger deal between the three Rhode Island-based organizations. But executives say now is the right time for this deal. “If the COVID pandemic taught us one thing it’s that we are better when we work together,” said Timothy J. Babineau, MD, Lifespan president and CEO. “This is a moment in time that we cannot let slip through our grasp. Rhode Island is one of the only states in the country that does not have a single integrated, academic healthcare system. Massachusetts has four or five, Rhode Island has none. If we don’t do it now, if it doesn’t happen this time, the alternatives will not be in the best interest of the community and the patients we serve.” Leaders from the organizations believe the combined academic health system will alleviate the fragmented care system currently in place in the state by increasing access to high-quality, affordable care while improving outcomes of patients through better population health management and data-driven care delivery. But research has shown that these benefits are rarely realized post-merger. Just last year, researchers from Harvard University found that hospital acquisitions had little impact on key quality of care metrics, including hospital readmission and mortality rates. A growing body of literature has also questioned the cost benefits of hospital mergers and acquisitions. READ MORE: 10 Major Healthcare Merger & Acquisition Deals Announced in 2020 Top Rhode Island lawmakers have already voiced concerns about the merger deal between Lifespan and Care New England, which are the two largest hospital groups in the state. Particularly, the state’s House speaker, Joseph Shekarchi, and Senate majority leader Michael McCaffrey told The Boston Globe in December 2020 that they are concerned about job cuts at Kent County Hospital, a Care New England facility, following the merger. “Coming from Warwick, where Kent County Hospital is, I want to make sure that Kent County Hospital is protected if they are going to move forward with the merger,” McCaffrey said. “Obviously, it’s only in its infancy right now, but we want to be sure that if there is any legislation that the attorney general will want, we will look at that, and also the Department of Health, so that all the parties will be protected.” The proposed merger will face regulatory scrutiny as with other healthcare merger and acquisition deals. The health systems did not provide information on when they expect to finalize the deal. 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Organization Merge

Bude gas explosion: Injured woman taken to Bristol hospital

A woman injured in a gas explosion which destroyed a house in Cornwall is getting further treatment in Bristol, her daughter has said. Three people were in the house in Bude during the explosion last Wednesday. Josie Cornish was taken to Southmead Hospital on Sunday for treatment for an infection but was "in good spirits", daughter Demelza Snell said. She added that "astounding" offers to help and even rebuild the property had been "pouring in with kindness". 'Bomb going off' Josie, her husband, Alan, and paramedic son Darren were all in the semi-detached house during the explosion, which was heard about a mile away. They said it "sounded like a bomb going off" and it was a "miracle" they escaped alive with the help of neighbours. Ms Snell said they were all "absolutely gobsmacked" and "couldn't believe our eyes" at the scene. Image caption, The family said they were all "absolutely gobsmacked" at the explosion She added her father "came out unscathed" and her brother, Darren, suffered burns to his face and hands "but can function with them". Her mother also suffered burns to her face and hands, she said. In the meantime, people had been getting in touch to say they "want to help with everything, even building a new house from scratch", Ms Snell said. Offers had come via a page the family set up on social media titled Bude DIY SOS, based on the title of the BBC television series DIY SOS. She said: "We are so overwhelmed. "We're still waiting on documents and insurance to let us know [what we can do], but everyone is just willing to crack on." Ms Snell said a mobile home had been found for temporary accommodation when Mrs Cornish got back. Follow BBC News South West on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram . Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk .

Gas explosion

Great Bombay textile strike

The Great Bombay Textile Strike was a textile strike called on 18 January 1982 by the mill workers of Mumbai under trade union leader Dutta Samant. The purpose of the strike was to obtain bonus and increase in wages. Nearly 250,000 workers of 65 textile mills went on strike in Mumbai. [1] Built in 1887, Swadeshi was Bombay's first textile mill, the first of the factories that spread over many parts of the island city in the next decades. Rastriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh was the officially recognized union of the Mills. By 1982, a new militant union leader by the name of Datta Samant had arrived on the scene. Earlier he had got major wage increases for workers of Premier Automobiles and a section of the Mill workers were hoping for the same. The major difference between Premier Automobiles and the Mills was that the former was a very profitable company and the mills were all sick units. Later that year Dutta Samant led the textile strike, over 240,000 people worked in Girangaon. [2] In late 1981, Dutta Samant was chosen by a large group of Bombay mill workers to lead them in a precarious conflict between the Bombay Millowners Association and the unions, thus rejecting the INTUC-affiliated Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh which had represented the mill workers for decades. Samant planned a massive strike forcing the entire industry of the city to be shut down for over a year. It was estimated that nearly 250,000 workers went on strike and more than 50 textile mills were shut in Bombay permanently. Samant demanded that, along with wage hikes, the government scrap the Bombay Industrial Act of 1947 and that the RMMS would no longer be the only official union of the city industry. While fighting for greater pay and better conditions for the workers, Samant and his allies also sought to capitalize and establish their power on the trade union scene in Mumbai. Although Samant had links with the Congress and Maharashtra politician Abdul Rehman Antulay, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi considered him a serious political threat. Samant's control of the mill workers made the Congress leaders fear that his influence would spread to the port and dock workers and make him the most powerful union leader in India's commercial capital. Thus the government took a firm stance of rejecting Samant's demands and refusing to budge despite the severe economic losses suffered by the city and the industry. As the strike progressed through the months, Samant's militancy in the face of government obstinacy led to the failure of any attempts at negotiation. Disunity and dissatisfaction over the strike soon became apparent, and many textile mill owners began moving their plants outside the city. After a prolonged and destabilizing confrontation, the strike collapsed with no concessions having been obtained for the workers. The closure of textile mills across the city left tens of thousands of mill workers unemployed and, in the succeeding years, most of the industry moved away from Bombay after decades of being plagued by rising costs and union militancy. It is one reason why some industry in India settled in Gujarat Although Samant remained popular with a large block of union activists, his clout and control over Bombay trade unions disappeared. [3] The majority of the over 80 mills in Central Mumbai closed during and after the strike, leaving more than 150,000 workers unemployed. [4] The textile industry in Mumbai has largely disappeared, reducing labour migration after the strikes. [5] One of the consequences of the strike's failure was that labour laws in the country were mellowed and 'liberalized' since unions lost their foothold. Until 1980s, labour laws were stringent to appease the unions. As labour market became less transparent and unified, exploitative placement agencies popped up in the city, so a large population moved to contractual employment, which lacked all the benefits of organised sector like provident funds or even job security. This job insecurity also pushed a lot of the youth, especially Maharashtrian youth into the arms of regional party Shiv Sena, so even if their parents had been communists, the children became Shiv Sainiks. The industries in Mumbai shut down and moved to the periphery or to other states as the land became real estate gold mine. Mumbai's functional nature changed from being industrial to commercial. [6] The city was remade by the Dutta Samant-led textile strike. [7] Many Bollywood film directors started making politically relevant films on textile strikes in Bombay, and textile mill strikes have become an important theme of modern-day Indian films. Producer Sangeeta Ahir, who is also a co-founder of the NGO Shree Sankalp Pratisthan[8][9] is making a film on the Great Bombay Textile Strike worker movement of the city. [10]

Strike

1941 Eccles rail crash

The 1941 Eccles rail crash occurred on 30 December 1941 at the east end of Eccles railway station in Lancashire, England. A westbound train [a] passed danger signals in fog in the wartime blackout and collided at about 30 mph with an eastbound train [b] traversing a crossover. A major contributory cause was that the signalman had erroneously suspended "fog working", which would give greater distances between trains, due to a misunderstanding about whether fogmen were on duty. The fog was worsened by the nearby Manchester Ship Canal and visibility was as low as 10 yards. [1] An inquiry into the accident was opened on 7 January 1942. [2] At the conclusion of the Inquiry the Ministry of Transport Inspector blamed the signalman for the accident. [3] The Rochdale train should not have been permitted to go towards the occupied junction, which was caused by the signalman not observing the block regulations and a confusion over which fogmen were on duty. [3] The driver was also held partly to blame for his speed in low visibility conditions which would not allow him to observe the signals. [3] The Inspector also noted that if the trains had been fitted with an automatic train control system, which had been recently trialled by the LMS in the London area, it would have prevented the collision in the fog. [3] Initial reports were at least 15 people were killed and 100 injured;[4] some later died in hospital and a total of 23 people were killed and 57 had serious injuries. [3]

Train collisions

WHO-backed vaccine hub for Africa to copy Moderna COVID-19 shot

FILE PHOTO: Vials of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are seen in the town of Ricany near Prague, Czech Republic, February 25, 2021. Efforts to develop an African base for COVID-19 vaccine production will focus on trying to replicate Moderna’s shot, but a lack of progress in talks with the US company mean the project will take time, a senior WHO official told Reuters. The drive to produce vaccines in Africa is designed to help more developing countries access COVID-19 shots after rich nations bought up most of this year’s supply. Moderna said last October it would not enforce patents related to its shot during the pandemic, raising hopes that other companies might be able to copy it and help boost COVID-19 vaccine production. In practice, though, it is hard to replicate a vaccine without the information on how it is made, and the World Health Organization-backed tech transfer hub in South Africa – set up in June to give poorer nations the know-how to produce COVID-19 vaccines – has so far not reached a deal with the company. “The talks have not yielded any results,” Martin Friede, WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research coodinator, told Reuters. Moderna did not respond to a request for comment. The case highlights the challenges faced by the WHO as it battles to expand vaccine production to help address the glaring inequalities between rich and poor nations in the pandemic. More than three quarters of the 5.5 billion COVID-19 shots administered worldwide have gone to high and upper-middle income countries, which make up just over a third of the world’s population. Currently only 3% of Africa is vaccinated, the African Union’s top health official said last week, compared with more than half of the United States and three quarters of Spain. Friede said Moderna’s vaccine had been chosen as an abundance of public information and its pledge not to enforce patents made the shot slightly easier to copy than some rivals. “We have to make a choice now. The deadline is upon us; time to start ordering chemicals. We’ve chosen Moderna,” he said. But even if the hub manages without Moderna’s help, it could take more than a year to get a distributable vaccine as clinical trials would only begin in the latter half of 2022, he added. In May, the United States said it would support waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines in order to help speed an end to the pandemic. But the idea has faced opposition from pharmaceutical firms, which argue they need to oversee any technology transfer due to the complexity of the manufacturing process. Pfizer (PFE.N) and its partner BioNTech (22UAy.DE) separately struck a deal in July for South Africa’s Biovac to help make around 100 million doses a year of their COVID-19 vaccine for Africa. Their shot, like Moderna’s, uses so-called mRNA technology. However, the deal is to “fill and finish” the vaccine, the final stages of production where the product is put into vials, sealed and packaged for shipping. It does not cover the complicated process of mRNA production, which Pfizer and BioNTech will do at their European plants. read more Neither responded to requests for comment. The WHO has been trying to persuade Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech to join forces with its African tech transfer hub. But COVID-19 vaccine makers have warned that non-authorised producers would compete for vital raw materials and production gear that the established players – most of which have earned huge profits from vaccination – rely on. Hub consortium partner Afrigen Biologics will produce the initial batch of doses, before transferring the skills and technology to local manufacturing partner, Biovac Institute – both are Cape Town-based – which will mass produce the vaccines. “This is not something that we are asking industry to give us for free,” Friede said about talks with the companies for access to information, adding that royalties, territorial limitations and other constraints could be built into a deal. Healthcare analysts doubt the plan can be mobilised quickly. “There are many steps which will require lots of iterations before they can be ready for prime time commercial grade production,” said Prashant Yadav, a global healthcare supply chain expert at the Center for Global Development in Washington. AU Special Envoy on COVID-19 says Africa is not relying on vaccine donations:

Organization Established

COVID-led schools closure for about 18 months caused students lost trillion hours

Schoolchildren around the world have lost an estimated 1.8 trillion hours – and counting – of in-person learning since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. As a result, young learners have been cut off from their education and the other vital benefits schools provide. Every hour in school is precious, and every child should be given the opportunity to go back to school. As countries return from academic break, no effort should be spared to reopen schools, as schools are critical for children’s learning, safety, health and well-being. Number of students affected by prolonged school closures Globally, around 131 million schoolchildren in 11 countries have missed three quarters of their in-person learning from March 2020 to September 2021. Among them, 59 per cent – or nearly 77 million – have missed almost all in-person instruction time. These 77 million students come from six countries. Among these countries, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Venezuela have the largest number of students impacted by full school closures in the past year and a half. Around 27 per cent of countries continue to have schools fully or partially closed. Additionally, according to UNESCO’s latest data, more than 870 million students at all levels are currently facing disruptions to their education. School closures: Where do we stand today? As of September 2021, the data indicates school closures due to COVID-19 continue to be in place in many countries. Almost a year and a half since the pandemic was declared, 27 per cent of the countries continued to be fully or partially closed. Moreover, regional differences persist with full school closures being observed in 4 of the 9 regions. In two regions, a higher share of countries are keeping their schools fully closed in September 2021 than in February 2021: South Asia (increased from 18 per cent to 25 per cent); and East Asia and the Pacific (increased from 6 per cent to 21 per cent). In Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern and Southern Africa, however, the share of countries where schools are fully closed declined between February 2021 and September 2021. Overall, there is no region where all countries have fully reopened schools.

Organization Closed

Asia's Three Most Dangerous Volcanoes

Indonesian women attend celebrations of their country's National Independence Day at the slope of... [+] Mount Merapi on August 17, 2014 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images) A volcanic eruption shot Mount Agung in Indonesia into fame this week because it sits on the island of Bali, a major vacation magnet for people all over Asia. Ash blown into the air closed the Bali’s Denpasar airport Monday through Wednesday, stranding tens of thousands of passengers and prompting thousands more to cancel travel plans as 40,000 locals evacuated. Indonesian officials held an emergency meeting Tuesday to figure out what's next, their country’s English-language Jakarta Post news website says. But Agung, which erupted after an uptick in activity since September, is hardly Asia’s most dangerous cone. A keep-out zone with a radius of 10 kilometers affected people mostly in Bali's remote northeastern area. Tourism officials said normally crowded beach towns were safe at some 75 kilometers away. These three volcanoes rank on science news websites among the most menacing in Asia because of their explosive histories and proximity to people: Mt. Sakurajima, an active volcano where an eruption spewed volcanic ash 5,000 meters into the sky on... [+] July 26, 2016, sits within 10 km of Kagoshima city with a population of 606,000. (Keith Tsuji/Getty Images) PROMOTED Sakurajima, Japan This mountain in southwestern Japan explodes thousands of times every year, tossing ash in an area near the 606,000-population city of Kagoshima, Popular Mechanics online says. Those events remind citizens they live a few kilometers from one of “Asia's most serious volcanic threats,” it adds. Sakurajima was an island until lava flows from a 1914 eruption connected it to the major island Kyushu. Merapi, Indonesia This volcano is just one of 127 Indonesian volcanoes, many of which keep people on edge over the threat of new eruptions. But Merapi poses a particular threat because it sits just 32 kilometers north of the 3.6 million-person city Yogyakarta. Tens of thousands of people live less than eight kilometers from the summit lava dome, according to travel and news website Volcano Discovery. Merapi happens to be the most active volcano in the country, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Sometimes it shoots off pyroclastic flows, which are super-heated gases and rock particles, the encyclopedia says. One such flow killed 64 people in 1994. Krakatoa, Indonesia This volcano’s eruption in 1883 killed 36,000 people on the major islands Java and Sumatra before its own collapse set off a tsunami that claimed additional lives, the Weather Channel says. That eruption is widely described as the most destructive volcanic event ever. Now a low mountain that anchors a small island west of Java, Krakatoa still registers regular volcanic activity. Some of it prompts warnings to pilots, according to the Smithsonian Institute’s Global Volcanism Program. Krakatoa sent up a plume in 2014, is thought to have exploded last year (hard to confirm in cloudy weather) and shook in earthquake-like fashion earlier this year, the program’s website says.

Volcano Eruption

1967 Portugal floods

The 1967 Portugal floods (the "big floods") were flash floods that took place in 25 and 26 November 1967, Portugal, in the Lisbon metropolitan area, affecting a total of 14 municipalities. [1][2] It was the most deadly flood registered in Portugal, accounting for more than half of all registered deaths by floods since 1865. [2] It was also the deadliest natural hazard in Portugal since the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. [2] The network of river basins affected by the flood were small (17 with basin areas smaller than 40km²) or medium-sized (Trancão River, Alenquer River, and Grande da Pipa River, all with basin areas ranging from 100 to 300km²). [2] Yet, their natural characteristics (slope, low permeable formations, etc.) enable them to generate flash floods,[2] a risk that some of the affected areas still had in 2005. [3] Extreme poverty and high birth rates had led to a rural flight towards the main cities of Portugal, namely the Lisbon metropolitan area. [2] Some of these newcomers, lacking money, would build their houses illegally, occupying plains prone to flooding and river banks. [2] During the night of 25 November 1967, heavy rain poured down. [1] The rain was most intense (>120 mm) in the metropolitan area of Lisbon, particularly in a 60km line between Estoril and Alenquer, but intense rain (>75mm) affected a large area in an axis of South West to North East orientation from Lisbon to the border with Spain. [2] Most of the rain poured in a five-hour interval, between 7 p.m. and midnight. [2] Another factor that increased the impact of the flood that followed was the high tide, which was highest between 6 p.m. and 1 am. [2] The rain led the water levels of the Tagus river near Lisbon and its tributaries to rise 3 to 4 meters, flooding many houses up to level of their first floor. [4] The flood dragged a lot of debris, namely stones and mud, but also wood, tiles and metal from houses and people's belongings. [2] The flood took most people by surprise as they were home or already sleeping and no flood alert system existed at the time. [2] Its negative effects were worse in Odivelas riverside and in the Trancão River margins. [1] The mud dragged away many bodies, so it was difficult to estimate casualties. [1] The official death toll was 495 deaths, unofficial estimates are of at least 700 deaths. [2] Based on available sources (such as newspapers), there were 2045 people registered as being directly affected by the flood: 522 dead, 330 injured, 885 who lost their home, 307 who were evacuated and one missing person. [2] Most of the dead were originally from rural areas, namely North and Alentejo and almost one fifth of the registered dead lived in a small village called "Aldeia de Quintas" (100 dead). [2] Furthermore, the river destroyed two bridges, one in Odivelas, the other in Trancão. [2] A leptospirosis outbreak potentially followed the flood, but the number of infected people is not known. [4] Firefighters, soldiers, student associations and the Red Cross, among others, would offer relief to the victims by providing shelter, medicine, food, etc. [1][5][6] A firefighter of Odivelas reports that some people were sheltered in the local fire department for more than a month. [5] Almost 6.000 students were involved in disaster relief. [6] The students created a Central Coordinating Commission in Instituto Superior Técnico's student association that was in charge of coordinating the students' relief efforts. [6] The students would write their experiences and reflections through some outlets that were already established, such as the Comércio do Funchal, and some new, such as the Solidariedade Estudantil. [6] Students of the University of Porto (with fundraising) and University of Coimbra (with medical support) also helped. [6] These floods are considered by some as a pivotal moment that would lead to the Academic Crisis of 1969 and the Carnation Revolution. [1][7][8] Despite this, the event is not frequently evoked and the academic literature focuses mostly on the meteorological aspects of the event. [4][6] The government attempted to censor the extent of the tragedy by not allowing television to display images of the dead and downplaying the causality numbers newspaper reported. [1] In 26 November 1967, Diário de Lisboa's front page reported more than 200 dead, while Diário de Notícias in 29 November reported 427 dead before the censorship did not allow further public tallies. [6] Some journal editors would also self-censor information they thought could led the whole text to be rejected. [9] In 29 November, the local censorship delegations received instructions to remove all references to the students' relief efforts. [6] PIDE would interrogate the United Press International correspondent Edouard Khavessian about a newspiece regarding student protests against the way the government dealt with the tragedy. [6] "[...] only the violence of the phenomenon of exceptional character, registered in the dramatic hours of the night of 25 to 26 of November, can fully explain the greatness of the damages caused." – Ministry of the Interior's note on Diário de Lisboa, 1967. [6] "[...] we wouldn't say: it was the floods, it was the rain. Perhaps it is fairer to say: it was misery, misery that our society did not neutralize, that caused the majority of deaths. Even in death it is sad to be miserable. Especially when you die for being miserable." – Comércio do Funchal, nº 1963, 1967. [6] Newspapers closer to the regime would frame the catastrophe as unpredictable and would focus on the wave of grief and solidarity that followed. [6] Others, namely the Portuguese Communist Party (then an illegal party) and student publications, would focus on social factors as the main cause. [6] For example, the Solidariedade Estudantil bulletin would point out that the peak of the rain had occurred in Estoril, while most deaths would occur in the Lisbon slums. [6] Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles, soon after the floods, appeared on national TV (RTP) establishing a direct link between the lack of spatial planning and the dimension of the tragedy. [10] Since 1967, there were only two other years with comparable events of intense precipitation: 1983 and 2008, but none led to as many deaths or evacuated people as the 1967 floods. [2] While some of the most affected areas were not repopulated after 1969, such as the Santa Cruz da Urmeira neighborhood in Odivelas (20 killed, 30 injured, 100 homeless), other areas were repopulated and have since expanded closer to the river banks. [3] New neighborhoods, such as the Bairro do Vale do Forno, have since been constructed near the river banks. [3] In effect, many areas, at least in the Odivelas area, still had high risk for flash floods as of 2005, but the local population does not consider their personal risk to be high (58%) and do not have insurance that would protect them in case of a flood (82%).

Floods

Shipwreck Exposed by Erosion on Florida Coast Could Be 200 Years Old

Erosion on a Florida beach has revealed a shipwreck that archaeologists say may be as much as 200 years old. As Jessica Clark reports for First Coast News, local Mark O’Donoghue was walking on Crescent Beach in St. John’s County on Saturday, as he does almost every day, when he saw “some timbers and metal spikes” sticking up through the sand. O’Donoghue reached out to the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), which sent researchers to investigate. After assessing the site, the team determined that they’d stumbled onto the wreckage of a vessel that likely ran aground on Florida’s northeast coast during the 19th century, when Crescent Beach looked decidedly different. “The sand dune wasn’t here when the ship wrecked,” archaeologist Chuck Meide tells First Coast News. “We know topography and the landscape of a coast changes a lot." He speculates that a storm eventually pushed the shipwreck far up on the beach, where sand formed around it. Based on the wooden timbers and iron fasteners, Meide tells Ryan Nelson of Action News Jax that the vessel was most likely a merchant ship. “It was probably a cargo ship, carrying goods, again in the 1800s,” he says. “Think of it kind of like a Walmart semi-truck: a ship that was carrying a bunch of, could be hardware, could be flour, could be all kinds of different commodities.” Meide posits that whoever operated the ship spoke English, as various parts of the vessel were “cut in feet and inches.” “[T]he keelson, for example, was 12 inches across,” he explains to Action News Jax. “So, that tells us that it is more likely to be an American ship, a Canadian ship or a British ship.” As waves rolled onto the beach at high tide on Saturday, more sections of the ship became visible. “A substantial part of the structure is still beneath what we can see,” Nick Budsberg, another LAMP archaeologist, tells Clark for a separate First Coast News report. Budsberg outlines several possible scenarios that could have brought the ship to the spot where it sat for centuries. “It might have been at the end of its life, and they ran it up on the beach and called it a day,” he says. “Or it is possible it wrecked further out to sea and a portion of the ship made it to the beach.” The archaeologists also found burn marks on some of the ship’s timbers. “My gut is telling me the burning happened after the ship wrecked,” Meide tells First Coast News. “Someone very well could have burned it for salvage purposes because then you shift through the ashes and pull out metal spikes and sell for scrap.” Writing on the LAMP Facebook page, the researchers say they will continue to study the timbers, both onsite and in the lab, to seek more information about the wood’s age and origin. Many beachgoers gathered to see the archaeologists studying the wreck. “We saw all the activity and asked what’s going on,” observer Lisa Snyder tells First Coast News. “We got to talk to some of the archaeologists. It’s just fascinating.” But the discovery also has a dark side: It reflects the growing problem of beach erosion, a natural phenomenon exacerbated by climate change. In a paper published earlier this year in Nature, scientists pointed out that almost half of Earth’s sandy beaches could vanish by the end of the century. Pat Lee, who lives near the spot where the shipwreck was discovered, tells First Coast News that the ship only became visible due to the massive loss of beach sand in recent years. “The wreckage there used to be under ten feet of sand,” he says. “In the last three years, we lost it. We lost it all. … It’s very cool to see the shipwreck. It is very disturbing to see the sand leave our beach.” Still, O’Donoghue tells Action News Jax that he’s excited to be part of a historical find. “It’s awesome!” he says. “The fact that we’re going to uncover it, or that LAMP [is] going to uncover it, and hopefully that it can be shared with future generations, it’s part of our history.” Meide says moving and preserving the wreck would cost millions of dollars, so for now, at least, it will remain on the beach.

Shipwreck

Blood Moon: 21st Century’s longest lunar eclipse — in pictures

This combo picture shows the transitions of full moon during a “blood moon” eclipse as seen from Jakarta on July 27, 2018. | Photo Credit: AFP A blood-red moon dazzled star gazers across much of the world on July 27-28 when it moved into Earth's shadow for the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st Century. From the Cape of Good Hope to the Middle East, and from the Kremlin to Sydney Harbour, thousands of people turned their eyes to the stars to watch the moon, which turned dark before shining orange, brown and crimson in the shadow. The total eclipse lasted 1 hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds, though a partial eclipse preceded and follows, meaning the moon will spend a total of nearly 4 hours in the Earth's umbral shadow, according to NASA. The fullest eclipse was visible from Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia and Australia though clouds blocked out the moon in some places. North America missed out on this lunar eclipse but can look forward to the next one on January 21, 2019, according to NASA. The next lunar eclipse of such a length is due in 2123. Watch: The blood moon from across the world Mars is traveling closer to earth than it has done since 2003, so some observers may see what looks like an orange-red star — and is in fact the red planet. “It is a very unusual coincidence to have a total lunar eclipse and Mars at opposition on the same night,” said Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, who watched the eclipse from the Mediterranean Sea. Across Africa people turned to the sky, watching the reddish shadow slide up the moon’s surface. In Somalia, some hurried to mosques for special prayers. In South Sudan, some dared to take photos in a war-torn country where using a camera in public is discouraged. In Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, people at an open-air restaurant admired a rare clear view during the rainy season, comparing a live NASA webcast to what they saw above. Then clouds rolled in. “Dem yelebesech chereka,” some murmured Amharic for “blood moon.” In Nairobi, Kenyans watched as the moon darkened. “This is what life is all about: Magical moments like this,” said Teddy Muthusi as he watched from Uhuru Park in Nairobi. ”It's just beautiful. It's well worth it.” From the Cape of Good Hope to the Middle East, and from the Kremlin to Sydney Harbour, thousands of people turned their eyes to the stars to watch the moon, which turned dark before shining orange, brown and crimson in the shadow. A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth takes position in a straight line between the moon and sun, blotting out the direct sunlight that normally makes our satellite glow whitish-yellow. The moon travels to a similar position every month, but the tilt of its orbit means it normally passes above or below the Earth’s shadow - so most months we have a full moon without an eclipse. When the three celestial bodies are perfectly lined up, however, the Earth’s atmosphere scatters blue light from the sun while refracting or bending red light onto the moon, usually giving it a rosy blush. This is what gives the phenomenon the name “blood moon”, though Mark Bailey of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland said the colour can vary greatly. It depends partly on “how cloudy or transparent those parts of the Earth’s atmosphere are which enable sunlight to reach the moon”, he told AFP. “During a very dark eclipse the moon may be almost invisible. “Less dark eclipses may show the moon as dark grey or brown... as rust-coloured, brick-red, or, if very bright, copper-red or orange.” The long duration of this eclipse is partly due to the fact that the moon will make a near-central passage through Earth’s umbra -- the darkest, most central part of the shadow. A blood-red moon dazzled star gazers across much of the world on Friday when the earth's natural satellite moved into the shadow of our planet for the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st Century. From the Cape of Good Hope to the Middle East, and from the Kremlin to Sydney Harbour, thousands of people turned their eyes to the stars to watch the moon which turned dark before shining orange, brown and crimson as it moved into the earth's shadow. The total eclipse will last 1 hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds, though a partial eclipse preceded and follows, meaning the moon will spend a total of 3 hours and 54 minutes in the earth's umbral shadow, according to NASA. The fullest eclipse, at 2022 GMT, was visible from Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, much of Asia and Australia though clouds blocked out the moon in some places. Across Africa, people turned to the sky. In Johannesburg, residents took advantage of the clear winter night and watched the reddish shadow slide up the moon’s surface. In Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, people at an open-air restaurant admired a rare clear view during the rainy season, comparing a live NASA webcast to what they saw above. Then clouds rolled in. “Dem yelebesech chereka,” some murmured Amharic for “blood moon.” “The reason that the moon turns red is because atmospheric scattering causes red light to pass through the atmosphere and the composition of the atmosphere can change if volcanic eruptions or forest fires occur,” said Tom Kerss, an astronomer with the Royal Observatory Greenwich. “And the density of dust increasing in the atmosphere can cause the moon to appear a particularly deep red, and indeed it has the same effect on our sunsets and sunrises.” The period of complete eclipse will last 1 hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds, though a partial eclipse precedes and follows, meaning the moon will spend a total of 3 hours and 54 minutes in the earth's umbral shadow, according to NASA. Astronomers have appealed to Indians to upload selfies with the hashtag #EclipseEating while enjoying food during the eclipse, in a bid to dispel the myths and superstitions surrounding the celestial event. Existing superstitions and myths among the people in India keeps them from witnessing one of the most beautiful phenomenon of universe. “Unfortunately among people there are lot of false beliefs or superstitions about eclipses. There are beliefs that we should not go out and see them, we should not eat during eclipse etc,” said Niruj Mohan Ramanujam from National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Pune. “Eclipse is the time when we realise that the universe is extremely grand where things move constantly. To miss such an event would be a pity,” Mr. Ramanujam, who is also a member of the Public Outreach and Education Committee at Astronomical Society of India, told PTI. “We are encouraging people to start the campaign, to take a pictures of them with their friends and family of eating and drinking and post it on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with #EclipseEating,” Mr. Ramanujam said. “You are not scared if the mountain hides the Sun from you, so why should you be scared if Moon hides the Sun from you?” he said. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth comes in between the Sun and moon, with the three celestial bodies falling in a line and Earth’s shadow covering moon. As the moon enters the Earth’s darker shadow — umbra — it will bear a reddish appearance and is known commonly as a blood moon, with the lunar eclipse also being called the ‘longest blood moon’. Such long total lunar eclipses had earlier occurred on July 16, 2000 for totality duration of 1 hour 46 minutes and another one on June 15, 2011 for totality duration of 1 hour 40 minutes. For thousands of years, man has looked to the heavens for omens of doom, victory and joy. Astronomers, though, said there was no cause for worry. “There is no reason to believe that blood moons foretell doom,” said Massey. “This does not herald the apocalypse: seeing a lunar eclipse and Mars in the sky is something people should enjoy rather than worry about medieval superstitions.” When the moon moves into the conical shadow of the earth, it goes from being illuminated by the sun to being dark. Some light, though, will still reach it because it is bent by the earth's atmosphere. “It's called a blood moon because the light from the sun goes through the earth's atmosphere on its way to the moon, and the earth's atmosphere turns it red in the same way that when the sun goes down it goes red,” Andrew Fabian, professor of astronomy at the University of Cambridge, told Reuters. According to the India Meteorological Department the lunar eclipse may not be visible in the Northeast because of cloudy weather. During this rare phenomena, the Moon will turn bright red and it will be visible in India as well.

New wonders in nature

Cornwall Court fire

The Cornwall Court Fire (Chinese: 嘉禾大廈五級火) was a building fire incident in Hong Kong. It began in a nightclub and karaoke bar on the morning of Sunday 10 August 2008, taking the lives of four people, including two firefighters, and injuring a further 55 people. The fire broke out at 09:20, in the nightclub on the mezzanine floor, and quickly engulfed the entire building, according to a preliminary investigation by firefighters. [1] It was upgraded to a No. 4 alarm at 10:23 and a No. 5 at 12:16. [2] More than 200 firefighters and 40 appliances from across Kowloon were dispatched to deal with the blaze. Many trapped residents were rescued. [3] Cornwall Court is a 15-storey building on Nathan Road in Mong Kok, built in 1962. [4] Its lower floors are occupied by a nightclub and shops while the upper floors are residential. The fire caused the complete closure of Nathan Road and the evacuation of residents from nearby buildings. Two firefighters from Mong Kok Fire Station, Senior Fireman Siu Wing-fong, 46 years old with 24 years' experience, and Fireman Chan Siu-lung, 25 years old with one year of service, died from smoke inhalation on the top floor of the building while trying to reach trapped residents. Survivors reported that the two officers had given them their oxygen breathing apparatus even while continuing to carry the heavy cylinders. [3] One of the two civilian victims was a 77-year-old woman, on the ninth floor, and the other was a female staff member at the nightclub, surnamed Man and aged 39, who had been asleep with colleagues. Her burned body was found in the nightclub after the fire was extinguished. The fire was declared extinguished at 15:13, but the building remained closed pending an investigation into the cause of the fire. Residents were provided with temporary shelter in Mong Kok Community Centre, although some refused to leave their homes. The southbound side of Nathan Road was reopened by evening, the pedestrian walk outside Cornwall Court was blocked till 12 August. Coordinates: 22°19′11″N 114°10′08″E / 22.3197°N 114.1688°E / 22.3197; 114.1688

Fire

2021 Tripoli protests

The 2021 Tripoli protests are riots, civil disobedience, civil disorder and demonstrations after the government of Hassan Diab announced a nationwide lockdown, amid hunger, inflation and unemployment increasing, worsening the already deteriorating economy. [1] According to Al Jazeera English, protesters rallied for their third consecutive night in Tripoli as it turned into riots. Police fired live ammunition to disperse protesters. Many people were left wounded in the clashes. [2] Protests occurred during nights in 25-26 January, when the military fired live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas. At least 60 people and 10 security forces were wounded in the clashes. [3] A protester died in the clashes. [4]

Protest_Online Condemnation

Pittsfield cancels 2021 Halloween Parade

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) — The city of Pittsfield has canceled the 2021 Halloween Parade. A tentative trick-or-treat event will be hed from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on October 30, and the city is also encouraging residents to participate in its free virtual Halloween contest. From October 1 to October 24, you can submit a photo of a decorated pumpkin, costume, or a decorated home. There will be prizes for the winners of different categories. The contest is open to all ages, and you must be a Pittsfield resident. Judging will take place the week of October 25, and the winners will be announced on October 29.

Organization Closed

Prince Harry's Briefcase Identifies Him As... ''Archie's Papa''

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan may be on a visit to New York without their children, Archie and Lilibet, but they did carry a piece of home with them. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who now live in California, kicked off their trip to New York City with a visit to the "Freedom Tower" and 9/11 Memorial on Thursday. Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, later met the United States's ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. It was a picture taken as Harry left a building in the United Nations Plaza that has stirred up interest on social media. Eagle-eyed social media users were quick to notice the special inscription on Harry's briefcase: "Archie's Papa", it read.  This is the couple's first joint appearance since the birth of their daughter Lilibet in June. Their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born in May 2019. In May this year, they had marked Archie's second birthday with a plea for donations to fund Covid vaccines. They also released a sepia-toned picture of the birthday boy on the occasion. It shows him with his back to the camera, holding a bunch of balloons in hand.  Photo Credit: Archwell.com Harry and Meghan are due to take the stage at Global Citizen Live in New York's Central Park on Saturday. Global Citizen Live is a series of concerts being held around the world to raise awareness on climate change, vaccine equality and famine. "It's wonderful to be back," Meghan told reporters. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. Watch Live News:

Diplomatic Visit

2018 Taylorsville Georgia-Pacific strike

The 2018 Taylorsville Georgia-Pacific strike was a labor strike involving workers for Georgia-Pacific in Taylorsville, Mississippi, United States. The strike began on March 28, 2018 at 11 p.m.[1] The strikers were members of the Carpenters Industrial Council Local 2086,[2] the local union for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. [3] The cause for the strike was related to scheduling issues, with a representative from the union telling WDAM-TV that "employees are unable to schedule vacations or know when they aren’t scheduled to work. "[4] At the time, negotiations had been ongoing for almost a year,[5] with union membership previously voting to reject the company's proposals in both December and January. [2] According to a press release issued by the union, the rejections were due to "severe lack of information throughout the company’s proposal". [2] An official from the company stated that the negotiations were intended to lead to a schedule that was "more equitable to all the employees. "[6] The strike, which lasted over two weeks, ended on April 16, with the strikers returning to work that day. Union and company representatives had previously undergone mediation on April 13, without success. A company representative stated that union members had voted to ratify their labor contracts and return to work, with a union representative claiming that the time limit for the strike was approaching and that prolonging the strike would have allowed the company to "close their doors on us. "[7]

Strike

Truck and ute crash reduces Tonkin Highway to two lanes in Bayswater

Paramedics are treating a man in his 60s after a ute crossed into oncoming traffic and smashed into a road train in Bayswater this morning. The major crash has seen Tonkin Highway reduced to a single lane in both directions, with footage of the wreck showing a white ute on the wrong side of the road, sandwiched between a barrier and a large truck. St John Ambulance arrived at the scene of the crash first, calling the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and WA Police for backup at about 11.40am. Two fire crews from Kiara are at the crash site and are attending to a fuel spill while police manage traffic on the northbound and southbound lanes after Guildford Road. It is unclear whether the man in his 60s who paramedics are treating was in the truck or the car, however, it is believed his injuries aren’t life threatening.

Road Crash

1977 Russian flu

The 1977 Russian flu was an influenza pandemic that was first reported by the Soviet Union in 1977 and lasted until 1979. [1][2] The outbreak in northern China started in May 1977, slightly earlier than that in the Soviet Union. [3][4] The pandemic mostly affected population younger than 25 or 26 years of age,[1][5][6] and resulted in approximately 700,000 deaths worldwide. [7][8][9] It was caused by an H1N1 flu strain which highly resembled a virus strain circulating worldwide from 1946 to 1957. [1][2][5][6] Genetic analysis and several unusual characteristics of the 1977 Russian flu have prompted many researchers to speculate that the virus was released to the public through a laboratory accident,[4][5][10][11][12][13] or resulted from a live-vaccine trial escape. [5][14] In May 1977, an outbreak of flu took place in northern China including Liaoning, Jilin and Tianjin. [3][5][15][16] The strain was isolated and determined by Chinese researchers to be H1N1, which mostly affected students in middle and primary schools who lacked immunity to H1N1 virus. [3] Clinical symptoms were relatively mild. [3] Other areas in mainland China and British Hong Kong were also affected in the following months. [3][11] In the same year, the H1N1 strain was detected in Siberia shortly after the outbreak in China, and then spread rapidly across the Soviet Union, which was the first country to report the outbreak to the World Health Organization (the People's Republic of China was not a member of WHO until 1981[17]). [1][4][5][6] Therefore, the pandemic was named "Russian flu". [18] In 1977, the Russian flu hit the United Kingdom. [19] The virus reached the United States in January 1978. [6][15] The first outbreak in the U.S was reported in a high school in Cheyenne, where the clinical attack rate was more than 70% but involved solely students. [2][6] Even though infections were seen in schools and military bases throughout the U.S, there were few reports of infection in people older than 26, and the death rate in affected individuals was low. [2][6] Since late 1977, the H1N1 strain has begun to co-circulate with the H3N2 strain in humans, as seasonal flu. [1][3][18] There have been various H1N1 strains. [5] The 1977 H1N1 strain was almost identical to (but not the same as) the strain in the 1950s, which was not circulating around the world until its reappearance in 1977. [1][2][3][4][5][6] (Meanwhile there had been some isolated report of other H1N1 strain such as the one in the early 1960s[20]) This feature of the 1977 strain has been interpreted as an anthropogenic origin of the virus. [5][21][22] The Russian flu was relatively benign. In 1977, Chinese researchers found uneven attack rates among different groups of students, as well as many mild and asymptomatic infections. [3] In the United States, some researchers estimate the influenza mortality rate (not the infection fatality rate or the case fatality rate) around 5 in every 100,000 population, less than that of the typical seasonal influenza (~6 in every 100,000 population). [5][26] Most of the infected people were under the age of 26 or 25. [1][5][6] It is estimated that 700,000 people died due to the Russian flu pandemic worldwide. [7][8][9]

Disease Outbreaks

Queensland's plastic-covered beaches revealed by aerial survey

Some of Queensland's most remote beaches are being inundated with rubbish, most of it plastic. Earlier this month, marine conservation charity Tangaroa Blue conducted an aerial survey of beaches north of Cooktown, on the north-eastern coast of Cape York Peninsula. Tangaroa Blue director, Heidi Taylor said the survey had revealed tonnes of waste washed up on beaches inaccessible by land. "Most of it is plastic, over 90 per cent, and we found lots of fishing gear, big fishing floats, bits of rope and scrap nets. We found lots of plastic bottles, drink bottles, water bottles, oil bottles, shampoo bottles, a lot of stuff with international writing on it," she said. "We've been removing debris from beaches up there and getting up to a tonne per kilometre in some cases and some of the loads we saw on those remote beaches were well in excess of that. "We [also] work with the Mapoon Rangers on Queensland's north-western coast and the Gulf of Carpentaria — they get huge amounts of plastic [and] ghost nets up there." Senior research scientist for the CSIRO's Oceans and Atmosphere program Dr Britta Denise Hardesty said there was already an incredible amount of marine debris around the globe. "Current global estimates are that around eight to 12 million metric tonnes enter the oceans each year," she said. "The amount of plastic in the world's oceans is already affecting marine life and doing far more harm than just ruining a beach's appearance. "We're now finding plastic that's broken down into tiny particles in organisms as small as plankton and as big as whales, dolphins, sea lions and turtles. "So we know that plastic that gets out into the oceans is breaking down into smaller and smaller particles, which means it's accessible to organisms all the way up the food chain." Dr Hardesty said not all marine scientists agreed on how many accumulating zones or extreme amounts of garbage exists in the Earth's oceans, but they are thought to number anywhere from five to 13 zones. She said beaches facing a particular way, like the ones on Cape York Peninsula, were susceptible to constant debris deposits because of ocean currents. "There are many beaches susceptible to 'sinks', which means the litter may not be originally from there and those beaches are so remote that people don't actually visit them except for when groups are going out and doing clean-ups on them," Dr Hardesty said. Among the tonnes of rubbish Tangaroa Blue removed from beaches each year were thousands of rubber thongs, although volunteers were yet to find a matching pair. "About two years ago we did a clean up with the Mapoon Rangers on their beach and we actually removed 7,154 thongs from one beach," Ms Taylor said. "There were left ones, right ones, old ones and new ones — but there were no pairs at all." The problem with marine debris on such remote beaches was even if people could get there via land there was no suitable place to dispose of it. Ms Taylor said the logistics of remote, beach-clearing exercises were expensive and she wanted more government funding to fix the problem. "We can definitely get in by boat and we can definitely get choppers to swing in big silo bags full of plastic out of there, but we need to put those logistics in place and we need to understand that if we're going to address this issue we've got to get serious about it," she said. )

Environment Pollution

2020–2021 Thai protests

Protesters and organisations: (no centralised leadership) Authorities: Supported by: In Thailand, protests began in early 2020 with demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. They later expanded to include the unprecedented demands for reform of the Thai monarchy. The protests were initially triggered by the dissolution of the Future Forward Party (FFP) in late February 2020 which was critical of Prayut, the changes to the Thai constitution in 2017 and the country's political landscape that it gave rise to. This first wave of protests was held exclusively on academic campuses and was brought to a halt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Protests resumed again on 18 July with a large demonstration organised under the Free Youth umbrella at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok. Three demands were presented to the Government of Thailand: the dissolution of parliament, ending intimidation of the people, and the drafting of a new constitution. The July protests were triggered by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and enforcement of the lockdown Emergency Decree and spread nationwide. On 3 August, two student groups publicly raised demands to reform the monarchy, breaking a long taboo of publicly criticising the monarchy. A week later, ten demands for monarchy reform were declared. A 19 September rally saw 20,000–100,000 protesters and has been described as an open challenge to King Vajiralongkorn. A government decision to delay voting on a constitutional amendment in late September fuelled nearly unprecedented public republican sentiment. [g] Following mass protests on 14 October, a "severe" state of emergency was declared in Bangkok during 15–22 October, citing the alleged blocking of a royal motorcade. Emergency powers were extended to the authorities on top of those already given by the Emergency Decree since March. Protests continued despite the ban, prompting a crackdown by police on 16 October using water cannons. In November, the Parliament voted to pass two constitutional amendment bills, but their content effectively shut down the protesters' demands of abolishing the Senate and reformation of the monarchy. Clashes between the protesters and the police and royalists became more prevalent, and resulted in many injuries. The protesters were mostly students and young people without an overall leader. [35] Apart from the aforementioned political demands, some rallies were held by LGBT groups who called for gender equality, as well as student groups who campaigned for reforming the country's education system. Government responses included filing criminal charges using the Emergency Decree; arbitrary detention and police intimidation; delaying tactics; the deployment of military information warfare units; media censorship; the mobilisation of pro-government and royalist groups who have accused the protesters of receiving support from foreign governments or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as part of a global conspiracy against Thailand; and the deployment of thousands of police at protests. The government ordered university chancellors to prevent students from demanding reforms to the monarchy and to identify student protest leaders. Protests since October, when the King had returned to the country from Germany,[36] resulted in the deployment of the military, riot police, and mass arrests. Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) Over the previous 90 years in Thailand, elected governments have frequently been overthrown by military coups. [37] Thirteen successful coups have occurred since the end of absolute rule in the Siamese revolution of 1932. [38] As head of the Royal Thai Army, Prayut Chan-o-cha instigated the most recent coup in 2014 and led the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the military junta which came to power following the coup. Prayut was eventually appointed Prime Minister, and the NCPO ruled the country for five years, during which political and civil rights were restricted, and economic inequality widened. [39][40] A disputed referendum, widely called unfree and unfair,[41] was held in 2016 to approve a new military-drafted constitution. Analysts have described the new constitution as favouring the military and disadvantaging large political parties. [42] It includes a junta-appointed Senate, empowered to vote for the Prime Minister for five years, allowing the military to select two prime ministers in the future,[43] and binds future governments to a 20-year national strategy 'road map' laid down the NCPO, effectively locking the country into the period of military-guided democracy with a much reduced role for politicians at both national and local levels. [44] Prayut's supporters make up a majority of parliament. [45] The 2019 Thai general election, which was considered "partly free and not fair" and as electoral authoritarianism, and has been described as a 'political ritual',[43] nominally brought an end to the NCPO, but the political system continued in the form of a Myanmar-style civil-military party, Palang Pracharat Party, which essentially continues the NCPO's policies and orders as a form of competitive authoritarianism. [43] The coalition government is composed of pro-Prayut camps and smaller parties who benefited from multiple technical interpretations of the election law by a military-controlled Election Commission, including a 44-day hiatus while the election laws were reinterpreted to pave way for a coalition with the state military party at the helm. [46][47][48] Via NCPO mechanisms, Prayut has appointed allies to the Senate, Constitutional Court, various Constitutional organizations, including the Election Commission, and the National Anti-Corruption Commission[43] as well as officials at the local government level. Substantively amending the Constitution is almost impossible as it would require both Senate support and a referendum. [49] Numerous generals, as well as people with historical links to organized crime (e.g., Thammanat Prompao[50]), hold key ministerial positions in Second Prayut Cabinet. [43][51][52] During the 2019 general election, the FFP was received well by progressives and youths, who viewed it as an alternative to traditional political parties and as against the NCPO,[53] revealing a socio-political cleavage along generational lines,[43] i.e., between Thai youth and the ruling Thai gerontocracy. The party won the third-largest share of parliamentary seats. [54] After eleven months of the coalition, an opposition FFP became short-lived when it was dissolved by the Constitutional Court, as the House of Representatives about to debate on motion of no confidence. [55] Former FFP members stressed the regime's corruption and were active in exposing the junta's involvement in the 1MDB scandal. [1] Further sources of grievance, many of which the FFP championed, include abortion rights; authoritarianism in Thai schools (including hazing); education reform; labour rights (trade unionism); military reform (e.g., ending conscription and reducing the defense budget, including the purchase of submarines[56]), monopolies (e.g., alcohol), and women's rights. [57] Criticism of the monarchy was quite rare during the 70-year reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which ended in 2016. [58] After the period of decreased status of the monarchy during Khana Ratsadon era, he restored influence and respect to the throne, which helped define the modern Thai political landscape. [59] Since assuming the throne, King Vajiralongkorn has intervened publicly in Thai political affairs. The King voiced his opinion on the Constitution in 2017, leading to an amendment on the power of the monarchy in the version that had already been accepted in the 2016 constitutional referendum. [60] He became one of the world's richest monarchs in 2018, when he was granted personal ownership of royal assets from the Crown Property Bureau (CPB), valued at approximately US$40 billion, which was formerly legally considered publicly owned. [61] He has also consolidated the Privy Council, Office of the Royal Household and Royal Security Office into a single personal office;[62] in 2020, the government, seemingly acting in his name[citation needed], transferred two army units to his personal command,[63] giving military control to the monarchy which was unprecedented in modern Thailand. [64] The Royal Office's budget for 2020 was US$290 million, more than double its budget from 2018. [61] On the eve of the 2019 election, Vajiralongkorn issued a royal announcement urging people to vote for "good people" (Thai: คนดี; RTGS: khon di; i.e., the junta parties), which was re-broadcast the following morning, in an "unprecedented intervention by the palace". [52]:97 This sparked a massive, immediate, negative reaction on Twitter by Thai youth, using the hashtag "We are grown-ups and can choose for ourselves" (Thai: โตแล้วเลือกเองได้; RTGS: to laeo lueak eng dai). [65][52] Following the election, on 19 July 2019, when the new cabinet was sworn in, they pledged their allegiance to the monarchy, but left out an oath to the constitution, and despite protests, did not correct what was widely seen as a serious breach of the traditional oath of office and a tacit admission of the increasingly absolutist nature of the Thai monarchy. [51] Subsequently, in a ceremony on 27 August, each minister was presented with a framed message of support from the King.

Protest_Online Condemnation

Mahesh Babu undergoes knee surgery in Spain, actor recovering well

Mahesh Babu underwent knee surgery in Spain and is currently recuperating. The actor will be back in Hyderabad soon. UPDATED: December 16, 2021 16:29 IST Mahesh Babu undergoes knee surgery in Spain. Mahesh Babu recently underwent knee surgery in Spain on December 14. He is currently recuperating. The actor is expected to take rest for two months before getting back to work. Mahesh Babu was seen leaving Hyderabad with his wife, Namrata Shirodkarar, on December 13. After the doctors give a green signal, Mahesh Babu will return to Hyderabad. MAHESH BABU UNDERGOES KNEE SURGERY IN SPAIN Mahesh Babu has been busy shooting for director Parasuram Petla's Sarkaru Vaari Paata for the past few months. According to reports, the actor has been suffering from knee pain for a while now. After consulting with doctors, Mahesh Babu decided to go ahead with his knee surgery. If reports are to be believed, Mahesh Babu is recovering well at the hospital after the surgery. The actor will wait for the doctor's advice before getting back to Hyderabad. MAHESH BABU'S UPCOMING FILM Mahesh Babu was last seen in Sarileru Neekevvaru, which released in theatres in 2020 . The actor took a break for a few months before signing his upcoming film, Sarkaaru Vaari Paata. Directed by Parasuram Petla, the film will release in theatres on April 1, 2022. After completing Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Mahesh Babu will team up with Trivikram Srinivas for a film, which will also feature Pooja Hegde. He also has a film with director SS Rajamouli in the pipeline.

Famous Person - Recovered

2021 Brazilian protests

The 2021 Brazilian protests are popular demonstrations that took place in different regions of Brazil, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Protests both supporting and opposing government happened. [4] It was also the first time when sectors linked to the two antagonistic sides, such as the left and the right, began to protest against the government over a common goal, holding caravans on January 23 and 24, 2021. [5][6][7] In January 5, 2021, Bolsonaro, meeting with supporters, affirmed that “the country is broken” and “I can’t do anything about it”. He also attacked the press, affirming that it “gave power to the [corona]virus”. [8] There were many specialists talking about it the next day, and Bolsonaro said, in an irony, that the country “is well, is in a marvel”, and that the press made a “terrible wave” of his affirmation. [9][10][11] While Bolsonaro’s opposition claims he’s “playing with the country”,[12] his supporters claim he was talking about the federal income tax exemption ceiling, that he can’t increase it because of the tax cuts to fight COVID-19. [13] On January, a health crisis happened in the State of Amazonas, and one of the crisis’ effects was the depletion of oxygen at the state. On January 18, the Attorney General of the Union (AGU) said to the Federal Supreme Court that the government knew about the possibility of crisis, and the Union sent to the state 120,000 tablets of hydroxychloroquine, a drug with disputed efficacy for COVID-19. [14][15] The AGU also said, however, that the Health Ministry only knew about the oxygen depletion on January 8. [16] On June 23, Federal Deputy Luís Miranda (DEM-DF) denounced a corruption scandal involving Covaxin’s buy contract by Bolsonaro’s government, in a live national transmission of CNN Brasil. He affirmed that he got the information with his brother, Ricardo. [17] The same day, a press conference at the Planalto Palace was organized, aired live by TV Brasil, where the Federal Government confronted Miranda’s claims,[18] and Bolsonaro affirms that it was all a typo. [19] The scandal was named “Covaxingate” by some press corporations. [20][21][22] Precisa Medicamentos’ owner (the company that intermediated Covaxin’s contract), Francisco Emerson Maximiano, sent to the COVID-19 CPI a letter that, according to CNN Brasil itself, “deny brothers”,[23] while Bharat Biotech said Brazil bought Covaxin by the same price as other countries[24][25] with better purchasing conditions, denying any overpricing. [26][27] On June 29, the Brazilian journal Folha de S.Paulo published an interview with Luiz Paulo Dominguetti Pereira, a Davati Medical Supply’s representative. Luiz Pereira said that, on February 25, he met with Roberto Ferreira Dias, Logistics Director at the Health Ministry, in a Brasília shopping, to negotiate 400 million doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. According to VEJA’s reporting on the interview, “To make up such 'group', said the representative of Davati Supply, the representative of the Ministry of Health would have stated that it would be necessary to "add 1 dollar" per dose of vaccine, for bribes. […] He claims that he refused the request for a bribe. After the case, he would have had contact with the representative of the Ministry of Health on other occasions, but the agreement did not go forward”. [28] However, Davati said Dominguetti Pereira is neither a company’s representative nor an employee,[29] and AstraZeneca denied having any intermediaries in Brazil, or negotiating with the private market, state governments and municipalities. [30][31][32] Since 2014, Brazil is in an economical crisis, caused mainly by a political crisis that culminated in the impeachment of then-President Dilma Rousseff, but also by the 2014 commodity price shock, which had a negative impact on exportations. The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns made this situation get worse: the country’s GDP decreased by 4.1% in 2020,[33] while 18 million became poor, making poverty triplicate in one year,[34] and unemployment reached 36.6 million brazilians, equivalent to one Canada unemployed. [35] In 15 days during the pandemic, 522,000 businesses broke. [36] On March 14, 2019, the then-STF president, Minister Dias Toffoli, opened an inquiry (Inquiry n. 4781) to investigate fake news against the Court’s members, indicating Minister Alexandre de Moraes as rapporteur. [37] The inquiry was labeled ‘inquisitorial’,[38] ‘unconstitutional’[38][39] and ‘illegal’. [40] The Prosecutor General of the Republic (PGR) asked the STF, on May 2020, to archive the case,[41] but this didn’t happen. [42] On April 12, 2019 (effective April 15), Moraes censored Revista Crusoé’s article about Dias Toffoli, based on documents obtained by Operation Car Wash, where, in July 13, 2007, Marcelo Odebrecht asked to Adriano Maia and Irineu Meireles, via message, if they reached an agreement about Madeira River’s hydroelectric plants with “the friend of my father’s friend”. The Operation asked to Odebrecht about these messages, and Odebrecht answered: It refers to discussions that Adriano Maia had with the AGU on issues involving the hydroelectric dams of the Madeira River. ‘Friend of my father's friend’ refers to José Antônio Dias Toffoli. The nature and content of these discussions, however, can only be properly clarified by Adriano Maia, who led them. [43] Moraes, the next day after the reporting was published, censored the reporting, affirming that there was a “clear abuse at the content of the reporting”. [44] The decision was widely criticized by the Brazilian press, being labeled by it unconstitutional,[45] and by the Order of Attorneys of Brazil,[46] and the censorship heated discussions about the creation of an Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry to investigate the Superior Tribunals (STF, Superior Tribunal of Justice - STJ, Superior Military Tribunal - STM, Superior Electoral Court - TSE and Superior Labor Court - TST), often called the “Lava Toga CPI”. [47][48] Even STF ministers, such as Marco Aurélio Mello[49] and Celso de Mello,[50] criticized Moraes’ decision. Moraes later revoked his order. [51] On February 16, 2021, Moraes arrested Federal Deputy Daniel Silveira, for unbailable crime, based on the Fake News inquiry,[52] after he criticized the STF, decision unanimously confirmed by the Court[53] and later approved by the Chamber of Deputies. [54] The decision was labeled unconstitutional by jurists Dircêo Torrecillas Ramos and Matheus Falivene. [55] On November 7, 2019, the STF, by 6 votes against 5, vetoed second instance arrest, affirming that someone may only be arrested after the res judicata. The decision paved the way to former president Luís Inácio Lula da Silva be free, and 5,000 others. [56] STF’s critics claimed the Court “finished with second instance arrest”. [57] The day after, Lula was released. [58] At that time, a Real Time Institute research affirmed that 50% of the brazilians disagreed with Lula’s release, and 56% disagreed with the Court’s decision. [59] On March 8, 2021, Minister Edson Fachin nullified Lula’s sentences on Operetion Car Wash,[60] decision soon criticized by many deputies. [61] The decision would be later confirmed by the STF plenary, in an 8x3 vote, defeated Ministers Nunes Marques, Marco Aurélio Mello and the Court’s President, Luiz Fux. [62] According to a Paraná Pesquisas search, 57.5% of the brazilians disagreed with the decision. [63] In parallel, on March 23, the 2nd Class of the STF formed a majority to declare then-Judge Sérgio Moro biased when judging Lula, after Lula-appointed Minister Cármen Lúcia reverted her vote, reverting the class’ 3x2 majority against Lula to a 3x2 majority in favor of Lula. [64] The decision was later confirmed by the Court, forming a majority on April 22 in Lula’s favor. The plenary’s judgment, however, was suspended, after Minister Marco Aurélio Mello asked more time to make an analysis. Minister President Luiz Fux, then, suspended rapidly the judgment, because Ministers Luís Roberto Barroso and Gilmar Mendes started a discussion. At that time, the vote was 7x2 in Lula’s favor.

Protest_Online Condemnation

Canadian Club: Wind Industry Furious: Ontario Rips Up 750 Wind Power Contracts

Proving, yet again, that without punitive mandates, ludicrous targets and massive subsidies the wind industry would disappear in a heartbeat, the decision to cancel hundreds of government contracts with wind power developers in Ontario has left rent seekers furious, and wondering where their next meal might come from? Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford couldn’t conceal his delight in announcing the demise of hundreds of projects, thereby avoiding thousands of these things being speared across Ontario’s rural heartland. Not to mention saving power consumers hundreds of millions of dollars, over the long haul. Doug Ford ‘proud’ of decision to tear up hundreds of green energy contracts The Canadian Press Shawn Jeffords 21 November 2019 Premier Doug Ford said Thursday he is “proud” of his decision to tear up hundreds of renewable energy deals, a move that his government acknowledges could cost taxpayers more than $230 million. Ford dismissed criticism that his Progressive Conservatives are wasting public money, telling a news conference that the cancellation of 750 contracts signed by the previous Liberal government will save cash. “I’m so proud of that,” Ford said of his decision. “I’m proud that we actually saved the taxpayers $790 million when we cancelled those terrible, terrible, terrible wind turbines that really for the last 15 years have destroyed our energy file.” Later Thursday, Ford went further in defending the cancelled contracts, saying “if we had the chance to get rid of all the wind mills we would.” The NDP first reported the cost of the cancellations Tuesday, saying the $231 million figure was listed as “other transactions”, buried in government documents detailing spending in the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The Progressive Conservatives have said the final cost of the cancellations, which include the decommissioning of a wind farm already under construction in Prince Edward County, Ont., has yet to be established. The government has said it tore up the deals because the province didn’t need the power and it was driving up electricity rates, and the decision will save millions over the life of the contracts. Industry officials have disputed those savings, saying the cancellations will just mean job losses for small business. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has asked Ontario’s auditor general to investigate the contracts and their termination fees. She called Ford’s remarks on Thursday “ridiculous.” “Every jurisdiction around the world is trying to figure out how to bring more renewables onto their electricity grids,” she said. “This government is taking us backwards and costing us at the very least $231 million in tearing these energy contracts.” The Canadian Press Andrea Horwath reckons countries around the globe are falling over themselves to get more wind and solar into their grids. Andrea and her staffers should get out more. The graph above shows the collapse in the construction of new wind and large-scale solar capacity in Australia over the last 12 months, which has rent-seekers positively suicidal, Downunder. As STT followers are well aware, the wind and solar industries on the brink of collapse, right across Europe, Germany no exception. The wind back in subsidies across Europe has all but destroyed the wind industry: in Germany this year a trifling 35 onshore wind turbines have been erected, so far. Twelve countries in the European Union (EU) failed to install “a single wind turbine” last year. Danish turbine maker, Vestas is on the brink and was recently forced to axe 600 of its groovy ‘green’ jobs. Its rival Siemens Gamesa, has also been forced to wield the axe, sacking 600 workers in its Danish operations. Spreading like a contagion, the demise of turbine manufacturers across Europe has taken hold in Germany, with Enercon lining up to sack 3,000 of its workers, in a last ditch effort to stay afloat. Here’s a couple more pics to help Andrea come to grips with the fact that Doug Ford’s efforts to kill industrial wind power in Ontario are really just catching up with a worldwide trend. Sudden Wind Change: Wind Industry Wilts as Ontario Scraps ‘Green’ Energy ActOctober 2, 2018In "Big wind industry" Ontario Ousts Renewables Obsessed Government: Wind Power Subsidies ‘Gone With The Wynne’June 30, 2018In "Big wind industry" Ontario’s Salvation: Locals Ecstatic Over Decision to Cancel 750 Wind Power ContractsDecember 17, 2019In "Big wind industry" We are a group of citizens concerned about the rapid spread of industrial wind power generation installations across Australia. Reblogged this on ajmarciniak. Kudos to Doug Ford. It sounds like he’s actually using some foresight, planning for the long term, and then showed the leadership necessary to implement policies based on long term planning. I wish we had someone, anyone, like him in Austin’s city government… It is well past time to turn off Turbines due to known and documented health harm. Please ask anyone who denies health harm of Industrial Wind Turbines to watch this presentation. University of Waterloo, Waterloo Ontario Canada. Title: “Infrasound and Low Frequency Noise: Physics & Cells, History & Health” Speaker: Dr Mariana Alves-Pereira Location: University of Waterloo Date: September 12, 2019 Video archive of presentation: https://livestream.com/itmsstudio/events/8781285 Dr. Alves-Pereira’s research profile is at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mariana_Alves-pereira Note; there is approx 2 mins of dead air at the beginning. The talk is ~50 minutes, followed by a long Q&A Anyone who views the presentation given by Dr. Mariana Alves-Pereira at the University of Waterloo, on Sept 12th, 2019 will see for themselves why it’s necessary to turn the turbines off that are harming rural residents. People were told that acoustic emissions, both audible and inaudible would not trespass onto their properties and into their houses and barns. Did whoever signed these contracts get duped? Also, these contracts have not and will not fulfill their intended purpose. Engineers are telling us they’re not ‘fit for purpose’. Reblogged this on Climate- Science.press. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change ) You are commenting using your Google account. ( Log Out /  Change ) You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change ) You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change ) Connecting to %s Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Δ We respect your privacy. Email addresses are secure - and will not be passed on to any third party.

Tear Up Agreement

The Orionids, which peak mid-October of each year, are considered among the most beautiful showers of the year.

The Orionids, which peak mid-October of each year, are considered among the most beautiful showers of the year. The “shooting stars” produced by the shower are known for their brightness and speed, capable of traveling about 148,000 mph into the Earth’s atmosphere. The fast meteors can leave glowing “trains” – incandescent bits of debris in the wake of the meteor. The Orionids are created by leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids, in this case space debris created by the comet Halley. According to NASA, Halley’s nucleus leaves behind ice and rocky dusk as it returns to the inner solar systems, creating the dust grains that create the Orionids in October. Comet Halley takes about 76 years to orbit the sun once. The last time it was seen by casual observers was in 1986 and it’s not scheduled to make another appearance in the inner solar system until 2061. Find an area well away from city or street lights. Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing southeast if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or northeast if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient -- the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.

New wonders in nature

2014 Yingjiang earthquake

The 2014 Yingjiang earthquake occurred on 24 May at 4:49 a.m. local time in Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province, China,[2] with a moment magnitude of 5.6 and a maximum perceived intensity of VII (Very strong) on the Mercalli intensity scale. [3] The epicenter was in the town of Kachang. [4] There were 14 aftershocks, according to the Yunnan provincial seismological bureau. [4][5] The earthquake affected about 23,800 people and destroyed 9,412 homes. [4] More than 8,000 people were evacuated and a power outage occurred around the epicenter. [4] The Yunnan region is seismically active, lying within the complex zone of deformation caused by the ongoing collision between the Eurasian Plate and Indian Plate. [4] Three relocation sites were set up for 8,465 displaced residents. [4] The provincial seismological bureau dispatched a work team of 50 people for surveying, investigation and disaster assessment. [4] The Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs Department sent 1,600 tents, 2,000 quilts and 1,000 folding beds to affected areas. [4]

Earthquakes

China mine rescue: Nine workers found dead and one still missing

Authorities have vowed to keep searching for the remaining miner, after 11 others were rescued and taken to hospital on Sunday. Monday 25 January 2021 13:22, UK Nine workers have been found dead by rescue teams following an explosion at a mine in China, bringing the death toll to 10. A group of 11 miners were rescued at the weekend after being trapped for two weeks, but one worker is still missing at the Hushan gold mine in Shandong province. Search efforts will continue for the remaining miner until he is found, said Chen Fei, the mayor of Yantai city, where the mine is located. "Until this worker is found, we will not give up," he told a news conference. Mr Chen and other officials involved in the rescue effort held a moment of silence for the victims on Monday. "Our hearts are deeply grieved. We express our profound condolences, and we express deep sympathies to the families of the victim," he said One worker was reported to have died from a head wound after the explosion on 10 January - the cause of which is still under investigation. Peng Shuai: Stop the 'malicious hyping' over tennis star, says China Peng Shuai: Chinese tennis player tells Olympics boss she is safe and well in video call Peng Shuai: Videos of the tennis star on a night out are welcome - but there's something bizarre about these clips The blast at the mine, which was still under construction, released 70 tonnes of debris that blocked the entrance, disabled lifts and trapped a total of 22 workers up to 600m (2,000ft) underground. Rescuers drilled parallel shafts to send down food and nutrients and eventually brought up the 11 survivors on Sunday. One of these was said to be in a very weak condition after being trapped alone, in a sealed off chamber where he couldn't be reached by supplies. Rescue workers wrapped him in a blanket and took him to hospital by ambulance, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The following 10 were brought to the surface over the next few hours. Several, wearing black cloth over their eyes to protect them after being in darkness for so long, were able to walk to waiting ambulances. The breakthrough came after officials said it could take weeks to drill through the blockage to reach the group. "We made a breakthrough [Sunday] morning," chief engineer at the rescue centre Xiao Wenru, told the Xinhua news agency. "After clearing these broken, powdery pieces, we found that there were cavities underneath... our progress accelerated."

Mine Collapses

2011 European floods

The 2011 floods in Europe, caused by low-pressure area Meeno,[1][2] occurred in late October–early November in France, Italy and Ireland. In Italy the river Po rose 4 m (13 feet) in Turin and a number of people (including two children) died in Genoa. [3] A state of emergency in the Italian regions of Liguria and Tuscany was declared after floods killed 10 people on 27 October, causing mudslides. [3][4] In Ireland, a state of emergency was declared in Dublin three days before. [5] The same low-pressure area also induced heavy rain and flooding in parts of North Africa. [1] Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed during sudden flash floods around the country. [5] Dublin City Council declared a major emergency. Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin, one of Europe's biggest shopping centres, was evacuated shortly before 8 pm on 24 October 2011 after floodwaters surged through the doors, destroying most stores. The owner of a Mexican restaurant in the complex said five-feet of water had rushed down steps towards his business, causing thousands of euro worth of damage. [6] Roads around County Dublin and County Wicklow remained shut the following day. [7] Two deaths were reported in the country during October. [8][9] Cecilia De Jesus, a 58-year-old Filipino care worker who had recently become an Irish citizen, drowned in her basement flat on Parnell Road, Harold's Cross, Dublin. She had only recently moved into the flat. [10] Her body was discovered after emergency services pumped the water out. [11] The other death was Ciaran Jones, a member of the Garda Síochána who was swept into the River Liffey at Ballysmuttan Bridge in Manor Kilbride, County Wicklow. [5][12] Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore paid tribute to the dead. [13] Monaghan town centre was reported to be "impassable". Houses in Ballybay, County Monaghan, were evacuated due to a collapse. [14] Roads in Carlow, Cavan, Louth and Kilkenny were impassable. The Sally Gap and the Wicklow Gap were badly hit. The Slea Head Road in County Kerry was shut down after it flooded. [14] Motorists abandoned their vehicles and fled from the floods. [5] In Northern Ireland, 18 people, including two children, were rescued by boat in Beragh, County Tyrone, with a new £1 million GAA centre sustaining damage. Newry, Omagh and Strabane were also badly hit. [14] According to Met Éireann, a rainfall of up to 85mm (3.3 inches), equal to an average month's norm, fell across the Dublin area within three hours. [8] There was record rainfall at Casement Aerodrome. [15] The city of Genoa sustained flash floods that erupted when 356 millimetres of rain fell in six hours on 4 November. About six people died. [3] The receding waters in that city revealed heaps of overturned cars, furniture and mud dispersed across the streets. Several people were reported missing in the city. [3] According to Genoa mayor Marta Vicenzi, the floods constituted "a completely unexpected tragedy". [3] Near Pozzuoli, a tree fell on a car, killing the driver. [16] A bridge across the Pellice stream in the countryside collapsed due to rushing waters with no reported injuries. [16] Flooding also occurred in Venice. [3] The muddy water reached Cinque Terre, while the ports of Vernazza and Monterosso were swamped by hundreds of tonnes of debris and mud. [17] The Serie A matches between Napoli and Juventus, as well as between Genoa and Inter Milan, were postponed. [3][16] An investigation was opened in the country into whether floods were the fault of official negligence and illegal building. Five people have been confirmed dead and one person was swept away in the river Var. [18] About 750 people were evacuated from flooded areas in Fréjus, Roquebrune and Tourves. [16] The preliminary damage from floods in the south of France throughout one week has been estimated at between €550 million and €800 million. [18] About 7,500 homes in the departments of Var and Alpes-Maritimes lost internet or phone service on 6–7 November. [19] The Sieg in Alzenbach [de], January 2011 Flooding of Monterosso al Mare, October 2011 Flood in Hernani, Gipuzkoa, November 2011

Floods

Widespread Drought in Mexico

Mexico is experiencing one of its most widespread and intense droughts in decades. Nearly 85 percent of the country is facing drought conditions as of April 15, 2021. Large reservoirs across the country are standing at exceptionally low levels, straining water resources for drinking, farming, and irrigation. The mayor of Mexico City called it the worst drought in 30 years for the city, which is home to about 9 million people. The images above, acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8, show one of the major water supplies to Mexico City, the Villa Victoria reservoir. The right image shows the reservoir on March 30, 2021, the best recent cloud-free Landsat overpass. The left image shows more typical levels on March 27, 2020. More recent imagery, although cloudier, shows water levels have continued to decline. Villa Victoria is filled to about one third of its normal capacity. According to the newspaper El País, roughly 60 other large reservoirs, mostly in northern and central Mexico, were below 25 percent capacity. Due to the low supply, government managers have reduced water flow from the reservoirs. Some residents have been left without running water. The map below further highlights effects of the drought by showing where vegetation is stressed due to lack of water, or Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) data. ESI incorporates observations of land surface temperatures from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites and observations of leaf area index from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites. The observations are used to estimate 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 indicates how the current rate of evapotranspiration, averaged over twelve weeks from early February to April 30 in this map, compares to normal conditions. Negative values are below normal rates and indicate plants that are stressed due to inadequate soil moisture. April 30, 2021JPEG According to Mexico’s National Meteorological Service, the northwest and northeast have recently moved from severe to extreme drought. Agriculture analysts project some crop production to suffer, such as white corn in Sinaloa (Mexico’s largest corn producer). From October 1, 2020 to April 18, 2021 (during dry season), the meteorological service reported the country experienced around 20 percent less rainfall than normal. Several areas in the east, west, and southeast of Mexico also hit temperatures above 35°C (95°F). Wet months in 2020 also received low rainfall, in part due to the recent La Niña event. Unusually cold water in the eastern Pacific Ocean inhibits the formation of rain clouds and results in over Mexico and the southern United States. Mexico is approaching one of its worst widespread droughts on record. In 2011, drought conditions covered 95 percent of the country and sparked famine in Chihuahua State. In 1996, the country experienced its worst drought on record and suffered huge crop losses. As La Niña diminishes, forecasters hope warming waters could provoke much-needed rain. Rain recently fell in Mexico, but primarily over states with mild drought conditions. Mexico’s meteorological service states the rains may not fully arrive until rainy season in June. 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.

Droughts

Valley Strong Credit Union and Solano First Federal Credit Union set to merge in July

Valley Strong Credit Union and Solano First Federal Credit Union announced their merger received regulatory approval as well as approval by majority vote of the Solano First Membership. The legal merger date for the two organizations is planned to be July 1. The biggest change at that time is Solano First will become a division of Valley Strong. From a member perspective, there will be minimal impact at legal merger date. Both organizations will continue to serve its respective members “business as usual” at their branch locations as they ramp up efforts to work on Solano First being fully integrated from a systems perspective in early October. Valley Strong’s Nick Ambrosini EVP/CFO and incoming CEO, effective July 1, will be the CEO of the combined organization. Solano First President/CEO Mike Warrell will be a Market President. All current Solano First team members will continue to have employment with Valley strong if they chose. Solano First’s merger with Valley Strong represents a partnership between two organizations committed to members and the communities they serve. As the financial services landscape continues to evolve, this merger allows Solano First to expand what it offers Members such as access to more products and services, more locations throughout the state of California, reduced costs and enhanced technologies. To stay up to date with the combined organization’s merger information you can visit their respective websites at www.valleystrong.com and solanofirst.com.

Organization Merge

Suspected bank robber shot and killed in Visalia identified

VISALIA, Calif. (FOX26) — A man was shot and killed in a Visalia neighborhood following an armed bank robbery. Visalia police got the call of a bank robbery at the Tri Counties Bank on S Pinkham St. in Visalia around 11:15 Wednesday morning. Bank employees said the man, later identified as 43-year-old Joshua Van Machado from Hanford, kept a hand in his pocket like he had a gun and demanded money. They say Machado took the money and left in a pickup with the tailgate open. Police spotted a pickup matching the description and set blocked Court St. south of Laura Ave. More VideosVolume 90%Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcutsKeyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabledPlay/PauseSPACEIncrease Volume↑Decrease Volume↓Seek Forward→Seek Backward←Captions On/OffcFullscreen/Exit FullscreenfMute/UnmutemSeek %0-9Next UpStudent sends video holding gun replica & threatening to kill peers; police take no action Email facebook twitter Linkhttps://kmph.com/news/local/shots-fired-in-visalia?video=5c77251966fd40d98302c8ccbca58c37&jwsource=clCopied Embed<iframe src="http://sinclairstoryline.com/resources/embeds/jw8-embed.html?client=googima&file=https://content.uplynk.com/5c77251966fd40d98302c8ccbca58c37.m3u8&autostart=false" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" loading="lazy"></iframe>CopiedLive00:0000:0000:00 Shots fired in Visalia (Courtesy: Lena B.) Machado eventually got out of the truck and police saw he was holding a handgun. Police say they demanded he drop the gun but he raised it causing them to open fire. Machado fell to the ground but continued holding the gun. Officers say they kept telling him to take his hand off the gun but they say he raised it again causing them to open fire again. They say Machado was still moving and still holding the gun, forcing them to shoot him a third time. Officers rendered first aid until paramedics took over and pronounced the man dead.

Bank Robbery

1960 Danish football air crash

On 16 July 1960, after taking off from Copenhagen Airport at 15.38 local time, a de Havilland Dragon Rapide plane, (registration OY-DZY) chartered to the Danish Football Association, crashed into the Øresund about 50 metres from shore after the pilot lost control of the aircraft in severe weather. All eight passengers died; the pilot survived but required a leg to be amputated. The plane was carrying eight association football players to Herning Airport for a final trial match at Herning stadium to select the Danish squad for the 1960 Olympic tournament. [1] Three of the eight had been provisionally selected for the squad; the rest were B-team and youth internationals with a last chance to impress the selectors. [1] The dead were:[1] Two fishermen found pilot Stig Vindeløv alive in the wreckage, along with Per Funch Jensen, who died en route to hospital. [1] A smaller plane waiting for clearance to take off when the accident occurred was due to carry four other players to the same match: Erik Dyreborg, Hans Christian Andersen, Bent Jørgensen, and Bjarne Eklund. [1] These were all youth players. [1] Dyreborg was demoted from the first plane to make room for a kit basket. [1] After the accident, the Danish FA considered withdrawing from the Olympic tournament. [1] In the event, they won the silver medal, losing to Yugoslavia in the final.

Air crash

Massive Soil Mound on Slope Seen as Worsening Japan Mudslide

The mudslide that destroyed dozens of homes in a Japanese seaside resort, killing at least seven people, started from an area with a history of land alternations and a massive soil mound there broke off and amplified the damage, officials said Wednesday. They say, however, more investigation and analysis are needed to determine if the mound of soil was the primary cause of the disaster in Atami, where on Wednesday, hundreds of rescue workers and dogs cautiously searched for the missing inside homes destroyed and filled with mud. Twenty-seven people still could not be reached and were possibly hit by the mudslide Saturday, according to Shizuoka prefecture and Atami city officials. Determining the numbers was difficult because many Atami residences are second homes or vacation rentals. The mud exposed after the slide ripped into streets and homes was distinctively black, showing it contained large amounts of the abandoned soil from the area where land alterations had been made. The mound of soil was inadequately built and accounted for about half the volume of the preceding or subsequent landslide, Shizuoka prefecture vice governor Takashi Namba said after an initial rough assessment. "We can at least say that the severity of the disaster was amplified by the more than 50,000 tons of the soil mound that had been sitting there," said Namba, a former land ministry bureaucrat and a civil engineer. He noted the area had other land alterations and development, including a solar power generation complex, deforestation, a land development for housing complex and apparently illegal industrial waste dumping. He said geological details suggest the solar complex and housing development were not the cause of the mudslide, though further examination is needed. The mound had been there since 2010 or even earlier and contained plastic and other waste, suggesting it was a waste dump rather than for development, Namba said. He also believes it was built poorly, without adequate drainage in a location rich with groundwater. Officials are also checking ownership changes related to the mound and other projects. An assessment is planned of other land developments around the country, land ministry officials said. The landslide occurred after days of heavy rain in Atami, which like many seaside towns in Japan is built into a steep hillside. The town has a registered population of 36,800 and is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tokyo. The disaster is an added challenge for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as authorities prepare for the Tokyo Olympics, starting in about two weeks. Japan is still struggling with the coronavirus pandemic. Early July, near the end of Japan's rainy season, is often a time of deadly floods and mudslides, and many experts say the rains are worsening due to climate change.

Mudslides

Mall department stores were struggling. The pandemic has pushed them to the edge of extinction.

Adrienne Whyte used to go to the mall twice a week, where she might meet up with her personal shoppers at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue or scour Macy’s for bedding and kitchenware. But it’s been well over a year since she set foot in a department store — and she isn’t sure when, or whether, she will again. “Now if I need something, I buy it online,” said the 72-year-old retiree from Falls Church, Va. “The department store is a one-stop shop, but so is the Internet.” Department stores, once a middle-class mainstay of convenience and indulgence, had been spiraling downward long before the pandemic turbocharged online shopping and helped tip a number of big-name retailers into bankruptcy. Nearly 200 department stores have disappeared in the past year alone, and another 800 — or about half the country’s remaining mall-based locations — are expected to be shuttered by the end of 2025, according to commercial real estate firm Green Street. Those closures, analysts say, will have a cascading effect on American shopping malls, which already are battling record-high vacancy rates and precipitous drops in foot traffic, as well as on the commercial real estate market and the broader economy. “There’s nothing department stores have done to make themselves particularly relevant in the 21st century, and the pandemic has only made that more clear,” said Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia Business School and former chief executive of Sears Canada. “They have too many stores, too many things, too many brands. The customer who used to be handcuffed to their local department store is no longer tethered because they have an online alternative that’s become even more attractive in the last year.” Baby boomers, to retailers’ surprise, are dominating online shopping The pandemic set off an economic chain reaction that rippled through the country’s department store chains, forcing several into Chapter 11 proceedings. Neiman Marcus, Stage Stores and J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy last May, followed by Lord & Taylor and, most recently, Belk in February. Even companies on relatively stable footing, like Macy’s, are shuttering dozens of stores as they try to move away from traditional shopping malls. Overall sales at department stores plunged more than 40 percent at the beginning of the pandemic and have yet to make up for lost ground, according to Commerce Department data, as Americans do more of their shopping online and gravitate to specialty brands and discount chains. Major brands like Macy’s, Nordstrom and Kohl’s have reported steep sales declines during the coronavirus crisis, which slashed demand for the clothing, shoes and formalwear that disproportionately fill their stores. However, analysts say, the pandemic’s most disconcerting legacy may be its imprint on consumer behavior, raising questions about the sector’s ability to win back customers and properly rebound even after life returns to normal. Whyte, for example, has built up a roster of specialty retailers she now buys from directly: Rothy’s for shoes, Lands’ End for clothing, Sephora for makeup. The former management consultant also has found that she can simply do with less. “It used to be ‘see it, want it,'” she said. “But during the pandemic, I’ve realized I don’t need as much as I thought I did.” *** The earliest American department store, Arnold Constable, was founded nearly 200 years ago in Manhattan. It sold an array of clothing, jewelry, handbags and stationery, earning it the nickname “the palace of trade.” The chain eventually expanded throughout New York and into Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It ended its run in 1975, after filing for bankruptcy. By then, Americans had fallen in love with department stores. Shopping malls proliferated across the country, anchored by national chains including Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Marshall Field’s and Bealls that offered the ease of one-stop shopping and an air of attainable luxury. But such retailers have lost much of their allure in the past decade, analysts say, as Americans were presented with more alternatives, including discounters like TJ Maxx and Ross Dress for Less and online specialty retailers like Stitch Fix and Everlane. The erosion of the middle class has also chipped away at the fortunes of chains such as Macy’s and J.C. Penney. “In the old days, department stores offered convenience,” said Greg Portell, a partner in the consumer and retail practice of consulting firm Kearney. “But now that we can get that without leaving the couch, it’s no longer enough. Department stores have to offer more: They need smart curation, high-touch service and personalization.” Malls are dying. The thriving ones are spending millions to reinvent themselves. To that end, Saks Fifth Avenue is spinning off its website into a stand-alone company, in hopes of doubling down on e-commerce. Nordstrom is offering virtual styling appointments and recently launched an online channel, where shoppers can buy merchandise during live-streamed events. At Neiman Marcus, the first department store chain to file for bankruptcy during the pandemic, executives say they have invested heavily in e-commerce, hosting “shoppable” virtual events and making store employees available by text, email and video chat. “We’ve never had to make so many changes at once like we did in the past year,” said Lana Todorovich, president and chief merchandising officer of the Dallas-based retailer. “Everything, including our product assortments, changed in an incredibly short period of time.” The company, she said, is stocking its shelves more frequently with “buy now, wear now” products and is seeing a resurgence in bridal wear, as well as swimwear and jewelry. Overall retail spending rebounded sharply in March, rising 9.8 percent after an unexpected dip in February, the Commerce Department reported this week. Department store sales rose 13 percent from a month earlier, boosted by recent stimulus checks and burgeoning demand for clothing and shoes, though they have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. Americans are starting to buy real clothes again But analysts say retailers’ challenges extend beyond short-term sales figures. They also must grapple with questions about the viability of shopping malls, for which vacancy rates hit 11.4 percent in the first quarter, compared with 10.5 percent the preceding three months, marking the biggest spike on record, according to Moody’s Analytics’ commercial real estate division. Already struggling mid- and lower-tier malls have been disproportionately affected, adding to the widening gap between the country’s most profitable malls — which tend to be newer, well-lit properties with restaurants and in-demand chains like Apple, Lululemon and Sephora — and the rest of the industry, analysts said, though the latest round of bankruptcies and liquidations has created new challenges throughout the industry. Even the country’s newest and most expensive mall hasn’t been immune: American Dream, a $5 billion megaplex in New Jersey, opened shortly before the pandemic with an indoor ski resort, hockey rink and water park. But many of its largest retail spaces remain dark, after Barneys New York, Lord & Taylor and Century 21 pulled plans for anchor stores following bankruptcy filings. “The department store as an all-encompassing emporium is a product of the 20th century and a victim of the 21st,” said Cohen of Columbia Business School. The best will prevail, he added, because people are not going to settle as they once did, “simply because they don’t have to.” Pandemic bankruptcies: A running list of retailers that have filed for Chapter 11 *** Joe Edwards recently stopped by a department store for the first time in years. He wasn’t there to browse, though; he was there for his coronavirus vaccination. The excursion to an abandoned Gordmans store in Champaign, Ill. — where, as a child, he used to watch Nickelodeon while he waited for his mother to shop — brought back a flood of memories for the 26-year-old. It also felt “profoundly dystopian,” he said. “Here I am sitting in a foldout chair, getting my vaccine surrounded by old mannequins and clothing fixtures,” said Edwards, a graduate student at the University of Illinois who now buys most of his clothes at thrift stores. “The whole time I’m thinking: Wow, this is what this place has come to?” The store, which closed during the pandemic, is one of hundreds of department stores to fold in recent years. The country’s largest department store chains have shuttered roughly 40 percent of their locations since 2016, according to a Washington Post analysis of corporate earnings releases and annual reports. Some of those locations have found new life — most recently as coronavirus testing or vaccination centers, but also as Amazon warehouses, community colleges, medical offices and car dealerships. Commercial real estate experts say the sprawling properties left behind in U.S. shopping malls are often well-positioned, with large parking lots and easy access to highways and public transportation. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) Abandoned malls are sputtering back to life with megachurches, rooftop pools and homeless shelters “Many of these malls built in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s were economic development projects, so they’re surrounded by great infrastructure,” said Thomas Maddux, a principal at commercial real estate services firm KLNB. “The question now is: What’s the next chapter in this story? Malls may not have five or seven department store anchors like they once did, but they may have other uses: A grocery store or a car dealership or a hotel. We just have to live through the cycle.” In Chicago, Kimber Russell isn’t much interested in going back to the way things were. Before the pandemic, the 47-year-old attorney bought most of her clothes at Loft and Express, and occasionally stopped in at Nordstrom or Macy’s. These days she orders everything online and has set up subscriptions for items like dog food, toilet paper and disposable masks. She can’t imagine going back to shopping in person, she said. “If I were to walk into a department store right now and see all of those choices — teens, petites, misses, juniors, sportswear — I’d just be like, ‘No!,'" she said. “There is just so much stuff to sift through, and the pandemic has made me realize I don’t need more choices. It’s too overwhelming.”

Organization Closed

2020 Port of Montreal strike

The 2020 Port of Montreal strike began at 7:00 AM on August 10, 2020 after Local 375 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Syndicat des débardeurs du port de Montréal) walked off the jobsite. The local had previously voted for an indefinite strike. The strike is part of a dispute dating back to 2018, when the union and management were unable to negotiate a new contract. The strike was primarily about shift work and work-life balance for the longshore and maintenance workers who are required to work 19 days in a row before having two off. [1] The Port of Montreal is Canada's second busiest port of entry with approximately $100 billion worth of goods passing through the port each year. Approximately 1,150 workers are part of CUPE local 375. Working without a contract, CUPE members participated in a series of daytime walkouts during the summer of 2020. On July 27, CUPE launched a four-day protest strike. [2] In response, management rerouted ships to other ports. In response to this action, CUPE members voted in favor of an indefinite strike. [1] On August 4, 99.22% of eligible workers voted in favour of a strike. [3] Shortly after the strike began, the governments of François Legault (Quebec premier) and Doug Ford (Ontario premier), asked for the federal government to intervene to force the strikers back to work. This request was denied, with Labour Minister Filomena Tassi writing that "Our government has faith in the collective bargaining process, as we know the best deals are made at the table. "[4] The Mining Association of Canada called the decision not to intervene "incomprehensible. "[5] Tensions were heightened during the finals days of the strike after the Maritime Employers Association announced its intention to hire scabs to unload the sitting containers. However, A truce was agreed upon on August 21 which allowed the port to reopen two days later. The two sides agreed to resume contract talks and the union pledged to continue working without a labour stoppage for the next seven months after which time the union would resume its right to strike. [6]

Strike

Carbon monoxide poisoning caused death of teen found in Northwest Iowa hog barn

April 23, 2021 By Radio Iowa Contributor Officials have determined a northwest Iowa teen who was found unconscious in a hog facility Monday night died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office, emergency personnel found 17-year-old Victoria Marie Parra Lerdo of Rockwell City lying unresponsive at a hog facility southwest of Swea City just after 9 p.m. Monday. An autopsy was conducted at the State Medical Examiner’s office in Ankeny on Wednesday. The autopsy ruled “the manner of death was an accident and the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. Parra Lerdo was assisting with the cleaning of the hog facility the night she died. An investigation found a power washing unit was being operated in the hallway of the building, near where the victim was working. Due to poor ventilation within a small area, Parra Lerdo was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes.

Mass Poisoning

Tsunami awareness: Inside look at Oregon's Emergency Coordination Center

. seek to previous 12… 6 seek to 10%, 20% … 60% SALEM, OR (KPTV) - FOX 12 gets an inside look at how emergency officials in Oregon are prepared for and can respond to a tsunami, as well as the tools in place to help save lives. Empty seats, still phones, the monitoring map showing no imminent threat of a earthquake or tsunami, but when the time comes that disaster strikes, Oregon's Emergency Coordination Center comes alive. "When something happens all of that information will be up here," Althea Rizzo explained. Rizzo is the Geologic Hazard Program Coordinator for Oregon's Office of Emergency Management. She explains there are two types of tsunamis that can hit the Oregon coast. (KPTV image) "We get the local tsunami caused by Cascadia subduction zone, which means everyone in the Pacific Northwest is going to be affected by the earthquake and then tsunami, but then we also get distant tsunamis from somewhere else," she said. The last time a distant tsunami happened on the Oregon coast was in 2011 following a major earthquake in Japan. According to the state, it contributed to the deaths of four people and damaged ports and harbors. Seismic meters, dart buoys and sensors on the ocean floor all help give a head's up. In those types of tsunamis, Rizzo says it's all about public education. Oregonians have several hours notice and they'll be safe as long as they stay away from the water. Officials would close beaches and evacuate people. It's the "big one" - a Cascadia earthquake and tsunami - that's much more worrisome. "The trick here is we don't know when it's gonna happen," Rizzo said. OEM is working with federal and local agencies to have a plan everyone can pull off the shelf and put into action immediately, with things like identifying locations ahead of time to bring help in fast. "So that when that bad day happens, the feds know to drop the supplies there and then we already have a plan to get the supplies from there out to the local communities," said Rizzo. "If you feel the ground shake and it's enough to kind of knock you all around, that’s when you know you’ve got a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake and that tsunami is coming at you in 15 to 20 minutes - that’s how much time you have to get through the earthquake and get up to high ground." Tsunami evacuation zone blue lines and signs on the Oregon coast are marks where to go to get to safety. As far as earthquake warnings, a new system called Shake Alert went live across the West Coast just this past March. The Oregon Hazards Lab at the University of Oregon plays a major role in the program, which uses seismic monitoring stations to feel and locate activity. "When those detect very large motions then we’re particularly interested to say this could be a large earthquake, we need to take it more seriously - generate an alert and even get to the point of generating a tsunami warning once that’s detected," said Leland O'Driscoll, program manager at Oregon Hazards Lab. It sends an emergency earthquake notification straight to your phone. "The alerts will come out either right when the shaking is starting if you're really close to the epicenter or if you're further away you'll have increasingly advanced notice to take such protective action," O'Driscoll said. It can also help with automatic actions like opening firehouse doors, slowing down trains, or notifying ODOT to block entrances to bridges - all to help save lives. State officials remind all Oregonians to have the food, water and supplies needed to spend two weeks on their own in case of a disaster. Remember, in the event of an earthquake to drop, cover and hold on during the shaking, then get to high ground if you're on the coast.

Tsunamis

May Day riots of 1919

The Cleveland May Day riots of 1919 were a series of violent demonstrations that occurred throughout Cleveland, Ohio on May 1 (May Day), 1919. The riots occurred during the May Day parade organized by Socialist leader Charles Ruthenberg, of local trade unionists, socialists, communists, and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) to protest against the conviction of Eugene V. Debs and American intervention in the Russian Civil War against the Bolsheviks. The previous year, Eugene Debs's Federal Court trial was held in Cleveland, and Charles Ruthenberg's Socialist Party chose to hold a march which would both protest against Debs' imprisonment as well as help promote Ruthenberg's own candidacy for Mayor of Cleveland. The procession consisted of 32 groups divided into four units, each holding a Socialist flag and an American flag at its head. Although the cause of the riots is disputed, repeated demands by the police and army personnel that the marchers relinquish their flags reportedly became a flashpoint. According to the Cleveland Bicentennial Commission, as they marched to Cleveland's Public Square, one of the units was stopped on Superior Avenue by a group of Victory Liberty Loan workers, who demanded that they lower their flags. At some point, an army lieutenant leading a number of soldiers likewise directed the marchers to discard their flags. When the marchers refused to do so, the lieutenant ordered his soldiers to attack. Mass fighting broke out immediately. A call for reserves brought several mounted police who charged their horses directly into the crowd and swung their clubs indiscriminately. [1] In this ensuing melee, over twenty marchers were severely injured by the clubs, and ambulances from nearby hospitals were dispatched to rescue the many wounded. After the first riot had been quelled, a second riot began in the downtown area; specifically, the Public Square where former Secretary of the Treasury William Gibbs McAdoo was addressing a Victory Loan rally at Keith's Hippodrome. An army lieutenant ordered socialists to clear away from a speaking platform, and directed his men to attack all those who did not comply with his orders. Mounted policemen with clubs and army tanks charged the crowd. Seventy individuals were arrested and incarcerated at the Central Police Station. A third riot then occurred on Euclid Avenue in the heart of the shopping district. Later in the evening, Ruthenberg's socialist party headquarters on Prospect Avenue was ransacked by soldiers, police, and armed civilians. This latter mob "completely demolished the building" and "typewriters and office furniture were thrown into the street. "Towards the end of the day, the anti-socialists piled "scores of red flags and banners" — which they had taken by force from the marchers — at the foot of the Soldiers and Sailors' Monument in Public Square and set them alight in a giant bonfire. [1] The police used mounts, army trucks, and tanks in response to the protests. Casualties amounted to two people killed, forty injured, and 116 arrested, including Ruthenberg himself on a charge of "assault with intent to kill". Local newspapers quickly pointed out that only eight of those arrested were born in the United States. In response to the riots, the city government immediately passed laws to restrict parades and the display of red flags. Overall, the occurrence is seen as the most violent of a series of similar disorders that took place throughout the U.S. as a result of the First Red Scare. This account is disputed by the IWW in the newspaper The New Solidarity, in which they outline that those there, celebrating May Day had not violated any city ordinance to incite rioting, and that the then Republican mayor of Cleveland, Harry L. Davis, had issued an order to the police to suppress any violations of law with "promptness and firmness" setting the tone of how police should respond to the event. They detail that as those at the event were incited by police and self-described "patriots", causing a disturbance, but not a riot; this then was detailed as the pretense for the police to move in to suppress the perceived riot in order to "suppress lawlessness" by using mounted police and [a] German tanks, taken from Germany after World War I, were used indiscriminately by the police and army despite the fact there were women and children in attendance. [b] The article suggested that the deaths and injuries were the results of police acting to break up the celebration and that overall, there were 130 sentenced and/or fined.

Riot

Amid Celebrity Marriage Dramas, Designer Yomi Casual Surprises Wife As He Appreciates Her With Mercedes Benz

Celebrity fashion designer, Yomi Casual, has reassured his dear wife, Grace, and given her something to be happy about amid the celeb marriage dramas that have rocked social media in recent times. The doting husband surprised his woman with a brand new Mercedes Benz SUV and she couldn’t hide her excitement as she shared the news online. Yomi's wife took to her Instastory channel with a video showing the new whip which was carefully parked in their garage. Read also Regina Daniels, husband Ned Nwoko hosted by President of Sierra Leone, all three sighted in photos In her caption, she heaped praise on her husband for the much-welcomed gift. Grace wrote: PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app

Famous Person - Marriage

2009 Bhutan earthquake

The 2009 Bhutan earthquake occurred on 21 September at 14:53 BTT (08:53 UTC) in the eastern region of Bhutan with moment magnitude of 6.1. The epicenter was situated at 180 kilometres (110 mi) east of the capital Thimphu, in Monggar District. [3] However, Bangladesh and northern India also felt it, with buildings in Guwahati, Assam, cracking up. [4] The tremors were felt as far as Tibet. [5] At least eleven people are reported to have been killed—seven in Bhutan, four in India. [2] The death toll, initially ten, increased when one more died in the night.At least fifteen were wounded. [2] Many of the deaths in Bhutan came about when their houses fell in on top of them. [2] The Indians were construction workers whose road fell through. [2] One businessman said the earthquake happened as shopping was underway for the Blessed Rainy Day ceremony of Buddhism. [4] Another inhabitant said it "made the surrounding hills look like they were throwing up dust" and that "the road was suddenly filled with boulders and mud". [2] Thousands are living outdoors as a result. [4] Children were crushed under structures as they caved in. [4] Roads were blocked but these were cleaned up relatively quickly. [4] Monasteries were also struck. [9] People ran for their lives out of their homes. [9] There were at least seven aftershocks. [2] An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale was heard in Myanmar and the northeast Indian states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur and the following day. [1] Prime Minister of Bhutan Jigme Thinley said the earthquake was "one of the biggest disasters in recent times". [4] He also said the length of the earthquake (95 seconds) was "very long". [4] He and his home minister embarked on a visit to the region. [4]

Earthquakes

1948 KLM Constellation air disaster crash

A KLM Lockheed L-049 Constellation airliner (named Nijmegen and registered PH-TEN) crashed into high ground near Glasgow Prestwick Airport, Scotland, on 20 October 1948; all 40 aboard died. [1] A subsequent inquiry found that the accident was likely caused by the crew's reliance on a combination of erroneous charts and incomplete weather forecasts, causing the crew to become distracted and disoriented in the inclement conditions. The aircraft was piloted by Koene Dirk Parmentier, one of the winners of the MacRobertson Air Race, widely regarded as one of the great flyers of the era, and KLM's chief pilot. The co-pilot on the flight was Kevin Joseph O'Brien. [2] Nijmegen was scheduled to fly from its home base at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam at 8:00 p.m. CET to New York via Prestwick, with Shannon Airport in Ireland as the alternative stopover point in case of bad weather at Prestwick. The aircraft carried sufficient fuel to divert to Shannon and then back to Schiphol, if necessary. The plane's departure was delayed as additional cargo was loaded for transport to Iceland, which would be an additional stop en route from Prestwick to New York. [3] The plane eventually left Schiphol at 9:11 p.m., crossed the English coast at Flamborough Head, eventually heading NW at 2320, when it turned almost due South approximately 15 miles ESE of Kilmarnock. The aircraft eventually started its run in towards runway 32 (Prestwick's longest runway and, at the time, its only runway that offered a ground-controlled approach, at 2325 at 1500'. The weather forecast Parmentier had been given by the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute at Schiphol had told him that there was some slight cloud at Prestwick, but that it would likely dissipate by the time the Nijmegen arrived. [4] This report was incorrect; the weather at Prestwick was steadily deteriorating,[4] with the weather at the alternative destination of Shannon even worse. [2] Parmentier believed that there was a strong crosswind, blowing at right-angles to the main runway (Runway 32) at Prestwick of about 20 knots, which might prevent a landing on it. [5] Prestwick had a second, alternative, runway (Runway 26) which was heading into the wind but had no radar-approach system. However KLM pilot guidelines, drafted by Parmentier himself, forbade a landing at Prestwick in low cloud on the alternative runway. [5] By the time of approach, Prestwick was under drizzle and a cloud-base that was almost solid at 600 feet (180 m), forecast to continue from about 11:00 p.m. onwards, around the time the Nijmegen was approaching the airfield. [5] As the flight had taken off late, they had not picked up the radio message broadcast by Prestwick airfield informing them of this. [5] Parmentier was thus unaware of the deterioration in the weather: were he aware of it he would have been able to divert to Shannon. The routine weather reports broadcast from Prestwick had given a cloud cover of 700 feet (210 m). [6] No new forecasts, which would have told Parmentier of the expected decreased ceiling were broadcast. Nor did he know that already that evening two airliners from SAS had turned back rather than attempt a landing at Prestwick. [7] Inland of the runway was high ground of over 400 feet (120 m),[5] but the KLM-issued charts which the crew were using did not mark any land higher than 250 feet (75 m). [8] Three miles (5 km) to the north-east of the runway, rising to over 600 feet (180 m), were a set of wireless masts. Three miles (5 km) inland ran a series of electricity pylons and high-tension cables, the main national grid line for South Scotland, carrying 132,000 volts. However the error-riddled charts issued by KLM did not have these marked and gave a spot height close by of 45'. [8] The plane made radio contact with approach control at Prestwick shortly before 11:00 p.m. At this point the cross-wind over the main runway had, unknown to Parmentier, dropped to 14 knots which made it within limits to attempt a landing on the main runway. [9] Instead, he decided to attempt an overshoot of the main runway guided by the ground radar controller, followed by a left-hand turn that would bring the plane downwind of the alternative runway. He would then overfly the runway before looping round for his final approach. [6] While it might sound complicated, Parmentier expected to be in visual contact with the ground which would make such an attempt relatively easy. At 11:16 p.m. Prestwick broadcast a morse message warning of the deteriorating weather, however as the Nijmegen had now switched over to voice contact the message would not have been received. On the approach they were told of the decreased cross-wind and decided to attempt a landing on the main runway after all. [10] However, three miles out Parmentier decided that the wind was probably too strong for landing on the main runway and decided to overshoot and land on the alternate. [11] He overflew Runway 26, the lights of which he could now see, climbed to a height of 450 feet (140 m) and extended the landing gear ready for landing. At this point they ran into what Parmentier believed was an isolated patch of cloud. However this was the actual cloud-base, which was now as low as 300 feet (90 m) in some areas. [8] At this point the Nijmegen was headed directly for the power cables at 450 feet (140 m), which the crew believed to be substantially lower. [8] Parmentier realised the 'isolated fog' he had run into was getting denser, but due to his belief that they would have visual contact with the ground the crew had not attempted to time their flight downwind of the runway. [8] Before he could abort the attempt, the plane crashed into the electricity cables, hitting the main phase conductor line. The crew attempted to turn the now burning aircraft towards the runway with the intent of an emergency landing. However, the faulty charts led them to crash into high ground five miles east-north-east of the airfield[12] at about 23:32 UTC. [13] All 30 passengers (22 Dutch, 6 German, 1 British and 1 Irish[5]) and the 10 crew died. Rescue services did not reach the crash-site for over one and a half hours due to confusion over which service was responsible for responding to the crash. By the time they arrived only six people were still alive, and all died within 24 hours. [14] The subsequent court of enquiry blamed several factors for the crash: The enquiry determined the probable cause for the accident was:

Air crash

2011 Avis Amur Antonov An-12 crash

On 9 August 2011, an Antonov An-12 cargo aircraft of Avis Amur crashed during a domestic flight from Magadan to Keperveyem, Russia, killing all 11 people on board. An engine fire was reported en route and the aircraft crashed while attempting to return to Magadan. The aircraft took off from Sokol Airport in Magadan for Keperveyem Airport, carrying nine crew, two passengers, and 17.58 tonnes of cargo. [1][2][3] A fuel leak was reported, followed by a report of an engine fire when the Antonov was near the village of Omsukchan, 230 nautical miles (430 km) northeast of Magadan. [4][1] The aircraft turned around in an attempt to land back at Magadan, but shortly after disappeared from radar. The An-12 had crashed at a location variously reported to be 45 nautical miles (83 km) or 200 kilometres (110 nmi) from Omsukchan; or about 170 nautical miles (310 km) from Magadan; with the loss of all on board. Fog in the area hampered the search for the aircraft, which crashed in a forest. Debris was spread for 5 kilometres (3.1 mi). [1][2] The accident aircraft was a turboprop Antonov An-12BP with registration RA-11125, c/n 3341006. It had first flown in 1963 and at the time of the accident was the oldest Russian registered aircraft flying in commercial service. [4][1] The Interstate Aviation Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States opened an investigation into the accident. As a result of the accident, the operation of the Antonov An-12 within Russia was banned until a risk assessment programme had been completed. [1]

Air crash

Shark Tank: meet the partners of Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran and more

Eve Crosbie Get to know the husband, wives and partners of the stars of ABC's hit reality show Shark Tank We love sitting down to watch new episodes of Shark Tank . The ABC show gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true and become successful – and possibly wealthy – business people. While we all know that the Sharks are tough, self-made, multimillionaire and billionaire tycoons, what about their love lives? Find out more about their previous and current relationships here... Are you watching the latest season of the show? Mark Cuban Certified billionaire Mark Cuban, 62, tied the knot with his wife Tiffany Stewart, 51, in a private ceremony in Barbados in 2002. Today, they are the proud parents of children to daughters Alexis, 18, Alyssa, 14 and 11-year-old son Jake. Mark and wife Tiffany MORE: Shark Tank stars share shocking behind-the-scenes secret Kevin O'Leary Kevin O'Leary, 66, may be known for being one of the toughest Sharks on the show, but away from the cameras, we bet he's a real softie. He's been married to wife Linda since 1990. While they did briefly separate in 2011, Mr Wonderful won her back and they reconciled two years later. Together they're parents to two grown-up children, Trevor and Savannah. Kevin and wife Linda Barbara Corcoran Real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, 71, has been happily married to former FBI agent Bill Higgins for 35 years. In a post celebrating their wedding anniversary in November, the Shark wrote: "What I thought I wanted when I married Bill 35 years ago was an exciting, sexy guy to travel the world with! Now long into our marriage, I realize I've got the important stuff. "A rock solid guy, a close friend, and a great father to our children." Barbara and husband Bill In 1994, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Tom, via in vitro fertilization with the help of her sister Florence, who donated an egg. They later adopted another child, a daughter named Kate. Daymond John FUBO founder Daymond John, 52, is married to Heather Taras. The two tied the knot back in January, after welcoming their first child together, a daughter named Minka Jagger. Daymond is also a dad to two adult daughters, Yasmeen John and Destiny John, from his first marriage. Daymond and wife Heather MORE: Shark Tank hosts' mammoth mansions unveiled: Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran and more Robert Herjavec Croatian-born tech investor Robert Herjavec, 58, met his wife Kym Johnson, 44, back in 2015 when he was partnered with the ballroom dancer on season 20 of Dancing with the Stars . The couple tied the knot in 2016 and have since welcomed twins, a boy named Hudson and a girl named Haven. Robert and wife Kym "I never thought my heart could feel so full. We're so in love with our little angels," Kym wrote on Instagram after the twins were born in 2018. With his previous wife Diane Plese, Robert is also the dad to Skye, Brendan, and Caprice.

Famous Person - Marriage

Former Actor Joshua Ang Announces Divorce After 2 Years; Tells Everyone To Congratulate Him

Former actor Joshua Ang, who is best known for his role in Jack Neo’s 2002 comedy I Not Stupid and its sequel, dropped a bombshell last night (Dec 14) when he confirmed that he and his wife, air stewardess Shannon Low, are divorced. They would have celebrated their third wedding anniversary in March next year. We have to say, though, it’s perhaps one of the most cheerful break-up announcements we have ever seen. In his post on Instagram (which has since been set to private), the 31-year-old shared a photo of a news report of an interview he did to promote The Diam Diam Era with the headline “Joshua Ang will not talk about relationship matters”, censoring his ex-wife’s face and adding a glittery “happy divorce” sticker on top of their photo. “Divorces are made in Heaven,” he wrote, referencing a quote from Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest. “Finally some bit of good news, should I have some champagne or cake? Some people see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not. So, cake and champagne it is.” “Also, please don’t tell me you’re sorry to hear that I broke the news,” he continued. “Congratulate me instead. [winking emoji]” While Joshua did not disclose the reason for their split, it doesn’t seem to have been a very, um, amicable one. Besides the celebratory tone of his announcement, he was also found to have deleted almost all traces of Shannon from his feed, leaving only photos that have their two-year-old son, Jedaiah Leonhart. It’s also not clear whether he or his ex-wife will have full custody of the child. Joshua and Shannon met as classmates at Murdoch University about four years ago. He popped the question in December 2017, spent almost S$50,000 on their Sentosa beach wedding in March the following year, and welcomed Jedaiah in August 2018. Joshua left showbiz in 2012 and is now working in sales for an alcohol distribution company.

Famous Person - Divorce

Senate suspends controversial ABC inquiry, but government hints at further scrutiny

Two weeks after the federal government ripped up Victoria’s ‘belt and road’ agreement with the Asian superpower, China’s peak economic planning agency has indefinitely suspended all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue. The dialogue was established in 2014 and connects China’s National Reform and Development Commission (NRDC) to the Commonwealth Treasury. Its suspension will have no discernible impact on the Australian economy in the short term: Iron ore prices are sky high and Chinese demand for the metal is as strong as ever. But Australia-China Relations Institute director James Laurenceson said it was a regrettable development that would make it harder for the federal government to resolve future disputes. “[It’s] where the nitty-gritty of issues like expanding market access, or resolving troubles and frictions in market access, get resolved,” he said of the economic dialogue. “So the fact that Australia no longer has this line into the NRDC, at a senior level, it’s certainly not a positive.” Professor Laurenceson said the communication channel was “more practical” than dialogues at the ministerial or leadership level, which have already been shut down.  He believes its suspension was retaliation for the federal government cancelling Victoria’s ‘belt and road’ agreement, which Foreign Minister Marise Payne has described as inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy. But he said if this was to be China’s only response to the tearing up of the deal, we will have gotten off lightly. The move is largely symbolic, as the third and last meeting held under the forum took place in 2017. “It’s a long way from some nuclear option like withdrawing from the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, for example,” Professor Laurenceson said. The suspension of the economic dialogue is the latest in a protracted tit-for-tat with China that has seen import tariffs slapped on Australian wine, beef, barley and timber. Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s push for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus was a major catalyst in the deterioration of relations, which were later aggravated by criticisms over China’s actions in the South China Sea and its new national security law in Hong Kong. Weeks after Mr Morrison led other world leaders in calling for a probe into COVID-19, China banned imports from four major Australian meat processing plants and slapped an 80.5 per cent tariff on Australian barley exports. Months later, customs authorities blocked Australian coal, timber, lobster, wine, copper and sugar at Chinese ports. The restrictions drove down the value of trade between Australia and China across most industries by more than 40 per cent, according to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade data. But the total value of Australian exports to China actually soared 20 per cent in March, compared to 2019 levels, clocking in at $13.4 billion. That’s because the sanctions ignored iron ore – our most valuable export to China. Independent economist Saul Eslake said the metal ore, which accounts for more than half of our exports to China, would continue to prop up our trade with the superpower, even as restrictions hurt other smaller industries. “Though it must frustrate the hell out of them, the Chinese really have no alternative to our iron ore,” Mr Eslake told TND. “Not only are they continuing to buy very large quantities of it, the price is going up, too.” Thankfully, there’s also evidence of Australian exporters rapidly finding new markets. For example, exports of cereals – the category dominated by barley – increased by $542 million in March (up 85 per cent), as businesses shipped tonnes of the stuff to the Middle East and beyond.

Tear Up Agreement

Iberia Airlines Flight 933 crash

Iberia Airlines Flight 933 was an international flight from Madrid Barajas International Airport bound for its destination, Boston-Logan International Airport in Boston, that suffered a runway incident on December 17, 1973. As the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, the aircraft operating the flight was approaching the airport, it collided with the ALS system 500 feet short from the runway threshold. This critically damaged the frontal gear, collapsing it. The aircraft came to a rest 300 feet before the runway. Although all 168 onboard survived, the plane was written off. This accident was the first hull loss of the DC-10. [1] The aircraft operating was a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, manufactured in early 1973 by McDonnell Douglas at Long Beach Airport, California. [2] At the time of the accident, it was nine months old and flown a total of 2,016 flight hours. It was registered as N54627 during a certification test but re-registered as EC-CBN when it was delivered to Iberia Airlines in August 1973. [3] Once, it was photographed previously for Iberia Airlines postcards and merchandise. [4][5] The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the cause of the accident after its occurrence. According to the aircraft's flight data recorder, it explained that its descent rate was increasing too rapidly during the approach, the result of a wind shear encounter. It was discovered that the captain and the first officer failed to recognize the rate change until the aircraft collided with the ALS piers. It was also discovered that the changes in weather had directed their attention away from monitoring the descent rate. 11 months after the accident in 1974, the NTSB confirmed their probable cause of the crash. [6] In the accident report, in a statement, it claims "The captain did not recognize and may have been unable to recognize, an increased rate of descent in time to arrest it before the aircraft struck the approach light piers. The increased rate of descent was induced by an encounter with low-level wind shear at a critical point in the landing approach where he was transitioning from automatic flight control under instrument flight conditions to manual flight control with visual references. The captain's ability to detect and arrest the increased rate of descent was adversely affected by a lack of information as to the existence of the wind shear and the marginal visual cues available. The minimal DC-10 wheel clearance above the approach lights and the runway threshold afforded by the ILS glide slope made the response time critical and, under the circumstances, produced a situation wherein a pilot's ability to make a safe landing was greatly diminished. "[7] The DC-10 had eight emergency exits, but after the crash, only four could be operated. The number 1 right exit had a fault in the mechanism and could not be opened. Due to the weak floor at the end of the aircraft, the floor had become deformed, causing failures in multiple-seat tracks and restraints, and also destroyed the two emergency exits at the back of the aircraft. This meant that the passengers in the back had to climb out of the section through the roof that had broken and jump off onto the ground, causing even more injuries. [8] Due to the floor disintegrating, rock and mud were thrown into the rear compartment of the aircraft. The parts of the floor that had broken apart were between fuselage stations (sections in the aircraft fuselage) 1530 to 1850. Compared to American Airlines Flight 96, stations 1801 to 1921 had failed. [9] The same floor section had collapsed in both crashes. The NTSB issued seven safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration on September 6, 1974. All of them were closed and with acceptable action. EC-CBN was heavily damaged beyond repair and it was written off 2 months later. It was later scrapped in 1974.

Air crash

1992 Erzincan earthquake

On 13 March, the 1992 Erzincan earthquake struck eastern Turkey with a moment magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Originating on the North Anatolian Fault, it rocked the country, leaving at least 498 people dead, roughly 2,000 injured, and an unknown amount missing. Total financial losses amounted to $13.5 million (American dollars). Eastern Turkey is dominated by the North Anatolian Fault. The Erzincan basin lies on the intersection of this fault on its northern side. Monitored by more than 10 seismographs, this basin has also provided focal points to at least one past earthquake in 1939. [3] At 6.7 on the moment magnitude scale, the earthquake was designated as "strong". It was responsible for more than 490 deaths, spread throughout the country of Turkey. More than 3,000 aftershocks rocked the area afterwards. [4] The provision of housing following the earthquake is now listed by the Chamber of Civil Engineers in Turkey as one of Fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey.

Earthquakes

Factbox: Congress struggles over U.S. debt ceiling as deadline looms

WASHINGTON, D. C.: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday (Monday in Manila) warned that US economic recovery would reverse into recession if Congress fails to swiftly raise the federal debt limit. "Congress has raised or suspended the country's debt ceiling about 80 times since 1960. Now it must do so again," Yellen said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. "If not, sometime in October-it is impossible to predict precisely when-the Treasury Department's cash balance will fall to an insufficient level, and the federal government will be unable to pay its bills," Yellen said, warning failing to raise the debt limit would produce "widespread economic catastrophe." "In a matter of days, millions of Americans could be strapped for cash. We could see indefinite delays in critical payments. Nearly 50 million seniors could stop receiving Social Security checks for a time. Troops could go unpaid," she said. Yellen also warned that a default on US debt would "likely precipitate a historic financial crisis" that would compound the damage of the continuing public health emergency. "Default could trigger a spike in interest rates, a steep drop in stock prices and other financial turmoil. Our current economic recovery would reverse into recession, with billions of dollars of growth and millions of jobs lost," she said, adding the U.S. would emerge from this crisis "a permanently weaker nation." "Neither delay nor default is tolerable. The past 17 months have tested our nation's economic strength. We are just now emerging from crisis. We must not plunge ourselves back into an entirely avoidable one," said the treasury secretary. Business Roundtable, an association of over 200 chief executive officers of America's leading companies, also warned US congressional leaders of the prospect of an economic crisis if they fail to swiftly raise the debt limit. "Failure to lift the US federal debt limit to meet US obligations would produce an otherwise avoidable crisis and pose unacceptable risk to the nation's economic growth, job creation and financial markets," the association said Wednesday in a letter to congressional leaders. As part of a bipartisan budget deal enacted in August 2019, Congress suspended the debt limit through July 31. After the debt limit was reinstated on Aug. 1, US Treasury Department began using "extraordinary measures" to continue to finance the government on a temporary basis. The debt limit, commonly called the debt ceiling, is the total amount of money that the US government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including social security and medicare benefits, interest on the national debt, and other payments.

Financial Crisis

Bridgeton flood of 1934

The Flood of 1934 was a natural disaster that hit the town of Bridgeton, New Jersey in August 1934. Over the course of three days, heavy rains fell in the region, swelling Sunset Lake and other local interconnected waterways. At the time, there were two earthen dams holding the water back at Sunset Lake and Mary Elmer Lake. Eventually the pressure was too much and the dams gave way sending a torrent of water down the Cohansey River as well as tributaries connected to the Lakes. The wall of water surged down through the banks of the Cohansey, emptying the lakes and the Raceway and flowing into and through downtown Bridgeton, which straddles the river. All the bridges that connected the east and west sides of the town were destroyed. Also damaged was Tumbling Dam Park, where the dam that held the water of Sunset Lake was located. In the aftermath of the flood, residents had no way of crossing the Cohansey River from one side of the town to the other. To go around the River meant a 21-mile (34 km) detour. The citizens were given short term relief when a Troop of Sea Scouts (associated with the Boy Scouts of America) used a donated lifeboat to set up a temporary ferry service by stringing a rope across the River and pulling the boat back and forth. Later, the United States Army Corps of Engineers came in and set up a temporary pontoon bridge. In the photographs taken at the time, the pontoon bridge appears to be very flimsy. In fact it was very stable, and one could drive a car across it. Due to the surge of water during the flood, much debris was deposited in the Cohansey River, making navigation of the waterway dangerous. The city hired a hard-hat diver to help in the removal of the debris. This is where Art Mckee, the "Father of Underwater treasure hunting" got his start. In the Bridgeton area, among the most remembered of our worst brushes with Mother Nature is undoubtedly the flood of 1934. At the time, showers had been predicted, but no one was prepared for the cloudburst that crippled Bridgeton and racked up more than $1 million in damage. (or over $17,000,000.00 in 2013) Seven inches of rain fell within a four-hour time span, setting off a chain reaction of disasters. Lightning destroyed the Dividing Creek Town Hall. Thousands of dollars of stock was damaged in Laurel Street stores and two Bridgeton dams were washed away. Four 75-foot oyster schooners, torn from moorings, smashed into the Commerce Street Bridge, tearing it in half. The Broad Street Bridge sank three feet and was condemned. Flood waters battered the Bridgeton Water Works and stopped the pumps. This created a water shortage, causing Owens-Illinois Glass Co., Ritter, Laning, Pritchard, Martin Dye and other plants to shut down. More than 2,500 people were out of work. About 60 U.S. Army engineers, called down from Fort Dix, helped build pontoon bridges to relieve the traffic congestion. They were assisted by 150 men taken from the unemployment roles by the Emergency Relief Administration. In the meantime, enterprising youngsters made more than $85 by rowing people across the river at 5 cents a trip. The nickel fare aboard the S.S. Ferry saved thousands of people a 21-mile detour by means of the nearest upstream route. By the late 1930s, a permanent bridge of cantilever construction had been built on Broad Street. It still serves travelers today. Coordinates: 39°25′46″N 75°13′50″W / 39.429564°N 75.230461°W / 39.429564; -75.230461

Floods

UK PM Johnson, senior ministers plan U.S. visits, The Telegraph reports

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a news conference inside the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain July 12, 2021. Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Sept 6 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and senior ministers will head to the United States on official visits in coming weeks, the Telegraph reported on Monday. Plans are also being drawn up for Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Home Secretary Priti Patel, finance minister Rishi Sunak and other cabinet members to fly to the United States for meetings and conferences this month or in early October, the newspaper said. Johnson is expected to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in New York in the week of Sept. 20, the report added. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox. Britain wants to de-escalate tensions with the European Union and find a solution to a post-Brexit Northern Ireland trade dispute that has threatened broader relations between the two sides, the Times newspaper reported on Friday. Michael Fawcett, the right-hand man to Prince Charles for decades, has stepped down from his role running one of the British royal's main charities, weeks after a newspaper report that said he had offered honours in return for donations. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. Information, analytics and exclusive news on financial markets - delivered in an intuitive desktop and mobile interface. Access to real-time, reference, and non-real time data in the cloud to power your enterprise. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.

Diplomatic Visit

Child pornographer sentenced to 175 years in prison

A Newport man pled guilty on more than 4 dozen child pornography charges.(Jackson Co. Sheriff's Office) By Region 8 Newsdesk Published: Nov. 9, 2021 at 5:07 PM CST JACKSON COUNTY, Ark. (KAIT) - A judge sentenced a Jackson County man to 175 years in prison for child pornography. On Tuesday, 50-year-old George D. Bales of Newport pleaded guilty to 50 counts of distributing/possessing/viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. For each count, Judge Rob Ratton sentenced Bales to 42 months in the Arkansas Department of Corrections for a total of 2,100 months. Ratton also ordered him to pay all court costs and fees. Should he ever be released from the ADC, Bales will be required to register as a sex offender. He received 55 days of jail time credit. Police arrested Bales in Septembe r after a search of his cell phone revealed more than 50 images of child pornography, the court documents stated. During an interview with investigators, Bales said he had been viewing child pornography for a few years and “stated that he knew what he was doing was wrong and he could get in trouble for it.”

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Release

Hoopfest 2021 faced cancellation again this year due to CORONAVIRUS

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 26, 2021 The continued prevalence of the coronavirus claimed another summertime event in Spokane on Wednesday, as organizers announced the cancellation of Hoopfest 2021. The 3-on-3 basketball tournament had been scheduled for Sept. 11-12. In a letter posted to Hoopfest’s website on Wednesday afternoon, organizers said the increase in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant of the coronavirus led to cancellation of the event for the second straight year. The cancellation was made in consultation with the Spokane Regional Health District and regional health care providers. “This decision has been excruciatingly difficult, especially because the circumstances have significantly worsened in just the past 48 hours,” the letter reads. Hoopfest had been planning for a tournament with about 3,200 teams, roughly half the size of a traditional competition, Executive Director Matt Santangelo said Wednesday. Those teams may now request a partial, 20% refund, or donate their entry fee to the nonprofit in charge of running the competition. Organizers had announced the 20% refund earlier this month, made necessary because some costs had already been incurred to hold the event in September. The Hoopfest nonprofit reported $1.1 million less in revenues in 2020 compared to the previous year after not holding a tournament because of the pandemic. Team captains will receive an email soon with the choice of donating their fee or requesting a refund, Santangelo said. Refunds will be processed by the end of September. MultiCare Rockwood Clinic, a Hoopfest sponsor, applauded the move in a statement. “As the Inland Northwest community continues to see an increase in the number of COVID-19 delta variant cases and the region’s hospitals experience record-breaking COVID-19 hospitalizations, MultiCare agrees with our partners at the Spokane Regional Health District and Hoopfest that it is in the best interest of our community, potential visitors and all MultiCare staff to cancel the Hoopfest basketball tournament for 2021,” said Alex Jackson, president and chief operations officer of MultiCare Rockwood Clinic, in a statement. Dr. Francisco Velazquez, the interim health officer of the Spokane Regional Health District, commended Hoopfest for trying to pull an event off even as cases continued to rise. “Matt and his team have worked diligently for months to make Hoopfest as safe as possible, and it is unfortunate that the exponential spread of the virus and its Delta variant has caused the event to be canceled,” Velázquez said in a statement. Each team member will receive a T-shirt and each team a Hoopfest branded basketball, regardless of whether they ask for a refund. Organizers had made the decision not to require participants to receive vaccination against COVID-19. The cancellation of Hoopfest follows the decision to cancel Pig Out in the Park earlier this month. Hoopfest had originally been moved to the September weekend from its usual date in June. That weekend, temperatures climbed above 100 degrees in an unusual bout of early summer heat that turned deadly. Kate Hudson, public relations manager for the nonprofit community booster group Visit Spokane, said it was fair to estimate the financial loss to the community from the event’s cancellation “in the millions.” “I think what’s kind of a gut punch is that we thought we were kind of in the clear,” Hudson said. “We had this movement in a positive direction. To have this setback, it’s tough.” She said hotels, restaurants and other businesses were looking forward to “a sense of normalcy” with the return of Pig Out and Hoopfest, after the second straight cancelation of an in-person Bloomsday in May. The Spokane County Interstate Fair is still scheduled to take place Sept. 10-19 as of Wednesday, said Jessica McLaughlin, fair coordinator. The 2022 edition of Hoopfest is scheduled to take place June 25-26.

Organization Closed

All the Celebrity Weddings in 2020

It turned out that 2019 was a massive year for celebrity weddings: Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas had a glamorous French wedding after an unexpected surprise bash in Vegas (with an Elvis impersonator in attendance, of course), and Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin had an elegant soiree after months of anticipation. Jennifer Lawrence also tied the knot with Cooke Maroney in Newport, Rhode Island. And Zoë Kravitz and Karl Glusman had a stunning reception in Paris, complete with Kravitz’s famous parents and her Big Little Lies castmates. 2020 looked a little—okay, a lot—different. The coronavirus has put many people’s nuptials on hold⁠—celebs and non-celebs alike. But a few stars tied the knot before quarantine guidelines were put in place. Meanwhile, those who don't want to wait to host a major shindig in the future have moved forward with their wedding plans, opting for super-intimate ceremonies to honor social distancing regulations. Below, check out all the celebrity weddings that have happened in 2020. Queer Eye star, comedian, and hairstylist Jonathan Van Ness dropped a major bombshell on Instagram on December 31. In a roundup of the year, Van Ness revealed they secretly tied the knot in 2020. “I got married to my best friend & have a loving partner to continue building my life with,” Van Ness wrote without revealing the name of their partner. Then, on January 2, JVN posted an Instagram tribute to their new husband, Mark Peacock. “We went on a date in London, which turned into more dates whilst I was on comedy tour,” Van Ness wrote on Instagram along with several new photos. JVN recalls asking Mark to meet the family after just a “couple weeks” of dating. “Something about Mark felt different and I’m quite sure he felt the same ? Here’s some of my favorite moments together and here’s to making many more. ?️‍? ” Surprise! American Horror Story’s Taissa Farmiga revealed—three months after the wedding—that she quietly married filmmaker Hadley Klein. On November 27 she posted a picture of the newlyweds cutting into their cake and revealed in the caption that they’d tied the knot back on August 8. She also wrote, “Married my best friend.” So cute. Small group and a face mask? Yep, that’s a pandemic wedding for you. Congratulations! A day after Thanksgiving, Big Mouth creator and actor Nick Kroll and model and landscape architect Lily Kwong revealed that they’d gotten married. In her post, Kwong specified the date of the intimate seaside wedding as November 19. Both wrote about how thankful they were. Aww. The pair are currently expecting their first child together. WATCH How Two Flight Attendants Spend Their $48K Incomes They tied the knot in late October 2020, the organization Meals on Wheels confirmed. “We’re thrilled to break the news that Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost were married over the weekend in an intimate ceremony with their immediate family and love ones, following COVID-19 safety precautions as directed by the CDC,” the org posted to Instagram. "Their wedding wish is to help make a difference for vulnerable older adults during this difficult time by supporting @mealsonwheelsamerica." Fortune Feimster and Jacquelyn Smith tied the knot on Friday, October 23, in Malibu, People reports. They announced their engagement in January 2018 and dated for two and a half years before that. “I was excited. We’ve been together for five and a half years. If you don’t know who you’re marrying after five and a half years, then you’re in trouble. So I knew it felt good, it felt right,” Feimster told People. John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh reportedly wed in Florida on Monday, October 12, at an attorney’s office in Florida. While the couple haven’t responded to requests for comment, People obtained the marriage certificate. Cena and Shariatzadeh have been linked to each other since March 2019—it’s his first public relationship since splitting from Nikki Bella in 2018. Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey and talk-show host Mike Hill are married! According to People, the couple exchanged vows in front of 250 guests during a lavish Georgia wedding on Saturday, October 10. In a statement, Bailey and Hill expressed how happy they were to “finally” celebrate their love. “10/10/20 is and always will be our perfect date. We are not perfect, but, are perfect for each other,” the newlyweds told People. “We are living in a very different time, and now more than ever we realize that life is too short, and to never take anything for granted.” The Curb Your Enthusiasm star married Ashley Underwood on October 7 in California, according to People. The couple reportedly met through Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher back in 2017. “We were seated next to each other, I think with that in mind,” David previously told the New York Times. “Much to her surprise, I left before dessert. I was doing so well, banter-wise, I didn’t want to risk staying too long and blowing the good impression.” Magic Mike star Alex Pettyfer and his supermodel fiancée, Toni Garrn, are now husband and wife. Pettyfer announced the happy news on his Instagram with a photo showing off their wedding bands and the caption “Mr. & Mrs Pettyfer.” In her own post, Garrn wrote, “Now you really get to call me wifey.” The Kissing Booth’s Joel Courtney and Mia Scholink (whom he's known since they were little kids) tied the knot in Phoenix on September 27. “I am just so thrilled to be married,” he told People. “It’s one of those things where as much planning and as much anticipation goes into the day, I’m so excited to be married to my best friend.” Emma Stone has reportedly married her boyfriend of three years, Dave McCary. According to Page Six, the couple, who met when Stone hosted SNL in 2016, have been spotted wearing matching wedding bands. A source told the publication that Stone and McCary had, in fact, recently tied the knot after originally postponing their March nuptials due to the coronavirus pandemic. After postponing her wedding in April due to the coronavirus, the Dynasty star and music producer Corcoran tied the knot in a much smaller ceremony on August 8 in New Jersey. “Initially we planned on postponing a year,” she told Vogue. “Then, as time went on, we decided a big wedding was no longer something that made sense for us. The virus really put things into perspective. That being said, we did want to get married as long as it could be done in a safe and intimate setting with a group that we trusted.” She also shared some gorgeous photos on Instagram. The Stranger Things actor and “Smile” singer just got married in Las Vegas, according to People. Just one day after news broke that the couple had obtained a marriage license, the publication confirmed the couple wed on September 7, 2020. Harbour and Allen were first linked this January, sparking engagement rumors just four months later. In a comment about her ring in a May Instagram post, Allen replied, “First rule of engagement club .........” Kathie Lee Gifford’s son, Cody, married his longtime girlfriend, Erika Brown, over Labor Day weekend after getting engaged in May 2019. People reports that “just parents and siblings were in attendance” for the wedding. “God gave us a glorious day to celebrate this glorious couple. So grateful.??,” Kathie Lee posted on Instagram with a photo of the bride and groom. Nash confirmed August 31 on Instagram that she married singer Jessica Betts. “Mrs. Carol Denise Betts ? @jessicabettsmusic #LoveWins,” she wrote on Instagram. Betts also posted to IG, writing, “I got a whole Wife.” Sean Penn, 59, confirmed that he and his girlfriend, Leila George, 28, are now married. “Yeah, we did a COVID wedding. By that, I mean it was a county commissioner on Zoom and we were at the house, my two children and her brother, and we did it that way,” he told Seth Meyers on Meyers’s late-night talk show on August 3, according to Yahoo. Country singer Luke Combs married his longtime fiancée, Nicole Hocking, in Florida on August 1. “Yesterday was the best day of my life. I got to marry my best friend. I love you @nicohocking, here’s to forever,” he wrote on Instagram. A rep for Combs told People the ceremony took place at their home. “Despite the threat of a hurricane, the couple had a lovely intimate ceremony and will be celebrating with friends and family in the new year,” the rep said. Prince Eric—I mean, Belgian racing driver Jérôme d’Ambrosio married Eleonore von Habsburg—the archduchess of Austria and royal princess of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia—on July 20, according to People. The pair, like Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, were forced to cancel their original plans due to the coronavirus pandemic. They opted, instead, to hold a small civil ceremony in Monaco. Surprise! Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a secret wedding at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace confirmed. “The private wedding ceremony of Princess Beatrice and Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi took place at 11am on Friday 17th July at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor,” the statement read. “The small ceremony was attended by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, and close family. The wedding took place in accordance with all relevant Government Guidelines.” Not only did the princess wear Queen Elizabeth II’s own wedding tiara, but she also borrowed a gown from her grandmother. Designed by Norman Hartnell, who also designed the dress Queen Elizabeth wore to her own nuptials, Beatrice’s choice of gown for her wedding was reportedly a last-minute decision. After changing her mind from her original choice, the princess reportedly “made a request [to borrow one from the queen], and that was kindly granted—and it looked amazing!” a friend told People. “It was touching for both of them.” “Beatrice talks about her grandmother often, and it’s clear there’s a strong bond there,” another friend said. “The dress and the tiara could not have been more perfect.” Raven-Symoné took to Instagram on Thursday, June 18, to announce she and her girlfriend, Miranda Maday, have tied the knot. “I got married to a woman who understands me from trigger to joy, from breakfast to midnight snack, from stage to home. I love you Mrs. Pearman-Maday! Let’s tear this world a new asshole!!! I’s married NOW,” she wrote on Instagram alongside the above photo. In a separate post she added, “Thank you to all those who helped and for those who understand why it was small during this time.” And then on Instagram Stories she wrote to Maday, “Love you bestie #WifedUpLife.” After getting engaged in December of 2018, actor Debby Ryan and her partner, Joshua Dun of Twenty One Pilots, secretly got married one year later—and they had planned their wedding in just 28 days. “We began to flirt with the idea of having a destination party celebrating the new decade, then decided in December to get married [in Austin] on New Year’s Eve, and just keep dancing until after the ball dropped,” the Insatiable actor told Vogue. “The time just felt right.” You can see Ryan’s Elie Saab gown and more photos from the big day here. Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow and realtor Tyler Stanaland got married in Malibu, California, on Saturday, March 14, according to The Knot. Snow’s dog, Billie, reportedly walked down the aisle during the ceremony, which may be the best thing I’ve heard all day. About 120 guests were in attendance. Back in February 2019, the actor shared the news of her engagement on Instagram. “A couple weeks ago, I said ‘YES’ about a million times to the man of my wildest & most beautiful dreams. After celebrating with friends and family, we wanted to let a few more friends (you guys) know…this happened,” she wrote in the caption of three photos (swipe to the last one to see her ring up close). “I’m still pinching myself and thanking my lucky stars for the truest feeling I’ve ever felt. Thank you @tylerstanaland for the happiest day of my life & for not proposing in this creepy empty restaurant.” Riverdale star Vanessa Morgan shared that she’d married Michael Kopech on January 4 when she uploaded a few glimpses into her big day on social media. On her Instagram Stories, Morgan shared a picture of a pair of white slippers that read “bride” in silver rhinestones as well as one image of her dogs holding a sign that said, “Our Hoomans Are Getting Hitched.” The wedding included several guests from the Riverdale family: Skeet Ulrich and Drew Tanner were there, according to People, and Madelaine Petsch (who plays Morgan’s love interest on the show) was one of the bridesmaids. Morgan and Kopech announced last July that they had gotten engaged. Kopech proposed in front of the gorgeous cascade at Arizona’s Mooney Falls, which Morgan shared photos of on Instagram, writing, “My Forever.” “Forever” turned out to be a mere six months for the couple, unfortunately. Kopech recently filed for divorce days after Morgan announced her pregnancy, according to E! News. Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow wed Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Miss Universe 2017, in a sunset ceremony at La Paris Estate in Cape Town, South Africa, on January 18, 2020. According to the couple, the wedding was traditional, but they each made sure to add in their own twists. “I want the vows to be perfect,” Tebow told People the night before the wedding. “I’m leaving in the traditional things like ‘till death do us part,’ but I’m also adding some of my own things to it.” Nel-Peters added, “We’re both very traditional. We wanted to look back at the wedding and see that it was intimate, elegant, and traditional. We definitely wanted it to be something that we could look back on and know that nothing was dated. We want to remember this day for the rest of our lives." For the event with 260 guests, Nel-Peters donned an elegant sleeveless custom gown by David’s Bridal, People reports. And for their rehearsal dinner under the stars, the bride donned a beaded red jumpsuit while Tebow wore a brocade maroon suit.

Famous Person - Marriage

Police release bank robbery footage

Queensland police have uploaded footage from a bank robbery in Cairns, in the state's far north, to their Facebook page. They are appealing for help to find a man who held up a Suncorp branch at Westcourt's DFO shopping centre on Tuesday afternoon. The video shows a man with a handgun demanding a teller place cash in a brown paper bag. The robbery happened about lunchtime and no-one was hurt. Police spokesman Chris Loy is urging anyone with information to contact police. "The man is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 180 centimetres tall, wearing a grey polo shirt, blue-coloured jeans, brown-coloured sandals and a green hat with a red stripe around the crown," he said. "He left on foot after stealing cash and was last seen walking through the adjoining shopping mall."

Bank Robbery

15-Year-Old Gets Max Sentence for DC Carjacking That Killed Uber Eats Driver

Fighting tears, Anwar’s family made powerful statements in a virtual court hearing Friday before the teen was sentenced. They later gave News4 the text of those statements. They spoke about the sadness of spending Ramadan and Eid without Anwar, and struggling with what to tell loved ones in the U.S. and Pakistan. “Abu used to call his grandkids at least twice a day, and I have no idea what to tell them now when they ask where is their Dada Abu,” Anwar’s daughter Qandeel Anwar said. “How do I tell them what a murder is? How do I console my mother, who sits silently all day since March 23rd?” She simmered with fury as she addressed the girl directly. “I can never and will never forgive you for the pain you caused him,” she said. Anwar’s sister Nargis Akbar asked for the harshest possible sentence. “No amount of years they spend in a detention center can make up for even one percent of the pain my brother went through,” she said. Anwar’s niece wished the girl well. “Any sentence you receive today will not bring my uncle back,” Maham Akbar said. “While you may not have seen value in his life in those moments, we do see value in yours. Your life is valuable. We hope you will learn from this and choose to go on to do great things and be a productive member of society.” The girl was emotional during the family's statements. A D.C. Youth Services Center put an arm around her several times. When it was her turn to speak, she apologized and said she had not meant to kill Anwar. Still, the judge called the crime unspeakable and issued the maximum sentence. One man was killed and two teens are in custody after a carjacking that ended near Nationals Park. News4's Shomari Stone reports. Anwar, of Springfield, was in a gray sedan and working as an Uber Eats driver when the girls asked him for a ride near the Navy Yard Metro station, prosecutors said. Anwar had driven just a few blocks when the girls, armed with a stun gun, tried to steal his car in the 1200 block of Van Street SE. Anwar tried to gain control of the car and accelerated, hit a tree and several parked cars, and flipped the car. Police arrived at about 4:30 p.m. and found Anwar injured on the sidewalk. Medics took him to a hospital, where he died. Cellphone video shot by a witness high above N Street shows the immediate aftermath of the crash. Anwar can be seen on the sidewalk. Two National Guard troops who were in the area pulled the two girls out of the flipped car as its wheels spun. The girls lied to bystanders and said the car belonged to them, prosecutors said. The girls were detained on the scene. News4 was first to report on the crime, one of a number of recent carjackings by young people. EXCLUSIVE: Law enforcement sources tell me 2 teenage girls, ages 13 & 15, are accused of an armed car jacking in SE Washington, DC. The car crashed & flipped over near Nats Park. The victim landed on the sidewalk & died at a hospital. Police arrested 2 suspects: Anwar was a father and grandfather with loved ones in the U.S. and Pakistan, his family said. “He was a hardworking immigrant who came to the U.S. in 2014 to build a better life for himself and his family. The loss for his family is immeasurable,” they said in a statement that called the crime "senseless." Two girls are accused of an armed carjacking that ended in the death of a man near Nationals Park. News4's Shomari Stone reports that at least 19 carjackings in the District this year have involved juveniles.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence

Aeroflot Flight 1491 crash

Aeroflot Flight 1491 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Moscow-Vnukovo Airport to Kharkiv Airport in the USSR that crashed on 18 May 1972 while descending to land in Kharkiv, killing all 122 passengers and crew aboard the Antonov An-10. Antonov An-10A, registration СССР-11215 (factory number 0402502, MSN 25-02), was manufactured at the Voronezh Aviation Plant on 3 February 1961. On 7 February 1961 it was delivered to Aeroflot's Kharkiv division. It was equipped with 4 turboprop Ivchenko AI-20 engines. At the time of the accident the aircraft accumulated 11,105 flight cycles and 15,483 flying hours. The flight crew responsible flying the aircraft was from the 87th Flight Squad (Kharkiv United Squadron). Captain Vladimir Vasiltsov was in charge of this flight;[1] first officer Andrei Burkovskii, navigator Aleksandr Grishko, flight engineer Vladimir Shchokin, and radio operator Konstantin Peresechanskii were also in the flight deck. [2] Flight 1491 took off from Moscow-Vnukovo Airport at 10:39 en route to Kharkiv in the Ukrainian SSR. While descending from its cruising altitude of 7,200 metres (23,600 ft) to an altitude of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), the Antonov An-10 suffered structural failure resulting in the separation of both wings. [3] The fuselage then plunged into a wooded area, killing all 114 passengers and 8 crew on board the aircraft. [4][5][6] Pravda reported on the crash of Flight 1491 shortly after it happened. At the time, it was unusual in the Soviet Union for there to be press reports on domestic air crashes. [7] The probable cause of the crash was determined to be the center wing section failing due to a fatigue crack in the lower central wing panel. [8] Following this accident, Aeroflot ceased the operation of An-10. [9]

Air crash

'Look after yourself my darling': poignant letters salvaged from 1941 shipwreck

Archivists have painstakingly reconstructed the wartime missives recovered from the SS Gairsoppa, sunk by a U-boat off the Irish coast The fragments of a 1941 love letter to a woman named Iris, found nearly three miles under the ocean in a shipwreck, have been painstakingly pieced together by experts, 80 years after it was posted. “Look after yourself my darling, not only for your own sake …….. for mine also,” wrote the unknown serviceman stationed in the Waziristan region, now part of Pakistan. “Imagine that I have my lips tight against yours with my arms around you tight … let us hope that this bloody war will soon be over.” The letter is one of 717 that were never delivered by the cargo ship, the SS Gairsoppa, which was destined for the US. The ship was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland by a German U-boat on 16 February 1941. Of the 86 crew on board, only one survived. The ship lay nearly three miles deep until 2011, when Odyssey Marine Exploration, an US firm that won the contract from the British government in 2010 for salvage, discovered it. The company recovered more than 100 tonnes of silver from the wreck, along with the letters, which stayed mostly intact because they had been sealed within the hold under tons of mailbags and sediments, protected from light, currents, heat and oxygen. “It’s an anaerobic environment so the corrosion is slowed down completely. And because there were so many mailbags together, a massive percentage of the whole post office mail would have been destroyed, but a central part of all this big bundle of mailbags has survived – just 700-odd letters, there would have been so many more,” said conservator Eleni Katsiani. While a handful of the more complete letters from the ship were displayed in an exhibition at the Postal Museum in London in 2018, the museum’s archive team have been working on some of the more damaged missives over recent months, piecing together fragments to reveal glimpses of wartime lives. The letters were immediately freeze-dried after the discovery, to stop the decay process, then washed in freshwater to desalinate them, said Katsiani, “an intense and time-consuming process for each letter but one that secured their current condition.” The Postal Museum’s senior paper conservator, Jackie Coppen, came across the letter to Iris, which she described as “a tender testament to love and longing”, written on “incredibly thin and fragile” paper. “Like many of the letters, it has suffered, but despite missing areas, enough remains to appreciate the sentiments,” Coppen said. “It talks of hope and the future, it professes dreams of embracing tightly and being together again. Not only does it evoke a romantic past, when the handwritten word sent through the post was often the only means of sustaining long-distance relationships, but it is particularly pertinent in present times when many of us, longing to embrace our own loved ones, have also reverted to the written word as a means of reaching out.” Two other letters are from a father to his daughter and son at the Hotel Inglewood in Torquay, where the museum believes they may have been evacuated, written on 1 December 1940. The father writes to his daughter Pam: “You can be quite sure that mummy will send you back to Wycombe as it becomes practical politics. Meanwhile we all have to make the best of things as they are: the war has upset most peoples dreams and modes of living – including mine!” He sends his son Michael a collection of used stamps from around the world, along with some fatherly encouragement: “Your handwriting in your last letter is much better than I’ve ever seen it keep it: well done: keep it up and try to improve your spelling.” “He also writes about how he’s happy his son is enjoying his bike, and how he’s pleased he’s going to be joining the Cubs,” said Katsiani. “It’s such a nice letter.” Under half of the letters have now been worked on by the conservators, giving, as the museum puts it, “insight into the lives of ordinary people, living in extraordinary circumstances during the second world war”. “There were missionaries, business people, soldiers and generals writing, ordinary travellers who had gone to India,” said Katsiani. “The letters are talking about life, love, faith, business – and the weather, of course.” “It feels somewhat poignant and appropriate to be uniting these letters on the 80th anniversary of the ship’s sinking,” said Coppen. “It is inevitable that while piecing the letters together I have come to form an intimate relationship with them – they are mesmerising and capture a remarkable snippet of life during a most significant period.”

Shipwreck

What to Know About China Evergrande, the Troubled Property Giant

Every once in a while, a company grows so big and messy that governments fear what would happen to the broader economy if it were to fail. In China, Evergrande , a sprawling real estate developer, is that company. Evergrande has the distinction of being the world’s most debt-saddled developer and has been on life support for months. Now, it looks to be facing the biggest corporate restructuring in Asia. Fitch Ratings, a credit ratings firm, has said the Chinese developer is in default of its obligations. Evergrande has said that officials from several state-backed institutions had joined a risk committee that would help the company restructure itself. Evergrande is a huge real estate empire with millions of apartments in hundreds of cities across China. It also has more than $300 billion in financial obligations, hundreds of unfinished residential buildings and angry suppliers who have shut down construction sites. Things got so bad that the company paid its overdue bills with unfinished properties and asked employees to lend it money . What happens next could reverberate through China’s economy, affecting home buyers, more than 3.8 million jobs , and hundreds of thousands of employees who work for the company. Observers are now watching to see how Beijing handles the next chapter of Evergrande for what it says about the country’s intentions to clean up the country’s corporate sector by letting “debt bombs” like Evergrande collapse. Xu Jiayin, Evergrande’s billionaire founder, in 2009. The company has nearly 800 unfinished projects across China. Did Evergrande default? For months, Evergrande kept the financial markets on edge as it narrowly averted default several times by making 11th-hour payments on its bonds. But under mounting pressure and with no cash to keep things going, Evergrande said on Dec. 3 that it was unlikely to continue to meet its financial obligations. The next week, after another deadline on two bond payments came and went with no sign of payment and no word from Evergrande, Fitch Ratings placed the Chinese developer in its “restricted default” category. The category means that Evergrande had formally defaulted but had not yet entered into any kind of bankruptcy filing, liquidation or other process that would stop its operations. In the United States and many other places, this would open the door for creditors to take legal action to try to get their money back. But Chinese government officials have closely managed previous corporate meltdowns to make sure they don’t spiral out of control, so many investors are waiting to see what plan might emerge. Evergrande said it would “actively engage” with its foreign creditors to come up with a plan for restructuring — the often long and drawn out process of stripping a company down and selling off its parts to pay everyone off. Investors could go after assets overseas, but the process could be messy. “Evergrande is complex and has entities in companies both inside and outside the People’s Republic of China,” said Daniel Anderson, a partner at the law firm Ropes & Gray in Hong Kong. “There isn’t a clean, single legal mechanism that can be implemented to restructure the group. As a result, it will have to be across jurisdictions, which will make it highly complex.” How did Evergrande become such a problem? In its glory days a decade ago, Evergrande sold bottled water, owned China’s best professional soccer team and even briefly dabbled in pig farming. It became so big and sprawling that it has a unit that makes electric cars, though it has delayed mass production. Now Evergrande is seen as a rickety threat to China’s biggest banks. The company, founded in 1996, rode China’s epic real estate boom that urbanized large swathes of the country and resulted in nearly three quarters of household wealth being tied up in housing. This put Evergrande at the center of power in an economy that came to lean on the real estate market for supercharged economic growth. The company’s billionaire founder, Xu Jiayin, is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an elite group of politically well-connected advisers. Mr. Xu’s connections likely gave creditors more confidence to keep lending money to Evergrande as it grew and expanded into new businesses. Eventually, though, Evergrande ended up with more debt than it could pay off. Image The Evergrande headquarters in Shenzhen. The company rapidly expanded in an economy that relied on the real estate market for supercharged economic growth. In recent years, it has faced lawsuits from home buyers who are still waiting for the completion of apartments they paid for. Suppliers and creditors have claimed hundreds of billions of dollars in outstanding bills. Some have suspended construction on Evergrande projects. Why is the company in so much trouble now? Evergrande might have been able to keep going if it weren’t for two problems. First, Chinese regulators are cracking down on the reckless borrowing habits of developers. This has forced Evergrande to start selling some of its sprawling business empire, and that’s not going so well. It failed to sell its electric vehicle business, despite talks with prospective buyers. Some experts said buyers were waiting for a fire sale. Second, China’s real estate market is slowing and there is less demand for new apartments. The National Institution for Finance and Development, a prominent Beijing think tank, declared the real estate market boom had “shown signs of a turning point,” citing weak demand and slowing sales. That is contributing to an overall slowdown in China’s economic growth, which — in a self-perpetuating cycle — could further erode demand for Evergrande’s properties. Image Evergrande electric vehicles displayed during the Auto Shanghai show in April.Credit...Aly Song/Reuters Much of the cash that Evergrande has been able to drum up has come from presold apartments that aren’t yet completed. Evergrande has nearly 800 projects across China that are unfinished, and as many as 1.6 million people who are still waiting to move into their new homes, according to an estimate from Barclays. Will Chinese regulators step in to save it? Image Students at the Evergrande Football School, in Qingyuan, Guangdong, in 2016.Credit...Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times What happens next is largely in the hands of Chinese government authorities. For years, many investors gave money to companies like Evergrande because they believed Beijing would always step in with a rescue if things got too shaky. And for decades, the investors were right. But more recently, the authorities have shown greater willingness to let companies fail in order to rein in China’s unsustainable debt problem. Understand the Evergrande Crisis What is Evergrande? The Evergrande Group , a sprawling Chinese real estate giant, has the distinction of being the world’s most debt-saddled developer. It was founded in 1996 and rode China’s real estate boom that urbanized large swathes of the country, and has millions of apartments in hundreds of cities. How much does it owe? Evergrande has more than $300 billion in financial obligations, hundreds of unfinished residential buildings and angry suppliers who have shut down construction sites. Things got so bad that the company paid its overdue bills with unfinished properties and asked employees to lend it money . How did the company get into financial trouble? For decades, China’s real estate market operated unrestrained. But recently, Beijing started taking measures, including new restrictions on home sales, to tame the sector. Evergrande borrowed heavily as it grew and expanded into new businesses, and eventually ended up with more debt than it could pay off. Why does Evergrande’s fate matter? The company’s collapse would reverberate around the world, affecting global markets, the millions of jobs the company creates and hundreds of thousands of employees . China’s whole residential and commercial real estate market , which drives up to a third of China’s economy, could crumble. How has the Chinese government addressed the crisis? Beijing sat on the sidelines for months as Evergrande neared financial collapse. It wasn’t until December that the company said officials from state-backed institutions had joined a risk committee to help restructure the business. Where do things stand with Evergrande now? For months, the real estate giant averted default by making 11th-hour payments on its bonds. But on Dec. 9, a major credit ratings firm declared Evergrande in default after it failed to meet a payment deadline. What is next for the company, bankruptcy, a fire sale or business as usual, has yet to be determined. When it comes to developers, the authorities have until now been resolute about not stepping in. So far this year, at least 11 developers have already defaulted on bond payments. To emphasize this point, China’s central bank has blamed Evergrande’s “own poor management and reckless expansion” for its problems and said the crisis was limited to Evergrande. Yi Gang, the central bank governor, has indicated that Evergrande was not likely to get a bailout. How would Evergrande’s failure affect China’s economy? A campaign by the central bank to tame real estate debt and reduce the banking sector’s exposure to troubled developers should mean that an Evergrande failure would have less of an impact on China’s financial system. The reality may be more complicated. Panic from investors and home buyers could spill over into the real estate market and hit prices, affecting household wealth and confidence. It could also shake global financial markets and make it harder for other Chinese companies to continue to finance their businesses with foreign investment. Image Prospective investors walking around the Royal Scenic Peninsula, an Evergrande luxury development in Guangzhou, in 2009.Alex Hofford for The New York Times Chen Zhiwu, a professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong, said a failure could result in a credit crunch for the entire economy as financial institutions become more risk averse. An Evergrande failure was “not good news to the financial system or the overall economy,” he said. But not everyone is as pessimistic. Bruce Pang, an economist at China Renaissance Securities, said a default could lay the groundwork for a healthier economy in the future. “If Evergrande were to fail with the fading belief of ‘too big to fail,’ it will prove Beijing’s more tolerant for defaults despite pains and disruption in the short term,” Mr. Pang said. Should foreign investors be concerned? Foreign investors are now worried that the money they are owed may be stuck in China and will be difficult to extract. In any bankruptcy proceeding, they would be low on the list of creditors to get any of the Chinese company’s assets. Some, however, are more optimistic. China Inc. needs to be able to continue to raise money from foreign investors, so Beijing will make sure that bondholders are able to recover some of their losses, the thinking goes. Foreign investors are owed $1.3 billion in U.S. bond payments this month and by April of next year, that figure will rise to $17 billion, according to one estimate . Image Mr. Xu with Florentino Pérez, the president of Real Madrid, in 2012. Evergrande once owned China’s best professional soccer team.Credit...Visual China Group, via Getty Images

Financial Crisis

Cyprus Airways Flight 284 crash

Cyprus Airways Flight 284 was a de Havilland Comet that broke up during a flight to Nicosia International Airport on 12 October 1967, after an explosive device detonated in the cabin. The airliner crashed in the Mediterranean Sea and all 66 passengers and crew members on board died. [1] The aircraft was a de Havilland DH.106 Comet 4B, registration G-ARCO, the 49th Comet 4 built. It had been owned and operated by British European Airways (BEA) since it was built in 1961. [1][2] BEA was a shareholder in Cyprus Airways (1947-2015), and the two airlines had an agreement in place for all of Cyprus Airways' jet services to be operated by BEA Comets. [3] Late on the day before the crash the aircraft departed on a night-time BEA service from London Heathrow Airport to Ellinikon International Airport in Athens, Greece, arriving just after 3:00am local time (1:00am UTC) on 12 October. At about 4:30am the aircraft departed Athens on the regular Cyprus Airways flight to Nicosia in Cyprus with 59 passengers and a crew of seven on board. [4] About 45 minutes into the flight, control of the aircraft was transferred from air traffic controllers (ATC) at Athens to their counterparts at Nicosia. The crew contacted Nicosia's controllers by radio, but when ATC replied there was no response from the aircraft. [4] The flight was due to go on to Cairo after Nicosia. Eight passengers had to take a MEA flight the next day. As Flight 284 was flying towards Cyprus at Flight Level 290 [an altitude of approximately 29,000 ft (8,839 m)], the aircraft broke up in mid-air about 100 mi (161 km) southeast of the island of Rhodes in Greece and about 22 mi (35 km) south of the Turkish coastal town of Demre. [4][5] A total of 51 bodies were recovered from the sea within a day of the crash. Contrary to initial reports, none were wearing life jackets. Some were wearing wristwatches that had stopped at 5:25. [6][7] Investigators concluded that the aircraft had suffered some form of damage during the initial radio call to Nicosia ATC at about 5:15am and had broken up in flight about eight minutes later. They estimated the aircraft's wreckage to be scattered on the seabed over an area of about 35 sq mi (91 km2) at a depth of 9,000–10,000 feet (2,700–3,050 metres) below the surface. [5] After a drop tank was recovered from the sea, investigators hypothesised that the aircraft crashed due to a mid-air collision with a military aircraft. However searchers also found a cushion from one of the Comet's passenger seats floating on the surface of the sea, which on examination was found to have evidence of an explosion. [5] Analysis of the seat cushion showed traces of a military plastic explosive. [8] After this find the mid-air collision theory was discarded and a decision was made not to retrieve any submerged wreckage. [9] The seat cushion and other recovered objects from the Comet's passenger cabin were analysed by the Forensic Explosive Section of the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment, the first time that this was done. [10]

Air crash

Egypt Set to Launch NextSat 1 Satellite in 2022

Egypt's TIBA-1 communications satellite launched into space on 26 November 2019. The head of the Electric Power Group for Space Systems at the Egyptian Space Agency, Mohamed Yahya, announced Egypt’s plans to launch the “NextSat 1” satellite in 2022. The NextSat 1 satellite is the first of a series of satellites (dubbed “Next”) aimed at helping the National Authority for Remote Sensing & Space Sciences (NARSS) test new technologies, with a payload of two cameras to be used for environmental monitoring. According to the CEO of EgSA, Dr Mohammed El-Koosy, “In parallel with Next, a group of nanosatellites will be launched in March 2022 to monitor climate changes, especially the levels of carbon dioxide and gases in the atmosphere”. Furthermore, the agency is also working on the development of the MisrSat-2 satellite. The satellite will be entirely manufactured in Egypt. “In September 2022, EgyptSat 2, weighing 330 kilograms, will be launched to be used in sensor applications with a photographic accuracy of two meters. The EgSA designed the EgyptSat 2 in cooperation with China per an agreement that includes a grant worth USD 45 million,” he added. In addition, a satellite assembly and testing centre will be inaugurated in September 2022 in the International Space City to be the first centre of its kind in the Arab world. It will focus on locally producing Egyptian satellites for development in Egypt and Africa and scientific research.

New achievements in aerospace

NYS Fair changes several concerts after 2 more performers cancel

Lorraine Lewis (L) and Britt Lightning of Vixen perform in concert at HEB Center on September 28, 2019 in Cedar Park, Texas. UPDATE: Another NYS Fair concert has been canceled. The Oak Ridge Boys backed out of performing Tuesday, Aug. 31, after members of their touring crew tested positive for Covid-19; local country group Whiskey Hollow Rush will take over their 2 p.m. time slot at Chevy Court. * * * * * If you’re planning on seeing a concert at the Great New York State Fair, double-check the schedule before you go. NYS Fair officials announced late Wednesday that two more performers have canceled, forcing more lineup changes: — Syracuse-based rock band Dangerous Type will no longer perform today (Thursday, Aug. 26) at Chevy Park at 2 p.m.; the timeslot is being filled with Seattle Sons, a local group which celebrates the grunge music that came out of Seattle in the 90′s (and features two members of Dangerous Type). — Also, Great White has dropped out of its Aug. 28 performance at Chevy Court with Vixen. Vixen, an all-female glam metal band best known for “Edge of a Broken Heart” and “Cryin’,” will now perform the 7 p.m. show Saturday entirely themselves. Other recent changes to NYS Fair concerts include: — Noah Cyrus canceled her performance Sunday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m. at Chevy Park after a member of her crew tested positive for Covid-19; Upstate New York-based modern jazz group The Pickle Mafia will replace her. — Syracuse rapper Scorey, who took Sister Sledge’s timeslot after the disco group canceled, is no longer on the Fair’s schedule. The local Born to Run Band will instead perform the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, on the Chevy Park stage. The NYS Fair is seeing more last-minute changes than usual this year, but it’s far from the first time that concerts have quickly shuffled. Justin Bieber rescheduled a 2010 concert at the Grandstand due to illness, playing to 17,000 fans three days later. Nas replaced Snoop Dogg within hours at Chevy Court in 2015, the same year Jason Derulo took Meghan Trainor’s timeslot when she canceled her entire tour due to a vocal cord injury. And the Dropkick Murphys filled in for Dickey Betts in 2018 after the Allman Brothers Band co-founder suffered a stroke.

Organization Closed

Recovery of unemployment overpayments 'paused' as Virginia Employment Commission struggles with new backlogs

The Virginia Employment Commission has “paused” its collection of overpayments to unemployed Virginians as the beleaguered agency struggles to address rising backlogs of disputed claims and appeals that continue to strain the state unemployment system 18 months after the COVID-19 pandemic began. The state faces at least $86.7 million in improper payments made to people who were not eligible for unemployment benefits, but were paid in large part because the VEC did not fully review almost a half-million reports by employers to determine why people were separated from their jobs, according to a hard-hitting new report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. The interim report by the legislative watchdog agency estimates the total cost to the Virginia Unemployment Trust Fund could reach $930 million after the state completes all appeals and acts on requests to waive repayment of the excess benefits under a new law that the General Assembly adopted this year to protect unemployed Virginians from additional financial hardship. That includes an estimated $70 million in fraudulently obtained state benefits, some of them to inmates in state prisons. While those issues await resolution, the VEC “has paused all collection efforts,” Lauren Axselle, project leader of the JLARC study, told the joint legislative commission on Monday. Secretary of Labor Megan Healy, who assumed the newly created Cabinet position on July 1, confirmed the delay in collections, but she strongly disputed the $930 million estimate. “Not even close,” Healy said of the JLARC estimate in an interview after the 90-minute presentation. “I look forward to working with them to get the right number.” She said many of the improper payments were made to people who weren’t eligible for traditional state unemployment benefits, but who could have received help under a temporary federal benefit for independent or “gig” workers who previously had not shown up in the state system. Others are applying for waivers under the new state program to forgive excess payments that people received with no fraudulent intention. “A lot of these individuals are going to be struggling to pay them back,” she said. In her remarks to the commission, Healy acknowledged many of the failings that the report said undermined the VEC’s response to a pandemic that forced more than 400,000 people out of work and increased claims for unemployment benefits by tenfold. “I totally agree that the VEC was not prepared for this pandemic,” she said. However, Healy said much of the fault lies with chronic underfunding of the system, which until this year had not received state tax revenues for its operations, but relied instead on federal sharing of payroll tax revenue that ranked 51st in the country. JLARC plans to address funding issues in the final report due in November. As a result of funding shortfalls before the pandemic, Healy said, the VEC lacked the staff to handle unemployment claims during the health crisis, during which the agency had to close its offices to protect against a deadly virus that killed two employees. The agency had 13 outbreaks in its offices. “It’s pretty amazing that we distributed $14 billion to Virginia’s economy,” she told the commission. Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, bridled at her praise for the system, reminding her of the thousands of telephone calls that legislators have received from unemployed Virginians “who are absolutely desperate” for their benefits. “We need to get people back to work so we don’t have to worry so much about unemployment insurance,” said Norment, who previously objected to the continuation of enhanced federal unemployment benefits through Labor Day under the American Rescue Plan Act. Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt, expressed concern for unemployed Virginians whose “backs are against the wall.” “We just have to put this on the front burner,” Austin said. “It is an issue of grave concern.” Healy replied, “I agree with you.” VEC officials did not appear at the JLARC presentation because the agency remains subject to an ongoing federal class action lawsuit filed by advocates for unemployed Virginians last spring. U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson declined to dismiss the lawsuit last month because of continuing concerns expressed by callers to his office, even though the VEC had met a court-approved deadline to almost completely eliminate a backlog of 92,000 disputed unemployment claims. JLARC staff estimated a growing backlog of 100,000 additional disputed claims requiring adjudication, including specific issues that Virginia had put aside while dealing with the flood of initial claims last year but the U.S. Department of Labor is now requiring the state to review. Virginia has hired more than 200 contract employees and 137 state employees to adjudicate disputed claims, which were at the heart of the lawsuit filed last May and a subsequent settlement agreement between the state and six advocacy organizations. Gov. Ralph Northam issued an executive directive last May ordering the agency to clear the backlog in disputed claims, as well as improve the performance of customer service centers and complete a long-overdue upgrade of an antiquated computer system for handling unemployment claims. Healy claimed progress on all fronts, thanks to a $15 million boost in state funding to improve call center performance and complete the IT upgrade. The assembly also allocated about $34 million in federal emergency aid to the VEC, or more than its annual operating budget before the pandemic. The JLARC study found that the state’s call centers — operated by the VEC and contractors — answered just 4% of incoming calls and blocked almost a half-million calls in July. Subsequently, the agency has contracted with Deloitte, an international professional services firm, to provide 300 employees at a new call center to help callers navigate the system. The wait time for answering calls rose to 10 hours in June after the VEC blocked fewer calls from going through at all, but Healy said in an interview that the wait time is down to nine minutes. “We’re seeing the light at the call centers,” she said. The VEC also is preparing to turn on a new IT system on Oct. 1 for customers to use to track claims as part of the modernization program delayed last year because of the pandemic. JLARC staff said the modernization effort, begun 12 years ago, is essential to improve service. “The current system is a large contributing factor to the VEC’s poor COVID response,” said Axselle, who noted that this phase of the project was supposed to have been completed in 2013. “All things considered, VEC’s unemployment insurance modernization project has taken much too long to implement,” she said. JLARC also warned of potential risks in the rollout of the new system because of unproven technology for accurately moving data from the old system to the new one, as well as potential harm to people filing for benefits if the blackout during the transition takes more than five to seven days. VEC said last week that the system will be unavailable beginning at noon on Sept. 29 and urged people to file their weekly claims for benefits between Sept. 26 and Sept. 29. “Once the new system is live, users will be able to file a claim with an effective date retroactive to the day they became eligible for benefits,” the agency said last week. JLARC said the VEC’s performance during the pandemic also reflected poor communication, both internally and to the public, especially in failing to explain complex eligibility rules for state and federal benefits. “This is something that needs urgent attention,” Axselle said. The study also faulted a lack of state oversight of the system before the pandemic. “Additional state oversight is necessary for an agency of VEC’s size and critical mission,” it recommends. PHOTOS: Commission Meetings Members of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) listen to a presentation by Lauren Axselle, right, Project Leader, JLARC, inside the Pocahontas Building in Richmond, VA Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. BOB BROWN House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, and Del. Ken Plum, D-Fairfax, listen as Del. Bobby Orrock, R-Caroline (left), asks a question at a JLARC meeting in Richmond. BOB BROWN/Times-DISPATCH Sen. Tommy Norment, Jr., R-James City, listens to a presentation during a meeting of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) inside the Pocahontas Building in Richmond, VA Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. BOB BROWN Lauren Axselle, Project Leader of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), adresses a meeting of the group inside the Pocahontas Building in Richmond, VA Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. BOB BROWN Del. Bobby Orrock, R-Caroline, left, confers with Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, right, outside a meeting of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) inside the Pocahontas Building in Richmond, VA Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. Orrock is a member of the commission and Stanley had been attending a meeting of the redistricting commission across the hall when the two took a break from their meetings to talk. BOB BROWN There were lots of empty seats in the audience section during a meeting of the redistricting commission inside the Pocahontas Building in Richmond, VA Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. The meeting was being live streamed and most of those interested chose not to attend in person. BOB BROWN Members listened to comments from an interested party online during a meeting of the Virginia redistricting commission inside the Pocahontas Building in Richmond on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. The meeting was being livestreamed and most of those interested chose not to attend in person. BOB BROWN/TIMES-DISPATCH Sen. George Barker, D-Fairfax, listens to comments during a meeting of the redistricting commission Monday inside the Pocahontas Building in Richmond.

Financial Crisis

2008 Bihar flood

The 2008 Bihar flood was one of the most disastrous floods in the history of Bihar, an impoverished and densely populated state in India. The Koshi embankment near the Indo-Nepal border (at Kusaha VDC, Sunsari district, Nepal) broke on 18 August 2008. The river changed course and flooded areas which had not been flooded in many decades. [2] The flood affected over 2.3 million people in the northern part of Bihar. [3] On 18 August 2008, heavy monsoon rains and poor maintenance caused a breach in the Kosi embankment. Water passed through the breach at an estimated 3675 cubic meters per second (129,800 cusecs), flooding many villages in Nepal[4] and hundreds of villages in northern Bihar. The flood submerged most of the Kosi alluvial fan area, which is very fertile, with a dense agrarian population. The Kosi River's upper basin in southern Tibet and eastern Nepal drains some 60,000 km2 of mountainous terrain,[5] a region that tectonic forces are elevating by about 1 cm a year. [6] If erosion keeps pace with geologic uplift, an estimated 600 million cubic meters of sediment would be carried downstream in an average year. However, empirical measurements of the river's sediment load have yielded estimates of 100 million cubic meters annually,[7] indicating that the area is rising. River gradient ranges from more than 10 meters/km for major upper tributaries in the mountains to as little as 6 cm/km as the lower Kosi nears the Ganges. [8] As the gradient decreases on the plains, current slows and turbulence that holds sediments in suspension diminishes. Sediments settle out and are deposited on the riverbed. This process eventually raises a channel above the surrounding terrain. The river breaks out, seeking lower terrain, which it again proceeds to elevate by deposition. This creates a cone-shaped alluvial fan. The Kosi alluvial fan is one of the largest in the world, covering some 15,000 km2 and extending 180 km from the outermost foothills of the Himalayas to the Ganges river valley. [9] Flood waters naturally spread out over the surface of this cone. Flows over 25,000 m³/s have been measured where the Kosi exits the Himalayan foothills, enough to create a flow of water 30 km wide. [10] At this rate, in one week enough water would accumulate to cover the entire megafan to a depth of 1.5 meters. Preventative flood control measures include upstream reservoirs that can also serve irrigation needs and produce hydroelectric power. However, in Nepal these are mostly in the planning stages. [11] The flood control measures mainly consist of downstream embankments meant to confine the river to a fixed channel. In theory, the faster flow along this channel would carry high flows away and keep sediments in suspension. On 18 August 2008 one of the man-made embankments failed. The river reverted from the prescribed western channel to an old channel near the centre of its alluvial fan. The river spread out widely and flooded towns, villages, and cultivated fields on the densely populated alluvial fan. Recurrent flooding on the lower Kosi contributes largely to India's history of suffering more flood deaths than any other country except Bangladesh, and has earned the Kosi the epithet "The Sorrow of Bihar". [12] Flooding occurred throughout the Kosi River valley in northern Bihar, in the districts of Supaul, Araria, Saharsa, Madhepura, Bhagalpur, Khagaria and Purnea. [3][13] The flood killed 250 people and forced nearly 3 million people from their homes in Bihar. More than 300,000 houses were destroyed and at least 340,000 hectares (840,000 acres) of crops were damaged. [14] Villagers in Bihar ate raw rice and flour mixed with polluted water. Hunger and disease were widespread. The Supaul district was the worst-hit; surging waters swamped 1,000 square kilometres (247,000 acres) of farmlands, destroying crops. [15] It also affected six districts in Nepal. [16] Approximately 53,800 Nepalese (11,572 households)[17] were affected by the Koshi floods in Sunsari District, according to the Government of Nepal (GoN). Koshi Wildlife Reserve along the Koshi river was severely impacted by the floods including its wildlife and biodiversity. [18][19] Satellite image of flood waters in Bihar as of 31 August 2008. (Image UNOSAT) In response to the disaster, widely reported as the region's worst flood in 50 years, Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek his help in dealing with the "catastrophe". [20] The Prime Minister declared a "natural calamity" on 28 August and earmarked US$230 million in aid for the region. [21] Rescue operations were carried out by the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and non-government organisations. Indian Air Force helicopters dropped relief supplies in the worst-hit districts. Mumbai Fire Brigade sent a 22-member disaster management team to help in relief work. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar requested a rehabilitation package of Rs 145 billion from the central government for the flood ravaged Kosi region. [22] The Bihar government returned funds from Gujarat for relief work because of purported differences with the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. [23] On 1 September, describing the floods as a "disaster," the Dalai Lama gave 1,000,000 rupees to the Bihar government for relief work. [24] The Government of Bihar initiated Kosi Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Programme covering 30,000 affected families in Saharsa, Supaul and Madhepura district based on a pilot project implemented by ODR Collaborative, a network of organisations, supporting the Government and an owner driven reconstruction policy was formulated to support each family with Rs. 55,000 to construct their own house. After signing an agreement with the World Bank in January 2011, this programme has been upscaled to cover 100,000 families for reconstruction of hazard safe houses. The cost per house will be Rs.

Floods

1952 Air France SNCASE Languedoc crash

The 1952 Air France SNCASE Languedoc crash occurred on 3 March 1952 when a SNCASE SE.161/P7 Languedoc aircraft of Air France crashed on take-off from Nice Airport for Le Bourget Airport, Paris, killing all 38 people on board. The cause of the accident was that the aileron controls had jammed, which in itself was contributed to by a design fault. The accident was the third-deadliest in France at the time and is the deadliest involving the SNCASE Languedoc. The accident aircraft was a SNCASE SE.161/P7 Languedoc, msn 43, registration F-BCUM. The aircraft was powered by four 1,220-horsepower (910-kilowatt) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 SIC-3-G engines. [1] Shortly after take-off from Nice Airport on a scheduled domestic passenger flight to Orly Airport, Paris, the aircraft was seen to bank to the left, roll onto its back and crash about 1 kilometre (1,100 yd) north of the airport. All four crew and 34 passengers on board were killed. [1] The flight had originated in Tunis, Tunisia. [2] The accident was the third deadliest in France at the time and is the deadliest involving the SNCASE Languedoc. [1] Thirteen of the victims were British, including shipowner John Emlyn-Jones and his wife. [3] Amongst the other victims were the French actresses Lise Topart [fr] and Michèle Verly and the American actress and ballet dancer Harriet Toby. A Frenchwoman was initially reported to have survived the crash seriously injured,[4] but she died later in hospital,[5] bringing the total to 38 deaths. [1] An investigation found that the cause of the accident was that the co-pilot's aileron controls had jammed due to a chain slipping off its sprocket. The difficulty of setting and inspecting the chains in the dual control columns was cited as a contributory factor in the accident. [1]

Air crash

British European Airways Flight S200P crash

British European Airways Flight S200P was a short-haul flight from London-Northolt Airport to Glasgow-Renfrew Airport, Scotland. On 21 April 1948, while on approach to Renfrew, a Vickers VC.1 Viking, registration G-AIVE, crashed into Irish Law Mountain in North Ayrshire, Scotland. No one died in the accident, but 13 of the 20 passengers and crew were injured, and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Flight S200P had taken off at 18:09 GMT (19:09 British Summer Time). [1] After a 1-hour flight, air traffic control at Glasgow-Renfrew cleared it for a standard beam approach into the airport. The last radio contact was at 20:01, when the crew requested confirmation that the outer marker was operative. As the aircraft neared the airport, it hit a hill nose-first and broke into 3 parts; the engine and the left wing also broke off. Although the plane burst into flames, all 20 passengers and crew managed to escape, and all survived. Thirteen people were injured in the accident. [2][3] An investigation into the crash found the cause to be pilot error. Failure to receive the outer marker beacon signal (probably due to a fault that had developed in the receiver) was a contributory factor. [2] Some remnants of G-AIVE remain on the hill at Irish Law Mountain, including the engines, landing gear, and parts of the left and right wings.

Air crash

Air New Zealand Flight 4374 crash

Air New Zealand Flight NZ4734 was a flight from Gisborne which crashed while landing at Auckland killing two of the four on board. The Fokker Friendship F27-500 was eight years old at the time of the crash. Until 1977 the aircraft had been operated by the New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC). At 14:28 the aircraft had descended to 3000 feet and the pilots deployed the flaps. The aircraft's speed was 165 knots, and increased to 211 knots; 2 minutes 14 seconds later the aircraft crashed into the harbour killing two, the captain and a passenger. The investigation found that the crew were misled by a visual illusion during conditions of reduced visibility into believing they were at a safe height and failed to see the flight instruments sufficiently to confirm a safe landing path. [citation needed]

Air crash

Japan Airlines Flight 715 crash

Japan Airlines Flight 715 (日本航空 715便, Nihonkōkū 715 Bin) was an airplane that crashed in Malaysia on 27 September 1977. It was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, registration JA8051, on a flight from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, to Singapore International Airport in Singapore, with stopovers at Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong, and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Malaysia. Ten crew and 69 passengers were on board. It was the second-deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Malaysia at the time. [1] The aircraft involved was a Douglas DC-8-62H (serial number 46152 and factory 550), released in 1971, and delivered to Japan Airlines on 23 August. It was registered as JA8051. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B turbofan engines. [2] Two hours into the flight, air traffic control at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport told flight 715 to start its approach and land on runway 15. The flight crew started their approach, putting the landing gear down and extending the flaps. The aircraft descended below minimum descent altitude of 750 feet (230 m), then at 300 feet (91 m), it crashed into the side of a hill 4 miles from the airport, near an estate called Ladang Elmina. [3] The aircraft broke on impact, and a fire erupted, which was extinguished by airport rescue and firefighting. [4] The accident killed 34 people: eight of the 10 crew and 26 of the 69 passengers. Forty-five survivors, among the passengers and crew, were taken to a hospital. [5] The remains from the crash could be found in the soil surrounding the estate until 2011. Most of the land now is being converted to developments. [6] A memorial was built in the Japanese cemetery in Malaysia. [7] The crash was the second-deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Malaysia until the crash of Malaysian Airline System Flight 653, two months later, with 100 fatalities. [1] The Malaysian Civil Aviation Bureau investigated the accident. At the time of the crash, the weather around the airport was poor and the aircraft was on a VOR approach. The investigation determined that the cause of the accident was the captain descending below the minimum descent altitude without having the runway in sight, and continuing the descent, causing the aircraft to crash before reaching the airport. The flight crew loss of sight of the airport due to bad weather, which also contributed to the accident. In addition, the first officer did not challenge the captain for violating the regulations. [6]

Air crash

Huge solar storm To Hit Earth; Can Impact GPS, Cell Phones, And Air Travel

It has recently come to light that Earth could be impacted by a powerful high-speed solar storm that’s approaching our planet at a speed of 1.6 million kilometres per hour. This may lead to power failure around the globe, reports Mint. The storm was expected to hit parts of our planet between July 11-12. SEE ALSO: NASA Shares Image Of Face-On Spiral Galaxy Located In Constellation Cepheus! As per the report, wind speeds could reach 500 km/s which will trigger a geomagnetic storm and high latitude auroras. "THE SOLAR WIND IS COMING: Later today, a high-speed stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. Flowing from an equatorial hole in the sun's atmosphere, wind speeds could top 500 km/s. Full-fledged geomagnetic storms are unlikely, but lesser geomagnetic unrest could spark high latitude auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text,” states spaceweather.com. The solar flare that’s expected to hit Earth might hit satellites in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, which in turn, will impact GPS navigation, mobile phone signals, air travel, and satellite TV. The storm has been classified as G-1 or 'minor' by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For the uninitiated, the Space Weather Prediction Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth. Geomagnetic storms are a result of variations in the solar wind that produces major changes in the currents, plasmas, and fields in Earth’s magnetosphere. The largest storms that result from these conditions are associated with solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) where a billion tons or so of plasma from the sun, with its embedded magnetic field, arrives at Earth.

New wonders in nature

Mall shops, places of worship linked to TTSH cluster to close for 2 days

SINGAPORE — Multi-ministry taskforce co-chair Lawrence Wong on Friday (30 April) announced a tightening of local COVID-19 measures amid a rise in community cases. COVID-19: Social interactions should be limited to two per day – MTF [UPDATE at 2.40pm on Saturday, 1 May 2021: 313 Somerset and AMK Hub, previously listed as having been visited by a case from the TTSH cluster on 26 and 27 April have been removed from the list of places visited by the community during the infectious period.] SINGAPORE — All public places visited by COVID-19 cases in the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster, including places of worship and those in at least nine malls, will be closed for two days for cleaning and to facilitate the testing of staff there for COVID-19. These places, which were visited by 13 infectious community cases linked to the cluster as of Friday (30 April), include: 3 mosques: Masjid Hajjah Fatimah, Masjid Al-Falah, Masjid Abdul Hamid Kg Pasiran One church: City Harvest Church at Jurong West Places within nine shopping malls: AMK Hub, Orchard Central, Junction 8, VivoCity, Esplanade Xchange, Bugis +, Bugis Junction, 100AM, 313 Somerset Places visited within the shopping malls include an arcade – Paco Funworld Bugis + – as well as three NTUC FairPrice/FairPrice Xtra outlets at Toa Payoh Hub, Kitchener Complex, and VivoCity, respectively. The full list, which has not been finalised, is as follows: The MOH said it will also carry out surveillance testing for patients who had been discharged from, and visitors to, the TTSH on or after 18 April; as well as individuals who had been to or who work at the public places that the TTSH cluster cases had visited during their infectious period. "Our testing is ongoing and we expect to detect more cases in the coming days," said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, co-chair of the multi-ministry task force on COVID-19, who spoke at a virtual media conference on Friday. "The next few days will be critical: if we find many more cases that suggest widespread transmission, we will have to introduce more measures to break the chain of transmission." Healthcare institutions have also been reminded to closely monitor patients who were previously admitted at the TTSH from 18 April. And while close contacts of the confirmed cases who are at higher risk of infection have already been identified through contact-tracing, MOH is offering tests to these individuals to pre-emptively mitigate any potential risk of wider, undetected community transmission. The ministry also advised all visitors and patients who were at the TTSH since 18 April to monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit. They are "strongly encouraged" to visit a regional screening centre (RSC) or public health preparedness clinic (PHPC) for a government-funded swab test, it added. Starting from 3 May through 16 May, these individuals may book an appointment for a free COVID-19 PCR test at any of the “Swab and Send Home” (SASH) PHPCs islandwide or walk in to one of the following four RSCs: Former Da Qiao Primary School, 8 Ang Mo Kio Street 54, S(569185); Former Shuqun Secondary School, 450 Jurong East Street 21, S(609604); Former Coral Primary School, 20 Pasir Ris Street 51, S(518902); Former Bishan Park Secondary School, 2 Sin Ming Walk S(575565). "We strongly encourage all individuals in the identified groups to come forward for testing. Individuals will only need to bring along their photo identification, and inform the PHPC or RSC staff of the date and time they were at the TTSH or the specified public places. The cost of these tests will be fully borne by the government," said the MOH. These announcements come on the same day the MOH confirmed an additional four cases linked to a fully vaccinated nurse at the TTSH, bringing the total linked cases in the cluster to 13. The new "case 62541" cluster, named after the 46-year-old Filipina's case number, includes at least one fully-vaccinated doctor and six patients, with the oldest aged 94. Four general wards – 7D, 10B, 9C and 9D – where both infected staff and patients had been, have since been locked down. This means that there is no movement in or out of the wards, except for essential tests. "Even then, when we do move them, we take full precautions moving them," said TTSH chief executive Dr Eugene Soh, who was addressing reporters at a virtual media conference. "We will not admit any further patients into that ward and we will have a dedicated group of staff, taking care of those patients in the ward. That is essential for us to put a barrier here, to make sure that we keep the patients in the ward safe, as well as keep those outside the ward safe as well." All close contacts of the identified cases, including patients, visitors and staff who have been in the affected wards, have also been placed on quarantine. A total of 76 staff members have been placed on a leave of absence (LOA) , awaiting their quarantine orders based on further contact tracing. Dr Soh added that he anticipates more staff will be placed on LOA or quarantine. In addition, 61 patients, including confirmed COVID-19 patients, have been transferred to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). In lieu of the growing cluster, the hospital has been testing all TTSH staff and patients who were in the TTSH Main Block Levels 3 to 13 from 18 to 28 April. According to Dr Soh, all 1,100 inpatients and 4,500 staff working in the main TTSH wards will be swabbed, with the former to complete swabbing by Friday evening. Staff members will complete their swab tests by the weekend. It has also stepped up clinical surveillance of all inpatients who may develop fever and ARI symptoms, as well as restrict movement of healthcare workers in the hospital, including the suspension of all healthcare student postings at the TTSH and non-essential trainings. Visitors to the hospital have also been barred, except on a compassionate basis to patients who are critically ill. Tan Tock Seng Hospital has banned all visits to its wards after a Filipino nurse there tested positive for COVID-19, leading to a cluster. READ MORE: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/covid-19-some-places-in-9-malls-3-mosques-and-1-church-closed-two-days-mtf-105126955.html Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: 16 new COVID community cases in Singapore, highest in over 9 months Fully vaccinated nurse at TTSH has COVID-19, 4 others preliminarily positive: MOH Woman behind racist videos had YouTube channel removed, property firm terminated 'associate' Former French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon returns to court on Monday to try to clear his name in a corruption scandal that caused his downfall and sealed the rise of Emmanuel Macron. The wave of inflation that's swept the United States this year has spared no part of the country, not even Wilmington, the city that has provided the backdrop for much of US President Joe Biden's political career. The nomad was thirsty, and the journey into the Somali desert would be long and taxing. 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A standoff near the Bruzgi-Kuznica border crossing on the EU's eastern frontier began last week when hundreds of migrants gathered there. "Migrants attacked our soldiers and officers with rocks and are trying to destroy the fence and cross into Poland," Poland's defence ministry has said in justification of the use of water cannon. MATUMBAMAN's departure from Secret follows that of offlaner Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg, who parted ways with the team earlier this month to join Team Liquid. British singer Sting is back at the age of 70 with a hopeful new album, though he admits he sees a lot to worry him in the world right now. Dubbed as the “King in the North,” Rekkles is considered one of the best LoL players in Europe, winning four League of Legends European Championship titles and participating in four World Championships. Lionel Messi trains alongside Argentina's national football team in Ezeiza ahead of the World Cup qualifier match against arch rivals Brazil. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has said Messi, who only played 15 minutes off the bench in Thursday's 1-0 win over Uruguay, will be fit to play in Tuesday's match. Meanwhile, Brazil forward Neymar has been ruled out of the match with a thigh problem, the Brazilian football confederation (CBF) announced Monday. Earlier on Monday, The US and Russia have maintained strong space ties since the end of the Cold War, cooperating closely on the ISS, which they built together US President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping opened a virtual summit Monday with an appeal for better communication between the superpowers and what Biden called "guardrails" to avoid conflict. Pollution levels in Delhi have remained ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ for most of November Reigning Singapore Premier League champions have signed South Korea international striker Kim Shin-wook, and have made the league's highest-paid player. 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Organization Closed

Storm triggers rockfall, mudslides on Red Mountain Pass

Another day of monsoonal moisture brought heavy rains to Ouray County and triggered mudslides and rockfall on Red Mountain Pass Wednesday afternoon. Several small rocks tumbled onto U.S. Highway 550 by Bear Creek Falls, striking a vehicle and breaking a window. A person inside the vehicle was cut by glass but otherwise not seriously hurt, Ouray County Undersheriff Tammy Stroup said. Water, mud and silt washed across the highway in several places between the pass and Ridgway, but U.S. 550 was open as of 4:20 p.m. Meanwhile, Ouray County Sheriff Justin Perry and the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department were called up County Road 361 on a smoke report. It wasn't immediately clear whether there was a fire. The northwest San Juan Mountains, including Ouray, Telluride and Lake City, were under a flash flood watch until midnight tonight, with the National Weather Service forecasting rainfall amounts of a half-inch to 1 inch in a short duration exacerbating flood concerns.

Mudslides